A Few Notes...

I've changed a few things to hopefully make following along a wee bit easier:

1.) I finally added the map! (So check it out in the sidebar.) I had a little trouble earlier in the journey as I could only access google maps in italia...but I finally got it in english (yay!)

2) I also changed "My Current Read" to "My Current Gelato"...seemed more approp. (Strictly speaking this is not new...but I thought I'd mention in case you hadn't noticed yet.)

3) Thanks for all the awesome comments! I'm doing my best to respond, so please either check back or click the box for follow up comments to be emailed to you. There have been some great questions in there and I've tried to be dutiful and answer them all :)

A Day of Success

After a night of quality sleep (and a little planning) I was much more prepared for my walking tour of Genoa. I began my day with a little cappuccino in my tummy and Third Day in my ears and soon I was ready to navigate the city (even with my cartoon map).

I began along the same route I had yesterday, only this time I was much more able to decipher my way. I again headed down toward the marina, saw the pirate boat (no idea), walked through what I'm going to call the "beach towel market" (several vendors have their various merchandise - from watches to wind-up toys - laid out on, well, beach towels for your buying pleasure), passed the aquarium and the funky, pokey, white, non-tent-but-a-tent thing, passed the palm trees and benches where all the old, Italian ladies sit, crossed under the autostrada (freeway) and faced "the black hole" (aka - where I got off the beaten path yesterday).



I was able to find Via San Lorenzo (which eluded me previously) and continued along the marked tour with perfect success. I saw an open air market, a foutain, a church, some government buildings, and Christopher Columbus' house (which was dinky - no wonder he needed financing. See pic on the left). I wish I had more info on what I was seeing, but the visual tour was pretty satisfying in itself. Genoa, like the other parts of Italy I've seen so far, is architectually quite beautiful and appears to be quite old. I don't know much about the history of the city, but I did notice that on buildings that appear "newer", they have painted them as if they were old. That is, they paint columns and busts onto all sides of the building, even though it's perfectly flat. It actually reminded me of the Sistine Chapel that way. The lower third of all the walls are painted as if rich tapestries covered the walls. Interesting style, to say the least.

I stopped for lunch and watched Italy's top 10 videos on Mtv while I ate. 8 out of 10 of them were in English and 6 of the 10 I knew all the words to. I was curious about the Italian music culture, but didn't really gain any insight there.

Soon after I picked up my bag from the hotel and made my way to the train station. Next stop: Milan. I caught my train and made the trip with no hiccups. And thanks to Rick Steves, I figured out the Metro (and which stop to take) with no problems. I even found my hostel with no wrong turns (I truly can't believe that one - the Lord is really lookin' out for me). Turns out I didn't have a reservation, but they took me anyway - yay!

So I'm stationed here in Milan for the next two days (and with free wireless internet to boot - WOO HOO! Skype, anyone??). I was excited to possibly meet some people, this being my first hostel experience, but I was assigned a room with 6 beds and I'm the only resident (*sigh*). Guess I'm not quite ready for company yet. At least it will be quiet while I sleep...

Genoa (or Genova, If You're Italian)

This morning I finally checked out of my little one-room haven. I overslept a wee bit* so I had to rush to make the check-out time. Once I had turned the keys in and paid up, I made my way to the train to head north to Genoa. Only after I had been sitting there for almost 15 minutes, did I realize I was going to take pictures of Vernazza today. Oops. That’s what happens when you don’t stick to “the plan”. So even though I spent the most time there, I have the fewest pictures (doesn’t it always seem to work out that way?)

I boarded my train and alertly counted off the stations until Sestri Levante. The ticket dude told me I would have to switch trains there. I decided to be efficient with my 15 minute lay-over and call ahead a the few cheap places listed in Lonely Planet. Perhaps this time I could avoid wandering around with all my earthly belongings for a few hours. Unfortunately the two I had numbers for were booked. Oh well.

Genova is a pretty big city (well, moderately so) so I had my choice of stations. I chose the first of the major two, checked my bags at the station for a few hours and headed out. After an hour of popping into hotels and having them laugh me out of the reception (apparently there is some kind of “boat thing” happening this weekend and everyone is completely full), I decide perhaps it would be best to try the hotels near the other station.

I think this is a great plan and congratulate myself on coming up with it, until I realize that in this plan, I have no place to leave my big bag while I search. D’oh! Minor detail. But I trudge on anyway because at this point – what else can I do? I try a few hotels and they too are full. But I’m pretty close to the station, so I try not to lose hope. I try a few more and this time I am in luck. There is a single available for 48EU. I had kind of been hoping I might save a few bucks here, but I’m learning that if you don’t book ahead, you get what you get.

