Day One:  ...A New Adventure Kathy took us to the airport in Sacramento to begin our marathon trip  to Italy.  We went on Delta again and bought the more room economy seats and we're just two together by the window.  Filled with excitement I had only slept two hours the night before and I was able to stay awake until we left Salt Lake City so I slept much of the way.  It was the best flight I've had to Europe, still long as ever but sleeping and a little calming pill worked.  How wonderful it was to see Carlo in Milan.  Eduardo had sprained his ankle (although they didn't know  for sure until the evening). How surprised we were that Mama Cavagna, Maria, would be going with us to Chamonix. She hasn't changed a bit since our stay three years ago.  This will be her first stay at Chamonix since Luigi passed away.  She just didn't want to go anymore with so many memories,.   Sylvia has redecorated and although I am sure it was good before it shows Sylvia's influence.  Carlo has a wonderful new SUV and we packed up for the ride With our two huge suitcases and extra carry-on it still fit.  Sylvia has to work, and Dodo is going to school so we won't see them until Saturday night in Saliche. The ride was also a surprise.  Half of it looked like Gridley to Chico.  Mostly rice farms but a few corn farms and all of them HUGE!  They are just beginning to harvest with huge harvesters.  There are huge stucco farmhouses from days gone by that housed the many people who used to come and harvest and care for the fields.  Now technology and machinery have taken the place of all the workers.  As we got closer to the border the terrain changed to mountains, long, long tunnels and beautiful trees.  We came to the border and the border guy looked at us suspiciously,  " All Italians?" he asked Carlo about us.  "Two Americans" Carlo answered and off we went through the longest tunnel I have ever been in....more than 11 miles and voila we were in France.!  The first look at Mount Blanc took our breath away and it has been that way ever since our first look.  From "our bedroom" you will see the magnificent views.  I look out at the glacier.  Carlo says the global warming is making it disappear dangerously.  He doesn't know if we are all to blame but we certainly hurry it up. Carlo and Sylvia's home is amazing.  I will send pictures as my words can't do it justice. Last night Carlo took us to town which is beyond fantastic;  the architecture is mainly Swiss chalet with lots of French influence.  I suspect in the winter all around it is all white, but now the flowers of every color abound!  When we go back today I will take more pictures. There are many darling little shops and as we walk I see something for my fence, my Christmas tree and hopefully a new Chamonix sweatshirt .  We stopped  at  souvenir shops, high-end ski clothing shops and food shops.  We saw some amazing cheese and salami stores who hung salami in huge bushels and displays of huge wheels of cheese. We went to eat along the river at a place where Carlo knows the owners.  I had Pino Grigio and pasta carbonara... the best of all worlds.  Yum!  Maria bought fresh bakery goodies for breakfast at a bakery..... So many wonderful choices! We walked back to the house and in no time I was in dream land.  I truly slept so hard when I woke to visit the bathroom I didn't know where I was!

 

