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Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts

Monday, February 12, 2018

Bologna (Italy) - Two turntables and a microphone

BOLOGNA (Italy)
12 February - 13 February 2018

Flying in from opposite sides of Europe, Inga from Riga and me from Belgrade, we converged on our coordinated arrival destination of Milan, and it was the definition of impeccable timing. If you knew both Inga and myself however you’d know that we are both sticklers for time. Assuming no crazy cosmic interruption we will be at a destination to the minute of asking. Now, this introduces my major bugbear, the cause of constant irritation for me, but somehow, the cause of mild amusement to others – how it is, that if people organise a time to meet and it was consensual, then how can it ever be a choice to be late? A choice to be late automatically is a sign of disrespect, and to be late constantly just shows a complete disregard for the other person, and yet, I have great friends that do this constantly. Not you Janelle, not now, you’re much better these days, so this isn’t directed at you JJ!


Milan Malpensa airport - Italy
This is Inga letting me know that she had arrived, and also, letting me know that I'd been 'busted' too. The Air Serbia flight gave it away... No escaping that woman! :)


My wife is never late, I’m never late. That’s an understanding we have and will always maintain. That’s the end of that rant.

Arriving with Winter jackets, luggage aplenty, our lives, our nomadic lives, were confined to a few pieces of luggage 76cms * 48 cms.  Not that I was concerned about that other than the troubles I anticipated for it to cause us on the domestic flights through the US. A discussion we’ll get to later.


Milan Malpensa airport - Italy


It was a 3hr drive from Milan to Bologna where we were booked into the Hotel Maggiore, a reasonable hotel located a little bit outside of the centre. Probably a small fault on my side as we didn’t get to see the centre at all and by all reports Bologna is regarded as one of Italy’s best looking cities, a medieval design, filled with a jumble of red brick, tiled roofs and balconies that radiate out from its central square. With that said, had we have had the internal fortitude we could have gone for a little walk to the centre but both of us had been so beaten by our respective early morning starts that sleep was our primary need that afternoon..

Still, the Hotel Maggiore had a trick up its sleeve and that was found at their bar. The barman, come receptionist, come security guard, come everything else was not however an expert in Negroni making. He was very nice, and trustworthy, allowing us to talk him through how to make them, meaning, that his liberal pours were breathtaking in terms of the final result. He was a Negroni making LEGEND in every manner of speaking from our perspective. His novice hands were just what we needed to support our desired afternoon buzz before heading out to Unipol Arena.


Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy


This Metallica Tour, Worldwired, was the same tour that we had seen before in Mexico City, almost a year early, and in fact, will be the same tour that they’ll be bringing to Australia in October 2019, where of course Inga and I will be seeing them again. Tour the World with Metallica, it’s a blast.


Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy


Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy

Metallica - Worldwired tour - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio di Reno - Bologna - Italy


The Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno, just outside of Bologna, is just an average venue, in the vicinity of 10,000-12,000, nothing like the 60,000 monster in Mexico City. Not that it really makes that much of a difference, other than defining the atmosphere, but once Metallica started we managed to push right up against the stage. This is something I need to thank Inga for, its really her thing to get as close as possible to the band playing, and whilst I enjoy it myself usually I require a bit of impetus to get in amongst it.

A decent night in all and a brilliant way to start the journey back home.

As per previous concerts that I’ve outlined, here’s the set-list for that night.

Performer: Metallica
Tour: Worldwired

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Rome (Italy) - The Birthday - Our Wedding - Part 4

ROME (Italy)
02 July - 03 July 2017


No rest for the wicked in this day and age, right of the back of our wedding celebrations came my 42nd birthday. Bidding farewell to our families in the morning, Inga & I, accompanied by my best man, Janelle, headed north to the capital of Rome. This was to be the exit point for both Janelle and ourselves, with JJ heading back for home and us, heading on our honeymoon. With that said, we did have one night left in us and Janelle's brother, Jarrod, was flying into town from London in order to catch up with his sister and join us in my birthday celebrations.

The standard state of getting re-acquainted with an Australian that you haven't seen for a while is to have a drink, and of course in Rome there's no shortage of options. We took up residence at one of the bars on the Tiber River whilst chatting. This also allowed me to set the scene for what I had planned this evening as nobody, other than myself, knew what we were getting up to for my birthday celebrations.


