Nove and Marostica

Last Tuesday, I got to take a little jaunt to the towns of Nove and Marostica. They're, I dunno, maybe 30 minutes from our hotel. While Tony was working, a new friend (Hi, Jackie!) came and picked me up. She had to pick up some personalized ceramics in Nove and invited me to tag along. I'm so glad I did! Nove is a tiny little town well-known for its hand-crafted ceramics. Jackie has been collecting a pattern of blue poppies (Himalayan poppies, but they look more purple than blue, I think) and daisies. She basically created this pattern and now the owner can't keep it on the shelves! I wandered all three floors of the store, knowing there are a dozen more scattered throughout the town but assured that these guys have the lowest pricing, just delighting in all the different styles and patterns. I learned that it is good luck to give chicken or rooster pitchers as a gift, to ward off assassins. There's a good story behind that, but anyway, a few designs caught my eye, but I managed to resist any new purchases...this time...

After that, we ran over to Marostica, which is the next town over. It's known for cherries and especially for its live chess matches held in September of even years. If you Google "live chess Italy" I'm sure it'll pop up. They dress up in medieval costumes and have horses and knights and everything.  I saw the chess board in the middle of the square, and I'd really like to go one year. Marostica is known for it's two castles; there's an upper and a lower, and the sight as you drive into town is breathtaking. You can drive or hike to the upper castle, through olive groves and other beautiful sights. I'm told the view from up there is amazing; you can see into the Asiago valley. You know, Asiago as in cheese...that's right, it's only an hour from us! In the picture just below, you can see the lower castle in the foreground to the right, and the upper castle on the hill.

Unbeknownst to us, Marostica holds its local market on Tuesdays, so we had fun wandering around taking in all the vendors' booths. There were salami and cheese trucks, and stalls of clothes, shoes, vegetables, and knickknacks. We popped into a pasticcheria and tried a small assortment of pastries with delicious cappuccino, and then had pizza. In the picture above, the chess board is in the center, and we sat under an awning just to the right there. On non-market days, our seats would have had a great view of the upper castle, but the vendors were blocking our line of vision. That just means I have to go back! I really want to go back with Tony and hike up to the upper castle. I love how the walls span the entire hill. 

It was a short trip, but a really great one!

Gasoline

With the freedom of now having our own set of wheels with which to travel comes the responsibility and expense of fueling said vehicle. And gas in Italy is not cheap! It's currently anywhere from $7-10/gallon. As I understand it, these coupons allow us to purchase gas tax-free, which can mean we pay nearly 50% less than locals. We are authorized (based on the horsepower of Tony's Honda) to purchase coupons for up to 300 liters each month, which are available at the Exchange for a set price. Apparently the coupons are changed each year so they look different, and we have a grace period to return unused coupons in September and October, but obviously we haven't experienced that yet. The coupons come in a book, and there are coupons for 20L, 10L, and 5L of gas. This is important because the two authorized gas stations, Eni and Agip, can only accept coupons for the exact amount of fuel without going over. So if we buy 28L of gas, we can't turn in a 20L and a 10L coupon; instead, we turn in a 20L and a 5L and pay the difference on the remaining 3L out of pocket. The coupons are a really great perk, but they are only useful in Italy; we can't use them in Germany, for example. I think that's due to host nation agreements with the military. And if we decide to road trip to another country we have to make sure we budget fuel costs accordingly, as well as pay attention to what tolls or vignettes are required to be able to drive in each nation. Thankfully we already have our international driver's licenses! I'm glad we did that in the States before we left, though they're only valid for one year. I'll probably be able to renew mine on one of my work trips back to Florida, so that's a good option if it's difficult to do here or by mail.

I've also noticed the tolls and parking around here can get quite expensive. We just took a day trip to Lake Garda, about 45 minutes away, and payed about 12 Euro in tolls and another 6ish Euro to park for about 3 hours. We're told to expect more tolls if we drive to Venice, and that parking there can cost 20 Euro or more per day. I'm sure cheaper parking is available if you look hard enough, but then we might get stuck paying additional public transportation fees or losing out on a more secure location to leave the car. So, we are going to try to embrace public transit as much as possible! Some friends of ours just spent the long weekend in Cinque Terre, about three hours away. They drove, and paid about 30 Euro in tolls, plus the gas they used up, and it turns out their B&B was only a couple of blocks from the train station, which they used to take a side jaunt into Pisa. While they had a fantastic trip (and plenty of great pictures to prove it!), apparently in a do-over they'd just take a train down there. Since Cinque Terre is definitely on my bucket list, note to self...

