she who blogs

Vacation Time With Andrena

I am so grateful for my vacation and time away for fun and the sun. We spent a few days on the shores of Wildwood New Jersey. I had much fun: braving the crazy rollercoasters (which scrambled my brains so bad, I had a headache for the longest afterward), and I even braved a scarey ride, which had little kids coming out with a smile on their face, while I on the other hand was scared to death. *Ask my son, how badly I performed :-)* If that little car that we were on went through another set of double doors, I was going to get out and walk out!

The best part of the amusement park however was the water park. A few rides down the long and winding tubes, proved to be exciting and we drifted lazily on colorful inner tubes around the water park, surrounded by fun music and bumping into others along the way. In the center of the park, was an attraction which boasts "The Big Bucket". A bucket of water which fills up periodically with 4 tons of water…the bell begins ringing – alerting you to the fact that 1000 gallons of water is about to splash down upon you…

Now, I know that we are only baptized once…but I came to be refreshed…and what better way to affirm your "baptism" than at a water park, being drenched with 1000 gallons of water! I asked my son to snap a pic, thinking I was going to be drenched once...but...

I was drenched, not once, not twice, but three times. *Somehow, my son stated that he couldn't get the timing right on the camera* (sure...sure..) Instead of being dunked, I was splashed and drenched! In the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit!

 

I was reminded of God's provision of the everlasting life-giving source of water! At SplashZone! Amen!

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Switzerland

Switzerland is home to about 7.6 million habitants and up until 1982, I was counted as one of those habitants. I was 13 when my parents told my brother and I we were moving to Los Angles. At the time, the only thing I knew about the US was from TV. The Show DALLAS was huge at the time and Westerns were still very popular then. I was soo excited about moving to the STATES...TO LA, home of Hollywood. WOw, how many stars was I going to see!??! I didn't speak a word of English, so we took a quick crash course with an English friend of my parents. I got my English confused with the German I was learning at school; French being my first language. We moved in August and I started 8th grade in September. What an experience it was! WOW! If you are interested, I can explain all of that in another post. Back to Switzerland. For those of you who have been there, you know what I mean when I say it is an amazing spot on earth. It is a small country,;according to Wikipedia, it has an area of 15,940 sq mi / 41,285 km². Switzerland is bordered by France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. Because of these borders and being such a small country, Switzerland takes its influence from France, Germany, and Italy. Swiss people are "divided" by four official languages; German, French, Italian, and Romansh. The culture of those neighboring countries also influences the culture of the Swiss. The Swiss Germans tend to eat more German food, Swiss French eat French food, etc.... But of course, one thing that they all have in common is Fondue, Raclette, and chocolate. And do not forget the watches. Switzerland has an amazing public transportation system. You could easily travel throughout Switzerland using their trains, buses, boats, and gondolas. And best of all, everything is ALWAYS on time! Switzerland has the alps and the most amazing hiking trails, all so well marked. Switzerland is also very clean. I could write for hours about this beautiful country, but instead, you should go discover it for yourself. Of course, it would help if the dollar would spring back up to help with the exchange rate. Here are a few facts about Switzerland: - Geography: 137 miles from north to south; this takes four hours to travel by train and three hours by car. It's 217 miles from east to west. On a journey of 3 to 4 hours the official language can change two, three or even four times - Government: direct democracy run by 7 "conseillers Federal" who take turn every year to play president! - Is not part of EU and uses the Swiss Francs. - Switzerland's real name is Confoederatio Helvetica, which is latin for Swiss Confederation. In Europe, you will see cars with a CH, now you will know why they use the CH. - Switzerland was established August 1, 1291. - YOu might want to sit down for this next fact, WOMEN were allowed to vote in the cantons (Swiss Version of a state) in 1959 AND 1971 federally! But wait, it wasn't until 1990, that ALL cantons allowed women to vote ! What do you say about that?!?! There are still a canton or two that conduct their local votes by standing in the middle of the town hall and raising hands... - Switzerland is a neutral country but has been a full member of the United Nations since 2002. - Switzerland, joined by Austria, t hosted the Euro 2008 during the month of June. Euro 2008 is the Europe Soccer tournament that happens every four years between qualified European teams. Spain won this year. - Switzerland has had bio-agriculture for 30 years. The cows are soo happy there, I do not care what the California cows say, they cannot be happier then the Swiss ones.

