“Expectations are resentments waiting to happen…”
I can’t stop listening to Macklemore. The more music by Ben
Haggerty that I find, the more I fall in love with him as a lyricist, artist,
and musician. Otherside, Vipassana, Fallin, they are all just great songs that
have depth and real meaning. They are especially fitting for the low moods that
I sometimes stumble into here at the festival when I start thinking about the
amount of money I was scammed out of to come here. It never makes sense to me
but when I’m down or mad or upset about something I often just need to listen
to some loud/angry rap, or some deep/thought provoking hip hop. Macklemore has
come in at the perfect time and I can’t put my headphones down. It’s a great
feeling when you hit up a new song that just resonates with you, and that has
happened a lot lately.
Stepping outside of my hotel room and away from my
headphones and I’m still in Rome. This morning I stopped by Campo dei Fiori for
some delicious freshly ripened fruit and decided to take that breakfast over to
Castel de Saint Angelo to take in some more of the city while I ate. This was
my first lone excursion around for an extended period of time (not out of fear
of being alone but simply because there is usually someone bumming around the
hotel that wants to join me) and it was excellent. The weather has finally
cooled down and today it was cloudy with a nice breeze. Granted it is still 30
degrees Celsius out there, which is pretty hot, it feels nice compared to where
it was my first week here. After eating and relaxing in the shade for a while I
decided to swing by the Trevi Fountain again so that I could make a wish and
throw some money into the fountain. I heard that doing that guarantees that you
will be back in Rome at some point in your life, which is something I would
love to do. While at Trevi I heard an amazing violinist playing through some
repertoire in the streets and I was surprised at the lack of people
watching/enjoying his music because it was legitimately quite good. But then I
suppose I didn’t stick around for very long either. I felt like walking and I
was feeling too claustrophobic to stay immersed in the tourists at the major
touristy areas so I found myself moving on quickly away from the violin player.
I love being surrounded by the history, the architecture,
and the art in this place. When taking back alleys and different routes I
always, without fail, find myself stumbling into a small Piazza or Villa with
beautiful depictions of Jesus (you find Jesus everywhere here), picturesque statues,
or even bountiful gardens and fountains. It’s overwhelming at times. America
turned 233 today and that seems like a long time until you realize that Rome
was founded somewhere around 625 BC. Which would make Rome what, 2638 years old?
Damn. No wonder it’s overwhelming coming here, where the mold in some of these
buildings is probably older then the country that I come from. That mold has
some history, but that doesn’t make it any easier to breathe.
I’m glad that I will get the chance to go to Prague and then
come back to Rome again before coming home to the states. I feel like leaving
Rome and then coming back shortly thereafter will be a good way for me to
re-appreciate the city in a fresh new way. Especially since I will be coming
back alone. Travelling alone is always a more insightful and revealing
experience then traveling with friends, whether they are new or old friends.
When I’m alone I get to decide what it is that I’m going to do and I can’t just
allow someone else to decide for me. Easy going and relaxed, sometimes I need
to be selfish and do what I want to do, which is far easier to do when I’m
alone.
Rambling stream of consciousness, pardon the lack of focus
in this post. Just some wandering thoughts from this wandering musician.
