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Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Living out of our Suitcases - BUT we LIVED near Venice, Italy!

How fun it is to move across the Ocean with all your household belongings...
Maybe a few of you have gone through the tedious process of going to the Embassy first and then the medical check, all the paper work and work permit etc.
AND moving all your belongings inside two 40-foot containers (one for the cars...) across the Atlantic Ocean.
Our 2nd move across the Ocean did not end too well...
That is, we ONLY had to live 8 weeks out of our 4 suitcases.
Due to a strike at the harbor in Italy our goods could not get delivered!
An empty apartment with its hollow sounds and our 4 suitcases...
Our kitchen sink and the ONE cooking pot we purchased for making a hearty meal soup or a one-pan dish. Mind you, there was no oven!
Eating out was also limited due to its high cost...
BUT we lived in the Venice area!
Until finally after 8 weeks, from our 5th floor apartment, we could see the furniture arrive in the big container...
Yes, there was a Bar Belvedere below, more a coffee shop where we enjoyed a great cappuccino.
What a feeling for finally getting back our furniture, after about 4 months...
The men from Gondrand became active...
Scary if they REMOVE the windows and hoist it up on an elevator to our 5th story... and all through the window!
View down from the guest bedroom window, on that elevator...
This was the view from the back of our apartment... Mountain View!
We stayed in Italy for less than a year. Pieter had just changed his American Driver License for the Italian 'Patente' on November 30 of 1989... I never changed mine as we already had plans for moving back to Georgia and working in Indonesia.
In doing so, Pieter lost his motorcycle license as they left it off, for whatever reason.
Sadly we lost our Italian pension money because we did not work for 1 year... Nobody told us, or warned us for that.

IT IS WHAT IT IS... My Mantra!

Quite an adventure!
And YES, we did move all our belongings a 3rd time across the Atlantic Ocean...
This is a weird photo... somehow that film roll got double exposure.
De Haan movers from The Netherlands is seen parked alongside the apartment and in the front you see our two white cars side by side...
I've helped those two guys loading the truck and I even loved doing so!
They said they would hire me...
This is the weirdest photo!
Our cars being parked behind each other in front of the apartment in Italy and then you see them again, now parked side by side on Dad's lawn and Dad standing in-between the cars.
My Ford Escort 4 doors with high output and shift stick and Mercury Sable wagon...
We drove them to The Netherlands, in a caravan; only about 12 hours!


Related posts:
Our Historic Christmas in Italy - END of Romania's Communist Dictator | previous post by me
{Our Apartment in Cornuda, TV, Italy} | previous post by me
{2013 Fiat 500 versus Fiat 500 Topolino} | previous post by me

20 comments:

  1. Hello Mariette,
    just want to say hello and hope, you both are still fine!
    Love and hugs, Claudia xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Liebe Mariette,
    herzlichen Dank und sonnige Grüße
    Elisabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liebe Elisabeth,
      Ja gerne und die Sonne ist auch schon da!
      Liebe Grüße,
      Mariette

      Delete
  3. Oh, I think "adventure" is an understatement. LOL. I might have been up for that when I was younger, essentially camping out for 4 months, but not now. Now I'll take my creature comforts, such as they are. Haha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Kim,
      Well, at that time we both were of course younger but Pieter was 60...!
      We managed and survived, one of life's surprises that can come your way.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  4. Olá tudo bem?
    Que sonho essa viagem de vocês. Adorei ler aventura. Deve ter sido um tempo precioso com quatro malas e muitas alegrias. Amo essas loucuras. Um dia quero conhecer Veneza. Vocês viajam bastante. Que legal.
    bjos tenha uma ótima semana.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Querida Anajá,
      Quanto ao meu posto, falaste em viajar. Esta foi a nossa mudança dos EUA para a Itália e os nossos pertences só chegaram daqui a 8 semanas devido a uma greve no porto. Não foi divertido. Lavar roupa na banheira e cozinhar com uma panela... Haha, nós conseguimos.
      Abraços,
      Mariette

