Cinque Terra Recap II: The Natural Beauty

A few shots showing a sampling of the natural beauty of Cinque Terra (click photo to enlarge):

Cinque Terra Recap 1: Vernazza

If you've followed my Italian adventures these many years then you know of my love affair with Cinque Terra. I was introduced to CT by a friend way back in 2000 and fell in love with it immediately. Back then it was relatively undiscovered and was much much much cheaper and more enjoyable than it is now. That prick (pardon my French) named Rick Steves did his best to tell everyone in the world about the hidden gem on the Ligurian Sea known as Vernazza - the second of the Cinque Terra which also happens to be our favorite. Due to his efforts, I've seen the amount of tourists steadily increase every year, along with the prices of everything under the sun. And Vernazza isn't Venice or Rome or some other big city; it's a small little fishing village that was never meant for such an influx of tourism as Mr. Steves hath wrought. When I first hiked in Cinque Terra it was free. On this trip it costs 16 Euro for the wife to hike for two days. The locals tell me that with the influx of tourists the past few years it became too difficult to maintain the cleanliness and decent state of the park which accounts for the entrance fee. Thanks Rick Steves! The worst part is that a large number of the tourists you see there now are American college students traveling on their parents' money who are there to party rather than enjoy and appreciate the history, tradition and natural beauty of the place. A few years ago the wife and I cringed as were laying on the beach and bore witness to a severely overweight drunk American college girl make a scene by running across the small beach and into the water with an inflatable mat in one hand and an open bottle of wine in the other. She then proceeded to guzzle wine straight from the bottle while floating on the mat. Thanks again Rick! Despite the crush of tourists and rising prices we still enjoy Vernazza. I've decided to break the recap down into a few different parts since I have so many pictures. Vernazza seems like a good place to start so here's the recap in photos (Click on photos to enlarge):

The arrival to Vernazza when you hike from Montorosso:

Enjoying a glass of white wine at the Ananas Bar overlooking the beach:










Stay tuned soon for the nest recap: The Natural Beauty of Cinque Terra.

Italy, Part II: "Mangia piu!"

More of the food we enjoyed during our Italian vacation...

Italy, Part I: "Mangia!"

Let's start the Italy recap with some pictures on some of the indescribable meals we enjoyed at Giampietro and Agnese's as well as some of our favorite ristorante's in Caldogno, Cinque Terra, and other places...

Back from Italy

We got back home yesterday from our Italian vacation. Look for updates with pictures very soon...

Off to Italy

Early tomorrow morning (Saturday) we will be hitting the Autobahn on our way down to Italy for a week of vino, pizza, seafood, sun, and all around Italianery. First we're headed to Caldogno to visit Giampi and Agnese and some other friends. Then Giampi and Agnese will watch the X Man for a few days while the wife and I go down to Cinque Terra to do some hiking and stuff ourselves full of seafood and other assorted Italian sundries. Then probably a day or two in Venezia and maybe Bassano dal Grappa before heading back to Germania, stopping in Negrar on the way home to restock the wine cellar.

I need this vacation more than I have ever needed one before. I'm exceedingly burned out lately my batteries are in serious need of recharging. Italia is just what the doctor ordered.

Pictures will be forthcoming upon our return.

An addendum to the Tapas entry...

There's one really funny thing I forgot to mention in my previous entry about our love of Tapas. The X Man has trouble pronouncing the word "tapas" - he pronounces it "tatas". He sometimes walks around the house nagging us "Daddy I want tatas!", to which I usually reply "So do I buddy, so do I...". And sometimes he'll ask where we're going and when I tell him we're going to get Tapas he responds "I don't like tatas" to which my standard reply is "You will when you get older son...".

It's almost as funny as when he was younger in Italy, he had trouble pronouncing the word "pizza". He pronouced it "Puta", which is similar to an Italian (and Spanish) slang term for...ahem...female genitalia. Every time we would go out he would tell us that he wanted puta. It was hard not to laugh but you should have seen some of the looks we got from the locals.

Puta and tatas...the X Man is truly a chip off the old block.

We Love Tapas.

