I have to admit, I'm having a bit of blog envy! I was looking at Pat's (the couple from CA) blog and it's so detailed and has pictures with captions! Totally jealous. So in an attempt to spice mine up a bit for both sides, here are some pictures. 

I think I have 5 versions of this picture from over the years

The Duomo

Trying my hardest to get a good picture of the damn moon! 

She also has them laid out nicely and flows with the text. I'll have to do baby steps for now! More fun to come!

Back from Florence! We left Sunday late afternoon and arrived around 9:30pm. We missed the train we were originally going to take so the next train was a bit more local - and 3.5 hours long! It was like being on the 1 train from Connecticut! But we eventually got there.

Prior to going, I was in charge of figuring out train times and he handled the hotel. Which was a perfectly fine hotel close to the train station. Note, close to the train station. I realized when we got there he hadn't looked at exactly how to get there from the train station (which I know I should have but makes for a better story) and didn't exactly want to spend time looking at the map when we arrived to find it. So, we get in a taxi. A taxi that takes us around the block!! Had we walked out the other side of the station, we would have probably seen the damn place! So we were taken for a ride in every sense of the word. And as a New Yorker, it killed me!! However, it was only a 10 Euro mistake so things could have been a lot worse. That guy was probably laughing his ass off after he dropped us off. So that was the first 20 minutes of the trip!

After getting settled, we went to a local place for dinner since a lot of places were closing shortly. Then wandered around for a bar which we found and then headed into a place that had silver sparkly walls on the outside. Right up my alley! Needless to say, I needed another beer to get through that one. But I suppose it wasn't terrible! :) We eventually headed home around 2am or so.

The next day was just walking around town. I was reminiscing about the times I'd been there - and with so many different groups of people! I couldn't help but go "Oh, that's where Katie bought her gloves. Oh, this is where I saw that ring I liked. And here are the steps we sat on when Zack had no idea we crossed back over the Arno!" Good times!

That night for dinner we did the unthinkable - we went for Mexican!! Along with every other American in the city. Don't get me wrong, I love Italian food, but when I come from a city where I can get 100 different styles of food whenever I feel like it, sometimes I need to change it up! And it was very good Mexican at that. Can't say the same about the margarita, but that's why there's always beer!

I was hoping for a bit more low-key night after dinner so we headed to an Irish bar close to our hotel. Home by 12:30am - sweet! And then we headed back to Porto San Giorgio around 12:30pm the next day (today) on a less local train. Overall, it was fun. Always nice to have English speaking company and not spend the entire day solo.

This week is relatively quiet. I'm hoping to make plans with the couple from CA I met for Saturday but outside of that, I'll just see what the days bring!

You know your life isn't too bad when at the offer to head to Florence for a few days, the first thought is "Oh, but I really don't know if I want to go there AGAIN!" :) Please remind me of these days when I'm back in an office in the dead of winter this year, OK?

The other tutor and I are planning a 2.5 day trip to Florence from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday evening. I can't say my Italian family is thrilled about it, but this tutor leaves next Saturday so it's not like our options are overflowing. And after that, I have no idea if I'll be meeting up with anyone else outside of family and friends. Gotta strike while the iron's hot!! So that's the plan as of now....hoping to get that arranged today.

Irene and Luca are doing well. Irene loves Michael Jackson and to sing his songs as well as popular Italian songs. However, Irene doesn't exactly have an ear for music let's say. I give her all the credit in the world for trying but I sometimes wish I wasn't home when she gets the singing bug!! And her family isn't too big on telling her to lower the loud so to speak. (That was for you, Uncle Frank!) But that's what family's are for right - to support your passions even when you may not be the master at it. We just encourage you long enough for you to realize on your own you kind of suck at it! :)

Outside of that, it's been a quiet few days. Next Friday is Irene's 10th birthday so I'd like to get her a little something. And then Saturday is her party with friends at Play Planet (I take it there's a lot of playing involved there). She's very excited. The rule is no English on her birthday - I think that's pretty fair.

