The people you meet.

English is a good language to speak. For whatever reason, everyone else has decided to pick up a few words here and there at the very least or in some cases be conversational or fluent. Okay, I know there is a ton of history behind this and it isn't just coincidence, but whatever. So it hasn't been that hard to get around and between people speaking English and our 50 words of Italian and lots of pointing we have been able to get everywhere without any real problems. The fun thing is that when you go to lots of tourist places, you meet other tourists. Here is a little bit about them.

Our first meeting of other tourists was at Ostia Antica outside of Roma. Another couple (from England) also made the same mistake we did and went on a Monday when lots of things in Roma are closed. We talked for a bit and that was that.

The second couple we meet were Scottish. As we were going to Hadrain's Villa, which was pretty complicated and super annoying to get to, we started talking to this older couple. Well, by we started talking I really mean that the woman just talked for a really long time with some questions from Aaron and I and about 10 words from her husband. Even though she was a talker, she and her husband were really nice. We learned all about their daughter who lives in New Zealand with her Italian husband and two children. The daughter is a dietitian and her Italian husband does something or other with computers, if you were the slightest bit curious. Also, they thought the organization in Italy was terrible. It is good they haven't ever gone to Naples. So the next day Aaron and I are going through the Vatican Museums and we go to the Sistine Chapel first so it won't be crowded (which it wasn't, and it is absolutely amazing). We found a bit of a bench open, look over, and who is it? It is this couple from yesterday. We talk about the Chapel for a bit then do our own thing. The Security in the Chapel is constantly telling people to not talk, so we didn't want to get in trouble with them. It was the strangest thing to run into them two days in a row.


The third set of tourists we met was our first day in Naples. We were all at the ticket window going to Pompeii and we talked for a bit. They were American, or so we thought at the time. After Pompeii they were on the same train home. It was amazing that they also spent 6 hours there. (It was two families one with a little girl and the other with three young kids, all under the age of 6. So 4 adults, 4 kids.) The next day we went to the National Archaeological Museum, and yesterday we went to Herculaneum and Mt. Vesuvius. We ran into them on the train there and they said they saw us at the Museum, but we were at a different end. We talked for the train ride and learned that they were Canadian ex-pats living in Geneva for the last five years. The six year old really liked to talk about all the cats he has had and Canada. It was nice running into them so much. They were super nice families.


Later that day on the way up to Mt. Vesuvius Nick was from Seattle, studying in Rome, and in Naples from the weekend. We hiked around Vesuvius with him, nad he was very nice. I think he was glad to have someone to talk to as well because he was exploring by himself.


Today was our latest couple we met was today. We saw them at breakfast this morning at the hotel, realized they were on the same train, but didn't talk to them until we all realized that we were in Sorrento, and had no ideal where we were going. They were smart and popped into a hotel and asked for a map. They were kind and shared it with us. They were a young Polish couple, our age, who had just gotten engaged and like to take short holidays around Europe on long weekends. We talked about the crazy Italians, how they don't really like Naples and walked around Sorrento with them for a few hours this morning. They were super nice, liked to use the word "absolutely," and had great English.


Moral of the story, you meet people wherever you go. People tend to be super nice, and everyone who is used to colder climates thinks the southern Italians are a little crazy. We all bond over something!

Lessons of Naples and a Day in Sorrento

Today was our last day in Naples. Here are some things I learned, but the pictures do not correspond to these lessons.

Lesson 1. When crossing the street in Naples, look both ways, then hold out your hand and go for it. Walk fast.

Lesson 2. Don't expect that anything will be open at any time. Also, don't even try and eat a decent meal before 7:30, all the good resturants are closed.

Lesson 3. Wear purple. The more the better. Also, make sure your shoes and purse match. And I am not talking about light purple either, no pastels, just straight up royal purple.

Lesson 4. If you own a car here, it will get scratched. You must park touching the car both in front of you, and the car behind you, otherwise there might be room to get out, and that just wouldn't be good.

Lesson 5. It might not be a bad place to be homeless, since all the trash is just out on the streets. This isn't just wrappers and such, it is mattresses, tv's, and cardboard boxes galore.

Lesson 6. If you like crazy driving, people in the streets yelling, mo-peds and the like, then this city is for you. If none of these appeal to you, then you might think twice about staying here.

