So two posts in 2019. Look at me go.
We want to go back to Africa. ASAP. So we decided to sit down and make a list of where else we want to go. And then we can just alternate Italy and Southern Africa every other year.
THE LIST (as of May 2019)
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos -- planned for later this year
Fiji, Australia, New Zealand -- current plan for 2020
Israel, Jordan (assuming safe), Italy, London -- plan for 2021
Then we need to stick the schedule of going to Italy about every other year (although we can certainly add on something relatively nearby), but where else do we want to go?
The musts:
Bhutan. Big time. Could be added to a trip back to Nepal or other parts of China. (2022?)
Egypt. If/when it seems safe. Could go from Italy (2023)?
RTW trip -- to Japan and/or Korea, to Kazakstan, to Europe (2023?)
Peru (2026?)
Philippines. Could also be added to a new-to-us China trip. (2028?)
Cuba (2021?)
Rwanda. We'd probably add this to a repeat of the places we loved most on this last trip (Zambia, Botswana, Namibia) (2024?)
The ones I would like to add, if time and funds permit:
Japan and/or Korea (whichever one we didn't do on the RTW drip)
Romania and Bulgaria (with Italy)
Ethiopia and Eritrea (probably with Italy)
Ireland (with Italy)
Portugal (with Italy)
Norway (with Italy?)
Ukraine (with Italy?)
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (with Italy?)
Ecuador, Galapagos Islands
Cyprus (with Italy)
Slovakia (and my husband has never been to Czech Rep, Hungary or Poland, all of which he'd probably like and I'd be happy to go back to and could easily be added to this)
Burma (would be added to a trip back to Nepal probably)
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Mauritius
Madagascar
Maldives -- although I have a sneaking suspicion this will never happen. Hard to get to, not high enough of a priority.
Antarctica
The repeat countries:
Would like to return to Nepal.
Would like to return to China but go new places (particularly Guilin), but also go back to Shanghai.
In Italy, have never been to Trieste, Sardenga, or Perugia. Husband also wants to go to Ostia, Torina, Luca, Val d'Aosta.
I love dreaming of trips...
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Vocab for Corridori
I read a fun post about running in Paris on another blog (masteringrunning.com), and she included a section about French running vocab. Since I'm getting super-excited about our Fall trip, and the only country we will visit where I have extensive experience running is Italy, I thought I'd do a similar vocab post to help with anyone running in Italy.
I would offer to share running routes, but I highly doubt anyone reading this will ever be running in Lamezia, where most of my running has occurred. My bestie even made a heart-shaped route that a few of us ran the morning of my wedding (well, heart shaped if you blur your eyes a lot, but I knew what she meant!). As for my running in other Italian cities, I haven't run anything someone else wouldn't figure out.
Anyway, here's some Italian running vocab!
Runner: Corridore (m); Corridortrice (f) (but most women just use the masculine, much like with jobs (such as lawyer or doctor))
Sprinter: Velocista (m.); Scattista (m.)
Harrier/off-road runner: Corridore campestre (m.)
Road runner (person, not the animal): Podista (but this can also mean walker, or race walker)
Road runner (the animal, just for kicks): Corridore delle strade (literally, runner of the streets, but it means the animal, Geococcyx californianus, uccello della famiglia dei cuculidi (bird of the family cuculidi))
Track (the sport): Corsa su pista
Track meet: Gara di atletica leggera
Track and field: Gare di atletica
Distance runner: Corridore di lunga distanza
Marathon runner: Maratoneta (m.) (so, il maratoneta)
Jogger: Persona chi/che fa jogging OR Persona chi/che fa footing
Runner's high: Sballo del corridor (m.)
Track (the place where we run ovals repeatedly): Pista (or Pista da corsa) (see above, track (the sport) translates roughly as "running on a track")
Track/path of a race: Percorso
To run: Correre (see translations below)
To run (to travel or cover a distance): Percorrere (see sample sentence below)
Do not run (at a pool, in case of fire): Non correre
To run a race: Partecipare ad una gara
Race (noun): Gara
Run (noun): Corsa
Runs (noun): Corse -- there's no worry about using this term and having someone thing you mean "the runs" in any bowel sense, there's no translation of that slang as far as I know, to say "the runs" in that sense, your choices are diarrea OR dissenteria; no false friends here!
