May 10th: Verona

*Pictures to be added soon*

My oh my, yesterday was such a busy day! We woke up early and caught the bus to the city center at 9. Elena had written an amazing guide for us on what to see in Verona, and by the end of the day we had done all of it! It would take too long to list everything, so here are the highlights:

Pozzo dell'Amore (Well of Love): This was one of those hidden gems that non-locals don't know about - just another advantage of couchsurfing. Tourist-free and and adventure to find, I absolutely loved the well and the poem written engraved on the top. And, of course, since it was a well, I threw in a coin and made a wish (my wish? that the rest of our travels would go smoothly - I think it worked!).

The poem in it's original wording:
Getta nel pozzo un solo soldino,
pensa un momento al
tuo destino,non ti distrarre, non far rumore…
eccolo…eccolo…arriva​ l’amor

Rough Translation:
Toss in the well only one coin,
think for a moment about your destiny.
Don't be distracted, don't make any noise,
for here it comes, here it comes... here arrives love.

View of Verona: We didn't want to pay to ascend the town's tower, but we did get a spectacular view of the city by hiking up a HUGE hill to a castlello (castle). Me legs were tired, but it was entirely worth it.

Giardino G (Garden G): Claudia really wanted to go to this garden, and at first I was pretty reluctant to pay for more greenery, but I'm glad I changed my mind! There was a lush green path to walk on, a great sculpture embedded in the hillside, and my favorite part: a hedge maze! (I've always wanted to do one of those, so I was really excited to finally find one.) Afterward we scored a great lunch at a cute little snack bar off of the typical tourist-beaten path (which meant, of course, the food was much cheaper, the atmosphere much friendlier and quieter, and the meal was delicious!).

Casa di Giulietta (House of Juliet): We went to Juliet's house in the morning, but it was closed until the afternoon! Fear not, though - we were able to take our pictures with Juliet's statue in peace because the other tourists hadn't arrived yet. Her chest is shiney because it is supposed to be good luck to touch her boob!

In the afternoon we returned and went inside one at a time (so we could snap photos of each other on the infamous balcony). I liked the house because I could really picture the story's romance taking place within it's walls.

Tomb of Juliet: For 50 cents extra, the tomb was included in the ticket-price for Juliet's house, so we decided to splurge and make the trek there (it was clear across town). Imagine to our surprise when we got there and the tomb was empty! It was a little sad, because there was a lot of graffiti, and I felt silly looking at an empty grave. The good news is that the grounds were very quiet and peaceful, so it was the perfect place to write me "letter to Juliet" (just like from the movie - it actually exists!). I am hoping my response will come soon!

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From all of the walking we had been doing, by 4 I was so exhausted. We had seen so many things and done so much that all I wanted to do was sit down and rest for... well, forever. No rest for the weary, though - we had to meet our host at 5:30 to get her keys (she's a waitress and works late into the evenings, so we would arrive at her apartment first), so we went to our meeting point (Mc Donalds) to sit and wait. I got a soft serve, and even though I felt like a touristy sellout, I really really enjoyed it. It was a much needed break, and then we had a nice chat with our host before she had to leave for work.

We bought her a thank you gift (which was a Disney mug because she likes Disney a lot) as well as our dinner ingredients (pasta to make at the apartment) and then we were going to catch the bus... just one problem: we couldn't find the bus stop! We wandered around for two hours looking for it and asked for help at countless places. When we finally caught the bus at 8, I was beyond tired and frustrated. It made for a grim evening and a poor end to an otherwise excellent day, but now the bad memories are fading, leaving room for only the good (as well as some funny travel horror stories of "When Things Go Wrong").

We said a fond farewell ("Arrivederci!") to Elena this morning, and now we're off to Milan!

May 8th: Verona

Upon arriving to Verona, I was hungry. The train station was very confusing, it was hot, and I was tired. But after storing our luggage (we managed to fit both of our bags into one in order to beat the storage pricing system), we headed to the city center. Although we only had an hour, we window-shopped a little bit and then stumbled upon Juliet's house. We are planning on going inside tomorrow so we didn't spend much time there.


We stumbled upon a festival happening in the city center, and the carabineri were letting people try out their motorcycles! I was pretending to be a super-bad criminal stealing their motorcycle... but you all know the truth now. On a side note, that is *not* the colosseum in the background, but rather the second largest Roman ampitheatre in Italy!

Then we met up with our new host, Elena, and her friend Marco and we went back to her apartment to drop off our stuff. At first I was nervous - she lived so far from the city center! But after several glasses of iced tea and great company (Marco spoke good English, so conversation flowed easily), I felt that I couldn't ask for a better experience. When Marco left, we switched to speaking only in Italian, which was exhausting and fantastic at the same time. Elena was very patient in trying to correct our mistakes with the language.


The cart full of cow parts. Soon to be my dinner


Unidentified cuts of meat. Only disgusting when you think about it - otherwise, it's delicious!

In the evening we went to the restaurant where Elena works to eat an authentic Veronese dinner of stewed meat. Imagine my surprise when they brought out a cart of exotic things like tongue and brains! I was still game though - I just didn't look when they put things on my plate, that way I couldn't be grossed out. Claudia, who had eaten these sorts of things before, promised me that she'd fill me in on what exactly I had consumed the next day, when there was no possibility of me losing my meal. Despite the new and exciting cuts of meat, though, it all tasted wonderful! Tongue is a little chewy and brain is a little too soft for my taste, but hey, at least I know that now instead of just guessing! All in all, a great meal with wonderful company.


