It’s all over but the flyin’

Live from Heathrow Airport in suburban London, this, my friends, is the last blog entry I will write from the United Kingdom.

It’s really hard to believe that six months have come and gone. It was exactly that long ago that I wrote the first London-related blog entry from Dulles Airport. Now, it’s just the reverse.

The fact that I will sleep in my own bed tonight is surreal at this point. It doesn’t seem possible that I will see my friends as well, or that by this time tomorrow I’ll probably be sitting on the couch watching NFL football.

I actually dreamed about this day during some of the early days in London when homesickness wasn’t out of the question. Now that it’s here I can’t say that I’m thrilled. I made a very comfortable life over here and I’ve had to part ways, at least temporarily, with a lot of people whom I wish could come back to DC with me.

But that’s part of life and I’m going to stop trying to wax nostalgic here. I’m really excited to see everyone back home and begin the process of trying to figure out what comes next.

The Trials and Tribulations of the NFL Experience in London

Well, it’s not how I pictured it happening, but at least I saw them win.

I made a pilgrimage to SportsCafe in Central London yesterday in hopes of watching the Redskins-Dolphins game, which they had listed on their Sports Calendar. I have made many-a-trip to SportsCafe and they have never let me down before.

So it seemed only right that they would let me down yesterday, on the opening day of football season.

They blamed SkySports for carrying the wrong game. I blame SportsCafe for not making sure everything was set to sail on the day of the game. The place was packed wall-to-wall with Americans: lots of Jets and Patriots fans, though there were a number of burgundy-and-gold t-shirts and Chris Cooley jerseys to be spotted as well.

6 p.m. rolled around and the TV’s fired up the British equivalent of the NFL on FOX theme music, however the lead-in cut straight to the Meadowlands. The SportsCafe staff assured me they were working to fix the problem, but by halftime it became clear I wouldn’t be watching much of the Redskins, if I got to see them at all.

So I sat there with a knot in my stomach for three hours watching a game I cared nothing about, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ‘Skins during a live look-in. Lasky kept me regularly updated on the score, but it wasn’t enough. It was an awful feeling knowing there was a game being played and I couldn’t see it.

In a measure of mercy and sympathy, SkySports showed ‘Bonus Coverage’ of the ‘Skins game after the Jets/Pats finished, which worked out to be near the 2-minute warning at FedEx Field.

So at least I got to see the end of regulation and overtime. When that Suisham field goal went through the uprights, it didn’t matter anymore that I hadn’t seen any of the game. All that mattered was the ‘Skins got the win and I could finally breathe again.

And apparently, during the course of my celebratory romp, I knocked into Don Johnson of Nash Bridges and Miami Vice fame. Johnson is in London at the moment acting on stage and he must have wanted to watch football like any other red-blooded American male. I didn’t recognize him, but afterward, it was made known to me that, yep, I just knocked into a pseudo-famous TV star.

Dingerpalooza Photos

No captions yet, but here are photos from my trip in three parts:

Part I: Zagreb, Ljubljana, Venice, Pisa
Part II: La Spezia, Biassa, Cinque Terre
Part III: Rome

Please enjoy.

Modest Mouse

are a great band with TWO drummers. Awesome show last night in London.

The Home Stretch

Well, back in London so there’s no further need for any datelines.

Looking at the calendar though and realizing that it’s September makes me conlcude that, yep, my trip is just about done.

In less than two weeks, I will be back in the USA. And after falling into a bit of a funk with London about two thirds of the way into my six months here, it struck me this morning that I am really going to miss this place despite its shortcomings.

There’s a chill in the air and it feels like fall. Yesterday was a beautiful afternoon in London. Arsenal was playing and the neighborhood was decked out in red. A cool breeze blew steadily down Holloway Road as I took a stroll around the neighborhood with Abbey. There was a sense of calm and an acknowledgement that, yes, summer is over and it’s time to turn our eyes toward the next part of the year.

The NFL kicks off next week and college football is already underway, two sure-fire indicators of the passage of time. And while baseball season nears its end, I am reminded of Opening Day back in April, when I was still learning the ropes in this town and my time here seemed endless.

