We found out while scouting for apartments, that just across the river from where we are, there are a bunch of neat restaurant. So last night we went to have kebab and tonight we went to a place that advertizes Asian food: Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Indian (?). We tried to figure out which dishes were Thai, so I ended up ordering the duck a la bangkok and Ritsu has a shrimp dish and we had some dumplings before that (They call dumplings here Ravioli 
) .
The food was really nice, my duck was really spicy .. and the 2 Asian waitress ladies took care of Julius, too.
This was interesting today: He did not realize it and me neither, at first … while holding his bottle, he made some shy steps forward, without securing himself to anything (other than his bottle, maybe that worked as a security blanket). But this was indeed the very first time that he was walking freely!!!
And even better: He repeated it a few times later just for the camera crazy dad!
click here for the surprise milestone video.
Julius is totally in love with this new pillow-owl that Ritsu scored for him at IKEA (well, I discovered it, but Ritsu did all the hand and feet talk with the IKEA staff, as it appeared to be the last of its kind. She was talking with that guy who later told me not to take pictures )
He even can say his name already and loves to just bum out and rest on him.
Today started with an adventurous hiking trip into the hillside of Torino. We heard through colleagues of Ritsu about a great nursery, kindergarden, pre-school called “Il Cucciolo” and went to check it out.
Somehow the bus connection was not as great as we wanted it and we ended up walking quite some, uphill, but were also rewarded with some fantastic views of the alps behind Torino.
When we finally found the place we were very impressed. It feels a bit like ‘vacation on a farm / in a castle’. A lot of secure, non-traffic out door space, animals, a veggie garden that is actually used for the food the kids eat.
Julius was immediately interested in the other kids and basically everything that he saw. He is yearning for more social interaction, so we are giving this place some considerable thought. It also appears that the kids there come from all kinds of international background, and unlike other kindergardens we thought about, there is no specific religious background.
We just need to figure out a doable daily commute (It kinda looks like we would have to get a car just to get him there) and we are also still researching if we are happy with the pricetag. I compared with friends in Europe and the US and it sure is interesting how much child care can cost these days.
Just 20 seconds of whacky cuddling with daddy.
Today we strolled along the beautiful river Po twice. Once in the afternoon, hoping we would run into Ritsu on her way back from work (but we were too early) and then altogether later in the evening. Torino is on the flat side of the river, so you get to see hills on the other side, very nice. The river becomes a gym after work ours with lots of boats and kayaks going up and down. The weather was great and we did a big round to see what’s on the other side.
On our walk to gallery 8 (becoming a favourite Sunday spot) we had lunch at a nearby chinese place (Nuovo Secolo, Via Varazze 4, 011.6964396). They offer a great 8€ p.p. lunch special and so we had a variety of stuff, which was very nice. This time we also had some hot sauce to spice it up.
I found a little corner of asian foods in our supermarket, but I am still looking for some big asian food supply store .. there has to be one.
Especially when they are not even toys … but that 1 € basket of clothespins has Julius fascinated for hours.
It has indeed been 3 years since we have been to IKEA last time, and it was exciting to see that it still looks the same, no matter where in the world you are.
The 66 Bus brought us straight to the shopping area that also houses Le Gru and we arrived 10 minutes before opening. But they actually served some coffee and cookies for the waiting masses.
Main reason we went to IKEA was that we really liked one of the apartments we had seen, but it seems the current tenant has a weird idea how much money he can ask for his 8 year old kitchen, so we wanted to see what we can get for that amount of money. (And it seems we can get more, for less and brand new). Dito with the handcrafted wardrobe in the bedroom that they sell for cheap 5500 EU. We figured we can replace that with 3 wardrobes at each 75 EU from IKEA
Julius had a fun time and we got some stuff for him. A wooden cart with building blocks, a pillow owl, some cheap cups and bowls in funky neon colors. For us we got a very big (220cm x 240cm) comforter with matching duvet cover (Down from 44.90 EU to 12.90 … we just had to buy that).
And the swedish lunch after shopping was done was a treat … a generous portion of swedish meatballs, a hering tasting platter, smoked salmon and some strawberry cake.
Shall we get that egg shaped chair for Julius???
One afterthought: There was one IKEA employee who really spoiled the fun by coming over to me and tell me a lot in italian, then when I said I do not understand, he told me in bad english “it is not possible to take picture” … well .. it is very possible .. i guess he meant it was not allowed … but that really puzzles me … what is it with that recent ‘no taking pictures’ policy ??? If great companies like IKEA are so afraid about having their company secrets revealed … then they should put lots of stickers up “no picture taking” and become the laughing stock of those tech savvy people who simply snap a pic with their mobile phone and send it to a loved one asking “how do you like that?”. Seriously … what is the damage in taking pictures of things that are in the catalogue anyway? Don’t they realize that people these days use their cams and phones as notepads?
It would be a great step forward if they invite pic taking .. maybe some rental device with online uplink … nothing impossible by today’s standards … like look at that pic with Julius and the owl .. I could have sent that to Ritsu and say “should we buy that?”
