So here is my whining for the day. I am getting a cold. Again. I eat loads of fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grain bread. I drink red wine which if it's as good for you as they say I should be frickin' wonder woman. I rarely eat red meat, cheese and I almost never eat junk food. I don't smoke and I don't drink hard liquor. I'm practically a health nut! Wretched children. Teaching is a health risk.
And here is perspective. Our neighbor across the hall has just died after a year long illness. He was an athlete, abstemious, and a non-smoker. He was not even 60. His lovely family have been here since before we bought the place in 1990. We'll miss him. Meanwhile, our 42 year old neighbor on the other side, a mom with 2 young kids, had a stroke and has lost partial vision in one eye. They have found a small hole in her heart that must be operated on.
Sometimes you just need a good kick in the ass to see that your life isn't so rough. No more whining. xxoo me
View from Convento de Cristo once a Templar stronghold
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
There are days when I read the news and I'm absolutely speechless, which is REALLY saying something. These are some of the headlines I just read:
This picture of a potato sold for $1m.
Chinese scientists create autistic monkeys.
Free schooling, but only for virgins.
And my favorite:
Matador holds baby while fighting bull.
And my thoughts regarding them: I've seen the spud picture and it's not worth it. How can you tell if a monkey is autistic? Is there an entrance exam? (no pun intended) and Let's hope it was his kid.
I shouldn't bother with the news.
It's the beginning of the year so budget time for local communities. This means the traffic police are out in force racking up huge sums of money with speeding tickets and other violations. Pecetto, the wealthy little town we need to pass through to get to the school, is infamous for ticketing. Now they have a new method. The sum-bitches have installed cameras onto the dashboards of the cops cars that photograph all cars coming in the opposite direction. The plate number is run through a computer program that automatically checks for outstanding fines, registration, inspection, insurance, all the while checking speed. They sent out about 10 tickets a day including one to my most irate husband. Damn 'em!
xxoo me
This picture of a potato sold for $1m.
Chinese scientists create autistic monkeys.
Free schooling, but only for virgins.
And my favorite:
Matador holds baby while fighting bull.
And my thoughts regarding them: I've seen the spud picture and it's not worth it. How can you tell if a monkey is autistic? Is there an entrance exam? (no pun intended) and Let's hope it was his kid.
I shouldn't bother with the news.
It's the beginning of the year so budget time for local communities. This means the traffic police are out in force racking up huge sums of money with speeding tickets and other violations. Pecetto, the wealthy little town we need to pass through to get to the school, is infamous for ticketing. Now they have a new method. The sum-bitches have installed cameras onto the dashboards of the cops cars that photograph all cars coming in the opposite direction. The plate number is run through a computer program that automatically checks for outstanding fines, registration, inspection, insurance, all the while checking speed. They sent out about 10 tickets a day including one to my most irate husband. Damn 'em!
xxoo me
Sunday, January 24, 2016
I have seen a Nutria! "What is a Nutria?", you might ask? It's an animal related to a beaver, that comes from South America, but is now found in Europe and North America where they are descendants of escapees from pelt farms. We saw one today on a walk along the river in Torino. It looked like a big rat put through a ringer, sort of elongated and flat. There was an old gentleman watching it swim who told us what it was. The Po, Torino's river, is much cleaner than it used to be. Back in the 70's it was lifeless but is slowly coming back. There are a lot of water birds but this is the first mammal I've seen. Today is lovely and spring-like. The older I get the less I like the cold. If winter wants to be over now I'm fine with that. xxoo me
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
This weekend Grace has two formal parties to go to. Formal as in gowns and suits, manicures and haircuts. When kids here of a certain social strata turn 18 they throw a huge shindig. It's sort of a wealthy Italian's quinceanera. She has a dinner Thursday night for one friend at a rowing club on the river and a full out formal bash on Friday on the opposite bank. She's ordered a dress, bought heels and is going with friends for nails and such after school. All this comes right at the end of "mock exams" the midterm terror of the IB program. The 12th graders have been chewing their nails to the quick for the past two weeks. I, on the other hand, am suffering from the winter doldrums and just want to sleep. This time of year is utterly exhausting with the holidays over and spring so far away! Thank God we have a break in February and we'll get up to the mountains for some snowshoeing. If I had more willpower I'd get out and walk evenings when I get home but who am I kidding. My sofa calls! xxoo me
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Saturday, January 9, 2016
On our travels we had stops of a few hours in Bratislava, Slovakia, (from Vienna to Budapest),and Zagreb, Croatia, (between Budapest and Ljubljana). We have friends here who lived in Bratislava for 6 years before coming to Italy. They had told us that though it is the capital of Slovakia, there isn't much to see. Being vegetarians they also said the food, typical in all this area of the world - pork, pork and more pork - was terrible. Well they were right on the first count. Apart from a tiny "old town" center, Bratislava is drab and depressing. It is very run down and so are the very few people we saw around. I guess when Slovakia broke away from the Czech Republic, the innovators and moneyed people headed to Prague which is lovey and prosperous. We did stop for a snack at a nice historic cafe in the main square. They had a window full of beautiful cakes like in Austria but like in Austria the look better than they taste. I know it is probably my American need for overly fatty. sweet things but the famous desserts in this area all taste like whipped cream. Give me New York Cheese Cake people! Better yet, Southern Pecan Pie! And drizzle it with chocolate while you're at it!! Sorry, I digress.
