Sunday, January 5, 2020
Welcome to 2020!
It's been far too long since we updated our blog post so our New year's resolution is to get back to the blog! It proves to be a year full of adventures and challenges. I have no idea what is to come but I will keep on our adventures documented here for posterity if no other reason.
LeAnn
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Out on the town
Over the past couple of weeks we've had some wonderful adventures. It is so nice to have Bill here to go out and explore with me. We've also made some friends and they have passed on some tips to make life a bit easier here as well as sharing some great places to hang out.
It was fantastic getting to visit with Joe and Michele Batista while their family vacationed in Italy. We were able to meet them in Venice and had a fabulous day. Bill and I drove in and decided to park in Airport parking and take the water taxi to San Marco where we were to meet them. Because there are no vehicles allowed in Venice, you have to park and take a boat or train in and cross over the bridge. Last trip we did the train so we thought it would be nice to do the water taxi this trip. Initially we were shocked at both the price and the amount of time it was going to take, but the water taxi turned out to be the perfect choice. On our way to San Marco we made five stops, one was the island of Murano - a place I've not yet visited but definitely on my list! We had a beautiful view of the city from the water and the trip was very relaxing. Well worth the 25 Euro per person (round trip) price tag.
After catching up with the group we just wandered around and visited the shops in the San Marco area. It turned out to be a very nice day with temps in the 80's. For dinner we picked a little out of the way restaurant that was reviewed well on ChowHound.com and it didn't disappoint. We dined on the sidewalk overlooking the canal and enjoyed the gondolas cruising by - some graced us with song and accordion music. It was the perfect evening in Venice. The icing on the cake was the boat ride back under a full moon. Of course, I probably don't need to say how fabulous it was to see friends from home.
http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4WZPC_enUS371US371&q=san+marco+square+venice+italy&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=ydVdTJ3MHIuKOOu-iL0J&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CDsQsAQwBA&biw=1345&bih=561
Last weekend we drove up to Bassano del Grappa, about an hour north of here at the base of the mountains. It is the home of the popular Italian liquor and is a beautiful walled city bordered by a river. It also happens to have the best Gelato I've had thus far :-). The city is also well known for the bridge over the river that was designed by Palladio. There are also a lot of ceramic shops - and I have a weakness for dishes so I did a lot of drooling and even managed to pick out one lovely bowl that had to come home with me. We really enjoyed walking around the city, over the bridge and hanging out in the square (and grapparias). Again, a beautiful Saturday for exploring and sightseeing. (http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4WZPC_enUS371US371&q=bassano+del+grappa&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=INVdTNajC8OHOL2pkZUP&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CD8QsAQwAw&biw=1345&bih=561)
Last night we had another fabulous experience... friends from work invited us to join them in Verona for a performance of Madame Butterfly. I would have been excited to go regardless of where it was located as it has been on my list of 'must see' for a long time. BUT, we were able to see it in the Verona Olympic Arena - think Roman Colesium but bigger. WOW, what a fantastic experience to see this Opera in an Arena that is over 800 years old. Our seats were good and the acoustics were unbelievable. We had dinner beforehand at a local trattoria and spent a few minutes walking around the historic city. Not near enough time to really explore but enough to whet the appetite for more. I'm really looking forward to going back for the day - and lucky me, it is less than an hour away! (http://www.arena.it/)
Yes, sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm really here. During the week I deal with normal work stuff just like everyone else (I do work on an American military installation) and have the added hassle of sorting through all the Italian bureaucracy. It is easy to forget how lucky we are to be here... but then the weekend comes and we head off on some new adventure. By the time we get home we are in love with Italy all over again. There are a lot of people and places I miss but I certainly have a lot of things to distract me if I start feeling homesick. I love our house and our village - I have the cutest car ever, my job is good and I work with nice people, the food and wine are to die for, Bill and the critters are here, I have some of the most beautiful places on earth within a few hours drive - if I could just get a good bagel, life would be perfect!
