Well the summer has come and gone; Today is the 22nd of September and the official start to Fall.

I’m sorry that I have been AWOL, but it was for good reason. First and foremost I was able to travel to the U.S. and see my family and friends for the first time in TWO YEARS!!! It was crazy realizing HOW much time had passed since we’d last been together and how many HUGE milestones were missed, but in truth, in the end, the only thing that mattered was being able to hug each other and spend time together, like a family; hanging out talking, laughing, reminiscing and … planning future visits! Going to farmer’s markets, cooking and enjoying meals together – Simple moments I will always treasure.

Secondly, we bit the bullet and decided to take advantage of the hot pandemic real estate market and sell our family home of 25 yrs. In the Springtime, many of our empty-nester NY friends told us that they were selling their homes for insane prices. We’ve been in Trieste now for 5+ years and tbh, I grew tired of getting calls from the renters regarding some issue or another. Plus, our home was in suburban NY and we couldn’t imagine going back to living in a large home with a big garden in a neighborhood filled primarily with families with young kids. So in March, I called a few friends, got the name of a realtor and basically listed and sold my house in 2 weeks. After that I simply needed to coordinate the emptying of the house, finding storage facilities and hiring some movers. It’s crazy to think that you can sell your home remotely, but I did, and showed up in person to basically empty it out, pack up the mementos of our lives and gifted, donated and trashed 5 dumpsters worth full of stuff all in the course of a week.

By the time I was done I was emotionally uplifted but physically drained. Returning to Trieste was like going on vacation. As soon as I got back we got busy seeing friends, playing golf and just enjoying the city and all it has to offer. I excitedly planned my first (of what was to be many) beach day with friends and spent a gorgeous day swimming in the gulf of Trieste and enjoying the summer breeze. At day’s end I made my way back to the car and inadverdantly tripped on an unmarked hazard on the sidewalk and went down like a ton of bricks…or as they say here “a pelle di leone” — like a lion-skin rug — promptly fracturing my shoulder. I have spent the last 8 weeks with my arm in a sling unable to do much of anything, least of all type. This week the sling has finally come off and while I have another 4 weeks of Physical Therapy and I can finally sit down at my computer and write — I’ve missed this!

That is not to say that I didn’t see all that was going on in town. Pandemic or not, Trieste really stepped up to create some great cultural events this summer – Theater nights at Miramare, Public art displays, Photo exhibits, live music events – in the 8 weeks in which I was laid up, there was not so much as a drop of rain to spoil everyone’s summer! Also lots of new restaurants have popped up on my radar, some new shops, and some new artisans to support.

Trieste is now coming into what I have coined its “Fifth Season”; that special time between the end of the summer and mid-October, marked by the end of Barcolana, in which the city really comes alive. I look forward to resuming my posts and hope to continue to share with you all the magical places, people and things that make Trieste or Trst, the place we (for now) call home.