Italy Day 4 (Assisi)

After our rude awakening and after my traveling companion had given the bathroom a good washing, we set off to explore the city that is Assisi. (Incidentally, I have pictures of the entire trip posted with captions online, but some of the photos are personal and I've been trying to decide how to handle this. At some point, I will transfer over the personal ones to a private album and only leave the public ones up and post a link here. However, until that day comes, I have to know you and you have to email me and request the link.)

Assisi is commonly associated with St. Francis, who believed that the church should be more interested in simplicity and not so pretentious in its displays. The city itself, is really rather hilly and you can't get much of anywhere without walking up or down, and it remains basically unchanged from more ancient times. It even still have the wall to the city intact. For me, this was much more like the Italy I had wanted to see, much less touristy and far more authentic feeling.

One thing we learned was that after doing Rome in three days, doing any other city was a piece of cake, more or less. We were able to walk the entire span of the city in very little time and the number of sights to see was far less compared to the ancient Roman city. This afforded me the time to take a long secluded three mile uphill walk (and hike) to St. Francis' private sanctuary. (They even still hold Mass in the woods up there.) Most people take a taxi to the Sanctuary, but my feeling was that if St. Francis could do it, I could do it.

The sanctuary is really an amazing area for nature lovers and they have hiking and biking trails that you could likely explore for many hours. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, I no longer had many hours. However, the journey up was a bit humorous to me, as lots of people making the walk up have hiking shoes and gear. I had basketball sneakers and a pair of cargo shorts, with my trusty iPod. I'd get to a resting point and take a two minute break and see a few hikers (usually from Germany) come up with their big packs and they'd look at me - this strange little fellow with none of the required gear.

Hours later, I returned (going down was so much easier than going up - except for the falling rocks) and we went to dinner, which was good because I had neglected to eat the whole day and had built up a bit of an appetite. The restaurant we chose was really cool. There were no other patrons there when we arrived and it was definitely off the beaten path. I had pasta and Italian sausage and my companion had rabbit, which she wanted me to try, but after having the sausage, there was simply no way I could do it. I simply could not bring myself to blemish the delightful flavor that was still swirling in my mouth. I have never had sausage that good. (Minor caveat - when I go to an Italian restaurant in America, I am always served bread and there is olive oil on the side with herbs in it. I was never served this way the entire time I was in Italy.)

The next morning, we left for Florence - the city that I awaited with great anticipation, after so many people (not the least of which being Jill) told me what an amazing city it is.

Italy (Night 3/Morning 4) Assisi

After exploring Rome for the third day, we boarded a train and headed to Assisi. For those of you that have no idea where I'm talking about, you can read more about it. Basically, it's a small city located in Umbria, but that probably doesn't tell many of you very much more than when I said we headed to Assisi. However, if you take a gander at this map, you can more easily see where I went. One thing I have to say about traveling is it sure will help you learn your geography.

So the train ride was basically uneventful. My traveling companion looked at me with raised eyebrow upon learning that I wrote in my journal everyday. Apparently, this somehow conflicted with the very serious reading she was doing across for me, or somehow didn't comport with what she felt a journal was meant to be. Perhaps a journal, in her mind, is only met to be updated with significant events - like meeting the Pope or witnessing a bank robbery - I'm not sure. All I know is that it clearly did not meet her approval that I was updating my journal again. I mean, it had only been a day.

So the train ride was mostly uneventful. We did meet a young Albanian girl traveling with her family who desperately wanted to make friends with us and talk, but there was quite a language barrier. This did not dissuade her from trying as hard as possible to teach us and I have to say it was immensely entertaining. It also helped keep my traveling companion from absolutely stressing out that we had missed our stop or were going the wrong way or some other ridiculous thing. As soon as we went through a stop that wasn't in her little book, there was no calming her down, and despite her professions that she was calm and it wasn't a "big deal", you could tell from her inability to sit still and her constantly looking everywhere from some sort of direction that she was immediately stressed. Enter the Albanian girl to set things right. (We had just been to the Vatican and St. Peter's Cathedral that day so I was pretty much feeling God was at work.) Now if you don't think that was divine, wait for what comes next.

