Too Much Italy Is A Good Thing - Rome

In September, I found myself in one of my favourite countries - I had been to Italy before and I will definitely go back again. For some reason, I never feel like I have seen or experienced half as much as I should have when I spend time in this gorgeous and magical country.

My first visit to Italy was when I was just eleven years old - I went with my sixth grade class (I was attending an International School you understand) and we spent a week in Florence. Each student was given an assignment before we left - prepare an oral presentation about a piece of Renaissance art. And while we were in Florence, we each had the chance to present our findings in front of the said work of art. I chose the Gates of Paradise (doorways to the Baptistery) by Lorenzo Ghiberti. What I remember most from that day was the crowd of confused, yet pleasantly surprised tourists that gathered around us to listen in on my presentation. Everyone seemed delighted to be there and astounded by the sights around them - this seems to be a common occurrence for visitors to Italia!

When my brother Sean and I went to Italy last September, it was a completely different experience. We arrived by ferry from Croatia (Direct Ferries, Dubrovnik to Bari). Let me explain something about ferry travel - when you first board and the sun is shining and you don't have to struggle to find a seat, you can't believe how wonderful this mode of transportation is. You sit outside, feet propped up on the railings, looking out at the shimmering Adriatic sea and entranced by the group of middle-aged Italian women singing traditional songs on the upper deck. However, after five hours, when you've been scorched by the sun and you're sick to death of seeing nothing but the sea, the endless singing loses its appeal and you desperately wish you knew the Italian for 'Please. Just shut up'.

Ferry ride from Dubrovnik to Bari

 We arrived in Bari, a port on the Southeastern coast of Italy, just before 10pm and waited for the bus (only one an hour) to the central station to await our night-train to Rome. For any new readers, I should explain that Sean and I had already endured a night train earlier on in our travels... let's just say, neither of us were particularly looking forward to this second attempt at night travel. Before we boarded the dark and gloomy train, I asked an attendant if our tickets would be valid for the journey. I do not speak Italian, and he did not speak English. But we managed to convey that we wanted to get to Rome and he seemed to think our Interrail passes would be fine. He did not ask for passports, or try to lock us into a cabin so already this experience was better than Budapest to Belgrade! 

We did our best to sleep, despite constant stopping and a rotation of passengers in and out of the cabin, as the train rumbled along to Rome. We arrived at 6am, and although I had planned to get an early start, after the seven hour ferry journey and six hours on the train, we were both exhausted. Finding a hostel at that time of the morning wasn't easy, but thanks to one very friendly desk attendant and an old Italian man who was happy to have paying customers, we found ourselves climbing over strangers to crawl into bed-bunks for our first decent sleep in over 30 hours. You won't find it in Lonely Planet or Rough Guide and it might not be the fanciest place on earth, but I can highly recommend the Hotel Corrallo for great value and a great vibe. Located next to the popular Yellow hostel, but far cheaper. Just make sure you ask them for their hostel rooms and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

When I finally woke up and looked around at our fellow travellers, I noticed a man in the bed across from me who looked just like 'The Dude' from the Big Lebowski. When he woke up and said hello, I couldn't help myself from telling him who he reminded me of. He had no idea what I was talking about. Now this might have been normal had he been from Eastern Europe or Asia but Brad, as it turns out was his name, is American, from Texas, and has never seen nor heard of 'The Big Lebowski'. This really should have told me something about him, but he made us coffee and was very friendly, so I didn't think twice about it. As it turned out, Brad was a devout catholic, a conspiracy theorist and had been in Italy desperately trying to re-connect with his girlfriend for the past four months. He was sure 'they' were keeping her away from him. When I asked how long it had been since he had seen his lost love, he answered 'three years'. Hmmmm. Not really the type to watch Coen brothers' films then.

Sean and I headed out to explore and found ourselves wandering down the Spanish Steps in the blazing sunshine. It felt amazing and, despite the crowds of tourists, I felt incredibly happy. There's something about the air in Italy and the vibrancy of Rome that makes you feel unbelievably alive. I wish I could bottle up the feeling and take a swig whenever I'm blue. 

The Spanish Steps

Next on the list of sights was the Trevi Fountain, an incredible sculpture depicting Neptune in all his glory riding his sea-horse pulled chariot. We sat and looked, alongside at least 1000 other tourists, packed into the tiny square.

Trevi fountain - a definite favourite for tourists

We walked around the Pantheon, sat down and were promptly kicked out by a nun who informed us the service was about to start. Startling, as I thought that anyone could attend a service in the Pantheon but nevertheless, we were told to move on out. 

The sun shines down on the Pantheon

 Last on the list for the day was Rome's most famous monument, the Colosseum. Despite having seen it before, and the image being plastered on posters and pictures around the world, it is still a phenomenal sight to behold when you actually stand in front of it and think about how long it has been there. The Forum Romanum too, as you wander along the old Roman road past ruins of once great buildings, captures the imagination and takes you back to a time most of us now probably associate with films or TV shows rather than actual history.

The Colosseum - still standing, still stunning

 As we headed back to the hostel, with plans to indulge in a lot of delicious and yet reasonably priced red wine, I thought to myself 'I will never tire of visiting Italy'.

Next post - from Rome to Milan, and everything in between.

Sean emailed a friend...

My brother's friend asked for advice about planning a trip to Europe. This post is Sean's response--the pictures are what I felt corresponded:

If you want my personal feelings about the trip, listen up... or read up.

