Dave Durante Travels Through Europe

Back to America

2010-08-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

Well, its come to an end. I can’t believe my year in Italy is already over. The year has been more than anything I could have imagined. Here are a few numbers from the year:
-4 continents
-11 countries
-32 cities
-100,000km traveled
-1 blown out knee and surgery

I spent my last two weeks in Pietracupa. If you’ve been following along this year, than you’ve already read all about this place. This was my first time back (during the month of August) in six years. The place is as amazing as ever. I’m seriously looking for a house out there so I can have a place of my own when I go back. If I was to list my top ten favorite spots in the world, where I feel the most at home and relaxed, it would be something like this, in no particular order...

-My porch at my beach house in Belmar
-The gymnastics gym at Stanford
...and then the other 8 would be in Pietracupa.

It’s pretty incredible considering the town so tiny. It just has a tranquility that is difficult to find in other places. I miss it already.

My year abroad was a trip of a lifetime. I am grateful that I had such an opportunity and it was much more difficult to leave than I was anticipating. The first three months were an adjustment period where I didn’t think I could live my life in Italy. From that point on, I became accustomed to the lifestyle and I enjoyed it...very much. Everything was made easier by my incredible family. They were there whenever I needed them. I can’t thank them enough and I can’t wait until I see them again. Hopefully very soon.

Now it’s time begin the next chapter of my life. I don’t know what that will entail yet, but I’m excited and a little anxious to get it started. My plans are to be in either NY or California, so that is where I’ll be looking for a job. If anyone has any openings I might be good for, let me know...haha!

Thank you all for following along this year and who knows, if I get bored I might just pick up and go on another adventure...stay tuned.

Naples, Amalfi, and some beach time

2010-08-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

Naples is an interesting place. Leading up to my trip I had heard mixed reviews, so I didn’t know what to believe. My parents just flew in, so we headed down together and stayed with some relatives who live just outside the city limits in a small town at the base of Mount Vesuvius...that in itself was a little freaky. Going to bed knowing that the volcano that consumed Pompeii is in the backyard is slightly unsettling.
The first thing I would say about Naples is that if you visit you have to see the city with a Neapolitan. The people who live there respond much better to one of their own. Plus, it can be a dangerous city, so going around with someone who speaks the dialect makes you less of a target. I didn’t see this side of the city, but we were told numerous times to leave all jewelry at home and to always keep and eye out when walking the streets. Naples is also home of the Camorra, which is an infamous branch of the mafia.

So, another thing that Naples is known for is one of the most beloved foods in all the world...pizza! After putting our bags down at the house, our first stop was to one of the oldest and best pizzerias in Naples, “Pizzeria da Michele.” It’s a pretty unassuming place, but the lunchtime line outside is a clue to the quality of the pizza. After getting our number we waited for over two hours before we were seated...yes, two hours. There are few tables and only two items on the menu to choose from. Marinara (just sauce) or Margarita (sauce and fresh mozzarella). This might seem like a lack of options, but how can you argue with a pizzeria that’s been in business for over 140 years.
Each person gets an individual pie. They are a pretty good size, but I didn’t have too much trouble finishing off mine...and about a third of my mom’s as well. Eating pizza in Naples is a must. If you want to make it as authentic as possible, go to “da Michele.”

I didn’t really know that Naples is so close to the water, but it is situated on an absolutely beautiful piece of coastline. The sites from the high parts of the city are all postcard quality. The water is a combination of various shades of deep blues, Mount Vesuvius can be admired from a safe distance, and there are impressive villas all along the rocky cliffs. Unfortunately, this beauty from a distance doesn’t quite translate when you get to the center of town. You have to be prepared for what the streets of Naples are all about. For one thing it’s noticeably dirty. Some of the streets look like people just dumped a weeks worth of garbage along the road. Not too pleasant.
Along with that, driving in Naples is a sight in itself. I thought driving in Rome was bad, but Naples is kind of like a demolition derby. I wouldn’t recommend driving a car that you actually care about in downtown Naples. A bump here and a scrape there are inevitable. Oh, and also get used to guys leaning halfway out there windows as they are driving screaming at anything that gets in their way. It’s actually pretty funny...as long as they are not yelling at you.
If you have tough skin and can handle yourself in a tight situation than you should check out Naples. The city has an incredible history and some amazing sites, just be prepared for a more in your face type of city.

After a couple days of Naples, we took a day to see the sites of the Amalfi Coast. It really blows me away how many naturally stunning spots Italy has to offer. Amalfi is no different. We drove along the coast stopping in Sorrento for the day. One of the things Sorrento is know for is limoncello. The lemons sold at the markets are the size of melons. That is no exaggeration...it’s a little ridiculous. They have little shops lining the streets with different limoncello stores, all more than happy to give you a taste of their product. Earlier this year I learned how to make my own limoncello, and for my first batch it actually didn’t come out too bad. But this is the real stuff. Of course it’s perfect as a digestif, but a few small glasses in the middle of the day isn't too bad either.

The last few days were spent even further South at our host's beach house. The days were spent laying at the beach, afternoons were set aside for over the top seafood meals followed by a two or three hour nap, while the nights were all about eating gelato and soaking in the nightlife down by the water. Some of spots we hit were Scari, Maratea, and Sapri. The coastline down in those parts of Italy, close to the border of Campania and Basilicata (two of Italy's 20 regions, which are kind of like states) remind me a little of the PCH in the Santa Barbara area mixed in with Maui. Being a peninsula in the Mediterranean has worked out pretty well for Italy. It's hard to find a place that isn't picture worthy.

This was last major trip before I head back to the States. I'll be leaving tomorrow for Pietracupa, where I'll spend my last few weeks of my year long adventure. Pietracupa will be all about relaxing and catching up with old friends I haven't seen in years. I can't wait to get there.

Amsterdam

2010-08-03T05:57:00.000-07:00

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Amsterdam? Probably, pot and the red light district. At least that's what I thought of before I went last weekend. Sure there are a fair amount of “coffeeshops” and half naked girls in street-side windows, but what surprised me were the things I didn't expect. It's an amazing city that has top rate museums, parks, and an interesting history as well.

Amsterdam is known as "Venice of the North" because of the vast network of canals that run through the city. I don't think I would go as far as to compare it to Venice...the two have completely different feels. Venice is romantic. Amsterdam, I would say, is more charming. The canals are not filled with gondolas, but rather family filled small boats and upscale houseboats.

The city has kind of a Scandinavian Greenwich Village feel. The cobblestone streets are lined with brownstones and unique non-commercial stores with names I didn’t even try to pronounce. The city is small and everyone gets around on bicycles...everyone. All the streets have lanes for bikes. Sidewalks are kind of an afterthought. There were plenty of times I was walking along on what I thought to be a sidewalk only to be almost run over by a bike. Renting a bike is by far the best way to tour the city though. Plus, if you ever get lost it’s easy to find your way because English seems to be spoken more than Dutch.

I’m a pretty liberal guy. I might not be someone who enjoys all that Amsterdam coffeeshops have to offer, but I think people should do what makes them happy. That seems to be the view of most of the people in Amsterdam. You don't always see that live and let live culture, so that type of attitude was refreshing. Of all the cities I’ve been to so far, I think Amsterdam is the most livable. Of course, I went in the middle of the summer when the weather was perfect and the streets were filled with locals and tourists all having a good time. Things might be different when winter comes along and people are trying to ride their bikes around in freezing temperatures, but my first impression of Amsterdam was a a great one. It will be one of the first cities I make a return trip to for my next European tour.

Il Palio

2010-07-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

I’m skipping a couple trips to write about Siena and the Palio because it was an event like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. For my 30th birthday last weekend a couple of my closest friends from Stanford came out to visit. We partied in Rome and got some sun in Cinqueterre. The last part of the trip was set aside for the biannual Palio. Every year on July 2nd and August 16th, Siena is transported back to Medieval times when the running of the Palio overtakes every aspect of everyday life.

We took the train to Siena morning of July 1st. With all the tourists in town for the Palio it was difficult finding a room downtown, so I found a villa for us to stay at just outside of town in San Rocco a Pilli. The villa was beautiful and it gave us a glimpse into life in the Tuscan hills. Even though we didn’t spend too much time there, waking up every morning to the incredible views was well worth it.

To help understand what the Palio is all about, a little background is necessary. Siena is split into 17 different sections of town, called contrade. Of those 17, 10 are selected to race in the event. The race is just three laps around the track and takes about 90 seconds to complete. Here is a map of what the split looks like (the open space in the middle of the map is the Piazza del Campo, where the race is held).

http://www.uniaffitti.it/immagini/contrade-palio-siena.jpg

As you can see by the map, each section of town has it’s own colors, crests, and animals/symbol. To say that the people from each contrada are proud and passionate about where they grew up wouldn’t do it justice. They are fanatical. They have rivalries that are on par with anything we have in the sports world back in the States. Imagine Yankee fans and Red Sox Nation growing up across the street from one another...it can get heated.

Before we got to Siena, my friends and I decided we needed to become fans of one of the contrade. So like any normal people who had never been to Siena and knew nothing of the contrade, we picked our contrada based on our favorite color and crest. Well, to be fair we went with my favorite color, light blue. My soccer team, Lazio, is light blue so I’ve always had a soft spot for that color. The name of our contrada was Onda (meaning “wave”). I’ve also always been a beach person so I thought Onda was a no-brainer. (My friends fiance was partial to Istrice, the crested porcupine contrada, but in the end we decided that we had become Onda for life).
Here is Onda’s crest...

http://allegati.comune.siena.it:8080/palio/Allegati/3541%5Conda_big.jpg

After confirming our allegiance to Onda by buying and wearing the required team bandana, we roamed around the city to see the what Siena had to offer. Siena is an incredibly beautiful city and in many ways it felt like a smaller version of Florence. There are plenty of historical sites to see, but this entry is about the Palio so I won’t go into too much detail about the city itself. I’ll just say that it’s a must see if you ever find yourself in Tuscany...especially during the first week of July or second week of August.

Ok, back to the Palio. After roaming around the different contrade for a bit we bought our tickets for the legendary dinner the night before the Palio. Each contrade hosts a dinner for about 1,300 people where they toast their rider and pray for a victory the next day...all while drinking endless amounts of wine and eating way too much food. During the Onda dinner we were seated at one of the last tables with other foreigners who, like us, had recently pledged their love to the wave. I happened to be sitting next to a group of Italians from another city a few hours away, who had traveled every year to Siena to witness the incredible event. One of the men sitting next to me told me something that made me appreciate the uniqueness of the Palio even more. He said that the people of Siena don’t hold the Palio for to recognition or for for the tourists. They do it for the tradition. They do it to hold on to a part of their history that has been going on for hundreds of years. It is part of who they are. I mean how many of you have ever even heard of the Palio? Or if you have heard of it, do you know anything more than that it’s a horse race?? What I’m trying to say is that if you ever do witness the Palio first hand, you will forever wonder why the rest of the world doesn’t tune in each year for the 90 seconds of sheer mayhem. With the right publicity and some well placed ads, the Palio could be a worldwide phenomenon...but that’s not something that would interest the people of Siena very much.

Game Day. July 2nd, 2010. The three of us agreed that we had traveled all the way to Siena for this event and we wanted to make the most of it. The previous day we found a part of the square that we thought was ideal for the event. The Campo has kind of a bowl shape, so being in the middle you are kind of looking up to see the track. We had heard from various people that it would be smart to show up early to claim our spot...and so like any diehard fan we showed up 5 hours before the race to make sure we had the best seats. We picked some proscuitto and mortadella sandwiches, jugs of water, a bottle of grappa, a deck of cards, and some suntan lotion and we laid claim to what would become an epic spot.

We decided on our corner of the track for a few reasons:
Proximity to Onda- This corner was right next to “our” section of town, so there were bound to be a bunch of wave supporters in that section.
High Point-It was positioned at the highest point of the piazza, so you were looking down at the rest of the track. It made for an excellent viewing point for the entire race.
Shade: It was easily 90-95 degrees, so we decided that it would be smart to pick an area that would be under the shade first.
Closeness to Track- we wanted to be as close to the action as possible, so we set up shop along the railing at 2:00pm and didn’t move for the next 6 hours.

(We took time lapse pics from our spot every half hour to show what the piazza looked like as it began to fill up. I put them up on my facebook page along with other shots of Palio. Check them out if you’re interested)

Piazza del Campo in Siena is absolutely stunning. I would actually go as far as to say it’s the most picturesque piazza I’ve seen in all my travels. The surrounding buildings create a very intimate atmosphere where you actually feel like you are in an arena. The inside section holds about 20,000 to 25,000 people. Along with that are a few rows of bleachers around the whole square and people hanging out of every window and balcony. (Originally we had thought about buying tickets for one of the window seats. The seats were absurdly expensive and too far away from the action, so in the end we decided against it).

After hours of anticipation, the festivities began. Each contrada came out one at time a with a drummer and two flag bearers presenting their coat of arms. They were followed by the contrada warrior in full battle gear, the rider, and the horse they had groomed for the event. I couldn't believe how serious they all were. Not one smile. This was serious business. This was their Super Bowl, World Series, and NBA Finals all rolled into one. This part was really cool for about 7 or 8 of the contrada...but they did it not only for the 10 that were racing, but for all 17. After 6 hours in the sun, we were all ready for the race to start...

Finally, the riders came out one by one to the roar of the crowd. The faces of the jockeys were filled with intensity and nerves. It was definitely understandable. The track itself is very narrow and has corners that are basically at 90. This isn’t quite like racing at the manicured track at the Kentucky Derby. The risk and potential for serious injury in Palio is sky high.

As the horses edged toward the start line, a hush overtook the entire crowd. An announcer called out the line up as he pulled out the random draw. With each announced contrada the fans would either cheer or boo depending on their horses starting position. Nine of the ten horses were brought to the line and the announcer then goes about trying to line them up correctly, which might be one of the most difficult things I’ve ever seen. The last horse and rider stayed a few meters behind the line and waited. The horses are all bucking and on edge. Not one of them can stay still and so the announcer calls for all the horses to exit the starting line and the lineup has to start over. This happened four times. Each time the crowd becomes louder and louder, frustrated and at the edge of their seats.

