Last day in Oia!

...yesterday has been a cloudy and rainy day. We spent it in Thira, the capital city of Santorini, walking around like tourists and having a big cup of yoghurt, fruit and honey on a beautiful roof garden overlooking the sea.
Got back home and decided to have dinner in a fancy restaurant. The fact is that we never go out for dinner and really never to fancy restaurant, so it is only once in every trip we make that we decide we can spend a lot more than usual for a special meal. So here we went in this place Ambrosia and Nectar restaurant and enjoyed this wonderful and expensive meal. Great experience expecially when the check arrived. But it was fun!
Tonight there has been a wind storm going around. I was awake almost all night listening to the wind singing!
But this morning... all of a sudden the weather changed and sun came out. We took the car back to the rent a car office and had a walk in the village. Bought some fruit and vegetables and cooked a light lunch and ate in the terrace... I spent a couple of hours sunbathing in the terrace while Andrea slept in the room:-) I went to buy some olives and ouzo and pistachio nut, then had some grapes to prepare a good aperitif to enjoy with the sunset.
After the natural show.... went to have a souvlaki at a place we've never been before.... a simple super/nice place where we ate a lot and spent 1/5 of what we spent yesterday and really enjoyed the dinner together with a couple of young cats asking for meat!:-)
What else? We had our last night walk in Oia and said ciao to all the dogs and cats we met in this place and met more gentle persons. This is really the thing that struck us more.... the gentleness and kindness of the persons: to keep in mind!
Transfer arranged at 5, we'll be in Rome at 10 something....

P.S. didn't told you about my job situation: the chief of personnel called me to ask to work for some 20 days more.... no permanent contract on the way... they'll discuss about the short-term contract position in the second half of october.... meanwhile, I accepted the 20 days more and will be back at work the 3rd:-( a little sad for this news... I was expecting a permanent contract from october the 1st.... but it's ok.... I've got an husband who watches over me:-)

A whole day at the beach!

Yesterday it was a gorgeous day! Sunny and warm with a slight wind blowing... we rent a car a small yellow Peugeot 107 and went to Vlychada beach, our favourite beach in Santorini. This beach is beautiful because of the cliffs carved by the wind and because it's never crowded. We spent the day there...we had several bath in the Aegean sea and enjoyed the sun and a good yogurt with fruit:-))
At night we went to the lighthouse to enjoy the fading sunset and finally had dinner in a sort of greek fast food:-)
Went to bed and found out poor Andrea has the fever!!!
And today another cloudy day!

On a sadder note: sounds like my job contract is not in good shape... they may ask me to work for another 20 days and then they'll discuss about our (some 30 persons) short term contracts after mid october:-( Cross fingers!

Rainy day!

Yesterday it has been a really rainy day! At night the room was lit up by lightnings... in the morning the caldera was covered by heavy grey clouds.
So we poor newlyweds decided to spend the rest of the day in the room :-) We had breakfast, bought some postcards and came back home!!
We also bought some food and had lunch on the terrace (in a brief moment of sunshine!) and had a super greek salad (to eat something new!) withOUT onion but we couln't miss the tzatziki and grapes!
Around 6pm the sun came out again to show us the most beautiful sunset that we enjoyed from our terrace with great envy of those who were paying for a ouzo in the roof garden of the bar in front of us!:-)
But today..... it's sunny and we are going to rent a car (we now have almost a bronchitis, after the scooter's run and the windy but romantic dinner on the roof garden of a nice restaurant overlooking the caldera...) and enjoy the beach!

Boat trip to the caldera!

