Archive for June, 2010

• The Dump Run

  Date: 2010.06.27 | Category: News | Response: 25

  This morning I made the dump run with the damaged items from the basement. The melted TV, the traumatized DVD player,  the smoky couch that was 15 years old before we did this to it.  The refrigerator that quit working, possibly because of the power surge.  Or because it had not been feeling well for over a year and it was just time to let go.

  Dumps have changed a lot since I was a kid.  I remember the dump at Fairbanks.  One drove in the gate, past heaps of all sorts of refuse.  Fires were usually smouldering in several locations.  You picked a spot, backed up, and tossed everything out.  No fees.  Occasionally a watchman.  It was acceptable to wander about a bit and perhaps salvage a bicycle frame or a tire that didn’t look too bad. 

  Today, my first stop at the dump was the Goodwill donation station.  The attendant took an item or two, but shook his head no to the couch.  He did take the melted TV, for recycling. 

  Next stop was the weigh in and presentation of my ID.  I had called ahead so this would be one of my two free trips t the dump that I am allowed annually.  They gave me a pink card and directed me to follow the white line.  Which ended in a row of concrete pylons.  Hm.  Not what they intended, I was sure. So I went on for a bit and eventually found the compactor.  I backed up and Jack and I unloaded.  When it came time to dump the couch over, I knew a moment of extreme guilt.  We could have cleaned it, one more time.  It wasn’t really THAT bad.  I was (and am) sure that there were people in Tacoma that would have been very happy to adopt it.  But I didn’t know who they were, or where, so under the chain it slid.  Goodbye, brown couch.

  Final stop was the small parking lot full of refrigerators.  Hydaulic Jack lifted mine out of the truck, walked across the parking lot and set it down with the others.  The amount of strength he has always shocks me.

  And then we went through the payment line, and headed for home.

  But I am still feeling a big guilty. 

  I’ve known some tough financial times in my life.  It has led me to have a great reluctance to throw away anything that is useful.  Even when it is useless to me, I always feel like I should hold onto it until I can put it into the hands of someone who needs it.  In my time, I’ve been grateful for second hand dishes, for towels that did not match, and yes, for a saggy couch that was just fine with a terry cloth throw over it. 

  I like the new generation of recycling that includes 2good2toss and Craigslist.  If I hadn’t been so sure that Goodwill would take the couch, I would have gone to one of those services. 

  Well, farewell old couch!  You will be part of the landfill soon.  I wonder how long it will take before you are a useful part of the earth again.

  Robin

• Aftermath of the fire

  Date: 2010.06.23 | Category: News | Response: 3

  Still cleaning.  We take a section of the house and do it each day. Basement kitchen is now tidy again.  I will need to do a dump run and get rid of the melted/shattered television, scorched stand, dead refrigerator, etc.  Probably the old couch, too.  It is probably over 20 years old anyway!  Favorite furniture tends to linger in this house.  But it’s time to let that one go.  I dread the thought of getting it up the stairs!

  But the books are fine.  As Duane pointed out to me today, a television is a lot easier to replace than cherished older books!  And Ruth’s harp was not damaged, either.  That would have been a heart break.

  I have discovered that I get really dirty very fast cleaning up soot.  It doesn’t rinse out of the rags well, and by the time I am finished with an hours cleaning, I am filthy to the elbows!  But the good part is that the house really needed a thorough cleaning anyway, and I have realized that I need to eliminate a lot of clutter.  And, whether they improve the decor or not, the fire extinguishers have to be where they are obvious and easy to get to.  And I have to make sure that even the younger children know how they are supposed to work.  They won’t be encouraged to fight a fire alone, of course, but in the event that they had to try, at least they’d know how.

  Yesterday, we went down to see progress on the new/old house.  The driveway work is proceeding slowly. Three different county representatives have dropped by to give us three different and contradictory sets of directions on what we must do.  Yesterday, we were able to finally get one decisive opinion, so now we can move forward on that.   Ruth and I did mowing with the power mower and the tractor. She did pretty well with the tractor, though she had one terrifying moment when she ran over a coiled hose that someone had left out. The grass had grown up all around it, and it made a horrible noise when the blades hit it.    But she manuvers the tractor and cutter pretty well and didn’t hit any of my little trees.  So we’ll continue to work on that.  Our next challenge? Tune up the Troy-built and try to till up the garden plot.  We will put in a very late garden, of green beans, squash, pumpkins and zuchinni.  Maybe some cucumbers, too, if the farmers market has some good starts.  Tomatoes?  Hm.

