Dowd adventures in Bologna

lunedì 31 agosto 2015

The great Northern Europe road trip

And so it was that we did a month road trip through northern Europe, this time we lost Caterina in the back seat with the boys and Megan Hollick replaced her.
We set of around the 25th July, and headed to Salzburg (Austria),Munich, Leipzig, Lubech (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Karlskroner (Sweden), Berlin (Germany), Wroclaw (Poland), Prague (Czech Republic), Vienna (Austria), Bratislava (Slovakia), Budapest (Hungary), Zagreb (Croatia), Slovenia, and finally back into Italy at Trieste, before driving to Bologna.
And we got snow globes at each place, so out collection is now over 50, l believe. We left in heat, and as we drove over the alps the temperature dropped from 38 down to 17 with heavy rain and strong winds. Infact so strong a man checking his car oil at the station had his bonnet blown up and the air braced hinge broke or seized and he could not shut it, god knows what he did.
So first Salzburg, we stayed in the original house of the Von Trapp family, which Jayne loved, and it was a short bus trip into town, Salzburg is very pretty and loves tourism, everyone was friendly and along with the Sound of Music you have Mozart's house and typical Austrian restaurants. So the first hotel started a standard, and as you will see this standard changed dramatically and constantly, for good and bad, usually the bad was my fault l gather!!
Second was Munich, where we stayed at an Ibis hotel, mostly we booked a day or two ahead. Here we had two tram rides into town, Munich was packed and that takes the shine a bit, but of course there is much to see, but the boys seemed mostly interested in Bayern Munich stores, and the stadium. Those along with Dachau concentration camp was Munich. Generally we felt we could have given it a miss, which is probably tough, as l have been there before and loved it. As we left Munich we first went to Dachau camp, which obviously was rather emotional, but important for the boys to visit, and then to change the tune we went via the Bayern Munich stadium and their store, where Ewan got an outfit. Hunter had got one earlier.
Next stop was Leipzig , and this was a lovely surprise, though we only spent a night there, and l had been some long day drives, along with the boys fighting in the back seat, and Jayne telling me to watch out for every truck or car we were near, thank fully Megan kept her cool and helped calm Hunter and Jayne down.
After Liepzig we decided to just do a short trip to get close to the ferry to go to Copenhagen, and so Lubech was picked. It is a UNESCO town with its unique architecture and famous two cone tower building as you enter. We ended up in a rather strange apartment above a restaurant, up 3 flights of greasy stairs into a half new and half old apartment. Megan's snoring was too much for the boys so she slept on a mattress in the kitchen, and so began the idea that we needed to get 3 bedrooms or two or three rooms. Lubech had some great restaurants and bars, along with some very boutique shops, though following on with the expierence in Munich we found the Germans less than fun or polite, and l never ever mentioned the war!
So the next morning we left early to line up to catch the 45 min ferry across to Denmark, arriving in Copenhagen and staying near what is called the meat district, and has become the cool area for restaurants and galleries. Unfortunately l had picked this apartment, and though the position was good, we entered the ground floor apt, to find sheets in a dampish pile on the beds, all the sheets where worn or holly, and the apt was basically rather lean on appliances. The owner who l contacted and was away was very upset to hear this, and l said l would need to buy some sheets, which she would reimburse me for. But as the days passed we realised she meant nothing at all, and did not care. This along with the rubbish removal outside our bedroom window was all too much for Jayne, who really never enjoyed Copenhagen, on the other side l took the boys to Tivoli which they loved, we visited Louisiana museum, which had some great shows on, Terry Winters in particular. And we did lots of the tourist sites, ate at my favourite restaurant Peder Oxe. Jayne and Megan went to a brilliant fish restaurant near by, and as always the Danes were most friendly, except our landlord.
