Home Again Home Again

Well, it's been a life changing experience, but even insane 2.5 month gaycations must end.
Melanie and I were so energized and inspired by everything we did and saw on this massive trip, and are already taking on life in a big way.
We are in Hawthorne, NY with my family until we save up for a new apartment.
Until then - pet portraits, work, and cuddling our beasties!

Some of Firenze in photos

So much running around on these last few days and very little Internet so here are a few choice mental highlights from Florence:
- the Duomo
- Dante all over
- worst coffee thus far
- seeing a massive exhibit of John Singer Sargent and his contemporaries at night on an awesome date with Melanie - he is one of my top three all time favorite artists and it was one of the biggest treats to end our adventures with
- drunk college students all finishing up their semester abroad everywhere. Two behind us in line for the Galleria Academia lamented how they had to waste time taking Italian while they were here. Bummer, bro.
- amazing vegan burgers just near Piazza Santa Croce! Cheap and creatively made.
- wandering forever in a beautiful place
- rose garden! On top of a mountain!
- the Uffizi Gallery with many things I have waited a long time to see
- the David was just straight up one of those things that you see and feel like its fame is fully justified

Frolicking in the sea at San Fruttoso

The other day we took a ferry ride from Rapallo to San Fruttoso, a tiny little inlet just past Portofino. It's pretty much only accessible by boat and only 25 people live there. It consists of a few beach-side restaurants, a super old tower, a few houses, and a centuries-old Abbey that is now a museum.

The boat ride was only a half hour but such a great trip. It was a hot and sunny day (finally!) and the views of all the seaside towns (Rapallo, Paraggi, Santa Margherita, Portofino) were just gorgeous. From the boat all we could see were two mountain peaks, pristine and full of greenery, with the beach and ancient Abbey visible in between.

We explored the Abbey, monastery, church, and tower. Not the most spectacular I've seen, but still interesting and worth a visit.

After the Abbey, we went to hang out on the beach but were deterred by the throngs of loud Italian teenagers on a school field trip. I want to stab all their nosy eyeballs as they brazenly stared at and discussed my tattoos. Finally the hoard of turds left and we had the beach mostly to ourselves.

We didn't pack bathing suits because the warmth and idyllic surroundings were rather unexpected. I started off by just standing in the water up to my knees, but after a bunch of old pasty German men stripped down to their very tiny undies I lost most of my inhibitions. Ketch lost his shirt, sunbathed, and eventually sipped a beer on the rocky beach.

The water was just too perfect to watch from the beach. It was sparkling, cool but not painfully cold, and so clear I could see my feet even when in pretty deep. Having spent every year of my life swimming at the Jersey shore, this was especially new and novel for me. I went in the water in my undies, looking out onto the azure sea and green mountains on either side of me. It was breathtaking and one of the best experiences of this trip and my life so far.

Ketch and I soaked in the sun, eating chocolate, smiling, and giving each other sweet little kisses on this tranquil beach in Italy. So crazy romantic and awesome.

Final days in Rapallo with my family!

The last few days in Rapallo were a whirlwind of final adventures in Liguria, eating everything, spending time with all our family and friends, and saying goodbye without crying too much.

The weather FINALLY gave us solid days of warm sunshine after weeks of cloudiness and daily showers. We took full advantage and enjoyed an excursion to Montallegro via Cable Car. My little cousin, Beatrice (Bay-ah-TREE-chay) was our guide and we had a ton of fun with her.

The cable-car took us over the green slopes of the mountain, giving us a ridiculously awesome view of the perfectly azure sea and all houses and seaside towns built into the mountains. Eyeball-exploding beauty for sure.

At the end of the ride we explored the top of the mountain, running around the paths cut into the forest with Beatrice and taking in the gorgeous vistas of everything below. We visited a centuries-old Basilica, had coffee in a courtyard of a cafe overlooking the edge of the mountain, pet a stray cat, and played games with Beatrice. Afterwards we built sandcastles on the beach and played tag until our sides ached.

On our last night, we had a big dinner out with my adult cousins and then we went back to my cousin Rocco's restaurant for drinks & dancing. Also, Ketch took his first ride ever on a scooter with our favorite new friend Ludo!

Saying goodby to the crew of little cousins was harder than I had anticipated. We spent a lot of time with them, playing videogames, foosball, going to the aquarium, having piggyback ride races, drawing pictures, and all sorts of fun stuff. We taught them words in English and they taught us new words in Italian, with lots of teasing on both ends.

One of their favorite games, that I made up, is called "Cugino Panino/Cugini Panini" which means cousin sandwich/es. This game pretty much consists of me being at the bottom of a pile of crazy little boys with Ketch on top of us all, while we all scream out which parts of the sandwich we are. (I like to be focaccia.) It usually just results in tickling, screaming, and perhaps a broken earring or two in my end.

It was so hard to leave my family and the endlessly beautiful Ligurian coast. I know I'll be back within a year or two, but it's still emotional to not be around people I love so much and that are so generous and fun.