Aaron and I in Sorrento. A beautiful city about an hour subway ride from Naples.

The sea from a hill in Sorrento.

The marina in Sorrento.

The water is really clear! It was also a beautiful day, around 65.

Daily Pics

Aaron and I on Mt. Vesuvius. If you get motion sick, don't go up there. The drive is crazy.

I

Mt. Vesuvius from Herculaneum. It would have been a nice city if a volcano didn't destroy it.

They had pretty mosaic pictures. Also, some sweet columns.

This pictures doesn't exactly do it justice, but there were three rows of cars parked at least six deep. Everyone leaves their phone numbers on their dash board so you can call if you are double or triple parked, and chances are you are. The thing is, this isn't an anomaly.

Some Pictures.

Here are some pictures for you. Today we went to the National Archaeology Museum in Naples which was great, but the room full of mosaics and naughty imagery from Pompeii was closed for restoration work. HUGE BUMMER! So today you will get some pictures of us being cute and adventurous. I'll write more about Rome later, but not today. It is late, Aaron was being a computer hog, but he put some great stuff online so be sure to check out his pictures too!

This is Aaron and I on the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica. It is the tallest building in Roma and takes 500+ steps to walk up it. When you do it, do it early in the morning so that there won't be many other people there, but don't get stuck behind someone who likes to stop every ten steps, as it makes the climb much longer. The picture is probably one of the nicest that Aaron and I have taken together, and I have made him take a lot recently.

Another nice picture, but not as great. This one is from Hadrian's Villa where the Emporer put things he saw around the empire in miniature. It was a crazy place to get to because the bus doesn't stop we got on in Roma doesn't stop there so we had to guess where to get off, which was luckily correct, and transfer busses, then figure out how to get back. It was kind of crazy, but we did it. It was also a beautiful day.

Aaron showing how small a doorway is at Pompeii. Also showing how adorable tall people in small doors can be.

Pompeii -- why won't you let me in?

25 February

We spent today, our first day in southern Italy in Pompeii. It was amazing to see and a constant reminder of just how dangerous natural disasters can be. Seen above is Aaron looking out to Mt. Vesuvius. It caused it all, but it is really big and really awe-inspiring. Also, thanks to Chris for the day pack. We have been using it all the time and it is super great. Good thinking this Christmas.

Pompeii is incredibly well preserved. I thought Ostia outside Roma was well preserved, until I saw this. There will be more on Ostia to come, as it was amazing in its own right. The scene below is a painting on a wall in some rich dude's house. You know he was rich because 1) his house was big, and 2) he had a bench outside his door where people sat to wait to talk to him. You're rich when there is more than one person outside your door wanting to talk to you. This info was thanks to my personal tour guide and thanks to all his ancient Roman history courses. On a slightly different note, but related, it is funny to think that everything was painted in really garrish colors in ancient Roma, it is not the pristine white that is often thought of or depicted in movies. Also, a lot of Pompeii is blocked off. This was not the case in a few of the other places we visited, where we could go everywhere. We just wanted to explore every nook and cranny. We are losers and like looking at everything. I just wanted to see it all. Let me in! Enough complaining, it was huge and we saw a lot of amazing things..

Below is in the forum looking at the Capitololeum, or the capitol building of Pompeii. Vesuvius is in the background. We spent 6 hours here today. This is right around 5pm when they were kicking us out, and the sun was setting.

Same forum, different view. Clearly, a beautiful day in an amazing place. Did I mention that I only wore a t-shirt and a cardigan today! I had to keep reminding myself it was February.

If you get the chance, go to Pompeii. You will be amazed.

Roma continued

Day 5: 14 February

Valentine's Day means a lot of people in Roma. There were lots of couples. We went to Castle S. Angelo in the morning which was a lot of fun. The castle used to by a mausoleum, but eventually things were added. It served the additional purpose of having an escape route for the pope. There is a foot bridge between the Vatican the Castle that the pope could run away on. Then we went to two different national museums, and since it was Valentine's Day, we got two for one tickets. Also, since Aaron has German citizenship he gets reduced fare at all museums and things of that nature because he is an EU citizen younger than 26. The prices are half of mine, which is nice for him, and especially nice that day because we got two tickets for that reduced fare. Sweet! It was a nice day in Roma.

Food!

