Deleting Facebook

Wait, what does that say?

If you're on this blog you've probably seen that I am getting rid of Facebook. It's happening on Friday, just two short days away, and I can't wait.

Don't get me wrong, I think there are going to be some challenges. For one, people won't be randomly messaging me because something was posted on my wall. I won't be remembering things about people that I met that one time at the bar and saw again on campus later, such as birthdays. Such a shame.

Granted, fewer people will remember my birthday and I can no longer post some witty comment about the latest pop-culture silliness. But, then again, I rarely do anyway.

No, the greatest challenge I see is that I no longer have that time killer. I no longer have that thing to hop on and see what other people are up to. I no longer have that little piece of me that sits online and no longer need to take good photos for my profile picture. Any new updates will be outside my lingo and knowledge.

But, on the same note, those are all the things I'm most excited about as well. No longer will I be on the internet to check out random pages of people I never talk to anymore. I foresee one of two things happening, or maybe a bit of both. One, I will no longer be on the internet that much and be able to focus on some creative efforts or enjoying nature or reading. Or two, I will be on the internet, but researching things that I need to research, no longer concerned with finding something to post so that people will comment on my wall. My status, is no longer important.

I think I am going to find this experience to be quite liberating. I no longer need to worry what people are saying in their status. I no longer need to worry if some cryptic comment is a backhanded comment towards me. I no longer need to worry what my employers or future employers see. I no longer need to sensor my images and my beliefs and my interests so that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

I feel that Facebook has been a ball and chain for a while. It was fun when it was simple and just a few college buddies meeting up. It was fun when you could post a few photos and watch a few videos and share inside jokes with people for hours. But, now, for me, it has become a burden. A life I have to maintain outside my life that is already spinning. It has become another place for advertisers to bombard me with more pleas to buy, buy, buy.

I know it won't be easy and I'll lose several friends and I won't be invited to many events and I may even have more difficulty maintaining contact with some good people, but I gave advanced warning and did my best to find the contact information to people that I need. From here on out, people will need to call me, text me, or e-mail me, and if you don't have any of those, then we will wait for fate to bring us together. In which case we'll have something to talk about, because we haven't been caught up on Facebook. Think of this as a conversation starter. I know I will.

I'm excited to be free.

Walking to Work

I walked to work today.

After months of excuses for why I didn't walk to work, today I took the first step and walked.

I live somewhere between a half mile and a mile from where I work everyday. And every day since last May 2010, I have hopped in my car in the morning and gone down the four lane road to campus to struggle to find a parking place.

I have a bike here, but I really hate getting sweaty before I do anything in the morning. Also, as mentioned in the last paragraph, the road is a four lane road with no bike lanes whatsoever. It makes for a very scary commute. And in the mornings, there are two colleges that have a large population all in single rider cars trying to jockey through those four lanes of traffic to find a parking spot.

Last Friday, while driving home, I realized that an unusually large amount of stress was building up as I drove the short stretch home. I was constantly waiting for traffic to clear and constantly holding my breath as cars would come increasingly close to my bumper. I get so annoyed by people who try to push you along when you really have nowhere to go.

So, I decided on that drive home that I would start walking to work. Despite the lack of sidewalk, I figured it couldn't be anymore dangerous than navigating the roads with the maniacs on them. And you know what, my walk wasn't that bad. In fact, it was pretty cool.

This morning the sun was just rising, and unlike mornings when I'm in my car watching for traffic and for lights or trying to see through the steam, I was able to enjoy the sun rising and watch the cloud formations. I saw some interesting silhouettes and watched others navigate the frustrating traffic. I was able to smell freshly brewed coffee and see people when they seem most innocent and open to chatting.

And when I arrived to work, I was not stressed, I was able to relax for a moment before the day began, and I was able to remember the peace and quiet I ensued on the walk over, from not listening to radio ads or incessant jabber and simply focus on the day ahead.

I do plan on walking to work every day, in winter and in the heat of summer. I plan on giving myself a bit more time to construct a lunch and to bring some fun things to do during lunch, as I can no longer drive home during lunch to eat.

