ITALY!!!
Italy...where to start? So much to tell!!! My Italian adventure started with my flight from Frankfurt to Milan, flying over the Swiss Alps. They were gorgeous and went on for a very long time! Can't wait for the time when I can explore that area, especially on a snowboard!! After arriving in Milan, taking the bus to the main part of town, then navigating the metro and the streets of Milan I make it to my hostel to drop off my bag. Seemed a little sketchy at first, it was in an alley, with these older Italian guys running it. They had me just leave my bag in an empty room while they were cleaning my room, not locked up or anything. I was a little nervous, but it was fine! They turned out to be very cool people, fun to talk to. And the hostel was alright.
My day in Milan...let's just say I suggest for anyone heading that direction to only dedicate at most a day in Milan. I had about half a day, it was a very hot day, and it was enough. Not that this isn't a city worth visiting, it is, just not long. The reason it is worth it is because of the Duomo. It is the biggest, most interesting architecturally that makes it worth it! I also saw an old opera house and walked up on an outdoor concert. Saw the castle, walked through a nice park...where I witnessed a purse robbery, uh oh! Also, Milan was worth it because it is one of two cities in Italy that contains the best gelato shop! So I had my first gelato in Italy and it was amazing!! I fell asleep next to the Duomo and was rudely awoken by a police officer telling me I couldn't sleep there, whoops! And that was the end of my Milan experience!
Yummy Gelato!!
Duomo in Milan
I woke up the next morning very excited, for I was off to the Cinque Terre!!!! I have heard so much about this place and was ready for some outdoor adventure, small town life, and some time to myself! The day did not start out smoothly though. Nothing bad in particular happened, just discovered quickly how much I dislike the Italian train system. Not punctual like in Germany, dirty and stinky, and unreliable. They are known for their random strikes in which case the public is out of luck! Their platforms are also very confusing. Their signs are sparse and while on the train there is no where that says where your going or where you are. So it just took me a lot longer than expected to get to the Cinque Terre, but I did make it! The Cinque Terre is on the west coast, southwest of Milan. It is a series of five small towns all connected by a hiking trail and train. There is a road, but the best way to discover these town are by hiking or train. Of course, I chose hiking to explore them!
My hostel was in Riomaggiore, the steepest town I have been in! It was a tiring walk just to the hostel! The hostel was a little cramped, but seemed nice and social so I was sure I would meet some people! After dropping off my stuff I went to the biggest of the five towns, Monterosso, known for its big beaches. I found a nice beach at the end of town to lay and read for a few hours. It was great, just a little worried about my stuff! Then I walked through the town and discovered a church and cemetery on top of a hill with awesome views of the coast. Then I ate a panini while overlooking the gorgeous water and horizon, then headed back to homebase. This area of Italy has been highly discovered by Americans, so there are a lot of us around here. Kinda makes you cheat being able to easily speak English, but kind of nice as well. Riomaggiore is a cute little town with lots of local flavor. I walked to the top of the town to watch the sunset. It was the best spot and view! Not too many people around, above the cliffs, next to the water! On my way back to hostel I went to the church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, patron saint of Genoa. There was organ music vibrating the church when I walked in, no one in there, it was amazing. I just sat and listened. A very personal, humbling moment!
Sunset at Riomaggiore
View of the Cinque Terre coastline from the beach I laid at
Second day in the Cinque Terre was awesome!!! I woke up early to start my hike, from Riomaggiore to Monterossa. It was a warm, humid morning, but an easy hike to town #2, Manarola. The mail trail from Manarola to Corneglia was closed for some reason so I took a higher, longer trail. After Corneglia the trail got steeper with many steps. Went through some forest, over water, through vineyards where people were working and not paying me any attention at all, behind houses, through yards, along the cliffside, and through towns. It was a very different, fun, interesting hike! The whole things took me about 4.5 hours. I got passed twice, once by an older guy running through the vineyards, second by a young fit guy running the tough section, I was impressed. That night I made the best Italian salad! I bought lettuce, tomatoes, pesto, and cheese and ate outside the hostel. It was so good, the pesto makes the difference!
End of the trail
Train station in Riomaggiore
Yummy!!
