Venice

Our first stop on our Italian adventure was in Venice or Venezia as the Italians call it.  I was able to go to Venice last week with a group lead by an Italian native, then Amber, Jonathan, & I went back yesterday.  The city is absolutely amazing and pictures honestly do it no justice.  Venice consists of 117 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea.

I learned that the 'city built on the sea' saying is no joke.  The buildings of Venice are built on closely spaced wood piles placed in the sea on a soft layer of sand & mud.  The wood sinks down until it reaches a hard layer of clay.  This is still happening in some places even to this day I've heard.  The wood does not decay under the water because of the absence of Oxygen.  The wood is actually petrified because of the constant flow of water around and through it so it becomes a stone-like structure. On top of the wood was placed large flat stones creating the base for the city.  If I understood correctly this construction came about in the year 421. Yes I said year four hundred twenty-one. That's over 1,500 years ago!  Ok That's enough history for now. . .

When I stepped out of the train station & as I was going down what reminded me of court house stairs, I realized I was standing about 50 yards from the Grand Canal.  The canal is the water way that looks like a backwards S and runs through the middle of Venice.  The breeze was blowing and there was a little bit of a fish smell but I'm assuming that is because I was 50 yards from a part of the ocean. 

Both times I visited Venice we walked left from the train station.  The first thing I saw as we started walking was the area where Waterbus tickets could be bought and the loading area for the waterbus. 

 A little further down the shopping area starts.  There are small vendor stands selling souvenirs like magnets, jewelry, key chains, t-shirts, post cards. You name it and I think there was a vendor selling it!  A large interest in Venice are masks. 

 There are probably a million different masks to be seen & bought in Venice.  Most of them are handmade right in the shop and you can watch.  Most stores with Masks have signs saying no Cameras.  I was told this was because each piece is an original and the creator does not want his ideas replicated.  But you all know me! Never following the rules- So I took a few pics anyways!

There are many other stores too like gift shops, clothing stores, shoe stores, Pharmacies, and any other store you could think of that a tourist town would have.  Glass making is another specialty of theirs.  They make all kind of things out of glass. Pendants, beads, ashtrays, plates, vases, cups, shot glasses, other decorative pieces, & pretty much anything else you can think of.

Restaurants were a plenty too!  Inside or outside fancy dining, casual dining, dining with patio dining on the Grand Canal, sandwich shops with no seating, pastry shops, bread shops, candy stores, fruit and vegetable markets, meat shops, & McDonalds.  We stopped at McDonalds to use the bathroom which was unisex like the rest as smelled like pee.  We also got a milkshake each which was 1.90 Euro. 
I did notice as we walked that I didn't see any food vendors like hotdog or carnival food vendors in America.  It seemed like no matter which dining experience you chose that the experience would be one of a kind.  We chose to eat outside in a square near Giovanni e Paolo Basilica.  

They had a 'tourist special' as i like to call those type deals.  A pasta & drink for 10 Euro.  I had spaghetti & coke which I shared w/ Amber & Jonathan had Nocchi.  The portion size was small so I didn't think this deal was that great compared to the 10 Euro deal we've had at other places in Vicenza.  I'm assuming it's that way because Venice is more touristy and because Venice is a more expensive city than Vicenza.  

After lunch we headed to St Mark's Basilica. The first time I came to Venice I was just walking with my group kind of ignoring the guide, taking pictures, and we walked into this wide open space that was very different than any other plaza I'd seen in Venice.  The air was different and cooler and there was kind of a calmness about the area even though there were people everywhere.  I heard the guide say something about St. Mark's Basilica and I turned around and to my left there it was.  This is a HUGE church I thought.  It really was amazing to see. The architecture is a mixture of Byzantine and Gothic.  The outside of the Church is magnificent and decorated with many statues, mosaics and the grand domes.  The interior is enormous and the ceiling are very high.  Most of the basilica is free to get in but there is a line and no cameras are allowed (Opps, my bad, hehehe).  There are mosaics everywhere.  Upstairs you can see the celebrated Pala d'Oro (golden alterpiece studded with gems) but you have to pay to see this, as well as countless other sculptures and works of art.


e had been in Venice about 4 hours at this point and were getting tired so we headed right along the Grand Canal. My guide from the first trip to Venice told us that the movie district (where they film all the movies made in Venice) was to the left about 2km from St. Mark's but we didn't walk there because we were out of time.  As we made the walk down the side of the Grand Canal we saw more street vendors and I stopped to buy some Venezia magnets to send back to family and friends in the States.  Right before we made it to the waterbus ticket booth I noticed a sign saying 1.50 Euro to use the bathroom!! Good thing we went in the McDonalds that we stopped at for Icecream. 

The waterbus ride costs by the hour or day. We got the 1 hour ticket that cost 6 something euro each. Amber was free :)  There are waterbuses. They are just like a regular bus with different numbers and they have different destinations. We got on the one that took us back to the train station.  The ride down the Grand Canal was so nice. The view of the buildings and architecture and the other boats riding by is incredible.  The bus gets a little crowded at times but other than that I'd say this is the way to see Venice. 


