Thoughts on Travel in La Bella Italia
Sitting in a quiet room in Roma, enjoying some free (for once!) internet access while Hubby naps and mulling over some observations on travel in La Bella Sicilia e La Bella Italia….
- Toilets: You’d think a toilet is a toilet is a toilet. Nope. Coming from The Land of Droughts and Mandatory Water Conservation, I really like the toilets here. Not as much water in the bowl to start, but when you flush, massive amounts of water at great pressure. Many toilets even have two flusher buttons - one for when you need some water/force, and another for when you need…uh…more.
- Dehydration: If you come here in the summertime, drink a lot of water. Excuse me - drink a LOT of water. If you’re feeling loopy and like your tongue is too big for your mouth, and you haven’t even sampled the vino yet, you’re already dehydrated. Drink a bunch of water so you don’t end up in the ospedale or something.
- Driving: Italians aren’t such crazy drivers as Sicilians…or is it that I’ve just gotten used to it now?
- Walking: Just keep telling yourself, They know not to hit me.
- Euros: Better save up before you come over here. You will burn through those € fast, fast, fast, especially at the current rate of exchange for $US.
- Art:
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- You get burnt out on Catholic church art very fast unless you are a) hard-core Catholic or b) an art student.
- Why, oh why does everyone in all these paintings of Jesus, et al look like a WASP (not even Italian!), and why do they all wear the attire contemporary of the time they were painted? How come not a single one of these people looks Israeli? Why aren’t they wearing attire a la the Middle East in the first century A.D.?
- Marriage: If you are going to be away from home for five whole weeks, at some point in that time, you will most likely have a decent-sized fight with your spouse. Accept it, and pray that it doesn’t happen out in public or something.
- Here to There: Paying for your Roman hotel to send a guy in a Mercedes to pick you up from the airport instead of trying figure out how to get from the airport to Trastavere is a good thing.
- Zibibbo IS good.
- So is Chianti Classico.
