It has been outrageously hot. Way above normal. The past week it's hit 90's and yesterday and today 100. Yesterday was so damned hot that when we made plans to have dinner with friends we headed for the hills hoping for a breeze. And we got one. Had a lovely evening put on by a winery we frequent. They were doing an event that raised money for the Red Cross. Local establishments in the tiny hilltop town of Cinzano (to the north east of the city), provided wonderful food and the winery provided the wine. This is the highest hill in the Torinese hills and there was in fact a light breeze and it was only about 84 degrees. Though anyone who knows me knows that I love the sun and heat, this is ridiculous. Normally this is weather for August but it has been getting warmer, earlier and earlier every year. Good thing that global warming stuff is all a hoax made up by the Chinese!
This weekend we are home as I do final cleaning and packing before final work week. Monday have an after school art lesson with a friend. Tuesday, my birthday dinner with MIL. (yay me!) Wednesday, Brazilian night-out with the Pilates crew as our Rosy is leaving us! Thursday home and Friday I fly out. Oh my. Can't wait to get home. Maine's sea breezes and good friends and family call. xxoo me
I never sent this! I fly out tomorrow after another suffocating week. Italy is suffering from a dangerous heat wave and drought. Actually much of Europe is. It's been in the nineties in Germany and the UK. In June! I had all of my goodbye dinners and have wrapped up most everything at work, hauling boxes of books around in the suffocating heat because naturally the air-conditioning doesn't work. (The school prefers to spend it's money on fetes for the wealthy parents and board members. School moms show up dressed to the nines, skin tight designer dresses and the hooker heels. They can barely walk but they look great.) Anywho. Good bye Italy, see you in September!
View from Convento de Cristo once a Templar stronghold
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Oh so much to recount! But first...10 days til I fly home! Yay!!
Now I have to go back a bit. A few weeks ago I went to have my arteries checked for blockage and clogging and all that stuff. Where you may ask? Well, in a Heart Van which is actually a converted camper. Italy, which is all about preventative medicine as a way to keep costs down, has things like this all the time. This was a two week period where one could go to the HV, conveniently parked at different locations around the city, and have a thorough screening for blockage with a sort of ultrasound machine. All very high tech and profession packed into a Winnebago. I was early for my appointment so sat out on a park bench under the Linden trees (that smell great) with a couple of other folks shooting the breeze. The cost? Nada, niente, nichts. Gotta love it. (I'm clog free by the way).
This past weekend GP and I played tourists. Saturday, Torino hosted Open House Worldwide, an annual event that takes place in cities all around the globe that permits free entrance into all sorts of architectural gems from palaces and noble homes to new construction. Unfortunately it was only for 1 weekend. There were so many places I would have loved to see but they were spread out across the city and burbs and the lines were terrible in some places. We only got into 3 places on our "wish list". The first was a gorgeous old villa built in the 1600's and owned for the past 3 generations by one family. They live in a large part of it but rent the functions rooms and the garden out. Then we saw the inside of one of the thousands of administrative buildings in the city. It's from the Baroque period and it's "salas"are incredible. Lastly we went to a newly renovated 17th century building that is now a NH hotel and it's VERY nice. The views from the rooftop terrace are incredible.
That same evening we drove to Castello Masino near the Aosta Valley for a looksie. They have sunset evenings with actors in costume and period music. The actors stay in character and wander the grounds. They start conversations with the visitors and flirt and argue. The musicians were young guys from Torino's conservatory. They played chamber music on original instruments. It was wonderful.
Something that grabbed me was this family crest from the 1700's.
You can just make out the name on the upper right hand side. Trotti!! What are the chances our Trott family spent time in Northern Italy?? Those Brits did get around...
More on last Sunday later. xxoo me
Now I have to go back a bit. A few weeks ago I went to have my arteries checked for blockage and clogging and all that stuff. Where you may ask? Well, in a Heart Van which is actually a converted camper. Italy, which is all about preventative medicine as a way to keep costs down, has things like this all the time. This was a two week period where one could go to the HV, conveniently parked at different locations around the city, and have a thorough screening for blockage with a sort of ultrasound machine. All very high tech and profession packed into a Winnebago. I was early for my appointment so sat out on a park bench under the Linden trees (that smell great) with a couple of other folks shooting the breeze. The cost? Nada, niente, nichts. Gotta love it. (I'm clog free by the way).