Gitte my friend was not there but at her holiday mill in Sweden near Karlskroner, so we drove over the bridge to Sweden and to Karlskroner, but Gitte and my ideas of where we were going to meet got mixed up and we waited at the train station and tried ringing and texting, but no answer, finally got hold of her and with directions drove to the mill. the boys and l have been there before and they love it, fishing, swimming and the forest. But the idea of an outdoor toilet and there were not enough beds drove Jayne and Megan to a hotel 40 minutes away. I think the idea of being away from the boys fighting and being able to sleep in without me trying to get them up to see the sights was very exciting. The boys, Gitte and l went canoeing, fishing and had home made pizza one night, they had a great time. we left with Gitte and followed her to a fantastic local restaurant (Vägga Fisk & Delikatessröker) on the water , and then went to Wanas Konst, an art museum similar in ways to Louisiana but it was an old villa and barns that had been turned into a museum to support the families cost in repairing and maintaining the property, they lived in the villa and the barns and grounds turned into a museum. One of the best l have been to, with about 30 hectares of parkland dedicated to sculpture, and installations in the barns.
Leaving there we all went back and we stayed in a different hotel than last time in Copenhagen, that l also bravely booked. This was called Cabin Hotel, and was like staying in a ship, but Jayne was not too disappointed, but still did not like Copenhagen!
The next morning we left and drove to the ferry back to the mainland, it was a different ferry, which l did not know , and took 1.5 hours to reach Germany, l had 250 kroner left in my wallet and bought a bottle of Makers Mark in the duty free store aboard for 250 kroner, it was meant to be.
We landed, i'm really not too sure where, but it was a bloody big port, and headed towards Berlin. Arriving and staying at MOTEL. com, sort of Ibis style hotel, it was in a good location not far from the Zoo and transport. So three days in Berlin we did the open bus tour, Jayne took the boys to the Zoo, l got to go to a few alternative galleries. Generally Berlin was good, though one night at a local pizza restaurant Jayne's handbag along with her wallet was stolen. And so began the task of cancelling all cards, and now getting them replaced, along with her Aust drivers licence and permesso here in Italy, nothing is easy. How they got her bag is a mystery, as we were quite protected, we thought. And so that gave us a sour taste regarding Berlin.
So next we drove to Poland in particular a town spelt Wroclaw, but pronounced completely differently , and they have another name for it which l forgot, which is spelt and sounded the same in English, l guess because they try to get a lot of tourists there, and they did. The main piazza which is very beautiful and large is full of all sorts of restaurants. We arrived in a heat wave, record temperatures. We were staying in a lovely apt, we got two one for Megan and one for us, with washing machines so since Copenhagen we were able to wash our cloths something important when you are travelling with few cloths. Thankfully l got everyone to bring one bag each, Jayne and Megan took this as 2! So the boot was always full along with a small esky and the boys homework ,which they never looked at, and the snow globes.
Wroclaw has a great poster gallery, where l bought 7 posters, and l had with the boys the best breakfast ever, it was a muesli, cacao in a cold paste form, and blueberries, and a mix of other things, this took 20 min to make along with our smoothies, but it was well worth the wait, and l would return to Wroclaw just for that plate. We took the boys one day to a water park which was terrible and rather dangerous, every child l saw was overweight, and most people looked as if they don't see the sun much, rather different from Italy. It was packed, over packed so the pool which l could not go in, as there was no room, and l noticed no one got out to go to the toilet. Along with this was loud music blaring away, the boys had fun on the tube runs and the wave maker, and l guess it was cooler there, so it could have been worse, but it's the worst water park i've been to.
