Hello from Malaga, Spain!
Sorry for the lack of updates recently, the internet availability has been lacking ever since we left Germany. So a little catch up since I last updated on the 28th.
The 29th Brendan and I went to Dachau in the morning, which was one of the largest concentration camps in Germany. It is infamous for being the place where all SS officers were trained. It is also the only place with crematoriums still standing. I had actually previously visited it, but it was still just as powerful to see it the second time. The thing that stood out to me previously was a sculpture they have, and I was pleased that it was still as meaningful the second time around. That afternoon we went to the BMW factory and Olympic Village just north of Berlin. We were hoping to grab some lunch at the beer garden in the Olympic Village, but it was closed by the time we got there. The BMW museum and tour was very interesting and I think the engineering nerds in both Brendan and I were quite entertained. It was very neat because we got the chance to see some people who had just bought their cars drive them off the line. We had dinner that night at a cafe/beer garden place near our hostel called teh Gap and then chatted with people around the hostel a bit.
The 30th we had some breakfast and then went shopping for some long pants as we left for Gimmelwald that afternoon. After 3 trains, 1 trolley on steroids, 1 bus and a gondola we arrived in Gimmelwald, Switzerland which is just outside Interlaken. Fortunately our hostel was just a stone´s throw away from the Gondola so we were able to get in and relax right away. After a long day we were very happy to reward ourselves with some Captain and Cokes and some Toblerone.
The 1st we speant wandering around on walking paths in the area. Frist we walked to Murren where we bought some supplementary breakfast in the form of fresh fruit and then explored the shops in the village. After a little while we headed out for a hike. We ended up on the "Children´s Adventure Trail", but it was a lot of fun because there was a zip line as well as many forts to explore. We made it up a ways to a restaurant/ski lodge (in the winter) where we got some Goulash before continuing our hike. We made friends with quite a few cows and sheep along the way. We then headed back to Murren to pick up some supplements for our dinner that night. Unbelievably we ran into Bobby Powers (his brother) and Zimmer, who were traveling and happened to be at the same place. I had also met a ND alum that morning (09) which meant there were 6 Domers all staying at the same hostel at the same time in a little town in Switzerland. Dinner ended up being very good (we cooked ourselves) and the entertainment of the night consisted of chatting with quite a few fellows who were celebrating Canada Day.
The 2nd we woke up to a completely clear sky and decided to make a big for the summit of Schilthorn about 5,600 vertical feet above us. We ended up taking the more difficult path, which was practically sheer cliffs up. I was struggling, but I felt better when Brendan said that though the altitude affects were not as bad, in some ways he thought the climb was as difficult to his summit of Mt. Ranier. I ended up being very happy I had bought some warmer clothes as well as a fur hat in Poland to keep me warm since there was still snow on the summit! It took us 4hrs 38min, which is a good time as they say it usually takes at least 5hrs. We then spent some time at the top restaurant catching our breath and eating at the small restaurant there where we made fun of the "cheaters" who took the gondola to the summit. A neat fun fact is that one of the James Bond movies was filmed there: On Her Majesty´s Secret Service. After an Irish Coffee, a plate of goulash each, some french fries and some coke we were ready to begin our descent. (Not bad considering we had already eaten a lunch on the way up!) We made the very smart choice of taking the easy route down and we were shocked by the difference between the two routes. We rushed down to Murren (2 hrs 28 min) to try and make it there before the grocery store closed, but unfortunately it closed early on Saturdays. We still managed to have a very good dinner and rewarded ourselves by getting chocolate fondue at the hostel.
The 3rd (Sunday) we woke up and had a wonderful breakfast of fresh eggs (from a farm we had passed on the way home the day before), waffles and jam. WE then spent the rest of the day traveling to Lake Como after a brief walk around the village. It took us a while, but it was worth it. Lake Como was absolutely beautiful when we got there...just in time for dinner and a sunset. The hostel we were staying at had locals that cooked dinner so we had a 3 course meal for a very reasonable price; consisting of gazpacho, beef stew and broiled peach halves with gelato. The hostel also had some freshly made sangria which was also a big plus. After dinner we wandered into the town (we were staying in Menaggio), got some gelato and took some pictures of the town the sun set.
The 4th of July! We spent the day exploring the different towns around Lake Como, starting with Varenna, very picturesque but without many things to do, and then going to Belaggio which is more built up and has more touristy things. We did not do much, but enjoyed the time looking at the different shops and getting snacks and a nice meal as we went. That afternoon we went into a wine bar and got some very good wine and a sundae while we watch the Tour de France. The owner must have decided he liked us because he gave us free cheese and two small pizza slices. The wine was delicious as well, a 2004 DOCG that was very reasonably priced. By that evening we were not very hungry so we spent the rest of the evening hanging out by the hostel, having some snacks and a few drinks.
The 5th (Tuesday) we had very strict plans to do nothing and just enjoy lazing about as a real "do nothing" day towards the end up the trip (since we knew the rest of the trip would be packed with busy things in Spain). We had originally planned on going sailing, but no one else expressed interest in the hostel so it was going to be very expensive, but that is ok because I am looking forward to going sailing in Chicago soon! We had lunch from a sack lunch we bought from the hostel that had some delicious ham and brie sandwiches and generally spend the day wandering, reading and enjoying the sunshine.
