Bonjour from Paris!

Thanksgiving is likely my favorite American holiday.  It's basically the same as Christmas with better food, no presents and football...so it's really a no-brainer. Unfortunately, it didn't make sense to journey back to the land where Thanksgiving was invented, so we compromised and had the Kelly clan meet us (somewhat) half way in Paris. 

I wasn't sure what to expect in Paris.  I figured it might fall somewhere between the other two major European cities- London (which I love) and Rome (which I hate).  Surprisingly, Paris was much closer to London for me than Rome, even though it felt nothing like Thanksgiving and was a bit on the chilly side (and even snowed).  Sadly, there was no turkey trot in the morning, none of Nana Kelly's biscuits in the oven and no Quincy Christmas Day Parade, but we managed to enjoy our holiday in France...and here's how we did it:

Turkey and the Patriots make Lisa one happy American.

Good Company- If you were in Quincy this weekend and it felt empty...it's because TK and MK were not there!  Shocking, really, but they actually left their beloved homeland for a few days to see the Parisian sites.  The traveling Poles clan and Euro-Shawn joined us and, although it felt a lot like National Lampoon's Vacation, we all enjoyed ourselves.  Sure, TK almost got us tossed from our Thanksgiving Dinner for demanding more sound and the Patriots game on more of their TVs, MK still hasn't learned that in France, Germany and Italy they don't speak Spanish and the Poles' make you want to smash all of their cameras, but overall it was a unique Thanksgiving.  We managed to meet some memorable folks along the way, such as Jack and Pauline from Melrose, MA and our waitress from the Yukon Territory (people actually live there?!). 

You can take the Kellys out of Quincy, but not the Quincy out of the Kellys!

Delish Food- If you're able to eat normal food unlike me, you'll probably love Paris.  Crepes, croissants, bread and waffles were easy to find on every corner.  I had to settle for french fries, which, for some reason are a million times better than in the States.  We took a Rick Steves suggestion and found a place that served french fries on top of salad (I was in my glory!).  And when in Paris, you must have creme brule, even if you have no idea what it is and think that it looks like pizza.

French Fries...in France!

Museum Pass- If you plan to see anything in Paris, you'd be silly not to get the Museum Pass, which covers almost all major attractions (except for the Eiffel Tower).  We were able to see so much in two full days, including:
Notre Dame- Gargoyles at the top were amazing/strange/neat.
The Louvre- Museum is seriously too big.  Mona Lisa is less disappointing than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but she's in a really bright room on a stupid wall in the middle.  I expected her to have a better home.
Arc de Triomphe- My fav. arc in all of Europe with great views of the ET.
Versailles- A true palace...more ornate than Buckingham, Kensington or Neuschwanstein.
Army Museum and Napoleon's Tomb- We ran out of time here, but the museum had a great display on WWI and WWII and we wished we had more time.

Eiffel Tower- Sure, I've seen it in pictures, but nothing prepared me for the great site of Paris.  I literally took a picture every time I could see it, which was very often.  Unlike Big Ben or the Coliseum, you can see the ET from everywhere in Paris.  It teases you into taking pictures in the day, at night and when it shimmers.  (Did you know it shimmers for 5 minutes at night every hour on the hour?!) 

Location, Location, Location- Since we had a large group in the city, we rented an apartment instead of staying at a hotel.  This was probably the best travel decision we've ever made.  Although it was small and we ran out of hot water after the 4th shower one morning, it had so much character and was located on a busy market street in the Latin Quarter.  We were able to enjoy some of the wine, cheese and desserts sold right outside our door in our Parisian flat.  The metro and some major sites were only a short walk away and the best part was that is was only slightly more expensive than a hostel would have been! Best. Deal. Ever.

Speak No French- So I thought I was bad at Italian.  Turns out, I'm actually so much worse at French.  I couldn't even pronounce menu items correctly.  I literally know "Thank You" and that's about it.  For a major tourist city of the world, I was surprised at how many things were only in French (like signs in the Louvre?!).  I was also spoken to by people several times in French and couldn't for the life of me even say that I had no idea/didn't speak any French. My French was so bad that when I ordered french fries at one place, I ended up with three packages.

