tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2795205843489794812024-02-06T21:38:36.231-08:00Giorni a Genova Our Journey to Genoa, Italy and our days (giorni) spent in the Medieval city on the Mediterranean...PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-74433679820929202922019-11-14T11:52:00.000-08:002019-11-14T21:18:26.922-08:00Let's Leave the Country Again — You Too!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">For anyone who stumbles upon this blog, we have another installment of our story. Jacqueline (the mom of PDXpats) wrote a book on how other people can create their own version of an adventure beyond the border:</span><a href="https://becomingbetterpeople.us/lets-leave-the-country-book/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Let’s Leave the Country! A Guide to Your Family Year Abroad</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The book will help anyone navigate the challenges and rewards of making such a leap <span id="docs-internal-guid-49214d4f-7fff-07e3-ddea-762351e89818">—</span> no matter the destination. It's based on our Italian experience and that of dozens of others who've lived a bit in other countries, or even traveled around the world for a while. If extended time away intrigues any part of you, know this: it's entirely possible and worth the effort (just click through our blog!). </span></div>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-7956413285250207992017-07-03T03:49:00.001-07:002017-07-03T03:49:18.132-07:00Goodbye, Genoa<br />
Our <a href="http://giorni-a-genova.blogspot.it/2014/07/arrivederci-genova.html" target="_blank">third </a><a href="http://giorni-a-genova.blogspot.it/2015/08/arrivederci-ancora.html" target="_blank">arrivederci</a> from Genoa, and the 3rd time was a charm in many ways...<br />
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From Fall of '13 to Summer of '17, with hopes to come back here for future visits to see, experience, and consume Genoa's many charms!</div>
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<br />PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-55391753946381748292017-07-01T04:00:00.000-07:002017-07-01T04:00:40.666-07:00Torniamo!We return (<i>torniamo</i>) to Italy and Genoa, 2 years since our last trip and 3 years since wrapping up our year abroad. And we return to blogging as well, at least to capture the highlights of this visit.<br />
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<b>Piedmont</b><br />
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No trip to Piedmont would be complete without some Barolo...and in Italy, even the kids get to try the wine. <i>(Note to the grandparents: it was only the very low-alcohol wine!)</i><br />
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We also took a side trip into the Alps, to fuel-up on polenta before visiting the <a href="https://pontetibetano.eu/en/" target="_blank">longest walking suspension bridge</a> in the world. </div>
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<i>(Note to the grandparents: those are strong harnesses protecting the <span style="text-align: center;">family!)</span></i></div>
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<b>Elba</b></div>
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From the French-Italian border to the place of Napoleon's exile: <i>Isola d'Elba. </i>Such a beautiful island, including half the area being a marine reserve of fish-filled water - filled up with bread, only to then be served with a side of bread at dinner!</div>
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<b>Genoa!</b></div>
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And coming back to Genoa has been a return to familiar places, people, flavors and friends:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3EQpqLv7ZonpwqoMoqCfZRpXoHK2zA8M1oP-Hwn4N0tG7VpUN46C8eqaTLgrAQyP1WhQ5X8xVwaLLSDqR3uM5dzLXUotB6vdwHzom6uYwLvqFuIGWsypIefGsEN8cHlxtQR1U65UIf8/s1600/15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhON_Gab5G4ytxr5bLN1mDGjSGLrVfAqmEHhjK-EQpaNLcaBCikJDJHS4jm-Aj37ZKZB9SBh4cd1VtxocLdofj-BTkK1wQCY6p5dFsY5kR6ocvffpEWmhGRPBxHA1i9QjzVz-Rif2Q4yb8/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="640" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhON_Gab5G4ytxr5bLN1mDGjSGLrVfAqmEHhjK-EQpaNLcaBCikJDJHS4jm-Aj37ZKZB9SBh4cd1VtxocLdofj-BTkK1wQCY6p5dFsY5kR6ocvffpEWmhGRPBxHA1i9QjzVz-Rif2Q4yb8/s320/14.jpg" width="320" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3EQpqLv7ZonpwqoMoqCfZRpXoHK2zA8M1oP-Hwn4N0tG7VpUN46C8eqaTLgrAQyP1WhQ5X8xVwaLLSDqR3uM5dzLXUotB6vdwHzom6uYwLvqFuIGWsypIefGsEN8cHlxtQR1U65UIf8/s320/15.JPG" width="240" /></div>
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It has also been a return to the peculiarities of this wonderful city and country...</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4E-pxoiOzCcmqeQrCCUtxujqZ57ku-haAm1CY8YEl4PRKaJDRLvGY-2oObHK6QlulUJ1B_V73j0zQX3YC9U77JbXS0g_nINQzoIbWLAWnYZILWaTL2mVuY1txHrqsUmbWR_Vh8j4sQ8/s1600/18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4E-pxoiOzCcmqeQrCCUtxujqZ57ku-haAm1CY8YEl4PRKaJDRLvGY-2oObHK6QlulUJ1B_V73j0zQX3YC9U77JbXS0g_nINQzoIbWLAWnYZILWaTL2mVuY1txHrqsUmbWR_Vh8j4sQ8/s320/18.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The juxtaposition of modern and ancient.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4zbriyJVF5NZ44tUd3VjZCSKKe_HEytq9GSFtoZ5utJEuwHhyhP7KBNOO2reVHf7Zz5t_NyvI6TcO0ZAX4H1VcfiURby3ZxM4GrBgR0i3-oNkSzhInbuaYedgJS-RV5VBRXXBEqz_f0/s1600/19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="640" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4zbriyJVF5NZ44tUd3VjZCSKKe_HEytq9GSFtoZ5utJEuwHhyhP7KBNOO2reVHf7Zz5t_NyvI6TcO0ZAX4H1VcfiURby3ZxM4GrBgR0i3-oNkSzhInbuaYedgJS-RV5VBRXXBEqz_f0/s320/19.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Businesses that close for 2 hours at both lunch and dinner!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pWG6glodOcAhwaPNrhw7Btq4BXJe4difqQ9P2x3icCTwSVRhRg-YI5SNnYLSqfiRR3Dsy4JZ5c55UaXKZqh3pzymt3MbiqOUxh28zzRJWeWg0C-NvRceShK9LLdkBAvEvVKs-dznTKI/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="640" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pWG6glodOcAhwaPNrhw7Btq4BXJe4difqQ9P2x3icCTwSVRhRg-YI5SNnYLSqfiRR3Dsy4JZ5c55UaXKZqh3pzymt3MbiqOUxh28zzRJWeWg0C-NvRceShK9LLdkBAvEvVKs-dznTKI/s320/20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captive cats...and girls who miss their cat at home!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpx8aYSiVNzZcSV_9-_segOgIvvzVHWATFeYyFJqLKv10KruGBt8Q2jcNIGSch8iS37RSwdHi20Hnf21MqQ63w4wQfj36gB1Wiyeg3w5RiWr5HG_DlidICySuO_5ngJO5FYaMOHUatio/s1600/IMG_2977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpx8aYSiVNzZcSV_9-_segOgIvvzVHWATFeYyFJqLKv10KruGBt8Q2jcNIGSch8iS37RSwdHi20Hnf21MqQ63w4wQfj36gB1Wiyeg3w5RiWr5HG_DlidICySuO_5ngJO5FYaMOHUatio/s320/IMG_2977.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The narrow and steep streets of the historic district.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OeP2M-hn-_ZPqsLLF67GZUTwbIXiddUd9gfJC-ZqMq-lnNHsZDv4aYEZDCt3ovM3HoyZ5lRWIOmeLlRs7EFjGWFCUEoDw6oE-XVobq2ix25g6RGT48k_van6HofnD1ZK4fLCmbre8bs/s1600/IMG_3052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OeP2M-hn-_ZPqsLLF67GZUTwbIXiddUd9gfJC-ZqMq-lnNHsZDv4aYEZDCt3ovM3HoyZ5lRWIOmeLlRs7EFjGWFCUEoDw6oE-XVobq2ix25g6RGT48k_van6HofnD1ZK4fLCmbre8bs/s320/IMG_3052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the abundance of the Mediterranean, fully fried and flavorful!</td></tr>
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All of this is cause for <i>celebrazione</i>!!<br />
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<br />PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-90689499958673287452015-08-07T22:45:00.000-07:002015-08-07T22:45:24.526-07:00Arrivederci, ancoraWe say goodbye again (<i>arrivederci, ancora</i>) to Genoa, and once again by hosting a party at one of our favorite <a href="http://www.ristorantemontallegro.it/" target="_blank">pizzerias</a>. The gathering is a microcosm of so many facets of our experience, both on this brief return visit and from our year spent living here. <br />
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There's the difficulty of organizing the event (or just about anything in Italy!), yet the genuine delight in being together - including the unrestrained kissing and hugging typical to Italian greetings! There's the crowded and chaotic nature of an industrial Italian city, punctuated by moments of incredible charm or breathtaking beauty. And there's often the underlying frustration of trying to connect deeply across the divide of language and culture, but also the abundant friendliness of everyone - not to mention the universal bond shared around fabulous food!</div>
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We are sad to be leaving, but happy to have reaffirmed our great affection for Genoa and for Italy, and for the lifelong friendships our family has been lucky enough to form in our time here.</div>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-47130303936532902972015-08-07T00:15:00.000-07:002015-08-07T00:15:37.172-07:00Road Trip(s)!We've enjoyed some great trips to areas near Genoa, and (mostly) away from the heat. <br />
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Coolest of these (literally and figuratively) excursions: a visit to the spectacular underground caverns of <a href="http://www.toiranogrotte.it/en/home" target="_blank">Grotte di Toirano</a>:<br />