It was fantastic getting to visit with Joe and Michele Batista while their family vacationed in Italy. We were able to meet them in Venice and had a fabulous day. Bill and I drove in and decided to park in Airport parking and take the water taxi to San Marco where we were to meet them. Because there are no vehicles allowed in Venice, you have to park and take a boat or train in and cross over the bridge. Last trip we did the train so we thought it would be nice to do the water taxi this trip. Initially we were shocked at both the price and the amount of time it was going to take, but the water taxi turned out to be the perfect choice. On our way to San Marco we made five stops, one was the island of Murano - a place I've not yet visited but definitely on my list! We had a beautiful view of the city from the water and the trip was very relaxing. Well worth the 25 Euro per person (round trip) price tag.
After catching up with the group we just wandered around and visited the shops in the San Marco area. It turned out to be a very nice day with temps in the 80's. For dinner we picked a little out of the way restaurant that was reviewed well on ChowHound.com and it didn't disappoint. We dined on the sidewalk overlooking the canal and enjoyed the gondolas cruising by - some graced us with song and accordion music. It was the perfect evening in Venice. The icing on the cake was the boat ride back under a full moon. Of course, I probably don't need to say how fabulous it was to see friends from home.
http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4WZPC_enUS371US371&q=san+marco+square+venice+italy&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=ydVdTJ3MHIuKOOu-iL0J&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CDsQsAQwBA&biw=1345&bih=561
Last weekend we drove up to Bassano del Grappa, about an hour north of here at the base of the mountains. It is the home of the popular Italian liquor and is a beautiful walled city bordered by a river. It also happens to have the best Gelato I've had thus far :-). The city is also well known for the bridge over the river that was designed by Palladio. There are also a lot of ceramic shops - and I have a weakness for dishes so I did a lot of drooling and even managed to pick out one lovely bowl that had to come home with me. We really enjoyed walking around the city, over the bridge and hanging out in the square (and grapparias). Again, a beautiful Saturday for exploring and sightseeing. (http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4WZPC_enUS371US371&q=bassano+del+grappa&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=INVdTNajC8OHOL2pkZUP&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CD8QsAQwAw&biw=1345&bih=561)
Last night we had another fabulous experience... friends from work invited us to join them in Verona for a performance of Madame Butterfly. I would have been excited to go regardless of where it was located as it has been on my list of 'must see' for a long time. BUT, we were able to see it in the Verona Olympic Arena - think Roman Colesium but bigger. WOW, what a fantastic experience to see this Opera in an Arena that is over 800 years old. Our seats were good and the acoustics were unbelievable. We had dinner beforehand at a local trattoria and spent a few minutes walking around the historic city. Not near enough time to really explore but enough to whet the appetite for more. I'm really looking forward to going back for the day - and lucky me, it is less than an hour away! (http://www.arena.it/)
Yes, sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm really here. During the week I deal with normal work stuff just like everyone else (I do work on an American military installation) and have the added hassle of sorting through all the Italian bureaucracy. It is easy to forget how lucky we are to be here... but then the weekend comes and we head off on some new adventure. By the time we get home we are in love with Italy all over again. There are a lot of people and places I miss but I certainly have a lot of things to distract me if I start feeling homesick. I love our house and our village - I have the cutest car ever, my job is good and I work with nice people, the food and wine are to die for, Bill and the critters are here, I have some of the most beautiful places on earth within a few hours drive - if I could just get a good bagel, life would be perfect!
JULY 2010
In a previous blog I declared Switzerland to be the most beautiful place on earth; I have now found the second… Austria! The Alpine views are stunning and the pristine towns and villages are occupied by the warmest, friendliest people you would ever want to meet. The women are beautiful – tall, thin, blond and most all have freckles. Unlike the Italian women, these young ladies have a permanent smile and are just as happy to speak to you in English as German or Italian. I can’t believe that they all seem to know so many languages, but over and over I hear them switch between languages like it makes no difference to them. Maybe it is because I’ve stuck to a well traveled path along the Autostrada. I look forward to coming back for a long weekend in the country and we’ll see if my theory holds true in a smaller village.
