Red Light by Night

Amsterdam by day was a beautiful and elegant city to explore with its winding cobblestone streets and unique architecture. The city has a great deal of character; whether it be from the diversity of its inhabitants, its’ rich history or the alternative lifestyles that take place within it. Amsterdam by night provided the weekend backpacker with a quite different experience: the eye opening and jaw dropping walk through the Red Light District. Although the discomfort of that part of town and its reputation can be overwhelming, the experience of seeing such an unusual sight, if only once, is something that I would recommend. You may (scratch that..you will) feel awkward and uncomfortable, but I believe it is an unusual memory to be made. As my friends and I entered into the famed district one night, we realized that maybe we weren’t as comfortable with the prospect of seeing scantily clad women sell themselves. This isn’t a movie. This isn’t a television show. This is actually happening right in front of us!!

As strange as it was upon our entrance in, we slowly started to become a bit more comfortable with it all and made our way around the streets and window-fronts; trying our hardest not to stare…this was not the easiest task for yours truly (Helloooo I was born to be a people watcher and this was IDEAL people watching!) All and all the experience is a must for those who can bear the concept of it all. Whatever your opinion may be, the district is a large part of what makes Amsterdam the city that it is.

Biking in Amsterdam

First things first, my track record with bicycles is not the best. The last memory I have is slightly blurred due to a traumatic experience, but I can paint you a quick picture: awkward 4th grade allison + bring your bike to school day + hand-me-down rusty bike + mailbox...do the math. Let's just say that the bicycle and I had been on an indefinite break from one another...until Amsterdam. My travel partner-in-crime, Amanda, and I had heard from people we'd met that if we were to ride a bike anywhere, it should be in Amsterdam-the unofficial bike capital. Seeing as though the city is complete with bike lanes and a higher ratio of bikes to cars we found it to be the safest place to do it!

The first 15 minutes of our biking adventure were some of the most entertaining; where we found that apparently we are quite slow riders (we were passed by almost every single cyclist in Amsterdam, scratch that, every cyclist in Holland!), both Amanda & I have quite awful balance (we both fell over when another biker got a little too close to us) and stopping wasn't our forte....at all.

After our initial introduction back into the biking world, we were naturals! We made our way to every nook and cranny of Amsterdam; riding along the famed canals and taking a break from city riding for a relaxing bike stroll in the park.

During our ride we even discovered this empty green patch of land complete with a lake, angry ducks and gorgeous houseboats.

I never thought I would say this, but I was actually quite sad to say goodbye to my bike. Maybe a bike for Boston is in my future?! I will have to work on my hand-eye coordination a bit more :)

The Irish Countryside

Although we didn't want to cut our love affair with Dublin short, we decided to take a break from the busy city for a day and take a trip to the Irish countryside. Our hostel recommended the Cliffs of Moher tour which takes you from Dublin across the country to the the Irish countryside and the Cliffs on a full-day, guided bus tour. Every stop that we made along the way provided amazing photo opts and breathtaking views, but the Cliffs of Moher was by far the most exciting...and terrifying!

Here is just another example of a fear that I was not aware I had coming to fruition. There are signs upon signs stating "Do not go beyond this point" and the only image that comes to mind are the hundreds upon hundreds of tourists you see "beyond this point".

Being the worrier that I am I had already played out in my head the inevitable slipping of my boots on a wet patch of grass and the 650 ft fall to my demise...C'mon I wasn't even half way through my study abroad!! Luckily, my fears were just wasted energy and all three of us left alive and with all of our limbs :)

10-Minute Old Guinness

If you plan on enjoying a Guinness while in Dublin, you mine as well go to the beating heart of the Irish export: The Guinness Storehouse. We made our way to the famous tourist trap bright and early in the morning (an excellent decision seeing as though the crowds can become quite rowdy as the day unfolds). Seeing as though we were some of the first tourists to step foot inside that day, we were able to roam freely around the storehouse as if it was our own personal beer playground.