In order to catch the trains to Venice we had a very early bus on the 6th, so we got up around 6am. By doing that we were able to only take regional trains which cut the price of transportation about 60% for the day. We spent a little time between Como and Venice in Milan where we wandered around a bit. We had our bags with it and generally did not get a great impression of the city (it was ridiculously hot as well) so we did not make it to the city center for exploring, but we got a small taste of the city. We then caught our train to Venice and arrived there early evening. We then caught a vapporetto (a water bus) to our hostel and got settled there a little bit. We then decided to do a Rick Steve´s suggested tour and took a vapportetto through the Main Canal in Venice, which allowed us to see many of the palaces and city buildings you cannot truly see from land (as all the original entrances were from the water). I thought this was very cool as I had not really gotten a chance to see that angle of Venice at all when I had done the day trip with Karl. I think the two of us really enjoyed just being on the water and so we were in no rush to get anywhere. After the tour we spent some time wandering the main square before going back to our hostel and get some bruschetta and pizza from a place nearby that was very delicious.
The 7th we spent wandering around the mainland of Venice, seeing the shops and generally sightseeing. Two of our accomplishments we were proud of were finding homemade very good marzipan for Brendan and some very good fruit licorice/taffy for me. Venice is a city that is impossibly not to enjoy the window and actual shopping. the glass there is very popular so going into the boutiques to see the different pieces is quite interesting. We got some bruschetta again (amazing!) and drinks before going back to the mainland for gelato at a highly recommended place. Once we got back to the hostel later we were hungry again so we got pizza at the place nearby again that was just as good as the day before. They make it right in front of you and though it is made in an oven tasted like it was wood baked.
Yesterday we got up early again and took a vaporretto and bus to the airport to catch our flight to Sevilla. The flight went smoothly and we even managed to get seats in the exit row which was nice. First we went to the park where the world fair was once held, but it was so hot we didn´t stay there long. Afterwards we headed to a tapas place that was recommended by Lonely Planet. It was very very good food, though we liked what we ordered so much we didn´t branch out too much on our second round! (Cod fish baked with a tomato sauce and carmelized onions on warm brie on bread were favorites).
We then headed to the Cathedral and were hoping to tour it, but it turns out it was a holiday and was closed for something private. We had extremely high hopes of getting COOKIES at El Torno, which is the convent Jack was nice enough to look up for me (it is where we went when we were there), but it turns out they are no longer open in the evenings and we were absolutely crushed. We were quite disappointed by then that we had not gotten the cookies or seen the cathedral so we found a cafe and got some sangria until it was time to head to the train station.
One train later we made it to Malaga where we checked into our hostel and got settled. Even though it was late we were very excited because we had picked up some microwave popcorn at a grocery store at near the train station. As such we stayed up late to catch up a little on urgent emails and decompress a bit and eat our popcorn before crashing for the night.
This morning (Saturday the 9th) we slept in quite a bit since we hadn´t gotten too much sleep the night before. We got some breakfast and fresh fruit (mango, watermelon, peach and apple) with yogurt and then did a free walking tour which ended up being quite funny and interesting. It was a good way to get a feel for the city for sure. Some of the best sites included seeing some of the major places that Pablo Picasso lived while he was in the city, the port, some of the oldest churches and a market where we picked up cherries and olives. That took about 3 hours and then we headed to a cafe for some sangria & a slice of chocolate/orange tart before stopping by the hostel for a break.
We have been hoping that we would be able to find a place to see Cars 2 in English, but the past few days everywhere we have asked has not had the original language version. This has been quite depressing as they were all over the place in France and we were hoping we would be able to at least find one. Maybe in Valencia or Barcelona!
The rest of the trip is planned as such:
10th: Malaga and then train to Valencia at some point during the day
11th: Valencia
12th: Valencia and then train to Barcelona during the day
13th: Barcelona
14th: Barcelona and FLY HOME to JFK where we will each catch respective connecting flights.
I have been having a lot of fun, but I am looking forward to being home quite a bit. If you asked me how long it feels like I´ve been traveling I would say maybe 2 weeks, which certainly isn´t true, but I can tell I´m getting a little burned out of living out of a backpack. That being said though, we paid to have our laundry done overnight and this morning after amazing showers and clean clothes I feel like an entirely new person!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Re-Introduced to Munich
I realized today that I failed to mention why I decided to go to Vienna and join Brendan on his later part of the trip rather than follow my original plan and go spend time in Greece. Well if you have seethe news recently, things have not been going the greatest in Greece. It is very expensive to get to Greece as it is relatively remote so it did not seem prudent to spend a lot of money to get there...and then realize I was uncomfortable with the situation. Things may be just fine, or if I would be traveling with another person the debate may have turned out differently, but with the way things are not going to Greece seemed like the better choice. I figure down the road it is very feasible to do Greece in a week so I will just need to keep the attitude of "I'll be back someday". Brendan is the only other person I know traveling at the moment and since he was going to visit quite a few places I have not been to, I am quite excited to see where all we end up.
