The Chestnut King

On Sunday I was heading out to this small town outside of Florence.  This town is so small that is not even on Google Maps unless you know to look for it.  In Marridi I would find a pretty famous and highly popular Chestnut festival (otherwise know as: Castagne di Marroni).

However my story doesn't begin truly until I reached the S.M.Novella train station and bought my train ticket.   It was 20 to 11 and I figured I had time to settle myself on the train, set up my sketch pad, pull out my almonds for a nice train snack (clean, requires no additional steps other than eat, and quiet) and watch as I go through the Tuscan hills.  Oh boy was I wrong.

The Bologna Special

I'm sitting in my kitchen eating zucchini (just zucchini) out of a bowl disproportionally large to its contents, and drinking ice tea out of a wine glass.  Somehow in my mind this makes sense for a Monday night. Thinking back to the strange weekend I just had....  Somewhere down the line it probably did.  Lets start off with Saturday morning, I wish I could say I was bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to take on the day.  In reality, I was having an epic battle within myself as to which idea sounded better: staying in my plush down bed all morning with a cup of tea and not a care in the world? Or would I make the great trek out to Bologna like I had been planning all week.  I am ashamed to say the bed came so close to winning.  Closer than I would like to admit.  So with great regret, and mild disgruntlement I made my way to the train station at 7am with what was promising to be an interesting day.

Sea Glass

So I sit musing.  I have been here for just under 50 days but time seems to be passing differently.  The moments drag as if they will never end but the days fly by faster than I can keep track.  I have been here for forever but haven't finished a week.  I think back to August when I was packing up my room.  Each time I returned cleaning out more of the the dark corners filled with childhood dreams and high school wishes.  I discovered a small wooden box from when I was really young, in which are rocks.  Not sparkly, not shiny, not colorful or bright, nothing too special except that they are smooth a worn until all the edges had been removed.  Mixed in with the rocks, that I had treasured and saved from pre-ten-years-old times, was a blue piece of sea glass.  It was actually intriguing and truly wonderful to find this little treasure chest I had left for myself.  Of all the things that I would save over the years; favorite toys, my barbie doll collection, music posters, projects or papers, I saved a small tin of ordinary stones and a small piece of ordinary sea glass.

They Can Take Your Money, But They Can't Take Your Attitude

Paris was such an unexpected adventure.  I left with the intentions of only staying two days at a friends flat and ended up staying for four!  I have had many a crazy travel shenanigan in my day but nothing compared to what this past weekend had in store for me.  It all started in India where I met Solen(see   India Part I), we had such a fab time on our trip and hanging out we both invited each other to visit any time.  So my first free weekend I booked a trip out to Paris to visit!  I planned a short stay friday night through Sunday afternoon, just expecting Solen to show me a couple thing but thinking I would be trekking out on my own for the most part.  I was so wrong, not only did she show me around, introduce me to the locals and show me the inner workings of Paris but when tragic circumstances struck she saved my life quite literally.  My trip was mind blowing and I owe it to Solen for showing me all that she did.  

American Dream

Docks, Stars and Horseshoes

I sit on the docks looking out at the slowly setting sun.  I try and focus, just me and my music.  But around me are so many people trying to do the same thing: watch the sunset in peace.  Why can't I watch the sunset in peace?  My foot start tapping, my fingers drumming to the beat of an off beaten tune.    I do the thing everyone does when they watch a sunset, I think  I think hard.  I think softly.  I think far.  I think near.  Splashing the Hudson waters with my feet I think about where I was and where I am.  What defines me?  When am I truly happy?  For right now, I am truly happy on this dock, right here, right now, isn't that enough?

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost

Warriors Jeans

Over winter break I had "superhero week".  Each night I would watch a new super hero movie: Batman the dark night, Iron Man II, Kick Ass, Captain America, Green Lantern,  Thor and Superman Returns.  Ohhh it was a great week.   This Super Hero Marathon week (now going to be an annual event for the second week in January) got me thinking.  It was not the straightest of lines, but bear with me. I like to think all the concepts connect.

India: How to spot a fake.

It has been so long since I have even had time to look at myblog... To be honest, I had so much come up in the past two months...Wow, its been two months since I got back from India... I didn't realizethat until now. Anyway, so much has happened that I haven't had sparetime to spend on my computer, or even reliable internet to write it with. I guess that's a good sign, that life is so busy that you don'thave time to sit and think about it.

Its going to be a challenge but now I am going to go back and tryand write about my experiences in India, although some of the colors and smellshave faded, I hope I don't miss the important parts.

