Things I miss from Home
1. The Lakes
Living in Coeur’d alene is located in a primo area for water recreation. With in the area there are 5 lakes located with a half hour of each other. For those of us who are fortunate to live in Hayden, Hayden Lake is 5-10 minutes most peoples house. During the Hot summer days the lakes serve as an oasis for tourists and locals alike to cool off.
As is the case in most larger cities access to a clean body of water is limited. Rome is no exception to this. The Mediterranean is an hour trip from our apartment, and the beach is lined with beach clubs. The concept of paying to use a beach is a very foreign idea back home. A combination between heat, humidity, and proximity to water has deepened my appreciation and love for Coeur d’alene.
2. American Barbeque
I love cooking. I especially love the grilling season in the summer, or all year round. Though, I have always enjoyed Italian food, and being somewhat of a carb-aholic, I never thought I would miss the smell and taste of fresh grilled meat. Steak is almost unheard of at restraints and the restaurants that claim to be “American Barbeque” are only cheap imitations of real barbeque, somewhat like The Olive Garden.
3. My car
I miss the windows rolled down, music bumping, and sense of freedom that comes with driving. At Home, I don’t have to rely on the schedule of the public transportation and I am not crammed in a hot bus with 50 other people. My truck is a necessity back in Idaho as well. In the wintertime, frequently driving from Moscow to CDA, Having a truck makes navigating the plowed or unplowed roads relatively easy. I can also easily haul garbage, yard waste, and have access to the great outdoors.
Things I miss from Italy:
1. Rome
There is no other city like Rome in the world, and I have lived here for seven weeks. It is said that, in a lifetime, one cannot see everything in Rome, and in 8 weeks I have barely scratched the surface. The palimpsest, and layers of history, gives Rome and tangible sense of the past unlike most modern cities. The ruins, landmarks, and historical sites date back 2000 years and are far vaster than any city in the world. People will disagree and say that they dislike Rome because it is dirty, too busy, and too full of tourists. This is a common claim to travelers who only get to spend a week in the city. Most of time these travelers are going to the hot spots for tourism, which are busy, hectic, and chaotic. Rome has much more too offer. Once a traveler gets off the beaten path they will truly experience Rome. I am fortunate to be off the beaten path and experience Rome in its true Identity.
2.Public transportation (Trains)
Inner city, mass transit, is not a novel idea back home and is becoming more popular. Rome has a great mix of subways and buses that make inner city travel easy convenient, just as in the U.S. The service that is not available in the U.S. that is widely available and affordable, in Europe, is long distance trains. It would be very convenient if I could catch a train from Moscow to CDA instead of driving. I love driving, but gas costs money and a train home would be cheaper and more relaxing than driving. Trains could also make access to other cities in the northwest more feasible as well.
3. Café on Vialle Trastevere
In the time I have been here I have sparked a friendship with, Giovani, the owner of the café closest to our apartment. Though the language barrier makes conversations difficult, it hasn’t stopped laughs and small conversations to happen. The staff knows what to get everyday and recently I have been getting special treatment. Instead of the usual chocolate croissant I have been getting a pastry filled with chocolate gelato. I agree that this is the worst breakfast ever, but it is fulfilling every childhood fantasy of ice cream for breakfast.
No comments:
Post a Comment