Illegalities and Undesirables

When studying for the driving test, I learned a few things are illegal here in Italy that aren't necessarily so in the U.S. It's becoming more and more widespread to require hands-free talking (and texting) while driving, but in Italy it is also illegal to eat and drink while operating a motor vehicle. I got curious and did some research (read: Googled) on other things that are illegal in parts or all of Italy. I found a few illegal things and several other cultural quirks of things that are generally frowned upon which I found amusing.Read on!

1. In many places it is illegal to feed pigeons, particularly near city centers or important monuments. Huzzah! I hate those stinking birds.

2. It is illegal to make cash payments larger than 1000 Euro. For example, our rent will be more than that so we are required to pay electronically, through the banks, to our landlord's account. Apparently this law is relatively new, in the last year or two.

3. In the town of Lerici, a town on the Italian Riviera it is illegal to hang a towel out of the window to dry it.

4. It's not illegal to touch produce with your bare skin, but the grocery stores all provide plastic gloves for you to pick everything up and place it in the bags, which you are supposed to provide yourself. The produce here is generally organic, fresh, and cheap!

5. You aren't allowed into "holy sites" like the Vatican or most churches if you are wearing shorts or skimpy tops.

6. Cappuccino is for breakfast only. Don't order it in the afternoon! This has more to do with it containing milk and thus not helping in digestion after meals. Save the water-based drinks like tea and coffee for afternoons and for after meals. 

7. Chrysanthemums are not good gift-giving or house-warming flowers. They're for funerals.

8. Always keep your headlights on while driving on the highway. And in tunnels.

9. Credit cards are generally not allowed for purchases smaller than 10 Euro. I experienced this a lot in Puerto Rico, and it makes sense to me, especially if the business gets charged a fee for each transaction.

10. Public restrooms are not always free; you are expected to pay or tip an attendant, and it's advisable to keep Kleenex or tissue in your purse just in case the restrooms don't stock it.

Springing the Car

Tony was able to get his car from the Vehicle Processing Center (VPC) today. It was a slight hassle and we had a few missteps in the process, but it was not as bad as we were anticipating...says the passenger who didn't have to do anything, sign anything, inspect anything, provide anything...

The first step was to go to the Vehicle Registration Office, which is on the same site but in a different building from the VPC. We did that yesterday. They gave us two sample license plates and sent us out to the vehicle to determine if we needed the long European-style kind or the European square ones, which are more typically seen on SUVs and non-European imports. Six of one, half dozen of the other. Neither one fit perfectly on the Accord, but ultimately Tony decided to go with the square so he wouldn't have to procure a special mounting bracket or drill holes in the car. Once that was set, Tony showed a bunch of paperwork and they assigned him a license plate number, though they didn't issue it to us.

Once we got the license plate number, we had to call our insurer (USAA) and provide it to them so they could overnight the European proof of insurance, which must be displayed on the windshield at all times. USAA overnighted that to Pentagon Car Sales, a military car sales company located just outside one of the post gates. I walked over there around lunchtime today and picked it up while Tony was taking care of other business at the Housing Office. Then Tony's sponsor took us back to the Vehicle Registration Office. Tony provided his driver's license, ID, SETAF driver's license, proof of insurance, $20, 5Euro, and a partridge in a pear tree in trade for the license plates and registration.

Next, we walked back over to the VPC and they pulled the car around for an inspection. Tony's car came over here in perfect condition, and he found two damaged spots underneath the bumper. Probably from putting it onto or taking it off the car carrier. Anyway, they aren't very visible, but they're there, so he got briefed on the damage claim process. Basically, he can take an on-the-spot offer (though they give him a couple days to decide, I think) or he can go out on the economy and get a repair estimate quote. It was about 3:30 after all the paperwork was done, so we decided to deal with that part another day.

