Life Unraveled

Strolling around Nice, I can't help but envision a huge throwdown going on between Italy and France. Word on the European street is that these two heavyweights don't particularly like each other. True to form, after eight days in Italy, my first taste of France is jarring, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If nothing else, these two distinct places seem to enjoy vying for the title of Most Influential European Country, and transitioning from one to another is proving to be not quite as easy as I thought it would be. Let me explain. You see, I think I must have gotten used to the daily "bongiorno", or the routine "ciao", or listening to the loud-talking, friendly locals speaking Italian at warp speed. Or eating food that had me oooohing and aaaahing several times a day, sometimes even to myself. Italy left an indelible impression on my brain, stomach and heart. There is a hypermasculinity that runs rampant throughout Italia that is both some...

Venice is almost unfathomable. Does this place actually exist? Emerging from the Santa Lucia train station, head turning wildly from side to side, I lose my breath a little. It's stunning, and every direction I look draws me deeper and deeper into the mystique of this trippy city. Water taxis are the rule, not cars or buses. Naturally there is water water everywhere, canals in every direction, complete with colorful buildings lined up on either side of them with a front row seat to all the action. Oh look, there's the trademark gondolas. And there are the tourists--lots and lots of them--all with similar expressions of disbelief on their faces. Believe it. Yep, Venice is real alright, and for me it's love at first sight. Perhaps none of this is exactly surprising. After all, Venice is one of the most beloved cities in all of Europe. But this is my first visit to Italy, aka "the homeland", the mothership where my ancestors came from, my family tree's...