So, many European countries require that you buy a Highway Pass called a "Vignette", (why it's called that is beyond me), as opposed to paying tolls on their highways. It makes sense as it's faster and cheaper but the problem lies in BUYING them. They can only be purchased by licensed dealers who in one country might be located in a little building hiding behind a gas station/truck-stop near the border where in the next country may be parked in a van on the side of the road. One never knows and must be constantly vigilant! Of course the signs are usually not written in any language but their own and the little "Vignette" symbol is often so small, it's easy to miss the only purchase point entirely. The border between Austria and Slovakia was especially tricky. There is a corner where Austria, Hungary and Slovakia all meet. Missing our first chance to buy a Slovakian Vignette hiding as it was behind an abandoned shack near the border, we had to turn around, somehow ending up in Hungary (twice) before finding our way back into Austria miles from where we started, accruing tickets the entire way probably because our Vignette for Austria had expired and we didn't yet have them for Hungary OR Croatia. We have spent the last week dreading the mailman.
The scenery driving was interesting. Firstly, Germany, Austria, Hungary and even Slovakia have fields and fields of windmills for producing energy. These are countries that don't know what wind is. Imagine what Maine could do... Austria is mostly mountains and the drive through was lovely. It wasn't Alpine beauty though. In fact there was no snow just a lot of mist and clouds down in the valleys that froze at night and left villages and fields and trees covered in thick frost. It was very cool. I would hate to live in those valley villages though. Those people don't see sun 6 months a year and damn, is it damp and cold.
After Budapest we went to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. At the border we were stopped by the Hungarian police and our documents and luggage and auto were all checked. (GP DOES look a bit shifty). The Hungarians and the Croatians are very anti-immigration and this huge influx of refugees has only hardened their stance. They thought we had illegals stashed in with our spare tire. Eastern Hungary and into Croatia the landscape was really bleak. There were huge, flat, completely empty expanses covered in snow and it was very cold. It made me think of Russian Gulag movies. Not a place to get stuck. Zagreb isn't much to write home about. I'd heard it was lovely and maybe under different circumstances it would be. We were tired and cold and it had started to spit snow. There is a tiny upper town that has not yet seen revitalization. It's very rundown and sad looking. The lower town looked to have some nice streets but it had that heavy, depressed feeling you get driving through Augusta or Lewiston in the winter. xxoo me
So, many European countries require that you buy a Highway Pass called a "Vignette", (why it's called that is beyond me), as opposed to paying tolls on their highways. It makes sense as it's faster and cheaper but the problem lies in BUYING them. They can only be purchased by licensed dealers who in one country might be located in a little building hiding behind a gas station/truck-stop near the border where in the next country may be parked in a van on the side of the road. One never knows and must be constantly vigilant! Of course the signs are usually not written in any language but their own and the little "Vignette" symbol is often so small, it's easy to miss the only purchase point entirely. The border between Austria and Slovakia was especially tricky. There is a corner where Austria, Hungary and Slovakia all meet. Missing our first chance to buy a Slovakian Vignette hiding as it was behind an abandoned shack near the border, we had to turn around, somehow ending up in Hungary (twice) before finding our way back into Austria miles from where we started, accruing tickets the entire way probably because our Vignette for Austria had expired and we didn't yet have them for Hungary OR Croatia. We have spent the last week dreading the mailman.
