Old friends and new plans in Rome

November 28, 2013 • Leave a Comment

On the trip between Riomaggiore and Rome I splurged (2 whole Euros) to sit in first class on the train. It wasn't really much different but I didn't have to worry about putting my stuff up in the rack. It was about a three hour train ride, and I arrived just before dark. Once in Rome, I had to take the metro to my bed and breakfast. The first subway train that passed was packed like sardines, so I skipped it and waited for the next one, which was less packed but still busy. Once at the correct stop and in the plaza, I could not find the "Non Solo Pizza" sign, which was next to my B+B, so walked around the whole circle and down a couple streets, and then asked a couple people for help. Luckily one girl at a game shop knew where Non Solo Pizza was, and it was literally where I had first entered the plaza from the metro. Whoops! I have a bad tendency of not surveying my surroundings enough before taking off in a (usually wrong) direction after getting off public transit. Fortunately I never get far before either asking for directions or turning around to go back to where I started.

Once I did find the B+B, it was really cute and the girl had even taken the time to put together a 3-day itinerary for me. I thought it would come in handy, since my personal tour guide would only be around for 24 hours. I was meeting up with Luca, a friend from high school who had been a foreign exchange student my junior year. He buzzed at the apartment before I was able to get my internet working, so my parents were worried about me over the next 24 hours while I was having the best time yet in Italy.

Luca and I at prom...clearly we did not bother
to coordinate our colors, I wasn't really into
that in high school. I think Luca has a photo
like this with every girl that went to prom.

At the Buffalo Marina enjoying the sunset...almost the last time
we saw each other for eleven years!

We headed out for the evening in the direction of the city center, Luca wanted me to see the sights at night. The first hour and a half or so we spent walking in circles, because Luca was pretending that he knew where to go, although we saw the same church three times (Luca will claim twice). It was a nice church at least! It was also good company with which to go around in circles. Luca and I hadn't seen each other in 11 years so we had lots to talk about!

Once we finally got headed in the right direction, I saw my first big Roman monument, the Colosseum. As soon as it came into view, I could hardly keep my eyes off it, and became really excited. I had plans to go inside the Colosseum (well, no tickets purchased yet, but it was what I wanted to do). Having seen the Arena in Verona, I sort of knew what to expect, but the Colosseum is much larger, and it has more texture to it. There are pock marks where smooth walls used to be attached--these were removed to be used for other purposes. Some day I will go back to Rome and actually go in, it wasn't in the cards for this trip.

The Colosseum at night.

The city is full of old Roman sites. I think modern-day Romans might be a bit
annoyed by what their ancestors left, because it blocks development. Luca said
that every time someone starts to dig they find something new that needs to be
studied. The city only has two metro lines; a third one that was under construction
is delayed indefinitely because of archeological discoveries.

I don't remember at exactly what time we finally stopped to have dinner. I had hoped to stop for a quick snack at the beginning of our walk, but I didn't push the issue and we didn't walk by many places with food anyhow. Luca had been to the place we went to before, and thought it was well-priced and that the food was high quality. I decided it would be best to let Luca order dinner, since I wanted to eat some typical Italian food. It was really fun listening to him talk in Italian with the waiter, but I had no idea what he ended up ordering. The first thing that came out was bruschetta--simple bread with olive oil and tomatoes, but I could not believe how delicious it tasted. I wanted a whole meal of it. Then came seafood risotto, again delicious, and octopus with spicy tomatoes (I didn't eat enough of it!). We finished the meal with limoncello and tiramisu. I should've had more of everything, but just another reason to go back!

The baby octopus that I ate, it was almost like eating calf's testicles because I
had to pretend I didn't know what I was eating. It was a whole (yet tiny) octopus in
my mouth!

After dinner we continued roaming the city, seeing many of the big sites, including the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. It was great at night because there were so few tourists out! Luca had a mental list of places he wanted to show me, I just wish I had taken more photos. We saw so many beautiful and deserted piazzas , including the Piazza Navona, which has three fountains. I really like fountains, it's something Vienna needs more of.

