Old Rome

I made it safely to Rome this morning and saw the Colosseum, Pantheon, Roman Forum, and the line to get into the Vatican museum (Sistine Chapel). I met up with a girl I met in Genoa and did a little sunbathing on her terrace. Amazing view of St. Peter´s church and tha Vatican. The pictures do not do the view justice.
Colosseum






Pantheon




Roman Forum area





St. Peter's from afar & rooftop views

Venice--water, carnival, and getting lost

Venice
When I first arrived in Venice, I was worried about getting to my hotel and was looking for the correct vaporetto---and then I looked up and saw the water and the boats and took a deep breath. Inside I was jumping up and down because I was so excited to be here...on the outside I just smiled and took a minute to enjoy the surroundings and the atmosphere.I checked into the hostel and decided to go get something to eat down the street. While I was waiting I thought it would be nice to sit on steps leading down into the water. I stepped on the first step so I could see it the top was wet before I sat down...before I knew it, my foot slipped and I landed on my hip and then was back on my feet on the sidewalk...super embarassing and a few old men saw and asked if I was ok. I said yes even though I was limping and the side of my shorts were a lovely shade of seaweed green.I got my pizza and ate the whole thing!!! It was really thin and only had cheese and sauce. I sat a ways away from the water and watched the boats go by and the city lights shining.
I got up the next day and had breakfast at the hostel--coffee and a roll with butter...I need more sustinance. I got a boat pass and headed for the city center to begin getting lost. I did not use a map, I just started by taking a vaporetto around most of the exterior of Venice and then weaving through the streets. I went in shops and ate gelato. I made my way to St. Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge. I had lunch in a wine bar/cafeteria style--I really am starting to like pesto with Gnocchi. I bought another memory disk because I was taking so many pictures I knew I would run out before I flew home.







I decided to go to a theatre performance called "Carnival" that night. It was in English so the people I met there spoke English!! Dinner was included and it was a standing buffet in three rooms. It was an interesting concept. The food and wine were excellent!!

There were four main actors that told about the history of Venice and about Carnival--somewhat like Mardi Gras. They had a storyline about their job and personal dealings as well as impromptu portions.

They also had projectors that showed scenes on the water or scenes that appeared to be from hundreds of years ago.
The show was different than I imagined, but was funny and educational! I walked back to the vaporetto stop and to the hostel for the evening.


I spent my last day in Venice being more like a local than a tourist. I took a vaporetto to the train station and got my ticket to go to Rome that night. It was pouring down rain so I was glad I had my umbrella and rain jacket!! I then went off the tourist track and walked along the water, watched the locals conducting business and found a coffee shop. I got a coffee and a panini and soaked up the local atmosphere for some time. I walked around a bit more and then headed back to the hostel to check emails and do my laundry. I had a surprisingly good plate of lasagne at the hostel and then headed for the train station. One last night view of Venice...until the next time.

The Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre --Five Villages

I had a plan for Cinque Terre to walk between some of the towns, see one by boat and take the train. My guidebook said that the 2nd town had luggage storage so that is where I got off the train. I bought my trailpass and asked about storage and they said the none of the five towns had storage. My backpack was really heavy already, but I was going to tough it out. I headed back via the cliff trail to the first city.

Riamaggiore-built into the cliffs of a little cove the little houses are almost stacked on top of each other and the town's road is a hill climb.




After a little time here, I headed back onto the trail to the second town.

Manarola--a little bigger than the first and colorful houses and terraced vineyards, lemon groves, and private gardens. I walked to the church and around the town to the vineyard road. I thought I was lost and I thought a bug flew in my ear--maybe I was paranoid. I heard something rustling with the breeze so I started walking faster, wondering if I was going to run into a dead end or something more scary. A minute later I hear more rustling and two little lizards run over the rocks and across the path in front of me. I was startled at first and then realized what they were and tried to get a closeup with my camera. I made my way back to civilization and enjoyed the picturesque views. It was utterly breathtaking. I noticed a sign for a WC (restroom) and so I walked in...there was no toilet, just a hole and places to put my feet. I figure I had just gone into the wrong stall. I went into the next one after a guy came out and there wasn't a toilet in there either...then I thought I went into the mens room, but there were not any other bathrooms and the door had both a girl and guy on the door. I decided to wait--I did not think I could handle squatting over a hole with my backpack on and I was definitely not putting it on the ground. I started walking to the next town. I was told it was about a 45 minute walk. The amount of people here now made me not want to come during peak season (later I was told it was a holiday weekend so lots of people were there because it was a long weekend).






Corniglia-the walk to here was much more strenuous than the first walk. There were times that I thought I was going to fall backward with my backpack. Luckily it was crowded and slow moving so I did not look like a slacker. The cliff views were tremendous and the water was clear or turquoise. After what felt like an eternity, Corniglia came into sight. This town was mainly on a high cliff. By the time I got to the train station (which was on the water) I decided I was going to admire the town without the zig zap up the steep hill. I took the train to the next town and rested my back a bit--the train ride was only about five minutes and then the pack went back on my back--I thought my colarbone was going to break before I finished the five towns.






Vernazza- This town was extremely busy with tourists. I was a wide load with my pack and kept bumping into people. I made it into a gelato shop and got some water and a couple scoops of gelato. Hit the spot on this very hot day. I reapplied sunscreen to my face and continued toward the water. I took a boat to the last town and the view from the boat was awesome. We could see the people walking (like an ant superhighway Mike but not quite the same). After seeing that trail, I am glad I was in the boat.





Monterosso - There was a beach here and an old city/new city set up. I spent most of my time in the old city and checked email so I would know where my hostel was for the evening. I walked through the non-touristy streets and made my way to the new city. I got my train ticket to Genoa and waited for it to arrive. I stood in line to get my ticket validated and actually missed my train because the machine was malfunctioning. I had an hour to wait as the next train was running late. I sat at the restaurant by the tracks and had a slice of pizza and a soda. I finally got on a packed train headed to Savona via Genoa. I took off my pack and relaxed for a bit.









Genoa
I got to Genoa later than I had anticipated and had to find my way to the hostel in the dark. I finally found my bus and asked the driver to call out my stop. He called it out, but I could not see where my connecting bus was on the list of other busses that stopped there. A lady told me it would be okay to get off there and she would help me find my bus. I got to the top of the hill and the hostel after 9pm and crashed. I woke up the next day with no real plans. One of my roomies woke up and immediately started talking to me. She was from Spain, had been a foreign exchange student in Rhode Island and was now studying in Rome. We had breakfast together along with her bf and then I packed my things and checked out of the hostel. They saw me outside and said I could spend the day with them. I was up for an adventure. We took the bus down the hill and I got just as carsick as I did on the way up the night before. We headed for the beach--I had my backpack on and it was already heavy. We walked through streets and watched the sailboats. We saw some beach and made our way toward it. We had to walk across these huge rocks..I almost fell over getting onto them and lost my shoes which were tied to my pack. The guy that was with us climbed down to retrieve them for me so I would not fall. It took some time to climb across the rocks and there were a few times where I almost fell over...wearing flip flops was not the best choice that day. We finally made it to the beach and we laid on the rocks and got some sun. I left them so I could get to Venice and I told the Spanish girl I would call her when I got to Rome.