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the official EURO TRIP update
Jun. 20th, 2006 02:57 pmWell! I kept a journal of my crazy European adventure on napkins and reciepts. Here it is, transcribed for you:
"Wednesday, June 7th- Today I went to my father's house around 2 PM and Kim drove us to Logan Airport. We flew overnight, so we basically saw a sunset the entire time due to the time change. Stopped in Shannon, and then continued onto Dublin. Got there around 7 AM local time, and hopped on of their awesome double-decker buses for a tour of the city. After that we caught another bus and went to Malahide castle, which was beautiful. We made some friends from England. Later on I went to a pub and ordered a Guinness. Guinness tastes so different over there. And I ate a really good Irish meal there- breaded chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy. It was so good. Then that night, we were supposed to hop a plane to Milan, but the fucking assholes at RyanAir changed the gate number on us, and we missed the flight! There were two Irish girls who had the same thing happen, so it wasn't just us. Uggggh. So we walked like 6 miles through Dublin to a sketchy hotel called Phoenix Park House and spent the night. We met tons of great people on the way. I was sooo tired; I had been awake for like 28 hours at that point.
Thursday, June 8th- Today we had a 7 AM flight to Milan, and I slept the two hour plane ride. Ernesto picked us up at the airport and dropped us off at a Milan Metro station. We went to Milan center and saw the original Prada, Gucci, Armani, and Louis Vuitton stores, and Il Duomo, a famous 1000-year-old church. There was a 500-year-old dead priest laying in there. I got my first real Italian gelatto. Ernesto picked us up in Busceglie and we went to our hotel, and then to a restaurant with Ernesto, his wife Valentina, and two of their friends and their kid. I hated the food- lots of octopus legs, weird fish, and raw meats. The wine was great though, and the grappa too. After that we went to the hotel and crashed.
Saturday, June 9th- We woke up late, and went to Ernesto's for lunch. Their baby Anna Claudia is adorable. After that we went to Bergamo to pick up our rental car, and then went to Valentina's parents' house, and then went shoe and purse shopping at a huge shop in Milan. Then we went back to the hotel, and then Ernesto cooked us dinner, and then baaack to the hotel.
Sunday, June 10th-- This morning we left the hotel later than I would have liked, and we drove east to Venice; we got there by 1 or 2 PM. Venice was beautiful, like a fucking fairy tale. We got pizza at a little restaurant right next to the canal. We had to catch an early ferry back since it was Sunday, so went to a Holiday Inn and crashed.
Monday, June 11th- We went back to Venice for the day, did some shopping, hit a web cafe, and tried more Venetian pizza; the quest continues for the ultimate pizza. I ate three different flavors of gelatto. Soooo good. We rode the waterbuses around and saw the sights. Venice is huge. After exploring Venice and seeing San Marco, we took a bus back over the bridge and starting driving south to Florence. By 8 or 9 we were in Florence, and were so hungry we ate an Italian McDonald's. It took us until freakin' midnight to find a hotel that had vacancy, but we found the Park Hotel Chianti outside of Florence on the way to Siena.
Tuesday, June 12- Today we slept late and then hit Florence. There's a huge wall around the whole city. We saw the famous Florentine bridge spared by Hitler in WWII, saw the statue of David and some other famous statues, and Ghiberti's door, among some other super important historical structures. It was pretty awesome to walk through the same streets and buildings that Michaelangelo and Rafael walked through. After trying Florentinian pizza, we headed west to Pisa. It took us about 10 minutes to see the leaning tower and get out. There isn't much there, other than the famed tower. Then we headed northwest to the Roman citadel of Lucca. Outside the city in the mountains of Tuscany we found the most beautiful villa to spend the night at; it overlooked the most picturesque Italian village. This is the website of the place, it's beautiful, so check it out: Villa Rinascimento. They had internet access, so I spent nearly an hour going through 142 new emails and 3500 bulk mails. Before that we went down to the village for gelatto and dinner (best pizza so far). Then I took a dip in the pool and then sat with the owners of the hotel (an Italian man and Romanian woman, both wonderful people), and we chatted and sipped wine until midnight. There was a gentle breeze and fireflies blinking all over the place, not to mention we were sitting on a terrace on the side of a mountain overlooking a quaint Italian village. It was so perfect. Best night of the vacation so far. But now to bed!