On the fifth try, while the horses are still fighting to stay in their assigned positions, the 10th horse takes off from its spot a few meters back and the race is on. Onda, which started in the second position, gets an incredible start and takes the early lead. As they come around for the completion of the first lap, one of the riders gets tossed from his horse along our side of the track and is laying on the track. He’s hurt. Someone jumps from the stands and lifts his limp body over the barrier into the stands. I turn back around to just in time to see that Onda has widened his lead as he passes the halfway point. We are all freaking out...screaming for Onda to hang on for a little bit more. As the riders come around our corner for last section of lap 2, one of the horses slips and hits the barrier. As he goes down the massive body takes out another horse and rider in a huge collision. The two riders were down of the track and more people from the stands are jumping over the railing to pull the wounded riders off the track. One of the horses is on his feet and continues along the track without a rider. The other horse, I was certain was dead...or at least on its way to dying. It was crumpled up against the barrier. Its neck was in such a position that to my untrained eye looked broken. Just to make it clear, this crash happened RIGHT IN FRONT OF US...I’m talking about within 10-15 feet!! For a moment we had forgotten about the race and were fixated on the horse in front of us. Right then, another brave soul leaped over the barrier and pulled on the horses tail with all of his might in an attempt to straighten out the horses body. The horse had been pressed up against the barrier in such a way that he couldn’t get free. When he was away from the wall, he popped right up and galloped away. WOW...I was relieved that the horse was ok and also amazed that this guy just jumped in there to free the struggling animal!

In the mayhem that had just occurred, Onda was surpassed by Selva (the Forest contrada). Our jockey did his best to make up the ground he lost, but Selva began to pull away. He couldn’t be stopped at that point. Selva wins the Palio. No one cares who finishes in any other position...only the winner matters here. Within five seconds of Selva crossing the finish line their supporters were running at full sprint down the track to catch up to the victorious rider. Old and young supporters all in tears as they celebrated their win.

Emotions were running high all around us as the supporters of the other contrade were also in tears after the race ended differently than they had played it out in their heads. The diehard Onda fans were the most distraught, after tasting victory for two laps. My friends and I were more in shock than anything else. We were upset that Onda hadn’t won, but we were more in awe of the complete spectacle that had taken place in front of us. My heart was racing and I couldn’t focus my mind. There was too much going on around me.

After a while, we began to calm down and realized that the three of us had just seen one of the coolest, most dramatic events in our lives. I have been to some amazing sporting events in my lifetime (Olympics, World Cup, Rose Bowl, watched Michael Jordan play in Madison Square Garden...), but this was in a class of it’s own. Nothing else like it in the world. It really is something you need to see for yourself to understand. If you ever do get a chance to see the Palio, suck it up and wait for place along the rail. It will be the craziest 90 seconds of your life.

Istanbul

2010-06-18T05:44:00.000-07:00

It was only a two hour flight from Rome, but it when I landed I felt like I was much further away from my comfort zone. First of all, this city is immense. About 13 million people. There is the Asian side and the European side. Most of the action is on the European side and once your there the city splits again into the "Old City" and "New City." I found a hostel in a great location of the Old City section of town. The highlights was the rooftop bar that looked out onto the water and 5 Turkish Lira kebabs that were awesome. (The exchange rate works out pretty well too. Basically 1€ for every 2TL. Finally a place where the exchange rate works out in my favor)!
Istanbul has an incredible history. How many places can say they were the capital of three different empires? Ottoman, Byzantine, and Roman. There are a number of great things to see in the city (Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Galata Tower, Topkapi Palace, ride down the Bosphorous, the underground cisterns) but the most visible landmarks around the city are without a doubt the mosques. They are everywhere. I stayed in an area right by the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, so I was able to get a close up tour of some of the most famous ones. I’ve never been too familiar with Muslim culture or customs so it was pretty interesting to see it firsthand. The inside of the Blue Mosque is wide open and fully carpeted for praying. It is called the blue mosque because of the detailed blue tiles that cover the interior. The pillars on the inside are gigantic. They reminded me of the great sequoias at Sequoia National Park...just massive. Just across the way is the Hagia Sophia. The two face each other in kind of a standoff looking like they are trying to intimidate each other. Hagia Sophia is now a museum, but it is pretty incredible that it’s still in such good shape considering that it is 1500 years old. The dome was built 1000 years before the dome on St. Peters Basilica!

Of course, whenever I travel I try to experience as much of the nightlife as I can. The Istanbul nightlife centers around the area of town called Taxim. The energy in the streets was awesome. They really like to party out there. Unfortunately, the music played in some of the clubs was less than stellar. Some of the popular beats in the clubs in Istanbul included the Ghostbusters theme song and Vanilla Ice. (Still, the most memorable club music was played one night while I was in Austria. They put on the theme to Baywatch...and the crowd went crazy. They all knew the words. I guess David Hasselhoff’s incredible fame is still growing!).

After my late night on Sat, I decided to check out one of the Turkish bath houses the next morning for some relaxation. This particular bath house was built in the 1540’s and the traditions haven’t changed very much in 500 years. I didn't really know what I was doing when I got in there, and I'm sure it showed. Some random guy (who I later found out worked there because he demanded a tip for his help) led me to the wash room for the first part of the experience. After changing into just a towel, I was led to the main room. The room itself is beautiful. It's made of nothing but marble with intricate fountains carved into the walls. After laying down on the huge warm marble slab in the center, they begin to wash you. First they scrub you down with a exfoliating mitt. They lather you up and dump buckets of water all over you to wash it off. Once the cleaning is over, you head to another room for a full body oil massage. I was spoiled for years at the OTC where I would receive multiple massages a week while I was training. Getting a massage every once and a while is always relaxing, but it makes me long for the days when I got them whenever I wanted.
When the massage is over you don’t have to leave. You can head back to the first room which also acts kind of like a sauna. Relax and stay as long as you like. This is an absolute must if you are ever in Istanbul. Cultural experience, relaxation, and the prices are not bad either.

On my last day I had a few hours to kill, so I went to the Grand Bazaar. It’s more of a maze than it is an actual shopping center. Seemingly endless hallways selling slight variations of the same things. I’m glad I had a chance to check it out, but I wasn’t in the market for a Turkish rug or pointy-toed silk slippers, so I came away without buying anything. To be honest, I was just glad I was able to find my way out.

Istanbul was like no other city I have visited so far. It was just the kind of cultural experience I was hoping to get when I decided to make this trip. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite city, but it was definitely a place I would recommend seeing...especially if you like history.

Some Return Trips in Italy

2010-06-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

For my last few trips, before Istanbul, I ended up staying in Italy. A close friend from New Jersey came out to visit last week with his wife, and so I played tour guide for a few days. Two days in Rome, two in Florence, and two in Venice. It was a pretty hectic schedule and I’m pretty sure we walked at least 50km (yes, believe it or not after nine months out here I’ve started think in terms of the metric system).
It’s impossible to see Rome in two days, but we did our best to hit up all the main spots. Since my down time between trips is spent in Rome, I have found time to see many of the museums and other exhibitions that most tourists pass by on their travels. So, needless to say I’ve seen quite a bit of Rome. The one thing that I hadn’t done this trip was the Vatican Museum and St. Peters. I’ve seen them both many times over the years...in fact, after talking to some of my cousins I’m pretty sure I’ve seen these sites more than they have, and they’ve lived here their whole lives. We took the tour and actually got a chance to see the pope (from about 50 yards away...but it was still pretty cool).
The temperature has been warming up quite a bit lately which made the trips to Florence and Venice even better than my first time out there. But, of course with better weather comes more tourists. The lines for all the major sites were ridiculous. We saw as much as we could while trying to avoid the monster crowds. We saw quite a bit, but a lot of what’s great about those cities is just walking around the streets, eating gelato, and taking in everyday Italian life...we definitely did enough of that. Especially the gelato part.

The night before my friends left, we had one more night together at my apartment in Rome. I have been learning how to cook a bunch of different Italian dishes from my aunts (who are all incredible cooks) and so I was able to test my new gnocchi making skills on my friends. For my third time making them I think them came out ok. My friends enjoyed the dinner and that's all I was worried about. It doesn’t get much better than a home cooked meal with friends.

I also took a two day trip back to Pietracupa. The ultimate place for relaxation. Rome is so hectic and crazy, that it’s nice to spend a couple days every once and a while in a place where you hear nothing but the birds. I took a long walk through the hills with my cousin who showed me the different plots of land our family used to own, where the great fig trees are, and some other hidden stuff about the surrounding lands and villages that I had never known before.

This time of year Pietracupa is basically deserted, but a new mayor had just been elected so the town threw a big party for him. The main street was filled with people many of whom I hadn’t seen in years. The last time I was in Pietracupa during the summer months was six years ago...the longest stretch I’ve ever gone in my life without going back. There were prosciutto and porchetta (a kind of pork roast) sandwiches to go along with the beer and wine. A whole store was filled with different cakes and pastries made by some of the ladies in town and you could go in and take as much as you could handle! The music played late into the night. The people dancing ranged in age from 5 to 90. You don’t see that kind of stuff all the time...people just loving life. It reminded me a lot of my time there as a kid. Great to be back.

Here are some other things I’ve noticed about the Italians. Some good, some bad, but all worth mentioning.

-Italians are blunt. Especially with weight. If you’ve lost a few pounds, they will let you know. You look a little heavier?They have no issue with telling you straight up. It’s not such a big deal for guys I guess, but in the US where everyone is so worried about their weight, I can’t imagine that telling a women that she looks fat would go over so well. The thing is though, that Italians don’t say it because they want to upset you. To them, it’s just an observation. So if an Italian comments on your weight, don’t think too much of it.
-They are consistently late. I’ve come to use a rule of 3 whenever I’m supposed to be somewhere. If someone says they’ll be there in 5 minutes, it means 15. 15 minutes means 45...and so on. I’ve refined the system over time and it’s pretty accurate now. As opposed to Americans, Italians are never really in a rush. They get there when they get there and that’s it. It is definitely less stressful, but it’s taken me a long time to get used to. In fact, I’m still not fully used to it yet.
-With food, everything is somehow good for you in Italy. I don’t quite know how this works out, but it’s been repeated to me multiple times by many different people. That gigantic bowl of pasta...good for energy. Those glasses of wine...good for the heart. That block of cheese...lots of vitamins. Ahhhh...I just love it out here. I just can’t wait for the day when someone convinces me that gelato is good for me too. I might never come back home! (On a weird side note, there are a bunch of different fruits doctors tell people not to eat if they are on a diet. Grapes, peaches, and apparently bananas are the worst. Who knew...).
-Another thing I’ve found to be funny is the broadcasting of sporting events. In the US, if something happens in a game that is unexpected or maybe a little too much for TV (say a coach cursing out his players or a fan running across the field) the cameramen do their best to move away without drawing too much attention to the spectacle. In Italy they do the opposite. When a coach is cursing out the ref or another player, they zoom in and slow-mo it until they see exactly what he said. They want to know in what accent he cursed out that other guy.
-Ok, I know I’ve mentioned the public transportation a few times, but it’s definitely mentioning these gems that have happened to me recently. These all happened to me in the past few weeks too. I was on a train where the conductor was playing a game on his Iphone while he was at the controls. That same day, I took a bus where the driver was reading a book on the steering wheel as he was driving the streets of Rome. Another day, I was up front by the driver and he called me over to ask for directions. Yes, that’s right. I had to tell the bus driver his route. He had no idea where he was going. My favorite though, was someone I saw yesterday. I was on a bus but this guy was driving his car next to us. He had a cell phone in each hand and was texting on both...he was using his knee to steer the car. Just awesome!!

So there are some more of the fun things I’ve learned out here over the past few months. I’ll be here for a couple more months, so I’m sure I’ll have so more stuff to report.

Australia...Part 2

2010-05-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

After my week in Perth, I headed across the country to Melbourne. The Pacific Rim gymnastics competition was being held out there, and so I was excited about watching Team USA at another big meet. Looking back, I’ve actually been to quite a few competitions since I’ve been living in Italy. Worlds in London, Champions Trophy in Stuttgart, USA Women’s competition outside of Venice, NCAA Championships in NY, and now Pacific Rim. At this point I’m pretty sure the USAG officials are sick of seeing be show up at meets around the world!

Coming from the NJ/NY area, I can appreciate a good sports city. I am a passionate supporter of my sports teams, and after being in Melbourne for a few days I could see that they too have a similar love for their teams. The dominant sport is the Aussie Football League, or just footy. To give you an idea of how crazy Melbourne is about it’s footy, just think about this. There are 16 teams in Australia’s top division. Of those 16 teams, 10 of them are based in Melbourne!!! THAT IS INSANE!!! NY/NJ has three football teams (including Buffalo). Rio de Janeiro and London each have five soccer teams. That always seemed like a lot to me. But 10 first division teams in one city...that’s another level. They also host the footy equivalent to the Super Bowl every year. Melbourne is a true sports city...

To accommodate all those teams, along with the cricket teams, the Australian Open tennis tournament, and various other sporting events such as the Pacific Rim, Melbourne has a vast network of sports stadiums. It doesn’t seem like a city big enough to pull off so many sports, but they do. For me, it was one of the most impressive parts of the city.

I got a first hand experience of a footy match too. North Melbourne vs. Melbourne. I love checking out new sporting events, so this was something I thoroughly enjoyed...and unlike the rugby match, I was able to stay awake the entire match. Footy is played on a huge oval field. My crude understanding of the game gave me the impression that it was basically a combination of soccer, rugby, football, and hot potato. The fans are passionate in a similar way to the Italians with soccer. That’s to say, it’s a borderline unhealthy relationship. The love I have for my Giants, Mets, Lazio, and the Azzurri can be looked at in a similar way, so I felt a unique sport connection to Melbourne.

Another form of sport, gambling, is something else I enjoy quite a bit. Melbourne has a state of the art casino that I found myself at a few times during my few days out there. For the past 17 years I have taken at least one yearly trip to Las Vegas. This was the first year that I missed out on my Vegas experience, so being able to gamble a little bit helped fix my Vegas itch. The atmosphere wasn’t quite like Vegas, but it was still a lot of fun. Plus, I ended up winning a couple bucks which wasn’t so bad.

The rest of my time in Melbourne was spent walking the city, eating sushi, and watching the USA clean up at Pacific Rim. Actually, it was pretty ridiculous how many medals the USA won. Between the guys and girls, I think they ended up with something like 35 medals. Wow. I guess you could say it was a successful weekend for Team USA. The girls were dominant as usual, and the guys have a bunch of up and coming talents that are going to do some big things over the next few years...it’s going to be fun to watch.

