Family Visit: Day 4

Ciao Tutti,

We woke up very early on Friday morning (around 5:30 AM) and caught a taxi to the Rome train station, Stazione Termini.  From there, we caught a 6:45 AM bullet train to Venice.  We all slept a lot on the train and Matt loved the whole concept of the bullet train.

We arrived in Venice at around 10:45 AM and were greeted by long lines for the vaporetto station (ferry station).  Since there are no subways and no cars in Venice, this was the best way to get around.  We decided to walk down to the next vaporetto stop and catch the boat from there.  My brother and Dad saw a part of Venice we did not see when we were there seven years ago.  We eventually hopped on a ferry boat and saw the most famous bridge in Venice, Rialto Bridge, before getting off at Piazza San Marco, the most famous piazza in the world.

We then found the hotel we stayed at last time we were in Venice, but more on that later.  We were absolutely famished after our journey, so we went to the restaurant I went to last time in Venice with my friends, Vini di Pinto.  I had the same thing I had the previous time, gnocchi, and it did not disappoint.  I love the restaurant because the waiters are hilarious. 

After our meal, we went back to the hotel we stayed at seven years ago and caught a gondola ride from the dock next to the hotel.  My brother, Matt, ran into one of the kids he played baseball with in the fall the bridge by our old hotel.  Talk about a small world!  Back to the story, we decided to use that specific gondola dock because they gave us a great tour of historical Venice last time including Mozart's house.  They did the same thing this time and we had a great time!

Mozart's House

After our gondola ride, we grabbed a gelato in Saint Marks Square.  Then we headed for Murano to see the glass blowing demonstrations.  We made it to Murano in time for the last demonstration of the day, it would have stunk if we did not make it!  Afterwards, we walked around Murano for a bit and I bought Matt a pair of souvenir glass dice.

After Murano, we headed back to the train station and headed for Florence.  We caught a bullet train again, but this time it was actually cheaper for us to buy first class tickets instead of second class tickets.  Trenitalia has discounts based on seat availability and the discount was sold out of second class, but the base rate for the second class was higher than the discounted first class fare.  We were not complaining!  We got free soda, snacks, and candy!

We arrived in Florence at around 9:30 PM and walked towards the Duomo in search of something to eat. 

The problem with Florence is that it is so small.  Everything is in a touristy area, thus everything is going to cost a lot.  That being said, we were able to find a rather economical hostaria about a block from the Duomo.  It wasn't that bad, either!  I had gnocchi again because the first thing I ordered was not in stock.

Then, we took a taxi to our bed and breakfast, Leone X.  Because it was so late, they left our key at another hotel and we had to get it.  The directions they gave us to the hotel were pretty poor, but we eventually found it.  The room was nice - a king bed and a small cot.  We fell asleep right away after traveling to three different cities in one day!

Ciao,
Michael

Family Visit: Day 3

Ciao Tutti,

Thursday was my last full day in Rome with my Dad and brother.  We made the best of it, though, as we booked a tour to see the Colosseum, Palentine Hill, and the Roman Forum.  We started off the day with breakfast on our hotel's rooftop terrace.  Then, we caught a taxi to our tour's meeting point near the Colosseum.

I booked a tour with Dark Rome tours because they received great reviews on TripAdvisor.com, but was very disappointed with the quality of the tour.  That, however, did not detract from how amazing the sites we saw were.

We started off by going into the Colosseum.  It was my first time in the Colosseum since I arrived in Rome at the end of January.  It was a long wait, but was so worth it.  We learned a great deal about how the Colosseum worked and where everyone sat (rich people in the front, ordinary people in the middle, and women in the nosebleeds).  We also climbed up to the middle level of the Colosseum which provided a great view of the interior of the "performance area."  We saw where the elevators were and how they worked.  It was a very informative tour.

After posing for a few pictures, we headed over to the Palentine Hill.  I didn't know anything whatsoever about the Palentine Hill prior to the tour, so it was nice to learn so much information.  Palentine Hill was essentially where the city of Rome was founded and where the Emperors of Rome resided.

After the Palentine Hill, we took a very quick tour of the Roman Forum.  Our tour guide showed us the path that war heroes and other important people took when they were on their way to meet the Emperor.

By this point, we were all absolutely exhausted and decided to go to our favorite restaurant, Monte Carlo, for lunch.  After lunch, we grabbed a gelato and I headed off to take an Italian exam.  While I was taking my exam, my Dad and brother took a hop-on, hop-off bus around Rome.  Matt was able to enjoy Rome from a different perspective.

