We feared that we would once again be loading and/or unloading in rain, as has been the trend in our lives the past several years. Those Ohio late "summer" days were downright chilly and full of all-day downpours our last week there. Very depressing.
My parting gift came in the form of a speeding ticket! My first in a decade, I think it was a final sign that Cleveland wasn't going to be the place for us (as if the two accidents didn't already clue us in a bit.) It was a bit hard leaving family behind once again, but job opportunities just weren't developing there, and we knew when we landed it would be temporary at best. We are actually surprised that we were there for three months (gosh, they flew by!)
So now we're in our latest digs in Alexandria, Virginia. We are very fortunate to be able to live in my uncle's house. It has been unoccupied since he passed away, so we're clearing up the cobwebs, shifting and organizing things, and getting unpacked. We have seen our friend Al, already knew some of the neighbors here, and some Slow Travel friends have contacted us about getting together, so we think we'll feel at home pretty quickly. Now if we could just make peace with the traffic. We're used to gridlock that comes in the form of sheep in the road! This is a new world for us.
The first thing we unpacked was the espresso machine (you knew Bryan couldn't wait even 24 hours for that, right?) We did find a good Italian wine shop with an out-of-the-ordinary selection at decent prices. If any of you know some good Italian or Mediterranean markets, let me know!
Lest you think that my blog will be changing focus, let me put your mind at ease. My heart is still residing in Italy, and I'll keep writing about it. It's where my mind is always focused.
A presto!
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14 comments:
Welcome, Welcome! I hope some day soon we can meet up, for a little vino perhaps?? I hear you on the traffic, too. Naples was crazy, but DC, eshhh... I'll take Naples any day over this!
I know the feeling of constant moves. I've changed addresses 17 times in my lifetime of 34 years! 5 were in Venice alone over the course of 4 years! Good luck with everything...and braving DC traffic. Be sure to visit Baltimore, my home town. It's got a great quirky vibe-visit Hamden (36th Street) and the Inner Harbor with a great aquarium. Ciao!
good luck with the move. Alexandria is a nice town.
Ciao Valerie! I'm glad to hear you guys are settling in and getting the important things ... like the espresso maker ... unpacked. :-) It's strange to think of you and Karen being in my old stomping grounds! I would love to get back to the DC area to visit. I'll let you know if I do! But I have a hunch you'll be back here before I can make that happen. I hope so! :-) In the meantime, I don't know what to say about the traffic. I parked my Mustang and never, ever moved it. Are you close to a metro stop?
You guys really need to get a GPS. We got ours for our Italy trip a few years ago, but I use it here all the time to avoid the BELTWAY. It's a death trap and I will go way out of my way to avoid it. Cant ever figure out which direction I'm going.....(but that's another story....not just the beltway.....hehehe)
I hope you guys get settled soon and are happy for however long you stay in the DC area. How fantastic to have access to Italian wine-it's so pricy here on the west coast.
I don't know about local Italian Markets but you have to be sure to check out Two Amy's in D.C.
The pizza is the closest thing (in the D.C. area) to the pizza in Italy.
Buona fortuna! And BUON VIAGGIO!!
Thinking of you
Lola xx
Wishing you a easy settling in time and looking forward to having you back here someday! Keep on bloggin' girl! :)
Karen - Thanks for the benvenuto. I would love to get together sip soome vino with you! If this is worse than Naples traffic, we're in serious trouble! ;)
Irene - Wow, you got around! I hate moving; I am a nester. I am finding that adjusting here is more difficult than moving to Italy was. Have never been to Baltimore; will need to explore.
Ragazza - Thanks; I do like Alexandria. I like DC a lot and have spent a lot of time here through the years; it's just the traffic I don't like.
Laura - One must have one's priorities straight, right? ;) If you make it here, be sure to let us know! My Mustang doesn't have the option of staying parked. Metro is a few miles away.
Carol - We are looking into them. Beltway...bad! We can get into the Distric pretty easily since we're just off 395.
Janie - Thanks! This store even offers a half-case discount of 10%! (I'm not rubbing in, I swear!)
Gigi - Thanks for the tip! We will definitely check it out! I am seriously craving la vera pizza.
Lola - Thanks...I appreciate it.
Megan - Grazie, so are we, believe me! Can't keep me from bloggin' for long!
Best of luck with your move and new location. I hope you can find all the wonderful markets/shops that will make up for the traffic grid-loc. Wishing much success in finding more employment opportunities.
Glad you'll be continuing to blog.
Wow, another move! Wishing you lots of success! I have been thinking a lot about our move back (it is suppose to happen in a year) and I am getting very sad at the idea of living Italy... it finds a way to your heart and it doesn't let go...
Keep the memories, and the flavors alive. Take care
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