Neopolitans love their soccer, but Evan's staying loyal!

Buon Compleanno Josh!

Today is Josh's birthday, Buon Compleanno!! What better gift than jet-setting to Paris:) We leave tomorrow for an extended weekend, and are really looking forward to seeing the sites and enjoying the various neighborhoods, cafes, and cuisine. If only I could remember my French and everything Ms. Slackovich has taught me in Jr. High!!

Noi amiamo il nostro medico!

We love our doctor! Evan had his 4 month vaccinations and thanks to our great doctor, I was less nervous than I normally would have been. Medical visits are very different here in Italy, but thankfully, the Pediatrician we use, says just the right things to help put our minds at ease. She is very detailed and precise, plus she has a "gentle touch" when it comes to vaccines. She is a mom too, so she said she always gets anxious when vaccinating babies. Not because she doubts her ability, but because she feels bad for the babies. In Italy, most Italians go to the public health clinic for vaccines, so administering vaccinations is not an everyday thing for our Pediatrician here, but we were thankful that she was willing to do it for us, since dealing with the public health department may have been too confusing for us.

In order to obtain one of the vaccines, the pediatrician had to call all over the country just to find a Farmacia that was carrying it. Due to the swine flu, many Farmacia's weren't carrying regular vaccines, just the swine flu primarily, so she said most Italian kids were going without for a bit, while the country worked to obtain some from Spain. Thankfully, again, our doctor was diligent in her efforts, and managed to find a Farmacia down in the "heal of the boot", who was able to ship it up to a town closer to Naples where we were able to pick it up. I'll be calling our Seattle pediatrician next week to find out what Evan will need for his 6 month shots, so that the doctor here will have enough time to locate those vaccines too.

Our doctor had opened her office off of her normal office hours just to accommodate us and to give Evan his shots. She was so gentle, and I cried before Evan did. I had warned her that I would, and she apologized that I cry every time I come to her office. Oh well, motherhood has turned me more into an emotional basketcase I guess, but as a mother herself, she totally understands. Evan was a trooper, getting a shot in each thigh, plus one vaccine administered orally. Mid-shots, the doctor gave Evan the Italian version of infant tylenol (via suppository..the preferred way to administer baby medicine in Italy, so I had to learn how to do that), and after a few crying moments, Josh was able to quickly comfort Evan in his arms, while I consoled my self and blew my nose and wiped away my own tears, while sighing a big sigh of relief.

We hung out at her office for about 30 minutes after the vaccines to make sure that he did not have any allergic reactions. She checked his temperature by putting her lips to his forward--"her technique" she said, and double checked the injection points for redness, but he was fine. Yeah..now we are all set, at least until we have to repeat this in another two months. Ugh!

Today is the day after his vaccines, and I'm happy to report he seems to have had no side effects. I've been giving him baby tylenol almost every 4 hours to stay ahead of any possible soreness in his legs, and it's working great. He is his usual, smiley self!

His stats on his visit: 16.5 pounds and 26 inches long--he's a big boy. No wonder the Italians always comment "Molto Grande" whenever they see him!

Abbiamo Cenato

On Saturday night, we were spoiled with another great dinner at our friend Rosa's house! She had told us the night before that we'd just be ordering pizzas, since she has 2 babies, and didn't think she'd have the time to cook. We really enjoy Rosa and Paolo's company, so we were just looking forward to hanging out with them, and although we'd miss Rosa's great cooking, we were happy to have pizzas. So, when we arrived at their apartment, we were surprised that she has another of her homemade menu's displayed on the dinner table and that she had found some time to prepare not just a meal, but another feast...mamma mia!

Her menu this time:
-Ciambellone Rustico
-Pizzette Partenope
-Frittata Saporita
-Grano con verdure
-Polpettine Sfiziose
-Zuppa di Lenticchie
-Tagliere di Formaggi e Salumi
-Fonduta Messicana
-Patate, Wurstel, Salatini, Crostini
And for dolce(dessert)
-Fonduta al Cioccolato
-Maddalene & Savoiardi
-Tiramisu alla Rosa
-Various limoncello, cognacs and other liqueurs to try sips of as part of dessert.
& a mix of cannolis and other pastries that Josh and I had bought that day at a "Festa al Cioccolato"--chocolate festival, that we had attended. (*footnote--see previous blog entitled "need elastic waist pants"!

