Sunday, September 26, 2010

Milano

I'm just leaving Milano now for Rome. I had a wonderful time. It makes me so happy to go back there and find the city more or less how I left it. When I lived there four years ago, the saddest thing about leaving is I felt I would never be able to come back. I felt that what I loved about Milano was all the international friends I had made there and that those people would have moved on before I could ever return. Many of those people are gone now, but many are still there. In fact the ones that are still seem to be closer with each other than ever.

I stayed with Dan and his boyfriend, Eduardo (or Dado). Not only did they take me in but they made all the plans for my birthday. I got in late the 22nd, but we met some of Dan's friends for a drink. The 23rd Dan had to work, but Dado and I had a lovely day in Milan. He made me breakfast then we met one of the girls from the night before and Nick, Dan's old roommate who I met two years ago, for a delicious lunch. And had coffee after where Luc works. I knew Luc 4 years ago, though not well then since we did not have a solid language in common. In the evening Dado, Dan, and I helped a coworker of his with his new apartment and got pizza. Then we went to a club opening, Tropicana. No dieing my hair. A wonderful birthday!

I spent two more full days in Milan. It really is a wonderful city and so different from the little Tuscan towns I had visited before then. Those tiny centers live only on tourism and are surrounded by farms and vineyards. Milan is a self sufficient city where the tourists stay near the touristy parts (like a US city). I also got to eat very well being shown around by my local friends.

[Edit] Photos from Milano Visit:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100923Milano#

My mysterious absence

When I met up with Steve and Chris, my trip took on a faster pace and there was no blogging. At the same time I was in Germany without internet on my phone and there was no twittering. I didn't realize anyone besides my mom was reading along until I received so many messages wondering where I was. I'm on my way to Rome now. I've been writing. I'll be back posting shortly.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

München and Neuschwanstein Castle

I had a great ride into Munich. There was a guy in our sleeper car that had great stories and helped me get situated with the right subway ticket when we first arrived. I waited around in the airport for a little while and easily met up with Steve and Chris (friends from High School) after they landed.

We immediately hopped in a rental car and drove to Neuschwanstein Castle. The Walt Disney castle is based on this place. It was pretty sweet. Once we were there, about an hour south of Munich, we went the last 20 minutes into Austria for the sake of having visited Austria. We found ourselves in a family run restaurant in a tiny little town. They were so nice to us.

That night we just went to a local bar. It was pretty empty when we arrived, but soon after the place was packed. The tents in Octoberfest close at 10:30. The next day, once we recovered enough, we headed to the grounds. We walked around, took pictures, peeked in all the tents, rode the ferris wheel, that kind of thing. Then we had lunch and some beers at tent with a boat stage inside, I can't remember the name. It was so fun. We made friends with some Swiss guys next to us. We learned from the night before and did a quick pit stop back in the room and drank a lot of water. Then we headed back out for dinner and more Octoberfest. We spent the night at the Hippodrom. It was such a party. Everyone was dancing on the benches, which is not easy, by the way. They are shacking like mad from everyone jumping on them and people are bumping into you and I was wearing really tall heals. I fell a few times. We were lucky to be there during the week when you can just walk right into the tents. On the weekends there are lines to get in.

The next day the boys had to catch a plane back to Paris, where Chris is at University. We had a delicious free breakfast together at the Marriott, thanks to Steve's platinum status, then had to say goodbye. I planned on traveling overnight to Milan, so I had the day to kill by myself. Luckily there is no easier place in the world to make friends than Octoberfest, so I figured I would just pick a tent and go in for a beer. Even though this breaks my personal philosophy of never going into a bar by myself. Luckily I made friends with two guys, Craig and Michel, as soon as I went to a table. We had a great night! We sang this drinking song, which is based on a children's song.

This was my second time to Munich, but my first time to Octoberfest. I was here once before in April with Jeff and Drew two years ago. I'm glad I did it that way because Munich is a really cool city with a lot of sights. But being there during Octoberfest, all we wanted to do was go to Octoberfest. Since I had been before I could ignore the Glockenspiel without guilt.

