Milan! Here I Come!

Photo credit:  https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LN42M5RJYGo/maxresdefault.jpg

Few days before we ended our audit engagement in Rome, I was still undecided whether I would push through with my side trip to Milan.  I had been to Italy for a few times already, twice in Venice, but I had never been to Milan.  When I found out that plane tickets from Rome to Manchester had increased to at least 100 euros, I thought, maybe that was the sign.  That is, I could still go to Milan and from there, I could go somewhere else before reaching Manchester.  In other words, I'll spend approximately around 100 euros or more but I'll be able to visit one or two places on my way to Manchester!  And that's what I did!

Since I didn't have the luxury of time to look for cheaper plane tickets to Manchester, I asked my sister's help and lucky for me, she found a 9+ euros Ryanair ticket but I needed to go to Belgium for that!  Good thing, there was a direct flight from Milan to Belgium.  Hence, I immediately booked my Italo train ticket, which cost me 35.90 euros (or P2,074.67, per my HSBC credit card statement) for my trip to Milan on June 20, 2017.  I chose the 5:45pm time for a 2.5-hour travel and left Roma Termini as scheduled but I still arrived 30 minutes late due to some delays along the road.

Fast forward, the following morning, June 21, I took a metro ride and went straight to Duomo di Milano, which was about two stops away from where I stayed.  I sat infront the structure after I got tired of walking as I was armed with my two bags (carry-on trolley bag and handbag).  Check out one of my random videos below (while quoting Claudine's hugot line in Milan movie:  "Mahal mo ba ako dahil kailangan mo ako, o kailangan mo ako kaya mahal mo ako?) ;)

My Version of Black Pasta

the finished product

Just this afternoon, I finally decided to cook black pasta for snacks.  Since it was already nighttime then, it became my dinner.  ;)

bought in Rome for 8 euros

I admit it wasn't as yummy as the one I tasted in Rome but I'm sure  next time I'll be able to cook it close to perfection.  Here are the ingredients that I used:

olive oil
pasta nero
garlic
onion
squid
chili
squid ink

I wasn't quite impressed with the squid ink.  It was not that tasty.  The original squid ink is still the best.  Next time, I'll put in more squid and add original squid ink and.. what else?  Help me, please!

I Wanna Try This!

While I was plowing through the shelves of every grocery store we've been to in Rome for that nero pasta, I came across with Paella alla valenciana, which would qualify as an instant dish.  I could not exactly remember how much it costs (but probably would not reach 10 euros or P608.80 at 1euro=P60.88).  If you know me well, I am a self-confessed seafood addict and being that, I immediately put the thing in my basket and proceeded to the checkout counter.

Fast forward, I am now looking forward to that day when I will have enough time to cook (or say, heat) and savor the dish.  Weekends are my rest days, which are, at times, my excuses for being lazy even in the kitchen. :)

First thing I should go through, though, is to study the fine print at the back of the product package.  ;)

Wish I could just scan the Italian instructions and easily decode its English translation!  Wish me luck! :)

P.S. I hope I will be able to remember to take a picture of the end-result of my heating, err, cooking skill and share it to this blog.  Again, wish me luck! ;)

Cravin' for Nero Pasta

I've been to Italy for a few times already.  And I thought that my sole favorite Italian dish is Frutti de Mare.  That changed when, during our most recent deployment, we dined in a restaurant, which was literally just a few steps away from the place where we used to stay.  It was my first time in that restaurant and my first time to taste nero pasta.  By the way, "nero", in Italian, means black.  It was so yummy that I did not mind being told by a Director that the squid ink painted my lips black.  I thought that she was joking when she further said that I was wearing a Gothic lipstick!

Nonetheless, knowing that I enjoyed my pasta so well, my seatmate gave me a quick cooking lesson on nero pasta dish.  Thanks to her simple recipe, at that moment, I couldn't wait to buy and take home as much nero pasta as I can.  Sad to say, not all grocery stores in Rome have nero pasta on their shelves.  In my recollection, there were only three grocery stores that sell nero pasta, one of which is Conad City (but not all branches!).  And take note, nero pasta is so expensive compared to other pasta noodles!

By the way, frutti de mare and nero pasta are both served with seafoods - shellfish and squid, respectively.  My love for seafoods explains why the aforesaid dishes are my favorites!

I haven't tried cooking nero pasta yet.  It's been almost a month since I received the box containing, among others, my priced nero pasta.  Just looking at the packed noodles brings back memories of how tasty the dish was.  Perhaps this weekend, I will have the privilege to challenge my culinary skills (or incompetence) and hopefully savor what I am craving for right now.  Perhaps this weekend.. ;)

My Love for Travelling.. and the blunders of it..

Somewhere in Switzerland..

So much to do right now.. Sad to say, I'm in no mood.. :(

I need to unleash something within me that I've been pondering on since this morning.  That is, my mind is now nagged with the thought of my love for travel.. and well, the spontaneity and adventures that comes with it.  Even just quick hopping from one place to another, just enjoying the view, the sceneries, and the serenity, I would be happy and be contented with that.  Even if I'm alone..

Avenue of the Stars, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Yes, travelling alone is better than being with someone whom you do not share passion for mobility with while expecting and accepting that bloopers might be bumped somewhere along the road.  Things might not turn out the way we expected it to be but it should not have hindered us from savoring every moment of the journey, no matter how perfectly imperfect it may be..

Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon, Vietnam

That's why I just love to travel alone.  If anything goes wrong, I have no one to blame but myself.  And because I so love myself, I don't physically and mentally torture myself, make a big deal out of petty issues concerning it, waste time fussing about it, and eventually ruin everything just because I made a mistake.  Instead, I just laugh it off and continue making sweet memories out of it.

Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy

Just sayin'.. :(

P.S.  To set things straight, the person I was with during my trips abroad, such as that in the photographs above, is a great travel buddy.  I am looking forward to our next travel together sometime soon! ;)