Plain Jane Said

San Lorenzello Antique Market

2012-01-30T13:17:00.007+01:00

Happy Monday! We hope everyone had a good weekend. I had a relaxing one, but Fabio had to work on Saturday. No fun! We did take a few hours to stroll around the antique market though, which was fun.

Guido's Basket Weaving

2012-01-24T11:47:00.007+01:00

While we were eating Sunday dinner, at Guido and Giuseppina's house, Fabio said, "Yesterday my dad made a tray for drying out tomatoes." I was like, ok - thinking it was some kind of wooden frame with a mesh net. Then after dinner, Peppina walks in with this beautiful woven basket and I was like - WOW!

I had no idea Guido was a basket maker!! I just couldn't believe he actually made this and in one day!

Guido said that he learned to basket weave when he was very young. He used to make all types of baskets and then take them to the market and sell them for some extra money.

He explained to me how he made this one and that he would teach me how to make my own baskets. Fun! Looks like I just added basket weaving to my goals for this year!

Guido is going to make us some baskets this week and when he does, I'll just pop over to the house and take my first lesson. I'm excited to learn a new craft! Yay, for Guido and his hidden talent of basket making!

New Year Goals

2012-01-23T10:09:00.000+01:00

Before the month of January is over I decided I better write down a new list of goals to accomplish this year. But before I do that, let's check in on how I did with last year's resolutions:

1. Practice Italian every day.
I kind of failed at this the first half of the year, but more than made up for it in the last half!!

2. Make at least one new recipe every week.
I tried to keep a log of the meals I cooked every day and I think I did OK at reaching this goal. (Except for the 3 months when we lived with Fabio's parents and I hardly cooked at all!)

3. We really enjoy having guests over for dinner, but don't do it often enough. So, we'd like to have friends over once a month for dinner.
I kept this goal until we moved to Italy. Now that our kitchen is finally done I definitely want to start this up again.

4. Spend time every day enjoying the outdoors. Even when it is freezing cold and raining!
Yep.

5. Invest more in people who are like-hearted.
Yep, and I even made some fabulous new friends.

6. Go to New York City.
Nope.

7. Do weekly sewing and craft projects.
I think I was about 50/50 with this.

8. Learn how to knit.
Nope.

9. Ride my bicycle more.
Oh, yes!

10. Go camping.
Nope, but hopefully this year.

11. Write a love letter every week.
I did this up until we left for Italy. This is probably the resolution I enjoyed most. I'd like to keep this up, but probably in e-mail form, as it's about $2.50 to just send a postcard from here....

12. Bake a different batch of cupcakes every month and share them with a friend.
I made cupcakes up until we left for Italy. Now my goal is to learn how to make them here!!

13. Print and organize our wedding photos!
Well, I did get some printed, but they are far from being organized or even framed.

Ok, so now for some of my 2012 goals:

1. Speak in complete sentences (in Italian!) by the end of the year.

2. Learn how to knit and embroider.

3. Learn how to make fresh pasta.

4. Visit Hamburg, Vienna, and maybe Barcelona (travel some more).

5. Plant a garden.

6. Mail birthday cards early enough so that they arrive on time.

7. Give a street dog a good home.

8. Ride my bike at least 5 days a week (uhm, exercise a lot more).

9. Start writing down local Italian recipes (especially Mamma Peppina's recipes).

10. Bake and share an American treat once a month.

11. Read one book a month. (I spend too much time reading blogs and magazines these days!)

A Rainy Friday

2012-01-20T16:38:00.003+01:00

It's a stay in the house with slippers, hot tea, and cozy cats day. Happy Friday!

The Adventures of Buying Bread

2012-01-18T15:09:00.013+01:00

This morning I went out on my bike for a 5 minute ride to pick up some fresh bread, but in true Italian fashion, came home 1 hour later after getting side tracked a little! Here is the story.

At 11am I went out to fetch some fresh bread.

I love that it's the middle of winter and still sunny.

Success, I purchased a fresh half kilo of bread, which cost a whopping .80 cents!!

