Abba's Blog Entry - Arrivo di Mama & Papa

We left the USA Monday Oct. 6 with the world drowning in debt, what better way to experience the beginnings of our world as we know it than to travel back to the 12^th and 13^th century of Europe? We understand capitalism as we know it is coming to an end and bartering will be the new economy; we will be better prepared. Our flight of 9 hours was not without unexpected events. At ORD International, we were surprised to see the pastor of St. Thomas church of Crystal Lake with a goodly number of his parishioners flying to Tuscany with us; small world. The travel agencies soon discovered they could increase their tour numbers by enlisting the ministry to bring their parishioners. Lets hope he has done his homework so as to earn his free ride and proves to be a worthy tag-along.

The flight was not crowded, so many flyers decided to upgrade their seating for free by angling for the better seats on the plane. The 4 abreast were at a premium; the second choice was the emergency exit row seating (too bad! they were then bumped by the pilots for their naps). The stewardesses hung the canopy of blankets so the precious pilots could sleep in private. Before takeoff, an elderly Italian, who I assume was flying home, looked at Maura and me and said, “Americans,” and then began to talk very rapidly at us in Italian; we assumed it was not good. How did we know that without knowing the language? The 4 fingers under the chin was translation enough. He must think we are responsible for the Crash Felt Around the World.

Arriving in Milan, we moved quickly through customs and baggage, and were pleasantly surprised by Rebecca, holding up the “Stodola” sign. She most often is where she says she will be, and that relieved whatever anxiety was left. Our journey was not yet over as we were to drive from Milan to Trasimeno del Lago, which seemed as long as the flight. We stopped in Bologna for lunch at Mariposa. Yes, in Italian, it means butterfly. My Mexican friends tell me it means “fly in the butter;” not as inspiring.

We wanted to taste where bologna was created. They leave the fat with the lean, which gives it a richer taste than the flat bologna we grew up with for school lunches. The ragu and lasagna hit the spot with the house vino. We did do a quick stop for the Piazza de Neptune (Fontana di Nettuno) with its fountain in the center and four mermaids positioned at each of the compass points with knockers up and shooting water in all directions. No Puritanism here; welcome to Italy!

First Day in Umbria

Castliglione del Lago- loading up on the groceries at the local market. Met our first butcher and wife, who recognized Rebecca from Cortona, but we didn’t know how to describe our family relationships so ended up saying: pointing to me, pointing to Maura, saying “Mama, Papa, other.” Come to find out later the word for daughter is “figlet;” like Piglet only a fig. Ended up buying more Proscuitto then we needed, spending too much money on the local farmers, this we discovered when we went to the local grocery store to complete our list and spent far less. We assume there will be a special place in heaven for us for supporting the local farmers.

Day 2- After finding our hours were upside down, night & day vs. day & night, and missing our MSNBC Oberman Countdown and Maddow to let us know it is time to go to bed, we slept for about 14 hours. Our first morning we awoke to fresh coffee and biscotti, and the WiFi news of the US Economy crash continuing, we drank up and decided to enjoy the Toscana sun in Cortona: graveyards, chaises, WC’s, and gelato.

WC-for real drama try one of the WC Pubblicas. The one in local park was a “pay to play”. 50 cent Euro gave you 15 min. in an elevator like box. 15 min. seemed a little excessive, but with meals lasting over three hours and a bottle of wine between each course, maybe, the timing was right? The door slid open and let the morning light in, but as it slammed shut everything became black, the florescent light had burned out! I had memorized that the toilet was on the right and the sink was on the left; reaching down for the toilet, I noticed the seat was gone. This is true of most WC Pubblica toilets in Cortona and I imagine everywhere else. Toilet seats must be at a premium, like copper in the United States, so they are a choice item for thieves. I looked up to see my 15 minutes counting down and I began to panic, “what if the door doesn’t open, or more important what if it opens too soon?!” Luckily Becca was outside standing guard with an extra 50 cent Euro, just incase. I felt along the walls, because I couldn’t stand it for another minute, and I found a rubber button and pushed on it. The toilet flushed, the door opened, and I scurried out like a chipmunk looking for cover. Voila! Or in Italian, Grazie a Dio!

Buongiorno Abba