We then left to walk through the market. It was a pretty large market, but it still seemed to have a lot of the same products. There were a lot of booths with scarves, socks, sweaters, hats, etc. There were a few trucks with meats and cheeses. There was some more lace/table products, shoes, wallets, purses, etc. I took a picture of the sewing and knitting notion for my mom. We came upon one spread of tables that was just heaps of clothing for 1 or 2 euros. I found a purple sweater that was pretty cute for 2 euros. I bought it because even if it didn't fit me, I could give it away to someone (after all, we are talking less than $3 and I have since tried it on and it fits).
I separated from the family since the market was supposed to close around noon and wanted to cover more ground. I was thinking about buying a grey scarf, but wanted to check around. I did actually find a grey sweater that is kind of like a poncho or cape style - open on the sides but there is a button on either side to separate the arm holes. I looked around some more, but liked the grey sweater and this one was made in Italy so I went back and bought it.
A little after noon I met everyone at the pizza kabob place where I had a kebob sandwich (basically like the gyro sandwich at Daphne's) and Chris had a kebob pizza. From there we decided to drive up to Barcis which is a mountain town with a lake. We headed up the hill and then drove along this steep hillside on a road that was completely lined by a guardrail (which made me feel so much safer since it was a steep drop off to a dry river bed below). We went through a tunnel at one point and came out to frost/snow covered plants. There were more trees at this point, but this side of the mountains is very rocky and certainly more dry than the other side of the mountains. We did start to have a stunning view of the white snow capped peaks of the Dolomites.
We drove through another very long tunnel, which Chris could not hold his breath through (he played this game to see if he could hold his breath through all the tunnels), but when we came out we saw some really pretty views of the mountains. We drove through Barcis but kept going so we could see the river. We stopped a short way past town and got out of the car. It was so cold there, definitely several degrees less than in the valley. The river was low but it cut a gorge through the mountains. We didn't stay long and piled back into the car to go back to the small town of Barcis where we stopped first in a little bar (basically any place is called a bar that we would probably relate more to a coffee shop except they sell alcohol - lots of wine - and cigarettes in addition to the coffee and pastries).
The town had this large Christmas tree in the middle that was decorated with red ribbons and white snowflakes. Several of the shops had pine boughs decorating their windows as did the lampposts. It was very charming. We must have passed at least three nativity scenes as well. There are nativity scenes EVERYWHERE here. There were a few little squares that were charming. The view of the mountains from here was really breathtaking - a wide panorama of snowy mountain peaks. There was ice on the ground in parts and some frost in the shade.
We headed back down to the house after that. The boys stayed (and men) while we girls went out to the store to buy some sparklers and small firecrackers for this evening. The store was quite crowded and there was a large array of firecrackers. After that we drove to a grocery store because we needed to get bread. I had fun looking up and down the aisles. It's so interesting to see what people have available to them and regularly buy. I bought some of the cookies and sweets for this evening and later in our trip.
I love the dog here, Charlie. He is such a pretty dog and so sweet. I have had some good time with him spoiling him since I miss my babies (Hannah and Nova) back at home. The boys can be pretty entertaining too. They really are such cute kids and at cute ages (7 and under).
Just before the boys went to bed we took the firecrackers outside to set off. My little silver fountains were pretty and the other ones we bought were shaped like butterflies. We set the first few on the ground and they acted like miniature spinning fireworks. Then they decided to throw one in the air and we realized that they shoot crazy doing that. We used the sparklers as well which were really short, but still fun.
We came back inside and had dinner that Andrew made - an Italian pasta dish that was really delicious. Then we decided to play Taboo and the girls beat the boys badly (of course) so we moved on to Guestures and the girls won that too. We almost missed New Years until I asked what time it was and Chris looked and it was 11:59. It was kind of weird not having a countdown or being able to see the ball drop (although I didn't see that in Costa Rica either), but at midnight we all hugged each other.
Just after midnight we went outside try and spot any fireworks. The house is surrounded by fields so I ran out to the corner to get a better view. All around there were fireworks being shot into the air - big and little - that we could see. I counted at least eight different spots setting off fireworks at one time. Then there were some from behind us, down the street - it was so fun to see! It sounded a bit like a war zone because of the constant booms. The Italians love setting off their fireworks at New Years! There were a lot of bigger fireworks, so I think some of the bigger ones we saw may have been from surrounding towns setting them off. The store was packed and hectic today buying fireworks, so a lot of these are just being set off in people's yards.
I also saw a Chinese lantern floating in the sky - I was so surprised because it seems so dangerous with the fire hazard. But, then I guess the fireworks would be too, but the houses all seem to be made from tile and concrete and there has been a lot of fog or rain, so the land is not dry. After awhile we could spot several lanterns floating in the sky. As Chris and I were walking in (we stayed out longer), we saw a lantern land on the roof of the house just down the street but the flame was almost gone. It seems so dangerous, but that's how they celebrate here so it must not be too bad!
Tomorrow we are going first to Venice for a few hours and then continue on the train to Rome. We aren't sure if there will be much of anything open on New Years on Venice. One thing is for sure - the Italians seem to know how to enjoy their holidays! I can appreciate the slower pace of life and that people value their time off, even if it does present an inconvenience to me, the tourist!
Goodnight everyone and Happy New Year! May 2013 be a wonderful and blessed year for us all. Felice Anno Nuovo!
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