Less Than a Week To Go!

Phew! We are finally checked into lodging on base. We have handed our house back to our landlord, sold a car, and done a million other things to get out of here. Jackson is doing great with all the chaos, and we are leaving Italy on Thursday.

Last night, we had a going-away party and it is just so sad to be leaving. Tomorrow, we head to Venice for our last day-trip and, you never know, our last trip there period.

Here's our little pumpkin, just as an update for everyone:

Hilarity Ensues

With a post title like that, I could be referring to all the asinine hurdles we have encountered along the way with our move (don't even get me started on our passport woes).

However, I'm really just referring to the interview I just saw on television between former President Clinton and Matt Lauer regarding the Clinton Global Initiative. Clinton's hilarious comment was on the fact that this year's initiative was on "women and girls". That got me laughing hysterically. Republican or Democrat, that has to put a smile on your face.

Festa di Funghi

On Sunday afternoon, we ventured to Budoia, a village about fifteen minutes from us, for their annual Mushroom Festival. It was a gorgeous afternoon to just walk around and admire, well, mushrooms.

Mushrooms are a big deal in northern Italy. We live at the foot of a mountain, and around this time of year, you will constantly see people (namely, older gentlemen) pulled over to the side of the major road lining the mountain (the "mountain highway") to go walk into the woods and gather mushrooms. You see mushrooms in a lot of the dishes served in this area, too. Mushrooms are a big staple.

The festival that we went to was fun for an afternoon outing. Essentially, they had a lot of craft and food vendors set up throughout the center of town, as well as a big bar/restaurant tent. So, we just walked around, ate, and Chris drank wine.

I was most impressed by the vendor who sold homemade apple strudel loaves from the south Tirol region, as well as the vendor who came from Sicily to sell Sicilian pastries, including cannolli. Yum! I did not indulge in all this wonderful food, however. That would have been gluttonous!

The festival continues next weekend, as well, for those in the area. If you have nothing better to do, go to the festival!

September Updates

Well, it has been picking up in terms of the hectic pace around here. Our little pumpkin is officially two months old, and boy is he growing! He is 14 pounds, nine ounces, and 23 1/2 inches long as of his appointment on September 3rd. That is huge, for those who don't know. I think we have a future football player in our midst.



We took a couple more trips - one overnight to Lake Bled to bid one of our favorite destinations a fond farewell, and the other trip for three nights to Croatia.

We stayed at Valamar Diamant Hotel in Poreč, which was really a great resort. The hotel was right near a "beach", which we were surprised to see had absolutely no sand. It was not at all what I was picturing. But, it was still totally beautiful. The beach itself was actually surrounded by beautiful forests of trees and the water was stunning.

There were lots of activities at the resort, including diving, go-carting, etc. Great things to do, especially if you do not have an infant!

It didn't really matter anyway, as I got horribly sick on Saturday. I had a horrible fever and was just awfully achy. I wasn't able to leave the hotel room again until Sunday night. We left on Monday. So, our vacation was not much of a vacation.

To redeem it, though, we traveled south about 45 minutes to another Istrian town, Rovinj. I was last there in October with my friend Ginny, and we had had such a great time that I wanted to take Chris there. So, the three of us wandered the gorgeous town and took in the sights. Chris, who had wandered into Poreč twice to try to get to a pharmacy for me, said that Rovinj had a lot more to offer. So, that made up for it!



We are just home relaxing this weekend, and trying to get our move in order. We FINALLY got our orders yesterday. For those not in the military, let me just tell you that it is ridiculous that we got our orders this late. I am hoping that we get our movers here September 28 & 29. Yikes!

So, today is all about trying to get a car ready to sell and a house ready to move. I can't believe this is already here. Has it really been three years since I left my job and we moved to Italy? It is definitely bittersweet.

There is so much to do! I am going to hyperventilate! We go to Piedmont for four days next weekend. I'll report on that trip later...

Trieste

It is really sad, but it took us almost three years to drive the approximately hour and a half to Trieste, Italy, on the border of Slovenia. On Saturday, we drove to the beautiful city with our friends Erryn and Matt, who just moved here from Oklahoma.

Trieste is really interesting. First of all, it's beautiful and looks so different from other cities in the area. It is on the water, and is a port city for sure. But, it also is built up onto sloping hills and cliffs, and because of that is just breathtaking, especially on the drive down.

