Fall Break Part II by Jessica Saideman

Back in Ithaca, fall break is a long weekend break to go back home and relax for a few days after midterms. For Ithaca students in London, fall break is often a week long travel adventure in a cram to see as much of Europe as possible. For a lot of students this means Italy, Spain, or Greece, warm places that are just a little too far to do a weekend trip to.

This break I went to Venice, Florence, and Rome in Italy with my flatmates, and then I went to Barcelona, Spain on my own. I spent about 2 and a half days in each, except for Florence, which we only spent a day and night in.

Boy was it a whirlwind of ancient Roman ruins, Venetian Canals, huge cathedrals, Gaudi architecture, pizza, pasta, ham, wine and cheese.

Here is some advice specific to the cities but I think can also apply for general Europe travelling.

Also if you have student ID with an expiration date on it, USE IT. It will give you great discounts to seeing the big stuff so you can save money for great food! (Or like souvenirs or whatever but I prefer to spend it on good food)

Venice:

1.       The city is just so freaking beautiful I can’t put it into words. The first day I was there, while my flatmates went to Verona, I let myself get lost, wandering through the little streets and bridges over the canals, not looking at a map on my phone. I simply looked which way looked the coolest and walked that way. I found so many beautiful little bridges and alleyways this way.

2.       This for all of Italy, not just Venice, but Venice tended to be more expensive. Many sit down restaurants will have a cover charge that would kind of be like the service charge but these restaurants tend to be more expensive anyway, so try to go for the places that advertise no cover charge.

3.       Also for all of Italy and Spain, they will not serve you tap water at restaurants, even if you ask because they don’t drink their tap water. You will have to pay for bottled water so make sure to look at the prices of water on the menu compared to their size. My first night in Venice I had a 750mL bottle for 4 euros, which often costs more around £1.50 at a grocery store.

4.       A lot of the main tourist areas aren’t as exciting as wandering around. The Rialto Bridge is super crowded with tourists taking pictures and most of the shops on the bridge itself are touristy and not super interesting. Try wandering just a little past the bridge.

5.       Get a take away sandwich, pastry or mini pizza and sit by one of the smaller canals and just the water. It is so relaxing.

Florence:

1.       All the main sights are pretty close together. It is probably one of the most walkable cities I’ve ever been to.

2.       A lot of places close around or before sunset, so make sure to get in earlier. We made the mistake of waiting to the last minute to go to the Boboli Gardens and couldn’t get in.

3.       If you decide to go see the gardens, you’ll have to walk up a surmountable hill but it is worth it. You get to see a beautiful neighbourhood of Florence as well as a fantastic view.

4.       The Duomo is free but it gets crowded so get there when it opens.

5.       You will end up walking through leather markets full of vendors calling out to you to buy their stuff. Ignore them, and don’t feel bad about it, if you engage them they’ll want you to buy something you really don’t want.

6.       Also general rule for Italy: Get Gelato. Always get some gelato. It is delicious and often not expensive and when are you going to get gelato in Italy again?

Rome:

1.       Again, eat all the gelato.

2.       If you go to Vatican, there will be a bunch of people from tour companies trying to sell you expensive tours that they will try to convince you is cheaper and more worth the time than just buying tickets from the Vatican to the Sistine Chapel and just waiting to go into the Basilica. Their tours are not worth it. I spent 8 euros to get in to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel versus the 36 euros for the tour a guy offered us. They will try to get into your face so just keep walking to the entrance and keep saying no firmly.

3.       There is a tourist pass called the Roma pass, which gives you free public transport for the time allotted and free entrance to the first archaeological site you go to, and reduced rates for the next one. We didn’t end up using public transport a lot and we only went to the Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palantine Hill so I’m not sure it was worth it, though we got to skip the long lines for those two and that felt great. So get it if you plan on trying to see a bunch of the archaeological stuff. Otherwise, just buy colosseum tickets in advance to skip the line.

4.       Definitely go to the Colosseum which is the same ticket for the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill where you can get a stunning view of Rome and see just how much Rome has preserved its ancient history. You can even see the Senate where Caesar got murdered! As a former history and Shakespeare nerd, I was pretty excited.