Overall, this looks like a way for me to cut some unnecessary stress from my life, save some gas, and feel better about my day. While I know not everyone has the luxury of walking to work, I encourage you to find a way to cut some unnecessary stress from your life.

My Trip to Italy (Part 3)

This is the third part chronicling my trip to Italy. Parts 1 and 2 take me from Michigan to Rome and the several days that my sister and I spent in Rome. Part 3 takes us through Venice and the crazy trip to Florence. You can view part 1 here. You can view part 2 here.

The last morning we woke up in Rome was beautiful. The sun was shining and it wasn't too hot. We packed our bags, checked out, and set off across the Roman streets to Roma Termini, the main train station in town. Having already booked our tickets, we were in no real rush and found our way to the concessions for a snack on the train and a quick drink before we left.

At this point in the trip, we were in good spirits and rather excited to move on to a new city. Rome was certainly a lovely place and had tons of old sights, but we were ready for some new scenery.

The train was at the platform and we boarded with little difficulty. In fact, much of the train was empty to begin, so we were able to settle in, grab a book, and even catch a nap. The high speed train would put us in Venice in about 3 hours.

We had a brief stop in Florence, a place we knew we would be returning to, and a few other stops on the way to Venice. I remember taking a nap and waking up as the train was slowing down for our second to last stop, the mainland at Venice. As I woke up, we were crossing the causeway that connects the mainland to Venice. Yes, Venice is an island. The causeway is the only strip of land that connects trains, cars, and busses to the main station and boats to the city.

If you've ever seen 'The Tourist' the station they arrive at is the same station we arrived in, naturally. The station is the major hub for transport and you are simply dumped off into Venice. There is a huge canal, lots of people, and buildings right next to the canals. Plus, lots and lots of boats and docks. The only thing we really knew about our hotel was that it was in San Marco, so the best thing we could think of was to board a water taxi to San Marco. We were fortunate enough to be given two water taxi passes from travelers who were leaving with cards that were good for much of the day. So, using those cards, we got our first view of Venice the only way you should, by boat.

The challenge was that it was very sunny and very hot, and with a large bag on your back, sweat was running in some of those aforementioned places I never knew about. But the view was so stunning that it was a constant battle of being hot and uncomfortable and trying to see the sights.

We were dumped off in San Marco, the largest and busiest piazza in Venice and were forced to use my sister's iPhone to locate the hotel. I had read that part of Venice's charm was getting lost in the narrow streets and running into canals, but I did not realize just how challenging navigating Venice was. With our large bags we traipsed through the streets in the 90 degree heat walking in circles to try and find our hotel. By sheer stroke of luck, we wandered down a street and found the hotel tucked away into a small courtyard. It was indeed charming and incredibly well air-conditioned, which was wonderful to feel.

After settling into our room we set out to explore Venice. Our entire stay consisted of a lot of walking around and hunting for restaurants in The Lonely Planet guide. We did most of our shopping here as Venice has lots of interesting trinkets made mostly of their famous glass. However, we did find a delicious pastry shop and lots of beautiful picturesque places. Venice is exactly what the pictures look like, but yet it is still so magical to be lost in the smallest of streets and the most beautiful canals. And what makes Venice so unique is the way the culture has adapted completely to using boats and canals to deliver goods and navigate their way around.

There are no real sights to see in Venice besides San Marco's, but Venice itself is more of the sight. The food we ate wasn't particularly great, though we did eat well our first night on the Grand Canal, which made things seem a little Disney-esque with boats floating by, docks filled with teenagers doing some drinking, and us enjoying a meal with fine linen and wonderful wine.

For me, besides the canals, the shops were very lovely. So many artisans doing work with the glass made for great window shopping. Naturally there were a lot of things that seemed to be similar, but I did manage to decide on a glass clock which is now hanging in my apartment.

We discovered that Venice in general seems to be a bit more touristy and by far the most expensive part of the trip. Though the overall feel of Venice is different from any other place you could possibly visit. The parts that make Venice so unique are the reasons why you would visit.

