Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Americans in Italy

 

Italy June 1950

Dear Folks.

          We are now in Italy and still going strong. Many tourists here for the Holy Year, all nationalities, from all over the world. We were very much surprised to find an American Café and bar just around the corner here, they serve hamburgers & hot dogs, also banana splits with plenty of whiped cream. Weather here has been grand, just like California. Prizes of food reasonable but souvenirs are skyhigh. Love and best wishes to all.

Mary and Fern

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I got an old postcard in the mail yesterday from Darla. I love old postcards, and I love them even more when there is an old message on them, and even, even more when they are from Italy :-)

I smiled when I read this one. Americans in Italy so happy when they find their own familiar food - hamburgers, hot dogs and bananasplits. It took me right back to a Saturday morning in Venezia when I met a family of four from USA.

I know you have seen these photos several times, but may be you don't remember this story:

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Do you remember Glasshandmade and the charming Mauro? During my first afternoon in Venezia, after leaving my suitcase in Nati house and visiting Billa for groceries, I went out strolling around without a map - my favorite way of getting to know the secrets of Venezia. Suddenly I found myself outside the tiny little shop where Mauro has his glass workshop. I went in, said Buono Sera......and Mauro recognised me at once, giving me a broad smile saying : Oh, you are the blog lady". (So it's true, blogging can make you famous,lol)

I visited Mauro, my favorite Venetian glass artist, several times during my week. He even invited me out for coffee. And when my friend Dagmar came down from Austria to spend a day with me, I took her to Glasshandmade and bought two red glass hearts, one for me and one for her - as a remembrance of our friendship and our shared love of Venezia.

Saturday was my last day, and when I sat down with my caffee latte in the morning, the woman at the neighbour table wondered where I had bought my beautiful glass heart. I told her about Mauro and his art and even marked down the way to his workshop on her map. Unfortunately she had very little time in Venezia and I don't think she had time to find Glasshandmade. The woman couldn't take her eyes from my heart and suddenly said "Can you sell me your heart? I can pay alot!"

I couldn't sell it of course. It was my last day La Serenissima, my bus for the airport would soon be leaving and I had no chance to visit Mauro again.

Mauro, next time I come you must give me several of your hearts, and I can walk in your city as a living display selling hearts for you :-)

Big photos: I am struggling in front of the mirror to get a good heart shoot.

Small photos: Mauro creating a cat which he gave Marta, me and Maura at coffee bar, Mauro's angels - they took me by charm and one went back to Norway with me.

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Well, who am I to blame the Americans. I have been to McDonalds in Roma:

 

From Terracina it is easy to go to Roma for the day, the 7.30 train in the morning takes you there in 90 minutes, and the 7pm train in the afternoon takes you back just in time for dinner in one of the charming restaurants in Terracina Centro Storico.

Last week my parents stayed in Roma for a few days, and the rest of us (7) took the morning train in. We were not the only ones in Roma though, during Eater all the catholic world seems to be there.

Since we were 9 people we decided it would be too much problem to stay together for the whole day. I took them all to a new "must see" sight near Berberini, and afterwards we split in two, then three groups. Marta's first choice was to stay with her grown up siblings to go to St.Peter, but with all the millions of pilegrims and tourist with this cathedral as their main goal this day Terje and I said no, and Marta had to stay with us.

She was unhappy for a long time, but her mood rose when she discovered that there were still so many things to see in Roma. And when I suggested lunch at Mc Donalds she was all smiling. Terje looked at me, "You say Mc Donalds, do you really mean the Mc Donalds with hamburgers, chips and all this non-Italian stuff?????" "I know" I replied, "but wait till I show you this grand Mc Donalds in a huge old Roman building, and we can sit outdoors looking at churches, fontains and vespas."

Our kids know that I will NEVER eat at Mc Donalds when in Italy, so they never ever ask :-) We did have a very good lunch though, and believe me, though not exactly Italian, the food was exellent.

