Yesterday I was prepared to sit here and write about everything I would miss and things I wouldn't. I was ready to say that I wouldn't miss hitting my head a billion times a day on the roof of my apartment, the pigeons-on-sterroids that wake me and Colleen up every morning, the cobblestone streets that are impossible to walk on, all of the people staring at me as I walk by, the rude Italians, not having a washer, dryer, oven, or cooking supplies/untensils, not being able to communicate well with people, hearing the construction in our apartment complex at all hours of the day and night, the mean checkout man at the grocery store, not being able to find the grocery store for the first day and eating only an apple, the stupid rules of Ryanair, and not being able to cook whatever I wanted. I was then going to write about how I would miss the friends I made, the beautiful sights, being able to travel to a different country every weekend, learning about the people and the culture, the food, all the locals who had helped make my stay more pleasant, and the memories I made here, which continue to make even in my hostel room the night before I leave.
I was prepared to say all of this up until last night when I was beginning to pack. Although these are things that are a pain in the butt, it suddenly hit me that they are also the things that have made this experience so worthwhile. Without going through each one of those events, I would have had a completely different journey here. These are the things that I will remember and look back on with a smile on my face. This morning when I was packed and ready to go, I sat on my bed and looked out my window at those stupid birds. I hit my head for the final time on the ridiculous ceiling. I ate a tiny bit of yogurt because I had no other food to eat. I walked to the train with all of my enormous bags, passing tons of people who didn't so much as offer a hand. These are the things I though I wouldn't miss and that I had been excited to get away from, but as they were all happening for the last time, I found myself getting choked up and nostalgic. Now that I think of it, I don't believe there will be anything I won't miss. How can I not, when everything I went through led me down the path of this amazing journey?
Italy has been an absolute dream, and I wouldn't change a thing. Not even missing my flight in Paris because I know it will make for a great story one day, and it also taught me a great lesson. All in all, I am so sad to leave. I know the tears will be flowing as I take off from the Rome airport, but I know that this great adventure had to come to an end sometime. I don't know if this journey might change my life in the future or if I will find home boring compared to all I did here, but I do know that I will never forget what an amazing experience this was.
Thank you all for reading my "postcards" and sharing this experience with me. If any of you ever come to Italy, be sure to let me know. Who knows, maybe I'll even come with you. Until then, ciao!
Cinque Terre
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Pronounced "Cheen-qua" Terre is a northern Italy vacation spot. The word "cinque" in Italian means "5", so there are 5 little towns along the cliffs and next to the ocean that are not far from each other and can be reached by hiking to each one. It is known for all of the bright colored buildings that are stunning against the turquoise water. Cinque Terre is breathtaking and trying to describe it and put it into words is nearly impossible, but I will do my best.
My friends Amanda, Stephanie and I left for the lovely coast early Friday morning but didn't arrive until 2pm because of the long train ride. We immediately decided we didn't want to waste time on this beautiful day in our hostel, so we went to two of the towns that were closer to us, Manarola and Corniglia. The sun was shining on our faces and the bikini-clad bodies that were laying at the water's edge soaking up the rays. It was so warm that we didn't need a jacket and Amanda changed into her shorts. Manarola is so beautiful, and offers the best photo opportunities of the city if you walk on the hike path away from the city. Most of the other cities didn't have a good spot to take pictures of the city itself unless you were on a boat in the ocean. The hike leading to Manarola, however, offered the most amazing view of the pink, yellow, and salmon houses and the clear, turquoise water below. It didn't seem real because it was SO beautiful. We were lucky that this was the first city we saw because it exceeded anything that I thought I would encounter on our short two-day trip.
We then hiked the 382 steps to the town of Corniglia. Corniglia is not nearly as pretty as Manarola and is super small. It also didn't have any good spots to take pictures, except for this one ledge that looked over the ocean and had cacti and flowers growing on the ocean-side of it, leading all the way down to the water. You couldn't see the city from this place though. We took a break there and ate some nutella sandwiches. We sat there for a long time and watched the sun sink below what looks like the far edge of the ocean where the world drops off.
After the sunset we made our way back to the town we were staying in (just outside of Cinque Terre) to take the bus to our hostel. This bus led us up through the mountains on a very windy road for about 20 minutes. We were all so confused as to where our hostel was, it didn't look like there was any life that high up the mountain! Sure enough, the bus dropped us off right in front of our hostel which was located in the smallest hillside town ever. There was one single restaurant that (luckily) was open. Stephanie and I went and had some pesto spaghetti and wine while Amanda went to bed. We had heard that Cinque Terre is famous for their pesto and my oh my did this dish live up to the high expectations I had. The pesto was so fresh with not much added to it. It was perfection. We headed back to the hostel to get some rest for the big day ahead of us.
Saturday morning we woke up at 7:30am (yes Mom, I woke up that early all on my own during a vacation!!) so that we would be able to get an early start on our day. Our original plan was to head to Riomaggiore, the closest town to us, take the hike called "Villa dell'Amore" (walk of love) to Corniglia where we had been the day before, and take the train from there to Vernazza. After seeing Vernazza we would make our way to Monterosso, the largest of the 5 towns with the biggest beach, and see the town and then lay in the sun all day until our train at 5pm. Well, we woke up and saw that it was raining outside. Yes, raining. Weather.com had NOT prepared us for that! It was supposed to be a nice warm weekend! Well, we sucked it up and headed to Riomaggiore in our sundresses and bathing suits. As soon as we started walking down the hill to the center of town, I slipped on the gravel and sliced my knee. It was gushing blood all over for about 10 minutes before we encountered an old man who had gone home to get me bandaids (which I bled through within an hour). It was an awful situaiton, but it was nice to have had our first look at good Italian hospitality. Even though it was raining and cold, the views were still amazing. Villa dell'Amore was beautiful. I should tell you now that this was the only hike we did because all the rest were closed because of possible mudslides or falling rocks on the sides of the hills.
