Brandon O'Brien

Thursday, October 24, 2013 @ 11:34 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 120

We got up this morning and walked down to the Louvre to spend the day in the museum. We made a slight detour first to get some coffee and breakfast. We each had some kind of apple filled breakfast pastry that was really good!

The Louvre is a giant museum and it would take days to cover all of it thoroughly. We started off seeing some of the Egyptian exhibits, then went through some of the sculptures, saw the Mona Lisa, browsed several areas of artwork and then ended in the Renaissance area. Fortunately the museum wasn't too crowded and we were able to see the works without having to wait in any real lines.

After the museum we went in search of a late lunch. We walked around a little bit and ended up in some pretty ritzy areas but finally found a creperie and we got a nutella/banana crepe as well as a ham/cheese crepe. Both of them were really good and definitely hit the spot.

After eating we went back up to the area our apartment is in and spent about an hour in the Montmarte Cemetery. It's full of giant crypts as well as tombstones. It was actually peaceful walking around in there. You could tell that some of them hadn't been taken care of in a long time but others had regular maintenance done on them.

On the way back to the apartment we walked through some side streets that were tree lined and full of shops. We stopped at a market and picked up some cheese and a baguette to munch on for dinner.

After taking a little bit of a break we went out after it got dark and were searching for a dessert. We had seen some raspberry tarts earlier in the week and were really craving one. We couldn't find exactly what we were looking for tonight but we did find a similar strawberry one which we bought as well as a mocha/chocolate cake. Both of them were delicious and were exactly what we were craving. We then walked around a bit and took some night photos of the streets near where we're staying.

Teaser photos:

The Louvre

Gigantic artwork

Montmarte Cemetary

Strawberry tart and chocolate cake

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Tags: daily journal, france, paris

Posted from: France

Wednesday, October 23, 2013 @ 10:07 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 119

We got up and had some more pastries for breakfast then started the walk down to the Notre Dame cathedral. We passed through several nice streets as well as the Paris city hall building before getting to the cathedral. You don't realize how large the actual building is until you're standing in front of it.

We took some photos from the outside then went into the church. It's actually free entry and the interior is beautiful with all the stained glass lighting it up. The ceilings and support beams are extremely intricate in the way they were built and it's hard to think that all of this was done 850 years ago.

After touring the inside we walked around the whole cathedral then got some lunch and ate in a little garden with a view of the cathedral. It was nice in the park since it was pretty quiet and didn't have all the masses of people that had started to gather outside Notre Dame.

Once we finished eating we went down to the Luxembourg gardens and walked around. The leaves were crisp and it definitely felt and smelled like a fall day there. We sat on some benches in the sun for a while before heading back by the Notre Dame cathedral and up to the Marais area. Along the way to Marais we walked along the Seine river and then walked across the bridge where everyone puts locks on the fence. Marais is an area of town with tiny streets and a lot of shops. There were falafel shops everywhere and the food smelled amazing.

We finished walking around there then started back toward the apartment. Along the way we went into a market and got some spinach, wine, bread and a red pepper for dinner. We relaxed back at the apartment for a bit letting our feet get a break from all the walking. Today was another 9 mile day of walking around too.

Before dinner we went out and got some shrimp to cook as well. For dinner we made shrimp with the leftover green beans from last night, spinach, red pepper and the olive oil/spice mixture. We also had some bread and cheeses with it.

We just wanted to relax the rest of the night so we watched Zombieland and will probably head off to bed soon. Two full days of long walks have made both of us pretty tired.

Teaser photos:

Inside Notre Dame Cathedral

Stained Glass in Notre Dame

Notre Dame

Locks on a bridge

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Tags: daily journal, france, paris

Posted from: France

Tuesday, October 22, 2013 @ 10:11 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 118

We got up and got some coffee and pastries from a bakery on our way up to the Sacre-Coeur basilica. We were thinking about climbing to the top of the basilica yesterday but there were a lot of people up there and the sun was pretty harsh. This morning was the complete opposite. We pretty much had the entire dome to ourselves and the views of the city were great.

We spent some time up there then did some navigating through Paris to get to the Eiffel tower. For some reason they weren't selling tickets to the top level at the base. We purchased tickets to the 2nd level which was high enough to see pretty much all of Paris. Instead of waiting an hour to get to the top, we went back down, got some wine, bread and cheese and ate and drank in the park with the tower in the background.

