| Febbraio 2012 |
| Happy February! FA FREDDO . It is minus 3, there is snow on the ground, it finally stopped snowing and it is SUNNY. Joe and Zaven even had a snow day today...lucky Baci is koo koo for snow - he just blitzes arounds bites it and rolls in it. So funny. Skiing Saturday Sestriere - the Torino Olympic park area 2 febbraio 2012 |
| Above: Angelo the proprietor of L'Ange Bianc - I was laughing because it is minus 10 and yet his shirt is unbuttoned - I know we were inside, but still... |
| Baci the snow dog! Below: Did you know Moon Boots don't really have a right or left? Pretty much shapeless. I wish I had them when I was 3. I love my Karin hand me down Moon Boots - Thanks K! |
| Dolomiti Superski! Val di Fassa Av & Susi flew in this morning & are at home with Baci. Zaven has a very full social agenda so I doubt he will see his brother until we get home on Friday. Just arrived, it is gorgeous and very German - when I lived in DE I thought Sudtirol was part of Germany (because so many Germans came here to ski), uh actually it is part of Italy and Austria is in the middle but Trentino ~ Alto Adige ~ Sudtirol swing between both languages so an easy destination for Germans. Our hotel is literally at the bottom of one of the main gondolass. Yay! Tickets bought and ready for a full day of sun and skiing tomorrow. 21-24 febbraio 2012 |
| Dolomiti Superski Valle di Fasse Day 2 Sun, Sun, Sun We hit the slopes at 8.30 and it was wonderful. The snow is nice and it isn't too crowded. Yes, I finally got a different parka - which makes me look like a sausage (because I am wearing a down jacket underneath and a fleece and two other shirts - although ended up shedding the fleece because it really isn't freezing), so not flattering but I like the color. Tomorrow Sellaronda - 42 kilometer loop |
| Joe discovered his super reflective goggles are great for taking pictures. It was really luxurious to not have to wait for anyone, so we had more time to stop a few times to drink wine, beer, grappa, hot cocoa, cafe or a tea and take silly pictures. In addition to Germans, the joint is crawling with Eastern Europeans. International English is spoken badly here - but it works. We were talking to a lift guy and he asked us why we spoke Italian....Um because we live here. |
| Sellaronda ~ Dolomiti Superski Day 3 Yesterday was the cruisy, fun, take it easy day and today was the ginormaous kill yer burnin legs loop. Mamma mia! 42 kilometer tour the SELLARONDA around the Gruppo Del Sella - those big rocks behind Joe and I in the all the photos. After a not early night with some of Joe's colleagues, who are in the area skiing, we were up before 6.00 AM - ugh and on the slopes by 8.00. Ok, so this loop should be 42 kilometers - you can go clockwise or counter clockwise - it's very odd to go up a lift or gondola and keep going forward vs. coming down the way you came up. Anyway, we made excellent time to spite being lost and taking a 10K detour. Oh the bad words I was saying. We did this loop in 4 hours if you don't count the detour to Wolfenstein or wherever it was - I was annoyed and asking Joe if we warped to Austria because NO ONE was speaking Italian. I decided it is good to be behind Germans in line but not so nice to be in front of them. Of course there was a ton of skiing but also a lot of riding lifts, funivia and gondolas. We arrived back at the beginning around lunch time and had the most amazing food - like after that many kilometers I could have eaten that Ox I am under. Not sure what that Dolomiti Ox thing is, but after our lunch and a bottle of local wine (LaGrein - notes of blackberry and chocolate) we decided to ski under it and actually do some more skiing. REALLY because 55K wasn't enough. Che cazzo, what were we thinking? The Sellaronda tour is amazing and we were happy to have done it - even if we got lost and were cursing the crappy map and not the best marked runs. Next time we won't get lost. 23 febbraio 2012 Update: Home - Spring is here - sitting in the sun on the Portico, 20 degrees - love it. Av and Susi went to Milano, tonight sushi and tomorrow Firenze. 24 febbraio 2012 |
Un Giorno a Firenze
Av wanted to go to Firenze to
take photos - we went to the
Uffizi and other museums. After
waiting in the crazy long line
outside the Uffizi for a bit Joe
realized we could just go to
another window and make
reservations for right NOW-
duh. Sadly, Av got some
photos in before he was told
he couldn't take pictures, he
was not happy and we don't
love museums even if they are
home to the works of da Vinci
and Botticelli (I know, shame
on us) I am moved by nature
and mountains - statues and
paintings don't do it for me, so
we were fine with a very short
trip to the Uffizi.
Av was pretty annoyed with the
Fiorentini - in fairness they are
still probably reeling from
Jersey Shore and in general
hatin' all the American tourists
that invade all year round. I get
it. I would hate it too.
