Feeding Firenze-Florence and Pisa

Renaissance Man

Florence (Fierenze) is a beautiful city. I kept saying to myself "Gee it's great to be Roman Catholic, especially in Italy--and I mean anywhere-Rome Sweet Rome, Florence, and even in Pisa.".

(Visited three churches today-so I am definitely going to heaven)

I had some Chianti, the national beverage, along with a Veggie lasgna for an appetizer. The rest of the meal...well I'll get back to you on that...I had too much wine.

Money-centri Florence was the New York of the Middle Ages. The House of Medici, the Godfathers of the Renaissance, funded many of the buildings, statues and paintings that makes this place an Art History 101 class.

Seeing Michelangolo's David made me think of going to the gym--his body fat percentage--even in marble is mos def under 10%.

WWMD? What Would Machiavelli Do?

In the spirit of the law instead of the letter, I thought it would be better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission: No photos I 'thought" was only a suggestion. LOL

I think it's time I broke out my copy of The Prince, and get in touch with my inner "Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli" civil servent to the Florintine republic.

Here we go: Quotable Mac on "Mainting a Princedom"

I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.

It is much more secure to be feared than to be loved.

One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others.

The ends justifies the means

Read More

Italy Heaven-Pizza on Earth Good Will to All!

Anyway you slice it-the best pizza is here
From a wi-fi hot spot to a real hot spot-Portofino is a picturesque sea resort and tourist destination located in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera.
Let's face it, there are only two types of pizza, good and great. So I formed pizza posse and ate...
First of all, The pizza in Italy is awesome, even the cold pizza I had in Portofino; but earlier in the day, somewhere between Santa Margherita and La Spezia, Liguria, I had an awesome slice of Pizza heaven. So what made this Italian Pizza GR8--fresh ingredients, thin crust, the sauce, the cheese-Neopolitan style. In a strange sort of way--Italian pizza actually qualifies as New York Style Pizza

Read More

Taking it Eze-Nice

Just Doing It

Nice(pronounced Neese) is greek for Nike, goddess of victory

Greetings from some of the most picture-post-card pretty, most photographed places in Provence, where any wish can come true.

U2's Bono chose Eze as his home forever.(He actually bought two houses in the new part of town) Walt Disney came for two days and liked it so much that he stayed two weeks. Here's a picture (below) of the old Medieval town.

"If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger" Nietzsche wrote Thus spoke Zarathustra here. Alfred Hitchcock, Jack Cousteau, Bill Clinton, Lenny Kravitz, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have all been here done that.

So I figured as long as I am in the The French Riviera /slash/Cote d'Azur, let's go check out this tiny medieval village perched on top of a 1400' rock overlooking the Med, between Nice and Monaco.

Earth School Kills All of its Students

In the background( from Eze) is this twisty mountain road above the tiny Mediterranean principality of Monoco. This is where American film and stage actress & fashion icon, who later became Princess Grace Kelly, crashed and died in September of 1982.

Read More

Coming Home To Starbucks In Catalonia

Out To Launch

I voted for Starbucks today. Sure I am in Barcelona, romanticised as Cafe life, where dudes smoke Havana cigars with a post-lunch carajillo (Coffee/Congnac).

I miss , what the Italians call "Dirty Water", Cafe Americano. More than that, I was looking for my Epiphany chair like @ SBUXS USA, where life changes in an instant, as I drank from a paper cup.

It's not just about the coffee; it's about the lifestyle. The Urban Monk attitude, no strings attached, living in this world but not of this world, telecommuting at location neutral, Hotel @nyware from a wi fi hot spot. I am back to that place that I have never been before.

Same Shirt Different Day

Here I am biking around town, in the Barcelona Football Jersey. Accidently passed a Antoni Gaudi building-cool.

I am wearing my music, listening to my ipod as Train's, Drops of Jupiter becomes my soundtrack for today

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken
Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know youre wrong
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phoneConversation
The best soy latte that you ever had . . . and me

Read More

Oye Como Va-Mallorca-TLC-Tastes Like Chicken

Kentuckey Fried Movie

When it comes to venturing out of your CZ, Comfort Zone cuisine, Did you ever notice everything tastes like chicken? That common declaration used when trying to describe the flavor of a food I've never tasted will now be applied to visiting new places.

