Our first stop in our two week tour of Spain and it was a bit of a shock for me. After spending close to two months in Italy, you get used to seeing very old buildings and infrastructure, but Barcelona is a very modern city and very different from Italy. But a good different, I just needed to adjust to a completely new culture.
We spent 4 nights/5 days there and had a lot of fun. We rented an apartment away from the tourist area and spent a lot of time walking around in some of the different areas and relaxing. Arnold really wanted to go to a show in one of those old theatres so we bought tickets to what we thought would be an older man playing guitar (according to the posters we saw), but ended up seeing a Spanish rock show. LOL But it was really cool and great to see (plus the theatre the show in was amazing). Their fans were awesome and LOVIN' the show - especially this guy who must have been their number one fan. We also did a stroll along the beach and wow, we definitely aren't in Canada anymore - I didn't realize people suntanned naked on the beach - like full on naked on a public beach. All of the sudden topless tanning doesn't seem so bad - I think it should be mandatory that bottoms be kept on (yes, we saw a man that had no shorts on).
Arnold and I both think that who ever did the city planning for that city is a genius, we love the layout and they have a great Metro system. In the area were were in, all of the blocks were octagon shape vs square. I'm not sure if it makes driving difficult, but we thought it was fantastic (we saw an aeriel picture of it and it looked so cool - google it and see what I mean).
All in all, Barcelona was great - we are spending one more night there before we leave and I am definitely looking forward to heading back there.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Florence, A Blue Hair Tour, and a French Canadian
Have lots to catch up on - here is a bit about our last couple of days in Italy
Florence is such a beautiful city, but really, I think anywhere you go in Italy will be amazing. It is a great country - I never had the desire to go to Italy before, but now I can't wait to go back and was completely shocked by how much I love it there. We spent most of our time in Florence walking around the tourist areas or else in a cafe people watching and sipping on Prosecco. I think Arnold said it is his favorite city in Italy - I still can't decide, I think Rome is still my fav, but mostly because of sight seeing there and maybe not because of the actual city vibe? Hard to say. Either way, it was really, really nice, we even ended up adding on another night there because we were enjoying our time there - almost wish we had another day to see everything else we missed.
Because we were short on time, we signed up for one of those day tours so we could see Siena, San Gimignano and more of the Tuscany landscape. So yes, we were in one of those groups that had about 50 people following behind a tour guide that got transported around in a big bus. It was pretty funny - I never thought I would do one of those tours, but here we were in a group of 50 retired people. I think we were the youngest couple there by a long shot (and there were only two other young people in the group, but they were with their parents) but it was actually pretty good and a great way to see some sights for a cheap price. Tuscany is a great region and the cities around Florence are stunning (very, very beautiful). I could definitely spend a lot more time there and hopefully we get a chance to go back to that area and see it over a longer period of time vs one day. Plus I want to do a better wine tour of the area LOL.
Since we have left Canada, I have only met two other Canadians. They were young girls living in Arusha doing some volunteer work- so it's been rare. Wel,l on our Blue Hair tour a lady started talking to us and asked us where we were from - after we told her we were Canadians she got very excited and told us she was from Montreal. Sweet! Another Canadian - it's nice meeting other Canadians abroad. Anyway, we must have been chatting with her for about 6 minutes and out of no where she told us that she thought it would be a good idea if Quebec separated from Canada. Ummmm what?!?!? Did she really just say that to us, 5 minutes after meeting us. Hahah, it was hilarious. That was the first time I have ever met someone that actually wanted to separate from Canada. Thankfully that awkward conversation was interrupted by our tour guide - haha
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Ooh and I should mention this because its pretty funny - even though we were the youngest couple in the tour group, I think we were the only ones who couldn't stay awake on the bus ride LOL. As soon as we would step onto the bus we would both pass out haha - NO one else around us was sleeping - they were all "ooh'ing and aaah'ing" over the country side and here we are sleeping. You would think it would be the other way around haha...
Florence is such a beautiful city, but really, I think anywhere you go in Italy will be amazing. It is a great country - I never had the desire to go to Italy before, but now I can't wait to go back and was completely shocked by how much I love it there. We spent most of our time in Florence walking around the tourist areas or else in a cafe people watching and sipping on Prosecco. I think Arnold said it is his favorite city in Italy - I still can't decide, I think Rome is still my fav, but mostly because of sight seeing there and maybe not because of the actual city vibe? Hard to say. Either way, it was really, really nice, we even ended up adding on another night there because we were enjoying our time there - almost wish we had another day to see everything else we missed.
Because we were short on time, we signed up for one of those day tours so we could see Siena, San Gimignano and more of the Tuscany landscape. So yes, we were in one of those groups that had about 50 people following behind a tour guide that got transported around in a big bus. It was pretty funny - I never thought I would do one of those tours, but here we were in a group of 50 retired people. I think we were the youngest couple there by a long shot (and there were only two other young people in the group, but they were with their parents) but it was actually pretty good and a great way to see some sights for a cheap price. Tuscany is a great region and the cities around Florence are stunning (very, very beautiful). I could definitely spend a lot more time there and hopefully we get a chance to go back to that area and see it over a longer period of time vs one day. Plus I want to do a better wine tour of the area LOL.
Since we have left Canada, I have only met two other Canadians. They were young girls living in Arusha doing some volunteer work- so it's been rare. Wel,l on our Blue Hair tour a lady started talking to us and asked us where we were from - after we told her we were Canadians she got very excited and told us she was from Montreal. Sweet! Another Canadian - it's nice meeting other Canadians abroad. Anyway, we must have been chatting with her for about 6 minutes and out of no where she told us that she thought it would be a good idea if Quebec separated from Canada. Ummmm what?!?!? Did she really just say that to us, 5 minutes after meeting us. Hahah, it was hilarious. That was the first time I have ever met someone that actually wanted to separate from Canada. Thankfully that awkward conversation was interrupted by our tour guide - haha
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Ooh and I should mention this because its pretty funny - even though we were the youngest couple in the tour group, I think we were the only ones who couldn't stay awake on the bus ride LOL. As soon as we would step onto the bus we would both pass out haha - NO one else around us was sleeping - they were all "ooh'ing and aaah'ing" over the country side and here we are sleeping. You would think it would be the other way around haha...
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Pictures for Aemilia Sandals
So here are a couple of pictures of my sandal making experience ... just so you get a bit of an idea of my life in Capri .... makes me miss my little life in Capri and getting to make sandals every day :)
Enjoy!!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Aemilia Sandals ...
