Page 9 of scallea Travel Blog Posts


Europe » Italy » Liguria » Vernazza July 8th 2011

Friday, July 8, 2011 Lazy Day My morning began late with a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant. The tourist crowd was not as extreme as it had been when I arrived yesterday afternoon. The beach was already populated with sun bathers and tiny naked children running amuck. Being in a beach town was so different than any of the cities I had visited so far. It was relaxed, made evident by the fact that most people wore very little clothing and flip flops all day, a stark contrast to Milano’s high fashion demands. I liked the lazy attitude. This was a vacation town, and everyone was enjoying it. Internet Café The internet point in town is on the main street. I uploaded a couple days’ worth of blogs and photos and checked my email. The girl ... read more
Vernazza
Vernazza
Monterosso beach

Europe » Italy » Liguria » Vernazza July 7th 2011

Thursday, July 07, 2011 Journey Across the Country My morning began early, packing and then leaving the hotel to catch the 8:30am fast train to Florence. The fast train was so much fancier than the regional trains I’d been taking. The train was cleaner, newer, and felt more luxurious. The journey took just two hours, most of which I slept. Arriving at Florence, I found the Pisa connection right away. There was no direct line to La Spezia posted, though my schedule booklet listed one. During this journey, the couple sitting across from me was flipping through a Rick Steves book. This means two things: that they speak English and that they’re more likely to have a conversation. Small talk on the road is easy, because everyone is traveling somewhere and comes from a different city ... read more
Must love stairs!
Vernazza harbor at sunset
Vernazza harbor at sunset

Europe » Italy » Veneto » Venice July 6th 2011

Wednesday, July 6, 2011 Basilica at Last Determined to see the basilica, I got up early and walked to San Marco’s square before the basilica’s open time. Not surprisingly, there was already a line formed. In true American fashion, I cut in line behind a large family. I would be their long lost cousin they didn’t know about. The line moved swiftly, pausing only when inspectors issued scarves made of the same paper as hospital gowns to women revealing too much leg or shoulder. The fight was totally worth it. The entire ceiling and many of the walls were decorated with Eastern mosaics, glittering with gold. Using my handy (and free) Rick Steves audio tour, I roamed the church and its extra rooms for about an hour; the basilica website tells you a ten minute tour ... read more
Photo 5
Photo 6
Photo 7

Europe » Italy » Veneto » Venice July 5th 2011

Tuesday, July 5, 2011 Partial Canal Cruise Last night was a monstrous thunderstorm. Wind gusts shook the island, or maybe it was my disorientation after all the cocktails and my giant lunch the day before. When I got up it was still raining, which put a slow mood on the morning. When I finally hit the streets, the tourist crowd had flooded in. For grand views, I took the slow boat down the grand canal to the Frari Church stop and hopped out. Frari Church The church was surprisingly easy to find. The crowds were much less than in other parts of the city, and this was a welcome relief. It’s hard to elbow your way through large noisy groups every day, and my patience level is pretty low for that kind of thing. The church ... read more
Photo 12
Photo 13
Photo 14

Europe » Italy » Veneto » Venice July 4th 2011

Monday, July 4, 2011 Nearly Missed It Today was going to be exciting; I was going to learn how to be a gondolier. I got up and ready, and arrived at the meeting place before the scheduled time. But I didn’t see a gondola, guide, or group. I double checked all my documents. Yes, this was the right place and the right time. But no tour. I thought maybe they had left early and I was too late. So I trudged back to my hotel. My mood was made worse by the fact that it was a very long way back, since there are no direct walking routes through Venice. Back at the hotel, I called the local number for the tour agency to see what was going on. It turns out I was the only ... read more
Gondolier
San Marco floods
San Marco

Europe » Italy » Veneto » Venice July 3rd 2011

Sunday, July 3, 2011 In Which I Attend Mass No, I haven’t converted. And no, I really don’t have a reason for wanting to go to church on vacation. It was just something I wanted to do. A couple churches offer English service, so I attended mass at San Zulian Church. I followed the crowd and kneeled and stood and kneeled some more. Thanks to Hollywood, there was one prayer I actually knew. Something about “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” I gave myself an A for effort. The preacher was a frail old man who coughed into the microphone half the time, and between his accent and the “I just want to get this over with” up-and-down rhythm of his voice, I really didn’t catch most of what was ... read more
Photo 2
San Zulian Church
San Zulian Church

Europe » Italy » Veneto » Verona July 2nd 2011

Saturday, July 2, 2011 Onward to Verona After checking out of the hostel, I zipped over to the train station to catch the 8:30 train to Verona. It is a connecting station from Bolzano to Venice, and so a side trip to see the town would be more economical of my time then coming back to Verona once I was in Venice. At the Verona train station, I dropped off my suitcase at the bag storage facility and caught a very crowded bus into the old city. The Rick Steves self-guided walking tour said all the significant sites could be covered in 1.5 hours. I was giving myself three hours, knowing there would be crowds and the likelihood of me getting lost. Roman Arena Seeing Roman ruins is very different than seeing a Roman structure still ... read more
Roman Arena
Roman Arena
Roman Arena

Europe » Italy » Trentino Alto Adige » Bolzano July 1st 2011

Friday, July 01, 2011 I am beginning to forget what day of the week is it. Mostly I’ve been counting the days in terms of how long my stay in a particular town is. Today is day three of my Bolzano stay. ”Dov’e una bus per Siusi?” This morning I skipped out on the simple breakfast offered by the hostel and set out to get on the bus for Siusi (See-oo-see) to catch the lift to the big and popular alpine meadow. I got to a bus stop in time, it was just not the right one. Bolzano has several major bus stops, and my miscalculation ended up costing me an hour wait for the next bus. Fortunately, it took me less than an hour to find the correct bus terminal. The Road to Hana… Oops, ... read more
Siusi
Williams
WIlliams to Zallinger

Europe » Italy » Trentino Alto Adige » Bolzano June 30th 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011 Uninvited Alarm Clock It was a little difficult to get situated for sleep. I left the window open so some air could circulate in the room. Unfortunately, my room overlooks the train station, and train whistles and the station flood lights infiltrated my otherwise quiet space. I had packed my eye mask, used primarily on airplanes, and it worked magic. Combined with soft music from my iPod, my senses were dulled to the point that sleep was almost immediate. I awoke just before my alarm to a loud whistle blast. It was morning, and the trains were up and running. I cursed that they didn’t come with a snooze button. It was pointless to lounge any longer, so I began to prepare for the day. Complications with the Plumbing The shower was ... read more
Italian bar
Church of the sacred Heart of Jesus
Church of the sacred Heart of Jesus

Europe » Italy » Trentino Alto Adige » Bolzano June 29th 2011

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 Good Bye, Good Riddance I got up and moving early, in hopes of catching the 7am bus to the train station. At the check out counter, however, I realized I would be just too late. I asked the staff to call me a cab, not wanting to wait another full hour for the next bus. The taxi was worth the €10, since we passed two number 90 busses on the way to the station. And I arrived in plenty of time to find where my train would be and have a small breakfast. Wait, Now Hurry My booklet said no reservation were needed to go to Verona, where I would connect to another train to Bolzano Bozen. Fifteen minutes before I was to board, I looked at the giant schedule posted in ... read more
My loot
Hostel
Hostel




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