Despite the language differences and the geographical distances, everywhere I am visiting lately looks like Hawaii, or MDR, Marina Del Rey, Or Venice,California. Strange...I am going back to places I have never been before..WTF?

Read More

The Teaches of Beaches-Mahon Menorca,Spain

La Vida Loca

Three more daze of Spain.

Dubai or not Dubai--I just turned down a GR8 gig in the M.E.. Good or bad, I am always doing my best at the moment.

You need three things traditionally to travel-time, money and opportunity(resources). Since I am a non-traditionalist, it has never been about resources, but resourcefulness.

I still have Egypt and Israel on my itinerary. This is the way to go.

Hair Today. Gone To Maui

What Am I On? My bike...as I head over to the beach...

Shaving My Skull From The Inside Out

The Teaches Of Beaches

You can't "own" the beach, but you can "tune in" to the beach.

Read More

Tunisia-Northern Exposure

Afro-Mediterranean Clearance Sale

A day without plans

A bit of "Where not in Kansas Anymore Toto" came over me as I touched foot on the Northern most part of African soil, Tunis, Tunisia.

I have no idea who I insulted by wearing this ethnic inspired Berber garb, (besides the woolly sheep who was fleeced),but I did it anyway. Since I didn't buy the magic coat (the hat was free!), extortion began at 20 euros for the picture. The shop owner refused 3 Euros, and I left.

Heavy rains and flash floods were on tap--good for the semi-arid landscape and bad for my big plans to convert to Islam.

I can't say there are any postcard moments here. It's pretty flat. Here's a 'point and shoot' shot anyway.

I'd like to teach the world to sing...A Bizarre Bazaar

The Souq was a gautlet of "Buy my carpet". The price was wrong Bob, er I mean Ali Bobba. The haggling and bargining for things I never even wated started to annoy and confuse.

The old adage" Don't drink the water" applied. So I bought a bottle of Coke. Here this guy trys to sell me it for 8 Euro:

Ali, Ambassador of The Souq سوق, tried to sell me a carpet after this "tour". Here's a vista of Medina, the city center:

Read More

Yaba-Daba-Do- Malta 2009 is a Twinkie

Mr. Science And The Knights Of Malta
A Tale of Two Twinkies

The list of ingredients of a Twinkie is a veritable Who's Who of the food chemical world, but Malta is a what's what of the industrial one.
For all their shortcomings, even though they are worthless nutritionally, Twinkies are still fun to eat. Try fried Twinkies! But Malta wasn't fun to visit.

I shot two videos of "regular" shopping mallTA, the treadmill of consumption was like visiting stuffed animals in a zoo--a connect the dots R&D, ripp off and duplication that starts in non-union made China and ends in Indonesian Sweatshops... but just across the way was "Extra Crispy": The hidden costs of fossil fuel---

Forget about Madd Cow dis-ease and Bird Flu salad, (Watching the flying rats,aka Pigeons),It was a pleasure (not) watching countless American tourists being poisoned by their their wild albacore sandwiches . Mercury in Tuna fish is no baloney in Malta, neither is cancer . Oncology Summer Camp was in full bloom. Benzene levels in Malta must be insane, as traffic exhausts and the power station leave their carbon footprint. I believe my IQ got lowered from inhaling their dirty air.

Mounds of Barney Rubble-Combustion

I would like to rename Malta, Fred, as in the stone-age caveman Fred Flintstone.
Mountainbiking around the capital,Vallenta, there’s old mattresses, burnt out cars and used shotgun cartridges. The place smells of bus diesel and asbestos brake dust, as sewerage drains belch out vapors stench; and there’s used motor oil on the roadside. The stray cats and dogs, and horses in the streets add to the random acts of defecation.

The leached contents of months of garbage bags give way to the first rain…

Read More

The Geekfather Part II-Taormina,Sicily

Il Padrino-Pulp-free Fiction

"The Godfather is the greatest American movie ever made" Film critic Ed Reif

It's been two months since I visited The Old Country-Sicily (Messina, last time) . Taormina is beautiful.

Put the Sicilian hat on, to get in touch with my inner VITO, er, I mean Michael Corleone, and took the local Godfather tour. This is where Al Pacino and Cast walked as Francis Ford Coppola actually filmed the Sicily part of The Godfather Film here.

