Padua, Italy

Heading east from Verona, my next stop was Padua, a youthful university city with some big highlights. The city itself is buzzing, with bicycles everywhere and students from all over the world attending the university right in the middle of town. Big farmer’s markets occur daily in the two main piazzas right next to each other, while a covered market divides the two, selling everything from fresh cheese to homemade pasta to pig legs. Not a bad menu for a college student. The markets clear in the evening and the younger crowd fills the piazzas, sipping their aperitivi and grabbing a bite to eat. It’s a great scene, and reminded me of being back in San Luis Obispo, only it was completely different…You can’t really sit in a giant, centuries old square in SLO, and, I hate to say it, but the gelato tastes a little better than Bali’s yogurt!

Aside from being a buzzing university town, Padua has a storied history. Saint Anthony’s settling point, Padua is home to the basilica constructed in his honor. Pilgrims from all over the world come to see his tomb and relics contained within the basilica, which is a spectacular sight. People often say that once you have seen a few European churches, you’ve seen them all. Wrong. Saint Anthony’s is special place, and I was lucky enough to attend a couple masses there while I was in town, adding to the experience.

I enjoyed every bit of Padova (the real way to say it) and wouldn’t be surprised if I make my way back there in the near future...

3 Months

It’s hard to imagine it’s been 3 months since I arrived in Europe. Sometimes it seems like it’s gone by so fast, and other times it feels as though I’ve been over here forever. It’s almost as if my mind has separated the different parts of my trip into completely different periods of time. I forget that it was only in July when I was running with bulls in Spain, that I even did that to begin with, and that it was actually on this trip.

Talking to fellow travelers, I always get the question:

What has been your favorite place?

For some reason, I’m never able to give a true answer as my focus always seems to go to a portion of the trip, or a certain country in general. The answer is always different, and I think I like it that way. Certain situations, environments, people, scenery, smells, and even accents bring me back to places I’ve been along the way, and the memories that come with. Another reason I believe it’s hard to pin down a favorite place is that everything has been so different. From beautiful coastlines, to massive glaciers, to deep fjords, to turquoise lakes, the natural beauty of my destinations has been unreal. Then I think about the character contained within every city. From the traditional attitude of Bavaria, to the enthusiasm of the Italians, to proper English folk, every culture offers something different.

While I can’t answer the most obvious question, I CAN tell you some things:

1) Norway is an unknown gem, and incredibly beautiful 2) Swiss and Belgian chocolate IS all it’s cracked up to be 3) Spanish people don’t sleep 4) German beer is delicious, but Belgium offers more variety 5) English people actually do drive on the correct side of the road 6) Scandinavia is expensive. Very expensive 7) Europe has the train system figured out (Maybe not Croatia) 8) You can live off pasta, pizza, and gelato. And Nutella 9) A baguette, cheese, and the Eiffel Tower make for a good afternoon 10) A trip is what you make of it. The more willing you are to embrace a culture, the better experience you will have.

So that’s my 2¢

After 3 months, 18 countries, 10 currencies, and an innumerable amount of perspective, my country hopping days are through. What a ride it’s been…

P.S. R.I.P. Eurail pass, you’ve been so good to me

Verona, Italy

2 days in the home of Romeo and Juliet was more than enough time to realize how romantic a city Verona really is. Narrow streets lined with colorful buildings that have vines overflowing from their balconies, Vespas weaving in and out of cars and people, animated conversations with one hand waving frantically while the other holds the precious gelato, church bells ringing, and the smell of pizza in the oven…this is the scene at Piazza Erbe, the more “local” of the two main squares. I’ve definitely arrived in Italy.

Tourist season must be winding down, as even the camera wielding people I pass by are speaking Italian. While I’m not quite immersed completely, I’m getting there, and hopefully, as time goes on, I’ll start to understand more and more of what the gelato waving Italians are saying to their friends…

The Dolomites

After leaving Munich, I headed down to Italy, my home for the next two and a half months. My first stop was in the Dolomites, a region filled with steep, jagged mountains and a culture more German than Italian. It was strange hearing a mix of Italian and German while sitting at a cafe that served both pasta and schnitzel. The break in the mountains was exactly what I needed, though, as I didn’t feel like I was missing out on a ton of sights while I relaxed and enjoyed the views of green rolling hills and the unique peaks of the Dolomites.

The photo shown is from a small village called Castelrotto, known for its belltower and ideal location at the base of the Dolomites. After staying a couple nights, I was off on my grand tour of the Italy everybody knows.

First stop: Verona

Oktoberfest

After regretfully seeing very little of beautiful Austria, I was once again in Munich meeting up with my college classmate Jonas, who just happened to be moving into a new apartment and getting ready to start his new job in the city, and was nice enough to let me stay with him. The timing couldn’t have been better to enjoy a day as a true Bavarian. While I was lacking the traditional clothing (Liederhosen), the hat you see in the photo made up for it I think.

