Cinque Terre and Venice

This is the hotel we stayed in while we were in Cinque Terre. There was a scooter parked next to it which was pretty typical, but I thought it looked cool with the flowers.

After breakfast this morning we walked around Monterosso since we didn’t do much of that yesterday. We walked along the beach and up a hill to get a view of Monterosso and the rest of the cities. There was a really cool statue on one of the buildings/hotels on the hill we walked up. It started to get stormy today so the sky was grayish and the sea was rough.

Although it was gray and hazy outside, the colors were still vibrant, the ocean especially. There was a huge rock out in the middle of the water that was split in two. It was really cool to see the waves crashing against it. As we were walking up to the older part of Monterosso it began to rain, and then it began to pour. Of course I brought my rain jacket on the trip, but I figured today would be just cool and not rainy so I packed it in my suitcase.

The rain didn’t let up so we took a detour into a souvenir shop. Brianna ended up getting a very cute bag in the shop and I got an umbrella. At the time it was pretty much a necessity, but it turned out to be a very good purchase. With umbrella in hand, we walked to the train station and went over to Vernazza. It was still raining pretty hard but we were mostly doing shopping today so we stayed pretty dry. My umbrella was great because I could keep my camera dry while taking pictures. It was a little bit difficult to hold the umbrella and frame the picture at the same time, but it worked.

The rain let up as we walked out towards the marina. There were a lot of brightly colored umbrellas at each of the restaurants and the tourist umbrellas blended right in. These cities are amazing! It is so cool to see all of the colors and the ocean and the vineyards. This is the view from the marina up the side of the mountain that we climbed yesterday. Up at the top is where we hiked to take the picture looking down on the city.

After walking around the marina for a while we went up into the city more and looked at a few shops. We then took the train back to Monterosso and walked around the older part of the city. There were some unique buildings there. One building was a church that was striped black and white. The thing that made even more interesting is that the stripes were rock, not painted. Inside the church everything was black and white too.

All of these cities had narrow quaint streets so every where we turned there was something cute. While we have seen a lot of scooters and motorcycles on this trip, we haven’t seen very many bikes until this spot today. There were quite a few of them all together.

These are some lemons they were selling in the streets. We saw a lot of lemon trees and a lot of lemons as we walked around.

After visiting old town we headed back to our car. We stopped for lunch at a café along the boardwalk. I decided to have another local specialty, Pesto. Pesto actually originated in the Cinque Terre area. It was delicious!

After we ate lunch we started the drive to Venice. I stayed awake to see the beautiful views of Cinque Terre as we drove up and out. The rest of the long drive though I slept. When we arrived just outside Venice, we parked the car and then had to take a boat to get into the city. It was pretty late when we arrived so it was dark. A lot of the pictures didn’t turn out, but I did get a few. Venice is gorgeous at night, but there isn’t much going on.

After we got to the hotel we decided we were hungry (considering we hadn’t eaten since 1:30 and it was about 10:30), so we set off to find an open food place. This ended up not working out too well for us. Nearly everything was closed or closing. We did get to see some beautiful streets and canals though.

Cinque Terre

We woke up quite early (6:00) and checked out of our hotel, rented a car and headed out of Rome. Renting the car took a little while, and so did driving out of Rome. We took a wrong turn somewhere which took us to the center of the city rather than outside so by the time we got out it had taken about 2 hours. But, then we were on our way.

We took a scenic view through Tuscany. There were quaint houses and villages all along the way. Brianna and I slept for some of the ride and apparently we missed all the good stuff. As we neared our destination, we began to see clumps of brightly colored houses amidst trees, rocks and cliffs. It was incredible to see these buildings and churches with tall steeples in the middle of nowhere with steep cliffs and rocks surrounding them. As we wound through the mountain villages a spectacular view opened up of a colorful city along the coast, Monterosso, the first of the 5 cities in Cinque (Five) Terre (cites). It was beautiful!

We continued to wind down and up and back down the mountain until we finally came to the city. We were able to drive up to our hotel which was in a cute blue building. We checked in, put our bags in our room and rested for a little bit before we went back out into the city.