Laugh at Each Other- Perhaps the most memorable part of our weekend trip was how ridiculous it seemed that the Kelly Family was in Paris on a major American holiday.  It was hard not to poke fun at each other...and laugh often.  Like when MK tried to pour a glass of water at dinner and spilled it all over the table to the horror of our French waiter...or how the only French phrase book we had was full of dirty phrases....or how TK tried to call his hotel for an extra bed and was told "it is not possible" because the room was only big enough for just one bed and no more...or when Kate almost got hit by a car in the middle of an intersection because she needed the perfect picture (ok, maybe that's not really funny)....or how we were all suppose to go to dinner and met up way later than we planned and left Shawn outside waiting...or how we all managed to smile for the thousandth time when Joe took out one of his ten tripods for pictures that I'm sure came out tres bien.

Live, laugh and love...Happy Thanksgiving from the Quincy Kelly's in Paris.

Forza Harts!

We've run races in a variety of states (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Illinois, Virginia, etc...) and our first international race this fall in Germany.  Sunday was our first Italian race...and there are few things that encapsulate all that I like/dislike about Italian living better than a road race.

The half marathon started in Riva Del Garda, a beautiful mountain/lake town about and hour and thirty minutes north of us.  We have been here before to hike in the summer and it's a very picturesque and enjoyable town, although normally packed with European tourists.  Its location close to the Austrian border gives it a German influence (the town was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and only became Italian in 1918) which means signs are in both Italian and German and there are some epic German restaurants.

 On a sunny day, the view is quite impressive.  Unfortunately, we haven't seen the sunshine since October, so we were stuck with lots of foggy views of the lake and mountains. 

The town of Riva in the summer

Our view for most of the day

Lots of fog over the lake

 Whenever I'm in charge of travel logistics, we end up being hours early.  Needless to say...we were exceptionally early for this race, but it gave us a chance to enjoy some of the great things Italian races have to offer.  As previously mentioned, we did not train for this race (took too much time off after Berlin), so it was not a great run, but we finished, got our medals and enjoyed German food with our American friends, Frank and Silvia.  It was perhaps the strangest race course we've ever run, twisting and turning through small towns, vineyards, parking lots, trails, and a playground.  I blame my slow time on the fact that I spent too much time making the following observations about Italian running and culture.


 Reasons You Should Run and Italian Road Race:

The Course- as mentioned, the course was strange, but also scenic.  We ran along the lake pictured below for the last mile or so and it would have been even more beautiful on a clear day.  We ran through the cobblestone streets of Arco and San Giorgio and along the Fiume Sarca.  Italians cheered us on from their windows because we ran right underneath them.  One group stood on the steps of their church as we ran by just as mass was ending.  Several brass bands played music along the way, dressed in traditional costumes (not sure exactly what you call them...).

The Outfits- I was so distracted by what people were wearing that the first six miles flew by.  I felt like I was lost in a crowd at an 80s costume party.  Italian runners love spandex, head bandannas and neon colors.  Men wore spandex capri bike shorts and several had long, dreamy hair.  Women skip the ponytail and run with their big hair bouncing everywhere.  Team running is also very popular and many groups wore matching shirts.  I ran with Stafano and Anna from Team BiPedi for a while.  And since Italians don't like to be cold, several wore gloves, hats, jackets and pants....I was overheating in long sleeves and shorts.

Bathrooms- Porta-potties are a staple at any American race.  There are usually hundreds at the start line and several along the course.  Although the Italians chose to skimp on the bathrooms, the ones they had were AMAZING.  The porta-potties were flushable toilets with plenty of toilet paper and a sink!  This was also the ONLY race I've ever run where there was no line for the woman's room and a line for the men.  (Again, women don't work out much...)  The only down side of the bathroom situation was the lack of toilets on the course.  While not a problem for me, several runners ran off into the vineyards to do their business.  Might want to check where your Italian wine is from next time!

