Tag: weekend

4 Days in Rome

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Back in October, I wrote a blog, 5 Days In Rome in Under £300. This is the follow up to my trip to Rome in December and how I managed to stick to that budget along with a superstar 4 day itinerary (day 5 is travel only so I don’t really count it). Since it was my first time to Rome I enlisted the help of Lonely Planet and borrowed their guide to Rome from my roommate.

Overview:

Flights: £25

Hostel: £85

Restaurants: £122

Attractions: £30

Transport: £15

Total Spent: £277

Itinerary:

Day One: Thursday

Flight: London (STN) to Rome (Ciampino) – 13:20 – 16:45

After arriving at Ciampino, I booked a roundtrip bus ticket for £8 that would drop me off at the Termini metro station and in four days I would take it back to the airport. My hostel, the Beehive Hostel, was only a couple blocks from Termini so this made the most sense. It was also the cheapest option for transport and didn’t involve any additional stops or changes. I can be really terrible with directions and public transport sometimes so this was the best option for my own sanity as well.

I arrived to the Beehive when it was dark and had to wait only a few minutes to be let into the electronically locked door to reception. Linda, one of the owners, greeted me and took me through check-in. Much to my chagrin, I booked through HostelWorld, which was more expensive than if I had booked directly. For the future, I will use HostelWorld as a guide to find a great hostel, but will be contacting hostels directly to see if they offer a better price. If they don’t, I’ll book through HostelWorld, but otherwise I am a budget traveler. Throughout the check-in process Linda was very helpful, showing me places to visit on a map and the Beehive app which has all their local recommendations. In all, I would definitely recommend the Beehive for any travelers who are looking for a clean hostel with great service. The only downside was the lack of social life at the hostel, as I only met one person in the common room the whole time I was there. This could be because it was the off season for traveling. If you don’t want somewhere too social, this would be perfect. In all, I really enjoyed my stay and definitely recommend.

After checking in to my hostel and settling in the room, it was too late to see any attractions, and being my first solo trip, I went out to dinner at the restaurant next to my hostel – Ristorante Regina. It had the most delicious ravioli I have ever tasted. A great recommendation from the owners of the Beehive Hostel. Then it was off to bed for an early wakeup the next morning.

Day Two: Friday

Knowing the Colosseum and the Vatican would have the longest lines, I decided to put them at the beginning of two of the days. First up, the Colosseum because I couldn’t resist.

I would recommend getting to the Colosseum early – I arrived at 8am for an 8:30am opening time. I did not reserve tickets beforehand. The line for no tickets was already 100 people deep by the time the gates opened. I was the first one inside though so getting there early definitely paid off (I got in free with my ICOM card). I spent about two hours in the Colosseum, walking around each level and viewing the exhibits. One of the exhibits tells the entire history of the Colosseum from inception to present day. It was interesting to learn about its different uses, owners, and repairs. The entire place was full a feeling that’s hard to describe – like the history of it was seeping from the walls. It was really quiet in the morning which gave me space to immerse myself in the atmosphere and imagine what it would have been like two thousand years ago. As a previous classics student, I have been wanting to visit the Colosseum for years and it lived up to its hype. It’s an absolutely incredible feat of architecture, engineering, and culture.

As a solo traveler, I took some selfies, but also asked other tourists if they could take my picture. I’m usually selective when handing my phone over to a stranger. Typically, I pick someone who is about my age and female – female because other girls usually know how to take really great pictures and will get all the angles. In return, I take their picture so it all works out.

After the Colosseum, I walked across the road to Palatine Hill, my ticket from the Colosseum also got me into this historic site. There was no line at all at this point but behind me there were a couple hundred people in line for the Colosseum, further evidence of why you should do the Colosseum first thing in the morning. I walked through the ruins of the emperor’s palace first. There are a ton of plaques to tell you what you’re looking at. I also had the Lonely Planet guide with a map inside which helped me to navigate as well. The palace was unusually quiet for how late in the morning it was, but that made the experience more special. What a unique and odd thing to be wandering the site of one of the greatest men in the world history, imagine walking on the same mosaic tiles as an emperor. It was hard to wrap my head around that fact, still is. The grounds are massive so it took me about an hour to wander the whole thing, ending at the balcony overlooking the Roman Forum.

