My penpals and I meet... after 14 years!

Mari, Lidija and I have been writing to one another since the age of about 15 and have continued to write to one another to this very day (though, more by email now though admittedly) and as Chris and I were in Europe it was decided that we would all travel to Maris home town of Imola in Italy and meet up for a weekend. It was a very exciting day to say the least!

Chris, despite only seeing one or two pictures of them in the past, was the first to spot Lidija and Mari, who were waiting patiently for us at the train station. It was like meeting up with your family members you haven’t seen for a while. We knew each other, despite never having “met” per say, before. It was easy to fall into conversation with these two gorgeous ladies and I have to say that I was just over come with joy that we had FINALLY met up!

Mari’s husband Mattia was waiting patiently (bless him) in the car for us, and it was also so lovely to finally meet him after all Mari has told us! We drove to the hotel we were staying in where we dropped our bags off and then made our way to a local little eatery for an Imolian speciality called “padina” This are thick crepe like bases that then have ham, cheese, lettuce.. what ever you like added to them and are placed on a hotplate to melt, then folded in half and presented to you. They are very yummy to say the least!

The F1 track was the next stop of the day. It was the F1 that helped to put Imola on the map. Up until 3 years ago Formula 1 would take place in Imola on a yearly basis, where we’re told, tourists would just flood in in droves to see the event and the town would be buzzing. However, now, thanks to money and business, the F1 takes place in other parts of Europe meaning that there is now a redundant race track taking up a lot of Imola. It appears that where ever you go in Imola you are not far from a part of the track! It is now used for bicycle races and sometimes concerts (with the likes of Robbie Williams and Bon Jovi playing there! Two of my fave artists!)

We then took a stroll through a park which is home to a large statue in memory of a F1 driver
Arton Senna who sadly, died on the track some time ago. The statue is amazing and is very artistic, a lovely tribute to him.

The weather was so warm today, we were all literally melting away. Lidija, Chris and I popped back to the hotel for a bit of a rest and a chance to clean up before all meeting up again and going to dinner.

In true Italian style we went to a really lovely pizzeria for dinner, where we sampled some of the best pizza and pasta we’ve eaten to date! It was so yummy, you just wanted more to appear on your plate! It was a lovely dinner with lovely friends, and after this we head back to the hotel where we fell into a very deep sleep!

written by  Chris and Emily on July 25, 2009 from Imola, Italy
from the travel blog: Europe 2009
Send a Compliment

comment on this...