Wednesday, June 13th- This morning we woke up and hung around the gorgeous villa, then hit the road. We checked out Lucca, then drove to Genoa. We looked around and tried some white pizza, and then got back on the road. We went to Monaco and quickly toured the entire country (it's tiny). It was so beautiful; the streets are practically paved in gold. It's where all the celebrities go for vacation. Then we moved onto Nice, France, and got a hotel and a nice French dinner. We're going to bed early tonight.
Thursday, June 14th- This morning for breakfast I got a real French croissant at a little French bakery and then spent the day driving through the French Alps. Those were some breathtaking views. We checked out the town of Isola. We went to the peak of the mountain, played in the snow, and then went back down the other side into Italy. Before we crossed into Italy, we went to a cute restaurant outside of Jausiers in Larche, France, and had lunch. We went through the Italian Alps, and stopped in Vinadio, Italy to see a cool fort. Now we're on our way to Torino to see the Olympic Village.
Okay, so Torino was a letdown. We got really lost and the traffic was terrible, and there was really nothing to see. From there we stopped at an AutoGrill for dinner and it took us 'til midnight to find a hotel (a shitty one too) in Como, Italy. On the way there, we got off the highway ramp into Pero and I saw a woman in a black dress scratching her ass. I jokingly said, "Haha, look, it's a hooker!" and just as a said that, we drove by, and my father and I both went, "OH MY GOD IT'S A MAN!" It was so disturbing. Then when we got back on the highway, there were ten more (both male and female) hookers lined up along the ramp! So we get off another exit, and my father's like, "I'll be damned if I see any more hookers" and just then, we drive by two more! It was hilarious. Oh, at ten o'clock we were driving through a deserted town looking for a hotel, wondering where all the people were, and then all the sudden a parade comes around the corner, with all the women first, then men, then kids. And they were carrying these huge 6-foot-tall crosses and holding a canopy over a priest. It was so random. But yeah, the Mini Hotel in Como is sketchy, don't stay there if you're ever in the area. Ha.
Friday, June 15th- We checked out Lake Como and then crossed the border into Switzerland. We checked out Lugano, Switzerland but couldn't do much because they use Swiss francs there, not Euros. We went back to Milano, got lost trying to find the hotel, and then found it by accident. Got a huge container of gelatto for dinner. We went to bed reeeally early. I had a crazy dream but I'll write about that later.
Saturday, June 16th-- Woke up, and Ernesto came to say goodbye. We went to Linate Airport and flew to Dublin. Checked into our hotel, Golden Tulip Inn, which turned out to be really nice. We took the bus to the Temple Bar, which is a very cool New Orleans-esque section of Dublin with lots of little shops, lots of cool record stores and vintage clothing stores, tattoo parlours, and awesome pubs. We had a great time shopping and watching street performers. We ate at the Bad Ass Cafe. Went to a Web Cafe and met an Irish girl from Kingston! Small fucking world. Then we went back to the hotel and had a Guinness. While I was drinking, this married couple, Linda and James, sat down next to me. They were cooler than cool, and James kept buying me beers. Went to bed around midnight after James got really drunk and started talking crazy talk.
Sunday, June 17- We went to the airport this morning. The plane stopped in Shannon for an hour or so and now we're on the way back to Boston."
So, that's the trip! I got home around 6 PM Boston time Sunday night. The weather was perfect all week, 70 degrees, clear skies, and no bugs whatsoever- they leave the windows wide open with no screens there! Oh, and they have freakin' palm trees all over Ireland- never expected that! Europe is sooo expensive though. The American dollar is worth less than the Euro, so we're at a disadvantage already, and then everything is hugely expensive- $4.15 (American) for a can of Coca Cola. It cost me about $20 American to send out 11 postcards. Insane! But, it was worth every penny. They eat raw horsemeat in Italy, which is retarded. I've now been to 6 European countries, and I can't wait to go back to Ireland. The last night there was the most fun I had all week. I love Irish boys. I love that there's no drinking age in Europe. The end.
