Castello

This week has been quite stressful.  I know that sounds rather strange, because a mission is supposed to be nice and happy and only good things happen.  But, with 29 new missionaries coming next Wednesday, we are still not positive that we will have places for them to live.  The plan was to open at least 6 new apartments plus close one that we must get out of and squeeze in the other missionaries where we can.  This will make almost all of the missionaries living 4 to an apartment.

As everyone in the office works to makes sure it will come off smoothly, the major problems have been the Italians and their ways.  It seems like nothings happens very fast.  Besides the fact that August has been the national vacation month, very few people have been available.  When they are available they are very upset and want everything to happen right now on their terms.  It has been difficult to keep a cool head and only worry and work on things that I can control.

Besides that it is the end of the month and there several month end tasks I must do for the 1st time by myself.  I ended up working from 7am to noon on Saturday to get everything done.  With that and other things that keep being added to our workload we felt that we were caught up and could take half a day off and go see The Castello.

We drove to our nearest subway station, hopped on and came up at the Piazza del Castello and saw these two statues in front of us. If you look in the background of these two you can see the entrance to the castle.

I think this guy makes wine

 

And this one makes bread

 

Nice fountain in front of the Castello.  This was a very popular tourist spot.  Several large tour groups going through with this individual headsets listening to the guide ramble on.  lots of people.  quite a few folks selling hand bags and other items on the grounds.

 



Entrance to the Castle (I must of moved on this picture - Sorry)

There were two enormous Ramparts? on either front corner.

The front gate was gigantic.  you can see old archways on either side that have been bricked over.

And of course a moat in front of the castle

On the back side of the castle was a immense park that covered about 5 times the size of the castle.  In the distance there appears to be an arch.  We did not walk that far to check it out.

Back side of the castle with its moat.  Notice the vines that were killed off and are starting to grow again.

Inside the castle grounds were many court yards and buildings that housed several museums. 

Here is an interesting fresco with an elephant.

The art work and architecture around the courtyards was amazing.

Here is the main courtyard. 

A few of the ancient statues and carvings

Many, many old columns and architectural items from the ancient times.

Main entrance coming back out.  There were fantastic apartment and office buildings built along the streets surrounding the grounds.

I have never had a class on architecture, but this stuff us pretty interesting.  We bought some post cards and wandered around the square.

Then this street looked interesting so we walked down it.  The stores and shops were all very modern and designer type clothing.  Many street restaurants along here (the kitchens must have been in the basement of these buildings.

There were several interesting folks along the walk, but I liked this guy best of all.  A happy Italian playing typical Italian music on his accordion. Look at that smile.

Here is a guy that was carving very intricate items out of food!  There were flowers and even shrimp.

We then found ourselves at a different metro stop.  Perfecto!  If you look carefully at this picture you can see the Galleria on the far left and the spires of the Duomo in the distance between the statue base and the large building.  We were at the metro stop between the Duomo and the Castello.  A perfect place to catch our ride back to the car.  We stopped at a Supermercato we had not been to before (the largest one we been at so far) and purchased a bunch of stuff for the dinner we are hosting at our apartment for the new missionaries on Wednesday evening.  We will have more to tell about that next week.  Take Care.  We love it here.  Love Marv & Peg

 

Yesterday at a new store, we finally found real tortillas, salsa, and refried beans.  And maple syrup.  Ahhh, the tastes of home.  We are going to dinner at a member's home this coming week  She is Scottish and is married to an Italian.  She is in our ward at church.  We will be home teaching a really nice family that is from the Philipines, he works at the consulate here. 

 

Yesterday and today, the Rome mission president and wife were here.  There was a big priesthood meeting for all the stakes, districts and missions in Italy.  They will be dividing the Rome stake soon.  The church is really growing here.  The temple being built in Rome has done a lot for the growth of the church and the members here.  The Rome mission president also served a mission in Italy around the same time I was here.  We had a lovely little visit when they came to look at our apartment.  Then we picked up both of the wives for church today as their husbands went to the meeting.  We really enjoyed hearing about the Rome mission.  It is very big and includes Malta and Sardinia and Sicily.  The mission home is the same one since I was here the first time.  It is a villa and when they receive new missionaries they all stay in the villa - it is really big.  My mom used to stay there on her mission to care for the mission president's 11 children when they had to be gone around the mission.  It sounds like it is a lot bigger and hotter than Milano. 

