Christmas card from 2008: Italy highlights

I am repurposing the Christmas card messages I've written since 2001. From old Christmas cards to new blog posts. One a day. Merry Christmas.

I’m enjoying the fabulous Christmas tree Tom made for me. He used copper tubing, and it is even more beautiful than this picture can show. As I write this message, my vodka-with-cranberry juice makes it even more lovely. The drink counts 3 points toward my daily Weight Watchers total of 18, so I am thinking of cutting out the cranberry next time.

Yes, I’m back on the Weight Watchers program. All of you so kindly tell me I don’t need to lose weight, that I look fine. But I really want to drop about 10 pounds so my pajamas won’t be tight any more, and I’ve just been unable to do it. Now that I’m on the WW program I know why I couldn’t do it on my own. It involves being hungry most of the time—don’t ever believe that crap the diet programs say about never feeling hungry.

I’m very excited about having Rachel home for Christmas this year. Plus, Damen will also be here. Most of the Christmas decorations have been in storage since I left Texas, so it was great fun to discover them again.

Here is my photojournalism report of the year:

We explored maybe 15-20 churches in Italy, often just popping into one as we passed by. While the renowned cathedrals we’ve all heard of in Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan are simply over the top in their artwork, both inside and out, every church had mosaics or sculptures or frescoes—usually all three—that stopped us in our tracks. It became numbing. So let’s focus on real life and not the grandiose. Notice the little green bag slung around my neck. I bought it in Florence: leather, three zippers. I use it every day now and love it.

Around 5 pm one day after tromping all over Venice, we came across this osteria and got something to eat. Our guidebook had noted that osterias serve inexpensive food and are patronized by the locals. True. When I reported to Tom that the wine was 1.50 euros a glass (about $2.25), he said “Let’s stay here all night.” 

There’s more to Rome than the Trevi Fountain, St. Peter’s, and the Pantheon. There’s also the best cannoli I’ve ever tasted. On our last full day in Rome we spent the morning walking through a lush park called the Villa Borghese—beautiful trees, winding paths, fountains, sculptures—it was lovely. When we stopped for caffé at a tiny and charming restaurant in the middle of the park, I set the camera’s timer to snap this picture. For the rest next of our trip, we diligently ordered cannola (pl.) throughout Italy, but never found any to compare to that one. 

This sculpture was one of my favorite things in all of Rome.