So I woke up this morning in Italy and made my way north to the boarder. I’ve crossed Brenner Pass and am now doing a bit of exploring. There really are castles everywhere, I just wish I had time to tour them… maybe next trip. Today I will continue on up to Innsbruck and then on to Munich to pick Bill up in the morning. I don’t expect to spend any time in Germany this trip since he will be traveling with Chandler the dog and the cats, Leo and Rachi. I’m sure he is also anxious to get home and get settled in Italy. It seems it has been much longer than six weeks since he went back to New York.
I’ll give Bill a day or two to rest and then I’ll start dragging him out for sightseeing. I’ve been putting off doing a lot of exploring locally so that we can go together. I’m really looking forward to touring Vicenza and the Palladio villas as well as checking out the local vineyards and sampling their specialties. I also want to tour the Soave Castle and pick up a few more bottles of good Soave wine. Of course we will need to go back to Venice for a day of exploring and a trip to Murano too (we need some new wine glasses for all this good wine!). I’m sure Bill has a trip to the Ducati factory planned but I may sit that one out – it’s like taking someone who doesn’t drink beer for a tour of a brewery.
I know I’ve taken a hiatus from blogging but only because the bureaucracy of setting up house and getting established in Italy is less than exciting, leaving nothing to write about other than complaining -and that makes for boring posts. My lack of Internet access (and phone or TV) has started to impact my routine as well – the local Telcom people have a strange appointment schedule; they take your name and number and call you in a couple (or three) weeks when one of the service tech is near your house. If you are not there, too bad – you have to wait until next time someone is in the neighborhood! Once I get home internet access and and start having fun sightseeing again I’ll make sure to keep everyone updated. At this point, I’m just getting to know my town and my neighbors and trying to figure out the garbage pick up schedule (garbage on Friday, bottles every other Monday, cardboard and paper every other Tuesday, opposite weeks from bottles, compostable waste on Tuesday and Thursday and Saturday on weeks with a Holy Day - or holiday, cans are every couple of weeks too but I’ve not figured out that schedule yet – I’ll keep you posted, I’ve still not figured out where cat litter goes…. Sometimes I put it with compostable waste and sometimes with garbage, depending on which comes next). As you can see, even tho’ I’m not venturing out much life is anything but boring
Happy Summer and don’t forget to wear sunscreen – the tan will fade but the age spots and wrinkles won’t!
LeAnn
So I woke up this morning in Italy and made my way north to the boarder. I’ve crossed Brenner Pass and am now doing a bit of exploring. There really are castles everywhere, I just wish I had time to tour them… maybe next trip. Today I will continue on up to Innsbruck and then on to Munich to pick Bill up in the morning. I don’t expect to spend any time in Germany this trip since he will be traveling with Chandler the dog and the cats, Leo and Rachi. I’m sure he is also anxious to get home and get settled in Italy. It seems it has been much longer than six weeks since he went back to New York.
I’ll give Bill a day or two to rest and then I’ll start dragging him out for sightseeing. I’ve been putting off doing a lot of exploring locally so that we can go together. I’m really looking forward to touring Vicenza and the Palladio villas as well as checking out the local vineyards and sampling their specialties. I also want to tour the Soave Castle and pick up a few more bottles of good Soave wine. Of course we will need to go back to Venice for a day of exploring and a trip to Murano too (we need some new wine glasses for all this good wine!). I’m sure Bill has a trip to the Ducati factory planned but I may sit that one out – it’s like taking someone who doesn’t drink beer for a tour of a brewery.
