Mum used to recite, "Only a true friend shows you a mirror.".
The one above says, "True words aren´t always nice. Nice words aren´t always true.".
She´d loved this and I´m sad I cannot present her with this cool piece of art, so similar to ours - of the making, wooden planks - in the "hall":
Shoot. At times I really miss her.
And her words.
At the same time I´m glad she gave me those words, certainly.
To you, Mum.
I´m kinda coming to terms with the loss.
At times.
Sunday morning after an early brekkie we took off direction Lucca.
When we went past the markets J said, hmm the smell, huh ;-)
Ingo said he´s used to it, he comes from a village.
I said, I grew up in a city. J: Not that much! ;-)
It was a small town! ;-)
We really were a funny group!
When we arrived in Lucca our Italian guide, who´d hopped on the bus a while ago, asked J to drive around Lucca first so we can see the thick intact Renaissance-era city walls.
After that loop we came to a carousel, more laughing, we don´t have to pay for that, we have J!
I really do like these typical blinds here:
Typical for Lucca are the lights around the windows - they´re lit by hand, each single one (they had a festival in the evening):
Another typical are those bars, signaling: I´m rich!
Our guide Nada, who´d told us what her name in other languages means and that she has no idea if there is a German meaning, which was (correctly!) dryly commented by J with: haha, nothing!!!, brought us into the cathedral just in time:
Arty, I´d say!
It was raining when we came out.
Like... heavily, rather!
G took me under her poncho whist Ingo, who had at least a cap, took an umbrella from one of the many, many, many ... refugees (?), selling those quickly.
And here is one the aries we heard on the bus the day before:
Bummer. Ingo wasn´t blurring the "I imagine Homer Simpson lying on his back" into the silence but into my movie, LOL!
And one of the family towers:
They were as high as possible by static back then. The trees made them even higher - the enemy just saw the trees behind the gigantic wall and had to assume it´s just a forrest, not a city, clever, no?
Plus they meant: I am rich.
If cars were allowed in the city you´d find heaps of Porsche, Audi TT and all (but let´s not start on Volkswagen-group here, right?!)...
We had an hour to ourselves before getting back on the bus.
A tiny take-away-shop.
Margerita-heaven, even better than the one before!!!
We made it in time and through rain to the bus. Which was not there!
A sec later J arrived and hit a PET-bottle. MY! Was the sound of a pistol-shot, did we jump!
Well, me at least.
In the rain we headed on direction Pisa.
The title?
Due to the rain I was not able to buy a Pinoccio-marionette for Niece.
Which is sad, the story was developed right there!
But saying I bought it in Lucca.... nah. My nose might just grow insanely, no? ;-)
G was putting on Volksmusik some aria(s) of Giacomo Puccini on the bus to prepare us for Lucca for the next day.
Into a pause of silence Ingo blurred, "I just imagine Homer lying down!" :-)
And J over the mike, when G was done and over with it:
"You sure may have noticed my singing-voice is a tad different to my talking-voice."
We sure were a very serious bunch of peeps :-)
Certainly we got an extra-round in the roundabout before J parked the bus.
Serious driver he is.
We got a guide, "the lovely Susanne", as she introduced herself.
Sadly she spoke to us as if we´re three-year-olds.
I guess after 15 minutes Ingo turned the sound off...
But anyways we got to know what we see, like Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, "the oldest surviving bank in the world and Italy's third largest bank."
The funny, colorful animals were to be found all around:
Where once a year horses are the champs at the Palio di Siena:
We had a break to have cool beer - ahhh, bliss, it was 28C, sunny!!! - and Ingo asked me to take a cam to the loo:
Later we finally, finally, finally found the very first real Italian pizza.
It was culinary heaven.
A simple Pizza Margerita. Heaven!
I had to turn 43 before having one, can you believe that? And I´m living in Europe, only Austria is between "us"!
And we had an even better one coming!
Funny sign, "for free (not for groups)"!
€ 2,50, we had a nice chat (in English), too.
