A Little Teary Eyed

It's Memorial Day in the United States. But it's not Memorial Day in Italy.

So I went on YouTube to listen to some patriotic songs. I wanted to be reminded of our great country and the men and women who have died and will continue to die to protect our freedoms.

Lee Greenwood singing "I'm Proud to Be an American".

James Cagney as George M. Cohan singing "You're a Grand Old Flag" and "Over There".

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "The Star Spangled Banner".

I confess, I got teary eyed listening to those beautiful patriotic songs.

I love the United States. I miss living there. I'm grateful I'll be back there in two months.

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Appliance Juggling

I used to take things for granted. Like my ability to run any appliance in my home whenever I wanted to.

Not any more!

Living in an apartment in San Donato Milanese, Italy has cured me of that. During the winter, we basically had three major appliances - the washer/dryer combo, the oven, and the dishwasher. We quickly discovered that we could run only one major appliance at a time. If we tried to run two at the same time, we would blow the circuit. This would plunge our whole apartment into darkness until someone (usually Scott) could be sent to the electricity room outside the apartment building to flip the breaker. Fun times.

Once we figured the system out, it was pretty easy to juggle appliances when it was cold outside. The radiators didn't interfere with anything else, so it was easy enough to plan my day around my three major appliances. I tried to do my laundry during the morning and early afternoon. Not always an easy task since a cycle could last almost 3 hours, but with just three of us it was usually doable. I would bake (if I wanted to) in the early evening. And I would run the dishwasher when we went to bed.

But now it's getting hot here (high 80s). Air conditioning weather. We have 4 individual units in our apartment - one in the living room and one in each of the 3 bedrooms. We have discovered that (fortunately) we can run at least two A/C units at the same time. We haven't tried more than that. But we can't run any of the other big three when we're running the A/C.

So I have to juggle and plan.

Early morning, after Robert and Scott leave, I'll do some laundry. Or I'll run the dishwasher if I need to. I can't run it at night anymore, because I can't sleep when I get hot, so I need the A/C on in my bedroom. I find myself doing laundry every other day so I can keep the loads small and get it done before about 2:00. By that time it's getting pretty warm in the apartment. We aren't as lucky as some of the other Americans we know here - we don't have good cross ventilation in our apartment. Opening the windows just lets the warm air in, it doesn't create any sort of breeze.

But if I want to bake cookies or something for dinner, that throws a monkey wrench in all my plans! I usually don't get around to baking until later in the afternoon, which is not the best time to be turning off the A/C. But that's what I have to do. I finish up my baking as quickly as possible so I can turn the A/C back on.

And it's not just me. Most of the other American woman I've talked to have the same problem we do. One lady can't even run her blow dryer if something else is on! The problem is that the apartment owners have four different options when it comes to electrical breakers. One offers unlimited electrical use - what we have in the U.S. Then there are three levels they can choose from, each allowing varying amounts of electricity into the house. The lower the level you choose, the cheaper your rate. Many people, including our landlord (who pays the bill although the cost is passed on to Robert's company) choose the 2nd level. And most Italians are fine with that. Of course, many of them don't have dryers, or air conditioners, or even dishwashers.

But I don't live like that. I have all of those appliances, because to me they are part of every day normal life. And I don't like having to juggle my appliance usage.

Iit's a pain in the patootie!

Rome, Italy

On May 9th and 10th, we went to Rome, Italy. We took the fast train (actually, we drove our car to the Metro in San Donato, took the subway into the main train station in Milan, and then took the fast train to Rome). After settling into our hotel, we went exploring.

The first thing we encountered on our "things to see in Rome" list was the Pantheon. I don't know what I expected the Pantheon to be, but this wasn't it! It was built in 132 AD as a temple to all of the gods of ancient Rome. Over time, it's use has changed, and it's now a Catholic church.

The interior was very beautiful. This is an example of one of the frescos we saw.
Next it was on to Trevi Fountain. The fountain was completed in 1762. I wanted to take a picture of the whole fountain, but because of the crowds I couldn't stand far enough away to have a clear view of it. Scott and I both threw a coin into the fountain, as is tradition. Interesting fact: about 3000 euros a day are collected from the fountain. The money is used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome's needy.
After the Trevi Fountain, it was off to the Hard Rock Cafe. We had to get Scott his 3rd European Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt! And enjoy their food and unlimited refills on soft drinks (the only place I know of in Italy that does this).

From the Hard Rock Cafe, it was easier to take the back way to the Spanish Steps. This meant we didn't have to climb the 138 steps, but we did climb a hill to get to the top. Of course, Scott had to run down the steps and then run back up so he could say he had climbed the Spanish Steps. Robert and I made do with walking down the 138 steps. That was good enough for us!
The next morning, we headed off to the Colosseum (I think I finally know how to spell that word without spell check). The Colosseum was completed in 80 AD. It could seat 50,000 spectators, and was used for gladiator fights, executions, and mock sea battles, among other things. As you can see from the picture, it's not in the greatest shape. It's been damaged not only by earthquakes, but by people stealing the stone over the centuries. But, it's still pretty impressive.

