Marsha and Greg

Marsha and Greg, friends from NJ, came to visit us for five days. Marsha and I both worked at PrincetonU and we socialized regularly, but I hadn't seen them for several years so it was a treat to spend so much time together. Marsha and I celebrated our birthdays - hers in Bologna (we are pictured here having an aperitivo) and mine two days later at a gorgeous agriturismo near the Dreamhouse (www.marzanella.it/ - we are going there this again this weekend to celebrate our 6th). We also went to stay at the Hoddell's house in Borgo Pace for one night. Though the Marche region is really beautiful, Greg was very nice to say that the place we discovered (where the Dreamhouse is) was spectacular. Here we are on the trail that runs on the property.

Ray found a new playmate in Greg, and here he is in his best spiderman pose and Greg as "that other guy" wearing his best swordsman face.


We were able to meet with James and Philippa and their three girls for a picnic in the Bologna hills. The kids had fun running around, but poor Cressida fell and scraped the side of her face.

It has been a long time since I had visitors from home. I really appreciate their coming to see me. Please come back soon. xo

They don't even come close to Hunterdon County...

One of the most beautiful counties of NJ. The fox hunts - the master of the hounds blowing the brass in his red jacket, the dogs and the riders on horseback - coming around the corner of a trail to see this pass by was extraordinary (though I admit I could never support the lynching of a live fox...).

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/travel/escapes/08njhike.html?hpw

I found this article in this week's NYT:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/12/08/travel/escapes/08adventurer.html?pagewanted=1

He got in!

I am thrilled to find out on-line (just a few minutes ago) that Ray's application has been accepted for a school transfer. Last year he was not admitted to the Montessori school across the road from us, but they have accepted him this year. This not only means we can now walk him to school, but that he will be in class with some of his friends and learning through the Montessori method. I think this will suit his personality much better and he will be more enthusiastic. I am really happy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori

April showers - basta!

I promise to post the Vienna photos this week. Andrea downloaded them on an external drive so I have to get around to connecting it to my computer to access them. I am also having problems downloading in general - the site, I think, so here are the only three that were able to come through. Will try again this afternoon.


This past Saturday, it was so beautiful out that we went on a hillside picnic. Fortunately, as we lack a garden (or yard, as they say in NJ), Bologna provides a lot of open green space in the hills surrounding the southern part of the city. We live on the first hill outside the center, so it takes only about 5 minutes in the car to reach some lovely, public yet private areas where we can spread a blanket and have some spectacular views.








(I am glad Andrea is not looking at me with that queer look on his face.)

We also have the little field at the end of our street where I took Ray last week, but the farmer was there that day (he actually lives on our street and is probably a retired lawyer or something who works this piece of land for fun) and told me that what we were told when we moved here - that he welcomed locals to use his hillside- was far from true. If it wasn't for the legal responsibilities he held, he wouldn't mind but he has this big, fat, sweet dalmation that he lets run around and a dog is a dog, however you want to put it, and kids can be annoying to even the sweetest of them.

A good friend, Kathryn Purdy, came for a surprise visit to see the old gang last week. We were all together for a kid birthday party when she walked into the room. She was in Bologna for a few years but now lives in California, so we were really shocked to see her. Kathryn does some interesting work - I keep trying to uncover her secrets for the weight loss program, but she laughs at me. Here is her website, and, as you can see, Ray acting a little flirty around her. http://www.katherinepurdy.com/

Kathryn has two daughters - their father is Chinese American and when we used to go out and around Bologna, people thought I was the girls' mother and Kathryn was Ray's mother (one daughter in particular really was a mini-me). When Kathryn was out with her girls alone, people asked her if she was their nanny. When I was out alone with Ray, I was asked if I was his nanny - we just couldn't win.

Vienna

We are just back from 6 days in Vienna - an amazing city. I will write about it and post a lot of photos as soon as possible.

Earthquake in Abruzzo Region

April 6, 2009
This Warden Message is being issued to alert U.S. citizens to the earthquake in central Italy on April 6, 2009.
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake occurred in central Italy at 3:32 a.m. local time (1:32 a.m. GMT) on April 6, 2009. The epicenter of the earthquake was 60 miles northeast of Rome in the region of Abruzzo. Damage from the earthquake is concentrated around the city of L'Aquila, the capital of the Abruzzo region, as well as other small towns near L’Aquila in Abruzzo.
According to media reports, the earthquake has disrupted electricity, phone service, and other utilities. Widespread damage to buildings is reported in and around L’Aquila. Italian civil protection authorities have requested that people avoid traveling to the L’Aquila area. Americans should strongly consider deferring any travel plans to the area affected by the earthquake. Americans traveling in Italy should also consider contacting family in the U.S. to let family members know they are unharmed. U.S. citizens traveling to or through Italy are encouraged to follow post-earthquake developments in the media.