I will say the Polish people were all lovely, and we enjoyed our time there, but it has suffered as a country. We drove south from Wroclaw and went through an area called the black triangle which is an open cut coal area, and coal station. We got a bit lost in this area, and you felt you had gone back 50 years, and we wondered if we would ever see the world.
From Poland we drove into Czech Republic, and the border crossing was something out of the cold war, there were no real signs but you got the feeling you had to stop, and then you had to find the entrance to a large building and then put up with a girl who did not want to be there, and purchase a road tax permit, which you never really knew if you had or not.
So to Prague we drove, after leaving the corrugated roads of Poland, arriving in an apartment that had no air conditioning in a record heatwave. I can't remember if l booked this place but lm sure it was my fault it did not had air conditioning . Prague of course is a huge tourist destination and that takes the shine away, but l got up very early one morning to go to Charlie's bridge which was better. The boys and l went on the paddle boats on the river, and then they had a go in a huge bubble which they rolled and fell over in. This was a welcome break in the heat, along with the swim in the river they had.
The castle of Prague is well worth the trip , especially the library. The cathedral on the hill also is brilliant with an incredible silver sculptural socophagus . You also have all the small houses that trades people lived in while the castle was in use, Frank Kafka lived there for 2 years, the art gallery there is ok, but a tour of the castle is great. There is a Kafka museum in town, along with a tour of the Jewish ghetto and synagogue, and graveyard. Jayne and Megan did it and said it was well worth it.
Generally l liked Prague but found it dirty with rubbish and graffiti, and the service was average. The transport system is hopeless, and difficult to get tickets.
From Prague we drove to Vienna, were we stayed in a non air conditioned pensione during a record heat wave. Great position, but found it like Prague just too many tourists. Great cathedral, and wonderful river and life along it, but lm not a fan of the Austrian cafes, with their huge cakes and sit down affair, l have grown to prefer the Italian style more.
After 2 nights in the heat we left to the air conditioning of Bratislava, where l found the best coffee (Coffee 4 You) place since leaving Italy. Bratislava lies also on the Danube, and is in Slovakia, infact is the capital. It has a castle on the hill that they have done a great job in repairing, and have a fascinating exhibition of Etruscan works and models.
Bratislava is like Wroclaw in the sense they have both made an effort to attract tourists from everywhere, and so are very welcoming, and have some high standard places to eat and drink along with regular ones. Bratislava has a wonderful and cool in the heat botanic garden, and an old area that has many spire buildings and churches, and you can get a boat trip past all this which for the price is well worth it. You can see they are doing a great deal of work to make it more of a tourist attraction.
Budapest was next, made of two cities, Buda and Pest, l kid you not. Buda is the hill side with the castle, and Pest the lower side with restaurants and most of the main buildings and museums. We stayed in an apartment, that had brilliant air conditioning, hate to harp on about that but the heat was bloody hot. Everyone was very friendly, and the parliament is an incredible building, built in 18 years. The castle is also amazing and Hunter decided to stay at home that day and so Jayne , Ewan and l got Segway's to travel about, something Hunter had wanted to go on since he saw them weeks ago. Later we got some more and the boys and l just went for a drive around for fun. We