When we got to Vernazza we sat by the water and took some pictures with the brightly colored kayaks and canoes by us, but not before we had changed back into our jeans and jackets from the day before. We headed to Castello Doria (an old castle with an amazing view of the town and ocean) that my "Go Italy" book had suggested seeing. We paid one euro to enter the old, yet remarkably in tact castle. We walked around, snapped some pictures, climbed to the top of the tower, and took in the sights. After spending a few good hours up there, we got on the 2 minute long train to Monterosso.
By the time we got to Monterosso, we were starving! We walked around the city and found a place to have lunch. I'm so glad we waited until then to get lunch because Monterosso had the most options for food, being the biggest town and all. We ordered what we thought was pizza, but turned out to be bruchetta! My bruchetta had tomato sauce, mozarella, and pesto on it. I never would've thought to combine tomato sauce with pesto, but it was delicious! After lunch we didn't know what to do since the weather was so terrible. I whipped out my "Go Italy" book again and we found a place called "Fast Bar" that was an American-friendly bar that has dollar bills lining the walls, signed by all the visitors who contributed to the creative wallpaper. I realized after being there that I had seen pictures of the bar in some of my friend's pictures who had been to CInque Terre before me. I was so mad that I didn't have a dollar bill to sign/contribute...I mean...who carries around dollars when they only accept euros? While sitting at the table with a margarita in hand and the futbol game blaring above on the TV screen, I found myself reading all the messages on the dollar bills. That's when I discovered the greek letters for Kappa Kappa Gamma (my sorority) etched into the wall. It was so cool to see that another Kappa sister had sat at that same spot as me years before and left her mark! Once we left the bar we decided to get the infamous Focaccia bread- yet another thing Cinque Terre is famous for! Oh. My. God. Those are the only three words that come to mind when I think about this bread. It was so plain, but so tasty! Stephanie got a regular/plain one, and I got one with onions on it. We had to catch the train right after that to come home, but I was so sad once I was on it because I wanted to go back and get more bread!
We got back to Orvieto late Saturday night safely without any mishaps. Cinque Terre was absolutely stunning, and I would suggest anyone traveling to Italy, or just Europe in general, to allow themselves 2 days on this wonderful coast. Despite our misfortune with the weather, it was still one of my favorite places I've been to in Italy, if not #1 on that list. If any of you ever visit this natural beauty, I want to hear all about it. Until then, Ciao!
My friends Amanda, Stephanie and I left for the lovely coast early Friday morning but didn't arrive until 2pm because of the long train ride. We immediately decided we didn't want to waste time on this beautiful day in our hostel, so we went to two of the towns that were closer to us, Manarola and Corniglia. The sun was shining on our faces and the bikini-clad bodies that were laying at the water's edge soaking up the rays. It was so warm that we didn't need a jacket and Amanda changed into her shorts. Manarola is so beautiful, and offers the best photo opportunities of the city if you walk on the hike path away from the city. Most of the other cities didn't have a good spot to take pictures of the city itself unless you were on a boat in the ocean. The hike leading to Manarola, however, offered the most amazing view of the pink, yellow, and salmon houses and the clear, turquoise water below. It didn't seem real because it was SO beautiful. We were lucky that this was the first city we saw because it exceeded anything that I thought I would encounter on our short two-day trip.
We then hiked the 382 steps to the town of Corniglia. Corniglia is not nearly as pretty as Manarola and is super small. It also didn't have any good spots to take pictures, except for this one ledge that looked over the ocean and had cacti and flowers growing on the ocean-side of it, leading all the way down to the water. You couldn't see the city from this place though. We took a break there and ate some nutella sandwiches. We sat there for a long time and watched the sun sink below what looks like the far edge of the ocean where the world drops off.
After the sunset we made our way back to the town we were staying in (just outside of Cinque Terre) to take the bus to our hostel. This bus led us up through the mountains on a very windy road for about 20 minutes. We were all so confused as to where our hostel was, it didn't look like there was any life that high up the mountain! Sure enough, the bus dropped us off right in front of our hostel which was located in the smallest hillside town ever. There was one single restaurant that (luckily) was open. Stephanie and I went and had some pesto spaghetti and wine while Amanda went to bed. We had heard that Cinque Terre is famous for their pesto and my oh my did this dish live up to the high expectations I had. The pesto was so fresh with not much added to it. It was perfection. We headed back to the hostel to get some rest for the big day ahead of us.
