Clapp Radical Sabbatical

Since we did SO much on our first full day in Budapest we were able to take the next several days easy which was much needed after the whirlwind of the past two weeks. One day we went to the Szechenyi Roman Baths. Roman and Turkish baths are huge in Budapest and since we had already gone to a Hammam in Madrid we decided to enjoy the largest and most famous Roman Bath in Budapest.

To get there we took the historic Metro Line 1, which is an experience in itself. It is the 3^rd oldest railway in the world, built in 1894 and is a UNESCO world heritage site on its own. The stations transport you to another era but the metro runs very efficiently.

Metro Line 1 was built to take people out of the city to the Szechenyi baths and so that’s what we did. The baths are similar to Glen Ivy but much cheaper and not in as good of condition. They also have a very distinct smell though not of sulfur – it is more of a rusty smell. Most of them are very hot too, which with the 90 -100 degree weather was not as pleasant as it would be in the winter. Still it was a lot of fun and there were bachelor and bachelorette parties there enjoying the sunshine, drinks, and Roman style.

We also went to Heroes’ Square, which is a HUGE square that actually has their Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as a large spire that is their millennium monument. It was a pretty cool site to see but with no shade we couldn’t spend much time there.

One afternoon we strolled down Andrassy Avenue, which is kind of like the Champs-Elysees of Budapest. There were tons of shops and restaurants and beautiful buildings. There was also the House of Terror Museum – it is a very unique building and explores the two periods of Terror in Budapest’s history.

Another major site on Andrassy Avenue is the Budapest Opera House, a really beautiful building built over one hundred years ago.

Another day we went to the Central Market – the cleanest and most spacious European market we’ve been in so far. We grabbed a Langos there for lunch – a Hungarian specialty of fried dough, garlic, sour cream, onion and cheese – it was absolutely delicious!

We also went to the Grand Synagogue or Dohany Street Synagogue. After all the beautiful, grand and amazing churches, basilicas, and cathedrals we were really interested in seeing a synagogue. Inside the synagogue was beautiful and looked incredibly similar to a lot of the churches we’ve seen however the chandeliers were very unique and Drew had to wear a yarmulke.

Being more hungry for Hungary we also tried a tradition dessert known in English as the chimney cake. It is dough wound around a wooden spool, baked and then dipped in your favorite topping – chocolate sprinkles or nuts – we had cinnamon and sugar.

I think my favorite thing we did in Budapest though was going on a candlelight dinner cruise on the Danube. The food was great and the views were spectacular!

Budapest is known for its crazy night life so we also wanted to experience a little of that so we went to the famous Szimpla Kert which is a Ruin Bar. A Ruin Bar is basically a bar that was built in a hovel that was never renovated or built back up after WWII and Soviet occupation. The bars are decorated with random things like lamps or in some cases bathtubs. It was a very interesting experience but we felt a little old there.

A lot of people have been surprised that we have been booking our trip out 1-2 months in advance – they think we should give ourselves freedom to stay in places we enjoy longer or move on if we don’t like a place. So far we haven’t encountered a place that we REALLY wanted to stay longer in or move on faster from. However, on our trip from Vienna to Budapest we definitely experienced why we have booked things in advance. In Europe July is the busiest month of travel and luckily for us we booked our train from Vienna to Budapest one month in advance which allowed us to have seats for the almost 3 hour train ride. Still it took us over 30 minutes to get to our seats and find places for our luggage with the vast number of people sitting in the aisles and in between cars who had tickets but no seats.

After the slightly stressful train ride we decided to just stroll around Budapest to get our bearings. Our Airbnb and where we strolled around is on the Pest side of the city, which is on the east side of the Danube River and is flat and easy to walk around. We walked down Vaci Street, which has tons of restaurants and cute shops selling various Hungarian Folk Art.  We also saw a Hungarian music festival with the contestants dressed in various traditional Hungarian garb.

For dinner we went to a bar filled with locals. Drew tried Hungarian goulash, which is really similar to a stew and extremely different than the one he had in Salzburg. After dinner we both tried a Palinka – Drew got Cherry and I got Green Apple – neither of us could taste the fruit – both just tasted like gasoline to us. We definitely prefer limoncello as a digestive.

The next morning we had a free walking tour. It started in Elizabeth square, which is named after the Austrian Empress and Hungarian Queen nicknamed Sisi. Apparently Sisi learned Hungarian in just one year so the people of Hungary absolutely loved her. We tried to learn and use a couple of Hungarian words and failed miserably. Our next stop was Saint Stephan’s Basilica, which is exactly as tall as the parliament building to symbolize that church and state are equal.

After the tour we did go inside the Basilica, named after the first king of Hungary, and inside the mummified right hand of that king is actually housed. We also went up to the dome of the Basilica and got some great views of the city and saw the duel dome structure that was required after the dome collapsed.

Andrew also got some more good luck from another statue. Uncle Charlie was a patrolman required to keep the streets quiet in the Pest neighborhood. He was also known for his love of food and women so they say if you twirl his mustache you will get luck in love – Drew said he didn’t need anymore luck in love because he found me – awwwww so he went with this stance instead.

We crossed the Chain Bridge and once we were on the Buda side for the first time we got a story about the bridge, which is flanked by four lions. The artist of the lions declared that they were perfect and if anyone could find anything wrong with them he’d jump off the bridge. At the unveiling a little boy was enamored by the lions but asked his father why they didn’t have tongues. The artist heard this and explained they were just deep in their throat and therefore not visible.

Unlike the Pest side the Buda side is extremely hilly so we started our climb up the kings road to District 1 of Budapest. Immediately we got spectacular views of Buda Castle, a colossal building now home to lots of museums, and we got a chance to see the changing of the guards in front of the Royal Palace. Unfortunately the changing of the guards was abridged because it was incredibly HOT outside.

Our tour concluded at Matthias Church, a beautiful cathedral, originally built into the surrounding palace buildings but later renovated to the beauty that it is. It was also the first church to have the colorful tiled roof. Part of the beauty of the church is the Fisherman’s Bastion, which was built just to be an amazing backdrop to the church.

For lunch we had stuffed cabbage and cabbage stew in a bread bowl. Both were full of paprika as all Hungary food is, covered in sour cream and absolutely delicious! After lunch we enjoyed the views of the Parliament building from the Fisherman’s Bastion. I believe the Hungarian Parliament building’s the most beautiful I’ve seen – sorry London!

Even though we’d already seen a ton we weren’t quite ready to go home so we walked along the water getting more views of the Parliament building until we reached the Margaret Bridge which connects both sides of Budapest with Margaret Island. There we sat in front of the Musical Fountain and watched the show. It is similar to the Bellagio fountain but smaller and in my opinion more fun. I say more fun because you can sit down in the shade or cool your feet in the fountain or partake in one of the many water balloon fights taking place around it in the summer. All while enjoying a show of water choreographed to Hungarian folk songs or Disney music.

After such a joyous time it was hard to make our final stop but it was also moving. We walked back to Pest in front of the Parliament building and then a little south of it. There we saw the Shoes on the Danube Memorial, which is in memory of the victims that were shot into the Danube during WWII. The victims were mainly Jews and were ordered to take off their shoes before being shot so that their bodies would fall into the river and be carried away.

After all the amazing and beautiful things we’d seen it was important to be reminded of Budapest’s history of ‘Terror’ as they call it and with that we called it a day.

Andrew wanted to do a day trip from Vienna to Salzburg and initially I was a little wary because we’ve been doing a lot of them and they can be a bit exhausting. However, as soon as we arrived in Salzburg I was very happy about the decision because it reminded me of Munich – one of my favorite cities in the world! There were large pretzels being sold everywhere and hanging from chandeliers in restaurants as decorations. There were women and men walking around in dirndls and lederhosen and of course there we steins of beer being enjoyed.

Salzburg is named so because it was the primary location of salt mining in the region, which in medieval times was extremely important because it was the main food preserver. Nowadays though Salzburg is known for Festurng Hohensalzburg aka the High Fortress Salzburg and the Sound of Music so we made our way to the fortress. After purchasing tickets we rode the funicular up the mountain the main part of the castle. The view was stunning but a little scary.

The fortress was built initially by an archbishop and was added on by archbishops that essentially ruled after him. We saw a large tower were salt was stored as well as a room where instruments of torture were kept and the entrance to the dungeons via the floor.

Andrew was happy that we were able to scale one of the towers and get a panoramic view of all of Salzburg. We also got to see the Salzburg Bull, which is a huge organ that was used to wake the town as well as the private chapel of the Archbishop Leonhard. My favorite part was the Golden Chamber and private bedchamber which felt like they transported you back in time.

After touring the castle we stumbled upon Petersfriedhof (St. Peter’s Cemetery), which is the oldest cemetery in Austria and quite possibly one of the most beautiful. It also inspired a scene in the Sound of Music where the family hides in a studio-crafted cemetery modeled after the original.

For lunch Andrew tried Austrian goulash, which was mostly just meat in sauce, but he seemed to like it. We also had to have a pretzel and we each tried a different stein of Stiegl, a local Salzburg brewery.

After lunch we went to Mirabell Palace, which was the summer residence of the Archbishops. There were multiple weddings taking place in the palace so we didn’t get the opportunity to go inside but we did enjoy the gardens.

In addition to being beautiful, the gardens were the location where the Do-Re-Mi song scene from the Sound of Music was filmed. We enjoyed walking around in the cool shade, smelling the beautiful flowers, and looking at all the funny little statues.

Finally we headed back to the train to our hotel and get ready for our next adventure!

Austria is so often confused with Australia by Americans, especially ones that haven’t traveled, that the souvenir shops in Austria are littered with trinkets making fun of it. So…no Austria doesn’t have any kangaroos, no they don’t say g’day mate, and no they don’t have vegemite. They do however speak German, eat goulash, and have an interesting and sorted history.

Before our flight departed Switzerland, our captain said that the flight was going to be beautiful so they were trying to modify the flight path slightly to get a good view of the Austrian Alps. Immediately Andrew and I switched seats since I got the view of the Swiss Alps. Our captain was actually a great tour guide and he pointed out different peaks as they came into view. We were also served these Austrian wafer cookies with hazelnut in them called Manners and they were delicious – we’d fly Austrian Airlines again!

Upon arriving in Vienna we had a small hiccup. We went to where our “hotel” was located (it was an apartment building) but couldn’t find it. We finally called the number on our reservation and were told that there were no rooms available even though we had paid in advanced. After a couple of hours sitting in a restaurant and multiple calls to Hotels.com (who we reserved the apartment through) we finally had a place to stay. It was a little stressful but it is ironic that the first issue we had was through Hotels.com and not Airbnb since most people seem more concerned about renting via Airbnb!

We made the most of our remaining afternoon time and explored the city. The first landmark we came across was Stephansdom – the main cathedral in Vienna. The most notable feature of it is the roof which is made of various colored glazed tiles and actually has the Austrian (when it was part of Germany – 2 headed bird instead of one) coat of arms on it.

Next we walked towards Hofburg Palace which was the seat of the Hapsburg empire and still used by the President. You can also take tours of it. We didn’t do a tour of it but we did see all the amazing fountains – one is actually a tribute to Austria’s naval forces, which is interesting for a land-locked country, but the Hapsburgs were heads of the Holy Roman Empire, which at one time included Spain, Italy, and much of the Americas.

After strolling through the Hofburg courtyard we came upon several more large ornate buildings that are museums. We were amazed by the numerous immense and ornate buildings that Vienna has, especially given that when I visited Berlin just 5 years ago it was still recovering from WWII secularization and occupation as well as the world recession.

What we learned from on our free walking tour the next day was that almost all the major buildings in Vienna were destroyed (he showed us a picture of the ruble that was the beautiful Opera House). However, the Austrians re-built these old buildings in the same style. The main reason they were able to rebuild is that they were secularized and occupied for way less time than Berlin was since they agreed to 3 terms: 1. They would be Democratic, 2. They would never rejoin with Germany, and 3. They would remain neutral. The third one really boosted their economy since many oil price negotiations (OPEC) and nuclear armament discussions are held in Vienna.

We walked through the rose garden next to Burgtheater while catching glimpses of the Parliament building and finally came upon Rathaus, which is probably one of the most recognizable and beautiful buildings in Vienna. There was a film festival going on so there were tons of different food carts out front – we took this as a sign and indulged in some international cuisine but tried a local red elderberry drink that was delicious and refreshing in the hot weather!

The next morning we got up and headed to Café Central before our walking tour. Coffee culture in Vienna is actually on Unesco’s world heritage list of intangible world sites and Café Central is one of the oldest coffee shops. The architecture inside is beautiful with marble columns and little alcoves for enjoying leisure time. Since it was still cool out we decided to relax outside and enjoy our breakfast. We later learned on our tour that the cappuccino was actually invented in Austria not Italy!

Our free tour was about 3 hours long and truth be told it wasn’t one of our favorites – we were really glad we saw so many buildings the day before. He did however show us the Gate of Violence memorial, which is a memorial to all the people who died in WWII and was built relatively recently. Our tour guide explained that the recent date is due to the fact that Austria has really had a hard time admitting and/or reconciling it’s involvement in the atrocities committed in WWII. I was amazed by that considering Hitler was actually from Austria and there are so many famous pictures of the people from Vienna and Austria welcoming the National Socialist German Working Party. Either way, the memorial is incredibly moving especially when you learn that in a period of a little over a decade, the Jewish population of Vienna decreased from 200,000 to 2,000 (one percent of the original amount). Over half of the Jewish population (130,000) were able to immigrate to the U.K. or the U.S. but it is still staggering.

The next stop on our tour was slightly less morbid. We saw the house were Mozart died. He was actually only 35 when he passed but he had been composing for 30 years and wrote 626 different compositions! We also saw the church where requiem 626 was performed for the first time (after Mozart’s death).

I think my favorite stop was at the Spanish horse training facility, which is actually part of the Hofburg Palace. During the Holy Roman Empire the Spaniards taught the Austrians the art of Spanish horse training and the Austrians embraced it whole-heartedly. Some people explain the training as horse ballet but our tour guide explained that it is more horse kung-foo because it was originally used as an advantage in battle.

After our tour we went to Figlmuller for lunch, which is the original restaurant for schnitzel (surprisingly schnitzel was actually invented by the Italians) but it was a favorite of the Austrian king! We ordered a pork schnitzel; which was GIANT, tafelspitz (boiled beef with horseradish sauce), and a mixed salad; which included potato salad and all sorts of pickled vegetables covered in lettuce. All of it was delicious and we had the schnitzel for dinner too.

Vienna has many different palaces but given our limited time we decided to just tour inside one. So in the afternoon we made our way to Belvedere. We chose it because it wasn’t as far as Schonbrunn and although Hofburg was a lot closer we’d already toured the outside and courtyard twice. The final reason is that the museum inside of Belvedere holds a painting that Andrew really wanted to see and I was impressed by his romanticism. Like many palaces, the Belvedere has impressively beautiful gardens flanking it on all sides – Andrew got some great photos.

We started at the top floor of Belvedere and made our way down. The top floor actually hosts several Monet’s and Renoir’s so we immediately enjoyed our experience. On the middle floor there is actually a grand ballroom still intact with beautiful views of the gardens. I told Drew that I could host some amazing parties with a ballroom like that – I think that scared him.

Also on the middle floor was the painting we came to see – The Kiss by Gustav Klimt – we even attempted to imitate it in front of a replica. However, instead of kissing me, Drew just put his cheek to mine so I don’t know why I was excited about his romanticism…

On the bottom floor we were greeted with medieval statues in a room painted similarly to that of Sistine Chapel – you don’t quite know where the architecture ends and the paintings begin.

All in all we were very pleased not only with our choice of the Belvedere but also of Vienna. If we get the chance to go back we have a long list of stuff still to do!

We got up early to take an hour and a half water-bus ride from our apartment in Venice to the airport. It was a quick flight but the views from the airplane were absolutely stunning – I couldn’t stop peaking out the window for views of the Alps.

We landed in Zurich and instantly you could tell we weren’t in Italy anymore. The streets are incredibly clean, all the trains run on time, and there was a crispness to the air even in summer. Our hotel was easy to locate since it was right next to the main train station and our first order of business was to get lunch. There we experienced another way Switzerland is different from Italy – food is incredibly expensive! My BLT with avocado was almost $30! Wow!

After lunch we strolled along Banhhofstrasse which is a street that runs from the main train station to Lake Zurich that is full of shops and is one of the most expensive streets in all of Europe! At the lake we saw tons of swans grooming themselves, little ducklings swimming around and even a couple baby swans! We decided to do a lake cruise which is the number one recommended thing to do in Zurich and it was surprisingly not outrageously priced!

The water in the lake is so crystal clear! It is like the ocean water from a tropical destination – you can see fish swimming and ducks diving under the water. The houses along the water are cute and literally look out of a Disney movie.

The next day we got up early and went for a run down the river to the lake and back. Although it gets hot during the day the mornings and evenings are very cool so it was a great start to the day! We decided to re-start the free walking tours so we met up with a group in Paradeplatz which used to be the main market of Zurich in medieval times but is now the main financial hub with banks on every corner. Our first major stop was Fraumunster where we heard the tale of it’s founding. Apparently two girls got lost and the followed a deer to the location of Fraumunster where they were able to find their way home so their wealthy father built a convent on the location. The most ironic thing is that the women’s only convent used to be where all important decision about Zurich were made until the 14th century (by the women) but then that changed and women in Switzerland actually didn’t get the right to vote until 1971!

Our tour guide walked us through the streets of old Zurich (Alstadt) which are quaint and feel like Disneyland. She also showed us the main clock which can be seen from everywhere in the old town and although the tower isn’t extremely tall the actual clock face is the largest in Europe!

We scaled a small hill up to Lindenhof which used to be a meeting square and before that the main city wall where the women of Zurich once dressed up as men and stood on the walls to pretend that their army hadn’t left them unprotected but is now just a great view point.

Our last main stop was at Grossmunster whose location is also important because it is believed that two Christians were beheaded by the Romans for being Christian but a miracle happened and they picked up their heads and walked to the location where Grossmunster is now located.

After the tour we decided to get some fondue and it ended up being more than we asked for! We got the tradition Swiss fondue with mushrooms and ham – we were stuffed afterwards! BUT since it was our last day in Switzerland we HAD to try Swiss chocolate so we went to a place our tour guide recommended and split a Swiss coffee and a cold chocolate drink – they were fantastic! (we also got some chocolates for later).

In the evening we grabbed some salads and two local beers from the grocery store and a blanket from our hotel and went to the beautiful park between two rivers next to our hotel for a picnic! There were tons of people out enjoying the park and the weather – we wish San Diego still allowed beer and wine in the parks and beaches! If we could afford to we definitely would have spent more time in Switzerland!

Our adventure in Venice actually started a week before we arrived when we received a WhatsApp message from our Airbnb host saying that he made a mistake and double booked our room. He offered to refund our money but it was really too late for us to find affordable accommodations. Luckily he was preparing an apartment to rent out which was empty because it wasn’t quite ready (a couple of light fixtures were missing) so we quickly agreed. When we arrived we were very happy we took him up on his offer! Our original booking was just a bedroom/bathroom in a Bed & Breakfast but we got to stay in a 3-story apartment with a brand new kitchen, 2 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms! And they brought us stuff for breakfast everyday! To get to the apartment we did have to take a vaporetto or waterbus but even that was enjoyable because we got our first tour of the Grand Canal.

Our host advised us that Venice during the summer time can be absolutely crazy full of tourists so we took his advice and got up early our first day to head to Piazza Saint Marco. While I stood in line for the Basilica Drew took the opportunity to explore the square and take TONS of photos – he was so busy he almost missed entering the basilica. Good thing he didn’t though because it was there he came to the revelation that he really likes mosaics. About half of the inside of the basilica is covered in mosaics that are almost entirely tiny gold tiles – it was absolutely as stunning as when I saw it 10 years ago! We also paid the 5 Euro to go upstairs to see the original St. Mark’s horses which are bronze and were made about 2,000 years ago depending on who you believe – it’s hard to imagine any statue lasting that long – no wonder Napoleon stole them!

Next we took a vaporetto across the canal to the San Giorgio Maggiore church. The church had a modern art collection on display called ‘One Plus One Equals Three’ that feature photos of different people. We went there though for the views of Venice you can get from the bell tower, which are said to be the best!

During the afternoon when the streets of Venice were absolutely bursting with tourists we stayed in our beautiful air conditioned apartment waiting until the evening to venture out. We took a vaporetto out to the island of Mazzorbo. It is a tiny island but has lots of trees and grass and the cutest little winery I’ve ever seen!

We then crossed the bridge that connects Mazzorbo to Burano. Burano is what Venice must have looked like years ago. It is small and quaint and beautiful. You might even call it the suburbs of Venice because it is clean; there are parks and everything closes early! The houses are all well taken care of and freshly painted but the colors they choose are a little outlandish for most U.S. households – they included lime green, magenta, and robins egg blue. We were told the bright colors help the fishermen find their way home (since it is mostly populated by fishermen).

We found an open restaurant to have dinner at, and Drew being adventurous, chose a typical Venetian dish of pasta with mussels and squid ink sauce. It looked completely black and turned his entire mouth black but I had a couple of bites and I can testify that it was absolutely delicious!

The next day we took a trip to Verona, which on the fast train is only 1 hour away while on the slow train it takes 2 hours (we found this out the hard way on our way home). We didn’t really have an agenda – we walked from the train station toward the city center and ran across their Roman arena which is 50 years older than the Colosseum and much better preserved (they still hold concerts in it). Our next order of business was to find lunch – we stopped at a doner kebab place and it was the best one we’ve had since Portugal! We scarfed down our doners while taking in the sights of Piazza dei Signori.

No visit to Verona would be complete without seeing the home of Juliet and the balcony that those star crossed lovers made famous. After finally finding an affordable pen I even wrote a letter to Giulietta and snuck it into the wall. Drew found another way to get luck in love with the statue of Juliet.

Afterwards we hiked up to Castel San Pietro to get a better view of Verona and I was struck by how much it reminded me of Florence 10 years ago. The streets are clean, it isn’t jam-packed with tourists, there is a peace and calmness that radiates throughout the city and you still have those beauty rolling Tuscan hillsides. In fact, I may have even found our future home!

The next day we went on a gondola ride – it’s a giant tourist trap but it’s the one thing I really wanted to do on my second visit to Venice. I did some research beforehand and found a gondolier who is a little like a tour guide and highly recommended – his name is Luca and you have to contact him via email. He starts in the Jewish Ghetto, which has a ton of byzantine buildings and is much less touristy and populated. He pointed out various houses with interesting architecture and explained that due to the sinking many buildings are actually leaning and he ended our trip with a traditional Venetian song while we sipped champagne. It was well worth it!

Afterward we took a quick trip to Murano and saw a glass making demonstration. The first technique the master demonstrated was glass blowing to create a beautiful vase. The second was glass manipulation and he quickly teased out of the glass a perfectly balanced horse.

That evening we had our last true Italian meal of the trip so we indulged in burratta, pasta, tiramisu, and limoncello. Apparently we indulged in the limoncello too much because we both decided it was a good idea to try on the tiny gondolier hat that our bill came in! But it was fun and a great way to put a bow on Italy!

When touring Italy few people decide to spend any or many nights in Naples, in fact we found several tour blogs that said Naples wasn’t for the ‘faint of heart traveler’ yet we chose to spend 6 nights in Naples. In addition to having the best pizza, gelato, and limoncello; as well as some very interesting history, it is also incredibly easy to travel to Sorrento, Capri, or Positano from Naples and Naples is MUCH cheaper! In fact, Naples is so much cheaper that we were able to spring for a night in Sorrento. So on our 3^rd day in Naples we got up and literally walked across the street to the ferry station and hopped on a ferry to Sorrento with our backpacks packed for a night (we kept the Airbnb in Naples). The view of Sorrento as our ferry pulled in was enough to make the trip worthwhile.

At sea level there are some restaurants, the ferry port and lots of docks with sunbathers and swimming entrances. Not knowing there was a lift up the high cliffs to the main city of Sorrento we made the trek up (at least we got a workout right?) and made it to our hotel, which for the price was an amazing find! We even had a little ocean view and the restaurant attached was pretty delicious. After lunch we walked around Sorrento and found some great views looking down on the ocean.

We also went into the courtyard were they were setting up for a wedding and found an interesting little photography exhibit that had a tree swing looking out over the water.

When we were walking out of the photography exhibit I was literally accosted by an old Italian man who I think was lonely and wanted to show us the music box museum he was responsible for. Many of the boxes surrounding the Swiss made machines were actually made by the old man himself and others were 100 – 200 years old but all of them sounded amazing. We spent too much time in both exhibits because by the time we were ready to leave, the wedding they were setting up for early was in mid vow and we would have to walk right next to the bride and groom to exit! So we waited quietly hidden in the stairwell listening to the wedding that was in both English and Italian until it was appropriate to make an exit.

That evening Andrew had made a reservation for us for dinner and thankfully he did because we got a table that was right on the cliff with an amazing ocean view for the sunset!

The food was good but the view was amazing and definitely the highlight of the Amalfi coast trip. Afterwards we walked off the massive tiramisu gelato dessert and ran across the main square and several different marble Samurai men that are a part of an art installation in Sorrento.

The next day we decided to take the ferry over to Positano, which is even more picturesque than Sorrento! Unfortunately all we had time for was lunch and some great photos before taking the bus back to Sorrento to grab our bags and catch the ferry back to Naples again. I hear the bus we took was really scary due to the cliff switchbacks but thankfully I fell asleep so it was a pleasant journey back!

Once back in Naples we freshened up and then headed back out to catch the train out to Pozzuoli, a kind of suburb or outer neighborhood of Naples, to meet up with Cruz and Massimo for dinner. We had a bunch of amazing ‘street food’ pieces for appetizers and then pizza – I couldn’t finish mine but it was delicious and I finished it the next night. It was also awesome to see both of them especially since we may not meet up with anyone we know again for the next month and a half! Thanks for dinner guys!

The next day we did a day trip to Capri. I had been before but wasn’t able to get into the Blue Grotto so that was the first thing we headed for. Drew was feeling a little seasick so rather than rent a scooter which was our original plan we opted for the public bus which was really cheap and very easy to figure out. However it was slightly scary – I’m not sure how two fit side by side on the windy cliff roads up to Ana Capri! But we made it and stood inline to catch our row boat into the grotto.

If I was amazed by how the skipper got our boat into the caves in Portugal astounded would have to be the word for getting our small boat into the Blue Grotto! The opening is incredibly tiny but once inside the light reflects off the water making it an amazing blue. Going to the grotto first was definitely the right call because they closed it before we made our way up to the bus stop.

Once back at Ana Capri we had a nice lunch and then took the chair lift up to the top. Although we got some good pictures on the way up by the time we arrived we were completely surrounded by clouds, which was actually kind of cool.

This was my second time to Capri and last time I took the lift up and hiked down but this time we did took the chair lift back down and trust me down is MUCH more frightening than up! We did decided to hike down the stairs from Ana Capri to the main port and I say hike because it was over 1,000 stairs! Drew got some great photos of the port though and we both got some exercise. It was a great day trip but we were happy to be heading back to Naples to rest before our next adventure!

We arrived around 5 pm to Naples where our Airbnb was located close to Castel Nuovo and the ferry docks – extremely central. After over 2 months of being around each other almost 24/7 we decided to do a night on our own. So while I watched chick-flicks at the Airbnb Drew explored the Spanish Quarter of Naples and after snapping a photo here and there he stumbled upon a small bar that was overflowing with people. It was so busy because an Aperol Spritz (a very common cocktail in Italy made of Aperol liquor, Prosecco, and soda) cost only 1 euro. There were also promotional Aperol girls passing out swag – Drew got some sweet sunglasses and made friends with two French girls.

The next day we slept in – we needed the rest after constantly being on the move and then took it easy catching up on blogs and email so we didn’t get out into Naples until after lunch. Our first stop was lunch, which was gelato – hey we are in Italy – no judging. Plus it is rumored that gelato was invented in Naples so you HAVE to try it in Naples. While enjoying our gelato we walked towards the Toledo metro station -Drew had seen photos of it online and had to get his own shots. We ended up having to purchase tickets in order for Drew to get the pictures he wanted – that’s right we bought metro tickets and didn’t go anywhere but just to take photos (luckily they were only 1.1 Euro each).

On our way back towards Piazza del Plebiscito we heard some pretty amazing opera singers and when we found them we were surprised to see two elderly men in a window roofed mall – their voice definitely sounded bold and strong! One of the things I really wanted to do in Naples this time around was go on a subterranean tour, which is what we did next. There were only four people on our tour but we had a lot of fun because our tour guide was absolutely hilarious. The Naples underground was initially built as a Roman Aqueduct . The aqueduct was built to feed the Roman forces nearby and the Neapolitan people got the benefit. At this time most people had to go to the town well or river to get water but every house in Naples had at least one well of their own in their home! Because it was an originally an aqueduct there are some really small crevices that we used as ‘passage-ways’ and our tour guide had to keep checking that Drew was making it through by yelling ‘Little Boy – Yoo Hoo – Are You Coming Little Boy?’

Our tour guide did have a serious side though and he told us about how during World War II Naples was bombed more than any other city in the war so the citizens took shelter in the aqueducts. Neapolitans had previously enlarged the aqueducts in early generations when they were mined for tufa stones to build houses. He showed us bathrooms they built down there, graffiti and that some people spent many months (they used the walls to count like one would do in a jail cell). It was an amazing walk through history and a bonus benefit was that it was nice and cool down there – we’d definitely recommend it!

When the tour was finished we had planned to head to the Palace but we ran across a Pride parade and decided to follow that for a little bit until the pushing got too intense. Our final stop of the day was to Brandi’s Pizzeria which is credited with the invention of the Margherita Pizza (named after Queen Margherita and made in the colors of the Italian flag). After all that pizza we decided to walk along the water and we were surprised again by a private fireworks show over the water (I was VERY surprised and jumped at first but then we both enjoyed it).

On our second day in Naples we took a half-day trip to Pompeii. The last time I went to Naples our family friend Cruz took me to Herculaneum, which is a city that was destroyed during the same Vesuvius explosion as Pompeii however it is much smaller. Both cities were amazingly preserved and have beautiful frescos and mosaics from the Roman period and I might even go as far to say as Herculaneum is actually better preserved because there are way less tourists traipsing around it. There are also no crazy tour guides in Herculaneum (I did an audio guide on my own last time) conversely touring Pompeii without a guide is highly frowned upon – our tour guide threatened to call the police on some people trying to go around our tour without a guide!

Both cities had well preserved homes, Roman baths and restaurants. There are a few really interesting things that Pompeii has though that are unique. The first is that it has a massive gladiator training facility and the second is that it is a well-preserved theatre.

Another difference is that Pompeii has a really well preserved brothel – the frescos there are definitely a site to see! Drew spent a little too much time in the brothel and had to be coaxed out by our tour guide – he said he was waiting to get photos – I’ll let you decide whether you believe him. He also got a picture of a Roman period sign showing where to find the brothel.

The final difference is that Pompeii has some of the people that were buried in ash from Mount Vesuvius (the ones in Herculaneum are all in a museum) and this was particularly moving.

After our tour we walked from Napoli Centrale to historic Naples and stopped in a square for lunch. One of the things that is very unique to Naples is the driving – it is absolutely insane and within minutes of arriving Drew swore he was going to get hit by a car and while that didn’t happen we did witness a car crash involving a police car while enjoying our lunch! Another thing that is unique to Naples is Christmas Alley – it is an alley composed entirely of shops selling Christmas decorations – especially nativity scenes. Neapolitans LOVE elaborately made Christmas nativities and the shops are open all year long.

Drew wasn’t happy about the prospect of more walking so to take the edge off I took him by a limoncello distillery where we got to see how it is made and taste regular limoncello, creamy limoncello and meloncello!

Back at the house Cruz stopped by for a visit and to drop off a care package from back home – big shout out to Cruz and my mom for helping us out! Also it was a blast to catch up and for Drew to meet Cruz.

Our last full day in Rome we strolled over to the Flavian Amphitheater (better known as the Colosseum) to go check out the iconic structure. We decided to forego a group tour and with the knowledge of the legend, Rick Steves in Megan’s ear, wandered around for an hour or so. The thing that surprised me the most, and thankfully Rick was able to answer, was why there is not a flat surface on the floor of the Colosseum, but instead stone rooms and corridors? The answer was they laid wood over the stone structure and placed sand on top of that to form the fighting surface. That way, they kept the gladiators and animals underneath the arena floor and brought them up when needed with the use of pulleys and elevators.

We walked around the first and second levels of the Colosseum but unfortunately could not go in the underground areas. The second level provided a nice partial view of the Roman Forum as well.

After we exited the Colosseum we headed over to the Roman Forum (our ticket was for both). I thought the Forum was pretty limited to what I could see from the Colosseum, and it was starting to get hot outside, so I wasn’t really looking forward to it. To my pleasant surprise, there was much more to the Forum than I could see from the Colosseum and there were some excellent views of both the Forum and Colosseum from a lookout point above.

After taking in the views, we walked back towards the entrance to walk through the Forum. There were all kinds of things to see there: an amphitheater, arches, temples, statues, etc. all ruins of what once was the center of Roman society. The things we found most interesting were the temple where Julius Caesar was cremated and statues of the Vestal Virgins. I would have liked to have researched more about the Forum ahead of time, or had a knowledgeable tour guide, but at that point I was pretty worn out from Rome-ing around and wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.

After exiting the Forum, we ran into some musicians playing our “favorite” song of the summer “Despacito”, walked past the Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland), stopped at a kebab place for lunch, and then headed back to the apartment to cool off.

That night we went out to a nice dinner at a popular restaurant called la Carbonara that was over 100 year old. It was our thank you send-off to Ace for joining us on this portion of Italy. Once again we ate ourselves into a nice food coma and walked home to digest it.

The next day Megan and I took Ace to the train station to get her to the airport. Poor Ace was always running through train stations this whole trip. I don’t think there were many times when we weren’t hustling to catch our train for whatever reason. We quickly gave Ace a hug and she ran to her terminal. We received a text from the airport that she made it and was having one last tiramisu before heading back home. We were glad you enjoyed your trip, Ace!

Since we arrived in Rome in the heat of the afternoon we relaxed in our apartment with nice air conditioning and waited for it to cool down a little before venturing out. When we finally did we made our way to Trevi fountain. Legend has it that if you throw a coin in the fountain you will return to Rome. Well it worked for me last time but I think I must have thrown in a penny cause it took 10 years! This time I tossed in at least 10 cents and so did Drew and Ace!

We made our way to the Spanish Steps where we climbed each and every step to get some excellent views of Rome. When we got to the top we decided to look for a place for dinner and as luck would have it there was a restaurant called the ‘Garden of the Albino’ just 5 minutes away. Since we both joke that we are albinos we took it as a sign and headed there for dinner and I’m SO glad we did. Not only was the food delicious and abundant but also our waiter was absolutely hilarious. He pretended to spill an espresso on the girls next to us, made jokes about who was strong enough to cut the salami and even called Ace ‘Mama’ – it was quite entertaining.

The next morning Ace and Andrew got up early for a Vatican tour. Take it away, Andrew. Ace and I took the metro and walked a little ways outside the Vatican walls to Caffe Vaticano across from the Vatican tour entrance. We split a fruit plate, pastry, and each had a cappuccino to get us going. We met up with our tour group, which coincidentally had a friendly family from San Diego in it.

After going through security, our guide brought us into the courtyard where we had a view of the dome of St Peter’s Basilica (which can be seen from many places throughout Rome). Before heading into the museums, she took the time to describe what we were going to see, and even had some rolled up vinyl prints to show and describe to us the Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Last Judgment wall. She did this because the museums and Chapel would be pretty crowded and it was best to describe it where we could all see and hear her. As I describe later, we also weren’t allowed to talk in the Chapel.

From there we went into the museums where there were galleries of impressive sculptures, paintings, and tapestries. My favorite room (besides the Sistine Chapel) was the Gallery of Maps which displayed different painted regions of Italy at the time of Pope Gregory XIII. Apparently since they didn’t have Google maps they could easily go here and see the details of each region on short notice.

Finally we got to see the Sistine Chapel. Once you walk through the doors it is pretty amazing. I didn’t do any research beforehand, so I was expecting more of a dome instead of a long ceiling. Sure enough, as described by our guide earlier, were the impressive scenes laid out before us. The most impressive thing was the use of dimensioning which made it difficult to tell where the physical ceiling ended and the painting began. Considering Michelangelo was a sculptor (statue of David in previous post), I’d say he qualifies as multi-talented with a very impressive resume.

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos in the Sistine Chapel. Some of the risk takers found out the hard way that they really meant this. We witnessed a few examples ranging from school kids to older adults that were yelled at and physically escorted out of the chapel (a little nicer than United Airlines). They were also very strict with their noise policy as “SHHH, SILENCE!!!” gets shouted across the loud speakers every few minutes.

One thing that I found very interesting was that the painters would paint their self portraits and other famous painters or public figures in their works as was done in Raphael’s School of Athens (below) and Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment (where he allegedly painted the face of a critic as Minos, the supervisor of admission to hell).

We remained in the Sistine Chapel a long time with the hope that St. Peter’s Basilica would open, but it never did. So we left out the exit into St. Peter’s Square and went home for a late lunch.

That evening we went to see the Pantheon (which is where Raphael’s tomb is and an impressive structure) and then strolled along the streets looking for a place to eat.

We went along the Tiber river where we saw a bunch of pop-up-shop type restaurants and stores. Eventually we settled on a nice pizza place on the river that happened to be right outside the Vatican, for the second time that day. After dinner we walked from there to the nearest metro and made it back home after a pretty long, but satisfying day.