MRI and Halloween!

A blog has been brewing in me for several weeks and now as I sit at Children's Hospital waiting for Isabella to emerge from her latest MRI there's time to think and reflect once more. I find reading difficult on these days.

Isabella was obviously agitated (though I am not sure why) last night and fell asleep in my bed, but this morning she was pleased to receive words of encouragement from Papà (who is currently on mission in Peru) and a hug from Mati when she woke up (yes she also joined the bed during the night!) At the hospital this morning there was quite the welcome from the MRI team.

...interruption. It is a little surreal here in the hospital atrium cafe, the nurses are all dressed up as witches, pumpkins, cowboys, Michael Jackson, you name it and Ghostbusters is blaring out!! Ten years on the Halloween phenomenon is still overwhelming at times...

Back to radiology. They were so happy to see Bella and wanted to know all about her holiday this summer and showing her around the newly expanded MRI wing with a great view down to the Capitol. Bella was singing and dancing songs from the upcoming school pantomime of Puss in Boots. As she was given laughing gas she was telling riddles. At the last minute she shouted out the answer before she fell asleep. The nurses were in fits of laughter. She should be out soon and we will get the results next Thursday. That day we'll be seeing the oncologist, neurologist, endocrinologist and opthalmologist. Get the gist? After a four month break from hospital visits we are pleased to get all appointments done on one day. 

Proudly showing off
her homemade sushi

Meanwhile there's always plenty to keep us busy. The girls have been enjoying their half term break. Emma D has been here to entertain, she is always very welcome! What they haven't done with paper, glue and paint, I don't know. Not to mention the cooking: flapjacks and lemon curd and even sushi for supper one night. Our camp creativity director even insures an English education - tea parties complete with cucumber sandwiches AND history lessons. Yesterday, Emma notices a bag that I had picked up at some travel fair, with Henry VIII on it and asks the girls if they know who he is. They proceed to learn about all his queens, divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Emma was then turned into King Henry with beard and they were each a queen. Mati was, needless-to-say, the one who divorced and survived!

Some of the prize winning pumpkins

At this time of year we've also had much preparation for Halloween, including the annual visit to  Cox's Farm. When I picked up a coffee earlier, I was pleased to see the Brain Tumor Institute had won the pumpkin carving contest here at Children's. We still need to carve ours.  We have various parties and trick-or-treating lined up this week-end. The girls are going to be vampires. I said I'd be a legal alien, my fully-fledged American daughters don't understand the joke!

A fun time is always had by all at
Cox's Farm, including me!

Other exciting news: Matilde is starring in the Washington Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. She is absolutely thrilled and prances off to all the rehearsals every Saturday and Sunday with a big smile across her face. Of course she has a major role as a prima bumblebee.

Nutella is part of the Cox's Farm
annual picnic outing!

This past month we have also been learning to ride bikes (for obvious reasons this went on hold for a couple of years). Those of you who've been there will know what a sense of achievement it is learning to ride on two wheels, and not just for the kids!

We'll let you know when we have news of the MRI, probably not till we visit the clinic on November 4th. Finger's crossed for the all stable. 

Happy Halloween!

Emma, Isabella, Matilde and Gregorio from Peru. xxx

PS I have almost finished uploading all our summer photos, for those that are interested!

Bunches

Last week we passed the second anniversary of when Isabella was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It is a day that Gregorio and I are unlikely to forget. Thankfully, Isabella is bouncing around a happy eight year old full of energy and the only thing on her mind that relates to the past couple of years is how quickly her hair is growing back. Well it is growing back thick and fast and much to Isabella's delight last week we got it into two bunches.

We have been back a month and are slowly adjusting to all that the 'new' year entails : school, homework and lots of fun after school activities. Isabella's latest passion is Tae Kwan Do. While Gregorio and I have been adjusting to regular work hours, cooking (yes did you realise I didn't cook for two months, how fabulous is that?!) and home renovations and dealing with a car that keeps breaking down.

Next MRI will be at the end of October. we'll update you early November.
Love,
Emma and Gregorio. xxx

And finally to Mallorca

Mallorca provided the perfect end to our Grand Tour. Throughout our trip Matilde has asked "where do we fly to next?" And we would reply what our next port of call was and then went through the list of remaining places. When we listed Mallorca she would ask "and what about Spain?" Having been reassured that Mallorca was part of Spain her next comment was "oh this holiday is too short!!"