One of our favorite things about being in Europe is of course the food. And lately we've developed a new addiction: Spanish style tapas. We have a little French style wine bar across the river called the "Bar d'Aix en Provence". That has a Mediterranean type menu. We love hanging out there because it's right across the river and very few tourists ever venture over there so we can sit outside, enjoy the fresh air, sip wine and munch on a variety of tapas. We always order the mixed plate which comes with some combination of the following; green olives, green olives stuffed with anchovies, meatballs in tomato sherry sauce, sardines, different types of cheese slices, feta (or goat) cheese, large capers, artichokes, mixed seafood, chorizo (Spanish style salami cooked in wine), plus a loaf of french bread with some kind of special paprika dip. They're all delicious and a lot healthier than going out for a schnitzel or bratwurst with french fries...

Today is my birthday

Wish me happy birthday bitches.

The dream is ali...nevermind, it's dead.

Several months ago I applied for a position down in Italy. The position was at the port of Livorno and I didn't think I was overly qualified but I applied anyway. I made the referral list (the initial cut) but still didn't get too excited because I make the referral list for positions often and never get selected. I made the referral list way back in March and then didn't hear anything for over 2 months so I had pretty much forgotten all about it. Then, to my great surprise, I received a call from one of the officers down there a couple days before I left for the conference in St Louis back at the end of May. He said they were interested in me and wanted to do an interview over the phone. We talked about Italy and how much we loved the country and everything it had to offer, we discussed the job a little bit, then he asked if I wouldn't mind if he spoke to my supervisor. I gave him the number to the LTC that I work for and they talked later that afternoon although I didn't ask how it went. At the conference, the LTC revealed to me that the guy told him the final decision was between me and one other person and that it looked very promising for me.

Well, I was elated to hear this. I have always said that if I could be stationed at any base in Europe I would choose Livorno. The facilities are small and austere but the surrounding area...oh, the surrounding area. Livorno is a port right on the Ligurian Sea. It's the main departure point for ferries going to and from Sardinia. The seafood is abundant and delicious. It is about an hour away from Florence. There are several great beaches in and around Livorno including an American beach run by the military. It's about an hour away from Cinque Terra. It's in Tuscany, which means the best red wine in the world; Chianti, Montepulciano and - my all time favorite - Montalcino are all very close. Rome is only about 2 hours away. Pisa and its famous Leaning Tower are about 5 minutes away.

I didn't want to get too excited because it just seemed too good to be true. And apparently it was. I hadn't heard anything for a couple weeks so I called down to the personnel office last week and was told that I had finished second on the list. If the other guy turns it down, the position would be mine but in light of everything I just mentioned do you honestly think anybody would turn it down? Me neither.

And so it goes. As the Italians would say, il sogno è guasto.

Sigh.

The X Man with his Lolo, Lola and Cousins.

(Click to enlarge)

Gino's Rebuttal

Statistics do not lie. However, when dealing with hand-wringing xenophobes of the Red Sox nation Percentages do not mean anything if they’re wearing pinstripes.

Understand this, as a Philly fan I have no sympathy for any person from Boston. None. It is amusing that it is now in vogue to be a Red Sox fan carrying the underdog moniker with pride. I enjoy watching the Bosox and the reasons are simple. They play great ball, they have great players, a great ballpark, even a great stretch song…I mean come on, Sweet Caroline would only be played at retirement centers if it wasn’t for Fenway. But I am so sick and tired of the “glass half empty” drivel that spews from their media outlets.

The Yankees are 8.5 back on June 18, 2007. They have had a great 2 weeks in June. SO WHAT…they played at home, they beat up the reeling White Sox, swept the AAA Pirates and an exhausted Arizona team (who just played their guts out to get 2 out of 3 in Fenway) and roughed up the Mets who are in a funk. So HERE COME THE YANKEES, yeah right. They are currently 3 games above .500. In order for them to win the AL East they will have to post a .779 winning percentage in the second half of the season. This has only been accomplished ONCE in the last 109 years. The problem with that is it happened in 1978, almost 30 years ago but close enough that we can remember it. I could bore you with more stats utilizing the power rankings and road travel records on west coast trips lasting longer than 6 days but it wouldn’t make a difference. Bottom line is they have Oakland, Minnesota, LAA, and Toronto in July. Their pitching will not hold up to win the nearly 80% of games it will take to get in.

The Red Sox had two weeks of offensive struggles. Tito knew it was coming and they weathered the storm. They now have Texas and Tampa Bay at home. They have 17 out of 27 at Fenway in July and six out of the ten away games are at KC and Baltimore.