We arrived at Rosa & Paolo's apartments at 6:30 and didn't get home until almost 1:00am. You need that much time to dine, and need to leave at least an hour after dinner to even begin to make room for dessert. During dinner, I tried to converse in Italian as much as possible, and Rosa is great about forcing me to form complete sentences with some of my new vocab words (mainly verbs) that I practice with her when we get together. Josh got a lesson in Calcio (soccer) from Paolo, so that he can better understand not only the rules of the game, but also the different teams, and which games/teams are the most popular to watch, etc.

Rosa and Paolo are still looking forward to us hosting them for a BBQ once we get an apartment, but I've already told her that I won't be able to compete with the feasts she prepares, that's for sure!!

Photos:
-The pastries we bought at the Chocolate Festival
-Rosa, Gabriel and I
-Rosa, Paolo and Gabriel
-Her menu

Un biglietto per favore.

Today was a milestone for Evan and I. We successfully took the bus. We took it to Posillipo, but even if we had just gotten on and off, it would have been a success, and a step towards independance in Napoli.

Everyone who knows me, knows I am not a snob when it comes to public transportation. I loved commuting on the T in Boston, I was always on the bus in San Francisco, and I was often taking the bus from Kirkland to Seattle to avoid the 520 bridge traffic, and had recently gotten to know the Green Lake to Seattle route, which I definitely enjoyed taking--hopping on/off the bus beats looking for parking any day!

To ride the bus, you normally buy your ticket at a Tabacchi shop ( a shop that sells cigarettes as well as a variety of other random things). Bars, supermercati's or restaurants also sometimes sell tickets, but a sure bet is always a nearby Tabacchi. I bought my ticket for 1.10 Euro, and ran out of the Tabacchi to catch the #140 bus that had just arrived. I had to "pop a wheelie" to get Evan's stroller up into the bus, and then just barely was in before the doors pinched close. There is a 'reserved' spot for wheelchair riders and people with strollers, but the bus was packed, so I just stood in the aisle and found a post to grab on to as we swerved our way through traffic and up the hill from Chiaia to Posillipo.

When you get on the bus, you have to time-stamp your ticket which can then be reused for up to 1.5 hours. My plan was to ride up to Posillipo to attend an open-air market that occurs every Thursday from 9-2pm. Since I had no idea where this bus would be stopping along the way, I asked someone to let me know when we arrived at the stop closest to Parco Virgiliano, a beautiful park that I knew was close to the market. After riding for about 20 minutes, my trusted bus informant let me know that I should "uscita" the bus (get off), and then he gave me directions to the street that the market is on. Since his directions were contradictory to the way "I knew", I ignored his directions, and instead took my way...which turned out to be the longest/hilliest way to get to the market...oh well, live and learn. By the time I got to the market, I had stripped off my jacket, and was only in a short sleeve shirt, since "my way" had taken me along a curvy road that essentially was an uphill climb the whole way. When I got to the market, all eyes were on me, since the Italians surely thought I was a crazy woman, walking around in just short sleeves, while they were bundled up in ski coats, hats, scarves and gloves. Many of them actually commented "Fa Freddo, fa freddo"...it's cold, but I just smiled, told them I was from Seattle, and that I was too warm to be bundled up. Some didn't comment at all, just stared at me wondering what planet I had arrived from:) ha!

The market was great, despite the stares! Vendors sell everything from clothing and shoes to jewelry to household goods, including cleaning supplies, kitchen items, clocks, knick knacks etc. Most items are marked with very reasonable prices. I've been told to try not to stand out as an American when trying to buy a non-priced item, since if they get a look at a flashy wedding ring, or just hear your English, they may jack the price up to take advantage of what they think is a "rich American". On this day, I was just there to browse, but I'm sure I'll be doing some real shopping there once we get settled into a permanent apartment up in Posillipo (which we are hoping will be in the next 5-6 weeks if all goes smoothly!).

(Pictures are Evan waiting for the bus--all smiles, and then Evan on the bus--hey, where'd that smile go? ha)

Apartment Update- Mama Mia!

