Hail and Damnation

On Sunday I bade farewell to India, and flew to Italy to meet my mom for two weeks in Rome, Florence and Venice. It was far from difficult saying goodbye to India – I was ready to be done with all its headaches, and had already left behind the best part of my experience there when I left Dharamsala weeks earlier.

Nevertheless, it’s strange to find myself in Italy sleeping in nice hotels, dining at quaint restaurants, and riding on comfortable trains. We’re on the train to Florence right now, and to be honest I’m struggling with what to write – everything here is just so easy and normal compared to where I’ve been for the last several months. The only really unexpected thing that has happened so far was the freak hailstorm that hit yesterday afternoon, after a day of sunshine and temps in the mid-70s.

We spent the last few days in Rome, and saw the usual assortment of tourist attractions – the Forum, the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon. I was pleased when, after a couple days, it really hit my mom that she was in Rome. Having been here a handful of times already myself, I still love the city, but there’s no longer that “holy crap, I’m in Rome!” kind of novelty.

We’re taking things a bit slower than we might have, since my mom tore a ligament in her ankle a few weeks ago. But she’s toughing it out as best she can, especially given that Rome really is a walking city. As are Florence and Venice, for that matter. We took a shot at riding our hotel’s free bikes on the first day, but they were so ill-fitting, we ended up with more aches and pains than if we’d just walked.

Our hotel turned out to be as good as the reviews we’d read. Located in the Trastavere neighborhood, we were away from the noise of the city center, but within a reasonable walk of most of the sights. And in the evenings we had a virtually endless array of restaurants to choose from within blocks of our hotel.

Oh yeah, have I mentioned the food yet? Homemade pasta, genuine Italian pizza, salad (I’m so excited to have salad after two months without fresh veggies in India), bruschetta, delicious cheeses, fresh tomatoes, aromatic basil, creamy tiramisu, real salami, fresh bread… I could go on and on. And don’t even get me started on the wine!

We have a full week ahead of us in Florence, during which we plan to visit some nearby towns, take a wine-tasting tour, and of course see plenty of Florence itself. Hopefully we’ll have a few more colorful experiences to keep my blog entries lively – though I suppose with my return home less than two weeks away, I’d better start getting used to a more “normal” lifestyle.

Comments

[Jeremy]

Is it appropriate to say "Welcome back to civilization" without it seeming insulting to where you were?

[Mike]

Nice to see you smoothly returning to Western society. It is hard to compare societies, they all have such varied values and positives/minuses. You've experienced things far beyond my meager travels and that experience provides you with a wealth of perspective. At least I get a vicarious view through this blog.

Say "Hi" to Za-Za restaurant in Florence for me, I love it there!