On my way home I stopped to photograph some chickens behind a fence and this lady said, "Please come on in!" (Later in the day, Fabio told me that her name, Felicetta, means "little happy". How cute is that!?)

So, I said, "ok!" And here I am, taking photos of her chickens.

And then Felicetta said, "Please have some eggs!" And she gave me a bag of fresh eggs. So kind of her!

Next I took a look at her pigs (which they plan on eating soon).

Then her grandson, Maurizio, came out and he showed me their baby bunnies. They were so cute!

They also showed me their bigger bunnies, which were just as cute (but will be eaten soon too....boo)!

He then introduced me to his new puppy. So adorable! His mom told me she would be happy to bring me the other baby puppy that needs a home......hmmmmm, tempting!!

And then they all invited me in for something to drink and eat. They were just lovely! A half hour later, I said, "I must be going now." But not before I bought some fresh mozzarella from this lady who was stopping by their house to sell cheese. So, now I have a fresh kilo of buffalo mozzarella for dinner tonight. Yum!

And 1 hour after I left the house to buy bread, I returned home with a basket full of food and new friends. Oh, how I do love Italy!

Catching Up

2012-01-13T12:59:00.008+01:00

I can't believe it's already Jan. 13th! Where has the month gone!?
A few things to catch up on:

A cat update! Baxter and Penny survived on their own while we were gone on our travels. I'm sure they did quite well, while I was a bit worried about them! Thanks to Peppina for stopping by every day to bring them special cat treats. She is now their new favorite visitor.

Last weekend I survived listening to, and viewing from my window, the butchering of our next door neighbor's pigs. Uhm, it was a little horrifying. Beniamino and Maria generously gave us some fresh sausage and a pork steak, but let's just say I don't think I'll be eating it anytime soon.

Onto more pleasant news, I ordered brown sugar and vanilla extract from Amazon.co.uk (free shipping to Italy!) and so I attempted to make my first chocolate chip cookies yesterday. They turned out a bit flat, but the taste was ok. The butter I used seemed really thick and sticky, so I'm on the search for some better butter to bake with. Maybe that was the reason they turned out flat (or it could be the flour). I will keep experimenting.

Our kitchen island was installed yesterday. So, our kitchen installation is officially finished! Now to unpack a few more kitchen boxes and spruce things up a little. I'll post some pictures after the kitchen is finally done.

I've started to help a friend, Anna, every week with her thesis. I help with the translation of her thesis from Italian to English, and I also correct her pronunciation as she reads her thesis to me in English. I think it's fun and also nice to be helpful/work!

Fabio is back to work after taking time off. Boo! I much prefer to have him home!! He is happy though that the new Massa club for Napoli soccer fans is officially open. Now all the Massa men have a good place to go to watch their favorite team and sport. Yay!And that about wraps things up over here. I think the year is off to a good start!
Happy weekend everyone!

Befana in Sorrento

2012-01-13T10:26:00.006+01:00

On Jan. 6th, La Befana, we drove to Sorrento for our Christmas visit to Gianni.

Hello, Sorrento!

Mmmm......Sorrento oranges. They were just falling off the trees into the streets. We picked some to take home!

Gianni and Fabio - friends since the good old university days. (Gianni works in Germany, so Christmas is the only time we usually get to see him.)

Gianni's very fluffy white cat!

After visiting for a while, we took a walk around town with Gianni. The Christmas lights were pretty!

Shopping for lemons!

How about those lemons!?

I have to admit I now prefer Italian hot chocolate over American hot chocolate. It is just so thick, creamy and extra chocolatey!

It was so nice to see you again Gianni! We hope to visit you in Hamburg in the spring!

Venice, Day 2

2012-01-12T14:46:00.001+01:00

I'm a little behind on blogging! So, here is our last day in Venice. We tried to wake up (as early as one possibly can after New Year's Eve) to explore more of Venice. One last look at the Rialto Bridge-

Another stop by San Marco. (I was surprised at how clean the piazza was. Crews must have been up all night cleaning up after that party!)