Our last day, prior to catching the train, we stopped to get sandwiches in a shop run by an owner who was blasting opera down the block. He knew all the words (and had a nice voice) and still managed to deliver us some sandwiches for the train. It was a sight that I thought I would probably never see again, and would certainly never see in America. Opera? Yeah, right.

Little did I know that that would be one of the last good things that day. The day we left Venice was the day we experienced the full reality of the Italian train system, and how travel can sometimes be a bit of a nightmare.

The plan was simple, we would take the train from Venice to Florence, change trains and head down to San Gimignano (something like that) a small Tuscan town known for its walls and simple charm. When we arrived at the train station, we would need to catch a bus to get to our hotel, but we could arrive, grab a glass of wine, and then explore the city the next day.

As my tone indicates, this didn't happen. First off, the train from Venice to Florence was occupied by the most obnoxious family that we had met to date. Now, excuse me Italian friends, but we all know you're loud and obnoxious to begin with so I let a lot slide, and Europe in general has different ideas on personal space and how to interact with others. But, the train ride to Florence was the most rudeness that we had experienced so far.

We were surrounded by a husband and wife with three small children. They were loud, smelled like terrible European body odor, and occupied more space than they were supposed to. Already, they were off to a great start. Their kids however, were very rude and climbed over all kinds of seats and suitcases all over the train, without so much as a peep from mom and dad. On top of it all, the man was literally having an arm fight with my over the arm rest. I usually give some leeway for people to begin with, but when I saw he was seeking as much space as possible I decided to fight back. The result was noticeable pressure on my arm as I continued to resist his advance into my space.

I was in a sour mood when we left the train and my sister was annoyed by the obnoxious children so we were ready to hop on the next train and find our hotel. However, we discovered our first problem with the Italian trains. We had been warned that sometimes the trains were late and unreliable, but so far we had done quite well. Until that night.

When we got off in Florence, our first train to Siena was cancelled. It wasn't a huge problem as another train would be leaving in an hour, but the fact remained that we were now inconvenienced. After an already annoying train ride, we now had to sit in a hot and humid train station for a delayed train.

When we arrived at our platform, we were greeted with another wonderful surprise... the train we were riding had only one car. One car. I mean, I have never in my life seen a train with one car. We boarded and grabbed a seat and watched as people continued to file on. As the time crept closer to the time to depart, the train continued to see more and more people board the train, so much so that the conductor began to put people in places that people aren't normally supposed to go.

As inconvenient as this was, we were sitting and knew that we should be okay. So off we went. Across the aisle from us was a very nice Irish woman who was traveling with her new husband and we made some small talk, but only enough to be friendly and relieved that someone spoke English.

It was about three stops in, about a half hour of our hour train ride, that we arrived at a platform FULL of people. Now we all knew how crowded it was and were looking stunned out the windows to wonder how so many people would get on the train. If our looks were anything, they were nothing compared to the faces of the people on the platform, who had clearly been waiting for some time. Their faces said, you have got to be kidding me! How are we supposed to fit on there?

Logic says that we stop, drop people off, and take off, but logic was missing this night. Our car stopped, a few people got off, and several forced their way on the train. I must note that the people who forced their way on were street peddlers, untrustworthy, sneaky people who decided to sit across from us. An uneasy feeling started to settle in my stomach. But the scene on the platform was getting worse. Our conductor decided to venture off to the station and would not allow anyone else on the train. The platform full of people who had already missed the previous train were starting to get riotous. And in my eyes, I knew I had something they wanted, a seat on the train.

I don't often panic. I experience fear, but never one of fear for my life. This night, I was very afraid that something would be missing or that our train would be tipped over because of the riot that was forming outside the train car window. A series of event happened that included several guards forming a line in front of the train car doors, our train sitting at the station for over an hour, and our train pulling away from a full platform at 10 a night. How those people got home, I don't know.

At this point however, my sister and I were not feeling good about a lot of things. For one, the street peddlers still sat across from us. For another, it was dark outside and we were no where near our tiny little Tuscan town.

