World Wanderings

Today I'm in Orvieto, but first I'll start by recapping yesterday.

Yesterday was a pretty laid back day. Slept in and slowly meandered over to the Spanish steps. Along the way we check service times for various churches and cathedrals, hoping to catch a evensong or other music at one of them, and ran into an English service at a Scottish Presbyterian church (in the middle of Rome of course). It took the usual few minutes to become aquanted with the accent, almost pure jarble up to that point. It was a funny feeling being in the middle of Rome, in the middle of a group of english speaking people, listening to a Scottish pastor. Afterwards we made a small detour into the cathedral at the top of the Spanish steps, where thier service was just finishing up, but we managed to catch a bit of the chior and the thunderous sound of thier organ. I really enjoy music with spaces like that.

The rest of the day was spent wondering to and fro, cheecking out various plazas and sites. Another good day in Rome. We ended it with antipasta, wine,and olives for dinner, and chocolate, wine and lemoncelo for dessert. Another good day in Rome.

Today was spent in Orvieto, a small hilltop town about an hour and a half north of Rome, filled with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. The whole city is a viewpoint, with great views of the surrounding vineyards, towns, monestaries, and rolling hills from the entire rim of the town. I'm not a small town type of guy, but I think I could live here. Of course inside the village, it's filled with winding, mazelike, small alleyways (and way too much traffic for it's size).

The day has been spent wondering these alleyways at a laid back pace, stopping into the occasional church, cathedral, or duomo. Along the way there was pizza, café, gelato and a bit of shopping. What I appreciated most about some of the stores here, was the fact that you could see the artistan working thier trade in the back of the store that you were buying from. So, at least we knew it wasn't some cheap knockoff that every corner store and turist shop sells.

It's been a good day, and I have to say there really isn't much more to say about it. Which is good sometimes. I need days that sent packed to the brim with actiity and excitment. I still need to last another month and a half.

Oh, and for those who know of whom I'm talking about, I had an Anthony Bordain (sp?) moment the other night as I walked around Rome in my linen pants, buttoned up shirt, shades, and a feeling that this was living. I just needed the home chef cooking me up a delicious local recipe, a camera, a travel network show, and I would have been all set.