We have been staying in apartment 1A - the only and therefore huge apartment on the first floor with a couch large enough to fit all seven us very comfortably. In order to house us for the whole summer and given other reservations made before we made ours, we have to move apartments a few times during our two months. On Thursday we had to give up the large apartment and move into a smaller one on the third floor. The third floor is divided into two apartments - we have 3A, the Brennans 3B. So, leaving the doors ajar, we have one really large apartment with two bathrooms, four bedrooms, and two kitchens! Which leads me to my first observation:
- Marble is everywhere in Italy. Even our little apartment building has a marble staircase and the floors throughout the apartments are marble.
Laura and I wanted to explore Treviso - the girls wanted to stay in and work on their secret project. So, we gave them some money so they could figure out how to feed themselves and parted ways. I observed:
- I feel so much more comfortable letting my kids roam free in a country where they don't know the language, aren't sure exactly where they are, and can't reach me at a moment's notice than I do at home. I don't know what that is about.
- You don't have to go in search of quaint or charming - each and every street in the old walled city can be described that way.
Laura is really intrigued by the tramezzini (tea sandwiches) lunch culture so we went to a little bar and sat and had a small lunch as the Italians do. And because it was the lunch pause we had to sit for a very long time before any other shops would open...we had a lovely time chatting and playing cards - Rummy 500 - and watching locals passing by. Observations:
- No matter how fancy the dress or high the heels, riding a bike is always an option for Italians. Helmets never are.
- Coming from behind to win is the best kind of victory.
After sitting for at least a couple of hours, we window shopped in the shoe and clothing stores along our nice walk to a larger grocery store to start gathering ingredients for dinner. We also stopped for specialty items at Casa di Parmiagiana - where we were very proud of ourselves for conducting all business in Italian.
- People really like it when you at least try to speak their language. That and a smile will get you a long way, and the prosciutto and cheese you need.
Since we don't cook in often, we decided to make it all: cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto, bruschetta, shrimp with lemon and feta, tagliatelle with an artichoke/tomato sauce, and sauteed spinanch. We got home with an hour to spare before we needed to start cooking but the girls still didn't want us in 3A (though we had been gone for hours) - so we sat in 3B's kitchen , put our feet up, and delightedly read our books. When Jim got home from work, we all ate around the big table in 3A and finished the night at the gelato shop downstairs. Observation:
- No one loves their ice cream more than the Italians. As we know, I love ice cream, but this is crazy.
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