Letter from Rome May 2008
This account is very typical of any Home Exchange experience. John & I have been Exchanging for about 15 years, long before we became the Organisers for HomeLink NZ.
We were in Rome 27 years ago on a 'see Europe in 3 weeks' backpacking experience. I remember a seedy hotel quite near to the 'Termini' (main railway station) This time we are doing it in style but it will probably cost us less than the previous time.
Our home exchange is in Trevignano Romana a sleepy town rising from the shores of Lake Bracchiano and about 35km North West of Rome. We arrived early at Leonardo da Vinci airport which was strange as we left Seoul about 45 minutes late. Never the less our Home exchange partner was there to greet us (we had exchanged mobile numbers earlier and made contact easily) After a big hug and greetings we were whisked away by car. No language problems this time as it was all catered for!!
Our home exchange partners are retired and have a permanent home in Trevignano and a holiday home in the hills West of Rome. We are to spend our last week there. We were taken home and greeted with a splendid meal of home made pasta and a glass of the local 'red' and crusty bread and then, after explaining the 'workings' of the house they took off to Scanzano while we are left to the luxury of a lakeside retreat for just over 2 weeks of serious Rome study. Oh yes, we also have a car at our disposal - a 2000 Corolla.
We have decided this time to have one day on and one day off, meaning we take the train the 40mins into Rome every other day, unlike trying to see the whole of Rome in 2 days as we did previously. We drive to the station and park free for the whole day.
We are a bit if a curiosity in the village as this is total Italian immersion. The local square has a bar/ restaurant where the locals congregate and John & I are seen there sometimes twice a day. The coffee is sooooooooo good. I thought coffee was an International commodity and with reported price rises that coffee would be at a premium. We are surprised to pay only 80 Euro cents ($NZ1.60) for a very good cappuccino. John was impressed with his 2 Euro bottle of red at the local Supermarketo. I think we will like this place. Things that are expensive are meat which we have decided we don't really need.
We always feel privileged that we can live in a community and really get a taste of local life. This is one of the real bonuses of Home Exchanging
Differences we have learned to cope with.
1. No oven. Many Italian homes don't have one
2. If you sit down to have coffee in Rome it costs 3 times as much as standing up. Cover charge or something.
3. Strange opening hours for shops. 9am to 1pm - 5pm -8pm. Closed Saturday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon and all day Sunday. Some restaurants don't open on Mondays, some on Tuesdays.
4. Pedestrian crossings do not mean much as cars don't stop. I believe the penalties are severe if they knock you down.
5. You can get away with any old speed if you are not spotted by the cops.
6. We broke every record to get to the Vatican museums early and be first in the queue. We arrived 1/2 hour before opening and found a queue of roughly 1000 already there. The queue moved quickly though and with such a vast place that the crowds were not oppressive.
Leaving time and a day to clean the house, do the laundry, replace items in the kitchen that we have used and leave a small gift of appreciation for our hosts
More to come................................
We are now in the Abruzzo region about 60kms West of Rome.
Last night we attended the annual 'get together' in Rome put on by Annalisa Pujatti the delightful lady who is the Italian Organiser for HomeLink. Present for the dinner were about 40 members or potential members of HomeLink Italy. We were invited to spend the night in the Rome apartment of Liliano D'Ascanio, one of Annalisa's members. She was a delightful lady in her 50's who is a language teacher at high school. She tells me she can think in English, French & of course her native Italian. She just loves 'hosting' people from other cultures and we spent a long time talking to her about this and that. She enjoys using the HomeLink option of 'Hospitality offered' and we very much enjoyed meeting Liliana
more.......................
We have now moved on to the holiday home of our Italian hosts. Scanzano is a delightful small village with a population of no more than 100, the sort you dream about. It is only 60kms from Rome and I cannot for the life of me think why the city dwellers have not exploited the area as it is well within commuting distance. English is not spoken here and according to our hosts, neither is Italian. It is a type of dialect. No children in the village only oldies who look as if they have been here for ever. A few younger ones caught the bus this morning. When we arrived there had just been a procession through the streets and they were strewn with flowers. Just lovely. I believe it is Corpus Christi. The house we are in is one of the old originals, probably hundreds of years old. It has been gutted and is totally modern inside except for the cellar which is interesting. With the cellar it is 4 stories high but is only 6m wide and in many places the stud height is very low and you are continually bumping your head. There is an amazing spiral staircase which John describes as steep and tortuous. 2 bedrooms 1 &1/2 bathrooms but an amazing roof terrace built into the roof of the house below.
