Roll Tide!!!!!!!!!!!

So my sweet, sweet Nick stayed up all night and watched the game, texted me updates (that woke me up but I was delirious), and talking to April my love.  Then, when the game was over, a few minutes before 6, Nick called to tell me that we were ONCE AGAIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy cow...I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!  He told me the score and how it should have been a shut out...but who cares...BACK TO BACK NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was so so so so so so so so so so excited!!  Nick hung up to go get about an hour of sleep before he had to get up for work!  I know that he did not stay up just for me, but I thought it was so sweet of him to keep me updated when I was way too exhausted to even get up at the alarm I set, and then I thought it was so sweet that he was talking to my bestest April!

So, I ran in to tell my momma.  I told her I needed to shake her hand and congratulate her on being National Champions again!  We then got a little bit more sleep...though my momma had been awake for a while wondering about the game! Anyway, so when we were all up, we decided to wear as much Bama to school as possible.  I wore my houndstooth skirt with my Alabama scarf, pins on my coat, and an elephant necklace.  My momma and Barbara wore the Alabama beads that we had, and some pins!  We were decked out for our 15th National Championship win!! ROLL TIDE!!!

I knew that this morning would be rough...it was Lilla's class.  Lilla picked us up for school and then we went to class with her.  I was right...it was rough...I tried to get them to talk to my momma and such, and to tell me about their break, but they wouldn't.  I had to use some of my football pictures and told them about us winning the National Championship; they did clap for us, so that was fun!  Then I was dying for something to talk about, so we somehow ended up looking at a map and talking about what states they wanted to see.  I just wanted this class to end.  Those students (all but about 5 or 6 of them) are so rude and disrespectful.  I just wanted it to be over with as quickly as possible.

Picture Barbara took of me "teaching" with Lilla's students

When it was finally over with, Lilla told us that she would meet us at the bar at the end of the next hour.  So, we sat where the couches are, and I saw Francesca, and she liked the Vera Bradley bags I had given her.  Oops...Virginia got hers yesterday and LOVED them!! :)  Anyway, then my landlord actually showed up at the school; she used to work with them and she was there to see the principal.  I was happy that my momma got to meet her, and it was good to see Lila.

After Lilla's other class was over, we met her in the bar for cappuccino and cornettos.  It was a bit much on the sweets for me...but I had some.  It is always so sweet of them to do that for me (us), so you cannot turn it down! 

Then we went upstairs, and I was dreading Francesca's class.  I was sooo wrong about this group today though!  They were amazing!  They were interactive and engaged.  They talked to my momma and Barbara...they suggested foods that they needed to try...they told me about their break...and then they planned a party for us tomorrow.  One boy's father makes homemade wine, and so Francesca said he could bring some, but the students COULD NOT have any.  UMM...YOU CANNOT FIND THAT IN THE UNITED STATES!!  THey were so awesome today, and it just made me so happy that this class really came out of their shell a bit today!

We were also able to talk a few pictures of us at school in our Alabama gear! We also got a picture with Angelino because he was not going to be there the next day!

Roll Tide from Cosenza, Italy

Angelino, Barbara, Me, my momma, and Francesca

 So, when class was over, we went and caught the student bus to come home.  We had to stop at the grocery store for a few quick things, and took these pictures by the fountain in Piazza Europa.

We also had to stop and get some fruit and veggies on the way home.  My momma loved these peppers!

After this, we came home to eat lunch, rest, and I am pretty sure I talked to Nick and April!  I want it to be noted that I DID let my momma and Barbara rest/nap most days, if not every day!  :)  Also, it does not hurt that Cosenza shuts down between 1 and 4; haha!

However, once nap time was over, we had to book it to the river.  I REALLY wanted them to see the sunset over the river and from the church above the rivers.  It is one of my favorite views, and it had been so sunny all day, so I knew that they could not miss it!  I think they would agree that the fast walk was worth the views.

 

 

 From here, we walked up to where my favorite church is here in Cosenza.  It also offers spectacular views of the city/river, especially at sunset!  It made me so happy that we made it in time to see the gorgeous sky!  I mean doesn't it just look like God took a paintbrush and made beautiful brushstrokes across the blue canvas!  I love it!  I was also excited that a smaller church "attached" to the bigger one was open for the first time; well, the first time that I'd been there and it was open!  The churches here are just so beautiful!

 Now who didn't fit in the doors?? Haha.  Then we went inside the bigger church and HOLY COW their Nativity was awesome!  I had not seen it, but it was definitely one of  the best ones, especially in a church, that I have seen.  I would venture to say that it was better than the one set up in St. Peter's in Rome.  They were making the "time of day" change, and stars and a moon would come out; it was just amazing!  

 

And, with the theme of the trip in mind, "it's really not that far", we started climbing up the hill near the church so that they could get a wonderful view of the historical center from "afar".  I love this view, and when I go there and see Cosenza Vecchio from this perspective, it always reminds me that I live in Italy!!! Holy cow, what does that even mean?? 

