Goodbyes in the Piazza 01/08/2010

Our last day in Celano. While we did do a lot of packing today the afternoon and evening time was assigned to goodbye visits and a passeggiata. Zia Loreta had been feeling unwell for the last few days and was complaining of feeling dizzy. She really likes the water that comes from Sorgente Santi Martiri, (the top fountain and Celano's main water source), so we decided to bottle some of it for her as a parting gift. It was icy cold and very refreshing and I think she really appreciated it.

Next we visited Zia Guiseppina and Zio Vinicio with their daughter Laura (Adri's cousin). While we were there a procession in honour of some patron saints went past the balcony and a full brass band led the way.

After this we walked to the Piazza to meet Cassandra and who ever else we might find there. We found Nino & Rita again and spent some time admiring the colourful pictures in the piazza. In a side street we sat with beers and some nibbles and enjoyed the perfect fresh temperature and light of the evening. A few tearful goodbyes followed but there was something very wholesome about meeting on the passeggiata and saying our thanks and goodbyes.

So these were our last views of Italy before we were to drive down to Rome airport the next day. We had been well looked after by everyone. A huge thanks to Liane, Morgan and Lorenz for accommodating us in their lives for the last month. We appreciated it very much. It had been a great time. It was sad to be going. The last few days had been very relaxing and we kept saying that if we were coming back we would stay in one spot for much longer and just, relax! Our schedule had been at times a little gruelling especially when you consider the heat wave. Sitting in the street in Celano with a beer in hand enjoying the good cheer on a perfect summer evening seemed idyllic...

Freshly Picked Figs at Nino & Rita's 31/07/2010

After dropping Loreta at home and having a coffee with her we picked up the children from their passeggiata and arrived at Zio Nino's & Zia Rita's at about 7pm. In Italy this is still a very sunny time of the day. Nino was out the back picking ripe figs off his trees. They were delicious and big. The views and colours in the afternoon were great. They have a great spot.



A lovely BBQ was had and the kids played soccer in the yard with Sandro, Cassandra's little boy. Cassandra is Nino and Rita's daughter by the way. Nino & Rita have a big room at the entrance level of the house for entertaining in. It is almost like a hall and Nino has decorated it with all sorts of artifacts he has found in his travels. The evening was finished with large helpings to the freshly picked figs. There was a purple variety and a smaller, sweeter green variety.



On the way home at about midnight, Adri, myself and Kailin dropped into the Celano main piazza to see the end of a jazz concert in the concert hall and to observe the decorations that were being prepared for Sunday morning. It looked like they would be working on it all night! The project seemed to be modelled on the decorative festival artwork of some towns in Perugia where they decorate the piazza pavements with pictures made from the petals of flowers. Apparently it was the first time Celano had done anything like this and they were using painted wood shavings instead of flower petals. Nonetheless it promised to be quite effective. The piazza promised to be a very colourful place in the morning.
Fred

Passeggiata Time for the Kids 31/07/2010

Back home in Celano again. The mountain air is clearer now and the views are beautiful. The heat wave of the last few weeks has dissipated and the temperatures are 10 degrees less than before. Up here in the mountains it is a really lovely temperature, maybe even requiring a light jumper late at night. The children have arranged to go on a passeggiata with Enricá's grandchildren or Oscar's children - Anastasia and Eliana. This really means that the kids are all going to roam the streets together for the afternoon but there is a sort of cultural tie to it. It is what you do after lunch, have a wander of the streets, meet up with people and chat - a passeggiata. People dress up for it too. So Morgan, Kailin and Genevieve set off on their passeggiata armed with some money to buy themselves yet another gelato and to meet Anastasia's and Eliana's friends!



While the kids were roaming the streets of Celano, Adri and I took Zia Loreta to the cemetery or as the Italians call it, Campo Santo (sacred field). In Italy people are not really buried under the ground, but actually housed together in a quiet region. The Houses of the Dead in Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' comes to mind when you walk the quiet paths between the housed tombs of the residents of Celano. Loreta goes every Saturday to visit the resting place of her husband Filippo and her beloved daughter Graziella who passed away recently. We went in the afternoon and it was cool and not crowded. Positioned perfectly on the slopes of a hill you could look straight at the castle and across the fields of lake Fucino. The Mountain looked over us comfortingly. Standing there, I couldn't imagine a more perfect place to have a cemetery, looking over the country that you had lived life in. It really was a sacred field.

Fred

Homework at Amsterdam Airport 30/07/2010

Today was another early morning departure. Up at 4am and off to the airport. Thanks a million Sigmund for the lift! It was easier to get up because the sun had already risen! It had been a great time in Norway and we so appreciated the big effort that the Vik's had put in to show us around and have us stay with them. Thankyou very much Sigmund and Sarah. Whenever we can return the favour... Now we were heading back to Italy. Our stop over was in Amsterdam, where we had to kill four hours before catching our transfer flight. An good opportunity for the kids to catch up on their homework. We finally got into Rome at 4pm and went to hire a car to get back to Celano but we hadn’t figured on having to have 1,200 EU available on our credit card as a security deposit for the quoted 207 EU car! You learn these things after a while when you travel I should imagine. The company wouldn’t accept a cash deposit which we had so it created a headache for us as we had let the credit card get down low. After much running around the busy Rome international airport with two tired children in tow, trying to find phones and functioning internet points we finally got things sorted at about 7pm with our new car and were back on the highway. Arrived late for dinner at Enrica’s but still caught everyone at about 10pm. We had another two days left in Celano and our schedule would be full fitting in visits and goodbyes.

Norwegian Wild Flowers

All through the meadows were flowering plants. Small and delicate they are everywhere taking advantage of the warm sunshine and brief respite from the snow.

Bushtucker Norwegian Style

Blueberry - They have a sour taste when raw but this works great when mixed with sugar in blueberry pie. Delicious - thanks Sarah!

Cloud berry - apparently very rare, we found a cluster of them. Coveted and sought after it seems there may even be laws protecting them from being picked before they are ripe. They turn from red to orange when they ripen.

Raspberry - they hadn't ripened yet but they were all around. Wild strawberries were scattered around as well.

Norwegian Woods 29/07/2010

Today we decided with the weather still remaining so good and all, that we should go for a leisurely stroll in the woods although the girls were deep into a badminton game outside. The woods were up behind Trondhiem and are a favourite spot for cross country skiing in the winter. The woods were lovely and green and the ground at times resembled the peat bogs in Ireland. Very soft and mossy. There were heaps of wild flowers in bloom creating a many colours. We came across many kinds of berries and we happened on a large patch of blue berries. Everyone got into picking them so that we could have a blueberry pie for dinner.




When we had stuffed ourselves and collected a great quantity we headed off to a lake for a brisk swim. A relaxing day. After eating out at a Thai restaurant (strange feeling eating Thai in Norway) we headed home for a family soccer game in the nearby school yard and to cook the blueberry pie. The night was finished with a game of Mah Jong! Sigmund and Sarah had recently toured China in their respective musical groups and Sarah brought a Mah Jong set. They hadn’t really figured the rules out so we were able to show them the western version of the game.