Venice, Italy

Thursday evening Stéphane took the train to Venice, because it was cheaper than the one that I had reserved for the following morning. Friday morning I took a 2-hour Trenitalia AV (high speed) train ride from Florence to Venice. As I walked out of the train station looking at my directions to my hostel I was immediately confronted with water. Lots of water. No roads and lots of water. Did I mention there was water right outside of the station? Because there was. As I followed the directions and took a water bus to my hostel a strange feeling came over me. Throughout the years you occasionally hear the phrase "Venice is sinking", and although you understand the concept, you can't really process the meaning of it until you're riding a water bus along the canals of Venice. The city feels like it was affected by a huge flood and instead of being swept out to sea immediately, it fought against the current, but it is ever-so-slowly succumbing to the flood. 

As I got off the water bus and began to make my way to my hostel on land, it started downpouring rain. We get it, Venice, you have water EVERYWHERE, there is no need to form a not-so-secret alliance with the rain just to get your point across. I reached my hostel under the torrential downpour, checked in to the adorable Residenza Maddalena and waited for Stéphane to meet me in front of my place. After trying to find internet all around the area to no avail, Stéphane and his two Italian friends and I made our way around the city. By the time the rain had stopped we had made it to the Piazza San Marco, where we made a picnic for Stéphane's friend, Camilla's birthday, by the water. It was certainly an international picnic as I don't speak any Italian, Camilla and her boyfriend Lorenzo don't speak French, but Camilla and I both speak conversational Russian, Stéphane speaks French, Italian, and English, and Lorenzo speaks Italian and English. Despite the various language barriers we had a good time hanging out by the water and looking on at Piazza San Marco.

After a few hours Camilla and Lorenzo had to take the train back to their town and so Stéphane and I decided to do some more sightseeing before getting dinner. We got dinner and drinks at a cheap restaurant that Lorenzo had recommended in a less touristic part of town (of which there are few) and then walked around some more. Later that evening we were tired of walking and found a cute square, split a bottle of wine and listened to music. So romantic and cliche, but hey it's Venice, right? 

The next day we wanted to go to the beach, and so after figuring out how to get to Lido, one of the Venetian islands, we took a water bus, got some food and beer at the supermarket for a picnic and walked over to Blue Moon Public Beach. Although I have been in Europe for four weeks this was my first time on the trip going to the beach. It was so nice just to sunbathe, eat, drink, listen to music and play in the water. The California girl in me definitely came out. The Northern California one who gets in the water for 10 minutes and naps the rest of the time, not the Katy Perry one who wears high heels to the beach. After the beach we took the water bus back to the main Venetian island where we visited a pretty church then hung outside for a few hours before Stéphane had to catch a train to Bologna that evening. 

All in all I loved my nine days spent in Italy. I got to see a little bit of everything, big city life in Rome, picaresque buildings and scenery in Florence, and small, romantic, touristy Venice. I will definitely be going back to Italy someday. 

After Venice, I flew to Seville, Spain where I spent just a couple ridiculously hot days mostly relaxing and recuperating from four weeks of non-stop traveling.  

Gondolas

Typical square in Venice

Canal

In Piazza San Marco with St. Mark's Basilica

The front of St. Mark's Basilica

On Lido at Blue Moon Beach

On our way back to the main island

Santa Margherita Church

New beginnings...c'est possible?

Florence, Italy

Alright alriiiight, because the heat in Seville is enough to fry an egg at 11 am I've decided to take it easy this morning and do most of my sightseeing when it cools down later today (save for when I go get tapas for lunch, mmm tapas). Thus, mas blogging. Que guay! So after Rome I went to Florence. I was unsure whether or not I would like Florence simply because after having such an amazing time in Rome I thought that no other Italian city could compete. I was wrong. My train got in late Monday evening to Florence and schlepped my stuff from the train station to my hostel, checked in and went to sleep.

The following morning I had to do laundry so I got a late start on the day, but it was okay because I had clean clothes. What a great feeling. Then I found a cute cafe down the street from my hostel, ordered some delicious pasta, a 1/4 L of red wine, brought my copy of Madame Bovary I'm reading for comps like a good Masters student, and got in some premium people watching. The rest of the day was spent wandering around the city checking out the Duomo, the Arno River, and the various outdoor markets. I got back to my hostel after going on an epic quest to find a kebab and made friends with Gina, an awesome girl from New Zealand. Gina and I grabbed a couple beers then hung out in the garden area of our hostel and made plans to go on the walking tour the following morning.

