tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59471332010-03-19T09:19:01.519+01:00In 2003 Barbara and Art moved from Kentucky to Umbria. These are their adventures.Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.comBlogger1225125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-26294479447706148322010-03-18T08:21:00.009+01:002010-03-18T10:00:17.198+01:00

I've been sitting on this news for about a month not, not wanting to jinx things, or rush in too quickly, but I think at long last I can say with confidence:  WE'VE SOLD OUR HOUSE!  We accepted an offer in mid February, but because our buyer was back in the states when he made the offer it took a while for the contract to be drawn up, sent to the states, then signed and mailed back here.  Now

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-56036929557725461432010-03-17T08:13:00.002+01:002010-03-17T08:13:00.171+01:00

Although neither of us have a drop of Irish blood we've been feeling a bit lucky lately.  Check back tomorrow to read about our big news!

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-17385587902101983452010-03-16T08:03:00.006+01:002010-03-16T11:30:49.540+01:00

Here's the lead-in to an article I found on the WANDERING ITALY website, from an article entitled "10 Tips for Buying Property in Italy" written by Adriana Giglioli:  "You know you want to buy a house in Italy. Here's the safe way. The London-based Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors last year named Italy as one of the best countries in which to buy real estate because it has avoided

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-81101241419736574622010-03-15T08:36:00.020+01:002010-03-15T09:22:52.521+01:00

No, I'm not going to post about those lottery tickets that keep accumulating on my desk. Art keeps buying them, and I'm left with the job of checking them, then discarding them. I'm just not a gambler, and yes, someone has to win, but it certainly won't be me. Years ago the tag line was 'you can't win if you don't play'. Okay, I played, and I STILL didn't win, so what's the point?! No, what I'm

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-79862963742796214192010-03-10T07:43:00.003+01:002010-03-10T11:44:28.468+01:00

Within the last few days the temperature has dropped back into the low 30's, maybe even dipped below freezing on a few nights. When the sun comes out it's not too bad, but when it's cloudy and/or rainy, the cold is just intensified. Although the local forecast called for snow, I really didn't expect it to amount to much. Yesterday morning around 10 a.m. I glanced outside and did a double-take.

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-15078387571918367312010-03-09T08:19:00.002+01:002010-03-09T08:19:00.449+01:00

You know how it is when you live somewhere yet somehow never manage to get around to visiting the sites that area is famous for?  When we moved to Italy in 2003 we thought we'd be travelling around the country, taking day trips, long weekends and extended trips all over the boot, but then the dollar took a dive.  Someone once asked why we didn't go to Florence on the train more often, but it's

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-991723249928470052010-03-05T08:23:00.001+01:002010-03-14T17:09:11.737+01:00

Okay, I think I've covered just about every aspect of our transatlantic journey! I hope you enjoyed reading about the voyage and seeing the photos, but I'm sure by now you're saying "but you live in Italy - what's going on there?"! so, without further delay, here's the update from Umbria: Spring, really wants to arrive, but it's apparently going to be a very long, slow process. Yes, it's just

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-84654514787509275232010-03-04T08:25:00.001+01:002010-03-04T08:25:00.203+01:00

I think we went to every one of these shows - that molten glass is fascinating.... And all the photos we took during the hot glass shows - be warned - there are over 80 photos! There are more photos from the cruise and all the ports we visited on our FLICKR PAGE, as well as a few videos on our Our YouTube page.

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-80679297266518157352010-03-02T08:21:00.002+01:002010-03-02T08:21:00.755+01:00

Notice the slight up and down movement of the ship - There are more photos from the cruise and all the ports we visited on our FLICKR PAGE, as well as a few videos on our Our YouTube page.

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-55367997845283708572010-03-01T08:29:00.010+01:002010-03-01T08:29:00.261+01:00

Although we did have one sea day in between Cartagena and Madeira, we were now embarking on what I consider the coolest part of our transatlantic crossing - the crossing itself! Six days at sea, with nothing but water as far as the eye could see (and then some!). Each day the captian would announce our position and tell us about the weather. He'd also announce the depth of the ocean, which ran as

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-44672104311930029422010-02-26T15:10:00.001+01:002010-02-26T17:00:03.748+01:00

There's so much going on here in San Venanzo! A new sidewalk is being built - I guess Marsciano must've had some bricks left over after they installed new sidewalks on every possible road there. Anyway, the sidewalk will be much appreciated. Also under construction is a new parking lot, right on main street! The steep hillside next to the bakery has been excavated and now a retaining wall

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-1670649603094370712010-02-25T07:11:00.001+01:002010-02-25T14:26:37.807+01:00

Today we're celebrating our 20th anniversary - still grateful that we found each other and amazed when we think of all the wonderful adventures we've shared together.  And the beautiful, cheerful bouquet of flowers Art gave me...