What a great weekend! I think I’ll need the next week to recover from it, but it was well worth it.

Friday night was low-key – some wine and pizza at Donal and Leslie’s apartment. We chatted and caught up and I was able to get to know Don’s father Martin a bit more. Who is wonderful!

Saturday Leslie and I walked around town, took in some of the sights and headed home for a bite and get our green on for the big day at the bar. We once again had pizza and by the next day we realized we had pizza about four times – and I came from Italy!! :) Not that I’m complaining, I can probably eat  pizza everyday and be content!

Love this view

A taste before later that night

The bar was so much fun. There was live music, birthday parties, rugby matches. Lots going on! Unfortunately Ireland lost to England but everyone was a good sport about it. No brawls with the English in the room! And then the rest of the night was just a lot of Guinness and good times! After closing time, we headed to a place that only opens for the “after bar” crowd. And we had more pizza!! That took us to about 5am before we headed home. Needless to say, Sunday was a bit of a lost day. We hung around in our pajamas all day long. And to top off my outfit, I realized the first night I had a huge hole right in my crotch! Good thing we were comfortable around each other! (and that I had underwear on).

The aftermath of Sunday night!

But somehow we managed to get enough energy to head out for dinner on Sunday. Which somehow lead to more time at the bar and a club until about 2am and not going to bed until after 4am or so. Which contributed to me completely missing the first of my 5 trains back at 7:30am.  Oops!!! I couldn’t believe I did that – I don’t do things like that! So after spending time in our pajamas again, I confirmed with the train station (with Leslie’s French skills) that I can take the journey the next day. Problem solved on my end – just had to tell my Italian family. And I fixed that with a text message that was unanswered.  I have to admit, I felt a bit like I was 16 and I broke curfew. While they are a very welcoming family, it’s a bit difficult to be 32 years old under someone else’s roof feeling like you are on a schedule. But I guess I had to expect that coming in to this. I suppose this means I’ll be staying locally the next couple of weeks!!

Monday was just a day around the town a bit more and by the time 10pm rolled around and I had yet another beer in my hand, I thought I was going to face plant right at the table. So I headed home and got ready to ship out (for real this time) the next morning.

The trains were fairly uneventful. There was only one delay for the most part so all things considered, not bad. I was trying so hard to stay awake as we rolled through Switzerland since I arrived at nighttime but sleep won out. I did get to see some of it, but I’m sure I missed some really nice views. I fell asleep on every single train. Getting too old for this stuff! :)

So Leslie, if you’re reading this, once again a huge thank you to you and Donal. You have a great group of friends who were so fun to spend time with and get to know. Looking forward to seeing you both again soon! 

Neuchatel, Switzerland - I made it! After 5 trains. I'll start with the first....

Train 1, Porto San Giorgio: As with most things Italian, my train was late. Off to a good start. And being I was on a somewhat tight schedule, I wondered how this would effect the rest of the trains to come. But while waiting on the platform I met a lovely older couple from CA. They are in Italy until August and in Porto San Giorgio frequently. They gave me their contact information and hopefully we can grab a meal or two when I get back together. Would be fun!

But back to the train situation. Since mine was late I decided to get on the next one going to Ancona, that was my first stop. I asked the conductor if I could and he said yes but then something else I didn't understand. Another passenger dumbed it down in Italian for me. Turns out since it wasn't my original train, I would have to pay a "tax". I looked at him like, "are you kidding me?". I then took out my schedule and explained best I could that I had another train in Ancona to catch so I needed to get there. The conductor looked at me and you can just tell by his expression his thought was something similar to "you're lucky you're cute". So, no tax for me!! I was able to get to where I needed to be.