Warm-ups, tracksuit (clothing): Tuta
Start: Inizio
Starting line: Linea di partenza
Finish: Traguardo
Finish line (if you're emphasizing the line part): Linea del traguardo
Marathon: Maratona
Half-marathon: Mezza maratona
Bib: Pettorina (not the same word as is used on a baby, bavaglino)
Stride (as in gait): Falcata
Stride (as in footstep): Passo
To train: Allenarsi
I am (in) training: Sto allenando (same if you're male or female)
To stretch: Allungare OR Fare stretching
To cross-train: Allenare/allenarsi in diverse discipline (somehow, my gut says maybe Italians don't use this expression, maybe they say "cross-train" or their translations of "bike" or "row" or "lift weights" or "swim" or whatever)
To warm up: Riscaldarsi
Warm-up (noun): Riscaldamento
Cool-down (noun): Defaticamento
Sports drink: Bevanda isotonica
Water: Acqua
Wine (since we're speaking Italian): Vino
A few sentences pulled from wordreference.com:
And for extra fun, conjugation of "to run" (correre) (in Italian, you customarily omit the pronoun, but I've included it anyway):
Present:
I run: Io corro
You run: Tu corri
He/she/it/you (formal) runs: lui/lei/egli/Lei corre
We run: Noi corriamo
You (pl) run: Voi correte
They run: Loro corrono
Past (for these other tenses, I'm only including I/we, most likely to be useful):
I ran: Io ho corso
We ran: Noi abbiamo corso
Future:
I will run: Io correrò
We will run: Noi correreremo (this word is just fun to say, and always makes me think of San Remo, a big Italian music festival)
Conditional:
I would run: Io correrei
We would run: Noi correremmo
Gerund:
I am running: Sto correndo
We are running: Stiamo correndo
Imperative/command:
Run (telling you, informal): Corri!
Run (you, formal): Corra!
Run (us, let's run!): Corriamo!
Now any runner is set to go to Italy and communicate the basics! Prego!
I would offer to share running routes, but I highly doubt anyone reading this will ever be running in Lamezia, where most of my running has occurred. My bestie even made a heart-shaped route that a few of us ran the morning of my wedding (well, heart shaped if you blur your eyes a lot, but I knew what she meant!). As for my running in other Italian cities, I haven't run anything someone else wouldn't figure out.
Anyway, here's some Italian running vocab!
Runner: Corridore (m); Corridortrice (f) (but most women just use the masculine, much like with jobs (such as lawyer or doctor))
Sprinter: Velocista (m.); Scattista (m.)
Harrier/off-road runner: Corridore campestre (m.)
Road runner (person, not the animal): Podista (but this can also mean walker, or race walker)
Road runner (the animal, just for kicks): Corridore delle strade (literally, runner of the streets, but it means the animal, Geococcyx californianus, uccello della famiglia dei cuculidi (bird of the family cuculidi))
Track (the sport): Corsa su pista
Track meet: Gara di atletica leggera
Track and field: Gare di atletica
Distance runner: Corridore di lunga distanza
Marathon runner: Maratoneta (m.) (so, il maratoneta)
Jogger: Persona chi/che fa jogging OR Persona chi/che fa footing
Runner's high: Sballo del corridor (m.)
Track (the place where we run ovals repeatedly): Pista (or Pista da corsa) (see above, track (the sport) translates roughly as "running on a track")
Track/path of a race: Percorso
To run: Correre (see translations below)
To run (to travel or cover a distance): Percorrere (see sample sentence below)
Do not run (at a pool, in case of fire): Non correre
To run a race: Partecipare ad una gara
Race (noun): Gara
Run (noun): Corsa
Runs (noun): Corse -- there's no worry about using this term and having someone thing you mean "the runs" in any bowel sense, there's no translation of that slang as far as I know, to say "the runs" in that sense, your choices are diarrea OR dissenteria; no false friends here!
Warm-ups, tracksuit (clothing): Tuta
Start: Inizio
Starting line: Linea di partenza
Finish: Traguardo
Finish line (if you're emphasizing the line part): Linea del traguardo
Marathon: Maratona
Half-marathon: Mezza maratona
Bib: Pettorina (not the same word as is used on a baby, bavaglino)
Stride (as in gait): Falcata
Stride (as in footstep): Passo
To train: Allenarsi
I am (in) training: Sto allenando (same if you're male or female)
To stretch: Allungare OR Fare stretching
To cross-train: Allenare/allenarsi in diverse discipline (somehow, my gut says maybe Italians don't use this expression, maybe they say "cross-train" or their translations of "bike" or "row" or "lift weights" or "swim" or whatever)
To warm up: Riscaldarsi
Warm-up (noun): Riscaldamento
Cool-down (noun): Defaticamento
Sports drink: Bevanda isotonica
Water: Acqua
Wine (since we're speaking Italian): Vino
A few sentences pulled from wordreference.com:
The marathon runner collapsed from exhaustion as soon as he
crossed the finishing line.