Saturday morning we woke up at 7:30am (yes Mom, I woke up that early all on my own during a vacation!!) so that we would be able to get an early start on our day. Our original plan was to head to Riomaggiore, the closest town to us, take the hike called "Villa dell'Amore" (walk of love) to Corniglia where we had been the day before, and take the train from there to Vernazza. After seeing Vernazza we would make our way to Monterosso, the largest of the 5 towns with the biggest beach, and see the town and then lay in the sun all day until our train at 5pm. Well, we woke up and saw that it was raining outside. Yes, raining. Weather.com had NOT prepared us for that! It was supposed to be a nice warm weekend! Well, we sucked it up and headed to Riomaggiore in our sundresses and bathing suits. As soon as we started walking down the hill to the center of town, I slipped on the gravel and sliced my knee. It was gushing blood all over for about 10 minutes before we encountered an old man who had gone home to get me bandaids (which I bled through within an hour). It was an awful situaiton, but it was nice to have had our first look at good Italian hospitality. Even though it was raining and cold, the views were still amazing. Villa dell'Amore was beautiful. I should tell you now that this was the only hike we did because all the rest were closed because of possible mudslides or falling rocks on the sides of the hills.
When we got to Vernazza we sat by the water and took some pictures with the brightly colored kayaks and canoes by us, but not before we had changed back into our jeans and jackets from the day before. We headed to Castello Doria (an old castle with an amazing view of the town and ocean) that my "Go Italy" book had suggested seeing. We paid one euro to enter the old, yet remarkably in tact castle. We walked around, snapped some pictures, climbed to the top of the tower, and took in the sights. After spending a few good hours up there, we got on the 2 minute long train to Monterosso.
By the time we got to Monterosso, we were starving! We walked around the city and found a place to have lunch. I'm so glad we waited until then to get lunch because Monterosso had the most options for food, being the biggest town and all. We ordered what we thought was pizza, but turned out to be bruchetta! My bruchetta had tomato sauce, mozarella, and pesto on it. I never would've thought to combine tomato sauce with pesto, but it was delicious! After lunch we didn't know what to do since the weather was so terrible. I whipped out my "Go Italy" book again and we found a place called "Fast Bar" that was an American-friendly bar that has dollar bills lining the walls, signed by all the visitors who contributed to the creative wallpaper. I realized after being there that I had seen pictures of the bar in some of my friend's pictures who had been to CInque Terre before me. I was so mad that I didn't have a dollar bill to sign/contribute...I mean...who carries around dollars when they only accept euros? While sitting at the table with a margarita in hand and the futbol game blaring above on the TV screen, I found myself reading all the messages on the dollar bills. That's when I discovered the greek letters for Kappa Kappa Gamma (my sorority) etched into the wall. It was so cool to see that another Kappa sister had sat at that same spot as me years before and left her mark! Once we left the bar we decided to get the infamous Focaccia bread- yet another thing Cinque Terre is famous for! Oh. My. God. Those are the only three words that come to mind when I think about this bread. It was so plain, but so tasty! Stephanie got a regular/plain one, and I got one with onions on it. We had to catch the train right after that to come home, but I was so sad once I was on it because I wanted to go back and get more bread!
We got back to Orvieto late Saturday night safely without any mishaps. Cinque Terre was absolutely stunning, and I would suggest anyone traveling to Italy, or just Europe in general, to allow themselves 2 days on this wonderful coast. Despite our misfortune with the weather, it was still one of my favorite places I've been to in Italy, if not #1 on that list. If any of you ever visit this natural beauty, I want to hear all about it. Until then, Ciao!
Barcelona
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Hola!
I'm not exactly sure why, but whenever someone would ask me if I wanted to study abroad in Barcelona, I always said no. I wasn't the biggest fan of taking Spanish classes, so I think that since I didn't like the learning the language, I wouldn't enjoy living in a place where they used it. BOY WAS I WRONG! A few weekends ago I went with Colleen to visit one of my best friends Ashia from the U of A. I fell in love the moment I stepped off the plane. Barcelona was amazing. Words cannot describe the feeling you got when you walked out of the airport and saw all the city lights.
The first day we were there, the weather was so warm and nice so we decided to hit the beach. Before we headed for la playa, we stopped at a Tapas restaurant for lunch. Tapas are pretty much little appetizers. The three of us ordered 5 different ones. A tomato and cheese salad, an egg omlette type thing, bread with tomatos and dressing on top, potatos with aioli sauce, and croquettes (fried deliciousness). I cannot put into words how amazing they all were! I wanted to eat them forever.
Eventually we finished up our meal and went to the beach. We layed out on the sand for hours and just soaked up the sun. It was pure bliss. When we got back to Ashia's apartment we brought chips, pico de gallo, and hummus up to the roof of her building that overlooked the city and the school next door. We sat up there for a while just relaxing and hanging out.
That night we went to an Irish pub to listen to some good music and enjoy a few beers. It was a relaxing day, which was good because we did so much the next day!
Saturday was our tourist day. First we walked down Las Ramblas (a very popular street with artists, dancers, shopping, etc.). We stopped by the food market on our walk down the street and got some chocolates, juices (fresh juice smoothies) and calzones. It was all so fresh and delicious.
As we continued to walk, we stopped by a little sidewalk cafe and shared a pitcher of Sangria (red wine that has sat with various fruits and sugar in it for hours). It was such a nice day that we all got tan while we sat and watched the street performers who would come by.
After that, we saw the Gaudi Park, which I personally think looks like a Gingerbread town. The Gaudi Park is home to the famous tunnel that was used during one of the season finale fashion shows on America's Next Top Model.
We walked to the top of the hill and had the most amazing view of Barcelona. We sat there and enjoyed a beer and the view.