Unfortunately, we are no longer pursuing the apartment that we wanted in Posillipo. We learned this weekend that the unit directly above the one we wanted is going to be under construction, undergoing a total remodeling project including knocking down walls, putting in new plumbing/electrical etc. The couple living in the apartment now said that they are already dealing with banging on the ceiling and construction vehicles parked in their parking spots. The landlord who is in charge of the unit being remodeled said that the expected completion date is April 2012, and I don't know about you, but I've rarely heard of a construction project staying on schedule! The whole reason we want to live in Posillipo is for the peace and quiet that location offers, so living in a construction zone is just not an option.

Thankfully, we did have a back-up apartment that we liked if this one didn't work out, so our real estate agent is now trying to secure a lease on that one. This 'runner up' apartment was previously mentioned in my blog....it's the one with the vineyard at the top of the street, orange/lemon trees on the property, beach access, and some great views---so, not a bad second choice. It is definitely smaller than the one in the now construction zone, but we'll still have a guest bedroom for all of you who said you are planning to come visit:) When we had first seen this one, I got that 'feeling' that this was 'the one'...when you just 'know' that this is the one you should be in, so I definitely feel good about it, and now am just hoping and praying that we get it.

I just tallied the notches that I've been putting in the wall and today is day 85 of hotel living!! Holy cow!!

Buon San Valentino

Happy Saint Valentines Day! It's hard to believe that we've now celebrated 3 US holidays in Europe already, and 4 while in a hotel. Thanksgiving we were in the Seattle Sheraton--but spent Turkey-day at Andrea & Kelly Kimuras which was fabulous, spent Christmas in Berlin, New Years in Napoli, and now Valentines Day in Napoli too. We can't forget the "bomb scare" i experienced on San Lucia day here either, but obviously, that's one of the many, many Italian holidays, or at least Neopolitan, that we don't have in the US.

We started our Valentines day celebration yesterday with a leisurely dinner of take-out Siciliana pizza (eggplant pizza) and due tirimisus in our hotel room, paired with an 8 euro bottle of Prosecco. Evan cooperated by sleeping well, and so we had a nice, relaxing, evening in for a change.

During the day yesterday, we ventured out to try a new place for lunch, as opposed to going to one of our old stand-bys that we typically eat at near our hotel. We had a late lunch--I had insalate mista (basically lettuce w/ tomatoes and carrots) and lasagna, and Josh had meatballs and diavola pizza (the closest thing to pepperoni),and then we indulged in dessert. I had what they translated to vanilla waffles w/ chocolate sauce, but was really vanilla wafers w/ a cup of chocolate to dip them in--delicious! Josh had warm chocolate cake and vanilla icecream for dessert. We also, of course, both had espresso w/ our dessert..Josh getting the typical caffe (just a shot of espresso), and I had a cappuccino--eventhough most Italianis don't have cappuccino in the afternoon...it's generally only something to drink in the morning. Evan just had his usual milk...so boring! When is he going to try something new? haha

After lunch, we strolled the cobblestone streets, Josh popping into a floral shop while I walked ahead, and after a few minutes he emerged w/ a dozen long stem roses for me for Valentines Day. Bellissimo:) The element of surprise wasn't really there, but with a baby, he had to take the opportunity to buy the flowers while we were walking by...hard enough to know where to even find flowers or floral shops around here, never mind, plan a time to go get them:) We meandered home, taking care of a few errands on the way, and then arrived at our hotel. What a mob scene! The Milan soccer team is in town for a big game against Napoli. Our hotel was barricaded, fans were crowded in front and in back of our hotel, all waiting to catch a glimpse of the players as they arrive. Soccer players are like Rock Stars here, and the fans are rabid! I have to admit, it was kind of cool to be able to whip out our hotel key card, allowing us access to cross over the barricade, and through the lines of police protection. As we walked in the closed off area, all the fans started yelling and cheering for us. We weren't sure if they were totally just cheering for Evan (since they love babies so much) as we heard "Complementi"..an exclamation typically heard from folks as they admire your baby, or if they were cheering for Josh since he was carrying my long stem roses, and maybe they were verbally giving him a 'high five' for being such a romantic?! I'm not sure what the answer is, but I loved the attention, and raised my arms and kind of ran in front of the crowd like I was a champion. It was fun to have our family moment in the spotlight:) ha!

