AI: Day 11

Ryan came up with the awesome idea to rent a smart car and drive down to the very Southern heel of Italy. Ryan describes the smart car as driving in a go-kart, cant disagree.
We stopped in Otranto first and managed to get a parking ticket. For anyone who doesn't know this makes our 6th ticket this year- awesome... We had the rental company take care of it with our money.
We walked around and had lunch in Otranto and then made our way further south. We drove through a lot of cities, my favorite was Saint Cesarea. So gorgeous!
We stopped in some small town- if you could even it call it that, and watched men catch fish for their restaurant.
We stopped in Leuca, the last city in the heel and got photos. We then made our way up through the center of the heel.
We spent probably about 30 minutes trying to navigate our way back in to Old Lecce. It's the original center of the town so it has a wall around it. There are a lot of one ways into Old Lecce and inside Old Lecce. Not to mention narrow streets that you can't even get through. We had to go back out into New Lecce and enter from another direction.
We headed back to the piazza for dinner and as we were exiting we heard bells, chanting, and saw several hundreds of people. As we grew closer to watch we saw many nuns, monks, priests, etc. There was a many holding giant speakers that were blasting something in Italian and people would chant back in Italian. I started to realize this was a Catholic procession. Soon an elaborate canopy held by 4 men came up. Underneath was a cardinal or a bishop, someone important like that with a big hat, he was holding a staff with the Eucharist in it. As he passed everyone was crossing themselves. After about 5 minutes all of the clergy passed and on came the followers. They were all singing and chanting and it was very Catholic. I found out later it was the city's Patron Saint and that was the celebration or procession.

AI: Day 10

Breakfast was awesome! Why? Because we had this nummy toast with Nutella and strawberries on it with tea.
We decided we were going to rent bicycles and take a 4 mile ride out to the beach. It was pretty far out there when actually making the ride. I took it pretty leisurely as it was nice out and a long ride. Luckily, it was all pretty flat road
We got out to the beach but decided we should eat first. We found a restaurant not too far off the road as there wasn't much at this little town. We enjoyed the food and the little English they spoke.
When we got back to the beach it was pretty windy. We laid on the concrete but sand was blowing in our mouths and everywhere else it could find it's scrubby self into. We read our books and worked on our tans. There was this rowdy group of kids playing soccer. Ryan decided to go into the water and this is the precise time they made their way towards me. I heard a lot of "Ciao Bella Signorina!" but I pretended not to understand them.
The ride back was miserable! It was late, we were tired, and on top of all that the wind was blowing against us! It was the hardest bike ride I have ever done. It was intense and exhausting and my glutes were on fire! Seriously wanted to die.
I think we made dinner that night but it was such an exhausting night, I don't really remember what happened and apparently I was too tired to write it down.

AI: Day 9

5 hour train to Lecce. When we arrived we decide we are going to walk, it doesn't seem too far. Unfortunately the route we would have taken is blocked off as they are filming a movie. But we found the apartment regardless. Super cute! It's on ground level and has the dutch doors so you can open up and enjoy people walking by.
Lecce itself is quite adorable. Quieter and the cleanest place we had been to in all Italy. Sandstone buildings and cobblestone, so pristine.
We are staying in old Lecce. All Lecce has "Siesta" or at least that's what we called it. We settled in and then set out to find food but everywhere was closed. This was very confusing until we figured out that the shops closed between 2-5 everyday. We found somewhere in their square though and felt much better after we ate.
There was a tiny kitchen so we decided to purchase groceries and cook in. 1) to save money and 2) because we needed a change in the food we had been eating.
That night however we decided to go back to the square as they were having an arts fair. There were so many booths lit up with festive lights. They were selling meat, cheeses, bread, pasta, olive oil, and Ry's favorite micro brews. We walked around tasting food and Ryan enjoying the beer. We then found ourselves some gelato and made it back to the apartment for tea.

