My dear friend Jenny jokingly says that she decided to pick up and move to Manhattan after watching too many episodes of “Sex and the City.” For me, I think perhaps the decision to move to Vienna and work for the UN resulted from watching too many episodes of “The West Wing,” (thanks Justin) and – let’s face it – a little “Sex and the City” too. I wanted to feel like I was an environment where I was making a direct impact on the issues – ala West Wing – but I had also always dreamed of living in Europe someday and taking a grand adventure.
It is hard to encapsulate all the emotions that have arisen from the past four months in a blog post, but all in all this has been even more of a learning experience than I imagined it would be. I learned that I have a deep and profound respect for the work that is done by the staff of the United Nations, but I also put the UN on a pedestal before I arrived here. There is certainly a lot of redundancy, overlap, and bureaucracy, but most of the people who work there do so because they passionately believe they can make a difference in the world, and they are experts in their field. They work long, tireless, and often thankless hours. And while I share their passion, I am not sure that the UN would be the right place for me – at least not at this point in my life. I found I truly missed being ‘in the field’ and connecting with the people I serve on a daily basis. At the UN I often found like I was in an ivory tower, so disconnected from the issue that I couldn’t be as fulfilled as I would like to be.
I learned that now – more than any other time I have traveled abroad – is a precarious time to be an American in Europe and abroad. This was a sentiment echoed by multiple other Americans we met while traveling – a massage therapist from Sedona, a public defender from Laguna Beach, a recently married couple from Wisconsin who have relocated to DC. All were experienced travelers, and none of them were loud, obnoxious, or ‘ugly Americans,’ and they too had some unsettling experiences while traveling. In Siena and Budapest Todd and I had other minor anti-American incidents, and while they were minor, they demonstrated a tension and palpable anger towards Bush and the US that I can’t quite describe. You need not point out the irony that the person who is yelling, “Burn the US!” in the square is wearing a Nike shirt and Levis jeans. There seems to be no problem embracing the music, movies, fashion, and pop culture of the US, but there is little love for the US as a whole. Like I said, it’s just hard to describe.
On a lighter, and more personal level, I have found from this experience that I feel more confident in my skin. All my life I have idolized European women – or the pictures I saw of their models in magazines – and their tiny figures and ability to eat large quantities of butter and not gain a single pound. I have always struggled with my physical self-esteem, and in an odd way, being in Europe has made me realize that European women are no different from us. Ok, maybe they do have better metabolisms. It may sound strange, but the fact that when I arrived I realized I have a ‘normal’ body, and that every woman here isn’t a size 2 made me start to realize how silly I have been my whole life. I’m not a big blob, which at times I felt I was. I am very, very normal (by global standards now I guess), and I am ok with that. I’ll always have to work to stay fit, but knowing that European women are mere mortals too was oddly comforting. That isn’t to say that whenever I saw a 5’9,” 120 pound Slavic Amazon chowing down on a cheeseburger I didn’t think to myself “Damn her,” but you get my drift. J
Finally, this whole experience has made grow to love and appreciate Todd in a new way. I wouldn’t say that I ‘love him more,’ because I don’t think you can quantify an emotion. But being able to quit your job of five years, move 6,000 miles from home to a country where you don’t speak the language and know no one, and have your boyfriend be your rock and true partner in crime (and not an additional source of stress) is a really amazing thing. Whenever I had homesick days or frustrating moments he was always there to make me laugh, give me a hug and kiss, or just hold me steady. Even that fact that we could travel together for three weeks and not only not kill one another, but in fact love every minute, makes me love and appreciate him in a whole new way. True, the 38th time he started singing “Good King Wenzeclas” in crowded, 100-degree heat Prague I was about ready to throw my shoe at him, but then he would do something to make me laugh, and we’d be right back where we started. And that pretty much sums us up. I never would have had the courage to do this without him, and I am thankful that he agreed to take this adventure with me.
Well blog readers, this is my last post from abroad. I could keep writing for another hour, but I am about to go to bed, as tomorrow morning we fly back to the States. This blog has been one of the most enjoyable things about this whole experience, and I thank everyone for reading it, posting comments, sending emails, etc. I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to me, and I hope you have enjoyed hearing snippets of our European adventure. Todd thinks I should start a new blog entitled “The Merry Misadventures of Kristen in Connecticut,” but I am not sure how interesting of a blog that would be. We’ll see. If I do decide to keep a blog on the relocation from West Coast to East, you will all certainly be the first to know. Thank you again for sharing your lives with me, and allowing me to share some of my thoughts with you. We love you all.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
Eat Me
Hello faithful followers of Kristen’s blog! While Kristen is busy doing our laundry, I (Todd) have hijacked her blog for the purpose of reflecting on the culinary and gastronomical (aside from the “roulette” described in an earlier post) experiences of our trip, which is unfortunately coming to an end. This is my first attempt at publishing, so please be nice.
