Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

Our stay in the Cinque Terre, the five lands of a National Park that stretches  along the north west coast of Italy, was much anticipated. After having spent most of two weeks with friends, we were definitely itching to get some alone time to enjoy the beautiful beaches and relaxing atmosphere of these tiny coastal towns. When we arrived in Riomaggiore, the southernmost town of the five, it was raining. We got out and walked down the tunnel which was decorated with a beautiful tile mosaic depicting images of sea wildlife. We weren't too sure how to get to the offices of Mar-Mar apartments, but once we popped out of the tunnel, we saw that the entire town consisted of basically one street. The apartment offices were right there. We were brought to our room, a cute one room place with a bathroom, a mini fridge, and a window that overlooked Via Colombo. 

We immediately unpacked our things and headed down to the marina, where we saw about 50 colorful rowboats stacked one on top of the other between  red, green, pink, blue, and yellow apartment buildings. We walked to a lookout point where we were safe from the wild, crashing waves, and just watched in awe of the clear blue, green, and purple sea smashing down on the 'shore.' 

It stopped raining for a while, so we headed up to dinner at the top of the town. There is a really cool tiny castle at the top of the town that is open to the public. From there we were able to sea each of the five towns from right along the water. I have never seen so many different colors of blue.  The Ligurian Sea combined with a post-rainstorm sky was one of the best things I've ever seen. 

Dinner at Ripa del Sole was great. Since anchovies, pesto, and focaccia bred all are typical of this region, we had a lot of that not only for dinner but throughout our whole say in the Cinque Terre. That first night we had a five fish appetizer, two of which were anchovies, one octopus, fried mussels, and tuna. We also had a pesto pasta with zucchini (awesome), and boiled Sea Bass. We shared a bottle of vino bianchi that was bottled  in the Liguria area.

The following day, we decided to do a 4 town hike from Riomaggiore to Manarola to Corniglia to Vernazza. The route from Riomaggiore to Manarola is not so much a hike as it is a walk on the boardwalk. Nevertheless, it was awesome because the entire 20 minute walk on the Via del Amore was built into the cliffs above the shoreline. The coastal hike from Manarola to Corniglia was closed due to a landslide, so we took the detour route instead. The detour route consisted of a 45 minute vertical hike up sets and sets and more sets of stairs. Once you get to the top, thou, it's definitely worth it. This detour brings you right through wine country where they harvest the grapes along the hills next to the sea. It was a little scary at times because the trails were really thin and if you slipped it would have been to your death, but it provided the most amazing scenery which made it worth it. 

We had lunch in Corniglia and then finished our hike to Vernazza. As soon as we got in there we headed for the water and immediately changed into our swimming suits and got in. The water was really nice and not quite as rough as it was the day earlier. We met some nice people from Bristol, England and got some beers with them while we waited for our train to take us back to Riomaggiore. We made plans to meet up with them later that evening. 

That night we went to Manarola to meet up with Rich and Lizzie. We had some so-so dinner and then went to a bar across the street to sit and listen to music with our new British friends. We headed back to the train station to get to our 12:07 train, only to arrive in time to see it leave. Figuring we would give it a try, we went back to the Via del Amore trail to see if we could walk back, which luckily it was. We had heard that it was safe, but being the freak that I am, I held an empty beer bottle in my hand the whole way, ready to smash it and then threaten someone who might want to steal my stuff. That's my Jersey beer muscles for ya. 

Day 3 we went to the beach in Monterosso. All day. It was beautiful. Do me a favor though people, please stop smoking cigarettes. If that is not immediately possible, at least stop smoking them at the beach. That night we stayed in Riomaggiore for some drinks and socializing. We met some cool people with terrible accents from Chicago, and had a really fun time with them. Because the bar we were at served food that was advertised as 'microwaved pizza and pasta' we decided to ask to see if we could bring food from somewhere else in. The chick behind the counter said yes, buy when Dave returned with pizza (and a beer) from another place we were formally reprimanded in Italian, and then a little later, not so formally reprimanded in English curse words. Either way, this was the only place open at midight so we decided to stay and outstay our welcome. Later that night in our apartment I got to see Dave fall down for the first time ever. It was hilarious and luckily nothing broke. 

