Saturday, July 25, 1998

I rushed back to the hotel, and we checked out around 12:15 PM. The people there screwed us, but I really didn't care about that. The fact was, everyone wanted to leave after three days and two nights, and I wasn't going to be able to prolong our stay. For this reason, I decided to take an optimistic view, and savor the time I had there, and of course vow to come back again. The reason people in our group started to get on my nerves was simple. We often found ourselves walking around for longs periods, due to indecisiveness. I don't know, I was madder the past two days than I am now. I guess being sick has made me that more on edge regarding certain things. But, hopefully we are getting into the travel groove.

I'm going to miss Eric when he leaves in a week, due to a lack of money. I on the other hand, was $10 under budget per day by the end of Prague. However, I've spent a lot of money since I've been sick, and in Venice. Luckily, we're on our way to some Northern Italian lake retreat where expenses will be much cheaper. From there we'll probably go to Florence, Rome, and Greece. I'm really enjoying Italy, especially the architecture. I'm the only one so far who hasn't spoken to my parents. I tried in Prague, but realized they were on vacation in North Carolina. I also remembered that they are going to take a week in August to visit friends and family in New York.

We reached Como after a mad dash at the train station in Milan. As it turns out, we didn't even have to leave the train we were on originally. Since we didn't know this, we got off the train at Milan, went to the Information/ticket booth, waited in line, and then found out. This resulted in us running around the train station with our packs bouncing back and forth. When we got to Como, it was a twenty minute walk to our hostel. Once there, I found out that I was the only one with a Hostel Card, thereby getting the cheaper rate (15,000 lire instead of 21,000 lire, or $2).

This hostel was my first experience with the "hole" style of toilet. My aim was true, and I managed not to make a mess. I took a photograph to document the insanity of these toilets. After walking around the town, and not finding much, we went back to the hostel. Actually, we walked around the lake (seeing no place to swim), and I admired the palazzos (palaces) that lined its shore. I think one of them even belonged to the late designer, Versace. Somehow, I managed to get really drunk that night. All I had was a small bottle of white wine I had bought in Venice, and two pints of Devil's Kiss beer. The beer tasted great and it was 7% alcohol. Also, this hostel had a nice backyard with grass, trees, tables, and benches. Most of our fellow travelers were European.

Sunday, July 26, 1998

This morning we had an ok breakfast, I was slightly hung over. It rained during the night, and I found the close I had left out to dry were soaked and dirty (the gutter practically emptied onto the clothesline). We left to find a more rural location around the lake (the thing turned out to be huge). We waited around for two hours for about two hours for the blue bus to Menaggio. When we finally got on the bus, it was a beautiful one hour drive to our stop. The scenery/architecture seemed Mediterranean. All the towns and buildings were pastel colors, with tile and slate roofs. The mountains surrounded the lake. Though I still think Venice is the most beautiful thing I've seen, this seemed to come in a close second. The road that wound around the perimeter of the lake was only two lanes, and weaved through very small towns. The bus would normally glide past wall a mere inch or two away. It was quite scary.

We arrived in Menaggio, and immediately went to the hostel that was nearby. Unfortunately, it was booked for the night. We wandered past 4 star hotels and even a cinema and mini golf place, before finding a place to stay at a campground (Campaggio Europe). All except Bill waited till a bungalow was free (30 minutes), and then we moved in for the night at 75,000 lire for four people. Bill had decided earlier to go his own way (till 6:30 PM). Meanwhile, we went swimming in the lake, and hung out at our bungalow.

I did some laundry since my socks and underwear had managed to stink up my whole backpack (including all my other clothes)! I don't think my washing them helped either. Though I can't abandon the socks, I might get rid of the underwear. I really like this campground, lost of Italians taking their summer vacations. My sickness is starting to get better. We went to dinner, and I got a pizza with tuna fish on it. It smelled a little funny, but tasted fine. We came back to the bungalow and played some cards. Eric saw a mouse right before we went to sleep. We also took a dip in the lake after dinner, which was nice. The beach area is all rocks.

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The following journal entry was written Friday, July 24, 1998:

With no air conditioning, and five people in one room, last night was hot and uncomfortable. I slept well, especially after taking some cold medicine procured at a local pharmacia. Today, I learned our stay in Venice would only last two nights. For this reason, I set out to see some major attractions. But first we needed to find a cheaper hotel/hostel to stay in. After a failed attempt at this, we returned to the Hotel Leonardo and got ready to check out. As we dropped the key off, we decided to bargain, by quoting the 29,000 lire price of a room we didn't have. Since the guy knew he was ripping us off already, it didn't seem hard to bring the price down to 28,000 lire per person, for one room (down from 40,000 lire).

