The Max Burger-- my latest food preference!

I raved about hot dogs recently, so it's only fair that I  sing the praises of another local find that has rapidly become a huge hit with us.  Not long ago Mood,  a new bar/caffe,  opened in Campo Santa Margherita .  There have been a string of unsuccessful attempts at new food establishments in the campo during the past year, and we've been sad, and disappointed to see them go under so quickly.   When Mood opened, we were quick to become regular patrons.

Nicolo and Max, the guys who run the place, are just really nice, hard working guys. We encouraged them early on to do whatever they had to do to get tables outside in the campo. Without those, how could they compete? We think that was a huge part of the problem with the other bars that folded.  This week, tables showed up outside Mood, and they are filled up whenever we go by the place. Bravi, Nicolo and Max!!

What makes Mood a bit different is the food Max has been making. To say the least, he is innovative. They are serving club sandwiches, sandwiches with eggs on them, burritos, tortillas and a variety of interesting cicchetti (Venetian finger food similar to Spanish Tapas). This isn't standard fare for any of the caffes in Venice.  They also have a terrific selection of beers, including Sierra Nevada and Brooklyn- also not easy to find in this city. This past week, Max told us he was going to add Cheeseburgers to the menu, and asked us to give them a try.

Mike and I purchased Max's very first two cheeseburgers , and WOW, we were sold as soon as we bit into them.  Max has created the perfect burger!  He's using freshly ground meat from the new butcher down at the end of the campo (the one I've been crowing about also!), and it's cooked to perfection. Not overdone, just right.  I have no idea where he's getting the buns, but they also are just great.  Even down to the catsup and mustard, Max is doing it exactly right.  We loved them!  We quickly renamed them " The Max Burger", and added our special endorsement " EX-Pat Approved!".

If you find yourself in Campo Santa Margherita anytime soon, I urge you to find Mood.  Enjoy a bit, say hi to Max and Nicolo, and tell them we sent you!

My first Italian eye exam

Yesterday I experienced yet another "first"... an eye exam.  I have no idea why I believed this would be routine and ordinary. I should know better by now!

My first clue should have been that the appointment was in the same old hospital building where I got hopelessly lost in the basement.  I clearly remember that thrilling adventure!!!

I arrived at Giustinian, the old hospital building in Dorsoduro, on time, and found my way to the right location for my appointment, miraculously. This old place is enormous, and generally empty. Trying to find someone to ask directions is not even an option.  I searched all the signs for "Occulista", made my way to the second floor, and continued looking.  Relieved I appeared to be in the right location, I took a seat in a small waiting area along with 2 other Italians.

About 10 minutes later, a woman appeared in the waiting room and called my name, preceeded by "Signora".  I still have trouble responding to that, it always takes me a second or two, then I figure out .. Hey, they mean me!  I followed this nurse or whatever she was down the hall, and entered a dark room. Why does this always have to be so spooky in this building??  Also in the room was a woman in a white lab coat-it became apparent she is the eye doctor.  The doctoressa invited me to sit down behind one of those eye examination machines.  Before things got started, I apologized that I had forgotten to bring along my glasses.  The doctoressa proceeds to lash into me in rapid Italian which I roughly translated to be something along these lines " HOW CAN I CHECK YOUR GLASSES IF YOU DON'T BRING THEM!!!!!!  "  She is not happy with me one bit.

Ok, I apologized again, then asked if she could please just do an eye exam, as it's been 2 years since I've had them checked and I think I need the prescription adjusted. Yes, she can do that.  Whew.. I have made it through the first hurdle, all the while praying to God that there aren't any more to come.

The doctoressa uses this machine, into which I peer while she adjusts a few dials.  What I see on the other end is a hot air balloon out in a field. The whole thing starts out kind of fuzzy, but clears up as she adjusts a few dials.  Ok, she is finished, and motions for me to follow her.  We move to another office near by.

I sit in a chair, and she puts a pair of funny glass frames on my face. They were huge, with thick rims around the eyes, and thick armpieces. This was not  anything like the equipment I was used to my American eye doctor using. (Sidenote:  I love Dr. Blandina, my American eye doctor. And at this moment in time, I was really really missing her!)  Into the front of these "glasses" she slides some different lenses, and asks me to read the eye chart on the opposite wall.  I read with the right eye, then the left. She makes an adjustment on the left side lense, we try again, then she says "OK".