It is 8:30 am here. I am waiting for Aaron to get out of the shower, which could be another 30 minutes at the rate he goes but most of you knew that already, so I am going to write about the food.

So after we found out about the grocery store in the basement, we got some pasta, tomatoes, carrots, tomato sauce (they actually do sell it in a jar here, but it tastes way better), olive oil, and cheese. These were the staples of our diet for two weeks. Oh, and chicken and eggs. We needed some protein in there too. As well as tea and nutella. Now I think you have our entire list of food. The vegetables are really good. I am not the biggest fan of carrots, but I like them here. Also, one night we splurged a little and got some zucchini's. Yum, yum, yummy, yum. I really liked those, but the veggies are kinda expensive, so we only ate the ones that were not over 2 euros/kilo. Also, it is artichoke season here, but I don't know how to prepare artichoke, so I am waiting to see if a restaurant has it. I tried to order it once at our favorite meal we ate out, but it had been all eaten by the time we got there for lunch at 2:30pm. Bummer. The fruit looks good, but I haven't eaten it. They make fresh blood orange juice on the streets here in Napoli, and I have been dying to try some, but it would induce a severe allergic reaction from drinking all that juice, so I will just stay away. If you didn't know I am allergic to fresh fruit. That's why I have only smelled it up to this point. I am trying to stay alive this trip, and eating fruit is not a good way to keep up that goal.

As for the meals out, they have been good. Our second to last day in Roma we went to a little place between Vatican city and our apartment. It was great, and the wine was my favorite there. Two days ago we ate at the place aforementioned where they ran out of artichokes. It was cheap and delicious. We both got second courses because everything was under 5 euros. The lasagna was so good. Really simple, just noodles, sauce, and cheese. Then last night we ate out for the first time in Napoli and went to a pizzeria that was over 100 years old. It wasn't a local place, we heard more English than Italian there, and it was a little overpriced for the area, but the pizza was really great nonetheless. I had pizza with cheese, ham, mushrooms, and peas. Yes, peas on a pizza, weird, but really good.

Now it is off to the hotel breakfast. We'll see how that is!

Oh, and thanks for all the comments. I was looking at Aaron's blog this morning and saw that some of them were directed at me! Yay! Thanks very much, I appreciate them.

The Internet is Back!

We have left Roma and are in Napoli, at a hotel with internet! So I will be more connected in the next few days before we go to Todi to work on a farm for 2 weeks starting 1 March.

But enough of the future, let's talk about the past. I am going to do a few days in Roma at a time.

Our first days in Roma were really great, but getting over the jet lag was not so fun. I'll start from the beginning to avoid totally confusing you and me. I am a little tired at the moment, so please bare with my stream of consciousness writing and my train of thought getting lost mid sentence.

Day 1: 10 February

Aaron and I are on the plane to Switzerland. As I already mentioned Swiss Air was great. Our seats were the first in the economy section, so we had these fun fold out tv's. It took us, and everyone else sitting in our row a bit to figure it out, but lucky for me and everyone else in that row, Aaron pushed a button! The tv's came out. We had some tv dinners, little did we know what little tv we would be watching for the next two weeks. I would have enjoyed it a little bit more. Then we got to Zurich and got on our plane to Roma, took a train to Trastevere and walked about a mile to our apartment. It was a lovely little place with a kitchen, bathroom and bed/living room. After I figured out that you had to hold the knob down for the stove to stay lit, all was great with the place. We went out for one of our few meals out in Roma that night. We cooked dinner most other nights, and packed picnic lunches for most days, so it was a great way to eat cheap in a city where food is really expensive. Just ask all the older British couples we ran into. They complained about the cost of food too.

Day 2: 11 February

We started out our first day with a trip to the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuele II who unified Italy with a bunch of other dudes. He has a big white monument. It looks like a cake, and hence is either called the "layer cake" or the "wedding cake." It is tall, we got some nice views of the city. Then we wandered around and started getting accustomed to the very narrow windy streets without sidewalks and with tons of mopeds. It was carnivale time as well, so we saw a lot of random street performers. It was fun to see a play in Piazza Navona, even though I didn't understand a word of it. In Piazza del Popolo, which is further north we came across horse dancing. It was weird. There was a person on the ground and one on the horse. They did a funny dance together. I don't have a good picture of it, but if I get the chance I will put the video up. Here is an image of the police horses and a little dog. The dog was keeping the horses in line. It was funny.

