Italia...and how I ate all the pizza in the country

I'm alive! I'm alive! 

For the past six months I've basically been living out of a suitcase. Between work and personal travel, I kind of forgot what it was like to be at home. Or cook. Or exercise. Or blog. 

So let's recap what the hell I've been up to, shall we?

After my jaunt to Singapore, the next work trip was to northern Italy. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put an office on Lake Como...bless them. 

I hadn't been to the land of carbs since my graduation trip in 2009, so I was overly eager to eat every pizza, panini, and cup of gelato in sight. So I did. 

I was also our designated driver and only got sideswiped on a windy mountain road once. Hooray!

We first stayed in a sweet little town called Salice Terme. It is apparently a popular summer holiday spot for people who live in Milan. If you ever find yourself there for some odd reason, the Hotel Milano was a charming, family-run place.

In classic European style, there's even a castle on a hill that you can visit and get a view of the town from. 

Our next destination was Colico, a town right smack dab on Lake Como. Let me tell you, pictures don't do this place justice. I'd always dreamed about visiting Lake Como [and running into Mr. Clooney], but seeing it in person was like looking at a painting. Unreal. The view from my room was pretty spectacular, though it was quite hazy while we were visiting.

It was recommended that we visit the town of Bellagio to get a quintessential Lake Como experience. We took a ferry over, but if only we had known that many people show up in their private boats...next time.

On a Saturday off, my boss and I took a drive into Switzerland since the town of Lugano was so close. I think my palms sweated profusely the whole time I drove on those windy, narrow roads. But good God, were the views ridiculous. The pictures really don't capture it, but the water in this lake was greeeeeeen. Like, fairy tale green. I spent a lot of time just staring at it.

And because it wouldn't be normal if I didn't show any food, here are the things I ate pretty much every day.

The trip ended with a one day meeting in the town of Celle, Germany. Never heard of it? Neither had I. But I was able to have a radler and eat some delicious, non-German meals, so I was pretty happy.

Some good times were had on this trip. I think I've perfected how to have an excellent time on a work trip. I've also decided that one day I just want to run away to Switzerland and live in the Alps. I'll have cured meats, cheese, and wine sent up to me every week. It will be a fabulous life.