Then went to a small Japanese restaurant for sushi! As some of you know, I am obsessed with shushi and have missed it SO much during my residency in Europe. We were so exhausted by the time we got back to Ashia's that we just watched the latest Harry Potter movie and fell asleep.
On Sunday we went to a infamous kebab place in Barcelona called "Bo da B's". Kebabs in Europe are not like they are in America with meat and other food on a skewer. Kababs here are more like buritos with some meat, veggies, and a variety of sauces. Bo da B's was amazing! I couldn't even finish mine because it was so massive. After that we went to see La Sagrada Familia (the famous Cathedral built by Gaudi, but unfinished because he died before the project was completed). It was beautiful! We stopped by a park across the street and had a mini photoshoot :)
After that we went to a different park (not sure of the name) and walked around. There were so many people out and about! It was great people watching.
Sunday night for dinner we went to an Italian restaurant right across from Ashia's apartment. It is so sad, but I have to admit, it was the best pasta I've had in Europe thus far! Even better than the dishes I've had in Italy- the pasta country of the world! Crazy! This restaurant was a mix-n-match type of place. You got to choose what pasta you wanted (they varied from the regular penne and spaghetti to gourmet ravioli with goat cheese and bacon) and then you got to choose the sauce (from red meat sauce to four cheese and custom pesto). I ordered the goat cheese and bacon ravioli with pine nut, sundried tomato, and cheese pesto. Unfortunately, the waiter misunderstood me and gave me my pasta with normal pesto instead. But it didn't matter because it was still delicious! I am curious as to what my correct meal would've tasted like though! I told Ashia the next time she went she had to order it and tell me how it was. Mom- you would've LOVED my pasta. I know how you love your goat cheese, and this was AMAZING!!
We stayed up all night since Collen and I had to leave at 4am to catch our 6am plane ride home. I spent the night studying and skyping with friends. It worked out perfectly because even thought it was late for us, most of my friends were on skype at that point of the afternoon in the U.S. It was sad to leave Barcelona and Ashia...I really didn't want to leave. Unfortunately, I had a quiz to take back in Orvieto and I was NOT about to miss my plane for the second time. All I can say is that Barcelona was absolutely breathtaking, and I now understand why all my friends who have ever studied there never want to leave. Ashia, our friend Lindsay, and I have been tossing around the idea of getting an apartment in Barcelona for the three of us after we graduate and moving there. It's not a very serious idea at this point, but who knows where my life will take me next! I'll let you all know how it turns out. Until then, Adios!
I'm not exactly sure why, but whenever someone would ask me if I wanted to study abroad in Barcelona, I always said no. I wasn't the biggest fan of taking Spanish classes, so I think that since I didn't like the learning the language, I wouldn't enjoy living in a place where they used it. BOY WAS I WRONG! A few weekends ago I went with Colleen to visit one of my best friends Ashia from the U of A. I fell in love the moment I stepped off the plane. Barcelona was amazing. Words cannot describe the feeling you got when you walked out of the airport and saw all the city lights.
The first day we were there, the weather was so warm and nice so we decided to hit the beach. Before we headed for la playa, we stopped at a Tapas restaurant for lunch. Tapas are pretty much little appetizers. The three of us ordered 5 different ones. A tomato and cheese salad, an egg omlette type thing, bread with tomatos and dressing on top, potatos with aioli sauce, and croquettes (fried deliciousness). I cannot put into words how amazing they all were! I wanted to eat them forever.
Eventually we finished up our meal and went to the beach. We layed out on the sand for hours and just soaked up the sun. It was pure bliss. When we got back to Ashia's apartment we brought chips, pico de gallo, and hummus up to the roof of her building that overlooked the city and the school next door. We sat up there for a while just relaxing and hanging out.
That night we went to an Irish pub to listen to some good music and enjoy a few beers. It was a relaxing day, which was good because we did so much the next day!
Saturday was our tourist day. First we walked down Las Ramblas (a very popular street with artists, dancers, shopping, etc.). We stopped by the food market on our walk down the street and got some chocolates, juices (fresh juice smoothies) and calzones. It was all so fresh and delicious.
As we continued to walk, we stopped by a little sidewalk cafe and shared a pitcher of Sangria (red wine that has sat with various fruits and sugar in it for hours). It was such a nice day that we all got tan while we sat and watched the street performers who would come by.
After that, we saw the Gaudi Park, which I personally think looks like a Gingerbread town. The Gaudi Park is home to the famous tunnel that was used during one of the season finale fashion shows on America's Next Top Model.
We walked to the top of the hill and had the most amazing view of Barcelona. We sat there and enjoyed a beer and the view.
Then went to a small Japanese restaurant for sushi! As some of you know, I am obsessed with shushi and have missed it SO much during my residency in Europe. We were so exhausted by the time we got back to Ashia's that we just watched the latest Harry Potter movie and fell asleep.
On Sunday we went to a infamous kebab place in Barcelona called "Bo da B's". Kebabs in Europe are not like they are in America with meat and other food on a skewer. Kababs here are more like buritos with some meat, veggies, and a variety of sauces. Bo da B's was amazing! I couldn't even finish mine because it was so massive. After that we went to see La Sagrada Familia (the famous Cathedral built by Gaudi, but unfinished because he died before the project was completed). It was beautiful! We stopped by a park across the street and had a mini photoshoot :)
After that we went to a different park (not sure of the name) and walked around. There were so many people out and about! It was great people watching.
