Christmas Time is Here!

Okay, well maybe it's already been "here" for several weeks as I do reside in a country that doesn't do Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving morning I headed out to Auchan with the most adorable blonde boys and their mom. While we were there I bought a baby tree that will be decorated with Nico safe ornaments before too long.

Although I tried to decorate the apartment that afternoon, I found it odd that I didn't have twinkly lights or a normal sized tree (fresh from Roseburg, OR). Then again, maybe it was because I was on my way out the door for Thanksgiving dinner. Who knows?

Well after deleting the hundreds of Black Friday sale emails from my inbox today, I decided to take another approach to getting into the holiday spirit by watching The Grinch. I also decided that Nico needed to watch it with me and he did. I think he was cold and wanted to steal my body heat but he didn't sleep and actually kept his eyes on the screen.

Then I made the mistake of moving my foot which of course took his attention from the movie and over to attacking my foot. When he was satisfied that whatever had moved was gone, he hopped off the couch. I was busy watching perhaps my most favorite Christmas movie of all time, but out of habit a few minutes later I chirped out for him to make sure he wasn't causing problems. He wasn't. In fact, he was only a few feet away from me.

Yep. I think he was concerned that the Grinch (or Erin) was going to steal "his" Christmas tree! My cat is such a smart one! I guess we now need to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas so he knows how to decorate it himself?

I did make him watch the rest of the movie and although he saw the Grinch's heart grow and return everything, I had to laugh when I just now looked up and saw him sleeping on the chair next to his tree. I'm just glad he likes the tree and has moved on from attacking the moose hanging from the banister!

Cento Cose Di Cui Essere Grati

It's that time of year again when hand prints are turned into turkeys, stomachs expand to accommodate a feast, relatives gather, and yes, you reflect on all the things you are thankful for. For a split second this year I started feeling sorry for myself- sorry that I wasn't going to be able to join my cousins at the kids' table. Sorry that I wasn't going to eat the pies my grandma makes. Sorry that I wasn't going to make the Fred Meyer sock sale on Friday. Seriously. It's hard core.

Then I saw a picture of Carolyne on my desk- the amazing little girl I met this year in Kenya. Then I recalled all the other little kids I saw on the trip, and remembered that for each one represents several others living in the same conditions. These children were so thankful for everything- no matter how small. Once again I was reminded that the opposite of poverty is not rich, but just enough.

Enough.

I don't know about you, but I feel like I have way more than enough. Way beyond the things that fill my ridiculously large house I've been given opportunities that many could never dream of having...including this adventure in Italy.

So sure I'd love to be seated at the kids' table with my siblings and cousins with our glasses of wine (seriously...over half the kids' table has been at a legal drinking age for at least a few years), eating pink cranberry stuff, and laughing with my family but I'm going to be spending it with my "other" families here in Italy.

This Thanksgiving I'll be starting some new traditions but 2 must go on: turkey hand prints & pink cranberry frozen deliciousness. No matter how you celebrate today- in a foreign country, out to eat, in front of the tv, or with family I hope you too are reminded just how much we have to be thankful for. If you need some help thinking of things, Nico and I got into the holiday spirit. Yes, his turkey looks like a hawk but since he's Italian I still need to teach him all about Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Germana

I know! I am suppose to be headed to new countries, not ones I've already seen multiple cities in! Oh well, it was nice to actually see something other than the Munich airport for the first time this year. This weekend I headed to Garmisch for a women's retreat with 10 others from Naples. The conference was decent- although I swear if I was asked one more time what service my husband was in I was going to slap someone.

Getting there was quite the adventure. My traveling buddy quickly dubbed it as our "planes, trains, and automobiles" day and it was 100% accurate. We left Naples at 0700, took a train from Munich to Garmisch, and then a cab took us the last few miles. On the first segment of the flight (the 30 minute one) I was in what would have been the perfect seat for flying home in: tons of leg room, cushy, wide, window seat in row 2. The Rome to Munich flight had me seated much further back and sharing my aisle with a German who I'm pretty sure was shocked when he heard my American accent. Yep, it never gets old playing my "I'm going to keep my mouth shut and see what language people talk to me in" game.

When it was time to catch our train, we all got on the first one with no problem. As we tried to get on the regional train at the main station there were very few seats. Luckily my traveling buddy didn't want to sit around waiting for the next one, so we boarded using our luggage as seats for the first few stops. I really wish I had pictures to show you just what we experienced on this close to 2 hour trip because I fear that you won't believe me!

While we sat on our luggage in the crowded exit area of the car we had no personal space. No personal space as in I was thankfully the one in the corner. Then again maybe not. At one point I glanced over to the passageway (on the other side of my friend) and saw a college student bending over. Well, that's what I thought I was seeing but upon closer inspection I think he was adjusting the zebra print thong on the outside of his jeans. Um yeah. You try not to laugh when you see that. There was a girl about the same age standing across from me and the looks we shared translated just fine even with the language barrier.