The cow had better makeup than us

India: How to survive a rickshaw

 I awoke, early the next morning (day two) feeling bruised and like I had taken a turn in a washing machine on high...  I would soon learn, that the feeling would be a reoccurring event each morning.     We arose extra early to try and watch the sunrise over the Taj Mehal.   By the time we had walked over to the Taj, the sun had already risen and there was a considerable line.  There were four different lines to get in to seethe monument: Indian Men, Men, Indian Women, Women with seperate prices for each group.  I'll leave you to your own emotions on that on, but we had gotten half way through the line when we realized, they didn't sell tickets.  Robin ran back to one of the shop owners who had tried to corral us into buying something from him, and somehow convinced him to take her on his moped to buy tickets and that we would stop in after our trip inside.

India: Part I - Epic Pizza Delivery

As I sit in my room in Florence, I think back to how all the events unfolded to create my trip to India.  Where do I even start?  Do I start in September when Robin Joking mention me visiting?  DO I start with crazy visits and running around New York with my mom and sister?  Or does the adventure really start when I get off the plane.  I believe that adventure is in the eyes of the beholder.  I had cleaned out my fridge, picked up such essentials as pro-biotics, a multitude of drugs, a new bag that I wouldn't mind sacrificing to India and other such wonderful trinkets.  The one thing I did pick up was some good old fashioned Italian Pizza.  I was ready to go.

Fresh to Death

We had to run.  No matter how early we ever try to leave for the train it always seems like I am running for a train.   Fortunetly, we did make it just in time with some tag teaming, one person parking and one getting the tickets, but we made it on the train which was the important part.  Anyway, every seat was full, of course, so we walked down the train until we found three seats in a car.  I sat down next to what was I later figured out was two girls pre-raging for their birthday, on the 12 pm train into Manhattan.  Now, I have absolutely nothing against day drinking, and I really can nothing bad about day drinking in strange places (the weirder the better), but Budlight lime?  Really?  That's where I draw the line.  Have some class ladies. 

Hurry Christmas, Hurry Fast

Break was wonderful, I only had a few short days and let me tell you they were jammed packed and I still didn't get to see everyone I wanted to.  I did get some stuff I really needed done though, I cleared out my closet again, the less stuff I have in general the better.  My opinion is if I can live months at a time without it, or missing it, most likely I don't need it and if I need it later in life I can just buy a new one.  So I need cleaned my room, getting ride of that skirt from middle school I loved and was "waiting to fit into again" (Ha) and those chatchski's that just were collecting dust with no sentimental value.  I felt better leaving my room this time around knowing I had just....  Less.  I did keep all my posters though, I have a couple, ehem, motivational posters from the movie Kick Ass.  I like being reminded each morning I get up that I can do what ever I set my mind to, and that I will kick ass at what ever I so desire to peruse...  the only caveat to that would be directions and maps(fail on all accounts).

The Case of the 24 Hour Layover

I arrived at the Florence airport with no incident.  That morning I packed up the last of my stuff trying to make sure I would have the simplest flight home as possible, ironic I know, but that was my goal.  I had just a small carry on and a small checked in bag.  I always get little butterflies when I travel about everything that could go wrong; is my bag overweight?  Will I have trouble at security?  What about my connecting flight?  What kind of fees will I have to pay for those changes?  What if my seat mate wants to talk the whole time? So I try and come up with contingency plans before I even leave my house (Can you tell I have had traumatic flights before?).

How Do They Fit a Pumpkin in That Little Cup?

Walking around Florence is always such a wondrous activity.  When I sit on a bench watching all the people go by, I like to imagine that everyone is in a complicated dance with each person playing a part.  Somehow everyone always remembers their place spinning and turning, never colliding in a graceful dance of the masses.  This is somewhat helped by my "When I people watch" playlist.  Think folk/rock/indie/bluegrass bands and you will understand the rhythm I give people.  I love giving the world a sound track, so I create playlists based off of how I want to feel or how I do feel such as; "When I am sad", "When I workout", currently "When I feel like a badass" and "When I feel happy" are my top contenders.  These are literally collections of music that  are sorted by mood, as the name implies, literally.   I am super excited also, because I created a "Amurica" playlist with including but not limited to; Party in the USA, Sweet Home Alabama(its sort of close to Connecticut), American Pie, Americano, Flightless Bird American Mouth, Rock in the USA and other gems.

Worn Faces, tired spaces.

