Day 29: Roma (date: 7/2/2011)

Today was kind of a lazy day in Rome. I got up around 8:30 and read until the rest of the house woke up. We just kind of hung around and did nothing for most of the afternoon. Christine got to Rome earlier this morning and we had planned to meet up. I left the boys to do their homework and met her at the Trevi Fountain to get some gelato. Ginger and cinnamon is the most exotic flavor I’ve tried thus far, also very tasty! I got some better pictures of the fountain too because there were less people around today.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around and stopping at various bookstores we came across. Rome has international bookstores that have a wider variety of languages in their books. Christine had to get back to her place so she could get ready for a party with her friend so we parted ways until tomorrow.

When I got back to Tommy’s, we just lazed around some more. At 7PM (our time) we had a skype party with Josh (and the rest of the Kesslers), Mark, Peter, Jess, and Tom. Today is the annual 4^th of July party. It’s my first year not going and I’m sad to be missing it, but skyping with everyone was great. After we hung up with them I skyped with Anne for a bit too, which was also quite wonderful.

I can’t believe I’ve already been here for four weeks and that I’ve only got two left! I’ve been having a fantastic time, but I am starting to get ready to be back home. I can’t wait to see everyone!

Today was lazy but the down time is great. I was beginning to think that I was going to need a vacation from my vacation. It’s exhausting traveling around all the time. The rest is wonderful and the extra days in Rome allow me to take my time seeing the sites. I can slow down a bit and see everything at my own pace instead of cramming it into one day. Tomorrow, we’re going to Vatican City to see St. Peter’s!

Day 28: Roma (date: 7/1/2011)

So I forgot to mention yesterday two very important/random things that I saw. The first, was the random dude in the Pisa train station that was getting a haircut and the second was a version of “My Girl” that I heard in a restaurant. Both events were incredibly random, but worth noting.

On to today! Today I spent four hours on a train to Roma! The train was one of the nicest I’ve been on so far and was gloriously air conditioned. The ride went by pretty quick and before I knew it I was getting on the metro. I took the metro to the Coliseum stop so I could meet up with Tommy G! Coming out of the metro, the Coliseum is right in front of you. It’s kind of ridiculous how many ruins there are as you’re walking through Rome. 

I headed over to the Arch of Constantine which we had set as our meeting point. I was a little early so I took some pictures while I waited. I was so excited when I saw Tommy walking over. It’s been great being with a friend and reminiscing about RPI. We walked back to his apartment so I could drop off my stuff and then get some lunch. Rome is another maze-like city so it took us a while to get back. Tommy hasn’t quite figured out the lay of the land yet.

We found a little pizza place to grab some lunch and then headed out for some sightseeing. Tommy lives in Trastevere which is past the river and a little further south of the main sights. Our first stop was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It’s a massive monument! It also caused a lot of controversy when it was built because it was built on top of some ruins. 

We climbed as high as we were allowed to and the view of the surrounding area was really pretty. 

We wandered up to the Capuchin Crypt, but I couldn’t go in because I was wearing shorts. For some reason it is disrespectful to view bones that have been arranged into different patterns with your knees showing. Oh well, I’ve got a lot of time in Rome so I’ll go back later dressed appropriately.

Then we hit up the Trevi Fountain and threw our pennies in, guaranteeing that we will come back to Rome again. It really is an impressive fountain. 

From the Trevi Fountain we went to the Pantheon. I got to go inside this time! The last time I was in Rome, the Pantheon was closed and I was horribly disappointed. The inside is very nice and they hold mass there as well. 

Our last stop for the day, on our way home, was Piazza Navona: three awesome fountains and tons of people. 

As we continued on home, we found another fountain that reminded me a bath tub. I’ve decided that I have to take a picture of as many fountains as I can while I’m here, so here’s Tommy with the bath tub fountain!

Tommy has two roommates and one of them turned 24 today so we had to celebrate! I bought a bottle of wine for 1.35 euros and it wasn’t bad either. In general, items in grocery stores are more cheaply priced than at home. We also saw a jug of wine that comes in the apple juice containers. Note the price (3.99). 

After the grocery store, we hung out around the apartment and then went out to a piazza where we saw a capoeira demonstration and random break dancing people. Italy really comes alive at night. I haven’t done much “going out” at night, so this was a lot of fun. After the fun in the piazza died down we headed back home to get some sleep.