Sunday night for dinner we went to an Italian restaurant right across from Ashia's apartment. It is so sad, but I have to admit, it was the best pasta I've had in Europe thus far! Even better than the dishes I've had in Italy- the pasta country of the world! Crazy! This restaurant was a mix-n-match type of place. You got to choose what pasta you wanted (they varied from the regular penne and spaghetti to gourmet ravioli with goat cheese and bacon) and then you got to choose the sauce (from red meat sauce to four cheese and custom pesto). I ordered the goat cheese and bacon ravioli with pine nut, sundried tomato, and cheese pesto. Unfortunately, the waiter misunderstood me and gave me my pasta with normal pesto instead. But it didn't matter because it was still delicious! I am curious as to what my correct meal would've tasted like though! I told Ashia the next time she went she had to order it and tell me how it was. Mom- you would've LOVED my pasta. I know how you love your goat cheese, and this was AMAZING!!
We stayed up all night since Collen and I had to leave at 4am to catch our 6am plane ride home. I spent the night studying and skyping with friends. It worked out perfectly because even thought it was late for us, most of my friends were on skype at that point of the afternoon in the U.S. It was sad to leave Barcelona and Ashia...I really didn't want to leave. Unfortunately, I had a quiz to take back in Orvieto and I was NOT about to miss my plane for the second time. All I can say is that Barcelona was absolutely breathtaking, and I now understand why all my friends who have ever studied there never want to leave. Ashia, our friend Lindsay, and I have been tossing around the idea of getting an apartment in Barcelona for the three of us after we graduate and moving there. It's not a very serious idea at this point, but who knows where my life will take me next! I'll let you all know how it turns out. Until then, Adios!
Our Adventure Home
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Our flight from Paris to Rome was scheduled to leave at 9:30 am so Colleen and I figured that if we left our hostel by 7:00 am we’d have plenty of time to get there. Oh, how wrong we were! Apparently the airport was an hour and a half away from Paris. So, not knowing this, we planned to take the metro at 7 to the spot where a shuttle would take us to the airport. Well, part of the metro was shut down and we had to take the time to figure out a new way of how to get to the shuttle station. Once we finally got there, we had missed our shuttle and the next one wasn’t leaving for another 30 minutes, which would’ve made us late. The only way we were going to make our flight was to take a cab.
Well, this cab took us an hour and 20 minutes to get to the airport, and cost us a whopping 147 euros. We were running around the airport trying to find an ATM to get money out for the cab. When we finally paid and were on our way, it was 9:00 am. Turns out, we weren’t even in the right terminal and had to spring across the parking lot to terminal 2. By the time we got there it was about 9:05 or so. The plane wasn’t actually leaving until 9:30 so we were hoping we’d still be able to make it. Well, we would’ve made it had we not missed the time to check our bags. We were 15 minutes late to check them, so the lady at customer service called her supervisor to see if we could still put them on the plane. No luck. We had to pay 100 euros each to change our flight to the next one…at 8:45 pm! Colleen and I waited out the 12 lonesome hours in this tiny airport by watching movies on her laptop. Even that didn’t make the time go by any faster.
8:45 finally rolled around and we boarded the plane and landed in Rome on schedule. We had no idea what time the last train left the train station to Orvieto, so we took a shuttle to the train station, on which I was a blubbering mess because of how terrible the trip had turned out. It was about 11:00-11:30 pm by this point. Much to our dismay, the next train to Orvieto would be leaving at 5:58 am. We had absolutely no money because of our cab fee and had no idea what to do. We couldn’t get a hotel or hostel, but apparently the airport closes at 2:00 am for cleaning, so we couldn’t stay there either. Colleen and I decided to wait it out until we got kicked out, and when that happened, we would just sit outside.
It was freezing and miserable. We were running on 3 hours of sleep in 48 hours. By the time it was 2:15, no one had kicked us out yet, but we hadn’t seen a cop in a while and didn’t want to risk it. We decided to hide out downstairs on the bottom level to get out of the wind and try to find some shelter. We found a tiny little pizza slice-sized corner where we stashed our suitcases and backpacks, and posted up for the night. We were too scared to fall asleep so we just sat there reading, listening to music and watching movies. As easy as it sounds, it was hardly that.
Luckily, we did end up seeing a policeman/security guard who definitely saw us too, but he never said anything. We also made friends with a few janitors, so that comforted us. FINALLY it was 5:00 am so we got a croissant, bought our tickets, and boarded the train to Orvieto. The two of us were delirious by this point. We got to Orvieto, but the little trolley that takes you up the hill to the actual city of Orvieto wasn’t open yet. Right then a bus pulled up and we were able to take it up the hill, pretty close to our apartment. As soon as we got home we got something to eat and went to sleep until 5:30 pm when my Dad called, asking if we were okay.
Thank God nothing bad had happened to us and we got home safely. So many things could’ve gone wrong, but I am thanking my lucky (if you can call them that) stars that not many things did. I guess everyone who goes to Europe needs to come home with some horror story of their foreign travels...
