Rome is one of the most stunning places I have ever visited … history, architecture, monuments, history, buildings, history, art, history etc etc Unfortunately I was on a serious time limit as it wasn’t initially scheduled in so I have complied some words of advice based on my crazy, exciting, tiring but very exhilirating 24 hours!
(1) Don’t try and see all the historical sights in one day … do allow at least 4 days!
(2) Don’t walk the entire city in a pair of thongs … do wear some cushioned shoes!
(3) Don’t use any guides because quite frankly you won’t have time … and anyway all the important stuff is written on signs and you can read a book about it.
(4) Do remember (for all you Aussies out there) that the traffic drives on the right hand side of the road as you walk around looking up in the air at all the amazing monuments, sculptures and buildings!
(5) Do survive your day by drinking loads of lemon granitas … they are amazing.
(6) Don’t start the day with a hole in your skirt (or shorts) … because you will do so much walking that it will be a major gaping hole by the end of the day.
(7) Do bring a spare shirt with you if you intend on walking the whole thing in the middle of a heat wave in Italy … luckily photos don’t have any smell sensors!
(8) Don’t bother booking into a hostel … you won’t have time to sleep … and anyway that is valuable money to be spent on gelati and granitas … lockers are very well priced!
(9) Do wear a shirt with sleeves to the Vatican City … don’t attempt to fashion a shirt out of a plastic bag.
(10) And finally … DO come to Rome … most beautiful city in the world that I have visited by far.
Some of you lucky kids will receive a postcard with a special pope blessed stamp on it! It cost me an extra 20 euro cents per stamp I think so treasure it if you get one of those!
Anyway I now have 24 hours of Amsterdam to do … all the hostels are full so I just had to pay 15 euro (30 dollars!!!!) to sleep on a couch in the foyer of a hostel!! Oh well as I said before … there is no time for sleeping anyway!
This photo shows where the stage used to lie and the underneath which is a labyrinth of corridors etc where they kept the animals etc
Originally uploaded by katiedecarteret.
Now this may look like an ordinary rock but there used to be in fact BLOOD spattered from wild animals on this behind me in the Colosseum!! The colour I’m wearing was not a mistake. Please excuse the poor photography of whatever poor little guy I got to take this photo!!
Originally uploaded by katiedecarteret.
St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City … impossible to get a photo without thousands of other people there! Everyone around was in a fairly passionate mood … any time a priest or nun walked by they would get a massive cheer and round of applause!
Originally uploaded by katiedecarteret.
This is on some famous Spanish stairs or something … but basically gives a representation of how I spent half my day in Rome … just so you can feel like you were with me!!
Originally uploaded by katiedecarteret.
Another Colosseum shot … fairly impossible to get a good photo without a decent camera but I did my best you arty people out there … !
Originally uploaded by katiedecarteret.
A beautiful sunset shot from Sorrento … not Rome!
Originally uploaded by katiedecarteret.
I am now camping over on the island of Ischia … just north of Naples (at the northern end of the Amalfi coastline). Equally as beautiful and amazing as the rest of the Amalfi coast. Now this is definitely the first and last time you will ever hear me utter these words … but I need to get OUT of the sun!! It is so hot over here!! The major problem lies in the fact that Italians worship the sun more than Aussies do! I know I know! Let me explain … So I was responsible and went to buy sunscreen but the highest SPF factor I could find was 8!! Under about the two bottles of that on the shelf there are rows and rows of shelves dedicated to bronzing oils!! And can I say that it was the most expensive sunscreen I have ever purchased in my life!! (But I’d like you all to know that I gave up some gelati that day to afford so sun conscious and responsible am I!) Anyway I am actually beyond brown … in fact I just look like I need a good bath! But this is not my fault … it is sunny for about 16 hours of the day and it is so hot that you do need to be permanently submerged in water … so I can’t help it!
Today I had a very decadent day … found this thermal spring place off this little track from one from of the beaches. Anyway up the top of the track (of a thousand stairs I’d say) they had this kind of massage place where they would put special volcanic mud all over your body (or so they sad … prob a tourist scam that I too was sucked into) which apparently cleanses your body and then massage you down!! Was fairly amazing and I felt ultra relaxed and CLEANSED!
I also found myself in a nude sunbaking area today … when I got there the place was empty … I thought I’d finally found a private little rocky beach to myself. Anyway I fell asleep in the sun and when I woke up I was surrounded by nudity!!!! Didn’t tempt me to join them though … so my Australian conservative ways are!! Europeans are much freer I must tell you!
This is the amazing view I have been seeing when unzipping my tent in the morning over the coast of Sorrento. Hard life I live …
This is just one of thousands of square metres of ruins at Pompeii … very moving place … I’m sure you all know about it but basically all the residents of the city died when Mt Vesuvias (sp?) erupted in I think only about 70 AD. Amazing, spine chilling place to walk around, and so much of the city is still in tact.
Now I know this may appear weird that I have uploaded this photo but I giggled so much when I saw this bloke because he really is the epiptomy of an Italian “hollywood” bloke … I have now stopped giggling at such things as everywhere you look there are hundreds of look a likes. I just try and close my eyes or read. Stick to the boardies I say.
This a view of the town of Amalfi (middle of this amazing coastline). All the villas are so gorgeous with so many crazy coloured window coverings and artwork … and all look like they are about to fall into the sea!
Some artwork still in tact in one of the ruins in Pompeii … these sorts of artworks cover many of the walls.
So I am now in Italy … down on the beautiful Amalfi Coast which is one of the most beautiful and stunning places I have seen in my whole life. I decided that I needed some beach time since I will be inland for the next couple of years … so here I am! It really is hard to describe how beautiful it is. All the little towns along the coast line are set on top of these really high cliffs and you have to walk down really long steep winding cobbled streets and hundreds of stairs to make it down to the water … which is crystal blue clear. I have been camping for the last few days in a place called Sorrento (at the start of the Amalfi coast) on top of a really high cliff which has amazing views over the bay. Every day I discover a new little beach or rocks to jump off which is fabulous. Lots of amazing exploring to be done!
It is ridiculously hot here … there is no sleeping in to be had at all … as soon as the sun hits the tent I am out of there and off to a new swimming spot! The culture is really fun too … everyone is so exuberant and emotional and open and loving and happy! Is infectious to be around. A number of people have told me that I look Italian and they really don’t believe me when I profess to not speaking Italian!! Someone told me I look like an Italian school teacher!
Like the French, the men over here love their women and my favourite compliments so far are “your eyes are like speckled stones”, “your skin is so clear that you need to be congratulated” and wait for it … “your legs are like perfect tree trunks” – I’m not entirely sure that one sounds very complimentary at all, but anyway … !!! It keeps me constantly giggling.
Today I arrived over at an island called Ishcia … very beautiful as well. There is apparently a lot of volcanic activity over here so I am off to discover some thermal springs etc tomorrow … although it’s so hot I really don’t think I will be entering them! Loving the pasta, pizza, gelati and red wine … I will put some photos up that attempt to show you how beautiful this place is, though I’m sure they will do it no justice.
