Naples: the last of my European adventures...for now!

Going to Naples, Italy, to visit with the Cole family was my last adventure of the summer, and it was everything I wanted it to be. I left work a little early on Friday to catch my flight to Rome, then to Naples. The first flight was empty and the plane had a least an extra foot of leg room-- I felt like I was flying first class! The second flight, however, was cramped and crowded, and I was relieved when I saw Adam waiting to pick me up from the airport.

On the drive to the Cole's house I got my first taste of Naples: the crowded streets near the airport showed me how urban this city was. Adam and Rebekah's house is, however, nestled in a nice neighborhood and is very cute, with balconies at every window and nice tile floors. This weekend I was living in high Italian style!

Early Saturday morning, Mount Vesuvius as seen from the Naval Base

It was late when I finally arrived at the house, and we went straight to bed in anticipation for our early morning. We drove to the Naval Base and got on a bus to take us (past the ruins of Pompeii!) to a mini cruise around the Amalfi coast! The views were breathtaking, and the cruise was relaxing (until the seas got rough...that was the bad part of the adventure). We toured around the island of Capri with its beautiful, massive rocks jutting from the sapphire water. We continued around the coast, enjoying the village-peppered mountains lining the water. Pictures can explain it better, but they don't do the beautiful the Amalfi coast justice.

The cruise made two stops, and you could choose which city you could stop in. We chose the second stop, the city of Amalfi, and once we got off the cruise we stopped at a small cafe on the water where Grace and Adam could swim while Rebekah and I ate some yummy snacks. Eventually, we walked a little further up into the city and saw a beautiful church and some touristy shops. Soon, it was time to leave Amalfi's beauty, and we got back on the cruise for the relaxing tour back to Naples.

The beginning of our mini cruise...it's going to be a good day. 

 The island of Capri. Look at that water!!

I think it's safe to say that Grace enjoyed the cruise 

The first cruise stop: Positano 

 I love so many things in this picture: the huge overhanging cave, the castle built into the wall, the mountain itself, the village embedded in it...

The second stop: Amalfi 

The church in Amalfi 

The next day the Coles took me to another famous place in Naples: the Palace of Caserta. This palace was HUGE. We took a tour on only one floor of one of the palace's facades...I can't even imagine how many rooms were in this place. The rooms we saw included some bedrooms where the kings and queens would sleep, sitting rooms, the King's throne room, libraries, art galleries...all decorated with painted ceilings and chandeliers and bold gold trim. Then, there were the gardens, stretching to almost 300 acres! We walked from the palace down as far as we could, but didn't even make it all the way to the end in the heat. What we did see was beautiful, green grass decorated with statues and waterfalls and reflecting pools. Apparently, this palace was used as a location in Star Wars Episode I and II, Mission: Impossible III, and Angels and Demons. I can see why: the vast ornate rooms and gardens set a perfect palace backdrop. It lives up to its reputation of being the Versailles of Italy, as it is fit for a king.

Like in Venice, I had to sneakily take some of the pictures, but I still like how they turned out.

 The stairway leading to the private apartments in the palace

The ceiling of the throne room 

I loved all the chandeliers, especially this one in the "Spring Room"

 Can you spot Rebekah? Yeah, it was a big staircase

 Walking from the palace into the gardens...

 Literally stretches on for acres

After spending the morning at the palace, we went home for naptime (I would say Grace's naptime, but I loved it just as much). When we were up and moving again, we decided to go to the local mall that had many kiddie rides for Grace and pedicures for Rebekah and I (what a relaxing treat!!!). I also had pizza, Napoli style, and it was delicious.

I was sad to leave the next morning, knowing I wouldn't see the Cole family again for a while. But I felt blessed to be able to see them at all, and I am looking forward to the next time, whenever that might be. I am glad that this summer worked out that I could see them as much as I did; having family nearby made it easier to be away from home, and I loved their company on our many adventures. Thanks again, Coles!!

Now, I am preparing for my final days at CERN. There's a lot to do before we leave, and I do think I am ready to go home, but I am looking forward to enjoying the little bit of time I have left.

Our lucky adventure in Venice

Let me start by saying that Venice has been my favorite destination in this summer of adventures. Tina and I left Friday after work to fly to Venice, and I couldn't have been more excited. We took a bus from the airport to the train station near our hotel, but it dropped us off in a different place that we expected. With our careful planning now useless, we decided to head in a random direction to try to get to our hotel. We ended up walking through this dingy, dirty underground walkway that did not feel at all like the right place to be. After finally exciting the walkway, we wondered how in the world we were going to find our hotel in the dark, unfamiliar streets... then we looked up and saw the tall neon sign like an arrow straight from heaven: Hotel Lugano! I almost cried I was so relieved!! I should have realized at this point that this weekend would be one of luck.

