A clumsy bear. That was me last week-end trying to ice-skate in Pesaro! Well, of course I looked like a clumsy bear: didn’t I write Pesaro is on the Adriatic coast last week? No wonder. When we are born we are taken to the beach (no matter what season we’re in). And not too much snow around here either.
Anyway, I am grateful to our Municipality for setting an ice-skating rink around the historic fountain in Piazza del Popolo this year. I mean, it feels kind of funny skating around tritons, dolphins and seahorses but, then again, the real funny thing is me trying to ice-skate with Costanza, pretending to feel at ease (for heaven’s sake, there are tons of confident mothers carrying along their children/nieces/nephews with casual indifference – I even saw a grandma skating with her grandchildren – how come I cannot even stand for a couple of seconds without leaning on the banister?).
The whole situation is kind of puzzling: giant snow-flakes cast on the Post Office, the Ducal Palace and on every historic building facing the main square; hordes of teen-agers skating at the speed of light (where did all these Pesaresi young people learn to ice-skate in the first place?); the Christmas stalls around the square selling from hot sausages to mystic angels (well, shoudn’t be body and soul looked upon as one whole?); artificial snow being shot every now and then under Italy’s most illuminated Christmas tree (Pesaro Christmas tree has been decorated with 70.000 led white lights this year) and, of course, music all around.
14 days to Christmas and it’s already Christmas mania around here. What about where you live?
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It’s snowing in the mountains of Southern California but where I live, near sea level, it just rains and not enough. We’re looking forward to the predicted El nino. But it is chilly, thank God, and that helps it to feel more like winter and helps the plants retain the water.
Southern California… that sounds so good to us Italian! I don’t know if you are aware that half of Italians dream of retiring in California! Anyway, I hope you get some water as soon as possible for the sake of trees and plants!
Thank you!
Yeah, Simona, you look like you are having fun (cautiously)! And you look as beautiful as ever. Here, south of Chicago, even though we get snow and ice every year, I never was much of an ice skater. I just never liked the falling down part. Speaking of falling down, usually at least once a year I slip and fall on ice that is by my car on my drive way as I hurry to work. Usually it starts when I see both of my feet at eye level, then, a fraction of a second later, I am on my back, looking up at the sky. I used to get so mad, but now I just laugh (after I can breath again!). May God bless you, your family and all those you love at this wonderful time of year when we celebrate God’s gift to all mankind: the birth of the Savior, the word that became flesh. It’s this time of year when we can see with our own eyes that it is truly more blessed to give than to receive.