5.       Go to the Trevi fountain and throw a coin in. Yeah it’s cheesy and it’s crowded, but the fountain is truly beautiful and you get to have your Lizzie Maguire moment.

6.       Look for deals on wine you can often get a third or half a bottle of wine for a cheaper price than two glasses.

Barcelona:

1.       If you want to go to all the Gaudi wonders, you should buy your tickets online first. Unfortunately, these sites are so popular that they can sell out, particularly La Sagrada Familia, the famous unfinished church that Gaudi designed. It is very cool from the outside, but if you want to see the inside you have to book tickets 3 days in advance. For Parc Guell, you can buy tickets there but know that you will be waiting 2 hours in the public park around the monumental centre. It is still a cool park but if you don’t want to wait long, again, get tickets in advance.

2.       Despite what people tell you about Barcelona being full of thieves, and certainly pickpockets exist, don’t let it prevent you from getting lost and wandering down side streets. Barcelona is actually pretty safe and these little areas are so beautiful and full of interesting artisan shops. I ran into Barcelona’s only women’s bookstore that way and had a nice chat with the owner.

3.       Tapas is probably the best meal invention. Why get stuffed on three separate meals when you can just snack all day long? With wine!! Also, be careful when looking at tapas bars, some are more expensive than others and add up. Also, definitely try Pinxtos, the Catalan version of tapas. They tend to be smaller and on pieces of bread but that means they are cheaper, and they are often quite delicious. I recommend Txapela, it is touristy but it is delicious and cheap.

4.       Tomato bread. Eat it. It’s like pizza but without cheese and lighter. It’s so good.

5.       Be careful with Spanish cocktails because they tend to put a lot of alcohol in them so maybe opt for a glass of wine or cava, the area’s specialty champagne, instead.  Especially since wine and champagne in Spain is much cheaper than in the UK. Though do try sangria while you’re there. It’s the best. But get a pitcher to share with a bunch of people rather than an individual cup.

6.       If you find yourself short on cash and hungry, go to La Boqueria, a lively covered market. Sure, it’s full of tourists, but I got breakfast there for 4 euros. They have everything from delicious cream pastries, lots of fruit juice, pinxtos and tapas, and empanadas galore.

7.       Here is one of the few places you’ll visit where a 2 or 3 day public transport pass is worth it. Barcelona is a big city and you’ll be using the metro a lot, which is highly efficient by the way. It was only 20 euros for a three day pass which was worth it since a one trip pass is 2.15 and I definitely made more than 10 trips in my three days. It also counts for the airport where otherwise, to enter from the metro, you have to pay another ticket fee.

All of these places are lovely to visit, so please remember not to stress too much and have fun!

Italy, Fall Break 2016 - by Ashley Wolf

Over the fall break, two of my roommates and I traveled to Italy for carbs, cultural exploration and the beauty of the country. We succeeded in all three of these categories, plus more. I traveled to Verona, Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples.

Verona: Thursday-Friday

I left a day earlier than my roommates and flew to Venice. I took a train to Verona, the city of love. My travel experiences challenged me as not many people seemed to speak English.

For my first dinner in Italy, I ordered salmon sauce and pasta, a glass of red wine and strawberries for dessert. This dish in my top three meals for the trip. I spoke to some of the Italians about studying abroad, America and Italy. There, many seemed to know better English.

One of my roommates came to Verona the next day. Both of us loved the movie Letters to Juliet and wanted to go to Juliet’s House. It cost 6 euro to go inside, they had a student discount, but neither of us had remembered our student cards that day. Juliet’s House was a museum of the real story, Shakespeare’s story and Hollywood’s story as there were many clothes and props used in the movies.

Lovers signed a wall outside the house, left stickers that were probably symbolic and gum. Lots of gum. At first, I was offended by the gum, “why would someone decide to be gross and stick gum on this wall?!” Then, I watched a couple. One chewed the gum, the other chewed the gum, and they both stuck it to the wall. At that point, I was no longer offended, I was just slightly disgusted.

