I know many of you had a chance to visit Helena in Bologna or Milan. I know that she must have treated you all to an amazing trip that featured drinks at the Bulgari Hotel in Milan, walks around the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, and delicious meals in neighborhood restaurants. From her days as a student in Bologna to a young professional in Milan Helena embraced all the good things Italy had to offer and she was, as always, the perfect mediator between you and her surroundings.
I spent Easter with Helena in Milan and Bologna in 2007, and it was a beautiful trip. We spent the time drinking morning cappuccino's and eating pastries at the local coffee shops, seeing da Vinci's The Last Supper, visiting Linda and Elona in Bologna, sipping champagne at the Armani bar, and eating lunch at a local farm in the countryside.
Looking back on it now I see that the trip represented so much of who Helena was. It showed her love for good food, life-long friends, history and of course glamour. I leave you with a few pictures from my trip.
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| Helena and I at the top of the Duomo di Milano |
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| Choosing her morning pastry.... |
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| As glamorous as ever outside the Prada Store |
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| With Elona and Linda in Bologna |
Did you visit Helena in Italy? Do you have a story about it? Please do click on the comment icon below and share your memories. It would be so good to hear from you all.
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Helena shared so many special moments filled with wonderful memories, but seeing Annika's post I was taken back to a fun little weekend in Rome when we were all grown up and thinking we were so sophisticated while we pleasantly proceeded to get exceedingly tipsy and had very little idea how to get home... we were stunned to find we had to walk a whole 20m across the cobblestones IN HEELS to the nearest taxi! I remember the look of horror on Helena's face as she quietly analysed how she would not only stay upright but look gracious enough to maintain the looks of the very cute Itlian boys transfixed by this beautiful blonde! Needless to say, we made an elegant (ok as far as we were concerned it was ;) exit supporting each other on our tip toes as we navigated the cobbles and were whisked away just in time by a very happy taxi driver! Not a scratch on our precious heels either! Few people in this world understand such complexities, I was truly honoured to be in the company of a true professional of elegance and grace. :)
ReplyDeleteHelena had just arrived in Milan in the beginning of September 2006 for her new job with Kroll, when I got a call from Anne to go there and help her out, for a week. Anne was concerned that she did not have any proper place where to stay and the staff she was going to work with were "funny", meaning not the sort Helena fancied. I had just taken on a new job with the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, sitting in Stockholm for a month before taking off for Liberia. I managed to get a week off and went and very soon after arriving I realised there were a cause for concern, which we all found out later. Helena had to supervise thirty something young Italian boys, who had never worked properly and were still studentlike in how they dressed up and behaved, that Helena wouldn't appreciate really and the job was boring since the company was running out of jobs. She stayed the first weeks in an apartment with some young men, who were not there, but their strewn around clothes and messy kitchen, was a testamony to a disorder Helena was appalled by, by would't let me know because she did not think I should fill in on the complaints. She kept it to herself, at times smiling. I knew she was not going to stay long in Milan and I don't remember having said so or not.
ReplyDeleteHowever, she took me to a very nice restaurant in the evening, ordering food and wine with elegance in perfect Italian, so Helena had to explain to the head waiter why we did not speak Italian to each other, throwing her hair back. She took some time off one day and we went to the big square with shops in the city centre,I don't remember the name of and I bought a striped shirt Helena approved of and a suit in yellow. I wore the shirt the other day thinking of Helena of course, but it also reminded me of Helena's character already as a three year old and when we lived in Geneva. I had left Geneva for a weeks mission for the ILO at the FAO HQ in Rome. Anne left Geneva, and Helena and Cecilia with the au pair, for a long weekend to join me there, so we went shopping of course. I bought a white and blue striped jacket, new shoes and a pair of yellow trousers, very Italian and smart. I used the outfit a couple of times in Geneva after we had returned and some months later we, Anne, Helena and Cecilia (Annika wasn't born yet) went to the Cote d'Azur and a family place called Riviera Beach club, close to Toulon, for some days vacationing in late May. The weather was terrible the first two days, but the third day the sun hit the beach and us and the whole atmosphere changed. We all got in a good mood and could let off the rain clothes and hats. However, Helena had other ideas than putting on shorts and and T-shirt, because the next morning Helena suggested I should wear my jacket and suit for breakfast! That's was Helena- always wanting me to look smart.