Relax Sox fans. Theo will take you to the Promised Land. Detroit, Cleveland, and Anaheim will not let you down. I stand by my prediction. Unless there is a resurrection of the Son of Sam and Billy Martin, the Bronx will not be burning come this October.

Gino, you SUCK!

Gino Martin fancies himself a baseball fan but he has absolutely no comprehension of the the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry (read; war). A few weeks ago the Red Sox were on fire while the Yankees were losing every game prompting the lesser informed fans to claim that the Yankees were dead and buried. However those of us who knew better (read; Red Sox fans) would refuse to bury the Yankees because we knew better. We had lived through 1978 and we knew that to bury the Yankees before September was folly.

So imagine my disgust when Gino Martin, who normally has his finger on the pulse of MLB, declared a few weeks ago that the Yankees were dead and buried and had no chance. To make it worse, when I tried to explain to him that the Sox' 13.5 game lead in early June meant nothing he made fun of me. When the Yankees went on the winning streak that I had long been predicting and starting cutting the lead down to single digits and I told Gino that my prediction was starting to come to fruition, he had the nerve to call me a whiner. His reply was some thing to the effect that he predicted the Yankees would not make the playoffs and that he "[DID] NOT WAVER".

So now the Yankees have won 9 (NINE!) straight games while the Red Sox have been floundering and the lead is down to seven and a half games. And we're still in June. I have faith in my beloved Red Sox but I also have been through enough heartbreak at the hands of the hated "Yank-me's" that I know that nothing is guaranteed. To people like Gino, it's laughable. They haven't lived through 1978, 1999, 2003, the Boston Massacre of 2006 and all the years of playing second fiddle to the Yankees. They'll never understand and that's why nobody could possibly understand the joy that we felt in 2004 after coming back from 3 games to none to defeat the Yankees. That was our World Series. The inferiority complex that Red Sox fans feel in relation to the Yankees is inexplicable. It defies explanation. It started when Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth - along with the deed to Fenway Park - to the New York Yankees, and nothing, not even 2004, has erased the pain of the Yankees' domination since. 2004 gave us a nice respite but we've got about 25 championships to go before we can finally start to feel a little secure...so SCREW YOU GINO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The X Man is a southpaw.

All the Thibodeau men are lefties. My father is a leftie. My brother is a leftie. I'm a leftie. And now it appears that the X Man is also a leftie. We've been throwing around one of his toys and I noticed that he was throwing with his left hand so I watched carefully and sure enough, every throw was with his left hand. The wife says that while they were in the Philippines her parents kept saying that he was going to be a leftie so I guess they were right. However, the wife also tells me that when she's trying to teach him how to write he sometimes does it with his right hand so there is cause for concern. But all signs are pointing to him following in the footsteps of a lot of proud Thibodeau southpaws and this pleases me greatly. It means that if, by some miracle, he doesn't play pro soccer - perish the thought! - he can still have a bright future as a left handed pitcher for the Red Sox.

The wife and kid return domani.

It's been a month and a half but it's honestly felt like a lot longer. I've quite enjoyed the time to myself - except, of course, the past 2 weeks where I was screwed into having to go to a planning conference in the US - but I'm a bit backed up and I'm so ready for them to come home. Virginia told me the other day that the X Man told her they need to come home because he misses daddy but I'm certain he only said that because she had been hammering it into his head for the past month or so. Regardless, I miss my little man and I cannot wait to see him.

One of Virginia's Filipina friends called me and offered to come help clean the house before she got back so I gladly took her up on the offer. BIG mistake. I swear to God, cleaning is like having sex to Filipinas; they just can't get enough. And I honestly think they enjoy cleaning more. She spent about an hour and a half on the bathroom alone. At one point I went in to check on her and found her in the shower, shoes and all, scrubbing the hell out of the floor with the water running (detachable shower head). I told her she was getting crazy but she just laughed and spent another 20 minutes in there. Then she spent another 45 minutes in the SMALL bathroom, which is basically a sink and a toilet. Anyway, I forced her down to the Bar d'Aix en Provence for some vino and Tapas then she had to take off for her night job stocking shelves at the commissary but she swore that she'd be here early tomorrow morning to finish cleaning (!). I asked her to come with me to pick up the wife and kid tomorrow so hopefully she'll relax a little bit. It'll be good for her, her and her husband are in the process of divorcing (he shit all over her) and I think she just wants to keep her mind occupied. The funny/sad thing is that she is 47 years old yet she looks like she's about 30. She is EXTREMELY beautiful and has an unbelievably big heart so I'm hoping that the right man comes along for her eventually. Whoever gets her will be the second luckiest man in the world, providing that he treats her right of course.

