Friday, November 23, 2007

Mirandola: The Vista of Italy

I want to wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving. I really miss home right now, and I’m sure it will only get worse come Christmas (not x-mas, aye Mark?) They asked me about the meaning of Thanksgiving here in Italy, and I had to tell them that I THINK it has something to do with the original 13 colonies and a great feast of friendship with the Indians (or Native Americans, to be more politically correct). I just checked Wikipedia, and I was close enough…

So, it’s been a week now and things are going great at work here in Mirandola (pronounced Mir-an’dola). I am spending roughly 6 hours a day, 5 days a week hanging out with 2 kids (Federico, 13 and Nicolo, 14) speaking/correcting their English (often the parents too). I give 2 lessons a week, where they read and then write to me. They have given me a two bedroom apartment on the third floor of a building a block away, fully furnished with a balcony that has a view of an old (but small) Italian castle and part of the city. Mirandola is a small city, but it has a familiar touch. I would love to call it the ‘Vista of Italy,’ albeit a mite colder, hehe.

The father who met me at Bologna station is named Stefano and reminds me of Tony Soprano, he is big and friendly but very dominant in demeanor. He is a tax attorney and his wife, Eugenia is a pharmacist. Together, I gather that they are a pretty wealthy family in the city. We live right in the town center, amidst everything (which is nice). I feel that I can now say that I have eaten ‘true Italian,’ rather than the typical tourist-oriented cuisine (although I’ll never forget that pizza in Napoli). I have had many types of pasta, wine and desert, everything out here… but it’s too much to go into. It’s all so nice and everything seems to be working out. BTW, if you’ve had bologna meat then I have to tell you that this IS where bologna comes from- only here it’s called ‘mortadella’ but really it’s the same thing as bologna except that it’s better. Just this night we had ‘zampone’ which is pigs foot and ‘Lambrusco’ which is local wine from Modena except that it was frizzante (sparkling), and I hate wine with carbonation, bleh.

There is a local 15th century church with a sword stuck in the spire a few blocks away. According to Freddy, there is a legend that there was a big fight between two knights back in the day and afterwards the victor stuck the enemies’ sword into the spire. It’s really cool, I didn’t have my camera at the time but I will ask him to take me there again so I can post a pic.

I don’t know how much of a social life I will have here, but I might have a friend swing by at some point if she is able. Also, I may take a weekend to visit Milan, or go skiing somewhere this winter. Maybe I will do that for Christmas, I’m not sure.

I acknowledge that I am extremely fortunate thus far and, as usual I love and appreciate you all. You guys are after all… the other end of my umbilical cord. Pictures of my accomodation are below. Happy Thanks~

My Apartment

They gave me all kinds of housewarming gifts to start: wine, coffee, sweets, pasta...
There are also lots of books to read here, which is good because I just finished 'The Godfather' after my trip to Sicily and I am hungry for more reading.
A TV with DVD player and some movies (some in English). So far, I've watched Highlander, Donnie Darko, and one of the worst movies EVER- Prizzi's Honor starring Jack Nicholson. The acting was horrible, with JN playing a Sicilian gangster with a NY accent. Apparently, it was nominated for 8 academy awards. How?! Jonny, I think we may have another Calligula or Sweet November on our hands. I'm telling you, it's as bad a Giglie.
My bed.
The balconey.
That's the castle, but it looks more castle-like on the other side.
More view from the balconey.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Sicilia

I wrote this entry sometime last week:

I am here in Palermo, Sicily as I write this. I'm truly out of season, because I think I am among only one other guy that I’ve seen here at the ostello, which overlooks Mt. Pellegrino and the sea. Based on only one conversation, the other guy is from Spain and doesn’t really speak English. I have the dorm room all to myself, so it feels like it’s just me. In many ways, it’s very lonely here but I’ve made a few friends out of the locals. I have met: Leonardo, Giovannia, Valentina and Maria(something). Communication is difficult, but we all manage. I’ve come to think of this area, Sferracavallo as my own secret place here in Italy.

Sicilian culture is among the most unique I have experienced. The people are very generous, very slow, rough and gritty, but also very set in their ways. For example, there is a Brigantino nearby where they are very polite to me, but won’t allow me to eat there. This is just because my Italian isn’t good enough to have a conversation with the chef, who comes around to each table to discuss the meal. It’s the same at many of the other places… no one around here even has a menu. But it’s okay, there is a place that is run by two of the friends I made, Leonardo and Giovannia, where I eat. The food here in general is mostly spaghetti and seafood, but very cheap. Tonight, Leonardo is going to make me some spaghetti with calamari. Ohhhhh yeah, I’m excited! We’ve also had some interesting conversations about the local Mafioso, or as they call them: Cosa Nostra. Both Leonardo and Giovannia are pro-Mafioso, and feel that they do a better job at serving the community than the local government. From what I’ve gathered, no one from the south likes the government and feel politicians are mostly oriented to the north.

