Spring Break Part Uno - Italy

I visited three regions in Italy - Venice, le Cinque Terre, and Trani/Bari - all with my friend Hilary. We had such adventures!

Unfortunately, we never made it to the Amalfi Coast, partly because it was too expensive, and partly because le Cinque Terre are the greatest towns ever. More about that below!

Venice
I had heard crazy conflicting things about Venice. Some people loved it, some people couldn't stand it. I think the secret is  good planning; you need to stay in central Venice, not on the mainland, you need to abandon such abstract notions as "plans," and you need to go at the right time of year (i.e. April).

We couchsurfed for three nights, and our host fed us, showed us his favorite secret spots around the city, and took us out on the canals in his own boat. His apartment was right on the canal, near the Rialto.

The pink building was ours:

Boating on the canals was lovely. There is a lot of traffic on the water, but luckily, all we had to do was drift while our personal boatsman oared us along.

Besides drifting down the canals, Hilary and I attempted to get lost (and failed! there are too many signs), ate lots of pizza patate (potato pizza) and gelato, basked in the sunshine, and wandered to and fro, across bridges and through the piazzas.

Venice was beautiful, truly unique, and easily the most romantic city I have ever been to. Yes, more than Paris.

Le Cinque Terre
We took a train to Cinque Terre, five tiny villages on the coast near Milan. The villages are built onto the sides of rocky cliffs, and trails connect all five. We hiked all the way from one end to the other on the very first day.

We originally planned to stay only a day and half. But we decided to stay one more night... and then one more night... and then one more night. We just couldn't leave!

Each day, we hiked through olive groves, orchards of lemons and oranges, along cliffs and over swinging rope bridges. We spent one day climbing to a mountaintop church. The trail twisted back and forth, and the church came in and out of view, with the sea flashing distantly beneath us. When we finally reached the top, we were greeted by a fresh water fountain (the best drink I've ever had), a quiet sanctuary, and the perfect view.

We lunched on focaccia bread, snacked on gelato in the afternoon, spent the evenings on the beach, cooked pasta with local pesto sauce for dinner, and went to sleep early each night.

Absolute paradise.

Trani/Bari
There isn't as much to say about Trani and Bari. We had to go to Bari to catch our ferry to Greece, so we decided to spend a day or two exploring the area.

Trani and Bari are both beach towns, and their greatest attraction (for me) was that they were full of real Italians. We didn't see a single other tourist. Nobody spoke English. We drank real Italian coffee and observed the real Italian lifestyle.

Saturday night, after one last round of pizza and gelato, we climbed aboard our ferry bound for Patras, and left Italy in the waves, for the time being.

Ciao from Cinque Terre!

Video killed the photo star

Quelle drôle d'idée! Who would have guessed that my poor broken camera could still take movies?












I'll update this with Rome and Italy later.

The Eternal City

I spent Easter weekend in Rome, and it was amazing!

I knew that I would love Italy but I didn't realize just how much. Coming to Rome felt like coming home - I just fit in. France also corresponds to part of my personality, but it's the hard outer shell, the refinement and street face. Italy is my soul!

The weather is balmy and sunny, palm trees and gardens abound, and the sound of running water is always present, thanks to the thousands of fountains, large and small, that fill the city. Little alleyways, covered in flowers, lead off of bright and crowded piazzas.

And of course, the food. Gelato, gelato, and more gelato! It is so cheap, and so delicious, creamy and bursting with flavor. I had upwards of seven helpings over the weekend... and I'm not ashamed! We usually went to Old Bridge, near Vatican City, and my favorite flavor was definitely coconut, though hazelnut, caramel, and chocolate were all wonderful.

Romans are very friendly, I found. Multiple people warned me about the harassment, and they were right. For the most part though, it was all in good fun, and hey, it doesn't hurt to be told "You are so beautiful! Bellisima!" a few times a day.

One of the greatest parts of the trip was our big PLS reunion. We went to dinner in Trastavere at Dar Poeta, a hole in the wall pizzeria, and wandered through the neighborhoods, drinking wine straight from the bottle and talking talking talking.

I had salmon pizza with cheese and salad, and have been craving it ever since:

We had a bit of excitement when a drunk man came up to our group and pushed one of the girls. Our lone male companion immediately jumped up and pushed him back, bottle opener in hand, while all the girls screamed "No, don't!" Luckily the guy backed off and we ran away to a different piazza. Scary at the time, but it makes a great story and added to the hilarity of the night.

