Arrivederci Roma... and Italy

After two blissful months I have finally left Italy and moved onto the next stage of my journey, Greece.

I really couldn't have asked for more from my last few weeks in Italy. The hostels in Rome and Naples were pretty much perfect, and I had the pleasure of meeting some of the most genuine people I could imagine.

Initially I was a little dubious about stopping in a hostel a short train journey outside of central Rome, but it worked out to be a perfect base. In 20 minutes I was in the centre of bustling Rome, mingling in with The Colloseum and The Vatican, keeping up with the pace of the capital in over 35 degrees heat. Yet on a day when I really just needed to rest the peaceful old town of Zagarolo was waiting with open arms, and more importantly, an open pool.

Of course I managed to fit in a decent amount of 'touristy' activities between the pool sessions, The Colleseum and the Roman Forum being particular favourites of mine. The Spanish Steps were more than a little underwhelming I'm not going to lie. It's literally just some steps.

I also have a confession to make, I kind of skipped The Vatican a little bit... It was a friend's last day and the queue was three hours long so we just left. In all honesty though I feel like it's something I should see, but not neccessarily something I really wanted to see.

After hearing a general consensus of horrid reveiews of Naples, and being only recently reuinited with my cards, I decided to yet again stay just outside of the city. Unforutnaly after some slight travel issues I ended up with only two full days to do everything! Day one was spent with one of the seemingly endless supply of Australians staying at my hostel, visiting Vesuvius and Pompeii. The views from Vesuvius's sumit are phemominal, and the sight of misinformed tourists attempting to climb it in flip flops and jeans is even better! At Pompeii we deceided to save some money and skip the audio tour. Terrible idea. I still have no idea of the things we saw...

Day two and yet another of the Australians had suggested renting a Vespa. Yes! We caught the train to Sorrento and from there rode down the length of the Amalfi coast. That has to be up there with one of the best experiences I've had so far.

After 35 hours travel via several busses, trains and one ludicrously long ferry journey I arrived in Athens. Here I met my parents and am now spending the week in Naxos, an island which my mum lived on when she was my age!

Day 49

As a child the thought of the six weeks summer holiday seemed like a lifetime, yet here I am, seven weeks into my trip and it has passed at an unbelievable rate!

To keep you up to speed here's a list of where I've been so far!

Venice - Bologna - Chianti - Florence - Pisa - Grosseto - Siena - Venice - Milan - Venice - Rimini - Perugia

I thought I'd do a slightly different post today, and share with you some misconceptions that I had prior to traveling, and the truths about these that I have learnt so far.

What I Thought
Keep all of your money and cards in one safe place, this way you won't lose track of anything.
What I Know
If/when you lose this holy grail of money, you are stuck. SPREAD IT OUT. Most backpacks have several different internal pockets, utilise these, hopefully this will prevent you being completely without cash or cards. 

What I Thought
I'll need a new outfit for everyday. Just because I'm backpacking doesn't mean this can't be a glamorous European adventure.
What I Know
It means exactly that. If I had but one word to sum up the trip so far it definitely wouldn't be glamorous. It would probably be sweaty. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just means that wearing a freshly washed and pressed ensemble everyday would bankrupt me in laundry fees. Also, the weight of carting around all of this stuff would no doubt cripple you.

What I Thought
Hostels are dirty and have terrible facilities, but they're cheap.
What I Know
Currently, I'm sitting with my legs dangling in a pool, in a hostel with the most stunning panoramic views of Perugia, for €15 a night. That's £10, less than what I'd spend on my lunch break back at home. Majority of the places I've stayed have been really lovely, granted there have been a couple which have left a great deal to the imagination, but to me a hostel means social. Yes you share a bathroom, a kitchen, and more often than not a bedroom, but it also means that you share your experience. I have met so many interesting and wonderful people who I would have missed had I stayed in a solitary room in a hotel. No its not the height of luxury, but what you lose in tiny shampoos and mints on the pillows, you more than gain in friendship. 

What I Thought
You need loads of money to travel for an extended period of time.
What I Know
In the past three days I've had nine delicious, filling meals and it has cost me €8.24 (£5.79). A bag of pasta that lasts five days costs me €1.20 and anything else is a treat. If you truly want to travel and experience as much as you can, for as long as you can, you simply can't afford to be picky about it! 

Unfortunatley I find myself yet again without a computer, meaning that a whole host of my photos are currently trapped inside my camera. As soon as I can I'll be sure to bombard the blog with them! 

Heading off to Rome tomorrow, and will post about all the wonderful, ancient sites just as soon as I can get my hands on an SD port!

Ciao.

What Grace Did

As I write this post I sit aboard the Frecciarossa train bound for Rimini, leaving the perfect serenity of Venice, where I have called home for the past month, behind me. 

Much like the first time I left Venice, I do so with a bitter sweet feeling in my stomach. I have heard nothing but good things about Rimini; sun, beaches and bars, yet I am still hopelessly in love with Venice and all it means for me. The start of my adventure, my first group of friends, my first job overseas, the first time it really hit me that I could actually go the distance with my travel plans. But I am leaving.

In addition to feeling a little low about moving on, this morning I waved my older brother, Jake, off after having him visit for the past week, and what a week it's been!  

I met him and four of his friends last Friday in Milan for a Libertines gig, and I was beyond excited. For them it was a music trip, for me it was a Jake one.
Back at home we worked within a two minutes walk from each other, so I would see him most days for lunch or just a chat, so five weeks without seeing him was a little odd to say the least! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pleased with the reaction I got, being told that I looked like a "proper traveller" and how he hardly recognised me, made me realise just how much I have changed so far. 

I have always been a very dependent person, always having someone in my life who would pander to my demands of handbag carrying or lift giving. Although these things are initially done through love, it has meant that I had absolutely zero idea of what I am capable of. Although the change into a perfectly capable young woman has been a gradual one, all Jake saw was his helpless, insecure, little sister wandering across a busy train station carrying an enormous 70l bag wearing "sunglasses bigger than your shorts". 

The initial blissfulness of the reunion was cut short however, due to me discovering that during a quick hop on the metro my purse had been taken from my bag. I can't quite sum up the feeling I had, it was a mix of panic, anger and disappointment in myself. The confident backpacker of the past hour had been stripped back, and there stood the useless girl of before. To say I felt like a fool would be an enormous understatement. 

Putting the incident behind me, the rest of Friday passed quickly in anticipation of Saturday's concert. I know the Libertines, not to the extent of travelling to Milan just to see them like my brother and co. however I was not disappointed. The crowd sung passionately along to all the classics, with their Italian twang reminding us exactly where we were, while only the truly dedicated managed to keep up with the new releases. Watching Carl Barât and Pete Doherty perform together live there is no doubt as to how the band broke up previously. The performance is a constant battle between Carl attempting to lead and remain centre stage (literally) and Pete nipping at his heels, trying anything to steal focus, throwing guitars and microphones whenever possible. Despite the Lovers' tiffs it was still a thoroughly brilliant set, the new material slotted in nicely between the well loved oldies. 

After a weekend of over indulgence and over spending I was lookin forward to being able to spend a few days showing Jake my Venice. I showed him all my favourite places and managed to convey the image that I knew exactly what I was doing and where I was going most of the time. I'm glad to report that he loved it almost as much as me! 

So now I'm back on my own, after a month of knowing the town, people and places to go, I'm back to being a backpacker again, and honestly I'm not sure how I feel about this. I know that it's just a matter of time before I find my feet again but currently I feel like I'm starting all over again! Will hopefully have some photos to upload soon. 

Next stop Perugia. 

Ciao.