Oktoberfest is held on a huge fair ground where carnival rides and booths selling everything from giant cookies to giant sausages to giant pretzels to giant hats (like mine) are scattered all around between each brewery’s “tent.” The tents are actually huge buildings that house a completely different atmosphere than the theme park-like environment outside. Each tent is filled with elaborate decorations unique to each brewery. Hundreds of tables fill the open room with a traditional Bavarian band smack dab in the center. The band takes its fair share of water, er, beer breaks as the crowd serenades the local cheers-ing tune. Teens to Grandfathers dance on top of the tables as waitresses and waiters carry out impossible numbers (I saw someone carrying 10) of 1-litre jugs full of beer to thirsty patrons. The smell of fresh pretzels and all kinds of meat make the whole experience easy on the senses. I was even singing in German by the end of the day…at least it sounded that way to me!

Ein Prost!

Budapest, Hungary

After arriving in Budapest in desperate need of a shower and a bed, I took it easy the first night. The next day, I explored the city, taking a tour and walking around on my own a bit. Budapest reminds me a lot of Prague, situated along a river and overlooked by a castle on top of a hill. The famous chain bridge, seen in the picture, leads directly to St. Steven’s basilica, probably my favorite church I’ve seen so far. Before attending mass, I went to the Terror House, a museum depicting the oppression of the Hungarian people by both the Nazis and the Soviets. The museum sits directly above some of the prison cells and interrogation rooms. Very powerful.

Budapest is famous for its many baths throughout the city. I spent one afternoon lounging around in the couple dozen pools of varying temperature and smells. It was a perfect day of relaxation, even with the big crowds at the baths. One of the saunas was so hot that my chain started burning my skin! Luckily, there was a big bowl of shaved ice just outside that cooled me down a bit.

Another unique aspect of Budapest is the Ruin Bar concept. Bars located in run down old buildings are filled with strange sculptures, plants, and themed rooms. One room was completely upside down, with a living room and kitchen attached to the ceiling. Another looked like a jungle, while one bar had a giant wooden transformer looking creature climbing a tree in the courtyard. If everything was a little too overwhelming, well you could always sit in the bathtub turned love-seat in the corner of one room.

Budapest is full of character, with a lot to offer for every kind of traveller.

Plitvice Lakes

While in Croatia, my goals were to at least visit Dubrovnik and the Plitvice Lakes national park. Achieving the latter goal turned out to be a little bit more difficult than I expected. From Dubrovnik I took a 5 hour bus ride to Split, a larger coastal town around central Croatia. The bus ride was beautiful, winding along the coast with great views of the bright blue water. From Split, my plan was to take a night train to the capital city of Zagreb, where I could take a bus to and from the lakes and still make it back in time to make it to Budapest that same night.

A ridiculous plan? Yes, but it was necessary for me to save a day on what has somehow become a trip with too little time.

Earlier in my travels, I received some advice from some friends that I should reserve a sleeper car at all costs on overnight trains in Croatia. While I attempted to heed their advice, there was a small problem. A fire along the tracks meant that I would be taking the train from Split for a couple hours before hopping on a bus that would connect us to another train on the other side of the fire. That meant one thing: No bed. Come to find out, an armament shed had blown up and scattered grenades and explosives all over the tracks. Of course. So after the 2 hour dirt road bus ride, we finally got on the next train around 3am. As the crowd traveling the opposite direction exited the train, it was clear they had just returned from some kind of soccer match. Waving flags and holding beer cans, they all came stumbling out of the train leaving behind cabins littered with beer cans, cigarette butts, and, somehow, muddy floors. Luckily, I found an empty cabin that was somewhat clean and got a few hours sleep before the train arrived in Zagreb around 7:30, one hour late.

That one hour was just enough time for me to miss my bus to the lakes. Hopping on the next bus meant I would only have a couple hours at the park, which was a little disheartening, but I was determined to make it work, especially since I already had my hostel booked in Budapest for that night. Once I arrived at the park, I was only able to explore about half of it, but it did not disappoint. Turquoise lakes of varying sizes are situated at different levels throughout the park. Waterfalls big and small connect the lakes with the big waterfall (a few hundred feet tall) below the last lake. While the water flow was lower than average due to the dry summer, the park was still very beautiful and worth the effort to get there. Though I was rushed a bit, I was still able to take in and appreciate the natural beauty surrounding me.

Getting back to Zagreb was another adventure as the bus decided to just not show up. After convincing a few people to go in on a taxi together, I made it back with just enough time to grab my bags and catch the train to Budapest.

