Right now I’m updating this blog from a hotel room in Pordenone, Italy! The Sarajevo Philharmonic is performing at the theater here tonight and tomorrow night. In the meantime, we have two free days, one to explore Pordenone, and one to go into Venice. (Pordenone is a quaint, small city in Northeastern Italy, just about one hour north of Venice.)
I am falling in love with Italy very quickly! First of all, it’s nice to have all of the amenities that I’m used to having from the US: wireless internet, a shower head that’s actually fixed to the wall. To my surprise and delight, I discovered when we arrived here that we’re staying at a three-star hotel. It’s super clean, with a friendly staff, and a tasty complimentary breakfast each morning. The hotel is quite similar to a mid-range hotel in the US. The biggest difference is that we have a bidet in our bathroom! It’s my first time seeing a real live bidet. I’m a little afraid to try it.
Regardless, the hotel quality isn’t too important because I’ve been out all day. After an early morning skype chat with Ross (6:30am here is 11:30pm in Chicago, so I got to say goodnight to him for the first time since moving to Sarajevo) I grabbed some breakfast, and then took a walk through town with Sara and Arvida. My Albanian friends, Arvida and Flobens, speak fluent Italian. I’m trying to stick with them so they can translate for me, and maybe teach me a little bit too. Sara, Arvida, and I window-shopped, ogling all of the beautiful clothes, bags, and shoes. The Sarajevo Philharmonic is giving everyone a nice-sized stipend to spend on the trip! Alas, we had to save the actual shopping for later, since everything in Pordenone was closed for Monday mornings. I guess Italians do too much partying on Sunday night?
We had a short rehearsal at noon, and then I ate lunch at a Pizzeria near the hotel. The pizzeria offered a fixed-price three-course menu for 11 euros, which is quite a bargain. I had four-cheese gnocchi, a caprese plate, and a salad. Mmmmmm…Italian food is so good. Though I have to confess that I’ve had better gniocci at an Italian restaurant in Evanston (Trattoria D.O.C. rocks), but not for such a good price.
After lunch, I went shopping, and found a belt (my pants have gotten too loose in Bosnia, but I think two days of eating gelato in Italy might take care of that problem) and a new purse (in honor of my mother, who is always nagging me to get a new purse). I also found some anti-frizz creme and some saline solution, which I’ve been having trouble finding in Bosnia.
Now I’ve got an hour to relax before heading out to play our concert. And hopefully a wine bar and/or gelato afterward… Oh Italy, so full of all of my favorite things!
Stayed tuned for a post about our bus ride through Croatia and Slovenia, and, later, about my day in Venice. J
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