also went on two bike carriage rides with tour guides around the town. And it showed what an interesting town it is. Especially how the Russians are not liked, though they made them put the Statue of Liberty on the hill, but as the Hungarians say they did not liberate them only enslaved them. You can still see the bullet holes in buildings from the rebels and Russian fighting. The food is very good in Budapest, and it has one of the top 10 hotels in the world, the Four Seasons, and some beautiful buildings. You can see in 20 years Budapest will be an incredible city, but is is still suffering from the Russian era. There are many films made there due to the look and cost. They have a huge island called Margaret Island, which has a zoo, gardens, parkland and walks around, with golf carts, bikes to ride around on. You could bring the kids here for the whole day. They have a musical fountain that though it may sound geeky, it actually was incredible, and somewhere cool to put your feet in the heat. We stayed two nights on Pest side and then one night on Buda side which is much quieter, but with a great view of parliament. The castle has a beautiful cathedral, and buildings and great to get a view from.
Next stop was Zagreb, Croatia, where we left the EU, and had our first place where we went by customs and got our passports stamped. Zagreb was unusual, we saw Harvey Norman billboards, and stayed in a very old fashioned hotel. The town had a museum called The Broken Heart museum, which was full of letters and objects given from broken relationships. It was funny and sad, and well worth it. The coffee is terrible in Zagreb, but there are some excellent restaurants, and strangely lots of Australian tourists. There are many museums, but we felt it was a one night town, and we spent two nights, but l got a good rest. It rained since Sweden, so that may have added to our average feeling of the town. Everyone was friendly and helpful.
The thing we noticed as we drove on our trip was the huge amount of corn crops, and l don't think they are for corn, but for feed and bio fuel. Every country had them in different points of growth or greenness . The other site was wind turbines and the occasional fields of solar panels. Some countries had huge amounts of turbines, like Denmark, Sweden, Germany, but all had many.
We then drove through Slovenia, and got a 150 euro fine for not purchasing a road permit, though we found it hard to see the signs and when they showed us one it was not in English or Italian. The whole thing is a money racket, and pissed me off, and they knew it. But Slovenia was very beautiful after Croatia, more hilly and green. We lunched in the capital called Ljubljana, a very pretty town, again perfect for tourists, well worth visiting, just remember to get a road permit!
We left there after a quick golf cart ride which was free around the town and its sites by from what l can gather a volunteer.
We drove on to Trieste, and therefore Italy. Our last night of the trip was in a wonderful hotel just off the main piazza, which is the biggest of any port town in Europe. We caught up for dinner with Gianluca our favourite ski instructor, who was leaving to live and study in Lisbon two days later. A wonderful local restaurant with local dishes, its a most impressive town, with a roman amphitheatre and small private museums. We left via a small town called Duino and its castle. The castle was taken over by the Germans in the war, where they built a bunker below it with a cannon to shoot at boats . In 1943 a New Zealand patrol attacked the bunker and took it back. The rubble from making the bunker was thrown over the cliff edge and ended up making a beach at the base. The castle is impressive with a museum inside, and from it you can see the original castle ruins from the 10th century .
The rain started coming down, as we left and the temperature dropped, as we came back to Bologna, after a heat wave there as well. And so ended 4 weeks in the car, with the boys often fighting and yelling, too many toilet stops, a range of hotels and apartments, wonderful sights and churches, lots of beer and sausages. And now we are back in the land of pasta and coffee.

