28th Sept (Tues) - Florence/ Pisa

So here I am, 2nd day in Florence. Florence's actually a pretty small city and almost all major attractions are within walking distance from Firenze S.M.N station - except for Piazzale Michaelangelo, which you have to take Bus 12 to get there and take in a bird's eye view of the city. So scrap the open bus tour if you can.






(For a bigger view of the landscape pix, click here ).

I was a sucker for it and went for it at 20€ for 2-day pass coz I was simply too tired to walk around. Well, it's coz of a very disturbing sleep I had at Napoli just before I came over to Florence. That's why. And that's another story altogether which I'm still very jittery about even now. I'll tell when that feeling subsides. In the meantime, here's the pix of the hostel which I'd stayed at - Archi Rossi Hostel. Pretty interesting and comfortable place :)



Anyway, it's been raining ever since I got here. The sky cleared for like only 2 hours earlier today. So, the initial perception I had of Florence was that it was just like any other Italian city - same old building architecture and looking dreary - except that it was quieter and less crowded. I couldn't see the charm behind it. But when the sky cleared for that 2 hours today, I'd a more enjoyable time walking down the streets and exploring the lanes to see the local going about their businesses - i.e.: small roadside shops, book stores and etc.







I began to reflect on what went wrong and deduced that because most of the buildings here have been here since the early 50s or 60s, they wore the dull and sometimes dirty yellow on their facade. So when it began to rain or became cloudy, the faded paint became even more depressing, making the atmosphere rather dreary.

But when the skies began to clear and the light shone through, it was a different story altogether. The yellow walls lit up to show a more cheerful side and helped to lift the whole city atmosphere. Even a stroll along the same riverside became much more brighter. But alas, today's my last day in the city. Damn the cranky weather for spoiling my mood to explore.







Aside, I'd made a trip to Pisa this morning and yup, saw the leaning tower. But after travelling for 1 hour from Firenze S.M.N station to Pisa Centrale (one way regional rail @ 5.80€) and after which, walked for 40 mins to get to the attraction, I was like "erhhh... ok. Not very majestic. Now that I've seen it, what should I do next?".



So, after much deliberation, I decided to walk the same way back to Pisa Centrale and caught the next train back to Firenze (Florence). 'COZ there was simply nothing else to look at or explore except for the leaning tower and the catedrals beside it. And I personally found it ridiculous and refused the idea to spend more money to go up the leaning tower - coz (1) it wasn't very tall (2) there's not much view of Pisa that you could get from there (3) it was raining on and off and (4) I was freaking starving.

And while I was waiting for the train back to Firenze, I tried to buy a snack from the vending machine on the platform but it didn't work. So I had to starve for an hour on my way back. But at least there was one good part to it - when I ejected the money, I got 1€ more due to a tech problem with the machine :)

And when I got back to Firenze, I went straight to McDonald's for comfort food (I'd enough of pastas and pizzas) and ordered a chicken McNuggets meal. Oh man, the nuggets were damn sucky. REALLY.

So there you go. I'm a grouchy traveller because of the stupid weather. ARGHHHHHHH!!!

After the short lunch break, I went on the bus tour again in search of the 'Asia Market' mini mart that I'd past by the day before - hoping to get my hands on some instant noodles in case of emergency. And I finally found it!



And I'd came across some interesting street signs & sights as well :P





Oh ya, almost forgot. While I was travelling to and fro Firenze-Pisa, I'd came across 4 different women at different times who handed out a request note to ask for money. The only difference in the women's notes were the number of children that they each had.

24th Sept to 26th Sept - Pompei/ Amalfi/ Napoli

I think Italy hates me. Apart from the very cranky weather, there were things like:

1) Wrong train. Wrong stop.
Upon reaching the Napoli Centrale station, I had happily carried all my barang barang on board the local train to Pompei Scavi. But like a few other fellow tourists, I took the green line instead of the blue line and ended up 2 stops away from the intended. So I had to wait for another half hour to go back to the previous station and waited yet another half hour for the right train to get me to Pompei Scavi. I had planned to reach there by 10.30am initially but ended up being there only at 12 noon.