Our last day in Cinque Terre, Dave and I got stood up from our Midwestern friends and instead of having breakfast with them, headed down to our 'beach' in Riomaggiore. At the marina, there is one large rock that people were sitting and sunbathing on. We stayed there for about an hour and a half and then decided to leave after realizing the rock was dreadfully uncomfortable and was making our body parts hurt. We got some gelato and sandwiches with pesto, tomato, and mozzerella and went for another walk around town. We discovered another beach that was actually a little bit more like a beach than the rock we were sitting on. This one, too, was covered in rocks, but it was a little more manageable and less crowded than the first.  Sitting and sunbathing was easy and enjoyable, but trying to get in and out of the surf completely kicked my ass. The big waves crashed on top of rocks and more rocks. Once you were done getting thrown around and thoroughly embarrassed, the water past the break was beautiful, clear, and seemingly a little calmer. 

That night, battered and drained from the waves and sun, we decided to have dinner and make it an early night. We ate at La Lanterna and had a delicious dinner of mussels,  penne with garden vegetables, and three-fish ravioli. It was a perfect way to say goodbye to Cinque Terre and to Italy. 

Milano

Milano

After finishing our two day melting tour of Rome and Florence, Dave and I got back on the road, or tracks, again to meet Andrea at his house in Senago.  He picked us up from the train station and took us straight home to relax and have a nice home-cooked meal. We thought this was a special treat for us on our first day, but we were pleasantly surprised that Mabel had planned amazing Italian dishes for us each night that we were in Milan.
She is an amazing cook.  We had some sort of pasta and fish every night accompanied by a large selection of Italian cheeses, desserts, and of course, gelato. I don't think I felt hungry once while in Milan. 

Andrea and Mabel had to work the first day we were there and they left us their car. What made them trust us driving in Italy, I can't say, but we did manage to do alright. Dave drove us to Lake Como for the day. The weather was a bit cooler than expected, but it was nice having some fresh air. Surrounding the beautiful Lake Como are the foothills of the Alps. Lining the lake are beautiful villas that have either been converted into museums or inhabited by some of the rich and famous, George Clooney for example. It was nice to have some freedom driving in the country on our own and we got to check out all of these small towns surrounding the lake with no sense of urgency or time constraints.

That night, Andrea, Mabel, and their wild friend, Jackamo, took us out on the town. We originally had reservations to view the Last Supper, but somehow that fell through and instead we went for aperitivos (cocktails) and tapas-like food on the Novigli(?) canal that was constructed by Leonardo Da Vinci. This place was super nice. With shops, restaurants, and bars lining the canal, we ate and drank while surrounded by fashion-forward Milanese and a young local crowd. We walked all around the town that night, checking out the duomo and the columns in the town's center.  We ran into some interesting people that night, including a group of three guys who were wheeling themselves around in a shopping cart, using squirt guns filled with vodka to quench their thirst. They weren't very good shots, and I think that one of the guys might end up blind.

We were really spoiled during the rest of our trip through Milan. Andrea and Mabel had full day's itineraries of places to go and things to see and we were transported around with them in their car. One of the highlights was going up through some of the towns around Lake Como and having a lunch that was local to the people of Colico. It was raining and everything was really fresh and green up there in the mountains. All the food that was prepared at this restaurant was grown right outside in their garden. 

We also got the chance to go to Verona for the day and stroll around looking at the beautiful small town decked with high-end clothing stores and gelaterias. Andrea and Mabel also took us to Lake Garda, a German summer time retreat, that was warm, sunny, and beautiful. I unfortunately didn't bring a bathing suit and had a hard time watching Dave swim in the perfect fresh water. 

After having a wonderful time in Milan, Dave and I are really looking forward to spending one on one time again and being able to relax in the Cinque Terre. 