At the Spanish Steps a flower pedlar tried to get Luca to buy me flowers, and even though we insisted we didn't want any, he decided to give me some anyways. At that Luca was impressed by the guy's charm and handed him a few Euros. Another flower pedlar observed this and proceeded to give me another few flowers and then essentially demanded money; we were not impressed. In the end we walked away with a bunch of roses for a few Euros and a smooch, so I guess it wasn't a bad deal.

The Trevi Fountain at night was really beautiful, and there weren't too many people around it.

I was there! Luca took this photo on his phone...this was the time
of night when there were still people around. Later it was us, a
couple other tourists, and the cops.

The Roman Pantheon, originally built for all the Roman Gods, now a Christian church, built around 126 AD. I might have been more impressed with this building than the Colosseum, but I'd have to go back to see both again to be sure.

After wandering Rome into the wee hours of the night, Luca walked with me back to my apartment where we said goodnight. It was about 3am and I was exhausted. The next day we decided we were having too much fun together to go our separate ways, so I bought a ticket to Olbia, Sardegna and headed to Luca's island for the rest of my time in Italy. It was one moment that I was very glad to be traveling alone. Being able to make a last-minute decision like that with a travel partner would not have been easy. We spent most of the day figuring out tickets and then running around the city and then to the airport. Luca's Mom picked us up from the airport in Olbia. Thankfully, Luca's parents both speak English, but there was still a lot of Italian spoken while I was there. It was fun listening to their conversations and being able to pick up bits and pieces.

The next day in Olbia (Thursday) Luca had a video assignment that I got to go on. The day was warm and sunny, which was perfect because we'd be on a boat and a small island. First we had a traditional Italian breakfast, which consists of a coffee and a pastry at the local bar. We went to one where Luca's good friend works, and they had a funny conversation about the cappuccino Luca ordered for me. It came in a glass instead of the normal smallish coffee mug, because he ordered a "grande". I was very amused, but felt bad that I could only finish half of it--I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but do enjoy it occasionally. We then headed to pick up Luca's partner on the project and started the hour drive to the boat dock. The drive was through beautiful hilly areas, with twists and turns that I would've loved driving. Next time! We found the spot and loaded the gear in the boat and headed for the island.

We spent a while on the boat, where Luca and his partner shot photos and video
of the island. They had to wait for the sun and clouds to cooperate, because
there was a clear division between the blue water to our left and the grey water
that happened to be in front of the island.

The weather was great!

Even though the island was small, there were lots of nooks
for me to explore while the others were working.

While the men were working, I explored the island, and the boat driver found some fresh seafood for me to try. I didn't try it and wish I had, but didn't want to risk getting sick for my last days in Olbia. Apparently the boat driver was a member of the national competitive fishing team (I can't remember the exact name for it, but it was impressive). After we finished on the island we headed back to the house and I had a quick nap. We had pizza for dinner with Luca's parents and then Luca's friend (Giovanni) and friend's wife picked us up to go have a drink. Giovanni is from Italy and his wife is from Hungary, and they don't speak each other's language fluently yet, but somehow they're in love and married. I was a little embarrassed at one point because Giovanni told Luca to let me know the proper way to cheers. In Italy (and perhaps elsewhere) when your cheers before having a drink you're supposed to look at the person whose glass you're clinking. In America, you just throw your glasses into the middle and hope none of them break in the process.

The next day Luca let me sleep in while he did some business around town. When we finally did get going it was about 11am, and it was sunny but windy. Luca wanted to show me the sights around his part of the island. Luca took me to see the old tombs on the island, the "Tomb of Giants", which were from as far back as 1800 BC! We also saw the "Sa Testa Sacred Well", dating from about 1200 BC, it was full of water because it had just been raining recently. I was impressed by the history of this place and wanted to know more. In North America, we don't have many archeological sites that are so old, but they're everywhere on this island. We also saw some beautiful beaches where Luca used to go as a child, and ate a picnic lunch at another popular beach.

Tomb of Giants. Because it's off-season, we could walk all over around these.

View from the castle we went to.

Some pretty flowers, I really liked the colors.

It was warm enough to stick my feet in the sand and water.

Some "strawberry tree" berries that weren't quite ripe enough to eat.