Which turns out I didn't need to be in a rush because Train #2, delayed 15, then 20 minutes. And guess how long my connection between my next trains was? 20 minutes. OK, not much I can do there. So we all wait to board the train. This was from Ancona to Bologna. The ride was just under 2 hours, not bad. Of course I was wondering what my next steps would be should I miss the train. I was just pretty much wishing for another delay.

And guess what? I got one!! 10 minutes, which turned into a 20 minute delay from Bologna to Milan on Train #3. That one was pretty uneventful though. An hour ride and we were in Milan. It's not the most beautiful city but its train station is so pretty to me. I got photo happy - hope they come out decent. It was nice to see the city from the train - passing the old supermarket I shopped in. Ah, memories!

Milano Centrale

The connection between my last two trains was going to be one of those situations where you catch the train across the platform minutes after you arrive. Or, the other option was to wait the hour until the next one comes. I didn't have to worry about any of that because Train #4 had a 30 minute delay. So that brings us to every single train in Italy being delayed. (I did use this time to grab a panino and espresso so the small victories are always nice) After we finally board, we started the just over 3 hour journey to Laussana. For me anyway - the last stop on that train was Geneva.

The ride was good. I was getting anxious to get there at this point so time did seem to drag a bit more. But at one point, as I looked out to the water with these mountains surrounding it, I realized I live a pretty damn good life. I've been lucky to see a lot of places in this world (with more to come hopefully!) and each of those experiences has helped shape the person I am. And at that very moment, I was happy with who she was turning out to be.

After we crossed over the boarder to Switzerland, they came around to do a passport check. Nothing big, just make sure you are who you claim to be and have a train ticket. However I did notice the extra checking of the Asian passengers. I don't know what it's all about but they definitely got a bit more scrutiny then the rest of us. I was beginning to feel badly for the girl next to me. But the officer eventually moved on.

Sadly I didn't get to see too much out the window at this point since it was dark and the reflection from the train made it difficult to see out. But I still just stared out the window anyway. Mostly catching the reflection of the guy sleeping across from me. :)

And that brings us to Train #5 which I only had to wait about 25 minutes for or so. Which I guess is better than the situation of just missing the one beforehand and having to wait the full hour. This last ride was only 35 minutes and I arrived in Neuchatel and met up with Leslie and her husband. Their apartment is walking distance from the train which is great and they have a great place. Spacious, homey. We relaxed in the living room with wine and pizza until about 1:30am. (I'm not too sure what I'm doing up at the moment given it's only 8:11am here) Her father-in-law is also here from Ireland helping redo the bar her husband owns. I can't wait to see it today! It should be a very fun St. Patrick's Day!

I woke up to a room full of sunlight overlooking the mountains, on a bed that actually has give to it. For some reason, every bed in Italy is a board! It's the start of a good day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Switzerland!

Note on driving: We all know Italians are fast behind the wheel. But I usually feel comfortable in any car I'm in here. Even when Raoul was speeding up the mountain last weekend and decided to "shazam" a song while doing it. Even when Nonna Grazia didn't see the car coming and it almost went through my door. No biggy. However, I do find it rather entertaining when Nonna Grazia can't parallel park in a spot big enough for a yacht, so decides she was close enough, puts it in park and clicks on her hazards. Good enough to run into the store! Whatever works around here.

Last night Irene asked if I wanted to go to her riding lessons today and see the horse she rides. Sure, sounds like a good evening. That lead to me being asked to go to lunch at Nonna Grazia's house beforehand. Sure, sounds great. I put it together after the fact that I would be with her for 8 hours. And with grandparents I don't really know and not sure if we can communicate. I was beginning to regret my decision. However, it turned out to be a really nice afternoon.

The grandparent's house is HUGE! Three floors with countless rooms (I saw a lot of doors upstairs) and about three living rooms to match. Huge pool and grounds with chickens and rabbits. It was rather impressive.

