30 Search Results for ""spanish steps""

• Spanish Steps

  • From: allaffordtravel
  • Description:

    The Spanish Steps, or in Italian, Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti, start at the Piazza di Spagna and climb to the Trinita dei Monti church. These steps have been the subject of countless photographs, and travel posters. Conceived as a means to climb from the plaza to the church, these steps have become synonymous with Rome. The plaza contains the fabulous Barcaccia Fountain.

     

    Visit the plaza, visit the steps, visit the church, and spend some time people watching. If you are fortunate enough to visit while the steps are decked out with flowers, you will truly see an incredible sight.

     

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  • 1 week ago
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• Europe - A Recap

  • From: traveljunkiejess
  • Description:

    

    So I have been meaning to post a recap of my Europe trip pretty much since I got back. Partly because everyone who knows that we went ask me "So how was your trip to Europe" and I am sick of my lame response of "Good" and secondly because I love coming on here and reading my previous blogs because it always brings me back to that time or event in which I wrote about. A 21st century diary or sorts...... without all the angst...... ok maybe some.
    

    Anywhoo this is not for the skittish reader as it is lengthy.

    
    

    London – Jaron and I were so jet legged from flying over and not sleeping the night before so when we got in around 10am (4hours later then what we should have) that we just passed out until around 5pm. We then walked around and went to a pub and had a very English dinner and drinks and then took in some of London ’s McDonald’s deserts. FYI: They do not mix their McFlurries and they put things like chocolate covered rice crispies in them. Good - but different. The next day we then met our group and were able to just take in some sight seeing. The weather was really nice, no snow at all and probably around 60+ degrees so we got lunch and ate in the park. We then went to the London equivalent of Times Square and had dinner at this crazy Russian place. The restaurant made me feel like we fell through the rabbit’s hole in Alice in Wonderland. That is the only way that I can really explain the décor and feeling. We saw Buckingham Palace (however no Prince William or Prince Harry) and Big Ben at night and started adding to our list of foreign public transportation services that we have now endured.

    Amsterdam – was all that anyone ever thinks Amsterdam is and more. We went to coffee shops, the red light district, the blue light district (that is where the trannies reside) a sex show (saw a girl smoke a cigar with here whoo ha…. No joke), the Anne Frank Museum – which is her house/annex where they were hiding (so amazing and emotional), saw the original Starry Night (my all time favorite painter is Van Gogh so of course I went to the official Van Gogh museum I also found out that technically his name is pronounced Van GOFF not Van GO), we also took in the Heineken museum and proceeded to get buzzed fairly early in the day, before 11am from the free beer that we got, we also went to a clog shop in the country and cruised the canals through the city. I love Amsterdam and want to live there. There is so much more to talk about here but some things are better left for one on one conversation ;)

    Berlin – History galore!!! Saw the Berlin Wall or at least what is still left around. Took a walking tour of the city and saw major Nazi area’s including where Hitler killed himself. There were some great memorials for the Jews of the war and it was very moving. Germans consider their history to be their dark shadow……. They can never escape it, it will always follow them but they can strive to make the future better. We also saw the first concentration camp which was very surreal. It is crazy to think that so much suffering went on and the horrible conditions that they must have been under. Ugh!

    Prague – Beautiful city. It was so colorful. All the buildings are different pastel colors and very ornate and it has been kept up so well that it all looks new. We went to a Salvador Dali exhibit as well as an Andy Warhol exhibit which was really cool. Took a lunch cruise through the city and scoured the markets for trinkets. We then went to this restaurant that had a beer tap in the middle of the table. You then could feel up your glass and drink as much as you wanted. There was a big TV that was keeping score of every table and you were in competition with everyone. I got a really good buzz from that place and never had to pee so much. However we were nothing compared to the Aussie tables. They can put them down.
    

    Munich – Very fun and cool city. We took a tour through the city on cruiser bikes. I loved the bike so much that I got a cruiser for my birthday this year. I was the “butt babe” which pretty much meant that I stayed towards the end of the group and made sure that no one lagged behind. We went to the biggest beer hall in the world and had many of beers. We also went to an original beer hall where families still have their own tables and thousands of people can fit in. Munich goes crazy for Oktoberfest! I had a pickled pork knuckle and an awesome lemonade beer as well as had my first try of ‘snuff’ which is a tobacco that you sniff up your nose. It is awesome.

    On the way to Venice we stopped in Tyrol and went to the original Swarovski Crystal shop. They had a whole room completely covered in crystals – Winter Wonderland and it was very surreal.

    Italy –
    

    ***** Now quickly there are a few things that no one knows about Italy until you go there and it is pretty nuts. Firstly, they don’t give a fuck!!! They know that people will come to Italy even if everyone tells them that it sucks because, hey… it is Italy . They are very rude, they do not use salt in their bread so it is like eating cardboard, it is very expensive, theft is crazy over there so you must be on guard at all times, they charge an exhorbinent amount to use the toilet – However this is not just an Italy thing. In Europe most countries will charge you to pee however it is never very much and the money goes to keeping the facilities clean and nice however that rule does not apply to Italy . (I think I paid one time around the equivalent of $2 American dollars to pee in a very dirty bathroom and they do not have toilet seats, it is just the bowl. It was truly frightening) Also they have hidden dining fees. Firstly they charge you for utensils. They also charge you to sit outside as well as a service fee of usually around 15%. Also they do not tell you this and they will try and hide that unless you come straight out and ask “Do you have a service fee??” And by service fee I do not mean the tip. I mean your food, utensils, service fee, then tip!! These were things that we had no idea about however now stating that I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about my feelings on Italy . I absolutely loved Italy and think that everyone should go and see the massive history there. It is just nice to know what you are in for. It is very exhausting, a definite culture shock for sure. ***********

    Venice – Everything that you think of when you think of Venice is true. It is fucking gorgeous and like a dream. The weather was amazing when we went, I couldn’t ask for a more beautiful day. You can walk the whole island in like 20 minutes and we circled it many times. We went to a lace school and purchased a Venetian table cloth and napkins for my mom and saw a glass blower work and make a beautiful piece of art. We then did the cliché canal ride which was beyond compare. It was so much fun and you could bring whatever you wanted on the gondola with you so we bought an original bottle of Bellini (the peach drink that is now sold at Olive Garden was invented in Venice by a man named….. you guessed it something Bellini!!) and took that with us to drink. The city is so gorgeous that it almost looks fake. I ate gelato pretty much three times a day when I was in Italy and had to have pizza!! We did a lot of people watching and just meandering around the city. We then had an amazing Venice dinner that consisted of many different courses of pasta and seafood and salad and a lot of wine.

    Rome – Oh Geez!! So much and there can never really be enough time! We started with a huge tour around the city taking in the Spanish Steps and the Piazza Venezia. I drank out of the Trevi Fountain – which was delicious and said to bring you fertility!! We then went into a crypt that a priest had made hundreds of years ago out of deceased priests body parts. It was very eerie. Every piece of bone was used to make very beautiful and hauntingly creepy mosaics that lined everything from the walls, ceilings, floors, everything. There was not a bare wall in the place. We then went into the Pantheon and saw first hand the amazing architectural abilities of the Romans. We took in so many churches and shrines in Europe and in Italy in general that it is hard to keep them all straight. We checked out the Colosseum at night and walked the first ever street made in the world. Also popped in on the Pope (well not really he was traveling at the time) in Vatican City at night and ate outside on the side streets of Rome . In the morning we got a private guided tour inside ‘Old Rome’ and inside of the Colossuem. Old Rome is like 10 feet below the street level of New Rome because they just believe on building on top of the city. That is why the subway for Italy only runs around the city because anywhere they go to dig in the center of the city they are just going to end up excavating the previous Rome . Then we actually went to the Vatican and walked through the city as well as the church where the Pope presides, saw the tombs of all the old Popes. saw St. Peters Basilica, and saw the Sistine Chapel!! Also we visited the “Mouth of Truth” that is in Roman Holiday. You are supposed to put your hand in and think of something. If it is a lie it is supposed to bite your hand off. I still have my hand so all is well, however our feet hurt so bad from walking the city to try and see everything that it felt like they had been bit. I am sure I am forgetting something really momentous but oh well.

    On our way to Florence we stopped in Pisa . Nothing really in Pisa except that one leaning tower!! So of course we acted like stupid American tourist and did the obligatory pictures such as the holding the tower up, leaning against the tower, heaving the tower on your back and some people even did the leaning tower of penis. Propping it just so to where it looks very impressive. I tried to get Jaron to do it but he wouldn’t. I also purchased a very cute purple bogus Prada purse from some African/Italian counterfeit gangsters. I was able to get them down a lot too, they wanted 50 Euros and I got them down to 20 Euros! But by doing the simple act of purchasing I was then mobbed by about another 20 or so selling various shit.
    

    Florence – Here was the only time that it rained on our trip. And it wasn’t just a little rain. It was a lot of rain. It soaked through my waterproof Columbia jacket and proceed to get everyone as wet as possible. Again we turned to gypsies for needed umbrellas and went along with our day. This also happened to be the day of our mandatory group picture that was outside. We were all soaked. We did however check out a Florence leather company ( Florence is now for its amazing leather) to try and stay dry. Because it was raining the lines to get into museums were horrendous. We waited to see the statue of David outside for probably two hours. It was however worth it. The statue is amazing and also a lot bigger then I had expected. In more ways then one ;) We then took in some amazing views of the city on our way through the Tuscan Hills for our Tuscan dinner where we got serenaded by two Italian opera singers and were also forced to dance by some of our tour mates.You know who you are.
    

    Lucerne – This was a nice rest from the crazy hussle and bussle of Italy . Switzerland is very clean, orderly, and polite. It was a nice change. The Swiss are very into three things. Chocolate – Watches – & Swiss Army Knives. You can find stores for these 3 things everywhere!! The chocolate is amazing, the watches blow your mind, and they are not messing around with those knives. You are prepared for anything and then some. We just kind of wandered around. We took in some Swiss Fondue and a show which was cool and Jaron was forced to get up on stage and blow one of those huge horns from the Ricola commercials. Apparently it is harder then it looks. His prize……. A Ricola! Then a man dressed in a cow costume came out and ran through the crowds. It was odd, but fun.

    Paris – Another amazing city. We got in and promptly went around all the major sites such as Napoleons tomb, the Arc de Triomphe, The Eiffel Tower, and the Champs Elysees . Later on in the evening a big group of us went back to the Eiffel Tower and waited so that we could go up it in the night. It is truly beautiful at night and very glittery and romantic. It is a hell of a lot higher then I thought and even for me who does not have a huge fear of heights it was still pretty scary. In the morning we got up early and headed to the Louvre via the subway and underground entrance. I almost had a drunken Parisian fall on me but somehow made it. I ran to see the Mona Lisa as soon as the museum opened and got to enjoy that without a huge crowd of people. We then just meandered through and took in the crazy opulence of the royal palace that is now the Louvre. Checked out the gravesite of Jim Morrison of ‘The Doors’ as well as Oscar Wilde’s gravesite and Chopin. The cemetery was really old and creepy and some looked as though they had been graved robbed. However it was ironically enough very beautiful and comforting. We then headed back and got ready for our dinner show at the Moulin Rouge. There are no words for this show. It was amazing and vibrant and just plain incredible. At one point a see through tank of water comes up through the stage and a scantily clad girl dances inside the water with a huge cobra!! A great way to end the tour.

    New York City - Then we headed back to the US but had an overnight stay in NYC. I almost threw up in the back of a taxi from all the stop and go craziness. My friend Aimee graciously put us up at her place and pointed us on the right subway so Jaron could see the Statue of Liberty. We got there first thing in the morning and went inside the statue. It was cool because I was unable to do that when I went in 2003 with Ali & Christine. It was so windy however that we could lean forward and the wind would hold us up. In NYC I was happy to again be able to have Starbucks and all Jaron wanted to do was have some NYC street pizza. We also stumbled upon a protest that was going in front of Wall Street in regards to all the bonuses CEO’s got even though their companies had received bailouts. So that was unexpected. Then off again to be home.

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  • 2 weeks ago
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• St. Peter's from the Spanish S

  • From: verdoonie
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  • 4 weeks ago
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• The Spanish Steps In Rome at M

  • From: verdoonie
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  • 4 weeks ago
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• Spanish Steps, Rome, Italy, Fo

  • From: luvtravel
  • Description:

    Loved this pictures of the fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps in Rome.