The next morning Gina and I went on the free walking tour where we met Viviana and Steve, two more cool people who were also traveling solo. After the tour Gina and Steve took a train to Pisa and Viviana and I visited the Uffizi Gallery where we saw works by Michelangelo, Botticelli, Raffaello, El Greco and plenty of others. We grabbed lunch afterwards then I returned to the hostel to take a nap. That evening the four of us decided to cross the Arno River and to climb up to the Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sun set over Florence. It was a great time and so beautiful up there. The night was young we decided to hang out, play cards and drink some more back at the hostel. While we were hanging out outside playing games a handsome young Frenchman named Stephane walked over to us and we invited him to play Kings with us. After getting told to keep it down numerous times by the people who run the hostel and after Gina went to bed, the four of us decided to go walk around Florence a bit. Stephane and I went toward the Duomo to see it at night while Steve and Viviana went another way.

The following morning I wanted to go on a different walking tour of Florence (which ended up being absolutely terrible) and Stephane joined me. We ended up ditching the tour, because it was so bad and doing our own tour of the city. We walked to Pitti Palace and then up to Piazzale Michelangelo again. We got a late lunch at the same kebab place that I had found at the end of my epic quest two days prior and then went back to the hostel. I was going to Venice the next day and because he didn't have any plans but to be in Bologna to fly back to Paris on Sunday he asked if he could join me. He left that evening for Venice while I stayed in Florence for the night and hung out with Steve and two Canadian girls for a bit before going to sleep.

Another great site in Florence were all the handsome men in three-piece suits. The Pitti Immagine Uomo show was taking place in Florence while I was in town. If you read my Dusseldorf post, you know my love for handsome well-dressed men. Sure, seeing the David statue was great, but seeing men in Armani...oh brother.

The next day I took the train to Venice where I spent this past weekend.

Replica of David by Michelangelo

Outside at the Uffizi Gallery. Duomo behind me

Suits

The Duomo

More men in suits

Sunset over the Ponte Vecchio

Sunset over the Duomo

Hanging out at Piazzale Michelangelo with Gina, Viviana, and Steve

So beautiful

Playing Kings Cup with Stephane and Steve

Duomo from Piazzale Michelangelo in daylight

Rome, Italy

Ok, I know, I've been a delinquent with my blogging, but I've been busy traveling and living in the moment. However, my nine day stint in Italy has sadly come and gone and now it is time to blog about my wonderful week-long Italian holiday. First off: Rome. I got to Rome feeling dejected and alone on the 10th of June. Being that Melanie had left me the day before and that I had never traveled on my own before, I was a bit lonely. After checking into my hostel in Rome I decided to allow myself to nap and watch a couple episodes of Sex and the City to get myself back in good spirits. I know, I'm an asshole, get over it. I did.

Anyways, after napping and pretending I was Carrie Bradshaw I dragged myself out of the hostel and walked down the street. And what did I encounter upon walking for 10 minutes? The Roman Colosseum. 10 minutes from my hostel. Unbelievable. It is strange walking down a busy street bustling with cars and being confronted by such an old structure. Visions of Russel Crowe screaming "Are you not entertained?!" entered my mind more than once as I circled the colossal structure (see what I did there?). If that didn't pull me out of my doldrums, then the gelato I purchased on the nearby "Gay Street" certainly did. As I sat across the street from the Colosseum eating my gelato I couldn't help but say to myself, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself, you douchebag, you're in f****ing Rome" (pardon the language, but it's true). From that point on, Positive Attitude Alexandra came back to life. I went back home after walking around the area for a bit and found that my room had manifested 2 other American girls while I was away. That evening we all (the other guests, too) had a big pasta dinner in the hostel, everyone drank a lot of wine, and there was much dancing (my god there was dancing!). Great first day in Italy.

The following day I woke up for the free walking tour of Rome which met outside the Spanish Steps in the Piazza di Spagna. The tour guide took us around the city hitting up the bigger and more well-known sites in Rome such as the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, as well as a few others. After the tour I went back to the hostel for a nap and to meet some other people. I met a nice Australian guy named David who I hit it off with. That night was the EuroPride Gay Rights March and Lady Gaga was set to perform at the Circo Maximo for free near the Colosseum. However, not allowing enough time, David and I missed the concert. *sad face*, but not letting that get us down we went to a few bars and drank a few beers.

The next day I decided to make my way to Vatican City to see what all the big hooplah is about. I think we all know how much I just love organized religion. However, as I stood in St. Peter's Square what really blew me away wasn't the religious atmosphere, but the astounding amount of work and workers it must have taken to build everything in the area. Huge, intricate, ornate buildings and decor abound. It really is a testament to what man can do when he feels he has something he has to do. Us. Dust. Wind. Dude. And now I come back to reality. After standing in simultaneous awe and disgust in Vatican City I crossed the bridge over the Tiber and found a cute place to eat lunch. After lunch I traipsed around the area a bit more before returning to the hostel and taking a nap. That evening I went on another tour of Rome to the lesser known spots. It was this time that I finally fulfilled my Fellini fantasy (say that five times fast) and got to see the Trevi Fountain. It took every fiber of my being not to pull an Anita Ekberg and wade into the water in a long strapless gown before calling, "Marcello, come here!". After the tour, I went with David to grab a pizza and some wine back on Gay Street (ahhh home sweet home) and hang out. Then we walked around Rome at night, visited the Trevi Fountain again, grabbed some late night gelato and then headed back to the hostel.

