First Stop, Turin

And the journey has begun. Travel to Turin was easy and smooth. The ride from the airport to the hotel was encompased with breathtaking views of Alps on all sides, a pleasant surprise as I was not aware of their proximity to the city. As the journey was a long one from JFK to Brussels and the to Turin, it was a welcome surprise to be upgraded to a suite at the hotel, which made napping all the more pleasurable. Even better was being woken by the sound of church bells from one of the many chiesas in the city centre.

As Turin is a center for gastronomy in the Piemente Region, my next order of business was plotting out my destinations for both dinner and the famous bicerin. I opted for Tre Galli (http://www.3galli.com/), it had some great reviews, the space was small which made dining alone a treat and it was in an area worthy of exploration for late night music outings. Following diner, I decided to go with the traditional Cafe Bicerin (http://www.bicerin.it/eng/intro.html), now for those that know me and know that chocolate is not really my thing....well, I have been moved to the dark (or rather bittersweet side) of the chocolate lovers kingdom. These drinks are sinful delicacies of bittersweet chocolate, cream and coffee and an absolute must if you are in Turin.

Aside from the pleasures that delighted the taste buds, the stroll through the city on my way back to the hotel was just as enticing. As with most Italian cities/towns, nightlife outside of bars or discos is in the Piazza's. From the man juggling to the soundtrack of Amelie, to the photography exhibit in Piazza Costello to the concert (Feste del Piemonte) in Piazza San Carlo, the only missing link was my camera (sorry Leigh/Matt, I'll bring it tomorrow).

Buona Sera,

Satya