 

Friday we needed haircuts  so we made appointments at the same salon the missionaries go to.  Now we know why.  Talk about pampering. From the moment you get there you are treated so nicely.  They give head massages, sprinkle sweet conditioner on your hair, give the best haircut either one of us has ever had - very exacting and particular - and then spray you with their own special brand of cologne (one for men and one for women).  It was heavenly.  All of that for almost the same price as in the states.  We will be returning there.  They were all so nice and tried to  speak any English they had.  We have found that for the most part people here are kind and friendly. 

 

So far the only really grumpy people have been the people at the various utility companies we deal with.  One lady I end up talking to the most is kind of grinchy but now when she calls,she s p e a k s   v e r y   s l o w l y   t o    m e.  But only at first, after a minute she begins to rattle on again very quickly and I simply stare at the phone and hope I have the right info.  But by and large, we have been treated very well by the Italians.  Many seem pleased to practice their English and praise our efforts to speak their language. The shopkeepers usually are so kind and offer us things.  We love it here and are so glad we have this opportunity to serve.  This experience has helped us grow an stretch and use our brains a lot  It also keeps us physically busy too.  I wish all of you could be here to have this much fun.  Please come if you can.  Italy is a wondrous place and is waiting to ensnare your heart as it has ours.

Bergamo

This week we were not sure where we should go on our Saturday outing.  It is still Fieragosto where most of the Italians go on vacation for some or usually all of the month of August. They either go to the beach or the mountains.  So we did not want to go where the crowds were.  Thursday in the office Anziano Modugno (a native Italian missionary from southern Italy) said we should go to Bergamo, a city less than an hour away.  Bergamo is beautiful!

We are driving thru Bergamo and can see the old, upper city ahead.

Bergamo old city, was built on a hill.  the newer city is built down below.  When we got here we drove to the upper city and found a funicular that took us up above the upper city

What a view!

Nice view of the city below - see the cell tower on the right?

Italy provides free foot massages as you walk around.

This is the driveway for one of the homes perched on this hillside.  Not too easy in winter?

 

Grapes were growing everywhere in the people's yards. 

 

 How would you like to live here?

 

This is the central plaza in Bergamo and is lovely.

 

You can still see parts of the original frescoes on the houses in the town. 

This is the cathedral. Although we think these are very narrow streets, people do drive cars here to get to their homes surrounding the church.

This cathedral is one the most ornate we have seen over here.  There were many ancient tapestries hung around the church and many paintings on wood and plaster.  There were inlaid wood tablets that were stunning.

Tapestries were everywhere

 

These are the wood panels that are amazing.  This one is about Noah and the Ark

A painting of the last supper

This is a wood door many centuries old and very intricate.

Big trucks drive down these streets and you just squeeze yourselves along the wall when they come by.

The views from the high city were breathtaking.  This city is very old and at one point was conquered by the Venetians.  The city has many examples of stone lions.  The winged lion was the symbol of the Venetian doges (leaders) They were not popular.  But now they use them everywhere in the city - part of its tourism.

The mountains are the foothills of the Alps.  Everything is lush and verdant.

This is one of the few cities that sustains very little damage from WWII

These romans knew how to build things that last!

We loved Bergamo.  The views were fantastic on every side.  We rode the funiculare up to the citta alta (the high city) and could see for miles.  Then  we went back down the funiculare and walked and walked and walked up and down in the citta basso (the lower city).  Everywhere we looked it was gorgeous.  In modern buildings you could see doors that were centuries old still being used.  The juxtaposition was so interesting and part of Italy's charm.  We wandered hither and yon.  In the alta citta the homes were perched on the hillsides.  We decided to drive thru the rest of the city and couldn't find any restaurants open and ended up going to McDonalds.  Ironic huh?  Oh, well they always have clean bathrooms over here.  There are not many public bathrooms and many are shared by men and women. 