Just as a forewarning - this is going to be a long blog post, but I think its worth the read ;)
Ever since I was a little kid I had a thing for shoes - I'm not sure where I got it from, but I have just always loved shoes. My mother even told me a story about when I was very little, that I had the most shoes in the house. Funny story (or maybe not so funny depending on who is reading this) whenever I move, I was always go through my closet and get rid of the stuff I don't wear anymore. So of course I was packing up my closet and going through everything and noticed that I had way too many shoes - I did a quick count and well, umm, as it turned out, I had 50 pairs of shoes in my closet haha.... So yes, I have some sort of addiction.
Last year while we were away in New York, I came across this pop up sandal shop in a department store and bought a custom pair of sandals. I thought it was pretty amazing to buy a pair of sandals that were custom made for my foot and that I got to pick what style and color I wanted. After looking into a bit more and doing a bit of research, I became even more interested in it and it was something that I wanted to get involved in. Never did I ever expect it to work out and/or that it would actually happen, but I kept thinking about it none the less.
When we started planning our trip, one of the places that I wanted to go to was Capri - the city where the custom made sandals originated from. It was always in the back of my mind, but the plan had always been to live in Paris for 2-3 months and then continue on with our journey. Never did I think that I would actually live in Capri and/or have the opportunity that I did. By a fluke chance, we stumbled upon a shoe making shop on one of the side streets in Capri - after working up a bit of courage, I asked the man if he would teach me how to make sandals. Without even hesitating, he agreed to teach me - ummm, what? Did I hear that right - he said yes. After months of dreaming of this opportunity it was actually going to happen. We returned to Capri the following week, found a flat to rent and I started my cobbling training.
For 5 weeks I learnt how to make sandals from (in my opinion) one of the best sandal makers in the Amalfi Region. My mentor has been making sandals for the past 40 years and is the third generation of shoe makers. His family has been in the sandal making business for the past 95 years - first starting with his grandfather and continuing generation after generation. His grandfather made sandals for Royalty from all over Europe, his dad made sandals for Jackie Kennedy and Enzo has made sandals for a countless number of celebrities - one of his regular customers is Fiona Swarovski. I spent all of my time in his little shoe shop learning everything I possible could and just soaking in the Italian lifestyle. I first learnt how all of the styles were made and took all the notes that I could. Then I was allowed to start practicing what I had learnt and try my hand at sandal making. Much to our surprise, I was a very fast learner and picked up the skill pretty fast (he even asked if I had worked with my hands before doing stuff like this) - I think my mentor was both excited and proud of my sandal making. Every day I would head to "work" and learn all about leather, soles and shoe making (okay and a lot about Italian food haha). I would sit behind his desk and make shoes while he watched and told me stories about his life.
I will always cherish those moments and feel pretty lucky to have been given such an amazing opportunity. People around town started asking me if I was the one "making sandals". (It's a pretty small town and word gets around fast). Enzo can make a pair of sandals in about 7 minutes, I on the other hand take about 50 minutes haha... It is amazing watching him work. By the time Arnold got back to Capri, I had already been cobbling for a month and he was pretty surprised by my progress. I even made him a pair of shoes :)
So I am now a full fledge shoe cobbler and I think that it only adds fuel to my shoe addiction (Yes, I got to make myself sandals as well). Now I look at all the ladies wearing sandals and think about how they are made and the fit of the shoe haha. Enzo also put me in touch with a supplier, so I spent a morning in Napoli meeting with them to talk about different types of straps I need and to make sure they could make the correct type of soles for me. My first order of supplies will arrive in Canada shortly after we are back from our trip. The logo is currently in the works and after it has been finalized we are going to start working on a website. I am very, very excited about my new project and even more excited about the chance to do something that I am really passionate about it.
So yes, that is what I was doing in Capri for so long and that is why Arnold went back home for as long as he did. He would have been bored to tears had he stayed there for the whole time, while I was busy learning how to make sandals. I was more then happy to give up my dream to live in Paris if it meant that I was going to spend 5 weeks in Capri doing what I did.
And that is the story and the start of Aemilia Sandals
Hope you guys liked the story and it was worth the read (I'm trying to post pics of the sandals so you get a bit of an idea of what they look like) :)
Love Melissa
Ever since I was a little kid I had a thing for shoes - I'm not sure where I got it from, but I have just always loved shoes. My mother even told me a story about when I was very little, that I had the most shoes in the house. Funny story (or maybe not so funny depending on who is reading this) whenever I move, I was always go through my closet and get rid of the stuff I don't wear anymore. So of course I was packing up my closet and going through everything and noticed that I had way too many shoes - I did a quick count and well, umm, as it turned out, I had 50 pairs of shoes in my closet haha.... So yes, I have some sort of addiction.
Last year while we were away in New York, I came across this pop up sandal shop in a department store and bought a custom pair of sandals. I thought it was pretty amazing to buy a pair of sandals that were custom made for my foot and that I got to pick what style and color I wanted. After looking into a bit more and doing a bit of research, I became even more interested in it and it was something that I wanted to get involved in. Never did I ever expect it to work out and/or that it would actually happen, but I kept thinking about it none the less.
When we started planning our trip, one of the places that I wanted to go to was Capri - the city where the custom made sandals originated from. It was always in the back of my mind, but the plan had always been to live in Paris for 2-3 months and then continue on with our journey. Never did I think that I would actually live in Capri and/or have the opportunity that I did. By a fluke chance, we stumbled upon a shoe making shop on one of the side streets in Capri - after working up a bit of courage, I asked the man if he would teach me how to make sandals. Without even hesitating, he agreed to teach me - ummm, what? Did I hear that right - he said yes. After months of dreaming of this opportunity it was actually going to happen. We returned to Capri the following week, found a flat to rent and I started my cobbling training.
For 5 weeks I learnt how to make sandals from (in my opinion) one of the best sandal makers in the Amalfi Region. My mentor has been making sandals for the past 40 years and is the third generation of shoe makers. His family has been in the sandal making business for the past 95 years - first starting with his grandfather and continuing generation after generation. His grandfather made sandals for Royalty from all over Europe, his dad made sandals for Jackie Kennedy and Enzo has made sandals for a countless number of celebrities - one of his regular customers is Fiona Swarovski. I spent all of my time in his little shoe shop learning everything I possible could and just soaking in the Italian lifestyle. I first learnt how all of the styles were made and took all the notes that I could. Then I was allowed to start practicing what I had learnt and try my hand at sandal making. Much to our surprise, I was a very fast learner and picked up the skill pretty fast (he even asked if I had worked with my hands before doing stuff like this) - I think my mentor was both excited and proud of my sandal making. Every day I would head to "work" and learn all about leather, soles and shoe making (okay and a lot about Italian food haha). I would sit behind his desk and make shoes while he watched and told me stories about his life.
