Saturday, October 16, 2010
Italy Pictures!
Hey everyone, just a quick update. I've posted my photos from Italy online. They are viewable here. They are also up on Facebook, if you're a Facebook user. Enjoy!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Madrid Day 4: Retiro
On my fourth day in Madrid, I spent the day rather lazily. I got up and spent some time on the computer, booking hostels for the rest of my trip and reserving tickets for the Alhamabra in Granada. I then headed out to the Museo Reina Sofia, which is Madrid's modern art museum. I've been to MoMA several times and enjoyed it, so I figured I would enjoy this museum, but I did not. I was rather tired, and just didn't "get" most of the art. I did enjoy the Picasso works they had, especially Guernica. I ended up being so tired that I only toured one floor of the four floor museum. I bailed from the museum, and got a mediocre lunch nearby.
After lunch, I decided to go to Retiro, which is a 350 acre park near the museum. It used to be the private grounds of the royal family, but was opened up as a public park. It was beautiful. I wandered around the park, and eventually found a good spot to read my book. I settled in for a while and read, until it started raining a bit, so I decided to head back.
That evening, Astrid and I went out to dinner. I received a recommendation from April (my friend that I met in Rome) which happened to be just around the corner from our hostel. It was actually a really awesome little place... it was kind of dive-y, but it was on the top floor of a 6 or 7 story building, so it had a great view. We were able to sit outside on a balcony and enjoy the sunset, along with copious amounts of fried foods. After dinner, we headed back to the hostel and shared music recommendations and talked. We both decided to call it an early evening.
The funny watches the hostel gave us that were actually keys to our rooms and lockers.
Shots of the hostel common room.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Madrid Day 3: Botin
Yes, I have made my triumphant return to the States. Over the next couple days, I'm going to finish writing about my trip, both for everyone reading, as well as my own memories. So...
The next day I got up a bit late, since we were out until 3:30 or 4 getting churros the night before. I lounged about for a while, and then eventually met up with the guys I had gone out with the night before. We had discussed tryingto get reservations at Restaurante Botin, which is the Guinness Book of World Records holder for oldest restaurant in the world. We attempted to call over to get a reservation, but could not figure out how to use the pay phones at the hostel. Making phone calls in Europe is very confusing. We eventually decided to just go over for lunch, and hopefully be able to get a table. (Since it is a famous restaurant, we figured it would be very difficult to get in.)
We walked over and arrived just as they were opening, and were able to get a seat right away. We were seated in the wine cellar, which was lovely. It was niceand quiet down there and very charming.
I had done some reading online ahead of time, and decided to get all the dishes that they are known for (what a tourist!) I was not disappointed. We shared a pitcher of sangria, which was far and away the best I've ever had. And it was cheap too (about 10€ for the pitcher). Then I had the gazpacho, followed by the roast suckling pig, which is what they are most famous for. I ended the meal with the flan. Everything was to die for. The gazpacho was rich and creamy and had so many complex flavors. And the pig was simply amazing... crisp, crunchy skin and unbelievably moist and tender on the inside. And don't get me started on the flan.
I was pretty much in a food coma afterwards, but somehow I managed to exit the restaurant and do some window shopping for a while. I spent some time in the afternoon trying to find an internet cafe where I could upload the photos from my camera. I was very paranoid it would be stolen or break somehow and I would lose all my photos from my trip. I was unsuccessful yet again, and so I gave up and went back to the hostel. I found Astrid hanging out with some Irish guys, and sat with them for a while. They regaled us with their tales of drunken antics from the night before. Apparently they were also the hostel guests who had returned from the football match with vuvuzelas that made me want to strangle someone.
Eventually they left, and Astrid and I decided to go find a bar and grab some drinks. We wandered around near the hostel for a bit and finally found this cool bar that seemed to be only locals. The place was really sweet, and the drinks were strong. We hung out there for a while and talked, then walked back to the hostel in the rain.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Madrid Day 2
Day 2 in Madrid was quite nice. I got up and ate the hostel breakfast (a croissant and a tiny cup of coffee... very unimpressive) and did some laundry. Oh yeah, and managed to spill my cup of coffee all over my back while walking up the stairs. It was especially tragic since everything else I had to wear was in the wash, so I had to sit in wet coffee stained clothes for an hour.
Once my laundry was finished and I had changed my clothes, I set off to explore Madrid. I decided to do another Rick Steves self guided tour, so I wandered from Puerta del Sol around the city. I stopped and grabbed a Napolitana pastry at this famous little pastry shop... it was kind of like bread with lots of cream in the middle, topped with copious amounts of powdered sugar. Messy and delicious. I then wandered up Calle San Cristobal, up to Plaza Mayor. This square was a kind of public theater area in the 17th century, and now is a pedestrian only area with lots of bars and such. I stopped at Casa Rúa, a tiny little bar that is famous for their bocadillos de calamares: calamari sandwiches. I stood at the bar and had a beer and a sandwich for 3,50€.
I then went and strolled through Mercado de San Miguel, a recently renovated covered market that now houses a gourmet food market. Too full to sample anything, I strolled around and took lots of photos, which are trapped on my camera until I get home. I kept walking until I got to the Royal Palace, but the line was much longer than I cared to stand in.
I decided to hit the Prado Museum next. I walked over there, and finally figured out where the entrance was. It was a nice museum, and I really enjoyed their Goya collection, especially his "dark period" works. By this time, I was pretty tired, and caught the metro back to the hostel.
I spent some time trying to upload my photos from my camera, very unsuccessfully. Then I met up with Erica and Astrid, the two girls I had met the night before. We ended up going out for Thai food (I know, I know) which was delicious. After dinner, we went and hung out at Sol, which turns into an arena for street performers at night. We watched a fire dancer for a while...
Then we watched some roller bladers do tricks. One of which included jumping over Astrid. (Photo quality not so great, but its the thought that counts.)
We then headed back to the hostel, where Erica and Astrid headed to bed. I wasn't quite tired yet, and it was early by Spanish standards (12ish) so I met a couple guys from New York and we went out for drinks. One of them took us to this great little hole in the wall bar, where we had amazing mojitos. We were the only ones there, so we chatted (as best we could) with the bartender, and he played us Spanish rock albums. Then, I took the group to this place that Erica had pointed out earlier, a 24 hour churro place. For those who don't know, churros are fried dough that you dip in a mug of melted chocolate. AKA heaven.
Delicious. We then headed back to the hostel, full of sugar, and went to bed.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Off to Spain
On September 14th (I'm showing how far behind I am) I got up bright and early to catch my flight to Madrid. I gave myself a ridiculously long amount of time to get to the airport, since we all know my tendency to get very, very lost. And this day was no exception. I caught the bus into town, and I was supposed to go to the train station to catch the shuttle that runs to the airport. At some point, for whatever reason, I became convinced that I had missed my stop. So I just got off the bus and started walking. Of course, this was much too early. It ended up taking me about 45 minutes to get to the train station, about twice as long as it should have. But I caught the shuttle, and made it to the airport with plenty of time. I actually ended up sitting at the gate for at least an hour.
