la vida es un momento

If this was how it was then this was how it was. But there was no law that made him say he liked it. I did not know that I could ever feel what I have felt, he thought. Nor that this could happen to me. I would like to have it for my whole life. You will, the other part of him said. You will. You have it now and that is all your whole life is; now. There is nothing else than now. There is neither yesterday, certainly, nor is there any tomorrow. How old must you be before you know that? There is only now, and if now is only two days, then two days is your life and everything in it will be in proportion. This is how you live a life in two days. And if you stop complaining and asking for what you never will get, you will have a good life. A good life is not measured by any biblical span.

--Ernest Hemingway, For Whom The Bell Tolls

¿honduras?

La respuesta: Pienso que sí.

After 2 months back in Portland, I decided it's time to go again. I've always had stability in my life so sometimes I seek instability. An adventure, a journey before I settle into a "career." In the last 2 days I've turned down a job and bought a plane ticket.

And I'm going to Honduras. A place called San Marcos de Ocotepeque.

Adiós muchachos.

amtrak cascades

One of the most beautiful train journeys I've had to date. From Bellingham, Washington to Portland, Oregon over snowy tracks, across frigid waters, and alongside towering mountains. Definitely the most beautiful I've ever had in the United States.

It was my first.

Icy wind blows snow dust soft as down, fluffily floating over dark waters. Chalk soot and pale sapphire stand frozen in complicated patterns of cracks and lines, spider webbing across the water. Rocks cold as ice dance back and forth across sandy patches. Frosty spikes of timber poke heads above the charcoal waters, capped by a white hat of snow.

The delicate moon still hangs as daylight creeps over the water. Freezing blue meets the morning sun on the horizon still darkened by black hills. Clouds float pink above dark waters. White peaks cut baby blue skies across a bay. First sunlight beams a pathway across the water blinding your cold face, guiding you straight to the center.

Sun tops the trees. One dash of bright green amongst white pines and brown bark. Snowfields run endlessly flanked by red timber. Struggling stalks poke through arctic tundra, kissing the cold air, wishing for spring.

The continuous purr of the steel against steel is often broken by the howl of the train’s whistle. Which is better, the journey or the destination? In the company of quiet strangers all facing forward, all thinking their own thoughts, all the staring outside, all lost in the music, the movie, the silence.

Small towns. RVs, SUVs, and auto shops. Train cars, taverns, warehouses. Fast food, icy hills, overpasses. Smoke stacks and brick buildings. Christmas cookies reflected in the condensation saturated windows. The red light flashes as the train idles across roads. Cars stop. Exhaust exhales into brisk air, coughing forth from cars.

And then my thoughts were disrupted. We hit a car.

We had to change trains in Seattle; 6.5 hours became 9. And where did the heat go during the last 2 hours?

Maybe it'll be my last.

no method to the madness

I added a few new pictures added to my Flickr account... but all of them are from last January in Siracusa and La Valle dei Templi in Agrigento. Enjoy.

ritorno in italia

Tomorrow Ashly and I head back to Italia from Bucharest, Romania. The whole trip has been amazing but we are tired, and I am really excited to return to Italia... where things are a bit more familiar and I can speak the language.

But so, so much has happened since I last wrote anything. We traveled north through Pamukkale... one of the most amazing surreal natural wonders I've ever seen but was may be trumped by what we saw just a short while later. Then we stopped over in Selçuk to see the amazing Greek ruins at Efes/Ephesus.

After that was Istanbul. Cailan met us there and we had good times drinking in carpet shops with the owners and then going out to some hookah bars. Then came Kapadokya... pictures will have to come when I get home... hopefully. A fairy-tale land where ancient civilizations built houses into the strange rock formations and complete underground cities functioned on a level par to Fraggle Rock. Spectacular.

Back to Istanbul. Bought some stuff at the Grand Bazaar that we scoped out a few days prior and then off to Romania. All of the aforementioned included at least 4 night buses... maybe more and I'm just blacking them out because the rides were so rough.

Now we just spent a few days in the Carpathian Mountains and Transylvania... although it's doubtful if the real Dracula (Vlad The Impaler) even visited some of those parts. We stayed a bit in Braşov and are now back in the capital.

And now back to Italia... non vedo l'ora.

flying

Went paragliding over Ölüdeniz today and then stumbled through the ghost town of Kayaköy. Amazing.

long travels deserve relaxing days

Don't try traveling overland to Greece from Croatia... it's loooong.

We went from Sarajevo to Belgrade, Serbia. That was overnight train #1. We arrived around 6 AM and spend all day in the city. Shopping, reading, eating, sleeping in the park, wandering, eating popcorn from street vendors. I was kinda of sick from something bad I ate in Sarajevo two days before. But we did buy an amazing amount of groceries with our remaining Serbian dinars for something around the price of 9€. It was just as many groceries as I normally bought in Italia for around 30€.

Overnight train #2 turned into all day train. We arrived in Skopje, Macedonia about 3 hours late... so instead of arriving in Thessaloniki at 1 in the afternoon, we arrived around 5 and also lost an hour due to the time change. Next, 5 hour train to Athens. Thankfully that one was only about a half hour late. Get into our room after midnight and find Gabe passed out.

