That’d be Nice

“Being nobody’s son, I was my own course and was filled with both pride and wretchedness…I have always preferred to accuse myself rather than the universe, not only out of simple good-heartedness, but in order to derive only from myself.”
– Jean-Paul Sartre

Hola from Barrrrrrrcelona! I have just saved approximately 1 euro by climbing the mountain to my hostel as opposed to taking a bus. In retrospect, had I known the “20 minute walk” would have been completely up a steep hill, I might possibly have chosen public transportation rather than expose all the locals in the neighborhood to the crazy Blair, red-faced and cursing mercilessly at her back-pack. Since Rome, I stayed yet longer in Italy, going to a small Italian village called Legnaro where Nicole is living/teaching. It was lovely to get away from the big cities and just have some down time with Nic and her boss Sylvio and lovely wife Yoshia (spelling, Nicole?). It felt more like home that anything has in a while, which was especially important at that juncture as I’d managed to secure for myself a fun little virus. Legnaro is just outside Padova about half an hour, so we spent some time there with some of her friends and we also took a day trip to Verona. All in all, really splendid. With luck and good timing, I’ll make it back for Thanksgiving so we can cook up a tasty turkey dinner American style. Next, I ventured on to Milan again and then promptly out of Milan, again. I bought a ticket to Nice, but the train had a stop in Monte Carlo, so I just got off there, why not. From there, I went to Nice. It seems like a vibrant, thriving city…were I only not there on a Sunday…which I was. So I spent some quality time lying on the beach in my street clothes, trying to remember all my memories from forever. Tough business. Then, it was onward to Barcelona, where I am currently waiting for 1:30 to roll around so I can check in. So for now…
Happy Halloween
but more importantly,
Happy Birthday Dad!