Family Vacation in 127,367 steps

One of the best pieces of pre-move advice we received was to take a trip shortly after our arrival in Italy so returning to Varese would feel like coming "home."   Thus reinforcing that home is now Italy, not Michigan.

Luckily the Easter holiday was three weeks after our arrival and the following weekend was another holiday, Liberation Day.    Evan was off school all week and Jill's scheduled allowed her to take two days of vacation but get away for eight days.  We planned a family road trip in the new family sation-wagon and navigated our way through numerous roundabouts to multiple destinations that included three days in Venice, three days in Florence with two final days in the Tuscan countryside.

While the family wagon was our transportation to the cities, our feet were the primary transportation as we explored our destinations. In the 8 days, we walked 127, 367 steps (thanks UP) which equaled 85.9 km (53.4 miles).  Although some family members walked more than others (see the pics below of Elyse on Shane's shoulders).   After all of the walking, Evan suggested they should consider changing the name from "Italy" to "Walking" because thats what you do the most when you are here.

Every day we would stop for aperitivos (the Italian version of cocktail hour).   The adults enjoying a cocktail or wine, the children enjoying a glass of fruit juice and all of us enjoying some Uno cards.   Its a very nice family tradition to have on our trip.  We did get start to get some funny looks through as both of our children started asking "When is aperitivos??" around 3 pm each day (embarrassing, yes;  surprising for our children, probably not ).

Highlights of the places as well as pictures included below.

Venice:  Definitely a place you must visits - but since it is on everyone's list to visit, its quite filled with tourists.   Even so - we were glad we went.    Our activities included:   Evan and Jill took a tour of the 'secret passages' of the Doge museum, we went to Murano to visit one of the glass making factories, we had a great Easter / Jill's birthday lunch, took a gondola ride (touristy yes, but one of our favorites), went to the top of the St. Mark's Campanile - while we up in the tour, the bells started ringing which was quite loud but unforgettable experience!

Florence:   Both a beautiful city and quite historic.  We didn't do as much planning as we had done for Venice, so it took us 12-24 hours to adjust and figure out what to do.   Highlights included:  visiting the Uffizi gallery, climbing the 463 steps up to the top of the Florence Duomo (definitely one of the our highlights from the trip), visiting the Statue of David and visiting the Boboli Gardens.   Another family favorite was aperitivo on some amazing roof-top deck bars with gorgeous views of the city!

Tuscany: The scenic drives and medieval walled towns with stops in San Gimignano, Montipulciano, Siena and Montalcino. The panoramic views were scenes we will not soon forget and staying in our first Agriturisimo (a working farm and winery) was definitely an experience with lengthy dinners and new friends...both of the human and insect variety.

We will definitely be back to visit again!

Ciao!

A School for Evan

So after a 2nd semester filled with copious amounts of snow days in Michigan, we didn't want Evan to be out of school for too long. As such, he started school the 2nd week of our arrival.

He attends the European School of Varese.  He was in 1st grade in the US,  but Italy does not have kindergarten so he is in the year 2 classroom.  

The school has mother tongue classrooms in English, French, German, Dutch and Italian;  obviously Evan is in the English section (albeit "The Queens English").    There was a choice between German and French as a second language to study; since Shane is proficient in Spanish and Jill took French in high-school (notice no mention of Jill's proficiency) - we chose French for him (at least it is a "romantic" language).   He will add Italian as a 3rd language next year.   We also had a religion selection to make;  being that his parents are not religious, he is in the ethics section.

The biggest adjustment to the new school is the school schedule; it is a bit unique for us.  On Monday, Wednesday and Fridays school is in session from  8:30am  - 1pm; on Tuesday and Thursday school goes until 4pm.   The person impacted the most is Shane, not Evan,  as the weeks have a very different rhythm than in the US.

Eventually Evan will ride the bus to school but we have just recently (like in the last 10 hours) confirmed the schedule and will start this new adventure next week.   The buses here are more like rock star tour buses than the yellow American schools buses in the States.   We will get a pic and post later.

Evan was a little nervous on the first day - but was a trouper.   We walked with him to where his class lines up and the teacher gave him a very nice greeting which I think helped....although in the pics below - he looks a little nervous to us.

Luckily it was one of the short days - only 1pm - so he did pretty well.    His initial thoughts, as only a 7-year old can profess included:

• Great - no phonics class!
• Reading was easy - math was half hard
• Why do I have to learn French when I live in Italy?
• The best part was snack and recess outside

The evening of the first day, we checked-out the neighborhood restaurant (literally a 30 second walk from our apartment); to celebrate, we ordered a chocolate molten cake for dessert.   It didn't last long.