"Wednesday, June 7th- Today I went to my father's house around 2 PM and Kim drove us to Logan Airport. We flew overnight, so we basically saw a sunset the entire time due to the time change. Stopped in Shannon, and then continued onto Dublin. Got there around 7 AM local time, and hopped on of their awesome double-decker buses for a tour of the city. After that we caught another bus and went to Malahide castle, which was beautiful. We made some friends from England. Later on I went to a pub and ordered a Guinness. Guinness tastes so different over there. And I ate a really good Irish meal there- breaded chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy. It was so good. Then that night, we were supposed to hop a plane to Milan, but the fucking assholes at RyanAir changed the gate number on us, and we missed the flight! There were two Irish girls who had the same thing happen, so it wasn't just us. Uggggh. So we walked like 6 miles through Dublin to a sketchy hotel called Phoenix Park House and spent the night. We met tons of great people on the way. I was sooo tired; I had been awake for like 28 hours at that point.
Thursday, June 8th- Today we had a 7 AM flight to Milan, and I slept the two hour plane ride. Ernesto picked us up at the airport and dropped us off at a Milan Metro station. We went to Milan center and saw the original Prada, Gucci, Armani, and Louis Vuitton stores, and Il Duomo, a famous 1000-year-old church. There was a 500-year-old dead priest laying in there. I got my first real Italian gelatto. Ernesto picked us up in Busceglie and we went to our hotel, and then to a restaurant with Ernesto, his wife Valentina, and two of their friends and their kid. I hated the food- lots of octopus legs, weird fish, and raw meats. The wine was great though, and the grappa too. After that we went to the hotel and crashed.
Saturday, June 9th- We woke up late, and went to Ernesto's for lunch. Their baby Anna Claudia is adorable. After that we went to Bergamo to pick up our rental car, and then went to Valentina's parents' house, and then went shoe and purse shopping at a huge shop in Milan. Then we went back to the hotel, and then Ernesto cooked us dinner, and then baaack to the hotel.
Sunday, June 10th-- This morning we left the hotel later than I would have liked, and we drove east to Venice; we got there by 1 or 2 PM. Venice was beautiful, like a fucking fairy tale. We got pizza at a little restaurant right next to the canal. We had to catch an early ferry back since it was Sunday, so went to a Holiday Inn and crashed.
Monday, June 11th- We went back to Venice for the day, did some shopping, hit a web cafe, and tried more Venetian pizza; the quest continues for the ultimate pizza. I ate three different flavors of gelatto. Soooo good. We rode the waterbuses around and saw the sights. Venice is huge. After exploring Venice and seeing San Marco, we took a bus back over the bridge and starting driving south to Florence. By 8 or 9 we were in Florence, and were so hungry we ate an Italian McDonald's. It took us until freakin' midnight to find a hotel that had vacancy, but we found the Park Hotel Chianti outside of Florence on the way to Siena.
Tuesday, June 12- Today we slept late and then hit Florence. There's a huge wall around the whole city. We saw the famous Florentine bridge spared by Hitler in WWII, saw the statue of David and some other famous statues, and Ghiberti's door, among some other super important historical structures. It was pretty awesome to walk through the same streets and buildings that Michaelangelo and Rafael walked through. After trying Florentinian pizza, we headed west to Pisa. It took us about 10 minutes to see the leaning tower and get out. There isn't much there, other than the famed tower. Then we headed northwest to the Roman citadel of Lucca. Outside the city in the mountains of Tuscany we found the most beautiful villa to spend the night at; it overlooked the most picturesque Italian village. This is the website of the place, it's beautiful, so check it out: Villa Rinascimento. They had internet access, so I spent nearly an hour going through 142 new emails and 3500 bulk mails. Before that we went down to the village for gelatto and dinner (best pizza so far). Then I took a dip in the pool and then sat with the owners of the hotel (an Italian man and Romanian woman, both wonderful people), and we chatted and sipped wine until midnight. There was a gentle breeze and fireflies blinking all over the place, not to mention we were sitting on a terrace on the side of a mountain overlooking a quaint Italian village. It was so perfect. Best night of the vacation so far. But now to bed!