It was pretty clear we would probably not be going there as the busses stop running late and taxis don't appear in tiny villages on Sunday nights. So a new plan was in order. We struck up conversation with our Irish friend and discovered that Siena, the end of the line, was a bigger city that always had taxis. We could probably find a cheap hotel, eat the bullet on our booking for the other hotel, and figure things out in the morning.

So, we did just that. We rode the train to the end, called a hotel, and took a taxi to the hotel. It wasn't great, but we could have done worse. It was after midnight when we each grabbed a shower and settled into bed. Our minds were racing, but we knew that when the sun came up, we were going to grab the first train out and go back to Florence.

It had been nearly a week and we were running into our first major problem on the trip. We were both thankful to be safe and that we had all our possessions. While we were disappointed that we didn't see the beautiful Tuscan town, we did manage to get back to Florence and were determined to stick to civilization from there on out. We also never boarded another train that had only one car, and I can honestly say that I probably never will.

My Trip to Italy (Part 2)

This is part two of my chronicles of my trip to Italy. I am picking this up on the second day of travel in Rome. The first part outlines my journey to Europe and the first day of travel in Rome. This part takes us through Rome and the train ride to Venice. You can read the first part here.

As if one day in Rome was not enough, my sister and I wisely planned to spend three

full days and nights in the city. After the first day of getting oriented to the city and seeing a ton of the sights in one swoop, we decided to hit the big boys; that's right Ancient Rome.

To start things off, we ventured over to the train station to reserve some seats on the trains we planned on taking over the trip. Italy does have high speed trains that run across the country, but the trains require reservations and a train from Rome to Venice is incredibly popular, especially on a Friday, the day we were planning on traveling. So, thanks to my wise and wonderful sister, we booked these tickets in advance.

Let's take this time to talk about queueing in Italy. First off, the concept of a line in Europe is a little difficult to come by. While some areas are more orderly than others, all of Eu

rope struggles a bit with the concept of lining up, giving people personal space, and t

hen taking their turn waiting for the next associate. Thankfully, the line in the train station was probably the most organized, but the fact remained that it took far too long to wait in a line to book some tickets. This would become a common occurance during our trip.

However, we were lucky enough to get some help from Sergio, probably the most friendly Italian we met for most of the trip. He helped us book our tickets and we were on our way. In the bottom part of the train station is the metro. The metro in Rome is challenging. I learned in one of my handy books that the metro in Rome was difficult to construct for all the ancient ruins and old catacombs that exist. Therefore, the metro doesn't always go where you want it to go.

I'll also make a quick comment on the transport hubs in Europe. You'll notice that the previous paragraph talked about how the train station and metro are all in one spot. The previous day we rode the train from the airport to this same station where we found a taxi to our hotel, though we could have taken the bus if necessary. And Italy's transport system isn't all th

at great. All I'm saying, is that we should really think about finding ways to centralize our transport systems to allow more intermodal transport here in the States.

Anyway, my sister and I hopped on the metro and emerged in Ancient Rome. Ancient Rome was probably my favorite part of the city. I mean, think about Rome for a second. What comes to mind? Right. The Colosseum. Okay, and gelato, but really here, the Colosseum and a bunch of ancient columns and the Forum and all that stuff. Needless to saw, the awesome structures that make up Ancient Rome make it easily the coolest part of the city for me. I think it harkens back to the fact that everything in Europe is more than likely older than anything in America, but these structures are even older than that. I mean, these structures are parts of one of the first major civilizations. Rome used to be the center of it all, all roads lead to Rome, Rome IS the Eternal City!

Our plan for the day was to start in the Ancient part, Capitoline Hill, grab a bite to eat, and then fill out the afternoon with the Colosseum. So, that's exactly what we did. We started by tromping around the exterior walls trying to find the entrance to the hill and finally discovered a gigantic line of people waiting to enter. We dutifully stood in line, baking in the heat, avoiding gypsies and street salesman. We were even able to poke a little fun at a particularly bad fake limp that a gypsy had on the street and witness an attempted theft of genuine, fake hats. After standing in the intense heat for quite some time and arriving near the entrance to the area, we overheard a woman from Ancient Rome tell others that those with a Roma Pass did not need to wait in line, they simple used a separate line. Thankfully, we had purchased said pass and jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, we heard that very late in the standing of the line and achieved a new level of sweat previously unknown (though moderate compared to later parts of the trip.)