So anyway, the time away has been nice. The wife knows how much I love her and the X Man and thankfully she understands that I sometimes need some time to myself. I suppose it's probably a blessing sometimes that her family lives so far away and we have to send her and the X Man away for so long to visit them. She said she gets bored after a few days and I can totally relate as I'm the same way whenever I have to go back to NH but the difference is that I go back to New Hampshire whereas she goes back to the Philippines where she is less than an hour away from some the most beautiful beaches in the world. Sometimes I think she'd rather sit in her parents' house and be miserable than go out and enjoy the stuff back home, lol. But I digress. Regardless, it is going to be GREAT to see them domani (tomorrow).

Anyway, in case I forget to mention it, somebody please remind me to blog about what happened in the Border's bookstore before I left...

Back in the US...A?

When I joined the Army and came to Europe back in 1998, I'd pretty had much had enough of most American culture. I say "most" because there were certainly many things that I knew I would miss. I knew I would miss watching the Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins for sure (Celtics...not so much). I knew I would miss the Sunday Boston Globe sports section. But I was thirsting for adventure and something new and I certainly found it in Europe. I so enjoyed experiencing new cultures and learning a new lifestyle that I didn't really miss the things in the US that, at one time in my life, I didn't think I could live without.

Here I am back in the US for only about the 4th time since I came to Europe almost 10 years ago. And I gotta tell you, since I got off the plane it has felt like I'm in a foreign country. Even in the airport in Chicago, I was in a shop and it was really weird hearing everyone speaking English. I guess I've grown accustomed to everyone around me speaking a foreign language. I also laughed at the fact that there were a bunch of college students on my flight back to the US who had been on a 2 week tour of Germany and the first thing they did when we landed in Chicago was go to McDonalds. God bless America.

So anyway, I've been here about 4 or 5 days and in that time I've really come to feel like a foreigner. So many things seem weird to me. Even things which used to be an everyday part of life now seem foreign. I remember years ago, it was quite enjoyable to eat at a place like Applebee's Neighborhood Bar and Grill and have a few beers. The other night we had dinner there and the food was average at best. It struck me how little I enjoyed the experience compared to 10 years ago. Tonight I got hung up late in my hotel room following the Red Sox game online so rather than go out for dinner I decided to be a bit nostalgic and do something I haven't done in over 10 years; order a pizza. I was quite surprised to find that some pizza places actually take orders online now. You log onto their website, put in your zip code and place your order. Seemed a bit impersonal but I thought, "I have GOT to try this...". I started to do an online order with Dominoes but alas, you have to sign up for an account with all kinds of personal information and I really just wanted a pizza delivered to my hotel room so I opted for the comparitively antiquated system of phoning my order in. I was really hungry and I figured Dominoes was my best option since they had the 30 minute guarantee. So imagine my chagrin when the guy told me my pizza would be there in 40 minutes. 40 minutes?! What the hell happened to "30 minutes or less, guaranteed"?! I really have been gone too long.

Fortunately some things never change. I stopped at the shoppette on base on the way home tonight to pick up a six pack. To my great and pleasant surprise, they had about 7 or 8 different kinds of Sam Adams brews. Sam Adams was my beer of choice before I left for Europe and it's one of the things I've been forced to live without. I wanted to buy all of them for old time's sake but I settled on the Cherry Wheat (this being summer and all) and a sixer of my favorite - Cream Stout. I'm drinking the Cherry Wheat tonight with my pizza but I'm so anxious to open the Cream Stout that I'm practically quivering in anticipation...

I'm here.

For those who were wondering, I made it to St. Louis safely yesterday after a long boring flight. Arrived to my hotel last night around 9:30pm and, as it was about 4am to me, went to sleep. I'm actually staying in a Drury Inn in Fairview Heights and this place is impressive. Free internet in the rooms, free hot breakfast, free hour of long distance calling per day, free use of the workout room, free whirpool/spa, free soft drinks and popcorn in the lobby daily, free cable (including HBO! Sopranos baby!) in the rooms, and one of the coolest things - they have a free happy hour reception in the lobby every evening from 5:30 - 7pm where you are allowed three free alcoholic beverages. Most likely I'll be working until about 7 every night so I doubt I'll get to take advantage of the last one but it's still pretty cool. The Drury Inn definitely has game.

