These have been a long time coming. Just a few of our favorite quotes which we recorded along the way...okay, not a few...a LOT! Enjoy! Oh, and if you need more explaination on any of them, just let me know.
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Late the night before, Wendy set the tone for the entire trip by realizing she didn’t have a splitter for listening to music on the PDA. We went to the store specifically to get one late the evening before our departure. Just as we were turning in, Wendy was about to pack the splitter but paused, holding it in the air…“Oh crap, I don’t have headphones.”
London
First night, very late, almost all the trains were down for the night, and we were trying to get to Paddington Station:
“Paddington? At this time of night? Good luck!” – Man who was offering directions
“Please mind the gap between the train and the platform.” - Voice over sound system in London underground
Favorite London expressions:
“Are you queueing?” (Are you in line?)
“Cheers!” (Hello!)
“Mind that child!” (Watch for children!)
While sitting in the pub that served as the lounge for our London Hostel (this was after the creepy guy kissed Rebecca’s cheek):
“These are my new friends! They are from Oklahoma!” Creepy guy
“Oklahoma? USA!!! USA!!!” – His friend
While taking a picture of a lovely home on a street of London, a local driver honked at Rebecca for being too close to the road. Wendy promptly yells, “She wasn’t even in the road.” The man, also promptly, screeches to a halt and begins to backup yelling “What did you say” out of the window we did not know was down.
Running late for the Chunnel that would take us from London to Paris:
“What number are we?” – Wendy
“#17, all the way at the other end. You better hurry. And if the train starts moving, just jump on.” – Train attendant
Walking near Big Ben:
“Will you take a picture with me?” – Rebecca, to bored looking guard
“Yes. Cheese.” – Guard, sounding more bored than he looked
Woman waiving the tripod I had just forgotten on the double-decker bus (please insert British accent):
“You forgot your thing-ay.”
Paris
While searching for the grocery store that the hostel worker said was “Just across from Bastille Metro” that was actually miles away:
“I’m looking for the super market.” – Rebecca
“Ah, super marche. Speak-uh France.” – Fruit vendor
Store near Moulin Rouge:
“Rebecca Rils – Super Marche Erotica” (use your imagination...)
While walking down Moulin Rouge trying to lose a man who was hitting on us:
“We’re married.” Wendy and Rebecca
“To each other?” Parisian Man
After walking out of the metro on our way to see the Arc De Triomphe and taking a quick glance around:
“There’s something big.” – Wendy
“That would be the arch.” – Rebecca
While searching for one of the many things we lost along the way:
“Did you look in the rubbish bin?” – Amber, the Kiwi roommate in Paris
While walking around the Eiffel Tower lawn:
“Do you speak English?” – Gypsy women that were running a scam
“No.” – Rebecca and Wendy
Rebecca, after noticing the warning label on the underground train used a cartoon rabbit instead of humans:
“Apparently they have problems with people getting their pet rabbits stuck in the door.”
Fussen
After spotting a clan of people in head-to-toe spandex:
“Must be a spandex convention.” - Wendy
Munich
A few quotes from Phil, one of the hostelers we met at the Meininger Hostel in Munich. Funny guy (keep the British accent in mind):
“What a knob!” (What an idiot!)
“I like to give it a little toot.” (I like to honk the horn.)
“Brilliant!”
“I consider myself a pretty smart guy. But I drove through the entire country of Germany seeing exit after exit that said Ausfhart. I kept thinking ‘wow, Ausfhart must be a really big place.’”
(Ausfhart is German for “Exit.”)
Rebecca while walking through the grounds of Oktoberfest:
“Beer, brats, and roller coasters. That’s a good combination.”
While doing laundry at the hostel in Munich:
“Can I have your shirt?” – Phil, our funny friend, spotting Rebecca’s Freedom rodeo shirt
“No.” - Rebecca
“I’ll trade you my ‘Bench’ shirt for it.” – Phil
“What’s a ‘Bench’ shirt?” – Wendy
“Oh, it’s a chain...” – Phil
After watching a guy pour water into the water collection reservoir of the dryer:
“Why would you put water in a dryer.” – Wendy
“Apparently, wet plus water equals dry.” – Rebecca
“What a knob.” - Phil
Salzburg
After walking all day, then sleeping in a train station while waiting for a bus to pick us up to bypass a derailed train:
“My legs feel like bologna. I mean, noodles.” - Rebecca
Our Sound of Music tour guide:
“I’m single, and looking.” – Roman the Snowman, while looking over everyone on the bus
Dachau
Walking back to train station after missing the last bus of the day by minutes:
“I would take a ride from anyone about now.” – Wendy
“Even if they had a van with no windows…and a running chainsaw.” – Rebecca
Venice
“Ooo I love me some booty. I am very hungry.”Said gondola driver while jumping up and down biting at our butts while our backs were against a bridge over the canal
"Ciao, Bella!" - Every man in Italy...not quite...but close (It means 'hello beautiful')
Rome
Walking from the Trevi Fountain on the first night in Rome:“Will you sleep both with me?” – Random guy who rounds the corner
While walking around the Trevi Fountain:
“Pizza? Pasta? Boyfriend?” – Man handing out fliers for a restaurant nearby
Man selling porn on the street corner:
“Taxi? Free taxi?”
Walking from the Colosseum at night:
“You speak English? They say it is very nice if you walk barefoot on this surface. It is very soft on the feet. Do you like to walk barefoot?” – Old man carrying brief case in a suit
Vatican Museums while staring at a completely empty room which was manned by a guard:
“This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” said Becca
“It just moves me to tears,” replied Wendy
We heard the guard laugh until we moved out of ear shot.
Wendy as she stared at one of the many unclothed statues:
“I will never grow tired of looking at the naked male body.”
“Remember when we first started our travels and I used to look beggars in the eye and explain to them why we couldn’t give them money?” – Wendy
“Now, we see a man with his arm blown off and say, ‘You can do a lot of jobs with one arm.’” – Rebecca
“You can be a…doorman!” – Wendy
In Rome after passing a beggar who truly only had one arm.
Rebecca after sitting at a table in a café that was…covered in crumbs:
“You know we’ve been hostelling for too long when we sit down at a table covered in crumbs and it doesn’t faze us.”
Wendy while asking the clerk at the hostel in Rome if they had found my sunglasses:
“Have you found a pair of sunglasses? They’re black and may or may not have lenses in them.”
Walking through the Colosseum:
“Sprechen ze English?” – American tourist who mistook Wendy for a German
“Yes.” – Wendy
Same guy as above…after the tour:
“How did you know the Vatican took marble from the Colosseum?” – American tourist
“How did you not know?” - Wendy
After ordering hot chocolate from the café where we got awful calzones:
“The chocolate…is finished.” – Waiter
“No you’re finished!” – Wendy
At Trevi fountain being mauled by 3 men:
“No, we’re married.” – Wendy and Rebecca…repeatedly
“Ah, ah, ah! I see no husband. Married in America, not in Italy.” – Guys
“No, we’re married globally.” - Wendy
Walking the streets of Rome:
“Those guys didn’t even check us out!” – Wendy
“Oh, they must be gay.” – Rebecca
After seeing men riding double on scooters:
“I can just see Keith and Kyle riding on a scooter.” – Rebecca
“Yes, Kyle saying, ‘Keith, go faster’ with his head resting on Keith’s shoulders.” – Wendy
In the running for father of the year….
