Foods of Italy

I love that each region of Italy (& even each town) has it's own culinary traditions. Here in Treviso, food is taken very seriously. In season foods are used - in the fall you'd find mushrooms in almost everything, through the winter it was radicchio (the special kind called Treviso which looks like fingers, not a ball), and now we are on to asparagus and another tender spring shoot which I can't recall the name of. It's the same with meats, I suppose. From what I've heard, lamb is eaten on Easter, but not as common throughout the year. At one point, at the fish market, I saw a bin of live animals which looked like miniature crayfish. Today, I saw bins of snails. I had to take a picture - sorry for the poor quality. Yes, I've tried escargot. To me, it tasted like butter & garlic. I'm not sure if they have a taste of their own under the sauce but I don't think I want to find out. My children would definitely not eat them, so there's no point in figuring out if I'm brave enough to cook them. But here, on the right, are net bags of live snails. And, on the left, a bin of live baby snails. What would one even do with those little ones? Are the shells soft enough to eat whole? Sometimes food here baffles me.

I felt the same way recently when I saw older ladies buying artichoke stems. STEMS. Isn't that the bitter part that we all cut off? At the market artichokes are sold whole, as we normally see them. There are small ones & regular sized ones. They also have them with the stems on. Each stall also sells just the hearts, floating in liquid (not sure if it's water or something else, probably to keep them from turning brown), and then, there is a bin of stems. I'm happy to know that all parts are used, but I haven't yet figured out how.

Two weeks ago I attended my first cooking class here in Treviso. It was held in a demonstration kitchen at a home goods store near my home. The class was taught by a female chef & there were 11 ladies & one man in the class. We drank prosecco, had appetizers, and mainly watched, but also helped make (& then eat!) fresh egg pasta and four different sauces, lasagna, and panna cotta for dessert. I think the man was just there for the company & the food, because he never once got up to see what was happening on the stove & he didn't help at all (except to pour the prosecco). It was all in Italian & it was great! My only complaint is that the class was from 7:30-11:30 at night. After eating such a heavy meal so late, it was hard to sleep. But I learned a lot of new tips. I'd never made fresh pasta before. Also, I now have some new ideas about how to put ingredients together for sauces. Later that week I made a vegetable bolognaise at home & everyone really enjoyed it. Next lesson will be poultry & white meat. Another heavy night, but I'm sure I'll learn a lot.

Trader Joe's Bolognaise - Goodbye Forever!

Trader Joe's used to be my go-to store for almost everything. I loved that I could whip up dinner in 30 minutes using TJ items - usually enhancing them, but not always. Although my step-mom taught me to make pasta sauce from scratch when I was a kid, I've always relied on jar sauce since it is so easy. Even when I made lasagna, I'd use jar sauce - basically, I was just assembling my meals.

Here, there are no convenience foods. If you want an easy snack, and you can go out, your choices are: brioche (croissant), tramezzini (white bread sandwich with tons of mayo), toast (white bread, ham, & cheese), or at home you can have crackers or cookies. I have found granola bars & breakfast cereal, but most are very sugary or full of chocolate. Other options are fresh fruit & veggies, which we snack on a lot, and bread & cheese (& a variety of meats).

So, I'm learning to cook things from scratch. Last week I made black beans for the first time in my life. It's so funny that I asked Justin to bring cans of black beans from the US last Dec., but his bags were too heavy & he ended up having to dump them at the airport. Shortly after that, I found dry black beans at a specialty bio (organic) shop. And now, I know how to make beans!

Tonight I made a bolognaise sauce. I've been doing this every week since we've been here, & I think my sauce is getting better & better. The great thing is that I know it so well that I can just throw in whatever is in the frig. This one had onion, garlic, leeks, carrots, zucchini, and red bell pepper along with the tomatoes, meat, & spices I added. I also love my new cast iron cooking pots - bought just two, but I think I'll go back for a couple more sizes. And, we have a new set of knives that make cutting a breeze and a couple of great wooden cutting boards.

I'm very excited about learning how to cook more things from scratch, & am looking into some cooking classes here. When we come back I may resort to canned beans for a quick & easy taco-salad night, but I don't think I can ever go back to a jar of bolognaise.