It took me a little bit of work to get down to the Roman Forum, but once I did, I was not disappointed. It was significantly more crowded down there with tons of school groups messing about. But that’s how the Forum is meant to be, busy and bustling with the daily crowd going about their business. I was once tested on the layout of the forum, having to draw it from memory and label every building. It was really cool to see that come to life and to remember most of the buildings, only needing the guide a few times. Have I mentioned yet that everything is massive? The scale of buildings and temples is unreal.

For lunch, I headed across the street from the Forum, Imperiale Ristorante. I ordered a delicious pizza and glass of wine. It was definitely touristy, but it was convenient and had a great patio so I could still marvel at the Roman Forum.

After that I headed over to the Capitoline Museums. The walk was gorgeous taking me past the Altar of the Fatherland.

The museum itself wasn’t as crowded as I expected. There was no line and most of the galleries were empty except for a couple people here and there. I enjoyed the quiet and relaxed feel – very different to some other tourists spots. I love Greek and Roman sculptures and art, so I really enjoyed this museum. It only costs 1 euro with my ICOM card – otherwise there is a higher entrance fee.

I walked down the road a bit to a small coffee and sweet shop called San Teo. I was recommended this place by the Lonely Planet guide, and as I’m a total sweet tooth and it was close by, I had to check it out. It definitely didn’t disappoint. The staff were lovely and kind and the desserts were delicious (I had three to hit the 5 euro card minimum, but so worth it).

After this, it was getting late so I took a bus back to my hostel. I wasn’t sure how the buses worked at this point and didn’t know how to buy a ticket. I assumed I could do so when getting on the bus – I was wrong. You have to buy a ticket from a shop or a station and then put it in the ticket machine on the bus to get it stamped. Technically, you could ride the bus without a ticket but if you get caught the fine is steep. So from then on, I bought my tickets at the Termini station in the morning.

For dinner on Friday, I went to Mama Angela Trattoria – another recommendation the the Beehive’s app. It was so good! I was sad to be eating alone only because I didn’t have anyone to share in how good the food was. I ordered bruschetta and popcorn fried gnocchi with a glass of white wine. The waitstaff were very friendly and recommended wine for me. They made me feel less awkward for sitting alone which endeared me to them. I would definitely go back!

Day Three: Saturday

A couple weeks prior to my trip, I booked a guided tour of the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. I would highly recommend booking a guided tour. Mine started at 8:30am and the museum was already packed. When I arrived at the Vatican at 8am, it was pretty empty, so I was able to take advantage of that and get some fun pictures with barely anyone else in them. The guided tours are offered in multiple languages and are very thorough. In total, it was a three hour tour. We spent the first hour and a half walking through the museums, stopping at well known or historically important objects. My tour guide was very knowledgable and gave us a bunch of fun facts along with the history of the objects. The Sistine Chapel was breathtaking – luckily I was able to get a seat along the wall so I could relax and take my time looking up at the ceiling, mesmerised by the scenes. I would have loved to experience the Sistine Chapel with less people in it, but it was still cool. Next we moved in St. Peter’s Basilica, which was ridiculously big. The sheer grandeur of the inside took my breath away – I’m still astonished at HOW. But, that’s the Catholic Church for you – they really know how to go all out. Again, our tour guide took us around the most famous parts of it, stopping to see one of the Popes mummified and on display. A bit weird, but cool at the same time.