I have arranged my thoughts into a sort of “best of” list, food and drink destinations followed by a brief description and reasons for inclusion. I have organized the contents by travel destination, in the order visited.
Austria
Austrian cuisine is hearty, consisting usually of red meats, potatoes in various forms, and thick sauces, but I found it more sophisticated than its Czech or German counterparts. I should also mention that Austria has helped significantly to develop in me a true appreciation for white wine. Their Gruner Veltliner is a true star, and they don’t do a bad Riesling either.
Vienna
On the whole, it is easy to eat mediocre food in Vienna, which is much easier to find than either good or bad food (though we found both). A big lesson is that more expensive in Vienna, does not equate to better food. Vienna also does ethnic foods very well. Don’t be afraid of Indian and Asian cuisines in Vienna (but do your homework).
1) Wrenkh – This first district gem right off the Graben specializes in vegetarian cuisine (though they have non-vegetarian options), a rarity here. Its mod decor and friendly staff compliment the inventive flavor combinations and textures used in many dishes. We had a great late night meal with the restaurant practically to ourselves.
2) Orpheus – This was the best Greek we had in Vienna period. I had stuffed squid which was absolutely fabulous (see adjoining picture).
3) Wild (pronounced Veeld) – This recommended restaurant was under-whelming in all respects except for its Strudel, the best we’ve found in Vienna.
4) Demel – The tourist’s choice for pastry and coffee, Demel can be a challenge. However, their Heisse Schokolade (Hot Chocolate) is stunning, in spite of its over-inflated price.
5) Salm Brau – This is where we are going back to tonight for dinner. Taking the best all-around category, this lively little (not really that little) restaurant with a great front garden serves authentic Austrian cuisine. Everything’s terrific (though the service can on occasion be a little poopy). Plus, they make their own marzen beer, which tied with the Augustiner Brau variety in Salzburg as our favorite.
6) Gasthaus Immervoll – We think…the best Wienerschnitzel in Vienna.
Salzburg
1) Stadt Krug – We had one of the best meals of the trip on my birthday here. I can’t remember what I got (because I was drinking more than I ate), but I remember it was fabulous. It is expensive, but great for a special occasion.
Prague, Czech Republic
Czech food sucks. It’s really that simple. The basics are of other Germanic and Slavic cuisine; it’s just bad. Prague is a beautiful city, and the Czech people we met were friendly, intelligent, and multi-dimensional, but their food reflects this as a black hole reflects light. But the beer…oh the beer almost made up for it…almost. Really tasty, incredibly cheap pilsner.
1) Orange Moon – Very decent Thai food; and a great choice for those who don’t enjoy chewing on their own shoes.
Budapest (pronounced BudaPesht), Hungary
Nope not going to do it, not going to make the obligatory joke about Hungary in the food post. Appropriately though, we found Hungarian cuisine to be delightful, especially after Prague. A good mixture of German, French, and Paprika, Hungarian food matches the Magyar (pronounced MUD-yar) language for complexity and richness. All the food we had in Budapest was good, many honorable mentions. Ironically, only one of the three winners below served traditional Hungarian cuisine. Go figure.
1) Shalimar – This is an Indian restaurant, a very good one. Try stuff you normally wouldn’t.
2) Chez Daniel – Great traditional French restaurant with a great little courtyard and really friendly staff. The food was phenomenal. I had the duck with a berry sauce (see the adjoining picture). Three-course meal with wine for the equivalent of $20 to $30! This was one of the best full meals of the trip without a doubt.
3) Karpatia Restaurant – Fancy, expensive, a little cheesy and really, really good. This was traditional Hungarian at its best. Hot goulash, cold fruit soup, dumplings, and I had the duck again. Whew! The desert was so-so, but the previous courses, wine, and company were stellar. (Thanks to Pierre!)