As soon as he left, the beer pong parade began. Yep. More college age guys started to make their way through. First we saw a drunk guy. Then it was a guy holding a stack of plastic cups with ping pong balls in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. Next up was a rather intoxicated guy balancing a crate of bottles on his shoulder. For some reason he felt the need to stop right in front of us and once again, my travel companion was subjected to danger. Keep in mind, we're on a moving train, this kid has been drinking, not holding on to anything, and he's balancing a crate of glass beer bottles (German sized, not American). A few times it looked like we would have beer falling on us- both in liquid form and bottles filled of it. When a hand reached upward as to prevent the corner of the crate in her face, one of his friends thought she wanted one. Ha. That triggered the "I bet if you take one they won't even notice" talk but luckily for us they got off within a few more stops- along with their traveling table.

We didn't realize we were on the party train!

As the entertainment ceased we started to realize that we were starving and tired; it had been nearly 9 hours since we woke up for our coffee. Not a minute too soon we pulled up to the station. As tempting as it was, we didn't head straight to the Mexican place by the station- I don't think it would have been any better than Taco Bell. We headed up the street in search of anything open and non Italian and settled on a little bakery where the girl spoke English. You know who didn't speak English? The cast of Scrubs on TV. Talk about confusing! We got over it rather fast as we inhaled our sandwiches, coffee, and strudel.

Finally we made it to our destination (via cab), as did the rest of the group not too much later.

Like mentioned before the conference was okay. The highlight of the weekend for me was running around the downtown area early Saturday morning. It was so cold even with my 4 layers on but after the initial shock of cold mountain air it was a great run. I've really missed running the empty streets of a city with the stars overhead. It was relatively flat too so I was a happy camper. Of course after I got back and saw my skin was cold to the touch even under all those layers I was a little thankful Naples is warmer in the winter. I did get the shock of a lifetime when after the sun came up I realized just how much frost was out there. Guess that explained the lack of sweat!

Um, I really didn't see anything new in this town nor did I see anything new while back in Munich the day we were flying out. Again, had fun and did some shopping (yummy raspberries) but nothing I deem blog worthy.
Maybe my attitude wasn't the greatest- I was just ready to head back to Naples. don't get me wrong, I love the mountains and it was a nice change of pace but Garmisch in particular is such a touristy place it sort of reminds me of why I hated Monterey so much. It's funny. For the 3rd time this year I find myself in a beautiful place that is a lot more like home than Naples is and yet I find myself longing to be back in Naples.

Who'da thunk!

VISITORS!

My second official visitor group to Bella Napoli were my aunt, uncle, and cousin from Indy. Their ship left them in the port early this morning and eventually they got off the port to meet at our designated spot.

Of course I wasn't there as planned (I run on Napoli time these days) and as I climbed the stairs I heard my dad's voice on the phone held to my aunt's ear. We assured him everything was okay and let him get back to sleep since it was close to 0100. Stinkin' time difference. So why was I late? Well I have the tendency to forget that driving at 0800 is a little different than 0500. That compounded with not being 100% sure where I was going and being on a train into town with what appeared to be a bunch of protesting students...like I said Naples time.

After being handed the most glorious bag of peppermint items (have I mentioned lately just how much I am in need of a peppermint fix?) we ventured out a piedi with no real destination in mind other than wanting to see a few new things. After a cornetto break, we wandered through some back streets while migrating towards Christmas Alley. I had given up my map at this point (I get too distracted looking at everything that I forget to check where we are...hey didn't someone once say it's all about the journey?) At any rate, we walked through some seriously narrow old streets. I'm sure we gave the old ladies hanging out their windows something to talk about for at least a little while.

We continued to wander off the typical major roads in downtown and quickly found ourselves in the neighborhood 2 of my coworkers had told me the day prior to be wary of. So naturally that's where we ended up right? Well, it wasn't too sketchy and I had to see Il Duomo one of these days- so why not on a day I wasn't touring solo? Walking inside the church, I'm sorry- cathedral, we really didn't know what to expect- but I think the vaulted ceilings with golden ornate images and marble everywhere really weren't in our mind. Attached to the main cathedral there were several side chapels, also decorated with statues which pretty much blinded us as the sun came pouring in the windows. We joked that I could never attend church there on account of it being so distracting! Well actually, the fact that I'm not Catholic would already making it tough and the language issues are sort of strikes uno e due. In this chapel is where the skull and vials of blood from San Gennaro blood that liquifies three times a year. Well, the city prays that it liquifies because the years it hasn't has resulted in catastrophic events for Napoli.

