When in Rome... 05.06.08

Welcome to the first installment of—what Keisha and I expect to be—a chronicle of a great journey. With this opening salvo, I'll answer some of those burning questions, like "why entitle the blog series 'Leave the Gun. Take the Cannoli'?" Or, "why couldn't the expression be 'when in Paris,' or 'when in Spain,' or 'when running for your life through the Amazon'?" Well, maybe not the Amazon...

"Why 'Leave the Gun. Take the Cannoli'?" Well, if you've been around me long enough, you already know that I'm a huge "Godfather" junkie, and a lover of great mob genre/gangster cinema overall. (That line is in the first Godfather movie and is one of the most famous lines in the history of film, for those who have yet to be brought into La Familia.)

So, it's only fitting that, though I won't get to hike the hills to Correlone, Sicily on this trip, I will be close enough to sample the history and culture that spawned such an epic story. Plus, I think that all true Godfather fans should make the pilgrimage to the "Old Country," in order to see what the culture is really all about. I'm no fool; while it's cool to romanticize that sort of thing for the sake of visual art and entertainment, it would be wholly criminal to allow my only connection to this culture be that which has become the solution for Sunday channel surfing— especially when a history of a people and culture includes artistic minds like Michelangelo and da Vinci. Plus, Keisha and I love the architecture, language and the food. So, it's always been near the top of our list of places that we wanted to travel together. So, we're stoked (the safe, legal "stoked," not the other one). Who knows, maybe this trip will inspire us to learn Italian. That reminds me: better charge up the iPod.

"So, what's with the expression 'when in Rome..."?" Well, I don't know where it came from originally, but it's all about trying to do as the people do, when visiting a new place. So, by that definition, you could plug in Paris, Spain, or the Galapagos Islands, and still be on point. Generally, I subscribe to this concept, except in the extreme cases, such as a waiter making a suggestion like "you should try this dish! Roasted salamanders are fine cuisine in this part of the world!" Uh, check, please!!

Of course, I think there are times when being a true, honest "gringo" can enhance the experience. The more comfortable you are about being in a foreign place, and not being the most knowledgeable on the scene, the more alert you are, and the more eager you are to learn about what surrounds you. In this case, walking in blissfully ignorant may be the best advantage. We'll see.

But, generally speaking, I travel to places with an open mind and, to this point, have been exposed to great things. Now, it could be a Jedi mind trick. Subconsciously, I may be picking places that will ensure a great experience. So, when I have a great experience, it could be the case of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Hey, it could be true. So, for our next trip, Keisha and I have been talking about Australia. Again, if you know me, then you may know that I'm also a huge fan of nature. I think it has something to do with all of those fishing trips when I was a kid. My dad was catching all of the fish, so all I could do was notice all of the wild animals. I catch more fish these days, but I still watch for the animals. Anyway, I think Australia would be great, but I am a bit afraid of it. I think the stat is like 80% of all venumous species live in Australia. Imagine that! That beautiful, multicolored butterfly landing on your shoulder could end up being one of the most deadly butterflies in the world! Forty-foot whale sharks that swim right off the coast and eat plankton? Spiders that eat birds? Man, that's too much stress on a vacation. But, we're talking about it. So, we'll see.

I'll sign off now. Keisha and I have some last minute stuff to do before the stage coach arrives to take us to the "aeroporto." So, we'll throw on our iPods, listen to our free "Learning Italian Phrase Book" series, courtesy of iTunes, and get ready to tackle this 12 hour flight to Europa. The next posting will be from across the pond.

Ciao!