I will always cherish those moments and feel pretty lucky to have been given such an amazing opportunity. People around town started asking me if I was the one "making sandals". (It's a pretty small town and word gets around fast). Enzo can make a pair of sandals in about 7 minutes, I on the other hand take about 50 minutes haha... It is amazing watching him work. By the time Arnold got back to Capri, I had already been cobbling for a month and he was pretty surprised by my progress. I even made him a pair of shoes :)
So I am now a full fledge shoe cobbler and I think that it only adds fuel to my shoe addiction (Yes, I got to make myself sandals as well). Now I look at all the ladies wearing sandals and think about how they are made and the fit of the shoe haha. Enzo also put me in touch with a supplier, so I spent a morning in Napoli meeting with them to talk about different types of straps I need and to make sure they could make the correct type of soles for me. My first order of supplies will arrive in Canada shortly after we are back from our trip. The logo is currently in the works and after it has been finalized we are going to start working on a website. I am very, very excited about my new project and even more excited about the chance to do something that I am really passionate about it.
So yes, that is what I was doing in Capri for so long and that is why Arnold went back home for as long as he did. He would have been bored to tears had he stayed there for the whole time, while I was busy learning how to make sandals. I was more then happy to give up my dream to live in Paris if it meant that I was going to spend 5 weeks in Capri doing what I did.
And that is the story and the start of Aemilia Sandals
Hope you guys liked the story and it was worth the read (I'm trying to post pics of the sandals so you get a bit of an idea of what they look like) :)
Love Melissa
Monday, May 23, 2011
A Story about my backpack ...
Arnold has pointed out to me that when I am wearing my backpack people will stare and sometimes laugh. I also get A LOT of comments from taxi drivers and from the front desk staff when we check into Hotels. My backpack might be just a bit on the big side haha - but just a bit. But I think that its just the style of the actual backpack that makes it look worse then what it is. The bottom part of my pack ends at my butt (maybe in the middle?) and the top is higher then my head by 4 inches - so from the back, I think it pretty much
looks like my backpack has legs. Seeing how I am a bit on the smaller side, people really stare. I think the older couples are trying to figure out how I am able to carry this thing and feel bad for me haha - but it isn't too bad, just gets heavy after wearing it for too long. And really, its my fault that its so big - so therefor my problem (But Arnold is so sweet and helps me carry stuff).
While I was packing my bag back up when we were leaving Capri, I noticed that I had a lot of stuff haha. Don't tell Arnold this, but I think I have about 13 different tank tops, 4 pairs of shorts, 6 pairs of pants/jeans/tights, a couple t-shirts and a TON of other clothing items haha - maybe that is why I was so happy with my clothing choices, I have lots to choose from. My shoe count has also gone up to 8 somehow :S ooh boy ... haha, I know, that's really bad, but I couldn't help it. But at the end of the day, it's not my clothes that make my bag heavy, its my toiletries/medicine bag. I seriously need to figure out a way
to downsize some of that stuff - that is my goal now. To get my bag to weigh less. I think in total (between my backpack, purse and small backpack) I'm carrying around pretty much half of my body weight. We might be shipping some stuff back to Canada once we get to Spain LOL
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Sorry for the delay in blog posts - I couldn't get wifi on my PC and I write all of my posts on my PC and then post them on the blog - so therefore I couldn't get any of the posts off without having to re-type them all. I will update you guys on our time in Florence and life in Spain so far. Hope all is well. (a couple new posts below this one)
Since you guys all liked the suspense last time - I have another blog post coming soon that I think some people will find intersting - just finishing it up (its been hard to write). And no, no fun celebrities... haha
looks like my backpack has legs. Seeing how I am a bit on the smaller side, people really stare. I think the older couples are trying to figure out how I am able to carry this thing and feel bad for me haha - but it isn't too bad, just gets heavy after wearing it for too long. And really, its my fault that its so big - so therefor my problem (But Arnold is so sweet and helps me carry stuff).
While I was packing my bag back up when we were leaving Capri, I noticed that I had a lot of stuff haha. Don't tell Arnold this, but I think I have about 13 different tank tops, 4 pairs of shorts, 6 pairs of pants/jeans/tights, a couple t-shirts and a TON of other clothing items haha - maybe that is why I was so happy with my clothing choices, I have lots to choose from. My shoe count has also gone up to 8 somehow :S ooh boy ... haha, I know, that's really bad, but I couldn't help it. But at the end of the day, it's not my clothes that make my bag heavy, its my toiletries/medicine bag. I seriously need to figure out a way
to downsize some of that stuff - that is my goal now. To get my bag to weigh less. I think in total (between my backpack, purse and small backpack) I'm carrying around pretty much half of my body weight. We might be shipping some stuff back to Canada once we get to Spain LOL
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Sorry for the delay in blog posts - I couldn't get wifi on my PC and I write all of my posts on my PC and then post them on the blog - so therefore I couldn't get any of the posts off without having to re-type them all. I will update you guys on our time in Florence and life in Spain so far. Hope all is well. (a couple new posts below this one)
Since you guys all liked the suspense last time - I have another blog post coming soon that I think some people will find intersting - just finishing it up (its been hard to write). And no, no fun celebrities... haha
Massages outside of North America
While living in Calgary, I have to get frequent massages due to my back - I am pretty lucky to have one of the best massage therapists around (as well as an amazing Acupuncture person). I used to go for a massage about every 3 weeks (or I would try to) and definitely have been spoiled by amazing treatments. I normally don't go for a massage outside of Calgary unless we are on holiday because I'm so picky now and think that
the ones I get by my therapist are the best. But because we are away for a long period of time, I have had to go for a couple because of my headaches. And, here is the thing that I have noticed about massages outside of North America. They just aren't the same - and when I say the "same" I don't mean by quality, but more so by discretion used. Since leaving, I have had a total of 4 massages - two in Africa and now two in Italy.
And well with all four, I have left shaking my head - not because they were bad, but because they were so strange. People outside of NA do not use discretion - anything goes. They don't really care about covering your body parts as they do back home and act like its no big thing. Normally when you have to change from laying on your stomach to your back they create a curtain for you so that you can roll over without exposing your bits, but here, that doesn't happen.
At first, I was a bit unnerved by that fact, but I have just come to accept that it's normal and you just have to roll with it. Karley and I had quite the massage experience in Thailand and I think every since then, I have come to realize that when I go for a massage outside of NA, I can't expect the same privacy
that I get back home. Like I said, the massage part is still really good, but its just different then what I am used to getting back home. haha I'm going for a massage in the next couple of days, so I guess we will see how this one turns out. LOL
Love Melissa and Arnold
the ones I get by my therapist are the best. But because we are away for a long period of time, I have had to go for a couple because of my headaches. And, here is the thing that I have noticed about massages outside of North America. They just aren't the same - and when I say the "same" I don't mean by quality, but more so by discretion used. Since leaving, I have had a total of 4 massages - two in Africa and now two in Italy.