The footage in t.v. is just awful. Somehow, that this is the week leading into Easter makes it all the more devastating. Having visited so many medieval hilltop towns in Italy, I visualize the ancient piazzas full of old men leaning on their canes and chatting - the women hovering near their doorways, often knitting or snapping the ends off green beans as they gossip. That this hit when they were all sleeping in their beds seems like a curse or a blessing. Watching one of those old men being interviewed this morning while waiting to be reunited with his son, then filmed walking aimlessly and crying later in the afternoon coverage when the reunion still hadn't happened was heartbreaking. I don't know how a town begins to recover.

Apparently, there was an earlier quake 35 miles south of Bologna late last evening, but I didn't feel it.
Update: Andrea's mom felt the earthquake in Lugo and she said that her hanging light fixture was swaying quite a bit. Maybe it was those two beers that stole that experience from me. ha.

Ensure

God, how I remember those cans of Ensure from 20 years ago...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/fashion/05love.html?pagewanted=1&em

Dog loving and goings on

I haven't had a dog now for almost 6 years - after a lifetime of no less than two dogs at any one time. I hope that one day we will be in a home where I can manage one (or two).

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/life-lessons-from-the-family-dog/?em

Andrea returns home on Monday after almost two weeks in the US. He has been a shopaholic - picking up odds and ends (q-tips, vanilla extract, bisquick, shampoos, Spiderman books in English) that are not available here. Fortunately, he took a soft suitcase inside his larger one and can stuff it since the international flights allow two bags. Two years ago the US postal service eliminated freight shipping and everything has to mailed first-class, so the care packages from family have dropped off as the shipping often costs more than the contents.

It has been tough getting Ray to school in the mornings so that I can be at work by 8:30. Especially since it rained (pouring, torrential, non-stopping) for nine days in a row. But I have to admit it was nice to hog all of his attention and needs to myself.

We pick up the Honda on Tuesday and then take off for Vienna through Easter. Unfortunately, Andrea's mother who has had her house for sale this past year just got an offer that has to be considered and she is talking about buying a small apartment in Bologna. Fortunately, we will have a lot of time to talk on our seven hour road trip to Austria. Her living nearby would be nice for Ray and she isn't the typical Italian mother-in-law. She is pretty hands-off but in any case, the obligations become greater. At the moment, she lives an hour away and we see her maybe twice a month.

Happy Easter to all: I hope the spring offers you a light heart and warm sunshine.

Art of Aperitivo

Here is an article that explains the aperitivo a bit more. The negroni mentioned is one of my favorite drinks. You can only have one though, if you plan to go out to dinner after...

http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/in-milan-the-best-meal-deal-in-italy/?em

Spring has Sprung

Bologna is just beautiful these days. We have had day after day of sunshine and temps in the 60s. No one is wearing a coat any longer and I see some neighbors trying to catch their first tan lines of the season (the serious tanners stay brown all year with weekly visits to the salon. Andrea has one under his office and it is busybusybusy.). If I didn't mention it before, most Italians love their tans and it is a big deal here. It depicts good health....I think, until one turns 50 and looks 65. I take Ray's bike to the park when I pick him up from school, and he can ride around for an hour or so before coming home. Here are some pictures of Giardini Margherita where his school is. In the first photo, his school is the dark brown, low building on the right.

Last Friday I had my English co-workers over for an aperitivo which was fun. Ray had two new playmates to share toys with. Dillon is English/Italian and 2, while Ruby is English and one week older than Ray. The adults had a good time tasting some wines while analyzing the recent Manchester game, and admittedly are not as well versed in vino as their Italian counterparts so when Martin started drinking my cooking wine, I didn't try too hard to stop him. I may have them over again while Andrea is in the states, when I can partner the wine with some rice and curry (yum, you say? Beer might be better.).

The week before, James brought the three girls (here they are with Ray) over for dinner as Philippa had to go to London to see her ill mother. James was pretty desperate for something to do with the kids, so it was nice to have him here along with Krissy and Andrea. Krissy is an alumni of Andrea's program and now works for Furla. She promises to get me some sample bags for the new season at a discount. By the way, if you remember the JBrand deal I had, I did receive my JBrand jeans from LA. Pretty nice stuff, I must admit. Wearing them now.

