Tag: Events

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Home for the Holidays

As planned, I got to spend the holidays at home. All the way from Thanksgiving through New Years. It was amazing! I have been only coming home for holiday cameos for seven years, since I left for college at 17. Between all the holiday excitement I got to find a little order and sanity in me life. I sorted through the disaster that I left in my parent’s upstairs; a gradual build up from each time I blew through New Jersey. It had become worse than ever as clear layers of my New Jersey, Boston, and San Francisco lives could be seen in the piles.

I got in from Rome on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. My mom hosted the Hanrahan Thanksgiving as she does most years. We had 45 people over. She made everything you could imagine. After the huge antipasto we had her bread, corn (she froze the neighboring farmer’s corn in the summer), mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, my Uncle Larry’s salad and baked brie, stuffed shells, meat balls, and of course a 26 pound turkey. There was also sangria and warm apple cider and homemade Irish Cream to add to all the beer, wine, and soda. Then for dessert the dinning room was filled with every kind of pie as well as cup cakes, cookies, a cannoli cake, and brownies.

We spent Christmas Eve with my mom’s side of the family. Besides catching up with all of them, I found out my cousin Corrine is getting remarried in May and she asked me to be in her wedding party again. I also got to meet Lori’s (Corrine’s older sister) and Tim’s second daughter: Brooke. She is cute as a button and has this adorable thing where her hair sticks straight up no matter what my cousin does. Lori had her two girls, Kayla and Brooke, and well as Corrine’s Celina in matching Christmas dresses.

Early Christmas morning was just my parent’s, grandmother (she comes home with us from Christmas Eve and stays over), and me. Santa brought me some goodies for my new vagabond lifestyle. The highlights were a Kindle and a waterproof point-and-shoot camera. Soon after my Aunt Linda and Uncle Larry come over. This year my Aunt’s friend Jane came too. We have a big breakfast and exchange stocking stuffers.

This year, since the big breakfast was at our house, my mom stayed with her family and my dad and I headed to the Hanrahan Christmas at my Aunt Debbie and Uncle John’s. It was an eventful Christmas this year at the Hanrahans. My Uncle John was home from Japan (he and Aunt Debbie moved there recently for his work). Aunt Debbie was home too of course, but had been since Thanksgiving, like me. My cousin Brian, who goes to BU, just came back from a semester abroad in Ecuador with all kinds of stories. My cousin David (the only one besides me and potentially Brian to leave NJ or one of the neighboring states) was home from San Diego for the first Christmas in 10 years. We had a 6-day-old baby– Mike and Bonnie’s little Keira. Marc proposed to Vivian that morning. My uncle Bill was in from Alaska. It was a really magical Christmas.

I was going to spend New Years with my cousin’s on my mom’s side. They have a party every year. But last minute everyone was sick and they almost canceled. I ended up at my cousin Marc’s where I had a wonderful time. In the morning I was painfully reminded that I have not been drinking like I did in SF.

Between the big holidays I got to see some old friends. Caught up with NJ people and made a trip to Boston. Like I said, I has been just like I hoped.

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Halloween

For Halloween Danielle and I went to Old Calcata with another couple, Gerlando and Valentina (I’m probably not spelling those right). Calcata has a pretty interesting history. “In the 1930s, the hill towns’s fortified historic center was condemned by the government for fear that the volcanic cliffs the ancient community was built upon would collapse. Local residents moved to nearby Calcata Nuova. In the 1960s, the emptied historical centre began to be repopulated by artists and hippies who squatted in its medieval stone and masonry structures. Many of the squatters eventually purchased their homes, the government reversed its condemnation order, and the residents of what had become an artistic community began restoring the ancient town.” –Wikipedia

Just as advertised, it was a medieval hill town full of artists and hippies. It’s a popular destination for Halloween with all of its condemned medieval goodness. The art shops were open late to peak into. The whole town was decorated with fake spider webs. There were also lots of jack-o’-lanterns and a few monsters. The little town museum was open and free. They even had a live band and a fire in the town square. It was pretty good.

I was happy to see a lot of people in costume and even more with a hat or some type of half-effort costume. Almost everyone had the “typical” costumes. For example more than half of the women were dressed as witches. I think we left near midnight, and people were still pouring in, some with more interesting costumes.

After Calcata we went to Gerlando’s for dessert. Valentina had made a bunt cake. We also had limoncello made by her mom from their lemon tree and booze soaked cherries (recommended!). It was all really good, but it was really late at night by then, and the clocks had changed the night before, so it felt even later. But only to me. Apparently the three of them have learned to overcome the need for sleep at normal hours from years of working as nurses. I had to be the party pooper.