Oh, dear Helena how you loved Italy and how Italy loved you. I came to see you in Bologna in March. The week of La Donna had just passed and we managed to get everything at “women’s price”. All the florist had mimosa for sale and it was a week that turned out to be a lot about women. You studied women history at the university and you were fascinated about all those strong Italian women from the past. On our long walks along the wall we had lovely discussions about how the past in Italy was lost, even in the former socialistic stronghold of Bologna.
ReplyDeleteYou lived with Elona, Reddy and Linda as high up as one can in those old houses inside the city wall. It had been very important for you to live there and I understood why when I got there. You used the roof tops as your veranda and we sat up there an looked out over the medieval beauty.
We rented a car at “women’s” price, of course, and we drove to Sienna and Verona. We both loved it all. We talked about Romeo and Juliet in Verona of course but also about how lovely it must be to see an Opera in the old Amphie Theatre. Your grand mother had been there and we decide to do it one day. That day never came and now it is too late, but somehow it does not matter. I will never go now because it was something I should have done with you. But just the planning and that sunny day in Verona is good enough for me. I loved my whole visit as one always loved visiting you. You smile at me again from the photo and Helena we are OK, love you
Darling Helena,
ReplyDeleteI was in fact in Milan last weekend, meeting up with my little sister (decided to meet somewhere that's not London, Stockholm or Brussels....for a change) and I must say it was very odd being there without you. We had so many wonderful moments in Milan, whether we were going to Armani cafe/Hotel Bulgari or that nightclub in the middle of nowhere with all the footballers....and I still treasure these. On this visit I stayed in the Westin by la Repubblica (extremly close to where you used to work) and spent a lot of time around, you guessed it, both il Duomo and the shopping district. Both my sister and I thought about you a lot and talked about things, which was great. She has been a great support because she remains one of my few close friends and family who truly know about our special friendship. We lit a candle for you in il Duomo and we attended mass and thought of you throughout.
Anyway, when I came to visit you (and I promise to try to find some photos and post them if I can) we did a lot of stuff. I came to see you a couple of times, including a New Years eve where we spent the day driving to Lago di Como (amazing but again your mad driving mad me feel sick....) and the evening at some bar, which was OK. We also spent time in your flat (and by that time you had sorted yourself out quite well in Porta Romana I think it was called).
I didn't think it was possible but when you lived in Milan you were even more glamorous than usual! Amazing! And I remmeber being with you when you bought your green parka, ideal for a Milan or Stockholm winter.
I'm probably boring everyone to death now (and that's probably a totally inappropriate expression but oh well I've always used that so that won't change) but I wanted to write something, something which reflected the life you lived and the life we shared during quite a few years. You remain a good friend to me, I think about you a lot. I miss you tremendously and think about you all the time - but I must remain convinced that you're in a better place (and with your darling Auntie!) and that we'll meet again at some point.
All my love,
Caroline
I am posting this comment for Joslin....
ReplyDeleteI never visited Helena in Italy. But thinking about the other entries, I wanted to write something about Helena’s extensive travels, even though I was regrettably not a part of most of them.
One of the many qualities I most admired in Helena was her sense of adventure, her willingness to live in totally foreign places, and her general courage. Having known her since she was a little girl, and my being quite a bit older, I never really considered that she would have taught me so very much in such a relatively short period of time.
From the time she graduated from college, Helena was always willing to pick up and move, and live just about anywhere for the chance at an interesting job and new life experiences. Her insatiable desire to understand many cultures, and her political and personal belief systems led her on a great journey of exciting experiences. She also had a wonderful balance. The girl who loved Prada and shopped in the most fabulous boutiques worked for the rights of torture victims. She taught me that I could be a woman of substance as well as a woman who enjoyed the good things in life.
Helena had a genuine confidence that was absent of ego. For Helena, travel wasn’t about anything other than gaining knowledge and finding fulfillment in her life. Her willingness to jump into so many uncertain situations was one of the main things that inspired me to travel, for the first time completely alone, at almost 40 years of age. I figured, “if this gorgeous young woman can do it, so can I!” She taught me to grab life by the horns and leave my fears at home with the dirty laundry!
Helena also taught me, that even with so much travel, it is possible to have sustaining connections with friends and loved ones. She never lost touch with the people she loved, and they followed her wherever she went. Her sense of family was extremely large and without borders. She had one of the largest network of friends I have ever seen, and she cared for them as much as they loved her. She was able to soar and stay grounded at the same time because of the commitment she had to her extensive “family,” which probably includes people from every continent.
For these reasons and many, many more, Helena will always be one of my greatest teachers, and I will forever be grateful for knowing her. And every time I pack my suitcase for a trip I remember how courageous she was, always.
Joslin