Casuale

I just got done with my Sunday exercise session!  I took the bike to a nice park nearby the house, called Monte Stella (star mountain).  It is a large man-made hill created using the debris from buildings that were bombed during World War II.  You feel a sense of bliss just by sitting on a stone bench staring at the skyline of the city.  I think it is at it's best during the Autumn, when you are surrounded by red and gold leaves.

We had a family over for dinner last night and they left at midnight, so I needed sleep this morning.  I went to 11am Mass by myself (my host family always goes to the 10am children's Mass) at a charming church named after Saint Therese.  I am attracted to it for two reasons.  First, because it is attached to a Carmelite nun convent which makes it so peaceful.  The other reason is because of the fantastic mural behind the altar.  It shows two clouds full of saints kneeling and adoring Jesus.  It makes it feel as if you are in Heaven with them.

Last Sunday Daria took the kids and I to visit her parents, who live outside of Milan in Bovisio Masciago.  The little town was celebrating their patron saint's feast day, Saint Martin.  I will never forget it.  Townspeople of every age participated.  There was a parade with horses and instruments included, which led to a performance at the end.

The performance, in the oratory of their church

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 My random notes:

- Daria and Sara do not have the colors of the rainbow memorized.  They briefly learned them in English class but it is obviously not stressed.

- Sara got to smash grapes with her feet in kindergarten!  I want to try one day!

- To say I love you to a friend or family member you say "ti voglio bene".  It literally means "I want you good"...but, anyway, naturally there is a shortcut in texting; tvb!  You can even exaggerate it with "tvbbb".  :) 

- Pizzelle cookies are not called pizzelle!  The name is cialda (pronounced chalda).  One more thing us Americans made up.

- One day I was picking the kids up with Nonna Enrica (Daria's mom) and she started a conversation with another nonna.  They talked about how they got no sleep because they had to stay up to watch their tv shows and how their husbands sleep all day long.

- I remember last year it started snowing in class and one of my classmates from Brazil had never seen snow so I had to explain to him why it was not sticking to the ground.  His face was priceless.

- Autumn in Italy is a loonnng and beautiful one.