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Travel Itinerary For:
MS LISA BURNS MR SALVATORE CHIODO
MS CARINA CHIODO MSTR LUCA CHIODO
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TUESDAY26 APRIL
SINGAPORE AIRLINES FLIGHT SQ 218 CONFIRMED
26 APR 05 - DEPART - MELBOURNE/TULLAMARINE A 0050 NON-STOP
Terminal: TERMINAL INTERNATIONAL
26 APR 05 - ARRIVE - SINGAPORE/CHANGI INTL A 0645 07HRS 55MINS
Terminal: TERMINAL 2
- AIRCRAFT - BOEING 777-200
- CLASS - ECONOMY
- REQUESTS - SPECIAL MEAL(S)
BABY MEAL(S)
SUNDAY01 MAY
LUFTHANSA FLIGHT LH 777 CONFIRMED
01 MAY 05 - DEPART - SINGAPORE/CHANGI INTL A 2305 NON-STOP
Terminal: TERMINAL 2
MONDAY 02 MAY
- 02 MAY 05 - ARRIVE - FRANKFURT/FRANKFURT INT 0525 12HRS 20MINS
Terminal: TERMINAL 1 - AIRCRAFT - BOEING 747 PASSENGER JET
- CLASS - ECONOMY
- REQUESTS - BABY MEAL(S)
SPECIAL MEAL(S)
BABY MEAL(S)
02 MAY 05 - LUFTHANSA FLIGHT LH4010 CONFIRMED
* Flight operated by LUFTHANSA CITYLINE GMBH
- 02 MAY 05 - DEPART - FRANKFURT/FRANKFURT INT 0910 NON-STOP
Terminal: TERMINAL 1 - 02 MAY 05 - ARRIVE - TURIN/CASSELLE ARPT,,IT 1025 01HRS 15MINS
- AIRCRAFT - AVRO RJ AVROLINER
- CLASS - ECONOMY
- REQUESTS - BABY MEAL(S)
SPECIAL MEAL(S)
BABY MEAL(S)
Date:04/28/05 09:11:42
Subject: the Griswold’s go holidaying day 2 Singapore
Hi all
Its Sam here
Its 7 am and everyone is still asleep. Everything opens at 11 am and closes late at night. Last night we slept nearly 12 hours, we were so tired we could no longer stand.
The heat here is bloody hot. I think I have lost 2 kilos in sweat. 28degrees at night and during the day its 33 raining and bloody humid.
We went on the cable car to SentosaIsland what a scary ride. It’s about80-90meters high you can see the whole city it was fantastic. Today we are going to the zoo, every where we go in Singapore there are stairs so it is very hard to get around with the pusher and 2 kids.
The food is fantastic, the train is great and the people are very nice andhelpful.
We have our own attraction (Carina and Luca)everyone in the street wantsto squeeze Luca's cheeks and touch Carinas hair. People even want to takephotos holding Carina and Luca.
We are thinking of charging a fee.2 dollars to touch Carinas hair,3dollars to squeeze [.1]Lucas cheeks and 5 dollars for a photo.
Anyway I have to go and get ready to have breakfast so I will talk to youall later.
Love Sam and Lisa
Carina and Luca
Thursday, May 12, 20051:16 AM
Hi all it’s the gang from Italy.
Actually it only me Sam
LisaCarina and Luca are asleep, yes at 3 pm
Sorry we haven't written in a while the internet is hard to get a hold of in some towns.
Wehave been here 8 days now and are slowly coming to grips with the fact that everyone sleeps between 12 midday and 3 pm everything closes unreal. I came to Italy thinking that food would be everywhere was I wrong. The only pasta I have had is from a micro waved meal you buy at a supermarket.
The funny thing is that everything and I mean everything closes at
7.30pm no food again till the next day. Yesterday we went to sleep in the afternoon 2pm and not realising we slept till 8 pmof coarse everything was closed so we ended up having cornflakes for dinner. Can you believe this?I am still coming to grips with it.
We bought a motor home today so we will soon venture out of our hotel
room on our own mystery tour. It will be good to have my own stove again, ahhh pasta again.
I got my first photo of the family on the autostrada (freeway)
travelling at a slow 160 km an hour Unbelievable the wogs oops Italians are mad. Even at 160 km an hour people were flying past me. what a rush. Do you know that it is safer to walk on the road than it is to walk on the footpath. On thefootpath, well there are people parking cars on it, making a u turn on it. Avoiding another car that has stopped suddenly on the road. Or just a near short cut to take the kiddies to school. I tell you at least if you walk in the middle of the road the cars can see you and generally try to avoid you.
Turin in general is a bit of a hole but there are some wonderful little towns away from the city. Now that we have a motor home we are about to leave to look for a home (somewhere)in the great outdoors.
Anyway I better go and wake the kids and see if we can score something for dinner that doesn't come in a pre made packet.
I will try to keep in touch more often until then
LoveSam and the gang
Yumunini tours signing off
12th may 2005
Hi ya kids
Great to hear that u r all safe, just dont WALK anywhere!
Had a thought Sammy, OPEN A FUCKING ALBERGO AFTER 7.30PM and see how much dosh you'll make! Just dont let the MAFIA find out!