At the suggestion of our excellent hotel receptionist we first took the train from Monterosso (where we were staying) to the end city, Riomaggiore. All five of the cities are along the coast and built right into the cliffs. They are tall colored buildings which are so cute and quaint. We started our tour of Riomaggiore by walking up the hill to the city. There were cute shops and restaurants as we walked up, including fresh fruit stands. The fruits were varied and looked delicious! When we came back down we decided to go to the marina, which turned out to be a great idea.

The marina was filled with bright blue boats, bold orange safety rings and buoys. The view from the marina was incredible as well. We could see the waves crashing up against the dark rocks and most of the amazing city. The way the light was hitting the buildings and the boats made the colors even more vibrant.

After exploring the marina we took a hike (more like a paved walkway) called “Via dell’ Amore” from Riomaggiore to Manarola, the next city over. This was supposed to be the easiest hike from one city to another, and it definitely was. The sun was shining brightly on us so we decided to beat the heat with a delicious icy lemonade made with real lemons, probably grown locally.

We made it to Manarola and again explored the city. While it was similar to the other, it was different enough that we had a really fun time walking around. We made it to the top of the city and saw the bell tower and chapel. From there we took a hike (and this was more of a hike than the other) around the vineyards and down to the cemetery. The vineyards in all of the cities are impressive. They are terraced and extend most of the way up the mountain. They grow grapes as well as other fruits, such as limes, lemons, and oranges, as well as olives.

It took us longer than we expected to reach the cemetery, but the view was well worth it. The cemetery was interesting as it was just locked boxes above ground. Many people attached flowers and pictures to the side of the box. It looked a little bit like decorated lockers. The great view though was looking back at the city. We could see all of the city plus its marina and the cliffs and rocks where the waves hit. Up close the buildings are cute, but the combinations of colors aren’t the most pleasing. When you look at the city as a whole however it is absolutely stunning.

We walked back to the city after visiting the cemetery. While we waited for the next train to come we ate a local specialty, Focaccia bread. The kind I had was cheese focaccia. It was delicious! Nearly every food shop or restaurant in Cinque Terra sold focaccia, and it’s no surprise because it is wonderful!

After eating the Focaccia we took the train from Manarola to Vernazza, two cities over. It was supposed to have one of the best views. It was nearing dusk, so we headed up the hill toward Monterosso. This was quite a hike. If we didn’t know the view would be do beautiful we might not have done it. The sun was setting and the light was hitting the city beautifully. The colors were astounding and the bay and marina were beautiful. I don’t think we could have picked a much better time or day.

While we were taking pictures a couple girls were coming down from a little higher up and said the view from up there was even better. So, Dad and I took another hike up. At this point I was pretty tired and wimpy, but we got far enough we decided we just needed to get there. The view was awesome. We could see almost the entire mountain and the city nestled in it, although I was a little too tired to enjoy it. After we took a few pictures we rushed back down the mountain in order to make the next train to Monterosso.

When we arrived back in Monterosso we walked around for a little bit and waited until it was dark enough that we could see the lights from the four other cities along the edge of the water. It is amazing how far you can see, even though it was a little foggy. Naturally, we had some gelato and sat along the beach while we watched the sun go down. This time I had Biscotti and raspberry. It was delicious. The biscotti is one of my favorite flavors so far. Other flavors I tried tonight, compliments of Brianna and my dad, included Kiwi and strawberry.

We walked back to the hotel after enjoying the gelato in order to rest and shower. Today was one of my favorite days thus far in our vacation. I may say that later on, but thus far, today was the best.

Roma - Day 2

Today we started out a little bit late since we were all tired from traveling the day before. We still made it out to the Colosseum by 10:00 am. We took the metro and ended up right next to the Colosseum. It was huge! I was amazed at how large it was and all of the different levels and rooms and pathways it had. It was amazing to see the columns close up and all of the walls with plants growing out of them. Outside the Colosseum there were people dressed up as Roman soldiers which added to the experience somewhat.

