Tschuess and Ciao

This is the end of our time in Italy at this splendid castle with its sweeping landscape.  Here are a handful of pictures of the big view out our window, from March to today.

We said goodbye to the family this evening at a lovely banquet.  The students wrote a clever song thanking our castle hosts--way to go crofters!  On that note, Sarah, crofter and artist, presented Jamie with a watercolor of one of his favorite bunnies, Mr. Black.

If you've made it this far in reading the blog (or even if you just stumbled upon it today!), I am grateful to you for sharing in our experience.  We've learned a lot during these months, and are already plotting to return.  You don't have to tell us how lucky we are to have been here--we know. 

If this is anything like JaybirdinJapan, then this will be the last post.  But, you never know--I like blogging and might extend this blog or think of some other adventure to write about.  If you liked JaybirdinItaly, you can always click the link above and relive our Japan adventure!

So, thanks, reader, for coming along with us.  And thanks, Italy and the Suedtirol, for the good times, good friends, and lovely spring.  Arrivederci and auf wiedersehen!

Last day

At 2 a.m., we'll board a bus bound for the Munich airport, and our morning flight for home (via Amsterdam and Detroit).  We were kind of hoping that Italy would present us with a dreary, rainy day so that it would be easier to pack up and leave, but it was another beautiful day of green hillsides and alpine views (though the earthquakes yesterday did help us to think about home).

When we weren't packing and cleaning, we wandered around the castle and farm saying goodbye to the animals and other favorite things (the museum, our big front door, the "magic" door between the lounge and the museum), and we had a last tea with Mary and some of the crofters.  We also had lunch in the lounge, made and presented by one of the student groups for their final exam.

Tonight, we head to the other tower for one last banquet.  It's certainly going to be hard to say goodbye to this place and its people and other creatures!

Last workday, last dinner out, last earthquake (we hope)

For the last workday, we worked in Nik's upper vineyard again, pruning and binding vines.  We hope to come back some fall to see the harvest!  J did his job well--lounging and drawing pictures until it was time for a cafe break.

 This evening, we went to a guesthouse just above the castle (we can see it from our terrace) for knudel, kaiserschmarren, and some suedtirolean polka music. 

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day!  We're trying to get organized, and lamenting the fact that our time here has come to an end.  Of course, this morning's earthquake (5.9, and deadly further south) helps us look forward, just a little bit, to getting on a plane on Thursday morning.  Though the epicenter was south of Verona, our tower in the castle rocked and swayed enough to convince us that we'd all go outside for workday this morning.

A few of our favorite things

Bubbles in a castle in a bubble

Every castle needs some kids with bubbles once in a while.  While we were blowing bubbles on the terrace today, I was struck by the reflection of the castle.

The last few days

These last few days are among our last days at the castle, since we're now in our last week.  Since we fly away Thursday morning, we're starting to repeat some of our favorite Italian/South Tyrolean activities.  On Friday, we visited Meran and its market, including a special market for the foods of Italy (got some good olives!), as well as the river, the church, and a nice gelato place.

We've also taken to strolling down below the castle in the evenings to feed our old bread to the big pigs.  It's also a nice place to see the castle from interesting angles, to catch a glimpse of the herd of heritage sheep, and to visit our friends the mini-goats.

Yesterday, our friend and her two kids drove us way out in the mountains to a restaurant/beer garden with a large playground.  We met another friend there and watched our collective six kids run around, followed by drinks and popsicles.

Our friend kindly invited us to her house today for a sausage and beer garden party (a tradition, though unrelated, she says, to the actual national holiday of Pentecost, which is also today).  J was delighted to play once again in their garden, and we got to see rabbits, guinea pigs, and a tiny kitten.  We've been very grateful to this family for inviting us over every couple of weeks so that J could have some kids (and their toys!) to play with, and we could have conversation about culture, raising kids here, local news, and other interesting topics that don't necessarily come up when we're ensconced in the castle with the students.  Also, I exchanged some English for German vocabulary from a five-year-old who seemed to understand my German better than anyone else.  Our kiddo was sad to leave and said "we'll come back again another day" when we finally had to hike back to the castle.

This afternoon, we attended our last formal tea with Mary, which was nice.  I think J will miss her more than anyone or anything else here!  He comes running when he hears her on the stairs or the terrace.  This evening, we went (probably for the last time) to our favorite pizzeria in the village.  Our waitperson came out after us to shake our hands when she learned we were leaving this week.

The other evening, we went for the first time to a local restaurant that specializes in home cooked knudel (dumplings) and we liked it so much we went back a couple of days later.  We can't wait to go back there next time we come to the castle!

So, we're excited to get back to Vermont, and to get on with a summer full of friends and family, though I think it's going to be an emotional few days of more "lasts"!