Days 72-76 - Florence to Cinque Terre and Back to Rome

It amazes me that five days have passed since I last posted. As the end of the trip has neared the days have sped up at an exponential rate. It has become increasingly harder to make decisions regarding what to see because I no longer have the luxury of time. Nonetheless here is what has been going on since my Florence arrival.

The best part of Florence was meeting the people staying in the hostel. It was an extremely large place and I found it very easy to meet fellow backpackers. In fact, we all became good friends and three of us have currently met back up in Rome. Below is Geoff, a traveller from Northern Ireland who wants to be a music teacher. Walking around with him was fascinating since he would spontaneously rock out with street musicians. He even managed to book a gig at an Irish pub so the hostel crowd went to see him two nights in a row.

Another highlights of the city was attending an Italian Opera. With a discount from the hostel the price was only 10 Euro. The performance was in a converted church with great acoustics.

You may be able to tell from the blurry photo that the singer is in fact Asian. She was singing in Italian and the performance was in Italy so I am still going to call it authentic.

Unfortunately my converter and iPhone charger were lost in Florence so I spent most of the city picture-less. If you want to know more about the city I'll show you some pictures from fellow travelers as soon as I get my hands upon them.

Cinque Terre was the next destination after three nights in Florence. I didn't expect much, after having been to the Amalfi Coast. I soon found that the Amalfi Coast pales in comparison to what I have termed my favorite place on Earth. Again an uphill battle against my iPhone battery was fought but I still managed a decent set of pictures.

Above is the Walk of Love.  When a couple goes on this walk they buy a padlock, lock it to the fence and then throw the keys into the ocean.  Below are some of the locks.

The two days were spent hiking through the national park, enjoying wine during the sunset and having more than a fair share of gellato. My legs are still sore from the vertical hiking but it was worth it for the breath-taking views.

There was even a place to feed some cats during the hike.

Tonight I sit just outside of Rome after two of the most relaxing days of my life. You may remember that I didn't see any of the city my first time in Rome so this will be the first chance to tour it.

Tomorrow should be a fun day, if for the sole reason I can get away from the strange hostel bathroom policies.

I'll try my best to post in a few days after touring Rome

Scott

Days 68-71 - The Amalfi Coast and Arriving in Florence

Melissa and I awoke in Salerno and had to figure out how to get to the Amalfi Coast.  If you think this is a simple task you have never tried to navigate the bus system in Italy.  We walked to the stop and then realized we had no idea which bus we needed to get on or what time it came.  After a walk back to the hostel to use the internet we figured out that there as a 12:45 pm bus to Amalfi.  When we tried to board the bus we were asked for our tickets which you aparrently are unable to buy on board.  In the time it took to buy the tickets the bus left so we had to ride the 1:30 pm bus to Amalfi.  From Amalfi another bus was necessary to Agerola and of course it was not until 5 pm.  We essentially spent a whole day travelling to an area that was about 20-25 miles away from Salerno.  The view was well worth the time it took to get there.


The view from near the hostel

The bus rides up to where we stayed were absolutely insane.  In some places the road is barely wide enough for the bus to pass a car so the busses have to honk around all of the blind corners.  I made the mistake of sitting seaside in the back of the bus and I paid the price.  By the time the bus ride ended I was as white as a sheet. 

There were not many touristy things to do in Agerola since we were well off of the beaten path.  It was refreshing to get away from monuments and other sightseeing for a few days. 

One of the highlights of the Coast was the walk from Agerola to Amalfi.  This involved descending 2039 stairs (I counted) and then walking along the narrow road trying not to get hit by busses. 

The path to Amalfi

Check out the building

The most random moment of the walk: spotting this building on the side of the cliffs.  I cannot imagine how or why this was built but I am sure there must have been a good reason.

Another picture from the walk

Getting closer to Amalfi...

We made it

Like I mentioned earlier it was nice to explore the countryside, even though Melissa had to make friends with every dog we passed...

and pose with ridiculous signs...

The plan was to leave Agerola and head to Venice. Unfortunately the cheap lodging was booked and to be honest neither one of us wanted to endure the train ride. We made our way to Florence instead and that is where we are now.

Scott

Hey from Agerola

Melissa and I are staying in a hostel along the Amalfi Coast. Unfortunately I haven't seen a single computer since I got here so I've been unable to update the blog. We are headed to Venice tomorrow (probably) and I should be able to post from there. The Coast has been awesome and hopefully you'll be able to get an idea of just how beautiful this area is from the pictures.

Until later,

Scott

Days 65-67 - Naples, Pompeii and Salerno

On the second day in Naples Melissa and I conquered the city.  We spent the entire day walking around, which was extremely exhausting because of all of the hills.  It was well worth the effort.  

The former Royal Residence

San Francesco di Paola, a gigantic church



Naples at night

The last day in the Naples area was filled with a trip to Pompeii.  If you paid attention in history classes you'll remember that the city is famous for the 79 AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.  The blast killed 12,000 people, many of whom still exist as plaster casts.

When the train pulled into the station I was surprised to find that Pompeii is still a major city.  The ancient city is surrounded in all directions, even up the side of Mt. Vesuvius.  As we made our way to the ancient city we ran into a protest.

It wasn't too long of a walk and we were soon inside.  Below are some of the pictures from the ancient city, including a couple of the plaster casts.

Mt. Vesuvius in the background

This vineyard stands exactly where the vineyard stood in the old city.  Archeologists were able to determine where the vines stood because the root locations were preserved by the eruption.