After the Vatican, I walked to Piazza Novona, passing Castel Sant’Angelo. I stopped for a tea and croissant at a little cafe on a side street near the piazza. There was a Christmas market on the piazza so I walked around that for a little bit, sat on a bench, and enjoyed people watching. I then walked to the Pantheon, and was again astonished at the sheer size of it! However, I was disappointed when I entered it, which is entirely my own fault for not Googling it beforehand. I am a huge Greek and Roman history buff, so to find out that the Pantheon has been completely converted to a Catholic church – no sign of any Roman gods or religion whatsoever. Disappointing, but at the same time, the only reason its still standing is because the Catholic Church saved it from destruction. I then went for lunch at a wine bar/cafe called Taverna Capranica- I had a delicious cheese board and selection of wine. It was a little off the beaten track, so not as crowded with tourists, but still close enough to the Pantheon to attract tourists.

After lunch, I headed over to the Trevi Fountain, another must see attraction. I’m sure you’re tired of this by now, but again it’s massive. It’s way bigger than I thought it was going to be! And so intricate. Really a spectacular sight to see. I asked a couple of girls to take some pictures of me throwing a coin into the fountain – I needed a couple of takes to get the shot I was looking for so I threw a couple of coins into the fountain. If you’re wondering, the money is collected on a daily basis and donated to a Catholic charity – about 3,000 euros per day. Crazy. I sat at the fountain for awhile, watching other people take pictures and interact. It was interesting and funny and a nice break from the long day I’d had.

I took the bus back to the hostel and rested for a bit before heading down to the common room. I met another American who was traveling with his brother. We decided to get dinner together at another restaurant recommended by the hostel – Bramble Bar and Kitchen. I had a vegetable pizza and glass of wine and we shared some bruschetta. It was delicious! (So good in fact I went back the next night). It was really fun, as my first time solo traveling, to make some new travel friends from my hostel. It felt like the last missing part of the ‘real’ hostel experience.

Day Four: Sunday

I had breakfast in my hostel this morning – taking a bit more time than the last two days since I didn’t have anywhere I needed to be at 8am. I then went to Baths of Caracalla – ruins on the other side of Palatine Hill across the street from Circus Maximus. These ruins used to be the massive public baths of Rome. You’re able to walk through the entire structure with great informational plaques detailing what each room was and the people that visited, along with the types of activities to do there. The ruins are more overgrown than some others, but there is still a lot of stonework and architecture to see. It was really quiet as well, which made for a really nice morning walk.

My roommate from London flew in on Saturday night with another friend and was planning on staying a couple more days, so I met up with them on Sunday afternoon. I headed to the Spanish Steps to meet them for lunch. Little did I realise, it was December 8th, which is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Pope visits the Spanish Steps on this day every year to lay a wreath at the monument. We were a bit early for that so we went to lunch at a restaurant around the corner. I had some more bruschetta and pasta with, you guessed it, a glass of wine. After lunch, we wandered over to the road where the Pope was supposed to come down, but it turns out he had already passed and was up near the steps doing his thing. We walked up that way when all of a sudden a black sedan drove past us with the window rolled down and the Pope waving to us out of it. I was expecting the Pope-mobile, so this was a shock. We ran along the side of the railing to get a better look and some videos. It was crazy because the street wasn’t even that crowded with people dying to see the Pope. It was definitely a rush of adrenaline, and it will forever be my fun fact.

For my last night in Rome, I went back to The Bramble and ordered their chocolate lava cake with ice cream and a hot tea. It was so good – I am a total sucker for a chocolate lava cake and this lived up to all my expectations! After that, I packed up and set my alarm for an early wake up call to catch my early flight back to London.

Day 5: Monday (Fly Day)

Rome (Ciampino) – London STN: 11:10am – 12:55pm

I took the same bus back to the airport from Termini Station, leaving at 7:10am, getting to the airport at 8am. I did get to the airport a bit too early – 3 hours was too early for such a small airport. But at least I didn’t miss my flight. Better to be early than sorry, right? Also, the next bus time was 8:30am and I thought that was cutting it a little close since I had never flown out of Ciampino. Now I know better, and so do you!