There is a reason why Melbourne is consistanly rated as one of the “The Most Livable City in the World.” It’s got a lot of energy with a younger population that keep the city alive late into the night even on weekdays. The downtown river area lined with restaurants and shops is a great spot to hang out and people watch. To me the city seemed very modern, but after living in Rome I think any city would seem modern. Overall, I’d say that Melbourne was one of my favorite cities that I’ve seen so far.

The only downside of my trip to Australia was how expensive everything was out there. The Australian dollar is essentially equivalent to the American dollar, and despite it’s resemblance to Monopoly money, it’s very real and it goes quickly in a city that regularly charges $15 to $20 just for lunch. One upside is that you don’t have to tip for anything. It’s a nice little bonus, but in the end the sky high prices still end up emptying the wallet pretty quickly.

The 30 hour trip back to Rome actually wasn’t too bad, but I was relieved to finally be back in my own bed. I’m in Rome right now, but I’m already planning my next few trips. This summer should be a memorable one...

Australia...Part 1

2010-05-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

30 hours of traveling, 2 layovers, and a volcanic ash cloud. The flight to Australia was definitely the most arduous so far. In fact, the day before my trip my flight was cancelled because of the Iceland situation. I spent hours trying to figure out a way to get out of Rome, and at the last minute the airline gave me some good news...my flight was back on! I rushed to the airport and made it just in time.

I tried to keep myself occupied for as much of the trip as possible, but after a while I started to run out of ideas. I guess one good thing about such a long flight is that I was able to catch up on just about every new movie that came out in the US over the past year...

When I finally did get into Perth, the sunny skies were exactly what I needed to get out of my daze. I was staying with a friend who had planned a ton of things for us to do while I was there...the first thing being a rugby game right when I landed. We had great seats and the atmosphere was awesome. Unfortunately, jet leg set in quickly. I fought it as much as I could, but by midway through the first half I was asleep. I couldn’t keep my eyes open for the life of me. I did wake up just in time to watch the home team’s winning score happen right in front of me as time was running out. I used every bit of energy I had to cheer, but all I could think about was getting to bed. Quite a start to the trip

The weekend was spent in Western Australia wine country. We headed down to a small beach town called Dunsborough, and toured a bunch of the wineries (and a chocolate factory) around the Margaret River area. Having toured California wine country a few times, it made me think of my time back in NorCal. The wineries were beautiful and the wine itself wasn’t too shabby either. Give me a beach, good weather, and some wine and I’m a happy man...it was tough to beat those first few days.

When we did get back up to Perth we took a day trip to a small island just off the coast called Rottsnest Island. I’ve never been to a place like Rotto before. It’s got great hidden beaches all around the island, lots of outdoor activities, tons of little cottages for overnight stays, and an amazing bar right not the beach. For the people who live in Perth, it’s kind of like a vacation spot they can visit while still being at home. Not a bad spot to have just a ferry ride away.

While my friend was working, I had to entertain myself. After traveling to so many cold weather spots over the past few months, all I wanted to do was hang out at the beach...and that’s exactly what I did. I’d take the bus to Cottlesloe and enjoy the perfect fall weather (Yes, it’s fall in Australia right now. It took me a while to get used to seeing leaves falling from trees this time of year).

Of course, what’s a trip to Australia without kangaroos and koalas. On my last day in Perth I went to a little farm to see the furry little guys. The kangaroos just laid out in the sun, but the koalas are the ones that seem to have the good life. Sleep for half the day and eat the rest of the time...not bad. Plus, they look and feel like stuffed animals so it’s easy to why people think they are so cute. If they didn’t have two inch long razor sharp claws, they would make pretty good pets...haha.

My first week in Oz was tiring, but excting. It was great to get my first feel for Australian life. Australians have a similar attitude, temperament, and style to the people of SoCal. The laid back surfer lifestyle was everywhere. Board shorts, hoodies, and flip flops were the norm. I actually felt a little out of place because I was wearing shoes. Australians just enjoy the simple things in life and don’t seem get too bent out of shape out when something doesn’t go their way. I don’t think too many of them have stress related issues. If you want a vacation spot where you can really relax, and you don’t mind traveling half way around the world to get there, Australia is where it’s at.

Barcelona and an Unexpected Trip

2010-05-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

With all my travels over the years I had never been to Spain. I was finally able to make it out there a couple weeks ago when I headed to Barcelona with some of my Italian cousins. I didn’t really know what to expect from Barca, but I was looking forward to going to the beach, drinking sangria, and eating as much seafood paella as humanly possible.

Being that my cousin and I are huge soccer fans, our first stop after putting our bags down at the hostel was to the FC Barcelona soccer stadium, Nou Camp. For those of you who are unaware, Barcelona is considered the best soccer team in the world at the moment after winning the Champions League Trophy last year (They also have arguably the best player in the world, Lionel Messi). The stadium tour wasn’t cheap, but it was worth it. I’m such a sports fanatic that seeing places like Nou Camp while I’m traveling is pretty special. Unfortunately, the Barca team was playing in London while I was there so I wasn’t able to watch game.

In many ways the Spanish people are very similar to Italians. Both love food, family, soccer. Both take off from work for three hours in the middle of each day. The easiest way to tell that I wasn’t in Italy, aside from the language being spoken, was by the organized way of life. Public transportation runs smoothly. Restaurants with absurdly long lines find a way to get customers fed in a reasonable amount of time. Plus, Barcelona was one of the cheapest cities I’ve been to so far...especially the food! At lunch each day we went to this spot on the beach and I would eat close to my body weight in paella for about $18. That paella alone is reason enough to go back to Spain...It was that good.

The most unexpected part of the trip was how much I enjoyed the works of Gaudi. I’d heard of him before, but going from spot to spot around the city and seeing his incredible vision and learning about his inspiration was incredibly impressive. His use of nature as a template for his works had a uniqueness that I had never seen before. I got a chance to see La Pedrera, Casa Batllo, Park Guell, and of course the Sagrada Famiglia, which is probably the most recognizable piece of architecture in Barcelona.

The church was started by Gaudi in the late 19th century and it’s still being worked on today. It’s expected to be completed in 2026! Normally, when I travel to cities and see the cathedrals, they’ve all been built for hundreds of years. They are all very impressive in their own way, but this was such a different experience. Being in Gaudi’s church and watching up close as stoneworkers, sculptors, and architects work in their own little world to perfect Gaudi’s design was an experience I’ve never had. I know it’s a long ways away, but I'd love to go back and see the completed Sagrada Famiglia one day down the road

I only spent three days in Barcelona, and it was definitely not enough time to see it all. Barca has an incredible mix of old world history and modern lifestyle. The people move at a faster pace than in Italy (I’m pretty sure that’s true about just about every place else in the world), but they have a similar charm.

New York for a couple days:

I took an unexpected trip back to the States last week. My first gymnastics coach, Jim Surgent, was receiving with a lifetime achievement award and he asked me to be his presenter. It was such an honor for him to ask me that I knew there was no way I could miss it. The ceremony was held during the NCAA Championships at West Point, NY which gave me a chance to catch up with a ton of gymnastics friends that I haven’t seen in a long time as well as see my Stanford team compete.

The award banquet was great. I tried as best I could to sum up what Jim has done for me and my career over the years. He taught me to love gymnastics. He taught me how to be part of a team and how competing for a common team goal is more important than anything you can achieve as an individual...even in an individual sport like gymnastics. I’m surprised it took this long for Jim to be recognized for his role in the success of so many gymnasts over the years, but it’s well deserved and I’m ecstatic that I was able to be a part of the presentation.

The five days I was home was incredibly hectic. I spent as much time with family and friends as possible, which was the best part of the trip. I hit up some of my favorite restaurants back home, since it’s difficult to find food that’s not Italian in Rome. Also had a chance to spend time in NYC. The more I travel, the more I realize that there really isn’t another city in the world like NYC. I’m biased because I grew up just across the river from the city, but it’s in a class of it’s own. It was great to be back...even if it was just for a couple days.

Therapy and Venice

2010-04-02T05:16:00.000-07:00

I've been doing therapy on my newly repaired knee for the past month and haven't had a chance to travel for a while. Therapy has been going well and my knee is feeling better everyday. I'm not quite surrounded by elite athletes like I had been in the past. This time around, I go to therapy and listen to older Italian women talk about what they plan on cooking everyday for the next week. In fact, food is basically the only thing talked about during the few hours I'm in therapy each day. It's also normal for various cakes and limoncello to be passed out during the course of therapy. Needless to say, it's not the intense atmosphere of the Olympic Training Center training room. My therapist understands the athlete mentality though, having been a professional soccer player. He pushes me more than he would his other clients, which is exactly what I want. After about 4 hours of therapy a day for the past month, I've been able to get back to traveling...

NOTE: I did have a little bit of a set back with my surgery. While I was at therapy last week my therapist noticed that the scab around my scar didn't look that great...in fact it was infected. I headed to the clinic to have it looked at. When the nurse started to clean out the scar, I heard him say the Italian equivalent of "WOW!" Being curious about what he was looking at, I asked if I could see too. When I sat up and looked at my knee, I saw that the scar was completely opened and I could see all the way to my bone. WOW was right...I wasn't quite ready to see that and I almost passed out! I laid back while he finished up, trying to take deep breathes so that I wouldn't pass out. He stitched me back up again and they released me after making sure that I was able to stand up without falling over. Not a huge deal, but it's just another thing to have to deal with.

My first trip post surgery was to Venice. Of course, I'd heard quite a bit about Venice over the years, but I'd never been there before. I had been getting knee advice over the past few weeks from my old physical therapist from the OTC and she mentioned that the USA Women's Gymnastics Team had a competition close to Venice. I thought it would be a good chance to see the canals, watch Team USA, and have her take a look at my knee, so I took the train up to Venice for the weekend.

When I took that first step out of the Venice Santa Lucia train station and saw the Scalzi Bridge over the Grand Canal I couldn't believe that it was all real. I doubt there is any other city in the world as unique as Venice. For the next few hours I got lost down the streets and canals. I think that's the best way to see Venice. Forget the map. I eventually found all the main sites, but I saw so many other things that I would have missed if I had just followed a guide book.

I woke up early the next morning and took the water taxi to the island of Murano. This island is where some of the most beautiful glass pieces in the world are made. The canals are lined with shop after shop each selling endless amounts of small glass pieces. After a while the number of shops gets a little ridiculous, but it still worth seeing. The best part of the side trip was watching some glass blowers work. It's a pretty interesting watching the glass being made. If you ever take a trip to Venice make 20min the trip to Murano.

When I travel alone, it always makes the trips a little better when I can find some other travelers to hang out with. In Venice, I found a great group of Americans who were also traveling. We saw the sites during the day and went out to the bars at night. Three of the girls convinced me to take a gondola ride and it turned out to be awesome. It always seemed like taking a gondola ride was something I would do with a girlfriend or wife, but I guess three girls isn't so bad...haha. It's not the cheapest 30min ride in the world, but it's worth it. We all ended up having an amazing lunch in Piazza San Marco. We bought prosciutto, cheese, bread, wine, and fruit and sat in front of the Doge's Palace while we ate. Doesn't get much better than that.

Oh, one other thing about Venice. All around the city are these signs trying to rally support for Venice to host the 2020 Olympics. WHAT?!! Italians are a funny bunch. They do a lot things very well, but organization isn't one of their strengths. I don't remember seeing one stadium, let alone the MANY stadiums needed for the Games. Olympics in Venice...nice thought, but not gonna happen.

Overall, the Venice trip was great...and Team USA won the competition. The weather is getting better out here and I'm am really looking forward to my spring/summer trips. Traveling during the winter was fantastic, but I'm definitely more of a warm weather guy. I've got some great trips I'm planning for the summer...the next few months should be pretty fun.

Another Shot ACL...

2010-03-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

When I decided to take this trip abroad for a year, I told myself that I wanted to experience all aspects of life in another country. The good, the bad, and everything in between. What’s the fun in running home every time something goes wrong? Of course, it’s comforting to know I have that US option, but going home was not what I wanted to do when I found out I had to have knee surgery on my ACL and meniscus after my spill on the Austrian slopes.

Being an Italian citizen has many benefits. One of those being access to universal health care. I set up the operation with a surgeon who is a family friend. It was important for me to have someone who had worked with athletes before and since he had worked with the Rome basketball team in the past he knew an athletes mentality. He also seemed very sure of his skills, so I felt pretty comfortable with him.

Now, I’ve already had two ACL repairs in the past (both on my left knee) and they took less than four hours of hospital time to complete. That included paperwork, prep time, anesthesia, actual surgery time, and post surgery recovery. Here in Italy things are a bit different. I headed to the hospital four days before the actual surgery. I was told it was important for me to show up early so that I didn’t loss my spot in the lineup. I was given my own comfortable room with a balcony. The food was good and the nurses were very nice, which made the transition to hospital life a little less stressful.

The tests started immediately. Chest x-rays, blood and urine samples, EKG...let’s just say they were very thorough. Every day started the same. 5:00am temperature check. Yes, that’s right...5:00am!!! I’m definitely more used to seeing my clock read 5:00am as I’m coming in after a long night. Not waking up at that hour. After that came the 6:00am needle in my stomach. Next, the 7:00am making of my bed (I would get out, they would make it, I would get right back in and rip the sheets off...it didn’t seem like it was necessary, but they did anyway). 8:00am breakfast. After breakfast I would go back to sleep until around noon. Quite a start to the day...

Waking up 5:00am is bad enough, even when you go to bed at a decent hour. Unfortunately, I had some other outside factors that prevented an early nights rest. Here’s the list of things that kept me up at night...
-The Light: My room had a window that looked into the next room, which was the nurses office. They were in there 24 hours and left the light on all night. There were blinds on the window, but they did nothing. (NOTE: After a few days they did put something in front of the window to block the light.)
-The Horn: Each person on my hall had a button by their bed that was linked right to that nurses office. Whenever they were in need of assistance, all you had to do was ring the bell and the nurses would come help. Aside from this horn ringing every half hour or so, all day and night, the noise that it made was reminiscent of Jim Carrey’s “Most Annoying Noise in the World” from Dumb and Dumber. It’s the kind of noise that is impossible to get used to and is especially pleasant when you finally get to sleep only to get woken up...again and again.
-The Screaming Woman: At the end of my hall was an older woman who seemed to be having a tough time. Like any normal person, her screams of “AIUTO!(HELP)...AIUTO!(HELP)...” worried me the first few times. I hoped that the nurses would do something, but apparently they weren’t as concerned as me. I’m sure the nurses deal with these types of people all the time, but it was a first for me.