Indeed in no time at all our holiday in Mallorca is over. It was a wonderful week filled with some lovely meals and relaxing on the beach. On our last day we discovered the perfect beach  - hours of fun jumping the waves with beautiful sand underneath and clear blue waters. Grandpa Ross had promised the girls lots of fish - but they wanted to catch it themselves. Gregorio was aghast when they appeared with a fishing net each (a whopping 2 euros). However, he soon realised that a small investment provided many hours of fun. I am pleased to report (as Isabella will no doubt tell all) that they did catch a couple of fish (you might have needed a magnifying glass to see them) and several hermit crabs. Not to mention all the jelly fish. Talking of which, Matilde was stung once in Greece and Isabella twice - how she was stung on her face, we are not quite sure but maybe she'll learn that you don't need to inspect absolutely everything up so close.

We leave the warm (well very hot) mediterranean skies for a final day in London where we are told they are building up to a classic British bank holiday week-end - grey skies and cool weather! We will fly back to Washington tomorrow, Friday night. We are not sure how big the pile of post will be or the state of the jungle in the back garden, but we won't have long to find out. Saturday morning we are off for a 60th anniversary week-end with my office and on Monday school begins and so back to reality. 

We have had a truly memorable summer. The highlight has been the quality time we have spent together filled with new experiences and discoveries. Some of the obvious ones we have already mentioned but there were the entertaining ones too. The revelation that some public loos are little more than a hole in the ground led to new skills and lively debate about whether it was better behind a tree in the forest or the public loo surprise. What I love about children is the excitement and enthusiasm with which a new discovery is shared. I can't remember who saw the topless lady first on the beach but the scream "LOOK, a lady with naked boobies!" was heard by many.

We will have taken 7 flights, we have stayed in ten different homes/hotels, visited four countries. I dread to think how many miles we have covered or how many trees we should be planting to offset all the carbon footprint. But these statistics don't matter, we have enjoyed seeing our family and friends in Europe. We have enjoyed the slower pace of life, the sights, sounds and foods of the places we have visited. However, as we have reported, we have also missed some of our creature comforts - namely reliable air conditioning and services when you want them. We are so used to shopping (for food particularly) when you want it. And then there was the speed (or lack of) internet connection; not to mention the internet helpline who's advice over the phone was "if you go on-line you can add money to your internet account" They seemed to have failed to grasp that we were calling for help as we couldn't get on-line. These are really minor inconveniences but they have brought home to me that when (if....) we ever move back to Europe it will take some readjusting. Meanwhile we are on our way home and the villa in central Italy remains a dream....

I had hoped the girls would be writing more in the blogs but we were too busy finding snails, catching fish, eating gelato and so much more. They religiously kept their diaries for the first six weeks though they increasingly became a list of visits punctuated by a list of what we ate. We are certain though they have many happy memories that they will recall for years to come.

In terms of Isabella's health. She is looking great, her hair is thick and curly and bleached blond by the sun and sea. The next MRI will be in October and we will write more then.

Lots of love to you all,

Emma, Gregorio, Isabella and Matilde. xxx

Mountains, polenta and chamois.

We are nearing the end of our stay in the Alps in Piedmont. We have had a very relaxing and refreshing time. If the month of July was off the charts in terms of heat in Italy, August was another story altogether - in northern Italy at least. As I mentioned, we landed in Milan to 20C - a pleasant respite from the heatwave in Athens. 

And in our two weeks  here we have seen all temperatures - hot sunny days, overcast days, pouring rain and on Monday, Gregorio, Janie and I were at 2,400 meters and not at all prepared for the wind, rain and even freezing rain. We swear it dropped below zero. We could not feel our hands, we walked as fast as we could. Never has a cup of hot chocolate been so appreciated when we returned to civilization!

We have wandered through mountain pastures filled with wild flowers, awe-inspiring alpine vistas and fields and fields of cows. The sounds of running water in a stream close by, or a waterfall beyond and cow bells ringing intermittently but little else. It has been idyllic. We have enjoyed some lovely walks and savoured picnics of local cheeses and salami while taking in the beautiful scenery, or pausing in a refuge for a rewarding bowl of polenta. The girls, much to Gregorio's pleasure have used their hiking boots and proved themselves good walkers. The 12km walk  above Mont Cenisio nearly finished them off though. They were fascinated by all the "Bonjour's" along the route, as many of the walkers were from just over the border. We did even go over to France one day and relived my youth and indulged in a chocolate liegois and a bottle of orangina.