Well, this cab took us an hour and 20 minutes to get to the airport, and cost us a whopping 147 euros. We were running around the airport trying to find an ATM to get money out for the cab. When we finally paid and were on our way, it was 9:00 am. Turns out, we weren’t even in the right terminal and had to spring across the parking lot to terminal 2. By the time we got there it was about 9:05 or so. The plane wasn’t actually leaving until 9:30 so we were hoping we’d still be able to make it. Well, we would’ve made it had we not missed the time to check our bags. We were 15 minutes late to check them, so the lady at customer service called her supervisor to see if we could still put them on the plane. No luck. We had to pay 100 euros each to change our flight to the next one…at 8:45 pm! Colleen and I waited out the 12 lonesome hours in this tiny airport by watching movies on her laptop. Even that didn’t make the time go by any faster.
8:45 finally rolled around and we boarded the plane and landed in Rome on schedule. We had no idea what time the last train left the train station to Orvieto, so we took a shuttle to the train station, on which I was a blubbering mess because of how terrible the trip had turned out. It was about 11:00-11:30 pm by this point. Much to our dismay, the next train to Orvieto would be leaving at 5:58 am. We had absolutely no money because of our cab fee and had no idea what to do. We couldn’t get a hotel or hostel, but apparently the airport closes at 2:00 am for cleaning, so we couldn’t stay there either. Colleen and I decided to wait it out until we got kicked out, and when that happened, we would just sit outside.
It was freezing and miserable. We were running on 3 hours of sleep in 48 hours. By the time it was 2:15, no one had kicked us out yet, but we hadn’t seen a cop in a while and didn’t want to risk it. We decided to hide out downstairs on the bottom level to get out of the wind and try to find some shelter. We found a tiny little pizza slice-sized corner where we stashed our suitcases and backpacks, and posted up for the night. We were too scared to fall asleep so we just sat there reading, listening to music and watching movies. As easy as it sounds, it was hardly that.
Luckily, we did end up seeing a policeman/security guard who definitely saw us too, but he never said anything. We also made friends with a few janitors, so that comforted us. FINALLY it was 5:00 am so we got a croissant, bought our tickets, and boarded the train to Orvieto. The two of us were delirious by this point. We got to Orvieto, but the little trolley that takes you up the hill to the actual city of Orvieto wasn’t open yet. Right then a bus pulled up and we were able to take it up the hill, pretty close to our apartment. As soon as we got home we got something to eat and went to sleep until 5:30 pm when my Dad called, asking if we were okay.
Thank God nothing bad had happened to us and we got home safely. So many things could’ve gone wrong, but I am thanking my lucky (if you can call them that) stars that not many things did. I guess everyone who goes to Europe needs to come home with some horror story of their foreign travels...
PARIS
Our hostel in Paris was amazing! It was so modern and fun. There was a restaurant/bar downstairs, and the entire staff was really nice and helpful. It was a youth hostel so we met a lot of nice people our age. Once again, we didn’t get there until later, so it was too late to do any sightseeing. We attempted to go out to what we had heard was the big club area called Bastille Square, but the cab driver we had didn’t know where it was! We ended up just going to a really random bar but quickly giving up and heading home.
Thursday we tried to go to The Louvre museum to see the Mona Lisa, but were too late to buy tickets. Instead, we went to see the Arc de Triomphe, Champs de Elysees, and the Notre Dame! We spent a while just walking around at each of the places and taking in all our surroundings. While we were at the Arc de Triomphe, we got a glorious peek at the Eiffel Tower all lit up at night! It was so beautiful. That day was St. Patrick’s Day so we really wanted to go out and celebrate. Once again, however, we didn’t go to any clubs even though we were all dressed up, and ended up coming home.
Friday was our major tourist day. First we went back to The Louvre since we knew they closed somewhat early, but the lady at the ticket counter told us that people under the age of 26 get in free after 6:00 pm on Fridays! Score! So after we left, we went straight to the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, we had been there for 30 minutes before it started raining on us. We took shelter in a nearby pub and got crème brulee! It is one of my favorite desserts, so I had been so excited to try an authentic French one. It was delicious! After hanging out there for a while, we went back to The Louvre and were able to see the Mona Lisa. It is REALLY small. That’s really all I have to say about it because honestly, it wasn’t that exciting. I don’t know what all the fuss is about! After The Louvre, we made a quick stop by the Moulin Rouge to take some pictures. That night we decided to hang out at the hostel’s bar because we had a super early flight on Saturday morning to come home. Not that it mattered, because we ended up missing our flight. It was the worst experience ever, but for now, I’ll end this post as: to be continued…
Ciao!
Thursday we tried to go to The Louvre museum to see the Mona Lisa, but were too late to buy tickets. Instead, we went to see the Arc de Triomphe, Champs de Elysees, and the Notre Dame! We spent a while just walking around at each of the places and taking in all our surroundings. While we were at the Arc de Triomphe, we got a glorious peek at the Eiffel Tower all lit up at night! It was so beautiful. That day was St. Patrick’s Day so we really wanted to go out and celebrate. Once again, however, we didn’t go to any clubs even though we were all dressed up, and ended up coming home.