Firenze

Firenze

Arriving in Florence, Dave and I were met with the same heat we encountered in Rome. Dripping with sweat, we arrived by foot to our apartment, which we booked through hostelworld.com. At first glance it seemed alright, the host was nice enough and gave us a map along with a few tips for getting downtown to the historic center.  After settling down in the room, we decide to shower and head out right away. Nastiest shower ever. It was about one square foot and had a creepy old plastic shower curtain that kept touching me while I was showering. To top it off, when you stepped out of the shower, you were greeted with an old, dingy bathmat that immediately became sopping wet. Either way, we were excited to get out on the town quickly so we got dressed and headed out. 

Thanks to some awesome advice, Dave and I made our way to Trattoria Za-Za. The food was incredible. We started with a selection of cheeses served with tangerine jam. Then, we shared a plate of assorted 'soups' that are typical from this region. The soups were hardly soups by american standards, but rather more of a mash. We had pasta fagioli (our favorite), a mixed vegetable soup, and a Tuscan white bean with tomato. Unlike anything I have ever had. We also had mussels in white wine sauce and salmon with capers, roasted red peppers and roasted potatoes with rosemary. Best dinner ever.

After dinner, we decided to do some night time sight seeing to beat the heat. We got beautiful views of the duomo and the surrounding areas and got to walk off our dinner on the way home. 

The following morning, we woke up earlier than we had all vacation (8:00) to avoid crowds and heat and  climb the duomo. After a heavenly iced coffee and about 465 claustophobic steps we finally made it to the top and viewed beautiful panoramic sights of the whole city. On the walk down, we noticed how eerily the inside of the dome was painted. It features  images of both heaven and hell that leave an impression that will forever be burned in my brain. 

Without much time left in Firenze, we decided to skip out on the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia, which would have spent a lot of time and money, we instead picked up an awesome panini and had a picnic in the Bobli Gardens. The rest and the shade were both much needed in the scorching heat. Thanks to a damp bandana and about 6 waters each, we made it to Ponte Vecchio and enjoyed some gelato while admiring the sights and sounds along the River Arno. I love Florence.

When we got back to our terrible hostel, we found that we had been given the wrong keys and were locked out. We had a lot of difficulty getting in touch with the owners because we didn't have a telephone and because we had to ask 4 different people to use their cell phones, 2 who said no, and 1 who charged us a euro each minute (wtf?!) . We finally got in touch with the owner and after some talking with Jersey, she finally decided to come over and let us in. We grabbed our things and got out of there as fast as we could. We have yet to write the review of the accommodations, but this place is going to be ripped to shreds. 

Besides all the mess with the apartment, Florence is in the running for my favorite place visited. I loved the beautiful small streets, the relaxing atmosphere, the amazing food, and the small town italian culture. Definitely somewhere that I want to revisit. 

Things I will always remember about Firenze:
Amazing. Trattoria za-za, traditional "soups", mercato, leather, duomo at night, terrible dirty apartment, climbing the duomo at 8:30 am, gelato, bobli gardens, sandwich with pesto, wet cloth, ponte vecchio, heat, locks of love, being locked out of our apartment, loved florence

July 12th (happy birthday Charlie)

Traveling now from Roma to Firenze. Roma wasn't planned, but Dave and I accidentally hopped on the slow train from Napoli to Firenze and instead of arriving in Firenze late at night, we decided to hop off and spend a night I Rome. It was great. I was able to navigate from the Termini train station to The Yellow-a hostel that I remember was fun when Ange and Claire stayed there back in 2007. There wasn't any availability so we stayed in a hotel across the street. 
Rome is so much nicer at night. We took the metro down to the colosseum and took a stroll around without all the tourists and money grabbers. The Forum remains one of my favorite places to sight-see. Doing the touristy things at night is definitely a plus, with beautiful weather, few people, and a relaxing feel, it doesn't feel at all like the hot squalor that sight seeing in Rome is usually like. 
The next day, hungover, we decided to do the hop-on-hop-off bus tour. Not sure whether or not that was a good choice. The weather was dreadfully hot and humid and there was no AC in the buses that stayed for 15 or so minutes at each stop. We did, though, get to see many of the cool sites in about 2.5 hours with an occasional breeze and a few stops for gelato.