  But, for now, it’s time for me to write!

  The fire clean up has messed up my writing schedule. Today, I am going to try to fix that.  I’m going for a ten page day! 

  Robin

• Roma

  Date: 2010.06.20 | Category: News | Response: 5

  My last day in Italy!
  And it was certainly one of the best. We traveled to Rome on a very fast train, and quickly found our hotel. We knew it was going to be a very busy day, but it started out very pleasantly.  The rain had vanished and Sara was in her element, but I knew the sun and heat was going to be a challenge for me.

  We met with members of BloodMemories.it for a wonderful lunch. Some of the people there seemed like my old friends by now, but others were new. Some lived in Rome as students and workers, while others had traveled from Sicily for a chance to meet me and the other members of BloodMemories.  I was very impressed with the spectrum of readers: students of anthropology and engineering, postal worker, cinema worker, law student, etc, etc.

  We had a HUGE luncheon of incredibly delicious food. I simply could not finish it all, but had to be content with tasting at least some of every dish. And they were excellent and delightfully typical of Italian cuisine. At the end of lunch, I was presented with a lovely pen and an ink supply for it. Years ago, when I was first learning cursive, my teacher required that we use a fountain pen. I wonder if I can relearn that skill after so many yeas with a Sharpie!

  Sara and I then had to leave for a brief time for a photo session, in Saint Peter’s square. It was hard to stand still and look where I was told to look when I wanted to stare at everything all around me!

  Then we returned to the restaurant for less formal photos with friends.  I knew that my time in Rome was very short, so I had given up much hope of seeing any of the sights.  But Sara and BloodMemories were determined that I should have at least a glimpse of the Coliseum.  After a bit of debate, it was decided that if Sara and I raced there on the Underground, BloodMemories would meet us there to pick us up in a car and whisk us back to the bookstore on time.  So we set off at a very quick pace through the crowded streets of Rome and then plunged down into the Underground.  The passages and cars were crowded, but each time we found a spot and hurried on.  Finally, we emerged into daylight and a very brief but brisk walk brought us to the Coliseum.

  No Hollywood movie or documentary can compare to actually seeing this. I think the message that Rome delivered to me is, Stone remembers.  It was so moving to walk past those massive walls, defiant of some many centuries, and wonder who else had walked there before me, and looked up at them, in wonder or fear or anticipation of glory.  That brief glimpse will stay with me for a long time.

  Too soon it was time to go. Alessandro pulled the car to the curb, we piled in, and off we went, leaving the historical district behind.  It was like journeying through time when we arrived at a very modern shopping mall, I Granai, and trekked through its air conditioned interior to find Nuova Europa Bookstore.  This was an airy, well lit and well stocked shop, and an audience was waiting for me.  Gianfranco Franchi and Danilo Pieroni were the presenter and interpreter team who helped me, and it was very obvious they had worked together before and knew exactly what they were doing.  They moved things along quickly which really helps keep the audience engaged when there is a language barrier to overcome.  I signed many books following the presentation, and then we had to hurry of to find a cab to have dinner with Sergio.  He fascinated me with talk about books and publishing in Italy.  We agree on many authors. He, for instance, has published all of Joe Lansdale’s work!  And Joe will be a guest in Italy in a few months for a comic and media convention.  I told Sara that she would have a wonderful time with him, but will have to practice translating from Texan to Italian. 

  The day wound down with a 10 PM final signing at the Fanucci bookstore.  Again, it was well attended and I was very well treated.

  And, then, suddenly, it was time to go back to the hotel and prepare for an early flight the next morning.  It was hard to say goodbye to Sara: she is an excellent author escort, and I think she and Joe Lansdale will have an absolute blast together!

  I know there are so many people I have not thanked or taken special notice of; the days went by very quickly.  I came home with a wealth of gifts: tea, an etching from Chiara, gift books, a handmade notebook with a cat on it and a lovely handmade cloth shopping bag.  Pasta, jam, olive spread, and wonderful cookies.  I  cannot list everything here or every act of kindness or welcome that was extended to me. 

