Post by Jackie on Jun 18, 2005 22:04:50 GMT -5
I've been a bit busy since getting back on the 9th, but I think this will qualify as a "just back" report anyway! If nothing else, it will allow me to sit back, daydream and let out a big sigh while I fondly remember my trip hehe.
Some details: My boyfriend and I left home on 5/29 and returned on 6/9. I wish we had the funds and means to stay in Italy longer... This was our first trip to Europe and I'd been planning it since September, so needless to say, it was a labor of love in planning it! I booked flights back in January thru Aer Lingus and got some reallllly good rates ~ US$650 per person, round trip. We took 4 separate flights, 2 each way, stopping in Dublin, but it was worth the $$ we saved on tickets.
Our first day was really rough in terms of all the travelling we did and the time change. We flew from NYC/JFK to Dublin, and then Dublin to Milan. Then we took a taxi (what an experience!) to Milano Centrale train station b/c we were running late and had to catch our train - otherwise we would have saved some money and took the shuttle... We made it to our train which took a good 3 or 4 hours to get to Cinque Terre, but we had some pretty amazing scenery to look at along the way! We finally arrived in Manarola, where we stayed 2 nights at the top of the town, in a private double ensuite room with a small terrace and one INCREDIBLE view of the town, hillside, and sea. (If anyone's interested, we stayed at Casa Capellini). We were hot, sweaty, and exhausted so we showered, relaxed and grabbed some dinner in Manarola before we called it a night.
We spent the next 2 days in Cinque Terre (one night in Manarola, and then we had to stay the second in Vernazza b/c our room in Manarola was booked). We walked the Via Dell' Amore (beautiful!!!! tons of photo opportunities), visited/shopped/ate in each of the Cinque Terre except Corniglia, swam at the public beach in Monterrosso twice, watched the sun set from the rocks of the Vernazza harbor.... everything was understated and that's what I loved most about Cinque Terre, especially Manarola, Riomaggiore, and Vernazza. It was all very romantic and a practically perfect way to begin our trip. We were able to relax and recouperate before the craziness of Florence and Rome. Sure it was kind of touristy, but nothing to compare to the bigger cities.
We then took a morning train to Florence, which wasn't bad in terms of time... something like 2 hours, I think? * in regards to trains - we were really confused on our first train trip in Milan... we bought our tickets at the machines b/c we were running to catch the train and the ticket was hard to read. I don't know if this was just the case for that particular train, but from then on, taking the train was a breeze. We didn't know what compartment we were in, or where our seats were, etc. and couldn't find anyone to help on the train. We learned a helpful trick tho! If you're not sure if you're getting on the right train or need to speak to some official on the train, wait until the last possible minute to board b/c the train people come out onto the platform right before it leaves to make sure everyone is on! Run and ask them and point to the train saying "per Roma Termini?", or whatever you're question is.
Florence itself I really enjoyed. I loved the small city roads with cobblestones, little trattorias, gelaterias, and markets. I've learned that haggling can almost be considered an art form hehehe. The Duomo didn't disappoint a bit (especially the view from the top), we shopped at the markets a lot, we saw David in all his glory at the Accademia, weren't able to secure a reservation at the Uffizi (the only disappointment of the trip!), we walked the Ponte Vecchio, etc.
We ended up staying all 3 nights at Locanda dei Poeti on Via Guelfa, although it wasn't where we had booked our rooms. We originally booked a double private at Locanda Starlight (across the street), but upon arrival, we found that Reghina, the owner, had made a mistake and had us down for dorm beds. I was ok with this, but my bf wasn't, so Reghina offered to help us find somewhere else to stay, which ended up being the Locanda dei Poeti. I have to say that although she slipped up w/ our reservations, Reghina was a very nice and sweet woman who went out of her way to help us. She ended up getting Lorenzo at Poeti to give us the same price she was offering us. The Poeti usually charges 100euro a night for a double ensuite room - we got it for 65 a night!! And the entire Locanda was brand new!!!! We were one of their first guests and I have nothing but good things to say about it. So a potentially crappy situation turned out to be a great one ;D
We took a train to Rome and stayed at the Kerouac B&B, which wasn't too bad. Originally I had booked the Freedom Traveller hostel, but thanks to Julien from this forum and some other reallllllllly horrible reviews, I cancelled and booked at the Kerouac. We had a double room, shared bathroom. The place probably could have used some work physically, but the location was good, the people were lovely, and we felt very safe. The worst part of the accomodation was the cranky old neighbor who woke EVERYONE up at 5am with her whinning and yelling.
We like Rome, but found some of the vendors (especially around Trevi) to be highly annoying and rude. At night at Trevi, we would be strolling along caught up in the romance of the atmosphere, when you would have a rose literally shoved in your face. The first time this happened to me, my first reaction was to grab the rose, which is exactly what the guy wanted me to do. I tried to give it back and he wouldn't take it. Instead he told us to give him some money for the rose and tried to sweet talk us. I learned quickly to just keep walking through these pushy people and not respond. What a mood killer though! Ugh!
We did all of the major sites - Pantheon, Colosseum, Forum/Palentine Hill, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, etc. We also spent a day in Vatican City at St. Peter's and the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel. One thing I was glad we got to catch was the Cappuccin Crypt. It was remarkable. This was not something you'd see anywhere else in the world, although it was a little morbid for me personally. But I'm glad we didn't miss it (it had been closed for renovations.) I was blown away by St. Peter's, and we were fortunate to have found a free English-speaking tour inside. Our guide was phenomenal and also offers a paid tour of the rest of Rome at night. We weren't able to catch that one, but we were glad to have some extra insight on the what the Basillica was really all about.
Lastly, we flew out of Leo Da Vinci Airport, to Dublin where we stayed a night (cuz there's only one flight back to JFK a day, and we weren't into Ireland before it left). I loved Ireland when I was there last August, but Dublin definitely wasn't my favorite part. It's an okay city, but I'd seen the sights, and actually wanted to be back in Italy!! hehehehe. We flew back to JFK the next day and I cried practically the whole time!
I know how long this post was (sorry!!), but if you can believe it, I left out A LOT!!!! The trip was a huge success and it only made me want to travel the world even more! I realized that with careful planning, you can do so much and not even spend a ridiculous amount (even in ITALY!). For roughly US$1600 a person (including airfare), we spent 11 days in a country that I've grown to love, making memories I'll never forget.
I'm almost done uploading all of my pictures from our trip! When it's done, I'll post the link for your viewing pleasure!
A big THANK YOU to Kim for having this site!! It truly made a difference in my planning and carrying out of my trip! Happy travels all!
-Jackie
Some details: My boyfriend and I left home on 5/29 and returned on 6/9. I wish we had the funds and means to stay in Italy longer... This was our first trip to Europe and I'd been planning it since September, so needless to say, it was a labor of love in planning it! I booked flights back in January thru Aer Lingus and got some reallllly good rates ~ US$650 per person, round trip. We took 4 separate flights, 2 each way, stopping in Dublin, but it was worth the $$ we saved on tickets.
Our first day was really rough in terms of all the travelling we did and the time change. We flew from NYC/JFK to Dublin, and then Dublin to Milan. Then we took a taxi (what an experience!) to Milano Centrale train station b/c we were running late and had to catch our train - otherwise we would have saved some money and took the shuttle... We made it to our train which took a good 3 or 4 hours to get to Cinque Terre, but we had some pretty amazing scenery to look at along the way! We finally arrived in Manarola, where we stayed 2 nights at the top of the town, in a private double ensuite room with a small terrace and one INCREDIBLE view of the town, hillside, and sea. (If anyone's interested, we stayed at Casa Capellini). We were hot, sweaty, and exhausted so we showered, relaxed and grabbed some dinner in Manarola before we called it a night.
We spent the next 2 days in Cinque Terre (one night in Manarola, and then we had to stay the second in Vernazza b/c our room in Manarola was booked). We walked the Via Dell' Amore (beautiful!!!! tons of photo opportunities), visited/shopped/ate in each of the Cinque Terre except Corniglia, swam at the public beach in Monterrosso twice, watched the sun set from the rocks of the Vernazza harbor.... everything was understated and that's what I loved most about Cinque Terre, especially Manarola, Riomaggiore, and Vernazza. It was all very romantic and a practically perfect way to begin our trip. We were able to relax and recouperate before the craziness of Florence and Rome. Sure it was kind of touristy, but nothing to compare to the bigger cities.
We then took a morning train to Florence, which wasn't bad in terms of time... something like 2 hours, I think? * in regards to trains - we were really confused on our first train trip in Milan... we bought our tickets at the machines b/c we were running to catch the train and the ticket was hard to read. I don't know if this was just the case for that particular train, but from then on, taking the train was a breeze. We didn't know what compartment we were in, or where our seats were, etc. and couldn't find anyone to help on the train. We learned a helpful trick tho! If you're not sure if you're getting on the right train or need to speak to some official on the train, wait until the last possible minute to board b/c the train people come out onto the platform right before it leaves to make sure everyone is on! Run and ask them and point to the train saying "per Roma Termini?", or whatever you're question is.
Florence itself I really enjoyed. I loved the small city roads with cobblestones, little trattorias, gelaterias, and markets. I've learned that haggling can almost be considered an art form hehehe. The Duomo didn't disappoint a bit (especially the view from the top), we shopped at the markets a lot, we saw David in all his glory at the Accademia, weren't able to secure a reservation at the Uffizi (the only disappointment of the trip!), we walked the Ponte Vecchio, etc.
We ended up staying all 3 nights at Locanda dei Poeti on Via Guelfa, although it wasn't where we had booked our rooms. We originally booked a double private at Locanda Starlight (across the street), but upon arrival, we found that Reghina, the owner, had made a mistake and had us down for dorm beds. I was ok with this, but my bf wasn't, so Reghina offered to help us find somewhere else to stay, which ended up being the Locanda dei Poeti. I have to say that although she slipped up w/ our reservations, Reghina was a very nice and sweet woman who went out of her way to help us. She ended up getting Lorenzo at Poeti to give us the same price she was offering us. The Poeti usually charges 100euro a night for a double ensuite room - we got it for 65 a night!! And the entire Locanda was brand new!!!! We were one of their first guests and I have nothing but good things to say about it. So a potentially crappy situation turned out to be a great one ;D
We took a train to Rome and stayed at the Kerouac B&B, which wasn't too bad. Originally I had booked the Freedom Traveller hostel, but thanks to Julien from this forum and some other reallllllllly horrible reviews, I cancelled and booked at the Kerouac. We had a double room, shared bathroom. The place probably could have used some work physically, but the location was good, the people were lovely, and we felt very safe. The worst part of the accomodation was the cranky old neighbor who woke EVERYONE up at 5am with her whinning and yelling.
We like Rome, but found some of the vendors (especially around Trevi) to be highly annoying and rude. At night at Trevi, we would be strolling along caught up in the romance of the atmosphere, when you would have a rose literally shoved in your face. The first time this happened to me, my first reaction was to grab the rose, which is exactly what the guy wanted me to do. I tried to give it back and he wouldn't take it. Instead he told us to give him some money for the rose and tried to sweet talk us. I learned quickly to just keep walking through these pushy people and not respond. What a mood killer though! Ugh!
We did all of the major sites - Pantheon, Colosseum, Forum/Palentine Hill, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, etc. We also spent a day in Vatican City at St. Peter's and the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel. One thing I was glad we got to catch was the Cappuccin Crypt. It was remarkable. This was not something you'd see anywhere else in the world, although it was a little morbid for me personally. But I'm glad we didn't miss it (it had been closed for renovations.) I was blown away by St. Peter's, and we were fortunate to have found a free English-speaking tour inside. Our guide was phenomenal and also offers a paid tour of the rest of Rome at night. We weren't able to catch that one, but we were glad to have some extra insight on the what the Basillica was really all about.
Lastly, we flew out of Leo Da Vinci Airport, to Dublin where we stayed a night (cuz there's only one flight back to JFK a day, and we weren't into Ireland before it left). I loved Ireland when I was there last August, but Dublin definitely wasn't my favorite part. It's an okay city, but I'd seen the sights, and actually wanted to be back in Italy!! hehehehe. We flew back to JFK the next day and I cried practically the whole time!
I know how long this post was (sorry!!), but if you can believe it, I left out A LOT!!!! The trip was a huge success and it only made me want to travel the world even more! I realized that with careful planning, you can do so much and not even spend a ridiculous amount (even in ITALY!). For roughly US$1600 a person (including airfare), we spent 11 days in a country that I've grown to love, making memories I'll never forget.
I'm almost done uploading all of my pictures from our trip! When it's done, I'll post the link for your viewing pleasure!
A big THANK YOU to Kim for having this site!! It truly made a difference in my planning and carrying out of my trip! Happy travels all!
-Jackie
