Was Santa Good To You?

Merry Christmas
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

For he was most certainly good to us!

After a few days of eating, drinking, and opening presents.... I am exhausted, but, content and blogging again.

Santa was his ever generous self. Under the tree he left Sarah the complete works of Mozart on 170 CDs and Anna found a new mountain bike! Sam will certainly be very warm when he rides his mountain bike with Anna thanks to the new high tech fleece/goretex pull over Santa left him and me.... Well, I was given a very special gift. Not by Santa, but, by Sam. He made me a photo album with summed up the 18 years we have been together! It took me several tries before I could get through it without a tear shed. Bravo Sam. It was the best gift you could have ever given me.

Click here and see all of our Christmas fun!

Thursday we are off for our ski holiday and to celebrate the New Year with friends.

Keep safe and speak to you all in the New Year. Make sure you check back in for the photos from atop the mountains of Davos, Switzerland.

Buon Anno!
Tanti Auguri!

Krista

Who's That Girl?

Sarah
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Is it Sarah or Avril???

Yes, finally Sarah got her hair cut! Don't let the photo fool you, though the length remains, the hair on the floor of the salon was proof enough that Sarah lost about a kilo today! And not a tear was shed. Grazie Dio! In fact, Sarah was so pleased with the results she even told me she loves me and gave me a kiss..... I will treasure that for a long time for who knows when the next tender moment will come around. Sarah many not get the latest coolest outrageously expensive sneakers or the trendiest clothes, but she has the baddest hair in town!

And Anna, she got her hair cut too and she is just as cute as ever.

Is everyone ready for Santa? I can't believe that I am and tomorrow is already Christmas eve! When was the last time that happened? Never. I am sure that I forgot someone..... Now let me see....

Auguri!

Krista

La Dolce Vita!

San Bartolemeo, Leivi
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

I am sitting here at the computer trying to stay awake while waiting for Sarah to get home from Genoa. This evening she went to the Carlo Felice to take in the Ballet. Once again she is off with her classmates on a cultural excursion, this time to see Sleeping Beauty. For sure Sarah will be a sleeping beauty too, as soon as she gets home and hits her pillow. Sam and I will be following right behind her.

I have been very busy all week knee deep in the preparations for Christmas and appreciating the last days of autumn. Today was the winter solstice. The long winter's nights are upon us. Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, or the day in which the sun is at her southern most point and our shadows cast long in the noon day sun. A little more information if you like to know more about the phenomenon.

So what exactly have I been up to?

Last weekend in Chiavari there was a wine tasting event, Dolce di Vino, basically a fair which was promoting mostly sweet/dessert wines offered from local producers paired with confections from local bakeries and chocolate makers. Guess who was first in line? Free wine and cake and chocolate! Sign me up! Ok, Joanne and Silvio caught the first round of guided wine tasting, for I was late. But I joined them for the afternoon sessions. First round, 2 wines from the Aeolian Islands off of Sicily known dessert wines, especially for their Malvasia, a vino passiti made from dried grapes. Perfecto. Next round was Soave from the Veneto region. 5 glasses of wine served in less than 35 minutes! I actually had to dump the remaining wine from my glass in the bucket provided in order to taste the next on offer. If I had not done that, I would have had to be carried home! Such a waste! Here is the incriminating photo from Joanne's blog. I admit I indulged in too many sweets and "tasted" so much wine that on Sunday, I was too embarrassed to show up again for another round of tasting. Such is life. I have to say it was a great exhibition and the quality on offer top notch! Bravo Comune di Chiavari.

Sunday morning, knowing that I had to work off those extra calories I took in eating all the goodies at the Dolce di Vino, Sam, the girls and I took off once again for the hills of Chiavari. We walked for 3 hours, had a picnic and enjoyed the sun on our faces... I am so lucky to find myself living in a warm climate somewhere near the sea. Thank you Sam. The only time in the last 10 years I have had cold snowing weather on Christmas morning, was when Sam and I decided to spend the holidays with family. Either NY or Helsinki, you can be sure to have a cold winter's frost on your window Christmas morning. Click here and see what we have been up to! By the way, those of you who have visited us at our home in Chiavari might recognize the church in the photograph. When you stood on the kitchen balcony and admired the view of the mountains, the church is right there, slightly to the left. Sometimes, if the day is just right, you can even hear the bells in the distance!

