You like go luau?

We just got back from our long vacay to the states, and after being in a plane for that long you just want a few weekends to veg out and relax. But we didn't have time to rest on our laurels (or any other part of us for that matter), because we had for some unfathomable reason told everyone that we were going to have a summer luau at our house on June 20th...

Normally we park our cars here!

Now if you have had the esteemable privilege of coming to one of our Halloween parties, you are fully aware that we do not have lame parties that are thrown together in a shoddy and slap-dash fashion. And as much as we hated it, a luau for 45 italian and american guests was going to take some serious committment on our part. And the guest list just kept on growing...

The neighbors enjoy the food and wine

Luckily for the two of us, Cyn found a hawaiian cookbook that explained how to craft all of the local favorites including kalua pork, lomi salmon, poke, etc, and we embarked on trying to gather the required ingredients. And although we had never actually made any of these dishes, we had the cookbook, so how hard could it be? yeah right.

Nadia and her family

First things first, we needed to borrow a crockpot from my good friend Ann since we gave away our crockpot before we came over here (it's a voltage thing...). Next we needed to get a piece of pork butt and wouldn't you know it, our trusty commissary was fresh out. So Cyn had to brave the italian macelleria or butcher shop. Now it's hard enough for me to remember the difference between a chuck, a blade, and flank in english, but trying to get the right piece of meat from a guy who doesn't speak english was going to be tough nut to crack. Before I headed off to work that day, I gave the redhead the best advice I could muster: Just tell the guy, "ho bisogno di un pezzo di maiale come cosi" or for you italian challenged: I need a piece of pork like so. And when you say "like so", kinda grab your butt... I crossed my fingers and wished her luck.

How the night started...

Later on that night, Cynthia shared with me all of the wonderful things she was able to pick up at the italian grocery store including great tomatoes, a huge piece of fresh salmon, and a nice chunk of ahi tuna. She also had some nice pieces of pork from the macelleria and great story! Apparently when she was asking the handsome, young butcher behind the counter, she forgot to say she needed pork, so she just said, "I need a piece like this," and grabbed her butt, or essentially, she needs a piece of ass. At least that's what I'm assuming the way he interpreted the request! Well at any rate, she got a really good price...

How the night ended...

Anyways... We spent most of the Friday night before the big day slaving away cleaning the house, cooking food, and practicing our little hula show. yes I said hula show. The next day offered us no respite since we had set up all of the tables outside under our carport, decorating the house, and finishing the dishes. Thankfully our good friend Marlene helped us out by cooking chicken long rice and garlic chicken, and "crockpot" Ann bought some chicken and teri sauce for me to grill up.

Sous Chefs: Marlene and Anne

All da kau kau!

Right before the guests started to arrive, I printed out the names and ingredients of all our dishes, in english and italian, so everyone would know what they were getting themselves into. We had kalua pork, chicken long rice, teri and garlic chicken, ahi poke (raw fish), lomilomi salmon, white rice, haupia, and we had some guests bring some other salads and side dishes. What a feast! The guests started to arrive and Roland, our resident wine expert, started tending bar. I had set up a stereo outside with some great hawaiian music for all to enjoy, and our good friend Sabrina handed leis to all of our guests as they arrived. After I explained what the menu was for the evening, I let hordes loose on the buffet line! Now originally Cyn and I worried that we would have too much food because many of the italians wouldn't really like our exotic offerings. Boy were we wrong. They started off a little shy during the first round, the were a little cautious, but when they went back for seconds they reached for the big spoon! And it was this misjudgement on our part that lead to the biggest luau faux pas ever... we ran out of food! Oh for shame!

It's da hands dat tell da story!

Well at least we had some good entertainment for them. Right after we ate, we played Hawaiian trivia, mixing up the questions in italian and english to give everyone a chance. Then, as the sun set and the evening cooled off, Cynthia changed into a beautiful red muumuu. And there on our little grassy lawn, under the romantic glow of our tiki torches, Cynthia danced the hula to the Hawaiian Wedding Song. People were blown away. My friend Stackhouse shook his head and said to me, "Is there anything she can't do?" Not that I can think of... And as if that weren't enough, she danced another hula, Lovely Hula Hands, with yours truly singing and playing the ukulele. Like I said, we know how to throw a party.

Let's hear it for the band!

After that we enjoyed some desserts and sat and talked until the candles burned low. It was a killer luau! Now our only problem is that everyone will expect us to do it again next year!

Aloha 'oe!

Three States in Three Weeks

We really wanted to attend Mike’s sister’s Natalie and her boyfriend’s Dennis’ (now fiancé) graduation ceremony at the University of Hawaii as they were to receive their master’s degree in social work on May 16th.

When Michael put in his request for three weeks of vacation and his boss actually signed off on it we were thrilled as we decided that since we were coming so far we would try to visit both our families. That would involve a very aggressive itinerary with three states in three weeks, - Hawaii, Minnesota and Washington. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see all our good friends but we were able to squeeze in a lot of quality time with the family and enjoy some of our favorite local cuisine.



