Travel Diary: Venice

My first view of the Grand Canal

I arrived in Venice just in time for the first rain in several months, according to my host. Sure enough, as soon as I finished lugging my suitcase up to the fourth floor apartment (Venetian buildings don't have lifts), there was a clap of thunder followed by screams from outside - presumably from tourists caught unaware. By the time I had showered, changed and mapped out a plan to find a place to eat dinner, the rain had let up and only a brisk wind remained. But after the sweltering heat of central and southern Italy, I welcomed it. The storm made the pavement slick and ridden with puddles, but it also cleared the sky, leaving behind streaks of clouds that made it look like an Impressionist painting.

My tour guide, a Venetian local, likened her hometown to living "in a museum." The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage site that runs on tourism, meaning that residents must comply by keeping up traditional appearances. Despite Venice's myriad museums and churches, the only major sites I visited were St. Mark's, the bell tower and the Grand Canal via boat tour because, as Rick Steves' aptly put it, the best site is the city itself.

Even with a map I found it tricky to navigate so I spent a good part of my stay wandering aimlessly, reassured by the fact that I could never get too lost on an island. My apartment was about a 25 minute walk to St. Mark's, a trip I made many times, but because all the "streets" look vaguely identical it meant that each time my route was slightly different. And while the high cost of living has led to a considerable exodus of locals within recent decades, the upshot for visitors is that it means the streets are quite safe, even after dark.

San Marco post-storm and exactly how I like it: without tourists and pigeons.

Shopping in Venice was a treat, thanks to all the specialized artisan shops. Venetian specialties include elaborate Carnevale masks, prints and paper goods, but there are also outlets for lace and handblown glass from the nearby islands of Burano and Murano respectively. But perhaps the most surprising (and random) Venetian tradition I partook in was attending a lively performance by Interpreti Veneziani at Chiesa San Vidal. I'm not generally a huge Vivaldi fan, but when most bars are closed Sunday night it's a fun diversion.

Travel Diary: Rome

Il Vittoriano on Piazza Venezia

Apart from the blazing heat during the day and being eaten alive by mosquitoes at night, I quite enjoyed Rome. And even though I managed to make my way to most of the big tourist attractions (e.g. the Colosseum, Forum, Spanish Steps, etc.), I found it most fulfilling just to walk around and people watch. 

I spent most of my time in the historic Pantheon neighborhood. At night, when the temperature dipped to a pleasant balminess, the old town came alive with buzzing trattorias and osterias and people sitting in darkening piazzas, admiring the floodlit landmarks and absorbing the atmosphere.

Spanish Steps at night.

I was sad to leave and can't wait to return, in part because the food there was excellent. Some of my favorite places, by way of a friend who visited Rome last summer, are:

- Il Cartoccio for deep-fried fish, artichokes, cheeses, you name it.
- Sant'Eustachio for coffee/espresso.
- Old Bridge for gelato.
- Le Fate for their fixed price student menu. (10€ for appetizer, pasta, dessert and glass of wine).

Travel Diary: Vatican City

Since I'm not a religious person, my interest in the Vatican primarily stems from my high school obsession with Angels & Demons. That, and everything about it is sort of shrouded in mystery and scandal. I'm sure at some point I learned some things about it in AP European History but that knowledge is long gone. Luckily I had a great tour guide to explain what I was looking at in the museum and church.

St. Peter's Basilica

I don't usually enjoy guided tours because the explanations provided tend to exceed my attention span, but Valerie (of Rome Walks) was awesome. She paid each person in our intimate five strong group careful attention, answering all our questions and catering to our specific interests. Valerie was both highly knowledgable and engaging - less like a historian and more like a storyteller.

The School of Athens by Raphael. Michelangelo is the melancholy figure in the center with his head on his hand.

She spoke at length about Michelangelo and Raphael (the artists behind the Vatican's most famous paintings) and their differences in style and personality, as well the scandal and drama stirred up under various popes - like the Borgia pope who allegedly organized orgies and Julius II who was the driving force behind the city's most ambitious building projects.

The Gallery of Maps - my favorite room in the museum.

After going through the museum, we took time to admire the Sistine Chapel before ending the tour with the famous St. Peter's Basilica. No words can describe the beauty, grandeur and intricacy of it. Not even the photos do it justice.

One of many photos from St. Peter's Basilica. Check out the rest on Flickr.