Il maratoneta svenne per la stanchezza appena passata la
linea d'arrivo.
Track-and-field athletes include runners, sprinters, and
pole vaulters.
Tra gli atleti di atletica leggera ci sono i corridori,
velocisti e saltatori con l'asta.
We're organizing a run for charity this weekend.
Questo fine settimana faremo una gara di beneficenza.
Those greasy tacos I ate at 2 in the morning gave me the
runs.
Quei taco unti che ho mangiato alle due di notte mi hanno
fatto venire la diarrea.
(Sorry, the translation sentence made me laugh, I had to
include it for you.)
The marathon race is one of the highlights of the Olympic
Games.
La maratona è il clou dei giochi olimpici.
He runs three miles every morning.
Percorre tre miglia tutte le mattine.
Fa tre miglia tutte le mattine.
I need to stretch my
legs before I run the race.
Ho bisogno di allungare le gambe prima di correre in gara.
And for extra fun, conjugation of "to run" (correre) (in Italian, you customarily omit the pronoun, but I've included it anyway):
Present:
I run: Io corro
You run: Tu corri
He/she/it/you (formal) runs: lui/lei/egli/Lei corre
We run: Noi corriamo
You (pl) run: Voi correte
They run: Loro corrono
Past (for these other tenses, I'm only including I/we, most likely to be useful):
I ran: Io ho corso
We ran: Noi abbiamo corso
Future:
I will run: Io correrò
We will run: Noi correreremo (this word is just fun to say, and always makes me think of San Remo, a big Italian music festival)
Conditional:
I would run: Io correrei
We would run: Noi correremmo
Gerund:
I am running: Sto correndo
We are running: Stiamo correndo
Imperative/command:
Run (telling you, informal): Corri!
Run (you, formal): Corra!
Run (us, let's run!): Corriamo!
Now any runner is set to go to Italy and communicate the basics! Prego!
Friday, January 1, 2016
5 years later
Back in December 2010, one of the bloggers I've read the longest, Bella, got me into doing a series of prompts in December that were on such interesting topics.
One of the prompts in December 2010 was to write a letter to yourself going into 2011 from the year 2015. And I did it! And now, 5 years later, I'm still blogging, and it's going to be 2016 soon.
Here's my original post (and here was Bella's), I thought it would be fun to see where things stand now.
The prompt was awkwardly phrased, telling you to imagine yourself 5 years from now (in Dec. 2010) and give advice to your current self for the year ahead. I kind of blew that off, saying that I didn't really see any big changes in 2011 (other than knowing my 2 youngest brothers were getting married that year), and I was kind of hoping my life would be basically the same at the end of 2011 as it was at the end of 2010. The biggest struggle for me at the end of 2010 was that I didn't really like my job, but the rest of my life was pretty much just as I wanted it.
I chose to look at the question based on the main categories of how I define myself set out on my About Me page.
Runner. In late 2010 (almost 3 months after my first BQ), I figured that by late 2015, "I hopefully will have run Boston and requalified several times" and I'd have run several other marathons that were of interest, as well as a trail race and an ultra. And I'd still run with the same crew, and hoped 2 friends who had left our crew would be back.
Status: Well, I've run Boston and I have requalified on more than one occasion, but I'm not presently qualified, and I'm a long way from it! But running Boston and having the option to do so again was the real goal in 2010 looking toward 2015, and I've accomplished that. As to the other aspects of my 2010 running goals/predictions for 2015, I've made some progress. I have done a couple of the other marathons on my list, as well as a bunch of other marathons. But I didn't really run a trail race or an ultra -- I did a marathon that was partially on trails (the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon) and in training for that, I did 27 miles of walking while wearing the extra 40 pounds I carried on my back for that marathon. But neither of those are really what I envisioned 5 years ago as "doing a trail race" and "running an ultra." But as predicted in 2010, I still run with the same group of people. But sadly, my 2010 dream was that two of my favorite running buddies who both moved to Cali would move back to Dallas, and neither of them has (but I'm still in touch with both, just visited the So-Cal one (and his wife and son) this past summer!). But I've met some new running friends over the last half decade and those have been great experiences too.