The tour itself is self-guided. They equip you with an in-depth map of the premises and set you free to explore at your own pace. On the tour you learn about everything from the stout’s history to its’ famous founder Arthur Guinness as well as being able to see the process of making Guinness and Guinness advertising through the years. Our tour was concluded with a trip up to the Gravity Bar where we were greeted with 360-degree views of Dublin(I didn’t hate it..haha) along with the freshest Guinness we will probably ever consume-direct from its factory below our feet.

Although quite touristy a site in Dublin, it is well worth the masses of crowds if only for the chance to sip on 10 minute old Guinness...it’s not too shabby!

Pubs: The Museums of Ireland

It’s hard for me to think of something more authentic to visit in Dublin, than the wealth of Irish pubs in all sizes, shapes, and varieties of characters within. There really is something for every person and every taste. Right as we began chatting with our cab driver from the airport, we learned that the sightseeing hotspots locals recommend are not art museums or monuments, but rather the historical pubs that pride themselves on having the “best Guinness in town” or the “best fish & chips”. Stepping foot into these watering holes, indulging in an authentic Irish meal and a great beer, listening to the live music, and just taking in the experience of it all is, without a doubt, my top Dublin must-see. The first pub we made our way to once we stepped foot on Irish soil was, of course, a recommendation from our new best friend and cab driver. My initial question to him was a simple, “What is the first meal that we should have in Ireland?” and his response was a 30-minute, jam-packed guided tour and history lesson on the most authentic and famed Irish Pubs and the best places to stop in for everything from fish and chips to beer to cakes….oh and the answer to my question was Irish Lamb Stew. After we learned that we would have to wait upwards of an hour to check into our hostel, we started our weekend pub tour with a trip down to street to Oliver St John Gogarty's where we inhaled Irish Stew, brown bread and a nice, cold Guinness.

The older men playing music in the pub, stopped in the middle of one of their songs to comment on a site they weren’t quite used to: 3 young girls with a full food spread and a pint each.

Apparently most of the women tend to stick to the ½ pint, but us American girls missed that memo-and decided to drink like the men. After continuing to chat with us, asking where we were from and what brought us to Dublin, the men continued on with their music; incorporating Boston into a few of their songs to make us feel welcome and welcome we did.

Later that day we ventured to The Brazen Head to see what beer tasted like within the four walls of the oldest pub in all of Ireland, dating back to the 12^th century!

We stumbled across several other great pubs throughout the weekend, including The Quay, which had everything we could ask for: great beer and Irish cider, live band playing everything from The Beatles to Galway Girl, and an Irish audience that could not get enough of it. I do still love my Irish pubs back in Boston (aka Flanns!), but I must say that the Dubliners do have quite a solid handle on the whole “Pub” thing…

Capri Island Adventures

I can’t tell you how many people, once they learned I was studying in Italy for a semester, would tell me, “you HAVE to make it to Capri while you’re there”. When I started booking flights and making travel plans, I wasn’t sure when and how the breathtaking Italian island and tourist destination would fit it. Luckily, everything fell into place last weekend. After taking a train from Rome to Naples on Saturday morning, three friends and I boarded a ferry bound for the island of Capri. The ferry ride in and of itself was amazing with breathtaking views of the bay of Naples, Sorrento, Mt. Vesuvius and the island in the distance.

Capri in the distance

We could not have asked for a better weekend to do this trip. Although weather in central Italy in October is nothing to complain about, it has its rainy and cloudy moments and this weekend was clear as day and sunny, sunny, SUNNY!

The Beautiful Island of Capri!

After getting off the ferry in Capri, we booked a boat tour of the entire island-a recommended activity from a friend of ours at school. If you ever make your way to Capri and aren’t the sea sick/motion sick-type then I would say that this tour is a must. The tour starts off on a small boat fit for 20 or so people and makes its way around the entire island, giving you a chance to see all that Capri has to offer. Apparently we learned the hard way that although the waters appeared calm, they were in fact quite rowdy once we made our way out…there were moments when I felt like we could have been pulled from a scene from Perfect Storm. It definitely made for a more adventurous and memorable tour though. We got to see the entrance of the blue grotto (which was closed due to inclement weather), several other grottos where the boat backed into and we had the chance to touch the rocks, Sofia Loren’s ritzy island residence and so many other beautiful parts of the island. In the end, the tour was well worth the money and bouts of nausea (kidding…kind of).