I know I’ve taken a hiatus from blogging but only because the bureaucracy of setting up house and getting established in Italy is less than exciting, leaving nothing to write about other than complaining -and that makes for boring posts. My lack of Internet access (and phone or TV) has started to impact my routine as well – the local Telcom people have a strange appointment schedule; they take your name and number and call you in a couple (or three) weeks when one of the service tech is near your house. If you are not there, too bad – you have to wait until next time someone is in the neighborhood! Once I get home internet access and and start having fun sightseeing again I’ll make sure to keep everyone updated. At this point, I’m just getting to know my town and my neighbors and trying to figure out the garbage pick up schedule (garbage on Friday, bottles every other Monday, cardboard and paper every other Tuesday, opposite weeks from bottles, compostable waste on Tuesday and Thursday and Saturday on weeks with a Holy Day - or holiday, cans are every couple of weeks too but I’ve not figured out that schedule yet – I’ll keep you posted, I’ve still not figured out where cat litter goes…. Sometimes I put it with compostable waste and sometimes with garbage, depending on which comes next). As you can see, even tho’ I’m not venturing out much life is anything but boring
Happy Summer and don’t forget to wear sunscreen – the tan will fade but the age spots and wrinkles won’t!
LeAnn
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Bassano del Grappa trip
What a wonderful weekend! The temp has been in the low 80's with a light breeze. A perfect weekend for walking around and sight seeing. We invited my friend Janie to join us and set off for a day trip to Bassano del Grappa - the home of Grappa, an Italian Brandy like liquor. It is a beautiful town not too far away, in the foothills of the mountains. It only took us an hour to get there.
Bassano del Grappa is one of those Italian cities whose roots lie within the walls of the old city. The public parking lot is down the hill below the old city near the new construction and city park. I dropped Bill and Janie off at a coffee bar on the corner near one of the enterances so we wouldn't all have to walk back up. We had already had a lengthly conversation with the local traffic police regarding how to use the pay meters - eventually, she suggested we consider using the free parking lot down the hill. After I parked and returned to the coffee bar we enjoyed a nice Italian specialty and then began our walk through the old city.
Within five minutes we had split up, girls shopping while Bill wandered from Piazza to Piazza, sampling Grappa along the way. Janie and I found some great sales as we wanderred towards the top of the city where we enjoyed the scenic overlook. Heading back down some of the side streets we found a wonderful little ceramics shop. The owners family had been hand making these beautiful white ceramics for two generations. We both managed to find a bowl that we just had to have :-) I also have a wish list for future trips.
I touched base with Bill to see where he had wandered to. We wanted to head down to the bridge designed by Paladio and I suspected we would find him in that vicinity. Sure enough, he was at the far end of the bridge hanging out and watching the ducks. He gave us advance notice of a couple of pottery shops at the end of the bridge. What a fantastic place to shop for occasional dishes - of course you all know that I need more dishes :-)
Bill met us at the pottery shop and then we crossed over to the old Grapperia for a coctail. I had the strongest Aperol spritzer ever - thought I was going to have to be carried out! But the view from the table where we enjoyed our drink was fabulous. I really wish I had brought a camera to share some photos but unfortunately my video camera has a dead battery and I didn't think far enough ahead to charge it and my camera is on the fritz - lens stuck again.
Afnyway, ater spending some time admiring the bridge, the water and the kids swimming in it, we resumed our shopping, breaking only for a Gelato. The Gelato shop was a bit tucked away but we all agree that it is the best Gelato we have had yet. So rich and creamy -yummmm wish I could share!
More shopping and then a light dinner. We returned home with two large bottles of Grappa, one traditional and one well aged. Also, a small bottle of Blueberry Grappa, a green apple liquor and a creamy egg liquor (yeah, I know, I wrinkled up my nose too but after the sample I was sold). I also picked up a jar of Balsamic Honey - I can't wait to use it, it sounds fabulous.
Today we are back to the real world; cleaning and doing laundry. Fortunately, we now have TV, Telephone and Internet service in our house. It only took 6 weeks to get it and now that it has finally arrived we have found we are out of the habit of checking email every few minutes or sitting in front of the tv in the evenings. Probably a good thing.