  • 2 months ago
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• Essence of Rome

  • From: cheaptravelbug
  • Description:

    I've always dreamt of going to Rome all my life. I had to choose one picture which epitomizes my experience. You have the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, Coliseum, and so much more. But for me, it wasn't just about the marvelous architecture, it was about the food, the culture, and my time there. This image is by the Spanish Steps, a modest trattoria which had the most unbelievable food. I think to me, is the essence of Rome.

     

    I took this picture on my first trip to Europe with my husband in April 2009.

  • 2 months ago
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• Sunset at the Spanish Steps

  • From: dmg33
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    Sunset View from the Spanish Steps in Rome Italy

  • 3 months ago
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• Random Tourists

  • From: jamiejones
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  • 5 months ago
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• Thirsty

  • From: jamiejones
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  • 5 months ago
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• spanish steps at sunset

  • From: kate
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  • 5 months ago
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• Peru and Machu Picchu

  • From: patrickmurphy
  • Description:

    PERU

    Buenos dias everyone. I´m currently in Arequipa in southern Peru, which is a large city (approximately 1 million people) but a very beautiful and comfortable city at about 8,000 feet. It has been declared a UNESCO world cultural heritage site due to its splendid architecture, plazas, and history. The city sits at the base of a large volcano which is borded on each side by two other very large mountains, all of which are over 17,000 feet.

    Peru has been a treat in my two + weeks here. The people could not be any friendlier and the sites and culture have been exceptional. Also, as it is the ceviche capital of the world (and I love ceviche) I am one happy camper. Other fine Peruvian cuisine sampled thus far include llama, alpaca, cuy (guinea pig, which is a Peruvian delicacy....where you get the WHOLE guinea pig), yucca, chura de camarones, lomo saltado, and lots of different types of maize and potatoes. Beverages sampled include Cusqueña, Arequipeña, and Cristal beers, chicha morada (made from purple maize), Inca Kola (tastes like a mixture of bubble gum and cough syrup....I don´t know whether to recommend it or not), and many great fresh-blended juices. I also bellied-up to the same soup counter at the large central market as Anthony Bourdain, one of my travel mentors ("Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" on the Travel Channel...the best travel show on TV in my humble opinion). The simple potato, cheese, pepper, egg and onion soup was just as tasty as he reported and each of the counters/tables was completely filled by locals...which is always the best sign of a great place to eat.

    COLCA CANYON

    I just returned from a 3-day hike to the Colca Canyon, which is about 3 to 4 hours from Arequipa. The canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. At first I thought that must be a typo in the guidebook, but after visiting (and hiking) it, I can confirm that it is true. Our small tour group hiked down the canyon, where we stayed in a mud hut with thatched roof in one of small Andean villages located about half way down the wall of canyon. The next night we spent on the canyon floor (this time in a bamboo hut with thatched roof) in an oasis of palm trees called Sangalle. We had a terrific guide who taught as all about the Inca culture, including the incredible agricultural techniques used by them (lots and lots of terraces...which are still used today), the food, the environment, the use of medicinal plants, etc.

    After waking up a 3 a.m. to hike back up the canyon with flashlights (or "torches", as my English friends called them), we arrived at a lookout point called the Cruz del Condor to view the many condors that reside in the canyon. It´s one of the very few places in the world where you can view the birds close up....as they swoop by only 10 or 15 feet above your head. While they are not going to win any beauty pageants, they are incredibly massive birds and very, very impressive to see in flight. It was one of the highlights of my South American journey.

    CUSCO

    Cusco is the finest city I've visted with respect to architecture, history, and people in my South American travels. The city contains beautiful spanish colonial buildings with bits of Inca archicture mixed in (incredible Inca rock/stone walls that are used as the foundations of existing buildings). There are also beautiful plazas and churches spread throughout the city, the gem of which is the Plaza de Armas which has two enormous churches facing the plaza, along with two-story buildings with arched portals/arcades. One of the best plazas I've seen anywhere.

    The city has a population of approximately 275,000 people and is located at about 10,000 feet. Given that I have spent the past 2 months at an average altitude of about 10,000 feet, the altitude in Peru has not been a problem for me. Similar to Bolivia, coca leaves and coca tea is served in all of the restaurants and hostals to help tourists (and locals) deal with the altitude.

    MACHU PICCHU

    There is a very good reason that Machu Picchu was just voted as one of the new seven wonders of the world...it is an incredible, incredible site. As there are no roads to the Machu Picchu, there are only two ways to reach it....by train or by hiking. I opted for a 4-day hike with eight other travellers from six different countries. One of the members of our group, a college student from Spain, was my favorite person over the past 2 months. Travelling alone, she had been mugged about a week earlier in Boliva by a fake police officer who took almost everything she had, but you never would know that my meeting her. She spoke no english and spoke spanish very, very rapidly....to the point that I could pick up about one out of every 10 words she said. Just by her expressions and laughter, however, she entertained me and everyone else in our group for 4 days. Her positive outlook on life, enthusiasm, and maturity for someone her age was also commented upon by others in our group when we had dinner together when we were back in Cusco. It was an absolute pleasure meeting her.

    As the famous Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu requires reservations months and months in advance (which we did not have), our hike was one of the many "alternate hikes" available. The hike took us to two small Andean towns on the first two days, then to Aguas Calientes on the 3rd day, which is about an hour and a half hike from Machu Picchu and the point at which the trains arrive. Our group woke up the next day at 4 a.m. and arrived at Machu Picchu at about 5:30 a.m. As we were the first ones there, there were nothing but llamas at the site when we entered.... we were very fortunate to have the site to ourselves and a few others from another group for about a half hour before other people started to trickle in. We then were the first to arrive to the top of Huayna Picchu, which is the very large, football-shaped mountain towering above the site in all of the famous pictures...which also contains some very nice ruins. The quick-paced, half-hour trek up many, many steps, was worth the effort, as you are rewarded with an incredible view of the ruins below, as well as a great view of the river valley far below the site.

    The only comparison I can even remotely make to experiencing Machu Picchu is that of visiting Yosemite for the first time. Both have provide a unique magical/spirtual experience, however, Machu Picchu is different in that it combines fanstastic scenery with a man-made masterpiece that is more than 500 years old. As I stood there trying to absorb the scenery and the unbelievable ruins, coupled with everything else I had experienced on my trip, I couldn't help but think about a quote from the aforementioned Anthony Bourdain during his episode on Peru. He was actually quoting a friend of his, who said something to the effect of "the older I get and the more I travel, the more I realize how little I know about everything." Boy, is that ever the truth.

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  • 11 months ago
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• 10 days and 5 cities in Italy:

  • From: hgeswein
  • Description:

    While living in Madrid, Spain I went on a 10 day trip through Italy with some friends who were also living in various cities in Europe. This is the story of how we fit 5 cities in Italy into a 10 day trip. Obviously I would have preferred to spend more time in each of the cities (except maybe Rome) but here's how to do it on a time crunch.

    In Rome we were hosted by a friend who was living there who showed us all of the historical sites of this city, including: the Coliseum, the forum, the Pantheon, the Spanish steps and the Trevi Fountain. She also took us into a church that she had visited with her architecture class that is painted to look like it has a dome when it actually doesn't. So when you walk in and look up it looks like a dome, but when you walk directly beneath it the perspective is skewed. It is hard to explain, but very cool to see. I was glad that she showed us that, since we never would have gone in there on our own. She also took us to the neighborhood called Trastevere for a great pizza dinner and a look around at the flea market. It was great to have someone who knew the layout of the city to take us around and keep us from getting lost. However, for some of the sites (like Palatine Hill) I think it would have been advisable to hire a guide who knows the history. I spoke to other travelers who hired guides and they knew so much more about the sites, whereas we had only seen them.

    
    The next morning we got up early to get in line at the Vatican Museum. Apparently we didn't get up early enough though, since we had to wait for 3 hours. But at least we got in at all. The whole museum was great, but obviously the Sistine Chapel was the highlight. We spent a long time in there looking at each of the panels. But I thought that the atmosphere was kind of ruined by the guards. Every few minutes they would clap their hands loudly and yell at everyone to stop talking and stop taking pictures. After that we grabbed some lunch then got in line for St Peters. Thankfully that line was not nearly as long since it was incredibly hot by that time. St Peters was also incredibly beautiful. We used a guidebook that we had to explain many of the things in the cathedral, like the tradition of rubbing the foot of the statue of St Peter.

    
    On Sunday we went inside the Coliseum and Palatine Hill, which were really cool to see and imagine what it was like during the height of the Roman empire. We then walked to a flea market that we heard was supposed to be cool, but really it was just more of the junk that is sold on pretty much every street. But on the way we got to walk past Circus Maximus, and through some nice residential areas. That night we were exhausted from the insanity of Rome, so we cooked dinner in the hostel and relaxed.

    
    The next morning we got an early train to Florence. After checking in to our hostel we headed back to the train station to go to Siena. This ended up being one of my favorite cities because it was beautiful, but most importantly not crawling with tourists. I definitely enjoy the smaller cities much more. In Siena we saw the duomo, San Domenico church, and the sanctuary of St Catherine, which contains her actual head and finger preserved in glass cases! That was pretty disgusting and also a strange thing to have in a church, I thought. We then climbed the city tower for a beautiful view of the city and beyond. Then we sat in the main square, Il Campo for a while to just people watch and enjoy. For dinner we went to a little hole in the wall restaurant where we ordered what the waiter suggested, which was the typical pasta of Siena, pisci, and a meat and potatoes dish, which were both incredibly good and cheap. Then we caught the last bus back to Florence.

    
    While in Florence we visited the duomo (which I thought wasn't as good as the duomo in Siena) and then walked over to the Pitti Palace. We had a picnic outside, then went into the gardens which were absolutely beautiful. The views of Tuscany were unbeatable. We spent most of the afternoon exploring the gardens, then got some excellent gelato.

     

    On our last day in Florence we went to the two famous museums, the Accademia and the Uffizi. The Accademia is where Michelangelo´s David is, and it was amazing to see. I never realized how huge the sculpture is! The rest of the works there were not that interesting though. The Uffizi is considered to be one of the best collections of Renaissance paintings in the world. And I'm sure that I would have loved it if I were a fan of Renaissance art, but I actually found it to be rather monotonous.

     

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• The Trip That Almost Wasn't (A

  • From: sarsabf5
  • Description:

    After spending a year teaching English as a second language to elementary school children in Seoul, South Korea, I decided to return for a one-month camp in January, 2006. The first 48 hours of the trip were as treacherous as they were memorable. I knew at the time that someday I’d be able to look back and laugh. But first I just needed to survive in one piece.

    When I left for Korea the first time, explaining to my parents why I was going after just graduating from college with a degree in Spanish was a challenge. When I announced that I was returning, they went through the stages of shock, disbelief and acceptance quickly; I’d left them before, why wouldn’t I do it again? Still, it wasn’t easy. I left my house at 3 a.m., the day after Christmas. It didn’t seem worth it to go to sleep the night before, and the two-hour ride to JFK airport with my father was like a long, awkward break-up: “No Dad, it’s not you or anything else that you did. I just feel like I need some space, that’s all.” So by the time I arrived, I was bleary eyed, exhausted and irritated. Not the best way to begin an 18 hour flight, to be sure.

    To compound things, my body launched an all-out assault on me; not only was I tired, I was also achy, cranky and I could tell that my stomach was going to be less than cooperative. Apparently my airline had the same designs for me. While waiting to board, I was asked by a woman about my age where I was sitting. I peeled open one eye to glance at my boarding pass and let her know that I was just a couple of seats away from where her grandmother was sitting. She asked me to make sure that she made it to her seat okay, said good-bye to her grandmother in Chinese and left. The old woman took my hand as I lead her to her seat, sure that I had secured my spot in heaven with my good deed.

    Despite my request for an aisle seat, I was stuck right in the middle, a position comfortable for no traveler. My seat mates evidently found the breakfast as disgusting as I did. Things were not looking up for the state of my digestive system. Six hours later, I landed in San Francisco and started the haul to the other end of the terminal to make my connecting flight, scheduled to leave in just 50 minutes. I passed the elderly woman I had sat on the first flight; she was waving a sandwich bag full of paper in front of an increasingly irate pilot. I didn’t make it five steps past them when my conscience appeared and made me turn around; she was either heading to a connecting flight or baggage claim, and both were on my way. I took her hand again and gently lead her onto the moving sidewalk. The baggie contained a state-issued identification card, her boarding pass, and a note that read, “I don’t speak English. Please help me get to San Francisco.” Not only was I getting into heaven, I was running for saint.

