Walk Before You Run

We must learn to walk before we can run
But we must always remember that the walk is where it began.
For it is always one foot in front of the other that will take us where we need to go.
There are times that life seems to be running past us,
And there are times that we seem to be running past this life.
At times the world spins around us and we feel as though all we can do is crawl.
At times we try to run and feel as though the world is not moving at all.
So as we lay our heads on the cushions of our beds
We must remember that when we wake,
As the moon came down
The sun came up.
Just the same we can only put one foot in front of the other.
We must remember to walk before we can run,
We must always remember that with every new day
The journey has just begun.

My Road

Ok… so a little time out from the story telling.





Along this path I walk
Though I know not where it will take me
Along this road I travel
Though I know not what I’ll see
Twists, turns, stumbles, and falls
I continue on this journey
For my road still calls
They say home is where the heart is
But where is home when you don’t know where the heart lives
A fork in the road
A decision to make
And still I don’t know which path I will take
They say all roads lead to Rome
I only hope mine leads me home
Until that day
I will walk this path
But not in search of wealth
Until that day
I will travel my road
And try to find myself

THE Wedding

The highlight of the ten days Angie spent in Ischia began when we went with Gianni to Calimero’s house. Calimero’s real name is Michele, and to be honest I have no idea what Calimero means in Italian or why he is called that and I wasn’t about to ask. Upon walking into to his we had to eat even though we had just had dinner and then relaxed over a couple of beers. As we were sitting there he asked what Angie and I had planned for the next day and when I told him nothing he said, “Good! You’re coming to a mafia wedding!” He was joking about the mafia part, I think, but he wasn’t joking when he said it would be like nothing I had ever seen before. We arrived just after seven. Walking past the entrance gate immediately to the left was a buffet table set up with hundreds of glasses of champagne. The three of us took a glass and continued on to the next table which was about fifteen feet or so long and covered with different types of au devres. Past that table was the highlight, well at least for me.

A table just as big, if not bigger, covered with all different types of raw seafood. Calimero called over two of the chefs and asked/told them to open fresh shellfish for us, and before I knew it I had a plate filled with clams, oysters, mussels, and prawns. I cannot tell you how clean, crisp, fresh, and delicious every bite was.




We then crossed over to the next table which had all the fried seafood. Everything from calamari, shrimp, prawns, some other seafood I have never eaten and apparently is illegal to fish around here, clams, and mussels. Finally we reached the last table which had different meats, cheeses, and olives. It was pretty funny, while standing in front of this table and having three different people pile piece after piece of food onto my plate, they all told me not to eat too much as dinner would be starting in a little bit. I said to myself, “…first of all, I thought this WAS dinner, and secondly, if this is not dinner and you’re all so worried about me not having any room left for dinner, then stop putting more on my plate!” Of course I didn’t say anything except how amazing it was as I finished yet another plate. I have to make a side note here… As I am writing this I have been in Italy for just over six weeks and have gained somewhere between five and seven kilos which is somewhere between twelve and fifteen pounds. When I arrived in Ischia I was the thinnest I had been on my entire trip due a combination of the way you eat while you are backpacking and the amount of walking you do, which for me is usually with a forty pound bag on my back and a seventeen pound bag on my front. I was so thin in fact that when I saw Gianni the first time he told me he didn’t recognize me because I was so thin. Gianni, being Gianni, has told everyone in town this story and so for the last six weeks whenever I eat, whether in a restaurant or at someone’s home, my plate is always bigger than everyone else’s, and I always have to take seconds. Everyone here knows that I think it’s rude to say no, and have nicknamed me “buona forchetta” (a good fork). Point here being, the wedding was obviously no different. Finally, everyone began making their way into the dining area to get ready to greet the newlyweds and wait for the first course. The couple entered to a giant applause and chants from different corners of the room, and soon, around 9:30 the first course was served. Preceeding each course a cart was rolled out that had some type of structure on top of it that was made of whatever food we were about to eat. It’s a little hard to describe, but the pictures should help. Anyhow, dinner was officially served as the waiters brought out bread and bottles of water and white wine.


