Country #34 - Italy Day 2

The Touristy Spots

After doing Vatican City earlier in the day today, I then spent the second half of my day exploring Rome a little more. I walked from Vatican City to the bridge past Ponte Sant’Angelo, Ponte Umberto I. Ponte Umberto I actually has the best view to take a picture of the Tiber and the Vatican from. I walked through a little market on my way there, and after crossing I made my way to Giolitti. Giolitti is located right by the hotel that I stayed at on my first trip to Rome four years ago so I went for sentimental reasons, but regardless it is definitely one of the top places to get gelato for a reason. It’s pretty fantastic gelato and the atmosphere inside is really unique and worth seeing.

Gelato in hand, I then made my way to some of the main tourist spots in Rome. Piazza Navona was my first stop. This is my favorite square in Rome and honestly is probably that for most people. It has a great vibe and there are always things to see. Personally, I like walking in the small church, Sant’Agnese in Agone. I sat and ate my gelato and just people watched for a while before heading to my next stop, the Pantheon.

There was a long line to enter the Pantheon, but it moved so quickly. Like, I was inside within two minutes. That didn’t stop two separate attempts by people to break me in line! I refused both attempts, but two of the guys just went behind me. They were Americans giving us a bad name, and I gave them a look throughout the visit. If you can’t wait two minutes in line then I think that’s a problem. The other would be line breaker (also American) thankfully went to the end of the line. I guess maybe I just look like an easy person to break in line in front of, but that’s not going to happen on my watch!

The Pantheon is interesting, but as it was my second visit it was definitely a quick walkthrough, as there is not a ton to see. Afterwards, I walked to the infamous Trevi Fountain. I found a spot to sit for a bit and, once again, just enjoy the fountain. I made sure to throw in three coins as is tradition, and it’s a good thing that I did - it means I’ll definitely make my way back to Rome someday!

If you were wondering, all of these stops are within really close walking distance to each other, so thankfully I was not running myself silly all over the city. My last stop before dinner was the Spanish Steps. The Spanish Steps, while not super exciting in theory, are one of my favorite things to see in Rome. They are beautiful and an amazing place to just sit and watch the city. The view from the top is great, and I just really love the vibe that I get when I’m there. After sitting for a bit I made my way to the top of the steps to take the metro to dinner.

I was going to try another one of the top rated pizza places in Rome, but unfortunately, I failed to realize that it was a national holiday until I arrived. This meant that, even though it was a summer month and Rome was filled with tourists, almost every restaurant was closed for dinner, which was obviously not ideal. I ended up walking back to Trastevere, but it felt completely different to how it felt yesterday. Yesterday it was lively and filled with tons of people, but today I struggled to find an open restaurant.

I eventually found a spot (after tons of walking) and ordered, of course, a Margherita pizza. It was really tasty, but the best part of dinner was making a new friend! Sitting at the table next to me was a man from Chicago. We talked about all sorts of things including my trip, his work in the music industry, and travel in general. It was a super interesting conversation and I really enjoyed it! After a longer than expected dinner, I then walked back along the Tiber towards the Vatican. I found an open gelato shop, L’arena Sto Gelato, but it is not one that I would recommend. The size was much too small for the price compared to much better spots in Rome! However, it was still gelato, so I wasn’t too disappointed.

I made my way back to Hearth Hotel for a good night’s sleep before an early flight back to the U.S. tomorrow!

The Travel Nightmare

Today started off like any other early travel day, but it quickly turned into a mess. I made my way to the Rome Airport (FCO) by taking the train from Roma Termini, where I would be flying on a family pass (non-rev) back to the United States on American Airlines. The flight had plenty of open seats, so it should not have been a problem. Easier said than done, however. In an earlier blog, I talked about how flying on a pass can be either a blessing or a curse, and today was the epitome of the curse.

With all of the open seats, myself and all of the other non-revs were waiting to be issued our boarding passes. However, they never called our names. Instead, after many questions and much confusion, we learned that they would not be allowing us on a flight (that has over 30 open seats) due to a weight restriction. I have flown a lot on passes throughout my life, but this was a brand new one to me and everyone else who was flying.

