Alps

Northern Italy, 12/1/10


Another night, another Etap, getting colder. We stop to pee somewhere in the middle of the night on the border and I have to hold my cape on top of my head to keep it from dipping into the toilet aka the hole in the ground. The Alps are ominous hulking beasts keeping a careful watch on our tiny cold van as we chug through the night. Kate and I stay up and talk to Luke about clothes and girls and the clear cold night feels magical and dark. Luke says that the Italian Alps are alright but that they pale in comparison with the Austrian Alps, which in his opinion are the best of all the Alps. Things get radically better the next day when we stop for lunch at an Autogrill and I have the MOST AMAZING pesto gnocchi I have ever had in my life. There are loads of stylish Italians sipping espresso and wine and eating delectable foods for lunch at a REST STOP like it is no biggie. Luke and I are starting to really bond on the enormous importance of good food and drink and Frankie thinks it is hilarious that I am such a hobbit at heart, as I am trapped in the body of an elf. I find Luke's hobbitlike Britishness very appealing, and am tremendously fortified by the good food and being out of the mountains. 


It is dark again by the time we get to Ravenna. The club is in a sprawling warehouse on the outskirts of town and it feels a little bit otherworldly. Wavves are there, already causing a ruckus in the green room when we arrive. There are several fog machines going at soundcheck and the stage looks awesome. We walk to a restaurant that looks like a lost suburban house in the middle of a field about a mile from the club for dinner and then Luke passes out in the van while we set up merch and flirt with Wavves' hot Italian tour manager. The show is weird and feels empty after the tiny venues we've been playing. The audience seems sedated and we play a short set in all white with fog swirling around our feet.