I had stopped in Trieste for lunch on a pouring rain March Sunday with some friends on the way back from Slovenia. But this was the first time either of us had gone to be tourists. We really just walked around the central downtown area, had lunch in the gorgeous Piazza della Unita, and then went to Miramare Castle.


Miramare Castle was the one really touristy thing I wanted to do, and it didn't disappoint. It was built in the nineteenth century, and has such an interesting history. The inside of the castle is really interesting, and the grounds are beautiful. You can wander the parks to see all the trees and flowers, swans, and amazing views of the water.

Like I said, Trieste is just interesting. It is a major coffee company hub for Italy (which is important, considering how important coffee is to Italians). It has been passed around to various nations for centuries. In fact, Trieste, belonging to the Austro-Hungarian empire was where the Austrian Navy was based for years. I had always wondered where Capt. Von Trapp from The Sound of Music had actually served in the Navy, since Austria is pretty landlocked.

Anyways, apparently Trieste, without any real beaches, is also a big summer getaway for people to come sun themselves. The city was packed with people walking around in bathing suits and just set up on sidewalks and things out by the water to get tans, I guess. It was actually kind of strange, but the city seems set up for this.

It's hard to believe, but we're starting to wind down our time in Italy! It's sad, really. We're starting to try to cram in little trips to places for the last time. We have a fun trip coming up to Croatia for Labor Day weekend, which should be awesome.

Then, we will hopefully start packing up and moving out! Our estimated departure date is October 8. We're going to take a few days to get to Geilenkirchen, stopping in Garmisch for a few nights. I'm so looking forward to it! In the meantime, there is a lot of work to do to get out of here.

Maniago Knives

There is a town about fifteen minutes from us called Maniago. They are world-reknowned for their knife production. There are several Maniago knife companies that are typically represented at the Aviano bazaars, and because of this, I have gotten to know some of the vendors pretty well.

There is one such vendor, Martinuzzo Emilio & Co., that sells the most beautiful wooden items, such as cutting boards and kitchen islands, and all the corresponding stainless steel knives and kitchen utensils. One of the executives, Matteo, told me that I could come by the factory in Maniago to browse.

So, we took him up on that yesterday. It was particularly nice of Matteo to let us swing by the factory, because the entire company of workers is on vacation (except, apparently, for Matteo). He showed us around the factory, and was patient while we looked.

We have a knife block and knives that we registered for a few years ago for our wedding. We have been happy with them, but wanted an upgrade.

I had my eye on a cutting board that my friend Julie has, and ended up purchasing that. It has a pull-out drawer on the bottom and included some beautiful stainless steel knives. We also purchased a round wooden knife block, which also included stainless steel knives. Matteo gave me a nice deal, and threw in a knife sharpener. He also graciously gave my in-laws a stainless steel apple corer and can opener that they wanted.

Our purchases:



I'm so happy that I am leaving Italy with some beautiful quality knives! Chris and I would both love to purchase one of their islands, but we already have a marble/wrought iron one, and we just don't know what our next kitchen is going to be like. I highly recommend this company, though, for your knife needs!

Padova

Our first day trip with Jackson was a success. We drove to Padova, which is about a half hour past Venice for us.

Chris and I were there over a year ago with our friend Rebecca. We thought it would be a great place to take Chris' parents.

Padova is a great day trip, because it has some fantastic sights and the city is very compact and walkable.

We started out at the Basilica of St. Anthony, who is one of the most famous saints in the Catholic Church (and probably the reason why there are so many Tonys out there). The church is a must-see, and has an important Donatello bronze statue out front in the piazza.

We walked up to Piazza Erbe where there was a market going on. We had a quick lunch, and then made it up to the Scrovegni Chapel, where we had a reservation to view the famous Giotto frescoes.

This was a really interesting process. We made reservations online to view the frescoes, and then we had to be at the museum one hour ahead of time to pick up our tickets. We then had to be outside the Chapel five minutes before our scheduled time, because the doors are automatic and will shut you out if you are not there on time.

Then, you wait and watch a quick movie about the frescoes while the room checks the humidity levels. You then get to walk into the Chapel, and have exactly fifteen minutes to view the gorgeous frescoes (about the lives of Joachim, Mary, and Jesus).

My favorite part was actually the ceiling, which was still a vibrant blue with stars. Incredible! The history is really fascinating, too. The Chapel was built by a man named Scrovegni who was basically trying to purchase salvation for his father who was a notorious usurer and was immortalized in Dante's Inferno.

We saw some other great sights, and then drove back home!

Here is our exhausted day tripper: