Random Thoughts and Musings

I am alone today as my guests have gone sightseeing.  I haven’t written here in a week and have had some time to reflect upon my time here.  I think I have settled into a rhythm of my own here and developed even more of an appreciation for the Italian way of life.  For the most part, the people do not seem to get stressed about anything.  They take life in stride, just as it comes; they stop to take in and appreciate the beauty that surrounds them.  They enjoy their daily routines and seem to always live in the moment.  We in North America could learn so much from them.  The biggest exception to this frame of mind seems to occur when an Italian gets behind the wheel of a car where they become mad daredevils risking life and limb to get to their destination in a big hurry.  Speed limits and stop signs seem to be meaningless as they recklessly speed ahead, one hand on the wheel and the other holding a cell phone to their ear. When gesturing is required to accent a point in the conversation, the hand leaves the wheel and waves frantically in mid air as if the person on the other end of the phone were sitting beside them.

I am trying to get into the routine of walking every morning but I over did it the other day; walking away from the village downhill (which is the only way to leave a hilltop village), .....the problem with that of course is that it is all uphill going back.  My calves still have not forgiven me, they remind me every time I climb stairs or hills to take it slowly and build up to the hard stuff. Not easy to do here where it seems the only directions to go in are up or down.  Perhaps that is the reason the GPS seems to have such difficulty providing correct directions, it can’t discern up from down which can be an issue when  two streets are side by side, one going up and the other down.  Not that I am making excuses for the GPS, or that I’ve given up on the evil troll idea.

Towards the end of last week I ventured into Pienza to buy some more minutes for my cell phone.  I went to the same bookstore I visited the last time I needed to do this.   The man asked me in Italian how much and what my cell phone number was, so I told him  and he handed me a ticket with some instructions in Italian.  I do not recall him doing this the last time I was there.  He pointed to the number on the ticket and made motions like I should call that number, but I recognized that it was my own cell phone’s number.  When I tried to do what I thought he had instructed me to do, he became very impatient with me, raised his voice still in Italia, and threw my money back at me.  He said “This is Italy, speak Italian!!” He told me to go to the tourist information booth down the street.  I could not believe someone would treat a customer this way.  I went to the info booth and the wonderful woman there explained to me what he wanted me to do in English, apparently he wanted me to confirm that the number on the ticket was indeed my cell phone number.  She also called him to find out why he was so rude to me.  Apparently he is not a very happy man, is discontent with his life, and often treats people this way.  I guess if you own the business you can do what you want and get away with it.  He is definitely not a typical Italian from my experience.   Perhaps if he treated the people in his life better, he would have a happier life.  I do believe that you get back what you put out.

After Pienza, I set the dreaded GPs for Sinalunga as I wanted to buy some groceries at the supermarket there.  Again I was led on a wild goose chase through the beautiful countryside, and told repeatedly to make U turns.  I finally programmed my hand held GPS and followed its directions to arrive safely at my destination.  It was difficult to hear the instructions with both GPS’s talking at once and giving different directions.  I will have to figure out how to disable the on-board GPS system or at least shut it up; but the instruction manual is not in English, after all, this is Italy.

On the way back I found the place where I has previously seen a woman sketching the ruins of a castle and I stopped to take some photos. When I am alone next week I think I will go there and sketch it myself.

  I have 2 paintings on the go at the moment and can’t seem to get back to them to finish what I started.  I guess my mind must be preoccupied with other things.  Drawing and painting requires a great deal of focus from me and sometimes I am just not in the right frame of mind to be able to accomplish that.

Yesterday, Susan and I went to La Foce for a tour of the Italian Gardens on the estate. First, we had a lovely lunch in Chianciano Terme and then strolled around town window shopping.  This place was a favourite destination of wealthy aristocrats back in its day.  It is known for its spas which still exist today, however, like its clientele, the town is showing its age and is in need of a facelift.  The glitz and the glamour of the hotel strip is reminiscent of what was considered classy in the 1960’s.   Today it just looks tired and worn out.  We did discover some interesting stores that were displaying some glitzy estate jewellery as well as other artefacts of the town’s hay day.

After lunch we left town and headed for La Foce estate for the 3:00 tour.  I would not have believed that I could love the beautiful Cypress trees any more than I already did, but to see the impact they make in this gorgeous setting nearly brought me to tears.

