Gary and Valene visit Reggio

Gary and Valene arrived in Reggio three weeks ago. Their arrival in Reggio began with a stroke of luck... Taber had arranged for us to meet them at a cafe near the train station. This plan sounded easier than we thought it was going to be. There are several cafes surrounding the train station. Not knowing any of the cafe's names, we told his parents we would be holding an orange umbrella. Luckily, the sun was shining so two Americans sitting outside a cafe with an orange umbrella would be easy to spot. As Taber and I rounded the corner to the train station and headed for the bike racks we almost ran over Gary and Valene. I only have one functioning brake on my bike, so we literally almost ran into them. We had somehow managed to cross each others paths without needing an orange umbrella or unknown cafe. Gary and Valene had only been at the train station long enough to park and get out of their car before we were all together. Five miles outside of Reggio they had stopped at a bar to ask for directions to the train station, with luck still being on their side, an Italian gentleman (may or may have not been sober) jumped on his scooter and lead Gary and Valene right to the station.
We spent a majority of their first day walking around the town center admiring the architecture and history of Reggio. After living here for over a month and becoming accustomed to the surrounding, it was nice to bring back to mind what a beautiful town we live in. After stopping for a cappuccino and kabob we dropped Taber off at practice where Gary and Valene were able to become acquainted with the team and coaches. After practice the team ordered enough pizza to feed an entire army (or baseball team)and invited Gary, Valene, and I to join them. Their first dinner in Reggio was true Italian style...pizza by the meter. Ordering pizza by the meter is similar to ordering Subway by the foot, it is common for big parties. I tried to persuade Valene to taste pizza with tuna and onions, a favorite among Italians, but she declined. As usual, dinner did not start until 10pm. Very different than Gary and Valene's schedule at home, but they quickly adjusted.
After a couple days in Reggio, lots of walking around, pizza, and gelato the luck Gary and Valene came into town with came to an end. Valene had an eye infection so she took a trip to the Reggio hospital. After only an hour and a half of waiting and 10 euro for medication her eye was on its way to recovery. Of course, Valene being the self-less optimist she is, did not allow her eye infection or a visit to the hospital interfere with the trip. She walked away from the situation feeling enthusiastic she was able to see the "inside" of Italian health care.
Taber had a game in Parma, which is a short 30 minute drive from Reggio, instead of taking the train we decided to brave the Italian highway (called A1) and drove. Gary did a fantastic job navigating the confusing roads. We only had to flip a "U" turn once, reverse on the highway once (and once at the ticket booth), and ask for directions once...not too bad for driving in a foreign country. Between five pairs of eyes and a defensive driver (Gary) we made it to Parma safely. The only thing we were not safe from in Parma were the moths that rival humming birds in size and speed. Perhaps the most thrilling event of the Parma trip was the drive home. The back roads between Reggio and Parma are brimming with hookers, yes real hookers. Spotting the hookers was like playing "wheres waldo" except instead of looking for the man in red and white stripes, we looked for the girls in fishnet stockings, stilettos, a bra, and a short skirt (some opted to skip the skirt). It was every sorority girls dream Halloween costume. Although all four of us where completely engrossed in locating the hookers, it is very saddening that the girls have fallen into this form of employment. It is both dangerous and belittling and we hope the Italian government will implement stronger laws against it.
Gary and Valene traveled to, and enjoyed, the cities of Cinque Terra, Verona, and Venice. Valene became sick during their day trip to Cinque Terra but once again being the trooper she is, bounced back after a few days. Most individuals would be sluggish after a couple of days sick and bunked up in an apartment...not Valene. She was up and ready to explore Italy the moment she felt the slight bit better. I have a feeling the idea of eating Gelato may have helped speed up her recovery time.
In the three weeks Gary and Valene were here we were able to experience two in home Italian lunches. One with Franco and his family, the other with the assistant coach of the Reggio football team. Luca (the assistant coach) studied abroad in Bellevue Washington many years ago. The head coach of the Reggio football team coached at Bellevue High School for several years before coaching in Italy. Luca and his wife are both tremendously bright individuals. Luca, who is lactose intolerant, developed the first machine to milk donkeys. Apparently donkey milk falls third in the rank of most nutritious. Coming in first and second being reindeer and camel milk. They also informed us that every pediatrician in Italy will tell you to put Parmesan cheese and olive oil in your baby food. Both are rich in nutrients vital to the babies development. Luca's wife translates video games from Italian to English and Spanish. They both also speak French. They have a 2 year old son who judging by his parents wealth of knowledge will score a perfect 1600 on his SATs...at the age of 8.
Taber and I had a fabulous time with Gary and Valene. They treated us to many lunches, dinners, and good conversation. I have an inclination that, despite being excited to get back to bathrooms that have actual toilets instead of a hole in the ground, they enjoyed their time here. We are very happy they were able to visit us.