Back to Square Uno by Hart

After spending a whole month in the US, (where I intended to keep up with my Italian, but forces beyond my control stopped me - kind of like what happens with exercise for me) I've pretty much forgotten everything that I learned. OK, so I can still go to the market & ask for carrote (carrots) and insalata (lettuce), but seriously, how hard is that? Luckily there are many words that are similar to English or Spanish. But, I realize, now is the time to get serious. I returned to a class I tried a while back. The problem for me is that the other students are not well educated in their first language. One lady told the teacher that she had 4 years of schooling. 4. I think you need to know what a verb is before you can conjugate it. But, I'm going to go there for a few weeks until I get back into the hang of it & then hopefully find something else. One teacher who was really nice offered to do a one-hour skype call with me each week (for free!) so I can practice speaking. She said that in the future maybe I can help her with some translations. I hope I'll learn Italian well enough for that.

In April, Justin's mom is going to come out to visit us for a few weeks. They have offered for me to have some time off while they take care of the kids. At first, I was thinking of going to Tuscany to take a cooking class, but I've found some interesting cooking courses here that I'm going to try out. Instead, I am now thinking of going to Venice (not too far, so I can still see the kids & Justin) for a week of intensive language study. It'll be like when I went to Costa Rica in college. Stay with a host family. 4 hours of language classes in the mornings. Outings & cultural classes run by the school in the afternoons. Hey, I'm not too old for adventure!

Guinea Pigs (Porchelini d' India) by Hart

When we first arrived in Italy, Ellie was especially homesick & told me that she really wanted something fuzzy to cuddle with & love (that was alive). Luckily our landlords said, "no dogs", so we didn't have to go into that discussion. After a lot of negotiation & research, we settled on the idea of guinea pigs. Then, we had a lot of trouble finding what we were looking for: two baby females. We went looking in a few different shops. Finally, I asked one shopowner if he could get what we wanted for us. He said he'd have them the next week. A week went by & then he said it would be another week. Uugh. Finally, I got a call that they were at the shop. But, that same day, I found out that we had to leave Italy to return to the states for about a month. Today, we went to the shop, & brought the little gals home. They are about 2 months old now. Even though they are both girls, Liam's is referred to as a boy & is now named Fluffy (or Fluffball for short). Ellie is still deciding on a name. Suggestions welcome!

Jet Lag Stinks by Hart

The only reason I'm even writing this is because I'm up at 3 in the morning & have already been up for 3 hours! I actually think my body could adjust to the 9 hour time change pretty quickly on my own because I'm so tired I can sleep at night no matter when night is. Unfortunately, my children can't meditate their way into sleep the way I can. Ander is especially difficult to convince that it is time to sleep when his body is telling him it's dinner time. Then, when he cries (although I'm doing all I can to settle him down), Liam is woken up. Liam jumps out of bed thinking it's morning when it is only 12:30am. Of course, all the commotion wakes Ellie, too. Justin has to work in the morning, so I'm trying to let him sleep, but I basically went from child to child for 2 hours before giving up & bringing them downstairs for quiet play.

I read that the keys to quick recovery from jet lag is exposure to sunlight as early in the morning as possible and physical activity. Last night (our first here) was worse than tonight: up from 12-5, then slept from 5-10am. But, we did get out of the house before noon & had a good long walk. The kids didn't really seem tired until their normal bedtime, so I had high hopes for tonight. I also read a suggestion that I not give food at night, only drinks. These kids are really hungry, though, so I did give them a snack. Liam was able to get back to sleep, so he'll probably be OK tomorrow at school. Ellie tried & tried, but couldn't. Maybe I'll have her try again at 4?

If any of you readers have experience with this, & would like to comment, I'd love to hear your suggestions! This is not the last time we'll have to make this trip, & I need all the help (& sleep) I can get!

California Vacation

Didn't I promise that I'd write here more often? Do all bloggers start off strong & then get distracted with life and other interests? Or run out of things to write about? I am going to keep working at this, even if it is hard, because it's a great way to keep a record of our adventures and to share them with our loved ones at home.