  They are like huge exclamations marks drawing the eye to highlight the exquisite detail in the structure of this garden.  The style, scale, and form utilized in the making of these gardens is truly impressive.  I loved the pergolas covered in wisteria and grape vines that sheltered the stone pathways from the heat of the sun.

  Of course, me being me, it also gave me lots of grand ideas for my own property.  Pergolas, grape vines, fountains, neatly trimmed hedges, formally structured ponds, and stone walkways would transform any landscape into a beautiful serene oasis...and let’s not forget the gardener required to care for it all.  Our climate won’t allow for cypress, olive, or lemon trees; but the same style and form could be achieved using other plants and materials.  It is sounding expensive already!  I obviously have champagne taste but only a beer budget!

Today I am noticing that fall is coming, the days are getting noticeably shorter already, and the temperatures are dropping lower at night.  The Chestnut trees’ leaves have all turned a rust colour and their fruit is scattered in the town square below.  The chestnuts remaining on the trees look like small tennis balls, reminding me of my dog Chewie at home.  One of his favourite games is to chase a tennis ball, but they have to be smaller ones as his mouth is too small for the full sized ones.  I wonder if he is still missing me or if he has adjusted to me being gone.  I miss him often.

It is hard to believe that I have only been here 24 days.  It seems so much longer and yet in some ways, not.  Time here takes on a different dimension; faced with a history of thousands of years, even a lifetime seems insignificant.  Living in the moment and appreciating one’s surroundings changes one’s concept of time, it seems almost irrelevant. Could this be the reason the natives here never seem to rush?   The town’s people are used to seeing others coming and going, but seem to notice that I am still here after the normal time period for a visit.  They look at me as if they are seeing me for the first time.  Perhaps they are curious as to why I am still here.  Maybe they wish I would go home and leave them to go about their lives as they have lived forever.  This leads me to wonder if they are in support of the town’s growth and the interest of those who vacation here from elsewhere.  Is it an imposition to them?  Are they afraid that their community will be changed forever if more and more properties are owned by foreigners?  Or, do the welcome the prosperity that tourists spending their money can bring to a town?  I guess I will have to learn Italian to find out.

Ciao for now!

Di.

The Italian Way and Evil Trolls

Today I decided that I would do something about the car.  I was going to tackle getting an estimate on Monday, but the car would not start.  There is a mechanic in town who graciously came and tried to start it.  The battery was dead although  I have no idea why.  He was finally able to start it with a boost.  I called the insurance company yesterday and they said they would send a mechanic this morning at 9:00 but would send me a message first to confirm.  I never received a message from them, but cell service is anything but reliable here, so I called them this morning.  After many calls with bad connections they finally said the mechanic was on his way.  It turns out he was at my car waiting for the key, God knows how he found the car when all he had was the address of the house.  In this village there are public parking lots so that cars do not block the streets.  I arrived and gave him the key and he tried many times to start the car and to determine if the problem was the battery or not.  Once he finally got it started by boosting it, I was instructed to go to the Peugeot dealer in Sienna immediately and not to turn the car off until I got there....however; no one had an address of the dealership I was instructed to visit.    I knew I was low on gas and papers and wallet were back at the house.  Finally the mechanic remembered that he thought the dealership was on a street which he spelled out for me so I could program into the GPS.  So after a brief stop at the house off I went.  I had programmed the GPS to take the shortest route, which was very pretty but also slow going with many hairpin turns and blind corners.

Because it took so long for the insurance company to decide on a plan, it was almost 11:30 when I left for Siena which is only 45 kilometres away. I arrived in Siena at 12:15 and began my search for a Peugeot Dealership.  I found one in an industrial area which seemed also to be a Kia dealership.  I pulled into their parking lot and a man came out to tell me that the garage was closing until 3:00.  He tried to start the car and it started immediately.  He turned it off and tried again but it would not start. He said he would have to order a new battery and it would not be ready until 4:00.   I asked if there was anything in the area, someplace I could go.  He showed me a little snack bar down the road and I wondered how I could possibly spend 4 hours there.  It was a hot day and the snack bar was not air conditioned.  I spotted a grocery store across the street and entered just to browse and get cool. My intention was to get the battery fixed and then get the estimate to repair the damage to the car body at the same time, with any luck maybe they could take the car now, do the estimate and repair the damage in the next few days.  The insurance company said they would provide me with a rental car in the meantime.

