Is any other explanation needed?
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Seafood and Smiles
Jeremy and I are travelling to Darlington, and between the 11:30 flight on a budget airline and the world's slowest border control line at Stansted, we were too late for any sort of proper lunch. We pushed on (with a light snack) until we could find a restaurant open for an early dinner in one of the many towns into which we were deserted by motorway construction.
Loch Fyne might be a chain, but their seafood was superb and exactly what was needed by hungry travelers.
Loch Fyne might be a chain, but their seafood was superb and exactly what was needed by hungry travelers.
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| Anticipation |
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| Scallops for Starters |
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| These were my starter Scottish mussels |
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| Jeremy got the main course size! |
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Street scene
Jeremy came back in with a rather bemused expression, saying that for some reason, there was a musician playing right outside our door...complete with a live dove strutting around.
Obviously, not to be missed. Truthfully, I'd been hearing strains for a while, but had assumed it was our neighbor's music.
Calling Michael, we dashed down for a quick look.
Obviously, not to be missed. Truthfully, I'd been hearing strains for a while, but had assumed it was our neighbor's music.
Calling Michael, we dashed down for a quick look.
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| The dove wandered freely. When cars came along, bystanders encouraged it to hop onto the curb. |
Monday, September 18, 2017
My first impressions
The first week of lessons went by like a flash; we are starting to get homework and really dive into things. So far, my lessons have all been really interesting (amazing what happens when the professors are interested in their subject).
We have had three algebra lectures, three calculus lectures, two computer science lectures and one "mind machine" lecture. The algebra lectures are very good, but also very fast paced, which I find amusing because Dr. Grant talks more slowly and calmly than Dr. Hepworth, but still seems to go a lot faster. I really like listening to Dr. Hepworth; he is a really good teacher because he gets very excited during the lessons and makes you want to get involved. So far, I've known a lot of stuff that he's talked about, but I still get little odd tricks that I can already tell will make my life easier in the future.
Really, the hardest course to follow has been the one on the principles of computer programming and I'm pretty sure that is because it's easier to understand when you get more hands-on with it. I am sure that it doesn't help to have all of the lectures at the end of the day at the end of a week. Also the professor tends to be a bit of a rambler, who has a tendency to read the slides out loud, which makes him harder understand. In my math courses, the teachers write everything down by hand. You wouldn't think this makes much of a difference, but it really does. It slows the lectures down to a pace where you can take notes, and encourages a steady stream of logic from one mini topic to the next, instead of a jump from one slide on a mini topic to a slide on the next mini topic.
Unfortunately, my mind machine course also uses slides, but the lecturer is better at connecting one to the next. It is a fascinating course on the brain and what makes you you. It really is quite something. There are a lot of scientific terms to learn, but I think I'm going to stick with it because it really is interesting.
Today, I have my first practical for my computer programming course and I am a little bit nervous about that because I heard that homework was going to start coming up but I can't find anything with a due date on it (or any that I can do any of the problems on) so I'm hoping that they will let us know a bit more in detail about what all we have to do. Apart from that, I have two other lectures, one in algebra, one in calculus. And that is it for the day.
Ciao,
Florence
We have had three algebra lectures, three calculus lectures, two computer science lectures and one "mind machine" lecture. The algebra lectures are very good, but also very fast paced, which I find amusing because Dr. Grant talks more slowly and calmly than Dr. Hepworth, but still seems to go a lot faster. I really like listening to Dr. Hepworth; he is a really good teacher because he gets very excited during the lessons and makes you want to get involved. So far, I've known a lot of stuff that he's talked about, but I still get little odd tricks that I can already tell will make my life easier in the future.
Really, the hardest course to follow has been the one on the principles of computer programming and I'm pretty sure that is because it's easier to understand when you get more hands-on with it. I am sure that it doesn't help to have all of the lectures at the end of the day at the end of a week. Also the professor tends to be a bit of a rambler, who has a tendency to read the slides out loud, which makes him harder understand. In my math courses, the teachers write everything down by hand. You wouldn't think this makes much of a difference, but it really does. It slows the lectures down to a pace where you can take notes, and encourages a steady stream of logic from one mini topic to the next, instead of a jump from one slide on a mini topic to a slide on the next mini topic.
