Well, as you read earlier, it is important to the US government that we blend in. I think I've finally done it.
I went to IKEA yesterday to exchange some chairs and said this in my broken Italian to the guard at the front of the store. He looked at me, and then started talking to me in German! When I looked at him even more like a deer in the headlights, he switched to his broken English and told me that he was German and thought I was too. I guess I'm getting closer.....
Oh, and in line at IKEA, the woman behind me started talking to me in Italian. I told her I only speak poco italiano. She didn't care and just kept talking so I just kept smiling.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Playing Catch Up
Well, its been a while. We've been busy doing everything and nothing all at the same time. First and foremost, please keep the people of San Diego in your thoughts. We turned on CNN one night to hear them talking about evacuating Rancho Bernardo. Then, we started seeing the pictures of our neighborhood. The street that received the most damage was Aguamiel Road, and the house that we had lived in was one of a few remaining. All of our neighbors lost everything, as well as several good friends of ours. It sounds like the community pulled together, and I've been in contact with a few of those affected. Halloween in Italy is starting to catch on. I took the kids to the Navy Base to do their Trick-or-Treating while Patrick stayed home. He did have a couple of treaters, mainly our next door neighbors. Angela, next door, did find a pumpkin (not hollow like we are used to) and put it on her front step with a candle on top. Her son was impressed with Emily and Michael's jack-o-lanterns. 
We also thought it would be a good time to do the Napoli Sotterranea tour. This is a tour that takes you to the underground area of Naples. Its really just a large system of cisterns that are no longer used, and the last time they were used were as air raid shelters during WWII. Interestingly enough, Neapolitans used the wells to drop their trash in even in ancient times, so the trash issue is certainly not a new one. The part that we were walking on is just paved over 10 meters of trash piles. Part of the tour was also of the old amphitheater where Nero would perform. Archeologists knew that one existed, but in hundreds of years were unable to find it. For a while, it was assumed that the church had torn it down (being evil and all). Six (yes, only six) years ago, an archeologist managed to be inside of a typical, lower class, Neapolitan apartment. These apartments are really one long room, with very little furnishings. Ten people in the tour group made the apartment feel very small. He noticed the archways in the middle of the room and asked if they had been added. The owner replied that they had been there before, and gave permission for the wall to be chipped away. An ancient arch was found. Off to the cellar (having pushed the bed out of the way) that was small, and with a little more digging, found more archways. The amphitheater was found! It was really pretty amazing. Once the theater was closed, people just walled up the entrances/hallways and called it a house. Last Wednesday, Patrick was lucky enough to be at the other base to see one of the Italian RunningMilitary Bands. Pretty impressive-Em and I like the hats!
Today, I went on a tour of Naples cemeteries. Very interesting and some beautiful scupltures, but out of respect, cameras are not allowed. People don't "die" in Naples (well at least the ones in the Catholic cemeteries don't). Their families visit every week and talk to them as if they were still there in body form. Some of the "houses" even had a little cafe table set up as well as a coffee pot in the corner. Flowers are also brought to the older homes (and they are looked upon as homes) that no longer have family to take care of out of pity. One home showed a 1920's type roadcar (think about the Monopoly car piece) crashed into a tree, with its driver slumped over, but held up by an angel, while a skeleton lurked behind the tree. It was all really interesting. I won't get into the details here about how they actually bury their dead, but if you want to know, feel free to email me. Very ecologically sound I think.
We're have reservations for Germany in a couple of weeks. I'll post again after that. In the meantime, if you are wanting to head out this direction, let us know and we can play tourguide and bed & breakfast.
We also thought it would be a good time to do the Napoli Sotterranea tour. This is a tour that takes you to the underground area of Naples. Its really just a large system of cisterns that are no longer used, and the last time they were used were as air raid shelters during WWII. Interestingly enough, Neapolitans used the wells to drop their trash in even in ancient times, so the trash issue is certainly not a new one. The part that we were walking on is just paved over 10 meters of trash piles. Part of the tour was also of the old amphitheater where Nero would perform. Archeologists knew that one existed, but in hundreds of years were unable to find it. For a while, it was assumed that the church had torn it down (being evil and all). Six (yes, only six) years ago, an archeologist managed to be inside of a typical, lower class, Neapolitan apartment. These apartments are really one long room, with very little furnishings. Ten people in the tour group made the apartment feel very small. He noticed the archways in the middle of the room and asked if they had been added. The owner replied that they had been there before, and gave permission for the wall to be chipped away. An ancient arch was found. Off to the cellar (having pushed the bed out of the way) that was small, and with a little more digging, found more archways. The amphitheater was found! It was really pretty amazing. Once the theater was closed, people just walled up the entrances/hallways and called it a house. Last Wednesday, Patrick was lucky enough to be at the other base to see one of the Italian RunningMilitary Bands. Pretty impressive-Em and I like the hats!Today, I went on a tour of Naples cemeteries. Very interesting and some beautiful scupltures, but out of respect, cameras are not allowed. People don't "die" in Naples (well at least the ones in the Catholic cemeteries don't). Their families visit every week and talk to them as if they were still there in body form. Some of the "houses" even had a little cafe table set up as well as a coffee pot in the corner. Flowers are also brought to the older homes (and they are looked upon as homes) that no longer have family to take care of out of pity. One home showed a 1920's type roadcar (think about the Monopoly car piece) crashed into a tree, with its driver slumped over, but held up by an angel, while a skeleton lurked behind the tree. It was all really interesting. I won't get into the details here about how they actually bury their dead, but if you want to know, feel free to email me. Very ecologically sound I think.
We're have reservations for Germany in a couple of weeks. I'll post again after that. In the meantime, if you are wanting to head out this direction, let us know and we can play tourguide and bed & breakfast.
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