As a follow on to Av's Tweet:
Seeing people having sex is
weird especially if it isn't
pornography. Like do they
want us to see them? We were
heading toward the Ponte
Vecchio and I was lagging
behind taking pictures and I
heard Susi, up ahead, sort of
make a suprised giggle, then I
see my family all looking up to
the 1st row of windows above
the street - maybe 6 meters
away - Av comes running back
to me with the same face he
had when he saw the Spice
Girls perform in PDX in 1998 - I
know that face - it tells me
SOMETHING BIG JUST
HAPPENED OR IS GOING TO
HAPPEN - and he says, "Look
(pointing to the window) those
people are having sex!" And
yes I look up and the not small
and not attractive woman is
making a pained face and
looking right at me - I am
making eye contact with a
person who is fornicating - I
know this because I could see
the bald head over her
shoulder thrusting away not
caring that there was a group
of people on the street staring
at them in wonder. The things
that cross your mind when you
see such a a sight: 'Are they
doing this for us? Is this how
they get off - being
exhibitionists? Are they filming
a porn? Do they know people
on the very busy street in
Florence can see them. Is it a
pay for sex thing? Is she doing
this against her will? Oh Zaven
- I am so sorry.'
That's Amore...I hope.
Florence is such a special city
to us Leonetti's it also is where,
while on vacation, many years
ago, Joe shot Av with a pellet
gun, when he was 12 and it
just sort of stuck - embedded
behind his ear.
Now we have another story...
It was, besides the sex show, a
lovely day, I always feel so
blessed to have my family all
together, in the same place,
same country and at the same
time.
25 febbraio 2012
March ~
I will be in Barcelona and
Bucharest for work
Zaven starts Volleyball
Av's school break is over
No big plans....looking forward
to Easter vacation ~
Av wanted to go to Firenze to
take photos - we went to the
Uffizi and other museums. After
waiting in the crazy long line
outside the Uffizi for a bit Joe
realized we could just go to
another window and make
reservations for right NOW-
duh. Sadly, Av got some
photos in before he was told
he couldn't take pictures, he
was not happy and we don't
love museums even if they are
home to the works of da Vinci
and Botticelli (I know, shame
on us) I am moved by nature
and mountains - statues and
paintings don't do it for me, so
we were fine with a very short
trip to the Uffizi.
Av was pretty annoyed with the
Fiorentini - in fairness they are
still probably reeling from
Jersey Shore and in general
hatin' all the American tourists
that invade all year round. I get
it. I would hate it too.
As a follow on to Av's Tweet:
Seeing people having sex is
weird especially if it isn't
pornography. Like do they
want us to see them? We were
heading toward the Ponte
Vecchio and I was lagging
behind taking pictures and I
heard Susi, up ahead, sort of
make a suprised giggle, then I
see my family all looking up to
the 1st row of windows above
the street - maybe 6 meters
away - Av comes running back
to me with the same face he
had when he saw the Spice
Girls perform in PDX in 1998 - I
know that face - it tells me
SOMETHING BIG JUST
HAPPENED OR IS GOING TO
HAPPEN - and he says, "Look
(pointing to the window) those
people are having sex!" And
yes I look up and the not small
and not attractive woman is
making a pained face and
looking right at me - I am
making eye contact with a
person who is fornicating - I
know this because I could see
the bald head over her
shoulder thrusting away not
caring that there was a group
of people on the street staring
at them in wonder. The things
that cross your mind when you
see such a a sight: 'Are they
doing this for us? Is this how
they get off - being
exhibitionists? Are they filming
a porn? Do they know people
on the very busy street in
Florence can see them. Is it a
pay for sex thing? Is she doing
this against her will? Oh Zaven
- I am so sorry.'
That's Amore...I hope.
Florence is such a special city
to us Leonetti's it also is where,
while on vacation, many years
ago, Joe shot Av with a pellet
gun, when he was 12 and it
just sort of stuck - embedded
behind his ear.
Now we have another story...
It was, besides the sex show, a
lovely day, I always feel so
blessed to have my family all
together, in the same place,
same country and at the same
time.
25 febbraio 2012
March ~
I will be in Barcelona and
Bucharest for work
Zaven starts Volleyball
Av's school break is over
No big plans....looking forward
to Easter vacation ~
Above Someone once said the sky of Toscana
is just different - and they are right.
Avalon and his lovely Susi - I am so thankful Av'
has such a darling girl
Below: Joe and some big knockers - he said
something about LIn being impressed....
Zaven being his wonderful handsome patient
self
is just different - and they are right.
Avalon and his lovely Susi - I am so thankful Av'
has such a darling girl
Below: Joe and some big knockers - he said
something about LIn being impressed....
Zaven being his wonderful handsome patient
self