 

The drive home was lovely and always interesting.  We love being able to spend Saturdays seeing this beautiful country.  We are gearing up for 28 new missionaries in a week and a half so we work long hours each day.  It is exciting to see them arrive and get their first look around.  We hope some of you come to visit us and see the wonders here. 

 

We get to go to the questura (police and immigration center) Monday afternoon (it will probably take all afternoon and involves an hour long metro ride each way) as our permesso di soggiorno are ready. (our visa is to get into the country, the permesso di soggiorno is to stay in the country.)  Seeing as the permesso costs 160 euro to get and must be renewed about every year and the renewal fee is 140 euro, I think it is a way to bring money into the economy. The couples seem to get their permessi quickly and the young missionaries have long waits. 

 

We are getting the hang of our work and learning how much time to allocate to each task.  Marv is always busy with the financial aspects of the mission, paying rents, getting the missionaries their monthly allotment, etc.  I work with the permessi, work with the housing contracts, and am now the fleet coordinator ( I take care of the mission cars - all of them).  It is never boring in the office. 

 

It is cooling down some here and yesterday we had a huge storm that blew in.  Today is windy but still bright and sunny.  We just heard that our sweet Abigail broke her arm and is in the hospital (should be home in awhile today)  Since our day starts eight hours before theirs, it is hard to realize the actual time here versus the time there.  At the office, if we need to call Salt Lake City, we have to wait until four in the afternoon here to talk to them at eight in the morning.  Italians also use a twenty four clock - so three pm is 15:00 and so on.  Also they write the day then the month and the year.  So today is 25/8/2013.  It is easy to get confused at times.  But most Italians are very helpful.  Though when you call for help with a utility company, no one is helpful and are often cranky.  The hang up if you don't speak Italian well.  Also, we got a couple of bills and there was no address listed, just the payment amount.  As we have over fifty apartments we called to see which apartment the bill was for.  The utility told us they didn't have that information and could not tell us which apartment the bill was for.  Rather frustrating.  Business is very different here. 

 

When we open a new apartment, you have to pay the agents fee up front, the security deposit, sign the contract before they do, and have to put in everything in the apartment - the cabinets and appliances, sink, etc. and usually also put in the bathroom fixtures.  Nothing is done quickly.  But it is all part of the adventure.  We wouldn't be anywhere else at this time of our lives.  What a blessing to be here and serve our Heavenly Father. 

 

We fall more in love with Italy each day.  We are making friends - our cashier in the COOP (co-op to us - cope to them) is very friendly and greets us each time we shop there.  We are very happy here.  We do miss our family a lot - thank heavens for Skype and phones and email.  We just heard Abby is out of the hospital on her way home.  Hurray.  Wish we were to sign her cast.  Well, time to go.  Take care and know we think of all of you often.  Wish you here with us.  Ciao!

Pavia

This week was hectic so we decided to stay close to home on Saturday and went about twenty miles away to the city of Pavia.  It is a nice little town and was very quiet.  We visited the duomo there (there is duomo - cathedral - in every city).  They are amazing and most are very old.  Here you can see the remains of a tower that fell only a few years ago. 

The front door is about 30 ft high.  I am amazed how they get the hinges to be square.

Again the streets are tiny in parts of the city.  Lots of cobblestones too.  After visiting the Duomo and a few calls from the Mission President we sat down at a sidewalk café and had Orange juice and chocolate filled croissants  They were delicious!

Everyone seemed to be walking down this one street.  So did too!

There are street performers usually in the city center (main piazza) mimes, musicians, even Mickey Mouse (topolino here).  People dance with dummies dressed up in flashy costumes, etc.  It gives a lot of atmosphere.