Somehow, someway, after grenades, dirt roads, delays, and no shows, I had accomplished everything I had set out to do. I might think twice about planning that many connections again…but probably not.

A Good Day

My first day in Dubrovnik was exactly what the doctor ordered for a traveler with a lot to see and not a lot of time. After touring the city walls and exploring the old town, I was lucky enough to find a group of people heading to the Buza Bar: your typical hole in the wall hangout spot, only not. First off, Buza is actually a hole in the wall, that centuries old wall I talked about in the last post. Once you venture through the unmarked hole, you find tables and chairs scattered along the cliffs, with servers hopping around to take everyone’s orders. Work your way down further toward the water and you find stone steps leading into the water, with rocks all over that serve as perfect diving boards.

After climbing to the highest rock I could find and taking the plunge, I headed out to the port to take the ferry over to Lokrum island, seen in the photo. Lokrum is filled with wild peacocks and is a fun spot to explore. Naturally, I immediately went exploring for some more rocks to jump from. The back side of the island had the treasure I was looking for. A wide open stretch of cliffs provided the perfect launching spot. In the water below, a friend and I discovered some caves that stretched deep into the cliffside. It was eerily silent inside the seemingly never ending cave. Once we reached the end, our eyes had adjusted to the darkness and the water became crystal clear. We then swam around the side of the island, attempting to hitchhike with the kayakers, but our efforts were to no avail.

A good meal and an evening drink at the Buza Bar capped off a pretty successful day. The photo shown is from the mountainside behind the city, a perfect spot to watch the sunset and take in the beauty and character of the city.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

While it was sad leaving the family in Italy, I was excited to become a traveler again. After taking the overnight ferry from Italy, I arrived in Dubrovnik a bit tired, but ready to explore. While it was still semi-cool in the morning, I toured the old city walls. The views from the wall were incredible, with the old city on one side and the jagged coastline on the other, with cliffs just begging to be jumped from. Bright blue/green water gently washes against the rocky coast as everything from cruise ships to sailboats to jetskis roam around the harbor. The old town is filled with narrow, steep streets, some bustling with tourists, some silent and empty except for clotheslines draped across the windows. Dubrovnik is a fusion of ancient mystique and modern day tourism and charm. From lookout towers to cliffside bars, the city embraces the past and the present, and I dig it.

Tragedy

As the 10th anniversary of September 11th is upon us, we are reminded of the tragedy that impacted the lives of so many people on that fateful day. Whether directly or indirectly affected by the attacks, we as Americans feel the pain and sorrow for the tragedy experienced by so many people and our nation as a whole.

Sometimes tragedy occurs on a smaller scale, but has the same effect.

Two members of the family here in Vasto were taken away too soon. In 2004, at 44, Marta’s father was taken after suffering from cancer. That same year, Maria and Cesario’s youngest son, Cristian, was tragically killed in a car accident at just 30 years old. Cesario has never been the same. Though he is physically gone, it is clear that he lives on. His photos, awards, and diplomas fill the walls of the house. Cristian was an adventure seeker, a traveller, a soldier, a son, a brother, and an uncle. The outpouring of love that comes from the family’s memories of him makes it clear just how wonderful of a person he was.

My visit to the cemetery was a somber, yet worthwhile experience. As I prayed for the souls of the two men lost that tragic year, as well as for the rest of the family there, I knew that those left behind would never get over what happened. What I also realized was that there is no need to. The effect of the tragedies shows just how beautiful each person was, and the grief shared by everyone is a true testament to their importance to the family, both before and after death.

Tragedies come in all shapes and sizes. What must remain constant is the respite from our troubles: Faith in God and the Hope for a future with Him.

May perpetual light shine upon the souls lost those 10 short years ago, and on Livio and Cristian as well.

La Notte di Pizza

Since I’ve been in Vasto, I think, scratch that, I know, that I’ve put on a few pounds thanks to the delicious meals I have been treated to at everyone’s houses. A few nights ago, Loredana had the family over for pizza and fried fish. More types of pizza than I can count continuously filled the table as everyone had their fill and then some. Mangia, Mangia!

Loredana and her family own a tabacchia right next door to their house, and her husband, Pietro has a collection of vintage scooters and cars in the basement “museum.” They have two children, Nico and Luca. Luca is 14 and is an all-star soccer (calcio) player. Nico is my age and is a big poker player. I was going to join him in a tournament at a poker club, but the entry fee was a little steep for my rusty poker skills and broken Italian. I really enjoyed being around Loredana and her family, she reminded me continuously of my Auntie Jo back home in California.