The doctoressa sits at a desk across from me and begins asking a few questions - what medications do I take , when did I come to Italy, where did I live in the United States , and why am I here.  These weren't needed for her forms, she was just curious. I'm used to this by now, so I humor her and answer her questions.  Every doctor and nurse I've seen so far has had the same curiosity.

Next, the doctoressa explains she is going to put drops in my eyes. I'm not sure I understood her correctly, she was speaking at warp speed, even though I had explained to her I need her to speak slowly. What I think I understood was she was going to dilate my eyes, so she could look or measure the retina. I wasn't going to argue her, I was along for the ride.  Yes, sure , whatever, give me the drops.  She puts the drops in my eyes, then tells me to go wait outside in the waiting area for 10-15 minutes.

When recalled into the examination room, I was told to sit at a different machine this time. The doctoressa started with the right eye. This intensely bright light beamed into my eye, so bright that it hurt, I could barely keep my eye open. Once again, the lovely doctoressa is screaming at me "KEEP YOUR EYE OPEN".  "LOOK LEFT" ,... "LOOK RIGHT"..."LOOK UP"... "LOOK DOWN".  She switched over to the left eye. I had even more trouble keeping the left eye open. She grew tired of trying to deal with me., turned off the machine, threw up her hands and said "It's too difficult".  She is clearly not happy with me once again. Yes, I got that. I prayed that she would not bring out a ruler and smack me, because I was feeling just like I had been a naughty child who was summoned to the principle's office. Why is it Italians make me feel this way whenever I make the slightest little goof????

She wrote out a prescription for my lenses, handed it to me, and told me to come back for another visit next year.  I mumbled a "Thank you" and left quietly.  I figured out how to get myself out of the maze of this building and out onto the street. My eyeballs hurt so much from whatever that last machine was!  I was thinking I probably would find some excuse not to return the following year, and I was saddened that I had not found a friendly eye doctor here to take the place of Dr. Blandina back in Baltimore.

Thankful that I had managed to maneuver yet another Italian first, I treated myself to a cup of tea in Campo Santa Margherita.  Yes, one more experience under my belt. But this was only part 1. Next I am going to have to deal with shopping for new glasses.  I can only imagine what kind of nightmare (lol, adventure) that will be.   Make that two cups of tea. I needed it.

Wisteria

Finally-- the wisteria in our garden is blooming!!!  I've been enjoying all of the other Wisteria-sightings all over  Venice for the past few weeks now, hoping ours would pop also.  No such luck- until yesterday. 

Finding my Italian roots

I've wondered about my Italian relatives my entire life. Who were these people, what were they like, what did they LOOK like?  My mother, who is native Italian but came over to America on one of those ships carrying war brides from Italy back to the USA during WWII, brought only one small suitcase with her. For reasons I'll never know, she did not bring photographs. Growing up, the information we got about our Italian relatives was pretty sketchy.  By the time my mother immigrated to the US at 18 yrs old, both her father and mother were deceased.  I always believed the reason there was not much talk about the family was because it was  a difficult topic for Mom. But that didn't stop me from wondering.

Since moving to Italy, I've had the oppportunity to get to know some of the family members on my mother's side of the family tree. About a year ago, during one of my trips to visit with my mother's cousin Carlo, who just turned 87, Carlo asked me what I knew of my Italian grandparents. Not much, I was sorry to say. As we sat around Carlo's kitchen table talking that night, he shared some stories he remembered about his uncle- my grandfather- Cesare.  Carlo remembered from when he was a young boy himself, that his uncle  Cesare was always singing and playing his guitar. And he knew that Cesare worked as a manager or supervisor for some government agency. Cesare died of a stroke at age 57. My mother was 12 at the time.

A few months later, an envelope arrived in the mail.  The only contents of the envelope was the photo you see below.   Carlo and his sister Maria Rosa had gone through the old family albums and sent this to me. This is my Italian nonno, Cesare.