After visiting the Colosseum we went to the Forum. This is an area where they have a bunch of arches and pillars that have been uncovered. It was incredible to see the different structures and how intact most of them still were. This used to be the heart of Rome. There were a wide variety of buildings, churches and gardens. There was actually a grove of orange trees there along with some palm trees which made the area seem very tropical. There were poppies all over, growing up between rocks and in fields. They made everything seem even more beautiful.

After the Forum we went to the Vatican City. We walked through the Sistine Chapel and the museum before it. The artwork that adorns the walls and ceilings is unbelievable! There is so much detail and ornamentation. While the chapel itself was beautiful, the many rooms leading up to it had artwork that was more stunning to me. A lot of the paintings on the ceilings was meant to look like molding with artwork inside. After looking at it for a little bit you could figure out that it was painted rather than real, however it was extremely well done.

The thing that impressed me the most about the Sistine Chapel was the size. Every inch of the wall and ceiling seemed to be painted with ornate murals. In any room that would be awesome to see, but the chapel ceiling is 68 feet high! I can’t even imagine trying to paint on that!

We walked out of the chapel and into St. Peters Basilica. Words cannot even describe this building. It is full of statues and paintings and gold plated ornamentation. The chapels are exquisite! I don’t know how I would focus on a meeting in this place. The whole thing is rather overwhelming. Every inch of the building is decorated in some way. There are huge Corinthian and Ionic stone pillars with very detailed designs.

From the Basilica we walked into St. Peter’s square. We actually saw it earlier this morning but the Pope was visiting at the same time so it was extremely crowded and we decided to come back later. The whole thing is incredible to see. The “walls” of huge pillars surrounding the square was one of my favorite parts. It was simple yet stunning.

The walk from the Vatican City to the Pantheon was quite scenic. We shopped for souvenirs and ate more Gelato. Our flavors this time were: Pineapple, Mango, Chocolate, Banana, Strawberry, and Melon. Pretty normal flavors, but very delicious. By this time our feet were getting sore so we had to get some gelato in us to give us more energy for the rest of the walk. Along the way we walked down quite a few alleys with brightly colored walls and flowers hanging over the balconies. It seemed like every where we turned there was something to take a picture of.

Just before we got to the Pantheon we stopped in Piazza Navona. This seemed to be the area where all the local artists displayed and sold their work. If I had tons of money and a way to get it home I would have bought one of the large oil paintings. I couldn’t believe how gorgeous some of them were! The colors were so vivid and the landscapes and cityscapes in the paintings were beautiful.

When we visited the Pantheon today we went inside (it was closed last night). It was similar in nature to St. Peter’s Basilica, although not nearly as ornate. It was still very interesting though. The thing that caught my attention was the large opening at the top of the dome. It let in light for the building, but if it rained, it seems like the marble floor would have been a little slippery.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the Trevi fountain again for enough time that Brianna and I threw in a coin and made a wish. I’d tell you what I wished for, but then it wouldn’t come true! We also bought a couple scarves and ties at the vendor by Pinocchio.

We ate dinner at the Termini (the central metro and train station). I had a delicious pasta with some sort of red sauce, much like a typical spaghetti sauce. It was so good, but I was pretty tired so I’m sure just about anything would have tasted good. We walked around a couple shops and then headed back to the Hotel for rest and relaxation. We saw quite a bit today and definitely did a lot of walking, about 2953 steps to be exact.

Roma!

We finally made it to Rome at about 6:30 PM, Italy time. Somewhere we pretty much missed all of Tuesday, but we made up for it with the activities of the night. We took the train from the airport to the center of the Rome train lines. We then walked about 746 meters (thank you dad :) to Hotel Sonya. We are on the third floor looking over an opera house, Teatro dell’ Opera.

After checking into the hotel we walked along the gorgeously lit streets of Rome to the Fontana di Trevi. It was just about dusk when we got there and it was beautiful! It was pretty crowded with lots of people trying to distract you and get money. Some of them were even handing out roses. We walked around the fountain for a bit and then got some pizza and walked to the Pantheon.

