TravelStream™ news feed for member aalverson on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/aalverson en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:17:02 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1215579840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1215579840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1215579840/tpod.html Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:17:02 -0400 Studio Roma

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Portland, Oregon, United States

Well, I've discovered that once I started this writing train, I'm not ready to park it and forget about it just because my trip is over. I've enjoyed the writing way too much, and well...I've still got things to say! I'm not sure if my audience is ready to move on, but clearly I'm not. So I've decided to continue with a new blog, about what I'm not sure. For now its about my feelings upon returning home. Where it goes in the future, who knows! (Hopefully back to Rome). If you want to keep up on my random thoughts and feelings, follow the link below:

a blog about nothing...and everything
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214408580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214408580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214408580/tpod.html Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:44:27 -0400 Studio Roma

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Portland, Oregon, United States

I did indeed make it back to Portland, although it wasn't easy. Upon landing in Seattle, I was forced to go all the way through a ticketing line and rebook my connecting flight to Portland...only to find out that British Airways had in fact rebooked me, only they didn't tell me so. By the time I got up to ticketing and found this out, it was too late to make the flight they had me on, so I had to take a later one. And I had to pay $50 for my overweight bag, even though if British Airways had just passed it through I would not have had to pay. Thanks. When I argued this point, I was basically told that they were doing me a favor by not charging me for this ticket to Portland. Thanks again. You people are all so generous and helpful.

The short story is, arriving back in the good ol' U.S. of A doesn't feel so good. I feel weird here. I feel like I just left, or more precisely that I have two lives: this one here and that one in Italy. They don't seem connected at all. It's a very strange feeling. The long story is...I HAVE NO IDEA!! Time will tell. We'll see if my plan pans out.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214321520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214321520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214321520/tpod.html Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:42:35 -0400 Studio Roma

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London, United Kingdom

This is really long but without all the details, the true ridiculousness can not be understood!

So there is this thing about being careful what you wish for. All my wishes about not wanting to go home have apparently been listened to by someone. After a two hour flight from Rome to London, everything pretty much went to shit. A five hour layover seemed bad enough but after getting on the plane, that five hours seemed like a piece of cake. The plane was boarded; everything seemed fine (except for the typical crying babies - always my favorite). Just as we should be about to take off, we get an announcement from the captain. They are investigating a problem with one of the engines and will get back to us very shortly. Many minutes later: apparently the engineers have found a "minor" valve leak in one of the engines. It should be a simple fix so they are going to keep us on the plane. They have ordered the part, and it should arrive momentarily. They will simply remove a valve, replace it with the new one, and we'll be on our way. Sounds great. After much time passes, it's getting REALLY warm and stuffy. The next announcement is that they have had to shut down the engines in order to fully diagnose the problem, which means we get no air conditioning whatsoever. It is now f***ing HOT. People are sweating, pacing, babies are crying (and I can't blame them!). We continue to be reassured that we'll be on our way shortly, but it is obvious that everyone is losing faith.

The next announcement informs us that unfortunately they have found the valve can't be replaced without a new seal, so now they are awaiting arrival of the seal. It should be a simple fix and we'll be on our way (again). I can not describe how miserably uncomfortable it is at this point. It may be nearly 90 degrees inside the plane and all I can think is that I want to take my pants off because they are denim and they are sticking to me. Have I failed to mention that I am also exhausted right now, as I barely slept but an hour or two the night before and it's now early evening? So this goes on and on and on, until FOUR HOURS after boarding the plane, we are finally told that they are canceling our flight until tomorrow. We'll get some food vouchers and hotel rooms and we'll get to Seattle tomorrow. Hallelujah! Let me off this f***ing plane!!

The only problem is...oh yeah, I have three months worth of luggage that I'll have to collect, and oh yeah, I'm in another country so I'll have to go through immigration and all that. Well, it went exactly as planned - a cluster f*ck of waiting in lines, searching for my luggage, finally getting on a bus to the hotel...only to find about 400 other passengers in line in front of me, trying to get a room. So Jaime and I decide to go to the bar while we wait, because by now we really need a drink. This was all good of course, except that one shot of vodka and a little tonic turned out to cost 8 pounds - that's $16. Unfortunately the good folks at British Airways won't cover this one. Eventually we got our rooms and some food but by this time it is now 16 or 17 hours after leaving Rome, and I've only made it 2 hours away. The saga continues...