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The cooling and cool properties of stone castles and fortresses have also been on the itinerary, including a trip to <a href="http://www.fortedibard.it/en" target="_blank">Forte di Bard</a> with dear friends from Genoa.<br />
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And also a trip to see relatives in the town of Bardi, plus a repeat visit to its <a href="http://www.castellodibardi.it/" target="_blank">medieval castle</a>.<br />
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The Mediterranean again offered a respite from the heat, this time courtesy of the beautiful <a href="http://www.italythisway.com/places/cervo.php" target="_blank">village of Cervo</a> and thanks to our beautiful friends who shared their get-a-way with us.<br />
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We also reunited with David and Stacey near Parma, for a shady and successful navigation of a massive bamboo <a href="http://www.labirintodifrancomariaricci.it/informazioni?lang=en" target="_blank">labyrinth</a>, followed by equally massive gelatos. (As well as Stacey successfully navigating a "get yer own!" battle with David!)<br />
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Everyone was a bit road weary, but the ever-present Autogrills on the Italian freeways (<i>Autostrade</i>) provided salvation and sustenance: offering everything from plentiful pasta to piglets, massive marshmallows to moscato, and lots and lots of coffee!</div>
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<br />PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-21343393391418922092015-08-05T01:30:00.000-07:002015-08-05T01:30:00.306-07:00Genoa Goodness<div>
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We've enjoyed a kind of "greatest hits" during our return to Genoa, revolving around friends, food and fun.<br />
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From the outset, we were greeted at the airport by friends and focaccia - two of our most-missed aspects of life in Genoa! </div>
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<i>(Our matching t-shirts honor our wonderful hosts and a shared passion to clean up the often-soiled, otherwise beautiful narrow walkways of the medieval city center - one of our least-missed aspects of life in Genoa! In Italian they read: "Those who clean up their dog's poo go to heaven.")</i></div>
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A picnic followed later in the week, reuniting the girls with many of their classmates, as well as all of us with the lovely families from the school. It was a great gathering, and the girls had fun introducing everyone to "classic American snacks" we brought with us: fruit leather and turkey jerky. (Both of which quickly became two of the most-shunned foods laid out on the picnic tables!)</div>
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Palates were cleared and we were refreshed by multiple gelato and granita visits in the days that followed, plus a dip in the Mediterranean to beat the brutal heat. </div>
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Next stops: outside of Genoa and (hopefully) out of the heatwave!</div>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-78800413203488145072015-07-29T01:13:00.001-07:002015-07-29T01:13:33.675-07:00We're Back (via Barcelona)!<b>A year after leaving Genoa, we are returning for a vacation: a chance to reconnect with friends, culture, language, plus food and wine!</b><div>
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<b>Our frequent flyer ticket brought us through Barcelona first, for a few days of sightseeing and tapas eating - joined by Uncle David and soon-to-be Aunt Stacey.</b></div>
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<b>Highlights included Gaudi viewing, museum visits that ranged from The History of Chocolate (samples included) to Picasso, and a cooking class which included a visit to a local market. </b></div>
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<b>This left us jet-lag adjusted, well fed, and prepared for heading back to Italy!</b></div>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-16475056527119814452014-08-23T20:45:00.000-07:002015-01-26T09:40:32.644-08:00Buongiorno, USA!<span style="font-size: large;">We are a week into our return, and slowly adjusting to our reentry. Some initial observations upon returning:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">It really does take about “a day per hour of time difference” to shift jet lag back to the local time zone. So, we should be fully on Portland time by Monday. But </span><span style="font-size: large;">based on the customs of Italian-time, </span><span style="font-size: large;">everything tends to be delayed -- thus we’re giving ourselves until next weekend!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We're also giving ourselves hell for how much we stored away, as we unpack box after box after box. As George Carlin put it, "a house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff." A year of living out of suitcases taught us a lot of valuable lessons, including how much stuff we don't need! </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of excess, our first trip to the grocery store threw us into a catatonic state: 64 choices of granola?!!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We've also had many encounters with the kind of super-friendly folks who make Portland "famous", such as when checking out from the grocery store: <i>Hi there! Oh wow, I see you picked up some of that totally killer granola. I just had some this morning with fresh organic blueberries, a dollop of raw goat milk yogurt, and a drizzle of Manuka honey. It was so good, and it is sooooooooooooo good for you! </i>That dose of exuberance reminded us of conversations with European friends, who often commented about "excessive American optimism." We would cheerily respond that we didn't really understand what they meant...but we do now! </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">As for our own sense of optimism, it has been bolstered by many sweet reunions: starting at the airport, and continuing with both friends and felines:</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Much as we miss our Italian friends and adopted home of Genoa, it</span><span style="font-size: large;"> also feels good to be home!</span><br />
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-5230176265524446722014-08-14T21:35:00.003-07:002019-06-30T10:29:09.722-07:00Arrivederci, Europa!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dear C & T:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You are sleeping on our flight home, our 13-month adventure having come to an end. We hope this blog provides you with many fun moments, revisiting where we’ve been and what we’ve experienced. And although these 90+ posts are mostly about the highlights and the times we were thriving, we will all remember this year equally for simply getting through the tough times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, while we are sure to post a few reflections about our return in the coming days/weeks, for now it's worth taking a moment to capture a few of the "life lessons" that are now part of your life experience. Plus, we are incredibly proud of the ways in which you have flourished and grown over the year. (For the friends and family also reading this blog, thanks for indulging us in this post to our girls, and for tolerating a bit of unrestrained parental gushing that is likely to follow!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> - Leaving Portland last summer was traumatic and tearful, and none of our promises about life in Genoa offered any comfort. Flash-forward a year, to our long layover in Charles de Gaulle airport this week, and you are both fantasizing about a quick afternoon round-trip flight to Genoa (before our evening flight to the US): just so we can see friends, enjoy the city, and maybe get some fresh-from-the-oven Genovese <i>focaccia</i>!</span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">- You not only made friends, you also made yourselves fully part of the community at school. This wasn't easy: remember the many weepy nights in the first few months of school? Or, the many challenging situations with shouting teachers or rebellious kids in your classrooms? But, you did it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">- Living without a car, in a city with minimal (although adequate) public transportation. Hopefully we can maintain the fitness level nurtured by all the walking, climbing of stairs and hiking up steep <i>salitas</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">- Learning to live with (or perhaps just tolerate) all of the changes in food. Who would have ever thought children could utter the phrase, "Nooooo, pasta and pizza <u>again</u>?!</span><span style="font-size: large;">"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">- Also adjusting to all of the cultural changes, including developing a new appreciation for the relative efficiency and ease of our life at home. We will never again complain about a 15 minute wait in line!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">- You can share a car backseat, a bedroom, and often even a bed without killing each other. Of course the precisely measured and monitored "borders" </span><span style="font-size: large;">helped to keep the peace! Yet you've proven your ability to get along with each other with less space, and also with less stuff. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">- In fact, you can do fine with a couple dozen items of clothing in total (and even without a clothes dryer). That’s even more impressive when in </span><span style="font-size: large;">Italy, since every corner offers the temptation of that next great pair of shoes, fashionable shirt, or high-heeled leather boots. That last one hopefully won't </span><span style="font-size: large;">happen until you're 18'ish anyway! :-) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">- And, you overcame perhaps the biggest hurdle of all by learning a new language, so quickly. Meanwhile, dad's Italian is still mostly limited to </span><span style="font-size: large;">comparing your remarkable <i>spugna </i>(sponge) brains to his <i>vecchio </i>(old) gray matter!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In all of these ways (and many more), you are <i>bravissime</i>! You have proven yourselves courageous and capable in ways both surprising and wonderful. We </span><span style="font-size: large;">also hope this experience deepens your reserves of adaptability and resilience, to tap into whenever life hands you challenges. And mostly, even if this year wasn't always <i>la dolce vita</i>, we hope all of us will remember this time as part of the <i>bella vita</i> we are fortunate to enjoy together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Vi vogliamo bene</i>!</span><br />