“Dad, what if I die?” – little boy climbing tree on Palentine Hill
“I’ll burry you in a nice place.” – his dad
Rebecca on the phone with Keith in Rome:
“Did you go to the concert?” – Keith
“What concert?” – Rebecca
“The Garth Brooks concert. He is in Rome.” - Keith
After seeing a sign that read: ‘Warning! This lift is faulty. We are not responsible for your safety if you decide to use it.’:
“The trick with the elevator is, if it gets stuck between floors, don’t force the doors open.” – Hostel clerk
“Okay, but will we plummet to the floor?” – Rebecca
“No but you could be stuck for hours.” – Hostel clerk
“Oh, we’ll take our chances.” – Rebecca
After men gawked at our blonde hair and fair skin:
“It’s just hair. Do you want to touch it?” - Rebecca
Manarola
During conversation with other American hostelers about music we like:
“I like country, like Garth Brooks.” – Wendy
“He died.” – Guy who we never knew his name
“WHAT!?!?” – Rebecca and Wendy
“Yeah, a while back.” – Guy who we never knew his name
“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe Garth Brooks died!” – Rebecca and Wendy almost in tears—a lot can happen while you are overseas.
“Oh wait, he’s alive. I thought you were talking about Roy Rogers.” – Guy who we never knew his name
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Monday, December 3, 2007
Pictures!
I have the pictures from Europe posted on my site. This is, by no means, all of my pictures...less than half...but there are still over 500! Be ready to sit awhile when you decide to look at these.
Check them out at: www.rmphotography.fototime.com
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Cinque Terre
Well folks, I'm home. And here is what happened on the last few days of our journey. Get ready...I'm sure this will be pretty long. You might want to read it in sections.
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Cinque Terre - Day one
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We woke up bright and early on Friday morning and got ready to leave for Rome. We stopped downstairs and had breakfast before leaving out. We slightly miscalculated our time, and showed up to the train station with only 15 minutes to spare. We hadn't gotten reservations, and were pretty sure they were compulsory. We rushed to the ticket counter only to find a long line of people. We waited...and waited...and finally got to the ticket counter at 7:35...and the train left at 7:36. I quickly asked the lady if we needed reservations to which she said no. We took off running for the platform, Wendy in the lead, and made it to the engine of the train as the conductors were getting on. They are always the last to get on the train. Wendy hesitated, and one of them said, "hurry, jump on!" She did, and I followed. As I started to step on, the train began moving. I heaved and with the help of the conductors, made it safely onto the car. One of them looked at us and with his Italian accent said, "last second." Again, we just like to live on the edge.
I know I've said this before, but Europeans are not real big on the whole bathing aspect. In fact, I would say they consider it to be optional...per week...As we made our way into the first car, we were hit with the worst smell imaginable. It was a mixture of body odor, bad breath, cigarettes, and mildew. I looked at Wendy and said, "Let's hurry through this car, it smells horrible!!!" We walked as quickly as possible but soon caught up to a woman with 3 children who was holding up our progress. I could see the door to the next car, but she and her entourage stood in the way. Thoughts of pushing them out of the way and making a run for it did cross my mind. Nevertheless, I held my breath for what seemed like an hour, I slowly followed behind. When we finally passed through both doors into the next car, I let out a sigh of relief and sucked in a deep breath...only to be paralyzed with disgust that the same smell also occupied this car. Behind me, Wendy began to gag. It was at that moment, that I realized the woman and her 3 rug rats were the source of the stench. We stopped dead in our tracks and allowed a good 3 car buffer before moving forward. Every once in awhile we would start to catch up to her again, and we would pause until we could no longer see her through the doors. You think I'm kidding...but I'm not. It was that bad.
The train ride to Cinque 5 was painless and quite beautiful. We spent most of the ride looking at the beautiful Mediterranean sea through the window. We arrived at Le Spazia around noon. The next train to Manarola, the town we were staying in, was not for another hour. Instead of waiting, we decided to hop on a train to Vernazza which is a neighboring town. The view there was breathtaking. We still had to wait about 45 minutes for the train, but we just soaked up the view while we waited.
We arrived in Manarola around 1:15pm. The directions to the hostel were pretty vague: "from the train station, go right up the hill. We are next to the church." So right we went, up the hill...which was seriously the steepest grade I've ever walked. The street was probably the equivalent of 4 city blocks in length, but it took us a good 15 minutes to walk it. By this stage in the trip, our bags were substantually heavier. I would estimate that mine was closer to 35 lbs. One we made it to the church (there is only one church), we went up two flights of stairs to reach the Ostello Hostel. It is seriously at the top of the town and had the most amazing view! At the door, we were greeted by the most unfriendly person we have met along our trip. He informed us that they were closed for cleaning. No big deal, we just wanted to drop off our bags. He didn't want us to drop it off without checking in, but did not want to check us in. I told him I would be more than happy to leave my bag on a street corner but would not be carrying it back up the hill. He was quite disgruntled, but insisted on checking us in. I wasn't kidding when I said I would leave them on the street corner, but he would not go for that. The check in was quite a harmless process and only took him 2 minutes. His complaints took longer than that.
Most hostels workers are very friendly and helpful. They give you maps and suggest places to visit, eat, and shop. Not so much here. Upon check in, we were handed a half sheet of paper that was full of hostel rules, most of which were trivial. One such rule was "the ceiling fan in your room can only be turned on if all of the occupants of that room agree to turn it on." I understand that all hostels have rules, but seriously? Rules about fans? We were also given a "shower token." This magical token allowed you 5 minutes in the shower. Need more time? Sure thing. Simply pay the kind souls at the counter .50 euro and you will receive another 5 minutes. Of course, you would have to wait for your first 5 minutes to elapse, then walk your naked soapy body out of the shower to insert the next token, and so on. You were also offered an organic breakfast (for a fee, of course), and for 4 euro, you would receive a laundry token. I felt like I was at a strict chucky cheese!
After leaving our bags and being forced to check in by the precious clerk, we felt a little uneasy about the town. We got the feeling that the natives didn't really want tourists to be there. We walked around the quaint little town trying to blend as much as possible. Of course our cameras around our necks made us a little obvious.
I really don't know how to describe Manarola. The town was absolutely amazing. It was completely surrounded by mountainside on 3 sides and dropped to the sea on the 4th. The houses began at the ledge and stacked up partially into the mountains. Similar to Venice, it had winding passageways between the buildings. Every once in awhile, the building would break leaving the passageway overlooking the side of the mountain and gave the most breathtaking views of the city and ocean. Above the houses on the mountainside were rows of crops. Every few feet up the mountain, a retaining wall was built which created about a 5 foot flat surface. This stair step went all the way up to the top. Most of the crops were grapes, but there were also lemons, limes, apples, etc. Below the town in the sea, several boats were tied to the rocks. A huge crane was used to hoist the boats in and out of the water every morning and evening. Because there was no actual "beach," a flat surface had been carved out of the rock on the North side of the town near the water, as well as steps that lead to that surface. From there, you could jump into the ocean. Many of the brave natives would climb to the top of the rock formations and take the high jump.
After exploring the very small town, we decided to go to the South side of town and climb across the rocks out to the ocean. These were giant quartz rocks that served as a barrier between the waves and the dock. Several of them had flat surfaces that were large enough for two people to lay on. Because we had dropped off our packs at the hostel (and didn't chance going back before the lock out period ended), we didn't have our bathing suits. We just laid on those rocks and took naps for close to an hour. It was heavenly.
We made the treacherous walk back up to the hostel just before 5 pm. We sat under the clock tower and observed the people of Manarola. What I loved about this town was it's lack of show. I felt like so many of the places we visited were geared towards tourists. You never saw the true culture of the area, only the culture they displayed for the visitors. Manarola was different. These people were living their lives as farmers and fishermen and continued on with their daily activities without paying much attention to the few tourists. As we sat under the clock tower, several older men gradually gathered on the benches and visited while the women sat across the square and did the same. Parents were out walking with their children, carrying baskets of fruit. It was a true immersion into their culture.