Tiber River - Rome - Italy

Tiber River - Rome - Italy

Tiber River - Rome- Italy

Tiber River - Rome- Italy

Tiber River - Rome- Italy


For this evening I decided that I wanted to change things up a little bit and not hit the typical bar or restaurant which is what made me decided on making a reservation with Eat With Me, (Federica & Barbara of BB Kitchen). What this is essentially is like a covert Supper Club, or as they would call it down in Buenos Aires, a puerto cerrado. In these scenarios you end up going to the chef's house and eating a pre-determined meal prepared by them. Usually....and I say usually because I can only imagine it to be case, the venues are intimate, a little clandestine and atmospheric.

The home of Frederica was in the Trastervere area of Rome, a locale of winding cobblestone streets, tons of charm and more authenticity, or so I felt, than the centre of the city. Their apartment itself was quite nice and I would say large for Rome considering that about 20 odd people stood in it comfortably and were seated on the accompanying terrace more than easily. 

As a venue I think it stood up well, ambient lighting, some well placed greenery and having a reasonable outlook over the rooftops in the area, it actually did feel like you'd been invited to a random dinner party in Rome, albeit that the guests were from all over the world. 



Eat with me - Federica & Barbara of BB Kitchen - Trastervere - Rome- Italy


Eat with me - Federica & Barbara of BB Kitchen - Trastervere - Rome- Italy


Eat with me - Federica & Barbara of BB Kitchen - Trastervere - Rome- Italy


Eat with me - Federica & Barbara of BB Kitchen - Trastervere - Rome- Italy


Eat with me - Federica & Barbara of BB Kitchen - Trastervere - Rome- Italy


In scenarios such as these, seating at communal tables can come undone quite quickly if you don't have an unwritten commitment from all parties to both instigate conversation and to invest enough time in keeping it running. Thankfully we had a lovely couple from Finland, Paivi Tontti and her husband Juha Tontti, and an equally as engaged Canadian couple, Pamela Keegan and her partner. Add to that a few Australians and one Latvian into the mix and you had a veritable United Nations gathered at the culinary negotiation table.



Eat with me - Federica & Barbara of BB Kitchen - Trastervere - Rome- Italy


Eat with me - Federica & Barbara of BB Kitchen - Trastervere - Rome- Italy


For something different and to have an experience in Rome that was relatively unique, the experience was a lot of fun. Actually after the event all our table went out drinking in the Trastervere area, effectively having the party kick-on. I suspect it could have become an absolute rager but for the fact that we were catching flights the next day. So the three Australians and the Latvian did the mature thing and bundled ourselves into a cab at a noble time.



Post meal drink - this looks like a round of tequila shots to me!


The next morning was sluggish for us all. Random artefacts from the night prior appearing within our lucid morning prompting memories of drinks gone by. After picking ourselves up we headed out for some breakfast and made considerations to head to the Colosseum. 



Rome Fiumicino Airport- Italy


On our way to Rio via Lisbon - Rome Fiumicino Airport- Italy



When you have left over champagne...obviously champagne should never be left over, but if there's a time when it happens then drinking it at check-in on a flight to Rio is acceptable
Rome Fiumicino Airport- Italy


With the sun high but with time running short this is where we had to bid our farewells, unfortunately the Colosseum tour would need to wait for another day. Still, what a wonderful fours days it had been for us. A time of our lives that we'll never forget, certainly. But now it was time to head off on our honeymoon, and that meant heading to the airport and catching a big bird down to good 'ole Rio, Rio by the Sea-o


Flying down to Rio where there's rhythm and rhyme
Hey feller, twirl that old propeller
Got to get to Rio and we've got to make time
You'll love it, soaring high above it
Looking down on Rio from a heaven of blue
Send a radio to Rio de Janeiro
With a big hello just so they'll know and stand by there
We'll fly there
Oh, Rio, ev'rything will be okay
We're singing and winging our way to you





Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Amalfi (Italy) - The Arrival - Our Wedding - Part 1

AMALFI (Italy)
28 June - 29 June 2017


From all the planning, to all the administrative duties, to all the logistical work, every small detail that needed to be put in place to have our Amalfi wedding work just the way we wanted it to, was now in place. To use standard sporting parlance, now it was all about the execution. There wasn't much more that we could do in our current state that just have it all play out.

Planning for the event, whilst not excessive in terms of time, was intense for the period of time that we invested in it. Everything we needed to do we'd condensed into a 3-4 month period after returning from Central America. We were fortunate in the sense that we had the time available to be able to focus on the event, but geez, we had to commit to daily chores to get us across the line. Tasks each day, with the back and forth of emails was part and parcel of organising a wedding outside of our known locations. Now however we were at the point where the fun and enjoyment was to take over, the true celebrations was in sight, assuming of course that we had put everything in place correctly.

