Back in Italy

I'm writing this from my family house in Italy, and in a lot of ways, it's been a bit of a relief being back. There are also ways in which it hasn't, like the gigantic heatwave plaguing all of Europe right now, but unfortunately this was the time that I could go, so I'm trying to make the best of it: I'm currently sitting in the living room on the top floor, in the dark, with all the windows open. There's an anti-mosquito spiral burning in one window, and a fan blowing in air from outside in another, so hopefully this is keeping the bugs (e.g. mosquitos and hornets) away.

But anyway, back to... just being here. The last time I was in Europe was May 2019, not only before the pandemic but before I met my now-ex. I turned 40 during the trip, and had two birthday parties (one in London with my mom and sisters, the other here at Brozolo with my dad and extended family), as well as taking a city break to Stockholm in between. After I got together with my ex, I planned to bring her here, and show her London and Paris too, but of course, the pandemic got in the way the last two summers.

I was still a little apprehensive about traveling, since despite what almost everyone seems to think, the pandemic hasn't ended yet. But I figured that my parents and sisters have all traveled between continents without catching it, so I could too. So I booked my flights so that I'd be away for most of the month of July, and got to planning with my folks.

One thing I made clear to my mom and dad separately was that I wanted to keep as much as possible to how I've been doing things in the Bay Area. No indoor restaurants, although I was prepared to make a couple of exceptions, and I'd wear masks everywhere. My plans changed a little at the last minute, so that I wouldn't be in Rome with my mom on this trip, which has made staying masked up even easier, because being out in the country means fewer crowds and rarely eating out at restaurants.

I also stipulated that I wouldn't be stopping by London, because masks are politicized there (almost as bad as in the US), and because it seems that government policy there is to give everyone Covid and then tell them they're on their own. More seriously, much as I'd love to go back, I think that'll have to wait until the pandemic is more under control than it currently is. In the event, I think I did the right thing because travel through the UK has been even more disrupted than in other parts of Europe.

Otherwise, things are pleasingly the same as they ever were here. My dad's put me to work on various DIY projects, and I've also put myself to work doing some cleaning and tidying, because things pile up and my dad's not the best at housework... We've gone to see relatives at their houses, and are planning on doing some day trips before I leave next week. My sister's also coming over from London this weekend.

Some stuff is frustrating, like being unable to beat this heat, but generally it's nice getting back to my routine from before the pandemic. A lot of stuff is just how I remember it, and some stuff has improved (like the internet here at home is loads better than three years ago). It's also been nice just being Italian (ish) for a few weeks, and not worrying about the usual stupid stuff I have on my mind at home.

Now that I've managed this trip (hopefully without picking up Covid, but there's still a week to go!), I'm starting to think about taking more trips. Ideally abroad, because mask-wearing is so politicized in the US that I just don't want to deal with worrying about my seat mates freaking out because I'm wearing one. It'd be nice to see some other parts of Europe, or even to get out to Asia, if they're letting Americans in. I also want to go visit my other sister in Australia, though that might be for next year, hopefully when the virus has calmed down.

It's ironic that I earn more than twice as much as I did eight years ago, when I moved to California from London, but I'm taking way fewer interesting trips than I did at that job. Of course, part of that comes from the pandemic, but I'm hoping it calms down soon so that I can get out of the house more. In part, being here has reminded me how much I missed going to bars and restaurants and museums, seeing friends and family and hopping on planes every once in a while.

It'd also be nice if I could finally manage to get out to Vancouver for that trip I promised myself back in 2018, as a reward for starting my previous job. The mini guidebook I bought then has been sitting on my nightstand ever since, so it'd be great to put it to use.