Italy Day 2

Day 2 in Italy. Still can't get the pictures where I want them, but we'll deal with it. This is Piazza Navona. Beautiful plaza where there are no cars!! So peaceful.

This is the outside of the Pantheon. Took tons of pictures inside and it simply isn't possible to get the feeling of how amazing the marble and the statues and paintings are. And it's a functioning church. Cool, huh?

The restaurant my brother Mike and I ate at in the Piazza Navona. (Mike's sitting at the center table with a cap on.) We returned here in the evening after visiting the Pantheon. During dinner, I suddenly realized, we're sitting in an outdoor restaurant, eating dinner together in Rome, Italy. Who'd'a thunk?

The Coliseum at night. Beautiful. We haven't toured it yet, but we plan to maybe Saturday.

Okay, so here's the day in a nutshell. My brother Mike's been in Rome since Sunday. Today was our day to meet up. I began my drive into Rome and got stuck in a horrendous traffic jam. 40 minutes going 0-10 kph AND you have to visualize Italian driving --- 3 lanes mean 5 cars fit side by side and motorcycles go between cars - both beside cars and in front of cars. If they can almost fit, they're there. So, after 40 minutes I turned around and returned to Capena. About an hour later I started off again figuring the traffic would be fixed. No problems getting into Rome, but it's unbelievably crowded and frustrating to drive in the city. I was stuck at a light with cars forcing their way in and became frustrated. I looked to my left and saw a lovely elderly lady probably in her 80's looking cool and collected in her little Smart car. I lifted my chin and thought, "If she can do it, so can I." I motored on and found a place to park. Literally cheered when I saw a little blue sign with a big P on it and an arrow. (Signs are few and far between in Italy.) I parked and suddenly realized I had no idea where I was. Started thinking...... "If I get on a bus, how will I ever get back here?" I sat down and cried for a minute, called Mike and told him Rome won, I couldn't do it. I was frustrated again. He said he'd call me back, checked the bus schedule, found a way to the Olympic Stadium (I walked around until I realized I was near there) and told me he'd come rescue me!!! Yea!!! I changed my attitude and enjoyed browsing around while waiting for him to find me. My hero!! We had originally planned to meet at around 9am and finally hooked up around 2pm.

The rest of the day was a blast! Mike walks fast and doesn't let any thing slow him down -- including my stopping to take pictures. He showed me some beautiful places. Words truly can't describe the churches and other areas. So much to see.... it's sort of like visual overload. Too much to take in. Mike had researched lots of things and was my guide through Rome. He knew the "back stories" of many places we saw. Too much to share, too many photos to post here.

So............... we found the car, had a blissfully uneventful drive back here to Capena, he's staying with me and we're off to find Cortona tomorrow.

All in all, a wonderful day, in spite of a rough beginning. Perserverance and a little attitude change work wonders. AND Mike got tickets to the ballet for us for Saturday night. Sounds fun, right?

Italy - Day 1

I've made it to Capena, Italy. I'm having a little trouble getting these pictures to be in the order and position that I want them, but I'll work it out. This first picture is the street on which I'm staying. It's a two way road! If an oncoming car comes, one simply stops and backs up until there's a "wide" spot in the road. I always pray that no one comes towards me.

This is the home right across the street from where I'm staying. I think it's most lovely and I love the flowers walking up the stairs.

This picture is of the front of the flat where I'm staying. The door on the lower left corner is my front door. The tiny "balcony" just above is also mine. I am sitting upstairs in my bedroom right now with the balcony door open and listening to the people walking down the street. Of course, they're speaking Italian - which is way cool.

I got in Rome about 8:45 this morning and, after wandering about the airport for awhile, I found my rental company, got my car, hooked up my patient GPS guide, Jack, and headed for Capena. Jack was very patient even though he kept having to recalculate after I missed an exit or turned the wrong way. The 45 minute drive only took me a little over a hour, which isn't too bad considering it's my first time driving here and all the signs are in Italian. heehee

I had no problem finding my flat, but couldn't find Pucci (the caretaker of the flat). A kind 20-something boy walked around with me for about 30 minutes trying to help me find an internet hub I could use to check my old emails for the name of the bar (cafe') that had an extra key. I, of course, couldn't remember the name of the bar I was supposed to go to. We never found one but, as he was leaving me he gave me my first Italian farewell - two gentle, almost-air kisses; one on each cheek. He left me with a "Caio! I hope you enjoy your stay here." I was touched by his willingness to help.

I finally met up with Pucci and she was very helpful getting me settled in. I have a need to "nest" when I travel, so I set up my computer in my upstairs room near the balcony window, opened the house up, put Josh Groban on the Ipod (he's about as European as I have), and unpacked. I walked around town most of the day getting my bearings (sort of).

After a trip to a local produce stand and a stop by a florist, 2 trips to the grocery store, and a second visit from Pucci so she could teach me how to turn on the stovetop............ this is what you get - dinner in Italy. Notice there's only half a slice of bread. I sliced the bread too early, I think, because I kept picking at it while I cooked dinner.

My brother Mike has been in Rome since Sunday. I'll drive to Rome in the morning and the plan so far is that we'll explore Rome tomorrow, then drive to my place and we'll stay here tomorrow night and head off north Thursday to explore some cities we've been reading up on.

It's only 7:30pm here, but I haven't slept since Sunday night -- well, unless you count that head jerking sleeping one does on a plane --and the jet lag is beginning to catch up with me, so I'm going to try and figure out how to work the shower and head off to bed. Until tomorrow..........

