Welcome Back to Italy!

So I’ve been back for almost a week and it’s been a busy one.  Some good welcomes and some bad welcomes…

I was welcomed to scaffolding up in front of my window and behind our balcony..for some reason they are removing all of the surface of the building and redoing it.  Which means pounding and hammering all day long..not to mention that we now have our washer (nonfunctioning) in the kitchen and no hot water for 3 days (so far).  When was the last time you heated 16 pots of water on the stove to make a warm bath? 

I was welcomed to my great roommates and Grazia’s birthday party…and then in time to help her move back to Sardegna.  Work had already called me before I even got back and I started again at 2 the next day.  Good thing I never have problems with jet lag.  Unfortunately they changed all the books at work so I get to redo all my lessons. 

And I was welcome back to Fall!  Which means pretty soon it will be colder in the house than outside and I’ll be wearing jackets all the time until the heat gets turned on – and the leaves will be turning beautiful colors.  Welcome back to walking everywhere, waiting for busses that never come, cigarette smoke, good food: pasta, pizza, gelato, great students and friends.

		Cousins VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Things here are always just a little bit backward> it’s what makes life so interesting here. But it’s nice to be back.  I had a fantastic time at home visiting friends and family and celebrating my grandpa’s 90th birthday.  Not to mention a fantastic trip to Spain, France, Belgium and Poland – not that you’ll ever see pictures   It was tough to leave all of the great people in the US, especially my cute nieces and nephews and I miss them a ton but I can’t be on vacation forever. But it’s going to be a great year, right?! 

		Nova Scotia (ME, NH & VT) VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Viaggi–Spring Travels

Between work I have managed to fit in a few travels…
First of all – SAN MARINO!  A beautiful country right in the middle of northern Italy.  It was a nice train ride through the Tuscan hills and vineyards to the sea and then a bus ride up to the country on the top of the hill.  Apparently no one else wanted to live on the top of the same hill and so it was left alone through all the years by the numerous groups fighting over Italy.  The views were stunning and the three castles were fun to visit. . It was nice to be out in the countryside and surrounded by green and glimpses of the sea.

LA COSTA MAREMMA!
For Easter Break Christina and I took the train out to the coast Maremma.  We were hoping for some blue skies and beach time but the weather was not so cooperative.  However, we did have a nice walk along the beach and it was so nice to see water and sand!  We stayed in a cute little town called Follonica for the night and then took the train down to Porto San Stefano.  We took a ferry out to the Isola del Giglio (Giglio Island).  It was a bumpy trip out there but the little island was cute.  We hiked up to a quaint little castle town on on the top of the hill and enjoyed the island views.  We came back for an awesome Easter dinner with my roommates – lots of food and my very own huge, chocolate egg with a surprise inside.  Monday (which is Pasquetta  - and another holiday here) we went to the hot springs south of SIena with some friends.  It was a relaxing day and a great weekend..

		Pasqua VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

PORTOVENERE AND CINQUE TERRE
Titti and I took the Saturday to go visit one of my favorite places in Italy.  It was a beautiful day – summer has already arrived here for good or bad.. We first took the bus out to Portovenere because I hadn’t been there and it is a beautiful little town south of La Spezia with a seaside church and castle and pretty views.  Then we took the train up to Riomaggiore – the first of the 5 little towns.  We hiked the coast – the Via dell’Amore (way of love) up to the last town.   Full of great views, lots of sun, stunning seaside scenery and some huge hills.  We only had about an hour to relax, lie on the beach and take a most refreshing “bath” in the sea before we had to catch the train back home.  All in all, a beautiful day.

Cinque Terre VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Only about a month left of school!!   I will sincerely miss my class this year and my students but I am ready for a break.  It has already gotten hot here in Florence – we had a week of 90 degree weather – a little AC would be nice but I guess I ought to get used to it.  Good thing the gelato festival is going on right now. 

Carnevale and finally..Spring!

Italy is obsessed with holidays.  It seems like everything centers around one holiday or another – each with its own treats, decorations and traditions.  So after Christmas..comes Carnevale.  Carnevale here is pretty much Halloween at home – except with lots of confetti and parades..and sadly, no awesome candy. Okay, so I guess just the kids dressing up in fun costumes is the same.  My friend Christina and I went to Parma for the weekend before Carnevale, mostly just to see the town and were happily surprised by an awesome parade.  It was a really nice town with beautiful buildings and a beautiful Duomo.  The parade was the best, though, with lots of Smurfs, turtles, princesses, pirates, greasers, animals, etc. and even paintings brought to life very creatively.  We had a great time and I was cleaning confetti off of me even after we returned home.  Oh..and I tried a horse burger and it was actually pretty good..

