Random Goodness

Just a day: First thing this morning (after getting ready for the day and eating breakfast of course) me and Grandma went to the store to pick up the usual: milk, yogurt, cereal, etc. Not too long after we got back, it started to rain. And it rained ALL DAY LONG!!!! Almost. It stopped at around 6:00. But either way, it prevented us from really doing anything, so I took careful note of the house and what happens here so I would have something to write about.

First thing's first. This is the view from the house. From the living room window actually. Really pretty, huh. That little group of buildings, the closest thing to us in the picture, is actually the cemetery.



This house used to be a parish way-back-when, so of course it's right next to the cemetery. When I look out the window it looks super calm and peaceful, but me and my imagination...it's a wonder I haven't dreamed about zombies coming and attacking me while I sleep. Cuz I mean, when you think about it, this cemetery is ancient!!!!! It could make a pretty creepy nightmare.






I took another nap today but no Miss Kitty to keep my legs warm. Speaking of Miss Kitty, she is soooooo cute! I wish I could lay in the sun like this.





Later I was sitting in a nice comfy fireplace sort of chair reading another book and Miss Kitty jumped up on my lap and looked at me with such big eyes that I couldn't resist. I scratched her for about half an hour until dinner was ready.


Back track: After I woke up from my nap I was kinda bored. I had finished all the books in that series I talked about earlier, well, not all of them. Just all of the ones I had available. I've read the first four, and I thought I had the fifth, but it was just a preview. Grandma said she would get the fifth one after I read this other book she wants me to read called The Shack. So I'm currently reading that. Anyway, I keep getting off track. So, I was bored. And for some reason when I was packing for Italy I tossed a sketchpad in my suitcase. I hadn't touched it at all until today. I actually haven't sketched anything since maybe...July? August? It's been a while. Anyhoo, I drew a picture of one of those nice comfy fireplace sort of chairs. I was pretty proud of it, so here it is:
























Toilette: Ok, yes, this is a picture of the toilette. Kinda. I took it because of the big button thing above it. Also known as the flusher buttons.

Back in Rome, in the convent we stayed in, I went to the bathroom and I couldn't for the life of me find out how to flush the toilette!!!! I stood the looking forever looking beneath, behind, above, but I was looking for a handle-thing like we have in the States. I finally just tried pushing the bigger of the two buttons and it flushed!!!!! So, yesterday I went to the bathroom, and I pushed the big button just like I always do, (because that's the first one I tried and it worked, right?) and when I came out Grandpa was there. He looked at me and said, "So, you know the big one is for flushing poop, right?" Uh....no. I was not aware of that. So after a whole week of being in Italy I have finally learned that you press the big button when you poop, and you press the small one if you only peed. Needless to say, I am amusingly chagrined.



This picture is my favorite picture in the house. The first couple times I passed it, I thought it was an actual photograph. It wasn't until I got closer that I could see the paint strokes and even then it is soooo realistic. I look at it at least five times a day, and I find something new every time. I mean, the dept and detail are so precise! Anyhoo, I love it muchly so.

















This is Uncle Larry, our head chef, an excellent cook. He is making the ribs we had for dinner tonight. MMMMMMM. RIBS!!!!! They were sooooooo good. Oh, I'm practically drooling just thinking about them. Mmmmm.



Anyhoo, most of you should recognize the sign he is making. ROCK ON!!!! Well, that's what people from the states know it as. In Italy it's most widely known to mean, "Your wife is cheating on you." No, I'm not joking! Unless Larry and Grandpa were pulling my leg. But according to them, that is what it means. Crazy, huh.




Well, that's all I have for today. It's just been a stay at home and relax sorta day. Tomorrow, pretty early so I'm warned, we head off to Siena and Florence. I don't expect to be able to post anything while we're there, so I'll just write all my adventures in my journal and transfer it over to the blog when we get back on Sunday.

What a day!

Sant' Angelo in Vado: Well, to start out the day, we went to Sant' Angelo in Vado, an old town somewhere near here. It had a beautiful stream running through it.





























There was a church that we passed by that has holes in the wall specifically designed to catch pigeons for a tasty meal. MMMMM. I don't think they really use them for that reason any more, but still.





I also found out that for a while, when people would buy a building around here, they would cover the old stone walls of the building with plaster. Now, people buy the buildings and chip the plaster off so the stones will show. Like they always say, "There's no school like old school." It applies everywhere. I often look at the buildings and see something that I only thought existed in paintings. There is something about...Italy...that is just so picture perfect. It's amazing.





