AI: Day 8

This is the day we had reserved to go see the different surrounding cities, Amalfi, Sorrento, and Postiano. We slept in, discovered the breakfast downstairs was indeed for us and so we consumed it. Ryan loved making cappuccinos while in Italy and I enjoyed having morning breakfast tea. We made our way down to the train station but found out that it was too late in the day to do what we had intended as it would take several hours. We weren't heart broken and so just decided to take an easy day and enjoy Napoli. We ate at Sorbillo a second time as it was quite good and worth it. Truly the best pizza we had in Italy. We laid around in bed and read books, took a nap.
When we awoke we decided we needed to get out so we went and found some drinks. As we were enjoying our beverages a crazy thunderstorm hit. The wind started blowing and the rain was coming down hard. We quickly retreated to inside the café as many others followed suit. When we were finally done so was the storm.
We decided to enjoy the terrace tot he place we were staying at for a short time. Then we decided to head back to our room and read some more. This might sound lame to some of you but walking all day can be really exhausting! As we were lying around reading someone in the neighborhood set off large fireworks and so I enjoyed them from the window as I love fireworks.

drinking while we read

The door to the outside. This is inside the courtyard of where we were staying.

Courtyard at where we were staying. Old well in the center.

 Looking up from the courtyard.

View from the terrace.

Missed One

So I totally missed that after Pompeii that evening we did the underground tour of Napoli. So photos below.
Also, the hamburger with no bun. Also see below.

 

 

