Travel the World

I thought the end of October would equate to fewer tourists - boy, was I wrong (this seems to be a recurring theme of Italy - so many tourists). Rome is an exciting city with beautiful sights to see, but I was gobsmacked by the crowds everywhere - on the streets, buses, metro, restaurants, and just trying to get a taxi is nearly impossible. I downloaded the app FREENOW, which works great during non-high peak times, but it is virtually useless if you want to get out of the historic center. It does have a great feature that allows you to pre-book a ride, which worked great for our early morning departure. Yes, Uber has the same features, but only Uber Black works in Rome which is more expensive. Italy will be imposing a few more taxes on tourism next year, but I'm not sure if that will curtail any tourists from visiting.

We were here five years ago and enjoyed everything Rome had to offer especially the people and cuisine. The drivers are as crazy as I remember, but the system seems to work so who am I to judge? I'll be honest, sometimes as a pedestrian, it feels like you are playing a game of chicken, but just follow the lead of the locals when crossing the street and you should be fine. It's easy to maneuver the metro system (only three lines) but you still have to walk quite a distance to get to a station. For those who have credit/debit cards, the metro is equipped with a tap-and-go system which allows you to bypass the ticket line and use your card at the gate. It's also cheaper, 1.50€ vs 3.00€ for a ticket.

The Italians are loud, passionate, expressive people who enjoy life to the fullest. Where we stayed, the crowds were drinking, eating, and listening to music through the early hours (and that's on a school night) enjoying life. It's the way life should be - work to live, not live to work.

We walk a lot through the good and bad parts of the city (not always intentional) and that is how you get to know the city. If you have time and the ability, it’s the only way to get to know the non-tourist places. You’ll find great local restaurants that haven’t been ruined by Yelp or Trip Advisor and stunning sights that are not on your “must see” tourist list.

Riddle me this: where is the best pizza in the world? I am not exaggerating when I say the pizza in Napoli is second to none. If you like a thick-crust pizza, then don't go to Napoli for the pizza, or if you enjoy a cardboard crust, don't go to Napoli for the pizza, but if you savor in a delicious, flavorful pizza with fresh ingredients, then Napoli is for you. I'm sure a lot has to do with their tomatoes - so much flavor. I spent six days here and had pizza three times - some better than others, but all excellent.

Napoli itself was just okay - very touristy and a bit dirty. The main pedestrian street is claustrophobic due to the crowds and narrow streets. I did enjoy walking along the ocean, where there was more room to maneuver around all the people, and honestly, who doesn't appreciate looking at the seascape? We did take a day trip to the island of Capri, which was beautiful and expensive. Of course, you don't have to buy anything, but where is the fun in that? Capri is a must-see Island, if for no other reason than the beautiful vistas.

Would I revisit Napoli? Yes. Why? The pizza.

The beach

Capri

Here’s the deal, do not take a taxi from Naples airport to Sorrento. As tired as you are, don't do it. First and foremost, the taxi drivers are crazy. As soon as you leave the airport, the taxi companies are trying to bamboozle you with the story of how hard the train station is to maneuver. Where it's true, it would be easier to take a car to Sorrento from the airport, where is the adventure in that, other than a cacophony of honking and yelling by the driver, it will take at least 30 minutes longer by car versus train (yes, the train is crowded and sometimes standing room only but use that time to meet new people because mostly everyone will speak English). By comparison, the taxi will cost you approximately 140€ whereas the train will cost you roughly 4€. Now that I have completely bashed the Italian taxi drivers, I will gladly admit that when we got to Sorrento, we tried to catch a taxi to our hotel, and the driver told us “It's only a 10-minute walk” but if he drove us it would cost us 40€ and we would still have to walk another 5 minutes to get to our hotel. The moral of this story is not all taxi drivers are charlatans but probably most are.