    I dropped her off at baggage claim and ran to my gate where I was asked for my boarding pass and passport. My stomach dropped when I realized that my passport was gone. While trying to retrieve something from my bag on the first flight, it had fallen out. I thought I heard something hit the floor, but couldn’t see anything, squished as I was in the middle seat and was too tired to care. I immediately cared. A lot. I ran to my airline’s closest help desk, hoping the representative would have an “in” with the crew of my previous flight. Calmly, I explained that I had dropped my passport on the first flight and needed it to make it to the second and enter South Korea legally. She mulled this over and talked out who she should call before picking up the phone. The first person she called was not helpful. I believe that in stressful situations, it is best to remain calm and think clearly, but this woman was mistaking my coolness for unimportance, so I tried another tactic and let the tears I had been fighting back spill down my cheeks. She started to sense my panic, which was real by this point. She sent me back to the gate where I had landed on the other side of the airport after equipping me with passes to circumvent the long security lines. Panting, I explained the situation to the representatives, and they looked through the lost and found items that had just been recovered. “Yes, I’m from Poughkeepsie, New York, and my date of birth is 10/13/1982. There’s a picture - it’s me! Give me my passport!” I pleaded. With my passport and another set of security passes, I begged and elbowed my way through long security lines and dashed to my next gate with no time to spare.

    Karmically, I thought for sure I’d get an aisle seat on this flight. Instead, I had the window flight next to a Japanese couple traveling with their infant. Clearly, I had wronged someone in a past life, and it was going to take more than helping an elderly woman travel across the United States to make up for my sin. To her credit, the baby was very well behaved, and my stomach stopped doing flips. That is, until the captain turned on the seatbelt sign in preparation for our landing, which seemed like an eternity. My intestine mutinied and I spent the last 45 minutes of the flight with my face in a barf bag, much to the chagrin of the nice couple. I think I even caught a nasty look from their baby.

    In Tokyo, I was supposed to re-board the plane. Instead, I went through security again, to a different gate and onto a different plane. Once again, I was stuck in the middle seat, this time in the center aisle of four shoulder to shoulder seats. The passenger next to me must have heard about my gastronomical pyrotechnics, though, and either sat elsewhere or didn’t make his flight, because I had both seats to myself. I spent most of the trip curled up in the fetal position, since this is the only way one can lay in two coach seats, and because by this time, I had reverted back my own infanthood and periodically whimpered for my mother. I attempted to sooth my stomach with some ginger ale, but this plan backfired when I feel asleep holding the cup and dumped it into the sleeve of my sweatshirt. In a move that seemed to defy the laws of physics, the soda traveled UP my sleeve, soaking the shirt I had on underneath as well. The little bit I managed to get into my body made a grand reappearance in the first bathroom I could find after landing in Korea.

    Things started to look up as I met my co-teachers and was taken to my new apartment, a long-term hotel in the Center of Seoul. The following morning, before heading into work, I watched the morning sun turn my view of the northern mountains the most beautiful shades of red, and I was reminded of why the country calls itself “Land of the Morning Calm.” I also noted that the National Medical Center was right across the street. At the time, I thought it was convenient; little did I know that I would soon become acquainted Korean emergency medicine first-hand.

    
    

    After spending the day glad-handing with new teachers and the school director, the other western teachers and I headed out for a traditional Korean barbeque dinner, one of my favorite cuisines in the world. We were having a good time getting to know each other and sharing travel stories, and we decided to continue to conversation over some beer and rice wine at a neighboring bar, a chain I had become familiar with and liked very much until that night. The bar was on the third floor of the building. As I headed up the first tiny set of stairs, I misjudged the second stair, which was smaller than the first, and failed to actually get my foot on the step. My hands were stuffed deeply into the pockets of my coat to shield them from the frigid Siberian winds that tear through Korea every winter. I couldn’t free my arms in time to brace myself, so my shin absorbed the fall onto the sharp marble stair as I rolled around, trying to free my hands from the clutches of my evil, evil winter coat. Trying to save face, I picked myself up and hobbled over to the elevator, biting my lip so as to not scream and cry. On the way up, I could feel the blood trickling down my leg and into my sneaker.

    I bee lined directly for the bathroom to assess the damage, accompanied by Julia, my new co-teacher. I could see my shin bone through the gash in my leg and realized that I had to bring the night to a premature end. I grabbed a wad of paper towels and tied them tightly to my leg with my shoe lace; the sneakers were already ruined, I figured; they might as well help me out one last time before I throw them away.

    The emergency room was completely dead; it was clear that treating a westerner was the most interesting thing that happened that day. The staff began to bustle and send for the one person with working knowledge of English. Luckily, one of my co-teachers was near fluent in Korean, but my bloodied leg kind of spoke for itself. This turned out to be the greatest bonding experience of the entire month there. The director of the camp came to offer moral (and ultimately financial) support, but not before scolding us for going to a bar on a working night. I’m not sure it helped when we explained that we hadn’t had a drop to drink, and the fall was the result of a poor staircase and an accident-prone girl with cold hands. Three x-rays, two large needles and several stitches later, I limped home, having been defeated by a Korean bar named “Happy Liquor Place,” sporting a puppy dog as its mascot.

     Thankfully, the rest of the month was uneventful. A few days later, I celebrated the New Year dancing at an 80s bar with a big group of fellow teachers and friends from my previous school. After a couple of weeks, it was time for the stitches to come out, but this proved much harder than expected. After several failed attempts to find a doctor who would help me out, I decided I would take them out myself. A bottle of rice wine for liquid courage and a thorough scrubbing of the scissors on my Swiss army knife later, I removed the stitches with just a few little snips. The scar I now have on my left leg always brings a smile to my face as I recall the rockiest beginning to a new adventure I’d ever had.

     

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• You’ve got balls, kid; Don’t d

  • From: sarsabf5
  • Description:

    In February, 2006, I decided to treat myself to a trip to Peru in between stints teaching English in South Korea. My mother, who never quite understood my love of traveling, was baffled that I was ready to pick up and go to South America. Alone. Her parting words of wisdom: “You’ve got balls, kid. Don’t die.” I knew this was her way of saying, “I’ll miss you, and please be safe.” I hunkered down at JFK the night before my early flight, preparing myself for ten awesome days of adventure.

     

    Lima

    1436 ft. above sea level

    I landed on Wednesday evening and was taken straight away to Home Peru, a youth hostel in Miraflores, the decidedly safe part of Lima. There, I made friends with an unintelligible Brit named Dan, and another lone traveler, Mykayla, from Sweden. Mykayla’s guide book mentioned something about a “torture museum,” which was more than what we could pass up. The next morning, we decided to head out to Central Lima together. I was happy to have met a couple of cool people to tour the city with; they were happy I speak fluent Spanish. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. Central Lima had a distinctly colonial feel, with vibrant colors and brilliant architecture. There was also no shortage of churches, which satisfied my fetish for religious architecture. Out first stop was the Convento de San Francisco, a hundreds year old church that sits atop a catacomb filled with the bones of ancient Spanish settlers. The Convent was stunningly beautiful; the catacombs stunningly creepy. Finally we made it to the Museo de la Inquisición, or the Museum of the Inquisition. The building housed the inquisition, and the museum demonstrated the legal process and torture of those who were on trial. Our next stop was The National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History. We were enticed by our guide books’ promises of pre-Incan erotic pottery and shrunken heads. It was the perfect way to cap off a day that started with catacombs and torture. Exhausted and burned from a full day out in the Peruvian sun, we headed back to the hostel with some fresh fruit and spent the evening chatting in the courtyard.

     

    The next morning, after purchasing sun block a little too late, I struck out on my own to continue churching it up. Sitting on the steps of Lima’s National Cathedral mulling over a map and my guide book, I unwittingly invited a nice Peruvian man to sit next to me for near half an hour as he talked about everything that crossed his mind. My face tired from pretending to smile, I excused myself to watch the changing of the guard across the plaza and continue wandering through the heat of Central Lima. After a quick nap back at my hostel, I took a nighttime tour of Lima in all its night-lit glory. On the lower level of our double-decker bus, though, I had a better view of the exhaust from neighboring cars than of the colonial architecture.

    Cheap Traveler Tip #1: Never underestimate how many people will not look at the date of expiration on your International Student discount card.

     

    Lake Titicaca

    12,500 ft. above sea level

    To get to Lake Titicaca, I flew into Juliaca. They have a saying here: "If you have a dream about a dog, be careful, for the next day you will be robbed. If you have a dream about someone from Juliaca, no worries, for you have already been robbed." With this in mind, I quickly hopped onto a crowded mini-bus to Puno, a little town on the Lake that offers the best port. The mini-bus driver happened to be a tour operator based in Puno; I wasn’t sure if it was my luck or his opportunism, but I signed up for a tour the following day, and set out around the town, my lungs burning in adjustment to the change in altitude. Passing by the first cathedral I saw, a small Peruvian woman came bustling up to me, and began pinning religious icons of the Virgin Mary onto me. Despite my penchant for religious architecture, I’m not what one would consider a religious person. Still, I was touched that she was including me what seemed to be an important cultural practice. Then she demanded five dollars. The pins were already firmly stuck, and I didn’t want to start off my first day in a new town by offending the local religious population, so I forked over a wad of soles and began un-festooning myself. That is until another woman approached me wielding more religious icons and pins. It was then that I decided Mary would stay with me that day and fend off predatory zealots.

     

    That afternoon I visited Sillustani, a pre-Incan burial site on the adjacent to Lake Umayo. I was the only non-native Spanish speaker on the tour, which meant I had to repeatedly assure the guide (who kept referring to himself as “Hugo, like the president of Venezuela, but not Chavez”) that I understood everything he told us about the way the dead were prepared and interred in the cylindrical structures. We finished up the tour just as the weather started to turn, and headed back into town.

     

    One thing I've always been able to count on in all of my travels is that no matter where I am there will be a parade. It's a phenomenon I can't understand and is wholly unmatched. But for no good reason, there's always a parade, and Puno provided no exception. The entire town was in full festivities mode at the Festividad de la Virgen de la Candelaria. Every time I turned a corner, there was another parade. I headed out that evening to join in the festivities, but before I left the hotel owner caught me and made me leave all my valuables in the safe. I refused to hand over my camera and promised to tuck it into my sweatshirt; the look on the proprietor’s face indicated he did not believe I would come back with it. His eyes said, “Stupid American,” but his mouth said, “que le vaya bien,” as I headed out. There were moments that night when the crowd was so intense my feet were not touching the earth and I was legitimately concerned about getting caught in a stampede, but I triumphantly returned to the hotel, my Nikon still intact.

     

    Altitude Sickness (n): Those who ascend rapidly to altitudes greater than 8100 ft may develop altitude sickness. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, malaise, insomnia and loss of appetite. To help prevent altitude sickness, the best measure is to spend two nights or more at each rise of 3280 ft.

     

    So it came as no surprise when the night before my adventure to the Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca, I found myself cradling my aching head over the toilet at 4 a.m. Alas, my daily preparatory cocktail of ginseng/garlic/ginkgo and sodium magnesia (with a little Dramamine on the side, for good measure) was no natural match for ascending 11,064 ft. in two hours. It was clear I was not going to be able to do the day long trip I had scheduled, so I explained this to the desk at my hotel and the nice woman recommended two things: cocaine leaf tea and oxygen. Two minutes later, I sat in the hotel lobby with an oxygen mask strapped to my face, changing my trip reservation and sipping on some piping hot, slightly illicit tea.

     

    A couple of hours of good sleep later and I was ready to go. My tour was not quite as prepared. I waited in the hotel lobby as planned, growing increasingly impatient and concerned that the message was not fully communicated that my plans changed. The receptionist came to my rescue again, and the tour company sent a frenzied taxi driver to pick me up and take me as fast as humanly possible to the dock. Flying out of the cab, I raced down pier and jumped over a few boats before landing in the right one. It was clear the other tourists were not happy that they had been held up by a red-faced, panting American as I plopped down next to them.

     

    As my heart rate returned to normal, I began to look around at the tiny little islands made from the buoyant totoro reed. The reed is used to make everything from the islands, to the little huts on top of them, to boats and even food (we tried it; it wasn’t bad!). Just getting out of each boat and walking around, one can feel the entire island sway with the water. Our tour guide enticed us all to jump up and down. We collectively refused; no way we were tempting fate.

