Venice, The Italian Disneyland

When you backpack through Europe for more than 3 months, you meet a lot of fellow travelers. You hear of the cities they visited, which were their favorites and which left more to be desired.

As it turns out, Venice is by the most polarizing city in all of Europe. Some people love it. Other hate it. It seems as though no one stands between these two extremes.

Hearing that I would hate it from roughly three-quarters of the people I encountered, coupled with the fact that Venice is exorbitantly expensive, I decided to not even spend a night there. I arrived late morning, dropped my bags at the train station and bought my overnight train ticket to Croatia.

I then left the train station and headed towards the airport to pick up Big Bri, a friend of mine from home. She had been working for a law firm in Ghana for the past 4+ months, and was going to backpack through Europe for 3 weeks. We decided that it would be best for us to spend a day in Venice and then spend 5 in Croatia before we went our separate ways.



I was waiting for her at the airport when her plan landed shortly after noon. I was greeted to a smile from ear to ear, but even more importantly, I saw she was donning a Cal sweatshirt that David Denney and I had given her a while back. It was nice to know that the African Community had been exposed to UC Berkeley, despite the fact that the sweatshirt had not been washed since she left the US back in January. And it showed.

We then dropped her stuff at the train station and embarked on our day of exploration.

I have never seen a city like Venice. The entire city is on water and all the streets are pedestrian-friendly. In fact, there are ZERO cars in the entire city. The only way people get around is either by walking or via water taxi. How crazy is that? Based on the testimonials from people who had visited Venice, I assumed I wouldn’t like the city, but this mere fact solidified my insistence on seeing the city for myself. Love it or hate it, everyone agreed that Venice was unlike any other.

The city is full of canals and touristy gondola rides. It is extremely easy to get lost in Venice; all the streets look the same, there are endless little alleyways and the buildings are too tall for you to decipher where the hell you are.

After some walking around, getting a feel for the city, we decided to stop at a pizza place (which turned out to be my final Italian pizza – a sad moment for all involved). We sat and ate as we caught up with each other. I found it really enjoyable to see a recognizable face for the first time in so long – someone who I could tell my stories to, as well as be able to hear all about her adventures. I noticed that there were a lot of differences between my adventures and hers, namely that mine involved running water and hers involved quite a large number of chickens and goats.



Once we got our food fix, we walked around the city some more and started heading towards Saint Marks Square, which we eventually found after turning through endless side streets and little alleyways. The square is absolutely huge. On the water, it is home to the Basilica, the Doge's Palace, the Basilica's campanile and more Venetian pigeons than you would ever want to set your eyes on. They were EVERYWHERE. The funniest thing I have seen in a while was when Big Bri took out some bread from her bag and threw it onto the ground.

Within seconds, hundreds of dirty, disgusting, birds swarmed to the bread, clawing and scratching each other to get a little nibble. I found it rather pathetic.











After a little more perusing of the city, some shopping and, you guessed it, eating, it was time for us to board our train. Even though I had only spent half a day walking its streets, I had come to a conclusion about Venice: way overrated.

People say Venice is romantic, but I just don’t see it. Not even a little bit. The food I had there was the worst I had in Italy. And the most expensive. The locals are not friendly. You can’t walk 20 feet without running into kiosks and souvenir shops. Even the oh-so-popular gondola rides are way overrated. I was astonished to see that they cost 80 euros. That’s insane.

I loved Italy because it felt real to me. The food, the landscape and even the people (I’m not the biggest fan of Italians at this point) had a feeling of authenticity. Yes, there were parts of Rome and Florence that were touristy, but these places were still a lot fun. Not Venice. Venice, much like the Bakersfield hospital and doctors (oh, and don’t forget surgeries performed) was fake.

The best way I can describe Venice is to say it felt like an Italian Disneyland. Without Space Mountain.

The 5 Lands of Jaw-Dropping Beauty

The next day was the hike. Based on advice I had received from many who had already conquered the 5 towns, I decided to take a 10 minute train from Riomaggiore to Monterosso, where my hike was to begin. I arrived in Monterosso shortly after 11am to a beautifully sunny scene of beachgoers, shoppers and restaurant dwellers. As happy as the eaters seemed to be, I found myself mildly disinterested and unaffected; I was deadset on getting started on the alone time I had with the mountainous region.

