Lookin' fly and skyin' high.

Captain's Log: 14 June 2010

Well, we got a late start today. We headed to the baths of Caracalla at 9:30 and arrived at 10:00 or so. We quickly saw a sign that said "strike - no entry" and were instantly dismayed. A wasted 30 minute walk to start the day! I had a feeling about today. Next on our agenda was a traipse on over to the Circus Maximus. I hoped our luck would improve.

When we arrived at the Circus Maximus it was actually cooler than I thought it would be. I knew it was a wide open field, but I didn’t realize that ongoing excavations were ongoing. Department of redundancy department.  We saw them excavating one of the turning posts on the spina. There wasn’t too much to see, but it made me happy to think that we still don’t know everything or even half of everything. Then as we walked above the field our professors gave us the idea to have a race in the 90+ degree weather. (In Celsius!!!) I sidestepped this idea and took to filming it. Three of my classmates decided to run this gauntlet. At the start Will Utterback took an early lead while Ryan Hall and Jason Lupo were close behind. After a 100 yards or so they all finished and began to trot to the group. We agreed that Ryan won the race and to the victor went the spoils. A free lunch… which we all got to partake in. A cruel joke by the professors reminded us of their true nature. They seem buddy-buddy with you and then in a flash they are making you out to be a fool. I’m on to them though. It will take more than that to trick me.

We moseyed on over to some older temples and then decided to take a break in the shade of some Cypress trees. There we found out that Will Utterback’s heart was about to explode and Jason Lupo had an electrolyte imbalance. So they looked like death on a stick. Ryan, the victor, was standing near the temple of Hercules the Victor. He was un-phased by the heat. He stood there, mocking those feeble fools who dared to challenge him. After electrolyte’s were restored and aderhol (sp?) heart attacks were over we made our way to lunch. It was a pretty good pizzeria. Had some good food considering the price.

We continued walking for an hour or so and I got a chance to talk to Dr. Witmore about the philosophy of archaeology. Rome is a town that is surrounded by the past and is in a way combating it. There is so much time in Rome that it seems that it can’t fit anymore in there. The future is dim because there is no room for it. Everywhere you look there is an excavated forum, temple, building or whatever occupying space and being semi neglected. It is being made grimy by the cars and general dirt in the air. It is decaying faster than it was underground. Dr. Witmore raised the question of “How do you go about preserving the past while interacting with the past? Why do we have to demarcate lines in time in the way we do?” These were all interesting questions and it is a hard subject to approach. I have been thinking about it most of the day actually.

We were done for the day. We made it back to St. John’s and Ryan and I decided to go on an adventure. A shopping adventure. We walked around Rome looking for the right store. I was after a jacket and some shoes to be honest. We passed place after place and nothing was clicking. Two miles down the road we crossed the last shop on the street and I decided I wanted to check it out. We walked down to the basement where the men’s clothes were and I saw them. The converse of my dreams! I told Ryan that no matter what I had to get those shoes. So while I was checking out these shoes we noticed that they had some pretty cheap clothes and really good looking ones. First up was getting Ryan squared away. He had never really owned a suit so I was helping him get the right sizes and the right cut. One of the employees came over and also started helping. We spent about 35 minutes getting Ryan bossified. Sylvia, the employee, was a great help. She was a pretty interesting person and when Ryan changed I chatted with her and found out she speak 4 different languages. She also thought that the states were different countries. She kept referring to Texas as a country. It was funny.

So after Ryan was bossed out he had with him slacks, shirt, belt and jacket. He looked good. Now it was my turn. I snagged some pants and a jacket that went well together and then I asked Sylvia what kind of shirt I should get. My jacket and slacks were blackish so she suggested something that would pop.  A purple button up. When she said that I knew it was fate, the converse I saw were some boss purple converse and matched perfectly. I pointed at the shoes and said I need those and she said “Oh that will look perfect!” Sure enough it was. I got bossed out.

So, Ryan and I now have some fly duds but nowhere to wear them. It looked like the bad luck from this morning was going to continue on, but wait! The 2010 Chamber Music Festival was in Rome and they were nearby. So Ryan and I hastily showered and dressed then went with Jenny and Jordin to the show. I really wasn’t too stoked to listen to Dvorak’s quartet, but at least I was able to look fly for a while.

We got to the Festival and sat down amongst fellow bosses. Then a cellist, violaist, violinist, and pianist came out and freaking blew my mind. That was one of the best things I had ever heard ever. It was sublime and that is all I can say to describe it. After the music stopped we went to a restaurant and had the best food we had eaten all trip. The waiter gave us free appetizers and a discount on dessert—a truly excellent ending to the evening. We walked home and slept a satisfied sleep.

Love you all.

End Transmission.

Mass effect

Captain’s Log: 13 June 2010

Today was a pretty layed back day.

Mass wasn’t till 11 so I got to sleep in and get some good rest. As I woke up I started to get a little nervous about going to this church with Katherine and Billy (the two players you will meet today). I mean a freaking Prince and Princess were going to be there… I didn’t pack a just in case I meet a prince outfit—when will I learn!!! As we walked in the super hot morning Billy and Katherine explained to me what I should expect and how to behave in mass.

“Can I say amen really loud when he says something cool?”

“No”

“Awwww! Why not?’

Turns out because mass is boring!!!!! Just kidding about that. No, mass was a really cool experience. It might be because I was spoiled by this mass. The ambassadors of England and Canada were at this service. A Prince and Princess were also in attendance. Fourteen priests including two arch-bishops were also there. Did I mention I sat directly behind the Prince and Princess and two seats from the ambassador? Yeah, I shook their hands and said “Peace be with you”. I am kind of a big deal now.

All that aside, the service was pretty. The singing and the structure of the service was really interesting to take part in. My feet sure are tired from all the standing, but I really did enjoy it. After service they served champagne and I tried some. I am no connoisseur, but that stuff tasted super expensive—even drinking it out of a plastic cup. I have never had alcohol at church before… kind of weird.

As we walked home I had tons of questions for Billy and Katherine and they indulged (tee hee) my curiosity. Billy is a student from UT and has quite the potty mouth haha. That is the only negative thing I can say about him though. He is really amicable and friendly. Even though he isn’t from Texas Tech, he has fit right in and been really fun to hang out with. He definitely knows why he believes what he believes and was one of my comrades in yesterday’s debates. Katherine is a really sweet girl. She is super nice and really mellow and quiet. She isn’t shy at all, but just chill. It is actually really hard to get a read on her because she always smiles. She actually kind of intimidates me because I don’t know if she thinks I am an idiot or not. I mean, I am an idiot—but I just don’t ever know what she is thinking. (Assuming women can think!!! Burn).

So she and Billy enlightened me about Catholicism and clarified some misunderstandings I had about the Catholic faith. I was also able to enlighten them about Protestantism and why we are better than them. Especially Kyle. Just kidding, I got to tell them what we believe and practice and how we go about certain things. This actually lasted for about 2-3 hours and finally ended at the end of the stairs just next to my room. Of course after that I talked to Ryan, Will Utterback and Billy for about 4 hours. Nothing deep but just talking. Various players walked in and out of our conversation and we met some people in our dorm. I mean, we were sitting on the stairs so we saw everyone who walked by. We eventually moved our conversation to a Chinese restaurant and then back to the University. I have literally been talking for 2 days straight. I am going to lose my voice. I haven’t had so many good conversations in such a close period of times ever. It is literally iron sharpening iron right now. I am learning and growing so much and all the while trying to share my faith. Interestingly all my conversations have been really respectful and delightful. Academia is such a hard place to be a Christian in, but God has really blessed me this trip. I seriously have no more words that I can use right now. I am at my limit. The mass amount (pun intended) of words that has had a strange effect on me for sure.

 See you all tomorrow. I love you and keep praying that I will find the words to say or the restraint not to say anything lol. Love you all.

End transmission.

Caecilius est dominus.

Captain’s Log: 12 June 2010

Today was an early start, for sure. 5am sucks. All of it was worth it though. We took a pretty awesome bus ride out to Pompeii this morning. We had three hours to do our readings, chat and get to know each other. We all were pretty tired so lots of people slept while others read. I finished up my readings and took to watching the countryside of Campania fly by. It was such a beautiful drive. The fields were freshly harvested and the mountains in the background framed the landscape. As I sat there with Miley Cyrus telling me it’s all about the climb I relaxed and enjoyed the country.

The Romans had an ideal outlook on the countryside. The ideal turnout for a Roman soldier was to serve the state in battle honorably then return to the fields. The best dictator in Rome’s history was Cincinatus, who received the dictatorship in a crisis. He took the title, went and solved the problem and then he gave back the power to the senate and went back to working his fields. The Roman countryside was (and probably is) the life.  As we drove across the land, these were the random history lessons we got. We kept driving and approached Pompeii.

As we entered into Pompeii I was super stoked to see Caecilius’ house (The boss of the Cambridge Latin books) and the house of the Tragic Poet. Pompeii is one of those places that I have always wanted to visit. In the story we had been translating for four years the end is where Mount Vesuvius erupts and all the characters we have grown to love… allllll die! So visiting Pompeii was like visiting a grave yard for me. It was super cool, but at the same time I am visiting a place where thousands of people died. We saw the casted molds of people who had died and the emotion was there. Fear and anguish. It was sad. But also, it was waay fun! We walked around under the blazing sun fighting each other for shade and seating. Our tour guide whose name I can’t even imagine ever spelling correctly was a very nice lady. Though, like some Italian women, took it upon herself to not shave her armpits nor did she own deodorant. Other than that, she was really informative and helpful. After she took us all through Pompeii, we went to a café and got some lunch before Herculaneum.

When we go to the café, my little group was way later than everyone else because we went and saw some extra sites. We had to order from the inside of the café so we walked up and there was like a 13 year old Italian kid at the counter. I thought to myself that I am going to have such a hard time getting my food order across. Well, I was totally wrong. This kid was a baller! He had a working knowledge of English and was hooking us up. Will and I were laughing and saying he was a baller out loud and we saw his grandpa in the corner laughing and nodding his head. That nod said, “My grandson is quite the salesman amirite? Try living with him haha!” It was such a funny experience.

Herculaneum! This is a town that was buried due to the volcano as well. It had rained for several days before the ash cloud hit so when that happened it all turned to mud and a huge mud slide happened. This covered the town super quick and pushed the shore line out about 2 kilometers. It is way better preserved than Pompeii and was actually more interesting in its own way. I think mostly because visually it is more appealing. It was an old resort town really. Right on the beach and away from big cities—this was the place to be!” After checking this place out for a couple of hours we got to explore. Some of my friends went into a restricted tunnel without telling me… Jerks! I still had fun though.

The bus ride home was super fun. I really got to know a girl I have had class with in the past. Lauren Harris (she might be reading this so I am going to be nice) is a pretty cool girl. We actually met my second semester of college in a Latin course. The second day of class she sat right next to me so she could be my friend and get help. Well, I looked over at her homework that was perfectly done and said “Over achiever”. I was trying to joke with her and kind of break the ice, but she didn’t take it as a joke. The rest of the semester she sat on the other side of the room. So that is the story of how awesome I am at first impressions. Anyway, on this trip she gave me a second chance I suppose and now we are friends! I talked to her for most of the bus ride home about my testimony and my beliefs and things of that nature and she shared some of her past as well. She is a journalism student and you can kind of tell. She asks good questions. I am a terrible question asker (mainly because I want to talk about myself). She asks very intuitive questions and that’s why it is pretty fun to talk to her. She makes you think. So it was really fun talking about each other’s history and opinions on things. Surprisingly, it is really easy to get to know someone when they don’t think you are a jerkface McGrumpy butt.

Later that night 14 of us went to a restaurant we had eaten at the night before. We talked to the waiter Meerco and he hooked us all up and was super nice. After a great meal of Roman milk-fed lamb we walked back to the University and Tia, Lauren, Jordin, Katherine and I just talked and joked till late into the night. To be honest, there is really not a single person on this trip that I don’t get along with. Now, I am sure half the people here think I am annoying, but I like love everyone on this trip. We will see how this continues on as the days pile up, but I think I am super blessed to be on this trip with these people.

Miss you all slightly

End transmission.

Colossus of Rome aka ME!

Captain’s Log: 10 June 2010

Well, I conquered Rome today. I have the medal to prove it! INSERT PICTURE

This leaf is what they used to put on kids shirts when they would race. It was supposed to look like a medal. This is indicative of the things I have learned today.

Starting off at 8:20 this morning and ending this evening at 7:10 was one heck of a marathon. We saw the colosseum, the forum, the pallentine hill, the arches of Constantine and Titus, Trajan’s column, Augustine’s forum, the memorial to Emanuel II and so many other things it is hard to put into words.

Fun fact: There is no record of any Christians ever dying in the Flavian Amphitheatre. They were only recorded as being killed in the Circi. Seeing the coliseum again was a blast and a half. The day was hot though. Every inch of shade was crowded to the max. It was like we were vampires fleeing for our lives from the sun. Every water spigot had a line like the Vatican. That is called overstatement by the way.

Our tour guide was phenomenal. His name was John Paul and was the boss of the tour guides. We only scheduled him for the coliseum but he also gave us a tour of the Palentine hill and the Forum. He was super nice. He also got us into places and talked to ticket guys to bend the rules for our group. It was pretty sick. After all the touring, the group split up. Some of us wanted to go back to the Forum and have a more in depth look at it, and the others went back to the University.

After a delightful lunch, we went back and stood under the blazing sun in the forum. We enjoyed the Curia a lot, mainly because it was so cool inside. Then after the Forum we just walked the city for a couple of hours. Dr. Lavigne explained things to us as we went from site to site. We had some great photo ops. We stood at the top of the Monument of Emanuel II, and got a panoramic view of Rome nearly. We also went to some old slummy streets and took Backstreet Boyesque pictures. It was tons of fun, but super tiring. It was just 6 guys and Dr. Lavigne and his fiancé (I believe) romping around Rome.

Once we got back to the University the same guys went out and got some great food at a local restaurant. We talked about the finer things in life like video games and… I am not sure. It was a blast though. I ate some smoked swordfish, ricotta filled ravioli (chef Boyardee style!) and some lemon sorbet. Goodness, it was tastalicious.

After a really long day it was nice to just sit down do some readings and relax. We have an early start tomorrow though. 6 oclock!!! We are going to Pompeii and Herculaneum though, so totally worth it. I am going to chill at Caecilius’ house with Matella. The dog Cerberus will be there. Maybe Grumio will cook us something. I just hope his son Quintus isn’t being a baby and whining the whole time! (ALL Mrs. Sea’s Latin students should understand this paragraph)

It was nice to get more introduced to someone I had class with all last semester, Will Utterback. He is an ex-marine and pretty cool dude. He has one crazzzy mouth. Likes to use army language for sure, but most of all he has a booming voice and an infectious laugh. You can hear is laugh from so far, and EVERYONE knows it is Will. There is never a dull moment with him.

All today and yesterday, he and I have been buying stuff for each other trying to reconcile a 2-3 euro debt. It has swung back and forth like 8 times today. We have been joking around and swapping stories. Man, he has some terrible stories from how much he got hazed. He is still a really super nice guy to everyone and is easy to get along with. He really improves the mood of everyone around him and never stops smiling. A good guy.

Anyway readers, I hope to post all the pictures soon so you can see what I am talking about. It is a little difficult not being able to post my blog from my laptop. Life is tough, but then ye make the trip down to Davy Jones’ Locker!

End Transmission.

Saturated and Orientated.

Captain’s Log 09 June 2010

Today was a rather long day. We got up at nine and immediately headed south to the castle of St. Angelo which is built on top of Hadrian’s mausoleum. It was a cool castle. I mean literally when it was 90+ outside already, the inside was a cool 70 something. Also I mean figuratively. We walked around saw some old guns and cannons. We got to see a panoramic of Rome from the top. There was a café at the top of the structure. (I don’t know what to call it. There are so many layers and previous uses, it is hard to say which one is the most important) It was weird seeing a café on the top of a castle. What was once used as a place to survey incoming invasions was now a quiet place to survey the city. This is where I started to complain a little less about all the kitsch shops. If it wasn’t for the tourist paraphernalia and small establishments like this café, this whole city would suffer. These people do have a rough existence, they have no room to expand because all the space is taken up by tourists, hotels and old old old stuff. They have to do these things otherwise the city will lose its life. (Though it hasn’t wait for my trip back from the Ara Pacis.)

Next we headed east down a road built by Mussolini. One of the few things he did that was nice was clearing the space for this road. We walked straight to the Vatican with its domineering structures in the distance. We made it to the line and after a stout wait, we made it inside. Our professors basically said, “see you at the hotel at 4:30” and we all went through at our own pace. I had been there before and, much like my past experience, I was saturated with history and art. Thousands of statues and busts and paintings had to be examined. After the first 25 minutes my brain went into the equivalent of a sugar coma. It couldn’t take anymore of this delicacy. I forced myself to see everything I could, even though I was being cramped and crowded like cattle in a train car. Some 20,000 people see the Vatican a day. Pope’s gotta eat you know what I be saying?! I went and saw some Etruscan and Egyptian art, things that when I was a high school student seemed less interesting, but after my college education I was giddy like a school girl.

After walking some 2 estimated miles me and my three crewmen made the long walk to the Sistine Chapel. I love that room. It was a lot like I had remembered, maybe a little clearer seeing as I have grown since then. It is spectacular. I don’t quite know how to explain the experience you have when you are in there but it is special. Maybe the blood pooling at the back of your head from staring straight up causes a euphoria but you just marvel and awe at the paintings before you. The narrative, the color, the emotion and the movement of the room is just calming and thought provoking.

Lastly, my favorite part of my wanderings in the Vatican was St. Peter’s Cathedral. I walked in and it was much larger than I remembered. Again, it is one of those experiences that is hard to describe. If I was a gangster I would say “pump you brakes and do a double take” but since I am a pirate I’ll say “cease yer walkin’ and use your spyglass from this point on!” So much to see and so little energy left, but you must persevere. Michelangelo’s Pieta is to your right as soon as you walk in. The throne of St. Peter sits all the way down the corridor. You see the dome right in front. All around are paintings and marbles that had seen the faces of so many pilgrims coming to see their Mecca. The foot of St. Paul’s statue was worn to the “bone” from people walking by and touching it. The line was 50 people long at all times I would say. Though I am not Catholic, I definitely felt honored being able to see this place again.

We broke for lunch, well Ryan, Jason, Billy and I broke for lunch. There were some stragglers still taking in the city, but we are growing boys and had to get some sustenance. We grabbed some pizza from a nearby pizzeria. Delicious. I also grabbed some fried mashed potato thing. I don’t know what it was, but I loved it. I totally burned my mouth though. I did not expect it to be so creamy and so lava like.

After an hour to recharge we were off to the races again. The Ara Pacis was in our eyesight and we hustled over there. The Ara Pacis is altar that shows the ideal Rome that Augustus claimed to have achieved after his defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. It was nice, mainly because it is in an air conditioned building and 5000 people are pushing and shoving you. It was originally open-air but they moved it inside because so many people had been walking around it over the centuries that they were wearing a trench around it. As you walk around it, you mimic the movements of the procession displayed on the outer relief. It is quite nifty. We all exited more educated thanks to Will giving his presentation over the Ara Pacis and walked towards the Spanish steps. On the way out we saw perhaps my favorite exhibit ever. Pieces of trash with signs next to them.

INSERT PICTURES (I'll put them in tomorrow)

The social commentary and puns and creativity was just awesome. I have some video of the guy who did it talking with Conor, it was awesome. He gave him an original piece of art.

Then a group of about 8 of us strolled the streets going to the piazzale of someone and headed home. I had the chance to do two good deeds once we got home. I helped Connor find his room key, and I helped Ryan work out his lost luggage situation. Mostly, I was just there to offer an ear and encouraging words. I walked around and helped Connor find his key. He had left it in his room, so I wasn’t much of a help. Ryan just needed a phone to call the airline and I let him use mine. Sorry dad. I felt good about it, not because of my pride. I always feel good about myself. I felt like I had gotten to know people all day, but at that point I got to bond with them a little more. Get a little chance to be Christ-like.

Ryan is a cool guy. He is a grad-student at Tech. Me and him know eachother from various classics events. Symposiums mostly. We have similar taste in video games and television shows. He is really intelligent and very interesting. Most of all he is just a real chill guy and really kind. I hope to cheat off of him soon. He owes me after all. =P

Love y’all. (Some NY girls like my Texas accent, I think I’ll milk that for some attention =))))

End Transmission.

Dip yer toes in the warm waters of the sea!

Captain’s Log: 08 June 2010

I woke up this morning to the smell of fresh rain. It rained most of the night. This was a god-send seeing as it cooled my room enough for me to sleep properly. The sun rises so early in Venice. At 5:30 it was nearly bright enough to burn ants with my glasses. Slowly I packed and thought that 3 days in Venice was a good amount of time. If I had more money it would have been perfect probably. I lugged my 50lbs bag over some bridges and eventually came to the train station. I could get on several different trains to get to the Mestre station outside of Venice. I looked around and saw one that left 40 minutes before my train in the Mestre left. I attempted to board it, but no such luck. The doors were all closed and I couldn’t see anyone on there. My stomach became slightly unsettled. I quickly looked for the next train that would depart. It left 19 minutes before my train in the Mestre left. It is a 12 minute train ride to the Mestre. I had roughly 7 minutes to get out find my train and get on it. It was a relaxing 12 minute ride to the Mestre…

I rushed off trying to find where I was headed. I located a departures board and scanned for my train number. 9403 to Terminini. I found it in seconds. Thankfully it was nearby and I rushed and rushed over there, hauling my bag with herculean strength up the stairs. I made it to the train with 2 minutes to spare. Bravo, Captain Nathan! Ye be makin’ tha train by the seat of your swashbuckling pantaloons!

The termini in Rome, though daunting at first, was marked well enough for me to figure out how to get to St. John’s University. Again, praise be to God, I found St. John’s with relative ease and it was hardly a block from the train station. I love God. I think he loves me as well. I got to St. John’s and they gave me the rundown of what to do. I made it into my room and immediately claimed the bed next to the air conditioner. My two roommates were going to arrive in an hour’s time, so I felt like these past 5 days of no air-conditioning entitle me to some luxury. Everyone arrived and much to my surprise, we were given an allowance for transportation, museum fees, and food. I am already making money off this trip! We all gathered and every talked about their travel troubles. I topped the tales with my telling of the terrible itinerary my dad and I tackled together. It is nice to be the –est at something. I am the worstest traveler in our group. JK. I am already wary of a few of my fellow students. Introductions of these people will come in my following blog. I am not going to whine or complain for the rest of this blog. I am happy that I know people now. I am happy that I have essentially three tour guides with me. I am also happy that I met a new friend today.

I can’t quite call him a new friend. I had the World of Egypt with him last semester, and got to know a little bit about him. I knew his name is Connor, he has a deep voice, and he is mildly intelligent. In the 20 minutes it took to walk to the Vatican, I learned more about him than I did all last semester. Pathetic on my part. How little time I take for others—it is wildly un-Christ like. Anyway, Connor and I talked as we walked. (hard to believe I can do both at the same time amirite?) I learned he is a lot like me in that we both have traveled all over the globe. He etched me out by a couple of countries though. He was impressed that I went to Papua New Guinea. I am a boss like that—much like Pericles (you’ll learn about him someday). I assume Connor and I will get along well enough, we were content to hang back and enjoy the rhythm of the city.

I think this is understood but many people get caught up seeing the spectacles and the ancient sites. Yes, they are marvels, for sure. But, and this goes for every place we visit with a history, you can’t neglect what is and focus on what was. You have to take them both hand in hand. Rome WAS a great city, no doubt. It has deep and rich history, but Rome today has its own history. Its own vibe and tempo. Honestly, I can see the Rome of the past very clearly in the history books. Contextualizing it by seeing the sites has already helped me tons, don’t get me wrong. The atmosphere of Rome and the people who live here, however, is an experience you can’t read or really write about.

That aside, tonight was wonderful. We walked a little ways to the Vatican and got a taste for what we will see tomorrow. We saw forts and bridges, statues and reliefs, ruins on top of ruins. Rome is magical in a sense. The past mingles so well with the present.

We then went to eat dinner. The professors were treating. It was a 4 course masterpiece. The prosciutto and mozzarella was fantastic.

Then to top it off, the tiramisu arrived. Whew, not eating for 24 hours really improves the taste of things. So does good company and new faces. Meeting my fellow classmates over a meal of this caliber was a great experience. The Mediterranean breeze cooled the evening and we walked back through the calm streets of Rome—recently vacated by the tired tourists. A great end to a long day.

Well, I thought it was the end. I have about 100 pages of reading to do by tomorrow. I am, of course, putting them off to write my blog. The Captain’s Tales are mar’ impartant than a grade! Tales of adventures and foreign food are much more enticing to write about than Livy’s histories or chronologies of times past.

I must go. I miss you all except Ben.

End Transmission.

The Real Venice.

Captain's Log: 07 June 2010

Today was a good day for traversing Venice. It was slightly warm, but there was a wonderful breeze that kept me cool throughout the day. I finally got a good night's sleep thanks to Tylenol PM. I woke up this morning, however, and could barely feel my extremities. That is what I get for taking drugs I guess. When will I learn to say no? Never.

Today, much like the previous ones, was filled with walking and the occasional detour. I got remarkably better at finding my way back to the hostel and way more proficient at getting to the tourist attractions. Today, I happened upon a church that you could walk in for FREE--my kind of exhibit. I really enjoyed looking at how ornate and extravagant the inside was whereas the exterior was less than stellar. I think most of Venice is like that, with the exception of St. Marco's Basilica. I got the chance to walk into an older looking building and the stonework inside was exceptional. The stones on the floor were carved, the arches in the doorways were elegantly ornate, and the walls had the ruins of what looked to be old plaster. It looked real and authentic. Most of Venice that I have seen has been kitsch and touristy. I understand that as a tourist I like touristy things, but as a partaker of the atmosphere of Venice I have been disappointed. I saw the bridge of sighs today. It was fairly cool, I think it would have been better if it wasn’t wall to wall covered by advertisements. I may sound harsh, but it is tiresome. Surrounded by a town that has such rich history and on all sides I am accosted by gondola drivers and shops that hold clothes miles above my price range affects me.


I did bite the bullet and go to see the history of Venice play. It was actually very nice. They explained the history of Venice in an engaging way. It was over the top, but still kind of funny. It turns out that Venice is a city with a long history of immorality and whorish behavior. Masks were the primary tool of tools. Men and women would wear them so that the public wouldn’t know that they were gambling and sleeping around. Casanova made his debut in Venice sleeping with thousands of women according to him. Lord Bryan/t (?) slept with 200 women in 200 consecutive days, by his account. Casinos and the lottery sprung up in Venice and many more debaucheries. Pretty fun history lesson, well in my book it is. So after this little play, it is no surprise that Venice has gussied itself up and taken to selling cheap pleasures to all who come. All this said, tonight, I got to see the real Venice—or parts of it.


Tonight, I decided I would stay up later than 8 and go across the street to the restaurant there. I asked for a table and they told me 5-10 minutes. So, I took a seat on the ground feet from the restaurant. Families dined outside, locals and travelers intermixed. I saw what appeared to be a local family dining out. They had three children, a girl and two younger boys. They finished their meal and took to running up and down the street. The youngest boy was so sweet. Although I couldn’t quite understand what he was saying, I assume he was telling his siblings to race him. His sister let him win, and his older brother did a couple of times. With each victory he would smile and each defeat turn sad and angry. Kids aren’t much different across cultures I guess. He could be beaming and laughing and seconds later, with the intervention of his parents, he would be crying. Then off to the races again laughing as he ran. At one point, he decided he would come and rest his head on me knee. It was darling. His parents looked over and called him back and it looked like they were apologizing to me, but I just smiled. The language barrier meant little at that point. The 5-10 minutes turned to 20 and I continued watching. The parents let their kids continue to run as they finished their wine. An English couple to my left finished their main course and requested some café. I watched at least 3 different couples walk their dogs down the street. The waiters and waitresses grouped in the doorway and chatted and laughed while they looked around for people to serve. It was real. It wasn’t manufactured or packaged. It was real life in the real Venice. Today was lovely and calm. Tomorrow should prove interesting. I need to take three separate trains and have no idea how to use them. Adventure always be welcome on the decks of Captain Nate’s life though. Till’ the morrow then!


End Transmission.