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.