Lunch was good, as expected. I really have no idea how I'm fitting in all the food I'm eating. I thought we were only having spaghetti (we only have a pasta dish for lunch at the Santori's). So after I took seconds, out comes the chicken, salad and vegetables. And there are two kinds of chicken and guess who has to have both because they're different? (So I was told anyway) But I got away with only having one piece of one and a half of the other. And the greens, well, those are good for me anyway. Then a pear to round out the meal. And of course, espresso. And I didn't mind the glass of wine to go with it either. :)

These grandparents are equally as nice (as are the others who live downstairs). They speak some English so that helped. And they are big fans of NY so I have to like them on those terms alone! It was nice to have some bonding time with them. After lunch, Nonna helped Irene with homework and Nonno and I read, watched TV, relaxed on the couch. Tough afternoon. :) Then off to the horses. It was really cute to see Irene take care of the horse she rides and get excited by it.

Back home now for dinner and a quick lesson with Irene later. I'm off to Switzerland tomorrow - can't wait! I think so separation time will be good for everyone - at least I can say for me! :)

Not sure why it took this long to make this happen, but my first gelato happened today!!

And a note on the food - awesome! And Rosanna doesn't understand the word "no" when it comes to giving me more of whatever we're eating. Good thing I've liked it all or that would be awkward.

OK, where to start – 5 days have passed!! And I made it through my first week! :)

We left Thursday afternoon for their mountain house in Madonna di Something (the name is escaping me at the moment). The 5-hour drive up there wasn’t as bad as expected. It went pretty quickly and Irene and I chatted a little – trying to teach her new words. Highway, hand dryer (when we stopped at an Autogrill), truck, etc.  It was pretty entertaining.

Their house there is a 3-bedroom apartment – very quaint and nice.  First time in a bunk bed for me in I don’t even know how long! And I really wish I knew there was a light switch outside the room instead of just next to the beds to avoid the massive blow to the head by the top bunk the first day. I really thought I had a concussion! I’ll never force my children to have bunk beds just for that reason alone! (and putting sheets on the top bed is a huge pain as well)

Irene and Raoul skied each day with Rosanna and I off to walk the town and do some shopping. She did all of the shopping. Over the 5 days, we went to 4 stores for ski pants. For a 3 year old. And they were expensive. We went to even more stores for clothes for Irene. And 2 of those stores were the same! Except one said Lorenzetti Chic instead of just Lorenzetti – huge difference. Not really because the clothes were the exact same. So Irene got some beautiful Burberry, Gucci things, which she doesn’t even care about. She just wants to wear jeans and a shirt all the time. But Rosanna keeps trying! She even asked me why does she keep buying the girly clothes when she doesn’t like them? It’ll be interesting to see how it all works out as she gets older. But until then, she has a closet full of beautiful clothes!

So days were spent waking up, having breakfast, get dressed, walk to town (which is all of a square), get what we want for lunch, shop, back  home for lunch, eat/read/sleep, Irene and Raoul come home, I go for a walk, back home for dinner. One night on my walk, I went to a bar. Had a very tasty beer (not sure if it really was or just because I hadn’t had one!) The moment lasted all of 20 min because then I met Irene and Rosanna at, where else, the store! The next night I went to the same bar even later – 10pm. It was my “night out”! :) The bartender spoke English very well and kept telling me people will be coming in around 11pm (which he was right on about) and then they go dancing around 2am. I tried to explain that I didn’t have keys to the house and had to be heading home way before 2am. I stayed for a couple glasses of wine, and yes, I’m the tool that sits at a bar and reads a Kindle, and headed back home. I’d love to have been more social, but I’m really struggling with the language I feel like and didn’t want to be pretty much just sitting there. But it was still nice to get out.

The last night we had dinner with another couple out. That was also fun – very nice couple.