This morning we woke up with a thunderstorm on the air! Buckets of rain were pouring down and water entered in the room from the closed windows. Thunders and lightnings did their show. Here they are not used at the rain (see also Santorini cultivation).... and said that it was more than 4 months that did not rain. So we woke up and had breakfast in the hall of the hotel (since the only place for breakfast is on the swimming pool edge because they do not even consider the possibility of strong rain!) and we asked to call the travel agency because we booked a boat trip on the volcano. The excursion was not cancelled... in fact around 10 the sun came up again and everything was back in its place!... we got on the boat and went to Caldera visiting the volcano of Nea Kameli, Palea Kameli where we had a swim in the hot springs and Thilassia were we had lunch. The panorama was beautiful, the sun shine the whole day and we arrived in Armeni Port (the old port of Santorini) where we stepped all our way up to Oia, just in time to have a shower and to see the famous, beautiful sunset.
We also attended to a ChristianOrtodox mass... we heard chants from the church and we went in. They offered us their bread and it was pretty much a touching moments.
Gotta go....

A walk at dawn!

Woke up at 6.30am today and push Andrea out of bed.... of course he wasn't happy about that but I wanted to go out early and see the Oia village still asleep! It was breathtaking! Took some picture (I'll load them once back home) and breath the fresh air of the early morning. Oia looks totally different when people is not around... old houses are more visible and the colourful doors (usually open) are all closed to show their special beauty.
I loved that walk... then we had breakfast and took our scooter again to reach Mesa Pigadia a beach at the southermost part of the island... The beach is all made with black round stones and there's this small restaurant (the only one) overlooking the sea and the small bay. We had lunch there...it is run by a family, granpa, dad, wife, and a couple of children... and some friends of the granpa. The food was great and the environment simply faboulous. Got our drive back home... on the windy scooter and had a shower... again we went out for food and had dinner in a fancy restaurant.... it has been a great day!

Santorini

We arrived in Santorini at the sunrise. The airport is almost on the beach! We got the bus to Oia (where we decided to stay) and went to the travel agency right in front of the bus station... exactly how the Lonely Planet Guide said, they are way more than gentle and showed us a couple of "hotels" to choose. Here, despite the end of the summer it's still high season and it's all fully booked! We decided to stay at Museum spa Hotel . Like most of the hotels here, this one was a private home, then a musem and now a Best Western hotel... there's the swimming pool and a nice terrace to watch the famous Oia sunset. We had lunch in a beautiful restaurant overlooking the caldera and then went to sleep since this morning we woke up at 3am. Woke up and found out we lost the sunset!!! It was 8pm!!!! So we went out had lunch... we ate a little too much and a little too fried! We ordered a greek salad that despite of the heavy breath it's really healthy and I was just thinking that we are eating right and healthy... (the vegetables are really really fresh here!) but then the zucchini balls and the stuffed eggplats arrived and all my "healthy" thoughts flew away! Now we are full and just had a walk in this romantic village. It is soooo beautiful!!!

Honeymoon!

So here we are in Athens. We are enjoying this chaotic and noisy city as well as its inhabitants... We visited the Acropolis and all the ancients ruins... also had a long walk up to Lycavittus hill and saw the view... poor us today it-s raining and it started while we were having our dinner at the nice small port of Mikrolimano in the Pireo. We had to take a taxi and now are back home safe and sound. Have a lots of things to say but small time. I-m using a greek keyboard and it-s a little difficult.... hope to write more soon. We are really having fun!

...about the wedding!

Our wedding was great! Of course this is my point of view so it may not be objective but.... I loved that day and will for the rest of my days. I was beautiful like I-ve never been before. I was not nervous... just a tear when Andrea saw me and told me - You are beautiful!- in a way he never did before. The ceremony was perfect. The pries Pier Luigi was happy to celebrate it for us and said important words. I did not cried nor got wrong with the things to say. We looked at each other with loving eyes and it has been great.... There-s a lot more to say but I-ll write more when back home putting pictures and more precise impressions...
Know I-m happy!

The day before the wedding....

Up and down in Rome.... got the wedding dress... tears out of my eyes for no reason. I left Andrea at the hotel.... I don't want to stay without him.... lots of phone calls, lots of people coming to visit... lots of unknown traditions... lts of people who pretend to know how I feel.... lots of emotions packed in my small heart.... I'm confused...think I'm happy but I'm looking forward to the ceremony.... a little worried but it's ok... just want to go to sleep and I still have things to do.:-(
Domani è un altro giorno.

