Back in Oakland

Yesterday we had our friend Simone drive us and Joseph and Paul to the train station in Foligno.  It is about an hour from our house.  We got on the rapid train and were in Rome in an hour and a half! This was great, and we think we like the connection better than going to Terontola.  We had no special plans for Rome being there for less than 24 hours.  We were lucky, the weather was good so after we arrived at our hotel, "Inn at the Forum" not the Hotel Forum, we got out and walked around.

Leaving Umbria and going into Rome is a very disturbing experience for my psyche.  Instead of feeling like an American tourist, I feel like and Italian country bumpkin.  It is weird.  Rome was lovely, not too many tourists is packs.  If ever you get the chance to go to Rome, I think October tis the best month.  You do face the possibility of rain, but it just serves to clean the city, as the taxi driver told me.

We shopped on Via Corso.  Many things on sale.  We did some early Christmas shopping which was fun.  Had a light lunch and had ice cream for dinner.  Perfect.

We had an easy flight home.  Going into Chicago we were 1 hour early.  Go into SFO on time, picked up by our driver, Muhammed, the man from Afghanistan, and we were on our way.  I was unsure how Luca would greet us after being gone so long, but for Luca, he was almost speechless.  No high whining, no twirling, just this look of amazement on his face and he hasn't moved 6 inches from my side since.

I woke up with a redesign for the furniture lay out of the apartment.  We will be going back the first of December to choose some things for the remodel. Here is the kitchen we picked out.

You can't really see the material, but it is very cool kind of nubby material.  In Italy, they measure the space and make everything to order, then they come and install it in about 4 hours.  Amazing.  When I explained how US kitchen remodels are done, they just shake their head, mystified.

Anyway, we have measurements and decisions to make for the kitchen, floors to select and bathroom marble to choose.  I am so happy that we have finally made this decision.  I will post pictures once we are in.  There is a renter in the space now, so it was a little awkward to take photos.

I am facing so much preparation work to get this house in Oakland ready to sell.  We aren't going to take that much stuff over so that means we need to sell, give away, throw away a household of STUFF! The Stoic One is taking this on.  I look at each thing, hold it, think of the memories, feel sad and get no where.  Needless to say, he has a different approach.