Sorry I'm Late...

Living in Italy Naples has taught me one thing over and over again- the reason for a late arrival is very seldom a result of as something as basic as traffic, a reroute, or just poor planning. Come to think of it if your tardy friend says that traffic is the reason she is late, you better start wondering.

Christmas Eve. I already ran (more like hobbled since my knee was acting up bad) one load of gifts, food, and my overnight bag to the car. I come back up for one last check that the babies will be okay over night and that none of my breakables are at risk should they have a rowdy Christmas party. Alarm set, bag on my shoulder, and a small box of cookies and treats from my kitchen in my hand I ring the doorbell of my landlord's parents. I am clearly departing to my "other family" for Christmas celebrations starting with dinner in about an hour in a half which gives me plenty of time to get there, toss together the salad, and even enjoy a glass of wine.

Or so I thought. 

Si? 
Buona sera, questa Katherine. (locks opening and Teresa peaks out of the door to see the box of dolce) Buon Natale! 

She lets me in (first warning) and goes into their living room and comes back with what we affectionately refer to as the "Italian fruitcake." Side story here- Panatone. Around this time every year they come in a various types and in different color of boxes. Most even come with a bottle of prosecco! You see Italians filling up carts of these boxes in the stores to inevitably trade with a friend.  I smile and thank her for the cake as she decides it's time to call up her son so I can chat with him about the house?

The poor man is getting ready for one of his busiest days at the restaurant, but plays along with small talk for 5 or so minutes. During this time his mom, is pressing me to have candies out of a dish and asking if I'd like coffee. I let Joe (my landlord) know that I was just doing a quick stop by to wish his parents a Merry Christmas and drop of cookies before going to my friends' house for dinner. A few more minutes on the phone with him I finally pass the phone back to his mom.

Great- prefect time...I shuffle in my chair and glance at my watch to see just how fast I need to drive. 

Teresa starts talking and to my surprise I'm actually understanding what she is asking. Maybe I am picking up the language OR (most likely) it's the same conversations we have every time so I'm getting better at answering about my family, traveling, work, weather, and the house. Nico always makes the conversation too- of course! Going  back and forth, probably slipping way more Spanish in there than I even knew I still know she gets up again asking if I want coffee.

No grazie. 
Then she asks about lemons? Um sure? She walks back from the other side of the kitchen counter with a plastic bag full of lemons and oranges and a bottle of "home brewed" wine that her brother made.

More (labored) chatting about how she mailed a 18kg box to her family in NJ and she hopes it gets there in time and asking about what we will be eating for dinner we finally run our of things to talk about (or you know, my so limited vocab).

I have no idea what time it is, but the darkening sky and many church bells reveal I was there much longer than planned. She helps me gather up all my regali  as I once again thank her and wish her a Buon Natale and hobble down the stairs.

When I finally reach Lori's, frantically getting stuff unloaded I see her and let her know "Sorry, my landlady held my hostage." Without batting an eye, she says, "no prob."

See? She's been here even longer- she knows the drill! Oh well- I need to use these excuses now while I can because I guarantee that won't be an option to use when I'm back in the states! Oh and I also need to see how many creative ways I can use panatone.

American Gladiators

Okay. Maybe not so much. I mean, I do have a brace on my knee!

This weekend I checked out ancient Capua (Santa Maria Capua Vetere). If Capua sounds familiar maybe it's because you recall a certain gladiator named Spartacus. Spartacus trained as a gladiator in the ancient Capua. Lots of gladiators did actually as it was the training grounds. As a community with a love hate relationship with Rome, its loyalty to the Empire faltered over the years, especially during war time. At one point, Capua severed winter holding grounds for Hannibal during his attack on Rome. In its time, Capua was a big deal! It was the second most important city in Italy (second to Rome) due to the number of soldiers it produced for war time campaigns. The Appian Way (Via Appia) which was the main road to Rome cuts right through the city.

Unfortunately I had no time to put together a gladiator outfit together for our visit to the ancient gladiator training grounds. (You better believe this will not be a mistake made twice!) What remains now of the anfiteatro built in the time of Augustus is still impressive. The once 4 story structure could hold 60,000 spectators.  The current structure was built between the 1st and 2nd century AD, most likely over the existing type of structure. And even better? Unlike the coloseo in Rome, you can wander through the passages below! And this isn't a tiny structure either, it's the next largest one to it's famous Roman relative.

Of course we didn't realize this as first and as we stood on the floor of the area, thinking about the deaths that took place under our feet we realized there were a ton of passages below. "I want to go there! And hey, since this is Italy there has got to be a way." As we wandered through the arena I spotted stairs going down into darkness so naturally I took them. At the bottom of the stairs a metal gate blocked the doorway, however several of the bars had been moved bent so that you could easily pass through. Alright, maybe not so easily, but I had my 'sploring jacket on so it had to be done.

Once through the fence, we found ourselves in a land of columns, neatly arranged between channels (mini moats). Green moss grew under the filtered sunshine streaming in and the air smelled like moist dirt. Shortly after being an "alley" of columns I realized we were on a set of a horror film so scurried back over to the others and we vowed to stay in a pack. It made the demon possessed coos from a pigeon a few minutes later way less frightening...once we realized what was making that terrible sound.

The different sections are still a mystery as what they were really used for, but in my mind they were small rooms for animals and the gladiators. We passed column after column and finally realized that we had 2 options to get back up to the ground level. As in a much more visitor friendly way to tour the underground passages. See? Totally "legal" touring method and we had more fun taking the path less traveled!
Next time, there has to be a next time so I need to show up with my triton and net, come visit with us and we can re-create Spartacus' Rebellion!

Leap of Faith

I made a big decision yesterday.
And made it official today.

And?

Well, I keep flashing back to my summer spent at Redwood Christian Park (RCP) and one stunt on the ropes course. To my fellow RCPers, do you remember the "Leap of Faith?" I'm sure there was a tie in to trusting God, but let's face it- it was just fun! To this day I still don't know how we scurried up those wooden slats way up that redwood tree and stepped out on to that tiny platform and leaped with all our might to the trapeez bar hanging out in front.

Or you know, be terrified but hear the calls of encouragement from friends 40ft below while you cursed yourself for being the first volunteer. And when you finally picked the one voice you wanted to listen to your feet were suddenly lead and it was impossible to inch forward. Even when all the sweat from your palms should have helped? Okay, maybe it was never that bad but if you've ever jumped off a platform/high dive, out of a plane, or into a shark cage you know there's that pause. The moment when you feel your pulse in your toes. Your racing heart is the only thing you hear. Your stomach feels like a lead ball and a black hole at the same time. Now that I think about it, it's probably my survival instinct saying "Katie. This can go terribly wrong, terribly fast."

And it can.
And it may.
But there are still a few safety nets built into my decision...there always are.
I'm a control freak- remember? Not to mention I used to be a safety officer.

Now that I'm recalling all those summers post ropes course install, the little voice that narrates my flash backs is strongly suggesting that I never actually caught the bar...but it didn't matter. The rope securely attached to my harness was threaded through a simple system and safely on the ground I knew the ropes course folks would make sure I left the trees and eventually make it back to the ground.

My safety net? Well I sure hope I don't have to hit it because with this leap of faith I plan on catching that bar and hanging on for dear life. However, if something goes terribly wrong, I will let that net catch me and when I'm ready to give it another go, I do just that.

So...what's my leap of faith?

Long exhale....

Today I committed to leaving Naples at the end of my 3 year tour.

So what's next?
I have no idea. That's where the faith part comes in. I can't hold onto the tree and still expect to hang from that bar. One must go and I chose to let Naples go. Head out here and we can discuss all my reasons over a bottle of wine, but just trust me when I say this is the right decision...

For now?