My first day in Rome was lots of fun and I look forward to the next few. Since I have so much time I’m going to be relaxing and only taking in a few sites each day, while hanging out with Tommy and his friends. Christine is also coming down for the weekend to see one of her other friends so I’ll be seeing her tomorrow and Sunday as well. No set plans for tomorrow, but I’m sure they will involve something fun.

Day 27: Pisa and Lucca

I got a little bit more sleep today because the coughing girl is gone. It still is too hot to sleep well though. It’s crazy how warm it gets in the bedroom. The hallway is easily ten degrees cooler than the bedroom. Despite the heat, I got enough sleep for the day!

I went into the Duomo this morning. It was actually a little bit disappointing. I’m not used to walking into a church and not seeing a painted ceiling. It’s huge inside, but other than that kind of plain. There is a really nice fresco over the altar though.

After the Duomo, I hopped a train to Pisa. The Leaning Tower is so cool. I’ve seen it before, but it’s still awesome. Also, amazing that it’s still standing. It really looks like it will just fall over on you. 

The Leaning Tower is in a large plaza called the Plaza of Miracles. The duomo and the baptistery are also right next to it, with a lovely grass area where you can sit and have lunch or just relax. Every respectable church has a baptistery next to it. They’re just as impressive as the churches themselves. 

I sat on the steps of the duomo and ate my lunch while watching the countless numbers of children run around. Apparently Pisa is the place to bring the kids. Most of them had a blast just running around the grass and giggling. I was thoroughly entertained.

I wandered around Pisa for a little longer and then caught a train to Lucca. Lucca is a really cool little city surrounded by a wall. 

The church of San Martino has one of the coolest outsides I’ve seen so far. 

There’s also the “remains” of a Roman Amphitheatre. By remains I mean there are buildings in a circular formation around what at one point in time was an amphitheatre. It was still cool. By this time, I was pretty tired so I got on the train back to Florence. An hour later I was walking back to the hostel. I made myself some pasta for dinner and watched Monster’s Inc. It’s nice to have a little touch of home every now and again. I spent a good portion of last night looking through old pictures from high school. It was actually a good cure for home sickness.

Tomorrow, I’m off to Rome to meet up with Tommy G! Later in the week Trent is supposed to be coming to visit too! Hopefully, it all works out.

Day 26: Firenze

I’m thoroughly enjoying my time in Italy, but I am quite excited at the prospect of sleeping in my bed in my nice quiet air conditioned bed when I get back. I didn’t get much sleep last night due to the horribly uncomfortable pillow, the heat, and the girl who coughed all night long. I kind of felt bad for her because she seemed pretty sick, but I’m also going to be really mad if I get sick.

Other than the crazy night, this hostel is particularly nice because it’s right in the city. Today was the first day I didn’t have to get on a train or a bus and travel to where I was trying to get to. It was pretty nice being able to get up and go straight into the city. I found myself with an abundance of extra time.

I started the day by heading towards the duomo. On my way there, I passed the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) which is lined with little jewelry shops. 

I walked for a bit and then I was at the Duomo. It’s EPIC. I couldn’t fit all of it into one picture.

The dome is so high and can be seen from all over. The tower can also be seen. It’s a good way to keep your bearings if you’re lost. It’s really awesome. After that I wandered to the Uffizi and Piazza Vecchia. There’s a replica of the David and a bunch of other statues and fountains and such. 

By this time I was getting hungry, so I headed back to the hostel to make myself some lunch. After lunch I went back to wandering around. There’s so much to see here. There are statues around every corner and random things that you’d never expect to see. For instance, I saw people dismantling a carousel today. It was actually pretty cool to watch. There were also some living statues near the Uffizi that were neat. 

With all of my extra time, I found a nice park and sat and read for a few hours. That’s one of my favorite things to do here. There are so many nice places to just sit and relax. I’ve gotten a lot of reading done on this trip. I love having time and not feeling guilty for not doing a homework assignment. Although, I do have homework that I should be working on…but it’s not due for another two months and I’m on vacation!