We have seen marmot's but the highlight for Gregorio was spotting a chamois on our truly memorable walk up the Colle dell'Assietta on Monday. While for the girls it has been a relaxing couple of weeks, when they could play and run around. They enjoyed the company of Lala and Betta who came up with Lele and Marina from Rome, being spoilt by the grandparents and also searching for local wildlife. We had quite a colony of snails at one point!

Despite the pouring rain and pretty awful weather this past week-end we also had fun taking Peter and Janie around the local napoleonic forts, abbeys, towns  and picturesque scenery of the valley. Thankfully our final day was picture perfect. We even got Peter to do a bit of walking - it was probably the promise of a glass of red wine and some cheese at the end of it!

And in no time at all we have packed up our bags and are onto our final destination - Mallorca to visit Grandpa Ross for our final week. We will return to DC via London next Friday and back to school on Monday. Gregorio claims he could continue this trip, but I am mentally ready to return  - the emails about the start of school are streaming in and I am already looking at September after school activities and ordering new school uniform on-line. The power of the internet, if only it were a bit faster here in the mountains.

Hope you are all continuing to enjoy your summer. 

Love,

Emma, Gregorio, Isabella and Matilde. xxx

Kalimera, kalispera, kali-whatever!

Isabella wanted to see the Acropolis and so we worked an EasyJet Rome-Athens flight into our itinerary and arrived last Friday afternoon. As we were driving in the taxi from the airport to Athens, Gregorio and I were watching the dry, barren landscape and wondering if we would have the energy to visit the acropolis in this heat. Isabella, ever the wise older sister announces “I think I will have to ask Eleni to explain the Greek alphabet to me”. Little Mati, sucking her thumb, pipes up “but there are some letters the same. Look, there’s an M, but what’s that O with legs?!”

We visited the Acropolis on Saturday morning, and I know I have said it before on this holiday, but it was hot and I mean seriously hot in Athens. We hopped from one spot of shade to another, walking at the pace of snails. Each time our dear friend Eleni, an expert on all things Ancient Greek, talked about the Acropolis, how it was built and told the girls about Greek gods and goddesses. Isabella knew all the myths Eleni mentioned. I was impressed. Despite the heat, Isabella seemed to be loving every minute. It was an absolute pleasure to see her enjoying the visit. Matilde did not seem to be taking so much in, or so we thought. But later in the Acropolis Museum, when we were watching a film about the Parthenon she said “we saw that this morning with Eleni, pointing at the metatope corner friezes.” Isabella’s comment on the film “why are we watching this, Eleni already told us all this?!”

Not only were we restored in the museum with food and air conditioning but we had fun meeting up with friends from Washington DC. After the museum, we quickly slipped into the Greek way of life and returned to our hotel for a siesta and remerged about 6 pm for a swim prior to going out for dinner. We found a delightful taverna in the plaka area and collapsed into a deep slumber around midnight.

On Sunday we took the ferry from Piraeus to Aegina, to visit Eleni and Themis’ family home. The port is filled with fishing boats and lined with tavernas and small shops and stalls, many selling the staple crop of the island, pistachios. It is not a big tourist island, but rather a retreat for the Athenians, very relaxed and simple. Nonno Themis (a big italophile) met us at the port with his ‘Bentley’ and took us through the pistachio and olive groves into the hills above the port to their delightful home that he has created. Here we spent four very relaxing days.

Eleni and Themis were quickly adopted by the girls as their Greek grandparents; the girls played with the dogs, picking up Greek phrases very quickly to call them or using greetings such as kalimera (or ‘kali - whatever’ said Matilde). They spent an afternoon learning the Greek alphabet with Eleni and even told me to put the volume back up on a Disney DVD they were watching – even though it was in Greek.

We enjoyed the fruits and vegetables from the garden – plums, figs, zucchini and of course olive oil.  It is amazing how delicious a tomato can taste with a little oregano, olive oil and feta cheese. Not to mention the octopus and fresh fish.  We also dined at lovely tavernas, one was literally on the beach and another in a beautiful tree filled courtyard – both filled with local Greek people. Eleni and Themis, the perfect tour organizers, (I work with them when sending groups to Greece) knew exactly what to order so that we tasted the best dishes.

Eleni gave us a tour of the island of Aegina. We saw the Temple of Aphaia and discovered the best beaches , needless to say they were filled with crystal blue waters. Isabella and Gregorio enjoyed jumping into the sea from the rocks, Matilde and I are more sandy types; me, so I can slowly wade out to deeper water while Matilde likes to sit on the shore and create a mermaid castle.

