 June
3: Letter #3
Ladies and Gentlemen,
So, we're finally here....Rome! We jump off the train around 1:00
pm, run towards our hostel, unload our shit, and take off towards
the first monument...the Coliseum. We're tearing up the streets
when up ahead there's a giant flash followed by thunder. "Sweet,
thunder and lightening in Rome!"
We push on. Wow man, there it is, fucking gigantic. We're just about
close enough to throw a rock at it when we notice a cafe, and we're
both starving, so we go in to grab paninis. We're in the place for
no more than five minutes when we turn to go out.....and it's DUMPING
rain. Jesus, the streets we're practically flooding right there
in front of us. Now I realize that we could have recognized the
warning signs, sometimes thunder and lightening suggest the possibility
of rain, but fuck guys, we're in Rome. We're like kids in a candy
store. So we sit there for about 15 minutes wondering what we're
supposed to do. I'm dressed as though I'm walking down sands in
SB, reefs and all, and I have my camera, mp3 player, cell phone,
etc. Eventually we decide all we can do is walk home, so we take
off and are drenched within 3 and a half minutes. A couple of overzealous
misfits wandering the streets of Rome, fucking soaked. WOW.
 But
anyways, since it's a goddamn hurricane outside, we've changed and
made it to an internet cafe to catch up on some stories. After leaving
our beloved villa in Marina di Massa we moved onto Florence, then
Siena, then Naples, and now here. Florence was probably the most
beautiful city we've been too in Italy. Three magnificent monuments
dwarf the rest of the city, and sitting up in the Piazza di Michelangelo
watching the sun set over their bridges was incredible. We made
sure to make it up to the Piazza both nights we were there. We went
to the Uffizi Gallery, we saw 'David', and we met the biggest dipshit
we've encountered on the trip thus far.
Dipshit's name was Brandon and according to Brandon, He 1) played
basketball at Pepperdine for five years, starting his last two...2)
ran a marathon in Prague and banged the hottest girl the Czech Republic
had to offer...3) worked for Death Row records and takes credit
for Snoop being arrested..and 4) can drink 30 beers and not feel
a thing (but can't drink one bottle of wine without throwing up
off the city bus).
Outstanding Brandon. First of all, who says that, and second of
all, SHUT THE FUCK UP! Needless to say, we peaced out on the shit-head
the next morning, leaving an hour early for the train station so
not to have to ride with him to Siena.
Enough about that. We had the best night of our trip thus far as
well. It started with our boy Domenico taking us out to a local
winery in Massa with 9 of his fellow Italian locals. A family owned
the place and Domenico had been going there weekly for many many
years, so he was in quite tightly. We sat in their outdoor eating
area, kinda like a converted barn, and were served dish upon dish
of traditional Italian food. According to the locals, this was the
stuff the country survived on during the world wars, and they were
simple dishes that they really took pride in. It wasn't any pastas,
but rather, fresh meats, grainy rices with oil and tomatoes, breads,
cheeses, beans, anchovies, and most importantly, a fucking ridiculous
amount of wine. For 16 euros, they prepared the food and gave it
to us, but we were allowed free reign on their wine. The food was
incredible, as was the wine and the company. These guys taught us
all about true culture in Italy, everything from what to do when
wine is spilled to "Bombalone!" I can't really tell you what that
means but every time anyone said it, the place erupted and everyone
drank. Needless to say, we got obliterated, a guy Marco, passed
out in the ditch next to his car, and I ended up taking a scooter
ride with Danielle. Apparently I demanded that he let me ride on
the scooter and Mike found a helmet in the back of Domenico's car.
Next thing I know I'm flying around Massa on the back of this big
fat guys scooter, screaming like a little girl, WASTED! Definitely
felt that one the following morning.
 Alright
then, I'll wrap this up by saying we met the coolest guy we've met
so far, last night in Naples. His name was Taras and he was from
Australia, however, the guy has been traveling for the past 6 years,
getting odd jobs here and there in London to fund his habit. He
had stories from practically every country on the globe, pick one
he's been there. But more importantly, the man was a fucking "International
Pussy Connoisseur," as Mike put it so eloquently. His actor-quality
good looks and Australian accent had allowed him to nail babies
from every country we spoke of, and we're talking like at least
30 places. He was no Brandon though, his stories were hilarious
and he was modest as all hell, just mad experienced, and a blast
to talk to. The three of us shared pizzas at Naples' most famous
Pizza shop "Da Michele," which was, according to our Bible, The
Lonely Planet, the greatest Pizza in all the world.
Colin
|
Add to Heffee!
