Wish Me Luck!

Last night I had a dream that my brother came to visit me in Sydney. In the dream he was very adventurous (not so in reality), so we took an elevator up to the top floor of a very tall building to access the roof. Unfortunately, the only way to access the roof of this building is from the 5th floor. The elevators also go in circles on their way to the top, and the floors criss-cross from one level to another. The building doesn't exist in real life. We wanted to get to the roof so that we could base jump off of it, land in Sydney Harbour and wind up in the paper the next day. Unfortunately, I woke up before we managed to find our way through the labyrinth that leads to the top. After some thought, I took it as a sign to try get a new hosting service. Prohosting has been good to me since 2002, but there are just so many options out there offering far better deals! If the transfer goes well, then there will not be much down time, otherwise, I'll try to have the site repaired as quickly as possible.

Montepulciano, Italy

Montepulciano was the last small Tuscan city we visited. With its old city walls, tall Communal Palace and little guy poised to hit a bell, it is the quintessential Tuscan city. This town was also founded by the Etruscans, and ancient wine caves snake through the hill underneath. The wine of the surrounding region, especially the Vino Nobile, is worth multiple tastings. We walked around the city and had lunch at La Grotta, across from San Biagio, before hoofing it to the center of town for some sight-seeing.

View it here in high definition.

Bits of Arriving Home

In an effort to throw me off the scent of the surprise 30th party to come, my parents picked up a 30th birthday cake for me to have the day after we arrived home. You may notice that the celebratory message is spread across two cakes: this was my silly idea. Still, the diversion worked and I had no clue about the upcoming party. Plus I really enjoyed the cake!

In other news, Dana was finally able to retire her red shoes, and I took a few photos of a Jersey beer store to make some Aussie friends jealous. Photos here.

Cooking in Assisi

In Assisi, Umbria, Susette treated us to an incredible experience: an Italian cooking class. Letizia Mattiacci was our guide and instructor. To begin the lesson, we gathered in a small specialty food store. As we filled our stomachs, Letizia filled our brains with knowledge about olive oil, Umbrian meats and cheeses (the wild boar sausage and pecorino cheese were especially memorable), truffles and balsamic vinegar. The production and usage of these foods are part of the area's tradition... I can't think of a better day than learning about the history and culture of a region while eating a byproduct of it! Next we drove up to the old farmhouse overlooking Assisi. The building maintained its rustic feel while upgrading the amenities required, such as the new kitchen. The property is also a B&B, which is also run by Letizia and her husband. It was a beautiful spot and definitely worth looking into if you ever plan to visit Umbria. In the kitchen we learned how to make two kinds of pasta, from the dough to the sauce, which we then enjoyed as a massive lunch overlooking the countryside. The lizards, bees, butterflies and ladybugs kept us entertained while we ate.

For a "photo-real" experience, click here.

Back in the States

After being gone for so long, the land I once knew so well looks so different to me. I don't think New York or New Jersey have changed as much as my perspective has. I was a little more prepared than when I came home for a visit last July. This time I really took note of the smaller things, like the sticker on a banana suggesting the consumer pour Reese's Peanut Butter Sauce on it, as well as the bigger things, such as the giant humanoid tree in the supermarket ready to devour any child who wanders into the produce section. (I threw the tree some bananas soaked in peanut butter sauce and ran away while he was distracted.) Sticking with the big and small theme: even with parking lots with spaces that seem better suited for a trucker rest stop, some people still can't fit their cars in them! On the other hand, Dana parked the Volvo within the lines of a single space, but still left enough room for a couple of Harleys.

I'm not sure when this sense of wonder will wear off, but in the meantime I'll keep my camera handy.

Siena, Italy

Ah, Siena: The land of moving statues, lactating she-wolves and thirsty pigeons!

Moving Statues
While staying in Cortona, we made a day trip to the Tuscan city of Siena. Miles, the youngest of our Cortonian Cortonese Cortite... of our crew from Cortona, certainly appreciated the number of shiny moving statues the city boasts. That foreign exchange program they set up has really shown tremendous results. (N.B. the statues don't actually move unless you give them some money, and if you take a photo, be prepared to give extra money or they will gang up on you as agreed in the Moving Statue Concord of 1927.)

