Top level of the Colosseum

A few fun facts that I’ve learned in my time traveling throughout Europe.  Most public restrooms (known as WC, water closets) charge you .50 Euros (about $.60 USD) to enter and use their facility.  At certain places (mostly in Italy) that are more popular/crowded, they charge you anywhere from 2-.2.50 Euros to sit down and eat at the restaurant (nothing for take out or as they say in Europe ‘take away’).  I find it really interesting in the differences between US culture and the rest of the world.  I’ve grown up with certain things and seeing things a completely different way is quite eye-opening.

Deciding to spend one night and just under 24 hours in Venice turned out to be the right decision.  Although there are other islands, the main part of Venice was probably 2-3 miles from end to end and could be seen in a single day.  The main attractions were two of the bigger bridges in the city.  The main thing that stuck out was the fact that there were no cars and really narrow alleys to walk through.  I’m glad I was able to see the city before moving onto Florence for a few days.

With a short train ride to Florence and a few days to explore the different regions of town I was excited to discover another part of Italy.  Since there are only a handful of things to really see in the city I decided to take 2 tours, one to the Tuscany region (Sienna, San Gimignano and Pisa) and the other to the Cinque Terre.  The Tuscany tour was more relaxing with more time in the bus compared to Cinque Terre.  I would say I enjoyed the Cinque Terre tour a lot more since I was able to meet a couple from Melbourne, Australian that I would later hang out with in Rome.  It was a pretty long and challenging hike but the 5 towns we visited was worth the trek.
After seeing the statue of David on my last day in Florence, I boarded a train headed for Rome. The plan was to take things slow in Rome since there was a lot to see (Vatican, Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi fountain, etc.).  I was planning to stay in Rome for 4 full days but that later turned into 2 because of the heat and crowds.  I decided to tag along with my new friends from Australia and another traveler that I met back in my hostel back in Florence.  They were going down to Naples to visit the Amalfi Coast, Positano and a day trip to the island of Capri.  It was a good excuse to get away from the city for a few days and see another part of the country.

Beautiful town of Positano

After spending 10 days in Italy visiting multiple cities and towns I was ready to move on.  Maybe it was my high expectations, the summer heat or the crowds but Italy was a bit overrated in my opinion.  I was really fortunate to meet fellow travelers that were on the same route and really fun to hang out with.  They really made my time in Italy a lot more enjoyable than if I were by myself the whole time.  I can’t remember the last time I laughed and smiled so much with people I had just met.  I know you won’t read this Juan, Chau and Susan but thank you for the great times!!

Group photo on the island of Capri before boarding tour boat

This one probably ranks in a clear 3^rd place for my video travels behind Iceland and Greece.  Hope you enjoy it.

QOTP:  “Sometimes the best moments are the ones you didn’t plan at all.”  -unknown