Buon Feste

Krista

Christmas Recital Hell!

Oh My!
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Christmas is just about upon us and tomorrow is the last day of school for the year. That can only mean one thing. Recital Hell. We have been busy shopping for presents and getting ready for Father Christmas and Anna has been practicing for her school Christmas recital. Monday Sam and I went for our last time to this annual holiday rite. Next year Anna will be in Middle School and all the sweetness of childhood will be left behind.

The recital kept in the tradition we have come to know here in Italy, the event was disorganized, last minute, and torture to endure. The room was too small, there were no seats to sit on, and all the parents were crushing to get a photo or video of their kid's golden moment. Note me standing way in the back far from the throng. Our Anna... where was she? Safely in the back of the group singing backup for her classmates. When I was able to peek through the heads in the crowd I did see that Anna was enjoying herself. After all, she was sitting next to her best friend and talked the whole time. That is my Anna, never the one for the limelight.

Krista

Oh Christmas Tree...

Oh Christmas Tree...
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Oh Christmas tree....

Tis the season to be jolly and all that. Yes, I have the spirit this year. This evening, Sarah, Anna and their friends Virginia and Valentina helped us get the decorating started by helping with the tree, and doesn't it good?

Now the house seems like a bomb went off and I haven't dinner ready yet, but, I have a glass of Vino Novello in my hand and U2 playing on the itunes.

Buone Feste!

Krista

One Big Happy Family!

The Crockfords
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

One Sunday morning in Chiavari.

We woke to strong winds and cold air. After a hearty breakfast of waffles and coffee we went for a nice hike through the hills behind our home in Chiavari. Here we are trying to squeeze our fat heads together in order for Sam to take a photo.... I think the look on the faces says it all... Go here and see how pretty Chiavari can be.

Happy 10th Birthday Anna!

Birthday Girl!
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Ok, so Anna's birthday is not until the 29th, but, as Anna would say...Whatever!

Anna and 10 of her closest friends celebrated her upcoming birthday at Claudio's, a favorite local pizzeria! I would love to tell you more about it, but, I am exhausted! I am off to bed. Check out the fun here.

Good Night!

Krista

Immaculata and Pearl Harbor Day!

Immaculata
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

What a combo! Today in Italy we are celebrating the feast if the Immaculate Conception, and in The United State they are commemorating the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese.

To educate all you fallen Catholics and non faithful, the immaculata has nothing to do with the Virgin Birth. That is a common misconception. In the simplest words, The Immaculata is the belief that the Virgin Mary, was born absolved of original sin. To be honest the whole concept is heavy and difficult to explain. For a full secular description of what the immaculate conception is, go here and you can try to figure it out for yourself. What is the old saying....Never discuss religion and politics!

But, I have to link this newspiece from the San Diego Herald Tribune.

As another anniversary of what President Franklin Roosevelt called "the date which will live in infamy" comes around, Kawka (pronounced Cough-ka) is one of a dwindling number of survivors to tell his story.

The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association says it's uncertain how many survivors remain, but two members a day are dying.

Kawka is one of 1,572 Pearl Harbor survivors in California who have license plates denoting their presence during the attack. A year ago, 1,671 survivors had the license plates, a spokesman at the Department of Motor Vehicles said.

Some you may know that we lived in San Diego for 5 years. Our first couple of years there we had a house on Coronado, which is home to North Island Naval Air Station. Every 4th of July the city had a huge parade and the atmosphere all over the island was pure Americana and full of patriotism. A few things about the day and the festivities remain with me. One thing I will never forget, were the hunky navy seals who joined the parade in full battle camouflage riding on tanks....grrr... On a more serious note, were the old men, who were the survivors of Pearl Harbor that marched with the veterans. All the vets got applause, but none received as much as these gentlemen. I remember my friend Bill, who was a doctor at the Balboa Naval Hospital, turning to me and saying, these men are dying breed. And indeed they are. According to the article, every day we lose two more.

