Greece, Germany, and Gratitude

Didn't see that one coming, did you? Michelle and I flew to Rhodes and Thessaloniki, Greece, in October. I originally wasn't going to blog about Greece because--well--it's not Italy, and the blog is titled "Harvesting Italy." But I changed my mind. A girl can do that, you know.

Rhodes was cute but really touristy, even though we arrived at the end of the tourist season. Michelle and I went for a sunrise run along the beach one morning, and it was breathtaking! I was already out of breath at that point, but it's ok. I survived and thoroughly enjoyed it! We walked and shopped in the Old Town one day. Each evening, we hung out near our hostel in Faliraki. We really got to know our little area, and one restaurant's host consistently blew kisses to us across the street when we passed.

These photos are from Symi Island. Michelle and I bought a picnic lunch and then hiked upward for some beautiful views. We also had to run about a mile so that we wouldn't miss our ferry.

We spent our final morning in Rhodes at the beach! Our flight was at 5pm, and we got our boarding pass, went through security at the airport, and arrived at our gate in a total of 10 minutes. It's too bad we left so early for the airport, but we did meet an interesting businessmen who shared some of his thoughts about women and fidelity with us. I won't share those with you now because they're pretty depressing.

Thessaloniki, we found, is mainly a college town, especially where we stayed. It had a fun vibe but nothing either of us would have associated with Greece. We actually met and had drinks with my cousin's roommate from their job orientation at Northeastern University. It was SO nice to have an English conversation and meet new people at that point in the trip! Our Homestay host took us to some Turkish baths nearby, and the natural hot springs are certainly therapeutic. It's not as if I had any stress that needed relieved at that point, but I'm hoping for a pay-it-forward effect.

Drinks!

An icon of Jesus the Teacher

White Tower in Thessaloniki

Where will our journey in life lead?

This was the ceiling in an open-air area outside of an Orthodox church.

Michelle and Mag

Arriving in Stuttgart

On December 1, Michelle and I left Italy for the last time this year. We headed straight to Stuttgart, Germany, and we stayed with Michelle's kin there. I could go on for days about Mag's hospitality. First, she let us use her washing machine and drier. FRESH LAUNDRY.  AHHH. Then she showed us where her hats, gloves, sweatshirts, sweaters, turtlenecks, and long underwear were. She cooked us dinner of baked chicken, big tossed salad, steamed broccoli, and cranberry sauce. She left chocolates on our pillow. She went to the train station with us to help us figure out our trains for the next few days. She let us eat her food. She gave us a key to her home. She gave Michelle shoes. She took us out to a brewery on our final night there and made sure we had some schnitzel and potato salad before we left. This is not even all of it, people.

Germany ended up being the perfect transition from Italy to the USA. We couldn't have planned it better. The physical features, attitudes, and efficiency of the Germans reminded me and Michelle more of home than did those of the Italians. Also, there was 0% Christmas hullaballoo/commercialization in Italy. Germany, on the other hand, is renowned for its "Christkindl Markts" and gluhwein to celebrate the Advent Season, and those were determining factors in us deciding upon Stuttgart as our final travel destination.  

Augsburg

The Christkind in Nurmberg

Just a little band playing in Nurnberg

Stuttgart

Ludwigsburg

We hit it big. We shopped in four markets in three days. We tried the local fare, which always seemed to be an undisclosed type of meat deliciously doused in onions and slid into a toasted bun. We got the famous gingerbread from Nurnberg. We even ate locheswurst (salmon bratwurst sans the brat part), and of course, the hot mulled wine. Gluhwein, ladies and gentlemen, is an incredible beverage. It actually warms your entire body instantaneously.  Drinking it outside in the cold aids in staving off the loopiness that could result from consumption, as well.

Michelle and I threw in some museums to keep it classy. We wanted a chance to get to know something about each city that we were visiting. We spaced out our day so that we could take a break from the markets, get warm, and use the bathroom for free at the museum. In Augsburg, we visited the puppeteer museum. In Nurnberg, we toured the Nazi Party Rally Ground Museum. In Stuttgart, we learned about Porche, the car and the men. Quite the variety, if I do say so myself.