After my exam, I met my family back at my hotel and we went up to see the view from the actual roof of the hotel.  It was pretty cool and you could see the top of the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica.  Then, we took a taxi to the Trevi Fountain to see the Trevi Fountain at night.  We walked back towards my apartment from the Trevi Fountain and went back to Antica Taverna for dinner.

Ciao,
Michael

Family Visit: Day 2

Ciao Tutti,

Wednesday was a bit of a more "relaxed" day.  I decided to skip all of my classes and take a tour of the Vatican (again) with my Dad and Matt.  We woke up at around 9:00 AM and went to our hotel's complimentary breakfast.  It was actually pretty good and had a wide selection of pastries, yogurt, and cereal.  The American coffee wasn't very good, but most hotels and caffes over here somehow figure out a way to screw it up.

Our tour met at the tour operator's office at 10:45 AM.  We decided to take the same tour of the Vatican that I took a month or so ago.  We had a different tour guide, but she was still very good.   We decided to only pay for a tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel because I now know enough about Saint Peters to give the "short attention span tour" that my brother wanted.

At around 11:00 AM, we left and cut the surprisingly short line to the Vatican Museum.  We first saw a great view of the backside of the dome.

Then, our tour guide took us into the Belvedere Courtyard and gave us an overview of what we would see in the Sistine Chapel.  My Dad said it was worth the cost of the tour just to hear that.  I was also able to add some information I learned from my previous tour and my classes that the tour guide did not go over.  It was like my family got three tour guides instead of one.  After, we went and saw the Belvedere Torso and other famous artworks before finally ending the tour in the Sistine Chapel.  It was absolutely beautiful and I am happy I had the chance to see it twice while I am over here.

After our tour, we went to Saint Peter's Basilica and I gave my Dad and brother the "short attention span tour" they wanted.  We spent about 30 minutes in the Basilica and saw pretty much everything.  The only problem was that most of the alter area wasn't accessible because the church was set up for Holy Week masses.  They were able to see the Pieta by Michelangelo among other things, though.

After that, we went to lunch at a place very close to my apartment that I've wanted to try forever - Antica Taverna.  It was really good.  Matt loved it because they had bread and oil - something he was looking forward to having.

Then, we climbed the Castel Sant'Angelo which was nice because it is the one monument that I see every day.  It also had great views of Rome.  I was able to give them a tour of the castle/fort as I had a field study there early in the semester.  I think my brother was impressed by my knowledge.

After the Castel Sant'Angelo, we went to the Pantheon and it wasn't closing this time.  I gave my Dad and brother a quick tour of it and we sat down to relax for a bit.  Then, we went to see the Chiesa del Gesu which has an absolutely beautifully painted ceiling.  There was a mass going on, so we couldn't walk all the way around but I think my Dad and brother were impressed.

Then, we sat on the steps of the church and talked for a bit before eventually heading to Piazza Navona to listen to the musicians and look at the paintings for a bit.

After, we went to dinner at "Da Tonino" which is another restaurant close to my apartment.  Then, we went back to our hotel and collapsed.

Ciao,
Michael

ROMEing Around Rome

Ciao Tutti,

Yesterday, I had three of my classes. I got my final midterm exam back and did very well. This was the first one I took and the one I found the hardest. I was quite relieved to see that my teacher graded easily. The other two classes were relatively uneventful.


It is absolutely gorgeous in Rome this week. After my classes, I decided to take a bit of a walk to get money out of the ATM and enjoy the weather. My stroll took me by a few churches and I decided that I should pop inside and take a look. They were absolutely beautiful inside and one of them had a Caravsggio exhibit - one of my friends told me that he was a big deal.

I also stumbled upon the Pantheon....again. I went inside....again, because Im beginning to realize that I will not be here forever and should take advantage of the things I take for granted.

 After the Pantheon, I went to a place that one of my friends told me had the best coffee in Rome - Cafe Sant'Eustacio. It did not disappoint as it did not taste like an espresso.


Last night, I cooked. I know that may shock most of you as normally my idea of cooking is microwaving some frozen food, but wait until you read thenext sentence. It tasted phenomenal. I'm still alive, too, which means I didn't poison myself.

I'm now on the train to the airport to pick up my Dad and brother, Matt.


Arrivaderci,
Mike

London

Ciao Tutti,
I wrote this while I was on the plane back from London. It was not a bad flight - only 1 hour and 55 minutes. It definitely beats the 20 hour bus ride that my fellow travelers on Bus2Alps had back to Rome from Paris!

I arrived in London late on Saturday night and took a taxi to my hostel. The taxi was so cool - a very old looking black car that was not old at all. The ride to my hostel lasted less than five minutes.

