VENICE JOURNAL ENTRY

Journal entry from Venice...
Monday night around 3 a.m. Just walked home from alone from a bar in Venice. Scary and exhilarating. I had no idea where I was going, but I made it. It's amazing how safe this city is. People out at all times, walking, drinking, playing guitar on bridge steps. This city is amazing. Very inspiring. Beautiful. Etc. There is nothing like it anywhere. I can guarantee that. We could stay here for the rest of the trip and I'd be fine with that. With the proper amount of layers, the cold is not an issue. We were supposed to meet our new friends for dinner at 8, but they flaked. Too bad. I got my own room. I haven't got good rest since we've been gone. Missing home gets further from my mind as each moment passes, yet I can't help but think of how much Kelly would love this city. I'd love to find a way to return, maybe for a summer job. I can't get enough. That's the sentiment echoed by most. Truly wonderful. Most people speak English and are friendly. But I have encountered many who want nothing to do with me. That's fine. Maybe they're scared because I'm an American. Being out of place is a truly humbling experience. Frightening, wonderful, scary, exciting. I was alone for an hour today trying to use a phone. I failed but found an internet cafe. My toll was .80 cents and I had no cash. I looked for a bank, but couldn't find one, asked for help from a woman who spoke no English -- who asked her friend who spoke no English for help -- and found it on my own. The bank gave me 50 Euro bills. The cafe had no change, so I got the call for free. The young guy behind the counter wasn't thrilled. I apologized and felt like shit for being an ignorant American. But there was nothing I could do. People say visiting Europe for the first time changes a person. I agree. We are not yet half over and already I am opening my eyes and my mind to new thoughts and ideas. I have an idea for a novel about Venice that I will write one day, hopefully sooner than later. I want to come here to write. I want to live here and eat amazing pasta and drink delicious red wine. I'm told it's not always this busy. Carnival is the reason, but it doesn't matter. At night there is no one out and the city tugs at my heart, begs me to stay. I walk slow to take it all in, but there is no way to do that. I get what I can, which is somehow enough and not nearly enough. I've found my muse. Her name is Venice.

CIAO

We left Venice today. I want to see more cities, but I could easily stay there for, well, forever. I am walking with a limp because all of the walking in Venice. The lower part of the right leg is very sore and the back of my ankle is killing me because I am wearing Avila tennis shoes that I borrowed from my dad. I wanted to bring two pairs of shoes, but there wasn't enough room in my bag. So now I am hurting physically and fashionablly. Oh well. Drank a ton of great red wine and ate a pesto pasta last night. It was as good as if not better than the first dish I had when we arrived.

Today we stopped for lunch in Verona. It's amazing how every Italian city is simply amazing. I had another pesto pasta and it was great. The food portions in that part of the world are perfect, which explains why I didn't see one overweight person there. In Verona we saw what some claim to be the inspiration for the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. Maybe I would have cared if I liked Shakespeare. We also passed a train that was used to take people to Auschwitz. There were flowers on it because it is some sort of rememberance month. The thing was tiny and had barbed wire on the six-inch windows. I'm not the type to get moved by objects, but this was definitely something that I won't forget. To see how those people suffered in such cramped quarters gave me my first first-hand look into how fucked up that whole situation was. I mean, reading about it in a book and touching a living piece of history are two totally different things.





It's snowing here in Garmisch, Germany. Being from LA, I'm not too familiar with snow, but it's pretty awesome to look at. We are staying literally in the middle of the Alps. Like everything European, I heard stories about the mountains but it never registered until I saw them. They make Big Bear look puny in comparison. That's probably lame even think that, but when I think of mountains, I think of Big Bear.


One week down. One week to go. I was really freaked out the night before leaving. Now I can say I am having perhaps the best time of my life. My girlfriend told me she was worried that I wouldn't come home. Although I can safely say that I will be coming home, she was definitely onto something as Europe is fucking unreal.

Taylor and Chip are both great guys to travel with, even though I can't keep up with them in the drinking department. I can hold my own, but these guys rage. I had to walk back to the hotel alone the past two nights because I was done. Bars in Venice don't seem to close, which means no one ever gets kicked out of anywhere. At some point, my tired ass needs some rest. It takes a lot of work to look this good!

The plan is to bobsled tomorrow in Austria. That is going to be awesome. Our sole Austrian experience so far is stopping at a McDonald's for lunch on the way to Venice. Taylor hyped the shit out of the place and told us it was the best Mickey D's on the planet. Being a vegan, I was skeptical, but once again, he was correct. The place was massive and overlooked the Alps. Even McDonald's is amazing here. I ate some cringle fries, marking the first time any type of McDonald's food has entered my stomach in at least 6 years, probably longer. Hey, when in Rome...

I feel like I have much more to say about this past week, but I need to be out living it, not writing about it. I'll save that portion for later. To anyone I know reading this, I hope things are well. Don't worry about me. I can assure you it's been smooth sailing since the second our plane landed.