The couple days leading up to our trip to Rome were amazing. We spent these days in southern Italy at the beach. Andrea first took us on an hour long adventure by car to the Amalfi Coast and Positano. We drove along curvy, narrow streets along the cliffs, stopping every few minutes to take another beautiful picture of the coast and sea. Our first stop was in Positano, probably the most beautiful place on earth. With windy streets, incredible views of the sea from houses and trendy shops built into the cliff, it was a taste of heaven. 
After Positano, we went to Amalfi about 20Km south. It's much the same as  Positano, just with a bit more people and shops for tourists. We spent some time at the shore there which had beautiful rocky sand and blue salty water. That night, we went to Andrea's friend, Sergio's, house for a home cooked Italian meal. The amount of food that was served was comparable to a Thanksgiving feast. We were served past with swordfish, sweet peppers, sautéed mushrooms with parsley, salad, gelato, and plentiful wine and liquors.   

The next day, Sergio took us down to his family's beach house in Maratea. This town was truly amazing with cliffs leading straight down into crystalline water. We had a fun time with the snorkel and jumping off rocks into the mediterranean. After all of this traveling, Dave and I decided to make our last day in Napoli as a much needed day of rest.

We are patiently awaiting Firenze now, sitting in first class on the eurostar fast train. It turns out that we get to ride first class everywhere using the saver pass on eurail, but it doesn't always guarantee that we get the fast trains, unless we make a reservation for a seat for just 10£ a piece. Definitely worth it. They give you complementary drinks and snacks along with towels and huge seats. 

Welcome to Africa

"Welcome to Africa" Andrea said as we stepped out of the train station in downtown Napoli. That's exactly what Naples feels like at the first sight of the entrance to the city. Stepping over bags of trash and garbage piles laying on the sidewalk in order to quickly escape death by car or vespa, it feels like maybe we should have stuck to more major cities in Italy. Once inside the safety of Andrea's car, finally being able to take a breath and relax, we are told that all of Napoli is not like this. We later learned that this statement was only partly true-that there is not garbage everywhere laying around, but if you go anywhere near the road whether in a car or by foot, you are putting your life seriously at risk. Andrea, Dave's friend who once stayed with his family in the US, tells us it's best to just understand that they are not trying to kill you, to have trust, and to close your eyes. 

Since then, Andrea and his girlfriend, Maybel, have been the most amazing hosts and have shown us all the amazing parts of Napoli. Our first evening here we were taken to two breath-taking panoramic views of the city and then brought to a traditional pizzeria. We each orderered about 4£ worth of pizza, which turns out to be what we in New Jersey would call a large pie. The pizza was probably the best I've ever had, but also very different from what we have in the US. Here in Naples it has a very thin crust and is cooked at very high temperatures, leaving the crust a little burnt and the center mushy. It was quite difficult to eat the pizza using a fork and knife, which is probably why I was the only one who couldn't finish the whole thing. Dinner was topped off by some lemoncello that Dave later learned  is meant to be sipped, not taken as a shot.

Today, we woke up and immediately got to work on trying to make espresso in the (amazing) bed and breakfast we're staying in. The house cleaner who doesn't speak English showed me how to make it using a teapot-like contraption on the stove. It was perfect. After that, we went to Pompeii with Andrea and Maybel. It was mind-blowing seeing how this whole civilization was destroyed, preserved by volcanic ash, and then later discovered and excavated. We spent about 2.5 hours there but it easily could have taken us all day. I can't imagine how long it took to dig up. 