Anyway, the museum was sadly closed,but they were able to see the beautiful building that it is housed in, so that was nice!  We stopped in a small grocery store nearby and looked around.  WHen I tried to tell the guy that we were just looking (in Italian), he just looked at me and said, 'no speak Italian??" Well, thanks for that confidence booster dude...Nick later said that he was just being mean!  Thanks for the vote of confidence Nick! Haha! 

After this, we crossed the river into the historical center, and walked towards the Duomo to see if we could find my momma's tiles she wanted more of, but the guy was not there selling anymore!  So, we started our descent and trip back to Corso Mazzini.  We did stop in one of the churches near Corso Mazzini that Lilla took me to once, but did not allow time for pictures.  The mosaics in this church were beautiful, and so I am really glad that we decided to stop in and look. 

Jesus giving Peter the keys to the kingdom! 

When we left the church, we made our way down Corso Mazzini, and tried to stop in the chocolate store, but they were closed for inventory! Oh well, another day!  We did stop in my favorite bookstore and I bought two Harry Potter books in Italian to send home with her!  Yay for Italian Harry Potter! 

So, we went home to make dinner.  FINALLY, I would get to make my favorite dinner for them! 

Wearing Nick's HUGE sweatpants...

 I made chicken, veggies, and pasta.  After dinner we just relaxed and hung out! 

ROLL TIDE...HOLY COW...15...My favorite number has always been 16...so here's hoping! ;)  In the meantime though, ROLL TIDE....back to back...#15...we're the best! 

Back to school...

Back to school.  To prove to dad that I'm not a fool.  I've got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight.  Oh, back to school.  - Billy Madison

I was a little nervous and a little excited about my momma and Barbara to go to school with me!  The morning started off with not knowing if we could ride the bus because we did not have any 1 euro coins.  So, we left a few minutes earlier to see if I could find somewhere to get change.  Thankfully, my regular fruit and veggie people came through with change for us!  So, they got to ride their first Italian bus.  I remember hearing my mom talking about the view as we got into Castrolibero, which I was really excited that she noticed because it is one of my favorite things about that bus ride and/or if I walk there.

So, because we took the bus, we were there a bit early.  I walked them around the school just a bit and let them see the view of the mountains.  Then we went and waited in the teachers' room until Virginia arrived.  Virginia was so sweet and welcoming to them!

Virginia's class was up first.  I talked to the students for the first 15 minutes or so about their holiday and what they did.  Some of them went ice skating, others said they slept the whole break.  They were really sweet, responsive, and were even asking me questions.  I was telling them some of the things that we saw in Rome, and when I mentioned Villa Borghese, Virginia jumped in with how it is a romantic place, and how Romeo and Juliet is considered romantic by some, and from there Virginia started doing Romeo and Juliet with them.  It was this comic strip type thing in their literature books.  Virginia never mentioned Nick, but she did wink at me when they were talking later about Prince Charles and Prince William.  Virginia is so silly!

For the first hour of my break, Virginia had someone watch her class, and she took us to the bar.  We had cappuccini, cookies, and random conversation.  Virginia told us about this lady called Natuzza who had blood stains in the shape of Jesus or something.   Anyway, it was so sweet of Virginia to treat us to something nice for the break!  I was excited that my momma was able to sit and talk to Virginia and get to know her a little bit.  Virginia also decided that she would host us for lunch at her house in the afternoon; whoa...I never get that invite!  She said she would come pick us up later.

For the last hour of my break, we spent it upstairs in the area that has a big table and some couches.  At one point, we saw the principal, and I was really nervous.  However, I was able to speak with her in Italian and translate for my mom; I was SO SO SO excited that I had been able to show the principal that I could speak in Italian, and I could understand her if she would speak a little slower and clearly.  She said some nice things about me, and I had to translate them, so that was a little strange.  She did seem a little bit excited about my Italian, and it made me feel like she might finally like me a little bit!  Then we ran into Angelino, who of course speaks the best English because he lived in the U.S. for so long.  He offered to take us to the top of the school to see the views; again, I didn't ever get this treatment!  We got to see the views from both school buildings.  They were beautiful, and I was really grateful that they were being so kind to my momma and Barbara.  We saw the astronomy thingy...olive trees behind the school...views of the mountains...it was so nice of him to do this for us!

 

 

 

We ran into the principal again, and we had Angelino with us, so he did a better job of translating how nice, sweet, interactive, lovable she said I was.  I dont know where she got this from, but okay.  I never see her, and most of the time I feel like she hates me.  Oh well, it was sweet of her nonetheless.  

Next up was Angelino's class.  THey were pretty tame today!  It was a little bit chaotic, but I thought they were relatively well behaved!  They did some readings and of course some of the boys acted goofy!  THey did ask my momma and Barbara a few questions, but otherwise, Angelino just did the lesson.  