The scenery driving was interesting. Firstly, Germany, Austria, Hungary and even Slovakia have fields and fields of windmills for producing energy. These are countries that don't know what wind is. Imagine what Maine could do... Austria is mostly mountains and the drive through was lovely. It wasn't Alpine beauty though. In fact there was no snow just a lot of mist and clouds down in the valleys that froze at night and left villages and fields and trees covered in thick frost. It was very cool. I would hate to live in those valley villages though. Those people don't see sun 6 months a year and damn, is it damp and cold.
After Budapest we went to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. At the border we were stopped by the Hungarian police and our documents and luggage and auto were all checked. (GP DOES look a bit shifty). The Hungarians and the Croatians are very anti-immigration and this huge influx of refugees has only hardened their stance. They thought we had illegals stashed in with our spare tire. Eastern Hungary and into Croatia the landscape was really bleak. There were huge, flat, completely empty expanses covered in snow and it was very cold. It made me think of Russian Gulag movies. Not a place to get stuck. Zagreb isn't much to write home about. I'd heard it was lovely and maybe under different circumstances it would be. We were tired and cold and it had started to spit snow. There is a tiny upper town that has not yet seen revitalization. It's very rundown and sad looking. The lower town looked to have some nice streets but it had that heavy, depressed feeling you get driving through Augusta or Lewiston in the winter. xxoo me
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| The Upper Town of Zagreb |
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| Interesting sculpture in Bratislava |
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| Bratislava Castle |
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| self explanatory |
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| Zagreb's one beautiful building in Old Town |
Friday, January 8, 2016
I love, love, love, love, LOVE Budapest! What an amazing city. Budapest is two cities in one. Buda on one side of the Danube and Pest on the other, (united in mid 1800's me thinks). Buda is in the hills and has a gorgeous old walled center built around an enormous castle overlooking the river and Pest on the opposite bank. Pest has a huge pedestrian walking area with markets and outside food vendors and entertainment. There were tons of people out and about though it was early January and the festivities were over, plus the fact it was flipping FREEZING. The city has some incredible architecture, particularly the parliament building and it's bridges. At night everything is lit up like Vegas.
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| looking from Buda to Pest |
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| It was cold |
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| The skating and Castle in City Park |
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| Food vendors |
These gorgeous things are called Kurtos Kalacs and they are a traditional rolled sweet bread that you find in Hungary, the Czech Republic and there about. They toast them on open fires and then roll them in cinnamon sugar, nuts, coconut etc. Grace and I first discovered them in Prague and then had them again in Budapest. So yummy and wonderfully warming, wrapped in paper, and steaming from the fire. Our second day in Budapest, I ate one the size of a baseball bat. I skipped dinner that night. Except for a beer. The only beverage one could buy in our little family run hotel. I love Budapest. Did I mention that? It is beautiful. The food it great. The people friendly and helpful. And it still hasn't quite figured out this "tourism thing" and thinks it's stuck behind the iron curtain. In fact once you step out of the public/tourist areas there is no English and people tend to be wary and taciturn. They remind me of "country folk" in the deep south. Just dressed warmer.Anywho. This is definitely the place to come back to some day when I have more time to really explore. I would say in Spring though as there are so many wonderful parks and gardens and the ice might be melted from the fountains by then.... Still more to come. xxoo me
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Hello 2016! God I feel old. And cold. It will take a long time to get the ice out of my bones after this trip. Exactly WHY did we decide to go north and east for our vacation? We left the 27th of December and returned yesterday. Over 1,500 miles. Our trip was this: Torino - Innsbruck- Munich - Salzburg - Graz -Vienna - Bratislava (Slovakia) - Budapest (Hungary) - Zagreb (Croatia) - Ljubljana (Slovenia) - Torino. They are all rather mixed up in my mind now as they had winter/grey/cold in common. But there were some really stand-out places. But may I first say that I have successfully survived 10 days in very close quarters with my husband and 17 year old daughter. I think I should be congratulated. I have also discovered there is only SO MUCH sausage and beer one can consume before becoming very bad company.