I am leaving Terracina for Roma tomorrow morning, but this time - no Mc Donalds :-)

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When you travel, do you go for the familiar or are you adventurous enough to try something new?  Follow this link and you'll see what I do.........

From Terracina it is easy to go to Roma for the day, the 7.30 train in the morning takes you there in 90 minutes, and the 7pm train in the afternoon takes you back just in time for dinner in one of the charming restaurants in Terracina Centro Storico.

Last week my parents stayed in Roma for a few days, and the rest of us (7) took the morning train in. We were not the only ones in Roma though, during Eater all the catholic world seems to be there.

Since we were 9 people we decided it would be too much problem to stay together for the whole day. I took them all to a new "must see" sight near Berberini, and afterwards we split in two, then three groups. Marta's first choice was to stay with her grown up siblings to go to St.Peter, but with all the millions of pilegrims and tourist with this cathedral as their main goal this day Terje and I said no, and Marta had to stay with us.

She was unhappy for a long time, but her mood rose when she discovered that there were still so many things to see in Roma. And when I suggested lunch at Mc Donalds she was all smiling. Terje looked at me, "You say Mc Donalds, do you really mean the Mc Donalds with hamburgers, chips and all this non-Italian stuff?????" "I know" I replied, "but wait till I show you this grand Mc Donalds in a huge old Roman building, and we can sit outdoors looking at churches, fontains and vespas."

Our kids know that I will NEVER eat at Mc Donalds when in Italy, so they never ever ask :-) We did have a very good lunch though, and believe me, though not exactly Italian, the food was exellent.

I am leaving Terracina for Roma tomorrow morning, but this time - no Mc Donalds :-)

________________________________________________________

When you travel, do you go for the familiar or are you adventurous enough to try something new?  Follow this link and you'll see what I do.........

Updates on Anna, thanks for your prayers and thoughts

 

I have been to "Anna". She is not doing very good, she is wondering about "God's purpose", she is frightened. She wants me to contact our local pastor, which I will do of course, and send him to her She is longing, and as you said Islandsparrow, she only needs a faith the size of a mustard seed. I told her that I believe in a loving God. I told her that my faith is very simple. I believe in grace! I told her that I would keep her tight in my prayers. I gave her God's blessings before I left.

Thank you for your comments and emails. Thanks for your prayers. I have not told "Anna" about my worldwide praying circle, but I am sure she will feel our love and strength.

"Can you give me faith"

I got a phonecall last night from I woman I know. "How are you doing?" "Fine. What about you? Happy New Year." There was some quiet, and then she said quietly: "Britt (she always calls me Britt, never remembers my second name Arnhild), I am very ill, I am dieing. Can you show me your God? Can you give me faith?"

I am going to visit my friend today. Let us call her Anna. It is not her real name, but God knows her. Will you please company me in prayes for Anna. Pray that she will meet the true God, pray that she can walk the last steps of her stairs of life with him, only to be embraced by his loving arms when she reaches the top.

The sun smiles again.

 

For a couple of winter months we live in darkness. The House in the Woods is south of The Arctic Circle, so we do have the sun all year, but only for a few hours these days, and the sun hours are also the working hours.

The House in the Woods lays on a hill, faced north, our windows and our garden are not embraced by the sun's wintercold smile for a few weeks. The good think: I don't need to clean the windows as we don't see the dirt anyway. The bad thing: I miss the sun! 

 

Just after a late breakfast yesterday both Terje and I jumped in our chairs, looking at each other, smiling. The first sunrays of the year hit The House in the Woods and The blue Garden. A small square high up on the wall in the livingroom got a bright yellow glow, the wall behind the bird feeders shone, and when I ran out on the kitchen veranda with my camera I could even see some sun out in the back yard sanctuary.

 

Spring and light will come yet again!

An Indian Outfit and a Party in the Pool

 

Finally an opportunity to use my new Indian outfit. Our friends Brit and Hans, the owners of "our" flat in Terracine, are turing 60 and invited almost 100 family and friends to celebrate with them in Trondheim's huge swimming pool, Pirbadet. A swimsuit was part of the outfit, and over it my Indian trousers and tunica were just perfect.