When we were duomo'ed out we headed back to the street and continued our walk to Via San Gregorio Armeno in search of  Christmas Alley. As the presepi became more and more frequent along the street vendors we figured we had made it. Turns out we passed our turn when we checked out a fish vendor. Yeah, fish. It's a very common view in the markets and along the streets- tubs of clams, muscles, octopi, squid--all still alive! The fish are already dead at this point, but you know just a few short hours prior they were swimming along. If you're picturing an aquarium in your head, you aren't that far off. Just like we weren't that far off of the correct street to see some of the largest and some of the smallest nativity scenes I've ever seen. The presepi are all handcrafted with tree bark and moss (preventing me from being able to take one home!) and then custom occupied. Il bambino Jesus, Mary, Joseph, livestock, shepherds, wise men, and angels predominately lined the shelves but among the traditional items/characters there were others. Should you want a Pulcinella, Santa Claus, or Bart Simpson you could easily find one. How about a pizza oven to add to your manger? Got one of those, look for them between the lamp posts and mini pizzas. It really was amazing to see all the accessories lined up and yes, I do love living in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving- BRING ON CHRISTMAS!

With our one destination reached, the stopping in stores back to the main road continued and I found a few great deals. I'd write about them here but should they end up as presents (as in, I don't keep them for myself) I don't want to have the element of surprise ruined. Before hitting the main street again we were by Santa Chiara. This church was recommended to visit by my Italian instructor so I had to check it out since it's her favorite. This Gothic church was much different than the ones we had seen previously. It was only in this form though after being bombed during the war and being almost completely destroyed. When the decision was made to rebuild, they restored it to its original style (even after it had been "updated" to Baroque style well after its 14th century construction). My favorite part was the stained glass windows, for now. Next time I'm going into the museum area to see the rest of it.

As promised, we made our way to Via Roma/Toledo and once again joined the fast paced city. It's really amazing how just a few streets off from the main roads you can be transported to what Italy must have been like earlier on. On Via Toledo, the vendors promised great deals even if every other one had the same items. Business suits walked by at a fast pace while older women took their time with their produce from the market. Coffee shops were busy- even if by American time it was time for pranzo...not another coffee break. One block found us across from a sea of people. Just what was the commotion? A new H&M was opening. Craziest part? It actually looked like people were lining up on the sidewalk.
Katie's tour now took them to Galleria Umberto, Palazzo Reale and the likes. I figure if these are a few of the sights that made me fall in love with the city, I have to share! It was a success and we even had a ton of carabinieri heading to the Palazzo Reale. Nope. Still not sure why but since we're sort of going through some political changes I'm sure it had something to do with that. Well, maybe not since I find that the most logical explanation for many things here couldn't be further from the truth.

With several kilometri under our feet and almost an acceptable lunch time for the locals, we went in search for a place my aunt and uncle had eaten at last time. Apart from knowing the general location and that it was a 2 story pizza place "with baskets" we had nothing. But guess what? They found it. We also found a guy willing to give us a great deal on an iPad along the way.

No. We didn't buy it. C'on. Electronics from the street?

Lunch was pretty good. It was nice to choose from pizza options other than what my pizza man makes but I still like his best. I'm not sure if it's the electric oven or what. This place was super cute though and since the kitchen was upstairs, they used baskets on pulley systems to send up the orders. Dopo il pranzo, siete andati per gelato. And it was almost more difficult to find than the restaurant! I guess we were a block past were we spent most of our day and as the old heart of city gelateria were not part of the original city plan? It was very odd. As the search continued we walked towards the closest metro station so I could eventually make it to soccer practice. Not only did we find our gelato, but we also found a coffee bar right next to the station. Not really wanting to head off to see my team (the season is almost over), sleepy, and impressed that we weren't just at any bar but at the 3 Gnome/Dwarf bar I had to have un caffe! Only as the sun began to set behind the tall buildings did I realize it would take me a while to head back...so that's what I did.

On the train back  I couldn't help but smile at what a wonderful day I had with my relatives exploring and sharing my new home with them. Sure there is trash on the side of the road, traffic, a ton of people, poor air quality but that's only a portion of this place, and the coffee, ancient history, beautiful buildings, friendly people and amazing views out weighs all those "cons." Shoot, I'm not even sure if all of those things are even cons...I think they are still in the "quirk category" in my book so they are a few of the many things that make Naples Bella Napoli. I'm sure the onlookers thought I was crazy  with my hair getting further out of control in the wind as I stood bracing myself with a pole as we made our way down the track with graffiti and sunbeam covered buildings but I don't care. Sure my attitude changed a tad when I pulled up to practice with 10 minutes left (it was on my way home) due to traffic but it quickly adjusted back while I ran inside an extinct volcano.

Seriously. 

How did I get so lucky to have this be my life?

Can someone please pinch me to make sure I'm not dreaming?

It's Go Time

Today is the first day in an 18 week marathon training program.
Yeah, 18 weeks.
And yes, I did say marathon.

