La Dolce Vita!
LIFE FIRST! CALORIES SECOND!
The first time I visited Italy…I was in the middle of my second divorce so I went with a good friend of mine from Arizona, Kim. We met in Venice traveled in Italy for a week, then to Switzerland where I was to leave her as she stayed for work. I then went back to Italy to continue my journey. I came across some very interesting observations which I recorded in my journal while en route on a bus back to the airport to return home. The second week in Italy was spent experiencing more adventures, and since Kim stayed in Switzerland, I had plenty of time to observe my own thoughts and surroundings, which produced, what I call ‘inner laughter’ as I watched these funny Italians my ‘family’!
…from my journal..
“The things in Italy that made me ponder, chuckle, celebrate or indulge!
When I first arrived in Italy…Venice, I flung luggage off in the room and immediately went exploring. The first place I went was St. Marks Square! Saw tons of pidgeons so ran like a banchee through the lot of them!
Other moments I remember…the lady that hopped on the train with her dog in a suitcase with his head sticking out. My friend Kim and I hopped on a 6am train to Assisi without our morning coffee because we woke up too late. Everyone on the train looked so serious that we decided to find a way to make everyone laugh. We were successful! Now THAT was fun! The food cart boy that wore a small ponytail of hair directly on top of his bald head, taps his little bell as he walks by. The breath on this man sitting next to me smells like… OMG..I will just say …not pretty, therefore, I will refrain from asking him anymore questions! When we stop at a station the stench of unwashed armpits fill the air, why is that I wonder, do they not sell deodorant here? Phew! The dog at a Monterossa café that ran continuously by my table with a rubber band around his snout, making it unable for him to bark, eat or breathe for that matter. Not an owner in sight. The comical waking up to the knocking and drilling as we slept in what we called the ‘closet room” in Venice. The huge grasshopper that flew into the train window and almost hit me in the head, while on the train to Assisi. The tiny cups of coffee served. Everyone has yellow teeth. The dogs follow their owners through city streets into restaurants. Dogs go to Mass. People wear a lot of dark colored clothes, coats and jackets! I want to don my sleeveless bright colors. Italians play American music. They only offer vinegar and oil for their salads which they eat AFTER the meal and before dessert. They start with antipasto then meat and cheeses, pasta, then meat of some kind, salad, dessert and café. In America, it is totally backwards, we eat salad first.. Then the meat, pastas, café and dessert! I guess this means that Italians truly do enjoy “ life first and calories second”!. La Dolce Vita!