      Delete
  5. Hello Mariette, What an adventure living in Venice, and what views! When I came to Taiwan I just had one suitcase, but as you know I tend to attract things. At first like you I only needed a couple of dishes and one pot, but when I started having friends over my kitchen and living equipment grew and grew.
    --Jim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Jim,
      Yes, indeed living near Venice for us was an adventure we never will forget!
      After 4 months without our belongings, already in Pennsylvania we had to let go of it all, for shipping it across the ocean, it was like Santa Claus. We had forgotten about most things we had... Such a long wait but we enjoyed living there.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  6. Oh my, 8 weeks with just 4 suitcases! It must have been very challenging. That was a strike in a very bad timing for you! I've never seen moving stuff through the window, but based on the structure of your building, it must have been the best way. The view of the mountain is fantastic :-)

    Have a wonderful day, Mariette xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Tamago,
      Yes, that was a challenging time but since we were working and also studying Italian, the time did pass very fast!
      Usually when hearing in the news, about certain harbor strikes and such, it does not sink in until you're at the other end of it... We no doubt weren't the only ones having to wait for goods to arrive.
      Yeah, those movers had quite a challenge too and it was scary to look at heavy pieces sitting on that elevator...
      But it got done!
      Mountain view was indeed fantastic and beautiful nature. We often walked in the back of our apartment, hiking up the mountain till it later got closed off and restricted.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. Dearest Anne,
      We both can rightly say we've seen and done it all!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  8. 4 months without your belongings is very challenging. We have had 4 big moves with containers, but luckily either stayed with family until our things arrived or when we arrived in Australia, the company my husband worked for paid us 3 months accommodation in a furnished apartment, so we had time to look for a house and wait for our container.
    Have a great weekend Mariette.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Sami,
      Yes, that was quite challenging indeed. We did stay with friends while our belongings crossed the Ocean for the 2nd time. But who though about such a strike? Having such a furnished apartment is great of course! Good company too. Our 3rd move with containers went smooth, without any delays and we stayed with dear friends again till we had moved all furniture and belongings in the house.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  9. Interesting to see how the furniture was moved up to your apartment.
    I like those parquet floors in your apartment. I just always thought they were pretty.
    I can't imagine waiting for my belongings for 4 months. Looking out and seeing that mountain view is just beautiful. I see clotheslines also. I guess you had to carry your clothes down to the line and then back up to your apt.? Maybe if more of us had to do that, we would be in better shape. You and Pieter are certainly active and in great shape. You hike and bicycle. I need to do more of it.
    Happy Saturday to you
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Betsy,
      It was a bit scary watching them hoist heavy furniture up that way.
      The parquet floors are very nice and easy maintenance but they sounded so hollow those 8 weeks with the empty apartment.
      Those clotheslines were private, not belonging to the apartment. We had to go up to the flat roof area for hanging them but I used the spare bedroom for that!
      So glad this is all behind us as it would kill us now... Being younger is great!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  10. Was für ein Abenteuer, liebe Mariette! Das stelle ich mir schlimm vor, wenn man auf sein Hab und Gut solange warten muß. Schon ein Umzug ist jedes Mal ein Angehen. Wir sind auch oft umgezogen. Bis alles wieder an seinem Platz steht ... das dauert.
    Solche Doppel-Bilder kenne ich auch, da hat bei den Analog-Kameras irgendwie der Bild-Transport nicht richtig funktioniert. Meist am Ende eines Films hatten wir das.

    Liebe Grüße nochmal
    Sara

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liebe Sara,
      Ja, es war sicher nicht so geplant worden und es war auch nicht leicht denn jedes mal dachte man sich, oh innerhalb Tagen haben wir alles hier...
      Mit die Doppel-Bilder war ja so schade, grad von Momente die es nur einmal gab und nie wieder!
      Liebe Grüße,
      Mariette

      Delete

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Mariette...

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