The next few days the wandered the city and saw the sites. Too many tourists and a stifling hot city. The Acropolis was ridiculously crowded and I was still feeling sick from something I ate a few days before. Thought I was gonna puke on masses of tourists/ancient ruins. Made it out without doing that one. I dunno which would have been better in retrospect.

Finally the 3 of us got away on an overnight ferry to Santorini. Now it has been nothing but beaches and cruising around the island on 4-wheelers. The caldera is amazingly beautiful and last night we did what everyone told us we had to do... watch the sunset for Oia (Ia). I thought it was overrated and would've been happier all the way on the other side of the island without the masses of people clambering for the best view. Otherwise I took in a lot of sun, snorkeled and saw some cool fish, and ate some amazing foods... and drank a lot of Mythos.

Gabe left this morning. Now Ashly and I are onto Crete this evening and soon across the water to Asia... well actually just Turkey but technically everything on the east side of the Bosphorus in Istanbul is Asia.

bosnia

Ashly and I Just spent a few days in Croatia on the island of Korčula. Swam in the Adriatic, ate seafood, and rented a scooter to tour around the island. We found a nice sandy beach where we spent the day in the sun.

To get back to the mainland we had to take a passenger ferry to another Croatian island. Then a bus to the other side of the island. Then a car ferry to mainland Croatia. Then we caught the train from Ploče to Mostar in Bosnia and Hercegovina. It was virtually destroyed during the 90's but the old town center has been totally restored and is full of stone streets with inlaid designs and bars, restaurants and cafes. But there are still remains of buildings all over Bosnia that just stand empty with trees growing on the inside and signs telling you to stay away as they are off limits because they could still be structurally unsound.

Early this morning we rode into Sarajevo taking the train, which climbed the mountains making U-shaped turns while winding upward above the valley below. The same is true of buildings in Sarajevo. Food is great but I don't think I could eat like this forever. Been eating ćevapi (little grilled sausages sometimes served in a pita-type bread with onions and you can get it filled with a creamy white cheese too) just about every day. Basically, if you're a vegetarian, you're hard pressed for options in Bosnia... and vegans, they're screwed.

on the move

So it's been quite a while since I've written. Here's what's happened.

Ashly showed up and we saw Radiohead in Milano. The next day we went to Switzerland to visit my friend Antoine. From there Cailan met us and we went to an immense German music festival featuring Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Sigur Ròs, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Elbow, and a billion other bands. This happened in the hot sun surrounding by a war zone of beer cans. Seriously, it was like a refugee camp by the time we left on Monday morning.

Back to Switzerland and then a good rest in Salò. Ashly met some people around the school and town. The family I'd been tutoring for had us over for swimming and a barbeque. We did a bit around the area, laid out by the lake, rode the boat up the lake and hiked around Monte Baldo. Next was Padova and Venezia for a few days... which was way too touristy.

Now it's been Slovenia for a nice little while. Quiet and green, something like 57% of the country is covered in forest. Lake Bled, hiking in the mountains around Kranjska Gora and the Vršič Pass. Been staying with a Slovene who showed me an amazing time. Just a random friend who Kyle and Dwight met in Thailand... but that worked pretty great here.

Tomorrow we go rafting in the Soča Valley and a bit more hiking. Then off to Croatia early Monday morning. There's so much more to say and write... we'll see if I ever get around to it.

big ideas, don't get any

Big things start today. First Milano, then Ashly and off to Switzerland.

Andiamo.

sardegna

The remainder of my trip in Sardegna was spectacular. The country is beautiful and has truly it's own culture, outside of Italian culture yet still a part of the nation... that's what these island nations are like though.

We spent a few days with one of Kris's students and her family. Bruna, Giuseppe and piccolo Pierpaolo showed us Sardegna's most amazing beach, Stintino, Giuseppe's hometown of Bosa, and above all else, AMAZING Sardinian food. Pizza of ridiculous proportions, a lunch of seafood that prolly could've filled a cubic mile of seawater accompanied by Sarda beer Ichnusa, mirto, and so much vino. Delicious. So much food it was stunning.

By far my favorite food from Sardegna is the flatbread, pane carasua, originally created to last for weeks so shepherds could take it into the fields and mountains without having to worry about it spoiling. But the ultimate way to eat it is as pane guttiau, where it is sprinkled with salt and olive oil and then warmed in the oven or over a grill. Who knew stale bread could be so simply amazing!!!

On Monday, the three of us took a day trip to Bonifacio in Corsica... France. It's a small, beautiful town perched on the cliffs above the Mediterranean looking out towards Sardegna. I ate the most amazing crêpe of my life from a tiny vendor and we marched all over the town and it's medieval walls.

We watched a few matches of EuroCup, drank wine, beer, coffee, and liquore in the piazzas and cafés, ate well, lived well. Sassari is a very authentic city with a unique Sardo culture and identity. Mi mancherà la Sardegna.

la vita sarda

I made it to Sassari, found Nick and Kris, and we've been having an amazing time drinking vino (Buio Buio and Cannonau), mirto (a typical Sardo liquor/digestive made from myrtle) and most of all eating delicious, strange foods. On Thursday night we ate pizza al metro (pizza by the meter). Six of us ordered a quarter meter of the pizza we wanted and they brought out a long pizza on a huge board with three of our selections. We had things like salmon and cream, different types of mushrooms, spicy sausage, peppers and onions... and so many other kinds. We chowed down and then a few more meters emerged with our last three choices. Liters of beer accompanied as well as the Sardo equivalent of moonshine... filu 'e ferru. The name basically means an iron rod because long ago the alcohol was buried, hidden underground with a piece of iron sticking out to show where it was hidden.

