Monday, September 29, 2008
Election Fever
I got my absentee ballot today. And, yes, I have voted. McCain/Palin, OF COURSE! I love voting.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Torino & the Pedemonte
Wow, it's only 8:00 a.m., and I already need a break from the Bazaar. The base changed our location officially yesterday morning. Sigh. We are now partially in one location that has neither electricity nor communication lines to run, say, credit card machines. But, miracles happen. Hopefully by Tuesday.
Anyway, to take a break, I will reflect on the trip that Chris and I took last weekend to Torino and the Piedmont wine region. It was one of our favorite trips that we have taken in all of Italy!
We were actually facing a traveling dilemma. I wanted Chris to be able to take a trip during his re-integration, but didn't want to be too far from Bazaar stuff. So, we drove the five hours or so to northern Italy's western region!
The whole trip was definitely for food and wine lovers. We are currently on what my mother would call "food detox".
So, we left here on a Wednesday afternoon and drove to Torino, which is the home of the 2006 winter Olympics, the Fiat, and the modern history of Italy! Really, if you live in Italy and appreciate history, you must visit Torino. The first king of Italy lived here, and the city is just so rich in important Italian events.
Our first night, we went to a restaurant called C'era una Volta, Once Upon a Time, and had the "tasting menu" which turned out to be a seven course meal. It was really fun experimental Italian food. This has definitely become the season of pumpkin in Italy. One of our courses had little pumpkins that were stuffed with ricotta cheese and then boiled or something. Not the kind of restaurant for children, definitely, but fun for adults. I passed along my course of what was essentially steak tartar to Chris. I can't handle raw beef.
The next day, we visited lots of great museums. We saw the Shroud of Turin cathedral (supposedly the shroud that Christ was buried in after the resurrection - really neat), the Royal Armory (Chris was really into this), and the Egyptian Museum, which I must say was even better than the one in Cairo.
We partook in a Torinese pasttime of just walking and hanging out in cafes, tasting the official cafe drink of the city - Bicerin, a blend of hot chocolate, coffee, and cream. The Torinese are also supposedly the original European patrons of chocolate and merely passed on the tradition to the neighboring Swiss. So, there were lots of beautiful chocolate displays everywhere.
The next morning, we drove deep into the heart of Piedmont wine country. Most Americans come to Italy and go straight to Tuscany for wine, and this is a mistake! We felt like Piedmont was more beautiful and even had better wine! I don't like red wine, really at all, but I found some that I enjoyed here.
We stayed in Villa Meridiana in Alba - yes, a villa. We spent the next couple of days driving the wine route through the various villages and tasting wines in castles and wine shops in the gorgeous Langhe hills.
Last Saturday, we stopped along the way to Asti, which is famous for their Spumanti. We got there the day before their Palio (horse races dating back to medieval times). So there were festivals for the Palio going on while the enormous Douja D'Or (an annual two-week wine festival) was going on in the same city. We had been tasting red wines for what felt like days, so I was thrilled to get to the counter to taste some sweet white wines. Once you get through the tasting room, you filter out through the shopping section - rows and rows of wines to buy. We had fun stocking our wine cellar that weekend.
Our favorite meal of the weekend (and, we must highlight this, because the other thing you do in wine country is eat), was at Enoclub in Alba. It was in this cool wine cellar, lit by candles, and I had ravioli suffed with pumpkin and ricotta (heavenly) and beef braised in Barolo wine (incredible). It was really bad, in a way, because the restaurants around here don't serve food this good.
We have already decided to try to return next year in September. It will be pushing it with our move, but we must!
I am trying to post pictures, but it seems as if the batteries on my camera are totally dead. So, once I get to that, I'll post some!
Anyway, to take a break, I will reflect on the trip that Chris and I took last weekend to Torino and the Piedmont wine region. It was one of our favorite trips that we have taken in all of Italy!
We were actually facing a traveling dilemma. I wanted Chris to be able to take a trip during his re-integration, but didn't want to be too far from Bazaar stuff. So, we drove the five hours or so to northern Italy's western region!
The whole trip was definitely for food and wine lovers. We are currently on what my mother would call "food detox".
So, we left here on a Wednesday afternoon and drove to Torino, which is the home of the 2006 winter Olympics, the Fiat, and the modern history of Italy! Really, if you live in Italy and appreciate history, you must visit Torino. The first king of Italy lived here, and the city is just so rich in important Italian events.
