Our most recent cultural experiences...

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We left off last as we were going to eat a yummy Italian homecooked meal. The people we are staying with will soon be opening a restaurant, which has beautiful stone vaulted ceilings, a huge fireplace and a stone pizza oven in the kitchen. They cooked for us and we had a 3 course wonderful meal, starting with vegetables grown here...zuchini, eggplant, a wild spinach type vegi, and olives. Course two was pasta with marinara sauce...a good favorite. And third, was pizza...a little different from giordanos in chicago...with spinach and cheese and crust on top and bottom. No sauce. Good, though. We had a great time of talking and hanging out with the hosts and her parents and another guest. The languages spoken included German, italian, and English (yes, the dumb americans only spoke one language!)

yesterday we headed by train to a port town. A funny thing happened on the way to show you how unclear the trains are here in southern italy. We had to switch trains at a town, and there were no signs showing which train was which. We had an hour before our train was to depart for the port town of Ortranto, so we walked around and then returned in time for our train. We found a train sitting on the tracks, but had no idea where it was going. another train pulled up, and we figured it was ours, right on time. we asked the conductor, and he said it was not to >otranto. We asked him where that train was and he pointed to the other that had been sitting there all along, but had just pulled away. So, we missed our train, and had to stay in Maglie, the first town for an extra 1 and a half hours. But, we enjoyed a cappacino and watched students coming out of school...you would have thought it was american...they are very similar kids.

Finally on the train to otranto...we got there and walked around, only to find out that there was NO ONE around and NOthing open. What was going on, we wondered. The town itself had an old section that was very quaint...narrow streets, walled, castle on one edge...really nice. But with no one around, a little eerie. We decided to take an earlier train home, and were informed later that we were there during the Saturday afternoon rest time...12 to 5pm. Apparently at 5pm the cities become very lively again...

Oh well.

Last night we got a good taste of small town Italy night life. Our host and wife took us to see his father playing accordian in his band. There was a stage set up in the town square of a nearby town, and they were playing music unique to southern Italy and Sicily. People were dancing, which was really beautiful...Alison was praying that she would not be chosen from the crowd by one of the professional dancers, as she has both in kenya and china...and she didn\224t get chosen. good. trevor however wanted to try it out, but decided against it... the band was made of 2 guitarists, a bass guitar, accordian and 3 or more tambourines...wendy daniels, you would be proud!!! they were jammin! We had a great, great time enjoying the culture...

Today has been very uneventful...things are closed on sunday too, so we have hung around here and hung around here, etc..... yes, we can say we have gotten a little bored...please do not spit at the computer, all you hard working friends out there! We love you!

Tomorrow we head out by train to Naples...will stay there a few nights.

See ya later! ali and trev