After Cinque Terre, off to Rome to meet my friend Danielle!! Well, my mistake, I thought she flew in the day I went to Rome, actually it was the next day. So I had made plans and hostel reservations that I panickly had to find an internet place in Rome so I could get things switched and find a place to stay that night. Turned out to work out just fine! I hadn't thought I was going to get to explore Rome much, but this gave me the chance to. I have been to Rome before, and was not that impressed by that trip. So glad I got to see it again on foot. My previous impression was so skewed, probably because it was only on a big bus. Rome remains in my mind just a busy, crazy, touristy, city; but it has so much history and culture to experience, you can't help but enjoy visiting Rome, only for a short while. And the hostel I stayed in was actually a camp! Quite a long ways outside of Rome with frustrating train and bus rides, but it had a pool, volleyball, BBQ, supermarket, bar, and restaurant. Had everything you needed, it was nice and great place to socialize and meet people.
In half a day, I quickly walked through Rome exploring Ancient Rome, the colosseum, arch of Constantine, St. Peter's in chains, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and even a few wedding going on in ancient Rome. The Trevi Fountain was very crowded, but very cool. Not sure what is supposed to be so exciting about the Spanish Steps except for a busy hangout spot. Next to the colosseum I had my first Italian pizza, a Margherita pizza. It was so good, bigger than I expected but I ate the whole thing! Had to! The cappuccino was amazing, I even had two!
Arch of Constantine
Significant for it is where Constantine won the battle for Christianity to become legal in the 300's AD
Colosseum
My first pizza!
The best cappuccino, I miss it. And so pretty!
As I was reading my little touristy book, I read that the Vatican Museum is free on the last Sunday of the month. How lucky was I that this just so happened to be the morning I was in Rome and Danielle wasn't arriving until the afternoon! I was pumped. I was afraid there would be a long line, which there was, but once the museum opened I got in fast and the crowd dispersed. It as awesome! My favorite was the greek sculpture area and the Sistine Chapel, of course. Luckily we could take pics in all areas except in the Sistine Chapel, bummer. Then I went into the Basilica, where I had forgotten the pope arrived every Sunday at 1000 AM to pray, I just so happened to be right at the perfect spot at the perfect time to get a good view of the pope walking in. It was such a coincidence! I didn't wait for him to go out into the square for I knew that crowd would be insane! After watching the service for a little while I decided it was time to head to the train station in hopes of finding Danielle.
The pope... which one is he?!
After waiting a few hours at the station, I finally found her!! I knew she would be tired so we just went back to the camp, got settled, and hung out at the pool. My impatient self decided to go play volleyball, there was a group of guys playing. They turned out to be from Ireland. They were fun to talk to!! Totally had to make fun of their accents! We learned a lot from them, slang terms they use, how they love Obama, and much more! After volleyball Danielle and I decided we were gonna go hit the town, the Irish guys joined us. Didn't do a whole lot, mainly just walked around the city hanging out with the guys. Glad we were with them, Rome gets a little scary at night. Unfortunately the Metro stops in Rome early, so we had to catch a taxi to get home. Didn't want to have to pay for that, but had to get home!
Some Irish terms we learned:
"Class"- meaning awesome or cool
"Chunes"- otherwise known as tunes for us
Danielle, Darren, John, Ciaran, myself, and Padraic in front all high and mighty! Yes, he did go out into Rome dressed like that
After Rome, we were off to Firenze (Florence). I wasn't originally planning on going to Florence, but by recommendation from a girl I met in the Cinque Terre, I changed my mind and thought it worthy of a visit. Stayed in a camp again here. Great view of city, but not as nice as the one in Rome. We ate some gelato and watched the sunset from Piazza Michelangelo overlooking the city! It was gorgeous.
Overlooking Florence
Second day in Florence we walked through the city, starting at the Academia, to the Duomo, Lorenzo Market and Central Market, and along some other streets. I tried to give Danielle a chance to navigate through this city, haha, good try Danielle, I took back over after not long!
The Academia houses Michelangelo's sculpture, "David." The museum itself is definitely not worth the 11 euros if it wasn't for this sculpture, really it is the only thing worth seeing here. We weren't even supposed to take pics in this museum, but knowing me, yes I snuck a pic of the statue, had to!! Such an amazing sculpture. You can see the veins in his hands, every feature popping out at you! Such artwork!
