Some of My Favorite Things

For the first time in a long time, I didn't really have anything on-deck to blog about today. I guess I've just been really busy this week {and it's only Thursday}, but one thing that came to mind was while Jake and I were in Europe, we jotted down some of our favorite things. By this, I mean "how they do things in Europe".

Island of Capri, view from Monte Solaro

For example, we liked how their date format was day/month/year {instead of month/day/year}.  Doesn't it seem more logical because when you glance at the date, what you really care about is what day it is {not the month}.  While researching online, I learned this: While this European date format is unusual for visitors, it is actually the US date format which is different with the majority of the countries in the world using European date format over the American counterpart. The only countries that do not share the European date format in fact are the US, Philippines, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, Canada and Belize.

I also liked that they used military time. You won't ever be confused if something is at 9 am or 9 pm. 

We liked how late they ate dinner {7:30 at the very earliest}. Although, this probably isn't very good for their figures if you eat a giant meal then go to sleep right after.  But, the day seems so much longer when you eat dinner later.  I think I actually prefer a big breakfast, medium sized lunch and smaller dinner anyway.    

One of the things Jake liked was the espresso bar experience.  Here in America, we are obsessed with our daily bread Starbucks and I don't know about you, but I savor my coffee and probably drink it over the course of 30 minutes to an hour.  In Italy, they are way more efficient about getting their daily dose of java. Basically, you belly up to a bar and order your espresso, the "bartender" puts the  tiny espresso cups down on the counter, then you proceed to take your "shot" {not unlike you would at an American bar} and that's it - no "to go" cup or anything.  I actually didn't try this but Jake he liked the experience a lot and it was really fun to try something different.  It did seem a little counter intuitive given that they like to draw their meals out for 2-3 hours.

How could I forget my love, gelato???? This was probably my most favorite food in Italy. Delicious, creamy, and amazing! It was everything I wished it would be and more! I even blogged about the best gelato we had in Italy, here.  

I don't know about you, but I plan to slow down my daily life and try to relax a little more - Italian style.