A tardi!

Santa is on his way...

Christmas in Genoa!
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

And man I am not anywhere near ready!

Here is the annual Christmas tree making its debut in Piazza de Ferrari. She arrived this morning and is all ready for her lights and decorations. Ok, the setting is nothing like Rockefeller Center, like, where are the angels and the skating rink? Nevertheless, today Genoa started to feel festive.

Yesterday I had a meeting in Genoa and Sam was kind enough to join me for the ride, today, I paid pack the favor. He had a meeting, and I joined him for the ride. While he sat and made money, I went and spent money. Hey, what is a girl to do? Then we met up, took a stroll through the Centro Storico and then sat at the end of one of the piers in the harbor soaking up the warm sun. After the horrible weather we have had, the sun felt wonderful on my face. Sam and I grabbed a quick lunch and then went home.

If you look again at the photo of the Christmas Tree, behind it is Genoa's opera house, Carlo Felice. It was bombed and basically destroyed during WWII, but the facade survived. The city had it rebuilt and it is even more grand than it ever was before! Take a look for yourself!

A presto!

Krista

Let The Relay Begin!

The Olympic Flame
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

The countdown begins as the snow falls on the mountains in Piemonte! The winter Olympics are only 2 months away!

Olympic Flame Arrives in Italy
By ANDREW DAMPF, AP Sports Writer

ROME - The Olympic flame arrived in Italy on Wednesday, a little more than two months before the Turin Winter Games begin.
The flame arrived from Athens at Rome's Ciampino military airport aboard an Italian plane at 4:41 a.m. EDT. Turin organizing committee chief Valentino Castellani carried the flame ? kept in a small lantern for safe air travel ? off the plane and onto Italian soil.
Castellani held the lantern aloft as a military band played the Olympic anthem.
"It's very emotional," Castellani told reporters at the airport. "We are ready to start the games."
Plane landings at Ciampino's passenger terminal were suspended for about 45 minutes shortly before the arrival of the flame because of a bomb scare, the airport's border police said. The security alert ended following police checks at the airport.
The flame will be taken later Wednesday to the presidential Quirinal Palace. On Thursday, Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi will pass the flame to the first torchbearer in Italy ? Stefano Baldini, the marathon winner at last year's Summer Games in Athens ? as the flame starts a relay that will end at the opening ceremony in Turin on Feb. 10.
The relay will head straight for the nearby Trevi Fountain and pass by other Rome landmarks such as the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon before arriving at the Vatican for a blessing by Pope Benedict XVI.
The first day of the relay will end with the lighting of a cauldron at the Michelangelo-designed Campidoglio on Rome's Capitoline Hill, at the exact spot where the relay began for the 1960 Rome Games.
The torch will spend one more day in Rome on Friday, when soccer players Francesco Totti of AS Roma and Paolo Di Canio of city rival Lazio light each other's torch.
The relay will then move on through every province in Italy ? with forays into France, Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia. It will pass by the Leaning Tower of Pisa and up Venice's Grand Canal.
On Jan. 26, the torch will return to Cortina d'Ampezzo for the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Winter Games held there.
In all, the relay will cover 7,022 miles and involve 10,000 torchbearers, gondolas, a Ferrari sports car, and a cavalry regiment.
Turin-based design company Pininfarina SpA, renowned engineer of Fiats and Ferraris, designed the torch to look like the curved top of a ski.
Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj, Italy soccer coach Marcello Lippi, New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, and all Italian gold medalists from the Athens and 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics will take part in the relay.
The final torchbearer, whose name has not yet been revealed, will light the flame at the opening ceremony in Turin on Feb. 10. Ski great Alberto Tomba is considered the favorite for the honor.

A little addtion to this...

Rome Ciampino airport was closed due to a bomb threat only hours before the Olympic Flame arrived. I hope this is not a sign of things to come. All over the news for the last few days have been warnings over security for the upcoming games...Here is the link to the story Rome's Ciampino airport reopens after bomb alert. I also added a link in my sidebar to the official 2006 Olympics site!


Krista

Back to the Turkey!

