Category: Europe

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When meeting strangers in Bologna: A Ducati Love Story

Baci: (n) kiss, buss, osculation (the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof))

In many places in the world, excluding the USA, there exists a kind of chocolate called Baci. I had my first in Italy, and they are pretty darn good. They all come with phrases inside like “Each kiss is a discovery.” Each city, street, and person you find in Italy is a discovery also.

Rome is a busy place. As such, sometimes it is hard to find a place to stay when you are on a budget like mine. Come the weekend, my choices ran too slim and I decided to roll out and finally see one of the things that I had missed with Joanne: The Ducati Factory!

Ducati is a household name with my friends and I, being the gearheads that we are. The thought of being in Italy without making it to this place was not acceptable. So I scheduled my tour time (very important), hopped a train, still with no place to sleep for the night, and took off for a city named after lunch meat; Bologna.

The train station is something of a U shape allowing uncooperative taxi drivers and buses to loop through and pick up the incoming human traffic. It was on the far side of this U that a determined young woman marched up to me and starting asking me something in Italian.

For some reason, instead of asking her if she spoke English, I asked her, “Hablas Español?” Surprisingly enough, she did.

In a few minutes it came out that she was actually from Colombia and we both spoke fluent English. Her name was Paula, and we were also both in similar situations for the weekend, took off on a whim and had no place to stay and no plan. We checked our bags in the luggage area and took off to find an internet connection and a place to sleep.

Even before we found the Bed and Breakfast we eventually stayed in, our mutual love of motorcycles led us to join up for the trip to Ducati. We booked a double room at some place whose name I have forgotten and took off exactly on time for the tour.

Unfortunately, “exactly on time” is about 15 minutes late by Ducati standards.

All tour attendees are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early. This actually means, if you are not there 15 minutes before the time your tour is scheduled, your tour will leave without you and you will have to come back another day.

Luckily, we caught our tour as they left the factory and got to see the museum and all the shiny wonderful toys that it contained! Paula kept having to pull me off of them before the Tour Guide saw me.

Afterward, due in no small part to my darling partner, we were able to jump in with an all Italian speaking tour to route through the factory and see the way things are handled. It was like entering Santa’s Workshop.

Unfortunately, much as I imagine Santa would, Ducati insisted that no photos were allowed in the factory. Thus, even if I had taken photos inside, which I would not because I am a straight laced law abiding citizen, I could not put them up here for everyone to see. Sorry.

It’s impressive how easily public transportation comes together when you have someone who speaks the local language with you! With the help of a man with the hairiest nose on Planet Earth, Paula and I hopped a couple buses and rocked on back to the Bologna city center to pick up our bags from the train station and drop them at the BnB before grabbing some well deserved food.

Bologna is a great place for seeing Ducati, Ferarri, Lamborghini, and eating bologna (obviously), and a food somewhat less evident, tortellini. That being the case, we decided to roll out and get some local fare and brave the nightlife with a dubiously accurate map and our less than perfect communal sense of direction.

There is something satisfying about eating pasta at a restaurant named “Tony’s.” It is even better when that place is in Italy. We settled in for a couple big bowls of tortellini at Tony’s and asked our decidedly Nordic looking waiter where the cool kids were hanging out at on a Friday night…

At the time we set off for the night, we had no idea how confusing the side streets of Bologna truly would be. We spent most of the night walking around and talking to one another, laughing at what a pair of lost tourists we were. Had we known how the night would turn out, we probably would have done exactly the same thing.

Adversity never seems that way when you are in the company of friends.

While walking back down one of a thousand beautiful little streets, Paula looked quizzically at a bird and asked me, “Why is that bird still awake?”

It’s moments like that which can bond souls. We laughed until we cried.

The following day was something of divide and conquer. We spent most of the morning being lazy in bed or nursing coffee, when we finally decided to get out of dodge. Paula liked the idea of seeing Florence and I felt like making dinner. We reserved seats with In Tavola and even had the foresight to book a place to sleep before we took off to accomplish some errands we needed to nail down before we caught the train; I went to Dainese to pick up some kit , and she wandered off in search of pictures.