First course was pasta with prawns and clams. Second course, a plate which had raviolis on one side and gnocchi on the other with two different types of sauces. After the second course everyone got up to dance, and a few got on stage and sung some famous Italian songs.



When everyone had felt they had successfully worked off all of the appetizers and the first two courses it was time to sit down and have the third course, grilled swordfish and grilled prawns.



After this course everyone was asked to go outside and where the five tables that were earlier covered with seafood now had over ten types of sorbet on them. Everyone walked around, talking, laughing, taking pictures, and tasting sorbets until it was time to head back in for the main course. The main course was meat, peas, and potatoes.


Before serving this course however, the staff replaced all of the bottles of white wine that were on the tables with red ones, and the lights were dimmed and a cart complete with flames and smoke was brought out. Angie leaned over and told me it was like having the best dinner of her life and a Vegas show all at the same time. I kind of had to agree. After this, the fourth course (not including the appetizers or the sorbet) was followed by more dancing. Angie also noted another difference from Italian weddings to weddings in the states. At most weddings in the States people slowly go to the dance floor, and occasionally it will fill up. Not in Italy! Here they couldn’t have a dance floor big enough to fit everyone who wanted to dance! Once again, the dancing was interrupted for more eating. Arriving for this the fifth or seventh course, depending on how you look at it, were plates mounded with skewers of fresh fruit and gelatos.


Of course more dancing followed until nearly 12:30am when the cake was finally cut and served, making for the sixth/eighth and final course. I don’t really know how to sum up the evening, so I’ll just say this… it was such an amazing experience to be a part of and to be welcomed into without knowing many people and instantly be part of the family. It was equally amazing to see people truly celebrating not just the wedding, but life in such a way that is indescribable. I guess it says a lot that Angie had been traveling for over seven months and that this was by far one of if not the best experience she had had!

Angie

If you’ve been following my story for awhile you will remember that when I was in New Zealand I met a girl named Angie from the United States, Wisconsin to be exact, that I ended up meeting up with Singapore. If this is all knew to you, you might want to go back to the entry about Singapore to get caught up. Actually, if this is all knew to you, you should probably go back to the beginning and start over, but I’ll leave that decision up to you. Anyway, true to her word Angie sent me a message letting me know when she would be in Italy, and true to my word I offered her a place to stay in Ischia. She arrived on Monday the third of May, the day after Gino and Marissa left. Needless to say, after Gino and Marissa left I spent the day cleaning and getting the house ready. Another perk about living here, and more accurately, about being friends with Gianni, is that I get fresh linen every week for the beds, fresh towels, bath robes, and facial towels from the guy who provides linen for all the hotels on the island. So after a few hours of cleaning, changing linen and restocking the towels the house was ready for my next guest. A friend of mine Alessandro, who I taught how to skateboard seven years ago, offered to give me a ride to the port to pick Angie up, and Gianni had arranged for one of his drivers to pick her up from the airport and bring her to the ferry terminal. Everything went as planned and early Monday evening we were heading back to Lacco Ameno. Within a couple of hours of arriving Gianni called and asked if we wanted to go to what is seeming to become the “Welcome to Ischia dinner” at Delfino. Again, the decisions were made for us as we sat down, the wine and the water were poured, five amazing courses were served, and when Gianni decided it was time to leave, we left.





Unfortunately for Angie the weather was not that great while she was here, but we made the best of it by taking regular trips on Gianni’s scooter to the different towns on the island, cooking at home a lot, playing cards, going to amazing dinners at Gianni’s house or at some of his other “favorite” restaurants, and of course going out to the clubs. The days were great, even if the weather wasn’t but now I must tell you about the highlights…

