One of our new evening activities is to take a walk around the city; there are so many lights and decorations--it's amazing. Crowds of people are out shopping or just walking and the atmosphere is festive and electric. They just put up a carousel and the children are begging their parents for rides. One little girl who was denied a ride shrieked bloody murder for over 10 minutes as her parents walked 10 steps in front of her, ignoring her pleas and cries. No one in the crowd seemed to mind; it seems that that's life with a bambini...
Two other things strike us as very interesting as well: They have mounted speakers (outdoor) throughout many of the streets and wherever we walk, there's music playing. The music has varied from Spanish sounding meringue music to Christmas carols (all in English) to piano music playing The Beatles "Let it Be" or "Don't Cry for me Argentina"...
The second item of interest is the decorated store windows. Throughout Italy, they are a work of art. It matters not what your business is, you put your all into presentation. It seems to be a matter of honor and they all deserve prizes. It's just a delight to walk the streets, listen to the music and be part of the hustle and bustle as people stroll and shop and take in the windows.
As I write this, it's mid-afternoon and it's been snowing for a couple of hours. There's about 2 or 3" of new snow. This new blanket will add beauty to our walk, a need to bundle up, and most importantly, make sure our "presentation" matches the standards. ( Neither Kim or I have ever seen so much fur in one outing- every other woman has a fur coat). Yes, we fit right in.
2 comments:
This is all so beautiful, thank you!! Here in the northeast USA we don't have a speck of snow. I'm struck by how elegant the shops are in Alessandria, and festive. Here we have lots of lights everywhere, that is the most of it. I look forward to this blog every couple of days. Love it! (And I particularly liked the question about the date of the Immaculate Conception.) Keep taking it all in for us -- happy holidays to you!
-- Barbara C (in Mass.)
Hi Kim and Rachel,
I love seeing the pics of Alessandria with snow. Really makes me want to be there. I also LOVE the pics of the ladies with their furs. I want one too!!! You might have heard snow is predicted for the Puget Sound area tomorrow night and Saturday. And, it looks like it will stay cold for quite a while. No way will it compare to a passagiata in snow dusted Italy.
Louise
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