Granada and a bit of Bologna.

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This is an excerpt from my journal that I took with me on my trip, with a bit of embellishment.
02/26/11, 6:22am “At the airport way early, still dark out, want to be in bed. We took three trains yesterday to get to Bologna. For the most part it went smooth. It was too and a half years ago when I first came to Bologna. It was Naomi and I and the extent of our visit was walking approximately two steps out of the train station, eating pizza and making up stories about the Italian man we were stalking who we named Antonio and decided was a model. Oh and I can’t forget that we also used the McDonald’s bathroom. The view of the city from the train station is quit misleading. If I would have known how cool it was inside perhaps I would have stayed longer on my first visit. Or maybe it was not time for my introduction to Bologna. Maybe it was all meant to unfold under different circumstances. Two and a half years later I am here again. Although our stay was less than 24 hours it was fun and a good introduction. The city is grand and bold. Everything is big, at least as far as Italian cities go. There are of course also small cute streets brimming with fruit, veggies, fish and meat. Living in Italy, I have seen lots of small streets like these but it was most pronounced and enticing in Bologna. We were in a rush to meet Katie’s friend or I would have bought some of those lush strawberries. Also, the Pasticcerie looked amazing, there are my weekness in every city, but everything was staring at me through windows, even the woman working at the Pasticceria looked so cute in her little apron.
Katie’s friends Giorngio and Umberto were so nice and cool. We hung out with them at their house, ordered pizza, talked and they took us to this small underground bar/club. There was a live local band and only about 50 people. Everyone was so cool and dancing around having fun. The next morning, this morning, we woke up at 5am, which is why I am sitting at the airport now, way too early. Walking through Bologna when it is still dark and no one is out but for a few party stragglers was a special experience.”
03/01/11 Granada
“Granada is simply amazing, I am in love. Flying in we see the Sierra Navada snow covered mountains, I know, didn’t know I would have to go so far away from home to see them, lol. They were such a cereal background to the warm streets of old Granada. We went to Kristens house, Katie’s friend from home. Her apartment was so cute and homey, with colorful tapestries and tile sinks and clothes hanging outside. We were exhausted but so excited to be there. The first day is a bit of a blur. We walked around and went to a health food restaurant, so familiar and nurturing for me. Then we walked through the Albizine lined with touristy shops and Teterias (tea/hookah cafes). We walked past it all and up up up the cobble stone pathways and white houses and garden patios. When we got to the top we walked out onto a plaza filled with people from all over, but the coolest were the local hippies trying to sell their goods, which were beautifully hand crafted jewelry. The view was amazing, we could see the Alhabra across the way outlined by the snow covered mountains. We sat here for a while and people watched and enjoyed the sunshine. On our way back down the hill, we followed our ears and came across another plaza full of music and a whole hippie community. There was juggling, dancing, music, a tree with clothes hanging off of it, smoke, the whole works. We danced and enjoyed the scene until the sunset. I so wish I would have had my hula hoop, it would have fit in perfectly, oh well, I danced without it instead.
When we descended back down the hill into the Albizine we went into a Teteria. All of the them are designed like the Alhambra, so it seems I got a taste of Morocco anyway. Then we walked around and I got sucked into the tourist trap stores. They were too hard to resist with their colorful tapestries and harem pants for half the price they would be in Italy. Finally we got out of there and went out for Tapas. When I fisrt heard of Tapas I thought they were a fried sort of food with different kinds of fillings. Turns out that was just my imagination and they are pretty much the same as Apertivo in Italia, in case that helps at all. You can go into any bar, order a drink for about 2 euros and it comes with a little food, the fun thing to do is to hop around and try different tapas. After going to two places I was so exhausted, we got to bed at about 1.
The next morning we woke up 9am because Kristen booked a spa experience for us at bano de Arabe. We got there at 10am and entered such a beautiful little spa. Designed like the Tetorias and Alhabra, it was dark, lined with candels and relaxing Moroccan music. There was a hot, warm and freezing pool, plus sugary tea. Also we each got a 15 minute massage which was such a teas but wonderful. We had to leave at 12 and walked out in a trance. Kristen and her friend Adrienne made raps with hummus at home for us, then later we had a pic-nick in the park with a bunch of friends, American and Spanish. It was lots of fun, one friend had a guitar as well so we sang and listened to music. The best part was the cute half Spanish half Moroccan who brought the baklava. Not sure if he was better or the baklava, but I think the baklava wins. At the end of the pic-nick he offered to rest to everyone, he wanted to get rid of it, everyone refused to be polite I guess, or they are just crazy, I refused too. Then later on our walk through the gardens he offered again. Although, I couldn’t communicate with words I gave him the look like “everyone else in this group is crazy and hell ya I want those, hand them over. P.S. if I could talk to you I would tell you that I think you’re really cute, ok maybe I wouldn’t really say that so I’ll just eat your Baklava instead”.
That night we got Falafal then went out to a really neat jazz bar and got ice cream. Then we went to an underground club with live jazzy music. There was a foosball table that I must mention as it took all of my willpower to avoid as to not embarrass Katie too much. After the live music there they put on 70’s funk and we danced and got funky until 3am. When we got back I crashed out right away. The next morning we woke at 10am to go to the Alhambra. The view form there was amazing, but I think the inside was even more amazing. The architecture and intricate designs were like nothing I have ever seen. The gardens outside were amazing as well. I rather go there than a museum any day, I was really impressed.
