On my way home from work, god talks to me

Any minute now, the magnolias will be joined by the cherry trees and the symphony will be deliciously defeaning

Tonezza' del Cimone and the Bucanevi

Finally, the group's first real spring hike...but it was not meant to be so at first.  The goal at first was Monte Spitz, a 1700-meter mountain that still had some snow on top.  Not only is it high and cold, it is also very far, about two valleys and three rivers between it and the starting point (it is the snowy mountain in the background of the picture below):

Sadly (?), it was everyone's first time doing the trail, and we were hopeless lost once we crossed a river and completely lost track of the trail.  Everything, however, was not completely lost.

Instead of walking through very wet, melty snow, we came across cow crossings-

hiked narrow, exposed trails and saw herds of mountain goats-

chatted with folks cultivating their lands for the first time in months-

jumped between boulders in soon to be not so dry rivers-

found out that there are poisonous snakes in Italy-

And lastly, walked through fields of wild bucanevi or crocuses, the blossoms of which is the plant world's official signal for winter's end and spring's return-

We were all sad to not see the view from the top of Monte Spitz, but I think the alternative was worthwhile.

Winter Blues

It's cold, I'm sick, and looking forward to yet another weekend of laziness, brought on by my inherent fear of misreading the weather and going out with one less layer than necessary. Although it has been--and hopefully, will be--a relatively mild winter, the cold still gets to me, and the short days make daytimes spent inside cold offices seem such painful wastes of possibilities. I'm looking forward to warmth, sun, green, and the outdoors again. To outdoor grills, shorts and t-shirts, and knowing that the solution to weather-related discomfort is simply to remove another layer. To restaurants setting tables in the courtyard, cafes lit by dappled sunlight, and bars that cannot help but spill out into the lively streets. To pleasant walks, fulfilling jogs, and looking forward to leaving the office, knowing that the day still leaves one three hours of daylight to enjoy. Spring cannot come soon enough.