2) Ignored
As I was queuing up for entry ticket to the Pompei Archeologoical site, one Italian guide was asking the queue if anyone wanted to join a English tour. I raised my interest as he walked by and he totally ignored me!!! Maybe all my energy had been consumed by the luggage I was carrying, so my call-out ended up being just a mouse squeek to him and he didn't hear me. So, being rather pissed from carrying heavy luggage all the way and having being ignored, I opted for the audio guide instead.



3) Caught and drenched in rain not once, but freaking 3x
After walking for a mere 10 mins, I was really hungry and did a pit stop at the one and only cafeteria within the site.



After finally finishing up my pizza, I rushed out only to be stopped by the heavy rain. And it had to be at a time when I left my umbrella in my backpack at the luggage storage - the first time i decided not to bring an umbrella along in my sling bag coz it hadn't rain for weeks. Yup. It's the time where i really cursed and swore. I would have waited for the rain to stop but I was worried that I would miss my coach to Amalfi so once the rain turned into a mere drizzle, I continued with my exploration within the site.











But damn. It rained not once but THREE times!!! The later 2 were even heavier than the first and they happened so sudden that there were no shelters to hide under - remember, i'm in the ruins. The best shelter that I found was under a make-shift scaffold in the middle of nowhere, and where quite a number of us hid under. But oh, it was not totally fool-proof. There were so many holes in the scaffold that it only kept us a bit drier.



4) Lost. Again.
Even with a map and an audio guide, I kept getting lost within the Pompei site. Took me quite a while to find the brothel.



5) Rainy day. Yet again. Amalfi.
So, after leaving Pompei Scavi and reached Amalfi, I thought I was ready for the glorious view. But tada! Yes. There came the rain again. And it was like just half hour difference between me checking into hotel and out to the pier? And it did not stop there. For the 2 days I was at Amalfi, it rained throughout the night and into the morning. Even if the sky finally cleared in the afternoons, it started to drizzle without warning again. And just when the sky finally decided to clear up, I had to leave Amalfi for Naples. ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!













6) Rain + choppy sea = no boat to Grotta dello Smeraldo
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

So there you go. Above are the reasons why I think Italy hates me. Or maybe just Pompei, Amalfi and Napoli.

Now, for some recap on how I tried to make things more interesting for myself inspite of the above reasons. After all, I had made so much effort in making to these places. I really shouldn't let all these negatives get to me. At least not so soon and as long as I could still stay sane.

So, here are the slightly more positive things that I did or come across:

1) Coach "adventure" from Sorrento to Amalfi
Despite the weather condition that clouded the true beauty of the amalfi coast, it was quite a roller coaster ride with all those bends throughout the entire 1.5 to 2 hrs coach ride. And not forgetting the roads were so narrow that in a lot of instances, I could just reach out a finger to touch the glass on the oncoming coach from the opposite direction. Kudos to the coach drivers who got us safely up and down those bends :)

2) Treated myself to an expensive dinner by the sea
First time I had dinner by the sea, outside of SG. Best part was that I didn't have to worry about getting all sticky with the breeze. :)



3) Took the open top bus ride from Amalfi, along the coast to Minori and Mairoi in the rain.
Since it was drizzling non stop and I was too tired to walk up and down to visit the different towns along the coast, I opted for the open top ride in the rain. And I was the only passenger on board :P And as we head back to Amalfi, the drizzle stopped and I past by a newly wed couple on a horse wagon. How sweet. The return trip cost 6€.





4) Had super sour lemon sorbet and ice cream
It seemed that lemon's a crucial ingredient in all their local cuisine. Almost all restaurants had something lemony in their menu. Gelato as well. This particularly one (4.50€) that I had tried, sold pure lemon flavours only. Sibei sour siah. Sour until my hole face cringed into like dunno what like. But damn shiok.



