Forty if a Day

There's something really nice about living somewhere people can visit on the way to somewhere else. That's how we got a wonderful visit from Simon's oldest friend Mary (Forty) (nee Bland) and her family.

 

 

 

 

Such a Lovely Couple

 

Simon and Wendi together at the villa she, Dan, Ben and Arthur took in Angera.

Our First Visitors -- Wendi, Dan, Ben and Arthur

They were just about to visit us in Australia, when I let them know that...we would be in Italy. So, Wendi, Dan, Ben and Arthur visited us here, instead. They stayed in a villa in Angera with a beautiful view of the lake and mountains. Among other things, we visited Rocca Borromeo -- the ancient castle of the Borromeo nobility -- and the three isles on Lago Maggiore -- Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola Superiore di Pescatore, where we had a wonderful meal of fish -- carpaccio, grilled and marinated. Easily one of the best meals I've had since coming to Italy.

Rocca Borromeo has an extraordinary doll collection which Wendi and I were much more interested in than was Abby.

Isola Madre is special for its plants. I'm figuring out the best way to post those for maximum effect.

Walking on Thick Ice!

We drove into the Alps, stopping along the way for lunch, then continued on to Macugnaga. There we took the chair lift up to Belvedere where we got off and explored.

Into the Net Darkly

We have found an unreliable but temporary solution to having internet at home.
So, weather permitting, I can get online which is making a big difference in my quality of life. In addition, Simon has endowed me with microphone, headphones and a new webcam, so Skyping is on the way. Looking forward to being more in touch.

Trapped

Feeling a bit trapped as I'm still not driving on the right. Okay, yes, I'm a bit scared.

Feeling a bit isolated as we still don't have internet at home and it's not always convenient to get to the Club House. Okay, yes I'm a bit spoiled.

With the driving, it's not just changing from driving left to driving right. It's the very narrow roads -- so narrow that sometimes cars have to back up to let the other pass. With the isolation, it's also that we only have mobiles which make it cost an absolute fortune to call the friends I'm missing so much. Add to it that the Club House whose wireless I rely upon is closing for two weeks this Saturday. So we're looking for other solutions with people who speak English!

Intra

We took the ferry with Ashlinn and Una to the Intra Market.
 

 
 
 

Santa Caterina Hermitage

We descended the 288 steps to this beautiful hermitage dating back to the 12th century. A beautiful Last Supper we saw in a card in their shop is secreted away in a private room.
 
 

Isole Madre e Bella

I'm very behind in my blog updates, but here are some photos from our day on Isola Madre and Isola Bella. We took the ferry from Angera where we were staying and took in some truly beautiful sights.

Abby and the Chocolate Factory 13.7.09

We bought the fixings for a picnic (if you pardon a bottle of lemon sorbet – whoever heard of a bottle of sorbet? – passing for lemonade, and a mango passing for an avocado) – a punnet of rocket, one of full-flavoured grape tomatoes, three bread rolls, prosciutto crudo, swiss cheese, a red capsicum and bag of ladyfingers -- then headed off for Switzerland and the Alprose Chocolate factory and museum. After our visit to the factory, we found a grassy lakefront spot at Lake Lugano – the straight of Laveno -- and enjoyed our picnic. We saw a coot and her tiny baby.

Uno Rules! Albanians meet Australians 12 July 09

Abby’s first friends in Italy were an Albanian sister and brother Simon spotted this morning in the park by the lake. Kailin, 10, and John, 7, (after John Travolta). Kailin and John involved Abby in “tennis” – actually badminton without rules – as well as trying to engage her in a variety of card games to which they attempted unsuccessfully to explain the rules in their broken Italian but which we, with Italian much worse than theirs, were unable to understand. We succeeded, finally, in having a fun game of cards when we taught them how to play Uno.

Abby lured Kailin and John down to the edge of the Lake where she was happily feeding the swans, white swans, and signets. Afterwards, Simon, Abby and I drove to find a cup of coffee and found a tiny hamlet with houses like you’d see in a movie about quaint, old-fashioned Italians.

Hair: Interpreted. 9 July 2009

Got my hair cut in a new language. Went in to ask if they could cut my hair before our lunch date with Simon’s new manager but they could only see me later in the afternoon – it would have to do. What did I need done? I just pointed my badger head at her and bared my roots. “Colore!” she said.

They offered no complementary cappuccino. There was certainly no WiFi network and table to spread out with my laptop while the colour set as there was in the posh Subiaco salon. But Sylvana, with her shiny black bob, was eager to help me to communicate my needs and even organised for an interpreter – a friend of hers -- to be present at my appointment with Claudio. I had a friend who once told me that she’d never let a straight man anywhere near her hair, and I knew what she meant. But on this occasion, I enjoyed having the attention of Claudio, a heterosexual man of about 60, to one of the features most critical to my feeling beautiful.

Welcome to Si Change!

Welcome to my blog on the Bachrach-Cox family year in Italy. The purpose of this blog is to keep a journal available to our family and friends of our experiences here, and to make it easier to stay close. I hope you'll enjoy my posts and that you'll respond with yours.