Viv kitty is due before too long so we need to get her birthing box set up and have her get used to the space she will share with the kittens. I am excited about the babies - it is so much fun to have kittens around. I'll be sure to post some videos when the kitties arrive.
Ciao for now.
LeAnn
We ended up
Bassano del Grappa is one of those Italian cities whose roots lie within the walls of the old city. The public parking lot is down the hill below the old city near the new construction and city park. I dropped Bill and Janie off at a coffee bar on the corner near one of the enterances so we wouldn't all have to walk back up. We had already had a lengthly conversation with the local traffic police regarding how to use the pay meters - eventually, she suggested we consider using the free parking lot down the hill. After I parked and returned to the coffee bar we enjoyed a nice Italian specialty and then began our walk through the old city.
Within five minutes we had split up, girls shopping while Bill wandered from Piazza to Piazza, sampling Grappa along the way. Janie and I found some great sales as we wanderred towards the top of the city where we enjoyed the scenic overlook. Heading back down some of the side streets we found a wonderful little ceramics shop. The owners family had been hand making these beautiful white ceramics for two generations. We both managed to find a bowl that we just had to have :-) I also have a wish list for future trips.
I touched base with Bill to see where he had wandered to. We wanted to head down to the bridge designed by Paladio and I suspected we would find him in that vicinity. Sure enough, he was at the far end of the bridge hanging out and watching the ducks. He gave us advance notice of a couple of pottery shops at the end of the bridge. What a fantastic place to shop for occasional dishes - of course you all know that I need more dishes :-)
Bill met us at the pottery shop and then we crossed over to the old Grapperia for a coctail. I had the strongest Aperol spritzer ever - thought I was going to have to be carried out! But the view from the table where we enjoyed our drink was fabulous. I really wish I had brought a camera to share some photos but unfortunately my video camera has a dead battery and I didn't think far enough ahead to charge it and my camera is on the fritz - lens stuck again.
Afnyway, ater spending some time admiring the bridge, the water and the kids swimming in it, we resumed our shopping, breaking only for a Gelato. The Gelato shop was a bit tucked away but we all agree that it is the best Gelato we have had yet. So rich and creamy -yummmm wish I could share!
More shopping and then a light dinner. We returned home with two large bottles of Grappa, one traditional and one well aged. Also, a small bottle of Blueberry Grappa, a green apple liquor and a creamy egg liquor (yeah, I know, I wrinkled up my nose too but after the sample I was sold). I also picked up a jar of Balsamic Honey - I can't wait to use it, it sounds fabulous.
Today we are back to the real world; cleaning and doing laundry. Fortunately, we now have TV, Telephone and Internet service in our house. It only took 6 weeks to get it and now that it has finally arrived we have found we are out of the habit of checking email every few minutes or sitting in front of the tv in the evenings. Probably a good thing.
Viv kitty is due before too long so we need to get her birthing box set up and have her get used to the space she will share with the kittens. I am excited about the babies - it is so much fun to have kittens around. I'll be sure to post some videos when the kitties arrive.
Ciao for now.
LeAnn
We ended up
Local Attractions
Last weekend was fantastic! We went into Venice to meed some frineds for a day of shopping and eating. We had arranged to meet them near the cafe with the band so we would be able to find each other in the crowds.
We decided to drive in and park at the airport then take the water shuttle to St. Marks Square. Long term parking at the airport is $12 Euro a day - cheeper than the parking garage by the train station. anyway, Bill had a 'moment' when he realized that the water taxi would cost us 25E each for a round trip ticket. Once we got out on the water, the price was forgotten and we enjoyed every minute of the trip. It took about an hour to hit the different stops in the lagoon (including the Island of Murano) but the day was beautiful and the trip was so enjoyable we were more than happy to return on the boat that evening.