If Athens had been hot, it is hard to find a word to describe the heat in Aegina.  It must have been at least 40C. The cicadas were singing all day long. Gregorio commented, "how do they have the energy to make that noise all day long?!" Thankfully the evening provided a little breeze. We retreated indoors for siestas in the afternoon and ate dinner around 10 pm.  We slept, ate and swam. What more could we ask for? It was a truly relaxing week. We are now back in Italy in the mountains in Piedmont.  When we landed in Milan it was 20 C. Quite a change.

Overall it seems to have been a very successful week in Greece, though Isabella did comment that she was disappointed there weren’t a few more ruins everywhere. Perhaps she is right, but we also decided that the acropolis in Athens was the highlight and we weren’t going to push their energy too far by trying to see more. We will return.

On arrival in Italy, we drove to Susa, where Gregorio’s father’s family is from, yesterday evening. Gregorio spent many summers as a child here and has happy memories. Yesterday was the Feast of the Madonna di Rocciamelone. There was a big procession through the streets to the Cathedral last night followed by fireworks. The girls were asleep but we sat on the hill outside the house and enjoyed a wonderful welcome back to Italy.

Tune in next week to hear about our walks in the mountains.

Under Italian Sun

Our stay in Florence was fairly brief and our touring plans less ambitious. In the heat the list got even shorter. A dear friend and local guide gave us a short tour that included looking at a very large naked man. Matilde walked around David several times observing his nakedness. When we visited Piazzale Michelangelo the next day they did spot a replica of the very same naked man, so something had gone in!

We spent time with i nonni and enjoyed some delicious Tuscan food. We had originally hoped to visit Gregorio's aunt, a lovely lady and mother superior in a convent in Florence, but sadly she passed away just after we arrived in London. We all visited her grave, so there have been a lot of questions about death and Matilde is now counting the number of nuns she has seen on this trip.

The most exciting thing about being in Florence for the girls was that we were given two rooms in the hotel - and they were on their own without mummy and papa'. Oh the excitement of it all. They enjoyed unpacking and packing up their stuff all on their own. They even made their own beds in the morning (not something that always happens at home). And not to mention the baldachino above their beds.

From Florence we wended our way down into picturesque Tuscany where the air was fresher and the evening breeze was refreshing. We stayed in a delightful agriturismo just outside Pienza. The girls were able to cool off in the pool and we wandered the hilltowns close by in the evenings, taking a passeggiata with the locals prior to dinner. The highlight for Isabella was taking a cooking class with papa and several other guests and the owner of the agriturismo. They made a serious amount of local pasta, including pici and several different sauces, not to mention crostini toscani. At the end of the morning we sat down to a lovely lunch under the cool arches of their veranda looking out over the Tuscan countryside - it was picture perfect. The girls ate and then went and jumped in the pool with the teenage daughter while we lingered till late in the afternoon enjoying the food and their own wine.

And finally our road led us to Rome. We managed to catch up with a number of friends and family in and around the city.  Including 'i cugini', pictured here with the girls playing Italian card games. On the Sunday evening, when cars are allowed into the city we did a whistle stop tour; given the continuing heat and the girl's weariness for walking to see tourist sites it seemed the best option. We were able to tick off the most important sites of St Peter's and the Colosseum. Another morning was spent walking around seeing the Pantheon and Piazza Navona and of course picking up a gelato at Giolitti. Gregorio was very proud to show his girls around Rome - had we had more time or energy we would have seen more but we know we will be back. On our final night Gregorio and I enjoyed Rigoletto at the Baths of Caracalla. It was quite a spectacle - not least watching audience who were dressed in anything from shorts and t-shirts to full blown evening gowns. When the lights finally went down at 9:30 pm (for the 9pm start) there was this mad dash to an empty and hopefully better seat further forward. It was rather amusing, especially when the ushers tried to stop this last minute shift around.

It was a good couple of weeks in Italy and I think the girls have lots of memories that are still being digested. Every day they learned something new, including the morning papa' had to renew his identity card. The girls were fascinated that complete strangers would start a conversation straight away while waiting in line.

As we left Rome it was raining slightly. Tune in next week for news from Greece!

Lots of Love,
Emma, Gregorio, Isabella and Matilde. xxx

Venetian Fireworks.

