Last few days in Italy

We went for a little bike ride the day before last and O caught this cute little lizard. The lizard was really fast, we were surprised he stopped long enough for this picture he was racing all over O's body. 

This is Byrek, an Albanian dish. Gesi's mom made an unleavened dough that she rolled out super thin then it is assembled with ricotta and a meat mixture. The dough is almost thin enough in some places it is like filo. It was quite tasty.

We took a day trip to Venice. Giovanna lives and goes to school here so she was our guide for the day. It is really relaxing to go with 'natives' in countries since I don't have to figure out the foreign language, streets, maps (like my free Paris map which wasn't too detailed!), and schedules.  This picture is early in the morning still and things are quiet in the canals. 

No cars in Venice, here are the delivery 'trucks'.

Grand canal. Big as it name suggests. 

This is the famous and beautiful San Marco, a big square in the city. No pictures I took or could have taken would really do it justice. I will just show this picture. There is no sitting or sitting and eating your own food allowed. You can pay to sit at a cafe. We were chivvied off more than one spot.

I tired this dish of dried (mackerel I think) mashed fish and polenta because it sounded like something we'd never have in the states. Also I know that historically dried fish was very important in many regions of the world and I have read some historical texts regarding salt and food preservations. In the end this fish was really really strong and rich and that is about all I could eat of the fish part. Good to try ONCE, the very nice waiter saw how much I ate and brought another plate of food. That was sweet but he didn't know I'd eaten O's first plate (course) of food and was full enough. It was really sweet of him. He was Albanian also and understood Gesi and her mom talking.

Mail slot and 'doorknob'.

Grand Canal again.

The boys and I.

Giovy and the boys drinking REAL Italian sodas, in Italy.

Private boat parking. Some people have to climb on those bars of metal sticking out of the walls to get to their boats. 

There are even smaller walkways than this.

Today (Paul's birthday!) the boys, Gesi, Natasha and I rode to another near by town to a market. There was a fish place that sold an assortment of fried fish snacks. We got a tiny selection, including these tiny whole fish. Levin would have no part but Gesi finally ate ONE. She summarized it well, they tasted like fried fish skin.

I thought this was a dahlia but it's a sunflower, I swear. I actually reached over someone's fence to take this picture. 

When we came home today Bashkim had made us a beautiful Albanian meal. He has cooked for Albanian weddings in Albania. This is like what would be made. It was good and the onion on the kabob was probably the best onion I have eaten in my life. I love onions.

Tomorrow we leave. Paul leaves Oregon today, we are ready to see him!! He has a really long haul ahead of him and an 11 hour difference when we arrive in Tanzania, the boys and I have a shorter trip and a 2 hour difference. We are not ready to leave and have had a great time here with Gesi and her family. They have been so sweet and kind to us. I wish we could speak Albianian. I have a cheat sheet of some words now, the vocabulary of a one year old. It doesn't get you too far but I make up for it with a lot of gestures which Gesi finds really amusing. I think it actually won't be quite so hot since we'll be closer to the equator.

I just realized I have no pictures of the gondolas or gondoliers. They were really pretty boats and the gondoliers were all men in similar little outfits. It is eighty euros for a ride (more for a song) and frankly it was so hot it wouldn't have been particularly pleasant in the day time in the baking sun. They were fun to watch, I was impressed how they seemed to navigate them with only the one paddle out the side of the back, keep in mind they had wind and motorized boats going by them at the same time. At one point we passed a group (without passengers) of gondolas and other boats and the driver were all yelling at each other. I asked Giovy what they were saying but she couldn't really understand them because they were speaking Venetian, a local dialect.

More Italy

Last Sunday we all went for a bike ride through the country side to a spot along side a stream for a picnic. We rode between vineyards and cornfields, not a pairing I envisioned seeing here. Natasha (Gesi's mom) and Bashkim (Gesi's dad) packed us a feast. Bashkim made a fire and they cooked chicken, fish, and also roasted veggies over it, then served it with rice (warm from home),  a green salad, and bread. It was nice to sit in the shade along the water.  This picture was on the way home and I felt bad making everyone stand in the sun (hot hot hot) but it was so pretty, in the back you can see the Italian Alps.