Pictures seem to become a part of daily life while we travel. They wrap up the train station, a view from a window, or the smile creases in a face for reminders; some means by which we try to translate the crash and climax of this transient world to those who weren’t there and could never understand… but Paula gives it her best and takes it to the next level. Check her blog out here.

Florence was almost exactly like I remember it, though unique in some ways with a new partner; new discoveries.

Check out all the scandalous details of our cooking shenanigans at In Tavola here. After a fabulous night of food, we wandered around the city, soaking up the experience, taking pictures and eventually stumbling back to the hostel for some much needed sleep.

FYI: Sogiorno Pitti has low ceilings. not much of a problem for a Medellina, but somewhat dangerous to tall Americans.

We wandered around the city taking pictures of peoples dreams and speaking of our own.

It was a brilliant weekend, but it eventually had to end as Paula and I both had to head off to school on opposite ends of the country. I’ve spoken before about my love of Colombia and meeting people like Paula and Mauricio has only deepened my appreciation of the country and people.

This amazing weekend of mine would never have happened if this lovely woman didn’t have the courage to walk up to a total stranger and strike up a conversation. The simple act of saying hello took the both of us on a weekend of comedy and adventure and brought two individuals, born on different continents, together and made them more than the sum of their parts; friends. So many days of the week, we walk past person after person without noticing them; without seeing a smile on their face, or a lost look that indicates we can be of help to them. I can only express to you how much better my time in Italy was because of Paula and her brilliance and hope that her beautiful example makes the world a better place for you as it has for me.

Wrap Up:

Plan ahead for Ducati. Check the schedule online or on the phone for tour dates weeks in advance if you can.

Show up 30 minutes early for your tour time slot. That will put you there a few minutes before they leave.

Trains are the easiest way to get to and from Bologna. Buses are the easiest way to get around within.

Talk to strangers. It’s worth it!

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Napoli, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast

Napoli: The bad boy of the South.

Most tourists who come to Italy are given at least a quick precaution about Napoli. Purported home of a few organized crime factions, it gets something of a bad rap. My host, Giovanni, does something to mitigate these rumors.

Each and every visitor to Giovanni’s Home, his hostel on the 4th floor of a centuries old building, gets a lesson in pickpockets, crime, and the surrounding area whether they like it or not. I thought it was great, though my new friend Prue was less impressed. He shows several videos of pickpockets in Italy at work and then begins quoting statistics.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/26045/

After he is done with PSA number one, he moves on to the surrounding area. I have to say he was pretty correct with regard to almost everything. Ercolano was the exception for me.

Giovanni gave me a great map of the city and marked numerous things to check out and even the best path to walk in order to see them all. I did just that on my first day in town and was greeted with some lovely views and complete traffic madness.

Napoli also holds the shore where the famed Parthenope washed ashore. She was a Siren driven mad by rejection from Ulysses who threw herself into the sea, eventually washing up on the coast near this castle. Something of a love story.

Parthenope's landing space

Even today it is something of a romantic spot.

At the end of my first full day in Napoli, I made a run at the local Carrefour. I managed to get a ton of great fruit and vegetables along with some instant coffee as Giovanni’s house offers no breakfast. (Side note: Hostel of the Sun in Napoli offers a full breakfast spread.) After returning I set to making my closest interpretation of Turkish Dolma, stuffed peppers, and became the talk of the town. I fed myself and a few other people that night, and still had leftover peppers for the next couple days. They were delicious!

Napoli is rather famous for being the birthplace of the often copied but never duplicated Pizza! Gino Sorbillo is noted as being the best pizza place in Napoli and I must say they did not disappoint. If you make it to Napoli, make a point to visit this place. Skip the table wine, though, as it is a bit vinegary.

The second day in town, I decided to do the Ercolano-Vesuivius-Pompeii trip. Ercolano is an old town that was destroyed at the same time as Pompeii when Vesuvius blew it’s top many years ago. Ercolano is very well preserved for a dead town. Ercolano is also stone effing boring. Ercolano was SO boring, in fact, that I decided not to visit Pompeii or Vesuvius as I assumed they would be more of the same.