Once at St. Marks Square, it was easy to find Joe and Michele. Although it was busy day, the crowds were not overwhelming. The weather was PERFECT in the mid 80's with a light breeze. We enjoyed just walking around and taking in the sights as well as a few photos. Michele and I did a bit of shopping and left the guys outside to hold up the 2000 year old columns :-)We had a fantastic dinner on one of the smaller canals. Eating beside the water whild gondolers glid by and sing or play their accordians was the perfect Venice experience. The food was good too!
After dinner we returned to St. Marks to find a crowd of people waiting for the Alicia Keys concert to start. They had set up a stage in the middle of the square and had hundreds of folding chairs. Unfortunately, they also had visual barriers so we didn't have the option of hanging out and watching from afar.
A yummy gelato while waiting on the water taxi return trip made the perfect evening. Seeing Joe, Michelle and the family was fantastic and the atmosphere made for a picture perfect evening.
When the rest of you guys visit, I'll hope for such perfect weather. Start making your reservations NOW!
Hugs,
LeAnn
We decided to drive in and park at the airport then take the water shuttle to St. Marks Square. Long term parking at the airport is $12 Euro a day - cheeper than the parking garage by the train station. anyway, Bill had a 'moment' when he realized that the water taxi would cost us 25E each for a round trip ticket. Once we got out on the water, the price was forgotten and we enjoyed every minute of the trip. It took about an hour to hit the different stops in the lagoon (including the Island of Murano) but the day was beautiful and the trip was so enjoyable we were more than happy to return on the boat that evening.
Once at St. Marks Square, it was easy to find Joe and Michele. Although it was busy day, the crowds were not overwhelming. The weather was PERFECT in the mid 80's with a light breeze. We enjoyed just walking around and taking in the sights as well as a few photos. Michele and I did a bit of shopping and left the guys outside to hold up the 2000 year old columns :-)We had a fantastic dinner on one of the smaller canals. Eating beside the water whild gondolers glid by and sing or play their accordians was the perfect Venice experience. The food was good too!
After dinner we returned to St. Marks to find a crowd of people waiting for the Alicia Keys concert to start. They had set up a stage in the middle of the square and had hundreds of folding chairs. Unfortunately, they also had visual barriers so we didn't have the option of hanging out and watching from afar.
A yummy gelato while waiting on the water taxi return trip made the perfect evening. Seeing Joe, Michelle and the family was fantastic and the atmosphere made for a picture perfect evening.
When the rest of you guys visit, I'll hope for such perfect weather. Start making your reservations NOW!
Hugs,
LeAnn
In a previous blog I declared Switzerland to be the most beautiful place on earth; I have now found the second… Austria! The Alpine views are stunning and the pristine towns and villages are occupied by the warmest, friendliest people you would ever want to meet. The women are beautiful – tall, thin, blond and most all have freckles. Unlike the Italian women, these young ladies have a permanent smile and are just as happy to speak to you in English as German or Italian. I can’t believe that they all seem to know so many languages, but over and over I hear them switch between languages like it makes no difference to them. Maybe it is because I’ve stuck to a well traveled path along the Autostrada. I look forward to coming back for a long weekend in the country and we’ll see if my theory holds true in a smaller village.
So I woke up this morning in Italy and made my way north to the boarder. I’ve crossed Brenner Pass and am now doing a bit of exploring. There really are castles everywhere, I just wish I had time to tour them… maybe next trip. Today I will continue on up to Innsbruck and then on to Munich to pick Bill up in the morning. I don’t expect to spend any time in Germany this trip since he will be traveling with Chandler the dog and the cats, Leo and Rachi. I’m sure he is also anxious to get home and get settled in Italy. It seems it has been much longer than six weeks since he went back to New York.
I’ll give Bill a day or two to rest and then I’ll start dragging him out for sightseeing. I’ve been putting off doing a lot of exploring locally so that we can go together. I’m really looking forward to touring Vicenza and the Palladio villas as well as checking out the local vineyards and sampling their specialties. I also want to tour the Soave Castle and pick up a few more bottles of good Soave wine. Of course we will need to go back to Venice for a day of exploring and a trip to Murano too (we need some new wine glasses for all this good wine!). I’m sure Bill has a trip to the Ducati factory planned but I may sit that one out – it’s like taking someone who doesn’t drink beer for a tour of a brewery.