     

    On this tour, I made some more friends: Stan and Audrey, from Reno, Nevada. A very nice middle aged couple with no kids but a couple of spoiled spaniels, we chatted and shared travel stories and photo-ops. We hit it off so well, in fact, that they wanted to take me out to dinner that evening. I wasn't as daring as Stan to try guinea pig, but the alpaca steak I had was delicious.

    Cheap Traveler Tip #2: Latch onto well-to-do middle aged American couple.

     

    Puno to Cuzco

    The following day I left bright and early, feeling much better, cocaine leaf tea keeping me warm from the inside out, for Cuzco. This meant a 10 hour bus ride through the Peruvian countryside which was absolutely stunning. As we descended in altitude, we went from snow peaked mountain tops though the plains and into forests. I could hear my lungs thanking me as they returned to normal capacity. We stopped at several places along the way, including some churches and Incan ruins that dot the landscape. One, Raqchi, was the remains of the Temple of Vicacocha, a sprawling complex with impressive architecture. Our guide resembled a famous Mexican actor with whom I am wildly infatuated, so I clung to his every word, particularly when he told me not to stand too close to the walls where highly venomous spiders live. I made friends with the Japanese exchange student next to me on the bus as we wound our way to the heart of the Incan Empire.

     

    Cuzco

    11663 ft. above sea level

    I rolled into Cuzco around 5:30 p.m., making it difficult to make arrangements for my trip to Machu Picchu. Thankfully, I met a very helpful taxi driver, fatefully named Jesús, who took care of things for me. I set myself up in a decent hotel after renegotiating the price, since it was the low season. I could feel typical traveler's stomach problems coming on, so I took back some more cocaine leaf tea and smiled through my meeting with a willing travel agent. Everything was taken care of and I went to bed at an obscenely early hour. The next morning, before the crack of dawn, I was on a four hour train ride to Aguas Calientes, the closest town and necessary stop for all those going to Machu Picchu. I found a hostel, dropped my things and hopped on a bus to make the 8 kilometer switch-back climb to the ruins.

     

    Machu Picchu

    8169 ft. above sea level

    The crown jewel for all travelers to South America, Machu Picchu sits high in the mountains above the Urubamba River. It is one of the seven wonders of the modern world, though there is still great speculation as to the reasons for its existence. Part of its intrigue is how little is known about the site or what happened to its inhabitants. It is also a relatively new find in the archaeological world. Pictures fail to do it justice, though needless to say, I took my fair share. There are llamas running around, completely unfazed by the human presence. The human presence, on the other hand, was very faxed by the llamas, and I couldn’t help but giggle at the Japanese tourists who flattened themselves against a wall as the llamas ran by through tiny corridors.

     

    It is as stunning and awe-inspiring as one would expect. I was in my glory running around and snapping photo after photo, still unable to believe I was even there. That is, until my body caught up with me and reminded me how weak my stomach is after all. I sat inconspicuously behind an ancient wall on the side of the mountain where there was a nice breeze willing myself to feel better and taking in the beauty of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Unfortunately, after only a couple of hours of exploring the site, I had to come back down and spend the rest of the day exploring my bathroom. Matter won over the mind. For various reasons, the biggest, of course, being my inability to stay out of the bathroom for extended periods of time, I decided not to go back up to the ruins on the second day. I was mildly disappointed, but while the ruins are incredible and beautiful, they're not very extended (there's only so much space on the top of a mountain) so not much of the site escaped the careful eye of my Nikon. I wandered around Aguas Calientes a bit, doing some shopping and peddling the anticipatory bus ticket I had bought the day before.

    Cheap Traveler Tip #3: Secure a discount to culturally relevant sites by declining a guide; sit in "contemplation" of interesting areas, waiting for the inevitable tour group to pass and listen to that guide's explanation of the place.

     

    A four hour train ride later, I was back in Cuzco. I hung around the main plaza that evening, testing my night photo option and taking in the scenery as my adventure was wrapping up. The next morning, I was on a plane back to Lima, where the altitude makes breathing easier, but the pollution makes it undesirable.

    Cheap Traveler Tip #4: Become too ill to eat.

     

    Lima

    Back in Lima the heat was oppressive, and I still wasn't feeling fantastic, so I took a nap, waiting for the weather to break and my stomach to cooperate. I found a great market near my hotel, thanks to my cab driver (the ultimate tour guides) and finished up my artisan binge. I chatted for a while back at my hotel with a cute Argentinean, though keeping up with either his Spanish or English was a challenge. That evening, a newcomer to the hostel told me he had seen me walking around Lima earlier that day. I had been warned that Lima can be a dangerous place, so I took to walking quickly and deliberately as if I was a force to be reckoned with and knew where I was going; he mistook this for actual confidence and told me that he vowed he would walk with purpose, head held high. I took this as a compliment, with creepy undertones.

     

    I spent the following day flying home and that night camped out at JFK with yet more new friends. We bonded over shared concerns about the security of our luggage as we attempted to sleep, and the best way to get to Grand Central Station as soon as public transportation started up again. Around 8 a.m., my dad picked me up from the train station, half impressed that I had made it alive and not at all surprised that the South American sun had gotten the best of my Irish hide. My stomach issues stuck around for a while, and the burn eventually faded, but my memories of Peru never will.

     

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  • 1 year ago
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• First Class Greece: Mother-Dau

  • From: Hanlgt
  • Description:

    Long ago I went to a bookstore talk by a well-known frequent flyer who had written a book on how to collect points and get free vacations.  I purchased the book and started in on the project of getting myself, and my 20-year-old daughter to the Greek Islands as cheaply as possible, but first class all the way. This was mainly because, when I was 20 years old, I took a solo trip to Greece that I have never forgotten. I have talked about it for years with my daughter, and we planned this trip since the day I walked out of that bookstore, guide in hand. I was a quick study and worked obsessively toward this goal, and happily achieved it over a year ago. We flew first class for the first time (roundtrip from LA to Athens), stayed in fabulous hotels, and, all in all, gamed the system in such a extraordinary way that we are now hooked on deluxe travel on the cheap. Here’s the report of our incredible two weeks:

    
    LA to LONDON: A Salad Cart, “The Sanctuary” and an Overpriced Pedicure
    
    
    The first leg of the trip had me stopping in London for a few hours, which was fine with me, as I was certain I would need a break to stretch my legs.
    
    I had decided, out of fear of the last time I flew through Heathrow and they lost my bag, that there was no way I was checking luggage. So, even though I was meeting my daughter in Athens (who was coming from Tel Aviv) and she had requested all sorts of American lotions and beauty products, I didn’t bring them unless they were 3 oz or less. I managed to fit everything I needed for my trip into a 20-inch carry-on, along with a tote bag for use on the plane.
    
    I was rather amused by the American Airlines fawning flight service on the way to London as I had never experienced it before. I was especially bemused by “The Salad Cart” that the menu stated was “Fresh seasonal greens with an assortment of fresh vegetables offered with Pepper Cream Dressing or Castello Monte Vibiano Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar” which I thought was rather funny since the dude just came out with a little cart with what looked like a bag of grocery salad in a bowl and some sticks of celery, carrots and some sliced green peppers that he was carefully selecting with silver tongs as if it was something quite extravagant. At least that part was actually fresh—the rest of the food—including the “cream of chicken” soup was particularly…uh, bad…with the exception of a really (huge) nice ice cream sundae for dessert.
    
    I don’t know the different airplanes and how the seats are configured, but I do know that although I was thrilled at the seats that turn into sleepers, I was not particularly comfortable and only slept a couple of hours. (When I compare this to the incredibly comfortable seats I got when I returned with British Airways—I know now to try to get BA when going across the ocean.) Upon arrival in Heathrow, I had to make my way with hordes of others to terminal 3—lucky for me I had a number of hours to kill before my flight to Athens—otherwise I may have suffered from an anxiety attack by the amount of wait time to get to the different terminal. I know they have since opened another terminal, and this will hopefully solve that horrid Heathrow congestion problem.
    
    Upon arrival at Terminal 3 I found the pleasant BA lounge and got some lunch of pasta salad and a particularly nice tomato soup, and then asked where I could sleep until my flight to Athens. They told me about a place called “The Sanctuary” which was a door in the back into a room with low lighting and various comfy couches and soft music and not a soul was in there, so I plopped down my stuff and slept for a couple of hours. When I awoke I still had time to kill, so I decided it was time to get a pedicure (vacation being what it was at this point) so I found the beauty spa at terminal 3, which was surprisingly occupied by some men who were sitting in the very pleasant waiting area, relaxing and having tea. The price of the beauty treatment was outrageous, since it included entrance into the place, which in itself is a “sanctuary” from the noisy and crowded terminal—and you are allowed to stay there as long as you want. I realized that if I don’t fly first class in the future through Heathrow, (quite likely!) this place, for the entrance fee, would be worth it if I found I had to wait a number of hours for my next flight. Anyway, the pedicure was adequate and relaxing—but they offer massages and facials and a whole spa menu—at high prices of course.
    
    ATHENS: The Hilton and Bus #400
    
    In the evening I got on my BA flight to Athens, which was in Business Class since that particular plane doesn’t have anything higher. The service was excellent and flight uneventful and we arrived at 2:30 in the morning. I had been reading the helpful online guide “Matt Barrett’s Greece Travel Guide” (www.greecetravel.com) and I had arranged for the taxi service he recommended to have someone be there to pick me up and take me to the Hilton Athens, which took about 30 minutes at that time of night.
    
    The Athens Hilton is a super sleek modern hotel, although not exactly near anything you want to go to, so you have to rely on the metro (and the stop is not a place you want to exit at night, as it comes out in the middle of a rather lonely and dark park and you have to walk up a somewhat rocky path to get to the hotel) or a taxi to get around. I stayed here two nights on Hilton Honors points and, being a good student of points collecting, I had managed to become a gold member, and they put me on the 11th floor. This floor has its own concierge and check-in area and a wonderful little lounge area with a great view of the Parthenon from the little balcony. My room was on the other side, so the only view was of the street below, but the room was very comfortable and the bed and bathroom were great, especially the bathtub. There was a large fruit plate and a bottle of white wine waiting for me in the room, along with a bottle of water, and upon awakening the next morning, I went to the lounge where I had some free light snacks for breakfast along with my fruit and enjoyed the fabulous view and the beautiful weather.
    
    Right outside the hotel there is a bus stop for the bus number 400, I think, which is the bus that takes you around the whole city in a loop and you are allowed to get on and off with one ticket price of 4 Euro, if I remember correctly. Lucky for me, when I got on and asked how much to pay, the cashier woman said that "Today is National Arts Day" or something to that effect, which meant that all admittances to tourist things were free. So I rode around and decided to just take it right back to the hotel after seeing the city from the bus, since I was planning to meet my daughter the next day and do sight-see with her then. The whole circle is less than 90 minutes, and the bus is supposed to come every half hour, but I waited about 45 minutes at the stop and I don't know if that is typical.
    
    I ate dinner in the hotel restaurant, and besides being overpriced, it was excellent food and service and when I ate there around 6 pm there were about 5 people in the whole place. I wanted to use the Internet and the hotel business center was too high-priced so I walked to a nearby Internet cafe that was cheap.
    
    ATHENS: The Grand Bretagne, Stray Dogs and Grafitti
    
    
    The next day I took a cab (5 Euros) to Syntagma Square--the center of Athens, to switch hotels and meet my daughter at the Hotel Grand Bretagne, which I got free on Sheraton points and is indeed the classiest hotel in Athens. On the way, we were caught up in the very unusual looking “Changing of the Guard” ceremony at the Parliament Building, (every Sunday at 11 AM) which, to me, was a mixture of small town charm and tourist gawking annoyance. A band of some sort (that would have been rejected at the Rose Parade) follows various official looking people through the streets who are holding a wreath to lay at the unknown soldier’s tomb, They all follow dramatically behind the most absurdly dressed soldiers I have yet to see (think skirts and a feather-duster hat) while large numbers of foreigners crowd around snapping pictures and getting in the way of scurrying stray dogs. After the fun, I checked into the hotel, which has an old-world feel, and after the modernist Hilton, was a real change. The points rate did not allow for breakfast (too bad!) which was an incredible, huge, buffet, but I don't eat enough for breakfast to justify paying the equivalent of about $35 or so. I did request an upgrade to a bigger room, and got it, along with a truly great bathroom. The fixtures alone were worth seeing, as they are all marble and gold and quite grand. The room itself was smaller than the Hilton, but the place is old and dripping with hanging chandeliers and old-world charm. It is frequented by many cruise ship passengers who have add-ons to their cruises for a couple of days, and the well-heeled and smart looking English-speaking tourist is to be found everywhere. I witnessed the very able concierge at his desk with a line 5 people deep, with two phone receivers to his ear--in one he was speaking to an airlines to arrange ticketing in Greek, while the other he was talking to a "Madame” somebody ...", explaining directions in French, while showing me the address of a particular restaurant in English. They hype up the fact that anyone who’s anyone in European history has stayed there (Churchill, various Counts and Tzars, etc.) but they do neglect to mention that it was used as German Headquarters in Greece during WWII and Hitler was also a guest.
    