The flight sucked of course and reminded me of why I absolutely hate flying, especially on Iternational flights. But more about that later. It's still kind of weird being in the US. I think I've been in Europe so long that coming to the States feels almost like coming to a foreign country sometimes. It takes a little getting used to. I only wish I wouldn't be working so much so I could have time to enjoy it a little more.

By the way, the Red Sox won again and the Yank-me's lost...14.5 games up and it's not even June...I'm giddy!

On the Road Again...

Well, I've got one more weekend of freedom before I jump on a plane for the conference in St Louis. I'm still pissed at the jerkoff who screwed me into having to go but what the hell, I'll just make the best of it. By the way, while I'm spending the weekend doing laundry, cleaning and packing, he'll be down in Garmisch enjoying a nice holiday with his girlfriend in the Alps. Did I mention that he never even apologized? Or that he hasn't even bothered to thank me for going in his stead? Prick.

The last time I had to go to one of these conferences was back in 2004 while I was still in the Army. I kind of enjoyed it back then because I had to go to the pre-conference in Atlanta first and in between conferences I went down to visit my brother in New Orleans. So in a three week span, I was able to see three major US cities that I had never seen, and the 3 days spent in New Orleans with my brother is, to this day, one of my favorite memories. I had such a great time, I got to experience Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, got an bunch of Mardi Gras beads, had a crawfish boil, went to JazzFest, the works. I'm sure Eric misses New Orleans quite a bit and after only 3 days there I can understand why.

Eric and I outside the French Market in N'Awlins, May, 2004.

One interesting side note to my last trip there was that I was able to take in a Cardinals game. It was their last year in the old Busch Stadium before they tore it down and compared to Fenway Park, it was HUGE. The Cardinal fans are great and pretty knowledgeable but the atmosphere doesn't even come close to a game at Fenway. There was also a disappointing lack of sports bars outside the stadium. What's so interesting about seeing a baseball game you ask? Well, as I mentioned, it was 2004. And a mere 5 months after attending a game at the old Busch Stadium, I would sit on my couch at 4 am back in Caldogno, Italy and watch my beloved Boston Red Sox break the 86 year old Curse of the Bambino in that very same stadium against the very same Cardinals team. Needless to say I'm definitely going to try and catch another game this time. Hopefully history will repeat itself...

Reflections on The Sopranos.

Those of you who know me and/or read this blog regularly know of my love affair with Italy and all things Italian. So it should come as no surprise that I am avid fan of the tv show "The Sopranos". With the show ending it's historic run soon, I thought it'd be a good time to talk about why I love(d) it so much.

I had heard about a show on HBO called "The Sopranos" for a while, I hadn't seen it and all I knew about it was that it was about the mob. It didn't sound like anything that interested me all that much. I kept noticing that it was receiving all kinds of accolades and critical acclaim but since I was overseas it wasn't like I could just tune in anytime I wanted. So I just ignored the hype. Sometimes around 2002 or 2003 my brother Eric came to visit and he was a big fan of the show. We happened to be talking about the show and I was asking him if it was really that good. He seemed surprised that I had never seen the show and since he had the first 2 seasons on DVD he suggested watching them. Well, needless to say, I was hooked after the first episode. It helped a lot to watch it with Eric as he was able to sort of give me the rundown on things as they were happening. The one thing I remember most about watching the first episode with Eric was when Tony went to his mother's house. Eric muttered under his breath, "here comes the queen...". He was absolutely right. The character of Livia Soprano was one of the first things that attracted me to the show. It's really a shame she passed away after the second season.

Speaking of the second season, that was the one that got me hooked for good. To this day the second season remains my favorite of them all. It also contains my favorite "Sopranos" episode of all time; "Commendatore". That was the episode where they go back to "the old country" (Napoli/Naples), for those who don't remember. I guess what I love most about the show is that whole American/Italian connection. Living in Italy gave me a different view of things than I would have had in the US. It was always fascinating to contrast the Italian-American aspect of the show against what Italy was really like. One of my favortie lines was the episode where Tony and his crew were asked to deal with the problem of a Jewish man. They put him in a room and beat the crap out of him to get him to do what they want. He is defiant and at one point relates a story of how thousands of years ago a small Jewish group held thier own against the storied Roman army of vastly superior numbers. He finishes by asking Tony and Sylvio "The Romans...where are they now?". For a second you almost start to agree with his point of view until Tony utters the perfect reply; "You're looking at 'em asshole".

