Great aerial view of Venice

Arrivederci! Until next time!

Boobies send-off

Just when I thought I had seen enough beautiful things in Italy, I was greeted with these lovely cannolis at Venice's Marco Polo airport. Ciao ciao!

Arrivederci, Italia!

Time for me to go back to New York. I had a lovely time in your country and hope to visit again soon.

Italian demonstrators

Just my luck, as I'm trying to rush back to my hotel, I am stuck in the middle of a demonstration. Didn't know what they were yelling but I cheered them on regardless! Can someone understand what they're yelling?
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Glamorous way to collect garbage!

The quintessential Venice

Colorful buildings, sparkling canal, and a gondola.
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Scala Contarini del Bovolo

The remains of this palace is not a popular tourist attraction as it is small and hard to find, buried in a small side street. However, I saw a picture of it in my tourbook and I just had to see it. "Bovolo" means "snail" and the facade of the spiral staircase is suppose to resemble a snail.
I was glad I found it and it was even prettier in person. I was bummed that it had not yet opened because the top of it is suppose to offer a great view of Vnice. Oh well, at least I succeeded in my scavenger hunt.
I also found an adorable bed and breakfast right next to it. It's in a quiet secluded courtyard. Good to know for future reference.

Finding my way back to San Marco Square

When I first set foot in Venice 2 weeks ago, it seemed like a maze with winding narrow streets and bridges that led to nowhere. Equipped with a map and my GPS-enabled blackberry, I was ready for a difficult exploration this morning to Piazza San Marco. I had to see it again before my flight back to NY. To my pleasant surprise, Venice was a lot easier to navigate! For one, there were numerous signs pointing to San Marco. Also, you basically just walk in the direction you want to go and when you face a dead end, just find another road. I ditched my map midway through and was able to find everything I wanted to see!

The real merchants of Venice

@ the famous Mercato di Rialto (Rialto Food Market)

Buon giorno, Venezia!

Good bye, panini

My last authentic Italian panini. Sad.
But, 'inoteca in NYC offers very comparable paninis, so I'm not terribly bummed.

Venice at night

I'm spending my last Italian night in Venice and after being away from here for almost 2 weeks, I had forgotten how beautiful it was! However, it is much colder here than Rome. Tonight was about 45 degrees. Soo brrrr that at the train station, a nice old Italian man and I bonded over saying "freddo" at the same time, meaning "cold."
At the end of my train ride, a young man started talking to me in Italian. He soon switched to English when he noticed my blank stare. Clemente spoke superb English. 30 years old, lives with his dad in Mestre (land area of Venice), and went to NYC once by himself because there was a huge airfare sale.
Clemente asked to show me around Venice. At first I hesitated at this stranger's gesture, then I took a leap of faith and went with it. I set off our journey by mentioning my made-up "husband.". He was intrigued and began asking many detailed questions ("How long have you been married?" "Where did you get married?" "When do you want kids?"). I have to say, I have a pretty solid made-up marriage!
Clemente showed me some of the cool areas, such as "Campo Santa Margarita" where the college kids flooded the streets on a Tuesday school night! Then we took the water bus around with some amazing night views of the city. During our ride, Clemente explained to me his impression of Romans vs. Venetians. His views were exactly as Aziz described: Venetians are hard-working and money-driven. Conservative in nature and culturally-protective. Romans are seen as wild, liberal, not money-driven but willing to spend money, welcoming of immigrants and generally "crazy." We ended our journey with a picture together and an invite to find him on Facebook. I politely nodded knowing that that would never happen. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable tour!

Ciao ciao, bella Roma!

Last look at the Tiber River

Looks like a painting, doesn't it?

Spanish Steps

The famous Spanish Steps. Yup, I was there. That's my head in the picture. That's enough.
I mean it was pretty but Rome is all kinds of pretty, so I wasn't particularly that impressed.