  I feel I have made some very special friends and hope to continue those friendships via the internet until I can return to Italy or welcome visitors to my coast of the US.

  I will mention here that I arrived home to find that we had had a small housefire while I was gone. There was no structural damage, but lots of smoke and soot everywhere.  The firemen were excellent, putting it out almost with a single blast and preventing it from reaching the gas pipes or becoming a full fledged electrical fire.  We will have a lot of cleaning to do here, but right now I am simply over flowing with gratitude that no one was hurt.  This will mean that I will be doing a lot less posting for a time and that personal email and messages on the various boards will have to wait.  My office is in the basement, which is a large open room where the fire was.  I want to take my big computer in for cleaning as I don’t know how much soot and ash it sucked in.  So.  I am here on Mr. Cranky, the laptop, for probably another week.  And my hands do not enjoy this flat little keyboard.

  So, please be patient as you wait for responses to email and posts! Your understanding is very appreciated.

  Thank you, Italy and BloodMemories, Sergio and Parmafantasy for inviting me, and Sara for exhibiting a spirit of adventure.  And for helping me lug this beast of a lap top on and off trains and up and down many sets of stairs.

  Robin

• Firenze (Florence)

  Date: 2010.06.20 | Category: News | Response: 4

  Firenze (Florence)
  So, having escaped from the elevator of doom (our mishap was possibly caused by the brief power outage there) we stashed our luggage in our rooms and once more ventured out into the pouring rain.
  Sara especially wanted to show me an old bridge that was the special site of gold and silver workers, something she has a family connection to. We hurried far too fast through streets lined with the booths and tents of vendors of leather and scarves and all sorts of other merchandise. The rain poured down on us and also pattered down from the sloping roofs of the stalls. The umbrellas were everywhere! Finally, we decided we would stop and have a bit of food before venturing on. No pizza, but excellent salads with chicken and cheese in them.
  Then, to our surprise, the rain suddenly stopped. We hurried out into the streets for a whirlwind foot tour of Florence. I filled my eyes with as much of the city as I could comprehend, and as Sara had promised, the bridge was definitely a sight I will always remember. Even now, I feel like my brain is storing and processing all I saw.
  Then, off we went to the bookstore, Melbrookstore. My presenter was Chiara Mininni (who just happens to be connected to BloodMemories!) and my interpreter was Valentina Marianini. Chiara had taken many notes and made a wonderful presentation of my work while Valentina quickly and competently translated not only the presentation, but the questions from the audience and then my replies. After the presentation, during the signing of the books, I was presented with a framed Thank You from NOX. I signed a book that had been purchased with their shared funds that would be made available at the fantasy related public library at Empoli, in Florence. I cannot think of a greater comliment to a writer than readers who want to share the books!
  And again, we had a late night wander in the city! I have enjoyed the book presentations, but I must admit that what I have enjoyed the most have been walking through the streets with readers and book store people, hearing what they think of the city and the sights, and often sharing wonderful meals with them. Those events, I think, are what I will remember most and longest about my visit. Such warm welcomes.