Here's me standing on a small section of the original marble flooring that still remains.

Here's a picture of the interior of the Colosseum. Unlike the Arena in Verona, the Colosseum isn't usable anymore. There is not any interior seating, and the center floor is missing.

After leaving the Colosseum, we went over to Vatican City. As we waited in line to get in to St. Peter's Basilica, we saw one of the Papal Swiss Guards. They have the most unique uniforms I've ever seen!

The Basilica of St. Peter was enormous! I don't think I have ever been in a larger church. I've read it can hold 60,000 people! That's a lot of people in a church. I didn't take any pictures inside. It was dark, and my camera doesn't like the dark.

From St. Peter's we walked to the Vatican Museum. Unfortunately for me, the museum was very crowded. Very, very crowded. So I didn't really enjoy the museum. My goal soon became getting through the museum so I could see the Sistine Chapel, which was at the end. Of course.

This isn't the Sistine Chapel, but it was a very beautiful dome we saw along the way. We were amazed at how bright and crisp the colors still are.

I don't have any pictures of the Sistine Chapel, as photos weren't allowed. But, believe me, it was amazing. Michelangelo painted over 3700 square feet of the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. And he didn't just paint that ceiling white! He painted frescos that are still wondrous to look at.

After leaving the Vatican Museum, we headed back to our hotel, picked up our luggage, and headed to the train station for the trip back to Milan.

It was a short trip to Rome. I know there was a lot we missed, but we saw what we wanted to see, and that's what matters.

Latest Cross Stitch Project

I thought I'd post a picture of my latest cross stitch project.

This was an ABC Halloween Sampler by Lizzie*Kate. I really like her designs. They are always fun.

I'm excited to get all of my cross stitch projects framed when I come home!

I'm Not a Good Tourist

I have discovered something during this time we've lived in Italy. I'm not a very good tourist. I like the idea of visiting famous places, and it's nice to be able to say I've been to famous places, but I don't really enjoy a lot of the time at the famous places. Here are some reasons why:

1. I don't like lines, and there are usually long lines where we go because we're going to the places all of the tourists want to go.

2. I don't like crowds inside buildings. The Palace at Versailles and the Vatican Museum both about did me in. I start to get kind of claustrophobic when I can't move anywhere because the crowd is too big.

3. I get tired of museums, monuments, and churches. But I feel like I should go in the museums, monuments, and churches because they're famous! So I go, but after a while all of the art seems to look the same and all of the churches seem to look the same and I just want to go home.

4. I'm out of shape. I'll freely admit that. And being a good tourist requires A LOT of walking. Plus, in the last 5 years or so, I've fallen a couple of times and probably done some damage to my knees. They don't hurt when I walk, but they do hurt when I go up or down stairs. Back in Richmond, I rarely climbed stairs because I didn't go a lot of places with stairs, but they are EVERYWHERE in Europe! And I mean EVERYWHERE! Lots and lots of stairs. In the museums, in the subways, on the streets, in the restaurants - you get the picture.

I know I should be so grateful for this chance I've had to see some famous places. Hopefully in time I'll just remember the amazing things we've seen and appreciate this opportunity we've had.

I'm just kind of sorry that this opportunity didn't go to someone who would have made the most of every moment.

Paris, France - Days 3 & 4

Here's what we did on days 3 and 4 (April 30th and May 1st) in Paris, France.

Technically, we spent most of day 3 outside of Paris. We took the train to Versailles that day. I can truthfully tell you that visiting the Palace of Versailles was my least favorite part of our whole trip. A lot of it had to do with that fact that it was sooooo crowded. Between waiting in line to buy tickets, and then waiting in line to get on to the grounds, we waited over 2 hours. And while cobblestones may be picturesque, they are not fun to stand on or walk on for long periods of time!

I did take this picture of a beautiful gate as we waited in line.

Here's a picture of part of the palace. As you can see, it's pretty big....
Our admission included a tour of the upstairs living quarters of the palace. I'm not really sure what we saw. I'm not one who usually gets claustrophobic, but there were so many people crammed into those rooms, I couldn't handle it. I pushed my way through the crowds and waited for Robert and the kids downstairs. It may have been pretty, but I don't even care. I don't find rooms filled with wall to wall people fun.

The grounds were better, although you can see they were also crowded. The grounds didn't impress me. They were big. There were some pretty fountains. The bushes were shaped into nice geometric patterns. But I have seen some beautiful gardens lately, filled with lot of gorgeous, colorful flowers. There was very little color in their gardens.
I took this picture of Kimberly as she was posing for Scott.
After we made it back from Versailles, the kids went and climbed the 284 steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. Scott was ready to go again, although he would have been on his own the second time!

Sunday was our last day in Paris. We took it easy that day, since most of the major attractions were closed for a national holiday. We did one thing I had wanted to do - a boat ride on the Seine River. We sat on the open air top deck. It was a gorgeous, sunny day - perfect for a boat ride. I took some picture of buildings I saw along the way. Don't these look so very French?