 

My Swiss Mosaic
Originally uploaded by MSabine

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 Life isn't about finding yours... 

snap2days

Liverpool - Beautiful Night

“I don’t know what to say. Every time I come up to Liverpool, all the memories come flooding back.” Sir Paul McCartney, Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, 1 June 2008 Well, Paul wasn't the only one overwhelmed by the experience at Anfield. I've seen a few concerts over the years, The Stones, Bowie, Foo Fighters, Santana, the Who, to name a few. But last week's Liverpool Sound concert in celebration of the city as European Capital of Culture was mindblowingly special. I mean, the fact I was seeing Paul McCartney perform in his hometown was incredible for me. As I mentioned in previous posts, I'm a huge Beatles fan so I just had to see him in Liverpool. But to see a musical genius at work was thrilling. He truly is going through his second renaissance. His voice was great, he played the bass, mandolin, piano and ukelele and he had a warm and easy rapport with the audience, telling stories as if he were sitting by the fireplace with old friends. You could also see how moved he was by playing in front of his fellow Scousers. It must have been incredible for the boy from Speke to see 36,000 of his people all there for him, singing his songs at the top of their voices.

It was also an historic moment for me personally as I was able to meet up with two of my best friends, one who lives in NY state and the other in Toronto. The stars must have aligned right on time because for all three of us to meet in Liverpool just for the weekend was a cosmic event. I never would have imagined when I proposed going to the concert as a lark in January that it would have actually happened. And I'm so happy it did!!

It's hard for me to pick my favourite moments but one highlight has got to be Paul's tribute to his old schoolmate George Harrison. It nearly moved me to tears:

I can't tell you how touching it was to hear him sing George's song. It was as if Paul was sending his old pal a message from home. And we all joined in, singing our hearts out. Major goosebump time. Another great moment was when Dave Grohl (one of my faves!) joined Sir Paul onstage for an electrifying rendition of Band on the Run:

Ah, grungy Wings! Gotta love it. And gotta laugh at my friend's description of Grohl as a modern-day Jacques Brel. His face not his singing, bien sûr. Anyway, fantastic concert, wonderful man. Paul, I'm not single but if you're ever in Milan and want to go out for a kickass vegetarian risotto, call me. So much more to say about my visit to Liverpool. I loved the city and the people! Will tell more in the coming days. Ciao!!!

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Paris - Day One

Reverie...

I can still see my feet walking down the Rue de Lancry, about to discover the bridges, bars and leafy walkways of the Canal St. Martin. I can still smell that distinctive odour of boiled rice emanating from the labyrinthine Métro corridors. The other smells are best left forgotten. The sound of exuberant schoolchildren playing soccer on a dirt pitch bounces off the remnants of a 12th century fortress bordering the field. Even under ominous storm clouds, the Seine is magnificent, proudly reflecting the city's glory in its leaden waters.

Sorry for that unbearably poetic rant. Feel free to vomit now. But I just can't help it. Every single time I visit, Paris does something to me. It turns this sarcastic bitter old broad into a mushy pâté. I'm feeling more than a little nostalgic this week. I had a wonderful weekend and while my body is back home, my spirit is still wandering around the arrondissments. Ok, now I sound like a freaky French ghost. What I meant to say was that my on-again off-again love affair with the City of Light is back on with a vengeance. Oh oui!!

But let's start with the facts:

We arrived late Thursday night at Charles De Gaulle airport and when we finally managed to get a train ticket (not easy if you don't have a French credit card), we took the RER down to the city. It may not be glam but it is by far the fastest and cheapest way to get to Paris from the airport. By the time we dragged our sorry suitcases and selves to our hotel in Place d'Italie, it was past midnight. But I didn't want to miss one minute of eating Parisian food so I forced my exhausted hubster to take me to the nearest café (a place called O' Jules). Despite the late hour, there were quite a few people having dinner, including a table full of boisterous Spaniards. Mimmo and I both had omelettes: mine with potatoes, his with ham and cheese. Not the best I've ever had but more than satisfying after our tiring journey. And get this, our waiter was actually pleasant to us. He even smiled once in a while. Un miracle!

So with our stomachs full, we made our way back to the hotel, dodging the occasional stream of pee or pan-handling drunk. One of them wanted to get a lift in a taxi and was flatly refused. Monsieur le Drunk couldn't understand why: "Mais pourquoi tu ne me veux pas? Pourquoi!?!" Despite those episodes, I was so happy to be back in Paris. I went to bed with visions of tiny sugar plum Sarkozys and Carla Brunis dancing in my head.

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On Top of the Duomo di Milano

In my husband’s home town they have a saying:

Se piove il 4 aprile, piove per 40 giorni

(If it rains on April 4, then it will rain for 40 days)

Well, it rained on April 4 and since then we have had 2, count’em two days without rain and I’m starting to get a little moldy.