For the past month, we've been seeing our loved ones here in California, so there hasn't been much need for posting for others. But, in case we return to Italy & forget what we love about "home", here's what we've been up to:

• Staying in a rental house in Santa Cruz, 2 blocks from the beach.
• Spending a little time on any nice day down at the beach, playing, walking, digging.
• Playing at the many local (& well-equipped) parks.
• Meeting Logan, the kids' new cousin.
• Playing with friends in Santa Cruz & Palo Alto.
• Visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
• Visiting the Boardwalk (& riding the Giant Dipper).
• Visiting the Seymour Marine Discovery Center.
• Visiting the Palo Alto Jr. Museum & Zoo.
• Spending Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year's with family & friends.
• Eating a wide variety of foods (of course the kids keep ordering pizza whenever they can, but I'm loving the Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Afghan, Indian, Burgers, Mexican, etc. . . did I mention I've gained 10 pounds since returning from Italy!?!)
• Justin & I having date nights & even a few over-nighters!
• Romantic getaway to Sonoma including my first wine-tasting.
• Zipline adventure in the redwood forest for my birthday.
• Justin barely working for over a month!
• Ander stopping nursing, learning to walk, & really starting to talk.
• No good macchiatos, but yes yummy mochas.

I have a long (& boring) story about how & when we finally will get to go back to Italy. Even now, with only a few days until our flight, we're not sure. But this experience has given us time to slow down, spend a lot of time together as a family, and think about what we have & what we want from life. Justin & I have always been such planners. Now we realize that there are things beyond our control. We have each other. We have struggles, but together we can overcome them. We have been extremely blessed. Now, all the kids are asleep, the house is peaceful, and I am able to appreciate it all so much more. This California trip has been good to us. OK. Ready to go back to Treviso now!

Back in the U.S.A. by Hart

As some of you may remember, back in August, I was alone with the children for 3 weeks while Justin started working in Italy. I had them start school since I still had no idea if or when the company would send us out to join him. Finally, we were given the green light, and 3 days later we were on a plane to Venice.

The first two months in Treviso were spent at Palazzo Brando, which is the Italian version of the Residence Inn. It was a great place for us to start, to get used to the town & lifestyle, and to make some friends.

Then we moved into the house that we found our first week in Italy (but had to wait for) in the beginning of November. This was a wonderful change - but then no internet for a month! Just as we were starting to get settled in, everything was unpacked, kitchen was stocked with dishes & pots & pans, we hired someone to help keep the house clean (sorry, but I can't watch 3 kids & clean 4 bathrooms on my own!), our 90 days in Italy was up. In fact, Justin was in the U.S. for the last 3 weeks because he was waiting for his work visa to be issued. That didn't happen in time, so we all had to leave.

Boo hoo.

This time, I didn't have to fly with the kids on my own. Justin flew out last Thursday - got stuck for 10 hours in the Frankfurt airport & luggage never arrived. Then, on Saturday, we all flew back together. Well, now I just sound like I'm complaining, but Justin reminded me that we've had so much amazing luck lately, things were bound to have to balance out at some point.

Now we are renting a little beach cottage in Santa Cruz, visiting with friends and family, and getting ready to enjoy the holidays here in the U.S. Yesterday we bought a little tree & decorated it this morning. I'm happy to see that beautiful angel on top - couldn't have used her in Italy because the plugs are different. We drove down "Christmas Tree Lane" in Palo Alto, & there are radio stations that only play Christmas music here. Things are feeling festive.

The most important thing for me, though, and the children, is stability. This is something we haven't had in our lives for 4 months now. It is taking a toll on all of us. So, after the holidays, my hope is to return to Italy, settle down, and stay put for a while - get back to studying Italian, making new friends, eating & drinking well, and enjoying la dolce vida.

Aack, what am I saying? Let's have la dolce vida here!!!

