Back in the real world, Part 1
I’m back! Did I mention I was leaving? Oops.
I got to set sail for a little while my 30s beckoned me away from my 20s. I had the kind of extended milestone birthday that dreams are made of. And now I’m back in Joburg telling the tale.
There were way too many good parts to cover them all in one go, so here is part one: Italy.
Gabor and I set sail from South Africa and spent 4 nights in Rome and 3 nights in Venice. It was my first trip to Italy and it left me wanting much more.
Rome was blazing hot, something that we experienced fully as we pounded the pavement day in and day out. There is so much to see and we were intent on seeing as much as we could.
Highlights:
* We rented a great room in the apartment of a 50-something Romanian woman who didn’t speak a word of English (sadly, communicating in hybrid Spanish and Portuguese was much less successful than anticipated). She called us out to the balcony each morning for tea, coffee, and cake by yelling “ragazzi” (“hey guys!”).
* Gelato. ‘Nuff said.
* We stumbled upon a night market/fair/fest in Trastevere where we sat by the river sipping drinks, eating pizza, listening to music, and enjoying a rich street life that is sadly absent from Johannesburg.
* The Vatican, the Colosseum, the Forum (where I sat in the shade and narrowly avoided heat stroke), the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain.
Venice was enchanting. When we weren’t on a mission to get to the far side of the city then we aimed to wander and get lost, which is a gloriously easy thing to do. It’s so fun to wander down tiny passageways and end up in a little square where people are eating, drinking, or maybe even ballroom dancing. The sun made the water sparkle a milk turquoise color and even the thick crowds of tourists couldn’t squelch the utter loveliness.
Highlights:
* Wandering
* Canal-side shrimp pasta (for me) and squid ink risotto (for him).
* A nighttime nearly empty water taxi ride with a cool breeze, which all felt like our own private tour of the city.
* All water all the time.
Italy, thank you for a smashing introduction, I hope to see you again sometime. Perhaps next time you can show me your backroads where instead of throngs of tourists I’ll find actual Italians and local delicacies. But fear not, you’re lovely even with all of us foreigners clogging your streets. Also, thank you for sharing so much delicious arugula with me, I miss it terribly.