The many Easter festivities were interesting, but not as moving as I had expected. Seeing the Pope was great, but standing in line and then sitting in the rain for five hours was not. Honestly, the most religious experience I had was climbing the Scala Sancta, the steps from Pontius Pilate's house that Jesus climbed at His trial, and that I climbed on my knees.

Other notable events:

• Buying potato and rosemary pizza by the kilogram. 
• Seeing all the Roman cats, who hang out in the ruins and sun themselves on ancient columns in the middle of the busy city.
• Cooking a delicious pasta dinner in the hostel, rounding it off with red wine and hazelnut wafers.
• Seeing a baroque Church and the Sistine Chapel on the same day. Beauty overload, very emotional.

• Getting to know the receptionist at our hostel, who was always drunk and always hilarious. 
• Nearly getting arrested by the Italian police for standing near the Trevi Fountain. I was terrified.
• Experiencing homelessness in Paris. We stayed in McDonald's and Gare Montparnasse. Horrible horrible horrible.

Viva il Papa! That's the Pope!

I have been dreaming of Rome since I left, and I dream of golden columns and cobblestoned streets, the sound of the fountains and the fresh smell in the air, like a cool summer morning, flowers and bright light.

I'm so excited to be returning to Italy in just a couple days. Spring break starts Friday, and I'm heading to Venice, Cinque Terre, and the Amalfi Coast before boarding a ferry to Athens and Santorini. What a life!

Paris with Lilly

I spent last weekend back in Paris with my lovely friend Lilly. It was Lilly's first time in the City of Light, and we certainly made it memorable.

Despite rain, hail, and sketchy accommodations, we managed to have the best of luck. The whole trip seemed charmed, and I entirely attribute the magic to Lilly's fantastic spirit of adventure. I was supposed to be the guide, but Lilly usually took the lead, whether we were crossing streets or choosing a place for dinner.

Examples of our luck:

• While standing in line for the Louvre, a middle-aged couple approached us and handed us their extra tickets. Since students can enter for free, we passed it forward and gave our tickets to another couple. What a great feeling!
• It was 1:30am, and the metro stops running at 2am. We were all alone in the station, trying frantically to buy tickets from a machine that refused both our credit cards and our bills. The lady at the ticket booth, probably afraid we would break the machine, let us through for free. Score!
• Lilly's guide book led us to a secret Club de Poesie, where a small group was gathered to eat home-made quiche, drink wine, and recite poetry. I felt like I was back in Renaissance Paris.
• We couch-surfed twice and have only good things to say about our experiences. The first night, we had dinner cooked for us by a vegetarian Parisian, and the second night, we had an entire flat just to ourselves. The trust and generosity of these people gives me hope for humanity!
• We weren't sure where to eat for dinner, so we walked up the street. Our (slightly strange) requirements included French onion soup for Lilly, and mussels for me. Lo and behold, just a few blocks from our flat, we found the perfect place. 

Drinking chocolat chaud in a Parisian cafe.

Perhaps the best part of all this was our parting line. How many people get to say this in real life?

"See you in Rome!"

French People

Some observations and grievances:

• French people don't make eye contact, smile, or say hello on the street. Apparently it's considered a come-on. So much for the "Bonjour!" song from Beauty and the Beast.
• French people like to wear all one color or shade. For example, my langue teacher's favorite outfit includes a red sweater, red striped pants, red shoes, a red bag, and red earrings. Yet she still looks amazing.
• French people like black. You can never have too many black accessories.
• French people like to eat slowly. Whenever I eat out, I'm frustrated by how slowly our food and then bill arrives. 
• French people don't drink non-alcoholic beverages. A typical cup at dinner is about double the size of a shot glass, and that is just not enough water for me.
• French people are not gracious in public. This might seem petty, but I've noticed that no French boys hold the door open for me. They also don't make room on the sidewalks, so I'm forced onto the street.
• French salespeople always always demand exact change and act very annoyed if I can't produce any.
• French children are very well behaved and dressed more stylishly than me.
• French people are very cheap about heating their homes. This means I am freezing, all the time.

And yet, I love all these things. They are signs that I am in the real France. After visiting my friends in London and Dublin, I realize how lucky this is. 

I am having the authentic experience, surrounded by a culture deeply different from my own. I am forced to make concessions, to put up with things I don't like or can't understand.

And honestly, at this point, France feels like home to me. When I come back after a trip, it's a relief to hear the French language and be surrounded by French people. I think I maybe kinda like it here.

My host cat. He likes to sneak into my room and sleep on my bed.