Kluk shizer!

Okay, ragazzi! Let's look at some pictures, shall we? Though I have to say, these photos are taking forever and .5 to upload....I have a query into Google (i.e., Erica), but would also appreciate some advice from other technically savvy readers (i.e., Jed) on how to best upload....grazie in advance.

Since I am studying Italian every day (during the week), I thought you might like to see a photo of a few of my classmates. Until last week, my class (there are actually four or five classes in the entire school) consisted only of me and Katrina, the German girl with the orange glasses and green sweater. We get along well, for the most part, though she enjoys calling me a "kluk shizer," which translates to something like sh-t disturber........just doing my best to maintain favorable relations with our European allies ;) The others in the picture include Yuya, the Japanese guy looking like a deer in the headlights, Mario, the Colombiano with the baseball cap and two other Germans (I think), neither of whose name I recall....

Starting today, another girl entered our class, Valerie, from Belgium, and though I do not have a photo of her yet, I know that if I posted one, Eric (Alex as well?) would be on the first flight over from CA....will do my best for a few snapshots....purely on an informative basis for the purposes of the blog.

Let's see...what else, guess it has been a little while since my last post....

When we last spoke, I was about to head out to Stefano's party for the opening of his new business center. You can see him in the photo below, pouring some champagne for his guests. It was a bit of a swanky affair, though the appetizers weren't great.

After the party, Stefano and I went to check out the electronic music festival being hosted by his cousin, Francesco, however, they had completely sold out of tickets, and we were both a bit tired.

Since I had not really eaten much at the party, I went to Osteria della Orsa, a small restaurant near my house, frequented by college students. I had a piadina complicada, which was neither complicated, nor one of the better meals I have had in Bologna, but I thought you might like to see a pic nonetheless (inside of the "tortilla," there was prosciutto, rucola and squacquerone, a funny sounding liquified cheese).

The following day (Friday), I went with Michela and her friend Lucca to pick up Michela's car, somewhere in the mountains, 80 km or so away. On the way, we stopped at a "retreat" to drop off some propaganda for a rally that was being held. Below are photos of the retreat....not a bad place to talk politics.

After that, we went to dinner at a small place, kind of like a ski lodge, called Tibidi. The menu, was not however tbd, as Lucca had pretty much decided everything for the table...(hey, I thought that was my job ;)

The pic below is something that some of you may recognize, if you are Mario Batali fans, or if you just enjoy "chewing the fat," because, miei amici, what you are looking at is just that.....lardello...pure fat in all of its gelatinous glory, accompanied by some tartuffi neri...black truffles.

For me, the tartuffi neri were the culinary highlight of the evening, and they appeared in several dishes, including the caprese shown below. The deep, rich and smokey flavor of these gems encompasses one's entire mouth while eating, and really capture the essence of what is "umami." Nothing like a little food porn on a Monday morning, huh?

The photo below is of our amicable waitress, who served us each (of three or four) pasta dishes straight from the pan.

Finally, in this last photo, before driving home, we capped off the evening with a selection of about ten different types of grappa, each with its own flavor (black pepper, strawberry, ginger, rose petals, etc.) and its own purported healing remedy. For me, la grappa non me piace .....but it was worth trying nonetheless. Michela and Lucca pictured below.

Well, I must have been pretty beat from the week, because I ended up sleeping until 2:00 in the afternoon on Saturday.....which was a good thing, because Saturday night ended up being a late one!

I headed out with Francesco, Alessandro and Niccola (the Siciliani) to a bar near my house, then on to Cassero, a disco where the untz untz lasted until 6:00 AM....or that was when we left....guess it was still going. A few slices of cold pizza in a bakery that was just opening in the morning, then, appropriately Sunday was a day of rest, that consisted of recovery for a 31 year old partying like a 21 year old. After taking in half of a match of calcio between Milan and a team from Rome, I was in bed by 10:00 PM, and was fresh and ready to start the week this morning!

Wishing you all an excellent week from Emilia Romagna, I say ciao for now!