It only got better from there. The night before the surgery I was assured to get absolutely no sleep at all. If you’ve ever had surgery before you’re aware of the no eating day prior to surgery rule. I hate this rule with a passion. Needless to say I enjoy eating...quite a bit. So these types of restrictions don’t go over well with my stomach. Yes, I was hungry but along with that some genius also came to my room to fix one of the lights...and they fixed it all right. They did such a good job that the lights in my room wouldn’t go OFF anymore. Awesome! Any hopes of getting rest were shot.

GAME DAY: 5:00am IV needle put in arm. Five hours before surgery. Why so early...Who knows. I was offered a local anesthetic, but I prefer getting knocked out completely when I have surgery, so when I wake up everything is done. (I’m not a huge fan of watching the surgery happen. I always think I’m going to twitch and do something to ruin the surgery). The last thing I remember was the inside of my mouth feeling cold and then saying a drawn out, “Ciaoooooo, Ciaooooooo” to the nurses and surgeon as I closed my eyes. When I finally did wake up, I thought they hadn’t started yet...

When I got back to my room I was hooked up to a bunch of tubes. A couple running from my arm and one drainage tube in my knee. Over the course of the next few days I stayed attached to those tubes as they gave me my necessary antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication. The drainage tube was new for me. It was hooked to this plastic bottle and collected the blood and other fluid that was pumped into my knee during the surgery. It was pretty nasty. By the end I had collected about a Gatorade size bottle of “stuff” from my knee.

The first night after surgery, I was told that I had to take a pee or else they would insert a catheter to help out. Needless to say, I was having none of that. I stayed up all night with a little bottle by my bed trying as hard as I could to get it done. Just to let you know, for whatever reason it’s not easy to pee after surgery. Finally, at 4:00am, after hours and hours of just sitting there with that bottle, I did it...hallelujah! I was able to avoid the catheter!

The removing of the drainage tube was something I wasn’t quite ready. When they removed the bandages, I saw that the tube had been stitched into my leg. After removing the stitch, the nurse had me take a deep breath in and breathe out hard. On that release he pulled out the tube. It happened so quickly, I didn’t have time to react. I couldn’t believe how deep it was! I’m probably exaggerating, but it felt like the tube was a good few inches into my knee. Once that last tube was out, I was finally able to get out of bed and move around on my own. It was such a relief to not be attached to anything.

Before I left the hospital the surgeon told me that it looked like I had torn most of my ACL a while back and just finished it off while skiing. I was a little surprised to hear this considering I competed without much problems. I did have a pretty serious injury on that knee in 2007, but I didn’t think I had torn anything. With my other ACL tearing at the start of 2008, I guess I was basically training for the summer of 2008 with both ACL’s torn...fantastic.

I’ve been released from the hospital now, and I’ve already started my therapy. Right now I’m doing about 3-4 hours of therapy a day. In some way it feels like I’m training again. Hopefully, I can get back on my feet as soon as possible and continue my travels.

Overall, it was much different experience than the previous surgeries I’ve had in the US and it’s something I won’t soon forget. There is more pain this time around, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I have to thank the doctors, therapists, nurses for their help over the past week. Of course, I also have to thank my family out here. I can’t tell you how much help they have been through the whole process. I would have never been able to have this surgery out here without them.

NOTE: Believe it or not, this wasn’t my first surgery in Italy. When I was five years old, I had a strange cyst the size of a grapefruit removed from my stomach. I spent about two weeks in the hospital and I ended up missing my first couple weeks of kindergarten. Hopefully, this is the last surgery in either the US or Italy...

Shopping in London, Freezing in Prague

2010-02-17T13:29:00.000-08:00

My first trip to London was back in October. I went to watch World Championships and to see some old friends.
My second trip to London was last weekend and it was a bit of a different experience. Instead of traveling alone, I went with some new friends I met during my short time at Louis Vuitton. Traveling with three fashionable Italians, I guess I should have known right away what would be on the agenda for our few days in a city with so many stores...shopping. We barely had time to drop our bags in the rooms before we headed to Oxford St. to start our shopping spree. For the next three days we basically lived on Oxford St., Regent St., and Bond St. We went from Primark to Dolce & Gabbana...and everywhere in between. In most cases I am a fan of shopping. In fact, I probably spend more than I should on clothes so the first 100 times we went to a store I didn’t mind so much. It definitely got a little ridiculous after a while though. When the Italians found out that they could return clothes they didn't like and get their money back, their eyes lit up. Apparently, in Italy if you buy something you can only exchange it for something else in the store...no money back. They were pretty excited at the idea of wearing something one night, leaving the tag on, and then bringing it back the next day.

While I was there, I also had dinner with the same photographer friends I mentioned in my last London entry. They had just gotten back from a trip to China and Japan where they were working on a project with some Asian athletes. We talked a bit more about working together and they are now planning on coming to Rome in June to do the photo shoot. They have worked with some of the biggest athletes in the world, so I’m pretty excited to have a chance to be part of one of their projects. Here is their website to get a better idea of what kind of pics I”m talking about...

http://www.andersonandlow.com/

Prague

A couple days after getting back from London I headed to Prague. I had a friend who went there for business and so I met up with her for a few days.

When my plane landed in Prague, I felt like Rocky Balboa going over to Russia to fight Ivan Drago in Rocky IV (one of the greatest movies of all time...haha!). Everything was white, it was bitterly cold, and it had that gray look of a sad place. I had heard so many great things about Prague, but the area surrounding the airport is far from paradise. My first impression of Prague can probably compare to when people fly into Newark airport for the first time and think that Jersey is a nasty place. But being from Jersey, I know very well that you need to see more than just the airport before you can judge a place.

I can normally deal with unpleasant weather conditions. Prague was my seventh trip this winter and every place has been cold, but the weather in the Czech capital was on another level. I had to prepare myself mentally whenever I went outside. I sucked it up though and I spent three days seeing a good amount of the city. Prague is similar to Florence in that it is small enough to walk and there are interesting spots worth stopping for down every street. It is one of the most picturesque cities I have ever seen. From the Charles Bridge, to the Prague Castle, to Old Town...there is no shortage of things to see.
During one of my strolls through town I also ran into one of my old friends from Stanford and the Olympic Training Center. She was on the 2008 USA Olympic Volleyball Team and she now plays professionally in the Czech Republic. I hadn’t seen her since Beijing, so it was cool to see a familiar face in a new city.
Along with all the beautiful scenery, another thing that made Prague such a great city for me was the friendliness of the people. On multiple occasions complete strangers went out of their way to help me. Those are the kind of things I really appreciate and remember.
The only thing I would suggest if you are interested in visiting Prague is to go in the summer. You’ll spend most of your time outside so why not go when you can enjoy the weather too. Plus, since everything was covered in a foot of snow and ice, I think we missed out on some stuff.

These were my last two trips until the end of March when I head to Barcelona. I am having knee surgery in a couple days to repair my torn ACL. This will be my third ACL repair, but my first on my right knee. I’ll be doing rehab over the next month so that I will in good enough shape to travel. Wish me luck on my surgery...

Skiing in Austria

2010-01-20T13:13:00.000-08:00

I postponed ever trying skiing because of gymnastics. I never wanted to risk getting injured outside of the gym and have it jeopardize my Olympic goals...especially with my history of knee problems. So, now that I'm retired I was looking forward to my first ski trip in the Austrian Alps.
I headed to Innsbruck over the weekend to visit a friend from the Austrian gymnastics team. He has been skiing and snowboarding his whole life, so I felt pretty safe going out with a vet. Unfortunately, what wasn't taken into account enough was my pathetically weak legs.
Riding the lift to the top of the slope I remember saying, "I am not a gymnast anymore." Aside from not training anymore and moving to another country, doing something like skiing helped remind me that I am in a new phase of my life. When I got to the top of the lift, looking out at endless mountains completely surrounding me and I felt fantastic...that lasted for about five minutes.
To make myself fell a little better, I'll mention that I wasn't quite starting out on the bunny slope at Hunter Mountain, which is where a lot of people from NJ/NY area start out. This was a real mountain with real slopes. My friend took me to where they hosted the 1976 Winter Olympics. It wasn't the exact slope of the downhill competition, but it was right next to it.
I headed down, listening to his instructions as closely as possible. I kept my skis in the arrow formation to slow myself down as much as possible. As I tried to turn to the left my right ski got caught. I twisted as a I fell and I felt my right knee in a very awkward position. There was nothing I could do to stop it. Finally, I heard/felt that lovely "pop" of my knee giving out. I just closed my eyes and thought "WOW...did that really just happen again." As I laid on my side, I tried to lift up my leg, but it just kind of hung there unnaturally. Not a good sign. My friend came over hoping that I was ok, but I quickly let him know that my skiing experience was over.
Fortunately, I was able to walk to the closest ski lift. We decided it would be a waste of a great day to just go home so we had some lunch at the top of the mountain, took some pictures, and just hung out for a while. I tried as hard as possible to stay in a good mood considering what had happened, but my mind kept thinking how bad I was hurt...
The next day was predictable...swollen knee, very limited range of motion. I guess one positive was that I was able to get around on my own the rest of the weekend without crutches. I could feel my knee give out if I moved laterally, so I tried to take small slow steps wherever I went.
Aside from skiing, I got a chance to experience downtown Innsbruck a little bit. One night we got invited to a drink tasting for a new bar that was opening. There were about 10 of us and what we had to do was drink whatever they put in front of us and then fill out a survey on whether or not we liked the drink. We did this for over 25 drinks!! Of course most of the drinks small, but by the end of the night we were feeling pretty good...
I also had a chance to visit one of the Austrian gymnasts who was in the hospital recovering from a recent leg surgery. The whole team went to spend time with him, and it reminded me a lot of being with my team both at Stanford and with the USA. Being around a team again brought back a lot of great memories from my past. That's one of the things I miss most about not competing anymore...just hanging out with the team.
I'm back in Rome now and my knee has been getting better each day. I'm planning seeing a doctor early next week, so I'll have more details on the severity of my injury then.

One more thing...this wasn't exactly my first ski trip. When I was about 12 I went skiing with a bunch of gymnast friends from NJ who were all veteran skiers. When we got to the mountain they all left me right away and I spent the day trying to figure out what I was doing. Needless to say it was awful. Here are some of the highlights of that trip...
-I took a "Ski Class" from someone that barely spoke English. I had no idea what was going on, so half way through the class I left and went on my own. By the way, I had to pay for the class...
-"A Christmas Story" is one of my favorite movies to watch during the holidays. I'm sure many of you have seen it over the years considering they play it for 24 hours straight on Christmas Eve. One of the classic parts of that movie is when Flick, puts his tongue on the frozen pole and it sticks. Well a similar thing happened to me on this wonderful ski trip. I was on the ski lift and I put my tongue on the metal zipper of my jacket...and it stuck. Yes, this actually happened. I was spared the ridicule of my friends since I was on my own, but it did take me a while to free my tongue.
-At the end of the day I finally found my friends and decided to go with them and take one ride down the more difficult slope. The ride started off well, but about halfway down, I fell forward to the point where I could tell my ski bindings were about to break away. When they did finally snap, the ski popped up and smacked me right in the face cutting my chin. At that point, I had had enough of skiing and I went down the rest of the slope on my butt...

So as you can see my first ski trip was not a great experience either. I'm pretty sure some higher power is telling me to stay away from the mountains. I've always been a beach guy anyway, so I don't mind too much. My ski days are officially over.

Florence for the Weekend

2010-01-14T14:10:00.000-08:00

Over the years I've been to Italy many times. My first trip to Rome was when I was 2. Growing up, summer vacations were either down the shore in Jersey or Italy. I remember one year my sister and I actually complained about having to go to Italy again for our vacation...we were really hoping for a trip to Disney World! Haha...I guess at the time we didn't know any better. We always went to Rome for a few days and then to Pietracupa for the rest of the trip.
All those trips to Italy, but I never had a chance to see other parts of the country.
Over the weekend, I finally took my first excursion to a new city...Florence.

For years, I have heard just about every American who has traveled to Italy say that Florence was their favorite Italian city. Even Italians, who are all positive the city they live in is the greatest in the world, say that Florence is beautiful.

I traveled by train, which I’m finding to be my preferred way of travel more and more with each trip. Not having to deal with lines, baggage claims, weather delays, and everything else that is a hassle at airports these days is such a relief.

My initial reaction upon arriving at a train station in a new city is always...”Ok, now what??” I tend to just pick a direction out of the station and hope it’s right. Most of the time I’m wrong, but I like getting lost. I end up seeing things I would have otherwise missed. I wandered around the streets outside the Santa Maria Novella train station (main station in Florence) for a good half hour before I found the right way.

When I finally got to the hostel, I used my limited Italian with the girl at the desk who was relieved to be able to speak Italian for once. She let me know that I wasn’t really speaking Italian, but Romano. I didn’t know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult. In the end I guess I was just happy that she could understand what I was saying at all...MY ITALIAN IS IMPROVING!

Not only was the hostel it in a perfect location in the heart of downtown, but it also provided appetizers and wine every night before dinner...my kind of place. A glass (ok, multiple glasses) of wine with some bruschetta and a mortadella sandwich was my 6:00pm snack every night I was in Florence. Thank you Academy Hostel...best hostel I’ve stayed at so far!

One of the keys to traveling alone is being able to meet new people to enjoy the trip with. My first night I met some college kids from California who were just passing through while studying abroad and two girls from Brazil who were on vacation. We spend the next few days seeing the sites together during the day and partying at night. We all got along really well and it was nice to be able to share the experiences with some other people.

Florence is much smaller than Rome, but it is no less charming. To me, if Rome is equivalent to New York City, than Florence is San Francisco. Two very different places with a different style and energy. Florence might be small, but there are a ton on things to see. The Duomo (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore) is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Aside from being massive, it’s made of white, green, and pink marble which gives it a very distinct look. I climbed the 463 steps to the top of the Brunelleschi’s dome and even with the hurricane winds and sleet storm while I was up there, it was worth the incredible 360 view of the whole city.

I also made it to the Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio, Piazzale Michelangelo, and of course saw Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia. There was too much art and history to describe everything in a few sentences. All I can say is that if you do take a trip to Europe one day, make sure Florence is on the agenda. You will not be disappointed. I know I will be making more trips to Florence while I am out here.