Unfortunately, my mind machine course also uses slides, but the lecturer is better at connecting one to the next. It is a fascinating course on the brain and what makes you you. It really is quite something. There are a lot of scientific terms to learn, but I think I'm going to stick with it because it really is interesting.
Today, I have my first practical for my computer programming course and I am a little bit nervous about that because I heard that homework was going to start coming up but I can't find anything with a due date on it (or any that I can do any of the problems on) so I'm hoping that they will let us know a bit more in detail about what all we have to do. Apart from that, I have two other lectures, one in algebra, one in calculus. And that is it for the day.
Ciao,
Florence
Saturday, September 9, 2017
1000x White Night
Last Christmas, we were very impressed with the ice-skating rinks and Santa's house, and discovered it had been organized by a group called "LOOP," a new citizens' initiative to plan fun events. This time, they had an incredibly ambitious goal: open air dinner for 1000 in the piazza, all dressed in white. For 30 euros per person, you got:
Antipasto: Mozzarella mousse with prosciutto, melon, and figs
First courses: Carnaroli rice with porcini and strioli mushrooms
Ricotta and zucchini torte with tomato puree
Second course: Larded pork loin
Side dish: Roast potatoes with rosemary flowers
Dessert: millefeuille with pastry cream
Of course, wine would be served (three types) without limit.
Not knowing whether Michael would be in town (and, frankly, chickening out on the "all in white" instructions, since the most I could summon without shopping would be a white T), we didn't purchase tickets. That said, it has been a wonderful event to see come together, and clearly the participants are having a blast!
Michael and I were impressed by how many people were able to come up with fully white outfits...how many men in the US own white pants plus white shoes? White shirt, okay, but the whole shebang? Although we did note with amusement while we were sitting at dinner in a local restaurant (and not wearing white) that a group of people came walking up in their white disposable painters' outfits...
Antipasto: Mozzarella mousse with prosciutto, melon, and figs
First courses: Carnaroli rice with porcini and strioli mushrooms
Ricotta and zucchini torte with tomato puree
Second course: Larded pork loin
Side dish: Roast potatoes with rosemary flowers
Dessert: millefeuille with pastry cream
Of course, wine would be served (three types) without limit.
Not knowing whether Michael would be in town (and, frankly, chickening out on the "all in white" instructions, since the most I could summon without shopping would be a white T), we didn't purchase tickets. That said, it has been a wonderful event to see come together, and clearly the participants are having a blast!
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| Arriving into the piazza, the sisters of the bar have their white decorations! |
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| Tables! Chairs! All white! |
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| Clearly, no plastic or paper...a classy event for sure! |
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| They even screen part of their staging area...the Voltoni |
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| The Voltoni from above |
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| Getting ready! |
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| The band was practicing behind the screen |
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| And streamers to match the theme! |
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| Arrivals...in white from head to toe! |
Michael and I were impressed by how many people were able to come up with fully white outfits...how many men in the US own white pants plus white shoes? White shirt, okay, but the whole shebang? Although we did note with amusement while we were sitting at dinner in a local restaurant (and not wearing white) that a group of people came walking up in their white disposable painters' outfits...
It is now 11:30 p.m. and the music has started for real. There are videos all over my Facebook feed of the participants dancing, complete with lit phones!
Love,
Alexandra
Friday, September 8, 2017
A Visit to the British Isles
Last week, it was time to take Florence to university in Scotland; since there's no direct flight from Rome to Aberdeen, it gave us an easy pretext to visit relatives and friends in England, as well!
Flying into Bristol, we stayed in a farmhouse near my cousin Paula's house and had a great couple of days with her and her family. So nice to see everyone! In England, there is a right to roam, meaning you can walk on footpaths across "privately owned" fields. I absolutely love this and couldn't resist taking advantage of the gorgeous weather for us all to go: six children, two adults, two dogs! We made quite the procession, although I confess to having held things up due to the perfection of the blackberries....
A note about Aberdeen: the local rock is a light(ish) grey granite. Every bit of architecture is built with the local stone. Meaning everything (everything) is grey! Michael laughingly declared that he was wearing "Aberdeen Camo":
After general wanderings, we took our first (of several) trips to Florence's campus.