Now framed, and on display in my living room where I see it regularly, this photo makes me feel a bit more connected to my Italian family.   

A Spring delight- Moeche!

Moeche- little soft shell crabs- are a Venetian speciality. Found in the markets and on restaurant menus only for a few short weeks every spring and early fall, when the crabs are molting their shells. Below is a stack of them at the Rialto Fish Market this morning. Unfortunately, by my calculations, we probably will only see Moeche in the markets for about one more week, maybe two if we are lucky.

And here are some moeche we devoured for dinner on Friday evening.  To cook them, the live crabs are submerged in beaten eggs. The crabs actually eat up the egg mixture, deep fried quickly, and served.  Absolutely delicious!

Simple pleasures

Here's my simple pleasure from yesterday. I'm smiling about it today still!

After having my ususal cup of tea at Imagina Caffe in Campo Santa Margherita, I made my way to the counter to pay the bill. Standing next to me, also waiting to pay up,was one of the neighborhoods more colorful characters, a fairly well known elderly artist, a Venetian gentleman who must be in his late 70's or early 80s.  I see him frequently here, and in the past we've always exchanged hellos.

Yesterday,  he said hello to me in English, I answered him back in Italian.
Also in English, he asked me how I was.  I said fine, and in turn asked him how he was.
He answers back, in English "Now that I've seen you, better".
I just laughed, and said, "You know, in America, we would say that was quite a line! "
He smiled back, and answered, "Illusion is everything. We need it, don't you agree?"
"Absolutely", I smiled back.
With that, he said, " See you later, baby", and went off on his way.

Domenico, behind the counter, overheard the conversation.  I commented to Domenico that this is one smooth character ! Domenico grinned, and replied, "That's how that old man is always with some young woman!"

I'm still grinning over hearing "See you later, baby" out of the mouth of this old Italian man. Gotta love it.

Another new addition to our neighborhood

Not long ago, a new butcher shop ( macelleria) opened in Campo Santa Margherita, right across from the Scuola Grande dei Carmini. This came as a shock to us, as the majority of shops opening up all over Venice are ones that cater to the tourists- selling magnets, postcards, and imported masks or glass jewelry.  Shops that tend to the daily needs of locals are shutting down, not opening. So having our new butcher is a blessing, and we make a point of patronizing his shop often.

The other day  as I was running my daily errands, I stopped in at the butcher shop, with no particular plans for what I was going to buy.  I was hoping I'd see something behind the glass case and be inspired for dinner that night.  My inspiration did come, but in a very unexpected way.  As I waited, I paid attention to what the other customers were ordering. One woman asked for twenty meatballs. I looked into the display case, and sure enough, there was a large stack of meatballs- large, round, mouthwatering meatballs. I watched as the butcher counted out all twenty for her.  She paid for her order and left. The next woman ordered 15 meatballs. I began to wonder if these women all knew something I didn't know!  When it was my turn I could not control myself.   "Dieci polpette"  (10 meatballs) came out of my mouth, almost without me knowing what I was doing. Yes, ten went home with me.

Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs.  After eating my meal, I knew why everyone was buying meatballs from our new butcher. They were delicious!  The perfect blend of beef and veal, along with some herbs. Now I know where to find homemade meatballs just like my mom used to make.  Life is good.

Silver linings...

Ok, so I've been under a few clouds in the last few weeks.  Despite that, I've found silver linings - several times lately!

My silver linings have come in the form of new friends and acquaintances from around the globe, who have found me either through my blog or FaceBook.  In the past several weeks I've had the distinct pleasure of meeting several of these people while they were visiting Venice.  I am living a very charmed life, for sure! I know if I were still back in Baltimore, there is no way I would have ever come in contact with all these people. I would have missed the opportunity to make new friends.  There have been so many unexpected benefits as a result of our move, and this is one of the big ones.

First there was Candace- who found me on FaceBook after she saw a comment I made on a mutual friend's page.  She then checked out my wall, and discovered we have a favorite caffe in Venice in common. We emailed back and forth for a few months, and then made arrangements to meet for coffee in that very caffe when she was here in Venice in late February. We met a few times while she was here, and I'm sure we'll get together on one of her return visits.

