June 27 and 28 Positano

After Rome and Pompeii, Joe and I were absolutely bone tired from the endless walking so we needed a place to rest. Pompeii is very close to the Amalfi Coast in Italy, so we decided to head there. We found a hostel in Positano overlooking the ocean and we will be hanging out there for a few days. We´ve been mainly hanging out on the terrace of the hostel and the beach. More on Positano and the Amalfi Coast later. It is breathtaking!

June 26 Pompeii

Today we went to Pompeii!! Last night and the night before Joe and I did a little research so we´d appreciate it more. We learned that because of the way the wind blew, the debris the volcano spewed out at the beginning of the eruption fell in Pompeii and not so much in Herculaneum. This caused many deaths due to roofs caving in Pompeii. In Herculaneum, the people died from a pyroclastic surge that killed them immediately because the heat instantly cooked them and then their brains exploded. In Pompeii, however the ash in the air was so thick that it creeped into every space of a person´s home. When they breathed it in, it mixed with the liquid in a person´s lungs, became cement, and suffocated them. That´s how most people died in Pompeii. What I thought was interesting was the people in both cities did not know Vesuvius was a volcano since it lied dormant for 800 years. Scary stuff!

I had no clue how big Pompeii is. The guidebook recommended 4 to 5 hours, but we were there 6 1/2 hours and we still didn´t see it all. A person could stay there for days. We saw people´s homes, the baths, the amphitheatre where plays were held, the coliseum for the Gladiatorial games, the cemetery, the forum and merchant shops, temples, etc. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and had to rely on Joe´s camera, but what a day!

June 25 Naples

After checking out of our hostel this morning, we boarded the train for the 1 hour trip to Naples. Since the train was full, we couldn´t find seats so we hung out between the cars by the door. This worked out well, since we met 2 delightful girls from England that had to do the same and we all kept each other entertained for the trip.

We are staying in a hostel outside the city of Naples in what used to be a fabric factory. Pretty cool! After we settled into our room, Joe and I headed to the Herculaneum ruins, which was within walking distance of our hostel. Herculaneum, like Pompeii, was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. However, it is much better preserved. Not only are many buildings left standing, but some of the original mosaic flooring, frescoes, pottery, and even WOOD is still preserved. Amazing!!!

June 23 and 24 The Vatican

We wanted to visit both the Vatican Museums and Saint Peter´s Cathedral in one day, but soon realized we couldn´t. We took our time going through the Vatican Museums taking in the beautiful art. Joe also saw his first Egyptain mummy!! At the end of the tour we went to the Sistine Chapel and saw the ceiling painted by Michelangelo, my favorite artist. Unfortunately, they wouldn´t let me take pictures. The next day we went back to visit Saint Peter´s Cathedral, the largest church in the world. For those who haven´t been, words can´t describe this church. It is grand in every way, from the sheer size to countless lifesize marble sculptures inside. Another famous work by Michelangelo, "The Pieta" is there. After visiting the basilica, we went to the top of the dome to overlook the city, and then went down into the crypt to see where the popes were buried. What a day!

June 22 Rome

Wow! Today was a very long and wonderful day. We started at the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The Roman Forum was the heart of ancient Rome. This is where people gathered, where the Senate met to decide on new laws, where the temples were to worship the gods, where prisoners were held, etc. Of course, it is in ruins now but it was amazing to see how complex and grand the city once was. Palatine Hill overlooks the Roman Forum and was the place several Roman emporers lived. According to Roman legend, the Palatine Hill was the place that two twins, Romulus and Remus, were found and raised by a she wolf. Later on, Romulus kills Remus and founds the city of Rome. That is how Rome gets its name, from Romulus.

Later on, we visited the Pantheon. This building was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa a few years before Christ as a building to worship all the Roman gods. However, since the 7th century, it has been used as a Roman Catholic church. After the Pantheon we walked around town for a bit and went to the Spanish steps (which is reported to be the longest and widest staircase in Europe) and the Trevi Fountain, which at 85 feet high and 65 feet wide, is one very impressive fountain. We then went back to the room and I took a very needed jacuzzi bath.

June 21 Roma!