At the Nazi Rally Ground Museum

Porche before the recognizable logo

Although there was quite a bit of planning involved in all our trips over the past three months, Michelle and I could not have planned this experience. "God is so good to us," Michelle said frequently, and she's right. Many parts of our adventure were so perfectly ordered that it was unnatural--supernatural, to be more exact. I'm so grateful to Michelle for calling me up one day last spring and inviting me to join her in Italy, and I know that she's glad I agreed. We have seen and done so much, but more importantly, I think, is that we have learned a lot about ourselves and grown as individuals. The people we have been fortunate enough to meet along this journey have blessed our lives in many ways, and we appreciate all the love and support of those of you back home.

We're now home in time for Christmas and the surrounding holiday season. I'm really glad so many of you enjoyed reading this blog and could share in this experience with us! May each one of you be courageous enough to have your own adventures that challenge you to look at life with better vision and that stretch you to be more of who you are called to be.

Read this! Michelle Is Funny

I began documenting funny things that Michelle said during our farming experience, but at some point I stopped. I'm not sure why. As I was finishing up the blog, I found these two lighthearted stories, and I thought I would share them. Enjoy!

Man in the Emerald Cave in Conca del Marini to Michelle: Do you have a boyfriend?
Michelle: Yes I do.
Man: In America?
Michelle: Yes, he's in America.
Man: That's so far!
Michelle: But close to my heart. Puts hand over heart and smiles
Man: I don't believe you.
This was the same man who invited us out to drinks and then to take a dip in the cave. "Diamonds! Diamonds!" Ring a bell?

One evening at a festival in Canneli, we were waiting in line for dinner. We had already consumed two glasses of wine (1 euro/2 glasses!), and Michelle had a lot to say. Please use a Long Island accent while reading her words:

Michelle: Would you check out the eyebrows of the guy in front of us? They're better groomed than almost any woman's I know.
Guy in front of us turns around and looks at us with a half-smile.
Me: Michelle, he looked straight at us. I think he understands English.
Michelle: Even if he does, that's why I'm using the accent.
Effusive laughter from both me and Michelle, which goes on for about 30 seconds. Guy in front of us starts laughing as well.
Michelle: Oh my gosh! His friend is wearing a sweater with hamburgers on it. We should get a picture. Let's get Kayla and Stefan in there so that it's not awkward. Oh wait, I don't want his girlfriend to be jealous.
Not enough guts to ask for the photo. Guys in front of us end up ordering our dinner for us because, yes, they could understand English.

Firenze

Florence deserves a little recognition in the blog. This was our last stop in Italy and our most easy-going and enjoyable city experience. In the birthplace of the Renaissance, there is extraordinary art to see. We didn't go out of our way to see it, however, as the only museum on our list at that point in the adventure was the Museo Galileo, the science museum. It was filled with scientific instruments collected from the Medici and Loraine families, the powerhouses of Florence. 

On our first night stroll, we popped inside a church to find Adoration going on. A woman invited us to write our prayer intentions and thanksgivings on a slip of paper that she provided. She said a group of Sisters would read through them and pray for us if we wanted to place our sheets at the foot of the altar. It was really sweet, and it reminded me of Night Fever in NYC. They even had the baskets organized by language!

We headed right across the river to Piazza de Michelangelo where we saw this view:

Wouldn't you know that when we walked out of our door on Sunday morning to go to Mass, we learned that the Florence Marathon was that day. 11,000 runners. Pretty neat!

On our final night in Florence, we spent an evening at the opera. Well, almost. Neither of us had heard opera before, so we listened to a set of arias, which lasted for about an hour. We heard from Mozart, Rossini, Puccini, Verdi, and Di Capua. What a delight! It was the perfect send off from a country rich in culture, food, hospitality, art, and of course, our memories!

We Love Orvieto!

Please enjoy this gem of a video as Michelle and I finish up our Italian adventure! As you can see, we have not learned Italian, but we make friends anyways.

Orvieto was a breath of fresh air. In so many ways, Michelle and I could just breathe freely. This could be due to the fact that we weren't living in a damp environment anymore. It could be that our arrival coincided with us not being sick anymore. (Our whole house went through a vomiting bug this past week.) It could be that we transitioned from WWOOFer to official tourist in Orvieto. I'm going with d) all of the above. 