[Edit] Link to Rome photo album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20101001Roma#

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Milano

I’m just leaving Milano now for Rome. I had a wonderful time. It makes me so happy to go back there and find the city more or less how I left it. When I lived there four years ago, the saddest thing about leaving is I felt I would never be able to come back. I felt that what I loved about Milano was all the international friends I had made there and that those people would have moved on before I could ever return. Many of those people are gone now, but many are still there. In fact the ones that are still seem to be closer with each other than ever.

I stayed with Dan and his boyfriend, Eduardo (or Dado). Not only did they take me in but they made all the plans for my birthday. I got in late the 22nd, but we met some of Dan’s friends for a drink. The 23rd Dan had to work, but Dado and I had a lovely day in Milan. He made me breakfast then we met one of the girls from the night before and Nick, Dan’s old roommate who I met two years ago, for a delicious lunch. And had coffee after where Luc works. I knew Luc 4 years ago, though not well then since we did not have a solid language in common. In the evening Dado, Dan, and I helped a coworker of his with his new apartment and got pizza. Then we went to a club opening, Tropicana. No dieing my hair. A wonderful birthday!

I spent two more full days in Milan. It really is a wonderful city and so different from the little Tuscan towns I had visited before then. Those tiny centers live only on tourism and are surrounded by farms and vineyards. Milan is a self sufficient city where the tourists stay near the touristy parts (like a US city). I also got to eat very well being shown around by my local friends.

[Edit] Photos from Milano Visit:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100923Milano#

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München and Neuschwanstein Castle

I had a great ride into Munich. There was a guy in our sleeper car that had great stories and helped me get situated with the right subway ticket when we first arrived. I waited around in the airport for a little while and easily met up with Steve and Chris (friends from High School) after they landed.

We immediately hopped in a rental car and drove to Neuschwanstein Castle. The Walt Disney castle is based on this place. It was pretty sweet. Once we were there, about an hour south of Munich, we went the last 20 minutes into Austria for the sake of having visited Austria. We found ourselves in a family run restaurant in a tiny little town. They were so nice to us.

That night we just went to a local bar. It was pretty empty when we arrived, but soon after the place was packed. The tents in Octoberfest close at 10:30. The next day, once we recovered enough, we headed to the grounds. We walked around, took pictures, peeked in all the tents, rode the ferris wheel, that kind of thing. Then we had lunch and some beers at tent with a boat stage inside, I can’t remember the name. It was so fun. We made friends with some Swiss guys next to us. We learned from the night before and did a quick pit stop back in the room and drank a lot of water. Then we headed back out for dinner and more Octoberfest. We spent the night at the Hippodrom. It was such a party. Everyone was dancing on the benches, which is not easy, by the way. They are shacking like mad from everyone jumping on them and people are bumping into you and I was wearing really tall heals. I fell a few times. We were lucky to be there during the week when you can just walk right into the tents. On the weekends there are lines to get in.

The next day the boys had to catch a plane back to Paris, where Chris is at University. We had a delicious free breakfast together at the Marriott, thanks to Steve’s platinum status, then had to say goodbye. I planned on traveling overnight to Milan, so I had the day to kill by myself. Luckily there is no easier place in the world to make friends than Octoberfest, so I figured I would just pick a tent and go in for a beer. Even though this breaks my personal philosophy of never going into a bar by myself. Luckily I made friends with two guys, Craig and Michel, as soon as I went to a table. We had a great night! We sang this drinking song, which is based on a children’s song.

This was my second time to Munich, but my first time to Octoberfest. I was here once before in April with Jeff and Drew two years ago. I’m glad I did it that way because Munich is a really cool city with a lot of sights. But being there during Octoberfest, all we wanted to do was go to Octoberfest. Since I had been before I could ignore the Glockenspiel without guilt.

Now I’m on my way to Milan, my last stop before Rome and where I’ll be for my birthday. I can’t believe it’s my 25th birthday tomorrow. I thought I would be bummed out not to be back home having a big party, but I couldn’t be happier. Well, I guess maybe if I wasn’t so hung over right now. I was thinking I might die my hair as a crazy thing to do for it. But everyone seems to think that’s a bad idea, that I should keep my color. Well see what happens tomorrow!

[Edit] Photos from Neuschwanstein Castle:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100919NeuschwansteinCastle#

Photos from Octoberfest:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100920Octoberfest#