My whole life, I have been a huge fan of travel channels. They gave me a sense of hope that one day even I will travel the world, see the places I saw on Tv, stand exactly where the hosts once stood and do and experience exactly the same things they did and experienced! Today I feel some of my dreams really are coming true! I never thought I would end up in Europe someday and travel freely like I am travelling today.
I couldn't believe my own eyes when I booked the tickets for Italy with my friends. Italy for me has always been one of the exotic places I dreamt of visiting! And by luck or by chance I ended up in this exotic country :) But I have to say, it wasn't a very smooth journey.
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| First Impressions of Rome |
For starters, our flight got delayed by few hours! The plane journey was really bumpy, lot of clouds and lots of turbulence. Even after arriving in Italy, we had to sit in the plane for 40 minutes because there was no one at the counter to receive our plane! Haha! Finally, after getting out we took the train from the Rome Airport to the Rome Central Train Station. Some random not so old guy dropped his bag on me while removing it from the train and my ear started bleeding. And here started the kindness and the helpfulness of the Italians. I was a little shocked that absolutely no one asked me whether I am okay even if my ear was bleeding continuously. They were all tourists in our coach. One kind Italian man saw me and offered a wet wipe to soak in all the blood. Till that moment I was a little disappointed with all the negative signs that the universe was showing me. And then started the wonderful, historic and warm journey through Italy!
We arrived in Rome late afternoon and couldn't manage to get an entry to the Colosseum because of the delayed flight. Instead of waiting in the never ending line we just decided to chill in a small cafe in an alley just a little ahead of the Colosseum. There are many historic sites even around the Colosseum so we just took a walk around them soaking in the sun and getting used to the exciting fact of being in Italy! I would definitely recommend buying tickets to the Colosseum online! Saves a lot of time and energy. We left for Naples the same night.
Naples is to the south of Rome, approximately 2 hours by train. And it's the birthplace of guess what!.......PIZZA! The main reason behind going to Naples was to take one day trips to Mount Vesuvius, the volcanic mountain and Pompeii - the city which was destroyed due to Vesuvio's volcanic eruption 2000 years back. When in Italy, one thing you need to know is that the Italians are a laidback kind. Do not expect buses to come on time, leave on time, signs and boards for directions...Basically you are not gonna end up as planned anywhere so just smile and go with the flow. After all, getting lost is also fun :) There is a private bus operating company which takes you almost till the top of Vesuvius. From there it's a short 45 minute hike to the crater. The view was just outstanding from the top. The crater on one side and the sea and Italy's small islands on the other!
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| On top of the Vesuvius |
The hike, even if short might be difficult for old folks.
After coming down from the hike, we ended up at this old cafe near the train station. The pizza I had there was no doubt the best pizza I've had till date! After Vesuvius, we caught a train to go to Pompeii. The way the ruins of Pompeii have been preserved and restored is magnificent. If you really are on a budget trip, a great way to save money would be to read a little bit about the Colosseum, Vatican City, Pompeii and all other places you decide to go to so that you don't need to rent the Audio Guides that are offered. Mt.Vesuvius and Pompeii in one day were really tiring so I would suggest keeping 2 days for these 2 places.
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| Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the backdrop |
Even after being sun-burnt and dehydrated, we were super excited to go to Capri Islands the next day. I have never been to any place like Capri. Really. A ferry from the Napoli Port takes you to this beautiful island. The numerous natural arches in the rocks, the tiny souvenir shops, the brilliantly blue water and us on a boat cruising through all this incredibleness made it a perfect day. I couldn't have asked for more! Capri would be perfect for honeymooners!
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| Real statues at Pompeii, of people in the exact position when they died, when the lava engulfed them. |
We came back to Rome the same night and finally visited the Colosseum the next afternoon. It almost feels implausible that such a magnificent structure was built in a civilization existing thousands of years back! Though the stories of the Gladiators are sad and the misdoings of the Kings in the olden times make you flinch, you cannot help but let the Colosseum take your breath away. The massiveness of it all makes you stop and gawk!
We ended the Italy trip with a dinner at a fine restaurant with clams and spaghetti. When in Italy, it's an absolute must have.
Italy was different. I felt like I am in a different world and I didn't want to come out of it. I had already started planning my next trip on the last night. The people are so cute, always ready to help (even if they don't understand English), fun-loving and polite. The way they speak English makes them even cuter. Rome is fancy, posh while Naples on the other hand looks poor and distraught but still has a character to it. Beauty can't be gauged only from the outside. This is how I felt in Naples. Everything was not beautiful, clean or proper, but it had a charm and I fell for this charm. I am happy that I saw both sides of the country and would recommend others to do the same.
So go go go! Go see this amazing country. I am sure you will come back with something more than memories!