In reality, the first week of school was rather successful and then there was a TWO week break for the Easter holiday.   This is the first week back, but he is off school on Thursday for Festa del Lavoro  (May Day) which is Europe's version of Labor Day.    We head to Zurich on Friday for the weekend so he will be out of school that day as well, and we thought he missed a lot of days in Michigan...

For those curious about Elyse, she will start the nursery program in September,   You have to be four  to attend school here;  she will go to the same school and ride the same bus as Evan so that will be very nice.     Needless to say, Shane is counting down the days....

And the work beings

After our first day which we essentially spent as a tourist in the city, the real work began.    I do have to say that given the fact that we moved our family half way around the world - we have had a rather smooth transition. 

Here is the recap of the items that we attempted to accomplish:

First thing Monday morning, I was able to pick-up my car from Whirlpool.   As a part of the standard benefit package in Europe, most individuals above Sr. Manager are entitled to a car (I do think this is something that all ex-pats get as well - but hey, I thought it was interesting on the difference in benefits between the US and Europe).    Our car is a VW Passat Station Wagon.

Since we had a car, one of our next order of business was to get a new car seat for Elyse.   She had outgrown the one in the US and quite frankly, we didn't want to haul ours across the pond.   Evan is actually big enough by Italian law to not need one, so we just have one for Elyse.    One key difference here is that we live (thankfully) in more of an urban area.    So we walked to purchase the seat and then Shane carried it the 8 blocks back to the apartment (pic below - and of the temporary apartment)

Of course, we had non-picture worthy items to take care of as well.   This included:  opening a bank account (still haven't receive the bankcard almost 3 weeks later), getting Evan confirmed for school (another post), getting Shane an Italian number and SIM card,  getting myself my laptop and phone for work and the inspection and general preparation for the apartment (new appliances, keys, repairs etc).   Last but not least:  learning how to drive to our new apartment and to work without the GPS.

From a kid standpoint, we also had some "work" to do.   Evan and Elyse are clearly use to living in a small town in Michigan where you can run pretty free up and down large sidewalks.    The streets and sidewalks here are a bit more crowded and narrow.   We had some very tense moments when they were a bit too close to other cars or other pedestrians for comfort. (it also results in a few moments in which our children would declare that Mom and Dad had put on their "cranky pants")   Below is a picture of them beneath the statue they at least had freedom to run to on our way into town.

My previous post discussed the aperitivo - and by the end of Monday we were ready!   We found a great little spot where Mom and Dad could enjoy a drink and the kids a little food and all of us some Uno cards.

As to be expected, Shane and I found the local wine shop.   We were quite please with the Bourbon selection - given that we had left most of ours back in Michigan.    While there is no Pappy - we at least can enjoy some Buffalo Trace!

Our final items from the US arrived on Thursday;   Shane and the kids spent the day at the new apartment with the movers getting all of our stuff unpacked and moved.    We were hoping to stay in the new place by the first weekend (again, we are very lucky to have had a smooth transition).   

As with most moves, we still had a lot of stuff to buy!   We were fortunate that on Saturday we found both a mall and a grocery store (in the mall) within walking distance.    We bought a TV from a group of salesman who spoke almost no English - and us even less Italian.   We got some basic groceries and we searched all over town for a shower curtain to no avail.     

We also decided to make the very important purchase of an Italian Nespresso machine so we can enjoy the cappuccino and/or espresso from the comforts of home.    While we were waiting, Elyse made good friends with an old Italian man.   While neither spoke the language - they hit if off just the same.

On Sunday, we had the important lesson of not leaving the key in the ignition otherwise it drains the battery and you have to figure out how to find jumper cables in a different language.   Luckily, my boss was kind enough to let us borrow their car so we could shop for jumper cables at the italian version of the super target.   It was actually a blessing because we could find all of the little things you need when you move:  trash cans, electric cords, light bulbs, cleaning equipment etc..   Of course, as I was looking for Kleenex - I ended up tipping over a rather large display which resulted in the following:




Throughout the whole week - while it felt, at times, like a lot of work, we did have one thing to keep us all happy - gelato!

First Day through the Eyes of a Tourist

It's hard to believe that we have been here for over a week now and I'm just starting to blog about our trip over and first day....but that's for a different post.