My flight was with Ryanair. For those unfamiliar with Ryanair, they are a discount airline that flies throughout Europe (and maybe other places, I'm not sure). They are very, very cheap (my flight was 25€, including the fee for a checked bag). But I've heard that they can be pretty sketchy, I suppose because they're so cheap. I noticed two things that really struck me as funny. The first was how they had people board. Maybe its this way all over Europe, I don't know. But instead of having boarding sections, or at least an orderly line, everyone just sort of swarmed the gate. They would wave their boarding passes at the ticket agent, hoping to be picked next to board. It was very odd. The other thing I noticed, that I've never seen before, was how much stuff they tried to sell during the flight. Some of it was normal, like food and drinks, but they had random stuff too. About every 10 minutes thoughout the flight, they would come over the loudspeakers and announce something else in Spanish. I saw them come around at one point with smokeless cigarettes that people could smoke on the plane. I guess that's how they stay so cheap, squeezing every last dollar out of people during the flight.
The flight was uneventful, and once I had collected my backpack, I did my usual mental preparation to do battle with a new public transit system. The place I've been have all had quite good transit systems, but it usually takes a while to get the hang of it. Not so in Madrid. They have a wonderful, top of the line Metro system that runs all over the city. It was very easy to figure out where I needed to go and which trains to take to get there. I was very impressed.
Now for the eventful part of my trip... As you may have seen in my Twitter feed, my wallet was stollen. Here's how it happened. While on my second train (of three that I took to get to the hostel), it got very crowded, very quickly. So, I decided to be polite and take off my backpack to make more room. With my backpack off, I had to keep one hand on the pack, and the other was holding my purse and the pole to keep my balance. At the time I knew it was a bad situation to be in, but there wasn't much I could do about it. Besides, my purse was zippered, so I figured I'd feel someone unzipping it. I was wrong. I looked away, and when I looked back a couple minutes later my purse was open. When I got off at my stop, I checked and sure enough, my wallet was gone. I wasn't too upset, as it only had about 15€ in it. All my cards were in my money belt, thankfully. I was almost just impressed by how smooth they were. So, I carried on and got to my hostel in one piece.
The new hostel was very nice. It was called Cat's Hostel, and was in some sort of 18th century palace. The common room had a skylight made of beautiful stained glass. I could also already tell that this was a party hostel. It was big, everyone was young and social, and there was a bar in the lobby. I assumed this meant that I wouldn't meet anyone interesting, just the usual vapid "I came to Europe to drink myself stupid" types. But about 20 minutes after arriving, I had met two really cool girls. I couldn't get my door to open, and enlisted their help.
The three of us went out for tapas that night, and it was quite nice, because one of the girls (Erica) had previously lived in Madrid for a year. So she took us to a nice place. This place was a sort of self serve tapas place. Everything is in glass cases, and you pick out the items you want. The waiters know what you took based upon the number of toothpicks you have leftover. Pretty cool huh?
My flight was with Ryanair. For those unfamiliar with Ryanair, they are a discount airline that flies throughout Europe (and maybe other places, I'm not sure). They are very, very cheap (my flight was 25€, including the fee for a checked bag). But I've heard that they can be pretty sketchy, I suppose because they're so cheap. I noticed two things that really struck me as funny. The first was how they had people board. Maybe its this way all over Europe, I don't know. But instead of having boarding sections, or at least an orderly line, everyone just sort of swarmed the gate. They would wave their boarding passes at the ticket agent, hoping to be picked next to board. It was very odd. The other thing I noticed, that I've never seen before, was how much stuff they tried to sell during the flight. Some of it was normal, like food and drinks, but they had random stuff too. About every 10 minutes thoughout the flight, they would come over the loudspeakers and announce something else in Spanish. I saw them come around at one point with smokeless cigarettes that people could smoke on the plane. I guess that's how they stay so cheap, squeezing every last dollar out of people during the flight.
The flight was uneventful, and once I had collected my backpack, I did my usual mental preparation to do battle with a new public transit system. The place I've been have all had quite good transit systems, but it usually takes a while to get the hang of it. Not so in Madrid. They have a wonderful, top of the line Metro system that runs all over the city. It was very easy to figure out where I needed to go and which trains to take to get there. I was very impressed.
Now for the eventful part of my trip... As you may have seen in my Twitter feed, my wallet was stollen. Here's how it happened. While on my second train (of three that I took to get to the hostel), it got very crowded, very quickly. So, I decided to be polite and take off my backpack to make more room. With my backpack off, I had to keep one hand on the pack, and the other was holding my purse and the pole to keep my balance. At the time I knew it was a bad situation to be in, but there wasn't much I could do about it. Besides, my purse was zippered, so I figured I'd feel someone unzipping it. I was wrong. I looked away, and when I looked back a couple minutes later my purse was open. When I got off at my stop, I checked and sure enough, my wallet was gone. I wasn't too upset, as it only had about 15€ in it. All my cards were in my money belt, thankfully. I was almost just impressed by how smooth they were. So, I carried on and got to my hostel in one piece.
The new hostel was very nice. It was called Cat's Hostel, and was in some sort of 18th century palace. The common room had a skylight made of beautiful stained glass. I could also already tell that this was a party hostel. It was big, everyone was young and social, and there was a bar in the lobby. I assumed this meant that I wouldn't meet anyone interesting, just the usual vapid "I came to Europe to drink myself stupid" types. But about 20 minutes after arriving, I had met two really cool girls. I couldn't get my door to open, and enlisted their help.
The three of us went out for tapas that night, and it was quite nice, because one of the girls (Erica) had previously lived in Madrid for a year. So she took us to a nice place. This place was a sort of self serve tapas place. Everything is in glass cases, and you pick out the items you want. The waiters know what you took based upon the number of toothpicks you have leftover. Pretty cool huh?
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Travel Day/ Bologna
The next day, I arose, got packed, and checked out of the hostel. Before I went to the train station, I decided to set out on a hunt for some coral jewelry. Apparently, red coral is a local product in Italy, since it grows in the Mediterranean. I had seen it all over the place in Venice, and decided that I would really look good with a coral necklace. So, I set off toward Saint Mark's in search of jewelry. On the way, I found a fabulous little pastry shop and got breakfast. Oh my word, it was delicious. I had this almond turnover sort of thing that was warm out of the oven, and it was mind blowing. (Mom, it tasted just like those almond ball cookies we make at Christmas, except it was kind of gooey in the center. Mmmm.) I finally found a shop that had nice, quality jewelry, and the shopkeeper helped me pick out the perfect necklace. And earrings. (Oops.)
I returned to the hostel to pick up my bag, then hit the train station. The train to Bologna left 10 minutes after I arrived, so my timing was perfect. This train wasn't quite as nice as the other trains, perhaps because it was a regional train instead of long distance. But the ticket was only 8€, so what do I care?
When I arrived in Bologna it was starting to rain. I tried to figure out the bus directions the hostel had given, but I couldn't figure it out. Not wanting a repeat of the Siena incident, I grabbed a taxi and rode out to the hostel. I'm glad I did, because it was a little ways outside the city center, and I doubt I would have known which stop to get off the bus at. This hostel was another of the official youth hostel association hostels, and was similarly institutional to the last one. At least this time people were speaking English.
I dropped my stuff off, then decided to spend the rest of the afternoon seeing Bologna. I only had the one evening, since I was catching a flight to Spain the next morning. So, I headed out in the rain, and caught the bus into the city. The city seems pretty cool, from what I saw. It has the oldest university in the world, so its very much a college town. There were lots of students on the streets. I got off the bus much earlier than I should have to get to the historical part of town, so I spent a good hour or two wandering around in the rain. By the time I got to the historical center, it was about 6pm, and I didn't much feel like touring any monuments. So, I just looked around a bit, and saw the Fountain of Neptune. Apparently, Neptune is the symbol of Bologna.