Our first night, we went to a restaurant called C'era una Volta, Once Upon a Time, and had the "tasting menu" which turned out to be a seven course meal. It was really fun experimental Italian food. This has definitely become the season of pumpkin in Italy. One of our courses had little pumpkins that were stuffed with ricotta cheese and then boiled or something. Not the kind of restaurant for children, definitely, but fun for adults. I passed along my course of what was essentially steak tartar to Chris. I can't handle raw beef.
The next day, we visited lots of great museums. We saw the Shroud of Turin cathedral (supposedly the shroud that Christ was buried in after the resurrection - really neat), the Royal Armory (Chris was really into this), and the Egyptian Museum, which I must say was even better than the one in Cairo.
We partook in a Torinese pasttime of just walking and hanging out in cafes, tasting the official cafe drink of the city - Bicerin, a blend of hot chocolate, coffee, and cream. The Torinese are also supposedly the original European patrons of chocolate and merely passed on the tradition to the neighboring Swiss. So, there were lots of beautiful chocolate displays everywhere.
The next morning, we drove deep into the heart of Piedmont wine country. Most Americans come to Italy and go straight to Tuscany for wine, and this is a mistake! We felt like Piedmont was more beautiful and even had better wine! I don't like red wine, really at all, but I found some that I enjoyed here.
We stayed in Villa Meridiana in Alba - yes, a villa. We spent the next couple of days driving the wine route through the various villages and tasting wines in castles and wine shops in the gorgeous Langhe hills.
Last Saturday, we stopped along the way to Asti, which is famous for their Spumanti. We got there the day before their Palio (horse races dating back to medieval times). So there were festivals for the Palio going on while the enormous Douja D'Or (an annual two-week wine festival) was going on in the same city. We had been tasting red wines for what felt like days, so I was thrilled to get to the counter to taste some sweet white wines. Once you get through the tasting room, you filter out through the shopping section - rows and rows of wines to buy. We had fun stocking our wine cellar that weekend.
Our favorite meal of the weekend (and, we must highlight this, because the other thing you do in wine country is eat), was at Enoclub in Alba. It was in this cool wine cellar, lit by candles, and I had ravioli suffed with pumpkin and ricotta (heavenly) and beef braised in Barolo wine (incredible). It was really bad, in a way, because the restaurants around here don't serve food this good.
We have already decided to try to return next year in September. It will be pushing it with our move, but we must!
I am trying to post pictures, but it seems as if the batteries on my camera are totally dead. So, once I get to that, I'll post some!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Bazaar Thoughts
I feel like a crazy person right now. The Bazaar is making me an insane woman (again, I actually do enjoy working on this thing). We are now about one week away until the real chaos begins, and the Bazaar really starts coming together. The Hangars are cleared out, the spaces are marked, electricity is created where there previously was none, vendors start arriving, and then people miraculously come to start shopping. It is great to see in action, but so much work to put together.
I have been working full-time hours on this thing now for at least a month. I think people would be shocked to see what I do on any given day.
Chris and I dared to take a few days away so that he got to enjoy some of his reintegration time (more on that later), and we were plagued by phone calls the entire time.
I arrived back in town to find out that the base wanted to change our location around for a third time (TWO WEEKS before the date of the Bazaar), which affects everything from floor plans to telecom lines being put in where there are none. Fortunately, I think I have talked the base out of this latest change.
I also arrived back in time to hear that two of our vendors were denied access to the base by the Italian police. For no reason. Actually, I am thinking it was a mistake, and that it might be cleared, but, seriously, these little details affect a whole lot, and tend to then take up lots of my time.
Both of these issues I was dealing with by 7:00 a.m. on a Monday morning, I might add. And, I don't get paid. But, this hectic pace is what I deal with day in and day out at this point in time.
I'm at the point where I'm dreaming about the Bazaar, and freaking out over whether or not I told our Treasurer that a vendor needs to pay for 10 extra tables. Little things like that all day.
By the grace of God, we are going to have 90 vendors show up next Thursday, and everything will go smoothly, because I have the best team in the whole entire world to work with. I am really excited! And, we have a candy vendor! (This is actually a really huge deal to me for some reason.)
I had someone from the base tell me yesterday that our Bazaar has had the worst year in terms of bureaucratic nightmares that she has ever seen. I would have to agree, even though I've only been a party to two of them.