When we finally made our way back to the hostel, we were able to have a look around. Our room was on the 3rd floor (really 4th) and had 3 bunk beds. We had a great view of the town and clock tower through our window! We purchased a "laundry token" and did some much needed laundry. The hostel had a veranda on the roof where we sat and waited for the laundry to wash. Instead of paying the additional 2 euro to dry, we hung our clothes on the line on the roof. As we sat and watched the sunset, we debated on where to eat. Because the previous two outings were disappointing, we wanted to be sure to go to a good restaurant, of which the town only had 4. I decided to ask the helpful front desk people...bad idea. We waited in line for 15 minutes only to be told "I give no recommendations. I must now check in more people." Fabulous. We retreated back to the roof, met a few other hostelers, and decided to go as a group to seek out good food. We walked around, and finally settled on one that was in the center of town. I was immediately drawn to the baked lasagna with meat sauce (mainly because of the word meat). Everyone else decided on the same, and we placed our order. It arrived shortly after, and we all loved it! It was truely the best lasagna I have ever tasted. I ate as slow as I possibly could...I never wanted it to end! Do keep in mind, on top of the food, we each paid 2.5o euro just to sit at the restaurant and another 4 euro for water. We were going to make this last!
Our next stop was at the gilato stand. We struck gold. I believe we found the best gilato in all of Europe.
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Cinque Terre - Day two
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My day began with the 7 o'clock ringing of the very loud clock in the tower. I decided to get up and get coffee downstairs and sit on the veranda. I ordered my coffee and started towards the stairs but was stopped by one of the lovely lads and told that I could not take the coffee out of the breakfast room. Luckily, there is a small balcony off the breakfast room that I was able to take advantage of. Did I mention I loved that hostel? After my coffee, I went to the veranda and watched all the peoples of Manarola work in their fields. Most were picking grapes and placing them in large bins. The bins were then carried all the way down the mountainside stairs one at a time on the shoulders of the workers. It was very neat to watch!
We officially started the day at 8 am with our 5 minute showers. I washed my hair in the sink first, knowing that I usually take at least a 20 minute shower. No way was I giving that crazy hostel any more money to do that! We packed up our things and "checked out," again leaving our baggage in storage. We decided to take the hike from Manarola to it's Northern neighboring town, Corniglia. Because the trails are a part of a national park, you have to pay to walk them. Crazy, I know! The walk took around 30 minutes and was not so impressive. We didn't have time to hike between all 5 towns so we decided to catch a train on to Monterosso, the Northern most town in Cinque Terre.
We all know trains are fast, some reaching 200 mph. But usually they slow down as they pass through towns, except in Italy. A warning is announced on the PA system that a "train in transit will be passing on track two." This announcement really means, "brace yourself and grab any belonging that are not tied down or attached to your person because a train is about to fly through." A full length train would take about 10-20 seconds to pass. They moved so quickly that you could not count the cars.
As we waited for a train at one such station, we saw a little tiff between a few Americans and an Italian conductor. The downfall of most American's is assuming that all peoples of the world speak English. That produces the worst behavior from the French and Italians. The problem was they had not validated their tickets after purchase so the conductor would not let them on the train. Of course, they didn't know this because the conductor was explaining this in Italian. It escalated into a yelling match where the conductor was yelling "50 euro to get on" (the cost of the penalty for not validating) and the Americans pleading for an explanation. The conductor grabbed their tickets and threw them into a flower pot, boarded the train, and it pulled away. When a native explained the problem, we all quickly ran to validate our tickets!
Monterosso is the tourist town of Cinque Terre complete with resorts and streets full of Cinque Terre gift items. It is also the only town with a beach! We grabbed some gilato, walked to the beach, and scouted out our spot on the pebbles (much like cat litter). We absolutely loved baking by the sea! I got in a few times to cool off, but the closer you got to the water, the rocks became bigger and more treacherous. Native children ran circles around me as I gingerly stepped on the rocks. It was so worth it, though. The water was cold, but just perfect to counter the hot day!
Did I mention the naked people everywhere? Oh yeah. Clothing are totally optional. Topless 80 year old women and 300 pound men in speedos are something no human should have to see. As Wendy watched one such speedo clad man, she said "there he is on the prowl, looking for innocent eyes to corrupt." So true, so true.
We yet again purchased gilato and took the train back to Manarola. Our overnight train left at 7:30 and we wanted to grab our bags and be able to eat that amazing lasagna again. One waiter told us that the restaurant would open at "six half" so we decided to have desert first...another gilato...and then wait on a bench for 6:30. As we waited, an entire family passed by. Grandpa was pushing the stroller with a little girl in it while grandma and the parents followed. The little girl smiled towards us and we both waved and smiled at her. The grandparents saw the gesture and tried to get her to wave. This began a very fun conversation where we met the family and discussed Italy, Italians, and Italian food.
At 6:30, we sat down in the outside serving area and we were informed by our waiter that it would be 7 before the kitchen opened. We told him we just loved the lasagna and wanted more before we had to catch a train at 7:30. He walked back in the restaurant and came back simply saying "prego" (Welcome). He took our order, and 15 minutes later we were served. They actually opened the kitchen early just for us! We splurged and ordered the desert recommended to us by the waiter. It was a type of cookie covered in warm vanilla cream with strawberries on top. As a very kind gesture, the waiter also brought us a bunch of grapes saying "Manarola grapes." We wanted grapes so badly while we were there, but neither of the two markets sell them. I guess everyone just grows their own. We left a generous tip (at least for us) and started to leave, but an old Austria injury reared it's ugly head. My right knee started to really hurt me in Austria and continued bothering me throughout the trip. It hurt continuously, but was bearable. More than anything, it was just annoying because I had to take all stairs one at a time for lack of flexibility. The night before, another hosteler had given me a temporary wrap to use which helped some. Well, as I got up from the table to head to the train station, it locked up and I could not straighten it. This was accompanied by an acute pain like I've never felt before. I could put no weight on it whatsoever, let alone carry a 35 lb. pack. The waiter was quite concerned and looked at the train schedule to see if we would have time to make it. We had 6 minutes. Wendy grabbed her pack and threw it on her back, then grabbed my pack and put it on her front. She took off towards the station with the nearly 70 lbs of bags and said "I'll be back for you!" I slowly followed hobbling/limping through the tunnel to the train station. Wendy met me half way, helped me to the station, and then others who saw the commotion came and helped us and our bags onto the train. Another close call. We are really good at those.
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Zürich - Days 1 & 2
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We had to make 3 train changes before we got on the overnight train at 12:30 pm. We were so very tired, but slept well. We arrived in Zürich around 8:30am, hopped on the tram, and found the hostel thanks to the directions of a nice elderly gentleman. The hostel was very modern and clean. We said that we were quite glad that it was the last hostel, otherwise we would have been spoiled and disappointed with all of the others! We changed in the downstairs bathroom, stored our larger packs, and headed out to peruse the town. We started by visiting a small cafe in Altstadt (Old town). We really splurged the last few days! We each had a wonderful chicken wrap (MEAT!!!) and got some advice from the waitress. She suggested we go atop a nearby mountain (by train, of course...my knee wouldn't have it any other way). From there, we could have a great view of the city. We did so, and it was quite lovely. We still had to walk about 10 minutes and then several flights of stairs to get to the lookout, but it was worth it. We came back to our hostel, napped, then walked around a little more.