Bashkim brought up a tray of coffee for Gesi, Natasha, and I. Is there anything sweeter? 

Sunday also happened to be Natasha's birthday. These were two desserts Bashkim snuck home from the local Gelato store for an after dinner surprise. 

Monday, the next day, Gesi, the boys, and I went up to a small town, Moggio, to visit Giovanna (two trains and a bus to get there). Giovanna was actually on an AFS exchange to Oklahoma the same year Gesi was with us and came to visit us in Oregon at the end of the year for a week. We stayed over at her family's house (used to be her Grandma's and now the family goes for summer and winter).  She made us a lunch of lasagna, eggplant parmesan (silkiest and best I have ever had), and tiramisu for dessert (all from scratch). They told us lasagna is only made with bechamel and bolognese. We fill ours with a cheese mix they do not.

I was trilled to see the Italian gardens and was on the look out for a real Italian garden growing covolo nero but I think it is too hot, wrong time of year. I did see lots of other veggies (and rainbow chard!). Here is a picture of one of the fagiolo bean plants.

We went for a walk up a little ravine to a swimming 'pool' made in 1917 by Italian soldiers during WW 1. It was a touch chilly, which was welcome. This is Giovanna, her dog Perro, and Gesi.  

On the way home we passed this bush/tree (honeysuckle, I think) and it looked like there were small humming birds moving oddly around it. Turned out they were really large moths, their bodies were about 3 inches long and they had these GIANT tongues they were drinking with. The tongues were at least 4 1/2 inches long. The boys so wanted them to come land near their faces, here is one picture of an attempt.

Real actual Italian prunes growing in a real Italian's yard! Ours are ripe at home too.

We found a dead stag beetle. I like the faces here. There were also a lot of snails, various sizes and stripes, etc. We liked noticing the differences between them. We saw cute tiny skinks too. Also, we did not see them, there are some poisonous snakes in this area. I thought there were no poisonous snakes in Europe. 

The second (sadly also the last) day there is was rainy and cold. We had planned a long hike but didn't really bring the right clothes, it was still a very pleasant day. This is a picture from the house. Oso was delighted to find an Italian version of RISK and we played an extremely PAINfully long game of Uno as well.

Bunny Huggins and Masala Pop in the foothills of the Alps!

It's hard to believe we are almost at the end of our stay. I am not really ready to go yet! We'll be excited to see Paul though, that is for sure. He leaves a full day before we do and we have overlapping layovers in Turkey (we don't leave the airport) then onto Africa. Tomorrow we are going to a day trip to Venice or as they say here, Venezia.

Italy Day 1.

When children are bad.

Just kidding.

These are two grave markers from the Roman times. The one on the left from 250-300 AD, the one on the right 50-100 AD. But now Gesi is telling me the Italian text was BC and the English text AD. Regardless it's mind boggling old.

This is art work to me. No, we didn't buy any.

Same as above. Beautiful.

We had a set of 3 of these growing up we used to melt butter and warm the alcohol for flambe, I stole at least one from my parents when I moved out. This one, at Gesi's house, is used for Turkish coffee, which they drink in Albania. Maybe I need to try that at home.

Gesi took us for the day to see where she goes to school. This is a breathtaking view from the hilltop, the Alps are in the background! It was really hot by the way.

Last of the Paris pictures

Best French onion soup any of us ever had, hands down.

Chuck the boys and I went to the Eiffel Tower. Waited to buy tickets (I know I should have pre-bought but won't go into all that) this is waiting for the second floor elevator up. Jackassery happens when you have two excited bothers waiting in lines for hours.

At the top with Chuck! Yes, it was cold.

Paris at night from the top.

Starting at 10 the tower lights up every hour. This was the midnight 'twinkle'.

I forced the boys on a pilgrimage to best bakery in Paris. Pierre Herme (Thanks to the 'best' baker in SF telling me so) and it was very good. 

