Peace

Away from home, without a car or a long list of "things" to do, it's easier to be outdoors walking in all kinds of weather. Just breathing it all in. Rain, the wind, scents of food cooking and flowers blooming. Listening to bird song and smatterings of conversation in Italian, German, English and more. Young families out with their baby strollers. Moms picking up their children from school. It's interesting to sit on a stone wall and watch people going about their day. I like to try to guess which are tourists and which are local residents and wonder about what their lives are like and who they are. When we were sitting in Pizzeria Otello this evening waiting for our vegetarian kabobs and green pasta, a family came in to eat. Looked like a Grandfather, a mother dressed in a business suit and a rosy cheeked little girl with very curly hair tamed into two fat braids. A happy family. Italians eat dinner much later than we are used to, and John is always hungry, so we are usually the first customers in the restaurant and need to wait a bit until the staff is ready to get started. The restaurant is open at lunch time then closes for a few hours until 7 pm. And finally, a few of the photos I've been taking the past couple of days. Flowers that give beauty, peace and serenity.