The bells of Sunday morning-

Doge's Palace (We didn't tour the palace on this trip, but we will next time we come. After spending a lot of time in museums, churches, palaces, etc. the past couple weeks, we just wanted walk around the streets Venice and soak everything in.)

I'd love to take a boat around Venice and its neighboring islands next time.

Scala Contarini del Bovolo-

Uhm, I hope everyone doesn't mind all the photos! I took a gazillion pictures and I can never decide which ones to post!

I was very impressed at how well all the gondoliers navigated the small canals.

I so loved all the boats parked outside the homes. How funny it would be step out your front door into a boat!

Hmmmmm....where are we exactly!? It's so easy to get lost in Venice!

Campo Santa Maria Formoso-

These kind French women asked us if we wanted them to take our picture. I think they were watching us attempt to do our head shot photo! So, thanks kind French women, for taking our photo!

Touring the Old Gheto-

Our last views of Venice before catching the train back to Milan.

I'm so glad we got to enjoy another sunset in Venice.After our return in Milan, we left the next morning and drove back to Massa with Cristina and her boyfriend. The drive back was a little long (8 hours), but the scenery was beautiful - especially the snow in the mountain passes. It was nice having Cristina in Massa for the week and are happy we had the chance to invite her over for dinner to thank her again for being such a gracious host in Milan. We do look forward to visiting again!

New Year's Eve

2012-01-09T20:48:00.005+01:00

So, here we are (after our power nap) taking in more of Venice before the sun disappeared.

Just a few more hours until the show begins!

We bought some artwork from this jolly man. He had the loveliest watercolors.

It was so great to get lost in the maze of canals and see what was around each corner. In the photo below - the house on the left is where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived as a boy.

I liked how quiet the small canals were.

I was a little surprised at how many stores there were everywhere (though I probably shouldn't have been). Of course you have all your fancy stores for window shopping.

And plenty of souvenir and Venetian mask stores. I bought a mask, so I'm ready for carnevale now!

The house of Isabella Albrizzi, where Lord Byron frequented.

Oh, and we can't forget all the Murano glass stores. On our next trip we want to take a boat out to the island of Murano.

The Rialto Bridge-

The shops on the bridge-

Just as it got dark a thick blanket of fog rolled into Venice. Ooooh, foggy, mysterious Venice! The fog didn't last very long though, so it was clear by the time the New Year's Eve festivities started.

The famous Harry's Bar where Hemmingway would like to sit and take a drink.

Venice is just as lovely (and romantic!) at night.

So, here we are at San Marco where thousands of people were enjoying the music performances.

I expected there to be a lot of people in Venice for the New Year, but not that many people!! This was a bit of a change from our usual stay-at-home New Year!!

The big countdown!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Then Venice put on a great firework show.
Up until this point we were having a really great time, then came the moment when the fireworks ended and 70,000 people all tried to exit the piazza at the same time via the very few and narrow side streets. oh. my. goodness. For the first time I realized how people are crushed to death. Let's just say this is our one and only New Year's Eve in San Marco! (Unless we ever get super rich and watch all the festivities and chaos from an apartment above the square!)

Venice, Day 1

2012-01-09T17:52:00.000+01:00

We left for Venice early Saturday morning via the Eurostar train. It was a quick 2 1/2 hour ride from Milan. It was so great stepping out of the train station right onto the Grand Canal. It felt like we were in a movie!

I immediately fell in love with Venice. I mean, how could you not!?

Here we are watching the boats go by as we wait for our vaporetto (water taxi).

And off we go down the Grand Canal. Oh, all the palaces were pretty fabulous!

A quick little movie traveling the Grand Canal-

And here we are at our hotel (Hotel Rialto), located just off the Rialto Bridge.

The Rialto Bridge is the oldest bridge out of the 4 bridges which span the Grand Canal.

Rialto was the center of commerce for Venice, and it's still a busy spot!

First stop was Piazza San Marco.

