Beach Sand Salad

Now that I am over my shocking return to civilization, my feet are back on the ground and I'm starting to discover the charming side of Rome.  I've realised, as soon as you wander off the beaten track (the less commercialised,  less touristic one) there is a lot of beauty to be found in this city.   The  streets are surprisingly quiet and peaceful and there's a sense of nostalgia in the air.   The link to the past is so blatant; there are remnants of ancient architecture everywhere.    And a lot of the older generation Italians look like they've been plucked straight out of an historic movie.  Little old ladies sweeping the streets, wearing floral patterned aprons and scarves tied around their heads, the old men sitting on streetside benches, draped over their walking sticks, watching the world go by.

I decided to couch surf in this city to save a bit of money, and was very lucky to be accepted by a lovely guy named Elio.  He is a musician and loves all things Japanese so we have lots in common :) He has already shown me some of his local hangouts and tonight we are going to see a friend of his play in a bar in one of the most popular areas in the city.  So I feel really lucky to be having this experience and to be getting a brief glimpse into the life of a local.  The tourist attractions are impressive but this somehow seems like a more real and worthwhile way to dicover Rome.  

Yesterday I met up with the friend of a friend of a friend.  His name was Antos and he's a DJ.  He invited me to go with him to a gig he was playing at a beach just outside of the city (about an hour from where I am staying).  It was surprisingly beautiful! The beach stretched on for miles, there were restaurants scattered all along the edge of the shore.  It actually reminded me a bit of Bali, the way they serve people on tables and blankets on the sand.

Antos was very kind and generous.  As soon as we arrived he bought me dinner and wine.  I managed to make a fool of myself, like never before, within seconds of the meal arriving.  There was a little bowl on the table, that I assumed was full of pepper so I proceeded to grab a big pinch of it and sprinkled it all over my salad.  Much to my embarrassement, Anton brought it to my attention that it was actually a bowl of sand for cigarette butts!!   I couldn't stop laughing, but in the confusion of it all, I then managed to knock my glass of wine over and it spilt all over his basket of bread.  What a great first impression I must have made!  I still ate the salad, it was pretty crunchy, but quite nice :)

After dinner I went for a long walk along the shore, it was so beautiful, it brought me back to the days when I used  to walk along Cottesloe beach in Perth, Western Australia.  I spent the remainder of the day sitting on a blanket, drinking wine and watching the sun go down,  whilst listening to the chilled out tunes being orchestrated by Antos.   He threw a Beth Orton song in there just for me...it was the perfect way to waste a day :)

xx

PS Dear Family, Please stop worrying about me, I am having the trip of a life time here, I am safe and happy and meeting beautiful people where ever I go, you can relax! Love you xx 

Culture Shock!

I wasn't mentally prepared for my day in Rome today.  As the train pulled away from Assisi this morning, I felt like I was slowly waking up from a strange, but beautiful dream.   I was actually feeling excited about getting back to the 'real' world but Rome proved to be a shock to my soul! 

I went from peace & love and feeling connected to the Earth and Universe, to a busy, noisy metropolis, where traffic was congested and sirens were piercing the sky; the streets were packed with people, a lot of them seemed angry, and it felt like everyone was trying to sell me something or trick me into spending more money than I was planning to;  there were signs warning against pick pockets and beggars on every street corner;  Everything seemed so superficial. I felt like I was in that scene from the Matrix where the main character is finally realizing that the world he was living in was just an illusion. 

I spent the last 2 weeks connecting with my soul and feeling like my identity wasn't tied to my body, but today I was given a rude reminder of how in the 'real' world, identifying with the body and dressing it up, is TOP priority...Every where I turned  there was advertising for shoes and clothes , underwear and cosmetics.  Faces were packed with makeup, breasts were bulging out of tight dresses, fake tans were glowing behind popstar sunglasses... 

I really didn't feel like I belonged in the 'real' world today.  I was missing the mountains and the soul mates that I left behind. I even found myself being drawn to churches just for a few moments of peace and silence.  Not like me at all! 

Even so, I did manage to catch some of the famous historic sites.  In fact, I spent most of the day just walking around the ancient part of the city.  I have to admit I wasn't really expecting the ruins to be in such 'ruin'... It looked a bit like a war zone, but I guess it's understandable considering most things are over 2000 years old...my brain just can't quite comprehend that time frame...

I didn't want to pay to get into anything so I saw most things from the outside, but I was pretty proud of myself for sneaking into the Colosseum for free.  One of the exit gates was open with no one around so I just confidently walked through it as though I was meant to be there.  I felt so proud that I beat the system and saved myself 12 Euros.  I suppose I will get a few years bad Karma for that one, but it was totally worth it :)

All Roads Lead To Rome

Sorry for the silence.   I've been in Assisi for the past 12 days now, but this morning I am leaving for Rome.  I feel its time to get back on the road, and keep following my song.

It has been an amazing experience living in this community and I'm so grateful that I was somehow led to this place.  I've connected with so many beautiful people and there's a couple in particular that I'm really sad to leave behind.  I could easily stay for longer, but adventure calls!

I have to say, for the first time in my life, spirituality has been presented to me in a way that really resonates with the logical, rational part of my brain and I feel there has been a huge shift in my thinking.  I hope to keep exploring the ideas and practices that I have been introduced to here. I was happy to dicover that George Harrison was in pursuit of a similar path :)

And so, thanks to the Ananda Village, i return to my journey now, with greater strength, more confidence and a deeper trust in the notion that "anything is possible!"...

Alora Roma! Here I come!

xx