The hike from Monterosso to Vernazza is undeniably the steepest and longest. This is why I was told to start with it. I began the trek with a 2 liter bottle of water and a backpack full of things I quickly wish I had left behind. With the sea on my right, I marched upward towards the long, sloping hills. I quickly found myself sweating profusely and taking a number of breaks. This was a mild, insignificant annoyance to the stunning beauty I would see over the next hour and a half. Beyond the absolutely gorgeous views of the seaside cliffs and the amazing waters that lay beneath them, were the stunning settings along the hiking paths themselves. The themes of the hike changed, without warning, from typical dirt trails, to sweet-smelling flower gardens, to olive vineyards to dark, lush, rain forest-like brush.



I'm not sure if it was the pristine landscape or the beautifully peaceful sea, but about halfway through the hike from Monterosso to Vernezza I became re-energized. My tiredness and uncomfortably became unimportant as I found myself on a mission to conquer the 5 Lands in style. I took my iPod out of my bag, sat down for a few minutes to create an epic playlist and began marching forward. I was still sweating bullets from the heat and the trying landscape, but I was undoubtedly enjoying myself. I took the whole scene in and began to appreciate every single view waiting for me around every corner.



It was around this time I decided my newfound optimism was deserving of food. I soon was deep in thought over what food would quench my appetite. I mulled over the options that lay and by the time I finally laid my eyes on Vernazza, it was decided that pesto focaccia was in order.


Note: Cinque Terre is just west of Genoa, the home of pesto. For any of you out there who knows me, you KNOW how much I love pesto. And for those of you out there who do not know me, I LOVE pesto.

As it turned out, this little system I had going of hiking, music and deciding what to eat became the theme for the day. During each of the 4 hikes, I listened to a different playlist and thought (long and hard, of course) about what to eat next. During the first half of my Vernazza to Corniglia hike, I decided gelato would be my next pit stop. During the second half of the hike, I decided chocolate, blueberry and pineapple were the most appropriate Corniglia flavors. From Corngilia to Manarola, I came to the conclusion pesto bruschetta was in my future.

The hike to Vernazza proved to be the most arduous of the day. The hike to Corniglia was just as long, but not as steep, and quite frankly, the last two hikes were a little underwhelming. They were both RIGHT along the water, so they yielded breathtaking views and sounds of the Mediterranean, but they were anything but trying. Looking back, I found the hike anticlimactic; I would have liked to start from Riomaggiore and work towards Monterosso so I could start with the pretty, flat terrain and work my way towards the Beast that is Monterosso. With that being said, it was really nice to end my day strolling through Via Dell'Amore, which when translated, means "Lover's Walk". I'm comfortable enough with my sexuality to tell you that Via Dell'Amore was really adorable.



I arrived back in Riomaggiore at 6pm, 5 hours after having begun my hike. I felt tired, yet my fatigue was overshadowed by my excitement and sense of accomplishment from having conquered Cinque Terre. I was feeling good and good with myself, so I decided to take a long, hot shower and then treat myself to a really nice dinner. I went to the restaurant recommended to me by my hostel and ordered a glass of white wine (a Cinque Terre specialty), stuffed anchovies (Yes, they were a Cinque Terre specialty. No, I never eat anchovies.) and homemade pasta with (you guessed it) pesto. After dinner, I realized it had been more than 4 hours since I last had gelato, so I quickly made my way to a new gelateria across the way.




I finished my chocolate, coffee and mint cone as I walked in the door of my room. I plopped myself onto my bed and was immediately overcome by a drunken feeling. I thought for a second, and realized I wasn't drunk; a combination of the hike, deliciously rich food and sweet dessert had put my into a euphoric food coma. The next thing I knew, it was 7:30am and I was still wearing my clothing from the night before.