I visited some local catacombs, that was cool and also the town of… Corleone (ohhh, yeah). Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on this day, so I was kind of pissed. I also had a bad incident on the bus. Basically, I didn’t have a bus ticket and they caught me. I almost never buy bus tickets and have skipped out on buying many a train ticket here in Italy. I’ve never seen them check, but they did on this day and due this incident I had to pay 53 euros, or they were going to call the local Polizia (luckily, I was carrying enough). They took down my information, hopefully this information won’t hurt me later. Meh!

Also, apparently the Italian country code is not 039 but just 39. So, you dial: 39 339 656 2587 to get a hold of me... I think??? Whatev's.

Sicily pics





More Sicily pics

Both this and the pic below are from the ferry. Although, I think the one below is the night of departure and the one above is from the next morning...

Spada...
Leonardo and Giovannia, who's acting like she's being choked by Leonardo for some reason...

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Naploli è Mt. Vesuvio

There wasn’t reliable internet access in the south, so I am back in Rome and today I head for Bologna. I wrote this and the Sicily post (which I’ll post in a few days) on my laptop in the lonesome hostel. Enjoy...

So I have been to Naples, and I can say can now say with confidence that I have eaten some of THE best pizza in the world. Upon arrival, I was very nervous about being mugged due to stories I’ve heard about the poverty there (I had the same fears in Sicily). But, I tried to walk to the hostel in Margellina (10 miles), with my bag to save money after I got off the train. However, as it began to get dark I erred on the side of caution and took a taxi the rest of the way. Plus, the watch I’m wearing hasn’t helped, I bought it off the street for 10 euros after the battery on my old watch died. But this watch doesn’t work properly either; I constantly have to synchronize… I hate time. However amidst all this, the area where I was staying was, from what I understand the nicer part of Napoli (score!).

In my hostel, I met a German guy named Jan (pronounced Yahn) who was awesome. He had been to Naples before and took me to some great pizzerias. In fact, all that I ate whilst in Napoli was pizza, and every pizza was the best pizza I’ve ever had. We did have some mussels one night, but everything else was pizza (very cheap). Among my favorites, I would have to say the best was either the Pescatora, which basically means ‘Fisherman’s pizza.’ This pizza had calamari, octopus, shrimp and mussels. Then, there was pizza Diavolla, which is salami and peppercorns with basil. We also partied and met some Italian girls from around Bologna (hmmmm).

One day, Jan and I planned to climb Mt. Vesuvius, which is the old Volcano that destroyed the Roman city, Pompeii. We then planned to spend the night on the beaches off the local island, Capri. Well, we didn’t reach Capri but we climbed Mt. Vesuvius and went off the path up to the highest point, and went around the crater (smelling sulfur) and back down the other side, to Pompeii. It was a good day, and we probably walked 15 – 20 miles. Exhausted, we were lucky enough to catch a late train back to the hostel. Already, I think back very fondly of that day; our view at sunset was the best reward imaginable.

Naples is also very beautiful at night. The tough areas are very tough according to Jan (he has some stories), but the tourist area is really quite beautiful. I loved my trip to Naples, and on my last night I took a ferry to Palermo, Sicily. It was expensive, but it saved me a night at a hostel so that plus trains, I figure it was about the same. I slept outside on the deck, and the next morning watched the sun rise in Palermo. It was beautiful….

I will post on Sicily later, which was quite an experience too. Pictures of Naples below.

Napoli

That's Mt. Vesuvio in the background there.

The menu...
The process...
Heaven...

More Napoli pics



We could not figure out why the Carabinieri (state police, who usually are never seen doing anything) were just sitting there in their vans all day with automatic weapons posted on top. Were they on a stakeout? They guy shook his finger when i took this picture, hehe.

Mt. Vesuvio

The crater.
The city below is Pompeii. You can see how such havoc was wrought upon the poor Romans. I heard they say they have stuff in the museum with peoples skulls unearthed in the lava rocks with expressions of horror.
The sunset we saw after we climbed off the path.


The highest point of Mt. Vesuvio

Friday, November 9, 2007

A new Jonny, and my other Muslim friend from Bangladesh

Although I am quite drunk, here is a pic of some the cool Muslim guys (there are many more of them) at the hostel where I've been staying. The guy on the left is Babu, and the one on the right is Jonny (Jonny is awesome- a new Jonny, even abroad... now I just need a new Jimmy!!) They are the shit! Just kidding, nothing can replace you guys....

The Vatican and a little more on Rome

Well, I've stayed here in Rome for a few days longer than expected. It’s been hard, and yet comforting at the same time. I feel so lonely, so it’s good to be in an area that feels familiar, but at the same time I have a lot of history in this city. The Muslim guys here at the hostel remembered me and are so nice; they are giving a sweet discount and pretty much free internet, hence all the blog (plus, she’s got me writing like crazy...).

I ran this morning, all the way to the colosseum and then the Grand Vittorio and back. I don’t know how far I ran or how long (since my watch battery stopped), but I would venture to say that it was probably about two hours and somewhere around 8-10 miles…

Small world- I met a friend of Rachel’s last night at Campo di Fiori. It’s funny, because I didn’t even mean to go there- that’s where she and I first danced salsa (fuck, if I want to go that way, I could note that the hostel where I’m staying is where we first met). But nevertheless, this girl remembered me from a party back in Manchester. What a strange night that was...