Friday was our major tourist day. First we went back to The Louvre since we knew they closed somewhat early, but the lady at the ticket counter told us that people under the age of 26 get in free after 6:00 pm on Fridays! Score! So after we left, we went straight to the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, we had been there for 30 minutes before it started raining on us. We took shelter in a nearby pub and got crème brulee! It is one of my favorite desserts, so I had been so excited to try an authentic French one. It was delicious! After hanging out there for a while, we went back to The Louvre and were able to see the Mona Lisa. It is REALLY small. That’s really all I have to say about it because honestly, it wasn’t that exciting. I don’t know what all the fuss is about! After The Louvre, we made a quick stop by the Moulin Rouge to take some pictures. That night we decided to hang out at the hostel’s bar because we had a super early flight on Saturday morning to come home. Not that it mattered, because we ended up missing our flight. It was the worst experience ever, but for now, I’ll end this post as: to be continued…
Ciao!
London
LONDON
Once we landed at our airport, we realized we were not actually in London yet, but a city nearby called Gatwick. We had to take a shuttle for 40 minutes to London, and then navigate our way through the Underground metro system and find our way to Golders Green, where our hotel was. It was dark by the time we got to our hotel but we were determined to not waste any time. We quickly called a cab and went to Leicester Square (the huge party square) to try to find a place to go that night. We ended up getting a really cool, young cab driver named Peynum who told us all the good places to go out. Of course, as soon as we got out of the cab we were harassed by club “promoters” who were trying to get us to go to their clubs. Since we didn’t actually know where to go, we ended up listening to this random guy and went to a place called Storm. What a mistake. It was terrible. Needless to say, we ended our night somewhat early and went back to the hotel.
On Sunday we visited the Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the London Bridge, and the Tower of London. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go inside of Westminster (closed on Sundays) and didn’t want to pay 20 pounds to get into the Tower of London. We just enjoyed ourselves and walked around all day exploring. Westminster is HUGE! I did not realize how massive it was until I was standing next to it. The London Bridge was definitely my favorite part of that day, though. It was so pretty and somewhat warm that day which made strolling across the bridge very relaxing. That night we decided to stay in so we could catch up on some much needed sleep.
On Monday we went to a famous pub for lunch called “Dirty Dick’s” and got cheeseburgers and a beer. My Dad would be so proud of me because I actually drank a dark ale, instead of a light beer! Shout out to you Dad! Monday night was our favorite night in London. We went to a club at the top of a building called “The Penthouse” which was actually the club Peynum had told us to go to in the first place. At first it wasn’t too crowded because it was a Monday night, but by the end of the night it was a ton of fun. The bouncers loved that we were from America (and especially that I was from California) and eventually let us into the VIP section! We had so much fun just dancing and goofing off. We ended up meeting two really nice boys named James and Lawrence. We hung out and danced with them until the wee hours of the morning.
Because we had been out so late the night before, we got a very late start on Tuesday. We did get to see Abbey Road, Westminster at night, and ride the metro all around London. The three of us had a blast at Abbey Road (the famous crosswalk on the cover of the Beatles album). At first we couldn’t find it, thinking it was on a small road. Boy, were we wrong. Abbey Road is so busy! Not with tourists, but with cars flying by. It took us so long to take a few pictures walking across the crosswalk because we had to wait for a break in the traffic. Eventually a nice American family showed up and offered to take a picture of all of us and we finally got our perfect picture. They also took a video of us singing “Hey Jude” while crossing. We looked like such tourists, but we didn’t care because we were having so much fun!
That night we didn’t want to go out because we wanted to wake up early to see Buckingham Palace before catching our train to Paris, but we had been dying to go to the Icebar London. We went for a 45 minute session at this Icebar. Just as you'd imagine, everything is made out of ice! The walls, seats, floors, bar, even cups! It was a really cool experience.
Wednesday morning we took the Underground, or “The Tube” as the locals call it, to Buckingham Palace. We were taking a bunch of pictures outside of the palace when a group of about 14 people riding horses started trotting down the road. Well, right in from of the palace doesn’t look like a road, but apparently it is, and can you guess who was right in the way? We were, of course. We were all so confused about which direction the horse people were trying to go that at one point the main lady yelled to Colleen, “Get out of the way! You’re gonna get MASHED”! We were all dying of laughter for a good 10 minutes. After taking a few more pictures, we got on our train that brought us from London to Paris.
"Get out of the way! You're gonna get MASHED"!
London turned out being my favorite city I've been to so far. It was also a plus that everyone spoke English and were able to understand us :) I'm contemplating finding a job there and moving!
Once we landed at our airport, we realized we were not actually in London yet, but a city nearby called Gatwick. We had to take a shuttle for 40 minutes to London, and then navigate our way through the Underground metro system and find our way to Golders Green, where our hotel was. It was dark by the time we got to our hotel but we were determined to not waste any time. We quickly called a cab and went to Leicester Square (the huge party square) to try to find a place to go that night. We ended up getting a really cool, young cab driver named Peynum who told us all the good places to go out. Of course, as soon as we got out of the cab we were harassed by club “promoters” who were trying to get us to go to their clubs. Since we didn’t actually know where to go, we ended up listening to this random guy and went to a place called Storm. What a mistake. It was terrible. Needless to say, we ended our night somewhat early and went back to the hotel.
On Sunday we visited the Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the London Bridge, and the Tower of London. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go inside of Westminster (closed on Sundays) and didn’t want to pay 20 pounds to get into the Tower of London. We just enjoyed ourselves and walked around all day exploring. Westminster is HUGE! I did not realize how massive it was until I was standing next to it. The London Bridge was definitely my favorite part of that day, though. It was so pretty and somewhat warm that day which made strolling across the bridge very relaxing. That night we decided to stay in so we could catch up on some much needed sleep.
