Shopping as a way to Learn Italian
Thursday, September 5, 2019

On the second day in my apartment in Italy, I decided to combine two needs:  shopping and practicing Italian.  Buona idea, no?  I wanted to get a teapot (because even in the country of coffee, I still prefer a cup of tea in the morning) and a ceramic mug from a favorite pottery store. I checked my map of Florence, wrote out a few shopping related phrases, grabbed my complimentary tote bag from the hotel Oltrarno Splendid, and exited my apartment.  

My first stop was La Via del Te', a serenely beautiful shop on via Santo Spirito.  The shop has an impressive variety of loose tea, boxed tea, and a tea cafe.  I attempted in Italian to explain what I wanted, and the saleswoman chatted fluently in response to my questions.  She helped me to pronounce the Italian word for teapot (teiera), teabag (bustina di te'), and loose tea (te' sfuso).  I bought a bright orange teapot and a small bag of loose English Breakfast tea. Success!  Ero felice.

Next, I needed to cross the river to find out information about a second phone and then find the pottery shop. I was near the Duomo and the shop is nearby.  If you imagine the Duomo as the center of a wheel, and each street as a spoke, I chose the wrong "spoke" and wandered  in a circle. When I reached the shop at 2:30, it was closed for another 30 minutes of the two hour mid-day break.  So, I poked around in a few other stores, bought face cream, and returned to the ceramic store, Sbigoli Terrecotte.  I have shopped in this store previously, and find it very special.  It's a family business and all of the pieces are made by hand (fatto a mano) right there.  The owner said she recognized me, and maybe that is true. I selected a mug and creamer with a bit of the same orange color as my new teapot. The owner and I chatted.  She was very patient, helped me to correctly say "teiera", and closed with "Spero di vederti ancora".  I hope to see you again.

https://www.laviadelte.it/

http://www.sbigoliterrecotte.it

Arrivederci NYC - Boungiorno Florence!

Arrivederci NYC- Buongiorno Florence!

Saturday, September 7, 2019

I am leaving a city that I have visited for many, many years.  When I was a teenager, I took the bus from New Jersey, bravely hurrying through Times Square so I would go unnoticed by folks living and working on the street.   As I got older, I went to NY for dinners, concerts and shows; I shopped at the Union Square Greenmarket; wandered Greenwich Village and Soho. I took workshops at Columbia University, and tango lessons in downtown studios. Later, every Christmas my kids and I went to the shops at Bryant Park, the tree at Rockefeller Center and out for a holiday brunch.  It's a long history. 

But, life is about growth and change.  So, today I fly to a city that I am just beginning to know through my recent travels to Italy: the famous Uffizi Galleria; Michelangelo's David; outdoor markets; leather stores; and the Oltrarno, where I will be living. I'm feeling a mix of emotions of course:  excitement, trepidation, worry, joy. I want to get to know Florence, the Italian language, and the whole of the country.  Maybe more importantly, I want to get to know myself and see what I will do with my one "wild and precious life".  Chissa'?

What will you do?

What will you do?

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Here's a story: On June 4, 2019, I was on a morning bus to NYC for my long-awaited visa appointment.  There was a lot of traffic and the guy next to me said, "I hope you are at least doing something fun once you are in the city." I said I had a visa appointment, which I didn't think would be fun, but would lead to fun in the future. A woman standing to my right in the aisle, overheard and asked to which consulate I was going. I replied, "I'm going to the Italian consulate." She was going to the Irish consulate. We chatted a bit about making big changes in our lives. She had graduated college, lived a year in Spain, and worked there as an English teacher and piano tuner. I admired her courage. In turn, she thought my plan was cool. She asked if I was on social media and if she could follow me on Instagram. I was flattered! We swapped contact information. Sarah and I wished each other luck, got off the bus, and went our separate ways. 

When I returned to the bus station and got on line for the 3:00 bus, Sarah got on line shortly after me! On the bus, we sat next to one another and talked about our summer plans. She told me she would be working at the Aspen Music Festival and then house-sitting in Boulder for a week. Yep, the same time I would be in Boulder! We agreed to stay in touch and get together.

So, last night I met up with Sarah and her friend, Karen, for dinner at Centro Mexican Kitchen in Boulder. Karen lives in California and is starting a business to re-purpose clothes. She can sew and has interesting, creative ideas. Our common link was that we were each taking an "alternate" path, which made some people uncomfortable. We talked about how difficult it is to have an answer when someone asks, "But, what are you going to do... in Ireland, in Italy, starting a new company." We thought, "Just live... give it a go"... didn't seem to suffice. We each understood that a person means well, but those kind of questions only added to our own anxiety about starting something new. We agreed the worst that could happen is that we would say, "Oh, well, at least we gave it a try." And then, start again.

Rails to Trails

Today began with a sighting of three black crowned night herons at the pond that I pass on my morning run. Often, I've spotted one heron, but this is the first time I've seen three. A harbinger of a good day ahead.

Even though the day would be hot, my friend and I stuck with our plan to ride a section of the Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail from Blairstown to Stillwater. The trail runs alongside a tributary of the Delaware River through lush woods and farmland. http://www.traillink.com/trail/paulinskill-valley-trail.aspx

It's about a 9 mile stretch to reach the Stillwater General Store. Except for the flat screen television that faces the deli counter, the store could be from 1950. We left our left our bikes out front, unlocked, and went in to get something to eat. Patrons can get a sandwich, order fresh pizza, get their mail, a few lottery tickets, and sit on a bench out front. We ordered an egg sandwich and then went outside to sit on one of the benches. While we were eating, a mother and son walked across the street. The boy, approximately age 7, was not wearing a shirt so his mom told him he had to wait outside while she went inside the store. He waited on the other bench until she came out a few minutes later with a pizza box.

On the way back to Blairstown, my eye was attracted to a small truck attached to a carrier filled with racks of horseshoes. A clanging in the nearby barn caused me to walk over and watch as a horse got a new pair of shoes. I asked the farrier how he learned to shoe horses, and he responded that he learned as an apprentice, and had been working with horses since 1993. While he was able to make the shoes, he said nowadays he ordered from a catalog an inch thick that had every size shoe and any special needs imaginable. He told us that in the summer, a horse would need new shoes every six weeks, since the hoof grew like a person's nail. So, the shoe is removed, the hoof clipped, and new shoes put on. I commented that this sounded like a pedicure for the horse!  http://www.soundhorse.com/

Once we reached Blairstown, it was time for a sandwich at Dale's, a stop at the German butcher to bring home chops and pork cutlets, and a visit to the local art gallery and book store. Not much had changed since my last visit there a few years ago. The bookstore has a new owner, the Dairy Queen has a new name. But that small-town trust remains as true as ever.

Happy Spring!

Today is the first day of spring, with a hint of warmth.  I took two short walks today, but still no wandering in the woods.  Soon, soon.  The snow is mostly melted and the ground doesn't seem to resemble a mud pit.

To celebrate spring and end on a "sweet" note after a long day of work, I got a small sundae:  chocolate chip mint ice cream with wet walnuts and whipped cream.  No discussion, please, on the calories and sugar content of the sundae.  It was delicious!

When I was young, my family would go out for ice cream in the summer to the Old Milk Barn in Wayne, which sadly no longer exists.  The parking lot would be packed with families and couples on dates.  My father would park, ask our requests, and then fend his way through the crowds to the counter to order our cones.  My mother, brothers and I would wait, impatiently.  He would return with bulging cones of ice cream, balanced against one another in his large hands. 

Tonight's ice cream indulgence is a bit of preparation for summer and a tribute to the pleasures of being a kid.