David
The next day we left Florence to take train to explore Lucca, then overnight in Siena. Lucca is really cool. There are Ramparts you can walk along surrounding the old part of the city. Very nice. Good place for a bike ride. Here I tried a Garbanzo bean crepe and a glass of wine, they were ok. I would have liked to stay here in Lucca, but we moved on to Siena. We never would have found the right bus stop for our hostel here if it wasn't for a lady on the bus I asked to tell me when we arrived at the stop. Luckily she knew which stop was the ostella (hostel). This was my least favorite hostel. Unfriendly staff, nothing to do at hostel, curfew at 12, and nothing around the hostel. Not to mention the long bus ride to get to the hostel. That night we were playing cards and did meet some guys from France (Gatol and Jeremy) that we talked to and played cards with. It was fun.
In Siena we walked around the city center. It has a nice big square set lower than the surrounding streets. Pretty cool. We got some gelato and lunch and walked to the basilica. This was one of the coolest churches, it sets high up on a hill overlooking the rest of the city. Awesome old building. This was about it in Siena, not too much of a town. Should have only spent one night here.
Gelato!
Our next day we took train all the way from Siena to the Amalfi Coast. It was our longest train day, with no stopping in any towns along the way to explore. Kind of a boring day. I was very worried about that night as well. As I was looking at hostels to stay in on the coast I decided on this VERY cheap hostel call Sir John Hostel. No reviews, not too much information. Couldn't even find the town it was in on the map! So I emailed the guy asking him how to get to the place. He says just call when we get to the train station and he will pick us up. Kinda sketch huh? I didn't even really think about the problems this could cause. Luckily when we got to the train station there was a guy there that nicely let me use his phone. Otherwise there were no payphones anywhere that we could have called for our ride. After calling him he took about an hour to pick us up. I was a little worried he wouldn't. But he drove us to the hostel and got us all checked in! Very dumpy little hostel, only other people living there were two students that had been there since September! Oh well, it was cheap. We had to take the train to the amalfi coast, kinda a pain, but not bad. The first day on the coast we took the bus down which was busy and crowded, so we didn't go as far as we expected and bailed early at a nice looking beach. It was nice, and fun just chilling on the beach. Very nice day. Had to wait a while to catch the bus back up the coast, then missed our train back to Fisciano so had to wait an hour to catch the very last train that night. And it was a long walk from train station to the hostel, so I was kind of tired by the time we finally made it back, but we did!
At the beach
Second day on the coast we decided to take the bus all the way down the coast, then take the ferry back. We walked through Positano, a cute town nestled right on the cliffy coastline. Very cool how they build their towns and building here. The ferry ride back up the coastline was more expensive than the bus, but was totally worth it! It was gorgeous seeing the coastline, and much more enjoyable than the crowded bus ride! Back in Fisciano we were walking around and I saw a bunch of old guys just sitting along the street. They looked so grumpy, but looked like the typical Italian picture you imagine of guys just sitting, talking and watching. I decided I had to get a pic! Once I started attempting to talk to them, they aren't grumpy at all. They loved me taking their picture! One guy even showed me around their little club and bought me and Espresso! It was great. Danielle thought I got lost and started worrying about me, but I loved talking to them!
On the ferry
Typical picture of old Italian men hanging out on the street!
Leaving Fisciano! I was excited!
The next day was a very interesting, long day, and the start of quite a journey in Naples. A much longer, much more interesting visit of Naples than I expected. Danielle has a brother that lives in Naples, so had contacted him to try and pick us up in Fisciano so we would avoid a train ride to Naples. Turned out to be a bad idea. I had forgot that Fisciano was so small it wasn't even on the map and other Italians didn't even know of the town! We also had no means of communication with her brother once we left the hostel. So we end up sitting at the train station for two hours waiting on him, no phone to call him. Finally I walk trying to find a phone, 45 min later I do to find out he had tried with little success to find Fisciano and told us just to take the train to Naples. Well this was not easy to do. Had to wait forever for the trains, then our train to Naples broke down or somethings. No one spoke English and we couldn't understand what anybody was saying. So we had to wait on a bus to come rescue us. We FINALLY made it to Naples, much later than we had thought. So once we finally found her brother, all three of us were very frustrated for waisting so much of the day. He had spent the morning driving to a town he couldn't find, then waiting for us at the train station. And we spent most the day waiting at the train station and on the train or bus. The only day I regretted not having any means of communication during my European travels. So I didn't get a very good start or introduction to Danielle's brother, we were all just in not very good moods.
