Double Trouble When we made the decision to relocate to Italy it was not only the arts and beauty that drew us to the ancient country, but also, and perhaps primarily, concern about conditions reigning in the United States. Gun violence and the increasing rancor of American politics seemed to us to have become entrenchedContinue reading “Our Return to the United States”
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Diary of an International Trip During the Time of Coronavirus
Today is Monday, the eighteenth of May 2020 and our trip back to the United States begins today. After our original reservation to fly back on April 14 was cancelled, I rescheduled for the 19th of May, hoping that by then restrictions would start to loosen and flights would be taking off. As it turnedContinue reading “Diary of an International Trip During the Time of Coronavirus”
Not Just a Pretty Town
Part II Ephemerata Last week’s post described the institutions that enhance life in our little town but on a daily basis there are more subtle benefits to living here–the ephemerata. Probably primary among them is the view from our balcony across the Tiber Valley to the Appennine mountains in the distance. When we decided toContinue reading “Not Just a Pretty Town”
Not Just a Pretty Town
It’s actually a good place to live Part I If you search online for information about Anghiari you will almost certainly read that it is considered one of the most beautiful medieval hilltop towns in Italy. It is, and walking through and around the town as I do most days is unquestionably a sensory delight.Continue reading “Not Just a Pretty Town”
COVID-19 Hits Italy
Part I An Overview We drove from Zagreb through Croatia, Slovenia and northern Italy in a day, arriving at our house in early evening, January 15, 2020. Home again, and excited to see the completed construction projects we had commissioned before leaving for Serbia. There were new shelves in the kitchen, all the cupboard doorsContinue reading “COVID-19 Hits Italy”
And Now Sarajevo
Part III Enjoying Sarajevo We had been enjoying aspects of Sarajevo, even as we coped with all that we learned of its difficult history. Not a day went by that we didn’t pass through the old market, sometimes simply to take in the colorful scene, or on the way to an errand, and the morningContinue reading “And Now Sarajevo”
And Now, Sarajevo
Part II Getting to Know Our Neighborhood Our apartment was on a block that included a mosque, a Christian church with monastery and a brewery. At 6:30 in the morning, I heard the call to prayers as I drank a cup of coffee. A half hour later, church bells chimed. The brewery was silent, thoughContinue reading “And Now, Sarajevo”
And Now, Sarajevo
Part I Our Enlightenment We had been in Novi Sad a month and now it was time to move on to our next, and last, month in exile. I had considered spending that time in Albania or Northern Macedonia at one point, but in the end we elected to go to Bosnia-Herzegovina for an entirelyContinue reading “And Now, Sarajevo”
Beautiful Novi Sad
Part II The heart and soul of Novi Sad is Dunavska Street, the very wide, very beautiful, and very active pedestrian area that extends several city blocks through downtown Novi Sad. Stores and restaurants with outdoor cafes line the street, interspersed with planters filled with greenery. When we first arrived, the weather was still quiteContinue reading “Beautiful Novi Sad”
Beautiful Novi Sad
Part One Our first month in exile had ended; it was time to leave Belgrade and move on to the next month in Novi Sad. The city of just under 400,000 inhabitants is most well know for two things:–3×3 basketball and the Exit Festival. The Novi Sad 3×3 team (Al-wada) had won the World ChampionshipContinue reading “Beautiful Novi Sad”
Notification to followers and subscribers
I have found that the title I have been using has encountered some problems. Namely that when accessing the URL there is a message that the page is not safe–and FaceBook will not let me publish notices of posts any more. The latter may be part of a current glitch, but as I have discoveredContinue reading “Notification to followers and subscribers”
Wrapping Up Belgrade
During our month in Belgrade we made sure to visit a few must see destinations but did not do or see all there was on offer. We never made it across the river to the highly recommended neighborhood of Zeman, once an independent town but now part of Belgrade. Nor did we visit the NationalContinue reading “Wrapping Up Belgrade”
Eating and Shopping in Belgrade
Let me introduce you to my coffee pot In our apartment in Belgrade this was my coffee maker. I had purchased such a pot, a cezva or ibrik, in a smaller more decorative version, during my previous trip to Serbia but never used it, having bought it simply as an interesting souvenir. It stayed inContinue reading “Eating and Shopping in Belgrade”
Arriving in Belgrade
In considering where we would spend out first period of “exile” outside of Italy, in fact outside of any Schengen country, Northern Macedonia and Albania were both contenders. But when our lawyer mentioned that Serbia was an option, even though it was in the process of joining the EU, we quickly made the decision toContinue reading “Arriving in Belgrade”
Grappelli
In Fall of 2012, a few months after losing my beloved Frenchy, I adopted another Boston Terrier, naming him Django after the great jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. A friend suggested I should provide him with a companion and name him or her Grappelli, after Stephan Grappelli, violinist, who was for a time Django’s musical partner.Continue reading “Grappelli”
Lurching towards Italy 