In all, this was the trip of a lifetime! Rome has been on my bucket list for ages and it lived up to all its expectations. As for my first solo trip, I wasn’t totally scarred and would definitely travel alone again. I’ll be writing a whole other post about solo travel, so stay tuned for that. I hope I could help you plan your dream trip to Rome. If you have any questions, drop a comment or fill out the contact form! Ciao!

Dana’s Do’s:

  1. Plan ahead for the biggest attractions like the Colosseum and the Vatican.
  2. Ask the staff at your hostel/hotel for local recommendations.
  3. Wear comfy shoes!

Little Weekend in Lisbon, Portugal

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With one month to go until final exams in Cambridge, I decided to take a short weekend trip to Lisbon, Portugal. One of my best friends from Ohio State University studied abroad in Senegal this past semester and we decided to meet up for a fun weekend away before she flew home to Boston for the summer!

Lisbon has gorgeous weather for the middle of May. Warm but I still brought a light jacket with me as it could get windy in certain parts of the city.

We booked an Airbnb in the heart of the city, just up the street from Marques de Pombal Sqaure. It was in a quiet residential building just blocks away from the bustling promenade.

Unfortunately, I missed my flight on Friday morning out of Stansted, which you can read about in a separate post! I was able to get on a later flight, arriving Friday night. That put a little wrench in our plans for the first day, but Amanda managed to see the Textile Museum and walked around the streets of Alfama.

When I arrived, we went for dinner at Time Out Market around 10pm. It was late but the place was absolutely packed. It’s a warehouse transformed into a marketplace with a bunch of food and drink stalls lining the outside of a massive rectangle filled with tables upon tables of people enjoying dinner and drinks. We had burgers and a pitcher of Sangria! I definitely recommend Time Out Market. There are so many options for food, ranging from seafood, to burgers, to a hog roast!

Delicious burger from Time Out Market!

On Saturday, it was an national holiday so all the museums and heritage sites had free entrance, so the city was very crowded! Amanda and I walked around the city, a total of 10.2 miles for the day. First we walked down to the market in Rossio Square. It was a small market with a few stalls from which we tasted some cheese and fruits.

Then we continued to walk down to the coast, stopping in the Praca de Comercio, a large square near the water with a massive archway and restaurants and shops lining the perimeter. We took a few pictures here and continued walking along the coast and up the hills to the Castle of Sao Jorge. The line to get in to the castle was massive so we skipped that and kept exploring the streets of Lisbon.

We took a short break to eat lunch at a cute cafe overlooking the city. I had sushi and Amanda had a seafood risotto, both were so tasty! We had a glass of wine and toasted to being in Lisbon and to having a fun, relaxing weekend.

We continued on our way, exploring the streets and hills of Lisbon. I am obsessed with the tiled buildings and all of the colors! Lisbon is absolutely beautiful and definitely worth walking through just to see all the different designs.

We ubered to Belem Tower, which was a bit of a wait but totally worth it to see the historical site and the views from it overlooking the water! Getting to the top of the tower was a pain because of the way the stairs work. The way up is the same way down so there was a three minute period when people could either go up or down, alternating. When we got to the top of the tower there was a line snaking around the whole area of people waiting to go down. We waited thirty minutes, but at least we got to enjoy the views.

After Belem Tower, we walked back to the center of town. We walked past the Archaeology Museum and the famous monastery! In front of both of these, there was a massive cultural parade happening. All the signs were in Portuguese, so I am not quite sure what was going on. Some of the participants were dressed up as witches and devils, but others were dressed in more contemporary clothing. There was loud music, singing, and dancing. Down the street, we stopped at the famous Pasteis de Belem for drinks and pastries. The pastries were delicious and definitely worth the wait! The restaurant is massive and every seat was taken with lines out the front doors, but it is one of the must go places in Lisbon!