Naples in a very gross, busy, stinky city. The only thing it has going for it is good food and pizza, good views, nightlife, and lots of things to do around the city. Maybe there is more to the city than I discovered, but not that I could tell. When we walked around the city center, this wasn't even worth doing. Nothing really stood out. There was a few good views of the port and the bays, but that's about it. We ate at supposedly the best pizza place in the world (ever read or seen Eat, Pray, Love?). It was alright, but definitely none of our favorites. Luckily Jeremy's apartment is outside of the city a little ways on a hill overlooking the bay. Has a gorgeous view and you kind of feel like you are out of the disgusting of the city. Everywhere you look in Naples there is trash and a lingering disgusting smell. But for some reason, I spent a significant amount of time of my trip here and I really enjoyed it!
We went to Mt. Vesuvius, unfortunately on an overcast day, but it was good weather for hiking, not too hot. Expensive just to do a short hike to the top of the mountain, but it was fun. We all made it to the top also! Felt great to do something active after such a frustrating few days. After hiking we got ready to experience some nightlife in Naples!
Best pizza in the world? We didn't think so, but the crowd speaks otherwise
Mt Vesuvius
The night was so fun! Started with Jeremy taking us out for some real Italian food! And it was a lot of it. We only ordered some antipasta and one pizza, nothing compared to a typical Italian dinner. They eat a lot. There was tons of food for us though! We had fried dough balls, mozzarella, bruschetta, eggplant, zucchini, ham, sausage, shrimp, and octopus. The mozzarella here is supposedly the best, and I agree, it was delicious, so light and fluffy! Nothing like what we think of mozzarella. Had the best wine I have ever tasted, guess real Italian wine is good! Then we met up with these two greeks and went out on the town! The greeks were fun to hang out with! Ended up not getting much sleep that night after going out then watching Troy after we got back to the apartment. It was a fun night nonetheless!
At dinner, the pizza man in the background!
Next day, I guess everyone was a bit tired. I was able to get some sleep in the morning so I took a walk by myself to this castle nearby. It was a hot day, but I kind of enjoyed the walk by myself to think and get out. Unfortunately I couldn't go in to the castle, but it was cool to see. After getting back and waiting for a while, we decided to go see these "caves." Not too exciting because they were full of trash. But kind of fun walking along the water and rocks to get to them and looking at the water. Naples is gross and stinky, but has some hidden charm that is difficult to find, but it is there! There are some great views and friendly people, and really good food! We walked along the river some more, chilled on the rocks, then got some pizza to take back to eat on the roof of Jeremy's apartment. This is the best part about his place, has the nicest rooftop to enjoy the view and really appreciate Naples, from a distance! It was a fun day, ended it by falling asleep watching Robin Hood. This was another interesting thing about this part of the trip. Since Jeremy is in the Navy, he maintains many American privileges and shops on base so has lots of American food. So we were able to use the internet, watch movies, and eat at his place, at times didn't feel like we were in Italy. I even got to go to base with Jeremy and work out, go bowling, and watch a movie! He also bought a jar of peanut butter just for me since I requested it! It was the only thing I was really missing!
Had more pizza in a week than I have had in more than a year!
One night we went out into the city and got the best gnocchi ever! I actually have never had gnocchi before, and since this was the first time I have had it, I probably never will have it again unless it is in Italy. It was amazing!
