Reunited

For nearly 2 years we could only dream of having some time to ourselves, but now that we finally had two whole weeks of it, I have to admit that I missed my boy incredibly much. We arrived in Genoa on Saturday morning and Sunday morning I was already on the train to Cesena, hardly able to contain my excitement to see Auro again. I was a bit worried that he might not be as happy as me to see each other again, but as soon as he saw me walking towards the car I could see him shouting at the top of his lungs "mamaaaa" and all my worries disappeared instantly. He was as happy as I was ;-)

Since then we have been staying here with my in-laws, enjoying the beach and the sea, taking bicycle rides through the town and playing in the garden. This place has absolutely everything to please children. I'm afraid it might be disappointing for Auro when we return to Genoa next week.

Major update V: the cruise

The Monday after the wedding, me and my husband (ha!) left Auro with his grandparents in Cesenatico and drove back to Genoa. My brother left the next day on his motorbike and, all of a sudden, I found myself alone in the apartment for the very first time. Even though I was missing Auro, I also felt extremely relaxed. So I decided to enjoy it and I went out almost every day with my book and sat on a bench near the sea.

The following Saturday, Remo and I left for a cruise on the Mediterranean. The reason why we left only on Saturday is because I insisted we leave from the harbor of Genoa. I just thought it was more appropriate. The cruise lasted only for one short week, but the 'MSC Splendida' docked in Marseille (France), Barcelona (Spain), Tunis (Tunisia), La Valletta (Malta), Messina (Sicily) and Civitavecchia (close to Rome) before arriving back in Genoa. For us it was the first time to undertake such an organized way of traveling, but it was very 'suitable' for a honeymoon and I would recommend it to any newlywed couple.

Leaving Genoa...

Marseille's Notre-Dame de la Garde, seen  from the yacht harbor

Colorful balconies in Malta

Tunisian coast, early in the morning

Stromboli's still very active volcano (off the north coast of Sicily)

Arrival in Genoa (it was raining!)

Major update IV: the big day

On Saturday, the 29th of May 2010, Remo and I got married in the castle of Verucchio, in the province of Rimini. We said 'si' to each other in front of about 90 guests who had joined us from different countries to celebrate our big day. A big thank you to all of you who have helped make it into an unforgettable day!

An unforgettable day that started (at least for me) with getting ready in the hotel room. While my super-and-incredibly-professional hairdresser/beautician was making me pretty, I got my 'something blue' from my witness and good friend Wendy. My friend Dragana started taking photos and my father was pacing impatiently up and down the room continuously asking whether I was ready yet because "it was time to go". 

For those of you who were wondering whether I was actually wearing my 'something blue', here is a photo of me 'slipping' it on ;-)

When I was 'finally' ready, my father walked me from the hotel, through the village, all the way up to the castle, where Remo was waiting. Upon entering the gate, three of my friends, dressed in medieval costumes, played the wedding march. Trying very hard not to cry we proceeded to the armory hall of the castle.

The ceremony was performed by the mayor of Verucchio and lasted no longer than 10 minutes. Assuming I understood most of what I said yes to, we exchanged rings, kissed (!) and put down our signatures. Then Remo's friend Max and my friend Wendy signed the same document as witnesses. The hardest part was over ;-)

The ceremony was followed by a small reception in the courtyard of the castle, during which nonno Elio (Remo's father) revealed his surprise for us (he had been talking about it to me for some weeks already!): a huge photo of Auro was hanging from the outside wall of the castle, saying: "Ciao a tutti! Brindo a modo mio con tutti voi alla felicita' di mamma e papa'. Salute! Sante'!" (Hello to all of you! Together with you I drink a toast in my own way to the happiness of my mom and dad. Cheers!). However, before we made it there we had to pass under the traditional shower of rice!

A photo with my Belgian family and one with Remo's: frietjes and spaghetti!

At 6 o'clock there was another couple getting married in the castle, so together with all the guests we walked down to the restaurant (less than 10 minutes walking). I can tell you that the road to the castle was considerably cleaner after I had passed twice with my wedding dress ;-)

In the restaurant a second reception was waiting for us on the big terrace. Peter, Caroline and Christoph embellished the already breathtaking panorama with their beautiful music.

Once the reception was over, we all moved inside for the (completely vegetarian) dinner. Not long after we had sat down, it started raining heavily outside. Thunder and lightening appeared out of nowhere. It was as if the sky was angry we had moved the festivities inside. The storm didn't last long, but it surely made an impression. Luckily for us, in Italy rain is said to bring good fortune to the bride: "sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata"!

