So I realize it has been like AGES since I last wrote a blog and most of you are probably dying to know what has happened to us! Except probably not... the only person that would die without knowing everything we're doing is my mom (love you mom!) :) At any rate, here's a bit of what has been going on in our world the last couple of weeks...
We spent two weeks at the Sasso, and being there felt like Narnia in so many ways because it was like another world and time flew by! A few days before we left, a New Zealander and a South African joined our HelpX party and brought with them a new variety of topics to our lunch and dinner conversations, which included the healing powers of pyramids. (remind me to research that later) On one of our last days, Colton, New Zealand and I took off for the spa in Serre di Rapalano. It wreaked of sulfur, but after a long walk and hard work, the hot water felt so soothing to my aching muscles.
Our last morning before leaving, Colton and I made homemade banana pancakes for everyone and we ate them together in the tree house. It was the first official meal ever eaten in the tree house, so Rosamond told us, and a very memorable moment indeed. I feel like I could have stayed at the Sasso for a month longer. Just when I was beginning to really enjoy the company of the others and the peace and quiet of the land, it was time for us to move on again. I hope someday I can return...
So next we headed back to Siena, where we rented a scooter and drove around more of Tuscany, this time heading north to the towns of San Gimiano and Volterra. Both were high on my list of favorite places we'd been so far. I think the fact that they are a bit larger than many of the other tiny towns along the way could be a good reason for my liking them. And I'm not sure what holiday or event takes place on May 5th in Siena (i would assume cinco de mayo is not a possibility), but when we returned that night, we found crowds of people hanging out in the historic center, several people dressed with capes.
The next morning we set out on our second attempt to hitch-hike, and luckily we got picked up; twice! After about two hours, we got picked up an Italian man on his way to meet his family members who were having a crisis; from what we could understand, it had something to do with a car accident, but our French and Spanish, which he happened to speak as well as Italian, only went so far, and his English the same. Nonetheless, he drove us through pouring rain like a speed demon and had me praying we wouldn't hydroplane and end up in the same situation his family members were in! I guess when you hitch-hike you can't exactly choose good drivers from bad drivers...
He dropped us off 6km from Florence, and it had just started to rain heavily again, so we ran for cover under a bridge that happened to be close by. Soon enough, we got picked up by a generous farmer who took us to the center of the city, giving us a mini tour before dropping us off at the train station. We walked to the hostel and decided to get some chow since we were both famished. To both of our excitement, we found a really amazing burger joint ride down the street, and nothing could stop us from going in! It was a really cool place with a sort of Spanish vibe, and the food was so satisfying that we decided to go back again the next day.
Florence is know for its large leather market, which was right down the road from where we were staying. We walked around the city as usual, taking in the sights and seeing some of the famous buildings. My favorite was the Lorenzo market, an indoor food market that sold anything and everything you could want of local Italian cuisine, panaforte (a really sweet torte), pesto, wine, bread, cheese, you name it. And of course the lambredotto sandwhich, a specifically Florentine specialty, consisting of the fourth stomach of the cow, which we had to try. The Boboli Gardens were a favorite and we enjoyed walking the stretches of green grass and shaded walking paths. We took a night bike tour and discovered all kinds of little known legends and stories of things that have taken place in Florence. All the buildings and statues have a story behind them, and it was fun hearing their history.
Our next stop was in Pisa, where we stayed with an amazing couch surfer named Simona. She took us to a party our first night at a friend's house where some 30 Italians, mostly students, gathered for some grub and a movie, which was a Woody Allen film dubbed in Italian, that we watched with English subtitles. It was cool getting to hang out with the locals and seeing how Italians like to do things. I felt really at home, almost as if I were back in LA again. It's interesting, it seems that people in Europe are more knowledgeable about films and the industry than Americans are. We don't realize how much the rest of the world is impacted by the things we create and choose to show on TV, but that's a side trail...
I got to take my touristy pictures of the leaning tower of Pisa the next day, and I was satisfied. Our next stop: Cinque Terre, probably one of my most favorite places we have been so far. It's composed of five small towns all bordering the ocean and only a few kilometers apart. After meeting some other hostelers we all decided to see the towns together and hiked the five hour trail from town to town. It was refreshing to be around other young travelers and we enjoyed lots of good food and wine, and hanging out on the shore at night.
When we left Cinque Terre, the trains through those towns happened to be on strike, so we were forced to take a ferry south to La Spezia, the closest large city, and then a bus to the train station. It wasn't necessarily convenient, but it was kind of funny to see how it effected so many tourists. The ferries were packed with people who couldn't take the train from town to town, and there were more than a few headed to the same train station as us.