As we arrived back at the train station we had about 45 minutes til our train left so we got gelato (italian ice cream) and found our train. Luckily the train was already there and we were able to board early instead of sitting in the heat.  Amber took a nap on the 1 hour ride back & I think Jonathan & I drifted off a few times too.  It was a busy but amazing day.  Venice is a place anyone who visits Italy should see. Now I wonder if all the rest of the major places in Italy will be as nice?

Toilets (AKA- the Hole), Beer vending machines, and $2 box wine

 
I don’t really have a theme for this weeks blog but I guess you could call it a random one.  I just wanted to explain some of the crazy things we’ve experienced since coming here.  One being the Toilets. . .

Luckily in most places I’ve been there have been public bathrooms.  Not so luckily in most places there is no soap and the towels is a piece of cloth on what looks like a paper towel dispenser but it just goes around in a circle when you pull it so the same piece of cloth is used for very person who needs to dry their hands there.  I’ve also been warned that some places do not have toilet paper!  I’ve not experienced any of those yet but I have started packing klennex in my purse just in case.

In one of our experiences I took Amber to a restroom inside a restaurant we were eating at.  The sign to the restroom simply said ‘Toilet’ and there was no door, just doors to the stalls and if someone was sitting at the table next to the restroom enterance they could more than likely hear and smell everything you are doing in there!  When we walked into one of the stalls I heard what sounded like a man peeing in the stall beside us.  That’s when I realized the restroom was not gender separated.  When Amber finished her business we walked out of the stall just as the man was walking out of his stall right next to us.  Amber didn’t say anything but I she gave the guys a look like ‘what are you doing in the girl’s bathroom?’  There was one sink for 3 stalls so the man waited as I washed our hands.  Thank goodness they had soap but no paper towels just a hand dryer which I‘m sure half the restaurant could hear us using.  I must admit it was strange standing in a bathroom having just finished our business and washing our hands with a man standing next to us!!

Unfortunately that was not our strangest bathroom experience.  On another occasion we were in a self service restaurant (where you all crowd at the bar & order your food by yelling it out) and as usual, Amber had to use the bathroom.  The sign said toilet again but this time it had a door separating it from the rest of the eatery.  We entered and everything looked nice. A double sink to wash up in, paper towels, and soap!  When we walked into a stall I about choked!  There was no toilet, just a hole in the floor with tile around it and some slip proof stuff designating where to put your feet.  I quickly closed the door and opened the next one hoping that there was a toilet in there.  No such luck.  The hole in the ground was the only toilet they had.  So considering I had a four year old who can’t hold it to pee more than about 10 minutes I had no other choice but to use the hole.  I tried to explain to Amber to squat but she wasn’t getting it so I (against everything in me) decided I needed to do it first so she could understand how.  I pulled down my pants and squated over the hole.  It was not too bad, kind of like camping, lol.  I did get really grossed out when I almost fell and had to brace myself on the wall.  I’m pretty sure it was covered in dried pee splatters from the men who used that hole.  Amber went after me and did ok. I helped her squat and almost stepped into the hole trying to stand her back up!  To flush the hole there is a button on the wall that you push.  Ok enough potty talk, I’m getting grossed out again!

Someone told me that it’s probably not a good idea to give the OK hand signal. Ya know the one with your index and thumb touching and remaining fingers pointed upwards.  Apparently this means ‘A** hole’ to Italians.  I’ve never done it but I can see myself doing it one day by mistake had I not known this!

At the Commissary I saw a BOX of wine for about $2 ! I don’t drink wine (yet) but I’m assuming $2 is pretty cheap.  Considering Soda is like $1.50 at the Commissary and like 2.50 Euro or more if you get it at a restaurant and there are NO free refills.

I’ve noticed there is an abundance of churches in this area. Luckily only one church with functioning church bells in each town though.  The bells ring what seems like every day light hour, usually on the half hour, before mass, after mass, and one time it was like 2:45pm on a Tuesday and they were ringing so I don’t know why that was.

I’ve not talked to many Italians for very long but from overhearing conversations I’ve determined that the Italians have picked up quite a few of out English words and just insert them randomly into their conversations.  From the minimal Italian I know I translated one conversation between a dad and his son to be something like ‘if you are well behaved today you can eat  (<< that part in Italian) The hotdog (<<in English) Blah Blah something else in Italian about being bad and then his phone rang & he started talking & said ‘Paparazzi’ in English like 4 times & then he laughed.  IDK why it amused me but I almost laughed out loud.

I forgot to mention while at the grocery store Emisfero that the eggs are not refrigerated here.  They are close to the refrigerated foods but not in it.  Horse meat is in the refrigerated foods though.  Looks like shredded beets!  Pretty gross stuff.

Seen any vending machines lately?  I have!  Mostly consisting of condoms and cigarettes.  Now on post there are regular ones with Gatoraid and chips and NO cigarette vending machines.  Off post it’s pretty scary what you can buy from one of those things.  I’m gonna take a picture next time!  I’ve seen Chocolates next to cigarettes next to bottled carbonated Italian drinks, and beer! Yes I said Beer in a Vending machine!  I didn’t full inspect the machine but I didn’t see any way how it could verify someone age.  The drinking age here is 16. The driving age is 18.

