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Published: August 16th 2008
Day 1 Florence, Aug. 13, 2008
When getting off the train I followed the hostel’s directions and found it easily. The hostel’s location was great because it was near the train station, a huge market, and 5-10min from all the sites in Florence. When checking into the hostel I was pleasantly surprised to find it was clean..the rooms were 2 levels and it had free WiFi (a big plus). My room was on the lower floor and I had a bed next to a window that overlooked Florence. The window was huge and when opened it gave great views and a refreshing breeze. The WiFi worked but not as well I would’ve hoped.
When checking in I met a girl named Alana from New Zealand, she was 6ft 1in tall and was traveling alone also. We both decided to travel together while we were in Florence and we both left the hostel together to check out some sites. First we checked out a church called Chiesa Di Santa Maria Novella which is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of the early Renaissance. Since Alana was wearing a tank top and it was a church Alana had to wear a
The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore
My friend Alana and I climbed to the top of the tower (441 steps) to get an spectacular view of Florencepaper bib that resembled a nightgown given to people in hospitals. Supposedly when Donatello saw this church he was so impressed he dropped his bag of eggs he was carrying. Alana and I decided to check out the views of Florence by climbing up 441 steps to the top of the church’s bell tower.
An employee at the hostel mentioned there was a beautiful park at the edge of the city by the Arno River. We both agreed we were tired of checking out churches and art and we wanted to do a little nature walk/hike. We climbed up windy hills and reached the top and a beautiful park rewarded us for our trek, so we stopped and had a little picnic.
After this we climbed down and headed to all the jewelry shops along the Arno River Bridge. There were at least 75 jewelry shops selling gold, white gold, and precious jewels. In hopes of finding something for a special somebody I checked out numerous shops, but I was unable to find something I absolutely knew she would like. After this we checked out Chiesa Di Santa Croce. This is where Galileo, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo are buried.
Tired from walking and climbing hills/steps we decided to pack it in early because we were going to check out the Leaning Tower of Pisa the next day.
Day 2 Florence, Aug 12, 2008
The next day Alana, myself, and a girl from Australia went to Pisa which was only a 1 hr train ride from Florence. We arrived in Pisa and went to directly to the leaning tower. The Leaning Tower of Pisa (built in 1173) sinks 1-2m per year and began sinking due to the soil beneath suddenly collapsing. We did not climb up the steps but got our share of touristy shots.
We headed back to the train station to go back to Florence so we could check out the “free market” where thousands of leather goods and jewelry are sold. We were in a rush to make a train and the Aussie told us she saw train #4 was going to Venice. It was about to leave so Alana and I trusted her and jumped on the train….BAD idea. The train was actually going to Rome and we had to wait an hour to get off at a stop so we could get
Mmmm pastries on the train, lol
Enjoying chocolate pastries on the train heading to Pisa onto the correct train. So I had to pay an extra 11 Euros and lose 2 ½ hrs of time…I wasn’t a happy camper to say the least.
We got back to Rome around 5pm and headed to the free market where I once again was looking for gifts but I could not find anything worthy. Back to the hostel I went and met up with my Australian roommates who asked if I wanted to go drinking with them. Ahhh of course! But first they explained how to play Australian Football and taught me how to bounce the football. We went to an American sports bar only 2 blocks from our hostel and had to pay outlandish prices for nasty German light beer (Heinekin).
Day 3 Florence to Venice, Aug. 13th, 2008
I woke up today, packed up my stuff, and headed to the train station. Instead of taking a regular train I wanted to take the EuroStar high speed train from Florence to Venice because it would only take 2hrs to get there compared to 4 hrs with the other train. You need a reservation to take the EuroStar because it is supposedly so busy. I
Leaning Tower
Like many o'tourist I had to get a cheesy shot with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, haha decided to take my chances and not get a reservation and I jumped on the train.
Only after 30 min on the train a lady was walking around asking for tickets and reservations. Once I saw her I pretended to be asleep and she did not bother me. I heard her asking people for reservations and that they do this because it is so busy. This is bullshit because right now I can see at least 10-12 seats open. Why should I have to pay an extra 15 Euro for a reservation when I already spent 210 Euro on my Eurail pass. I’m not sure how fast this train goes but it is zipping around pretty quick and we hit some turns that make the train go up on an angle…fun
I am only staying in Venice for one night and then am taking a night train from Venice to Nice, France. I am looking forward for Nice because every day I have been running around checking out sites. In Nice I will be going to the beach every day and relaxing.