After that we went and saw Napoli sutteranea, the Naples underground. We learned that Naples is a city that was built vertically, one civilization on top of the other. We went through a series of caves and underground tunnels led by candlelight. It seemed a little much like the Cask of Amontillado and was really creepy at some points. It was really interesting to find out that all of these canals and walk ways used to be used as aqueducts and were later used as a refuge for people during WWII. 

After some much needed rest, Andrea again came to retrieve us and brought us to dinner. I think I said 'This place is insane' about a hundred times because it really was unreal. The restaurant, Oste Pazzo, is next to the Castel de'll Ovo, the castle of the egg. To get there, you have to walk on this stone pier, past people making glowing flying lanterns and selling jewelry. It was the most beautiful sight, followed by the most beautiful dinner: mussels (cozze) in a white wine and pepper sauce, and pasta sorrentino. To top off the night, we got an awesome fireworks display, which was honestly, the best one I've ever seen. 

Tomorrow is Amalfi and Positano. This trip just keeps getting better.

A domani, buena notte.

En route to Napoli

On route from Barcelona to Napoli. Bittersweet in that we are leaving one of my favorite places on earth, yet headed to somewhere exciting and unknown.  Being in Barcelona was like being in a dream in that there were places and things that I remember, and at the same time it was all a new adventure. One thing, though, stayed the same: long days and even longer nights. When in Barcelona, you are inevitably forced to live like a local, staying up until the morning hours, waking up to enjoy wonderful food like tapas, pinxtos, and paella, and then repeating all while enjoying cheap vino, cava, or cerveza sold by street vendors trying to make a few euro. Like all dreams, though, Barcelona also had to come to an end for us, but fortunately we have another one to look forward to in Napoli. Should probably brush up on my Italian though...


Things I will remember about Barcelona:
               street beers, tapas/pinxtos, la Sagrada Familia, Parque Guell, Barceloneta, "massagee, massaje", "beercervezafantaagua", Chris and John from Copenhagen, late nights, topless beaches, clean metros, la boqueria, three flights of moldy stairs to our apartment, vino tinto, la Ribera district, Santa Maria del Mar, loud sounds at night outside our window, paella, plaza del born, Las Ramblas, losing my debit card, Dirty Monday's, cava, Bradley the dj, getting to speak Spanish again...Barcelona me pone alegrisimo!

La Vida Ribera

Day 4 in Barcelona. Heading to the beach in a few for the second time around. Weather has been beautiful, perfect. Day one was a mess. After delayed flights, long layovers, and about 4 hours of sleep between the two of us we finally arrived in Barcelona. We wandered around a bit in la Ribera district where we're staying and hit up a tapa bar with awesome wine and awful food (raw codfish with salt?). After some socializing with some locals and some other travelers we decided to meet them at a beach party that we had heard about. Trouble was, we didn't know where the beach was. That night we got our own tour of the city first hand, without any clue as to where we were. Thanks to some help from the garbage men that were out really late at night, or was it really early in the morning, we were able to find our place at last.

The following day, we got to see some more of the town, this time with a sense of direction and purpose. We walked up La Ramblas, checked out la boqueria and walked around through the Plaza de Catalunya and la Bari Gotic. Dave had his first experience in a tapa or pinxto restaurant. At Sagardi, the food is displayed on large plates right on the bar and you just walk around and take whatever looks good. At the end of the night the bar staff counts the number of toothpicks on your plate and charges you using the honor system.

After the beach yesterday we saw some more of BCN by going to my favorite Barcelona sight seeing location, La Parque Guell. It was quite a hike to get up there but we got a good work out out of it and some beautiful sights of the whole city. It was very peaceful to sit and people watch and listen to people playing music on steel drums and guitars. We had some great Paella at a place called Salamanca on the beach in Barceloneta. Dave said he was excited to finally over-eat and that's just what we did, but we still surprisingly had leftovers that Dave may have just finished a minute ago.

Anyway, we're off to the beach. Sorry no pictures yet, I haven't figured out a way to upload them from my camera to the iPad.

Hasta luego amigos!