In Austria we had a half day in Innsbruck and Salzburg, both places I've been before, and 2 nights each in Graz and Vienna, both new to us all. Austria is gorgeous, pristine, well organized and has amazing museums. But it's also outrageously expensive and austere. The people just aren't friendly or helpful. There is no signage in English unlike Germany and elsewhere. Though efficient, the people who work in the hospitality business obviously missed the lessons about "Hospitality". They accept tourism for the money it brings in but they are not pleased! Austrians remind me very much of the Parisians with their strong sense of nationalism and dislike of outsiders. So although the cities are stunning, I couldn't warm up to them and don't care about returning. Salzburg, which I visited almost 30 years ago, has turned into Disneyland. The beautiful old center has lost it's charm and is jam-packed with expensive boutiques and restaurants, crowds of Japanese tourists and their very annoying selfie-sticks (a subject of much contempt on this trip). It has been ruined by it's popularity. Vienna, where we spent New Year's Eve, has the most beautiful architecture I've ever seen. There is a stop and stare building on every corner. Though I would love to go back and see some of the multitude of museums I missed, (did go into one Art museum to see a show on Klimt), there are just so many places I'd rather return to. On New Years Eve there were terror warnings all over Europe so I was a little nervous. There was a surprisingly small number of police officers in view so either they were incognito or Vienna was not considered a target. We stood in the square in front of the city hall, (pictures of which do not do it justice. Check it out here. https://www.wien.gv.at/english/cityhall/), and watched the fireworks. A big drunk Russian in a pig hat stood behind us and shook his champagne bottle up before opening it. It exploded all over his face and our heads. Ah, the pig hats! Pigs are the symbol of good luck in the new year in that part of the world and there were bright pink stands selling pig paraphernalia everywhere! You know I love my pigs! I resisted and didn't buy a hat or stuffed animal or even a magnet...I did however buy a rum-spiked nog of some sort that came in a pig mug! The drink was disgusting and cost 10 bucks but the mug goes to Grace's "away to college tea mug collection", so all worth it. Graz was a pleasant surprise. I didn't know anything about it before going. It's the second largest city in Austria and definitely has a grubbier side to it than the other cities we saw. There is still the prerequisite castle on a hill over-looking a lovely old center and lots of cafes with more beautiful than tasty cakes but it also has tons of sex shops and sketchy areas where you wouldn't want to walk alone at night. Surprisingly I also found it the friendliest city in Austria but then the people we met were middle-eastern or Greek.
In Austria we had a half day in Innsbruck and Salzburg, both places I've been before, and 2 nights each in Graz and Vienna, both new to us all. Austria is gorgeous, pristine, well organized and has amazing museums. But it's also outrageously expensive and austere. The people just aren't friendly or helpful. There is no signage in English unlike Germany and elsewhere. Though efficient, the people who work in the hospitality business obviously missed the lessons about "Hospitality". They accept tourism for the money it brings in but they are not pleased! Austrians remind me very much of the Parisians with their strong sense of nationalism and dislike of outsiders. So although the cities are stunning, I couldn't warm up to them and don't care about returning. Salzburg, which I visited almost 30 years ago, has turned into Disneyland. The beautiful old center has lost it's charm and is jam-packed with expensive boutiques and restaurants, crowds of Japanese tourists and their very annoying selfie-sticks (a subject of much contempt on this trip). It has been ruined by it's popularity. Vienna, where we spent New Year's Eve, has the most beautiful architecture I've ever seen. There is a stop and stare building on every corner. Though I would love to go back and see some of the multitude of museums I missed, (did go into one Art museum to see a show on Klimt), there are just so many places I'd rather return to. On New Years Eve there were terror warnings all over Europe so I was a little nervous. There was a surprisingly small number of police officers in view so either they were incognito or Vienna was not considered a target. We stood in the square in front of the city hall, (pictures of which do not do it justice. Check it out here. https://www.wien.gv.at/english/cityhall/), and watched the fireworks. A big drunk Russian in a pig hat stood behind us and shook his champagne bottle up before opening it. It exploded all over his face and our heads. Ah, the pig hats! Pigs are the symbol of good luck in the new year in that part of the world and there were bright pink stands selling pig paraphernalia everywhere! You know I love my pigs! I resisted and didn't buy a hat or stuffed animal or even a magnet...I did however buy a rum-spiked nog of some sort that came in a pig mug! The drink was disgusting and cost 10 bucks but the mug goes to Grace's "away to college tea mug collection", so all worth it. Graz was a pleasant surprise. I didn't know anything about it before going. It's the second largest city in Austria and definitely has a grubbier side to it than the other cities we saw. There is still the prerequisite castle on a hill over-looking a lovely old center and lots of cafes with more beautiful than tasty cakes but it also has tons of sex shops and sketchy areas where you wouldn't want to walk alone at night. Surprisingly I also found it the friendliest city in Austria but then the people we met were middle-eastern or Greek.
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| Salzburg |
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| Salzburg |
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| Ice rink in Salzburg |
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| Shop window in Graz |
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| Pig seller in Vienna more to come xxoo me |
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