After most of the food was eaten and lots of the alcohol was consumed (by mainly the Belgians, I have to say), Remo and I opened the dance floor (while the ceremony was the most stressful part for me, the dancing part had kept Remo awake for many nights!). However, by that time many of the Italians had already left (it was nearly midnight... way too late for an opening dance...) and Remo had been worrying for nothing. The Belgians, on the other hand, had been waiting and readily jumped on the dance floor ;-)

I'd be lying if I said the wedding party had lasted until the morning, because by 2 am the DJ was asked to switch of his music. I am, however, convinced that the people who stayed until the end had a good time and were not feeling that disappointed the next day when they were able to get out of bed before noon and hit the beaches of Rimini before returning home.

Major update III: Final preparations

Completely relaxed after a week in Belgium, I returned to Genoa ready to face the final preparations of the wedding. Remo went to pick up Auro in Cesenatico and together we prepared the 120 'bomboniere' (it's a tradition in Italy to present the guests with a wedding keep-sake): we divided 8 kilos of Belgian chocolate (confetti) over the 120 small Chinese bags (with the double Chinese character for happiness 喜喜 embroidered on them, symbolizing the happiness of a married couple) and wrapped them safely for the long journey to Verucchio. After that I prepared our bags, wrapped my wedding dress (safely hidden from Remo's eyes) and on Tuesday the 25th (4 days before the wedding) Auro and I took the train to Cesenatico. 

The next day, Lara and I had an appointment with the hairdresser/beautician for a trial of the make-up and hairdo. As if she could read my mind, she arranged my hair exactly in the way I wanted and I returned home completely satisfied and assured that I would look great on Saturday!

Major update II: Bachelorette party

Half of May I left Remo in Genoa and Auro with his Italian grandparents to travel back to Belgium for my final wedding preparations there. It was a bit strange to be away from Auro (it was the first time for us to sleep in different places), but I was so busy I hardly had time to think about it. A little more than one month before the wedding I had started to have some serious doubts about getting married and I needed a break, so my bachelorette party was the perfect escape for me. Me and my girlfriends first went for an afternoon of relaxing in sauna and jacuzzi and then for a nice dinner. The dinner was followed by a brief stop at home where my cousin had spread out tens of boxes on the dining room table with heavily down-prized women's lingerie. As soon as the necessary purchases were made, we head off to a small bar in the local town of Heist-op-den-Berg to continue the 'festivities'. I will spare you the details, but let me just tell you that it ended in the early hours and that I, for one, went home with a big smile on my face ;-)

Major update I: return to Genoa

OK, more than one month has passed since the last time that I have written on this blog. Not good! Especially because MANY things have changed since the last time... So, here is MAJOR update, part I.

After arriving in Belgium, Auro and I stayed with 'opa' for 10 days, during which Auro played and enjoyed himself and I did some spring-shopping and prepared our luggage for the trip to Italy. We then, for the second time, drove all the way down to Genoa in my father's car packed like camels (and there are still things of mine in Belgium!). My father was going to stay with us for a week or so and do some sightseeing, but after only 4 days he decided to return to Belgium (staying in an apartment with nothing to do really isn't for him). Auro and I waited for Remo to return from China.

Back to nature

On Easter Monday, Auro and I got on the plane again and flew back to Belgium. Auro slept most of the trip due to a slight fever, which turned out to be a fairly high one by the time we arrived in Begijnendijk. In fact, we called the doctor when I noticed he had a body temperature of 40 degrees. As it turned out, his common cold had changed into bronchitis and needed to be treated with some antibiotics... Two or three sleepless nights later, however, Auro already looked much better. But, not only did he recover quickly, he all of a sudden started sleeping 12, 13 hours during the night! After months of a really irregular sleeping pattern (= 3 out of 5 nights waking up, usually screaming as if he had had a nightmare), he finally went back to sleeping peacefully. I had almost forgotten what it was like to sleep through the night. I don't know what it was that brought on this sudden change. Was it the medicine? Was it his return to the house where he spent the first months of his life? Had his uncle's lessons in assertiveness anything to do with it? Or was it simply the fresh air of Begijnendijk? Whatever it was, I'm very grateful for it ;-)

Pingyao

Finally I have found some time to write here again. One month has passed since the last post... so, here is update number one!

