Lake Garda

August 23, 2009

Welcome to Lake Garda! Instead of heading straight home after Verona, we drove to Sirmione. Below is Scagliero Castle. We walked over the bridge and the through the gate to get to all the restaurants and shops Sirmione had to offer.
As soon as we walked through the gate we saw the 'Kiss Please' sign. So, we did as we were told.

This is Lake Garda. It was a bit cloudy and the pictures just do not do it justice.

We set up shop on a pier that stretched out into the water. We arrived early and found some space to nap and people-watch.

Another 'Kiss Please' sign. But at the risk of being cheesy, I won't share our other kiss picture.

View from the overlook.

Evan at the overlook.

You can see the pier behind Evan. This is where we spent most of the morning and early afternoon. The water was really chilly but after we got used to it we spent almost two hours swimming and walking around. There were hugs slab rocks so it was pretty shallow. The water was crystal clear. We ate lunch after our hike and shopped around. Then got some gelato on the way to our car. After a couple of hours on the autostrada we were back on base.

Fair Verona.

August 22, 2009
Arena di Verona: In Piazza Bra, over 2,000 years old. It has gone from gladiators, public executions, and bullfights, to opera and concerts.

Looking down Piazza Bra at all the cafes, restaurants, gelaterias. We had breakfast here Sunday morning.

To our left you can see the props used during opera season.

Castelvecchio from the outside looking in. Built between 1355 and 1375 on a bank of the River Adige. I'm on a drawbridge looking in.

Castelvecchio inner courtyard.

From a bridge leading from Castelvecchio overlooking the river.

Another view of the river.

An arch we saw on our walk.

Looking down one of the narrow streets. We navigated the 4-runner down a few of these.

Piazza Erbe: Vendors lined the center of the piazza with souvenirs and fresh fruit.

Venetian Lion overlooking Piazza Erbe. Dante. The poet.

Star-crossed lovers...wherefore art thou Romeo. Juliet's balcony. I know, I know it's fiction but Evan indulged me with pictures. (that's not me on the balcony).

Juliet.

There is a wall where all lovebirds can declare their love with graffiti. The Italians have outsmarted the tourists though--I learned later the wall is covered in plastic sheeting for preservation.

The rib of a whale hangs under this archway. It is supposed to fall if someone walks under it that has never told a lie. Attorney=never. going. to. fall.

We climbed the Lamberti Tower--368 spiral staircase steps. Two levels of bells, this was at the top.

View from the Tower.

Another view from the Tower.

Evan in front of the Synagogue.

I am not quite the photographer Evan is--I thought you could read the dates.

Best part of the weekend. Our 2nd-to-top row seat at the opera to see Tosca. Aida was the night before which means we must return someday.

View from the top row at sunset.

Waiting for Tosca to begin. Evan kept saying, "Gladiators used to fight here and here we are."

The end of the first act of Tosca. Amazing. We withstood the downpour and the delay for a fantastic night under the stars (once the clouds cleared). It was over after midnight and like any good opera--another story of star-crossed lovers ends in their death.

When all else fails, drink wine.

We met Mary Beth through a friend. She will PCS to Little Rock AFB this week so we think it's only fate that we met. She had a few days to play before leaving for the states so I helped her run some errands last week. Come on, what am I supposed to say when she asked me to visit a winery for a last-minute pickup?
We visited Ca'Madresca in Fiume Veneto (about 25 min. from base). She knows the owner and has visited many times. It was during reposo (Itaian naptime) but he opened just for us. We drank, um tasted, about 10 wines and ended with tasting his flavored liqueurs. Don't worry Grandpa, the plastic cups were for the liqueur, not the wine!

Friends can bring their cask in and have it filled with wine for a very low price--those are spiggots on the containers. The box is MB's first case of wine. She meant business.

Me and the owner. I scolded him afterwards because he did not smile. He said, "Oh yes, that is what I always do for the camera". He was very laid back and so friendly with us and all the explanations of the different types of wine and why they tasted the way they did. I purchased two reds and two whites--nothing compared to MB's haul that filled her trunk!

So it's not the Guadalupe.

As I posted before, we really liked Lake Barcis so we went back. Here is Evan sort-of enjoying the freezing water in the stream. We enjoyed a picnic, skipping rocks, and of course, a nap.