Luca had planned for us to go to a traditional Italian dinner, but the place he wanted to go to was closed for the season. We decided to stay in and his Mom cooked us a meal (or it may have been leftovers, either way it was delicious). We had pasta in a shape I'd never seen before (each region of Italy has it's own pasta), and homemade pasta sauce. Then we had a beef tenderloin wrapped around carrots and artichoke, and finished with a salad. They were all shocked at the amount of vinegar I put on my salad since they thought it was bad vinegar, tasted fine to me! We finished the meal with a traditional Sardinian dessert, "seadas", which is a cheese-filled fritter that is fried and then topped with local honey. I was very pleasantly surprised at how delicious this was, Americans don't tend to eat too much cheese for dessert (although we do have cheesecake, which I love). I hoped I was acting as grateful as I felt, because his Mom really went to some trouble cooking us a meal at the last minute change of plans.

During the meal we also had some beverages, including wine made by a neighbor, and homemade Mirto. Luca's Dad was telling me how they make the mirto, and then they mentioned how they had a jar of the preparation in the cupboard that they started in 2003. The preparation is basically vodka and the mirto berries, and they are sealed in a jar so the berries infuse into the vodka. Luca's Mom pulled down the jar from the top shelf, and his Dad decided to open it to check how it was doing (after ten years). He exclaimed that it was good, and stated that since he'd opened it, they'd have to finish the liqueur. It's a lengthy process of adding some syrup and then taste-testing, so by the time you get close to a good product the world must be spinning. Then his Mom started chuckling and pulled down another preparation that she found hiding in the cupboard, this one even older. I think they'll have no shortage of mirto any time soon.

I'm actually really glad that we decided to stay in for dinner, this was my last night Olbia. Listening to the Italian being spoken and seeing Luca interact with his parents was fun for me. It was probably the best cultural experience I had the whole time in Italy. The next day I was to get up before dawn to catch my flight back to Rome, where I would then head back to Vienna. It was sad leaving Italy and Luca, but we made a promise that it would not be another ten years before seeing each other!

A break from cities: Cinque Terre

November 23, 2013 • Leave a Comment

I'm lucky that I know myself at least well enough to plan time away from cities on my trip to Italy. It would be so easy to go between one beautiful city and the next the whole time, but there is so much to see in the countryside in Italy, and I tire of cities quickly. For my first-timers trip I decided on the classic Cinque Terre, although if I understand correctly this place became popular only after Rick Steves raved about it in one of his travel guides. Sort of like what John Denver did for Aspen, CO. Because I was there outside of peak season, there weren't so many tourists and I had much of the place to myself.

My host Martha met me at the train station in Riomaggiore (I chose this town partly because it contains my name!). I didn't have an opportunity to notice how spectacular the view from the station is when I first arrived because we headed straight for the tunnel to get to town. But I saw it the next day, the blue water sparkles in the sun and invites you in...too bad November is rough surf season!

My first night I walked up to the lookout area of Riomaggiore where I watched the sunset. It was me and two local women, and the birds in the tree above my head kept dropping seeds on me. After the sun set, I walked down through the steep winding alleys of the town, amazed that people actually live in this place. The moon was out and the waves were crashing, which made for an enjoyable walk. I wanted to have dinner in the restaurant (the only one open in town), but it didn't open until 7:30pm (off season). Instead I ordered a gin and tonic at the bar and filled up on the snacks that they give you...the made for a relaxed if not healthy dinner!

View of Riomaggiore from the breakwater.

Riomaggiore at night.

Mediterranean plants are obviously common here, and make a nice foreground in photos.

View north from Riomaggiore.

My second day in town I took the local train to the northernmost village of Monterosso to start the hike on the foot trails that run between villages. Unfortunately the two trails between Riomaggiore-Manarola and Manarola-Corniglia were closed because of landslides that happened a couple years ago. Being perched on the sides of mountains I'm surprised (and glad) landslides don't happen more often. I did see the effects of one during the day's hike (see photo below).

When I hopped off the train and got directions to the trailhead, I ran into two American women who said "Do you speak English?" I replied with "I speak only English." They were looking to find the trail as well, and we ended up spending the rest of the day together. Both of them were traveling solo through Italy, in their 50s, and recently divorced. We had interesting conversations about life and what's important. Their advice for me, and they emphasized it multiple times, was to understand that it's never too late to change your mind and switch directions. They wished they had realized that in their 20s when they were first married and starting families. I appreciated having hiking buddies and also picking their brains about life and traveling was fun. They thought I was ahead of the curve, given that I was already traveling alone and doing what I wanted to do. It can be liberating not having to cater to anyone else's needs!

