Photo Tour - Patio

The patio is really the most used area of the property. The covered area is great for meals in fresh air, even when it rains. We also store mops, brooms, buckets, grills, and clothes baskets in the closets by the window. The sitting area is perfect for entertaining as we just move more chairs over. The garden features among the plants some grape vines (cut pretty short by the gardener), sage, rosemary, and a lemon tree. As you can see we also use the patio for storage of the bikes and for drying clothes. We hardly use the outside shower as it causes more of a mess than just showering inside. During the time we are not here, the green car is set on blocks underneath the patio cover.

Foodtopia Moments

Something that this area has that is often overlooked is smells. I know there is beauty and sometimes things are backward. However, when it is lunch and dinner time and one walks out of the house (and sometimes in the house, thank you) there are scents in the air here that makes mouths water. Earlier today, my neighbor, who is a pretty decent cook, was roasting something that smelled delicious. She called me to the fence and gave me three pieces. My aunt and I ate one piece each for lunch and I saved the last piece for part of my dinner. My goodness was it amazing. It was stuffed and roasted eggplant. She used various chopped vegetables, tomatoes, capers, cheese, and crumbled bread as the stuffing. It was amazing. I coupled that with a local and family classic, bread and tomatoes with olive oil fresh from the farm.

Sticking with Pedal Power

Today was pretty much what I think most of my days will be like here this year; hot with a nice breeze bending around the corner. I sanded the fence, cut down some of the plants/trees that have been attacked by bugs, and washed what I had sanded. I then rode my bike to a fish market for salmon, and hit up a bakery for a piece of zucchini pizza. I cooked today, cleaned, and then the fun began. I wanted to make a 3:26 train for Termoli, the next town up. I was planning on leaving at 2:45 for the mile and a half walk, but got held up and left at 3:00. I arrived at the station at 3:25 by my phone, only to hear an announcement of a 25-minute delay. I was sweating like a pig. It was damn near 90 and I had just walked a mile and a half in the sun, wearing dark clothes (to hide the sweat a little). I was heading to the “big city” to pay my car registration and ask about insurance. The six-month quote for insurance was $670 Euros, which is way beyond what I am willing to spend on a car worth about $1000 Euros. So me and the little green car are not going to be touring the roads this year.

The Adriatic Sea

I finally made it to the beach today. It was hot and sunny, so I waited until the locals went back at 4 o’clock. I currently have my aunt making people visit my house to discuss me getting car insurance. As I write this there is a guy sitting at my table telling my aunt that I can put a stop on my insurance. She is dying for me to take her places. If I get this car on the road, my vacation will be over so I have to keep stalling. Bad thing is I need a car for one day.

The Circus Wigliams (pronounced in Italian like Williams in English) has rolled into town this morning. They have started setting up their stuff, and looking at it with Water for Elephants in mind it seems similar. Just replace the trains with cars.

The beach was pretty inhabited for an afternoon in the middle of the week. Much like New Jersey, the weekends are the busy time for beaches here. It is pretty dead around here during the week. I was surprised by the amount of people, especially at the pay beaches. These Italians are notoriously cheap, so when the free beach was empty and the pay beaches were full I was surprised. I guess the comfort of having an umbrella, chaise, and bathrooms won out against their cheapness.

My New Wheels

Instead of worrying with a car this summer, I have decided to bike it. I got this bad boy (the gray one is mine) at the local bike shop. I paid way more then I should have, but without a car it was the only place where I could walk to buy one. I went to a restaurant today downtown in four minutes, which is about 15 minutes faster than walking. I was there before the chickens were finished roasting. With the basket in the front, I can get food at a restaurant, and then head to the fruit and veggie vendors. I did it today, and the basket holds enough stuff for about two days.

The Circus is in Town

Around the corner from my house, the first circus of the summer has arrived. The big top is up and they actually have a nice entrance. It's called Rivels Circus, it features live animals, and it will be in town until the 18th. The bigger, big top news is that a second circus, Circus Wigliams, is setting up about two blocks away starting on the 14th. So for about 5 days, there will be two circus's competing for the euros. For those of you who had a chance to see the movie or read the book Water for Elephants, yes, the circus itself is very much like that. I wonder if they will steal acts from each other?

All chopped down

For those of you who had been to the place before, you can see that the gardener has removed most of the plant life that was there. Evidently, the fence line was a jungle. I had mentioned to my aunt my desire to chop it down last year, but she argued and said I was crazy. As soon as she had to remove vines just to get into the patio, she understood what I meant last year. So now the fence is cleared, and terribly needs to be painted. I will be sanding tomorrow morning. The photo is a little blurry.