The worst part, though, was that they would not switch us to any of the other U.S. bound flights that were leaving at around the same time, and wouldn’t seat us if we switched ourselves. It was insane and unlike anything I had ever encountered. Left without any options, it looked like I would be waiting to fly out until tomorrow.

By this point, it was around noon, and it would be really expensive and complicated to go back to Rome for another day. Luckily, in the new international terminal, the Rome Airport has a ton of comfy chairs and even a couch. After a few hours, I decided to stay in the airport and work and try to spend the night there. I was joined by two fellow non-revs who were about my age who decided to the same. This worked out really well because we could watch each other's things when one of us wanted to walk around.

I worked for a while, walked around the airport for a bit, found pizza and gelato for dinner, and then made my way back to try and sleep for the night. We were worried that eventually, they would kick us out, but amazingly it never happened. I decided to sleep on the couch and actually slept quite a bit. Other than the sound of the TVs and the cleaning crews there was nothing to disturb us as we were literally at one point the only people in the terminal.

After a better than expected night’s sleep I made my way to my new gate and boarded within an hour of waking up. The best part about the entire conundrum was that I was able to get a business class seat on the flight back home. So I went from being entirely messed up by flying on a pass to having one of the best seats on the plane in twenty-four hours. Literally a blessing and a curse. I slept a few more solid hours on the plane before arriving in Chicago where I had a few hour delay before finally flying to Birmingham.

It was a very long two days of travel, but it could have always been much worse. I had an incredible time in Italy and am looking forward to having a few days to rest before leaving again for Europe!

35 countries down, 161 to go.

Read about my first day in Italy here.

Read about my day in Vatican City here.

To learn more about Hearth Hotel click here.

Country #35 - Vatican City

The Church

Today I woke up to another great breakfast at Hearth Hotel before heading to stand in line to visit the Vatican Museums. Technically I had already entered Vatican City multiple times (when you walk in front of St. Peter’s Basilica you are technically in Vatican City). The line was so long. Like wrapped around multiple city blocks long. There was no way I was going to spend my entire day in line so I looked online on the off chance that an online booking had opened up. And it was my lucky day! A booking for a few hours later had come available, and I bought it as quickly as I could. So instead of standing in the sweltering heat for four hours, I was able to go back to Hearth Hotel, print the ticket, and then go ahead and visit St. Peter’s Basilica! Moral of the story, though, is to definitely buy your Vatican Museum tickets ahead of time.

There was a line and obviously security, but it was not near as long as to enter the Vatican Museums. St. Peter’s is one of the most beautiful churches in the world in my opinion. It is just so grand that it is hard to beat. My favorite part, though, is definitely Michelangelo's Pieta. It’s one of my favorite sculptures because it is just so lifelike. I could spend hours marveling at St. Peter’s, but I only walked through for about thirty minutes.

I still had time to eat lunch before entering the Vatican Museums, so I grabbed another quick prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich. After pizza and pasta, this is definitely my third favorite Italian meal! It was a quick meal close to the Vatican which made it really easy to enter right after. I walked right in, went through security, got my signatures saying I was in the country, and then started walking.

I have visited the Vatican Museums before, but they were much busier this time. I highly recommend you avoid visiting Italy in the summer because it is hot and so busy. I could barely move in the museum there were so many people. I’ll never understand the politics behind the Vatican having so much priceless art, but I really enjoyed seeing the huge collection of all types of art. The rooms of the Vatican museums leading up to the Sistine Chapel are all so beautiful, and definitely worth walking through. There is an option to walk straight to the Sistine Chapel, but I would highly advise against it unless you are in a huge hurry because you would miss so much.

Once you make it to the Sistine Chapel cameras are not allowed, but you should definitely just sit in one of the seats along the wall and take it all in. Because there is a lot of it, and it’s pretty extraordinary. After staring at the ceiling for a while, I then finished making my way through the museum. There is just so much to see, but I guess it makes sense when you remember that you are literally seeing an entire country in one museum. It took me a few hours to see everything in the Vatican Museums, and St. Peter’s took me about an hour. I would say that St. Peter’s is my favorite part of Vatican City along with St. Peter’s square, but the Vatican Museums are great as well. I really enjoyed my few hours in Vatican City, and am looking forward to the rest of my day exploring Rome again!

35 countries down, 161 to go.

Read about my first day in Italy here.