• More Italy blogs

  Date: 2010.06.20 | Category: News | Response: 2

  A note! My cranky old laptop did not do very well connecting to the internet. So, these blogs are post now, several days later, in the hopes they are still interesting!
  Wednesday, June 16 was a very full day for us. Chiara Codeca joined us again as we set out from Pavia for Milano. This was very different from my airplane arrival in Milano as I had the opportunity to actually see a bit of the city this time. As before, Chiara was very knowledgeable about the city. We arrived with some time to wander a bit before reporting to the bookstore. Rain had been threatening and began to fall in a very determined way. This is not a sort of weather that Sara cares for! She reminded me of a little cat, dancing around tthe puddles and hissing at the downpour!
  Despite the difficult weather, there was so much to see that I was dazzled at every turn. In particular, we made our way to the Duomo, or central cathedral of the city. Here, unfortunately, Sara’s shorts were judged inappropriate for her to enter with us. (Most unfair. I saw men in there in knee shorts, and I assure you, that was a far more ’sinful’ sight!) Due to our time constraints, we had to be satisfied with a very brief tour of the interior of the cathedral. To experience this cathedral, even for a brief time, is something that would not fit in a photograph nor in a blog. An observation that Chiara had made the day before struck me even more clearly here. I asked why there was such a plenitude of decoration of all kinds. She told me that every carving or painting was considered an act of prayer rather than something created to catch the eye. Thus the details that exist far beyond the scope of the viewer to perceive. The scale of the architecture, the knowledge of these engineers and artists will give me much to think about for weeks to come.
  We emerged from the cathedral, collected Sara and fled the rain into a covered gallery of stores. In particular, I recall a book store that has remained in business in that same location since it was created. And I put my heel into a special indentation in the floor and made the circle that guaranteed that I will, someday, return to Milano.
  Then we trekked through the rain again to Fnac, where Martina Frammartino acted as presenter for the event, and the multi-talented Chiara was once again my interpreter. Once more, I spotted a few now-familiar faces from BloodMemories. All went very smoothly, the questions were intelligent and interesting ones, and I was once again able to meet and sign books for readers. We did, however, have to watch the clock carefully, for we knew that we had to catch the underground train at the correct time to make our connection to the train to Bologna. The rain was pouring down, our wheeled luggage and my laptop seemed to get heavier at every mad dash across the streets, and I do not think we could have made it without Chiara’s help (not to mention the umbrellas she seemed to magically summon for us.) She helped us manage it all, all the way to the train station, and even remained on the platform to be sure the train would actually set into motion. And then we were off.
  We arrived in Bologna, once more hefted our suitcases down and up stairs in the train station, and then trundled it quickly to our hotel. A glance at the clock told us that we had 14 minutes to get to the bookstore. We did not even check into our hotel, but simply stored our luggage with them and hurried off to find the Ambasciatori bookstore. We heard a clock chiming the hour just as we arrived at 9 PM exactly. We were very pleased with ourselves.
  The Ambasciatori is a large and airy store with an excellent arrangement for book presentations, in that it actually has a raised stage for the presentation. There BloodMemories struck again as I recognized
  Several members lurking in the audience. For this presentation of the book, Erika Zini introduced me and supplied questions. Jadel Andreetto was also there in that capacity. My interpreter was Francesco Figus. He did an excellent job of near simultaneous interpretation as Erika spoke. It seemed obvious to me that they had worked together before and that was indeed the case. They have a radio show that presents books, especially foreign ones, and both seemed very confident and knowledgeable.
  After the presentation, I signed a number of books and was surprised with an immense bouquet of flowers from Barbara, Antonella and Roberto of BloodMemories. (And I do hope I have spelled those names correctly!) I felt very spoiled! When we bid farewell to the Ambasciatori book shop and went out looking for a quick drink, we were joined by Eugenio Saguatti, a local fantasy writer. Despite our lack of a shared language, he showed us several interesting locations in Bologna, including two very striking towers. He explained that the more important a man you were, the taller the tower.(They put me in mind of the ‘tower’ in MirrorMask!) When we finally found an open sidewalk bar, I settled for a cider as the temperatures here leave me perpetually thirsty and a bit too warm. Francesco had accompanied us there, and we compared out preferences in music, as he was very knowledgeable about rock in general, and grunge rock in particular. I definitely want to find a few fantasy books where magic and music weave together to send him as a thank you, as he said he had not read that much fantasy. War for the Oaks, perhaps? Other suggestions would be welcome! Barbara, Antonella and Roberto told me quite a bit about the University there, as two of them are still students. A discussion of student housing and the importance of cats convinced me that some things cross all cultural boundaries.
  Eventually, however, it was time for Sara and I to seek our hotel. We finally checked in, retrieved our luggage, and staggered upstairs to our rooms. I was virtuous. I stayed awake to push the book along a few more pages before falling asleep.

