O, Tannenbaum

It´s that time of year again!  Christmas at Marion´s is turning into something of a tradition.  This is my last evening here, so while Marion and Kallah are out swimming (mad), I am at home, listening to A Charlie Brown Christmas, drinking a lovely glass of Tempranillo and preparing to prepare a marvelous dinner.  Roasted beets, rosemary potatoes, and steak au poivre with mushrooms.  Marion asked, naturally, if it was going to be fattening.  I responed with, "it doesn´t have to be...", leaving the caveat of "...but it´s better that way" secretly in place.  A little butter and cognac at Christmas time never hurt anyone.
I have had, as always, a wonderful time here.  They picked me up late Saturday evening in Dusseldörf during a snow storm, the first real, heavy snow that I have seen in a long time.  Suddenly, Christmas time became real, and a tear of gratitude and sentimentality rolled down my cheek.  After weeks of henious weather and tacky, half-assed Italian christmas decorations I was in need of an escape, and Germany was definitely the place to do it.
Sunday night we went to "make sport" with their exercise group.  This is a club of friends who have been getting together every winter sunday for the past 30 years to exercise, socialize and dine.  We spent this snowy, freezing evening in a toasty gym, doing aerobics and playing badmitton.  Kallah, who has continuously proved himself to be The Sweetest Man in the Entire World, partnered up with a tiny, beautiful little girl of about 3 for the relay races.  Even during the exercise called hopping-on-one-foot-over-old-mens´-legs-in-a-giant-circle, which requires serious concentration if one wishes to not make a fool of themselves (...), I couldn´t help but smile the entire time, keeping my eye on Kallah and the child.´
After exercise, I casually opted out of the rather cultural (German) "next step", which is to shower, re-do ones hair and make-up, and then stand around stark naked making conversation in the changing room.  Tried to keep my scandalized, up-tight American eyes on the floor, tying and retying my shoelaces in order to keep occupied.  To me such things don´t make sense.  I´m just not (and I don´t think I´m alone here) quite "free-spirited" enough to want anyone other than FL to see me naked (and I try and keep the lights dim even then..."wobbly bits" and all, eek), and more to the point, I have no desire to see anyone other than my beloved´s naked body.  The human body, in most cases, is not attractive, and people have weird markings and things which are best kept hidden.  Also, communal showers are dirty, and I much prefer my own.  Marion, who is clearly a member of a much more open-minded, confident and evolved culture, cleared up my confusion by pointing out a reason for doing these things that I had never considered.  Water, she says, is expensive in Germany.  If they use the shower at the gym, they get to take a long, hot shower for free.  Priorities are cultural, as well, I suppose. 
After the gym we stopped at a "typical German" restaurant to have dinner with Kallah´s son.  The food was heavy and wild-game inspired and wonderful.  Kallah had goose, I had buck, and I was in heaven.
On Monday, Marion and I spent the afternoon at a Christmas market in downtown Mülheim.  One long, picturesque street had been lined with boothes and merchants selling wares.  There were knitted scarves and hats, wood-carved santas and elves, fresh cheeses and local specialties.  One booth sold vintage clothing articles, and we found the most precious pair of black velvet heels, and a funky scarf\hood hybrid lined with fox fur.  Old German ladies bustled me into a chair and aided me as I tried on the heels, my bear toes freezing in the icy slush, bringing the old saying "beauty knows no pain" to mind.  We window shopped and browsed for a while, stumbling into a charming tea shop.  My eyes landed on a display of plates, dishes, and other dinnerware, and I was almost knocked to the floor with awe.  The designs and colors were positively gorgeous, Anthroplogie-style, flirty and delicate.  There were depictions of sparrows and patterns of roses in bright pinks, blues, and taupes.  Gold edges alluded to the glamour that is inherent in china patterns, those thin lines of class and elegance.  I was in-love, I coveted.  And Marion, for whatever reason it is that compels her to do such things, in her business-like, finalized, unsentimental manner, instructed me to chose the set that I wanted.  I would need a Christmas present, right?  Well... And I didn´t have any dishes at Bosc di Sot, nothing to eat on, good grief!  Well...
I admit, I didn´t try to argue.
We chose a set of 6, gorgeous dinner plates, dessert plates, bowls, and mugs.  I will love them, cherish them, and think of Marion and her unending kindness everytime I eat from them.
Happy, giddy in our find, full of Christmas spirit and light-headed from Glüehwine (sp?), we went about our day, spending a while that evening playing Rummycub, and talking all manner of things over her kitchen table.
Tuesday I accompanied Marion to school, which is also something of a tradition.  Her new group of students this year was delightful, and I stood nervously picking at my nails in the middle of the classroom as they asked me sweet questions in English, and told me interesting things about themselves.  Marion had me explain to them my life in Italy and my new position in the wine industry...
oh, I forgot to mention that!  Last week I got a call from a guy in Cormons whose family runs a winery.  He is a friend of FL´s and had hard that I had interest in wine.  We met at his house and discussed their desire to vend their wines to America, and I told him all I knew of such an enterprise.  I assured them that the markets in America are looking to small, family-run wineries that offer a unique, high quality product, and that I could see no reason why their wine, which is fantastic, should not find buyers.  We shook hands on it, and I was given the position.  So, I have a client!  lalala.
Readers: anyone with contacts in the wine import business, or have suggestions for restaurants or wine shops that would be worth talking to, please let me know.  When I am home for Christmas I will use the time to make contacts, meet importers, and really get a hand on how to go about this business.  This is an incredible opportunity, and I am excited and honored to make it work.
I fly home tonight, back to Venice, back to FL.  One week of hard house work there and then...GEORGIA!