Adventure Update #1 (August)

Braheem Family Update


Hi all,

First let me begin by saying thank you to all that have written their well wishes and words of encouragement. The first couple of weeks got off to a pretty rocky start and your thoughts on staying in the moment and going with the flow were very much well received and especially by yours truly who leads the Braheem clan in handling chaos poorly!

We have moved from our initial villa in Bagno A Riploi to the other end of Florence due to numerous problems with the property including mold. As they say, everything happens for a reason and the result was us finding an amazing flat in the country, yet overlooking the city of Florence. The flat is on the top floor of a well known castle (Yes it’s truly a castle, see attached photos) and the views are nothing short of amazing. Last night we were having sushi of all things in the city center and met two nice ladies. When we told them that we lived in Marignolle, they said “Did you rent Castello Marignolle?” Everyone seems to know about this place as it is a historical landmark!

Trey’s bedroom is literally half way up the tower. He has grown so much in such a short time (I would site this as one of the truly wonderful benefits thus far of our adventure). Trey turned nine on the 20th of August and it was as if a light switch went off. In the first ten days, he cried himself to sleep two times and was having a very difficult time getting adjusted (As were all of us). Suddenly it was as if he figured “I cant change what’s happening so I will go with it!) and ever since he has been such a mature and happy young boy. He and his sister were very close prior to us leaving, however now they are truly best friends. This, of course warms mine and Anna’s heart. In fact two days ago, I overheard Olivia say the following “Trey, have you noticed that we are best pals in Italy, more than in California?” She then followed with: “Trey, when we get back to California, lets stay this way!” The tears welled up in my eyes on that one :>). Soon Trey will be starting “Football” or as we call it soccer.

Olivia on the other hand has had a much easier rode of it as she is very much like her mom. She tends to go with the flow much more than most and takes negative situations and puts a whipped cream and a cherry on top. Pretty much since the first day we arrived, she has consistently said that she likes it here. I think that this has a lot to do with the fact that she is enjoying all of the time that she is spending with her family and that she doesn’t have the clan of neighborhood friends to miss that Trey does. One thing that is very cool about living at the top of a castle is that Olivia is (And always has been) into fairly tails and princesses. I have tried to make it a habit of waking up every morning and crawling into bed with her with the greeting of “Wake up Principessa” it’s a new day in the castle. Instantly a smile crosses her face.

Figuring out where things are and what to do has been an adventure, but one that we are starting to actually enjoy. The bottom line with Italia is that you cant count on anything happening as planned. I think that the Italians like it that way :>)
I call it controlled chaos! Its funny, at first glance you say “What the hell is this freakin place? No one follows any rules (More on that later). Everything closes from 1:00 to 4:00. No one goes to dinner till 9:00 at night. I don’t know anyone and or where anything is and I cant speak the language!” Then, as time evolves you realize that it will all work out in TIME. That’s the key word, time. No hurrying, no rushing and no getting frustrated when you lost and no one in site knows a lick of English. Just go get an espresso and chill, cuz that’s more important than finding the Supermercato!

Case in point, yesterday I had a daddy day with the kids. I found out from my Italian IT guy about a water park in Prato, which is about 20 kilometers outside of Florence (12 miles). Of course it took us 50 minutes to get there due to traffic and me getting turned around a few times, but the kids have grown to expect long car rides by now so they were cool. One of the benefits of getting lost a lot is that you see a lot of places, are forced to stretch your Italian as you are often asking for directions, and you meet some interesting folks on the side of the road :>). When we got there we had a blast (See photos) and it was a really special afternoon for the three of us. Now lets talk rule breaking for a moment (As promised). Here is a perfect example of how rules are not followed (Trey and I discuss this fact frequently). At the water park the sign said the following:

No children under the age of 10 can ride the waterslide.
You are not allowed to wear jewelry when riding the water slides.
There is no tandem sliding (Meaning more than one person at a time)
You are not allowed to ride head first.

Not one of these rules were ever followed! Hell there were kids the age of two going down the slide, three people going down at one time holding each others ankles as they went down head first and people were wearing all sorts of jewelry.

Another case in point is that every restaurant we have been to has a no smoking sign, but I have yet to see it honored anywhere. The speed limit? Well, there really isn’t one. Italia gives offensive driving a new name, however the interesting thing is that there is a defined system of driving that is followed religiously. Its called, if you are going to drive slow, get your ass over to the right and drive as slow as you want. If you are on the left, you better be going really fast or get your ass over to the right with the other slow people! The left is for passing or flooring it and the right is where everyone else resides. It actually works quite well.

The city of Florence (Referring to the city center or “Centro”) is electric. We have only ventured into the heart of Fiorentina a couple of times for dinner as we have had so many things to do to get our bearings straight and our life in order. We have visited Florence a few times in the past so we new what to expect and as usual it doesn’t disappoint. There is something magical about the narrow cobble stoned streets that meander past dozens of amazing Trattorias, sheik clothing shops, fantastic art museums and open air markets. The food has been nothing shy of terrific thus far. Its really difficult to find a bad meal in Tuscany. The wine has been a mixed bag thus far (Have not had any bad bottles, but also nothing amazing to write home about just yet). This is not due to a lack of effort as Anna and I have only missed two days in the first three weeks, when it comes to consuming a bottle over dinner :>). I have focused all of my time on bottles between fifteen and thirty euro (twenty to forty five dollars) as I am searching for some great affordable “Finds” for everyday consumption. Don’t feel sorry for us, we are having a lot of fun tasting! In fact “Vendemmia” is coming soon. This is the annual time of the year (Mid September) when the hills of Tuscany are filled with grapes that need to be picked for this years harvest. We plan to help out at a local winery in the next few weeks!

Anna is doing very well (Those of you that know her know that she is quite a trooper and never complains). With that said, she has had a few days of angst over the original living conditions and the overall state of overwhelm that we have been in daily. I think that she went into the adventure with a bit more realistic expectations (Perhaps due to having moved around a lot as a child) as she always told me that it would take about four to six weeks to get settled. I can see her prediction coming true as we wind down the first month we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Once the kids begin school (Something that I have very mixed emotions about as I will miss being with them everyday) Anna and I will have an opportunity to explore the narrow streets of the city center and the numerous neighboring hill towns of Tuscany. Only one of Anna’s two greatest passions have been kept in tact thus far (Working out and playing piano). We are actually members of two gyms (Long story as to why, but having to do with the move from one side of town to the next) and have managed to consistently make it to the “Palestra” to work off the spectacular cuisine. Piano is something that has fallen dormant for Anna thus far, however we are working on a solution. The castle has a piano which we are not sure is salvageable. If it cant be tuned we will rent a keyboard and we will then have the peaceful sounds of Anna playing Mozart again in our home. I have missed hearing her play.

I have not picked up a golf club in nearly a month now (Maybe it will help my game!) and look forward to dusting off the sticks when the kids go to school (There is a course close to their school which I plan to play after I take them in the morning). Many of you don’t know that I am a “Chick” when it comes to shopping, so I too am looking forward to exploring the streets of Florence very soon with Anna. One of the biggest challenges of having only one car is that it doesn’t allow us to knock off numerous errands in one day. In fact most everything we do involves the four of us doing it together (Not a bad thing in hindsight). The solution is that I plan to lease a Vespa when we return from Venice so I have the ability do simple errands without having to take the car from the family. Anna plans to take the bus a lot as well. It picks up literally in front of our house and takes you to the center of the city.

This document was typed on the train ride to Venice (I might add that the Eurostar Train system is terrific and very reasonable in price. In fact with gas prices so high it’s a steal. The coaches are clean and the ride is relaxing and smooth), a place that we have never been and have always wanted to see. It is our 12th wedding anniversary on the 3rd, so we figured what better way to spend it than with the kids in what is supposed to be one of the most enchanting cities in the world. The next time I write I will let you know how it went.

Arrivaderci

Tim

Addendum to This document

As it turns out my intentions to send this to all of you upon arrival at our hotel in Venice, failed to materialize! It is now the second day of our long weekend in the city of canals. We am completely overwhelmed by Venice’s magic and beauty. We are staying on a small island called San Clemente, which is a ten minute boat ride to the main island of Venice. Yesterday afternoon we took the boat to Venice for the first time. Oh my God, what a magical place Venice is! At first blush it may be my favorite city in Italy if not the world, however it is too soon to make such an observation. All I can say is that the arrival via boat to the cities main lagoon (With Saint Marc’s Square) is something that I will never forget the experience of arriving here. It is truly one of the most magical and beautiful places I have ever been. There are so many things to share about this wonderful place and I have already taken over 100 photo’s in the first half day alone! Today we are taking a boat to Murano and the glass factories. Since this is our 12 year anniversary weekend, I have authorized Anna to buy a piece of Murano glass (Likely a chandelier). I may regret this decision when I get the Amex bill, but you only live once :>)

For those that venture to Italia in the future, I would say that Venice is an absolute must for your itinerary. The kids love it here as well. I failed to mention earlier how the kids have become adventurous in their eating (They have always been very diverse but this is a new level). To give you an idea, last night they tried my main course which was “Sepia alla Venetzia” (Cuttlefish with squid ink!). Not only was it delicious, but the video of Trey eating it is priceless!!!

Ciao