On one recent morning, the rain held off long enough for me to take my Dad and my son for a walk in a very unusual location.

I took them for a walk on top of the Duomo di Milano (Milan’s Cathedral).

You can actually take a stroll up on the roof (€7 if you take the elevator, €5 if you climb the stairs) and get a closer look of the incredible detail created by several generations of stone masons. It also gives you a chance to get a very different perspective of the city.

It just amazed me that so much detailed work went into statues and spires that were never meant for public viewing. I have been asking myself if that kind of dedication to perfection can still be found today. How much passion do we put into what we do? How important is it to us that our results meet exacting standards?

In two hundred years, will someone be impressed by the work that I have done?

The answer to that question is no, mainly because in two hundred years they work that I do will have disappeared, but maybe, just maybe I should ask myself that question everyday. It just might make me better at what I do. It just might make me take more pride in and get more satisfaction from the work that I do.

Who knows, maybe my flu medication is going to my head and making me delirious.

Here a couple of the pictures that I took up there. There are more on the My Milano page at http://fruttodellapassione.wordpress.com

An Ode to the City

Last year we moved to a small Northern Italian town surrounded by corn fields and rice paddies. Natural parks and rivers are minutes away. The population is just under 8,000 and everyone seems to know us. Feels like Stars Hollow sometimes. We can walk our kids to school and the cats roam freely around the block. Well, except for poor pudgy Sausage who got stuck in the fence the other day. We had to call the vet and fireman to set her free. It was quite the event in town!

I really do love it here and it's a great place for my kids to grow up in BUT sometimes I get an itching for concrete and traffic that just overcomes me and I have to rush to Milan to get my fix. I guess you can say I'm a city girl at heart.

I was born in downtown Toronto and spent my first months of life there. Maybe I breathed in too many exhaust fumes back then that did something to my developing baby brain. Whatever it was, I think I've always felt an inexplicable connection to big cities. We later moved to the burbs where I spent most of my formative years but every time we would make our annual summer trek to the Ex, the sight of the CN Tower and skyscrapers fascinated me to no end. When I was a teenager, I would skip class just to walk down Yonge Street, "the longest street in the world" or hang out at the Eaton Centre, even if there was a perfectly fine mall nearby. And when I was old enough to travel on my own, I never felt more alive than when I was walking down the streets of Montreal, Mumbai, Paris, Madrid, New York, Rome and Poughkeepsie (ok, I've never actually been to Poughkeepsie but a girl can dream, can't she?).

Some people go to the country to "recharge their batteries". I go to the city to get my fill of energy. There's something about the lights, the crowds, the colours, the anonymity, the hustle and bustle that make me feel at one with the universe. Yeah I know, I'm nuts!

In less than a week I'll be in la ville lumière, Paris. Can't wait!!! I'll be posting lots of pictures and stories from there when I get back. Another place I'd love to visit again but won't for a while is New York. For me, it is THE city par excellence. I love it and keep trying to find ways to get transferred there. For now, I dream and make do with looking at some of the best pictures of NYC I've ever seen on Blogjem.  Frances' photos make you feel as if you were really in Times Square or Central Park. And her black and white pics are spectacular.

So folks, what's your favourite city? Where would you live if you had the chance?

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From Sognatrice (Bleeding Espresso)

touring sicily: savoca

Last Thursday, I teased you with some heart-themed photos from the village of Savoca.

Now it’s time for the rest of the tour.

First, may I suggest you cue la musica to set the mood?

Now, remember to keep an eye on my Sicily 2008 Flickr set for *all* my photos from our recent trip (updated daily!); also click on any of the photos below to be taken to the larger version on Flickr, and note that some of the words in pink will take you to other photos not featured here.

As I’ve mentioned, Savoca (in the province of Messina) is probably most famous for providing scenery for Il Padrino, or The Godfather. In fact, if you’re looking to stay in Savoca, there’s even a bed & breakfast that bears the film’s name (see left).

Now you may be saying to yourself, “Self, wasn’t The Godfather set in Corleone?”

For the explanation on how Savoca got involved in the filming, head over to Cherrye’s My Bella Vita; you’ll also get the treat of a photo of Cherrye and me doing some (tame) Sicilian gestures in front of a very deserted Bar Vitelli

where Michael Corleone asks for Apollonia’s hand in marriage from her father.

The other major scene filmed in Savoca is the wedding of Michael and Apollonia, which takes place at the Chiesa di Santa Lucia or Chiesa di San Nicolò:

But wait! There’s so much more to see in the 12th century village of Savoca!