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-91717222196499043982010-02-24T08:26:00.000+01:002010-02-24T08:26:00.835+01:00

Here’s a short video I shot from the top deck of the Solstice. We had been watching the Hot Glass Show and went back to the cabin for just a minute. When we came back the decks were all wet and I couldn’t figure out why. The seas weren’t rough at all, and even if they had been, I didn’t think there would be spray up on deck 15! When we walked around to the back of the ship we saw that we had

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-1022472043702930232010-02-23T08:02:00.001+01:002010-02-23T08:02:00.224+01:00

Yesterday I wrote about our visit to the beautiful Portuguese island of Madeira. Now the island is experiencing heavy flooding. As of today 32 people have been killed as a result of this flooding.....

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-91789687932802198212010-02-22T08:32:00.003+01:002010-02-22T08:32:00.038+01:00

Just in case you're wondering what happened to day six of our cruise, it was a day at sea between our stop in Cartagena Spain and our last stop before heading out to sea.  Our last stop was the beautiful island of Madeira, Portugal.  The day at sea also allowed us to 'fall back' one hour so that when we arrived in Madeira we'd be synchronized with their time. I wrote a little about the history

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-41572099820000335002010-02-19T10:24:00.001+01:002010-02-19T10:25:58.094+01:00

Okay, back to the cruise updates! Sorry for the delay, but things have been just a little crazy around here lately. Watch this space for an exciting announcement coming soon. Our second Spanish port was Cartagena. For a little history of Cartagena click HERE to read the post I wrote back in December, before we’d actually been there. We knew we’d be able to walk right off the ship and into

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-2939619571717175482010-02-14T07:40:00.001+01:002010-02-14T07:40:00.069+01:00

WITH LOVE, FROM ITALY!

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-31697057068596732282010-02-12T07:51:00.002+01:002010-02-12T11:51:01.955+01:00

If you're in the states, chances are pretty good that you've experienced some snow this winter.  Many of you might have experienced snow to the extreme, and there have been some pretty frigid temperatures to go along with that snow.  Here in Umbria it's been pretty darn cold, with temps dipping into the teens a couple of times, and it's not unusual for us to dip below freezing.  All in all our

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-55023187465970785032010-02-11T08:31:00.001+01:002010-02-11T08:31:00.142+01:00

Last but not least, our day in Barcelona included a ramble down las Ramblas, the tree-lined pedestrian mall. Just off las Ramblas is the Gothic Quarter, with many buildings dating back to the 15th century. There are more photos from the cruise and all the ports we visited on our FLICKR PAGE.

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-84256530122026641012010-02-10T08:24:00.001+01:002010-02-10T08:24:00.487+01:00

La Bogueria - Barcelona's food market - wow! Here's a slideshow of all the photos I took at la Boqueria - no need for words: There are more photos from the cruise and all the ports we visited on our FLICKR PAGE.

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-3797353046577725872010-02-09T07:46:00.001+01:002010-02-09T07:46:00.391+01:00

Here’s Rick Steves’ take on Gaudi’s Barcelona: and two short videos I took inside la Sagrada Familia - There are more photos from the cruise and all the ports we visited on our FLICKR PAGE.

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-76463376180442849422010-02-08T08:02:00.002+01:002010-02-08T08:02:00.637+01:00

Barcelona – I’d heard it was a great city, but really knew nothing about it. Kind of embarrassing, but our transatlantic cruise gave me the opportunity to read about Barcelona and try to make good use of the limited time we’d have there. Barcelona is full of museums and galleries: a Picasso museum, National Museum of Catalan Art, a gallery featuring works by Miro – with whom I AM familiar, since

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-6360475670239875042010-02-06T08:50:00.002+01:002010-02-06T08:50:00.579+01:00

Just a few pictures of Villefranche, and a short video… Here's another Rick Steve's video highlighting Villefranche: There are more photos from the cruise and all the ports we visited on our FLICKR PAGE.

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-48497426239493827752010-02-05T06:30:00.005+01:002010-02-13T22:50:09.651+01:00

Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Expresso team up every year to promote World Nutella Day.  Although Nutella is readily available in the states, I didn’t discover it until we started coming to Italy, but better late than never, right? Everyone who knows me knows that I lovelovelove chocolate of any kind.  For those of you who don’t know, Nutella is a chocolate-hazelnut

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5947133.post-68931720188961083052010-02-04T08:06:00.005+01:002010-02-05T21:40:15.486+01:00

If it's day three of the cruise it must be France! Although Nice has its own port, for whatever reason our ship stopped at Villefranche, and we were tendered from the ship to the small town of Villefranche. In addition to Nice, it was also possible to visit Monaco, as well as other small towns in the area. One of the nearby towns is known for its perfumes, so I’m sure this is a busy place when

Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13853057494479680201noreply@blogger.com4