The Keys to Wednesday's Open-Air Market

Aiee Chiavi!!

(Vicki)  So Brianna and I decided to do some exploring on our own and go to the right of the apartment  instead of the left, which is what we have been doing up to this point.  We walked quite a ways taking in the new shops and scenery.  When we turned around to go back to the apartment, we decided to go up what seemed like a very busy street.  We were chatting and Brianna was tossing the keys (which are on a long lanyard) up in the air and catching them.  I refrained from doing my motherly response of saying "you probably shouldn't do that, something may happen to the keys", ...she is 19 after all (ok, for those of you, ( my sissies), who have seen "Dan in Real Life" 14 billion times  (those of you who know we are avid followers) know that I cannot refrain from saying at this point,,,,,,she's in the 4th grade!!  There I said it!).

At this very moment she missed the keys and they landed right on top of a drain near the curb.  We both watched in disbelief as the keys fell right in between the cracks of the drain.  All I could say was, "Seriously?  Really, seriously?"  Brianna got a vine of some sort and tried to fetch the lanyard to pull the keys back up....It was really stinky down there? The vine didn't work, so we started looking for something more sturdy to pull the lanyard up out of the mire.  I finally found a skinny stick and Brianna had to reach the stick down into the mire to try to retrieve the lanyard (did I tell you it was really stinky down there?)  For those of you who don't know, Brianna is a serious germa-phobe (she won't drink out of the same bottle without first wiping it totally clean) so this was quite a stretch for her, literally and figuratively.  The stick was sturdy enough but couldn't reach far enough, so Brianna had to stick her arm through the cement grate (lucky for us she has very skinny arms) and finally retrieved the keys.  This took about 20 minutes, as she could only try to get the keys in between cars coming so she didn't get her little head run over.

So here we are on our way back to the apartment with Brianna walking and holding the keys as far away from her as she could, did I tell you Brianna is a huge germa-phobe?.....I did the only thing a good mother could do ....I laughed all the way back to the apartment, giving her support all the way.  Needless to say, we did not venture up that busy street....we'll have to do that another time.

Wednesday Ponte Crencano Open-Air Market

North of us on Wednesdays is an open-air market which is like a Farmer's Market only for everything.  The prices seem to be good for clothing.  I have to trust the experts on this.  And apparently the experts absolutely love the flow of Italian clothing.  (If anyone is coming to see us from the Springs, you might need to be our "mule" and do some clothes running for Vicki and Brianna.)  As a side note, Vicki is on a quest to get me an Italian suit.  Apparently, my suit from the 90s is a bit out dated.  I only wear it for weddings and funerals and the price of suits around here, WOW!  I can almost buy an entry-level Vespa for $500 Euros.   

So once again my ADD kicked in and I left the shopping up to them here is what I saw. 

The produce and food (Cibo pronounced Cheebow) here is incredible.

And the olives, oh my.  They are becoming my latest craving.

And the smells of the market.

Shopping once again was a success.   Brianna agreed to help me continue the mannequin theme.  One of the sales people called Brianna an Ice Princess.  I am not quite sure what he meant by that.  Well, time to log off.  Next blogs will about the people we are meeting and rooftop laundry.

Ciao miei amici!

Ralph