TROPEA

It was a picture that did it. Just one image in an old library book that Liz had loaned, but it was enough. The sand was golden and stretched out for miles; the sea was like turquoise glass that was so clear you could see the bottom; the sky was endless bright blue and then in the background high upon a jagged rock was an old crumbling church that sat spectating over all over this. I don’t really believe in love at first sight, but that’s what happened the first time I saw Tropea. I had to go, and so I find myself her in this crumbling little town by the sea, in the deep south of Italy and for once I do not feel disappointed, in fact it has surpassed any of my greatest expectations, for a picture alone cannot do justice to somewhere like Tropea, you have to see it to believe it. It has brought on this amazing feeling in me, of utter calmness. My head, which has been filled with worries and thoughts that have kept awake on so many nights, is clear for the first time in months. There is no Internet here, no TV, my phone is switched off most of the time, and all this is good because none of it really matters. Nothing really matters here, apart from the sun on your back, the sound of the ocean and the food. Oh God! The food! I do believe I might come back for the first from a trip, having put on weight! Which I actually want to do, as I feel a bit Ethiopian here compared to the Italian girls curves, with their tits and ass. Curves are celebrated over here, which is very refreshing; instead of the intense pressure to be stick thin which women have in our country.
We are staying in a little apartment, which I found and booked on the Internet. It is always scary being the person that does the booking, you want to please and you don’t want to turn up and go “Oh! Sorry guys I seem to have booked us into a complete shit hole!” So you can imagine as we walked the stairs to the apartment I was feeling a little anxious, but one should never doubt one’s self. The apartment was simple but modern and had its own bathroom, which was a relief after we had started world war three with the Japanese in the hostel in Naples over the use of the shared bathroom. The best thing though was the view. We opened up the shutter doors to our own private roof terrace that over looked the image that I had seen in the book but only more beautiful. The girls and me ran around and jumped like excited children and for the rest of the day you have never seen a smugger face than mine. “Carly” I thought “Your bloody amazing!”
I don’t have much to say on what we have done here because we haven’t really done anything, which is the whole point of this place. We eat fresh fruit on the terrace for breakfast, then we head to the beach for the day, where we soak up the rays, dip in the sea and then like all the Italians do, we people watch and pose (have really got into it!) We then go and eat a full on meal and have a couple of bottles of wine and look out for any totty that walks past (the heat makes us all horny). The other night was Romany Liz’s 30th so we put on our best glad rags, headed out for dinner, got drunk and spotted ourselves a tall Italian stallion. As we kept giving him the eye he and his friend walked past about ten times, I think we counted and then sat down at a table near us, but before they could make there move the waiter and his friend from where we ate walked by and sat with us. The Italian men are very Alpha male and the Stallion and his friend looked pissed off they did not make their move sooner for the waiter and his friend had now marked their terrority. The tall Stallion made his exit but not before coming over to the table to say his goodbyes. Unfortunately it turns out that stallion can’t speak any English, which was very crap. Later on I did think about this and thought it doesn’t really matter that he can’t speak any English, as really I don’t want him for his conversation skills, do I now. In fact he doesn’t have to talk at all!


OBSERVATIONS

• Don’t leave your apartment with a hangover, as you don’t think straight, as we locked ourselves out today! Oophs!

• I now compare Romany Liz to being like a Jack Russell on Acid, as she is small and very hyper!

• If you eat to many black olives it turns your poo black!

• Its funny how when you get older even though your body is going down hill, how much more comfortable you get with it. We have taken to topless sunbathing on the terrace and naked showers under the tap outdoors with out a care in the world. It’s very liberating. Well unless the old couple next-door come out and catch us and we give them a heart attack!


• I think I might have to go and find the Tall stallion again or other one and get them to marry me so I can stay here. Don’t really want to go back to London anymore!