The king was not in...

Our weekend in Cosenza.  January

Saturday morning was pretty low key.  We got up, had breakfast, got dressed, and went out for some marathon grocery shopping!  Our first stop was the big grocery store that is farther away.  I had a long list of things we would need at each store, but it was also fun to show them the Italian grocery store, which was exciting for me the first time.  DON'T JUDGE.  We bought the different pestos I wanted them to try, pasta, they bought some fruit juices that they wanted to try, I got almond milk, and some other things.  This grocery store is nice, and has a lot of things, but it can also be a pain when you go to pay because there are so many people. 

Our next stop was the small grocery store where I like to get my yogurt, turkey, and a few other things.  Our bags were getting heavy at this point, but my refrigerator and stuff was COMPLETELY empty!  We also got some bread here, but then stopped at my favorite bread place to get some wheat bread for me.  Finally, we stopped at the fruit and veggie place to get some well, fruits and veggies.  The mom lady was not there, which made me sad, but nonetheless, we got what we needed and headed home.  Man, we had a TON of stuff, and worked hard to get it all.  So, by the time we made it to the apartment, and put everything away, it was late enough that I could get stuff ready for lunch.

I was so excited to share my favorite lunch with my momma because I knew she would be SHOCKED at the sight of me eating a tomato!  Anyway, so I made lunch, and we of course took pictures, and we sat down to eat!  So, here is my momma and Barbara's first Cosentine/Elyse lunch! I was even nice and shared the olive oil with them! Haha...I love olive oil! 

After lunch, we got it together quickly and went out just before some of the shops were closing.  I wanted them to see some of Corso Mazzini and the river and such during the day!  We were definitely out during naptime, but we made it to the historical center, turned around, and walked slowly back.  Lilla was taking us to the historical center later, but I just wanted them to see Cosenza during the day first.  We went to the other big grocery store and got some wine for dinner later in the week.  Pretty much everything was closed, but we did some window shopping.  I think this was the day that I stopped in H & M and got a cute outfit, an outfit I decided that I would wear for my birthday!  Here are a few pics that my momma took on our walk:

 

 

After our walk, we went back to the apartment to take an Italian nap!  We had about an hour and a half to rest before Lilla came to pick us up to go to the live nativity!

I did not sleep; I talked to Nick.

Eventually Lilla came to get us so that we could go to the live nativity!  We gave Lilla her Civil Rights Christmas presents, and then we were off!  We asked Lilla about the witches we had been seeing everywhere, and she explained that they were at "La Befana", who brings small treat and candy to the children on the night before the Epiphany.  We were finally excited to know the significance. Then, as we made our way through the Corso, we saw a "real live" Befana where Santa Claus had been a week or so ago!

My momma and Barbara LOVED the living nativity!  Like me, they could not get over how real it looked!  I was soooooo excited for them to have their first cuddruriaddri! We tasted all of the same treats I had the other night, and just made our way through the nativity with Lilla, her sister, and her brother-in-law.  I was excited to be able to speak some in Italian with them!

My momma with her first cuddruriaddri!

 

After the nativity, we found my momma some cool tiles that she is going to use in our kitchen; which will be completely re-done by the time I get home.  Then we went to the theatre, but they were preparing for a performance, so we were not able to see it.  We also saw a couple coming out of the theatre, and they told us that there had just been a wedding!  That was kind of cool!

 

 It was a wonderful night though, and I enjoyed speaking Italian with Lilla's family, seeing everything with my momma and Barbara, and just enjoying Italy!  I was soooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited for my momma to finally see a lot of the things I had been talking about!

We walked quickly back to the apartment; Lilla walks fast, and then rested for the remainder of the evening.  We organized some of the stuff my momma brought to me, and just relaxed. 

Sunday, January 6th
The morning was the same as most Sunday mornings for me.  We got up, ate breakfast...oatmeal again for me thank goodness...and got ready for church.  Francisco's dad picked us up, and we were off!  Church was great, and they even added a new Kari Jobe song to the mix!  Everyone was really kind to my momma and Barbara, and that made me really happy!  I hated that they did not really understand what was being said, but I tried to fill them in when I could!  I just appreciated them being willing to go with me and see where it is I spend my time and meet the people I spend my time with! Oh, and we also did the Lord's Supper, which was the first time I have done it here in Italy.  It was very similar to home, but nice to observe it.

Francisco took us home, and promised to return at 3 to go to the castle! WHAAAA??? I was so excited!  We came home and ate lunch, my usual lunch, and then rested for a bit.  I talked to APril and Nick I believe. 

THe drive to the castle was spectacular.  It was me, my momma, Barbara, Francisco, and Sofia.  We had to drive through The Sila mountains, which meant we went on some of the huge bridges that I have been seeing from afar, and we saw snow, and we saw beautiful landscapes.  We had some great conversation, and I was just so excited for my momma and Barbara to see more of Italy, and I was SO excited to drive into the mountains!  We also passed the town that Sofia and Francisco used to live in; they used to drive an hour every Sunday to church in Cosenza/Castrolibero. 

 

 

 

 

As we arrived at the city where the castle was, Santa Severina, I was so excited to see that it was a small town on top of a hill.  I was so, so, so, excited.  I was so excited to share this with my momma too, and it was something that we would not have been able to do without Francisco's help.  The castle was gorgeous, but alas, the King was not there to greet us.  Haha.  So, we took some pictures on our own, and then waited for our tour to start a bit later.  We had a tour in Italian, so I got to play translator, but I understood most of what she said...so yay!
Here are some of our gorgeous photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Town Square

 

 The inside of the castle was gorgeous.  It is sooo ancient!  Parts of it had shells in the ground where they think the ocean came that far inland...we were like a 20ish minute drive from the coast!  We saw torture devices; one was meant to hold your legs in a thing and they tickled your feet! Whoa...I would hate that!  Francisco joked that we were getting one at church soon!  Francisco really is a funny guy, and he was cracking jokes all night.   I was just excited to understand most of what the tour guide girl said in Italian!  WOO HOO!!!  They also had a display of clothing in the castle right now, and Francisco and I were joking around, and then the girl let us "dress up"....haha...it was funny!

Once the tour was over, we went back to the gift shop area and then we headed out!  The castle was everything that Francisco said it would be!  I was amazing.  It is so hard to believe that Italy has all of this amazing history that stretches long before America was even thought of! ;)  Oh, and I found a door that I would not have fit through, and it made me think of Nick!

 On our way home we stopped in another small mountain town that Francisco said is like a touristy city!  We went in a few stores, and it did remind me of somewhere like Gatlinburg.  I was amazed at the gloves and such.  We also stopped in a food store and tried mozzarella in panna (in cream).  My momma found her some "spicy" bread to buy, and we walked around in the BITTER cold.  In one of the shops they had this weird, and somewhat dangerous (in my opinion) fire thing that I stayed near to keep warm!  We tried water from the outside fountain; it was really good and REALLY cold.  It was fun to see this little mountain resort town; something I probably would not see otherwise! 

The Mozzarella

Soooo many gloves and such!

Yes, there was snow and ice...and some slippery spots

We did not get home until almost 9, so we just had a little bit of pasta with a sauce, and we tried my momma's bread.  I have to say, it was REALLY good, and not that spicy.  If I can eat it, then it can't be too spicy!