I walked all over the city and checked out the Vatican again. I’m so very glad to have gone back, because apparently I saw St. Peter’s Basilica before, whereas this time I actually stood in line for an hour and a half and paid the 13 euros to see the ‘actual’ Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo’s portraits are so freaking cool. I spent over an hour in the one room looking at the murals, which began with creation of the world, light and dark, and then the creation of man (the finger touching) and the last sin- the whole the eating of the apple where Adam and Eve are cast out of Eden, and then Noah’s Ark and that whole deal. Then, there is an entire wall which depicts the Day of Judgment. Man, I could’ve stared at that wall forever; it was by far the most intricate piece of art I have ever seen. They don’t allow you to take pictures, but I managed to sneak a few (I had to).

I hadn’t seen the Colosseum at night, but it’s really quite beautiful (pictures below). Rome is so damn amazing in general, I’m glad I came for a second go. I might stop by here on my way back, but I’ve got to move on tomorrow for sure. For those of you who might want to reach me, I just got my Italian cell phone re-activated and the number is: 039 (Italian country code) and then 339 656 2587. Good luck and Godspeed. It would be good to hear from you all…

Some Sneak Pic's

The creation of man.


Adam and Even being thrown out of Eden.


The 'Day of Judgement.'


A quote from Dante at another cool exhibit.






That's me, being eaten by Rachel.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

London pt. 2, Stonehenge, and back in Rome.

I took a bus back down to London and stayed in a hostel for a few nights over the last weekend. London at night was pretty damn cool. All the damn walking I did back in Mahlam had me walking all over the place… I don’t want to post a bazillion pictures here on the blog, but I definitely took some cool shots... I also visited Tate Modern Art Museum, which used to be a power plant; it had a surrealist exhibit that was so freakin’ cool. I made a powerpoint presentation a while back for Rachel’s mother on Surreal art, which probably made the exhibit all the better. Rene Magritte, Max Ernst…. Surreal art really speaks to me, man. I spent all day in that museum. They don't let you take pics of the paintings, but they were very cool.

I took a day trip out to Stonehenge and I have to say that it was a VERY good day. So much history... Stonehenge is actually older than the pyramids; it dates all the way back to 3200 BC, but back then the whole area used to be forest. Even today, no one fully knows how ‘they’ actually got the stones to the area and then placed them the in way that they did. The whole area is very scarce in terms of rocks and minerals. The larger stones, which are around 75 tons could have only come from an area that is 30 miles away. The smaller stones, which still weigh 2-3 tons are a type of stone (blue stones, always slightly warm to the touch) come all the way from Wales, which is over 200 miles away. How the hell did they get them there?! And then, how did they do what they did? It’s a mystery, full of myth that revolves around Merlin, aliens and the druids…

I kind of missed out on Cambridge and Stephen Hawking, but that’s life. Now, I’m back in Rome and the other night I made myself some tortellini al prosciudo crudo con promodoro al ricotta (tortellini with pasta sauce). I made a large amount that has lasted me the past few days. Now, I definitely need to work on my Italian because Chris was right when he said that most Italians leave during the tourist season… Well, they are back and it’s much harder to get around on English alone. I’m heading south next, to Naples and then, on to Sicily.

So, thems my plans and there ju be. Life goes on. Lots of Stonehenge pics and a video below~

Stonehenge


It was a good day.



More Stonehenge Stuff

I thought this mural was pretty cool, it shows how they might've built Stonehenge.

This mural shows how Stonehenge would have looked back when it was built..

This big mound is one of the aubreys in the area around Stonehenge where they buried only esteemed members of the community. The whole land is filled with them.

Video of Stonehenge

I made a video at Stonehenge just for fun and I guess I'll upload it onto blogger.... so there ya go. Hope it works.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Loved and Lost

I went and saw Stonehenge this weekend and it was amazing, but I will upload those pictures later. I haven't much to say at this point, except to express what is written below and feel better knowing that people I care about are reading about me (I shall call this blog my umbilical cord)~

Things didn't go so well at Cambridge, actually it was nightmare. Basically, I slept on a bench in Homerton college in Cambridge due to a communication breakdown (Rachel's phone was stolen a few weeks ago). The next morning, Rachel said she didn't love me anymore and then we broke up. I don't know what else to say. I feel like a fool... actually, I suppose I am a fool. I went against everybodies' advice, even my own and fell in love with a girl who was too young, and was just starting a new life at school. Yeah she was young, so what was I to expect? She has been my anchor since I came here and now suddenly I feel so alone again. I know how to live for someone else, but I don't think I know how to live for myself. I guess this is something I have to learn because lately I feel like I am back to my old self-loathing. She was an amazing girl and she has so much ahead of her. How did I fuck things up? I tried so hard. I loved her so much... all I know is that after all these years guarding against an emotion that I knew was volitile, I have now experienced it firsthand. Better to have loved and lost? I say the latter... I'll never love again.

Now on to Italy and brighter horizons, I hope~