The Dreaded Mullet

Due to ridiculous internet prices and beautiful beckoning rocky Mediterranean beaches, I haven't been keeping up my blog. For the same reasons, I will make this short. I just wanted to describe a couple of things about Italy that have struck me as interesting or downright hilarious.

First of all, the mullet is en vogue here. I see several a day, and have actually learned to appreciate it. I have seen some really good mullets. However, I have also seen some horrific ones. I have dubbed the worst ones (note that I use the plural...seeing this was not a one-time occurrence) the 'Dreaded Mullet': short hair on top, dreadlocks in the back.

Capri man-pants are totally in here as well. Banana hammocks are the norm as far as beachwear goes, and the Italian men really dig daisy dukes as leisurewear. I have seen WAY too many manthighs over the past couple of weeks.

Many stores have the college-dorm-style beaded curtains hanging in the front door. The first time we saw this at a butcher shop in Tuscany, we just assumed that the 70-year-old butcher was just a really hip dude. Apparently this has a purpose though: it serves as a screen against flies. Brilliant, no?

Just like in Spain, restaurant service is awful at best. I guess they let the awesome food do all the talking, because waiters here leave something to be desired. At least you're not expected to tip much. I would really have a problem tipping these people more than $1 for getting ignored most of the time.

That said, the food is incredible! Everything is super-fresh and cooked perfectly. One needn't ever worry about quality.

Italian time is like Latino time, but worse. Efficiency is not a priority in everyday tasks. Even the simplest things, like buying bandaids at the pharmacy or a banana at the grocery store takes FOREVER. These people are definitely not in a hurry to do anything, and I've had to learn to just give up on getting anything completed in a reasonable amount of time. For example, today Leslie said she was going to pay our hotel bill. The hotel office was right across the street. I thought she would be right back, but 30 minutes later she walks in, totally frustrated. Apparently the office worker couldn't run the credit card. She wasn't allowed to. Only the owner could, and he wasn't there. So the woman had to call him on the phone, and 20 minutes later he comes in, runs the card through the machine and then leaves.

What Italy lacks in time management, it makes up for in breathtaking beauty. The seaside is rocky and steep, and the Mediterranean is crystal clear with the most incredible shades of blue and green. We took a 4-hour hike along the coast a couple of days ago. It was about 5 km as the bird flies, but probably 9 or 10 km on foot because of the grade. We were constantly walking up or down rocky stairs. Not a good idea to do hung over and on 2 cups of Italian coffee. The views were spectacular though!

Tomorrow Leslie goes back to S. Korea and I move on to Switzerland. I'll probably stop in Zurich and head over to Lake Konstanz, between Germany and Switzerland. Then I head on to Heilbronn, Germany to visit my parents' friend Uschi Grandi.

I've totally fallen in love with Europe and am going to try to look for a job here instead of in S. Korea. Keep your fingers crossed for me!