The next morning, we were up by 6 AM, packed our things, ate breakfast (COLD MILK!!!), and headed by tram to the train station. There we were able to purchase true Swiss chocolate. The stuff is not cheap if you buy the good stuff. I spent around $75-$85 US on chocolate for gifts and myself. Oh, but it's so worth it! Never have you tasted better chocolate!
We were at the airport about 1 1/2 hours early but after check-in, security, and customs, we only had about 15 minutes to spare. While boarding the plane, we had a little visit with the captain. We were very excited when he had a southern drawl and said "ya'll." We took our seats, began to taxi, and then a 1 hour delay was announced. We were quite happy when we were able to take off. Eleven and a half hours, two meals, one movie, one entire book, 45 minute nap, and several severe knee cramps later, we landed in Dallas. We could not wait to find a Dr. Pepper. We decided a Chilis was our best bet and man were we right! I think I had 6 glasses while we were there...and a cup to go!
We arrived in OKC around 8:30, went through customs, and met our family. Keith AND my dad were there to great me as were Wendy's parents. Kyle is in driving training so Wendy won't see him until this weekend. : ( My group went directly to Texas roadhouse for quite a feast. We finally rolled in to Weatherford around 11:00 making my waking hours total right at 24 hours (minus the 45 minute nap on the plane).
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Home Sweet Home
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I went back to work the next day at 8 am. I did well the whole day until about 4 pm when my body told me it was really 11 pm. Today, I'm really dragging. I'm about to go to bed for the night at it is only 7:30pm. It's definitely going to take awhile to get back to OK time!
I hope everyone has enjoyed this blog. I have loved writing to it! It's a great way for us to keep track of everything we did. I'm sure this will not be my last post...Wendy and I have written down a raft of quotes that I will surely have to post. You may not find them quite as amusing as we did, but I'll give them to you anyway. I would also like to leave you with some things we learned along the way. I just finished uploading all my pictures, over 2,000. Surprisingly less than I thought I would take! I'll post some of them as well. For tonight, this is all.
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Cinque Terre - Day one
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We woke up bright and early on Friday morning and got ready to leave for Rome. We stopped downstairs and had breakfast before leaving out. We slightly miscalculated our time, and showed up to the train station with only 15 minutes to spare. We hadn't gotten reservations, and were pretty sure they were compulsory. We rushed to the ticket counter only to find a long line of people. We waited...and waited...and finally got to the ticket counter at 7:35...and the train left at 7:36. I quickly asked the lady if we needed reservations to which she said no. We took off running for the platform, Wendy in the lead, and made it to the engine of the train as the conductors were getting on. They are always the last to get on the train. Wendy hesitated, and one of them said, "hurry, jump on!" She did, and I followed. As I started to step on, the train began moving. I heaved and with the help of the conductors, made it safely onto the car. One of them looked at us and with his Italian accent said, "last second." Again, we just like to live on the edge.
I know I've said this before, but Europeans are not real big on the whole bathing aspect. In fact, I would say they consider it to be optional...per week...As we made our way into the first car, we were hit with the worst smell imaginable. It was a mixture of body odor, bad breath, cigarettes, and mildew. I looked at Wendy and said, "Let's hurry through this car, it smells horrible!!!" We walked as quickly as possible but soon caught up to a woman with 3 children who was holding up our progress. I could see the door to the next car, but she and her entourage stood in the way. Thoughts of pushing them out of the way and making a run for it did cross my mind. Nevertheless, I held my breath for what seemed like an hour, I slowly followed behind. When we finally passed through both doors into the next car, I let out a sigh of relief and sucked in a deep breath...only to be paralyzed with disgust that the same smell also occupied this car. Behind me, Wendy began to gag. It was at that moment, that I realized the woman and her 3 rug rats were the source of the stench. We stopped dead in our tracks and allowed a good 3 car buffer before moving forward. Every once in awhile we would start to catch up to her again, and we would pause until we could no longer see her through the doors. You think I'm kidding...but I'm not. It was that bad.
The train ride to Cinque 5 was painless and quite beautiful. We spent most of the ride looking at the beautiful Mediterranean sea through the window. We arrived at Le Spazia around noon. The next train to Manarola, the town we were staying in, was not for another hour. Instead of waiting, we decided to hop on a train to Vernazza which is a neighboring town. The view there was breathtaking. We still had to wait about 45 minutes for the train, but we just soaked up the view while we waited.
We arrived in Manarola around 1:15pm. The directions to the hostel were pretty vague: "from the train station, go right up the hill. We are next to the church." So right we went, up the hill...which was seriously the steepest grade I've ever walked. The street was probably the equivalent of 4 city blocks in length, but it took us a good 15 minutes to walk it. By this stage in the trip, our bags were substantually heavier. I would estimate that mine was closer to 35 lbs. One we made it to the church (there is only one church), we went up two flights of stairs to reach the Ostello Hostel. It is seriously at the top of the town and had the most amazing view! At the door, we were greeted by the most unfriendly person we have met along our trip. He informed us that they were closed for cleaning. No big deal, we just wanted to drop off our bags. He didn't want us to drop it off without checking in, but did not want to check us in. I told him I would be more than happy to leave my bag on a street corner but would not be carrying it back up the hill. He was quite disgruntled, but insisted on checking us in. I wasn't kidding when I said I would leave them on the street corner, but he would not go for that. The check in was quite a harmless process and only took him 2 minutes. His complaints took longer than that.
Most hostels workers are very friendly and helpful. They give you maps and suggest places to visit, eat, and shop. Not so much here. Upon check in, we were handed a half sheet of paper that was full of hostel rules, most of which were trivial. One such rule was "the ceiling fan in your room can only be turned on if all of the occupants of that room agree to turn it on." I understand that all hostels have rules, but seriously? Rules about fans? We were also given a "shower token." This magical token allowed you 5 minutes in the shower. Need more time? Sure thing. Simply pay the kind souls at the counter .50 euro and you will receive another 5 minutes. Of course, you would have to wait for your first 5 minutes to elapse, then walk your naked soapy body out of the shower to insert the next token, and so on. You were also offered an organic breakfast (for a fee, of course), and for 4 euro, you would receive a laundry token. I felt like I was at a strict chucky cheese!
After leaving our bags and being forced to check in by the precious clerk, we felt a little uneasy about the town. We got the feeling that the natives didn't really want tourists to be there. We walked around the quaint little town trying to blend as much as possible. Of course our cameras around our necks made us a little obvious.
I really don't know how to describe Manarola. The town was absolutely amazing. It was completely surrounded by mountainside on 3 sides and dropped to the sea on the 4th. The houses began at the ledge and stacked up partially into the mountains. Similar to Venice, it had winding passageways between the buildings. Every once in awhile, the building would break leaving the passageway overlooking the side of the mountain and gave the most breathtaking views of the city and ocean. Above the houses on the mountainside were rows of crops. Every few feet up the mountain, a retaining wall was built which created about a 5 foot flat surface. This stair step went all the way up to the top. Most of the crops were grapes, but there were also lemons, limes, apples, etc. Below the town in the sea, several boats were tied to the rocks. A huge crane was used to hoist the boats in and out of the water every morning and evening. Because there was no actual "beach," a flat surface had been carved out of the rock on the North side of the town near the water, as well as steps that lead to that surface. From there, you could jump into the ocean. Many of the brave natives would climb to the top of the rock formations and take the high jump.
After exploring the very small town, we decided to go to the South side of town and climb across the rocks out to the ocean. These were giant quartz rocks that served as a barrier between the waves and the dock. Several of them had flat surfaces that were large enough for two people to lay on. Because we had dropped off our packs at the hostel (and didn't chance going back before the lock out period ended), we didn't have our bathing suits. We just laid on those rocks and took naps for close to an hour. It was heavenly.
