Chiamata di Marzo

"Call of March": a great, original and festive event that parade through the streets of the spa town, Recoaro Terme, hundreds and hundreds of people in costume , or in groups, on foot or on carts prepared with all kinds of scenes, showcasing an extraordinary range of objects, tools and evidence of the civilization and tradition "Cimbrian ". (via this link)

On Saturday night I was googling and reading up on Soave, so I could better answer some of the questions that that kids had about the castle and walled city. Well on one link from a local B&B, I found a list of day trips from Vicenza. One click led to another and I discovered the town of Recoaro Terme. It's actually known for it's famous mineral water springs and it's resorts/spas but as I was reading about Recoaro I read a byline about a special festival and parade that happens every two years (even years only) on the last Sunday in February.

The feast fell on the last Sunday of February. Then it was the spontaneous expression of joy that permeated the minds of the mountain people, forced to remain closed in the houses and stables for four or five months, when the first warm spring melted the ice and winter every relation and the normal communications between the districts is that the center of the country. Towards dusk, after having gathered in crowds in their districts, hundreds of shepherds, herdsmen, farmers, and their families down in the village, dressed in outlandish costumes and fashions, in procession compact between a devilish hubbub.

(don't mind the rough translation...google did that for me).

 When I realized that it was the next day I said we had to go. I mean the kids loved a castle but a parade? Italian or not, it's a parade. We knew there would be yummy foods, we knew we'd be closer to the mountains and we also knew that if we didn't go, our next chance wouldn't be until 2014. So we woke up Sunday and we went!

I will be the first to admit that while I knew it was 45 minutes away and obviously because it has springs, it's near the mountains, I did not put two and two together and realize that it was IN the mountains. From our house we can see the Dolomite mountains and then the Alps behind them. We actually took a 3 mile long tunnel through the Dolomites and Recoaro is nestled between the two mountain ranges.

It is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, words cannot even describe...even the kids were going on and on about how pretty it was!

Recoaro is nestled down in the valley but we had to park much higher up and walk down. These two photos are from our parking lot...note the parking lot below and then below that, the festival itself.

 

 But the air was so crisp and clean, the walk down was so quiet and the views were breathtaking...

While Recoaro may be known for their mineral springs, resorts and spas we recognized it for their bottled water! We buy it at the commissary all the time...it's a whopping .19 cents a bottle and it's delicious!

Once down in the action, the boys announced they were starving! Luckily all the bars and caffes were open and many had their windows open and we selling right out on the street. (sidenote: in Italy bars and places to grab an espresso and a pastry, pubs are like american bars). In my best Italian I said ''Voglio ordinare quattro panini al formaggio e panini al salame". I'm not sure if that was grammatically correct but we got 4 cheese sandwiches and one salami sandwich so I did something right! (cost for all these sandwiches 7 euro or $8.75USD).

 

 We arrived around 11:30am and the parade didn't start until 2pm so we had plenty of time to walk and explore.

Of course after all this walking and sight seeing, the kids were hungry again so we stopped for some gelato.

 

 Peanut and Pooks both chose fragola, Bubba picked caramel, B went with stracciatella and I chose fior de latte, all in un cono. (Strawberry, Caramel, Chocolate Chip and Sweet Cream all in a cone). Sissy just tastes everyone's then eats B's cone.

 

We ate our gelato in the sun, in Piazza Dolomiti (the town square) and let the kids burn off some energy.

 

By this time the crowd was getting pretty thick. People were claiming spots along the parade route so B got the kids some water, us some bianca vino and we found a seat.

In true Italian fashion we sat around and waited for awhile. Although the parade was suppose to start at 2:00, it was almost 3pm before things got going!

 

 This was pretty cool and Dad, I thought of you because before they rounded the corner it sounded like a drumline...in actuality it was these guys who were rhythmically hitting a wooden bowl against the side of a cheese barrel.

I caught a quick video but it's not the same as being there, obviously...