I was suckered by Barbapapa, SUCKERED I tell you. I loved these books as a child and he came out of France (means cotton candy. Side notes- I got excited when I saw a cotton candy booth with the name written on it) so the merchandising is around. Normally I would NEVER buy this fake looking substance but the kids were thirsty and we fell for the cute glass bottle. Later they were outside dying of thirst and O tasted it then said 'Here L, taste it' (maybe always a bad sign when one thirsty brother eagerly shares after one small sip?) he whispered in my ear 'It is pure syrup'. L then gagged on it and said 'It is clogging my throat!'. Someone more observant (I am surprised I didn't notice) would see the viscosity of this drink and that is clearly was not that of juice and if you read French you may have also picked up on the fact that it was not at all juice.  Not the first time we made a mistake not being able to read something but that story will come later. Since it was August 15th, a national holiday, it took us 5 million years to find bottled water to buy because everything was closed and of course there are no drinking fountains.

Leaving France

Yesterday we left France. France is full of icons, for me anyway. To see these things in real life is amazing and surreal. I wonder how it would be to see these things out your window all the time if you lived in Paris. It is the same anywhere I suppose, any big city or area with historical landmarks. Europeans grown up seeped in history and I wonder if it makes it more easily real or harder to forget because it is right there. Maybe its like our East Coast (where I have never been, besides Florida) or the South with the Civil War.

We took an over night train to Venice, which was 13 hours. I am really glad we were in a 4 person berth not 6! We shared out cabin with a very nice, tolerant British man. L had the insight to apologize twice for the level of excitement that he and O had 'exploring' the cabin. Gary, our British man, said 'I can tell there is going to be some learning' as they were going up to their beds, down, switching things on and off etc. When we left he said 'It was nice to be part of your family for a train ride'. We can think that is very nice or also read in some dry British humor there, which I did and laughed. We went through Switzerland but we were sleeping and didn't see it. Seeing the Italian countryside out of the train is as beautiful as you imagine it would be, it makes you sigh and smile.

Gesi meet us at the platform and I recognized her form from way afar! It was SO GOOD to see her! She was very sweet to meet us. We had an hour wait before the train up to her town. On that shorter ride we got to chat with a French Canadian young man. He is systematically traveling the world, I mean literally systematically. He showed me his very organized spread sheet of time, places, locations, expenditure and more for his current trip and the one he planed down, around, and back South America. The boys were thrilled when he let them play a game on his iphone.

Gesi's mom made us a tasty lunch. Fresh salad, pasta (with a fresh vegetable sauce Gesi made right before lunch) and beef shanks. Somehow she made the the beef shanks taste wonderful where as I have made them in the past and they were not wonderful, not at all. She made us a dessert and coffee too. I am looking forward to her making all their Albanian dishes for us to try. Gesi has to interpret between Albanian, Italian, and English, and back but I feel confident in her young and agile brain.

O and Gesi went off for a bike ride and L is still napping. I think I'd better wake him or he will be in that very stunned sleeping state for the rest of the night, if we aren't already there.

The keys the keys!

These key pictures should have gone with the previous post about trying to figure out how to get outside!

Some of the keys to choose from, in the front closet.

The two correct keys. I was NOT looking for anything like the one on the right the first day.

That is how we do it in AFS

Chuck has been an attentive host to the boys and I. Of course his parents were too, but they left on vacation the day after we arrived. He showed me where things were in the house and how to get around. His home is located on, what used to be, an island along the river, La Marne. There is a locked, automated, gate to enter to the 'neighborhood', then another locked person and car gate to property where his house is situated. This house, like most European homes (What I've seen in Spain, Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands), has locks, and doorknobs (or lack of at times) unlike the ones I am used to. Some houses you need a key to open the door and they have no knob, some have door handles that can be unlocked and opened with a key etc. This house is the same and the first night he left the deadbolt undone (just two manual locks engaged) and he even got out of bed to leave outside person gate ajar so I could easily leave for a run in the morning.

