TODAY WAS ROME!!
I should probably warn you... I'm in a weird mood. It's a little disappointing that I just got used to saying a few phrases in Italian as I'm leaving. Sometimes I would slip up and say 'oui' instead of 'si'. So you probably have guessed already, but Rome was amazing! Here is a list of what I did: -Walking tour by the Spanish steps -Ate strawberries by the Fontana die Quatro Fiumi (which I assume means four continents because that's what it's a fountain of) -GELATO -Pantheon -Trevi Fountain -Colosseum -Roman Forum / Palatine Hill (I'll be honest with you, every time I've seen that name in my head I say 'Palpatine Hill') -Spaghetti and clams for dinner Not a bad day right? I am now on a train taking me to Vienna, but I'll get to that in a minute. After the walking tour I went back to the Pantheon so I could go inside. We passed by earlier on our walking tour. My good friend Jade Lee Terry told me to get gelato near the Pantheon. I saw a couple of places so I figured I was going to have to try them all ;) On the walking tour I bought a cone, and then when I went back to go inside the Pantheon I decided to try another place because the line to the Pantheon was really long. I had seen a few signs for Venchi Gelato, and that name sounded more familiar. The second I tasted the gelato I knew that was the one Jade was talking about. (I KNEW Jade. We're such kindred spirits I can read her thoughts) HEAvENLY. So for brunch I had gelato, and for lunch I had a chocolate covered crepe with hazelnut gelato. And then I decided to write a poem to describe my feelings (keeping tradition with the last post). Ahem. (That's not part of it) Gelato in the morning Gelato at night I want to take a picture to remember every bite Sometimes bad things happen Sometimes the world is mean But a bowl full of gelato is a joyful scene So when you're feeling dreary Or when you are depressed Eat gelato. After I had what I'll now refer to as the 'gelato experience' I went back to the Pantheon and there was no line! This is what I thought: #KillinThisTouristThing The only downside to today was I didn't find a man that gave me the chance to come home and say "I met a man in Rome and he's wonderful and brilliant and we're getting married" #OneOfMyFavoriteMovies I'm loving traveling guys! You should all do it! And most of the time I love being alone. SPEAKING OF being alone, I boarded the train to Austria right? It's supposed to be a night train right? Of course right. I board. I have the top bunk again. I sit and wait for my car companions to arrive. The time to departure is drawing nearer. NOBODY ENTERS MY CAR!!! I'm actually not sure why it made me so happy, but I couldn't contain my excitement for a few minutes. And I squeaked (as the sqeakelers do). I thought 'what have I done in my life to deserve such luxury?!' And then this song popped into my head: Perhaps I had a wicked childhood Perhaps I had a miserable youth But somewhere in my wicked miserable past there must have been a moment of truth Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could so somewhere in my youth, or childhood I must have done something good And then I thought, 'How appropriate that Sound of Music should pop into my head whilst I am ON A TRAIN to Austria! So I made a few lip synch videos to dance out my excitement. So there it is. Rome and a glimpse into my train of thoughts. Get it? TRAIN? Alright I should probably go to bed. It's not even late. The train conductor said another lady will be joining me at another stop. I don't mean to be hatin' on strangers, but I sincerely hope she changes her mind. #AloneAndGiddy
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Today was my last day in Naples. I wish I could have more time here. I was actually a little skeptical about Naples because it has a little bit of a reputation... But it's been great!