Last night's appetizers at L'Assassino (The Assassin) included snails in a tomato sauce, small octopi in a spicy sauce, and beef tripe in a tomato sauce. All were amazing. My pasta was a large gnocchi-type pasta filled with potatoes, cheese, and mint all in a tomato sauce. After came pig with roasted potatoes and a doughy desert filled with sweet cheese and covered in sugar.

We also spent the afternoon in Castelsardo (named for the castle that towers above everything else) where we wandered around the town, which is perched on the cliffs above the ocean and practically surrounded by water on three sides. We then hiked down some trails below town and picnicked on prosciutto, cheeses, bread and salami. The rest of the afternoon was spent sampling some locally-made sweet vino and mirto in a wine shop, beers in a cafe, a nap on the beach, and a Magnum bar, classico.

Tomorrow we'll tour some more of the island with some friends of Nick and Kris and Monday we're gonna take a day trip to Corsica. La vita sarda è veramente bella.

mamma mia!

Bright and early tomorrow morning Ryanair whisks me off in luxury and class to Alghero. From there I go to Sassari to visit Nick and Kris where we'll romp chaotically through the wonders of Sardegna. I hope my flight goes smoother than little Kevin's.

mi mancano 4 giorni

EuroCup begins on 7 June 2008. Forza Italia.

school's out for summer

I went to dinner last night with a small group of teachers from Battisti. We ate at the pizzeria of Amalia's cousin, outside along the lungolago of Manerba. It was a great time and gave me a chance to reflect on my experiences here in Salò. And for all the times I've been annoyed with high school students or frustrated with general Italian disorganization, I've really had a wonderful time here and wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

We talked about politics, Italian and American, traveling, the ridiculous cost of concert tickets, Oregon, school, books, Italian culture and history, my future, and of course the bureaucracy of la vita italiana, and what this means for the state-mandated final exams next week, something that neither I nor Nicoletta understood nor did we care to. Amalia gave me a shirt and an interesting book to read. Here I am with Ilario and Nicoletta.

My time here has been vastly different than my experiences studying abroad. I have learned so much more about the language and culture this time around. There were no guided tours. No Italian lessons. And no one was watching over me and holding my hand. I prefer it this way. Of course, it helps living with two Italians and spending all of your time with locals, all of whom have been very friendly and helpful whenever I've needed anything. I've had to figure out a lot on my own but nothing has been too difficult or overwhelming.

Tomorrow is my last day and I am absolutely ready to finish my teaching stint, but I will also miss it as well.

I've learned:

• Teaching is not my future profession, especially not high schoolers. But the thing I most enjoyed about teaching was being able to work one-on-one or in small groups with students who were really motivated and cared about learning and speaking English. Helping several students prepare for a specialized English exam earlier this year was very rewarding.

• Italian high school is extremely different from American. Part of it is cultural, and part is the educational system. Culturally, life is more relaxed, and things just seem to move at a slower pace. Thus, school life is more casual. Students go to the bathroom more frequently than imaginable or are late to class with no real reprimanding. Teachers are late. Students are more disrespectful. Teachers seem to yell more, but that's because classes are often rowdy. In fact, the discipline system is virtually non-existent as far as I can tell. Warnings and threats of punishment often fly but are never enforced. There's always a sense of general disorganization present.

• Italia has problems. Societal, governmental, financial... but that's not so different than any other modern nation. Still, it is a country that tends to live upon it's past reputation without planning or making changes for the future. And a lot of the world views Italia as a tourist attraction, vacation destination, or culinary heaven. But it is also changing culturally with an influx of immigrants from the Eastern Europe and Africa.

• Italians are generally very friendly, helpful people. They will welcome you into their social culture. Family is important, so are friends. There's often a strong sense of community and traditional Italian culture shines through these relationships, which often involve food and drink as well. They love to talk, hopefully while drinking a caffè or an aperitivo at the bar.

I came back to Italia so I could speak and learn more of the language I studied for several years and minored in at university. So I could experience another culture in a way that I wasn't able to when I studied abroad. Although, I must admit that having some advance knowledge and experience in Italia did facilitate my adjustment, making it quite smooth.

It is interesting to learn a language like Italian, which is literally only spoken and used within the borders of this country. Thus, any Italian musicians, artists, writers, athletes, journalists, etc. are well-known by virtually the entire nation.

It's amazing when an entire nation knows a traditional song from 50 or a 100 years ago and can sing along with it word-for-word. The sense of culture is very strong, whether it's Italian, (although my roommates say the only time Italia is truly united as a nation is when the national team is playing) or a strong sense of pride in where you come from, whether that be region, province, city, or even neighborhood.

I know I will never be able to speak like a native, with the myriad of dialects, accents, and cultural idiosyncrasies that I may never understand. But I am proud of my current ability. I accomplished what I set out to do: be able to communicate in my everyday life without worry or hesitation. I'm able to have conversations and understand everything that's going on around me.

