“I love you, I think, and you are my home.”

I've been staring out my window for a good hour now. Just watching the trees. Isn't it funny when fall arrives, they change color and start falling, first one, then two, then a few more and then suddenly they go all together and there's nothing to the tree but the bare ''skeleton''. Long empty branches reminding you of what once was. Ever considered us humans are just like that? People, things, events, trauma, chipping away at us till there's nothing left? Yeah every spring trees get green again, new life, new start…I suppose for us that start is a bit harder to achieve. I never liked the fall, it's the whole dead, cold, dark, wet, gloomy part that follows that I despise, the part I wish I could skip alltogether. 

Which is why there hasn't yet been the post with the summer get away. First off missing the warm summer sun and the beach is one thing, and having no energy to actually edit pictures is another. I have no idea when did photography turn into a chore for me. Just like Inktober. I have no idea when it stopped being fun and it's only my stubborness that made me see things through. And the third reason is that obviously my photos contain pictures of me. Go figure. You know this year is the first year that I actually took a lot of pictures at the beach? I actually felt confident and good about myself so I took tons of pictures in bikinis. I don't usually do that, because well easier to hide behind the lens,  and secondly I don't want that kind of attention. 

I find it so upsetting how many people that haven't talked to me in YEARS reached out to me after posting just one picture on Instagram. By people I mean men. Why do women put up with men? Because when I complain and my best friend says ''oh you know Nikki not all men…'' she's right. Henry Cavill would never. But really, and this is a question for my guy readers. You think being sleazy will make us magically drop our panties? You think gross comments will make us swoon? You think I appreciate it when you tell me my art is fine but you rather look at me? I'm offended not flattered. This is not a ''in a room full or art I'd still stare at you'' type thing, all you made me feel is like a shitty artist or just not good enough or just…how is a friend a friend if they can't support your work but stalk your private profile? Like I can't…this is a when you wear something with a cleavage and men stare down your shirt instead of into your eyes when you talk type thing.

You think cheap pick up lines are a way to a womans heart? You think any of these tricks actually work? Deep sigh. I am once again considering of removing the ''private instagram''. I know it's stupid. I know I should be able to post what I want and just block / ignore the assholes but when it's 10 assholes a day and once nice person every few months it just gets exhausting you know. I get so pissed off when every now and then there's someone on my ''business profile'' and all they do is like ALL of the stories in the ''my face'' category but don't even look at anything else. It makes me roll my eyes all the way into my skull. Serious question, what happens if I proclaim I'm a lesbian on all profiles? Will these creeps fuck off then? No disrespect to my LGBTQ comunity, you guys know I love you, I'm just wondering, will this send a message to sleazy men that I am NOT interested? Sigh…

In connection to that you get a book review today. Because there are three things I am positive about. First , Edward was a vampire. Lol, kidding. Not that book. Three things I am positive about, there are too little strong female main characters in books, there are too little women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in books and no matter how many friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, rivals to lovers books you give me, I will read all of them. What can I tell you I'm a sucker for happy endings. Here's the deal, my heart will always belong to fantasy worlds of Lord of the rings and anything like the Witcher ( whyyyy Henry why?! I mean I know why and my respect for you really grew even more but seriously just why?! You don't expect me to watch Hemsworth in leather and swoon do you? Gross. ) but sometimes I just need a cutsey romance to get through the day – week – month. 

Ok so I'll do a ''Love on the brain'' review first because everyone reads Ali's ''Love Hypothesis'' first (so did I) and then bitches about ''LOTB'' (I'm not going to). Here's the deal, yes there are simmilar stories but if you're not a complete idiot you'll figure that out by reading the summary on the back and go figure you can chose just not reading a book instead of bitching about it? I know right, wild idea. 

First of, Ali bestie I love you. Thank you for the love for women in STEM and for highlighting the issues they face. I can't believe that in the lords year of 2022 we still have to fight for equality. Sigh. God forbid huh a woman scientist. Or worse a woman scientist better than her male colleagues, the world might spontaneously combust just at the thought of that. 

Secondly I will never believe anything but, that men written by women just don't exist. Seriously. They don't. Men in books written by women are the sole reason we sit alone with our cats in matching onesies, watching tv shows about serial killers (or as I like to call them instruction manuals). You don't actually expect me to read about Levi Ward, Adam Carlsen and Aaron Blackford and be normal about it do you? 

Here's the deal, ''Love on the brain'' is more relatable to me. No, I'm not as smart as Bee (I wish I was) but the setting in NASA and her general appearance with piercings, tattoos and purple hair that's closer to me than anything. (Dying my hair back to purple next week. So excited!). 

So a short summary in case you're unfamiliar with the story;

''Bee Konigswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project – a literal dream come true – Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern phsyics never had to co – lead with Levi Ward. 

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing eyes kind of way. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school – archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away. 

But when her equipment starts to go missing and the staff ignore her, Bee could swear she sees Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas…devouring her with those eyes. The possibilities have all her neurons firing. 

But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: What will Bee Konigswasser do?''

Before I start with the review WHICH WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS SO BEWARE, can I just say it's hard to focus with helicopers and tanks roaring around? Always fun living next door to the biggest military base. Just waiting for that moment in the day when fighters swoop in and do a couple laps in our skies. Shut up those I love so much. The sound alone gets me all excited, nevermind the barrel rolls they're doing above my house. Lol. And I especially enjoy my dumb neighbors (haven't complained about them in a while huh?) bitching about the noise, the ''danger'' and so on and so on. Scared of a teeny tiny practice fighter. Wonder what they'd do if F-18s of fifth gen flew over our heads. Which reminds me of my time in Tuscany right next to their air force base I think it's ''Rosignano'' beause Aviano is way higher up, I flipped with happiness because they actually had stealth fighter jets that took off without a sound from an underground hangar. Insane! Pretty sure they were Boeings F15 silent eagles. Shut up I love fighter jets. 