Italy
Italian food varies by locality. Don’t just think of pizza and pasta, though its mostly pizza and pasta. Pastas are made from scratch and served a little al dente if good. Overall, we weren’t disappointed with Italian food in Italy. Though we’d often had the dishes before, we’d rarely had them as good. Italian wines are great too. Chianti Classico of course, a great reliable Sangiovese, but not in all areas (Florence and Sienna the best). Try the white wines with seafood in the Cinque Terre. Fruity, not at all like the Gruner Veltliner.
Rome
1) Miscellania – The best lunch place…possibly ever, anywhere. A great lunch-only, family-run, student-favorite. The staff was so freaking awesomely cool. We could stay there for hours. Great fresh fruit (melon this time of year), fantastic salads, and he-UGE sandwiches. Even free strawberry wine, for us. Not only that, but cheap. Definitely best bang for buck! We want to go back tomorrow. Stay, talk to people around you, talk to the staff, listen to the conversations, and watch people interact, hugging each other, laughing, singing even. (Okay I’ll try to keep it shorter.)
2) Mystosis – Best wine list. Octopus spaghetti had sand in it, had to send it back. A little overpriced.
3) Giolitti’s – Best gelato place in Italy as far as we’re concerned, in terms of ambiance, service, and flavor. We went several times. Buy your ticket first, then try to choose, or ask for their recommendation. Kris did the later and got a special banana split thing with three flavors, nuts, hazelnut, the works.
4) Pizzeria Remo – Off the beaten path, family-style, and the best thin-crust pizza we’ve ever had.
Thanks to Marlena for pointing us to Giolitti’s and Pizzeria Remo.
Florence
In keeping with the overpriced and touristy nature of the city, good and reasonably priced food in Florence was harder to find. But we found…
1) Trattoria de Sergio – One of the best meat loafs (yup I said meat loafs) Kristen’s ever had
2) Italy Loves – The best wine shop (plus oils and vinegars) we found. The two guys working there were fantastic. Strike up a conversation and taste, taste, taste. Then buy, we didn’t regret it.
(Note: between Florence and Sienna we were at a wine tasting party in a little town called Giocalto, near Poppi, in Tuscany. This was one of the best times we had on our trip, and some of the best wine too. Thanks again to Marlena and her very generous family.)
Sienna
1) Traverna San Giuseppe – We had the pear, gorgonzola, and shallot risotto, and Florentine steak (prepared perfectly). Highly recommended, a little on the expensive side.
Vernazza
1) Restaurante Castello – Great seafood spaghetti
Monterosso
1) Via Venti – Great chocolate soufflé. Food’s not bad either.
Venice
1) Casa dei Nobili – They had the best pasta and seafood pasta we had on the trip. Plus, they have a great little courtyard in which to sit, eat, drink, watch the dusk turn to night, and listen to Billie Holiday. I had the scallops. Mmm yes. They also have a cool art nouveau-style logo. That’s right.
Whew! Okay. Well, for the sake of space. I’ll just mention briefly that Nightfly’s and the Museums Quarter are our favorite places to go for a drink in Vienna (apart from the heuriguens).
Okay. Done. Sorry. Hope this is useful to people. Enjoy.
I have arranged my thoughts into a sort of “best of” list, food and drink destinations followed by a brief description and reasons for inclusion. I have organized the contents by travel destination, in the order visited.
Austria
Austrian cuisine is hearty, consisting usually of red meats, potatoes in various forms, and thick sauces, but I found it more sophisticated than its Czech or German counterparts. I should also mention that Austria has helped significantly to develop in me a true appreciation for white wine. Their Gruner Veltliner is a true star, and they don’t do a bad Riesling either.
Vienna
On the whole, it is easy to eat mediocre food in Vienna, which is much easier to find than either good or bad food (though we found both). A big lesson is that more expensive in Vienna, does not equate to better food. Vienna also does ethnic foods very well. Don’t be afraid of Indian and Asian cuisines in Vienna (but do your homework).
1) Wrenkh – This first district gem right off the Graben specializes in vegetarian cuisine (though they have non-vegetarian options), a rarity here. Its mod decor and friendly staff compliment the inventive flavor combinations and textures used in many dishes. We had a great late night meal with the restaurant practically to ourselves.
2) Orpheus – This was the best Greek we had in Vienna period. I had stuffed squid which was absolutely fabulous (see adjoining picture).
3) Wild (pronounced Veeld) – This recommended restaurant was under-whelming in all respects except for its Strudel, the best we’ve found in Vienna.
4) Demel – The tourist’s choice for pastry and coffee, Demel can be a challenge. However, their Heisse Schokolade (Hot Chocolate) is stunning, in spite of its over-inflated price.