For me personally, one of the things I loved most about the show was the authenticity of the whole Italian part of it. The language, the references, the stories, even the names were right on and connected with me on a personal level. For example, the guy who played Tony's lifelong friend Artie is named John Ventimiglia; Ventimiglia is the name of the Italian town right on the border with the French Riviera. I first drove by it in the summer of 2002 so when I saw the credits I was like "hey, that's the town near the Riviera that I drove through!". Tony Soprano's neighbor's name is Bob Cusimano; Cusimano is also the name of my preferred brand of Nero d'Avola, one of my favorite wines from Sicily. Tony's family comes from a city called Avellino; Avellino is a team that my local team of Vicenza played twice a year in the second division of Italian professional soccer.

More Sopranos reflections in the next post...

I Saw Steffi Graf. I Think.

The Heidelberg area is home to a few famous people. For one, Chaka Kahn lives here. Tennis star Boris Becker is from the area as well. But the two most famous residents are tennis uber-couple Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi. They have a house in Neunheim, right across the river from where I live.

As you may recall, my new favorite hobby lately is hiking up and down the mountain across the river. This past weekend I was on my down the mountain and I noticed a woman running up the hill in black spandex. As soon as I noticed her my first thought was "Damn, she looks exactly like Steffi Graf", followed closely by my second thought, "Wait, she lives right at the bottom of the hill! It IS Steffi Graf!". I tried to play it cool and didn't ogle her as she ran by but she made eye contact, gave me a smile and said something in German that I can only guess was hello. I smiled back and said hello and then immediately looked around to see if Andre was behind her but no such luck.

Steffi Graf said hello to me. Awesome.

Happy Mothers Day Judy

You were forced to raise us basically by yourself mom and I know it was tough. We didn't make it any easier on you but what did we know, we were kids. I used to get upset in high school because the other kids had parents that would give them rides to and from practice and games but you were always working so I was on my own. I used to get upset in college because most of the other people there didn't have to worry about paying tuition and could concentrate on their studies and not worry about where the money would come from next semester. Only years later did I realize that you took an assembly job while I was in high school because you knew I hated sharing my life with the kids you were babysitting to make living and that's why you weren't able to give me rides to and from soccer practice. And in college, not only did you pay more than you could afford towards my tuition but you gave me a car that you could have easily sold for a couple thousand bucks that you really could have used.

I always knew when you didn't like a particular girl I was dating or when you thought I was making a big mistake with some life decision I made but you never discouraged me or had a negative word to say. You knew that I had to experience life and discover things for myself. I'd like to think that I've done a good job but sometimes I don't know.

One time after I screwed up really bad you said that you were ashamed to call me your son. I've never told you this but that hurt me more than anything anyone has ever said to me. I have so much love and respect for you and to hear you say that cut me deep. But no matter what, you will always be my mother and I love you more than anything. I know how much you have sacrificed for me, Tracy and Eric these many years and I will always be grateful.

Happy Mothers Day mom. I love you.

-Rik...your baby.

SIT REP

It's been about 2 weeks or so since the wife and kid left so I thought I'd give an update on how I've been spending my latest parole. Unfortunately I don't really have much to report. Things sure have changed since the last time they went to visit her family in the Philippines. Last time I spent my weekends in places like Rome, Geneva, Amsterdam and Venice. This time I've spent every weekend right here in Heidelberg. Mostly it's because I really want to get back in shape a bit which means mountain climbing. So a typical weekend is; wake up Saturday, hike up the mountain, come home, take a shower, then go out and walk around town. Sometimes I'll pop into the pub to watch a match if there's a good one on. I usually grab a Gazetto dello Sport which is the Italian sports paper I used to read religiously in Italy, and relax in one of my preferred restaurants, cafes or pubs. A couple weeks ago I discovered a pool hall in the Altstadt so sometimes I go shoot some stick. I try to do a hike on Sunday as well if I'm not too sore (or hungover!). I squeeze my errands into the weekends wherever I can find the time as well.