Food called to us after this and we found a cheap and tasty restaurant in the middle of the city. I read through the menu and paused, “HORSE?!” I remembered my years of horseback riding and needless to say, did not order the horse… nor the donkey. We walked around, ate gelato, bumped into a fancy red carpet event for ice skating and boarded a train to Venice where we met up with another one of our roommates.

Venice: Friday–Sunday

            If you decide to go to Venice, I highly recommend staying at The Generator Hostel. Aside from their breakfasts, it was an awesome place to stay with a bar for food and drinks, events going on nightly and a nice place for people to come together and lounge. The rooms had 16 people — bunk bed style. The bunks were really nice! Each had their own light, electric outlets and shelf.

Saturday, I had a fantastic and massive slice of margherita pizza for lunch. Delicious! Cheesy, but not too cheesy, thicker crust and what must have been homemade sauce. I needed my roommates’ help to finish it. In Venice, we explored the Piazza San Marco, Saint Mark’s Basilica and took many, many photos of the Grand Canal. At dinner, I learned some Italian fish is not deboned. Keep that in mind if you decide to go and order fish in Italy! The water made the sights, particular the sunset, better. Sunset scenes were best seen on the water taxis.

  

                                               

                                                                           Venice Street// Ashley Wolf                   

Florence: Sunday–Monday

            Sunday, we traveled to Florence. I tried to find my roommates in the afternoon, but became very lost. Thanks a lot, Apple Maps! I saw a lot of Florence, even parts that were run down and probably not where most tourists ventured to. Monday morning, we visited the Florence Cathedral.

Florence Cathedral// Ashley Wolf

Rome: Monday–Wednesday

            In Rome, we visited the Trevi Fountain and had our Lizzie McGuire moment when we tossed a coin behind our backs and into the water (Reference: Watch ‘The Lizzie McGuire Movie’ for more information — it’s a nice throwback. We watched it our second night in Rome!)

Trevi Fountain//Ashley Wolf

            We visited the Colosseum. The Colosseum was huge and well preserved. I continuously thought about how this huge arena was built such a long time ago and for such a brutal sport. We took a walk and went to a rooftop garden that looked over Rome. The sky turned grey and it started to downpour. I was the only one with an umbrella. We waited out the storm a bit and then went to eat.

Colosseum//Ashley Wolf

Wednesday, we went to the Vatican. The pope was there! We didn’t seem him. There was so much beautiful art. Hallways and rooms were filled on the walls and ceiling with art. Some of the art we saw was by artists we learned about in Art in London. It’s interesting to see how you can connect your experiences and travels with some of the ICLC classes. The Vatican was our last day in Rome. Hecklers at the Vatican were quite intense. They were everywhere! One of my roommates left to spend the weekend in Barcelona.

*Tip: We bought Rome Passes. Do not buy these unless you plan to do a lot of traveling to places not central to Rome. Even then, it’s iffy. The pass gave us free access to the Colosseum, but it cost us more than a Colosseum entrance ticket.

Naples: Wednesday–Friday

My roommate and I took a train to Naples, where we stayed for two nights. Naples was the least tourist-y place of our Italy journey. The city is graffitied over, not many speak English and it was a very big residential area. We knew not many spoke English when we went to a bar and tried to order a cheeseburger — they did not understand, two waiters were at our table trying to figure out what we wanted to order. It took a bit, but everyone eventually got on the same page. However, all of that said, it was still a great cultural experience.

            We traveled to Naples because we wanted to go to Pompeii. Pompeii impressed me. Artists at the time used such advanced techniques for sculptures, paintings inside the houses were also very impressive. When we got back, we went for pizza. Ironically, the best place for pizza was not where pizza was invented on this trip! We surely did not get the best pizza in Naples, however.

            Friday, we walked around Naples and explored. We walked to what we thought would be a food market like that of a fair, but it was actually like that of a grocery store.

Pompeii// Ashley Wolf

Note: If you want to go to Pompeii, purchase your train ticket in the tobacco shop and take one of the local trains. Trenitalia has a trip from Naples to Pompeii, but its 16 euros more.

I hope everyone enjoyed their break, had safe travels and made memories and stories that can last a lifetime. Embrace the last half of your time in London and be sure to make as many memories as possible! Before we know it, we’ll be flying back to the states!