5) Salm Brau – This is where we are going back to tonight for dinner. Taking the best all-around category, this lively little (not really that little) restaurant with a great front garden serves authentic Austrian cuisine. Everything’s terrific (though the service can on occasion be a little poopy). Plus, they make their own marzen beer, which tied with the Augustiner Brau variety in Salzburg as our favorite.
6) Gasthaus Immervoll – We think…the best Wienerschnitzel in Vienna.
Salzburg
1) Stadt Krug – We had one of the best meals of the trip on my birthday here. I can’t remember what I got (because I was drinking more than I ate), but I remember it was fabulous. It is expensive, but great for a special occasion.
Prague, Czech Republic
Czech food sucks. It’s really that simple. The basics are of other Germanic and Slavic cuisine; it’s just bad. Prague is a beautiful city, and the Czech people we met were friendly, intelligent, and multi-dimensional, but their food reflects this as a black hole reflects light. But the beer…oh the beer almost made up for it…almost. Really tasty, incredibly cheap pilsner.
1) Orange Moon – Very decent Thai food; and a great choice for those who don’t enjoy chewing on their own shoes.
Budapest (pronounced BudaPesht), Hungary
Nope not going to do it, not going to make the obligatory joke about Hungary in the food post. Appropriately though, we found Hungarian cuisine to be delightful, especially after Prague. A good mixture of German, French, and Paprika, Hungarian food matches the Magyar (pronounced MUD-yar) language for complexity and richness. All the food we had in Budapest was good, many honorable mentions. Ironically, only one of the three winners below served traditional Hungarian cuisine. Go figure.
1) Shalimar – This is an Indian restaurant, a very good one. Try stuff you normally wouldn’t.
2) Chez Daniel – Great traditional French restaurant with a great little courtyard and really friendly staff. The food was phenomenal. I had the duck with a berry sauce (see the adjoining picture). Three-course meal with wine for the equivalent of $20 to $30! This was one of the best full meals of the trip without a doubt.
3) Karpatia Restaurant – Fancy, expensive, a little cheesy and really, really good. This was traditional Hungarian at its best. Hot goulash, cold fruit soup, dumplings, and I had the duck again. Whew! The desert was so-so, but the previous courses, wine, and company were stellar. (Thanks to Pierre!)
Italy
Italian food varies by locality. Don’t just think of pizza and pasta, though its mostly pizza and pasta. Pastas are made from scratch and served a little al dente if good. Overall, we weren’t disappointed with Italian food in Italy. Though we’d often had the dishes before, we’d rarely had them as good. Italian wines are great too. Chianti Classico of course, a great reliable Sangiovese, but not in all areas (Florence and Sienna the best). Try the white wines with seafood in the Cinque Terre. Fruity, not at all like the Gruner Veltliner.
Rome
1) Miscellania – The best lunch place…possibly ever, anywhere. A great lunch-only, family-run, student-favorite. The staff was so freaking awesomely cool. We could stay there for hours. Great fresh fruit (melon this time of year), fantastic salads, and he-UGE sandwiches. Even free strawberry wine, for us. Not only that, but cheap. Definitely best bang for buck! We want to go back tomorrow. Stay, talk to people around you, talk to the staff, listen to the conversations, and watch people interact, hugging each other, laughing, singing even. (Okay I’ll try to keep it shorter.)
2) Mystosis – Best wine list. Octopus spaghetti had sand in it, had to send it back. A little overpriced.
3) Giolitti’s – Best gelato place in Italy as far as we’re concerned, in terms of ambiance, service, and flavor. We went several times. Buy your ticket first, then try to choose, or ask for their recommendation. Kris did the later and got a special banana split thing with three flavors, nuts, hazelnut, the works.
4) Pizzeria Remo – Off the beaten path, family-style, and the best thin-crust pizza we’ve ever had.
Thanks to Marlena for pointing us to Giolitti’s and Pizzeria Remo.
Florence
In keeping with the overpriced and touristy nature of the city, good and reasonably priced food in Florence was harder to find. But we found…
1) Trattoria de Sergio – One of the best meat loafs (yup I said meat loafs) Kristen’s ever had
2) Italy Loves – The best wine shop (plus oils and vinegars) we found. The two guys working there were fantastic. Strike up a conversation and taste, taste, taste. Then buy, we didn’t regret it.
(Note: between Florence and Sienna we were at a wine tasting party in a little town called Giocalto, near Poppi, in Tuscany. This was one of the best times we had on our trip, and some of the best wine too. Thanks again to Marlena and her very generous family.)