  Thursday, June 17, seemed like it should be an easy day. We had only one event, and that did not happen until 6 PM in Firenze (Florence). I awoke very early for no particular reason and saw an antique market being set up right outside our hotel. So I dressed quickly and went down to take a peek before breakfast. There were books and buttons and posters and placemats, old pots and baby buggies and rugs. It was an amazing selection, and only the memory of how heavy my suitcase had been as we trundled it through the streets the day before kept my impulses in check.
  Sara joined me for breakfast and then we were immediately off to the train station again. We purchased some small sandwiches to eat on the train. (Sara and I seem to agree that it is entirely possible, some days, to subsist entirely on Italian pizza and coffee. I know this will have to stop when I get home, but for now, it is really wonderful. This is not to say that we have not also sampled some truly delicious food. It is just that we both know how to grab a bite and run!)
  Firenze greeted us with a downpour, complete with thunder and lightning. We knew the street that our hotel was on, and that it was the Gallileo, but every building had two and sometimes three conflicting numbers on it. By the time we had dragged out suitcases to the correct address and found our way in, we were soaked, and my hair was curlier than Sara’s! We were so grateful to check in, and still determined to see something of the city before it was time for my presentation at 6PM.
  We got in the elevator to go to our rooms. The doors shut. I pushed the button for the floor. And the elevator shuddered and dropped about six inches. And then, nothing. No motion. No response to our pushing the ‘open door’ button. So we pressed the button for the second floor. And again the elevator gave a sudden downward jolt and then vibrated there. By then I was recalling the myth that if you are in a falling elevator, you should jump up and down in the hopes that you will be in the air when it hits bottom. We pushed the alarm button. There was a faint, brief ‘beep’. That was it. No one came. We pushed it again. And again. It was really a rather small noise, rather like the beep of a cell phone rather than a shriek of ‘help, we are stuck in the elevator.’ Then, for no apparent reason, the elevator came to life and took us to the second floor. My room was on the first floor, butsuddenly the stairs looked very good to me

• Italy 2

  Date: 2010.06.16 | Category: News | Response: 2

   

  (I see I have posted the same journal several times here. Well, it was so wonderful that I had to tell it three times!  I will fix it later, when I am at my home desk!)

  Hello from Pavia!

  (I am still not reading all those posts.  I hope you are all being kind to one another. No throwing chairs or flinging epithets in the kitchen, or I shall let Pi put her claws out and chase you all around the room.)

  My internet access is intermittent here, so here are some updates from the last couple of days.

  On Monday, June 14

  The days in Italy go by far too swiftly.  Sara and I slept in a bit in the morning, and then it was a brief walk to the train station for the journey to Brescia.  I love to take trains on book tours as it gives me a chance to see the cities, towns and landscapes.Â
  We began in the city, traveled through a level countryside with many little gardens, villages and fields of corn and other crops.  I am always impressed with how every small scrap of land is put in production here.  There were slivers of gardens right along side the railroad tracks, lovingly tended rows of tomatoes, beans and zuchini. At one station, we even saw an aboveground swimming pool set up adjacent tothe tracks, with only a small hedge separating it from the train tracks.  Not sure I would trust my kids there!

  We reached Brescia and Monica met us at the station to whisk us to a hotle.  After a brief rest, we were off to Ferrata book shop.  It is always enjoyable to stroll through a book store.  I am fascinated to look for authors I know. to see who has been translated in my genre.  Yet it is also frustrating to see beautiful books with intriguing covers and Italian titles I can almost read. I think I have a glimpse of what it must be to be illiterate in a world of books.
  From the bookstore we wanderd to Aula Magna Euroscola, a lovely school in a very old building.  It was hard to pay attention to my interpreter as the walls and then the ceiling of the room for the presentation were lavishly decorated.  What a wonderful distraction.  Marco Butoldi was my interviewer and had a host of excellent and thoughtful questions.  These were followed by questions from the audience, and I answered with the help of Paolo Alessi, my interpreter.  (I am constantly reining in my tongue here. I want to discourse forever on the questions and wander off into long extra stories, a very cruel thing to do to an interpreter!)
  It was unfortunate that Cesare Ferrata, who had been instrumental in arranging my visit here, was prevented from attending by a health issue.  I really wish I could have thanked him personally for such a warm welcome in a wonderful location.
  Following the signing, we had a regrettably short time to explore Brescia.  We found the church of Santa Maria Dei Miracou and the Duomo Nuovo or the ‘new cathedral’.  It was constructed on the site of an older cathedral, early in the 17th century.  Nearby is the Rotonda or Duoma Vecchio, ‘the old cathedral’.  The city has risen around this structure, so one can look down and see the original ground level around the original main entrance.
  Sara and I returned to our hotel for dinner.  We were the only females in the bar watching the second half of Italyàs first game in the World Cup. It was very exhilarting to witness the excitement for this game and to follow the action.  As you probably all know, it ended in a tie, 1 to 1.

