There's a first time for everything....

For a couple of weeks my haircut had been driving me crazy. My hair was (yes, was, past tense) just too long, covering my eyes. In four words : it drove me crazy. After hearing horror expat stories of Italian haircutters who just don't know how to do a decent cut, I always went to get my hair cut whenever I was in Belgium. Even though I will soon be escaping Rome chaos for a weekend in Belgium, I decided not to wait (yes, it was driving me THAT crazy) and pick an Italian salon and just get it over with. So, I am no longer an Italian hairsalon virgin. It was quick and painless, and I'm actually really loving my new hair.
And if that wasn't enough excitement for one weekend (I have a boring life), for the first time ever, I drove to the city center. I had driven before in Rome -the GRA, the highway, to the beach - but never in the city center as in : lungotevere, san giovanni, etc... After getting that hair cut, I must have felt very adventurous or something, because I did it. Parking along lungotevere in one of those small parking spaces and while seeing car lights approaching from behind at high speed and everything.
After that I really deserved that Mojito in Trastevere...and that glass of wine.
Luckily I didn't have to drive back...

Snow in Rome!

For over 10 years I have been coming to Rome. Now living here for about a year and I have never, ever seen this.
Snow in Rome! All over Europe it has been snowing more than usual, but who would have thought the snow would even reach Rome!

Belgium, here we come....

The Italian and I will be going to Belgium for the holidays and we both couldn't be happier about it. First of all because we haven't seen my family in a long time and second of all because we both need a break from Italy and Rome.
Belgium is currently covered in snow and we have a pretty big chance of having that White Christmas after all. Apart from one big suitcase filled with clothes, we are also dragging another big suitcase with us filled with cakes, torrone and other Italian holiday goodies. Today when buying the torrone, the Italian candidly pointed out that I always said that there was only 1 kind of chocolate in the world. Well his exact words were more like : " You always made me two ***** like this about how chocolate had to be Belgian." Yes, Belgian chocolate is still the best chocolate in the world, but I'm still also buying the torrone. (You can never have too much chocolate imo)
I will surely return to Italy with an extra five kilos on my body, but I'm not holding back this time. Homemade fries, belgian beer, cream tomato soup and endless christmas markets with glühwein, jenever and other bodywarming drinks.
Now if only the airport won't be closed for the snow....
Happy holidays to all! Have a lovely Christmas!

Bio Testaccio

Last weekend was the weekend of the 'altra economia' in 'la città dell' altra economia' in Testaccio.
In La città dell' altra economia there is a bio-shop for food, one for other items including fair trade products, a Bio Bar and a Bio restaurant. But last weekend there were all stands with bio food, clothing, books,etc. as well. Even the bio-guy from Biolà* was there.
I ate the best pannocchia ever from one of the stands. The shops are ofcourse always there and one Sunday per month the stands will return.

If you are in Rome definately worth checking out.


*Biolà is a biofarm in Fiumicino, but every week they travel to different places in Rome and set up there with their little van to sell milk straight from the cow, meat, mozzarella, ricotta, honey,... You can find the schedule, products and prices on the site.

The highs and the lows

It's been months since I last blogged. The past months were filled with highs and lows and for some reason I didn't feel like blogging about it at the time.
This is what's been going on :

The highs :
* In July the Italian and I went to Belgium. We stayed there a couple of days and then drove my car (full with stuff) back to Italy. We stopped at Lago di Garda and San Benedetto del Tronto and then drove to Rome.
* In August my mom and sister came to visit us in Rome, which was great.
* In September my cousin and her boyfriend came to Rome, we had a blast.

The lows :
* For some reason I'm still not getting used to Rome. I have pretty much always lived in a small village in a small country. I never thought this would be an issue, but the big city chaos is sometimes just too much. I then dream of a house with a big garden in which I grow my own vegetables. I guess there is a farmer inside of me somewhere that I didn't know about.
* The househunting is not going fast enough for me. We have seen it all by now. Houses with water in the walls, bad roofs, houses in the midst of about 20 electrical poles, near the river that floods, agency people who don't give you any information except for : 'this is the kitchen, this is the bathroom...' (why would I pay you thousands of euros for that?!)
* The jobhunting is -to say the least- horrible. Nobody cares apparently that I speak all these languages and have a degree. When I came here I was willing to earn less than what I earned back home, but some of the salaries I have seen here are just ridiculous.
* Making new friends has also proven itself to be harder than it is.

Solution :
* I need to step up my game. Easier said than done, but not impossible. And when I wonder if I want to step up my game, I need to slap myself in the face and realise that the only thing I can change is me. Not this country or its jobmarket or its obvious chaos. I need to stop comparing Belgium to Italy, cause in the end it just makes me unhappier.

Now I know what to do, but how do I do it?

The Weekend

This weekend I realised how out of shape I am. It being 30-something degrees in Rome has forced me to give up conceiling clothes and wear something more revealing. I don't necessarily have a problem with that, until I discovered the belly fat I collected around the waist last winter and the winters before that. Seeing pictures of the Italian and me in London in 2004 (that's only 5 years ago, you know!) didn't make me feel any better. Five years ago I had a flat belly! Well, ok, I never really had a flat belly, but you get the point. Being shocked that one can look very different in just 5 years has given me a brilliant idea to solve my problem : I need to work out. Yes, I know, it's shocking and of course I didn't come up with this just now, but the idea of having to get in a bikini really soon has made this realisation even more painful. If you didn't get this from my blog sooner, I should tell you I might not be the most dedicated person when it comes to exercise. I just love food, I can't help it. And more importantly it loves me.
Anyway, to celebrate my brilliantness, The Italian and I decided to have aperitivo in Trastevere. And yes, I do see the irony in that.

Il Bioparco

The past weekends have been quite full. A couple of weeks ago my family came to visit us. It was their first time in Rome which was kinda exciting, so we saw lots and lots of must-sees. Also the weekends after that were filled with museum visits, sightseeing etc. Blog posts to follow.
Last weekend however, we went to the Zoo. Being a good vegetarian and all*, I do feel for the animals. Caged and locked away, but the other side of me just loves to see the animals and walk through the park. It was a beautiful day yesterday, not too warm, so perfect for the first zoo visit of the year.





* Not that one necessarily has anything to do with the other, but you get the point.