I know it's been awhile since my last post, but I have been away for awhile. My trip to Italy definitely had its highs (Rome) and lows (Naples), but overall it was a great experience and one that I can truly say I learned something. I flew into Rome, took a train to Naples, a train back to Rome and then a ferry to Sardinia in the course of the week. More or less, here's what went down.
I got to Rome a little late in the evening due to a delayed flight, leaving me not much time to explore the city the first day. Instead, I wandered a little bit around the neighborhood of my hostel, got my bearings as to how the Metro and bus system worked, and found some cheap eats at the train station grocery store. After the trains, flight, and buses, I was a little tired, and called it an early evening, as I had a long next day ahead of me.
As to what everyone says about Rome, that it is hot, busy with tourists, dirty, and whatever other negative connotations you can think of, I found the opposite to be true. It wasn't that hot, and since there are so many different things to do and see in the city, it seemed as if the hordes of tourists were so spread out in the city that I didn't seem to notice it being that crowded. It's not like Venice, where you have 10,000 people crammed onto the Rialto Bridge, or playing with pigeons in St. Mark's Square. It actually felt pretty laid back. My first destination was the Colosseum, two Metro stops away from the station and easy to find. Climb out of the subway, and boom, there it is in all of it's pock marked, 2000 year old glory. It was impressive. Standing inside and imagining what it must have been like in there all those years ago is quite a scene. Kinda makes me wish they'd bring back gladiator times and cheering for the lions. I spent a couple of hours walking around inside, but it didn't seem like that long. Like I said, you just sort of get lost in your imagination there. From the Colosseum, I walked across the street to Palatine Hill where a majority of the Roman ruins lie. Again, your mind starts to wander in these places. The sports park, the gardens, the churches, the homes, graves, and the rest of the rubble that takes you back to the days of the Romans (the old Romans, not the ones trying to sell you four Euro water). On to the Pantheon, which was pretty incredible since there was a choir singing inside mingling with all of the tourists as they sang. Raphael's grave, check. Picture of the hole in the ceiling, check. Onwards, a lot to see in only a couple of days. From there, I walked to the Fontana di Trevi, which was a lot smaller in person than what it looks like in the movies. This was actually the first place I encountered with the hordes of tourists, therefore, take a couple of quick photos and get the hell out of there. It was cool, but not cool enough to fight through the throngs of people to get that perfect shot of the fountain that I could just buy on a postcard ten feet away. I had pretty much knocked off my checklist for the day, so I just wandered for a couple of hours, seeking out some of the less crowded places. One was the Piazza del Popolo, with its fountains at either end and giant tower in the middle. I made my way up to the enormous city park to just relax for awhile and encountered a pretty peaceful place for a city of 3 million, plus the 800 million tourists. It was nice to find somewhere that most people don't deem necessary to see and just escape for awhile. After a 15 minute nap on a bench in the park, I headed back towards the hostel and grabbed a quick bite to eat. Surprise, it was pizza.
The second day in Rome, I primarily was going to spend in Vatican City. Out of the few 'musts' I had to see in Rome, the Sistine Chapel was near the top of my list. Hopped on the Metro and on to the Vatican. I ran into some tour guides on the way, telling me about the lines to get in to the church and the museum and how they could avoid all of that. And they were pretty persistent about it. So, I told one of them that I could probably give a tour myself, since I was a history major in school with a minor in art history. I failed to mention that I was lying and that a lot of the knowledge I had about the Vatican was learned from the movie Eurotrip. She actually, half kiddingly of course, offered me a job. Looking back, if I wasn't lying, I probably would have taken her up on it.
The Vatican itself was pretty damn impressive. It is massive inside, with enough marble to outfit every kitchen and bathroom countertop in Europe. I only spent about an hour inside the church itself, since I really wanted to get over to the museum and the Sistine Chapel. So I headed out and around the city wall to get to what I came to see. Right in I went, no line whatsoever. So don't believe those tour guides when they pester you. Unless it's me. Little to my knowledge, the Vatican has plundered the planet of it's art and history for generations. They not only had Roman art, but artifacts going back to ancient Egyptian times. Way to go Popes of the past. You have a pretty neat little collection of stuff. After weaving through about 5000 years of history, I b-lined it for the Sistine Chapel. Well, b-line isn't the right word, since you have to weave your way through an array of tours of people from all over the world. When you're anxious to see something, old people and stairs are an annoying combination. Finally, I got to my destination. And 'No Photo' is all the guard inside could say. That and 'Shhhhhh'. It's a holy place, or something like that. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I sat there for a good 45 minutes just staring up at that magnificent ceiling. By the time I left, my neck felt as if I was sitting in the front row at an IMAX theater. Well worth it. I moved on to the Castel San Angelo which was a couple of blocks from Vatican City. It was not originally something I had planned to see, but since I was there, what the hell. And I was glad I did. This place provided some amazing vistas of the city and of the Vatican. After a little time off my feet taking in the views, I headed back towards my hostel and in search of food.