So onto Milan we went, where we stayed with another couch surfer a bit outside of the city. We never got to see much of Milan other than the Duomo because once our host mentioned that Switzerland was only a short distance away, Colton was dead set on taking a train to there for some chocolate. So instead of exploring Milan for the day, we buzzed up to a little town called Lugano in Switzerland, had some of the best spaghetti we've had yet, and bought a butt load of chocolate. The town itself was actually really cute, right on the water of a lake, with a lot of little shops and restaurants. When we got back to Milan, there was a big free concert at the Duomo, so we decided to check it out. There were probably thousands of people crowded into the square, singing along with some famous Italian singer. We got sucked into the mob of people and I felt like I was stuck in a current in the ocean, being pushed and pulled in all directions by the suffocating mob of people all around me. It was insanity! I don't know how people can enjoy a concert that way, sardined together like that. But it was an experience and now I will always think of it when I think of Milan.
Yesterday we arrived in Como, and spent the day walking around the historic part of the city and hiking the trails around our hostel, which is located in a national park. One trail took us to a very picturesque view of Como and the surrounding mountains. It's beautiful here. Today we decided to spend some time apart, so I took a ferry straight to Bellaggio in the morning and spent the day there. I loved it! So many tiny streets up and down, winding around the little town surrounded by water. So many beautiful places to sit and take in the views.
We got back to the hostel tonight and found a strange Italian dude in the room next to ours. Immediately I got the feeling he was a little off kilter when his first question before he even said hello, was if we smoked. He hardly spoke any English, but he knew enough to ask if I had a boyfriend and if I smoked. He cranked up the music in the common room, thinking he was in a club or something, and caused all kind of ruckus. When I was sitting down to eat, he sat down next to me and pulled out his English dictionary apparently wanting to converse, and outright asked if I would let him kiss me! He clearly was wanting to get some... I was like, sorry dude, you're barking up the wrong tree. Next thing I know, he's blaring something else with his music that sounds a lot like porn. The hostel receptionist was around when this was all going on and walked in on him "wanking," went ballistic on him, and eventually kicked him out! Needless to say, it was quite an eventful night. He was one crazy Italian!
We have less than a week left in Italy, and it has been quite an adventure. I've fallen in love with this country and I feel that this will probably be the first of many trips to this amazing place...even though we've been here nearly 5 weeks, there are so many treasures to discover in Italy that I think we've only just scratched the surface. I look forward to finding more in the future :)
We spent two weeks at the Sasso, and being there felt like Narnia in so many ways because it was like another world and time flew by! A few days before we left, a New Zealander and a South African joined our HelpX party and brought with them a new variety of topics to our lunch and dinner conversations, which included the healing powers of pyramids. (remind me to research that later) On one of our last days, Colton, New Zealand and I took off for the spa in Serre di Rapalano. It wreaked of sulfur, but after a long walk and hard work, the hot water felt so soothing to my aching muscles.
Our last morning before leaving, Colton and I made homemade banana pancakes for everyone and we ate them together in the tree house. It was the first official meal ever eaten in the tree house, so Rosamond told us, and a very memorable moment indeed. I feel like I could have stayed at the Sasso for a month longer. Just when I was beginning to really enjoy the company of the others and the peace and quiet of the land, it was time for us to move on again. I hope someday I can return...
So next we headed back to Siena, where we rented a scooter and drove around more of Tuscany, this time heading north to the towns of San Gimiano and Volterra. Both were high on my list of favorite places we'd been so far. I think the fact that they are a bit larger than many of the other tiny towns along the way could be a good reason for my liking them. And I'm not sure what holiday or event takes place on May 5th in Siena (i would assume cinco de mayo is not a possibility), but when we returned that night, we found crowds of people hanging out in the historic center, several people dressed with capes.
The next morning we set out on our second attempt to hitch-hike, and luckily we got picked up; twice! After about two hours, we got picked up an Italian man on his way to meet his family members who were having a crisis; from what we could understand, it had something to do with a car accident, but our French and Spanish, which he happened to speak as well as Italian, only went so far, and his English the same. Nonetheless, he drove us through pouring rain like a speed demon and had me praying we wouldn't hydroplane and end up in the same situation his family members were in! I guess when you hitch-hike you can't exactly choose good drivers from bad drivers...
He dropped us off 6km from Florence, and it had just started to rain heavily again, so we ran for cover under a bridge that happened to be close by. Soon enough, we got picked up by a generous farmer who took us to the center of the city, giving us a mini tour before dropping us off at the train station. We walked to the hostel and decided to get some chow since we were both famished. To both of our excitement, we found a really amazing burger joint ride down the street, and nothing could stop us from going in! It was a really cool place with a sort of Spanish vibe, and the food was so satisfying that we decided to go back again the next day.
Florence is know for its large leather market, which was right down the road from where we were staying. We walked around the city as usual, taking in the sights and seeing some of the famous buildings. My favorite was the Lorenzo market, an indoor food market that sold anything and everything you could want of local Italian cuisine, panaforte (a really sweet torte), pesto, wine, bread, cheese, you name it. And of course the lambredotto sandwhich, a specifically Florentine specialty, consisting of the fourth stomach of the cow, which we had to try. The Boboli Gardens were a favorite and we enjoyed walking the stretches of green grass and shaded walking paths. We took a night bike tour and discovered all kinds of little known legends and stories of things that have taken place in Florence. All the buildings and statues have a story behind them, and it was fun hearing their history.
Our next stop was in Pisa, where we stayed with an amazing couch surfer named Simona. She took us to a party our first night at a friend's house where some 30 Italians, mostly students, gathered for some grub and a movie, which was a Woody Allen film dubbed in Italian, that we watched with English subtitles. It was cool getting to hang out with the locals and seeing how Italians like to do things. I felt really at home, almost as if I were back in LA again. It's interesting, it seems that people in Europe are more knowledgeable about films and the industry than Americans are. We don't realize how much the rest of the world is impacted by the things we create and choose to show on TV, but that's a side trail...
I got to take my touristy pictures of the leaning tower of Pisa the next day, and I was satisfied. Our next stop: Cinque Terre, probably one of my most favorite places we have been so far. It's composed of five small towns all bordering the ocean and only a few kilometers apart. After meeting some other hostelers we all decided to see the towns together and hiked the five hour trail from town to town. It was refreshing to be around other young travelers and we enjoyed lots of good food and wine, and hanging out on the shore at night.
When we left Cinque Terre, the trains through those towns happened to be on strike, so we were forced to take a ferry south to La Spezia, the closest large city, and then a bus to the train station. It wasn't necessarily convenient, but it was kind of funny to see how it effected so many tourists. The ferries were packed with people who couldn't take the train from town to town, and there were more than a few headed to the same train station as us.
So onto Milan we went, where we stayed with another couch surfer a bit outside of the city. We never got to see much of Milan other than the Duomo because once our host mentioned that Switzerland was only a short distance away, Colton was dead set on taking a train to there for some chocolate. So instead of exploring Milan for the day, we buzzed up to a little town called Lugano in Switzerland, had some of the best spaghetti we've had yet, and bought a butt load of chocolate. The town itself was actually really cute, right on the water of a lake, with a lot of little shops and restaurants. When we got back to Milan, there was a big free concert at the Duomo, so we decided to check it out. There were probably thousands of people crowded into the square, singing along with some famous Italian singer. We got sucked into the mob of people and I felt like I was stuck in a current in the ocean, being pushed and pulled in all directions by the suffocating mob of people all around me. It was insanity! I don't know how people can enjoy a concert that way, sardined together like that. But it was an experience and now I will always think of it when I think of Milan.
Yesterday we arrived in Como, and spent the day walking around the historic part of the city and hiking the trails around our hostel, which is located in a national park. One trail took us to a very picturesque view of Como and the surrounding mountains. It's beautiful here. Today we decided to spend some time apart, so I took a ferry straight to Bellaggio in the morning and spent the day there. I loved it! So many tiny streets up and down, winding around the little town surrounded by water. So many beautiful places to sit and take in the views.
We got back to the hostel tonight and found a strange Italian dude in the room next to ours. Immediately I got the feeling he was a little off kilter when his first question before he even said hello, was if we smoked. He hardly spoke any English, but he knew enough to ask if I had a boyfriend and if I smoked. He cranked up the music in the common room, thinking he was in a club or something, and caused all kind of ruckus. When I was sitting down to eat, he sat down next to me and pulled out his English dictionary apparently wanting to converse, and outright asked if I would let him kiss me! He clearly was wanting to get some... I was like, sorry dude, you're barking up the wrong tree. Next thing I know, he's blaring something else with his music that sounds a lot like porn. The hostel receptionist was around when this was all going on and walked in on him "wanking," went ballistic on him, and eventually kicked him out! Needless to say, it was quite an eventful night. He was one crazy Italian!
We have less than a week left in Italy, and it has been quite an adventure. I've fallen in love with this country and I feel that this will probably be the first of many trips to this amazing place...even though we've been here nearly 5 weeks, there are so many treasures to discover in Italy that I think we've only just scratched the surface. I look forward to finding more in the future :)
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