All's Well That Ends Well

This is it! My last full day in Europe. This morning I awoke to Adam putting spices into ground beef. I was promised to be involved with making burger patties and Adam delivered. So Adam and I stamped out patties like Santa's elves toys. This was all for our long-awaited barbeque with Adam and Heather's church at the lake (Lago Maggiore). We got out of the house just in time with all the stuff we needed. The weather was beautiful and we could finally see the mountains that surrounded Milan. They were still snowcapped, so it was awesome to see the Alps as they "should" be.

We picked up some girls from the metro station and then headed off on our road trip to Lago Maggiore. Unfortunately we hit a snag of traffic before the toll booths. Before I go on more, I should explain a bit about Italian drivers. They're crazy! Most of them don't shoulder check and would gladly cut you off. And they love to tailgate, or as they would like to put it "kiss your a--." But picture gorgeous Sunday when all the Italians (and Dutch, Germans, and French) were heading up to the lake region at the same time we were heading up to the lakes. Patience was a rare virtue. I'm still impressed with Adam's driving as he kept his cool and drove aggressively whenever necessary. Man, driving in Europe could drive me nuts!

We got to the lake in roughly two hours. All the Italians and their dogs were at the lake! It was packed, but I guess they were taking the opportunity of the good weather. Adam and I got to work to set the fire up. Argh, argh, argh! There were many Americans who went to the church so it was interesitng to see how they approached fire-making. They preferred to douce the charcoal with lighter fluid, but Adam and I built our fire out of a "labour of love." And when we got our homemade burgers on the grill, it was a moment of hallelujah! Of course our burgers we absolutely delish! Other people brought awesome food as well, like bratwurst and veal burgers.

After the feasting, we had a bit of praise and worship. When Adam lead worship with his guitar, it took me back to the good'ol days of TNF at UCM. I was so pleased to see Adam using his gift in another country, another continent. We sang some old school songs--so good! After the singing, it got really warm, so it only made sense that we jumped in the cool refreshing lake! We were playing water frisbee amidst lake water debris. There was a storm last night, a lot of debris was washed up on shore. We even had a dead slug grace our presence.

After our dip in the lake, it was time to pack up and go home. Not to mention that I was eaten alive by mosquitoes. One thing I forgot to mention was the multitude of mosquitoes in Milan. While we were at home (in Binasco) there were many mosquitoes hanging outside waiting to come in and feast on our blood. Rice patties were near the apartment in Binasco, so that was where the mosquitoes flew in from. But I was surprised at the presence of mosquitoes in Italy. Who would've thought there would be skeeters in Europe? Anyway, we got home in more than two hours, again thanks to the traffic coming from the lake.

Dinner was awesome because we got to finish our leftovers. Fried pollenta was delicious! (I can't wait to put some of those recipes to work once I get home!) It was just so good to chill with Adam and Heather. I will miss them, but they're coming back by the end of the year! Woo-hoo! Milan was such a nice break and good way to end my travels in Europe. I know that I want to come back. But I've been so blessed!

Now I gotta finish up packing. And then I'll catch a super early train to Frankfurt tomorrow so I can catch my flight home. I'll have to sum up in a later entry, but until then, good night!