After the drumline there were more floats. Each float was pulled by a tractor or a small truck. Several just barely fit through the buildings! A volunteer policeman was helping direct.

 

Each float depicted a scene from the time period. Washing linens, woodcarving, eating, drinking, making wine...a lot of the floats had lit fires on them (something you would never see in the states, lol). Several were giving out bread, biscottis, grappa, wine but Ron's favorite was this guy who gave wurstel e polenta.

The kids favored the floats that were giving out cookies, bread and candy. Usually these treats were handed out by kids who were in the parade themselves.

There was so much going on and surprisingly, though we don't speak or understand much Italian, it was very easy to understand the little skits just based on what they were doing, their expressions and their mannerisms.

 

 

 

 

 There were several animals in the parade as well. The boys' favorites were the chickens and the sheep!

 

  

 Now I'm sure watching the parade as an American, that I enjoyed different aspects of the parade that maybe the Italians overlook. (Seriously, fire on a float? Petting chickens in wheel-barrels? Handing out shots of grappa to a crowd? All amazing things that probably happen all the time). But this part of the parade was truly amazing. Part of what amped it up was that you could hear it, before you could see it. And when you saw it, you didn't understand it until they started moving again. We were waiting and waiting and waiting to see what was gonna come around the corner when suddenly we could hear all these ''huh, huh, huh" and whooping, hollering...finally these guys come RUNNING down the hill with their arms interlocked around these two thick ropes.

  Then almost as quickly as they got there, someone yelled and they all stopped. They were obviously intoxicated, lol and resumed drinking as soon as they stopped. 

So they sat on that ledge (which made me nervous!) and drank and laughed until....

(hopefully the video works)...

It was amazing! Suddenly that HUGE log came out of nowhere and coming down a hill, we immediately realized why they had to keep stopping and waiting. (the drinking was just fun I guess!)

Shortly after this, we made our way back to the car. We had watched over 40 floats and they were still going strong, but my kids weren't. After walking and standing for almost 5 hours, they were tired. So we trudged back up to the parking lot. Once there we snapped a few more pics...

 before being told by a policeman, that we couldn't leave said parking lot until 6:30pm. It was 4:15. We were leaving that parking lot, we just couldn't go back down the same way we came because the roads were blocked. No big deal, there has to be another way out, right???

Wrong.

Okay, kinda right. It started out okay. We were on a nice two lane road up the mountains...we even pulled over and let the kids play in the snow for a bit (which turned out to be their favorite part of the day)

 

  

Then it got scary. Our two lane road turned into a one lane (but still two way) gravel road, up the side of a moutain with no guardrail...nothing. Luckily we were following someone else who was obviously familiar with the roads being this way. It was scary and dangerous and I have no pics because I felt like if I leaned toward the window to take a pic that the entire van would tumble down the side of the mountain. I give B huge, huge praises for literally getting us off that mountain alive. And in case you think ''oh Shannon, she's so dramatic' just know that when we finally got down again...we had to pull over and shut the van off. The brakes were so hot that they were smelling up the entire car with that burnt rubber smell. Only once safely down again did B admit that at one point (when we made a sharp stop then needed to go again) did he think we might actually go over (as the brakes weren't really gripping the ground as well as he would have liked to keep us from rolling back and when accelerating the car didn't want to go forward). But in the grand scheme of things our near death experience only last about 45 minutes. The kids were asleep and none the wiser and I never had a full blown panic attack. All in all, the day was still great! (just fyi if you ever go to Chiamata di Marzo...don't try to leave early, just wait til 6:30).

(sorry this post was so long but I wanted to make sure to save everything. If we're friends on facebook, I realize much of my blog is repetition...I share on Facebook the condensed version but I still want to have the real trip, excitement, photos and story documented for the kids'...which is the purpose of this blog.)