Instead I rocked down to Sorrento, a place that Giovanni cautioned me against visiting, to rent a motorcycle and go ride the Amalfi Coastline. This was a good idea in theory.

Siesta : Noun S: (n) siesta (a nap in the early afternoon (especially in hot countries))

Anyone who has visited Spain or Italy probably knows about this lovely tradition. In the middle of the day, everyone closes up shop and heads home to take a nap. This is socially acceptable and even understandable from a foreigners standpoint as folks here tend to go to dinner very late. It is also very frustrating if you are trying to do anything in the afternoon.

Most of the shops in Sorrento open sometime in the late morning and close at 1 p.m. They don’t open again until sometime after 5 p.m. This means your options of what to do in the afternoon are severely limited. Add in to that the fact that the public beach area (which I never found except on Google Earth) is about 100 square meters and you are looking at a rather hampered afternoon. I arrived in Sorrento around 1:30.

Eventually, I just hopped the train back to Napoli and vowed to return again before siesta and actually rent a motorbike to take the ride. Ducati Monsters rent out at about 50 euro a day; much less than you can rent them in the USA. This is, of course, if you can actually find them.

I hit the hostel and discovered the rest of Prue’s friends, Team Oz, had arrived and had a chill night talking and went to bed early in preparation for our trip to the Isle of Capri the following morning.

The following morning, it was raining rather heavily. We scrapped the plan around 6:30 and all went back to bed. I have been battling some element of road weariness most of my time in Italy, and decided to simply take a day for myself, back up some of my pictures, and lay low with the guitar hanging in the common room. A guitar which, miraculously, had all 6 strings and was almost in tune.

I was pretty much minding my own business when I noticed I had an audience. A guy from somewhere and a girl from Finland had just posted up at the next table and kept asking me to play another and sing and it was a little awkward for me but they were having fun so I went with it. After a few songs, Giovanni came out and brought another guitar and added all the skill on strings that I have never acquired and we rocked it out for a few songs, till I ran completely out of anything I was able to play. It was an interesting night.

I have to add in a small note of recommendation for Yellow Hostel in Rome. As I write this, I have never actually stayed there, but I have changed my initial reservation to stay with them numerous times to different dates and lengths and each time they handle it without complaint or delay. They really seem to have earned their reputation as the premier backpackers hostel in Rome.

Once Team Oz made it back from Capri, it was on. The 5 of us had a great night talking about everything under the sun and killing somewhere around 10 bottles of wine between us. This did not assist me in making it to the train early the next morning.

It was, in fact, after 11 o’clock by the time I made it to the train station. If you ever do decide to stay a Giovanni’s home, be aware that performs revelry at 10 a.m. every morning so his cleaner can detail the rooms.

Here are some quick details about the train. The line Circumvesuviana runs around Vesuvius, as the name would imply. The dark blue line on the Metro map; it runs through Ercolano, Vesuvius, Pompeii, and all the way to Sorrento. It is not fast, taking nearly 90 minutes to run from one side to the other. As the train does not run with great frequency. The next departure from Napoli for me was at noon. For those of you doing the math, this means I hit Sorrento right after the start of the siesta.

At this point, I just gave in. I let loose of all my expectations and needs and finally embraced the Italian lifestyle. I wandered around the town, found a bathroom to change into my swimsuit and walked down to the port. Lacking any beach, I simply jumped the fence and laid down on a giant black rock and soaked up sunshine for the next couple hours while listening to the iPod. It felt pretty good.

By the time I got back up to the bike rental shop, it was almost time for them to reopen according to the sign on the door. That doesn’t mean they were actually about to open, just that the sign said it. Another guy from England was waiting there to return his 150cc Honda he had rented that morning, About a half an hour of good conversation later, the owner appeared and reopened. Due to my tardiness, they no longer had the Ducati I had emailed them about earlier in the week, nor did they appear to have any other two wheeled means of conveyance available other than the 150cc scooter that my British comrade had just returned. That’ll do.

I was assured that the Amalfi coastal road, much like the scooter itself, was idiot proof. Once again, I set off to prove just how resourceful idiots can be.