Over the weekend, Jeremy wasn't working and it was our last few days in Italy, so he decided to rent a car so we could really explore some of Italy you can't explore by train. It was the best idea! We went into Tuscany area and it was the best few days of the whole trip! By recommendation from a past coworker I wanted to visit Civita. And so glad I did! It was gorgeous!! This town sits alone right on top of a hill, in a grand canyon, lots of vegetation, only access to the town is by a pedestrian bridge. There are only a few residents remaining in the town due to bombings and earthquakes, but it is still kept up very well. We just meandered through the town and discovered this old lady requesting for us to walk through her garden, she was so cute. Jeremy could kind of pick out a few things she was saying, but otherwise she was just rambling a bunch of stuff to us we had no idea what. It was an amazing experience with great company and awesome views. Perfect setting and perfect weather and temperature.
Civita
After exploring this town we headed to Orvieto where we planned to spend the night. As we were driving through the Tuscan countryside, I just see the most amazing view and had to stop to soak up the serenity and beauty of the moment! Words or pictures cannot express how beautiful and perfect this was!
If you are still reading, sorry for such a long post and thank you for bearing with me! There is just so much to talk about!!
Orivetto is pretty cool, it sits atop a hill and under the town in the hillside runs caves underneath the whole town. You can tour a very small percentage of these caves, which we did. People used to use them for increased space and storage, wine storage, etc.
Orvieto
After Orvieto we drove to Narni, the town that was the inspiration for the chronicles of Narnia. Nice to drive through the countryside and town. Atop a hill in the town we discovered a castle. No one around, couldn't tell if it was open to the public or what, but was walked around it and found a stairway to the top. Not sure if we were supposed to go to the top, but we did, and didn't get caught! It was cool.
Then off to Terni, where we did an amazing hike from the top of a waterfall to the bottom and back up. Not too long, but it was fun and gorgeous, with great company!! Got some good pics here, not just by me, turns out Jeremy enjoys taking pics as well, and is good at it!
That night evening we headed to Rome for what was supposed to be our last night in Europe. We played some volleyball, always tons of fun!! Then we relaxed for a bit and talked before hitting the town of Rome one more time. This time we had a car, so no taxis!! It was a long, late night in Rome, but tons of fun! I was dreading the next day, but last minute I decided I wasn't ready to leave, so I decided to stay a couple more days. Spontaneous, crazy decision, but so glad I did!
Went back to Naples, relaxed a bit, then went out for gnocchi again along with eggplant parmesan and bruschetta. So glad I got to experience this amazing dish once again! Next day we played some racquetball then went to Caserta Palace. Many movies have been filmed here, like Mission Impossible III. The palace has a huge park behind it. Would take forever to explore the whole thing. There is a waterfall right in the center back of the park as you are walking out from the palace. Gorgeous place! That night Jeremy got me to eat some pretty gross stuff. Like anchovies!! GROSS. I ate mussels just because the owner was standing there watching me eat it. EEEWWW!!!
My true last day in Italy we went on a hike along this ridge-line that overlooks the Amalfi Coast. Unfortunately we got a late start and ended up being a cloudy, rainy day. Couldn't see a whole lot, that was disappointing. The weather started out decent until we were almost at the top, then it started down-pouring on us. And of course, we had no jackets. Luckily at the top there was this little chalet, there were two Italians already in there. So we took refuge in there for about two hours listening to the storm. It was actually kind of fun, but then started getting a little chilly. We finally decided to bear it and head down, we were completely drenched by the time we got back to the car, not just from the rain, but from all the brush we had to hack through! Interesting day, but memorable too. Along this hike, there is a spot where the local come and do a re-enactment of the crucifixion. So there were some crosses and statues on top, and a cave we had to climb through. It was cool.
Next day was the start of a very long journey home. Had to drive to train station, take train from Naples to Rome train station. Then take train to the airport in Rome. Flight from Rome to New York, then flight to Chicago, where I had an overnight layover. I tried to get a little sleep, but wasn't really working for me. Then next day fly from Chicago to Oklahoma City where I got picked up by Kylee and her two month old baby boy, Clark!! It was great to finally be with them. It was such a long, boring, lonely trip back. Made worse by having no phone or internet access.
Clark Patrick Goodson
I wish I could show you more pics, but there are so many that would be really long and take way too long, so these few will have to suffice. My family sat with me for at least 2.5 hours looking at all my pictures!! There is so much more to talk about just since I have been back in America, but that will have to wait for my soon to come next post!!