Can’t believe I’m sitting here on a Friday night BLOGGING so I’m done for now.

The Italian Vehicle Registration Pain in our Butt Process!

How to Register and Plate your vehicle in Italy- Thanks BEKI for reminding me to Blog about this VERY important Topic.  It's mostly for Military families or People moving to Italy that are bringing a vehicle (POV).

First of all- SHIP YOUR CAR (POV) ASAP so it arrives when you do or even BEFORE you arrive!  Being in a foreign country relying on public transportation is a BIATCH!  When your vehicle leaves the port to be shipped to Italy you must have your license plates off and in the trunk.  You must have at least American Insurance but it's suggested that you have International Insurance & the title or a letter from the lending agency allowing you to take it over seas.  Your american insurance won't cover it out of the US so you need to cancel it and start your International Insurance when you drop your car at the port (it's EXPENSIVE, $200/mo international insurance for our 2004 Kia Rio).  When you cancel the American insurance the DMV sends you a nasty letter saying you owe $250 because you let your insurance laps and didn't turn in your plates (which you can't turn in until you get to Italy, pick up your car & remove them from your trunk & mail them back to the States).

When the car arrives in Italy it's a two day process to pick it up. First get your Italian Driver's license. After you have that you have to go to the Torry Vehicle place on the bus or hitch a ride.  First you have to get your license plate number which they will give at the Torry place.  Next, leave Torry and go to a phone.  Call your insurance company and tell them you need the yellow & white window proof of insurance card.  They will overnight it to the BMV place across from the church gate off Camp Ederle which you can walk to.  Day 2- Go pick up your yellow & white window insurance card from BMW place & go back to Torry Vehicle place.  There, you will have to pay $20 and 5 Euro to have the vehicle registered & to get International plates.  Next you will go next door to the Vehicle Processing Center and inspect the vehicle of damage that happened in transit.  Finally you get possession of the vehicle!  You must then remove all American decals/bumper stickers including Government decals & post stickers (per Army regs), attach your new plates, and place the yellow/white proof of insurance in the sticky envelope and stick it to the passenger side of your windshield.

Yay! Now you can drive the vehicle but do not pass GO- do not collect $200.  Instead, drive directly to the vehicle inspection place on Camp Ederle.  Next, you will fail the inspection because of the back/parking brake (oh yes, this will happen to most of you, more about THAT later).  When you fail you need to drive the vehicle to the Car Care center on post and see if they can fit you in that day.  Otherwise, you have 30 days to make an appointment and get the brakes inspected or your gas card will be REVOKED! (Sorry I'm not paying $8.80/gallon of gas so we had this appointment scheduled immediately).  Tell the Car Care center you need a brake inspection because it failed the initial inspection.  That was a $28 expense for us. . .
Want to avoid the brake failure and having to pay the $28?  Either have BRAND SPANKIN' NEW brakes or before you arrive at the Inspection place on post drive with the Emergency Brake slightly on so you warm up the back/parking brakes.  Not enough to make them smell!  The straight away before you drive into the main gate is a great place to do this because you are going a steady speed.  This will present a better reading to the brake inspection machine which is a piece of POOP & reads incorrectly 99 % of the time.  We know this because when we took the vehicle to the Car Center & the repair man knew why we were there & told us how to prevent it next time.  This was AFTER he inspected our brakes which were at 70% BTW and after he collected the $28!

If you actually have bad brakes they will have to order the parts (there is no stock) so expect another few days to wait on that.  Once brakes are fixed or you have the paperwork that says you paid the 28 unnecessary dollars and your brakes are FINE take the paperwork to the Vehicle Inspection Place in Torry and then you are DONE! The vehicle is registered, licensed, insured, and ready to be driven legally!

Our first shopping experience at an Italian Grocery Store

We finally went shopping at a local Italian Grocery Store! It was for sure an experience but we tried to blend in. I only wanted to punch about 4 people for bumping into me & Amber or about plowing us over and not saying excuse me but that’s the way people are here so I tried to ignore it. The store was called Emisfero and it was located inside the mall called Palladio. It was kind of like a Walmart I’d say. There was a small department for clothing but I didn’t notice if there were shoes. There was a department for household goods, garden center, party supplies, electronics, baby items, etc. The strange things was that you had to deposit .5 Euro to rent a shopping cart! We got a small basket with a handle & wheels that was free.
The main part of Emisfero’s was the grocery store. It was isle after isle of Italian foods. There was a large selection of fresh fish (and you can smell it before you see it), fresh meat or packaged meats already weighed out, frozen meats, and live animals just roaming the store waiting to be purchased. . . Ok not really live animals! I was just seeing if you were paying attention! The selection of bread like sandwich bread and hot dog or burger buns was scarce but loaves of fresh bread seemed plentiful. Of course the cheese selection was wide and packaging varied from prepackaged processed cheese to fresh sliced or by the chunk that you would have to slice yourself at home.
My favorite isle was the pasta isle! There was pasta for what seemed like miles! Round pasta, square, thin, pinwheel shaped, pasta nests, ziti, flat pasta! I didn’t even know they made pasta in so many styles! I’m not joking when I say there had to be a thousand different pasta varieties and styles!
The other parts of the store that had a large selections were the dessert or cookie isles, frozen foods, yogurt, & wine/beer. There was probably five to six isles of Italian cookies and desserts. I’ve not tried any yet but I’ve heard the Italians love their desserts but they do not taste good to Americans! The frozen department had mostly the same type frozen things we have in America just more of it and in most of it in Italian. Jonathan picked out some pistachio Ice Cream. It was about 4.50 euro for 6 pretty good size ice cream bars. The yogurt isle was crazy! Both sides of the 25 ft long isle was nothing but yogurt! I didn’t buy any but I heard it was really good. We will try some another time & let you know. I just glanced at the wine and beer isle, I mean isles! There was a very large selection and I saw one bottle of wine that was 60 euro! I noticed the canned beer was packaged by the 2 pack, yes I said two! Jonathan bought a 3 pack of Budwieser. It was just over 3 euro if I remember correctly.
A department that I found lacking was the soda isle. It wasn’t even really an isle but more like a display in between two isles. We found coca cola packaged in a 4-pack of 1 liter bottles for about 5 euro and they had Pepsi by the regular 2 liter bottle but I didn’t see the price on those. The other soda they had was lemon flavored (we got that kind) orange, grape, and that’s all I can remember. They drink a lot of carbonated water here I guess because that was something I saw a lot of. The lemon soda tastes like carbonated lemonaid. It’s much better cold. The lemon soda is not bad but I think it would be better to use as a mixer with vodka or something rather than just drinking a cup of it with lunch or something.
When we got to the fresh fruit and vegetable section it was crowded but smelled wonderful! I’m going to assume most things sold there were from local growers because everything smelled & looked very fresh. We got strawberries (a regular size you would buy in America) for 1.29 euro. We didn’t need anything else but I might start going there for my fruits and vegetables so I’ll let you know how that goes.
The check out was different than in America because they charge you for the bags if you don’t bring your own. When we are loading your items onto the belt you grab a few bags from under the register and after she scans the items you start bagging your own groceries. We had 4 bags and there was a .2 euro charge at the end of our receipt so I’m assuming the bags are .5 euro each. We will bring our own bags from now on! Obviously they only take Euro or Credit cards. We paid with Credit/debit. The cashier slides your card for you. As for the receipt, everything was listed out with the price and the total at the bottom just like in America.
I personally liked Emisfero better than the Commissary & PX because of their larger selections but I don’t know if they accept coupons and I’m not even sure where to get the coupons if they do accept them. I think I’ll get my fresh fruits and vegetable and some different Italian foods and maybe some household goods from Emisfero but the regular American foods that I have coupons for I will get at the Commissary.


　

Things to bring if you are traveling or perhaps moving to Italy

We’ve been in Italy almost a month now and I’ve been making a list of things one should bring (or make a priority to buy when first getting here) if one were to travel here.  I’ll explain why you need each item as I go.

First, You’ll need adapters for your electronics like cell chargers, hair straighteners, etc. . . You can buy them here or before you leave the states. We found a multi-pack at Walmart with the luggage before we left the states but didn’t buy them. In Italy the voltage of a general wall outlet is 220 which is higher than in the USA. I thought before I got here “OMG I’m gonna forget one day and plug an American electronic in the European wall and electrocute myself!”. Luckily for me I no longer have to worry because the outlets look way different and it’s impossible to even plug American plugs into European outlets. The European outlets are two round holes, one on top and one on bottom and a smaller one in between all in a straight horizontal line. As you all know, in America, there are two slots side by side and a roundish hole in the middle below the two slots. So obviously, it is impossible to plug either one into the other. If you are military and buy these things on post they are $3.95 each. They have surge protectors with multiple ports that cost more but I’m not sure how much more. Also if you are Military and live in the Villaggio Military Housing, the walls are equipped with the American style outlets and European outlets. Other houses & hotels we’ve seen and heard about off post only have the European outlets.
Second thing I suggest you bring are socks or slippers. Besides the hotel we stayed in, all the floors, living room, bedroom, bathrooms, etc are tile and it’s cold. Not only that but unless you sweep like every hour there will be little pieces of dirt or dust or whatever that sticks to your feet when you walk. I don’t know about you but that grosses me out! It’s not so bad just walking around but when I get into bed and all that crap rubs off my feet into the bed I just cringe! Yuck!! & the socks/slippers need to have rubber soles if you are visiting a person with stairs in their home! I almost busted my A$$ coming down my tile stairs in plain socks.
While you are packing socks remember to bring a good pair of walking shoes. Yes there are various ways to get around in Italy if you don’t have a car but the main one for tourists is walking or riding public transit which still requires quite bit of walking. Some days we’ve walked more than 10 miles but on a normal day touring the city I’d say we walk about 3-4 miles. It’s pretty flat here in Vicenza so it’s nothing too strenuous but just the amount of walking will traumatize your feet without the right shoes. I’ve gone from wearing 3” heels 5 days a week to wearing tennis shoes or sandals 7 days a week! The walking isn’t too bad but since the Roads/sidewalks in the city centers and downtowns are mostly brick and broken concrete, pushing a stroller can sometimes be difficult. If you decide to rent a car for long distances that is great but there are many areas in the towns where you can’t drive and very few areas that you can park so it’s not very convenient to have a car especially if you are touring a city center or downtown square. I heard from multiple people that parking in Venice is 20 to 26 Euro per day! (that’s over $30). The few parking areas in Vicenza that I’ve seen are 1.50 Euro per hour ($2.25/hr). You also must have a pass to even drive in some parts of Italy near historic building and in city centers. This is to help reduce pollution around city, keep the streets clean, reduce road deconstruction, and preserve the buildings. Ok I’m getting off topic! I’ll explain more about the roads and driving in a later blog. . .
The next thing I’d suggest bringing or buying when you get here is a satchel that closes tightly and can be worn across your torso or a fanny pack. Ok! OK! I hear you all laughing! A FANNY PACK??!! I forgot to mention in an earlier blog that another large crime issue are the gypsies pick-pocketing. Some squares and outdoor markets are very crowded and people are bumping into you like it’s nothing (Italians are non apologetic about this and it’s just part of their culture to push and shove or bump into others) so it would be easy for someone to reach into your purse or grab something from you without you even noticing. Fanny packs as you know are kept right around your waist and the ‘pack’ part right on your front so a pick-pocketer would have to work pretty hard to get something out of that without your knowing. If you choose this option make sure the buckle in the back is hid under your shirt or something so no one can unsnap it then grab it as it’s falling from you and run. The thing I use is a large purse, more like a hobo Bag. All my stuff sits in the very bottom of the bag and it zips completely closed so no one can get in there un noticed. This is somewhat risky because someone could jerk it from my shoulder so I hold it tightly with my hand or wrap it twice around my arm to prevent this. The Satchel that hangs across the body is probably the best idea. It is almost impossible to have it jerked from you unless the straps are flimsy and break. As long as it zips or closes another way tightly then this is the option I’d suggest. Outdoor markets & shops here sell purses, backpacks, and many other variety of bags for between 10 and 30 Euro. Of course some places are more expensive than that but I usually skip them because I refuse to pay more than about $30/$40 for a bag. I bought my hobo bag from JCPenny before I came. It was only $17 (75% off) I LOVE their sales! I’ll explain more about Markets and shopping later. There are some sellers that you should NOT buy from for risk of being fined by the Police!
Another VERY important thing to bring is good hair conditioner! The water here is HORRIBLE! It has completely fried my hair. My hair was all dry and crinkled on the ends and it was splitting and little pieces started breaking off. About a week after being here is when I first noticed it. I was about to throw my hair straightener away but then later, on the bus, I heard a girl talking about the water here being terrible and how it has ruined her hair too! I’ve noticed it on Amber’s hair as well. I’ve switched to a high protein shampoo and then I’ve been leaving the conditioner in my hair about 5 minutes then rinsing it with insanely cold water. It’s been 2 weeks since I noticed the damage and my ‘treatment’ seems to be working. It’s still really dry but not crinkled or breaking as much.
Along with the hair conditioner you better pack some well hydrating body lotion. Since I’ve moved here, I’ve had to lube up parts of my body I’ve never had to apply lotion to before! Again, it’s because of the water. Poor Amber’s mild eczema seems to be bothering her more here and Jonathan and I were ashier than we’ve ever been before we bought the lotion. I was using Bath & Body works stuff but I’ve had to use so much of it a little travel size bottle only lasted me about 1 day & that stuff ain‘t cheap! Sorry but I can’t afford spending $3.50 a day on body lotion. We’ve switched to Suave. It seems to be working.
The water isn’t the only ‘resource’ that seem different here. The air is different too. As you’ve read in some of my last posts, my allergies are acting crazy here! Other people I’ve talked to are having the same problem. I’ve tried Claritin and Tylenol Sinus but the best thing I’ve used so far is Zyrtec. If you have allergies or sinus problems then you should pack some Zyrtec. Everything is more expensive here and unless you are in the PX or Commissary most things are in Italian so any medication you can bring from home I’d suggest bringing. Also the air is causing my contacts to act up. I usually can leave in my Acuvue 2’s for a few days (against Dr. orders, lol) but here I have to take them out every night or I can’t even open my eyes in the morning and my head is pounding!
Next important thing is, if you want to call the states bring or buy a phone card when you arrive. We found out the hard way that certain cell carriers do not allow their phones to work in other countries (Ie. Sprint). Jonathan was going to keep his cell from the States on for a few days when we first got here just incase we had an emergency but unfortunately when we stepped off the plane and turned it on there was no service. From what I understand he told the cell company we were moving overseas and he wanted to use his phone a few days over here but no one bothered to tell him that was not possible. Some cell companies will allow you too use your phone over seas for a fee (monthly flat charge and/or per call charge up to $3/$4 per minute). I suggest just buying a phone card when you get here. The ones I’ve seen range from $5 to $20 and the rate to call America from Italy is usually between 16 and 30 cents per minute. DON’T USE A PHONE BOOTH THOUGH! Phone booths charge a fee to use them even if you use a phone card. Also if you are here and use a cell phone from the states, you will be charged on your cell bill for the call even if you use the phone card. If you are staying in a hotel the room phones should allow you to use phone cards at no extra charge. The reception desk may have a courtesy phone that allows phone cards too. Another way to call America from Italy is the Magic Jack I’ve heard. I packed mine with household good so I’ve not tried it from Italy yet but I’ll let you know when I do. (to use Magic Jack make sure your computer is online then Magic jack hooks into a USB port of your computer and then you plug a telephone into the magic jack and you have a land line. It worked great when I was in the states).
I’m sure you know the rumor with most places other than America is ‘Don’t Drink the Water!’ Well here, we’ve been drinking the water since day one with no problems. Other’s I’ve talked to say the water upsets their stomachs so if you think there might be a problem you should pack a stomach soother or anti-diarrhea medication just incase.
The people here in most tourist spots speak English but I think learning a few simple phrases is very important incase you are in a situation with someone who doesn’t speak Italian. Carrying a translation book with you is a good idea too. I’ll elaborate in another blog about words and phrases I’ve found most important to learn before coming here. Some may surprise you.
Even though it’s not very safe, I’d suggest you bring some cash too. Airports can convert your Dollars to Euro but most places only accept euro, not debit or credit cards. For Military members, on post, there are two different ATMs. One charges .50 the other one is owned by Community Bank (something like that) and it’s free to withdraw dollars or euro no matter what bank you bank with. I’ll explain the reason u should bring cash and the big deal about using your credit/debit cards and ATMs in another post.