Today we woke up and had breakfast at the hostel before walking to the main square and meeting a free walking tour after some wandering. Free Walking Tours are quite popular since the guides are always young, enthusiastic and are often native English speakers. We really enjoyed our tour as we got a good feel of the history of what we were seeing as well as seeing a large quantity of things. It was a good starting off point for the city certainly. After the tour ended around 2 we headed to a recommended wurst stand and stopped by the Hofbrahaus for some Heiffelweis half liters at the foes beer hall before it got too crowded. After that we grabbed a sweet from the beer garden, some English books and headed to the hostel to get off our feet for a little while and get some lau dry done. Tonight the plan is to pick some fixings for a picnic and head to one of the beer gardens for dinner.
All in all, it's good to be back in Germany!
Today we woke up and had breakfast at the hostel before walking to the main square and meeting a free walking tour after some wandering. Free Walking Tours are quite popular since the guides are always young, enthusiastic and are often native English speakers. We really enjoyed our tour as we got a good feel of the history of what we were seeing as well as seeing a large quantity of things. It was a good starting off point for the city certainly. After the tour ended around 2 we headed to a recommended wurst stand and stopped by the Hofbrahaus for some Heiffelweis half liters at the foes beer hall before it got too crowded. After that we grabbed a sweet from the beer garden, some English books and headed to the hostel to get off our feet for a little while and get some lau dry done. Tonight the plan is to pick some fixings for a picnic and head to one of the beer gardens for dinner.
All in all, it's good to be back in Germany!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Cinque Terre meets Austria and Germany
So the last time I left you I was about to embark on the epic hiking of Cinque Terre. And let me tell you, it was not a disappointment. The Cinque Terre is a series of five small towns which are linked by hiking trails and trains..all of which are perched precariously upon the ledges of small mountains on top of the water.
Karl and I began from our home base (La Spezia) and took the train to the southern most town, Riomaggiore. The town itself was quite low key, but the trail that linked it to Manarola is the most famous of the hikes: a 20 minute walk on Via della Amore. It is the most picturesque and family friendly of the hikes. It has recently been paved for easier acces and graffitti covering it's canyon walls from lovers looking for eternity. Manarola was an interesting town built upon the former bed of a stream. In Manarola we spent our time wandering, meeting up with the boys we took the train with to La Spezia and going for a swim off the rocks where we met some sort of aquatic bird. The hike from Manarola to Corneglia was unfortunately closed so we had to take the train to the next town. Corneglia is the only town not on the water and provided our starting out point for Verazza, which was the most precariously perched town. The hike took about 90 minutes including picture and water breaks, but it was rewarding in that it offered beautiful views. The last town was Monterosso, but as it was the most touristy we did not spend much time there; we decided to go watch the sunset from Riomaggiore instead. After a Doner Kebab dinner we called it an early night once we returned to La Spezia.
The following day (the 23th) was spent traveling from La Spezia to Venice for the most part. It required a connection which was actually quite convenient as it broke things up during the day. Once we arrived in Venice (or rather just outside of) we went wandering, looking for an internet cafe and a place for dinner. Three locals being asked later we still had not found a (working) internet cafe nor a place for dinner. We did however, stumble upon a communist party rally (/facist as they didn't seem to realize what the difference between the two was) which considering my company was quite entertaining. One shmorgasbord dinner later (baguette, meat, cheese, nutella and two bottles of wine) we made some friends at the hostel and managed to feel full as well.
Venice (24th) was spent wandering around the big sights and all in all enjoying getting lost in the city. We spent some time shopping, then managed to see St. Stephen's Basilica, but we did not spend the money on the castles. While the canals are quite beautiful, Venice was a very expensive city without too too many sights. We did enjoy a nice dinner near the main attractions, met a very kind second-hand book seller and finally found an internet cafe for Karl. That evening we picked up a quick dinner at the train station as I boarded an overnight train to meet Brendan in Vienna and Karl took a train to Milan.
25: Around 8:30am I arrived in Vienna to meet Brendan and we spent our morning seeing some of the big sights. First things first we checked out the main pedestrian drag with large amounts of shopping and then moved on to the Hapsburg's old palace. Nearby are many beautiful (architectually) museums as well Parliament and the Hall of Justice. We managed to be in the area in time to see the famous Lipizzaner Stallions which have been around for over 430 years. I was very happy we were able to make it to the show. While I may not have fully appreciated it, I know Brendan did and it was quite interesting/beautiful. That afternoon we grabbed the best quick lunch I have ever had (sausage place on the square) and then caught a train to Haltaat. Our hostel was very quaint and in a quieter part (not that any part of Halstaat is loud) of town. Our host was also quite entertaining and ran a pizzaria and restaurant in the sam building.
The 26th was spent hanging out in Halstaat, though it was quite muggy/raining most of the day. Halstaat is so small the main sites are seeing the Salt Mine, hiking and wandering around. As we would not have been able to see great views with the weather we decided to pass on the mine (and the funicular ride) and spent most of the day wandering and seeing one or two local spots. We did manage to find an out of the way park where it seems the locals went to sun bathe. We also were able to find some limited internet acess where we could book the rest of the trip's hostels.
