Humans of Como - 31 luglio, 2014

This post is an homage to the amazing blog, Humans of New York. (www.humansofnewyork.com)

Ignazio - Skipper of a sightseeing boat 

"What is the best part of your job?"
"The last cruise of the day because it is always the most beautiful."
"What do tourists want to know about the lake?
"Italians: where can they eat well, Americans: where is Clooney?, Chinese want to take photos, and Russians: how much does it cost?"

Sister Guilia, Mother Superior

"What is the most difficult part of your work with the poor?"

"The difficulty we have getting in tune with their way of seeing. There are misunderstandings and tension."

"What is the best part?

"I am happy when I can give a little joy to my brothers in need.

Mody, from Senegal, age 32

 "What is the hardest part of selling books on the street?
"No one wants to buy them."
"What do you want to do in the future?
"I would like to train to be a mechanic and work on cars.

Alessandro, student musician, age 16
Seen on Via Luini

I have been inspired by Brandon Stanton who is a 28 year old street photographer in New York City. He has spent the past four years taking portraits of ordinary people he meets as he walks around the city.  I am most impressed by his ability to engage his subjects in meaningful conversation so he can add their unique voice to their image.  Brandon described it as "picking random people and celebrating them on a stage".  His Humans of New York blog has the most captivating photos that are simply posed yet rich in detail and expression.

I spend a lot of time wandering around the streets of Como with my camera and I often see the most interesting people that I would like to photograph. I have been humbled by how difficult it is to approach people, ask to photograph them, and then try to have a conversation. It is not my intention to try to imitate the talented Mr. Stanton; I need to find my own creative path. But whether one is in New York City or Como, Italy,  I believe that everyone has a story to tell and enjoys having their life acknowledged.

Pure Summer in Falsterbo, Sweden - 21 luglio, 2104

In 1904, a sixteen year old girl traveled from Sweden to the United States so she could begin a new life. She settled in Ohio and her grandson David is my husband. We have been fortunate to have been able to meet many of his Swedish relatives over the past 30 years. We have visited Sweden twice, taken some joint vacations and and have hosted many of the relatives at our home in Cleveland. We treasure our relationships with this branch of the family, so one of the perks of Dave accepting an European assignment was living close enough to make a weekend visit. We found a direct flight on EasyJet from Milan to Copenhagen (Denmark).

Summer in Sweden is fleeting and the weather can be unpredictable. But in July, when it seems the whole country is on vacation, the sky is a deep blue, the temperature warms and the seashore beckons. David's cousin Peter, who helped us plan our first overseas trip 28 years ago, was our host and he outfitted us with bicycles and led the way on a sandy trail through the forest to the beach.  Nestled in the sand dunes and among the trees are little painted beach huts colored like a child's crayons. There are clusters of parked bikes and carts wherever the openings lead to the sea.

The beach is filled with families and groups of friends who meet in this corner of Sweden every summer. The Falsterbo peninsula with the villages of Falsterbo and Skanör is lined with beaches along both the Baltic Sea and the Oresund Sound. In the distance you can see the high bridge that now connects southern Sweden to Denmark.  With two links golf courses and a large nature preserve, much of the land is still open and wild. The pace is relaxed and the focus is on the children. For us, this weekend was different from the other recent trips we have taken as tourists; this was just a very pleasurable moment in the sun, spending time with family.

Peter leading the way through the forest.

Skanör

Oldest house in Falsterbo

Falsterbo lighthouse

Annie and Elin

A "pop-up" restaurant in the sand

While the adults lingered over dinner, the kids played.

The long bridge 

Full Moon Rising - 13 luglio, 2014

Last Friday evening, I  had dinner with several hundred new friends on the shores of Lake Como. It was the kind of spontaneous delight that I never dreamed I would experience when I moved here. In many ways, it perfectly represented the passion and beauty that I have come to love about the Italian culture.

About a month ago, my friend Sarah mentioned the "Secret Dinner" to me so I checked it out on Facebook. These flash-mob style dinner parties have taken place in a couple of other Italian cities in the past year and one was planned for Como for the 11th of July. The information provided online (in Italian, of course) gave some guidelines: participants were to wear white (with red accessories if desired), participants were to bring their own table, chairs, food, beverages, and no paper or plastic products were allowed. There was no charge to participate and once we signed up, we were given a number and told we would be notified at the last minute where the actual location was. Several of our friends who were initially interested in going, backed out because the instructions and arrangements seemed to be a little vague and complicated. And yes, even Dave balked when he realized that we were going to have to take our own table and chairs and "all that stuff" to a undetermined location. We ended up with a group of six (including Dave) and together, we were able to come up with everything we needed.

An hour before the event, the location showed up on the Facebook page with instructions about where we could park.The waterfront road around Lago di Como is always congested but when he saw our attire, we were able to convince the traffic polizia to let us drive into the restricted area. The all white outfits seemed to be the admission ticket. It was an amazing sight to see the ingenious and creative ways that a large group of people employed to set up an elegant and comfortable outdoor dining room. White tablecloths, cloth napkins, formal dinnerware, candles, centerpieces of roses and hydrangeas - it was a sight to behold.  Then the food and wine started to appear from picnic baskets and tote bags and people took their seats. Around 9:00 PM, a signal was given to begin the actual dinner but if the truth be told, our table of Americans and Brits had already started on our antipasti.

Piazza Risorgimento - before

Musicians greeted us during set-up

Organized chaos ....

...but in less than an hour, the space was transformed into this.

Sarah and Katherine

Dave admitting that he is glad he went. (photo by Katherine)

For the next two hours, everyone sat and enjoyed food, wine, good company and conversation, and the beautiful summer night. The week that was just ending had been rainy and cool, so it seemed like a special gift to have a warm, clear evening. At one point, a buzz went through the crowd as people noticed and pointed at the moon rising over the mountain behind us. The people at our table just looked at each other and agreed that it all seemed almost too perfect to be real.

There was an opportunity to make a donation to a charity and a group toast was made to the organizers. Sparklers were passed out, lit and held high to mark the end of the evening. And then, just as quickly as it had formed, the "mob" dispersed and disappeared into the darkness.

Moonrise

Sparkling conclusion

In Search of Heidi - 7 luglio, 2014

I have made some wonderful friends through the International Club of Como and one of those friends is Kim from Northern Ireland. She likes to hike as much as I do and I have learned to always take it seriously when she invites me to go on an adventure with her. She is married to an Italian man and has lived in Northern Italy for 30 years, so she really knows some special areas that are truly off the beaten path.

And it is no secret that I suspect that Heidi was a distant relative of mine or that when I was younger, I pretended that I was a member of the Von Trapp family.  Reading Johanna Spyri's classic book and my repeated viewings of The Sound of Music imprinted on me an uncontrollable urge to run singing through Alpine fields of wildflowers. So last week, when I joined Kim and two other women friends for a girls' road trip to Livigno, I was in for a treat. We ended up in the storybook landscape that I had long hoped to find someday.

Livigno is in an isolated valley high in the Alps in a part of Italy that is tucked up into eastern Switzerland, not far from both Austria and Lichtenstein.  The Swiss town of Maienfeld which actually inspired the setting for Heidi, is only about 50 km (30 miles) away.  Livigno, which is a ski resort town in the winter, has an elevation of 1816 meters or almost 6,000 feet.   High mountain pastures abundant with wildflowers rise above the village to forests of fir trees and then up to stark granite mountain peaks.  Animals graze in the pastures and as they move around, the sound of their bells drifts up and down the hillsides.

We took a gondola up to the top of the ski area and then hiked for several hours on trails above the tree line. I met a couple in their 80's who were stretched out on a blanket at a scenic overlook: they told me that hiking in the high altitude keeps them young.  Another day, after we awoke to frost on the ground (it's July) we went for a bike ride along the river bike trail. We met more cows, goats, and horses. We also stopped at the community cooperative "latteria" where the local milk, cheeses and yogurt were served.  Even though, I didn't actually get a glimpse of Heidi, I do feel like I might have met Peter the goatherd and I saw several huts her grandfather might have lived in.  As we drove away, up over the Bernina Pass, I could still hear the music of the bells, softly clanking.

Bettina, Kim, Cammie, Jeanne  (Photo by fellow hiker)