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| Heart Van |
This past weekend GP and I played tourists. Saturday, Torino hosted Open House Worldwide, an annual event that takes place in cities all around the globe that permits free entrance into all sorts of architectural gems from palaces and noble homes to new construction. Unfortunately it was only for 1 weekend. There were so many places I would have loved to see but they were spread out across the city and burbs and the lines were terrible in some places. We only got into 3 places on our "wish list". The first was a gorgeous old villa built in the 1600's and owned for the past 3 generations by one family. They live in a large part of it but rent the functions rooms and the garden out. Then we saw the inside of one of the thousands of administrative buildings in the city. It's from the Baroque period and it's "salas"are incredible. Lastly we went to a newly renovated 17th century building that is now a NH hotel and it's VERY nice. The views from the rooftop terrace are incredible.
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| Villa D'Aglie' |
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| NH Hotel |
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| Courtyard of Torino admin building |
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| View from the rooftop terrace of NH Hotel |
That same evening we drove to Castello Masino near the Aosta Valley for a looksie. They have sunset evenings with actors in costume and period music. The actors stay in character and wander the grounds. They start conversations with the visitors and flirt and argue. The musicians were young guys from Torino's conservatory. They played chamber music on original instruments. It was wonderful.
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| Actors in the tower |
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| the castle village |
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| the great hall (thinking of painting my ceilings like that) |
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sunset over the mountains |
Something that grabbed me was this family crest from the 1700's.
More on last Sunday later. xxoo me
Monday, June 5, 2017
No more doom and gloom. Until next time... This past week has been full of ups and downs. Even without considering terrorism and mob mentality. On Tuesday evening I had a farewell dinner with my good buddy Peter. He's been here for 4 years, teaching at the school for two and bumming around with his very comfortable Canadian teacher's pension, for the last two. (pension, free health care, Justin Trudeau... why are we not all Canadians?) He wanted a steak dinner (NOT an Italian thing) so I took him to an Argentinian restaurant where they gave us half a cow and he was happy. So now he has decided to return to Toronto and I'm losing my pal. I will miss his fuzzy face.
The daughter came home on Saturday and has "graced"us with her presence for 3 days. I took today off from school and we went up to the mountains, Valle D'Aosta, to a spa. It has been sunny and in the 80's for over a week now but with our constant bad luck with weather, today it rained. Actually it was pretty cool though as the mountains were capped by clouds and the rain was warm. We swam in a heated outdoor pool with a light rain coming down and the snow and cloud topped mountains all around. Very scenic. She flies back to the States tomorrow.
MIL is in Catolica, a seaside city in the south, with her old persons church group, playing cards, eating too much and soaking up the sun. So GP has had a break from his filial duties. School is coming to an end. We have 3 weeks left and then I'm off! Homeward bound! As always, I'm getting anxious.
Here is a pretty night ride thru our fair city. Enjoy! xxoo me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEyy7DT7m0g
The daughter came home on Saturday and has "graced"us with her presence for 3 days. I took today off from school and we went up to the mountains, Valle D'Aosta, to a spa. It has been sunny and in the 80's for over a week now but with our constant bad luck with weather, today it rained. Actually it was pretty cool though as the mountains were capped by clouds and the rain was warm. We swam in a heated outdoor pool with a light rain coming down and the snow and cloud topped mountains all around. Very scenic. She flies back to the States tomorrow.
MIL is in Catolica, a seaside city in the south, with her old persons church group, playing cards, eating too much and soaking up the sun. So GP has had a break from his filial duties. School is coming to an end. We have 3 weeks left and then I'm off! Homeward bound! As always, I'm getting anxious.
Here is a pretty night ride thru our fair city. Enjoy! xxoo me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEyy7DT7m0g
Sunday, June 4, 2017
What do I say on a beautiful sunny day like today. The birds are making riotous music in the park behind us, the Linden trees are all in bloom and the perfume is thick in the air. The city my daughter has chosen to live in was attacked again last night. The third terrorist attack in the UK in 3 months. It's becoming routine. In Torino, a huge crowd watching (the local soccer team) the European Championships on a screen set up in a central square, stampeded when a firecracker went off. Hundreds wee injured. A 7 year old boy is critical. The terrorist have done their job well. Our present administration seems determined to ruin us, North Korea seems determined to end the world. So I sit out on the terrace, drinking my coffee, happy in knowing that Grace is safely tucked into her bed 20 feet away. What a f#*%ing world. Sorry for the gloom and doom. xxoo me
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