Civilsation is about 7 kms away. It is a small town called Tagliacozzo, but with supermarkets and places to dine so we are all set up for a weeks exploring. It is a hilly area, good for walking and because it is in the hills at about 100m high, it is much cooler than Rome.
Like most of the towns in this area Tagliacozzo is perched on a mountain side. We had lunch there and then decided to drive to the top. Quite a good 2 laned mountain road winding its way up. We got out of the car at the top and spied a small road going downhill through the old town. We always look out for 'Sensico Unico' (one way street) and there was no warning so down we went only to find out that the road became narrower and narrower until John needed guidance so I got out and walked backwards in front of him thinking that it would only be around the corner and we would be in the clear. Not so. It was nearly 1km and in time I needed help from a friendly local when there was only 1 inch on either side. You have to realize that there was no way John could reverse back and he was quite committed !! We made it to our relief and now know why there are so many of the original Fiat 500's around
29th May. Off to Amsterdam tomorrow.
We have been to Amsterdam where we had a very successful HomeLink Conference. It was great to renew acquaintance with so many of the other HomeLink organizers. John & I have been NZ organizers for about eight years and it never fails to amaze me that people from about 26 different countries can get together and make such positive plans for the future of HomeLink .
After 4 days in Amsterdam our Home exchanging takes a different direction and we are off to the UK. John & I love the villages of England and every 2 years we try to explore a different area of the UK, land of my birth. This time takes us firstly to mid Devon where we are exchanging in a small village near Totnes. Our plane was delayed for about 2 hours which meant that our flight to Exeter was late arriving and I hoped that our exchange partners had prior warning. They had not, but nevertheless were there to meet us and cheerfully whisked us off the 30 kms to their home. By this time they were delayed for their departure, but we were shown around the house and car, told there was a meal in the fridge waiting to be heated and a bottle of wine waiting to be opened. They pointed us to all the guides for the house and the local area, told us the name of the friendly neighbour and then they were off to their holiday home in France where they will remain while we are in residence. It's a splendid spacious house, but as is our custom we will probably only use 2 or 3 rooms. We are here to enjoy the area not the house!
The next morning and we are off to explore. We find out that the narrow lanes here are nearly as much of a challenge as the small streets in Italy. No room for 2 cars one of them always has to back up. At the moment John hopes it is not him.
One of the great advantages of Home Exchanging is simply being in a house with all its facilities. We can do a load of washing and ironing, cook at home, use all the facilities a home has to offer including broadband which is important to us. This house has an extensive veggie & herb garden. "Please help yourselves" we were told.
With permission from our exchange hosts we have invited my English cousin and his wife to visit for a night next week
more soon....................
I was reduced to fits of uncontrollable laughter this morning on our first trip to a supermarket. We knew that in England we had to put one pound into the handle of the shopping trolley to disengage it from the next one. Did we have a pound ? No............... I wandered off to find a trolley that had been left 'unparked' only to get back to John who had found a pound and had managed to put it in the 2nd trolley in line and was wrestling with 2 stuck together shopping trolleys. Just ridiculous. We pushed the 2 trolleys around until someone came to our aid
We are having such a good time here. We are members of the Historic places trust in NZ and love visiting the National Trust properties in England free with our NZ Membership. Every visit is a joy and each day we are able to say "We did have a good time today, didn't we?".
Mostly we eat at home especially in England. Its convenient and cheap but a few nights ago we ventured to the Village pub, the 'Live & Let Live', the only option in the village. The bar was packed and we were greeted with a surly barmaid who said "If you want a meal, were fully booked". We had not realised it was 'Quiz Night' and went home. Last night we tried again, this time with more success, but with another hilarious incident. After our starters we both ordered Steak & Guinness pie. Me with chips and John with new potatoes. Not long after we placed our orders a plate of chips arrived. Rather strange I thought but we were hungry and started eating. Shortly after the waitress appeared, grabbed the plate of chips and said "Sorry those were meant for the people at the next table" and promptly grabbed them and put them on the next table. We were dumb struck as the people at the next table started eating them. "We haven't eaten many" we said reassuringly. Shades of Fawlty Towers !!