Apprehension and Introductions in The 5 Lands

I won't keep you guys in suspense ANY longer. Fresh from my day rolling around in the Tuscan hills, I paid a 3 day visit to Cinque Terre, arguably one of the most beautiful, romantic sights in all of Europe. Located in the northwest part of the country, the entire region is set on a cliff, overlooking the Mediterranean (Yup, still Clint's Mediterranean). Translated, Cinque Terre means "5 Lands", which is appropriate because the region consists of 5 adjoining towns named Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernezza and Monterosso. The reason why the area is such a tourist hotspot extends far beyond its beauty. Each town is so close to the two that border it that it is quite feasible to hike from one end of the region to the other end in a 5 hour long hike. This is why I came to Cinque Terre.

I actually found myself a little nervous on my train from Florence because I was unsure as to how I would react to such a traveler's goldmine. I had heard more positive testimonials and "You Must See's" about Cinque Terre than probably any other place in all of Europe. Not everyone knows about it, but those that do make sure they tell everyone around them. While I didn't question the authenticity of the recommendations, I was nervous that having seen so many breathtakingly-gorgeous views over the past few weeks would make me numb to the beauty of Cinque Terre. I had just recently laid my eyes on the Greek Isles, Positano, Ischia, Rome, Florence and Tuscany.

I arrived early evening in Riomagiorre, the smallest and cheapest of the 5 towns, so my concerns would have to wait to be overcome until the next day. After checking in to my hostel, I took to the streets of the town. About 100 paces to the left of my hostel lay the marina and beautiful views of the setting sun atop the emerald blue waters. About 100 paces to the right lay the town square, abound with quaint Italian restaurants and cute shops offering regional specialties. I decided to venture left for the time being. I sat on some rocks, high above the water to watch another gorgeous day officially pass me by.

After having gotten my daily sunset fix, I walked by my hostel en route to the town square. As it turned out, I really wasn't that hungry.

I'll give you guys a moment to recover from the previous sentence.


...And, we're back.


So I decided to just buy a bag of Italian breadsticks (the most delicious snack EVER. They were simple, baby carrot-sized breadsticks which just so happened to have been dipped in olive oil for God knows how long) and meander on through the town. Along the way I discovered the town has one bar (aptly named Central Bar) and that aside from the lone bar, the town shuts down shortly after 9pm. Realizing there wasn't much to accomplish at this point, I decided to head back to the hostel.

When I returned to my room, I was greeted by a number of roommates, all of whom had been absent when I had checked in a few hours earlier. Everyone had apparently checked in that day, so we had a couple nice conversations where everyone got to know one another. It was fairly pleasant until 3 blonde girls walked in.

Note: Whenever a group of guys are in a room and 3 good-looking blonde girls walk in, it does not matter what those guys had been doing, they're going to immediately stop doing it. We were no exception - our vibrant, lively conversations had morphed into dead silence by the time the door is closed behind the girls. We didn't even mean to do it, it's just one of those things in the world you can ALWAYS count on (You know, like Chipper Jones getting on base at least twice every game or Hillary Clinton dividing the Democratic Party by dragging the election on WAY too long.)

As it turned out, these weren't your normal, everyday girls. Nope. These 3 ended up being 3 of the dumbest people I have ever met in my life. All you need to know about these girls is the following:

While two of them started chatting up a few people on the opposite side of the room, one came towards me and a bunch of other guys in the room. She struck up a 30-second conversation by introducing herself to one of the guys, whereupon she turns to me and says,

"You're not very social, are you?"
(Flabbergasted) "What!?"
"You just don't seem that social."
"Um, I think you're jumping to conclusions here."

We then proceeded to have a conversation which lasted no longer than 75 seconds and ended with her uttering the following:

"You're fun."

At first I found these girls nothing short of an annoyance, but I soon realized few opportunities like these present themselves in the course of our lives, so I decided to take it all in. I just sat back and enjoyed the cheap entertainment of these ridiculous girls who had just graduated from Florida State University (Leck, just know that I gave it to them, and told them that I had just graduated from the U.)

After a rousing conversation with The Ladies, we all decided a gelato run was in order. While I was in line, I struck up a conversation with one of my roommates named Jonevan.

Note: I've given more thought to the following than any other matter on my entire trip. After much debate and deliberation, however, I have decided NOT to include the Stories of Jonevan (who at this point has become a folk hero in many circles) in The Blog. I'm sorry, I just can't do it. Please, though, feel free to ask me of Jonevan. I have much to share.

