When I was 18 years old I found out I could run faster than the police. At least in Italy. It’s a good thing, too, because I’ve heard it’s nearly impossible to get out of the Italian prison system once you’re in it.
In 1987 I spent three months backpacking around Europe with a good friend of mine. Wayne, my traveling companion for those months, was more like a brother to me while we were growing up. It only made sense when I decided to take a few months between high school graduation and wedding day to galavant around Europe that Wayne would make a great choice for some added braun to keep me safe. We were both engaged at the time, only not to each other.
With passports, Eurail passes, and youth hostel memberships in hand, we slung bags over our youthful shoulders and headed off to see the world. We had many wonderful adventures along the way, stopping wherever and whenever our hearts desired. I remember one occasion stopping off in a small town in Holland (now the Netherlands) simply because it smelled like chocolate when the train rolled into the station. As it turned out, there was a chocolate factory nearby, and we were able to get a cheap room for the night, the delicious scent of chocolate wafting in through the open window.
I still have the pair of purple Converse hightops I wore most days during our 3-month excursion. I put many kilometers on those treads! Maybe that’s why I’ve kept the shoes after all these years…..the memories in the soles.
I distinctly remember we were in Huemoz, Switzerland near Villars on my 19th birthday. I remember that because I got lost in the Alps that day. The kind of lost that leaves one completely alone in the dark on the side of a mountain, wondering if they will make it through the night or ever see their loved ones again. Just as the search party was gathering to head off to my last known whereabouts, I limped into town, down the one road that ran through the quaint village of Huemoz, and into the chalet where we were staying. It turns out I have survival skills. At least when it’s not terribly cold out and freezing to death is an unlikely possibility.
I also distinctly remember the day Wayne and I were in Brindisi, Italy and decided to hop a boat to Greece. A misunderstanding that, to this day, I still don’t understand. left us running for our lives when an angry Italian man called the police on us. I swear we did nothing wrong. Fortunately for us, Wayne and I were fast and strong and extremely motivated to NOT be arrested. Friends had jokingly (or maybe not so jokingly) told us to be sure not to get caught up with the PoPo in Italy because once you are locked up in an Italian jail you might never get out. I have no idea why these warnings were given to us. But, I can tell you, the unsolicited advise provided that extra bit of motivation needed to get our legs pumping, our hearts racing, and our minds determined to outrun the police that day. Just as we jumped onto a bus pulling away from the curb, our assailant grabbed Wayne by the backpack and nearly succeeded in stopping our getaway. Wayne prevailed, the bus pulled away in the nick of time, and we spent the next several hours awaiting the ship departure from port looking over our shoulders and fearing for our lives. When the ship finally pulled away from the land of all things Italian, we breathed out sighs of relief, letting the wind whip them away into the night out over the Adriatic Sea. We never looked back. Instead we went on to Greece and had a marvelous time taking in the sights, sampling the foods, and visiting an island with no cars on it.
So #5 on my list of 10 things you probably didn’t know about me: I can outrun the police if need be. And I don’t like Italy. It’s amazing how a bad experience can leave an unsavory taste in your mouth decades later. I know we saw many lovely things during our time in Venice, Florence, and southward toward Brindisi, but for me most of it is overshadowed by the angry Italian dude screaming at us and then running for our lives, certain we were going to end up like Jason Bourne (whom we hadn’t yet heard of…but you get the idea).