I'm Back! Damnit.

Well, August is already halfway over and autumn will be coming very shortly. I love autumn, so I'm not disappointed about the retreat of summer. I am, however, dreading yet another Northeast winter. I'll whine about that later, though. . . it's still warm and sunny out, thankfully.

Italy was fabulous; I visited Positano, Pompei, Sorrento, Capri and Rome. (The photo above is of Positano, where I spent the majority of my trip.) It was a beautiful vacation; to be on the West Coast of Italy was fantastically beneficial to my mental health. And, of course, Rome. . . quite the difference in security compared to the last time I was there in March of 2001. Instead of a few Swiss Guards here and there at the Vatican, there were many heavily armed police officers. Where you used to be able to walk right into San Pietro, there are now queues and metal detectors. But regardless, Rome is still stunning and wonderful and friendly and ancient. I spent most nighttime hours on the Spanish Steps, where I drank lots of chianti and met all sorts of people and watched fire throwers and guitarists perform for the crowds. It was so disappointing to leave. But, I threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, which supposedly insures your safe return to Rome someday. So hopefully I'll get back there eventually.