Vino Veritas-The truth serum

Following their footsteps and visiting the places that were so often shown throughout the movie makes fiction better than fact today.Of course, there were a few momentary lapses of sobriety---pizza, wine and of course: I left the gun, but took the Canolis.

Read More

CAPri Limoncello Quest

On the Italian Express

The isle of Capri is as expensive as Oslo, Norway.


Taking a hydrofoil over from Sorrento, I flew on the water instead of floating. It costs 27 euros($60).

When I reached port-Marina Piccola , I didn't take the Funicular (a cableway). I ran up the mountain to get this great view from The Piazzetta Umberto, the center of the island of Capri for tourists and locals alike.Here's a nice shot of the clock tower in the town square.
Running back down wasn't as easy. I got lost but it was fun speaking Italian with all these Amicos and Amicas.


Taxi

L8R, I was on a Limoncello Quest, the Italian lemon liqueur. I wanted to find Louie De Palma,er I mean, Danny Devito's Limoncello Premium Lemon Liqueur (He was on Jimmy Falon's show last night promoting it). but I had to settle for the local variety, made of course in Sorrento, from lemons whose trees overlook the Mediterranean.

Makes me think of Taxi, the TV show. A bunch of NYC cabbies doing their job while dreaming of greater things.

Quotes like,

Alex
I'm not really a cab driver. I'm just waiting for something better to come along. You know, like death.

Louie

I know what love is 'cuz' I watch talk shows. Love is the end of happiness!

Some men climb mountains, others date 'em!

Jim

When I think of me, I smile.

Read More

My Life In Ruins-Pompeii

Wish You Were Here

Driving the bus

Made my way over to the ancient city, via Sorrento, by train, and bus.

I got mistaken for the driver twice. Some local gave me their bag and another Aussie man asked me how to get to the Amalfi coast. I responded in American(English) and he said, "Grazie Milleu". I don't mind getting mistaken for an Italian--It's part of my DNA, but a Bus Driver---well, I guess I am that guy" Driving the bus".

Thinking of Pink Floyd, Live at Pompeii; the 1972 film of them performing in the Roman amphitheatre.

If you build it, they will come.

Living the dream-Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Read More

That's Me In The Corner,Losing My Religion

I'm thinking of starting a Christian rock band. I got the perfect name-Heritic. You guys know any base players?

Broken Arrow
I spent this morning at the epicenter of Roman Catholicism, Saint Peter's Basilica.

PPL were queing up for Kodak moments. The only place were there were no lines were the confessionals.

CNN verses The Alphabet

Religion is so pre September 11th.
Of course, 20th century psychology has replaced sin with guilt.

The fusion of cyberspace and spirituality is a happy accident. a magical realm where all is possible . First there was the Pope of Software, Bill Gates. "He" has created an electric gaia, or gobal brain, a collective unconscious that makes what is deeply personal universal, the uncensored, distributed self, and cyberspace--the location of the virtual self/community on the web. Sartre said, "Hell is other ppl" Gates might as well say, "We are god...or at least made in his image".

Deus Ex Machina vs. Electric Gaia

Home isn't where your heart is, it's where your Blackberry is. Landlines are place; cellphones, people. The fundamental 'human-friendliness' of the Machine-God...It starts with e mail, E-mail, as a metaphor for networked, global, uncensored communication and continues with FB, YouTube, Flickr,Twitter and yours truely, kid blogger.

Furthermore, The Dali Lhama of Integration, Steve Jobs, has created a celestial jukebox on tap- itunes absolution for 99 cents-The GGD's, Better Days for instance handing out blessings-"Cuz everyone is forgiven now.Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again".

The blogerati voices coming to us from the frontier of human experience is the largest uncensored form of communication in history. Although I am physically traveling, I get to swim in a new geography of existence on the net, shattering time and space. Thus the moniker Hotel @nyware. Does it really matter where we are--because this kind of existence is location neutral.

Welcome to Infinite Smile

Putting the sin back into sincere, I decided to step into the English speaking Confessional to receive 'penance,' the place where sins are forgiven. The basic requirement for a good confession is to have the intention of returning to God like the "prodigal son" and to acknowledge our sins with true sorrow before the priest. At the very moment, the Monsignor, came out , and hung a sign saying closed. LOL.

