Eat Drink Travel

by Lissy Elle

I’ve started reading a book after ages. I’m not much of a reader. At all actually. I am more of a magazine – internet article person. 

I picked up Eat Pray Love a while ago. Have had my head stuck in the book eversince. I have just completed the Eat section. This section is basically about the author, Elizabeth Gilbert’s time spent in Italy after her messy divorce. Learning Italian in Italy, making friends (one is actually called Luca Spaghetti), and traveling. Love the writing. Love the honesty. Love Italy even more.

I had traveled to Italy in October 2006.

In those days I didn’t blog but, I had something called a notebook with me luckily. I wrote pointless observations which amused me from time to time.

Here it is

Italian things I remember

Aku’s accent – I think the Italians have something to learn from her.

Anytime we were lost she'd run to the tabacchi - a word she loved saying.

Ultimately I started calling her that. While she started calling me gelati for very obvious reasons.

4 scoops of gelato a day like it was medicine I couldn’t do without.

Words we'd lagow our accent for - tabacchi, ciao bella, stazione, laterano (whatever that was). And Capella Sistina which by the way took forever to get to and when we finally did reach it we chose to go get a sandwich first.

Michelangelo - a man I'd leave everything for in a heartbeat.

Leonardo - artist and scientist. Aku thinks I could be the next one just cause I understood directions well.

Lunch and dinner = Panini.

People not understanding Rome but understanding what Roma is. Thank God we knew Florence was Firenze and Venice was Venezia.

Alessandro palace.

Our hostel. Alessandro Palace. We were on the 4th floor. I looked like a female version of he-man after carrying my bag up there.

It had a nice bar downstairs. Aku had too much wine which she obviously dropped. 

Roommates - Alini the talkative Brazilian on whom the wine was dropped,

Karen and Hansen - the nice American couple who were super amused when they saw how an American charger worked on our ‘Indian’ phone.

Pauline who we very lovingly called khadoos. Shee from Taiwan. Aku imitates her so well that my tummy hurts when I laugh.

1 more chinki (politically incorrect I know) who was Japanese I guess cause I heard some moshi moshi and one European who didnt believe in flushing the toilet.

Uscita = Exit. It was a good thing we understood that.

Taking the wrong train on the first day and getting lost somewhere in Rome. Never saw the Leonardo Express thanks to Aku.

Long tiring walks,

Beautiful weather,

Me = map for Aku.

Eating orgasmic gelati. Seriously.

Throwing coins into the Trevi fountain and making a wish.

Bangladeshis selling rubbish on the streets and acting like Indians and spoling our name.

Shady staring Italian men.

Italian buttcracks. Thanks to lowrise jeans.

Not bathing everyday. I know. I can be sick on holiday.

Missing TV a little. But not really.

Talking our code language - Marathi. So pathetic. Couldn’t understand each other half the time.

Funny signs outside stores.

Cute Italian boys. Smiling in my mind but thinking will they rob us??

Ticketless traveling

Florence hostel. Archi Rossi. Amazing breakfast. Beds were a little hospitalish. Ugly graffiti but free internet and cheap water.

On the way to Pisa seeing "Before Sunrise" happening on the train. If you don’t understand that please watch the movie. So we followed them everywhere cause we were planning to make a movie on them after we got back. The girl finally ditched the guy and the guy ended up being from our hostel and later asked me - Weren’t u in Pisa today? and I was like yaaa (looking surprised that he was there too). I can be quite an actress screaming where’s my Ethan all day in Pisa.

Black guys (politically incorrect?) in the flea market trying to sell us stuff saying made in India. Hmmm. So am I.

Train conductor guy thinking we’re kids and giving us directions a hundred times.

Bus driver chatting on his cellphone and making people wear seatbelts.

Fake Louis Vuittons being sold everywhere by black guys (or do I have to say African Italian?) and Bangladeshis.

Michelangelo’s David - Undoubtedly the best thing I saw on the trip. Nice arse. Just kidding.

Pieta – wow!

Botticelli - also wow but not as wow as Mike.

No swimsuits at the Sistine Chapel.

Sistine Chapel - still cant believe how it must’ve been done. I paint one assignment and have a back problem. And can’t do without my Deep Relief.

The Pope at Vatican City.

Saw the Pope at Vatican City on a Wednesday. Very exciting but 2 minutes later we didn’t know what to do besides staring cause we couldn’t understand a word he was saying.

Little restaurant opposite our hostel called Marios. It had a waiter who didn’t understand English too well but was loudly singing What’s going on by 3 non blondes.

Finding Zara in Florence - our mission.

Idiotic guy in one shop thinking I shoplifted when the damn machine beeps for everyone. Firstly I wouldn’t steal and secondly there was nothing worth stealing.

Aku and her affirmations.