So as you can see, my parole has been very dull and anti-climactic thus far. I'm sorry to disappoint those of you who were looking forward to tales of voyages to far away and exotic places but this is my life now. But don't feel sorry for me, I've actually been enjoying the opportunity to spend some time alone doing nothing but relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet. And for those of you who have never been here, Heidelberg is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe so there's plenty to do here and always something to keep me occupied. I've got a couple more weeks here then I jump on a plane for the conference in St. Louis that my coworker screwed me into having to go to.

The way I look at it, my last parole was a chance to go crazy, galavant around Europe and get fat and out of shape. My current parole is a chance to undo some of that, lose some weight and get back in shape. So far so good...

Say it ain't so Tom!

http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=198248

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm losing weight.

For those who care, as of this morning I am officially down 20 pounds since last summer. I've still got about 15-20 more to go but I am kicking ass. I feel great and am starting to look a bit like my old self again. When the wife gets home in June she ain't gonna be able to keep her hands off me...

Virginia and the X Man are in the PI

Got a call last night from the wife, her and the kid have arrived safely in the Philippines after a 14 hour flight. Fortunately the flight had a layover in Dubai right around halfway so it was broken up into a 6 and 8 hour journey instead of 14 hours straight. They flew on Emirates Airline which she said she was impressed by.

Anyway, they'll be gone until early June so I have a lot of time to bond with...myself. I don't have any concrete plans as far as traveling and whatnot but if anything comes up rest assured there will be blog updates.

Discovering Heidelberg

I've had plenty of time to explore a bit of Heidelberg during the past year that we've been here and it seems like there's always something new to discover. We're very fortunate to live in the Altstadt (Old Town) which is the historic district featuring the medieval houses and shops and is overlooked by a huge castle. There's a lot more to appreciate about the historic district though. For one thing, the scenic Neckar River flows right through the valley and although the south side gets all the notoriety because of the Altstadt, I've come to love the north side just as much, if not more. On the north side, across the river from the Altstadt, is a medium sized mountain that offers spectacular views of the river, the Altstadt and the castle. A little ways up the mountain is a little pedestrian road called the Philosophenweg, or "Philosopher's Way". It is so named because the view from up there provided inspiration to many famous philosophers and writers over the years. Since our first excursion up there we've fallen in love with the Philosophenweg and take strolls up there often. Everyone who visits Heidelberg should take in the view from up there. Here's the view (click to enlarge):

And as much as I love the Philosophenweg, I recently discovered something even better - a couple months ago, a coworker and I made the hike to the top of the mountain which is just as fantastic. I've since developed a tradition of hiking to the top every weekend, both for the view and the exercise benefits. It's not that high (I think it's roughly 1600 feet or so) but it's all uphill with no level sections and gives me a good 30-45 minutes of strenuous exercise that I wouldn't normally get. On top of the mountain are a couple of cool points of interest. One of them is the "Thingstatte", which is a huge Roman Amphitheater built and used by the Nazis for their summer solstice celebrations:

There are also the ruins of two monasteries dating back to around the year 1000 AD. One of them features a watch tower that offers a direct view looking down at the castle and the famous old bridge. I've taken a few pics from up there and will post them as soon as I get them downloaded.

If anyone has Google Earth, you can see a good image of the Altstadt, the river, the mountain and the castle. Just search for Heidelberg, zoom in on the Altstadt and go from there. People have posted a ton of photos from everything I've described in this post as well as a bunch more. Feel free to email me or leave a comment if you need help finding it. Trust me, it's well worth it!

I'm going to St Louie...

Looiks like I'm headed to St Louis next month for a couple weeks for work, albeit not by choice. One of my coworkers was told that he was going to a conference next month and he didn't want to go so he asked if I would go in his place. I told him no, I did not want to go either, sorry. So what does he do? He bitches and moans and complains that he doesn't want to go until they change their minds and decide to send me instead.

I'm more than a bit upset about this because he was chosen to go and was told he was going so he had no right to 1) try and get out of it and 2) get it thrown on ME. Although I very easily could, I'm not going to whine about it like he did, I just let my supervisor know that I thought it was a pretty shitty deal that the other guy did that and I'm getting screwed now but oh well, I'll take one for the team.

I was really looking forward to using the time while the wife and kid are away to relax, recharge, do a bit of traveling and writing, and basically just enjoy the tranquility. But now I have to spend a couple of those weeks in the US working all because someone else doesn't want to do their job.

Maybe I can get tickets to a Cardinals game...