I decided to get a nice meal, as I've heard that Bologna is the food capital of Italy. I checked my guidebook, and found a place that was right up the street and had held the title of 'best restaurant in Bologna'. I think it was called Diana's. Of course, it was closed Mondays. So, I just wandered around until I found a place that looked nice, and then killed time until they actually opened for dinner.
The meal I had there was wonderful. I had a first course of spaghetti Bolognese, which was delicious. And then I had something called Bolognese Cutlet, which I think was a veal cutlet in a sort of white wine cream sauce.
And then for dessert I had a pistachio tarte.
I also chatted up a couple sitting next to me when I heard them mention a desire to visit Charleston. Towards the end of my meal, they sent me a glass of champagne. It was quite a nice evening.
After my meal, it was late and I was a little buzzed, so I decided I would take another cab instead of trying to figure out the bus again. This was a good decision. When back at the hostel, I spent some time trying to get my boarding pass for the next day's flight printed. Apparently, if you print it at the airport, Ryanair charges you 40€ (which is close to DOUBLE what I paid for the ticket itself.) I ended up having my mom fax it to me at the hostel. Very odd.
I returned to the hostel to pick up my bag, then hit the train station. The train to Bologna left 10 minutes after I arrived, so my timing was perfect. This train wasn't quite as nice as the other trains, perhaps because it was a regional train instead of long distance. But the ticket was only 8€, so what do I care?
When I arrived in Bologna it was starting to rain. I tried to figure out the bus directions the hostel had given, but I couldn't figure it out. Not wanting a repeat of the Siena incident, I grabbed a taxi and rode out to the hostel. I'm glad I did, because it was a little ways outside the city center, and I doubt I would have known which stop to get off the bus at. This hostel was another of the official youth hostel association hostels, and was similarly institutional to the last one. At least this time people were speaking English.
I dropped my stuff off, then decided to spend the rest of the afternoon seeing Bologna. I only had the one evening, since I was catching a flight to Spain the next morning. So, I headed out in the rain, and caught the bus into the city. The city seems pretty cool, from what I saw. It has the oldest university in the world, so its very much a college town. There were lots of students on the streets. I got off the bus much earlier than I should have to get to the historical part of town, so I spent a good hour or two wandering around in the rain. By the time I got to the historical center, it was about 6pm, and I didn't much feel like touring any monuments. So, I just looked around a bit, and saw the Fountain of Neptune. Apparently, Neptune is the symbol of Bologna.
I decided to get a nice meal, as I've heard that Bologna is the food capital of Italy. I checked my guidebook, and found a place that was right up the street and had held the title of 'best restaurant in Bologna'. I think it was called Diana's. Of course, it was closed Mondays. So, I just wandered around until I found a place that looked nice, and then killed time until they actually opened for dinner.
The meal I had there was wonderful. I had a first course of spaghetti Bolognese, which was delicious. And then I had something called Bolognese Cutlet, which I think was a veal cutlet in a sort of white wine cream sauce.
And then for dessert I had a pistachio tarte.
I also chatted up a couple sitting next to me when I heard them mention a desire to visit Charleston. Towards the end of my meal, they sent me a glass of champagne. It was quite a nice evening.
After my meal, it was late and I was a little buzzed, so I decided I would take another cab instead of trying to figure out the bus again. This was a good decision. When back at the hostel, I spent some time trying to get my boarding pass for the next day's flight printed. Apparently, if you print it at the airport, Ryanair charges you 40€ (which is close to DOUBLE what I paid for the ticket itself.) I ended up having my mom fax it to me at the hostel. Very odd.
Relaxing
My third day in Venice was spent in a lovely fashion. I got up and spent the morning trying to find a jewelry shop that I had purchased a souvenir from the day before. I decided the recipient would like some earrings to match the necklace I had already purchased. Of course, I never found the shop again. Venice is much too twisted and confusing, and having neglected to take note of where the shop was, it was lost to me. I settled for picking out something similar in another glass shop, then decided to just wander.
I spent the rest of the morning and all afternoon just wandering the streets of Venice, shooting photos and taking it in. The city is really amazing, especially when you get away from the crush of the tourist scene. Because there is no automobile traffic in the city, it is wonderfully quiet when you are alone. I took a seat near a small canal that led to open water, and sat for hours reading my book. It was so calm and relaxing.
I eventually wandered back to the hostel, getting lost along the way (of course). I had another pasta dinner with the folks at the hostel, and then we went out for drinks after dinner. We had a nice quiet evening. I met a girl who loved Joss Whedon as much as I do, so we had a great discussion about pop culture, and tried to convince this German guy why Dead Like Me was a great show. It amazes me how ubiquitous American television and pop culture is. At one bar, I was talking to an Australian guy, and somehow the Second Amendment came up in conversation, and we both quoted the same joke from Family Guy about the right to bear arms (as in the animal). He said its his favorite show. So funny.
I spent the rest of the morning and all afternoon just wandering the streets of Venice, shooting photos and taking it in. The city is really amazing, especially when you get away from the crush of the tourist scene. Because there is no automobile traffic in the city, it is wonderfully quiet when you are alone. I took a seat near a small canal that led to open water, and sat for hours reading my book. It was so calm and relaxing.
I eventually wandered back to the hostel, getting lost along the way (of course). I had another pasta dinner with the folks at the hostel, and then we went out for drinks after dinner. We had a nice quiet evening. I met a girl who loved Joss Whedon as much as I do, so we had a great discussion about pop culture, and tried to convince this German guy why Dead Like Me was a great show. It amazes me how ubiquitous American television and pop culture is. At one bar, I was talking to an Australian guy, and somehow the Second Amendment came up in conversation, and we both quoted the same joke from Family Guy about the right to bear arms (as in the animal). He said its his favorite show. So funny.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Venice Day 2
My second day in Venice was good. I got up and grabbed a pastry from a cafe around the corner from the hostel, then I was off. I made my way to the Rialto first, since it is pretty close to where our hostel was. The bridge itself was cool I guess. It was mostly just covered in tourists. I then did a bit of shopping for souvenirs between the Rialto and Saint Mark's Square. Almost everything was glass shops, most of it fairly similar.
I was able to find some good gifts, and then realized I was quite hungry. I got lunch nearby, but it was overpriced and touristy. The lasagna was fine, but the calamari (a local specialty) was terrible. And it came with fries. Boo.
Feeling refreshed after lunch, I made my way in to Saint Mark's Square. It was very impressive and the church was beautiful, but once again, packed with tourist. I used a trick I got from my guidebook to jump the line to get in to the basilica: if you check a bag at the nearby bag check, you get to skip the line. I have no idea why, especially since it's free to check items, but it worked. I skipped an hour line and strolled right in. I'm glad I skipped the line, if I had waited an hour to get in I would have been angry. It was an impressive church, especially because the whole ceiling is covered in golden mosaics, but it really just didn't do it for me. That was my least favorite church that I've seen.
Having checked the basilica off my list, I walked around the square and looked at the sights. They have an amazing clock tower, and the view out to the lagoon was beautiful.
Next I went to the Correr museum. To get in to the Doge's palace, you buy a ticket that covers all the museums as well. If you go to the museum first, instead of the palace, you don't have to wait in line at the palace gates. So I bought my ticket, then toured Correr, which is a Venetian history and art museum. It was interesting, but I mostly liked it because it was quiet and cool. And had a bathroom.
I then toured the palace. It was very impressive, as most palaces are. I got some great photos of the golden hall before I realized you weren't supposed to take photos. My bad. I walked across the bridge of sighs, which is the bridge that prisoners were led across on the way to the dungeons, to be tortured, or executed. The story is that they would take one last look at the beauty of Venice and sigh. I also saw the dungeons. Eh... The tower of London was cooler.