Walking around this city, I like to look at all the people passing by, and with each day it becomes easier to detect each type of person.  You can tell by their clothes, how they walk, and how they interact with other people.  Every country has different mannerisms that can be associated with them.  You know who is American and who is not.  Who is Italian and who is not.  And so on.  I think that if you spend enough time watching, you can really see some interesting things about how cultures interact with eachother.

Something that has been bothering me for a while has been the travelers that live on the streets here.  Poverty is nothing new to me or new to the world, and poverty exists in every country.  But what I have been noticing more as I have grown up into adulthood is how poverty is treated. I had very little knowledge of what was going on in the world around me until I left the country and really looked at what was going on.

Thanksgiving #italygirlproblems

I bought a Thanksgiving Parmigiana instead of a chicken 

I once again, hit another hurdle: my first holiday away from my family as a working girl.  I was a little apprehensive as I come from a large, loud family.  My dad is one of eight, and they are all very Irish.  Meaning get together's - even something as simple as a first communion is usually 50+ people.  My mom is Italian - and we all know how that goes down.  40+ people, everyone in the kitchen telling everyone what to do.  This would have been the first Thanksgiving since my great grandmother passes, whose house we usually have dinner at.  I am not going to lie- nostalgia was hitting me like roundhouse to the gut - and that is a little tough to swallow and not show your opponent that you are crying like a little girl.

The farewell

Back in Florence it was like I never left(except for that pile of emails) crazy to think after the whirlwind week of travel and week hanging out with my sis that everyone was just going about their business.  Man, that was a solid trip.  ...  There was mystery, intrigue, adventure, some fake crying and a lot of fun.  It had everything!  I had an amazing time with my baby sis.  I really did.  It was a fantastic trip, and I really appreciate the bonding we got to achieve on this trip.  I can't wait until she comes back next year

That night we went on some reconnaissance shopping and finished up the list of things the girls needed to see in Florence before Anna had to leave on Thursday.

Bagpipes! And Kilts! And Haggis! Oh My!

Let me start off with, I LOVED SCOTLAND.  I loved Scotland so much in fact that I was seriously considering not leaving.  I am sure that work would understand, I mean, what isn't to love about Scotland?  Honestly, I fell in love with the country the instant I stepped off the plane, and it was probably the most difficult place to leave.

Secondly, I was slightly stressed because I wanted this to be an amazing trip for my sister and her friend but I am - well - lets say "directionally challenged"  Maps and I have never gotten all that along.  Our First day we settled into our hostel before going out and exploring, because of the strict liquor laws  in the UK most hostels in the center wouldn't allow under 18's stay in their dorms so we were located a little less central than I would have liked but it wasn't that bad.  We arrived pretty late and ironically the only thing that was open as 2am was - a Mcdonalds.  I shame ate a whopper and fries.  Who am I?  I don't eat McD's.  Period.  I am not going to lie, I did some experimentation in college but who doesn't in college.

It Comes in Pints?

 Yes...  Yes it does....  but more on that later.  I had finally arrived in Ireland.  It was around 6pm by the time I had checked in, and settled.  AND THEN I SAW KELLY!  I was so excited. I didn't let go of her....  Literally we had the most wonderful bear hug since when Robin came home from her semester abroad.  Well actually I didn't let go until dinner.  It was great to hang out with her and her Galway roommies.  It is sincerely fantastic to see people who know who I am and just be myself.  I was on top of the moon.  We sat and chitchatted for a while, our gossip quickly lost interest for the little ones and they ran off to get ice cream.  I find it strange that "little" is 17 I don't feel old, but five minutes ago I was 17 and starting the best summer ever, before I left for Italy.

Home Again

Florence - I mean why not.  I had to show Florence to someone new so it was like I was exploring it all over again through the eyes of someone new!  We first got to Florence late at night, we were tired from all the travel and hauling luggage up hills(that was me) so we collapsed in our apartment and didn't move.  Liz had the time to upload all here pictures, and I had time to look back at all the emails I had missed over the weekend.  I am giving in to any preconceived notions about myself- I am addicted to the internet.  Anyway, Monday I had to be at work, and I worked through Wednesday then Liz and I were going to Scotland with her friend Anna! Monday night after work we walked around the city and looked in all the store windows, Liz decided that she wanted everything as a souvenir, so we had to narrow it down a bit.  What was nice was we got amazing leather jackets together, she got shoes and so on.  It was more nice to just walk around with her and talk.  I missed that so much, we used to be together all the time before I went to college and she went to high school.  It was a great catch up.