Two Months

It’s hard to believe 2 months have passed since we moved from Charleston to Aviano.  So much has happened since arriving in Italy.  It’s definitely been an adventure!

When we arrived, our car was here waiting for us.  It took us a few days to be able to pick it up; we had to attend a vehicle safety briefing, apply for our AFI (Allied Forces Italy) drivers license, and finalize our vehicle registration.  And nothing around here is done quickly, or in a day.  Thankfully, by Monday, we had our car. 

Our excitement however was short lived, and we learned firsthand, how difficult it is when your American spec car breaks down around here.  3 days after picking up Rolla, her starter died.  We had someone call the local Toyota dealer about getting the part.  With import fees and what I’m certain is what I call the “American tax” the cost would have been around 700 Euros which is equivalent to about $900.  JUST. FOR. THE. STARTER.  No dice. 

We decided to save $800 and just order it ourselves.  That was definitely our first lesson in how hard some things can be around here.  We couldn’t believe how much more expensive it would have been to order the part locally.

We were thankful that it was a simple, easy fix and that nothing major was wrong with Rolla.  We since learned that A LOT of people have trouble with their cars right after they come off the boat, so what we experienced was just par for the course!

Not all of our excitement has been bad.  We’ve had some fun taking day trips and exploring our new home.

Shortly after we arrived, some new friends invited us to visit Lake Barcis with them.  Lake Barcis is nestled in the middle of the mountains about 30 minutes away from the base. The water is gorgeous turquoise blue color, and there is a nice path around the lake with picnic tables and wonderful views!

The little town around the lake is so cute.  It was something out of a storybook.  I have a feeling that we are going to see a lot of little storybook towns in the next 3 years!

At the end of September, we went to the Italian/American Friendship Festival in Maniago.  Maniago is one of the many small towns near the base where Americans stationed at Aviano Air Base live.  Unfortunately, you can’t see it in the picture below, but Italian and American fire fighters were standing underneath the flags during a 9/11 tribute.

There were tents with free food and wine, and Italian and American flags hung from the windows and balconies surrounding the square.

  It’s been an interesting ride so far.  We’ve definitely had our share of ups and downs, but I would mostly say ups.  We’ve had fun trying new dishes, and have already established our favorite restaurants.  We’ve tried to branch out from the norm and try some unusual (for us) stuff on our pizza like this potato and salami pizza.

Truth?  It was TASTY!  I was certainly skeptical, but John insisted that his airmen kept talking about how good it was.  Another surprising hit was a local appetizer, prosciutto and melon.  Savory and sweet, this dish is SO good!

  I promise, these pictures do not lie.  All we do is eat!  Ha ha!  We have a cafe within walking distance to our house, and it has become our Sunday afternoon routine to walk down there with the dogs for gelato.  I love how dog friendly Italy is!  The dogs certainly love the outing, especially since I often break apart and share my cone with them!

We still have so much to learn and experience, and our Italian consists mostly of “Ciao!” and hand gestures, but we are thankful for this adventure and the challenges it brings!