And well with all four, I have left shaking my head - not because they were bad, but because they were so strange. People outside of NA do not use discretion - anything goes. They don't really care about covering your body parts as they do back home and act like its no big thing. Normally when you have to change from laying on your stomach to your back they create a curtain for you so that you can roll over without exposing your bits, but here, that doesn't happen.
At first, I was a bit unnerved by that fact, but I have just come to accept that it's normal and you just have to roll with it. Karley and I had quite the massage experience in Thailand and I think every since then, I have come to realize that when I go for a massage outside of NA, I can't expect the same privacy
that I get back home. Like I said, the massage part is still really good, but its just different then what I am used to getting back home. haha I'm going for a massage in the next couple of days, so I guess we will see how this one turns out. LOL
Love Melissa and Arnold
The Black Market
I actually didn't even know that the black market in Italy existed until I read about it in a Lonely Planet book. And when I say black market, I am talking more so about business owners not claiming all of their daily sales for the government. Not the shady Mafia black market dealing with drugs and currency stuff. Apparently, Italy would have the fourth largest economies if it wasn't for the black market - pretty much any time you
don't get a receipt with a purchase you can guarantee that the sale is being pocketed and not recorded in order to save on taxes. (That is what I have read anyways). So it is actually pretty interesting to see (now that we know about it) and it can be very annoying at the same time.
Here is my story on why it is so annoying - I went into this store while we were in Sorrento in order to get some supplies for myself and one of the things that I needed was pretty important - I was in a bit of a panic because I had to catch the bus, most shops were closed at that point (siesta hour)- so I didn't have time to shop around. Anyways, I waited for this shop to open and found what I needed. When I went to the till I was charged 17 Euro - 17 Euro for THREE basic supplies. I sort of did a quick calculation in my head and thought that I guess that it could be reasonable, but because I was in a panic and feeling desperate, I paid
the lady even though I was really shocked by the price. At the time I was too flustered to notice the small things and should have just walked away, but I too naive to think that I would get ripped off in Italy at a proper store. (It was the first time I had to buy toiletries in Europe and just thought it was a bit more expensive then what I was used to). It wasn't until after I got home that I read about the black market and the scams here. I should have known better when she didn't ring in the items and gave me change from her purse even though the cash register had a bunch of change in it.
So the lady saw that I was a tourist, didn't speak the language and took advantage of me - haha I totally got the mazunga pricing. I was so mad about it that I wanted to go back and tell the lady a piece of my mind, but Arnold talked me out of it. I went into a different store the next day and saw that everything I had just bought for 17 Euro would have actually been half the price. LOL But you live and learn - I have no problem now to walk away if I don't like something and what to watch out for. Filthy scam artists, I tell you.
Love Melissa and Arnold
don't get a receipt with a purchase you can guarantee that the sale is being pocketed and not recorded in order to save on taxes. (That is what I have read anyways). So it is actually pretty interesting to see (now that we know about it) and it can be very annoying at the same time.
Here is my story on why it is so annoying - I went into this store while we were in Sorrento in order to get some supplies for myself and one of the things that I needed was pretty important - I was in a bit of a panic because I had to catch the bus, most shops were closed at that point (siesta hour)- so I didn't have time to shop around. Anyways, I waited for this shop to open and found what I needed. When I went to the till I was charged 17 Euro - 17 Euro for THREE basic supplies. I sort of did a quick calculation in my head and thought that I guess that it could be reasonable, but because I was in a panic and feeling desperate, I paid
the lady even though I was really shocked by the price. At the time I was too flustered to notice the small things and should have just walked away, but I too naive to think that I would get ripped off in Italy at a proper store. (It was the first time I had to buy toiletries in Europe and just thought it was a bit more expensive then what I was used to). It wasn't until after I got home that I read about the black market and the scams here. I should have known better when she didn't ring in the items and gave me change from her purse even though the cash register had a bunch of change in it.
So the lady saw that I was a tourist, didn't speak the language and took advantage of me - haha I totally got the mazunga pricing. I was so mad about it that I wanted to go back and tell the lady a piece of my mind, but Arnold talked me out of it. I went into a different store the next day and saw that everything I had just bought for 17 Euro would have actually been half the price. LOL But you live and learn - I have no problem now to walk away if I don't like something and what to watch out for. Filthy scam artists, I tell you.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Monday, May 16, 2011
Cabs are here...
Okay, here is the super cool story I was talking about ...
From Capri we took a ferry and then a train to get to Florence. It seems like no matter how small the travel day is, it always takes it out of us. As soon as we get into Florence we head straight to the hotel and crash for an hour. Seeing how we were still pretty tired from the early start of the day, we wanted to take it pretty easy on Saturday and not do a lot of sightseeing. Our hotel is in a really good location - pretty central to all of the sights and within walking distance of everything.
We didn't really have a game plan in mind - just thought we would walk around and then go for some eats. After spending about an hour walking around, Arnold suggested sitting down in this cafe in one of the plaza's for a drink. Seeing how I was craving some prosecco, it was an easy choice. After we were seated and our drinks arrived we started talking about Jersey Shore and how they were in Florence filming the new season - so of course we started say how random it would be to see them and all that. Well maybe 15 minutes goes by and all of the sudden Arnold is like "hey look, it's Jwoww!!!" ..... Booyah!! All of the Jersey Girls were walking down the street and filming an episode of the shores - woot woot. They walked right past our table and actually ended up eating at the restaurant we were at. It was hilarious. I ended up sharing the bathroom with Jwoww and her female bodyguard haha. I was waiting to use the washroom when she came out. To film an episode, it was quite the production - they had an entourage of about 30 people (film crew, sound crew, bodyguards, security, and just random MTV employees). Plus, I think there was about 30-40 fans hanging out around the restaurant to see what was going on AND the paps were also following them as well. They must have spent close to two hours at the restaurant doing their thing. We ended up leaving to look for a place to eat and that's when we saw them again - they were walking in the same direction as us, so we let
them pass and then followed for a bit. They were still filming an episode so it was a pretty funny scene. They had about 40 fans running after them them, followed by the paps, plus all the MTV crew. We would have loved to see the guys as well - especially Pauly D, but maybe tomorrow ;) ahah.
Sooo random and so totally awesome. Depending on what they cut out of the filming you guys might be able to see us in the background haha. A bit about the girls - they are SMALL!!! all of them ... Jwoww is the tallest (maybe 1-2 inches taller then me?), followed by Sammi and then the two meatballs. JWoww is super skinny now - I think that they are on all diets actually. We read an article about them and Snooki said she doesn't eat carbs now and watching what she ate??? But yah, they look much bigger then they actually are on TV. I'm not going to lie - I was pretty pumped about seeing them hahahahah ... especially because the show is hilarious - Snooki is soo cute and short (and way smaller then you think). It made for an entertaining day and gave us something to laugh about later that night.