The car ride home was uneventful which is good. We didn’t stop at all and it reminded me of the times driving to Brigantine and my father just “wanting to get there” so no pee stops allowed! Granted that was a less than 2-hour drive versus a 5-hour drive, but still! But we all did well. :)

So I think the take away is that I don’t seem to get out much here, huh?! :) And I don’t mean it to be that way. I guess just being in the house mostly and with Irene makes me feel like each social outing is an event. That and I don’t really have people to be social with, so I’m sure that adds to it. For some reason I feel like I’m struggling more with the language this time around. I know it’s only been a week or so, but I feel like I’ve been more communicative other times even just being here for a short vacation. Hopefully it’s just a block and I’ll get better.

This week is going to be quiet for the most part. I’m planning a long weekend trip to Switzerland to visit a friend there. Definitely looking forward to that! It’s a long train ride for the time I’ll be there, but I’m just going with it! 

Two new things happened today. I met up with another tutor and got out of town for a few hours and I got my first fine on the train.

In Italy (and maybe other places, but this is my only reference point), you have to validate your train ticket before you board. There are little yellow boxes you put your ticket in and it stamps it with the date and time. I knew this, however for some crazy reason, didn't think it applied to regional trains. Which was the one I was getting on. I bought my ticket and 30 seconds later, the train arrived. I got on. I was going 2 stops. 2. The conductor came to me before the first stop. He looked at my ticket and then just stared at me.  He spoke low enough for me to not understand what he was saying - in any language. He sat down and called me strange (in Italian). I explained I was American. He seemed to take this as a good enough explanation. However, after learning I was from NY, "Oh, that's different." (And now we're in English) Not sure in a good or bad way, but whatever. We studied my tickets some more. The train stopped at the first stop and he even had my return ticket in hand. He said he would be back. He comes back after we pull away and says "In Italy, you have to validate your ticket." "Lo so." "No, you don't know." "Yes, if I don't do it, I get a fine." "Well, if you know that, why didn't you validate it." Really? Did he think I WANTED the fine. "OK, give me 5 Euro and we call it good." 5 Euro - more than the 3.30 Euro the round trip ticket cost. Granted 5 Euro won't break me, but I was still frustrated. Just the fact that he was a bit of a jerk about it. Well, in my mind he was a jerk anyway. But I paid and made it to my stop without further incident.

I met the other tutor in Civitanova. It's a cute little town with shops and cafes. A few more things to see than Porto San Giorgio, but not too much more. We walked around, I finally got my Italian phone number, and we stopped for a drink. My first one since I arrived! 3 wines later, I boarded the train back to my town. I was a nice evening to get out and have a conversation that didn't involve some form of charades. And now that I know how to get to this little town easily, I can go other times as well.

Of course I remembered to validate my ticket on the way back and of course, no one collected it. Figures. However, I think all of the times I was running for the train in Milan and didn't validate it and got away with it caught up to me. Everything always catches up with you eventually!

Tomorrow we're off to the mountains!

Day something or other - I think it'll be hard to keep count after awhile! (Being I've given up after 4)

I went for a run this morning for the first time since October!! I couldn't believe it myself actually. I did almost 4 miles but need to learn how to pace myself again. But I think it'll come after another run or two. If felt good to get back out there. The idea is to do this a few times a week. :) I also made a few new friends while I was out there - too bad I couldn't hear the nice words they were saying over my blasting music. I'm sure they were asking me over for some cafe or something, right?

Outside of my exciting run, not too much on this front. I've been getting to know Irene better and I think she's definitely warming up to me. To the point when Rosanna asked if I wanted to go with them to their house in the mountains this weekend, the look on her face was "please come!" It was pretty cute - how could I say no? Also, how do I say no to a weekend at their house in the mountains?! Luca liked me the first day but I think he wasn't expecting me to stay. Every now and again he'll ask me to play but he's been doing that less and less. But it's only been a few days so I'll give it some time. I keep forgetting I've been here less than a week! Definitely feels like longer (not in a bad way).