Touching moments

We are rushing and hurrying around..... gotta go there and buy this and then remember to buy that and so on...
On the to-do-list of yesterday there was also the visit to Andra's uncle, the brother of his father. It's a couple of years we don't see him and his partner Enova.
So we went to zio Gino to bring them the candy box. She's 84 and he's almost 83 so we knew they could not be to the ceremony.
We went there and he barely recognized Andrea. He's phisically in shape (as an 83 y.o. man can be) but he's loosing his memory. And we stayed there half an hour and it has been a very touching moment.
Andrea was shocked to see his only link to his dad's family out of work... Zio Gino understands everything but do not remember. While crying he said some very important things.
He was making a statement on his situation and he said that of course life is a great gift but he was complaining because at a certain time he wish to stop with it and that he's happy to live only because Enova lives, otherwise..... it wouldn't be worth. He continued saying: "to love each other is the only important thing in life".
Should I tell you I was crying like a fountain?
He said he has been content in his life. He adopted a young girl when he was younger and he loved her as his own child.... he was remembering this and said "I had not a lot of money but.... better to spend those money for someone in need than for other things." Should I tell you how my eyes were spilling salted water?
It has been very touching. Seeing he's frustration for not remembering about Andrea.... nowing that he is his niece but still an unknown.
Andrea was crying too telling him how much he loves him.... and me... I was almost drowning...
The thought is: even if he lost his memory he still had 'important' things to say... those coming from the heart, those coming from a long life, those coming from up above.
Gotta really go and live to Rome.

Gotta go and get married:-)

Last day here in Bologna.... need to prepare the bags for the honeymoon, prepare the house for being abandoned for some 20 days.... arrange things for Monocat and do the last things for our wedding day.
I think I'm ready if not for the horrible cold and throatache and now cough that it's killing me.... so I'll probably be sneezing and coughing and aching on the 14 sep... but it's ok... I'll be there!
Yuppie!!!!!!!
I'm excited.

wedding.... it's all about somebody else!

I got this great chance to drive down to Rome by myself. Andrea left on Monday to Catania (Sicily) for work and he flew back to Rome the same night, so that on Tuesday we had time to arrange the last things together.
I love to drive by myself. I worked from 5.15am to 9.45 then went back home.... prepared Monocolo for a 2 days vacation from parents and the house and packed something, choosed cds and started driving through, Emilia Romagna, Toscana, Umbria and Lazio...
My soundtrack was Negramaro, Bruce Springsteen and U2. I loved it. Time to stay with me.
Everlasting music...good for my soul. Me and the road.... the nature seen from a small-fast-car on a tongue of autostrada.... during a special moment of my life....
Andrea is gone for a day. I miss his company for the trip but it is soooo long I don't take a ride by myself.
A long trip through Montana comes back on my mind.... pink rockies, cool waters running down the mountains... a sky full of stars and No Doubt and Dire Straits playing: I was happy!
So, as the notes play and the words go by I feel in peace: I AM GETTING MARRIED IN 10 DAYS!
And I'm not scared.... I actually really love it!
I am conscious of what I am going to promise and that makes me feel so free and productive and an adult... and other millions things I don't know how to explain.
I keep on driving.... and I feel relaxed or tired.... well both... I feel serene and almost ready to face my parents and relatives and to support them in what seems to be their business more than mine.
I get to my aunt's home and from there we go to the restaurant to fix the last thing. My mom is worried because the streets to go there are difficult and curvy.... and because some people may get lost..: no matter I already told her we're going to print maps and that there are also very clear directions on the roads.
Finished with the restaurant.
Yesterday we went to the (hopefully) last try of the wedding dress...the dress is still to finish. I can't believe it takes forever.... but I am not worried, I simply imagine the tailor needs her time to do it and she won't let me walk the aile of the church with my jeans on... if not she'll get killed by my mom.
Then... I had an appointment with the priest but he postponed in the afternoon so we had to go back to Ostia. My mom was getting crazy: 'the dress is still not finished and we still have to do lots of things.... flowers and church and priest and rings.....'. No matter if I am calm. Go to Ostia and talk to the florist for my bouquet (ok done)...then went home and eat lunch. After that Andrea and I went to the church and talked to the priest (done), then to the jewelry to buy the ring (done) then back home to sleep (done).
So we finally did everything but once back home the feeling is I did not accomplished anything because mom is nervous, and anxious and everything like this.
No matter you tell her to calm down, that we are happy whatever it happens, that we will be so few and friends and relatives that will be ok..... she doesn't care.
So I think that to be a bride-to-be consists mainly in trying to maintain the calm and to understand that it is all about somebody else's anxiety.... I just breath and think white and green and so it will be my wedding.
My mom is master in letting me think that:
- other's wedding were great;
- she won't cry because she did not cried at her own wedding;
- I am beautiful but I could head for more beauty.... (this is a weird topic: I have never claimed to be beautiful nor to expecially care for it... and I don't think how people can think you can be beautiful at your wedding.... usually you are dead tired, no sleep brings you black bags under your eyes and swallen eyes, usually stress improve the rate of your pimple and the colour of your skin is horrible unless you make those super expensive treatments..... moreover the period does all possible tricks to invite itself to your wedding with everything that concern his presence like PMS, swallen breast and water retention.... so that your wedding dress may not fits you like you thought).....
- everybody will look at you and see the results of your anchestors, so you better act good;
- people expects to eat well and a lot, feel good and have fun.....

