Housing Trip to Torino...Day 1 and 2

Joe and I just returned from our housing trip in Torino, Italy! It was a great time learning about a different culture, seeing how people live in other parts of the world. It was an exhausting trip flying halfway across the world, dealing with jetlag and walking many, many blocks over the week. This will probably be a several post presentation. I don't think I will be able to fit everything in one post and I don't have the mental capacity right now to make that happen, anyway.

Our week started with our flight on Saturday into Milano-Malpensa airport. Luckily, Joe had taken this flight and drive previously for work. He knew where the car rental place was, sort of how to get to Torino from Milano, and what to do in a roundabout. I, on the other hand, had many new experiences in this first day! Joe knows me well enough to know that I needed to navigate and keep my nose in the iPhone so I wouldn't freak out about the insane driving situation. Ok, ok, it was only insane to me. Everyone else on the road thought it was all normal. A 3-lane road with 4 cars across, maybe a Vespa or bike in the mix as well...no problem! Did I mention I'm not very good at navigating Italian roads yet? Yeah, Joe was patient and didn't get too frustrated with me. Luckily, there is always a roundabout somewhere to do a 360 and come back the opposite direction. Normally, I'm quite good with directions. I promise. Pinky promise, even. This was a whole new world for me. Apparently, google maps likes to show the roads after you've already passed them. Good times!

Me navigating...oops, taking a selfie. I think we missed a turn. ;)

We checked in to the hotel early. It was a nice room that overlooked the mall. Scenic, I know. Much more scenic than the hotel that we had the final night in Milano. It overlooked a parking lot. But back to our hotel for the week...the staff was delightful, room was nice and clean, we were close to shopping and restaurants. What we couldn't walk to, we could drive or take a subway. So we dropped our stuff, I freaked out a bit about the toilet (I had no idea that flushing a toilet would require a degree! Every place we went had a different way to flush the toilet and turn on the water...life is exciting!) because I didn't know the huge panel on the wall was actually a flushing mechanism. Joe laughed at me. Truth be told, I would have laughed at him had the roles been reversed. Also, there is a bidet in all private bathrooms. All I'm gonna say about that is...one becomes accustomed to the bidet. It is something we should start in America.

So we set out...I was starving! We checked out the mall and didn't find anything appealing there so we walked across the street to Eataly. Oh my! The food was delicious! So tender, so fresh, so delicious. After getting frustrated in yet another bathroom, we left Eataly for downtown Torino. Subway, here we come! We headed for Porta Nuova and the life of the city! We walked around a park and down a few shopping alleys before we popped out into a piazza where they were having a Chocolate Festival! So, I was in Heaven and so was Joe. We bought many different chocolate bars and wafers, Joe had some hot chocolate (ok, I didn't enjoy this. Shoot me, but it was a weird texture and not my thing), and enjoyed seeing the people of Torino in their natural environment. There were dogs everywhere! All of the Torino pooches seem very accustomed to humans...put another dog in front of them and they go ballistic. It was hilarious!

Joe with a giant chocolate shoe

Me enjoying some Chocolate

After enjoying the Chocolate Festival a little too much, we walked to the Palace and got information on yearly passes. I think we are gonna do it. It would be nice to have somewhere to take the kiddies while we are waiting for the house to be ready. More about the house tomorrow. We then decided to head for the River Po and check out the extended stay apartment we will be living in when we first move. Big mistake. It was a long walk, we were already exhausted and my body gave out on me at some point. Positive note, our extended stay place looks quite nice. Negative note, it is not very close to the subway or much of anything. It is close to a park and the river. There is also a castle within walking distance that we can take the kids to see. I am so excited about the schooling opportunities in Torino! Anyway, we saw the ground floor of the extended stay place, used the restroom (notice the theme?!?!) and headed out for our hotel. On the way to the hotel, my foot gave out on me. I had to keep stopping due to the shooting pain in the side of my foot. I guess my body isn't accustomed to all this physical exertion. I'm getting old.

Us by the Fiume Po

That night, we decided to just eat at the hotel. The staff was amazing and gave us many gluten free options. They even provided a gluten free option for a local coffee favorite. It is called Bicerin and is typically coffee, chocolate syrup and whipped cream on top. Well, the chocolate syrup they had was not gluten free so they put Bailey's in instead. I didn't complain. It was delicious!

The next day we headed out to explore the city centers of the villages we were considering for our home. It was a lot of fun and I got us lost more times than I'd like to admit. We explored a large grocery store, a Home Depot store, of sorts and walked through many, many village streets. We loved every second of it! I got to see where Joe will be working, how far each village is from his work and how far it is to Torino. A productive day, all in all.

Breakfast buffet at hotel. Joe was impressed with my spread.

Overlook at castle in Rivoli...ohh, the Alps! So scenic