    Syntagma Square is a great location for a tourist in Athens, as the metro is literally downstairs from the hotel, basically, and one can walk to many restaurants or tour agencies. I know that many people notice and comment upon the unusual amount of stray dogs (often quite flea-bitten and mangy and sorry-looking) simply wandering around Athens and I was puzzled as to why they allow this as I have been to many cities and have not seen this phenomenon. But, to me, the most annoying aspect of modern Athens (which has potential to be a beautiful city) is the ridiculous amount of graffiti that is evident in almost every possible blank space that one could think to deface. I guess one could expect to see graffiti on those metal garage doors that you have to pull to cover up your little store--and every single one of them has been sprayed--but some of the owners seemed to have gotten the better of the graffiti artists and commissioned a sort of painting on their garage, and these were left alone. However, the amount of spray painted blank spaces are overwhelming. In Syntagma Square there are marble stone steps leading up to the street where the Parliament Building is located, and on each of these steps, as you climb them, you can see black spray painted Greek words, along with almost every other wall or side of a building, bench or sign. I noted that authorities managed to prevent the defacement of the actual Parthenon and, unbelievably, the entire brand new Metro system (good for them!), so clearly there is a way to stop this from ruining a city and it just makes Athens so sad-looking, in my opinion.
    
    After meeting my daughter and having a wonderful walk around the center of town, we slept happily in the “sweet sleeper bed” offered by the hotel, and the next day walked to the fabulous Parthenon, and the temple of Zeus ruins, and ate lunch in a sidewalk café, ordering Greek Salad, of course, and stuffed peppers—the least expensive things on the menu and they were delicious. We found out that Feta cheese is actually branded as such only if the cheese is made in Greece, sort of like the sparkling wine called Champagne only if it comes from that region. The Greeks are quite unhappy that others call their cheese “feta” when it clearly isn’t homegrown, and they sponsor resolutions in the European Parliament to deal with the problems of the imposters!
    
    We enjoyed our visit to the Parthenon and were awed by its beauty. We were also struck by the seeming unfairness of the issue of the Elgin Marbles, which are Greek statues taken long ago from the Parthenon and placed in the British Museum.  Although I would love to have seen those sculptures in their true setting, I can’t help but think that perhaps their present climate-controlled environment is keeping them safer. The general look of the area around the Parthenon did not strike me as being particularly that well looked after.
    
    
    THE ISLAND OF RHODES: The Hilton Resort, and a Jewish Quarter with no Jews
    
    
    After enjoying a couple of nights at the Grand Bretagne, we got on the great Metro system for a direct train to the airport (comes every half hour) and got on an Aegean Airlines flight to Rhodes, which took about 45 minutes and the flight left exactly on time. We took a cab to our hotel, which we shared with another couple, but the rule of the game is that both pay the 13 Euros and you don’t “share” the cost, which is, of course, quite convenient for the driver. We checked into the Hilton Rhodes Resort, which, again, I got on points for 4 free nights. Actually, I was even able to get these at a discount, since this resort was participating in Hilton's ValuePoint Awards, so it was totally worth it. This property is an all-inclusive resort, with a huge buffet breakfast (which we were allowed to have--even with the points rate--quite nice), evening entertainment, gym and spa, activities for children, and beach access and a few pools. The place is frequented by many Brits and Scandinavians--and quite a number of them are on staff there for the summer. In fact, there were many young staffers who did not speak Greek who were clearly from Northern Europe that use this job as a yearly summer camp type thing, I think--meeting the same friends yearly and living in staff hotels and generally having a good time away from their parents and schools.
    
    
    Upon checking in to this hotel, we were greeted warmly by a staffer who saw we were Hilton Gold members and for some reason this seemed to matter a great deal as we were personally escorted to the room after being offered various snacks and drinks and maps and schedules and all that. We had been given an upgrade to a sea view room, which was lovely and one could watch the huge cruise ships gliding by and also see the coast of Turkey. The beds and bathroom reminded me of a 3 star hotel in the States, but in general, we liked this hotel, particularly because of the excellent service we always received--and the free and bountiful breakfast. The beach right there is not particularly good--it is quite pebbly and the water is not pristine as other areas around the island are, so we only went there for about an hour one day.
    
    The rest of the time in Rhodes was spent going to various tourist destinations by bus that picks up from the front of the hotel, down by the main highway. We went to the town of Lindos where there is an ancient acropolis, the Valley of the Butterflies, where the views are beautiful although the butterflies were gone by then, and the old town of Rhodes, which is quite fascinating and historical. We walked around the old city area with our Frommer’s guide, looking for a recommended restaurant for about an hour, until it occurred to us that this restaurant has long since closed down. But there seemed to be hundreds of good eateries in the city and the food was excellent therer. We decided not to go on the day trip by boat to Turkey, as it was pricey and we had things we wanted to see on the island and not enough time. We only caught the nightly “show” at our hotel one evening when we got back early enough (a Beatles cover band that was cute) but the shows cater to families (acrobatics, magicians) and those who may not know English, I guess. Basically everything we encountered in Greece was in English, though.
    
    One comment about Greece in general that I need to mention is the total lack of interest in trying to accommodate people with disabilities. My husband is disabled and I often thought of the fact that I could not have brought him anywhere I went and therefore, it seems to me that he is simply not welcome in Greece as a tourist. Each national archeological site or tourist venue had stairs or rocky paths (with no banisters or concrete alternate paths), or any one of many obstacles that could not be overcome by the average disabled person. I don’t know if others have written on this subject, but it is why I vacation with my husband only within the US at this time.
    
    One thing I regret not seeing in Rhodes was the small Jewish Museum in the old Jewish Quarter of the Old City. I had looked it up online and the website (which is run by a South African now living in Rhodes, I think) stated that they would be open Saturday, along with the one synagogue that is left there, so we chose to visit on a Saturday, but everything was closed. We found an old Jewish guy who spoke to me in Hebrew and said that usually it is open, but…oh well..not today. He told me there were 34 Jews left in Rhodes today. Quite sad, as Rhodes had historically housed a large and vibrant Jewish community from even before the time of the Spanish Inquisition, that had created a unique brand of Jewish ritual and observance, but they were all deported to Auschwitz. (I had seen a documentary about those who had escaped to Los Angeles from this community, and I was curious about it.) In the main tourist area, before you get to the Jewish Quarter, you can find a small central square now called “The Square of the Martyrs” with some fading plaques in different languages attesting to the facts.
    
    
    THE ISLAND OF CRETE: A Big Goof, a Car Ride and Agios Nikolaus
    
    
    From Rhodes, we got on a flight with the commuter express airline of Crete called Sky Express, which is not my thing, nor my daughter’s. It is a 22 seat plane that is highly claustrophobic to even people like me who don’t mind tight-enclosed places with intense noise while you fly over open ocean. We had to literally squeeze into our seats, while listening to the pilot having some sort of screaming fit over the radio to someone, and while I looked sheepishly at the bored lone flight attendant, who was munching on a peach, she just shrugged. I asked her how many times she makes this trip daily and she said “two or three” which made me feel better considering that it is unlikely anyone would continue to put their life in danger repeatedly.
    
    The flight lasted 40 minutes and we arrived in Herakilon, Crete at a quite modern airport at 9 in the evening. This is when my first trip planning screw-up occurred. I had booked the well-reviewed Hotel Lato on the Internet at an incredible price—30 Euros for the night when all other websites had offered that hotel for about $150. We took a taxi there—about a 10-minute ride—and when I showed my voucher, the guy said, “Wrong Hotel Lato—you see here? You need the one in Agios Nikolaus” So it turns out that the town of Agios Nikolaus is about an hour away, and when I had entered “Hotel Lato” in my Internet search along with the city “Heraklion” the Hotel Lato located an hour away came up and although I noted the address, in my stupidity, I thought that was the name of the street and did not check the address with the Hotel Lato in Heraklion. OK, then, what to do? I had made plans to have a rental car delivered the following day to this Hotel Lato, and so I reluctantly decided to just stay the night there and forgo the 30 Euro I had already paid to the other hotel. Bad news: I was informed they are full. But the guy behind the desk was helpful, and so he called the rental company and told me to wait and they would come by to give me the car, even though it was almost 10 pm by that time. So, we went upstairs to have dinner in the pleasant (small, nice view of harbor) but overpriced and underwhelming restaurant with mediocre food. 45 minutes later the car company shows up with my little car and two extremely helpful ladies who spoke no Greek and seemed to be Serbian and Danish or something, but they showed me a map and explained (wrongly, sigh) how to exactly get to Agios Nikolaus, and to the correct Hotel Lato. Our final destination the following day was supposed to be a small village called Macriyialos, which was on the south-eastern part of Crete, and at least going to Agios Nikolaus would be “on the way” and we would just get there earlier. Of course, the issue is that I would have to drive a tiny car with manual transmission (it’s been a while) about an hour in the dark, to a hotel in a town where I was surely going to get lost finding a small hotel by the sea. Which is exactly what happened, of course. The car rental ladies were more than gracious in that they actually had me follow their car to the main National Highway rather than assume I would have found it from within the one-way alleyways they call streets in Heraklion. Realizing I had an hour on this highway, and also realizing I was perilously close to the sea and Cretan drivers discourage people from going the speed limit, I found out the custom is to actually drive in the shoulder of the road to let people pass you---and it guess that way it turns out there are actually two lanes….!
    
    
    Upon seeing the signs for Agios Nikolaus, we promptly got lost and..well..eventually asked enough people for the accursed Hotel Lato, that we found it finally. We were rewarded with a pleasant pension-type hotel that we settled into after midnight. Weirdly, the guy asked to keep our passports up in the little receptacle where people leave their keys and I saw no one else’s there, and refused to do it. My daughter suggested we offer him our California driver’s licenses instead, which he took and they were still right there in the box in the morning. I also thought there was no electricity in our decent and clean room until the reception guy said to leave the key in the slot at the light switch, which turns on the electricity and then turns it all off when you take the key to leave. Later, we saw all our other hotels used this tactic, so I got used to it, and appreciated it for the energy saver it was. Now, how do I install this sort of thing in my son’s room….??
    
    
    CRETE: The Village of Macriyialos, Best Beach in Crete, An Olive Oil Lecture
    
    
    We had a nice breakfast at the Hotel Lato (included in the cheap-o rate—but the AC was not, and we were going to be charged to turn it on, but I complained that it was already 1 AM and we were only staying one night, so he gave me the remote control device at no charge) then did a quick tour of the lovely beach town and skedaddled out of there on the way south to our little Cretan village that I had found on the Internet. Agios Nikolaus is quite nice, in fact, a very pretty small town with a touristy feel and a pretty “lake” right at the harbor which it is known for. I didn’t think we needed to hang around as we were looking for our week of relaxation and a bit more pampering.
    
    It took about an hour to arrive at the small village of Macriyialos. We had received excellent directions from the owners of the Villea Village Hotel, which is surely the nicest place in this village, which is probably home to just a few hundred people, I would guess. It is near absolutely nothing at all, and if you want to have some adventures in Crete, you have to drive an hour this way or a couple hours that way—whatever—we didn’t care. We settled into our room, which was a very appealing apartment-style place with a little kitchenette, bathroom, dining area, and bedroom. The surrounding gardens were beautiful olive groves and bougainvillea, with many other flowers and trees that created a relaxing atmosphere. We were located near the pool on the lower level—surely the best pool for miles around—olympic size and pristine. There are numerous tavernas within walking distance and a fabulous beach across the road. The water was completely clear and the sand was soft and smooth (not rocky, like other beaches in Greece) and the slope upon entering the water was so gentle that I kept wondering why there weren’t families everywhere with their kids. I was able to walk out many yards –all the while able to see my feet in the sparkling clear water---and I never got to a point where I wasn’t able to stand. There were beach lounge chairs available right there and no one asked us for any money to use them. It was very lovely.
    
