food rules and arrival in Zurich!

When I put on my jeans a couple of days ago and they were alarmingly snug, I made a new food rule for myself. Don't worry, I still plan to eat anything and everything that I want... but the rule is: if i want to eat something, i have to be hungry first. It sounds simple (it is simple), but i think its already working its magic on my waistline. I also try to incorporate greens into my meal by ordering pizza with arugula as often as possible. That counts, right? If only i were joking...

I made lots of friends in Cinque Terre, in the end.

And of course, as soon as I had some friends I started actively avoiding them (i chuckle even as i write this, because i'm so predictable). I ate at Pizzeria La Smorfia (see photo) 3 of my 4 nights in Cinque Terre because I loved it so much. My favorite pizza there: pesto, ricotta, mozzarella and pine nuts. One night I made some friends there (the absurdly stereotypical italian looking Andrea and his wife, Sonia), who invited me to join them at the end of the meal for dessert: a nutella pizza (it was absolutely amazing, if you were wondering).

I arrived in Zurich last night after a long train ride and lots (more) of nutella. It is so wonderful to be here with my cousin, Roberta, and her family. The last time I saw her was about 14 years ago, but she hasn't changed a bit! I want to post pictures of her beautiful face (faccia bella!) or her beautiful children, but I was so excited last night that I failed to take any photos. So, for now, I will settle to post pictures of their gorgeous home about a 1/2 hour outside of Zurich. I feel like I'm in a Crate & Barrel advertisement, or another classier store that I don't know about.

One new development: from the moment i got into the car with Roberta, I suddenly felt capable of communicating in Italian. Everything that I wanted to say, I could (in simple ways)! And everything she said, I understood. Roberta speaks Italian and German, and a little bit of English. Her kids and husband (Marcus) speak German,

but (lucky for me) the kids are learning English in school so our communication has turned into lessons for them.

Stef and my Mum are arriving in a few hours; I can't wait to see them. I spoke with my Zia Gina on the phone (she speaks Italian and German), and the first thing she said: that she is so happy that I speak italian! That one sentence made the year of courses and verb workbooks worth it -- a thousand times over. After lunch we're going to pick her up...let the family visits begin!