November, The Lost Month by Hart

So many times in the past month (while we had no internet access) I told myself - write down your ideas for the blog & then you can post them when the internet is turned on. Of course, then life got in the way. Now, I wonder if it is worth it to try to go back in time. So much has happened here & more happens every day. Maybe I'll just move on. However, here are some of the things I was thinking of writing about - if anyone is interested in any of these topics, let me know & I'll post something with pictures.
Our trip to Paris (was going to title this one Food Poisoning in Paris) the trip was mainly amazing.
Our new house - also amazing - especially now with internet!
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Chanukah
Our day trip to Nove (ceramics) & Asiago (cheese)
International Women's Club outings - guided tour of Treviso, guided art tour, Christmas market, hike in Asolo
Kids playdates/ new friends
Yoga
Snow
Justin being in the US while we are here because of visa/document problems
What we like about Treviso/Italy & what we miss about California

Mainly what we miss are our friends. We are making new ones here, but we'd like to keep the old (gold) ones also. Now that we are back online, you can comment here, send email, or skype. Also, if we're still on your holiday card list, our address is:
Vicolo Piave 1/A
31100 Treviso, TV
Italia

Sending love to you all. Will write again soon (I promise!)

Day Trips by Hart

Since we've been here, we've tried to get away one day each weekend. We are loving Treviso, but what better opportunity will we ever have to discover all the amazing sights in our backyard?

VENICE

Our first trip was to Venice. We ended up driving, even though the train would have been faster & easier because we had to go to IKEA first to buy a high chair! Anyhow, after that errand, we drove to Mestre & took the train into the city. We walked through town, across the Rialto bridge, and into Piazza San Marco. The weather was perfect that day, & the crowds were minimal. It was like something out of a dream (plus we were still jet-lagged, so everything seemed like it was out of a dream). The kids got hungry half-way to the Piazza, so we stopped at a pizzeria for a late lunch. Later on, when we arrived at the Piazza, Ellie said she thought we were going to get pizza! Um, didn't you just eat a whole pizza 15 minutes ago? All I can say is that girl loves pizza! I found all the shops a real distraction - the kids were constantly asking if we'd buy them something. In the future, I'll let them bring some of their own money & plan on walking slowly so they can browse & pick what treasure they really want. The kids were tired out by the time we got to the Piazza, & there was a larger crowd there, so we decided to skip the rest of the sightseeing & save it for another day - we are only 30 minutes away, after all - we can come back any time we like! So we decided to hop on a water-bus instead of walking all the way back. After figuring out how to buy tickets & getting on a bus going in the wrong direction (it was a loop, so it didn't seem to matter, except it made the trip much much longer) we ended up back at the train station about an hour & a half later! Well, not too bad for our first time out, & at least a lot of lessons were learned.

VERONA

The second weekend here, we visited Verona,which is about 1 1/2 hr. drive from Treviso. When I traveled to Europe after college, I went through Italy two times, but never had time for the little towns - pretty much only saw the biggest & most famous cities. It turns out that Verona is the 4th most visited city in Italy! The weekend we went, there was some big festival going on (which we didn't know about ahead of time), so there were a lot of people there & a lot going on. I always love Rick Steve's guides, so I took mine along & we used it to navigate the city & see all the "important" sights. First, the Arena, which dates from the first century A.D., & is still used for concerts (the day we were there, they were setting up for a Peter Gabriel concert). Must wean the baby, then find a babysitter, then we can talk about going to a concert at the Arena! Walking around town, we saw a marching piccolo band, accordian players, & dancers. We visited the House of Juliet (not really her house, but still romantic - especially since a great friend of mine's boyfriend traveled to Europe to surprise her & somehow arrived just as she was standing in the balcony & then he proposed). Along the walls, thousands of lovers have written their names. Having 3 kids in tow makes it a little less romantic, but we all started off with stars in our eyes! This was a really nice moment to teach the kids about Romeo & Juliette, too, so now they know the story - must think of this as educational for them.

near NOVENTA DI PIAVE

Last weekend we spent the afternoon on Saturday at a classmate's birthday party at a winery the parents own about 45 minutes out of town. It was so beautiful driving through the countryside! During the party, there were entertainers hired to play with the kids, & the parents watched & chatted while sipping prosseco (the wine of this region) & eating tasty snacks. It is typical for all the kids in a class to be invited to the birthday parties here, but it still is so nice to be included & everyone is so friendly!