Pirbadet is situated on the tongue tip of Trondheim harbour. Glasswalls and glassroof give you a feeling of swimming in the ocean. Last night was dark and winsy, the hundreds of candles lit by Brit and Hans along the pools were reflected as stars, far out we could see the lights from Munkholmen Island.

Come, enjoy the night with us:

   

 

    

 

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Marta helped me decorate the cake I brought for dessert.

 

  

Reading the Classics, January

 

  On April23rd  2004 I happened to visit a bookstore in Oslo. Since it was The World's BookDay that day I had a very good excuse to buy a few books, and among finds was Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi.

I started the book several times, but as I had no knowledge of Lolita, the book didn't make sense to me, and I put it away. A couple of years later I happened to find Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov in a Norwegian translation. Again I started a book several times, but put it away after a few pages. I didn't like the theme of the book, a grown man falling in love with small girls.......it felt disgusting.

 

Both books were stored away, but somehow I couldn't forget them. There was something about Nabokov's way with words that fasinated me, and I couldn't get the title Reading Lolita in Tehran out of my mind.

At New Year we were invited to friends together with an Iranian couple, refugees here in Norway, and during the party our conversation was about the situation in Iran, both the Iran of today, and the Iran this couple knew from their youth.

 

During the night I made a desicion, Lolita and Reading Lolita in Tehran would be my first Classic/follow the classics reading of the New Year.

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I read alot. Mostly because it is a good way to relax and as I never watch television I have alot of time available for my books. Reading is also a great way to travel, to imagine, to dream, to learn, to laugh and to cry. Many of the books I read are for entertainment. Lolita was not entertainment. As I wrote in an earlier post, the book was disgusting. Still I had a hard time to put the book down as soon as I got into the story. Nabokov's writing is the writing of a master, and though the story in many ways made me sick, it was fascinating to see the world through the eyes of a man so far from anything I believe in. In many ways a sick person's mind.

 

So far I've only read the first chapters of Reading Lolita in Tehran. The writer, Azar Nafisi is still writing down the setting, the background to give us some understanding about what reading was all about for her and her students in the Iran of the 1990ies. Now I know Lolita, which will help me even more to set the background, and I am looking forward to read along with the group on Tehran.

 

My next classic reading will probably Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, which I haven't read in at least 20 years.

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I look forward to hear about your reading, classics, modern, poems, magazines, newspapers, blogs......whatever. If you have a blogpost about your redaing and send me your link, I will add it here.

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Note: the photos show an old organ we have in our hallway. Now we need the space for more bookshelves and we have no idea what to do with the organ. I wish I could wrap it up and offer it as a giveaway........

 

 

 

At least it is a start, or what a visit to the hairdresser might lead to.

The visit to the hairdresser hit a cord in me, well, not the visit, but the magazine article I read there about Virginie Peyre and her colour plays. As soon as I came home that day I went down to my sewing studio in our basement. In a red closet there I keep most of my craft supplies, and in a huge old paperbag I have yarn collected through a lifetime. Marta and her friends love the bag, and no matter how much time I spend on winding up the sheins and sorting the colours, every time I look into the bag it is chaos. Crafty, creative chaos...........

I have filled a wooden bowl with a mixed collection of yarn. Thick and thin, shades of blue, green, pink and yellow.For some nights I had the bowl on the coffee table, looking at it, allowing the colours to speak to me. Let inspiration come.

 

Last night I picked up the crochet needle and started to play. No plan what to make yet. Just playing. Just letting my fingers dance with the colours.

 

It might end up as a scarf, or a pillow, or a bouquet, a bag, a collection of flowers bringing joy on cloudy, grey days........Who knows. I love to follow the threads of wool transformed into flowers, wheels of life, mandalas........