Umbria, Monte Santa Maria Tiberina

So we set off to Umbria near the small town of Monte Santa Maria Tiberina (MSMT), about 12 km from Citta Di Castello. We left Bologna on the 4th July, at 38 degrees with Caterina in the back to help us out while we stayed and to help the boys with their homework for summer. I put the town and address into the navigator and off we went, 20 minutes out l realized it was taking us down the coast road, and l had been warned about the traffic, so l decided to turn around and go via Florence, as we turned around the air conditioning seemed to stop, so we tried a few things like turning knobs and tapping the outlets!!. Then l presumed maybe it had run out of liquid coolant, so as we drove along the freeway with the windows down looking for a service station on a Saturday who had a coolant machine. We finally found one, but along the way l had heard a bumping sound, and that concerned me, and the mechanic was also concerned, we waited 30 minutes while he pumped coolant in, but then when we started we heard the thumping again, so he warned us to be careful and gave it a spray of WD45, which did nothing but made him feel better for charging me 30 euros.
So we continued along, with the warm air rushing in and the continous thumping noise and many water breaks and praying. In short we arrived at the property 7 hours later on a 2.5 hour trip . To add to our issues the address we were given and put in the navigator sent us to the top of (MSMT) and l had to back down as the road is very narrow, we then contacted the girl who was letting us in, and she did not know the town, though it is 5 km away, and when we told her could she meet us at the post office she could not, so finally after many attempts we got her to send us her coordinates on whats up, and that led us to her or near. The track to the property was a very rough dirt and rock track that was on a steep incline. And so with the car in near collapse and laden down with luggage and 5 people l revved up the hill and prayed the thumping would not lead to a bang. We arrived at 8.30 at night, the place was lovely.
That night thankfully they had left some pasta and sauce so we made a quick pasta and some bread, and all collapsed into bed, there was no hot water ( dont ask) and so a swim in the pool was best.
We got the caretaker over at 11.30 as the power kept going out, sadly we did not really know about the hot water, it was simply switched off from the power outage, but we had no idea where the switch was, they had 4 electric boxes.
We woke to a beautiful view, and lovely silence, the place was delightful, we had a 14 bed villa and there was 5 of us at the moment, as the Fennessey family had to cancel coming due to work commitments. So in the next 2 weeks we had variuos friends come and stay for a few days.
First week was resonably quiet with Caterina and the boys playing in the pool, we brought a badminton net and played that many times along with water polo, l bought some plastic small soccer goals that made perfect waterpolo goals. We went through about 12 bottles of prosecco the first week, and visited Citta di Castello, after first finding a mechanic who could fix the broken compressor in the car, then that evening as l looked on the internet l found that Honda did a huge recall on compressors as they often broke, so we ended up taking the car from Citta DiCastello mechanic to Perugia Honda dealer. But when we arrived and booked it in he said the warranty had expired 6 months earlier, so 700 euros later we got it fixed. Caterina was a wonderful help as her Italian on these matters was so good, and she and l drived around from mechanics and hire car places, we could not have survived without her.
Our first guests where Antonio and his son Matteo on the thursday to saturday. Second guests where Dino and his wife Christine and his son Eduardo, and they stayed till Sunday. Third guests where Francesca, Dario and Dodo who arrived on the Sunday to Wed. And forth was Stefan who arrived on Monday till Thursday. And finally Emma and her son Sebastian who came on Thursday till when we left on Saturday. So it was a real hotel, with changing of sheets, moving of rooms, but it all worked our perfectly, with no one staying longer than they should. The food kept coming and in the end we drank about 3 dozen bottles of prosecco. We did most cooking and food up in a hut near the pool that had a cook top and fridge, with many trips back top the kitchen in the basement floor of the villa. But we got good at keeping sets of plates and foods up stairs in the hut, and with the outdoor area next to the pool for dining it was perfect.
The villa had 4 levels base floor was the kitchen and laundry, ground was 2 bedrooms with living area, 1st floor 2 bedrooms and living area, and third the same. Jayne and l slept in a building next to the villa with a bedroom living area, giving us a bit of piece as people came and went, leaving Caterina and the boys in the ground floor bedrooms, though the boys preferred sleeeping in Caterinas bed, and who could blame them.
The garden and lawns were terrific lots of room, well maintained, along with the huge pool 12x5 metres, along with the window into the pool from the gym area below. Obviously our guests were warned about the drive and all had some iossue with it, but got up. It was the one failure in the property, and it made you hesitant to leave the place. But we did do a trip to Citta Di Castello as few times, one to see Alberto Burri museum with Francesca, Dario, Stefan, and the kids, another evening we went there for dinner, and another day Jayne and l went to the museum there which is well worth the trip , and of course trips to the supermarket.
We did a day trip to Perugia and visited the museums and they are terrific, Perugia is the capital of Umbria and is a lovely looking town with a grerat piazza and fountain.
We left on saturday the 18th with Emma and Seb and drove via Urbano, the capital of Marche region and went to the main museum there, again well worth it, we have been there before and it is a very impressive town, finally arriving back in Bologna still in a heat wave.