Now I'm on my way to Milan, my last stop before Rome and where I'll be for my birthday. I can't believe it's my 25th birthday tomorrow. I thought I would be bummed out not to be back home having a big party, but I couldn't be happier. Well, I guess maybe if I wasn't so hung over right now. I was thinking I might die my hair as a crazy thing to do for it. But everyone seems to think that's a bad idea, that I should keep my color. Well see what happens tomorrow!

[Edit] Photos from Neuschwanstein Castle:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100919NeuschwansteinCastle#

Photos from Octoberfest:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100920Octoberfest#

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Berlin

I couldn't find a room in Zurich, so I decided to go to Berlin instead. I took an overnight train in and got in at 2 PM Thursday. I stayed at the Berlin Wombat Hostel for 2 nights. It's the same chain that Jeff, Drew and I stayed at in Vienna and Munich two years ago. It's the nicest hostel ever. Then took an overnight train to Munich on Saturday night.

What did I do in Berlin? Thursday not too much, walked around and had a nice German dinner. Friday I took a six hour walking tour that Andrew recommended to me. It was really good. I saw all the sights, actually learned what they are, as well as history of the city and Germany. It was like I did all of Berlin in a day, without having to figure out what to see. That night we made our own pub crawl with a crowd from the dorm room and the tour. We went to Tacheles, a crazy artist squatter's bar, and a few others. The other travelers I met in Berlin were super friendly. The next day I checked out and stored my stuff at the hostel while I did one museum and more walking and eating. I'm liking German food much more this visit, though I am still eating a lot of falafel.

Now I'm taking another overnight train to Munich. There I hope to easily meet up with Chris and Steve. Psyched for what's planned!

[Edit] Link to photos from Berlin:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100917Berlin#

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Cinque Terre, Second Time

I'm on my way out of Cinque Terre for the second time this trip. I'm so glad I went back, it was like getting more summer. I really liked having more warm beach time after my time in the Tuscan hills. This time I didn't feel obligated to do any of the hikes, I just relaxed on the beach. I can't believe how fast time goes by at Cinque Terre, it felt like I was in and out, not there for 5 days.

I hung out more with the Albanian guys I quickly mentioned in my other 5 Terre post. It was super fun going out with locals at night. I went to a birthday party one night for the first one I met, Elton, in La Spezia. It was really interesting how the language dynamic changes so easily. One minute I am the least able to communicate person in the room, add another English speaker, and I'm the translator. It's both fascinating and exhausting.

Now I am on my way to Germany. It will take me a whole day in transit. I'm spending 2 nights in Berlin. Then meeting Steve and Chris from High School in Munich. After that it's back to my old stomping grounds: Milano. Then to settle down in Rome. Pretty excited for all of it!

[Edit] Link to Le Cinque Terre Photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100825CinqueTerre#

Friday, September 10, 2010

Volterra

I spent four days in Volterra, though a bit of that up in my room or an internet cafe doing work. Lets hope that all works out and I can sustain this fabulous life of mine! That timing wasn't an accident. I knew the work was coming in, and I knew Volterra was a town I wanted to visit that doesn’t take long to see the sights, that has an affordable hostel, but is hard to access.

So I won't lie, one of the things that brought me here was the part this city plays in the Twilight books. When reading the books I assumed Volterra was a made up town. It sure sounds like a made up town where ancient Italian vampires would live. But when reading my trusty Rick Steves, I saw it listed as his favorite “Tuscan Hill Town”. I had given myself some time to explore the little Tuscan towns, so naturally I was going to stop here.

I was staying just outside the walled center, about a 15 minute walk. The area was once where all of Italy sent their crazy people. Eventually the Mayor said enough is enough and sent them all to their own towns. There were monks and nuns taking care of the crazy people, but they went elsewhere since they were no longer needed. My hostel was the monastery. It is actually very beautiful.

The city of Volterra itself, which means city of wind and rock, was once very important in the Etruscan Era. It was a key city in the Etruscan Dodecapolis (12 city league). The original city wall was much bigger then than it is today. There is still a standing door from that time, Porta all'Arco, dating from the 4th century BC. At some point the Romans came and concord and built some Roman things. There are ruins of a very distinctly Roman theater. After Florence took the city in 1472, they built the Madaci Fortress, which today is used as a maximum security prison.