The second morning I found the deadbolt locked at both doors (they need keys to be unlocked coming in or going out). I tried a few keys I found in the front door, none were right. I figured out the back door needed a skeleton key (there is a little metal oval that swings down over the hole) and I remembered seeing one by the front door. I was so proud to have figured that out. Once outside I had no key to open the person gate. I tried to reach thought and do the outside key pad code by feel from the inside (like I saw Chuck do, you can't see what you are doing) only I pushed the 'call the house' button at the end, instead of unlock and could hear the phone ringing inside. I ran back in, worried all the slumbering 'young adults' would be woken up. I found the control phone, stopped the ringing and remembered Chuck saying there was a button to open the gate. I tried several (sure as pictures of keys flashed and it beeped that I was somehow locking it) and finally got the car gate to open. 15 minutes later I was running feeling so proud of myself . Getting back in was no problem.

Later when I saw Chuck I told him about trying to get out and how I figured it out and how I was kind of proud of myself and he said 'That is the AFS way'. He said it's how it is as an AFS student, particularly at the start of the year, and you are wondering how to do something and your host family is asleep. Even trying to do simple things like find how to turn on or off a light. I thought it was funny and it made me remember some times with Gesi, Lennie, and Kati (our German Au Pair that lived with us for a year).

Paris, attempt number 2

We were going to go to Paris yesterday but both boys ended up not feeling so well so we had a rest day here (pretty sure it was the start of the anti-malaria medicine). Chuck did take us to a great indoor market here in the morning (in his little neighboring town) that I LOVED. On the way home from the market is when I thought I'd better wait and see how the eldest felt. By the time he felt a touch better the other was not so good.

Along those lines many of you have asked how the post concussion is going. He is fine. Until yesterday ('run of the mill' migraine or reaction to anti-malaria meds?) and a little head 'throb' today (which I think was low blood sugar and over stimulation)  but beyond that he is really good. He is mad at being limited to no bike tours and no amusement park like rides.

I somehow got these pictures loaded on here out of order and I am not going to try to fix it. The kids and I did go into Paris today! We didn't even get lost there or back.

We did not try this goat cheese that was at the town's market. Chuck's sister did bring home 3 types of cheese today from where she works a day (or two?) a week. I don't know the proper names of them but they were good. 

This type of thing is exactly why I love the markets. My children were NOT happy with me taking this picture. I also am limiting myself to TWO market pictures only.

Chuck's house is on the Marne river, this was in front of his neighbor's. Everything about it seemed so 'FRENCH'.

There is a bridge near Notre Dame (as shown in L's picture's) where lovers can lock a lock, but this isn't it. It's one next to it.

In Paris.

Sometimes there are moments of sweet brotherly love. Here they are sitting at the edge of the Seine river that runs through Paris.

Interesting juxtaposition of old and new with the modern art fountain, mural, and cathedral.

Bunny Huggins hat meets a talking gnome exhibit at the Center Pomidou Museum in Paris.

Chuck's mother made us a really lovely meal our first night here. They served a pate that is a mix of goose liver and pork, which they eat almost daily. I told the boys it was pate and to try some, they didn't ask for any elaboration so I didn't offer any. They both loved it. Then Levin found a big chunk of liver and asked 'What is this?'. I said 'Eat it then we will talk about it.'. When he ate it I asked him what he thought it was and he guessed Gizard and I said Liver. He slowed down or maybe stopped after that.

Super yummy filled and baked tomatoes, Chuck said it was one his most favorite of his mother's dishes and I see why (or taste why) it was AMAZING.


On a historical note it's interesting to be in a city so very, very steeped in history. Where you can be at a site that had a building on it as far back as 52 BC and then by the area where 2,780 people were condemned to death by guillotine including Marie-Antoniette. Then bars and cafes that have been open for so long they have served a long and impressive list of artists and philosophers, which I won't list. It so makes me wish I could remember more of my history and art history. As it is the boys have said more than once 'No! Don't start a lecture'.