Party and the beach

 The past couple of days have been beautiful out. There has been lots of sunshine, very few clouds, temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s, and a gentle breeze that feels refreshing in the shade. The humidity has still been pretty high, but the slight breeze has helped with that as well. 

Zia's birthday was a couple of weeks ago, but we celebrated her yesterday with a little party after she arrived in Campomarino. My cousin's, her grandaughters, Valeria and Greta and their boyfriends Adi and Danilo came with her and were here for the party. We picked up a bunch of food from Ristorante Netti and a delicious cake from Shangri La pasticceria. Shangri La is the only place in the Lido (beach) part of Campomarino for cakes and pastries, and we are blessed that they are so amazing at making cakes and pastries, as well as some of the best gelato in town. 

After the birthday dinner, I took a rest, read a big chunk of book number three for the summer, and then walked down to the beach. It was pretty late when I got there, so I didn't even wear a bathing suit. Just wanted to hang out on a chaise lounger and catch a few rays. This morning I went in my swimsuit and got a nice dip in before grabbing a couple of hours of sun. I reached my peak darkness a couple of weeks ago, so now it's just maintaining a tan. 

On my walk this morning, I came across the sign and flag that shows the town's designation as Bandiera Blue. It's a prideful thing, but the town for many years now has been designated by the government as a beach worth the designation. Not all towns get it, and I remember several years ago when they didn't get the designation, people were pretty bummed.

Foodtopia Moments

 Potatoes. The word itself doesn't illicit any excitement. However, I think they may be one of the most universal veggies, and I don't know anyone who doesn't like some form of potato. I also don't know if it's the soil, or the type of potato, but the ones I get from the farmers here are just better than what I use stateside, and I'm particular about what kinds of potatoes I buy. Saturday night, I washed and sliced about 15 of these smaller potatoes, rich in a golden color, then tossed them with cipolle (onions), aglio (garlic), sale (salt), freshly grated Parmagiano Reggiano, and olio d'olivo (olive oil). I baked them covered for 45 minutes, then uncovered for another half hour. Deliciousness. Some got a little char, but a tasty flavorful char. The onions, cut teeny tiny, seemed to liquify or become so transparent that you really cant even see them. So flavorful, easy to make, and delicious.

To Termoli then back again

 The heat finally broke a little. Still it's very sunny, but instead of temps hovering around 100, they've been in the high 80s to 90s, great for the beach since there has been a little breeze. I have been doing more reading, lots of walking, and finished a second book. Onto book number 3.

On Thursday, I went to Termoli in the morning. I wanted to make sure my phone and internet had enough money in the account to just automatically renew for the next month. I don't put it on my credit card as a monthly fee since I don't like the idea of having to call and write to cancel service. Much easier to just let the service run out. I also wanted to use the ATM since there is none in my town, and head to the shopping mall called La Fontana. It was one of my mom's favorite places to visit, and I've always like their supermarket best. This time of year they always have good school supplies, but I was really there looking for something to bring back for the dogs. Yes, I bring my dog a gift from Italy every year. I walked around the town again, and had another small gelato and delicious focaccia slice for breakfast before heading back to Campomarino.

Friday morning, I noticed that my internet was not working. I thought maybe it was downloading an update, and checked again after spending the morning on the beach. Still wasn't working. This meant another trip to Termoli. Without a car, I'm dependent on the train schedule. I used my phone to check the schedule and noticed that I had an hour and a half to shower, dress, and get to the train station a mile and a half away on foot. Or wait until Saturday morning. I hadn't been to Termoli in the evening yet this year, so I decided to get ready quick and head out.

Termoli was still basically asleep when I arrived around 4. I went right to the Vodafone store, handled the internet issue, and then decided to walk around.  By that time, the town was humming. I first went to a different mall. I remember this mall, Lo Scrigno, really fascinating me 21 years ago when I first saw it. It had three levels and all of the stores were open. There were moving walkways to take you up to the second level, and stairs to the third. When I got there yesterday, I instantly remembered a conversation I had with my dad back in 2002 when we first went there. I told him then that the place was incredible, but that no way on earth the Italians maintain it. I was right. There's only one store left open in the second level, and a doctor's office. Only two of the six moving walkways are operational. The paint on the building is faded and chipping away to rust. Sad state to see the place in. It was, however, still bustling with people and the wood fired rotisserie chicken stand in the parking lot is still open. 

