Month: June 2006

I got back from my whirlwind vacation and realized I needed a vacation to recover from my vacation. I was just joking but the Universe heard my joking request and granted it – I’ve been sick since Monday and have been at home resting and recuperating since Wednesday. Of all things to have, I have a cold that is really funky. When I went to the doctor Thursday I had a fever of 101.2 degrees. It is seldom that I get sick but this week I have been very not-well. I called a friend in Atlanta and she didn’t even recognize me because my voice is so raspy/hoarse.

Being in the house for three days (four including today) straight with minimal interaction with others has made me realize one thing – I’m lonely. I don’t have anyone here who can easily come over and sit with me for a minute to provide me with much needed company. That’s not a good spot for me to be in and I don’t like it. I think I need to get out and meet some people so that I have FRIENDS. Universe, could you send me some friends as well? Real friends of course.

Today is my last day in Rome. I leave for London tomorrow and head to New York Thursday. This has been a loooooooong-A vacation because of the language barrier. I’m tired and petulant and ready to settle down. I may need a vacation after this vacation.

Despite my general crotchety-ness at the moment, there are a few people who have made my vacation pleasant because of their kindness. I’ll take a moment right here and right now to give them a shout-out (I don’t call names). The guy working the desk at 1am and 5am in the morning in Alghero. He was so sweet and prepared a little breakfast to go for me. We talked about wrestling and I will see if I can rustle up an autographed photo of a wrestler to send to him. Then there is the woman who works at (or owns) the pizzeria that I have tried to go to each day. She knows that I don’t speak English and was very patient with me as I tried to decide what pizza I would eat (it always ended up being the same except today). Then my trip wouldn’t have been sunny without my “hell-of-a-tourguide”. He was like a ray of sunshine during the time that we hung out because he spoke English also and could translate those words that I had no idea about. I also received sociological explanations which really went a long way towards helping me understand the city (and country) I was walking around in. These are the people who stood out as making my vacation just a little easier. To them I would like to wish a heartfelt mille grazie.

I have had the most fantasmaglorific (new word that I made up feel free to use it) weekend. I had a scooter/motorbike tour of Rome that was out of this world. We zipped by everybody in their cars and were all over town in minutes. I then realized that my lackadaisical self had seen nothing thus far. The next day, we went to an incredible artist’s commune situated on the top of a mountain with incredible views overlooking the valley below. Trees for days and a gurgling river that ran below completed the tranquil setting. And after that, a wonderful dinner and conversation. What more could a tired, intrepid traveler ask for?

Thank you, “One Hell of a Tourguide”!

I’ve hit the brick wall. I just don’t feel like doing much now. I have awesome hair though so I’m going to push myself out there to go places and do things – with awesome hair. The sun is shining and Rome is out in force to enjoy it.

It is official, I am the queen of the old men. Men old enough to be my father or my old father just love me. There was an older man pacing outside the restaurant where I was eating yesterday. I saw him on the street before I went into the restaurant and could see him outside the window as I ate. Then today when I was walking along the same street, he saw me again and approached me from behind (where did he come from?). I let him know that I didn’t speak Italian and he asked me a question in Italian that I was able to answer. He then wanted me to come with him to his apartment where he had an English-Italian book. Uh, nahh, thanks for asking. I continued on my merry way and a guy asked what time it was, I told him I didn’t speak Italian and he switched to English, took my hand and walked me to my destination (fortunately it was only one block away). I’m girlfriend to so many men that I don’t want. Where is my man mojo when I need it? I guess I should be grateful that I’m not completely ignored.

Oh well, I must go so that the young(er) men in Rome can see and admire my fresh new hairstyle…

Is who I feel like as I schlep around Rome. It’s raining! Who turned the sun off and made the rain start falling?

It’s a good thing that I prudently decided to get an early start this morning. I was at The Vatican in line for the museums and the Sistine Chapel at 07h05 this morning. That was an experience in itself. There is no one there policing the line and it is raggedy as hell. I had two women break in front of me then try to make their way ahead of the people who were ahead of me. I had my eye on them and later found out that the other people had their eyes on them as well. We got in before them and I’ll leave it at that. By the time 08h45 arrived, there were even more people trying to make their instant way to the front of the line. Needless to say, I didn’t walk into the Vatican feeling full of religious piety or anything near that.

The Vatican is awesome as a study of art and opulent buildings goes. There were gilt edged decorations everywhere I looked. Whether it was on the wall, on a painting frame or just because, take my word it was everywhere. The paintings were spectacular. I can’t really expound on the mastery of the painters because I never took an art appreciation class (or I did and forgot). However the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is absolutely impressive.

By the time I was finished with the tour and was ready to go, my back and feet were screaming at me in Italian and a few other languages. I had to go back to the apartment and take a siesta. Unfortunately it lasted three hours.

I mentioned that it was raining here but I also must mention that it is cold as not-Rome here as well. I went to the public gardens near Villa Medici yesterday and was sooooo cold. On my way back to the apartment, I met a guy at a café or bar or something who invited me back for a café later that day. Did he say free? You bet I was there. It could have been a free dead worm and I probably would have taken that as well. Anyway, for those of you who have read my profile, you may know that I put out there that I would love to marry a European man and have a little farm in Italy with little bambini. Well, I got part of that wish yesterday. My free café friend wanted to marry me. He also wants to take me to meet his parents (he may be a little serious you think?) tonight. However he wants to move to the US and open a pizzeria that we will work in together. He obviously doesn’t know about my aversion to cooking…

Don’t fall! I was having an awful time lugging the 15 tons of “essentials that I just couldn’t live without” around the central train station in Rome. I was following signs left and right that all seemed to say Metro. I finally was on the right track however, there was a set of steps that I and my luggage had to go down. I’ve schlepped my luggage around Paris before so no problem right? Wrong! I had on slippery shoes walking down slippery steps with a carry-on bag and a 26″ suitcase. I was a free laugh waiting to happen. I slipped and fell, then I even managed to slip a few more steps after my butt landed. It was sooooo pretty for all to see. Fortunately I had on pants instead of the dress that I was traveling in when I flew into Alghero. There was a kind older gentleman who offered his hand to help me up and even carried my luggage the rest of the way down. Weirdly enough, there was a woman with a baby begging for money that I had just passed. As many have warned me, I declined. I wonder if she had some kind of vindictive mojo?

Oh, well. Rome is busy, full of smokers and their smoke, sunny as hell, passionate (about everything it seems, there is always the potential for an argument). I have as yet to take any tours. I have seven days here so I will ease into the rush. I’ll tour something today and this weekend and next week. Speaking of tours, I didn’t take the boat tour. The wind never stopped whipping it up in order for them to set sail. That means I must go back to Alghero at a later date to take the tour.

PS: I will be fine as hell when I return because I am walking my and someone else’s ass off. Hopefully I’ll walk theirs off first so that I can still have some of mine left. How cheeky of me…