St. Mark's Basilica-

The clock that will count down our New Year's Eve!!

Everywhere in Venice is beautiful. For a water lover like me, Venice would be a great place to live!

We need to figure out something better for photos - we either get a close up head shot or us in separate photos!

The Bridge of Sighs-

And one of the best parts - soaking in another fabulous Italian sunset - in Venice.After exploring San Marco, we went back to our hotel for a quick little power nap, so we could have enough energy for our New Year's Eve!! Those pics coming up!

Milan, Day 2

2012-01-08T11:32:00.002+01:00

On our second day in Milan, cousin Luigi offered to be our tour guide for the day.

We started out by window shopping down the fancy shopping streets.

See this long line? You'd think it would be for a museum, but it's for a pizzeria! That must be some good pizza!

The magnificent Duomo again-

Fabio e Luigi-

We crossed the Galleria to see the famous opera house, La Scala.

We visited the La Scala Museum first. It was great to see all the antique musical instruments on display. I especially liked seeing Franz Liszt's piano! We also saw the special Bolshoi exhibition.

And then we were able to walk around the La Scala foyer. Oooh, it was very elegant! How I would love to see an opera or ballet here!

The special treat of the day was viewing the La Scala Ballet dress rehearsal. We watched the dancers from one of the boxed seats in the theater. I wish I could have taken photos! I'm not sure what captivated me more - the opulent theater or the dancers gliding through the air.

Next stop was Pinateca di Brera. When we were waiting in line to get our tickets one of Luigi's friends was working at the front and spotted us. He whisked us right past the ticket booth, straight inside the museum and escorted us to the special Museo Pushkin exhibit. We felt like a mini-celebrities! We really enjoyed the art gallery - especially Pushkin exhibit where we got to see more Cézanne, Gauguin, Monet, Matisse, Renoir, Picasso, Rousseau and Van Gogh. It was a nice top off to our Parisian trip.

Last stop of the afternoon was Castello Sforzesco.

Thanks, Luigi, for being an excellent tour guide. We so enjoyed spending the day with you!

Later that night, cousin Cristina took us to the Navigli district to tour around. I liked this hip little spot of Milan and we will definitely go back again. (And do some shopping next time!)

The canals were so pretty with all the lights. It made for a perfect evening walk. (Minus it being freezing cold!!)

Me and Cristina-

If you visit Milan, this is a great area to get a bite to eat, hang out and get something to drink.

Thanks again, Cristina, for such an enjoyable Milan trip! Next stop, Venice!!

Milan, Day 1

2012-01-07T22:27:00.000+01:00

Our first day in Milan started out with a trip to the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie to see The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci.

We had to arrive a little before our reservations which gave us enough time to look around the monastery. We then went in to view The Last Supper for our allotted 15 minutes. It was amazing to finally see it in person. I wish I could have spent more time just gazing at it.

And, to our surprise, turns out we booked our tickets at the same time as our friends - Giuseppe, Emma and Anna. We all made our reservations over a month ago, and without knowing it we booked our visit to The Last Supper on the same day, 15 minutes apart!! It worked out perfectly to be able to spend the rest of of the day in Milan together. Fun!

After The Last Supper, we went to another wing of the monastery to see the special exhibit of Leonardo's Codex Atlanticus. Ooooh, Fabio and I were in awe to see some of his original drawings and writings, and see his mirror-image cursive. Fascinating! It was also interesting how on one piece of paper there would be a collection of thoughts/drawings.

After viewing the codex, we walked over to the Biblioteca Pinacoteca Accademia Ambrosiana to view the art gallery and library, which was pretty impressive. We were also able to view more of Leonardo's codex.

After all that, we wandered around the shopping streets and found another yummy Laduree macaroon store. This was our happy visit before the lady behind the counter started yelling at me for taking photos. Boo on Laduree in Milan!

And here we are in the beautiful Galleria.

Tourists taking a spin on the bull's balls for good luck!