Sienna
1) Traverna San Giuseppe – We had the pear, gorgonzola, and shallot risotto, and Florentine steak (prepared perfectly). Highly recommended, a little on the expensive side.
Vernazza
1) Restaurante Castello – Great seafood spaghetti
Monterosso
1) Via Venti – Great chocolate soufflé. Food’s not bad either.
Venice
1) Casa dei Nobili – They had the best pasta and seafood pasta we had on the trip. Plus, they have a great little courtyard in which to sit, eat, drink, watch the dusk turn to night, and listen to Billie Holiday. I had the scallops. Mmm yes. They also have a cool art nouveau-style logo. That’s right.
Whew! Okay. Well, for the sake of space. I’ll just mention briefly that Nightfly’s and the Museums Quarter are our favorite places to go for a drink in Vienna (apart from the heuriguens).
Okay. Done. Sorry. Hope this is useful to people. Enjoy.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Peace at the End of the World
My skin smells of sea salt. It is a smell I have deeply missed, and something I have taken for granted for most of my life. Being landlocked for four months (the only time in my life I have not lived near the Pacific), tears started welling up in my eyes when I saw my first glimpse of the Ligurian Sea. The ocean is one of those things that promptly puts you in your place, and one of the few things I feel myself almost cosmically drawn to.
We are currently in Vernazza, one of the small towns that makes up the Cinque Terre, the semi- off the beaten path area of the Italian Riviera. It's a no shirt, no shoes, no problem kind of town where neighbors inexplicably burst into song with the Judy Garland songbook, and multiple generations of families, strangers and locals, all come together to relax. It is also the first time in recent years that I have developed a true, legitimate tan. In short, it is paradise.
Following our Tuscan adventure, I wasn't sure that our Italian experience could get much better, but Vernazza and the Cinque Terre have proven to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Each day we walk up the 112 steps to our room and look out over the sea on our terrace and truly experience the good life. People here are relaxed, friendly, and I find a sort of peace here that you only rarely experience.
On our first day, Todd and I went to the small, pebbly Vernazza beach/harbor, and both of us couldn't begin to express our happiness at seeing the ocean. Todd immediately ran into the water, demonstrating a near state of euphoria, and through all of this completely forgot that our room key was in the pocket of our boardshorts. Whoops. Needless to say, our room key is probably half-way to France by now, but when we called the woman from whom we are renting a room, she was so relaxed about it it was almost disturbing. We asked if we could go to a locksmith to replace the key, and she seemed surprised that we would even think to replace it. She says, 'But you have to go to Monterosso to do that.' For those of you not familiar with the Cinque Terre, Monterosso is about a five minute train ride (literally) from Vernazza. Not a problem, and all in the relaxed frame of mind we have here.
We sadly leave Vernazza tomorrow, but we travel to Venice, our last stop in our travel adventures. I am excited, but also looking forward to wearing clean clothes and being back with all of you. I hope to post again, but if not, I will do another post from Vienna before we fly home. Lots of love to you all!
We are currently in Vernazza, one of the small towns that makes up the Cinque Terre, the semi- off the beaten path area of the Italian Riviera. It's a no shirt, no shoes, no problem kind of town where neighbors inexplicably burst into song with the Judy Garland songbook, and multiple generations of families, strangers and locals, all come together to relax. It is also the first time in recent years that I have developed a true, legitimate tan. In short, it is paradise.
Following our Tuscan adventure, I wasn't sure that our Italian experience could get much better, but Vernazza and the Cinque Terre have proven to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Each day we walk up the 112 steps to our room and look out over the sea on our terrace and truly experience the good life. People here are relaxed, friendly, and I find a sort of peace here that you only rarely experience.
On our first day, Todd and I went to the small, pebbly Vernazza beach/harbor, and both of us couldn't begin to express our happiness at seeing the ocean. Todd immediately ran into the water, demonstrating a near state of euphoria, and through all of this completely forgot that our room key was in the pocket of our boardshorts. Whoops. Needless to say, our room key is probably half-way to France by now, but when we called the woman from whom we are renting a room, she was so relaxed about it it was almost disturbing. We asked if we could go to a locksmith to replace the key, and she seemed surprised that we would even think to replace it. She says, 'But you have to go to Monterosso to do that.' For those of you not familiar with the Cinque Terre, Monterosso is about a five minute train ride (literally) from Vernazza. Not a problem, and all in the relaxed frame of mind we have here.