Wife. In late 2010, I wanted 2015 to have us as a settled and secure married couple, who know each other well and think of each other first. I knew that would be tough (not just because I'd been unmarried for the first 30+ years of life), but I wanted to always think before speaking, to make more of an effort to let the little things go and to have the word "squadra" (Italian theme for our goal marriage) at the forefront of my actions.
Status: Going stronger than ever! Feel very secure and settled, but there are definitely times we each think of ourselves first, and less like a team. But I'm better about not sweating the small stuff, and we work on being a "squadra."
Vegetarian. Five years ago, it was easy to predict that I'd still be a vegetarian. I also predicted that I'd have even gone vegan on many days. In 2015, I wanted to be an adventurous cook, always trying new recipes and relying more frequently on homemade leftovers for lunch instead of frozen meals or restaurants.
Status: Definitely still a vegetarian. More vegan days since November 1, 2015 than probably in the last 5 years combined, but still far from being a real vegan. I'd say I'm a pretty adventurous cook, but I still don't cook enough. I work a lot and we go to bed usually not too long after I get home from work, so almost all weeknights it's something in the microwave (usually something from the in-store prepared meals section from the grocery). And it's leftovers for lunch maaaaybe once a month. When I cook on the weekend, there are usually leftovers, but I use those for other dinners and still eat Amy's frozen meals for lunch most days (though now vegan meals more often).
Dallas-dweller. In 2010, I wasn't certain where we'd be living today. I knew it was most likely the same place we lived in 2010, but there were thoughts of moving back near my parents or near my in-laws, or maybe even to near my husband's family in Italy. In 2010, my husband had said he really didn't want to move until 2016 or ideally after 2020. In 2010, my immediate hope was to make progress hammering down the mortgage in 2011.
Status: Same, same! Happily living in the same condo and no plans to move on the horizon. Earlier this year, I had a strong bug to move to San Fran, and I'd still love to do that, but my husband still isn't ready to change jobs and it's not really on the radar anymore. I did refinance the mortgage at least once, maybe even twice, and I'm working on paying it off ahead of schedule.
Attorney. In 2010, I expected that right now I'd still be a a practicing attorney and that I'd love my job. In late 2010, I knew the 2015 plan was likely going to require change from where I was in 2010, either by making some changes to how my 2010 job worked, or changing jobs. I also expected that in 2015 I'd be a zealous advocate for a pro bono cause dear to my heart, and doing what I can to help children who encounter worse circumstances in their living arrangement than most people can imagine or would ever want to consider.
Status: Success! Crazily enough, I changed jobs within about 3 months of writing out these predictions in 2010 and I'm still at that job. Up until a few weeks ago, I loved it more than I thought it was possible to love a job. The last couple months have been exceptionally stressful and yielded an unmanageable caseload, but that is presently slowly resolving. The last few weeks have also added some very stressful salary negotiations, but as of last week (a call with the president of the sub for which I work, after multiple conversations with my boss, and with the president of my division), it seems like the negotiations are going well and I'm optimistic it will get worked out within the next couple weeks. If it doesn't that will leave me in an awkward spot -- I don't want to change jobs, but I also don't want to be paid less than I believe (and apparently my boss, the president of my division, and the president of our sub) I deserve, it's just a matter of working out when and how that will happen. If they don't make it happen, I don't want to leave, but I might try to make myself look. It would all just be so much easier if they could just give me what I ask for immediately, sigh!
Traveler. In 2010, I was hoping that in 2015 I'd still go overseas every year, and roughly every other one of those trips would include Italy. I wanted to get better at speaking Italian and even learn some dialect. I planned on speaking Italian at home more and going back to an Italian conversation group, but adding some actual studying outside of class. I hoped that by 2015, I'd have "been to Egypt, India and/or China." I wanted to manage my work schedule and finances as needed to allow for an overseas trip each year, knowing that big trips overseas tend to strengthen our marriage, my perspective, and my sanity.
Status: I'd say success! We have gone overseas every year for the last five years (including trips to many places I've long dreamed of going), and there's nothing like planning a wedding in an isolated non-touristy part of Italy where you pretty much can't find a wedding planner to force your Italian language skills to improve! Unfortunately, even though I was able to communicate pretty easily a couple months ago in Italy, I don't work on my Italian as much as I should. I really would like to use it more at home (though prioritizing open and clear communication is certainly more important), I really should go back to conversation group (my husband still goes weekly), and I really should study on my own. I'd say I've met my actual travel goal -- I've been to India AND China (and I would have gone to Egypt, but for that political stuff...). And, to excuse my lack of Italian studying, in my defense, I've taken Chinese class for a pretty long time (though you wouldn't really know that to hear me speak). Honestly though, "learning" is something I should put more effort into going forward. Italian, Chinese, French or something new, I should just buckle down and spend at least an hour a week on it. I usually like trying to unplug on the weekends, but it's turned into lazily watching TV lately instead of even just pulling out a language book and working on it. Guess now's the perfect time to make some kind of resolution...