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-32424064349641740542014-08-12T10:22:00.000-07:002014-08-12T10:22:47.905-07:00London Last<span style="font-size: large;">We came back to London, just like when we <a href="http://giorni-a-genova.blogspot.com/2013/07/loopy-london.html" target="_blank">started everything last year</a>. This time we are with friends from Genoa. My big sister and I are having fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Going on kids' paddle boats at Regents Park. That was really fun (we kept bumping into each other), and there were also cool birds around the pond.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hiking up a big hill to see a nice view of London.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Riding on double-decker buses and the Tube.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seeing the musical of Matilda, and now <a href="http://youtu.be/3CuNimX60zU" target="_blank">practicing the songs</a>.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELnf-akhpRYvfAItb03Te-zJ_rCxIjoksX0tJ2S6NIpu90YmdMmPb2aBoLraV8SDPjyP_yGJT6EpD5J8SvUZAuVvtve0SuNaqxzLjr6GW5XSSi1UPNuGrbS58-Xyvi-vVHy7C__Oe-e8/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELnf-akhpRYvfAItb03Te-zJ_rCxIjoksX0tJ2S6NIpu90YmdMmPb2aBoLraV8SDPjyP_yGJT6EpD5J8SvUZAuVvtve0SuNaqxzLjr6GW5XSSi1UPNuGrbS58-Xyvi-vVHy7C__Oe-e8/s1600/5.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Visiting the <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/t/the_rosetta_stone.aspx" target="_blank">Rosetta Stone</a>, which was much better than Italian lessons using Rosetta Stone before we left for Italy!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsk-in_L8aIng0f12l7F94ihpwJ8E6m5ytXOaee4dqX_Os89yHCnqIcuOvBRiWNaqpxtMZ5FF8ToQpNc745v4uFSmqTFEDz1uxAnVu3X6xyOSANyM8YjrpmkzqpfmRf87RHRXN4zVfxc/s1600/IMG_6812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsk-in_L8aIng0f12l7F94ihpwJ8E6m5ytXOaee4dqX_Os89yHCnqIcuOvBRiWNaqpxtMZ5FF8ToQpNc745v4uFSmqTFEDz1uxAnVu3X6xyOSANyM8YjrpmkzqpfmRf87RHRXN4zVfxc/s1600/IMG_6812.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Playing with the "Panda Cat" that lives next door to our friends' place. My friend had met this cat just before we came to London, and she gave him some fish so the cat would keep coming back. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4P-NYX-Qd7IewRWZgHRHo1kCnm2WFVm_DsabcA-n_8yn0t_K0Bf4Op0HH9Qk8hl3w8NdQTCm3YJNF6gClzVSZPGBD2AwDmz8g8qwyA_MWcQbHT1qSq4NLO3pw-QrCL5O9ztLbKpnlYE/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4P-NYX-Qd7IewRWZgHRHo1kCnm2WFVm_DsabcA-n_8yn0t_K0Bf4Op0HH9Qk8hl3w8NdQTCm3YJNF6gClzVSZPGBD2AwDmz8g8qwyA_MWcQbHT1qSq4NLO3pw-QrCL5O9ztLbKpnlYE/s1600/4.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And also getting a handmade gift from our friends, for when we go back to Portland on Friday. It is awesome!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03YJ__g8AAjakVxwrn0Z_7SpULwq267XB1NA24zXhgl2Bvjv0jZhyHG6pdBT3LmK5CsAT4-Mimc4hSgH-ryZrZrzTWhldHOVpKCHe-EwO108hMNCp1iDJbBekNk0IFyMRQU3I9jekE6o/s1600/GenoaTeam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03YJ__g8AAjakVxwrn0Z_7SpULwq267XB1NA24zXhgl2Bvjv0jZhyHG6pdBT3LmK5CsAT4-Mimc4hSgH-ryZrZrzTWhldHOVpKCHe-EwO108hMNCp1iDJbBekNk0IFyMRQU3I9jekE6o/s1600/GenoaTeam.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-86478083441807676032014-08-09T15:15:00.000-07:002014-08-09T15:18:44.746-07:00ABCs<span style="font-size: large;">The last part of our car trip was an A-B-C, and our parents added some fun stops along the way.</span><br />
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<i>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: x-large;"><b>A</b></span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Apeldoorn, Amsterdam, Antwerp</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> We went to an Awesome Ape (and monkey) park in Holland called <a href="http://www.apenheul.com/" target="_blank">Apenheul</a>, where many of the Animals are allowed to run around in the open! (Jumping on strollers, trying to steal food, etc.)</span><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHwcc-ilmWjeYszFAY-DvuhBtFdxwPi-kq8VenwoychL-i5aLOaxahSQ6aX5hQpQZjWuLi4WoN0hZe04M8qpKYNIDkhteLyFvFkTLEoDt9dxTSenGUpD8xxodrIv53zEtX9ymOC7eu9g/s1600/IMG_6606.jpg" height="236" width="640" /><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Howler monkeys were one of the animals not allowed to run around. That was a good thing, since they have one of the loudest calls in the animal kingdom -- check out this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0rvSi3k8-o" target="_blank">video clip</a>.</span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OEUxRll-cVHJE380KymjZyeVhsoK6IORq39l8sVd5ucwlMgbshpsp29whAr7XDK4bmWyitg94xsb2gbaFRdwviFYQynC2ppNM6vnKiiOUEAeSap9svZO1BY5Rqznn_cpEgCA-XWdPpw/s1600/IMG_6586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OEUxRll-cVHJE380KymjZyeVhsoK6IORq39l8sVd5ucwlMgbshpsp29whAr7XDK4bmWyitg94xsb2gbaFRdwviFYQynC2ppNM6vnKiiOUEAeSap9svZO1BY5Rqznn_cpEgCA-XWdPpw/s1600/IMG_6586.jpg" height="276" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> We then drove to Amsterdam, where we saw the <a href="http://www.annefrank.org/" target="_blank">Anne Frank Huis</a> ("House"). I had just finished reading the book, so that made it especially neat to go there, even if her story is sad.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7A4l82qvqfwMehTva3gDpzSgMCfkSmka4XvqerfgjWVP9LIqVdmXh3voVl9ikbpyRk6XHfrTPI5Uo2b5bJTw_f-YzMNSVZC8kd7SBp93Xro-IJ_fg2muB3RyOWNAbN_Z8T0uG5NFMA5o/s1600/IMG_6676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7A4l82qvqfwMehTva3gDpzSgMCfkSmka4XvqerfgjWVP9LIqVdmXh3voVl9ikbpyRk6XHfrTPI5Uo2b5bJTw_f-YzMNSVZC8kd7SBp93Xro-IJ_fg2muB3RyOWNAbN_Z8T0uG5NFMA5o/s1600/IMG_6676.jpg" height="322" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> We also did a canal paddle boat trip, with my <a href="http://youtu.be/xW95lMY-9Rg" target="_blank">sister playing Captain</a>, and all of us freaking out bumping into things and avoiding the tour boats!</span></div>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQi9Quj9V1O7GkNDKJnzCJNgANpinLidIhgFgwE8UcI_ARxzXQYn-h_fAjTpTOfZDYJv6GlRetfotQHx_kwZr5FqGj-3iEtCFBIFsdstO9fKM-GSlZCQwSDPQ9xgqabYJOw5dMlBqG7U/s1600/2014-08-04+16.07.21.jpg" height="118" width="640" /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWJfIIDBz2j8aVx2gdiRScG57_imBIIgcgOYYo5pIUx7NZuIhTDxP5aqm_J7zDd6775KF7c07owwU4zj-Y80d-I8qjl3SwylPXs-xjrObfW9HbBuPJwvW81kjGIcKv0MS-Z-GzD4PJ-0/s1600/IMG_6675.jpg" height="316" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Video clip <a href="http://youtu.be/xW95lMY-9Rg" target="_blank">here</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The last "A" stop was Antwerp, to see a <a href="http://www.redstarline.be/en/page/red-star-line-museum-nutshell" target="_blank">museum </a>about how people got to America and their stories. This is even where some of our own Ancestors left for America.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcaQPV0b0Uyj7z5LQRmzT0nqp0mA3jR9n3B86iRCdX-5PV3XBtbB-m186v8LxPK5wV-ZS1klVEyNR5XSggc0nIgD6N9TmlRxcwiwO6s8GKve37ZDSFo3m_O67rrP9Os8EzctrDb_6Br4/s1600/Antwerp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcaQPV0b0Uyj7z5LQRmzT0nqp0mA3jR9n3B86iRCdX-5PV3XBtbB-m186v8LxPK5wV-ZS1klVEyNR5XSggc0nIgD6N9TmlRxcwiwO6s8GKve37ZDSFo3m_O67rrP9Os8EzctrDb_6Br4/s1600/Antwerp.jpg" height="486" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Arrivederci!</b></span></i></div>
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<b style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-large;"><i>B</i></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Bruges (Belgium)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> This was a Beautiful stop, and also where we had the Best chocolate <i>ever</i>!!</span><br />
