journal entry: Espana parte uno

With my travel plans cancelled because of this scary horrible pandemic, I find myself looking back (with a little resentment) to my birthday trip last year.

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18 March 2019
9:54 PM

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow! You're only a day away!
If you haven't guessed yet, yes, tomorrow I leave for my trip to España... yahoooo!
Today, I am thankful for:
1. work that wasn't as stressful as it usually is before I go on vacation.
2. being about 95% done with packing and bag is still only about 75% full. Nice. Lots of room for souvenirs and other things to bring back from Spain.
3. Spain! So excited!


20 March 2019
9:21 PM - Madrid

Too tired, will write tomorrow, I hope. Thankful for arriving in Madrid safe and sound.


21 March 2019
10:04 PM

Tired. Feet and legs aching. But so thankful for everything I saw and did yesterday and today.

Toronto:
I didn't really have much time to do much. I was planning to go to St Lawrence Market and then to the Toronto sign, but got sidetracked trying to help someone at the airport while on my way to the UP Express train. I was able to get the pea-meal bacon sandwich as planned - it was alright.
No passport stamp for arrival or departure though. Boo.

pea-meal bacon sandwich

hockey hall of fame

CN tower

Madrid (yesterday):
-my old lycamobile sim from Italy didn't really work anymore even though I loaded it before my trip. Bummer.
-found the Aeropuerto Expres bus easily after asking at the airport info desk. Arrived in Atocha station fine but since I didn't have access to internet yet to use Uber, I ended up taking a taxi (and paying €15) to the hotel.
-checked in at the hotel early (11 am). room is fine; small but it has everything I need.
-asked front desk where I can get a sim card, and they pointed me to a small mobile shop a couple of blocks away, where I bought a new vodafone sim.
-light lunch. I had some tapas - bacalao strips and croquette - at Casa Labra.

-followed Rick Steves' walking tour that had the following stops......
-Puerta del Sol - nice plaza with lots of people. Times Square of Madrid, as mentioned by Rick Steves.

-Plaza Mayor - like an inside out castle: a big cobbled square surrounded by 4-story buildings, each side uniform.

-Mercado de San Miguel - a nice market where you can buy different kinds of food. I bough one kind of tapas - toast topped with a tiny fried egg and a chorizo.

-Church and convent of Corpus Christi - just saw from outside. There was supposed to be a door where you can buy cookies from nuns but didn't see anybody doing it so I didn't either. 😁

-Town Hall

-Almudena Cathedral - surprisingly pretty inside. And I say 'surprising' just because I really wasn't expecting anything.

-Royal Palace - really impressive from the outside. Looking forward to seeing what's inside on Saturday.

-Plaza de Oriente

-Plaza de Isabel II

-Calle del Arenal - kinda reminds me of Florida Street in Buenos Aires.

-Huevos rotos with chorizo at Los Huevos Rotos.

-Prado Museum. Huge! Not really a museum person but I enjoyed my visit here.

-I was going to take the Metro back to Sol station but with all the construction going on, I couldn't find the dang station and ended up walking and walking and walking back.

-Chocolateria San Gines - by the time I got here, my feet were killing me so I bought the churros con chocolate to go and headed back to the hotel. The chocolate dip was thick and soooo good.

Toledo:
-arrived a couple of hours early at the Atocha station so explored a bit and had breakfast.

-train to Toledo was fast - just 30 min.
-took a bus to Plaza Zodocover to start exploring the town.
-had early lunch/2nd breakfast at Mercado San Agustin - spanish omelette.. yum!

-Calle Comercial - nice street with lots of stores. I bought some mazapan to eat while walking.
-Plaza Ayutamiento - was an ok square but this is where I got my first view of the Cathedral. Wow! Just wow! very very impressive even from outside.

-Toledo Cathedral - my gosh! sooo beautiful. I would like to say that this was the prettiest church I have ever seen but maybe it's only because it's all still so fresh in my mind. Really beautiful, in and out.
(I can't pick the right pictures to show just how beautiful the inside of this church is so I'm just not going to post any.)

-Jewish Quarter - I really liked this part of the town.

-walked all the way back to Los Cuatros Tiempos (near the Cathedral) where I had suckling pig. Being Filipino, I was thinking it would be a lot like lechon, and so had really high expectations of this famous dish. Sadly, I was not really impressed. I don't know if that's how they mostly taste like or maybe it just wasn't the right place to try it, but that was nowhere near lechon.
(Side note: Suckling pig is supposed to be from Segovia, but given that I was going to be in Segovia on a no-meat Friday, I had to try it here.)

-was early back to train station so explored the area near the station a bit.

-took the train back to Madrid and then visited Museo de Reina Sofia.

I have just realized that I have seen more art works in the past 2 days compared to the rest of my life. 🤣

Now I have to plan tomorrow's itinerary.

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

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

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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.


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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 😀

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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...

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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!