The Beach
Trip Start
Jul 14, 2010
1
15
33
Trip End
Apr 26, 2011
Gaeta, Lazio, Italy
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Okay so when we go to the beach we walk out the door and down the street to the intersection, where you hold you breath and try to make it across alive. After that you walk down these really scary stairs that are covered in trash and graffiti. These are stairs I would want to avoid at night because I swear if anyone does drugs in Gaeta, they do them on these steps.
When you make it down the steps you head right down a little drive between some flats, decorated with an assortment of flowers and graffiti again. I swear I need to learn how to graffiti things because from what I can see it is the thing to do around here! You walk under a bridge and avoid zooming Italian drivers and up to the other side of the road. They don't have sidewalks here per-say so you just find little ledges of stone or brick to walk on when you can.
To my left is a garden surrounding some type of fallen building that makes you think of ruins. Someone is growing some huge tomatoes in this little section of land. Up in front of me to the right is an old looking church with what I believe is a cemetery behind it (I'll have to explore that later). We go past a fence lined with fake grass-like garland and out a doorway onto the street. Once again hold your breath to cross and head over to the last stretch of roadway leading to the sun and sand.
Now as a warning about what few sidewalks to be found in Gaeta. Apparently Italians don't want their dogs going to the bathroom in their yards, probably because if you have grass you are lucky, so you have to be on constant guard that you don't step in dog mess. Unlike in Texas, I don't know about other states, Gaeta doesn't make dog owners carry around little bags to clean up after their dogs so their is dog mess all over the place. Not so pleasant.
Its not too long before you reach the beach where you move as quickly as you can to the water because the sand is literally hot enough to burn your feet. You walk at least half a mile or more down to our "free beach" next to the cliffs, all the while passing the naked babies, half naked children, and men and women of every shape and size wearing little speedos and bikinis. Its fantastic!
Today we are joining Chelsea and Fabio at the beach so we get to lay out and enjoy the sun with the benefit of their umbrella. The water was once again FREEZING but I toughed it out and enjoyed calmness of the surf. Funny thing about going to the beach with Fabio - he has this amazing ability to make holes in the sand under water. He somehow kicks his feet back and forth so fast that it displaces all of the sand underneath him leaving a hole that is a couple of feet in diameter and at least a foot deep. The funny part is that after making these holes you move down the beach a ways and watch unsuspecting people walking along in the water suddenly drop down a good six inches to a foot and get this really confused look on their face. One girl went completely under then came up looking around with that classic, "God I hope no one saw that" look on her face! It was really funny!
Fabio had a good laugh at Gerald for eating french fries on the beach and stated its "got to be an American thing." Gerald got sunburned and I literally almost blistered my feet from walking in the sand! After we left the beach we went with Chelsea and Fabio and got some pizza. Gerald got the french fry and hot dog pizza, and yes it literally had little slices of hot dogs and whole french fries as toppings, and I got the Salami pizza. The pizza was heavy and very much like American pizza in the crust but my Salami slices were quite spicy! Italians don't really believe in ice so pretty much any drink you get ranges from luke warm to hot, therefore my coke did not help the burning of my mouth due to the Salami.
After pizza Chelsea and Fabio dropped us off at home where we washed the sand off and relaxed for the rest of the day.