  The next day, we were up and out of the hotel early to catch our next train.  Our hotel in Pavia was just a short walk from the train station.  We checked in, and then almost immediately set out to explore Pavia (and find some coffee!)  We were soon met by Chiara Codecà and Guido Affini.  We set off in Chiara’s car for the Certosa of Pavia, with both Chiara and Guido acting a very knowledgable tour guides.  This was my first opportunity in Italy to take a leisurely look at some historic sites.  We drove quite a ways alongside a canal that had once been part of an extensive hunting park between Pavia and the monastery.  I was full of questions, so it was wonderful to have two people who knew so much of the area’s history.Â
  As always the lavish decorations on the outside of the Certosa was more than I could take in.  I think I would have stood and stared for hours and still not realized all the detail.  Inside it was cool and inviting, with a wealth of paintings and woodwork that were the works of generations of monks.  I was struck by the mixture of community and isolation of this order.  During the week, they adhere to silence, but also have times when they sell their produce, wine, herbal remedies, jams and honey to the public.  I had always imagined a monk’s cell to be a tiny bare room, so I was surprised to see that the typical cell had two chambers on the ground floor, other rooms upstairs tht we could not see, and a tiny individual garden to tend.  It gave me a very different image of their lives and I wished that I could spend a month or so in such a contemplative and quiet way.  We visited the gift shop where I purchased, among other things, a large bar of almond soap (ahh!)  Outside, we then looked at an ancient wine press that had been left in place if not in use.  It was HUGE and I suddenly had a concept of how many grapes were crushed there and the quantity of wine that the monks would create.
  Then it was time to return to Pavia and Il Delfino book shop for a question and answer session followed by a signing.  Chiara was my interpreter for this well-attended and lively session, and the ‘language barrier’ seemed no problem at all.
  The night ended with a dinner with readers and with book shop folk at a very nice restaurant.  It was a pleasure to have time to talk to readers that included a high school studen and several university students.  I forgot to ask permission to use names in this blog, but they were all very interesting to me.  After dinner, with a light rain falling in the night streets, we wandered off for gelato and to look at the remaining towers of the old fortifications of the city.  I cannot think of a way that the evening could have been nicer.

  So, this morning, I type this in haste at the hotel computer.  Please excuse the typos from a strange to me keyboard.

  Later today, we are off to Milano and then Bologna.  So, it will be a busy and possibly late evening for me!

  Best wishes to all from Italy! 

  Robin

• Date: 2010.06.16 | Category: News | Response: 3

  What an amazing place!

  (But I still prefer my horrible American coffee!)

  I have to keep this brief as I have a limited amount of time before we run for the train and the next town. Any typos belong to this European keyboard, not me!

  I arrived in Milano to a lovely day and was picked up at the airport by Alessandro and Alice, and off we went on a drive to Parma. Contrary to what we expected, traffic was good and we sailed right through. On the way, they introduced me to ‘pocket espresso’. This, I have to admit, is a brilliant idea. It comes in a little packet taht is about twice the size of a jam packet from a Denny’s, but rather similar in design. It has with it a tiny straw that you punch in through the top. Inside is a chocolate-espresso, rather sweet and full of caffeine vitamins. (Yes, caffeine is a vitamin for me!) It was very good and exactly what I needed after a long plane journey.

  After a bit of sleep and getting settled in at the Astoria hotel, I met Sara, my intrepid Italian author guide from Fanucci and we set off to find food. That’s extremely easy here in Parma, and for my first dinner, she chose food very typical of Parma. I will never use Parmesan cheese again without recalling it. The pasta was excellentò thatàs a typo, but I like how it looks! It was ‘drowned in butter and saved by the cheese’ which is, I am told, how it is best. Then we went for a stroll. The streets were full of young people.
   I think we must be near a University. We passed through a park, and the air was fragrant with the perfume from the trees. We heard an owl call several times, and many night birds. This surprised me as we were in the heart of a city.

  The next day we slept in a bit, and then we were off to ParmaFantasy. Itàs held in the open air, in a lovely park, with buildings nearby for presentations of art, gaming of all sorts and shelter from the occasional rain. For the most part it was VERY sunny and I was grateful Iàd thought to sunscreen before I left the hotel. I met with a group of members from Bloodmemories.it a fan-based Robin Hobb newsgroup. They were all meeting one another for the first time, and had matching Robin Hobb Italy Book Tour T-shirts. I have one to take homeç I felt like a rock-star! All very nice people, if a bit shy at first.