Oh yeah, Florence Yeah!! It's teee-shirt time ... Jersey Shore is my guilty pleasure - haha I can't help but love it.
So there you have it - our run in with the Shore Girls
Love Melissa and Arnold
From Capri we took a ferry and then a train to get to Florence. It seems like no matter how small the travel day is, it always takes it out of us. As soon as we get into Florence we head straight to the hotel and crash for an hour. Seeing how we were still pretty tired from the early start of the day, we wanted to take it pretty easy on Saturday and not do a lot of sightseeing. Our hotel is in a really good location - pretty central to all of the sights and within walking distance of everything.
We didn't really have a game plan in mind - just thought we would walk around and then go for some eats. After spending about an hour walking around, Arnold suggested sitting down in this cafe in one of the plaza's for a drink. Seeing how I was craving some prosecco, it was an easy choice. After we were seated and our drinks arrived we started talking about Jersey Shore and how they were in Florence filming the new season - so of course we started say how random it would be to see them and all that. Well maybe 15 minutes goes by and all of the sudden Arnold is like "hey look, it's Jwoww!!!" ..... Booyah!! All of the Jersey Girls were walking down the street and filming an episode of the shores - woot woot. They walked right past our table and actually ended up eating at the restaurant we were at. It was hilarious. I ended up sharing the bathroom with Jwoww and her female bodyguard haha. I was waiting to use the washroom when she came out. To film an episode, it was quite the production - they had an entourage of about 30 people (film crew, sound crew, bodyguards, security, and just random MTV employees). Plus, I think there was about 30-40 fans hanging out around the restaurant to see what was going on AND the paps were also following them as well. They must have spent close to two hours at the restaurant doing their thing. We ended up leaving to look for a place to eat and that's when we saw them again - they were walking in the same direction as us, so we let
them pass and then followed for a bit. They were still filming an episode so it was a pretty funny scene. They had about 40 fans running after them them, followed by the paps, plus all the MTV crew. We would have loved to see the guys as well - especially Pauly D, but maybe tomorrow ;) ahah.
Sooo random and so totally awesome. Depending on what they cut out of the filming you guys might be able to see us in the background haha. A bit about the girls - they are SMALL!!! all of them ... Jwoww is the tallest (maybe 1-2 inches taller then me?), followed by Sammi and then the two meatballs. JWoww is super skinny now - I think that they are on all diets actually. We read an article about them and Snooki said she doesn't eat carbs now and watching what she ate??? But yah, they look much bigger then they actually are on TV. I'm not going to lie - I was pretty pumped about seeing them hahahahah ... especially because the show is hilarious - Snooki is soo cute and short (and way smaller then you think). It made for an entertaining day and gave us something to laugh about later that night.
Oh yeah, Florence Yeah!! It's teee-shirt time ... Jersey Shore is my guilty pleasure - haha I can't help but love it.
So there you have it - our run in with the Shore Girls
Love Melissa and Arnold
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Quick Update...
Just wanted to give you guys a quick update on our whereabouts and plans. We left Capri yesterday and are now in Florence for a couple of day. Beautiful city!
It was really hard for me to leave Capri (I was pretty sad) - I had such an amazing time there and it will always be a very special place for me. I got to know a couple locals there and had a nice little routine going, but I guess I had to leave eventually. On to new adventures, right.
We are doing a tour of the Tuscany area tomorrow - I can't wait!!! Hello wine tour :) After Florence we are actually off to Spain for a couple of weeks. We were actually planning on going to Greece and up the coast that way, but the timing of things didn't work out, so Spain it is. Pretty exciting because I have always wanted to go there - plus we will be in Barcelona for the Man U football game (Arnold is happy about that development).
Anyways, big day tomorrow so I have to run... hope all is well. Thanks for reading
Much Love
Melissa and Arnold
PS. I have a very, very cool blog post coming ... eeeeeek. I'll try and write it tomorrow if I'm not too tired and/or tipsy LOL (Natalie, you are going to LOVE it haha)
ooh and Arnold did end up missing his train in Rome and had quite the travel day - haha poor guy... it was planes, trains and automobiles (and a ferry) in order for him to get back to Capri.
ciao ciao
It was really hard for me to leave Capri (I was pretty sad) - I had such an amazing time there and it will always be a very special place for me. I got to know a couple locals there and had a nice little routine going, but I guess I had to leave eventually. On to new adventures, right.
We are doing a tour of the Tuscany area tomorrow - I can't wait!!! Hello wine tour :) After Florence we are actually off to Spain for a couple of weeks. We were actually planning on going to Greece and up the coast that way, but the timing of things didn't work out, so Spain it is. Pretty exciting because I have always wanted to go there - plus we will be in Barcelona for the Man U football game (Arnold is happy about that development).
Anyways, big day tomorrow so I have to run... hope all is well. Thanks for reading
Much Love
Melissa and Arnold
PS. I have a very, very cool blog post coming ... eeeeeek. I'll try and write it tomorrow if I'm not too tired and/or tipsy LOL (Natalie, you are going to LOVE it haha)
ooh and Arnold did end up missing his train in Rome and had quite the travel day - haha poor guy... it was planes, trains and automobiles (and a ferry) in order for him to get back to Capri.
ciao ciao
Fashion Police
Not that I am one to talk because I have pretty much been a walking advertisement for Lululemon on this entire trip, but seriously, there is some crazy fashion in Italy. For the most part the people here are pretty stylish and have some really nice clothes, but then you see some outfits and wonder what they were thinking and/or when that became a good idea. Here are some of my favorite styles so far.
Hogan - I've come to notice that there is a store called "Hogan" here and the concept is pimped out running shoes. So picture the shoes you wear to the gym, but in silver (or bedazzled) and with a wedge heel. Like I don't get it, BUT they love it here (could be a European thing? I'll keep you posted). Like I understand the concept of having comfortable footwear and not wanting it to be ugly, but in my opinion they are ugly - I would rather wear my gym shoes out then those things (and the aren't cheap) haha.
Track Suits - Like I said, I can't talk because all I wear is Lulu, but a full on track suit? That is wear I draw the line. The funny thing is, they are wearing it for fashion and not for comfort. And the best has to be the matching track suit couple. It really makes my day when I see that.
Swimming "Costumes" and short shorts - I love how the guys here have skimpier bathing suit bottoms then me - its very entertaining at the beach. And I have also noticed that the guys at the gym wear tighter and shorter shorts then me when working out. haha. I think its a look that Arnold should start rocking.