I'm so off topic right now, lets get back to the book. So spoilers ahead be warned and don't come bitching at me that I ruined the book for you later. Also a question, I got a suggestion to add links below where to buy? Is that something you'd be interested in? 

I keep letting other people opinions influence me so I went into this book a tiny bit sceptic. I don't know why because if there's one thing I learned it's that I HATE everything popular (Collen Hoover) and LOVE everything other people hate. Funny isn't it? If people in general don't like it then I'm bound to love it. So it was the same with this one. I read so many negative reviews only to love the book myself in the end. Read it in one afternoon. Already excited about Ali's third book coming out next year but more on that another time.  Love on the brain in my opinion is the perfect amount of drama, romance and comedy.

Imagine after some devastating career blows you get an offer from NASA. Yes THE NASA. Here I am my brain melting though I'll never get the chance. Sadly. Maybe if they ever need an assistant to make scientists coffee or something like that. Hah. So imagine Bee gets an offer from NASA she's over the moon about it OF COURSE and then the other shoe drops. It's always that way. Always. Nothing good ever happens without something else going wrong. It's like tipping the scales, you can never have light without dark type thing. So accepting the NASA gig means Bee is working with Levi, her arch enemy. He constant rival. Her nemesis. Now she knows he hates her (not at all) and she doesn't want to see him again let alone work with him. But to get away from her job and terrible boss she needs this project to work out. So whatcha gonna do? Bite the bullet aye?

Listen I love Bee she's adorable, she's badass, she's smart, and sometimes just such a bimbo like how did you not realise that boy is head over heels for you girl? I love her style, I love her purple hair (vegan yay!) I love her humor and I hate how she's underestimated and pushed to the side too much and assaulted, but that's how it is for women in STEM no? I love her fangirling over Marie Curie and how she made a twitter account to connect a whole community, that was such a fun addition to the story and go figure now we all know a bit more about Marie which I can only call a bonus. 

Now the sciency part of the book? Sounds great but I have no idea what they're really doing. Stimulating parts of astronaut brain to help control emotional response? Something like that? I think. It was interesting to read even if a bit confusing at times. And I seriously hope NASA would not care about her purple hair. I like to believe what's inside that head that matters not on it.

AND now we get to the absolute cinnamon roll, sunshine, adorable baby that is Levi Ward. We start off with this cold, shut off Levi, he's silent, he's moody and broody, he's avoiding Bee, he seems rude to her, but that's just because he's an idiot and doesn't know how to deal with his feelings and actually talk. If they just talked to eachother and cleared misunderstandings would be so great. Why are people like this really? I know laying your cards on the table is scary but if we did it more often…life could be hella easier. Says the girl that has never been honest about her feelings in her life. The whole dynamic between him and Bee besides avoiding of course lol is so cute. He respects her, listens to her, and just is there for her you know. Call me late at night from a cemetery and I'm there in ten minutes type thing. And I'll make you dinner and give you itch relief cream…sigh. AND to make matters worse you guys, he's a cat dad. I can't. Seriously men written by women do NOT exist. 

There's this long post…LONG post. A confession, Levi tells Bee how he feels about her, not knowing he's telling it to her. Confusing I know. Read the damn book. But seriously that confession has got to be one of the cutest things I've read. Here's to sitting on the couch with your cat and wine daydreaming about what's it like to have that perfect match. It's kinda funny really how Levi has been in love and pining over Bee for years and she misread it as hate. I mean they do say that there's a fine line between love and hate but still. Funny. I actually loved all the frustrating moments where he almost told her why he doesn't hate her but was always somehow interrupted. Frustratingly funny. 

Listen to me. Bee has an assistent called Rocio. And I am in love. For real. Goth girl. Drama queen. Boots. Heavy makeup. Jet black hair. Rebel. That whole ''we're all going to die'' dark depressing vibe? Cmon you guys she's basically me. Of course I love her. Bee also has a sister who is everything I wish I was. Free spirited, today in Paris, tomorrow Norway, next week god knows. Let's pretend I'm brave enough for such a lifestyle. And oh my god I just had a random enlightenment (is that how this word is spelled?). You know that ''You've got mail'' is one of my favourite movies? I don't actually have a copy because movies on DVDs are so hard to get here, so usually they run it on tv each year in like November or December and I'm glued to the screen. I know it by heart by now but I love it still. Anyways, no wonder I love this book, it has some major You've got mail vibes. 

Oh you guys there's quite some NSFW parts in here…*wiggles eyebrows* just saying. It gets pretty steamy. Now to wrap this up, let me just say I love how Bee has each country she lived in tattooed on her back, each one representing home, and I love how the line of tattoos ends with the outline of the house she lives in with Levi because in the end that is home. Fuck. So sweet. Don't you just love a happy ending? I do. Maybe because in real life they just don't exist no more. Let at least my books be happy. Or it's the way my ex told me that I'm obsessed with finding love because I can't love myself. Sounds rude, but he's actually right. So, for the actual ending (can y'all believe I'm writing again? Must be a miracle on it's own) enjoy this tiny doodle of Bee and Levi plus bonus Schrodinger who makes me wonder will I ever learn to draw cats? Sigh. I love how this one came out though, for a doodle it's better than my usual work *cough* inktober *cough*. And yes I do have NASA sheets. Shut up. 

“All is fair in love and war, bollito.”

I'm a little late to the party…explaining what that crazy thing I was up to was. Well change of plan, I know y'all will be disappointed but I decided some things best remain hidden and not talked about when there's no need. All I can say on the subject is that sometimes I can be so fucking stupid and I have more luck than brain. That's all. And sometimes I'd damn well need someone to tell me I'm being stupid and to stop. Would I listen? Probably not…but still…I might at least reconsider my life choices. 

