The Atlanta Airport

I sat on the uncomfortably cold tile floor of Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta Georgia. We had just landed from our 8 hour red eye flight from Venice. The three of us siblings were lined up against the terminal wall waiting for some word from my parents on our connecting flight home. I sat there absolutely exhausted. There was the aching feeling in my stomach of digesting processed airplane food, if you can even call it food. My dad walked up to the electronic flight board to check the gate number of our Alitalia flight home. He returned shortly after and stormed over to his carryon luggage and ripped it open. He ripped out all the contents until he found the families passports and boarding passes. He flew over to the sweaty ticket line that snaked around the entire Alitalia section of the airport. Instantly I knew we had flight troubles. I looked up to my mother who was no longer trying to entertain my sister with card games, but was now following after my enraged father to the ticket counter. Before any info was relayed to me from my parents I knew the flight was cancelled. Surprisingly it didn’t bother me. Instead I felt content that I was able to keep my cool during the whole situation unlike my dad who lost his temper instantly. All the feelings of exhaustion and eagerness to get home took a back seat to my delight for the misery my dad was enduring. I had never had any serious angry feelings toward my father that I would have enjoyed seeing him enraged, I just think that I was as a 13 year old pubescent teen it is nice to feel like you are superior to your parents. I can remember my time at summer camp and how I felt waiting in line for that one 3 musketeer’s bar I got once a week and the burning impatience I had. At that moment in the airport at age 13 I showed a glimpse of maturity through lessons learned at sleep away camp.

The London experience, Day v. Night

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Due to technical difficulties, this photo story must be viewed from bottom to top.

A wonderfully sweaty end the a fun filled night. London: a success.

A skate park covered in graffiti located right along the Thames River.

London native enjoying his drink, maybe a little too much.

An exhibit at the Saatchi Modern Art Gallery.

English Go-Go girls entertaining the guests in Camden Town.

London police "attentively" patrolling the parliament.

London Native enjoying his night of partying.

View of the London overcast from across the Thames River. The famous London Eye can also be seen.

Camden Town Bar Scene. An open air market / art gallery by day, dance bar by night.

Cars in London, No way. Public Transport (The Tube).

Gabriel Guazzini

Florence, being a tourist town, is home to many bars, pubs, and dance clubs to satisfy visitor’s appetite for night life. One of these venues is called is One Eyed Jacks. The man behind the bar looks like someone you would not want to pass in dark alley at night. He is about 6 foot 2 inches tall, bald head, tattoos, broad shoulders, with a menacing facial expression. His name is Gabriel Guazzini 36 years old (born on March 19 1974) and he couldn’t be a more friendly, open and honest person. Gabe, as he is called, is a native of Prato, a small textile manufacturing town approximately 50 minutes away from Florence. When asked why he moved t Florence he said “I was bored and I just had to get out to a big city.” Gabe’s story is one of courage, resilience, and independence. For 8 years Gabe dated a girl (who will remain nameless upon request) who he loved. Once they broke up on May 20 of 2008 he was devastated and needed something to help him move on. He explained that the solution he came to was o leave his job, sell his house, and start a new life in Seattle Washington. He got a job at Flotation Records where he worked as a graphic designer. It is evident that he is a creative person. He explained his band he is a part of, The Smell of Trees. He blends his creativity along with the separation from his girlfriend in a commemorative tattoo on his upper back. Gabe says he has long term goals of returning to the United States. As for now he is content bartending at One Eyed Jacks.

Lugano Switzerland, European Vacation Hot Spot

Take one step into the main square, Piazza Della Riforma, of Lugano Switzerland and you immediately feel the wholesome energy from the affluent family oriented vacation town. There is one unique characteristic this town possesses that many other European vacation destinations do not, no one speaks English. There are no pasty white sun screen lathered fathers wearing fanny packs around their waists with white socks pulled up to their knees. No woman here would be caught dead wearing an over sized Penn State shirt and comfy "mom" shoes and a faded black digital watch. The only attire visible in Piazza Della Riforma are woman wearing elegant summer dresses and men in fashionable button shirts and pants.

From my seat at an outdoor restaurant located on the square I could immediately sense the family oriented atmosphere of the town. Young children running and jumping on their way to dinner with their parents holding hands slowly strolling behind them. All the people possessed a similar attitude of affluence that acts as a describer for the town. Even the children had a upper class aura. The breeze from Lake Lugano set the scene for a perfect family and couple oriented evening on the square, dining at the local restaurants where the cheapest pizza was 15 Swiss Francs (about 14 US dollars). At the restaurant Argentino located on the square a very well dressed couple was disciplining their daughter which then turned into an argument between the parents. Even at such a pristine summer getaway family's still argue.

No Italian No Service, Kind of

One would think that in Venice Italy, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, local people would know how to properly extend hospitality to foreign visitors, well think again because Italians idea of proper service is very different than mine and my peers. Having being in Venice once before on a family vacation I knew what I was going to experience; beautiful Venetian architecture, winding canals and waterways, and historic religious monuments that give off a feeling of grandeur. This trip did not disappointed by any means in that regard. The air was just as thick with humidity as I had remembered it. The temperature exceeding 100 degrees and the sun relentless until almost 9 at night. What I didn't remember from my previous visit was the demeanor of the people. Traveling with friends and being a college student let me see Venice in a different way than I did with my family at 13 years old. I was the one speaking with merchants and restaurateurs directly and not through a parental medium. Very quickly I realized that I was not being charged the correct listed price and I was people were trying to rip me off in the heavily toured sites. It dawned on me that this was a bargaining style system and nothing was set it stone. This puts foreigners that don't speak Italian at a great disadvantage when it comes to negotiating price. An example of a sticky situation I found myself in came when a group of us were trying to get to the Heineken Jammin' Festival (headlining Aerosmith). A girl going to the concert made a taxi reservation earlier in the day to pick us up that evening. After we decided that we would take the cheaper means of transportation to the festival we contacted the hotel concierge to cancel the appointment. Little did we know the driver was already waiting for us. Even after the taxi driver left without complaint the hotel concierge, who doesn't work for the taxi service, undermined us and exploited us for a 50 euro fee. The group was extremely upset and we confronted the concierge. I listened to my friend Gino confront the the concierge. she asked why he called the taxi company back after he initially left without argument. He said that there was a 50 euro charge. She asked why if he left and did not ask for money you still called him back. He repeated that there was a 50 euro charge. She said that we were not going to pay the fee. He said we reserved a taxi to which she said yes but we cancelled it. Eventually the conversation ended with us just confused and no amends made.

This negative experience was the most predominant of the multiple tourist traps and scams I experienced while in the beautiful city of Venice. It was somewhat disappointing to experience such a beautiful place in a not so favorable way. I must say that my view of the city is somewhat tainted after my most recent visit. Never again will I remember Venice only as the aesthetically beautiful city, but also as place where if you do not speak Italian you will be taken advantage of.