Since we are on the topic of fashion, I should mention one other thing that was just as amusing to us since we have been away - plus I don't want people to think that I only pick on Italians, because they aren't the only ones committing these offences. When we were on our safari, we didn't get the memo about packing our safari gear and were pretty upset about it. We forgot our camo pants/shirt combos, our fly fishing vests so we could carry 100 rolls of film - oh wait a minute, everything is digital, so why all the pockets?, animal print shirts, wide brimmed hat, and white gloves (Ally, why are you laughing? ;) haha) I think Arnold and I were some of the very few people who didn't own anything in Khaki while on the safari and dressed somewhat
normal. It was like as soon as they heard the word Safari they had to go all tacky tourist styles. haha anyways, like I said, I can'treally talk and I'm sure when people see me, they laugh at me, but I had to share some of my thoughts on the fashion I have seen so far.
Oh and one last thing - not fashion related, but still REALLY fun to watch. People posing for pictures - wow, that takes people watching to a new level. It is honestly really funny. Next time I see it happening, I will take a picture to show you guys what I mean.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Hogan - I've come to notice that there is a store called "Hogan" here and the concept is pimped out running shoes. So picture the shoes you wear to the gym, but in silver (or bedazzled) and with a wedge heel. Like I don't get it, BUT they love it here (could be a European thing? I'll keep you posted). Like I understand the concept of having comfortable footwear and not wanting it to be ugly, but in my opinion they are ugly - I would rather wear my gym shoes out then those things (and the aren't cheap) haha.
Track Suits - Like I said, I can't talk because all I wear is Lulu, but a full on track suit? That is wear I draw the line. The funny thing is, they are wearing it for fashion and not for comfort. And the best has to be the matching track suit couple. It really makes my day when I see that.
Swimming "Costumes" and short shorts - I love how the guys here have skimpier bathing suit bottoms then me - its very entertaining at the beach. And I have also noticed that the guys at the gym wear tighter and shorter shorts then me when working out. haha. I think its a look that Arnold should start rocking.
Since we are on the topic of fashion, I should mention one other thing that was just as amusing to us since we have been away - plus I don't want people to think that I only pick on Italians, because they aren't the only ones committing these offences. When we were on our safari, we didn't get the memo about packing our safari gear and were pretty upset about it. We forgot our camo pants/shirt combos, our fly fishing vests so we could carry 100 rolls of film - oh wait a minute, everything is digital, so why all the pockets?, animal print shirts, wide brimmed hat, and white gloves (Ally, why are you laughing? ;) haha) I think Arnold and I were some of the very few people who didn't own anything in Khaki while on the safari and dressed somewhat
normal. It was like as soon as they heard the word Safari they had to go all tacky tourist styles. haha anyways, like I said, I can'treally talk and I'm sure when people see me, they laugh at me, but I had to share some of my thoughts on the fashion I have seen so far.
Oh and one last thing - not fashion related, but still REALLY fun to watch. People posing for pictures - wow, that takes people watching to a new level. It is honestly really funny. Next time I see it happening, I will take a picture to show you guys what I mean.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Missing Home...
I get a lot of emails asking me if I miss home and surprisingly, I don't. I thought I would miss my blackberry, my routine and be annoyed by living out of a backpack, but so far things have been great. The food has been pretty good for me (only down side is I eat a lot of food that is bad for me now haha) - I'm not craving anything and if I do, the places we have been generally have something similar to what I want. Living out of a backpack has actually been better then I thought it would be (it's just carrying the thing that creates problems) - I've got packing my bag down to a science and everything has its place. For once, I actually packed really well and love all my clothes that I brought - don't regret one choice and don't really need anything else. (shocking for me - and funny story, Arnold hated all of his clothes he brought and wanted to throw everything away hahah). I really, really do not miss my phone- I did at first, but only because I didn't ever know what day it was or what time it was, but now I don't care about that.
Some things that I do miss though is: popcorn from the Theatre loaded with butter, Jersey Shore and my wallet haha. I didn't bring a wallet so my cards aren't really organized and its kind of messy, but it's all good. So other then that, life on that road has been really good. I also missed my electric toothbrush and caved and asked Arnold to bring that back for me - I just couldn't do without it. So that sort of answers that question - I miss certain things, but in general, not really and not enough to make me want to come home
one day earlier. ;)
Love Melissa and Arnold
Some things that I do miss though is: popcorn from the Theatre loaded with butter, Jersey Shore and my wallet haha. I didn't bring a wallet so my cards aren't really organized and its kind of messy, but it's all good. So other then that, life on that road has been really good. I also missed my electric toothbrush and caved and asked Arnold to bring that back for me - I just couldn't do without it. So that sort of answers that question - I miss certain things, but in general, not really and not enough to make me want to come home
one day earlier. ;)
Love Melissa and Arnold
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Pasqua (aka Easter)
Being in Italy for Pasqua was a really interesting experience because of the heavy catholic presence. Pasqua is HUGE in Italy - like it is definitely a big deal here and are very strict on following tradition. I'm not well versed in the Catholic religion, but I definitely know a lot more now. There are a couple things that I found interesting and thought I would share.
As the case in most religions/ethnic groups, food is a big tradition - so during Pasqua there are certain foods that they make for the holiday. One is this bread thing - Easter Pizza or Easter Bread. Essentially it is a ring of bread with a full egg (full egg as in - straight from the carton) spread out evenly around the ring- then they put little crosses over the egg (for symbolic purposes, but mostly to hold the egg in place while it bakes). So anyways, as you can imagine, eggs become a very hot commodity leading up to Pasque, therefore increasing
the cost of the eggs due to the high demand. Haha who would have ever thought that they would jack up the cost of eggs leading up to the holiday and then the next day they go right back down in price - oh, Italy, how I love you.
I should also mention that people were starting to get a little pushy in lines at the bakery - they wanted to make sure they could get a fresh Easter Pizza bread and so of course they were waiting till the last day possible to buy them. I was in the bakery trying to buy just a regular loaf of bread and people kept pushing past me because they thought I was going to get the "last" pizza bread. haha ... I just laughed and waited and watched all the drama around me.
Before Pasqua, Capri was a pretty sleepy little city, pretty casual and for the most part, pretty chill. But as soon as about 4pm on the Friday before the weekend hit, Capri changed in a second. I think the city doubled in size and I have never seen so many 4 inch heels and designer bags in my life. It was a totally different city. It was the first time since we left Calgary, that I felt like a dirty backpacking student haha - everyone was pimped out in their best clothes. The funny thing about the heels is, that as mentioned before, the city is built on a hill and the streets are cobblestone - I don't even know how they were walking around like that. And on Easter Monday, a HUGE cruise ship arrived - from what I heard, it had about 5,000 people on board that all came up into the city. As you can imagine the city was crazy - I hid out for most of the weekend to get away from the crowds. Thankfully after the weekend things went back to the way they were.