But the more I sit with Irene with English the more I realize just how difficult learning English is. Words that don't sound like they are spelled, words that sound the same but mean two completely different things, just keeps going! But she's doing well. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

I also realized I need to venture out more to the local stores/cafes. Granted Sunday most things were closed as well as yesterday so I can't say there are tons of options, but it's on my radar. Not only to experience it but to converse more, learn more, etc. However, there is another tutor here only 4 miles away and we plan on meeting up next week. Another is about 20 min away and closer to my age (the other one is 21) so hopefully we can also meet up. As Katie said, I need a partner in crime!

And that's about it on my end. I'll let you know how the mountains turn out!

I'm attempting pictures today. First, the plane....

I took a walk and found the Adriatic Sea! I know, hard to miss but not if you're not walking in the right direction (without a map!)

The weather was a bit overcast and it's looking like it'll be that way again today. But according to the internets, it should be sunny and warmer by the end of the week into next. And for those concerned about me not bringing a jacket - my layers are working out just fine!

Ciao!! I've arrived in Italy! I feel like I have so much to write and have only been here for less than 48 hours. So I'll start with the airport....

Saying goodbye to my family was hard but we all made it through! :) Kyle was the cutest with his constant waving goodbye. From when I got on line to security, to when he walked up the stairs, to the top of the stairs, to as my mom carried him out. Love that little guy! And of course, Michael!

However, I had some issues at security. I bought the little girl a NYC snow globe and carried it on with me. Turns out you can't do that! The liquid in the globe is toxic - go figure! So I had to give that up to the airport toxic gods. Who knows where it is now. And after that long exchange, I was a bit flustered and left my passport on the table. I realized just as they announced my entire name over the PA system I didn't have it on me. I was off to a great start! But after I got that back, I headed to the nearest bar for a stiff drink. Makes everything better! :) Headed to the gate and only waited about 20 min. before boarding the plane.

The flight to Munich was uneventful (which is a good thing) but the wait at the airport was definitely long. However, they don't seem to care when people lay down along 3 seats for a nap at the airport, so I was able to get in about 3 hours of on and off sleep. 2 planes gathered and left around me with not much movement from me!

The flight from Munich to Ancona was also OK aside from the fact it was propeller plane! Why do they even make those anymore?! I really thought my luggage could be a cause of the plane having issues. But we arrived without incident and even my baggage made it in one piece. But the coordinator wasn't kidding when she said the airport was small. I was the last to come out of the gate (because you know I always have to make an entrance!) so the family definitely knew it was me! I was met my Rosanna, the mother/wife, and her husband's aunt and uncle. All extremely welcoming! I felt at ease right away.

It was about an hour drive to the town of Porto San Giorgio from the airport. It might have taken a bit longer due to the fog (la nebia). We kept hitting pockets of it where you couldn't see the car in front of you. But we made it.

The apartment is beautiful. Rivals some of the nicest I've seen in the city. Raoul (the father/husband) is a contractor, so I'm sure that played a role in it. It's very art deco/Italian modern. Even though I'm in it, I still find myself envisioning the one I had in my head - weird! But it's great.

Luca, the 3 year old, took a liking to me already. Helps that I brought him a toy. I'm not above bribery! :) He loves his new taxi. (His aunt told him of the long journey it took to get here from NY - he listened so intently!) He even asked if I knew Laura (the last tutor) in America. He's super cute! You'd think speaking on his level in Italian would be easier, but it's actually a bit harder because I can't tell if he's speaking in full sentences. And of course, I keep making comparisons to Kyle. 3 year olds around the world are very similar! Loves his sweets just as much. :)

Irene, the 9 year old, will take a bit of warming up but she's a very sweet girl. I'm looking forward to getting to know her. Her birthday is on March 30, so hopefully by then we'll be pals!

Today I woke up at 11am! Oops!! So just had a small breakfast since lunch is in a few hours. I'm going to go for a quick walk around town and then head home for lunch. More eating! I didn't think I could fit anymore after dinner last night! (Pasta, meat, salad, dessert)

I'll try to upload some pictures soon and will update on any new things going on.