Today we woke to a beautiful morning, but unfortunately we were leaving Halstaat. Since it was so gorgeous we decided to take the later bus and enjoy the morning as we could. This involved a luxurious breakfast at the hostel, stopping by a bakery, a quick review of town and in Brendan's case: a refreshing lake water swim. We also managed to stop by the grocery store and pick up a loaf of bread so I could feed the many ducks nearby. All of our days/nights in Halstaat included delicious food and I stuck to local Austrian food for the most part. After two buses and a train we made it to Munich this afternoon and went to Augustian Brauhauss for dinner, which is very much like the Hofbrahaus, but less touristy. There we met a couple who is currently living in South Africa, but are from California. He is a civil engineer, she a speech therapist.
Seem to be running out of my alloted time. More later!
Much Love,
Marisa
Karl and I began from our home base (La Spezia) and took the train to the southern most town, Riomaggiore. The town itself was quite low key, but the trail that linked it to Manarola is the most famous of the hikes: a 20 minute walk on Via della Amore. It is the most picturesque and family friendly of the hikes. It has recently been paved for easier acces and graffitti covering it's canyon walls from lovers looking for eternity. Manarola was an interesting town built upon the former bed of a stream. In Manarola we spent our time wandering, meeting up with the boys we took the train with to La Spezia and going for a swim off the rocks where we met some sort of aquatic bird. The hike from Manarola to Corneglia was unfortunately closed so we had to take the train to the next town. Corneglia is the only town not on the water and provided our starting out point for Verazza, which was the most precariously perched town. The hike took about 90 minutes including picture and water breaks, but it was rewarding in that it offered beautiful views. The last town was Monterosso, but as it was the most touristy we did not spend much time there; we decided to go watch the sunset from Riomaggiore instead. After a Doner Kebab dinner we called it an early night once we returned to La Spezia.
The following day (the 23th) was spent traveling from La Spezia to Venice for the most part. It required a connection which was actually quite convenient as it broke things up during the day. Once we arrived in Venice (or rather just outside of) we went wandering, looking for an internet cafe and a place for dinner. Three locals being asked later we still had not found a (working) internet cafe nor a place for dinner. We did however, stumble upon a communist party rally (/facist as they didn't seem to realize what the difference between the two was) which considering my company was quite entertaining. One shmorgasbord dinner later (baguette, meat, cheese, nutella and two bottles of wine) we made some friends at the hostel and managed to feel full as well.
Venice (24th) was spent wandering around the big sights and all in all enjoying getting lost in the city. We spent some time shopping, then managed to see St. Stephen's Basilica, but we did not spend the money on the castles. While the canals are quite beautiful, Venice was a very expensive city without too too many sights. We did enjoy a nice dinner near the main attractions, met a very kind second-hand book seller and finally found an internet cafe for Karl. That evening we picked up a quick dinner at the train station as I boarded an overnight train to meet Brendan in Vienna and Karl took a train to Milan.
25: Around 8:30am I arrived in Vienna to meet Brendan and we spent our morning seeing some of the big sights. First things first we checked out the main pedestrian drag with large amounts of shopping and then moved on to the Hapsburg's old palace. Nearby are many beautiful (architectually) museums as well Parliament and the Hall of Justice. We managed to be in the area in time to see the famous Lipizzaner Stallions which have been around for over 430 years. I was very happy we were able to make it to the show. While I may not have fully appreciated it, I know Brendan did and it was quite interesting/beautiful. That afternoon we grabbed the best quick lunch I have ever had (sausage place on the square) and then caught a train to Haltaat. Our hostel was very quaint and in a quieter part (not that any part of Halstaat is loud) of town. Our host was also quite entertaining and ran a pizzaria and restaurant in the sam building.
The 26th was spent hanging out in Halstaat, though it was quite muggy/raining most of the day. Halstaat is so small the main sites are seeing the Salt Mine, hiking and wandering around. As we would not have been able to see great views with the weather we decided to pass on the mine (and the funicular ride) and spent most of the day wandering and seeing one or two local spots. We did manage to find an out of the way park where it seems the locals went to sun bathe. We also were able to find some limited internet acess where we could book the rest of the trip's hostels.
Today we woke to a beautiful morning, but unfortunately we were leaving Halstaat. Since it was so gorgeous we decided to take the later bus and enjoy the morning as we could. This involved a luxurious breakfast at the hostel, stopping by a bakery, a quick review of town and in Brendan's case: a refreshing lake water swim. We also managed to stop by the grocery store and pick up a loaf of bread so I could feed the many ducks nearby. All of our days/nights in Halstaat included delicious food and I stuck to local Austrian food for the most part. After two buses and a train we made it to Munich this afternoon and went to Augustian Brauhauss for dinner, which is very much like the Hofbrahaus, but less touristy. There we met a couple who is currently living in South Africa, but are from California. He is a civil engineer, she a speech therapist.
Seem to be running out of my alloted time. More later!
Much Love,
Marisa
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
...(It Was) The Worst of Times Meets the Best of Times
(iPhone update disclaimer, so please forgive the difficulty in writing/spelling being a rough cut)
The Most Horrifying Thing I Have Ever Seen a Tourist Do:
So there have been a few things in my traveling experiences that have been quite terrible to witness. The woman from the south yelling about "y'all speak-o the English-o?" followed by "But how much is that in dollars?!?", the various hostel experiences coming across a whole variety of people...but by far the worst of thing I have ever witnessed was at St. Peter's Basilica.