Inga, myself and Aiva (Inga's aunt), flew out of Riga late in the afternoon on the 28th, bound for Rome initially and then to Amalfi with a few hours drive after that.

On the way to our wedding in Amalfi!
On the tarmac - Riga Airport - Riga - Latvia


Above the town of Atrani - Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy




Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


This is where the anticipation really started to build for us. No other person in either of our families had been to Amalfi before and such was the impression that it made on us back in April when we came to scout the location that we knew for certain the type of impact that it was going to have on our guests. Driving over the mountains and just seeing them give way to the sea, cascading dramatically out of sight. Simply the perfect backdrop.

Arriving late evening in Amalfi we set Inga's aunt up for one night in a hotel in the town itself and then headed off to our accommodation for several nights (but not the wedding night), in the town of Atrani, literally located around the headland from Amalfi.

Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


Amalfi town centre - Italy


Amalfi town centre - Italy


Amalfi town centre - Italy


Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


We had selected a place called Residence Villa Rosa in Ravello (although the map seems to make me think its Atrani). This place was magnificent in terms of views and locations. Set on a particularly steeply terraced slope above the village of Atrani and magnificently positioned to take in the Tyrrhenian Sea and additionally overlooking the Lattari mountains, it had an abundance of riches and was the perfect place for us to transition into wedding mode. As they say in the classics, this place was next level.

Residence Villa Rosa had breathtaking landscapes characterised by terraced gardens of lemon, myrtle and geranium. All our senses felt inundated, from the smells, to the sights and sounds of our surroundings. It was total immersion in what the Amalfi coastline had to offer. Coupled with the fact that the weather was practically perfect, sunny with clear skies and a steady 27 degrees, all we needed now was for everyone to arrive the next day as expected, have the weather hold up for us and we'd be set for our picture perfect wedding day.

Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy


Residence Villa Rosa - Ravello - Italy

To my own  great surprise, the 29th of June flowed perfectly, without so much as a slight headache. I had my own private concerns that logistically, with both families arriving that day,there would be some hiccup along the line that either forced a delay or that some piece of information would be missed or misinterpreted, etc ... to my amazement everything went so smoothly that it seemed we had almost deliberately planned it to be so:)

Inga's family arrived during the day and we set them up quite quickly in the Relais Convento apartments in the centre of town. We even had a bit of time for sightseeing in Amalfi town with them before Inga had to head back to Residence Villa Rosa for her hair and make-up trial, which was set to take a few hours. 

Now, at this point I take credit for pushing on Inga to have the trial. Initially she had decided not to have her hair and make-up done at all, as the date drew closer she decided to have it done but without a trial. This I explained was fraught with untold danger. Heading blind into an event of this magnitude could make things unravel quickly, in the end I believe her decision to have the trial was a blessing.


Atrani - Italy


Amalfi - Italy


Amalfi - Italy


Amalfi - Italy


Amalfi - Italy


My soon to be wife!!!!
Amalfi - Italy


Post hair/make-up trial we walked down through Atrani and into Amalfi  where we met my family had organised a quick dinner, again surprisingly, without so much as a hint of a hassle, other than Janelle explaining to me that my family were the biggest bunch of panic stricken humans on this earth! Which is true of course. On my mother's side of the family the Prelesnik females appear to ramp up in the anxiety stakes very quickly. In terms of Tanja, Julie & Vladimir, it appears to me that they tend to feed off each other in some type of group hysteria that often elevates the smallest concern into something insurmountable. If it wasn't such a hassle to deal with them it would be hilarious, and in that sense I think to Janelle it was amusing because this was an isolated event for her. I think the quote she provided me kind of typifies the nature of the relationship between Vladimir, Tanja and my mum - 'Well, that's what happens when three old women travel together'.

Amalfi - Italy


Amalfi - Italy


Amalfi - Italy


Atrani - Italy

Later in the evening Inga and I walked around Amalfi, soaking in the late afternoon sunset and realising that the the falling sun was bringing with it a new day, one of celebration and happiness for us all and one that would mark an exact point in time when it all changed. Thinking back on our timeline, meeting randomly in a Riga bar 7 years earlier and then only vaguely following each others movements for a few years after that, we had certainly come a long way since that first date in Paris 3 years earlier. 

There are times in your life when your realise that just about everything at a particular moment is as close to perfect as you would want it to be. During these few days in Amalfi I have to say that I felt exactly that. It felt like everything in the few years prior had fallen into place at the correct time and in the way that was needed in order to get us here, and that was a hell of a good feeling to have.