giovedì 2 luglio 2015

School holidays

Well the boys made it through their first year in an Italioan school, and they did a great job. Getting 9 and 10 's for sport, art and religion, much like l did at school, not brilliant in maths but a pass, better than me, and quite rerasonable with 6, 7's in Italian subjects. They were happy to finish, and now begins the 3.5 month holiday, with some homework.
So we started with a trip to Greece, flying into Athens for a night and day, which was perfect to see the Parthenon, and archelogical museum etc, they enjoyed this, the weather was lovely. The next evening we flew to Rhodes and stayed at the Armathus Hotel, which was perfect for us, the boys participated in all events during the day, beginning with bocce at 10.15, beach volleyball at 11, then darts, table tennis, cocktail challenge! with water polo at 3 and then soccer at 5. It was a typical resort hotel, with the biggest selction of foods at breakfast and dinner which the boys and l loved, Jayne not as much. We had great weather, the service in Greece was some of the best l have had ever!! and everyone was very helpful and happy. We flew back to Bologna well fed, brown and happy.
The next day l flew to NYC to work with 8 for 5 days, it was an eventful week with Beth the CEO leaving, Andrew the NZ starting, and an upgrade on the user interface beginning, as well a change back to the SMI office soon. Not much time to do anything, though l got to the Frick collection as a breather, and picked up two paintball guns and equipment we ordered for the boys.
Stayed in the number 1 UN hotel, which had great views of the major buildings of NY and the river and the UN, as well as a hotel called POD 39, which has hotels around the world, very clean, modern and fun, worth staying at if you are in NY.
Returned to Bologna after finding out the Fennesseys would not be coming with us to Umbria, as too much work with all the changes at 8, very sad, especially for all the boys, and that Guisseppi had a medical issue and we have had to move our trip sailing around Sicily to September, which is good actually as the boys are coming now, and the weather will be better than late June.
The boys went to a 2 week tennis camp towards Modena in the hills, quite a famous camp, most Italians who play tennis have been to it as kids. It has about 10 clay courts, a hotel to stay in and other activities to do. Hunter did very well winning 3 out of the 4 championships in the second week, and Ewan doing also well, but has not got the killer instinct that Hunter has, though l know Ewan plays tennis very well, hits it extremly well, but Hunter just studies the game very well and uses his pace around the court.
So they enjoyed that, loved playing around at night sneaking into others rooms and playing about, all tired. They complained that there was not enough food and the extra activities where a bit boring and few. I think the 2 weeks was perfect, and gave Janye and l a week without them, and Jayne another week without any of us!
So we have just had a week in Bologna with the weather heating up, thank god we joined the tennis club with a pool. Hunter had specialists and doctors look at his shoulder that he said was sore, and they all said he has some issue and should not play any sport that involves throwing or hitting, luckily we found a sport doctor who said he was fine and if it got sore to stop, and then gave us the permit for him to play on the tennis camp, and he had no issues except a sore wrist in the last 2 days. Bloody doctors here l feel get their licence from cafes! And the specialists from the gutter!, all over rated and over panicked.
So on Saturday we leave to Umbria for 2 weeks, and though the Fennesseys cant make it we have got a few friends dropping by for a few days through out the time, as we have a 14 bed villa! We are taking Katerina with us who we organized to help with all 5 boys, which are 2 now, and felt we could not cancel her as she had changed things to come, but she will help the boys get through most of their homework, only their reading to do themselves. We have Francesca and Dario, Dodo coming for 3 days, Dina and his family for a weekend, two friends of the boys for 3 days each, so they will have some company, and no one for too long.
We are staying near Citta di Castello which is where Alberto Burri has two wonderful museum's dedicated to his work, also Spoletto is near by, Assisi, Gubbio, Arezzo. The villa has a pool, gym with window looking into the pool, and a large enterainment area, along with the 14 beds. We are taking badminton , cricket, soccer, frisbee and many board games, so we should be right.
So until next time, after Umbria we come back to Bologna, and then a big drive with Megan Hollick up north through Europe towards Copenhagen, so farewell.