After I drop off all my stuff and dump out the extra crap from my day bag I feel much better (and lighter!). I send up a little thank you prayer to God and head out looking for the Tourist Information. Unlike the previous cities I have visited, Rick Steves’ has no comment on Genova. So I’m stuck with only a few helpful facts from Lonely Planet and since it hasn’t planned out a walking tour for me, I don’t really know what to do with myself. So I head back to the train station. There I find a map and a woman who speaks English who draws out a basic little tour of the city. (Did you know Christopher Columbus was born here? Well that’s the rumor anyway, but it could be it was a little white lie he told to get financing…) In any case, I head out now with map in hand to see what I can see.

But, it’s a lot harder to tour a city when you know nothing about it and all you have is a cartoonish map to navigate around with. Soon I realize that not only has my slip has crept up under my dress so that it now resides around my hips, but my leggings have skooched down so it feels like the crotch (sorry) is down around my knees, and my feet are so sweaty that they’re cramming themselves toward the front of my shoes and I’m just not enjoying my “walking tour”. So I decide to get some gelato.

I make my way to the first gelateria I can find, desperately hoping they have Nutella (my current favorite!) and am disappointed to discover they do not. Oh well. Coconut it is. I sit down for a moment to give all of my undergarment calamities a rest and reorganize a bit and as I do, a man with a very professional looking camera takes a knee a few feet away from me. I glance at him, wondering what the heck he’s going to take a picture of around here, and continue about my business. I pause what I’m doing to take a monstrous lick of my gelato and snap! he takes a picture. I quickly look up and realize (mortified) that he has just taken an “action” shot of me eating my gelato. Up close and personal. He immediately reviews it, gives me a big smile and a thumbs up and says, “Grazie!” and walks away. What the heck….? I sit there and ponder what has just happened and am now convinced that what can only be a truly horrible picture of me attacking my gelato, is most likely going to show up in some random advertising campaign all over Italy. Me and my ravenous mug will be synonymous with: “Eat Gelato, Get Happy” to Italians everywhere. Oh brother.

I finish my cone, smile at my luck, and keep walking. I quickly stumble upon a whole network of streets that are extremely narrow and only open to foot traffic. It’s like a giant, permanent marketplace. People are selling everything from clothes to food to knick-knacks. I think, “If I weren’t so tired, I might really enjoy this.” Then I review that sentence in my head and decide to go back to my room and take a nap. Only I’m not exactly sure how I got where I am, so I do my best to wander back the way I came, but something is not quite right. I soon notice that there are quite a few ladies with their bras showing….and no nylons…and really, really tall shoes – aughck! This can’t be the right way! I spot a mom and two daughters and follow them out of “the prostitute ghetto” as I’ve fondly named it and eventually find my way home (don’t worry parental types – it was the middle of the afternoon; I was not in a sketchy place by myself at night).

So it is now post nap and my plans for the evening involve dinner and phone calls to find a room for the night in Milan. Tomorrow afternoon I will continue my journey north, but only after a more complete walking tour of Genoa in the morning.

*For the record, Italian hotels do not have clocks in them. Anywhere. So it’s up to me and my “internal” clock to get up on time…yeah. So far it is working mostly well. But it’s a good thing I don’t actually have any hard deadlines to wake up for; we all know I’d miss ‘em.

Where in the World is Anne Marie?

FYI: I intend to post a map in the side bar of where I currently am (and where I've been), but I just ran out of internet time!! Stay tuned!

P.S. If I haven't included any details you want to know/pics of stuff you want to see, post a comment and I'll hook you up, yo.

Cinque Terre – To Sum Up

For the remainder of the day, I did a few walking tours in a couple different towns, I successfully ordered my lunch and a snack in Italian and took a nap. It was fantastic. (And for the record, it wasn’t until after my nap that I discovered my room had a view…)

And that has pretty much been how the last two days have been in Cinque Terre. I mosey about, I take a nap, I order some food in Italian. Perhaps I shop. I run into people I’ve met earlier in the week and share a meal*. It’s a nice thing to stay in a small town. I don’t know if this kind of familiarity will last into my days in Rome, but it has been such a fantastic way to start this adventure on my own two feet. I’ve decided tonight is my last night in Cinque Terre and truthfully, while I’m excited for what lies around the corner, I’m also sad to go. I’ve fallen in love with the Cinque Terre :)

Here are some pics of Cinque Terre - by each individual cittá. These are the cities from east to west (and simultaneously from south to north):

Riomaggiore

Manarola
















Corniglia
















Vernazza

Eke! Just discovered I don't have any pics of the city I'm staying in!! Will rectify ASAP - stay tuned for pics...