"Italian Free Range Turkey"
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Enough of the Autostrade mess and back to Thanksgiving.

I love food. Yes, I am a nut. But, I love to cook and Italy provides an amateur chef a treasure trove of goodies to pick from and any aspiring gourmet fits right in here. In Italy, you can you sit at a bar sipping your cappuccino and overhear the conversations of grown men arguing over whose mamma cooks some dish better, or the subtle differences found in parma ham and nobody frets over their masculinity!!! With that in mind, it is no wonder I happened upon this article on the Slow Food web site. Believe me, Italians are more than curious with our tradition of Thanksgiving, they are fascinated. It makes perfect sense. What other holiday do we Americans celebrate that focuses on food like Thanksgiving? None.

USA - 28/11/2005

Talking Turkey



In the United States Thanksgiving is a long-standing tradition celebrated on November 24 every year. Though institutionalized in the second half of the 19th century, it dates back to at least two centuries previously, when the early pioneers decided to give celebratory thanks to God for regained prosperity when crops flourished again following the hardships suffered through two failed harvests.

Last week 45 million turkeys were served up on American tables for the occasion. It is quite a number. And this year there were thousands of families, far more than in past years, who decided to buy from farmers? markets in large cities or directly from farms in the country.

It is estimated that in New York alone, 250,000 people preferred to buy directly from producers, ensuring the food for their celebration meal would be sourced from clean sustainable agriculture, including the Slow Food Presidium.

The New York Times highlighted the phenomenon and the news was picked up by the Italian press too. But all this raises an awkward question. If it was a restricted and affluent elite that was choosing quality and spending a fair amount of money to get organic food, aren?t we running the risk of creating two parallel markets ? one of expensive but wholesome food just for rich people and one of mass-produced products for the rest?

It is precisely because I am opposed to any elitist conception of ?gastronomy? (and I have always been against the term ?niche product? in this context) that I think we need to consider the issue.

We need to recognize that there are people willing to spend a bit more for better food, even if they are not necessarily well off. But there is a problem because the family budget does pose constraints.

In the past those with limited resources maybe ate less but they also ate well. Now the huge quantitative abundance is something of a sham: in passing through an endless sequence of journeys and industrial processing, food loses its goodness on the way. It is not a matter of demonizing industrial production, but just of presenting it for what it is ? exposing inaccurate platitudes and thinking of alternatives.

Mass production of food is not a benefit in itself and it has not managed to save nations from hunger. If anything, the opposite. Replacing traditional recipes ? based on knowledge of the resources of the local area (which are wholesome and good value) ?with industrial products has meant families spend more and traditional knowledge has been lost without bringing any benefits.

Churning out billions of cans from a few centralized plants also exposes us ? and it is a topical issue ? to significant risks because when there is a problem at the source it is immediately transmitted down the whole chain. There are various examples, some very dramatic, of how pollution due to the intensive methods of the agrifood industry has impoverished and denatured the land.

There are enough contraindications to make us reject the present situation. Above all, mass production only offers an illusion of being inexpensive. It isn't cheap for the individual consumer, if you consider that a hamburger bought at a rock bottom price actually has a far higher real cost. And it isn't cheap for society if you calculate the social and environmental costs of agribusiness.

Our aim is to replace the industrial approach to agriculture which was born in the last century and is now obsolete due to its unsustainability. It is right to encourage a new model, where the country comes to the city with its produce without relying on intermediaries.

The American success in resorting to direct sale arrangements for Thanksgiving is a good sign. We can hope that with increasing numbers of customers the prices will come down and bring them within reach of ever more people, until direct sale become the rule and not an exception. Because good healthy food, produced in a natural way without the improper use of pesticides or antibiotics, is an inalienable human right.
First published in La Stampa November 28, 2005

The secret to good cooking is always starting with the best ingredients. Why not once a year splurge a little and get the best turkey for your money? If you cut throught the obvious propaganda - La Stampa is a left wing newspaper, the article does make a valid point. I have never had a better turkey than the ones bought and cooked here in Italy. I can assure you, my turkeys have been as free range as you can get. And it does make a difference. Every turkey I have cooked came direct from the farm and still had some feathers left on it. That is as "organic" and fresh as you can possibly get without doing the dirty work yourself. No frozen Butterballs found here.