Now, I love pizza. But after a few meals of this bready delight, I needed a change. Luckily, I saw a sign for Korean food near a bus stop by the Vatican, and I saw it as a sign from above. Who knew that Rome had a Chinatown? After searching for about 20 minutes, I found this heavenly place where I walked in and just said 'bulgogi'. After some sign language mix of Korean, Italian, and English, the guy finally accepted that I knew what I was talking about, and just had me take a seat. Then, he brought out the spread. It was awesome. Best meal by far in Rome. I wouldn't have figured it would have been Korean food, in Chinatown, in a deserted back alley restaurant. Belly full, I was ready to head back to the hostel to meet up with an Israeli girl I had met earlier. We walked around the city for awhile, visiting some of the sites at night, which was a completely different experience. We grabbed a beer (which she opened with her teeth, which sounds kind of backwoodsy, but for a hot, ex-Israeli military girl, it was pretty damn cool). We walked and talked until about 2 am, and she made me realize a lot of things. (More on that in a future post)
I wish I could have spent more time in Rome, and I definitely intend to go there again. It was an amazing city, with a lifetime's worth of exploring. I would recommend it to anyone going to Italy. Ignore the remarks made by guidebooks about the heat and busyness of the city, and get there. I myself, had a train to catch to Naples, and more importantly, Pompeii. Naples is a completely different story. I'm pretty sure that every single sanitation worker in this town is on strike and no one either seems to know, or no one seems to care. The traffic here is crazy, too. If there's an open piece of pavement, there will be a scooter there shortly. They honk at each other constantly, as if there's anywhere to go. I'm going to make and sell 'Naples makes me horny' bumper stickers and make a mint. When researching the city, I found that there was an old pizza place called Pizza da Michele which was supposed to have the best pizza in the world. When walking to find this mecca of dough and cheese, I saw some people eating it on the street, and asked directions. After they pointed, I asked how it was. All I got was an 'eh'. Not deterred, I turned the corner to find 50 people waiting in line for this glorious thin crust heaven. Now, I was deterred. I'm not waiting an hour in line for a pizza described as 'eh'. I'm pretty sure I could find a good slice of pie in it's birthplace. Instead, I found a little pastry shop with the other thing you have to eat while in Naples. It's a layered phyllo dough confection with sweetened ricotta cheese inside. I had to stop and eat this thing. Unbelievable. And I don't really like sweets all that much. Screw the pizza, I would eat these every single day.
I didn't have much time left to explore this city, so I headed down towards the marina, watched the sunset over Mount Vesuvius across the bay, and weaved my way back up through the streets, taking in some more sites and enjoyed a pasta dinner prepared by the hostel owner's son. I met some pretty cool Australians at the dinner (I think Australia may be deserted with everyone on vacation), and headed to bed shortly after we all shared some wine. I was in a carb overload and needed to sleep it off. Tomorrow was Pompeii.
If you're going to Italy, go to Rome. Then, skip over Naples, and head straight to Pompeii. This is one of the most awe-inspiring places I have ever seen. The ruins are so well kept, it's insane. It's as if the volcano lopped off the top half of the city and left the rest. I skipped ahead of the tour groups and ended up in a back neighborhood of the city. Before I knew it, I was alone, pretty sure that I was in a section of the city that I wasn't supposed to be in. It didn't matter at the time. You get lost in this place. Again, your imagination runs wild with thoughts of what it was like when this was a fully functioning city. How in the hell did these people build such an amazing place without the use of modern tools. Slaves, of course. These were some smart folks, you know, besides the fact that they built the place at the base of a volcano. Ends up, I was in a restricted section, as I had to crawl under a fence to get out. It was nice though, being there alone, without the hordes. As I explored the city further, I found one of the most fascinating things the archeologists uncovered was the frescoes and paintings on the walls of the some of the buildings. These people were better artists with vegetable oil and tomatoes than I could be with Sherwin-Williams at my disposal. I ended up running into the two Aussie girls from my hostel at the site and walked around with them for my last hour there. Again, it was nice to have people to share these experiences with. The next day was primarily going to be trains and a 15-hour boat ride. So after a shower and some dinner, it was off to bed.
After two trains and a shuttle, I got to my ferry with five minutes to spare. Plus, the lady at the ticket office printed me out the wrong ticket, because apparently I look like a Middle Eastern woman to her. I had been in the sun, and haven't had a haircut in a few months, but c'mon. After getting on the boat, I relaxed on the deck and enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Mediterranean. Italians must see this sort of thing all the time, since I was the only one up there watching it. I headed inside, dropped off my pack, grabbed a bite and a beer, you know, to help with sea sickness. I slept on a couch in the bar (yes, those were the accomodation they gave me), and woke up early as we were arriving in Cagliari, Sardinia. Not a ferry ride I recommend. I had decided to go to Cagliari since it seemed like somewhere I would never go again in my life, and why not see somewhere different. Well, after Rome and Pompeii, it was sort of a let down. Don't get me wrong, it's still a beautiful place on the giant rock, but it pales in comparison to where I had just been. I made it out to Poetto Beach, which was the first sandy beach I had been on in a long time. Shockingly, the water was freezing, and therefore, not the swimming destination I had desired. Instead, I just fell asleep for a couple of hours, and enjoyed the lazy time. Later that night, I met a guy in my room who was from Colombia, but living in France. We met up later and had a couple of beers and bs'd about everything under the sun. Travel, women, stereotypes about Colombians, everything. Did you know that not everyone in Colombia does coke? News to me.
Off to the airport in the morning. And this ended up being one long day. Shuttle to the airport. Delayed flight to Frankfurt/Hahn airport by an hour. Bus from Hahn to Frankfurt train station - two hours. Delayed train by an hour from Frankfurt to Nurnberg - four hours total. And then I reach the Nurnberg train station to find that the last train home has already run. I was close to sleeping at the station, when I saw a line of people at the information desk. I went over there, and due to the delays in the trains, they were giving people cabs home. I got to split one with a couple that lives an hour away from me. I made it home, however, just past midnight.
In retrospect, I would have spent more time in Rome, taken a train directly down to Pompeii and would have finished the trip up on the Amalfi Coast. Just another learning experience. Oh yeah, and Ryan Air's airports suck. They're two hours away from the major airports and after shuttles and trains, the cost savings of their flights don't mean jack.
I learned a lot about my life on this trip, but I'm going to save that for the next blogpost. I also learned a lot about travel, and a lot about regret (travel and otherwise). More to come.....
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