41st Annual Barcolana Regatta

This particular weekend we didn't have any plans so I searched Google for "Festivals in October in Northern Italy" and found a website entirely in Italian. From what I could gather there was going to be a sailboat race in Trieste, which was about an hour and a half from Aviano, on the border of Italy and Slovenia and on the Adriatic Sea. So we drove out to Trieste trusting that our GPS would take us to the right place and hoping that there really would be a festival that day.
What we found was amazing! There definetly was a festival that weekend and over 300,000 people showed up for it. Trieste is a gorgous city with amazing views.

Driving into Trieste, Italy

We were able to watch a nightime sailboat race.

The Trieste town square was beautiful at night!

We noticed that they were setting up a stage in the center of the square so we decided to stay and see what was going on. Little did we know that we were about to see a free concert from one of Italy's biggest pop stars, Cesare Cremonini. He was amazing! We didn't understand a word he was saying but he was very talented. There are videos on YouTube of him singing so you should check him out and let me know what you think!

The Housing Office SUCKS!!!!

Okay, so I have to vent. Everything that they told us about housing before we arrived to Aviano was FALSE!
When we were preparing to arrive we were told that we would be housed on base (in TLF) for 30 days to look for a house and that Dustin would recieve 10 days off for house hunting. This would mean our TLF would last until the 23rd of October. Which is what they even told us when we checked into this place!
Well now we are sitting in TLF waiting to get kicked out on the 6th. UGH. We have only been here a week!
So here is how it really works: You arrive. You want to look for a house and they tell you that you must go through the Housing Office. When you arrive at the Housing Office they tell you that they already found you a house. You think, "How did they already know what I was looking for?". They didn't. They want to offer you a house out in the middle of nowhere with none of the things you are looking for. Then they say, "Well since you are declining this house then you will be kicked out of TLF whenever FMO can deliver living supplies. (FMO are the ones who loan out things like stoves and wardrobes.) "Where will FMO deliver those living supplies", you say? NOWHERE! Because you don't have a place to live yet! But they are kicking you out anyway unless you want to pay to stay in TLF. Our bill for one week in this place was $500.00 and we need a place to stay for at least another 2-3 weeks.
So here are the options: either stay here and pay $500 a week or find a hotel off base and pay to live there.
Wow the Housing Office sure helps you out when you move to a new country and have nowhere to go.
Oh and about the ten days off to find a house; that was a lie as well. Dustin went to Right Start Monday-Thursday last week and starts work on Monday. Yep, pretty pissed off.....