Me snoring. I have a slight problem I think. Especially after a drink. Best of luck to our roommates.

Bus ticket seller who kept taking his picture on his phone and showing us.

Made it to Venice with so much confusion.

Aku taking bad photos. Not everyone is as good as me I guess.

American ladies talking to us like we’re Chinese (bad way of saying we don’t understand English) saying "aaask for tiiickettts". Felt like saying Americans aren’t the only people who speak English. And then u get the "Oh! you speak good English" thing. And I’m like "yea that’s cause we also study in English".

Eating so much meat and cheese and icecream. But pigs in Europe are tastier for sure.

People drinking soda water. Why???? Just drink regular water.

Shady hostel in Venice &
me eating breakfast outside.

Our hostel in Venice – B&B Rota. Sooo shady on the outside. Like super dooper shady. But nice inside. Missed our weird roommates but enjoyed privacy for a change.

Eating most meals while walking.

Venetian gelato – disappointing!

Fighting with Aku about who carries the bags but then getting out of the station, seeing Venice and forgetting everything.

Italian windows.

Watching couples being silly but feeling a little jealous.

Watching old couples being lovey dovey and wondering whether they got married after 60 or does it really last that long?

Every lingerie shop has only sexy lingerie.

Walking so much in Venice. Couldn’t feel my legs. And nearly could have cried at one point.

Left Italy. Took a flight out. Hate sitting in one place so long. Felt like dancing but felt like all I could do once I got up would be the robot dance but u know how much I love it.

Said my final goodbye to Italy. Ciao ciao. Will miss u always.

Barcelona was beautiful but a different kind of beautiful. Loved it.

But think Italy was better.

Will miss my gelato the most. Icecream in Spain is just not the same.

Our poser waiter.

Barcelona hostel - called Barcelona 4 fun. Not really. Atleast not while carrying bags up 3 floors. While leaving we threw our bags down the stairs. We were done carrying bags by then. Even after hardly carrying anything.

Gaudi - Just amazing. But, not as good as Mikey.

Drinking Sangria. Aku obviously dropping something right after.

Eating Tapas like we've never seen food before.

Asking our waiter to take our photo. Instead he kept posing for us.

One of the FCB players. Still don't know
who he is.

Going to FCB. Not a football fan but still thinking wow.

Their changing room stinks. Like dirty socks. Saw some players. Obviously didn’t know who they were but still took photos being serious tourists.

Zara Zara Zara everywhere. I was hoping not to see another one. Just so I don’t feel guilty about not entering.

Getting fed up of shopping quite fast and hoping not to find my size in things that I liked.

Fighting with Aku in Park Guell. I’ll never forget that. Quite funny.

We bought their CD.

Cooking in our hostel kitchen. Cause it was cheap. Very. Made spaghetti and threw some cheese over it. Which was quite tasteless.

Bye bye Spain.

Then off to London - my favourite place. No holiday is complete without it.

A little cold but not unbearable. Love it love it.

Went to the Tate Modern. They had this installation of slides. I was dying to go but chickened out. It’s like a tube like slide from the 5th floor.

Ate and drank plenty. Watched a musical.

After a few drinks - Aku losing everything in her bag. Funny.

Guy trying to sell us things made from salts from the Dead Sea. After some moisturising I said tata. But he was a good salesman. Kept talking about where all he’s travelled in India. And Aku and I get conned too easily. But the mudpack he sold us was truly magical.

Meeting lots of friends. London ones and Bombay ones. Lots of fun.

Going ice-skating. I don’t think I could suck at anything more than that. I held onto the sidebars the entire time. And when a couple was having a romantic conversation while leaning against the bars I just skated by by holding onto them while apologising. Very weird. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

Eating toast and nutella everyday for breakfast.

Craving Chinese food.

Last day. Running to buy frankfurters at Marks. But they don’t make them anymore. What the hell. I could’ve cried.

Stocking up on my Vanilla body spray and ballet shoes. Life without them wouldn’t be right.

Leaving London. That was when I think I had tears. I didn’t want to go

back at all. Why cant I be on holiday forever? Whyyy? Whyyyyy??

So what I learnt is

I can eat a lot, drink a lot.

I can walk a lot, talk a lot.

I can go without doing laundry for about a month.

I can sleep a lot, fight a lot, be a mess.

Be on holiday forever.

And I’m a genius.

by Mia Cabana & Oliver Scott.

That was my trip to Italy in a nutshell.

Came back to India just like Elizabeth Gilbert did but not to meditate. Not really my style. And don’t think I’m off to Indonesia anytime soon and finding love either.

However, I am off to Turkey this week.

Hoping to finish my book before the movie releases in India so for the first time in my life I can make an honest comparison though I don’t know if I really care.

Here’s a cool recipe of lasagna cupcakes.

Bouna Giornata!