Second thing! The art thing I didn't wanna talk about earlier. I can now! Seriously calm your tits it's not THAT exciting but I'm still pretty damn proud. Alright so, one of my literally favourite pieces which came from last years Inktober, was featured in a magazine. It's a magazine that is created by the homless, they contribute pictures, poems, articles and sell it to make a living. Sometimes outsiders like me get to contribute and I got to do it, next to one of my favourite authors and a friend. So yeah in the bigger picture not such a big deal but I am overly excited and it's a big deal for me. Plus how freakin badass does it look printed? Uh I can just see what wonderful postcards it would make…if only someone (just one) would understand my print vision. 

With that out of the way I'm going to tell you about this book I read and fell in love with. It's not over the top. It's not the amazing Martin type fantasy world. It's not Lord of the rings or Hemingway. It's shallow and silly b ut my god so cute and sappy. And my hopless romantic Italian blood sometimes needs just that to get through not just the day but life. 

This book has the biggest ''oh my god I wish that was me'' energy. Really. Seriously. Totally. Because (and lets be honest ladies) who doesn't wish they had a Clark Kent look alike co worker that was secretly in love with them. And willing to go to your sisters wedding all the way in Spain as a fake boyfriend because your ex is engaged and you don't want your family's pity? Someone who buys you five tacos when you only ask for four and loves Disney movies? Someone who is stupidly romantic and says sappy shit like ''you feel complete in my arms, you feel like home''. Nobody touch me, nobody breath my way, I'm very emotional right now. Sigh. 

Before we move on, I included my favourite memories from Spain here. Since the book is in fact happening in Spain. Well part of it anyways. I was there in 2013? I think…For me Barcelona was love on first sight. Of course my heart will always belong to Italy (obviously) but Spain is something else. Sangria alone is worth it. Lol. Why do I hear Blake Shelton playin in my head? No but really, the ocean, the vibe, the city life, the passion and emotion, everything. Spain is something else. If you get the chance…go. It's amazing. So on the pic below, besides the book that is…Absinthe which is the reason for a lot of bad choices in Spain lol, a paperweight I got in aquarium Barcelona which is…oh my god…and stuff from beaches. I did mention I love the ocean right? I miss it so much these days…sigh. Enjoy some beachy pics as well while I salivate and curse the cruel fate that keeps me away from lying on a beach. Or you know, naked, somewere in Europe, on a Yacht with a Mai-tai. But here I am instead *facepalm*. 

Second thing before we get to the actual review. I will tear all y'all heartless motherfuckers hearts out with the whole ''stupid, boring, overhyped'' crap. Who invented this whole ''overhyped'' bullshit? Seriously? Can't people be hyped up about something they like anymore? And also who gave you the right to tell others when they can and can't be hyped up? And also unrelated but my god you must be a bitter lonely jackass if a little romance makes you this ill. 

Now…SPOILERS ABOVE, IF YOU HAVEN'T READ AND PLAN ON MOVE ALONG.

Seriously I'm crying. Like. This book. I don't always want to over think, sometimes I want to shut up my mind and get lost in something cute, something different, something that gives me some peace of mind and some hope that there still are nice things left on this planet. That hope is dying bit by bit though that much is clear but stories like this one…they make it a little more alive. You know how people have ''comfort food''? I don't. But I have comfort read and this is it. This book cured my mental illness and added about 20 years to my lifespan. 

Elena, bestie, thank you so much for this cutsey masterpiece, I loved it from the first page to the last, also thank you to the one who gifted this book to me, guessing correctly that I will absolutely adore it. I go all soft as is for a enemies to lovers type romance. It's everything I crave.

Now what's the story actually about. A girl Catalina. How beautiful is that name? Who I can relate to a lot. Clumsy. Yup. Has no filter and blurts out stupid things at the wrong times? Yup. Loves Game of thrones and Twilight? Fuck yes. And a boy. Aaron. Sigh. Oh Aaron. All broody, dark, Edward Cullenish tpye of man. Which is enough to make me swoon tbh. So Catalina and Aaron are co workers in NYC and they obviously do not like each other. Well so it seems, at first glance. The oldest trick in the book aint it? Those who hate each other actually love each other? Or something like that anyway. 

So Catalina does something stupid (yeah I hear ya Lina I hear ya) and tells her family that she will bring a date to her sisters wedding. A boyfriend. In order to get them off her back about being single. Problem here is that Lina does not have a boyfriend. And a neven bigger problem is that the one who offers to help her with pretending to be one is the one she can't stand. 

Seriously the whole enemies to lovers may seem over used and flat but it really isn't. It's far more complex, and interesting and it's a ''I can't put the book down and it's suddenly four in the morning'' type thing. But I am so getting ahead of myself lets go back to the begining. Lina is in NYC building a career, she's super proud of (and rightfully so), and she's there because she fled Spain after a personal disaster. What was the disaster? I aint giving everything away. Read the damn book. Lol. 

And Aaron…sometimes you'd wanna strangle him, other times you'd dream about wishing there was an Aaron in your life. I don't know why but reading about him, the looks mainly, all I saw in my head was Henry Cavill. I don't know if something is wrong with my head and all I see everywhere is Henry, or those gorgeous blue eyes, dark locks, body build to die for…is in fact very Henry like. Seriously have you seen that man's jaw? It could cut apples no joke. So Aaron, each time when he's anywhere near Catalina he's sarcastic or arrogant or downright rude, then he surprises you with little details he knows, and you see he's actually paying attention. Either to her, or just what she's saying, even if to someone else. And if that doesn't make your heart beat faster…a man that actually listens? Sigh. 

Aaron is an enigma, tense, on edge, nervous, cranky, he is the one who offers Lina to go with her to the wedding and quite honestly you have to wonder why the hell would he do that. His words and behaviour are literally all over the place (worse than PMS) but it all comes together in the end in a delicious kinda way that makes your insides warm and gooey. 

The whole writing style btw, it's light, it's witty and in the end? A little bit steamy not going to lie! Come on, lets not fool ourselves that we don't enjoy those down and dirty (onthekitchencounter) scenes. 

