About Time

"Dust in the Wind" - Kansas

Let me grab my barrings here for a minute. I'm not quite used to sitting still without a schedule in front of me, but I have to say HOME never felt so good. It's been a journey to say the least. I don't consider it a vacation at all. It was more like an adventure. For 10 days straight, I was up just before sunrise and down hours after it set.

Day 1: Tues., 08/02 - All About Planes
I faced my fear of flying with a couple of Dramamines and an iPod. Six hours from LA to NY with less than 30-minutes to jump on another plane for another nine hours to Rome. I thought this would be the hardest part of the whole trip, but surprisingly it wasn't. No anxiety attacks, tummy aches, or dizziness. I held myself together during both take-offs and landings. I was in Europe now. Time to overcome the old me.

Day 2: Wed., 08/03 - Ciao Rome!
I stepped off of the plane and into the most humid environment I've been in since the Philippines. I choked quite a bit while breathing in the wet, hot air. It was like being in a steam room with no exit. I was tired and a bit nauseated from the sudden change in temperature and felt stuck to my gray sweats and tank like they've grown onto me like a thick layer of unwanted skin. I waited in a line to meet my first Italian man. However as I approached him, he took one look at my US passport and threw it back without giving me an Italy stamp to mark my arrival. I wanted to smack him with my drenched sweater. This I'm sure he'd understand, but I was a new me now and I had to stay in the country. I was craving a good shower and rest, but when we hopped onto our tour bus I knew it would be a while before I get to "settle down." There were a total of 45 passengers, some too eager to explore. I put my head down to block the noise and find my patience. It was going to take some time to Woman-Up and roll with the punches, but I did it twice so far. I can do it again. I must do it again. I will do it again.

Into the Catacombs (aka underground cemeteries) - This was an unexpected excursion; one that our Tour Director (a tall, skinny Italian lady with wild curly hair and crooked teeth) forgot to mention. I was outnumbered amongst hyper high school kids and a few high-pitched group leaders and knew this stop would be a definite one. It was muggy outside when I entered the old church. A short, friendly man with glasses met us at the top of a spiral staircase leading into the cold, dark tombs of more than 80,000 people. I was tired and irritated, but as he told the stories of those who lost their lives due to plagues and misfortune, a certain calmness came over me. The tombs have been emptied to preserve the bones, but I still felt their lost souls lingering within the vacant walls around me. As I walked by I paid my respects and bid them farewell.

Piazza Navona - This is where the locals showed off their water-colored paintings and handmade crafts.

A large fountain display surrounded by giant statues stood directly at the center. To its right a gelato restaurant with all the flavors of Italy welcomed me in. I sat outside with 3-scoops of delicious gelato and let the heart of the city melt into me with each spoonful.

Pantheon - This towering building hovered over me like a spaceship. I walked up to it consumed by its size and felt like an ant next to its large columns. I had no idea that once I turned the corner, it would be standing there in the middle of the city to greet me. It was then that I realized that Italy didn't run away from its ancient buildings and ruins from long ago. The people didn't space themselves from its history. They built and lived right on top of it.



Day 3: Thurs., 08/04 - Tour of Rome
This will be known as the lengthiest and most productive day of the whole trip! From the Vatican to the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's Basilica and the Colosseum to the Forum and the Fountain de Trevi... I can't even tell you how this day went because everything was a beautiful blur, but I will say this nothing and I mean, nothing will ever prepare you for all that you will see when you enter this world.
Day 4: Fri., 08/05 - Out of the City and Into the Villages
The hills of Assisi, the Basilica of St. Francis and the wine town of San Gimignano. This is the Italy we see in movies. Old buildings, cobblestone pathways, vineyards, luscious trees and flowers. Where the church sits upon the tallest hill to oversee the land and the air is clean. This is where the green lies. Here, things are simple. Their church couldn't afford the expensive decor of mosaics, tapestries, and golden statues that I have seen thus far. Instead, they used Frescos (paintings over wet plaster), which became a part of the walls and ceilings when it dried. Although over time a few withered away and fell apart, they were still just as magnificent and inspiring as their costly counterparts.
Day 5: Sat., 08/06 - Tour of Florence, the Duomo di Milano and the PisaBy far the largest dome in the world deemed the "Duomo" dominates this busy Italian city. Statues upon statues adorn the exterior walls of the church that just the sight of it all was purely overwhelming. A cleaning crew, wrapped around less than a quarter of it, knew that once they get to the other side they would have to repeat the process all over again to maintain its extravagant appearance. This building is so huge that they are constantly cleaning it just to keep up. The streets are so narrow that people, cars, and animals share the same road. I felt almost rushed by the traffic and all the commotion of Smart cars, mopeds, horse drawn carriages and pigeons that I was grateful to leave. An hour out of the city, I found myself leaning. It was here that I visited the leaning tower of Pisa. It was an unbelievable spectacle, but this wasn't the most fascinating part. What was fascinating was that everything on this unstable platform leaned. The tower was just the most obvious one to the naked eye.