Free Stuff- This was one of the most inexpensive races we've run...yet we got so much stuff!  Before the race, volunteers were giving out croissants and tea.  After the race, there was a pasta party and lots of other free food.  The goodie bag was FULL...technical shirt, snacks, drawstring backpack and the best item...

No Italian gift bag is complete without pasta!

Reasons You Might Want to Skip an Italian Road Race:

Lawlessness- In some past marathons, we have noticed pushy runners.  Pushy as in coming from behind and literally hitting you as they pass without a word.  In one American race, a man was forcing himself forward by moving others out of the way with his elbows.  When runners yelled at him, he kept going without a thought.  Now I know why- he was likely European.  Pushing forward, hitting other runners, running right through a pair of runners...these are all standard European road-race maneuvers.  There is no regard for personal space and no looking out for others in your path.
Speaking of lawlessness, Italians don't do lines.  This becomes problematic at any place you need to create a line and wait patiently for help.  Boarding an plane is like the running of the bulls.  Communion time at mass is like being at a concert where fans rush the stage.  There are no common courtesies and pleasant-ness as there is in America. (Pretty sure many of these people would get beat up if they pulled these stunts back home.)  I recently outran an old lady getting on a plane...because she was trying to cheat the system and sneak ahead. I would never, ever do this in the US! If you're not aggressive, you will not get what you want...ever. 

If you want to experience full-contact running, come to Italy.  This is a picture of Riva from the mountains taken on a summer hiking trip.

Water- During American races, I usually pass an obnoxious amount of water stops.  I find myself skipping many of them and never feeling overly in need of water.  Apparently Italians are camels.  There were very few water stations along the course and since it was deceptively warm, I was parched for most of the race.  Oddly enough, they had cookies and sugar cubes at the stations...more than they did water!

Other Runners- As I was running through the scenic vineyards and Italian towns, I caught a glimpse of a putrid yellow color t-shirt that I'd recognize anywhere.  That's right...it was a BC Superfan.  Those folks from the wrong end of Comm Ave managed to sneak up on me half way across the world!  Grrrrrr....
(I actually talked to this couple for a few minutes and found out they were students studying abroad who wanted to stay in shape.  Shawn- where were you?!  Someone else managed to taunt them by yelling "Eagles Suck...Go Huskies."  Not going to name names....  See you all in the BU Invitational....err, I mean, Beanpot!)

Not our best race, but we're all smiles with our medals.  On to the next run...

Yes, I am in a neon Christmas-like spandex outfit...but this was mild comparatively!

Veterans and Running

When several people asked me to start a blog, I wondered what I write about.  They told me I had a lot of subject matter.  Who me?!  The Army wife with Celiac Disease who runs marathons, lives in Italy and has an expensive and unused journalism degree from BU?  Truth be told...I don't actually like dwelling on many of these topics.  I'm not a good GF eater and it makes be bitter, frustrated and socially awkward. (Except that now with my slow cooker, I've made some pretty awesome dinners!) . I'm a terrible runner, writing about traveling is tedious for me and I never really intended to use that BS from BU (sorry- expensive mistake Mom and Dad!).  But...today I will actually talk about a few of these topics!

It's Veteran's Day and even though we are in Italy, we follow an American schedule.  Unfortunately, my Veteran is actually working today and I have the day off.  Very unfair...but I'm making a delicious dinner (in the slow cooker!).  Dinner doesn't exactly seem like a fair exchange for military service, but I'll try to throw in some additional perks like letting him win in a game of Monopoly Deal tonight.  (Seriously, if you've never played this game, go get it now.  It's amazing and probably deserves its own post.)
In other Veteran's Day news...it's been a busy time around here.  We've had many soldiers returning from a year-long deployment this month and it's hard not to get excited for their families and to feel very proud of their service.   