When we got to our room, we heard fans also yelling on the back side of the hotel. They had lined up in the back because some of the players were out on their balcony (our old hotel room actually), and so fans were yelling up to them, chanting songs, taking pictures, and checking them out with binoculars. We went out on our balcony to watch and we could feel the excitement amongst them all, so much so, that it may have even inspired us to watch the game tonight!

Barricades are still up, as fans are coming back today to see them as they depart from the hotel. I wonder who'll be checking in next week?

Bellissimo Venduta!

We continue to be patient in our apartment search, although the thought of spreading out into more than one room is becoming more and more desirable, and we are definitely starting to get excited about the potential of having an apartment in the near future.

I posted pictures that show the views from one that we are currently pursuing. The apartment is located in a quiet, gated, neighborhood in Posillipo. The #1 thing that appeals to me about it is the fact that it is in such a quiet spot. We did, however, just learn that trucks showed up yesterday at the apartment with scaffolding, to get started on a construction project, the duration of which, we are not yet sure. Since we don't want to end up living in a noisy construction zone, we are waiting to learn more about the project to see if we will continue to pursue this apartment, or continue our search to find an alternative. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the project is a short one, but we'll see.

We definitely want to get settled into a place that we can 'call our own' for the next couple of years, and of course, we want a place that we'll be able to entertain both out of town and local guests in. Having to always eat out or go out gets exhausting, so please say some prayers that this apartment works out!

Is it true? Do horizontal stripes make me look fat?

Abbiamo cenato

On Saturday night, our friends Rosa and Paolo had us over for a fabulous dinner. They live in Portici ("Port", by the shipping port), and from the balcony of their apartment they have spectacular views of Naples, plus partial views of Capri and Sorrento--Bellisimo Venduta (means great view!). If you were in Napoli looking towards Portici, you would see the Portici homes clustered along part of the base of Vesuvio, and it only took us about 20 minutes to get to their apartment from Napoli.

When we got to their place, Rosa gave us a tour of their apartment--a great place with lots of unique design accents i.e neat accent lighting, a subfloor with glass top to display shells they had collected on various trips, cool tile work in the bathrooms etc, all ideas Rosa came up with on her own. Rosa had also taken time to create a great tablescape complete with printed menus and gifts for all of us ( A Napoli bib for Evan, and cool, 3 dimensional magnets for Josh and I of Napoli and Piazza Plebiscito. She had the gifts tied up in mesh bags w/ a 'horn' charm (animal horn, not instrumental horn)--horns being the symbol of good luck here, and many people keep horns mounted in their homes, or dangling from their car's rearview mirror). She has 6 month old Gabriel and 2.5 yr old Manuel, so where she found the time to cook us the feast she had prepared, plus do all the little extras I have no idea! I attached a picture of her tablescape and menu. You will see a picture on the front of the menu of a guy--Rosa explained that every city has a "mascot" type figure, and the one on the menu is the "Mascot" of Napoli. She told us his name (which I forget) and that he is described as being very lazy as well as some other things. She also printed a story/history of, I think, food in Naples, but she didn't translate it, instead, she gave me that as a homework assignment, to figure out what it says:) ha! We told Rosa that she was the "Martha Stewart" of Italy! She's never heard of Martha Stewart, but we explained who she is, and she understood and accepted the compliment:)

Rosa's menu for us consisted of:
"Stuzzichini della casa"--starters
-Tarallini--a type of cracker that reminds me of breadsticks and they are shaped like little donuts
-Sfogliata Rustica-a potato, cheese and bacon torte--Yum!
-Bruschette

Primi- 1st course
-Pasticcio di pasta al forno- wide ziti like noodles with lots of cheese and meatballs

Secondi-2nd course
-Involtini di pollo a modo mio--Rosa called this "Chicken her way!". Chicken rolled up with a delicious sauce.
-Trionfo Campano: Ovvero "Salsicce e Friarielli"--I think that means, a typical dish of Campania (the region Naples is in) which consists of spinach like veggie with sausages.
-Terrina de Patate-layers of potato and ham or bacon ( I forget now, but very delicious). It looked like if you were to cut a marble pound cake.