Just don't make me ask some old nonno who speaks in a raspy dialect for directions.

indiana jones e il regno del teschio di cristallo

I am so damn excited for this!!! It comes out Friday here and I'm going.
I've been prepping myself with a marathon of the originals. The only thing I'm wary about is Indy's new sidekick, Henry "Mutt" Williams, a motorcycle-riding greaser.

No arrogant, wise-crack quipping smart ass could ever take the place of my dear, precious Short Round. There will always be a special place in my heart for that little rascal.

Just a few more days now.

colazione americana

This morning I made my roommates a true American breakfast... well it wasn't quite eggs, hashbrowns, and piles of sausage links with crispy bacon. I thought I'd ease them in a bit, because I wasn't even sure how maple syrup would be received.

We made pancakes (from the mix Ashly sent me for my birthday) topped with Mrs. Butterworth's. We also had a fruit salad with fresh strawberries, bananas, and kiwi to eat on the side or on top. Still the closest thing they'd ever had before was a crêpe.

They really enjoyed it and like the marionberry jam my parents brought from Oregon. We determined that there is no word for marionberry in Italian but that it's not too different from a mora, which would be something like our wild blackberry. Adesso sono bello pieno.

il grande viaggio dell'europa del sud-est

I just realized yesterday that school is finished in 2 short weeks. I can't believe it. The time has flown by. But lately I've been spending countless hours planning my immense and intense summer vacation through South Eastern Europe. Click on the map to follow our route.

I am unbelievably excited for the beautiful places I will see... more than any city, church, mosque, monument, museum, ruin, statue, or archaeological site, I am thrilled for the amazing beauty of the places I will be experiencing. Oh yeah, and of course the local food, wine and beer as well. I have big plans for activities outdoors in the mountains and rivers or on the beaches and in the ocean. I will let you in on the adventures once they happen.

But before I get ahead of myself, I have a spectacular 10 days planned in Sardegna with Nick and Kris in the beginning of June. Andiamo ragazzi!!!

la settimana dei miei

My parents were just here in Italia, and we packed in a good week of food, travel, and visiting friends, which also normally involved eating.

They arrived last Monday evening in Salò where I got them settled into an apartment I rented just off the lungolago. On Tuesday morning they came to school, met some of the teachers and one of my classes. We spent the afternoon around the lake in Salò and ate dinner at a nice, traditional trattoria, which turned out to be owned by the father of one of my students. They served us huge portions of Garda cuisine, local vino, and an extra focaccia on the house.

Wednesday we toured Verona, spending our time lounging in piazzas eating well and drinking aperitivi in between the sites. On the way home we stopped in San Felice to eat paninis along the Garda lakeside.

Thursday was il Vittoriale the house and garden of Garda's poet, war hero, writer, and eccentric personage Gabriele d'Annunzio. Needless to say, he was crazy and his home and lifestyle keep this legacy intact. From the reconstructed boat in the garden to the thousands of religious trinkets from all over the world inside to his "personalization" or manipulation of famous pieces of artwork... it was an odd experience. We ate a picnic in Gardone Riviera and spent the rest of the day by the lake in Gargnano with dinner by the lake in Salò.

Friday we headed to Parma, wandered town and my friend Johnny took us to Tri Siochett, an authentic restaurant outside of town in the middle of nowhere. He proceeded to get lost for about a half hour while we crossed the same bridge about 4 times.

When we arrived, we ate way too much delicious Parmigiano food from prosciutto di Parma and other varieties of salami and ham, to pastas filled with creamy, buttery herbs and cheeses, to horse steaks and eggplant parmigiano and numerous preparations of beef... the food was so amazing that it was oppressive because there was simply just too much.


Johnny and I went out after dropping my parents at the hotel, and we couldn't even finish a drink because we were so full. But the bravi Sardi (Marco e Marco) made us stick around. Around 3 AM or so when we thought we were just dropping them off, they literally drug Johnny out of the car and pushed us inside feeding us bright pinkish-red cured fish eggs (basically the entire feminine organ) on flatbread with olive oil and pepper. Interesting but good. And after busting out the vino and guitar, it looked like this at 6 AM as we stumbled down the street to Johnny's apartment.

Saturday night my parents and I returned to Salò, and the family whose kids I have been tutoring had us over for dinner. We ate with Virginia, Alberto and the kids Alessio, Matteo, and Gioia, and my dad finally got his sample of grappa.


Sunday was our amazing drive in the hills above Lago di Garda with the absolutely beautiful and untouched Val Valvestino and its lake and the following lakes and small villages around Lago d'Idro and Lago di Ledro.


In Idro we found the most amazing market I've ever seen. The kind that offers all-you-can-eat free samples of fresh baked bread from focaccia with cherry tomatoes or rosemary to fruit filled croissants and other local breads and sweet cakes. The market was in conjunction with the local elementary school, and the kids were there learning how to make bread. A woman told me this was the first time they'd ever done it, and she hoped that this initial experiment would lead to a weekly or monthly market. I'd definitely return just for the bread samples, who cares about the ridiculously gorgeous lake and scenery around. It was like Costco times a billion.


After entering Trentino-Alto Adige in the north and eating paninis, we eventually came down from the hills through a series of extremely long tunnels and followed the lakeside road to Limone sul Garda. We strolled the lungolago while navigating between the masses of German tourists (just like all over Lago di Garda).

