Every trip to Verona is lovely. There is no such thing as a bad time in Verona... it really just doesn't happen. Since we've been a few times, we have good knowledge of where to go and what to see. Naturally, we started at my favorite car park which is about two blocks from the tourist information spot and the arena. They had a massive shooting star set up for Christmas. Felix was very excited to see it because he had just learned about it in his Host Nation class, so I asked him what it was all about and he said, "um... I can't remember". Of course! We walked on, avoiding the people in costume and examining the market stalls set up around the edges of the garden. Ana did a little shopping while Felix became impatient... poor kid really hates shopping! The we came to an enclosed area on one side of the piazza where they had set up an ice rink. Some girls around Felix's were performing little ice dances for the crowd. We stopped and watched while they brought out a girl in a wheelchair and took her "skating" for a dance. It was very cute. We continued on through the main shopping district, which is (of course) how you get to Juliet's house. We definitely enjoyed the window shopping (everyone except Felix that is) and the general festive feeling.
Upon arriving in the next major piazza, Felix found a statue to emulate while we decided on a place to eat. There's a little sandwich shop a few stores down from Juliet's house that I've come to rely on in Verona. The service is excellent, prices are good and they have a toilet for patrons. Pretty much, you can't go wrong with this place! We had a little lunch then headed on to Juliet's house. Rob took Ana through while the girls and I waited downstairs with Felix so we could take the all-important balcony picture. While we were there, we also found the way up to the other balcony - the much larger one with an even better view of
the balcony - where it turns out you can buy a small block of stone with whatever you want to say carved in it (as long as it fits, of course). Interesting to know, but too expensive to be useful knowledge (or a worthwhile investment) so we moved on. We wandered into the sew shop and considered possible gift options... then determined that it wouldn't really work out how we wanted so we headed on toward Romeo's place and the raised tomb nearby. It was definitely getting colder as we headed to the Ponte Pietra bridge from which you can see the Roman theatre and ruins, a couple castles and a gorgeous view of the Adige River. Around this time, we were getting cold enough and had seen enough that we decided it was best to head back... and Christmas dinner was
not gonna make itself!
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| A Merry Gathering |
We returned to the apartment to cook everything in the fridge because a couple friends had been strongly encouraged to join us for the Christmas meal. There was a ton of food to be made and not enough space for two cooks in the kitchen (or pots, for that matter!). Luckily, that crazy trip to Milan awhile back ensured that my neighbors were able to go home for Christmas and I was taking care of their pets for them... which meant I had access to an extra kitchen while I was gone. Hooray for dog and cat sitting! So Ana cooked downstairs while I cooked upstairs and we prepared quite a feast for our little group of friends and family. When people started showing up, I was glad I had overestimated on food because there were a few extra guests over the course of the evening. After dinner, we
ALL piled into a few cars and headed to Villagio to do some caroling. We had a great time wandering from house to house singing for everyone who came out. Some of the kids' reactions were unforgettable - their excitement was precious and it made us feel great to be able to give them that moment of joy. We were even treated to hot drinks at one of our friends' homes at the end of our route, which was tremendously appreciated!
We returned home to clean up and get ready for presents at midnight. Quite naturally, the boy made an absolute killing... lots of people love that kid! The cousins got a joint gift that was pretty cool: a family history scrapbook with some excellent pictures and letters for us to laugh at as well as learn from. Everyone got a stocking from La Befana because I'm in love with the idea of a Christmas Witch! We went to bed exhausted and grateful for no plans to go anywhere on Christmas Day. The rest and recovery was definitely needed since the day after would find us in ROME!!
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| Exploring family history |
Every trip to Verona is lovely. There is no such thing as a bad time in Verona... it really just doesn't happen. Since we've been a few times, we have good knowledge of where to go and what to see. Naturally, we started at my favorite car park which is about two blocks from the tourist information spot and the arena. They had a massive shooting star set up for Christmas. Felix was very excited to see it because he had just learned about it in his Host Nation class, so I asked him what it was all about and he said, "um... I can't remember". Of course! We walked on, avoiding the people in costume and examining the market stalls set up around the edges of the garden. Ana did a little shopping while Felix became impatient... poor kid really hates shopping! The we came to an enclosed area on one side of the piazza where they had set up an ice rink. Some girls around Felix's were performing little ice dances for the crowd. We stopped and watched while they brought out a girl in a wheelchair and took her "skating" for a dance. It was very cute. We continued on through the main shopping district, which is (of course) how you get to Juliet's house. We definitely enjoyed the window shopping (everyone except Felix that is) and the general festive feeling. 
Upon arriving in the next major piazza, Felix found a statue to emulate while we decided on a place to eat. There's a little sandwich shop a few stores down from Juliet's house that I've come to rely on in Verona. The service is excellent, prices are good and they have a toilet for patrons. Pretty much, you can't go wrong with this place! We had a little lunch then headed on to Juliet's house. Rob took Ana through while the girls and I waited downstairs with Felix so we could take the all-important balcony picture. While we were there, we also found the way up to the other balcony - the much larger one with an even better view of the balcony - where it turns out you can buy a small block of stone with whatever you want to say carved in it (as long as it fits, of course). Interesting to know, but too expensive to be useful knowledge (or a worthwhile investment) so we moved on. We wandered into the sew shop and considered possible gift options... then determined that it wouldn't really work out how we wanted so we headed on toward Romeo's place and the raised tomb nearby. It was definitely getting colder as we headed to the Ponte Pietra bridge from which you can see the Roman theatre and ruins, a couple castles and a gorgeous view of the Adige River. Around this time, we were getting cold enough and had seen enough that we decided it was best to head back... and Christmas dinner was not gonna make itself!
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