We walked back to the center of town and back to our Airbnb where we changed for dinner and freshened up. We went to PARK for drinks at sunset overlooking the city. This bar was recommended to us by a friend who had recently visited Lisbon. We walked to the bar, which was a little difficult to find at first. The bar is on the top floor of a parking garage! Pretty cool and different. It was packed because of course everyone wants to see the sun set from a rooftop bar. And we were not disappointed.

Reminded me a bit of San Francisco!

After drinks we went back to Time Out Market for dinner because it was a short walk down the road. On our way we passed a bunch of bars that looked like fun so we bookmarked those streets for the next night! At Time Out, we ate at different stalls, but the sangria was so good that we had some more! We got back to the Airbnb a little earlier than Friday night because we had an early morning planned for Sunday!

Sunday morning we headed down to the train station, bought tickets, and took the train to Sintra. The round trip tickets cost 5 euros! Great deal! The train ride was about half an hour and passed quickly. Once we got to Sintra the bus tickets to Pena Palace were 6.50 and left from right outside the train station. It took about thirty minutes to get up to the palace. Tickets into the palace were another 7.50 for the student concession. We hiked up the hill to the palace that sat at the very top of the hill (good shout because after that walk I can’t imagine anyone wanting to invade this castle). The palace was gorgeous! So many bright colors and fun tiles. We walked around the whole thing, climbing some stairs and walking along the outer walls. We ate lunch at a cafe in downtown Sintra next to the train station as we waited for our train.

After Sintra, we trained back to Lisbon and took a short nap in the Airbnb. Then we went out and walked through more of the town. We found some small markets in different areas with stalls that sold fresh food, jewelry, and hand bags. I bought Conor cooking salt from one of the stalls that smelled so delicious! For dinner we went to another restaurant, Lost In, that overlooked the city at sunset. We ate tapas style- a cheese board, oysters, chicken ramen soup, and salad with a large pitcher of sangria. I definitely recommend this place! If you want to sit inside you will need a reservation, but the back patio was great because the weather was nice and the seating was really comfortable!

After dinner, we went back to the same area from the previous night that we had passed. It was full of bars and popping with young people. We went to a couple different bars, one was a tequila bar which was fun. The staff were playing the live show of Marc Anthony on the television and speakers. The bartender was singing along and it was a fun vibe! Then we walked up a hill to a bar with live music where we tried Ginja for the first time. It’s a Portuguese liquor and we had seen it around for the past three days, so we finally bit the bullet and tried it. It comes in a shot glass but it is meant to be sipped. It kind of tasted like licorice, but a little sweeter even. Not something I would order again, but definitely glad I tried it!

On Monday, we had a quick breakfast at Stanislaw before I left to catch my mid-morning flight. Stanislaw was a cute, green healthy looking cafe that we walked past on our way to the cafe we originally had picked for breakfast. It looked to good to pass up! I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a healthy twist to breakfast. I also had a delicious side of yogurt and granola not pictured here. To be fair, I did leave most of my salad uneaten because for some reason salad in the morning is not my thing, no matter how delicious and fresh.

My weekend in Lisbon was short but I feel like I saw so much of the city! It is definitely doable in two-three days. Any longer and I would have done another day trip or spent more time in some of Lisbon’s museums. My favorite parts of the weekend were definitely the food and walking through the hills of Lisbon. I took more pictures than I should have of colored buildings and tiled buildings that I won’t bore you with here. I was just blown away by Lisbon’s beauty I couldn’t help myself. This was one of my favorite European cities and I definitely recommend to anyone who wants to see a small part of Portugal on a long weekend away!

Easter Weekend in Bath

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This weekend I visited one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. Wide streets, cobbled sidewalks, gorgeous architecture, and green rolling hills. It was the perfect location for a short Easter getaway. Bath won me over in 72 hours and I can’t wait to go back.

Since I was unable to go home for Easter this year, I went to Bath with Conor’s whole extended family and stayed in a lovely Airbnb. It was a terraced home with five floors of bedrooms, kitchens, and lounges, along with a quaint back garden. The weather could not have been more perfect, so we spent most of our time in that garden.