At any rate, we ventured inside Ancient Rome and strolled around finding great vantage points of the Colosseum, ancient ruins, and imagining Rome as it was in its day. We overheard a few tours here and there to pick up tidbits, but mainly explored all that Ancient Rome had to offer. I think for me, the most interesting thing of Ancient Rome is that so much has been preserved. It is easy to imagine a bustling city center at what was essentially the center of the world. The temples must have been incredibly impressive, as their remains are still impressive today.

We spent a few hours exploring Ancient Rome, grabbed a quick bite at a local place, consisting of Calzone and a Foccacia sandwich, and proceeded to the Colosseum to take in Rome's most famous landmark. This time, we were keen on the Roma Pass and happily walked past the incredible line of people to the interior of the Colosseum.

I must say, the Colosseum is not what I was expecting. I guess you always think of the Colosseum as you see it in Gladiator with a huge arena and lots of seats. But, the Colosseum is full in the center with tiny hallways and no real stage area to view. It looks much like it does in pictures, but what pictures can't capture is the sheer size and age of the place. It really is gigantic even for today and is so old. The fact that at any given time you can find a place of shade inside the main area is a testament to how high the walls are and the Colosseum has lost a lot over the years! Mostly, however, the Colosseum is fun to sit and imagine the fights that took place and the thousands of people who visited to see them.

Overall, I was impressed by Ancient Rome and enjoyed that part of the visit. After we were thoroughly soaked with sweat and tired from the hot sun, we decided to rest up at the hotel room and freshen up for the evening. We managed to take a brief nap and then head out to the Spanish Steps near sunset. The Spanish Steps are so elegant and so fun to sit and watch people enjoy themselves and make a fool of themselves and a very photogenic place in general. They are incredibly impressive and despite the huge throngs of people present, still had available space to sit and enjoy.

We snagged some gelato and watched some people for a while before venturing onward to do some exploring of Rome at night.

We took a few stops at some of our favorite places, Piazza Novana where we grabbed a drink and dessert before swinging through the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. While we had visited all these places the day before, like most things that are worth seeing, the night adds a new dimension. The fountains at night are particularly impressive with their blue-green waters lit and the statues with strange dark crevasses and shadows along with eerie lights. The dancing water almost makes certain faces seem livelier. And of course, the Pantheon at night is beautiful and the surrounding piazza is filled with people enjoying a meal or a coffee while wasting the night away.

Our final day in Rome was our chance to do the last few things we wanted to do. We made it a point to see the Spanish Steps in the morning, try to look at an art gallery, and do Ancient Rome in the evening. We succeeded in seeing the Spanish Steps before too many tourists were out, with a nice cup of cappuccino with a view of the steps. Then we proceeded up the steps in attempts to see the Galleria Borghese, one of Rome's best collections.

Sadly, after walking through a gigantic park and having some quality conversation, we arrived at the Galleria to realize we needed a reservation to see anything. We trudged onward back through the park, found a few great views of the city from above, and ventured to a different gallery near the far part of town.

Our walk was hot and steamy, but we saw a few places we hadn't previously. We stumbled upon some additional ancient ruins and turned a corner to appear in Piazza Venezia, home of the great national building in Rome which is easily the most impressive building I've ever seen. The building is huge and all white marble. There are a huge set of steps leading up to the building and the building is flanked by two wings appropriately fixed with two winged horses on top. Off to the side, was a somewhat lesser (though still impressive) building where our museum was.

My sister and I are not major art people. Though we probably have a stronger sense of art than others, our knowledge of art is still miniscule. The museum we picked was a collection of statues and other relics. Our knowledge of this was even smaller. However, it was hot, we were tired, and there was something that resembled air conditioning in the building. Plus, with our Roma Pass it didn't cost any extra.