Tuscan Wine Tasting Anyone??

The FINE people at Plus Florence Hostel decided to host a wine tasting tour to the wine country region of Chianti. I had been planning on leaving the city early in the day to get a full day at my next stop (Sorry, kids. You're going to have check back at a later time to figure out where that next stop was.), but I figured it could wait for a day of wine tasting.

As it happened, I was very lucky to go on the tour in the first place. I saw the sign posted in the lobby of the hostel and waited patiently in line to inquire as to the status of the tour. There was a group of 3 in front of me, who just by chance, were in line for the same reason. They had the following conversation, as I sat idly by:

"Excuse me. We were wondering if there are any spots remaining for the tour tomorrow."
"Sorry. There isn't enough room for the 3 of you. There's only 1 remaining spot left."

NIIIIIIIICE.

Making sure there was no one lurking behind, I immediately grabbed pen and paper and signed my name next to the only vacant line on the sign-up sheet.

The next morning, the 10 of us met in the hostel lobby and headed towards our day of fun.

A charter bus picked us up and road towards the Tuscan hills and the beautiful countryside. (You don't believe me? Go ahead, check for yourself.) After our tourguide described our itinerary for the day, we learned our first stop was a Tuscan streetmarket.


After driving within the hills for about 20 minutes, we arrived. We were given 45 minutes to wander the streets, perusing the novelty item booths, checking out the meat and cheese specialty shops and sampling some of the best delicacies Tuscany has to offer. A particular meat shop was recommended to us, so we made sure to pay them a visit before anyone else. Inside were all types of precured meats and sliced cheeses, but these were overshadowed by the shop's side room, or more importantly, their sampling room. I definitely overspent my welcome, trying everything from pecorino cheese (a delicious Tuscan specialty), to Genoa Salami, to yummy bread dipped in Italian olive oil, to a fantasticly delicious spicy sausage.





After likely offending the woman cutting and presenting the samples for quite some time, my friends recommended it was probably best we leave. I reluctantly gave in, but not before yoinking another salami and bread sample once they had turned their backs.



We got back on the bus and headed towards the countryside, where our wine tasting lay ahead. We were greeted by an ordable Italian woman, whose English was quite impressive. She gave us a tour of the factory and described the process by which wine is bottled. After 20 minutes or so of walking the premises, we were shown to our tasting tables.

We sampled three wines - 2 reds and a white - all of which were delicious. I made sure to make friends with the woman when she was pouring the wines, asking questions, showing interest and sweet-talking her. Call me manipulative, (probably because that's what I was doing) but the result was her leaving all of the bottles on our table.

After a few glasses of the wines, we were all in a better places than we had been 15 minutes prior. The final sampling (I use the word very liberally in this instance) was of grappa, a liquor made from fermented grapes. It certainly wasn't good, but it definitely did the trick.



And yes, I made sure she left that bottle on the table, too.

Everyone seemed to be in a much better mood by the time we climbed back onboard the bus. Next on the agenda was lunch.



We arrived at a restaurant that overlooks the water and were greeted to a table full of endless caraffes of red wine, bread and olive oil. We sat down, and without seeing a menu, were each handed a huge plate of appetizers consisting of prosscioto, bruchetta, grilled veggies and liver. (i know what you are thinking. trust me, it was good.) After I ate my plate of food, I began to work on the remains my friends had left behind. I was rudely interrupted by the waitstaff, however, who were apparently on a schedule to continue feeding us. I reluctantly accepted their intervening when I realized their next trip to the table would yield more food. About 5 minutes later, these glorious people brought out family style portions of penne arrabiata and cheese ravioli soaked in meat sauce. After a few portions of food and a few more healthy pours of red wine, I was satisfied.

Now that lunch was over it, it was play time. We were given an hour to roam the premises and enjoy ourselves in any fashion we desired. Swimming, running, video games and weight lifting were all options for us; I went with swimming. I love swimming at home and try to do it as much as possible, but Europe has afforded me very few opportunities to take advantage of the pasttime. I figured now was a better time than any to jump right in. And so I did.

