the golden birthday

Today, I am 20.
I slept in.
I ate my morning cornetto.
I received many warm fuzzies.
I decided that wild and adrenaline-pumping acts can still take place when I'm in my twenties, after partaking in a what I thought was my last wild and adrenaline-pumping act.
Then, I went back to what I love, no matter where I am in the world...
the sand, the sun, and the beach.


The teen years are gone. What is left to come is much better.
I will be taking on the world next, on my scooter.

ciao.

berlin surprises

a quick jaunt up north for the weekend, to surprise julio for his birthday.

jason and i have been conspiring for some time now, and it was perfectly executed.
what a joy to see familiar faces...

quite the contrast from rome, but a very enjoyable city.
rich history, tall buildings, modernity.

blueberry cake and walls and checkpoints and pictures and graffiti and doners.
dining and dancing, and no more high heels (on my honor).

a rush to the airport, and no time to cry.
and a hug that has to last for the next 5 months.

Requiem

Last night, we sat under the stars of the night sky painted on the ceiling of Chiesa Santa Maria Sopa Minerva. And we listened to the church fill with waves of sorrow and loss in an opera by Giuseppe Verdi. It was peaceful, to close my eyes and take it in.

We stepped along the cobble stoned pathways around the Fontana di Trevi, searching for the great San Crispino, only to have just missed it, and settling for some “lesser" gelato. The espresso kept me up all night.

But at the least, today, I began to blend in once again. Exchanging smiles with the Italians, being mistaken for a "signorina," walking down Via delle Quattro Fontane with a warm baguette and a carton of wine in my arms. It was a simple evening, cooking an even simpler meal. But it was a good one.

Some shots from the weekend:

Colosseo 7/6/07

7/6


Roman Subway 7/7

Villa Adriana 7/7

Chiesa di San Ignatius 7/8

i love...

cornetto mornings outside on the patio...

a morning meeting of the entire staff from around the world, sipping Italian coffee and hearing about the cool projects the organization is working on [as well as Kwezi's "motivational talks" related to him driving around Rome].

It is a beautiful day today, and it bodes well for a splendid weekend [Both because I can now be the writer I wanted to be, and for the Tuscan adventure to come].

And a few pictures as promised:

Leaving the Chiesa Trinita dei Monti 6/29

Sperlonga 6/30


Loud Public Transportation 7/2

Dining Al Fresco

on this lovely American Independence Day...

Dining with American expats and Brits [who said, "Good riddance to you, anyway..."], bashing on American politics and Bush (what else is new?). Journalists, biologists, writers and thinkers...talking about Jon Stewart and Paris Hilton and Al Gore...

Feasting on a BBQ cookout with red wine and mojitos, [and don't forget the cheese and crackers!].

Sitting out on the patio to enjoy the cool summer breezes, under a tree with lemons that looked like there were going to burst.

And we almost did with the amount of food we ate. "buon appetito" and we enjoyed it, indeed.

An interesting Independence Day away from home, but surrounded by people who left home wholeheartedly and made their lives elsewhere...

I've said that I can do it...but I'm not so sure anymore.

Touristy

Said hello to some sites this weekend:

-Piazza Venezia
-Fontana di Trevi
-The Spanish Steps
-Sperlonga Beach

Floated in the Mediterranean...Bronzed like the Italians...

*Must learn how to cook - if you have some good recipes for meats, e-mail them to me.
Grazie!
ciao ciao