Dolce-Dessert
Cupola di Profiteroles-- french dish. Puff pastries filled w/ homemade whipped cream and then covered in melted dark chocolate candy bars--so good! I had 4 of them, and then before she started doing dishes, Rosa offered me the spoon to 'clean off'. Kind of like when I used to lick the beaters when my mother would make cakes:) You're never too old to lick the beaters!!

I had also brought over Chiachiare and chocolate--the dessert I had mentioned in a previous post that is typical during Carnevale--which continues up until 2/16.

Speaking of Carnevale--Rosa lent me a pumpkin outfit for Evan to wear on the weekends, since all the kids dress up and go out on the weekends of Carnivale. So, yesterday, we dressed him up and walked to the park to see all the other costumes--ranging from Minnie Mouse, to baby brides, Spiderman, Pirates, Band Majorettes etc. The piazzas and parks were covered in silly string and confetti!!

We look forward to spending more time w/ Rosa & her family, and they are looking forward to us getting an apartment so that they can come over for a Barbecue..a cooking technique they are not familiar with and definitely want to try!

I'm not the only "Housewife" in this hotel!

Evan and I exited the elevator into our hotel lobby to wait for my friend Stephanie who I was having lunch with. As I got off the elevator, I saw this girl who I just knew that I knew from somewhere, but I had no clue, from where! Did we go to college together? Was she a friend of a friend? Someone I knew from Boston? San Francisco? Seattle? Summer Camp? Band Camp?(Ha) It was killing me! She had a son who looked to be about 7, and then was attending to a baby in a stroller. I was scrolling through everyone in my head...what moms do I know with kids that age, etc etc.. I couldn't place it, so I just asked her if she was from Seattle. She said, "Nope, I'm from New Jersey". "Oh, OK, it's just that you look SO familiar to me, but I guess you just might remind me of someone else." Then her mom chimes in..."Do you ever watch the Real Housewives of New Jersey? She's Jacqueline!" I have to admit, I love the drama of that reality show, and I did watch the whole season of it. Of course, it's Jacqueline! She was the nicest housewife on the show, and I have to say, she's a lot prettier in person. She was also very down to earth, and we chatted for about 1/2 an hour. As we were talking, Caroline and her husband, another couple on the show, came down into the lobby and also said 'hi'. Caroline also looks a lot better in person--I think the camera really must add 10 pounds, since they looked slimmer in person. Jacqueline and I doted over each other's babies, talked about our impressions of Naples--she said it totally reminds her of The Bronx, she asked for recommendations for lunch spots since she was starving, and then she told me a bit about their schedule while here. They had come in on a cruise ship, and were spending a few days in Naples, and then heading a couple hours North to visit Theresa's family, with all the footage from this trip going into the making of the premier episode for Season 2. I asked Jacqueline if she is used to having her life filmed 24/7 and she said "yes, since the crew has become like my family." She said, you kind of forget the crew is even there." She said they are always around, and gave the example of even as she was throwing up on the ship the night before due to sea sickness, there was the camera man, right in the bathroom with her...not holding her hair back, but videoing the whole thing. Now that is going to be some quality t.v! ha!

The next morning I saw Theresa, her husband Joe, and all of their kids at breakfast. Theresa was all dolled up, with lots of bling, her girls were all dressed to the nines (just like on the show), and her husband looked like maybe he had too much red wine or lemoncello the night before--yet he still managed to dress well, and put on his huge rolex studded w/ what must have been 60 diamonds--Mamma Mia!

Ok..off to find myself an Extra spot in Season 2--be sure to watch the Season 2 opening, maybe you'll see my head bobbing in the background:) haha

The Farmer in the Dell

I've been learning some nursery rhymes to sing to Evan, and Farmer in the Dell is one of his favorites--hence the overalls:) ha

Andiamo a Roma!

On Saturday, we decided to get a change of scenery and head out on a spontaneous road trip to Rome. The fact that we can randomly just drive up to Rome for the day is still something to get used to!