45 minutes later, after a refreshing swim (and maybe another glass of wine) we were called back to the bus. We drove the countryside again, only this time around the crowd was somehow a little subdued. All I know is that by the time I woke up, we were back at Plus Florence Hostel.



...Oh, I forgot to mention that this entire day was free. F-R-E-E. Gratis. Libre (No, wait. That's a different "free". Anyway, you get the point.)

No, it's true though. Plus Florence had opened up just 3 weeks prior, and decided to hold their Grand Opening the weekend I was there. While Saturday night would be a night full of Plus Florence-led partying with music and booze (a party which would begin while I was en route to my next stop), Saturday was dedicated to the wine tasting trip. There were only 10 available spots for hostel guests on the tour because of the rest of the bus was allocated for representatives of famous travel publications. Employees of hostelworld.com, hostels.com, hostelbookers.com, Backpacker Magazine and a number of other companies came from all walks of European life to attend the affair. The result was a day of wining and dining to impress the top dogs of the industry...with me just along for the ride.

Beautiful Florence

Florence is one of the most romantic places I have visited in Europe. All of the main streets are designed for pedestrians, cobblestone adorns the city everywhere you turn and there are enough cute shops to make my mother's head spin.

The night I arrived, I paid a visit to Piazza Michalengelo, known for its amazing sunsets with 2 friends I had met in Rome.

Shortly after embarking, we decided to pick up a couple beers for the 25 minute ascent up to the square. After walking through the most heavily-trafficked streets of the city, we turned at the Arno River and headed up a number of flights of stairs. We arrived just in time for one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen.


We sat up there for a while and enjoyed the Tuscan view that lay before us. Once it got dark, we headed back to town. The walk back actually ended up being just as enjoyable as the piazza itself. We walked along the river, which was even prettier at night than it had been at dusk. As we turned towards the streets, we heard music playing and eagerly ventured onwards. The singing and guitar-playing became increasingly loud until we found ourselves among a group of 100 or so people enjoying a night concert in the middle of town. A 30s something guy was performing by himself covers of popular tunes of everyone from Bob Dylan, to Dave Matthews to Oasis (everyone knows and loves Oasis in Europe). We sat for a good 20 minutes until we continued towards our hostel.



Later, we walked along the famous street which sells nothing but gold. On both sides of us were store upon store offering jewelry that would have made Danny Ocean's crew giddy.

About 5 minutes later, we came upon one of the coolest things I have seen in all of Europe. A Japanese college student, studying in Florence was on the ground creating a chalk-based rendering of the Mona Lisa. The work was utterly impressive. He said he had only been working on it since late that morning, and would actually have to completely erase it by sun-up to avoid getting into trouble with the Italian police. He wasn't doing this for money or fame; he was doing what he loved to do because he loved to do. And he was damn good.



I found myself walking away from the scene feeling upbeat and optimistic about life in general. It was a weird, but an undeniably good feeling.

It's Nice Knowing People In High Places...

When I was in Barcelona, I met a girl named Taylor who is a USD student currently studying in Rome. As soon as she heard I was going to Rome, she offered to show me around town. As soon as I heard her offer, I accepted.



We met at Piazza Venezia and took off from there to see the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. The Spanish Steps were fun, but I will let Let's Go describe them, as I found the following sentence one of the coolest from my entire guidebook:

Designed by an Italian, funded by the French, named for the Spainards, occupied by the British, and now under the sway of the American Ambassador-at-large Ronald McDonald, the Scalinata di Spagna exude internationalism.

On our way to Trevi Fountain, Taylor took me for gelato. This is where it came in handy knowing a someone familiar with the city. If I had searched for gelato, I would have probably stopped at the first cheap, decent-lookiing place I saw. Nope. Not with Taylor. She knew she was taking me to Della Palma. Somehow this place had evaded my guidebook. Shame on you, Let's Go. You'd think that a gelateria that serves ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY (yes, ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY) flavors would find its way onto a list of must-see places in Rome.

I want you to appreciate this place, so I have decided to post a picture of all of their flavors. (yes, ONE HUNRDRED AND FORTY)









They had a case dedicated to soy flavors. They had a case dedicated to mousse flavors. They had 2 cases dedicated to fruit flavors. They had a case dedicated chocolate flavors. They had ONE HUNRDRED AND FORTY flavors!

