Venezia- Day 2

Today was definitely a chill day, since there isn't a whole lot to do in Venice other than shop, I woke up and decided to take advantage of the summer heat and sun blazing, by laying out by the pool and chilling with some of the others in the group. Definitely got that tan started....

After that we decided to head back into town for a few hours to get some souvenirs, window shop and get a Venetian mask for our Venetian themed party at the hostel club later that night.

I ended up getting some pretty cool souvenirs for myself and some others. One thing that's really big here in Venice is the Murano handblown glass. I knew this, because when my parents had gone to Venice before, they had bought me some murano glass necklaces and other souvenirs. So I had to get some murano glass necklaces, as well as a cute Venetian magnet with a hanging gondola, and I also found a mask which I liked so we spent most of the day doing this, and just walking through the alleys browsing around then headed back to get ready for the party.

I can't express how much I love the campsites here in Europe. They beat out any other hostel and are such resorts it's great. So upon returning back to the campsite hostel, we all pregamed and played some drinking games out on our patio decks, and then headed to the Venetian party, it was so much fun! Great DJ, people were all themed out with a mask, looking like gondoliers in their striped shirts, or wearing Venetian sailors hats, it was so much fun. I loved a good theme party!  :D

Not a whole lot for day 2 in Venice, just fun, sun and memories to last a lifetime!  :)

Here are some of the pics from the night:

Martha, Asa, Me, and Diya

Maria, Tia, Kelly, Kevin, Martha, Me, Alvin, and Miguel

LOL: Maria's face is priceless for the random girl who jumped in

Can't wait for tomorrow....off to Switzerland, and going to the Top off Jungfrau, which is the highest peak in Europe.

Venezia!

We arrived in Venice in the afternoon and were immediately taken into the city by our tour leader: Carly. She basically walked us around and dropped us in the center of the city for us to explore for the rest of the evening. Venice is not as big as I thought it would be, and there are only a few ways in and out of the city since it is surrounded by canals. People who live there only come in via bus or tram, and then have to get around the city walking or via the boats and ferries. So the first evening we had we walked around and crossed over the Rialto bridge, saw the Piazza San Marco  and Basilica San Marco. We also saw the Dukes Palace and the adjoined prison. We then had an option of going on a gondola ride. It was pretty expensive as I'm sure this is the most popular thing to do when coming to Venice other than shopping. So me and a few others decided to try to bargain with them to get a lower price than the tour group was giving us. So we did find one that was willing to bring the price down and so it only came to about 13 euros each split 6 ways. (80 euros total)

I have to be honest, I wasn't impressed once all was said and done. I mean it's cool to say I've done the gondola ride, in Venice, but I don't see it being as romantic and magical as you would imagine, and doubt I would do it again upon returning to Venice. Reason why:   1) the waterway stinks (not cute when trying to be romantic) 2) the gondola is quite wobbly so you have to keep your mind on not tipping it over and 3) the gondolier doesn't sing like you see on tv and movies.  The plus side was you got a chance to see the alleys and houses of the canal and flowers and such.  I was telling my parents and sister I preferred the faux gondola ride at the Venetian in Vegas better....lmao!  Yes, I know...SAD, but TRUE!

San Marco Cathedral

Alvix, Tia, Me, and Diya, on the gondola

I think it's hard when you go to a city or country where you've envisioned certain aspects of it, and have high expectations only to find out that your vision wasn't quite as it seemed. That's how I can describe my vision of Venice, don't get me wrong, I loved the city and it's clean and the people are great, but definitely expected more out of it.

Anyways, after that me and two of the girls I was on the gondola with Diya and Tia, decided to just walk around and window shop and eventually decided to just get some champagne and drink by the Rialto bridge and watch the sunset and the city light up. It was so nice and relaxing. As I mentioned when I was in Rome, I was looking for a moment like this, where I could just stop from the rush of all the traveling and just have a moment to take it in and just be in a "happy place", well I've found that in almost every city I've been in. This here, was the moment in Venice.

Diya had just started our tour with us in Rome, so it was a great way to get to know her, and Tia and me had already talked some over the course of the past few days, but it was great to just have some girl talk and to relax by the water. We had some fun out there too, between our photoshoots by the river, and the drastic moment when I kicked our empty glasses into the water....LoL. The reaction was hilarious, we all yelled "nooooo" all at the same time, you would've thought we dropped our cameras or phones or something in the water.  (this is one of those moments you had to be there for, to really understand why it was hilarious). 

We then returned back to the hostel to get ready for our free day in Venice 

Rome: Day 2

Since I saw most of the sights in Rome yesterday, today was more of a "revisit" and roam around type of day to just take it all in since yesterday was more of a fast paced day.

So I finally got a chance to sleep in which was fabulous, it's amazing what sleep can do for you, when you've been lacking it....lol. Then I headed into town with a couple people to actually go into the colosseum and the Roman Forum! On our way in, we ran into two brothers from Denmark who were heading the same way, so they joined us and we all went into town together.  Let me tell you, the inside of the colosseum was amazing! It was so amazing to imagine what used to be, and see where people used to sit and where the gladiators fought and it was just a moment of awe, as you can see in the picture below:

We also went to the forum, and walked around the ruins of what used to be where the roman dictators used to meet and make decisions.

After seeing the forum we went based on a recommendation from my sister to the gelatarie which is supposedly the best one in Rome: San Crispinos. It was a great recommendation, I got the creme whiskey and creme hazelnut!  Delicious! This place was so good, I really should've had another taste before heading back to the hostel later in the evening, but hindsight is always 20/20 isn't it.  I'm not worried though, as I know I will be back to Rome for more of San Crispino's gelato one day!

This was not my first gelato, and it was definitely not my last in Italy....I have three cities in Italy I'm visiting, so lots of carbs (pizza and pasta) and gelato will be consumed!!!   ;)

So at this point we all split off and kind of did our own thing, which was perfect, because I feel that the entire tour thus far I've been in a "group",because obviously we are all there for the same reason, to see the same sights and experience the city, so it's always better with others, than to wander by yourself. So yes, I expected that, as that's what a tour is about, however it hasn't given me much time to just be by myself and take in the sights or the trip itself. 

To be honest, this trip was intended to be a "break from life and reality" just for a short period, and so when you're in a confined space with others constantly, spending majority of your time on a bus, or in a hostel or what not, it can get to a point where you just need some time for YOU, so this was my time for me, and since Rome had quickly turned into a city that I was in love with, it was the perfect place to just sit down, people watch, enjoy some pasta, wine, and take it all in. So I enjoyed just strolling through the streets at my own pace and sitting by the Trevi fountain and on the Spanish Steps just thinking about life and this opportunity and having a "me" moment!!!  It was just what I needed! 

I also walked around Piazza Navano again and since it was the weekend it was packed with street artists and tourists! I ended up buying some paintings of the colosseum, Trevi fountain, and the Spanish steps,  I definitely wanted to take something home to represent this in my house when I get back to the US.

I was soon to learn, that Rome would become one of my favorite cities in Europe, and on this tour. It was just amazing, so much history behind each sight, and yet so much liveliness and character to the city outside of the historic buildings. I just could've wandered around for hours and got lost in this city, and been simply in bliss. Can't say enough how much I loved and will always remember my time in this city.

This was essentially how I ended my day in Rome before returning back to the hostel.

When in Rome....

June 7th night and 8th:

So after leaving Florence we head off to Rome, for 3 nights!! Yay, this is the longest that we've stayed in one city! I was thrilled because we are now halfway through this trip, and three days in one place means we actually can achieve some relaxation and rest!

So as with all the other campground hostels we have stayed at, this hostel was really nice as well. This time we had a bungalow which came with a fridge, stove, sink, and a patio deck!  They even had an infiniti pool which was great! 

Our first night in I was just ready to get some rest and chill out, so I didn't head into the actual city and pretty much just hung out on site and layed by the pool and then later in the evening we got together because all of our bungalows were on the same strip so we just had a "block party" out on our patios, which was a blast. Think 40 young adults, alcohol, music, and you can imagine what fun we had, and how loud we were across the campsite. 

The next day was an early start, and a long day. We were scheduled for a walking tour of the city and then heading to Vatican City for a tour of the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica.

It was amazing to see the sights I have heard about for so many years and to see it in front of me was so surreal. I was so excited to see Rome, and fell in love by the end of my 3 days here.

We were basically taken through the streets from plaza to plaza: started off at the Spanish Steps, and wandered around to the Neptune Fountain which represents the four main rivers in various regions of the world. We then meandered around towards the beauty: The Trevi Fountain, it is so beautiful in person, after seeing it in numerous movies and hearing about it, I now understand why. Seeing the Trevi fountain as we came around the corner was one of those moments where you heard everyone say "oooooh" and "ahhhh".  From there we went to Piazza Navona, and on to the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Forum.

The Colosseum

The Spanish Steps

The Trevi Fountain

Had to throw my coin in, to make sure I returned back!  ;)

The Pantheon

The Neptune Fountain, in Piazza Navona

After our walking tour we went on to the Vatican and were taken on a guides tour through. It was awesome to hear the stories and history behind it. Vatican City is the one of the smallest countries in the world, only those who are part of the church can reside within this city, it is blocked off from all others.

We also saw Michaelangelo's famous Sistine Chapel which was amazing. The story behind how he managed to be the artist who completed this masterpiece was awesome, it turns out he wasn't really much of a painter initially and was considered to be a sculptor until he did this piece, which then became one of his most famous works of art. 

Part of the Ceiling inside the Sistine Chapel

 

The last sight for the day is St Peters Basilica, which was another beautiful church located within the Vatican City. This church, is where the pope come out to when he does, as well as where the chambers are for the smoke when a new pope is elected.

This is where the pope stands when he comes and presides over the people in the church

Tonight, after returning back to the hostel, we hung out by the pool with some of the new folks who were joining us for the second half of the tour, and got to know them. We drank some wine, and just joked and laughed together, before heading over to the Black and White party they were having at this hostel (apparently that was a popular theme with the hostels...lol).....

More to come from Rome.....this was just Day 1

Florence: Just for a moment

So we did not get a free day in Florence unfortunately, we were just taken on a walking tour by an Italian tour guide the next morning, and then had about an hour to wander around by ourselves before heading onwards to Rome.

We started off the tour by going to Basilica di Santa Maria which is located in a square called Piazza del Duomo ("Duomo" means cathedral or church). This cathedral was absolutely beautiful. Right next to the cathedral their was another building called a Baptistery, which is basically where people were baptized before being allowed to enter the church. This baptistery had these beautiful golden intricately designed doors  which were considered to be the "gates of paradise", basically giving entrance to a heavenly place. The images on the door represented that. 

Here's a few pictures of the Duomo and the "Gate of Paradise":

From there we continued our tour to go to the Piazza Della Repubblica and to the Piazza Della Signoria. Basically these are both large outdoor squares with various statues represented in it.

The Piazza Della Signoria is where you will find the outdoor statue of David, while the Uffizi Galleria is where you will find the real statue. We did not have time to go to the Uffizi, so I had to settle for the statue in the Piazza instead!

We then just took some time to ourselves to explore Florence. I decided to go into the duomo to look at the inside, and it was so pretty. The paintings and stain glass were beautiful. 

The inside of the Duomo's dome

After seeing the inside of the duomo, me and Asa decided to look through the market by the river for some souvenirs, and to get some Gelato, because this was the first city we've visited in Italy, so you know we had to try the gelato!!! It was delicious, and soon became a staple for me throughout my visit in Italy.

First taste of true Italian gelato, but certainly not the last   :P

Time to say bye to Florence and head off to Rome

Florence from the top:

Pisa

June 6, 2013:

So at this point, I've totally lost track of the days, and what day in the week it is, but I believe this is only Day 7 of my trip! Sheesh only 7 days and I feel like I've already seen and done so much! Can't believe I'm not even half way through this trip.....lol.

Anyways, so today we headed to Florence, but not without a stop at the all famous structural fail: The Leaning Tower of Pisa!!!!  We got off here and of course did the typical tourist pictures, pushing it, holding it, catching it, etc. Their is literally not much else here besides the tower, other than that this city is a university town.

     

It was crazy to see how much of a tourist trap it was here, before even getting off the bus, people were swarming towards our bus selling "raybans" and "Gucci" and "Louis Vuitton" bags....it was crazy! 

I haven't seen this as much in any of the other cities that I've been to, as much as I have been seeing it in Italy! 

We then spent the night in Florence at a "campsite" hostel. This place was ridiculously nice compared to any campsite I've seen and definitely better than what I was expecting when I saw a campsite hostel on my tour plans for lodging! It was truly like a resort you might find in the Caribbean or Mexico with campers and tents and no free all inclusive alcohol. I was okay with this. It had three pools, water slides galore, a tennis court, putt putt, two really nice restaurants, villas, a bar with live music, a supermarket on site, and even a club. It was great, too bad we only had one night here!!!

So our first night here in Florence, we had a group dinner at the restaurant on site, and as usual, it was a combination of chicken and pasta. I swear by the time I'm done with this trip, I'm not going to want pasta for at least 3 months. Haha!

After that the club on site, was having a Black and White themed party, so we decided to go to that, and had some fun for the night before we headed into Florence for our tour in the morning.

Kelly, Me, Maria, Tia

Free Shots: Why yes I think we shall