My last hours in Rome the next day were spent visiting the Pantheon and aimlessly wandering around the city that I had at first disdained and later absolutely fallen in love with. Later that day I caught a train to Florence, another city that I adored.

The Colosseum

The Spanish Steps

Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II

Ruins!

More ruins!

Vatican City

Vatican City

Angel sculpted by Bernini

Pantheon

Trevi Fountain

At the Trevi Fountain

Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II at night

Trevi Fountain at night

Inside the Pantheon

Lisbon, Portugal

After the whirlwind of long days spent sightseeing and bouncing around London via the tube and subsequent long nights spent consuming our fair share of alcohol, Melanie and I hopped on a plane to Lisbon. This was Melanie's last stop on our Eurotrip as she could only get away from work for 2 weeks. We arrived in Lisbon to overcast and chilly weather which is exactly what we were hoping to escape from upon leaving London, but no matter we were in Portugal, land of Melanie's ancestors (her mom immigrated to the US from the Azores when she was a teenager) ! We took the bus from the airport to the stop near our hostel which was situated near the end of the bus line right by the water, absolutely gorgeous. On our way to check in we noticed a doner restaurant where we ended up eating dinner that night for 5 Euro. Yay cheap Lisbon prices (sorry for your economy Portugal :( ).

The next morning we went on a free walking tour of the city. Although our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, we didn't get the in depth tour that we were hoping for having experienced two great ones in Berlin and Budapest. However, that's not to say that we didn't absolutely love what we saw, because we did. Gorgeous brightly colored buildings of blues, oranges, yellows, reds, beautiful tiling on the walls of buildings in blues and yellows, flowers everywhere, and cobblestone streets. After the tour we went to a flea market that was taking place next to the nearby St. Vincent's church (heyyyy high school) and each bought ourselves some jewelry. Then, we found a cute restaurant nearby where we got lunch. In addition to our lunch we each ordered some wine. We found on the menu what we thought to be a glass of wine for 2Euro80 and each ordered one. As it turns out, Melanie and I aren't the brightest when it comes to liquid volume and, lo and behold, our 2Euro80 glasses of wine were actually BOTTLES of wine. Being drunk at 2:30 pm on a Tuesday in public definitely added to our classy points. Obregado, Portugal.

After napping off our buzz we walked around our area a bit and eventually tried to find a place for dinner. As we walked around the surrounding streets we weren't in the mood for most of the restaurants as they were either too pricey for our budget or none of the food struck our fancy. Just as we were beginning to give up looking at a final menu and beginning to walk away, one of the workers says "We have Indian food, too!" Fun fact about Melanie and I: we never say no to Indian food. SOLD! That evening Melanie began to feel a little under the weather so we just hung out in our hostel with some of the other guests and went to sleep early.

The following morning we woke up early to take the train to Sintra, a town about 30 minutes away by train. Many people recommended Sintra to me before I went to Portugal so we decided to check it out. Upon arriving in Sintra you notice lots of adorable streets with restaurants and shops everywhere. However, if you look up the mountain you'll notice castles, and those are the real reasons that people recommended Sintra. People also recommended taking the bus up the mountains, but Melanie and I are two fit ladies so we ended up walking up the mountains. After 45 minutes or so of an upward climb we reached the top (Harry, I've reached the top!) of the mountain where the Castelo dos Mouros, the Mourish Castle, is located. Unfortunately, I was laboring under the impression that entrance to the castle was free. It wasn't. After weighing our options, we decided not to pay the money to go inside the castle and instead bought some ice cream and headed back down the mountain. Although we didn't go inside the castle, we did get some nice ice cream out of our trek, so the arduous climb was still totally worth it.

That evening we had dinner at our doner place, walked to the nearby Praca de Comercio located on the waterfront as the sun was setting and began to get sad. It was Melanie's last night in Europe. The following morning she flew back to California and I took the train to Porto where I stayed for the evening in a lovely hostel then flew to Rome bright and early the next morning.

I have been in Rome for 3 days and am leaving for Florence in a few hours. Next post will be about my wonderful Roman holiday.

Praca de Rossio

These types of tiles are everywhere

Standing on the ruins of a huge earthquake that occurred in 1755

Typical Lisbon houses/buildings

Bright colors

Bridge constructed by the same architect as the GG Bridge

Delicious lunch (and THE bottle of wine)

 

 (above) Statue on the way up the mountains in Sintra

 (above) View of the valley from the mountains in Sintra

 (above) More brightly colored houses in Sintra

 (above) Praca de Comercio in Lisbon

(above) Arco de Triompho in Lisbon