Awkward Weekend

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What can I say about being in Verona for two days with only a few people that I actually like and a few more that I cannot really be around for longer than 10 minutes without wanting to cut of my own ears, other than awkward. A weekend spent pondering why people say the things they do and how I could possibly survive the weekend without going crazy. I couldn’t not go to Verona partly because I had already paid for it through my study abroad program and I am not a terribly wasteful person when it comes to money, also due to the fact that I had never been to Verona before and will probably not go back for some time. Overall it was a beautiful place to see, I still like Florence more however.

The thing that I don't really understand about staying in Italian hotels is that they require everyone who is staying at the hotel to provide their passport information. Well although I had been reminded several times to bring my passport, the morning of I still managed to forget to bring mine, so when Laelle asked for mine all I could do was shrug my shoulders and call someone at home to give me my old passport number, since I had not given my family my new number. Luckily the hotel took my hand written passport number and expiration dates, so that I was able to stay there overnight. It must be for security reasons that they require a passport; clearly America does not worry about things like this because I never have had to show anything to get my room at a hotel, so long as you can pay for it they don't really care.

When the number of somewhat odd people outnumber sane ones it always makes for an interesting situation, because you are caught in an awkward limbo. Trying to not be outwardly rude and still keep my eyes from rolling at everything some people were saying was trying my patience each moment we were all forced to be together. Molly and I both went on the trip along with our roommate Danelle, who is not someone I would normally hang out with. There were also two other guys and our program coordinator with her boyfriend, so it was a small group of travelers. We left Florence early Saturday morning and arrived in Verona around noon. We then had a quick break and were able to rest before our tour around the city later in the day. The tour lasted way too long in my opinion, but I have never really been a person who likes to stand out more as a tourist than I usually already do. Our guide took us on a long-winded explanation about each detail on the buildings we passed, most of which was uninteresting. Stopping to take pictures with the Juliet statue and going through the gardens the next day were the highlights for me.

The arena situated next to one of the main squares was nice to see because it is the third largest arena still standing in Italy. What was cool about it is that the people of Verona still use it today during the summer months for concerts and opera. I was able to see a picture of what it would look like with the entire place filled and it is amazing that so many people are able to fit inside. I think somewhere around 15,000, but I could be off. Molly and I spent most of our time in Verona wandering around the city after our tour. Later meeting up for a group dinner, meeting locals and having some great wine with our meal.

The next day was spent going to a famous garden located on the other side of the Po river. Spending some time messing around in the maze and wandering around in the sunshine. We then had free time until our train ride back to Florence later on in the day. So again Molls and I walked around and went in search of the perfect place to sit and read our books. Eventually finding a park overlooking the road and train station, not the most picturesque of places but it was relatively quiet and the sun was still hitting our faces. It turned out however that it was not only the sunniest place to sit it also had free entertainment in the form of men. Within the first hour that we were sitting on our bench, the two of us saw 3 different men relieve themselves on the grass across from us. Granted we were sitting on top of a small hill and the parking lot was lower than us but still if these guys had just looked up even once they would have seen us staring at them. Then a fourth guy came along and I pointed out to Molly that we had someone else who couldn't make it to the bathroom. He then proceeded to fulfill a different need with his pants down, it was like watching a car accident, and you know you shouldn't be watching it but you just can't peel your eyes away from it. Well Molly and I watched this guy with our jaws open for a solid 5 minutes, with a crystal clear view of everything he had to offer. We even managed to take a picture of his face, not that the quality is all that great, but seriously how hard is it to keep it in your pants until you can have some privacy! God that moment is something I could have lived without seeing, welcome to Italy!

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Photos

Roman Arches
This is the third largest amphitheatre in Italy.

Gladiators
Taking pictures with the random men dressed like Gladiators.

Top Secret stuff
Molly being very secretive.

Oh Romeo!
Juliet's balcony from the play Romeo and Juliet.

Improper Behavior
They say that if you touch the statue of Juliet you will have luck finding your great love.

Scala Family Palazzo
The wealthiest family in Verona was the Scala family, scala in Italian means ladder.

Gateway to heaven
Outside the Scala family crypt.

Short stack
If Molly and I suddenly became midgets this is what we would look like.

Second stories
View of the main square.

Arena supporters
Inside the arena.

Outer shell
The only part of the outer wall of the arena still standing.