Date Night & the Duck

This post is called Date Night & the Duck,  but admittedly, it will have some photos that have nothing to do with that night. Some are from a night when Fred and I went out to check the availability of the night of Owen's birthday, only to be convinced to stay for dinner (and make a reservation for his birthday.... actually, for the night after because his birthday night, a Tuesday, is their day to be closed. Every restaurant and shop has to be closed one day a week.).

This next shot—I can't remember where we were, but this could be any number of nights when we asked Kelly to join us. She was the glue that kept the four of us Lynches together this summer, for which we are very grateful. 

This shot was taken a couple of days before we left. Most shops and bars have beads hanging from the doorways. Must be a way to keep bugs out. This one looked exactly like spaghetti!

I shot this because Henry is going off to college in the town where the "Smiley Face" was invented. Worcester, Massachusetts. This is a take on the ubiquitous image.

And now we're at that date night, but again, this will lapse into our last night in Viterbo, which was spent at the same restaurant ( The Garden of the Duck), but with the whole family, as opposed to a date night with just Fred and me.

On our way there, we witnessed a water delivery. The arsenic issue is very real!

At the Garden of The Duck, the appetizer was over the top. It's described simply as fried vegetables, but it was better than anything we've eaten in the States.

Our table. We had a reservation, but, sadly, he thought we were coming the Wednesday PRIOR to this particular Wednesday! The weather was chilly so we had to eat indoors, so we were lucky to get a table!

My "mezzo litre de vino bianco" was misundertood and morphed into an entire bottle of non-house wine : )  No problem!

A reluctant pose.

A requested pose.

This was what we figured was a batchelor party. There were some women, though, so it might not be an accurate theory. Pretty rowdy!

Check out the Go-Pro! Or is that a selfie on a rod???

Fred's favorite: Caccio e Pepe.

I've been ordering this amazing salad of arugula and tomatoes with steak and parmesan cheese chunks.

This is what the Garden of the Duck looks like. It's our favorite spot. Sort of a rooftop setting with a very lively host, Mareno   :)

This shot (above) and the one below were taken on our date night.

Sneaky devil, that Mareno!

Reservation for 30, Per Favore

I've become so accustomed to dining in the presence of artists, that I forget how interesting it is. When the group gets together on Thursday nights for the restaurant dinners (as opposed to the Tuesday night buffet and artist talk), we often have long tables covered with paper table "cloths."  If the tablecloths are not paper, these kids find other ways of expressing themselves with pen, pencil or crayon.

Sometimes they draw each other, sometimes elaborate "hand turkeys," sometimes just the surrounding neighborhood. I sat across from a student whose final project is going to be signage, so she practiced drawing all the signs around us, which were many because our tables were on a busy shopping street.

This is how we were greeted—a big surprise because this restaurant has very limited outdoor seating, under an arch, so we usually have to be split up. They had blocked off part of the street with potted trees and created an additional outdoor dining area for us.

For years, we interpreted a sentence on the menu to mean, "food like your grandmother used to make." But tonight we learned Nonna really does make the food!  And here she is (top left, in case it's not obvious!).

I took only one photo of one student's artwork, but following are other photos of this night, which Fred asked me to take because my camera is better than his—at night, especially.

Charlotte loves the students and they, her,
but she was particularly drawn to Natalie.
I wonder why? :)

Carlo. He's the man.

Dino drawing.

Shelby, the signage expert!

Ciao, Bella!

Everyone Tolerates a Parade

Two years ago, when we were staying in the same apartment we're in this year, we discovered we were on a parade route. Every July 16, it starts from a church in the nearby San Pellegrino medieval area, and winds around the city streets. Last year, Henry got stuck coming home from class and couldn't get down our street. This year, Owen's class watched it from school.

Everyone comes out on the balcony and watches. People drag out their chairs and wait for it, and then stare, seemingly critically, smile-less, as the procession goes by. We smile, of course.

Kelly, Fred & Henry on the balcony. We do smile.

Mrs. Kravitz smiles, too, actually. A lot. 

Mrs. Kravitz's cat is a little alarmed when the marching band can be heard in the distance.

The locals.

My girls.

Luigi, get your ass out here. It's starting.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

The very first to come 'round the bend was this guy. A lone accordion player. Barely audible, to boot. 

She's a legit parader. 

And so it begins.

There's not a ton to say about this parade. Fred said it's a somber look they have on their faces (the participants) but I interpreted it as boredom or indifference. I hope he's right. It is a religious affair, after all.

Some of them carry these big things, some don't. One guy carries a sound system, which doesn't ever work very well.

More too good not to share.

Must be the local politicians. Love the hand gestures.

Would love to know what's up.

Men in Capes.

And at the very end, the townspeople come out and follow!

At the very end, the woman on the next balcony over (aka Mrs. Kravitz) looked at us, shrugged, and said, "It is the same every time."