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
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