Not since I was in Venice had I been that lost that often. Of course, there are signs everywhere. But that doesn’t really simplify the equation. The fact that I was near constantly lost was not really a problem, though. The ride was beautiful. Every minute was enjoyable and thrilling whether I knew where I was heading or not. The freedom that two wheels give a human is near indescribable for one who has never ridden a steel horse. I imagine Icarus felt much the same way before he plunged to his death in the rocks and sea below him.

I would love to say that I rode safely and within the confines of traffic laws as I understand them. I cannot. Towards the end of the day I was riding with the same abandon as every other mad wheeler I have seen in Italy; riding on the wrong side of the road, down the median, practically everywhere but the sidewalk.

After several hours I realized I needed to get back to the office and return my steed. Following signs got me somewhere close to Sorrento, and asking the other madmen in traffic helped me finish up the return trip. Funny thing is, I entered Sorrento from the other side of town. Somehow, I had left Sorrento going south, and returned to Sorrento heading south still. I still don’t really understand what happened.

Returning to Giovanni’s took a while, partly due to the never ending Metro station; you can walk almost a mile underground without surfacing. Finally back, I got to settle in to some more Dolma that I made the day before and relax. One of the girls called me “Master Chef” as I always seemed to be making miracles happen in that limited little kitchen. I loved it.

Eventually, all things good, bad, and just plain strange, must come to an end. Team Oz and I piled out and on to a train to Rome and new adventures. As luck would have it, I wouldn’t be in Rome for long though. Up Next: more motorcycles.

Wrap Up:

Napoli is fun for a short visit, but it mainly serves as a good base for day trips to locations like Sorrento, Capri, and Vesuvius. Plan accordingly and you can really maximize your time here.

Ride the Amalfi coast. This is the best thing I did in Italy. Get up early and maximize your time.

Be aware of your surroundings; make sure someone marks the “bad” neighborhoods on your map of Napoli. Noone wants to lose a passport, money, or pack.

Be open to changes in plans and roll with the punches. You will enjoy yourself more if you don’t stress the little setbacks.

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A real Pisa Italy

Pisa was one of those silly touristy things that I knew I was going to do and felt a little guilty about it.

Everyone knows about The Leaning Tower, but almost no one knows about anything else that goes on there. For good reason, I suppose. Just why the heck is it leaning?

It’s Science!

The tour operators can fill you in on the details and physics, but one thing to note is that there are only a certain amount of people allowed in the tower at a time due to it’s precarious placement and somewhat narrow walkways.

While I did not venture far from the tower itself, I have to say that there are some cool sights in the same area that you should check out while you are waiting for your time slot to enter the tower. Take a quick visual tour, the pack a great traveling partner and GO!

Wrap Up:

Pisa public transportation is well marked. take the LAM red line from across the street of the main train station or airport. It drops you right at the tower. You can’t miss it.

Go to the ticket office to buy a ticket for the attractions. Ask advice from the employees on what is worth seeing.

Next, go to the tower admissions office to get a time slot and check any backpack you may have, as bags are not allowed in the tower.

Wander. Take a look around and have fun.

Check return train times to your hotel if you are making Pisa a day trip. TrenItalia is dependable, but doesn’t run as often as some would like.

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Tuscany: Now you’re cooking!

Tuscan food is celebrated, and for good reason: it is delicious!

Florence is an excellent base for getting into this sort of thing if you are interested in it as it is near so much of the Tuscan countryside and home to a number of great cooking schools.

Being the cheapskates that we are, Jo and I found the least expensive one in town and tried it out. It was so good, I went back again a week later with my lovely companion, Paula.

Tavola is an Italian word that describes a table set with food. By the end of the night, I can see why they named the school as such.

Each night that there are different classes held at the school for different types of dinner: four courses, pizza and gelato, pasta, whatever the chefs feel like putting together.The place is usually swimming with tourists and it makes for an interesting night of conversation as well as delicious food.

Among the dishes we made were salami dulce, ravioli, pizza, focaccia, gelato, biscotti, and risotto. It wasn’t even all about the food as we received tons of information all night as well. It was great to have flour described in detail and really understand it and how to use it.

