Eurotrip Day 15

I awoke to my alarm telling me it was time to rise and shine. We had a self-guided tour at the Colosseum in just a few short hours. I rolled over to turn off my alarm and... I felt significantly better than I did on Day 14.

So, up and at 'em, we decided to walk to the Colosseum today. It was still too soon for another taxi ride. On the way we grabbed a bite and a coffee to enjoy on the steps in a park overlooked by the statue of Carlo Alberto. In an effort to escape the croissant hungry pigeons, we hurried on our way as soon as we finished our coffee. I promise you, the best way to get around in Rome is to walk. You get to see and experience so much more! On our way to the Colosseum, we passed through a beautiful plaza with an obelisk of Augustus centered among the ancient palace-like buildings. Not exactly something you might stumble upon in a speeding cab.

We finally made it into the Colosseum. I do wish we had been able to have a guided tour, but it was nice to be able to freely wander around, imagining who else might've stood and spectated on the same stone floor. No photo could ever accurately depict how massive this place is. It's incredible to think that it was all built during a time without machinery or modern technology. Stones so big I can't even wrap my arms around them were laid so precisely and intentionally.

Next, we headed across the street to see the Roman Forum. As Daniel would describe it, "more old ruins". He had a point, but these were not just old; they were ancient. These ruins were what's left of a civilization dating back before the birth of Christ. It's amazing how humbling an "old rock" can be.

Eventually we needed another gelato re-charge. We decided to find a more modern establishment for food and frozen treat. Turns out, that forum of old rocks was like a maze. We could not find our way out! We wandered back and forth trying to find the exit for a good hour. Daniel finally bargained with a street peddler for a couple bottled waters so we didn't die of dehydration. Lesson learned: if you have a map, don't leave it at home.

Even after getting lost in an ancient city, this day had already been an improvement over Day 13's mishap, but we knew, tomorrow, our last day in Rome, was going to be a big one. We found our food and our gelato and our pillows.

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Eurotrip Day 13

Eurotrip Day 14

Eurotrip Day 14

I awoke to my alarm telling me it was time to rise and shine. We had a guided tour scheduled at the Colosseum in just a few short hours. I rolled over to turn off my alarm and thats when it hit me.

Some call it traveler's sickness, some call it food poisoning, some call it.... well, I'll save the graphic descriptions for later. Needless to say, I did not feel good. I called the tour company to see if we could reschedule or get a refund, but they were very firm. If we weren't at the Colosseum in time for our tour, there was nothing they could do for us. So, like a champ, I pushed through. I forced myself to take a shower and do my hair and get dressed. I was moving a bit slower than normal and we didn't have time to walk, so we hailed a cab to get us to the Arch of Constantine where we would meet our tour group. Worst 10 minutes ever.

 We found our group, I found a bench. I sat a bit away from the group and tried to listen to the guide talk about the history and architecture of this amazing structure. Our guide handed out our passes and we made it through security and the express line to get in. And then something happened inside the Colosseum, quite possibly for the first time since the Gladiators bravely marched through those corridors. Right next to one of the giant columns of the Roman Colosseum, I puked. Everywhere.

That's right. Add me to the history books. I made my mark.

I was thoroughly embarrassed and equally guilty that my husband had to leave the tour he was probably the most excited for out of our entire trip, but our guide was much more sympathetic and gave us passes to return the next day, if I was feeling better.

We slowly made our way out of the massive building and down the street home, stopping to rest every 50 feet so I didn't let loose again.

Yes, Day 14 was a bust. We went back to our Airbnb and spent the rest of the day in bed.
Stay tuned for Day 15, it's much better, I promise!

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Eurotrip Day 12

Eurotrip Day 13

Eurotrip Day 13

Day 13 started with smallest cup of coffee ever.

We packed up our stuff and decided to have one last breakfast by the sea before we caught our train to Rome. I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of proper coffee etiquette is lacking beyond the guidance of a starbucks menu. When we wanted to be adventurous with our roast, we would order randomly from the menu, never to be disappointed. When we just wanted a cup of coffee-before-I-die-or kill someone, we stuck with the 'Cafe Americano' or the 'Cafe Creme'.

Well, on Day 13 one of us wanted to be adventurous and one of us just wanted caffeine in any form. I cannot even remember what it was that we ordered from the menu, but our waiter gleefully brought out two teeny ceramic cups. One was about the size of a child's toy tea set. It looked to be the equivalent of a mini espresso. The other cup, while slightly bigger, was less full to make room for the hot milk also provided on the tray. We politely waited for the waiter to leave and then carefully watched each other to see which cup the other would reach for. We had no clue whose was whose. Fortunately, both were delicious, although short lived.

We realized that at home, we might have to drink that Venti Macchiato to get our caffeine fix or multiple cups of coffee, but our experience in Europe was that good things come in small cups. We tended to sip and enjoy our coffee in the morning rather than rushing out the door with the biggest to-go cup we could find. Quality over quantity, my friends.

The rest of our day was spent on a high speed train zipping down the coastline of Italy.  The scenery out of our window was beautiful! This was our longest train ride and we forgot to pack a lunch. As enjoyable as the trains are, I don't recommend their food cart for anything more than snacking.

