Adventures at home, abroad, and online

Month: June 2008

La Dolce Vita

Our voyage begins in Dublin, with an Aer Lingus flight full of hot Irish stewardesses, and a morning feast of blood sausage and runny eggs. Passing by a bar, where tourists and locals alike were drinking at 8 am local time, we flew to Rome. A short train ride to Firenze, and the adventure really began. Due to some logistical foul ups, we didn’t have lodging arranged. We wandered around the city until 2; taking in the Duomo without the hordes of tourists, and then hunkered down in the grass by the train station. It was sort of like camping, but without less wildlife and more drunks and homeless folks. I actually didn’t really sleep, preferring to stay awake and watch passersby. And they say chivalry is dead…

The next day we got a bus to Panzano, and met Janet and Lou to take us to the Villa Bracciano. It’s an incredible 500 year old castle, with a pool, stocked wine cellar and stunning hillside views. This is travel Sable-style, and we made to sure to enjoy it while it lasts. We toured charming hilltop towns, ate hearty meals and drank wine until we could drink no more. Then the next day, we did it all again. My favorite meal was at a restaurant in Panzano called The Butcher’s. He is a friend of Jamie Oliver, and it’s apparently frequented by Jack Nicholson. There is no menu, just wave after wave of meat dishes. I had more wine than normal, and ate myself silly on rare lamb balls. Our last night we dined on our patio under the moon, and finished the evening with drinking games and Hannah Montana style Uno (apparently she’s kind of a big deal). Ali dubbed the trip Sable Crunkfest 2008, and I have to agree. Next year in the Greek Isles!

With teary goodbyes, and firm warning to come home alive, we departed this morning and continued to Lucca and Rome.

The conquering heroes
Our sweet pool
A long night in Firenze
Wine tasting at Cennotoio
Lou can hold her own
Crunkfest 2008

Packstravangza

In which I detail everything I will take with me for this two month adventure:

– one Marmot rain jacket, ripped
– one “Freedom Flies” hoody
– one Ibex wool long sleeve shirt, in the off chance it gets cold
– one pair sneakers
– one pair Chacos
– two light nylon pants
– three short sleeve button up shirts
– two long sleeve Mtn Hardware Canyon shirts
– two pair shorts, which double as swim trunks
– one packable duffel bag, for assorted purchases
– one silk sleep sheet, for hostels
– one red checked blanket, for picknicking and sleeping in train stations
– one neck pillow, because I’m a pansy
– one tiny headlamp
– three pair light socks, one pair smartwool
– four pair underwear, one of which is a $25 pair from Ex Officio. It’s the most I’ve ever spent on underwear before, but it claims to last one (mythical) man month. I’ll put that to the test the minute Ruth leaves.
– one Lawrence of Arabia sunhat
– one passport holder with two US passports (seriously)
– one deck playing cards, useful as impromptu emergency cryptosystem
– various electronic stuff
– one Canon S3 camera
– one Qstarz GPS datalogger, for geotagging
– chargers and sundry cables for each
– various toilettries
– one packtowel, one tiny face towel
– one medkit
– seven maps (Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Slovenia, Istanbul, Israel)
– two guidebooks
– one generic Let’s Go Eastern Europe from 2002, acquired on the cheap
– one Rick Steves guide to Istanbul, which I actually bought right next to Patrick Smith at my local bookstore

Seems like a lot, yet also very little. I’m trying hard to stick to the rule of “take half as much stuff as you think you need, and twice as much money.” Still more than Ruth is bringing, but she doesn’t have to prepare for the desert heat and cold. That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it. I hereby admit defeat in the great Map-Off/Pack-Off to 2008. Ruth, the map of Iraq is yours, even if I will probably go there before you.

Three
Two
Step One

Children’s Crusade

As Hannah graduates from high school, and I leave my job and prepare for another spin through the MIT machine, I thought it would be a good time for an adventure. To wit, our Children’s Crusade: Hannah begins in Paris, and I in Tuscany with Ruth. We meet in Rome, the eternal city, and ask for the blessing of the Pope. Then to Venice, acquiring supplies and knowledge from their wise merchant men. Then over the Julian Alps to Ljubljana, then Sarajevo, Dubrovnik, Zagreb and parts between. Then to Istanbul where we shall dine by the Hellespont, astride two continents. Then my fair sister will leave me, as I fly to meet Jared in Amman, then to Beirut and back, and across Palestine, finding what trouble we can along the way. It will be a voyage for the ages, and it shall all be chronicled here for you, dear reader.

I depart on the wings of the Irish, to Dublin on Aer Lingus then to Rome on RyanAir, this Saturday the 14th of June. I return two months hence, on the 20th of August, to dress my wounds, tell my tales, and prepare for two more years of school. Until then, adieu.

Harbor Islands

With it hot as a genital reference in the city today, my lady friend and I decided to head to the ocean. What better way to cool down than show a southern belle a former confederate prison in the middle of Boston harbor? I am a genius.

She forgave my cultural faux pas, and pretended to be impressed by my Indiana Jones-style cavern finding. However, this faded when I asked a man on a golf cart how to get to where I wanted to go. This was after she paced out the distance from one wall to the relevant air shaft. Apparently asking for directions isn’t always the right thing to do if one wants to impress a lady.

In the chamber of secrets
I am a wild animal
Spooky
Big wall

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