Now onto topic #2- Running.  This morning, I went for a long run in the Italian countryside.  Team Hart is running a half-marathon this weekend that we kinda forgot to train for...oops.  We were a little too content in the post-marathon hangover stage that we let this race sneak up on us while nursing some of our injuries after Berlin.   After months of getting up before the sun, we enjoyed our weekends sans (or senza in Italian) long run.  Needless to say, there will likely not be any PRs this weekend.  We can't take too much time off though because we just registered for the Stockholm Marathon!  That's right...we're celebrating our anniversary in May by running 26.2 miles in Sweden...how romantic!

My run this morning was certainly entertaining.  It was VERY foggy (apparently, November is foggy season in Italy) and I had a hard time seeing too far in front of me.  This proved to be a problem when some people were out hunting...and all I could hear were gunshots.  I was also asked for directions.  I don't even know why I pretend to try and help, but I responded with one sentence asking if she was looking for the center of town...to which she said (in Italian), "You're not Italian, right?" Um...yea.  So much for trying.  I think I almost got hit by a truck too.

The scenery on my country runs. Not too exciting...

I don't love running in Italy.  And I hated running in North Carolina.  I'm a city runner.  When sidewalks end, so does my run.  I hate fighting for road space with cyclists, tractors, animals and anything else. Earlier this summer, I came across a couple walking their bikes down the road I was running.  Attached to their bikes were several freshly killed chickens. (I'm used to seeing rickshaws/bikes stacked high with cans, so the chickens caught me off guard.) I hate looking at corn fields that seem to make the miles drrrrrag by.  I miss my runs on Wollaston Beach, down Hancock Street, even crossing over the Neponset Bridge. I miss my random runs after work along the Charles and trying to figure out if we were dodging Berklee students or homeless people on Mass Ave.  When we need to log over 8 miles here, we usually have to drive into the city so that we don't run out of roads. Unfortunately today, I ran more than this here in the countryside and ended up on a super busy major road...missstake.  To make matters worse, we are currently without our GPS watch, which sadly succumbed to the LG Intellowasher 7KG. (No longer a "neat" thing in the house.)

A typical two-way street around here.  You compete for this space with cars, trucks, tractors, bikes and animals. 

I'm also not sure what running protocol is here.  I've only seen one other woman out running and she was in a full sweatsuit (remember, Italians do NOT like to be cold).  Italian woman are just naturally slender and in-shape looking.  When I'm out in shorts, I think it may seem inappropriate to some, especially since I'm a bit bulkier (as Uncle Ricky would say) than my Italian counterparts. I've been beeped at, yelled at and have had what I'm sure were curse words thrown my way.   I've seen this one man a few times around town and when I ran by him once, he flashed his hand in a way that meant either run faster...or take off your shirt.  Glad I haven't seen him much since.

There will be much more on running in Italy after our race this weekend...until then, we will be busy cramming in some miles!

Blind corners add a bit of excitement to every run.

Hotel Hart

Life is getting back to normal after the flooding.  As a result of the weather, I spent a lot of time indoors this week...which got me thinking about our Italian Villa.  I get a lot of questions about where we live and what it's like.  I admit, I had a hard time envisioning what my home away from home would look like.  I was thinking old and small...with perhaps a grape vine in the backyard.  Quite the contrary!  As my family members will tell you, Hotel Hart is relatively modern, spacious and comfortable. We don't get many visitors...so if you're looking for a Northern Italian get-away, Hotel Hart may be for you!

Instead of showing you the rooms or giving you a virtual tour, I've decided to just showcase some of the neat things that we have here at HH.  (I'm also not showing rooms because I'm a terrible decorator and you'd be completely unimpressed!)


Neat Thing #1: The Door

We live in a fortress.  As you can see, there are three different places the deadbolt locks into the door.  I think there is also a vertical rod that locks when turning the key.  Our door not only prevents trespassers, but also locks out our guests when they attempt to return in the middle of the night and can't figure out how to unlock the door and call my cell phone at three in the morning from outside the door when I'm sound asleep....