I'm going to cry again if I go into the whole story of a crazy Spanish family and a man willing to put up with it with a smile because she is worth it. Ahhh the cutness! The story will keep the readers on the edge of their seats with Lina's adorable craziness and the mess she has gotten herself into and it will make you not want to put the book down, needing to know just what the hell is Aarons deal. You can tell how un used to happy endings I am, I literally expected a plot twist in which we learn he's an asshole. Spoiler alert? He isn't. The entire lets pretend we're dating? He did it because he wasn't pretending! Because from the get go. Day one. He was in love with Lina and clearly a bit stupid in letting her know that. 

I am so in love with the way the story progresses all the cute little moments when they, due to their lie, are forced to be friends in the first place. Slowly exploring and getting to know each other. All the cute little moments in which you can just tell how much Aaron really cares just never lets it slip pass his rock hard exterior and Lina slowly shifting her mind and realising how wrong she was from the begining. 

And then you guys. The moment. The ultimate romantic moment I keep babbling about. Running on airports begging your other half not to leave? The one that would have me reduced to a puddle on the spot…yes that one. It happens here. Only a bit different. There has to be a little bit of drama aye? What's life without it. And in a plot twist they end…not broken up just…divided. He tells her that instead of running away she should of run to him. Sigh. Please rip out my heart it will hurt less and also…weren't we all here before? So in order to fix things…Lina does what everyone does, runs to him instead of away. It takes a shit ton of bravery and trust to give yourself to someone so completely. I'm not talking about sex mind you. I'm talking about real intimacy, your heart, body and soul type thing. And the moment she finds him again…sigh. Please turn on the waterworks because…as I said my old sappy Italian soul…and who wouldn't want such romance in their lives? All consuming. Happy. One that completes you. One that makes life worth living and shows you that the world isn't black and white but shines with all colors of the rainbow. 

Let me just point out something real quick. Men written by women do NOT exist. Obviously. And secondly they are the reason girls are single. Men like Aaron Blackford (even if fictional) just put the bar ridiculously high. A man like him should be a blueprint. Of how they should be so the world would be a better, nicer, kinder place and respectfully, he had my legs divorcing each time he did or said basically anything. Hashtag no shame. 

''But you are. You are worth all that trouble. You are worth walking through a fuckin fire. Don't you see that?''

Sigh. You know that episode of Friends with Ross crying into a martini glass ''I'm fine, I'm fine''. Yeah that's me. Right now. Pretending I'm fine while cursing the universe and it's cruel fate of never having an Aaron in my life. To end this ridiculous rant (and wish all y'all that celebrate cosmic zombies resurrection a happy Easter) I'll share the one line, favourite one, that really had my heart exploding. Perfection in written words. Seriously, thank you Elena for this, for breaking my heart and putting it back together, I loved every moment of reading this book. (Obviously since I read it in one afternoon, not wanting to put it down, those were some awkward bathroom visits just sayin. Lol. ) 

La Serenissima.

You know what is another thing I love? Hard rock. As in Hard rock cafe. If there's one in the city I'm in…that's where you'll find me. I've seen quite a lot of them, my fave so far being the one in Rome.  Nothing quite as cool as their ceiling painting with angels sporting guitars and other instruments. Classic art meets hard rock and that's super badass. Either way, I only just recently started collecting their charms on a charm bracelet. I always loved the concept of charm bracelets. Got one filled with all kinds of crazy charms but this one is a say, fresh start. Meant for traveling only. It was a gift really. In 2018. I guess I shouldn't complain, 3 charms in 2 years is better than most people get. I suppose I'm sulking because this year I was supposed to add on Berlin and maybe, just maybe if I was lucky Budapest. And that didn't happen because Corona fucked up my life. Well mine and about (enter number of earthlings) others.

I suppose we were all doing that ''vacation close to home'' thing this year. Seriously though, I knew I live in a beautiful country but I had no idea just how beautiful it really is, I haven't seen the places I've seen this year in a while and just, wow. There aint no place like home right? And my home really is amazing, but more on that in another post next week. This week, something else. Because I decided on vacation close to home, well actually at home, and being so close to Italy as we are, I completely unexpected got to add Venice to my charm bracelet this year.

 

Y'all a bit closer to me know I've been obsessed, wanting to see Venice for years and years and never got the chance. I found it so absurd. I've seen entire Italy but never been to Venice which is closest to me. I mean who goes to Sicily, Naples, Palermo but never sees Venice? Crazy. I've been nagging everyone at home for years. ''I wanna go see Venice, I wanna go see Venice''. I've been called annoying for it, and I've been told I'll be disappointed because it aint ''all that''. My entire family already saw Venice mind you. I was the only poor sucker left out. Let me tell you something. I wasn't disappointed one bit. Even if Corona madness really is madness and 2 hours of train rides with no AC and 30+ weather…well that is hell, but shit that first moment, when the train arrives in Venice, the canals, the water, looking as if it's floating on air. It's magic.

I didn't have that much time, hours only. Well a day let's say. It was enough though, for now. Like a day trip. Aren't those the best? I should do this more often. Hours were good enough for the most important things, Piazza San Marco, the cathedral, Palazzo Ducale, Ponte Rialto, a walk down the Grand canal, a little quick shopping and of course a must the Hard rock, both store and cafe.

We took the time to see the Palazzo Ducale inside. If you're there, it's a muss, expensive as hell, I think 20 eu but it's well worth it. The palazzo as you will know is the former residence and the seat of Venetian government. Today it's the very symbol of Venice, I mean, what do you think when you think of Venice? Canals? Sure, San Marco? Most likely. But also Palazzo Ducale. On top of it all, it's a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Gorgeous. Amazing. Beautiful. And the inside? Jesus fucking christ. All the gold, and paintings, oh dear god. We had a guide that told us what the paintings mean, what each room means, how the Venetian government worked in the first place and why it was so much better than it is today (it really was believe me).