We spent a good chunk of time here, found some good views of the Roman Forum, and then ventured out to find a gelato store. After a bite of gelato we found a good piazza with a nice cafe and plopped down for some people watching. By this time the heat had sapped us

and we were a little tired of walking so we spent a good several hours people watching, enjoying cappuccinos, and plotting our next move.

Our adventure in Rome ended with a fantastic dinner of true Roman Pizza and wine, and a stroll down to Ancient Rome to watch the sunset and nab some night pictures of the ruins. Once again, the night adds something different to an already awesome place. The ruins were strategically lit in an incredibly eerie way, but in an incredibly beautiful way all at the same time. Of course the Colosseum was outstanding at night and we walked all around to find the best angle.

Opting not to try the metro at night (it was really sketch) we walked home to our hotel and called it a day. Overall, Rome was quite a great start to our trip. There were great things still to come, but the history and city life of Rome is uniquely Italy. It isn't often so many sights are packed into such a small area and it isn't often those sights are 2000 years old. I recently watched 'Roman Holiday' in honor of my trip and was impressed with how the sights still look much the way they did 50 years ago. The true strength of human ingenuity is displayed in Rome. But, as I said, Rome was only the beginning.

My Trip to Italy (Part 1)

I must admit, to think that at my age and in this stage of life I took a two week trip to Italy is pretty remarkable. Up until last Christmas the farthest from home I had been is Las Vegas, which may seem like another planet, but is still very much American. Now I'm sitting here with a trip to Switzerland and a trip to Italy under my belt.

I also think there is a reason why these trips don't happen all that early in your life. I mean, it would certainly change my perspective on a lot of things if I had always been a world traveller. Differences in cultures and people that I meet would not seem so strange. I would have been more aware of cultural differences and more references to the other way things could be done. But, as I said, I think there is a reason this doesn't happen early in life. I would never have appreciated those differences if I grew up in that lifestyle. I would never have noticed the differences if I had always been used to them. And what's more, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed my trip as much as I did. Being able to experience a new place is what travel is all about, and I think that my sister and I did a good job of experiencing Italy.

I got home about a week ago from my two week extravaganza and have had some time to enjoy the sweltering heat and humidity of Michigan and look at some pictures in a nostalgic way. There's also a certain joy one gets when going into Pier One and seeing places you've been in the example photos in photo frames. (True story.) It's also a little crazy (frightening?) to think of how fast we fall back into our habitual routine of waking up, eating, going to work, and slowly trudging through our day. However, that little extra you take with you from each vacation always manages to stick with you. Those cappuccinos and delicious meals will never quite leave my palate and those images will never quite leave my mind, no matter how many traffic jams I sit through and how many familiar walls I stare blankly at day after day.

I can see already that two weeks will not easily fit into one blog post, so here is part one of my journey to Italy, complete with some insights and feelings a week or more after reaching some clarity in my mind.

I left Detroit on the morning of July 4th. However, in truly American fashion, I managed to find myself in a 6 hour layover in Washington DC. While I probably could have found my way downtown to marvel in our monuments, I opted instead to learn the ins and outs of Dulles Airport. If you ever need help getting around or finding a good restaurant, I can help you. I grabbed my last American meal at Chipotle and found a good bench to curl up on for some napping. Naturally, at 3 in the afternoon sleeping is hard to come by. And being the people-watcher that I am, it was difficult to sleep. So I finished 'Catcher in the Rye,' a book that (unbelievably) I have meant to read for many, many years. Overall, I enjoyed the book and see its appeal to all kinds of people. I also realized how many literary quotes one of my good friends uses in everyday speech. (A real gentleman and a scholar, he is.)

Anyway, I managed to wait out the layover and board the largest plane I've ever been on. It was a 777 with 2 seats on one side, 5 in the middle, and 2 on the other side. A 2-5-2 I call it. I settled into my aisle sit next to an Italian mother and her little one. The ride was great and the landing was exceptional. When we landed in Rome at around 8:30 the plane hardly jiggled as we landed on the runway.

