While we enjoyed island hopping in Greece, we were very ready to leave the pouring rain that drenched us in Athens 10 days ago. We were trekking around Athens trying to figure out how to make it to Croatia. After about the third look of confusion about our plans to go to Croatia and after we were thoroughly soaked to the bone from the rain we decided a plan B was in order.
We took 10 minutes in the computer room, had our lovely reception man write us a note in Greek so we could communicate properly and efficiently and were off to make the long trip to Bari, Italy!
Naples: After one 3 hour bus ride, one 15 hour ferry, and one 3 hour train ride we had made it to Napoli! The pizza capital of the world. We met an Austrailian girl on our bus ride who we called the "Buddha" cause she saved our travel lives. We would have missed our ferry and had no place to stay in Naples if we hadnt decided to follow our Buddha straight from the bus all the way to our lovely hostel.
Naples was a pleasant surprise. Not only did we have phenomenal pizza but the city was equally as enjoyable. After check in at the hostel one of the men at the front desk decided we couldn't just come to Naples for pizza (who knew?) and created a walking tour for us. It was amazing exploring the city through a native's eyes. We visited a castle that provided the most stunning panoramic view of Naples. The weather was perfect and the view was outstanding with water, mountains, and beautiful castles and architecture. We spent the rest of the day walking around, eating pizza, and stopped at one of the authentic "hang out" spots called piazza Bellini for a drink. We enjoyed a "hostel made" dinner with the most delicious mozzarella cheese I have ever tasted - it melted in my mouth. If you ever get to go to Naples the best pizzeria is Gianni and Gennys. You can enjoy 3 decadent pizza pies and one large Peroni for just 20 euros ;) Naples is truly a beautiful city, with lots of history, and of course delicious Italian food.
Pompei: Before heading up north, we made a stop at Pompeii the destroyed city from an earthquake and volcanic eruption. It was amazing seeing this elaborately preserved city down to the structure that belonged to the baker, a couple of ampitheatres and bathing rooms, and remnants of frozen victims in a protective position desperately trying to resist the boiling air and debris. It was amazing being able to walk around such a unique piece of history. Of course after our day trip we had our final meal at Gianni and Gennys before leaving Naples.
Rome: The theme of Rome was of course - "When in Rome...". Accounting for our cappuccino followed by espresso addiction, chocolate croissants, and our elaborate 4 course carb loaded meal we had for lunch. Our waitress actually said to us when she was clearing our plates "wow, you girls really like pasta!". Walking around Rome felt surreal. I couldn't fathom the fact that I was standing in front of the Colosseum and was walking around Vatican city. The Vatican museum was the highlight of the sights in Rome. The artwork was unbelievable. The massiveness, elaborate detail, and quantity of artwork was amazing. Being inside the sistene chapel was a cool experience being jammed in the room with so many people all in silence looking up and around the chapel at the beautiful and famous artwork around us. The purity of silence and no photography made the experience memorable. Our day in Rome was very unorganised and we just spent the day walking around stumbling upon incredible and famous sites. We walked around for 8 hours and somehow managed to accidentally see everything we wanted to see. That is my favorite way to get to know a city and explore it. We found a street market along a beautiful river and I found a ring that I liked but couldnt decide if I should buy it until the woman brought out the Tibetan meaning: it is the mantra of Avalokiteshavara which is the bodhisattva of compassion. It contains six syllables of a symbolic representation of purification of the six realms of existence! Om: purifies pride ma: purifies jealousy and lust for entertainment ni: purifies passion and desire pad: purifies ignorance and prejudice me: purifies poverty and possessiveness hum: purifies aggression and hatred. So I decided since I would become one step closer to a Buddha that I had to have it. I love finding little souvenirs along the way that have a special meaning. Our day in Rome ended with Peronis on the Spanish Steps!
Florence: Firenze! Talk about a city stealing your heart - Florence has successfully done this two separate times. It is the most charming, beautiful, and fun city I have been to. I was taken by it although I had already been here just 2 years ago. We were able to stay with friends- our lovely gphi juniors who are studying abroad there. It was so comforting seeing familiar faces for the first time in a few weeks. They had a beautiful and big apartment just steps away from Santa Croce. They showed us a fantastic night on the town starting at a classic favorite Kikuya where they have the amazing and deadly Dragoon beers with a deceivingly large amount of alcohol in them. Thank you girls so much for letting us stay: Chlois Mayonnais, g-little, nat and Mary b, Morgan, and ali krak!! Love you all! I loved being with them and hated realizing how old I felt that I was in their position 2 years ago as they discussed their thanksgiving gphi reunion and grinding for midterms. We had some of the most amazing meals in Florence from pumpkin and ricotta penne, to endless amounts of caprese, to scoops after scoops of various gelato flavors, brie and turkey sandwiches, and a repeat order of meat and tomato truffle tortellini - loved it so much the first time had to have it a second time as my final Italian meal!! My favorite day in Florence was hiking up to Piazzle Michaelangelo and observing the breathtaking views of the city. It is one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. Florence is special because there is so much beauty to see there but you feel a sense of ease that makes you want to sit back and enjoy every moment of it instead of trekking around trying to do it all at once.
We just got to Budapest and I am thrilled to be in a new city that I know very little about. Our hostel was rated best hostel in the world a couple years back :) I will miss Italy. It is an amazing country with so much to see and so much to offer. I am so happy and feel so lucky to have spent a week there.
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