After my postal adventure, I went to my favorite Italian water-ice stand next to the Vatican. It was already closing down when I got there so no ice for me. Earlier, there was some organization giving away free bottled water so I went by for a second helping before hopping a train to the Pantheon. I figured I'd get a panini and try a Gelateria near the Pantheon that I hadn't been into yet. It was blazing hot out. I was pretty worn down. Instead of a sandwich I sat down at a lousy tourist restaurant and had a pan of spaghetti (seriously, they served it up in a pan for some reason... how 'rustic' of them) and a margarita pizza. Both were filling but not very exciting. I found myself feeling that lousy ennui again. I realized that I'd been pretty anti-social since Anthonette left. I wander out onto the streets and I get lost for hours. I see the new and the familiar and it all doesn't matter. Even the pretty girls make me tired. That's right, I sat there people watching (girl-watching) and thought to myself, "who cares?" I don't want to talk to them and they don't want to talk to me.
I finished my meal and checked out the gelato next door, even though pasta and pizza were ready to burst through my belly button. I chose three scoops, chocolate-orange, sesame seed, and of course, coconut. Worst combination ever. There's nothing worse than a string of unsatisfactory food. Especially when it costs so much.
As I walked and I walked, I wondered about this dip in my mood. I feared that with the heat in the upcoming countries over the next couple of months was going to make me miserable. Maybe I ought to take some people's advice and slip back to the States for a week. Take a breath. Maybe I'd surprise everyone and just show up on their doorstep. No. Too expensive. I could stick through this. I would escape this tourist crowd soon and experience the gritty streets of Delhi. I'd gasp my way up Mt. Fuji, sweat my way across the Great Wall. I'd see my mother's homeland and have amazing times with new friends.
Temporary doldrums. I just need to take it easy. I've just showered up and now I'll relax at the hostel. 6am train to catch in the morning. Tomorrow, Greece!
P.S.- Azad is pissed that I haven't broken out of my shell and that I've started to become repetitive. I'll try to pull myself out of this rut. In reality, I'm only recording the tough days here. The real magic I kinda have to keep to myself. (or share in a film later) Oh, and the above blog was written before I took a nice nap. I'm feeling much better now.
Labels: Italy
I'd read in a couple of guidebooks that the Vatican City postal service was far more reliable/efficient than the Roman postal service. I had a couple of DVDs to mail off to London so I decided to send them via the Vatican post. The one mistake I made was believing that they had mailing supplies. I thought I remembered them having convenient packaging for sale but it was actually the Italian post office that did and they were closed. I popped into a souvenir shop searching for envelopes and just when I was about to give up, I saw some strange greeting cards for sale in a display stand tucked away near the floor. I returned to the Vatican and mailed the DVDs off, purple envelope and all. As I was leaving I spotted something that I thought my mom would enjoy when I was touring the Vatican Museum. They were sold out at the time but here it was. I bought it and decided to ship it to her since I was standing in the post office. I tried to fashion packaging out of the plastic shopping bag it came in but the clerk said no dice, it had to be in an envelope. I pleaded 'what if I tape these edges?!" He refused and said, "How can you mail this, you need to buy envelope." I remarked as I walked away, "They'd mail it in the United States!" (There's a website somewhere out there that did an experiment with the USPS and mailed a variety of objects such as bricks, bowling balls, etc. They will mail just about anything. God bless America.)
I walked through the plaza wondering how I was going to mail this thing from Greece. I realized that I'd broken my number one travel rule by purchasing something that did not fit in my stomach. And now I'd have to carry it. Then I happened upon a cardboard box full of trash and smaller cardboard boxes. Eureka! I found the perfect box. I put my gift inside and wandered to a gift shop where they kindly let me use some scotch tape. I went back again to the Vatican post office and smiled triumphantly at the clerk with my box. He slid a pile of stamps my way and I went licking away. So mom, expect a box from the Pope in the next couple of weeks (hopefully).
Labels: Italy
I set out to Testaccio last night to try San Remo's pizza. Lonely Planet pits Rome's San Remo pizzeria against Naples' Da Michele. Anthonette and tried to visit San Remo a few times but it was never open. I finally tried their margarita pizza last night and it was decent enough. I preferred a crispier Roman pizza we had at San Calisto (mis-named in the video) in Trastevere. All of these pizzas are cooked in a wood fired oven and their crusted are slightly blackened. The doughier Naples crust ends up tasting like a tortilla that you've heated on a grill. The Roman crust at San Remos was similar to those burnt edges of the thinner side of an English muffin that you've thrown in a toaster (you know what I'm saying, you know how when you split a Thomas' Eng. Muffin and one side is smaller and always toasts darker than the thicker side...)