Riomaggiore at sunset

These blue waters must be amazing in the summer months.

Our destination, although it took us more than an hour...too pretty to rush!

The view south from the trail.

Another benefit of having buddies!

Vernazza, where we stopped for a delicious late lunch and watched the sunset.

This house was ripped in two by a landslide. I don't know
how long ago it happened, but the trail had been repaired
for visitors. Perhaps the owners left it this way as a reminder
to visitors?

We were with a lot of other hikers and locals that were enjoying the spectacular sunset.

Vernazza from the breakwater.

It started to get chilly once the sun set, so we headed to Chris and Steph's room in Manarola to wait a while until restaurants were opened for dinner. Nothing interesting was open, so we headed to Riomaggiore to the restaurant I wanted to go to the night before. It was a fun meal, we shared a bottle of wine and ate local cuisine. I had locally made pasta with shrimp and a cream sauce, plus a panna cotta for dessert. I exchanged e-mails with my hiking buddies and then headed to my room ready to pass out from our wonderful and tiring day of hiking.

The next day I considered hiking another part of the trail, but instead roamed around Riomaggiore and spent some time relaxing by the water. It was warm and sunny, so I picked a spot where I could relax without being disturbed by other tourists. This was easy to do since there weren't many of them around, but I did manage to scare the heck out of one lady who didn't realize I was tucked away in the rocks reading my book. Unfortunately time ran out and I had to make my way to the next (and what I thought was final) destination: Rome.

I was sad to have to leave this place!

Florence, Italy's Renaissance City and Pisa

November 22, 2013 • Leave a Comment

Florence is a really beautiful city and I did not give myself enough time there. I arrived towards evening, and found my hostel with only a little trouble. Unfortunately I had failed to send them my arrival time, so waited in the stairwell (someone came out as I hit the button to get in) for a while, before deciding to go find help. I went across the street to a restaurant where the manager let me use the internet to find the phone number, and called the hostel owner for me. Apparently they know each other (or perhaps people request his phone on a regular basis?), but after that I was good to go. I was also exhausted, so am sad to say I didn't leave the hostel that night.

The next morning it was pouring rain outside, so I decided to relax inside for a bit, waiting for the weather to clear. Fortunately it did and I had a gloriously sunny and warm day in Florence. I first walked through the leather market that I had heard about (by accident), and got to test the real leather with a lighter (real leather won't burn). It was fun to see people testing out the different products. Then I used my Rick Steve's app to give me a tour of the Duomo and surrounding neighborhood. I probably looked goofy, but I sure enjoyed my walk around knowing what I was looking at!

Leather market patrons

The Duomo in its PJs (apparently people don't like the style of this cathedral),
but it's become iconic of Florence. The dome in the background was not a part of
the original building, the builders did not know how to finish it and assumed
the technology would be developed eventually!

These doors are a really important part of the beginning of the Renaissance, and I was lucky to
see them without bars (and didn't even realize it). I heard a tour guide say "you're lucky to see
them like this" to her group, and then five minutes later the gates had gone up!

Here's the Duomo with "Giotto's Bell Tower" that you can climb up (for a fee). I enjoyed it from the ground.

This old church was one of my favorite spots in Florence.
It used to be a grain warehouse before becoming a church,
and you can still see the chutes in the large pillars where
grain was sent down from the upper levels.

Art in situ, how it is meant to be seen. In the Church of
Orsanmichele. The church was built as a grain market in
1337.

The replica of Michelangelo's David in front of the Palazzo della Signoria.

Real people live in these ancient cities, and even hang their clothes out to dry
(dryers were not common anywhere I went it seemed...)

Not sure what this tower was, but I liked it! On my walk
to the panoramic viewpoint of Florence.

Me with Florence behind me....too bad I'm not even in focus!

Still at the viewpoint, with a view of a medieval wall running up the hillside.

Tree.

Nice view of buildings across the river in Florence.

Old man waiting for the bus. He got up and moved after
I took this picture, not sure if he knew I took it or not.


