29 Augosto 2006

Salute-
It has been awhile since my last blog entry, so please excuse the jumbled nature of this update. We have now been here three weeks, which his hard to believe. However, we have already settled into the lifestyle of the afternoon riposo (the break in the day between 1-5pm when everything closes), usually facilitated by a glass of wine with lunch, we have braved the local Macelleria to get fresh meats and cheeses (and soy sauce - the only place in town I've found to buy it), learned how to successfully use our cappuccino machine, and sampled the local digestivo, Mirto, which is made from local wild myrtle berries. And, plenty of gelato, too.

We finally got out on the water for a paddle in kayaks rented from the base (since ours have yet to arrive) to a little cove with some protected rocks. The wind here can be quite fierce, so we stuck close to shore and ate our picnic before getting blown all the way back to our put-in spot. We were hoping to go to the other islands in the archipelago over the weekend, but the wind was too strong. So, we settled for a long afternoon passegiata (the customary locals' evening stroll) and a late night dinner in the piazza.

We have met wonderful people here already and have been practicing our Italian as much as possible. I just finished the introductory Italian course offered on the base and Chad starts his class next week. The owners of our temporary apartment are Italian and have been very patient with our shoddy communication skills, which involve much pantomiming and puzzled looks. They even brought us fresh figs from their tree the other day.

For our next adventure, we are going to Sicily for a few days. Chad has a Navy course there and I am taking a free military flight along with him to go exploring. A couple that we have become friends with here will be coming as well; he is American and she is from Sicily, so we are looking forward to having a local tour guide. There are so many places to explore even on the tiny island of La Maddalena, and we look forward to the arrival of our car to get around more freely. We have both passed the Italian driving test, though I am a bit scared to drive while all the speedy tourists are still here. So, perhaps it is best that our car isn't here yet.

On another note, we have found a place to live in Palau (on the main island of Sardegna). It is a beautiful spot with a water view and a small yard and porch. It is quite private while still being just a short walk from town. And, we have an extra bedroom and bath for guests. The owner is Italian, so we will have to practice a bit before our meeting with him next week.

We hope everyone is well and to hear from you soon.

Ciao,
Susanna, Carlo, e Manolito

8 Augosto 2006

Ciao!
The toes have been dipped in the Med and it is quite warm. We are hoping to dip more of ourselves later today. So, we have arrived safely! The flights over and the ferry from Rome went quite smoothly, though we did have to lug all of our bags up the escalator to the passenger cabin on the ferry. They let Manny ride with us rather than putting him in the onboard ferry kennel, which was a treat. Although, we're not sure whether we just got away with it because no one noticed, as he was curled up beneath our feet and happily sleeping the whole time. Chad's sponsor and one of the office's legal assistants met us in Golfo Aranci in Sardegna, rescued us from our many baggagli (bags) and whisked us off on a wonderful tour along the winding roads of Sardegna, including a stop for a delightful lunch of caprese salad and focaccia, and a bit of vino, and at the legal assistant's house in the countryside where Manny got to play with his two dogs and burn off some of the excess energy built up during his travels. Then, we made our way to the ferry port in Palau and were off to La Maddalena, our final destination. It is hard to describe how beautiful it is here - we can't believe that we are here to stay and not just on vacation, although reality might set in when Chad has to start working. The vegetation and rocky landscape are enough similar to San Diego that we are a bit confused as to where we are and haven't yet fully comprehended that we are now living in another country.

Once on the island of La Maddalena, we set out on another sight-seeing tour, which included a drive around Isola Caprera, the island and natural reserve connected to La Maddalena by a causeway. We also drove the panoramic loop road around La Maddalena, which included a dip of the toes in the Med and many sightings of beautiful secluded beaches which we hope to grace with the presence of our kayaks as soon as they arrive. By then, it was about 7:30, or 1930 (military time), and we were pretty beat. We were dropped off at our TLA (temporary lodging, for those of you who are not familiar with Navy-lish). It is a great apartment just down the street from one of the local fruit and vegetable stands. It has a little patio out back with a lemon tree and fresh basil. By that hour, we had worked up an appetite for dinner, which we enjoyed with Chad's sponsor, John, who seemed to know everyone we passed in town. We had delicious risotto, grilled calamari, more Sardegnan wine, and, sometime around midnight, some gelato. Somehow, either the adrenaline, or the morning's cappuccino, kept us going, so that we unpacked nearly all of our things once we returned to our apartment.


That brings us to today. This morning, we were invited to coffee at the Italian officer's club with the ward room (all the officers) from the base. Then, the welcome team (a group of people on the base) whisked us off on yet another tour of town and the base, with a few stops for paperwork, photographs, a trip to the housing office to set up appointments for house hunting, and time for a quick panini before Chad's 1pm meeting at the legal office. And, now I am free for the day. I am heading home from the base, where I am writing this, to unload the many booklets and things I've picked up today and to soak up all that is new. There is so much more to write that I am sure I am forgetting, but I wanted to get as much down while it was still fresh.

It is so incredibly beautiful here and everyone has been accomodating and patient with our still-shaky Italian. We hope to have many guests while here in order to share this wonderful place.

All for now and please write when you can. We miss you all and will write and send more pictures soon.

Much love,
S, C, & M