Good & safe travels on your mystery tour, settle in a quick as u can and best of luck with the bricks and mortar.
If u get the chance we all would luv see any happy and pissed off snaps along the way so if it's possible please send them to us.
Also, if u need any help organising stuff back here dont be afraid to ask. I will provide the operational support and Mills can provide the financial!
See ya dudes and have a fucking great experience and when we are up there one fine day, no excuses not cooking a plate of bloody pasta!
Love & Ciao
Marc & the riff raffff!
xxoo
16th May, 2005
Today we went to Lake Maggiore on the autostrada towards Milano and then up to the Lake District. Stopped at a town on the lake and found the local market in full swing. Finally found parking down a tiny back street on a very severe angle. The market is much cheaper than the shops for clothes and saw a cute jacket for carina but ey didn’t have her size. Sam bought a chicken and we sat in the park by the lake for lunch. Carina had a great time being a scary lion and chasing a little German boy around. His parents spoke English, what a lovely sound.
We went in search of ice cream and I got the best one I’ve had since arriving in Italy with hot chocolate fudge and crushed nuts yum. We bought some bubbles which we blew to the swans. Barbie swan lake and fairy castles for Carina.
18th May 2005
Hello you international gang you, sounds like you may need a care parcel including pasta packs hey? I am sure you will get used it Sambo, you just need to know where to look.
The roads are very scary aren't they?
How are the babies and Lisa going? Please say hello from me won't you?
It sounds very exciting getting your motor home is it a big one? I can just imagine you all sitting around your wee dining table scoffing your home cooked pasta and local vino....good on you all...
Enjoy andgood and safe travels....
love from Katiescarletxxx
22nd May 2005
Luca is up and mobile, he started to walk at the hotel after many wobbly starts and plopping onto his bottom. He’s very proud of himself and tottering around the room with arms out for balance.
25th May 2005
Put deposit on house in Gambasca.
31st May 2005
Spent first night in camper at house. It rained all night. Met the new neighbours Claudio and Piera.
26th may 2005
Hi Sam, Lisa, Carina & Luca -how are you all going?? When are you going to send me some photos? Surely you have your computer hooked up in your combie van by now?
Look forward to hearing what you guys have been up to.... sleeping and dreaming about food? How did the kids go on the plane? I am interested to know!
Have you found any pasta yet Sam? You must be having major withdrawals. Hope you are all doing well,Chloe talks about Carina a lot still - we all miss you!!
Take care & write soon
The SIMPSONS xxx
31st May 2005
Dear Lisa Sam and tiddly winks
So glad to hear from you and all your news Julie just rang and said you had got the house bet your thrilled Dried out Carinas circlet from the wedding also got one perfect rose and some lavender
Have you made any friends at the hotel and is any english spoken would have loved to see Boo Boos face when you put on the tele
You have been gone a month now Seems like you have gone home to Queensland until I see something the kids would like
will catch up one day.
No more news just hope this will go through
Lots and lots of love to you all and a special hug for my two little bunnies
Love you all so much Mum Nanna xxxxxxxxxs
6th June 2005
Hi Guys and girls...
How are u all???
We hope that all is safe and well and that u settle down as quick as u possibly can.
Like to know how the travelling and house hunting is going so far...we know it wont be a synch but we are all RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOting for u!
Hope to hear from u soon
Love the Montagneros'
xxoo
18th June 2005
Hello Italian vagabondos! Where are you, what are you doing? Lisa loo, Happy Birthday for the 18th? I think, anyway Happy Birthday for it? How are you all?
Are you learning the local lingo? What is the weather like at the mo, cold? It is getting colder and colder here, at night 6/7 c and in the day about 17/18 or less, winter is here at last yuk! If you get a chance give me a mail! Or are you out back somewhere in Liguria?
miss you and hope all is well and you are
happy....lots of love Katiescarlet xxx
Hi Sam Lisa and the kids,
So glad to hear that you are all well and we hope that you get accustomed to the ways of the Italians and are not sleeping through all your meal times.
Mum and Dad are here at the moment and so I asked if they would like to say something as well.Mum said to ask if you have met with Marcello and how are you all,Mum has just told us that Luca is walking and she hopes that you found him a pair of shoes to wear.
Sam mum wants a photo of the house as she heard from Lisa's mumand she was horrified to hear that you have a dirt floor and dad said its bullshit so they want to know if it's true.
Hope you are not working too hard on the house and still find time to have a bit of fun.
Mum Dad and family as per Fran and Joan .xxx
29th June 2005
Sam bought a pool and took a freezing dip after spending the day filling it. Visitors at Claudio’s. Bought cement for house.
5th July 2005
Bought Luca his first pair of shoes at Cuneo.
7th July 2005
Bought computer
8th July 2005
Period
Saturday, July 16, 200512:29 AM
Hi all we are still waiting for telecom Italy to give us a phone so we can connect the internet and keep in touch with the world. At the moment I am in a public library using the internet it is very slow. Internet in a non tourist town is virtually impossible to find. So communication on a regular basis is difficult and frustrating. At present we don’t have even TV reception so if the world has blown up please let us know
our mail address is:
L and S Chiodo
Via Comba Nari
number 24
12030
Gambasca CN Italia
hope you are having an interesting time if not the time of your lives....
mills xxxx
17th July 2005-10-07
Update...