Anyhow, I walked from Testaccio to Trastevere for gelato. I stopped in at one where a cute girl works the scoop. I swear she recognized me when I walked in. You know, that kind of recognition you give to someone attractive that you never thought you'd see again (come on, it's my trip, my fantasy). The gelato seemed a little soft, like the freezer unit wasn't working right. So I bought a water barely whispered grazi and ran out of there like a wuss. I wanted to have gelato at La Fonta della Salute anyhow, it came recommended. I had watermelon and coconut. I finished it before passing by my girl's place again. I shot a glance through the window and she spotted me. So of course I stopped, went in, and married her. Nope, I kept walking.
Somewhere along the way I got crazy lost. I think I crossed the river four times, back and forth. I was near the Vatican, then near the Trevi Fountain, then near Piazza Popolo where I heard crazy music and saw flashing lights. There, I discovered a modern dance show which included images projected on water, a woman swimming in a big bowl of water, and just like at the colosseum, women hanging from cables. Rome, this town likes it's crazy dance spectacles.
Well, thanks Adam for the support and for letting your wife hang out in Rome with me. Sorry I couldn't send back some of the cuisine.
Sorry for rambling so erratically in the 'art' post. I was trying to jot down my impressions in a hurry while chatting with some of the other guests at the B&B. The way some art pieces can be garbage to one viewer and completely moving to another just fascinates me.
Anyhow, I hopped on my sleeper train to Rome last night. It was super small. I had to store my backpack on the bed because there was nowhere else to put it. And for an hour or two, it was extremely hot in there. My shirt was soaked in sweat. But I found it all sort of exciting. I imagined that being cooped up in a small sweaty compartment was going to be the way of life as I moved through India and Asia for the next couple of months. I really have to change my relationship with heat from one of hatred to one of tolerance. In the morning, I woke up cold. I had to make strange maneuvers within the bunk to get under the covers. It's good to be small sometimes. Sometimes.
I have to say that I wasn't very excited to be back in Rome. I'd much rather be spending the next couple of days exploring something new but I had to be back to pick up the China visa. I have it in hand and I'm all set for my tour in September.
I'm staying in Athens Sunday to Wednesday morning it looks like. From there I may visit the legendary Pink Palace in Corfu or try to head to Egypt or Turkey. My mom's a bit worried about me visiting Egypt but it still seems pretty safe. I've been wanting to see the Great Pyramids. But the airfare is over my budget. If I can't manage a ferry or something, I will try to hop over to Istanbul.
(If anyone has any Greece advice/tips for visiting islands, send them my way quickly)
Labels: Italy
[pictured, me and Carole Feuerman's "Survival of Serena"] I had an absolutely amazing day viewing contemporary art at La Biennale di Venezia, Venice's 52nd international art exhibition. I spent seven hours walking through the arsenale (dockyard) and giardini della biennale (Biennale gardens) viewing paintings, sculptures, and multimedia installations. It was overwhelming. I could have spent days exploring each country's pavilion (in the gardens, different countries have their own buildings to display the works of artists they are sponsoring).
Let's see if I can run through some of the pieces that entertained, inspired, or just plain moved my heart and mind. Upon entering the arsenale and the Italian Pavilion within the giardini, you can see chalk drawings covering a hallway's walls and ceilings. Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi's cartoons had me laughing out loud with his sharp commentary on politics and culture. (I'm trying to link to as many artists as I can find online, check out their sites for samples of their work. Also, check out the Biennale Flickr pool for hundreds of photos of the exhibition)
As I made my way in, I enjoyed the work of Leon Ferrari. He created chaotic blueprint style drawings of building layouts where rooms are filled with hundreds of people, cars are impossibly parked in hallways, and urinals line the walls of conference rooms. It's the type of piece you can stare at for a long time, have a laugh, and let your imagination run wild in it.
Emily Prince created a war memorial to American soldiers killed in Iraq. Over 3,000 palm-sized cards start to create a mosaic on the wall. She's drawn portraits of each soldier, stating their name and date of death. Of course, it's a work in progress. Seeing human loss represented on a large scale makes the numbers hit you a little harder. The exhibit notes that the loss does not include the thousands and thousands of Iraqis lost in the conflict.