After leaving Lo Scrigno, I went looking for different gifts for the dogs. I really didn't like the selection at the supermarket the day before, so I went to an actual pet store that I remembered from last year. They delivered and I was able to get something for the boys (and girl). Still, I had a couple of hours before the bus ride back to town. I walked down toward the water, and over to the area inside the castle town walls. I parked myself outside of an 800 year old church and had a Crudino, a bitter orange drink. They were setting up for a film festival in the piazza. I people watched, and finished the last few pages of the book I was reading.  On my way back to the bus, I stopped for some gelato. This time, Yo Go Gelateria had all of their flavors available. I had pistachio, stracciatella, and ricotta and fig. The last flavor was incredible. 

When I got back to town, I ran into my cousin Gino and talked with him for a little while before grabbing a couple of slices of pizza and heading home. I had walked more than 49,000 steps in two days and needed a little rest. Tonight my plan is to straighten up my place and prepare for Zia's arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing her and my cousins tomorrow.  

Foodtopia Moments

 On Sunday, I saw a steak at the butcher shop, but I already had meat thawed so I said to myself, "wait til Tuesday." As I thought about how I'd cook the steak without a grill and really no broiler, I kept coming back in my mind to the seasoning. I finally decided to buy some heavy cream, and make my own seasoned finishing butter. I'd seen a reel on Instagram on how to do it so I put it to the test. I walked three miles to the store and back in 100 degree heat to get heavy cream, dried chives, and garlic powder. I put it all in a clean jar along with a little salt, and shook it for about 5 minutes making a decent amount of butter. I poured out the remaining liquid, which at that point is buttermilk, and put it in the fridge overnight. I seasoned the steak with salt, sautéed up some white and red onions in white wine and some butter, seared the steak in a hot pan, then finished it in an oven at 425 degrees. I added the butter on top right before putting it in the oven. When it came out of the oven, I continued to spoon the melted butter all over the steak. It was one of the best steaks I've ever cooked. Medium on the inside and full of flavor. 

Butter in the jar

Sun, heat, and lots of writing

 The past few days have been really hot, topping out today with temps over 105 before the heat index.  All week its been in the 90s to a little over 100, with a heat index usually between 105 and 113. Opposite of what I'd probably do in America, I did spend a lot of time outdoors heading into the water, tanning, and reading on the beach.

Last Friday, I had someone come to fix the air conditioner here at the house. Sadly, it was unfixable, and I needed a new unit. The same guys who were here to look at my AC were also here to install a new AC unit at my neighbor's house. While they worked, my neighbor was nice enough to drive me to the store to buy a new climatizadore (air conditioner) at the local Euronics store in Termoli. By 5:30 Friday afternoon, I had a new AC unit.

On Saturday night, I joined my cousin Mario, his wife Cassandra, and their kids, along with a group of their friends for some pizza in town. I was my first time to go to this place, at the very southern end of town. The pizza was ok, but it was a great night. And I got to hold my little cousin Arianna, who I hadn't seen since she was a little less than two weeks old. Now she's almost a year old and cute as can be.  

The beach was packed this weekend, but the past couple of days have been hot with a really hot breeze. The wind has been so strong that today none of the beach clubs had their umbrellas open. I managed to just chill on the bar patio at the beach club and got some writing prep done for a second script. That's write (pun), I completed my first script of the summer on Sunday evening. I now have seven feature length film scripts completed. That's on top of reading a book and most of a second one, and completing lesson plans for the year for one of my classes pretty much mapping out the whole course. Obviously that's subject to change throughout the year, but figured I'd get a jump on it on a bad beach day.

I have also met a new friend here. There are a lot of stray cats in the area, but this one, I'm calling Figaro, has been sleeping in the shade by my back door in the afternoons for four days now. He just curls up and takes his nap. 

I plan on hitting up Termoli some morning later this week, maybe Thursday. Zia is due in over the weekend along with my cousins so that'll be fun. It hit me today that it's already July 25. Time is flying by this summer. 

Foodtopia Moments

 This morning I had breakfast pizza in Termoli, the town just north of mine. In the center of town is a paneficcio (bread bakery) that I love. Aside from their bread, I also love their pizza. They have one style in particular that I think is the best I eat all summer. It has escarole, tomatoes, anchovy, and a little bit of cheese and olive oil. If they have it when I'm there, I'll grab a slice and head to an overlook where I can see the glorious beaches, blue sea, and an ancient castle while I eat.

Fun in all directions

The past couple of days have had very busy mornings. It's also been terribly hot. I know a lot of you reading this are also dealing with heat, but it was 109 degrees yesterday in San Severo before the heat index, and 115 with the heat index when I returned to Campomarino. Today was similar and I feel like I'm perpetually covered in a layer of sweat. I did manage to get a little late afternoon beach time in both days, but the water has been really warm and not refreshing.

