I have been in Rome since December 24th, after supposing to have arrived on the 23rd (See: Open Letter to Iberia) This has by far been one of the better trips I have made in my time in Europe. An enjoyable environment with food for the stomach, sights for the eyes, and the best variety of people visiting I have ever seen, but I digress.

Primo Giorno – Day One

After arriving and getting settled into my mother’s Aunt’s apartment located on Via di Porta Angelica. We decided to walk towards St. Peter’s Basilica, a whopping 2 minute walk.

My friends have expressed their jealousy of this time and time again, I still simply consider myself lucky.

After a quick walk around the square we hopped on back to the apartment for dinner. Later, we both prepared ourselves to attend “Midnight” Mass. In reality it finished around midnight, the mass began at 10PM. I took my seat little realizing I was seated next to the Ambassador of Sweden to the Holy See, a really kind gentleman.

Mass proceeded as normal, so I thought until I got home that evening and read that the Pope had been attacked by a mentally unstable young lady. I had no idea what the gasps and further applause were until reading the news.

Otherwise, that quite concludes day one.

Sleep.

Secondo Giorno – Day 2

Christmas Day! Sleep in, wake up late, and enjoy the fruits of Rome. That was the plan for the day! And man did it turn out well. After walking around the square with my aunt, we parted ways as I went out on foot to see what I could find.

Now, I have always been an advocate of what I call. “getting-lost tourism”. I don’t plan out an exact route, just a general idea of what I want to see, then find the alleyways to get there and see where I end up.

It’s the best way to see a city.

I passed by Castel Sant’ Angelo, as it is such a great place with much history. Unfortunately the interor was closed. It is Christmas after all.

After walking around town a bit, it’s time to head back for dinner. We go to her favorite restaurant Roberto’s (good luck linking that one up). I order Gnocci just to spite my brother, it’s his favorite Italian dish. For second course, lamb. I’m going to skip the details on the food here simply because words won’t be able to describe how content I was.

Instead here’s a picture of the gnocci:

So yeah it was good!

Later that night I met up with my friend Marisa, from Spain who happened to be staying in a hotel just around the corner with her family. She has a DSLR, better than my P.O.S. Nikon Coolpix…(nothing against Nikon). I managed to take about 150 shots in just about an hour, surpassing what I’ve taken in 4 current days, as soon as I get some photos I’ll put them up. We walked around, took pictures and had a plain ‘ol good time.

Sleep.

Terzo Giorno – Day 3

Today’s Mission – Trevi Fountain & the Pantheon

I woke up to a very, very rainy day. It didn’t much please me for a day I figured I would be walking around a lot. Sure enough I just donned my rain jacket and hit the streets. I was rather surprised to find how many tourists were out despite the rain. I trekked through the streets and the alleyways to arrive at the Pantheon.

Much to my avail, it was closed. Granted it is the day after Christmas, but I figured a church would be open. Turns out it isn’t. Therefore, it was time to take a couple quick pictures of the outside and head off to the Trevi fountain.

More alleyways and sights to see on the way there. The best part is that when you’re walking in all of these alleys you find the best shops. Clothes, wine, chocolate, restaurants with maybe the best food you will ever find, and all of it is right there within reach (if you have the money. Not me). I arrived at the fountain and there it was in all it’s splendor.

I personally never understood why people spend 30 minutes, an hour, multiple hour, viewing sculptures, architecture, art, etc. My opinion is that when you see it you see it. Check the details that matter to you and move on.

I snapped my photos of the fountain, saw the horses, the sculptures and the intricacy of the designs in the columns. I then made my way home. I didn’t want to be in the rain, my feet were wet, and I was starting to get hungry. All of those combined were about to make one grumpy Greg.

I went home and had dinner. This made me happy.

Sleep.

Cuarto Giorno – Day 4 Getting lost at it’s finest

I decided that today was a good day to go visit the Colosseum. My aunt told me that near there was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Forum.

I arrived on the bus at around noon. Saw what needed to be seen, like I said I’m a quick tourist, it makes me sad sometimes because I see things way too fast for my own good. Which in the end makes my writing seem non-descriptive but hey, if you don’t like it, don’t read.

Therefore, here’s another picture.

I then made my way to the Colosseum after going out the back way of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This made me lost. I actually managed to go off of the small map I had. I’m glad I have a good sense of direction. I was forced to walk all the way around the forum, and walk half way back to where I came to get to the Colosseum.

Now, I don’t like paying for archaeological sites (or any museum, site, anything really), so I didn’t go inside. I was forced by my own conscience to enjoy the Colosseum from the outside.

I then proceded to walk 45 minutes home.

Dinner.

Posted via web from Greg’s posterous

This past weekend I took a trip to Denmark with 8 of my closest friends here in Alicante. This is my story for your reading pleasure.