Though Italians do not not celebrate Thanksgiving (so you yankees can stop asking me that one), and seeing how Halloween has wormed it's way into the culture and taken off since in the last five years, who knows? Maybe it won't be too long before "Ringazianmento" finds a way into the Italians calendar of feste! Why not? Though they might need bigger ovens to cook the bird whole. And someone needs to remind the translater of the article, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November!

Gobble Gobble

Krista

Update on the Autostrade Mess....

Gli automobilisti che nella notte tra venerdi' e sabato scorsi sono rimasti intrappolati nella tormenta di neve che ha bloccato per 14 ore l'autostrada Torino-Savona possono scrivere alla Procura di Mondovi', che sta indagando sull' accaduto. E' l' invito rivolto dal procuratore capo Riccardo Bausone, che stamani ha ascoltato il comandante della polizia stradale di Cuneo. Il magistrato vuole sapere se e come abbiano funzionato i sistemi di allerta diffusi dal gestore dell' arteria (che fa capo alla societa' Autostrade) e gli interventi di soccorso alle centinaia di auto e camion (si parla di un migliaio di veicoli) fermi nel gelo della notte su entrambe le direzioni di marcia. Gli automobilisti sono invitati a fornire le loro testimonianze all' indirizzo di posta elettronica procura.mondovi@giustizia.it. (ANSAweb)

In English....

Basically an inquiry has been set up to see why motorists were stuck for 14 hours on a major highway artery. Stranded motorists and the emergency services personal are invited to write and give testimony to what happened and what they saw. The magistrate who has been appointed to head this investigations wants to know if the alert systems where up and functioning Friday night. Oh, and yes, there were over 1,000 stranded cars and trucks. The rest...well sorry My Italian is just not good enough.... Maybe someone can help out with the rest.


Krista

Here is the proof....

Winter Wonderland!
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

That the weather over the weekend was horrific.

Italy battered again by bad pre-winter weather
By Web Editor. Filed under Current Affairs, News from Italyon December 5th, 2005

(ANSA) - Italy this weekend found itself in the grips of another pre-winter storm which drenched much of the peninsula and dumped snow even at lower altitudes.
Motorway and road traffic suffered the most but the snow also forced the closing down of the airport in Bolzano, while high seas interrupted ferry traffic in the Bay of Naples.
Heavy snow brought down powers lines in and around Milan with repercussions on public transport and rail service.
Thousands of motorists were trapped for hours along the Savona-Turin motorway while in the Alps the heavy snow fall was welcomed by skiers who found almost all lifts open.
Rome was the stage for violent thunderstorms and heavy rain which only added more water to the already swelled Tiber River, which has been running at near 20-year highs.
High tide water in Venice hit 132cm Saturday morning with 70% of the historic center flooded.
Conditions should improve somewhat on Sunday in many parts of Italy only to worsen again next week.

What was left out of this little state run news piece? The controversy to as why there were such hazardous road conditions to begin with that truck and cars got stranded in the first place. Yes, the weather was to blame and is uncontrollable, but why was the autostada impassable at 10 am long after the snow stopped falling, yet, all the secondary roads off of the autostada were clear and moving? I say this as an eye witness. I was there stuck in the mess. As soon as our bus of sommeliers exited the toll entrance from the autostada, the roads were good condition to drive on, while the highway we were on, was a mess. Let me remind you that we PAY tolls for the privilege to use the autostrada and the secondary roads are paid for by taxes? Hmmm.

The papers this morning were laying play blame everywhere except on those who were responsible. It was the truck drivers for not having chains (more new unneccessary laws that were passed last year), cars for daring to be on the road with improper tires/chains (and how exactly are we to put on chains during a snow storm on the highway?) and even the old model cars that dared to be on the road!! etc... Not a word about the obvious: Where were the snow plows or the salters in the first place? I sat on the bus on this autostrade mentioned above for 2 hours at 10 am Saturday morning. The autostrada from Liguria to Piemonte was clear, and there was plenty of snow to be seen and even snow plows doing their job. Meanwhile, as we sat on the bus crawling through this mess, I did not see one snow plow pass us in either direction! And the opposite side of the autostrade had been closed to traffic!