From there, we came back to the base and went to the Directorate of Logistics to get approval to purchase NATO fuel coupons. Depending on the size of your engine, each person is authorized to purchase either 300 or 400 liters of NATO fuel coupons from the PX each month. Since the car isn't fully registered yet (more on that in a second) we were authorized to purchase a one-time-only book of coupons for 200 liters until the inspection and registration are fully completed. So once we filled out that paperwork, we attempted to get the car inspected, but just missed the cutoff for the end of the working day. Instead, we headed over to the customer service section of the Exchange to purchase the fuel coupons. Basically you pay for the coupons at reduced prices; on the economy, gas is ten or eleven dollars a gallon, so it is definitely worth your while to take advantage of this program. Only certain gas stations are allowed to redeem them, and there's a lot of hoopla right now because the large gas station conveniently located right outside the base just got a lifetime ban for (allegedly) watering down his fuel. You can also get NATO coupons to purchase oil and propane, but today we didn't need to mess with that. The coupons are only good through the fiscal year, and we will have the opportunity to sell them back to the PX in September in October if we don't use them all.

Tomorrow we will get the car inspected on post; it doesn't cost anything. Once that's done, we have to go back to the Vehicle Registration Center and prove that the car passed inspection. In turn, we'll get our fuel ration card at that time. I assume it will work pretty much the same way. There's a lot of talk about upgrading to the German ration system, which gives you a scannable card and is all electronic. That makes a lot more sense to me, but obviously will cost the government some money to implement.

Anywho, at least we have the car! Still have to get it inspected and deal with the damage claim process, but it's exciting to have a bit more mobility at our fingertips.

In another exciting update, Tony's other business at the Housing Office today was to set up an appointment to start pre-negotiations for a rental house! We were going to look at one more place, but there were a couple small hitches in that plan and so we decided to take it as a sign. Cross your fingers that everything works out for the place in Marola!

Housing...Getting Closer to a Decision

We got up bright and early this morning to view two more rental properties. This time our translator was Luca, who took us out on our first field-trip to view the government-leased house. Our first stop was in Marola, and the home was  listed on the Army's housing website as an apartment. In reality, it was a duplex that felt a lot more like a house. It was pretty darn huge, too. (That's what she said...) It was built in 1981 and is on the corner of a dead-end street. 3-for-3 on the dead ends so far, but I like that they have less traffic and are generally a little quieter. From the street it looked well-maintained, with a tidy wrap-around yard. It had a little concrete wall surrounding it, with a pedestrian gate as well as a vehicle gate. We walked into the foyer and met the landlord, who had been puttering around upstairs, probably opening windows. Mario, I think his name was. Luca asked where we should start, and gestured inwards toward the ground floor, but the landlord ushered us upstairs, "to the living apartments." I thought maybe it was a shared foyer with a neighbor or something, but it turns out the whole ground floor was included. Anyway. Upstairs had a small-ish kitchen, living area, and three bedrooms. The master would be big enough for our enormous American-sized furniture, but we noticed the bathrooms were pretty small with some rinky-looking PVC; we learned it also has a septic tank instead of being connected to the city sewage system. There was a decent balcony upstairs, too. All of the doors and windows have pull-down screens and most had roll-down shutters as well, and there were two little a/cs in the upstairs area. Downstairs was a den/bonus room with a fireplace, laundry, two storage areas, and a double-garage. The garage doors were very narrow though and not automated; I don't know if Tony's Accord could even fit in there. Maybe if we put the side mirrors in. I liked this place. It was bigger than we expected, the layout was nice, and I liked the location. It's only about a block to the bus line which goes right past the main base (which is not where Tony will be working, but is where the commissary and Post Office are located) and into Vicenza proper.

