I'm back, the past two weeks have been so crazy that I haven't had much time to write. With it also being my last few weeks here, I try to spend as much time as I can with the family before having to say goodbye soon...
The weather here is BEAUTIFUL, and the children and I spend as much time as we can outside. Similar to Oklahoma though, there are the occasional days where the sun feels a little too close, and before you know it your shirt is covered in sweat stains. The only difference, and one that I still have to get adjusted to, is there is no AC here... if you've never been to Europe then you know exactly what I mean when I say a lukewarm glass of water is your best friend on a warm sunny day. It's not actually as bad as it seems, I'm just a bit dramatic, and coming from Oklahoma where the second you walk into a building you catch a cold from the drastic temperature change, it takes a bit to get used to.
Last week there was another bank holiday on Monday, yes Europeans get MANY days off work throughout the year, America should take note of this. There was a small festival in the village of Castell'Alfero with fresh produce, food, flowers, and anything you could imagine being sold at a farmers market, along with live music and more. There was also something I had never heard of before and that was the unveiling of the BIG BENCH. Now when I'm here with the family at home Italian is the only language spoken, with English occasionally if they are speaking directly to me or asking me something. When English is spoken it's not perfect, and just like with my Italian, there are words that I confuse, and the family as well. This week that word was "bench".
So, when the mom says that there is a walk to the big bench that everyone goes to, I assume that its a simple walk to a statue of some sort, based on her description. I tell her that I would gladly take the kids on the walk with the rest of the town, and she replied, "really, are you sure?" I assumed she asked this because it was my day off, but later on that day I realized why she asked that.
The walk started at the top of the village, which the mom kindly drove us up to (thank god), while we waited for it to start we watched a parade of drummers and trumpets pass with flag twirlers.
It was the start of what seemed like the perfect day. Exactly at 10:30, we were off, back down the hill toward the main road, now I forgot to mention that I am in a pair of dark grey jeans, a long sleeve knit shirt, the children are in the same thing but an extra hoodie and scarf, because Europeans LOVE scarfs. Once we make it down the hill I start to look for the statue, however, it is nowhere to be seen, and then my worst nightmare happens. The woman leading the walk turns toward the largest hill, mountain, as I would call it, and leads the way. That was the exact moment when I realized why the mom asked me if I was sure about walking to the bench. In direct sunlight, with warm clothes, and little to no water, we walked uphill for almost forty-five minutes. Once we were closer to the top I noticed a group of people separating from the group and taking what seemed like a shortcut through a field, rather than the road that looped around the backside of the hill. Rather than thinking things through, I made the quick decision to follow the group. Within the first minute, the choice seemed great, we were now walking straight instead of up, and I could see the final destination. That minute didn't last long though when I turned and saw the GIANT steep hill we had to climb, where people were going on their hands and knees at some points.
Before this trek, I was told that there would be refreshments, food, entertainment, and more at the very top. At 11:20 though, we conquered our quest and made it to the big bench, where there was a small white canopy and a large object covered in a white cloth. I was still hopeful that we made the right decision by coming, and tried to stay positive, even when every two minutes Cris would ask why we came or say that coming was a waste of time. Finally though, after we rested on the ground for a bit and shredded a few layers of clothes, it was time for the unveiling and celebration to start. The countdown began and everyone crowded around the cloth waiting, and then, the sheet was removed and revealed...a giant white bench. Not a statue, a bench, that you sit on. Now, this one was larger than most, but still a bench.
Cris turned to me raised his eyebrows and said, "do you still think this was all a good idea?" Truly a humbling moment, and I replied, "nope, let's go." We made our way to the canopy, took the refreshments, which were a few cubes of cheese and salami on toothpicks, and trekked back down the large hill toward home.
The children and I agreed to never do that again and celebrated our arrival at home with a large glass of water. The idea itself was terrible, but they always make for great stories.
Until next week, ciao tutti!
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