The trip to Bath from Cambridge was about four hours due to some heavy traffic Friday afternoon. Conor and I drove, but some of his family took the train, which makes Bath easily accessible from London. When we arrived, we first went to the Airbnb to drop our stuff and meet the family. The room came with these giant fluffy bathrobes, towels, hair dryer, etc. Anything we wanted, this place had it.

Meeting the whole extended family all at once was overwhelming and nerve-wracking, but luckily I fit right in. A few of the cousins, Conor, and I went into town for an evening tour of the Roman Baths. Fun fact: most of the Roman Baths were reconstructed during the Victorian Era, so its more British than it is Roman. All the same, the Baths are beautiful and full of rich history. There’s two floors of exhibits twisting and winding down from the floor above the baths to the basement where the hot spring is. At the bottom, we exited into the bath area where the warm water gathered in a greenish pool. There were staff members dressed in Roman time period clothing taking pictures with the tourists and a band played while we enjoyed the atmosphere. Additionally, they were selling prosecco and sparkling rose, which we each had a glass of. At the end of the tour, there was a spot in the spring to throw a coin in and a make a wish (mine came true!).

Friday night we all stayed up late drinking and eating and playing Cards Against Humanity. I tapped out around 2am, exhausted from the car trip and the excitement of meeting the family.

Saturday was another gorgeous summer day! I woke up and had a nice cup of tea in the lounge with the sun streaming in. Half of the group went on a morning tour of Bath, but the rest of us stayed behind to enjoy a lazy morning. Around noon, Conor and I headed out for a walk to the nearby Alice Park. We had a drink at the cafe and sat in the sun, soaking up the ever elusive British sun rays. We walked around the park, worked up an appetite, and headed back in time for Andrea’s incredible lunch. Unfortunately, I can’t remember what the dish was called, but it was kind of like a lasagna but not. In any case, it was spectacular! After lunch we all sat in the garden and drank Pimm’s– another new British thing. It tasted almost exactly like a Long Island Iced Tea, so of course I enjoyed many glasses.

In the evening, Anne brought out the paints and canvases and some of us partook in an art competition. I painted a bright rendition of the Royal Crescent, one of the most notable sites in Bath. Dinner was another incredible meal, this time cooked by Bex and Jamie- a delicious Asian spread with dumplings, rice, stir-fry, and lettuce wraps. I couldn’t stop eating it was so good! This family sure knows how to cook!

Sunday fun day! Again, woke up late after having a nice lie in and started the day off with a cup of tea in the garden. The sun was shining for the third day in a row- unheard of! We drank Pimm’s and cocktails until lunch was ready around 2pm. And then I stuffed myself full again! There was lamb, chicken, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and Yorkshire pudding! And at the end, we each got to choose a chocolate egg filled with different types of candies! I chose the Rolos egg, it was delicious! Everyone was in an absolute food coma after that.

After about an hour or so, a couple of us went on a walk around Bath to work off all that food. We went up to the Royal Crescent, then down through the town, and back alongside the river. Bath is so pretty, I love the stone work and how grand everything looks. The river was serene and the houses bordering it were incredible. There were even a couple hot air balloons in the sky! Bath would be a wonderful place to live, not too far outside of London but nestled in a picturesque valley, quiet but still lively.

That evening we all snuggled up on the couches and watched the new Jumanji movie. I hadn’t seen it yet and was pleasantly surprised by it. Jack Black and The Rock definitely carried the movie, but it was a fun, family-appropriate movie. Conor ordered us all Domino’s around 10pm as we were all hungry again. It was the perfect way to end Easter Sunday.

On Monday, we all got up and cleaned the Airbnb. We had leftovers lunch and finished off the rest of the food. Conor and I left around noon for Cambridge and made it back in about two and a half hours, much better timing than the drive to Bath! All in all, the weekend in Bath was perfect, fun and relaxing and a new experience! It was a great break from school work and I look forward to when I can next go back!