    We spent the next days enjoying the quiet and the various activities offered by the hotel (a hike at the nearby gorge, a “quiz night” ping-pong, a bike ride, massage, happy hour at the pool bar, and a lecture (and free tasting) from a local farmer about the history and benefits of olive oil), going to the little markets and bakeries to buy food, various local tavernas to eat dinner with people we met at the hotel, walking to an English style pub to use the Internet, etc.  One day we drove to what we were told was the easternmost point of Europe, a tiny beach town named KA, which consists of a beautiful vista, a small resort, a Palm Forest, and lots of European tourists walking to the top of the rock at the edge of the sea. It was about a 45-minute drive through super-windy small roads, with stunning views that were unequaled. We enjoyed our accommodations for the week in this small, unspoiled Greek village. We were able to find this place at an excellent price on an Internet auction website, and it was indeed worth it.  I would expect it to become quite commercialized within about 5 years, as I saw a number of hotels and buildings in the early stages of being built.
    
    
    SANTORINI: A Legendary Sunset and a Dive Center that Should be Shut Down
    
    
    We woke up at 6 AM to drive the 2 hours back to Heraklion and get on the “Flying Cat”, which is a fast ferry to Santorini that takes 1 hr and 45 min to get there. We had purchased business class seats and were led up to an upper deck and sat comfortably in Amtrak-style seats, where we promptly fell asleep and woke up about 10 minutes before arrival. Both of us have issues with seasickness on boats and so we took a Dramamine (another reason to be sleepy), which was unnecessary since the ride was really smooth.
    
    Arrival at the port in Santorini is quite dramatic. One look up at where the buses need to take you is enough to make you wonder why you didn’t think to fly in from the other side of the island. We had arranged a pick up by our small hotel staff, The Villa Manos, which is right outside the main town. I had picked it out from the Internet mostly due to cost (cheap--$30 a night!) and good reviews, and the fact that they pick up from the port.
    
    Poppy Filitis, the owner, sent her sister-in-law to pick us up (the whole place is a family affair, and quite friendly) and we arrived and were offered a glass of homemade local Santorini sweet wine, which was nice and then settled in to our Spartan, but clean, room, with an extra charge for the A/C, which luckily we didn’t need, as the weather was perfect.
    
    The hotel is located outside of the town of Fira, where the action is, and walking there on those narrow roads was not something I particularly enjoyed. There is a bus stop right outside the hotel and the bus comes every half hour, which is what we did one day after the first time we walked to town.
    
    Poppy signed us up for an island tour for a reasonable price for the next day and we got picked up right at the stop and really enjoyed the day long trip to the famous Santorini volcano on a boat and then to see the sunset in Oia, which is legendary.
    
    The breakfast Poppy and her brood provide for 5 Euro is delicious and affordable and the décor of the outdoor patio by the pool is lovely and we took advantage of the offer for this breakfast. There wasn’t anything like a restaurant within walking distance anyway.
    
    On our third day, I elected to stay back at the pool, while my 20-year-old daughter wanted to go scuba diving. We looked up the only dive center on the island (www.divecenter.gr) and she decided to buy the half-day trip and go there, as it wasn’t too far. She is an experienced diver, but realized that we would be flying that evening back to Athens, so knew she would not be able to dive that day, and therefore she just decided to go snorkeling from the boat and see the sights.
    
    Here is what happened:
    
    She got picked up at our hotel and taken to the dive site about half an hour away. There were 5 men on the boat: 2 guides and 3 tourists. One tourist was somewhat drunk or stoned, she said, and he continually made sneering comments and leered at her in her bathing suit, and no one said one thing to him to ask him to stop annoying her. The guide threw her a HALF wet suit only, while giving everyone else a full one and the water was not particularly warm. When they got to the dive site, the lead guide told her that they were all diving there and she could snorkel right above them. The boat would always be in view and they would all be back in about an hour. She assumed the assistant guide would stay in the boat, but he went down too. So they left her above them for 60 minutes, completely alone and she couldn’t believe it and said it all happened very fast and she felt she couldn’t protest. They were not in a secluded cove. She was able to see and hear ships (passenger ships) were sailing nearby and realized that she was not far from some sort of shipping lane. She felt quite uncomfortable, considering she was in the open Mediterranean, and considered getting back on the boat, but she wanted to see the reefs, etc, so stayed out for most of the time before climbing back into the boat, again, completely alone. They never once considered that they had left her in a dangerous situation smack in the middle of the sea. Again she was bothered on the way back or completely ignored, she said, with only one man (Australian) who attempted to fend off the leering creep and tried to be social. She was mostly astonished at the behavior of the two guides. The younger one, she said, was her age, and American, to boot, and he never said more than 3 words to her the entire afternoon. It was the most uncomfortable trip she ever experienced, she told me upon her return, and we told our new friend Poppy, the hotel owner, who was shocked, as she said there are occasionally sharks in the waters there, which she called “dogfish” and showed us a picture of them. We had a flight to catch to Athens, so we couldn’t do too much, but…we learned a great deal about what to avoid for future trips!!
    
    
    Home Sweet Home after one more night in Athens
    
    We flew back to Athens on Aegean Airlines, which was a simple half hour flight. We arrived in Athens at 9 PM and had to get the flight back to the States at 8: 30 AM the next morning, so we stayed at the Holiday Inn, Athens Airport, for the night, which I happily paid for with points, yet again. It was a very comfortable and modern hotel, with really modernistic décor—our room had 18 different lights—not counting the bathroom—we thought the décor was just a bit over the top. We ordered room service, which was quite mediocre, but the beds were comfortable and the big reason to select this hotel is that there is a free shuttle from the airport which is super convenient. The points rate for this nice hotel were on a special rate that I found as a diligent points hound -- 5,000 points a night, which is like free of charge.
    
    All in all, we loved our Greek vacation and we would love to go back again—next time trying different islands and also seeing the other side of Crete, which we were sorry we had to miss. So…I am busily hording points and cleverly exploring ways to fatten up those frequent flyer accounts. Maybe in about 2 years, I’ll have enough for a repeat performance.  If I made it happen once, it proves that hard work pays off, and anything is possible!

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• That's Amore: Our Italian Adv

  • From: blairherzog
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    To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of our first date, my husband and I took a trip we'd long talked about but never gotten around to planning - a journey to Italy.  It was difficult deciding which areas of Italy to see, but we finally chose the Cinque Terre, Tuscany, and Rome.  To say our trip surpassed my wildest dreams would be an understatement.  Welcome to our Italian adventure!

    The Charming Cinque Terre

    After flying into Milan, it took several trains to reach the Cinque Terre (which means Five Lands), but it was completely worth venturing off the beaten path to visit this quaint, charming, and friendly coastal area of Italy.  The Cinque Terre consists of five small hillside towns that each looks like it's literally spilling into the ocean.  The towns have all been in existence since Medieval times and have the ancient lookout towers and historic stone churches to prove it.  The shops are quaint, the people are friendly, and the views are breathtaking.  We especially enjoyed just roaming the streets, as well as the twisting stairs and alleyways (which also qualify as streets in a place as old as the towns of the Cinque Terre,) taking pictures of lovely archways and windows, and watching the locals hanging their laundry out as they conversed from window to window.

    Getting Around the Cinque Terre

    Don't expect taxis here, and whatever you do, don't plan on renting a car.  In the Cinque Terre, there are three options: trains, hiking, and boats (although boats may not be available year round.)  Oceanside trails passing through olive groves and terraced vineyards connect the five towns of Monterossa, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore and are a lovely way to travel - but be warned, the trails get progressively more difficult the farther north you go.  So, based on your hiking ability, we advise hiking between the more southern towns and taking the train between the northern towns.  We used the low-priced Cinque Terre Treno Card, which admits you to both the trails and the trains.  And we sometimes found the train schedules difficult to follow in the Cinque Terre, so when arriving at the station, we advise asking a clerk when the next train to your destination is due.  Overall, the trains are a pretty easy way to hop between the towns if you choose not to hike or tire of it.

    Where To Stay in the Cinque Terre

    We chose to make the town of Manarola our home base.  It's the least touristy of the towns and we found our hotel, the Ca' d'Andrean simple but perfect for our stay.  It's a steep walk up the hill with luggage, but worth it for the view of lemon trees and terraced hillside gardens out our shuttered window each morning.  The staff here was especially helpful in mapping out future parts of our trip.  For nice, clean accommodations, we highly recommend the Hotel Ca' d'Andrean.

    While Manarola was our favorite, when we visit the Cinque Terre again, we will gladly consider staying in any of the other towns.

     

    Highlights of our Time in the Cinque Terre

     

    We found something truly unique and delightful at every turn in the Cinque Terre, so it's hard to narrow it down, but here are a few faves:

    1. The quaint, bustling Riomaggiore waterfront
    2. The especially charming Medieval streets of Corniglia (pronounced Cornelia, by the way)
    3. The view of Vernazza from the trail leading to Monterosso
    4. The ancient monastery high atop Monterosso

    Cinque Terre Fun Facts

    1. Cat lovers rejoice: Cats are plentiful in the Cinque Terre - you will see them everywhere you go, including on the trails.
    2. Residents of the Cinque Terre towns are more likely to own a boat than a car.
    3. Before the 20th century, each town was so isolated that most people married residents of their own tiny community.

    Finding Romance in the Cinque Terre

    Romance was pretty much everywhere here, but here are a few tips for romantic moments with your significant other:

    1. Look out over the Mediterranean by moonlight from Manarola's "vineyard walk."
    2. Dine on Vernazza's waterfront Piazza Marconi
    3. Stroll between Manarola and Riomaggiore on the wide promenade of the Via dell'Amore - the "walk of love."

    If you want to stop and smell the roses - or the sweet scents of lemon trees and lavender in the air - schedule some time for the Cinque Terre in your trip to Italy. We spent only two and a half days there and wished we'd had more time to simply soak up the slow-paced seaside charm of this traditional slice of Italy. Italian charm at its best.

    Under the Tuscan Sun

    From the Cinque Terre, we took the train to LaSpezia, where we rented a car. Warning: Driving a car in any sizable Italian city is a challenge when you can't read the signs and don't know the general rules and customs of the road. But once you get out of the city into more rural areas, driving is fine.

    Our plan to drive through Tuscany, hitting as many hill towns as possible along the way, worked out well. We spent two days meandering the twisting roads across rolling gold and green hills, stopping to soak up Medieval history along the way. It was amazing to be driving along and suddenly see an ancient fortified city appear in the distance.

    Where to Stay in Tuscany

    We made our home base at the Castel Bigossi, a lovely thousand-year-old castle in the heart of Tuscany near the fort town of Monteriggioni. It was off the beaten path, but we enjoyed the drive through the countryside, dotted with still more historic towns, each time we returned there. The exterior and grounds of the Castel Bigossi were lovely - the perfect Tuscan postcard - and the staff was friendly, talkative, and helpful. The interior was an unusual mix of modernity (spiral staircases and an elevator) and history (ancient wood beams on the ceiling of our bedroom) and all the rooms in the castel are spacious suites - more room than we needed, but we didn't mind. This would be a great place to stay for a longer visit than the two nights we spent there.

    Other thoughts on accommodations: Tuscany also boasts many agriturismos - these are working farms that also provide bed-and-breakfast type accommodations. And if you're more of a city person, all the hill towns offer rooms, as well.

    Getting Around Tuscany by Car

    Like I said above, once you're away from traffic, driving is a breeze, but be warned: Italian street signs and American street signs differ greatly. In Italy, roads are not marked with any sort of name or number, so it's hard to tell where you are most of the time, even when following a map. You are instead guided by arrows that point the way to the nearest town in any direction, and these tend to appear in groups at the frequent roundabouts.

    Also, be prepared for crazy drivers who will merrily pass on blind curves and motorcycle riders who consider it perfectly acceptable to pass between two cars without a lane. Our advice: Drive safely and normally, but be on guard.

    Medieval Hill towns Aplenty

    The Tuscan landscape is dotted with lots of Medieval hill towns, each with its own personality. Meandering through these places was fascinating not only because we were walking streets and seeing buildings that have been there for nearly a thousand years, but also because these are all still thriving communities where people live and work. Wandering the stone streets and piazzas, I expected to see knights in shining armor come riding up on horseback any minute.