On our way to the next town, we stopped on the side of the road to look at this really pretty cascada, or waterfall. The funny thing is it's located right behind an industrial...place. Driving through there you wouldn't think that something this calm and peaceful would exist right there. Really pretty.















Urbana: This town is freaking awesome!!!! The first thing I saw was this war memorial for local people who fought and died during WWI and WWII.



There was a pretty big battle fought in this area apparently. The Germans parachuted in just behind the house where I'm staying now, and the Americans parachuted in somewhere in the other direction. There was a lot of bombing and fighting going on right here. In fact, there is a memorial about 3 miles away from the house where someone, a civilian, had stepped on a landmine and lost his leg. This red, white, and green one is the memorial at the Belforte park.



Anyhoo.













This is one of the Duke's grand houses. Yes, it's a house. He has many, so I hear. And he has a hunting lodge (not a house, a hunting lodge) that is just as big but styled more like a castle. It's kinda crazy.





















This is what I call My Little Rain Forest. I know it's not really a rain forest, but it's sooooo green and tropic looking compared to Utah. Compared to anything I've really seen, actually.











There are lots of vines just hanging there, and when it's raining or the spring sun is melting the winter snow the water just rushes out. I could have stood there looking at My Little Rain Forest forever.

















This is an Ape. Not an ape like the monkey relative...it's pronounced ah-pay. It's a three wheeled vehicle if you couldn't tell already. When kids are 14 they can start driving the Ape, and when old people can't pass the drivers test anymore, for some reason they are allowed to drive the Ape. It only goes about 24 miles per hour. Still, it's pretty cool. It reminds me of the taxi-things in Sri Lanka.

















This is me sitting on a bench in front of a pretty stone wall with flowers and chipping plaster.


















Okay, I know this isn't a great picture, but that's fine. This is a tunnel that we've driven through twice now, and it's uber-long! The second time I went through, I tried to hold my breath until we got out. WARNING!!! NOT BREATHING MAY RESULT IN LIGHT-HEADEDNESS AND EVENTUALLY DEATH!!!! I gave up when I got light-headed. And it just kept going on, and on, and on. So I took a picture of it.


















At the House: I finally got a picture of the house. So there.



I also finally got another blanket for my bed. It's cold where I sleep. When I went to put the blanket on my bed, I found this:



A crazy ladybug with WHITE spots instead of black! Cool, huh? I thought so.


Here's a fun story. I was reading my book on the couch and then I started to get tired. So I put the book down and laid down to take a nap. Well, all of a sudden I started feeling little tiny paws crawling up my legs, and lo and behold...Miss Kitty!!!! I love that cat. She's so adorable. Anyhoo, she crawled up my legs and curled right down and took a nap with me. It made me happy. :)










Festa Time!: Well, first off, today is the Day of the Rupublic, the equivalent of our 4th of July. So everywhere we went there were Italian flags hanging everywhere. But besides that, it was also the...dedication...sorta...of the park here in Belforte. They've been trying to finish it for quite some time now. There was a big festa next to the park, and the twins Paulo and Primo played and sang. They're really good.






Some people were trying to raise money for the school or something, and they had this 'game' where you paid money to pull these cork-skrew-things out of the board, and whatever color was on the bottom determined what size plant you won. Me and Grandma won five plants.











Big Adventure: Well, this festa was pretty cool. I enjoyed it. It would have been nice to see kids my age, but apparently most of the teenagers here go to the 'disco' in the evenings. Not my kind of crowd from what Grandma tells me, but oh well. So, since there weren't any boys my age to dance with, Grandma got this thirty-year-old guy named Patruzio to dance with me.





He's a nice guy, but he's....very interesting...and...quite the sweet talk. I wouldn't ever want to be alone with him. Nice, but kinda out there if you know what I mean. Anyhoo, he tried to dance with me, but I didn't know the steps (Grandma doesn't think he did either) so I kept tripping over his feet. And I didn't understand anything he said to me because, well, I don't speak Italian and that's mostly what he spoke. We finally gave up our stumble step, and just kinda stood there talking. He asked me if I drink and offered to go get some wine. So I had my first taste of alcohol. Just Kidding!!! Of course I told him I don't drink, and he kinda looked at me funny then he asked if I can have orange soda or coke. So he ended up getting us both some coca-cola, and we just stood there watching the twins play. Then he turned to me and asked if I wanted a cigarette. Um.....no. I told him I don't smoke, and he gave me that crazy look again then shook his head and said, "No drink, no smoke. You are a....you a okay girl." All right! I'm okay!!!! WOOT!!!!

