Stef, Mum and I had a warm welcome and 2 very full days in Mulhouse, France. Lots of lots of things: laughter, stories, hot dogs, hugs, tears. Stefanie spends a lot of her time nodding, smiling and giving a "thumbs up" sign; my italian is improving and i am tired but grateful for it more each hour. We met Zia Elvira and her husband and 3 of their 4 children: Aldo, Claudio and Antoniette (the 4th is in America and organized the visit for us!). Stef and I used the opportunity to make a family tree and start collecting email addresses.
I'm too tired tonight for full sentences! Highlights of the last couple of days:
-stories of Nonna's dramatic engagement to a Belgian man, which she broke to marry my grandfather;
-a personal tour of the cutting-edge fire station, where Aldo is head honcho (see photo of Stef and Mum pretending to save the town of Mulhouse while Aldo smiles unknowingly);
-a day trip with Zia Elvira and cousin Claudio to Colmar, a quaint french town about a half hour from Mulhouse, where
I ate many bread-type items with various forms of chocolate and sugar;
-13 of us squeezed around a dinner table, communicating in various combinations of Italian, English, French, Spanish and German and translating for each other;
-Ethan (our french-speaking cousin), wooing Stef with drawings, euro's, kisses, and blackberries....and eventually telling his mother that he'd like to marry her. He's 5 years old -- but watch out Matt! He's just about the cutest little thing I ever saw.
Driving to Vicenza (Italia) tomorrow to meet Zia Lella and her family. Buonanotte!
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