Italy's charm- Lucca

So last time I wrote..it was my last night in Vernazza..so I will start with the morning..you guys can never guess what happened to me!! So I got up early because my plan was to catch the first train out to Pisa (6:37am) and then stop in Pisa for an hour or so before going to Lucca which is a town just on the outskirts of the Tuscany hill towns. So its 6:30am..I am at the train station reading my guide book..I felt something tingling on my waist so I went to slap it...and then I felt a sharp pain and saw a bee fly out! I got stung by a freakin bee in Vernazza at 6:30am! Of all the times Ive gone camping..cycling...running..hiking..anything outdoors..never once..but when I am in Italy..fully clothed..I get stung! I knew I got stung right when it happened...its just one of those feelings...I looked at it..it was turning red and swollen and I am thinking oh great! Well cant do anything about it..so just waiting for my train still in disbelief that I just got stung. I meet this girl whose also traveling by herself..she gave me some cream for my sting =)...I forgot her name but she is from Vegas.. =). We both got off at La Spezia where I had a train transfer and she had to leave her luggage so we said bye.

I got my Pisa train..bee sting still irritating..I see the Pisa stop and saw a bunch of people get off so I did too...only to find out that its the wrong Pisa stop..apparently theres two! Go figure?! Half an hour later..I catch the right one and I am enroute to Pisa...got to Pisa..took some pictures..wandered around and bit and headed back to the train station where I thought I was going to catch a train to Lucca...BUT guess what happened? The trains are on strike!! I thought..No F*cking Way!! (yes Danny I just swore haha..thats how surprised I was at that time!). Trains strike? I thought only BART went on strike!! So I thought..thats ok..theres always plan B..train operator sent me to the information desk..the information desk sent me to the bus station..two piazzas down..which was about 3 or so blocks..so I am trekking to the bus station where I meet two other solo backpackers..one girl was from Denver (real nice) and another from Canada (real snobby)..she asked me what towns Ive been to and managed to correct my pronunciation each time..I was thinking..now is that necessary? Youre only annoying me!! =). Darlene..she reminded me of someone at work..you know who I am talking about! So I got to the bus station..one ticket to Lucca..2.20 euros! SWEET!! Bus comes in 45 minutes! Back on track! As long as I get to my place to stay by 1pm I am good..because most everything in Lucca closes from 1-3pm. I met a girl while waiting for the bus..she is Italian..from Lucca! She is a student..studying all types of languages..I forgot her name too... =( but she was the nicest girl ever! The bus ride to Lucca was really pretty..full of trees and just very lush! We got to Lucca..I got my backpack..strapped on..looked at my map for the key street names..checked the time ( it was 12:38pm)...time to roll! I walked really really really fast...found my B&B with 6 minutes to spare and was greeted by the mom and son who runs the place! Very sweet and nice people! I dropped my stuff off and explored Lucca!

Lucca is such a beautiful and charming little town. The entire town is surrounded by a red brick wall..circling about 2.5 miles! Getting to Lucca was defiinitely worth it..bee sting..wrong stops..train strike and all!! Oh..haha so I am walking around Lucca and saw a pharmacy..so I walked in..and asked the lady if she spoke english? she said no and so I said..ok..then I said..bee and showed her my waist area where I got stung..and she said ah..si! She goes to the back and comes back with cotton balls, antiseptic, cortisone cream, bandages, tweezers and a needle..she looked like she knew what she was doing so I thought...alright!! She tried to take the stinger out I guess but it wouldnt come out so she just put some cream on me and bandaged me up..said something to me in Italian..I nodded figuring it was the usual..keep it clean..dont scratch and I was on my merry way!

Italy's charm- Lucca

Anyone know what would happen if I just kept the stinger in there??