In my opinion, the blame lays on whatever authority is responsible for maintaining the autostrade and had to clear that snow off the highway. Punto Basta. It snows in Piemonte, often, and the authorities should be prepared to clean it and to take responsiblity for when things go wrong. If the secondary roads can be clear, there is no excuse for the dangerous mess that was on the autostade this weekend. Afterall, it is a major traffic artery!!!


Krista

From Bad to Worse.....

La Morra!
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Yes, the weather never improved and only got worse after my post Friday evening. I woke up Saturday morning at 6 am for my much anticipated "gita" with my sommelier class. As I got out of bed with trepidation all rational thought was telling me to stay put. It was still raining as hard as it was when I went to sleep and the horrendous weather didn't let up over night. I knew that if it was raining here in Liguria, it was certainly snowing in the hills of Piemonte. The internal battle ensued, should I go on my "gita" with my class, or, should I stay in my nice warm bed? I went against all rational reasoning and got out of bed anyway and set off to meet the class at the bus. I thought someone must have phoned the cantina to check on the weather/road conditions in Piemonte, right? Off I went in the pouring rain, joined up with Joanne and the others, all we could talk about was, are we going or not? When the bus was late, Joanne and I thought, great, the trip is postponed, back to bed! When the bus showed up and we all were led on, silly me trusted that the bus driver knew what he was doing, he drove for a living. If the roads were impassable, he would never think to take us on a hazardous journey. Boy, was I ever wrong. I could spend all night telling you about the trip from hell, but Joanne did such a great job herself, go on over to her blog and read all about it. The link is in the sidebar. Joanne also took great photos. Her camera is much better than mine....Hint Hint Samta....And no that is not a typo.

After our 5 hour journey, which incidentally should have taken 2 hours, in a bus through the worst road and weather conditions Italy has to offer, the sun did clear when we arrived at hilltop citta' of La Morra. Grazie' Dio!! We finally made it to Barola country. We had our tour of the cantina, the lesson for the day and finally ate lunch. Only complaint, other than the trip there, was the single toilet the vineyard had to offer us. Can you imagine the line up at the door? Picture, 5 hours on a bus with 30 + people, half being women. I was so pleased with my self that I ran off that bus and was first in line! Anyway....

The wine was fantastic, the hospitality overwhelming, and the food lovely. At the end of the day, I was glad I decided to get out of bed and take the risk to go to taste wine with my class. As usual, like many things in Italy, something starts off chaotic with the feeling something bad is about to happen, but at the end, all goes wonderfully, as if the chaos was the intended plan with not any rhyme or reason to why it all works out in the end. It just happens, and when things fall into place, you feel silly for worrying at all. I have learned to just roll with it and have some faith in people. In life you need patience and most of all tolerance, especially if you are not Italian and live in Italy. Because out of the chaos in life you sometimes find something good with a few surprises along the way.

What was the unintended surpise of being stuck on a bus for 7+ hours with people I saw 2x a week, but hardly knew? I got to know them better, and they weren't so bad at all. Overall they were a very nice and interesting group. Even the 25 year guys who sat in the back of the bus, who talked constantly during our classes and drove me crazy, weren't so bad. On the ride back to Chiavari, they passed around a bottle of grappa and shared it with anyone who wanted a taste. The boys also serenaded us and made what could have been a boring journey a very entertaining one.

Best of all, I spent the day doing something I wanted to do for a change and shared the experience with my friend Joanne. After all, if she hadn't asked me to take the course with her I wouldn't have learned all I have or been there yesterday for all the fun!! Thank you Joanne!

Maybe the title of this post should be "from worse to better" Nah! The good never lasts. Today I woke up alone, Sam and the girls are still in Germany, and went to upload my fotos from my "gita" from hell yesterday and to blog, what do you know? No network connection!!! I have been off line all day!!!! Horrors!!! Bad to worse - to better - then to bad.....

Sums up my life in Italy, a roller coaster ride, full of ups and downs, but always an exciting ride....