In a section with a focus on Africa, Moroccan artist, Mounir Fatmi, presented "Save Manhattan 03". About 100 stereo speakers were arranged in piles. A spotlight was cast upon them and the shadow created the Manhattan skyline on the wall. The speakers blared out sounds of the cityscape. Clever stuff. On his website, there's a photo of Save Manhattan 1 where books create the skyline, complete with two large copies of the Koran creating the twin towers.
If I had heard about Yang Zhenzhong's video installation, "I will die", before my round the world trip, I would have stolen the idea. The artist traveled around the world and shot brief videos of people saying "I will die" in their own language. It was so simple but sent my mind racing with possibilities. I could have approached people and asked them to create some sort of video message. What a way to capture the similarities and differences of the people I've encountered. Next time maybe. I uploaded a sample of the video installation on youtube:
Finally, just as I was getting ready to leave the Espana pavilion, I stopped into an installation by Jose Luis Guerin called "Los mujeres que no conocemos" or Women we don't know. Guerin basically followed female strangers around and photographed them. Yes, sounds creepy and voyeuristic but I connected with it because I do the same sort of thing. [See someone else's footage of the show on YouTube]
When the figure disappears an environment appears... a flow of life which evokes the woman who disappeared.
I've followed girls as I'm wandering the streets until they go off in a different direction. I've experienced this newly created environment, feeling the wake of beauty that's zoomed away.
It's crazy late in Venice and I have to catch my first sleeper train to Rome in an hour so I must run. See ya!
It was very costly to get out to Venice and sleep here. Thank goodness for good friends and family. My new friend Fahti has been fixing me meals where I'm staying. I've been enjoying healthy servings of pasta, tomato cucumber salads, and fresh watermelon. But I'm paying for a two person room by myself. So thank you Cheryl, Andee, Pat, and Jess!
See how I spent my day:
See how I spent my day:
Last night I had a wild dream where I was hanging out by a lake with some friends. It's a bit fuzzy now but a buddy from high school named Bjorn (he must have been lifeguarding or something) asked me if I was going to fly. At first I told him that I didn't want other people to know that I could fly. Moments later, I couldn't help it and I just took off straight up into the sky. I used to have similar flying dreams in the past. I kind of place my arms to my side with my hands bent outwards. There's this sensation of energy propelling me upwards. I can actually feel the g-forces. It's liberating and so incredibly real. The freaky part of last night's dream was landing. I would either drop quickly into the water (where I was able to breath under it as well) or I would stop myself just before I reached the surface and kind of maneuver around in the air. I had to write about it because it's been so long since I've had this lucid sort of dreaming where I obviously was aware that my ability to fly was amazing so I tried to enjoy the power as much as I could before waking up in a strange room in Venice, Italy.
Today, I took a walk to the Doges Palace in St. Marks Square. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love palaces. I really feel like I'm walking in another time. It blows my mind to walk through these grandly decorated rooms where people of wealth and power lived and functioned. In the afternoon I walked around a part of town where the Biennale is going on (a modern art festival held on odd numbered years) and got lost on the Lido island, trying to figure out where the Venice Film Fest is held. Never found the theaters. Guess I'll just have to enter it someday.
I'm going to cut another random YouTube video covering Venice. Post it in a few hours.
Labels: Italy
The other day, I mentioned to Anthonette that I didn't really feel like a world traveler. Rather, I feel more like a tourist. We were eavesdropping on some 20 year old dude from Palo Alto, CA talking about his experiences in Italy. He was giving some other travelers some pointers on Rome. Meanwhile, he was asking questions and ordering things from the wait staff in Italian. He'd spent some real time living in Rome. I think ultimately, his ability to speak some of the language made me feel inadequate. (Later that evening, he was super drunk at the hostel and was having a "profound" conversation with his drunker friend. Any admiration I had for him flew out the window.)
As I rode the train to Venice, reading tips from a Rick Steves book, I felt like such a tourist. There are times when I embrace being a tourist, having the privilege to visit a place and experience the best (usually) it has to offer. Other days like today, I think that I'm not connecting with enough people. I'm not getting to know what the locals are really about.
As the train ride went on, I decided that every place is different. I can't predict what I'll get from my visit. At the end of the day, the tourist experience is still an experience. I know that if I really need more time in a place, ultimately I can come back. And if I find a very good reason to stick around a place, I will adjust my schedule for her. (you see what I did there?)
Venice is extremely expensive. Fortunately my host here fed me pasta and salad while we discussed our families, Italian rudeness, and seducing Russian women. Afterwards, I took a walk to Piazza San Marco. The atmosphere was pleasant with orchestras playing around the square. It was amazing to finally see this place I'd seen depicted in so many paintings and films. I can't wait to see it in the daylight tomorrow. Right now, I must resist the urge to watch Entourage Season 3 (Thanks Jimmy C) and get some rest.