On Monday we went to a famous pub for lunch called “Dirty Dick’s” and got cheeseburgers and a beer. My Dad would be so proud of me because I actually drank a dark ale, instead of a light beer! Shout out to you Dad! Monday night was our favorite night in London. We went to a club at the top of a building called “The Penthouse” which was actually the club Peynum had told us to go to in the first place. At first it wasn’t too crowded because it was a Monday night, but by the end of the night it was a ton of fun. The bouncers loved that we were from America (and especially that I was from California) and eventually let us into the VIP section! We had so much fun just dancing and goofing off. We ended up meeting two really nice boys named James and Lawrence. We hung out and danced with them until the wee hours of the morning.
Because we had been out so late the night before, we got a very late start on Tuesday. We did get to see Abbey Road, Westminster at night, and ride the metro all around London. The three of us had a blast at Abbey Road (the famous crosswalk on the cover of the Beatles album). At first we couldn’t find it, thinking it was on a small road. Boy, were we wrong. Abbey Road is so busy! Not with tourists, but with cars flying by. It took us so long to take a few pictures walking across the crosswalk because we had to wait for a break in the traffic. Eventually a nice American family showed up and offered to take a picture of all of us and we finally got our perfect picture. They also took a video of us singing “Hey Jude” while crossing. We looked like such tourists, but we didn’t care because we were having so much fun!
That night we didn’t want to go out because we wanted to wake up early to see Buckingham Palace before catching our train to Paris, but we had been dying to go to the Icebar London. We went for a 45 minute session at this Icebar. Just as you'd imagine, everything is made out of ice! The walls, seats, floors, bar, even cups! It was a really cool experience.
Wednesday morning we took the Underground, or “The Tube” as the locals call it, to Buckingham Palace. We were taking a bunch of pictures outside of the palace when a group of about 14 people riding horses started trotting down the road. Well, right in from of the palace doesn’t look like a road, but apparently it is, and can you guess who was right in the way? We were, of course. We were all so confused about which direction the horse people were trying to go that at one point the main lady yelled to Colleen, “Get out of the way! You’re gonna get MASHED”! We were all dying of laughter for a good 10 minutes. After taking a few more pictures, we got on our train that brought us from London to Paris.
"Get out of the way! You're gonna get MASHED"!
London turned out being my favorite city I've been to so far. It was also a plus that everyone spoke English and were able to understand us :) I'm contemplating finding a job there and moving!
Spring Break!
ROMA
The past week was our spring break. Colleen, her friend Brittany from home, and I traveled to Rome, London, and Paris. This week was full of some very high highs and one extreme low. But before I get ahead of myself, let me fill you in on each place separately.
On Thursday night after classes, Colleen and I took the train from Orvieto to Rome and met up with Brittany at the hotel we were staying at. Colleen and Brittany were so excited to reunite- they SCREAMED when they first saw each other! We all knew spring break was going to be great from that moment on. Since Brittany had just flown in from the U.S. we didn’t do much the first night except go see the Colosseum (which was very close to where we were staying), indulge ourselves with some gelato, and ended the night by going to a cute, but empty, bar.
The next day was when we did the major sightseeing including the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and walking around the shopping district. That night we were planning on going to a club called Mood, but it was closed so we made a last minute decision to try out another club called Gilda. Wow. This place was insane! First, the bouncer who let us in turned out to be from Redondo Beach- what a small world. Once we were inside we went straight to the dance floor and danced the night away. It was so much fun because they were playing a ton of American music that we loved and were able to dance to. We had so much fun that we were the last people in the club! I’m dead serious. The bouncers came up to us and told us to get out because it was a few minutes past 5:00 am and that’s when the club closed. As soon as we got home we took a little nap and woke early to catch our flight to London. That night in Rome was one of my favorite nights of Spring Break. I can’t wait to go back to Gilda.
The bouncers we met at Gilda!
At the Trevi Fountain
The past week was our spring break. Colleen, her friend Brittany from home, and I traveled to Rome, London, and Paris. This week was full of some very high highs and one extreme low. But before I get ahead of myself, let me fill you in on each place separately.
On Thursday night after classes, Colleen and I took the train from Orvieto to Rome and met up with Brittany at the hotel we were staying at. Colleen and Brittany were so excited to reunite- they SCREAMED when they first saw each other! We all knew spring break was going to be great from that moment on. Since Brittany had just flown in from the U.S. we didn’t do much the first night except go see the Colosseum (which was very close to where we were staying), indulge ourselves with some gelato, and ended the night by going to a cute, but empty, bar.
The next day was when we did the major sightseeing including the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and walking around the shopping district. That night we were planning on going to a club called Mood, but it was closed so we made a last minute decision to try out another club called Gilda. Wow. This place was insane! First, the bouncer who let us in turned out to be from Redondo Beach- what a small world. Once we were inside we went straight to the dance floor and danced the night away. It was so much fun because they were playing a ton of American music that we loved and were able to dance to. We had so much fun that we were the last people in the club! I’m dead serious. The bouncers came up to us and told us to get out because it was a few minutes past 5:00 am and that’s when the club closed. As soon as we got home we took a little nap and woke early to catch our flight to London. That night in Rome was one of my favorite nights of Spring Break. I can’t wait to go back to Gilda.
The bouncers we met at Gilda!
At the Trevi Fountain
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