I then made my way back to the hostel, without getting too lost, and had dinner with everyone. I also enjoyed a nice bottle of wine. Then I went to bed, very tired after such a long day.
I was able to find some good gifts, and then realized I was quite hungry. I got lunch nearby, but it was overpriced and touristy. The lasagna was fine, but the calamari (a local specialty) was terrible. And it came with fries. Boo.
Feeling refreshed after lunch, I made my way in to Saint Mark's Square. It was very impressive and the church was beautiful, but once again, packed with tourist. I used a trick I got from my guidebook to jump the line to get in to the basilica: if you check a bag at the nearby bag check, you get to skip the line. I have no idea why, especially since it's free to check items, but it worked. I skipped an hour line and strolled right in. I'm glad I skipped the line, if I had waited an hour to get in I would have been angry. It was an impressive church, especially because the whole ceiling is covered in golden mosaics, but it really just didn't do it for me. That was my least favorite church that I've seen.
Having checked the basilica off my list, I walked around the square and looked at the sights. They have an amazing clock tower, and the view out to the lagoon was beautiful.
Next I went to the Correr museum. To get in to the Doge's palace, you buy a ticket that covers all the museums as well. If you go to the museum first, instead of the palace, you don't have to wait in line at the palace gates. So I bought my ticket, then toured Correr, which is a Venetian history and art museum. It was interesting, but I mostly liked it because it was quiet and cool. And had a bathroom.
I then toured the palace. It was very impressive, as most palaces are. I got some great photos of the golden hall before I realized you weren't supposed to take photos. My bad. I walked across the bridge of sighs, which is the bridge that prisoners were led across on the way to the dungeons, to be tortured, or executed. The story is that they would take one last look at the beauty of Venice and sigh. I also saw the dungeons. Eh... The tower of London was cooler.
I then made my way back to the hostel, without getting too lost, and had dinner with everyone. I also enjoyed a nice bottle of wine. Then I went to bed, very tired after such a long day.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Onward to Venice
I got up pretty early the next morning, packed my things, and high-tailed it out of there as soon as possible. I caught the bus back to Florence (again, I´m not sure why I did just do a day trip, since I had to come back to Florence anyway) and then hopped the train to Venice. This time, everything went wonderfully smooth. I just hopped on the train, settled in, and read my Venice guidebook.
Arriving in Venice was sort of like a fairytale. You step off the train, walk out of the station, and you´re met with this incredible city on the water. What´s that? I have to take a boat to get to my hostel? Oh, okay.
I took the vaporetto, which is a water bus, to the hostel. Following their directions, I found the place just fine. (Although that was probably the last time I found anything "just fine" in Venice. More on that later.) Walking into the hostel was shocking. The place was called "The Museum," and with good reason. The hostel was in a palace that was built by the Morosini family more than 400 years ago. I am kicking myself for not taking more photos of the place, but here´s a shot of the ceiling in my room.
Incredible, right? So, upon arrival I realized I didn´t have enough cash to pay for my room, so I asked the guy at the desk where the nearest ATM was. The first thing he asked was, "Do you have a map?" And with good reason. He pulled out a map to loan me, and for the first time I realized how confusing the city is. There are probably a thousand tiny little streets that turn and curve and often the street names are different than they are printed on the map. It is basically a labyrinth, designed to get you as lost as possible. And I was up for the challenge.
I went out and found the ATM ok following the directions Sam had given me. Then I decided to just wander around for a while. And yes, I got lost. But its actually not as bad as it sounds. As long as you know a landmark that is near your destination, there are signs all over the city, both official and graffiti, that point you towards various locations. Typically, once I was at the Rialto, I could find my way back to the hostel. With a map.
The hostel provided a free pasta dinner, that night, which I gladly participated in. There was also banana cake. After dinner, a group of people from the hostel set out to the Rialto in search of alcohol. We found it. It was a fun, and ultimately pretty laid back evening involving several bottles of cheap red wine. (And there may have been some shots that you set on fire in your mouth.) It took us about four times as long to get home as it did to get there. Alcohol and labryinths do not mix.
Arriving in Venice was sort of like a fairytale. You step off the train, walk out of the station, and you´re met with this incredible city on the water. What´s that? I have to take a boat to get to my hostel? Oh, okay.
I took the vaporetto, which is a water bus, to the hostel. Following their directions, I found the place just fine. (Although that was probably the last time I found anything "just fine" in Venice. More on that later.) Walking into the hostel was shocking. The place was called "The Museum," and with good reason. The hostel was in a palace that was built by the Morosini family more than 400 years ago. I am kicking myself for not taking more photos of the place, but here´s a shot of the ceiling in my room.
Incredible, right? So, upon arrival I realized I didn´t have enough cash to pay for my room, so I asked the guy at the desk where the nearest ATM was. The first thing he asked was, "Do you have a map?" And with good reason. He pulled out a map to loan me, and for the first time I realized how confusing the city is. There are probably a thousand tiny little streets that turn and curve and often the street names are different than they are printed on the map. It is basically a labyrinth, designed to get you as lost as possible. And I was up for the challenge.
I went out and found the ATM ok following the directions Sam had given me. Then I decided to just wander around for a while. And yes, I got lost. But its actually not as bad as it sounds. As long as you know a landmark that is near your destination, there are signs all over the city, both official and graffiti, that point you towards various locations. Typically, once I was at the Rialto, I could find my way back to the hostel. With a map.
The hostel provided a free pasta dinner, that night, which I gladly participated in. There was also banana cake. After dinner, a group of people from the hostel set out to the Rialto in search of alcohol. We found it. It was a fun, and ultimately pretty laid back evening involving several bottles of cheap red wine. (And there may have been some shots that you set on fire in your mouth.) It took us about four times as long to get home as it did to get there. Alcohol and labryinths do not mix.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Siena
The next day, I decided to do an afternoon and evening in Siena. In retrospect, maybe the side trip might not have been the disaster it turned out to be if I had just done a day trip there instead of spending the night. Who knows. What I do know is that it did not go well.
The trip started out well. I got a little lost, but eventually found the bus station (as a side note, I am starting to think I should rename this blog Lost in Europe. I get lost every day it seems, to varying degrees.) I easily bought my bus ticket, and hopped on, and the ride in was smooth and full of beautiful scenery.
After being dropped in Siena, disaster struck. I got very, very lost. I spent at least 2 hours wandering the hilly town of Siena with my heavy backpack on in the midday heat. I was exhausted. I couldn't find anyone who spoke English to ask for directions. I couldn't find a taxi, nor did I know or could I figure out which bus I needed to get to my hostel, which was pretty far outside the city center. I was also hungry. I quickly got frustrated and upset. I may have even cried. At one point I asked a man working a newsstand where to find a taxi, and he told me in very basic Italian that I had to call one. He gave me the phone number and told me the street name, which I didn't understand. I quickly abandoned that plan when I couldn't figure out how to use the pay phone.
I just kept wandering until I finally found a taxi. He dropped me at the hostel, and I thought that was the end of my misery. But upon checking in to the hostel, I realized I was mistaken. The place looked like a prison. Everything looked hard and cold, and was painted shades of brown. The man at the front desk spoke little English, and barely looked up from his game of solitaire to speak to me. He was the most unfriendly person I had yet encountered on my trip, and to experience such after being already so discouraged just broke me.