Here is the link for more photos
and for the vineyard if you would like to take a look.

Buona Sera!

Krista

The Golden Donut!

Olympic Gold
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Or, if you are from NY like me, a Golden Bagel....

I was surfing the news and came across this, I had to blog about it.

TURIN, Italy --No, athletes at the Winter Games are not being rewarded with gold doughnuts -- it just looks that way.

The new medal design for the Olympics in Turin, unveiled Wednesday, features a hole in the center of the metal disc.
While it may appear as though biathletes have been using them for target practice, the medals are actually meant to represent the open space of an Italian piazza, or city square.
The medals have the Turin logo on one side and images from various sports and disciplines on the other. The red silk ribbon that goes around the winner's neck is looped through the hole in the center.
"They are marvelous medals, they represent what we expect from Italy -- creativity," said Jean-Claude Killy, chairman of the IOC coordination commission.
Eight people collaborate in the 10-hour process to make each medal. Some 1,026 medals will be made for the Olympics, plus 648 Paralympics medals and 35,000 commemorative medals. The Turin Games run from Feb. 10 to Feb 26.

I am not sure I get the hole represents an Italian Piazza. The piazzas I have seen have been closer to either the form of a square or rectangle. Never round. Unless, you want to call the new EU mandated traffic roundabouts being installed all over Italy, piazzas. Anyway, a circle does look better than a square. Which is most likely the reason they chose a circle. But, if I can add my opinion, hey, it is my blog, I can say what I want. This gold medal has an uncanny resemblance to the gettone (tokens) I used to buy to put in the kiddy rides along the lungomare in Chiavari. I wonder if I am the only one in Italy that has the courage to say that? Those silly rides can be found in any city all over Italy and so can those gettone.

You know what it also reminds me of? Now this is going back, and maybe only Sam's family will get it. Is my niece Caitlin, who I spoke about in my previous post. When she was a baby and teething, she was a misery. Sonja, her mom, would put on a rope one of these Finnish hard round biscuits, similar to a pretzel, and hang it around her neck. Caitlin, when she pleased, would chew on the pretzel thing all day long much to her mom's relief. See, where I am going here with this? I wonder how many other Finnish moms did the same thing with these teething biscuits and their fussy teething babies and if they have seen the new Olympic Medal design?

If you read my prior post about the weather, it is now thundering and lightning! Can the weather get anyworse?

A tardi!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

December 2nd in Chiavari
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Walking home from my sommelier class late last night the sky was clear and full of shining stars. When I woke up this morning the clouds had returned and it is raining yet again. I am certain when the low clouds lift there will be more snow on the hill tops behind Chiavari. The forecast for this weekend, is more of the same. Lucky me. I have been anxiously waiting for first weekend in December. Why? Because tomorrow I am going on a field trip to a vineyard in Piemonte with my sommelier class. The weather predicted? Snow and rain! Should be fun fun fun. The coach bus leaves Chiavari at 7:30 am and it is a 2 hour drive on a very twisty autostrade (highway) though the Appenine to the foothills of the Alps - last stop, Barola country. I will be sure to blog all about, that is, it if I make there and back again in one piece.

I just said goodbye to Sam. He is in the car and on his way to pick up the girls. They are catching a flight from Pisa to Frankfurt, Germany. Sam, all by himself, is taking the girls to see his sister and her family who live there. Keeping with the weather theme....There is snow on the ground in Frankfurt and more forecast for this weekend. Why is Sam dragging the girls to Frankfurt? Because Caitlin, our niece, is starring in a production of Annie at the local theater. She is playing Miss Hannigan. It will be a blast for Sarah and Anna to see their cousin on stage and a treat for Caitlin to have her cousins in the audience. I only hope that Sam encounters no problems at the airport and all flights are on time and the flight to Frankfurt is not cancelled! As I type this, the rain is falling even harder, the wind has kicked up and the skies are getting even darker! Sam and the girls are flying Ryanair, a deep discount airline. Their customer service is what you might expect from a bus company. In otherwords, there is none. The airline does all sorts of crazy things at the last moment in order to cut costs, like merge two flights into one! You might find yourself going to Genoa with an unscheduled stop over in Turin! This is "No Frills" to the extreme. And, don't even think of getting to the airport late or expect any considerations for the weather or traffic. If you are not at the airport and checked in by 30 minutes before the closing of the flight. You get bumped. And that is it. No refund, no later flight, no exceptions! Believe me, it happened to us in London's Stansted Airport. We were late by one minute and we were bumped. All I can say, it was a very expensive stressful flight back to Italy. But, if they cancel the flight. Ryanair just refunds your ticket. No big deal, they only cost 50 euros each anyway. But, just try to find another flight at any price at the last minute. Who knows I might see Sam tonight? If the weather keeps up....He might be home for dinner!