Cutting in line at the Vatican

I made it to the Vatican! It is another breathtaking sight as expected. What I did not expect, though, was the line to St. Peter's Basilica to wrap ALL THE WAY around the square. The expected wait was 2 hours and this time, was not about to pay some sketchy tour guide 45 euros to get into somewhere that's free.
Then, I spotted a large group of Chinese tourists towards the front of the line. I subtly "joined" the group and just to make myself seem like I belonged, I randomly waved at a woman in front of me and said, "I'm here!" And you know what? My 2 hour wait was cut down to 2 minutes! Sweet.
Seeing St. Peter"s Basilica really brought those history book pictures to life. The place itself truly is bigger than life, full of masterpieces that can no longer be replicated or imitated today.

Evening stroll through Rome

Rome during the day is impressive enough, but at night, it transforms into this magical, fantastical place. You really feel like you're in Ancient Rome, probably because its hard to see the barricades, gates, and herds of daytime tourists.
Weather here has been brilliant, so I considered it a reward to stroll through the city. A city that seemed so daunting the first night has now become my friendly acquaintance.
I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to come and experience Rome...and Italy in general.

Slow down, happy feet

I've been doing A LOT of walking in Rome, and it's usually in the form of speed walking. I've been so used to it since living in NY that it never phased me as a challenge. However, putting holes in my new socks in one day may be a sign that I need to slow down.

Getting lost in the Cinque Terre (for reals)

What an adventure I had in the Cinque Terre. What was suppose to be an easy 5 mile-ish hike ended up being 8 miles after getting lost! So, Cinque Terre is a rugged coastal region of Italy - genuine Ialian Riviera. It is comprised of 5 main fishing villages and the villages are connected by trails. It was inaccessible by land until the 1970's and it's now a protected World Heritage Site with the same length of stone walls as The Great Wall of China!
Ok, here's my series of events:
1) I rode the train into the most northern village, Monterosso and was immediately stunned by the view of the Mediterranean from the train.
2) I reached the next village Vernazza easily; took a little over an hour. The path was crowded but the views were breathtaking so I stopped for water and gelato.
3) On my way to the 3rd village Corniglia, I was graced with even more picturesque images of the ocean. All I could think about was how much I wanted to live there.
4) I was happy to be on my way to the 4th village Manarola because its suppose to be the easiest stretch. Soon enough, I'm noticing less and less people and I'm climbing uphill for a good 2 hours. After feeling like my heart is going to jump out of my chest, I come upon miles and miles of fenced vineyards. Then my path weaves me in and out of people's backyards and finally end in a little town called Volastra (look it up on the map I posted. Its a town of 200 people!). I notice that it is not one of the main villages and it is not near the ocean. Shit, where am I? Meanwhile, the sun is going down and I gotta catch a 2.5 hour train back to Florence.
5) I end up on an actual road for buses and cars and follow the windy path until I see an old man. I ask, "Scusi, dove-e stazione?" Yay! He understands that I'm looking for the train station and direct me to keep walking down.
6) At this point, I am running, trying to beat the setting sun and enter the hillside of the 4th village, Manarola (see how relieved I am to find this sign?). I rush through this beautiful village and find the train station! I realize that this hike really isn't meant to be done in oneday, nor should it be rushed. There's so many things to see along the way!
7) 8 miles, 5 hours and a mini heart attack later, I treat myself to a delicious panini and sunset :)

On my way to Italy! (Hopefully)

It is time for another adventure and I am now traveling to Venice, Italy for my friends' wedding for the first 5 days. After the wedding, I will be exploring other parts of Italy by myself for 10 days.
Now I just have to get there first. I allowed myself to leave NYC 3 hours early, flying out of Newark Airport. Lucky for me, NJ Transit decided to have 30-60 minute delays. After I got on my train, it suddenly stop mid track for an hour and a half! I finally arrived at the airport half an hour before departure time. A little stressed and frantic about missing my flight, I find out that my flight has been delayed!
I gotta say, this has been some kind of miracle, however, it's an hour after departure and there is still no plane. Can traveling ever be stress-free??
So thankful I took a yoga class today. Namaste biotches!