Thursday with Ryan and Shelly

Thursday morning, we went to the outdoor market in Battipaglia.  The girls bought a few things.  I found some socks to wear that were long enough to wear under my skirts and keep my legs warm this winter.  So I was happy with my 5 euro purchase.  After an hour and half of shopping, we stopped by the caseficio where they sell Mozzarella di Buffala cheese.  We bought a kilo and ate them right there on the spot as a mid morning snack.  We love this cheese so much and we were really excited about sharing it with Ryan and Shelly and their friends.  Everyone had 1 little ball called a bochincino.  They thought it was alright but no one was crazy about it like we are!  We had a lot left over that I thought we could eat later.  Then we drove 15 minutes up into the mountains above our house and everyone took a little hike. Here is the view from the top of the mountain.

              You can see all the way across Battipaglia and to the Mediterranean Sea.

                  Here is Ryan, Shelly! Christy and Scott up on top of the world!

After the hike we had lunch at a member's home back in Battipaglia.  She had the anti pasta all dished up on plates as we got there.  And it was a huge plate for each of us of Mozzarella di Buffala as well as two other kinds of cheese! three large pieces of each! and a selection of proschuito which is raw meats.  I thought that Christy was going to gag! because she really didn't even like the first piece of mozzarella di Buffala, we had given her that morning and now she had a whole plate full of it!  But she was a trooper and ate it all.  I knew what else was coming so I only ate about a fourth of my plate.  Next came homemade Raveoli which were really good and really filling.  By now everyone is stuffed.....but wait there is more!  Next came a plate of meatballs, all homemade.... Then green salad.....and then cake....and then fruit....!!!!! Now, Shelly can understand how painful it is to eat at member's homes. It tasted all very good but it was about 10 times what we could fit in our tummy. Everyone wanted to just go home and sleep.... But they didn't. (I did!!). Paul took them to the Mall to get gifts to take back home and then on to Salerno to meet our organist non member who we like so much.  They arrived back in time for English class.  We taught our English class and then we went to dinner at our favorite Pizza place, Donna Sophia's, along with about 20 kids from our English class.  We had a fun night.