We made the treacherous walk back up to the hostel just before 5 pm. We sat under the clock tower and observed the people of Manarola. What I loved about this town was it's lack of show. I felt like so many of the places we visited were geared towards tourists. You never saw the true culture of the area, only the culture they displayed for the visitors. Manarola was different. These people were living their lives as farmers and fishermen and continued on with their daily activities without paying much attention to the few tourists. As we sat under the clock tower, several older men gradually gathered on the benches and visited while the women sat across the square and did the same. Parents were out walking with their children, carrying baskets of fruit. It was a true immersion into their culture.
When we finally made our way back to the hostel, we were able to have a look around. Our room was on the 3rd floor (really 4th) and had 3 bunk beds. We had a great view of the town and clock tower through our window! We purchased a "laundry token" and did some much needed laundry. The hostel had a veranda on the roof where we sat and waited for the laundry to wash. Instead of paying the additional 2 euro to dry, we hung our clothes on the line on the roof. As we sat and watched the sunset, we debated on where to eat. Because the previous two outings were disappointing, we wanted to be sure to go to a good restaurant, of which the town only had 4. I decided to ask the helpful front desk people...bad idea. We waited in line for 15 minutes only to be told "I give no recommendations. I must now check in more people." Fabulous. We retreated back to the roof, met a few other hostelers, and decided to go as a group to seek out good food. We walked around, and finally settled on one that was in the center of town. I was immediately drawn to the baked lasagna with meat sauce (mainly because of the word meat). Everyone else decided on the same, and we placed our order. It arrived shortly after, and we all loved it! It was truely the best lasagna I have ever tasted. I ate as slow as I possibly could...I never wanted it to end! Do keep in mind, on top of the food, we each paid 2.5o euro just to sit at the restaurant and another 4 euro for water. We were going to make this last!
Our next stop was at the gilato stand. We struck gold. I believe we found the best gilato in all of Europe.
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Cinque Terre - Day two
------------------------
My day began with the 7 o'clock ringing of the very loud clock in the tower. I decided to get up and get coffee downstairs and sit on the veranda. I ordered my coffee and started towards the stairs but was stopped by one of the lovely lads and told that I could not take the coffee out of the breakfast room. Luckily, there is a small balcony off the breakfast room that I was able to take advantage of. Did I mention I loved that hostel? After my coffee, I went to the veranda and watched all the peoples of Manarola work in their fields. Most were picking grapes and placing them in large bins. The bins were then carried all the way down the mountainside stairs one at a time on the shoulders of the workers. It was very neat to watch!
We officially started the day at 8 am with our 5 minute showers. I washed my hair in the sink first, knowing that I usually take at least a 20 minute shower. No way was I giving that crazy hostel any more money to do that! We packed up our things and "checked out," again leaving our baggage in storage. We decided to take the hike from Manarola to it's Northern neighboring town, Corniglia. Because the trails are a part of a national park, you have to pay to walk them. Crazy, I know! The walk took around 30 minutes and was not so impressive. We didn't have time to hike between all 5 towns so we decided to catch a train on to Monterosso, the Northern most town in Cinque Terre.
We all know trains are fast, some reaching 200 mph. But usually they slow down as they pass through towns, except in Italy. A warning is announced on the PA system that a "train in transit will be passing on track two." This announcement really means, "brace yourself and grab any belonging that are not tied down or attached to your person because a train is about to fly through." A full length train would take about 10-20 seconds to pass. They moved so quickly that you could not count the cars.
As we waited for a train at one such station, we saw a little tiff between a few Americans and an Italian conductor. The downfall of most American's is assuming that all peoples of the world speak English. That produces the worst behavior from the French and Italians. The problem was they had not validated their tickets after purchase so the conductor would not let them on the train. Of course, they didn't know this because the conductor was explaining this in Italian. It escalated into a yelling match where the conductor was yelling "50 euro to get on" (the cost of the penalty for not validating) and the Americans pleading for an explanation. The conductor grabbed their tickets and threw them into a flower pot, boarded the train, and it pulled away. When a native explained the problem, we all quickly ran to validate our tickets!
Monterosso is the tourist town of Cinque Terre complete with resorts and streets full of Cinque Terre gift items. It is also the only town with a beach! We grabbed some gilato, walked to the beach, and scouted out our spot on the pebbles (much like cat litter). We absolutely loved baking by the sea! I got in a few times to cool off, but the closer you got to the water, the rocks became bigger and more treacherous. Native children ran circles around me as I gingerly stepped on the rocks. It was so worth it, though. The water was cold, but just perfect to counter the hot day!
Did I mention the naked people everywhere? Oh yeah. Clothing are totally optional. Topless 80 year old women and 300 pound men in speedos are something no human should have to see. As Wendy watched one such speedo clad man, she said "there he is on the prowl, looking for innocent eyes to corrupt." So true, so true.
We yet again purchased gilato and took the train back to Manarola. Our overnight train left at 7:30 and we wanted to grab our bags and be able to eat that amazing lasagna again. One waiter told us that the restaurant would open at "six half" so we decided to have desert first...another gilato...and then wait on a bench for 6:30. As we waited, an entire family passed by. Grandpa was pushing the stroller with a little girl in it while grandma and the parents followed. The little girl smiled towards us and we both waved and smiled at her. The grandparents saw the gesture and tried to get her to wave. This began a very fun conversation where we met the family and discussed Italy, Italians, and Italian food.
At 6:30, we sat down in the outside serving area and we were informed by our waiter that it would be 7 before the kitchen opened. We told him we just loved the lasagna and wanted more before we had to catch a train at 7:30. He walked back in the restaurant and came back simply saying "prego" (Welcome). He took our order, and 15 minutes later we were served. They actually opened the kitchen early just for us! We splurged and ordered the desert recommended to us by the waiter. It was a type of cookie covered in warm vanilla cream with strawberries on top. As a very kind gesture, the waiter also brought us a bunch of grapes saying "Manarola grapes." We wanted grapes so badly while we were there, but neither of the two markets sell them. I guess everyone just grows their own. We left a generous tip (at least for us) and started to leave, but an old Austria injury reared it's ugly head. My right knee started to really hurt me in Austria and continued bothering me throughout the trip. It hurt continuously, but was bearable. More than anything, it was just annoying because I had to take all stairs one at a time for lack of flexibility. The night before, another hosteler had given me a temporary wrap to use which helped some. Well, as I got up from the table to head to the train station, it locked up and I could not straighten it. This was accompanied by an acute pain like I've never felt before. I could put no weight on it whatsoever, let alone carry a 35 lb. pack. The waiter was quite concerned and looked at the train schedule to see if we would have time to make it. We had 6 minutes. Wendy grabbed her pack and threw it on her back, then grabbed my pack and put it on her front. She took off towards the station with the nearly 70 lbs of bags and said "I'll be back for you!" I slowly followed hobbling/limping through the tunnel to the train station. Wendy met me half way, helped me to the station, and then others who saw the commotion came and helped us and our bags onto the train. Another close call. We are really good at those.
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Zürich - Days 1 & 2
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We had to make 3 train changes before we got on the overnight train at 12:30 pm. We were so very tired, but slept well. We arrived in Zürich around 8:30am, hopped on the tram, and found the hostel thanks to the directions of a nice elderly gentleman. The hostel was very modern and clean. We said that we were quite glad that it was the last hostel, otherwise we would have been spoiled and disappointed with all of the others! We changed in the downstairs bathroom, stored our larger packs, and headed out to peruse the town. We started by visiting a small cafe in Altstadt (Old town). We really splurged the last few days! We each had a wonderful chicken wrap (MEAT!!!) and got some advice from the waitress. She suggested we go atop a nearby mountain (by train, of course...my knee wouldn't have it any other way). From there, we could have a great view of the city. We did so, and it was quite lovely. We still had to walk about 10 minutes and then several flights of stairs to get to the lookout, but it was worth it. We came back to our hostel, napped, then walked around a little more.