 I returned to the dealership at 2:45 and waited for them to reopen.  The mechanic told me that they could not give an estimate or repair the damage done by previous mishap, the car would have to go to another Peugeot dealership 8 kilometres away.  I asked him if he could call them and make an appointment for me as I don’t speak Italian,  I also asked for the address so I could program the GPS. He did not know the address, or the phone number.  By this  time it was 4:30 and I really wasn’t up for yet another “adventure” to try to find the other dealership.   I did ask him if he could find out the address and phoine number for me but he did not seem to know how to do that.  I guess Italy does not have phone books and Italian car dealerships don’t have the internet.   By this time I was getting irritated.  The last time I had spoiken to the insurance company I had told then that after the battery was fixed I would go to the other dealership to arrange for a damage estimate.  \judt as |I was about to leave to go back to Castelmuzio, the mechanic said to me that I can’t get the repair done in Italy anyway, the insurance would not pay and I would have to pay for it out of my own pocket.  He told me to check the fine print of the rental agreement.  Now I was really mad!  Why did he waste my time talking about another dealership for the body repairs if it could not be done through the insurance?  Why diod n’t he tell me this sooner?  Was this just something to make me go away? 

I went to the closest gas bar and filled the tank.  I reprogrammed the GPS for the fastest way home and ended up on the highway.  Once off the highway the GPS led me astray twice and I had to make u turns to get back on track.  Very close to home, in a tiny village high on a hilltop the GPS got confused again.  It told me to take a narrow street and then told me to turn left. I had heard this before... After the previous experience in Trequanda  I knew not to trust the GPS and when the street got so narrow I did not think I could pass, I had to make a 10 point turn to turn around and go back the way I came.   This caused me to wonder how often the GPS is wrong and why it seems to happen in these tiny villages where the buildings are very close together and the streets very narrow.  I imagined some evil troll who could manipulate GPS directions and who took delight in sending tourists astray.  Maybe GPS’s are  also cameras taking secret videos of frustrated drivers led astray so their mishaps  could  be shared with other trolls who would laugh endlessly at human stupidity.  Far fetched?  Maybe, but I bet someone is laughing and it isn’t the frustrated drivers!

Vernazza, Cinque Terre

On the ride back to Castelmuzio I had time to reflect upon my experience in Italy so far.  Despite the various mishaps, I am really enjoying my time here  and am soaking in the ambiance and the slower pace of life here.  The Cinque Terre was quite different than Tuscany and the number of tourists there was a bit overwhelming.  You could certainly tell when a ferry or train had just arrived with another load of people; the crowd from the train making their way down the street to the harbour, and the people from the ferry gradually making their way up the street, all checking out  the many shops along the way.  

Vernazza’s main street is lined with shops of all kinds, clothing, souvenirs, wine, jewellery, food, gelato, a bakery and many many restaurants.  The street itself runs from the public parking lot at the top, under the train station, and sloping even further down to the harbour.  It seems the street is always busy; in the early hours of the morning it is crammed with delivery trucks, men with hand carts delivering boxes of precious cargo to the many businesses along the main drag, and shopkeepers opening up for the day. It is really quite an organized chaos.  The street is narrow with many displays, stands, tables, chairs and other obstacles that the delivery drivers have learned to navigate around.  It is quire amusing the watch them squeeze through tight spots with only millimetres to spare.  At some points the bigger trucks must stop and honk their horns for the harried shopkeepers to come out and pull back their awnings so the truck can pass by.  There are trucks bearing crates of fresh produce and fish mongers selling their catch from plastic bins set upon folding tables in the street.  Amongst all of this bustling activity the train begins to unload its first passengers of the day.   The church bells start their daily ritual of telling time on the hour and half hour as the very town seems to come alive.  