Lactating She-Wolves
Like Cortona, Siena was first settled by the Etruscans and placed on top of a hill. My guess is that they settled it on top of the hill straight away, rather than settling it first and moving it uphill later on. Either way, it was settled by Senius, son of Remus. Remus was the brother of Romulus, Rome's namesake and the first of the line of Roman kings. Romulus and Remus were the sons of Mars and a human mother. According to legend, they were raised by a she-wolf, and so statues of Romulus and Remus under the teets of the she-wolf were erected in Rome. When Senius and he brother, Aschius, left Rome, they stole one of these statues from the Apollo Temple. So while similar statues can be found in Rome and represent Romulus and Remus, the statues in Siena represent Senius and Aschius. (Sounds to me like they kind of ripped off some tradition from Rome.) When they fled Rome, one brother was on a white horse, and the other a black one. This is where the shield and colors of the city come from. (That sounds original at least.) I'm not sure if Aschius then had two sons who, in turn, stole a statue from a temple in Siena and ran off to settle their own copy-cat city... I'll have to look into it. The whole black & white thing, though, these Siena folk stuck with it: they carted in special stones to build the cathedral in black and white.

Thirsty Pigeons
Pigeons can be found in great abundance in nearly every city in Europe (except maybe Germany, but we'll discuss the reasons for this later in the Big Trip). In prior travel, I've noted that Parisian pigeons are especially fat and that New York pigeons rarely have all of their limbs and eyes... well, the pigeons of Siena are living the good life. Judging by their appearance, they seem to eat as much as the pigeons in Paris while going to a New York Sports Club without loosing a foot to a taxi. Let's just say that they are svelte. We came across a group of especially active pigeons roaming around a statue of a dog of some kind. These pigeons seemed to rule the fountain as well as the coup. Then, as we were leaving the city, we noticed a man in a suit, carrying a pigeon by its wings. I'm not sure if he owned the pigeon, recently hunted the pigeon or is guardian of the dog statue that the thirsty pigeons desecrated. Whatever the case may be, he sent a small message to the pigeons of Siena that while pigeons may land on our statues and shit on our heads, we have opposable thumbs.

Loads of beautiful photos of Siena here.

My Surprise Birthday Party

I never thought I would be the surprisee of a surprise party, but I found myself in that situation this past Saturday afternoon. My first instinct was to take a photo of the surprisers (pictured to the left), my second instinct was to check my fly (it was closed - not pictured).

There were a number of organizers and planners of this party - such as Dana, her parental units, my parental units, various siblings, and more - and I can't believe how well they put it together. Somehow, while traveling right by my side though Australia, Singapore and Australia, Dana put the pieces together for a killer party jut 10 days after we landed. For a little while there, I did think Dana was up to something... but I assumed she was just moonlighting as an assassin. No one could believe that I was actually surprised, but honestly, if I knew about the party, I would have shaved! (Apologies to those who attended the party and heard that joke up to three times now. You have to forgive me for repeating it... since I had no idea about the party, I made it up on the spot... or did I? Dah-dah-dahhhhhh!)

My brother Chris and his family were visiting from South Carolina, and for some reason I didn't note the absence of our parents, his wife or his three children from our parents' house in Jackson, New Jersey. Chris and I went to lunch together before driving up to Dana's mother's house in South Amboy to bring her down to Jackson. I didn't even realize that Susette's house number is 30, which must mean that they have been planning this party for years, while they were still building the development!

Dana took us to the clubhouse to say a quick hello to Susette and Marvin... and this was the first time I sensed I was missing something. I checked my pockets and still had my wallet, and that was about the time I opened the door and saw 50 smiling faces looking back at me. Well, they were not actually smiling. Instead each face was contorted, frozen for a moment in a different point of the word "surprise".

My 30th birthday was actually on the 9th, when Dana and I were in Koblenz, Germany, but it was fantastic to be able to celebrate it with family: cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers, nieces, nephews, and all of the people from Dana's who will soon be my family too. We had plenty of food, drink and laughs. A big thanks to everyone who helped make it happen and to everyone who gave up a Saturday afternoon/evening in July to celebrate the first 1/3 of my life. Also, a big happy 30th birthday to my cousin Brian, whose special day was just two days after the party. We've come a long way since Ocean City, Brian!

There are a few more pictures here, but not many. I was too confused and busy saying hello to get enough photos. Don't worry, I'll be more prepared next year, for my surprise 31st birthday party.