Communications are often a problem in small remote villages and this time although we have wireless broadband we do not have sky television or much in the way of radio reception. This morning finds us lying in bed listening to the All Blacks playing England on our laptop courtesy of Sports radio NZ
more soon............................
It's June 18th Only 3 more weeks before we leave for home. After a great 2 weeks in Devon we are packing/cleaning/cleaning the car/replenishing the home with provisions we have used. We are very lucky that the friendly neighbour has offered to take us to the railway station. Saving us the enormous expense of a taxi from this remote village.
We are now picking up a rental car for the rest of our stay. The people we are exchanging with in Kent are out of the country at present and a car was not available for exchange. I should explain the 'key' situation here. We were sent the front door key before we left home and I have been carrying it in my handbag the entire trip. The sister of our exchange partner is to prepare the house for our visit.
Now for some serious genealogy. John & I are both enthusiastic genealogists and often come to England with that purpose in mind so that we can spend quality time in the region our ancestors lived. This time it is Johns turn and we are visiting the 17th century manor house where his predecessors lived. We will also be putting in the hours at the local record office. Here's hoping !!!
more soon....................
We have now moved to Faversham, a small mediaeval town on the North Kent coast. This is such an interesting situation. We are staying for 2 weeks in a large, former school. Built about 200 year ago of local flint which is seen in all the old buildings, it had been converted into splendid modern apartments. It still retains it's 'quad' which is now a secluded garden for the residents. It is down a leafy quiet, no exit street but in the middle of town with a Norman church at the end of the street and a 2 metre high brick wall running down the opposite side of the street. What a bonus to find a gate in the brick wall that leads to a huge Tesco supermarket. Cooking has never been easier. If I forget something I dash across the road and am back before the pot boils !!
We had some excitement today. We had earlier booked on a walk around a historic small town near here. A group of about 15 of us started out and got to talking, as you do. One Canadian couple said they were staying in a local house. "Not home exchanging by any chance?" I said. "Yes", they said. "We belong to HomeLink Canada"
John & I are on the right in the picture with Canadian Home Exchangers from Kingston, Ontario who are on their 9th Home Exchange. The tour we took was unique. We all decided that as regular tourists we would have been unlikely to have met in this situation.
Our Exchange partners in Faversham are at present in Australia but the 'locals' had all been alerted to our visit. Neighbours have stopped us for a chat and helpful advice. We went into the 'Local' the other night for a meal. "You'll be staying at Steve's house" one of the men at the bar said "he told us there were Kiwis visiting" We met several of the regulars and felt as though we were really at home after a lot of friendly banter about the rugby and the cricket. John popped in for a pint last night and was greeted like a local. This is a unique traveling experience!
June 28th and nearly the end of our trip................
Thoughts on our visit to England...............
Our genealogy hunt in the South East was very rewarding as we found a group of family graves from the 17th C. We were able to visit the actual house where an ancestor lived prior to emigrating in the 1850's, now occupied by a local family historian. What a bonus!
We grimaced when the cost of petrol briefly went to 2 pounds a litre due to a tankers drivers strike. Nothing to be done about it but at least we paid nothing for the car as it was part of the exchange.
England is a very expensive country which is nothing new but much of the expense is food. A regular traveler is faced with coffee at over $NZ 6 a cup, a main course restaurant meal at upwards of $NZ 60. Here is where a home exchanger can achieve amazing savings.
Every day out we take a packed lunch. Mostly we eat at home which is another exchange bonus. Because we are living in a community we can shop at the local supermarket. Eating at the local pub is a good night out and not too expensive.
The English countryside is still fabulous. Criss crossed by a network of public footpaths, you can be entirely alone to enjoy the views. Yesterday we went for a 3 hour walk through woodland, farmland and downs. We saw a badger, 4 deer, several pheasants and rabbits galore. It was great. Who said that England was overcrowded !
Time to go home now ................Time to prepare for our next Home Exchange holiday. We have already had an exciting offer while we have been away.
Valerie & John signing off.