Our Italian journey began with a bang. We spent 5 magical days in one of my favourite places - Venice. The girls were very excited having heard so much about the city of water from me. And for me, it was like going home. Quite literally. I had found an apartment on the internet and chosen it for its location. When we arrived I was transported back 17 years to when I lived and studied in Venice - I had only chosen THE apartment I lived in. Only now, it was all renovated, had good windows, air conditioning, a dishwasher and a washing machine! What a coincidence.

The highlight of the week-end was by far the Festa del Redentore and I might add it is what shaped our itinerary this summer. The church of the Redentore on the Giudecca was built by Palladio to give thanks that the Venetians had been saved from the Plague. Every year - on the third Saturday of July a bridge of boats is traditionally built across the canal of the guidecca. Today the bridge is a more solid construction that is set up temporarily for the feast and connects the Zattere to the Giudecca. 

Gregorio choosing fish

La Salute illuminated by the fireworks.

On the Saturday night Venice lays on the most spectacular firework display in the Bacino di San Marco as part of the festivities. All terraces, restaurants and vantage points are booked up (despite the premium they charge for the evening). We decided to do it the Venetian way and hired a water taxi with our friends. Having feasted on a seafood extravaganza (courtesy of Gregorio and our early morning visit to the fish market at the Rialto) we boarded our boat. Our driver, a Redentore veteran, told us it was early at 9:30 pm to head to the bacino and so gave us a beautiful tour of Venice by night. There is something special about cruising down the Grand Canal in your own boat with hardly any other boats around. We were overwhelmed upon arrival in the bacino - it was filled with boats of all shapes and sizes. I had expected a lot but not the party atmosphere. We moved from the small family boat gatherings to the pirate ship. Then there were the disco ships (the girls' eyes were out on sticks at the flashing vibrating scene) to the fishing boats partying away and finally the seriously rich yachts moored up near the Giardini. I am not sure if it was the heat or tradition but there were also people taking a dip in the water. It doesn't look the cleanest stretch of water at the best of times...

It was still too early to hang around so we paid a visit to a gelateria - also a tactical pit stop (note we were drinking like camels given that it was reportedly 40 C that day and there was no loo on board). At 11:20 pm we were racing down the Grand Canal with all the last arrivals to the party, including a few gondolas.  A few moments later a couple of warning shots were fired and total silence and darkness descended on the city. Venice was ready for the show to begin. And what a show we were treated to. Forty minutes of pure magic.
There is something amazing about being in such an open space with fireworks raining down on you. The scene was Turneresque:  the foreground was filled with the silhouettes of people and boats and then bursts of light and colour beyond. There were loud cheers and applause as the effervescent sky faded to night, and the boats started to file home - priority given to the gondolas, followed by the smaller boats. The party boats and fishing vessels disappeared out into the lagoon, perhaps to party on, take a dip in the cleaner waters of the Lido or head off for tomorrow's catch. What a night. Truly memorable.

But this was not all that we did in Venice.The girls had a five star experience. It was a week-end dedicated to the arts of Venice. We visited the 17th century weaving looms of Bevilacqua and admired the beautiful velvets and damasks they continue to make for the Vatican, Royalty, White House, rich and famous. They were materials fit for princesses, we decided and there was a lady with a spinning wheel. From there we spent an afternoon decorating our own Venetian masks in a small workshop surrounded by magical creations by the master, while listening to Vivaldi. Outside the window gondolas glided by. The quality of our decorations was impressive, we learned how to use paint, brush on gold leaf and age the masks. 

On our final day we visited Murano, where the glass is blown. I contacted one of the less commercial factories and the current owner (grandson of the original) let us in. I had a moment of panic when I wondered whether bringing six young kids to a glass factory and private museum filled with priceless pieces was one of my wisest itinerary decisions. But all was well. The owner gave us a tour of the furnaces and explained the process and then the kids were allowed to blow their own piece of glass. What they will really remember about this visit, however, was trying on Cinderella's glass slipper in the museum. The owner told them they should come back in about two years and it will fit - needless to say my feet were too big!

We also enjoyed some fantastic food - more seafood than you can imagine. I am sorry to say that I have discovered that the Maryland soft shell crabs are not a patch on the baby Venetian "moeche". We managed to retreat to the island of Torcello for a very leisurely lunch on Sunday, while the kids played hide and seek in the rose garden - here  the air was a little fresher. We did so many more things but we have now moved onto Tuscany and our Venetian thoughts are now swaying in the breeze with the cypress trees. 

More soon!

Love,

Emma and her Italian family xxx