After checking out the next morning Natasha, Maria, Johanna and I returned to the center to check out Rialto Market. The fruit was so expensive that we ended up buying food at the grocery store instead, but we enjoyed walking by restaurants and shops and getting a final glimpse of this bizarre but beautiful city.
I miss Venice already, and most of all, the friends I made there. Best of luck to the everyone in the gondola/pizza/risotto/lasagna squads with the rest of your travels. Johanna and I are off to Vienna now!
Getting to Venice was a struggle that paid off. The train ride was short and comfortable, but the canal bus was a different story. When we finally arrived at Generator Hostel, we couldn't help but keel over in the chairs for a little while, just relishing in the joy of air conditioning. When we finally ventured up to our 10-person room we were pleasantly surprised to find AC there, too. Soon, we met our roommate Megan from Canada, who was finishing up a two-week Europe trip and had just come from Rome. Our new crowd of three took the vaporetto to San Marco's Square and enjoyed some quality pizza at Al Vecio Canton, a charming pizzeria and trattoria on the corner of a quaint and narrow alleyway. Then we ventured through a series of enchanting though confusing walkways and finally into San Marco's Square. On our way back to Generator, we saw the Bridge of Sighs and enjoyed a stunning sunset. Back at the hostel we met Tyler from the U.S., Maria from Germany, and Natasha from Denmark. The next day our group of six shared a gondola ride through the picturesque canals of Venice. We took a liberal amount of photos, but mostly we enjoyed waving to other tourists, soaking up the shade, and conversing about feminism. You would have to have been there! As a Californian would say, there were good vibes everywhere. We beat the midday heat by taking our time in the common room of the hostel. After a few lazy hours, Maria, Natasha, Megan, Johanna and I took the canal bus to Lido Island, where we went to the beach. Even though the beach itself was disappointing -- the water was scary murky and the sand was crazy hot -- we had a fun time with good company (and good gelato). We all met up at Generator with Georgia and Abby, who Johanna and I had met at our hostel in Florence, and their new friend Alex from the U.S. The eight of us went out to dinner at a trattoria on our island and then experienced the city center by night. We walked over small bridges and got lost in narrow alleyways, now clear of their daytime tourist congestion, and we frolicked in the emptiness of San Marco's Square, now free of their usual selfie stick hazards. I had a great night with these girls!
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It's true what some say about Tuscany -- it looks and feels very much like Northern California wine country, except with better architecture and slightly more humidity. Arriving in Florence and settling into Tasso Hostel both refreshed me and surprised me with a feeling of home. I must say that staying at a good hostel can make all the difference in appreciating a city to its fullest. First of all, location is key. Tasso was situated in what's considered the artsy neighborhood of Florence, across the river from the city center. It was easy to walk to tourist attractions from there, but at the same time we could escape the downtown bustle and find the more authentic side of Florence. Although I had hesitated to book a room at Tasso because of its higher prices (€40/person/night for a double bedroom), Johanna and I soon realized that our hostel was worth the price: we had access to a kitchen, a free breakfast, a common room, a patio, Wi-Fi, low-cost washing and drying machines, and (most importantly) air conditioning. And even though the common room and bar are more popular during the colder months of the year when it's more comfortable to go out, we met and chatted with quite a few other travelers: Jennifer from Canada, Shawn from Canada, and Bettina from Australia, who were each traveling alone; and Georgia from Australia and Abby from England, who were traveling together. After having a typical Florentine dinner at Alla Vecchia Bettola, we went out to explore the city center. Even after spending only a few hours in Florence, I began to notice that the city is amazingly dynamic. Walk down one street full of tourists and loudness, then turn a corner and walk down another street full of peace and stillness. In short, there's such a variation of energies and sounds in Florence that one can be entertained and calmed at the same time. The next morning we entered the cultural, artistic side of Florence when we visited the Galleria dell'Accademia. We marveled at the sight of Michelangelo's David, but our favorite part of the gallery was the Musical Instruments Museum, where we admired Stradivari's violins and Bartolomeo Cristofori's pianos. After nerding out in the museum for over two hours we wandered past the center towards the Great Synagogue. We never found our way there despite its bright blue-green dome, but we did run into Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi, a religious complex including a church and a convent. As I said before, Florence surprised me with the excitement and tranquility that coexist so closely. We revisited the touristy part of Florence, walking by Palazzo Vecchio and across Ponte Vecchio. In the evening we walked up the hill to see the famous view from Piazzale Michelangelo. We had planned to watch the sun set from there, but we forgot how early the sun sets in southern Europe compared to in previous destinations like Amsterdam and Brussels. All the same, the view was spectacular as promised! Continuing on with my search for the best view in Florence, I climbed Giotto's Campanile (the bell tower of the Duomo) the next afternoon. I had heard that the line for the Campanile was far shorter than the line for Brunelleschi's Dome, and I found for myself that the internet was right. The wait only five minutes long even though the top of the bell tower is only a few meters below the top of the dome. If you don't want to climb the 414 steps all at once, there are three or four rest levels along the way to the top where you can catch your breath and enjoy the view. And if you decide you have enough energy and time for the double-whammie, you can climb the dome at no extra cost because the 10 euro fee covers the entrance to all parts of the Duomo. Definitely a must-do in Florence. To best appreciate the Uffizi and the Accademia we rented audioguides for 6 euros each at both museums. Compared the audioguides we'd used so far at the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Louvre in Paris, the audioguides at Florentine museums were intuitive and informative even if the descriptions were a bit dry at times. In general, we've found that audioguides are a useful tool for getting the most out of a museum. After climbing the Campanile I met up with Johanna in front of the Uffizi Gallery for our 4:45 time slot. We were lucky to have found tickets available since we had booked them just one day before, and the later time slot meant that the museum was presumably less packed than it would have been in the middle of the day. Of all the highlights, I enjoyed Botticelli's The Birth of Venus and Primavera the best. This post will be brief. Usually I have quite a bit to write, but Nice ended up simply not being that nice. Although we spent two full days here, we were not inspired or energized to do or see very much.