The next morning, we were up by 6 AM, packed our things, ate breakfast (COLD MILK!!!), and headed by tram to the train station. There we were able to purchase true Swiss chocolate. The stuff is not cheap if you buy the good stuff. I spent around $75-$85 US on chocolate for gifts and myself. Oh, but it's so worth it! Never have you tasted better chocolate!
We were at the airport about 1 1/2 hours early but after check-in, security, and customs, we only had about 15 minutes to spare. While boarding the plane, we had a little visit with the captain. We were very excited when he had a southern drawl and said "ya'll." We took our seats, began to taxi, and then a 1 hour delay was announced. We were quite happy when we were able to take off. Eleven and a half hours, two meals, one movie, one entire book, 45 minute nap, and several severe knee cramps later, we landed in Dallas. We could not wait to find a Dr. Pepper. We decided a Chilis was our best bet and man were we right! I think I had 6 glasses while we were there...and a cup to go!
We arrived in OKC around 8:30, went through customs, and met our family. Keith AND my dad were there to great me as were Wendy's parents. Kyle is in driving training so Wendy won't see him until this weekend. : ( My group went directly to Texas roadhouse for quite a feast. We finally rolled in to Weatherford around 11:00 making my waking hours total right at 24 hours (minus the 45 minute nap on the plane).
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Home Sweet Home
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I went back to work the next day at 8 am. I did well the whole day until about 4 pm when my body told me it was really 11 pm. Today, I'm really dragging. I'm about to go to bed for the night at it is only 7:30pm. It's definitely going to take awhile to get back to OK time!
I hope everyone has enjoyed this blog. I have loved writing to it! It's a great way for us to keep track of everything we did. I'm sure this will not be my last post...Wendy and I have written down a raft of quotes that I will surely have to post. You may not find them quite as amusing as we did, but I'll give them to you anyway. I would also like to leave you with some things we learned along the way. I just finished uploading all my pictures, over 2,000. Surprisingly less than I thought I would take! I'll post some of them as well. For tonight, this is all.
Todd, this picture is for you!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Zurich...Last full day in Europe.
I am sitting in the lobby of our hostel in Zurich. I dont have much time on this machine (and the keyboard is next to impossible to use...crazy Swiss!). I just wanted to let everyone know we are here and safe. Cinque Terre was amazing. We enjoyed laying by the sea and soaking in some rays! I`ll try to find a wifi hotspot and give more details and maybe a few pictures.
I`m so sad that our time in Europe is about to end. I love it here! At the same time, I really miss Keith and my family. We met an Italian family in Manarola with a little girl named Margaret who was about 1 year old. Seeing her made me miss my nephew Cayson! I bet he`s grown like a weed while I`ve been here.
We are about to go wonder the streets of Zurich. It`s beautiful here, and not too cold. Hopefully you will hear from me one more time before I leave.
I`m so sad that our time in Europe is about to end. I love it here! At the same time, I really miss Keith and my family. We met an Italian family in Manarola with a little girl named Margaret who was about 1 year old. Seeing her made me miss my nephew Cayson! I bet he`s grown like a weed while I`ve been here.
We are about to go wonder the streets of Zurich. It`s beautiful here, and not too cold. Hopefully you will hear from me one more time before I leave.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Rome!
We made it to Rome about 11:08 am on Tuesday. The train ride was so long...but we visited with an Australian couple who sat next to us for the last few hours of the ride. The were on a 6 week tour of Europe!
Our Vatican tour was scheduled for 12 noon so we rushed to our hostel, dropped off our bags, and literally ran to the metro station. We had to que forever to get tickets (our English friends have taught us the word "que," which means to wait in line). The machine was broken, so we ran upstairs, bought tickets, ran back downstairs, waited for the metro, ran in the general direction of the Vatican, stopped and asked directions, ran some more...Long story short, we missed our tour. Luckily, there was no wait for the museum so we only paid the general admission charge, which was much cheaper than the tour, and walked right in. We shared an audio guide so we only listened to the things that interested us. I had no idea that the Vatican Museum had Egyptian artifacts and mummies! Very nifty. It was cool to look at things that were dated before Christ!
There were also millions of statues. When we got tired of caring, we started having a little fun. We were taking funny pictures around the different statues. We got in trouble for getting too close to one...oops! Each room had anywhere between 1 and 4 guards. They just sat in chairs...seemed real boring. But they got a real kick out of our fun pictures. A lot of the rooms were being cleaned so as you walked into them, there was nothing but white walls and a sheet covering half of the room. In one such room, we stopped dead in our tracks and I said "this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" and Wendy quickly followed with "it moves me to tears." We could still hear the guard laughing 3 rooms away.
We made our way through the museum and into the chapel. I cannot believe how huge that thing is! It was very crowded, but very amazing to see. There was a sign that said you could not take pictures...but I did anyway. Oops! Just a few...
We walked around Vatican City for a short time, just to snap some pictures and say we did. The center was full of row after row of chairs. We decided the pope must be speaking...probably not, but it sounded cool. Not to mention, there were Greyhound size buses letting off loads of polizia (police). You couldn't walk 3 feet without running into the polizia or caribeaneri (military).
That evening, we went to the Trevi fountain. As we were walking, I was saying how it's odd that some things have become so popular. A lot of things we see are no more spectacular than the next, but for some reason it is the popular one. As I am saying this, we round the corner and I stop dead in my tracks. I had no idea the fountain was so massive! It's the size of a building...a big one! With the lights and everything, it was just beautiful! We stayed for well over an hour just looking at it.
The hostel is quite nice. We are in a room with 4 other people. Two of them don't have hostel manners (not quiet and turn lights on when others are sleeping, etc.). They don't really bother me because I use ear plugs and a mask every night, but they keep waking Wendy up. We are on the 4th floor (really the 5th by US terms). They do have a "lift," but a sign on the outside tells you it is faulty and they are not responsible for your safety if you use it. The man at the reception desk said it might stick between floors, but we will not plummet to the ground. That was good enough for us! You should see the looks we get from people when we push the button to use "old faulty." We like to think we live on the wild side.
Yesterday began by visiting the Pantheon. It was so neat! Mainly because I've seen pictures of it for years. It, too, was quite busy. But we were able to see it all, take pictures, and sign the guestbook. We went next to the Spanish steps. It was one of those things you go to, look at, and say "well, okay." Nothing fancy, just steps that everyone always sits on to ponder life...supposedly.
On our way to the steps, we went through an interesting part of town. We were surrounded by designer stores: Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Channel...all of them! The people were better dressed than even in Paris. The men are all wearing suits with pants that are a little too tight, skinny fit, and very square or pointed shoes. Oh, and the big reflective cop sunglasses are all the rage here. We stuck out like a sore thumb!
We meandered through a park, then took the buss to the Colosseum. A-mazing. We had to pinch ourselves when it first came into view. We just walked around the outside and wondered through the Roman Forum. We were amazed at the ruins and how well preserved some of them were! I know the pictures will not do it justice. We decided to come early today to see the inside of the Colosseum.
Last night, we found an internet/phone place, which is where I am now, and I was finally able to connect. The phone calls to the US are only €.08 a minute! I was able to talk to Keith for more than 5 minutes for the first time since we've been in Europe. I love this adventure, but I miss him so much!!! I told him that as soon as I get home, has to take me to Texas Roadhouse for a big steak and a HUGE Dr. Pepper! I love free refills...