I headed back to the hostel to cool off and catch up on blog posts. All caught up now, yay! I had a deliciously un-nutritious dinner of salami, cheese, and bruschetta. There’s even some left over for lunch tomorrow! Tomorrow’s itinerary includes Pisa, Lucca, and if there’s time, Fiesole.

Day 25: Traveling (date: 6/28/2011)

My sunglasses have been successfully retrieved!!! Hooray! I spent most of today on various different trains. Christine has to be in Milan by 8:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays so we got up bright and early to so we could catch the 5:40 train into Brescia. Well it was just our luck that the 5:40 train had some sort of problem with it so we ended up taking the 6:40 bus and Christine ended up missing most of her class. It all worked out in the end though.

I had to take one of the faster, more expensive trains in order to end up in Florence at a decent hour. For whatever reason, my ticket didn’t have a seat assignment so when I got the train I just found an empty car and sat down. About 45 minutes into the trip one of the ticket checkers came in stamped my ticket, rambled something off in lightning fast Italian and then walked out. About 30 seconds later she came back in and yelled at me. I told her I didn’t speak English and she said I had to get out of that car because the train was full and I didn’t have a seat so I had to move. I was thoroughly confused as the train was clearly not full because I was surrounded by 5 empty seats, but it seems she cleared a whole bunch of people out and then locked the doors behind her. I wandered down the train until I found a car with people in it and an empty seat and sat down. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to do that, but she didn’t come back and yell at me so I figured I was in the clear.

Despite the train madness, I got to Genova around 11:30 and headed to the restaurant to get my sunglasses back. The guy was very nice and I thanked him profusely for holding on to them for me. I then went to the station to hop the train to La Spezia and then on to Florence. Hours and hours on the train. I slept for most of it given I only got about 3 hours of sleep the night before.

I got to Florence and, as is my wont, got lost trying to find the hostel. I literally walked right past it in my attempt to find it. I ended up calling Christine because everyone I asked seemed to have no idea where it was. I checked in and settled down for the night, trying to keep cool. The hostel is very warm and there’s no AC so it’s kind of like being back in Troy in August. Tomorrow, I will explore Florence (or Firenze as it’s called in Italian) more thoroughly.

Day 24: Laggo d’Idro (date of visit: 6/27/2011)

Today we slept in. It was glorious. It’s funny that sleeping in for me is now 8:30. I’ve gotten so used to getting up between 6 and 7 that actually staying asleep until 8 or 9 is proving difficult. Despite being so awake it’s still a challenge to actually get myself out of bed. Anyway, we took the bus into Brescia and had some time so we grabbed breakfast at a Sicilian bakery. I had oh-so nutritious cannolis. Super delicious cannolis I might add. Christine had a rather large donut that looked quite tasty.

We got on the bus towards Idro and this time correctly made the change! We were successful in our quest! Idro is gorgeous and not really on any tourist’s map so it was quiet and peaceful. 

We walked around the lake a bit and then went in search for somewhere to eat lunch. The place we ended up had a country radio station playing, which was incredibly strange. I honestly thought I was back in Texas for a minute. It was a little unsettling eating my sandwich to Tim McGraw in Italy. We left the land of country music and headed around to a different side of the lake.

We plopped ourselves down on a lovely bench and enjoyed the view of the lake and the beautiful day. Eventually, Christine asked when the bus came and of course it drove around the corner right as she said it. We ran to the stop, but we were too far away. It was also the last bus at that stop for the day. We have really good luck like that.

We went back into what I guess you would call the center of town, and found another stop to get back. After an hour wait, we were on our way back to Brescia and then to Manerbio. For my farewell dinner, Christine took me back to Regina Major, currently my favorite pizza place and we had delicious pizzas for dinner. 

On our walk back, I was delighted to find an Italian “pick-up truck”. I’ve been trying to take a picture of one since I first saw one but usually they’re driving down the road so I don’t have time. But I finally saw one parked! They’re the most adorable little trucks I’ve ever seen. And only three wheels! 

We continued on home and relaxed for the rest of the night. Tomorrow, I have to get up at 4:45AM so I can stop in Genova to get my sunglasses and then head to Florence. I’m going to miss my time with Christine. It was great fun exploring with her. I’ll see her again this weekend in Rome and then when I get back to Texas, so it’s not goodbye forever. I’ll be in Florence the next three days and then I’ll head down to Rome!