And of course while talking about the palace we can't go pass Casanova. Y'all seen the movie right? Heath Ledger was and is one of my fave actors. Blonde. Go figure. I've seen the movie countless of times. You know how the story goes right? About the poet and womanizer? Well aparently he was the only one who managed to escape from the prison next to the palace. What happened was that the night before a party was on in the palace and he managed to sneak out of the prison and into the palace, dressed as a gentleman, one of the staff asked him how can they help him, assuming he was one of the party guests who got drunk and stay the night. And what did Casanova say? ''just show me the way out''. Can you imagine just how both brilliant and cocky that is?

We also crossed the famouse ''Bridge of sighs'', tried to make the guide say the name of the bridge in my language, it was hysterical. It's a difficult word and he gave up. Hah. Welcome to my life I'd say. I guess the bridge got this ''romantic'' sorta title due to people having one last look at the view before being jailed, while the jailers and others simply called it ''prison bridge''. Kills all the romance doesn't it?

Okay but one piece of info for my girls reading this…do you have any idea how ridiculously sexy the gondoliers are? I mean seriously! Tattooed, and those perfectly styled beards and hair. They look insane, like they stepped right out of a Milan fashion show or a style magazine. Believe me I had trouble breathing more than on one occassion.

Venice is such an amazing city to put the fucking map and the god damn phone apps away and just vander. Get a little lost. No worries all streets eventually lead to the same place, if not the people (the sexy gondoliers) are so sweet and will no problem show you the way. Venice is not that big you can walk the entire city in a few hours, counting that you get lost several times, hah, but really, that's the best part, get lost and explore, you never know what's waiting behind the next corner. There's a lot of tiny stores and tiny cafes which are not that expensive and just perfect for a quick stop to have a coffee or some Aperol (I only love to drink it in Italy because I swear only they know how to do it right), and the prices (if it's not the San Marco Piazza of course) aren't even that high.

What I enjoyed during this visit most is the fact that there were hardly any tourists. Corona aint bad for everything it seems. Usually, on any normal day, Venice is packed, full of tourists on every corner. And if there's one thing that I just can not stomach is American tourists acting like they own the place (I apologise to Americans reading this but jesus they annoyed me in Rome). So emptier streets, no waiting lists in front of sights, though sad is in a way much better.

What I also can't get over is the fact that this city is so strong and yet so flexible on wooden beams. Like it's just wood, in the water, holding up the entire city. How crazy is that? I mean we've all heard that they're sinking and that the world is looking for a solution. How about no cruise ships near Venice? That would be a great start, though I believe now since Corona happened they're no longer allowed. Y'all wanna guess where they got the wood to build Venice? Yeah that's right, in Slovenia. Just saying. Do you know any of the other names for Venice? Like, La Dominante, La Serenissima, Queen of the Adriatic, City of Water, City of Masks, City of Bridges, The floating city, City of Canals. Beautiful aint it? Another beautiful thing must be the Carnieval, which this year didn't happen of course but I can just imagine. I've seen pictures of course, but that probably doesn't come close to reality. All the masks, all the clothes, all the colors and the beautiful city as the backdrop for pictures. I get goose bumps just thinking about it.

Well Venice was and still is today a major cultural centre, and has been ranked many times as the most beautiful city in the world. Times online called it one of Europe's most romantic cities. True. So romantic. So pretty. The architecture, the artwork, the history. Everything combined. Nothing but pure beauty and to be honest, despite it all, Corona fucking up my summer, being home for vacation and only getting a few hours in Venice, I feel blessed for getting some time to spend there at all. It was gorgeous and so worth it. If only I could turn back time and get lost on those streets again. Feels so surreal to be back home, thrown back in the usual routines and stress. God I hate that. But I guess no matter how badly I'd wish it, I can't live in vacation mode forever. I can relive it for a quick moment though while typing these words and editing some pictures. Speaking of pictures, enjoy these and come back next week for an even better post on my own country. It's even more beautiful than Italy I promise cough patriot cough. Hah.

       

P.S. Click on the pictures or open them in a new window to enjoy them in full size.

Mīlle viae dūcunt hominēs per saecula Rōmam

Here we are. Another post on my recent travels. This one about the gorgeous city of Rome. The ''Eternal city''. Do you know where does the name come from? From the Roman times. Ancient Romans believed that no matter what happens, no matter how many empires should rise and fall, Rome will be there forever. I suppose in a way they were right no? I mean ancient Roman empire did fall but there still is a Rome today.

Right from the get go, Rome is beautiful, impressive and everything is made in a large scale. There's nothing small about Rome. The stadiums, the streets, the buildings, everything is huge. And everything is beautiful, the Roman remains, the Vatican and the more recent buildings such as the monument built for Vittorio Emanuele II. Holy shit. That thing is massive. But first things first. Those of you who follow me for a longer time know I am obsessed with Berlin. That it's my absolute favourite place in the whole wide world and that there is nothing that could change that. Except perhaps Donald Trump moving to Berlin, but I think I don't have to fear that happening. Lol. Anyways if you know that then you probably also know that Italy is also one of my favourite places. That I love all of Italy, especially Tuscany, their history, their culture, their art, their food and even their crappy driving. Italy is amazing, there aint another place on this earth as amazing as Italy is. And Italians are very special people, very kind, very helpful, very loud. Gotta love them. 

I've been all over Italy even down south on the island of Sicily, but the closest I got to Rome was a far away view from the highway where I could just catch a glimpse of the dome of San Pietro. It's been a long standing wish to see Rome actually. Even if my heart was pulling me back to Berlin this year. I have to admit, I was rather disappointed with how filthy the city is. It's one of the most beautiful cities in the world and it's so filthy. Trash everywhere. Really rather gross. Italians really just don't care but to me, it's a bit off putting. I get super annoyed at home when there's pieces of plastic wrappers laying around, now I see that I get my panties twisted for no reason. Comparing to Rome my home is spotless. What also bothers me immensly is that I live in Slovenia, which is right NEXT to Italy and yet to get there I have to take a train to Austria and then from Austria to Rome. What the hell? Shouldn't all European capitol cities be connected? 