Note: Tour groups get to skip the line to get inside. Queuing outside for hours to get in might not be such a big deal in cooler months, but in 90 degree weather it's probably the last thing anyone really wants to do. And unless you're already a Catholic history nerd, you'll probably learn something new.

Travel Diary: Sorrento & Capri

The best way to enjoy Italy despite the searing summer heat is, hands down, on a boat in the Mediterranean, where you can either dive into the perfectly blue water or sip an ice cold Nastro Azzurro as you zoom past the villa-studded Amalfi coastline. It's divine.

Sorrento

Leaving Sorrento (gorgeous seaside town about an hour's train ride from Naples), behind, a small contingent from my hostel in Naples jumped on a boat and headed for the island of Capri. Our driver took us the long way around to the marina, stopping periodically so we could jump in and swim through some of the island's many caves and grottoes.

Yup. Swam through it.

During our afternoon break we stopped at the marina on the far side of the island. Although there was a lovely beach right by the pier we decided to take the funicular up to the hill-top town of Anacapri.

Capri as seen from the funicular.

The main shopping street boasting designer names was packed with tourists both foreign and national. Since I wasn't really in the mood to splurge on a Roberto Cavalli bikini or pair of diamond earrings, for me it was more enjoyable to take in the views and get lost in the town's winding, labyrinthine passageways.

Off the beaten path at Anacapri.

We returned to Sorrento tired, slightly sunburnt but very content. I enjoyed a nice dinner and wine at a seafood restaurant overlooking the piazza with some newfound friends before hopping the Circumvesuviana train back to Naples, where we passed the time playing charades.

Travel Diary: Naples

I was warned not to go to Naples at all by friends who were concerned about my safety. After all, the city does have some of the highest crime and unemployment in the country. You can even sense it when wandering the streets - no wait, the restlessness is probably just due to the uncomfortable heat of summer.

But it is pretty after dark. Especially down by the water.

In truth Naples is fine within the confines of the tourist area, which is basically the triangle between the train station in the east, the Archaeological Museum in the west and the Royal Palace in the south. Even so there's a bit of a gritty feel to it; the one time I was out alone after dark I was a bit paranoid but I kept to the busy main streets. Having just arrived in Rome last night the contrast is quite stark. (Polizia! Everywhere! As compared to not a single one seen in Naples).

The view down via Mezzocannone.

Honestly I didn't spend a whole lot of time in Naples; my first day I went out to visit the famed sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the second was spent on a boat circling the island of Capri. But it was definitely worth wandering the city's historical center, which has amazing classical architecture, beautiful churches and lots of cool (albeit touristy) shops. Oh, and the pizza! Naples is the birthplace of pizza so I made sure to try out a few different restaurants.

Inside Gesù Nuovo.

Every time I've moved in the past several years, I find the local drivers to be increasingly worse and more ruthless than the last. (I've previously lived in the Bay Area, New York, and now Paris). But Italy takes the cake on aggressive drivers with no regard for pedestrians. To cross the street one pretty much has to stay on the heels of a local, otherwise risk being stranded on the sidewalk for a very long time. If there aren't any around, though, you just have to take a deep breath, step out onto the street and stare down whatever car or scooter is speeding unrelentingly toward you.

If you do go Naples, use Hostel of the Sun as your home base. The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and you're sure to meet some cool people who can become your new friends and travel buddies.

Travel Diary: Copenhagen

It's hard to pick one favorite thing about Copenhagen, which is easily my favorite city on the Scandinavian tour. From the quaint bike-friendliness and hip college-town vibe to the deep sense of history and national pride manifest in the preponderance of beautifully maintained castles and churches, Copenhagen manages to feel both cosmopolitan and traditional. And whereas other cities felt as though we had exhausted all the major attractions within less than two days, I would love to stay here longer. (Or, alternatively, come back real soon).



We got our royal family fix at Christianborg Palace, Amalienborg Castle and Rosenborg Castle, but outside the city proper are even more regal residences. Because apparently it was a thing for newly anointed kings to build their own castles rather than inheriting the one from his predecessor. I especially liked Rosenborg because the surrounding gardens reminded me a lot of Central Park.



The Rosenborg grounds are located just a bit inland from The Little Mermaid, which honestly was a little underwhelming up close; the sheer volume of tourists detracted from the experience. South of the statue, at Ofelia Beach, the Copenhagen Sandsculpture Festival displays impressive works by artists from all over the world. Their medium is a mixture of sand and clay, which is then periodically sprayed with water to prevent drying out. The exhibit has been going on since the end of May so, sadly, some of the sculptures looked as though they were beginning to decay.