Read about my second day in Italy here.

Country #34 - Italy Day 1

The Food

It was a great (albeit hot) day in Italy! Italy is, and always will be, one of my favorite countries in the world. There are so many unique cities (I love Venice, Florence, and Milan) and so much amazing food to eat. I could literally eat pizza and gelato from Italy for every meal of every day and not get tired of it. Other than the U.K., Italy is probably the foreign country that I have spent the second most amount of time in, and with very good reason.

Today lived up to my standard for another great day in Italy. I have been to Rome before, but it has been four years since my initial visit, and last year I only transited through. I’m really looking forward to seeing a few new sights, but also to revisiting many places that I have been to before. The Colosseum, for example, will never get old. I’m also going to spend more time at places that I quickly walked through last time, which I’m looking forward to.

I started the morning off with breakfast at Hearth Hotel. I then headed to Mass at the Vatican! I’m not Catholic, but I wanted to see the Pope so I made my way over. It was very crowded. I arrived about thirty minutes early and waited in line for security. Once I was in Mass started right away. It was entirely in Italian, but it was really cool to see the Pope! He was in a tiny window and very far away, but it was definitely him! It was over within ten minutes but it was a really cool experience if you are ever in Rome on a Sunday.

I started the morning off with breakfast at Hearth Hotel. I then walked to St. Angelo Bridge to make my way to the other side of town. It is a hot day, but it’s still definitely worth walking everywhere to really enjoy the city. The bridge sits directly in front of Castel Sant’Angelo, which I have been to before and am not visiting again, but I highly recommend. From there I walked through Centro Storico, one of my favorite parts of Rome. The buildings are old and historic and it looks exactly how you would expect Rome to look. In Centro Storico I grabbed my first gelato of the day at Frigidarium. It was highly recommended by my hotel, and I think I have a new favorite gelato place in Rome. It was so good! You get great value for your money, and they dip your gelato in chocolate for free! I definitely enjoyed my strawberry, lemon, and chocolate cone.

From Frigidarium I then made my way towards the Colosseum. I walked in a beautiful church, as well as past the Largo di Torre Argentina ruins, and the Altare della Patria building. I have visited Altare della Patria before, which has an amazing view on the roof that I highly recommend! The sun was absolutely killer, and it wa over one hundred degrees today, so the walk was pretty brutal, but definitely enjoyable as well. It’s hard to be upset about the weather (or anything for that matter) when you’re in Italy. I really appreciated how in Rome there are lots of places to refill your water bottle, because it definitely came in handy today.

When I got to the Colosseum I walked around and took pictures for a little while before heading inside. Yes I’ve been before, but like I said earlier, it’s a place that to me will never get old. There was a line for tickets but thankfully it moved pretty quickly. You can buy them online ahead of time, but I completely forgot until it was too late. Once inside I got an audio guide which I actually really enjoyed. It was nice because I could find a spot in the shade to listen to it, then walk in the sun again, stop and listen, and on and on. I walked around / sat and listened / marveled for about two hours before heading across the street to the Forum.

The forum is a really unique spot that you definitely shouldn’t miss. The entire area is huge, and although I had been before I feel like last time I didn’t see most of what all there was to see. I took my time and tried to see everything. The ruins are fascinating and there are many great views to be had of the Forum itself as well as of Rome and the Colosseum from inside. After spending another two hours in the Forum and staying until closing time, I then made my way towards dinner.

On my way I walked past Circus Maximus only because it was on my way. It’s probably the most disappointing sight in Rome if you go in having any sort of high expectation, which you shouldn’t. It is literally just a field that you walk by on the side of the road. The walk took about thirty minutes as I headed to the Trastevere area. I had done a lot of research on the best pizza places in Rome (of course) and tonight I decided to try Pizzeria Nerone. Man, was it a good decision. It was one of the best pizzas I have ever had! The restaurant itself was really small and quintessential Italian. The Margherita pizza was just so good, I definitely recommend it!

After dinner I had another thirty minute walk. This time, it was along the River Tiber. It was about 9pm, but Rome is always so lively that I have never felt unsafe here. I really enjoyed walking along the water because the views are amazing, especially once you get closer to Castel Sant’Angelo and The Vatican. After the long walk I was ready for my second gelato of the day! I tried Old Bridge Gelateria which was really close to The Vatican and Hearth Hotel. It was my second great gelato of the day!