Here's a couple of pictures of Notre Dame. These were taken from a different angle than the one I took our 2nd day. Still no Quasimodo....

They had some of the most beautiful bridges in Paris.
Here's the kids on the boat.
After the boat ride, we were walking back to the Metro and stumbled upon this. Officially it's a copy of the top of the torch of the Statue of Liberty - a monument to French-American friendship. Unofficially it's become a memorial to Princess Diana, since it stands right near the opening of the tunnel she was in when she was killed.
After a leisurely lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe (Scott needed another t-shirt) and some shopping at the few stores that hadn't closed for the holiday, it was off to the airport to head back to Milan. Paris was a lot of fun. It's a beautiful city. I think we tried to do too much, but that's what happens if you don't know if you'll ever go back again. You want to see it all!

Here's one last picture of the Eiffel Tower, taken from the boat. I did love that tower!

Paris, France - Days 1 & 2

We spent four days in Paris, France. It was, for the most part, a wonderful trip. Here's what we did April 28th and 29th.

After getting settled in our hotel, the Hotel Elysses Union (which was very nice), we headed for the Metro. The subway is the only way to get around Paris, although it can be a bit confusing. On the way there we saw the Arc de Triomphe.

Our first stop was the Musee Rodin, home to the sculptures of Auguste Rodin. One of his most famous sculptures, The Thinker, was found in the gardens of the museum.
The museum's gardens were beautiful. I am not a big rose fan, but they were growing some of the most big, beautiful roses I have ever seen. Here's just one example.
Inside, we saw another of Rodin's more famous works, The Kiss.
Here's Kimberly and Scott in front of a giant door in the courtyard.
Next we walked across the street to Les Invalides: Napoleon's Tomb and Military Museum. I didn't go in. I wasn't really interested, so I sat on a bench in the courtyard. Robert and the kids didn't stay in there very long. They went and saw Napoleon's tomb, which they said was very grand, and then left. Scott took some pictures with my camera, but it doesn't work very well inside dark places. I meant to get a picture from Kimberly, but I forgot.

After that museum, we went on to another museum! (FYI, three museums in one day is too many.) This one was the Musee d'Orsay. We waited over an hour to get in, although we already had tickets. The Orsay is a wonderful museum filled with works by painters such as Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, and Van Gogh. It's also a very large museum, and trying to see all of it about killed us! It would have been better to have just gone to the Orsay one day, but when you're only in Paris for 4 days, and you discover right before you go that all of the museums will be closed on May 1st, you do what you have to do!

One of the things I loved about Paris was that we would be walking down a street, turn a corner, and have a view like this. The Eiffel Tower, which is truly beautiful, would suddenly be right in front of us! I never got tired of looking at it.
The next morning, was Eiffel Tower day. We walked first to the Trocadero. I'm not even sure what the Trocadero is, but it's where you go to get great pictures of the Eiffel Tower! Robert and I even had Kimberly take our picture!
And here I am with the kids. We didn't hang around the Trocadero as long as we would have liked. We had to leave to get away from the guys who kept bothering us with their tacky Paris souvenirs!
We waited in line about an hour to catch the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Sadly, the day was overcast, so our pictures aren't very exciting. But here's a picture of the Seine River.
After the Eiffel Tower, we headed to Notre Dame. We walked inside, and while the stained glass windows were beautiful, we thought the inside of Milan's Duomo was prettier. Scott wanted to climb to the top walkway area they have, but the lines were very long and they were only letting in groups of 20 every 10 minutes. He didn't want to wait that long. I was disappointed I didn't see Quasimodo...
After a late lunch and some touristy shopping, it was on to the Louvre. Here's the famous pyramid.
And here's the reason many people go to the Louvre - the Mona Lisa. I had to elbow my way to the front of a large group of people to get this picture! The Louvre is the only museum (with paintings) I've been to over here that allows pictures. The Louvre is a massive museum. We didn't try to see it all, we just picked out what was important to us.
Here's one last picture to make you jealous - this is what we saw every time we stepped out of our hotel.

Grammar Differences

Since I am Scott's seminary teacher, I've had to e-mail the seminary coordinator here in Italy. He's a very nice Italian man who speaks English very well (I've talked to him once on the phone). He also writes very well in English.

One thing I think is funny is that he often uses the contraction "it'll" in his e-mails. I know we often say "it'll" instead of "it will", but I don't think I ever see that contraction written anywhere. I guess those are the differences you find when you learn English in America or learn it somewhere else as a second language.

Of course, the fact that he knows a second language pretty fluently puts him so far ahead of me!

I'm a Terrible Mother!

My last post was about Jeffrey and how he entered the MTC on April 29, 2010.

Except he didn't enter the MTC on April 29, 2010.

He entered the MTC on April 28, 2010. I discovered that when I was looking at some pictures on iPhoto and noticed the date.

I can't believe it's only been a year and I've forgotten what date he actually left!

My only consolation is that now he's been gone a day longer than I thought!