And last night a large table of friends and dinner awaited us in the hills above Gardone Riviera overlooking the lights of Garda. After a walk by the lake today, my parents left this afternoon for Amsterdam before catching their flight back to PDX tomorrow.

I ate way too much and I am exhausted just thinking about it. It feels like I ate more this last week than I have in my entire duration here in Italia... and that includes studying abroad 3 years ago.

I'm fasting until Sardegna. Or performing some other kind of miracle.

sono britney, stronza

Summer is finally here with gorgeous weather, hot temperatures, and time in the sun by the lake. My parents arrive tomorrow. And you know, just when I thought things were goin' great in Italia... this happened:

feste, ferie, e ponte

The good ole' holiday season is finally coming to a close here in Italia. After a few days off for elections in mid-April and the Festa della liberazione last week on April 25th (celebrating Italia's liberation from German occupation and fascism in 1945 during WWII), we now have today's Festa dei lavoratori (Labor Day).

We celebrated last night with a huge dinner at our house for friends and by drinking copious amounts of vino and of course party poppers from my birthday package that FINALLY arrived... thanks Ash. Lorella's sister and cousin from Milano surprised us in the middle of dinner.

Today the weather was abbastanza bello and we spent the afternoon by the lake in San Felice eating paninis and potato chips. Che belle feste.


I guess the vacation time isn't quite over for me though... seeing as my parents arrive on Monday, I'll be working another short week at school. Va bene, I'll make it up later.

zero zero sette

They've been filming the new James Bond movie just up the road from Salò for a while now. First Bond received a ticket for driving too fast and now his Aston Marton ended up in the Lago... completamente distrutto. BBC caught them retrieving it here.

Quantum of Solace also has scenes that take place in my other favorite place: Siena. Including a car chase and an underground fight in Siena's cisterns. Che bello.

le belle giornate

The last few days have been one amazing thing after another.

Over the weekend I went to Parma to visit an amico I met 3 years ago while studying in Macerata. We met at a Kaiser Chiefs concert in Rimini and this time we attempted to repeat that same casino. Met his bravi roomies, ate great food, drank good vino, and drank a lot of beer... also good, but as you may or may not know, good beer does not come from Italia so of course this beer was from Germany, Ireland and Belgium. Spent the weekend in giro per Parma and made some amazing new Sardo friends (from Sardegna).


After elongating my stay in Parma for an extra night, I returned to Salò where I promptly booked a ticket to Sardegna to see two of my favorite ragazzini, Nick and Kris, in the beginning of June.

Then I met a very nice German girl from München who is also living and working here as an au pair for an Italian family. We had an aperitivo together and she definitely got rid of the bad impression that last German girl left on my psyche.

Today, many of the students I've been working with individually took their specialized English exam. It's offered by a London-based company so a woman flew in from England to test them. They had to talk, completely in a casual, conversational manner, for anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes. All of them did well and some very, very well... abbastanza bene.

And after some time of weather has been proprio merda (kinda like Oregon often is at this time of year), we had a beautiful, sunny day with bright blue skies. But because the weather has been bad, there is a lot of snow in the mountains and even the hills on the gulf behind Salò.

So I went for a jog and a couple kilometers out I decided to stop by the lakeside to stretch. I tried to skip some rocks but the water was too turbulent and choppy today so that was a no go. Then I saw something about the size of a milk jug floating about 50 meters out — about the distance from the end touchline to midfield on a football pitch.

It took me about 35 or so throws but I nailed it. Che belle giornate.

Now, to top it off, I am on the way to the grocery store to buy my favorite crunchy, spicy grissini con peperoncini AND my birthday is this Saturday. Festeggiamo.

la cena veronese

Yesterday I went to Verona with a friend and got my own personalized tour from a few true Veronese. The city of Romeo e Giulietta is filled with churches, piazzas, gelaterias, Roman ruins, palazzi, bridges, castles, and Asian tourists. Everywhere you look there's medieval architecture and the winding Adige, which cuts the city in two.

It's a beautiful, quaint place, easily navigated on foot, constantly bustling with tourists and locals alike, with many of them taking their dog for a walk. Promenade walkways are worn from centuries of foot traffic. Today they are lined with shops with a nearly every window containing a bottle of wine regardless of the wares they sell. From souvenirs to Diesel Jeans to beauty products... maybe it's just because this week is Vinitaly the annual wine trade show and the largest in the world.

Giulietta's balcony is crowded with tourists and forgettable where Romeo's house is all but forgotten... or at least my Veronese friends told me that only the locals know where it is.

But real highlight yesterday was a visit with a friend who lives in the campagna or the countryside, five minutes outside of Verona's center. It's like a completely different world out there. Vineyards and parks full of trees and green vegetation cover the terrain. We went to la casa di Laura, a massive countryside villa surrounded by vineyards and farmland, where her family has lived for at least six generations. Complete with a beautiful garden and plenty of livestock. Fresh eggs from the chickens, milk and cheese from the sheep and goats, and rabbits for pasta sauce or stew. And horses, dogs and roosters romping freely around the property.

We ate dinner with the family where she served us risotto con radicchio rosso (which turned the rice purple) served in a fragile bowl made of crunchy Parmesan cheese followed by fish with potatoes and tomatoes accompanied by fancy white and rosa (pink) champagne. And of course there was an antipasto before and dolci after... che buon appetito.