....so and what if I want a simple wedding so that people can concentrate on the meaning of the wedding itself? Is it possible? Can a simple wish like this come true? Or maybe not.... this is a wedding and people knows everything about it!

Surprise!

Let's talk about this super Surprise I got lately.
There is this group of girl friends of mine... we are 5 all different in shape and colours and education.... call-sign: Spice friends... it's silly and stupid but it works! It's something that I wouldn't count on in my past but it turns out to be a very nice and supportive group.

Now...they helped me out a lot for this wedding and I knew they would have organized something for my farwell to sprinsterhood!

I was really worried and upset of it. I was afraid I had to go in one of those silly places where women want to claim their 'equality' to men's lust.... and I told them I wouldn't go.
By the way, my august rosters came out with this 2 days off at the end of august that were pretty unusual, so I asked around the reasons for this extra day off the answers were always very vague.

The 20 of aug we had a Spice dinner to celebrate the so called Posh-Fabiola-Spice's b-day.
And after her b-day present there was one for me.
A big green box and inside a beautiful picture album with some pictures of the 5 of us during our annual 2-days-Spice vacation. Inside the album each of them wrote touching and loving words so that my tears were able to creaty a salty swimming pool. Moreover, they wrote down a perfect plan for our 2 days and half vacation.
aug 29: after work we leave headed to Riccione (sea) for an half day sunbathing. Dinner in Riccione. Then we go to Santa Sofia (where Posh-Spice mom lives in a beautiful old country house) and we'll stay there for a 2 days relaxing vacation cuddled by the super-Posh-Spice-mom who already cooked cakes and was ready for bbqs and walks on the appenines:-)
I was super happy, it was a perfect timing and the perfect way to let me relax.

So here comes the 29th and they pick me up at home.... in the bag I put some warm clothes and pijiama because in the mountains it's usually colder.... my bikini and solar protections and my jeans and t-shirt.
We arrive at in Riccione and they park in an hotel parking lot. I did not understand why... I was concerned to receive some ticket because of the wrong parking.... but they gave me a folder with their pictures and comments on how I felt into a trap!
I was wrong.... they prepared for me a different program: 2 nights in this 4 stars hotel and a spa schedule with a body peeling with sand and shell powder, thermal shower, some french-named-massage, a facial tratment, a super relaxing massage and the access to the wellness beach with special thermal pools.

I won't describe the happiness. We spent some 3 days cuddled by the hands of experts masseuses. We all did the program and they payed for me in whole.
I came out of this 3 days vacation more than relaxed and with the knowledge of having special persons around me....
I am happy, and relaxed and beauty (or at least I feel so!).
Gotta run to Rome for the last things....