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTpob6hbzrphrTvWm_UXyO5jDIKWB4xCMPgnamVdlTGGpoj0fpvvhlAUhPUXjCmMzWc-Y8QZt7uOV002YrAnPChmvNW9wQiyyQziWVgXTpv5M23iX6NuZU8cplgmb8CNiqktpV9-DGss/s1600/IMG_6721.jpg" height="306" width="640" /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRKTxAsVOzcv9SoEsEMZlJ8fT2HWoNokQHSL3NzFNiycsAy0IIy2qidNNF74p3G7AIi8qOhNW4kptvdlvk0L-pZPMmvFADomVUMN4MEDSyluBwNDoKyS-3dy6iYgL7OQ7Y6RmUDywzJ4/s1600/IMG_6714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRKTxAsVOzcv9SoEsEMZlJ8fT2HWoNokQHSL3NzFNiycsAy0IIy2qidNNF74p3G7AIi8qOhNW4kptvdlvk0L-pZPMmvFADomVUMN4MEDSyluBwNDoKyS-3dy6iYgL7OQ7Y6RmUDywzJ4/s1600/IMG_6714.jpg" height="238" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YN2PuwJxYJuYcAeYSpmVRSZ2u-la3HlmIbqD3dMtutJa67O1m5W9aLw3tHl0fxJs7_lblVWUJTUadUxeOADkT_f2OZin1vTkubPHO-2gXi9eoAywcCJYpzvvxvfVSEIrsL87gImCX2Q/s1600/dumon.jpg" height="280" width="640" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Buona Giornata!</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
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<b style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-large;"><i>C</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Calais, Chunnel</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Finally, we dropped off our rental Car in Calais, France, after it had taken us safely through 2,000 miles of travel. The Channel Tunnel took us to London. That meant looking out the window on nothing but darkness for the 30 mile tunnel, even if my Dad found all of the facts about the Chunnel to be pretty Cool.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTX0FWLNEYDZYoYqzP7EJNm-1SuLFDqvjG5VMhe4_zF90wrRJ4wfRNeQ2sToEHRToEKAeBmY9bPIcl_7cWjPQlObggRLIX0X_Tfls-Tkj2O9qEQ-Bz8zMeW6O1QWiRezP759UXPRYD3C0/s1600/IMG_6682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTX0FWLNEYDZYoYqzP7EJNm-1SuLFDqvjG5VMhe4_zF90wrRJ4wfRNeQ2sToEHRToEKAeBmY9bPIcl_7cWjPQlObggRLIX0X_Tfls-Tkj2O9qEQ-Bz8zMeW6O1QWiRezP759UXPRYD3C0/s1600/IMG_6682.JPG" height="338" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Ciao!</i></b></span></div>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-73462220098551392662014-08-06T23:50:00.000-07:002014-08-06T23:50:18.442-07:00Fun Foods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwV0Fqov4_N47SC5ZcjQlvvBe_1criGMLX3YBlLOZphlVc31zObvllNJY62XZN_GAaf6NVZBFXSbPhjtD4aBM1QZIJqcaXiLFrjtjCgw1C-clPb650cZMGm_dBj9YjhxUYDtGjJhBh32s/s1600/IMG_6247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwV0Fqov4_N47SC5ZcjQlvvBe_1criGMLX3YBlLOZphlVc31zObvllNJY62XZN_GAaf6NVZBFXSbPhjtD4aBM1QZIJqcaXiLFrjtjCgw1C-clPb650cZMGm_dBj9YjhxUYDtGjJhBh32s/s1600/IMG_6247.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Like my little sist</span><span style="font-size: large;">er's <a href="http://giorni-a-genova.blogspot.nl/2014/06/crazy-creatures.html" target="_blank">blog post on crazy creatures</a>, thi</span><span style="font-size: large;">s is another way we're thinking about this last year: we have seen (and tasted!) some very unusual foods. Here are some things we have noticed…</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Any kind of meat and every part of the animal is considered okay to eat (not only in Italy, but in many other places we are visiting). </span><span style="font-size: large;">You also can't get grossed out if you want to go to the markets in Italy - sorry about some of these pictures! And you have to get used to not having things neatly cut up or organized or put into packages for you.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLw9SSZE90MN7zx-4WpBvXF0suKbmlxQ6YvZ4HKogFZWi5WE6Ya8fhIfhW_yt7hNvcNLKWfYg7fIzuwaiLTcvqz5AYBwjUfdda8mxzrm4OlQVzVyQCksbuT0fcDc-uspyGJnS7ncn9_o/s1600/2014-03-11+08.31.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLw9SSZE90MN7zx-4WpBvXF0suKbmlxQ6YvZ4HKogFZWi5WE6Ya8fhIfhW_yt7hNvcNLKWfYg7fIzuwaiLTcvqz5AYBwjUfdda8mxzrm4OlQVzVyQCksbuT0fcDc-uspyGJnS7ncn9_o/s1600/2014-03-11+08.31.36.jpg" height="141" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjua0jqFtCZX3tEObIDIXsGXST6NsfhukRKgERiVjIKTy_w3_16EJwhYykO0tLNSgbZr8XGreB7Kl1kW37jEHRDZGrRpJ71xLMmY10ECYMhISwbmhoyc1qSSdsX2EfqGcxo5R_x-HUUljg/s1600/20131113_083806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjua0jqFtCZX3tEObIDIXsGXST6NsfhukRKgERiVjIKTy_w3_16EJwhYykO0tLNSgbZr8XGreB7Kl1kW37jEHRDZGrRpJ71xLMmY10ECYMhISwbmhoyc1qSSdsX2EfqGcxo5R_x-HUUljg/s1600/20131113_083806.jpg" height="166" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you like all kinds of breads, Italy is the place for you!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zruOVOfZ9el2OgvoaIH6GY7a3f8ok5PA_DcOkeYYgaxCDcpLoy58gRWERY420_VpkEEb_LopAjmHL7R9yKUV-l9HJAjE2d0-jNrs__eKjCVaKrz90i_W7S3PlOvPHd4nFHBn48c1QWE/s1600/2014-06-14+13.05.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zruOVOfZ9el2OgvoaIH6GY7a3f8ok5PA_DcOkeYYgaxCDcpLoy58gRWERY420_VpkEEb_LopAjmHL7R9yKUV-l9HJAjE2d0-jNrs__eKjCVaKrz90i_W7S3PlOvPHd4nFHBn48c1QWE/s1600/2014-06-14+13.05.51.jpg" height="190" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a Genovese specialty we will miss a lot: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farinata" target="_blank">farinata</a>, just out from the oven!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because Genoa is on the sea, every type of seafood can be found. Octopus is a popular dish, but not popular with me or my sister or my mom!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkr4ODlhWvIGHGYD5e_jVezuXvns2JFbREasTWXELHbvD2iryzfxM_cYZpC4xChfr7z7_y7NDgKH3qhdleXGd5JDeFpE8yIt8LHUW-rNA10vr0eMguYTbMdFObHdj7zZxYAPEQ1bUya4/s1600/2014-03-22+10.08.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkr4ODlhWvIGHGYD5e_jVezuXvns2JFbREasTWXELHbvD2iryzfxM_cYZpC4xChfr7z7_y7NDgKH3qhdleXGd5JDeFpE8yIt8LHUW-rNA10vr0eMguYTbMdFObHdj7zZxYAPEQ1bUya4/s1600/2014-03-22+10.08.33.jpg" height="116" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdAkgUlwWhLtFuIyy6Txi-5xR6_3NrGliEupr49x_eff8FPbk7nXKmRdZP-1w2dd2KGG60bPy5Ifc9mjCqrEqycKgAV1w-wZLKSVWYwc9ChEivPQsKzKtq11p_TK0GOq8lRHw1SsiWzU/s1600/2014-06-19+13.02.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdAkgUlwWhLtFuIyy6Txi-5xR6_3NrGliEupr49x_eff8FPbk7nXKmRdZP-1w2dd2KGG60bPy5Ifc9mjCqrEqycKgAV1w-wZLKSVWYwc9ChEivPQsKzKtq11p_TK0GOq8lRHw1SsiWzU/s1600/2014-06-19+13.02.35.jpg" height="143" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also there are some really strange foods. We even found dog food shaped like pasta!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And the best part (saving the best for last of course) is <i>dolce </i>– dessert – of every kind you can think of. We even found gelato shaped like sushi, but fortunately made with ice cream. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is hard to decide on a favorite dessert, but <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granita">granita </a></i></span><span style="font-size: large;">is one that we will really, really miss having. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEDt7duE0hOqO-8KiNcvFVZzAbtMNd73ggfxqanxrbfS7n1UFzzyBOOo3scy4bLUG81MwDOnZ7uo05Nk7jPkiHQ6O0etFxRYjK2ivT6lPfhQrb4E2Qw6SL4-j3i6yzif0ucZseky3RdQ/s1600/IMG_3013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEDt7duE0hOqO-8KiNcvFVZzAbtMNd73ggfxqanxrbfS7n1UFzzyBOOo3scy4bLUG81MwDOnZ7uo05Nk7jPkiHQ6O0etFxRYjK2ivT6lPfhQrb4E2Qw6SL4-j3i6yzif0ucZseky3RdQ/s1600/IMG_3013.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-size: small;"><b>It was soooo good we even had it in wintertime!</b></span></td></tr>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-45982074354109261502014-08-03T10:49:00.000-07:002014-08-04T14:07:33.278-07:00Kids’ View<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">The richness of this roadtrip experience is undeniable, but doesn't always enthrall the girls. As we've said in prior posts, they often help us remember that the most enjoyable and entertaining parts of life can also be the simplest. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Recent examples:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEt2rYrs2hAfTQMWeSVX7Iwgg_R4gwl-avLG1AY5AGYhNDRySk0EAlXmhaL3fI-E6weC6ldCkzRWbPmEEfu7oL6njg5XoXCss-nP39qjOLR49IDBvrVcMOe5eaEVlzjpZNNKT__q8Qhwo/s1600/Yum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEt2rYrs2hAfTQMWeSVX7Iwgg_R4gwl-avLG1AY5AGYhNDRySk0EAlXmhaL3fI-E6weC6ldCkzRWbPmEEfu7oL6njg5XoXCss-nP39qjOLR49IDBvrVcMOe5eaEVlzjpZNNKT__q8Qhwo/s1600/Yum.jpg" height="320" width="188" /></a><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"> When asked for the most memorable part of their action-packed sightseeing day, responding with, "having my first Starbucks treat since last summer!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Oh the shame, even after a year of taking them to Italian coffee shops!)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Noticing that the solemn statue of the founder of the University of Bergen - </span><span style="font-size: large;">when viewed from the side - seems to suggest the college has a healthy "endowment</span><span style="font-size: large;">."</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_7r9OvE-ZIwIlXz-V5UYWk1tu_rQIbYtLIxeju0BDNwy8d5dJsjiV9hPYxGgQhFdm5llZcJABAKigYQjngdhoGSjDy2ULOWb64Qqr1tp7MfxwqJCLlw8hQN806xpDApgafiOySGddHM/s1600/IMG_6378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_7r9OvE-ZIwIlXz-V5UYWk1tu_rQIbYtLIxeju0BDNwy8d5dJsjiV9hPYxGgQhFdm5llZcJABAKigYQjngdhoGSjDy2ULOWb64Qqr1tp7MfxwqJCLlw8hQN806xpDApgafiOySGddHM/s1600/IMG_6378.JPG" height="273" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJjOc3BEo-npGGuIMFYVFuhCplINb2ai6545JT_vRMGI2_akJLi5wa2d5HCTZ-XD6J4-xUPtBmN_W-fOlvvMYQTbzjgSJprc7NGIBkvVS7JrUvehyphenhyphenY3mmGP13qbSyQ_UjGVOTqXJ4fVU/s1600/HehHeh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJjOc3BEo-npGGuIMFYVFuhCplINb2ai6545JT_vRMGI2_akJLi5wa2d5HCTZ-XD6J4-xUPtBmN_W-fOlvvMYQTbzjgSJprc7NGIBkvVS7JrUvehyphenhyphenY3mmGP13qbSyQ_UjGVOTqXJ4fVU/s1600/HehHeh.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"> Strolling down a German street and hearing the girls giggle and then ask, “Dad, how do you think <i>that </i>sign is pronounced?!”