By this time it was completely dark, but the streets were very well lit. There were a lot of quaint restaurants along the street, countless Gelato shops, pizzerias, and endless shoe and bag shops. The Pantheon was very stunning, especially considering how old it is. It was amazing to see the “new” buildings mixed in with the really old buildings. This city has so much history! Everywhere we turned it seemed like there was some building with incredible architecture.

Nearly all the buildings had ornate Corinthian columns or various pediments. Some were half circles, others triangles, and some were just flowery and decorative. The walls are all a unique color—I’m sure we’ll see that more tomorrow when it is light—and the streets have a lot of personality.

Driving in Rome is supposedly very crazy and most people suggest you don't do it. Well, this intersection would prove that theory. It is probably about 2-3 lanes wide on each side of the road, there are about 5 different roads, no traffic lights, no stop signs and no lines painted on the road. You just go. It was crazy to watch! The picture doesn't do it justice obviously, but it was extremely chaotic.



While we were walking from the Trevi Fountain to the Pantheon we saw Pinoccio so we decided to stop and take a picture. There was also a shop close by that had ties and scarves for a really good deal.

After we visited the Trevi fountain and the Pantheon we walked around and just looked at buildings for a while and then… we got gelato. For those of you who think gelato can’t be much better than regular ice cream—think again. It was amazing! We tried four different flavors: hazelnut, chocolate fondetta, chocolate cream, and cinnamon. Everyone tasted all of them, but Brianna and I shared the bowl with hazelnut and chocolate fondetta. It was divine! The chocolate fondetta had such a rich flavor and when it was mixed with the hazelnut it tasted like Ferrero Rocher. Mmmmm… delicious! As we finished eating our gelato we walked back to the Hotel and now I am posting this to the blog. What a day!

On my way!

So I’m guessing you probably don’t want to hear about going through security and the flight, but I have nothing better to do while I sit in the airport… so I figured I may as well write about it.

I am pretty much a security problem. When we went through security at SLC they had to call a supervisor to look at my passport because it had some suspicious spots on it. Yep, it’s a counterfeit passport. Ok, not really, but they thought so. So, once we made it through security there we got on a small plane that took us to LAX.

Going through security in LA my suitcase had to be checked twice. Fortunately though, I made it through just fine. We had a four hour layover (about 45 minutes to an hour was spent getting to our next gate). We watched the first part of Cranford, a BBC special a lady in our ward let us borrow. It was pretty good. We boarded the plane, a Boeing 777. It was quite a contrast to the tiny plane we were on before. There were 9 seats in each row rather than two, and I would have loved to have flown first class. The seats there were amazing! But, coach wasn’t terrible.

We were on the plane for 10 hours so they provided a dinner and breakfast. For dinner we had our choice of salmon or chicken. It was no ice cold fish head served with a turnip and a spork. It was a delicious, hot meal complete with cheesecake for dessert. Probably the best airplane meal I have had. After they served dinner they gave everyone a little packet that included everything you need for a quiet, dark, “comfortable” sleep.

While it was nice to have earplugs and such, I still had a hard time sleeping. But, when I woke up we had a delightful breakfast, so that helped. About an hour after breakfast we landed in Paris. Oh, the flight attendants all spoke mostly French (as we were flying Air France) so they didn’t seem to appreciate our speaking to them in English. Unfortunately I didn’t brush up on anything French for this trip.

In Paris, we had to go through security yet again. And yes, you guessed it, I caused a delay. Everything went through fine, or so I thought. After I got everything off the x-ray belt they wanted to search my suitcase. So I had to open all the pockets on the suitcase so they could examine what was inside. Then they ran a cloth over everything and tested that. Fortunately they didn’t find anything explosive or flammable or the like.

Fortunately we are through all the security checkpoints for today—who knows what the way home will be like. The only thing I have to worry about now is customs… hopefully they let me through… but until then I have about 45 minutes until we start boarding the plane to Rome. Normally I don't like pictures from the airplane window, but it was a really cool view as we came into Paris, so I thought I would take one anyway. Ciao!