Since our flat is very close to the main plaza, I can hear the church bells chiming all day long (they ring on the hour, quarter past, half past, quarter to and so on) so they are always going off - which is actually really nice. Anyways, from Thursday to Monday at certain points in the day the bells would chime in this unbelievable pattern for about 5 minutes - obviously, it was to symbolize the significant events of Easter weekend and it was really, really quite beautiful.
Time to go...
Love Melissa and Arnold
As the case in most religions/ethnic groups, food is a big tradition - so during Pasqua there are certain foods that they make for the holiday. One is this bread thing - Easter Pizza or Easter Bread. Essentially it is a ring of bread with a full egg (full egg as in - straight from the carton) spread out evenly around the ring- then they put little crosses over the egg (for symbolic purposes, but mostly to hold the egg in place while it bakes). So anyways, as you can imagine, eggs become a very hot commodity leading up to Pasque, therefore increasing
the cost of the eggs due to the high demand. Haha who would have ever thought that they would jack up the cost of eggs leading up to the holiday and then the next day they go right back down in price - oh, Italy, how I love you.
I should also mention that people were starting to get a little pushy in lines at the bakery - they wanted to make sure they could get a fresh Easter Pizza bread and so of course they were waiting till the last day possible to buy them. I was in the bakery trying to buy just a regular loaf of bread and people kept pushing past me because they thought I was going to get the "last" pizza bread. haha ... I just laughed and waited and watched all the drama around me.
Before Pasqua, Capri was a pretty sleepy little city, pretty casual and for the most part, pretty chill. But as soon as about 4pm on the Friday before the weekend hit, Capri changed in a second. I think the city doubled in size and I have never seen so many 4 inch heels and designer bags in my life. It was a totally different city. It was the first time since we left Calgary, that I felt like a dirty backpacking student haha - everyone was pimped out in their best clothes. The funny thing about the heels is, that as mentioned before, the city is built on a hill and the streets are cobblestone - I don't even know how they were walking around like that. And on Easter Monday, a HUGE cruise ship arrived - from what I heard, it had about 5,000 people on board that all came up into the city. As you can imagine the city was crazy - I hid out for most of the weekend to get away from the crowds. Thankfully after the weekend things went back to the way they were.
Since our flat is very close to the main plaza, I can hear the church bells chiming all day long (they ring on the hour, quarter past, half past, quarter to and so on) so they are always going off - which is actually really nice. Anyways, from Thursday to Monday at certain points in the day the bells would chime in this unbelievable pattern for about 5 minutes - obviously, it was to symbolize the significant events of Easter weekend and it was really, really quite beautiful.
Time to go...
Love Melissa and Arnold
Monday, May 9, 2011
As most of you know Capri is a small little island just off the Amalfi Coast - a stunning little island might I add. During the winter the town's population is about 8,000 people, during the spring about 12,000 and then in the summer about 40,000-50,000 people - so it can get extremely busy and congested. This also doesn't count Anacapri - which is another small town on the Island. (I haven't been there yet, Arnold told me that I had to wait for him to go check it out.) The town itself is located at the top of the island - I would say its about 2kms from top to bottom. So basically, the town is built on a hill and to get to most places
within the city you either have to walk up hill or down hill at some point in the trip. Most of Capri isn't accessible by car, which is actually pretty cool, but a bit crazy too. Just before you reach the main plaza in Capri, is the last bus stop and after that point no cars are allowed, and well wouldn't be able to fit anyways. So most people in Capri do not own a car, maybe a scooter, but that is about it. All of the streets after the main plaza are very narrow - the width of a street is about three people side by side. So very narrow
and ever more narrow when people decide to stop right in the middle and block traffic (but I'm not bitter about that at all haha).They have these very little motorized "trucks" that help transport food to the little stores throughout the winding streets, but they can only by used on certain streets. The Ambulance here is sooo small - as you can imagine, it has to be in order to fit down the streets. I can't really describe it - two people sit up front and then in the back one person may be able to almost lay down in the back with a person
sitting beside them. I would say that the actual ambulance itself is about 6 feet tall and 9 feet long. (Smaller then the minivans back home)
Another interesting thing about Capri (and other parts of Italy) is Siesta time. Before I came here, I thought the idea of Siesta time was fantastic and then it started messing with my schedule and it was no longer fantastic. Most places are closed from 1-3PM and then closed all day on Sunday. I have realized that 1-3PM is the time that I like to get stuff done, but of course everything is closed and don't even get me started on Sunday's - who doesn't love to use a Sunday to get caught up on grocery shopping. Now that I have adjusted to the lifestyle, I love it - but at first I was not a fan. I was a bit annoying, but have learnt to plan around it. Also, nothing is on time here - if they say they open at 3PM, it means that they open at 3:15PM - they are never early haha. Just another thing to remember and to get used to.
I really, really love life in Capri and I'm a bit sad to have to leave, I'm excited to travel again, but I know it's going to be hard to leave on Saturday. I have had a chance to really explore the Island and its incredibly beautiful - plus the people are starting to warm up to me now. haha Some of them are actually pretty nice to me now.
More posts to come...
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Arnold gets here today!! I am sooo excited to have my Yosh back... he's actually late, so I think that he missed his train in Rome :S ... I have a feeling he won't be too happy when he does arrive, but I've got things to do so he can spend the afternoon sleeping and relaxing.
within the city you either have to walk up hill or down hill at some point in the trip. Most of Capri isn't accessible by car, which is actually pretty cool, but a bit crazy too. Just before you reach the main plaza in Capri, is the last bus stop and after that point no cars are allowed, and well wouldn't be able to fit anyways. So most people in Capri do not own a car, maybe a scooter, but that is about it. All of the streets after the main plaza are very narrow - the width of a street is about three people side by side. So very narrow
and ever more narrow when people decide to stop right in the middle and block traffic (but I'm not bitter about that at all haha).They have these very little motorized "trucks" that help transport food to the little stores throughout the winding streets, but they can only by used on certain streets. The Ambulance here is sooo small - as you can imagine, it has to be in order to fit down the streets. I can't really describe it - two people sit up front and then in the back one person may be able to almost lay down in the back with a person
sitting beside them. I would say that the actual ambulance itself is about 6 feet tall and 9 feet long. (Smaller then the minivans back home)
Another interesting thing about Capri (and other parts of Italy) is Siesta time. Before I came here, I thought the idea of Siesta time was fantastic and then it started messing with my schedule and it was no longer fantastic. Most places are closed from 1-3PM and then closed all day on Sunday. I have realized that 1-3PM is the time that I like to get stuff done, but of course everything is closed and don't even get me started on Sunday's - who doesn't love to use a Sunday to get caught up on grocery shopping. Now that I have adjusted to the lifestyle, I love it - but at first I was not a fan. I was a bit annoying, but have learnt to plan around it. Also, nothing is on time here - if they say they open at 3PM, it means that they open at 3:15PM - they are never early haha. Just another thing to remember and to get used to.