• Butterflies are having a war in my tummy. I think the excitement butterflies are conquering the nervous ones that until today have had complete dominance.We'll see how I sleep tonight.
• I continue to search for jobs within the government. Anywhere and everywhere I can.
• I create my Italy Bucket List.
• Nico needs to get ready to travel. 

Firenze. Round II

Nothing beats jet-lag like a road trip up to Florence a few short days after returning back to Naples. Right?

Well, it was worth a shot because let's face it, if I stayed at home I'd be sleeping all day and never adjusting back to Naples time. So, despite a way early Friday evening and a Nico kitty begging me to not leave him again, I was up and at 'em early Saturday morning to head to the civilized north with my travel squad for a little Christmas market shopping and of course, a trip to the leather market.

Florence was just as fabulous as I remembered it earlier in the year, even through my ebola virus/cold medicine haze. The clean streets, easily understood Italian, and somehow fading in with the locals rather than looking touristy (me!)  still amazed me.

We checked into our super cute room right by Ponte Vechia and set off exploring. Well, mainly  in search of one of the top panini shops which was delayed when we all piled into the typical European and it wouldn't go anywhere. Seriously. It was like the start to bad joke "2 brunettes, a blonde, and a dog pile into an elevator..." "How do you get it to go? Well, apparently the answer is "have Katie step out." Yep, when I stepped out of it it worked! I had to listen to Cam and Lori laugh all the way down the 3 flights of stairs. Um yeah. I am the one in a knee brace...

Oh well...onward to lunch because my Angry Bird cookies weren't enough on the 4 hour drive up.

And lunch we had. We knew we had reached our destination when we saw i grandi panini heading our way and a line blocking the sidewalk. The best part of this line? On the outside of the shop there was a "self serve" wine bar with various bottles of wine and glasses. Drink and wait- only in Italy! 2E a glass? What a deal! And the panini did not disappoint! So many different veggie spreads, cheese, and meat which made  up for the lack of personal space in the "shop." Oh and did I mention that the brothers working were hot? Totally helps. Chalk another one up for northern Italy please...

Panini in hand (okay, now we looked like tourists) we headed to San Croce square for the Christmas market. Although the market failed in providing much in terms of Christmas things, it was a nice change of pace for the weekly markets down in Naples. The best part of the place? Probably all the German/Austrian inspired food. Oh wait, what am I talking about? It was the cotton candy and hot mulled wine. Of course we were filled with lunch so we decided to make plans to come back for dinner.

Next stop? Eh, wherever we felt like going. It's nice to have already done 90% of the touristy stuff in a city so you can just wander the leather markets OR head straight to the guy you liked last time to see what new things there are. Although I had every intention of buying Christmas gifts for others after the 2 weeks of shopping for me in the states, I somehow splurged with my left over December euros and ended up with my polka-dot leather gloves and two totes. Side note, Nina one of these may be headed your way, but the one that reminded me of you has been the one I've been using. In summary? I guess another trip to Florence is in call for to pick you up another, unused one that is if you like it. Remind me to show you next time we chat.



By late afternoon I had to pull the "jet-lagged" and "injured" cards. Yep. Both. The result? A fabulous hot chocolate and cookie break at the place where the waiter insisted my name was Jenny on the last trip. It was the same guy this time, but he didn't seem to care about our names this time around. Maybe that's because I swear they all know Lori by heart since it's one of the "mandatory stops" when in Florence. Lots of people watching later, we headed back to the hotel for a quick regroup before heading back out in search of food.

Of course. When in doubt, we always leave for search of food.

And food we found. Lots of wine. Lots of sugar. Lots of potatoes and pork knuckles.

The sad part?

We were back to our room, full, and knocked out by about 9pm. I'd like to blame the super early departure...but I can't. We were tired. Plain and simple.

Day 2 was pretty much more of the same- food (breakfast a place that had been around for 100 years and served scrambled eggs! and the most fabulous biscotti place) and this time trekking around the Piazza Pitti side of the bridge in search of the "Unusual Market." It was different, once we found it, but not so much unusual. Local shops had come together in a hall with small booths to sell their items. Had I not been so over dealing with crowds at this point or feeling exhausted it may have been fun. The next market we ran into was fun. Outside in a square with trees all around booths of primarily "farmer's market" types of goods stood: honey, oil, sweets, bread, jewelry, clothes, flowers.

With the south calling, we decided to get a move on to get back at a decent hour for work the next day. Plugging "home" into the GPS lead us even further into uncharted areas of Florence but it was beautiful in ways that only a single lane road surrounded by concrete walls can be through a vineyard. And a stop an autogrill. Of course!

Bella (?) Napoli

I arrived in Naples just over an hour ago and despite ample leg room, personal space, and a fabulous book (Divergent) to get caught up in heading from Germany to Italy- the damp smokey air that met me getting off the plane AND walking to the luggage claim just didn't see like home.

Don't get me wrong- I'm thrilled to be back among these friends, speeding to the base on an empty road with little fear of ticket in RAVI. But the sense of relief and feeling of "home"that usually comes witht he appluase of touching down tonight felt a bit more like impeding doom.

Um...been traveling for the past day and didn't sleep too much.

When the wheels lifted up in Monterey the fear started to creep in. I have NO idea when I'll be there again. Next Thanksgiving? Next Christmas? Will I be flying in for a few days? Road tripping?

For a planner like me, these things drive me nuts. Crazy. Loca. Pazza.

A few phone calls sitting in SFO brought me back to my immediate future as I crammed a little more California in with a Warriors game playing over the bar as I drank an Anchor Steam beer.

Why is it when I'm in Cali I want all things Napoli & vice versa?

With my mind racing, filled with worse case scenarios about things, little did I know I was in the worst flight I have EVER had: hot temperature, 3 year old kicking my seat (and crying), nasty dreadlocks peaking over the seat in front of me, meals that made me queasy, turbulence waking me up when I finally fell asleep. And did I mention that my brain would not turn off?

Lots of things spinning around- all related, causing that sinking feel in the pit of my stomach and lumps in my throat. I don't even think I can identify all of the issues, concerns, doubts. It may all stem from the fact that this time on my return I'm wondering if I really still belong in Naples.

I'm sure within a few days that this feeling will flee...at least I hope that's the case!

Nothing as terrible as returning to your dungeon after 2+ weeks of freedom to question my optimism. More like adding fuel to the "I need to get married, have a few kids, and not work full time anymore." Yeah, it is going to work like that. :)

Time to sleep.
Work, errands, and kitties tomorrow. 

Italy is calling...oh wait that's the airport man

No more spoiling by my parents.
No more non-Italian food.
No more laughing until I cry with OG & GWB.
No more wake up calls by a voice I love hearing.
No more "that's the problem with America"s escaping my lips.
No more clear air.
No more garbage disposals.
No more reliable internet. 
No more ease dropping on conversations in stores.
No more shopping sprees.
No more visits to the animal shelters.
No more Saturday naps on the couch while football games are played on the tv.
No more country stations on my car radio.
No more heaters that actually warm up the place.
...And perhaps, the worst one of all...no more work free days!

It's funny how when I'm eagerly anticipating my annual trip to the states, my weekish trip always turns into 2+ weeks if I have the vacation time. Why? Well tickets aren't cheap, not to mention the fact that it's a long flight x 2!  At least 2 full days are spent on planes and in airports. So I depart with grand plans of visiting other locations to see friends and relatives outside of the Monterey area. Lists of appointments, places to eat, things to do, and people to see.

Well, just like the prior two trips, as this one winds down there are still items unchecked. And I can't stand that!

Problem is, I'm all out of vacation time, changing plane tickets is expensive, and I've got 3 kitties arriving at my house later this week. Not to mention the fact that my credit cards can't afford anymore exercise and I miss my life in Italy.

Time to head back.
Refreshed.
Recharged.
Eyes twinkling, teeth sparkling, heart ticking, & knee healing.
Holding a driver's license with a non 15-year old Katie on it.
Dressed in new clothes.
Carrying enough peppermint items I really should declare it to the customs man. Just kidding.

Decisions need to be made. Nico needs attention. And I need to hit the gym.

California (& Oregon too!) family and friends thank you for another fabulous trip home. Keep in touch and try your best to come out and visit me! Life really is fabulous is Naples. Different, but fabulous in its own way. Don't delay too much- my current "expiration" date is only 167 days away!

Job Search 2014

It's sort of tough to avoid the inevitable when visiting with EVERYONE they ask what's next after Italy.

Well, although I still have no idea what path I'll take, I actually spent today in my pjs (it's too cold to leave my bed) applying for jobs. I feel like I'm in the same exact place I was 4 years ago when I finally reached the "must flee Monterey" mark and flooded the government job site with my resume.

Like I did today. 

More jobs are being posted, which is encouraging, but still it's hard to apply for positions when I know how hiring goes...they post because they have to, but already have the person in mind. Not to mention all these jobs sound the same despite being different titles and different agencies. And yet should I end up in the job, it won't be like what they told me it would be...

Mom, Dad, all jobs I applied for were stateside.
Nina, you'd be happy to hear lots of them are near you.

So just to keep things in perspective in between rating my skill set with each application, I've been putting together other options, just in case I decide this government deal can't go on past 8 years of service:

COA #2: Join the circus. Marry a carnie. Eat cotton candy daily. Lots of traveling. Optional pet lemur?

COA #3: Apply to be the next Bacholorette per a former colleague's advice. (May not end up with a ring on my finger or someone I want to be with, but the $ should keep me good for a year or so...right?)

COA #4: Launch Nico's modeling career. Full marketing attack- toys, children's books, feline clothing, sing-a-long with Signore Neeks in addition to his trademark calendar.

COA #5: Open up a coffee shop/bakery. Small place with daily menu of tasty muffins, scones, cookies. Quality coffee served one hot cup at a time.

COA #6: Run off to Kenya. Dig wells. Adopt adorable babies. Get a parasite. And skin cancer.

COA #7: Work for the private terminal at the airport (i.e the rich people's one). Meet a millionaire. Marry him and wait for his money to come my way. (Brought to by the same person as COA 3.)

COA #8: Liquidate all my funds. Travel the world. Wherever I end up when my last dollar, euro, pound, whatever is spent, I've found my new home.

COA #9: Run for Congress. I mean, how difficult can it really be?

COA #10: PhD school. Although my coworkers said I shouldn't apply if that's what I'm calling it...

The Road Home

One cannot have a 28hour day with limited sleep and upon arrival at her destination not be slightly delusional or have a brain on overload. Time to download so I can try to get to sleep!
<- I started my day,  0600 CET in MdP I looked like this.

I eventually made it to Monterey 2117 PST where my parents were waiting for me with hugs and drove me home to meet my little brothers. Finni (pictured here ->) took to me right away. Tucker? Well I now know how visitors feel when Nico stalks them, but I'll win him over. Mark. My. Words.

And yes.
You knew it was coming- it always does.
International travel is always an adventure but compounding it with the fact that this is the first time in 12.5 months I've stepped foot on American soil? Momma mia, let the reverse culture shock begin. Not to mention the "well, it's not like this in Europe" comments...

#1 Why did it have to rain this morning making my last Naples drive for a while such a mess? Even more bothersome? The fact that it didn't really bother me. The shocker? On the drive home. The reflective lane dividers on the drive home AND people stayed in their lanes!

#2 I know it's typically Americans that get the back rep for "ugly traveler status", but fellow Americans I tell you that this time around that it was a German man on my Naples to Munich segment. With his shoes off, multiple special requests before the plane was loaded, he felt right at home to remind the 2 Italian men next to him that they weren't the only ones in the exit row. Yeah, apparently all the leg room in the world didn't make up for the fact that the guy in the middle seat was claiming the arm rest? When we landed, besides making the comment about Italians never listening or waiting to remove their seat belts (as mine was already unfastened) he acted like he was in no hurry. So then, can someone please tell me why he got on the girl I was sitting next to case about rushing him when his long reach and ample space to manuever his bag? This was after the 4 immendiate rows around us had all helped with the luggage switch since our stuff was all mixed up. Yep. Jerk of the day goes to him.

#3 Stanley injury (round 2) was great practice for sitting and doing nothing but watching movies for 10 hours at a time. I only took a few naps in between all the movies I watched on the long haul. 42 hands down was my favorite one I watched and it's on my "need to acquire" list despite having to look at Dodger uniforms the whole film.

#4 Only in the US do citizens holing passports for the county of entry have longer lines than its visitors. And yes our lines are way more diverse. And yes, the number of people working vs the number of podiums was a terrible ratio for us travelers.

#5 SFO Immigration people rock! Why? I only have 1 more unstamped legit page (cause everyone knows- expect for Russia- that those pages aren't for stamps). I hope Munich pulls through for me on the return flight, but if they don't I'll need a travel adventure buddy to a non EU country out/back before 23 January.

#6 Security lines suck in the US. Are we paranoid? Untrustworthy? Maybe, just maybe, if we didn't play world police we wouldn't have these issues? Is this the delusion kicking in???

#7 I'm sure seeing more orange and black than red and gold...and it's a beautiful thing. I do love my fellow SF Giants fans.

#8 Sitting at SFO, listening and observing...momma mia...I'm sure not in Italy anymore. No- I'm not being a European snob. I'm just saying that all of this seems so strange and I'm annoying by 75% of it but I think that is because I can understand the conversations happening around me.

#9 No matter how many times I see them- the stacks of the Monterey Bay Aquarium are a beautiful sight to see.  

#10 Even better than those stacks? Seeing my parents waiting for me as soon as I turn the corner. Every time. Traveling is 1,000,000 times better when you have someone(s) you love waiting for you on the other end.

Phew. Okay. Now I can go track down a cat, maybe the one meowing in the hall and get to sleep before my body realizes what time it is back in Naples....

Every Storms Runs Out of Rain

Or so they claim. My life the past 3-4 weeks? Stormy. Thunder. If you're familiar with the storm warning pop up and email notification system on base...well you'd be so annoyed with all the notification (and legit ones at that) most likely you would give up using that portion of your computer screen.

No, I don't have my Drama Queen crown on...why ever do you ask?

Well, just when I think that the clouds are parting to make way for the clouds, with a brilliant rainbow in the near distance (trip home) there is one last downpour.

Of course.

As if saying "see you later" to someone I've grown rather attached to on account of him moving out of Naples just after a few short months after learning about his existence, I learned that another man in my life is moving on.

It seems silly but when I heard the news I almost broke into tears. But I didn't. You can't do that when it's clear he's questioning the decision he made and has no idea what's next. I thought I was at rock bottom but apparently I wasn't.

Who is this guy? Joe.
My pizza guy. The guy who has come to my rescue on more than one account. My window into life in MdP when I'm content watching things from the safety of our building. My translator. My news reporter. My go to guy for just about anything from good mozzarella, to letting me in when the clicker doesn't work, to taking me to the repair shop for my car. And on top of it all? He makes the most fabulous pizza- so much so just a few months ago I was almost agreeing to take his youngest son back to the states if he promised to move too so I could always have fresh pizza.

He will still be in town. Claims he will still be around. I'm just in shock that when I get back from my CA trip his shop won't be there and I'll have to call him up for our chats.

So despite another melt down in way too few days, I'm glad I ignored my "I'm not that hungry" and picked up a pizza anyways- it is departing for CA tradition after all!

Not Always Glamorous, In Fact It Downright Sucks Some Days

Often people make comments to me about how fabulous my life must be overseas or how glamorous it is. Truth be told, 75% of the time I'd have to agree even if I roll my eyes when it's said. The weekend get-a-ways, beautiful historic sites, exposure the another culture, meeting new people all take on such more significance for some reason over here. Maybe because it still seems so new?

But let's face it. The same stuff that goes wrong in the states happens here and when it does? It seems a million time worse because I'm isolated, I have to rely on others for assistance, and often have to deal with a 6+ hour time difference to call or talk to to anyone that I've known long enough or well enough to be completely honest with how miserable I am or share what's really going on. Yes, I do have a few fabulous friends here but when their lives are tied up with significant others and kids? Or taking advantage of all the travel opportunities putting them out of reach? A girl can feel rather isolated. How's this for a mind blower- what you see on Facebook that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. 

Maybe this week has just been particularly difficult having a fabulous weekend with my grandma and aunts, only to have to say good-bye with the reminder that I'll be home in a matter weeks. Somehow each day this week has passed slower and slower...

Maybe the demands of the office pulling me various directions compounded by the workplace dynamics are just wearing me down...

Maybe the fact that I can't seem to sleep through the entire night without waking up with the thought of what's next? or realizing I owe someone information regarding my next steps is wearing me out...

Maybe it's the constant disappointment of things not coming together, despite careful planning and communication...

Maybe it's the pain in my knee, stressing out my body, totally screwing up my ability to do anything other than "ice and elevate" this weekend and keeping me out the gym...

Maybe it's the fear of having to have surgery again, or the mention of PT...

Maybe the super early wake-ups (due to pain) are taking their toll...

I don't know what it is, but I'm miserable this week. Chatting with a coworker this morning I admitted the fact that I've probably broken down into tears more in the past year than I did for my last 5 in the states. Shoot. I'm 3 for 3 in the past 3 days.

Yes. This is me trying to process and get to the root of it- since I really do hate crying! It's so ugly and not to mention messy with makeup. I know you're supposed to cry and process feelings but I like to know what my feelings are triggered by so I can fix the problem. (This should come as no surprise to any of you.)

And yes. It's proof that things do get a little messy and stressful. Same story line as back home, just a different location and lots of subtitles.
 

Tours By Katie O: Eat & Shop Your Way Through Southern Italy!

Another visitor, another guest blog on the same trip! Enjoy taking a look at my Zia Janet's photo-blog as she summarizes her trip to Italy.

My title for your tour would be "Eat and Shop your way through Southern Italy!"  I really enjoyed the food aspects, as you can tell! 

Katie demonstrating the proper hand gripping the steering wheel when meeting a large bus on a curve along the Amalfi Coast. 

 

"Why are those people in my road?"

Hanging out in Positano

Seriously, it was an incredibly fun little adventure and haven't had so many laughs in quite a while.  My ceramics made it home in one piece and I'll have them to always remember our little adventure and your great hospitality.

When in Italy...

As most you know, in an effort to add to blog entries I encourage my guests and my travel adventure buddies to write an entry. It not only gives me some time off from writing (ha, I've been slacking lately) but often I'm reminded of events I've already forgotten about in the inevitably different take on the situation.

This blog post is written by my grandma, just back from her whirlwind tour of Italy with my 2 aunts- including a jaunt around Naples. Many new memories were made, but I want to have her tell you all about it. So, here's my grandma's debut guest blog, her take on the trip, and our monthly family letter (slightly edited so you don't get all the family details) penned by her. 

Is it time for a Family Letter? Katie says it is! I will review my notes, and write before my memory fades! I will probably remember this trip just fine, it was great!

Janet and I drove to Portland Tuesday evening to stay at the Radisson, left the car there. We worried about meeting up with Sandy in Chicago, she was coming from Los Angles, but it worked great, and soon we three were on our way to Frankfurt, Germany, on a Lufthansa flight. Not much room, our long femurs made our knees touch the seat ahead, but we survived. Didnʼt sleep much though, and arrived at midnight our time, six am German time. The trek across the Frankfurt airport was long, up and down escalators, from one end of the airport to the other, plus passport check. We barely made our Venice flight. Janet ran ahead to hold the plane, and they were looking for us!

Venice airport gave me another new experience. As we looked for our airport transport to the island of Venice, I saw a guy holding up a sign reading GUFFY, MANGIN, BITTER. It was our boat guide, so we loaded in and sped across the water to the Grand Canal of Venice. The driver stopped, pulled up to a concrete wall, and we were to unload. Sandy made the leap to the dock, followed by me, then Janet. It was like a four foot jump. Pretty good for an old lady! 

We walked to our hotel, about six blocks, maybe, but the streets are so narrow, no cars there. Cobblestones, and steps leading up and over the many smaller canals. We were dragging our suitcases, and I need to add that Janet insisted on picking mine up and carrying it when there were steps, sure helped. Since it was about 9 am, we werenʼt sure the hotel would let us into our room, but they did, and since weʼd been up for 24 hours, we rested for a couple hours. We were on Formose Square, a real happening place all day. Small outdoor cafes, a fruit market, and lots of people coming and going. We enjoyed it. We walked to St Marks square, the main square where the big cathedral, the Doges Palace, and other historical buildings are. 

The next morning we set off for Murano, the glass factories, where Venetian glass is famous. The island of Murano has the glass factories, and we enjoyed that, I bought my souvenir rooster. Then we got back on the boat and went to the island of Burano, my favorite. All the houses are painted different colors, a charming place. We had memorable pizza at lunch, we walked a lot, and then returned to Venice and our hotel. People eat late here, so after dark we walked to the Grand Canal area, for dinner. Janet said we needed to have our veggies and fruits, and weʼd only had pizza for lunch so...we sat at an outside cafe and the spritzers looked so attractive (an orange drink with Campari) that we decided to order those. They had a slice of orange in the glass, and they brought potato chips, so we had our fruit and veggie. We did eat healthy on this trip, and all lost weight! That walking will 
do it! Linc even lost weight, he missed me and my cooking!
! 

We left Venice and took a high speed train to Florence,
 then to Siena. Our one experience with the Roma (gypsies) was 
at the Florence train station. We found our car, and was going 
to get on the train when a young man and girl grabbed our
suitcases, and swung them aboard the train and into the 
luggage rack, then held out their hands! We gave them one
 euro each bag, although he said he wanted five! We met an 
interesting lady at that point. She explained that she didnʼt mind
giving them the euro, they “worked for it” instead of begging.
 She was an English woman artist who had lived in Tuscany 30
 years. She had just returned from a trip to the Seychelle Islands, 
off the East coast of Africa. She and artist friends were there
 painting. She told us about the various hill towns we passed 
until she got off before we reached Siena, our destination. 

We 
taxied to our hotel in the Old City, near the famous Il Campo 
square. Every town has a square, a cathedral, and a dome...The 
churches are beautiful, huge, richly decorated. I never saw a protestant church, but I know there must be some.We spent 4 hours in the Siena cathedral, Janet and Sandy climbed to the very top of the tower, but I stopped about sixth floor. I had a new soup for dinner, bread soup! It was good, beans, some savory broth, and chunks of coarse bread. I will say we never had bad food in Italy, the bread was wonderful, and we had wine with lunch and dinners. The wine seemed a bit watered down, but good.

On Monday we had booked a private tour in Siena, and the guide arrived in her van and it
was pouring rain! We saw the hill towns, wonderful old ruins of churches, built in 1100 and 1200 AD, and saw the sword in the stone. Ask me about that!! We ate lunch in a small village in a cafe where the guide knew the people, then visited a sheep
farm , again a personal friend of our guide. He owns 120 sheep, which he said was the number that his 3 dogs could protect from the wolves. He milks them and makes cheese. Showed us all his equipment, took us into his kitchen and gave us wine and his cheese with bread. Interesting to get to go into a localʼs house
! 

The next day we caught the bus and went into Florence, where we went to the museums, shopped.Walked a LOT. We all bought scarves, aprons, etc here, then bussed back to Siena before dark, Passes a US military cemetery from WW II just outside Florence. Remember, the Allies invaded Italy and fought their was up through as a second front, and we lost lots of soldiers there. More good dinners, ravioli for me. We also enjoy the gelato. Better than ice cream!

