Naples

I hate to think that I started something and never finished. So, despite it being almost three weeks after my European adventure, I figured I should complete what I started...even if no one reads it.

We took a high-speed train from Florence to Naples. They are much more expensive than regional trains, but most definitely worth it. 3 hours vs 7 hours.

I had heard through the grapevine that Naples has somewhat of a shady reputation: gangs, crime, etc. They say that about many large European cities, but this one in particular I was under the impression to be extra-cautious.

We got off to a rocky start. Being wise Shannons, we neglected to write down the address of our hostel. So upon our arrival to the train station...we had no clue where to go. Therefore we wandered the streets in search of an Internet cafe. Bad idea. It was hot and there were lots of people on the street selling crap and trying to lure us with their broken English sales pitches. The funniest one we encountered was a guy on a motorcycle who pulled up to us out of the blue, opened his leather jacket, and said "Would you like to buy an iPad?", showcasing the one tucked into his jacket. Weird.

We walked back to the train station and found a tourist information center aka SAFE HAVEN. They gave us a map and directions.

We had to take the metro to our hostel, which ended up being AMAZING. It was called Welcome Inn, and it was perfect. We had an apartment style room that was lovely, air conditioned, and large. It was family-owned and we were well-received by the man and his wife, "Mrs Pancakes" (she makes pancakes for all the guests every morning!!!). Here's a pic of the room:



It was then time to explore Naples. Daniel, the son of the hostel owners, mapped out the best way to walk the city. He also insisted that we go to Gino Sorbillo's: the self-acclaimed birthplace of pizza. Daniel clearly said, "the best pizza you'll ever have." And then we were off for the rest of the day.

We were starving, so Gina Sorbillo's was our first stop. It was clearly a local favorite as well as a tourist attraction because the place was packed. We had to wait 15 minutes for a table. The anticipation was high! The pizzas were classic Italian style, but they were truly remarkable. I ordered a spicy salami and onion pizza, and Andrew ordered a Salami and ricotta pizza. Both were insanely delicious! I could understand why the pope says its his favorite...its DIVINE (get it?).





YUMMY!

Naples is beautiful. The water, mountains, and islands make up an idyllic scene. We walked, saw all the sights, castles on the water, everything. It was a great day.



At night, we were exhausted. There was an epic lightening storm unlike anything we'd ever seen. There were parts where it wasn't even raining, but the clouds were full of electricity and the lightening was nonstop in the clouds. Check out this video:




Up Next: POMPEII!

Under the Tuscan Thunderstorm

We decided that a trip to Florence is a must. After a less than delightful three hour train ride, we arrived in Renaissance land.

Finding hostels is always a little tricky. You hope for decent signage. Italy lacks decent signage.

So after some wandering, we stumbled upon Hostel Luna Rossa. This place was adorable. We got to use of one those old elevators, where you open a door into a cage. I always find those fascinating and old school. The hostel was small, in terms of capacity. It felt like the owners welcomed you into their home. We had a huge room equipped with both a flat screen TV and a desktop computer. Later we would find them pointless because the storm screwed up the internet and the satellite.

I took to Florence more so than Rome. I always favor "smaller cities" because they feel more homey. It's why I like Madison. It's why I chose to study in Vienna. Cities like New York and Rome are wonderful in their own right, but a person like me feels slightly overwhelmed. Florence was perfect. It had beautiful art/architecture/food/people.

After seeing what felt like hundreds of churches over the prior 5 weeks, I think I found my favorite one in Florence. I wish I could be indie and lie and say that my favorite church was some small, off the beaten path, hidden gem. Nope. I'm going to be unoriginal and say that my favorite was the Duomo. I think people who would say some random church are just trying to be cool and eclectic. The Duomo is awesome because of the colors. It was colorful and that's why I liked it. Simply put. I don't really know its history, but I don't so much care.


Another highlight in Florence: The statue of David. It's huge. Much bigger and greater than I expected. That's a good thing, considering I had to pay like 14 euro to get into Academia, which besides David, holds a less than impressive collection. But I managed to stare at him (a la Cameron from Ferris Bueller's Day Off) for a good 15 minutes. Even if you're not a museum fan, if you're ever in Florence, go see it. It's worth it. He's decently good-looking ladies! I stumbled upon this pic....David returning from a visit to Chicago!


Other Florence highlights:
-I got sick, not so much a highlight
-it stormed
-they have really awesome stores/street vendors. Bargaining is fun!
-I discovered my brother has some innate ability to disagree with, counter, or one-up every remark I make. ("It's a nice day today" --- "It's nice everyday in LA") He apparently holds deep-rooted grudges against me stemming from childhood insecurities. GET OVER IT. We continue to argue like we did in middle school. I do wonder whether it will ever end.
-Clarification: We do have fun when we aren't bitching at one another. It's love/hate, but mostly love. I'm clarifying this so my mother doesn't cry when she reads it.
-my new addiction to coca cola grows. Why order water when it is cheaper and more economical to buy pop or alcohol?


Purchased high speed train tickets down to Naples. Journey continues.

T

ROME

When you're in hostels, using the internet is a P in the A. Hence, I have not updated this blog...and I leave for home tomorrow.

As I'm stuck in this nasty airport hotel for the night, it's the perfect time to catch up!

ROME


We arrived from Vienna to Rome last Sunday. We took an airport shuttle bus to the hostel. The van ride was one of the most nauseating drives I have ever experienced. The driver 1) went over 100 mph 2) went over 100 mph down bumpy cobblestone streets 3) went 100 mph down THIN cobblestone streets using a stick shift. Anyone who has been backseat to stick shift driving knows that its a lot of slowdown-acceleration jumps (does that even make sense?). I never felt so car sick in my life.

We stayed in Alessandro's Palace Hostel. Expensive--but it had a nice room. They didn't have an elevator...and that was unfortunate. This hostel felt a lot more like a hotel. This is good for some people, but it had a less youthful atmosphere.

Where to begin with Rome? I can sum up the three days there in two words: Sightseeing and Pasta.

I don't really feel like getting into what we saw. Not that I don't appreciate it, but most people know the sights...and it is hard to describe the feeling of looking at some really amazing things. My personal favorite? The Colosseum. Obvious choice, but you can't help to imagine all the crazy shit that went on in that place. I thought the Vatican was quite fascinating as well..and creepy. But that's just me!

MEL AND TIM--here's a shout-out video of 2 of your beautiful offspring while inside the Colosseum. "LOOK WHERE WE ARE!"



Whoever has said they had bad food in Rome, they are mental. The food was AMAZING. Rome was the beginning of my malnutrition. I pretty much eat bread and pasta everyday. We generally had 2 meals each day. I went a good 6 days without fruits, vegetables, or milk. Gross.

Check out Picasa pictures (up soon) to see my other Roman activities. It was amazing and a tourist-must!

T