Last night started out innocently enough. I went to Sacile for a glass of wine in the piazza at Cafe Commercio. Mandy and David joined me, and then we all had dinner at Cellini's. The wine began flowing faster and faster. Mandy left after dinner, but Kristen and Renee showed up with a whole entourage as David and I walked to Bar Bicicletta. Things got a little fuzzy after that, but I do remember these things:
1) Offering Kristen a dollar to hit on the cowboy in Bar Bicicletta.
2) Giving Renee, our DD, wrong directions as we drove to Movida, causing us to do a loop around central Sacile.
3) Dancing. A lot.
4) Walking squarely into a big window. Hard.
5) Meeting some really cool people.
This is about the only evidence I have from last night, but it's definitely worthy:
Despite all that, I woke up feeling really good this morning. Still, it will be a while before I have another Saturday night like this one.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Becoming Less Round
My last PT test was in April, and since I scored well, I don't have to test again until April of this year. The only bad thing about that arrangement is how much I've let myself get out of shape. My running regiment has become sporadic, at best, and even though I'm my diet isn't bad, I tend to overindulge from time to time. I'm 15 pounds heavier than in April and a full 25 pound heavier than when I left the desert in June 2010. My goal is to score well enough on this year's PT test so I won't have to test for another year, as opposed to six months. We've been working on getting some gym equipment in our work area, which will hopefully prod me to be a little more active, because the chances of me giving up cheesecake are slim to none.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Wide Open Spaces
Rodriguez, Boswell, Berg, Steven, and I spent the long weekend in Nassfeld, Austria. We left Friday after work and made the two-hour drive to our hotel, which was right on the slopes. When we went down to breakfast on Saturday morning, there was a little newsletter on our table giving information on the weather, meal times, and other goings-on in the hotel for the day. It was very poorly translated from German and included the line, "Joke: If two scrambled eggs meet, one says: 'Anyhow I am so messy...!'"
On the slopes, there were a lot of people around, and it seemed busy; but there was so much area to ride, we never felt crowded. The runs were wide, and I don't think we took the same one twice all weekend.
There wasn't much going on in the town where our hotel was, but since all our meals were included and there was a bar in the hotel, we didn't really need to venture out at night. On Sunday morning, we were a little disappointed our daily newsletter didn't have another joke. But the weather report was downright poetic:
"On Sunday the last snowy showers fade away, it breaks up and the sun comes in completely Carinthia. The wind decreases, indeed, it remains unmoved." Priceless.
On Sunday, the slopes were nearly empty. We never waited at the lifts, took our turns wider, and acted as if we owned the damned place. And the weather was perfect. One of the great things about being at such high altitudes is how unbelievably blue the sky is.
We kinda took it easy on Saturday, getting into the swing of things and not wanting to take too many chances on the first day of a two-day trip. On Sunday, we decided to hit the park a couple times and looked for jumps on the edges of the groomed runs. These aren't our best jumps, particularly Berg's landing, but they're the ones I got on video:
We spent our evenings in the hotel bar, drinking more and more each night. Our tab for Sunday night was nearly 300 Euros, but it was totally worth it.
The main reason we wanted to take this trip is because Berg will be leaving Italy this week, and we wanted to send him off in style. Before we checked out this morning, we scanned our lift passes and found we rode over 61 kilometres with a total vertical distance of 8968 meters. I'd say that is about as stylin' as you can get.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Apparently, Lesson NOT Learned
We're heading to Austria after work this afternoon to snowboard all weekend, so last night, I was packing some things in my truck. Unfortunately, I forgot to lock it after I was done, and this morning, when I got in to go to work, I realised someone had stolen my gas coupons. Again. And again, they didn't even touch my iPod, GPS, or anything else in my truck.
Last time this happened, I felt hurt and violated. This time, I'm just angry. Probably because I had a rather large stack of gas coupons, half of which I just bought yesterday. I'm a little tempted to set some kind of trap just so I can catch the little bastard(s) that did this. I'm not a violent man, but somebody needs a face punch.
Last time this happened, I felt hurt and violated. This time, I'm just angry. Probably because I had a rather large stack of gas coupons, half of which I just bought yesterday. I'm a little tempted to set some kind of trap just so I can catch the little bastard(s) that did this. I'm not a violent man, but somebody needs a face punch.
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Carving
Last spring, I bought a new board when I was up in Germany. Soon after came new boots, bindings, and even a new jacket. Unfortunately, everything was shut down by the time I got back to Italy, so I haven't been able to try out any of my new gear. Until yesterday.
Steven, Berg, and I headed up to Piancavallo for the day. It's been a very dry winter so far, and we were a little nervous the conditions wouldn't be very good. They weren't exactly ideal (a few closed runs and random icy patches), but overall, we couldn't complain. I was just excited to get on the slopes again and try out my new board, which handled wonderfully. It's a little longer than my old board, giving me a little more speed, and the curve and bounce are just about perfect. All in all, I was thrilled, and I'm already looking forward to next weekend.
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
City of Lights
I'd been debating for the past couple months whether to do anything special for New Year's. I considered just laying around some more, but figured I'd regret it if I did. I had some friends from Germany going to Paris, and at last minute, decided to join them. I'm so glad I did.
This was my first time in Paris, and I'd mentally prepared myself for a dirty city that was difficult to navigate and full of rude natives. But you know what? It was the total opposite.
We had a crew of about twenty people, which hindered our ability to see everything everyone wanted to see. It didn't really bother me, though. I was just thrilled to be walking around such an amazing place. Plus, going back is so easy. I can't believe I'd never been before.
Particularly magnificent was the Eiffel Tower. It's something I've seen so often in pictures, but laying eyes on it for the first time was absolutely breathtaking. We spent New Year's Eve there, but I could have stayed forever, just staring at it. No wonder it's become such a symbol of France.
I didn't make it to the Louvre, Notre Dame, the catacombs, or countless other staples of the Parisian tourist, but again, I'm not worried. I will make it back there soon.
Also, due to popular demand, I made another video. You can check it out here. Hope you enjoy it. Merci!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sound Is the Blood Between Me and You
To say it’s been a good year for music would be an understatement. 2010 yielded some great things, but it wasn’t exactly overwhelming. There were some definite surprises this year (The Beastie Boys and The Roots are still putting out quality music! It’s already time for 90s nostalgia! Lady Gaga exists!), and some disappointments (No new Missy Elliott record. What was Lupe Fiasco thinking? Rihanna exists.). And if the hook from “Moves Like Jagger” gets stuck in my head one more time, I’m reaching for the sleeping pills.
Narrowing down my Top 10 for 2011 was a bit of a chore, even more so because I bought a ton of music in the past few weeks, and I’ve been trying to listen to it as much as possible to see if it compares to the stuff I bought earlier, which was already impressive. I wish I had a better system, possibly something more quantitative, like points for catchiness or number of total listens or something; but no, I just kinda look back at all the music I bought this year and pick out my favourites. Anyway, in no particular order, here goes:
• PJ Harvey – “Let England Shake”
Polly Jean has crafted an album about war and politics, but it’s also a dark love letter to her homeland.
• Real Estate – “Days”
This is what lazy Sunday afternoons sound like.
• Washed Out – “Within and Without”
• Wye Oak – “Civilian”
• St. Vincent – “Strange Mercy”
Expert guitarist, emotional singer, gifted songwriter, and not too bad to look at, Annie Clark never fails to bewilder me. This set of songs straddles the line between weird and weirder, but they’re so catchy, it’s almost like a pop album.
• Radiohead – “The King of Limbs”
Well, duh.
• James Blake – “James Blake”
• tUnE-yArDs – “w h o k i l l”
Merrill Garbus’s violent, chilling lyrics are hidden by wacky, exhilarating music. Thinly produced but somehow richly textured, it’s more fun than it has any right to be.
• Fucked Up – “David Comes to Life”
The best punk album I’ve heard in a long time. Back in 2008, they released “The Chemistry of Common Life,” and even though I heard such great things about it, I resisted. For some reason, I picked up DCtL, and I can’t get enough. Yes, it’s somewhat of a rock opera concept album, but get past all the pretentiousness that entails and you’ll find a record full of love and regret that breaks all the rules and doesn’t look back. I’ve since bought TCoCL, and now I understand what all the fuss was about.
• Wild Flag – “Wild Flag”
A little piece of me died the day Sleater-Kinney decided to go on indefinite hiatus back in 2006. Corin Tucker’s 2010 solo album was good stuff, but nothing has been able to fill the SK-sized hole in my heart until Wild Flag. Made up of Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss (the other 2/3 of S-K), Mary Timony (of Helium), and Rebecca Cole (of Elephant Six and the Minders), WF takes punk, indie rock, 60s girl-group, and psychedelic influences and blends it all to create their own sound. It’s a tense record, with Carrie and Mary trading off vocals to keep you guessing. Yet it’s still amazing fun, the kind of music you can hear in a dive bar or at a beach party, making you want to raise your hands and sing along. If I had a dollar for every time I almost ran off the road dance-driving to “Romance,” I’d take that money and buy this album again.
So, that’s my top ten, but I’d feel bad if I didn’t give honourable mention to The Weeknd. (Sounds like “the weakened.”) The Weeknd is the musical project of Abel Tesfaye, who released a suite of free (!) mixtapes this year via his website. It’s ambient alt-R&B that I can only listen to at night, preferably while drinking wine, and even more preferably when I have someone to make out with. Not only is the music phenomenal, but I appreciate how he’s taking advantage of the internet, not fighting the inevitability of free music. Radiohead proved that an established act would have no problem operating like this, but The Weeknd is proof that one doesn’t need a big, faceless record company to distribute his art to the masses. The fact that it’s such a quality product is an added bonus.
As a post script, I’d also like to talk about Sufjan Stevens. Like Fucked Up, Sufjan is someone I’ve heard about for years, mostly because of “Illinois,” his 2005 album that put him on the indie map. I’m one of those people who can’t be told about new music; I have to discover it on my own. (I guess it’s a pride issue.) But something came over me late last year when I was browsing in an independent record store in Baltimore with my friend Dan. I saw “The Age of Adz,” and I just had to pick it up. I knew it was sonically different from his earlier records, and even though I wasn’t hooked right away, something about it kept me queuing it up on my iPod every few days. Since then, I’ve purchased the greater part of his back catalogue, and I now understand the draw of “Illinois.” Few singers can make me tear up with sadness with songs like “John Wayne Gacy Jr.,” and then shed tears of joy three songs later on “Chicago.” Equally impressive is how he handles everything so delicately, creating songs with gorgeous melodies and story-telling lyrics, the depth of which is rare in any genre. I still feel like I’m catching up to those who have known about Mr. Stevens from the get-go, but I’m loving the experience.
Narrowing down my Top 10 for 2011 was a bit of a chore, even more so because I bought a ton of music in the past few weeks, and I’ve been trying to listen to it as much as possible to see if it compares to the stuff I bought earlier, which was already impressive. I wish I had a better system, possibly something more quantitative, like points for catchiness or number of total listens or something; but no, I just kinda look back at all the music I bought this year and pick out my favourites. Anyway, in no particular order, here goes:
• PJ Harvey – “Let England Shake”
Polly Jean has crafted an album about war and politics, but it’s also a dark love letter to her homeland.
• Real Estate – “Days”
This is what lazy Sunday afternoons sound like.
• Washed Out – “Within and Without”
• Wye Oak – “Civilian”
• St. Vincent – “Strange Mercy”
Expert guitarist, emotional singer, gifted songwriter, and not too bad to look at, Annie Clark never fails to bewilder me. This set of songs straddles the line between weird and weirder, but they’re so catchy, it’s almost like a pop album.
• Radiohead – “The King of Limbs”
Well, duh.
• James Blake – “James Blake”
• tUnE-yArDs – “w h o k i l l”
Merrill Garbus’s violent, chilling lyrics are hidden by wacky, exhilarating music. Thinly produced but somehow richly textured, it’s more fun than it has any right to be.
• Fucked Up – “David Comes to Life”
The best punk album I’ve heard in a long time. Back in 2008, they released “The Chemistry of Common Life,” and even though I heard such great things about it, I resisted. For some reason, I picked up DCtL, and I can’t get enough. Yes, it’s somewhat of a rock opera concept album, but get past all the pretentiousness that entails and you’ll find a record full of love and regret that breaks all the rules and doesn’t look back. I’ve since bought TCoCL, and now I understand what all the fuss was about.
• Wild Flag – “Wild Flag”
A little piece of me died the day Sleater-Kinney decided to go on indefinite hiatus back in 2006. Corin Tucker’s 2010 solo album was good stuff, but nothing has been able to fill the SK-sized hole in my heart until Wild Flag. Made up of Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss (the other 2/3 of S-K), Mary Timony (of Helium), and Rebecca Cole (of Elephant Six and the Minders), WF takes punk, indie rock, 60s girl-group, and psychedelic influences and blends it all to create their own sound. It’s a tense record, with Carrie and Mary trading off vocals to keep you guessing. Yet it’s still amazing fun, the kind of music you can hear in a dive bar or at a beach party, making you want to raise your hands and sing along. If I had a dollar for every time I almost ran off the road dance-driving to “Romance,” I’d take that money and buy this album again.
So, that’s my top ten, but I’d feel bad if I didn’t give honourable mention to The Weeknd. (Sounds like “the weakened.”) The Weeknd is the musical project of Abel Tesfaye, who released a suite of free (!) mixtapes this year via his website. It’s ambient alt-R&B that I can only listen to at night, preferably while drinking wine, and even more preferably when I have someone to make out with. Not only is the music phenomenal, but I appreciate how he’s taking advantage of the internet, not fighting the inevitability of free music. Radiohead proved that an established act would have no problem operating like this, but The Weeknd is proof that one doesn’t need a big, faceless record company to distribute his art to the masses. The fact that it’s such a quality product is an added bonus.
As a post script, I’d also like to talk about Sufjan Stevens. Like Fucked Up, Sufjan is someone I’ve heard about for years, mostly because of “Illinois,” his 2005 album that put him on the indie map. I’m one of those people who can’t be told about new music; I have to discover it on my own. (I guess it’s a pride issue.) But something came over me late last year when I was browsing in an independent record store in Baltimore with my friend Dan. I saw “The Age of Adz,” and I just had to pick it up. I knew it was sonically different from his earlier records, and even though I wasn’t hooked right away, something about it kept me queuing it up on my iPod every few days. Since then, I’ve purchased the greater part of his back catalogue, and I now understand the draw of “Illinois.” Few singers can make me tear up with sadness with songs like “John Wayne Gacy Jr.,” and then shed tears of joy three songs later on “Chicago.” Equally impressive is how he handles everything so delicately, creating songs with gorgeous melodies and story-telling lyrics, the depth of which is rare in any genre. I still feel like I’m catching up to those who have known about Mr. Stevens from the get-go, but I’m loving the experience.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
In my reclining office chair...
This is just about the smoothest week of work I've ever had. Hardly anyone is around, giving me plenty of time to catch up on projects that have somehow been put off for the past few weeks. One of my bosses (I have three) comes in every morning to chat over coffee, and we don't even discuss deadlines. I'm playing my radio a little louder and taking lunch whenever I feel like it. I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible, because as soon as everyone gets back after New Years, everything will switch into high gear and won't slow down for months.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
In Fair Verona
Since yesterday was technically a holiday, and I'd done enough laying around all weekend, Robert, Nick, and I decided to head to Verona for the day. I hadn't been to Verona in over three years, and I'd forgotten what a great city it is to just walk around in.
I work with Robert, and Nick lives in Germany, but is visiting for a couple weeks. He and Robert have been friends since they were five. My whole goal for Nick's visit was to get him hooked on wine. Mission: accomplished.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Let Your Heart Be Light
Over Thanksgiving weekend, I was talking to my parents online, and, as they do every Thanksgiving, they asked me for a Christmas list. I told them I’d work on something to e-mail them, and that they needed to do the same for me. But later that week, I thought how ridiculous it was for us to exchange gifts when I’m not even home for Christmas this year. I understand the whole point of gift giving, but shopping online and having the merchant send the package takes so much joy out of the process. The rest of it is taken out by not getting to see them open it on Christmas morning. So, the next time we talked, I suggested we just forego the whole ordeal. Mom, however, insisted on sending cookies. I didn’t argue.
Anyway, today, I don’t really have much going on. I’ve been invited several places for food and games, but honestly, I’d rather just hang out, lay on my couch, watch movies, and eat the aforementioned cookies. All. Day. Long. This year, it’s just another day.
Anyway, today, I don’t really have much going on. I’ve been invited several places for food and games, but honestly, I’d rather just hang out, lay on my couch, watch movies, and eat the aforementioned cookies. All. Day. Long. This year, it’s just another day.
Friday, December 23, 2011
"I think he's by the bar."
Last night was our Christmas Party, and I have to say, it was pretty kickin'. We do a lot of fundraisers over the course of the year, and the Christmas Party is the reward for everyone's hard work. We sold over 400 tickets, even though capacity for the building was only 300. These are the benefits of working with the fire marshall.
It's also one of the few times everyone gets to see everyone else dressed up. I don't really remember all the details, though, because I made it a point to have two glasses of Wild Turkey in my hands at all times.
After the program, speeches, and prizes, the DJ went from playing to holiday music to dance music, and everyone was just toasted enough to get on the floor. They had to ask everyone to leave so they could close down the building. Unfortunately, there was no after party, as everyone was all danced out. Luckily, though, I was hangover-free this morning. A Christmas miracle, indeed!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Where's My Trapper Keeper?
One of the reasons I neglected this blog for so long was because I was just really busy. I started a new position in July which often keeps me late. And in August, I started taking classes again through University of Maryland. The first half of the term, I took Accounting and Organisational Communication; the second half of the term, which I just finished, I took Nutrition and Macroeconomics. And because I'm so awesome, I got three A's and a B. (Accounting was a bitch.)
Now I have a few weeks off of school, but when classes start back, I think I'm going to limit myself to one class per term. Six credit hours on top of working full time is just a bit too much. Of course, I've said this in the past, then get ambitious and end up way over my head with papers, quizzes, and projects. But it all seems to work out somehow. I was just lucky that it worked out this semester with a 3.75 GPA.
Now I have a few weeks off of school, but when classes start back, I think I'm going to limit myself to one class per term. Six credit hours on top of working full time is just a bit too much. Of course, I've said this in the past, then get ambitious and end up way over my head with papers, quizzes, and projects. But it all seems to work out somehow. I was just lucky that it worked out this semester with a 3.75 GPA.
Monday, December 19, 2011
I've fallen and I can't get up!
Saturday morning, I woke up with a little lower back pain. I've never had back problems before, so I figured I just slept on it wrong, and it would go away eventually. I even went for a run that afternoon. Sunday, it was considerably worse. Getting out of bed was excruciating, and putting on my shoes took ten minutes. I feel like a decrepit old man, and I'm angry at my body.
I made an appointment at the clinic today, and the doctor tested my flexibility and reflexes. He said I somehow sprained a muscle in my lower back. He also used the term "sciatic nerve." Now I'm on bed rest for two days, which is a little frustrating because I was using this week as a catch-up week at work. The good news is he gave me Percocet AND Valium. (Score!) So, I'm feeling pretty loopy right now, possibly because I downed the Percocet with Makers Mark. Just kidding! (It was tequila.)
I made an appointment at the clinic today, and the doctor tested my flexibility and reflexes. He said I somehow sprained a muscle in my lower back. He also used the term "sciatic nerve." Now I'm on bed rest for two days, which is a little frustrating because I was using this week as a catch-up week at work. The good news is he gave me Percocet AND Valium. (Score!) So, I'm feeling pretty loopy right now, possibly because I downed the Percocet with Makers Mark. Just kidding! (It was tequila.)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Sacro e Profano
Over the past few months, I've become a fan of the New York Times. Network news is unavailable and the cable news channels have all become parodies of themselves. Newspapers seem like they're held to a higher standard, and the NYT is the pinnacle of that standard.
Recently, they started charging a monthly fee, and though I resisted at first, I decided I couldn't survive on NPR, Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC alone. So, since I'm paying $15 a month for the NYT, by golly, I'm gonna read the NYT. (You can read up to 20 articles a month for free, but that's just a tease.)
This week, I read two articles concerning Italy/Italians, and they both hit me pretty hard. The first was this essay by Frank Bruni about noticing the beautiful details of things we see every day, which is exactly what I'm trying to do in the year or so I have left here in Italy.
The second was this story by Jeff Gordinier about an Italian restaurateur in Manhattan who flies his mother over from Bologna several times a year just to make pasta. It's a charming, quirky little story, but what I took away from it is how passionate the Italians are. For family. For food. For life. I hope I don't ever lose that.
Recently, they started charging a monthly fee, and though I resisted at first, I decided I couldn't survive on NPR, Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC alone. So, since I'm paying $15 a month for the NYT, by golly, I'm gonna read the NYT. (You can read up to 20 articles a month for free, but that's just a tease.)
This week, I read two articles concerning Italy/Italians, and they both hit me pretty hard. The first was this essay by Frank Bruni about noticing the beautiful details of things we see every day, which is exactly what I'm trying to do in the year or so I have left here in Italy.
The second was this story by Jeff Gordinier about an Italian restaurateur in Manhattan who flies his mother over from Bologna several times a year just to make pasta. It's a charming, quirky little story, but what I took away from it is how passionate the Italians are. For family. For food. For life. I hope I don't ever lose that.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end
So, first I'd like to apologise for not posting for the past eight months. I'm not sure what happened, but I just kinda lost the passion for writing for a while. You can see from the archives that I'd kinda been slowing down anyway, and I guess I just needed some time away from it to realise how much I missed it.
I considered abandoning this blog altogether and starting a different one, but I didn't want to leave this one the way it was, all cut off like that. Plus, I figured I'd rather be able to look back on this whole thing when I'm old and decrepit and not have to search all over the internet for my stuff. You know, if we still even have the internet by then.
I also thought about taking this in a whole different direction, possibly turning it into more of a music blog or a collection of political rants; but there's really nothing stopping me from just adding those things whenever I feel like it, I guess. I'm not going to make any promises about frequency of posts, either. I'd rather it just develop organically, not feeling obligated or forcing myself to write anything. I mean, that's kinda why I stopped in the first place.
That said, you didn't really miss much. There was a month in Sicily, a new job, moving offices, a birthday trip around northern Europe (which can be seen here), moving offices again, new bedroom furniture, a weekend in London, a ton of school, and a helluva lot of cheesecakes. Oh, and my washer broke, but it's fixed now. Yep, that's about it.
Also, I figured I'd change the look of this thing, too. Why not?
I considered abandoning this blog altogether and starting a different one, but I didn't want to leave this one the way it was, all cut off like that. Plus, I figured I'd rather be able to look back on this whole thing when I'm old and decrepit and not have to search all over the internet for my stuff. You know, if we still even have the internet by then.
I also thought about taking this in a whole different direction, possibly turning it into more of a music blog or a collection of political rants; but there's really nothing stopping me from just adding those things whenever I feel like it, I guess. I'm not going to make any promises about frequency of posts, either. I'd rather it just develop organically, not feeling obligated or forcing myself to write anything. I mean, that's kinda why I stopped in the first place.
That said, you didn't really miss much. There was a month in Sicily, a new job, moving offices, a birthday trip around northern Europe (which can be seen here), moving offices again, new bedroom furniture, a weekend in London, a ton of school, and a helluva lot of cheesecakes. Oh, and my washer broke, but it's fixed now. Yep, that's about it.
Also, I figured I'd change the look of this thing, too. Why not?
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Non-Stop
Today was my first day back at work, and I found out that I'm going back up to Germany on Saturday for a week-long class. I was hoping to have a nice, quiet weekend to recover, but I guess that's not going to happen. I'm not really upset about going because it should be a good class and Germany is always fun. However, it delays the start-date for my new job, which is kinda frustrating. Hopefully, this will be my last work-related trip for a while.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
On the Iberian Peninsula
I spent the past week in Spain and had a blast. Alex was a great tour guide, taking us all over Madrid, Malaga, and even up into the mountains for a couple days.
The weather wasn't perfect, but we still got some beach time in.
We also took some trips further inland, one of which was to a town called Ronda, which featured this amazing medieval bridge.
The social scene in Spain was wonderful. Everything operates so late there, so most people don't even go out to dinner until 9 or 10 PM, which turns nearly every night into an event.
The rest of the guys are hanging out in Spain until the end of the week, but I had to come back early for work. It was a great vacation with some amazing friends, and I can't wait until they come back to Europe for round two.
Friday, April 22, 2011
The Rain in Spain
We're in Spain now, staying at Alex's apartment in Malaga. We arrived late last night after flying to Madrid for the day. Even though we only had one day there, I kinda fell in love with it. The Reina Sofia alone is worth a trip, but maybe I say that because I'm a Picasso lover.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Ritorno a Venezia
Yesterday morning, we took the opportunity to sleep in a bit and recover from all the travelling from the past week.
We took a late-morning train to Venice to explore the main sites, as well as hit a few I've never seen before, including the Scala Contarini del Bovolo.
We made a trip to see the Peggy Guggenheim collection, which was well worth our time, and took a different route back to Piazza San Marco, passing some beautiful churches I'd never seen up close before.
We took the train back in time to have a late dinner with Eric, where Colin had his first taste of grappa. I doubt he'll ever forget the experience.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Five Lands in One Day
It would be an injustice to have visitors and not take them to the Cinque Terre. I've always said it's my favourite place in Italy, and even though it's starting to get really crowded in the summer, spring and autumn there are spectacular.
We stayed in the same apartment I've stayed in a few other times. It met our needs perfectly.
The Cinque Terre is best enjoyed at leisure, so we stayed two nights, taking the middle day to hike. This allowed for lots of wine consumption. Notice how there's no judgement whatsoever in Nick's expression.
Believe it or not, we were sober for this shot. I think.
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