So after over a month in Italy, I am finally leaving. I am in Rome for the third time and finally staying at Yellow; which is as good as they say.
It is a testament to the amount of activity these weeks have been filled with that I have written almost nothing even now that I have a functioning laptop again.
I just finished two weeks of intensive Italian lessons and I am now conversational, though far from fluent. I’ve been thinking about this for years and now that I am actually conversing with the locals, it is as cool as I thought it would be. 😀
I’ve been taking cooking classes, making new friends, and even helping other lost travelers quite often. Though, perhaps, not as often as they have been helping me. 🙂
I’ll have lots more detailed action coming up soon, so keep your eyes peeled, but just hated the thought of leaving such a huge chapter of the trip unsung. I am already revving up to leave, I just had my first hamburger as long as I can remember. Sadly, it’s no Mojoe’s.
In a few days I will be in Africa! I am planning to get a first impressions post up in the near future. So thanks to my wonderful friend Joanne, I have a list of questions I must answer before I can saunter off to the Dark Continent.
Opening the apartment door in Venice to the smiling face of my friend, Joanne.
Hopefully, how to speak Italian.
Cinque Terre. It was more beautiful than I imagined and it was easy to find peace and quiet in an amazing scene.
I am boring. I loved the routine of going to school everyday.
Not planning ahead. Italy is a place that is so popular (and rightly so) that you really need to put some time into planning the visits you want to do. Case in point, the Ducati factory tours. They were trouble.
Walking down the street through the fashion parade swirling around me, listening to the people talk and actually understanding what was being said, and having the feel that I was well and truly all’estero.
The afternoon downtime; like siesta. I was constantly trying to accomplish something between 1 and 5 p.m. when everything was shut down. It happened to me a few times a week at least.
Being proposed to by a young Brazilian girl early one morning. We spent a while discussing the details like where to live, what kind of house, what kind of dog; in the end we decided she needed a little time to grow up. 😀
All of the food! But foremost, the pastry shop at the bottom of my apartment stairs in Camerino. Every morning as I left for school I had to practically swim through the air think with the scents of fresh bread and pastries that filled the street.
I love the favorite smell question and answer.