There was also a bonus question in December 2010, looking back at where I was 10 years earlier (December 2000) and thinking what advice I wished I'd had then. In December 2000, I had just found out I passed the bar and was settling into my first few months of work. The main thing lacking from my life then was work-life balance, and there were lots of dinners at work that were bad for my social life and my waistline. But in December 2010, I recognized that I was quite content, and everything in December 2000 worked out just right to lead me to where I was in December 2010.
I feel that same way now, looking back at December 2010. It all worked out just right. There were lots of changes between December 2000 and December 2010 (job change, starting running, dating, meeting and marrying my husband, etc.), but there have been very few changes between December 2010 and today (the primary one being my job), and I don't really expect much to change in the next 5 years. I'm actually hoping very little will change -- I'd be very content to still be running the same mileage, still traveling, still at the same job and in the same condo with the same guy, going to visit the same relatives...
If I get motivated, maybe I should now try to look ahead to December 2020... But that would be three posts within a week, and yow, that's just unsustainable these days!
One of the prompts in December 2010 was to write a letter to yourself going into 2011 from the year 2015. And I did it! And now, 5 years later, I'm still blogging, and it's going to be 2016 soon.
Here's my original post (and here was Bella's), I thought it would be fun to see where things stand now.
The prompt was awkwardly phrased, telling you to imagine yourself 5 years from now (in Dec. 2010) and give advice to your current self for the year ahead. I kind of blew that off, saying that I didn't really see any big changes in 2011 (other than knowing my 2 youngest brothers were getting married that year), and I was kind of hoping my life would be basically the same at the end of 2011 as it was at the end of 2010. The biggest struggle for me at the end of 2010 was that I didn't really like my job, but the rest of my life was pretty much just as I wanted it.
I chose to look at the question based on the main categories of how I define myself set out on my About Me page.
Runner. In late 2010 (almost 3 months after my first BQ), I figured that by late 2015, "I hopefully will have run Boston and requalified several times" and I'd have run several other marathons that were of interest, as well as a trail race and an ultra. And I'd still run with the same crew, and hoped 2 friends who had left our crew would be back.
Status: Well, I've run Boston and I have requalified on more than one occasion, but I'm not presently qualified, and I'm a long way from it! But running Boston and having the option to do so again was the real goal in 2010 looking toward 2015, and I've accomplished that. As to the other aspects of my 2010 running goals/predictions for 2015, I've made some progress. I have done a couple of the other marathons on my list, as well as a bunch of other marathons. But I didn't really run a trail race or an ultra -- I did a marathon that was partially on trails (the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon) and in training for that, I did 27 miles of walking while wearing the extra 40 pounds I carried on my back for that marathon. But neither of those are really what I envisioned 5 years ago as "doing a trail race" and "running an ultra." But as predicted in 2010, I still run with the same group of people. But sadly, my 2010 dream was that two of my favorite running buddies who both moved to Cali would move back to Dallas, and neither of them has (but I'm still in touch with both, just visited the So-Cal one (and his wife and son) this past summer!). But I've met some new running friends over the last half decade and those have been great experiences too.
Wife. In late 2010, I wanted 2015 to have us as a settled and secure married couple, who know each other well and think of each other first. I knew that would be tough (not just because I'd been unmarried for the first 30+ years of life), but I wanted to always think before speaking, to make more of an effort to let the little things go and to have the word "squadra" (Italian theme for our goal marriage) at the forefront of my actions.
Status: Going stronger than ever! Feel very secure and settled, but there are definitely times we each think of ourselves first, and less like a team. But I'm better about not sweating the small stuff, and we work on being a "squadra."
Vegetarian. Five years ago, it was easy to predict that I'd still be a vegetarian. I also predicted that I'd have even gone vegan on many days. In 2015, I wanted to be an adventurous cook, always trying new recipes and relying more frequently on homemade leftovers for lunch instead of frozen meals or restaurants.