JIM HALL REALLY DOES SLEEP ALL DAY

ive been to this same internet cafe three times today. chip and taylor are sleeping and said they might not go out tonight. which leaves me wondering what ill do. i just took a much needed nap. we walked the city today. went to san marco square and into some famous church and palace. the architecture is breathtaking.




i am spending money at what i think is an ok rate. but theres one more week to go. there are two americans in the room above mine. i havent seen them, but they are loud and obnoxious. they are playing music very loud and speaking even louder. i heard one of them say they stole all the tp from the bathroom. well, wouldnt ya know it, it was from the bathroom next to my room. assholes. i can tell they are young, but they should have a bit more respect for the others in the hotel. shit, do i sound old or what? they make me understand why europeans stereotypically hate americans. hell, i hate these kids and im a fucking american too. for the most part, ive found the anti american thing to be 50/50. those who are cool with americans are way cool with americans. they speak english well, never bring up politics and are basically down to have a good time. these are mainly the young people. the older people are more standoffish. last night, when i was looking for my hotel, i asked a few people for help and they brushed me off. today a few shopowners didnt care for me, although my only crime was being an american. i am a young, single, straight white male. now i know what discrimination feels like. it sucks. i bought a small bottle of orange juice and a donut and chocolate muffin this morning, hoping the food would be of the italian variety. it wasnt. tasty, but nothing i couldnt have got at home. i got another slice of veggie pizza today. this time it was at the palace thingy. ill have to look up the name when i get home. that place was awesome. when they built it, i imagine the king telling the artists, ya know, i dig what you did in the previous room, but can you make this new room, i dont know, even more decadant? i mean, the art of the 40 feet ceiling alone is spectacular. we saw the old jail and the old courthouse. i asked taylor how many not guilty verdicts he thought were given in that room. he said not many and i agreed. this place had lots of weapons too. war has been around forever, but these old dudes fought eye to eye. swords that were 6 feet long with crazy body armor. i have no respect for anyone who kills, but these people were brave, ill give them that. the price here is 3 euro for 1 to 15 minutes. i am at minute 13, so its time to run.

VENICE PART TWO

new internet cafe in venice. still here and still loving it. there are small dogs that roam next to their owners all over this city. they are very well behaved. last night we were walking in the middle of nowhere when we came across a pizzeria. i got a beer and a large slice with no cheese, zucchini, corn, tomato and orgeno for 2 euro, which is 3 dollars. my legs hurt from walking so much, but it is well worth it. i could type for days about my experience walking back to my hotel alone at 2 am last night or how i was alone for an hour trying to make a phone call. we are now in an area where people dont speak english as fluently as they did in the neighborhood we were in a few days ago. but that is part of the fun. i just woke up and in front of my room is a guy selling fresh fish. not for me, but pretty damn interesting. you dont see that in long beach. got much needed rest last night, but my body has not adjusted to the time change and i suspect it wont. oh well. the bars never close, so theres always something to do. i have my own room, which is nice, but my window is across from the shower/bathroom. that means there are people walking past my room and turning on the light all the time. last night someone turned on the light at what i guess what 4 am and forgot to turn it off. thanks dude.

SCHWEEEEEEEEET!!!!!

in an internet cafe in venice. this is my new favorite city. last night was the beginning of carnival. it was one of the best things ive ever experienced. people everywhere. drinking. partying. we were part of a large group of gatecrashers who tried to get into the main party but we left when it looked like we might get trampled. id love to write about everything that happened, but this place im in charges and the euro is kicking my ass. ive had two pastas dishes and lots of chianti. the pasta for dinner last night was the best ive ever had. being out of the usa is humbling, exciting, worrysome, frustrating and exhilarating all at the same time. there arent many americans here, none that we met anyway. the red wine flows like crazy and its goes down smooth. tonight is round two. chip and taylor (the two friends i am traveling with) are napping right now. i am about to join them because i didnt get any sleep. i was very hyper from all the activity combined with all the espresso and the fact that my body still hasnt adjusted to the time change. usually i go to sleep around 2 am, which is 11 am here. we are staying with a really nice lady named julia. shes a translator and speaks english better than the three of us! she is making pasta for us tonight. taylor says shes a great cook and i dont doubt it. so much to say but the clock is ticking. im very excited to be in europe. i want to see more, but at the same time, i could stay in venice for a very long time. its hard to explain. anyone whose been here can attest to that. to anyone reading this at home, i hope things are well. i hear long beach got hit with a big storm. its chilly here, but not nearly as bad as i planned. i am comfy if i wear plenty of layers, which i am doing all the time. venice has entered my blood and consumed my soul. no cars, no bikes, no scooters, just thousands of people walking everywhere having a good time. except for the two drunken american assholes who fought on the street late last night. fucking americans. i can go on for days. this is a magical place, one that i wil return to before i die or the city floods, which im told is expected to happen in the next 300 years. we took a small gondola (gondole for the italians) and it was amazing. venice is for lovers. small, well behaved dogs rome. but no cats. thats a bummer. ive seen two kitties since ive been over here. im jonesing for more. what else? so much to say so little time. theres talk of going to a city called verona after we leave here. exciting. i could get lost in the city as it is very inspiring. so many thoughts running through my head. makes for good writing. in a perfect world, id live here, drink wine and eat pasta and write. i know my time here will surface in a story somewhere someday. it has to. there is no more poetic place than venice. and plenty of vegetarian food to boot. viva italy!