The hotel, courtesy of the Cole family (THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN!!!!) was so wonderful. It may have been a little too upscale for me and Tina, because we couldn't figure out how to turn on the lights in the room for a good 10 minutes! Apparently, in new fangled, energy saving buildings you have to leave your room key in a little slit on the wall….luckily we figured that out (barely). Also, another thing to note about the hotel room: the shower was one from the future. It didn't have a door, just a glass wall, and the water seemed to just disappear. Really, it had a drain that was shaped like a long slit, but I didn't realize it at first. And there was no shower head, the water came from the ceiling like you were showering in waterfall. It was heavenly.

The next morning we were ready to get into the city!! We had a little mishap with the buses and finding tickets, but then we realized that there was a cheap train we could take onto the island. The train going into the island was misleading, it took us past very industrial-looking buildings. But when we stepped out of the train station, it was like we were transported into another world. An old cobblestone world, where no one drives cars because there are canals instead of streets. Finally, we had made it!

We quickly realized that a map of Venice is a worthless purchase. The only way to truly see the island is to get lost inside of it. We had a general idea that the main touristy area, St. Mark’s Square was on the other side of the island, but had no idea how to get there. We had a lot of fun wandering through the alleyways, seeing the gondolas on the canals and admiring the unique architecture. 

 The view from the famous Rialto Bridge

Finally, many sweaty hours later, we made it to St. Mark’s Square. It. Was. Packed. There were so many tourists. Everywhere. We decided to start at St. Mark’s Basilica, and even though there was a line it didn't take too long to get inside. I was really disappointed that we couldn't take pictures inside, but I snapped a few when we were in the gift shop area. 

 The entrance to the Basilica

 The ceiling of the gift shop

Can you believe this is what the gift shop looks like?! You can imagine what the rest of the Basilica was like. There were paintings everywhere, and instead of the usual stone background, it was painted a shimmery gold. And it was huge.

After we finished at the Basilica, we decided we needed food and water ASAP, we were very tired! We went to the nearest café and ate authentic pizza. It was so yummy!

When we were ready to face the crowds again, we headed next door to Doge’s Palace. Once again, I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but this time I stealthily snapped a few when the guards weren't looking.

 The outside of Doge's Palace

 The courtyard of Doge's Palace

The upper level of the Palace

 Just a random staircase

 The view from Doge's Palace balcony

 Stealth pictures, taken from my lap

Look at how ornate it is! The palace had many rooms that were used for living quarters, governmental and judicial purposes, weaponry, and prisons. Every room (except for the prisons) was decorated like this. That golden decoration lining the artwork is HAND CARVED.

The next stop was a necessity: gelato. Yum. We then walked around the city looking at different shops (again, with the shopping addiction). Venice is THE place to buy gifts so it was really fun to see what they had to offer.

Tina and I planned this trip to meet up with Rebekah, Adam, and Grace when they got off their cruise in Venice. We met them around dinner time, and wandered until we found the cutest little Italian restaurant. We got pasta, of course. It was delicious. Then we walked back to St. Mark’s Square for more gelato!

Sister love! 

My roommate, Tina, and I

As it turns out, my good friend Abigail was also in Venice this weekend during her and her friend Allison’s backpacking adventure across Europe. What are the odds!! Abigail and I became friends in the summer before my tenth grade, and have kept in touch since then and have been able to visit each other (she lives in Maryland) many times, but I haven’t seen her in two years. I was so excited that it worked out that we could see each other this weekend!! Her and Allison stayed in my and Tina’s hotel room on Saturday night. It was the best sleepover! Catching up with Abigail always brings sunshine into my life.

The next morning, after a yummy breakfast, we said goodbye to the Coles and to Abigail and Allison and headed back into Venice. Our first stop: the water taxi. Gondola rides in Venice cost 80 euros for a half hour ride…but the water taxi is free. Plus, we got window seats so it was worth it! Seeing Venice from the Grand Canal was definitely a highlight of the trip. It looks like the buildings are just floating on the water!

This coral building is my future home

 

 Caffe Florian, the oldest coffee shop in the world!

Soon, it was time to head back to the airport. I was sad to leave because I had really fallen in love with Venice. I definitely want to go back again, maybe next year... 

What also made this trip special was my family and friends. A beautiful place with beautiful people. What could be better?