This was my dinner in Florence, which was shared with a mother-daughter pair from Syracuse, NY. We enjoyed four full glasses of wine in an hour, and these meats and cheeses were so delicious I didn't need any more food.

The next morning I woke up fairly early so that I could get in line at the museum where Michelangelo's David is housed. I kept reading that it was not to be missed. So I forked over my 11 Euros (even though I thought it was only going to be 6) and headed inside with Rick Steves to guide me. The statue is quite impressive, bigger than life, and I did spend about half an hour with it. But I probably could have saved my money and stared longer at the replica that exists in the place where it was intended to be. Live and learn I suppose.

I was running out of time and had to get back for my train to Pisa. Like I said, I did not give myself enough time in Florence. Just another reason to go back! I knew that Pisa wouldn't require much time, and I'm glad I only gave it a couple hours because it was horribly windy and rainy when I got there. I snapped some photos, stood in awe of how much the tower actually leans, laughed at people doing the "I'm holding it up!" photos, and headed back for the train station and on to Cinque Terre, a highlight of my trip to Italy.

My very first view of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I was
pretty impressed and happy I made the trip.

The tower does not stand alone, but is part of a large religious complex, like
so many other impressive structures in Europe.

Again, what's with the blurry photos!

We all crowded under what little cover there was because the wind made
our umbrellas irrelevant in the rain.

Holding it up? Just move a little left!

This guy was kicking it over, a difficult picture to compose when
you are not well versed in yoga! (And this man was not...)
This photo also shows how much the tower actually leans!

The rain wouldn't stop this one!

Hunchback of Torre Pisa...

Venice, Italy

November 22, 2013 • Leave a Comment

After a couple days in Verona, I took the short train ride to Venice (Venezia in Italy). I arrived before sunset, so got to see the water that we crossed over to reach the island, and saw mergansers ducking under the water in pursuit of fish. I was excited to see this famed city. Once out of the train station, I only had a quick walk to the hostel I was staying in (L'Imbarcadero), so headed straight there to ditch my heavy backpack. I was in awe of the lack of vehicles first, and second by the number of people that were here even in November. On the ride to Verona I talked with a couple ladies from Germany headed to Venice, they said this was the best time because there are far fewer tourists in November and the weather is still pleasant enough. I am sure glad I didn't go during peak season...the small alleys that pass for sidewalks can sometimes not fit two people side by side.

After I dropped my stuff off, I headed out to explore the city. I had purchased a map, but it did me little good. The alleys are twisty and you often run into a dead end (if you're willing to swim it wouldn't be so dead). But it was really fun. I stopped for dinner in a piazza and watched tourists walking by checking out the menu. I was happy that there were lots of dogs also, even though I wondered how much fun dogs have in a city like this one. As I tried to make my way back to the hostel, I got completely lost, which was fine. I asked a nice man at a food cart to point out where I was on the map, and then he told me how to get home. I made it in one piece! Once I got back, the people in the hostel were making their dinners and I sat and chatted with them for a few hours. It was a great start to my time in Venice!

Everything important is done by boat in Venice. These packages weren't even
tied down or protected from rainy weather!

Most of my time in Venice I spent exploring the city and some of the islands. After being terrified of boats when I was little, I'm amazed how much I enjoy spending time on boats now. I bought the Venezia Card that got me passage on the vaporetto system for the whole time I was in Venice, and I made very good use of it. After breakfast at the hostel, I headed to Murano, the island known for glass making. I couldn't find the museum, and was not so impressed with the island, so I hopped on a vaporetto and headed to the cemetery island, where I spent a good amount of time sitting on a bench enjoying the quiet and the birds singing around me.

A gull watches of the dock at the cemetery island.

I really liked these thick ropes that were used to secure the vaporetto (boat buses)
to the vaporetto stops for people to get on an off.

The Grand Canal.

I was not willing to swim across the dead ends, and it's
probably frowned upon anyway.

My last day in Venice I spent a lot of time in San Marco. I was hoping to see it flooded, as it had done apparently the morning before I arrived. The city puts up raised sidewalks for people to walk on, and the locals pull on hip waders. I think I hit San Marco three times just hoping it would be flooded, but it never was. I spent some time exploring the Doge's Palace, where the rulers of the Venice empire laid down the law. It's one of very few palaces (maybe the only?) in Europe that does not have a barrier, they said it's because they ruled in a just manner and did not fear their constituents like other cities did. Interesting how we need armed guards and metal detectors to get into US government buildings...

