Hello Q4-2009!

It’s hard to believe that more than a month has passed since my last blog. Time seems to become more ephemeral as the years go by. Yet so much has happened over the last few weeks that I’m going to have to restrain my Odyssian writing tendencies in order to keep my readers happy.

I would like to mention that I am amazed at the number of page hits my blog still gets... When I started this page, I had no idea it would become such a long lasting activity. Who would have thought that my little adventures are worthy of so many readers? Oh well, maybe it’s just one crazy stalker who keeps on refreshing the page to see if I’ve posted an update... I’ll never know!

What I do know is that September was another great month. Stefano and I reunited after 7 weeks of separation (story of our lives) and did a Tour d’Hollande in my mom’s car. What a relief to drive around with predictable traffic behaviour, without freaky ghost drivers, unexpected holes or garbage bags in the middle of the road! We went from The Hague, to Amsterdam, to Utrecht, to Warnsveld, to Nijmegen and back. It was a bacchanal of Dutch snacks & home cooked meals by several friends and family members. Stefano bravely underwent introduction after introduction, meeting many of my dearest friends & family and tasting everything I put on his plate. And for me, it was a warm home coming, catching up with many people, hating to not have enough time to meet up with more. We went to Madurodam so we could do an express trip through my home country, thereby being able to spend more time eating haring. And buy drop. And burn our tongues on bitterballen. We tested the new chip cards that have finally been introduced in the public transport system in Amsterdam (metro only) after so many years of delay. What a relief! Away with those stupid, incomprehensible, outdated, tourist unfriendly strippenkaarten! We went to the cinema to see the last Harry Potter (ok-ish) and spent a lot of time and money parking the car every evening in De Pijp. And we loved it all. To all of you who made our stay in Holland perfect: thank you!!!

Pictures of Holland:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=149970&id=523210814&l=6daee3e612

And then it was on to Milano and we switched roles. Now it was me following Stefano, meeting his best friends, driving through the neighbourhoods where he used to live and work, eating lots of yummy home cooked meals - donkey & horse meat, sarde (mini sardines), fried black olives -, lots of pork meat, like fresh mortadella (or I should say bologna as that’s how they call it in Italy), prosciutto crudo, salame and of course, Italian ice cream... Fortunately, 99% of the Italian population is not able to speak English, so my Italian improved drastically. Not there yet of course, but getting there!! At home, surrounded by stuffed lions, crocodiles and gazelles that were once (legally) shot by papa Aliverti in Africa, I went through all the old family pictures that Stefano could find. My Lord, times have changed... And time has changed people! Twice we went to Milano (the Aliverti’s live in a suburb) to play tourist and walk through shopping streets with three Bulgari shops in a row, followed by two Gucci shops and several other fancy brands... We did the Duomo and had a panzerotto (or two) from the world famous Luini (http://www.italylogue.com/food-drink/luinis-famous-panzerotto-in-milan-a-quick-cheap-amazing-lunch.html) who now also opened a branch in London... And the evenings that we were not out for dinner, we spent on the couch watching episode after episode of the TV series True Blood on my laptop... Suffice to say we are hooked on “V” and eagerly awaiting season 3.

Pictures of Italy:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=149986&id=523210814&l=b2ce5d1227

Strangely enough, when we were in Holland it was sunny all along, while in Italy, it rained half of the time. But rain or shine, I had a fabulous time and I gained 3 kilo’s in two weeks.

When I was about to book my ticket back to El Gouna, I had an unexpected surprise. Stefano decided to come back home with me, as his dad’s operation was being postponed. So we packed our bags, stuffed them with drop and off we went back to the desert. Back to work, back to the sea...

And there they were, Mirjam & Iris! Last year they couldn’t make it to El Gouna, but this year I was happy to welcome them at last. A week of fishing, diving (for Mirjam), windsurfing (for Iris), dinners in Hurghada, drinks in El Gouna and some nice evenings out in the open, the last warm nights of the year... The herring cargo was well appreciated during a party hosted by Italian friends (I told you, Italians eat everything!) and our drop stock is well replenished. After a week of relaxing, sun, sea and fun, the girls went home promising they would come back... I hold you to your promise!!! At the same time, an auntie, her husband and a friend came to El Gouna to kite surf and dive... A new load of drop, more excellent nights out and some nice diving with friends & family. Who's next??

Pictures of El Gouna:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=149996&id=523210814&l=099bb41731

And now the house is empty again, since Stefano went back to Italy after two weeks in Gouna to be with his parents as his dad finally got operated. All is well with papa Aliverti and I’m eagerly waiting for my beloved man to return. Today however, I found out that I’m not really home alone. After being rudely awakened two nights in a row by stinging all over my legs, arms, back and bum, I stumbled to the couch in the living room at 4.00 am this morning to sleep in peace only to discover when I inspected my bed that a colony of ants decided to nest in my mattress and the little buggers were crawling all over. Nice... Tomorrow I have a day off, so I guess it’s cleaning day.

The last quarter of 2009 has started... What will it bring? The objective is to find a warm place where we can work for the winter season, with fantastic diving and a reasonable salary... Anyone any tips? If so, copy/paste the following to anyone with connections in the diving business...

We are a hard working, fun loving Italian/Dutch couple, both PADI OWSI. MSDT and gas blending certifications can be obtained if required. Together we speak five languages fluently and we have experience in tour leading liveaboards (6 seasons) and management & banking (9 years).... We are available as of December 2009 (possibly earlier) and are looking for a well-run, fun and easy going dive centre, in Asia, the Caribbean, wherever, as long as it’s warm and the diving is good.

Hehehe, you never know.

So long

xYx