I had to get up at 6:30 in order to eat breakfast and be ready to go, with 500 of my new friends, to the airport at 8:30. There were to be several buses coming to pick us all up and deliver us in time for an 11:30 flight. Yippee, we get to go through the whole check-in and security process again!

We're now onto the phase that adds insult to injury. One bus arrives and quickly fills up. Another eventually arrives and fills up. It's now probably 9:00. Another and another (eventually). Jaime managed to get on one but it was so crammed with people and luggage that I didn't make it. Turns out I'm glad I didn't. Some guy puked in the aisle and everyone had to climb over it to get out of the bus. So I'm waiting with the last group, and meanwhile have been chatting with a British guy who is saying how appalling this is and that it's embarrassing to be a Brit right now. We're killing time talking about my time in Italy and he's entertaining me with that dry British humor that I love. It's now about 9:45 and there is no bus in sight. He walks away, comes back and says, "I've got a taxi coming and you're my chosen date if you want." YES!! Of course, I'll take it! Again, the dry British humor: "Wow, you were really easy to pick up. All it took was a 15 pound taxi ride." Well, what can I say?

As we're getting in the taxi, another guy comes running up, asking if he can split the taxi. There's one more seat so why not, says the Brit. Then the taxi driver says it will cost more if he comes. Whatever, 15 pounds turns into 22, which the Brit insists on paying. He's an attorney who flies to Seattle a few times a year for his client, Microsoft, and is flying first class at 6000 pounds (yes, $12,000) so I'm sure his firm is footing the bill for the taxi. We get to the airport, I thank him immensely, and we're on our respective ways (he to wherever first class folks go, and I with the other peasants). As I'm standing in line with the other guy from the taxi, we talk and realize we both live in Portland...and the man in front of me was seated next to me on the plane yesterday. We are all chatting and I can't help but feel like we're in an episode of LOST. Everyone on this flight seems to know each other by now. It's becoming comical.

I finally get checked in AGAIN and get through security AGAIN, and make my way to the gate. Time is nearing where we should definitely be boarding if we are to make our flight time. Eventually they make the call that says they'll begin boarding in 10 minutes, but it's probably 11:00 by now. All the sheep run to get in line, while I decide I'm going to sit and wait. No reason not to just hop on the end of the line once it dies down. Ha! I can thank my intuition once again. Everyone is in line and for some reason nothing is happening. They are not opening the gate doors and the staff at the desk look a little stressed. I hear a man in line saying to someone on a cell phone, "If you hear from me again it will likely be from a prison cell because I've decided to kill someone." Again, gotta love that British humor!

Eventually we do all board the plane but of course it is late by now. Again, everything seems to be going rather smoothly until...hmm, we seem to be sitting an awfully long time. The man next to me says, "This heat is beginning to feel familiar." OH NO, don't say that. I hear a few people asking the crew if this is "the" plane from yesterday, but they are reassured this is a different plane. So we're sitting and sitting and sitting, and finally we get an announcement. It appears that one of the passengers has decided not to board this flight but her luggage is in the cargo hold, so they will have to remove it before we can take off. So we wait. Next announcement says that unfortunately her luggage is all the way at the back so they will have to unload and reload virtually all of the luggage.

I won't drag this on any longer - we eventually do take off (with cheers and clapping from the passengers), but only after sitting on the plane for a good hour or more. I'm now three hours into this nine hour flight and I'm right near a SCREAMING baby...just hoping I make it back home in one piece, and preferably with my luggage in tow.