Michelle and I had our BEST b&b experience to date here. Our hostess gave us a map, reserved a table for us at her favorite restaurant for dinner (which was exquisite), and served the most complete breakfast we've had in Italy. Also, while we've had trouble finding these b&bs in the past, our hostess gave us perfect directions. When we shared our plans for encountering cold weather in the days to come, our hostess told us about the second-hand market that was happening in the piazza that morning. Michelle and I got winter coats for 8 euro each. Boom!

The big draw in Orvieto is its duomo. This church houses Signorelli's Last Judgment frescoes in the Chapel of St. Brizio. Really impressive. We're probably done with frescoed chapels for a while, though. On the left side of the church is the Chapel of the Corporal, which refers to the Eucharistic miracle that inspired Corpus Christi Sunday. In 1263, a priest who was doubting the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was consecrating the host in a town close to Orvieto when Blood, originating from the bread, began running down his arm and onto the corporal on the altar. Pope Urban IV happened to be in Orvieto at the time, and the corporal was immediately taken to him for inspections. Long story short, Michelle and I saw this Blood-stained corporal and were able to have Adoration with the Blessed Sacrament in this chapel. Great day!

And then this guy!

Un Giorno di Sole

Attention, ladies and gentlemen! Michelle and I have had two consecutive good days of Assisi life. Let me tell you about them:

Michelle and the sunset over Umbria

Sunday was our day off, and what a great day! Giordano dropped us off in Assisi right by Porto Nuovo, which meant we couldn't make the 9:00am Mass at San Francesco as we had anticipated. Undeterred, we strolled right out the gate toward San Damiano. That was probably the best decision we made that day. The church of San Damiano is where San Francesco heard "Go, Francesco, and repair my house, which as you can see is falling into ruin" from a crucifix upon which he was meditating. He proceeded to restore the current building of San Damiano. This church was also the location from which Santa Chiara cared for the sick with her order of Poor Clares.

I love that frescoes are everywhere;
this one is part of a wall in Assisi.

Fun fact: The Hermitage where St. Francis
often went to pray is at the top of Mt. Subasio.
 "Alias" reference, anyone?

Michelle and I really loved this church. Before Mass, the Franciscan Brother who was the music minister reviewed the refrain of every song we sang there and called out the numbers in the hymnal. It's so much easier to sing Italian songs when the lyrics are in front of you! The church is small, so the liturgy had a small-town feel, if you will. The Franciscans used incense, and I bet the homily on the separation of the sheep from the goats was great. A girl behind us even talked to us after Mass to ask for a tissue, which according to Michelle, signals that we are approachable.

We popped into St. Clare's Basilica to see the crucifix (moved from St. Damian's by the Poor Clares) that spoke to St. Francis telling him to rebuild the Church. We were also able to see relics of clothes worn by both saints of Assisi in the crypt, as well as St. Clare's tomb. Did you know that St. Charles Borromeo donated a silver box for better storing St. Clare's hair? That was hundreds of years after she had died.  I just picture Charles walking into the room where he saw her hair and saying, "Yes, we need a box for that." It's not what I would have said, but hey, I'm no saint.

Pranzo

Michelle and I Christmas shopped afterward, and it was low-key because it wasn't the mall or Wal-Mart or online. It was glorious. We dined on the terrace overlooking the main square. I had veal-stuffed, homemade ravioli in an orange cream sauce, and we halved an app of roasted onions in a balsamic glaze. We split some vino rosso, because yes, it's cheaper than water and so much more delicious. We waved to Brothers in an Umbrian fabric store and greeted Sisters on the street. We watched yet another beautiful sunset.

When Giordano picked us up around 5pm, he took us to a spring on the side of a mountain to refill the water jugs we use for drinking. We ate dinner with the family, and Giordano played a bunch of English songs on his phone that we didn't know...until Aerosmith started howling, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." We proceeded to have a dance party in the small room between the living room and kitchen. When I say "we," I mean Tamara started it, and all six of us joined in for a solid 30 minutes. It was so unusual and fun!

Walking in Assisi

Packaged Christmas gift

On Monday, Giada was ill, so Michelle and I were in charge of keeping Gemma out of the house. It was relatively easy. Then we got in touch with our pioneer woman roots and pulled apart the wool that was in Giada's pillow to make it fluffy again. It's a long process, and we didn't finish. We got to do our laundry because it was un giorno di sole (a sunny day) for a second day in a row, and we want our clothes to dry before we leave on Friday. We ended the day with another B-list Christmas film that wasn't as good as our last one.

Wool fluffing