We sadly leave Vernazza tomorrow, but we travel to Venice, our last stop in our travel adventures. I am excited, but also looking forward to wearing clean clothes and being back with all of you. I hope to post again, but if not, I will do another post from Vienna before we fly home. Lots of love to you all!
Thursday, August 2, 2007
A Tuscan Block-Party
Nestled between the towns of Poppi and Bebbiana lies the village of Giocalto. I use the word 'village' loosely, as Giocalto is really nothing more than seven houses from the 13th century stacked beside one another on a olive-tree covered hill in the middle of Tuscany. It is here that Todd and I have found ourselves, finishing up the second week of our travels, as we spend an absolutely magical day and night with our friend Marlena and her family, whom we befriended during our UN stint.
Marlena and her two older brothers grew up all over the world, as their parents are teachers a international schools. Marlena was born in Los Angeles, then moved to Rome, Venezuela, Burma, and finally back to the US for college and law school, while her parents moved to Turkey for their final stint of teaching and administration before they retire. Their home in Giocalto is where they plan to retire in a couple of years, and because of our visit (and the visit of Marlena's college roommate Emily), they decided to throw the equivalent of a Tuscan block-party in our honor. You see, the village of Giocalto is made up entirely of friends of Marlena's parents (including Peter Rockwell, son of artist Norman Rockwell, who originally purchased the 15 acres of land in the 1980s and has been gradually selling the homes to his friends). They are all friends from college, and many of them plan to retire there, or at least spend the summers there during their retirement. Their is something incredibly attractive to me about retiring in a community of my life-long friends, and I think they are very lucky to have had this opportunity.
Giocalto and the surrounding countryside is even more beautiful than the fairytale that you imagine Tuscany to be -- being raised Catholic, I almost felt guilty to be able to visit and see such beauty. Shortly after we arrived, friends from Giocalto and some of the other neighboring villages stopped by with their families and guests, and we ended up having a lovely party with blind wine-tasting of wines of the region, eating typical Tuscan cuisine, and enjoying the company of people from literally all over the world.
It was most certainly one of the highlights of the trip to stay a night at a friend's house, in the company of family -- even if they aren't your own family, it's been one of the most peaceful nights sleep I have had in a long time. I have missed being in a family environment -- waking up to pancakes and coffee for breakfast, to the sound of roosters crowing (a sound I have not woken up to since my Grandparents Ogdon passed), and then just seeing that families are the same no matter where you are. It was a blessing to be with a family for a day.
We fly back to the US in less than a week, and I look forward to seeing many of you soon. We miss you very much!
Marlena and her two older brothers grew up all over the world, as their parents are teachers a international schools. Marlena was born in Los Angeles, then moved to Rome, Venezuela, Burma, and finally back to the US for college and law school, while her parents moved to Turkey for their final stint of teaching and administration before they retire. Their home in Giocalto is where they plan to retire in a couple of years, and because of our visit (and the visit of Marlena's college roommate Emily), they decided to throw the equivalent of a Tuscan block-party in our honor. You see, the village of Giocalto is made up entirely of friends of Marlena's parents (including Peter Rockwell, son of artist Norman Rockwell, who originally purchased the 15 acres of land in the 1980s and has been gradually selling the homes to his friends). They are all friends from college, and many of them plan to retire there, or at least spend the summers there during their retirement. Their is something incredibly attractive to me about retiring in a community of my life-long friends, and I think they are very lucky to have had this opportunity.
Giocalto and the surrounding countryside is even more beautiful than the fairytale that you imagine Tuscany to be -- being raised Catholic, I almost felt guilty to be able to visit and see such beauty. Shortly after we arrived, friends from Giocalto and some of the other neighboring villages stopped by with their families and guests, and we ended up having a lovely party with blind wine-tasting of wines of the region, eating typical Tuscan cuisine, and enjoying the company of people from literally all over the world.
It was most certainly one of the highlights of the trip to stay a night at a friend's house, in the company of family -- even if they aren't your own family, it's been one of the most peaceful nights sleep I have had in a long time. I have missed being in a family environment -- waking up to pancakes and coffee for breakfast, to the sound of roosters crowing (a sound I have not woken up to since my Grandparents Ogdon passed), and then just seeing that families are the same no matter where you are. It was a blessing to be with a family for a day.
We fly back to the US in less than a week, and I look forward to seeing many of you soon. We miss you very much!
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