Status: Definitely still a vegetarian. More vegan days since November 1, 2015 than probably in the last 5 years combined, but still far from being a real vegan. I'd say I'm a pretty adventurous cook, but I still don't cook enough. I work a lot and we go to bed usually not too long after I get home from work, so almost all weeknights it's something in the microwave (usually something from the in-store prepared meals section from the grocery). And it's leftovers for lunch maaaaybe once a month. When I cook on the weekend, there are usually leftovers, but I use those for other dinners and still eat Amy's frozen meals for lunch most days (though now vegan meals more often).
Dallas-dweller. In 2010, I wasn't certain where we'd be living today. I knew it was most likely the same place we lived in 2010, but there were thoughts of moving back near my parents or near my in-laws, or maybe even to near my husband's family in Italy. In 2010, my husband had said he really didn't want to move until 2016 or ideally after 2020. In 2010, my immediate hope was to make progress hammering down the mortgage in 2011.
Status: Same, same! Happily living in the same condo and no plans to move on the horizon. Earlier this year, I had a strong bug to move to San Fran, and I'd still love to do that, but my husband still isn't ready to change jobs and it's not really on the radar anymore. I did refinance the mortgage at least once, maybe even twice, and I'm working on paying it off ahead of schedule.
Attorney. In 2010, I expected that right now I'd still be a a practicing attorney and that I'd love my job. In late 2010, I knew the 2015 plan was likely going to require change from where I was in 2010, either by making some changes to how my 2010 job worked, or changing jobs. I also expected that in 2015 I'd be a zealous advocate for a pro bono cause dear to my heart, and doing what I can to help children who encounter worse circumstances in their living arrangement than most people can imagine or would ever want to consider.
Status: Success! Crazily enough, I changed jobs within about 3 months of writing out these predictions in 2010 and I'm still at that job. Up until a few weeks ago, I loved it more than I thought it was possible to love a job. The last couple months have been exceptionally stressful and yielded an unmanageable caseload, but that is presently slowly resolving. The last few weeks have also added some very stressful salary negotiations, but as of last week (a call with the president of the sub for which I work, after multiple conversations with my boss, and with the president of my division), it seems like the negotiations are going well and I'm optimistic it will get worked out within the next couple weeks. If it doesn't that will leave me in an awkward spot -- I don't want to change jobs, but I also don't want to be paid less than I believe (and apparently my boss, the president of my division, and the president of our sub) I deserve, it's just a matter of working out when and how that will happen. If they don't make it happen, I don't want to leave, but I might try to make myself look. It would all just be so much easier if they could just give me what I ask for immediately, sigh!
Traveler. In 2010, I was hoping that in 2015 I'd still go overseas every year, and roughly every other one of those trips would include Italy. I wanted to get better at speaking Italian and even learn some dialect. I planned on speaking Italian at home more and going back to an Italian conversation group, but adding some actual studying outside of class. I hoped that by 2015, I'd have "been to Egypt, India and/or China." I wanted to manage my work schedule and finances as needed to allow for an overseas trip each year, knowing that big trips overseas tend to strengthen our marriage, my perspective, and my sanity.
Status: I'd say success! We have gone overseas every year for the last five years (including trips to many places I've long dreamed of going), and there's nothing like planning a wedding in an isolated non-touristy part of Italy where you pretty much can't find a wedding planner to force your Italian language skills to improve! Unfortunately, even though I was able to communicate pretty easily a couple months ago in Italy, I don't work on my Italian as much as I should. I really would like to use it more at home (though prioritizing open and clear communication is certainly more important), I really should go back to conversation group (my husband still goes weekly), and I really should study on my own. I'd say I've met my actual travel goal -- I've been to India AND China (and I would have gone to Egypt, but for that political stuff...). And, to excuse my lack of Italian studying, in my defense, I've taken Chinese class for a pretty long time (though you wouldn't really know that to hear me speak). Honestly though, "learning" is something I should put more effort into going forward. Italian, Chinese, French or something new, I should just buckle down and spend at least an hour a week on it. I usually like trying to unplug on the weekends, but it's turned into lazily watching TV lately instead of even just pulling out a language book and working on it. Guess now's the perfect time to make some kind of resolution...
There was also a bonus question in December 2010, looking back at where I was 10 years earlier (December 2000) and thinking what advice I wished I'd had then. In December 2000, I had just found out I passed the bar and was settling into my first few months of work. The main thing lacking from my life then was work-life balance, and there were lots of dinners at work that were bad for my social life and my waistline. But in December 2010, I recognized that I was quite content, and everything in December 2000 worked out just right to lead me to where I was in December 2010.