Starting with the hotel. It was a cute, nice, family owned place. Not that much of a hotel but more of a bed and breakfast kinda thing with a shared bathroom, mostly meant for people that stayed a day or two, so us staying that long was a bit unusual but you know why not. It had a great location, right next to the subway stop, very clean, good price, and the nicest and kindest staff. The owner was super sweet, very helpful, and bonus she had a sweet dog that came to our room each night and morning to play. You know me, if there's a dog I'm game. In case anyone is interested, the place is called ''B&B Royal'' you can easily find it on ''Booking.com''. Really, if I go back to Rome and I'm not rich enough for the Hassler hotel (don't ask) I'm for sure coming back to this place. 

We did the whole drop your bags and go out exploring thing the very same moment we came. I literally changed clothes (I was over dressed and Rome was hot as hell) and bolted out. Technically only to hunt down the Hard Rock Cafe. It was the last day of ''Freddie Mercury week'' and obviously I would just die if I didn't try the Freddie milkshake which may I add was amazing and due to my Freddie shirt I was wearing actual Freddie with a cape came to talk to us and joke around and take pictures it was super awesome and by the way, just like everything else, their Hard Rock is amazing. Not only saying because they have Bruce Springsteens guitar (oh my god!) but also because of their ceiling with angel paintings. Beautiful. Did I mention btw that the HRC staff is always the nicest staff out there? Just the same in Vienna I love them all just saying, if any of y'all is reading this, you guys are doing a great job. 

The other thing that I saw the very first day was the Trevi fountain and honestly I have to admit I nearly fell over backwards. No other fountain in the world compares to this one, well it couldn't because Trevi is the biggest one. It's a clever name ''Trevi'' comes from ''tre vie'' which means the junction of three roads which is where it stands. Also another missed conception that the fountain is made by Bernini. It's in fact not true. Bernini was supposed to ''fix it up'' because one of the popes found the original insufficiently dramatic, but because the pope died before the construction even began the project was abandoned. There are several touches based on Bernini's sketches that were used later on however. It was actually Pannini not Bernini who did most of the work on the Trevi fountain. The legend goes that if you throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder, you'll come back to Rome, or if you make a wish that wish will come true. It's silly I know but yet aparently there's about 3000 euro worth of coins thrown in the fountain daily so obviously I had to do it as well.

Walking around the very first day took us around some of the most important landmarks, Trevi fountain, Castel Sant' Angelo and the Spanish steps. All flooding with tourists. And the Spanish steps are far less interesting than they used to be. They used to be a meeting point for people all over the world. They'd sit down on the steps and chat, these days sitting down is forbidden and punished with a fine, all you hear is the police whistling all the damn time. I don't really understand it to be fair. How is sitting down more damaging than walking up and down. If they fear damage they should just close them down all together. And you do know what's right across right? The famous and most expensive shopping district in the world. Via Condotti. HOLY.SHIT.

 

Besides the filth I gotta complain about the prices. Everything and I do mean everything is expensive in Rome. And nothing is free except water in fountains placed all over the city. You will pay even walking around the ruins in the Circo Massimo which is supposed to be a public park. Which it is but a part of is where the ruins are is fenced and payable. Deep sigh. And another thing that bothers me more than anything. I mean I can suck up the filth and the prices but this is too much. Humans. Humans and their selfie mania. I swear the god they can't make 5 steps without a fucking selfie. It's unbearable. It's like Rome is no longer a beautiful, historical city but just a backdrop for idiotic selfies. Can you imagine what their phone galleries must look like? And there's like no respect, they climb all over the ruins, hanging from Pompeii pillar remains, grinning dumbly in front of graves at the cemetary…my god. Really I can't take it no more. I'd bitch slap all of them to punch some sense into them. Btw. No offence but most of them were Americans. Yet again. Sigh. 

So another thing that we went to see was the Zoo. Or the so called Bioparco di Roma. My feelings about zoos are conflicted. Sometimes I feel it's cruel to keep animals in ''cages'' or enclosures for human entertainment and sometimes I feel all animals in the world should be locked up just to keep them safe from humans. Bioparco is supposed to be a smaller zoo (Yeah sure. As if anything in Rome is small) and it's located in the massive estate of the Villa Borghese gardens. Just how rich were these people really??  The gardens alone are spectacular and a great place to walk, parrots flying freely around and nice shade from huge trees. Beautiful. The gardens of course house the Villa Borghese with amazing art works, which I didn't see due to it being all sold out and I didn't know that that is one other thing that needs to be booked online to see. Sigh. But the zoo was a nice alternative. Today they have 222 different species of animals which may I add were very lazy because it was very hot on the day of our visit. Not that I don't understand them. At this point another word of advice, bring bug spray and bathe yourself in it especially if you're prone to bug bites. Mosquitos are everywhere and they nearly ate me alive. Not pleasant. So the zoo. It's very old, it was opened in 1911 and I think what I like most is that instead of bars there's ditches, pits and in some cases glass. It makes it look less like a prison and more like a park.  One very notable animal (aside from all the cute but deadly coloured frogs) is the Kleinmann's tortoise or the Egyptian tortoise, it's nearly extinct in the wild (humans eh?) and in Bioparco they successfully bred them in 2007, crazy story but the group in the zoo are actually animals that they confiscated from a smugglers suitcase in 2005. Again humans huh? Awful. This animal smugglery makes me so sick and so angry I can't even find the proper words for it. I'm glad these guys got their happy end but most animals don't. 