Still, I managed to take quite a few nice photos here in Nice. But don't be fooled -- the views are far more enjoyable from the comfort of your air-conditioned home. In the days we spent in Nice, every minute was a battle to brave the heat and humidity. Air conditioning was the holy grail since we had none of it at our hostel, Hostel Smith. Even though Johanna and I still had some fun times, I don't recommend a visit to Nice, at least not during the high season. Oh well, today we're out of Nice and into Florence, where we'll relish in the air conditioning at Tasso Hostel. On a side note, I'm also crossing my fingers for affordable food as we move from France to Italy. France was a beautiful country to visit, but its exorbitant prices are definitely less appetizing and something to take into account for anyone traveling a trip to Europe on a budget.
For those of you who know me well, good food is a big priority for me and is often a major focus of my day. So Jo and I started off our morning on a hunt for breakfast. This hunt for breakfast was especially difficult because by the time we found directions to a cluster of cafes it was already 12:30, and by the time we found one we could actually afford it was 1:00. Nonetheless, we managed to find toast with coffee and orange juice for 5 euros a person at Ma Perque. With food and caffeine in my system I was suddenly able to enjoy the beautiful sights around me in the historical center. However, we decided we needed a break from sightseeing, what with cities like Florence, Venice, Vienna, Prague, and Berlin ahead of us. We headed out and took the tram to the beach. Montpellier seems to be less of a touristy city, and even if there are some tourists in the summer most of them are from other parts of France. So we were so excited to finally meet another English-speaking tourist, Baharak, who lives in London. She and her CouchSurfing host Mohammed led us to what they had heard was the best beach out of the three near Montpellier. When we arrived at the beach our new group of four met Naomi, who was visiting from Strasbourg. We all had a blast at what I would call one of my top three favorite beaches I've been to (although I get the feeling the beaches near Nice will come close!). After Jo and I got back from the beach I tried my foot at running again and went a tiny 1.3 miles. But even in such a short distance I was able to enjoy new views along the streets! That evening we met up again with Baharak and Mohammed for dinner near Place de la Comedie. Even though the food was pricey and the service was subpar at Le 5, we waited and ate in good company. *Sorry for not posting as timely as usual; Weebly (my blogging platform) has been giving me technical difficulties. Crossing my fingers that it all stays up and running from now on.
Last Wednesday I returned to Spain to visit a part of the country I hadn't seen before: the Basque country. After a long journey from Bordeaux with plenty of lovely views along the way we arrived in San Sebastián at 8:00. We were happy to settle into our hostel, Umoreonabi Guest House, situated in the Parte Vieja (old town). By some odd chance we were staying at Umoreonabi at the same time as a group of 15 Australian boys, who were on vacation after graduating from the same high school in Sydney. It was fun getting to know some of them and talking about the differences between the Australian and American lingos. I picked up some new catch phrases, such as: "Neven" (Not even), "A ting" (A thing), and "Dead set" (Absolutely). Right away we noticed the accessibility of San Sebastián -- everything we needed was within a one-mile radius, if that. We continued our food and coffee pilgrimage the next morning at Cafe Kantoi, a cafe one block away, where we bought breakfast for €4.50 each. Over the next few days, Cafe Kantoi became our headquarters for café con leche, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and bizcochos. The service was always great, and we enjoyed getting to know the three servers that worked at different times of the day. Then we checked out one of San Seb's most popular and famous attractions: the beach. San Sebastián, or as the locals call it, Donostia, has two beaches: Playa de La Concha and Zurriola. Both are beautiful and perfect for swimming and relaxing, but Playa de La Concha is larger and better for people watching whereas Zurriola is smaller and better for sunbathing. Either way, you can find locals and tourists, young and old alike on the beaches of San Sebastián. A server at Cafe Kantoi told us that San Sebastián is a popular summer vacation destination for Spaniards, especially those from the south of the country. I don't see why more Americans don't know about San Seb, but personally I'm glad that this small city retains its local character and isn't totally overrun by tourists, as is the case in cities like Paris. The next day we learned more about the history of beachgoing in San Seb. Spending leisure time on the beach was once a luxury reserved for only the aristocracy, and poorer people often never learned how to swim. A spot on the beach in the shade was expensive, not to mention any spot on the beach at all. And what's more, beachgoers were constantly threatened by the actual fashion police, who fined anyone they deemed to be indecently dressed. Men were required to wear shirts while swimming or could face a penalty. For women, bikinis were absolutely unheard of. Finding out about all of this made me appreciate visiting San Seb in the present day even more than I had before. But even without knowing these things, the sheer awe of the views from Monte Urgell would have been enough to fully appreciate the paradise that is Donostia. It's moments and sights like this when I fully realize how lucky and happy I am to travel. San Seb has been my favorite city of the trip so far, but I'm ready to move on to the south of France! |
Juliet DanielAdventurer. Musician. Athlete. Foodie. Vegetarian. Californian. Incoming college junior. And now, blogger. Archives
September 2017
Categories"I intend to live forever. So far, so good." -- Stephen Wright "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” -- Maya Angelou |