5) Had potato dumpling, sorrento-style in tomato and cheese
ERh... not a fan of this but hey, it's an experience nevertheless to try something local. Instead of tasting like potato, it really tasted like our Chinese plain tang yuan.



5) Pictures of Amalfi in the heavy rain
Since I could do nothing else when it started to pour heavily, I decided to cover myself with my leather jacket, steady my umbrella and tried to grab some shots. Come to think of it, I supposed the people at the bus stop thought I was crazy to be standing out there in the rain.







And to sum it up, my advice for people travelling to Pompei and Amalfi:

Pompei
1) Do not take the regional train to Pompei. That's a different stop. You'll need to go to the basement to take the Circumvesuviana blue line (towards Sorrento) to Pompei Scavi. Do say it's to Pompei Scavi and not Sorrento when you buy your ticket. Otherwise, they will charge you the full fare.

2) At Pompei site, go for the guided tour instead as that would save you a lot of time and trouble. There's a counter dedicated to the tour guides so go there to enquire before you buy your ticket.

3) Should you still prefer to explore on your own, get your ticket and go to the counter at the side to collect your free map and brief guide booklet that would give you an outline on the description or history on each of the major spots.

4) As for luggage storage, it's just before the turnstiles into the site, right behind the audio guide booth. But do note that they would only accept your luggage (depending on space availability) upon seeing your entry ticket. The luggage storage is free of charge.

Amalfi:
1) Instead of travelling to Amalfi from Napoli, take the Circumvesuviana from Napoli to Sorrento (about an hour, 3.40€) and from there, take an hourly coach to Amalfi (about 1.5 to 2 hrs, 7.20€). Although there are coaches from Napoli too, the timetable's less frequent. Sorrento is a safer bet.

2) From Amalfi, take time to explore Positano, Minori and Mairoi.
You can do so by walking, if you have the stamina. Or take the local buses, open bus tours or ferries there. The view's breathtaking. But a word of caution. There's really nothing to do once there except take in the beautiful coastline and enjoy food by the sea.

3) Go to Amalfi and the coastline only during super sunny days
It wouldn't do the coastline any justice if you go in rainy or cloudy days. Really. Take it from me.

4) Go sign up for the Grotta dello Smeraldo tour if weather or sea condition permits.

5) Try out the lemon sorbet, ice cream gelato. Worth a try just to take a pix of your sour face.

6) For people with motion sickness, take your pill before heading to Amalfi. You'll definitely need it. And please, if there are no more seats left, wait for the next one. Even personally (I don't have motion sickness btw), I can't imagine standing throughout the 1.5 - 2 hrs journey along the endless bends.

If you have time, try to walk around Sorrento as well. Seemed like a nice town and I wished I had the time to do so. But well, maybe next time if possible.

*P.S.: My one-night stay in Naples (aka Napoli) gave me the creeps and certainly freaked me out. More on that next time.

23rd Sept (Thurs) - Rome

It's only my 3rd day in Rome and I'm bored already. My first day in Rome (Monday) didn't count as I'd reached Rome only in the evening (p.s: the airport here isn't really efficient). Perhaps I just didn't know how to appreciate Rome enough.

So maybe I should just ramble on the parts that I DISLIKED about Rome first:

1) Expensive transport from Airport to Termini/ central Rome.
If you reached the Roma airport, go to T3 for the bus that would take you to the city center. It would cost 8€. At first, I thought that was expensive and speculated that maybe the rail would be cheaper. But I was terribly wrong. The rail costed me 17€ and the ride lasted for 30mins. Heart pain siah. But what to do? I didn't want to walk back to the airport terminal with my now 14.5kg backpack and heavy slingbag. :(

2) Lost in Rome
Apart from some of the impressive attractions like the Colosseo, all other buildings in general, the lanes/ streets and restaurants looked the same to me. Seriously, it's the first time in my travelling experience that I kept getting lost in the streets or at almost every turn. Local and google maps were of limited help as there were too many small lanes and interjunctions that would threw you off your sense of direction if you make even just one wrong turn.