PADOVA

On Sunday we visited Padua. There is a famous chapel there called the Scrovegni Chapel, which was built & then painted around 1300. It's considered to be the first piece of modern art - although the frescoes were all religious in nature, the subjects were portrayed in a more human way than earlier works. Please don't shoot me, art history major friends, but I'd never heard of the Scrovegni Chapel before - however now I think it must be one of the wonders of the world! It is so well preserved after all this time. Now they have a series of air locks and they limit the number of people to view it & the ammt. of time you have inside in order to keep out the moisture. It was amazing and beautiful & I highly recommend that anyone coming to Italy visit this masterpiece. After our 15 minutes in the chapel, we viewed the art gallery. I would have thought 8 & 6 were too young to appreciate the art & history of Europe, but so far things are working out for us. I really enjoyed looking at the art with the kids, & talking to Ellie about what we liked (& didn't), why some paintings might be important, & how the artists might have created their works (color, shadow, perspective, etc.).

JESOLO

Tomorrow we are going to another birthday party - this one in Jesolo (a beach town an hour away), at the family's beach house. Nice. We booked a hotel room & plan to play at the beach on Sunday. It probably won't be play-in-the-water warm, but we can at least build sandcastles & walk along the shore. Wonder how it will compare to our beloved Santa Cruz?

Happy Children by Hart

In general, the kids have been adapting to this move very well.

Ellie has noticed that Italians love dogs & almost everyone has one or more (usually small & cute) dogs. She was asking for a dog before we came to Italy, but her want has increased since we've been here. Our compromise is that once we get a house she'll be able to get a pet - NOT a dog, but maybe a guinea pig or hamster. She just needs something cuddley to love, is that so wrong? I made the mistake of shipping her most beloved stuffed animal (dog), Peanut, who is still in customs until we move into the house. Hopefully in the next month we'll move & those problems will be overcome. As far as school goes, Ellie seems to be doing well. Some subjects are very easy for her - spelling was always one of her talents, but now she is in a class with 98% native Italian speakers. She is picking up Italian amazingly quickly. They also have a subject here called, "mental maths", so she is learning to solve math problems in her head. There is an indoor pool nearby, & I've got the kids on a waiting list for lessons twice a week. Hopefully they'll get in before the bad weather begins, so they can still get some exercise. For now, lots of walking!

Liam is also adapting well. He likes school. He really likes the uniform! He has his first playdate scheduled for this afternoon - we're going to a park where kids ride bikes & scooters (the other kid is providing the vehicles). This weekend he is going to a birthday party for a classmate. PE has been a bit of a problem - they played Dodgeball his first day & didn't explain the rules. He came home & told me everyone was mean & they were all throwing balls at him! Poor guy. Liam (oh, now he goes by William at school) is also doing well in class. It is tough being thrown in with 2nd graders, but he's keeping up. He's getting used to doing homework. He comes home & explains Italian grammar rules, "Mom, if it ends in an 'o' it's a boy & if there's more than one of them, the end changes to 'i', like gelatto - gelatti, gelatto is a boy, mom!"

Ander is having more trouble than the other kids. First off, he got a new tooth the first week here. Now he has a cold. He is also going through some developmental changes - standing & cruising more, even balancing for a second or two. He's also started dancing, as you can see in the video! His language has definately been impacted by the move - he used to say at least 15 different words. Now he mainly says "mama, mommy, & ciao." I did get him to say "bubbles" the other day, but he isn't even saying "dada" any more. Hopefully this confusion won't last too much longer. Ander is also not sleeping well. He's been waking & nursing all night. I say I'll stop the night nursing when he's healthy again, but who knows what new thing will be an issue then. Hoping for the best (& a little sleep for mama)!

Treviso, a Beautiful City by Hart

A little info about Treviso: The river Sile, which runs through & around Treviso does not come from the mountains as most rivers do. Instead, it comes out of the ground (there is a place near-by where you can see the start of the river, & we will definitely visit it). Sile has a pretty constant height/current/temperature because of this. It flows to Venice, & long ago it was used to bring goods from Venice to the Northern part of Italy & other parts of Europe. Huge wooden boats would be filled up with goods & then they would be pulled by animals upstream (there are paths/roads on both sides of the river) to the center of Treviso where they would be unloaded. Where I walked with some moms from the kids' school the other day, there were the remains of some of these boats, almost a boat graveyard, because they stopped being used when cars became popular. The boats I saw decomposing in the river might be 200 years old!