The houses here remind me of places you might find in the Caribbean, all shades of yellow, rose, terra cotta and pastel green; all with brightly coloured shutters to ward off the hot afternoon sun and the bitter winds of winter.  Some houses are so narrow you wonder how there would be enough space inside to accommodate staircases and even the tiniest of rooms.  Laundry is strung out from one window to another, or on special lines rigged with metal poles extending out above the street from small balconies and terraces.  The buildings are tall here, 4 or 5 stories with no elevators.  The town has narrow cobblestone streets with many flights of steep stairs designed only for pedestrians with the strongest of hearts and legs.  They wind throughout the village daring tourists to climb higher and higher for spectacular views over the tiled rooftops and out to sea.  The locals here are quite fit and seem to climb these streets and staircases as if they were flat land.  They are a hardy people, descendants of the fishermen who eked out a living here centuries ago.  Today there are only a few fishing boats remaining and the economy is largely based on the tourism industry.

The harbour is full of small brightly coloured boats moored along the breakwater and to strings of orange buoys in the centre of the harbour.   Boisterous children swim and play in the shallow water, laughing and playing water games.  Adults of all ages sun bath and periodically cool off by swimming in the harbour amongst the many boats.  The numerous restaurants lining the town square have their own outside areas in the square, complete with tables, chairs and brightly coloured sun umbrellas.  They are full of hungry patrons from noon until closing at 11PM.

 The noise of all this activity can be heard even at the top of the town. The ringing bells, the children’s laughs and cries,  the locals calling greetings to one another as they go about their business, the tourists and guides raising their voices to be heard over the constant drone, the trains arriving and departing, the unmistakable sound of dishes  being cleared before tables can be set for the next wave of tourists.

 The trails between the 5 towns of the Cinque Terre snake back and forth up the steep hills surrounding Vernazza.  In the distance you can see hikers stopping at intervals along the way to gaze down upon the village and the sea and to take memorable photographs to capture these scenes forever.

As darkness descends, the mood seems to change as people congregate at the bottom of the village, dressed for dinner.  They stroll about leisurely, stopping to rest on the numerous park benches to quietly talk and watch the sun go down. The tourists staying in other places have left for the day.  The sunbathers and children are gone now and the atmosphere changes to one of relaxed sophistication.  The people head in pairs and small groups to the bars and restaurants to eat and laugh and enjoy the cool evening breezes.  Dinner here is a 3 hour affair.  There are seldom second sittings as patrons tend to linger to catch up with each other and share stories about the day’s activities.  As the dinner crowd strolls back to their accommodations the town finally quiets and readies for sleep in preparation to face the fore coming day.

Vernazza

Today I woke at 7:00 and decided it was way to early to be up so I went back to bed until 9:00.   Showering was an experience as the door to the shower is so narrow I could hardly squeeze in.  No hot water and to get the shampoo and soap I had to keep opening the door as there was no place inside the shower for such things.  I met Syl and Chris in a restaraunt and had breakfast with them befiore they ran off to catch a train to visit a nearby town before hiking back to home base.  I wandered around for a bity and decided to go sit on the stone breakwall near the ferry to sketch.  Early in the day it was quite quiet but as the day progressed it seems there were always people milling about waiting for the next ferry.  I spent the day drawing my perspective of the town of Vernazza.  It is quite a challenge to draw en plien air rather than from a photo.  Once I finished the drawing I began to add colour with pastels which are very messy to use and smudge everywhere.  By 4:30 PM I realized that I had been sitting in the same spot for over 6 hours and was feeling rather hungry.  Although I was not finished I packed up and headed for the pizza place for 2 slices and then sat down under a big umbrella and ordered some red wine to drink while I ate.  Life is so simple here...why do we complicate it so much?  I did not get to see the other towns in the Cinque Terre but I am ot concerned about it at all.  I thoroughly enjoyed the day and that is what really matters. I will be back here in about a month.  Isn't it funny that when we go to a new place as a tourist we feel the need to see everything, even if it means running ourselves ragged and being exhausted at the end of the day.  Why do we do this?  Isn't the purpose of a vacation to relax, reduce the stress and be happy?  Some pretty distressing things have happened to me since I have been in Italy but I have chosen to just let them go and laugh, rather than let them ruin even a moment of the time I have here.  I must admit that in the moment I was very distressed when I was stuck in an ancient archway in a brand new car with no way to go except in a direction I knew would cause more damage....I was so embarrassed to be caught in such a situation in the fiorst place.  However, I know the insurance will cover the damage and in the meantime the car is still driveable, so no worries.  I am feeling very relaxed and am enjoying the entire Italian experience.  I have met some fellow Canadians, even in the small town where I am staying.  The world really is small.
Posting pictures seems to take forever so I will wait to post some until I am back in Castelmuzio where I am not paying 15 cents a minutes for the internet access.
Italians certainly are not bashful people.  As there is a small beach in Vernassa, both men and women  strip off to sunbath or swim, regardless of  body type.  One could sit and people watch all day here.  There are many nationalities of tourists, today I heard, Dutch, German, Swiss, French and English.  Many came to sit beside me in the shade and watched as I was drawing.  Some spoke to me.  Cruise ships apparently drop passengers off in the Cingue Terre and many tour groups also congregated near me.  So many tourists pass through this area each day it makes me wonder how these small places would survive without them.  Sitting here, you would never kow the world is caught in a global recession.  Although it is pretty here I can't wait to get back to tiny Castelmuzio and I dread climbing those 100 stairs again tonight.
Tomorrow we make the trip back to our tiny temporary home with a short stop in Pisa to see the leaning tower of course.  I'll keep you posted about what adventure we will face tomorrow.
Ciao for now
D