I’m off to Innsbruck, Austria this weekend for some skiing with a friend from the Austrian gymnastics team. It’ll be my first time skiing...should be an interesting weekend.

Louis Vuitton Edition

2010-01-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

So, for the past month I put a hold on my travels and took a job at Louis Vuitton on Via Condotti. The director of the store is a friend, and he asked if I was interested in helping out during the holidays. Meet some new people and make a couple bucks...why not.
This was the first real (non gymnastics related) job of my life. It was definitely a little strange going from just shorts at work each day while I was training, to wearing a black suit and tie everyday. In fact it was such a new experience, that I couldn’t figure out how to tie my tie properly on the first day. It was a definitely a little embarrassing having to ask for some help with my tie!
After getting a tour of the entire operation, I was brought to my work area where I would spend at least eight hours a day over the next month wrapping gifts and controlling the payments of ridiculously expensive bags, shoes, belts, keychains, luggage, watches, books, scarves, etc. Each day was basically me moving nonstop from one item to the next. Removing tags, wrapping, looking over receipts...never ending assembly line like repetition. I would normally work with a partner, and together we would try to get the bags to the customers as quickly as possible. I’m pretty sure everyone that works there hates this job. All of the other employees are required to do three hours a week of wrapper duty, and it is by far the job everyone despises the most. Those three hours were great for me though, because it gave me a chance to get to know a lot of the other LV workers. I ended up making some good friends, and since meeting new people was one of the reasons why I took the job in the first place, it worked out pretty well.
It's probably pretty boring being a wrapper during the other 11 months of the year, but during the month of December it’s nonstop movement. I actually lost weight over the past month because of my wrapper duties. Who comes to Italy and loses weight??!! The guy who spends eight hours a day doing wrapper duty at LV, that’s who (I’m pretty sure I put that weight back on though after my amazing eating display during Christmas and New Years...haha!).
Probably not surprisingly, the best part of each day was the hour lunch break. Most days I would eat in the employee break room. But every once and a while, when the weather was nice, I would take the short walk to Piazza di Spagna and eat my lunch on the steps. Being able to look out at Piero Bernini’s Barcaccia and down Via Condotti on those days was like a dream. It’s such a beautiful spot. I know whenever I go back I will always be reminded of my time at LV and those lunch breaks.
After the first few days of work I came to the quick realization that the financial crisis that most of the world is struggling with doesn’t really affect people who are able to regularly shop at Louis Vuitton. The amount of money that place rakes in is mind boggling. I won’t mention exact numbers, but I would leave most days just shaking my head when I saw the final total in sales each day. On top of that, there is another Louis Vuitton store about five minutes from where I worked!
The store has velvet rope with security at the entrance which was pretty amusing. It felt like the scene outside of a club in NYC. One day, two guys were waiting in line together to get into the store, and I remember thinking, “Those guys better gets some girls to bring in with them or security is never going to let them in!” Ok, it wasn’t that bad, but it was still a scene outside the store each and every day.

Some of the other highlights of my month were:
-Seeing a bunch of soccer players and other actors come through the store.
-The Pope driving past the store on Dec. 8th for the holiday, Immacolata.
-Louis Vuitton Christmas Party. Great location. Fantastic food. New friends...and a broken chair. Yes, I broke a chair that night while sitting during dinner. I still don’t know how it happened, but everyone saw me fall to the floor...not my finest moment. Haha!!
-Everyone realizing that I was an athlete after seeing some of my videos on Youtube. It was pretty funny seeing peoples reactions after finding out about my gymnastics career.

I will probably be starting up my traveling again soon, but this was a nice change that gave me a chance to see Rome in a new way. Thanks Max (Il Direttore) for the job...and thanks to all the other employees for making my experience at LV a positive one.

Germany: Part 2

2009-12-05T23:34:00.000-08:00

Part 2:
Visiting Fabian:
At this point in the trip I was pretty used to the train system around Germany. Over my first two months in Italy I haven't been asked for a ticket on any form of transportation and things never run on time. In Germany, things are basically the complete opposite. It was nice to get places on time, but taking the trains from city to city is not really cheap...and the attendants checked my ticket every time, without fail.

After Munich I headed to Wetzlar, which is a small city not too far from Cologne. A good friend of mine, Fabian, who is on the German gymnastics team lives and trains out there, so I went to visit him for a few days. Fabian is an incredible gymnast who has had a great deal of success in his career. In Germany he is very well known, and since he lives in a small city he is bombarded by fans and media all day. It was pretty different to see a gymnast get so much recognition out on the street. I got a glimpse into what it would be like if gymnasts were superstars like in major sports.
Wetzlar is surrounded by lots of farmland and after being in big cities the previous few nights it was relaxing waking up in the morning and seeing rolling green hills. Fabian took me to see the Braunfels Castle which is only a few km from Wetzlar. The castle sits at the top of a hill, so as you drive up you get a glimpse of the entire structure in one view. Here’s what it looks like from the road...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Braunfels_Schloss.jpg

We toured the grounds a little bit and some of the little town at the base of the gates. A Christmas market was in the process of being set up, but it still wasn’t open. Every city I went to in Germany mentioned their Christmas market and how they are such a huge part of the holidays. Unfortunately, I arrived a couple days before they all opened and I missed out on the this German tradition.
The next day I went to gymnastics practice with Fabian. He has been training in the same gym his whole life and his father has always been his coach. It was great to be back in a gym again and it made me want to get up and do some real gymnastics...almost. I wish I would have taken the opportunity to go and train with him when I was still competing. It would have been interesting to share techniques and training methods. I had many training camps with the Japanese gymnasts over the years, and those were some of the most productive weeks of my career. Working with other athletes who are at the top level is always fun and motivating.

I left Fabian's place on Friday morning and headed for the last leg of my trip...Cologne. I was hoping to find another great hostel when I got there, but the place I had booked was a tiny hotel and it wasn't quite the friendly atmosphere I was expecting. I walked the streets seeing the obvious sites...Kolner Dom, chocolate museum, shopping district...but I still wasn't really enjoying it as much as some other spots. I did however get a chance to see their Olympic museum. For me, that was the highlight of the city. Germany has a long history of gymnastics, so a good portion of the museum was dedicated to all things gymnastics. They had one of those original pommel horses that had a fake horse head on one end (you can see the pic on my facebook page.) I can't imagine what it was like to swing on that thing!!

To cap off my less than great trip to Cologne, I lost my wallet on my last night! Retracing my steps for a good two hours led to nothing, and so I had to make the most of my last 5 euro. I don't know if it was stolen or what, but it was a pretty disappointing way to end a great trip. I've been getting all my credit card and ID stuff sorted out over the past few weeks, and I have everything finally figured out.

I'm back in Rome now and I've been incredibly busy. I'm working at Louis Vuitton for the month to make a couple bucks and meet some people...but it's a hectic schedule that I trying to get used to. I'll write more about LV in the next entry.

I also have to mention something about my sports teams. At the moment, just about every one of the teams I root for are playing at absolutely pathetic levels. Here's a quick rundown...
1.NY Giants-promising start to the season. Now it will be a struggle to just make the playoffs...but we did beat Dallas both times this year! The Jints haven't been the Super Bowl contender I was hoping for.
2.NY Mets- where do I start! Problems at every level. They were an embarrassment last season. What makes it even worse is that the Phillies and the Yankees were in the World Series.
3.Lazio-haven't won a game since August. I'm living in a city where 75% of the people are Roma fans, so it can be a little irritating listening to everyone telling you to constantly change teams.
4.NJ Nets-just set the record for the worst start if NBA history (0-18)...ouch.
5.NY/NJ Redbulls- Worst team in the MLS.

The one saving grace this year has come from the unlikeliest of sources. The Stanford Football Team led by that bulldozer Toby Gerhart!! I doubt he'll win the Heisman because didn't have too much preseason hype and he won't be playing in a BCS game, but he is as deserving as anybody in the country with the way he has carried the team. Beat USC, Oregon, and ND. 8-4. Our first bowl game in 8 years... GO CARD!!

Oh, one last thing. I'm pretty sure I could eat prosciutto sandwiches everyday for the rest of my life and be completely happy. I'm not talking about a sandwich like in the US that is normally filled with endless amounts of extra toppings...just good fresh bread and thinly sliced prosciutto. Perfect. Maybe not the healthiest option, but oh so good...

Germany: Part 1

2009-11-27T01:48:00.000-08:00

I'm finally back in Rome after a long trip throughout Germany. I made it to six cities over the nine days I was there, so by the end I was pretty exhausted.
Because I did so much while I was out there, this will be "Part 1" of my Germany trip and I'll put up part two in a couple days.

Breakin in Dusseldorf
Ok, so the first thing on the agenda when I got to Germany was a breakdancing competition outside of Dusseldorf. A good friend of mine who used to be a gymnast and later a performer in La Reve in Vegas, is now part of a big breakdancing crew in the US called Full Force. They were invited to compete in this battle and he asked me if I wanted to come check it out. I had nothing better to do, so I got on a plane to Germany and went to check out my first breakdancing experience.
The battle was in what looked like an old warehouse that seemed ideal for the event and it was packed. The crowd had a pretty eclectic group with hip hop listening teenagers sitting next to grandparents with their grandchildren.
Being a gymnast, I can really appreciate the difficulty of breakdancing, but watching it firsthand was just awesome. There were teams from all over the world and even though Full Force didn't win (they lost in the semi-final to the eventual winner, Belgium) they had a distinct style that in my opinion was not matched by the other teams. At the end of the battle two 8 year old kids came out and did a little show for the crowd...it was incredible. One of the kids did air flairs! I'm sure most of you don't know what those are so here's a quick video of what they look like...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAnNXYTK6uk&feature=related

...wow.

Gymnastics Stop #1
From there I took the train to Stuttgart where I got the chance to watch the Champions Trophy competition. My old coach from the OTC, Vitaly, and one of my old teammates, Joey, were there competing, and it was great to be able to watch them out on the floor. The prize for winning the Champions Trophy was 15,000 Euro and a brand new convertible Mercedes...where were those prizes when I was competing?!! The gymnastics community is small so at big competitions like this one I not only get to see friends from the USA, but from all over the world. We all went out and had a chance to enjoy the Stuttgart nightlife a little bit.
While I was in Stuttgart I stumbled upon a German holiday tradition, Gluhwein. It's hot red wine that they mix with spices and a little piece of fruit. I can see why Germans like this stuff during the cold winters!

Hangin in Munich
Next stop on the trip around Germany was Munich. I stayed in a hostel for the first time and met a bunch of people from around the world who are doing the same thing as me...just taking some time and traveling the world. It was interesting to see where their travels had taken them and what cities they thought were worth checking out. After spending a few days there seeing the sites, taking the tours, and of course drinking the beer, Munich has now been included in my list of favorite cities (of course it's a long list that includes NYC, SF, Rome, Tokyo, Paris...). One of the coolest things I learned about Munich was that before the war Hitler had the Munich city plans and all the major artwork taken to a secret location in the Alps so that if the city was damaged they could rebuild in the same way. Well, it was just about completely destroyed by air-strikes and instead of rebuilding in a modern way, they found the original city plans and artwork Hitler had hidden and rebuilt the entire city! Looking around the city you can't tell that just about everything is 60-70 years old. Munich is a city rich in tradition and they are people who are very proud of what they have to offer. They also seem to have a pretty big rivalry with Berlin which I wasn't aware of. I still haven't visited Berlin, but I'm sure I'll get there at some point so I can make my own comparisons.
Here are some other things I did in Munich:
-visited the BMW museum and showroom. I've now seen the BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche museums. All very different...and all worth seeing. (Also, saw the stadium from the '72 Olympic Games which is close to the museum).
-went running in the "English Gardens." This park in the city is also twice the size of Central Park in NYC. That's the second city I've been to in the last couple weeks that had a park of that size. (Dublin was the first)
-went to the Deutsches museum. It's one of the biggest science museums in the world. I spent about and two hours there and I saw about a third of it. You could spend a couple days in this place seeing everything.
-had a beer at the famous Hofbrauhaus. I was told it's a tourist trap with pretty high prices, but you have to experience it once, right?? Right.

In Part 2...
-visiting Fabian in Wetzlar
-Cologne and a bad ending to the trip.

Lazio-Milan

2009-11-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

I got my first taste of the world of calcio (soccer) this past weekend. My beloved Lazio went up against one of the most decorated teams in history, AC Milan. Lazio lost the game 2-1, and are in the middle very rough patch...ok, they are playing terrible right now and haven't won a league game since August! It's pretty embarrassing, especially in a city like Rome, where most people are fans of the other soccer team in town, Roma. Even my own family are relentless about making sure I'm aware of how bad Lazio is right now (besides myself, only my father and brother are Lazio fans...everyone else sides with Roma).

I was lucky enough to attend the game with a friend who is also Lazio obsessed. We showed up to the stadium about an hour early to make sure we got a good parking spot. Parking around the Stadio Olimpico is just like parking anywhere else in Rome, a mess. When we got out of the car there was a random guy guiding people into available spots. He had no affiliation with the team, stadium, or city. He just shows up on game days and hopes for tips. A tip to this guy also helps to ensure that he will keep an eye on your car during the game to make sure nothing happens to it...without the tip, I was told, he would be more likely to turn a blind eye to a thief or he might try to take something from your car himself!

Walking up to the stadium was a little different than events I've been to in the US. The main difference was the large number of cops in riot gear strategically placed around the stadium. Unfortunately, soccer games in Italy (and in other countries in Europe) can get violent sometimes. Lazio fans in particular are known for being a little extreme with their support. I didn't experience any of this negative behavior from the fans though. Aside from Lazio losing the game and the torrential downpour during the entire game, it was an amazing experience.

In fact the best part were the fans themselves. The seating is set up so the two ends of the stadium, behind the goals, are devoted solely for the diehard faithfuls...known as the "Ultras." In particular, the Lazio "Ultras" are the Irriducibili. They dominate the Curva Nord (North Curve), while the Romaniste (Roma fans) take the Curva Sud (South Curve).

Growing up the Curva Nord had been this special place that I always wanted to experience first hand, but never had the chance. I wanted to cheer alongside my fellow Lazio fans and sing the songs of our team.

First of all, they are an incredibly organized group. Thousands and thousands of fans waving huge flags while singing in unison different songs all throughout the game is an impressive sight. Most of the songs are dedicated to ripping into the owner of the team, who everyone seems to hate with a passion.