After polishing off a bottle of wine and a baguette we took a bunch of photos of the Eiffel tower from different viewpoints then headed over to the Arc de Triomphe. It was starting to sprinkle rain by now but it was warm enough that it didn't really matter. We stayed under the Arc de Triomphe for a bit and then walked down the Champs Elysees to the Egyptian obelisk.

It was still sprinkling on us so we headed back to the apartment and got some wine, pasta and veggies on the way. For dinner I made some pasta with green beans, red pepper and Italian spice mixes. Since then we've just been enjoying some wine and people watching out our windows.

Tomorrow we're going to head down to the Notre Dame cathedral and check out that area.

Teaser photos:

Eiffel tower from the Sacre-Coeur

Croissants for breakfast

Eiffel Tower

At the Eiffel Tower

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Tags: daily journal, paris, france

Posted from: France

Monday, October 21, 2013 @ 9:01 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 117

Today was the day Holly arrived in Paris! Staying the night at the airport worked out really well for me. I could take my time in the morning and take the short shuttle service from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2. I got there a little early and before too long she got through customs and we were on our way into the city!

We pulled out some cash from an ATM to pay for the hotel (it's actually an apartment which is really awesome) then jumped on a train to Paris Nord. There are a bunch of exits from the station and I lead us to the wrong one but it worked out alright. We aimlessly walked around then got some coffee from a little cafe.

After the coffee we made our way down to the Orange store to pick up our WiFi dongle so we can have access to maps and data while we're out exploring the town. It was pretty easy to tell the employee what I wanted since they had some product magazines and I was able to point at the picture of what we needed.

It was about time to check into the hotel so we got here about a half hour early but quickly realized it's not a hotel but rather an apartment that gets rented out. The owner showed up right at 2 and we checked in. The place is really nice! A full kitchen, a living room and a bedroom with several windows that overlook the popular Rue des Abbesses.

After relaxing for a bit we went and visited the Sacre-Coeur which is a big church up on the hill with views of the entire city. We got there kinda late and the sun was behind the city which made for poor photos. Tomorrow we'll head up to the top and get some good shots of the city.

We did some more wandering around and went to a shop near the Moulin Rouge and got some wine, a baguette and some other random food and came back to the room. We've been having fun looking out the window and counting all the people walking around with baguettes. It's so stereotypical to portray French people as walking around carrying bread but it's actually so true. After some wine we went out and got dinner. We got some local roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, a salad and some bread covered in ham, cheese and tomatoes.

We're calling it an early night tonight so Holly can fight the jet lag. Tomorrow we're planning on also seeing the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. So far the weather has been absolutely perfect. Hopefully it holds out the rest of the week! I'll have some photos to upload tomorrow.

Teaser photos:

View from our apartment

Sacre-Coeur Basilica

Artists selling their work

Moulin Rouge - A bit of an anti-climax

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Tags: daily journal, paris, france

Posted from: France

Sunday, October 20, 2013 @ 8:37 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 116

The train ride into Paris wasn't too bad last night. The bottom bunks (which I was on) were weird because the backrest for when they are seats was still there so it was really awkward sleeping. Aside from that, the fact that the train didn't get into Paris until 10:20am meant I wasn't rushed to wake up. Even though sleeping on the train isn't the best sleep ever, I slept off and on until about 8:30. I ate a donut for breakfast that I had bought back in Italy before departing.

I changed into some jeans before getting into the station and then started my 2.5 mile walk from the Gare du Lyon station up to the Gare du Nord station where I'd catch the train up to the airport (where my hotel is at). It was actually much warmer than I was expecting it to be in Paris. It had just rained but was only partly cloudy out so the humidity was pretty high. I was actually starting to sweat in my jeans, short sleeve shirt and jacket.

I made a few detours since I was staying at the airport away from easy access to food. I first bought some apples to snack on throughout the next 24 hours. The next stop was a place that was selling pastries so I bought a croissant for breakfast in the morning. I stumbled across another busy bakery that was selling sandwiches so I bought one for dinner.

For lunch I had a chicken doner sandwich and some frites which was nice and filling. I went into the Gare du Nord station and bought a one way ticket up to the Charles de Gaulle airport and scoped out where I'll be meeting Holly tomorrow morning. Next I took the shuttle down to my hotel and checked in.

This is the first time I've had a room for myself without other people around or having to share a shower since my 2nd week when I stayed at a hotel in Limmerick Ireland. I checked in around 1:30pm and haven't done anything all afternoon aside from read, listen to music on the TV (French and random pop songs) and eat dinner. It's so nice being able to have some time to not do anything and not have to deal with shared living spaces.

Tags: daily journal, france, paris

Posted from: France

Saturday, October 19, 2013 @ 5:18 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 115

I've covered quite a bit of distance today. I started off in Naples, Italy at my hostel (Hostel of the Sun). After eating and packing I went to the Napoli Centrale train station and got on my train to Rome. I arrived in Rome a little after 12pm and went in search of a bag check so I could go explore the town for a few hours before my train to Paris left.

After a few minutes I finally found the baggage drop off point but there was a pretty heavy line. Rather than wait in line for a half hour and pay 5 euros to drop off my bag, I just sucked it up and carried it around with me. I set off to the Colosseum first. Unfortunately they had a large section of it behind scaffolding. I guess that's one of the disadvantages of visiting big monuments in the off season.

I saw the Roman Forums which are next to the Colosseum and then walked over to the Pantheon. Along the way I stopped at a grocery and got some apples and a to-go sandwich and ate lunch in the shade of the Pantheon.

From my last trip to Rome back in 2008 I remembered a really really good gelato place. It has over 150 different flavors, all of which are delicious. I wanted to see if I could remember where it was and find it without checking my map but unfortunately I was off by a street.

When I got to it, I ordered a pistachio stracciatella / Kit Kat gelato. Both flavors were really good. With plenty of time to burn I went over to the Piazza del Popolo and then looped back to the train station. Carrying around my big backpack plus my small backpack in my hand and the heat of the day kept me from running around more. I had time to run to the Vatican but it would be only to snap a photo. I still remember it from last time I was here so I didn't feel the need.

On the way back to the train station I ran into a guy who was staying at the same hostel as me in Naples. It's pretty funny how run-ins like this happen with as much frequency as they do. Another example was a girl at the hostel in Naples was talking about how she did a little bit of traveling with one of the guys who I stayed with at my hostel in Florence. Another "small world" moment.

Back at the train station I bought two small wine juice boxes and a donut for the train (the wine for tonight with some sandwiches I made earlier and the donut for breakfast). Fortunately I found an outlet in a waiting area at the train station so I can do some last minute charging of my devices and sit in comfort while waiting for my train.

I'm set to arrive in Paris a little after 10am tomorrow morning. I'm glad I don't arrive too early. The last couple of night journey's I've done have gotten me in around 6am which makes it hard to get a full night's sleep. When I get into Paris I'll do a little shopping so I can buy some food for dinner and breakfast for my hotel. It's going to be quite the shock having a 20+ degree drop in temperatures from southern Italy up to Paris. It's been nice wearing shorts and t-shirts for the last couple of weeks.

Teaser photos:

The Colosseum (under construction)

Rome

Gelateria Della Palma (the greatest gelateria in the world)

Dome in the Pantheon

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Tags: daily journal, italy, naples, rome

Posted from: Italy

Friday, October 18, 2013 @ 10:02 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 114

I didn't really have any kind of plan for the day. I got up, ate breakfast, handed off my laundry to the staff at the hostel and then set out to find a reading area with a nice view. Unfortunately between the lack of public benches, the lack of shade and the overwhelming presence of flies I had a hard time finding somewhere to relax.

I hopped around a few places until it was time to seek out some lunch. First I picked up another spice pack that I can use in Paris (it's a similar spice pack to what I got in the Cinque Terre... garlic, red pepper, oregano, salt, and some other stuff). After that I went in search of another quick and easy folded up pizza for lunch.

I ended up at Di Matteo again since they were constantly churning out new pizzas every few minutes. They were fresh out when I showed up so I saw them make mine from scratch, throw it in the oven for a few minutes and then wrapped it up in paper for me all in front of my eyes.

Like I mentioned yesterday, the pizza al forno is a great and cheap way to get pizza on the go. They're a little smaller than a normal pizza but perfect for a lunch portion. They don't really have as much cheese on them either but the flavor is amazing. They fold them in half, then in half again and wrap it in some paper and give it to you to eat while walking around. If you can find them hot and fresh there's nothing better. I've seen some shops that have a bunch of them sitting in little cases but at Di Matteo they're constantly being purchased and made.

After eating I came back to the hostel to read, answer emails and relax the rest of the day. Being my 4th full day here I didn't really feel the need to be outside all day. I guess that's one of the perks of long term travel.

Before dinner I gathered up my laundry that had been air drying and then went back up to the kitchen to make a mix of peas and corn with a side of bread and dipping oil. After eating I was absolutely stuffed and read in the lounge for a bit before finishing the half bottle of wine I had left over from last night.

At 7:00 tonight the hostel organized an outing to a local pizza place where they tried a bunch of different types of pizzas. If I wasn't so stuffed I would have tried it out. There was a pretty big group that took advantage of it.

Tomorrow I have a train booked for 11am to take me up to Rome. I'll have about 7 hours in Rome before my overnight train leaves for Paris. I'm planning on dropping my bag off in the luggage storage area at the train station and exploring Rome quickly. I was there for a few days several years ago but it'll be cool to see the Colosseum again.

Teaser photos:

Pizza al forno at Di Matteo

Pizza al forno takeaway

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Tags: daily journal, italy, naples

Posted from: Italy

Thursday, October 17, 2013 @ 6:51 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 113

Today was great weather for walking around and exploring Naples. I didn't really have a plan when I left the hostel this morning but I knew I wanted to see the old Castel dell'Ovo down on the water as well as the extremely awesome views up at Castel Sant'Elmo.

I started off by heading to Castel dell'Ovo and passed through the Galleria Umberto on the way. It's a big glass enclosed block that's filled with all kinds of food shops and stores. I was there too early for much of anything to be open though. From there I went through Piazza del Plebiscito but they had a bunch of tents set up in the big piazza which ruined the view a bit. A short walk later and I was at the castle.

There's no admission to enter the castle which is cool. I walked around and saw some good views of the port and Mt Vesuvius. I stayed there for a little while taking photos and enjoying the view. I could see the Castel Sant'Elmo towering above the city and knew I should probably start working my way over there.

There's a tram that runs up and down the big hill but I didn't have any real change for the ticket machines. Instead, I decided I could get some exercise and walk up there. Getting up there took me through all kinds of narrow bricked streets filled with crazy mopeds and hole in the wall markets and convenience stores. I was definitely out of the tourist area back in those streets.

Eventually I found the main road that would lead me up to the castle. After winding around a bit and dodging mopeds and cars I made it to a huge staircase that took me the rest of the way up.

The Castel Sant'Elmo costs 5 euros to get into which is actually pretty cheap compared to a lot of the big sites. I guess I was there early enough because it was deserted. The views from the ramparts up there were amazing. You don't truly realize just how much Naples expands into the surrounding areas. Since the castle is the highest point around Naples, you can see pretty much 360 degrees around the city.

It was almost noon so I went back into town to hunt down some pizza. I made it back to the main drag and realized there are a couple different styles of pizza consumption in Naples. Most of the younger crowd and locals get the 1 euro margarita pizzas that are a little smaller but are folded up and wrapped in paper so you can eat them on the go. With no real need to pay an extra 2.50 for a marginally larger pizza that has a little more cheese, I got one of the "to-go" pizzas and another arancini and ate it in a small square.

The pizza I got was literally fresh out of the oven when I bought it (I saw them making, baking and pulling it out) and it tasted amazing. Eating it like a 4 layered sandwich was a little awkward at first but it works surprisingly well if you use the paper they give you to keep the sauce in check.

Since my lunch was pretty big, I wanted to have another light dinner so I got some peas, corn, bread and some wine from a market on the way back to the hostel. I thought the wine was on special for 2.99 but apparently it wasn't so I'm going to be trying a 5 euro bottle of wine tonight. We'll see how it tastes!

Back at the hostel I answered emails and read for a while before making dinner. I'll probably do the same the rest of the night while enjoying my wine. I have a full day here in Naples tomorrow and I'm not really sure what I'm going to do yet. I know I'm definitely going to do some laundry but they do all of the washing and drying for 3 euros which is a pretty good deal.

Teaser photos:

Naples looking northwest

Vesuvius from Castel dell'Ovo

Me on top of Castel Sant'Elmo

Old and New Naples

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Tags: daily journal, italy, naples

Posted from: Italy

Wednesday, October 16, 2013 @ 4:52 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 112

Since it was supposed to rain today I didn't really have much planned. The only things on my list were to get some local food and possibly go on the subterranean Naples tour.

After eating breakfast I worked for a couple hours and booked a flight from Paris to Barcelona where I'll be staying for a week. The flight ended up being about $100 cheaper than an 11 hour train ride would have been. Easy choice. A week in Barcelona will be nice since everyone I've talked to while traveling has said nothing but good things about it... plus it has several beaches I can relax on.

It poured down rain for a while but stopped around 11 so I changed and headed out to go find some lunch. I went up to Gino Sorbillo's Pizzeria but they didn't open until noon. There were a few other recommended pizza joints along that street so I went down to see if they were open. The next one on my list, Di Matteo, was open. I didn't see a menu or anything outside listing the pizza prices but what did catch my eye was something I'd read about in Saveur magazine about a year ago. They're rice balls that have been filled with cheese, pasta sauce and peas, then they're breaded and fried. These rice balls of awesomeness are called arancini (Arancini on Wikipedia). I couldn't pass this up, and for 1 euro they couldn't be beat.

While walking around eating my arancini I came across the entrance to the guided tours of the Naples underground. There were a bunch of people gathered around and I guessed a tour was starting soon (apparently they only start every 2 hours). People were just aimlessly standing around but I saw some people paying for tickets so I made my way through the crowd and bought a ticket. Apparently that was for the Italian guided tour that was starting so I just had to stand back and wait about 10 minutes for the Italian group and then a French group to start.

We made our way down a bunch of steps into the old aquifer the Greek original built under the city. Apparently at it's greatest size, the underground tunnels spread for over 200 kilometers. What we were standing on was only refurbished around the time of WW2 when they were used as bomb shelters. For hundreds of years trash was dumped down in the tunnels so before they were converted into bomb shelters all of the trash was simply covered with concrete. If the trash wasn't there, the tunnels would have been about 5 meters taller than they are now.

The tour talked about the various uses, how people got water out through wells, how ancient people had to walk around in there with oil lamps burning around their neck with skimmers to keep the water clean and more. Some family brought what looked like a 3 month old baby on the tour which started bawling its eyes out about half way through the tour. They're actually doing some experimenting with growing plants down there. The temperature is so constant and the air is so humid that they can actually keep plants alive without watering them for up to 7 months.

After the aquifer section, we came up and then went over to check out some of the old amphitheater that was forgot about and only recently discovered in the foundations and walls of existing homes. We entered through what used to be an old lady's wine cellar. Behind all the plaster in her cellar was actually a big hallway that the actors would run through as well as one of the changing rooms. All of the old roman brickwork was still there (apparently they mixed large horizontal bricks with diamond shaped ones to help prevent damage during earth quakes).

After the tour ended I walked back to Gino Sorbillo's but the crowd outside was massive. Not really wanting to wait that long for a pizza I went back to Di Matteo but it was the same way... super crowded! There was one more place that I had on my list that wasn't really by any of the tourist areas so I headed over there. Sure enough the line there was crazy as well. Getting pretty hungry at this point I just started walking back toward Gino Sorbillo's and eventually found another pizza place that only had a couple people in line. I could handle waiting a few minutes so I ordered a Margarita pizza (the original with tomato, mozzarella and basil). What I didn't realize is how big the pizza would be. I still ate the entire thing though and it was amazing. I'll check out the other places later in the week at different times when there hopefully won't be as many people.

I'm back at the hostel now and will have some more wine with dinner which will probably be pretty light since between the arancini and the giant pizza I'm still pretty full. The forecast for tomorrow looks good so I'll spend it doing some more sight seeing in town.

Teaser photos:

Underground Naples - original plaster on walls from the greek aquifer

Experimenting with growing plants in the underground

Pots would be lowered from the surface to collect water

Got to have some pizza in Naples

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Tags: daily journal, italy, naples

Posted from: Italy

Tuesday, October 15, 2013 @ 8:18 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 111

Last night I went out for a glass of wine with two of my bunkmates when they wanted dinner. Everyone says Naples is some crazy scary city but we were out walking around for a good half hour after 10:30pm and didn't feel unsafe at all. I think as long as you're smart about it and avoid shady looking areas you'll be fine. That being said, it was nice being in a small group too.

This morning I got up at 8 to eat and figure out where I was visiting today. I rechecked the weather and saw that today was supposed to be dry but tomorrow is going to be rainy so I got a ticket to Herculaneum after breakfast. The guy selling tickets got confused and only gave me a one-way ticket which I didn't think would be an issue since everywhere else I've been in Italy I could buy tickets at the station.

It took about 20 minutes to get to Herculaneum, which is another town that was destroyed by Mt Vesuvius in 79AD. Herculaneum was a much smaller city than Pompeii and due to the type of lava flows that hit it, it had some much better preserved structures, murals and original wood used in the houses.

Since I knew I wanted to visit both Pompeii and Herculaneum I bought a multi-site card that ended up saving me a couple euros. I walked around Herculaneum and was trying to avoid one giant tour group after another. I thought I had gotten there early enough to beat them but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

This brings me to a side point I've been noticing a lot in Italy... I'm so glad I'm doing this trip now instead of 40 years from now when I can't walk up stairs or be outside in the sun for more than 15 minutes. Watching and hearing some of the people in these tour groups makes them sound like they're hating every minute and they'd rather be back on the cruise ship or air conditioned bus.

I was able to see just about everything in Herculaneum due to its small size and I still had half the day ahead of me. I was talking with one of the guys in my dorm room this morning and he said he hit both Herculaneum and Pompeii in one day yesterday. I figured I could do the same.

I hiked back uphill to the train station but the ticket counter was closed (even though there was a guy in there seemingly chilling) and there weren't any automatic booths. Pompeii was on the same train line just 20 minutes farther away so I said screw it and got on the train without any kind of valid ticket.

In the 13 days I've been in Italy so far (and the overwhelming train travel I've been doing), I've only had my ticket checked once and that was on the long haul between Florence and Naples. Of course no one came by and I got off in Pompeii and beat the lines with my multi-site card I bought at Herculaneum.

I didn't realize just how massive the Pompeii site actually was. I got in and was overwhelmed by the labyrinth of streets and buildings everywhere. I spent several hours walking around and checking out the various buildings. Quite a bit of the area was actually closed off due to excavations and renovations.

By the time I was ready to head back to the train station I was completely lost. There are multiple entrances and exits to the site and it took me about a half hour just to find my way back to the entrance I came in (directly across from the train station).

Back at the station I was debating not getting another ticket but I decided since it was under 3 euros to get back to Naples I should go ahead and do it. The trip took about 45 minutes and dumped me off about a 15 minute walk from the hostel. On the way back I went to a market and got some bread and a bottle of Chianti for dinner.

I was pretty hungry by the time I got to the hostel so I went up to the kitchen (which is on the 7th floor and my room is on the 2nd) an cut up the rest of my head of broccoli and green beans I bought yesterday. I mixed them with the Cinque Terre spices and olive oil again and with the bread and wine it turned into a very filling meal.

I didn't realize that every Tuesday they do a free dinner which would have been nice to try, even though it was going to be nothing but carbs and starches (potatos, pasta, tomatoes, onions and parsley) which I guess is a regional dish here. I was much happier with my greens.

It's supposed to rain tomorrow so I'll just stick around Naples. Apparently there's a pretty good tour of the catacombs and Naples underground that runs every 2 hours so I might try that tomorrow if it does end up raining. I'm also planning to start my pizza eating extravaganza tomorrow. There are several places that have been recommended both by random travelers, the hostel staff and the Saveur magazine.

One thing I've noticed a lot in Italy, especially in the south, is the extreme change in personality between complete and utter laziness/uncaring/not-giving-a-shit mentality when it comes to pretty much everything (including serving food, keeping a shop open, smoking, etc) but as soon as you put a southern italian behind the wheel, their entire mindset suddenly goes bipolar and they turn into the most insane, wreckless, aggressive and hurried drivers I've seen so far this trip.

There's no such thing as stopping for red lights, lanes don't matter (I see mopeds driving against traffic on the other side of dividers), taxis will drive up onto sidewalks to get around a small line of cars and the use of a horn happens every few seconds when driving.

Trying to cross streets is like throwing all survival instincts behind and just hoping that you won't get hit. Since all red lights are pretty much ignored, you can't even rely on designated crosswalks to get across busy intersections. It's really weird coming from the States where people, for the most part, are pretty good at following road rules.

Teaser photos:

Mosaic in Herculaneum

Shop in Herculaneum

Pompeii

Canyon? Are you a time traveling dog from Pompeii?

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Tags: daily journal, italy, naples, pompeii, herculaneum

Posted from: Italy