I’m finished with work, which means for the first time since I’ve been here I will actually have some free time in the city. I have a few things left to see: 10 Downing Street, parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, maybe the London Eye. I still want to watch at least one more football match at The Holloway and walk across Waterloo Bridge at night.

Other than that, I am soon going to set about the business of packing. I have plenty of things to ship back home that wont fit into my luggage.

I have already said the first of my goodbyes, to Kyle, who wont be back from his holiday until after I have left our flat. There are many more difficult goodbyes ahead.

Seeing Modest Mouse at The Forum tonight, which is fitting since The Forum is where I saw my first concert in London (The Shins), not to mention that I missed the band the other two times they played here this summer.

Cheers.

DINGERPALOOZA — Roma

Rome, Sept. 1 — You’ve got to be kidding me. September?

I have spent about 30 hours in Rome at this point after arriving here before 6 a.m. yesterday. For the record, I managed to get about three hours of sleep on the overnight train from La Spezia, followed by an hour-long nap at my hostel yesterday morning.

After waking up an downing two doppio espressos I set out to explore Ancient Rome. Visiting the Coliseum has always been high up on my list, so I made that my first stop. I’m a stadium architecture enthusiast, so walking around inside the ancient building that really started it all is something I will always remember. Place is seriously falling apart though, reminds me a bit of RFK.

In an effort to actually see some important sights of the city, I paid good money yesterday for some guided tours. 16 Euro for one of those hop-on, hop-off tour buses was a complete waste, since there was little emphasis on the whole “guided” part. Another 21 Euro for a tour of the Coliseum and 20 more for an evening walk through the city’s piazzas and the Pantheon gave me a good overall sense of how the city lives. Afterwards, found a cheap pizza place and stumbled upon a Canadian bar that was showing Yanks/Red Sox from a day earlier. Nice folks in there. There was even a picture on the wall of the bar staff posing with Furio from The Sopranos who stopped by one night. Walked back across the city at about 11 last night, making a pass by the famous Trevi Fountain at night. Rome is beautiful when it’s all lit up.

I spent the better part of 14 hours on my feet yesterday, so while I am trying to finish strong I am also taking it easy today. Just returned from walking around St. Peter’s Square in The Vatican; skipped the Vatican Museum and the two-hour line to enter. Next time.

I’m about to set off for a nice lunch. I’m thinking pizza because When in Rome…

DINGERPALOOZA — Layover Edition

La Spezia, Italy, Aug. 30 — I didnt expect to find myself here, and yet, here I am. After finishing my walk through the mountains of the Cinque Terre about 5 p.m. today I took a nice dip in the sea before heading back here to catch the 10 p.m. train to Rome.

Except for one small thing: there is no 10 p.m. train to Rome.

This is not what I had been told a day earlier, when a very kind man at the La Spezia ticket office told me not to worry, that if I missed the 6 p.m. train, I could surely grab a seat on the 10 p.m.

Nope. No such luck. So anyway, the next train out to Rome leaves at 1:27 a.m. so here I am until then. I have attempted to kill time in a variety of ways including the following: turning a fast-food dinner into a leisurely meal, reading, beard stroking, street wandering, drinking, and now, internet surfing.

There is actually a big plus side to all of this. I will arrive in Rome by 6 a.m. and will hopefully have slept enough on the train ride that I will be ready to begin the day of sightseeing before the crowds show up. The Coliseum at sunrise, anyone? Unfortunately, I still have to pay for tonight at the hostel.

But this is what travelling is all about. Flexibility and making the most of less-than-ideal situations. And really, Im glad things have worked out this way. Not sure I will still feel that way by midnight, or after the sun comes up tomorrow without any sleep having passed through me, but I will stick with my story until then.

It occurs to me that, at this moment, I am about as unaware of what is happening in the world as I have been in several years. I know Al Gonzales stepped down. I dont know too much else though. Are we still in Iraq?

DINGERPALOOZA — Cinque Terre Edition

Vernazza, Italy, Aug. 30 — I have been hiking since 10 this morning, which would mean I have been on the trail for four and a half hours. The scenery is more incredible than I could have imagined, and I am finding it nearly impossible to resist taking out my camera every 30 seconds to take photo after photo.