Era una bella giornata... not to mention the bluest, clearest, warmest, most beautiful day of spring thus far.

foto

I've added a bunch of new pictures to Flickr, although most of them have nothing to do with my most recent travels.

But I promise to add more of the beautiful weather here in Salò. It snowed in the mountains over the last few days and now the panorama behind the city is amazing. The skies have also been clear and blue.


We celebrated Pasquetta (the day after Easter, which is basically another holiday here) with lunch at a pizzeria in the hills. When we arrived, it was snowing large, wet flakes. When we left, the weather was sunny and you could see all the way to the southern end of the lake and beyond.

video playlist

gattino, gattone

I live with a cat named Julia. She is fat and very talkative. She meows incessantly and loves attention. She sheds. A lot. While we're on the subject... click here.


There's another cat who lives outside my apartment. She loves it when you pet her. She'll come running after me every time I'm in the driveway. There are a lot of stray cats in Italia as well. Sometimes they rule parks and gardens in packs. Or even Roman ruins. Little black and gray and orange ones. They run the show now.

milano

I spent the day in Milano yesterday. Here's a run down of what happened.

I went to an upscale home design store in an trendy, old warehouse. Tables come from Japan, bedside tables are designed by Swedes, cabinets from China, on and on... One area was black and white. Every piece of furniture was white, or you guessed it, black! There was even a so-called museum of design within the store. All this means that a nice, yet very simple, table that appears to have been used for 40 years costs 500€. But I guess this is kind of like the fashion as well... 200€ some jeans with holes in them. Who's up for paying 180€ for a basic, standard-sized charcoal burning Weber grill?

But the best were the aprons featuring foreign flags. How about the American flag, a Union Jack, or the playful yellow, black and green of Jamaica? Or better yet, who's been searching for an apron with the Confederate flag on it? Yeah, no one I hope.

I did enjoy the build-you-own lamps by Kreaton... although they are just a rip off of Legos.

Next came an exhibit about gli Annisettanta (the 70's) at La Triennale di Milano. Quite interesting with the culture, art, music, violence, design, films, architecture, literature, video games, and more of the 70's in Italia and beyond.

And finally a good dinner at an osteria pugliese (food from Puglia) that lasted for hours and hours. The two most notable things I ate: salsiccia di cavallo (spiced horse sausage) and salame di cioccolato (disc-like slices of chocolate that contain crunchy, sweet bread and pistachios and look identical to salami... except it's brown). Buon appetito.

era grande

I did manage to catch The Mars Volta in Milano last night. Era veramente bellissimo. The show was absolutely amazing. I didn't take any pictures at the concert but I did see this outside of Centrale before catching my train.


It was a great night all around.

no such thing as PB & J

You'd be surprised at how many Italians have never tried peanut butter or burro d'arachide. It is not common in Italian cuisine and is definitely not found in every cupboard like it is in America. I have met people ranging from 16 to 46 who have never even tried it.

You can find it in some grocery stores where it costs upwards of 4€ for a small container of some off-brand that doesn't even exist in the states. Rest assured, I already initiated my roommates.


Their staple is absolutely Nutella, which you can find on toast and pizza and in paninis or gelato.

Don't worry, I've spread the word on peanut butter related combination like ants on a log or peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

But maybe the tides are changing because I did see burro d'arachide gelato in Salò's most popuar gelateria the other day.

finito

Well, I've been telling everyone that I graduated from the University of Oregon but I guess now it's official. They sent me my diploma. And I graduated Magna Cum Laude... which I had to look up on Wikipedia. Funny because I just had a conversation today with a guy that works at the school about people don't learn Latin anymore.

Another piece of paper that serves what purpose? I'm not discounting the experience or saying I didn't learn at college... I did both to a great extent. But the paper is so meaningless. Who is ever gonna want to see it?

in demand

I am now into my second week of chaotic, hectic teaching in an Italian high school. I don't know if we can really call it teaching yet since all the Italian ragazzi really want to know is:

What kind of music do I like? Do I know: Guns N'Roses, Metallica, System of a Down, Avril Lavigne, or AC/DC. Of course all of these names are extremely hard to understand when an Italian is pronouncing them. I told them I liked The Strokes and Bloc Party. They had no clue although one kid knew The Strokes.

Have you ever been to the O.C.? Are there really girls that look like Barbie in American high schools? What is your favorite sport? Do you like Italia and Italian food? Do you like Italian girls? How old are you? Do you have a girlfriend? Is she Italian or American? Have you ever met any famous people?

There are so many questions about high school life in the states... and really specific stuff that I'd never remember. Per esempio, how long are the breaks in between classes? And when I can't remember whether it was 5 or 10 or even 7 minutes, it's almost devastating to them.

But the most important question is about ballo fine d'anno. I tell them it's called prom. And they have no idea what that word means. Then I tell them that it is way over-exaggerated in the movies but that girls do buy a dress, guys do wear tuxes, and you can rent a limo. Dipende da voi.

To compound things, my tutor and the teacher I should be working closely with fell on the ice and hurt her leg/knee the day before I arrived. And she is housebound and cannot drive. To say the least... it has been interesting without her here.

Day one... no one had a clue who I was or what I was doing here. Oh, you're Amalia's assistant. Okay, come with me. Here is her class. Get to know the students and teach them right now.