There we are, waiting at our bus stop, outside the train station in the cold. (OK, it was probably 50, but for me and the other Italians there that's pretty darn cold.) And in walks the nun. Now seeing nuns, priests, and monks in Italy is not rare. I think they are about as prolific as ancient monuments in Rome, but I had never seen one waiting for a bus. She walked up to me and asked me what time it was. Upon figuring out that I didn't speak Italian and she barely spoke English, she stared at my watch with me and figured out whether she had understood what I had tried to tell her. My traveling companion came over a few minutes later and was able to communicate a little better with the nun and explained to her where we were trying to stay for the night. (We had no hotel reservations after Rome, so we were totally winging it.) Upon boarding the bus, the locals and the bus driver burst into a spirited discussion about where we should get let off for our hotel. They ended up letting us off one stop early, which was good because our planned stop would have involved walking down a whole lot stairs, and the nun walked us to our hotel. How cool is that? I decided God was totally on our side at that point, and we got to the hotel and got a room. We had to get a triple, which was a little bit more than the double we had planned on, but it was worth it.

We hadn't eaten dinner so we went to try and find somewhere still open. In Rome or Florence this would not have been much of an issue, as Italians generally eat pretty late anyway and 8 or 9 at night is just about the time they show up for dinner. However, in Assisi, getting food at 10PM was not going to be easily accomplished. We settled for whatever was open, and I think I had some sort of pizza. We had planned to sleep in the next morning. However, we quickly learned that was so not going to happen, as you could hear absolutely all of the outdoor sounds perfectly from our room - the car driving past, the people walking, the churches bells (oh, I said churches) - and all of them conspired against us sleeping anywhere past 7. So I got up to take our shower, which ended up being tricky.

Our shower didn't really have walls. It sort of had doors that were to act as walls, but if you were in the shower too long and the water was too high, you'd quickly overflow into the remainder of the bathroom. I quickly realized this before even getting into the shower and was very strategic in my water usage and showering. I came out and warned my companion. She came out a while later and informed me that she had more or less flooded the bathroom. Convinced that it had to be a problem with the drain, she later complained to the hotel folks, who sent a young Peruvian goddess over to mop up my companion's mess and provide us with new towels. (The next morning pretty much went the same way for my companion. She just couldn't quite seem to get a handle on using less water pressure or something.)

Clean and awake, off we went to explore the splendors of Assisi.

Rome (Days 2 & 3)

My second two days in Rome were mostly spent looking at really old things. That's the thing about Rome, you can't really go anywhere without stumbling over some ancient building or monument, or something else equally impressive. This is the reason Rome has been having such a hard time creating a third subway line - every time they go digging, they find something historical. Those Romans sure did like to build.

We went to the Colosseum and Palatine Hill, which is where a huge ancient castle stood for many, many years. Most or all of the marble from these two immense structures was taken for the Vatican. Apparently, while it's good to be the king, it is sometimes better to be the Pope. It is also a "little known fact" that the Vatican never paid for most of the marble that was quarried for it. I guess it was hard to collect from the person that was supposed to be the representation of God.

We also went to the Vatican and St. Peter's Cathedral and a few places in-between. It is not easy to get into the Vatican and we had to wait in-line for almost three hours, which brings me to an interesting caveat. Lines mean nothing in Italy. I don't care if it's the line to get into the Vatican or the line in the grocery store. If you aren't cutting in line, you aren't Italian. The other interesting thing was that I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside most of the places I went to. So while I went there, I can't really prove it. I saw the Sistine Chapel, however, and was duly impressed. Although, I believe I might have been more impressed by the Raphael Rooms for their amazing use of light.

I am not a huge fan of sacred art and, to an extent, I think a lot of it is pretty ridiculous. However, while I was there, I gained a new appreciation for much of what these artists were doing and attempting to convey. I saw the progression of the positioning of people and the way light is reflected and represented. I saw the importance that the artists attached to certain sections of biblical text and their tireless devotion to achieving a finished product that was often simply amazing. At the same time, I was often struck with all the adornments that decorated these places of God and was left to puzzle over whether all of the money used on these things might not have been better spent on feeding the poor. However, I learned that I was not alone in this question and there were many spiritual leaders even back then that thought along these same lines.