The town itself is so small that even with it's winding streets, I learned my way quickly. On my way in from Siena I made friends with an couple from Virginia. They were just staying the night, but we made friends for the long bus ride into town. I ran into them one night when we picked the same restaurant for dinner, they had extended their stay. Then another time at the grocery store, they had extended again. She was a huge Twilight fan, so it was fun to geek out about that.

I ate very well in Volterra. Best was that restaurant I mentioned above, Don Beta. They have course meals. So for 12 euro I had bruschetta, gnocchi, and beans. Those who know my eating habits know I'm not the biggest bean fan, but these were really good. There was a pizzeria I went to twice. Once I had a delicious slice with arugula all over it. The second time the pizza I picked was really different. The guy had no patience to explain how it was made, except that he uses chick pea flour. The pizza is just the dough, no toppings, and it tastes like potato. So delicious! There is also zuppa di volterra, which is a vegetable soup. I could have eaten this every day. It is really thick, there is no broth used, just yummy veggies.

And now I'm on the road again, reversing my way back North. I'm even stopping in Cinque Terra again because I liked it so much and I want more beach time. I was going to stop in Elba, but it is actually pretty big and it seems like you need a car or motorbike to get around there. After that, Zurich, then Octoberfest!

[Edit] Link to Volterra Photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100906Volterra#

Monday, September 6, 2010

Leaving Siena

Since I didn't feel well I took an extra day to have a low key pack up day on the 5th. I did laundry and packed most of my things. Did the last thing I needed to do in Siena: go to the best Gelateria. Koko kabana gelato was recommended to me by Fabio, like everything else. It was pretty amazing!

On my way back from enjoying said gelato, I heard some drums. Then coming at me in the narrow street was basically a parade. Young men were all dressed up in medieval garb with either flags or drums. And on the sides were women with scarves matching the flags. The procession goes by for quite a while and there were more people with scarves at the back. I asked a group of young girls what that was all about. Side note, young girls speak quickly and are hard to understand in any language. The gist that I got was that they are all from neighborhood [animal we don't know the word for] and they are visiting all the other neighborhoods today with their drums and flags. What I couldn't figure out, was if it was friendly or taunting. Either way, quite the sight!

Monday morning I packed up, sent a small package home to lighten my load, and hit the road. I walked about 10 minutes. Took a bus to Colle. A shuttle to another bus stop in Colle. A bus to Volterra. And then walked about 20 minutes to my hostel. I'm glad I am not trying to fit these towns into a 2 week trip and I can stay put after all the effort to get to these obscure places.

Volterra looks pretty small, but I still think any place is worth a few days. Also I don’t feel well, I have work to do, so I might as well stay here where there is a 17 euro hostel! My hostel is a converted monastery. It is about a 10 minute walk outside of town, but it is really nice!

[Edit] Link to Siena Photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100902Siena#

Sunday, September 5, 2010

San Gimignano

Today I took a day trip to San Gimingnano. It is quite the tourist trap, small but famous for it's beauty and still-standing towers, 14 of the original 60. My man, Rick Steves says “In the 13th century, back in the days of Romeo and Juliet, feuding noble families ran the towns. They'd periodically battle things out from the protection of their respective family towers. Pointy skylines like San Gimignano's were the norm in medieval Tuscany.”

I walked around the town, checked out some panoramas, climbed up the one open tower, and had a nice lunch in the square. I was fortunate enough to be there on a good day “11' Anniversario stada del vino Vernaccia di San Gimingnano”. As far as I can tell something happened 11 years ago-- freedom from something, I guess-- and now they are having a Vernaccia wine festival this day. There were several tables, maybe 10. Each with one or two different farms / wine makers. They each gave me a tasting or two, and their tastings are very generous. I had much more wine than I needed that afternoon. Then the local restaurants had exhibitions, and each gave samples of dishes. Only one was not vegetarian. Woo! I wish I had the food first and I could have asked about how they were made. As it was, it didn't occur to me. I was also in a rush to eat and catch my bus, or so I thought. It turned out I had an extra hour, so I got to see the traditional games. A band came out in traditional garb. Then men fought with swards and shields. It was pretty awesome!