Today we got up really early to catch a 6:30 am Ryan Air flight into Rome Italy. Thankfully, the 2 hour flight was pretty uneventful. Once we landed, went through customs, and got our bags, we had to figure out which bus to take to the city center. We finally found the correct one and we left about 40 minutes later. It took another 40 minutes to get to the city center and about a 5 block walk to get to the hostel. When we checked in, we were informed that the private rooms were in a different building and had to walk another few blocks to get there. We were soooo happy to get to our room! Our room was alot nicer than we thought it would be. The queen sized bed had curtains around it, we had cable tv, in room Wi-Fi, and the best part, a private bathroom with jacuzzi! We couldn´t believe it! In a hostel!

After we checked in, we got a bite to eat and headed straight for the Coloseum. That was a pretty spooky experience thinking about all the slaves and Christians that were killed in that place. After the Coloseum, we were pretty tired from lack of sleep and walking around, so we went back to the room to rest.

June 18-21 Liverpool

On Monday the 14th of June, Joe and I saw my parents off on their cruise and we decided to meet again in Liverpool that Saturday the 19th to spend the day together again. When we got to the city the day before, there was a misunderstanding with the guest house which left us stranded outside for about an hour. Traveling is always full of surprises, isn´t it? We did make to our room, which was pretty nice and the owners of the place were super friendly.

The next day, we met with Mom and Dad and did a hop on hop off bus tour with a guide, named Loopy Lou, that was a little too chippery for my taste. She did make things interesting though. We also went to the top of the Liverpool Cathedral and saw amazing views overlooking the city. We had lunch at a pub and walked around a little before seeing Mom and Dad off. That was hard for me to do since I miss them very much.

The morning after that, Joe and I attended a Baptist church, which was fun. The music was lively and the preacher was very good and actually funny. The congregation was also very friendly. After church we went to an African festival that was held in a park near our guest house. Different bands all over the world were flown in and there was lots of food. We tried food from North Africa and the Caribbean that was very very good. After the festival, we moved into a hotel a short distance from the airport since we had an early morning flight into Rome the next morning.

June 11-17 London

Joe and I decided to go to London to meet with my Mom and Dad. They were coming over a couple days before going on a cruise. Unfortunately, due to a string of events, they came over a day later than they planned, which gave us only one day to visit. However, it was wonderful to see them again.

I have spent some time in London before now. A few years ago I spent one month during the summer here, and loved it so much I came that winter and spent 2 1/2 months, so coming back felt a bit like coming home. The highlights of the week Joe and I spent here included: seeing Westminster Abbey, St. Paul´s Cathedral, Parliament and Big Ben, going to see a West End production of Les Miserables, Windsor Castle, to name a few. We spent most of our time in Camdentown, which is by far, my favorite part of the city. It is an area in London where alot of subcultures meet, be it hippies, punks, goths, musicians, artists, etc. It is creative and unusual and a place where anything goes and everyone could be whomever they want. I have never found a place quite like it.

June 8 and 9 Cap dÁgde

The last couple days we´ve been at a little resort town called Cap dÁgde. We wanted a little more time on the sandy beach (not just the pebbled beach in Nice) before heading to London this weekend. However, the weather has not been cooperating with us. It has been cold and rainy since yesterday. However, we did walk the harbor, which has all kinds of cute shops, restraunts and ice cream stores (which are not selling a lot right now).

The most interesting thing that has happened in the last 2 days was lunch today. Joe took a walk while I was working on my blog. He came back and said he wanted to show me some food. He took me to a store that had all kinds of yummy food: paella, quiches, different meat dishes, etc. Everything looked delicious, except for the pan of what looked like baby octopus. Of course, Joe had to try it. The lady dished it into the bowl and we went back to the hotel. Joe also bought some shrimp just in case he didn´t like the octopus, but he ended up eating the whole bowl, minus one piece that I tried, but octopus isn´t my favorite dish. Joe is definately the most adventurous eater I have ever met. Anyone who knows me will joke that I will eat just about anything but I´m learning I wouldn´t be able to beat Joe in a wierd eating contest.

June 3-7 Nice

This was sort of a vacation from our vacation. We wanted to slow things down a bit, so we headed to the French Riviera. A couple days we went to the market to get food for lunches. We got fruit (mainly oranges and apricots), breads, cheeses, olives, and some wonderful sundried tomatoes with herbs and oil. Delicious! We also has some wine and watched the sunset over the beach in the evenings.

The highlight of the trip (and the most exciting) was renting a scooter for two days. One day we drove up the coast to Cannes and later that day we drove up to Eze. Eze is an old medival village on the top of a small mountain. It is closed to all vehicles since the streets are so small. It was fun losing ourselves in the windy streets filled with artists, shops, and restraunts. It was so beautiful with ivy and flowers climbing up the walls. The next day we drove to Monaco. This is the 2nd smallest country in the world, next to the Vatican City in Rome. Monaco is only a little over .7 square miles but has 32,000 people living in it, mainly wealthy foreigners. It is known for it´s casino and the marriage of Princess Grace Kelly to Prince Ranier III.

