Health Club Menu

I was struck by the menu at the health club and wanted to share it with you...note five out of the first six items are coffee or coffee-like products...

...then comes hot chocolate...

...and then fruit juices, water, soda...

... and then aperitifs...

For $1.20, latte macchiato.

The drinks case. From top: fruit juices.
Then tonic, campari, bitters, and beer
(the large bottle at the bottom)

Bottoms up! 

Love,

Alexandra

White Elephant, Anyone?

Those who know me know that I LOVE elephants, and in fact had rather an extensive collection in my Atlanta house. Those of you who know me also know that I'm a tea addict.

So, when I ran across this milk jug, there was no resisting him. And he was only a few euros; even better!

It was rather difficult to pour while taking photos...note the spill...

Love,

Alexandra

p.s. And, yes, Michael is SERIOUSLY rolling his eyes over this purchase.

Why I Ski in All Weather

Some people like to ski when the snow is fresh, it isn't too cold or windy, and the sun is out. I like to ski then, too, but also when it is cloudy, foggy, windy, and snowy. I love the magic of the constantly changing conditions, but I have to admit that a little of the reason this time was that the mountain was much bigger than our accommodations.

Don't get me wrong: Alexandra did a great job finding a place to stay with a fantastic location. I did not drive an inch from the time we arrived to the time we departed, and everyone could come and go when they wanted without my having to get off the mountain. However, it was a stretch for the hotel to describe these as "apartments".

Here is James in the kitchen, which doubles as the hallway if you close the doors that hide the stove, refrigerator (under the counter), sink, and cabinets. That hallway is maybe a meter wide, so you can imagine that it is a little hard to pass anyone using the kitchen.




Just beyond James is the dining area. It is just big enough for the four folding chairs as long as you don't need to get into the cabinets along the side...




...or pass between the table and the couch to the right. There was a gap of about 18 inches between the corner of the table and that couch.







Those two couches were the two twin beds. Alexandra and I shared the luxury of the queen-sized bed in the separate bedroom just to the right as you enter the apartment.




Yes, that is the whole bedroom. This view lets you see that it wasn't any more spacious at the foot of the bed, at least not when you closed the two sliding doors that cover the opening.




Did I say the bedroom was separate? Maybe I overstated the case. Those loose sliding doors certainly gave no privacy, and the partition wall stopped a foot from the ceiling. Ore House, anyone?

If you are wondering how we fit seven people in this apartment, we didn't. The girls were down the hall in another spacious apartment sized for three.

Oh, one other thing that shows the difference in cultural norms. Despite the tiny size, they squeezed a bidet in the bathroom. They also put granite slab floors and wall panels in the bathroom and kitchen.

Michael

A Word About Packaging

One of the things I find absolutely charming about Italy is the attention the shops put into their packaging. You cannot get out of a store without a bow, ribbon, sticker, wrapping paper, and (of course) "scotch" (what they call scotch tape).

I went to the pastry shop today, and just had to share my experience with you.

Outer Wrapping: Bag with Identifying Sticker

Inside: beautifully wrapped parcel. Note the bow and "scotch".

Inside: Yummies Carefully Protected by a Cardboard Insert

Love,

Alexandra

Ski report

We've had an absolutely AMAZING week here in Madonna di Campiglio. It turns out to be the most adorable little resort village. Our hotel is right off the main piazza, in short walking distance of TWO lifts (okay, one of the lifts is a little further away than I'd prefer, but it's not a big deal...8 minutes MAYBE in ski boots?).

The first day was really snowy. The more intrepid went out and had a marvelous time. The more trepid of us stayed in and had a marvelous time. Actually, we went and got groceries and hung out in pajamas.

After that, we've had stellar weather. It was starting to get a wee bit scraped up yesterday, so the skies cooperated and dumped about 6 inches of snow in the mid- to late afternoon.  And today was GLORIOUS!

I don't want to take away from Ashley's blog post (ahem, Ashley), but (spoiler alert)...guess who went out on a snowboard today? She had a lesson and said it was super-hard, but she did very, very well.

As a tantalizer, I provide you these photos:

There's just a wee bit of snow

Michael feeling smug about his lunch: cheese platter (complete with pear slices), salad, and a touch of wine.

Jeremy trying not to smile

By the way, it's nearly impossible to get everyone looking the same way while on the mountain

James and Eleanor on the lift

Hot chocolate stop, second day out

Hot chocolate, Italian style...so thick you can stand your spoon in it

Yesterday afternoon...getting ready to dump fresh snow on us!

Love,

Alexandra

Bombed out by the Bombardino...aka, I'm a wide-awake drunk

Last night, I couldn't resist the call of a local drink called the "Bombardino." Theoretically it exists in many areas of Italy, with regional variations, but I've never come across it.