Day Two:  ...Morning With Carlo & Maria After a shower  and change of clothes we were down to the kitchen with Carlo and Maria for fresh baguettes and sweet pastries, hot tea and coffee.  Delicious! Next stop was the train to take us up the mountain. It goes straight up the mountain winding a little among other the trees and then you get to the top to look up even higher to Mt. Blanc. Get a thesaurus and look up words like beautiful, amazing, fabulous and take your pick of the best words.  We are near the top and  I am 1/4 the way down on the other side writing while Carlo and Michael walk down (and will have to come UP the hundreds of steps.  I don't have enough air for that but worry about Michael's knees.  Tomorrow he hobbles!  They went all the way to the bottom where the rocks cover the ice of the glacier.  They not only walked ON the glacier, they went out on the glacier and inside of a cave there!  You will see it in the pictures. The glacier used to be much higher but almost every other year they must keep building stairs down lower to get there.  Who says there is not global warming? We sent Carlo off to play golf as there was no reason for him to hang around while we shopped.  I found a neat Chamonix sweatshirt, some warm socks to keep my feet warm at home while I sit in my chair and an ornament for my tree.  We were to meet Carlo back in two more hours so we rode the little train around town. We were glad we did because it went everywhere on a very long ride and explained what we were seeing in the village in French and English.  There were enough buttons for us to push that we could have heard him in MANY languages.  There are so many people here from Italy, Switzerland, France. Russia, England and Scotland and more.  I visited with Scots in the train and English up the hill.  A Russian lives next door to Carlo and he is somewhat of a problem. Sometimes he parks so Carlo can't get to his garage and last night he had young people there drinking and making  noise, but Michael and I heard nothing! This evening after another rest we went north to a neighboring village for dinner.  The name of this little village is Argentineri.  We walked around and there are many flowers and Swiss chalets but it doesn't have the class of Chamonix. Still it was quite adorable. As we were walking around I commented to a man on his beautiful garden and he told us the names of some of the flowers.  He had some lovely hydrangeas that looked quite different from ours.  He said that was a strain that would live in the high cold areas.  As we visited we found out that he was going to Minneapolis the next day and that he travels back and forth to the US monthly.  I could not endure those flights that often! I also found that he and his wife are hikers that travel those hikes like the Pacific Trail hikes.  The last was with a vertices climb of 100 feet.  It made me exhausted to think of it.  We experienced our first rain and walked with umbrellas.  The town wasn't Chamonix by any means but there we experienced a true French dinner.  I contemplated having fondue but at the last minute. Changed to --------- I had potatoes and bacon drenched in cheese with a salad.  So tasty!  Carlo had the same.  Mama Cavagna had trout and Michael had smoked salmon on toast with cheese sauce.  Everything tasted great! For dessert we had sundaes. Mine was merengue with ice cream salted Carmel and whipping cream!  Need I say more!? Now I'm writing and the guys are drinking rum and watching a 007 repeat. I can feel a bedtime coming soon! Goodnight!

 

Day Three: ...From Chamonix to Salice This morning after breakfast we packed our suitcases to go and left them in the apartment for later.  Off we went to say goodbye to Chamonix and visit a really fun market.  There were two areas: foods and not foods.  There were many different stalls with so many wonderful things to buy and no way to carry.  Carlo and Maria had banking to do so while they did that we went across the street to McDonalds and got a drink and more importantly used their wi-fi to send emails and this journal.  I know Michael has been sending pictures and I need to organize where they go in this journal so far. It is easier when I do it at the same time, but always my i-Pad was out of battery or we were not in a wi-fi area. We went back to the chalet and picked up the suitcases and started back to Italy.  Once over the border through the 11 mile long tunnel.. and a few one-mile ones we stopped at a great chalet that served polenta as their special.  I order polenta with meat and mushrooms.  The polenta came in a big casserole and was gooey and wonderful with melted cheese.  I poured my mushrooms, meat and wonderful sauce on it and was in heaven. Michael ordered without mushrooms and Carlo and Maria ordered a special cheese-less polenta with cod and white sauce.  We all loved it, but eat as we could we could not finish and they don't give doggie bags! On the way back I kept nodding off, but did see the little villages in the mountains, terraced with vineyards and dotted with church's and an occasional castle.  Maria taught me a lot about how Italy was finally unified and why the people in the different regions are so diverse.. different dialects, foods, customs, etc.  We then passed the huge fields of rice and corn and today they were harvesting.  I hope Michael got a picture of those huge farm buildings the workers lived in before machinery took over.  We got into Voghera  in record time to leave Maria off.  She had not gone to Chamonix since Luigi passed away and she never wanted to go, but she enjoyed herself, got rested and didn't have to be alone at home.  When we got to Salice we were so glad to see Sylvia and Dodo (Eduardo). Sylvia has been cooking and preparing for the party tomorrow.  I always thought DoDo was Eddie in Italian, but was told it is Nick.  Dodo has grown so much since we saw him last time and he is very handsome and has learned a lot of English.  On Thursday at his basketball game he sprained his ankle and has to wear a brace.  They were so afraid it was broken until the X-ray showed just a very bad sprain.  His friend was playing soccer the same night and also sprained his ankle and had to wear a brace. What are the chances?! We unpacked, then joined Carlo and Dodo at the pool.  Sylvia had gone to her father's where the party will be tomorrow in Montesegale.  There is a big festival going on there in the town where Sylvia was born and where her father lives during good weather.  Their house is just across the street from an important castle there.  Tomorrow there will be people dressing up and games and food....sounds like a Renascence fair.  Sylvia needs to help decorate for it tomorrow.  If I wake up before eight I'll go to help. Now about the gifts..... Dodo was so surprised and elated to get his NBA jersey!  He put it on and it looked great....picture to follow. He thought that the Warriors lanyard was great also as he says he also likes those players even if they are not his favorite team.  He already has a Fan shirt of the Celtics showing a leprechaun, but that this is NBA official made his day.  He gave Michael a beautiful silver money clip with his name and event engraved as a memory of the event.  Afterwards Sylvia opened the bag of stuff from California:  almonds, a french Kisses, Mendocino mustard, rice from Richvale, and Mary Lake Thompson goodies. We drank white sparkling wine and ate wonderful cheese until we were called to dinner....bugatinni pasta with bacon and tomato....so good!  By then I was stuffed but here came a huge plate of chicken with peas. I told her I simply could not eat another bite,  but while we were watching the golf thing on tv here came fresh peaches over vanilla gelato.  I think I will wear a band-aid over my mouth here! Michael has gone to sleep and I am close behind if I plan to help Sylvia in Montasegale. That's us signing off in Mama Cavagna's wonderful country house in Salice! Ciao!  Ciao!   Grovey