After this burden was lifted, I led the group to the Accademia which housed 15th-18th century Italian Art. The place wasn't air conditioned, like I had expected. Therefore, I continued to sweat buckets while viewing the artwork of Carpaccio, Bellini, Tintoretto, and Giorgionne, among others. Though the "Tempest" was there, it didn't seem as impressive as its legend/history. The altarpieces were amazing to see up close. The glow of the gilded paint is definitely something that can only be appreciated in person. "The Feast at the House of Levi" was there too, and it covered the entire side of a giant room. Such a giant magnitude isn't even comprehendible from a slide or book.

From the museum, we headed to San Marco. There, everyone seemed happy to feed and be attacked by the pigeons (except me and Bill who just looked on in horror). Eric and Sam decided not to pay the four dollars to go up the Campanile. I, on the other hand, don't regret spending a dime (or lire) in this beautiful city. The view from atop the bell tower was spectacular, plus there was a cool breeze. There were four giant bells up there, and I was wondering if they ring them while people are up there? From San Marco we went to Lido again. There Eric and I took a stroll down some of the more residential streets. I was trying to figure out if these large houses were apartments, and if so, how expensive they were. There were also small canals going down the east/west streets. We also stopped in an arcade. I played three games of "Fantasia." The game attracted me because of the naked girls that appeared on the demo screen. The object was to clear a screen, using a cursor, thereby revealing a semi-naked model. Most of the other games were old, really old. For example, they had Popeye and Donkey Kong. According to Eric, the game boards/chips were probably pirated (bought on the black market), which explains why all the games are in blank or generic boxes/consoles. After the arcade, we went to dinner at a pizzeria that boasted 100 types of pizza. I ordered the mozzarella, cheese, and "roast suckling pig." The meat was thinly sliced and delicious. And, it only cost $5. It was very enjoyable dining on the sidewalk. We even drank Venetian red wine!

After dinner, we went to the beach because Sam and Dave wanted to go swimming. There were very few people on the beach at this late point in the day. Mostly, they were tourists like us who wanted a late swim in the Adriatic Sea. After that, we took the vaporetto back to our hotel, while watching a beautiful sunset. Since the one-way trip takes an hour, we also got to see the Grand Canal and San Marco at night, all lit up. Most of the boat traffic on the canals had stopped by this time (8:30 PM?). We got to see a small boat pulling a lighted platform with an opera singer, and (4-6 piece) accompaniment. After hearing that it had reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit today, we went back to the hotel and cleaned up our sweaty bodies.

We bought some wine with the thought of drinking it near a canal. At the time, it sounded like a romantic notion, but it turned out to be a waste of time. Instead of going to the San Marcaulo boat stop (which had benches, was dark, and actually on the Grand Canal) we went down some random canal which came to an end with a wooden fence marked (no entrance). We had been sitting there for a few minutes when Bill arrived with a beer. He immediately climbed around the fence and pissed. About five seconds later 2 policemen armed with machine guns approached the fence and began to figure out who was behind it. As it turns out, there was an important statue being restored back there, hence the fence. Bill came around the fence and got a tongue-lashing from the police (who actually cocked their guns or something at one point). The rest of the time we were sitting on the small dock (in front of a palazzo), the police remained at the exit of the canal, watching us. I guess it was their beat for the night. Since I hadn't seen much public drinking (picnics) in Venice, I felt really awkward at this point. This was compounded by the small boats of people riding by us. Basically, I wasn't enjoying the situation; therefore, I wasn't even drinking the wine.

We went to a bar later, where I ordered a pint of Guinness for $4. That night Bill stayed out until 3 AM. When he got back, and was walking down the alley, our crazy Italian neighbor began yelling at him again. Bill left, then waited till the guy had gone to bed, and then climbed up the wall (of the hotel) to our second story room (about 12 feet). This was a very impressive feat to accomplish while drunk and tired.

The following journal entry was written on Thursday, July 23, 1998:

When we arrived in Venice, I was still feeling ill. It was about 9 AM, and we had a full day ahead of us. After mulling around the train station a bit, we decided to find a place to stay right away. A man approached us from the Hotel Leonardo, who said he had a room for five people. Since it was only 10 minutes from the station, we decided to take it. When we got there, we found out our room was merely a double bed, with three single cots/mattresses wedged in. There was no room to walk. There was also a sink and a pisser in the room. Immediately after opening the window shutters, an Italian man across the alley from us began shouting at us. Apparently he didn't like Americans. Since none of us knew what the hell he was saying, we just ignored his adamant rants.

We got ready to go to the beach. Our first mistake was buying a 35,000 lire ($20) vaporetto (water bus) pass. They never checked us (or anyone else). This made me wonder if anyone else buys tickets besides tourists? The minute I had stepped out of the train station, I had fallen in love with the city. This was reinforced after my first vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal. San Marco and San Giorggio Maggiore were spectacular sights.

We reached the beach after a one hour ride. Lido's main street had pink marble sidewalks from end to end. The street was also lined with gelaterias (ice cream stores) and pizzerias. We arrived at the beach a little before noon. The sky was cloudless, the sun hot. It was at least in the mid 90's. I knew I was going to have to be extra special in protecting myself from the sun. For this reason, I wore my hat (with 360 degree rim) at all times, except when in the water, my prescription sunglasses (in the water too), and plenty of sun block. When we left around 3 AM I had managed to survive the hottest part of the day with patchy sunburns on my face and legs. Except for a painful burn on my right ankle, I felt very lucky and confident. I don't think anyone else brought sun tan lotion.

The beach had lots of small shells on it, and seemed relatively clean. We settled on a small section of public/free beach. There was a giant luxury hotel (former palazzo probably) to our right. Both sides of the free beach were lined with cabanas and umbrellas for as far as the eye could see. Apparently, the hotels on Lido's beach attract a wealthy and elitist clientele. It seemed like the locals were mostly on the public beach. One of the first things I noticed was the openness of women to sunbathe topless. It didn't really shock or surprise me, but it did provide for some nice views. Luckily, however some people stared a lot more than me (I never stared, just glanced)! There were very few one piece bathing suits, and plenty of Speedos on the guys. Like everywhere in Europe, the people of Venice appear much thinner than Americans. Both males and females are dark (olive) skinned with dark hair. The fashion seems to revolve around sandals, comfortable/thin dresses, and the color black.

Then we got back from the beach, we showered. There was a bathtub and detachable shower head, which only reached to the chest level of one's body. I showered kneeling down, and tried to get the hang of such a method. Eric had gone in before me and had sprayed the entire bathroom with water (he tried to shower standing up). The sink had a foot peddle you used to control the water. I assume this is so you don't have people turning knobs with their recently soiled hands.

We went to dinner at an Italian restaurant down the block from our hotel, the Friggatorio. There, the meals seemed cheap for what you got. I was the only one who did not order a three course meal. After dinner, we sat at the end of a canal to watch the sunset. It was extremely beautiful. The sun seemed to create a red/orange glow along the canals and buildings. Perhaps the best part of Venice is the lack of noise. There are no cars (except on the island of Lido), and the Venetian lifestyle appears to have changed little in the past 1,000 years. Upon nightfall, I decided to go to bed, since I was sick and tired. The sun and heat managed to drain my energy quite easily.

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For all journal entries, go to Backpacking in Europe

I continued to read "On the Road" while everyone returned to the room. Above me was a beautiful brunette from NYC. To my right was a beautiful blonde from New Zealand, and there was a girl from Australia. The other four beds were filled by two couples. I slept by the window, periodically turning to see the crescent moon over Rome. -- Journal excerpt, July 31, 1998 (my first day in Rome, Italy)

I remember that evening almost 9 years ago like it was yesterday. It's funny how such moments can later feel etched in your mind, while seemingly inconsequential at the time. I definitely remember making a mental note of the fact that I could lie on my lower bunk, surrounded by several young, attractive fellow travelers in a pension in the Italian capital, and simply turn my head to the left to see a bright white moon watching over the city.

I'm reminded of my first night in Rome every time I take notice of the moon. Full moons, half moons, crescent moons - they all take me back to that moment in time when I felt as though I was the luckiest guy ever. Backpacking around Europe on my own, a newly minted college graduate, beaming with confidence and newfound independence!

Every now and then I even spy the moon from my current apartment, while lying in bed, with the shades slightly open (I like a few shadows cast on the walls as I doze off). It's calling out to me to see it from all angles and latitudes...and I'm going to answer that call in December.

Sunsets are a dime a dozen. Who out there has a memorable moon moment?