So in less than a week I shall be in Italy! I'm trying not to lose my mind with excitement and so far self control has won out but I keep going over in my head how I can ditch clothes and make more suitcase space for olive oil, pasta, tomatoes and wine that I plan to smuggle back in my suitcase.
I don't care if I could get them here, they're the only souvenirs I want. As soon as I get back someone is getting a feast. It will erupt spontaneously at the first opportunity.
I've always wanted to go to Italy, ever since I started learning Italian in prep. Dario e sempre in ritardo. And I can still remember enough of the parrot song to sing it to babies for their amusement.
Ma che bello pappagallo
Tutto verde l’occhio giallo
Cosa fai che cosa vuoi
Parli parli parli parli
Parlo parlo parlo parlo
Ma che bello pappagallo
Tutto verde l’occhio giallo
Ma che bello pappagallo
Parlo parlo parlo sì
Tutto verde l’occhio giallo
Ma che è bello pappagallo
Though that probably wont get me very far in Rome or Venice. If I get arrested because they thought I was a lunatic in Rome check my luggage, there will be olive oil for you.
Its going to be a nicely challenging trip though, because I'll be all on my own in a non English speaking country where the streets are all twisty and disorienting and occasionally people throw babies at you to try and steal your wallet. I plan to drop kick any babies thrown my way, that'll learn em. Also beyond the basics I'm not going nuts planing this trip. I have a few things that I want to do like see the Trevi fountain and throw a coin in, see Bocca della Verità, try tiramisu in Rome and gelato in Venice. Try to find some awesome pizza so I can steal the recipe. The reason for choosing Venice apart from it being pretty was that Ms Hayes, who took me for Renaissance History in year 11 imbued me with a love of both it and Florence that has never left me. I had to choose between Florence and Venice on this trip and I decided Venice because it would be so different from Rome, where some of the marvels of Florence are its galleries and inside spaces, all of Venice is a spectacle. It was still a hard choice, but I do want to see the Piazza di San marco and drink a Bellini in Harry's bar. So Rome and Venice. Prepare to be blogged at.
In the mean time though I've been exploring London. Since last we spoke I went to the natural history museum and saw precious gems, one of which was Alexandrite, which I've fallen a bit in love with and want to find one of my own. It was first discovered in 1834 in Russia and named after Alexander the Second. The reason that its so beguiling is that it changes colour in different light sources from a bluey green to a purply red, just beautiful. I also went to the British museum, where I saw the Rosetta Stone and a bunch of mummies and then wandered through Bloomsbury. I went to Camden, which was fantastic once you got away from the crowds of people and made it to the canals, walking along them it was hard to imagine you were in London.
Since the weather has been so agreeable I've been spending a lot of time wandering around the parks in London too. Walked through Regents Park which was quite pretty. Went and saw the crazies at speakers corner in Hyde park on a Sunday where I was told I was a sinner for putting out, a sinner for not putting out enough and both the cause of damnation for the human race and of entirely no consequence to it. What was even more fun was watching the allegedly sane people try and argue with them. Don't goad the crazies, it is a fool who takes up a fools argument. Saw the Albert Hall that day as well, I still don't know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall though, even google cant tell me.
Went to Hampstead Heath last weekend and climbed Parliament Hill lay in the long grass and took in the views of London. This weekend its off to Highgate Cemetery to find the graves of Karl Marx and Douglas Adams. Ah London, I love you, we always have such fun.
Next stop Italy!!!!!
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