AI: Day 7

Today is the most epic day of the entire trip so be prepared for a jaw dropping read.
Today we are going to catch the ferry out to Capri and see the Blue Grotto. For any of you who know me you know this is what I am looking forward to the most. Out of everything in Italy it is the Blue Grotto I am giddy over. My mom and Aunt Cathy saw it and both raved about it. We decided to get up real early and venture down to the water front. We found a cute café on the street with an awesome nutella croissant.
We are walking on the sidewalk on a very busy street and decide to jump over the 2 foot wall and walk on the giant sidewalk next to the marina. This sidewalk is about 8 feet wide, away from traffic, with little pedestrians so it's quite nice this early in the morning. As we are walking my eyes are taking everything in. I am on the water side and notice a large man in a blue track suit in the water. He's holding onto a rope that is connected from the wall to a 35 foot boat. Both his feet are on the boat and he's just hanging on, not moving or anything. I say to Ryan, isn't that weird? that doesn't seem normal to me. He agree and we walk closer. As we near the man he starts mumbling words I can barely hear. I ask Ryan what the man is saying and Ryan says "Aiuto". Startled I blurt back, "Aiuto? Oh My God! That means help!" Ryan quickly strips off hParla Italiano?" She said "Si" and I pointed to the man. She began conversing with him and then quickly called Italy's equivalent of 911.
is shirt, shoes, and empties out his pocket then skillfully dives into the marina. He swims up behind the man and holds on to the rope. He then uses his knees to push the man up on to the boat. This man was so drained of energy that he couldn't help himself on to the boat, he couldn't help Ryan save him, and he barely had the energy to call for help when we came up. My guess is he had been there for a while and was at the end of his energy. Once the guy was sitting on the boat he started to throw up all of the water he had consumed. He then began mumbling and I couldn't translate it. Luckily at this moment a woman about my age was jogging by. I yelled to her "
Amazingly she spoke English and we were able to piece our end of the stories together. Soon more people started to show up and try to assist. Amongst those people were 3 Italian men. It was hard to gage their age as they dressed in their 20's, Gucci hats, skinny jeans, and high top sneakers, but their faces looked more to be in their 40's. To be honest, I was quite suspicious of accepting their help. With no sense of urgency they got the story on what happened and then tried to decide how to proceed. They tried to tug on the ropes to pull the boat closer but it was anchored down. Ryan had to climb on to a tiny ledge on the side of the boat and then haul himself up on top of the boat to get to the front as the boat itself was locked. He unanchored the boat and maneuvered his way back. The men were able to pull the boat in and Ryan lifted the drowned victim up to the flock of Italian men that appeared. They laid him down and one man in particular seemed to really know what he was doing by placing him into the proper lying position. One of the other men though tried to move the guy to his back, that didn't fly luckily. As time went on I figured out these three questionable men were the Coast Guard!!! Who knew?! They were calling Ryan a hero and got his information to send to the American Embassy. 45 minutes later the ambulance showed up and he was taken away.
The Coast Guard let Ryan shower at their building and then we walked a mere few feet to the ferries. We decided we were still going to try and go over to Capri. We didn't have to wait long and were seated and on our way over  to the island. We sat next to a very nice guy about our age who was a flight attendant from Malaysia. His name is Harrik and we are now Instagram buddies. As we were engaged in polite conversation the ferry hit several very large waves giving the large vessel some serious air- enough to create a few hoots from the passengers. As time went on the ride got worse and worse. I started to get sweaty and had to remove everything I possible could. Soon enough it was really bad, I stopped talking with Harrik and Ryan had to switch seats with me. He was actually feeling sick too! which is a pretty big deal as nothing effects Ryan. He had me focus on the island. About 10 minutes from arrival the crew came out and started handing bags to all the passengers. A few seconds passed and then everyone was involved in mass vomiting! No JOKE! Everyone is puking around me as I am trying to keep my nutella croissant down! Harrik disappears for awhile.
Finally we make it and I am ready to get the heck off that ship. *Please note that this gal did not toss her cookies!* I was still very wobbly though on dry land and my stomach wouldn't stop cramping up.
Harrik had a 3 day layover and ventured down to Napoli by himself so we invited him out to lunch with us. As we were walking we found out that he got up during the ride to go puke and he felt much better afterwards.
We found a delightful cafe on the water and enjoyed pizza. I passed on alcohol and went with a Sprite as I thought I might literally die a slow and painful death. I soon realized there was no way I was going to make it to the Blue Grotto. I had to leave it on Ryan's shoulders to go on the tour, take photos, and share his experience with me. Waiting in a little row boat on rocking water after that ferry ride???? Know your limits people!
After lunch the 3 of us rented adorable yellow scooters and rode all over the island. It was so perfect and picturesque! Clean streets and white buildings paired with a clear sunny day, simply dreamy! When we finally made it to the Blue Grotto we found it was closed for a holiday! I was secretly grateful as now missing the Blue Grotto wasn't my choice but the islands.
It really was a truly interesting day.

AI: Day 6

Pompeii! Yes, today we go to Pompeii. As always, we couldn't figure out the train system. Luckily, after walking around in circles we found someone to explain to us where and when to catch our train. Luckily though we made it and upon arrival were immediately accosted by taxi cab drivers. SUPPOSEDLY Pompeii was too far to walk to and we just had to take a cab. This wasn't the case at all once we arrived, but whatever, this was becoming a norm for us. Regardless we were going to walk back.
Pompeii was unexpected in many ways. First, the sheer size of Pompeii was really unexpected. We realize it was a city and therefore covering a lot of ground, but still...  We were hoping for more dead people though. I know that sounds morbid but it's the truth, we were hoping to see more of that instead of lots and lots of city- which was definitely cool!
We walked back to the train but had a while till the train arrived. Across the street was a tiny café and we thought, what the heck? The gal spoke very little English but we made it work with the little Italian I spoke. We enjoyed a table on the outside, few rain drops, but quite nice. We had only beverages but the waitress brought us a plate of olives, sausages, and artichoke hearts. It was just delightful.
We then headed back and decided we needed some grub. We ventured to this little piazza and decided to eat out on the patio. We ordered hamburgers, as we needed something different badly! Well different is what we got! They served us hamburgers with no buns and no condiments. Not so good, I mean, yeah, it was, but super salty. End of day, so there you go.