Gino & Marissa

Growing up I had a best friend that lived four houses up the street from me. I think I was about three or four and Gino was five or six the day we met. I was sitting outside my house with my mom when he happened to pass by and say, “Hi, I’m Gino!” My mom used to always laugh because for the next twelve or so years, every time he called the house his message on the answering machine was always the same, “Hi, it’s me, Gino!” We went to different high schools and I eventually moved to Hermosa Beach, and we unfortunately didn’t stay as close as we should have, but we still managed to find each other here and there. About a year and a half ago he married his beautiful wife Marissa, who happens to be my sister-in-laws cousin, and when I told them I was making this trip around the world they said they would love to meet up. They arrived in Ischia the day after my mom’s birthday to spend the weekend here. Gianni took his car to work so I could use the scooter to pick them up. Gianni, in his classic fashion, asked me if I thought they would be hungry and would want to go to one of his favorite restaurants for lunch. Assuming that they hadn’t eaten in hours I said yes and he called to tell the owner that we would be there shortly and to have a table ready for us. Lunch went as follows… a bottle of local white wine, a bottle of sparkling water, and the owner of the restaurant telling us, as he opened the wine, the fresh fish he had for the day and of course how beautiful Marissa was. Without any of us making a decision all was decided and lunch was underway. First course was a delicious octopus salad and marinated anchovies, followed by linguini alle vongole (clams), and for the main dish a whole local fish, cooked and seasoned to perfection. Oh, and of course another bottle of wine. After the entrée we enjoyed some fresh fruit, coffee, and rucolino. As usual, when Gianni was ready to leave, he out of nowhere said, “Okay, let’s go!”, and we left. Gino offered to pay, and again, as usual Gianni smiled and said let’s go. From lunch we headed off to the local thermal park to have another rucolino as Gianni gave Gino and Marissa a quick history lesson about the island. After the thermal park we made our way to the house, dropped of their bags, and went for a beer at Triangolo. After our beer we had a nice walk on the pier, made a call to Gino’s dad, and walked back to the house. Cleaned up and ready for the night, we headed up to Bar Campo for a perfect pizza before heading to Forio for a glass of wine with Carmela and Martino and then some dancing at a local club. The only thing I could complain about for the night was the music at the club. I think we were there for twenty minutes and the playlist went as follows: YMCA, followed by La Bamba, followed by Laga GaGa, then Greased Lightining, and then an Italian song that no one seemed to recognize. The good thing about the music selection is that it was entertaining. The following day we woke up to find the sun shining and headed back to Negombo, the thermal park near my house. Gianni had called in advance and had tickets waiting for us at the door.

Once there, we made our way to a few different thermal pools and the sauna before finding a nice spot next to the main pool to relax and take some sun. Sara and her friend Simona joined us in the afternoon and I relaxed with them as Gino and Marissa went for a walk along the beach.

Gino, Marissa, and I finished the day off with a bottle of champagne on the beach and headed back to the house for a much needed nap. When we woke up from our nap I received a call from Gianni telling me that Filipo had been at his house cooking all afternoon and that we needed to be there in thirty minutes. Naturally, we quickly showered and walked up to Gianni’s house. Upon arriving we found that Filipo had made all-day sauce from fresh tomatoes only for Marissa, because up until yesterday she didn’t like clams, made clams for the rest of us, and Angelo, another close friend, thought it rude that we had only had a first course for guests, left to go buy roasted chickens for the second course, as Gianni called Raffaelle, to pick up some dessert. Needless to say a good time was had by all and we continued the evening with coffee and hours of conversation before heading out to the club for the usual Saturday night. Sunday afternoon I hopped on the bus with Gino and Marissa to head to Ischia Porto where they were to catch their ferry back to Naples as they made their way to Rome.