Copenhagen has a plethora of museums, but after visiting all those castles we were feeling a little burnt out on looking at old things. Even so, we still enjoyed Thorvaldsen's Museum and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek - both sculpture museums. The latter is also renowned for its architecture, with an inner courtyard that's like a greenhouse.



For similar reasons I also tend to get bored of visiting churches but the Church of Our Savior, a baroque masterpiece, is not to be missed. The interior and altarpiece are quite intricate, but the real reason for going is the 90 meter corkscrew spire. And maybe I just have a thing for heights (I've realized through writing that a majority of places I choose to visit tend to be up high), but the view from the top is unbelievable. Another tower we visited was the Rundetårn, or observatory. While not quite as tall as the spire it's equally interesting structurally.



There are also lots of little things that I like about Copenhagen; small details that I tried to capture in photos. Like the way that locals congregate near the water - either on the wharf or in private boats - soaking up the sunshine and each other's company, perhaps drinking a bottle of wine or sharing some ice cream. Or sitting at a café on the sidewalk watching people go by (Copenhagen is much cleaner than Paris so it makes for a more enjoyable outdoor dining experience).



On our last night we visited Tivoli, the world's second-oldest amusement park and supposedly the inspiration for Disneyland. Secluded by trees in the heart of the city center, once the sun had set and the park lit up, it truly felt like a magical place to relive childhoods long gone.

Travel Diary: Tallinn

A 90 minute ferry ride away from Helsinki sits the Estonian capital where even the Finns go to have fun. (Or so a tour guide told us, but judging from the list of things to do in Helsinki I don't think she was wrong). After disembarking at the pier, beaching Tallinn's rough, industrial exterior immediately gives way to the rustic and quaint Old Town, where one could easily spend several days getting lost in its winding cobblestone streets full of specialty shops, cafés and ancient churches. We only had the better part of an afternoon, so we tried to make the most of it.



For 2 euros, St. Olaf's Church provides a bird's eye view of Old Town from the top of its immense spire, which at one point was the tallest in the world. The view from up top is well worth the price of admission, but the climb up the uneven stone hewn steps is not to be underestimated; let's just say it reminded us of how out of shape we are after a month of making and tasting pastries.

 

Afterward we rewarded ourselves at the nearby Beer House's happy hour, where one can find 0.5 L portions of select drafts for 3 euros and generous plates of German delicacies for 8-12. Tasty, but it's a good thing I'm not vegetarian any more. Just a few steps down the road is the town square, whose market makes for good souvenir shopping.



Following some more aimless wandering we made our way over to the Hotel Viru, which houses the world's first and only KGB museum. I'm not usually much of a museum person (looking at old things tends to lose its novelty real fast), but this was easily the best guided tour I've ever been on. I mean, come on, it's the KGB! How often do you get a chance to look at some of the original equipment they used to spy on people?



On a more serious note, though, having been indoctrinated via an American public education that communism is bad, it was fascinating to get a more nuanced perspective on what life was like under Soviet rule. Our guide, an Estonian native, didn't leave us with any doubt that her country is quite happy being independent, but she did have some pretty incredible anecdotes about how things were before independence.

Bottom line: When in Scandinavia, go to Tallinn.

Travel Diary: Helsinki

Helsinki: the design capital of the world. I know this because there are signs everywhere heralding the city's recently earned title, including a particularly not-so-subtle one outside the Design Museum. Even so, the contemporary architecture and chic houseware boutiques are plenty enough indication that Finnish design is the pinnacle of the modern lifestyle. (Think IKEA times ten).

Unfortunately Helsinki doesn't have the most offerings in terms of things to do, which is why we skipped town to go across the water to Tallinn, Estonia - an experience I found much more fulfilling. (More on that later).



Helsinki does have some gorgeous historical architecture, specifically some of the old churches and cathedrals. And with its brightly colored townhouses, brisk sea breeze and stylish city dwellers, it reminded me a lot of a less crowded San Francisco. I'm sure we could have found more things to see and do in the Finnish capital, but Estonia beckoned.

Travel Diary: Stockholm

Maybe it's just the order that we visited in, but I couldn't help but think of Stockholm like Oslo's younger and way more hip cousin. Most Swedes I saw on the street (even the children!) looked like they jumped out of a fashion spread, but the city itself just has a much more adventuresome and happening vibe. Coffee houses and internet cafés abound, which in addition to being quite affordable (especially in comparison to Paris) are also great for people watching and trendspotting.