There wouldn't be a second chance to make a first impression. The power of intention, however, was enough to provide salvation. As Woody Allan, once told me in 1980 at Stromboli's Pizzaria, in Greenwhich Village,"Showing up is 99%".


I figured it was 11AM; just in time for an Italian mass. Let me tell you, SOMETIMES THE MOVIE (King of Kings(1961) w/Jeffery Hunter as Christ) is better than THE (good) BOOK. I started to cough, and thought I better let these pious PPL pray in peace, and headed out.

Voice Inside My Head

Did you say your prayers today in Rome?

Me

No but I ate my lunch

I'm A Nobody

It was a Zencrafters moment--Instant enlightenment in less than an hour. You see Nobody's perfect, and little me in that big church felt like a nobody.

You gotta be a somebody first before you can be a nobody-- What is sin, after all. It is an old archery term. It means missing the mark.

Cut to song "Who else is gonna bring you a Broken Arrow... We got mountains to climb"

Mother Mary Comes To Me

So I am standing on line, listening to my ipod, before I set off the Swiss Guards metal detectors with Euros, my Google Phone and mp3 player.

Let It Be is the soundtrack to the waiting. Yet I can't help but have John Lennon's "Imagine, there's no religion" lyric creep in.

Putting the odd back into God

I'm feeling a lot better now that I know God is a white man with a grey beard. That Sistine Chapel is , as we alter boys say, " off the chain", mos def.

Stay away from the light. The light is dangerous. Don't go near it. Don't even look at the light.

Check Please!

Read More

Vatican 2.0--- Being Digital in Rome

Rome, city of 1001 cliches-

I feel I have lived everyone of them in 24 hours.

When in Rome do as the Romans do.

Had a frenetic tour of the mind blowing Sistine Chapel and the home of the Pope, Vatican City; the best stadium ever bulit-The pedal to the metal Gladiator's Coliseum, The Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountian.

All roads lead to Rome.

Ancient Rome is old--I hope I look this good when I am over 1000 years old!

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Fake it till you make it-Digital Art

The Russian Mafia is so much more forgiving than the Italian. While I was in The Sistine Chapal, the 800 lb gorillas went mental over flash photography. (Protecting the orginals.) Yet while in the Hermitage in ST Petersburg Russia last month, the windows were open, the elements, the sun and mist came in contact with Rembrandts, Picassos. I went right up to Van Goughs and could have touched them, as most were without glass.

Yet on the 15 Euro, two hour tour to get there, we were able to point and shoot at will. Then it occured to me, these were all replicas, copies we were photographing.

The DNA of Michelangelo is that he can never go out of print.The copy is better than the original as my analog eyes see a digital world.

The process is called Giclée, inkjet-based digital print used as fine art. NASA space photography first developed it for satelite imaging, and then in the early 1980's, Graham Nash from CSNY began expermenting with paint in a dot matrix printer(IRIS Graphics 3047) See wikipedia Graham Nash/Nash Editions, the first ever digital fine-art printing studio... and the rest is history. WTF?

Read More

Life's Been Good-Monaco

Life's been good to me so far
The Eagle's Joe Walsh is on my mind...Hit it

My Maserati does one-eighty-five...
I live in hotels, tear out the walls...
Lucky I'm sane after all I've been through...
I can't complain but sometimes I still do.
Life's been good to me so far.

F1 Pulse
In Monaco-With The Three C's--- Cash, Cars and Condos and the three G's- The Good, The Giving, and The Game. Monte Carlo certainly has more game than Milton Bradley.

Managed to get a few chin checks, and thumbs up for wearing the Brazilian Soccer Jersey--the aura of Sao Paulo's Ayrton Senna does not escape Monte Carlo.

Senna held three World Drivers’ titles and a phenomenal set of F1 statistics and records. The Racer's Racer won the Monaco Grand Prix race more times than any other driver, with six victories, winning five consecutively between 1989 and 1993.

"The name's Bond. James Bond."

Absoultely will not be rebooting my "inner" M16 Agent @ Casino Royale; although the joint looks very-user friendly. My Poker Table exploits , the in to my sane --- as Larry Zoolander says---are dead to me.

