..you're only lost if you know where you're going..
Posts tagged Udine
Exploring Udine
0Our return visit to Udine was intended as a surprise. We enjoyed our first visit so much, and we felt as though there was some unfinished business there, so we planned our return while we were staying in Rome. I’m not sure how many of them knew we were coming, but either way they looked happy to see us.
Last time we visited, everyone knew we were coming. Many of them were able to take time off of work and as a result we were always in the company of someone – being taken on day trips to see the greater Friuli. This time, we were often on our own, much to their concern.
While our visit was a great rest, we made a point of being a bit more independant and heading out more on our own. Between having a kick of the soccer ball at the local grounds, handball and table tennis games, riding along the river down Passeggiata delle Rogge, and walking down to Rizollo and through the nearby crops, Jess and I really got to know the village and nearby villages in a lot more detail than we did on the first visit. It was a great time to catch up again – not having to think too much about our upcoming travels.
With that said we were still treated to many special occasions and the time with family was great – the goodbyes were just as tough as last time. It was just a completely different visit to the last.
Jess and I both feel as though we will be back before long. Not too sure when, but I’m sure whenever it is we will be welcome.
Volcanic Ash and Us!
1Just a quick update.
For those of you wondering where we are, we’re still in Udine, Italy.
We had a flight booked for April 20th that was cancelled due to the volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajokull, the currently active volcano in Iceland.
After reading news stories and social media websites we decided that our best option was to stay put here in Udine, and wait for the next available flight – on the 26th of April. It’s not ideal but we have read stories of people who have spent loads of money and experienced some very uncomfortable situations just to get to their destination. Since the average time to get from Rome to Paris was sounding like 3 days worth of frustrating and expensive travel, we decided to wait the 6 days for our next flight.
What does this mean for us? Well, we get more time to spend with family in Italy, but less time with friends in the UK. It was a tough call because I know how excited Jess has been to see people in the UK but unfortunately it is out of our control. Chances are it would have taken us 5 or so days to make it to London from Udine anyway, and it wouldn’t have been without some uncomfortable and frustrating times.
Planes seem to be flying today, and with any luck things should be relatively normal by the 26th. If the volcano starts spewing ash again and our flight is cancelled, we will consider heading towards Spain to escape Europe and get to Canada late April/early May as we intended.
Anyway, enough time on the computer. We are safe and happy, so no need to worry about us!
Mia Famiglia in Udine
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It is with great difficulty that I write this post. In fact, this is attempt number 2 at blogging on Udine. Never did Jase or I imagine that we would become so emotionally connected to near strangers in an unknown land, yet after not even spending half an hour with our family in their house we felt like we were at home with people we had known our entire lives. So, as you can imagine, emotions are running high as I reflect on our time there.
We arrived at the Udine bus station after a bus trip through breathtaking countryside. We caught a train from Vienna to Villach, a town on the border of Austria and Italy, and from there the bus. Upon our arrival we were warmly greeted by Daniele and his daughter Serena and then driven to their house in the village of Zompitta, not too far out of Udine.
Over the next 10 days we relaxed, ate, drank and toured the surrounding countryside. But our stay in Udine was never about tourism. Yes, during those days we were driven around to many beautiful villages however it wasn’t so much the sites we were seeing that made it an amazing experience, more the people we were sharing our time with. Whether it was watching Daniele make use of his Italian/English dictionary, listening to Claudio speak Italian and Andrea do his best to translate, or enjoying the beautiful scenery of the mountains with Giuliano, sharing time with the family was the most wonderful time we have had on our trip so far.
I have so many fond memories of our 10 days in Udine that I am finding it difficult to gather my thoughts and articulate them clearly. I close my eyes and remember. I can see Serena sitting on the couch using her laptop, or Ombretta standing at the stove making us more tea. I can hear us all sharing a laugh over “terramoto”, “ecco” or any of the other little jokes we had. I can feel the strong embraces of everyone as they greeted us at our welcoming dinner and as they said goodbye on our final night. I can taste all the coffee and vino we drank and all the tears we shed as we said our final emotional goodbyes at the train station.
The sense of belonging and attachment Jase and I feel towards the people and town we have just experienced has completely taken us by surprise. My words will never adequately explain how I am feeling or our time in Udine, so for now a rough quote from a conversation we had with Claudia on our final night will have to suffice. As we spoke about how connected we felt to everyone and the country, Claudia said that it’s as though there is a part of your heart on the other side of the world. And I guess that does sum up what I am feeling. As I sit here with tears swelling in my eyes, thinking of the father, mother, sister and extended family I have left behind, I really do feel as though a part of me will always belong in Udine.
To my fabulous Italian family; thank you so much for opening up your homes and your hearts to welcome both Jason and I into your lives. We feel so privileged to be able to experience Italian living first hand with you all, an experience we will always treasure and hold close to our hearts. We look forward to seeing you all again and want you to know that just as you were so generous with us, we will be with you. If we don’t see you in Udine first we await your visit to our home in Australia.
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