Cinque Terre- Italy's Magic

I think its been about a week and a half since I left for my trip. I am at my last day here in Vernazza. Last time I emailed..I was in Verona taking the night train here. So I was at the train station and incredibly bored for hours. I was in a Mickey Ds waiting for time to go by..scouted the place..out of about 17 or so people..I was the only girl..not exactly the best situation so I was looking around to see if I can befriend anyone that seemed "innocent"..no one I wanted to approach...and then.. 2 nuns came walking in!! I thought "sweet!" I am hanging out by the nuns until my train comes which is exaclty what I did! My night train came..I had a couqetta which is a bed in a cabin..I felt right asleep..3 or 4 hours later I was in Genoa waiting for my transfer to Vernazza..met a very nice Canadian couple. I did get up a few minutes before my actual stop in Genoa and I was just looking out the window..I heard a cabin door open and out comes this guy in his undies..and a shirt..going to the bathroom..he scared me!! He reminded me of Hugh Grant's roommate in Notting Hill..you know the scene of him in his undies..scary right?!

I arrived in Vernazza yesterday early morning..planned to stay here for 3 nights but I changed my plans again and am making it 2 instead. I found my place that I was staying at..Annamarie let me in and at first I thought I was going to have to make it up this tiny green spiral staircase with my big backpack..but she led me in another way! phew!! The view was awesome but it was no joke hiking up to it!! So in my last email..I mentioned that I had a shower out in the terrace right?! well..haha..its been 3 or 4 days since Ive had a real shower and since ive washed my hair..and those who know me well know that I have a thing about hygiene so you can only imagine!! Reason why its been a few days since ive showered is because at the place that I stayed at in Venice..there were no showers .. so back to my shower in the terrace..I didnt want to shower when it was still light out because people can definitely see..so I decided to wait until dark..well darkness came and so did the wind!! The wind was constantly blowing the curtain so all of Vernazza could have seen me shower from the bottom of the hill! But again..remember its been 3 or so days since Ive showered so I had to..plus I had a J.Lo moment in the morning (in the Wedding Planner when she is in Steves office after he saved her from the garbage can..she looked in the mirror and noticed her hair..well my moment was like that but 10 times worse!). So after 20 minutes of figuring out how to get at least one side of the curtain to stay put...I went for it!! A quick 5 minute shower (hot water lasted for 3 minutes)..Im sure some folks saw me but at that point..I didnt care..shower was necessary!! Besides..I did see people swimming nude during my hike between the hill towns..so Im sure being nude in public is somewhat natural here ;). See..Jennie..I am not as big of a "princess" as you think I am haha..but you bet I am going to make my massage and facial appointments once I get back to the bay!

when she told me that the shower was in the terrace...somehow I had envisioned it to be more "glamourous"..haha.

Which brings me to today..today was my vacation from my vacation! Church bell woke me up at 6am..got up at 7ish..from all the town noise..did my laundry..and then trained to Monterosa which is the most resorty of towns here in the Cinque Terre..bought the cheapest beach towel I can find..spent bucks on tanning lotion..pulled the bikini out ..rented a chair and tanned all day! It was so relaxing falling sleep to the waves! Cinque Terre is definitely a unique place..it reminds me a lot of canton, china..this village that my family is from..people are yelling out at their neighborhoods.. clothes hanging from the balconies..has that special village smell..cats and dogs running wild everywhere..its a special place!

Tomorrow AM..I take the early train to Pisa for a quick stop before going to Lucca for one night and entering Florence and the Tuscany Hills area!

I've always wanted to go to Venice!

So I flew out of Prague to Venice..got to Venice at 1230am..the flight was an hour late! Apparently, they're always an hour late?? Anyway, we were the last flight there and the airport was pretty empty. This couple from Vegas was nice enough to let me hitch a ride with their cab to the airport hotel that I had booked for the night! The next morning, I made my way to S.Marco Square in Venice! I found my Pensione Doni and made my way up the stairs to my room. It rained that day..again! Its starting to be a theme!! I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted to hide in a cafe or what..I walked around in circles as the rain was pouring by now..then I had a thought..how often do I get a chance to take pictures of S. Marco Square storming?? So that's what i did..I went and took pictures of people trying to get control of their umbrella and the Basillica in the rain storm..the sky was really pretty! I also took advantage that hardly anyone was out and went to the Correr Museum and the Doges Palace!