I have been exploring the city as much as possible these days, since the weather is still very good. We've had two downpours (one lasted a whole day & the other was only at night) so far. I'm trying to walk as much as I can since it's the only exercise I'm getting & we're eating all this pizza & gelato. I made my way to the tourist information center & picked up a bunch of pamphlets, but haven't gotten a chance to look at them yet. I definitely know my way to the grocery store, the post office, the pharmacy, Piazza San Marco in the middle of town, & all the way across town to Porto San Tomaso. It takes about 15 minutes (without kids walking with me) to get across town from the South to the North. The city is bustling at times, with people walking in the streets (in fact, this morning there was a bit of a Disneyland -unreal- vibe). Other times, when shops are closed for lunch from 12-3:30, everything is pretty deserted; it's peaceful. Either way, though, it is beautiful; the narrow streets, the cobblestones, the arches, the water flowing through the town, the people, (& Ellie would say, "the dogs" - there are so many little dogs here!).

I am also trying to get the kids some exercise, so I've taken them on walks too. Yesterday after school I took them to see the decomposing boats in the Sile. Today, we walked to the market which is on Tues. & Sat. mornings. It is similar to a swap meet, but everything is made in Italy instead of made in China. The kids dictated stories to me about these walks, so you can read more about that soon.

Finally, for tonight, I'm including a sunset photo from our balcony. The apartment we are in has some major issues (mainly childproofing), but I love the clouds with the silver linings!

Creative Cooking by Hart

We've been eating out a lot since we arrived - well, the food is so good, & we are still getting settled. But something has happened which I never thought possible: Justin is getting tired of eating pizza!

Yesterday I took the baby to the market & really took my time looking through the aisles. I cannot believe how many sections of the store are devoted to products made from white flour! After spending almost a whole year eating gluten & dairy free, this has been a real shock for me. It reminds me of when I lived in Costa Rica for 3 months while in college - I had been a vegetarian for a few years, but I knew going into the experience that I wanted to have an open mind - I ate 6 different types of meat in the first 24 hours there because I was with a family & I ate what they offered. This time, I get to make all my own decisions (& luckily eating no gluten & dairy was a choice for me not a medical necessity). So, what to eat?

Here's how I made Italian Mexican food last night:

• warmed/toasted a piadine (like a flour tortilla) in olive oil
• melted provolone cheese on it (this provolone actually has a very strong flavor, unlike the provolone in the states, but it was the most mild cheese I could find)
• added roasted chicken (luckily they have this here, since it's a staple of our diet - someday I'll learn to make my own, but this is too convenient)
• added black beans (yes, I schlepped one can of black beans from home - um, was the extra weight worth it? probably not, but we enjoyed it anyhow)
• then, we all added what we wanted: lettuce, chopped tomato, chopped grilled bell peppers (very popular here), a mixture of zucchini & mushrooms (mushrooms are in season here & are delicious! )that I sauteed earlier, & salsa (I found a mini-jar of Old El Paso at the store, right next to the soy-sauce, which I also bought for the pantry)

OK, it sounds like too much of too many things, but it actually tasted pretty good!

Tonight, back to Italian: pasta (we're having fun taking turns picking out the shape since there are about 100 different kinds), tomato sauce with zucchini & mushrooms, and a salad with chicken. The food here doesn't keep as long as in the states, so my new trick will be to only shop a little at a time & make sure I use the food before it goes bad. Actually, that's a good habit to get into no matter where we live!