Each day, we walked for about ten hours and tried to see as much as possible. The food was always good, but it was far more starchy than I had expected. The thing I had to remind myself of was that Italians were poor and often Italian food was peasant food. So they cooked mostly what was cheap and in great supply, bread, pasta, and other various starches are easy to come by - as is really good cheese. However, if you're looking for meat, you're looking to spend an awful lot to get it, and usually the two do not mix. If there is any meat added to a starch, it is often a very small amount. For example, a panini will often have a single slice of prosciutto. Pizza will have a hunk or two of sausage or ham if you ask for it. Pasta might have a few hunks of meat in its meat sauce. However, more often than not, you're usually eating a lot of starch and drinking wine, which is cheaper or about as expensive as water.

Rome still remains an amazing city and I would say that if you are only ever going to see one city in Italy, Rome would have to be at the top of the list. There is just so much to see in it.

Rome (Day 1)

Just to start out, I want to make clear that I'm not sure I will be giving a day by day account of my trip, but I thought the first day of it deserved a little something special. I am still working on the photos.

We arrived in Rome the day after we left. For those of you playing at home, I got on a plane at about 5:30 in the afternoon on a Friday, but didn't arrive in Rome until about midday Saturday. Fortunately, our hotel was near the central train station in Rome (Termini). So after taking the express shuttle from the main airport to Rome (11 Euros poorer - the rate has gone up since the tour books were published - and about a half hour later) we completed our brief walk to our hotel. Of course, it being midday and all (even though I hadn't really slept), we showered and immediately set off to take in some of the sights, sounds, and smells that are Italy.

Our journey began at the Spanish Steps. All great journeys begin with a single step they say, or in this case, several. I think it was as soon as I got to there that I felt Rome was like Disney World. Just the amazing amount of tourists and folks crowding around both The Steps and every other major sight I saw in Rome made me feel that I could have had the same experience going to Epcot, and it would have been cheaper, dammit.

Rome has some amazing architecture, however, and is truly a splendor to behold. You really cannot go anywhere without seeing something impressive, even if it's just the pizza in the window of a local eatery or the gelato that flows like water. Something is bound to impress. My travelling companion was lured in by a painting in one of the squares that she decided she simply had to have. So after looking at all of the others, and really considering it for a while, she gave in and spent the 100 Euros necessary to acquire it. (100 Euros was half price, but really everything was half price unless you were really dumb like this one girl we saw who quickly expressed her love for everything to the kiosk folks).

Pictures taken and painting in hand, it was time for dinner. I had mapped out all of our food destinations in every city we were going to before we arrived. So off we went to a place that even had red and white checked table clothes and of course, house wine (Chianti). (For those of you that don't know, the house wines come in unmarked containers. I say containers because sometimes it came in bottles, sometimes in carafes, and other times in pitches.) The food was so good, I decided I needed to have two meals - a pizza and then a full plate of pasta with Italian sausage. While I know German sausage is supposed to be a marvel to behold, I have always been somewhat partial to the Italian variety.

Afterwards, we meandered home and I took a Tylenol sleeping pill and passed out by ten (Italy time), 4PM (US).

Travelling Companions

"We only ever do what I want to do!"

Are you kidding? Were we really going to argue about this. This type of argument could only ever possibly occur with a woman. (Why can't a woman be more like a man?) But there it was, we were in a hotel room in a distant part of the world and she was challenging me to, I guess, force her to do something she didn't want to do(?). It really made no sense.

I attempted to explain to her that the central focus of my trip was food and drink and not the many other sights and splendors that surrounded us. So really my only priority was where we ate and drank and I had always been good at vocalizing these desires to her. Otherwise, I was more than happy to see the sights she felt were most important.

"It can't be all about food and drink."

"It can't?"

"That just doesn't make sense to me."