Monterossa












*Actually, there hasn't been a single person that I've met and had a significant conversation with that I haven't run into again later - including my Florida friends - again!

Cinque Terre – Finding a Room

Alright, it was finally go time. My one goal for the day was to find lodging. It didn’t matter how long it took me, and if I got desperate, it didn’t matter how much I spent, but the bottom line was: I’m going to find a room.

I started by popping into all the little shops and asking, “Una camera, per fevore? But I was either turned down, or offered doubles that were simply out of my price range. Just when I was starting to get a wee bit discouraged (and I thought my back was simply going to crumble from holding all that weight for so long) I headed into a little sandwich shop and patiently waited my turn. When I got to the front, and again asked for a room, the woman gently shook her head no and I began to turn away. But then, the gal who had ordered right in front of me asked if I needed a single. Yes! I do!! She had a room. Praise the Lord!

I followed her back to a bar (which was closed that day) and sealed the deal. She showed me the room and warned me, “there are a few stairs”. After what felt like we’d been climbing stairs forever, we finally arrived at the building (and I’m happy to say she was huffing and puffing nearly as hard as I was). “It’s on the third floor,” she says. Augh!! We climb the narrowest, tiniest, and twisty-est staircase I’ve ever had the privilege to climb and we’re finally there. She shows it to me and it’s perfect – I’ll take it! I was so hot and exhausted at that point I would have taken anything. Fortunately it was only 45EU and within my budget. I made arrangements to pay her and as soon as she was gone, I stripped down to my skivvies and lay on the bed. Not moving. For 30 minutes. I was one tired puppy.

But I did it.

(Click for a "tour"!!)

Cinque Terre – Finding Friends

On the third morning, the girls had to catch an early train, so I got up with them, walked them to the end of town and said my good-byes. As they were leaving, and I experienced my first few minutes of true aloneness in a foreign country, my stomach was turning in knots a wee bit. But by the time I got back to our room, I was feeling much better (perhaps it was only gas?). I took my time gathering my things, spent a little time in the Word and just enjoyed the fact that I wasn’t on any kind of a schedule. I wasn’t sure how finding lodging was going to go, but I reminded myself to just take it one step at a time, and I’d figure it out.

As I was heading down the 400 steps out of Corniglia (augh), I ran into our Floridian friends from dinner the first night. We stopped to chat for a bit and as I left, my load seemed a little bit lighter. I had to hurry to catch my train though and with my bag on my back, that was no easy feat. (Oh and did I mention I’m in a skirt and wedges? It seemed like a comfortable outfit when I put it on that morning…I just kind of forgot about all those stairs…) So as you can imagine, I was huffing and puffing and a sweaty mess by the time I was on the train. It’s only about a 3 minute ride to Vernazza, so I was in no better shape by the time I arrived. So I stepped off the train, set all my bags down, and just took a breather. I had nowhere to go just yet, so why not? One step at a time, right?

As I sat there trying to cool down and regulate my breathing, Erin, my new friend from yesterday strolls up onto the platform. We chatted for a bit and discovered we had quite a bit in common. Not only do we both love Jesus (yay!) but we are both traveling for two months on our own, both quit jobs of 5 years because we were feeling restless and the need to move on, both decided to move to a new city after quitting said jobs, but concluded a trip to Italy was necessary first. Weird, eh? The only real difference being that Erin will be touring more of Europe and I’m staying primarily in Italia. Oh and she’s from Virginia Beach and I’m from Bellingham. In any case, what a blessing! So she and I renewed our commitment to dinner plans and parted ways for the afternoon.

Cinque Terre – New Characters and First Adventures

For those of you who don’t know, Cinque Terre (CHINK-weh TAY-reh) is actually made up of five cities along the western coast of northern Italy (cinque means five in Italian). Each city is only a few minutes train ride from the next and at a little over one euro, one ticket is good for six hours worth of rides. Thus, no matter which cittá you are staying in, you have every opportunity to explore all five. Our first night the girls were booked at a little B&B in Manarola (the second of the five cities). I planned on staying in the local hostel, but decided to see them all checked-in before finding my accommodations.

After a key-breaking-in-the-lock fiasco and an authentic Italian dinner, I ended up staying the night with the girls. As it turned out the hostel had a 12:00am locked doors policy and the waiter at dinner had asked us all to come back for drinks at 11:30pm, how could we pass that up?
During dinner we met the greatest little family from Tampa Bay, Florida sitting at the table just next to ours (husband and wife, son and girlfriend). They were in Italy for a friend’s wedding in Florence next week and were enjoying the Cinque Terre in the mean time. We traded some tastes with them (anchovies for black pasta – yum!) and chatted the evening away across our tables.