Anyhoo, he was kinda weird and I won't even tell you how awkward saying goodbye was. I'll just mention that he did the kiss both cheeks thing, but I went the wrong way first and then he...um...he stroked my cheek. Yup. Definitely awkward. I hope I don't have to see him again. So yeah. It's all part of the adventure.

Out and about

The Market: Our big adventure today was the market. Kinda like the one in Rome, only this one was outdoors in the middle of several long winding streets, and instead of lots of food, it was lots of clothes, jewelry, toys, shoes, plants, etc.



It was my heaven on the road. Unfortunately, I liked almost everything I saw, and I kept debating over whether or not I wanted to buy stuff for me, or if I should try to find something as a gift for someone else, and if I bought anything at all what should I buy? In the end I didn't buy anything because I was told that we would get to go to other markets and chances are markets in Siena, San Marino, and Florence would have better things anyway. Oh well. Anyhoo, we met some of Grandma's friends there and one of them asked if I was Uncle Larry's daughter. Teehee. I had been waiting for that to come up. When someone tells you that their son and granddaughter are with them, naturally you would think that the son is the granddaughter's dad.
I ate another mini squid. Well, sorta. This one was breaded and fried, so it looked better. I took one bite and was doing ok, but then Grandpa ate one and let the tentacles hang out of his mouth and then he wiggled them around with his tongue. EEWW!!!!! I gave the rest of my squid to Uncle Larry.

Once again: We visited another old building. I know I may sound bored writing it like that, but like I said before, I don't know how to express the beauty of this place through a blog. It sounds like the same ol', same ol'.






















I'll just say this. I'll never tire of the history, beauty, strength, and mystery that surrounds these old buildings and towns. They look the same through the camera, but I find something new to admire at each place. It's amazing. This place is called Macerata Feltria.









































When we got back into town me and Grandma went to the store and I was able to practice saying, "Mi Chiamo Sammi. Piacere." I call myself Sammi. Nice to meet you. It was pretty cool. Now I'm all set for the festa tomorrow. There's supposed to be a set of twins playing guitar, accordian, keyboard, etc. and singing songs. There will be dancing, food, laughing, meeting new people, kissing cute Italian boys...(I am currently looking longingly into the distance, which ends at the rock wall two feet in front of me.) JK mom. I'm not going to kiss anybody. :)

Heads up: If you look closely at the last picture you can see clothes hanging off of the stair rail. Almost nobody here has a dryer for clothes, and that includes my grandparents. Today I washed my clothes and had the immense pleasure of pinning them to a clothesline outside to dry. Yup. Underwear and all. I forgot to take a picture, but don't worry. I'll have to clean my clothes again before too long.

Next

Old building: Next we went to this really old building place. Like, really old. And it was more like a really old town, I suppose. Or LOTS of really old buildings.










Once again, it was really...can you guess?....BEAUTIFUL!!!! It's really hard trying to describe this to everyone. The problem with a camera is that it doesn't always see what the eye sees, and it rarely sees the same thing in the same way. It can, however, make everything look the same.











In a picture, the old mansion in one town looks the same as the old mansion in another. And the pretty view from the top of one hills is identical to the pretty view from the top of a different hill. It's not that way for real. They all look different to me, and I find new things at each place, but it's really hard to help you guys see that, too. Ya know what I mean?
















There was one old building, a church actually, that had been built on top of the ancient foundation of the Roman empire, a couple thousand years old. During construction, they had found carved rocks from the Etrustan empire which was like, 5 or 6 thousand years old. Really cool. Some of the carved stones look like cow heads, or dogs, or people. It's hard to tell.


















After that, we went back to Belforte and walked around a bit. I got to meet Vera and her older brother Niko, who are both around my age. They are very nice, but I wish I could speak Italian to them. I'm picking up a few things. I can say Ciao, Grazie, Mi Chiamo Sammi, and Piacere. Not much. But I guess that's ok. We returned home, had chicken spagetti that Uncle Larry made for dinner, and just stayed home the rest of the day. That was fine by me, because I got to read.