"We're just different people with different priorities. You shouldn't trouble yourself so much about it. You won't find me doing things that I don't want to do." (Other than being on this trip with you, you crazy chic.)

The funny part was that I could tell, over the course of living and being with this person for a little over a week, that she and I could have been great friends for hanging out and just being regular friends. However, we were not built to travel and live together. Such things can sometimes be a difficult thing to gauge before the situation is at hand. You have to make sure you are with the right type of person for trips such as these, or risk spoiling the bulk of the experience. I had not taken the time and care necessary to make this selection.

My trip to Italy, to be sure, was really amazing. I saw artwork and scenery that was simply breathtaking. I went on nature hikes and met locals and tasted foods that were so incredibly delicious. However, it would have been a much more pleasurable trip and my experiences would have been more enjoyable if I had been travelling with someone else. I would say, however, that the fact that I was still able to eek out a good overall experience is simply a testament to the splendidness that is Italy.

Euro -J

I had attempted to post this through an outside program, but it - for whatever reason - did not seem to actually appear after it reflected completion. In any event, this is simply a post to notify you all that I am indeed back. I have even posted pictures into an online account for your viewing pleasure, but I have not been able to isolate the private photos from the public ones, as of yet. So, even though it pains me, you will have to wait to see more until I have had more time to organize.

The Swing of Things

Everything within me is a bit of a tangled mess, at present. I have much to write, but all of it winds up elsewhere, as I feel that most of my thoughts and expressions are simply not presently suitable for this forum. So I end up with much written but this is poorly reflected here. As such, I've been searching my brain trying to find a way out of this mess, and trying to think of a new direction I can take with my writing here.

Part of me wishes this blog was political because then I truly would not be wanting for writing material. What with a Congressman caught in a homosexual sex scandal, the war in Iraq being linked to increased levels of terrorist threats, George Bush being George Bush, McCain flip flopping like a champ, the Democrats not able to find a single coherent candidate, a new Bill that is to become law that allows my government to wiretap my phone and read all of my emails if they don't like me one week, and the Bill that allows Bush to interpret the Geneva Conventions. I think I could write for days, and that was just within the past two weeks. However, I leave such things to the far more capable hands of people like Thomas.

My best friend has complained that she would like to see more of my daily events and happenings on my blog. I tend not to put so much of that on here, though, because I don't know how many people I want to have access to this information. It's fine if only my friends read this blog, but I have people I've never even talked to reading this thing. Somehow it just feels ... inappropriate. However, perhaps a little taste of this will do for now. I'm open to other topic ideas, should any of you (the collective masses) have any.

I had a girl ask me to help her cheat last night. I'm not sure if it would actually be considered cheating, but it definitely walked the line. She wanted me to do all the research for a paper that she is writing. See, this is a very good reason to be dumber than your friends, no one will ever ask you to do their work for them. For example, I would never ask George Bush to interpret ... but I digress.

I still haven't packed for my trip. To be honest, until Monday, I wasn't even really excited about my trip. However, I chose Monday as the day to sit down and prepare my eating itinerary, or at least map out all the places I wanted to eat at while in the various Italian cities I'll be touring. It was during this planning phase, as I read about the various delicacies I would be experiencing that I became quite excited. For me, most of traveling comes down to company and food. Scenery is nice, of course. However, as Mark Twain once said, "Go to heaven for the climate, but to hell for the company." (This could lead to a discussion of the religious happenings in my life, but won't.)

I always forget how much I love baseball games until I go to them again. I went to one on Sunday with my little brother. We had such an awesome time. Baseball cheerleaders are fantastic because they actually look like women you could really date. In fact, they look an awful lot like one of my ex-girlfriends, but that's an entirely different story. However, cheerleaders alone are not my reason for loving baseball. You just get an entirely different fan base at baseball games, usually, and most of the people are so cool. I have to say, though, that there aren't as many hot women that attend Florida Marlins (baseball) games as attend Florida Panthers (hockey) games. I could make my blog all about baseball, but I think such a task would be best left to the writing talents of Jill and Rachel.