A real life castle - Soave, Italy

On Saturday, the boys wanted to go 'questing' (exploring). Before we left Texas and we were showing the kids pictures and talking about Italy/Europe, Pooks especially was very interested in seeing real castles. So on Saturday we drove to nearby Soave (say So-Ah-Ve). Soave is a walled city with a castle, two churches and three walls protecting it, dating back to the 10th Century. We packed a picnic lunch, punched in ''Soave'' on the Garmin and headed out.


The boys were sure it was going to be a good questing day when we got to go through tunnels!

Entering Soave you could see the castle and the walls in the distance, right from the highway. This got them even more excited. We parked just outside the walls in a free parking lot. Apparently you can drive inside the walls but we didn't know that and we drive a minivan so I think we chose the better option. These pictures were immediately after entering the castle through the gate; once is looking up the length of the wall to the castle, the other is through the gate.

 

Once inside we went where the kids wanted to go. We had to map and no plan, other than trying to find somewhere to eat our picnic lunch. We tried to really explain why the castle was built, how old it was and what 'enemies' were. Bubba finally said ''it's like in Robin Hood'' which Pooks and Peanut understood and compared to Backyardigan's ''Tale of the Mighty Knights''.  Then they got it. Guess T.V isn't too bad!

 We pointed out old buildings, explained why people lived inside the castle walls. The kids liked looking at the door knockers, inside holes in the stones, and hearing all the church bells. We have a knack for arriving at places just as the clock strikes noon.

 Then it was more walking to find a a perfect place for lunch...

  

 

 It truly was beautiful. It was slightly hazy on Saturday and it gave it the perfect mysterious feel. The castle, and the entire town, are surrounded by vineyards. Soave is most known for it's wine, a dry white wine that can also be purchased in the states! We passed through a second gate and found the perfect little park with picnic tables and ate lunch.

While eating lunch, Pooks kept saying he wanted to go up to the castle. Now usually people don't go up to the castle. It's on a hill, the museum inside has very limited hours and did I mention it's on top of the huge hill? But he was persistent so we went back inside the walls after lunch.

 

Finally we found a stone pathway that went up to the castle. It was a hike! It was about 70 degrees on Saturday, walking up the side of this hill and I was wearing Peanut in our Ergo carrier on my back. Quite the workout!

Bubba and pooks, at the beginning of the pathway. 

B and Sissy had to stay behind because we had the stroller (normally B and I would have each worn a little and taken no stroller but we had our picnic lunch to carry as well). The medieval's didn't exactly think of stroller parking and much to Pooks disappointment there was no elevator to get us there.  (though he asked, about 5 times).  

 The higher we went, the better the view..

 

 We made it to the top! The castle/museum was closed but it was worth it. The boys loved being able to see everything, they saw a ''really real'' drawbridge and even got to stand on it!

 Then of course we had to trek back down. Naturally Peanut wanted to be carried again so I had extra pressure to not be so clumsy as to fall down a hill, with a kid on my back. We did good though! Made it to the bottom, met back up with B and Sissy and slowly made our way back home.

 The older boys managed to find a well and sissy managed to convince Daddy to let her walk. All in all, a good day.

 

 If you're in the area, I recommend stopping in Soave. We spent about 2 hours there but didn't go into any shops or winerys. You could easily make an entire afternoon out of a visit!

I'm blogging...from a computer...woohoo!

Don't get me wrong, I love my iPhone, iPad and our old Dell laptop but it is wonderful to be blogging from a ''real'' computer. One that has all the letters on the keyboard (unlike the laptop that is missing 'c' and 't'). But the bigger part of being able to blog from our computer means, OUR STUFF MADE IT TO ITALY!!