Day 6: Sun., 08/07 - Bonjour Paris!
After a 12-hour train ride from Hell, I finally reached the heavenly city of Paris far away from the hurried and humid parts of Italy. A little rain, a few clouds and a soft breeze swept me up as I walked to the Notre Dame Cathedral. The line was long so I didn't get to step inside, but rumor has it that all that was worth seeing was directly in front of me. I was given some time to shop so I definitely made a pretty good dent in my wallet inside specialty shops filled with chocolates, French macaroons, pastries, and pate. And then it was off to the Musee du Louvre (pronounced "loo-vruh"). This place is one of my favorite places and if I could go back, I'd go here and get lost inside one of the most visited museums in the world; home of the infamous Mona Lisa.
Day 7: Mon., 08/08 - the Eiffel Tower and a Boat Tour of Paris
This massive iron structure was actually despised by Parisians for its monstrous, skeletal form, but to me it was astounding! It is the most eye-catching monument of Paris! My only regret was that I couldn't take the red and yellow elevators ("lifts") to the top because the ridiculous crowds made it literally impossible due to the tour's strict schedule. However, I took plenty of pictures standing underneath it and even wore a red, French beret to add just the right touch. It was an amazing experience simply to be in its presence.

Day 8: Tues., 08/09 - Hello London!
I rode on a bullet train from Paris to London, hopped onto a tour bus to unload my luggage at the hotel, jumped onto a double-decker bus to the subway and walked a few blocks to the Piccadilly Circus. Whew! Fortunately, after such a crazy journey it was time to take it easy, which happily for me meant more time at this shopping center. Every shop had a story. Every cart had a hidden treasure for me to find and collect to call my own. And I enjoyed every minute of it. There were a few recognizable stores, but the best part was a unique tea house where you could actually taste freshly brewed teas before you buy them! For the first time since this trip began, I finally felt like I was in my element. Later on that night, I had the pleasure of watching Wicked, this time from the beginning at the Apollo Victoria theatre. Shopping, great buys, great weather and a great play. It couldn't have gotten any better than this.

Day 9: Wed., 08/10 - More of LondonBack to the grind of doing so much in a single day, but I was re-energized with my new, gray hat and wanted to end my last day with a bang! Off to Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, Windsor Castle, and a walking tour of Jack the Ripper. I started the day in royalty, visiting the Golden Room and several extravagant corridors of the Royal Family and left it in the stale-smelling, poverty-stricken, eerie alleys of Whitechapel where 5 victims met their doom on that fateful year of 1888. From the British soldiers in their black, bearskin fur caps to the mystery of which cap Jack the Ripper wore, we saw it all in less than 24-hours.

Day 10: Thurs., 08/11 - Home
From London to Chicago and Chicago to LA. We finally made our way home. Home to toilet seats, AC, and sanitary conditions. Home to home-cooked meals, unlimited portions and plenty of rice. Home to a cold glass of iced tea, refills and cups upon cups of ice. Home to stable ground, no more public transportation with my Mini around, and family and friends. Home to a big bed, lots of pillows, Internet access that stays on and a cell phone that finally works! This was an experience to remember full of ups and a few downs and a lot of waiting around. It was compromises, pleasant surprises and a couple of unpleasant ones. It was learning how to balance over a bowl, drink without ice, live without rice, sleep in the dark, and face my fear of heights, flying and spiders. It was carrying my purse in front of me in the subway. Hand-washing my leggings to last for more than one day. And walking and climbing to the point of complete exhaustion. It was having no problem falling and staying asleep even after the wake-up calls at the crack of dawn and learning my lesson when we were the last 2 that made it on the tour bus 7-minutes after we were supposed to. It was being ok to talk to strangers when they say, "Hello" to you in a cafe and giving someone a chance to tell their story because they have quite an interesting story to tell. I learned that I had to be completely "disconnected" in order to learn how to truly connect.

So with that, I took a deep breath in the Sistine Chapel, fought through the crowds to see Mona Lisa's smile, threw a penny over my shoulder into the Fountain de Trevi, picked up a small pebble from the ruins of the Forum, and strolled up and down the quiet towns of Italy, the intricate shops in Paris, and the squares of London. I took a quick pic of the many padlocks across the Ponte Vecchio ("old bridge") over the Arno River in Florence. Known as the Luccheti d'Amore, couples would latch on these locks and throw away the key as a symbol of their lasting love for each other. I visited cathedrals with breathtaking paintings and monuments in all 3 countries that attracted millions of people each year. I did, saw, smelled, touched and tasted so much in such a short amount of time, but all of this traveling only made me realize that I'm just a small spec in this big world. There's just not enough time in a lifetime of average means to explore it all, but sometimes the images in my head depicted something far greater than the real thing ever could so it's ok to dream. I learned to stop and look around and I looked around a lot. Overall, I'm happy I took this journey. I did this because I needed to do this in order to discover the me I thought I'd never find.

Lyrics:

I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind

Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away, all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind


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