Remember, no matter what you are cooking, the secret ingredient is always Love. Whether you have the uniquely wonderful privilege of cooking with my friends, or you are going it solo, the human touch, that added immeasurable additive, will make all the difference.

This is why we remember weekend and holiday family dinners with such warmth. This is why dinner parties and barbecues are still favorite activities around the world. This is why homemade salsa creates friends out of strangers, and loved ones out of neighbors. Creating food is one of my favorite ways to show my love for another person; at the most basic level I am literally sustaining their life force; I am giving them life.

Buddha, a lover of food and people himself, said “If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.”

Maybe it isn’t as revolutionary an action as some, but I enjoy it and I love to see other people eating and enjoying something that I made. If you are in Tuscany, you could do worse things with your time than take a cooking course. I’m just saying.

“If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.” —Buddha

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Florence on Fleet Feet

Monkey Launchers can be a useful tool on the Italian rails.

The train into Florence was slower than we anticipated. For a reason still unknown to us, we stopped about 30 minutes from Florence and sat in the train for about 2 hours. This made us pretty late getting in to Florence. Luckily, I used the time to call ahead to tell the hotel that we were delayed. The owner sounded surprised and told me that our reservation wasn’t until two days hence. Problem.

Apparently when booking accommodation online, you should be doubly careful when using an iPhone as they tend to have some quirks. The owner, Marta, was cool enough to call around and find us a place with a room for the night and made arrangements to meet us the following morning. Near disaster averted.

Protip: When stranded on trains, it is good to bring along a monkey launcher. If you don’t have one, then download the Monkey Launcher game for your iPhone to help pass the time.

The Santa Maria Novella train station (SMN) in Florence is straightfroward, direct, and easy to navigate to and from; just about all you could ask for from a train station. at 11 oclock at night, it is easier just to queue for a taxi than try to find your way across town with luggage. The taxis may run a little slowly that late, but they’ll get you where you need to go.

Sojiourno Pitti is located in Piazza Pitti, on the far side of the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). The place is super basic, but relatively clean and had enough space for us to squeeze into the dorms at the last minute before the staff left for the night. There is no internet, breakfast, coffee, or anything resembling a welcoming atmosphere, but as the saying goes, any port in a storm.

The next morning we made it to Afossi, right next to the Santa Maria Novella station we arrived at the night before, and were greeted by Marta, the Croatian ex-French teacher who runs the place. The room was huge and Marta was full of information. I split to get some laundry done and Jo took off in search of ice cream.

Florence was to be our base of operations for the next few days while we checked out a number of nearby locations; Pisa among them. Florence itself has a few tricks to be aware of. Order at the bar, you will save yourself some service fees. also, the tables under the canopies outside have a tourist fee associated with them. ask for the tables that aren’t an extra cost. some bars have them. If you want to get around in the city center, everything is easily walkable, but if you need to leave the old town, take the bus. You need to buy tickets at an odd ticket booth on the east side of SMN.

The statue of David is ensconced in a fancy museum, but there are two identical copies for free elsewhere in the city. One on top of Michelangelo Hill above the city and another in front of Palazzo Vecchio near the heart of the old city. The latter has a whole gallery of fantastic statues piled around it that I would recommend making the trip to go see. It’s free, so mount up.

While Joanne and I were walking around the David statue, an American woman walked up next to us, stared intently at the statue for a few seconds and then asked what we were all thinking, ” Where is his… oh wait… is that it?!”

The statue is rather disproportionate in lots of ways, but it is uniquely beautiful. That sentence describes a great many people I know. Yes, you are probably one of them.

Florence is home to a lot of great things. Take a walk. Ask questions. People will help you out. See what you find.

Wrap Up:

Plan Ahead. Florence is popular enough that you will want to book accommodation and museums well in advance.

Walk it. Florence is easily conquered on foot.

Ask about what tables and restaurants implement a stranieri tax.

If you are leaving the city center, use the bus. It’s cheap and predictable; not common in Italy.

