Roman Holiday

I'm back in my apartment after almost 21 hours' worth of traveling back from Italy. I'm beyond tired, but I'm trying to hold out until a normal East Coast bedtime to get my clock back in order after a week abroad.

It was a tremendous experience. My girlfriend and I flew into Rome last Saturday and immediately hopped a train to Cortona, a small town in Tuscany where my family -- and by my family I mean two members of my family, neither of them me -- rented a villa for the week. There were about 20 of us altogether. In between consuming obscene amounts of pasta, tiramisu, wine and limoncello, we got in some day trips to Florence, Siena and Perugia. The last two days were spent in Rome with my girlfriend.

Some initial thoughts, and I might think of more later:

* The Euro is killing the dollar ($1.70 when I exchanged). I bought more $5 Cokes and coffees than I thought I would in my lifetime. We didn't even bother going to restaurants, instead packing sandwiches for trips and cooking dinners.

* I did get bargains on silk neckties at about $5 apiece for 10 of very high quality.

* Michelangelo's David is the single most impressive piece of art that I have ever laid eyes on. You can get a sense of the detail and proportionality from photos, but until you have stood in front of it you can't imagine how colossal it is.

* St. Peter's basilica is the most impressive building I have ever been inside. The Catholic church were absolute ballers. The famous panels from the Sistine Chapel were smaller than I imagined.

* Smart Cars are everywhere. Italy has no discernible driving rules.

* We need a train system.

* Spent the last two nights in a hotel and for the first time watched Al Jazeera English. It is easily the best television news channel I have ever watched, better than the BBC. Full-time anchor desks in Doha, London, Washington and Kuala Lumpur. The transitions are seamless, the stories are thoroughly reported and even the theme music is great.

That's all I've got for now. I need to catch up on my Obama-McCain news.

 

You lucky bastard.. .that sounds great!

President Stupid declared martial law; no election, he's in charge.

 

I thought this was going be about the film with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.

Sounds like a great holiday. I'm jealous.

 

Sadly, I thought the same thing. I need to stop hanging out with my girlfriend so much.

 

Me, too. Oh well.

Glad you had a great trip. I was in Europe recently, too. $5 coffee would have been a bargain.

I think Italy's next on my list of European countries to visit. Anyone renting a place there I could crash at??

 

I went to Italy last October on my honeymoon, my first trip to Europe. And I think the David struck me more than anything. Like you said, you can see a zillion pictures of it, but nothign prepares you for standing in front of it. It is a change-your-life moment, as is the Sistene Chapel.

I figured the Pope's church was a big deal, but I had no idea St. Pete's was what it was. There cannot possibly have been a grander building constructed in human history. Even the smallest alcove is just staggering.

Italy is just an amazing place. I'll never forget the time I spent there.

 

GF get pinched on the ass much?

 

No, but I was glad to be in a country where leering is accepted by the natives. I saw very few fat people in general, and when I did I suspected they were American tourists. Italian men and women are generally very fashionably dressed even for the most mundane occasions. Made me feel like a real slob. My girlfriend, who is also an enthusiastic admirer of the female form, commented that the women seemed to be more comfortable with their bodies than Americans.

 

My parents spend about a month in Cortona every summer. They absolutely love it.

 

The movie Roman Holiday is starting on Turner Classic Movies in 10 minutes - 8 pm eastern.