Moving North

Today, June and I are moving northward to Venice. This was not originally an intended stop, but June convinced me to go. So far the trip is going well although the spending is a bit out of control. I feel as though we have been seeing all of the highlights from each town we visit. If I was to return for a shorter trip, I would likely rent a car to see more of the country side. Travelling by train is okay for the time being.

After a couple days in Florence, it is clear that this is high season. Lines are fairly long for the museums. There are so many tourist groups wandering the streets and so many American kids on summer break. June and I quite enjoy meeting the young folks and chatting over the free sangria the hostel provides. One drawback is that I'm having a bit of an issue finding cheap accommodations in the heavy tourist destinations. This should add some excitement to our journey this week.

We have done so much walking and waiting in lines that we are getting funny tan lines on our feet from the sandals and shoes. Finding a beach to even out those lines will be a high priority once we reach the Mediterranean.

The Oddessey

So I may have one more encore left in me. I left for Italy for some sailing off the coast of Naples. This trip had all sorts of bad omens to start with. The group of friends joining me for this trip were some of the same ones from the Belize trip three years ago plus a couple Brits.

Jaime drove me to the airport where I spent the next six hours figuing out how to get to Rome on time. A big storm had rolled into DFW cancelling every flight that morning. I was lucky enough to get rerouted through NYC, but would lose a day in the process. This wasn't as bad as it seemed since it would give me a chance to see my brother's family before jetting to Italy. However, I knew immediately that my bag would not meet me in Rome due to all of the scheduling changes. So I grabbed a few things to survive (shirs, underwear, toothpaste, etc.) at my brother's place before going to JFK for the flight to Italy. As it turns out, I was right. My bag arrived in Rome about five hours after I left the airport for Naples. The bag never got to me until after the sailing was finished, so I'm wearing nearly the same thing in every photo.

I blame the lost bag for my broken toe in Capri. We hiked up to the main center from the marina one night for dinner. Capri is quite a fancy place with many high end boutique stores. I was dressed like a bum (I was wearing the same clothes for about four days at this point) with these flip flops I bought off the street. On the way down, we took a detour and I ended up crushing my big toe on one of the steps. Now this presents some issues especially if you plan on walking around various cities in Europe for the next three weeks. I decided not to do anything about it and to try to let it heal on it's own (a decision I may regret later). So now, I'm on a boat with a broken big toe and no clean change of clothes. It couldn't get much worse.

Unlike the previous sailing trip, this one was blessed with superb weather. Perhaps I was being rewarded for my luggage and big toe problems. In addition to the sun, the water was crystal clear and just the right temperature to cool off a hot body after a day on the deck of a boat. Top off the week with great food, drinks, and fancy mega yachts. Although I wore the same clothes for a full week, it didn't seem to matter too much.

I was getting used to pretending to be one if the rich and privledged. Was this the life of a professional slacker? I hoped so, but the truth is that we work our asses off to enjoy these few grand moments.

This is the last one...Really

I always get a little anxious when I'm about to embark on a new trip. Especially if I'm going to a new place where I haven't been before. There is a balance of cautious and carefree feelings which need to be managed when you arrive. Although, you don't want to be paranoid about pickpockets and thieves the entire time, you still shouldn't be totally careless with your belongings. I have been preaching all of these safety rules to my cousin June. She's probably sick of hearing, but I kind of feel like a protective older brother in this situation.

Before I leave, I must promise myself that this is THE last trip and I need to get serious about finding new employment. Since the travels have began, I've learned so many new things which I would consider life skills. The past few trips, although they had a purpose, are just "fun" excursions. I'm trying to get as much culture out of each country, but let's face it.... You are sailing in Italy.... How much culture are you going to get swimming in the Mediterranean and eating pizza? As some of my friends and family keep reminding me, there are some big questions which need to be addressed when all this is over. I believe I know the answers now, so let's see what happens.

Shifty eyes

I've stumbled into another world.

I left my normal coffee shop haunt and drove a couple miles north to the M street Starbucks just to the north of my neighborhood. I'm here to meet someone to discuss jobs at Raytheon. She's running late. Now you would think that in two miles, the clientele would not be that much different than those of the Lakewood Starbucks. However, I'm sitting here with a case of shifty eye checking out all the people in this place. While the Lakewood shop has a mix of wealthy country club goers, bearded musicians, and young hipsters, the M street shop is exclusively middle aged upper middle class folks. I'm overwhelmed by how loud people talk as if they want you to hear their conversation about all the unique and interesting things they have done. I wish they would just shut it.

The other thing I noticed are all of the creepy shifty eyed men checking out the ladies in the coffee shop. I never really noticed it before since I don't spend too much time hanging out for long. They are hiding behind their New Yorkers and NYTs but passing a glance whenever a new face walks in. I think I'm turing into one of those guys myself.