Just one of the usual gorgeous buildings present everywhere.

This scene is in one of the small parks everywhere.

This is the University of Pavia - Columbus graduated from this university.  In many of the pictures of Columbus, he is wearing a kind of flat hat that covers his ears and is nearly to his shoulders.  It appears to be the same hat worn by many of the illustrious graduates of this university.  In any of the statuary and stonework effigies the same hat is present.
 

These statutes are of more modern day heads of the university.  They like to see themselves in stone a lot.  There are tons of statutes or stone effigies everywhere you look in any city.  There are a lot inside the churches as well.

Usually these stone pieces give a bit of history to identify the people and places.

This little house was very ornate and around the back there were funny little cupolas and towers . We tried to get where we could take pictures but the traffic flow did not allow us to stop.

Believe it or not - these are rice paddies.  We are surrounded by rice fields.  That is why there are so many mosquitos.  This field was right next to the monastery we visited.

This is the monastery.  We didn't get in - Italians take their two hour lunch very seriously and so it was closed when we got there.  As it was a very hot day, we just walked around it.

It is a lovely setting though. After we left, we came across this tiny little restaurant with a "tourist" menu.  It was just a married couple, the dining room was upstairs and lovely and cool.  The man cooked all the food which was wonderful.  We had an appetizer (antipasti) of homemade bread and a pepper salsa.  Then we had the prima piatta (first course) of really delicious spaghetti with a fresh basil and tomato sauce ( a whole 12 inch skillet full).  Then for the seconda piatta (second course) we had grilled sausages with chilled grilled vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, peppers) Normally the vegetables are served separately as a third course (contorni), But the man knew we were Americans and asked if we wanted our vegetables with our meat.   It too was so good. Then we had fresh chilled cantaloupe for the last course.  All for about 18 dollars each.  The atmosphere, the music, the couple who owned it made it worth every penny.  Speaking of new experiences, when we shop for groceries, things are a little different here.  As you can see from this next picture.

 

 

We get the whole experience including the smell.  Needless to say, we are not squid fans.  The stores have many different kinds of foods.  We do try many but not this.  We try many of the different stores to find our food.  We will try a German based store this week.  Every shopping trip is an adventure.   So far we have found almost everything we need.  Pavia was a nice little trip. 

 

 



Random pictures and teaching

Here are a couple of random things that we have run into over the past couple of weeks that folks may find interesting.

First - We go to church each Sunday morning to the Navigli ward. Navigli is the name of an old shipping canal that runs from the lakes up north through south east Milano and south to Pavia.  The canal is no longer used to ship barges since 1978 but is still used for irrigation. Any way take a look at the way they park in front of the church.

Yes, the marked parking space is half on the road and half on the side walk. 

Also, while we were in Torino last week, we were shopping in an open street market and bought some of these. 

Yes, this is a peach. But it is flat. About the diameter as a normal peach, but only half the height. The flesh is a very pale white, and the flavor is a mix between peach and apricot. Very good. We will buy more the next time we see them. 

Almost everything is a new experience. Does all of this new discovery and learning make you young?  I hope so.  We are certainly engaged and busy in our work and doing all we can to enjoy the people and our time here. 

For the past couple of weeks, I have been helping the Navigli sister missionaries teach a guy. We meet with him a couple times a week.  The 1st time Peg and I attended the Navigli ward we were asked to come to the front and bare our testimonies. I kind of stumbled though mine in broken Italian and Peg translated for them. Jimmy, our investigator we are teaching, was there and I guess was quite taken by what I had to say. Anyway he seems to like me, so I have been doing what I can in the lessons. 4 to 5 times during each lesson (which I am catching about 10% of), everyone turns to me asks me a question. I answer in English and the sisters translate into Italian. I feel the Spirit when I am in these lessons. Anyway, this past Thursday he committed himself to baptized mid September with no prodding by the sisters. And he was very specific he wants me to baptize him and I must do it in 'Americana'.  Very interesting. I am very happy to lend what little assistance I can.  The church is true!