You can have it with coffee or without. Last night, I had it without (because that's how it arrived; my local sports bar waitress made the decision for me), and it is very similar to a hot eggnog. Gotta say, it was worth having a second time today.

Since it was earlier in the evening, Eri actually asked me whether I wanted coffee or not. "Sure, why not?" It's even BETTER going the whole way. Wow.

So now, as Eleanor puts it, I'm hyper AND drunk.

Love,

Your local sports bar fanatic

Linguistics

I have been enjoying my increased Italian vocabulary which has given me further insights into names that I have grown up knowing...many of which refer to shapes of pasta (or music!). For instance:

Spago = twine, string; spaghetti = “little strings”

Tiramisu = “pick-me-up” (made-up name, though, with unknown etymology, c. 1980)

“spada” = sword, hence “spades” in cards

Verme = “worm”, vermicolare = “shaped like a worm” ...I have to believe that vermicelli refers also to worms...

Macchiato = “stained”...so a “cafe macchiato” is coffee with a dab of milk. Latte macchiato is hot milk stained with a bit of coffee, by contrast (and is delicious, by the way...especially with cocoa on top!)

Piano/forte are words that are used to mean more than just quiet/loud. They also mean slowly/quickly, gently/strongly, and so on. 

Libretto (the words of opera) = “little book”

maestro = master

Fette = “slice”, so fettuccini = sliced pasta

Tagliata = “cut”, so tagliatelle = cut pasta (and there’s a pasta that’s in small, flat pieces, often cut by hand, called “maltagliata” meaning “poorly cut”)

Pesto = “stuff ground in a (you guessed it) pestle”

Ragu = sauce, made with a tomato base & meat

Incidentally, the word “pasta” can mean:

What anglophones call pasta (as in, noodles, spaghetti, etc.)

Dough

Paste (of any sort, including wallpaper paste, toothpaste, etc.)

Mixture

Pastry

And I’m sure a variety of other things I can’t remember at the moment.

Love,

Alexandra

For the Love of Chocolate

Eleanor and I were very impressed with the department store here. It is a three-level shop, with the lowest level being the grocery section. What amazed us is, in a shop smaller than 1/2 the size of the average CVS, they had a chocolate section that included (among the usual suspects of plain, milk, hazelnut, etc.) the following flavors:

Strudel

Apple

Cranberry

Mulled Wine

Beer

Bombardino (some type of alcoholic beverage, I think)

Blueberry

Forest Fruits

Tiramisu

Honey

Grappa

Prosecco

Cappuccino

Apricot

Chestnut

and (my favorite)

Mountain Pine

Love,

Alexandra

Update: they also have an Oreo flavor. Go figure.

James...the Prodigal Son

Today was a "normal" Saturday, meaning all of the kids would be home by 1:30 or so. We had pizza from Massimo's, since we're leaving to go skiing tomorrow (! Can't wait!). As is usual on that sort of day, we meandered down in series, leaving our purchases on the tab ... to be paid by the last person in the pizzeria.

I have addicted the children to Merlin (BBC series), and suggested that we watch as a treat during lunch. James was a bit late, but we didn't think much of it -- it happens sometimes. And we started the episode.

At 2:15, I realized that James wasn't home, so I tried his cell phone. No response. About 15 minutes later, I looked up the school's number. No response there, which was to be expected given the time. I also called the scout leader to make sure James hadn't mistakenly attempted to go on their overnight outing that started this afternoon.

A little while later, we decided perhaps it was time to take a look for him. So off we trotted...Jeremy on his bike, Eleanor in the piazza and surroundings, Ashley down via Consolazione, Michael up to the park, and so on. I saw the policemen hanging out in the piazza, so I went to talk to them. The elder of the two asked immediately, "Oh, your son who rides his bike all the time?" "Um, no, the smaller one."

After explaining sheepishly that I hadn't the foggiest what the kid was wearing (and after having called James's friend's dad to ascertain that James hadn't talked to his friend about after-school plans...and then having asked what my own child was wearing...involving a call by the dad to James's deskmate's family...), I noticed the police chief striding up purposefully. She asked a few more questions, and then the three of them moved off to do whatever it is that the police actually do in town (other than walking around in really cute uniforms), telling me to keep in touch with them as well.

In the meantime, Orietta had called to see what she could do, Massimo and the gang had promised to keep an eye out & tell him to call me if they saw him, and so on.

By the time I was done with this, Michael had come back from the park, so we went towards the car -- assuming that we could cover more ground that way than on foot. Around the time we unlocked the car, Eleanor came walking towards us, Jeremy called on the phone, and ... well ... Jeremy the hero had found the missing one (aka, the miscreant, at this point) -- in the bar next to the school, playing video games.