Labels: Italy
I arrived in Venice this afternoon and I have to say it's a pretty interesting city with the boats and canals, I can see it feeding my imagination plenty. That's a photo of a poster hanging in my room in Venice. The hostels were super booked up here so I dropped a chunk of change for my own room in a B & B near the Rialto. It's very warm here and when I checked in, I was welcomed with watermelon and juice. It's a really nice room. Shame that it's all just for me (the guy said I could invite anyone back but he'd need to see her documents, heh). I also chose this place because they have free wifi! I haven't left the room in hours, so much to upload, to check up on, etc. I'm going to take a nap, and then I'll see what this town's like in the evening. Maybe I'll take a self-guided tour on the Vaporetto.
Labels: Italy
Last week Anthonette and I were treated to a meal and some kayaking in Cinque Terre, courtesy of our friends Kate & Faisal. See the photo gallery for some revealing photos of where I've been hiding my pale skin. Maybe I should go shirtless like all of these college kids. It was my first time in a kayak in the ocean or anywhere else for that matter. We had some great views of the Cinque Terre and tried to do our part by pulling some litter out of the water as we came across it. When we returned to Riomaggiore we hit the beach which was made up of pebbles and big rocks. A little different from the beautiful sands Anthonette's used to in Florida but we enjoyed taking a dip after the ride on the water. There was the cutest topless girl there, too. ::sigh::
Afterwards, we grabbed focaccia and potato snacks at Te La Do Io La Merenda and a Nutella crepe at the Gelateria Centrale. Affordable and delicious. My favorite. Thanks for the good time guys. We were thinking about you. And now a word to our sponsors:
Afterwards, we grabbed focaccia and potato snacks at Te La Do Io La Merenda and a Nutella crepe at the Gelateria Centrale. Affordable and delicious. My favorite. Thanks for the good time guys. We were thinking about you. And now a word to our sponsors:
Ciao folks, back in Rome. Trying to figure out how to get Anthonette to the airport in the morning. I'm going to visit the Chinese embassy again then take off to Venice.
More blog later when I find some wifi. Have you seen the new videos?
More blog later when I find some wifi. Have you seen the new videos?
Labels: Italy
It seems like I've traveled to progressively quieter cities in Italy. We've arrived in Cinque Terre, a group of five villages- Riomaggiore (where we've found an excellent place to stay, complete with arguing Italian men as an alarm clock), Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso - along the Italian Riviera. You can hike to through all of these villages in about five hours. We've decided to spend three days here and just relax.
Walking along the water yesterday, I had one of those moments where I just had to pause and trip out over where I was. It's mind blowing, I sometimes have to announce aloud to Anthonette, "We're in Italy... walking along the Ligurian Sea in Cinque Terre... seriously?"
The only possible downside is that the area is pretty romantic and there's no one to romance here really. It's mostly couples and groups of teenage boys. The girls walking around in bikinis seem a bit young. But I will keep the location tucked away as a place to revisit with a lovely lady friend someday.
I feel like I've become increasingly girl crazy this past week. Whenever there's an attractive woman nearby I make this mm, hmm sound to Anthonette to notify her that someone of "my type" has just walked by. She says I've been doing it so much that there's either more hot girls walking around or my standards are falling. I'm resisting the urge to run back home with a big net to throw over the head of the first English speaking local girl I see. 28 more weeks of this journey to go. Plus a big project to focus on. I've set my mind on accomplishing a big dream upon my return. More on that later, it's time to hike the Cinque Terre.
Internet is hard to come by in this land of fish and grapes. So I'm not sure when I'll be in touch again. Anthonette flies out of Rome on Monday morning. I will probably go back and process my China visa that day before shooting back up to Venice for a couple of days. Or, I may just continue on from here and see some other bits of Italy and take care of China in Greece. It's my prerogative.
Labels: Italy
Siena was beautiful. We walked around the square, got lost down medieval streets. A short rain storm swept through so we huddled in a post office. After checking out the gothic cathedral, we were on the hunt for a Chinese restaurant my friend Tristan had mentioned in an email. Tristan studied here in college and what a great time it must have been. After a looong distance phone call to Tristan himself, we found the restaurant, its yummy fried rice, and free wifi. Must have spent an hour in there booking our next hostels and searching train schedules. That's another one I owe you when I get back T, take it easy.