Krista

December 1st in Chiavari

Sunset in Chiavari
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Pictured here is one of the best reasons to live on Mediterranean. All week the skies can pour rain, it can even snow though winter hasn't officially arrived, but when the storm clouds clear, this is what returns. Beautiful golden sunshine. And I am not talking about what you see when Sam bends over to pick something up....

After posting this morning I realized either I was going to be cranky and tired all day or, I had to get out and stretch the legs. Seeing that this was finally turning into day without rain, Sam and I took a brisk walk to meet Ian at his local bar. We had a big cappuccino, which always manages to pick our spirits up, and a nice chat with Ian and Silvia. After, Sam and I strolled down the walking path along the River Entella which ends onto the beach in Chiavari. As we walked along the rocky shore picking up some pretty white stones for decorating, yes Sam was in touch with his feminine side today, we both shook our heads in disbelief. Neither of us could get over how much debris had washed up onto the shore during the last storms. Don't people know by now that not everything sinks in sea???...Especially plastic bottles!!! And, is anyone ever going to clean up the mess??? But, I digress. By now it was noon time and the sun was warm and the air fresh, I was feeling hungry and I had enough of left over turkey. How many days can you really eat leftovers? So, we stopped at a nice bar along the lungomare (seafront) and had a big salad for lunch. Lovely. Then Sam had to dash off to La Spezia for a meeting and I went home for a much needed cat nap. Ain't life great?

This afternoon on my way back from picking up the girls from school I took this photo with my mobile phone. An amazing sunset, isn't it? Made me think that I should always keep my camera handy and the battery charged! As I sit here and quickly blog this, the colors of the sky are changing into even more dramatic shades of orange and purple and soon the light of the day will be gone.....

Which brings me to this thought. I love taking photos and even more sharing them with you all. Today, I wanted to take a photo of the snow on the mountains behind Chiavari and post it. But, as good as our digital camera is, it has it's limitations. I am never satisfied with my distance shots because the zoom is not powerful enough. And don't let me start ranting about the indoor shots because, I have to tell you the built in flash is very hard to control and most of the time is too bright.. Not that my camera isn't a good one or handy, but.... Sometimes it frustrates me just like my old Kodak Instamatic did when I first started using it. Remember those? So here is a hint for Santa if he reads my blog. Oh come on, you know he does, you even know his real name.... For Christmas, Krista would like a fancy shmancy digital camera. Please? I have my eye on the Canon EOS 20D - with all the latest bells and whistles! I have been a real good girl. Really I have.

Krista

Good Bye Grandpa!

Piazza de Ferrari and Dad!
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

After a 5 am wake up call this morning and the mad dash to get Dad to the airport on time, now I am ready for a nap!! Or at least another hot cappuccino to keep me awake.

As usual at 6:30 in the morning with 5 flights taking off in less than an hour, the check in at the airport was in it's usual state of chaos! Meaning everyone was trying to jump the queue, or in American English, cut the line. Even at the security check there was an old man trying to get ahead of my Dad. He was so anxious to get on his flight, which incidentally was departing at the same time as my dad, he politely asked to go before my dad. When that didn't work, he kept pushing so close to my dad that he looked like he was going to push him over and jump ahead, or perhaps kiss him!!

As I write this, Dad is on a flight headed for Paris to catch a flight to New York. An amazing feat for an 80 year old man. I wish to have that much spunk and "fashion sense" left when I am that age.