I knew it was going to take a while for me to deliberate as to what to order, so I apologized to my friend ahead of time, even before my mulling my options.

After careful thought, I decided to go with the following:

Chili Pepper Chocolate
Mango
Bailey's Irish Cream



25 minutes later, I went with the following:

Banana Split
Cappuccino Chip
Cocunut


We had intended to have gelato while sitting at Trevi Fountain, but um, the gelato didn't make it to Trevi Fountain.

Trevi Fountain is a really pretty, really cool place where a lot of money is wasted. The story goes that if you throw a coin into the fountain, you ensure a speedy return to Rome. Two coins yields your finding love in Rome. Money is tight for me these days, so I settled for a speedy return.



From there, we took to the streets of Rome. This was the first time I found myself apart from the touristy, heavily trafficked areas of the city, and it turned out I loved the neighborhoods just as much as I did the popular sites. The one thing that stood out to me was that Rome is a very green city. There are tall, lush trees all over the place, which is a nice change from virtually all other capital cities I have visited. The local streets have a warm vibe about them, and you can find friendly butchers doling out fresh off the bone meats and soft, rich cheeses to locals wherever you turn. In many ways, I found the local Roman streets very reminscent of an Autumn day in New York. Overall, Rome was arguably my favorite city in all of Europe (and yes, I often argue with myself).

After walking around the city, Taylor and I went to dinner at place I again would never have found without her. Located, next to her apartment, Mapi is a quaint, small, family-owned restaurant. When Taylor was welcomed with open arms as we walked through the door, I knew it was going to be a fantabulous meal. After ordering two pasta dishes, we chowed down on the best bread I have ever been served in a restaurant. It was soft, flaky and doughy foccaccia. They brought a lot to the table, but it didn't matter how much they brought - none would remain by the time the pastas arrived.

We decided to split two dishes: penne vodka and homemade pasta with tomatoes, tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. I'll let you ponder a guess how they tasted.




...Just another day in Paradise.

Visiting the House Maximus Built

I woke up early the next morning in hopes of beating the famously long lines to get into the Roman Colliseum, Forum and Palatine Hill. Fortunately, I received outstanding advice from the staff at Yellow Hostel, who told me that I should buy my ticket at the Forum and not the Colliseum. One ticket earns admittance into all three sites and you are allowed to buy a ticket at any of them. The Colliseum is the most famous of the three, and with most people not knowing the ins and outs of the process, the lines at the Colliseum are hours long. Instead, I waited in line at the Forum for about 5 minutes and later walked into the Colliseum without interference from annoying, loud, camera-toting tourists.



The Forum was really cool, especially because I was lucky enough to stumble upon a free walking tour shortly after arriving there. We heard stories of chariot races and emperors killing their brothers. You know, just the typical Roman affairs. The best story, however, answered the age-old question:

Why is it impossible to find a free public bathroom in Italy?

Back in The Day, the wealthy would have their servants wash their clothes. But at the time, the only disinfectant that existed happened to be urine. As a result, the workers would take the clothing to the bathrooms and urinate on them. Seeing a lucrative opportunity present itself, the emperors levied a bathroom tax within the entire country. Apparently Italy's economy hasn't improved much since then, so the policy has yet to be overturned.

Note: The above is not even close to being the craziest Italian bathroom fact. Look for a later of The Blog to hear that little nugget.








After the walking tour, I perused Palatine Hill, but didn't spend too much time exploring because I was so excited for the Colliseum. I made the walk across the street and entered the house Maximus built. I circled the rim of the arena, taking in the museum aspect of it. After about half an hour of examinig artifacts and admiring sculptures, it was time to step into the light. I had been told by my friend Brandon that seeing the Colliseum makes you want to see Gladiator, and quite frankly, he was right. I walked around, and finally sat down and just enjoyed the view for a while. I even imagined myself shackled to other slaves, while fending off tigers and potential slayers.







I would have stayed longer than I did, but it began to rain, which quelled my fantasy to the point that I was ready to go. Regardless, the Colliseum (both during the day and at night) was one of the coolest touristy sights I visited in Europe.