We've been seeing so much in Florence. Paintings, sculptures, churches. Gelato eating, Duomo climbing... it's wonderful. Still don't have enough time to give you a full field report as I'm eating Chinese food (Thanks Tristan) and surfing the net at the same time in Siena. I do have to say that you must see Michelangelo's David statue in Accademia. It was so bad a$$.
Labels: Italy
Every since arriving in Italy I've felt a little burnt out. There was the luggage fiasco, the long walks in warmer weather, and just an odd malaise. It's been great having Anthonette touring with me. It's given me a bit of time to relax a little. Though I must admit that I've let my guard down a bit and I've lost some focus. I've been trying to sort out some issues of the past while trying to figure out the future. (The switch hasn't seemed to have flipped quite yet)
Yesterday morning I was so twisted up inside I pretty much made us miss the train to Firenze (it's easy to exchange tickets though there's a 3 Euro fee). I thought a fruit cup would cheer me up but even that turned out crumby. I did enjoy catching up on the beginning of the third season of Battlestar Galactica on the train. Great show.
Once we checked into Camp Michelangelo in Florence (after a harrowing bus ride around the city), I took a much needed nap. I woke up feeling much better, albeit very hungry. We watched a bit of the sunset from Piazzela Michelangelo up the street before heading into town to track down Tratorria Anita. I had a feast, courtesy of my buddy Phil. We had a bunch of laughs and I was in the mood to sing silly songs as we walked from piazza to piazza. We came upon Piazzadella Signoria and listened to a band while checking out Neptune's Fountain and the spot of the Bonfire of the Vanities, the burning of works of art in 1497.
I was feeling a little more invigorated again. My focus was coming back. Today I remembered that my life is in my own hands, I can direct it anywhere I'd like, do practically anything I want. As a follower of the world spirit, I want to inspire, educate, and help my fellow man and I think I will receive the same in return.
Random bits:
-At Termini train station in Rome, there's a water shop that sells at least 41 different types of water.
-A lot of the toilets in Italy have crappy design (pun intended). In the States, I'm used to this nice pool of water that catches our waste and submerges the smell. In Italy, the pool of water is like two inches deep and positioned outside of the "target" area so to speak. This means, that not only is the waste not submerged but it also just smears up the inside of the bowl. Even though the flush is pretty strong, there's often residue. I've even been to hostels where there's a sign reminding you that there's a toilet brush to be used as a courtesy to others. Blech.
-Florence seems to have a lot more girls traveling in packs through it than the other places I've visited in Italy. Sweet.
Labels: Italy
Had the best pasta in maybe ever at Trattoria Anita in Florence, Italy. I think I may just be able to put the 15 pounds that I've lost back on if I keep eating like this in Italy. Big thanks to my sucka, Phil. After the meal, I enjoyed a couple of scoops of Gelati. It's becomig a good/bad habit.
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Shadow in the Piazza
Published by Tony on Monday, July 9, 2007 at 6:56 AM.
Anthonette and I made it safely to Florence. Internet's extremely expensive. Hit with some weirdness this morning. My brain is in chaos. Tinge of a cold coming on. Worn out. Wishing I was in another time.
Labels: Italy
I found my bag! And then eventually, I found Anthonette. We've been strolling around Rome for the past couple of days. Last night we had a strange dinner, interesting gelato (ginger flavor?), and watched all sorts of madness by the Colosseum.
Today we spent HOURS at the Vatican museum, overwhelmed with the collection, the crowds, and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. We had the most amazing Italian Ice with real lemon and coconut before heading to St. Peter's for an amazing church experience. We didn't stay for mass because I didn't think I could handle it in Italian after being on our feet all day.
After a nice time getting lost in Aventino, we made it over to the Travestere area for dinner and free wifi at a gelateria. Rome baby.
Labels: Italy
Sorrento was very touristy but cute. I walked back and forth through narrow streets filled with merchants selling lemon-themed souvenirs. I was tempted to buy a bottle of limoncello but I resisted. I had a big lunch of breaded cutlet and roasted veggies while people watching in one of the town squares. I eavesdropped on other diners' conversations. Married couples of different ages, snapping photos of each other and their beverages. At the table next to me there was a grandmother, mother, and daughter from the States. The mom was telling her daughter how tough it was to pursue a career and be a parent years ago. It was a little odd, her "I sacrificed a lot for you" tone, in this conversation with her daughter who to my surprise seemed to be maybe 14 or 15 years old. Still, I thought it was nice to see three generations of women enjoying an afternoon in Sorrento. This restaurant served a shot of limoncello as a digestif. I'll have to try making some for a Manash BBQ someday.