A Letter to Mom

The day before my mom’s birthday I spent at the house, cleaning and attempting to write her a letter. It took some time, and I had to keep putting it down and coming back to it, but it was important for me to write. Whenever a family member had died my mom always made me write a letter to them, telling them everything I never had the chance to. Fortunately I was able to tell my mom everything I wanted before she passed, and she was able to share with me everything she wanted as well, so I never felt the need to write her a letter. However, as her birthday approached, she was in my thoughts more than usual and I felt it time to write to her. Though it was difficult, it was a good experience and I realize now something I need to do more often. I have decided to share my letter with you, both for myself, but also for her and her memory. I hope that those of you reading this who knew her will in your own way take a moment to let her know once again how special she is and keep her memory alive…
Dear Mom,
As your birthday gets closer and closer I think of you more and more. It’s hard for me to believe that ten months have already passed since you left this world and not a day goes by that I don’t miss you, think of you, and wish to talk to you. From time to time I have dreams about being with you and when I wake up it always takes a while for it to register that you are no longer with me, and that it was only a dream. I have spent the last four months travelling the world and have seen so many wonderful things. All of which would not be possible had you not sacrificed so much and worked so hard to make sure Clem and I had the best life possible. You didn’t always feel it or know it, but there was never a moment that I didn’t feel or think that you were anything short of the most amazing mother and woman in the world. So much of you lives on in me, and I can only hope to one day be as amazing as you. I am thankful for the close relationship we always had, and that you were always there for me not only as a mother, but also as a friend. You were always there to celebrate my successes, pick me up when I fell short, to reassure me when I was down, to comfort me and make me smile when I couldn’t find one on my own, and above all, you were always my anchor. In you I always found strength when I was weak, laughter amongst the tears, and love. Always love. As I travel and continue to grow and learn about myself, I find more and more how much of you is in me. It is through this that I hope to show the world how special you were. All throughout my journeys people tell me that I have a wonderful smile, and I am always so happy to tell that my smile is yours. So today, my gift to you is this… though the tears are falling and my heart is heavy I will continue to smile and always know that you are smiling with me. Happy Birthday!
With All My Heart,
Nick

The Weekend

Since Paco and Anthony had left, and my next set of visitors was not arriving for another week I had some time to enjoy the island by myself, find the friends that I had yet to see around town, and simply relax a bit. As I had mentioned before, last time I was here Gianni had a power boat and we would spend almost every day on it. Also on the boat everyday with us was Gianni’s right hand woman from his office, Uschi. Uschi is originally from Austria, but had been living in Ischia for I think fifteen years and had become best friends with Gianni. Uschi and I hit it off from the start and by the time I had left seven years ago, we too had become very close friends. We talked a few times once I was back in the states, but over time had lost touch. In the time that I was gone I had heard that she moved back to Austria, and had not expected to see her on this trip. I was excited to find out that she had actually moved back to Ischia one year ago, and Gianni gave me her number. The Friday after the boys left Uschi and I made plans to go out and grab a drink. We first had dinner with Gianni and then made the drive over to Ischia Porto for a drink. We sat and talked for hours, half in English and half in Italian, and once again it had seemed as if no time had passed. She dropped me back at the house and we made plans to get together again soon. Saturday was the normal night at the club with Carmela and Martino that got me back at the house sometime around four am. Sunday morning I woke up around nine and made my way to Napoli to watch a futbol match. Since we had a big night out, we all slept on the ferry to Naples, then made our way to the train to the stadium. We reached the stadium at 12:15 and much to our disappointment discovered that you cannot buy tickets after twelve. We found a scalper on the street and got tickets from him. We then went and had a pizza before attempting to enter the stadium. The three of us were so excited to go to the game that we for a little bit forgot how tired we were, but the rug was quickly pulled out from under us when we were told by security that the tickets we had paid thirty euros for were fake and we could not enter. Completely deflated and disappointed, we suddenly remembered how tired we were as we made our way back to the train and eventually to the port. The best (or worst) part of all of this was that Carmela’s dad had called to make sure we had purchased tickets, to which she told him yes we had. He had told her before she left to NEVER buy tickets from the street, and since we did we could not tell him that we didn’t go to the game. So, once we were back in Ischia we had to hide out at my house till the time we would’ve been back had we actually made it to the game. To top it off, everyone in the town knew I was going to the game and was so excited for me to get to experience San Paolo Stadium; we had to listen to the game on the radio so we would be able to tell everyone what happened during the match. Luckily we pulled it off and no one was the wiser. Monday was what has become a normal day for me… lunch with Gianni’s family, a nap on the pier, dinner with Gianni’s family, and I finished my night off with a late night walk on the pier.


The moon had just was full two days prior and was still illuminating the sky, the water was calm, and the air was warm. I took off my sandals and sat with my legs dangling over the side of the pier as I stared out to Naples as I had done so many times before. Sitting there I thought about many things, but mainly all I could think about was how happy I was to be sitting there in that exact moment.