As I was sitting in my room my blank gaze is broken by the sound of the most annoying telephone ring in the world, so naturally I pick it up so it’ll shut the hell up. I answer to the sound of – “Hey, wanna go to Denmark for 14€ Round Trip?”

I can’t think of anyone who would pass up that offer…

A few weeks later 3 days from leaving we decide we still don’t have places to stay, car to rent, food, or any idea really of what the plan was for the trip.

One van, 120€ of food, overweight bags, and one flat rented in Ribe later we’re hopping onto a RyanAir flight out of the Alicante airport en route to Billund.

3 hours on the flight bumming our time not digging into our food, for lack of running out later, games of Uno, the plane arrives safe and sound into the Billund Lufthavn. Now this is the first time I have traveled within Europe to another country, I literally had to do a double take that I didn’t need to get a visa stamp into my passport, after all it is an international flight. I was rather disappointed in the fact that I would be unable to have that nice stamp saying I have according to their government been in that country. So just continued walking through, and to the car rental stoop. Here is where I’m finally nervous, because this car is our lifeline of the trip, without it…we get nowhere. Why? Because the online rental said you had to be 26. Our oldest driver, 22. Sure enough online rental ≠ rental company. 9 Person van, here we come baby.

Jam packed, music full blast, we head down the road in the Danish dark on our way to Ribe, the first stop.

We finally get to the Ribe Byferie to our flat. For nine college kids this place was like a gold mine. Comfortable beds, a kitchen, terrace, a shower was nice, we started to unpack the food and get settled in. The girls were nice enough to start the nightly family dinner; Jamón serrano, jamón york, cheese, toasted bread, this was a feast for the gods in our eyes.

We sat around like a big happy family and got our selves a few beers before seeing what the Ribe nightlife had to offer.

Hours of dancing and a few more beers we head home to call it a night and see the town by light the next morning. We’re out of the flat by 10 ready to walk downtown. We park the car and start walking. A quaint town with an obvious ancient viking influence and a sense of community. A town where you can walk to every dead end and corner, and still not see everything, because everything there is to see isn’t just the obvious location. It’s like an unending treasure hunt.

We start our way to Århus (pronounced ouhrhus) and notice it get’s dark at about 4:15PM we decide it will be a very long night. After arriving at our hostel, where we get a half-assed cushion and a nasty floor for more than an elegant flat, we go walk around Århus. Not into an hour after being in the city that we walk into the local catholic church. You know, to see what Nordic influences effected had on churches.

Speaking Spanish we’re warmly invited by another native to the tongue to coffee and cake. Utterly confused we followed this lady into the belly of the church. We’re sat down warmly and served coffee and marble cake. We’re joined by about another 10 Spanish speaking people realizing we had decided to see this church directly after one of their two Spanish masses a month. As they thought we were with them the whole time they understand that we had just gotten there and didn’t want to deceive them. The half hour we passed was great, with the company of a community, inviting us into their doings because of a common language.

It’s time to be on hour way. After a while we’re again, in a bar waiting for our friend’s friend to meet us and tell us some great places to see.

You’ll see a common theme here, we usually end up the night at some new Danish pub, to see what the local wildlife has to offer.

The next day we decide to see two things. The old-town market, and the deer park.

Old-town market… cost money… 5 hopped the fence, 4 stayed back to not hop fences. I leisurely took the latter, to go see an old windmill, and an green house past of the university. Going from desert to intensely tropical then back out into 40º cold isn’t fun on the head but it does provide some cool trees and butterflies!

The deer park took us a bit of driving around, and asking those who spoke English how to get there.

Finally found it and spend about an hour playing with the deer, letting them eat carrots and apples out of our hands while we fed them. If there’s one thing you do in life, feed a wild animal, not a petting zoo animal, a wild one where the animal makes the choices.

We decided that our hostel was a piece of shit, and had to go to Aalborg and rough it there. We drove an hour out of Åruhus to Aalborg, and finally found a hostel site that offered us a cabin of 6 people for nine. Instead of forcing us into 5 & 4. This way we all sleep in the same building and keep the body heat well adjusted.

After another fulfilling dinner of jamóns and sandwiches, we go check out the bars. I order a Hoögarden beer, one of my favorites by taste. My friend sees a couple of cute blonde girls and decides it’s a good idea to convince one of them it is his birthday and should take a picture of all of us. She tells him that it’s her birthday too, and out table of 9 should join them. This makes the guys happy.

Beer’s become too expensive, and we decide to head back and keep the laughs going back in the hostel cabin.The night ends with a really long deep sleep.

After waking up on our own time, and checking out it’s time to see Aalborg by day. It definitely beats Århus, but not the quaintness of Ribe. We finally get back to the car and get driving back to Billund to catch the flight home.

We’re surprised at the airport by my roommates parents.

They were nice enough to drive us home.

Image by keeshu

Posted via web from Greg’s posterous