After some Bacio, Amaretto, and Coconut gelato, I jumped on a train back to Portici. I started to nod off but two Italian ladies chatted non-stop, much like the train ride that skipped my stop. I ended up at Naples Central instead. So the only thing left to do was hit up Da Michele's for a pizza to go! I got so many people staring at my pizza box on the way back. I couldn't figure out if people were hungry or if it was unusual to carry pizza on a train.
Tomorrow morning, it's back to Rome to meet Anthonette and seek out some clues to the whereabouts of my underwear and sunblock.
"...the American dream, that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement" -James Truslow Adams, The Epic of America (1931)
Heh, some dude in the hostel bought a bootleg of Transformers. (Actually "ansformers" as the camera man was too close in the theater) We got excited until we discovered it was dubbed in Italian. womp womp womp wah
Labels: Italy
Took a trip out to see the ruins of Pompeii today. As a bonus, the 11 Euro admission price was waived today for Garibaldi's birthday. Score. (By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! Wish I was there to celebrate.)
The ruins were pretty fascinating for a while. Walking down these streets trying to imagine life here in the first century AD was fun as I pretended that the herds of tourists were Roman citizens picking up bread from the bakery or filling the amphitheater to see some blood. Here and there, plaster casts of people dying in the Mt. Vesuvius' eruption were on display. Gruesome. After a few hours, my neck and forehead were sun burnt and I was pretty exhausted. So I skipped touring Herculaneum in nearby Ercolano. It's unfortunate because I read that the site is a bit less pillaged than Pompeii.
I noticed a lot of husbands and wives bickering at each other while walking around the ruins. It was sad and amusing. Funny thing was, on the train ride there, I was thinking to myself that I wouldn't mind being a bit older right now. Knowing that I'd have more experience and wisdom under my belt. That (despite what these annoying anonymous posters want to believe) I'll have settled a bit and have things 'figured' out a little. But to see these annoyed husbands snapping at their wives, I was happy to be single and young for a moment. On the ride back to the hostel, I saw the cutest couple and their infant daughter. A complete contrast. The girl's father kissed her chins and seemed pretty darn happy. Her mother was beautiful but I could tell she was ready to go home for a nap, too.
It's wild how much the city shuts down in the sunnhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gify afternoons around 2pm. Spain and Italy take the whole afternoon off. As the sun starts to go down, everyone pops out onto the streets again.
In the evening I shot back out to downtown Naples for another pizza at Da Michele's. So good. I took a long walk around the area and strolled down some very atmospheric streets. Scooters zoomed every which way. Young and hip Neapolitans kicked it around the piazzas, drank beer, and flirted with each other.
As crappy as Italy's been so far (blame Lufthansa), I have enjoyed these moments where I've walked through 'film sets' of movies in my imagination. Oh, and the pizza's pretty fantastic, too.
STUFF: I was reading about this GPS device on ddoi. If I could pack one more piece of gear for the trip (like I need more) it would be a GPS device to track all of the km I've spent wandering lost through the streets of European cities. With Google Earth, it can help you plot out maps like this. Ah toys.
Labels: Italy
Last night I wanted to head into Rome and see what it was like after dark. I got a restaurant suggestion from Rick Steve's Best of Europe guide and hopped on the metro towards the Pantheon. At Osteria da Mario I ordered prosciutto and mozzarella to start, a rigatoni alla carbonara, some house wine, and a bottle of water. It was actually a half-liter carafe of red and a full liter of water. Needless to say, I was super full after the meal. But I had to try some gelato. I walked over to the Pantheon for a moment for some people watching first. That's where I spotted my buddy with the fish friends above. The half-liter had me feeling silly so I moved on to Giolitti's for some gelato. I don't know why but I ordered a medium which is three scoops. I chose chocolate, cinnamon, and rice. Yup, rice. Anyhow, you can see the mess melting in the video below.
I walked around the dark streets and somehow ended up on the river, staring at the Vatican in the distance. When I found the closest metro stop, it was closed! Using my uncanny sense of direction (if you know me, you know I have a poor sense of direction), I jumped on a couple of random buses and found my way back to the hostel.
I had a hard time getting to sleep. I just hadn't had a very good time in Rome, not only because of the luggage fiasco, but also because of some unresolved garbage still floating around in my head from over a year ago. Inner turmoil man. It creeps up on you. It was like the issues that had bothered me in LA had somehow found me all the way across the planet. I eventually tossed and turned myself to sleep.