The last few things are pretty obvious things to remember to bring like your camera, back up batteries or your battery charger (again you will need an electronic adapter). Copies of your passport and ID in case your lose the original. If you don’t bring your cell then write down phone numbers out of it for people you might want to call when you are here. It’s crazy how much I relied on my phone to remember numbers for me. I’ve had to email close family members from the states for their numbers because I can’t for the life of me remember them simply because I’ve not actually dialed the NUMBER in years (I always dial by name on my cell).
That’s all I can think of right now but you know I’ll update you with anything else we find that might be useful. Arrivederci for now!

The car is HERE!! Yay! & other stuff

Good News! I think the jetlag is gone!  We are sleeping like normal people (besides waking to roll over on the hard, horrible bed) but now my allergies are killing me and I think I have a sinus infection.  Blah. The weather has still been nice here.  It’s not rained any day except a few sprinkles today and mild 60 low 70 temps with a decent breeze.  We have no internet or TV at our new home so we’ve been checking DVD movies and DVD seasons of our favorite TV show out of the library to watch on our computers after dinner (P.s. Military families- library is good place to go too when you are bored but they have to register you the first time you go there. Just go to the front desk and tell them you are new and give them your ID card. They have WI-FI & computers.  Then you can check out for free books, DVD movies, TV series DVDs, electronic games, audio books, etc).  It’s amazing how much we rely on things like television and internet to entertain us or practically run our lives.  It’s only day 5 but I’d say I’m doing pretty good through it.  During my time at home I’ve been practicing my Italian, clipped & groomed my ridiculously long toe nails that I’ve been neglecting, playing with Amber on her puzzles and coloring books, reading her books, cooking and eating and watching a DVD on the computer before bed.  Only 13 more days or so! I can DO THIS!!

Another bit of good news, while on the bus on the way home Tuesday we rode through the car delivery place and saw our car! Yay! It’s here!! Jonathan called them when we got home & left to go see if he could get it that day.  Like we figured since neither of us have our Italian drivers license yet we couldn’t get the car until Friday when Jonathan took his drivers test.  Even though we got our international drivers license before we left the states we still need a Military one to be able to drive in Italy for the next 36 months.  If you plan on renting a car when you come visit Europe make sure to get your international drivers license.  It’s like $35 and can be obtained at Triple A (AAA) or look it up online.  Pretty sure it’s only good for a year though so don’t get it too early.

Ok back to the house details. . . I’m posting pictures on FB of the place.  Of course it’s bare right now bc we don’t have any of our stuff and only loaner furniture but it’s nice and pretty spacious.  Our unaccompanied baggage came Wednesday which included just some bare essentials and our GRILL!!  Cooking has been different since we moved in.  Everyone here uses gas for their stove so that’s kind of scary with an open flame and a 4 years old acting crazy around the kitchen sometimes.  We don’t have a microwave so any leftovers have to be heated on the stove top or in the oven.  Jonathan and I wanted some popcorn last night so we opened a bag of microwave stuff and dumped it in a cooking pot with some butter, put on the lid and shook it lightly over the stove flame until it started popping! About 85% of the kernels popped.  It got a little dark but not burnt, and it wasn’t as fluffy as microwave popcorn but it hit the spot!  We are kicking ourselves now bc we decided not to bring our microwave but the Villaggio (our house) has American outlets and Italian outlets so it would have worked here L Oh well. 