</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUhi3MzmuVo5p8pxkBRo90x_luNngTGK6Aa4975Zc4yRhAS359c5VB2LvXwn1616iEcvVSgy6RiT1fCkK5pLNm3aahkQroYBvYf89zfS9bqe9VcjmASgUXSSxJooO7ip5SbbQWzzKt3M/s1600/IMG_6381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUhi3MzmuVo5p8pxkBRo90x_luNngTGK6Aa4975Zc4yRhAS359c5VB2LvXwn1616iEcvVSgy6RiT1fCkK5pLNm3aahkQroYBvYf89zfS9bqe9VcjmASgUXSSxJooO7ip5SbbQWzzKt3M/s1600/IMG_6381.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Or, in Norway:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">“Take a picture if us under <i>this </i>sign!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> They both also display incredible “playground radar”: able to locate the nearest swing set or play structure, no matter how many tourist or historical sites stand in their way!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jELCGgT9Ac0SvBaQzqPKh8adD833fUfQPDG4g_Z87SaFuAGpG69OCogBHLjRQfZua-J6zgaE9CXJNYEhEUJXetVnyH3NCz3b4brA2BkihOwCS_vRN5ZHRiYyuE6Mt37rmL7dZenhuCs/s1600/IMG_6581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jELCGgT9Ac0SvBaQzqPKh8adD833fUfQPDG4g_Z87SaFuAGpG69OCogBHLjRQfZua-J6zgaE9CXJNYEhEUJXetVnyH3NCz3b4brA2BkihOwCS_vRN5ZHRiYyuE6Mt37rmL7dZenhuCs/s1600/IMG_6581.JPG" height="222" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Video clip <b><a href="http://youtu.be/rPVZ3tQANwI" target="_blank">here</a>. </b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(Don't worry, grandparents, it wasn't quite as dangerous as it looks!)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Even (or perhaps especially?!) our frequent bathroom stops can be a source of </span><span style="font-size: large;">silliness.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEE8hoyHCRMzKGAj-vT-8YjKjmKUqd9u5M4YQmF0KDcOuuK6RnnBlqgPcxIFvY1wPgrcmm2bmMfCIrPucCJMa2GB73c_buJObV0D47B8lJUEfvADdwxmNCeHOaPZ9tz65BpTNeZfFlZ8Y/s1600/2014-08-04+11.08.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEE8hoyHCRMzKGAj-vT-8YjKjmKUqd9u5M4YQmF0KDcOuuK6RnnBlqgPcxIFvY1wPgrcmm2bmMfCIrPucCJMa2GB73c_buJObV0D47B8lJUEfvADdwxmNCeHOaPZ9tz65BpTNeZfFlZ8Y/s1600/2014-08-04+11.08.29.jpg" height="100" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlQ6pQmMQbZgwTYy0UPt80_PRrNMv12FUxCXbL5ISY_Nh-Eq3CAMRECBfaj_hd98EzcMK1Mb-hGf_6ZqiiGAKxkrtMbRTgCKHUqm0Cp0U_D4BVMXAeIMQ4gCXV-8dZX5x9SNi15hEOVw/s1600/IMG_6517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlQ6pQmMQbZgwTYy0UPt80_PRrNMv12FUxCXbL5ISY_Nh-Eq3CAMRECBfaj_hd98EzcMK1Mb-hGf_6ZqiiGAKxkrtMbRTgCKHUqm0Cp0U_D4BVMXAeIMQ4gCXV-8dZX5x9SNi15hEOVw/s1600/IMG_6517.JPG" height="224" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> And here's a typical exchange:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">“Kids, what do you think of this remarkable artistic (or cultural, or</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">historic) landmark?”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">“Yeah, that's okay, mom and dad. But check out this BUG!!” </span><br />
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(Or snail, or any other creepy crawling critter!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVIXxxTr7xpa9t3BdtgjPVxnwV0alfWuH-4TE3ooK9bQMUvi1KujcPkPm1hcdMM2eC9LrEvtT-_GyRks7dFdJr15-KPtoxNhnLG8nE4F5IIj6izZHn-GSj_hs_aWMH0wKdJZlpv10nyU/s1600/20140716_154024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVIXxxTr7xpa9t3BdtgjPVxnwV0alfWuH-4TE3ooK9bQMUvi1KujcPkPm1hcdMM2eC9LrEvtT-_GyRks7dFdJr15-KPtoxNhnLG8nE4F5IIj6izZHn-GSj_hs_aWMH0wKdJZlpv10nyU/s1600/20140716_154024.jpg" height="219" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qWV9v8ylumVoSb3_vm87tHp4rvsJsM3aMwJfuw3vioElSh8kLEJkmtee0_yC5cvlSX161-8BDFnF0qvRunaqTxp_fOtyPskiIdlOjFbnnh04bJx6a1c5qisTouhO7nax4otyLl0md_g/s1600/Snail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qWV9v8ylumVoSb3_vm87tHp4rvsJsM3aMwJfuw3vioElSh8kLEJkmtee0_yC5cvlSX161-8BDFnF0qvRunaqTxp_fOtyPskiIdlOjFbnnh04bJx6a1c5qisTouhO7nax4otyLl0md_g/s1600/Snail.jpg" height="236" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Finally, passing the many hours in the car by taking photos <i>not </i>of the </span><span style="font-size: large;">dramatic scenery, but of each other! </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8-PyrWs0Zye8wfWx4OOG2jGA2_3oi9M2SiWRUDoTwfLCuFVgrG5rC7SJPEqNmn164dc-AU_AYgMzTbaOJSgUUyDBt_c6H3yN215p56spC7JsF-wfsfLC5C_Z-PH9OkkgrlT3qy0W9gA/s1600/Faces1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8-PyrWs0Zye8wfWx4OOG2jGA2_3oi9M2SiWRUDoTwfLCuFVgrG5rC7SJPEqNmn164dc-AU_AYgMzTbaOJSgUUyDBt_c6H3yN215p56spC7JsF-wfsfLC5C_Z-PH9OkkgrlT3qy0W9gA/s1600/Faces1.jpg" height="144" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-14110715460562403642014-07-31T06:11:00.002-07:002014-07-31T06:11:47.940-07:00Bergen Beauty<span style="font-size: large;">A stop in Norway was a return to familiar weather (rain!), as well as an eye-popping tour of incredible natural beauty. We toured the <a href="http://www.visitbergen.com/en/visitHordaland/" target="_blank">Hordaland region</a>, which includes Bergen and the surrounding countryside: home to fjords, fish, ‘falls…and trolls.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wYW98OurtSZs0hKaeVziNYiqgQmnwYKwEenhWvYbLifXWTvIPAiWUpn7wzM2IOTYFgPIpGNOdU1Lcm6RpGMjvK8_VZrymSO0ChelJXV2bhDZcfeCC-QfGcaLGCAjcjUBmy3tQppiKvE/s1600/2014-07-30+14.38.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wYW98OurtSZs0hKaeVziNYiqgQmnwYKwEenhWvYbLifXWTvIPAiWUpn7wzM2IOTYFgPIpGNOdU1Lcm6RpGMjvK8_VZrymSO0ChelJXV2bhDZcfeCC-QfGcaLGCAjcjUBmy3tQppiKvE/s1600/2014-07-30+14.38.12.jpg" height="120" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_dByIIQYZkdKAwiQlm4N9Co7Klz-jTbJe2wiKRNnOQBQjjsUf7fY3N-kxKwreR7bRIhMaoVCOmXQT2Q_ULPlPmugyFXaBeqhVOrAi5wGBYC26t_HecnsU1A0DN9On_LL3V0U1NZepHg/s1600/2014-07-29+18.00.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_dByIIQYZkdKAwiQlm4N9Co7Klz-jTbJe2wiKRNnOQBQjjsUf7fY3N-kxKwreR7bRIhMaoVCOmXQT2Q_ULPlPmugyFXaBeqhVOrAi5wGBYC26t_HecnsU1A0DN9On_LL3V0U1NZepHg/s1600/2014-07-29+18.00.05.jpg" height="132" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydkMjmic8YapBr5yoHc7hy_hN0knJg6bBJkylQrPrLe8moFIW2DG9eNIzYHCny-GNqaABFPJBbGRQ16SSQVN3zOzr6UXTeV6-aws45hGFQnWKGGMGLaPU4ffdwJ91uzcTCgcRnQ6LijU/s1600/GoldfishLake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydkMjmic8YapBr5yoHc7hy_hN0knJg6bBJkylQrPrLe8moFIW2DG9eNIzYHCny-GNqaABFPJBbGRQ16SSQVN3zOzr6UXTeV6-aws45hGFQnWKGGMGLaPU4ffdwJ91uzcTCgcRnQ6LijU/s1600/GoldfishLake.jpg" height="156" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVzaro3v-kI4c2XpI1jxqWfJxJVsvPDs4l6h86BNftROW2knyC5q-qNQj6DhhCtL52xioncOuUALbPNMneZxksgx1aItgXS7mISHmX7y7FdpjhPg2e1g0w5lgD6P2gWOIiMnfh7VK40c/s1600/WaterTroll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVzaro3v-kI4c2XpI1jxqWfJxJVsvPDs4l6h86BNftROW2knyC5q-qNQj6DhhCtL52xioncOuUALbPNMneZxksgx1aItgXS7mISHmX7y7FdpjhPg2e1g0w5lgD6P2gWOIiMnfh7VK40c/s1600/WaterTroll.jpg" height="191" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Video clip <a href="http://youtu.be/PedStkXZ8k4" target="_blank">here</a>.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our magnificent hosts included a real, live, working anthropologist, and that also meant behind-the-scenes access to the <a href="http://www.uib.no/en/universitymuseum#" target="_blank">local cultural and natural history museum</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhappqkLWUQBr15urEbMmKERUaWn7FeRLDNADXwOfKvuedbZbdVdLH_WuAogU8DsXf20r_YSEbID2rEY50FWou5O3w8LW4UB8AI4pXdVIGw5Q9wh0XMYokNJiHGD-BOExxo6OwUDrlM1gE/s1600/AnthroVisit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhappqkLWUQBr15urEbMmKERUaWn7FeRLDNADXwOfKvuedbZbdVdLH_WuAogU8DsXf20r_YSEbID2rEY50FWou5O3w8LW4UB8AI4pXdVIGw5Q9wh0XMYokNJiHGD-BOExxo6OwUDrlM1gE/s1600/AnthroVisit.jpg" height="243" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvfGPE5FKJ7Dp5-cozZ2AVpOlBtlj53ZhW4eorhrtme5qQV2yU8lQfNhXUx34Ur4wcdiqs1vmrNzqMijDDvYDhMElxxi5lXVaV2wRpFhNSf-RjghPgRrmVLljj4DiXOe3pXxzZCbL9U8/s1600/Knight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvfGPE5FKJ7Dp5-cozZ2AVpOlBtlj53ZhW4eorhrtme5qQV2yU8lQfNhXUx34Ur4wcdiqs1vmrNzqMijDDvYDhMElxxi5lXVaV2wRpFhNSf-RjghPgRrmVLljj4DiXOe3pXxzZCbL9U8/s1600/Knight.jpg" height="280" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(We hope these photos don't get him into any trouble with the museum!!)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKrYnD9xk4ed83Hl1Ai5G3ryejVJKQj5JpjzBgrg-DuDmT-Rtl3wW6ObcqOGBQHaTpuv8oYerjnlB_gatXndr5unp_df-JJ3Z8bYf9eKIYz_LihMM4f1o9BYkhJU_TLpFqGcMXO8A3PY/s1600/MeditativeMJR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKrYnD9xk4ed83Hl1Ai5G3ryejVJKQj5JpjzBgrg-DuDmT-Rtl3wW6ObcqOGBQHaTpuv8oYerjnlB_gatXndr5unp_df-JJ3Z8bYf9eKIYz_LihMM4f1o9BYkhJU_TLpFqGcMXO8A3PY/s1600/MeditativeMJR.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We will return to our EU travels refreshed and ready for more roadtrip adventures!</span><br />
