Hunting for Water...

Images of the Isle of Capri, Regione Compania!











Forgive the weak metaphor; I could not resist. We spent our days in Italy moving from one water source to another and today, AJ and I head to Hunt, Texas for our last hoo-rah of the Summer of '09. An explained metaphor is no fun, right?

Water waves at the spiaggi, fountains flowing water, and water flowing from public spigots, we sought out the sweet and the salty while on our travels. The beaches (spiaggi) of Anzio, Capri, and Positano on the Tyrrhenian Sea proved cool, welcoming, and uber-salty. AJ spied his first topless and nearly bottomless bathers when we lazed upon the rocky beach in the Capri harbor. This was not my favorite beach, though I know that Capri has more to offer and we chose the only windy day of our journey. chanel handbags Wind spoils the tranquility of the Capri shores and stirs up the waters around the famous Blue Grotto, so we just stayed at the harbor and enjoyed our glimpse! The Island of Capri is an intimately beautiful and enchanting spot on the globe. I think the mingling of mountain, bluff, beach, and harbor prove intoxicating to the eyes.

Making Time to Remember

AJ cools off in the fountain at Piazza dei Popolo



Jessica fills our water at the Leaking Boat Fountain at the Spanish Steps.




Church of the Incurables in Rome

Rome was amazing, indeed. My regret was that I did not post a daily blog as intended, though the circumstances ultimately made my wishful ambition more of a stress than a joy. Now, in retrospect, I will write about our journey as a refresher, a marvelous tool to remember and rejoice in our experiences in Italy. So much to tell, there may be lot's of little and large moments to unfold herein.

For those who know my home, the green room feels humid and hot, despite the air flowing from the house and the fans circling above me. The heat and stickiness remind me of Rome, Venice, and Florence. We traveled about to return to our respective rooms in each city with a veil of perspiration covering us. We shimmered and we stuck to our clothing. Hot took on new meaning, not like the desert of Arizona or the Hill Country of Central Texas in August, a different heat that seemed profound in its ability to permeate.

AJ, Jess, and I chose to enter the tourist scene in the later day after a midday meal and as the heat was reaching its height. This may sound crazy, but we ended up enjoying the cooler evenings after a more than warm day. chanel handbags Our early travels included dark and cool churches to take in the arts and escape the sun. We moved through the city on foot from fountain to fountain splashing ourselves and filling our water bottles with aqua diretto (yummiest water ever).

Several evenings found us munching on bruschetta and sipping wine (AJ often opted for birra) at Carlo Mente, Jessica's favorite inexpensive ristorante in Trastevere. The food was always good and the crowd an interesting mix of tourists and locals. On the way home we stopped for a chocolate shot that served as a dessert and an after dinner libation simultaneously.