Walking the Italian coastline is like the slow reveal at the end of a magic trick. The terrain slowly unfurls itself as you walk, meaning that strip of coastline can look entirely different when viewed from two different vantage points. From point A, the coast looks like a beautiful, uninhabited strip of forest. Move a few feet up the pathway and, voila, a brightly-colored village peeks out, seemingly from nowhere.

Right now I am in the fourth town of five, Vernazza, the city that supposedly invented foccaccia and pesto. If true, then the meal I am about to eat is going to be very, very delicious. One more town to go, which I should achieve in an hour or so. Then, the beach awaits.

I will probably delay my train to Rome as well, taking a 10 p.m. train (which arrives around 2.30 a.m.) rather than the 6 p.m. which would cause some undue stress. The hostel wasnt thrilled when I called and told them of this development.

DINGERPALOOZA — PM EXTRA

Biassa, Italy, Aug. 29 — Coming to you live from what may be the most peaceful, beautiful place I have ever laid eyes on.

Small town tucked away in the mountains of Italy, about 5 clicks from La Spezia, which, if you look on the map, you probably wont find. It would be somewhere tucked along the northwest edge, right along that little arch.

Here to visit Cinque Terre National Park, which is full of preserved beaches and hiking trails, all built precariously into a mountainside. It takes six hours to hike from one end to the other, a feat which I will attempt and most likely give up halfway through tomorrow.

Words dont do justice here. Unfortunately, no ability to post photos at the moment.

Its cliche and trite and all that, but its impossible to fully realize the amount of ambient (or not-so-ambient) noise we are accustomed to while living in or near large cities. Being up here in the mountains, it is near silent outside, like sticking fingers into ears.

And on that delicious thought, I am off to find more carb-laden goodness. Thankfully I have sweated enough today to justify the caloric intake, or at least a portion of it.

DINGERPALOOZA — I have lost count.

Pisa, Italy, Aug. 29 — Coming to you live from an internet cafe, though the term cafe is probably a bit generous; its more like a dorm room that smells of curry and body odor, with about six computers and four telephones. Its extremely warm in Italy at the moment and I have the pit stains to prove it.

Spent the last 36 hours in Venice. First impressions are that it is a city that really knows how to make lemonade out of lemons. Consider the topography of the place: a giant canal intersects the city, scattering Venice proper into two distinct main islands and a bunch of smaller ones that sit a few hundred feet, maybe more, off the coast. The Venetians make use of their canal, boy howdy, and Im not talking only about gondola rides. The iconic image for the day had to the the FexEx Boat making deliveries up and down the canal. 

Venetians navigate the town primarily by water taxi (small boats, can fit up to about and vaporetto, which are large, waterborne buses.

((Okay, we are going to continue in italics from here on out. For the life of me, I cannot figure out the different keyboard layouts in these countries. Apparently, I am forbidden from turning italics off.))

But it really is a magnificent city, you do not need me to tell you this. What I can tell you is that for the first time in my life, I was refused service because I did not meet the required dress code (I wasnt wearing pants).

Speaking of not wearing pants…started yesterday by locking myself out of my hotel room (dont ask) in just my boxer shorts. If you have never before had to walk out into the middle of an Italian hotel lobby in your skivvies, before announcing to the front desk matron in butchered Italian that you locked yourself out (‘mi scusi, mi scusi…la llave…[hand gesture of attempting to unlock a door], la llave…) do so immediately.

Anyway, I stopped in Pisa this morning en route to my next destination in order to see the Eponymous Tower That Leans. I can confirm for you, Bloginger readers, that the tower is, in fact, standing. Although yes, it does, in fact, lean.

I have eaten more carbohydrates over the last three days than I can ever recall previously. My meals are either fast’food (McDonalds for breakfast…strictly a business decision) or a full meal consisting of beer, bread, pasta and pizza. And yes, the pizza here is freaking incredible.

Next up on the itinerary is a night near La Spezia, which is adjacent to the hard-to-get-to Cinque Terre, which I will visit tomorrow. As for tonight, I have a room booked in a hostel that sounds like it is probably in the middle of nowhere. Tomorrow evening, I head to Rome.