Buon Natale / Merry Christmas! - 24 decembre, 2013

We are appreciating the opportunity to experience Christmas in Italy this year. It helps that our daughter Annie is here visiting with us, but we wish we could share this with the rest of our family and friends. From our limited perspective, it seems like Christmas is still very much a religious holiday here in Italy. There are nativity scenes (called "Christmas cribs") in many public places and most of the lighting displays are of religious scenes. There is less emphasis on home holiday decorating and gift giving and more on family gatherings and traditional meals. 

The holiday break extends all the way to Epiphany on January 6th. Italian children receive toys on the eve of Epiphany from "La Befana". She is an old woman who legend says missed the birth of Jesus and since then has been looking for good children worthy of receiving gifts.

We will attend the midnight Christmas Eve service tonight in our neighborhood and then tomorrow go to an agriturismo (farm restaurant) for a traditional holiday meal. Buon Natale!

Piazza del Duomo 

Mass being held in the middle of the Milano Cadorna train station (21 Dec.)

Simple but beautiful decorations

Outdoor market stalls with local goods.

Temporary skating rink set up near the lake

Fun in the pedestrian streets

Holiday light projections

Traditional Christmas cake (Panettone), a sweet bread.

Piazza del Duomo

Breathe in ... Breathe out - 18 decembre, 2013

I think I figured out one of the reasons why people in Switzerland yodel; it's the combination of being in the presence of spectacular beauty while you are walking barefoot across freezing snow to slip into a hot thermal bath.  It just makes you feel like yodeling.

We live 3 kilometers from the Switzerland border. The German-speaking region in the southwest part of the country bordering Italy is called the Valais and is known for the Matterhorn, some great ski resorts, and lots of sunshine. Annie and Amber arrived for a holiday visit so we decided to take a road trip to check out part of the Valais. Our intended destination was Leukerbad (which means Leuker - baths), a small mountain town known for having 30 natural hot springs. We thought it would be a great way to help Annie and Amber relax since they both have grueling schedules in the U.S.

But first, since the skies were blue, we took a detour to Zermatt which is located at the end of a long valley that ends near the Matterhorn. It can be disappointing to travel all that way only to find the beloved mountain shrouded in clouds or obscured by snowfall. On this day, all systems were go as we  hopped on the train that takes you from Tatsch to the car-free village of Zermatt. Then we boarded a funivia, then a gondola, and finally a cable car to get to Rothorn where we had a clear, straight-on view of the Matterhorn. (In Italy, this peak is known at Mt Cervino).  It was as beautiful as we had anticipated but instead of feeling satisfied, we felt motivated to return in the summer when the ski terrain becomes hikeable.

We left Zermatt and headed north toward Brig and Visp. It was dark as we drove the last 45 minutes on a narrow, winding road up a mountain to Leukerbad. It was probably good that it was too dark to see the steep drop-offs and flimsy guardrails. We found our hotel (The Lindner) which is attached to its own spa and themal bath complex. We realized it was a different kind of place when we met people in the hotel lobby in their bathrobes. Soon, we too were walking between buildings and through public spaces in our robes and flip flops. The main pools are 35 degrees Centigrade (95 F) but there are smaller pools that are both colder and hotter. There is an entire "Sauna Village" with cold plunge pools that I avoided since no clothes are worn and it is coed!

It is difficult to describe how relaxing it is to sit in a warm, bubbling pool and look at the soaring mountain walls around you. It is a simple place, not fancy or pretentious. Our biggest problem was understanding directions since the primary languages spoken are German and French. We met no other Americans there and only a few staff members were able to communicate in English so we got better at deciphering the stick figure diagrams.  Of course we had to have some Fondue before we headed home.  Our minds were clear, our skin was clean (albeit a little pruney), and our muscles were relaxed so it was time to go.

Leukerbad

 

Even the fountains had hot water!

The "car ferry" train provides a shortcut through the mountains.

Christkindlmarkt - 7 décembre, 2013

This year, our 35th wedding anniversary (November 25) fell on a day when Dave was away on a business trip, so we planned a special weekend trip to Vienna, Austria to celebrate. We had heard about their Christkindlmarkts in the German tradition of outdoor Christmas markets with festive food, music, crafts and gift booths. We flew to Vienna early Saturday morning, took the fast train into the city and were wandering through the markets by mid-afternoon. By 4:30 PM it was getting dark, and the crowds grew as lights twinkled everywhere. The extraordinary architecture of the palaces, churches, and opera house was highlighted by the illumination.

We stayed at Le Méridien Hotel in the city center which allowed us to walk everywhere. We were amazed by how many people of all ages were out enjoying the city on a cold, windy winter weekend. We warmed ourselves up by taking the "hop on-hop off" bus tour around the inner ring of the city and by climbing up the tower of St Stephen's Church for a bird's eye view. Sunday afternoon, we rode the metro to Schönbronn Palace to visit the market there. We had fun shopping for small Christmas ornaments for our still bare Italian Christmas tree. Our romantic weekend abruptly ended when we had to get up at the crack of dawn Monday morning to catch a 6:30 AM flight back to Italy.  

Rathausplatz 

Market at the Old Hospital

Spittelberg Market

Schönbrunn Palace Market

Expat Thanksgiving - 30 novembre, 2013

Thanksgiving Day was just another weekday in Como. Dave went to work, there was normal activity out on the street and I had an Italian lesson scheduled. But then I made the mistake of checking Facebook and was immediately overcome by the first real bout of homesickness I have had since arriving in Italy. I looked at photo after photo of family gatherings and food preparation and read all the comments about weather, travel, football and more football. By the time we did video chats with Annie and Pat later in the day, I was coming out of my funk and looking forward to our weekend trip to Nyon, Switzerland.

Our friends Beth and Roma who also recently relocated to Europe, had invited us to spend  Thanksgiving weekend with them in Switzerland. Our plan was to take a relaxing train ride there but when the first train of the itinerary was seriously delayed, we made a last minute decision to drive. Just a little over four hours and a trip through the Mt Blanc tunnel later, we arrived at their apartment in Nyon. This community which was settled by the Romans over 2000 years ago is just northeast of Geneva on the shores of Lake Geneva

Medieval Nyon Castle

Column Iulia Equestris.

We enjoyed walking through the town both in the evening and during the day. Our afternoon walk took us by Roman ruins, contented cows and a tranquil park. After burning enough calories, even fitness-obsessed Dave and Beth allowed themselves to indulge in the delicious Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Roma. And even though we didn't get to see any American football on television, we did get to enjoy Beth's glee when she heard that Auburn beat Alabama. 

Expat Thanksgiving Dinner

On the return drive, we encountered clouds and light snow as we approached the Mt. Blanc tunnel but as we emerged on the Italy side, we found bright sunshine. We made a spontaneous decision to stop and take the cable car up. It turned out to be a two part ride and then a steep climb up stairs inside a metal tunnel. When we emerged at the top, the view was spectacular and reminded us of our trip to the Vallée Blanche with the LHS ski club several years ago. We walked around in the snow until we were freezing and then headed down for the drive home. We continue to be amazed how close we currently live to these incredible places.

Cable car up Mt Blanc (Monte Bianco in Italy)

Looking toward France

Now I'm Legal - 26 novembre, 2013

Five trips to 3 different municipal offices and 10 hours of civics class later, I finally have my legal standing in Italy. I have stood in line for hours, been finger printed, produced documents including my college diploma and original wedding certificate and have had the assistance of a consultant provided by David's company. So it seemed a little anti-climatic when on my most recent trip to the Questura (police station), they just handed me my card.  

The Permsso di Soggiorno (Permit to Stay) is the equivalent of a Green Card in the United States.

It gives me legal permission to stay in Italy for two years and then I will need to apply to have it renewed. The type of permit that I have is for "motive familiari" which means for family reasons. After we had had applied for our Permit to Stay, we were able to register as residents of the city of Como. A city official actually showed up unannounced at our apartment to inspect it and make sure we really did live there.

The last step in the process was to apply and receive my Italian Identity Card which also has a photo and identifying information. It includes my height (170 cm) and my eye and hair color which were determined by the official behind the desk. David was amused to notice that in Italy, I am considered to be blonde. Now that I understand the system a little better, it is not so intimidating, but this journey has only made me more empathetic for the millions of immigrants and temporary workers in the U.S and other countries who do not have the advantages that I have had. Following complicated and confusing directions given in a language you do not yet speak fluently is difficult and frustrating. I am very happy to close this chapter for now.