I stayed in venice for two nights..which was enough Venice for me..I can only walk around in circles and over bridges for so long..haha..I spent my last evening in venice at the square with a hot chocolate..listening to the orchestra play and journaled as the sun set over the grand canal...( i know..tough life!) I left Venice this morning and town hopped all day! I started with Padua which is a little town famous for its St. Anthonys basillica..it was amazing! You cant help but walk in and just feel tons of emotion as people are praying and tourists are in awe of the building and artwork. Next stop was Vicenza..one of my favorites so far in Italy! Its a city full of charm and character..I couldnt help take lots of pics of all the colorful alleyways! They have the Olympic Theater there which is a sight not to be missed! Now, I am in Verona..city of the fake Romeo and Juliet Balcony! There are so many people here that it makes the S. Marco Square in Venice look like a ghost town!

My train is at 1am tonight..tomorrow morning..heading to Genoa enroute to Vernazza of the Cinque Terre..there I have a room booked with a terrace overlooking the hills and water of Vernazza...(i know..tough life)! Aside from Prague, that was the other place that was a must visit for me that Ive been thinking about for years! The only weird thing about the place that I booked is that I do have a private shower...but its outdoors in the terrace..should be interesting!! But hey as long as it was hot water..I will be happy!

Getting lost in Venice- almost impossible not to..

I sorta planned out the remainder of my trip..I spend 3 nights in Vernazza and then I will visit Pisa enroute to Florence where I will stay for 3 nights at some family run home and then off to Siena for 1 night and then training to Sorrento in the Amalfi Coast..the Amalfi Coast wasnt in the original plan but I miss seeing the water so I had to make room for it. And then I go to Rome for 3 nights staying at a hostel before flying back home.. =).

Prague Is Amazing

I can't say how beautiful it is here! I am so in love with the architecture and the amtosphere here. I am staying at a Pensione ran by a grandmother- who I drove nuts on my first night here because she handed me a set of keys and I could not figure out for the life of me..which key was for which door..you'd think that if the key fits..it would just go in the key hole..yeah not exactly!

I met five friends here so far=). I met a woman by the name of Maria with whom I shared a cab with to the pensione (she was 3 miles away) and a guy from Berkeley named Allan (gets lost all the time). I took a walking tour yesterday and met a girl named Pimbull ( I probably butchered her name) who I stuck with the entire day. We toured almost the entire city of Prague..on our way out of St.Nicholas Church (stunning)...I heard someone call my name and thought..no one here would know me..but I turned around and it was Allan who was with his new buddy named Rome. We all met up for dinner where we met another girl named Karen from the UK. It's been an adventure so far..more to come..just wanted everyone to know that I am safe and doing well! Extremely cheap here..!! Alright..off to the Jewish Cemetery..I fly out to Venice tomorrow night! So much more to tell you guys about Prague but this keyboard is getting on my last nerve...

TWO DAYS LATER..

So last time I emailed..I was in Prague..on my last morning..I was suppose to meet up with Pekbom at 9am..she never showed but Karen did. Karen said that Pekbom never came back last night from her day trip to Vienna so that got us both a little worried. We tried searching for her in and also called her but no sign. So Karen and I just roamed around..it rained pretty much all day that day so I decided to go to the airport early. And it was there that I saw Pekbom..I knew she had a flight back to the UK at the same time as me so I was hoping to see her. It turned out that she missed the train from Vienna back to Prague..she was really upset about it and even blamed it on the fact that she was out with Karen, Allan and I too long the night before so she wasnt paying enough attention..but she was safe and that was all that mattered =). Note taken- never wait for the last train to go back to the city that you came from..you never know what might happen!