Don't you look cute!

Someone got her first haircut today! Yes, it was time for the mullet to go. We were turned down by 2 hair salons, before finding someone brave enough to try to cut Claire's hair. There was only one client in there at the time (getting her hair colored – and she didn't seem to be impressed). As expected Claire was not happy about getting her hair cut. Fortunately for her, the whole ordeal lasted less than 4 minutes. But I must say it turned out pretty good – didn’t think it was possible for my daughter to be any cuter. And the hairdresser didn’t even charge us. She was either really amused or terrified by the longest 4 minutes of her life. Check out the video below.

Last weekend we went to the Almalfi Coast and toured Pompeii and the Isle of Capri. Pompeii, as you remember, sits in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius and was destroyed in 79AD by a huge eruption. Some of the excavations at Pompeii revealed spectacular houses and cobblestone streets complete with ruts made for wagons. The streets were not made for Claire’s stroller, however. Lynn and I spent more time carrying Claire around in her stroller, than actually pushing it.

The following day we took the hydrofoil from Sorrento to Capri. I visited Capri 6 years ago with my mom and brother and found it pricey then. Not much has changed. We were sitting down in the main plaza for lunch, and as I opened the menu to see 20 Euro appetizers ($30USD) listed, Claire lost it and had a meltdown, prompting us to get up and leave (and look for a cheaper restaurant). We did find one restaurant with a great view of the Mediterranean which we decided on. Claire was asleep in her stroller as Lynn and I shared a bottle of water, a side salad and a 10” pizza. After paying $54USD for our filling lunch, we set out to burn off those expensive calories.

The bus ride back to Montepulciano was nearly 5 hours and Claire was a trooper. The only time she cried was when Lynn passed her to me. I have posted some pictures here of our weekend here. Up next, Mark goes to Hungary.

Como stai?

This past weekend we boarded the train and headed north to Lake Como, near the Italian/Swiss border. Sure it sounds romantic, but 6 hours with a kid whose curiosity is quickly becoming insatiable, makes for a long trip. We decided to splurge and stay at a nice hotel. Now 180 Euros a night doesn’t sound like that much, but when you see on your credit card statement that it cost $540 for 2 nights, you start to think differently. We spent Saturday on the boat traveling up the lake to a town called Bellagio – the place after which the casino in Las Vegas is named. After purchasing my beloved amber earrings, it didn’t take long to realize we were in the wrong tax bracket to spend too much more time there. And I still couldn’t find the casino.

So, we headed south to Como were the paupers live and spent the late afternoon window shopping. Claire was great this weekend and we think this was her first time on a boat. The weekend ended all too soon as another 6 hour train ride took us back to our 10 week reality called Montepulciano. Here are some photos of the weekend. On Friday, we head south to the Amlfi coast (Naples, Pompeii, Capri) where I intend to spend a glorious afternoon on the isle of Capri soaking up the sun and suds and teaching Claire how to play quarters. Until then…

When in Rome...

We spent the last weekend in Rome, where the students managed to stay out of trouble for the most part. We did the usual stops (Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s, Trevi fountain, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Coliseum. Forum, etc.). She was not her usual cheery self this weekend, maybe because she had to share a room with us, and when she went to bed, one of us had to go to bed as well. We did spend time at Borghese Park, strolling the grounds and letting Claire burn off energy.

Today was another week of daycare. The ladies at daycare say she is adjusting to it and actually enjoys playing, though she cries pretty good when I drop her off and pick her up. Actually, all the kids there do the same thing.

One of joys of living in a small dense city is your neighbors are only feet away. Our neighbor is getting a new roof and the construction workers couldn’t possible make more noise if they tried. This precludes Claire from her afternoon naps. I am not impressed. Claire is an absolute bear when she doesn’t get her afternoon nap.

I also miss having a clothes dryer. We have 2 clothes lines, which we use to dry our laundry. It’s not that bad, but it is 2 stories up. So far we have not dropped anything. I also miss dryer sheets. And a larger washer, as our washer here is tiny. But at least we have a washer, as some students do not. The local Laundromat will wash and dry clothes for 1 Euro per kilogram (2.2 lbs). sounds like a great deal, but then it doesn’t take many clothes to make up 1 kilogram. But they use fabric softener. I also miss good towels. There is nothing quite like using a towel that feels like 40 grit sandpaper. Ok, enough complaining. We are in Italy for heaven sake!