But, in the end, we will rake in over half a million dollars in three short days, and our community will be the better for it. And, my amazing husband has been doing all the cleaning around the house for the past two days. He's the best helper in the world! Fun reintegration for him.
I have been working full-time hours on this thing now for at least a month. I think people would be shocked to see what I do on any given day.
Chris and I dared to take a few days away so that he got to enjoy some of his reintegration time (more on that later), and we were plagued by phone calls the entire time.
I arrived back in town to find out that the base wanted to change our location around for a third time (TWO WEEKS before the date of the Bazaar), which affects everything from floor plans to telecom lines being put in where there are none. Fortunately, I think I have talked the base out of this latest change.
I also arrived back in time to hear that two of our vendors were denied access to the base by the Italian police. For no reason. Actually, I am thinking it was a mistake, and that it might be cleared, but, seriously, these little details affect a whole lot, and tend to then take up lots of my time.
Both of these issues I was dealing with by 7:00 a.m. on a Monday morning, I might add. And, I don't get paid. But, this hectic pace is what I deal with day in and day out at this point in time.
I'm at the point where I'm dreaming about the Bazaar, and freaking out over whether or not I told our Treasurer that a vendor needs to pay for 10 extra tables. Little things like that all day.
By the grace of God, we are going to have 90 vendors show up next Thursday, and everything will go smoothly, because I have the best team in the whole entire world to work with. I am really excited! And, we have a candy vendor! (This is actually a really huge deal to me for some reason.)
I had someone from the base tell me yesterday that our Bazaar has had the worst year in terms of bureaucratic nightmares that she has ever seen. I would have to agree, even though I've only been a party to two of them.
But, in the end, we will rake in over half a million dollars in three short days, and our community will be the better for it. And, my amazing husband has been doing all the cleaning around the house for the past two days. He's the best helper in the world! Fun reintegration for him.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Patriot Day
Today is Patriot Day, and for a perfect commemoration, my Patriot is home! He arrived today, safe and sound, and all is well with world. I hope that you, like me, never forget September 11, 2001, and all the 2,996 reasons we still fight on today.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Motta di Livenza
I think I found my new favorite town around here. My friend Julie and I set out this morning to Motta di Livenza, which is a town between Pordenone and Treviso.
We were on a Bazaar mission. We have a new vendor coming to the Bazaar called Art&craft, which is a European antiques/home decor store. It's a rarity, actually, in Italy. We both really wanted to go tell the owner exactly what he should bring to sell in October.
He is one to look for at the Bazaar. He had such beautiful furniture pieces, and fun things like linens for the home. I bought a decorative pillow, because I just couldn't wait for the Bazaar. I will definitely be buying more later.
In typical Italian hospitality, he ran to the bar next door for some drinks to toast our new friendships.
His town, Motta di Livenza, was a typical beautiful Italian village, complete with market day today. They had some other great stores, including the best pasticceria I've seen yet in Italy. Julie and I were in agreement - we need to make return visits just to hang out there if nothing else. Or, buy a villa.
We were on a Bazaar mission. We have a new vendor coming to the Bazaar called Art&craft, which is a European antiques/home decor store. It's a rarity, actually, in Italy. We both really wanted to go tell the owner exactly what he should bring to sell in October.
He is one to look for at the Bazaar. He had such beautiful furniture pieces, and fun things like linens for the home. I bought a decorative pillow, because I just couldn't wait for the Bazaar. I will definitely be buying more later.
In typical Italian hospitality, he ran to the bar next door for some drinks to toast our new friendships.
His town, Motta di Livenza, was a typical beautiful Italian village, complete with market day today. They had some other great stores, including the best pasticceria I've seen yet in Italy. Julie and I were in agreement - we need to make return visits just to hang out there if nothing else. Or, buy a villa.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Chivalry Is Dead
Friday was a frustrating day. I was running my usual Bazaar errands (less than month away!), and I went out to my car to find it totally dead. My brain shut down. It is one thing to have this happen in a place where you can call AAA, or even 411 to find a tow truck.
But, here I have no great options. On top of that, I can't even call my husband. So, I called my friend Heather. She was fantastic! She drove right on over, and with written instructions in hand, helped me jumpstart my car.
Long story short, we ended up that day having to jump the car twice, push it, and roped our friend Julie in to help me go back and forth to an Italian mechanic and to buy a new battery. My friends are truly perfect helpers in the face of confusion.