Some days after the last time I wrote, I packed my suitcase and we left for a short trip to Pingyao (平遥). The city of Pingyao, which is located about 700 km southwest of Beijing, is not very big, but it is known for it's high concentration of Ming-and Qing-style residences (especially within the city walls, which, by the way, also happen to be among the best preserved walls in China). In fact, in 1997 Pingyao became a UNESCO World Heritage site and they have been restoring many decaying buildings to it's original splendor. Even though Auro was fighting a nasty cold (runny nose during the day, completely blocked nose during the night which kept him from sleeping soundly, the poor thing!), we still enjoyed our short stay. One day we left the city and visited a village nearby which is not on any World Heritage list yet, but, to our humble opinion, should definitely be! Anyway, here are some pictures.  

Happy dance

We have booked our tickets to fly back to Europe next week. By Easter Monday Auro and I should be in Belgium! Remo has to finish his teaching course first, so he will follow later. Either way, Auro is so happy that he made a little happy dance in Eurasia last Saturday!
Auro danst

What's in a name

How many of you know that Changchun (長春) translates as 'eternal spring'? I don't know what the Manchurians were thinking when they gave this so promising name to this city, because we are nearly at the end of March and I still have to see one sign of the coming spring. Three days ago it was still snowing and the temperatures are still not even close to pleasurable. Unless 'spring' stands for 'icy cold season that seems to last forever', I believe the Chinese might be the most ironic people in the world! Or, and I've just realised that now, maybe they meant that if you live here it feels like an eternity until spring comes?!

Blue

One of Auro's favorite things recently is climbing on and off the sofa. Even though we knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, we still got quite the scare when he accidentally rolled off the sofa yesterday and hit his head on the foot of the standing lamp. After a lot of crying and several cold compresses, the swelling went down a bit and he fell asleep. This morning only a huge blue bruise on his forehead reminded us of what had happened (not him, because he immediately climbed on the sofa again).

Eurasia fun

Since the temperatures here are still way below zero, going outside for a walk is not the thing to do on a free day. So, on Saturday, we did what all the other Chinese people with a small child do, we went to Eurasia, the biggest department store in Changchun. They claim it's the biggest in the world and, I have to admit, I believe them!. In this huge department store you can really find anything from food to electronics, from clothes to furniture. And, they also happen to have a mini-amusement park for children, complete with merry-go-round, amusement arcade, mini roller coasters and other fun attractions for even the smallest children. Auro had a good time watching all the other children (or as he calls them: 'titta' = 'kindjes'), pushing all the buttons on the game computers and riding in a speedboat on wheels!

one and a half

Today, Auro is exactly one year and 6 months old! To celebrate, I am preparing only the food that he likes: for breakfast he ate 5 or 6 mini-croissants with cheese, for lunch he ate a full plate of vegetable risotto, after his nap he finished a complete banana milkshake with some cookies and for dinner we are having minestrone soup! We have also tried to measure him: he is about 84 cm tall and weighs about 12,5 kg.

Wéi!

Again... it has been a very long time since I wrote last. But, this time I have something to tell you: we are in China! Remo, who is still employed at the university here, has to teach at least one course per year, so Auro and I came along to keep him company. Auro and I will stay until half of April (after which we will fly to Belgium) and Remo has to stay until he has finished his teaching obligations... probably until the end of April.
In the 2 weeks that we have been here, we haven't been outside much, because it is too cold for Auro (temperatures between -20 and -5 degrees!). Luckily Auro doesn't seem to mind staying in the apartment, which might be because there is almost no furniture and hence no obstacles when running around! And when we do venture outside, people gather around Auro as if he is a local superstar. While other children might feel a bit overwhelmed by this, Auro absolutely LOVES being the center of attention.

Carnival

 Here in Genoa, spring has decided to give us a sneak preview of what's (hopefully) soon to come. Little by little, the cold of winter is loosing the battle against the pleasantly warm and sunny spring. Last Sunday was one of those days on which spring most definitely had the upper hand. On that day, some friends we had met while living in Japan (Italian husband, Japanese wife and beautiful Italian/Japanese daughter!) came to visit us in Genoa. Together we went for a walk along the "Corso Italia", the road that runs along the coast line. Since the carnival period has started it was crowded with children dressed as spiderman, zoro, fairies and princesses. Everywhere there were vendors selling confetti (actually, the Italians call it 'coriandoli', 'confetti' refers to the sugared almonds they hand out on weddings) which children were throwing at each other with great joy! Ora, the 7 year old daughter of our friends and even Auro joined in the excitement and had the best time throwing confetti at each other.