We also treated ourselves to some real Italian cuisine. We were so excited to eat at this little café since we had not been to a sit down restaurant since we began our journey. We both ordered ham and cheese calzones...and they were very blah. We also ordered water, and paid €3 for it! All in all, very disappointing. After that extravaganza, we went to the train station to another small café to order hot chocolate. We had been told that it was amazing and we were not misinformed! It is very thick, halfway between liquid and pudding, and you eat it with a spoon. It was unbelievable. I'm definitely doing that again!
Today began early with our trip to the Colosseum. We walked right in with no que to speak of. We opted in on the guided tour, which ended up being nothing more than an information session with Q & A following. Although it wasn't the tour we had expected, it was very interesting! We learned quite a bit. For instance: the games would last 12 hours each day for sometimes weeks and weeks. The morning games were always animals fighting animals while the afternoon games were gladiators fighting gladiators. Gladiators and animals NEVER fought each other! Someone should have told Hollywood that! Also, the Colosseum was originally built for battle reenactments, but after 15 years the bottom floor was built up and the ramps were installed and it was never used for that purpose again. Finally, most of the gladiators were prisoners of war. They had to fight at different locations and make it to Rome (much like the superbowl) to be set free. Around 80 percent of those who made it to the Colosseum were set free. And yes, the Emperor did indicate whether or not a gladiator should be killed by giving a thumb-up or thumb-down.
Our next stop was Palintine Hill and the Mamertine prison. Both very neat places! After awhile, all of the ruins started to look alike and we decided it was time to go. It is now around 1 pm here and we are about to go nap and gear up for the rest of the day. We would like to just brows the streets and look around.
I have to say, Rome is nothing like I thought it would be. It's actually a very dirty town. There is trash all along the streets, graffiti on EVERY surface, and it smells bad. We have been told to be very careful here because pickpockets run rampant. We don't take a step without looking around and clutching our backpacks which are always locked. I do have to say, I have never seen a greater Police presence in any other city. You see a policeman or woman on every street corner just about.
Tomorrow we will head to Cinque Terre! We can't wait! It's so hot here that all I want to do is jump into any body of water. Oh, and Todd...I'll be sure to post that picture in Cinque Terre of the mountainside and houses with ME in it! =)
Our Vatican tour was scheduled for 12 noon so we rushed to our hostel, dropped off our bags, and literally ran to the metro station. We had to que forever to get tickets (our English friends have taught us the word "que," which means to wait in line). The machine was broken, so we ran upstairs, bought tickets, ran back downstairs, waited for the metro, ran in the general direction of the Vatican, stopped and asked directions, ran some more...Long story short, we missed our tour. Luckily, there was no wait for the museum so we only paid the general admission charge, which was much cheaper than the tour, and walked right in. We shared an audio guide so we only listened to the things that interested us. I had no idea that the Vatican Museum had Egyptian artifacts and mummies! Very nifty. It was cool to look at things that were dated before Christ!
There were also millions of statues. When we got tired of caring, we started having a little fun. We were taking funny pictures around the different statues. We got in trouble for getting too close to one...oops! Each room had anywhere between 1 and 4 guards. They just sat in chairs...seemed real boring. But they got a real kick out of our fun pictures. A lot of the rooms were being cleaned so as you walked into them, there was nothing but white walls and a sheet covering half of the room. In one such room, we stopped dead in our tracks and I said "this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" and Wendy quickly followed with "it moves me to tears." We could still hear the guard laughing 3 rooms away.
We made our way through the museum and into the chapel. I cannot believe how huge that thing is! It was very crowded, but very amazing to see. There was a sign that said you could not take pictures...but I did anyway. Oops! Just a few...
We walked around Vatican City for a short time, just to snap some pictures and say we did. The center was full of row after row of chairs. We decided the pope must be speaking...probably not, but it sounded cool. Not to mention, there were Greyhound size buses letting off loads of polizia (police). You couldn't walk 3 feet without running into the polizia or caribeaneri (military).
That evening, we went to the Trevi fountain. As we were walking, I was saying how it's odd that some things have become so popular. A lot of things we see are no more spectacular than the next, but for some reason it is the popular one. As I am saying this, we round the corner and I stop dead in my tracks. I had no idea the fountain was so massive! It's the size of a building...a big one! With the lights and everything, it was just beautiful! We stayed for well over an hour just looking at it.
The hostel is quite nice. We are in a room with 4 other people. Two of them don't have hostel manners (not quiet and turn lights on when others are sleeping, etc.). They don't really bother me because I use ear plugs and a mask every night, but they keep waking Wendy up. We are on the 4th floor (really the 5th by US terms). They do have a "lift," but a sign on the outside tells you it is faulty and they are not responsible for your safety if you use it. The man at the reception desk said it might stick between floors, but we will not plummet to the ground. That was good enough for us! You should see the looks we get from people when we push the button to use "old faulty." We like to think we live on the wild side.
Yesterday began by visiting the Pantheon. It was so neat! Mainly because I've seen pictures of it for years. It, too, was quite busy. But we were able to see it all, take pictures, and sign the guestbook. We went next to the Spanish steps. It was one of those things you go to, look at, and say "well, okay." Nothing fancy, just steps that everyone always sits on to ponder life...supposedly.
On our way to the steps, we went through an interesting part of town. We were surrounded by designer stores: Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Channel...all of them! The people were better dressed than even in Paris. The men are all wearing suits with pants that are a little too tight, skinny fit, and very square or pointed shoes. Oh, and the big reflective cop sunglasses are all the rage here. We stuck out like a sore thumb!
We meandered through a park, then took the buss to the Colosseum. A-mazing. We had to pinch ourselves when it first came into view. We just walked around the outside and wondered through the Roman Forum. We were amazed at the ruins and how well preserved some of them were! I know the pictures will not do it justice. We decided to come early today to see the inside of the Colosseum.
Last night, we found an internet/phone place, which is where I am now, and I was finally able to connect. The phone calls to the US are only €.08 a minute! I was able to talk to Keith for more than 5 minutes for the first time since we've been in Europe. I love this adventure, but I miss him so much!!! I told him that as soon as I get home, has to take me to Texas Roadhouse for a big steak and a HUGE Dr. Pepper! I love free refills...
We also treated ourselves to some real Italian cuisine. We were so excited to eat at this little café since we had not been to a sit down restaurant since we began our journey. We both ordered ham and cheese calzones...and they were very blah. We also ordered water, and paid €3 for it! All in all, very disappointing. After that extravaganza, we went to the train station to another small café to order hot chocolate. We had been told that it was amazing and we were not misinformed! It is very thick, halfway between liquid and pudding, and you eat it with a spoon. It was unbelievable. I'm definitely doing that again!
Today began early with our trip to the Colosseum. We walked right in with no que to speak of. We opted in on the guided tour, which ended up being nothing more than an information session with Q & A following. Although it wasn't the tour we had expected, it was very interesting! We learned quite a bit. For instance: the games would last 12 hours each day for sometimes weeks and weeks. The morning games were always animals fighting animals while the afternoon games were gladiators fighting gladiators. Gladiators and animals NEVER fought each other! Someone should have told Hollywood that! Also, the Colosseum was originally built for battle reenactments, but after 15 years the bottom floor was built up and the ramps were installed and it was never used for that purpose again. Finally, most of the gladiators were prisoners of war. They had to fight at different locations and make it to Rome (much like the superbowl) to be set free. Around 80 percent of those who made it to the Colosseum were set free. And yes, the Emperor did indicate whether or not a gladiator should be killed by giving a thumb-up or thumb-down.