Come on in through the Porta della Città:

This impressive arch is all that remains of the medieval gates that used to lock up the village at night–until 1918.

We arrived in Savoca as the sun was going down in a light rain, which meant that there was next to no one around. This sentiment comes across so poetically in Italian as I later told P, “Non c’era un’anima.”

There wasn’t a soul.

And then I asked him, jokingly, if that was a coincidence, given the town’s notoriety as the setting for Il Padrino. Hah!

Speaking of, ahem, dead bodies, there are catacombs in Savoca, but they were closed when we were there (you can see photos here). Don’t worry, though; I’ll tell you more about catacombs when we get to Palermo.

Here is a view overlooking the Chiesa Madre of Savoca:

Do you see the house that seems to be glowing on the left? It’s a “Casa medioevale con finestra a Bifora,” a medieval house with a peculiar style of window that gives “two lights” that is quite common in Sicily.

Savoca is also known as the Città d’Arte, the City of Art; this was represented in various forms of art throughout the village:

As well as plenty of religious representations such as this one above a door:

The Stations of the Cross and several shrines also decorate the main street that runs through Savoca, and even ordinary houses are extraordinary.

And of course we can’t forget about natural beauty, which is truly everywhere.

Savoca is well-worth a trip if you’re in the area (it’s 37 km from Messina), especially if you love medieval villages like I do.

And while The Godfather settings are must-sees, definitely leave time to walk around and really soak up the atmosphere of this hidden Sicilian treasure–all the better if you’re there on a clear day when some of the attractions are open.

—————

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From Shanel (Shanel Murray's Blog)

The other day, as I began my usual morning routine of waking up at the last minute and nearly killing myself attempting to complete at least 5 tasks at once, I heard the rush of water running. In the background, behind the news blaring on the TV (trying to get a campaign update), and the local radio blaring in the background (trying to avoid traffic on the way to work), I realized that at least two faucets in my apartment were running at the same time.

I had a Tanzanian flashback.  One of those “once upon a time, when water was hard to come by…” moments.  Getting enough water was a recurrent theme - a major focus of each and every day. This included making plans in case one would have to “do without”, especially hard for a western woman who was used to turning on the tap, and having water on demand. On average, we had running water all day, every other day. Usually it would come back on within a couple of hours, but we could never be sure. Once, I when I hadn’t set aside extra water for one of those “just in case” times, we didn’t have water for almost a day and a half. There was no creek or pond so we couldn’t even haul it back to the house. On so many occasions, mother would hope, and I would pray that the pump wasn’t broken!

To those who have never experienced lack of water, it’s a helluva thing! It means having toilets that don’t flush (stinky, stank!!!), being unable brush teeth (daammn!!), wash hair, clean off the afternoon sweat and dust, have evening chai, and on, and on, and on…Actually, for women, it also means not being able to relieve yourself freely when you need to. For me, the worst thing about not having water, was not being able to have chai, in addition to being sweaty and covered in dust from head to foot.

The other day, I had a conversation with a friend of mine from Europe who was also living in Tanzania. She was expressing her frustrations because she didn’t have hot running water for a shower every morning, and the mere thought of boiling water every morning and bathing out of a bucket was too much trouble. I clenched my teeth and smiled sweetly. I didn’t want to make her feel bad, but I wanted to tell her be glad she had running water at all. Mother and I were constantly boiling water and bathing out of a bucket, sometimes twice a day, soo happy that we had water. Don’t even ask me how she survived for almost 2 years.

According to the U.S. Department of State:
“Today, more than 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water; 2.6 billion people – almost half the total population in developing countries - lack access to proper sanitation.

On any given day, approximately 50% of the world’s hospital beds are filled with patients suffering from water and sanitation related diseases. Each year 1.8 million children in developing countries die from diarrhea disease - the second leading cause of death after pneumonia. Globally, diarrhea kills at least as many people as tuberculosis or malaria, and five times more children than HIV/AIDS.

Beyond their direct public health consequences, inadequate water supply and sanitation are especially important issues for women and girls. Women and girls who lack access to sanitation facilities must often wait until dark to relieve themselves or do so in public and risk harassment and/or abuse. Young girls are less likely to attend classes if the school does not have suitable hygiene facilities. This is particularly true after puberty and in areas where girls have access to adequate sanitation at home. One United Nations study estimates that half the girls in Sub-Saharan Africa who drop out of primary school do so because of poor water and sanitation facilities.

The United States supports the two internationally agreed targets related to water and sanitation. These goals are commonly referred to as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on water and sanitation”.