AI: Day 5

On this  particular day we had the best pastries of the entire trip. They were warm, fresh, and delicious. It was good, that is all there is to say.
We took the train to Napoli and it was, of course, confusing but we managed our way south. Once we got to Napoli we ate at Sorbillo which was said to be the best pizza in Italy. AND IT WAS!
We found our way to this Castel by the water and for 6 euro's we toured it, which was surprisingly cool, but not a whole lot to report. 
There was a  terrace at the place we were staying at so we laid out on it for awhile. We then found some fresh fruit to purchase at a tiny little shop, if you could call it that.


*Note, this is a pathetic post for 2 reasons. 1) I didn't make a lot of notes and don't remember very well. 2) I'm a little buzzed as we are celebrating. Mysterious? That's intentional.

AI: Day 4

We woke up with a craving for crepes. I had seen some in Trastevere and so we decided to head in that direction. We thought crepes sounded perfect for breakfast and so with no food we took off. Retracing our steps was much more difficiilt then expected and so by the time we found the crepe shop we were starving. With broken English the woman informed me there were no crepes till 2 in the afternoon. I ordered gelato to hold me over but it couldn't fill the void the disappointment had created. We decided to forgo breakfast and move straight on to lunch and so we found a place that would suffice. I ordered vegetable soup as I needed some greens at this point in the trip. Seriously some of the best soup I had ever had.
Afterwards we decided to venture back to this giant flea market we had seen from the tram. The thing was huge. We would walk down one row and at the end you could help down 3 different directions. Unfortunately, we had showed up near the end so they were closing down but we still saw sooo much! There were antique and vintage items, used clothes and new clothes, shoes, and so much more.
We went back to the flat and as we were in the kitchen speaking with Nikki we heard a loud explosion. The 3 of us ran to our bedroom as it was open to the terrace. Deya ran in and joined us as we looked down below to figure out what happened. It seriously sounded like a bomb but we deduced it was a kid setting off a home made bomb or firework. It was so funny because some woman was out there cussing the kid out in Italian. Lots of flailing arm movements and I heard the word "stronzo" several times which means asshole. She continued to yell at him to the door of her apartment, wait to go in so she could continue to yell at him and then up to her apartment. I then saw her come out on to her patio on the top floor with her cell phone and I believe she called someone and explained the situation to them. She was very heated about the subject.
We then took a nap and caught a late easy dinner. Nikki invited us out for gelato but we just wanted to stay in and chill out and read.
Yes, maybe a slow day, but I don't like to be go go go all the time, especially on a vacation.
Side note: I included the picture of the tram so you could see how crazy packed this thing would get. Plus Italians are not the brightest about riding public transportation. The tram gets packed regardless but instead of moving down to where there is open space and make room for the people getting on they like to stand right in the entrance way. A lot of people end up waiting for a next tram because of this tactic. I on the other hand don't scare easily and so I push people out of the way and get on. One lady gave me some seriously dirty looks as she got trampled because of my insistence. I also like to yell at people to move, which is very funny to me as they probably don't speak English. I feel all my bad behavior is a norm in Italy- :)