The grand Duomo of Milan (Did you know that it took nearly 6 centuries to complete and it is the 4th largest cathedral in the world? Pretty impressive!)

Up on top!

Oooh, the view of the sun setting over Milan was just the best.

Here were are taking a look inside the cathedral.

The Piazza del Duomo-

And the Galleria is so pretty with all its Christmas lights.

And that about wraps up our first day touring Milan.

Arrival in Milan

2012-01-04T21:26:00.006+01:00

We arrived in Milano on Wednesday afternoon, after our super speedy trip on the Eurostar train. I thought it was a great way to travel - relaxing, no driving, free wi-fi, good food, you can get up and walk around, and the train is quicker than flying to Milan!

Just look at how beautiful the Milano train station is! It just about the prettiest station I've ever been to.

After we arrived we were greeted warmly by family in Milan. Thanks to Cristina for inviting us to stay in her home and for feeding us so many delicious dinners! And I finally got to see cousin Giuseppina and Luigi's bakery, Panificio.

Ciao, Giuseppina! Take a look at that giant 8 lb loaf of bread in the window!!

All their breads were so tasty and I especially liked their yummy marmalade croissants.

Fabio and Luigi-

It was so nice to just spend the evening talking with them and hearing about their life in Milan. Fabio's mom's family lived in Milan before she and most of her siblings moved back to Massa, so it was great to see where they used to live and to see the many old family photos Cristina had to show us. A big thanks to everyone for showing us such a good time on our trip!

Milano e Venezia

2012-01-03T16:43:00.011+01:00

On our way to Milan and Venice!

We took the Eurostar from Naples to Milan. The trip went by really fast going 300 km/hr!

Hello, Florence.

Welcome to Milan!

Lots of pictures to come!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T11:39:00.009+01:00

Fabio and I (and the cats!) wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Paris, Day 4

2011-12-23T15:01:00.001+01:00

On our last day of Paris we spent our morning/afternoon wandering the streets and getting our last delicious bites to eat, and doing some last minute shopping.

I loved how so many Christmas trees in Paris were flocked. Usually I don't go for flocking, but there was something so fun about all the brightly colored Christmas trees.There were these great covered garden shops at the Metro stop by Notre Dame.
We stopped by this amazing kitchen store. I think we could spend like a gazillion dollars in there.
I just love how all the restaurants and cafes look. It makes me want to eat in all of them!

And no trip to Paris would be complete for me without stopping by Laduree for some famous macaroons! I just had to see what everyone was raving about. There were so many flavors it was hard to decide which to pick!
Lemon, caramel and rose were my favorites out of the ones we tried. And oh.my.goodness, they are SO scrumptious! They are so light and airy, that when you bite down the macaroon just melts in your mouth....they were simply divine.
I think one of my favorite shops we visited was Pixi. Before we left for Paris I looked up the few stores that sold Tintin items and this was one of them. Oooh, there were so many Tintin items I wanted to buy!
The other delightful thing about Pixi were the displays of their small painted figurines. I loved the homemade boxed scenes (and want to make some myself).
And then in a room upstairs, there were these tall little buildings and if you looked through each window there was a little scene inside. It was just fabulous!Here we are by BHV (If you go, check out the 2nd floor of the store - it's full of craft items,art supplies, papers, books, frames, etc. It is great!) and the pretty carousel across the street.
Ah, and one last glimpse of the fabulous bridges of Paris.On this trip, I think we found a good balance between sight seeing and just wandering around soaking in Parisian life. But I think we saw/did about 10% of everything we'd like to do, so we will definitely be coming back again and again!! Merci, Paris, for being even more lovely then I imagined you would be. I loved your beautiful buildings and quaint streets, your yummy bread, pastries and sweets, the friendly Parisians we met, the magnificent art and most of all - enjoying you with the one I love. Until next time - au revoir!

Paris, Day 3

2011-12-22T16:12:00.000+01:00

Today we set out with two goals - see the Eiffel Tower up close and visit the Musee d'Orsay. And, well, just wander the streets and take everything in (including food)! This was one of my favorite little corners of Paris. Just a small quiet, oh-so-beautiful, square.
I think I could totally live here. (Uhm, if I was rich!)On our way to the Eiffel Tower we came across this great street market.