The second place was in Torri di Quartesolo, which is basically one town over from Marola, and a little larger. It was also a duplex, but also felt like a house. It fronted one street and the attached duplex fronted the street behind us, instead of a side-by-side layout. When we pulled up, the landlord (Gino, I think?) was just putting the lawnmower back into his car. The yard wasn't in the best shape, but it had a lot of potential to be very nice. We could tell there was some work going on inside, but we couldn't tell what...turns out the whole place was basically getting upgraded! There were no light fixtures yet, but there were plenty of windows so we could see what was happening. The heating system was upgraded and split into two zones with two thermostats, hot water heater was new, and all the plumbing fixtures were so new they haven't even been installed yet! The kitchen was empty as well, so it'll need cabinets and whatnot. We learned housing provides a dishwasher, stove/oven, and refrigerator, so those would be delivered after we sign the rental agreement. Usually Italian renters bring those things with them. (Side note: In Italy, lease terms are for 4 years, and if you extend, you extend another 4 years.) This one had two different storage closets as well as an outside sort of attached storage area, too. Not like a shed, but like a separate little room only accessible from the outside. There were sliding doors that opened onto a little patio, and next to that was a covered carport. There were lights outside along the carport area, with an automated gate. The landlord told Luca he could change to have them automated via sensor, if we wanted. No a/c, but the landlord said there were two prior to the renovation and that could be negotiated as part of the rental agreement if we wanted. As with the other place we saw today, all the bedrooms were upstairs, though the kitchen, dining, and living areas were downstairs. The layout was a little strange to me though. It was also in a fairly quiet location, and the landlord pointed out Americans living across the street; Luca took us one street over and showed us a row of government-leased properties, as well. The street wasn't a dead-end, so we broke our streak, but it was basically a small loop so there wouldn't be any through-traffic anyway. It felt a little more cramped to me, with neighbors on either side. I think it is also on or close to the main bus line, but I'm not 100% sure. The landlord told Luca the place needed about 10 days before it would be fully ready for us; that's not such a big deal to us as the lease negotiations and utilities set-up takes roughly a week anyway.

So, two more good options! Basically, charmingly-situated older place with nice layout & good storage vs. upgraded, more efficient model.  Both places are on the east side of Vicenza, and either would probably work out to a 20-25 minute commute for Tony. We still have a few more places we are interested in, but only have one more allowable excursion with a translator. After that, we're on our own; the housing office will help us set up appointments with landlords, but transportation and translation are not provided. We are close to a decision, but will sleep on it tonight before we take any action.

Housing...First Look at Private Rentals

Friday afternoon Tony and I met our translator, Fabio, and took a field trip to look at two private rentals. The first was in Cavazzale, slightly to the North of Vicenza proper. We loved the location; it was the center unit of a triplex on a dead-end street, near a small school. To reach the home we had to go past the school and loop around because there were a few one-way streets, and it was all very residential and proper. We pulled up to a beautiful little iron gate as a man in his 60s (or so) was walking out. White hair, cute soccer jacket, engaging smile. He said "Ciao" and spoke to the translator for a few minutes. As it turns out, that was the landlord's brother, and he is in one of the end units.

The first place, built in the mid-1980s, was pretty darn huge. Technically it had three bedrooms, but there was a bonus loft upstairs and a bonus room in the basement. That basement room was AWESOME. It had a sink, a long table set for twelve, and a wood-burning fireplace in the corner. Basically it's the "entertain and feed your guests" room. Poker room, maybe? Most areas of this house, including each of the bedrooms, had very ample balcony space with a nice view of the neighbors' houses. We're talking wisteria vines and brick arches and church steeples in the background. This place is walking distance to the train station and probably walking distance to the grocery store, though it might cross over into better biking distance. Anyway, in between the three rooms upstairs was kind of an awkward walk-through that was set up with a row of wardrobes to be a giant closet and dressing area. You see, houses in Italy don't come with closets, or even much room in the kitchens, for that matter. I keep wondering how they cook all that amazing food in those teeny-tiny kitchens! There was actually some cabinetry and shelving in the bathroom and a closet-sized storage room in the basement next to the laundry room though. Major cons of this place are the fact that it had no lawn or yard whatsoever, and was split into four levels with a very tight and twisty staircase. There is no way that our bedset and mattress would make it up those stairs, and even our dressers would probably be difficult unless they went vertically, and those things are damn heavy. We learned (and sumised) the big stuff would have to go over the balconies via a pulley system. The previous renters were American, as is the other non-family neighbor, and the house is already set-up for AFN satellite and internet.

