"Under the Tuscan, erm...Snow?"
(All apologies to Frances Mayes, for the title of this 'epic'...)
Buongiorno, everybody!
Here's the latest thrill-a-minute report from me, your intrepid explorer-type...or not...
It has been an interesting week, actually - at least on this end, so I'll get right to it.
It snowed again on Monday night. Alle and I went out to meet with the parents of a young lad who had rear-ended us on his scooter a couple of weekends ago, and while we sat in their flat on the outskirts of Reggio, little did we realize that a few inches of snow was falling. We stepped outside into a quiet night, with nearly an inch-and-a-half of fresh snow atop his car and on the ground, and slipped and slid our way out of the parking area and onto the salted blacktop beyond. We then went out for dinner at a pizzeria near the swimming pool (his swim instructor had taken him there, once), and it was great...
On Tuesday, I had a quiet day at home after throwing a soggy toilet paper "snowball" at Alle from the bathroom window when he went to work. (From four stories up, it made a wonderful "splut"!) I had to call him on his cell phone before he left the parking lot to let him know it was me trying to get his attention! ;) I then snapped photos of the snowy streets and trees from the front balcony, washed dishes and had my breakfast. By the afternoon, most of the snow was gone, having melted in the relatively balmy weather of the day. That evening, Alle came home and we had a light supper since he was going to swim that night. His swimming course (not a class, exactly, but still sort of, all the same) starts at 10.20 in the evening, and he's always so tired when he goes, but once he's done it he feels better for it - the hardest part is getting out the door, it seems. :) We got home around quarter to Midnight, which wasn't so great, because we had an early start on Wednesday. Well, early for me, anyway... LOL!
Wednesday morning we were up before the sunrise, and on a train to Florence at 7.00am. It was dark and cold and a little wet, and as soon as the train got out of the Reggio Emilia area, there was snow on the ground and clear skies. The train was very clean and comfortable, the reserved seats similar to airline seats, only more comfortable. Our fellow passengers were the usual, weary lot of commuters and travelers, but the gent seated in front of us seemed under a great deal of tension, really. Alle leaned close and whispered to me that this fellow looked like a "corporate head of Parmalat", and we both tried not to laugh. (I'm guessing that the news of Parmalat's fall has reached the 'States? If not, just think along the lines of Enron, but friendlier toward the underlings...) Then when we got out of the mountains, there was no more snow, and relatively warm temperatures to deal with. And there's me, in my turtleneck sweater, scarf and winter coat, constantly zipping and unzipping to maintain comfort... Naturally, Florence is beautiful, as soon as you're out of the station, there's lovely churches and old buildings to admire. The streets are busy, but not too much so, and there's a massive throng of Japanese tourists, snapping away with cameras or tracking along with video cameras.
Anyway, the purpose of our journey there was two-fold: to do a little sightseeing in the off-season (is there any better way?), and to visit the US Consulate, for certain, erm...paperwork that I need for future use... That was quite the adventure, albeit a gentle one... Alle spotted the building first, after we'd strolled through the city toward the river, having passed through several piazzas and sites of note, such as the duomo and Ponte Vecchio, and so on. (I hope to get my pictures processed soon.) The American flag was wrapped 'round its pole, but the building itself was cordoned off and police were positioned outside, ready to check and escort anyone who wished to enter. So, we told them what we were there for, and in we went, flanked by two rather stout - but friendly - Italian officers.
After leaving our camera and cell phones with them, we were permitted to go in, take a number, and wait our turn in the room just past the portraits of Dubya and moments of US historical significance. It didn't take long. We had our blank form with us, we filled it out, turned it in, and waited a little longer. Then it was just a matter of paying a fee, raising my hand and swearing that I'd told the truth, and the consul stamping the paperwork to make it official. Now we have to go through the official processes here in Reggio Emilia, but basically it boils down to this: in roughly two weeks' time from whenever we file, I'll be married to an Italian citizen. Whoa!
Needless to say, I'm all excited and nervous and happy beyond expectation. When we left the consulate and walked along the river, watching the seagulls and pigeons and geese on a sand spit in the water, it hit me what we had just done. (As Alessandro said, upon seeing the sheet of paper we were filling out, "I'm officially someone's fianc�, now.") We paused along the river while he responded to a message on his cell phone, and I stood there, looking out at Firenze, and thought "This is really happening. I'm not dreaming, this guy is real, these places are real, and I'm going to live here permanently, one day."
We walked some more, shopped at a bookstore that had books in English, and then decided to have lunch in a little, out-of-the-way spot he knew from previous visits to the city. It was down an alley, not too far from the duomo, a tiny, tiny place with a doorway so low he had to duck to get inside. Once in, though, you go up a few stairs and enter a sweet little family place, with crazy art painted onto the walls and small tables filling the room. We were the only people there at 12.30 in the afternoon, and we were served swiftly and politely right away. The food was great, simple pasta (but generous portions for the price!) and mineral water, with tiramisu for dessert - and even Alle had to laugh when the server called out to "Mamma!" when placing the order! LOL! While we ate, a group of 54 Japanese tourists came in and were seated in a dining room beyond the kitchen. At least, that's what we had to assume. Once they'd all filed through the dining room where we sat, they seemed to disappear altogether! Not a sound came from where they'd gone, and Alle said "If they were Italians, they'd have made such a noise - and they'd never have filed through so politely, in a queue..."
We finished our meal, resumed walking, and went to the cathedral to go inside and have a look. It was breathtaking, just the size and immensity of it! We sat and discussed all sorts of things in the echoing silences, love, religion, mythology...and then the soundchecks for some sort of service began, which seemed absurd in the reverential quiet. "UNO, DUE, TRE...SEI, SETTE, OTTO..." I couldn't help laughing, and we left to find (another) bookstore nearby, which sold books in English.
After that, my ankle was hurting quite a bit, and we decided to pack it in for the day. We made our way back to the station, got our tickets for the two trains we'd be taking (stop in Bologna, catch another train to Reggio Emilia), and settled in the non-smoking lounge to wait. After a long, long trip home (so it seemed to my aching ankle...), we boarded a bus and got to the stop right outside his house. We had dinner (brown bean soup and bread - a perfect end to the day, really), retired to the living room to watch a video (Eddie Izzard, transvestite comedian, in French with English subtitles), and then off to bed to sleep deeply and sweetly, having accomplished much in such a short time on such a beautiful day...
So, to sum up...Sometime in February (possibly early March, but most likely, in February), Alle and I will indeed be taking that leap into madness - I mean, marriage - together. Alle wants us to take a little wedding trip (just two or three days, afterward, if he can carve the time out of his schedule at work), and we'll go back to Firenze to stay a couple of nights and take the train to Siena or Pisa to sightsee.
cont'd...