Onward to ROME! I think we walked more in Rome than anywhere, to the Coliseum, all over the Vatican Museum and St Peters Square, and church. There must be thousands of sculptures and paintings in the museum, the Sistine Chapel. All those things I've always read about, Iʼve now seen. The coliseum is huge, but I canʼt believe the cruelty of the Romans who enjoyed watching slaves, Christians, being torn to pieces by lions. They had Gladiators (costumed men) who wanted you to pay to take a picture with them. We didnʼt! Ha! 

We were disappointed to find St Peterʼs church was closed that afternoon due to a special mass. That night I thought about it, and got everyone up at six thirty am and said, “St Peterʼs opens at seven am, lets get up, take a cab, go see it, and come back for breakfast” so we did, and we were all glad we did! No crowds, got to see the most famous church in the world, the Swiss Guard, etc. You notice my offer was to “take a cab” I was learning that I didnʼt want to walk everywhere! Cabs were good, and only about $15 each way to the Vatican. Walked that evening though, to the Trevi fountain, the Spanish Steps other sites Iʼve read about in novels and movies. (Remember Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn?)

We left Rome and trained to Naples. Southern Italy is different than northern. Dirtier, less neat, but a charm of its own. Every apartment window has laundry hanging out of it. Katie met us outside the train station, and we drove to her home in Monte di Procida, about a 40 minute drive. I was so impressed with her home. Three levels, at the top of the building. Views from her balconies of the Mediterranean. Capri, other islands just off the coast. 

I was just as impressed with her driving. I havenʼt said much about Italian streets and drivers, but, crazy! People drive small cars, mopeds, scooters, and fast! I couldnʼt drive here at all, but Kate is an expert! I was in awe! Katie took us to her favorite local cafe, Mariella's, where the specialty was chestnut soup...chestnuts were everywhere, roasted on the street vendor carts, and on menus. All Italian dinners begin with antipasti, appetizers, then follows a pasta course, called first plate, then a second plate, or meat dish, then ensalada, or salad, dessert and espresso. Of course wine and a plate of bread. We left the next morning to drive south, Vesuvius, Amalfi, etc. We went to the Herculaneum ruins instead of Pompeii. Both Katie and Kristen said it was better. Fascinating, and grim to think of all those people buried in the ash from the volcano. 

Then we went to Vietri, wonderful ceramic shops. We all bought something to remember it by, then North along the Amalfi coast. All I can say is “beautiful.” Villages clinging to the cliffs, been there for centuries. Colorful flowers and painted houses. All Italians seem to be good gardeners, terraced up the mountain are small plots.This area grows lots of lemons, olives, tomatoes. We stayed in Amalfi at a charming Hotel Amalfi. The highlight there was that I got to ride with Giuseppe who backed Katie's car into the hotel garage. Clearance about 2 inches...ha He was their resident hotel employee who did that. The 
rooms we had there were in the
 garden, each with a balcony or
 courtyard. There were kitties all
 around, so Kate loved that. I loved
 the lemon trees and flowers.
 Again, gelato! We drove the 
coast to Sorrento, shopped,
 picked up bits of tile and shells on
 the beach, and then arrived at 
Kateʼs at dusk.

The next day we 
rested in the am, followed the
coast to a seaside cafe for lunch, 
and shopped in a French
 owned equivalent of Super WalMart in the 
pm. That store was huge, and very interesting. Very different from our markets, lots of pasta, frozen foods were displayed different, etc.

Our travel home was long! Good from Naples to Munich. At Munich we were delayed over 2 and 1/2 hrs due to an AC problem, so sat on tarmac , no AC, stuffy! Of course that made the plane late to SF, instead of an 11 hr flight, it was almost 14. We missed our Portland flight and were put up in a airport hotel, booked for 6 am, so got to the hotel at midnight, up at 4 to shuttle to the airport. Glad to pick up my car and drive home to Roseburg!

I surely am glad to have gone. I had fun, it was wonderful being with Katie, Janet and Sandy. We were compatible travelers, liked the same things-I liked taxi rides! Ha
!

G2 Invasion of Napoli: The Arrival

For anyone who has met my family- it's pretty easy to confirm they are amazing. Well, if you think it's just my nuclear family? Clearly you never spent a Thanksgiving with them, or spent time with them at a graduation/special event.

The Guffy Gals (G2) invaded this past weekend. With the arrival of my grandma and two aunts (my momma was the missing one) we had our schedule planned. Seriously. Have you never seen one of my plans?

(Now you have.)

With most of their time planned out, I took off from the office to pick them up at the train station. Downtown Naples. Friday afternoon. No problem.

Ha. When will I ever learn? This is Naples, land of the unknown, unexpected, and mayhem.

Slight problem- changed traffic patterns! Talk about putting a major glitch into your flawless plan. Some aggressive driving later, a frantic phone call to "mission control", and a scenic detour I finally was able to pull up along side the sidewalk to pick up my 3 guests that stood out terribly due to their pale skin and heights. Eh, it's for the best if you learn about Napoli time when you first get here rather than later. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

We made it to Casa di Nico without incident where he promptly ran and hid. Even when the intruders were sitting upstairs, chomping away on fresh mozzarella di buffala and fried yummy goodness pulled freshly from Joe's deep frier before we headed down to Mariella's for dinner.

The night ended relatively early, mainly on account that our bellies were full of all things deliciouso  and the morning held our next adventure- ancient ruins and the Amalfi Coast!

Local Old Stuff- Day Trippin' in Baia

Keeping in the theme of I live in Italy, I need to see more of it, paired with curiosity of places I drive by every day- this weekend's destinations were all within 5 miles of my house. Yep. These places are in my backyard! Week #3 of "Ancient Civilizations" tour consisted of 2 spots, several adorable Napoli kitties, and lots and lots of Greek and Roman ruins. Today was all about Baia.

Baia or Baiae, was the seaside get-a-way for the rich and famous in the end of the 1st century B.C. Roman nobility built villas to spend their otia (spare time) at the thermal baths, soaking up the views, and enjoying the sulfur stink steam. Surprisingly enough, there are plenty of references to this portion of "the boot" but even more of the greater Phlegraean Fields. I'm sure I've already bragged, but let me one more time. Those locations we read about in The Odessy or The Aeneid or read about in mythology class? River Styx? Sibyl's Cave? Um yeah. That's where I live. As like most of the area, due to all the volcanic activity, the current shore line is much further inland than it was in those times. In fact, a lot of Baia is underwater. (Yep. There's a tour for that and it's on the list.) At any rate, we had our two spots picked out for today. So, grab your toga bcause we're off to socialize with the nobility of Baia!

Castello di Baia
If you've headed out anywhere near my way (aka the Middle of Nowhere), chances are you've seen the huge rectangular building atop the cliff by the water on your way. This building? Well, before serving as my "almost home Katie" mark,  the castle on the hill was a destination for lots of others- possibly summer home to Julius Caesar, but more likely Nero's home. (Agrippina, his mother IS buried nearby after all.)  In the late 15th century, the Aragonese built over the older Roman parts more of what we see today. It's purpose? To serve as a warning for pirates to stay away!  The size and the steep walls right against the coast line seemed to have done just their job.

Today, the castle holds lots and lots of artifacts found in this area- jewelry (don't touch those cases, they're equipped with alarms), various pieces of statues (there was an entire fingers & toes/feet case), urns, dishes, you know, all the regular stuff. Yep. I said it. "The regular stuff." It's hard to keep getting excited about all of it when you can't go anywhere in this town without seeing old stuff. It was pretty impressive though when I remembered it was in it's original location. But, truth be told I was more impressed with the view of the bay and the amazing water color. Hey, it's all about location, location, location when building a home- right?