Next there is Yvonne, an Australian  I met  face to face a year ago through another mutual acquaintance, Michelle from Seattle. Yvonne and I emailed back and forth all year, and now she is back in Venice for a month or so. This time she's in an apartment not far from where we live. What a pleasure it is to share some of my little corner of this fabulous city with Yvonne, and to get to spend a bit more time getting to know her in person.

And then there is Maxine and Tom from New York, also mutual friends of Yvonne and Michelle, who were in town again in mid-March. They were back in Italy to see one of Maxine's beautiful quilts on exhibit in Verona, and made a stop for a few days in Venice as well. We had met them last year at a lovely dinner Michelle hosted, and it was delightful to share another dinner with them during this visit as well.

Two weeks ago I met Cariya, an American who was coming to Venice from Bombay.  We corresponded via FaceBook for a few months prior to her arrival in Venice. Cariya was introduced to me by a Venetian friend, who thought I might be able to assist Cariya get settled in, as she was moving to Venice for a year.

I'm planning to meet Antonia  next week. Antonia contacted me a few months ago after reading my blog entries about my Italian citizenship ordeal. She and her daughter Allegra are in the process of getting their dual citizenship in the US, but decided to contact my immigration lawyer Luigi here in Italy to see if he could help them too.  They arrive next week to begin their process, and will be taking up residence in the same little town I spent time in while I was going through my citizenship process.  I'll meet Antonia the day she arrives at the train station here while she is waiting for a connection to Bologna where she will hook up with Luigi.  She plans to return to Venice before she flies back to the US, so hopefully we'll have another meeting then too.

In May, I'll be meeting Scott, another Italian-American pursuing his citizenship with Luigi. He contacted me after reading my experiences getting my citizenship here.  He'll be in Venice for a few days following his meetings with Luigi in Bologna. I'm looking forward to hearing all about his adventures also.

Later in June or July, I hope to meet Louisa here in Venice when she arrives from the UK for a stay. Louisa emailed me after reading this blog also. She recently purchased an apartment in Dorsoduro and plans to make several trips a year.

These are just the most recent meetings. The list goes on. I've been  meeting people from around the globe,  many of whom have become good friends. None of this would ever have been possible without the internet, or even more importantly, without me having moved to Italy. Who knew??  I never expected my story would open so many windows of opportunity.

I'm loving these silver linings!!!

Saying goodbye to FateBeneFratelli

For the last month and a half, FateBeneFratelli in Cannaregio has been literally my home away from home. Tomorrow that routine comes to an end. The better part of each day I've been coming here for physical therapy.  It's not the best way I could have thought of to spend the winter, that's for sure!  However, despite how grueling my days have been, the people I met at FateBeneFratelli made every bit of it worthwhile.

Once inside the front door of FateBeneFratelli, my first stop each and every day was at Massimo's bar. Massimo always has a smile on his face, he knows everyone by name. Each morning, I'd be thinking to myself, "Ok, I have about 15 minutes before the agony begins", because I know how painful it was going to be. But Massimo's boisterous "Ciao, Signora!" and big smile jolted me out of my thoughts, and put a smile on my face too.  He knows my morning routine- I have a pineapple juice and cornetto con marmelata, and he has it ready for me by the time I reach the counter.  Somehow he changes my entire perspective and instead of dreading what's coming next, I leave his bar looking forward to the next few hours.

Next stop is La Piscina- the pool. The pool is where I met most of my little FateBeneFratelli "family". You see the same 8 people every day for several weeks, and before you know it, besides knowing what ailment they are suffering that brings them here, you also know where the live, what kind of work they do, and who their favorite soccer team is. When you see them outside on the street, you are getting hugs and kisses from them. It's these people who share each little accomplishment with you, and also share in your aches and pains. I'll miss them, but most of all I'll miss seeing GianCarlo every day. I met GianCarlo during my 3 week residence time here. We both had knee replacements the same week. After being discharged, we discovered  we would both have our outpatient therapy sessions at the same time. This charming man made it his business each and every day to stop and talk with me, in both English and Italian. The Italian was for me to practice,  the English was for him to brush up on his language skills too.