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-23800769935467779832014-07-28T02:46:00.001-07:002014-07-28T02:49:16.596-07:00Deutschland<span style="font-size: large;">Germany has been the second leg of our roadtrip, which actually means a bit less time on the road – thanks to the lack of speed limits on many stretches of the Autobahn. (Not that our fully-loaded wagon is designed for speed!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Munich</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Our first stop was in Munich, visiting friends and enjoying more of a “locals” experience of the bike-friendly city (including riding beautifully restored bikes from the 1930s). A mandatory beer garden visit helped us to beat the heat, as did taking a dip in the appropriately-named “ice river” (<i>Eisbach</i>) which runs through the city’s wonderful <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englischer_Garten" target="_blank">Englischer Garten</a></i> – not only cooling us off, but proving that Nick might have a future as a countertenor! An unplanned stop at “BMW World” closed out our days in Munich, and also fed our Autobahn fantasies. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMU2-LDzTdJzRIm1US2q24e-CfgwF_nGNegRmO0Ed1F8uocvpPaGT5Px-A3KWRMmdnyrJza1jk1KljpdfAKcy7R5kmRqJqGU2RClWgb1FQCnXTspYFxGcFz9GBQoDlvAE2mjokFmoPNg/s1600/MunichBiking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMU2-LDzTdJzRIm1US2q24e-CfgwF_nGNegRmO0Ed1F8uocvpPaGT5Px-A3KWRMmdnyrJza1jk1KljpdfAKcy7R5kmRqJqGU2RClWgb1FQCnXTspYFxGcFz9GBQoDlvAE2mjokFmoPNg/s1600/MunichBiking.jpg" height="187" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXC1LIQhJ5OsIgHcHGYlPzX2r2h6JZCqckd0gnpAh3Oi9Jdof6Kl_QnaPS287MUm2utYIBTORlnA84NtXjvY5YHcY7LNEujU61JBb0QvJq8uSitETyqcHf5gZ7bmQUIoeZypNasa0ulzM/s1600/BeerGarten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXC1LIQhJ5OsIgHcHGYlPzX2r2h6JZCqckd0gnpAh3Oi9Jdof6Kl_QnaPS287MUm2utYIBTORlnA84NtXjvY5YHcY7LNEujU61JBb0QvJq8uSitETyqcHf5gZ7bmQUIoeZypNasa0ulzM/s1600/BeerGarten.jpg" height="222" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't worry (yet), it's only apple juice! ;-)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6dsM3QLaTLWcFcYZwfph0fSC5uOjqsb8jTLuiN-9260SbBHba0eYH1FZYe4Z5coOX3bdpzbJXGYNP02BUWMTQ1-2wzhaK2AoT8GiV2miN2Ti0X8ZzI3JqPfoiLHtGvnaxc1hbgzX4Wg/s1600/IceRiver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6dsM3QLaTLWcFcYZwfph0fSC5uOjqsb8jTLuiN-9260SbBHba0eYH1FZYe4Z5coOX3bdpzbJXGYNP02BUWMTQ1-2wzhaK2AoT8GiV2miN2Ti0X8ZzI3JqPfoiLHtGvnaxc1hbgzX4Wg/s1600/IceRiver.jpg" height="224" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaGFlIpGAo-PoEqXvaQYPyNtKD8WyWbgr-m7SXyWNhSg5yO7VKEJua1unOnLr7KH_tfA2cHXv1yKZRqGGkcSaoPkFNtaMKC2k6ymWeUEZLnyKtNnUwqXNLl4VPDfQloUc2PjemoHFXUM/s1600/BMW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaGFlIpGAo-PoEqXvaQYPyNtKD8WyWbgr-m7SXyWNhSg5yO7VKEJua1unOnLr7KH_tfA2cHXv1yKZRqGGkcSaoPkFNtaMKC2k6ymWeUEZLnyKtNnUwqXNLl4VPDfQloUc2PjemoHFXUM/s1600/BMW.jpg" height="158" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't worry, they're not licensed...yet!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We then spent a day in a picturesque walled city, the name of which now escapes us…hmmm...maybe this <a href="http://youtu.be/gcoEsLKfgaQ" target="_blank">video clip</a> will help.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmCbhvb0pvcT5rP-fl7VH4PDrP8jlM0rI8uNvKcbe21vSVuN05uCEaPKUzVFyHZpFK1sslrbhyphenhyphencWBf0PExIrMEq41CxrB0cwtBmYu4919tOfyY9X3rqBnweJLC5Z6eAwpAiWgqPmJy8o/s1600/20140723_080232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmCbhvb0pvcT5rP-fl7VH4PDrP8jlM0rI8uNvKcbe21vSVuN05uCEaPKUzVFyHZpFK1sslrbhyphenhyphencWBf0PExIrMEq41CxrB0cwtBmYu4919tOfyY9X3rqBnweJLC5Z6eAwpAiWgqPmJy8o/s1600/20140723_080232.jpg" height="98" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47ygX0yy5IT4V0dAxFisR-yaCxv0iCpwuN_fVldcaMLD3j-GQHR7y_yBBRcHoT5lT3EQyhX3JhwvQKLPtqwXv-sc9OBmy8XPj_Z8_aftOtqIhffLB9BJTdmDNtcCrMebnfMRC6GVdmjI/s1600/Town.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47ygX0yy5IT4V0dAxFisR-yaCxv0iCpwuN_fVldcaMLD3j-GQHR7y_yBBRcHoT5lT3EQyhX3JhwvQKLPtqwXv-sc9OBmy8XPj_Z8_aftOtqIhffLB9BJTdmDNtcCrMebnfMRC6GVdmjI/s1600/Town.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Video clip <a href="http://youtu.be/gcoEsLKfgaQ" target="_blank">here</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Berlin</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxAXJNIAtjDgUIhBN-pt8xytcFleClatoSCrAifmB4VDp8HqXafpIF043M_3pvHP5D__HF-_GzH1CXeTVjKteZU-UnqjRLPUDJUhbqg6-zMWNB2MjFln8iGnGESs2ASmM05rwJGOzYhI/s1600/StopGo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">As expected, Berlin was a mix of astounding and disquieting experiences. The <a href="http://www.stiftung-denkmal.de/en/memorials/the-memorial-to-the-murdered-jews-of-europe/field-of-stelae.html" target="_blank">Field of Stelae</a> at the Holocaust Memorial is just one example of the many sights that are breathtaking in their beauty, while leaving you breathless when trying to grasp their significance. The same applies to our visit to the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall, which included a tour guide using diagrams and sidewalk chalk to help the girls understand the East-West division. An especially troubling part of our Berlin visit was the unexpected overlap with the controversial and often hateful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quds_Day#History" target="_blank">Quds day</a>. This explained the huge police presence throughout Berlin, especially around Jewish shops, homes and synagogues, and we happened to be staying on the central street where the major demonstrations took place. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Although Berlin offered many amazing "teachable moments" for our family,</span><span style="font-size: large;"> we were happy to then head to areas on the outskirts of the city.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjqfnYR2yaRwWt23SWpgn0Cyk07utH2NwH9ghk2p_A3rQBSDWq34-76tOQXmAoKOkkSlGCqk_wanK3IWaZpJDFVdQ90E3gBDAI_MJzfHc6ZsqD4W0HZkJAguRMAyAqAJeXnzDbTTiVHU/s1600/Stelae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjqfnYR2yaRwWt23SWpgn0Cyk07utH2NwH9ghk2p_A3rQBSDWq34-76tOQXmAoKOkkSlGCqk_wanK3IWaZpJDFVdQ90E3gBDAI_MJzfHc6ZsqD4W0HZkJAguRMAyAqAJeXnzDbTTiVHU/s1600/Stelae.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><b>Zehlendorf/Potsdam</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We stayed with friends for our last couple of days, which also meant playmates, a trampoline, and bunnies. What more could you ask for?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlE0esyVUK2r0tQyvC5DXHwOE1boPLowWmDsQrjuT15QAsAZk1r0uGQts71Ynxn5wADsFbwYWNVfF7K62uYNLHF7JsGikilXCk8sxT7z9KPcnPYKIuGPXVrQHPtgIKzZVGH_HTZe_I5M/s1600/Potsdam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlE0esyVUK2r0tQyvC5DXHwOE1boPLowWmDsQrjuT15QAsAZk1r0uGQts71Ynxn5wADsFbwYWNVfF7K62uYNLHF7JsGikilXCk8sxT7z9KPcnPYKIuGPXVrQHPtgIKzZVGH_HTZe_I5M/s1600/Potsdam.jpg" height="260" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1Lb0cFpdogsc1LXjhcRhWDUe1jl8znHZ5nk-jmVXK2fVoDqktPJO1gRo5YAGkFEsNGh6mVcGhyPUxlZBC6nyUgAyAJkDaivKNhyphenhyphen5uk3YWQq_YVYC24hUFwZwwjXGpLQhjC2zeQ1ZT3U/s1600/Goodbye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1Lb0cFpdogsc1LXjhcRhWDUe1jl8znHZ5nk-jmVXK2fVoDqktPJO1gRo5YAGkFEsNGh6mVcGhyPUxlZBC6nyUgAyAJkDaivKNhyphenhyphen5uk3YWQq_YVYC24hUFwZwwjXGpLQhjC2zeQ1ZT3U/s1600/Goodbye.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;">Our Stop-and-Go roadtrip heads to Norway next!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxAXJNIAtjDgUIhBN-pt8xytcFleClatoSCrAifmB4VDp8HqXafpIF043M_3pvHP5D__HF-_GzH1CXeTVjKteZU-UnqjRLPUDJUhbqg6-zMWNB2MjFln8iGnGESs2ASmM05rwJGOzYhI/s1600/StopGo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxAXJNIAtjDgUIhBN-pt8xytcFleClatoSCrAifmB4VDp8HqXafpIF043M_3pvHP5D__HF-_GzH1CXeTVjKteZU-UnqjRLPUDJUhbqg6-zMWNB2MjFln8iGnGESs2ASmM05rwJGOzYhI/s1600/StopGo.jpg" height="320" width="249" /></a></span></div>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-90803186241035175442014-07-20T14:33:00.000-07:002014-07-20T14:33:19.725-07:00I Giorni Dopo Genova<span style="font-size: large;">After a series of sad goodbyes in Genoa, we are ending our adventure the same way it started last summer: with a road trip around Europe. The first set of days after Genoa (<i>i giorni dopo Genova</i>) took us to Southern France (Nice), and then to Central Switzerland (Thusis). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicv7pxYrP1F91hCbVt3WbqDn0ebN7i_3YkSTnUsl7RThLENZIaQFLSbSp9nPSV4bQldgNeqgnsoeAvJJ4L3Kizg5S3nx0Cb9SJlI0ay9csxl1Q4WukcbhkPkjeBkaW9UpRNIA6UVvMWl8/s1600/IMG_6030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicv7pxYrP1F91hCbVt3WbqDn0ebN7i_3YkSTnUsl7RThLENZIaQFLSbSp9nPSV4bQldgNeqgnsoeAvJJ4L3Kizg5S3nx0Cb9SJlI0ay9csxl1Q4WukcbhkPkjeBkaW9UpRNIA6UVvMWl8/s1600/IMG_6030.JPG" height="190" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our stop in Nice coincided with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day" target="_blank">Bastille Day</a>, which meant that "explosive situations" were all around us: from narrowly avoiding a protest as it passed through the central square, to taking in fireworks at the shore in the evening.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBbMBtkuYr2z2L4mWHZe-AwGcfx68G53ndozATc1NupMOyurwQpkmQdogB9qdDLGbqFNtXpzKcTuWTY-5se07Ouf_-jog4RytFhgctlPuYphSc8iOs11LN5zfS49v-hXUJYUndjj7Rf4/s1600/IMG_6027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBbMBtkuYr2z2L4mWHZe-AwGcfx68G53ndozATc1NupMOyurwQpkmQdogB9qdDLGbqFNtXpzKcTuWTY-5se07Ouf_-jog4RytFhgctlPuYphSc8iOs11LN5zfS49v-hXUJYUndjj7Rf4/s1600/IMG_6027.JPG" height="190" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5wuzFC16jCHbmPyHtQyY5fXEJWWzS88FykpUDrEoobQB5fSDXobJSmbPBZb457p30zu_G_mqJlgvCilM_6DwZyHXTxYNTTRiHaAi1Ekj2leeUo526t6uyu06NCz7lSChAE9mRU6o0IE/s1600/NiceInNice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5wuzFC16jCHbmPyHtQyY5fXEJWWzS88FykpUDrEoobQB5fSDXobJSmbPBZb457p30zu_G_mqJlgvCilM_6DwZyHXTxYNTTRiHaAi1Ekj2leeUo526t6uyu06NCz7lSChAE9mRU6o0IE/s1600/NiceInNice.jpg" height="150" width="400" /></a></div>