It was so fun to see all the produce displayed so perfectly (and deliciously!).Mmmmm......cheese......The flowers were all so pretty.And the pastries, as always, looked scrumptious! We just had to pick up a 2nd breakfast. Yum!And here we are - the Eiffel Tower!!! Oh, it really was just as magnificent as I imagined it would be.

It's hard to take a bad photo of the tower - especially with such blue skies!

And of course, it's ever so romantic.....I couldn't leave without taking a few silly snapshots!
Oh, beautiful Eiffel Tower, I already can't wait to see you again! Next time it will be in the spring when it is warmer and green!Next we made our way over to Musee D'Orsay. We could have easily of spent an entire day here. My head was just spinning seeing so many beautiful pieces of art - many of which I had studied about. I felt especially lucky to also see a special exhibit which included some paintings by John William Waterhouse. His Saint Celia was soooo beautiful.
A view from inside the clock tower.After the museum we decided to head over to check out Galeries Lafayette and shop a bit.The Christmas lights were spectacular!! We also stopped next door at Pintemps to check out their lights.
I've often heard that Paris has some of the best Christmas windows, so we just had to catch a glimpse of them. It was very tricky though, there were so many people!! And in a nutshell, that is a glimpse of how we spent day 3. Oh dear, just one day left!....

Paris, Day 2

2011-12-21T20:33:00.002+01:00

Day 2 started out with walking the streets of Paris. I think we could fill an entire trip of just doing this. I loved the markets and yummy pastry shops we would come across. I wanted to eat almost everything we saw!The breakfasts in France are like the ones in Italy. You have something hot to drink and something sweet to eat.

We had such fun discovering all the little shops.

Mmmmm....and all the pastry and sweets were so tempting....I really liked the covered shopping passageways. They are just so quaint (and handy, when it is rainy outside). This one had a great little paper store.We just had to have a drink at the famous Cafe de Flore, where Hemingway and Picasso would frequent. (Uhm, have I mentioned yet how super expensive Paris is?? See Fabio's beer and my soda drink? They cost 14 euros - that's about 18$ folks!) Everywhere in Paris is romantic!!I especially loved the bridges. In the evening everything twinkles and looks even prettier. Here we are at the Centre Pompidou to see some modern art.

But first we went up the hamster tube to catch a view of Paris from above.

And then we spent a couple of hours going through the exhibits. I especially liked seeing lots of Kandinsky and Miro, and I got to see my very first Calder mobile.

After we toured the exhibits, we went back up the hamster tube to see Paris at night. Oooh, it was so pretty! The Eiffel Tower is so beautiful when it is lit and even prettier when it sparkles every hour. Oh, we were sooo tired again after walking around all day! But that didn't stop us from exploring the Latin Quarter on a lively Saturday night and getting a bite to eat.

The night before we had some delicious crepes here, but this time we opted for a traditional French dinner, complete with duck and onion soup. After dinner we stumbled back to our hotel and we fell asleep the second our heads hit our pillows. Another fabulous, yet exhausting day in Paris!

Paris, Day 1

2011-12-20T20:13:00.001+01:00

Oh, what a little dream to be in Paris! I kept pinching myself the whole trip to see if it was really true! We arrived Friday morning to a wet, dark and very cold Paris, so after getting some quick breakfast we took a little snooze and just like magic it was bright and sunny when we woke up. So, out we went to start exploring Paris. The streets are all just as beautiful and charming as I'd hoped they would be.

Our hotel was in the Latin Quarter, which was a great spot for being within walking distance to most everything (or catching the Metro which was 1 block away). We were just a hop, skip and jump away from the grand Notre Dame.

