Things are winding down in Parma. I leave early Sunday to fly back to DC. We had a lovely night at the Colorno Pub after classes ended on Wednesday, followed by many tearful goodbyes. My room is sparse, with two big suitcases stuffed with clothes and memories from the year. I’m really excited to return home but right now everything feels…strange.

I can’t possibly put into words how much this year has meant to me. I’ve gotten to do and see so many things that I never would have imagined.

I’m just…really thankful.

Parma is all a-bright with Christmas lights EVERYWHERE. All the downtown streets have different patterns of lights, making the entire city pretty much sparkle with Christmas cheer.

Yesterday, the big tree in Piazza Garibaldi was lit, and it is certainly a spectacle. It is large, and full of pink and blue ribbons, and baubles with semi-creepy baby photos inside.

Also, look! We even took a Family Photo for our nonexistent Christmas card (photo courtesy Lindsay).

I just came to the realization that I have not yet blogged about the glorious torta fritta. This hollow, fried bread is probably the Parma food I will miss most. It is typically served with the various cured meats of Parma, but I love eating it on its own, often as a snack as I’m walking around downtown. The closest thing I could relate it to is a deep fried tortilla…but way better and more pillowy. I’ve never seen it in the United States, but man oh man would it do well in some sort of food truck scenario…

Yesterday some friends came over for latkes. It was really nice celebrating Hanukkah with Americans, Canadians, a Korean, an Israeli (who makes an excellent paper dreidel!), and an Italian, many of whom had never had fresh, pan-fried latkes before.

A half-bottle of sunflower oil later, I was quite pleased with both these recipes:

• Perfect Every Time Latkes
• Zucchini Parmesan Latkes
  

One friend even remarked that the zucchini version tasted “healthy.” I wouldn’t go that far, but they were a nice twist.

Thanksgiving this year was quite epic. 40+ people, giant turkeys, several different versions of mashed potatoes and stuffing, plus SO MANY OTHER FOODS.

Here are Jules and Asher about to carve one of the turkeys:

Two days later, Yui hosted a Japanese Tea Ceremony with her friend visiting from Japan. We learned a lot, tried some great tea and f course, there was a lot of delicious food again. She surprised me for my birthday with a SUSHI CAKE!!!

Today, Lindsay hosted a super tasty Birthday Brunch, in which we ate a hearty meal and some Sunday Sundaes. The best part? Why put candles in a cake when you can in cheese!!!

Needless to say, I have been very sated this weekend, and feel very lucky to be around such amazing, generous people…who all happen to be such excellent cooks :)

Jon and I had a really lovely time in Ravenna, a charming city known for its beautiful mosaics. There are about a half a dozen sites that you can visit on the same 8 Euro pass and see these gorgeous and ancient images.

We found a fabulous aperitivo bar, had a nice dinner, and meandered about when it wasn’t raining. A city I certainly recommend for a visit.