142.195 kilometers or you know, 26.2 miles.

Get ready to read even more posts about running because I'm about to get serious about this.

SB out.

Another Milestone Reached

As most of you have heard, I've been fighting this cold that's making its way through Naples. I believe one of the soccer kids decided to share with us coaches as my coworker came down with it last weekend and come Monday we were both sad cases. Our entire shop (the whole 4 of us) were sneezing and coughing by the end of the week. To be fair, the other 2 were also exposed to it at their homes and I really do keep my germs to myself.

Well, apart from the Shoe Alley adventure yesterday I told myself I wasn't allowed to leave my house expect for in search of pizza or in case of emergency. There was a point yesterday where I almost restricted my outings to only life threatening emergencies. I even told Nico he was responsible for saving me.

It would be a lie if I said I was super productive today but progress was reached in the unpacking department. I finally opened the last few boxes and all but one is now unpacked. The one with items still in it is from my office and given that I don't even have enough workspace now, these items will need to find a new home eventually.

The office/craft room finally looks like a room rather than a room out of a hoarder's home. Unfortunately the zebra couch remains in there but hopefully that's not for much longer. I did open it up (why yes, it is a sleeper couch). Did you know that it's part of the New York City series? The copy right date? 1982. If this is an original...it's older than me! With this discovery and realizing it was nearly 1pm, I went up to my much newer couch and took a nap. Well, maybe like 3. From time to time I was woken up by Nico sharing Baby Mouse or wads of packing paper with me.

Round two in the office made me laugh because once again I was finding things I forgot I had. Like a set of glasses? Oh well, I still don't regret my new set from Ikea! My creations from high school ceramics? Oh just you wait till they are worth big money. What really triggered my need to unpack was my list of a few missing items. Nothing huge but I was finding it odd that both of my aprons are still MIA. Yeah, still MIA. Guess it's time to look through my clothes again? No lo so.

Who says you can't have it all? I slept in, got a room unpacked, napped for 2+ hours, and even had pizza today. Yeah, I am productive even when sick.

BEWARE THE BOX TROLL!

To Market, To Market

One huge perk about American holidays these days (I mean, apart from the 8 hours of holiday pay) is that the Italians still go on with business as usual. This means markets, businesses, schools, and the likes are all open and for once I'm able to live the Italian life.

Today's destination was Shoe Alley. Yes, I have been there before but not for months! My coworker and I had been talking about needing boots for a few weeks and we made the plans late yesterday afternoon. (What else would 2 government employees be talking about late in the afternoon before a long weekend?)

With my coworker taking over directions (my GPS and I are still working through our issues) I drove my car closest to downtown Naples it's been. The drive proved to be entertaining and the traffic at 940 suggested it was still early in the work day. We arrived without incident and I even backed up onto the sidewalk for a very Italian parking job. By the way, Ravi is really learning to love some of his all terrain capabilities in this urban center.

The sun shone down on the shoes causing buckles and bling to glisten like treasures. The stacks of boxes reached several meters high, each containing a pair of shoes. Like two pros, we wandered back and forth between the stalls in each row- careful not to to miss any! In today's search for boots nothing really caught our eyes until the 3rd row. It's here I found the first pair of suede wedge with a little faux sheep wool lining- super cute but just filed away as we continued our search.

Our search for boots was temporarily detoured as I realized I want to find a few scarves since I'm determined the key to dressing like an Italian is to accessorize. My research has concluded that the reason the women always look so fabulous in their outfits is because they've layered and accessorize everything on their person to be art. Granted, it could just be the shoes but I'm not willing to give up my flip-flops just yet.

Row after row we searched. It wasn't until the very back that we finally found one of our favorite types of stalls- cinque euro! Although the selection wasn't too fabulous, for 5E you can buy a pair of shoes and if you don't like them after 2 or 3 wears you pass them along or not feel guilty as they sit in your closet. My coworker found her (only) pair of boots here, but I was still on the hunt for something similar to the ones I saw previously.

And then I saw the most adorable dress ever. Okay, maybe not ever but marked 10E it was pretty fabulous. After checking it out I was 99% sure that this body with my "no carb left behind" Italian food plan was not going to squeeze into it.

Onward!

I finally found a pair of boots. No, they weren't like the ones I saw before (and despite going back for a second look still didn't come home with them) but they looked like something my shoe collection was missing. As we made our way back I once again crossed paths with that dress. Feeling optimistic (I knew it would fit, but it was the "how would it fit" that was the mystery) I tried that and another dress on. And this is how the  clothes shopping at Shoe Alley happened. The original dress was a no go, but I found another one. The only problem is I have a feeling I'll be checking Nini's closet for it should it ever go missing.

So today's trip was successful: boots, a pencil skirt, a dress, and a top all for way less than the holiday pay I was paid while I was outside enjoying the sun rather than in my dungeon.