 

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Hopefully I'll have my "Reading the Classics-post" ready tomorrow. If you follow and write a post about your reading, please send my the link and I'll add it.

Some thoughts on food

 The Newspaper had an article yesterday about the female handballplayers of our local star team Byåsen. To play better, they are now focusing on what they eat, and one of the questions the player got from the interviewer was if they now have changed hamburgers with fish and vegetables. It was almost hard to believe their answers. One of the players laughed and said "Fish, I never eat fish. Well, I remember my father prepared fish from time to time when I was a girl, but......."

 

Another tale. Marta often has friends here after school, and we always invite them to eat with us. Fish is on the menue here in The Blue Café several times a week, and I remember one meal some years ago. Two young girls were here, but when they heard that I was serving fish, only one of them wanted to eat with us. The other one sat down in the livingroom to wait while we ate. The one "who was brave enough to eat fish" took some bites, loved the taste and then picked up her cell phone to phone home; "Mamma, guess when I am doing! I am eating fish!" I asked her, "Do you never eat fish at home?" "Oh yes," she replied" we eat fried fish sticks from time to time" She smiled and helped herself to a second serving of fresh trout.

 I wonder why so many children believe that they don't like fish. And I wonder why so many parents walk the road they believe is the easiest one, a road with pizzas, hamburgers, chips and junk food (I call pizza junkfood because I find many of the readymade ones so, though I love, love, love homemade pizza and serve it at least once a week)

I would love to hear your thouhgts on the fish topic. Do you like fish? How often do you eat it? Do you order fish when you eat at restaurants? How can we help the young generation to eat more fish? Do you have a fish recipe to share?

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Music? Schubert's Trout Quintet of course.

Take a look here and herefor other fish stories

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I had originally planned to write a post about my reading the classics today, but I need more time, so here is a fish discussion from The Blue Café instead.

 

After work today I will visit our local fish market to get some good fish for dinner.

My day in Oslo (guestblogger Marta)

 

I and mamma was in Oslo yesterday, we go early monday morning. I have to wakeup 0615. I was so tired. Dad drive us to Lerkendal so we can take the Flybuss.  When we come to the airport we go to 7eleven to visit Torgeir. Mamma buys a chocolate to me. Then we go up to take the plane. I fell asleep before the plane started to go. And then I wakeup when we landed. Then we took the airporttrain in to Oslo citty. We saw the Royal Palace.

 

Nobel Peace Center was high up on my list, and when we came there it was closed because it was Monday.

 

We did get a photo of me in the hall though,  beside Martti Ahtisaari, the winner of Nobel Peace Prize in 2008. A boy in my class, Mathias, won a trip to Oslo the 10th of December to meet Ahtisaari when he came to Oslo to get the prize.

 

The Royal Palace in Oslo is a disappointment, I don't think it looks like a Palace. I like The Parliament better. We tried to go inside, but was stopped by guards as soon as we came in. They were nice though and gave me a brochure about the Parliament.

 

We did alot of other things, here in the last photo I am outside the new Opera, but I can't write more now. I have so much homework these days and no time for this blogging hobby of mamma.

Good bye!

Greetings from Marta.

I couldn't resist the fish soup.....with update

 

Our Oslo day was a huge success. We had some busy hours trying to reach everything on our list, and Marta was all smiles and chatting during the day.

 

I hope Marta will write a blog post about our day, meanwhile I couldn't resist sharing the fish soup I had for a late lunch/early dinner. We ate at the opera restaurant, the most posh place we could think of. And with a fish soup on the meny and a view out the Oslo Fjord from our table, it couldn't have been better.

 

If not my friend Bjørn already have used the idea "around the world on 80 fish soup"I think I would use it :-) I wish he could translate his book into English. You would LOVE it!

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What is your favorite soup?

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I love to hear about your different soups. Makes me want more soup. May be I shall make one day a week a special soup day? What do you think? And may be we should make our own book of soups?????? Does anybody have a recipe and a couple of photos to start with? I can post it over in The Blue Café.