We frequently get asked by both Italians and Americans how long it takes to get all the way from Vicenza, Italy to Hawaii. They still can’t get over the fact that we left “Paradise” for life in Italy. We always tell them we find Italy to be our European “Paradise.”

For those of you planning to visit us, and we hope you do, the following is an idea of what it could entail. The Hawaiians will have the biggest challenge since it’s a rather arduous trip. This is the break down of our flight to make it in time to the graduation ceremony in Hawaii. Yeah we decided to gut it out and fly straight through to Honolulu - mama mia!

We left our house at 4 am and drove the 40 minute drive from our home in Vicenza to the nearest major airport, the Marco Polo Airport in Venice to catch our 6:30 AM flight to Amsterdam.

1.5 hrs - Venice to Amsterdam
3.0 hrs - Layover in Amsterdam
10 hrs - Amsterdam to Seattle
5.0 hrs - Layover in Seattle
5.5 hrs - Seattle to Honolulu
25 Hours Total!

We departed Venice, Italy at 6:30 AM on Friday, September 15th and arrived at our final destination in Honolulu at 8 PM Friday night, September 15th. Now Hawaii is 12 hours behind Italy so the grand total came to around 25 ½ hours to get there that included a total of 8 hours in layovers.

We broke up the flight on our return trip with a layover in Seattle. Our “side trip” to Minnesota was a separate fare purchased with frequent flier miles.

Our air fare from Venice to Honolulu with Northwest Airlines (soon to be Delta) cost around $1500 that included our layover in Seattle. On Orbitz.com as of August 1st the fights for the fall, September and October still came to approximately those amounts for about 10 days. NWA has terrific air fares for both Minneapolis to Venice or Seattle to Venice for only $600 - $635 (includes tax & fees) - that is a steal for a ten day visit in mid October. New York to Venice was around $620. I am sure there are even better deals out there if you are flexible and can tolerate a lengthy layover here or there.

Our first guests will be arriving September 18th, Cyn’s sister Rebecca and her husband Todd. We are really looking forward to their stay and know they will be good sports about being our first guests in Italy and will “go with the flow.”

Their visit will be followed by Mike’s mother, Nancy as she will be joining us mid October for a month of adventures that will include exploring some of the nearby countries. Nancy will bring her aloha spirit and as ususal, everyone will love her – just as we do.

We hope this information will help you with planning your Italian vacation. The best time to visit Europe is in the fall or spring. The air fares for the summer are more costly and all of Europe is crammed with lots of tourists and it’s very hot. There are also some good cruises and tours out there if you prefer.

Of course, once you get here the Sachs-Ornellas villa will be available to you and it comes with Italian speaking hosts that love to travel, eat pasta and drink lots of good Italian wine. Yep – it’s all good. La dolce vita.

We enjoyed seeing every one during our whirlwind trip in May but it was a special treat to spend time with our little nephews, niece and grand nieces.


Hawaii: our niece Emma, 5 ½, daughter of Mike’s sister Monica and her husband Mikey (who will be returning from Iraq in August). Emma is pure sunshine and joy. She is a natural dancer, very smart and would slide little notes under our door when we were staying in Hawaii.


Minnesota: Nephews Cooper 8 ½, and Miles 3 ½, sons of Cyn’s brother Nathan and wife Daralyn. Cooper’s interests include airplanes and architecture as he can build very complex and detailed models of various buildings. Miles is a spirited and adorable little boy with a great imagination.


Minneosta: Great niece Anna Rae – 19 mo., daughter of our niece Sarah,(yeah we’re getting old) who is the daughter of Cyn’s sister Rebecca and her husband Todd. Anna is the happiest baby and loves to dance and play with her mommy.


Washington. Our two grand nieces Catherine, ~2 ½ and Joanna 4 mo, daughters of niece Claire and her husband Tom. Claire is the daughter of Cyn’s sister Susan and her husband Scott. Catherine, who looks just like mommy, captures your heart with her golden curls and sweet smile. When she isn’t doting on her baby sister, Joanna (Mike calls her mini-Tom as she resembles daddy), she likes to swim in her kiddie pool.

Our newest nephew – Grover, around 3 month’s old, new puppy for Cooper and Miles. We haven’t met him yet but we sure are looking forward to meeting our canine relative. I am told he has lots of energy and likes to chew on things – particularly Miles. He must be adorable because he even survived after pooping on Grandma Elvera’s white carpet. Mama mia!

Ciao for Now!
-Cyn

Spring Adventures!

Although the winter wasn't that harsh, it sure seemed long. And after months and months of gray, rainy skies and tired, dead looking trees and fields, Mama Natura flipped the Spring Switch to ON! This place went crazy with bright green leaves and beautifully bloomin' flowers. When the weather gets good after a long winter nap: lay on their front porch catchin' rays in their underwear, and boozin' it up admidst all of the beauty that Italy has to offer. Luckily (for you), Cyn and I went more for the latter rather than the former...