After school, Virginia picked us up in a much smaller car than her normal one; hers had been wrecked or something.  Anyway, we went to her house and lunch was AH-MAZING!  First Virginia had to show off her "crib" (Nativity), as well she should have...it is amazing.  THey took a lot of pictures, and eventually Virginia went downstairs to cook a "simple" lunch.  Franco came home for lunch, and I was excited about my ability to communicate with him some...I was not perfect, but we were able to talk about some things, and I was able to translate most of it for my momma and Barbara.  A few pics before lunch: 

 

  

Lunch was DELICIOUS...I cannot even tell you.  We had risotto with spinach (and Virginia does not use oil or butter, but it was SO creamy!), meatballs, cheese, this to-die-for lemon chicken stuff, mozzarella knots, and there was bread.  Lunch was "simple"...haha.  We explained to V. that this would be somewhat of a feast for us!  We ended up staying at Virginia's house for like 5 hours...having conversation...Virginia showed us the blood stain things from Natuzza, plus a video where I understood most of what she said (in Italian), and it was just a wonderful treat for me, my momma, and Barbara.  I was so happy that Virginia was so kind to host us for lunch, and give them such a wonderful Italian treat!  It was unbelievable.  Sunset from Virginia's balcony area: 

Virginia then brought us home; she stopped at a stationary store.  

When we got home I talked to April on skype for a bit.  We eventually went out to the Corso for a bit for their first real passeggiata.  We went in a few stores and just enjoyed the walk. 

When we got home we had some pasta with calabrese sauce, because we were not that hungry.  

We were REALLY nervous because were going to be missing the National Championship game!!  IT was not starting until like 3 am here...however, my sweet Nick stayed up and sent me texts to let me know what was happening!!!  So sweet...ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!

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!  
 

From Rome to Cosenza

Our last morning in Rome started with breakfast and making sure we had all of our things packed and ready to go!  We ate, then took all of our stuff down to the lobby for them to hold it while we went and saw one more thing in Rome: Villa Borghese!  Virginia keeps telling me that I have to go there, and Mattea mentioned it at dinner the other night. 

So, we were actually staying really close to it, and so it was truly not a far walk!  It was a bit cold outside, and I imagine the grounds of the Villa are beautiful in the spring and summer, but it was beautiful to me all the same!  After confusion over tickets not being available, then tickets not being free for me and Nick, and discounted for my momma and Barbara, and then more confusion about not being allowed to have purses...we finally went inside!  It was a BEAUTIFUL home, and there were some sculptures that Nick was really excited to see, and he shared the information with me!  It is so much fun to be able to see these things and have these in-depth, somewhat passionate, explanations of them that make it much more interesting.  Unfortunately you are not allowed to take pictures inside.  The house was just impressive...huge...massive...ornate...

 

 

We took our time walking around a little bit, and then headed back to the hotel.  We did not have time to really go anywhere else. We relaxed in the lobby area for a bit.  The three of them fell asleep, but I just sat there.  Then, Nick and I went to get sandwiches for lunch, and to bring sandwiches back to my momma and Barbara!  So, we walked just a little bit, checking out sandwiches from the street.  We finally settled on a place that had a sandwich that we wanted to split!  We stood at the counter and enjoyed our sandwich while talking and such.  Then, we walked back towards the hotel where we found another place to buy sandwiches that we thought my momma and Barbara would like.  We got my momma this sandwich that had a spice on the focaccia bread, and it smelled AMAZING!!

We brought their sandwiches back with them, they ate, and then we called a cab to take us to the train station.  The cab ride was fun because Nick and the guy were talking about football, which turns out that the guy liked the Washington Redskins and they were playing the Seahawks that weekend.  The guy told Nick when he could watch the game.  Then I had Nick ask him about the Italian Football League that I read about in that book "Playing for Pizza".  He confirmed that they are decent teams, but it's not that popular.  The other exciting thing was that I understood most of their conversation.  SO, the really nice cab driver dropped us off at the train station, and Nick bought his ticket.  Then we stood near the departures thing and waited for our platform #.  Nick eventually had to go catch his train.  We were standing there talking and waiting for our platform number when Nick ran up behind me, surprising me, and gave me a HUGE hug and kiss!  So sweet and thoughtful. 

We eventually got on our train, my momma and Barbara's first real Italian train, and we were off.  The train ride was rather uneventful, and we all tried to sleep some; we were pretty successful!  There were some pretty interesting people on the train, but nothing toooooo interesting. 

When we arrived at the Cosenza station, after we had switched at Paola, Francisco came to pick us up!  I was worried that we would not get all of our luggage in his car, but boys are so good at that spatial thing.  I was actually really happy to see my apartment; feels a little bit like home!  We put luggage on the elevator, and Francisco helped us!  My momma and Barbara were really impressed with the size and stuff of my apartment!  It is a nice apartment! We looked around, got settled in, I gave my momma her Christmas presents, and we just relaxed a little bit. 

It was so nice to have my momma here in my Italian home!