My hostel was an old courthouse that was converted into a hostel. It was a very cool concept. I did not, but you could have paid extra for a room inside an old jail cell. The Internet cafe was in an old courtroom that still had all the traditional courtroom furniture. You could literally access the Internet from the judge's stand! Another courtroom was converted into a movie theater. It was really cool!

Computer Lab

I love that quote

My Bed

My Hostel

 On Sunday morning, I woke up early and walked back to Kings Cross Station where the inner nerd in me came out! I found Platform 9 3/4 and took my picture with a cart going through the wall. For those of you who aren't complete dorks like me, Platform 9 3/4 is the entranceway that all the kids take to get onto the Hogwarts Express in all the Harry Potter books.

 

Afterwards, I started to walk back to my hostel when I saw something that made me feel like i was back home in New York - a Starbucks next to a Pret A Manger next to a McDonalds across the street from a KFC and a Subway Sandwich Shop. I went into Pret to grab a breakfast sandwich before heading back to my hostel to meet my Dad's cousin, David.

I love Capitalism

Prior to this Sunday morning I had never met David or his wife, Joan. When I decided to come to London my Dad asked them to give me the grand tour of London, the city they've lived in or around for pretty much their whole lives.

I met up with David first and we walked down to the Covent Gardens - a shopping area that used to be an fruit and vegetable market. It was in the middle of London's theater district, so it was quite a busy place. We then walked down to a Starbucks for a cup of coffee and to wait for Joan to meet up with us.

 When Joan met up with us we headed for a hop-on, hop-off tour bus they arranged for me. Since my time in London was so limited, they felt that was the best way to see London. We saw Big Ben, the House of Parliament, the London Eye, the London Tower, the London Tower Bridge, London Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, Baker Street, Hyde Park, and many other places that I can't remember.

St. Paul's Cathedral

London Tower Bridge

One of the towers on London Tower Bridge

London Tower

Big Ben

The London Eye

A pretty cool picture of Big Ben and the London Eye

There are so many beautiful parks in London

After our bus tour, we took a boat cruise from the London Tower to Big Ben. I took the cliche picture in front of Big Ben and another inside of a Telephone Booth.

David and I in front of the London Eye

David and I in front of Big Ben

Joan and I and a London Phone Booth

 
On our way back to my hostel to get my bags we stopped in an English pub to chst for a bit over a beer, or in my case a soda. After grabbing my bags, David and Joan took me to their house in the suburbs for the night. We went out to another English pub to grab a bite to eat and I tried steak and ale pie. It was really good!


After dinner we went back to Joan and David's house for a cup of tea and some cake. We took a look at some pictures from our family reunion a few years ago which was pretty cool. Then, we all went to bed and I "crashed out" or quickly fell asleep. This morning, David took me for a quick tour of his town - Epsom. It is the home of the world famous Epsom Salts and the well known Epsom Derby. David showed me where the Derby takes place and also took me to a lookout that had extraordinary views of London. The town itself was gorgeous and it had a small downtown area with everything you need.

The Derby Grounds

When we got back to the house, Joan cooked us a full English breakfast with coffee, eggs, mushrooms, pasta, bacon, sausages, and toast. It was great! After breakfast, we drove around the English countryside. We saw a castle, but couldn't go in it because they were filming a movie called "Jack and the Giant Killer." The castle was owned by King Henry VIII - the king that had six wives, beheaded a few of them, and broke England away from the Catholic church because the Pope refused to grant him any additional divorces.  Then, we drove part of the route of the Olympic cycling race next summer. It looks tough! We also drove up Box Hill which is part of the race course and it had awesome views of the English countryside.

View from Box Hill

View from Box Hill

After this, we went to one more English pub to chat before going to Gatwick Airport.  When I arrived at Gatwick, Easyjet's computers had crashed and they had to check everyone in by hand! It was chaos, but the computers were back up after about a half hour. Then, I said bye to David and Joan and sprinted to my gate.

I absolutely loved London. After seeing Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris it was very clear why we get along so well with the British. The British are more similar to the US than to any other country in Europe. We have the same ideals and very similar tastes. I felt like I was back home. I would not say I was homesick, but a trip to a city that spoke English and was familiar to me was definitely welcomed! I definitely need to come back to London. There is so much to do and I barely scratched the surface! Next summer? I think yes.

My hosts, Joan and David, were great. It was so nice to meet family members I had never met before and they were so nice and welcoming. They made my visit to London even more enjoyable than I could have imagined!

I'm back to Rome now where I have three days of classes before heading to Venice this weekend with my school! Not too bad, is it?

I'll update soon. I need to upload pictures once I get back to my apartment and have a decent Internet connection for the first time in 12 days.

Thanks for reading!

Mike