I have finally gotten to start experiencing life here in Alba, and already I've had quite a few adventures. However, I have come to realize that life in Alba doesn't really take place in Alba. It seems like even though Alba is considered the 'big city' around here, we are always going out to other towns for various things. The best kebabs are found in Bra. The best shopping is in Torino, Serravalle Scrivia, or Milan. The best discotecas are in Saluzzo or Cavallermaggiore (actually, I should say they are outside of these towns...in the middle of nowhere). Alba, of course, does offer all of these things, but we wanted the best! So I took last weekend off from going to the beach with the family and ended up visiting all of these places instead.

Friday night I ventured out with my other American friend in the Smart Car. We went first to Bra, then continued on for a much needed night of dancing at Evita near the town of Cavallermaggiore. We had a GPS system, but still had to stop and ask for directions to both places. After finally finding the first spot, we were forced to sit in the car for another 30 minutes while trying to figure out how to turn off the overheard light of this little toy car. On the way to our next stop, we mistakenly asked directions from a group of males from Palermo...bad idea for two American girls! Finally we escaped with the knowledge that we had driving about 15 minutes too far. Backtracking, we were both convinced that nothing could exist this far in the middle of absolute darkness. But finally, neon lights appeared out of nowhere. Heather mistook it for a water park. But sure enough, we had found Evita (one of the biggest discotecas in Italy). I am used to our American way of putting the nightspots in the center of town, but here it seems that only the most knowledgeable and determined people receive the prize of good night of dancing. The only dancing spot in Alba is frequented by the swarms of young high school children making an effort to grow up way too quickly. It took even longer for us to get around because Heather was driving like a grandma to avoid any accidents or getting pulled over in a borrowed Smart Car with no Italian documentation.

Saturday night was spent in Torino and I was able to experience a real western American steakhouse (Italian style). They had the peanuts on the floor and everything! Then Sunday I spent the afternoon shopping at the outlet mall in Serravalle Scrivia. The stores were definitely cheaper than in Alba, but it turns out that even on sale Prada and the other Italian designers are still out of my price range.