 

Day Four:   ...Off To Montelagase This morning after breakfasts of coffee, milk and bakery goods we were off to Montelagase to make preparations for dinner after the godson party tonight.  Carlo wanted me to eat more... some cereal, peaches, grapes, etc but I am still stuffed from last night! Michael decided to go along with us as Carlo had to go to the office this morning to prepare for four "arrangement meetings" tomorrow.   Some guy is buying a second home that has the use of pools, golf, restaurant and the like but when they buy they get a "share" of each 1/10 of the 1/500 of this 1/24 of this and he had to research all the other paperwork from other notaries making sure all the shares were there and past notaries didn't get them all right.  Sylvia drove us up the narrow curvy road to her town.  It was crazy as many people were going up to prepare for the fair and on the way back many were coming to the fair PLUS someone had arranged for a huge bike ride up to the castle. There must have been two hundred in small groups and we had to drive in the weeds to let them pass.  First we went to her father's house to unload for Dodo's party.  He didn't want to have it at a restaurant so Sylvia has been cooking and preparing for days....a lot more work.  Twenty five people are getting confirmed with Dodo but the party after is only for ten!  She has enough food for fifty!  She was busy running up and down the stairs.  She wouldn't delegate and I really didn't know what she wanted for me.  Finally I told her to make one place setting the way she wanted and I would copy for the rest while she put the food away, After awhile we had to go to the fair as she is on the committee (she started this as a young girl and it has grown). When we got there the guy who was to bring greens and flowers hadn't done anything because he didn't have cutters.  Sylvia went out with just her hands  and brought a huge box full. Men!!!! I could see her handiwork everywhere as she had decorated with gourds, corn stalks, and apples all along the way. She still had to do the tables and said with out water or humidity they would look bad today if she had finished yesterday.  I helped her decorate the tables for a dinner there and she decorated three more buffet tables.  Everyone was asking for her like she does it all. She needs to delegate. Still we finished at both the castle fair and at Dodo's party and came back for an EASY light lunch.  I'm STILL full from last night but we had artichoke ravioli  fresh tomatoes with mozzarella and water and wine. Full again, I waddled  back to Maria's house to get ready for the party this afternoon and to write some more. After returning to the houses after Montesegale,  Michael took a nap and I took a shower and we both got ready for the big event.  Luckily we went early as the only folks having reserved seats was Dodo and Michael.  I found a place on the aisle and gave my seat up to Maria when she came in.  I found one more seat that wasn't saved and took it.  Evidentially Carlo had paid for a seat for him and Sylvia hitch they found just before the ceremony started and when they sat down a couple ladies yelled "NO" but they didn't move and then Carlo gave  his seat to Sylvia's father and some people were still upset.  A man came and asked them to move but Carlo showed them the seat had been marked with their names.  We got pictures taken and we're off to Montesegale.  The men and Maria and I sat with the men to visit while Mila (their helper who took care of Dodo when he was a baby and lived with them) did all the cooking.  I went in to the kitchen but with the two of them and all the food there was no room.  I kid you not we ate for three hours..  First course many kinds of salami, bread, tuna pate with jelled top, bagna calda with peppers, wine and two types of water.  Second course, ravioli with beef filling and sauce with grated cheese.  Third course cooked fresh spinach and cooked pork with sauce that fell apart it was so well cooked but I was already full from course one...and always more bread, water and wine.  Fourth course fresh pears and dried prunes soaked in wine sauce (also delicious but refer to course three). And then dessert!  It was a Sacre cake made after the recipe of the famous Sacre Hotel in Vienna. It weighed two kilo and cost $50!  It was delicious and rich but after all that food I begged for a sliver and barely got it down. I know if I stay here much longer they will charge me for extra weight to board the plane!,,, Tomorrow morning we go with Sylvia to Pavia.  I will try to send this in the morning before we leave. Until then ....    Grove  I hope I can sleep on this FULL stomach!!!   Castle At Montesegale From Sylvia's Father's Third Floor Window                                     Sylvia's Father's Home                                 Festival In Front Of The Castle      Godson / Godfather                                            Sylvia's Cousin, Sylvia, Sylvia's Dad, Eduardo, Carlo &  Maria   Carlo With His Childhood Babysitter And Her Daughter                                             Those Being Confirmed                                           The Godfather & Family

