#okasama

This day I had to leave Positano, take a car to Naples, and take a train back to Rome so I could fly home. 

As I walked down the mountainside with my bags I saw this.

I don’t have a photo of this but I saw someone had a pet peacock too!

I was sad to leave here, it was so pretty.

When I came back to Rome it was kind of late in the day, 2-3PM. I went to my last dinner and ordered everything I wanted! I got cheese and tomatoes and bread, I got pasta, I got roasted oxtail, I got tiramisu. It was great!

Once I started exploring, it was near sunset. I saw the Roman Forum. It felt like something out of Sailor Moon.

And finally I saw the famous Coliseum.

After this I walked back to my hotel but took my time. I bought gelato (Italian ice cream), saw tourists shopping and going out for dinner. It was a couple miles away but I was happy to walk so much. I packed for the last time, got ready for my flight (10:40AM the next morning, but I left at 7AM). 

I woke up in paradise! Waiting outside my private room, my host prepared breakfast for me. There was a lot more food than this but this is what I ate.

I couldn’t resist trying out some of the sodas.

I saw the kitten again!

I would see more kittens as I walked down the steps.

There are a lot of steps! Actually hundreds of steps. The steps in this photo? That times 25.

I spent this day walking around shops and the beach. Once again I had an amazing dinner.

I ordered my favorite, tiramisu.

But also a lemon cake, because it’s a specialty.

A couple sat next to me at dinner, they were very nice. Rob and Tonya. Rob is a pilot for United Airlines! They were on their honeymoon, married three days before I met them.

When I was in Florence I met these sisters from Jersey who were very kind and paid for my dinner. They said someone had paid for their dinner earlier in the week so they wanted to pay it forward. I paid for Rob & Tonya’s appetizer and dessert and they were overjoyed. Later they asked me to meet them for a second dessert at a hotel that was well known for their sorbet (frozen fruit ice cream). Look at how big the lemons are!

This day was crazy. I woke up at 3AM so I could take a bus at 4:30AM to make a flight at 8AM. I flew from Venice to Naples. $60 plane ticket. From Naples I had to take a private car to Positano because there are no trains on the coast.

The drive was scary. VERY scary. The roads are small and VERY close to the edge of the mountain. There is a tiny barrier but it’s not very strong. When you’re driving you can see down the entire mountain.

But once I got there the view was AMAZING.

This place is famous for lemons, giant lemons. They have lemon flavored cake, candy, chocolate, alcohol, everything. I had a lemon soda that was yummy. It didn’t taste like Sprite, it tasted like LEMONS.

While I was walking towards my bed & breakfast I saw a cute kitten! Little did I know there are kittens everywhere!

I walked down the steps for the entire mountainside to see the beach and it was beautiful.

I had seafood again and it was delicious!

After dinner I walked around and saw so many cats!

The beach was also pretty, here is a view of the mountainside:

Here is more of the water:

The water is very blue and clear, but the sand is DARK so it’s hard to see.

On the way back I saw MORE cats.

Can you see the cat???? It’s at the very top.

Finally sunset, time to FINALLY go to sleep.

This day was horrible. This was the day it was raining and windy all day, at 55 degrees. I left my hostel to get ONE meal and came back after an hour and 45 minutes. I didn’t photograph my meal but here is an appetizer I got.

I took the train to Venice, the city that floats on the water. As all the other days, there was oddly ONE hour of sunlight and the rest of the day was cloudy.

Here is a famous building, Saint Mark’s Castle.

And here is a view of the river/roads:

The sun came out slightly!

But then it went away again...

I made sure to order seafood. This was a yummy and very fishy tasting pasta.

I ordered tiramisu again... the bowl was HUGE. When you order this in America it is usually 1/3 this size.

I saw some unusual things here. This place is famous for masks.

I also saw this cute pocketbook.

The next day it was sunny for one hour.

^This is the famous Medici Chapel close to my hostel. I wanted to see a famous view from the city after this, which was a couple miles and a hike away. So I started walking.

The sun went away and it began to look depressing again.

I came across a store that only sold chess pieces. They were beautiful.

I finally arrived at the place I wanted to see. I had to walk a few miles and hike up a mountain but I arrived at the Michelangelo Plaza. This isn’t the famous sculpture but a copy, the real one was in a museum and I didn’t want to wait in line.

This is behind me:

I ate at a restaurant behind the statue.

Look how big the wine menu is, it is the bottom book. It is bigger than the menu. Only in Italy.

I ordered a very good meal because it was my only meal for the day.

My appetizer was kabocha stuffed with mashed potatoes, deep fried, covered in yellow curry sauce, and on a bed of cheese. It was very yummy.

My meal was a cheesy-potato dumpling with cheese on top and cheese sauce. Cheese cheese cheese.

For dessert I had my favorite combination, tiramisu and cappuccino. Out of the eight days I was in Italy I had this 6 or 7 of those days.

My view as I ate:

Ha ha ha

Another rainy day in Italy! I visited Florence, which is famous for its art history roots. This city was patroned by the Medici Family during the Italian Renaissance, and is home to many amazing sights.

For example,

THIS IS A BUILDING!?

AND THIS IS A DOOR!?

AMAZING!

Italians are romantic. They have flowers everywhere.

I was happy to discover the “Gucci Garden,” which is the name of their most famous store. 

This Gucci is unusual because they have a museum in the store.

Their items are a lot more detailed with a lot of flower patterns. Many of these items are one of a kind.

They also sell home goods, like this changing wall, chair, and wallpaper. The wallpaper is the same wallpaper used in their stores but you can only buy it in this store.

A salesgirl at the store told me about the store’s history and gave me complimentary Italian champagne.

I was very happy to discover this cool and rare fashion moment.

Outside the store was a plaza with a fountain.

Here it is again one hour later.

And there’s a library right next to it with these mythological statues.

The first day I arrived in Rome I didn’t do a lot. I arrived in Italy, had to take a train from the airport to my hostel. I didn’t leave my hostel until around lunch.

An Art Director I work with, a very nice German lady, told me about this restaurant, Piccolo Arancio. “Arancio” means orange in Italian. 

Notice the oranges on the menu and tablecloth?

They are famous for an orange ravioli! When the German lady told me about it, I thought she meant orange colored. The ravioli was filled with cheese and was cooked in an orange creme sauce. Notice the plate has an orange on it too. Very unique and unusual first meal in Italy, but I don’t think I can eat that anywhere else in the world.

I went exploring later and saw this cute car! It was so cute and small and old I thought of the Audrey Hepburn movie, Roman Holiday. 

Later I went to the Trevi Fountain. This is a famous fountain where people throw in coins hoping to find true love. I wish it wasn’t overcast/rainy that day, because otherwise it would have been a beautiful thing to see.

After that I walked to a place called “The Spanish Steps.” The sun then came out.