Post 8: Italia
This one's for Nessuno, the luckiest dude in the world, who asked me to talk about my trip in Italy after I posted on my adventures at St. Thomas. I remember my trip to Italy very fondly. We went to Italy in 2013, for my birthday. We started in Brussels while on layover, taking some souvenirs with us such as small replicas of the famous and hilariously funny Manneken Pis, (a statue of a little boy peeing that is one of the symbols of Brussels) as well as stomachs full of Belgian waffles. We then arrived in Naples, and then moved up to what I consider to be the capital of the world, Rome; before finishing off in majestic Venice. We didn't actually stay in Naples, we went to Sorrento; a small town near Naples. However, from our hotel, you could literally see Naples, as well as Mount Vesuvius (obviously) and even Pompeii. We actually toured Pompeii and walked around the ruins of the city, however it was, IMO, quite underwhelming. I had expected more. But, it was still pretty fascinating. We got to see the plaster casts of dead victims of the Vesuvius eruption, still brilliantly preserved by Mother Nature. From Sorrento we also toured the Amalfi Coast, going from Sorrento to Positano to Praiano to Conca del Marini to Amalfi to Ravello to Maiori and finally ending in Salerno, before going all the way back to Sorrento. There were many beautiful things along the path, such as the stunning grape vineyards, the coasts, the Nativity sets along the road, the famous churches such as the one in Amalfi that fully survived a town-destroying earthquake, and, of course, the delicious tiramisu in Ravello. I loved it.
Moving on to glorious Rome, I was stunned by the beauty of the city and all it had to offer. However I had seen the Angels and Demons movie before we went to Italy, and I spent more time looking for Illuminati symbols rather than beautiful monuments. I stopped at the obelisk at one of the Piazzas, I went to the Pantheon and looked down dark holes in the sunlit center of the floor, I went to the Vatican's crypts and looked all over every point I could see, et cetera. But, I did actually see some NON-ILLUMINATI stuff. Lol. But; it didn't come without horror. While we were going to the famous Trevi Fountain, we went through an alley as a shortcut. At that moment, a man in a leather jacket with gray hair, a heavily wrinkled face, and a furious expression stormed past us, while smoking a cigarette. He scared the daylights out of me. Then, when we were at the Trevi Fountain, I saw him in the crowd, going in our direction. I was wondering if he was after us, but he may have not been. Luckily, I didn't see him again. We toured the old Roman forum, and saw the monument to Italian unification, beautifully placed on a high hill. Back at the Vatican, we went through the Vatican Museums with a tour guide, and even witnessed a speech from Pope Francis. I even got to take a picture with a Cardinal, though he spoke Italian and not English. He was able to communicate with us, however. It wowed me that I was standing next to a man who, a mere month earlier, had picked the next spiritual leader of around a billion people. I was both deathly terrified and speechless from excitement. Finally, from Rome, we took a train to Venice.
Venice was amazing, though we didn't do as much there. We began near the entrance to the city, where our hotel was, and from there we went to St. Mark's Square. The square was vibrant and beautiful, with a wonderful view of the Venetian lagoon and the Adriatic Sea. We ate a classic Italian dinner of pasta with sauce and a side of organic Italian bread, though I did accidentally have some champagne as well, mistaking it for water. We went to the island of Murano, as well; seeing the glass factories and how people did glassblowing. We saw a gallery holding dozens of expensive glass creations as well, ranging from pots to vases to bowls, et cetera. We were in Venice on April 19th, the day of my birthday, and I got a large bag of delicious apple turnovers and a gondola ride as my present, getting my other presents later, back at home in the USA. However, April 19th was the last day we were there, and that USA had to be returned to. On the way we went to Frankfurt, Germany, having a German breakfast of waffles with a side of bratwurst. I had never tried bratwurst before then, but it was actually pretty good. From there we got on the plane and went home, and that was that. I don't think I'll ever forget my vacation to Italy after all that happened. Brussels, Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Rome, the Vatican, Venice, Murano, and Frankfurt...wow!
Everyone should go to Europe sometimes. I'm an American through and through, but IMO, my country PALES in comparison to the cultural beauty of Europe. If there's one thing I learned from this, I think everyone should go to Europe at least once in their life. It's something you'll never forget.
I figure a blog would be the best way to express those thoughts from my point of view, and plus, you people would get to know me a bit better. 
