back across the water

 cruising around on a borrowed bike at Dad's team's end of season finale at PalaTrento

I can't believe we're here, in Ontario, and no longer in Italy. I kind of want to say that I can't believe we're not at home anymore, and I'm comparing our car here to our car there ... which was never really ours, and definitely isn't ours now that we're in Canada. [BIG] sigh.... we had such a great time there and with all that came with our life in Trento - great neighbors, a small, friendly community and an amazing house (in an amazing neighborhood) - it really felt like home. When we compare it to our place in Gatineau, Vela wins hands down: we knew our neighbors - the ones next door and down the block and down the block the other way, we always stopped to chat with Daniela and Latitiana at the small grocery store, people said hi on the street etc etc... but really, it's just different: small town vs big and one culture vs another. We're happy to be back and to be with family, but it might take a while to transition from one home to another; no doubt about it I'll be sentimental and missing and thinking about Trento/Vela for at least a week or two. Or three. What will I miss? The question calls for a list:

- the FOOD! (obviously!) I'll miss good (affordable) cheese and prosciutto (the same goes for Hendrik) and the endless fresh goodies at the grocery store, big and small alike. I'll miss the good pizza and the quality of no-name and brand-name foodstuffs, the yogurt, the gelato, the foccacia, the coffee... I'm sure I could come up with an extensive list if I put my mind to it, but that would just end up with me back in the kitchen for lunch #2....

- the driving: I'll miss roundabouts, and drivers with (most-of-the-time) manners (except when it comes to tailgating) that know how to merge and how to stay out of the left-hand lane except when passing. I'll also miss the speed limit (130-ish) and our the station wagon.

- our the house. It really was a home, and with Antonella and Luciano and an enormous yard and an incredible view, I doubt that there's any place like it in the world.

- random etcs that I'll miss: having a gas stove, church bells chiming every hour, Friday playgroup, pandoro and pannetone, speaking Italian, the scenic city centre, hmmmm... there must be more...

And things that I won't miss? I won't miss being so far away from family and friends, and it will be nice to live in our first language again (when we're not in Gatineau).

pushing carts around (sometimes MANY carts) was a fun airport activity

... and so was stealing airport carts....

Okay, and anyways - we made it back safe and sound (and sleep-deprived)! Hendrik was such a trooper on both the one-hour flight from Verona to Munich and the almost nine-hour long-haul from Munich to Toronto. He only slept twice - once when we were boarding in Munich and then again as soon as we landed in Toronto which was - how to say this nicely - inconvenient for us; between yesterday's 4:00am wake-up call and our arrival at Casa Brinkman just before dinner (around 5:30, almost 20 hours later) Steve and I didn't really sleep at all... ouch. However, I'm hoping this one of those glass half full things - when we made the eastbound trip in September there was very little sleep to be had and the jet-lag wasn't so bad SO... we're hoping that this might be the case once again (fingers crossed). We stayed up late-ish last night and had an almost through the night sleep... we'll see how things go over the next few days (all fingers - yours too please - crossed again). And poor husband'o'mine is already traveling again; he's on the road to Gatineau as I type, to get back in the gym and join Team Canada. Hendrik and I will stay here in B-ville for a few days and hopefully make the four-hour drive east on Monday to join our favourite man for a week. And then and then and then more travel! The babe and I will head back here on Saturday for a flight out to California with Gama and Buppa Brinkman on Sunday where we'll hopefully watch TC qualify for London. If I think about or talk about (type about?) the upcoming travel - wait, what I want to say is that it's too early to think about those flights and the time and the blah blah blah lines and customs and airports and bags..... so I won't! I'll just stop. I'd be better off with a nap. I'm happy we're here, happy we made it and happy our bags made it (all five of 'em) and just a little tired. But happy. It's going to be a great summer!!

ps. 22 weeks today - eek!