Italians rely a lot on face-to-face communication. Andrea frequently has to go to an office to discuss something or make a transaction or just to learn of some news. When I ask why he can't do it over the phone or internet, he tries to explain how important it is to have a "personal relationship". This was evident when we bought the car. To the salesman, Andrea became "my friend the professor" to everyone who walked into the dealership and I became the "American wife". So it was no surprise that he was a little annoyed when he learned through the computer that we stopped in another dealership and as a result made things a little complicated by acting offended (and asking for more money). After understanding that we were more than willing to walk away from the deal, he couldn't get the car to us fast enough - the end of this month (originally we were to receive it in May). So we will have it in time for our trip to Vienna the week before Easter.

Here are some photos per Paula's request - Ray the painter, Ray as Spiderman and a recent sunrise. Andrea leaves for the US next week and I have my request in for a new camera so hopefully my pictures will be a little more sophisticated. The cost here is about double than in the US. Thanks to Ken for this Canon. As you can see, I have used it well these past five+ years.

email me

Dear Family and Friends,
Once again, Andrea has installed a new email program for me and didn't carry over my address book. Please send me an email from your account, so I can add you to my contacts list.
Many thanks,
Chris
(The photo is just to add some interest. It is hard to believe Ray was ever so tiny.)

La Macchina

Well we finally bought a new car yesterday, a Honda FRV which is not available in the US, probably due to the three front seats. It will hopefully serve us well as a family of three and we can roadtrip with our bikes in the back. A long overdue purchase though I will miss the old Audi. Andrea and I can't believe that we have a family car. A far cry from the Miata.

It has been a hectic few weeks with lots of little events that have been keeping me really busy. The International School was closed for "ski week" (the Italians love their winter sports) so I spent a week at home and cutting Ray's school days a little shorter, and also going to tutor Michele a couple of times at his home. On that Friday, Ray and I went to Philippa's house in the Marche for a long weekend. I gave Philippa and her three girls a ride down and James joined us later that evening. Ray had a great time, as usual, with the three sisters. James and Philippa took us to visit an old guy who restores old furniture where the kids made friends with these little ponies. Needless to say, as digging through old furniture is one of my favorite things to do and I haven't been able to do much of it here in Italy, I was so happy to poke around the hundreds of pieces and found so many that I would like in a country house (note the dusty kitty pawprints on the table tops). James and Philippa bought a couple of pieces and she surprised me with a gift of one of those old copper cow bells that make a lovely donging noise. If you ever visit the north of Italy, the Dolomite mountains (or the Italian Alps as they are sometimes called), you can see a herd of white cows grazing and the bells on their necks make a beautiful choral sound, though I wonder if it ever makes them crazy as it can be quite loud.

Carnivale, a big holiday here where one indulges in every aspect before the periods of fasting during Lent, was celebrated and Ray dressed as his current favorite super hero. Entertaining at home was the norm this long winter, and we just held an aperitivo for 20 faculty to mingle with Andrea's boss who was here for a few days for a visit from Indiana University. I invited all my work-mates from school to come over this Friday for a wine-tasting. Very casual, of course, just a rush to see who can taste the most wines. ha.

Andrea is getting ready for his trip to the US in two weeks and we plan to take a road trip to Vienna when he returns as it will be Easter break here. I am now counting down the weeks to my visit to the US - and am making a list of must-buy items. I know that winter hit once again in the northeast US, but here the birds are singing and the buds are bursting. Spring in Italy, anyone?

State of Mind

Well, so I am being pestered by a sister or two on an update of the "ruin", or "paradiso" depending on your outlook to life. We were back on track this last month with the thought of trying to buy this little stone house. Unfortunately, however, Andrea sees the ruin and I see the paradise and we can't get on the same page. I am going to step back from my obsession and let the house go at this time. We can buy it, I think, at a price we can cover, but the work to be done is so extensive and expensive that for Andrea it is a burden. For me, it is another reason to keep me tied to a life in a country that sometimes can feel as though it is just too challenging, and to develop deeper, more substantial roots here in Italy. I also love the prospect of planning the projects, the work and sweat - of transforming it into a home and a place of nature, beauty, serenity (not to mention being able to host a slew of family and friends), even if it does take the next couple of decades. And it would be a good opportunity for me to practice speaking in Italian.

But the reality is our car is breaking down and we are shopping for a more, environmentally friendly machine. Ray is really not happy at school and I am thinking of enrolling him at the International School where I work so there will be an additional monthly cost there (and they charge €8 a day for lunch no matter the age which equals $10.40 in USD. I know the lunches are hot and healthy but I can feed the three of us dinner on that. It reminded me of how we paid just 2 cents for milk when I was in elementary school in the 1960s in NJ.). Anyway, in the end, it would just make us less financially strapped and I can visit the US more often and we can plan a little more traveling. And just reading the headlines on the economy is enough to keep my spending emotion in check.