  The ParmaFantasy festival was well attended, with many vendors, lots of LARP groups and costuming (some of the best Ive ever seen! The Avatar couple, complete with tails, won the competition.)There were vendor stalls to explore.

  oops, running out of time.  Must cut this short!

  Well, a few minutes left so I will continue.

  At the festival, I was very happy to encounter the members of Bloodmemories.it, a fan based Italian language Robin Hobb site.  They were wearing black and white jesters caps with bells, and Robin Hobb Italy book tour T-shirts!  And they gave me one!  I felt like a rock star.  They were very nice, if a bit shy at first.

  My first task was to help with a short story tournament.  The writers were divided into teams, each with a professional writer as a mentor, and given 1 1-2 hours to write a story that had to feature a different type of language, a phoenix, and a character with a unique ability.  Now, I know absolutely that I could not produce anything coherent under those conditions!  But at the end of the time, each team had a completed story.  the judging was difficult for me, as I had to depend on a hasty translation of each tale.  (Children, study fyour foreign languages for  much richer life!)  But I mostly deferred to the Italian judges who would know better about the grace of the language used. A winner was quickly decided based on the very solid ending of the tale (the most difficult part for me) and prizes of books were awarded.

  Then there was time to wander the festival grounds for a bit.  A wind came up and the tiny fragrant flowers began to shower down from the trees.  It looked like an extremely expensive Hollywood special effect as the little yellow flowers rained down on the merchant stalls and the costumed fairgrowers and the sword fighters. ..  It was just wonderful.  (I did reflect for a moment that I am fortunat eNOT to suffer from allergies!)  I think this will remain as my most powerful visual memory of ParmaFantasy.

  In the evening, I went off to a wonderful dinner with the members of Bloodmemories.  We had a nice evening walk to a restaurant in the center of the town, and an excellent meal.  I was able to get to know a few members of BloodMemories a bit better.  As always, I was hampered by being mono-linguistic.  It always makes me feel a bit stupid that people have to come into my language to visit me!  I can somewhat read Italian, but the spoken form is like fast flowing water in a stony brook.  I can only catch a word here and there.  But I had some excellent conversation with those who spoke English and it was a very enjoyable time. 

  I was also showered with gifts, which already make my suitcase hopelessly bulge!  I think customs will have a very fun time with me!

  The next day at the festival was equally enjoyable.  There was a bit of rain just enough to settle the dust, and more costumes.  I did a presentation on the books, with a good question and answer session, and then wandered the grounds signing books, looking at all the stalls and just having a good time. I did several interviews as well and met some fascinating people.  

  Eventually, I had to bid the festival farewell. Sara and I walked into the center of town, to sign some books at a bookstore and to take in some of the sights of Parma.  After another excellent meal, we came back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep.

  And now here I am, typing a hasty entry with many errors.  I think I just have time to go back to my room and finish that chapter.  Iàve been very good about getting some pages every day so I feel very pleased with myself.

  I think I jsut have enough minutes left on the internet to post this!

  Wish me luck with the rest of the tour.

  Robin

• ParmaFantasy It rains flowers

  Date: 2010.06.16 | Category: News | Response: 0

  What an amazing place!

  (But I still prefer my horrible American coffee!)

  I have to keep this brief as I have a limited amount of time before we run for the train and the next town. Any typos belong to this European keyboard, not me!

  I arrived in Milano to a lovely day and was picked up at the airport by Alessandro and Alice, and off we went on a drive to Parma. Contrary to what we expected, traffic was good and we sailed right through. On the way, they introduced me to ‘pocket espresso’. This, I have to admit, is a brilliant idea. It comes in a little packet taht is about twice the size of a jam packet from a Denny’s, but rather similar in design. It has with it a tiny straw that you punch in through the top. Inside is a chocolate-espresso, rather sweet and full of caffeine vitamins. (Yes, caffeine is a vitamin for me!) It was very good and exactly what I needed after a long plane journey.