The moral of this long and tedious story is this: While other people were bitching and complaining, getting all agitated and pissed off, I was laughing. This is what Italy has taught me. I just don't react like I used to. This is all out of my control so why would I bother getting upset? I can't say I enjoyed it all but I sure didn't let it affect me like some did. This is the new and improved Audrey! It's only too bad that all I got to see of London was the airport and some airport hotel. But once again, I met some cool people along the way...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214225220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214225220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214225220/tpod.html Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:48:55 -0400 Studio Roma

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London, England, United Kingdom

I'm in the London airport and boy has it hit me. My ride to the airport this morning at dawn was somewhat heartbreaking. I couldn't believe that I was seeing Rome for the last time, at least for a while. Today I have actually had the urge to RUN! Too much time in the London airport has only given me the desire to go purchase a ticket right back to Rome. I realize this is all part of my fantasyland but it's a real feeling nonetheless. Going back to reality at home is something that I know is going to be difficult...but that's ok, because I have a plan.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214138040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214138040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1214138040/tpod.html Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:37:04 -0400 Studio Roma

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Rome, Lazio, Italy

My last few days in Rome have been really difficult. In some ways I've been ready to get it over with, as I feel that being here any longer is just prolonging the agony I will feel upon leaving. I have been saying goodbye to my new friends, which is much more difficult than I knew it could be. I try to go with the "arrivederci" theory but it still hurts, because the future is so unknown. I took a daytrip to Ostia Antica, just for something to kill time. It was hot and full of ruins. I still enjoyed it but that's about all I have to say about it. It is clear that I will not be making a career out of being a tour guide! I watched Italy's final game in the Euro Cup on my last night; it didn't turn out in their favor, so it was a bit of a depressing end. Jaime and I had thought that maybe since we had to leave for the airport at 5:30 am we would just stay up all night roaming the streets. We didn't really make it. I think the combination of emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and physical exhaustion from the heat and packing all day did us in.

As we walked one last time back to our apartment on our last night in Rome, I could feel the sadness really coming on. We sat on our stoop and just gazed around for quite a while before we had the courage to open the door and actually go in, for the last time. As much as there are some things I will not miss about Rome and this apartment, I can still appreciate every little piece as an important component to this experience as a whole. What this means is that I would gladly welcome again, all the seemingly terrible parts in order to have this experience continue...the dog shit on the streets, the smell of urine as I descend the stairs down to the river, my disgusting leaking toilet (ok, maybe not this one), all the mold in my apartment that has given us all respiratory illness...I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

The point is, I will miss it ALL. And the only way for me to reconcile these feelings is to believe that I'll be back, and not just for a vacation.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1213867500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1213867500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1213867500/tpod.html Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:43:49 -0400 Studio Roma

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Praiano, Campania, Italy

This is long because I actually wrote it daily while I was in Praiano...one of the luxuries of being alone.

Day 1: I will admit that I had some fears that coming back to Praiano would ruin it for me. It was so perfect last time that I wondered if it was just a dream, and that the second time around would be interjected with a bigger dose of reality and that my idyllic view of this place would be ruined. I am happy to report that so far this is far from the case. It is just as beautiful and quaint and quiet as I remembered (although there are more tourists here now than just three weeks ago).

Once again, the kicker for me has been the people. In just a few short hours here, I've already seen nearly all the people I met last time around. What is it about these people? Everyone remembers me, welcomes me back, and seems genuinely excited to see me. I was even told, "I've missed your happiness...your happiness spread all over town!" What?!?! Are you talking about me?? These are the thoughts in my head, of course. I've never imagined that I actually have much effect on people. It's nice to reconsider this thought.

So on my first day here, I have climbed down the 300 or so steps to the beach, swum in the sea, sat on a rock and stared at the glistening sun on the water until the ball of fire dropped behind the mountain, climbed back up the 300 or so steps, ridden on the back of a scooter, eaten dinner at a fabulous restaurant by myself (without feeling uncomfortable...silly, but this is a new thing), seen the calm sea lit up by a nearly full moon, drank prosecco with my Praiano pals...and the one bad part - been eaten alive by mosquitoes and these strange flying ants that bite.

I'm looking forward to more of the same for the next couple days...except for the mosquitoes and flying ants.

