the adventure begins. August 19, 2012

August 16^th, 3:45 pm

Robin boarded her flight and made her way out of Italy and back home to Berkeley early this morning. Noah and I have once again repacked our backpacks which are becoming an obsession at this point, and are waiting for our train out of Rome. We are taking an overnight Ferry to Barcelona, where we will stay in a room in a renter’s house for a few days, taking in the Spanish lifestyle and actually being able to speak the language, before we begin the Camino de Santiago. The camino or “the way” is a historically religious pilgrimage beginning from the South of France at Pied de Port, and ending 500 kilometers away at Santiago de Compostela. We are hiking about 200 km, from Ponferadda, Spain to the end estimating about 10-12 days of walking.

It will be a hard journey, hiking in the summer heat, staying in hostels and any available rooms along the way, carrying everything we need right on our backs for about two weeks. I am very excited about it though, I have done lots of day hikes but nothing like this AND it will be in such a beautiful place along such a meaningful and historical path.

I feel I have already seen so much in such a short time, but I am ready to make my own expedition without tourists and tickets and the city hustle and bustle. These past few weeks have only marked the very beginning of my extraordinary adventure! Yee!

Rrrroma!

August 13, 2012

Rome, Italy.

It’s a beautiful and romantic place, almost a different era in time as soon as you arrive in Termini station. There is the hustle and bustle of tourists but it’s so easy to look right past them. You are surrounded by history and the lives of those before you. It is a very humbling experience, knowing you are so small, so insignificant in your little life; statues 20 times the size of any human guarding the streets, immensely and breathtakingly large buildings engulf your view in every direction.

Churches built in 65 AD, its not something so easy for an American to grasp. This entire city is filled with the past and we lucky, rich tourists are able to see a flash, a momentary glimpse, of what things were like and how they still could be.

The piazzas, grandiose meeting places are still in full effect, a great place to relax by the fountain and enjoy a refreshing beverage or snack. Some things are timeless.

It started raining. We just arrived back at our apartment after a full tour of the Coliseum, Forum, Basilica Church and the city center piazza to siesta before venturing out for an evening adventure. There was barely a cloud in the sky, full 90 degree heat as usual, then BAM. Rain, thunder, lightning, and even hail, the works. Luckily I remembered our laundry hanging on the lines set up outside our window so they wouldn’t be inevitably soaked. Laundry is definitely a luxury item and all of my clothes fit in one load on this trip.

I don’t know what this evening holds, the rain is unrelentless and threatening with constant rumbles of thunder. The question is though, will we still be able to get gelato tonight?

 

So, these photos include the big events; the coliseum, the roman forum (ancient ruins right outside of the coliseum), the Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica (located right next to/attached to the Vatican), the Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain.

 

Atencion!

So this is a quick update, just finishing up my trip about Sperlonga.

I had a wonderful birthday and I want to thank everyone for the various forms of birthday messages via the internet, it was wonderful to hear from all of you!

I woke in the sweltering loft of our little studio as usual, but this time, our harmless but nonetheless strange neighbor and Sperlonga native, Francesco, had left a paper bag of morning treats for us! He felt that because us “Americans only eat McDonald’s” that we needed a REAL taste of Sperlonga and dropped them right at our doorstep. We cut these croissants (the typical Italian breakfast is a pastry and espresso) to accompany some eggs and fresh fruit for an amazing birthday breakfast!

The rest of the day was spectacular as well, swam in the velvety goodness of the Mediterranean all day and had a wonderful dinner (our first one out so far) with Noah’s sister in-law and family and friends, all of whom were staying very close-by.

The rest of the trip was great, finding ways to stay out of the sun by going to local cafés, getting used to the mid-day siesta and trying to keep up with the locals and their nocturnal lifestyle. We soon headed to Rome by train, and were greeted by so many luxuries in our new apartment; AIR-CONDITIONING, a bedroom with a door, a bathtub with a full shower, a washing machine, and a kitchen that more than one person could fit in, and a television (only which was used to watch music videos). Not that our studio in Sperlonga was ill-fitting in any way, I actually loved everything about it and it’s quaint charm, but it was nice to have these indulgences in 100 degree weather.