Home Tour by Hart

As you can see from the photo, the world is our oyster here! This is one of the homes we were taken to on our tour - Liam's favorite, by the way. This home was pretty far outside of town, but on a huge estate. The main building had a giant entryroom with 4 rooms off of it. To the right was the kitchen (our guide said his whole flat could fit inside the kitchen!). To the left, through a few more rooms, was the private chapel. Anyone want to get married in Italy? Upsatirs, there was another giant room with 4 more rooms off of it. On the top floor, there was a whole 2br flat with a kitchen & bathroom. As you can see, the grounds were extensive. This picture was taken half-way from the road. The back yard was even bigger, with a fountain, swimming pool, tennis courts, fruit trees, etc. There were tons of statues in & outside the home, plus huge vases, & the walls were cloth-covered. It was truly something out of a movie. I am sorry to tell you, though, that there is no way I could live there. I mean, without at least 10, maybe 20 servants. It would be very lonely out there all the time, just me & Ander. Plus, I'm afraid I'd never see Liam again, once he got into exploring. Oh, did I mention all the antiques that I'd be worried would get damaged? It was amazing, though.

There are two other homes we saw, which are front runners:

The first was modern (not usually our style, but we both liked this one a lot). It was located a short walking distance from the city wall. It is smaller than our Palo Alto house, but well designed & seems like it would be comfortable for our family. It was really beautiful.

The other house is older, but updated. It reminds me of the house Elizabeth Bennett's family lived in in Pride & Prejudice. Well, half of that house since this is a duplex. The family that lives in the other half also have children who attend the International School. The house is located very close to the kids' school & Justin's work, but there isn't really any place to walk from there so I'd have to drive to do my shopping.

I'm really glad that I'm just looking to rent, because having to make these decisions if I were buying would be extremely difficult. Whatever happens, I'm sure it'll work out -you know I'll keep you posted!

The First Week by Hart

Well, we've already started to enjoy some of the Italian way of life. Our apartment has a few flaws (mainly tons of stairs which makes it tough with kids, especially a baby), but it is right outside the city wall. Treviso is a mideval town with a wall around the center city and a river/moat? flowing around it. There are also rivers & canals throughout the city. Many of the streets & sidewalks are cobblestones. Cars drive in the city, but many people walk, & some of the streets are so narrow no car could get through.

From our apartment, we can walk 2 blocks to the train station tunnel (which we will go to tomorrow for our first trip to Venice). We walk through the tunnel & on the other side, we're inside the city. There we find cafe's - the closest one to us has the most amazing freshly squeezed OJ, plus croissants with apricot jam inside &, of course espresso. There are also many restaurants (pizza & pasta mainly, but also gyros). We've been eating out a lot so far since we are not exactly settled yet. We also found a grocery store, so we have purchased some groceries. Everything here is a little different - in the store, when you want to purchase fresh fruits or veggies, you have to weigh them & get a sticker printed out to put on them. Then, take them to the register. The first time I went to the store, I didn't know that & the clerk went & did it for me. I think my experience here is going to be a lot of trial & error!

On Thursday, we visited the kids' new school, the International School of Treviso. It is nice & the children & teachers were very welcoming. It will be challenging, I know, though, since most of the children are native Italian speakers. In class they'll be speaking in English, but on the playground. . . well, Ellie & Liam will have to pick it up quickly, I guess. They'll be pulled out for Italian lessons. I'm sure they will learn more easily than me! The school also has a pool & many after-school activities. We'll see about that once we get settled.

On Friday, we went on a home-finding tour. I'll devote another post to that.

Today it rained. Of course, I shipped my boots. Hmmm - may have to buy some here! Oh, did I mention all the beautiful clothes and shoes in the shops in town? I just like looking, but I know at least one friend who would LOVE to shop here.

Tomorrow, Sunday, everything around here will be closed (places are also closed Mon. mornings, Wed. afternoons, and every day from about 12-3:30). Our plan is to visit Venice tomorrow, so more about that later!

Never Flying Again by Hart

Do you really want the details? I'll try to give them without complaining too much.

On Sunday morning I started freaking out because I couldn't fit everything in our luggage - plus it was so heavy & there was so much of it. My excuse is, "We're moving to Italy!" I got that issue figured out only to get stuck in traffic on 101 for almost 2 hours - there was a terrible crash & when we figured out that we would miss the flight, we turned around & got home in 10 minutes! Amazingly, Justin's work was able to get us on the same flight the next day. That night my mom & dad took us to a hotel near the airport where we ate dinner & then we were on our own. Surprisingly, we had a great night's sleep. Oh, & Ander started pointing. So cute.

