Public Endangerment
Today I joined the ranks of Italians that non-Italians are constantly making fun of and standing in awe of at the same time. Yes, I'm talking about the Vespa riders. Granted, I'm not dodging around tour buses in Rome, but I had such a good time today zooming around Lipari on my little rented scooter. In addition to saving me a 2 kilometer walk just to get to the closest beach, I got to ride up to one of the summits of the island and look out over all the surrounding islands and down on the port. That alone would have taken me all day and left me in a coma, most likely. And that was just the first hour.
Then I went to an incredibly cool little chapel up on a hillside on the northwest corner of the island overlooking the ocean and three other islands. I spend some time just sitting on a rocky outcropping behind the church admiring the view and enjoying the sun and wind and solitude. Then I took a tour of the rest of the island, stopping at one little town for a dip in the Tyrrhenian Sea and at another to take pictures of the pumice mining operations. Then I had to return to the port to get gas. I grabbed a late lunch and then headed back to one of the beaches to read some more of the Economist (which I had picked up to read on the train a couple days ago). I wound up the day by heading to the southwestern part of the island and finding a secluded little cove that I had to hike a kilometer or so into from the road. I don't think there were more than five people on the beach there the entire time I was there. I watched the sun set and then headed back to town.
However, even after having such a great day, I realized that I can only lay on the beach for so long here. I don't want to spend my time in Italy doing something I could do at home (and will do most likely), no matter how beatiful and relaxing it is here. Speaking of which, here's a digression. This place really, really reminds me of Saint Simons. The touristy shops, the restaurants everywhere serving seafood, the mix of locals and tourists about even because it's the end of the season, the way the locals are constantly running into people they know, while the tourists never do, and most especially the ocean. This place is a bit less crowded than Saint Simons ever gets, but I think the population just of Lipari is only around 1,000, and there's no bridge to the mainland here either. Winter must be surreal.
OK, back on topic. I realized that I want to spend the last few days I have in Italy really in Italy proper. So I had to find an Internet cafe to check the train schedules out of here. And so I had to write about riding my scooter today. And so here I am. But I think I will be back in Rome tomorrow. Funny how my least favorite city of all the cities I've visited is the one that I keep returning to. But you know what they say about all roads leading to someplace or other. Anyway, I'm going to see if I can catch up with Junior in Florence in a couple days. Who knows what I'll do for the day in between. That should give me time to do my shopping and catch my plane out of Genoa in good time. And hopefully I can meet a few new friends too. By the way, I was serious about the shopping bit; I already have two comissions for purchases - so get your orders in soon.
Then I went to an incredibly cool little chapel up on a hillside on the northwest corner of the island overlooking the ocean and three other islands. I spend some time just sitting on a rocky outcropping behind the church admiring the view and enjoying the sun and wind and solitude. Then I took a tour of the rest of the island, stopping at one little town for a dip in the Tyrrhenian Sea and at another to take pictures of the pumice mining operations. Then I had to return to the port to get gas. I grabbed a late lunch and then headed back to one of the beaches to read some more of the Economist (which I had picked up to read on the train a couple days ago). I wound up the day by heading to the southwestern part of the island and finding a secluded little cove that I had to hike a kilometer or so into from the road. I don't think there were more than five people on the beach there the entire time I was there. I watched the sun set and then headed back to town.
However, even after having such a great day, I realized that I can only lay on the beach for so long here. I don't want to spend my time in Italy doing something I could do at home (and will do most likely), no matter how beatiful and relaxing it is here. Speaking of which, here's a digression. This place really, really reminds me of Saint Simons. The touristy shops, the restaurants everywhere serving seafood, the mix of locals and tourists about even because it's the end of the season, the way the locals are constantly running into people they know, while the tourists never do, and most especially the ocean. This place is a bit less crowded than Saint Simons ever gets, but I think the population just of Lipari is only around 1,000, and there's no bridge to the mainland here either. Winter must be surreal.
OK, back on topic. I realized that I want to spend the last few days I have in Italy really in Italy proper. So I had to find an Internet cafe to check the train schedules out of here. And so I had to write about riding my scooter today. And so here I am. But I think I will be back in Rome tomorrow. Funny how my least favorite city of all the cities I've visited is the one that I keep returning to. But you know what they say about all roads leading to someplace or other. Anyway, I'm going to see if I can catch up with Junior in Florence in a couple days. Who knows what I'll do for the day in between. That should give me time to do my shopping and catch my plane out of Genoa in good time. And hopefully I can meet a few new friends too. By the way, I was serious about the shopping bit; I already have two comissions for purchases - so get your orders in soon.