Neat Thing #2: Fancy Artwork

I know I said I'm a bad decorator, but look at the fancy Italian art we have!  Actually, this is a small piece of art above our stove.  It was given to us by our nice uber-Catholic friend we've met here.  For the life of me, I can't remember the name of the woman, which makes me a bad Catholic and an even worse friend!  I think it's Our Lady of the Stove and she's suppose to watch over your kitchen and prevent any unnecessary fires.  If you know how I cook, you know this is a good thing.
P.S.- If you know who this is, let me know!

Neat Thing #3: The Magnets

 No home is complete without one of these.  Luckily, we have 2!  Every time I open the fridge, I'm reminded of my home...until I realize that at my fridge at home, there was a lot more food!  Currently, these magnets are holding up our "Wish List" travel spreadsheet...a nice chart I made one day of the places we want to visit this upcoming year and when we plan to go.  I don't know what's worse...the fact that I have such a spreadsheet or that it's held up by two Quincy magnets...


Neat Thing #4: The Windows

 All the windows in our house are floor to ceiling and double as doors.  What's even better is that they have these protective shutter things on the outside that block out noise and sunlight.  We sleep in a cave.  If you pull them completely shut, it's pitch black in the middle of the day. I've grown to appreciate this, which is a big deal for me (who grew up in a house where there were practically no shades or shutters and you woke up in bright sunlight every day). I'm also pretty proud of these curtains- the only decorations I've put up.  It only took a few trips to IKEA to decide on them and they're still a work in progress.  You aren't getting a vertical shot because you would then see that they are too long and need to be hemmed.  Nana Kelly needs to come ASAP.

Neat Thing #5: The Bidet

 Here's our bidet.  It's in bathroom #2 and is getting rather dusty since it's not used very much.  I think I've rinsed some sneakers in it...and that's about it.  It makes the bathroom look all majestic and European, which I like.

Neat Thing #6: The Toilet Flusher

 Our bathrooms are just full of cool things!  This is how we flush the toilet...with a push button!  The big button the the left is for heavier loads and the smaller one on the right is a quick rinse.  This is mounted on the wall above the toilet and the first time I went the bathroom here, I couldn't find it.  I actually like the push-button idea, which is quite common around Europe.  I bet my friends at Economy Plumbing Supply back home could hook one of these up in your bathroom.


Neat Thing #7: The Washer

 This is a thing of beauty.  It's the LG Intellowasher 7kg!  No home should be without it.  Look at all those settings!  I think it even has a child lock function!  Hands down the most amazing washing machine I've ever had.  It makes all these cool sounds and lights up like an airplane cockpit when you turn it on.  The only down side: a regular cycle takes close to 2 hours...and the rapid setting is a brief hour and twenty minutes!  When I asked a European about this, her response was that she didn't feel like clothes were adequately washed after the standard US-cycle time of 30-ish minutes.  Point taken.


Neat Thing #8: The Dryer

 Not really a HUGE fan of the dryer (because it kinda sucks at actually drying clothes), but nonetheless, it is neat.  First of all, it's pretty remarkable that we even have a dryer in Italy.  Most laundry is hung out to dry, even in the cities.  The neat thing about this LG dryer is that it has no vent!  Most US dryers have a vent to outside the house (which makes our deck at home smell like a mountain rain or a spring mist and causes lint to accumulate on some potted plants).  This dryer sucks the water out of clothes and stores it in the reservoir you see pictured above.  Every time you dry clothes, you have to empty this thing because it's full of water. Neat that it stores water...not so neat that clothes don't fully dry. 

Neat Thing #9: The Dishwasher

 Since I took this picture, the dishwasher has fallen out of favor here in Hotel Hart.  It has a weird odor coming from inside and I hate opening it.  I guess it's neat that we have a dishwasher...even apartments in Boston lack them.  The neat/weird thing is that we have to put "special salt" inside a tube in the dishwasher every so often to prevent build-up.  This is a picture of the sticker on our dishwasher to remind us.  It's pretty hard to forget though because the water here is so hard.  That's probably not-so-neat thing #1- the nasty water.  It dries out your skin, leaves water stains on everything and requires you to buy this special salt to put in the dishwasher.  My latest hobby is cleaning toilet bowls because the water calcifies and forms a nasty residue on the inside that's nearly impossible to remove.  Last weekend, we had to soak our shower head in bleach because it clogged from the hard water.  On the plus side- our bathrooms are really clean.