		Parma & Carnevale VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I have been busy with school – mostly lots of private students and a few classes.  I had this week free from classes and it was so nice to have a normal schedule and a little free time.  I am tired of 50 hour weeks and working 9 hour days..packed with students all coming back to back.  On Wednesdays I go from intermediate business, GMAT, beginner, SAT math, biology, TOEFL prep and then intermediate English.  It can get tiring and be stressful.  But it’s nice to have work for sure.  And there are only 12 more weeks left (not that I’m counting).  I do love most of my students though; they can be so entertaining and amusing. 

It is finally Spring!!  I have been waiting forever to finally stop wearing boots, coat, tights and a scarf every day.  Finally, the day arrived and I walked to school without tights (although my legs are a scary white), a scarf, and no more brown coat!  It has been a beautiful week.  I know I better enjoy it because it is going to get hot, humid and mosquito-infested soon.  But for now, it is great.  So now it’s everything Easter here – with the huge chocolate eggs, the Colombo cakes, chocolate bunnies and Spring flowers.  This year my goal is to dye some eggs and have an easter egg hunt…and find somewhere to go for the weekend.  And it’s not too early to start planning a great summer vacation, right?

VACATION! Budapest, Vienna, Prague

At the beginning of February, I finally got out of Florence for a real vacation!  It was a very welcome break from being very busy at work.  I flew into Budapest and met Tamarin there.  It was great to see her. We spent two days in Budapest, took the train to Vienna for 2 days there, and then took the train to Prague for another 2 days.  We saw a lot of beautiful and historical things and learned some important history – such as who Sisi is, Maria was a popular name, Budapest was part of the USSR, and a little about all the kings and their constantly changing empires.  The weather was a little cold but we got used to putting on the thermals, the coat, the gloves, scarf and hat every morning and it was worth it to see it in the winter with less people and great ambiance.

		Budapest VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Budapest was by far my favorite city.  It was absolutely enchanting – and a little Disneylike, especially with all the lights at night. We visited the market, the castle, the Parliament, the House of Terror, the Old Bridge, took a Danube cruise, and walked most of the town. It snowed the first day, but that just added to the beauty.  The second day we spend a magnificent afternoon at the Szechenyi thermal baths – with indoor/outdoor baths of various temperature, water jets and sauna. It was heavenly!  
Vienna was our next stop.  It was a town with some pretty architecture and lots of history.  We saw the Schombrunn and Hofburg palaces, learned that Sisi is to Austria what Sound of Music is to Americans, watched the disciples come out of the clock, and saw a concert at the Orangery where Mozart performed. 

		Prague VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Prague was also beautiful – if I hadn’t been to Budapest first I would have been very impressed.  The river with the castle situated on the hill and the wide streets with beautiful buildings and churches and the famous Charles Bridge were great.  We saw an unusual Black light show and ate the best food.  All in all, it was a fantastic vacation!

A New Year! Welcome 2011!

Christmas VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Buon Anno!  It’s amazing that another year has somehow passed in an amazingly short amount of time (I’m sure it was much less than 365 days).  I am looking forward to a new year and to a new opportunity to accomplish good things, learn and experience new things, and enjoy the many things that will come to pass.  (Picture note: not Laura’s house but hers is just as cute, it was Laura’s b-day the 26th, and look how amazing our Christmas table and dinner was).
I had a great Christmas and New Year’s.  For Christmas I visited Laura and her family in Sweden.  They were super nice, as always, and I enjoyed playing with her kids, eating lots of good food, seeing snow every day, learning about and appreciating Swedish traditions, and being with such a great friend that I have known forever.  Thanks a lot Laura – it meant a lot to me to be with good friends at Christmastime and to be so welcome.  I missed my family and missed being able to see them and to be with them but this was a very good second.   

The Koch’s VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I went into Stockholm one day and braved the cold and snow to visit the Skansen – a park/zoo that has old buildings and is modelled after an old Swedish 1800s town.  It was beautiful and there were lots of Christmas displays.  Some Swedish Christmas traditions – gingerbread cookies (mmmm), pigs, mandarins, stars, candle-lights in every window, gnomes.  Even though it was only light for about 6 hours during the day – with all the Christmas house and window lights and street lights, it almost seemed brighter and night with the glow and reflection off of the snow.  I don’t know – maybe I could live in the snow (it is beautiful and even better when you rarely have to leave the house). 

I flew back to Florence on New Year’s Eve and welcomed in the New Year with friends here.  There were lots of fireworks and firecrackers and a huge mass of people converged at the station to watch and hear the band.  My friend lives right next to the station so we got to watch it all from her balcony and stay safe from all the crazy firework maniacs.  We ate lots of good food, dances and had a good time.
So welcome 2011!  It should be a good year with good friends, travel, teaching, and lots of new things to learn and experience.