I started by moving to London, so that doesn't really count as a stop on the trip. Although, if you want to go there you should. It's pretty cool, but the weather is rough, and unless you have a lot of money, you're going to end up drinking wherever you are staying. (there is a bar near Oxford Circus called The Cock (not making it up), which is actually really cheap, go there!). The picture is of Little Venice, where my sister lived.

Things to see in London if you are touristy are Buckinham Palace, Parliament, the London eye, Covent Garden,  etc. Otherwise just take the Tube around the city and you'll find some cool places. Again, VERY expensive.

Next we went to Brussels, Beglium to see my dad. If you go there on a good day (weather wise) it is amazing. Great night-life if you know where to go (I recommend O'Reilly's, an Irish bar which also has a mini 'club' next door called Nua O'reilly's.) Cool people, good vibe, and you can sit on the terrace and look at some epically old architecture. I grew up there, so I love the place, but again, it's more about who you go with and when you go. Beer capital of the world!!!! Must see's are La Grand Place, Mond des Arts, and the maniquin pis... all spitting distance from each other.

Next stop was Berlin. Go with friends, and go to clubs, otherwise the place is BORING and not very scenic. I was there with my sister and was bored out of my mind. Avoid commercial hostels at allllll cost. Go to private ones, they're funner and better value. (That goes for everywhere if possible)

From there we went to Prague, which is pretty epic, has a nice Bridge and river, but again... not toooo much to do. (see blog for more details).

Budapest, Hungary is pretty sweet. First real fun I had on the trip since Belgium! Stay at the Maverick Hostel... it's AMAZING! I would live there if I could afford it. and go out to Buda (across the river) and see the old town... pretty stunning. At night, there is plenty to do, but I recommend a bar called Szimpla. It is the sweetest bar ever...trust me, if you are in Budapest... go there.

DO NOT GO TO SERBIA... (see my post on sister's blog)

There is a place in MonteNegro called Kotor which is beautiful and has a surprisingly good night-life, though I don't know if it's worth going to because it is out of the way. If you go, stay in the Old town. That's where its all at.

GO TO DUBROVNIK!!! It's in Croatia, and it's friggin sweet. Nough said. It is the most beautiful place on earth, and everything is dirt cheap.

OK, now I will go into some of the places you might actually go to haha.

ITALY:

Rome: go there. It is overwhelming, and go on a pub crawl... you will have the time of your life (they're illegal, but just meet at 9pm at the bottom of the Spannish Steps. EPIC.) Everything you see is older than time, and is still unbelievable. See the Vatican.. see the Sistine chapel... see the Colisseum. Trust me, it's a must see.

Florence: Unless you like art a LOT... skip it. It's only fun if you do what I did; find a group of Aussies, a group of Irishmen, some pretty girls, and roam the city at 4am.

Venice: Go. Don't argue, just go.

Now back to some more obscure places...

Milan is the fashion capital of the world, which means everything is very stylish, and too expensive... not my thing. Bologna is the food capital of the world, but be careful where you eat, because everyone there is competing for business, and we ended up somewhere rather disappointing.

Next, I went off with a bud to Nice, on the French Riviera. I was there two nights and it just kept getting better and better. Whoever claims that it is boring and filled with old people is an idiot. By that logic, avoid Florida while you're at it. I had an amazing time, both at night and during the day... it's awesome.

From there, we went to Toulouse to see some friends. It's kinda ugly, it's kinda dirty, there's not much to see, but I had a good time. I think the prettiest people in the world got collected up and thrown into Toulouse for an experiment... maybe to see if an ugly city could produce ugly people despite the best genes available.

Paris is Paris. I didn't go on this trip, but I've been before. Just ask anyone and they'll tell you you have to go. So listen to them, because my opinion is skewed by prejudice.

I went to the countryside in the South of France next. This was more of a necessity than a choice, because we have some family friends there that we had to see. It's really nice and quiet, but that's not really my thing either...

Spain! Spain is awesome and full of Spaniards... they don't speak English, they don't even speak French, and they don't like people who don't speak Spanish (understandibly... being from Florida where it's the exact opposite.) Just make an effort and they'll be nice enough. Didn't see Madrid, heard it's great, but it's landlocked... which is fine, unless you've heard of Barcelona.

BARCELONA! Go to Barcelona. I had never heard a bad thing about it, and I don't think I ever will. Go, stay wherever... best bet might be the Surf Hostel in Barceloneta, purely due to location. This is where I live, and I wake up with a smile on my face every... afternoon. (Living hours are rather strange here... wake up at 12, siesta at 2, then work til 11, go out at about... the next day). I love this city... walk around, it's not too big... see everything, or don't. Whatever, it's the chillest place on earth.

Places I didn't go to on this trip but have been to before are... well, several. I'll just mention Amsterdam because that's what you probably want to know about. It's ok. That's right I said it. If you're a pothead, you'll just appreciate the legality, not necessarily the quality of the weed. If you're not... well there's not much else to do. Drink... avoid hippies on their bikes, and try and find an umbrella to deal with the crappy weather. Night life is fine.

Umm... other places I would recommend  are Edinburgh, Scotland. It's really old and dark and scenic and I love it. I personally like Glasgow, but mainly because I have family there. Never been to Scandinavia... so I can't help you there. Dublin is cool... OH GREECE! Never been, but desperately wanted to. Shame, looks amazing. Haven't been to Portugal either, but I imagine that Lisbon is nice.

That's about it. If you have any questions, let me know. Have fun! Go with friends!