Entries Tagged 'short stories' ↓

Something we have in common is that we are both incredible planners. We need to have our lives under control avoiding unexpected situations. Sometimes we say ‘What are we going to do this weekend? Let’s relax without planning anything’. Well, this is also a kind of planning for us.
Anyway, planning trips is normal for everybody, especially when you need to book planes and hotels in foreign countries or for a business trip. But in some cases it could be possible to leave without planning too much, for example when you do a trip by car and you have enough time available, you can also allow yourself to indulge on some details and to decide at the last moment.
In fact, we have different points of view regarding planning a trip.
For me the priorities are:
- what to see (cities, amenities, villages, art, etc.)
- where to sleep (I’m very selective regarding hotel rooms and especially bathrooms, which have to be very clean)
- what to eat and drink, where to shop
As I have a bad sense of orientation, I automatically forget to think about maps. I always think ‘Oh, we will find it, it’s easy!’
On the other hand Manu’s priorities are:
- where are the places to see
- where are the places to sleep
- where are the places to eat, drink, shop
- where is the closest hospital and which are the emergency numbers of the country (police, firemen, ambulance, etc.)
He accuses me of approximation (which I call “optimism”) and I accuse him of pessimism (which he calls foresight).
So, do you want to know what usually happens? Manu prepares dozens of different maps based on the places that I have selected. If we have to move somewhere walking, you will see me watching around unaware of where we are going and Manu with the map in his hand giving directions (and always exact ones!).
If we have to move by car and Manu is driving, I sit with dozens of maps on my knees and when the moment comes that I have to give him directions I first give very assertive instructions, then I start losing my sense of orientation (but still without confessing), then I start to panic, turning the map trying to find North, West, South… At this phase we are already on the opposite side of where we should be and in the middle of a big fight inside our car. Maybe it’s time to give up and admit that we need a car navigation system?

After my breakfast, every morning I take my bag and I move to work, in the center of Verona, by bus. Last Friday everything was quite and the bus was in time but at a certain moment many persons on the bus began to do strange movements. For example a woman in the front part of the bus moved, almost running, to take a free seat at the end of the bus, another boy sat down in a seat in competition with an old madam although she should always have the priority. The humidity level was high and the driver didn’t turn on the air conditioning, is this the reason for this chaos? Maybe. Again, someone pushed a young boy against the window, someone that wanted to stay at the end and others that wanted to go ahead of all to see the street created almost a traffic jam on the bus. It was like 5th Avenue in Manhattan……
I thought, hey Manu this is Italy, in fact I looked out of the bus and many cars and scooters drove undisciplined. In a street market everybody thought it was his turn to pay the check without respecting the line, just like a flock around the shepherd…

Is this a civil country or a big chaos?
Maybe foreign visitors find this behavior very funny.

The Italians are so chaotic but nice anyway…

A very important role in the life of Manu and me is played by our cat Matisse. Before being a member of our family, Matisse was a part of my life before I met Manu, and – needless to say – a very important part of it.
Matisse is a huge chartreux weighing 9kg (my 18-months-old niece weighs 10,5kg…), with its typical grey fur and amber eyes. Amazing mysterious cat eyes. His fur is thick, soft and brilliant.
Matisse arrived thanks to my passion for cats. I desired a cat, I was looking for a chartreux, I carefully selected the cattery (that also carefully selected me!) and when finally on August 21st, 2001 Matisse Van De Hoendrik was born, he became my best mate, my baby, my teddy bear, my support in the difficoult moments, my friend in the lonely moments.
When I met Manu, one of the first things I told him about me, was that I had a big grey cat. Since the beginning Manu was very loving with him and Matisse paid him back with a lot of affection too, although he is very selective making friends. This was very significant for me and was just another confirmation that Manu was the right man for me.
That doesn’t mean that Matisse is always loving and cute… He can sometimes be very nasty, on a typical feline way, but he is also very playful and funny and incredibly sweet when he decides he wants to cuddle. Because yes, it’s him that decides.
Despite a certain fatness, Matisse has a very noble attitude, you should see him when he sits somewhere, preferably in a high position, supervising around and underneath with its superiority glance!
He is very gourmand and even if we usually keep him on a correct diet, we sometimes like to spoil him, allowing him a bite of ham, or fish, or meat or… French fries. He is just crazy about that! What else could we expect from a cat of French origin?

As the title explains hills are one the most important characteristics of Italy. If you think about a typical Italian landscape, you expect some hills, with cypresses, a few vineyards and a wonderful sunset. Everybody in Italy and, more generally, in the world dreams to live in a place like that. Illy and I are lucky because we live in the hills north of Verona which are at the foot of a mountain chain and spread like a hand around the town.

The scenario that you can view under the hills is a paradise, vineyards, some houses or small villages and the mountains in the distance. Living at the foot of these hills is convenient for us because we are at only 5 minutes from Verona center. On the other hand, living at the top of these hills is fantastic because the landscape is unique, especially in a part of them which overlooks Verona center.
I know the hills make a place fantastic and I know there are many similar natural environments in the world, but the Italian hills are one of the most beautiful places where to live.