Day 3: 12 February

It snowed in Roma. It was the first time in 30 or so years. The place shut down, Aaron and I slept through it. We were suffering from some jet lag and not feeling great. We did, however, make it to the Pantheon. AWESOME! It was the first ancient Roman thing I saw here and it was great. I am standing in front of one of the columns, and it just shows you how big it is. Also, thanks to my former co-workers at Wellspring for the coat. I certainly do stand out in the crowd, but it is a great warm coat for the odd snowy day in Roma! Thanks again everyone! Then we went to the Capitoline Museums. I wasn't the biggest fan. Before you get all up in my grill about it, we went to some other museums that I thought were better, and I just wanted to get rid of my headache the whole time I was there, so it might have been a good idea to go back, but I certainly didn't want to.

Day 4: 13 February

Super touristy, but quintessential Roma stuff. Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill. All amazing. The forum was by far my favorite of the three. I think I am a sucker for temples. This is a picture of the Palatine Hill. I have about 150 pictures of all the places. They are all amazing and a must see for anyone in Roma. Although you should go to the Palatine Hill first then the Colosseum because the ticket works for all three places and the line is shorter there.

I think I will pick up where I left off tomorrow evening. Ciao for now! It is nice to have the internet again.

Grocery Stores are in the Basement

I am at an internet cafe. Our apartment does not have internet like it was supposed to, so posts from Rome are going to be seldom. Here is a quick list of what we have done so far. (The space bar on this keyboard sucks.)

1. Swiss Air is amazing. We were supposed to take United but becasuse of the weather our flights were cancelled. United was super helpful - suprisingly- and we were booked on a Swiss Air flight for later in the day. We got the first aisle of seats in the economy class -- which means 1st service of food and drinks, more leg room, and cool fold out tv's. I will post a picture when we can use Aaron's netbook.

2. Calling random numbers in Italy will not get you Alessandro Lupi. Please see aaronkenter.com for more details.

3. Jet lag is no fun especially when you both feel sick. Going to a museum on days like this is not advised.

4. The weekends are crowded. The driving is crazy, but the cars are smaller, so they may hurt less if one hits you. I will not try to find out.

5. Ancient Romans are the shit. We have seen the Pantheon -so cool- the Coloseum, the Forum, and the Palatine Hill among other things. For all of you who have gone to Rome 2+ years ago, you have to pay for the Forum now. Aaron could not believe this changed, his guide book was wrong, the world did not end.

6. Since we are staying in an apartment (in Trastevere, a great neighborhood) we have been cooking for ourselves. Way more economical! But we needed to find a market. We finally resorted to asking at the tourist information booth. They told us to go into OVS down the street and the basement would be the supermarket. We found the store, but it was a department store, like with clothes and perfume and all that stuff. So we walked down the stairs, and sure enough there was a supermarket. We had to walk through racks of clothes with our eggs and other items to get out. It was just really strange. If we hadn't asked we might be starving right now. So if I come home and start looking for food in the bottom of Macy's or any other such store, please set me straight.

7. Rome is fun, everyone wants to come here. I think there are more French here than in France. I have decided that it must be some sort of school holiday -- there are so many French middle schoolers here. If anyone has insight on the French school system and why they are all over Rome, that would be great!

8. Pizza is delicious, wine is cheap, and you can walk all over Rome seeing random ruins. Aaron and I have taken to calling one of the roads we walk on almostevery day the "Road of Random Ruins." Original, I know, but it works.

9. I will post pictures when I get a chance, but there won't be as many posts from Rome as I had hoped!

10. Bye! And I hate this keyboard.

One Day Left!

I am with Aaron at his house somewhere between Providence and Boston packing up all our stuff. This is also a test entry from Aaron's little netbook that we are bringing. I hope that we are going to get out of the airport tomorrow on time... flying from Boston to D.C. then D.C. to Rome is a bit nerve racking considering the snow we just got, and the snow that is coming. Below is a picture of the snow at my house on Saturday. We got about 28 inches.

I am off to finish my packing. This is all the stuff I am bringing, minus the computer! It is crazy that it will be my life for the next few months!

 

One weekend left!

In the states, that is. I am going to Rome on Tuesday (the 9th)! I am getting all ready to go, and of course getting super excited.