Day 1 Venice Aug. 13th, 2008
I arrived in Venice at 2pm and
David
A replica of david outside found Piazza Romala which is where the shuttle bus takes me to the campsite I am staying at tonight. After waiting for an hour the bus arrived and I was taken 15 minutes from Venice to an elaborate campground. This place only cost 10 Euros per night so I figured I could tough out the conditions if they were not favorable. The campsite had a pool, Jacuzzis, a mini-market, and nightclub. I found my campsite and I figured I would be staying inside a tent but I was pleasantly surprised. I was actually staying in an air conditioned mobile home. Inside were 2 young English guys and heaps of trash, clothes, and wrappers. Oh, and lets not forget the smell in the room that had an aroma like rotten ketchup. The guys were nice and apologized for the mess and I grabbed the top bunk.
I left for Venice around 5pm and began to the explore the city. The water in the canals was a murky green and there were TONS of boats zipping through the canals. Tourist flocked through the streets as Murano glass stores sparkled. I read in my travel book the best way to experience Venice
is to get lost, which is very easy to do even for a local due to its confusing roads that are split by canals. There really weren’t many sites to be seen however I found from my book that Venice is home to the first Jewish Ghetto so I wanted to check that out.
I found the Jewish ghetto with some persistence and was greeted to the area by a young Jewish man. He came up to me and asked if I was Jewish and I said no but I’m interested. We talked for awhile about Judaism and also the history of the ghetto. After speaking with him for 30-45 minutes we parted ways and I headed back to the campsite very tired.
When arriving in the campsite I heard loud music and realized there was a themed party going on at the dance club. It was a toga party! I quickly ran to my room…took a shower..and doused the toga. The club was playing Hip-Hop, rap, and techno. The place was packed with young people buying drinks at a really good price (1-2 Euro each). I met some people from England and Australia and began taking shots
Bimah at Synagogue
This synagogue was built in 1528. with them. The night was filled with lots of dancing, drinking, and good times.
The next morning I woke up by the smell of my room and decided to check out of the room as quickly as possible so I could get a full day of Venice in. I went to the Jewish Ghetto first so I could take the tour I wanted to take yesterday.
The Venetian Jewish Ghetto is the world’s oldest. The ghetto was surrounded by a wall for protection and the Jews had a curfew (they could not go outside of the wall at night), but inside the wall though the Jews could practice freely. When exiting their ghetto Jewish men had to wear a yellow hat and the women a yellow scarf as a “sign.” The tour showcased a synagogue that was built in 1528. It was beautifully decorated but not by Jewish craft makers. When the Jews lived in Venice they were only allowed to work as doctors, operate pawn shops, lend money, and trade in textiles.
In the first two synagogues there was no writing outside to display what it was. However, each synagogue had 5 windows (to represent the
Venice
One of the many canals in Venice 5 books of the Torah), so Jews could recognize from the outside it was a synagogue by the 5 consecutive windows. The tour was very interesting and I’m glad I got to learn about Jewish culture and history. After this I just walked around Venice more until 4:30pm when my train left for Nice, France. I could not get a night train because non-existed so I had to hop onto a couple trains in order to get to Nice. I had a 4 hr lay-over in Ventijgmlia which is on the border between France and Italy. This lay-over was at 1am-5am and I was slightly worried because I heard crime was an issue at this bus station at night. When getting off the bus 2 girls came up to me and asked if I spoke English. I said yes and they said they wanted to stick w/ me so I could protect them if anything happens at the bus station. So they both followed me around and we went into the town to a bar that is on the ocean. All 3 of us shared a bottle of wine and large plate of cheese.
I will be arriving in
Venice at Night
Slightly blurry...but gives you an idea of how romantic it can be :) Nice at 545am and my hostel will not check me til 11am so I will have to kill time somewhere…most likely the beach. I hope everyone at home is doing great and I miss you all!
Au revoir!
Eugene...(pronounced Oooo Jen & is my name Im using in France)
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Baldy
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Wine
Hey Ryan are you allowed to bring any wine back with you or would it be more practical to have it shipped to you versus hoping it would survive the flight?