Yesterday I hopped on a morning train heading south to visit Zia in her hometown of San Severo. I'd never taken the train there, but it was really easy. Only about 30 minutes on the train, and she lives about a 20 minute walk from the station. Sadly, her air conditioner is broken like mine, so we just kind of sat around in a hot apartment, talked and had lunch. I had a train ride back a little before three in the afternoon, but luckily my cousin Renato and his wife Dorette were able to stop by for a quick visit. It was definitely a hot day (did I mention the heat), and Zia's condo complex is under renovation, meaning there was a lot of banging and construction dust in the air, but that's progress.

The train ride back was great because it was blasting the AC. I had my phone out on my way to the train station and it had overheated after only a few minutes outside of my pocket, so the AC was very much welcome. When I got back to Campomarino, I exited the train and thought it's not so bad out. I was just feeling cooled and refreshed from the AC. The heat caught up with me, so I decided to have my first gelato in Italy this year. I stopped in town at Shangri La. I got three flavors, selecting pistachio and mandorla (almond), straciatella, and melograno (pomegranate) with pistachio butter. Taking a rest on the way home, and the delicious ice cream was a perfect boost for the rest of my walk home. 

I had emailed back and forth with the bank in Italy this week and my rep asked me if I had time to meet up today. This morning, bright and early again, I trekked to the train station. This time I was taking the bus one stop north, about ten minutes away, to Termoli. After handling the banking, I grabbed some breakfast and walked down to an overlook to eat. I had a beautiful view of the Termoli beaches, the Adriatic Sea, and a castle with walled city from the 1300's. Termoli is ideally beautiful and looks like a postcard in most directions. After walking around the city, shopping for a couple of people, and having a drink, I decided that I was going to get some gelato from the best gelateria I've ever been to. YoGo in Termoli hasn't lost a step. I got three flavors again, straciatella, Kinder Cereali (which had a layer of chocolate and crispy cereal on top), and salted caramel. When I got back to the house, I rested a little, then went off to the beach for a couple of hours.

Tomorrow I'm scheduled to have someone come to fix the AC. It will be nice to get the house cooled at night, and remove some of the humidity in the house. It's also the Friday flea market tomorrow and I have my shopping list ready. It's paper towels, just paper towels.

Heat wave and family dinner

It's been a few days since my last post, and I haven't left town in that time span. I mentioned my plan to visit Zia at her house, but never made it. I got my things together, packed up the lunch I had bought for us they day before, made it to the train station about 20 minutes early and noticed the screen said the train was cancelled. Other passengers there said they'll probably substitute it with a bus. They did not, and it was one of many canceled trains on Wednesday and Thursday last week due to a train workers strike. My plan is to visit her this week instead. 

Last Friday was the first Friday flea market for me of the season. It's like the last spot that inflation hasn't hit. Everything was the same prices as the past few years. I love walking through the open air market looking for things I might want for the house here, but this time I just bought some paper towels and some linens.

I've spent my days walking, reading (one book "Blood and Honor" done), writing a screenplay (30 pages drafted), cooking, and getting to the beach for a few hours a day. Italy is going through a heatwave, with temps in the 90s most days, and today, though only 88 degrees, had a heat index of 111.  Very humid day. Even the water was warm today.

I finally had some pizza last night, my first cheese pizza since I got here.  I had only had breakfast focaccia pizza. Yesterday was Zia's birthday and also her saint's day. My cousin Luigi's wife is also named Carmela so he threw a party in her honor at his place here in town last night. Even met his son Leonardo for the first time. It was a great time, and it's amazing how much I'm understanding this year. Sometimes I'm even thinking in my broken Italian. I got back to my place at almost 12:30 last night, which kind of setup an odd morning.

My neighbors were out yesterday afternoon when I left for my cousin Luigi's house on foot. And when I came home, they had already gone to bed. I put my sleep mask over my eyes when I went to bed to block out any light in the morning, and slept until about 8:30. I didn't get moving quickly and about 9:30 Zia calls me to find out where I am. Then my doorbell started ringing. Evidently my neighbors were concerned since they hadn't seen me since yesterday morning so they rang my doorbell and called Zia, and she called me.  At that point I was about to hang up some laundry and head out on my walk. At least I know my neighbors are looking out for me, just need to be up before 8:30 I guess. 