I know I’ve taken a hiatus from blogging but only because the bureaucracy of setting up house and getting established in Italy is less than exciting, leaving nothing to write about other than complaining -and that makes for boring posts. My lack of Internet access (and phone or TV) has started to impact my routine as well – the local Telcom people have a strange appointment schedule; they take your name and number and call you in a couple (or three) weeks when one of the service tech is near your house. If you are not there, too bad – you have to wait until next time someone is in the neighborhood! Once I get home internet access and and start having fun sightseeing again I’ll make sure to keep everyone updated. At this point, I’m just getting to know my town and my neighbors and trying to figure out the garbage pick up schedule (garbage on Friday, bottles every other Monday, cardboard and paper every other Tuesday, opposite weeks from bottles, compostable waste on Tuesday and Thursday and Saturday on weeks with a Holy Day - or holiday, cans are every couple of weeks too but I’ve not figured out that schedule yet – I’ll keep you posted, I’ve still not figured out where cat litter goes…. Sometimes I put it with compostable waste and sometimes with garbage, depending on which comes next). As you can see, even tho’ I’m not venturing out much life is anything but boring
Happy Summer and don’t forget to wear sunscreen – the tan will fade but the age spots and wrinkles won’t!
LeAnn
So I woke up this morning in Italy and made my way north to the boarder. I’ve crossed Brenner Pass and am now doing a bit of exploring. There really are castles everywhere, I just wish I had time to tour them… maybe next trip. Today I will continue on up to Innsbruck and then on to Munich to pick Bill up in the morning. I don’t expect to spend any time in Germany this trip since he will be traveling with Chandler the dog and the cats, Leo and Rachi. I’m sure he is also anxious to get home and get settled in Italy. It seems it has been much longer than six weeks since he went back to New York.
I’ll give Bill a day or two to rest and then I’ll start dragging him out for sightseeing. I’ve been putting off doing a lot of exploring locally so that we can go together. I’m really looking forward to touring Vicenza and the Palladio villas as well as checking out the local vineyards and sampling their specialties. I also want to tour the Soave Castle and pick up a few more bottles of good Soave wine. Of course we will need to go back to Venice for a day of exploring and a trip to Murano too (we need some new wine glasses for all this good wine!). I’m sure Bill has a trip to the Ducati factory planned but I may sit that one out – it’s like taking someone who doesn’t drink beer for a tour of a brewery.
I know I’ve taken a hiatus from blogging but only because the bureaucracy of setting up house and getting established in Italy is less than exciting, leaving nothing to write about other than complaining -and that makes for boring posts. My lack of Internet access (and phone or TV) has started to impact my routine as well – the local Telcom people have a strange appointment schedule; they take your name and number and call you in a couple (or three) weeks when one of the service tech is near your house. If you are not there, too bad – you have to wait until next time someone is in the neighborhood! Once I get home internet access and and start having fun sightseeing again I’ll make sure to keep everyone updated. At this point, I’m just getting to know my town and my neighbors and trying to figure out the garbage pick up schedule (garbage on Friday, bottles every other Monday, cardboard and paper every other Tuesday, opposite weeks from bottles, compostable waste on Tuesday and Thursday and Saturday on weeks with a Holy Day - or holiday, cans are every couple of weeks too but I’ve not figured out that schedule yet – I’ll keep you posted, I’ve still not figured out where cat litter goes…. Sometimes I put it with compostable waste and sometimes with garbage, depending on which comes next). As you can see, even tho’ I’m not venturing out much life is anything but boring
Happy Summer and don’t forget to wear sunscreen – the tan will fade but the age spots and wrinkles won’t!
LeAnn
Sunday, March 7, 2010
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