Prosecco Hills
For the last weekend in April we went to the "Prosecco Hills", an area about an hour and 30 minutes northeast of us. This hilly region is known for making the best Prosecco wine, espcially the town of Valdobbiadene. Our good friend Sandy arranted the excursion for about 15 of us. Our first stop was a little cantina to pick up a few bottles of Prosecco. And then over to Farro di Saligo to a little "Agriturismo". Agriturismi are farm houses that have been converted to B&B's and restaurants. Usually all of the food prepared there is fresh from the farm, and this agriturismo called "Al Credazzo" did not dissappoint. We had an 8 course meal of gnocchi pasta, bruschetta, cold cuts and cheese, and for the main entree, spit-roasted meats (yum!). We enjoyed our lunch inside, but then went outside to enjoy the gorgeous spring day.

Agriturismo Al Credazzo

The luncheon aftermath...

Cyn & Sandy enjoy some rays

Villa Sceriman
Our good friends and frequent blog all-stars, Marlene and Ann, have been telling us about this Villa in the town of Vo' down to the south of Vicenza. Villa Sceriman bottles there own wine (of course), but they also have a wonderful, wisteria-covered patio area where you can sit and while away an afternoon enjoying cheese, bread, and coldcuts. It sounded great, so we trekked out on a sparkling spring afternoon. Along the way we picked Giovanna, our good friend and Italian instructor, who lives in Castegnero, about halfway between us and Vo. Finding the place would've been impossible for me without Giovanna's direction. I went down tiny little country roads and hung a blind right into the villa's driveway. It was like crossing into an exclusive garden. Unfortunately the wisteria was already past its prime, however after the FIFTH bottle of wine, we really didn't notice.

Giovanna and Cyn pay for our gastronomic delights!

What we drank...

What we ate...

Where we spent the afternoon...

Cyn, Giovanna, and Marlene

Ann and Cyn

Well how could we top a leirsurely afternoon spent drinking wine and enjoying fresh bread, Asiago cheese, and Italian cold cuts? By going to a great Italian restaurant and having some pear and prosciutto pasta, that's how! Aeolia's is a popular haunt with a beautiful garden out front.

Cyn's Birthday and Easter Weekend

For Cynthia's birthday, she wanted to go to restaurant at Villa Godi Malinverni. This villa was designed by the famous Andrea Palladio in 1542. And when you live in Italy you can have your birthday at 500 year old villa if that strikes your fancy. After all the villa is only 15 minutes drive north of our house (although we still managed to get lost!). Of course we invited our good friends Marlene, Ann and Roland.

The boys enjoy a glass of wine

Marlene, Ann, and Cyn

Roland and Ann

The day after Cyn's Birthday was Easter Sunday, and for our Easter Celebrations we were invited over to Mama Luigina's for Brunch/Lunch/Dinner. These Catholics know how to celebrate the resurrection! This culinary extravaganza is like 3 meals rolled up into one long, lazy afternoon of pasta, carne, vino, and sweets... Mama Mia!

Here in Italia, when you say Lasagna, they think you're talking about just the flat noodles. What we think of Lasagna, they call "lasagna al forno" (lasagna in the oven), or "Pasticcio", Lasagna Pie. And Luigina's everyday run-of-the-mill Pasticcio is over the moon!! I've raved about it before in blogs past, and will do so again short order. Of course all of the pasta is hand-made on her own countertops, and the texture of the noodles is like biting into and italian cloud of love. And the ragu (meat) sauce that she creates from scratch is out of this world. I could just eat Pasticcio for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Well since Easter is such a special day we had not one, but TWO, types of pasticcio, and a white asparagus risotto to boot. That's just the first course people... Stay with me here. After that we had 2 types of lamb (chops and filets), beef filets, a goat meat dish (actually a lot better than it might sound), and a pork dish. All of them made fresh in Mama Luigina's kitchen with fresh herbs and the best olive oil. And if you have any room on your plate, the next round is the contorni, or side dishes, including half a dozen types of sauteed mushrooms, string beans, a salad with fresh-from-the-garden greens, and the most finely cut coleslaw-like cabbage salad that you have ever seen in your life. Of course all of it is washed down with bottle after glorious bottle of red and white wine...

Don't even get me started on the desserts... And I can't figure out why my clothes don't fit!

The Ladies of Easter

Cyn breaks open a Sorpresa Easter Egg!

Enjoying a Great Spring Afternoon after a Great Easter Lunch

Ciao for now!

London Calling!

London in four days. Not enough and we are definitely going back. In March we saw the sites, had tea with the queen, chatted with some “celebs,” rode the “Eye” and then said “Cheerio.”


England is part of the United Kingdom. The “UK” consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It is governed by a parliamentary system with its seat of government in London, the capital, with three decentralized national administrations in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh – the respective capitals of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.




Queen Elizabeth II is the reigning Queen that provides the constitutional monarchy over the countries that make up the UK.

The flight only took two hours from Venice and cost around $150 (USD). We splurged on the hotel staying at the Athenaeum that was only two blocks from Buckingham Palace and Kensington Gardens. We lucked out as the weather was sunny and warm for March in old foggy London town.

Fun at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum

Westminster Abbey

Views of Big Ben

The London Eye

The Beefeaters of London Tower

We saw the show Wicked at the Apollo Vic

Tally ho!
Cyn