They live and die with each pass. One moment they are booing and yelling at a player for a silly mistake. Before they even have a chance to take another breathe they are clapping for the creative play of someone else. It is funny to listen to all the fans, especially because they are right on in their assessments most of the time. Their soccer IQ is unbelievable. That's everybody...the 80 year old grandfather and his 13 year old grandson, to the teenage couple on a date. They all know the beautiful game inside out.

After watching the game and the way the fans interact with the players, I think I know why the fans get so riled up, especially when there team is doing poorly. Of course they want their team to win. Who doesn't. But more than that, they want the players to care as much about the team as they do. We are in an era where it's more about the money than it is about the passion or love of the team/sport. These fans have grown up with only this team and when they see a player lack enthusiasm on the field, they are insulted. To them wearing that jersey is an honor, and every time a player steps on the field wearing that light blue/white (Lazio colors) they should play like it's their last game.

Yes Lazio lost the game, but after the final whistle was blown the whole team came over to the Curva Nord and clapped to the fans thanking them for their constant support. I could tell that this meant more to them than winning or losing. They want to be a part of Lazio...and the team showing their appreciation allows the fans that connection they desperately seek. It was my first time at the stadium and even I appreciated them coming over. I will go back to watch Lazio again soon, and I too will live and die with each pass like the rest of the Curva Nord.

Halloween in Dublin

2009-11-03T15:57:00.001-08:00

Anyone who really knows me will tell you that I watch a lot of movies. Not only do I watch them, but I have a tendency to memorize them as well. I'll admit it can be a little bit ridiculous at times, especially for those who have no idea what I am talking about most of the time. This love of movies sometimes gets incorporated into my travels as I start to see similarities between new people/places and the fictional characters I know from my constant movie watching.
A few weeks ago I went to London for the first time. When I got to the Liverpool Street Train Station I felt like I had landed in the world of Harry Potter (Yes, I am a big Harry Potter fan).
Well, if London was Harry Potter then Dublin, to me, was without a doubt Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the original movie)! The small cobblestone streets, distinctive Georgian houses, and of course the factory in the middle of the town. The only difference was that in this case, it wasn’t a chocolate factory. It was the Guinness beer factory.

Just as in Wonka’s factory, Guinness has high walls surrounding most of the perimeter giving the impression that whatever is going on inside is not to be seen by the outside public. Of course, you don’t need a golden ticket to get a tour of the Guinness factory. After getting inside, I was hoping find some kind of beer factory worker equivalent to an Oompa Loompa or maybe a beer river, but no luck.

Before I got to Dublin many of my friends who had visited the city before told me that if there was one thing I needed to see while I was there it was this factory...and they were right. The place is very impressive, with seven floors not only devoted to the history of its beer, but also to the city of Dublin. I’m not a big beer drinker, but the free pint of extra cold Guinness at the seventh floor bar with its 360 degree views of the city was the highlight of the tour. Definitely the best glass of beer I’ve ever had.

I was in Dublin over the weekend to celebrate my cousin Gianni’s birthday. I was invited to tag along with a group of his friends and I had a great time. When the bill came at the end of our dinner I was expecting to split Gianni's portion with the other people at the table. Apparently, in Italy when a person celebrates their birthday they take all their friends out for dinner and pay for it. I had never heard of that before and I was surprised when I saw my cousin get up to pay the bill. I guess I'll have to be prepared when my birthday rolls around this year!

His birthday is on Halloween, but in Italy Halloween isn’t really a big deal. Ireland on the other hand, celebrates Halloween the just like the US. When we went out early in the day and my cousin and all his friends saw all the costumes, they got excited and wanted to dress up for the night as well. We didn’t really have time to do anything elaborate, so we ended up going to a costume shop and bought 9 identical wigs and mustaches. The description on the package was “70’s TV personality.” We were basically all dressed as Will Ferrell’s character Ron Burgundy from Anchorman. We definitely turned some heads as we walked down the street that night.

Overall, I had a great time in Dublin despite the cold and rainy weather. I kind of expected that, and so it didn’t bother me that much. I’d love to go back to Ireland if I get the chance while I’m out here.

I’ll be heading to Germany next week to watch some gymnastics, breakdancing, and visit a bunch of different cities.

Some other interesting notes from Dublin:
-There is a park in the middle (Phoenix Park) of Dublin that is twice the size of Central Park in NYC. It’s enormous.
-It was weird to see a Starbucks again while I was in Dublin. Italy is very protective of its coffee and Starbucks is not allowed in the country. I haven’t seen that circular green sign in a while up until this past weekend.
-The Subway (sandwich shop) in Dublin sells a bacon sandwich for 1Euro. Bread and Bacon...that’s it. I don’t remember ever seeing that on the menu in the US.
-There is an impressive list of writers who have direct connections to Dublin . The list includes James Joyce, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, and Bram Stoker just to name a few.

Running Out of Gas Can Sometimes Be a Good Thing

2009-10-27T03:18:00.000-07:00

Almost all the time, running out of gas on the highway can be awful. Fortunately, what could have been terrible experience turned out to be another great one that revolved around what else, FOOD! I’ll get to the story in a minute...

I went to the Vasco Rossi concert other night in Ancona, with my cousin Gianni and some of his friends. Ancona is about 3 1/2 hours from Rome...not a short trip.
First of all, the concert was amazing. I had never really listened to Vasco’s music, but he is huge out here. The arena was packed and people who were out of their minds from start to finish.

We didn’t have tickets to be on the floor level, but we someone worked our way down there. From the floor we made it all the way to the front of the stage, and had the best spot in the house. Believe me it was not an easy task working our way through the craziness that is an Italian crowd (I don’t know how many of you have seen this video, but you should watch it to get a better idea of how things are around here. It’s pretty funny...unless you are stuck in one of the situations!! At about 3:10 there is an exact demonstration of what it was like waiting in line to get into the concert...and we stood in line like that for two hours before we even went in...a whole lot of fun!!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQWNGLv8w74

At the end of the concert I caught one of the drumsticks and I was able to rip off a piece of the shirt he tossed to the crowd. I didn't expect to get caught up in the moment like everybody else. I wasn’t a fan of his before the concert, but I am now.

Ok, so the reason for this entry is not the concert...it’s what happened on the ride home from Ancona. There were 7 of us riding back when my cousin realized we were just about out of gas in the middle of nowhere a few hours outside of Rome. We quickly pulled over at the closest exit and went looking for gas in this tiny town. Not only did we find gas, but we found lunch too...

It just so happened that the town we stumbled into, was also a town where one of the other riders in our car had relatives. These relatives own a restaurant in town and we decided to stop and have a bite to eat...which turned into a three hour meal that left me stuffed for two days!

As soon as we sat down, the eating began. The first course was a huge bowl of pasta fagioli (pasta and beans). It’s kind of like Italian comfort food. Not very fancy, but always a great dish. To be honest I could have just had this bowl and I would have been fine until dinner.

Next, came the antipasto. We each got our own plate of bruschetta and a few pieces of thinly sliced prosciutto. The bruschetta was simply done, but the best I’ve ever had. Perfectly toasted bread, top quality olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt. That is without a doubt what Italian food is all about...super fresh ingredients combined really well to make excellent flavors. Most of the time, Italian food doesn’t need to get too complicated.

Next, came the house specialty...Ravioloni (one GIANT ravioli). It was the size of the entire plate, stuffed with a ricotta and spinach, smothered with marinara sauce and parmigiano cheese. The owner said that she is one of the only people that still makes this kind of pasta, so it was not something you would normally have on a menu. I could tell she was proud of this dish...and rightfully so, because it was so well done.

Normally, the pasta dish is followed by the meat portion of the meal. Here, the pasta was followed by, what else, another pasta dish! Homemade fettuccine with a similar tangy marinara sauce and parmigiano. I was offered enough that could have easily fed three people. I had to turn down most of it, because at that point I could barely breathe...

...but I kept on eating anyway.

After the pasta came two platters filled with different kinds of meats. Lamb, beef, sausage. Again, just simply grilled with a little lemon...fantastic.

**NOTE: The whole time we drank jug after jug of homemade wine. Sometimes, homemade wine can be a little nasty, so you have to be a little careful. This was not the nasty variety...it was a perfect compliment to the food we ate.

French fries came next...that’s right french fries. I don’t know what it is, but Italians love their french fries. At this point, I really couldn’t eat anymore. I only had few.

The meal ended with coffee, pastries, and limoncello. What was supposed to be just an unexpected side trip for gas turned out to be an amazing meal. I think Italians are used to these kinds of meals, so to them it’s nothing too special. To me however, it’s still something I need to share with other people.

When we left, the owner refused to take money for the meal. It was on the house because it was for family and friends of family. The hospitality that Italians show to guests is something special. It makes me feel like I haven’t done enough for my guests in the past...that will change from now on!

You Sound Like You're From London!!

2009-10-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

I’m back from my trip to London. I had a great time over there, but it’s good to be back in my own bed. This was my first trip to England’s capitol and I can see why so many people love it over there.

To me, if you’re American, it kind of has the feeling of “Europe for Beginners.” Aside from the lack of a language barrier, it has many aspects that reminded me of NYC. Great night life, cool little shops all over the place, and an incredible public transportation system. Actually, the Underground is definitely better than the NYC subway. The lines are easier to understand, the “Osyter Card” (equivalent to the Metrocard) is very convenient to use, and I didn’t see one rat on the tracks while I was there the whole week...haha!! Don’t get me wrong, I love NYC. It’s my favorite city in the world, and it’s the one I compare all others too. I’m just saying that London does the subway a little bit better.

I did the tourist thing one day, and I tried to hit up as many of the sites as I could. Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Parliament, The National Gallery Museum, etc. I saw it all on my five hour walk around London. My legs were devastated afterward, but it was worth it. Another cool thing about the city is that many of the museums are free! That was a pleasant surprise considering the $300 I exchanged at the airport worked out to be around 8 pounds (slight exaggeration, but you get the idea...you gotta love the strength of the dollar).

While I was in London I had the opportunity to meet up with some photographer friends of mine, Jonathan Anderson and Edwin Low, who are based out of London. They have worked with a ton of top athletes all over the world and have some amazing books out (check out “Athlete Warrior” if you get a chance). They gave me a tour of their studio and we discussed working together on something in the near future.

They also took me to this private club they belong to called “The Royal Automobile Club.” It’s the kind of place that I will never have enough money to become a member myself, so I soaked in the experience while I had the chance. Probably the highlight of the club is the pool. It has the feel of an ancient Roman bath with mosaic tile columns and intricate ceiling work. I got to do a few laps in the pool and I spent some time in the Russian Bath, which was a great way to relax after having walked the city the previous day.

I also have to mention the soccer game that my college roommate Brad (he’s studying at London Business School right now) and I went to early in the week. It was England vs. Belarus at Wembley Stadium for World Cup Qualification. For those who don’t know, Wembley Stadium is one of the great arenas in the world, and to be able to see the English National Team play was something I will never forget (Side Note: I am and will always be a diehard fan of the Italian Team, but this was still a cool experience...FORZA AZZURRI!).

Believe it or not, I did go to the competitions too while I was in London. I kept a daily blog of some highlights for Inside Gymnastics. If you want to see what I thought of the meets go to www.insidegymnastics.com. I also put up some pics of London on my facebook page.

I also wanted to send my condolences to the family of Yuri Ryazanov and to the Russian Gymnastics Federation. Yuri was killed earlier today in a tragic car accident. He had just won the All-Around bronze medal at World Championships over the weekend. The gymnastics community has lost a great athlete and champion.

Likes/Dislikes

2009-10-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

My parents left yesterday morning, so I am now on my own. I decided to go downtown for the day and wander the streets. It was another beautiful day, and there were people everywhere. It’s pretty difficult to pick one favorite spot in Rome, but I have to say that Piazza di Spagna (the Spanish Steps) is incredible. The street leading up the the steps is Via Condotti (the Rodeo Dr. of Rome). It’s lined with the most expensive shops in the world and makes for some great window shopping. I MIGHT be able to afford a pair of socks from one of the stores, but with the weak dollar even that might be tough. I was however, able to go to a Louis Vuitton party the other day at the shop on Via Condotti. A friend of my cousin is the director of the store, and so I was invited to the event. I’ve never been to something like that before, so it was a pretty cool experience.

Here are some more of my likes/dislikes so far...

Like: The beauty of the “passeggiata.” This is basically an evening stroll around town normally before a late dinner. It gives a chance for the people to have an aperitivo, some gelato, meet up with friends, or just people watch for a little bit. It’s very casual and no one is ever in a hurry...it’s just about enjoying the night. (I put up a great picture of four old men during their passeggiata).

Dislike: Graffiti around the city. Rome is filled with sights that are absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, there is graffiti almost everywhere. What makes it even worse is that it’s not even artistic/creative graffiti. I can at least appreciate the artistic talent of some of the graffiti in places like NYC. In Rome it all looks like it was done by some eight year old kid.

Like: The fruit and vegetable markets. There is a great market around the block from my apartment. Everything is seasonal and fresh. I’m looking forward to what’s available in the winter, but right now I don’t mind eating peaches the size of grapefruits.

Dislike: All the smoking. I can’t stand cigarette smoke and it’s tough to escape.

Like: Rome is (in my opinion) the most romantic city in the world. Of course there are many places I haven’t been and I’m biased a bit, but walking around the streets at night is stunning. At the moment I don’t have a girlfriend, but when I do this is the city I am taking her to first. Plus, romantic comes from the word Roma. Ok, I made that up, but it seems to work right?? Haha!!

Dislike: There are water fountains all around Rome that continuously run all day and night. They are charming and the water is very clean and fresh. But why not put little on/off knobs on them? You want a drink...turn to left. You’ve had enough...turn to right. Seems pretty simple.

That’s it for now. I’m leaving for Worlds in London on Tuesday, so I’ll be there for the week cheering on Team USA. I’ll also be writing for Inside Gymnastics, so if you get a chance check it out.
I also put up some pics on my facebook page which was a little easier than putting them on this site. Let me know what you think!

Pietracupa

2009-10-05T13:46:00.001-07:00

I briefly mentioned Pietracupa in my last entry, but I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t devote an entire entry to this special place. This tiny village in the hills of Molise (a region of Italy) is where my father was born, and while my mom was born in New Jersey, her parents are from this same place.