On to the second place! It was only a mile or two away, in Monticello Conte Otto, and the ride out there felt like going into the country. This one was a lot newer, and in fact has never had any renters. It was a duplex also situated on a dead-end. It's really in a corner, with the duplex neighbor obviously attached and one other house in front of it. The other side was wide open and behind the home is a corn field. Well, actually the field was unplanted but Fabio is pretty sure it will be corn. We opened the car doors and heard yapping- a Napoleonic Chihuahua was announcing his presence in the yard next door. Behind us was an older lady hanging wash; I waved and her two dogs ran up the driveway to say hi, wagging their spotted tails. No barking from them, but we noticed they did leave a present right in front of the pedestrian gate. Nice. What a great welcome. Anyway, inside the gate is a gravel driveway (with a lot of weeds, I should point out), which makes a 90-degree turn into a pretty substantial carport. When we walked into the home there was a foyer with stairs, and the living room to the right. Under the stairs were cupboards (no shelves or hanging rods, though) and to the back was a long and skinny garage. In between the garage and living room were a bathroom and laundry room. Upstairs a very shocking teal dining area, with a very new-looking kitchen. It had a decent amount of storage built-in and a nice balcony. I think it had a retractable awning, but I can't remember - I know the first place had a few of those. Anyway, another bathroom and two bedrooms upstairs. The master would be big enough for the bed, certainly, but no room for the dressers or probably even side tables. Much easier to get everything up those stairs, though. And the other bedroom was probably normal-sized for Italy but on the small side for the states. This house had a nice little yard in the back, though it was quite overgrown. Good place for grilling, catching some sun, playing bocce ball...the layout of the house was a bit more typical than the first one, though I think it's kind of weird to have the kitchen upstairs. Layout would be tricky given our particular collection of furniture and stuff, but we could probably make it work.

So, that was our first foray into the private rental market! Two very nice options. Neither of them really sang to us, though we liked them both. The second one was very attractive, but we'd really have to play some Tetris to get a usable set-up with our furniture. Our next appointment is on Tuesday; we have a confirmation to see one place in the morning, and we have to call the second one tomorrow to double-check. The landlord wasn't home when our housing lady called on Friday; her son answered the phone and asked us to call back after the weekend. Hopefully we can set that up for Tuesday morning as well. We have a couple more options we wouldn't mind looking at, but are approaching the 5-home limit with an interpreter. Keep your fingers crossed!

Housing...Should They or Shouldn't They?

Today we took a field trip off post! We went with our guide/translator Luca to view a government-leased home. I'd call it a townhouse more than a house or duplex. A cute little two-story place in a row of others exactly alike, with a security gate and teeny-tiny yard. Basically, if we want to go government-leased, this iss our only available option, so we have to make a decision whether or not we like it. Otherwise, we decline it, get issued a Statement of No Availability (because it is literally the only one available commensurate with someone of Tony's rank and family structure and they like to give people at least two to choose from), and begin looking for a private rental.

Pros:

Relatively close to Ederle (with Commissary and post office), easy to navigate

Close to town center, shops, restaurants

Very new

Well-built and insulated; built-in screens

Security doors, camera, electric gate

Decent-sized

Tiny yard

Housing maintenance staff on call

Already set-up for all utilities, including satellite AFN TV and internet

Lots of military/English-speaking neighbors

A/c in most rooms

Floor heat

Garage; open parking out front

Multiple, good bathrooms

Cons:

A bit further to Del Din (where Tony will be working) than we were hoping for

Nothing to compare it to at this point

Tiny yard, close proximity to neighbors

Tiny kitchen

Small-ish bedrooms

No internal storage

Rooms not as big as we were hoping for

We lose out on potential extra $ from conserving on utilities

Lots of military/English-speaking neighbors (miss the real Italian experience?)

Sorry, I don't have any pictures, but trust me, it's cute!

So, what do you think?

Ambras Castle and Innsbruck, Austria

Last week we swung by the base Outdoor and Recreation Center during a moment of down time to see what services they have available. In addition to gear rentals for things like rock climbing, camping, and snowboarding, they also put together trips for military people to take advantage of. Some of them are local field trips, others take you to the far corners of the country, and a few take you to other destinations in Europe. I've got my eye on a five-day scuba diving trip to Croatia...