    It would be difficult to see all the hill towns in the region (yes, there are that many,) so we picked a few that sounded especially appealing based on guidebooks and advice from our hotel staff. A few of our favorites were:

    1. Montepulciano: This is a must for wine-lovers, but even without being into wine, we enjoyed the Medieval sights here a great deal. We spent time hanging out at the large Piazza Grande with its unfinished Duomo, built around 1600.
    2. San Gimignano: Fabulous Medieval architecture, including fourteen remaining watch towers, some dating from the 10th century. And if that's not enough for you, this town also boasts the World's Best Gelato in 2006, 2007, and 2008 at the Pluripremaia Geleteria
    3. Montalcino: What made Montalcino outstanding for us was the fabulous castle-like fortezza (that's a fort) built in the 14th century. Dark clouds looming overhead while we were there made it appear particularly eerie.

    Note: As hill towns go, Siena is the largest in the region and pretty much considered a must-see. Personally, we were disappointed by how modern and commercialized even the historic part of town is (Foot Lockers and other American mall-type stores lined the stone streets.) But it's still worth a stop for the stunning Duomo, dating from 1215, and the huge Piazza Il Campo where a wild, no-rules horse race is run every July and August.

    But Back to the Rolling Tuscan Hillsides

     

    We made a small project out of locating some of the best-known postcard views of Tuscany's cypress-lined roads - a task made more difficult by the lack of road signs. However, before leaving home, we Googled on the topic and found other travelers' notes on how to reach some of these scenic spots. Finding them felt like a special victory! But with or without them, we came home with countless pictures of fields teeming with red poppies, villas flanked by vineyards, and some lovely cypress-lined roads we stumbled across on our own.

    Note: As we traveled the winding roads that criss-cross Tuscany, we were kept company by the abundance of American music on the radio - everything from Dionne Warwick to Bruce Springsteen to Green Day.

    Finding Romance in Tuscany

    Romance is pretty easy to find in Tuscany, too, but here are some recommendations:

    1. Enjoy in the stunning view from the walls of Montepulciano over a glass of their famous wine.
    2. Stroll the quiet town of Volterra after dark.
    3. Take a lazy drive along cypress-lined roads, delighting in fields of wild poppies, Italian villas, and ancient fortresses.

    Tuscany is a must-see for those who enjoy lovely, rolling landscapes. The rich Medieval history and striking hill towns are wonderful perks to this region teeming with romantic ambience.

    All Roads Lead to Rome

    All roads may lead to Rome, but here's a tip: leave your rental car at the airport and take the train into the city. Even that was a bit of a challenge - remember, Italians don't seem to value signage as much as we do in America - but it was still by far the best choice.

    You can look at Rome in two ways: it's a zoo or it's a party. Choose the party attitude and you'll have a much better time. This large, busy city seemed to have as many pedestrians as cars, and it was usually unclear who had the right of way, especially on small streets left over from older times.

    Getting Around Rome

    To walk or take the train around town? It's a toss-up. Rome is a walking city, but things are often farther away than they appear and you can put many a mile on your sneakers by day's end. On the other hand, some of the subway terminals were confusing to navigate and had broken ticket machines, or they were far enough out of the way that it just seemed simpler to walk.

    The streets are confusing - remember, this is a very old city, full of twists and turns. Our advice: Follow the signs toward major landmarks and don't be frustrated if you get lost. On one particular evening, after listening to street musicians for a while at the popular Piazza Navonna, we started the twisting trek toward our hotel, following signs and making good progress - we thought - until, about fifteen minutes later, we emerged right back onto the Piazza Navonna. We just looked at each other and cracked up laughing.

    Where to Stay

    We made our home in Rome the LaResidenzia Hotel, near the Via Venetta, a major thoroughfare. Despite the fact that two lap dance clubs sit directly across the street from the hotel, we were very happy with our choice - which is to say we never really saw any traffic at the clubs and they seemed very quiet. Like our other Italian accommodations, the staff was knowledgeable and friendly. Sitting areas in the lobby were spacious and elegant, our room was nice with lots of storage and a turn-down service, and a pretty good breakfast buffet was included in the price of the room.

    Ancient Rome - Walking Through History

    If you're a history lover, this is why you're here. We loved the Colesseum and the Forum, as well as Palatine Hill (where many Roman rulers built their palaces.) Our advice: It's worth it to pay for the tours here. Not only do you get good, interesting information along the way, if you enter with a tour, you bypass the long lines to get in.

    We spent a couple of hours roaming around the Colesseum, and more time outside, just taking pictures and enjoying the ambience of the area. As this was a sight I'd only dreamed of seeing, it felt almost surreal to actually be there. I had the same reaction to the Roman Forum and enjoyed knowing I was walking the same paths Julius Caesar and so many other historic figures had traveled. I found myself wanting to take a picture at every step to be sure I captured it all, and I truly felt the impact of being in the cradle of modern Western civilization.

    Roaming Around Rome

    Of course, there's much more to see here than just the ancient ruins. We enjoyed sitting on the Spanish steps, hanging out at the Trevi Fountain, touring the Pantheon (an amazing piece of ancient architecture,) and taking in the views from the Victor Immanuel Monument (although not as famous as some stops in Rome, you can't miss it on your way to the Colesseum - it's an enormous building that looks like a giant wedding cake.)

    Rome is filled with countless piazzas - or town squares - both great and small, and each has it's own personality. Some are large, sporting numerous cafes, shops, fountains, and street artists, while others are smaller and less busy. It was fun to be walking along a narrow street and suddenly exit into another new piazza and see what it had to offer.

    Adventures at the Vatican

    How many people can say they've been kicked out of St. Peter's Basilica? I don't know, but we are now among that number. More to come on that in a moment.

    First, some facts. This is another place where it's wise to pay extra and enter with a tour group - it cut our wait considerably and we truly got a lot out of the tour. Also, you must where clothing that covers your shoulders and knees to be admitted to St. Peter's Basilica.

    Our tour covered St. Peter's Square, the Basilica, and the Vatican museum, including the Sistine Chapel. Upon entering the Basilica, we'd barely gotten started when an angry man approached our tour guide and began yelling at her in Italian. She reported that we were being thrown out because he didn't believe we were a real tour group and that she'd bring us back later. Weird but true, and we never did really understand what happened there. But on with the show.

    We were, honestly, a little let down by the Sistine Chapel, which I'd long looked forward to seeing. It's an amazing piece of art, yes, but the ceiling is higher than I'd envisioned, so it's really pretty difficult to see. The whole room was packed with people craning their necks to try to take it in, which made everyone prone to bumping into each other. Plus you can't take pictures (understandable) and you can't talk (less understandable.)

    After the chapel, it was back to the church, but we had to pretend we were not a tour group. (Again, confusing, I know.) But we enjoyed the un-tour of the basilica and were taken aback by the scope and size. Particularly notable items in the church: the famous Pieta by Michelangelo, the enormous canopy marking the (official but who knows) burial spot of St. Peter, and a statue of St. Peter to which, tradition holds, one should hold onto the toe, make three wishes, and they will come true.

    One nice thing about being kicked out of St. Peter's Basilica: when we returned, hours had passed, and the sun shone through small windows in the dome, casting a heavenly glow on the floor, which made for amazing photos.

    A Few Tips for Your Time in Rome

    1. You can sit on Roman ruins in the Forum and Colesseum - they are so plentiful that they are literally set about to be used like park benches - but whatever you do, don't sit on the ground near the Trevi Fountain (policemen blew a loud whistle in my ear for this and looked at me as if I'd knowingly committed a heinous crime.) And definitely don't sit anywhere inside the Victor Immanuel Monument, where you will also be firmly chastised by a whistle-wielding guard.
    2. Hungry for a taste of home? McDonald's are everywhere in Rome, and we happened to visit what might be the fanciest one on earth - a two-story affair complete with marble stairs, replicas of famous Roman statues, and a separate gelato bar, dessert bar, and breakfast bar in addition to the normal counter.
    3. Need to use the bathroom? In Rome - and everywhere else in Italy - it's wise to carry some toilet paper or (as I opted for) individually packaged Wet Ones. Toilet paper just isn't a hot commodity there. And be prepared to find yourself squatting over a hole in the ground - which, oddly enough (to us Americans anyway,) usually come complete with fiberglass inserts around the hole, so that it's not dirty, but it's quite awkward and just makes you ask: Why? In Rome, we often took advantage of McDonald's bathrooms - they weren't the cleanest, but we knew we'd at least get a commode.
    4. Want to drink a Coke? Your best bet - again - is McDonald's. At gelato shops or bars (in Italy, a bar is what we think of as a quickie mart crossed with a snack stand or deli) you'll usually pay the equivalent of $3 or $4 for a 20 ounce bottle, and should you be unfortunate enough to be thirsty near the ancient sites, you may pay up to $8 at a portable concession stand.

    Finding Romance in Rome

    Rome is busier and a bit more challenging in ways, but you still need not look far for romance here:

    1. Toss a coin over your shoulder in the Trevi Fountain and it's said you will return to Rome.
    2. Share a bicycle built for two at the city's largest park, the Villa Borghese
    3. Share a bottle of wine on the Spanish Steps, then stroll the city as dusk turns to night. The Forum and Colesseum are particularly striking to behold at nightfall.

    Ah, Rome. Two-thousand years of history and culture and architecture. It's a lot to take in, but it would be a crime to visit Italy without fully embracing it's exciting, bustling capital.

    Ciao!

    We travel a lot, but our trip to Italy was truly the romantic adventure of a lifetime.

    Final tip: Take your time exploring romantic Italy, and eat a lot of gelato because it's just not as good at home, no matter what anyone says.

     

     

     

     

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  • 1 year ago
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• AN AMAZING MONTH IN ITALY

  • From: juve1040
  • Description:

    My husband and I spent the month of May in Italy. Being of Italian decent I was truly excited but the fact that I had done lots of geneology work and had found the village where my grandmother was born was an added bonus. Before leaving the States, I made arrangements and hired an English speaking driver and a car to take me to my village in the small commune called Albano de Lucania.

    We decided to do two tours with Cosmos. The first tour started and ended in Rome. What a magical city!! I could spend many days there and still be fascinated. Such history. It is amazing to stand inside the Colosseum after viewing it so often in various movies. We did all the touristy things, i.e. The Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Square and the Roman Forum.

    We moved South and visited Naples. At this point, our driver was to pick us up for the 2 1/2 hour drive to Albano. He was terrific...almost as excited as I was at the prospect of visiting the village. The people at the municipal building went our of their way to help me. I give them the street address and they brought me to the small building where my grandmother was born. I was overwhelmed!!!! When we returned to the municipal building, I received another amazing piece of information. They told me that I had cousins living in the next town and that they had called them and told them we would be going to see them. We drove to this town called Vaglio and we were greeted by these wonderful people. They couldn't have been nicer and they made us feel welcome in their home. It was truly a marvelous day for me and for them also as the tears flowed from us all. Unfortunately we had to leave, but we have been in touch since then.

    Italy is intriging. There are so many marvelous sights to see. Sorrento, Pompeii with its preserved homes. Our overnight cruise to Palermo and the Valley of Temples in Agrigento. Then to Syracuse to the 5th century BC Greek Theatre and to Taormina. What a beautiful place. High up on a mountain top with spectacular views.

    It would take pages for me to tell you everything about the places we visited and the wonderful Italian people that we met everywhere. Places like Agrigento, Syracuse, Matera and wonderful Alberobello with their unique cone shaped homes called Trulli.

    We ended the first tour in Rome and visited the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and of course did lots of shopping. Then onward to Pisa and the Leaning Tower and Florence to visit the amazing statue of David.

    Next we were on our way to Milan, Lugano and Lake Maggiore. This area is so beautiful, it is hard to put into words. We visited Isola Bella, a privately owned Island with a barque palace and gardens full of peacocks.Saying goodbye to Lake Maggiore, we headed to Verona and after that to Venice. Yes, it is as beautiful as they say. More so perhaps. St. Marks Square, the Doges' Palance and of course the famous Bridge of Sighs. We couldn't miss the Murano Glass blowers either as well as lunch at Harry's Restaurant and my favorite, our gondola ride!

    We stopped in Ravenna and then to Assisi. Since we had missed the excursion to Capri (that was the day I found my relatives) we had another opportunity to visit that wonderful Isle and to spend another night in Sorrento, one of my many favorite cities.

    On the way back to Rome we visited the Abbey of Montecassino which was another wonderous place.

    Condensing a month into this short description is no easy task. I am sure many folks have gone to Italy and enjoyed it as much as we did, but the extra bonus of seeing the home of your grandmother and finding cousins to boot, cannot be beaten. So we said "Arrivederci Roma" for now. I do expect to return one day. After all, I threw my coins in the fountain!!

    

     

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  • 1 year ago
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• Tips on places and accommodati

  • From: BookHotelsinRome
  • Description:

    Rome has much to offer to all travellers, whether you're seeking archaeological wonders, amazing shopping deals, or a romantic adventure.

