Girl Talk

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There are few things that can bond females together faster than the topic of men, accompanied by a cocktail. It's really nice to know that at least no matter where you are in this world, this method of "relaxation" is a proven success. The "Sex in the City" women perfected this, creating an entire hit TV series surrounding the love women share for complaining, time and time again, about a man (always over a cosmo of course). Well the act itself is no different here in Venice, only the beverage is a spritz and the background music a little more, retro (say REM circa 1983). But all in all it was still a fantastic way to spend my Thursday evening with a new friend, especially when outside gigantic snowflakes were blanketing the quiet city.

Pause for a moment before I continue, for the men reading this: I apologize for my female point of view. Seeing as I happen to be one, this is the nature of things. However this blog is not meant to offend or pick on men in any way at all. Therefore, as you read.. please insert the word 'birra' (beer) for everytime you see spritz or cocktail. And replace the words 'man' with 'wild woman', 'lazy' with 'high maintenance' and 'aggressive' to 'craaaaazy'. You catch my drift. It's like Mad Libs, just fill in the blanks as you go 😊

OK back to the story. So my new friend and I go out for a glass of wine to "chat". Although I am pretty sure the mutual invitation between one another went more like, "I'm feeling grumpy. All I want is a glass of vino. And to bitch" Perfect! I was in. So off we ventured through the snowy city to our favorite little bar in Mestre. Let me tell you firstly that Mestre is not the beauty of Venice, it is simply the industrial mainland for one of the most beautiful city in the world haha. Therefore to find a bar that you can step in to and some how forget the grey, cold outside world: this is a real find! 'L'Autri Verdi' ('The Other Green'😉 is a fairly cozy little spot, oddly enough painted all red inside. And last night as we stepped through the door, I was immediately hit by the smell of fresh foccacia and the slow winding beats of who else but Ja Rule (hahaha this was enough to perk my mood instantly).

You see, "Western Hospitality" does spread elsewhere around the world. When I go to the bar in Calgary, how often would I pay $3 (2.50 Euros) for a drink, and still receive freshly baked artisan bread for free? I call that a steal of a deal! So drinks in hand we cozied up to our table and the stress began to unwind. Oh did I mention this is the same bar where the bartender actually happens to be a gigolo?! You really can't judge a book by its cover though, as it was a slower evening I actually had a chance to chat with him a little bit.. yep, turns out he speaks fluent English! And why? His Mom is actually from Montreal! And he lived in Canada for a year. I know that isn't very exciting to many of you, but for me this is the first "fellow Canadian" I have yet to meet here in Italy! Must have helped our case, because he appeared at the table a few moments later with (hands down) the most flippin fantastic, delicious shot I have ever had in my life. I would say more like dessert than a shot even. Warmed "egg liquer" which basically tastes like boozy eggnog, topped with fresh hand-whipped "panna" (whipped cream). As I said, I don't think you could even get drunk off of them if you tried, you wouldn't want to.. I would like to order one of those post-every meal I ever have in Venice from here on out! Yummmm.

You know its a funny thing listening to two girls from VERY different cultural backgrounds, both with some travel experience, complain about men. A Greek/Australian girl who has grown up a bit in the UK for example, has issues and complaints that for me as a Canadian girl born and raised, wouldn't even think about. And vice versa.. something that totally appauls me, she is able to laugh off as no big deal because its so common for me. The funniest part of all however, is when it really comes down to the basics.. we have pretty similar views as to what we see in our ideal man.

The little details were really the only thing that stood apart for us. As I am North American, there are many characteristics or behaviors here that really shock me when it comes to men. And it goes the same way for her, as she has been raised in a Mediterranean mindset and way of feeling. It really made me wonder how some 'international' couples do it? I mean discovering another's culture and views is an amazing thing to me, and I will never want to stop gaining this knowledge. But I really had to stop and think for a moment, and truly appreciate people that manage to fall in love across borders, and make it work! That is a whole other complication to a relationship that has never even crossed my mind. But we are humans, we are all just looking to be loved and taken care of by somebody. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, where you're going.. all that matters is that when you find that person who works for you, embrace how lucky you are! Yes it would be hard to share values, beliefs and opinions with a love from a foreign place, but the reality is sometimes its even harder doing that with somebody from your OWN nation! (ha ha ha).

We are all just searching for something in this world to call our own. It's a funny thing. Life really isn't that long, I don't mean to sound morbid, but thats the truth. We only have so much time on this earth. So instead of spending our whole lives searching, why don't we take at least a little time to just appreciate what we have right here in front of us. It's not as much fun being alone as we always think it will be, life is meant to be shared. With friends, with family, with a loved one. As long as you have companionship in this world, what else can we really ask for? Ok very philosophical, my apologies, and I know its not that simple. But that's just the way I am feeling these days. Maybe it IS that simple. Let's cut the over-complicated. Let's just unwind from all the stresses, take a night off, and go out with your best friend and let it all out! Grab a bottle of wine, a good movie. A case of beer, and a hockey game. As we say in Canada, just take some time off "to chill".

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