Since I stopped posting over a year ago, how do I account for my time? What have I been up to? Where have I been?

The best way I can think of recounting the last year is to run through the places I've been. Not counting work or visiting family that would be Berlin, Sicily, Rome.

A quick rundown:

Berlin. Loved it.

Marissa and I went there in mid-Ocotber 2006. We were there for a day by ourselves, then Marla showed up, and then Alessandro. You'll hear more about them later, but Marla is from Seattle and Alessandro (AKA Lupo, AKA The Rockin' Machine) is from Rome.

Mid-October in Berlin. We stayed in Prenzlauer Berg, in what was, for a long while in the 20th Century, East Berlin. A mix of rundown pre-Communist architecture, rundown Communist architecture, not so rundown new architecture and grafitti. Grafitti everywhere.

The neighborhood was comfortable and even inviting. And the people we met were kind. Since then I have seen "The Lives of Others" - our little neighborhood before the wall came down.

I ate pickled fish every morning. We drank delicious beer. We got around all over town with the fabulous metro system. We wondered at the prostitutes on Oranienburger Strasse in Mitte, in their puffy parkas with futuristic corsets. We ate currywurst and Hackepeter (well, I did, anyway, and Marissa tried some too) and we had some fantastic Turkish food as well.

It was just after we got back from Berlin that we found out we would be moving to Altanta. Just like our own little wall had fallen...

Sicily. Loved it.

We met lovely Marla and lovely Dani (one of Marla's lovely daughters) in Catania, in the afternoon. Lupo (AKA The Rockin' Machine) showed up from Rome the next day. The air smelled like orange blossoms.

We ate everything we laid our eyes on. We spent the evenings getting drunk on Glicine while we stuffed our faces with cheese and meats and unbelievable pastries. We rewarded ourselves - no, we soothed our shattered nerves - after a harrowing drive down from a fogged-in Mt Etna  by spending a leisurely afternoon eating the meal to end all meals at Cantina Murgo, on the grounds of the Murgo Winery.

Sublime.

The Machine had to go back to Rome, so the three lovelies and I explored Sortino, bought honey from a man so lovely it made the lovelies giggle and explored the Necropolis of Pantalica - ancient ruins from the Bronze Age. Then we met back up with Lupo on his home turf...

Rome. Loved It.

Stayed near the Campo De Fiori and just above a nearly 200 year old bakery. Met Lupo's mama and his dear friends for dinner, Roman style. Ate gelato every afternoon. Visited the Cappucine monks, all of their bones decorating, or should I say composing, the church.

We marvelled at St. Peter's and were conflicted between the idea that humans could build such beautiful things and the fact that humans put so much energy in to building such beautiful things when so many of them were (and are) living such a miserable existence.

This time, when we flew back we didn't dread the return. Sure, we hated to leave The Eternal City but when you like where you are it isn't too hard to go back.