When I got home I felt pretty awful. Not from the wine, though I'm sure that didn't help, turns out I had a 102' fever. Decided to have a low key day in Siena tomorrow instead of going to Rapolano Terme, like I had planned.

[Edit] Link to San Gimignano Photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100904SanGimignano#

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Siena

When I first arrived in Siena I just crashed. I then took two full days to explore the city and it's sights. The first day I got one of the tourist packages and did the Church, the Panorama, and a museum. The church was really quite something, all white and black marble. There is stone artwork in the floors. They keep them covered most of the year to preserve it, so I was there at a good time when it was uncovered. I also walked around getting a feel for the city. Checked out the center square: Il Campo or “the field” called so because it was once the field right outside the original walls.

Siena is divided into regions. Each one has a flag, with two colors and a mascot animal. The one you are born is is the one you belong to forever. Then twice a year there is a great horse race where each region has one rider. It's a really big deal. My hostel is already booked for it next August. As you walk around, you know which area you are in because there are flags and pained lanterns along the street.

My second day I took a walk around the old fort. You can walk around the walls. I then went to one of the churches. They have a relic of Saint Caterina da Siena, her head. Her actual head in a little glass box. In the afternoon I made plans for the next few days. In the evening I went to this awesome bar, Key Largo, right on il Campo. They sell beers for a normal price, like 3 euro, and you can drink them on the balcony and watch everyone in the square drinking for way too much. It wasn't even crowed. Tourists must not know about it, and the students were still away for summer.

[Edit] Link to Siena Photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100902Siena#

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Pisa

Today was a travel day. I left Cinque Terre in the morning, took the train to Pisa, visited Pisa, and took another train to Siena. Well, that was the plan anyway. In execution there were a few extra unadvertised transfers. Naturally every time I had to change trains or take a bus I needed to load all my things down and back up the sottopassagio onto a different platform. An exhausting day.

Now Pisa. I have to say I was very disappointed. All I wanted to do was stop over, see the iconic tower in person, spend a little time taking photos, and be on my way. It's not really that easy. Most disappointing was that there was scaffolding on the tower. So not even good pictures. Second, there there were just loads of tourists. I mean there are always lots of tourists in Italy, but wow! Don't they know how crappy it is? I mean I did, but I have a month to kill, so I figured why not? Also I guess I was just in a low mood from having a travel day after a week of beach days and Pisa sunk me further into it rather than pulled me out. I was still carrying lots of stuff even after I checked bags at the train station (45 minute walk away) so I opted not to pay to climb the tower. Maybe I'll go back someday, but I'm going to call or something to be sure there is nothing covering the tower that day.

Good news: Siena looks beautiful. Just too tired to look at it much tonight.

[Edit] Link to Pisa Photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100901Pisa#

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Leaving Cinque Terre

Everyone who came through my hostel / apartment was just staying for about 2 nights, and I was thinking maybe I planned too much time wanting to stay for a week. Now I can't believe it is over already. I'm so glad I stayed that full week. I could probably stay a whole summer. I got to do the walk that everyone does from first town to last, and split it between two easy beach days. Did nothing but tan and swim a few days. Checked out some of the towns: I stayed in Riamaggore (5), visited Vernazza, (3) and visited and beached in Monterossa (1). I just walked through the other two.

The best part about staying for even a whole week was it felt so comfortable my last days. I couldn't walk down the main street in Riamagiore with out running into someone I had met before. There was the nice boy at my favorite foccaciaria, the guy I did some of my hike with, the Canadian girl at the dress shop who fixed a dress I ripped (she moved here with her husband, who is from here), the guy who runs Cinque Terre Holiday, the other travelers in my apartment, or the Albanian guys I made friends with. So far no complaints about traveling by myself!

[Edit] Link to Le Cinque Terre Photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/kaitlyn.hanrahan/20100825CinqueTerre#