Month: March 2010

Finally in Florence

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

So where was I? Oh, yes, sitting on the suitcases. Turns out, Tony’s car reservation was actually NOT a real reservation, and when we tried to run our debit card to rent the car, it was declined of course, since we’d withdrawn all the money from our American account so we could have cash in Italy. You can’t rent a car with any amount of cash, apparently, at least not any amount we were prepared to offer.

So after a few hours of tense deliberation, we rode the bus into Torino, spent the night there, worked out the car problem, and were driving down the autostrada just 24 hours later than we had planned.… Read more

Travels (or should we say Travails?)

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

The course of true love never did run smooth. I am sitting at a stop at the end of the the Torino airport bus line. Our nine pieces of luggage, stroller, and two gigantic car seats are piled all around me. Actually, Axa is sleeping in one of those car seats. Tony has a sleeping Raj on his back and is off in search of a hotel. I must make a funny picture sitting on an overstuffed suitcase, typing away unconcernedly on my laptop as if I didn’t stick out like a tie-dyed giraffe.

We’ve had quite a day of it.… Read more

For lo, the winter is past . . .

Sarah Bringhurst Familia

The rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth.
The time of the singing of birds is come.

– Ecclesiastes

Tuesday we fly home. To Italy.

It’s hard to describe how it happened. In one way, I suppose it’s not surprising at all. It’s the third year in a row we’ve gone to Italy just as spring is beginning. But this has been one of those years you never want to repeat. No doubt before long I will look back on it and feel grateful for all I’ve learned. But for now, I’m just overpoweringly glad to be nearing the end of it, and delighted to find Italy waiting for us there.… Read more