 

Day Five:  ...another day, another town, another adventure This morning Dodo was feeling badly so he didn't go to school... had a fever.  His allergies have been very bad and I felt sorry for him with such a runny nose always blowing it and having red eyes.  Sylvia went to the pharmacy for some different meds and he was much better.  He had another breathing treatment. He has those machines he has to use. We went with Sylvia to Voghera to get some papers for work and were to meet one of her clients in Pavia. Just before we arrived there she got a call from her client that there were some problems with the family and she would not be able to meet.  Since we were already in Pavia, the little walk became very big and we circled the center parts of the city.  Sylvia is doing better with English every day.  I wish I was improving that much with my Italian, however I seem to understand more than when I got here...so much is similar, but not the same as Spanish. Sylvia was an art history major at the university and she was great to explain architecture and ages of buildings.  We were going in to an old Romanesque church ....the earliest architecture around the 11th and 12th century.  Although it was closed, she persuaded the priest to let us in for a little look since we had come all the way from California.  She quickly gave us the tour, even down in the crypt where the Saint's bones were displayed. When we came out Michael wanted to give the priest some money for waiting.  The smallest he had was 20 euro,  When he gave it to the priest, that guy was a HAPPY man!  He must have thought God had rewarded him for patience and doing a good deed for high paying tourists! We saw the castle of Pavia, their PONTE VECCIO DI PAVIA. (neat and covered but no shops),  the university of Pavia where Carlo went to learn to be a Notario  and wonderful squares where we enjoyed a great lunch.  Pavia is a lovely little city about thirty minutes from Voghera. Now we are back in Maria's lovely little mansion to have a rest.  I can look out the window and see a castle across the way.  They have told me the name but I keep forgetting.  I can't remember words in English... how can I expect to remember these.  Thank goodness I have Michael.  I give him clues and he gives me the words.  If I am not writing in the journal and he is not here I can usually wait a bit and the word comes back.  If this is early dementia I need to hurry and see everything on my bucket list while I still understand it! Dinner will be with Carlo, Sylvia and Dodo later so I will take my rest.   Dinner was a special dish of spaghetti, water from the spaghetti and pecorino grated cheese.  The trick, and it isn't easy, is to quickly stir the hot water in the cheese and make a creamy sauce. If it is not perfect it will make little clots or a big blob of mozzarella.  It was perfecto.  The pasta was plenty for me but Sylvia also had more salami, meat....I can't remember the name but Jim will know as it is thin beef that you don't cook....use lime for the cooking like ceviche. There was also zucchini, pears and prunes and sacre cake from the party last night and of course wine and two kinds of water. I have a feeling I will need an extension on my airplane seatbelt with all this food.  I don't know how they stay so thin! We played cards for awhile before heading to Maria's for bed.  We taught Five Crowns and they taught us a game that all Italians play called Scopa.  I don't get it and we will NEVER be able to teach it. We made plans for tomorrow and Carlo helped figure out how to lock all the shutters as it is quite windy tonight and we don't want them to bang.  Tomorrow I will take a picture  of Maria's kitchen and living room. I wish I had taken pictures on her wonderful veranda when all the cushions were there and shutters were open to see the castle across the way. Tomorrow is our last full day in Salice and it looks like Voghera and Milan are on the horizon.  Gotta get some more rest.  It may be hard as I slept almost two hours after our trip to Pavia. I will send this tomorrow when I walk next door to Carlo's house as it is the only wi-fi. Until then, ciao!     Grove

The Train We Rode To The Glacier