Another huge and fascinating thing is the Piazza Navona. To be fair so is Piazza del Popolo and many others. They have a lot of piazza's and all of them are impressive. This one though is built on the site of the Domitian stadium where the ancient Romans went to see the games aka ''agones'', aparently the name went from Circus Agonalis (competition arena) to in avone to navone and lastly to navona. Of course Piazza Navona is important because of Bernini's famous ''Fontana del Quattro Fiumi'' the fountain of the four rivers, which was an inspiration for our artist Robb who created a fountain simmilar to this one with also a simmilar name. Copy cat huh? Haha. Equally beautiful to the fountain is a church right next to it called Sint' Agnese in Agone. You can have a good look at the piazza and the fountain in Dan Browns movie ''Angels and demons'' where one of the 4 preferiti is attempted to be killed by drowning in said fountain. What a way to go huh? Drowning in one of the most beautiful fountains in the world. There's a lot of beautiful and historic landmarks in the Angels and demons movie such as Piazza del popolo, Santa Maria del popolo church, the Pantheon,…I believe those are real on site locations in the movie, while all of the Vatican is fake. Obviously, I don't expect Vatican allowing something as contraversial as Angels and demons to be filmed there. Never mind allowing accsess to the Vatican archives. Honestly I would kill to be able to have a glimpse of those. The knowlege and the secrets they may be hiding down there…I always thought it's unfair you know. Why should the church have the power to know all these things and the power to hide them from us? Aren't we allowed to know as well? I don't get it, really. No, wait actually I do. Rumours say that what the Vatican is hiding amongst other things is the original ''bible'' that would blow the Christianity myth wide open and expose it as a lie. I wouldn't want that coming out either.

Fascination never ends in Rome so there's also the Pantheon which comes from the word ''pantheum'' meaning ''temple of all the gods'' and it's the oldest church in rome. It used to he a Roman temple and now it's a church. It was built in 113 / 125 AD so you know this thing has seen some things already. And just like everything else the Pantheon as well is beautiful. Of course you know how it goes, you have to be there precisely at noon because of the light pouring from the circle window on the ceiling. Well I wasn't, but to be fair even without it the building is fascinating. Of course people were driving me crazy with their daft selfies in here as well. I mean it's a church! A church! A sacred place! You're supposed to be quiet inside never mind taking selfies. Humans. We ran into some ceremony the second time around, not sure what it was about but it was highly interesting. What's interesting about the Pantheon is that besides Umberto I and his wife, Vittorio Emanuele II is buried there, strikes me as odd, with that monstrous monument I'd assume Vittorio would be burried somewhere inside the monument. Besides them also buried inside  the Pantheon is the great artist Raphael, he requested to be buried there and his wish was granted, which means he's the first artist to be given such an honor. 

 After vising Pantheon there was a break for more important things and by that I mean pizza and Aperol. Hah. I can't for the life of me remember which tiny narrow street we turned into to find a restaurant off the main square (less expensive), it was a small thing with the basics, pizza, pasta and drinks, suggested by Trip Advisor and can I just say that their Margherita was literally the best pizza I ever tried. Topped off with olive oil which is something that normally disgusts me and yet the best thing I tried. Italians never ask if you even like olive oil, they make you like it, or at least respect it. And hell great for them. 

Aperol happened in a different place. Another Trip Advisor restaurant. Let me point out that two glasses of Aperol are the price of a good lunch, and possibly a lunch with three corses back home, but it would be ridiculous not to try at least one while in Rome. It's another thing I am not a big fan of at home, it's a little bitter and watery which is why I didn't like it. But hey, in Rome? They are incredibly generous with the alcohol and it's very very very good. With it they serve black olives with olive oil and citrus skins and fried pizza dough in several flavours, which is to die for good. Top notch service also. The waiters are super nice and friendly and one of them taught me basic Italian. Or so he thought, not knowing I already spoke Italian. I did enjoy all the Italian pet names and the fact that he renamed me into Giulia. 

Speaking of flirting and such. Another guy stopped me because of my Jurrasic park tshirt, asking me if I'd rather be a raptor or a trex. Obviously a trex even if a raptor is deadlier. Anyways a short exchange later, he asks me if I'd like an Italian boyfriend and I tell him I already have one at home, he's not Italian but still and he goes ''ouch, you just broke my heart''. I died. It was really way too cute. 

In order to keep this from turning into a massive novel I'm only writing down the things that I feel are most important. Like the Colloseum. I think when people think Rome, that is one of the things they think of straight from the get go. The amphitheathre from 70 / 80 AD. Another massive thing. What else is new. It would aparently hold up to 80 000 people. Imagine a rock concert in there. Like say Metallica. Hell. That would be amazing. It is of course impossible, the heavy, loud music could damage the ancient building, which is already in bad shape. You know time, earthquakes and of course people stealing stone, made it come to the shape it is in today. Stone thieves. Is there nothing sacred no more? Actually…why do I bother. We wisited the catacombs and I was overly excited you know the creepy, gory side of me, a hallway made of skulls and bones, on the floor, on the walls, everywhere. How amazing is that? Well I won't find out, that is now closed to public due to people stealing bones. Yep you read that right. People were stealing fucking bones. I mean. What? WHAT?! I can't even process that. By the way while we're at the catacombs, we actually saw two of them. First ones were called the Catacombs of St. Calixtus. Road to those nearly killed us, Italian bus drivers? Jesus Christ. Yes, if you are suicidal. I don't know if they ever heard of slow driving instead of pedal to the metal and breaks but okay. Literally driving over all potholes with that speed felt like it will tear apart the bus which already looked like it's falling apart, everything was shaking, rattling…a nightmare. But at the catacombs we had the best tour guide. He was super funny, joking with the Americans (of course guided English tour means, we have to be the only non English speaking people in the group) that to be careful that nothing grabs them while walking down the narrow corridors. People believed him too. Lol. He also said to keep close because he's famous for loosing people and if we see someone with a long white beard, it's someone he lost last year. And he made me his assistant, to help him explain about the wall paintings. Lol. Eric, you were awesome, I hadn't laughed that hard in a year so thank you for making my day.