Alright, time to get into our chariots for a quick gallop down the road. Past the Temple of Diana and up the hill near the Temple of Venus. Why? We're hitting the spa!


Terme di Baia
Okay, so maybe it's not quite the spa. Part of what makes this area of the boot spectacular are all the volcanoes. Just don't think about the super volcano that I live above... All that heat under the surface causes plenty of warm mineral water that Roman engineers diverted into pools and create steam chambers.

These now ruins are in 5 sections which include temples, pools, theater, and villas. Nope. It's not a tiny place! And better yet? Like so many of our other sites, you just get to explore all over, climb on the stairs, go 'sloring down the dark halls under the amphitheater. Come to think of it? I'm getting rather spoiled. I can already see it now when I'm back in the states: Park Ranger: Excuse me ma'am. You can't climb in Lincoln's lap. In fact, haven't you been banned from all National Parks and monuments? Me: Mi dispiace, pero no parlo inglese. Okay, maybe I'm not that terrible but at times I almost feel guilty for walking on the ancient mosaic floor, but there are just so many things they have much better preserved they don't care. Talk about walking through history and discovering it for yourself. With these sites left in various states of excavation and ones like these practically void of other visitors, it's like I'm making these discoveries. Yep. I do need an Indiana Jones hat!

With most of this place crumbling apart, there were 2 hands down winners (besides the adorable orange tabby kitties): In one of the alcoves we "discovered" a fig tree growing upside down. The second thing? Well it took a little more patience in truly discovering it. Ready for some Lori & Katie Non-Running Adventure insights? When the two of us are out and about, especially in places like these it goes something like this:

OOOOOOh. Look at that ______. Lori being the professional photographer she is starts clicking shot after shot while I'm done after one, maybe two. While she carries on, I start looking around for paths, doorways, anywhere that calls me. These are my 'sploring times which almost always results in me calling out to Lori to hurry it up to see the new thing I "discovered." 

On this particular day she was checking out the pomegranates the size of softballs while I was still being a science nerd with the tree. Once I headed her direction I found a doorway, so of course I went in. What I found? A pool of what looked like rain water with goldfish. We were amazed! Then we continued walking towards a temple but given that it was a few minutes before closing the path we needed was closed. Actually, it was a locked door. Paths we walk around. That's when we saw it. The most amazing dome shaped complex without a path leading up to it. Grrrrr. Well, when we did an about face (after I jumped out of the way of lizards) I went to go see a blocked off area, and that's when I found it- the entrance to the dome.

This dome? Turns out it's the Tempio di Mecurio which has an amazing pool, complete with more fish. In the 17th century people started to call it Temple of Echo because the acoustics are amazing. The sunlight streaming in through the windows and opening at the top cast amazing shadows and let that water sparkle. While doing my research afterwards, turns out that when this was built it was the largest dome in the world until the Pantheon was built in 128. Isn't that crazy?! I think so. It's about 71 feet in diameter just to give you an idea of how awe striking this place is.

In summary? Baia was the place to be in the height of the Roman Empire. When the writers referred to it as a place filled with vices and luxury? You better believe Emperor Hadrian, Julius Caesar, Nero, and others we learn about in history spent time here and it's no wonder- it's a beautiful area! 

Hi. It's Me Again.

Well, I think it is. Ever go through those phases where you're going through the motions: heading to work, hitting the gym, remaining semi socially engaged, and just generally swept up in the momentum of the day without ever really taking time breathe or enjoy the small things?

The anxiety of what's next I think really grabbed hold of my normally sparkly personality. Draining me of all energy. Busting my give a damn. Luring me to pull the covers of my bed over my head as soon as I got home. Granted, some of that is still there. But the initial round of chatting with my boss in VA, the 06 responsible for me, and the guy I consider my true boss is all over. I think everyone in my office has a say in what's next for me. They've all heard my discussions with my immediate "work family" about what my thoughts of the day on the subject are. But after the umpteenth conversation with my boss I think I'm finally willing to part with my decision tree and start going with "what my gut says" about each of the options.

It is sort of difficult to care about my job when Congress can't get their act together. Yes, I'm still furlough day free in FY14 however I can't spend any money unless it's a CASREP that puts lives in danger. Travel? Only if it's crucial. Granted, there are last  year's books I could be cleaning up...but what's the fun in that?

Then there is the other daunting task of updating my resume. Rumor is that one of my openings will soon be on the street. For that reason it's a good thing that I ended up staying local this weekend. Of course the file containing my updated items is called "Get Me OUT of Naples" which sort of needs tweaking before emailing it to my boss for review. But, there is now a file and it's beginning to read somewhat like a good candidate for this Financial Management Analyst position. Don't let the title sway you, it's really not that much more than I already do as a Financial Specialist.

At any rate. In between doing what I should be doing (house prep for relatives, laundry, resume updating) this weekend I called up my running partner...and friend and told her I had to get out of the house. Destination? Vietri sul Mare to collect tiles and glass along the beach. Truth be told, it was our plan for yesterday morning until I work up to downpour that I'm sure caused major flooding along my route to work.

I guess it's the Californian in me, but something about the ocean (okay, sea in this case) is so soothing. Maybe it's a result of all those early morning miles along the bay. Maybe it's the calming sound the crashing waves make against the rocks. Maybe it's just the fact that I've always been within a 15 minute drive of the water so no matter where I am, seeing the vast sea reminds me of home.

Next time I'm feeling panicky? Oh we're going to load up the car, blast some Dixie Chicks and head to Positano for another beach combing trip. I mean, we are being paid to live in Italy after all!

I Love Count Downs

I'm not sure why I'm such a huge fan of knowing the number of days to a big event, but it seems that I always have. Maybe it's my need to plan and prepare for events like a race, or seeing that reward getting a little closer, like knowing when I can start running again. I don't know. I do know that right now I have 4 count downs: days until the arrival of my grandma & 2 aunts, days until I'm California bound, days left to get all my 2013 resolutions accomplished.

The 4th one? Well it's the one that tells me just how many days left I have in Bella Napoli, according to my current paperwork. 247 days if I truly stay my 3 years; but given the pattern I've seen with folks moving in/out things never go quiet as planned.

So what's next? Oh me trying to get motivated to go job searching within government agencies that aren't restricted to hiring freezes. Me looking on maps to identify just where some of these openings are located. Reaching back to my supervisor in the states (yeah, my real boss is in Norfolk). Trying to figure out the answer to complete the sentence...when I grow up I want to be____. Turns out I can buy myself royal title and a tiara to go along with it, but I'm not sure how Nico could fund his mice habit or I my travel addiction if I go that route.

Needless to say, it's decision time around here in the upcoming weeks (and months) and all prayers and encouragement for me to make the best decision for me would be greatly appreciated. The first major step, completing my letter of intent, is coming up soon. My supervisor is hanging on to it as long as he can while I keep exploring options, but eventually I need to provide my answer if I want to stay in Naples for 1, 2, or no additional years.

And for those that were around when I was doing the Monterey, Stennis, Naples game 2.5 years ago- you know how I don't do well with these decisions. Decision tree has been made. Research started. Gym trips increased. Sleep less satisfying. A little fear is good- it keeps me moving. Change? Yeah. I could use some of that too. At any rate- here's to my next adventure...even if it's still a big fat unknown.

Destination: Dubliin!

Delayed. So much for working until the last moment. Sitting in the Naples airport isn't that terrible though, 30+ bags tossed when the cart took a sharp turn, a huge explosion resulting in people looking around semi panicked (blown tire on fuel truck), and adorable kids sure helped pass the time. At our most desperate moment we called the office to see if the C-9 and pilot were available. Cost effective? Um...we could use a cheer squad. No luck. Something about not enough lead time for airspace clearances???

Reason for delay? Routine maintenance went longer than planned. Really? Finally arrived to Dublin, rain and all. It was so refreshing landing in a country where I can read signs and communicate! Well, mostly. Apparently I still have the luck of starring at a map and picking the opposite directions...but there is always more than 1 way to get somewhere and when exploring a new place? Who cares if it takes a tad longer?