Adventuring at night through Soave. The medieval castles and winding paths were really cool

After dinner, Elena's friend Matteo drove us to see the medieval town of Soave. Even though it was late, I said "Perche no?" ("Why not?") and away we went! I'm so glad I decided to go, because the town was so cute! It was empty and quiet because of the late hour, but the castle was great and it was also fun to speak so much Italian with Matteo.

Tomorrow, we will spend the whole day exploring the Verona, but now it's time for bed!

May 8th: Venice

I'm on a train heading to Verona, and while I am excited, I am also sad to leave this beautiful city. Last night was quiet, and I slept better (I forgot to mention that Claudia and I were sharing a twin bed! It was an interesting experience to say the least, but couchsurfers can't be choosers.). This morning we said goodbye to Ali and headed to Venice for a final breakfast. Yesterday we had a fun exchange with a barista named Claudio (because Claudia's name is so similar) and we went back to the same place for a cappuccino and cornetto. Unfortunately our new friend was not working today.


I think I have a future career as a gondolier


Gondola ride for 200 euro? No thanks. Free picture *next* to the gondola? Sure! (The owner of this gondola thought it was hilarious that we asked, but complied anyway)

Afterwards, we wandered, sent postcards, and window-shopped - some of the masks we saw were incredible. We also stealthily tried on gondolier's hats and took pictures outside of a souvenir shop - shh!


Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful masks!


A lone Venetian paddling his gondola. Cliche, simple, and absolutely exquisite


A gondola-crossing sign. I was so tickled that something like this would actually exist, so naturally I took a picture

Now it's on to Verona where we will meet our Italian-only speaking host, Elena, and explore the home of Romeo and Juliet (balcony serenading will most definitely be included!).

May 7th: Venice and Lido

We woke up early and had a nice simple breakfast with Usman (who we began to call Ali). He lived on the mainland just outside of Venice, so we had to take a bus into the city's center, arriving at the canals at around 9. Venice was the one location we never found a map for, but luckily the signs were so good that with a little searching, we were able to find our way to St. Mark's Square pretty easily (although we had to ask "Dov'e Piazza San Marco?" to a few shop owners).


Masquerade masks lined all of the shop windows, and they were absolutely beautiful!


We had some friends who came to Venice for carnevale, and even though I didn't make it, I'm happy I got to see the elaborate outfits in the windows


Posing as the lion of Saint Mark in front of the ACTUAL lion of Saint Mark. Clever, no?

I was a little worried that the piazza would be closed because the pope was coming (we just can't escape him!), but it was bustling and as open as ever. We had a great time exploring the prisons of the Ducal Palace and then went into the Basillica di San Marco. I'm kind of over churches from spending so much time in Rome, but this church was beautiful! Completely covered in mosaics and gold, it took my breath away.


Me standing in front of Basillica San Marco


The inside of the basillica - all of the color is made up of individual tiles of shimmering gold


Pretending to be an unhappy prisoner in the dungeons. Super fun

In the afternoon we met out host for lunch (we ate kebabs - yum) and then took a vasporetto (a Venetian water taxi - basically the cheap version of a gondola) to Lido. Once there, our host took us to a beach where dozens of elaborate kites were flying - was amazing! My toes hugged the warm sand, my eyes were enthralled, and my mind was captivated as our host told us about kite flying in his home country, Pakistan. Not at all an expected side trip, but so worth it!


A view of the sheer number of kites - there were so many!


I loved how creative the kites were. There were dancing ones, animals, and a few giant ones that could have held a dinner party inside of them

We ate dinner at a Jazz bar and then wandered around afterwards. Venice is the most magical and timeless of places, I feel the only thing that has changed in the last 400 years is the fashion!


Posts for tying up your gondola. Needless to say, I don't think parking is an issue in Venice

May 6th: The Adventure Begins in Venice

After several inquiries from family and friends, I'm finally going to update this blog with all of my travel adventures after the semester ended. I'm hoping to schedule one to be posted every day, so check back frequently :)


Claudia and I posing with one of our first views of Venice

Our journey began today almost flawlessly. Despite a transportation strike, we got a bus straight to the train station and got on board. The only problem? Our train car was filled with a squad of 10-year old basketball players! They were outrageously loud (and at one point one was creepily hovering over my chair while I napped - I think the American on the Italian train was a novelty in some respects), but luckily they got off the train after a few hours. In case you're wondering, a train from Rome to Venice takes about 7 hours.


Me and our host, Usman, trying to work out camera settings for dusk (he's a very avid photographer)

When we arrived in Venice, I was a little concerned about meeting up with our couchsurfing host, Usman, because I hadn't been able to contact him by phone. This fact didn't detract from how amazing the city's first impression was, though. It's like nothing I've ever seen before - houses plunging straight into the water, boats abound, and not a car in sight!


The breath-taking view that lays at the end of every path in Venice

Every street is a new adventure and because there are no visual landmarks, you often stumble upon something wonderful without even meaning to!

We eventually met up with Usman and had a nice, simple dinner of pasta (when in Italy, what else?) and had a nice time getting to know each other.