*insert bigger WOOHOO!*

After 2 months and 1 week, we finally have our household goods. I've never been so excited and so thankful to see our crap. Real cups, soft couches and our bed is finally off the floor. (We bought a king sized mattress when we moved in to the house but had to wait for our goods to get here in order to have the bed frame). The kids have their beds in their own rooms and are sleeping much better already. Peanut is sleeping all night without waking, then waking up dry and going potty all by himself. It's a wonderful thing! Bubba and Pooks do still share a room but now their beds are bunked and they love that. Peanut has his own room (for the first time ever) complete with a 'transportation' theme and a new rug from Ikea. I think he really likes having his own space as he's often playing quietly alone after we tuck him in....and I usually just let him because really, who is he disturbing?

And of course, Sissy has her own room. The pink dresser finally looks at home! She has her changing table set up and we actual use it. Her crib is assembled and the mattress is set on the lowest setting. And this weekend, she's going to start actually sleeping in there.

This co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding mama is about to kick her out of our bed and into her room. I love co-sleeping and I love nursing but waking FOUR plus times a night because your 16.5 month old is trying to feed on you, is tiring. She doesn't care if I'm even awake! She is pulling on my shirt, crying and smacking...yes smacking me, trying to get to the boobs. She does not need to eat that often; heck she didn't eat that often when she was a NEWBORN. It's a total comfort thing and it's exhausting. Now that we're here she has her own room, with her own crib right down the hall. I still plan on nursing her before bed and when she wakes in the morning...but I do not intend to continue to be an all you can eat milk buffet, all night, for much longer. As in, this weekend we'll be trying the whole ''cry it out'' method...which I haven't used since bubba was a baby.

Why wait til the weekend? Well we're about 80% unpacked right now and I haven't found all the things for her room yet. I can't find her crib sheets which are kind of a priority. As well as the cutesy stuff I bought right before we moved. I figure I'll just pack up the bumpers and bed set that I made (ironic...the only kid I sew a bedset for and she's the only kid who never slept in/on it) and put up her toddler bedding. We're going with a woodland creature theme (think owls, mushrooms...kinda vintage). I managed to get the toddler bedding as well as the wall decals on clearance right before we moved. Then at Ikea a few weeks ago I found a shaggy green rug. The only thing I haven't found is a power cord for her lantern; I want a 200v one with the European plugs, so I'll have to look around and see what I can find.

My goal is to knock out the rest of the boxes and finish getting everything but the master done on Thursday, then the master bedroom on Friday. As of now the kids' beds and toys are unpacked but not their clothes/dressers. The bathrooms are unpacked but COMPLETELY unorganized so I gotta straighten up. On the bright side the living room, play room and kitchen are completely done which were the biggies. We've decided to use the upstairs room as the office/guest room. It's big enough that B has this computer set up on the one side, I'll set up my sewing machine on the other side and their is still plenty of room for the queen guest bed. I'm not setting up my craft area right away however because then priorities will get pushed aside for Pinterest crafts. The downstairs bedroom will be used for storage. Not my favorite idea but we don't really have a choice.

I love Italy but I don't know how Italians live without closets. If you think you read that wrong, I'll retype it: Italian homes do not have closets. As in, this house has none. In Texas we had a walk in master closet, a bathroom closet, a hall closet, a walk in pantry, a walk in closet in the boys' room and a good sized closet in the little kids room. Now we have none. None. Not so much as a medicine cabinet. We have 7 wardrobes (one per person plus one extra) but B is using the extra for his work clothes as they aren't very big and if it were to try to cram everything into his one wardrobe, everything would be super wrinkled. So what do we do with towels? Extra bedding? Toliet paper, paper towels and things like extra kleenex, dog food and the like? Well our solution is to put shelving in the downstairs bedroom and use it as a basement/pantry/overstock room. Realistically while it is a very pretty room, it's not all that practical. A) It's the only room downstairs. B) The radiator is currently not working so it is FREEZING. C) It has one outlet. Not one outlet cover with two outlets but just one outlet. 4 inches from the door.

