A Little Bit of Home

I like Italy a lot. The countryside is beautiful, there’s tons to do here, but it’s pretty hard to get around when you’re by yourself and can only say Bongiorno, Ciao and Grazi.

Luckily, I had my friend, Zach, invite me to stay with him on the Naples Naval Base. It was nice to be surrounded by Americans for a little while. If you haven’t been to Europe, it’s not that they necessarily hate us, it’s just that they can identify us very easily, and they look for ways to screw us most of the time. That’s why it was a relief to be with Zach and his friends for a few days.

They all showed me a good time. Partying, watching movies, going to bars… Zach even took a couple of us out for my first authentic Italian meal. It was damn good, too. The only thing I didn’t understand was why they brought out the entrees first, then the appetizers, then the bread. It was a little fuckucked, but damn was it good!

I think my favorite part of the trip was meeting all of Zach’s friends. Whiskey was a total pimp. The guy could tell a girl she smelled like shit and looked even worse, and she’d probably leave the bar with him. Jerry, despite the fact that he’s a fucking Yankees fan, humored me by listening to my stories (and he didn’t kick my ass for being a Red Sox fan, which was a huge plus). Pat bought a breathalizer in hopes of actually breaking it with his BAC. Pat and Zach made a $40 bet that Pat couldn’t break .42… I almost shit myself when he told us he made it to .46 and got in a fight with the elevator the night before.

Naples was a pretty sweet time overall. I only hope the rest of my trip goes as well…

Bittersweet Goodbye

This morning my co-workers left for the states. I am already missing some of them, but I can honestly say it was time to move on. I had an interesting 2 and a half months in Rota, but I’m glad I’m gone.

Today I was sitting in my room, dreading having to travel to Madrid because I had no idea how I was going to get there. Oh, best part of all: I had a plane ticket to get to Madrid with all my coworkers… like the giant asshole I am, I canceled the ticket two weeks ago when extending my trip.

Major travel anxiety kicked in, but I found a way, and now I’m on a high-speed train in 1st class, living the life of rich Spaniards. Pretty sweet ass accommodations, considering my dumb ass had to pay an extra 100 Euro to get there.

I’m glad I’m on my way to Madrid. Today, they have this show featuring 100 percussionists by a lake in El Buen Retiro (a park built by a former king) I’m wicked exicted to go see that and then hit up the tapa bars/discos/wherever else I end up.

My vacation has finally started, and it just set in. AND, I’m friggin excited.