I must admit, during the landing sequence, I was quite disappointed with the view out the window. Leonardo da Vinci Airport is about 20 miles outside of Rome in a field. So, you don't see much besides fields out the window, when you're kind of hoping to see the Colosseum and Ancient Rome and the like. Plus, it was foggy and a little rainy, but hey, with only fields to see who cares.

I must admit, it was slightly surreal to be getting off the plane and seeing Italy. The map showed I was there, the language indicated I was there, but there was little to show me that I had really made it where I wanted to be. However, I vaguely remember getting on a tram and venturing to passport control and the baggage claim. Passport control was the biggest joke I've ever seen, as I walked to a man in a booth who did not even look up, but simply waved me through as I flashed my passport. For all he knew, it was a small leaflet in the shape of a passport, but nevertheless, I cleared customs and ventured into Italy.

I should share the story about my bag. I decided that rather than lug a suitcase around Italy, full of hills and cobblestone streets and crowds, I would use my aforementioned friends' backpack to haul my stuff. In most cases, I was happy I did, but on hot days when my back got super sweaty, I regretted it. But that's not until later. To send my bag over the ocean, I strapped the bag together in the rain jacket and secured it with bungie cords. The cords, engineered by my father were tight as they could be and securely positioned over every inch of the bag, securing every strap that existed, and making the bag what essentially looked like a cocoon. I could have certainly smuggled a body into the airport if I wanted to (and I don't think security was checking) but I didn't want to deal with the dead weight (pun intended.)

When I arrived in Detroit, the United attendant promptly asked if 'those were bungie straps,' which they were and offered a gigantic bag to put my bag in. This perpetuated the cocoon shape and feel of my bag, which I could no longer strap on my back without essentially unwrapping my backpack. Therefore, when I arrived in Rome, I had an oversized bag, but I didn't know this. So, as I waited at the baggage carousel and watched as people reunited with their friends, I sat contemplating whether I would be purchasing a new wardrobe later in the trip or immediately.

But, according to the laws of freaking out, my backpack was in fact off the plane and in the airport around the corner on the floor. Yes, because I had an oversize bag it was thrown haphazardly beside a different baggage carousel still maintaining its cocoon shaped form. Like any good boy scout, I saved the wrapping and stowed the bungies before throwing on my pack and hiking out the arrivals doorway. When what to my wonder eyes should appear, but my sister whom I hadn't seen for half a year!

We hugged and smiled and I pretended to be coherent and awake while I exchanged some money and purchased a Roma pass. Somehow I ended up at the train station where my sister and I purchased our ticket to the central station in Rome, and voila! my Italian adventure officially began.

It was raining slightly as we rode the train in, grinning and smiling and trading travel stories. My sister stayed in a shady hotel near the airport and had some tales of trying to actually get to the airport, while I had my stories of the layover in Washington. However long the ride took, I don't really remember. It was 3:00 a.m. to my body and I had only slept a few hours on the plane. However, when the train stopped, we got off and found our way to a taxi stand.

We found one, hopped in, and took off toward our hotel in the midst of morning traffic in Rome. I know the extreme lack of space, crazy traffic circles, and old buildings are a staple of Europe and always a little difficult to adjust to as an American, but all of that on top of little sleep and seeing your sister for the first time in 7 months was a bit overwhelming. All I could do was put my complete faith in a taxi driver who admitted that he knew very little English. However, the fact that he could tell us that he knew little English was far more than we could have done in Italian so we took that as a plus.

The hotel was around the corner, a nice little place with an open lift and a winding spiral staircase that would have been elegant with a little more space. It may have also been a little more charming had we not arrived with a protest taking place outside our door. I later discovered that we may have been staying next to the Ministry of Finance in Rome, which if you follow any European economics, you may know that Italy is close to having some financial troubles similar to Greece and... well... the United States.