Free are abounds. If you didn’t reserve museum spots ahead of time, just explore. The library’s ancient text section is a hidden gem!

Use Florence as a base camp to visit nearby sites. Pisa, Tuscan wineries, and Siena are easy targets. Piazza del Campo in Sienna is a day well spent, even if the races are not on.

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Cinque Terre

In terms of raw atmosphere, you can’t beat Cinque Terre. These little towns, joined together by a rail line and a foot path, are all you could ask for in terms of picturesque Italian country and coast.

The towns differ quite a bit from one to the next, though my favorite is Corniglia, it has no waterfront to speak of but the view is extraordinary. It has the least amount of tourism and is the smallest of the five, leaving it with a bit more of the charm that draws people here.

For a developed country, Italy has a lack of usable internet. There seems to be a law in place that links internet traffic to a document, such as a passport or ID card. I can only assume that this is a trend that will be making its way around the world, as much of the concern surrounding internet usage deals with anonymity. I may be wrong, but only time will tell.

There are hostels in Cinque Terrre, but they are sparse and book up in advance, so plan ahead. Thought it is not the 5 star accommodation that draws people here, but rather the hiking trails between the towns and the unspeakably beautiful land and seascapes. We saw signs all over the place giving tips for hiking and got a good laugh out of the one that said no high-heels. Until we actually saw a lady hiking in high heels. Take a look, then buy your ticket.

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Milan tidbits

City of fashion! I really enjoyed Milan. It was beautiful to look at and relatively easy to navigate with an extensive subway infrastructure and plenty of buses.

Upon our arrival, quite late, we had to hop a Metro across town to our hostel/apartment. Our host was less than thrilled with our midnight arrival, but he took it in stride and settled us in quickly.

Much of my initial weeks in Italy were breakneck pace keeping up with Joanne. This got me to thinking about how some people travel. There are two seeming phases of traveling abroad: consumption and maintenance. When you are traveling for a short period, you can spend the entire vacation in consumption mode; eating up the sights, cities, and fare, only to collapse and go into maintenance when you return back home.

Consumption is easy to do in the short term. One can simply be propelled forward through the days with novelty. New sights, people, languages, landmarks all fueling the desire to keep going. Deadlines, like a return flight home can truly make a person push their normal limits with the perceived need to squeeze everything in. It’s just the way things work.

On the other hand, after you have been traveling for a while, novelty takes a back seat to comfort, health, laundry; maintenance. Clothes need to be cleaned, sleep is a real currency that you cannot eternally shortchange yourself on, relationships need to be maintained and fostered. For someone like me who travels with a healthy maintenance phase, living in full bore consumption phase can be trying. Luckily, I had a travel partner who understood these things and Joanne really did her best to take it easy on me, despite her desire to simply take Italy like the Tasmanian Devil.

Milan has some great things to check out. One of them is the painting of “The Last Supper.” I never got to see it, but that is because you need to reserve a ticket some days in advance. Some things need to be planned.

The Duomo, happily, is not.

The Duomo in Milan is possibly the most aesthetically pleasing building I have seen in my adult life. In fact, the only way it could be better is if it smelled like Christmas and was covered in candy. The pictures speak for themselves, I hope.

Milan is a city of superlative quality. The buildings are magnificent. The police are always patrolling. The fashion is top notch. The city made me think of a slightly improved version of New York. If you are into doing Milan on the cheap, you could spend a well deserved day of lounging in the park at the old castle in the center of town. It will make you want to do cartwheels, then pass out on the grass.

Milan is a train ride away from Genoa, which is a ride away from the 5 cities of Cinque Terre. While Genoa gave birth to Christopher Columbus, who is not American, it wasn’t enough to necessitate a stop there to see the city on the way to Cinque Terre.

Wrap Up:

Use Mass Transit. You can buy tickets from metro and bus at any of the local tabacherie or from the ticket machines in the metro stations.

See the Duomo. On the left side is a neverending staircase that will take you up to the roof to get a better look at all the amazing architecture and some of the surrounding city.

Buy some clothes. This city really has it going on. Take a look around and pick up something new to show off when you return home.

