Tag Archives: Alzate Brianza

Como, Landscape, Photography, Sipping Espresso

Would You Like To Join Me For a Run?

November 18, 2013 Greg 2 Comments

I have a love-hate relationship with running. I love the feeling of finishing a five or six mile run. I hate the agony I get in my calves the next day. I love pushing myself to run a distance further than I’ve ever run before. I hate pushing myself through that first mile after foolishly taking four months off during the winter. Currently, I’m learning to find a proper balance in my on-again off-again relationship with running. Since living abroad, I’ve discovered a renewed commitment to running. I am lucky enough to have some of the most amazing routes in my own backyard – a benefit that definitely keeps me on the trail a little longer.

“Please, come join me along my run”

Julia loves to join me on an occasional run

We have been really lucky with some wonderful weather this fall. Just this morning, I went for a jog in shorts and a lightweight jacket. I understand it’s a lot colder at home, so I would like to invite you to “come for a run with me”. I have several routes that I take on a regular basis depending on how long, how far, or how much of a vertical climb I want. Or sometimes, I’ll just go out and try to find something new. Continue reading Would You Like To Join Me For a Run? →

Como, Sipping Espresso

Want To See Where We Live?

October 23, 2013 Greg 1 Comment

For quite some time, Jen and I have wanted to open our home to our readers. We have had the extreme pleasure of hosting some of our family and friends – but there are still a good number of you that have not seen our home in person. For that reason, we have wanted to open our doors for quite some time.

Our soggiorno (living room)

You’ve heard me say it many times (if you’re a reader of the blog) – but I feel it’s of the utmost importance that I say it again. When I say, “open our doors“ – what I really mean to say is, “open Dominic and Diane’s (Jen’s parents) doors.” They have graciously allowed us to live in their pied-à-terre for the past year. Without them, this trip could not have been possible. Continue reading →

Como, Family Stories, History, Humor, Photography, Restaurants, Sipping Espresso, Switzerland, Travel - Europe, Wine

Recreating a Photo 63 Years Later

October 5, 2013 Greg 1 Comment

I’ve always been amazed by my father’s dad, even though I have very few memories spending time with him. My “Poppy” was a career photographer for National Geographic. He was born before the turn of the century (February 24, 1898… have you ever known anyone from the 1800’s?!) in a rural town in Delaware that even today only boasts a few hundred residents. He raised his family in Washington DC and got to travel the world for his work (long before traveling the world was something you actually did). These are all things that I find particularly fascinating and I have discovered we even have a few parallels in our lives. Except, he was a rather short man and I’m basically what you call basketball height (5’9″ is about the tallest you’ll see on the court, right?).

A scene along Lago di Maggiore

Of all those attributes, his long-standing career with National Geographic is probably the most interesting to me (and one I’m happy to brag about). On a whim one day (several years ago), my sister-in-law, Jessica googled his name and was surprised at the results. Over 400 of his images appeared on websites like art.com and others (I’m still researching how I can lay claim to the royalties… lawyers feel free to message me). Jessica conspired with Jen and they surprised me with an huge print of one of his 1950’s Washington DC images (I was living downtown at the time). Since Jen’s parents, Dominic and Diane had just purchased their condo in the Lake Como, Jessica and Diane also purchased one of his more famous 1950’s lake images in order to surprise me twice, as well as Jen. When the gifts were presented, my dad, beaming with pride ran out of the room for a moment and came back with the two original copies of National Geographic magazines that contained those exact images. I kept one magazine with my image at my home in Washington DC, and we took the other magazine to Dominic and Diane’s condo in Italy to be with the print that now hangs above our bed.