The second catacombs were the Capuchin Crypts and museum. It's a cute little museum, showing some of the ''holy relics'',  interesting to see. AND the Crypt where you guys I got to see my bones. No pictures allowed, which obviously I understand but it also annoys me, because I had a new (old) Pentax with a black and white roll of film in that would make spectacular shots of the Crypt. Assuming I wouldn't fuck something up which is very well possible, given the fact that it's been like 15 years since I held one of these in my hands…while we're here, can I post a public thank you note to the person that gave the Pentax to me? He's reading this, and he knows who he is, and he also knew how badly I wanted one of these beasts. So thank you, for being such a great friend, I really appreciate all you do for me. (P.S. actual Pentax photos - coming soon)

Now back to the Colosseum. Except it being guarded by the army and police, which is everywhere. Every fucking where, I get it but I also don't get it. I'm from such a small country / city that all this maximum security makes me feel not safe but rather uncomfortable. Anyways point, like everything else Colosseum needs skip the line tickets. A ton of tourists are waiting each day to get inside. To be honest I didn't even want to go in. I was not that impressed by this Colosseum. Yes sure it's huge and nice but half of it is not even original because it was falling apart and had to be rebuilt. Props for getting it done and preserving it but personally, I really like another smaller version that stands in Pula Croatia. I've been inside that one, on a concert even and hell it was a lot nicer. Matter of taste I suppose.

What also made an impact on me was the Protestant cemetery. A cemetery and a market are a must for me no matter what city I'm in. And this one is especially special because it's the home of the ''Angel of grief''. I have a special obssesion with angels. Angel human love stories is my favourite type of fiction and angel sculptures on cemetaries are the most beautiful things to me on this planet. Sadly I don't have any at home so knowing Rome has not only an angel but THE angel it was obvious it's a must. This one is super special because literally you see all devastation and sadness, because the angel is pretty much life sized and the way it's collapsed, weeping, draped over the grave…it will tug on your heart strings, that much more if you've ever lost someone, you'll understand the pain, if not, then you'll appreciate the art. It's absolutely beautiful. The sculpture itself though was made by William Wetmore Story dedicated to his wife. As well as the beautiful angel this cemetery is also the final resting place several important and famous people, two of them being John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, whos grave reads ''Nothing of him that doth fade, but doth suffer a sea change, into something rich and strange''.

What you will also find at the cemetery are cats. There's a ''cat colony'' the ''cats of Rome'' that live near by and the employees of the cemetery take care of them and feed them. You can help with donations that upkeep the cemetery and buy cat food. Of course I did. Such noble cause, they could take the easy way and ''get rid of them'' as humans so love to do but these people embrace them and keep them happy and fed, makes me feel there's a bit of hope for humanity left. 

It is absolutely impossible to write down everything that I'd want to or this would be insanely long, so in short some of the other highlights. There are beautiful museums of Leonardo Da Vinci in Rome and I recommend you see at least one. We went to a great one that allows you to try out his devices. Nothing short of a pure genius and years ahead of his time. Also really nice was the Napoleon museum which is guess what free, now that is a miracle. It's a small but nice place. Also free and great is the museum at the Vittorio Emanuele monument where on our 5th or 6th day we caught the German president. Huge HUGE drama. Suddenly there were over 20 police cars rushing with lights and sirens, followed by fire department and ambulances, the press and also a police helicopter…let me tell you something if you live in Europe that usually means nothing good. But luckily it was ''just'' the president with a wild escort of Maseratti's and police on Harleys. I don't know exactly what was going on might of been some anniversary or something like that but there were the army, the police, the navy, all in their special suits. Quite a view not going to lie. 

One more of the very impressive things is the Doria Pamphilj gallery. They call it the smaller Villa Borghese. And holy hell it's amazing. Impressive. As everything is. This had to be some extremly wealthy family (still is today) because this gallery houses their private collection and the rooms itself aside, it has Raphael and Caravaggio and also Tizian. 

And are you really in Rome if you don't go stick your hand in the ''Mouth of truth''? of course not. The security man over there is also the best. He will take pictures of you and when you put your hand in he'll scream just to scare you, you should see the Japanese tourists jumping. It was too funny. 

What I noticed is a huge huge difference from say our capital is the fact that this city is alive. Musicians, preformers, artists, everywhere on all streets. And I love that. Some were really good. Two singers that I was listening to. Man, not many ''professional'' artists come near their voices. Absolute perfection. 

After all the walking and sights we took a day off at the beach in Ostia. You guys, it's like what 30 km from Rome and you can easily get there by public transport with a one way / 100 min valid ticket for just 1.50 EU. Of course most beaches there are private which means expensive, renting an umbrella alone will set you back between 10 or 15 euros but seriously my suggestion is go ahead and do it, the sun is scorching, the public beach offers no relaxation because it's crowded and to be fair private beach is safe, no need to fear your things will go missing. It was a great experience for me because I didn't even know how badly I missed the ocean and sand till I saw it again. It was rather cold at this time of the year but that didn't stop me from diving right in (well, counting to ten a few times first to gather the courage) but it felt so great. I do miss the sea side. And this side of Italy and this ocean is crystal clear and super clean. You won't see one single piece of trash anywhere, lets not even start with the sand (rougher sand) and the sea shells. Beautiful. I loved it and it's the perfect relaxation  after a long day / days of walking around. 

Alright, there was so much more of this, great memories, unforgettable stories, beauty and amazing places but if I'd write it all word by word this would soon turn into a 300 plus pages novel. You know me I can't keep it ''short and sweet''. I guess all I really can say is that if you ever get the chance to visit Rome, do it, it's amazing, it's beautiful, it's enchanting and it leaves a spectacular impression. You'll love it just as much as I did I promise. So I guess next time a post on Pompeii to conclude my travels. So many memories though and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing about them.