I really, really love life in Capri and I'm a bit sad to have to leave, I'm excited to travel again, but I know it's going to be hard to leave on Saturday. I have had a chance to really explore the Island and its incredibly beautiful - plus the people are starting to warm up to me now. haha Some of them are actually pretty nice to me now.
More posts to come...
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Arnold gets here today!! I am sooo excited to have my Yosh back... he's actually late, so I think that he missed his train in Rome :S ... I have a feeling he won't be too happy when he does arrive, but I've got things to do so he can spend the afternoon sleeping and relaxing.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
"Capri Fitness"
Okay, first.... did you watch? did you watch?? OMG, loved, loved, loved the Royal Wedding. I loved it so much that I actually watched it twice haha ... thought it was amazing and the dress, stunning. And how cute were William and Harry - especially loved when Prince Harry turned back to look at Kate and whispered to his brother about what to expect AND of course when Prince William finally saw his bride and told her that she looked beautiful. Okay, enough gushing ... and Karley, you are hilarious, loved your comment
Allora, after arriving in Capri, the first thing I wanted to do was find where the gym was and see if I could join it haha (what? the gym is more important then a place to live, besides, Arnold could handle the flat hunting haha). It took us all of about 5 minutes to find one and even less time to sign up for a month. A very, very expensive month, might I add, but it was well worth it. I think that's when Arnold knew that I would be more then fine on my own - I could finally get back to my workouts. So yes, I have been enjoying some sweet workouts in a proper gym and no longer having to workout in our hotel room - haha, that is a story for another day - lets just say Arnold was calling me Rocky when I started using my backpack as weights.
The gym is small, but definitely big enough for what I need. The view from the gym is pretty much the best thing about it - as I run on the treadmill I get to look out into the Bay of Naples and watch all the boats coming in going. It sure beats the view at my old gym - haha okay, there wasn't a view. Plus I swear that it is the cleanest gym I have ever been in. A lady cleans the entire gym every morning - its amazing. So yes, I have definitely been very happy about living here - another reason why life has been great.
I have never been one for fitness classes - mostly because I want to quit in the middle if they are too hard and I have terrible coordination. But I have been pretty bored with my Ipod lately and the one class always has good music so I thought I would try them out - plus they are included in the cost of the membership so I might as well do it, right? So the first class I did was Pilates on a Friday morning - first, I have never done Pilates before and second, it was ALL in Italian (obviously) haha. Let's just say I can count like a champ in Italian now. It was actually a lot of fun, but super hard - I had to always be watching the instructor and/or the other people around me in order to figure out what do next. The second class I tried was a "total body" class (it was the class with the sweet tunes) and it was definitely entertaining. The start of the class sort of reminded me of those 80's workout that I have seen - all we needed was some leg warmers. The class was a lot of fun and wasn't too complicated so I could follow along pretty easily - I just hope it doesn't become a step class because that could really get interesting. So now I am going to classes on Wednesday and Fridays - not only do I get a good workout in, but I get to have a good laugh after.
Two more things that I wanted to quickly mention is that one, people honestly stare at me like I am some sort of mythical creature when I run through the main square to get to the gym - it's like they have never seen a person running and/or working out - it is hilarious. Second, the ladies that do the fitness classes are the best. It's like being back in high school - some are okay with me being there and some, haha do not like me at all. A couple say hi to me in the morning and the others just give me dirty looks - I have to make sure that I don't use the wrong mat during the class - they all have their spots so I need to be careful where I stand and/or place my mat. I think that a couple of the ladies there go to the classes as more of a gossip thing then to actually work out - the one lady doesn't even bother doing half of the class. It's awesome. Like I said, they are the best. (Some of them even dress the same - its like they call each other in the morning to plan their outfits haha) ...
Hope all is well with everyone - thanks for reading and all the emails/comments.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Allora, after arriving in Capri, the first thing I wanted to do was find where the gym was and see if I could join it haha (what? the gym is more important then a place to live, besides, Arnold could handle the flat hunting haha). It took us all of about 5 minutes to find one and even less time to sign up for a month. A very, very expensive month, might I add, but it was well worth it. I think that's when Arnold knew that I would be more then fine on my own - I could finally get back to my workouts. So yes, I have been enjoying some sweet workouts in a proper gym and no longer having to workout in our hotel room - haha, that is a story for another day - lets just say Arnold was calling me Rocky when I started using my backpack as weights.
The gym is small, but definitely big enough for what I need. The view from the gym is pretty much the best thing about it - as I run on the treadmill I get to look out into the Bay of Naples and watch all the boats coming in going. It sure beats the view at my old gym - haha okay, there wasn't a view. Plus I swear that it is the cleanest gym I have ever been in. A lady cleans the entire gym every morning - its amazing. So yes, I have definitely been very happy about living here - another reason why life has been great.
I have never been one for fitness classes - mostly because I want to quit in the middle if they are too hard and I have terrible coordination. But I have been pretty bored with my Ipod lately and the one class always has good music so I thought I would try them out - plus they are included in the cost of the membership so I might as well do it, right? So the first class I did was Pilates on a Friday morning - first, I have never done Pilates before and second, it was ALL in Italian (obviously) haha. Let's just say I can count like a champ in Italian now. It was actually a lot of fun, but super hard - I had to always be watching the instructor and/or the other people around me in order to figure out what do next. The second class I tried was a "total body" class (it was the class with the sweet tunes) and it was definitely entertaining. The start of the class sort of reminded me of those 80's workout that I have seen - all we needed was some leg warmers. The class was a lot of fun and wasn't too complicated so I could follow along pretty easily - I just hope it doesn't become a step class because that could really get interesting. So now I am going to classes on Wednesday and Fridays - not only do I get a good workout in, but I get to have a good laugh after.
Two more things that I wanted to quickly mention is that one, people honestly stare at me like I am some sort of mythical creature when I run through the main square to get to the gym - it's like they have never seen a person running and/or working out - it is hilarious. Second, the ladies that do the fitness classes are the best. It's like being back in high school - some are okay with me being there and some, haha do not like me at all. A couple say hi to me in the morning and the others just give me dirty looks - I have to make sure that I don't use the wrong mat during the class - they all have their spots so I need to be careful where I stand and/or place my mat. I think that a couple of the ladies there go to the classes as more of a gossip thing then to actually work out - the one lady doesn't even bother doing half of the class. It's awesome. Like I said, they are the best. (Some of them even dress the same - its like they call each other in the morning to plan their outfits haha) ...
Hope all is well with everyone - thanks for reading and all the emails/comments.
Love Melissa and Arnold
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