After dropping my things in my room (which, thankfully, was a single) I went back downstairs, bought an hour's worth of Internet time (first place where you had to pay for web access) and cried while emailing my parents.
I eventually calmed down, got some food, and slept. I stayed at the hostel the rest of the time
I was in Siena, reading my book in my room and hiding. Many people say that Siena is their favorite place in Italy, and it seems beautiful. But it just did not work out for me.
(on a side note, this hostel I stayed at was part of the International Youth Hostel Association. I have since stayed at another IYH that was almost as bad ad this one. If any of you ever go stay in hostels, avoid these places like the plague. They are soulless and unfriendly places, and the "non-official" hostels I've stayed at so far have been a thousand times better than these. Just an FYI.)
The trip started out well. I got a little lost, but eventually found the bus station (as a side note, I am starting to think I should rename this blog Lost in Europe. I get lost every day it seems, to varying degrees.) I easily bought my bus ticket, and hopped on, and the ride in was smooth and full of beautiful scenery.
After being dropped in Siena, disaster struck. I got very, very lost. I spent at least 2 hours wandering the hilly town of Siena with my heavy backpack on in the midday heat. I was exhausted. I couldn't find anyone who spoke English to ask for directions. I couldn't find a taxi, nor did I know or could I figure out which bus I needed to get to my hostel, which was pretty far outside the city center. I was also hungry. I quickly got frustrated and upset. I may have even cried. At one point I asked a man working a newsstand where to find a taxi, and he told me in very basic Italian that I had to call one. He gave me the phone number and told me the street name, which I didn't understand. I quickly abandoned that plan when I couldn't figure out how to use the pay phone.
I just kept wandering until I finally found a taxi. He dropped me at the hostel, and I thought that was the end of my misery. But upon checking in to the hostel, I realized I was mistaken. The place looked like a prison. Everything looked hard and cold, and was painted shades of brown. The man at the front desk spoke little English, and barely looked up from his game of solitaire to speak to me. He was the most unfriendly person I had yet encountered on my trip, and to experience such after being already so discouraged just broke me.
After dropping my things in my room (which, thankfully, was a single) I went back downstairs, bought an hour's worth of Internet time (first place where you had to pay for web access) and cried while emailing my parents.
I eventually calmed down, got some food, and slept. I stayed at the hostel the rest of the time
I was in Siena, reading my book in my room and hiding. Many people say that Siena is their favorite place in Italy, and it seems beautiful. But it just did not work out for me.
(on a side note, this hostel I stayed at was part of the International Youth Hostel Association. I have since stayed at another IYH that was almost as bad ad this one. If any of you ever go stay in hostels, avoid these places like the plague. They are soulless and unfriendly places, and the "non-official" hostels I've stayed at so far have been a thousand times better than these. Just an FYI.)
Florence, day 2: shopping and lots of art
On my second morning in Florence I decided I felt like doing some shopping. There is a large open air market near the Church of San Lorenzo, so I decided to check that out. It had a great selection of Italian leather goods, from jackets to purses and wallets. There was also lots of jewelry and knickknacks. I decided I wanted a smaller, cross body leather purse and a new wallet, so I began checking for these items as I browsed. I was at the market for a good 2 hours, and ended up buying the purse I wanted, a wallet, cashmere lined leather gloves, an a ring. I kind of blew my budget, but hey, when in Rome... Er... Florence.
While I was at the market, it started raining, so I decided it would make a good museum day. I dropped my plunder off at the hostel, then ran out to buy reservation tickets and a quick bite to eat. What I have learned is that it is always worth it to get reservations for sights. You can save yourself hours of waiting in line by simply booking tickets a couple hours in advance.
So, after lunch I went to Accademia, home of David. There are some other minor paintings and sculptures, but the main attraction is Michelangelo's Prisoners and David. I immensely enjoyed both. The Prisoners are a set of unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo. He felt that when he sculpted, he wasn't being creative, but rather exposing the sculpture God had put into each piece of marble. So many people speculate that he decided these sculptures were done as is, still partially trapped in marble.
David was stunning. He doesn't look like he is made of stone; he looks alive, graceful and powerful. I sat for a while and just stared at him, taking it in. The best part is that he was sculpted from a piece of marble that all the other sculptors had said was too poor to use for sculpting. Good job, Buonarroti!
Afterwards, I headed for the Uffuzi Gallery. Once again, I really enjoyed it, although it was a lot to take in. My favorites were the Botticelli paintings, especially the Allegory of Spring and Birth of Venus.
I headed back to the hostel to recharge. While I was hanging out, I met a couple from Seattle who were looking for something to do that night. I told them about the pub recommendation I had received from one of the guys at work. When I told him I would be In Florence, he got very excited. He said he had studied there and gave me the name of a pub to visit, along with the instructions to ask for Massimo or Fabrizio. He also informed me that his photo was hanging up in the bar. So clearly, I had to go.
I invited the couple from Seattle, since drinking alone isn't much fun. They told me they were going out to dinner, and we planned to meet at 11. When I arrived, they were nowhere to be found. I sat down and ordered a drink. I looked for Tony's picture in the collage of polaroids hanging behind the bar, but did not see him. The bartenders seemed to speak little English, and no one else seemed to speak any. I considered asking for the names I was given, but I was too intimidated. They had probably forgotten Tony, or he just wasn't as big a deal to them as he thought. I nursed my drink and watched Italian soccer on tv.
Half an hour had gone by, and my hostel friends still hadn't come. I figured I would get one more drink, then leave. But I couldn't leave without asking about Tony, since I knew he'd ask me about it. So I ordered my second drink from the bartender who seemed to have better English skills. While he was making it, I told him a friend had told me to come and ask for Fabrizio or Massimo. He gave me a funny look, and asked who my friend was. When I told him, his eyes lit up and he cracked a big smile. He pulled me over to a photo; not one of the multitudes of polaroids behind the bar, but a large framed photo in a glass case at the end of the bar. And there was Tony. He told me my second drink was on Tony, and chatted with me about my trip until my friends showed up, 45 minutes after we had planned to meet. We had a few more drinks together, then we strolled home, with me feeling satisfied with my accomplished mission.
While I was at the market, it started raining, so I decided it would make a good museum day. I dropped my plunder off at the hostel, then ran out to buy reservation tickets and a quick bite to eat. What I have learned is that it is always worth it to get reservations for sights. You can save yourself hours of waiting in line by simply booking tickets a couple hours in advance.
So, after lunch I went to Accademia, home of David. There are some other minor paintings and sculptures, but the main attraction is Michelangelo's Prisoners and David. I immensely enjoyed both. The Prisoners are a set of unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo. He felt that when he sculpted, he wasn't being creative, but rather exposing the sculpture God had put into each piece of marble. So many people speculate that he decided these sculptures were done as is, still partially trapped in marble.
David was stunning. He doesn't look like he is made of stone; he looks alive, graceful and powerful. I sat for a while and just stared at him, taking it in. The best part is that he was sculpted from a piece of marble that all the other sculptors had said was too poor to use for sculpting. Good job, Buonarroti!
Afterwards, I headed for the Uffuzi Gallery. Once again, I really enjoyed it, although it was a lot to take in. My favorites were the Botticelli paintings, especially the Allegory of Spring and Birth of Venus.
I headed back to the hostel to recharge. While I was hanging out, I met a couple from Seattle who were looking for something to do that night. I told them about the pub recommendation I had received from one of the guys at work. When I told him I would be In Florence, he got very excited. He said he had studied there and gave me the name of a pub to visit, along with the instructions to ask for Massimo or Fabrizio. He also informed me that his photo was hanging up in the bar. So clearly, I had to go.