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Video clip <a href="http://youtu.be/6McRU13aN0Y" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoCOW18P5VNAKwhcySFA-TjCEDdn3ZZTsDWBBATrSutP_VxRrUKofCUAypQEpJrK6t4CqlDlCC2_64ECEDfnpJ_Uu_oSr-MmIUdc4dMNHMSdxCScQ4aASF6qEcfAw27xoOb7NxVPghKA/s1600/IMG_6022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoCOW18P5VNAKwhcySFA-TjCEDdn3ZZTsDWBBATrSutP_VxRrUKofCUAypQEpJrK6t4CqlDlCC2_64ECEDfnpJ_Uu_oSr-MmIUdc4dMNHMSdxCScQ4aASF6qEcfAw27xoOb7NxVPghKA/s1600/IMG_6022.JPG" height="198" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyIZoYTa0Owm0JknioSxTDpms6VVup2-glYEYUIJsHVDlCi9InSshppNEsV85RqqM66HpRAffaffgm_5tO4mksOzLl2qDm8IuL9XMhrXFDTOOPG5KijMbCENXdFU1hyphenhyphenjAjCuO5E93Lek/s1600/IMG_6110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyIZoYTa0Owm0JknioSxTDpms6VVup2-glYEYUIJsHVDlCi9InSshppNEsV85RqqM66HpRAffaffgm_5tO4mksOzLl2qDm8IuL9XMhrXFDTOOPG5KijMbCENXdFU1hyphenhyphenjAjCuO5E93Lek/s1600/IMG_6110.JPG" height="117" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Switzerland was much more tranquil, stopping in the <a href="http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/beverin-nature-park.html" target="_blank">Beverin Nature Park</a> area to take in the incredible natural beauty. (Okay, even Swiss money is beautiful!)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhed2zIMdgPd87S3M35xyK_gIUyXNRoYoq2gDPD7aC1hv5Ons8vm4lCxpTCt2YLpLFRRL9EyDXbGxbfagxN6FvBx2tC81dYqP-f2SIPmEeiz56SViSqCrqS9__TpabTCP-GYCQYoPJP7k4/s1600/IMG_6086.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhed2zIMdgPd87S3M35xyK_gIUyXNRoYoq2gDPD7aC1hv5Ons8vm4lCxpTCt2YLpLFRRL9EyDXbGxbfagxN6FvBx2tC81dYqP-f2SIPmEeiz56SViSqCrqS9__TpabTCP-GYCQYoPJP7k4/s1600/IMG_6086.JPG" height="192" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Video clip <a href="http://youtu.be/VZ6I8y5g6IM" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All of this travel is already taking its toll on the kids (and the highways are taking plenty of tolls from us). Although this blog often suggests it's all cooperation and contentment, there's ample bickering and boredom too!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdLrhyphenhyphenYwUmFaBkjlOPE9ZH-YpF7XuJubaFKOrVP-M55wWR9Bgi_msZ41-FaGpMo-3on368yV_sDlb2Q02ZMEEINltX2Blt9n4RiK3zhP4jMU-2FdQS39G3TmnBrgZK1mQJfA2JXdT3uY/s1600/IMG_6024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdLrhyphenhyphenYwUmFaBkjlOPE9ZH-YpF7XuJubaFKOrVP-M55wWR9Bgi_msZ41-FaGpMo-3on368yV_sDlb2Q02ZMEEINltX2Blt9n4RiK3zhP4jMU-2FdQS39G3TmnBrgZK1mQJfA2JXdT3uY/s1600/IMG_6024.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or, maybe they're just mad that mom and dad finished the wine?!</td></tr>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-63235815735983480192014-07-17T09:53:00.000-07:002014-07-17T09:53:21.374-07:00Mi Errore - Part II<span style="font-size: large;">We wouldn't want to mislead our readers with the videos in the <a href="http://giorni-a-genova.blogspot.it/2014/07/arrivederci-genova.html" target="_blank">prior post</a>, since not everyone developed fluency during our year in Italy! As with the <a href="http://giorni-a-genova.blogspot.it/2013/12/mi-errore.html" target="_blank">post</a> at the end of last year, a certain family member continued to stumble through his Italian in the remaining months of our stay. Here are representative <i>errori</i></span><span style="font-size: large;">:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">With friends of the girls over for a play date, offering them a choice of treats: one a milk-based (<i>mucca</i>) toffee and the other a Coca-cola flavored candy. “<i>Preferisce una caramella di mucca or Cacca?</i>” The unanimous choice of the milk toffee was initially puzzling, until the giggles subside enough to be reminded that Coke is “<i>Coca</i>”, whereas “<i>cacca</i>” is…well…the same thing it is in English!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">When picking up the girls from a birthday party at a local church, reassuring the guard at the front door that “I'm the father” by saying “<i>io sono il papa</i>.” Just missing the slight inflection on the second “a” (<i>papa </i>vs. <i>papà</i>) completely undermined my credibility, given that I instead declared, “I am the Pope.”</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Equally subtle is the need to hold your consonants an instant longer when the same consonant is doubled in a word. I am grateful that my inquiries about someone’s age at the many birthday parties - “q<i>uanti anni hai?</i>” - was taken for its intended meaning. Only once did I have to sort out why the reply was a curt, “1”: later understanding that my mistaken shorter pronunciation of “<i>ani</i>” meant that I was instead asking how many anuses the person had. How’s that for reinforcing the rude American tourist stereotype?! (And for the non-Italian speakers out there, note that your restaurant order for “<i>penne pasta</i>” also needs to emphasize the long “n” sound, otherwise you are inadvertently ordering “penis pasta.”)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">After enjoying a fantastic dinner, stopping the waiter from clearing my plate - so I can finish every last drop of the sauce. A thorough scraping of the plate is lovingly referred to as “<i>scarpetta</i>” in Northern Italy, but given my wine and truffle-induced haze, I firmly held onto my plate while mistakenly exclaiming “<i>scarafaggio</i>!” The waiter immediately released the plate, and after a moment of thinking I had actually correctly used a 4-syllable Italian word, I notice her concerned expression…which makes perfect sense given that I had excitedly blurted out, “cockroach!”</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">And to be fair about all the “Lost in Translation” issues, I'm not the only one who has trouble with <i>penne pasta</i>!</span></li>
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<br />PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-87384283338316513002014-07-14T00:17:00.002-07:002014-07-14T14:20:45.750-07:00Arrivederci, Genova<span style="font-size: large;">An Italian-style <a href="http://youtu.be/Bv526YHz8vo" target="_blank">video</a> send-off from the girls, plus an English <a href="http://youtu.be/4pnCSPOxDTc" target="_blank">translation</a> - including translating the gestures!</span><br>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;"> We will miss you,</span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Genoa!</span></b></div>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-85496203454639840712014-07-06T07:45:00.002-07:002014-07-06T07:45:53.625-07:00365...10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">My sister and I realized that today is exactly one year since we flew out of Portland. And now we have 10 days left before our family leaves Genoa to start a trip around Europe before heading back. </span><span style="font-size: large;">None of us can believe it is almost over. </span><span style="font-size: large;">10% of my life so far has been living away from home, and the time has gone by so fast! </span><br />
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-76612946950991360662014-07-03T02:40:00.002-07:002014-07-03T02:40:53.600-07:005 Lands; Seattle 5<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtE1EhQuWxxYoo6I3upLgEqKA5Ad8gfa1WT1Y8x7VACJWeRNoHtS_S-REs5grsQbzDag3n5SCzIoTtFTkxCfu7VG8nwHzsQNCTN0QyigWPV-jZsO57wPozfPTZlwzsCEoS3W1h7zB_9g/s1600/GenoaVisit+(14).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtE1EhQuWxxYoo6I3upLgEqKA5Ad8gfa1WT1Y8x7VACJWeRNoHtS_S-REs5grsQbzDag3n5SCzIoTtFTkxCfu7VG8nwHzsQNCTN0QyigWPV-jZsO57wPozfPTZlwzsCEoS3W1h7zB_9g/s1600/GenoaVisit+(14).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We took our final Italian trip with friends visiting from Seattle – spending a long weekend in the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinque_Terre">Cinque Terre</a></i></span><span style="font-size: large;">. We visited several of the 5 towns, and mostly just stocked up on Vitamin D, good food, and great local wine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For all of the ups and downs of this last year, we feel very lucky to be enjoying times like these!</span><br />
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-88618920687533917872014-06-30T23:43:00.000-07:002014-07-27T00:17:50.283-07:00Crazy Creatures<span style="font-size: large;">My big sister and I are thinking about the things that have happened this year, since we are heading home pretty soon. One of the fun things, and also a little bit crazy, is that we always look for interesting animals</span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">, especially bugs! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">Here are some photos from the last year, and sorry if some of them are kinda creepy!</span><br />
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-10942626528012778412014-06-21T03:48:00.001-07:002014-06-21T03:48:21.250-07:00Sardinian Summer…Sort of<span style="font-size: large;"> We spent this last week exploring northern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardinia" target="_blank">Sardinia</a></span><span style="font-size: large;">, with our friends who have been vacationing on the island for the last 14 years. It was a wonderful way to get “back to nature”: staying in a farmhouse overlooking a cattle grazing pasture, and then out to the mountains and Mediterranean beyond. It was also an unexpected opportunity to reacclimatize ourselves to life in Portland, since it rained for much of the week. Plus, our friends are honorary Portlandians, thanks to their tree-hugging, liberal-leaning, organic-munching, LP-gas Subaru-driving ways!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> We took advantage of every sun break, enjoying the dramatic scenery and turquoise sea that are Sardinia’s claims to fame. It was a spectacular way to welcome summertime.</span><br />