Lynn is doing well. She goes for an ultra sound tomorrow. She is starting to show a little belly – but then I’ve been showing one for years. I posted some pictures from our Rome trip here.

Next weekend we are off to Northern Italy to Lake Como – just the three of us, so it should be a relaxing weekend. Photos to follow!

Daycare and Tomatoes

Well, our time in Italy is 10% over. We have started to get into somewhat of a routine. Claire started daycare on Wednesday. They require a parent to stay for 2 hours a day for the first week, so that the child can get accustomed to the new environment. On day one, Claire hid behind Lynn and cried for 2 hours. On the second day, I took Claire and she fared a little better, venturing away from me and playing with some toys. The daycare then has the parent leave for 30 minutes and return, so the child learns the parent will come back. When I left Claire, she was at the far side of the room, helping one of the teachers rock another kid to sleep (there are 7 kids in daycare, all around Claire’s age). The teacher told me to say “Ciao, Claire” and then leave. Claire heard me talk and started to run over to the door. As I left, she started crying and then all the kids cried. When I returned 30 minutes later, Claire was in the arms of one of the teachers, still sobbing. Monday will be day three of daycare.

Today we went to Florence to visit a museum, the Uffizzi, and Michangelo’s statue, David. At the museum, Claire spent her time running around the corridors, not caring much for the paintings and sculptures - takes after her old man. After lunch we went to see David, an amazing sculpture. She is too young to remember any of this, so I hope one day she can return and see everything again.

Finally, I have a hot stock tip for you. Invest in companies that make tomato sauce. Claire has been eating so many tomatoes, she will single handedly consume all the tomatoes in Tuscany. Prices will rise on tomato products and you will get rich, while her complexion turns red. We are heading to Rome next weekend, but for now, here are some pictures from Florence.

New diggs

We made back to Italy. Claire was a champ as usual. She got her own seat on the flight to Frankfurt, Germany.

As you can see, she slept for part of the flight (4.5 hours out of 9). And Lynn said she slept the whole way on the flight to Rome (we were about 10 rows apart on that flight). After deplaning in Rome, Claire’s stroller was missing, despite handing it to the flight attendant on board the plane to gate check. He told me check the baggage carousel. After waiting about an hour and a half, our luggage finally started to come out, minus the stroller. Another hour in line at the missing baggage counter, we were on our way through customs, sans stroller. I felt bad that we held up the entire group, but we give out the grades at the end of the trip, and no one complained.

A three hour bus ride and we arrived in Montepulciano. Alberto and Heike (our hosts and owners of the school where we are teaching) made sure the three of us were whisked away to our apartment before anyone else. I feared the worst in terms of European apartments, but was pleasantly surprised. Out apartment is absolutely palatial by European terms. A parlor, living room, 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, big kitchen, and most importantly a washing machine (and clothesline outside our second story window). As you know dear reader, from earlier posts, Montepulciano is a very hilly town. Our apartment is near the highest point of the town, which means we walk home uphill. Hopefully I can lose a few pounds in our 10 weeks here. Heike also arranged for a crib for Claire, so we didn’t have to take the pack and play with us. We put Claire down at 6pm and she slept until noon the following day. She was a tired.

Yesterday I went on a tour of the city with the students and ended up at the cell phone store. I got a sim card for Lynn, so you can call her at: Remember we are 6 hours ahead of east coast time. I also went grocery shopping, which was an adventure. Did you know the SKU for bananas (4011) is the same here as it is back home? Anyway I went with a male student and I spent 48 euros on food for the 3 of us. He spent 28 euros on beer, tonic water, Tylenol and toilet paper. Those were the days! Last night we went to dinner with the group at Alberto’s restaurant and Claire gave Alberto a bottle of scotch she picked up at the duty free in Frankfurt. He was very appreciative. And Claire’s stroller was at the restaurant when we arrived for dinner. Things are falling into place.

This weekend is the town’s annual festival of barrel racing, in which each neighborhood pits its team of barrel rollers against the others. I can hear the drums and the church bells right now, summoning people to the piazza grande (main square). The festivities start at noon. I hope Claire is up by then, so she can see this event that she will not remember when she is older.

Lynn is feeling ok, but is tired – she claims my snoring keeps her up, but I know I don’t snore. School starts tomorrow. Italian 1001 at 8:30am every morning! Lynn is teaching Monday afternoons and I teach Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Claire will start daycare next week.

Some photos are here