In addition, the directional signs to the tourist attractions weren't clear either. And it didn't help that most tourist maps here were over simplified and not drawn to scale. So it's super easy to have the wrong impression that the attractions were very close to one another when in fact, they could be more than 30mins apart by walking - assuming you didn't lose your way, whilst walking over.

3) Sibei crowded siah
There's just so many people everywhere, especially around the touristy areas. Just one look at the crowd gave me an headache. Almost everytime. But of course, if you go off the beaten track and focus on non-touristy spots, you wouldn't have this problem at all. In fact, you would be able to stroll along quite leisurely but there's nothing much then to look at apart from the restaurants that lined up the walkway (which looked similar altogether) and some local shops and offices.

4) Sick of food
Oh dear, it's only my 4th day in Italy and I'm already getting sick of pizzas and pastas. I still have another 10 days or so in Italy. What shall I do? Can someone please ship over some of my favourite Korean spicy instant noodle or the Maggie curry instant noodle? And oh! There's no Aglio Olio here. Damn!!!

Now, for the bits that I found interesting or LIKED about Rome:

1) You mean I can cross here?
In most places, the zebra crossing markings (i.e.: those white stripes on the floor) have already faded and you could hardly make them out. So an eye for details would help. And unlike Singapore, if you were just standing at the head of the zebra crossing, the cars would not stop and wait for you to cross first. They would just continue to drive by. So you would have to go ahead and cross the road, with caution of course, and the cars would then stop accordingly. Well, you know what they say - do what the locals do.

2) Friendly locals
Most of the locals whom I had approached or bumped into to date have been very friendly and helpful - and that really helped to lift my impression about Rome. Most of them could speak some English so asking around for directions was usually okay. Even if they seemed a bit apprehensive when you first approached them, they would still point you the way courteously. Of course, I was courteous in the first place. Hehehehe.

3) Doing laundry at a local laundry shop
Hehhehee... It's my first time bringing my clothes over to a laundry shop so I found that personally interesting. But it's rather ex loh. Paid 7€ (equivalent to SGD 14) for washing and drying. Self-service some more. The only up side was that the detergent was included in this fee.



4) Nice Gelato!
So far I only had one (strawberry flavoured). The serving's rather big and it costed only 2€. (^_^) I shall try more gelato flavours as I move around Italy.



5) The nice graffiti art near the Termini central station.
The train was travelling too fast so I wasn't in time to take any pix of them. But you would definitely be able to see them if you came into Rome from the aiport to Termini Station via the rail.

6) Bumped into city tour promo - paid 18€ for a 2-day pass
There were numerous city tour companies to choose from and they all offered about the same routes. So do look around before getting on one. Usually, a one-day pass would cost 20€ and a 2-day pass probably about 25€. One thing that I liked about this city tour though, was that I got to pass by (but not stop at) the non-touristy bits as well, which gave me a glimpse of the local lifestyle. And of course, a slightly less cluttered view of the city from the top :)

7) Discovery of new pasta flavour! Yummy!
Although I'd a few pastas and pizzas here, the Linguine Allo Scoglio was still my favourite! The sauce was just different from the usual tomato-based or cream-based ones and it was simply yummy! Not to mention with lots of clamps, mussels and scampi!



8) New found friend
Clicked with one of my bunk mates over here (with her mom as well). And it was really funny when both of them called out to me from a distance within the Vatican grounds. But since we didn't introduce ourselves to one another formally before, they didn't know my name and they were just shouting "Hey! Hey!". But as I was concentrated in taking photos of St. Peter's Square just some distance from them, it took me a few seconds to realise that someone was calling out to me. One of the passer-bys even smiled and said "Hey!" back to them. Hahahaha.

Okay... now for the places that I'd visited so far:

1) Colosseo
Very impressive monument indeed. There was always a long queue to get in. But fortunately, there were quite a few counters so the queue moved pretty fast. My take? Don't waste your money buying express pass or the ROMA pass, just join the queue. You should be able to get in within 15 to 20 mins.