We arrived in Rome with plenty of daylight left to knockout a few things on our itinerary. So we checked into our Airbnb and set out on the ancient streets of Rome. First stop, Trevi Fountain! It was even more amazing than I had anticipated. This thing is seriously HUGE. We snapped a few photos and fought our way through the crowd to toss our own American penny into the crystal blue water.

Rome was very walk-able and we found that everything we wanted to see that evening was in close enough proximity to do so. After all, the more you walk, the more you can justify eating all of that gelato! So, as the sun began to set, we decided to check out the Spanish Steps. They were also beautiful and quite a sight to see, unfortunately, the steps were under construction and completely blocked off. This is one item that I just don't feel right about crossing off of my bucket list. Perhaps we will meet again, Roma.

The pantheon was our last stop for the evening. Equally incredible. Our first night in Rome was turning out to be a success. It was amazing that you could be walking through this amazing city, passing 'modern' business and apartments, then turn a corner and see this right in the middle of it all:

 Of course, I use the term 'modern' loosely here. Everything in Rome seemed to have an ancient feel to it like you were inside your 10th grade history book. We sat down to have dinner at a pizzeria overlooking the plaza or the pantheon. (The picture above was our view for the evening!) The pizza was good, but I might be more privy to a good NY slice. A street performer dressed as a mime provided the entertainment and we recognized a good ole southern accent sitting across from us and struck up a conversation with a guy from North Carolina. I mean, can it get any more hospitable than that? With bellies full, we headed back to our Airbnb with the anticipation of visiting the Roman Colosseum in the morning.

To be continued on Day 14...

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Eurotrip Day 12

Eurotrip Day 11

Eurotrip Day 12

Day 12 in Cinque Terre was beyond words. Our original plan was to spend the entire day hiking through each of the 5 villages. One thing that didn't come up while planning our trip was that throughout the year, different hiking paths are closed between villages. This allows the natural trails to recover after heavy foot traffic. Prior to our arrival in the region, some heavy rain caused a slight landslide that made some of the trails too dangerous for tourists to hike. So, our awesome Airbnb host, Anita, suggested an itinerary:

We were staying in the first village: Riomaggiore. We would skip the next village of Manarola and take a train to Cornilia, from there we would hike to Vernazza. Then, take the train to the last village, Monterosso. From Monterosso, we could take a ferry all the way back to Manarola. This way we could see all 5 villages in one day.

So with new game plan in place, we set out! We had pretty well explored our little village already, but we took our time walking through the main street and taking in all of the sights.

Behold, Riomaggiore:

The village of Corniglia is known for it's high elevation. Visitors must climb 365 stairs (one for each day of the year, as they say) to reach the 'city center'. Corniglia was really cute. We bought a bag of cherries from a little market to snack on as we explored the narrow carruggio (this is the italian word to describe the enchanting little alley ways) and her beautiful church. Then, we headed in search of the trail to Vernazza and picked up some gelato for the hike.

 The majestic, Corniglia:

The hike to Vernaza was a little higher on the 'challenging' scale. (I also wore a very poor, albeit cute, choice of shoes). There had been some rain in the days prior to our arrival in the villages, so some of the steep steps were slippery or washed over in mud. Totally worth the views, though. 

Vernazza was a charming village. It seemed to be a bit more touristy with souvenir shops replacing the markets along the main street. The harbour offered serene views to the restaurants placed around it. We had, yet another, 'tutti fritti' (a cone of lightly battered, fried seafood - aka a cone of heaven) and our first slice of real italian pizza. It was all phenomenal in case you were wondering. We almost took a water taxi to Monterosso, but figured it would be better to take one from Monterosso  to Manarola instead and see more of the villages from the sea. So, we hurried along to catch the next train.

Vernazza, the enchanting:

Monterosso, if I had to choose, was my least favorite of the 5 villages. Don't get me wrong, it was still gorgeous! But, the parking lot near the beach, lined matching lounge chairs and umbrellas, really took away from this village's natural beauty. If you are not looking for an airbnb or hostel, this is the village for you with multiple mini-resort-style hotels. We explored a bit more and decided to find that water taxi for our last village. Unfortunately, by this point, the winds and waves had begun to pick up and it was too dangerous for the taxi's to enter and dock in the small harbors. Alas, we took the train.

The beautifully discovered, Monterosso:

Manarola seemed like the smallest of the villages to us; it felt very welcoming and quaint. We strolled through her alleys and found our way to the shore. Manarola had one of the best views of the sea! The water was a rich blue color, even considering the weather and the tide. We took the path around the harbor to get a different view of the village and found an awesome ledge where people could jump into the sea and easily climb back onto the seawall. We didn't jump, although we heavily considered it.

Manarola the magnificent:

We hopped on the train back to Riomaggiore and enjoyed one last seafood dinner in Cinque Terre while listening to the waves crash and watching the sunset. (Ahhh, take me back!) By the way the food was AMAZING. We had mussels as an appetizer, lobster gnocchi for our 'primi' (first course) and fish for our main dish. Daniel had Tuna and I honestly cant remember what the server called mine, but it was by her recommendation and is also now by my recommendation. If we're being honest we could've thrown in the towel after the lobster gnocchi, but we had to get dessert! Let me tell you, if you ever think you don't have room for authentic tiramisu - you are wrong.

And so ended our stay in the Cinque Terre, (However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't look up real estate when we got back home.) We were off to Rome after breakfast the next day!

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Eurotrip Day 10

Eurotrip Day 11