Company

Goodness, I'm excited. My brother Michael called me today to tell me he booked his ticket to Rome for this Saturday. He'll be in Rome 2 days before me and stay through next Sunday. I'm going to have company for part of my stay there. How cool is that?!

We had talked about it briefly this past weekend when he drove up here from Miami to be with Sam and me as we scattered my mom's ashes. He had already scheduled the week off for Thanksgiving and, though he originally had other plans, began considering joining me in Italy. It'll be fun to pal around with someone for a few days as we both experience Italy for the first time.

I'll be mobile

Yesterday, after much research and changing my mind, I bit the bullet and rented a car for my stay in Italy. I tried to fight it. I looked up train schedules, bus schedules, eurail passes, etc. After all, Italy abounds in public transportation. Other people master the system of schedules and seem to do quite well. However, I have learned that I'm not most people. As I contemplated my vacation, I was looking forward to experiencing a new culture and seeing the many historical sites afforded in this well-documented and beloved country. But, being a person who sees the fine print in life, I found myself wondering; "Do I have to carry my 2 rather large rolling duffles and my backpack onto the train? Will there be room for them? How do I fit them on the bus? Why do busses not run between 1 and 5? Why are all these schedules in Italian? Why does it cost 30 euros for a 20 minute taxi ride?" etc., etc. Every other aspect of my trip was bringing excitement and anticipation, but I was stressed about transportation. And, when one is on vacation, there should be no stress. Right? You know I'm right.

I was having dinner with Jesse and Krista the other night and mentioned that my favorite thing in England was driving. Turning the bends in the road and having my breath taken away by the beautiful scenery was a definite high point of my trip. I drove to Wales on winding back roads bordered by beautiful pastures and flowers. I had the freedom to meander through small, quaint towns that caught my eye as I motored along. I could stop and take pictures of the centuries old architecture or the private tulip gardens in front of people's homes. (Yes, I did take pictures.) With the my little English friend Gretel (oh, come on, I'm not the only one that names their GPS voice) giving me directions, I felt as though I could go anywhere and she'd always help me find my way home...... like the crumbs dropped by Hansel and Gretel as they ventured away from home. Thankfully, my fate was more favorable than theirs.

Having decided that I'd prefer to rent a car, I had to justify it financially because....... well, I don't know why, just because. I had originally thought it was cost prohibitive, but upon further research I realized the cost I had thought was a weekly charge, turned out to be for 2 weeks. I continued researching and found some deals that were much less than even that. So, I added up the train, bus, and taxi fares that I was sure I'd be paying, tacked on a 3 day eurail pass that I would like to take advantage of and... lo and behold!... it won't cost very much more to rent a car. Yea!! Now I have the freedom to drive to Cortona or get luxuriously lost on the white roads of Tuscany or drive up to Cinque Terre and hike the trail that will take me along the northwestern coast of Italy between 5 fishing villages. Hey, I'm an American. I'm spoiled. I like to come and go on a whim.

Finally, I feel only excitement and anticipation regarding my upcoming trip. My little Smart car and I will hit the roads of Italy and, together with a European GPS system, will be free to roam wherever we please. After all, I mastered driving in England, right? I made it down those narrow, winding roads without incident. Of course, people there spoke English. But, they drive on the left, so I am still capable of learning new skills. Italians drive on the right side of the road, like us. It all balances out, don't you think? (Are you enjoying being privy to my little pep talk?)

Chewing

One of my all-time favorite books on Christian Spirituality is Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I happened upon it about 6 years ago when I was beginning what I now know as my long journey in the desert. Throughout our lives, some people just seem to "get it" in a way similar to our own heartbeat. I've been told that if you put two violins next to each other and pluck a string on one, the same string on the other violin will vibrate. Music is a sound wave. Each string responds to its own wave, its note. We respond to people differently, I think, because God gave us each our note - our beat - our heart. It has little to do with rating one over the other. Some just reach our sound wave more naturally.

Anyway, Donald Miller must be on my sound wave because it seems as though he gets it. He gets me. My son informed me that Don would be speaking in Casselberry to promote is new book, so I drove over to hear what he had to say. I enjoyed the night and have lots to chew on over the next few days. One the back cover of Blue Like Jazz, Don wrote: "I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. .... I used to not like God because God doesn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened." How true is it that watching someone love something brings that "thing" up to a level of, at least curiosity, at best interest and desire? I was led to God by watching a couple love God. Not by their words or sermons, but by their lives. I wanted to know about that life.....about what made it special..... what made it different. It forever changed my life.

Typical of my life

This is so typical of my life that I had to share it with you. So..... after searching and searching for my camera and deciding it was lost for good, I bit the bullet and bought a new camera today. I am sitting in my dining room reading the online manual for the new camera. I decide to try the super-zoom thingy it has and I point at this little basket across the room into my foyer. I take a zoom picture of the basket and notice a pink bag through the basket. I use the super zoom to see if I can maybe be able to read a logo on the bag and...... lo and behold!!! ............ look closely at the picture to see what is under the pink bag. My camera!!!! My new camera found my old camera. (Not to be confused with the camera I lost in England... it's still lost.) That, in a nutshell, describes my life. But, to look on the bright side, great picture, right? The ultra-zoom really works!!

Observation

I went to the street fest in downtown Eustis for a short time tonight and it was there that I realized something about myself. I am an observer. I don't know exactly when it happened or even if it's a bad thing, but I am not a doer, I'm an observer. I like watching people. I watched people work, I watched people dance, I watched people interact with one another. I enjoyed myself, but had no desire to work, dance, or interact. In the past, I was right in there DOING. Hmmm, what do you think it means? Have I lost my zeal? Am I boring? Something to ponder.