  After a bit of sleep and getting settled in at the Astoria hotel, I met Sara, my intrepid Italian author guide from Fanucci and we set off to find food. That’s extremely easy here in Parma, and for my first dinner, she chose food very typical of Parma. I will never use Parmesan cheese again without recalling it. The pasta was excellentò thatàs a typo, but I like how it looks! It was ‘drowned in butter and saved by the cheese’ which is, I am told, how it is best. Then we went for a stroll. The streets were full of young people.
   I think we must be near a University. We passed through a park, and the air was fragrant with the perfume from the trees. We heard an owl call several times, and many night birds. This surprised me as we were in the heart of a city.

  The next day we slept in a bit, and then we were off to ParmaFantasy. Itàs held in the open air, in a lovely park, with buildings nearby for presentations of art, gaming of all sorts and shelter from the occasional rain. For the most part it was VERY sunny and I was grateful Iàd thought to sunscreen before I left the hotel. I met with a group of members from Bloodmemories.it a fan-based Robin Hobb newsgroup. They were all meeting one another for the first time, and had matching Robin Hobb Italy Book Tour T-shirts. I have one to take homeç I felt like a rock-star! All very nice people, if a bit shy at first.

  The ParmaFantasy festival was well attended, with many vendors, lots of LARP groups and costuming (some of the best Ive ever seen! The Avatar couple, complete with tails, won the competition.)There were vendor stalls to explore.

  oops, running out of time.  Must cut this short!

• In Parma, it rains flowers for ParmaFantasy

  Date: 2010.06.16 | Category: News | Response: 0

  What an amazing place is Italy!

  (But I still prefer my horrible American coffee!)

  I have to keep this brief as I have a limited amount of time before we run for the train and the next town. Any typos belong to this European keyboard, not me!

  I arrived in Milano to a lovely day and was picked up at the airport by Alessandro and Alice, and off we went on a drive to Parma. Contrary to what we expected, traffic was good and we sailed right through. On the way, they introduced me to ‘pocket espresso’. This, I have to admit, is a brilliant idea. It comes in a little packet taht is about twice the size of a jam packet from a Denny’s, but rather similar in design. It has with it a tiny straw that you punch in through the top. Inside is a chocolate-espresso, rather sweet and full of caffeine vitamins. (Yes, caffeine is a vitamin for me!) It was very good and exactly what I needed after a long plane journey.

  After a bit of sleep and getting settled in at the Astoria hotel, I met Sara, my intrepid Italian author guide from Fanucci and we set off to find food. That’s extremely easy here in Parma, and for my first dinner, she chose food very typical of Parma. I will never use Parmesan cheese again without recalling it. The pasta was excellentò thatàs a typo, but I like how it looks! It was ‘drowned in butter and saved by the cheese’ which is, I am told, how it is best. Then we went for a stroll. The streets were full of young people.
   I think we must be near a University. We passed through a park, and the air was fragrant with the perfume from the trees. We heard an owl call several times, and many night birds. This surprised me as we were in the heart of a city.

  The next day we slept in a bit, and then we were off to ParmaFantasy. Itàs held in the open air, in a lovely park, with buildings nearby for presentations of art, gaming of all sorts and shelter from the occasional rain. For the most part it was VERY sunny and I was grateful Iàd thought to sunscreen before I left the hotel. I met with a group of members from Bloodmemories.it a fan-based Robin Hobb newsgroup. They were all meeting one another for the first time, and had matching Robin Hobb Italy Book Tour T-shirts. I have one to take homeç I felt like a rock-star! All very nice people, if a bit shy at first.

  The ParmaFantasy festival was well attended, with many vendors, lots of LARP groups and costuming (some of the best Ive ever seen! The Avatar couple, complete with tails, won the competition.)There were vendor stalls to explore.

  oops, running out of time.  Must cut this short!

• Packing for Italy

  Date: 2010.06.06 | Category: News | Response: 8

  I know.  It’s only Sunday.  I don’t leave until Thursday.  But when I get excited, I tend to want to hurry the week along. 

  Parma looks as if it’s going to be about ten to fifteen degrees warmer than it is here.  Maybe I’d better pick up some sun block, too!

  I’m very excited to be going to Italy. This will be my first visit there, but the culmination of many bookish and imaginary excursions throughout my life.  Even before I took four years of Latin in highschool and immersed myself via translations in Roman history, I had visions of Italy from Roman mythology.  It will be interesting to see if the reality matches up with the Italy of my imagination.

  I’m looking forward to meeting Italian readers, especially the members of Blood Memories.  Their enthusiasm for this visit has already made me feel very welcome!

  Robin