Hi, I'm Chris. I'm from Portland, Oregon. Do you know where Oregon is? How old are you? What class is this? Explain to me how Italian high school functions? What do you study in this class? Do you speak English? Etc...

I have since met many extremely nice and helpful teachers and have a quasi schedule and some sort of organization, although everyday is almost like starting over again in a class full of new students who are amazed by the American who has come to Italia to teach in THEIR high school. And today, no one could comprehend that I was only 22 and had graduated from university and was already in Italia teaching them.

Also, since Amalia is not here, every other teacher is trying to lay their claim on me. I want him in my class to speak English and to talk with the students. Have a conversation. Ask them questions. As long as I speak in English. I want him to private tutor my kids. On and on and on.

It's been quite an experience thus far. And I'm also having an amazing time at my house too. I rent a room from an Italian woman, Lorella, who is a vigilessa (local police officer) and a 24-year-old designer, Cristian, who has worked in advertising before. Here we are (Chris, Cristian, Maria e Lorella) with Maria, a German girl who was visiting for the weekend and did my job (but teaching German obviously) and lived with Loretta and Cristian two years ago.

I've gone out to dinner with their friends, taken long walks along the Lungolago that runs all around Lago di Garda, and saw Paranoid Park... which was pretty cool to see Portland on the big screen and to let them see where I'm from... and the movie is great.

I've been pretty much flying without any direction or guidance but it seems like this is what you do it Italia. So I guess my life so far has been pretty normal. And although this might sound stressful, it has actually been quite relaxing as people live life at a much, much slower, leisurely pace in Italia.

salò nelle fote

Lago di Garda and the historic center of Salò.

And the view from my bathroom window...


I have yet to truly comprehend that this is where I live. Che bellissimo!

in salò

I am finally in Salò and it is beautiful here. Small and isolated but absolutely amazing and I think I am going to love my living situation here. I am exhausted and I will let everyone know what's happening especially after my first day of teaching tomorrow.

And I'll give everyone the low down on Karneval in Cologne... it was beyond ridiculous to say the least.

fine wines and long nights

I just finished a day in Montepulciano where I sampled some Rosso, Vino Nobile and Brunello as well as Vin Santo, Grappa and the rest of the works. It was quiet and sleepy like all of Italia in the off-season. But the weather was beautiful again.

I'm in for some long days of travel. Tonight/tomorrow I head to Milano then Brescia (which is the closest city of any size to Salò). Then I leave the next morning to celebrate Karneval in Cologne. And back a few days later to move in and start work. It will be nice to have a place to call home and not live my life out of a backpack.

But tonight, it's Juve v. Inter in the quarters for the Coppa Italia. FORZA LA JUVE!!!

did i mention the catacombs??

They're in Palermo... and creepy. Here are the wonderful virgins:

art in the city

Just like a million other places in Italy, San Gimignano is known for its well-preserved medieval center full of narrow, winding streets, authentic boutiques, enotecas, and of course art and architecture. 14 medieval towers rise from various buildings within the town’s walls and statues, wells, frescos, and other pieces of medieval and Renaissance art dot the small village.

But San Gimignano has something I’ve rarely seen in Italy, let alone in a tiny town of just over 7,000. There are quite a few modern art pieces tastefully placed throughout the city.

This piece by Luciano Fabro (L’Italia all’asta) hangs off the side of theinner courtyard at the Palazzo Comunale or town hall. Another huge installation of a steel beam and metal sphere balances on the remains of the fortress walls. And most amazingly, this one is actually on the façade of the Chiesa di Sant’Agostino.


Nowhere else in Italy have I seen a town so openly embrace modern art. And blend it so well and beautifully, and a little discretely, among the rest of the ancient city. I have never heard of suspending a modern art piece on the outside walls of a courtyard filled with ancient frescos.

There is also a small modern art museum filled with local artist (who I’ve never heard of) but I really enjoyed it. Apparently the town of San Gimignano had quite a legacy with a few of these artists which in turn attracted their artist friends creating a decent collection. And this paved the way for modern installations placed around the city in 1994.

After all that I helped celebrate Carnevale with the bambini.

siena

Probably my favorite place in the world. The weather is gorgeous. The facade of the Duomo is uncovered to reveal all its glory and splendor. I met up with some old Italian friends (one of which I'm staying with) and some new Americans in the study abroad program here. I'm showing a few around Siena to all my favorite places.

Charlie's Pizza. San Paolo. Chianti Classico. SOBS.

Everything amazing that exists here. I saw Silvia, my old site director, and her new baby girl. I bought some absolute necessities from the Kappa store... all of which were an amazing deal. And besides, I'm not paying for a room for like 4 nights so it's pretty much like those things bought themselves and just showed up in my hands.

And yes, I finally broke down and I know have a cell phone. Without which, much of the aforementioned meetings with old and new friends could not of happened. Country code 39 and number 339 466 5257. You figure out the rest from where ever you are.

I'm staying away from the Tavernello this time around but Il Campo is just as amazing as ever. I could spend another 4 to 20 months here. More favorite spots to visit... bars, cafès, restaurants, pizzerias, sites, buildings, monuments, people, vino.