Phew.

So, that meant that it was time to walk BACK around town, letting everyone know that James had been found (we ran across the policemen outside of Pianegiani), calling the families we'd had on the phone, etc.

Four hours later, Eleanor was at the Oratorio (church hall) and was questioned by people WE hadn't talked to, asking whether James had made his way home. Ashley was getting Facebook messages. I was getting texts and calls.

And, yes, we will be placing a "wanted" poster -- complete with photo -- at the bar. The next time he goes in there, they are to call me and send him straight home.

Love,

Alexandra

Let's Take a Vote on This...

We had excitement today: mail arrived under the door for both Eleanor and me! Relatively nondescript, identical envelopes.

Upon opening, I discovered that mine (and, therefore, presumably my darling daughter's) was an invitation to register to vote in the upcoming European Parliamentary election! All we have to do is fill in a form that has been photocopied countless times, and then we'll be able to participate in the electoral process...how cool is that?

And all because I was born in London...go figure.

Love,

The new European voter

La Casa Dipinta

A friend of mine and I have an informal arrangement where she helps me with my Italian and I help her with her (already excellent) English. She is a tour guide, and a major side benefit of this arrangement is that sometimes she asks me to go with her on an informal tour to some of the sites she visits with her clients...meaning that I get a private guided tour!

Most recently, Elisa and I went to La Casa Dipinta. It is the vacation home of Brian O'Doherty, who for many years painted under the name Patrick Ireland. As Elisa explained it to me, Mr. O'Doherty trained as a physician in Ireland because of family pressures, then moved to New York to specialize in oncology. He became rather well known as an oncologist in the 1950s, but upon meeting his (future) wife, an artist of some flavor (art director? I don't remember), decided to give up medicine to pursue his true love: modern art.

Brian O'Doherty has had a notable career in many arenas: artist in his own right, art critic, novelist, and speaker. He first visited Todi with his wife at the instigation of a mutual friend, the photographer George Tatge. Mr. Tatge still has a vacation home in Todi, although he is currently living in Florence. Like us, Mr. O'Doherty was smitten with Todi, and he and his wife decided to purchase a home here which he would use as a canvas for his newest discovery: the Celtic written alphabet.

La Casa Dipinta is predicated on several concepts from modern art, as well as the artist's own philosophies. Just as he feels the Celtic written alphabet is a powerful distillation of language, he feels that the human experience can be distilled into the three words "one, here, now"...we are each one, and together we form one group, etc. We can only be "here" and in the present ("now"). It's a bit abstruse for me, to tell you the truth, but hey...to each his own.

Anyway, using the Celtic tree alphabet -- which (as the artist shows it, unlike in wikipedia, where it is rotated 90°) consists of a series of vertical line segments above, below, or crossing a horizontal line -- the artist has repeated these three words/concepts throughout the house. He also used string to create temporary sculptures and to frame painted elements in the house.

La Casa Dipinta is quite interesting in many ways. I'm not really a modern art fan, so it certainly helped that Elisa was around to explain it to me. Furthermore, I have to confess that I would have done a "cleaner" execution of many of the line segments. Nonetheless, it was a really interesting and intimate look at the process of modern art...as demonstrated by one individual...in the here and now.

Love,

Alexandra

The Knitting Olympics!

Okay, we're not technically allowed to do it any more...the group at Ravelry was slapped on the wrist because Olympics is trademarked...BUT I'm doing my own private Olympic game. Which means (as long as I qualify), I automatically get a GOLD!

Here's the plan: cast on your project any time after the opening ceremonies, and finish your project during or before the closing ceremonies.

Four years ago, I knitted a cardigan. This time, I'm working on a sweater for myself. But not just any old sweater. I'm knitting a luscious, cream, cashmere sweater using yarn from some of my favorite ladies who happen to have a knitting mill. They have let me take home cones and cones of yarn for machine knitting. When I have finished, I'll use the scale at Pianegiani to weigh the sweater, and tell the ladies the final weight. Then I'll pay for the amount of yarn I've actually used!

In the meantime, I get to watch the Olympics...the only sporting events I actually enjoy watching! Last night I turned on the TV for the first time since the summer Olympics of 2012, and watched men's something-or-other skiing (40 minutes uninterrupted by anything), men's figure skating, pairs' skating, and a tiny bit of snowboarding. During the figure skating, they let us listen to the music and watch the performance instead of telling us what we were watching.

They had a mini-presentation on the Tonga bobsled team. I guess the Tongans decided that what the Jamaicans could do, they could also do?

One inch done on the sweater, and an hour of armchair athletics...

Love,

Alexandra