Now that you know how cool Hotel Hart is, you must come visit!  Book your trips today before we fill up!

IL Disastro!

The Great Vicenza Flood of 2010

 It's a good thing I started my blog this week because there sure is a lot to talk about...and plenty of time to do it.  We're on day four of our weekend here because of some pretty serious flooding in the area.  Fortunately, we have no damage, but the nearby river has crested and is flooding out roadways.  Even parts of the highway are closed!  We're pretty much stuck here at home because we have to cross a bridge over the river to get most places...and as mentioned, those are all flooded!  Guess I'll be keeping tabs on the election results from the comfort of my couch all day!  Speaking of news...

If you know my family, you know that each of us has one topic that we spend over 50% of our time talking about.  For my sister- traveling (and making travel plans).  My brother- the weather.  My mom- asking rapid fire questions about your life repeatedly. My dad- survival stories from the Blizzard of '78.  And me- local home news.  I recently joked that if here was an emergency outside my door here in Italy, I wouldn't even know it...but I'd be the first to know about a drug bust in Quincy or another attack outside the Wollaston train station. This proved very true yesterday...

I received a message yesterday morning telling me I didn't have to work because everything was closed.  Only problem was that I couldn't figure out why!  Security threat? Power outage? No...Flood!    It's been raining a bit here, but I didn't think THAT much!  Turns out the river (Fiume Bacchiglione) that runs right through Vicenza (and surrounding areas) was overflowing its banks, washing out roads and turning cornfields into lakes.  We didn't believe it until venturing out today to where it runs through the center of our small town.  Here are some pictures of the river in the summer and today...

 

I usually run down this road.  Today it's a lake. 

 From what I can gather by translating the local news, this is the worst flooding in the area since 1966.  It's pretty bad in more urban areas where the river runs right next to major roads and homes.  Schools in the area are all closed and judging from all the Italians out river watching with us today, work is too.

River watching- An Italian spectator sport

 In other local news, the big church next door is welcoming a new priest, Don Silvano.  It's a pretty big deal and there are signs all over town...

 Apparently, we're excited about the Don being here too, because here's the sign that appeared on our front gate:

That's all from Italy.  Now get out and vote today (I did, so you have no excuse!).

Happy Tutti i Santi Day!

Yesterday was not a holiday here in Italia, but today is- it's All Saints Day!  As a kid, this was one of my favorites.  Of course I didn't understand it, but it meant no school the day after Halloween- great planning Catholic Church!  Today and tomorrow (All Souls Day), the Italians visit their deceased loved ones at cimiteri, which look like this:
 
Similar to Memorial Day at home, folks will bring flowers and decorate the graves of the departed.  I hope the weather clears up a bit for them to do this...it's raining and gross right now.

Since I brought you my five favorite things about living in Italy, I have to counter that with my five LEAST favorite things about living in Italy.  Some of these may surprise you, but we've come to the conclusion that among European countries, Italy is a nice place to visit, but maybe not a nice place to live.