This is morning I went and saw a famous sculpture of Christ at the Capella Sansevero. If you have the inclination you should google a picture. It was awesome. I think I'll always be amazed at how they can get marble to look like draping fabric. Then I went and did a tour of the Theater San Carlo, commissioned by King Charles the III. The people of Napoli are very proud of this theater. They say all the famous European theaters were modeled after this one. It was pretty fancy. We got to sits in the Royal Box for a few minutes to watch a ballet rehearsal. After the theater I had gnocchi. Perfecto. Then I took a train to Pompei. Let me just say that planning ahead has been so wonderful. A lot of tourists book these expensive day trips that drive you down and guide you around the park. It is so much better to travel like a local. €2.60 for a train ticket. I was was supposed to meet my friend this morning at the chapel, but she didn't end up making it. Guess what? She was on the same train I was to get to Pompei! What are the odds? Pompei was amazing! I probably overuse that word huh? I took SO many pictures! After our guided tour we met two other people and explored more of the city with them for a couple of hours. If you go to Pompei the part of the city where the tour guides don't go is the BEST part of the city. We we came back to Naples and walked around to try to find a place to eat. I ended up grabbing a fried pasta dough ball that was delicious. Our tour guide mentioned yesterday that they don't have many fast food restaurants because you can get traditional Napoli fried fast food for very cheap. I spent €2 on dinner. The prices in Naples have been awesome too. I love making friends that speak English! Well tomorrow row is going to be packed with Rome so I probably won't write again until Sunday. Ttfn. words I learned today:
Piazza- plaza via- street nuovo- new castel- castle Uscita- exit Now some of those (or maybe all of them) may seem like common sense... But then again.... maybe not? I started at a museum which has a big collection of artifacts that were recovered from Pompeii. Cool stuff. The mosaics were the best part in case you're planning a trip :) At 11 I met with a tour group to talk about the old city. Founded by Greeks, but taken over by Romans, then the Franks, then Germans, then Frank's again, then the Spanish, then they were their own kingdom for a while, then the unification of Italy in 1861. It it seemed a little bit like Napoli wasn't too happy about unification and they still kinda wish they were their own territory (like Catalunya in Barcelona). Saw lots of churches, castels, and piazzas. Saw the birthplace of pizza and ate at the 'best pizza place in the city'. It came recommended by Giovanni, the tour guide, AND Lonely Planet. Friends, it was good. And fairly cheap too. These Napoli people take their pizza seriously. They have a Napoli Pizza Association that only gives their stamp to certain restaurants that have true Napolitan pizza. I met a girl from California who I hung out with all day (shout out to Maya if you read this ;) it was nice being a tourist with someone who spoke English. And experiencing the best pizza in the world brings people together. The gelato wasn't bad either. 'Wasn't bad' is too mild. The gelato was heavenly. It took me to a better emotional state of being. I flew on wings of golden doves. And when I closed my eyes and took a lick, I saw the moon. Italy inspires the poetry in me. Ha, not my best work. We did another free walking tour in the afternoon, with the same guy, down by the harbor. Saw some more castles and piazzas. So I'm pretty much an expert on Napoli. I still haven't had the opportunity to use my favorite Italian word. I'm pretty exhausted, tomorrow should also be full of tourist shtuff. Which makes sense because I'm a tourist. UNESCO is working hard to restore all sorts of sites around the city. So in 10 years it'll be more tourist-friendly but also more expensive. I may have to come back! There are some underwater Roman ruins that I won't have time to explore on this trip. And then islands. And half the castles and museums I didn't get to go inside. True, this city has the looming threat of the mafia... But I think I can handle them (knock on wood). Until tomorrow! I know I've been slacking a little. My last few days have kind of merged together.
Life moves pretty fast, if you blink-you might miss it. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I've referenced a lot of movies on here. Lord of the Rings mostly but I distinctly remember Parks and Rec and New Girl. So here's what I wrote yesterday- ------------- Today I took a train back to Paris. I could be happy walking down the Seine everyday. It was raining a little and there weren't many people out. Guess what? I loved it. I was literally snapping and skipping down the sidewalk. I only had a couple of hours in the city, so I went to a fromagerie (cheese store) and tried all their free samples. I also went to a place someone on the internet recommended for crème brulée and tried that. Then I went to a café and ordered a brioche roll. I'm currently suspended from the ceiling in a train car. Our at has 6 'couchettes' and I got the top one. I'm excited about it. Except for the guy across the isle keeps staring at me that's a little weird. ------------- So I took a night train and woke up in Milan. I spent a few hours walking around. There's an awesome dog park in the middle of the city. Then around noon I took a train to Naples which is where I am now. So the Italian guy, he is an older guy and has turned his home into a hostel. After I get off the train I take a metro to my hostel and start walking up the street. As I am walking up the street I hear 'hi Tara!' It's the hostel I'm supposed to be staying at. I told him what time I was coming so he waited on his balcony for me! So I walk up to his apartment which his family has owned in Naples for generations. He spends about 1.5 hours giving me info on the city of Naples. I've actually gotta keep it short so I can write it all down before I forget. Giovanni (that's his name) took hilighters and marked up a map of places to see and places not to see. He had webpages bookmarked on his computer to show me pictures of things to see. He also collects guidebooks and knew which pages to open to. This guy knows Napoli. He he told us Napoli is more Roman (ancient wise) than Rome. He is definitely a fan of this city and I feel like I got some really good advice! Then he made me a plate of pasta! It might have trumped the most delicious pasta I have ever eaten. That's probably why he makes it, to impress all the foreigners. But now that I have all this advice I'm stressed that I won't have enough time to see it all. I've just been convinced that Naples is cooler than Rome. I suppose it's not fair that I haven't been to Rome and I'm only going to spend 10 hours there.... But that's life. Sometimes you only get to spend 10 hours in Rome ya know? |
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