It’s interesting to go from Sperlonga to Rome because in a sense its backwards in the form vacationing; during this time in Italy, all natives have gone on holiday for the entire month of August, most likely to beaches and vacation spots such as Sperlonga, and all tourists infiltrate the cities for sight-seeing. So in our new spot, it has an almost eerie apocalyptic feel due to the lack of inhabitants and all the local businesses shut for miles around. But once you enter the city center and historical sights, you are in no lack of humanity. They are FILLED with people from all parts of the world, to come and gawk at this city’s wonder and history which can still be seen today. I even overheard two different Americans, NOT including myself who had the same silly revelation as I, that there were so many people it was “just like Disneyland”!

We definitely partook in these actions and saw almost all of “National Geographic’s Top 10 Sites to See in Rome” including the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, and the Trevi Fountain to name a few. They were absolutely breathtaking and worth the ruthless early mornings and buses and miles of walking and lines, absolutely! I am so lucky to be here, experiencing such  truly awe-some sites.

Arrivederci for now!

Entry Uno! August 5, 2012

August 5, 2012 1:44 pm

Entry Uno

After continuing the past four summer’s tradition and spending ten wonderful and sticky days in Sandwich, Massachusetts with Noah’s family, I have finally departed the safety and familiarity of my home country and have now arrived in Italy, marking the actual beginning of my journey! My boyfriend Noah and I are staying in a cute little studio apartment with Noah’s generous older sister, Robin, right in the heart of the piazza of Sperlonga, which is a beach town about an hour outside of Rome. We only arrived with our backpacks which we are taking around Europe and South East Asia and are learning how heavy they really are, even after the much trimming and pruning that has occurred throughout our planning stages for our trip.

Sperlonga is everything you might imagine a Euro beach town to be and so much more. It’s at least 95 degrees all day/night long, so any time is the best time to hit the water, which is amazingly warm as well. I have to say it is one of the most beautiful spots I have ever witnessed; the old castle buildings overlooking the turquoise and crystal clear Mediterranean, dotted with beach goers and perfectly lined umbrellas on the whitest, softest sand you can imagine. Everyone is extremely tan and beautiful no matter how much gelato is eaten (which is everywhere)! We have a tiny kitchen which we have already made many gastronomical creations, usually involving pasta, fresh fish, basil, and of course, drinking lots of wine. We live directly above a little market where we are constantly buying fresh fruit and veggies to add to our meals and snacks. I have tried very hard to pick up on the Italian phrases to fit in a little (my auburn hair and extremely pale skin are dead giveaways that I’m not from around those parts), but its to no avail, most merchants sort of chuckle when I open my mouth and either correct me or speak to me in the little English they know. We have also realized that it is not particularly a good idea to speak in Spanish to Italians, even though to our unsophisticated ears it sounds very similar, no one has shown any particular appreciation to our efforts.

Little shops, gelatarios, and cafés (many of which only serve alcohol and desserts, what an idea!), litter the tiny walk ways in the castle region, where we are staying, and close-up shop for siesta every day from about 1-5 pm and proceeding to stay open until about 1 am, including the clothing shops. The night life out here seems to be what its all about; families and friends sitting down to dinner at 10:30 in the evening, and music and hanging out until at least 3 am (I only know this because our studio is right in the middle of the piazza and we can hear everyone’s festivities as if they were in our own room). One of these nights I’ll join in, but I’m definitely still fighting the jet lag. Matter of fact, its time for my own siesta!

*hopefully these photos have captured the beauty that Sperlonga is! They are from the plane ride to Italy and our few days in Sperlonga so far.

 

Testing.. July 16, 2012

Hello everyone!

I will begin to write in this blog once I embark on my travels around the world, beginning August 1st.  I will be traveling through Europe for two months beginning in Sperlonga, Italy, a few weeks on the Camino De Santiago in Spain, Hungary, Greece and then heading over to South East Asia, including Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. I will be posting photos and videos accompanied by my narration and thoughts of my experiences. I hope that it will keep you all informed, entertained, and intrigued by my adventures! Take care and I’ll start posting soon!