When I got back to the hotel I met the owner, Guido. He was so cool and I loved talking with him about travel. At this point, he has been to more countries than me! I love that he turned his love for travel into such a warm and welcoming hotel. He told me he hopes that one day I can help someone like he helped me, which I hope to do!

By the time I got to my room my feet were dead and I was so tired, but it was all around an amazing day. I am really looking forward to day two tomorrow, as well as my time in Vatican City!

34 countries down, 162 to go.

Read about my day in Vatican City here.

Read about my second day in Italy here.

To learn more about Hearth Hotel click here.

Country #33 - San Marino

The Views

I spent a few days at home after visiting Cuba to regroup and figure out the plan for my trip from there. With almost all of Latin America and the Caribbean under my belt (except for Venezuela for obvious reasons and the Bahamas which I am just saving for later), I really appreciated having time to get organized and figure out my next steps. Due to financial constraints, the next few trips are going to be shorter and to Europe / the Middle East / Central Asia. This will allow me to fly home every few weeks to work on things and try to raise more money and find more sponsors. I just have to make sure I adhere to the requirement by Guinness that I travel every two weeks.

Anyways, now it’s time to talk about this trip! It took me a while to decide exactly how to proceed, so this trip is especially short, but it’s a really great one! I’m headed basically to Italy for four days - one day in San Marino (which is a country), one day of travel, two days in Rome, and half a day visiting Vatican City (also a country). So I’m hitting three countries on this trip without even leaving Italy!

I flew out of the country using an American Airlines family pass, which led to a pretty complicated travel day. I flew from Birmingham to Chicago, Chicago to JFK, and JFK to Milan. I was lucky enough to get business class from JFK to Milan, which was so nice because I was able to sleep on the flight for a few hours! After landing in Milan and going through immigration and customs speedily and with no problems, I took a train from the airport to Milano Centrale.

Milano Centrale is a beautiful train station and is probably one of my most frequented train stations in Europe. It is really common to transfer here when traveling in Italy, especially when transiting from France or Switzerland. I made my biggest transit mistake of the trip when I accidentally got on a slower train to Bologna. In my defense, I had zero sleep and why would it ever be a good idea to have two trains leaving for Bologna at the exact same time. Of all of the times I could possibly screw up on a train connection, this was definitely the best time for me to do so. I was only an hour late to Bologna and was able to use my same ticket to take a train to Rimini also just an hour later than I had planned. The best thing about the train mishap is that it will keep me alert to it more in the future. Also, side note, make sure when visiting San Marino you don't try to buy a train ticket all the way there. There is no longer a train station in San Marino, and the S. Marino train station on the Trenitalia website is near Venice.

After arriving in Rimini I had to wait almost an hour for the next bus to San Marino. You can buy tickets for the bus at the tourist information center right outside of the train station, or on the bus itself. The bus ride then takes an hour to get to San Marino. I was able to stay on the bus for an extra stop to be dropped off right outside of my hotel, San Marino iDesign Hotel, which was super convenient. The easy drop off was very much appreciated after such a long day spent getting to San Marino. It definitely isn’t the easiest country to get to!

After arriving I was greeted with a very warm welcome at San Marino iDesign Hotel. I was given a map with lots of helpful information about the city. After resting for a few minutes in my room, I headed downstairs to make my way up into town. I really appreciated the ride into town from San Marino iDesign Hotel because I wasn’t particularly looking forward to the uphill walk. Thank you so much to San Marino IDesign Hotel for sponsoring this night of my trip!

I could tell on the bus ride into San Marino that it would be beautiful and that the views were great, but being able to walk around and see it all was just incredible. There are rolling hills as far as the eye can see with the Adriatic Sea in the distance depending on which side of the city you are looking out from. There seriously was not a bad view from the city.

I spent an hour or so just walking around and taking plenty of pictures. I then found a spot to eat pizza with a view. The sun started to set while I was eating which was ideal. Eating my favorite food (I was basically in Italy so the pizza was the best) with an indescribable view made for a great evening after a hectic day of travel. I then walked back to San Marino iDesign Hotel, which was entirely downhill and very easy to walk to. I fell asleep super easily, and am really looking forward to spending a few more hours in San Marino in the morning before heading to Rome!