Later, we went to another health food restaurant and ate such wonderful, nurturing food. Then we got a tour of Kristen’s neighborhood with all of the graffiti walls. The artist lives in her neighborhood and we went by his house. The graffiti is really art and makes the city even more unique. Later we met with one of Kristens Spanish friends and went to a Teteria. I was so tired and unsocial but it was nice still. Then I caught my second wind as we got into the tourist trapped again. I really wanted to buy some Moroccan music, like the music I heard in the spa or the Teterias. Instead, I got bought a CD from a guy from Sweden who had traveled to India and was selling CD’s with Indian/Moroccan music for a non-profit. I really liked his energy so I bought one, which is a nice why of calling myself a total sucker. I also bought a beautiful tapestry. Then I was hanging out with one of the guys working in the store and started up conversation with him, which worked out way better than I thought possible. I understood almost all of his Spanish and he understood almost all of my Italian, it was so cool.
The next morning we woke up early to catch the bus to the airport. I did not want to leave Granada, I loved it there so much and want to bring all of my friends and family. At the airport I was checking out the hotties of the Granada soccer team for a while. Then when we checked in they definitely looked over my expired Visa. I told them it was okay for 90 days after expiration, which is true but they still called in backup. The guy on the walkie-talkie said “no pasa nada, Americana” (Don’t worry about it, she’s American). Talk about privilege, I am legally a tourist right now but if I was not American it would have not been so simple.”
When we got back to Bologna, we went to another health food place we found, the nice thing about big cities. We ate lunch and hung out for a while. Then we walked around the city, I went into the Pasticceria I was eyeing before and I bought those strawberries. Katie and I parted ways at the station and I headed out to Cesinatico to see the girls I had visited with Naomi two and a half years ago. I stayed for 3 nights. It was a mellow visit. I thought it would be easier to communicate with them because I can speak Italian now, but in some ways it was harder. There is only so much I can say in Italian, the small talk stuff mostly. It is hard to get to know people this way. I tried to mostly speak to Sue, the mom in Italian but eventually we broke down and spoke English, and I got to know her way better this way. I did go shopping with Jamie, the 19 year old, and bonded with Matilda, the 13 year old, over Animal planet, and Alice, is 21 and so shy but down to earth and a sweat heart. Alice and Sue opened a bar recently, so I went with Sue while she worked for five hours, I got to talk to the locals and check out the bar life, which was fun. I also took a walk to the beach alone, which was nice but freezing, as it was snowing earlier.
I headed out Friday attempting to catch the train at 1:13pm and follow the schedule I saw online that would cost be 19 euros to get home. I was an idiot and missed that train so I caught the next an hour later to Rimini. Meanwhile I met a girl from Morocco who was my ago so it was fun to talk to her. When I got to Rimini I ask the lady what my options were to get to Viterbo, she said I could catch a train back to Bologna, then one to Orte then one to Viterbo, putting me at 61 euros. Or I could catch one to some other place, then to Rome but I would get in after that last train comes back to Viterbo from Rome so I would be stranded in Rome. So I paid 17 wuros to get to Bologna which would have cost me about 9 direct from Cesinatico. Then I caught the train from Bologna to Napoli which stopped in Orte. I did sincerely try to pay the machine the 30 euros for the ticket, but it was sold out and I needed to catch this train, so I got on.
I know what you are all thinking, this is not her first time not paying tickets and she is a horrible person. But sometimes this is part of ruffing it. Of course, I could have paid, I am not broke, and it made me think of all of the people who really are broke and really can’t pay and who can’t pull out the “I am American” card. For me it was sort of a game, an experience, for others, it is life.
So here I was on this 3,5 hour train ride nervously standing near the bathroom incase I needed a get away. I tried to make small talk with the cutie standing near by but he wasn’t very friendly. The view was beautiful, snowy mountains and small towns. I noticed three shady guys who I figured also didn’t pay for tickets by the way they were acting. They were bugging, like snooping around, loud ext. so I kept to myself. Then, somehow I ended up talking to one of them. He told me he had bought a ticket but the other two hadn’t. They were al from around Napoli and talking in some dialect. They were all loud, dirty, dodgy, smoking, cheap and creepy, typical stereotypes of Napoli. If they were from anywhere else I would have ignored them and called them “schifoso” but for some reason I jumped on and went for another ride called “cultural experience”. We shot the shit for a while, while the only guy with the ticket kept an eye out for the rest of us. It was mostly tranquillo until the end, when the ticket lady was coming up the isle. So I ducked into the bathroom with shit water in the toilet and pee on the ground while my new friend kept watch, he even cracked the window for me. I stayed in there for about 7 minutes until he said it was safe. The other guys we not back yet, so I talked to this one for a while. He bought some pringles from a cart and shared with me. First, one of the guys showed up telling us he was cornered by two at once and he had to pay. Then the other showed up and said he also got caught. So I consider myself lucky to be stuffed in a shitty train bathroom by a Napolitano. Later, they lit up their cigarettes again, clearly bothering an elderly woman nearby, under normal circumstances I would have been bothered as well but tonight, I was train hopping with these three scummy Napolitani, they had my back and we were a team.
I transferred at Orte and got back to Viterbo at 10:30. I was planning on walking 30 minutes home but Tatiana, with the baby I babysit, insisted on going out of her way to drive me home.
I had some fun travels for sure. I love traveling, and like to think I could live out of my bag and on the road like this for months but I must say, it is nice coming back to a warm home.
Ok ciao Tutto, sorry it was so long.

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