Day 2: I have started to call Praiano "my happy place." There is something about it that just makes me happy to the core. Maybe happy isn't the right word...more like at peace. I just feel internally at peace when I'm here. I think much of it is the sheer beauty of the landscape, but again, it is also the spirit of the people.

Today when I was walking down the steps to the beach, I saw an old man (probably in his 80s) with a cane, slowly climbing up. (These are not small, easy steps by the way.) How can these people NOT be full of spirit? They wouldn't survive if they weren't! I can't help but be amazed, but to them, it's just a normal daily occurrence. I spoke later to one of the locals and told him this story, to which he replied that his 84 year old grandmother walks down 200 steps from their house to get food, and back up the 200 steps home, every day. It's ridiculous that in America, we can't even seem to fathom that an elderly person could live in a house that has a few steps to climb when these people climb hundreds every day. And they're all smokers! Can someone explain this to me? There is something poisonous in our American way of life. I have many ideas, but no evidence.

Today was a very important day for all of Italy. Italia vs. France in the Euro Cup. Team Italia had not been doing very well, and in order for them to stay in the cup at this point, they had to win, AND another game had to go one particular way (I can't remember for sure, maybe Romania had to lose to Netherlands??). Unless you've experienced being in one of these crazy European countries during a game (or match, as they call it) like this, I can't really describe how obsessed they are. It is literally something they get nervous about and it's taken very seriously. They sweat, they bite their nails, they appear visibly agitated. I find it quite endearing because it's so different than sports in America. Regardless of age, gender, economic status, ANYTHING...everyone is just as fanatic as the next person.

When a game is on, the streets are empty. Everyone is somewhere watching. Every single restaurant, bar, or store is playing the game on the tv. I watched the game in the bar of the hotel where I'm staying. The place was packed with young and old, men and women...oh, and a large group of obnoxious Americans but more on that later. So the story goes that against pretty tough odds, both games went in the favor of Italia. I can't describe the antics that go on during a game like this...the screaming, jumping, dancing...but it's etched in my mind forever. Everyone was beyond happy and the bar was quite busy with the drinks all night.

And on to the obnoxious Americans. Ahhhh, how proud I am to be American. Whenever there are Americans around and they're acting like Americans, I like to say to my Italian friends, "f*cking Americans," as if to say I am not one of them! Please believe me! This group consists of a fairly young crowd, probably most in their late twenties or early thirties. One of the couples is getting married here in a couple days so they are all partying hard. I, of course, somehow got sucked in to talking to them, as they would all seem to believe that I'd like to hang out with them since I'm an American too. Little do they know I'd much rather hang out with the Italians! These people were from all over the country, but oddly enough one guy lives in Portland and works at Nike. Strange that I should run into someone from Portland here! The short story is that they got really drunk, really loud, and really obnoxious. One guy even asked me if they were behaving like obnoxious Americans, to which I replied YES. He didn't believe me! The general thing I notice about Americans in Italy is that most of the time they just don't have the same type of respect for places and people that Italians do. They are LOUD. That's the best way I can put it. It's completely embarrassing to me that I'm "one of them." However, I'm pleased to report that the longer I've been in Italy, the more I am mistaken for an Italian.

I guess the only other eventful thing to report is that when you're pretty much the only girl in town (a very small town at that) it can get somewhat tiresome fending off all the propositions. I can't even tell you how many I had.

Day 3: Again, back down to the beach. On the way down the steps I passed by two guys coming up, and one says "hey, you're from Oregon!" Damn, I'm feeling like a local celebrity here...it's pretty cool. They are from New York and of course they had seen me at the bar the previous night and after talking to them for a few minutes they realize that I am the friend of Luigi who he said was coming to visit. (Luigi's family owns the hotel). Again, only girl in town...I was invited to lunch with them but told them I was continuing down to the beach. As I dip lower and lower down the steps, to the point where I can actually see the water and the beach below, well, it was much different than I had ever seen it before...

The sea is raging today. There isn't really a beach to speak of as it is getting completely covered with water from the crashing waves. The sea here is typically like a lake, very calm. Today it is more like the ocean I know at home. I hate to get all metaphorical here but I couldn't help but think of this sea as the representation of my life right now. This is how my brain works. I see philosophy and metaphor in everything. I knew this raging sea was a kind of warning to me, or maybe a welcoming? Here's the wonderful thing about it though: even though the sea is raging, the sun is bright and hot and beyond the crashing waves is literally a sea of diamonds so bright it's almost blinding. It's sparkling AND raging, kind of like me.

I stayed at the beach anyway, even though I couldn't swim. I nearly cried when I realized that my swim the prior day was, unbeknownst to me, my last swim here for a very long time. I'll not say forever. I was practically the only one there, which was fine by me. I did thoroughly enjoy watching a few of the crazy locals diving off the rocks, floating around in the waves. The people who have lived here forever are literally "of the sea." They know the ways of the water probably as well as the fish do. So watching these antics was more than simple entertainment for me; it was another item to put in my bank of wondrous feelings about the people of Praiano.

After the beach, I was treated to an amazing dinner, courtesy of Luigi. He took me to his good friend's restaurant and I just let him order for me. I learned to do this on my last trip here so it was no longer outside my comfort zone. I ate octopus, mussels, clams, anchovies, and a pasta dish with half of a small lobster. It's so cool to hear that the octopus I'm now eating was caught by the brother of the restaurant owner, just earlier today. I really love the concept of their local and seasonal, fresh diet. Perhaps this is why they're so healthy despite the other lifestyle issues. After dinner, and a scooter ride back to the hotel...

...well, what can I say - I ended up joining the obnoxious Americans. I guess I'm working on easing my way back to my American reality! I let them break me in so it's not such a shocker when I go home. I will admit I was slightly embarrassed to be "one of them" but I had fun anyway. A lot of fun, actually. Fun until the sun was coming up at 5am. Why the hell not? It's my last night in Praiano. I was invited to the wedding and nearly coaxed into staying another night. I decided, however, that my time in Praiano was finished and I was ready to get back to my last few days in Rome. So I had to miss the wedding, but that's ok - I didn't have anything to wear anyway.

Day 4: Today I have that sick feeling, the one that tells me I have no idea when I'll see this place again. It makes my heart hurt. I said my last goodbyes. One more thing I love about the Italians: they choose to say "arrivederci" which basically translates to "until next time" rather than goodbye. I like that attitude.

As my bus drove up the coastline and I saw my last glimpses of the sea and the cliffs lined with colorful buildings, I began to feel like I couldn't breathe, like my heart was in my throat, choking me. This little place, just a speck of dust on this giant earth, has been my salvation. There is something here, likely in the spirit of the whole package, that makes my spirit sing. I can't say it any better than that.

Again, living in the moment. I'm moving forward, on to Roma...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1213357560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1213357560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1213357560/tpod.html Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:48:56 -0400 Studio Roma

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Rome, Italy

I just read through my entire slew of blog entries, and I have to say that it was really interesting to see the progression. I look back at the things I wrote in the beginning and it is laughable what I got so worked up about. The situations that bothered me then are not only water under the bridge, but are just ridiculous things to even give a shit about. Wow, I have come a long way. I'm actually rather fascinated with myself...is that too arrogant?

I also find it absolutely hilarious that I was having trouble sleeping with the street noise!! I'm now afraid I will have trouble with too much quiet...I can't even imagine what it will be like to not have this. The noise of this city, that at one time made me crazy, now makes me feel alive. I will miss it dearly.

I have changed; there is no doubt about this. There are so many things about me that have changed, but there is one in particular that I am really pleased about. Obviously this experience has been quite am emotional ride for me. My natural tendency when faced with an emotional situation, particularly one in which I feel that I will appear weak, is to retreat...to withdraw from all contact with anyone who might witness my weaknesses. Because of my situation here, I have not had the ability to do this. I have been forced to expose myself, my emotions, and my weaknesses to everyone around me. When I want to hide from people, there is nowhere for me to go. I don't even have a bedroom in my apartment! And so...in the end I have found this to be a very liberating experience. Clearly it was not one that I would have taken on with just my own free will, but I feel fortunate that I was forced into it.

It's ironic that one of my entries was entitled "Adaptation." I have gone from adaptation to transformation. My transformation has only just begun but I am currently relishing in the excitement. Fear is a word that used to have me strangled; it is now a word that barely exists in my vocabulary. I hope I can hold on to this feeling.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1213176960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1213176960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1213176960/tpod.html Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:40:03 -0400 Studio Roma

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Rome, Lazio, Italy

It's bittersweet. School is over (this is the sweet part). My Rome experience is nearly over (this is the bitter part). I'm having trouble determining how I feel right now because I have such conflicting emotions. First of all, I will say that I'm ELATED to be finished with this quarter of school. I was dreading the actual review of my studio work because I'm well aware that it is shit. I didn't spend nearly enough time on it to make it good. As usual, I came with a good, creative idea that got lost in execution. I had already figured this out about myself, and confirmed it once again with this project: I'm good at coming up with creative design ideas (many times so crazy they aren't very realistic) but when it comes to the execution part, it dies. I lose interest, and it's no fun anymore. Go figure...story of my life. I don't enjoy the work of trying to make something that is a bit "out there" into something realistic and practical. Sometimes I hate practical.

The review was interesting though, and gave me some new insights. I had two one-on-one reviews, the first with the director of Interior Design in Rome for Iowa State, and the second with an architect/professor from Pratt who is in Rome for one month right now. The first went just as I expected...I was told that I didn't take it far enough, there wasn't ENOUGH going on in my space, it's a retail space so I have to draw people in with my design, I have to make them want to buy, blah, blah, blah. Good, great, can we be finished with this now? Isn't this over yet? God, I can't wait until this over. These were the only thoughts in my head during the entire discussion. Nothing that was said inspired me even one ounce, even though I can objectively say they were all good pieces of design advice.

My second review was much different and fortunately left me feeling a little better. Someone who could speak my language. After I gave my spiel about my project and how I know that it's not fully developed...he stopped me right away and said "You don't need to give me the disclaimer! You are in Rome; I understand." So of course I knew this was going to go much better than the last! It wasn't just this though. He basically told me all things opposite from the last reviewer...that I had a certain minimalism going but I didn't go minimal enough. He was able to speak conceptually about what I had done and didn't care about the technical execution of it. He was able to look at my drawings and see things that I only knew subconsciously that I was trying to do. It was quite insightful and what I realized from this review was that my creativity was stifled from exterior sources this quarter. Because of the situation here in Rome, we only had ONE opinion throughout the quarter...that of our professor. She has a different agenda and I now realize that my creative idea got squashed into something that had to be practical, and had to be a retail space that could SELL, and my furniture designs had to be practical and not too expensive. BORING. So it turned to shit, what can I say? I am happy to say that what I walked away with is the knowledge that I shouldn't have ever given in. I should have made this MY project and MY design, since I'm the only one who has to defend it. Hmmm...good life lesson as well.

The day before our final review, Jaime and I found time to take a walk to the rose garden we had been wanting to visit. My walks around Rome are getting a little more spiritual these days. I find that as I look around at all the buildings, streets, and trees I've been seeing for three months now, I still see new things. The light and the sky here is something that I can't describe...and it's always changing. It really affects how everything looks, and it brings a crazy kind of life to all things still. As I walk, I constantly have video clips playing in my head. Little blips of memories and visions from the last three months...sort of like the visual soundtrack to my time in Italy. Again, it's bittersweet.

I now have twelve free days before I head home. I am hoping to plan a short trip back to Praiano by myself. Other than that, I plan to just hang out in this crazy city and try to enjoy my last few days here. I have been working for the last three months to simply be present, to accept and experience each moment as I'm in it, without obsessing about the past or the future. It's not so easy, but this is exactly my intent for the next twelve days. Stay tuned...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1212605460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1212605460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/aalverson/3/1212605460/tpod.html Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:52:51 -0400 Studio Roma

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Ponza, Lazio, Italy

Photos from Ventotene.
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Praiano, Campania, Italy

Just posting some pictures from Praiano...
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