Rough Waters!

The rest of the day in Capri was spent wandering its winding streets and hills, dipping our feet in the water and relaxing on the rocky beaches. The trip to Capri as well as the remainder of the weekend in Sorrento was a much-needed break from the “go, go, go” mentality of traveling to capital cities and trying to fit in as many sites as you could- Capri chilled us out and let us just sit and take it all in.

Now, I must include a comical moment of the day: When I was part of an attempted mugging by a 12 year old...on a Vespa…in Capri. There are many parts to this incident that are laughable. First and foremost, the key word was “attempted” so none of my stuff was actually taken…case in point that this story is something I can joke about now and not something that should worry you. Secondly, my mugger was a chubby, 12 year old boy-not someone in dire need of my cardigan and sandals (the two most expensive items in my overnight bag). Thirdly, this is all happening in Capri-my question to that kid is if you live in Capri why the HECK do you need my overnight bag worth less than the collar on your polo t-shirt?! Lastly, this was clearly his first attempted mugging and something that was so poorly executed you almost felt bad for the kid. He drove by on his light blue vespa (doesn’t really give off the “watch-out-for-this-rebel” vibe, does it?) and then turned around, ever so slowly, passing me and trying to grab my bag (Which since I arrived in Italy I hold on to like a first born child). He seemed to give up before he even started and just scooted away down the road. Five minutes later he drove back up the hill, without looking any of us in the eye-embarrassed by his lack of mugging skill. Better luck next time, kid.

How dare he try to steal this baby!

With overnight bag still in hand, I boarded the ferry to Sorrento. We had booked a bed and breakfast for that Saturday and we planned to explore Sorrento restaurants and bars that night and then see the city that following Sunday morning, before departing from Naples train station. We checked into our B & B at around 8 that night. The man at the front desk recommended Il Pepino- a restaurant in the city that was off the beaten path, cheap and had great food. What more could we ask for?! The restaurant was packed with Italians when we arrived and it provided both a cozy and familiar atmosphere. The inviting feeling and cheap prices helped to make this meal both a memorable and BIG one. Usually we will order a pasta dish each, some wine and some bread, but tonight we weren’t joking around. We each ordered our own pasta dish and then three of us (oh gluteny) ordered the ½ Roast Chicken as our main course. We also got a side of French fries, bread and drinks. This was an eating extravaganza. Everything that we ordered was out-of-this-world tasty, but my Spaghetta alla Bolognese was on a level all is own. Writing this now even makes my mouth water. I may return to Sorrento and Il Pepino solely for that dish. I think the plate was licked clean in under 3 minutes…it really was THAT good. After a solid 3 hours of eating, we were worn out and our plans of checking out the city’s nightlife didn’t seem so tempting anymore.

We spent that following morning and afternoon exploring Sorrento. The city is quite tiny which makes it easy to manage and see a great deal in a short amount of time. We spent the day wandering with no set plan, but to see as much as we could before having to take a train to the Naples station where we would then be able to head back to Rome. We traveled up a hilly road to get some great views of Sorrento.

I think I could handle living here...

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful end to a great weekend…until we got to Naples (post to follow!) Let’ s just say I don’t know if I love pizza enough to venture around the streets of Naples to find it-I’ll stick to pizza in Rome.

Ciao Firenze!