Grandma had me start a book series called Maximum Ride back in Utah when we were waiting to board our plane. There are five books in the series and I'm on number 4. I know what you're thinking. "How the heck do you find time to read? And even if there is time, why are you actually reading?!?!?!" Well, that's what I do. Besides, the books are REALLY good! I'm hooked.
Anyhoo, that's all for my first full day in Belforte.

Oh yeah! The poppies here grow EVERYWHERE!!! Really lovely red flowers and I see theme truly everywhere. Grandma says that they will grow on the roof with grass after a really good rain. Gorgeous.

Here in Belforte

Day 1 of Adventures: Well, since I didn't post anything yesterday, yesterday seems a bit hazy. Bear with me as I try to tell you what happened. First, Grandpa took me to Sestino in Toscani (AKA Tuscany) to buy bread. Ok, the bread here in Italy is different than back in the states. They don't make bread in big loafs and they don't sell it sliced up. They make long loafs (12 inches or so) that are about 2-3 inches thick. For lunch, we slice that bread up and then put cheese and meet or PB & J on one slice and eat it like that. The slices are pretty thick, but it's still really small.
Anyhoo, we got back to the house and then we went to the super market in another town to get other sorts of groceries. Came back, ate, then headed out again.



This time we went to Frontino which is a walled-community up in the hills. Beautiful little town. We saw really pretty flowers everywhere, and since it was on a hill we could see everything around us.

































The town also had a bell tower that was covered, I mean COVERED in ivy.





















Mill: Next we went to an old mill and just walked around. The old mill wheels are really big and look REALLY heavy, being made of stone and all. There was a stream running by the place and a water...pond...thing...up near the roof. Super cool.























































And this is a random picture of a dragonfly. I took it. :)

In the Country

Leaving Rome Behind: Sunday passed peacefully compared to everything else in Rome. We went to a Catholic church in the morning, which I found very interesting. I've never been to anything other than an LDS church, so it was quite an experience for me. Not to mention that everything was in Italian. It's interesting to notice the differences between the two churches as well as the similarities. Even though I didn't understand the language, and I have many different beliefs, I'm glad I got to go.
After church we went back to the hotel to get our things, then we got on the metro -- my last metro ride :( -- to Termini and then caught the train to Orvieto. That's about a 75 minute ride, during which I read my book. At Orvieto Grandpa picked up his car and we drove for 2 1/2 hours to Belforte. I slept part of the way, but it was hard to sleep because....


Countryside Surprise: The roads in the country side are crazy insane. It's like that saying on Cars: "The road didn't cut through the land. It moved with it." That's how it is out here in the country. One second you're heading east, and then you're moving west, and then east again, then south, then east, west, and north. No joke my friends! I would see something I'd want to take a picture of, and by the time I got my camera focused on whatever it was, it all of a sudden appeared behind the car. I'd start to put my camera away, and then there it was in the perfect spot again. Pull out my camera, and it was gone.
Despite the fact that I can't get any pics while we're driving, the country is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! It's so funny, when I think about it I can honestly say that the biggest difference between Rome and the country is this: In Rome, you're lucky if you can see the trees. In the country, you're lucky if you can see the towns.

Notice the difference?:
















Well, we finally arrived at their house (which I actually don't have a picture of! GASP!! I'll get one, don't worry.) and then we simply relaxed for the rest of the evening. I called home a little later that night, when I knew the fam would be up. (In case there is anyone reading this who doesn't know, Italy is about 9 hours ahead of Utah.) And then I read my book. It was great!

I Forgot to Mention: Stuff I forgot to mention from Rome. In Rome, and throughout Italy I would guess, they don't have drinking fountains at all. Well, not like the ones we see in the states. In Rome they have these random fountains here and there on the side of the road. The water comes out of a faucet-like thing with a small hole on the top. When you want a drink, you just use your finger to plug up the hole the water is coming through, and then the water comes out the hole in the top. Presto! You have drinking water.








I also forgot to mention that I saw a Ferrari!!!!! WOOT!!!!! I only saw it pass by but I did get a picture. Rumor has it that there is a really, REALLY rich guy in Belforte who has a Ferrari, and I just might be lucky enough to meet him while I'm here and maybe get my picture with his car. (Grandma says good luck with that, but like I've said before, "I believe in miracles.")