Foodtopia Moments

 One of my summer guilty pleasures here is breakfast. This week, I found that the bakery I go to and get focaccia in the mornings has a new flavor. It's a focaccia with tomato sauce and a spattering of anchovy pieces. It is absolutely delicious. I also got a piece of the zucchini focaccia, which has thinly sliced zucchini under a transparently thin layer of dough on top. It's perfectly seasoned, though they don't use the traditional anchovies in this version. I had some for breakfast and at lunch today.

Feet in the sand

 It's beginning to really feel like summer here. The past two days, I've made it to the beach for about 5 hours each day, going for a couple of hours in the morning, coming home to have lunch, then heading back for a few hours in the afternoon.

I've kind of fallen right back into a healthy routine here in Campomarino. Soon after waking up and hanging any clothes to dry that I washed overnight, I go for long walk, usually over three miles depending on the route or what time I leave. When I get back, I have a small breakfast, then walk to the beach. Swim, tan, and read on the beach for a couple of hours, come home to eat a healthy lunch, then back to the beach for some more swimming, tanning, and reading. Walk back to the house, write a little, eat a smallish dinner, and get a good nights sleep. 

Tomorrow, I'm catching an early morning train to Zia's house in the city. She hasn't been to the beach town yet this year, so it'll be the first time I'm seeing her since last summer. I'm bringing lunch from our favorite place in town, Ristorante Netti. 

Foodtopia Moments

 My pranzo (lunch) today was nice and simple. I had skipped breakfast while I made a bunch of stops this morning, so I tried to cook something quick. I ended up making a fette di tachino al vino bianco con rosamarina (turkey fillet with white wine and rosemary). As sides, I made a quick salad with olio e acetto (oil and vinegar), and some zucchini al vino bianco. I also ate one of the rolls I got at the bakery and it was some of the best bread I've had in a year.

 

Made it to Campomarino

 The past couple of days have been both a whirlwind at times and relaxing other times. Every summer, I get anxious without any work to do, but it seems to go away within a week. This year, it lasted only a day or two, and now I feel pretty ready to relax.

I took the train from Milan to Termoli, the town just north of mine yesterday. The seat was comfy, the views amazing, but the AC was broken and I was just sitting in the heat for 5 and a half hours. I walked out of the train station in Termoli and there were no taxis waiting. I saw a man waiting under the taxi sign, so I asked if he was a taxi driver, which he was not, but he asked me if he could drive me to my place in Campomarino for only 20 euros. This was cheaper than a cab, and I didn't feel like waiting another hour and a half for a bus (which would have then included a mile walk through town with luggage). So I took him up on the offer. He was an older man in his 60s who I had zero fear of. He told me that on busy days he waits by the station for people that need rides and offers to take them. Kind of like an analog Uber driver. 

When I reached my place, the first thing I noticed was the nice, new cement driveway, with marked parking spots. It is a beautiful, far cry from the broken up asphalt we had for the first 22 years of ownership. It looks really nice, but is really bright white in the sun. 

Every year, the house has some sort of problem that needs to be solved. Giovanni, my gardener and my go to for just about anything I need since he lives in town year round, had already been and cleaned up his clippings. So the garden was good. Though, he did discover a bees nest is constructed underground, under our lemon tree. He used an entire can of spray, but it did not work totally. I added some insecticide powder, and I covered up the entry and exit hole with a heavy flat rock. So the nest is taking care of itself.

The gate we use to enter and exit the property is another issue. The bottom hinge was rusted shut, and when me, my neighbor, and a fabro (iron worker) pushed on the gate, it opened a bit, but bent the rusting metal a bit. The fabro, luckily, just happened to be here working on the car gate for the condo complex driveway. He came by to look at it, then returned this evening to fix it. Like power tools and welding, all for 30 euros ($35).  Though safety was not a concern. Sparks flying everywhere with nothing protective covering their eyes. Now the power doesn't unlock the gate from inside like normal, so that has to get fixed by an electrician, and I need to get it painted as well. So it's functional, but not back to completely normal.

I wasted no time yesterday. Figuring that I wouldn't setup the patio with table and chairs while the gate was sitting wide open, I decided to sweep and mop the patio last night from 9-11. My neighbors thought I was crazy, but it got done. 

Today I locked the gate as best I could with a couple of bike locks chained together, then went out and picked up some supplies for the house. I was able to buy pounds of patate (potatoes), pomodorini (little tomatoes), zucchini, pepperoni rossi (red pepers), melanzane (eggplant), cetrioli (cucumber), karote (carrots), basilico (basil), aglio (garlic), cipolle bianca (white onions), netorine (nectorines), and prezzemolo (parsley) at the farmers market. Then I picked up some pane (bread) at the bakery; lettuga (lettuce), vino binco (white wine), fazzoletti (tissues), and  parmagiano reggiano formaggio (cheese) at the market; finally I stopped for four of each fette di tachino e pollo (filets of turkey and chicken). In total, it all cost me about 35 euros to have food for a week.  

I went to the beach today to pay for my reserved umbrella, but I didn't stay since I was waiting for the workmen. It was a good day though. I got some more cleaning done inside, did some cooking, washed and dried two loads of laundry, wrote some ideas for movie scripts, and rested a bit. Looking forward to the beach tomorrow. 

Day trip to Switzerland

 I took a day off from this blog yesterday since all I did was head from Iceland to Milan on an early morning flight, check into my hotel, have dinner, and try and sleep. Try was the key work. i just couldn't sleep for some reason, and had to be up and out of the hotel by 5:15 today. 

After a shuttle and train ride, I was finally ready to take the tour I'd had my eye on since last summer. It was a tour that took us to St. Moritz, Switzerland, home of two Olympics and evidently a really posh area since the storefronts matched those of Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills. 

We took the bus the three hours directly to St. Moritz, riding little roads up the side of the Alps, only inches from disaster at times. My hat's off to the driver. He has nerves of steel. I thought driving the Amalfi was a challenge, and it was, he accomplished this in a giant bus. 

When we got all the way to St. Moritz, we were given about 2 and a half hours to walk around and have lunch. I didn't feel like a sit down meal, so I picked up a soft pretzel at a street market, and went for a nice long walk around the beautiful lake. I visited an outdoor hockey arena, watch boaters and paddle surfers, and sat by the lake taking in its wonder while eating the pretzel. I also picked up a small gruyere cheese sandwich, which was simple and delicious.  Gruyere is a type of Swiss cheese.

After lunch, we boarded the Bernina train from St. Moritz, Switzerland, to Tirano, Italy. The train, which is the only Swiss train to cross the Alps, can climb as well as decent and we did, for more than 2 hours. Along the way, we saw Swiss chalets in the woods, hikers along the trails, waterfalls, the Morteratsch glacier, and some of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen. There is a reason UNESCO awarded this train World Heritage status in 2008.

Tomorrow I have an afternoon into evening train to head from Milan to Termoli, where I will get a taxi to my house. Thankfully the gardener has already been there, so it is a little neater than it was a week ago. 

South Coat tour of Iceland

 After another early rise, and pickup in a tour van, we embarked on a journey to the southern coast of Iceland. Definitely less active than yesterday, with much longer stretches driving the flat land countryside. They should've called this the "Vikings" and "Game of Thrones" tour since much of what we saw was featured on one or both of those shows, along with many other productions. 

Our first stop was at the Skogafoss waterfall. People recognized the beautiful falls from TV immediately, but having never seen an episode of either show, I just marveled at its obvious beauty. I've seen much bigger and more jaw dropping falls before, but this one just appears out of nowhere, with campsites right up to a couple hundred yards away. Must be a peaceful night at the base of the falls.

Our next stop was an overlook of then a trip to Reynisfjara, or Black Beach. It's named that for its black sand beaches. Really beautiful, however this is the warmest time of year and we were in winter coats. Not sure when anyone can enjoy it for swimming. It has a lot of danger warnings too, and the rip current and surprise waves have swept many people out to their demise in the sea. I put my hand in the water and it didn't seem shockingly colder than the Atlantic does at home in the fall.

On our way we continued following a light, lamb soup lunch, to a little town named Vik. High above the town is a lookout with a church. The town is actually in the path of a glacier volcano if it erupts, which it will eventually. So the town practices drills where they all race as fast as they can from the lowlands to the safety of the church and lookout area. 

We piled back into our tour van had headed right over to the glacier named Solheimajokull. It, like most glaciers in the world especially at this time, is shrinking. I was able to do some real hiking there, hopping off the walking trail in favor of heading down into the ravine and walking along the water. I put my hand in that water to check the temp and it was considerably chilly. We only had a short time there before heading to our final destination.

The last stop was the most fun of the day. It was another small waterfall called Seljalandsfoss. We were able to walk right up and hike around it, literally seeing the backside of the waterfall. It's all at your own risk, which didn't seem that dangerous until I thought about it afterwards and realized there are no hospitals within an hour and a half of this location. It was a stunning view to see the waterfall that close and feel its power.

When we returned to Reykjavik I was sitting in the hotel room when I felt an earthquake for the second time today. The people here don't react. They just say that it's normal right now to have little quakes because a nearby volcano is about the blow. They say it like it's not a big deal.