    Depending on your itinerary decide on the best area of Rome to book your accommodation. After all, you certainly don't want to be trekking around town all day and then have to travel for an hour to get back to the Hotel. We suggest you to stay in a Hotel in Rome City Centre

     

    To avoid disappointment be sure to book your hotel in Rome well in advance since they can be expensive and choices can be limited if you leave it to the last minute. (trust me)

     

    The Colosseum and Roman Forum are usually high on the itinerary list for travellers to Rome. The underground metro station and the Stazione Termini are located nearby making it easier to travel from other parts of the city. Book a Hotel near Termini Station can be convenient for those who wish to explore the area over  just a few days.

     

    Romantics should visit the Historic Centre of the city, which was once used for military exercises by ancient Romains. It features numerous winding medieval streets, piazzas, and fountains. The area also hosts many restaurants and bars. Piazza Navona and Campo dei' Fiori tend to be busy areas that are generally filled with tourists and locals and are worth a visit however other streets are more laid back with less activity. The charm of the area makes it a strong favourite among lovers of all ages. The ancient Via del Corso is often compared to London's Oxford Street and is a shopaholic's dream. From there up to the Spanish Steps in Piazza di Spagna shoppers will find an eclectic, cosmopolitan atmosphere among the narrow streets, charming cafes, and exclusive boutiques. In the vicinity of the Spanish Steps you'll find the park of the Villa Borghese, Piazza del Popolo, Fontana di Trevi, and Via Margutta, which is a splendid artist's lane.

     

    If you want to stay away from the chaos of the city then we suggest some hotels in Rome's outskirts.

    If you seek accommodation with maximum comfort and style then we suggest a luxury hotel or if in search of savings we suggest a cheap hotels.

     

    We also have a list of hotels near airports for all those who make stopover in Rome and need a room without having to make the trip down town.

     

    If you are looking for a bed & breakfast you can stay in some lovely B&B's or a home away from home in an apartment located in the areas most characteristic of the capital.

     

    Certainly we can not forget all those who come to Rome to visit the Vatican City. We have the very best selection of accommodation near the Vatican City.

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  • 1 year ago
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• Bonjourno! Our one week trip t

  • From: bettchia
  • Description:

    My boyfriend and I just came back from our one week trip to Italy (October 13-20) to Rome, Florence, and Venice and we would love to share our experiences.

     

    Rome:

     

    Day 1

     

    We arrived in Rome on Sunday October 14 in the early afternoon. From the airport you can buy an express ticket that takes you directly to Termini Train station for $11 euros. No one even checked our ticket on board (probably because it was a Sunday). Termini is only a 30 minute ride from the airport and our hotel was directly across (Hotel Corot-see my review). We decided to go to the Coliseum around 3:30pm and the public transportation is very convenient and you can take the B line directly to the Coliseum. The line was not too long as it was about to close within an hour and one ticket is good for both the Coliseum and for Palantine Hill until 1:30pm of the next day. After the Coliseum, we walked over to the Pantheon square and then walked over to Piazza Navona to eat dinner. I agree with all the other members who have written on this particular topic, please do yourself a favor and do not eat at any place that has a "Menu Tourista" or has English subtitles in the Menu. During our stay in Rome, we ate around all the touristy areas, Piazza Popolo, Pantheon, etc..and we were disappointed with the quality of the food (Italian food in the States tasted better than the food that we had there!). After dinner we headed over to the crowded Trevi Fountain which was crowded with tourist even at 11pm at night but it made it sort of festive. We finished the night off with some gelato at a local shop near our hotel next to the Termini station.

     

    Day 2

     

    Day 2 started off seemingly well for us as we headed over to the Palantine Hill, Circus Maximus, and the Forum ruins. Because we headed over there around 8am, we beat the crowd and it was very peaceful and a great way to see the sights. Unfortunately, as we were riding on the Metro to our next destination, we got pickpocketed! I urge everyone to be very careful! It happened in an instance! We were shoved into the metro and these teenage girls used this distraction to take my boyfriend wallet's which contained a lot of money! When we went to the American Express to pick up a temporary card, 3 other people in line told me that they were pickpocketed or had their purses stolen that morning as well, so be very very careful when you are there in Italy, I cannot stress that enough! Despite the stress and the loss of our money =( we tried to enjoy the rest of Rome. We walked to the Vatican (the line was extremely long and somehow we were lucky enough to be swept in with some of the other tourist, but go early or go late to the Vatican City since St Peter's basilica and the Vatican Museums are a must when you are in Rome. We strolled along the river passing Castel D' St. Angelo (closed on Mondays) followed by a coffee break at a sidewalk cafe at the Piazza Poppolo. There's high retail shopping near the Spanish Steps with Gucci, LV, Dior boutiques etc. but we got there when the stores were already closed. We ate dinner near the Pantheon at a cafe with lots of people which we thought would be a good indicator that the food would be good but it turns out that most of the diners were also fellow tourists and the food was not that great. We finished the night by walking over to the Spanish Steps (crowded at all hours of the day) and the Trevi Fountain and then taking a nice stroll back to Termini.

     

     

     

    Tips for Rome:

     

    *Watch out for your personal belongings! Use a money belt, keep your money stored in different places, keep your hand on your money/wallet at all times!

     

    *Visit the Coliseum/Palentine Hill early in the morning to avoid the crowds

     

    *Do not eat at the touristy spots! Do your research to find good restaurants, ask for recommendations, or wander away from the touristy restaurants to get good fare.

     

    *Note that the line for the Vatican Museums is probably long at all hours of the day.

     

     

     

    Florence:

     

    Day 3

     

    We took the train to Florence from Rome and it was a very enjoyable 1.5 hour ride with great views of the countryside. We arrived in Florence and immediately loved it. There was a feeling of tranquility as soon as we got there; drastically different from the crazy hustle/bustle of Rome. Our hotel, the La Fortezza (separate review) was only a 15 minute ride from the station and we loved our little hotel. After checking in and dropping off our things, we started to explore the city of Florence. It's a charming city and the people seemed friendlier than those in Rome. We pre-booked our tickets to the Uffizi gallery for $3 more (highly suggested) and bypassed the huge line. I enjoyed viewing all of the different works and my favorite was Botticelli's Spring. After the Uffizi gallery, we had snacks and rested at the Piazza de la Signoria before walking over to the Duomo and climbing up the 436 steps to get a wonderful bird's eye view of the city of Florence. After climbing down the Duomo we walked over to the Ponte Vecchio to catch the sunset over the bridge. For dinner, we ate at La Ghiribelini (recommended by fellow members) and we had our first delicious meal in Italy! We had pizza and two pastas and everything was great! The restaurant is away from the touristy sights but well worth the walk to.

     

    Day 4

     

    Early reservations to the Accadamia got us up and out of the hotel at 8:00am. Michelangelo's David is magnificent. How could a statute be so universally appealing? I thought the same thing until I saw it, there's no other way to explain it, you just have to see it in person to truly grasp the beauty, other people's pictures are not going to cut it. After the Accadamia we walked over to the Medici Chapels and to the Mercaceria where the indoor market sold meats, cheeses, and fresh fruits and vegetables. We then sauntered past the San Lorenzo marketplace with its leather goods and cashmere pashminas. We crossed the Ponte Vecchio to Oltrano and spent all afternoon at the Boboli Gardens and museums. The place is huge! We spent hours just looking at the exhibits, walking through the garden, and taking a much needed nap on the grass and near the fountains. To catch the sunset, we walked over to the Piazza Michelangelo and climbed up the hill to see a wonderful night view of Florence. After making our way back across the Ponte Vecchio, we had dinner at Leo's in St. Croce which was also another lovely authentic Italian meal. We attempted to go to the famous Harry's Bar but when we got there it was quiet and there was no jazz music (maybe they only play it on certain days?) so we walked along the river and stopped by a bar to get some late night dessert and expresso before going home.

     

    Tips for Florence:

     

    *Reserve your tickets in advance for the Uffizi and Accadamia! You pay $3 more for each ticket but it's worth it not to have to wait in line when you are there! David is a must see!

     

    *The view from Piazza Michelangelo is really nice but it is a bit further away from the main touristy spots

     

    *Florence is a great city just to walk around, make sure you spend time just relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere.

     

    *Climbing up the Duomo was fun and well worth it for those without any health conditions (parts of the stairs are really narrow and dark and could make someone really dizzy or sick)

     

     

     

    Day 5 Venice

     

    The ride from Florence to Venice is a bit longer-almost 3 hours and not as comfortable as our ride from Rome to Florence. The Venice train station is more hectic than Florence but our service lady at the tourist office was extremely affable and gave us some well needed information. We hopped onto the 51 Vaporetto to get to our hotel, Sant Elena (see my separate review) which we loved! I was a bit apprehensive because it was raining when we got to Venice but luckily the rain subsided within a couple of hours. The rain made the Venetian night look beautiful as the air was crisp and fewer people were out and about because of the rain. We headed out to St. Mark's Square and strolled down all the little alley ways looking at shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, for dinner we decided to eat at the Piccolo Martini, a little restaurant that seemed crowded and not on the main road but again we were really disappointed with the food! After dinner, we spent the evening crossing bridges and watching gondola riders before heading over to listen to the dueling orchestras in St. Mark's square (very fun!). We had dessert at one of the restaurants and enjoyed the music for the rest of the night before heading back to our hotel.

     

    Day 6

     

    Our hotel receptionist told us that it would be cloudy but when we woke up, we could not have asked for a more perfect day. The sun splendidly greeted and basked us in its warm light. The weather was so nice we strolled along the river from Sant Elena to St. Mark's square stopping by to admire the parks, bridges, boats, and homes along the way. Once we got to St. Mark's square, we went window shopping at some of the high end boutiques because we didn't get to do that in the other two cities. We then headed our way up the Campanile tower to get a view of the Venice from atop. It was $6 euros and we thought climbing the Duomo in Florence was more worth it but you're there so why not do both? We also went inside St. Mark's Basilica but after seeing all the different churches, we were a bit "churched" out. In St. Mark's Square, there are tons of pigeons and they are so friendly and perch right up on your arm or your head if you just stand there. My boyfriend got a kick out of that. For lunch, we ate at the Osteria da Maria for $30 where we got some very tasty vegetables and fresh made ravioli. We took a ride on the 1 vaparetto up and down the Grand Canal. Since we got the 36 hour pass, we were able to get on and off the vaparetto and explore the different areas from Ca D'oro to the Accadamia (yes they have one too). Getting lost in the little streets of Venice was kind of fun and so was walking up the streets of local shops, bakeries, mask and glass stores. We didn't know that the gondola rides end around 9:00pm and we had originally planned to take it after dinner but once we found out, we ran back to St. Mark's from our hotel. Luckily, we found one gondolier but he charged us $100 euros (he claimed that it was the night time surchage but since it was our last night there, we had no choice. The ride was nice, it was peaceful and our gondolier rode just close enough to another gondola that we got free musical accompaniment! Sadly, our ride was abruptly cut short because we felt some drops of rain and he said it was going to start raining. I think our ride was only about 25 minutes instead of the 40. That was the only bummer about the gondola ride. I would recommend going at sunset, I think that would be the most peaceful and romantic time to see the Venetian canals. If we get a chance to go to Venice again, we might do that :). Our last dinner in Venice was at the Osteria Da Franz located in Giardini. It was the nicest restaraunt that we ate at and the food and service were both outstanding. We spent about $120 euros there but could have easily spent more. After dinner, we took one last stroll to St. Mark's Square to get one last gelato since it was going to be our last night in Venice. We had to catch the night vaporetta at 3:00am so we didn't have much sleep, but luckily we got to the airport with the public transportation and without a hitch!

     

     

     

    Tips for Venice:

     

    *Ride the vaporetto on the Grand Canal during sunset towards and against Lido, it's beautiful.

     

    *Take a sunset gondola ride

     

    *Catch the dueling orchestras in St. Mark's

     

    *walk along the boardwalk towards Sant Elena

     

    *stroll up and down all the little shops

     

     

     

    Overall tips:

     

    I would dress in layers

     

    T otally wear comfy shoes

     

    A lways keep your money and belongings close to you

     

    L learn to love gelato and cappucino-we had that everyday

     

    Y es, have a blast!

     

     

     

    Ciao Ciao

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  • 1 year ago
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• Sitting on the Spanish Steps

  • From: TimothyState
  • Description:
    Rome, Italy
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 331