736th Sagra dei Osei

Last weekend we helped the Italians celebrate the 736th Sagra dei Osei--festival of the birds. There were lots of critters in cages that you will see below in pics.

We walked around, ate yummy food, had prosecco/beer, were constantly entertained by friends, live music, dancers, birdcallers, and lots of people-watching. We left at midnight when the real party was just getting started. The next morning, early-birdy, the birds sing and they pick the best one for that year. We did not stay up all night, although some of our partygoer friends did.
Peter Rabbit. Okay, maybe not THE Peter Rabbit, but he looked like him. This is one of the hundred rabbits on display. You could purchase this rabbit for 120 Euro--if you would like.

Mophead Rooster. Very handsome.

He looks like the rooster you see on the handtowels and hotpads at SteinMart right?

Whatch'you talking about? Why is your hair just like mine?

The plaza filled with people.

Another look down the street.

As we walked along, we noticed a crowd gathered. The people on the steps are all birdcallers. They each made sounds that were just like birds and they had about a 30-45 second call. It was beautiful to listen to and amazing that people were making those songs.

You can barely make them out, but there is a 3 piece band: accordian, cello, and clarinet playing classical music. Their background is St. Peter's Church in Sacile.

Here are the dancers dancing the tango.

Meet Mr. Llama. I poked him through his dense coat to pose for a picture with me. He was not so amused.

Arrivederci. Adios. Goodbye.

Arkansas holds a lot of firsts for the Epsteins. Our first home, our first assignment, our first dog....3800 Lookout was good to us while we there. There are many memories but here are some of our favorites.

We moved in September 25, 2007 and moved out July 14, 2009. It officially sold on August 18, 2009. Evan made Captain. Ross and Janet were visiting from Texas and helped pin on his new rank.

Chris and Abby (AKA: C&A) were our bestest of best friends. Lifelong friendship. Every weekend was spent deciding who would grill what, which wine to drink, and most importantly--the dessert. Weekend excursions, outdoor activities, and overall good times. They are now based in Tucson, AZ. They also helped bury our St. Joseph statue which incidently we received our offer 2 days later....coincidence? I think not.

My Park Hill Presbyterian Bell Choir girls. I don't know what to do on Wednesday nights now--the chatting, laughing, getting stern looks from the instructor--all part of being a bell girl.
Angela. My confidant, Chi Omega sister, and mentor. How many counseling sessions did we have? This was taken on Spouse Appreciation Day and we were getting ready to take a ride on the C-130.
Cash. Casher boy. Resident nuisance. Take your pic. We love him. We miss him (he's with my parents in TX). He spent a LOT of time on the deck. He loves water as you can see from the pic. He enjoyed napping in our plastic chairs and then our real chairs once we got them. The table was also a favorite place to rest his head. He played fetch in the lake down the hill. We walked our route everyday around the Baptist Church and back. He made friends with the neighbor kids and anyone who walked up/down the hill during the day.

It snowed in March 2008.
First Overseas Assignment: This is how Evan told me where our next assignment was located.

I worked at Pottery Barn and met Allison. Allison and Scott had a little piece of heaven...Camden. I babysat Camden one day and this is her asleep on the couch.

Evan was able to hitch a ride with an Aggie on this C-130 before he left The Rock.

This was Evan's last day at the office. Little Rock was a great first assignment!

Other things we'll miss:
Roger and Kim: Neighbors who let us borrow various yard tools, watched our house when we were gone, loved our dog, told good stories.
Chris, Paula, Vaughn, & Chase: Entertained our dog after our walks, watched our house when we were gone, good friends who mowed our lawn and watered our flowers, and yes, unearthed St. Joseph from his hiding place to keep good karma.
The donut shop across the street. The owner let us leave him IOUs when we forgot cash b/c they don't accept credit cards.
Canoeing the Buffalo River.
Going to Memphis for dinner and a night out.
Going to the Pottery Barn Outlet in Memphis.

What we will not miss:
I apologize in advance for Arkansas readers...we will NOT miss the Razorbacks. I am sorry to say that we did not ever get used to calling the Hogs. We are Aggies through and through.

A lot of our time in AR was spent with Cash.