No, instead some over eager sales person leaves his over run work station to tell me not to take pictures … hey .. if you are ever tired of lining up at those IKEA counters .. start taking pictures .. that makes them come over to you
No other topic has created as much feedback as our constant talk about gelato. Now our dear friend Anja asks me “why you keep saying ‘gelato’, why don’t you say ‘ice-cream’”?
Well, besides that gelato sounds way cooler and we have to work on our Italian language skills, gelato and ice cream are 2 different things!
The main differences seem to be
First, there’s more “overrun” in North American style ice creams than in gelato. “Overrun” is the amount of air beaten into the ice cream during the freezing process. As a result, gelato tends to have a more intense, concentrated flavour. The fat content of North American style ice creams is higher, ranging between 16- 30%, whereas gelato only contains 3-10% fat. This is because North American style ice cream actually uses cream, whereas gelato is made with milk, water or soy milk (depending on the flavour).
(from foodtv.ca)
Wow, that means we can actually eat more gelato!!!
He loves pasta, he loves tomatoes and he loves a good excuse to have another bath after dinner!!!
(From last night’s dinner)
By now, it must be obvious that I LOVE GELATO!! It’s so evil and tempting that there are gelateria all over Turin… But what I haven’t really discovered is what kinds of flavours they have because I don’t understand Italian… Below is a list which I compiled through some online research, but please let us know if anyone has a more complete list!
Nocciola: hazelnut
Cioccolato: chocolate
Caffé: coffee
Limone: lemon
Fragola: strawberry
Melone: melon (cantaloupe)
Crema: vanilla
Mandorle: almond
Albicocche: apricot
Amaretti: amaretto
Ciliege: cherry
Banane: banana
Yogurt: yogurt
Anguria: watermelon
Fichi: fig
Not the first time we approach Julius with drinking from a cup, but probably the first time I took video of it .. and we need to enforce practice on this a bit. He should be able to do it … and he is actually quite good … it is just little things like not turning the cup around while still filled and not just throw it away that we have to teach him. Enjoy the video.
Tonight we looked at 2 more apartments (Ritsu had seen 2 on Monday, since Julius was sleeping at that time I could not come and see them). The apartment hunt here is a bit different from what we have been used to in the US and in Fiji.
The good news is: there seems to be quite some stuff available. The not bad news is all these little things I forgot about Europe: i.e. a totally naked kitchen which we would have to buy all the white goods and cupboards for. Or pay the former tenant some money for them to leave their kitchen (or their tailor made wardrobe-wall in the bedroom for 5500 Euro!). Speaking of wardrobes. In the US there is always built in closet space, and we even had that in Fiji. Here it seems we need to do a little shopping outing at IKEA.
The first place we looked at was good at having all these things and already some furniture which we could have removed once our stuff comes. But this apartment only has a shower, no bathtub. The next apartment has a great view over the river, space is nice, especially the living room area and the bath has a very nice bathtub. But there are all these things we would need to negotiate with the former tenants with.
And what is the deal with the elevators here? They are tiny! I am already feeling bad for the moving people who have to find a way to get our furniture into the apartment.
Italian icecream is something worth traveling to Italy for. We took a walk after dinner and Julius was very interested in what we were eating.
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It seems that one of the more famous ice cream places in Torino, Silvano.
When we passed by on Sunday we were surprised to see people actually line up there. (While there are like 10 other gelaterias around)
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We had discovered a pretty cool shopping mall nearby on Sunday and today me and Julius went again. We ended up buying one of his favourite (and cheapest) toys: Balloons.
He enjoys playing on that small balcony we have here, even if it is drizzling a bit.
Even back in Fiji he occasionally would put one of his feet up on the table, and we keep telling him to leave feet off the table. Now he has figured out how to put up both and keeps that evil grin which means ‘I am so ignoring what you are saying’.
Since some people asked. Here a little essay of my limited knowledge about our new home town:
Turin is the 4th largest city in Italy. It is located in the north, close to France.
It is known for:
The place is lovely, surrounded by mountains, the river Po floating along the city. The food is to die for. We will share our discoveries as they come along
Today we explored the city center for the first time. Beautiful architecture. The main stretch, Via Roma, has these fantastic arcades where the shops are nestled in. Every now and then there is a gorgous Piazza. But as things are right now, we were very surprised. I remembered Saturday mornings to be the busiest shopping times in Europe. But the center was more like a ghost town.
Half the shops were closed due to the summer holidays. And half the Piazzas were closed because they are still working on the subway to be ready for the Olympic winter games 2006. But we enjoyed what we saw. We came across the beautiful market and Ritsu had her first gelato experience. I tried some of her ice cream and I am amazed how they can fit the flavour of a pound of butter and a gallon of cream into one single scoop.
I guess I have to give some credit back to Fiji. Here we are in a developed country. One week. A thunderstorm passes by .. and the lights go out! Power is out now for 15 minutes … let’s see how long this will take …
7:05 PM .. power now out for 45 mins … laptop battery is about to die .. daylight is fainting … and how am I supposed to cook?
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