Hanging out in Florida taking in the sun relaxing and reading, I let my impulses get the best of me, and thank god!....
It started as a retirement in Florida. My mother was living there so i figured i would kill two birds with one stone. Get out of the cold and spend some quality time with mom. I relaxed all day read a lot of books and found some things to do. I decided I didn't want to return to New York and get back into the grind just yet. My investment's were doing good and i had all the time in the world. I did a little research on traveling and decided i wanted to hit the road bohemian style.
Nobody had the funds or time so I decided to do it alone. Ever since a child I heard about my lost family in Italy. Ive never met them to my to my knowledge, So I searched my cousins name on facebook and a bomb went off in my head. Im going! My cousin Angelo seemed excited to talk to his cousin from NY but he had no idea how serious i was about coming. I asked if i ever came to Italy if he would want to meet up with the fam. Sure Sure he said. i couldn't sleep that night all i could think about was all i have to do is buy the ticket and i can't back out.
I finally got out of my bed and bought the ticket on impulse doing little research about which airport ect. i booked it 10 days in advance so i decided their is no point in doing research at all about italy ill just figure it out when i get there. I took italian in school for 2 years , for some reason i thought i could speak italian, the latter proved differently. I bought an over priced back pack and went on with my daily life. Before i knew it i was at the airport! Wow the fastest 10 days ive ever had. I saved the packing for the morning of departure and the hives started building on my ankles. What the $%^& is that on my ankle? I never had hives in my life,why now? This only created more hives. I sat on the plane relaxed by a xanex waiting for arrival.
It was official the pilot got on the loud speaker and said"we are decending in Rome, please fasten your seat belts". We've landed now it starts to hit me this is real i can't just sit in the airport. So i grab a flight attendant and asked "hey do you know any cheap hotels i can stay at in Rome". She looked at me blank stare and said"no, why you don't know where your going", i replied not a clue. She said i had to get on a train because this airport is not in rome its outside of rome. Uh oh. After you get on the train its about 45 minutes and you will arrive in rome then you can walk around and look for a place, thats all you can do at this point. So i get off the plane smoke 3 ciggarettes and start looking for signs for the train. I found it 20 minutes later and lost in translation begins. I walk up to the ticket booth and ask for a ticket to rome she only understood rome and it worked out. I ran to the train because it was about to leave and i sat next to guy that lived there. We tried speaking but it was impossible. I would say fuck and he would laugh that was the extent of the conversation.
40 minutes later the kid says rome rome and points and points, so i get off. He was right it was rome , but harlem Rome not Rome Rome. As the train left he was banging on the glass making hand gestures that i should have waited till the next. Whatever i muttered im in the city so i started walking . Every market i saw i walked through buying a piece of fruit or kebab. This walk lasted 5 hours , the blisters started popping and the roman sun was beating on my head like a tanning bed. I decided to take a break and sit in the shade for a while and collect my thoughts on what im doing.
Next to me there was a kid looking at a map he was alone and i figured id approach him to ask if he knew where i could sleep tonight. He was from Madrid he spoke spanish and some rap slang . He said sure common ill show you. Cool were off. walking again he shows me around Rome a little. We went to Fontana Di Trevi were i got the boot for soaking my beat up feet. Apparently they thought i was trying to steal money out of the fountain. So we start walking again, man the cobble stone were eating my feet like hot coals.
It's dark now and finally we found a place, but Alex from Madrid had different plans he had booked a flight earlier to go to paris tonight and he is trying to convince me to go. For once i didn't follow my impulse , i mean i just got here i need to go to sleep i cant get back on the plane. So i walked him to the right train not the one i took, had a few beers and some laughs about what we've done today while we wait. He got on and it was back to solo. I walk in the what should be condemed hostel hotel type of thing. The guy spoke a little english and wrote down the price. 15 Euros sounded good to me so i paid him and opened the door to my room. A sink a bed a flickering light that later died and two huge windows looking over the dark sketchy alleyway.