I guess love and hospitality runs in the family…

Big Joe

Maria’s brother Guiseppe, or Big Joe as he calls himself, happened to be in Vasto for the first time in 10 years. He works as a chef in an Italian restaurant in Germany. Big Joe is quite a character. He knows some English and really enjoyed testing it out with me:

Hello!

I’m Big Joe!

How are you??!!

…and no, I’m not exaggerating with the exclamation points. Marta calls Guiseppe the Kung-Foo Panda, and I think the description fits him well. Big Joe always has a joke and a laugh, and I’m glad I was lucky enough to meet him before he headed back to Germany. They may not look alike, but the siblings you see in the photo share the same zest for life that is truly enjoyable to be around…

Ci vediamo a dopo Big Joe!

Panzerotti

So I am now officially an Italian chef. Marta, Antonio, and I spent the day making panzerotti, which is basically tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil wrapped up in dough and fried in oil. Everything was fresh, as always. The basil came from the plant on the deck and the pomodoro (tomato sauce) came from my great Aunt Maria’s secret stash. In every house, the garage has a shelf that contains bottle after bottle of last season’s tomatoes that have been boiled and then packed into the perfect serving size. No salt, no chemicals. I like to call it the Italian preservative: tomatoes, boiling water, and a little bit of love.

My job was to stuff and seal the panzerotti after Antonio rolled the dough. When all was said and done, we had made enough for about 10 people, but the three of us sure did a number on the batch.

All in all, I was very satisfied with my first Italian kitchen experience, although I should probably leave it up to the professionals…

Famiglia

Two months on the rails away from home has gotten to be a little bit wearing, so meeting up with some family was exactly what the doctor ordered! Here in Vasto, Italy, everything is about the family. I felt welcome the moment I arrived and I’ve had a great time meeting everyone and enjoying the warm weather at the beach. The photo was taken at the end of our 3 hour lunch that consisted of meats, cheeses, salads, lasagna, pork loin, fruits, pastries, vino, and of course caffe…buon apetito! Only about half of the family I’ve met are shown here, with the others living close by, if not in the same complex. I’ve learned a lot about where I come from and just how important family really is. My Italian is coming along slowly, but surely, and I’m getting used to the daily espresso shots.

I also was introduced to the best creation known to man: the Nutella pizza. Freshly baked salty pizza crust on top and bottom, nutella inside (a lot), and powdered sugar on the outside. Could it get much better? I think not.

My cousin Marta has been my guide and translator here, I don’t know what I would do without her! She has introduced me (piacere!) to everyone, shown me around, and taught me about the history of the Salvatorelli’s, my Nonnie’s family. Life has slowed down a little bit, and that’s just fine…Sto bene

More photos and updates to come…Ciao

A Local Guide

A foreign exchange student from Oroville High School (Dafna) was kind enough to show me around her city for a couple days. She took me all around the city to some great restaurants, the beach, and the windmill park you see above. Miraculously, it wasn’t raining so it was nice to see some sights and walk around in the sun. Nothing beats having a local show you around, and it was great to catch up on the last few years, a few thousand miles from home.

Now it’s Doo-ee (goodbye) to Amsterdam and off to the motherland!

Amsterdam

Wow. Take a deep breath. Actually, don’t do that. You never know what you might be breathing in…

As I walked into my hostel bombarded by the smell of burning hash, I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into. Not being into the whole drug and prostitution scene, walking around in such an atmosphere was not the most enjoyable thing in the world. It didn’t take long to realize, though, that there is much more to Amsterdam than the “legal” activities.

Canals run all through the city, with top heavy buildings leaning out into the streets at every corner. There are a multitude of museums, including the Van Gogh and the Anne Frank house, the two that I visited (sorry, no photos allowed). The Anne Frank house was very surreal. It’s hard to imagine how an entire family hid there for so long, and how discreet they really were. The idea of a trapdoor behind a bookshelf is something I had always thought to be such a cool idea when I was younger. However, seeing a bookshelf that not only guarded a trap door, but the lives of a family as well, shed some new light on that perspective.

The city has character, regardless of the activities you choose to participate in. Just be sure to look both ways before, during, and after you cross the road. In a city with more bikes than people, you never know when you may be a target of a maniac on wheels!

London, England

After leaving Belgium, I made my way across the channel to London. I actually ran into some issues with the border control because I didn’t have the address I was going to or a ticket out of the country yet, but luckily they let me in!

London is huge. There are loads of things to do and see, and I’ve actually enjoyed it more than I was expecting. I also have conceded the fact that they actually do drive on the proper side of the road…I’m sorry my fellow Americans, but it’s true.

I’ve been lucky enough to stay with a friend of mine from elementary school while I’ve been over here. We have walked basically everywhere in the city the last couple days, hanging out with some royalty, Big Ben, and of course Harry Potter. Now if I could only find Austin Powers….