The Cinque Terre

Well we made it to the town of Vernazza and have checked into our hotel.  They were not kidding when the add said we would have to climb 100 steps.  I am quite sure my calves will protest by tomorrow.  Syl and Chris intend to hike between the towns but I thihk I will just stay here and sketch tomorrow, afterall I will be coming back here in October. Hopefuly it wil be cooler by then and I will have a hotel room on flat ground without having to have a heart attach to get to it!
We left by 10 AM and arrived in La Spezia at around 3PM.  Then we boarded a train for Vernazza which takes about half an hour. We got here at 4:30 pm. The scenery is very pretty although the town sure could use a coat of fresh paint.  not much to see or do other than eat and shop.  I may take a water taxit to visit some of the other towns tomorrow, we will see how I feel.  We got lost twice, once when we got of the autostad an exit too early and the second looking for parking in La Spezia.  Surprizingly Italian roads are in great shape and sinage is very good but that doesnt make up for a tempermental GPS named Pippa!!!
Ciao for now
D

Washing the Kitchen Floor

A few days ago I mentioned to Lucy that I needed a mop to wash the tile floors in the house.  She has loweder the price of the rent in exchange for me doing the housework rather than having a woman come in once a week.  There is a broom in the house and a stiff scrub brush with a long broken handle, but no mop. 

The next day Lucy brought me another stiff brush on the end of a a broom handle, this is what she thought was a mop. (sigh)  The bathrooms here have showers coming out from the walls but nothing to contain the water except that the  floor below the shower slopes towards a floor drain.  In theory this should work, but in fact the floor drain is very slow and the tile floor is not even so water goes everywhere and makes the tile floor very slippery.The shower head in the downstairs bathroom has some issues and sprays water in all directions.  After my shower, I tried using the scrub brush to direct the water to the drain but it did not work well at all.  I had to use a towel to mop up the water and wring it out into the bidet several times.  I went to the coop looking for a mop and all they had was the same scrub brush on a broom handle.  Yesterday Sylvia found a proper mophead at the coop.  Who knew I could get so excited about cleaning utensils?

Today is laundry day at Casa di Lucia.  The washing machine is in a bottom cupboard in the kitchen and is a modern front loader.  The various cycles of the washing machine are a mystery and there does not seem to be an option for washing with cold water.  In addition, the water draining from the washing machine comes up into the kitchen sink.  Sylvia and I were up early this morning and Syl aleady had a load of laundry going by the time I made it to the kitchen.  We took our coffee and tea to the rooftop deck to enjoy the sun before it got too hot.  About 15 minutes later we hear Ina yelling that there was water everywhere.  We ran down the stairs with towels and mop in hand to discover the kitchen sink had overflowed all over the countertops and onto the floor.  We paused the washing machine and proceeded to try to clean up the mess.  Syl bailed the sink with a pail and dumped the water out the kitchen window onto the street below.  I used towels to sop up the mess on the floor and counters.  I sent a text message to Lucy and asked her to get it fixed.  In the meantime, Chris, Sylvia's husband proceeded to check the plumbing under the sink and discovered a plastic diverter seemed to be blocking the drain for the sink.  He removed it and everything seemed to function better. Lucy did send a plumber but everything was working fine by the time he arrived.  We don't know what will happen the next time we try to use the dishwasher however, maybe the drained water will go into the washing machine???