Growing up, if I wasn’t at the Jersey Shore, this is where I spent my summer vacations. We would go every few years, but because of my gymnastics obligations I wasn’t able to go as much as I would have liked. A good number of my greatest and most vivid childhood memories are of my time spent in Pietracupa.

So you have a better understanding of the kind of place I’m talking about, there are only a few hundred people that live in Pietracupa all year round (I think it’s more like ten, but we’ll say a few hundred) and it’s tucked away in the hills a few hours southeast of Rome. The surrounding green hills give the impression that you could be living in an area where hobbits reside. The whole town is built in and around this massive rock. As you drive up from the south it remains hidden from view. Suddenly, the rock comes into sight and the whole village reveals itself. As a kid waiting for that moment where I would see Pietracupa again for the first time after a few years was like waking up on Christmas morning.

During the month of August many of the families that have connections to the town come back for vacation and the town becomes alive. We would spend our days playing calcetto (soccer on a smaller field where the teams are made up of five players instead of eleven), eating, going to the beach, and hanging out at the town bar many times until the sun came up.

It is a very isolated spot that allows for a very simple way of life...basically the complete opposite of living in a big city like Rome. Not many changes have been made to the town over the years and that is what one of the things I love about it. Pietracupa will always be very special to me, and I can’t wait to spend more time there now that I am retired from gymnastics.

Side Note: While I was in Pietracupa over the weekend, I went to a relatives masseria (basically a farm) where he has a bunch of fig trees. I don’t know how many of you have had fresh figs, but they are amazing!!! With figs, the general idea is that the uglier they look, the better they taste. They have a honey like sweetness to them that I haven’t found in another fruit. The amount we collected should have lasted us a couple weeks. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help myself and I’ve just about finished them already...haha!!

Settling In

2009-09-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

So I’ve been in Rome a week. Thanks to my parents and cousins I’ve been able to get a lot done.
Over the years I’ve been to Italy many times, but this is the first time my father has had to show me so much of his old neighborhood. For the most part, I’ve learned where to go for all my daily necessities. Since I won’t have a car out here, I’ve had to learn the public transportation system (more on that in a minute). I can now get to the gym each day and to the center of Rome by myself. I’ll learn the rest as I go.
In this first week I’ve already been to four different gyms. Only one of them has been a gymnastics gym though. Two of my young cousins do gymnastics here and they go to a gym owned by a former Italian Olympian, Carmine Luppino. Randomly, my parents ran into him at the ’07 World Championships and the Beijing Olympics and have become friendly with him. I stopped by the other day to say hello to him and to the kids. It was pretty cool to see how excited the kids were that I was there. It was a thrill for me too!
Aside from working out I’ve also been spending a lot of my time eating. I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten more pasta over this past week than I’ve eaten over the past 10 years...and it’s all been delicious! Last night some of my cousins took me to this little town just outside of Rome, Ariccia, where for about $20 you basically eat until you can’t move. It was pretty amazing. At least ten different appetizers, two pasta dishes, three desserts, and wine. These types of places do not exist in the US...
Tomorrow morning I’m going to my parent’s village, Pietracupa. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, but I haven’t been there in five years so I’m excited to get back. I’ll put some pics up this weekend.

Here are a few of my observations of Rome so far...
-If you are used to driving in the US, I wouldn’t recommend driving in Rome...ever. I’m pretty sure that driving laws are all optional in Italy. Red lights, one way streets, no parking zones...they seem to be more suggestions than actual law. My favorite is the way people park their cars. I don’t think there are any official parking spots in the city...ok, let me re-phrase. Everywhere you stop is a potential parking spot. Basically if your car can fit, park...even if it’s in the middle of the street.

-The bus system can also be interesting. First of all, don’t expect to find a bus schedule. Buses just show up. Sometimes not for an hour and sometimes they show up back to back. Yesterday I waited for my 671, and I watched as four of the 170 line went by before my bus came. I can’t really explain the system. Oh, and make sure you are standing in the middle of the street hailing the bus down, because if you are sitting at the bus stop when they drive by, they won’t even stop...that’s happened to me a couple times already.

-Everything you’ve heard about Italian food and meals is true. The food is amazing and they offer you amounts that you couldn’t possibly eat in one sitting. Apparently, when you say you’ve had enough to eat that is code for “Give me three more helpings.” Take out does not really exist, so whenever I’ve been out I’ve felt an obligation to overdue it so I don’t waste food. Not that I’m complaining.

-There is a gelateria (ice cream shop) every fifty feet...maybe less.
-The three hour shutdown of the city (1-4pm) is a beautiful thing. Time spent with family and napping is something we don’t get enough of in the US.
-Probably the best time to go anywhere is when a soccer game is on. Just about everyone in the city religiously watches the games. Most grandmothers could tell you who the coaches of Roma or Milan are, and who the teams play next Sunday...they love their soccer. Fortunately, so do I!!

Bella Roma

2009-09-24T04:22:00.000-07:00

So I've started up my blog again...only it's a little different this time. I'm no longer blogging about my training, but rather about my adventures as I travel over the next year. I recently moved to Rome and I've been getting used to my new life abroad. I have duel citizenship with Italy and I still have many relatives that live in Rome. The last week has been great...busy, but great. I've been getting all my paperwork in order(Italian version of social security number, new cell phone number, setting up a bank account, etc.).

I've also been going to a gym each day to work out. Not gymnastics, just cardio and weight type stuff. The gym is called OLYMPIA EUR (EUR is a area of Rome). It's one of the nicest gyms I've ever seen. Along with the normal cardio machines and weights, it also has an awesome spa with a sauna, hot and cold plunge, waterfall baths, and a bunch of other stuff. It might be a little too high class for me...the business card of the gym says "Only for Gorgeous People." HAHA!! I'm surprised they let me in!!

So far the Italian people have been great. They do have some interesting habits though. I'll explain a little more with future later entries, and I'll include some pics. In the meantime, feel free to leave me questions that you'd like answered or even places that you'd like to know more about and I'll do my best to go check them out.

Ciao,
Dave

Back Home

2008-08-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

I am finally back in Colorado Springs after a long day of traveling. Thankfully, it was a relatively painless flight with no major delays or lost baggage (which seems to happen to me quite often!). My last few days in Beijing were fantastic. I went to another USA Men's Basketball game against Germany (I also went to USA-China, which was the most watched sporting event in history), had a traditional Peking Duck dinner with the entire USA Gymnastics delegation, continued to enjoy the Beijing night life, and watched USA Gymnastics rack up some more medals during finals. On the men's side, we were able to get one more medal, a silver on high bar, with one of the most incredible performances I have ever seen. It easily could have been a gold medal and I think that a majority of the crowd, including some Chinese fans, thought so too. With that last medal USAG ended up tallying a total of ten medals, which is one more than Athens. I think it is the most medals for USAG in a non-boycotted Olympic Games. I guess you could say we had a successful Olympics!
Overall I'll probably look back at my Olympic experience as a defining moment in my life. Learning how to deal with an tough and unexpected situation can teach you a lot about the person you are, and the person you are to become. It is more apparent to me than ever that it is so important to make the best of the situation you are given, and to make sure you are constantly learning even in a less than ideal situation. I did learn a lot about myself in Beijing, and I am going to take those experiences and apply what I learned to other aspects of my life.
So now I am back in Colorado and I am waiting to decide my next move. As of right now I don't know whether or not I will be doing to the Post Olympic Tour. I would love to be a part of it, but I have not been asked so we will see what happens. If I don't do the tour then I will probably take a vacation back home and try to enjoy the rest of the summer in Jersey. I need to spend some down time with my friends and family back home and I am very much looking forward to seeing everyone.

The Past Few Days

2008-08-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

It's been an exciting past few days. I've gotten to watch all of the gymnastics events as well as some other sports. Women's AA was incredible! Finally hearing the National Anthem gave me the chills. Our girls did a great job and it was a well deserved one-two finish.
Having gone to Stanford, I have quite a few friends and old classmates who are competing here. I have wanted to get to some other events to watch and support them. I was able to watch men's volleyball the other day and I went to men's waterpolo yesterday. They both won their matches and the waterpolo team beat the #1 team in the world, Croatia, which was a great win for them. I lived in the same fraternity with some of the guys on both teams, and to be here all together at the Olympics is kind of cool. Hopefully, I'll get to see some more over the next few days.
Other than that, I been trying to enjoy myself as much as possible. I've been to a bunch of cool parties and met athletes from all over the world. I plan on watching all of event finals over the next few days and hopefully watching an event in the Birds Nest. I want to watch something in that stadium before I leave.
Ok, one last thing. Last night I went with my parents to dinner...this was no ordinary dinner. We ate at this outdoor market where they have some CRAZY stuff. Everything comes on skewers, so it's easy to pick and choose different things and sample a bunch of stuff. As you come up to this market, it's mobbed with people and has a very interesting variety of smells. Every breathe you take seems to be something different with the smells ranging from mouthwatering, to new and interesting, to down right nasty. I am pretty adventurous when it comes to trying new things so I wanted to see how far I could go. I started with some easy stuff (dumplings, lamb, shrimp) and worked my way up. Next, chicken hearts...they were actually really good. Then baby octopus...I love sushi and so this one wasn't that much of a stretch. A little chewy, but still good. Next up, snake...a lot more chewy than I was expecting, but ok. Definitely a new texture for me. Lastly, silk worm...I figured I probably won't have a chance to try one of these again so why not. They are BIG and instead of thinking about what I was eating I just threw it in my mouth and tried to finish quickly. The hard shell was getting stuck in my teeth and the insides tasted like dirt. Not the most pleasant thing to eat and I probably won't eat another one in my life, but I can say that I at least tried a silk worm. That was as far as I could take it. There were some other things out that were way beyond me, and I don't even think the locals were willing to eat that stuff. It was an amazing experience and I was glad to have some Chinese street food!
I also wanted to say thank you to all the people who have posted comments and sent me messages over the past week. Your words have meant a lot to me and I have read all of them many times. If you guys have any questions for me, just post them and I'll answer as many as I can. Thanks again.

What a Day!!

2008-08-13T01:35:00.000-07:00

WOW!! That was definitely one of the most memorable days of my life. I really can't put into words what Team Finals was like yesterday...but I'll try. I knew this team was capable of a great performance, and what ended up happening was something very special. As I watched the competition from the stands, I was in awe of the display USA Team put on. They competed inspired and it seemed like they were in a collective zone. I remember thinking, around the end of the third event, that this was our day and that we were going to do something great. As we finished the competition on pommel horse and secured the bronze medal, it became a very emotional moment for me. At the time I didn't realize that NBC had a camera on me, but I found out later on that I was crying on TV. I honestly couldn't hold back the tears at that moment. It was the culmination of what I had trained for my entire life, and I wanted to be on that floor sharing in that moment with those guys. I got down on the floor and I told each guy how impressed and proud I was of what they accomplished. Those bronze medals are beautiful, and in a lot of ways that medal is as good as gold for us. As an alternate I didn't get a medal, but I did share in their celebration and I felt as much a part of that team as they did.
Afterwards, it became a crazy day of media events. We went from a press conference, to a show on Oxygen about the Olympics, to Access Hollywood, to being live on the Today Show. I also did a video interview for Today.com which was fun. After we finished we headed to the USA House where the USOC had a party for us. Many members of the USOC and IOC Board of Directors were there. It was an real honor to meet them. All of our families came too, so it was great to have everyone together after such a big night.
I can't say enough about how grateful I am to be part of this incredible team. They have allowed me to share in there success and really feel like am part of this medal performance. In my heart I feel very much a part of this team, but to know that they feel the same way makes it even better. We are all very close and for the rest of our lives we will have a bond that most people will never understand. Many people doubted that we could do anything significant at these Games, and last night we showed what can happen when you believe in yourself and your teammates, and not what negative people have to say. I have no doubt that this will lead to many future medals for the US over the years as we continue do what others might not be able to...and that's make an individual sport like gymnastics, a sport that is team oriented. The team is what matters first...always.

Team Prelims

2008-08-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the third session of Team Prelims. Watching from the stands was tough today. I wanted to be on that floor so bad. I found myself smirking a bit, because I kept picturing myself competing. I might not have competed today, but I was out there with those guys in spirit for sure.
It was a long day of watching gymnastics, but it was exciting. Not only the gymnastics, but the energy around the Olympic Green really pumped me up. We competed in the first session, and we rocked. We hit 93% of our routines tonight which is fantastic! I was so proud of how they stepped up tonight and showed that this team is capable of putting on a great performance. The other sessions had some incredible gymnastics (especially China), but overall I think we looked like one of the best teams out there. We are sitting in sixth right now going into finals, but we performed much better then some of the teams ahead of us. I really believe that competing in the first session hurt our scores a bit, and on Tuesday we will move ahead of some of those teams. We also qualified two guys into all around finals and another two in event finals. Overall it was a successful day for Team USA and we are going to build on what we did tonight. Watch out for us on Tuesday because we are going to surprise a lot of people...again.

Other Notes on Beijing:
1). The Olympic Green and the complexes are AMAZING! They are some of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen and they seem to be endless. Every time I go around a corner there is another breathtaking venue.
2). It is so hot outside! We have to walk quite a bit to get around the Olympic Green, and I was drenched in sweat walking from the train stop to the National Indoor Stadium. I was not expecting it to be this hot...or have to walk this much.
3). COOLEST PART OF MY TRIP SO FAR!!!!-Yesteday I was working out at the 24Hour facility here where I am staying. About 20 other teams work out here as well, one of them being the USA Men's Basketball Team. While I was riding the bike, some of the trainers told me the basketball team was about to come in so I thought I would have to leave while they worked out. I could not believe it but they let me stay and five minutes later walks in the men's basketball team. WOW...IT WAS AWESOME! They were all really cool guys and they were impressed with some of my gymnastics exercises. A couple of them tried some of my core workout, and couldn't do any of it. It was funny watching these 6'10 guys trying to do leg lifts! Hopefully, I'll get to see them again over the next few weeks, but I will never forget yesterday's workout.