So while our original intentions were to use it  for a guest room, I don't think that's gonna happen. Honestly I'm just thankful that we have that room to use because if we didn't, then we'd have to use the garage which means that both of our vehicles would be outside. (As of now, B's car fits in the garage with all the stuff from our last garage...with room to spare). My van probably wouldn't fit through the door, let alone with other boxes and toys.

So yeah, I'm a bit 'backblogged' but I'm trying to catch up! This week the weather has been absolutely amazing, temps in the 60's and so clear we can see the villages up in the mountains! We're this weekend to go to Soave (about 45 mins away) and take the kids to see the castle and (depending on their behavior and how much time we have) to Verona, the village where Romeo and Juliet takes place. Ciao!

Happy Valentine's Day!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

We're still here, I promise!

Geez I can't remember the last time that I took such a long break between posts. It's not only a new month but the new month is almost 1/2 way through! But I promise that we're all alive and well. We're getting settled into the house nicely but slowly. Our actual belongings won't be here until the 28th so we currently have beds, wardrobes, a couch and 2 chairs and a dining room table...that's everything. So we have a few random piles of things from the hotel, clothes in laundry baskets and I course, toys everywhere. Our unaccompanied belongings were delivered already so we do have a small tv and DVDs, toys for the kids, Rascal has his kennel, and thing d like towels and bedding, dishes and a few pots and pans. It's not much but even with do few of our things, it's immensely better than living in the hotel!

So far we also really enjoy our house and neighborhood. Initially it was cold in the house...like 64 degrees was the warmest we could get it. Now the house is usually around 68 degrees with the living room being much warmer due to the fireplace. We *love* having a fireplace! The kids have done awesome with leaving it alone, not playing with it, etc. Even Sissy knows not to touch...she'll walk in front of it, put her hand out and say "haaaa" (hot) and shake her hand. Granted she's touched a couple of warm radiators and now understands just what hot is! (she is no way hurt or burnt herself. Just felt the warmth).

This week we also explored our neighborhood a bit. I walked into the local pizzeria and successfully ordered two pizzas, to go a cheese and one with ham(margherita and prosciutto). They were. Deliciously amazing! 2 pizzas and from the time I ordered to the time I left with pizzas in hand was maybe 7 minutes. Cooked in a wood-fire oven and so fresh. Real Italian pizza is completely different than US pizza. Yes both have crust, sauce and cheese but that's where the similarities stop. Authentic pizza has a super thin crust that tastes like fresh bread, a tiny amount of sauce...I mean sometimes you can barely even see it! Then it's topped with a ton of mozzarella. Not too much, but the perfect amount. At some point it's also drizzled in olive oil. No packets of parmesan, no choice of "hand tossed" or pan. Just good pizza at a fantastic price. Try €4 for a one topping pizza...or almost $5.00. I cant even buy a decent frozen pizza for that price! If you think I'm exaggerating just know that even B loves the pizza here. Like ate 1/2 one by himself, it's that good.

Speaking of delicious, last Thursday after picking bubba up from the bus stop we drove around our small little village and saw a Gelateria. Being the cool mom that I am, I treated the kids to some imprompt gelato. Ordering went okay, I think she was more surprised by the amount of kids I had than my bad Italian. But we got 4 vanilla with chocolate chips (stracchiata) and 1 strawberry (fragola). The kids loved it, the gelato was good and the total for 5 cups, with one big scoop each was €5 ($6.25). No complaints about that!

So far everyone has treated us very nicely. Some people complain about how rude the Italians are but we've only encountered that once, in the almost 2 months that we've been here. (by a fellow patron at a restaurant who was less than impressed by my kids best behavior). Both B and I are trying to learn Italian, which helps. We don't expect everyone to cater to us or to know English. I figure even my feeble attempt is better than no attempt at all! I may say "Ciao! Voglio ordinare due pizza per asporto" and it may be rough, but it's an attempt and it was enough to get us dinner.

Well that's about all I can type on my iPhone. We're (still) waiting for our Internet to be turned on so until then, arrivederci!