The Bridge of Sighs with part of the Doge's Palace in front.

Pigeon feeding is a fun pastime in Saint Mark's Square.

Gulls were a common sight!

View of Venice from one of the towers. Was it worth 8 Euros? I think so.

Another view from the tower.

Venice's Grand Canal lit up at night.

I didn't get many night shots that I liked, but I do like this old lamp in St.
Mark's Square.

A street of Venice.

There are signs in most places pointing to either San Marco or Rialto, this one is
particularly helpful. It's an island, so you can't really get yourself lost!

A "spritz", a common Italian mixed drink. I did not like it very
much, but I realized later on the trip that everyone stirred it
before drinking...maybe that was part of my problem?

A couple of old ladies walking down the sidewalk along the Grand Canal.

The water level is easily seen here, along with some of the damage that comes
from building in salt water in a lagoon.

In Italy, there are lots of taps that are left running, apparently it is drinking water.
I thought it a bit wasteful, but the pigeons enjoyed it!

Fish at the famous fish market in Venice. As fresh as you can get.

One of hundreds of canals in beautiful Venice.

I attempted to get to Burano Island, which is known for lace making and very colorful houses, but I ran out of time. Instead I sat on a bench in a quiet part of Venice with trees and a view of the water. I was only disturbed once when a speedboat went crashing by and was airborne on every other wave...the gentleman the next bench over was shaking his head. After deciding that the movie "Labyrinth" must be made in honor of Venice's hidden passageways (think of the little worm pointing out the secret path), I finally decided to catch a boat and make my way back to the hostel. It was time to grab my pack and head to the train station for my next city, Florence.

Verona, my first Italian experience

November 21, 2013 • Leave a Comment

My first foray into Italy was to the small city of Verona, the home of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Fortunately there is a lot more to see than Juliet's fake balcony and tourists rubbing her statue's right breast for luck in love. I arrived in Verona after a few hours on the train, it was raining and starting to get dark out. I found my AirBNB apartment without too much trouble, but wanted to make sure I was on the right street. I asked a lady who was walking near me to check and see, but she didn't speak any English. So I pointed at my map and at the street sign, and she seemed to confirm that I was in the right spot. She kept asking me questions in Italian but I could not answer her! It's odd (and awesome) how people will keep trying to help using their language, even though it's clear that I don't understand. I was still confused and annoyed though because my host was not answering the door bell. I thought perhaps there was some mix up. So I went down the street a little ways and found a betting shop that had people in it. Fortunately one person in there spoke English and helped me out. He even let me use his phone to call her. My host was stuck in traffic (Italians stop walking when it rains) and was an hour late. But once she got there everything was fine.

After I settled in a bit, I walked downtown to have my first look at the city and grab some dinner. It was a quick walk, and I had my first view of a Roman arena. I had dinner on the main square, which was surprisingly empty. My waitress was a 19 year old girl, and was curious as to why I was alone. She asked me if it was fun traveling alone, and didn't I get lonely. She wanted to travel, as well, but hadn't yet left Verona. I was surprised at that because I assumed everyone in Europe traveled as much as possible. I told her it was fun traveling, but that of course it gets lonely. I ordered a hamburger and fries simply because I was feeling homesick, and at one point she came up to me with a worried look on her face and asked told me I looked sad. I wasn't sad, but apparently my "trying to remember something that happened 3 days ago" face is a sad face. Oh well.

The next day I grabbed a Verona card (after trying for almost an hour to find the darn tourist office), and visited some sites. I saw the famous Arena, the third largest in Italy, the castle, the Roman Theater, and more. Along the way I had a delicious lasagna for lunch, and ran into some American students studying abroad. Verona was a beautiful city, and a good way to ease into a new country and a new language. It is also where I spent too much money on a new handbag (Italian made!).

The Arena in Verona, Italy. My first, it was awesome.

Inside the halls of the arena.

Ponte Pietra, leading from the castle across the river to a nice park.

There is also a modern art exhibit at the castle, which I was
not allowed to photograph, but these glass stones outside give
an idea to to beautiful glass art I saw inside.