![\"\"](\"http:\/\/pisarro.org\/aboutnick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/\u221aIMG_4697.jpg\")
<\/a>Even after not seeing each other for years, when they do get together Nick and Jose-Maria pick up where they left off. When we arrived, Jose-Maria showed Nick some tech projects he had been working on.<\/p>\nWe were ready for a nap. Here’s the view from our bedroom window. I \u00a0have neglected to explain that both Jose-Maria and Agn\u00e8s are fluent in English as well as Italian. Our lack of being able to speak any language other than English is embarrassing. I had been working on Italian for months, but I \u00a0had trouble remembering verb conjugations.<\/p>\n 5,904 \u00a0steps<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We awakened to the aroma of grilled cheese, which was called a snack. A short time later, our plane landed in Amsterdam. We tried to move quickly, because we had to get to the gate of our next plane, from Amsterdam to Lyon. Of course, the the gate we needed \u00a0was on the other side … Continue reading Lago Maggiore and Milan, Day 2 \u2014 August 28th, 2026<\/span> <\/a>I notice a piece of Egyptian art in the living room. It was\u00a0Willam<\/em> the blue hippo, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We have one in our living room too.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Later, Agn\u00e8s took us on a tour of the gardens, which had many kinds trees. I’m not kidding! There were oak, maple, plum, fig, and walnut trees, and perhaps more varieties. There was an herb garden that contained basil, sage, and rosemary. There were shrubs of all kinds, the names of which I don’t know. In addition to the gardens, we were struck by the peacefulness \u00a0we felt there. There were no \u00a0sounds of planes flying overhead, no lawns being mowed, no leaves being blown, just serenity. Jose-Maria told us that the temperature had reached 100 degrees the day before we arrived, but thankfully, this day it was in the high eighties.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Jose-Maria had told us that because we’d be eating out in Italy, we would eat in \u00a0while we were at their home. Agn\u00e8s said that a neighbor had brought over some recently harvested zucchini, and she turned it into a delicious quiche that she served with stewed chicken. \u00a0And there was fresh watermelon for dessert. What a lovely and healthful meal, and a great way to begin our time together!<\/p>\n