Life in Rome

On Friday night we went to one of our neighborhood restaurant's called Stella Maris (Sea Star), the specialty is fish and it is owned by a family from Sardinia. The food is good and we being regulars and neighbors always have a table. Had some mussels and then some calamari and octopus a nice green salad and a little dessert, all with a nice Vermentino White wine. After dinner I asked the owner for a glass of Mirto which is a liquor made of Myrtle which is his specialty and is served with spice cookies his wife makes. He also surprised us with a plate of hot chestnuts to go with our Mirto. How very nice I thought, it is chestnut and Olive Oil season right now in Italy, in France its Beaujolais nouveau but here in Italy it is unknown. We  have 16,000 wine labels in Italy so Beaujolais is not exactly something people go for.

The chestnuts were good and hot to handle, delicious and on a cold night was just the perfect way to finish a meal, a luxury.

On Tuesday I will have a small operation in an Italian Hospital, being operated on by a Italian Surgeon all in Italian. I have been to Mexican and Polish Hospitals in the past and the service was always fine and
have really no problems with getting medical problems attended to. This time maybe because I am older I am a bit apprehensive, it is surgery, nothing complicated and the doctor is well recommended by everyone I spoke too. I suppose what bothers me is that with the stress of the operation is the fact that it will be in a foreign language.  I speak some Italian and I do understand what people are saying quite well, it is just that I have to make an effort to pay attention, so I catch the meaning of it all. The hospital is a private clinic and it is well known. But surgery is always a little stressful no matter what.
Because of this medical situation, I missed yesterday a private visit to the Quirinal Palace, a real shame.
I will not be able to go for lunch and the opera in Florence next week.  But I cannot put this off, it must be taken care of now.

So is life.