I know I shouldn’t waste water, but for some reason, I left the tap running for a few more minutes, just to make sure it wasn’t a dream.

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From SabineM (Life isn't about finding yourself...)

From her recent trip to Japan.

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From Sognatrice (Bleeding Espresso)

Last Year

happy befana!

For those who don't know, today is (another) excuse to overeat holiday in Italy. It's the Epiphany, which means that last night, good little boys and girls got candy in their socks/stockings and the rest got lumps of coal from La Befana, the (good) Epiphany witch.

As an aside, as someone who comes from the Coal Region, can I just say I'm a little tired of "bad" being associated with coal? I mean, with the price of electricity in Italy, you'd think people would appreciate a free heating source from a witch or anyone for that matter.

But I digress.

La Befana looks a lot like what we know as a Halloween witch, and I love her story. La Befana, you see, was busy cleaning her house (she *is* Italian) when the Three Kings came to ask directions for finding the baby Jesus. Excellent hostess that she was, Befana put them up for the night. They invited her along to see The Savior, but she declined. She had housework.

Hello? Befana? Priorities?

Anyway, she soon realized that her dirty floor would be waiting for her when she got back, so she tried to find the Three Kings, but never did. Ever since then, she's wandered on the night of January 5/6 in search of Jesus. During her travels, she leaves gifts for all the good boys and girls because she never knows which one might be Jesus.

Expensive, time-consuming mistake, Befana, but we live and learn.

On the other hand, some believe that La Befana is Santa's wife but lives at the South Pole, and that she finishes up delivering the gifts he didn't have to time to distribute. I'm not one to judge, but maybe living on opposite poles is the key to a happy marriage; these two have been together for, like, ever.

Folks, kids *love* La Befana here. A few years ago, I went to an event in which She was to appear, and my goodness, the screaming that erupted when The Broomstick was in sight. Think Sesame Street on Ice meets The Wiggles meets Lifesize Dora the Explorer meets whatever it is that kids are crazy about these days.

La Befana has groupies, mini though they are. And with the amount of tugging and ripping at her alread-raggedy clothes, kerchief hat, and broomstick, well, you couldn't pay me enough to be The Bef (as I call her; we're close) for even a minute.

So today is typically a day spent with family, eating, drinking, laughing--you know, all that stuff that we haven't done in at least six days.

And here in Calabria was no exception. P and I had an extended lunch with his sister and brother and their families. Salamis, cheeses, lasagna, roasted rabbit (yes, that's hard to write without smirking and thinking of Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd) and potatoes, salad, fruit, nuts, cake, coffee, spumante. Phew.

Only 3 of the 17 nieces and nephews, though, so it was as calm an affair as one could imagine with 6 adults and 3 children under the age of 10 in a space smaller than your average mall restroom.

FYI, here's a photo of the ever-popular presepe (Nativity scene) that P's brother-in-law put up this year:

We ate well and only had one meltdown (nephew, year and a half old, screamer), but the highlight was an imaginary broth that P's niece and I made. If anyone needs a good recipe:

3 pairs of Barbie's shoes (those heels that never stay on anyway preferred)
5 dabs of some weird, smelly hair cream that Mom doesn't use anymore
1 toothpick (used mainly for stirring, but throw in for fiber at end)
4 crumpled bits of chocolate bar wrapper
1 plastic lipstick (purple if possible)

Put all ingredients in small toy pot and stir vehemently until child's uncle is so grossed out by the smell of weird, smelly hair cream wafting in his direction that he must leave the room.

Serve cold.

Happy Befana everyone!

This Year

 

 

the witch has arrived!

Today marks the end of the holidays in Italy as La Befana arrived last night. You don't know La Befana? Read more about her here in my post from last year at this time.

As always, I'm sad to have to take down all the Christmas decorations; the house just feels a bit more empty, a bit more somber.

I suppose that's not such a bad thing as it's time to get down to the business of starting this new year and focus is always a good thing.

Friends, I *have* been focusing. Although it is the Italian tradition to return to work tomorrow, I've been quite busy the past few days--and perhaps that's making you feel a bit neglected here.

One of the main things I've been working on, though, is a brand new look and home for this here blog, and I think you're going to like what I've come up with.

But you'll have to wait just a bit longer. In the meantime I've had tons of positive energy from the blogosphere to keep me going, and I'll tell you all about it soon.

Tomorrow, though, I have the honor of kicking off the MotherTalk 15-Blog Tour of Persian Girls by Nahid Rachlin. You don't want to miss it--or this book.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

 

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