cottage tour

I haven't posted photos of our beloved (rented) cottage since we moved in.  We are coming up on year one of living in England and we have felt settled in for some time now.

Marco's job is located on a Royal Air Force base in-the-middle-of-nowhere Northamptonshire, about 65 miles north of London. 

Cambridge is nearby and we went back and forth between living in Cambridge or living in the countryside.  We decided on the countryside as we knew it would be so unique to what we have experienced before.  We'll live in a city again, but will we ever live so remotely again?

A few of our visitor friends from the states were surprised to see how countryside we really are.  We have given up conveniences of city living but are fully embracing slower paced village life.  

The village we live in is made up of 30 some homes, a working farm, and a pub, The Fox Inn (pub garden view from our bedroom).  We are only a few miles from several other villages - some of which are a bit larger and have primary schools, 12th century churches, pubs, coffee shops, a butcher, and farmers market. 

Our cottage is a 300 year old converted barn.  The exterior, the wood beams and stone work - the bones, if you will ;) - are all original.  The large windows in the sitting room were once barn doors, the tracks still remain.  The fireplace is sadly false now but was once a bread oven.  The present oven in the kitchen is where the original open fire oven/chimney was located.

The upstairs has been converted into two bedrooms and a full bathroom.

 

 

 

 

 

roma

During our stay with Marco's family in Gaeta, Marco and I took the train to Rome for the day along with his brother Roberto, our sister-in-law Mary, and nephew Luke.  Luke and I were the only Rome newbies, but the other three were so sweet as to indulge us in all things touristy Rome. 

The train ride was only an hour, but Luke was kind enough to bring along his collection of temporary tattoos and coloring books to pass the time.

We visited the significant tourist stops: Capitoline Hill and Roman Forums,  Fontana di Trevi, The Spanish Steps, Pantheon, The Colosseum, and The Vatican. (Photos below of all the sites, with me doing my best to cut out the masses of our tourist friends.)

We indulged in espresso and caffè freddo at the fancy and famous Antico Caffè Greco per recommendation from Francesca, a family friend who lives in Rome.  Marco, Roberto, and Mary laughed that their 6 euro espresso served by tuxedoed waiters wasn't worth it.  I still think about that caffè freddo  (similar to cold brew coffee) and I bet if you asked one and half year old Luke about that $$$ hamburger, he would tell about the 5 star review he wrote on trip advisor ;)

We visited some choice gelato locals throughout the day and took a good amount of time searching for the highly recommended Giolitti while passing many so-so gelato shops and feeling a wee bit sorry for those being fooled by the lesser.

We walked through a park with vista views of the city while taking refuge from the hot sun and Luke rode a carrousel, choosing to sit in the fire engine. 

Day 2 of Rome was just Marco and I.  We visited The Colosseum and The Vatican and then walked the city for hours getting lost in quiet neighborhoods.  We stumbled upon a great market where we stocked up on 4 kilos of Parmigiano-Reggiano to take home with us. 

We had a late lunch at Roscioli.  Marco tried an Italian microbrew and carbonara.  I had champagne and the cacio e pepe (of my dreams). 

Rome is a sensory overload / gastronomic / bustling city.  And man do they know how to construct a piazza.  I've never experienced so many grand piazzas in one city. 

I wasn't expecting to visit Rome on our long weekend trip to Gaeta - I knew Marco and I would get there at some point - but I'm so glad we got to experience it with Roberto, Mary, and Luke.

While we were visiting the states last week my brother Adrian put on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, Rome episode.  Bourdain's introduction of the city sums it up so perfectly, "It's beautiful, as beautiful as everybody says it is.  To me it's not in the big things they tell you about: the sculptures, the imposing squares and buildings, the monuments - though they are amazing - it's the little things. The tiny details, the improbable awesomeness of every.little.damn.thing."