I think I slept a total of 2 hours and i was awaken by a sound ive heard before. Not church bells, but rioting that ive seen on tv. In Rome the majority of people ride motorbikes they line them up like sheep leaving enough room for a leg. So i look outside and there must be 10 motorbike on fire! Im thinking shit they saw me they're going to throw a malotoff cocktail right in my window, so i shut the shutters and sit on the bed waiting for the noise to stop so i can maybe get some sleep. I think i fell asleep as i was thinking because i woke up the next day in the strangest position. I gathered my things and left before i got charged for staying to late . On the corner there is a cafe bar so i walk in and start reading the signs in front of the food. Picking what i thought would be easiest to say salami and bread. "salami e pane" I told the cute girl at the register 1 "salami e pane" she started to laugh. I don't get it im saying it correctly i think i mean is it that funny. Finally getting what i want i was off again.
I had alot of experiences in rome and stayed for about a week before i decided to call my cousins in naples. One morning I buy a phone card and go to the train station where i saw pay phones. Im trying to call using this annoying ass phone for probably 30 minutes. Finally i connect i said Angelo its gary from America. And the italian pours out i don't understand a word, this will be difficult. As im speaking baby talk to him i feel someone playing with my bag behind me so i turn around while still on the phone. "what the fuck" im yelling at this little kid, he's hanging on my bag trying to rip it off. I swing my arms he's screaming rape and finally he falls off and runs away. My cousin is laughing on the phone. He said "gypsy" so i understood he understood. I tell him i will be in naples in an hour and he hangs up without saying where to meet him or anything.
I purchase an over priced ticket in first class and im off to naples looking at the beautiful scenery outside, we start approaching napoli. Im thinking holy shit this place looks like the movies, contemplating if i made the right decision. I get off the train and take a quick walk because i arrived early. The station and around the station is a scene i can never forget. It smells like shit looks like shit and it made me wanna take a shit. After a 10 minute walk i decide to go in the Mc Donalds in front of the station surely if i saw him i would recognize him from the pictures and it will be fine.
I see this kid running back and forth and finally struck me thats him I yell angelo. He turns smiles and gives me a kiss and points me in the direction of the car where my other brothers and sisters are. i get in they ask about Rome and i tell them they're pretty rude over there. this morning i asked for bread an they all just laughed at me, they said how did you say it. I said "pane e salami". They all broke out laughing im thinking you gotta be kidding me them to. They said no if you purnounce the a like in america your saying penis. Well ill be dammed i was asking for salami and penis. ...hahaha ... after a short ride we arrive at there house, Where i spent 2 months learning italian , new culinary skills and making a family bond with the people ive always heard about.
So what the fuck was i thinking. I still don't know, but i know I would do it all over again!
Nobody had the funds or time so I decided to do it alone. Ever since a child I heard about my lost family in Italy. Ive never met them to my to my knowledge, So I searched my cousins name on facebook and a bomb went off in my head. Im going! My cousin Angelo seemed excited to talk to his cousin from NY but he had no idea how serious i was about coming. I asked if i ever came to Italy if he would want to meet up with the fam. Sure Sure he said. i couldn't sleep that night all i could think about was all i have to do is buy the ticket and i can't back out.
I finally got out of my bed and bought the ticket on impulse doing little research about which airport ect. i booked it 10 days in advance so i decided their is no point in doing research at all about italy ill just figure it out when i get there. I took italian in school for 2 years , for some reason i thought i could speak italian, the latter proved differently. I bought an over priced back pack and went on with my daily life. Before i knew it i was at the airport! Wow the fastest 10 days ive ever had. I saved the packing for the morning of departure and the hives started building on my ankles. What the $%^& is that on my ankle? I never had hives in my life,why now? This only created more hives. I sat on the plane relaxed by a xanex waiting for arrival.
It was official the pilot got on the loud speaker and said"we are decending in Rome, please fasten your seat belts". We've landed now it starts to hit me this is real i can't just sit in the airport. So i grab a flight attendant and asked "hey do you know any cheap hotels i can stay at in Rome". She looked at me blank stare and said"no, why you don't know where your going", i replied not a clue. She said i had to get on a train because this airport is not in rome its outside of rome. Uh oh. After you get on the train its about 45 minutes and you will arrive in rome then you can walk around and look for a place, thats all you can do at this point. So i get off the plane smoke 3 ciggarettes and start looking for signs for the train. I found it 20 minutes later and lost in translation begins. I walk up to the ticket booth and ask for a ticket to rome she only understood rome and it worked out. I ran to the train because it was about to leave and i sat next to guy that lived there. We tried speaking but it was impossible. I would say fuck and he would laugh that was the extent of the conversation.