The drive is an easy 2 hours on the Autostrada, and so after a leisurely breakfast at our hotel, we loaded up the car (amazing how much stuff you have to pack just for a day trip w/ a baby!) and headed to Rome with the goal of touring the colliseum and hanging out in Piazza Navona, our favorite spot from when we went to Rome a few years ago.

We had checked the weather before heading out, and there was 30% chance of showers, and temps predicted in the upper 40s to low 50s. We drove through a few terrential downpours, and experienced a few once we were on foot in Rome, but for the most part, the weather cooperated.

Upon arrival, we found easy on-street parking just a couple blocks from the Colleseum, and paid the meter about 2 euros for essentially 8 hours of parking--I guess the parking angel was on our side that day! We were floored by how sane and orderly the driving seemed in Rome. I can remember being there years ago, when I almost had a heart attack driving in a cab in Rome and thinking that driving in Rome was crazy, but ohhhh, how two months in Napoli changed my perspective!! Rome seems like a drive in Pleasantville compared to the chaotic streets in Napoli.

Once parked and geared up w/ our baby stuff, we headed off to find some lunch. It was great to have some new menu items and some more, what we consider, traditional Italian dishes, such as meat lasagna, to choose from. We had a great lunch--Josh indulging in meat lasagna and a sausage w/patate (potato) dish, not to mention his vino rosso de la casa (house red wine), and I had the pasta a fagioli (pasta and bean soup) with a nice helping of fresh parmesan on top, and a salad with lots of toppings on it (which is hard to find in Naples where a salad is often iceburg lettuce on a plate). We noticed that not one person in Rome interrupted our lunch to come and stare at Evan, rub his cheek, or lean in to give him a big kiss--the typical scenario occuring at least once..usually much more than that, per meal, in Naples. Not to go off on a tangent, but on my walk yesterday, a car actually pulled off the road, asked me to open the stroller visor, so that this woman and her husband could peek in to see Evan. They went on and on about him--Bello, Bellissimo, Complementi etc etc, and wanted to know how old he is etc. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Neopolitan's LOVE babies! Going out w/ Evan is like having a celebrity in the stroller!

Ok..back to Rome. So, after a satisfying lunch, we headed to the colliseum. It is so impressive, and as you approach it, it almost doesn't look real, as if it is superimposed in the landscape. We walked around the various levels of it, reading about it's history, and how everything from Rhinos & Hippos, to the more infamous lions and tigers would be sent in to the arena to hunt down the prisoners there to be executed. I hadn't realized that right after an 'execution' the animals themselves would be slaughtered, the meat then given away for free to attendees of 'the games'. Also, during gladitorial fights, the loser's blood would actually be soaked up with sponges, and then sold, as many Romans believed that the gladitorial blood would in some way protect or heal them from disease. Sounds gross to me, but hey..what happens in Rome, stays in Rome! They also had a lot of interesting artifacts on exhibit, such as sheep knuckles--used as part of a game, bone dice, glass "poker chips" etc all game pieces attendees would use as they sat in the stands, waiting for a show to begin. I found the chunks of marble with 'graffiti' carved into them interesting, since I think it would be hard to not get caught doing graffiti back in Roman times, considering you had to carve your 'tag' into marble!ha

After the Colliseum, we walked about a mile to Piazza Navona. The sun was starting to set, and the air was turning cool, so what better way to warm up then with a gelato! We hit the gelato stand, walked around the Piazza a bit, and then headed home. All in all, it was a great day, and we look forward to heading up there more often whenever we need a change.

Red Rover, Red Rover...

"Red Rover, Red Rover, sending Kimmy and Evan right over"...I often feel like yelling that as I approach families of 5 strolling arm in arm, or 6-7 school girls (or boys) walking along holding hands, or with arms locked...creating a kind of moving road block that we have to navigate through, just like the childhood Red Rover game.

I find it refreshing,in a way, to see so much hand-holding, linked arms, and yes, even people making out in the streets, on a daily basis. The affectionate body language, and lack of need for personal space, is nice to see...it makes you feel like singing, "love is in the air"..:) ha! I know Josh and I hold hands or stroll with our arms locked a lot more these days, just to fit in if nothing else:) ha!