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The Verona Flyby

Two houses both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene…

That is all I knew about the city before I got there. And while I did make a stop by Juliet’s balcony, there is so much more to this city.

We arrived at the train station following a whirlwind of text messages between friends to meet with our volunteer guide, Massimo. Massimo had *gasp* a car! My time in private conveyance this year has been minimal. In fact, I have probably been in a car collectively less this entire year than I normally am in a week.

Massimo took us to see some beautiful things. This is really a wonderful city. We saw it from all angles, and then started walking. The people were lovely wherever we went, and it was certainly less touristy than some other places, though, there was no lack of touristy items for sale or people buying them.

The story behind Juliet is that one gains great luck, perhaps in love, from rubbing her right breast. I did my best to extract some luck out of her while Joanne shot some pictures though they all came out blurry, so I’m not sure what that says about the statue luck story.

The Arena, another landmark in Verona, is pretty nice looking from the outside, as we didn’t make it there early enough to get inside. It is supposed to be second only to the Coloseum in Rome in size and even better preserved.

What I am told is the most famous Italian wine en vogue at present, Amarone, also comes from this region. I decided to investigate that claim. I have to say, it is pretty tasty.

Massimo’s daughter, Matilda, also came out with us for a while and she is an absolute gem. If I had more time, we would have gone out riding horses, and then I would have promptly asked her to marry me. Sadly, a complete inability to find any affordable lodging in Verona meant Joanne and I had to head out to Milan later that night.

As I have said, one thing Italy taught me was the need to plan ahead in areas of high demand. It is great to be flexible and “go with the flow”, but when you don’t have a place to sleep, it hampers your ability to “flow” at all.

Massimo and Matilda were amazing hosts, even walked us in to the terminal and made sure we got the right tickets to Milan and knew what platform to catch the train at. Joanne seemed to have worn herself out and was near comatose on the train ride to Milan, giving me a little time to reflect.

Italy is a great place, but it takes time to integrate and get used to the flow of things. The language was a bigger challenge than I thought it would be and in retrospect, I would recommend starting out any extended Italian trip with an intensive language class before taking to the streets.

Wrap Up:

  • Don’t feel bad about doing a day trip to Verona, even the people that live there will agree that is often enough time.
  • If you DO have time and inclination, don’t feel bad about staying there longer. I think the city merits a commitment.
  • Don’t expect Juliet to grant any wishes.
  • TrenItalia only runs one cheap train every two hours. Check the schedule ahead of time and save yourself some money.
  • With the exception of the Castle wall overlooking the city, it is easily walkable, and the local bus serves the overlook, this is an easy backpacker town to get around in, no need for a car or taxi, though if you have a friend locally, let them drive. 🙂

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The Maze: Venezia

Venice is nowhere near as smelly as people told me it would be.

It is, however, exactly as confusing as it was rumored to be. You will get lost. I got lost… every time I left the apartment.

The upside to it, is that every road leads everywhere, so you will eventually get where you were trying to go. It just may take you a day to get there.

Houda kept repeating this mantra whenever Italy was mentioned, “See Venice and die.” I don’t actually believe that it is necessary to see Venice to die or to die immediately following a visit to Venice, but I will say the city has it’s own sense of charm. Much of which was magnified by my delightful traveling companion, Joanne.

It is easy to forget that when you are wandering a warren of tiny streets looking for some shop that you are actually walking around artificial islands built a very long time ago; islands that are slowly sinking.

The big thing to remember about planning Venice is that it is effing expensive. So expensive that if you sit down it actually costs you money. No kidding.

When you walk into a cafe and order an espresso, it may cost 1-2 euro. Sitting down will cost you and additional 5-12 euro depending on the cafe and whether or not music is playing. Yes, they actually charge you for the music too.

There are very few hostels in Venice, but plenty of places renting rooms. My advice is this; just pay for it and enjoy it. The city is fun and well worth the trip. With a few exceptions.

This museum was a terrible idea. Avoid it.

There is a gelato shop in Venice and other cities named Grom. This is the holy grail of gelato shops. All natural, all delicious. There is gelato on every corner, and I swear to you, thanks to my travel companion Joanne, I have tried them all. Grom is worth walking to; especially with this scenery.