Right after La Piscina comes Palestra time- the gym. In the gym, I had 45 minutes of private time with a physical therapist every day.  I've already mentioned my therapist, Blaga, in a few previous posts. This woman has worked small miracles on me, there is no doubt. I won't even begin to describe how tough my road to recovery has been. I'm not sure I would have ever made as much progress if it weren't for her persistence. She whooped for joy when I would struggle to get my knee to do something for days and finally be successful. I'll remember her yelling "Finalemente!!!!!!" for the rest of my life.  On the very last week of my therapy, Blaga announced  she would only be working with me on Monday. The rest of the week I'd have a different therapist, because Monday was her last day working there. The only thing I was thankful about was that I'd made it to the last week of therapy without losing her earlier.

Heartfelt thanks to each and every person involved with FateBeneFratelli- the doctors, nurses, aides, physical therapists- everyone. This place is truly miraculous.  I am forever grateful for the care and friendship bestowed upon me.

Note- March 29- About a week ago, Blaga was on the same vaporetto I was on, as I was headed to St. Marks. She told me she was returning to work at FateBeneFratelli beginning April 1.  I'm happy. This mean some other lucky people will be able to work with this angel during their rehabilitation.

Where I've been hiding lately....

I am thankful, and grateful for all of you who read my blog. It never fails to surprise me when I receive an email telling me how much one of you enjoyed reading one of my little adventures. And I must admit, it surprises me even more when I hear from you asking why I haven't been making regular entries.  When I haven't been up to much, I don't think there is a whole lot fun for you to read. And lately, I confess, my life has been less than fun.  The stuff my days have been consumed with are things I have been wishing I could forget, let alone document and reread it some time in my future.

So here's why I have been in hiding recently:

About a month ago, as I headed through Piazzale Roma to the Sant'Andrea vaporetto stop on my way to my morning physical therapy sesson at FateBeneFratelli, I fell down and smacked those Venetian stones on the street hard with my face. It was only after I picked myself up that I realized I had blood streaming out of my mouth and down the side of my face. As I felt my mouth, I discovered I was missing one of my front teeth, which I found lying on the pavement right in front of me. This wasn't good at all.  I made my way to the parking garage closest to where I fell, and asked the attendant to please help me.  He called an ambulance, brought me ice and some towels to wipe myself up with,and stayed with me until help arrived.

The ambulance that arrived had wheels. I was expecting a boat.  Clearly I would not be going to the Pronto Soccorso at the Ospedale here in Venice. I was examined briefly, then put in the van and taken to the new hospital on the outskirts of Mestre, where I sat waiting my turn for the next 4 hours. After being seen by the ER doctor and getting a series of x rays, the dentist on call extracted a second tooth that was lodged in my upper lip and stitched me up.  I had no idea there was a second tooth knocked out! Here is where we get to the only comical portion of this saga. This happened on Friday morning. The dentist gave me instructions to return to the same hospital on Monday morning to begin the work needed to restore my two teeth. Upon learning I lived in Venice, he changed his mind, and told me to instead go to the hospital in Venice on Saturday morning as there would be an oral surgeon on call and this would save me the trip out to Mestre. Turns out the oral surgeon on call was none other than my landlord.  Is this a small world or what??

So- over the course of the last month I have made 14 trips to the my landlord's dental office just off St. Mark's square. He and I have gotten to know each other much better thanks to my accident. The swelling on my cheek and under my eye finally returned to normal. The swelling on my upper lip has gone down, but there is still a little bit of puffiness  even today that won't go away. My landlord tells me it might be permanent scar tissue where the stitches internally were. Great. I was sans 2 teeth for about a week- my mouth was too swollen for the dentist to complete all that needed to be done until the swelling went down. Then I had temporary teeth for about a week and half, and finally two new permanent crowns.

The good news- my knee wasn't injured in the fall. That was my big concern.
The bad news- looks like I will be visiting yet a second dentist out in Spinea, about 30 minutes out of Venice, who specializes in veneers, which would be a closer match to the color of the rest of the teeth in my mouth than these two new crowns are.

And there you have it. You know the saying "When it rains, it pours" ???   I've had my own monsoon.