Sorrento is a very beautiful city to meander through with its narrow cobblestone streets surrounded by shops and restaurants. This is the city to stay in if you want to visit major sights on the Amalfi Coast because it’s cheaper by comparison and more centrally located. The downside of staying here is all the tourists. OMG - the tourist. Sometimes, I felt like I was in America or England. I’m not saying being a tourist is bad, heck, I’m a tourist, but you don’t feel like you are in Italy. The restaurants cater to the United Kingdom population with all the fish and chips restaurants and pubs. And every single restaurant had fries on the menu. I kid you not, people ordered pizza, pasta, and fries.

We took day trips to Positano, a beach town with expensive shops to spend your money in (approximately a 40-minute bus ride). Two other day trips we visited were Pompeii, an hour train ride (if you choose to do this on your own, buy tickets online), and Mount Vesuvius (get off at the Pompeii train exit) and then a bus ride to the summit of the volcano before you trek up a steep hill to the mountain (buying tickets is hard, they only let you buy them online an hour before, so lots of people trying to get a spot to enter. You will need to scan a QR code to access the limited internet that they provide). As much as I hate going with a tour group, this might be the better move to avoid the headache of having to wait around to get one of the coveted spots.

I always wanted to visit the Amalfi Coast, and I’m happy I did, but the overall impression is it’s too touristy. If I had to pick a coast to visit in Italy, I would choose Cinque Terre, hands down.

Sorrento

Positano

Pompeii

Mount Vesuvius

Such a beautiful city! Because of the war, everything is a bit more expensive (supply in demand) but still very reasonable compared to every other European city. It’s also more crowded than my previous visits because people from Eastern Ukraine have settled here to be safer. Sometimes, the air raids were overwhelming, but for the most part, life goes on. I visit here despite the war because I have family here.

There is a curfew, so in theory, the streets should be empty at midnight - the key word being theory. During air raid alerts during business hours, everything is supposed to shut down - keyword supposed. I understand more about their mindset after spending a month here, life goes on. Also, the Ukrainians have a special alert system on their phones that indicates what kind of air raid is being broadcast - as a tourist, I did not have that convenience.

Traveling here was inconvenient, but if you understand the possible time delays that you are bound to encounter, then you can pretty much adjust your schedule and attitude to deal with the inconvenience. We flew into Krakow Poland, and took a bus to Lviv. The border crossing took about 90 minutes (most of the delay was on the Poland side) and was due because one passenger overstayed her time in Poland, which held up everyone else. Returning to Poland from Lviv took over 4 hours at the crossing. Even at that, I’ve heard horror stories of it taking up to 10 hours - all the delays would be on the Polish side. They are very thorough when letting people into their country.

My biggest dilemma, should I buy an apartment or keep renting an Airbnb. I love this city and plan on spending at least a few months here every year, so what is the smart thing to do? I am still pondering this question.

Old town Lviv

Lviv Chocolate - best chocolate!

Push or Support?

Mr Arbitrium is a sculpture of 5,40 meters which, in the action of pushing away also hides the action of supporting, acting with the same musculature and the same tension. From this ambivalence arises the double meaning of the work and the concept of the sculpture itself, which leaves the final decision to the observer. It will be up to us to choose whether to push or support the historic building or the Church, symbols of our history and our culture.

Anything made of stone or glass has to be protected from Russian destruction

So here’s the thing, I’ve been to Krakow twice before and loved everything, but felt, been there - done that. Because of this misguided thinking, I thought there was no need to return. However, we are on our way to Lviv Ukraine, and since the Ukrainian airports are closed due to the war, the easiest way to get to Lviv was by taking a bus from Krakow. All I can say is, the war is terrible, but the detour to Krakow was a gift. Sometimes you forget the little things in a city that made it enjoyable. Yes, the Old Town is very touristy, but it’s also very beautiful. Just hanging around watching the people can be relaxing, fun, and, most of all, educational. Learning about people from different cultures is a gift that one must treasure. The food is good, but like every tourist area, you will be paying a premium. But try to wander off the main path and experience traditional Polish food and other cultural traditions. I’m so happy I was able to experience this beautiful city once again.

Photos of Old Town

Polands version of a bagel, and yes, they were delicious

For more photos of Krakow, please visit my other post

07.26.2018

08.08.2019