The gastronomic scene is a lot more exciting as well. In addition to The Cube, one of my favorite meals was at Blasieholmens Akvarium och Restaurang (or B.A.R.), which features a wide array of fresh seafood cooked to order. I opted for a thick, steak-like tuna variety called bonito, lightly seared and served up with a sweet, tangy red pepper sauce. (It's basically the seafood equivalent to The Counter; after you choose a fish you pick out sides and sauces).

Stockholm has plenty of cool bars for weary travelers to take a break from pounding the streets. Some, like Flyt, take advantage of the city’s waterways by converting old boats to relaxing hangouts that gently bob in the wind. But I also enjoyed the sky bar at Och Himlen Dartill which, located on the 26^th floor, was a nice vantage point from which to admire the city skyline at night.

Aside from the delicious food and drinks, my favorite visit was easily the Fotografiska – Stockholm’s venerable photography museum.  Exhibitions rotate frequently throughout the year, but in honor of London 2012 they had an awesome Olympics-themed sports photography collection. Too bad we were still full from dinner, because the café upstairs (whose riverfront view deserves mention) seemed quite popular.

The shopping is great too, as would be expected in such a fashion-forward city. Downtown contains name brand designers along with staples like H&M, Zara and the largest Urban Outfitters I’ve ever set foot in. But even so, I preferred the more eclectic boutiques and funky vintage shops in Södermalm (basically the Swedish equivalent to Williamsburg).

I'm a little sad to leave behind Swedish hospitality - pretty much everywhere you go you're greeted with a cheerful "Hey, hey!" Let's hope Helsinki can match it.

Travel Diary: Oslo

Oslo: the Norwegian capital and most expensive city in Europe, as well as a burgeoning metropolis with a small town feel. While there probably isn't enough to do to sustain more than a two-day jaunt, Oslo's beautiful scenery and quality museums are united under a convenient package deal to make the most of a brief stay. Thanks to the all-inclusive Oslo Pass, we had access to all public transportation and museums, as well as discounts at participating restaurants.



Our first stop was the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, a modern granite monolith sitting regally on the water, and from whose angular roof one can take in nice views of the city and harbor. From there we hopped a tram and cut across town to Frogner Park, home to over 200 sculptures by artist Gustav Vigeland. The park's 80 acres include ponds, trails and plenty of grassy expanses perfect for picnicking or playing either kind of football. It's also a popular field trip destination for rambunctious kids, with the inevitable result of some of them doing inappropriate things to the artwork.

From Frogner Park it was an easy bus ride to the Viking Ship Museum and adjacent Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. We only stopped at the former, where we were impressed by the massive ships and artifacts dating back to the first century. Afterwards we caught a ride back to the city center, where we passed by the Royal Palace (not free with the Oslo Pass, unfortunately) and stopped for a lunch of traditional Norwegian food. Neither of us was brave enough to try the reindeer cakes, a local delicacy, so we settled for something akin to a meal at the Ikea food court - meatballs, potatoes and salmon.

A twenty-minute (albeit uphill) walk from the train station brought us to the modest Munch (pronounced “monk” – not like the random cravings you get when you’re high) Museum, which features rotating exhibitions culled from the world’s largest collection of Edvard Munch’s paintings, prints and drawings. There you can see “The Scream” up close, watch a detailed documentary about the artist’s life, and enjoy the café and free wi-fi. Security is pretty tight for such a small museum, but then again they’ve had two paintings stolen within the last decade. You can also take the metro there, but you'd miss out on seeing a slice of Oslo’s immigrant neighborhood – a marked difference from the more traditional, posh downtown area.



For the most spectacular views, get above the city by taking the metro line 1 almost all the way to the end. This winding, leisurely ride brings you right up close to the rustic houses and lush Norwegian woods. Up the hill from the second to last stop rests the Voksenåsen Culture and Conference Hotel, a serene retreat reeking of eco-friendly chic, where you can look down on Oslo from the bar’s patio. But for more altitude and an unforgettable panoramic view head to Holmenkollen, home of Oslo’s ski jump tower and ski museum.

The bottom line: What Oslo lacks in gastronomic appeal, it makes up for in gorgeous natural scenery that is rare in major European cities.

DO: Make use of public transportation; it'll give you a more intimate look at the city at a fraction of guided tour prices.

DON'T: Take a taxi from the airport. Use the shuttle buses that service the major hotels or take a train.