The Tour of Town

This morning I woke up and headed to breakfast, where I met Andrea. I had communicated with Andrea via email about my stay, and I was really glad to meet her in person! She gave me a tour of San Marino iDesign Hotel, which is filled with tons of awesome art as the owner is friends artists including the one who painted the really cool rooftop pool. After the tour, I checked out of my room, and Andrea drove me into town for a quick tour.

I loved getting to talk with her about her life, growing up in San Marino, and about the city itself. She had spent some time living in the U.S. which was also interesting to talk about. We walked around for about an hour and a half or so, and I really enjoyed learning about the city from her! We visited Basilica of St. Marino, saw more amazing views of course, and walked all the way to the top of the city, to Cesta Tower. We climbed up the tallest tower and could see so far from the top.

We walked for a little while longer and then headed back to the hotel. I had about forty-five minutes until the next bus, so I walked to a cute little shop down the street where I had a small pizza followed by gelato. This is basically all I will eat when in Italy because it is hands down the best meal in the world, especially when you get it in (basically) Italy.

San Marino is technically the oldest republic in the world, a fact that I had no idea about. I knew very little about San Marino before visiting, but I quickly fell in love. If you are every driving through Italy, definitely stop in San Marino (it is a much easier visit by car than by public transit). You can definitely do the whole country in a day as all you will want to see is in the historic city center. Being surrounded by Italy there are definitely tons of similarities between the two countries, but I loved the unique aspects of San Marino, especially its history.

After eating I said my goodbyes to everyone at San Marino iDesign Hotel. They were so helpful and went above and beyond throughout my stay. I really appreciate everything they did, especially Andrea taking the time to walk with me through town! I took the bus back into Rimini, where I then bought a train ticket to Rome. I didn’t buy my ticket ahead of time because I knew today would be a dedicated travel day, and I didn’t want to feel rushed this morning in San Marino. The ticket took me through Bologna again where I connected straight to Rome. I have visited Bologna on a previous trip, and honestly, it is not one of my favorite spots in Italy because there just isn’t a ton to do.

I made it to Rome before dark and took the metro from Roma Termini to the metro stop right by my hotel. During my time in Rome, I will be staying at Hearth Hotel, which is literally right across the street from the Vatican. Thank you so much to Hearth Hotel for sponsoring these nights of my trip! I was received with a very warm welcome and have a great room looking out at Vatican City. I left my things in my room to go grab a quick dinner. By the time I checked in it was after 9pm, so I headed to grab a really tasty prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich, which I then sat in front of St. Peter’s Basilica to eat. It’s definitely a dinner I will never forget, as you can’t really get a better backdrop than that!

After eating I took a few pictures and headed back to Hearth Hotel. I had a really great day today even though most of it was spent on a train, and I am really looking forward to the next few days in Rome!

33 countries down, 163 to go.

To learn more about San Marino iDesign Hotel click here.

To learn more about Hearth Hotel click here.

Country #32 - Cuba Day 2

The Cannon

Today definitely wasn’t as good as yesterday (it would have been hard to beat), but it was still a great day in Cuba! I started my day by walking down O’Reilly Street to the Central Park area, which is next to the Theater of Havana as well as El Capitolio. El Capitolio looks exactly like the U.S. Capitol building, which is definitely surprising at first glance. After walking around this area for a bit I then walked down Paseo de Marti. Paseo de Marti leads up to (or in my case, away from) the Capitol building, and is unique because it is filled with green space and walking paths in the middle.

I walked to the National Museum of Fine Arts, which was unfortunately closed. It was closed yesterday as well, which was a scheduled closure, so I was pretty disappointed that it was randomly closed today. I headed next door to the Museum of the Revolution. The lack of air conditioning is not ideal when it is scorching hot outside, but t is a really interesting place to visit for a few reasons. It is enlightening to read about the Cuban Revolution entirely from the perspective of the Cuban government. The museum also talks about other parts of Cuba’s past which I enjoyed. The museum is in a grand building, but inside it is falling apart. It does not live up to the standards in terms of upkeep of a national museum as you might expect, which likely has to do with the government. However, the outside pavilion is much newer and features many of the vehicles that were used during the Revolution, gunshots and all.