There were three trips scheduled for this weekend, and two of them were already full.  Darn, no horseback riding in Verona...this time! However, there were seven spaces available on a bus ride to Innsbruck, Austria. For less than a hundred bucks, we got transportation, tickets to the Ambras Castle, and a guide. What else were we gonna do? We haven't gotten our Italian driver's licenses yet nor freed the car to get it registered and inspected, so our options are relatively limited. We met on post in front of the Outdoor Rec center at 0630 and snagged seats on a tour bus. It was a four-hour drive, with a stop in the middle for restroom break and food (unfiltered apple juice, yum!), but ye olde Google maps tells me by car it's 3 hours and 4 minutes from here. The drive was BEAUTIFUL, and best of all, we didn't have to navigate, pay tolls, or pay for gas, which is currently running about 1.56 Euro per liter. We drove right through the Dolomites and Alps; Innsbruck is basically the first major city you get to when crossing into Austria on that route. We passed the Olympic stadium and an enormous ski jump; if memory serves, Innsbruck hosted the Olympics in 1964 and again in 1974. If I had an editor I would ask him/her to fact check that for me, but I'm too lazy to look it up myself, so we'll just assume I'm correct and move on.

We arrived at the castle around 1030, and had until about 1230 to explore. It's a midieval castle that was updated to a Renaissance one by Ferdinand II. To say that Ferdinand was a collector is a giant understatement, and I enjoyed looking at all his stuff. Even back then, he started one of the first "modern" style museums, and many of the items on display noted they were part of an inventory taken in 1596, so most of it has been around a while. The first three rooms or halls were filled with weapons and armors, of all shapes and sizes and styles. I got quite a kick out of looking at the kids' armors, but even much of the adult equipment was quite small. I've heard that people used to be significantly shorter, but it was fun to have visual evidence of that fact. We also wandered through the Hapsburg portrait gallery and Spanish Hall, and got to take a peek into two of the chapels on site. I liked that it was a self-paced, self-guided tour, but one of the pieces of feedback I gave when we got back was that two hours was really too short. I'm one of those kinds of people who can wander around museums and cultural sites for days at a time, but I think most people would agree on this one. The grounds were beautiful and though we skipped it, there's a little restaurant on site that has some outdoor seating.

After Ambras, we hopped back on the bus for the 20-minute drive down into the town of Innsbruck. I say town, but I'd guess a couple hundred thousand people live there. We parked very near to the "old" part of the city, and walked through a park to get to the proper entrance. Our guide gave us a very brief tour and explanation, and then left us to our own devices for the next few hours. We found food first; Tony had a meat dish with sauerkraut and potatoes, and I had a Hungarian goulash with rye bread dumplings. He thoroughly enjoyed his meal but I only thought mine was so-so. On the other hand, the house wine was cheap and delicious, so that was a nice offset. I think it was a cab sav/Merlot/something else blend. In any case, after that we went to the St. Jakob basilica and the Imperial house, where many of the Hapsburgs stayed when they were not in Vienna. The basilica was notable for the paintings on the ceiling, some of the first examples of perspective to paint a domed look on a flat ceiling. (Our guide kept calling the ceiling the "roof" and correcting herself. She also referred to mustard as "the friend of mayonnaise".) We popped into a speck shop and had samples, and Tony bought a gelato. There's a small Swarovski shop/museum there, and we stopped to get a look at their fly display and take note of where the free restrooms were. Unless you are a restaurant patron - and even then it's not a guarantee - many of the restrooms are pay-only. So it's always good to know if/where there are free ones. There's your European tip of the day. :) We also wandered down to the Inn River and took a few pictures. Innsbruck is an incredibly scenic town; you turn a corner and oh look! mountains. It's also very pedestrian-friendly and clean, and most people were obviously multi-lingual. I felt bad for not having a very good grasp on ANY of those languages, but since it's a popular tourist location all of the servers and shopkeepers helped us in English. Give me a year...I also made sure to get a picture of the infamous Gold Roof, but aside from looking very different, it wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be. I enjoyed the rest of the buildings in the square as much as I did that one.

We sadly had to hop back on the bus around 5:30, but by then we had done a good bit of walking and sight-seeing, so it was okay. We stopped at an AutoGrill on the way back, but just got snacky type foods instead of a meal. I had leftovers once we got back to our room, which was a short and pleasant walk back from where the bus dropped us. It was in the 50s all day, and a few people who've been here longer than us complained a bit. I guess it was very nice and spring-y the last couple of weeks, but it's been gray and cloudy since we got here...until today! We stayed pretty close today and caught up on a few things, but we did go for a walk and buy some groceries. I think it got up to about 80, and the birds have been chirping and I even saw quite a few lizards out sunning themselves. Tomorrow we have an appointment with the housing office, so hopefully we'll have a better idea of what our options are by the end of the day tomorrow.