The landscape in the dimming light was described as a "carpet of colors" by G, awwww, it made it really more artful! She was a wonderful guide!
When we were back inside the bus G asked J, "and? What did you do?".
J: "I cleaned the windows. ... and had an ice cream."
LOL.
Bus-driver on duty!
At the road charge system J´s Austostrada-card did not come back out! The system said it has expired, there was nothing to do about that.
Next roundabout... J did it twice anyways.
Ingo to J (we sat in second row for the entire journey): "Back in '93, when I was in Australia for the first time, with my Bro, we drove five times through the roundabout while the other tried to read the map (German: "card", same word)!"
J: "As long as the card was still there!"
J, later: "Now I have to beg for money to get through the road charge system! :-)"
Someone from behind: "You can also sing an arie! :-)"
J: "Money, Money, Money...."
Back in Montecatini Therme a car was parking in the way.
J: "I can just hit him. Why would only I have bad luck today?!", refering to the card (with a smile).
Someone: "We can perform as chorus to get you money for the transfers!"
J: "Great idea! I go and have dinner meanwhile! :-)"
The evening before Ingo and I went to the markets and they had a huge problem with the sewerage, the whole place smelled like sh###, so we went back to the hotel.
In the morning J asked where we´d been and when we passed by the markets on the way home, J asked - over the mike, "Hey, Ingo, should I open the window?!"
The peeps in the back of the bus must´ve thought we take "something" up in front, no?!
Happy Birthday, "old" man ;-) (You´re always as old as you feel, remember our fellow guys from Saxony on our trip to Italy, throughout Tuscany, right? Sooooöööö...)
Off to Ingo´s parents now for a surprise-meal. Even his Bro and family plan to come. And (the rest of) mine.
To the next fifty years!
P.S:: Can you believe this man as lille fella grabbed the cable of the boiling water-kettle and it all went over his face?
I get the newsletter of Braunschweig´s events. Time warp: Maidservant Elke at the end of the Middle Ages in Braunschweig
Now that does sound interesting, no?
Ad in on Wed evening.
It needs registration. Thursday morning...
I called. At 09:10. ... 10:10... you get the idea?
Answering machine ...
We went for the blue, two ladies waiting, too.
No one showed up!
The ladies said they´ll call the guide and complain.
Pffff.
We went to the tourist info (after we waited 15 minutes!) cause I (yes, me!! I learn!) wanted to complain.
I did!
Like... not your fault, but... you cannot improve without the info...
See pic above.
That happens when I "complain" (I just wanted to help, it went via Braunschweig, not via the guide!).
We got an espresso for free (and the cuppas are soooo cute, we have... HAVE (!) to buy a set, who wins, huh? ;-)...).
Aaaand.
Tap-water for free!!!!!
Am I in Perth/some advanced place/not in Germany??
Ingo said, the coffee is great, can you prepare it for me to use (grind?).
He sent us to another place!!!
Hello!
Germany is waking up after all!!
I was always seeing it with eyes wide open like a kid as an adult when company A said "go to B" in Australia - not possible in Germany.
Who knows?
Maybe East-Germany helps "us" developing, huh?
We got tap-water for free!
In glasses, stylish.
One day.... in a bottle, right? :-)
So, since yesterday we´re offically in meteorological Autumn.
I went to the CGS to finally get the laptop (again). Ingo couldn´t join me but had the fantastic idea to also take a large backpack to carry that super-heavy dinosaur-laptop home :-)
My colleague (also Iris (Earis in German, see comment in last post!)) jumped up when I entered and we chatted for at least half an hour :-)
And, yes, she pointed out well: I´m a dinosaur, too!
I told her about the five books I took to Italy and was too tired to read and hence carried them back.
Next time, really. E-book!!!!
Well... fantastic idea with the backpack?
That certainly made room for... You know... the most dangerous shop in Braunschweig is juuuust around the corner of CGS...
I left €60 there.
But could you resist a book called "Very well, Mum, you butt-bomb"?!