On Monday, we got to the airport 4 hours early, so we could check in & get seats together on the plane. I ended up having to pay a lot for the extra heavy luggage (I think the guy was new on the job because Justin said he's never had to pay - this one was a stickler for the rules). The flight was fairly uneventful although timing bathroom visits is tough with the fasten seatbelt sign & food/drink service. Liam had to hold it on the take-off & Ellie on landing. We did not have mini TV's at our seats, but the kids watched the movie on the upper TV screen. Liam & Ander slept the last 5 hours. Ellie only slept one hour. I didn't sleep at all.

In Frankfurt, we found ourselves at terminal C & had to go all the way to terminal A. First, though, there was a huge flight of stairs leading out of the plane - I asked an attendant for help with the baggage even though they told me that children should only carry what they can manage. Apparently, they didn't understand that I needed all that stuff because "We're moving to Italy". Then, we took a bus to the terminal. Our flight wasn't listed on the monitors, which was stressful. I was really worried about missing the flight because I had been warned that the airport was huge & didn't have much time after deplaning & taking that bus. We went through a passport check & into the main part of the airport. Then we had to go through a security checkpoint! Luckily no taking shoes off or disposing of water bottles there. After that, we rushed (& man, I've never seen Ellie & Liam book it like that!) all the way to our gate. We were sweaty & tired when we arrived at the gate - then realized we still had an hour until take-off. Time to use the restroom & get my first espresso of the trip & some breakfast for myself & the kids.

The second flight was so nice compared to the first - the plane was clean & newer, & the attendants were kind. It went by in a flash & then we got to see Justin! I had to send the kids out to him & then make two trips to get the big luggage. People already seemed helpful & were smiling & cooing at Ander as people back home said they would.

Justin had a car, but we split up & I took a taxi to the apartment so we could bring all the luggage. Did I mention that "We're moving to Italy?" Actually, I brought WAY too much stuff on the plane & in our checked baggage. I should have shipped at least 4 more boxes. I guess I didn't realize how heavy clothes could be. Plus, I wanted to be prepared for any obstacle. During the whole trip I did not use any of the liquid toiletries that I brought on board. Also, the kids backpacks must have weighed at least 15 pounds each with all the books & games we brought on board - which they never used either! Our computer weighed 12 pounds on it's own! Please, if anyone reading this is going to travel abroad with kids, learn from my mistakes & simplify.

After this trip I've decided that I definitely want to stay here as long as possible so I don't have to do that again! Of course next time I won't be alone with 3 children & we'll be sure to buy a seat for the baby. And, I've learned so much, it could never be that hard again.

Moving Day by Hart

We've been wanting to travel overseas for a long time now - maybe 10 years or more. When the opportunity arose a couple of months ago for Justin to take a job in Treviso, Italy, we jumped at the chance. Of course, all the bureaucracy of a large company made the process slow & stressful. Finally, last Wednesday afternoon (3 days ago) we got the OK to join him. Since then, I've gotten about 30 emails from different departments, all with information & requiring responses of some sort or the other. We got plane tickets. A car has been reserved for us. Justin is moving from a hotel into a furnished apartment where we will live until we find more permanent housing. We've been contacted about cultural training. We've been contacted about language training. We found spots for the kids in an international school. We packed up our essentials & items that might be needed through the winter. And today, the movers came.

The movers arrived at 8 this morning & I was relieved to see that all our stuff fit in one air shipment container. We aren't taking much, but it still seems silly shipping kids' clothes & toys all the way to Italy. That seems less wasteful than buying new stuff when we arrive, though. Luckily, most things can stay right where they are at home until we return.

For those of you who are just now learning about our trip, the plan is to stay in Italy for the duration of Justin's current job which should be about 6-9 months. It is possible we will return sooner than that, but hopefully not! We would love to keep in touch through this blog, on Facebook, through email, or via Skype. I will miss all my friends & family, but I think it will be most challenging for Ellie & Liam. I can already tell they are feeling sad about leaving.

Tomorrow I fly with the kids (ALONE!!!). Maybe I'll post about that next time, from Italy.

Until then, arrivederci!