And I even visited my old house... now inhabited by 4 girls in the program. The TV still gets CNN and BBC World (I hadn't heard English news in weeks) and of course MTV and AllMusic plus EuroSport and Daffy Duck cartoons. My old dictionary was on the shelf with the rest of the books. It still works.

simply stunning

Taormina is one of the most amazing places I have ever been in my life. The Greek theater here is the most spectacular single thing I have ever seen. It sits on a natural terrace above the sea. Looking west you see snow-covered Mt. Etna and the ocean. To the east is mainland Italia. And you're sitting right in the middle of an ancient Greek theater from the 3rd century BC.

In my opinion, it is more impressive than the Colosseum in Roma or just about anything else I've ever seen. The natural, dramatic background of glistening blue and green ocean, the even brighter blue sky, and the white snow of Europe's largest active volcano... it is just beyond words. I spent a couple hours just sitting in the theater and of course, the sky was cloudless and the sun so bright and directly in my face that it ruined just about every photo I took. Oh well, you really just have to see it for yourself.

Today I hiked up 5 km or so of hillside to view the valley and city from above. Sitting inside a ruined medieval castle in Castelmola I could see a panoramic view of everything in the area. The weather has been gorgeous and sunny, and it is off-season so I am practically alone in all of these stunning places. I sat up there and read for hours before hiking down.

I'm back to mainland Italia tomorrow, and I don't think I'm ready for any cold weather or rain. It is almost to surreal to think that it is the middle of winter, and today I wished that I had a pair of shorts.

street food

I ate some pretty weird food from street vendors today. I started with a panino filled what I was told was "salsiccia." But I'm pretty sure it was "pani cu'la mensa" or sautèed beef spleen with red onions, which were sprinkled with salt and doused in lemon juice.

Following that I tried some kind of potato and herb patty that was deep-fried and then put in a panino bun along with hot sauce, lettuce and other veggies. That was accompanied by a crappy Italian beer with a fake German name and inscription. FORST: Spezialbier-Brauerei. It came in a bottle the size of my head and with two tiny, Dixie-sized plastic glasses. I shared it with the non-sense babbling, occasionally yelling Palermitano grandpa who continually hung around the stand and smoked cigarettes. Each of these items costs me a staggering 1,50 €... and each was filling and delicious.

Speaking of Italian deleciaties, the wine bar served me appetizers last night that included common things like pizzettas (mini-pizzas), small prosciutto and cheese sandwiches, chips, peanuts and of course wurstel (really just a plain hot dog) in a roll. Italiano autentico.

And tomorrow I'll be surrounded by pink shirts and flags watching Palermo (most likely) soundly defeat Siena. It's okay though because Siena's team is terrible and facing relegation, just like they are every season. I'll be in the curva.

agrigento

Today I stumbled through even more impressive Greek ruins... huge temples, altars and ruins that rival the size of the Parthenon or others in Greece or Turkey. One of them was almost completely intact... utterly amazing. It's called La Valle dei Templi (The Valley of the Temples) but it actually rests on top of the hill large hill that looks out to the southern Mediterranean Sea. I stuck around until sunset so I could get some pictures of the temples atmospherically lit up at night.

Tomorrow I'm off Palermo and then back along the northern and eastern coasts of Sicilia before heading back to the mainland.

greek theaters and volcanos

Finally some visuals!!! Today I hiked around the Greek ruins of Siracusa and saw some amazing stuff. Besides the above theater, there was a massive quarry where they extracted their stones and in turn created some huge grottoes and catacombs where they held prisoners. One of them was so big it was surreal to think that they could've done that in the 5th century BC let alone today.

This is from the inside of the Orecchio di Dionigi (Dionysus's ear) where it went back around a corner into complete darkness.

Here's a link to a brief film of Stromboli erupting. It erupts every 20 to 30 minutes, sometimes quite large while other times the lava just trickles out over the edge of the crater. The big eruptions were preceded by a huge grumble from inside the mountain and then the lava shot into the air. This film really doesn't do it justice... you just gotta go there to experience it yourself.

I'm off to Noto tomorrow and then on to Agrigento before heading back up north to Palermo. More photos to come... eventually. Ciao a tutti!

what i did today...

Celebrated about this. But seriously, there's no way you could ever find American football in Italia. I was in Catania last night as they drew 1-1 with Juventus to my chagrin.

I'm now in Siracusa, Sicilia by the ocean and will check out the massive Greek ruins just minutes away. The weather is amazing as usual (although it did rain quite hard last night for pretty much the first time since I've been traveling). Ciao ragazzi.

where have i been?!?!?

After New Years and a few days in Roma, I traveled south to Atrani on the Amalfi coast. It actually just walking distance from the city of Amalfi, but it's smaller and quiter and less touristy... and amazing. A few days on the coast there and then I headed for Sicilia. Got on a train that headed south where the train got on a boat and went across the ocean and then the train got off and continued on across northern Sicilia.

I got off in Milazzo and got on a boat the next morning for the Aeolian Islands. I stayed in Lìpari, hiked down to the crater of a volcano on Vulcano, and saw another volcano on Stromboli spew lava in the pitch black darkness of the night sky... absolutely amazing and terrifying all at once... especially as you could hear it growl from inside the earth as it shot lava into the air.

Now I'm in Catania, back on mainland Sicilia, and will be here for another day before I head further south to Siracusa. Having a blast as the weather has been gorgeous the entire time... but I think it might rain for the first time tomorrow. Spero di no... ciao ragazzi. Ci sentiamo.