8/8/08

2008-08-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

This date has been etched in my mind for a very long time. It is the start of the Olympic Games, but at the same time it is an end for me. It is the end of the preparation part of what will probably be the biggest goal I will ever attempt to achieve in my life. As an alternate, I have come up just a bit short of accomplishing this goal, but it has still been an incredible journey. Over past few weeks, we have endured a few injuries to the team that were very unfortunate. In the wake of those injuries I have continued to prepare in case my name was called to replace someone. Both times I was passed over, the most recent one coming last night. To be very honest, it has been a very emotional few weeks and I never thought my Olympic story would be written in this way. I understand that on paper this is how the process is supposed to work, but I never thought we would have to go thorough so much before the competition ever started. Fortunately, we are a deep team and can make up for guys who are lost. I have complete confidence in the team who will be competing tomorrow and I will be in the stands cheering them all the way. We all talk about how we are more than just a team, but a family. We always fight for each other and are willing to do anything to make sure we succeed. I believe in this team with all my heart, and even with all we've been through I still believe we have a good shot at a medal. Over the next few days watch Team USA compete against the best teams in the world and cheer us on. I know you'll be supporting us, and we'll be doing everything we can to bring back a medal for the USA.

Routine Day

2008-08-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today was full-on routine day. I had to do one on six with uniforms in front of our Men's Senior National Team Coordinator. He wanted to see where I was in case I need to step in for someone. I wasn't feeling that great this morning. My stomach hurt, I felt tired and weak, but I knew it didn't matter. I had to get my stuff done no matter what. I was able to suck it up and I actually ended up doing pretty well. I started on rings, and I did a good strength sequence, but I put my hands down on the dismount. It definitely took me a while to get things going at 10:00am, but I ended up hitting everything else. I was pretty relieved with my day, my coach way happy, and most importantly, my Senior Team coordinator was impressed with my day. After practice I had to go back to the silk market because I had to get re-fit for a suit I had made. If you've never been to Beijing, the silk market is a huge store of mostly knock-off stuff. You haggle for a cheap price with these ladies who are sometimes a little overly aggressive. One lady punched me in the arm, because she thought the price I offered for something was too low! It was pretty interesting. I think the best part of the market are the custom made suits and shirts. When I came out in December I had a suit made, and I had another one done by the same guy. Being a gymnast, it's not the easiest thing in the world to find a suit that fits off the rack. I paid $100, for a custom made suit. The fabric is great and I picked out the exact style and color I wanted...It's awesome! I also played some Rock Band with some fencers, boxers, and volleyball players today. It's a lot of fun meeting athletes for different sports and this place really gives us a chance to get to know each other. Some reporters from the New York Times watched us play and ended up taking pictures and interviewing us about it. Today was the first day that was hazy out. The weekend was beautiful...really hot!!, but beautiful.
Other notes about China:
1)I am really surprised I haven't seen more car accidents. They are crazy drivers and the pedestrians don't seem to even care if a car is coming when they cross.
2)There is security everywhere. There are guys on just about every corner making sure things stay safe.
3)Cool buildings. I'm sure most of you have seen some of the interesting new venues like the "Bird's Nest," but there are so many new buildings around here that is really remarkable. I had dinner last night across the street from the new CCTV Tower and that building is one the the most innovative architectural structures I have ever seen. Look it up online if you get a chance. It really is amazing. I'll try and put some pics of it on this blog.

Finally Here!

2008-08-01T03:23:00.000-07:00

I finally got to Beijing after a long day of traveling yesterday. My flight into San Francisco was delayed, so I almost missed the flight to Beijing. I had to sprint to the plane, and I was the last person on. I was sweating like crazy and about to pass out, but it was worth it. I met up with the rest of the team and we headed out together. The flight wasn't too bad. It was about 12 hours, but I brought enough things to occupy the time (movies, magazines, journal, books, etc.). There were a ton of athletes from other sports on the flight too, so it was cool to meet some of those guys. When I finally got to Beijing Normal University, where I am staying, I saw that it's basically the OTC in China. So many people I see everyday in Colorado are here making sure that things are running smoothly. It feels like home, and I wasn't expecting that at all. I have my own room, which is also great. The USOC has done an awesome job of setting this place up for us. We have ping pong, foosball, Nintendo Wii (with Rockband!), a 65" plasma TV with a ton of movies, plus a bunch of other stuff. AND, the food has been amazing. The dining services from the OTC have helped set up an awesome spread with everything we could ask for. I have been so impressed with everything so far. I don't think I am going to want to go home! I had my first day of practice today and I trained at the Chinese Olympic Training Center. This is the first time I have ever been there, and the place is incredible. It is the most amazing gym I have ever seen. They have all brand new JF equipment, but what makes it even better is that they have everything on the floor and another set of equipment on a podium. I've never seen a gym that has a podium set up all the time. Plus, they have separate equipment over pits. I worked out today with the entire Chinese men's and women's Olympic Teams. The French men's team was also in the gym today. It was really cool to be in there today and hopefully I'll be able to take some pictures tomorrow and put them up on this site. I was a little jet lagged after traveling yesterday, but I got done what I needed to. I touched all the events and did almost all my skills. I am feeling good and I can't wait to see what happens over the next few weeks.

Four Days Away

2008-07-26T19:45:00.001-07:00

It's just about here. Opening ceremonies are in less than two weeks! Yesterday was my last day of routines before I leave. I did one on six, and it went great. It's always nice to get that final big day out of the way before leaving for a competition. I will be leaving Colorado Springs Wednesday, and meeting up with everybody in San Francisco. We'll all be on the same flight over to Beijing which should be fun. The last few days, I have been doing a ton of stuff to get ready. Getting my Chinese visa has been more of a hassle than I was expecting. I am also trying to figure out what apparel I will be taking to China. We got a ton of new Adidas stuff to take with us, but we are making sure to be smart about how much we take. I doubt it will be necessary to take heavy sweats to China where the weather is going to be pretty hot. I was in Beijing for the Olympic Test Event in December, but I think it will be slightly different this time around. I also got my new IPhone yesterday! My sponsor, AT&T, hooked me up with the new 3G, and it is awesome. Having that in China is going to be a nice way to keep my mind occupied. The new App Store has some really cool stuff, that are pretty useful. I got this one program that translates useful phrases from English to Chinese. I have been brushing up on my Chinese, so hopefully I'll be able to communicate with some of the locals. I still have some stuff I need to do before I leave so the next few days are still going to be pretty hectic.

Big Day at the OTC

2008-07-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

It is definitely nice to finally be done with this part of the process. We had the final preparation competition today, and it went awesome. I have to say that the crowd was unbelievable. For those of you who came to watch today, I want to say thank you. The support you showed for the entire USA Men's Olympic Team was way beyond what I was expecting. I really have never seen so many people packed into that gym for a meet. We got to walk out in our new Olympic uniforms, which are sweet. A few of us picked out six uniforms to use at the Games and we tested out the one we will wear during Team Finals. We started on rings today, and I felt strong again. I think the routine went better than the first day and I stuck my dismount, which is always nice. I went through all the other events with confidence today and I was able to hit six for six. We finished on pommels, and again I hit a solid routine which felt great. It very well could have been the last routine I do with a USA uniform on, so to hit on an event that probably cost me a spot on the team at Trials was very rewarding. I know I am capable of hitting this way consistently. Before the competition we had a team goal of hitting 80% of our routines today...we ended up hitting 88%! There were still a couple minor mistakes, but overall we are looking great. I am so proud to be part of this group. We are only going to build from here and in Beijing we are going to do great things. The MPC just told us a little while ago that they are taking all three alternates to China. We have become a very close group and to have all 9 of us there is fantastic. I am excited to get there and do everything I can to help the team. Again, thank you to everyone that came out today. It was an awesome day for USA Men's Gymnastics and I know the other guys appreciate the support as much as I do.

Mock Podium Training

2008-07-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

We had the first of two routine days at the camp today. We treated it just like podium training at the Olympics, which is basically a trial run for the actual competition. It will happen three days before Team Prelims in China, so we did the same thing here. A few months ago, they randomly drew the sessions for each team competing in the Olympics and we drew rings as our starting event and we are in the first session. Also, the OTC hooked up up with all the JF equipment, which is the same equipment being used at the Olympics. It took some time to get adjusted to the new stuff, but for the most part it's all really good. So we started on rings today and went through every event. I had a solid ring routine and I was pretty happy with my strength. I felt strong. My vault went great, and so did p-bars. I felt great on HBar and the routine went really well. I did leave out the Tkachev, but that was no big deal. Floor was next and this has been the hardest event to get adjusted to. The JF floor is foam blocks, not sprigs, so it's a little stiffer. I hit my routine, but you definitely have to be a little tighter on that floor. Pommels was last and I hit. I had a split going into my Wu, but besides that it was a good set. I love the JF pommel horse. It's a little wider, harder, and I feel like I have more room to place my hands. Overall, the day went really well. The whole team was supporting each other throughout the whole day, and it was great to see where everyone is at with their preparations. Saturday will be a little more formal, with a bigger crowd and some more judges, but we all accomplished exactly what we had to today. Team USA is looking strong. I am impressed with everyone and I am excited about the rest of the week. If you are in the Colorado Springs area on Saturday, stop by the OTC at 12:00pm and watch the USA Men's Olympic Gymnastics Team in action.

Ready for Camp...and Thanks

2008-07-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

So I finished my last day of routines today before we start the camp. It was hard to do all six events this morning, but overall it went pretty well. I am glad the preparation for camp is over...I really want to know what my role is going to be for this team. Everyone gets in tomorrow, and even though we are training at my home here in Colorado Springs, we are all staying at a hotel together. I'll be leaving my room at the OTC for the week so we can all be one team. Since we normally don't all train together, it's cool when we get to hang out with each other. I'll keep you updated on the camp and how things are progressing. Wednesday will be like Podium Training, and Saturday we are treating like Team Prelims.
I also wanted to use this post to say thanks to all my sponsors who have supported me on my Olympic run. Chevron for being the main sponsor for the National Team for a long time now. AT&T for going out of there way to make me feel like part of the AT&T family. I really appreciate it. Foster Wheeler for helping my family with housing at the Olympics. Lenovo, for helping me with this blog and allowing me to share my story. All of your support has been instrumental in my success of the past year. Thanks again!

4th of July Weekend

2008-07-06T21:49:00.001-07:00

Fourth of July weekend was fun. We had a hard workout on Friday, but it went really well. Saturday also went well, and after our practice all of us had a BBQ at the OTC pool. The weather held out, and it turned out to be a great day. There were a lot of athletes from other sports out there too, so it was cool to hang out together. Next Sunday everyone gets into Colorado for our Olympic Camp. It is going to be an intense week of training and competition. Right now, my body is feeling good and I am ready for the week. This week I will be doing routines on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and treat it like a competition week. We have a junior national team camp that just got in today, so the gym is going to be really busy. Luckily, I am in good shape right now so I don't need to spend too much time in the gym...it's all about being efficient and minimizing pounding on my body. My shoulder is feeling better each day, and it really hasn't been an issue for me in the gym. The pain is tolerable, and to be honest it would have to take a lot more for me to stop training right now. I am excited to see all the guys next week and train together. This will be our first time together as a team. I know I am an alternate right now, but I still feel like part of the team. I am preparing to help out in any way I can.

Back To Training

2008-06-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

So, I finally made it back to Colorado Springs after an interesting flight from Philadelphia. After Trials some guys from my team, Yewki Tomita, Joey Hagerty, and Todd Thornton all came to my beach house on the Jersey Shore to hang out for a couple days. We had a great time in Belmar and it was nice to relax for a couple days before we picked up training again. For the rest of the week we were at International Gymnastics Camp in Pennsylvania. It was a fun few days and it gave me a chance to slowly get back into training. The trip home ended up being a two day ordeal, and it included a unexpected stop in Nashville for a few hours, a sick passenger who threw up a couple rows from me, and a night sleeping on the floor of the Dallas Airport. It was not the best travel day, but I am glad to finally be back in Colorado. Today was my first practice at home since trials, and my body feels pretty good. My shoulder is still a little sore after it subluxed on the first night on competition at Trials, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem for me. Other than that I am just getting ready for the Olympic Camp in two weeks. As alternate, I still have to be as prepared as any of the guys that will be competing. I am going to be training as hard as ever to make sure that if they need me I will be ready to go.

The Next Step

2008-06-25T05:12:00.000-07:00

So Trials is over and things are starting to calm down a bit. It was a very hectic week and the competition had its ups and downs. On the first day I started out great on PBars, but ended up making a dumb mistake on HBar and Pommels. I missed my layout Kovcks, which I never do and I also fell on my Wu on Pommels. It was a frustrating day overall, especially because I was so prepared. Along with my two misses, I also subluxed my shoulder on vault, which wasn't too much fun. It has happened to me before, but not for a couple years so it was a little surprising when it happened.

The second day of competition I felt like I had nothing to lose so I just wanted to go out and have fun. I got a phone call earlier in the day from Dominic Minicucci, who was on the 88' and 92' Olympic Teams and also went to my club gym Surgent's Elite back in New Jersey. He was real honest with me about what I needed to do on the second night and it was something I really needed to hear. I took his advice and attacked the competition.

I had a ton of family and friends in the stands and most of them were wearing "Team Durante" t-shirts that my mom had made up.

I ended up having one of the best meets of my life Saturday. It was such an awesome experience and I will never forget it. The next day we were brought into a room together and they told us who would be on the team. The wait is the hardest part of the whole process and after a while, I found out I was an alternate. I think if I would have hit one more pommels routine I would have been in, but I just left the door open to much. Alternate is still an honor and I am going to prepare like I am on the team in case they need me for whatever reason. We have our Olympic camp in two weeks where we will find out if Paul can go and who will be the traveling alternates. So I still have some work to do over the next few months. I'll keep you updated.

Training at Trials

2008-06-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

So, we got to Philadelphia yesterday after a long day of travel. We had to wake up at 3:30am to catch our flight yesterday, so I was pretty tired by the time I got into Phily. Today we have our hardest workout before we compete on Thursday. I had a light workout this morning and my body is feeling good. I am going to use the later workout to get through some routines and make sure I am comfortable with all my skills. So far things have been just like any other competition, except for the fact that there are only 14 guys working out in the gym. It's awesome not to have to wait in lines for a turn...I feel pretty spoiled. I have to go now. Italy is about to play France for the Euro 2008 match and I can't miss it! Forza Italia! I'll be back tomorrow.

Hi Everyone

2008-06-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks for checking out my blog. I'll keep you updated on what's going on in my life as I train for trials and as we get ready for the Olympic Games. I am leaving for Trials in a couple days and by this time next week we should just about know what the Olympic Team will be. We have one more hard day of practice, today, and then I will be packing and getting ready to fly out at 6:00am on Monday. I also wanted to thank Lenovo for helping me put this blog together.