I feel that same way now, looking back at December 2010. It all worked out just right. There were lots of changes between December 2000 and December 2010 (job change, starting running, dating, meeting and marrying my husband, etc.), but there have been very few changes between December 2010 and today (the primary one being my job), and I don't really expect much to change in the next 5 years. I'm actually hoping very little will change -- I'd be very content to still be running the same mileage, still traveling, still at the same job and in the same condo with the same guy, going to visit the same relatives...
If I get motivated, maybe I should now try to look ahead to December 2020... But that would be three posts within a week, and yow, that's just unsustainable these days!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Europe Recap: Venetian Food
Continuing tradition, while we are on vacation this year, I'm sharing some photos and details from last year's trip. Last year, you got to see China while we were in Europe. This year, you get to see Europe while we are in India!
Since it was toward the end of our trip and our stomachs had been sufficiently stretched by my husband's family in Lamezia, we ate a TON of food in Venice. Sadly, much of it was not very impressive, but we have fairly high standards for Italian food (did you see my earlier post about how we ate in Lamezia?).
My husband's favorite meal is pizza, fries, beer and gelato -- actually what we had for our rehearsal dinner in Pizzo, and now what we have every year at our annual rehearsal dinner celebration dinner party, where we invite all our Dallas friends who came to Italy for our wedding.
Anyway, his favorite meal was our first dinner in Venice, and probably one of the best meals we had there:
For dessert, cheeeeeese!!!
We also had pizza and fries as a meal one day near the Grand Canal, by far one of the worst meals I've had in Italy in my entire life. And pricey (for pizza) to boot. Bah to tourists!
Having spent about a week with my husband's family, we were thorougly in the habit of having full meals every day. That means a pasta dish, a secondo, and a salad. So we definitely ran up some expensive meals in Venice, I think many tourists don't eat a full Italian style meal, so in addition to being expensive, it was also a lot of food. Good thing our stomachs were already stretched and perhaps at peak capacity in my entire life!
For this meal, I went with gnocchi in a cheese-cream sauce (see why I gained weight??!!):
Salads (sorry the pics are out of order):
And my secondo was a plate of grilled vegetables, with polenta as a contorno:
Since it was toward the end of our trip and our stomachs had been sufficiently stretched by my husband's family in Lamezia, we ate a TON of food in Venice. Sadly, much of it was not very impressive, but we have fairly high standards for Italian food (did you see my earlier post about how we ate in Lamezia?).
My husband's favorite meal is pizza, fries, beer and gelato -- actually what we had for our rehearsal dinner in Pizzo, and now what we have every year at our annual rehearsal dinner celebration dinner party, where we invite all our Dallas friends who came to Italy for our wedding.
Anyway, his favorite meal was our first dinner in Venice, and probably one of the best meals we had there:
For dessert, cheeeeeese!!!
We also had pizza and fries as a meal one day near the Grand Canal, by far one of the worst meals I've had in Italy in my entire life. And pricey (for pizza) to boot. Bah to tourists!
Having spent about a week with my husband's family, we were thorougly in the habit of having full meals every day. That means a pasta dish, a secondo, and a salad. So we definitely ran up some expensive meals in Venice, I think many tourists don't eat a full Italian style meal, so in addition to being expensive, it was also a lot of food. Good thing our stomachs were already stretched and perhaps at peak capacity in my entire life!
For this meal, I went with gnocchi in a cheese-cream sauce (see why I gained weight??!!):
Salads (sorry the pics are out of order):
And my secondo was a plate of grilled vegetables, with polenta as a contorno:
And of course there was a little stroll and then some gelato...
Monday, November 3, 2014
Europe Recap: Venezia
Continuing tradition, while we are on vacation this year, I'm sharing some photos and details from last year's trip. Last year, you got to see China while we were in Europe. This year, you get to see Europe while we are in India!
Venice was our "together" part of the vacation. When we were in Berlin, a bunch of my friends and running buddies were there too. In Munich, we were with my bestie and her family, as well as my friend from high school. In Lamezia, we were with my husband's family. So Venice was finally a place for just the two of us.
Our hotel was fairly miserable. It would have been lovely if the air conditioning had been on, but it was not and they would not (claimed they could not) turn it on for the entire hotel. So we were stuck sleeping with open windows, which meant it was impossible to sleep because there would be the high-pitched whine of mosquitoes in your ear about every 3 minutes, or you could shut the window, and then it was so hot. My advice: Don't stay at the Hotel Colombina in October.