In their original location

 Above are some of the plaster casts of actual human beings.  When excavation of the city took place archeologists found large pockets of air and filled them with plaster.  Many of the air pockets turned out to be outlines of the residents last moment on Earth.  The pockets exist because the bodies were completely engulfed and then decomposed over time, leaving a perfect mold of a human.
We enjoyed our overall experience in Pompeii.  It was nice to see yet another thing I had learned about with my own two eyes.

The next morning Melissa and I set out for Salerno.  All of the hostels along the Amalfi Coast were booked for the night so we had to delay our trip there for twenty-four hours. 

There is not much to do in Salerno aside from shopping and eating.  It was still a good day but the Amalfi Coast promises to be more exciting.

Scott

Days 62-64 - Innsbruck and the City of No Vacancy

I awoke early for a 7 am train ride from Vienna to Innsbruck.  By the time I made it there and got settled in the hostel it was about 1 pm.  The plan was to leave the next morning so all of the sightseeing had to be condensed into one day.

The highlight of Innsbruck (aside from the view) was the Bergisel, an Olympic ski jump.  It is located on the face of a large mountain and I walked to it since I had no knowledge of the public transit system.

The beginning of the path

The view on the walk to the Bergisel

Sounding like a panting dog with asthma, I bought a ticket and took a tram to the top of the jump.

The Bergisel, from the jump platform

The view from the top

The pictures really don't do the ski jump justice.  It is extremely steep and the height alone was enough for me to cross Olympian off of my list of possible careers.  Surprisingly it is open year-round since water is used to slicken the surface when there is no snow.  Another interesting fact is that the pope has actually held mass in the stadium.

After spending a few minutes up top it was time to descend.  This time I walked down next to the jump and the all of the way down the hill.  The rest of the day was spent wandering around Innsbruck.  Here are some highlights.

The church/cemetery near my hostel

Wheelchair ramp

The Golden Roof

In the evening I met an Irish dude in the hostel and we checked out some of the nightlife.  It's a fun town and I definitely recommend a visit.

Thursday was comprised of train rides. Eight hours to be exact.  The only thing I have to show for the day is this picture of a giant helping of Wiener Schnitzel.

In due time I made it to Rome and set my alarm for 3:30 am (first pitch of the Giants game).  Tired but happy with the win I set out for the airport in the morning. Melissa and I found each other and headed toward the city center to find lodging.  I only mention this because we were completely unable to find a room.  With a U2 concert and other events the rooms were booked everywhere.  The final straw was when a hotel manager told us 200 people had asked him for a room that day and he had turned them all away. He suggested leaving the city and that is exactly what we did.  This post is coming from Naples, only a few hours by train from Rome. Melissa flies out of Rome so we will have a a chance to check it out on the backend.

We arrived here with time to walk part of the city.  Below are a couple pictures from the walk around the city.  

For dinner we went to the place Amnesty International recognizes as the place Calzone was invented.  After a delicious meal it was time to head back to the hostel and call it a night.

Of course I had to be up early again for the Giants game.  If you talk to me don't bring last night's game ever again.

Today the plan is to see the rest of the city and then take a day trip to Pompeii tomorrow.


Scott

Days 60 & 61 - Resting in Austria

After 2 months on the road I have taken a two day break in Austria. It's amazing how much travel can wear you down. It's been nice to have back-to-back nights of good sleep and a TV that has ESPN.

Tomorrow morning I am taking a 6 am train to Innsbruck and spending the day there on the way to Rome. The blog will be back soon with an Innsbruck/Rome post.

Thanks for reading,

Scott

Days 57-59 - Amsterdam to Koln to Frankfurt to Munich to Vienna

On the way out of the library in Amsterdam after my last post I overheard a conversation about Oktoberfest.  The two people were talking about how the coming weekend was the last of the festival and I immediately knew my next destination.  Unfortunately the night train for the next day was booked so I made a reservation that involved two train changes during the night and would have me arrive in Munich at 5:30 am on Saturday morning.  With a plan in hand I set out to enjoy the last twenty-four hours of Amsterdam. 



I spent the day with two students from the US who are studying abroad in Luxembourg.  We filled the hours souvenir shopping and enjoying the randomness of Amsterdam.

Not a place to act ridiculous

At 6:30 pm it was time to begin the journey to Munich.  After a train switch in Koln I fell asleep and did not wake up until Frankfurt, the end of the line.  Of course I was supposed to switch trains before Frankfurt and there was now no way to get to Munich until morning.  The shortest hotel stay of my life ended with an awesome breakfast and it was back to the train station.  I bet you can see what is coming next: The trains to Munich were full.  Undeterred, I sat in the doorway of the 9 am train for the entirety of the trip.

Oktoberfest

I am glad I made it to Oktoberfest and appreciate the festival for its importance.   However being unable to move and having drunk teenagers bump into you gets a bit old.  I left after only a few hours and got on a train to Austria.  I will be in Vienna until the 6th, when I head to Innsbruck for a day.  The 7th will be spent on trains from Innsbruck to Rome since I meet Melissa the morning of the 8th.  (For those that do not know: I have a friend from Napa coming to Europe so I have extended my trip until November 1st.)

And now, randomly, here are three food items I have enjoyed over the last three days. 

All the health benefits of crisps with that great bacon taste



Great McDonalds burger with grilled onions



Stroopwafels, the best thing from The Netherlands since my relatives



Scott