I invited the couple from Seattle, since drinking alone isn't much fun. They told me they were going out to dinner, and we planned to meet at 11. When I arrived, they were nowhere to be found. I sat down and ordered a drink. I looked for Tony's picture in the collage of polaroids hanging behind the bar, but did not see him. The bartenders seemed to speak little English, and no one else seemed to speak any. I considered asking for the names I was given, but I was too intimidated. They had probably forgotten Tony, or he just wasn't as big a deal to them as he thought. I nursed my drink and watched Italian soccer on tv.
Half an hour had gone by, and my hostel friends still hadn't come. I figured I would get one more drink, then leave. But I couldn't leave without asking about Tony, since I knew he'd ask me about it. So I ordered my second drink from the bartender who seemed to have better English skills. While he was making it, I told him a friend had told me to come and ask for Fabrizio or Massimo. He gave me a funny look, and asked who my friend was. When I told him, his eyes lit up and he cracked a big smile. He pulled me over to a photo; not one of the multitudes of polaroids behind the bar, but a large framed photo in a glass case at the end of the bar. And there was Tony. He told me my second drink was on Tony, and chatted with me about my trip until my friends showed up, 45 minutes after we had planned to meet. We had a few more drinks together, then we strolled home, with me feeling satisfied with my accomplished mission.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Florence
This is my third time writing this entry, as my app has lost it twice already. So, I apologize if it ends up being brief.
My first full day in Florence started out with me doing laundry at a laundromat around the corner from the hostel. I then decided to do a Rick Steves tour called the Renaissance walk. The walk started at the Duomo, which is just as beautiful during the day as it is at night. I also saw the baptistery, which features awesome bronze doors that were made by Ghiberti. I then strolled down Via de'Calzaiuoli, and did some major window shopping. Then I saw the Piazza Della Repubblica, where there stands a triumphal arch celebrating the unification of Italy. From there, I went the the Orsanmichele church. There are lots of famous statues in niches around the exterior of the church, but I really enjoyed the inside. At this church stands an altar to the Madonna Della Grazie, where survivors of the plague would go and give thanks for their good fortune. Pretty cool, huh?
I then saw the palazzo vecchio, which was the government center during the Renaissance. Lots of famous statues stand here, including a replica of David (the original use to stand here, but it was moved after it's arm was broken off by a bench thrown during a riot) and the Rape of the Sabines, which was stunning. I then walked past the Uffuzi gallery and over the Ponte Vecchio. The Ponte Vecchio was alright, but it was mostly just crowded. I did think it was cool that it's the only bridge that was left standing in Florence after WWII.
After the Renaissance walk, I was pretty worn out, so I decided to get some lunch. I wandered around for a while, trying to find someplace not too touristy. I finally picked a spot, ordered a glass of wine, and asked the server to bring me something good. This is what she brought out:
Looks good, no? It was slices of tomato, eggplant and cheese. It tasted like heaven. So so so good.
After lunch, I decided to hike up to Ponte Michelangelo. There are stairs, but it is still very steep, and ended up taking me about 25 minutes to make it all the way up. The view from the lookout was definitely worth it though. I relaxed at the top for a bit, then eventually descended, went back across the river, and back to the hostel. I hung out at the hostel for a while, trying to video chat on skype with my parents, then I showered and got ready for dinner.
I was invited out to dinner by a girl named Nicole who was from Michigan. She had secured a restaurant recommendation from the hostel staff, and we set off. We chatted along the way about her German boyfriend and her occupation, which apparently was chef. I told her that she had to do all the ordering that night, to which she happily agreed.
We ended up having a four course meal. The first course was a plate of meats, cheeses, and pâté. The second was pasta with boar meat, which is apparently a local specialty. We then had steak florentine, which had to have been at least a 30 oz steak (we were splitting everything). Finally, we had almond biscotti which you dipped in dessert wine, and an ice cream dessert that was remarkably similar to those Baci chocolate candies. Finally, they brought out chocolates with the check, one which seemed to be chocolate with cinnamon, the other was very spicy. Everything was delicious, and we spent 50€ each (which included a bottle of Chianti). I returned to the hostel in a food stupor, and went to sleep
My first full day in Florence started out with me doing laundry at a laundromat around the corner from the hostel. I then decided to do a Rick Steves tour called the Renaissance walk. The walk started at the Duomo, which is just as beautiful during the day as it is at night. I also saw the baptistery, which features awesome bronze doors that were made by Ghiberti. I then strolled down Via de'Calzaiuoli, and did some major window shopping. Then I saw the Piazza Della Repubblica, where there stands a triumphal arch celebrating the unification of Italy. From there, I went the the Orsanmichele church. There are lots of famous statues in niches around the exterior of the church, but I really enjoyed the inside. At this church stands an altar to the Madonna Della Grazie, where survivors of the plague would go and give thanks for their good fortune. Pretty cool, huh?
I then saw the palazzo vecchio, which was the government center during the Renaissance. Lots of famous statues stand here, including a replica of David (the original use to stand here, but it was moved after it's arm was broken off by a bench thrown during a riot) and the Rape of the Sabines, which was stunning. I then walked past the Uffuzi gallery and over the Ponte Vecchio. The Ponte Vecchio was alright, but it was mostly just crowded. I did think it was cool that it's the only bridge that was left standing in Florence after WWII.
After the Renaissance walk, I was pretty worn out, so I decided to get some lunch. I wandered around for a while, trying to find someplace not too touristy. I finally picked a spot, ordered a glass of wine, and asked the server to bring me something good. This is what she brought out:
Looks good, no? It was slices of tomato, eggplant and cheese. It tasted like heaven. So so so good.
After lunch, I decided to hike up to Ponte Michelangelo. There are stairs, but it is still very steep, and ended up taking me about 25 minutes to make it all the way up. The view from the lookout was definitely worth it though. I relaxed at the top for a bit, then eventually descended, went back across the river, and back to the hostel. I hung out at the hostel for a while, trying to video chat on skype with my parents, then I showered and got ready for dinner.
I was invited out to dinner by a girl named Nicole who was from Michigan. She had secured a restaurant recommendation from the hostel staff, and we set off. We chatted along the way about her German boyfriend and her occupation, which apparently was chef. I told her that she had to do all the ordering that night, to which she happily agreed.
We ended up having a four course meal. The first course was a plate of meats, cheeses, and pâté. The second was pasta with boar meat, which is apparently a local specialty. We then had steak florentine, which had to have been at least a 30 oz steak (we were splitting everything). Finally, we had almond biscotti which you dipped in dessert wine, and an ice cream dessert that was remarkably similar to those Baci chocolate candies. Finally, they brought out chocolates with the check, one which seemed to be chocolate with cinnamon, the other was very spicy. Everything was delicious, and we spent 50€ each (which included a bottle of Chianti). I returned to the hostel in a food stupor, and went to sleep
Friday, September 10, 2010
Ciao Roma!
Monday morning I woke up and had breakfast with the girls one last time, then packed my things for check out. April and I ran some errands, then had a wonderful lunch at a lovely trattoria down the street from the hostel. I had lasagna and an orange-chocolate mousse. The waiter also brought out some amazing bruschetta, and at the end of the meal, some yummy limoncello shots. It was a wonderful end to my time in Rome.