Our hotel room is fabulous- it's part of the converted attic space and probably about the size of the living space of my Van Buren Street apartment. Dicey's (the hotel's beer garden) located next door has been hopping since we arrived but it's not too bad volume wise. Again, Naples living combined with living on Frat Row in SLO, and near downtown Monterey? I sleep better when it's not silent.

As far as food goes...fish and chips paired with a Guinness! I'm a happy girl. So much so I'm adopting this culture for the next 6 days- pass the potatoes, yes I want a pint, that's grand. It may be the second pint but my eyes seem bluer, freckles more abundant, and my curls and showing a little more red than normal as the rain makes them curlier. Miss Molly Malone and I sure seem to have some similar traits....Mom, Dad, am I really Irish?

No Doubt in My Mind

When my Italy count down flipped to 11 months I was thinking about a spur of the moment trip home. Lots of reasons why: sometimes I just my mom and dad, it's baseball season, Target.com just isn't the same as a brick store, I wanted to drop off the radar for a while...you know, all typical symptoms of a few bad terrible days and my melodramatic response to it all.

I had it all planned; show up to my boss' office Monday morning, tears in my eyes, just telling him that "I really needed to go home for a while. Everyone was okay, me too, but it was just time for a re-charge." I mean, I had half the office asking me daily if everything was okay or if I wanted to talk...I totally could have sold it. It's not often that an O-6 asks over and over if I'm okay. Well, maybe some O-6s do...but that's rare form for this one...

Why am I telling you all this? 

Today was fabulous. As in one of those days where I just can't stop smiling. Today when the count down clicked down to 10 months, 10,  as in 30 days from now my months will be in single digits, Italy still makes me smile even with all of her quirks. I find it a little ironic that it's exactly 1 month from when I was ready to toss it all aside for a while. 

This morning when I woke up to 1 purring (visiting) kitty and 2 others running around (and into things) at 7 on yes gasp a week day I couldn't help but smile that today was a furlough day. No. Furloughs aren't ideal and it's really stupid that we're dealing with this, but the extra day to my weekend and the extra sleep? Totally worth the 8 hours of less pay for the week...but I digress.

Today I'm just thanking my lucky stars that I ended up in Italy where...

You can buy wine from the parking lot guy. Produce too!
Music coming from the piazza next door interrupts your movie because it's so loud.
Fireworks not only kick off and end your day, but often surprise you during the day.
You think twice about BBQing in your swimsuit until you look out and see the old men across the way (several houses down) just chilling out in their Speedos.
You can't go anywhere without being offered a shot of coffee. (No wonder I'm still awake!)

Italy is where I belong. For now.
Don't believe me? Tony (the boat guy) thought I was Italian today!

Let's Hear It For Zagreb!

Zagreb.
You know- the capitol of Croatia?

For right or wrong, for better or for worse, somehow Budapest has always been dubbed my favorite international city. Why? Maybe because in Budapest all those years ago (2006)  my sister and I had a fabulous time. Since that trip, I've been stacking up the new destination to beautiful Budapest. Even the fabulous Barcelona couldn't knock it out of it's Katie O. #1 ranking...but guess what? I'm here to say that Budapest no longer holds the #1 spot on my list....

ZAGREB does!

Zagreb because...

• I didn't see one mosquito or get bitten.
• Things are still inexpensive, for now.
• Even if rainy weather hits, there are about 100 museums you can visit and they are all housed in beautiful buildings.
• Friendly people that speak enough English to get by that are proud of their city. 
• The Museum of Broken Relationships- need I say more?
• Lots of parks and "green" spaces tend to make you forget you're in a major city.
• The whole place just feels safe & clean- cameras, guards, trashcans (that are used).
• There are a ton of dogs, but not strays! Most are enjoying a walk or hanging out in an outdoor cafe.
• Public transportation makes sense. 
• Lots of interesting history with the city. A lot of it recent history (think early 90s) that makes you impressed that much more with what the city is today. 
• The buildings are beautiful. 
• Streets are filled with outdoor seating for the restaurants and cafes lining the sides. So many options it's overwhelming! 
• It's easy to get out of the city for a day to see the national park.
• Cotton candy for 10kn? I'm sold.
• A zoo with lemurs, bats, and red pandas?!?!
• Carbs are a primary food group.
• There's just this feel, vibe, & energy pulsating through the city. 

Okay and now looking over this list, I'm seeing a lot of things that never bugged me living in Monterey (when I fell in love with Budapest), but now 2+ years in Naples maybe they're more important to me. Or maybe it's the fact that I've seen so many other places in Europe? I'm not sure.

I do know that you need to check Zagreb out.  Split and Dubrovnik always seem to be the popular cities to see, especially with the ferry from Bari, but head inland- it's worth it!  You probably don't need 3 full days there, unless you're huge museum goers in which case plan on being there Tuesday-Sunday since they are closed on Mondays and only opened until 1ish on Sunday. Fact. The Museum of Broken Relationships is open until 10pm. Just trying to assist with trip planning.

Do it.
You won't regret it.

The Museum of Broken Relationships

Every place has one. You know, the place that you hear about and decide then and there to make it a priority on your visit. Like you, I never even knew that The Museum of Broken Relationships existed. Well, that was until April when I picked up my cousin and started hearing about her amazing prior week in Croatia. I remember laughing so hard about it that tears filled my eyes as I raced around the streets of Bari as she recounted how they kept seeing advertisements for the museum but never went. They apparently opted for the Arts & Crafts Museum instead???

Like so many other attractions it was filed in the back of my mind to remain until later. For once though, it wasn't much later because, when I did my quick TripAdvisor search once Zagreb was decided, I knew it was fate that it appeared as #4 in the attractions. Yep.

You can't make this stuff up.


But then again, you hope that some of this stuff was made up. The whole premise of the museum is based on people donating items that either held sentimental value in the relationship or breakup in the effort to let go and move on. In no particular order here are a few of the displays that in one way or another got to me:

The Object: A mini lint roller
The Story: Man had 2 cats. Girlfriend brought roller over so her clothes didn't have at hair on her (that should have been a sign it wouldn't work out). Relationship ends. Girlfriend moves out. Leaves lint roller. I kid you not, a few hairs remained.

The Object: A hand written letter
The Story: In 1992 when things were a little hectic in this part of the world, the 11 year old boy wrote a note to the girl his age traveling with her family in a car near theirs. Apparently everyone was prevented from leaving and in this time span of a few days he developed a crush on the little girl and decided to give her some music. Unfortunately but this time the cars were moving out and he never made the delivery of the music and letter, and he never saw her again.

The Object: Clock face of "We Broke Up on Skype" (picture above)
The Story: Girl in San Fran. Guy in Italy. Always looking at the clock to add those (pesky) hours to figure out when they could chat. Lots of time spent on flights back and forth. Finally it all ended...via Skype.

The Object: A bottle opener shaped like an old key
The Story: You said you loved me. You didn't sleep with me. It wasn't until you died of AIDS did I realize how just how much you loved me. 

The Objects: A collection of air sickness bags
The Story: Another long distance relationship. Every time a new airline was flown, a bag was collected.

The Object: An axe
The Story: Couple living together. Man goes out of town for new job, she can't follow. He gets back, she notifies him about her new lover and goes on trip, but leaves her things in the house. He gets mad. Goes and buys an axe. Chops up one of the pieces of furniture. Can't stop with just one. By the time she returns he belongings are in nice stacks of wood fragments.

I could leave Zagreb happy now, I'm not going to...but I could. For less than $5 I found myself some seriously good entertainment this evening. Granted, I found it, evaluated it, then opted for another walk around the block before actually going in...but it was the place to be! Now, I'm just searching my memory banks for items I could/would donated if I ever wanted to get in on this fabulous idea...