Well. When we visit Monk Ajahn Brahm in Perth next time, isn´t the Dalai Lama a good lecture, too?
And "Put on your seatbelt or a unicorn will die!"... I have two Nieces, I can use funny tips, right? And when I´m done I can give it to Bro and SIL or P, who has twin girls.
"Extreme Self Care" - I think this book can help me.
Mum certainly wanted my best. But I never learned to see myself as "important".
The way back....
Does this look like Aut... I don´t wanna jinx it, right?
I´m a tad lazy today, bloggy-wise, sneezing my head off and also giving feedback to our tour-guide´s description (she really asked about our naked guy in our kitchen! ;-)...), so I only leave you with some funnies we stumbled upon.
Yes, where? The "right" one, huh?
OK, this is just kinda cute:
Awww. These were put up only three days before we went, we were told, loooooove!
Aaaand one more sneeze. Keep your fingers crossed I´m ok, last thing I need is a flu or something!
I got plans!
I´m back to low-carb (after yummy Italy), I was so darn worn out - it was no holiday, really.
Brekkie: 07:00 am. Dare to not be there by 06:54 - you´re doomed.
Study. Info, info, info,...
Long nights anyways.
Being over 40.
HA! Now THAT does not help! ;-)
But next week I wanna really, really beat autumn-blues and get finally (!!!) back to my workout.
Maybe even no-carb for a week or two.
Funny, weird. A new series is on TV, I only listen, typing here.
And they pronounce my name in English.
HUH?
Everything is translated but my name.
Weird, I´m out!
On Saturday morning we traveled South to the farm Montaioncino.
Nice was J stopping our huge bus to let cars pass by from time to time.
At the meet-up the farmer who was to lead us was nowhere to be found.
G picked up her map and said, I look for him, maybe he recognises the map.
J: The bus might be a tad bigger and easier to spot? :-)
Did I mention we had fun?
Also nice of G: We´re not consumers, we´re connoisseurs :-)
We met, made the way up there and saw...
They have...
... a wonderful view....
... and work to do!
When we went inside the whole family brought us the most yummiest produce!
It was so sweet to see how involved the founder and patriarch was!
Always busy. Reckon he easily was in his 90´s and so fit!
That happens when you keep alert instead of sitting in a nursing home, doing nothing, being unloved...
The yummy olive oil, high quality - and so cheap for our standards:
Nonno Duilio had difficulties to understand (in Italian) Ingo actually is not allowed wine at all and that also I had to be careful, being not used to wine.
He always smiled at me encouraging me to take a weeeee bit more :-)
Sadly the cheese was not for sale, but we really did take oil and two bottles of wine!
Clever Ingo put our names on it before the chaos even could begin :-)
Nonno Duilio proudly stood beside the bus and waved us good-bye :-)
The way back, by golly, J really did a great job again!
A tad "bitter" - the couple sitting in front of us...
Imagine this: Brekkie-time, buffet.
I want another coffee and Ingo says, oh, bring me another breadroll when you´re up anyways.
Four breadrolls were left, the woman sitting in front of me took three.
Not to eat straight away even.
Every day at lunchtime, when we were in the bus, they had those breadrolls with them.
Any idea how bad the smell is of overly warm snag after hours?
I thought, oh my, maybe they really used their very last money to be able to make this trip at all.
He´s a dentist, she´s working, too, J found out.
A very yummy piece of pizza is €2,50.
But let´s not end in a negative way here!
First: We weren´t drunk, I just stop here cause it would be waaaay too much :-)
Second: My very first wine tasting was a success!
It was fun and yummy with the "food", too.
We had a chatty time and nonno Duilio made it a great experience, too!
I really could taste differences and despite we´re no wine-drinkers we also took two of the yummiest sorts.
And I came home with a useful pressie for Bro, too :-)
And... I was wearing my red Elmo-shirt and got smiles everywhere :-)
If you care about the salad-thingy, please read the comment to
this post - thanks
Grace, I am a happy salad now (still a tad afraid of Big´s words not coming true...)
