Disgustoso!

Wish I had taken a picture but didn't have my camera. Thomas and I were in the European SuperTarget (otherwise known as Carrefour) and standing in line to check out. The line was so long that we were waiting in one of the aisles. The display at the end of the aisle caught my attention - a bunch of babyfood in packages of four in little jars. Seemed harmless until I saw the package labeled "Cavallo" or HORSE! Holy cow, Batman. Horse. Additionally, there were packages of salmon baby food, trout, grouper, etc. Totally gross! Apparently the Italians don't know about Mercury in fish?!!?!? Enough said...I am starting to lose my appetite.

Another picture of our Sicilian Home

A better shot of the house in Trecastagni. Granted, it's through the windshield of the rental, nevertheless, a better picture than the previous. Can't wait to get there!

Thomas enjoys gelato!

He's eating strawberry here, but he also loves the banana!

Our Sicilian Home

This is a terrible picture, but we found a beautiful house in the town of Trecastagni, an area of Catania that is on the way up Mt. Etna. The house has lots of windows and french doors and a beautiful view of the Mediterranean. It's overlooking a large cliff and a small beach community below (I think it's called Aci Reale?!?!). The landlord has rented to previous agents, and it perfectly suits our needs - it actually has a bathtub, which was one of my requirements, and a walk-in closet - virtually impossible to find here. It's three stories, three bedrooms, and 2 1/2 baths. Slightly larger than our home in NC with a terrace all the way around. I'll post better pictures when we move in September 8!

1st Sicilian Day Trip - Taormina

Our friend Roni navigated us up to Taormina today. Taormina is a beautiful seaside vacation town on a cliff overlooking the mediterranean. It's about an hour north east of Motta and only 30 minutes south of the ferry to the mainland in Messina. Apparently a hot spot at one time for the rich and famous! The drive up was a bit stomach wrenching, but it was well worth it. Here are only a few of the fabulous pictures we took!

Our first Geep sighting...

We had heard about these flock of geep (cross between a goat and a sheep) that just randomly cross the road. Sure enough, our second day here, a flock decided to cross in front of us!

The Magnolia Club Residence

Thomas plays in the courtyard of our temp lodging!

Buongiorno a Italia!

We have arrived in Italy! It was a long trip but no complaints. No airline delays, and despite having checked six pieces of luggage, all arrived when we did (something of an anomaly here). We were very tired - Thomas slept all of five hours the entire 24-hour trip - but are finally feeling normal again. Our sponsor and his wife took us out for pizza and gelato our first night here and then showed us around the area yesterday. Of course, we also checked out the mall (luckily, it's very close). Besides the usual clothing and shoe stores, it also had something like a Super Walmart.

The food is phenomenal, but I am embarrassed to admit that we ate at Applebee's on base yesterday for lunch during our tour. It's unlike any Applebee's in the states. It's huge! One portion is for dining, and there is an entirely separate area as a bar. Craziness. The food was so-so. Some things really aren't too different here.

The weather is nice. Yesterday was hot like NC, but today it is a pleasant 80 degrees with a nice breeze. Our hotel is apparently the happening spot since it has a large pool. All the citizens of Motta have been spending their days there. This month is vacation for the Italians, so it's pretty crowded. We expect to mostly use the pool on base since it has waterslides and a special kiddy pool for little ones.

So far, so good. We are up and running with Skype phone but no phone number just yet. Our Vonage number will be operational at some point, but we haven't figured it out just yet.

Hope everyone is doing well. Miss you and see you soon!