However, my complaint is that there were LOTS of men out there who stood by and just watched us do all of this, or get huffy that we were in the way. In fact, there was one guy who drove by and flashed us an inappropriate gesture (as Julie said, he had nerve to do that in front of a Chapel, clearly with no concern for his soul).
So, chivalry is dead. I was so irate that I just lost it at one point and melted down. Who ignores two or three women trying to fix a car?? There was one very gracious man who stopped and did help us for a time. He was incredibly patient and nice.
Heather and I needed time to recuperate from frustration, so we went to Venice last night for dinner and a chamber orchestra performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It was in a beautiful building in Piazza San Marco, and the orchestra was stunningly perfect. Venice was Vivaldi's hometown, so this was the best setting to see this performance. I highly recommend it for those in the area.
But, here I have no great options. On top of that, I can't even call my husband. So, I called my friend Heather. She was fantastic! She drove right on over, and with written instructions in hand, helped me jumpstart my car.
Long story short, we ended up that day having to jump the car twice, push it, and roped our friend Julie in to help me go back and forth to an Italian mechanic and to buy a new battery. My friends are truly perfect helpers in the face of confusion.
However, my complaint is that there were LOTS of men out there who stood by and just watched us do all of this, or get huffy that we were in the way. In fact, there was one guy who drove by and flashed us an inappropriate gesture (as Julie said, he had nerve to do that in front of a Chapel, clearly with no concern for his soul).
So, chivalry is dead. I was so irate that I just lost it at one point and melted down. Who ignores two or three women trying to fix a car?? There was one very gracious man who stopped and did help us for a time. He was incredibly patient and nice.
Heather and I needed time to recuperate from frustration, so we went to Venice last night for dinner and a chamber orchestra performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It was in a beautiful building in Piazza San Marco, and the orchestra was stunningly perfect. Venice was Vivaldi's hometown, so this was the best setting to see this performance. I highly recommend it for those in the area.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Lizard Update
I noticed my mother's comment about the lizard (and, yes, of course the best option would be what you proposed).
I just wanted to update that I was an adult and took care of it myself. He was trapped for about two days before our friend Peter offered to come over and take care of it. I felt funny not being adult enough to just take care of it, so I took his suggestion of cutting up a cereal box, sliding it under the bowl, and just throwing it outside.
It was easy, but I started freaking out when the tail started slithering out of the box. Yuck. I wanted to update you all since I got a lot of flack for potentially killing an "innocent" lizard from many people.
I just wanted to update that I was an adult and took care of it myself. He was trapped for about two days before our friend Peter offered to come over and take care of it. I felt funny not being adult enough to just take care of it, so I took his suggestion of cutting up a cereal box, sliding it under the bowl, and just throwing it outside.
It was easy, but I started freaking out when the tail started slithering out of the box. Yuck. I wanted to update you all since I got a lot of flack for potentially killing an "innocent" lizard from many people.
It's the Little Things
I live in a very quiet little village called Giais. The very quiet little corner of my little village that I live in is more specifically Selva di Giais. I love living there, because of the gorgeous mountain I see every day.
But, sometimes I have regretted the fact that my quiet little village does not have the hustle and bustle of larger villages. I have always wished that I was a quick walk from il centro, the center, and its markets, fests, and...cafes.
Yesterday, on my drive home, as I was about to turn, I noticed - GASP - a new bar on the little street in my part of town! So, I immediately walked down to see what they have. Lo and behold, a cafe! I am so incredibly excited. In fact, I bought an espresso yesterday, and a cappucino this morning.
The woman running the store is incredibly friendly, but speaks no English. When I came in this morning, she introduced me around as "The American". I'm going to like this new addition to Giais.
But, sometimes I have regretted the fact that my quiet little village does not have the hustle and bustle of larger villages. I have always wished that I was a quick walk from il centro, the center, and its markets, fests, and...cafes.
Yesterday, on my drive home, as I was about to turn, I noticed - GASP - a new bar on the little street in my part of town! So, I immediately walked down to see what they have. Lo and behold, a cafe! I am so incredibly excited. In fact, I bought an espresso yesterday, and a cappucino this morning.
The woman running the store is incredibly friendly, but speaks no English. When I came in this morning, she introduced me around as "The American". I'm going to like this new addition to Giais.
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