VICENZA: AMAZING VIEW and LAST MOMENTS

We had our last class earlier today.. We went up this hill earlier not knowing that we'll see a view of Vicenza. It was a beautiful morning! I also got some Italian butter fingers (the real deal-- I'm excited to make Tiramisu for Bri's Bday!)

We cleaned our room earlier and had an inspection by the manager of the dorm. We also said goodbye to Señora Angela.. She stayed in our living area/ kitchen for an hour or so, before the inspection started. We offered her water and pomelo with salt. She liked the combo and enjoyed our company... Je was once again called as Señora's "pet cat." In most Italian works, cats in painted artworks often times had their heads tilted to one side, just like what Je often did in most of our pictures.

We had biscotti flavored gelato earlier... Gelato is healthier than regular ice cream for it contains less fat, creamier with healthy milk, and is always made fresh. Trivia: the first gelato was made in Florence, Italy (birthplace of the Renaissance).

During our free time, I roamed around for the final time. I've noticed lots of locals interacting with each other. As always, when I entered the shops, Italians greeted me with a smile- this I won't forget.

On my way back, I dropped by the family-run bakery shop. The smell of sweet, Italian pastry with chocolate Nutella permeated the air. As I stepped in, I heard chit-chattering of people on the second floor-it seemed like some sort of gathering or get-together was taking place. This did not hinder the bakers to stop selling their goodies. Near the counter were a variety of pastries. The couple before me requested for the Apricot pie to be weighed.. They took home half of the whole thing as their "take-away" goodie. When it was my turn, I had to ask what everything was. The baker smiled and as I pointed to one, she stated cherry pie, followed by pecorino cheese cake. As all of these dishes sounded good, I asked for a slice of each. It was 10 minutes to 7pm, and I hurried back with my bag of goodies. I came back just in time to share a portion of these slices with some friends, especially Lenda and Heidi, who were leaving for Paris tonight.

[Last group gelato by the piazza steps]

Emme, Je, and I heard mass for the final time at the same basilica. For the peace part, we all exchanged the Italian kissing of the cheeks. We could not help but smile. Once again, the mass ended early. We headed back to the dorm and accompanied Lenda and Heidi for they have a 12-hour train ride to Paris from Vicenza. We then had a group dinner at another restaurant near the Galla Caffe, where I get my free wifi. I ordered a black truffled pizza, but it was not even close to the one we ate at the other restaurant. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the company. For the final time, we visited the Gelateria, where I combined pistachios with dark chocolate.. Molto bene (very good)!

We're hours away from leaving Italy.. I can't believe it! I learned so much and enjoyed every bit of my stay here. I will definitely visit again someday.