Day 23: Cinque Terre (date of visit: 6/26/2011)

Today was completely amazing; although we had a bit of a rocky start. We woke up around 5:30 so we’d be able to make the 6:20 bus to the train station. When we got up we discovered that neither of us had gotten much sleep. The window was open because it was hot and it was noisy outside, but if we’d closed the window the room would have been stuffy. Also, one of the other girls’ noses was whistling and another was snoring. Needless to say, it did not make for a good night’s rest.

I managed to get a little snooze in on the train before our hike. It’s an eight mile hike from start to finish, but one of the four trails was closed for some reason so I think we only ended up doing six miles. It was, by far, the most beautiful hike I’ve ever been on. It was also pretty difficult, but that kind of made it more fun and exciting. This picture is from the very beginning before things got rough. The ocean is in view for almost the entire hike and it’s absolutely stunning. 

There are also vineyards all up and down the mountain. We probably passed about 50 different ones with the grapes looking quite delicious. 

This next one is the view of Monterosso from a point beyond it. We started at Monterosso heading towards Vernazzo. At this point I think we were getting pretty close to Vernazzo. 

The first trail is 3km (about a mile and a half) and is supposed to take about two hours. It’s also all uphill. The trail has stairs all over it, but the stairs actually seemed more daunting than just a steep hill, mostly because the stairs were very steep and much taller than I would have liked. I didn’t think to get a picture of the staircases but some of them just seemed to go on for forever. Obviously they didn’t, but at times we were thinking we might fall over. It was quite a relief when we’d hit a brief patch of semi-flat land.

In this picture you can see Vernazzo peaking out around the mountain. We’re getting close!

After many more stairs, a couple of trips (but no falls!), and couple of brief rests Vernazzo was just around the bend. 

While we were hiking the trail, I was surprised that we passed mostly Americans. There were some English and Australian people as well, but very few Italians. I almost felt like I was hiking a trail in America. It only took us an hour and a half to get to Vernazzo! It didn’t seem like we were moving that fast, but we decided to take the rest of the trail a bit slower. We stopped in the town briefly and had some focaccia bread. I LOVE focaccia bread. I’ve had a lot of it on this trip and this was so much better than any I’d had so far. Mmmm mmmm. The brief rest and the carbs were just what I needed to continue on!

With Vernazzo behind us, we headed to Corniglia. This portion is 4km but was only supposed to take an hour and half. We had been hiking for a while and then we came around a bend to see both Corniglia and Manarola.

With our slower pace, this one did take us and hour and a half. It was pretty hilly as well, with kind of a tease in the middle because it gets flat for a long while before you start going up again. The trail was also covered in lizards that would dart in front of you so you had to make sure to avoid those guys too. Every now and then we’d just stop to rest and take in the amazing view in front of us. The whole hike has a bit of a surreal feel for me now because it was just so incredible. I also ran into my roommates from the hostel in Venice. It was random, but nice to see them again for a brief moment.

We made it to Corniglia and stopped to get some cold water. Christine also got this strawberry juice thing that was really good. It tasted like liquid strawberries. There was also a lovely church that we stopped in to see. It wasn’t long before we were back on our journey! But this time to the train station, because this branch of the hike was closed. I was kind of disappointed that we didn’t get to hike that part. Although we got to do part of it because you walk right past the train station on your way to the actual trail. There’s a very windy staircase that has about 10,000 steps that we were most fortunately walking down to the station. We passed quite a few people going up who were grumbling a bit.

The train to the next town took all of 30 seconds and then we were on the last part of the walk to Riomaggiore. The last walk is paved and flat and the perfect end to the afternoon. The view is lovely and we just enjoyed the view. It took about 20 minutes to walk to the last town and then back to the train station.

From the train station it took us the rest of the afternoon to get back to Manerbio. We left Cinque Terre a little after 1PM and got back to Manerbio sometime just before dark. I think it was around 8ish. As we were walking back from the train station, covered in dirt from our hike, we passed some sort of procession where a priest of some sort was being carried through the town and everyone in the line was singing. Of course, we were walking the wrong direction and looked extremely out of place, but we passed by as quick as we could to get back to the apartment.

We ate a small dinner and decided to call it an early night. Tomorrow, we’re going to attempt to get to Lake Idro again!