The people in our housing complex are very nice so far.  We’ve been waiting at the bus stop numerous times and other residents with cars have offered us rides to post and from post to home.  Everyone is helpful with loading and unloading on the bus too.  People with lots of bags or children are helped with out hesitation here.  A lady I had just met and was speaking with at the bus stop had trouble folding her stroller as the bus was arriving so she asked me to hold her baby while she figured it out.  I ended up boarding the bus with her child and Amber and held the kid half the bus ride before the lady was like ‘oh, here I’ll take her back now’.  I’m glad I look trustworthy enough to hold a strangers child having only known them for like 2 minutes! Lol. 

I guess it’s just the atmosphere that makes people so trusting.  The crime is very low here.  I have walked off post many times for miles through tunnels and ally ways just me and Amber and I’ve always felt safe (I’m still aware of my surroundings don’t get me wrong).  Jonathan told me there is no concealed carry, weapon registration, or any other type of permission for residents or visitors to have a weapon in Italy so I guess unless they are doing it illegally no one here has a gun on them.  The police are obviously allowed to have guns but they drive little European cars that resemble something like a Geo Metro with a bigger back seat.  On the driving test it says a police man may pull you over by sticking a red sign out the window versus the sirens and lights.  I think this is because of the noise ordinances in some parts of town.  Jonathan also told me that he learned that fighting is an ‘eye for an eye’ type thing.  The main crime in Italy is burglary/theft and with guns or weapons outlawed here there’s not much for the burglars to be scared of until the police arrive.  Cars get broken into often so make sure you lock your valuables where they can’t been seen or don’t keep them in your car.  If a man were to slap him all Jonathan could do is slap the guy back or he would be in serious trouble.  If someone breaks into your house you can not assault or fight them to get them out of your house.  All you can do is close the door and block it with your body but you are not allowed to lock it and you must call the police and tell them you are putting someone under Citizen’s arrest.  If they assault you trying to leave then you can assault them in the same fashion but nothing more.  I heard if your car door is left unlocked, expect to find your car ransacked when you return.  Another regular occurrence is car accidents.  People have told me about having parked somewhere and came back to find their car had been hit with no note or anything.  Also a lady said she walked out of a store and saw a man back into her car 3 times trying to parallel park and he just got out of his car and walked into the store like nothing happened!  It’s normal to see a car with marks or dents like it’s been side swiped here.  The roads, like I explained before, are really tiny, there are crazy traffic circles, and there are minimal shoulders.  It’s just the road then a concrete barrier or fencing.  I’m kind of convincing myself maybe I want to be a bus rider instead of a driver every time I think about the roads here!

Since I’m at the library using the computer I don’t have much time to write anymore so in my next post I’ll explain about things to pack if you are traveling here for vacation!

Some useful info for incoming families

We’ve moved into our town home!  I guess now we are officially living in Italy!!  This blog post is going to mostly be for the military families moving here but the post after this one I’ll get back to my usual blogging about our experiences this past week. 

The process of getting settled in isn’t hard but it is just complicated & overwhelming a bit I think.  During the first week or three here the soldier does all this running around (in processing) and spouses/children kind of just sit around and wait until a meeting they need to attend comes about.  If you are a spouse with children what I recommend doing is going to the play groups with your kids under 4yrs old.  The ones I know about are every Wednesday from 10-11:30 and a Child Development Center (CDC) building on the Caserma Ederle Post.  There are also activities post on the glass doors and on bulletin boards in the ACS building (also on post) like arts and craft days, etc.  Sitting around in the hotel room was BORING so I always had us out doing something mostly that consisted of a playground.  You can’t really or you are not really suppose to (but I did) go off post until you are in processed which happens at about day 8 after your arrival (soldier takes you to be finger printed, etc.) 

Another thing I was able to do was help with the house hunt.  Housing is in a yellow building with tall red gate around it about 50 yards from the gate on 6^th street.  The Gate guards are Italian and some of them don’t speak English well so make sure you have your ID or you might be given a hard time getting back on post.  
Mentally prepare yourself to deal with housing. They are a different breed of people.  I'm not really sure what their problem is or why they think they don't have to be polite to people.  Every person I've talked to including myself has had a bad experience at housing so no matter how nice you are to them,they will seem annoyed with you. 
The Soldier will probably have to go first to housing or you go together and you will be given an appointment to go see a house.  Getting into and out of the housing building is like Alcatraz. I'd explain how to get in but I'm sure they make it difficult for a certain reason so I better not explain it here...