The Venice train station is pretty easy to sort out and has regular bus service to the Venice airport. Just ask the locals, they will sort you out; just be respectful.

Wrap Up:

  • Go see it, but be aware of just how expensive it is.
  • Instead of taking a gamble on the badly reviewed hostels, get a couple friends and go in on an apartment or private room somewhere.
  • Don’t sit down unless you are ready to pay the extra money. Fruit and vegetable stands are everywhere during the day. take advantage of them.
  • Don’t worry about getting lost. It is going to happen, just keep walking and you will eventually get to where you need to go.
  • Internet is expensive and WiFi is hard to come by. Take a digital break for a few days. It won’t kill you.
  • Don’t sweat paying the entry fees for the churches and museums. The true charm of Venice lies in the city itself. Take a trip to Piazza San Marcos during the day, and again late at night. You will see what I mean.

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Scotty and Berat, Albania: A winning combination

Berat: Always a good choice.

The ride to Berat was billed at 2 hours, though with stopping and picking up every straggler on the side of the road, it strung a little past 3 hours in total. Luckily, I had some great company for the ride.

Lili, yes it’s usually a girls name, and his friend Orgust spoke English quite well, and entertained me with stories of life in Albania and Berat on the drive down. Before I knew it, I was being given phone numbers, ideas on places to stay, and invitations to come see the locals in action.

Stepping off the bus in Berat, you may think the center of town looks a little unattractive. That’s because it is. This town truly has some beautiful scenes, but you need to do a little climbing to get there. The same holds true for one of my favorite hostels, Berat Backpackers; walk over the bridge from La Palma, past Antigoni, and down a winding road.

Scotty from Newcastle has spent the last 3 years in Albania while he purchased and maintained his hostel. Scotty now lives nextdoor to Berat Backpackers and has a blast with his hostel, while everyone who visits has a blast hanging with Scotty. It’s a good relationship.

The whole ride down, Lili had been telling me about his friend Scotty from Newcastle. When I connected the dots, that he was in fact speaking of Scotty that owned the hostel, I mentioned his name to Scotty who promptly assured me that he had no idea of whom I was speaking.

The social life in a town like Berat is limited, and largely centered around Berat Backpackers unless you are a local. If you are a local, then you most likely go out every night for the Jiro.

The Jiro is something that I have only encountered in Albania. There is a main street where all the locals from the city go every evening after work or dinner, around 7 p.m. until 9 or 10 p.m. and everyone simply walks up and down the street.

Yes, that’s it.

Occasionally, people stop and talk to one another. The young gentlemen I was walking with made sure to inform me of the details surrounding every eligible young lady in town; things like “She is on my facebook page,” “She is a classmate of a girl I went to school with,” and “I talked to her last week.” It was refreshingly innocent and such a break from the rest of the world. An Albanian Jiro is definitely worth trying out if you are in town.

Above Berat on the hill opposite Scotty is a huge castle. It’s not necessarily tall or overly fortified, but it is expansive, and it is one of the few remaining castles in Europe that still has a population; people still live and work within the castle walls. It’s a short hike and the light at sunset can really give you something to “ooh” and “aah” at.

Ultimately, the castle held less draw for me than listening to the stories of the locals in the street and the travelers in the hostel, and the moustache cat.

One of the fun parts about Berat Backpackers was that I kept running into people I had seen in a number of other cities and countries across the Balkans!

Berat Backpackers is clean, efficient, fun, and reliable. I recommend it, and Scotty, to anyone rocking through the Balkans. You will dig it. Eventually, you will need to leave. Scotty and his staff can help you get to just about anywhere with ease, but if you need to head back to Tirana, just wander back down to the main square and jump on a bus with a Tirana sign in the window.

A mistake I keep making; settle the fare before you get on. Some of the buses will have the fare listed in the window. Some will not. I wound up paying the gringo tax on the way back and paid 400 leva instead of the 250 leva I might otherwise have paid; a total of about $1.50 extra. Buses leave at least every hour, so just show up.

Next Stop: Shkodra