AI: Day 3

I will try my hardest to not reference the word "wander" in today's post, but truly is the best way in describing how we strategically made our way from point A to point B and managed to hit point C, D, E, and L along the way.
On this day we decide we are going to try the Vatican. It wasn't a must for us but thought why not?! Once we got into the outskirts of Prati, nice and early in the morning we were amazed at how beautiful it was. We crossed a bridge and to the right you could see a castle- we never checked it out but it was quite a feast for the eyes.
It was early in the morning for Italians but right on schedule for the tourists which meant there was already a substantial line. The day previous while inspecting the outside of the Colosseum we were approached by many a tour guide trying to convince us to purchase their services. We were quite put off. Today was no different but by the third person we decided to hear them out. The tour company we decided to listen in on was When in Rome tours. Our group was being ran by the fabulous woman from Georgia who has been living in Rome for 4+ years. We were allowed to listen to her 15 spill and then decide based off of that if we were interested. We went for it and we are so glad we did. Yes we paid more, but we skipped the lines and even more so having her walk us through everything and explain art and the history made the experience so much more than just walking through and staring at art with no understanding to what truly went into it. It really enriched our experience.
Let me back up one step here for a fun little side story. Ryan insisted on taking a Gerber knife from his cousin Derek with us to Italy... for our protection *rolling eyes*. After we hear the introduction from the guide and decide we are going do the tour we find that the Vatican, rightfully so, has a security check. Hmmmm, do you think they are going to let an American bring a knife into the Vatican? I think not. So now Ry has to find a way to hide his knife as he obviously might need it later when the Italian Mob finds him a threat and they get into a Michael Jackson style knife fight. SOOOOO, he finds this side street by a coffee shop we went to earlier. He steps up onto the side walk, behind the street merchant. and subtly stashes his knife in a plant pot.
Now we are ready for the Vatican!
There was so much art and so much to see and learn. Knowing that we were walking down the hallway that Pope walks down, or how the art ended up in the Vatican was really interesting. The Sistine chapel was obviously the best and has a lot of hype for obvious reasons. There was so much to see in the Chapel and to know it was created by Michelangelo is just mind blowing. It's a surreal experience to study it through out your schooling and hear about it growing up and then to finally get to see it with your own eyes.
The final stop was Saint Peter's Basilica. They had pewes and let a certain amount of people in at a time so I was allowed to go in and pray. That almost brought me to tears, being a Catholic and being able to stop and pray- amazing!
We stop back by our plant pot and amazingly the knife is still there. We retrieve it and I once again travel safely under the cloak of Ryan's protection.
We took some side roads and found our way back into Trasteve, which as you remember we were there the night previous with Nikki and Memet, so we were familiar with the area. We found a place to eat and enjoyed house wine and pasta. We then made it home for a nap! Yay for Naps!!!
When we awoke we had a text from Nikki inviting us out dancing at 10 with her friends. Ummm, Italian discotec???? Yes Please- I can now mark this one off the list. As I was getting ready the two other room mates of the house (Deya- Italian [little to no English] and Arzpo-Russian [great English and Italian]) came into the bathroom to talk to me. Arzpo was asking on behalf of the Sicilian Deya if she could come out with us. Her fiance lives back in Sicily and she was in Rome for school and never went out because she was always studying. But tonight she decided she wanted to go out. I said but of course and then told Arzpo she should come out as well. She decided why not. So we all got ready which put us an hour late! Nikki I think was getting a little nervous. The dance club wasn't far off the Tram stop so that was nice. Nikki came out to get us and was surprised to see both her room mates in tow. I am not for sure if the bouncer was going to let Ryan and I in or not. He stopped us and stared at us and the room mates so spoke to him in Italian and I heard them say we only spoke English. He let us in, it was weird. For our rum and coke and beer it was like 30 euros. I guess it's because they don't have a cover charge to get in so they up the prices. Those were the only drinks we had! Took awhile for dancing to get started up but then it did and it was really fun. A little hot and crowded for poor Ry. Nikki ventured off with her friends and Arzpo and Deya and I had a great time. Ryan and I were cracking up as these Americans from South Carolina were trying to work their mojo on these gals from France. It was pathetic, truly... I think the girls used them for drinks and then took off. They  were sleeze balls, so I don't blame them.
At 2 we decided we were done and the roomies decided they were as well. Of course, as it always goes though, we get out the door but everyone wants to stand around and smoke. This Aussie comes up and starts hitting on our beautiful Russian Arzpo. She isn't interested and pretends she can't speak his language. He friend is from Calabria which is where my family is from so the two of us start speaking in Italian. I actually held a very basic conversation- IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then we wall took off for home.