Coming Home

It took me 5 years to get back to Rome but nothing has changed and I am still head over heels in love with the eternal city. It's a strange feeling you get when you return to places that had such an impact on you; places where you've left a little piece of your heart. Strolling through the streets, twisting and turning down memory lane feeling like I'd finally returned home. After a month and a half of traveling in Europe, I suddenly felt a weight lift off of me. Like I could finally slow down and actually be in the moment. Taking a deep breath, sipping my espresso, and soaking up the sun's rays, I smiled to myself. This is the feeling I've been searching for. This is why I travel. To feel like time is standing still, like I have nothing I need to do and nowhere I need to be. 

Unfortunately the 24 hours that followed that blissful feeling were anything but. We had tickets for an overnight train from Rome to Palermo, Sicily. The train left Rome at 10:25pm and arrived in Sicily at 10:35 the following morning. Without us on it. We arrived at the train station with plenty of time to spare, waiting until our platform was announced and after reading 'Binari 17' from the screen we boarded the train. The train destined for Frosinone that is. We both were confused boarding the train that neither the car nor the seats were marked and our tickets had specific seat numbers but we shrugged it off. I also noted how I could have sworn we were on a sleeper train and this car had seats that didn't even recline. But we just giggled and made jokes and talked excitedly about Sicily. I started to get a strange feeling once the train took off and decided I'd better double check with someone so I got up and asked the kid a few rows back where the final destination of the train was. When I announced that we were meant to be going to Palermo a look of sheer shock and panic crossed his face and suddenly other passengers were yelling to eachother "Palermo!" "Sicilia!". Only one word came to my mind, "FUCK!!!" So long story short after the gracious help of other passengers we remained on this train destined for Frosinone, a small town whose claim to fame is that it is the home of famed TV actress Fran Drescher. You know, from The Nanny. The Frosinone train station at 1am is not somewhere I'd ever like to be again. After spending an hour there we got on a train to another miscellaneous town where we had to wait 2 hours for a train to Naples. We got a nice taste for what it's like to be homeless as we huddled together on the cold cement floor surrounded by all of our bags. 2 hours felt like 2 days but finally we got on a train to Naples where we would wait 4 hours for a train that finally would bring us to Sicily. After being woken up by a police officer from my bench slumber I felt like a real degenerate. Only 9 more hours on the train until we reached Palermo! 

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and although it may seem shitty at the time, there's got to be a good reason for it all. I kept racking my brain trying to figure out what the reason was for this. And then I realized how grateful I'd become over the last 24 hours. Getting a taste firsthand of what it is like to be homeless, to be lost, to be physically and mentally exhausted and at points want to cry and give up. My life is often times way too easy and although I have so much gratitude for it, there are times when I get caught up in the petty bullshit that consumes our everyday. And I forget to be thankful for everything I have been blessed with. As I sat on the cold floor of the Naples train station fighting to stay awake for fear of both myself and my belongings, I thought to myself, "I am so god damn lucky". There are people who would kill to switch places with me, whose troubles are far more than I can even fathom. And so in short, I think the life lesson of this travel mishap was to change my perspective. 

The rusty train rolled to a halt on board the ferry across the Mediterranean Sea destined for the island of Sicily. Finally we could exit the train and breathe some fresh air. Sunshine on my face and ocean on the horizon, I knew everything was going to be just fine. A couple hours later, after the train of course temporarily broke down, I gazed out the window and saw the most magnificent sunset over the mountains to my left and the waves of the Mediterranean crashing on shore to my right. Two things that always ground me, the sea and the sunset. 

After a short walk and getting lost only once, we made it to our sweet little apartment where we'd rented a room for the night. We showered, washed our clothes, ate a pizza, and fell sound asleep for 12 hours. And after the nightmare of the day before we decided we really needed to relax and deserved a getaway. And so if it weren't for all of the hassle of missing our train, we would never have come to this beautiful apartment on the ocean in Mondello. But here we are, with a beautiful view of the beach, getting ready to walk into the sparkling town on the horizon for a delicious and fresh seafood dinner. Like I said, everything happens for a reason.

[The view from our terrace]

❤️💙💛

Praha

Four days in Prague came and went and here I am once again trying desperately to get my backpack to zip so I can throw it on and head off. I will be so relieved when I can send a few things home and free up some space in this bag!

The 'city of spires' as Prague is so aptly nicknamed, has some of the most stunning architecture I've seen thus far. I had a few moments where I questioned if it was real. Walking through a cobblestone square, passing a gorgeous fountain and then looking up and feeling as though I was approaching Sleeping Beauty's castle.

[The Dancing House]

Per usual, we spent a lot of time aimlessly wandering through the city. Climbing to the tops of towers and cathedrals for awe inducing panoramic views. 

I was bursting with excitement when we stumbled into the Old Town and came across a slew of Thai massage joints. I wouldn't say it was "cheap" considering I compare everything to Asia, but it was much more reasonable than it would be at home. Meg had never experienced the magic of Thai massage and reluctantly she agreed to try out a foot massage. 30 minutes of bliss later and we decided we'd return the following day for a the back, neck, and shoulder massage. Stepping into the joint I felt like I stepped right back into Thailand and the joy it brought me confirmed that I need to return immediately.

[Post massage daze]

Combining my love of graffiti and my love for The Beatles/John Lennon, the "John Lennon Wall" was a must see for me while in Prague. The wall was originally painted on back in the 80s as an expression of freedom and retaliation against communism. Most of the original artwork has been painted over but the wall remains a billboard for peace. Ironically, it stands directly across from the French embassy. 

Prague is the least expensive city we have been to so far. Four nights accommodation, three meals a day, massages, transportation, souvenirs, and a few other random expenses and I've only spent $175. Beer ranges from under a dollar to a little over 2 dollars and is consistently cheaper than water and sometimes even coffee. The cuisine unfortunately is not geared for vegetarians. Goulash, sausages, and pork knees are among the country's specialties and on average 2 out of my 3 meals were from the grocery store. Which also explains how I managed to spend so little. We did miraculously find a falafel spot today and if my stomach had eyes I think they would have cried tears of joy. Follow that up with a tredelnik, a spiral pastry covered in cinnamon sugar and lined with Nutella and for the first time in four days I actually felt satisfied.

I am not sad to be leaving Prague. The city is beautiful and I've enjoyed it very much but I'm ready to move on. 

Tomorrow I'm returning to Rome for the first time since studying there five years ago and I can't quite express my excitement. I feel like I'm going home, returning to the city I fell in love with so long ago. Just one more sleep and we will be there! We're so close I can taste it...and I can't wait because after this disappointing Czech food I'm really hankering for pasta and gelato :)

The Swedest Time

We are back on the road again after 9 days in the Nordics; a quick 2 nights in Oslo and then a full week in Sweden. Meghan has family friends in Sweden that took us in and spoiled us for a wonderful week of relaxation.

[Oslo, Norway]

With the exception of the last 2 days which we spent in Stockholm, we stayed the week in Falkoping, a small farm town in the southern part of the country. Our days were spent at the gym, boxing and doing yoga, and watching movies by candle light while drinking hot chocolate and eating ginger bread cookies. It was very sweet. Our host, Linnea, could not be any more of a doll and she made sure we were enjoying ourselves. Her entire family took time to make us feel welcome and proudly show us around their towns. I'm always amazed at the generosity of others and so grateful that I have these opportunities.

[Our adorable hostess!]

If you kept up with my blog while I was in Asia then you know I love me some relaxation time! I think that's been the hardest adjustment while traveling in Europe. It is constantly go go go and with only a few days in each city we are always on some sort of agenda...even if that means wandering aimlessly for hours which is usually what we do. I miss my multiple hour spa treatments and days spent laying around on the beach in south east Asia. Maybe hopping on a scooter and finding a waterfall to jump in or spending a day bathing elephants. I fell in love with traveling for many reasons but the main one was that it caused me to slow down, to stop planning. Coming from the northeastern part of America I naturally live a very fast paced life. Always something to do, somewhere to go, someone to see. During my 7 months in Asia, I adopted a different mentality. One where I didn't make plans more than one day in advance and even that felt constricting. Because prices are so cheap and they don't change, there was never a need to book onward travel in advance. I could take my time enjoying my surroundings and when I felt ready to move on, I would book a ticket to the next destination. Europe is different. Tickets have to be booked in advance for risk of the price inevitably increasing. Which means we have limited time in each place and I feel guilty if I ever waste a day lying around and doing nothing. It's an adjustment for sure but I am still having a ball- Meg makes me cry laughing on a daily basis, she's on a roll with the jokes. And 5 days in Sweden where I didn't feel the pressure to be sightseeing and crossing things off a list was exactly what I needed.

But then we got to Stockholm and immediately I felt upset that I didn't have more time to explore. Only 36 hours in the city and I completely fell in love with it. Despite the temperature being too low, I really didn't want to leave. But as I keep telling myself, you can't see everything. The most important thing to me is that I can wander around and just get a feel for a city. Of course certain places have some attractions that are a must see/do but for the most part I am done with playing tourist. It's not who I am and I don't enjoy it. And yes there is a major difference between and traveler and a tourist.

[Made some friends at the Viking bar]

So another morning waking up before sunrise to get to the airport and now we are in Prague. We are both exhausted from traveling and lack of sleep so we didn't bother checking out any of the city today. However we have encountered some not so friendly locals and learned that beer is cheaper than water. We'll see what the next few days have in store for us!

[Here's what a true traveler looks like ;)]

Berlin is Bae

Before embarking on this trip I had many people asking me which city I was most looking forward to. Unsure of the answer to that question I almost always replied with "I don't know..I'm pretty psyched for Berlin." I try not to have expectations about a place before I get there but we all know that isn't as easy as it sounds. So naturally after all of the stories I'd heard, my expectations for Berlin were pretty high. And as often happens, my expectations were exceeded. Berlin has been my favorite city thus far and I'm totally bummed to be leaving.

Where do I even start? For one, Berlin is the vegetarian capital of the WORLD. If you know me, you know how much I love food and how excited I get when there are veggie options everywhere. Add to that all of the yoga studios, insane street art, and a party scene like no other and you've got one kick ass city. On top of that, Berlin offers some stunning architecture such as the Berlin Catherdral which leaves you breathless when it first comes into your view. It is a huge city which consequently means a lot of people but because it is so spread out, you never encounter a massively crowded sidewalk or a stampede of people rushing into a subway train. In Berlin there is plenty of space to breathe and feel fresh air rather than feeling suffocated by the masses.

It wouldn't be proper if we went to Berlin and didn't experience the nightlife. Berlin boasts one of the top clubbing scenes in Europe, and quite possibly the world. There is something going on every night of the week. Or should I say morning... Clubs don't open until 11 or 12 at night and everyone knows you never go right when they open. Things don't really get started until about 1am and they don't end until a few hours after the sun has risen. 

We lucked out getting a hostel in a prime location. Situated right between the trendiest neighborhoods, Frederichshain and Kreuzberg, we were only a short walk to the major clubs, the best food, yoga, and the Berlin Wall. We also lucked out that although we booked dorm rooms, we were the only 2 checked in and ended up having a huge room to ourselves. We borrowed yoga mats from reception and started every morning with a little music and movement. As with every other city we've been to so far, we met up with a local friend of mine. This beautiful doe eyed German from my yoga training in Bali was such a delight to see again.

I can't say enough good things about the city. It is so unique and pulsating with creativity. And the fact that I fell so in love with a city that was cold enough for me to need a hat and gloves one day is really saying something. I couldn't get over how cool all of the street art was. Almost every building has some sort of art or graffiti and instead of looking trashy, it is like stepping into an art gallery the size of a city. 

Although I'm not typically a fan of imitation meat, the currywurst is a must try while in Berlin and since they offer a vegan version of it, I had to try it. Verdict: not the bomb. The falafel on the other hand...to die for.

Sadly our time in Berlin was way too short and we're off to the land of the genetically blessed...aka Scandinavia. After only 3 hours of sleep and sleeping through our alarm, I woke up in a panic realizing that our flight left in less than 2 hours. We threw our bags together and jumped in a taxi telling the driver to get us to the airport as fast as possible. We made it with time to spare.....a lot of time to spare. After boarding the plane and immediately falling asleep, we woke up to find that we were not in fact in the air en route to Norway. We were still on the runway. Luckily the flight wasn't very full and we each had our own row of 3 seats to curl up in the fetal position as the plane sat idle on the runway for another hour. What was, I'm sure, a very irritating morning for our fellow travelers turned into a pleasant 2 hour nap for Meghan and I. Then we de-boarded the plane and they cancelled the flight. We did our best to get on the next one but as I don't speak German, communication is difficult and we got booked onto a flight at 8pm instead. So nine hours after first arriving at the airport....we are still here. Trying desperately to stay awake for another 3 hours until we board and finally head to Oslo because we both know if we attempt to nap in the terminal we will most likely miss our flight. So on that note..time for more chocolate!