October 3rd. Italy. What more could my mom ask for? A little warmer weather is all. My mother was in Italy 10 years ago on her birthday. What an honor to be here now to celebrate with her.
It’s a little chilly here at our agriturismo. This morning it was 56 degrees when we walked to breakfast. And I left my sweater on the bus.
At least I’m not complaining how hot it is. Breakfast was good. This morning I was tickled to find a tiny jar of Nutella. They didn’t have any chocolate croissants this morning, so I made my own. Also had cup of cappuccino (it’s only a morning beverage here). I know I mentioned in a previous post how good the butter is here. I wish I could bring some home with me.
After breakfast Mom and I walked back to the room. There is a very nice brick pathway on which to walk. There are ups and downs (mostly ups when it comes to getting back to the room). Mom starts getting ready to travel to “Upper” Orvieto with some of the tour group. I opted to stay back and nurse my blisters and my sore knee.
I said goodbye to Mom and did a little laundry. As I’m washing my clothes in the bathroom sink I hear a clap of thunder. More rain! And lots of wind too. Felt bad for those in Orvieto…after yesterday I can vouch a walking tour isn’t the greatest in such foul weather.
I spent a few hours working on yesterday’s blog. The internet is fairly good here. Much easier to upload photos. I’m becoming fascinated with Italian art; specifically in relation to religion. My apologies if I drone on and on…but I’ve learned so much and I want to be able to go back and read about what we saw.
Mom came back around 2:30PM. She had a great time In Orvieto even though it rained. They ducked into a cafe to escape the rain, and then she went to the Etruscan museum. Said it was fascinating. We called home and spoke to Doug; then we called Dad and chatted with him for a few minutes. We got cut off when our minutes ran out. But she was pleased to talk to him today.
A little before 4PM we made our way over to the spa. Mom had her pedicure and I had a facial massage. I really wanted a facial…but I think this was just as good. 25 minutes of someone rubbing your face. Ahhhhhh… I was so relaxed! And apparently I was “glowing” (pretty sure that was the oil she used when massaging me.
6:15 was drinks and light snacks at the bar. The snacks here are so funny. It’s always potato chips, salted peanuts and a hard bread (tonight it was short breadsticks). Mom had a glass of wine and I had my good old bottle of water. Mom and I chatted with Cray; who told us about remodeling her home in New York. She had lots of photos on her phone and it looks like she and her husband have done quite a bit of work on it.
7PM is dinner. We walk down to the restaurant and get seated. Tonight there was no menu on the table, but I heard it was supposed to be “Italian BBQ”. We of course started with bread to dip in the olive oil. Then a large plate of French fries arrived at our table. They were good…a little taste of home.
Then the main course arrives. It’s various meats on a bamboo skewer, atop a mountain of vegetables. WOW!
I’m pretty sure none of this saw a BBQ grill, but that’s ok. It was still delicious. There were hot dogs on the skewers along with chunks of chicken meat.
Dessert arrived and it was a simple mousse with a cherry sauce over it. Very light and refreshing after the pile of meat we consumed.
As our group was eating their dessert, I stood up and asked for everyone’s attention. I told everyone in our group it was Mom’s birthday. We sang Happy Birthday in English and Italian. She cried. Our group clapped for her and some came over to give her a hug and wish her a Happy Birthday. I didn’t really have a gift for my mom this year; but I know she was very pleased with the way the day ended.
We stopped at the reception area on our hike back to our room. Cleared our tab and made it back to the room. It’s a clear sky tonight so we could see the stars. It seems like the Big Dipper is a little lower in the sky here, but maybe it’s just the time and the place.
Happy Birthday Mom! All the good I have in me is from you. I am honored to share this time with you. I love you!
