Best Trip Yet: The Great Northern Italy Adventure

Best Trip Yet: The Great Northern Italy Adventure

Dec. 29, 2012: Udine

This was going to be the big day. It was the day before I was scheduled to leave Italy to go back home, but we had more guests coming. This past summer, when we all became very close friends, we met some other awesome people that I continued to keep in touch with. Two of them, Rocio from Mexico by way of Netherlands, and Julia of Austria, had lived in New York City over the summer as well, and they decided to each come to Udine this day to have a reunion. It felt so special to me, because they were coming basically because Joseph and I were there.

We woke up at the time we were already supposed to meet the two girls in the center of town (story of my life). After rushing to get out the door, we went to meet them. It was a warm reception, and again it felt like barely any time had passed since we last met, back in July; it was immediately comfortable and familiar.

There was a late lunch planned at Mama’s, so the six of us toured around town for awhile until then. The city is fairly small, about 120,000 inhabitants, but it was quite lively that Saturday afternoon. So many people were strolling around, that the city felt larger than it actually was.

Soon it was lunch, which turned out to be a grand affair with what felt like 52 courses. Her mother had went all out, and I was stuffed before I reached the fourth course; I hadn’t paced myself well. Everything was washed down with more prosecco, and then we all felt miserably full. Instead of heading back out, all we wanted was to take a nap. Nobody could move, but it had been worth it; that meal was amazing.

Finally, about two hours later, we could move again. Heading back out, we did some more sightseeing before settling down at a bar for another two hours or so. Then it was time for Rocio and Julia to leave, so we walked them to the bus station at the center of town and said our farewells.

That night, Allie’s friends wanted to meet these two Americans of hers. She met one after the other, and the group snowballed, getting larger and larger until we were this large, obnoxious group. Barhopping was done, and it felt great to hang out with real locals, something I always aim to do on every trip I take, but sometimes doesn’t happen. All of a sudden, it was almost 4am, and so we all went home to sleep.

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