Wednesday, June 13th- This morning we woke up and hung around the gorgeous villa, then hit the road. We checked out Lucca, then drove to Genoa. We looked around and tried some white pizza, and then got back on the road. We went to Monaco and quickly toured the entire country (it's tiny). It was so beautiful; the streets are practically paved in gold. It's where all the celebrities go for vacation. Then we moved onto Nice, France, and got a hotel and a nice French dinner. We're going to bed early tonight.
Thursday, June 14th- This morning for breakfast I got a real French croissant at a little French bakery and then spent the day driving through the French Alps. Those were some breathtaking views. We checked out the town of Isola. We went to the peak of the mountain, played in the snow, and then went back down the other side into Italy. Before we crossed into Italy, we went to a cute restaurant outside of Jausiers in Larche, France, and had lunch. We went through the Italian Alps, and stopped in Vinadio, Italy to see a cool fort. Now we're on our way to Torino to see the Olympic Village.
Okay, so Torino was a letdown. We got really lost and the traffic was terrible, and there was really nothing to see. From there we stopped at an AutoGrill for dinner and it took us 'til midnight to find a hotel (a shitty one too) in Como, Italy. On the way there, we got off the highway ramp into Pero and I saw a woman in a black dress scratching her ass. I jokingly said, "Haha, look, it's a hooker!" and just as a said that, we drove by, and my father and I both went, "OH MY GOD IT'S A MAN!" It was so disturbing. Then when we got back on the highway, there were ten more (both male and female) hookers lined up along the ramp! So we get off another exit, and my father's like, "I'll be damned if I see any more hookers" and just then, we drive by two more! It was hilarious. Oh, at ten o'clock we were driving through a deserted town looking for a hotel, wondering where all the people were, and then all the sudden a parade comes around the corner, with all the women first, then men, then kids. And they were carrying these huge 6-foot-tall crosses and holding a canopy over a priest. It was so random. But yeah, the Mini Hotel in Como is sketchy, don't stay there if you're ever in the area. Ha.
Friday, June 15th- We checked out Lake Como and then crossed the border into Switzerland. We checked out Lugano, Switzerland but couldn't do much because they use Swiss francs there, not Euros. We went back to Milano, got lost trying to find the hotel, and then found it by accident. Got a huge container of gelatto for dinner. We went to bed reeeally early. I had a crazy dream but I'll write about that later.
Saturday, June 16th-- Woke up, and Ernesto came to say goodbye. We went to Linate Airport and flew to Dublin. Checked into our hotel, Golden Tulip Inn, which turned out to be really nice. We took the bus to the Temple Bar, which is a very cool New Orleans-esque section of Dublin with lots of little shops, lots of cool record stores and vintage clothing stores, tattoo parlours, and awesome pubs. We had a great time shopping and watching street performers. We ate at the Bad Ass Cafe. Went to a Web Cafe and met an Irish girl from Kingston! Small fucking world. Then we went back to the hotel and had a Guinness. While I was drinking, this married couple, Linda and James, sat down next to me. They were cooler than cool, and James kept buying me beers. Went to bed around midnight after James got really drunk and started talking crazy talk.
Sunday, June 17- We went to the airport this morning. The plane stopped in Shannon for an hour or so and now we're on the way back to Boston."
So, that's the trip! I got home around 6 PM Boston time Sunday night. The weather was perfect all week, 70 degrees, clear skies, and no bugs whatsoever- they leave the windows wide open with no screens there! Oh, and they have freakin' palm trees all over Ireland- never expected that! Europe is sooo expensive though. The American dollar is worth less than the Euro, so we're at a disadvantage already, and then everything is hugely expensive- $4.15 (American) for a can of Coca Cola. It cost me about $20 American to send out 11 postcards. Insane! But, it was worth every penny. They eat raw horsemeat in Italy, which is retarded. I've now been to 6 European countries, and I can't wait to go back to Ireland. The last night there was the most fun I had all week. I love Irish boys. I love that there's no drinking age in Europe. The end.