Riding up the coast and taking in the scenery was absolutely breathtaking, however it was also scary. Once we were in the cities, we had to try to figure out what the signs said in French and frequently got lost. More than once we accidently turned onto the highway and the little 50cc scooter could barely make it up the hills. People were passing us on all sides and the roundabouts were pretty scary. Once we accidently turned onto a toll road and couldn´t turn around. The toll was 40 cents and my purse was under my seat and Joe only had 20 cents in his pocket. He asked the toll lady if that was enough. She looked thoroughly disgusted but let us through. We had a good laugh later and made sure we carried enough change with us after that. However, scary that was, those were two days that were very memorable.

June 2: Travel Day

The last couple of days, Joe and I had been trying to get a tour to the beaches of Normandy. We had bad luck and for different reasons, we couldn´t. We also tried to catch a bus over there, but that also failed. We wanted to come to Normandy mainly to get a better understanding of what the soldiers went through on D-day and learn about what it was like for the French to be liberated. We both felt that we accomplished that so we decided to head south to Nice. The bulk of the day was spent on the train and enjoying the scenery.

June 1, Mont St. Michel

Today, we got back on the train to spend the day at Mont Saint Michel. This world heritage site is known for it´s variable tides. A whopping 46 feet lies between it´s high and low tidal marks. This rocky island has been used as a monastery and prison. Legend has it that St. Michel the archangel told St. Aubert to build a church on this site. He did and it became a pilgrimmage site. We visited the abbey, which was our favorite part. There are several museums there, which are quite expensive. I definately reccommend the abbey over any museum there. It is at the top of the hill and we had to climb many steps, but seeing the monastery and view overlooking the water was amazing. The weather was cold and rainy when we were there, so the view could´ve been better, but it added to the mystery of the Mont. I reccommend surfing the net and viewing pictures of it from above.

We had lunch at a great restraunt. Joe ordered seafood, but the plate that came out surprised him. On it, was crawfish, shrimp, conk-like creatures, and lots of snails on a bed of seaweed. The snails were especially difficult for him to get out of the shell, but once he got over what he was eating, he actually enjoyed it. He did say, it was the weirdest meal he had ever had, but he would eat it again.

May 31 Bayeux

Today we got into Bayeux around 11 am and we had a very strange introduction to the town. After we got into the train station, we walked to our hotel to check in or at least drop our bags off before heading into town. We ended up passing a field with albino-looking cows that kept staring at us. I´ve never seen cows that stared at me like that before. I guess they recognized that we were tourists and were just curious. Haha! When we got to the hotel, we couldn´t find anyone at the desk. The cleaning lady brought the receptionist out from somewhere and she explained to us that check in time was only between 9 am and 11am and then 5 pm to 9 pm and since it was between those hours she couldn´t check us in. We thought that very strange. We have stayed in hotels that had limited hours, but we have never been to one where we couldn´t check in in the afternoon. She told us that there was an automatic check in machine in the parking lot and we could pull up our reservation using our name. We found the machine but it didn´t recognize our name, and after trying to spell it a few different ways, we gave up and tried to find the receptionist again to tell her. She then looked up our reservation and told us that she found our reservation but we must come back at 5 pm. Since Joe and I wanted to see the town anyway, that wasn´t a problem. We asked where we could store our bags for a few hours and she looked at us blankly and told us there was no way she could hold our bags for us. I asked if our room wasn´t ready if we could put in there for the time being and get out of their way. She said "No". I asked what we should do with our stuff and she told us we had to take it with us. I have stayed in many hotels in my life, but I have never stayed in another where the staff was so unfriendly an unaccomodating. We also had other problems with same hotel, but I won´t bore everyone with the details. Let´s just say, I would not reccommend this hotel to anybody.

After this experience, things improved greatly. Bayeux is a cute little town. Joe wanted to sit down and relax a bit, so we had lunch and he stayed with the bags while I checked out the Cathedral and the Bayeux Tapestry. This 230 foot long embroidered cloth tells the story of the Norman conquest of England and William the Conqueror´s rise to the throne in the 11th century.

After that, Joe and I went on a guided tour of Bayeux before finally checking into our hotel for the evening.