Getting out of Rome was not so easy. I made the hike to the train station, bought my ticket to Florence, and then could not figure out what platform my train was leaving from. I literally ran from platform to platform, trying to find my train. The information screens said it was leaving from platform 2PE. I found platform 2 and 2 east. But never 2PE. There also didn't seem to be any officials I could ask, or any english speakers. I missed my train, and had to exchange my ticket for the next train, which wasn't for another hour. Needless to say, I was so relieved when I finally made it to my seat on the train.
This was my first 'real' train experience in Europe. I had taken the train from the airport to Rome, but that was more of a shuttle. This train was not at all what I expected, having taken Amtrak several times. This train was classy. This train was the caviar to Amtrak's sardines. Each seat had a molded head rest and an outlet with a little table to plug in your laptop and do work. They also had televisions that displayed where you were on the journey, weather information and news headlines. I fell asleep on the train and woke up about 20 minutes before we arrived in Florence.
Arriving in Florence was just the opposite of leaving Rome. I stepped off the train into the station, and instead of chaotic masses, there were people calmly milling around. I left the train station and followed the directions I had to the hostel, and pretty much went straight there. (fun fact: did you know that in Florence, there are two sets of street numbers, one red and one black? Because I did not, and this led to some confusion.) I was much more pleased with this leg of the journey.
I was also pleased because my walk from the station took me right past the duomo, giving me my first taste of Florence culture. The duomo is beautiful, especially at night. Plus, it was far less crowded at this hour.
I checked into my hostel, showered, and settled in for the evening in my second city of the trip.
Getting out of Rome was not so easy. I made the hike to the train station, bought my ticket to Florence, and then could not figure out what platform my train was leaving from. I literally ran from platform to platform, trying to find my train. The information screens said it was leaving from platform 2PE. I found platform 2 and 2 east. But never 2PE. There also didn't seem to be any officials I could ask, or any english speakers. I missed my train, and had to exchange my ticket for the next train, which wasn't for another hour. Needless to say, I was so relieved when I finally made it to my seat on the train.
This was my first 'real' train experience in Europe. I had taken the train from the airport to Rome, but that was more of a shuttle. This train was not at all what I expected, having taken Amtrak several times. This train was classy. This train was the caviar to Amtrak's sardines. Each seat had a molded head rest and an outlet with a little table to plug in your laptop and do work. They also had televisions that displayed where you were on the journey, weather information and news headlines. I fell asleep on the train and woke up about 20 minutes before we arrived in Florence.
Arriving in Florence was just the opposite of leaving Rome. I stepped off the train into the station, and instead of chaotic masses, there were people calmly milling around. I left the train station and followed the directions I had to the hostel, and pretty much went straight there. (fun fact: did you know that in Florence, there are two sets of street numbers, one red and one black? Because I did not, and this led to some confusion.) I was much more pleased with this leg of the journey.
I was also pleased because my walk from the station took me right past the duomo, giving me my first taste of Florence culture. The duomo is beautiful, especially at night. Plus, it was far less crowded at this hour.
I checked into my hostel, showered, and settled in for the evening in my second city of the trip.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Market Day
Sunday morning was spent at the market. Poich, Ine, April and I got up and took the bus to Trastevere to check out the flea markets. It turned out to be huge. There were vendors set up on both sides of the street, and it went on for blocks and blocks. (For those of you who are familiar, it was at least three times the size of the Eastern Market in DC.) It was pretty typical flea market fare; lots of purses, cheap clothes, cds and shoes. The girls I was with were in heaven. They all are very fashion conscious and on strict budgets, so they loved digging through the bins of wares. We spent several hours, into the afternoon, browsing the market. I haggled with a merchant and got a good deal on a pair of scarves, and the other girls came away with clothes and a suitcase to transport all their new purchases on their plane.
After the market, we split up and I went to check out the Pantheon. Apparently in my head I had equated the Pantheon with the Parthenon. I knew that the Parthenon was in Greece, but for some reason I still thought they were similar. So, I was a little disappointed with the Pantheon. It was still very cool, especially when you consider that the Ancient Romans were able to erect such a massive dome. But it was incredibly crowded, because it was both free and I was visiting it on a Sunday, when many other attractions are closed. I quickly became irritated with the masses, and fled to Giolitti's for their famed gelato. Which, of course, was also packed. The scene there was arguably more chaotic than that of the Pantheon. I finally figured out, after staring at the crowd for a while, that you first paid at the register, then took your receipt to the counter, shoved your way to the front, and when the guy at the counter glanced your way, quickly blurted out the flavors you desire. This chaos, as well as a very poor understanding of Italian words for the flavors, led to me panicking when I ordered and doing a poor job. Mind you, it was still excellent gelato, but the flavors I got (Rice, Dark Chocolate, and Crema) did not do it for me. Ah well, so it goes. I also got way too much of it, and made a huge mess of myself.
Once I cleaned myself up a bit, I strolled over to Trevi Fountain, which was nice, but also packed. I tossed in my coin, then got out of there, as I was reaching my boiling point with pushy tourists. I strolled down Via Cavour and did some window shopping, then hopped on a bus, hoping it would take me to a stop where I could catch the bus back to the hostel. Instead, it took me to the bank of the Tiber. I decided to get off and walk around, and maybe get some photos of Saint Peter's at sunset. (This is when I began composing my last post. I decided to sit down for a while and write.) I snapped some photos and strolled around, checking out the street vendors and accidentally buying a Prada knockoff. (Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it back down!) That area is really beautiful and calm in the evening.
Eventually, I caught a bus back to Termini and made the hike back to the hostel. When I returned, two Argentinian men who were new to the hostel had made dinner for everyone, some sort of chicken dish and fried potatoes. I happily had two plates of it, and made my arrangements online for Florence.
As soon as I finished, we ran out the door to catch the night train to Ostia, a beach town outside the city. There was a bar there that the girls wanted to go to, and who am I to say no to a night trip to the beach? We took two metro trains out the night train, and then spent another half hour on the train. We met a German couple who were headed that way, and gave us directions to the bar (which turned out to be very bad directions). We got off the train, and began walking. It ended up being a 45 minute walk to the bar, because they had told us to get off at the wrong stop. It was quite an adventure, and I wish I could say that the bar ended up being awesome, but I cannot. The bar was not very crowded, the DJ was terrible, and the bartender was rude to us. We danced a bit, and then it closed half an hour after we had arrived. We caught the night bus back to the hostel, and I slept very, very well that night.
After the market, we split up and I went to check out the Pantheon. Apparently in my head I had equated the Pantheon with the Parthenon. I knew that the Parthenon was in Greece, but for some reason I still thought they were similar. So, I was a little disappointed with the Pantheon. It was still very cool, especially when you consider that the Ancient Romans were able to erect such a massive dome. But it was incredibly crowded, because it was both free and I was visiting it on a Sunday, when many other attractions are closed. I quickly became irritated with the masses, and fled to Giolitti's for their famed gelato. Which, of course, was also packed. The scene there was arguably more chaotic than that of the Pantheon. I finally figured out, after staring at the crowd for a while, that you first paid at the register, then took your receipt to the counter, shoved your way to the front, and when the guy at the counter glanced your way, quickly blurted out the flavors you desire. This chaos, as well as a very poor understanding of Italian words for the flavors, led to me panicking when I ordered and doing a poor job. Mind you, it was still excellent gelato, but the flavors I got (Rice, Dark Chocolate, and Crema) did not do it for me. Ah well, so it goes. I also got way too much of it, and made a huge mess of myself.