Run Katie, Run

25 Days until I'm at the starting line of the Dublin Half Marathon and well, my training is...um how should I say it? Not quite on track? I actually moved my body 5 miles today. It wasn't a run. It wasn't a jog. It wasn't a walk. It was more of a "jowalk" that felt like a waddle. You know, one of those outings where you're fighting with your brain to "just keep running to that next tree" yet somehow your body pulls the emergency brake and you've stopped to a walk and not sure how it's happened? Yeah. One of those days.

After my 3rd or maybe 4th stop during the first 2 miles I figured it was time to start reminding myself just why I was out there in the heat, drenched in sweat, still shuffling my feet forward, talking to myself because that's what happens when I'm out there solo.

I run...

...for new shoes & clothes.
...to register for races that require travel.
...because it's better for me than a pint of ice cream after a crappy day.
...for the bling.
...because the sound of my footsteps with my heart racing is better than any beat found on    my iPod. (The only exception may be "Evacuate the Dance Floor" remixed.)
...to turn heads. As in the "who is that girl?" kind, but I'll take the "is she crazy?" ones as well.
...for the stress release.
...because I live above a pizza shop that's open 6 days a week, until late.
...to keep Stanley happy.
...for that fabulous shower afterwards.
...because sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day in a windowless building is depressing.
...to make my fat cells cry.
...for that sense of accomplishment when that last mile marker beeps on my watch.
...to feel the sunshine and breathe the fresh air.
...because one day I won't be able to.
...for me.

Bucharest According to Irma

Alright, so I already shared with you how my Bucharest turned into a group event. You even already read traveler #3's take on the trip. Well, here's traveler #2, Irma's, answers to the same questions previously answered by her teenage daughter.

Katie: What 3 words describe Bucharest?
Irma: Diverse, sad, food

Katie: What is the strangest thing you experienced on the trip?
Irma: I think the strangest thing I experienced was the statue outside the Modern Art Museum.  I’m not really sure what was going on with the naked man holding a wolf with a snake sticking out from somewhere.

Katie: Describe your trip in 30 seconds please.
Irma: Trip started in a small elevator for two, continued to a missed bus stop and a check by the metro police (for payment), which eventually led us the travel agency before closing time-barely.  After that, public transportation went well, no major catastrophes.  The trip to Transylvania was interesting, but would have been more interesting if it was Vlad “the Impaler(’s)” castle, but it was still nice to visit (in the rain).  I really enjoyed all the different ethnic restaurants we were able to enjoy, including the stop at Chocolat to warm us and experience death by chocolate. Great trip!


Katie: Any words about the weather?
Irma: The weather was very interesting.  It did give us an opportunity to spend time with the homeless man in a wheel chair under an alcove.  I’m still not sure if maybe would should have paid him for sharing the space with him.

Katie: What was your highlight of the trip? You know, the thing you will forever associate Bucharest with.
Irma: The highlight of the trip for me was the trip to the Natural History Museum where we experienced the Human Body Expo, that was a very interesting exhibit.  Another highlight for me was the pure goodness of the hollow bread cylinder called kurtos.

Katie: Would you go again?
Irma: No, but that’s because I like to experience new places.

Bucharest According to Taylor

My solo trip to Bucharest, Romania turned out to be Katie + 2!
How? Well, from what I hear it went something like this:

Irma (my coworker) to her husband: Katie is going all alone to Bucharest this weekend. Isn't that terrible? She says it's okay if I want to join her, and I do because I don't think she should go alone. 

The response? You can go, but take Taylor. 

I love this family! I'm not sure if it's because their last name also starts with "O", when I sit at their dinner table I feel like I'm reliving chats with my family, or the fact that I get along with them so well. Irma and I have traveled together (although there would be no blog post to link as reference, trust me, we marched all over Munich) and more importantly, we traveled well together. Our trip went fabulously- well we had a few minor mishaps, but that's all part of the traveling adventure.

Taylor, the daughter, is my second interviewee turned blog post. Shoot, I don't even know if she wanted to go to Bucharest and was just thrown in the deal or what? What I do know? Her love for bread, easy going nature, and facial expressions made our trip even more memorable for me. Here's her summary, the short form, after all- she is on summer vacation!

Katie: What was your highlight of the trip? You know, the thing you will forever associate Bucharest with.

"The Potato on a Stick"

Taylor: The potato on a stick statue made me laugh every time you guys said it so I'll probably remember that.

Katie: What 3 words describe Bucharest?
Taylor: Loud, Historical, Surprising.

Katie: That is the strangest thing you experienced on the trip?
Taylor: Strangest thing was hiding out under that arch during the rain with the homeless man.
(Make sure you read my version here.)

Katie: Describe your trip in 30 seconds/100 words, please.
Taylor: There was a lot to see in Bucharest. Our trip seemed kind of relaxed, because we had listed what we definitely wanted to see and were able to stop at a lot on the way there. The tours we took to the castles and around the city were very informative. The weather was crazy, but bearable. I liked the wide variety of food, that was available even though it took us a long time to choose, each time. Bucharest had a really interesting history, which was actually kind of fun to learn about. So all in all, I actually enjoyed the trip very much, although I did freak out in the beginning because I thought we were going to be kidnapped and forced into prostitution like all the movies and stories you read about.

Katie: Any words about the weather?
Taylor: Bipolar

Katie: Would you go again?
Taylor: Probably not to Bucharest, because like the site (or whatever it was) said, you can practically see everything in 2 days. I felt like we were seeing things over and over near the end of the time we were there.

Katie: Anything else you'd like to add/put on the record?
Taylor: Make sure you don't end up riding to the very end on the bus.

Rainy in Romania

When traveling I really do try to "unplug" from the computer. The lack of smart phone sure assists with this task but when traveling in slightly shadier places...say Romania, the check in factor with friends and family sort of becomes important. When my travel companions offered the use of their technology, I sent a few emails off relaying the events of the day.

Well, there were two versions. Yes, there are always at least 2 versions. Here's the hybrid between the two and those who I sent these to, hope you don't mind that I'm sharing my words with others but it's way easier than creating a new post.
- - - - - - - - - -
In Romania and visited two museums today, and got stuck in the rain after each. This apparently is one of the of the countries where you can be drenched in your own sweat one minute, and drenched in rain the next. Luckily the thunder alerts you and the homeless man let us share his alcove when the trees weren't cutting in on round 2. This was after a man with mic and camera crew asked me some question at a craft market and I had to "decline comment" because I had no idea what he was asking.

Yes, homeless man.
Yes, let me back up and explain a tad more. 

Leaving the Peasant Museum cafe (beer break) after I sat on the floor of the gift shop searching out the perfect painted eggs, we realized the sky was about to dump every ounce of water it had absorbed in the previous hours. We found a great tree (previous rain avoidance tool) and huddled under it.

Wind starts making the rain attack us. No, I'm not made of sugar but that doesn't mean I like being drenched in rain. So we sprint across a way to an alcove/driveway to and share it with a homeless man in a wheel chair. 2 minutes pass and we move because the rain drainage is like a small creek taking over our feet.

Thunder.

Lightning.

Wind.

Hail.

Yes, the day started off at 80F and 100% humidity. My umbrella was in the apt for the sunscreen bottle to fit in my purse.

As soon as the rain slowed, we went back to our tree. Then the front of the museum, where there were several people and 4 dogs. Slowly we made our way over to the metro. At our stop we decided the rain had passed, so we marched on to St. Nicolas Catherdral and then in what felt like a terribly long march, but I think that's because my sandal wearing feet were gritty with dirt and my feet were still sliding around them due to the rain and slick roads? 

Needless to say we were laughing about it by the time we plopped down for dinner and made our break for the dessert place prior to the 3rd downpour of the day. And yes, we packed our umbrellas the next day. Of course it didn't rain!