Aliens have invaded the US, heading towards the UK and then Australia. They wont make their way to Italy as they are only interested in taking over technologically advanced countries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bloody hell Italys stuffed! Slack bastards.
Any how hope u r all well, great to hear from u , we all are well here.
By the way where the hell is Gambasca?? Jesus Lisa, Sammy could have settled along the coast of Napoli, The waters of "sinking' Venice, Hills of Tuscany...?
Anyway as long as there's bed and breakfast when the 50 of us come to visit, it's cool.
Ciao kids, look forward to hearing more about your new life.
All the best
Montagner clan!
xxoo
Friday, 22 July 2005
Ciao Ciao,
We’re hoping you haven’t disowned us all, sorry some things here are last century and we are just starting to adapt. Hope all is well with you in oz, give our love to all the family. We aregoing along at the Italian pace of life and learning to slow down and shop in bulk.Well first of all we miss you!!! I keep thinking we’ll get the internet soon and I’ll be able to email but that still looks like a long way off. We sent an email a few days ago from the library in Saluzzo, 4 floors full of tiny rooms with books to the ceiling and ladders to reach the top ones. We are only allowed to borrow 3 items each and Sam had to fast talk to get library cards for us but they wouldn’t give him one as he has no proof of residence. I didn’t get to read the email as Luca decided to have a crying spell and so I am in major withdrawal especially having been so close.
We don’t get any news as the TV only plays DVD’s but my Mum has been sending clippings from the newspapers so if you see anything interesting send it over. We heard about the bombings in England but no details and Mum said there was a big storm that flooded the Gold Coast. She also sent a funny story about a poor bloke who blew up his house while fixing his LPG Ute. I also hear that my favorite show has lost its star, I’m in ER withdrawal.
We landed in Torino and walked straight through a deserted airport and nobody stopped us for passport checks or customs, it was like something out of the twilight zone. We had to laugh as nobody in Italy even knew we were there??? Getting to the hotel from the airport in a hire car on the wrong side of the road is a whole other story and something I never want to relive!! Driving now is second nature for Sam and we don’t end up on the Australian side of the road very often, we’ve given a few people on round- a- bouts a fright. 150km is the average speed on the motorway and most cars fly past us, it takes some getting used to but it actually seems to work quite well as everyone knows to keep over or have a car up their tail doing 200k’s.
We spent the first month in a three star Hotel in Carmangola as we had to wait to buy the campervan. The staff ended up like a second family and loved the kids. Luca took his first steps there and Carina worked out the lifts, the door locks and the way to get lollies from all the staff. We ended up buying a small camp stove and cooking in the bathroom and hoped we wouldn’t get caught as the only place to get food at night was in the hotel restaurant (which wasn’t set up yet so could only give us micro waved meals) the whole town shut down at night and if you wanted coffee or gelato you were okay. The hotel was very quiet as they had only been open a month which was good but they didn’t have internet set up yet for customers. Sam got to go on every now and then when the boss was out so hopefully you got some news from us. Eventually after much red tape and stress we got a van and Camillo’s uncle in Milano said we lived with him or we’d still be waiting.
We also had a few dramatic trips to immigration in Torino via train and three buses and many conflicting directions with the kids and a frazzled Sam trying to make sense of it all. I now have a permit to stay and have had my fingerprints taken, so it’s no crime wave for me.
We have found a home in a tiny mountain town called Gambasca, we both loved it and the price was okay for us. Buying a house in Italy is very interesting and Sam had to go to the agent’s office where they read the whole contract out loud before anyone signed. We were lucky to get the keys straight away even though we hadn’t settled only paid a large deposit and had no clue what was going on and hoped for the best. The place was owned by two sisters and their husbands but they argued over who did the most work and stopped coming, the place was empty for two years before we got it.
One of the couples has been really helpful and they sold us everything in the place including some beautiful furniture, beds, tables and chairs, pots, pans etc so we haven’t had to get very much LUCKILY. (Shopping in Italy is a nightmare!) They also left all the tools for Sam and they came out to visit and explained everything to us and showed Sam all the boundaries and how everything works. We scored a toboggan and an ancient chamber pot of some sort that looks a couple of hundred years old.
They told us that in these places (ours is called Borga Nari) usually the animals were kept downstairs, the owners lived up a level and they often had a level of hay above, they also had a room upstairs where they used to cook the castagni(chestnuts). We have part of the old farmhouse with rock walls and wooden beams, the roof is made of sheets of rock laid over each other in a kind of diamond pattern. We have two liveable rooms upstairs and a bathroom downstairs with a loo and shower but no hot water as yet. Most of the walls have the original sand and one doorway is about 5 foot and we have hit our heads so many times. There is a great taverna downstairs, the kitchen is tiny and there is a cellar as well, all the rooms downstairs have vaulted ceilings. Upstairs there are two rooms that we live in, and another two which Sam has been working on.