We were walking the streets wondering - how do we get to Notre Dame? (The streets are a little tricky!) And then we rounded a corner and there it was! Oh, it was just magnificent. I must admit, I got a little teary eyed seeing it for the first time! I liked the big festive Christmas tree in front. It's almost Christmas!Oooohhh, the inside was just so marvelous. It was even better than I had imagined. The stained glass windows were just spectacular. And while we were inside the organist was practicing, which was a real treat. I thought about how my Grandma Draney would have loved to have been in Notre Dame listening to that organ.

Everything in the cathedral was just so beautiful. It was easy to see why it's one of the best examples of French Gothic architecture in Europe.
After touring Notre Dame we wandered around some more, ate dinner and then headed over to the Louvre. Many people have told me that the Louvre is very big, but it wasn't until I saw it that I realized how super huge it is!
I was in awe most of the time and desperately trying to take everything in, but it's just impossible in such a short trip! You seriously need a couple of weeks to really see/appreciate everything at the Louvre. I think it's the only museum I've gone to where I've left feeling completely defeated!

We did see most of the "must see" works of art, including the ever famous Mona Lisa. And I also saw some unexpected treasures, like Girodet-Trioson's The Burial of Atala and Giuseppe Arcimboldo's portraits.

After the Louvre we had a lovely evening walking around Paris. The city is just as enchanting at night.

Our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower! Ooooh, it was so pretty all lit up.

Paris really is the "City of Lights".Thank you, Paris, for a beautiful first day. Our feet might have been tired, but we were ready for 3 more wonderful days!

Bonjour, Paris!

2011-12-20T12:56:00.005+01:00

Friday morning from our window. Ahhh, sweet Paris!

More photos to come!

Paris Notebook

2011-12-16T20:55:00.001+01:00

Guess where we are going!? PARIS!!! Oh. my. goodness. I couldn't be more excited! Fabio and I have never been before, so we are really looking forward to our trip. When I found out we were going (Fabio surprised me with tickets!), I searched for the Paris notebook I started 2 years ago and finished it up.

I actually hate having a specific agenda for trips - you know, having everything planned out each day - but what I do like is being prepared, so that whatever we decide to do I have the information to helps us out. So, I like to make us little travel notebooks for our trips. (Click here to see my Roma notebook and for some instructions/ideas on how to make your own!)

I have a section full of information for the main museums we want to see. I've included useful floor maps with different pieces of artwork highlighted.

Oh, too many museums and artwork to see in too little time! (I guess that just means we will have to go back again, right!?)

I like DK's city guides, but I don't like carry their heavy books, so I just copy off a page or two that I want to have and glue it right in my book.

I think I could fill an entire trip up with just walking the streets of Paris and shopping in the stores and flea markets! I have all the places I want to shop mapped out.

I've also mapped out all the recommended good eats by friends and bloggers (like Oh Happy Day and David Lebovitz). I told Fabio I just want to eat bread, pastries, cheese and chocolate on our entire trip!I always like the handy street map included in the Moleskin City Notebooks. I went right ahead and marked all the food, shopping, and sites we want to see. I figure that way, wherever we are, I can just look at the map and see what is around us. Now we just hope for good weather! I don't mind if it's super cold, but I hope it doesn't rain too much! But even if it does, I hear Paris is beautiful in the sun, rain or snow. And with all those Christmas lights - how can it not be the perfect "The City of Light"!

Kiwifruit

2011-12-14T14:39:00.004+01:00

One of my favorite special treats in Seattle were kiwifruit. Mmmm...they are so delicious, but in Seattle they were so expensive! Usually I would have to pay $1 for 2. Boo! So, I just love that here in Italy there is an abundance of kiwifruit. See, this lot of kiwifruit? It cost just .80!

The New Kitchen

2011-12-13T19:23:00.000+01:00

I keep getting requests for photos of our house, already! I know, I know! But all this work is slow going and I keep telling myself I don't want to post any photos until I have things just right. But then I think - am I crazy??!! When is anything ever going to look just right!? I live in a home, not a magazine photo shoot! So, without further ado - here is our new kitchen installation. We are really quite happy with how our kitchen turned out. We love the clean lines/modern look.