Once I cleaned myself up a bit, I strolled over to Trevi Fountain, which was nice, but also packed. I tossed in my coin, then got out of there, as I was reaching my boiling point with pushy tourists. I strolled down Via Cavour and did some window shopping, then hopped on a bus, hoping it would take me to a stop where I could catch the bus back to the hostel. Instead, it took me to the bank of the Tiber. I decided to get off and walk around, and maybe get some photos of Saint Peter's at sunset. (This is when I began composing my last post. I decided to sit down for a while and write.) I snapped some photos and strolled around, checking out the street vendors and accidentally buying a Prada knockoff. (Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it back down!) That area is really beautiful and calm in the evening.
Eventually, I caught a bus back to Termini and made the hike back to the hostel. When I returned, two Argentinian men who were new to the hostel had made dinner for everyone, some sort of chicken dish and fried potatoes. I happily had two plates of it, and made my arrangements online for Florence.
As soon as I finished, we ran out the door to catch the night train to Ostia, a beach town outside the city. There was a bar there that the girls wanted to go to, and who am I to say no to a night trip to the beach? We took two metro trains out the night train, and then spent another half hour on the train. We met a German couple who were headed that way, and gave us directions to the bar (which turned out to be very bad directions). We got off the train, and began walking. It ended up being a 45 minute walk to the bar, because they had told us to get off at the wrong stop. It was quite an adventure, and I wish I could say that the bar ended up being awesome, but I cannot. The bar was not very crowded, the DJ was terrible, and the bartender was rude to us. We danced a bit, and then it closed half an hour after we had arrived. We caught the night bus back to the hostel, and I slept very, very well that night.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Vatican
I'm sitting on the bank of the Tiber river right now, near the Castel Sant Angelo. I think that if I lived here, I would come here a lot. It's very pretty, but it's also quiet down here. There is almost no one down here. You can still hear the traffic noise up above, but it's distant. I'm waiting for the sun to set a bit more so I can shoot some photos of Saint Peter's Basilica in the sunset.
So, on Saturday I got up just in time to run out the door in an effort to make my reservation at the Vatican. The lines can be 2+ hours to get in, but you can reserve online to skip the line. Some people I had spoken to said that they were very strict about what you could wear inside; shoulders must be covered and skirts and shorts must cover the knees. Well, none of my clothes that I brought fit the bill. So I made a mad dash through the sketchy Asian shops align the streets behind termini to try to find something to make myself more modest. I finally found a pashmina that fit the bill, so I bought it and grabbed a taxi to the vatican.
Once there, I breezed right through the crowds and walked right in. The Vatican museum was lovely. Its collection went back to Ancient Egypt, which I love, went through Ancient Rome and through the Renaissance, up to contemporary art. Which, if you think about it, is pretty bad actually, considering the fact that the Vatican used to just be the papal house, and these priceless works of art were amassed solely for the popes amusement. And now they make people pay 12€ just to see it all. Seems pretty scummy if you ask me. I saw the Sistine Chapel, and it was breathtaking. It was made much better by having a guidebook to add context. For instance, the guidebook pointed out the fact that Michelangelo painted one of his biggest critics into the hell scene on the wall with the last judgement. I thought that was pretty funny.
After seeing the Sistine Chapel, I went and toured Saint Peter's Basilica. That was just awe inspiring. It is just so HUGE. The whole thing, including the nave, which Michelangelo didn't want built and was added after his death, is the length of 7 football fields. And the dome? Seven stories high. Seven. Unbelievable. I toured the church for a bit, then did the climb of the dome. For this, you take an elevator half way, and then climb 320 steps inside the dome to the top. Apparently, this is a lot. The climb is inside the dome, so the stairs are curved inside its face. As the stairs climb and the dome gets narrower, the ceiling starts to lean further and further in. Towards the end of this section I felt pretty claustrophobic. Then, you climb endless spiral stairs to get to the top, which of course don't have railings. I hate spiral staircases; they're just too tight. When I finally made it to the top, the view was very nice, but not worth that climb.
So, on Saturday I got up just in time to run out the door in an effort to make my reservation at the Vatican. The lines can be 2+ hours to get in, but you can reserve online to skip the line. Some people I had spoken to said that they were very strict about what you could wear inside; shoulders must be covered and skirts and shorts must cover the knees. Well, none of my clothes that I brought fit the bill. So I made a mad dash through the sketchy Asian shops align the streets behind termini to try to find something to make myself more modest. I finally found a pashmina that fit the bill, so I bought it and grabbed a taxi to the vatican.
Once there, I breezed right through the crowds and walked right in. The Vatican museum was lovely. Its collection went back to Ancient Egypt, which I love, went through Ancient Rome and through the Renaissance, up to contemporary art. Which, if you think about it, is pretty bad actually, considering the fact that the Vatican used to just be the papal house, and these priceless works of art were amassed solely for the popes amusement. And now they make people pay 12€ just to see it all. Seems pretty scummy if you ask me. I saw the Sistine Chapel, and it was breathtaking. It was made much better by having a guidebook to add context. For instance, the guidebook pointed out the fact that Michelangelo painted one of his biggest critics into the hell scene on the wall with the last judgement. I thought that was pretty funny.
After seeing the Sistine Chapel, I went and toured Saint Peter's Basilica. That was just awe inspiring. It is just so HUGE. The whole thing, including the nave, which Michelangelo didn't want built and was added after his death, is the length of 7 football fields. And the dome? Seven stories high. Seven. Unbelievable. I toured the church for a bit, then did the climb of the dome. For this, you take an elevator half way, and then climb 320 steps inside the dome to the top. Apparently, this is a lot. The climb is inside the dome, so the stairs are curved inside its face. As the stairs climb and the dome gets narrower, the ceiling starts to lean further and further in. Towards the end of this section I felt pretty claustrophobic. Then, you climb endless spiral stairs to get to the top, which of course don't have railings. I hate spiral staircases; they're just too tight. When I finally made it to the top, the view was very nice, but not worth that climb.
I stayed up there for a good half an hour, just because I dreaded the descent. And rightly so. It was terrible. I was terrified the entire time that I was going to trip, have nothing to grab on to, and just fall forever. I had to sing songs in my head to distract myself from my panic. Obviously, I made it back down just fine. But I would not recommend this sight to other travelers.
By the time I made it out of St. Peter's, it was 3:45, which was long past when most restaurants stopped serving lunch. I decided to have a picinic in a nearby park instead of dining at a terrible tourist trap place. I perused a nearby market, and end up with a ball of mozzerrella, prosciutto, a loaf of bread, coconut yogurt, peach flavored water, and a chocolate candy bar for 6€. It was a feast. I dined in the park next to Castel Sant'Angelo, and watched this little kid do laps around the park on a Segway. I then returned to the hostel and get cleaned up.
Once I was presentable, I went out to the common room and joined in a round of drinking games. Everyone who was in at the hostel joined in, which was pretty cool because our group included Koreans, Germans, a guy from the Ukraine, Argentinians, British, and Chinese. We would play a game for a while, then someone would teach everyone another game. At one point we were playing a game where you went around a circle saying numbers aloud, and we changed it so that everyone had to say their number in their own language. Fun, but very challenging to keep up with where we were.
We played drinking games for such a long time that we missed the train to the bar we wanted to go to. We ended up going to a bar up the street. It looked very sketchy, but the rest of the group thought it was fine so I joined them. It ended up being a really fun evening. We played never have I ever and drank cheap red wine. The owner even gave us a bottle on the house. Afterwards, we stopped and got kebabs. I had never had it before, but it was amazing. Delicious food inside a yummy tortilla! Like mexican, but better.
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