OMG TTUL8TF?
Twitter Photos: YachtzE
Rolls
Fire Engine Red Ferrari
Lotus
Mouse Grey Ferrari

Read More

The Persistence Of Time-St Tropez

Hello Dali

I am really digging this world tour--It reminded me of Dali, when he said "There are some days when I think I'm going to die from an overdose of satisfaction."

So it seemed only appropriate that I go to a Salvador Dali Exhibition in Saint Tropez today. He knew both sides because he was both sides. Quotable Dali:

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I am not mad."

"I don't do drugs. I am drugs."

Tuning in, Turning on, Dropping off the planet for a few minutes with The Dali Lhama...
Check Please...

Read More

Mobile Beat-Catalonia

Biking around Barcelona.

Took some mad money and bought a FC Barcelona Official Football Jersey. Took a panoramic view of Las Ramblas on bike.

The city really looks a lot different since the 1992 Olympics.

Last time I was here in 1988, they were awarded the Games. The rebuild obviously worked---re-gentrification of the port and downtown.

Barca http://twitgoo.com/3aozm

Las Ramblas 1 http://yfrog.us/0lnu9z
Arriving in Barcalona after 21 yrs http://yfrog.us/16bg0z
Las Ramblas Barcelona http://yfrog.us/14pk7zabout

Hola from Barcelona http://twitgoo.com/3aozk

Read More

PALMA DE MALLORCA,Life's a cereal but Coke IS It.

Pure Jeanius

Life's a Cereal, Joy's a detergent, and Coke is it. Hanging out in Mallorca, Spain.

Leaving Las Vegan

Ended my meat fast-Had a $25 dollar hamburger---Why pay less! Tomorrow I'll be in Barcelona; a place I lived 21 years ago-and then the Cote de Azur- St Tropez and Monaco.

Read More

Gib---The Rock-

Climbed to the top of The Rock Of Gibralter, and down-GR8 workout! and an amazing view of the straits, North Africa, Spain, and the Med.

The Hundredth Monkey looking down on Azamara Journey

View From the Top of Gib

Lots of monkeys http://twitgoo.com/38vtc -and everyone was wearing red-a National holiday celebration today.
Twitter Feed:

Streetlife Gibralter http://yfrog.us/0fs9oz
Nice View of Gib http://twitgoo.com/38vu8
North Africa in the distance http://twitgoo.com/38vu0
National Holiday Red http://yfrog.us/172cpz
Gib Holiday http://twitgoo.com/38vti

Read More

La Vida Loca-Spain

Sugar Blues!

In Vigo, Spain, I met a Baker. He makes these Ginormous croissants. This place should be re-named Beirut, Spain. Looks all bombed out- The place is under deep construction--concrete slabs everywhere, jackhammers, Jersey barriers. There isn't a patch of green anywhere--I was the healthiest person walking the street. The guy next to me is 35 years old. I guess your life style will determine your death style: The whiter the bread, the quicker you're dead. I gave up on biking,after a near mid air collision. I was, in fact, the only person on a bike.

I hung out with my buddy Mike. We were on a Mission to Mars, looking for a Cigar store, between the hours of 2PM and 4PM--everything was closed. Felt like Prayer time in the Magik Kingdom, but it was just the usual Manana, Siesta time slice of Espana; part of the work less and do more strategy.

I haven't been here since 1988, and if it wasn't for the Euro, and The Olympics, Spain would still be like Starbuck, a third place--- not your work, not your home--a third place, The Third World. The smog, the open sewers, it was the power of positive stinking.

Jack Napier/The Joker, said it best---This town needs an enema.

Again http://twitgoo.com/37jtjabout
Giant Crossiant http://twitgoo.com/37jtiabout
Baker http://twitgoo.com/37jthabout

Read More

Bordeaux-More Cowbell

World Cup 1974 Final - Germany 2:1 Netherlands

The beer tastes better than the wine-Weird. Filipp and Kevin are happy- Brazil won a soccer match against Argentina to clinch a World Cup berth.

When I was in Amsterdam, last week, I bought Brazilian and German Soccer shirts.

Some Dutch guys went mental on me for wearing the West German one-because of their 2:1 lose. I said OK get me some tape...They found some out of order stickers and put it on the emblem. LOL

Here is the longest Wi Fi password code I have yet to encounter. Makes a great sobriety check.

Read More