So the kitchen floor has been cleaned and mopped, the laundry is almost finished and I taken a leap of faith by leaving to come to the hotel to use the internet.

Yesterday we went to Sant'Antimo which is a beautiful Romanesque - Lombard church where the monks still practice the Gregorian Chant seven times a day.  We listened to the chants and were completely amazed buy the harmonies and quality of the sound within the church, it was a very spiritual experience. The landscapers surrounding the abby and  in the area are full of vineyards and olive groves and cypress trees.  The area is very famous for B|runello wine, known  around the world. After visiting the abby we stopped in Montilcino for a late lunch and to visit the fort there.  We sampled some Brunello wine and enjoyed it.  Today my friends are off on their own to visit Bagno Vignoni, and Montisi.  I am trying to find out more information about the garage I have to bring my car to for an assessment of the damage, but I guess it will have to wait as we are all going to the Cinque Terre tomorrow and will not return until Friday.  Having everything close up for the afternoon is a real pain!

Perhaps I will wash the other floors today and try to resume my painting I started days ago....or if its too hot I may just take a nap, a la dolce vita!!!

Cappuccino and Cafe Latte

Anyone who knows me knows that I do not drink coffee, it has always been tea for me.  However I do enjoy coffee flavoured sweets.  This summer I had my first Ice Capp from Timmies and found it to be delicious, although I am quite certain they contain enough calories to replace an entire day’s food.

This morning I went up the hill to the hotel for breakfast and to use their internet connection.  This is beginning to be a ritual for me.  Yesterday I enjoyed a chocolate croissant and a cappuccino and today a cafe latte and a cream filled croissant.  It’s not like I have much choice, Italians seem to eat pastry for breakfast and that is all that is available at the hotel.

 If I want to live like an Italian, coffee is a must.  Surprisingly, I did not find the coffees to be bitter, mind you, that could be due to the two packages of sugar I added to each one.  By the time I leave Italy I may well be a convert to the caffeine rush coffee provides.   Tea also has caffeine but it is a slower release and certainly does not provide the energy boost coffee does.  My sweet tooth does seem to be getting the better of me; I could eat a more sensible breakfast at home before going to the hotel, but the idea of something sweet for breakfast appeals to me.

 My plan while being here was to be careful what I eat in order to lose some weight, or at the very least not gain any more. I know, it’s foolish of me to set myself up like that.  Perhaps I could skip lunch to compensate?  I have been doing a lot of walking with much more up and down hills than on the flat.  I may not lose weight but I am sure I will be in better shape than I was before arriving in Tuscany.

Today I contacted Isabella who manages the property next to mine. She speaks 5 languages and has offered to be a translator for me.  I asked if she could direct me to someone so that I could arrange to help with picking grapes and olives when the time comes.  I also asked her about an English speaking real estate agent as I am curious about the properties that are for sale here in the village.   Do I dare to dream of one day having a little place of my own here?  It would certainly never happen if it was not a dream of mine.  After all, I am here, and this trip was once nothing more than a dream.

I met a couple who have just arrived in town who are from Ottawa and are staying in one of Isabella’s properties in town.  It was good to speak English to someone. They have travelled a lot in Europe and told me that the landscapes in Spain and Greece are nothing like Tuscany.  The views are not spectacular as they are here.  It was good to have that confirmed as it was always my suspicion.  There is not a place on earth comparable to the beauty of Tuscany.

 I need to purchase a good English/Italian dictionary the next time I go into Pienza.  I should have purchased a hand held electronic translator before leaving Canada as it would have been so useful already.  Languages are not my strong suit so it is a struggle for me especially since my memory is just about as bad as my language skills!  To anyone who plans on visiting Italy, particularly if it’s going to be off the beaten track, make sure you come with a good dictionary and/or a translator.

Some of my friends arrive today from Canada and I am looking forward to the company.  I have made reservations at the hotel restaurant for dinner at 8:00 PM.   I am looking forward to exploring the area with them over the next 2 weeks.  I know we will all have a great time.

Ciao

Diane