Today, I hopped a train for Naples. While I was waiting for my train I actually spotted someone I knew from California. It was my ex-girlfriend's parents oddly enough. It was semi-surreal so I had to creep up and take a closer look to be sure. Then I walked up and said hello. It was completely random... perhaps.
Naples is worlds different from Rome. The first thing I noticed was that the city is covered in graffiti. From love notes scribbled on the walls to full pieces on the sides of trains. On the train, the Neapolitans seemed a bit rough around the edges. My hostel is in an area called Portici, on the southern end. It too seemed grittier than anything I'd encountered so far. After checking in, I took a nap before heading back downtown in search of the best pizza. Naples is said to be the birthplace of pizza.
When I arrived in Portici, the streets were sunny and quiet. By the time I left in the evening, everyone was out and about. Old men sat around tables playing cards in the piazza, storefronts were open and selling clothes and housewares. Traffic jammed up Via Libertia as far as you could see.
They say downtown Naples gets pretty seedy at night. When I got out of the central station, I could see the transformation. The street peddlers were putting away their merchandise and the locals were starting to come out to the streets to hang out. Garbage was strewn along curbs. Rats dashed out of holes. Crossing streets were an adventure as scooters and motorcycles raced in different directions. At one point I was almost being circled by them. Through the chaos I finally found Da Micheles, an establishment making pies since 1870, reputed to serve up some of Naples best. I was seated with three Italian men who were also dining solo. One of them seemed pleased that he'd guessed I was part Asian. I sat quietly listening to them discuss food in Italian until the pizza arrived. Then, there was silence. We ate the pizza non-stop. Maybe we were trying to finish it before the cheese got cold. Or maybe it was just too delicious. Seriously, as I ate it, I could hear myself making "mmm" sounds as I chewed. You know it's good when you're audibly "mmming".
The pizza put me in a much better mood and I was feeling happy again. And fortunately, I scrammed out of there fast enough to catch the last train back to Portici. And now, a shower, and some sleep.
I scrambled to get to the Chinese embassy today. A stroke of luck led me to a studio on the way where I was able to get the necessary passport photos for the visa application. I showed up and there were about 100 Chinese people crowded in a little room. I made my way to the back following the "Visto" sign. There, a helpful guy who spoke perfect English waved me over to the window. Turns out they wanted to see my plane tickets but I didn't have them. Meanwhile, some Chinese guy starts shouting at the girl returning passports at the next window. The staff doesn't like this and refuses to serve him. The guy shouts even louder, rapping on the windows of the visa counter. He even swipes the receipt of an Italian lady who was there to pick up her documents. Amidst all of that chaos, I found out it was too early to apply for the visa. I had to apply no earlier than 3 months in advance. So it'll be another trek to this crazy little office in two weeks.
The metro in Rome is pretty nice. The trains come every 3-5 minutes. As I sat waiting for the Barberini stop, an old woman sat next to me. I noticed her old woman friend was searching for a seat, too. So I stood up and offered mine. She smiled and said Grazie (which I understood was thank you), followed by a string of Italian. I just smiled politely. She continued to say something else to which I replied by shaking my head and shrugging my shoulders. This guy across the way piped in and said in accented English, "She says you are a gentleman... and you should meet her grand daughter". I laughed and said, "When and where?"
He translated back and forth for us a bit and before you know it, I'm writing down directions to some street in some part of Rome I've never heard of. Seems that I'd been invited to dinner. It was all very amusing to everyone riding the train as I stood, obviously lost in most of the exchange yet willing to plunge myself into some strange situation.
Later in the evening, I put on my new Pompea brand boxer briefs (purchased at the supermarket across from the hostel that sells everything from eggs to car tires), and tried to freshen up the only other shirt I had. (Hello Lufthansa, Yes, where are my bloody clothes!? I have a date!) I jumped on the train and tried to figure out where this old woman's house was. Thank goodness I dropped my 'no maps' kick earlier today while searching for the embassy. I' bought a fold-out from a newsstand that was becoming quite handy.
There I was at the door to an apartment building. Not late and not too early. I was buzzed in by the old woman's voice after a hearty "Ciao!" followed by some more Italian that I did not understand. I climbed three flights of stairs to find a hallway, where the old woman was sticking halfway, out of a doorway. She ushered me in quickly and gestured for me to have a seat. As she rushed back to the kitchen, she called out "Aurelia!" I sat nervously for a minute, looking around the cute little living room. I spotted some fake flowers that reminded me of every home I peeked into in Havana. My Cuban daydream was interrupted by the grand daughter, Aurelia.