We had to check out a few things and then wanted to go to the main campus (detached from the housing "village" by a public park), so we had the most delightful walk!
And, time to move to the gym, where we could easily picture Florence in her natural element:
Having kissed Florence goodbye, it was time for a quick visit to our friends Ann and James in Ampthill, where we did our charity shop and antique shop rounds, and then back to Rome!
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| On the road near the farmhouse |
Flying into Bristol, we stayed in a farmhouse near my cousin Paula's house and had a great couple of days with her and her family. So nice to see everyone! In England, there is a right to roam, meaning you can walk on footpaths across "privately owned" fields. I absolutely love this and couldn't resist taking advantage of the gorgeous weather for us all to go: six children, two adults, two dogs! We made quite the procession, although I confess to having held things up due to the perfection of the blackberries....
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| The boys spent a huge amount of time here, unsurprisingly |
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| We found Paula's runner ducks hilarious |
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| Breakfast en masse |
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Next stop, Edinburgh! Flying from Bristol directly, we only had one night in the nation's capital, and not even 24 hours for visiting. We had to make the most of our limited time! Obviously, the castle was a must-see, and so we went from the Castle to Holyrood Palace. It was somehow really affecting to see the room where Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to James, and then to see her tapestries displayed at Holyrood Palace.
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| A fairly intimidating prospect, just outside the castle walls |
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| The castle is not a building, but rather a complex of protected buildings, many of which were built during Victorian times |
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| The castle is perched on a rock island high above the city, commanding a fantastic view |
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| We liked the red truck, and the sky was so gorgeous that day! |
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| Turret! |
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| Proceeding to one of the higher gates within the castle |
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| In the middle of a city, it's hard to believe you're near the coast |
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| Holyrood Abbey; the structure is magnificent |
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| The detailing on the remains is just superb |
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| Walking in the grounds |
Then it was time to leave. Having had tea in a shop where the old lady was a bit batty and clearly didn't really want to have customers (and where Ashley tried IronBru, a local soda...which tasted of bubble gum!), we made it to the station just in time for it to start raining. The light from the train was fantastic, though.
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| Crossing the Firth of Forth |
A note about Aberdeen: the local rock is a light(ish) grey granite. Every bit of architecture is built with the local stone. Meaning everything (everything) is grey! Michael laughingly declared that he was wearing "Aberdeen Camo":
After having completed a long list of errands (banks, phone companies, etc.), we wandered up to a cemetery which looked interesting, and it certainly was! It turned out to belong to a church that at some point in its history had been divided into two churches (our friend Ann posited that it was to divide sections of the city based on class lines, which made a lot of sense based on what we saw there). One side is completely dug out and in the process of excavation (how active the excavation is would be open to debate) and the other side is still in active use and furnished accordingly. The pews still go along the original longitudinal axis, but half face one way and half the other; the pulpit and altar are in the middle of the church (the pulpit on one side of the original aisle, the altar on the other). Behind some curtains were some 17th-century embroidered (not woven) tapestries that were actually attributable to a female artist. This seems really unusual to me because many projects like this would have been group efforts, and women were rarely given credit for this type of work during the period. So interesting!
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| Post office |
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| Deer on campus |
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| The room as we arrived |
We had to check out a few things and then wanted to go to the main campus (detached from the housing "village" by a public park), so we had the most delightful walk!
What you see is mostly manicured, but they had a walled garden, a wooded area, a grassy naturalistic section, a Japanese-y section (not traditional in the sense of bare, manicured sand beds but more naturalistic with a sense of bamboo somehow), and more!
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| Loved the mortar work on this building; we saw it a few times |
Off to Marks and Spencer, the local department store, to find bedding, plates, and the basic necessities...
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| Trying out pillows |
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| Ashley held onto the rejects |
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| Bed all made, mostly moved in! |
And, time to move to the gym, where we could easily picture Florence in her natural element:
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| The gym was amazing, and the pool the prettiest I've ever seen |
Having kissed Florence goodbye, it was time for a quick visit to our friends Ann and James in Ampthill, where we did our charity shop and antique shop rounds, and then back to Rome!
Love,
Alexandra
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