By definition Vatican City is the center of the Catholic world. Even those who are not Catholic flock to see it and can find refuge/peace in it'sassive scale and innate religious center upon which it operates. St. Peter's therefore is something I believe even the most agnostic person can respect in terms of it's value of religious terms and historical value if nothing else. It is St. Peter's and I don't think I know any Christian who doesn't appreciate its importance.
As such, when they say there is a dress code it is quite ridiculous to see people try to get around it. It is nothing over the top, shoulders covered and knees covered (aka no short shorts and women should at least get a shawl). I find it ridiculous to see people be shocked by such, but such should be expected from tourists I suppose.
But then we saw someone else. Two someone else's to be exact actually. A couple who managed to fit the dress code, yet completely miss the point of their visit. As we were leaving they were entering...and usuing the Holy Water to clean/wash/cool their neck, face and hands.
Brendan, Karl and I were so shocked we didn't even get a chance to react. First of all, the Holy Water basin had been roped off so it wasnt easily accessible to the "average tourist" so they were already crossing lines. Guess they really went there to see some big buildings and religious artwork they will clearly get no deeper value out of.
Monday (20th): Yesterday was spent in Sorrento after having the best pizza in the world the night before. I could describe it myself, but Karl is a bit more articulate and I will allow his words to describe our overall feeling towards Sorrento and the location of the place we went to eat:
"We got there late in the evening, just as the sun disappeared behind clouds on it's way to the horizon. Everything was lit up in hues of azure and red, and you could hear the seagulls circling overhead as they came to roost. The waves crashed below as we stood on the clifftop, salty breeze pushing around you, watching as the sun finally set. And suddenly it was quiet, peaceful and serene."
The scenery was beautiful, the food: by far the best I've had so far. I got a Caprese pizza, fresh mozarella, tomatoe and basil. Oregano and drizzle olive oil. I hope one day to make pizza half as good!
The morning (yesterday) was spent doing a walking tour and exploring the town...with quite a bit of window shopping. Sorrento is a port so we spent a significant amount of time looming at sailing clothes and all sorts of yachting thing entirely out of our budget. Another hit was the family-owned leather shop. The neat thing was the small family crest that was present on all their products for sale. I was quite tempted by a purse, but decided to pass. Though Brendan did buy a belt and Karl seriously considered a wallet.
The afternoon was spent in Pompeii seeing the ruins. Karl and I had been hearing mixed reviews on the town as so we were both slightly apprehensive about spending 11 euro on something that may be very similar to Ostia Antica, the ruins we had seen near Rome. We were not disappointed in the least though, the city was very cool. Though we were unabl to crawl around the ruins to the same degree as we had been at Ostia Antica, we still saw a lot. Many more frescoes, mosaics and of course the famous plaster casts of humans caught in the volcanic fallout from Mt. Vesuvius. A fun thing about the ruins were the stray dogs that were present everywhere. By tradition, due to a mosaic found stating "Cave Canem" or "Beware of Dogs", all strays are welcome and taken care of in Pompeii. They were quite friendly, loved finding a good spot of shade and a belly rub. Karl was in heaven.
That evening we ventured to Naples, which was not our cup of tea. Naples was absolutely disgusting. We assumed people had been exaggerating, but there was trash completely saturating the city. The piles on the streets near dumpsters were easily as high as cars. Overall this did not give us a good impression of the city. This was followed by the recommendation of going to the "Best Pizza Place in the World" (as pizza was born in naples) and so we decided to go investigate. The most famous places was take-out only sp we went to number two. While very fresh, I would not say it nearly came close to Sorrento's pizza. We did not venture to the historic old town of Naples because the entire time we walking around we saw the creepiest people we've encountered on the trip so far. While if I had been alone I would claim I was paranoid, as the other two were just as nervous as I was made us decide to head out ASAP. Brendan left for Prague first thing in the morning while Karl and I got some breakfast and booked a train to Cinque Terre.
We were not able to get out of Naples until noon, but it gave us a chance to catch up on a little reading. We transferred in Rome and ended up sharing our room on the second train with three other Americans from Texas. Two slept the majority of the trip, but we chatted with the third for the majority of the trip. Upon getting to La Spezia (where we are using as a base for the hiking tomorrow) we dropped off our things and found a small restaurant to have dinner at. I got the gnocchi while Karl got the sea bass (which was very good-fresh being so close to the coast!). Afterwards was some ice cream sandwiches at a local mom & pop joint with lemon ice cream, which might sound odd was ver refreshing!
Tomorrow is a hike in Cinque Terre!
The Most Horrifying Thing I Have Ever Seen a Tourist Do:
So there have been a few things in my traveling experiences that have been quite terrible to witness. The woman from the south yelling about "y'all speak-o the English-o?" followed by "But how much is that in dollars?!?", the various hostel experiences coming across a whole variety of people...but by far the worst of thing I have ever witnessed was at St. Peter's Basilica.
By definition Vatican City is the center of the Catholic world. Even those who are not Catholic flock to see it and can find refuge/peace in it'sassive scale and innate religious center upon which it operates. St. Peter's therefore is something I believe even the most agnostic person can respect in terms of it's value of religious terms and historical value if nothing else. It is St. Peter's and I don't think I know any Christian who doesn't appreciate its importance.