At any rate, we managed to find our room, unload our stuff, change our (read my) stinky clothes, and take off for the day. With Rome at our fingertips it was really a matter of where we wanted to go and figuring out how to get there. So, we looked at the amazing landmarks and decided to do a little walk over to the Vatican, hitting as many other places as we felt appropriate.

Our first walk in Rome was met with honks, screaming vespas, and tons of bikes and pedestrians on narrow roads. In fact, it was a lot like the rest of Europe. My sister commented that unlike others she saw from the States, I was not in complete awe of the norm. I really had no answer to this. I suppose it was still surreal to me that I was in Europe and in, of

all places, Rome, but I wasn't overwhelmed by the new surroundings. I had been to Europe and I was more excited to see my sister and catch up than anything else.

As we walked we passed all kinds of places and chatted about the latest happenings in my life. I had some new developments at work, Mom and Dad were doing well, and Andrea had completed a few trips to France, and Spain before flying to Rome to meet me. We very suddenly, as you do in Rome, appeared in a piazza with an obelisk and some building of importance. And after a few more steps, we turned a corner and ran smack into Trevi Fountain, one of Bernini's most famous fountains filled with grandeur, awe, and lots and lots of tourists.

It was here that we saw some artwork on the street. The artwork was nice, framed in simple mattes, but still nice to look at. The artist told us he had painted the works and we leafed through the artwork to find a purchase. Mistake number one of travel. Never purchase the first thing you see. First off, you have to carry it with you the rest of the day. And when that day is the first day of travel, you have to c

arry it with you the rest of the trip. Secondly, we were told the paintings were one of a kind. Naturally, we were duped. After we enjoyed Trevi Fountain in all its elegance, we turned the corner to find more of the 'one-of-a-kind' paintings.

To satisfy our appetite and escape the throngs of people, we found a pizza place on the corner and chowed down on some delicious pizza before setting off across Rome. By this time, the sun had returned and the temperature was rising. Both of us had thrown on jeans and the sweat immediately began to pour. It ain't pretty, but it happened a lot on this trip. We wandered around until we ran into the Pantheon, which according to Tom Hanks in 'Angels and Demons' is the oldest Catholic church in Rome. It's old, that's for sure, but incredibly well-kept.

As far as Rome goes, I think the Pantheon was my favorite place. The piazza was filled with restaurants and the church itself was incredibly impressive. Once again, despite the size of the relic, it really does sneak out from behind the corner when you're approaching.

We saw the occulus and Raphael's tomb and once again escaped the crowds of people coming in. We continued our trek across Rome, wandering by accident to Piazza Novana, home to

Bernini's Four Rivers fountain and another lovely piazza filled with restaurants and tourists. We finally turned North toward the river and wandered once again until we found a bridge to cross the mighty Tiber and venture toward Vatican City.

We passed Castel St Angelo and began the walk up to St. Peter's Square and the basilica. After doing some reading, I learned that the reason there is a gigantic boulevard leading to the

square is because of this guy named Moussilini, not sure if you've heard of him. Yeah, the facist dictator. Yeah, he made this grand entrance to the Vatican which is indeed impressive, but not quite as impressive as the original design that organized the crazy roads surrounding the square. Nevertheless, I found the walk to the Vatican slightly breathtaking despite my lack of loyalty to Catholicism.

We walked around the square absorbing the humbling power of the columns surrounding us an

d admiring the obelisk in the center. Eventually, we decided to wait in line to go inside the Basilica. Thus began the next difference between America and Europe. When we arrived at the metal detectors we barely stripped down or emptied our pockets, both set off the metal detector, and yet no one batted an eye. In fact, I'm pretty sure we were wished a good day. Atany rate, we got some good pictures of St. Peter's Square and in turn the inside of the Basilica. Again, I'm not Catholic, but that place is certainly impressive to the max.

We ended our day with a gelato and a walk back to the hotel where we found a little bit of dinner, some excellent pasta (what else?), and turned in early for the long day of traveling. I'm told I snored (which I do heavily when I'm really tired)

, but I must say I felt incredibly well- rested the next morning. I was so tired I could barely comprehend that I was indeed in Europe for the next two weeks.