So unless I find a couple of more pigeons to do their business on my head, the crumbling stone house on the hilltop will just have to wait for me a bit more. I haven't given up completely on her, yet.

February Update

We returned from Milan last night. I feel as though I haven't been out of Bologna in a long time, and so took the opportunity to accompany Andrea to a conference he had to attend on Saturday. We decided to go by car even though the new high speed train (which runs from Milan to Bologna in one hour as opposed to 2.5 driving hours) just opened this year. It was very nice to get away and Milan is very different from Bologna - much more modern, faster paced, more inhabitants and tourists, slicker.












I had been to Milan only once before - the year I arrived in Italy and at that time the Duomo was covered with scaffolding. Now, as you can see, the marble is brilliantly white and a sharp contrast to the dim, candle-smoke stained interior. It is stunning. After a trip there, Ray and I went to a park where they had some amusement rides, then took a run in the castle garden followed by a quick visit to the nearby acquarium. It was cold but sunny. At the end of the day, we went to a place I found on the internet - a tiny sushi bar and even tinier Japanese grocery store where I paid 13€ for a roll of futomaki (17$) which is completely insane but I have to say it was delicious and worth every cent.




















The police making a fashion statement. Here Run is chasing pigeons at the castle.












Last weekend we had some BCSP alumni over for dinner. John, Beth and Krissy (and her boyfriend, Andrea) are all living in Italy - struck by its fever and unable to break away. John even worked as a shepherd in the south - herding sheep on horseback. It is nice to see them occassionally and know that they will be something like an extended family for me as at least two of them plan on a future here.

Boys Night

We had some friends over for a Japanese dinner last weekend - Harriet and Rob with their three boys, Finn, Kei and Seth (from South Africa) and Bologna couple Elena and Franco with their son Giulio (the red head). Ray had a great time playing with them and slept for 12 hours the next night. He usually plays with Philippa and James' three girls, who dress him up and push him around their apartment in a stroller (with a small suitcase full of toys in his lap and holding a leash with one of the girls at the end playing a pink poodle), so it was nice for him to have a rough and tumble night with the boys.

Slow Foodies

For all of you who appreciate food grown the slow, old fashioned way, the Slow Food Film Festival is heading again to Bologna. Marsha and Greg will be visiting then, but if anyone else is interested (Kenji?), it is a great introduction to this organization.

Grilled eggplant with olive oil, salt and pepper on garlic-rubbed toasted bread slices - a Sicilian specialty

The Slow Food USA Blog
Travel to Bologna for Slow Food on Film
Slow Food on Film International Festival of Food and Film Bologna: May 6-10, 2009
Slow Food on Film is an international festival that matches passion for film with that for food, while also promoting a new critical awareness of food culture. The festival plays host to screenings of films, short films, documentaries and TV series that focus on food-related issues (drives, perversions, identity and emotional implications) in an original way, as well as on the agricultural and food industry’s repercussion on society and the environment, and on gastronomic memory as a common heritage to be safeguarded.

After the great success of the first edition in Bologna (2,000 daily spectators, 1,350 Slow snacks sold and 800 accredited journalists from 20 countries), Slow Food on Film will be back May 6-10, 2009.

Start booking your stay in Bologna and your food and film schedule at Slow Food On Film! Read more about the event, including how to buy tickets at http://www.slowfoodonfilm.com/

Winter Views

We took a drive to...guess where. The house is still standing after all the snow of the winter. It was cloudy when we arrived, but as we drove away the sun broke out and I got some beautiful shots. The area is on the border of Tuscany so we can see the Tuscan hills on a clear day, which are still part of the Apennine range. We are closer to the decision to make an offer.

We saw another ruin along a road we explored. It is in a panoramic location and a very interesting building, and even though the roof has collapsed there is an outbuilding with some beautiful wood beams that are jointed without nails. There is a lot of potential if anyone is interested in taking on such a project.

We met a woman walking her dogs on the street. She asked us if we wanted this little puppy (ek! in a minute..) but she has been living in the area for ten years and complained how isolated she felt. A song to my ears.

We also discovered the Church of Saint Valentino at the end of a little-used road. We read on a board that the area holds a terrible history of bloodshed and violence of a battle taken place in 1943-44. The area is so peaceful and beautiful, it is hard to believe such a thing has happened but I suppose one could say that about almost every war zone at some point.