Once inside you will sign in and then be called to the desk and then be sent upstairs.  The lady upstairs, Sarah is who we delt with, is probably the nicest person we encountered there but she still had her days. She will make you sign this paper saying they are under a mandatory government quarters something blah blah.  All that means is there are a abundance of houses operated by the US government and they want you in one of them.  (That changes often so you might not need to sign it) You can decide you want to live on the economy if you want which means you find your own rental and deal with your own landlord and pay your own utilities and rent, and get no OHA.  I do not recommend that from stories I've heard from other people who live in private rental!  Most landlords are older and don't speak very good english so there is often a communication issue when you need things repaired or have other concerns.  Utilities are a pain in the BUTT to set up (we waited 15 days to get a response about internet and we have great credit). The plan we have costs 69 Euro for 2 months ($117).  I’ve read the average gas bill is converted to $300/mo and rent for a 2 bedroom is usually over $1100 plus electric, cable, internet, water/sewer.  In government housing you don’t pay rent or utilities and in the Villaggio neighborhood AFN cable is included but internet and phone are not included.  
If you tell the housing office you have a car currently or car on the way they will offer you a property that’s far away from the post (we made that mistake).  A person who works for the housing office plays the role of your taxi driver and property inspector.  He/she will meet you at ACS building to take you to the property at your appointment time.  Of course they will try to sell you on it but my recommendation is not to take the first one you are shown even though they will make it seem like you have to take it.  From my experience and others I’ve talked to, the first property they show is usually the crap one and is far away from post and they are just trying to load it off on a unsuspecting renter who doesn‘t think they have other options. 

The property viewing process needs to be done quickly so if you are available to make an appointment really early in the day the taxi driver can take you back to the housing office after you view the property and you can schedule to see another one right away.  If you decide you don’t want a property you have to sign a form saying it was shown to you and you decline it.  If you see other properties and decide you actually want one that you originally declined you can still have it, if it is still available.  The taxi driver will drive you to up to 5 viewing appointments.  We specifically asked to have a place in the ‘on post housing’ even though it’s not on post, it’s gate guarded, has MP presence, and is treated like the military post.  
The first day we were told nothing in Villaggio was available so we saw a place about 15 minutes east of Vicenza called Grisignano.  It was on the 3^rd floor (2^nd European floor) and smelled of animal and pee.  The doorbell from down stairs was broken so you couldn’t ring anyone up and it was tiny.  I was trying to keep an open mind but I actually almost cried when we saw the place bc I just couldn’t imagine myself and my family living there.  The following day the housing girl was on leave so the day after that we made an appointment to see another property and luckily a place at the Villaggio opened up so we saw it and accepted it that day.  You can’t pick your move in day so even though we didn’t have anything here yet except for the baggage we checked at the airport with we were told we had to move in the following Monday.  The housing office allows you to borrow things like beds, dressers, couch/chairs, kitchen table, bookshelves, end tables, etc until your shipment arrives.  After you tell them which items you need they are delivered to you on the move in day.  Also the Villaggio has American electric outlets and Italian ones!!  Off post just has Italian outlets.

ACS building has a Lending Closet and I went there to borrow things like kitchen knick-nacks, utensils, plates, bowls, cups, cooking pots, etc.  No electric stuff like microwaves or toasters and no linens but you can get electronics for cheap at the thrift store across from the PX.  We had to buy linens for the beds, pillows, and towels which are all sold at the PX but are more expensive than I wanted to pay.  Unfortunately the beds are very uncomfortable.  No springs just padding, it’s horrible.  If you can bring a air mattress, linens, pillows, towels with you on the plane, I recommend it so you won’t have to buy it. The bad news for us was that our unaccompanied stuff came 2 days after we moved in so we spent $100+ on stuff we only needed for 2 nights because we had linens, etc in our unaccompanied baggage.  Grrr!  
Our car is not here yet so we have been riding the bus from Villaggio to the post and walking which takes me about 25-30 minutes (pushing a stroller) depending on which part of Villaggio you are walking from and which part of post you are arriving at.  The walking path from Villaggio to post is kind of hard to find.  Message me or something if you want exact directions and I’ll work on getting road names and better details this week so I can make it easier on you all than it was on us! This info can only be sent to an AKO email account for security reasons. 
The Villaggio shuttle comes to 4 stops almost every hour in Villaggio starting as early as 5:30am and as late as 7pm. The bus comes to our stop every hour except the 6 o’ clock am hour and noon hour.   
Here is some info on the bus: It’s free! You must show your ID when you get on.  Kids do not need safety seats.  The bus is usually late.  The bus is sometimes a blue/white school bus or a white van.  If the bus is full the ppl left standing have to wait for the next bus.  Soldiers have priority on the bus over family members.  So far this has not happened but it’s been close & my husband ask the driver (in Spitalian, lol) what happens when it’s full and that’s what we were told.  Some drivers speak little English and some are American.  The bus stops at the clinic and commissary on post then goes to Villaggio, the vehicle/registration place, Lerino rigger posts, and then back to the main post and starts over again. Sometimes it skips certain places and goes different routes so check the schedule to be sure it’s going where you need to be that round.  You must show your ID every time the bus comes up to a military gate including the entrance to Villaggio .  Usually a gate guard boards the bus and checks Ids.

Ok my brain is fried now from trying to remember all that but I sure wish someone had laid it out this black and white for me so that’s why I’m doing it for ya’ll.  As time goes on I'll post other useful stuff that I learn too.