And from the Colosseo, I could also see the Areo do Tito, Palatino and Arco di Constantino. The pass for Colosseo also encompassed the entry to these spots but good luck to finding the way in. I got lost (as per usual in Rome) and gave up. But honestly speaking, you should just head over to Piazza del Campidoglio and over to the backyard where you would get a even better view of the ruins.



2) Piazza del Campidoglio where the famous Michelangelo monumental wide ramped stair could be found. But I didn't go inside the museums though as I wasn't really interested in sculptures and statues.



3) Santa Maria in Aracoeli (just right beside Piazza del Campiodoglio, up a super long flight of stairs)
I didn't go up the stairs nor enter the catedral as it was closed for service when I was there. :( But I heard and seen from the pictures from the internet that the interior was beautiful. Go have a look for yourself if you have the chance.



4) Mercati Di Traiano (or Mercati Traianei in some tourist maps)
I could only look from the outside as there weren't any clear directional signs on-site to tell you how you could get into the ruins. As per wikipedia, "thought to be the world's oldest shopping mall, the arcades in Trajan's Market [were] now believed by many to be administrative offices for Emperor Trajan. The shops and apartments were built in a multi-level structure and you [could] visit several of the levels... The upper levels of the market were used for offices while the lower part, in front of Trajan's Forum, had shops selling oil, wines, seafood, groceries, vegetables and fruit."





5) Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II
Just viewed from the outside.



6) The church of Gesu



7) Piazza Navona

8) Pantheon
I had thought this was the Pantheon that housed the statues of the Greek gods and goddess but it was not. It was actally dedicated to St. Mary and the Martyrs instead. So I was kinda disappointed. Oh well, I guess I could only see the Pantheon of my mind in Greece.



9) Fontana di Trevi
Freaking crowded!!! All fanatsies of a romantic atmosphere (as portrayed in the movies) just vanished in an instant once I reached the fountain. But it nevertheless, impressive.



10) Fontana del Tritone



11) Santa Maria Maggiore



12) Piazza del Popolo

13) Vatican
You MUST definitely book your admission ticket OR the guided tour online before you even go there. The queue was madness and if you were unlucky, it might be an hour or more before you even get to the ticketing counter! Luckily for me, I'd booked the guided tour online for 31€ (inclusive of the admission to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel) before I even left for this trip - go check out the official Vatican site for booking info. But do note that if you applied for the guided tour, you would need to get behind the Vatican to the Museum directly, and not enter from St. Peter's Basilica. I made the mistake of entering via St. Peter's Basilica and had to run like 10 minutes round the fortress to get to the meeting point at the Vatican Museums. Managed to reach in time in the end for the tour.









The tapestry and wall paintings inside the Vatican were simply amazing. I was like "Wtf... the painters and artists would have had to spend a decade long just to get one room done!" and the next thought that came into my mind was that if the Vatican was to even sell one of the rooms, the proceeds could perhaps be more than enough to save a quarter of the starving African children population!!! Yah. I'm evil. I know.

Anywayz, sadly, photography was not allowed in the Sistine chapel where the famous Michelangelo wall paintings were - especially The Creation of Adam, which portrayed God giving life to Adam. You know, the famous finger reaching out to finger?? So, at the end of the tour, I went to the Vatican post office to get myself a postcard of that painting and mailed it to myself. This way, I not only get the picture of the painting as a momento, I could also collect the Vactican stamp and unique franking. *Smiles*







And it was really interesting to learn during the tour explanation on how Michelangelo was "forced" by the Pope to learn painting and to then paint the Sistine chapel, what each of the paintings meant or portrayed & etc. And also the facts about Constantine in which he wasn't as good looking as all the statues had portrayed him to be, how his famous quote came about and how he ended up being baptised only a week before his death. Interesting.

So my verdict for this trip was that if you would like to go slow, 3 days in ROME would be enough to visit all the attractions and monuments. But if you were the kind that liked to go fast just as I did, 2 days' just nice. Just don't expect it to be as romantic as the movies portrayed it to be and you should be able to enjoy it just fine.

Misc: