Seriously! I thought time was supposed to stand still when you are in the middle of wine country across the globe. What happened?! It is Wednesday and I am certain yesterday was Friday last week. Honestly wow. So I guess this is the time of the trip where things start to fly by and the next thing we know we’ll be landing in LAX and our Italian Getaway will be history. Just writing that makes me a bit emotional. On one hand, I miss San Diego with a fervent passion; our family, friends, Cardiff, Mexican food - and on the other hand, I know I miss those things because of the perspective that this beautiful escape has given us. The grass is not always greener in this case, in fact, the more I think about it, the grass is just green, and it is up to you to realize that and make the most out of it no matter where the heck you are.
Okay, whatever that just was above, here’s where the past 5 days have gone. Saturday was a mans man dream. Shotguns and hunting dogs and all geared up for some Wild Boar hunting. First off, I’m not sure if it was a sign, but the very first thing on my Facebook feed that morning was a random video posted by who knows who titled “Are You Sure You Want to Be a Boar Hunter” and it was clip after clip of hunters getting rammed by wild boars. What the what?! Okay, so it’s not safe. Got that. But I wanted me some wild boar, so it was game on. We drove deep into the heart of the Tuscan mountains with minimal civilization and it was 4 men and a dog. Within the first 15 minutes the dog went ape crazy and out of nowhere 5 feet behind us explodes a 500lb (I’m likely exaggerating, but the ground shook like the scene from Jurassic Park when the T-Rex appears on the scene) boar from the bushes up the hill sprinting at Usain Bolt speeds and darts across our trail and down the hill into the forrest, the hunting dog goes mad and chases after him, the owner loses it and is yelling at the dog to come back because there is no way we are chasing after that wildebeest dinosaur, I’ve already wet my pants and curled into the fetal position (which might have been the most sane response) and in a flash, the excitement was over, our dog was gone, and there was no boar to show for it. We spent the next 5 hours hiking through thicket and brush covering a minimum of 10 sweaty miles and when the sun set we gave up our hopes and dreams and headed back to the hunters house (who thankfully had pre-hunted meat to spare) for a 5 course mafia style Italian feast (same crew as the Mexican dinner we had at our place a month back). About a barrel of wine and a few whole animals later and it was time to head home with a frozen windshield in negative 1 degree weather. It is officially winter!
Sunday was a long and slow recovery and then the Camerota’s had us over for their famous curry, which not only is the best thing you’ve ever eaten, but is a sure recovery from a previous nights indulgence.
Monday some of our best friends in the world Rob & Anna Grant arrived with baby Jude in hand and of course the only way to greet them was with a 4lb bone in dry aged ribeye steak and a couple bottles of wine. We ate, drank, spent 10 seconds catching up, and then it was immediate bedtime to play catch up from their jet-lag. We spent the next day chilling out at home, some specialty craft Italian beers, a quick trip to Montone and then homemade pasta and ragu. And then of course waking up wasn’t easy, who cares that I slept in till 11:30, it was Assisi time. For me it was a bit of a stone castle blur of beauty, walking cobble stone streets gazing up at the majesty of this glorious city, knowing its luster is largely in part to St. Frances who gave all of his wealth (and that boy had some serious money) to the church and city and chose to live with the homeless and serve God all the days of his life; it was just an incredible day. We got home right as the sun was setting, hit the grocery for some essentials (meat & wine) and then barbecued and feasted. We all called it an early night, so here am I, laying in bed with my laptop on my lap and finishing up my work day while remembering how amazing the past few days have been. We’ve got one more day to soak up with the Grants and then it is off to Germany! Ciao Bella.
No comments:
Post a Comment