My Five Least Favorite Things About Living In Italy

1. The Food- I know I'm probably crushing a lot of dreams with this one, but Italian food is NOT American Italian Food.  There is no Olive Garden, chicken parm and Italian salad dressing don't exist and cheesy garlic bread is hard to find.  Sure, they've got pizza and pasta, but they're definitely not the American kind.  The other problem is that every restaurant here has a sign that reads "specialita pesce".  Not sure how ALL the restaurants can specialize in fish, but that spells disaster for us- the only 2 New Englanders who don't eat seafood. Seafood is EVERYWHERE....in the pasta, on the pizza, mixed with risotto.  (If you see my brother any time soon, ask him about his prawns experience!)  Our town had a little festival a few weeks ago to celebrate bacala- salted cod- yuck!  Another problem with the food here is that it's a lot of the same stuff.  Sure, Italian food is nice on your two-week vacation, but when it's really the ONLY food you can eat out, it gets old.  In England, Germany and Austria, there are Mexican restaurants, steak houses, burger joints and Asian eateries.  Not here.  As someone who grew up in the home of Dunkies, I'm used to being able to stop and grab breakfast on the go.  Not in Italy.  If you want a coffee (espresso or cappuccino), you have to stand at the counter of the restaurant and drink it.  No to-go cup, no travel mugs.  I'm also not a huge fan of the first course, second course thing.  I don't want a slab of meat on a plate with nothing else.  Some restaurants take their courses so seriously here that they watch your plate and wait until you are completely finished to bring out the next item (I almost complained one time this happened because I thought they forgot my food). And one final knock on Italian food...I can't count how many times I've ordered a meal and when it comes out, I'm honestly surprised by what's on the plate.  It's a gamble every time.  So when you see us visiting in the States, PLEASE don't offer us any Italian food.

This is German food.  We LOVE German food!

**Redemption points: I do love a few things about Italian food- #1. It's a thousand times healthier than American food.  Fresh fruit and vegges are everywhere.  #2. Having to eat GF is surprisingly not that difficult in Italy because most of the food is natural and fresh (not breaded and fried) #3. I love European french fries.

2. The Driving- As mentioned in a previous post, Italians love to bike.  They do this because it's SO expensive to drive. I've heard that Italians can't get their licenses until they are 21 and that it costs a few thousand Euro to do so.  Now add really expensive gas (right now it's 1.36 Euro per liter) and really expensive highway tolls and you'll see why Italians ride bikes.  The toll thing is crazy.  All Italian highways (autostradas) are toll roads- and not just the $3 it costs to come over the Tobin Bridge.  Driving from here to the Austrian border (2 hrs) will cost close to 20 Euro.  Driving from here to Rome...people have told us... is close to 50 Euro (one way!).  Europe is toll happy.  Austria is the biggest rip off (think Delaware on steroids) to drive through.  In addition, Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland require you to purchase a car decal for a certain price to drive through.  And add no tolls and decals required to drive on the autobahn to the reasons why I love Germany.  Parking costs a lot everywhere (and the spaces are so small I sweat every time I pull into and out of them).  We're also insuring three cars here at the moment, which is murderously expensive. I'm very protective of my Honda and she's expensive to drive in Italy.  Italians love rotaries and it's rare to hit a traffic light.  I still remember being 16 and crying hysterically as I drove through the Cape Cod rotary, getting beeped at and trying desperately not to get rear ended, so I'm well prepared here.  Moral of the story- all you at home, stop complaining about toll prices on the Pike and gas prices rising around the holidays.  You can complain about crazy drivers because I'm pretty sure folks in Massachusetts are far worse than Italians.

**Redemption point: Europeans have nice cars.  (Heck, we even have a BMW here!)  They all drive Audis, Mercedes, Volvos and really cool Ford models that aren't made in the States.  They are also all standards, which I'm slowly learning to appreciate.

3. The Language- Obviously Italians speak Italian.  I do not.  This has created a problem.  I realize I'm a guest in this country and I need to learn their language and customs, but it's hard and frustrating.  In other European countries we've been to, they all speak English!  Germans speak better English than we do!  We went on a tour in Slovenia and they spoke 83298 languages, including English!  In Austria, we had a Croatian server at a restaurant who spoke English and asked us about the greatest Celtics player of all time (Dino Radja).  Our Italian friends can't seem to jump on the English train.  They're the only country in the EU to speak Italian exclusively and yet they don't really attempt to speak anything else (except up north where they speak German).  Some of them speak English, but not many, especially not in our little town.  I'm honestly trying.  I took  beginner Italian class this summer.  I try to make the few Italians I know speak around me so that I can learn.  I listen to Italian radio stations to perfect my listening.  I go to Italian mass and practice my responses. (I'm really good at Pace, Rendiamo grazie a Dio and Amen.)  Unfortunately, it's not really working.  My six years of Spanish have given me a remedial understanding of Romance languages, but Italian is different from Spanish in a few key ways.  Try as I might, I just can't pronounce anything that begins with a C.  I frequently use Spanish words inappropriately for Italian- like the few months when I told my girl Elenora (the cashier at the local supermarket) that "No grazie, no bolsa" (No thank you, no bag (because you have to pay for bags at the supermarket)), I was saying bolsa- bag in Spanish instead of borsa- bag in Italian.  Oops.  One time when ordering ice cream, Brenden asked for (what he thought was) two scoops.  He actually asked for two bedspreads.  We're trying.

**Redemption Point- not sure there is one here.  I will never be mad at people in the US not speaking English though.  I feel their pain.  Also, when a European says "I don't speak much English," it's a lie.  They're probably fluent.  Their concept of "a little English" is MUCH different than our concept of "a little Italian".


4. The Culture- Some people would be good at living as an Italian (my mother).  Some people are not (me).  Living in Italy is like living in another time.  Things are slow and old fashioned here.  As mentioned, everything is closed on Sundays.  Stores have crazy short hours.  And then there is the reposo.  Similar to the siesta, the reposo is alive and well at many key places- supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants.  It's impossible to get things done between 12:30 and 4 pm on a weekday.  You cannot go to a restaurant between 3 and 7pm and try to get a late lunch or early dinner.  Supermarkets close for the day at 1:30 on Wednesday and Saturday.  Again, this sounds all well and good, but it's SO frustrating. It doesn't help that we function in an American world on an American schedule here because of our jobs.  I've never had to plan as much for shopping and getting gas in my car as I have here.  When you're used to 24-hour Super Wal-Marts, these selected hours will drive you insane.  Things are also closed on holidays, on days workers feel like going on strike and for most of the month of August.  As I said...Italy is nice to visit...not to live.
Italy is also an old country...as in it makes Florida's population look young.  I recently read a statistic that Italy is closing in on Japan to have the oldest population (in age) on the planet.  I honestly believe it.  I feel like an infant here.  Old people are everywhere and they run the country.  I've heard Italy is not really a progressive country compared to others in Europe and I think I know why.

**Redemption Points: The family focus is nice (except when you have limited family here!) and their value of vacation/holidays is refreshing. 

5. The Weather- In yesterday's post, I talked about how the fall weather is similar to home and how I like it.  I also talked about the unbearable heat...which I don't like.  It's a well-known fact that I don't operate well in temperatures over 75 degrees.  This past Italian summer was HOT.  By hot, I mean well into the 90s for most of June, July and August.  Let me point out that Italians do not like to be cold.  They do not like air conditioning, which made for a very long, hot summer. (Fortunately, we have air conditioning on our place, but most places don't.)  Air quality is another issue here that only gets better in the summer when it rains (which it doesn't do a lot).  Since we're surrounded by mountains, the smoggy city air gets trapped and summer days were permanently hazy.  One of the first days I got here, I tried going for a run and thought my chest was going to explode.  I hate the haze and the heat.  August is a miserable month here-it is so hot and all the popular vacation places (mountains, beaches, etc) are packed because all of Italy is off.  Another thing that irks me about the weather (and this is a shot at the US) is temperatures in Celsius.  When I hear that it's 15 degrees out, I think freezing cold.  When I hear it rained 20 millimeters, I'm not sure if that's a lot or not.  Seriously, when did the US do us a favor of NOT using the system the rest of the world does?!?!  (This is also true for dates and time). Not only are we dumb Americans for only speaking English, we don't have any knowledge of the metric system.  Even Canada does it...why can't we?!

**Redemption point: We live less than two hours from skiing....and there is already snow on the mountains!

Almost ready for skiing!