Well, back at the keyboard. Veronica and I have been busy, between working and travelling. So I'll start with the work. With the wine almost done, all we have to do is push the cap down three times a day. We use a tool to duplicate the stomping people used to do with their feet... Have also been working around the garden -- put up a green house, and Veronica is learning to plant and harvest vegetables. She seems to be getting good at it, although as she said today, "It's still easier to go to the grocery store!" This morning I was actually in the olive grove, pruning the little sucker branches from the trees. It was actually a very pleasant way to spend the morning with the gogrous surrounding countryside...
We've been getting out a bit more lately, both by ourselves, and with our host, Ugo. Also been walking a lot--Ugo has taken us on a few hikes around the surrounding countryside, complete with narration about the area and meeting the neighbors. Veronica is settling in and she and Ugo get along well.
As for travel, we spent a night in Cortona, and then tried to drive to Assizi. Along the way to Assizi, we started noticing a lot of people on the side of the highway, all dressed in red or blue, with large rainbow banners that hade the letters "PACE" on them. Fortuantely, Ugo had one over his patio and I had asked him what it meant. "PACE" means peace... So at least we didn't think it was a gay rally... So as we get closer to Assizi, there are more cops and busses than I think I've ever seen. We get to the outskirts of Assizi, and it becomes obvious that there is some sort of rally going on, and we decide it's best to get the hell out of dodge, or we'd be stuck in a real mess. So we bail and decide to head south to another hill town -- Orvieto. Along the way, on the radio, I hear a news broadcast saying the 200,000 people were marching to Assizi, protesting war in general, and also the situation in Burma... Ironically enough, the last time we were in Munich, we almost got stuck in an anti-globalization rally against the G7 meeting... The Europeans seem to turn their political dislikes into giant parties!!!
So, Veronica was about done with Tuscan hill towns till we found Orvieto. What a wonderful place to visit. We found a great inexpensive hotel in the perfect location, and really had a great time. Toured the Etruscan caves under the city, and just had a blast. We may have to go back for another visit if we can fit it in...
Our next trip may be a run south to Roma as Veronica has never been--that will be a train trip as driving in Rome is worse than NYC... Ugo will arrange a hotel for us so we should get a good deal. We may also try to head south to Puglia, where I used to live. It's about 500 miles, but hell, we've come this far... Not a lot of touristy things down there, but I still remember how to get to 31 Via Don Minzonni, in San Vito where Lisa, Diana and I lived. Alberobello is near by, and that would also be worth a visit. Veronica says we should take a train and rent a car for two days, but I haven't decided yet.
The other trip we want to do from here is to hit Venice. Been once before, but it would be nice to see in a bit warmer weather. Last time it was February... And after we're done at the vineyard/farm, we're planning to head to the south of France for a few days -- Nice, Monaco, etc. The only thing with that is I don't speak a word of French... Se la Vie...
So we're both doing well. And I have to give Veronica a few words of praise. I wasn't sure how she was going to handle things, but she's adapting well to life in the country. She's still always trying to improve every process, but that's the German in her. The Itailian in Ugo is not up to much change though!
So I'll close for now. Got an email from Diana and I guess our house survived a pretty strong wind storm a few days back. Blew over some plants, but she and Andrew put everything back together.
Oh, and one other thing. We got an email with a photo of Tiffany in basic training. What a weird feeling to see her in an air force uniform! She seems to be doing well, or as well as can be expected!
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5 comments:
C'est la vie :-)
Sounds like you guys are having a great time!
Don't worry about your lack of French, while you might not be able to speak much of it, your familiarity with Italian (and Spanish) will make understanding all the important stuff a breeze :-)
Everything is well here! Look forward to seeing pictures when you can use your own computer!
Orvieto sounds like a great place to visit. We'll have to put it on our list for the next time. When in France try "Pardon moi. Je le parle un petit peut la Francais. Parlez-vous Englais? They'll figure that at least you tried to assimulate into their culture and maybe they won't spit in your food... too much. Also, try ordering the "Freedom Fries" and let us know what happens.
Cheers,
--- Tim Guest ---
Ray,
It may be easier to buy things from the store but the quality is just not the same as a fruits and vegetables you grew yourself. You also get a sense of accomplishment from growing your own as well as the knowledge of exactly what was or wasn’t done to affect the finished product - i.e. fertilizers, pesticides etc. Good information to have these days when grocery stores and restaurants occasional provide tainted products.
And speaking of tainted products, thanks to Tim I now understand why my “Fritures De Freedon” don’t taste quite right!
I hope you both continue to have a wonderful time. We certainly enjoy reading all about it.
I've gotta say that I'm intrigued by your adventure... I wonder if West would be up for something like this. I'll have to get him to read your blog to see.
Then again, it may serve me better to just live precariously through you both ;-)
C'est la vie!
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