Our next stop was Palintine Hill and the Mamertine prison. Both very neat places! After awhile, all of the ruins started to look alike and we decided it was time to go. It is now around 1 pm here and we are about to go nap and gear up for the rest of the day. We would like to just brows the streets and look around.
I have to say, Rome is nothing like I thought it would be. It's actually a very dirty town. There is trash all along the streets, graffiti on EVERY surface, and it smells bad. We have been told to be very careful here because pickpockets run rampant. We don't take a step without looking around and clutching our backpacks which are always locked. I do have to say, I have never seen a greater Police presence in any other city. You see a policeman or woman on every street corner just about.
Tomorrow we will head to Cinque Terre! We can't wait! It's so hot here that all I want to do is jump into any body of water. Oh, and Todd...I'll be sure to post that picture in Cinque Terre of the mountainside and houses with ME in it! =)
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Venice
Tuesday, 9/11/07
The overnight train was pretty painless this time. We were on a Couchette instead of an actual bed and instead of having 3 people to a room, it had 6. The beds were so close together, you could not sit up in them. I was on the second tier and had a window at my feet. I left the curtain open so I could see out until I feel asleep, which wasn't very long. I slept very well and did not awaken until our "wakeup call" from the train car worker. He was, yet again, an Italian. He was older and we could hardly understand a word he said. His English was "notta so good-uh." He asked us if we wanted coffee or tea and we both opted for coffee. He brought us our coffee and left, only to return a few moments later to ask for the payment for the coffee. On our last train, the coffee was included...but apparently not on this one. It was 2.90€...each. The coffee was not THAT good! Nevertheless, he was a nice guy. He was joking with us as we waited for the train to stop. I still am not sure what he was joking with us about...but we laughed.
We didn't know what to expect in Venice. Germany and Austria were so cold! We both dressed a little warmer, but the moment we stepped of the train, we could tell it would be beautiful here! We walked first to our hotel, which was only a few Venice blocks away from the train station. We dropped off our luggage and used the restroom to change into shorts. We meandered through the streets of Venice just loving it! It was so warm that we were FINALLY able to thaw out from Germany's cold, wet weather. It was just as I thought it should be; Beautiful. You could very easily get lost in the winding passages, many of which dead ended. I laughed at people asking for directions to certain shops...there is no good way to give directions! You almost need a compass to get around there. Most of the streets are not labeled and they wind around until you don't know which way is North. We found our way to the Rialto bridge, then headed back to the hotel. We were able to check into our room at 11.
The room was so adorable! It was on the second floor (which, in the US is really the third floor). It had a double bed with side tables on either side, a small desk and chair, a sink, an armoire, and double doors that led out to a balcony overlooking an alleyway. It was beautiful! And it was so nice to have a room to ourselves for the one and only time on this trip.
We continued walking Venice and made our way to Saint Marks Square. A huge stage was being set up in the middle and we overheard someone say they were having an orchestra concert and would block of the square at 6 pm. It definitely took away from the ambiance of the place but it was still beautiful. We walked for hours and then made our way again back to the hotel. We decided that we would love to see the city at night so we napped for a few hours, and headed out again. I believe during the course of the day, we had about 3 gilatos. We couldn't help ourselves.
Our last walk was to St. Mark's Square again. We listened in on the beautiful orchestra for a bit, and then wondered our way slowly back. It was so beautiful that we didn't want to go back to the hotel!
The gondola rides were everywhere. It looked like so much fun, but the cost was not so much fun. Most of them were at least $150 US. The gondolas themselves were very pimped out, with leather seats, fringe, faux fur, and the works. The gondola drivers themselves were flirty little things. They would blow kisses at you and wave and say "Ciao, very beautiful!" We just laughed and kept on walking. We knew they really just wanted us to pay them the big bucks for a ride.
As I sit here, two Italians are amazed at my PDA and keyboard. They are talking very quickly in Italian and pointing. I just look at them and smile. We are on the train to Rome. We were able to get reservations for the Vatican tour, but they are at noon today. We had to catch the 6:38 am train to be in Rome in time for the tour. It was so sad to say goodbye to Venice...our stay was so short lived!
We overslept a bit this morning and barely got to the station in time for the train. I think we are sitting in the coach area instead of second class...I guess we will move if they tell us too. Wendy has already fallen asleep while I've been typing, and I hope to follow suit.
Ciao for now!
The overnight train was pretty painless this time. We were on a Couchette instead of an actual bed and instead of having 3 people to a room, it had 6. The beds were so close together, you could not sit up in them. I was on the second tier and had a window at my feet. I left the curtain open so I could see out until I feel asleep, which wasn't very long. I slept very well and did not awaken until our "wakeup call" from the train car worker. He was, yet again, an Italian. He was older and we could hardly understand a word he said. His English was "notta so good-uh." He asked us if we wanted coffee or tea and we both opted for coffee. He brought us our coffee and left, only to return a few moments later to ask for the payment for the coffee. On our last train, the coffee was included...but apparently not on this one. It was 2.90€...each. The coffee was not THAT good! Nevertheless, he was a nice guy. He was joking with us as we waited for the train to stop. I still am not sure what he was joking with us about...but we laughed.
We didn't know what to expect in Venice. Germany and Austria were so cold! We both dressed a little warmer, but the moment we stepped of the train, we could tell it would be beautiful here! We walked first to our hotel, which was only a few Venice blocks away from the train station. We dropped off our luggage and used the restroom to change into shorts. We meandered through the streets of Venice just loving it! It was so warm that we were FINALLY able to thaw out from Germany's cold, wet weather. It was just as I thought it should be; Beautiful. You could very easily get lost in the winding passages, many of which dead ended. I laughed at people asking for directions to certain shops...there is no good way to give directions! You almost need a compass to get around there. Most of the streets are not labeled and they wind around until you don't know which way is North. We found our way to the Rialto bridge, then headed back to the hotel. We were able to check into our room at 11.
The room was so adorable! It was on the second floor (which, in the US is really the third floor). It had a double bed with side tables on either side, a small desk and chair, a sink, an armoire, and double doors that led out to a balcony overlooking an alleyway. It was beautiful! And it was so nice to have a room to ourselves for the one and only time on this trip.
We continued walking Venice and made our way to Saint Marks Square. A huge stage was being set up in the middle and we overheard someone say they were having an orchestra concert and would block of the square at 6 pm. It definitely took away from the ambiance of the place but it was still beautiful. We walked for hours and then made our way again back to the hotel. We decided that we would love to see the city at night so we napped for a few hours, and headed out again. I believe during the course of the day, we had about 3 gilatos. We couldn't help ourselves.
Our last walk was to St. Mark's Square again. We listened in on the beautiful orchestra for a bit, and then wondered our way slowly back. It was so beautiful that we didn't want to go back to the hotel!
The gondola rides were everywhere. It looked like so much fun, but the cost was not so much fun. Most of them were at least $150 US. The gondolas themselves were very pimped out, with leather seats, fringe, faux fur, and the works. The gondola drivers themselves were flirty little things. They would blow kisses at you and wave and say "Ciao, very beautiful!" We just laughed and kept on walking. We knew they really just wanted us to pay them the big bucks for a ride.
As I sit here, two Italians are amazed at my PDA and keyboard. They are talking very quickly in Italian and pointing. I just look at them and smile. We are on the train to Rome. We were able to get reservations for the Vatican tour, but they are at noon today. We had to catch the 6:38 am train to be in Rome in time for the tour. It was so sad to say goodbye to Venice...our stay was so short lived!
We overslept a bit this morning and barely got to the station in time for the train. I think we are sitting in the coach area instead of second class...I guess we will move if they tell us too. Wendy has already fallen asleep while I've been typing, and I hope to follow suit.
Ciao for now!
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