venerdì 15 maggio 2015

New York and London

Well how did l forget these trips, we all flew to NYC for easter, the others had never been there, so it was quite exciting. We stayed the first two days in NY, and Jayne and the boys did the circle line boat trip around Manhattan, and visited some museums and Times Square etc. The boys seemed most excited by some of the characters they saw and met on the streets, and the milk shakes at Starbucks. I did some work with 8 in the office, and so caught up with them at the end of the day. Then we had a car take us to the Fennesseys house in Greenwich, Connecticut. We (the boys) had a great time kicking the footy, playing cricket and jumping on the trampoline. It was great to sit around and eat and drink with them, especially after a few hard days working in NY !! We then went back to NYC on Monday afternoon for three nights at the Palace Hotel, which was a treat, thankfully we got a great deal. More shopping and street walking, finally flying back to Bologna.
A week later Jayne and l went to London without the boys for 4 days, staying in an apartment in Notting Hill, which was a great location, and good to stay in another area, We caught up with Mike and Kate Frayne for lunch at Spring restaurant, l went to several great shows, a Goya's exhibition, Diebenkorn, and some aother shows at Serpentime galleries. It was a great trip, with Jayne walking the streets window shopping, and me visiting galleries, l also caught up with Steve Thomson for lunch which is always fun and a good laugh.
While we were there so were the Fennesseys who had to renew their visas, so we caught up with them a few times, with James and l having a few beers one afternoon and watching some soccer with his kids. Like NY it was fun and we had lots of laughs, as well as talking about how huge 8 is going to be. Sue is working very hard on it, as is James with SMI, and so its all very exciting, l love every chance l can get to visit NY and spend time with Kana on the design.

Tim and Jo Edwards visit, and lots of short holidays

Sorry its been awhile, late March we had Tim and Jo Edwards come through Bologna to visit while travelling to Cinque Terra, Rome , Venice and London. It was great to have them stay with us, and get back to having a caffe with Tim, something we did many times in Melbourne. The boys also enjoyed it, as Tim told them about their son Nick and Melbourne Grammar , where they will go soon.
Its always interesting to have friends from Aust come, as it reminds you of home, and you also realize the difference of life, and how we have grow to adopt the life of Italy, and l guess will find it strange when we return one day.
Jayne had her birthday on the day they left, so sadly after l mucked up the dates they missed out on her party here, which was a terrific night, with about 40 people coming along, lots of drinking and dancing, always good to see the Italians taking on some of the Australian habits.
Since then, life has been difficult, with Hunter not being the easiest child to be with, he has now quit soccer, sadly, but we sort of understand as the kids at the club are not friendly and really dont make you feel welcome, and the coaches dont seem to do anything about that culture. Soon he will start tennis, which Ewan has been doing, and doing very well, he plays a solid game, serving and hitting back consistently, and sometimes with incredible pace. He plays with kids much bigger than him, and always steps up to the challenge, but with his usual laid back attitude.
Hunter just had a visit to a specialist, as he has for 6 months complained about his shoulder and hips, it seems he has some issue re developement of bones, and so is highly flexible, so throwing a ball is not good at them moment, and possibly later on he may need an operation, it may have been set off by kicking the soccer ball, and skiing, when he fell over on his shoulder.
Jayne is singing away all the time, and enjoying it immensely, the teachers daughter Katerina, is becoming a babysitter for us, allowing Jayne and l to go to Asolo last weekend, and may be coming with us to Umbria in July. A few weeks ago we went to London for a few days and had another girl, Janna and American look after the boys, so its been good to have sometime to ourselves and get away from the boys, which l think is good for them as well.
Ewan is enjoying school alot, and has made some good friends, though he does not really catch up with them in the weekend, Hunter has not as many friends, but is well liked at the school, though he does not enjoy it as much.
This weekend is open day, and the boys will be aiding in showing off what they have learnt to prospective parents, Hunter is in science, dissecting a plant, and Ewan is playing the piano and some other things.
The boys are becoming very annoying with their apparent love with technology, and all we hear is that they need an iphone 5+ or 6, a laptop. And the play station has now been put away, and their itouchs have also been put away, and only brought out for certain times on the weekend. What of course makes it hard, is that every kid at the school seems to have an iPhone etc.
A couple of weekends ago we visited Le Marche for a long weekend, near the town Saverno, the boys loved it, as it was in the hillside and there was a dog to play with, we had a grewat time visiting the towns around the area.