We opted for the 90 cm stove, instead of the smaller 60 cm, which I'm really glad about, because now I have lots of burners and space to cook a number of things at once. We stuck with the 60 cm oven, which we are regretting a little. Why are stoves and ovens so small here!!?? Hardly any of my American baking sheets or pans fit in the oven, so I'm out buying some new ones.

Can you find our dishwasher? No, because it's hidden! I do like how people hide their dishwashers here. (Oh, it's the bottom door, right of the sink.)

And one of my favorite things about this kitchen is the hidden drain rack above the sink. We have Raffaele, our kitchen designer, to thank for this clever idea! For those items you want to hand wash, just simply put them up in the drain rack after you wash them and the water drips right back into the sink. (Or there is a tray you can insert below the bottom rack if you don't want the water dripping down.) And it eliminates the need to have a drying rack take up space on your counter.

Most people here usually purchase the refrigerator with the kitchen and it is hidden, just like the dishwasher, but we wanted to purchase a larger, stand alone fridge. We opted for a German brand, Blomberg, which we've been really happy with so far. We also like having the freezer on the bottom, since we don't use that space as often and we like to reach into the fridge without having to bend down for stuff. I also like the drink rack inside - so nifty.

So, after the kitchen was installed we decided there wasn't enough counter or cupboard space, so we ordered a kitchen island, which hopefully will arrive soon. I need more counter space for all that baking I like to do!

In case anyone missed the before photo, here are some pics of the kitchen when we moved in.

We ripped out the old kitchen and painted the kitchen white, which I think really helped brighten things up and give the place a clean look.

Oh, my goodness - sooooo, much better! Next we need to find a solution for the windows, curtains or something, and we have a new hanging kitchen light and some shelving we want to install. We are also getting a hutch to put dishes in. And then I want to do some decorating - you know hang some pics and such. So, let phase 2 begin!

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-11T17:19:00.000+01:00

Our Christmas tree is finally decorated! It took a little while, as all our Christmas decorations are scattered about in different boxes, but I'm slowly finding them. I think I will be decorating all month long!

Real/live Christmas trees are just about impossible to find here, so getting a tree at IKEA was our only option if we wanted a fresh one. (Though it turned out to be not so fresh! After 1 week it quickly died...it might look OK, but one touch of a branch and all the pine needles fall off!! I hope it will make it until Christmas!)

I made a garland of paper snowflakes that hang over the windows. They make it feel a little more wintery.

I put up the ornaments we purchased in Norway, while on our honeymoon. (I think our tree has turned out a little Scandinavian, which I like!) I also made a popcorn garland for the tree.

Remember the craft fair we went to at Castello di Limatola? I purchased this oh-so-cute felt bird there.

We found the candle lights at Lidl the other night.

And here is our little tree by night. Though somehow our tree looks a little ghostly blue with those glowing LED lights that don't want to photograph right!Our cats like Christmas tree very much! I'm not sure what they like more - swatting at the dangling ornaments or trying to eat the popcorn!

The Sassi at Night

2011-12-06T16:56:00.001+01:00

We arrived in Matera on Saturday evening, which was perfect timing for a walking tour of the Sassi at night.

But first, the B&B owner gave us a little historical tour of our place.

There are so many stairs and passageways in the Sassi, it was a little tricky to navigate the streets - but that made our exploring all the more fun.

Ooooh, the Sassi are just as beautiful at night!!

We also walked around the "newer" part of town. Matera is actually a lot bigger than I thought it would be. About 60,000 people live in greater Matera.In this photo you can see how part of the new town was built over part of the old Sasso.

There are also many beautiful churches in the newer part of Matera.

While doing some souvenir shopping we came across this great shop full of beautiful knit and crocheted items. I totally love these colorful round seat covers. So great!

The food in Matera is soooo good. We had this baked pasta with orchietta and sausage that was super delicious. And the bread is my all time favorite bread I've had in Italy so far. And that about wraps up our night tour of Matera.