After finishing the museum I stopped to buy a water and sit in some air conditioning for a bit. The heat is killer once again. I then spent some time just walking through Old Havana, eventually walking a long ways to the art market that is on the water. It would have been enjoyable had every single person not attempted to sell me something. I couldn’t enjoy just walking through, and left after one quick walk through. I was growing frustrated with this today, as it occurred with constantly with taxi drivers as well. I think the difference today vs. yesterday is that yesterday I was walking around with Tony, but today I was walking around alone. It became very annoying, but I guess it is just part of Havana (my least favorite part).

After the frustration of the art market, I walked back through Old Havana, this time to the Old Town Square and then to visit Convento de San Francisco de Asis. The church was really cool to walk through and I appreciated being able to get out of the heat. I walked around for a little while longer, and eventually found a restaurant to eat a very cheap pizza for dinner. I then went back to my Airbnb in the heart of town and rested during the worst heat of the day. It was a nice break before heading over to Castillo de San Carlos de la Cabańa for the traditional nightly 9 o'clock Cannon Ceremony.

After all day of being hounded after to take a taxi, once I finally needed one to head over to ___ there were none to be found. After walking along the water looking for a few minutes, I finally found one at not too bad of a price! It was a classic car which you, of course, have to ride in at least once when visiting Cuba. The taxi driver made a wrong turn, so I ended up getting a longer ride than I paid for which was fine by me! To get to Castillo de San Carlos de la Cabańa you have to go through a tunnel under the water, so you definitely can’t walk to get there.

I made it about an hour and a half before the Cannon Ceremony would start, giving me plenty of time to walk around Castillo de San Carlos de la Cabańa. I was able to take some really cool pictures of the sunset, and then I enjoyed just walking through such a historic fort. I decided to pay the extra $2 to have a good seat for the Cannon Ceremony (they called it balcony seating if you ever make it there) and it was definitely worth it! I was able to sit up on a ledge out of the mass of people, and also got a pineapple juice included in the price! I had about thirty minutes until the cannon at this point, but all of the pomp and circumstance before the cannon fire started just a few minutes after taking my seat.

It is a traditional ceremony with men dressed in traditional military clothing. They march out and then perform the ceremony, which includes torches and gun maneuvers. With about three minutes to go, I started getting nervous. I knew it would be so loud, as you can hear it from anywhere in Havana, and now I was within feet of the cannon. It was, indeed, very loud, but so cool! I uploaded a video so you can see it for yourself - I definitely jump when it fires, but I feel like it would be hard not to!

I really enjoyed the ceremony - it was one of my favorite parts of my trip, and I highly recommend it if you are ever able to visit Havana. After it was over, there was a giant exodus of people. I waited until I got outside to hire a taxi, as I wanted to make sure it was an official taxi and not just a random person. I found a reasonable price and headed back to my Airbnb. I went to sleep not long after because I have to get ready to head home tomorrow, and want to be able to get up to walk around a little while before I leave.

The Trip Home

After getting another good night’s sleep I woke up early enough to take one last stroll through the city. I bought some cool presents for some of my family and tried to exchange some more money (to pay for my cab to the airport) before having to give up because I ran out of time. I organized a taxi back through my Airbnb, and the driver stopped at a Cadeca outside of town with a much shorter line to let me exchange money, which was a much better plan. He was really nice and I enjoyed talking with him during the forty-five minute ride to the airport.

I flew out of a different terminal than I flew into, and this one was much bigger. I used my extra Cuban Pesos to buy a few more gifts, as well as Cuban Rum (which is cheaper than water in Cuba, fun fact). I headed to my gate with no problems, and boarded my flight directly back to Atlanta. I landed in a different terminal than I took off out of, so I had to transit via bus back to my car. After arguing over the parking bill (it was much larger than it should have been) and being given a customer service number, I headed to eat dinner with my friend Claire who lives in Atlanta! After a great dinner I drove back home, exhausted and sunburnt, but with a newfound appreciation for Cuba. There are obviously issues with the country and its relationship with the U.S. government, but I had an amazing time and highly recommend it!

32 countries down, 164 to go.

Read about my first day in Cuba here.