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-47402594186312931022014-06-14T23:14:00.000-07:002014-06-14T23:14:30.781-07:00Festa del Papa *<span style="font-size: large;"> Father's Day offers an excuse to share a piece of pleasure writing, which -- including this blog -- has had to fit into the surprisingly limited periods of true "downtime" during this year away. The following was written loosely based on true events, although without mentioning the margarita which preceded the madness. So, should any readers care to undertake similar exploits, please note that a margarita might be the required "jet fuel"! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">*</span> <i>Italians actually honor fathers on St. Joseph's Day in March, to commemorate San Guiseppe as a fatherly symbol of love, kindness and generosity.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"That’s a crazy idea!" It's a giggling phrase I've heard from my children many times over the years, and on this early summer afternoon I thought they might be right. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My neighbor Steve and I had spent the last hour piloting my two girls through a favorite activity: "airplane rides." We would each get one of the girls airborne by holding one of her hands and one of her feet, beginning to slowly circle as she hopped along. A moment later, we would have her swinging through the air, circling over the long grass with a huge grin and squeals of joy. I was smiling too, enjoying their flights almost as much as they were. But somehow "almost" wasn't good enough on that particular day. What had started as a series of routine airplane rides was about to go jumbo jet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Like so many children, I'd grown up fascinated by planes, and seeing my girls soaring through the air was a delight. I could remember the sensation from my own childhood, when my father would set up elaborate airplane rides for me. He would assign various aircraft configurations based on the planes he had taught me to identify, playing control tower as I prepared for my flight. "We have a DC-9 cleared on runway 7-Alpha," he would announce, and I would eagerly offer up a hand and foot for my takeoff. Although I'd never managed to get my girls to share my fascination at quite that level, it was a point of fatherly pride that they could at least identify the Disneyland-themed plane at the Portland airport as a 737! And they also knew that a 747 was a giant plane, which was the flight we were about to attempt. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm not sure what gave me the idea, other than watching Steve zing my children around with total ease. A former college linebacker, he was affectionately known as "Shrek Steve" by the girls. In a moment of inspired insanity, I realized that he might even be big enough to get my 155 pounds into the air. Although Steve was skeptical at first, he yielded to the pressure of the girls' pleas…combined with my own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our first few attempts were more about laughter than loft. The designers of the airplane ride for kids never considered the aerodynamics of a grown man, and instead I found myself repeatedly going for a "lawnmower ride" into the ground. Then we noticed a gently sloping hill across the park and relocated our foolishness there, so we could use the slope to our advantage as a runway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm sure the takeoff wasn't pretty, but after a few more failed attempts, I was suddenly airborne. The girls' laughter stopped. I think my heart stopped for an instant too. I was a kid again, gliding over the landscape in imaginary flight. For a moment, the blades of grass became tall trees thousands of feet below me, with my father announcing that I had reached "cruising altitude." The girls broke into cheers as I made a second rotation, although I was quickly losing momentum. Even Shrek Steve couldn't keep me flying for long.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With all of our focus on takeoff, we hadn't planned for the descent. It's one thing to gently lower a 30-pound child to the ground, but I was more like a fully loaded cargo jet. Fortunately, the soft grass on the hillside was forgiving and I lurched to a halt after a bumpy landing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The girls piled on me and all of us sat wide-eyed in the afternoon sun. Yes, that was a crazy idea. And I think I'll keep that kind of "crazy" on my life's itinerary.</span></div>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-49020553975839914512014-06-10T13:24:00.000-07:002014-06-10T13:24:14.066-07:00Fine della scuola!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What was most enjoyable about your school year?</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Everyone was so welcoming.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Friendships.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Friendly teachers. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Theater and music classes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Field trips to cool places.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">English class!</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What was most challenging about your school year?</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Learning the language.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Saturday school.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Getting used to religion class and religious images at school.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Walking to and from school.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Too much yelling in the classrooms.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Wearing the school uniform/smock every day.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Homework!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">It will be really strange, hard and scary at first, but then all the new things start to become fun.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Try to enjoy yourself because the time goes really fast.</span></li>
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PDXpatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14970471191439947218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279520584348979481.post-27991113259284557052014-06-04T14:40:00.000-07:002014-06-07T06:46:15.853-07:00The Genovese Painter’s Palette<span style="font-size: large;">Many things compete for your attention when walking around Genoa, and spring sunshine accentuates the exquisite colors which adorn many of the buildings. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The city is awash in pastel yellow/orange/red tones. This makes for beautiful contrasts with the Mediterranean sea and sky, and many postcard-perfect sights. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZDgo8msJVv5hfQ4pou57pGuW3siqj6nO-XcUI3ge9WL3ESZgy-cxvIjPY2K105De5oxPZPE2gyg0_kmHuyBIfiAP8tzDtx3-0uuPv6AVag3hlM6feR0-SLHIZdCjsX9egkLVb39j9yM/s1600/IMG_2458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZDgo8msJVv5hfQ4pou57pGuW3siqj6nO-XcUI3ge9WL3ESZgy-cxvIjPY2K105De5oxPZPE2gyg0_kmHuyBIfiAP8tzDtx3-0uuPv6AVag3hlM6feR0-SLHIZdCjsX9egkLVb39j9yM/s1600/IMG_2458.JPG" height="238" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is also the Ligurian approach to decorating buildings with detailed architectural features designed as “visual tricks.” We'll frequently see masonry, stone carvings, columns, flower pots, and even iron bars that are painted illusions. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64ocmpFNqFYsyBhdoy66mDLnzg-xs-WoYwjgjOODCs6gbrdjyaAnEmHrM7-7LFzmpTPL1R54-_FYGoAtO6iWl-Qor1x_dJ6vaqxNUjIBCZm1vwBQEwktgjv-9ecPwuGzFtCtMXDgiyiI/s1600/IMG_7726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64ocmpFNqFYsyBhdoy66mDLnzg-xs-WoYwjgjOODCs6gbrdjyaAnEmHrM7-7LFzmpTPL1R54-_FYGoAtO6iWl-Qor1x_dJ6vaqxNUjIBCZm1vwBQEwktgjv-9ecPwuGzFtCtMXDgiyiI/s1600/IMG_7726.JPG" height="320" width="233" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">We've learned that this style of <i>trompe l'oeil</i> (which translates from French to mean "fools the eye") is common in the province of Liguria, and especially within Genoa. Some art historians think this is tied to the notion that the citizens of Genoa have always been parsimonious (a theme we've heard many times), and that painting the facades of buildings was much cheaper than having a sculptor or mason create actual architectural ornamentation. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Another theory is that the tradition originated during Genoa's dominance as a trading center: ship captains passing the coastline would decide to stop in Genoa's port, having viewed through their monocular what appeared to be elaborate stonework and gilded facades on the city's buildings. By the time they realized these were fake representations of Genoa's wealth, it was too late to turn back and they would conduct their business in the port anyway. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whatever the origin and rationale, we've enjoyed the stunning deceptions! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of the windows are painted depictions, along with all of the stone blocks or carvings.</td></tr>
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