40 minutes later the kid says rome rome and points and points, so i get off. He was right it was rome , but harlem Rome not Rome Rome. As the train left he was banging on the glass making hand gestures that i should have waited till the next. Whatever i muttered im in the city so i started walking . Every market i saw i walked through buying a piece of fruit or kebab. This walk lasted 5 hours , the blisters started popping and the roman sun was beating on my head like a tanning bed. I decided to take a break and sit in the shade for a while and collect my thoughts on what im doing.
Next to me there was a kid looking at a map he was alone and i figured id approach him to ask if he knew where i could sleep tonight. He was from Madrid he spoke spanish and some rap slang . He said sure common ill show you. Cool were off. walking again he shows me around Rome a little. We went to Fontana Di Trevi were i got the boot for soaking my beat up feet. Apparently they thought i was trying to steal money out of the fountain. So we start walking again, man the cobble stone were eating my feet like hot coals.
It's dark now and finally we found a place, but Alex from Madrid had different plans he had booked a flight earlier to go to paris tonight and he is trying to convince me to go. For once i didn't follow my impulse , i mean i just got here i need to go to sleep i cant get back on the plane. So i walked him to the right train not the one i took, had a few beers and some laughs about what we've done today while we wait. He got on and it was back to solo. I walk in the what should be condemed hostel hotel type of thing. The guy spoke a little english and wrote down the price. 15 Euros sounded good to me so i paid him and opened the door to my room. A sink a bed a flickering light that later died and two huge windows looking over the dark sketchy alleyway.
I think I slept a total of 2 hours and i was awaken by a sound ive heard before. Not church bells, but rioting that ive seen on tv. In Rome the majority of people ride motorbikes they line them up like sheep leaving enough room for a leg. So i look outside and there must be 10 motorbike on fire! Im thinking shit they saw me they're going to throw a malotoff cocktail right in my window, so i shut the shutters and sit on the bed waiting for the noise to stop so i can maybe get some sleep. I think i fell asleep as i was thinking because i woke up the next day in the strangest position. I gathered my things and left before i got charged for staying to late . On the corner there is a cafe bar so i walk in and start reading the signs in front of the food. Picking what i thought would be easiest to say salami and bread. "salami e pane" I told the cute girl at the register 1 "salami e pane" she started to laugh. I don't get it im saying it correctly i think i mean is it that funny. Finally getting what i want i was off again.
I had alot of experiences in rome and stayed for about a week before i decided to call my cousins in naples. One morning I buy a phone card and go to the train station where i saw pay phones. Im trying to call using this annoying ass phone for probably 30 minutes. Finally i connect i said Angelo its gary from America. And the italian pours out i don't understand a word, this will be difficult. As im speaking baby talk to him i feel someone playing with my bag behind me so i turn around while still on the phone. "what the fuck" im yelling at this little kid, he's hanging on my bag trying to rip it off. I swing my arms he's screaming rape and finally he falls off and runs away. My cousin is laughing on the phone. He said "gypsy" so i understood he understood. I tell him i will be in naples in an hour and he hangs up without saying where to meet him or anything.
I purchase an over priced ticket in first class and im off to naples looking at the beautiful scenery outside, we start approaching napoli. Im thinking holy shit this place looks like the movies, contemplating if i made the right decision. I get off the train and take a quick walk because i arrived early. The station and around the station is a scene i can never forget. It smells like shit looks like shit and it made me wanna take a shit. After a 10 minute walk i decide to go in the Mc Donalds in front of the station surely if i saw him i would recognize him from the pictures and it will be fine.
I see this kid running back and forth and finally struck me thats him I yell angelo. He turns smiles and gives me a kiss and points me in the direction of the car where my other brothers and sisters are. i get in they ask about Rome and i tell them they're pretty rude over there. this morning i asked for bread an they all just laughed at me, they said how did you say it. I said "pane e salami". They all broke out laughing im thinking you gotta be kidding me them to. They said no if you purnounce the a like in america your saying penis. Well ill be dammed i was asking for salami and penis. ...hahaha ... after a short ride we arrive at there house, Where i spent 2 months learning italian , new culinary skills and making a family bond with the people ive always heard about.
So what the fuck was i thinking. I still don't know, but i know I would do it all over again!
