I am not going to get too nostalgic (yet) about our time here. We are down to just over one month left in Torino. I want to share a few highlights of every day life here. I won’t dwell on how much I have loved spending time with my family (actually, I will at some point dwell, just not today).
Ten Things I will Miss the Most:
- Speaking Italian.
- Seeing the alps at the end of my street.
- Waiters walking with espresso cups on trays to deliver them to the local shop owners.
- Gerla, our neighborhood café.
- Seeing our kids in uniforms getting off their school bus in front of our apartment.
- Not having a car to worry about.
- The smell of bakeries as you walk by.
- The seasonal fashion and tight pants of men in all seasons.
- Church bells and quiet Sundays.
- Endless bounty of food, wine and gelato (surely this deserves its own post).
Ten Things I won’t Miss at All:
- Speaking Italian.
- Dog owners not picking up after their beloved canines. Gross. gross. gross.
- Torinese drivers actively trying to run you over, especially in crosswalks.
- People smoking everywhere.
- Italian bureaucracy-including but not limited to: waiting in crazy lines of all kinds, immigration and the Italian postal service.
- Taking five hours to do a load of laundry. Sorry, I am still not over it.
- The newspaper guy driving the scooter down my street at 4:00am every morning.
- Stores being closed every day from 1:00-3:30, also Sunday, also Monday until 3:30pm. Come on, Italy.
- Expensive taxis that sometimes go on strike.
- Needing exact change everywhere.