Post by Kim on Jul 23, 2003 8:44:53 GMT -5
hi everyone,
Cinque Terre and Firenze were wonderful! I enjoyed them so much more than Venezia because Venezia is so crowded with tourists, it's very expensive, and so difficult to get around because of the canals. Firenze presented a much more homey type feel along the Tuscan countryside and we made a daytrip to Siena (saw St. Catherine's preserved head...freaky because where did they put the rest of her?) during our stay there. Cinque Terre - a set of 5 villages - along the Ligurian coast is definitely a nice little secret - there are tourists, but it's not as well known as Italy's bigger cities. I never heard of it until I read about it in guide books and the good people of guideforeurope.com spoke so highly of it (thanks guys and gals!). Even if we were only there for one night, it was well worth it. We arrived and dropped off our bags at the apartment-style hostel (22 EUR a night) and headed straight to the sandy beach in the village Monterosso. We took the train there from our village Riommaggiore. It just felt so good to lie around and do nothing but tan and swim even for just a few hours. And the water is so clear because it's a pebble beach, absolutely wonderful. Next time I go to Italy and have more time, I'd like to spend at least 5 days there doing absolutely nothing.
The next day we headed into Rome and met up with my aunt (one of mom's cousins) in Termini Station. We are staying with her and my uncle until I leave for London this Friday. I am so grateful for their hospitality - they have a beautiful home away from the city so it's quite peaceful and it's definitely great to have a homecooked pasta dinner (sauce made of celery, some type of italian cheese, tomato and onions)! It was also nice to see my cousin Nadine (their daughter), since we hung out together in the Philippines 6 years ago, even if she left for Sicily today. Since they live quite a ways from the city center, we will be riding into the city in the mornings with my aunt and just meeting up with her when she gets off of work in the evening. It's a good method since it forces to really see all that we possibly can see within the next couple of days. We've already seen the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps. Later on we hope to make it to the Colosseum, Palatine hills, etc. Tomorrow we're spending most of the day in Vatican City.
I go back to London on Friday the 25th and fly back to the States on the 26th. It has definitely been one hell of a trip -- lots of lessons learned, sites seen, mosquito bites treated, blisters bandaged, and pictures taken. Money can't even justify the value of this journey.
I hope all is well with everybody and hope to talk to ya when I get home!
arrivederci for now...
--yvette.
Cinque Terre and Firenze were wonderful! I enjoyed them so much more than Venezia because Venezia is so crowded with tourists, it's very expensive, and so difficult to get around because of the canals. Firenze presented a much more homey type feel along the Tuscan countryside and we made a daytrip to Siena (saw St. Catherine's preserved head...freaky because where did they put the rest of her?) during our stay there. Cinque Terre - a set of 5 villages - along the Ligurian coast is definitely a nice little secret - there are tourists, but it's not as well known as Italy's bigger cities. I never heard of it until I read about it in guide books and the good people of guideforeurope.com spoke so highly of it (thanks guys and gals!). Even if we were only there for one night, it was well worth it. We arrived and dropped off our bags at the apartment-style hostel (22 EUR a night) and headed straight to the sandy beach in the village Monterosso. We took the train there from our village Riommaggiore. It just felt so good to lie around and do nothing but tan and swim even for just a few hours. And the water is so clear because it's a pebble beach, absolutely wonderful. Next time I go to Italy and have more time, I'd like to spend at least 5 days there doing absolutely nothing.
The next day we headed into Rome and met up with my aunt (one of mom's cousins) in Termini Station. We are staying with her and my uncle until I leave for London this Friday. I am so grateful for their hospitality - they have a beautiful home away from the city so it's quite peaceful and it's definitely great to have a homecooked pasta dinner (sauce made of celery, some type of italian cheese, tomato and onions)! It was also nice to see my cousin Nadine (their daughter), since we hung out together in the Philippines 6 years ago, even if she left for Sicily today. Since they live quite a ways from the city center, we will be riding into the city in the mornings with my aunt and just meeting up with her when she gets off of work in the evening. It's a good method since it forces to really see all that we possibly can see within the next couple of days. We've already seen the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps. Later on we hope to make it to the Colosseum, Palatine hills, etc. Tomorrow we're spending most of the day in Vatican City.
I go back to London on Friday the 25th and fly back to the States on the 26th. It has definitely been one hell of a trip -- lots of lessons learned, sites seen, mosquito bites treated, blisters bandaged, and pictures taken. Money can't even justify the value of this journey.
I hope all is well with everybody and hope to talk to ya when I get home!
arrivederci for now...
--yvette.