Our trip over was rather smooth.   We ended up joining the United Red Carpet Club given the number of trips this year we will be making this year and the number of layovers.   I was grateful for a quiet place to hang out before our flight as we arrived early with our 6 massive-almost-maxing-out-the-50lb-weight-limit-costing-us-$200-to-ship suitcases.   The only thing getting in the way of pure enjoyment was the stabbing guilt that I'm spoiling my kids by exposing them regularly to a Red Carpet Club (I didn't fly until I was 21 - let alone sit in a Red Carpet Club!) - but we had enough to worry about so I let the guilt go.

Prior to leaving, my biggest concern was how it was going to go when we landed in the Milan on Sunday morning (8:30am Milan time / 2:30am Michigan time) since Elyse has a habit of crying and screaming for 20-30 minutes when she is awoken from sleep.   However, she was good (thank god for the stroller) and we got our luggage rather quickly,  met the driver and headed to our temporary apartment.

After a quick nap and shower - we headed out to explore the town!    First stop - pizza for the kiddos. Evan ordered a cheese and black olive but then didn't like the more mediterranean-type olives so he picked them off and Shane ate them.   Elyse wasn't so impressed with the pizza but we got her to each the cheese off the pizza.  

After lunch we walked around a bit exploring the town;  there was a nice  festival going on to celebrate spring and so there were a lot of food and merchants throughout the town - there is nice picture below of Evan next to a bell of cheese

Our second stop was to walk through town and to get gelato!   And as someone who isn't a huge fan of ice cream - I have to say, I've fallen in love with gelato (we had it 4 times in the first 6 days).   That day it was salted caramel, chocolate and "white" for Elyse which is actually yogurt here vs. vanilla.

Next stop was a big park that is in the center of town;  there was a playground, a fountain, and a small bumper car course (there is also a pool, a miniature golf course, bar and cafe - but didn't get to those areas). The weather was gorgeous as Spring is in full swing here (temps in the 60/70's)

After  a quick trip back to the apartment to freshen up and wait for restaurants open (they don't open until 7:00 or 7:15 here) we headed to dinner.    Dinner was pasta - which Elyse was happy about; hers with butter and cheese.  Shane tried to order Evan tortellini but we ended up with some sort of ravioli and radicchio dish.   In an impressive parenting moment and without missing a beat Shane realized his mistake as  soon as the plate hit the table and whispered to Evan "I'll pay you $10 to eat this plate".   

Its all about survival when it comes to the kids these days and we aren't above bribery!

After Sunday, the real work began but that is for a different post.

xoxoxo

The Kissack Family

On our way in the Airport

Pizza & Gelato

Walking Around Town

The ABC's on Life in Italy

So I've been in Italy all of 10 days now (so essentially an expert right?).  In this time, I’ve spent some of my time trying to learn what I can about life in Italy before packing  myself, my husband, my kids, and my home up to embrace “La Dolce Vita”.   

While there is a lot to learn, here are the ABC’s of what I've gathered so far….

Apertivo

Ah – god love the apertivo!   The pre-dinner drink most bars serve before the restaurants open for dinner (at 7:30 mind you, no early bird specials here!) is not only a great part of any culture – but the best part is that it comes with food!   Over the course of a few apertivos we had bread, chips, salami, cheese, olives, cheetos and hotdogs.     For those of you who know my husband’s affinity for a pre-drink cocktail and my kid’s love of cheetos and hotdogs – I anticipate many Kissack family apertivos in our future (with a set of Uno or Go Fish cards for entertainment).

Bidet

So Bidets are everywhere – at least in all of the bathrooms in all of the houses we saw on our HHI tour.   I’m not opposed to the bidet (who knows maybe we will come to enjoy them?) – but I clearly I haven't fully embraced the concept since I used a bidet towel to wipe my face (and made Shane do the same).

We went to one of the local work out facilities and had been advised by my colleague to bring towels with us because the gym didn't provide; before heading out I grabbed the smallest two towels from the bathroom of our hotel room.     It wasn't until the following morning it dawned on me that I spent the entire workout wiping my face with the same towel that many others previously wiped their ass with…..    I haven’t done laundry in Italy yet but I really hope bleach is involved.

Coffee & Cappuccino Rules

First let it be said, the coffee is exceptional in Italy.    And while I do love my grande Americano in a venti cup and don’t often leave my house without my to-go cup these are things you won’t see in Italy.   The very biggest coffee here is about the size of a Starbuck’s tall and coffee is not meant for "on the go" but rather standing at the coffee bar socializing.  That being said, the biggest surprise was learning that no self respecting Italian drinks a cappuccino after 11am; the cappuccino is strictly a breakfast beverage.   If you want coffee and milk in the afternoon, you should order a macchiato.   For more rules on Italian coffee drinking - look here.

Again, lots more to learn, embrace and share.   These were some of the highlights so far!

Ciao!

Drum Roll Please

It was a lot of fun to see everyone's thoughts on our House Hunter International search for our new home in Italy and to be honest there really wasn't a bad option for us. In true HHI style - we first eliminated one option leaving us with two just to further compare side-by-side.

The first to go was the Mid Century Villa with Room for Guests   Not that we don't want guests (because we do!) - but in the end this house was too big for us, the stone felt a little cold and it had  less of the open floor plan that we like.

So, it really came down to the #1) Bi-Level Flat with Views and #3) Historic Flat with Private Year and Close to Town.   Over lunch, we went through every room and every amenity giving each house a "+" "-" or "="  Our initial pass gave us a dead even tie.

Flat #1's positives included the views, the master suite, the kids bedroom/play area and the fireplace.   Flat #3's positives included (as many commented on fb) the location, yard, air conditioning and kitchen.  We went back and forth over lunch and eventually made our decision based more the type of the experience we were searching for and a gut feeling.

While #3 was a great option and had a lot of great things about it the yard and the overall living situation felt very similar to life in Saint Joseph, Michigan.  While we love our life here in SJ - we want to use this experience to try something new.   So in the end the mountain views and more "apartment-like" feel won out.

We will have plenty of room for guests in our new home the Bi-Level Flat with the Views!   

And what views we will have!

It also looks like something happened to the pictures of the kitchen from yesterday's blog; here is one.

House Hunter's International - A new home in Varese, Italy

The first and most often asked question we receive when we tell people we are moving to Italy is "Are you going to be on House Hunter International?"     Well, we weren't as my company manages the move process for us but it did feel oddly similar to being part of HHI.   Shane first visited nine houses and narrowed it down to three for me earlier in the week.   We spent Thursday morning looking at all three and then "had lots to talk about" over lunch.

Here are the three we considered - which one would you choose?


House #1:  Bi-level modern flat with views

This flat is 10 minutes to the city center and is on the top floor of a multi-unit building with great views from the wrap-around terrace.   The downstairs includes a large entry way; big living area with mountain views and a fireplace; a big kitchen (by European standards) with lots of shelves;  a guest bath with laundry; and the master suite with lots of wardrobes (closets) and a connecting master bath.    The upstairs includes a loft area, a guest bedroom, another full bath and a connected bedroom-playroom for Evan and Elyse to share.

Pictures from House #1

Entry Way

Fireplace

Living Area

Terrace

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Guest Bedroom

Loft Area

Upstairs Bathroom with Shower

Door connects to sleeping area

Kid's Sleeping Area

Views from Terrace

House #2:   Mid-Century Villa with Room for Guests
Located 7 minutes from city center, this house has two master suites and includes six bedrooms and five bathrooms. The first floor includes a cellar, laundry and fireplace. The second floor houses the main living area including a kitchen and pantry, living room with fireplace, dining room with fireplace, a master suite and an additional bedroom and bathroom.  Off of the living area is a large stone patio perfect for al fresco dining. The third floor has two bedrooms for the kids and includes a shared bathroom and then enough space for a master suite with a bedroom, office, dressing area and bath (with a very large tub).   Beautiful garden areas surround the house.

Pictures from House #2 (they were painting when we visited)

Front of Building

Stairs to main floor

Fireplace in the basement (1 of 4)

Dining Room

Living Room

Kitchen

Kitchen

One of the many bedrooms

Another bedroom

Master Bath

Patio from Living & Dining Room

Backyard Gardens

House #3  Historic flat with private yard and close to town

Located less than 5 minutes from city center and across the street from a large park, this four bedroom - three bathroom flat is on the first and basement floor of a large historic home remodeled in the early 90's.   The first floor has a nice entry way and the best eat-in kitchen of all the options.   A living and dining area; master bed and bath room (not connected); guest/kids bath and one bedroom for the kids to share finishes out the top floor.  The basement has a workout area; play area; large laundry room; two guest bedrooms (one to use as an office) and bath room.  This is the only option with air-conditioning (the American's saying we need it and the Italians saying we don't).   There is a large private yard for just for our use.

Pictures from House #3

Front Door

Entry Way

Kitchen

Kitchen

Living Area

Dining Area

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Kids Room

Kids/Guest Bath

Bedroom #1 in Basement

Bedroom #2 in Basement

Laundry Room

Workout / Play area

Large Yard

I'll reveal which one we chose in an up-coming blog!  Can you guess correctly?