Now let me tell you, Italian women are a whole other breed of beautiful. Brilliant dark hair, tinted skin, wonderfully proportioned, and if you know me at all- totally 'my type'. Aurelia was a stunner and a fine representative of Italian beauty.
I rose to shake her hand (And wished I had a rose, a daisy, something! Because of all of my fussing over not having clothes, I hadn't even thought about bringing a gift... wine, flowers, candy... not for the girl, but for the old woman! Some gentleman, I turned out to be) and we both gave each other that look as if to say, hey, this is pretty strange and awkward but we should humor the old woman, and by the way, you're cute. I told her a bit about running into her grandmother, being lost in the translation, and my travels in general. Turns out she had just finished her last college exams not too long ago and was enjoying some time off before she searched for work. Get this, she's been looking at offers in the States. I give myself a mental high-five as my imagination takes this tidbit and runs a marathon. Again, the daydream is interrupted, this time by her grandmother beckoning us into the dining room.
If there could be anything lovelier than an Italian woman, it would be her home cooking. Fresh pasta, herbs, tomato sauce, garlic. The colors, the aromas, the quantities! As I sat down, I apologized for not bringing anything. Aurelia acted as translator. Her grandmother waved her hand and said, "Nonsense, I hope you brought your appetite!"
We ate and drank and talked and listened. I learned about the woman's life, her children, and her grandchildren. Aurelia was the youngest of three and the only one left unmarried I was told, with a wink. Funny how even in adulthood, there are things that make you blush. Blame the wine.
After dinner, we all went for a walk. I'd mentioned how I hadn't tried gelato yet and this caused quite an uproar. So we all decided to walk off some of the filling meal and refill on dessert. We sat in a charming little gelateria nearby and had little dishes of creamy, rich, heaven. When we were finished, the old woman announced that she was going home and that Aurelia should show me some of the sights. I give her grandmother a mental high-five.
As the sun comes down in Rome, monuments light up dramatically around the city. I wish I'd brought my camera... another thing that slipped my mind in my haste. When we reached the Trevi fountain she told me about a tradition where visitors toss coins over their shoulders into the water. One coin means you will return someday. Two coins and you fall in love with an Italian. A third coin means you will marry him or her. I laughed out loud at that one. I told her, "If I know one of these things has already happened, can I reach in and take a coin back?" It confused her for a second but she soon understood and blushed a bit. Blame the wine. Then I reached into my pocket and pulled out three euros (Hey Big Spender!). I closed my eyes and tossed them, one by one, over my shoulder. I looked at her and said it was 'insurance'.
We walked for some more and at one point I held her hand as she walked above me, along the border of some ruins. When she was safely back to sidewalk level, I didn't let go. It was magic. And none of it really happened. I woke up early this morning and got on the Roman metro. I let an old woman have my seat and she said, "Grazie". But then I just daydreamed this story as we passed each stop- Spagna, Flaminio, Lepanto, Ottaviano, and Valle AURELIA.
Labels: Italy
After another very long walk around another old city, I was starving my brains out. I stopped by a random restaurant called Le Naumachie and ordered some fresh mozzarella and a fried rice ball to start. Delicious. Then I had fettucine with tomato, basil, and mozzarella. This isn't the flat noodle variety I was used to in the States. This was fat like Japanese Udon except doughier. Needless to say, crazy filling. I skipped plans for a gelato dessert.
I hope your new daughter's growing big and healthy. Make sure to send her on a trip like this someday. The world's beauty can't be missed.
I got my Chinese visa paperwork together this morning, took a little nap, and took a long walk around Rome. I wasn't very impressed. But then again, I'm still rather annoyed that I don't have any of my stuff. Lufthansa is "still tracing" my bags. Grrr. That and the moon, are bumming me out man. It is pretty interesting to see some famous sites up close. Kind of surreal except for the tourists and peddlers. Check out some Rome action on YouTube:
So I've been trying to figure out how to reduce some of the weight of my back pack. Well, Lufthansa did it for me. They lost it. I've arrived in Rome without my clothes and hair product. But I'm in a nice bungalow somewhere in Rome. I'm going to try to get my paperwork together to apply for my China visa tomorrow and keep praying that the bag turns up before the clothes I'm wearing are too ratty. Wish me luck.
Labels: Italy
Hey Jen, greetings from sunny Rome to sunny Florida. After an exhausting day, I grubbed on bruchetta and lasagna at this crazy camp hostel I'm staying at in Rome. I also grabbed some fresh fruit for breakfast, all with your FeedTony support. Thank you much, and now a word from yours truly:
