journal entry: Italia parte sette (also London and home)

last one for this trip. what an adventure it was.

***************

26 November 2018
6:58 PM - Charlotte airport

I am back in the US! Feels like my trip went by in a flash and yet, it seems like forever ago that I left STL for this trip.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. London - it was great spending a little time with Tenten for that layover; I hadn't seen her in 10 years before this. I got to see a little bit of London, but I definitely want to go back. There's so much more to see.

2. this entire trip - with only minor inconveniences that might have felt huge at that time, but for the most part, I was able to do and see and taste everything I planned.

3. God, most of all - for letting me do this and for keeping me healthy and safe throughout this trip.


***************

27 November 2018
1:30 AM

Home sweet home. As sad as I am that my trip has come to an end, I am glad to be sleeping on my own bed again.

I unpack tomorrow. Right now, I sleep for at least 10 hours.

***

9:01 PM

I slept for 12 hours! And it felt soooo good. I still haven't unpacked, I'll just do that this weekend.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. a full day of rest. I needed that after my trip.

2. not having caused any issues at work while I was away. At least, none that I could see in my email.

Tomorrow, back to regular programming... a.k.a work.

journal entry: Italia parte sei

i realized these Italy journal entries are about to celebrate their anniversary and i still haven't finished them here... not that anybody cares (i guess, i do) but i really just wanted to get this done before my next trip... mostly just for content on my blog. again, not that anybody cares...but whatever.

***************

24 November 2018
9:57 PM

I cannot believe my vacation is almost over. After months of waiting, all finished in, now what feels like, an instant. It makes me a little bit sad, but also feel very very grateful. Tomorrow will be a pretty relaxed/chill day, so I will have time to slow down a little before my flight back.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. the whole Sorrento-Positano-Amalfi tour - it was a little expensive considering I have been DYI'ing it most of this trip, but I wanted a day that I didn't have to worry about catching the bus or the train, or wonder if I have the schedule right, or try to decide if I should spend less or more time somewhere...basically, a day that I just sit back and let somebody else drive (literally and figuratively). One downside of a tour though is you have to be on a strict schedule, and I kinda wanted more time to check out Sorrento. Oh well, maybe next time.

2. pizza for dinner - believe it or not, this is my first pizza in Napoli, and it is on my last night in Napoli, where pizza is supposed to be really good. Hopefully, I will have some more tomorrow.

3. this whole trip - now, that it is nearing its end, I feel really fortunate and blessed to have been able to go on this trip. It also made me realize that I definitely want more of this.

I want to come back, especially to the Amalfi coast area. I want to visit Capri island, and other cities in the North. I really really hope I will be back someday.

journal entry: Italia parte cinque

next trip in 2 weeks!!! with a couple of friends, this time. soooo excited!
in the meantime, I thought I would continue with my Italy journal posts.

*****************

23 November 2018
3:53 PM - Vesuvius, waiting for bus to Pompeii

I didn't forget to write last night; I was just not feeling well so I went to bed early.
Yesterday, I was thankful for:

1. train to Naples - I managed to get my bag on to the overhead rack. Sadly, nobody offered to help. It was a quick hour of train ride - the train was going at 245 km/hr. wow!

2. metro to B&B - the metro was fine but the walk to the B&B turned out to be a bit exhausting, and there is no elevator at the B&B so I had to carry my luggage up 4 flights of stairs. a bit of a workout, I tell ya.

3. B&B - my room is like a little apartment - there are separate rooms for the bedroom and closet and bathroom with a little hallway. The closet felt a little claustrophobic, but other than that, I like the room.

4. cuoppo, baba, sfogliatella - all good and yummy! And it was actually Thanksgiving in the US yesterday so Happy Thanksgiving!!!

sfogliatella and baba

cuoppo di mare

9:16 PM - Naples

I feel like I've done my 2 weeks worth of steps the past few days, which is good because I also feel like I have eaten 2 weeks worth of food in that few days.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. train to Pompeii - not bad at all, got a seat on the train, but I did arrive in Pompeii early, about a half hour before it opened so I had to wait a little.

2. Pompeii ruins - amazing. so much history. I wish I had more time, there was so much more to see. I had to focus mostly on the sites I listed beforehand because I wanted enough time for the bus to Vesuvius.

3. bus to Vesuvius - I needn't have rushed through the ruins because the bus was really late or I think maybe it's on a different schedule than what was posted (summer schedule perhaps?) . While I was waiting at the bus stop, with a few other people there waiting for the bus as well, a guy approached us and told us that the bus only operates during the summer and offered to take us to Vesuvius in his car (for a price, of course). I'm glad I wasn't convinced and didn't go with him, because the bus did finally come, after an hour of waiting, but it still came.

4. Vesuvius - man, I am so out of shape. I was out of breath just walking from the ticket booth to the entrance... to be fair, it was a bit of a walk but still, I had a long way to go yet. From the entrance, I think it took me maybe about 45 minutes to hike up to the top, with stops to take pictures and sometimes to pretend to take pictures while really trying to catch my breath. And then about 30 minutes to go back down. And then I, along with other people, had to wait for the bus back to Pompeii train station.

The rest of the day was comparatively uneventful, and I got back safe and sound to the B&B. Thank you, God.

journal entry: Italia parte quattro

journal-ing is a bit of a challenge when you're basically just pooped. so much to write about, so little energy to actually write. hence, this was a short entry but I did take a lot of pictures 😀

*****************

21 November 2018
11:05 PM

This will be shorter as I am really tired. I'm all packed, ready to head on to Napoli tomorrow. But what a day! I am thankful for:

1. train ride to Pisa - I had the whole 4-some of seats all to myself. It was a nice train ride - beautiful country side and some portions were along the coast. Really pretty.

2. Pisa - I think about 300+ steps to go up... whew! I wasn't expecting the tower to be made of marble, it was quite beautiful. The town itself was also nice. I did lose the magnet I bought last minute... bummer. (Update: I found the magnet, in the oddest of places, when I got back home in St Louis. 😂)

 

3. train ride to Florence - it was ok, I was able to sit though a bit more crowded than the train to Pisa. Chatted with the guy (50sh) sitting next to me - I wasn't really chatty to begin with (not a snob, just shy 😁) but he's been to Florence a few times so he told me a few places to check out.


4. Florence - the big Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore / Duomo di Firenze )...wow!!! 😲 I wasn't expecting that at all. I wasn't even supposed to go inside, but it was raining and I needed a place of shelter. 😂 The place was huge, and had really high ceilings, and the outside was mostly made of marble (I think). First, I had a quick lunch at Mercato Centrale - kind of like a food court. Then walked around - this was when I saw the cathedral. Saw some statues. Gelato again, of course. Then hiked up to Piazzale Michaelangelo - it was quite the hike/walk but what a view from up there! Oh yeah, also saw that famous old bridge Ponte Vechhio.

Duomo di Firenze

Ponte Vecchio

view from Piazzale Michaelangelo

Firenze at dusk

5. train ride back to Rome - the train was packed. If the train tomorrow to Naples will be like that, it will be a struggle to lift my luggage to the overhead rack. I hope someone will offer to help.

(Today's note: I didn't really do much research on Florence before I went there. I just thought I'd do it on the same day as Pisa because it was in that same general area so was only looking for things I can check out in 3-4 hours. Florence was a really nice surprise to me, and would love love love to go back and spend a few days there. At one point after this trip - I think around the time I was watching Medici on Netflix 😄, I was even casually considering spending a month in Florence, not on vacation the whole time but working remotely most of the time and taking some days off. What an experience that would be. *sigh*)

journal entry: Italia parte tre

more of my journal entries from my Italy trip...

********************

20 November 2018
7:49 PM

Man, my feet and legs are killing me! Over 31,000 steps today, and I certainly feel those steps. A good day. A rainy, thunderbolt and lightning (very very frightening me.. Galileo! 😂) day, but in terms of doing all the things I planned, I got most of them done.

Today, I am thankful for all the places I visited and all the food I ate.

1. Basilica di Santa Maria Magiorre - a surprisingly huge church, and beautiful. I honestly wasn't expecting much but the inside was very beautiful. I went really early (before 8) so there weren't that many people yet.

Basilica di Santa Mario Magiorre

2. breakfast at a small cafe right next to the Basilica. I had a cappuccino and a chocolate and cream croissant. Yum!

3.  Colosseum - very interesting. It's amazing how much they've been able to preserve from ancient times.

4. Piazza Venezia - I guess when I added all these places to my itinerary, I didn't really know much about them. This one is different from the other piazzas I've seen so far because it features a very prominent monument - Altar of the Fatherland.

5. Capitoline Hill - beautiful view of the Roman Forum. I think even more picturesque than when you're in the Forum itself.

view of the Roman Forum from Capitoline Hill

6. lunch at Roma Sparita - it started pouring as I was walking to this place and I got really wet. I arrived a little early so the restaurant was still closed when I got there. There is a nice small church right beside the restaurant, and I went inside to check it out and to kill some time. For lunch, I had prosciutto and mozzarella as a starter, which I wasn't sure how to eat 😂😂, and of course, what I went there for, cacio e pepe for the main dish. Delicious! And the waiter was also very nice.

Cacio e Pepe at Roma Sparita

7. Palatine Hill and Roman Forum - I think I would have enjoyed this place more if it wasn't raining so hard. As it was, I was walking nervously along (and in) puddles trying desperately not to get hit by lightning. 😅 
Also, by this time, I have realized that my tummy is not in agreeable terms with Roman cheese. Thank God, I found an empty toilet.😅😅

Italian stone pine trees right outside the Palatine Hill

8. Della Palma Gelateria - over 150 flavors! No tummy troubles will get in the way between me and gelato.. no way! The problem with that many choices though, it's sooo hard to pick just 2. I had Rocher and Pistachio cream. Yummy!

9. Spanish Steps (again) - because I finished everything I had planned for the day, I went back to this place so I can properly visit it this time. I went up the steps to take a very nice photo from the top even though my feet and legs were killing me at this point. The steps would have been a very good place to sit had they not been wet from all the rain. Still, it's not everyday you get to be in Rome so it was all worth it.

view from the top of the Steps

Early end today because I felt like if I had let myself then, I would have sat down on the rain-drenched ground. And early start tomorrow also - heading to Pisa and Florence!

journal entry: Italia parte due

continuation of my journal entries from my Italy trip on nov 2018. i wrote this without the intention of posting them here... so some parts maybe a little tmi. 😂

*************************

19 November 2018
9:17 PM - Rome

The enemy of food tripping -- diarrhea. lol. Had to quickly go back to the B&B today because I was barely holding on to dear control, so I didn't see much of the Spanish Steps and totally missed Villa Borghese.
In other news, I walked a total of 25,363 steps today! Of course, I also had pasta, gelato, tiramisu, cornetto, and 2 cappuccinos so it all evens out. I hope.

Today, I am thankful for the places I visited and the food I ate.

1. cappuccino and cornetto for breakfast. I didn't really know what a cornetto was before today but man, it was so delicious.

2. St. Peter's Basilica - the climb to the top (dome) was literally breath-taking and so was the view at the top, figuratively. Inside, wow! I was so overwhelmed... and a little emotional. I don't know why... maybe because I felt that was the closest I could get to God, in this lifetime.

3. Musei Vaticani - I'm not really into museums so I was expecting to be out of there in an hour, maybe 2 hours tops. But I didn't even notice that 2 hours had gone by and had to rush the last few parts because I still had a lot in my itinerary today. I was there for close to 3 hours.

4. Frigidarium Gelato was good.

5. Armando at the Pantheon - had egg drop soup with cheese and Spaghetti alla Gricia - my first Roman pasta. It was good and I'm glad I made a reservation because a lot of people were turned away for not having one.

6. Pantheon - I was surprised that this is a Catholic church. Apparently, it was converted to one from being a pagan place of worship. I really should read more history. Maybe.

7. Tazza D'Oro (El mejor del mundo) - I don't know if it really is the best in the world, but I took my cappuccino as the Italians do - at the bar standing up.

8. Piazza Navona - as I was walking to the Armando restaurant (this is 8 because I almost forgot I went here today), I saw a sign pointing to Piazza Navona. I had planned this stop later in the day but I'm glad I stumbled upon this place earlier because of what happened next.

9. Spanish Steps - while walking from 7 to here was when my tummy started to make itself be noticed in a little too uncomfortable way. It may have been all the food I've eaten for the day at this point but I was sweating from trying to clench. 😁 It was cold but I was sweating. So I saw a glimpse of the Steps, took a quick picture, and walked to the Metro station trying real hard not to poop in my pants. 😅

10. Piazza del Popolo - after I did the much needed "movement" 😁, I thought it would be a shame to retire so early. So I took the Metro again to go to this place. It was pretty. I think all the piazzas that I went to today would have been a lot busier had it not been raining the whole day.

11. Pompi tiramisu and cannoli - I saw the long line of people to one of their stores my first night so I thought I had to give it a try. The cannoli was a bonus (paid, not free) I saw when I was paying for my tiramisu. (Gosh, I'm so baboy.)  Both good. I'm glad I took them back to my room and eat them right where the toilet is only few steps away. My stomach still had aftershocks from the earlier episode.