As such, when they say there is a dress code it is quite ridiculous to see people try to get around it. It is nothing over the top, shoulders covered and knees covered (aka no short shorts and women should at least get a shawl). I find it ridiculous to see people be shocked by such, but such should be expected from tourists I suppose.
But then we saw someone else. Two someone else's to be exact actually. A couple who managed to fit the dress code, yet completely miss the point of their visit. As we were leaving they were entering...and usuing the Holy Water to clean/wash/cool their neck, face and hands.
Brendan, Karl and I were so shocked we didn't even get a chance to react. First of all, the Holy Water basin had been roped off so it wasnt easily accessible to the "average tourist" so they were already crossing lines. Guess they really went there to see some big buildings and religious artwork they will clearly get no deeper value out of.
Monday (20th): Yesterday was spent in Sorrento after having the best pizza in the world the night before. I could describe it myself, but Karl is a bit more articulate and I will allow his words to describe our overall feeling towards Sorrento and the location of the place we went to eat:
"We got there late in the evening, just as the sun disappeared behind clouds on it's way to the horizon. Everything was lit up in hues of azure and red, and you could hear the seagulls circling overhead as they came to roost. The waves crashed below as we stood on the clifftop, salty breeze pushing around you, watching as the sun finally set. And suddenly it was quiet, peaceful and serene."
The scenery was beautiful, the food: by far the best I've had so far. I got a Caprese pizza, fresh mozarella, tomatoe and basil. Oregano and drizzle olive oil. I hope one day to make pizza half as good!
The morning (yesterday) was spent doing a walking tour and exploring the town...with quite a bit of window shopping. Sorrento is a port so we spent a significant amount of time looming at sailing clothes and all sorts of yachting thing entirely out of our budget. Another hit was the family-owned leather shop. The neat thing was the small family crest that was present on all their products for sale. I was quite tempted by a purse, but decided to pass. Though Brendan did buy a belt and Karl seriously considered a wallet.
The afternoon was spent in Pompeii seeing the ruins. Karl and I had been hearing mixed reviews on the town as so we were both slightly apprehensive about spending 11 euro on something that may be very similar to Ostia Antica, the ruins we had seen near Rome. We were not disappointed in the least though, the city was very cool. Though we were unabl to crawl around the ruins to the same degree as we had been at Ostia Antica, we still saw a lot. Many more frescoes, mosaics and of course the famous plaster casts of humans caught in the volcanic fallout from Mt. Vesuvius. A fun thing about the ruins were the stray dogs that were present everywhere. By tradition, due to a mosaic found stating "Cave Canem" or "Beware of Dogs", all strays are welcome and taken care of in Pompeii. They were quite friendly, loved finding a good spot of shade and a belly rub. Karl was in heaven.
That evening we ventured to Naples, which was not our cup of tea. Naples was absolutely disgusting. We assumed people had been exaggerating, but there was trash completely saturating the city. The piles on the streets near dumpsters were easily as high as cars. Overall this did not give us a good impression of the city. This was followed by the recommendation of going to the "Best Pizza Place in the World" (as pizza was born in naples) and so we decided to go investigate. The most famous places was take-out only sp we went to number two. While very fresh, I would not say it nearly came close to Sorrento's pizza. We did not venture to the historic old town of Naples because the entire time we walking around we saw the creepiest people we've encountered on the trip so far. While if I had been alone I would claim I was paranoid, as the other two were just as nervous as I was made us decide to head out ASAP. Brendan left for Prague first thing in the morning while Karl and I got some breakfast and booked a train to Cinque Terre.
We were not able to get out of Naples until noon, but it gave us a chance to catch up on a little reading. We transferred in Rome and ended up sharing our room on the second train with three other Americans from Texas. Two slept the majority of the trip, but we chatted with the third for the majority of the trip. Upon getting to La Spezia (where we are using as a base for the hiking tomorrow) we dropped off our things and found a small restaurant to have dinner at. I got the gnocchi while Karl got the sea bass (which was very good-fresh being so close to the coast!). Afterwards was some ice cream sandwiches at a local mom & pop joint with lemon ice cream, which might sound odd was ver refreshing!
Tomorrow is a hike in Cinque Terre!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
A Brush with Mono, Best of Rome Tour and Sorrento
Thursday (16th):
Brendan got in a little late, but afterwards we headed to the hostel for everyone to get settled. We had the welcoming (check-in) free drink and then headed to dinner at a restaurant called Giovanni. It was very much a no-nonsense no concessions to tourism place that had some great pasta. We got a bottle of house wine and good times were had all around. Unfortunately we got news that Julie was incredibly sick and would be unable to join us for the weekend because of it. We later found out it was mono, which meant she was sorely missed, but we decided to try to make the best of it that we could.
Friday (17th):
Friday we woke up on the earlier side and headed to do some of the main Ancient Rome sights. First off was Capital Hill, followed by Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and then a stop for a good lunch recommended by our buddy Rick Steves. After lunch we hit up St. Peter in Chains to see the funerary chapel of Pope Julius II (who I studied in my art class) and the chains that were said to have restrained St. Peter. Following our visit was the Colosseum, gelato at Giolittis and a quick visit to the Pantheon. Dinner was at an Irish pub called Flann O´Brians near our hostel and some drinks afterwards were at the hostel.