Once 11:30 rolled around we headed back to the restaurant for a bottle of wine and some dessert with our waiter and the cook – who turned out to be the owners. We sat and enjoyed the quiet stillness of the evening from the terrace. They spoke very good English and we learned they had lived in Manarola their whole lives and wouldn’t trade it for anything. After a peaceful evening like that, I can hardly blame them. End of CT Day 1.

The girls decided to stay an extra night and we headed to Vernazza to try and find new accommodations (city #4 – which was supposed to be a little more lively). Since I needed the practice, I was in charge of finding a place. But it was raining that morning and we didn’t have much success (plus we were toting ALL our belongings from place to place) and I hadn’t had breakfast yet….do you see where this is going? As if I didn’t already know, I (re)learned something important about myself: Do not try to make difficult decisions on an empty stomach. Right. So a few tears later we settled on staying in Corniglia and hopped back on the train. (In the mean time we met a gal named Erin who was traveling alone and looking for dinner companions – yay for new friends!)

Once we checked in, we got on the train again and spent the day wandering through the Cinque Terre. The weather cleared up and it turned out to be a gorgeous day. We walked through the towns, did a little shopping, stopped quite a bit to enjoy the view, and generally just enjoyed the day. We tried to meet our new friend Erin for dinner, but didn’t make it to the meeting spot on time. We did find her a few hours later at one of the bars and had a glass of wine together. Since the girls were leaving the next morning, Erin and I made plans to have dinner the following day. End of CT Day 2

Cinque Terre – First Impressions

If Rome is big, overwhelming, and pulsing with activity, then Cinque Terre is narrow, romantic, and relaxed. When we stepped off the train, I immediately had a sense of home. Not in the sense that Cinque Terre reminded me of home, or that it felt somehow familiar (because neither of those things are true), but rather it somehow just….fit. I felt as though, if I could just stand still for a few moments, I might be able to absorb the unique character and beauty of this picturesque place into the very marrow of my being. It’s just so shockingly and devastatingly beautiful that when confronted with it, you simply must stop and take a moment. I would imagine that leaving here must feel like having your heart broken. “To have loved and lost is better than to have never loved at all…” If you haven’t, you really must come see for yourself.

Rome in a Day

Sunday was our first full day in the city and we spent it in true tourist fashion: with mouths agape, eyes wide, and with cameras, maps and tour guides in hand. We tread miles upon miles from early morning until, well, the wee hours of the morning. We saw paintings, sculptures, fountains and architecture. Rome simply has so much to offer, it’s difficult to stop yourself from running from one priceless piece of art to the next. Even if you are not one to “appreciate art” it is still difficult to say no to the kind of greed that takes over. It convinces you with smooth rationalization like, “Let’s just see one more thing!” or “Let’s just go one more place! After all, when am I ever going to be here again?” It’s something akin to wanting to spend every possible moment in the sun when vacationing somewhere warm. Or the need to ride every rollercoaster at Disneyland. Or perhaps the compulsion to do just one more run down the mountain before you call it a day. It’s a compulsion that, I think, is very American as we are constantly trying to squeeze every possible drop of fun out of our experiences. The only problem is, do we ever stop to actually enjoy the experience?

In any case, Sunday was as busy as it was fun. We began the day at Vatican City, as previously mentioned, along with half of Rome, as it was the last Sunday of the month: Culture Day (aka – free entrance day). Despite the hoards of people, it was truly something inspiring to see so much Renaissance art with my own eyes. The four-mile tour, of course, culminates with the Sistine Chapel. Suffice it to say, it was nothing like I imagined. It was overwhelming in not only its enormity, but also in its complexity. We spent probably close to 30 minutes just standing and looking at it, but I still felt as if I hadn’t seen it enough. But alas, time (nor our empty tummies) would permit a longer look.

From there we spent the rest of the day doing a combination make-it-up-as-you-go/Rick Steves’ self-guided tour. The result was actually quite fantastic. We walked for hours, and discovered no less than three gelaterias (as in, we stopped and ate there), I haggled for a pair of big, black sunglasses (got him down to 10EU – still not that cheap, but better than 30EU. Micall still thinks I got hosed), and saw the Colessum, the Pantheon, and the Trevi fountain*, to name a few. All in all, not a bad day.

The girls only had one day in Rome, so we saw what we could and felt pretty successful about it (though I was thankful I had more time to come back and slowly explore later). Tomorrow we’re headed for Cinque Terre. I’ve heard from several friends it was by far their favorite place to visit. Needless to say, I’m quite excited.

*While at Trevi fountain, one brave tourist decided to strip down to his skivvies and go for a little dip – hahaha! The polizia quickly caught him as he was trying to pad away and he ended up begging other tourists to help pay for his 160EU fine!! Ouch!