Things I have learned...

After 30 hours on the ground here, I've learned a lot. So much, in fact, that I'm practically an expert by now! Here's a quick list of ten things I can confidently report:

1) Italians speak very quickly.
2) I think, speak, and translate very poorly, and very slowly. Of course, this isn't really a surprise or new information, but it has definitely been reinforced.
3) The food is delicious. (We haven't had any wine yet, but I'm sure that will be rectified quickly.)
4) Everything seems to be smaller...bathtubs, refrigerators, cars, driving lanes, etc.
5) It's beautiful! There are irises and daffodils and tulips blooming all over base, and someone said they saw their first poppy today. Apparently there are fields and fields of poppies and sunflowers blooming this time of year, or a little later. I can't wait to go see them! We passed some wisteria blooming over archways, too.
6) Phone plans here are WAY cheaper than they are in the States. Tony's all set with his international number/plan, and as soon as my phone is unlocked in a few days, I'll go the same route. Easy peasy, too.
7) I already stepped in dog poop. Just thought everyone should know.
8) International flights are much nicer than domestic ones. (I watched The Book Thief and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The former was excellent and the latter was passable, if anyone cares about my opinion. I also read two different books between waiting in the airport and the flights.) Drinks were free and the food was better than I expected.
9) Customs and the shuttle bus were surprisingly easy to navigate.
10) The Army folks here seem to be very friendly, and very well-organized. The base is pretty small, and well-labeled with building and hours information.

That's all for now!

Wedding Miscellany: Friday, mostly

Mission accomplished! Tony and I were married in front of our family and friends on Saturday. It was beautiful and we are happy.

The end.



***


Just kidding. Everyone knew I have more to say on the topic, right? If weddings aren't your thing, just skip this post - and the next, in all likelihood -  and look forward to some Italy posts in the extremely near future.

Friday was a crazy whirlwind (one of my favorite words lately) and involved much running around in terrible weather. With everyone coming in from out of town, I definitely kept my fingers crossed and maybe even said a prayer or two to St. Christopher that no one would have problems with the rain or wind. We saw trees down, power lines completely gobsmacked, streetlights hanging from wires, fences and roofs blown out, and a partridge in a pear tree. The forecast called for 35 knots of sustained wind with gusts of 65-70. You know, a typical Astoria winter storm. I later learned there was at least one tornado in the general vicinity, but thankfully everyone made it in okay. From about 3-8pm we were greeting family and helping them get access to Hurlburt Field and checked into their hotel. It wasn't so bad, but a bit of a logistical nightmare since even Hurlburt's inn had buildings and rooms scattered all over two different parts of the base.

I have some good memories of Friday evening's festivities. Knowing all of our guests would be arriving and checking in at different times, our hands were kind of tied to plan much of anything. I was hoping we'd be able to go out to dinner or meet up with more of the non-family guests, but we ended up having a grand time in the hotel lobby. I wouldn't call it a rehearsal dinner, per se, especially since we didn't have any attendants or anything, but it was more of an impromptu gathering. My wonderful mom and cousin took a field trip to Publix (YAY, Publix!) and picked up a bunch of sandwiches and soda, to which they contributed homemade brownies, Chex Mix, and ginger cookies. Aaron and Lis brought a cooler full of jello-shots, which were a huge hit, and we kept the ruckus to a dull roar so the friendly front desk staff wouldn't have any reason to kick us out. They were very accommodating and ever so nice. I'd recommend staying there to anyone passing through the area.

My dad consumed his first ever jello-shot. The image still brings a smile to my face, and I'm pretty sure Tony's dad even captured it with his camera.

Another funny little tidbit was a visit from Cousin James. Oh, you don't know Cousin James? He is an Air Force retiree who was staying at the Hurlburt Inn for training. He popped in and photo-bombed some of Tony's family while they were taking a group photo on the couch, and stayed to visit. The family resemblance was amazing, once you got around the fact he's black and we're white. :) He even showed us before-and-after photos of his facial hair. Apparently he showed up for the second week of training sans beard and mustache, and his classmates didn't recognize him.

The party wrapped around 10:30 or so, and Tony and I jetted across the highway to get some beauty rest in our room. Ah, blessed silence.

Okay, gotta go. I have a plane to catch!!