One of my favorite parts of studying abroad is how you can just get up and go: anytime, anywhere. If you don’t have a spontaneous bone in your body: beware. One of my more recent adventures was a last-minute trip to Florence with three friends of mine. We bought a one-way ticket so that we could stay as long as we were having a good time….although I probably could have stayed there into the following week! Unfortunately I have school to attend…poor, POOR me J

When we arrived in Florence on Saturday morning, we had a plan-MISSION: AMERICAN BREAKFAST. The food in Rome is absolutely wonderful, but breakfast isn’t one of their strong points. Don’t get me wrong, the brioches and pastries are quite yummy, but if I have to eat one more Nutella-filled croissant, I’m going to explode! After my friend Matt read in his Italian Travel Guide that there was a bar in Florence that serves cheap, American breakfast, we made it our morning priority. After finally stumbling upon the “OK Bar” on a quaint side street, we situated ourselves at a table, scanned the menu, and ordered our omelets with ham. With much anticipation we waited for our meals, but what we received wasn’t quite omelets from the America we live in. These bad boys weren’t fully cooked and there was NO CHEESE. Helloooo Italy-the best part of the omelet is always the formaggio…get with it. After forcing our way through the meal, we left knowing now never to expect an authentic “American Breakfast” in Italy…we should have known better. I’ve never wanted a croissant more than I did following that meal.

Matt "enjoying" his cheese-less omelet

After our unforgettable meal, we checked into our hostel and ventured out to find the Duomo. After waiting in what can be a daunting line during busy hours and paying a few euros you can climb to the top of the Duomo and see some of the most breathtaking views of the city of Florence and Tuscan countryside. I was told by those who have done the climb before that it is quite narrow and steep at times…yup, I’d say that’s about right-this girls’ thighs were burning!! Fun fact: apparently I have a slight fear of walking up steep staircases which are enclosed in narrow passageways when hoards of tourists are passing me in the opposite direction on the same set of stairs….who knew?!?!?!

Duomo traffic jam on stairs

The views at the top were without a doubt worth it though: I could not believe how far into the distance we could see.

Amazing view atop Duomo

While at the top of the Duomo (because where ELSE would you decide to make small talk), we struck up a conversation with four college kids about our age. Not only did we spend a solid fifteen minutes getting all their tips and favorite places in the city, but they also offered to bring us to the place where you can get “the best gelato in Florence” after we finished our Duomo descent. I could not get over how welcoming they were…it was great! After what was indeed an amazing gelato experience, we decided that we all needed to get to know our new friends a little better so we spontaneously decided to all grab a sit down, Italian meal together. What followed was a full day with our new friends and Florence tour guides showing us around their city. We stopped by an International market complete with a Guiness Beer Tent, Dutch Cheese tent, and various other vendors selling everything from jewelry and art pieces to leather and more leather. We walked along the Ponte Vecchio and checked out the classic jewelry shops lining the bridge. I found that area so adorable and I have my eyes on a coral ring for when I make my way back to Florence-that baby is mine! That night we had plans to meet up with a good friend of mine from Northeastern, Sara, who just started studying in Florence for the semester.

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Dinner with Sara!

Our meals were amazing-I had penne alla vodka…to die for! We all needed to take a breather after dinner and relax for a bit back at our hostel before getting ready for the rest of our night. That night we met up with Sara for a few drinks at an Irish Pub (how Italian, right?) and then we were invited by our new Florence friends (I know, we’re just so popular!) to check the night club, Space, that they mentioned earlier in the day. After dancing the night away, we made our way back to the hostel and got ready for another day of exploring.

That following morning, our plan was to wake up at 7am, get ready and pack, check out of the hostel, get breakfast and then go to the Academia to see The David. The whole sleeping-until-10 thing pushed aside those ambitious plans though. Once we finally got up and made our way to The David, the line was not something we wanted to spend our entire day in…just one more justifiable reason why I will have to visit Florence again.

Ponte Vecchio in the distance

Instead, we stumbled upon a 2-day pottery market in one of the squares and browsed around there for a while. After taking a trip down the Ponte Vecchio again, we hit a key Florence tourist site: The Leather Market! I could have sat there for hours, taking in the new leather fragrance. They sell everything from purses and wallets to jackets and belts and so much more….I was in handbag heaven!! Leaving the market without making a purchase was not in the cards…I have some self control, but not that much. With new leather handbag in hand, we headed to the station to catch our train back home. Goodbye for now, Florence. Be back to visit soon!