Saturday (18th):
Yesterday was spent seeing St. Peter¨s Basilica, climbing the dome, seeing the post office and souvenir shop on the roof followed by some lunch. Lunch was held at a simple sandwich shop popular with students on a budget and followed up by gelato at Old Bridge on recommendation by one of Brendans friends. By the time we were finished with gelato we were all quite tired and we headed back to the hostel for some rest and relaxation before dinner. Dinner was a simpler affair at a hole in the wall place nearby that Brendan found on trip advisor. It was listed as 12 of over 2500 listed so we figured it would be a pretty good choice.
Sunday(19th):
This morning we woke up in time to check out and headed to Vatican City to see the Pope for his Sunday audience, but unfortunately it turns out he is hanging out in San Marino for the weekend. It was quite a disappointment the pope decided to ditch us, however it was not an entirely lost cause as it gave us time to see the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain with Brendan. There on was spent relaxing for a little bit and grabbing some lunch before our train to Naples and our subsequent transfer to an hour-long metro to Sorrento. It was a very long metro ride, but it has been absolutely beautiful since we have gotten here. We dropped off our bags, grabbed some drinks on the rooftop bar and then went to one of the best local places for pizza (recommended as pizza was invented here). The restaurant was very nice with a gorgeous view over the cliffs and the best pizza I have ever had. Definitely worth the walk over, in fact Karl and I are considering coming back for another day if we can make it.
If things work out as planned we will stay here tomorrow morning, hit Pompeii in the afternoon and then take the train into Naples to spend the night there. Brendan will fly out the following day and Karl and I will need to figure out our plan!
Long story short things are going very well. I would love to write some more details, but as my internet access is limited I thought I would at least get our recent itinerary up.
Ciao!
Brendan got in a little late, but afterwards we headed to the hostel for everyone to get settled. We had the welcoming (check-in) free drink and then headed to dinner at a restaurant called Giovanni. It was very much a no-nonsense no concessions to tourism place that had some great pasta. We got a bottle of house wine and good times were had all around. Unfortunately we got news that Julie was incredibly sick and would be unable to join us for the weekend because of it. We later found out it was mono, which meant she was sorely missed, but we decided to try to make the best of it that we could.
Friday (17th):
Friday we woke up on the earlier side and headed to do some of the main Ancient Rome sights. First off was Capital Hill, followed by Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and then a stop for a good lunch recommended by our buddy Rick Steves. After lunch we hit up St. Peter in Chains to see the funerary chapel of Pope Julius II (who I studied in my art class) and the chains that were said to have restrained St. Peter. Following our visit was the Colosseum, gelato at Giolittis and a quick visit to the Pantheon. Dinner was at an Irish pub called Flann O´Brians near our hostel and some drinks afterwards were at the hostel.
Saturday (18th):
Yesterday was spent seeing St. Peter¨s Basilica, climbing the dome, seeing the post office and souvenir shop on the roof followed by some lunch. Lunch was held at a simple sandwich shop popular with students on a budget and followed up by gelato at Old Bridge on recommendation by one of Brendans friends. By the time we were finished with gelato we were all quite tired and we headed back to the hostel for some rest and relaxation before dinner. Dinner was a simpler affair at a hole in the wall place nearby that Brendan found on trip advisor. It was listed as 12 of over 2500 listed so we figured it would be a pretty good choice.
Sunday(19th):
This morning we woke up in time to check out and headed to Vatican City to see the Pope for his Sunday audience, but unfortunately it turns out he is hanging out in San Marino for the weekend. It was quite a disappointment the pope decided to ditch us, however it was not an entirely lost cause as it gave us time to see the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain with Brendan. There on was spent relaxing for a little bit and grabbing some lunch before our train to Naples and our subsequent transfer to an hour-long metro to Sorrento. It was a very long metro ride, but it has been absolutely beautiful since we have gotten here. We dropped off our bags, grabbed some drinks on the rooftop bar and then went to one of the best local places for pizza (recommended as pizza was invented here). The restaurant was very nice with a gorgeous view over the cliffs and the best pizza I have ever had. Definitely worth the walk over, in fact Karl and I are considering coming back for another day if we can make it.
If things work out as planned we will stay here tomorrow morning, hit Pompeii in the afternoon and then take the train into Naples to spend the night there. Brendan will fly out the following day and Karl and I will need to figure out our plan!
Long story short things are going very well. I would love to write some more details, but as my internet access is limited I thought I would at least get our recent itinerary up.
Ciao!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Roma Chaos, Bella Chaos
Hello from Roma!
I am currently sitting at my hostel writing on a rented ipad because they dont't have computers and it's free to rent the ipad for some time. Rome is crazy and ridiculous, but I've had fun so far. I got in late Monday night at the airport and then took the train into Rome's central train station termini. It was about midnight by the time I made it to the hostel and the bar was packed and everyone was having a blast, which boded well for the hostel experience here.
After crashing for the night I got up early with the good intentions to go to Assisi for the day. But I was running on just a few hours of sleep so I decided Assisi could wait...a little more sleep later and I was readsy to go. I got to the train station and bought my ticket from the electronic machine and was ready to go....until i realized the only train at the correct time wfas not going to my connection. Some frantic confusion and 40 minutes later I had given up. Since the train I had needed didn't seem to exist and the next one would not get me in until a bit too late I called it a wash. That's the things go in Rome, you can't really make plans.