But there was nothing that could take away from the lovely days we had in Venice:
An ambulance boat:
This yacht was docked in the Grand Canal. The name: My Trust Fund. Wouldn't that be nice!
The Doge's Palace:
Looking down toward the Bridge of Sighs:
Cattedrale di San Marco:
Saint Mark's Square:
The procurate:
The Doge's Palace:
Art?
More from St. Mark's Square in Venice:
Masks for sale:
Inside San Marco:
Standing water on the floor of the church on one side:
Views of Venice from the Bell Tower:
A shirt for Bella:
Inside another church:
Marzipan concoctions:
I don't know why this guy isn't more famous, as you'll see in the picture below, he apparently lived to be 200!
The Grand Canal:
Inside another church:
The Grand Canal at sunset was probably one of our favorite half hours of the trip. Pictures taken from the Ponte Realto:
La Fenice opera house:
The Ponte Realto:
More Doge's Palace:
On our gondola ride, the first one of my life!!!!
Going under low bridges:
Our gondolier:
Ponte Realto as seen from our gondola:
The former prison:
My favorite photo of the entire trip? Heading out into the Grand Canal right at sunset:
Going under the Bridge of Sighs:
Venice was remarkable. I'd been there multiple times (first in college, and most recently before this trip in about 2000 for a friend's wedding). Going someplace amazing with the love of your life is wonderful, even if it's somewhere that you've been before. But I generally like seeing new things and sometimes a later visit to a city won't measure up to the first in some way or another. You can never recreate your first impression formed on your first visit to a city. So many places in this world are equally wonderful if explored on your own, with friends, with your parents, or with a love, but Venice is one place I can unequivocally say I found to be infinitely more wonderful when visited while in love.
My husband in general isn't big on cities in Northern Italy. He's Calabrian at heart to be sure. But he agreed that Venice has a certain magic. As far a cities go, we both prefer Rome, but experiencing Venice together is something we'll never forget!
Venice was our "together" part of the vacation. When we were in Berlin, a bunch of my friends and running buddies were there too. In Munich, we were with my bestie and her family, as well as my friend from high school. In Lamezia, we were with my husband's family. So Venice was finally a place for just the two of us.
Our hotel was fairly miserable. It would have been lovely if the air conditioning had been on, but it was not and they would not (claimed they could not) turn it on for the entire hotel. So we were stuck sleeping with open windows, which meant it was impossible to sleep because there would be the high-pitched whine of mosquitoes in your ear about every 3 minutes, or you could shut the window, and then it was so hot. My advice: Don't stay at the Hotel Colombina in October.
But there was nothing that could take away from the lovely days we had in Venice:
An ambulance boat:
This yacht was docked in the Grand Canal. The name: My Trust Fund. Wouldn't that be nice!
The Doge's Palace:
Looking down toward the Bridge of Sighs:
Cattedrale di San Marco:
Saint Mark's Square:
The procurate:
The Doge's Palace:
Art?
More from St. Mark's Square in Venice:
Masks for sale:
Inside San Marco:
Standing water on the floor of the church on one side:
Views of Venice from the Bell Tower:
A shirt for Bella:
Inside another church:
Marzipan concoctions:
I don't know why this guy isn't more famous, as you'll see in the picture below, he apparently lived to be 200!
The Grand Canal:
Inside another church:
The Grand Canal at sunset was probably one of our favorite half hours of the trip. Pictures taken from the Ponte Realto:
La Fenice opera house:
The Ponte Realto:
More Doge's Palace:
On our gondola ride, the first one of my life!!!!
Going under low bridges:
Our gondolier:
Ponte Realto as seen from our gondola:
The former prison:
My favorite photo of the entire trip? Heading out into the Grand Canal right at sunset:
Going under the Bridge of Sighs:
Venice was remarkable. I'd been there multiple times (first in college, and most recently before this trip in about 2000 for a friend's wedding). Going someplace amazing with the love of your life is wonderful, even if it's somewhere that you've been before. But I generally like seeing new things and sometimes a later visit to a city won't measure up to the first in some way or another. You can never recreate your first impression formed on your first visit to a city. So many places in this world are equally wonderful if explored on your own, with friends, with your parents, or with a love, but Venice is one place I can unequivocally say I found to be infinitely more wonderful when visited while in love.
My husband in general isn't big on cities in Northern Italy. He's Calabrian at heart to be sure. But he agreed that Venice has a certain magic. As far a cities go, we both prefer Rome, but experiencing Venice together is something we'll never forget!
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