Tuesday:
I spent the rest of the day just wandering...and how did I marvel. Rome is stressful and chaotic, but if you let go of your plans and just let things work out it can be a lot of fun. I ended up going to Hadrians Mosoleum ( Castel of San Angel..? I dont have my book to write down the exact name), saw the Colosseum, where Mussolini made his speeches (according to a high school teacher giving a tour with his students), Piazza Navona as well as the Trevi Fountain (not neceessarily in that order). I just enjoyed my time, wrote, got some pizza and lewt myself relax and get a feel for Rome. That night I met a guy from 17th and Michigan in Chicago as well as a guy from Austin, Texas. We had some drinks, but I was exhausted from walking the majority of the city and called it a day early.
Wednesday:
Karl got in! I grabbed some breakfast with the guy from Austin and then I headed to meet up with Karl's train. It ended up being about an hour delayed, but we were able to meet up and after dropping his things off we went to dominate Rome. Since we are going to see the main sites with Julie, Michelle and Brendan when they get in, we went and saw some of the smaller sites. Firstr we saw the Cappuchipn Crypts, which are a series of altars that are made exclusively from the bones of more than 4,000 friars. It was quite creepy honestly, I'm not surew I fully appreciated the "beauty" there. Then we walked north to the Piazza de Popolo and hit the Spanish Steps on the way there. After get a few tours from our buddy Rick, we headed over to Piazza Navona and found a place nearby for dinner. We got some gelato from the best place in thee world: Giolitti's. Second time was just as good as the first the day before! Once we weere done with our gelato, eaten on teh steps of Parliament, we headed back to the hostel though we made a short detour so Karl could see come of Ancient Rome on the way. The rest of the nigght was spend drinking, chatting and generally catching up.
Thursday:
Running out of time, but today we did a day trip to Ostia Antica, which were Roman ruins said to be better than Pompeii. More on that later!
I am currently sitting at my hostel writing on a rented ipad because they dont't have computers and it's free to rent the ipad for some time. Rome is crazy and ridiculous, but I've had fun so far. I got in late Monday night at the airport and then took the train into Rome's central train station termini. It was about midnight by the time I made it to the hostel and the bar was packed and everyone was having a blast, which boded well for the hostel experience here.
After crashing for the night I got up early with the good intentions to go to Assisi for the day. But I was running on just a few hours of sleep so I decided Assisi could wait...a little more sleep later and I was readsy to go. I got to the train station and bought my ticket from the electronic machine and was ready to go....until i realized the only train at the correct time wfas not going to my connection. Some frantic confusion and 40 minutes later I had given up. Since the train I had needed didn't seem to exist and the next one would not get me in until a bit too late I called it a wash. That's the things go in Rome, you can't really make plans.
Tuesday:
I spent the rest of the day just wandering...and how did I marvel. Rome is stressful and chaotic, but if you let go of your plans and just let things work out it can be a lot of fun. I ended up going to Hadrians Mosoleum ( Castel of San Angel..? I dont have my book to write down the exact name), saw the Colosseum, where Mussolini made his speeches (according to a high school teacher giving a tour with his students), Piazza Navona as well as the Trevi Fountain (not neceessarily in that order). I just enjoyed my time, wrote, got some pizza and lewt myself relax and get a feel for Rome. That night I met a guy from 17th and Michigan in Chicago as well as a guy from Austin, Texas. We had some drinks, but I was exhausted from walking the majority of the city and called it a day early.
Wednesday:
Karl got in! I grabbed some breakfast with the guy from Austin and then I headed to meet up with Karl's train. It ended up being about an hour delayed, but we were able to meet up and after dropping his things off we went to dominate Rome. Since we are going to see the main sites with Julie, Michelle and Brendan when they get in, we went and saw some of the smaller sites. Firstr we saw the Cappuchipn Crypts, which are a series of altars that are made exclusively from the bones of more than 4,000 friars. It was quite creepy honestly, I'm not surew I fully appreciated the "beauty" there. Then we walked north to the Piazza de Popolo and hit the Spanish Steps on the way there. After get a few tours from our buddy Rick, we headed over to Piazza Navona and found a place nearby for dinner. We got some gelato from the best place in thee world: Giolitti's. Second time was just as good as the first the day before! Once we weere done with our gelato, eaten on teh steps of Parliament, we headed back to the hostel though we made a short detour so Karl could see come of Ancient Rome on the way. The rest of the nigght was spend drinking, chatting and generally catching up.
Thursday:
Running out of time, but today we did a day trip to Ostia Antica, which were Roman ruins said to be better than Pompeii. More on that later!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
2 Random Thoughts about Polish/Poland
- What's with the ice cream? Don't get me wrong, I love ice cream as much as the next person, but I don't think even on the worst day I'd be up for ice cream at 9:30 am on a Sunday...
- Extreme dogs. Either HUGE or TINY, there's no in between. And the small ones are annoying ones that don't shut up ever... large are the ginormous ones and huskeys that take up the entire sidewalk. It is quite entertaining to see in a city.
- Extreme dogs. Either HUGE or TINY, there's no in between. And the small ones are annoying ones that don't shut up ever... large are the ginormous ones and huskeys that take up the entire sidewalk. It is quite entertaining to see in a city.
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