Two Continents in One Day

This blog post got delayed due to a faulty email. It was written on my second to last day in Turkey. Enjoy! 

            We started our day by purchasing our jetons (ferry tokens) and hopping on a ferry that went from Eminönü (Europe Istanbul) over the Bosphorus Sea to üsküdar (Asia Istanbul.) We eagerly got off the boat and took our first step on Asian soil, at which point we realized we knew nothing about the area we had just entered. After picking up a map we headed for the Fethi Pasa Woods. The term "woods" is used loosely in Turkey; we were expecting actual woods but found a cute park that had a few trees sprinkled throughout it. Despite the lack of woods we were overly excited about this discovery because we all missed nature! It sounds strange, but on the ship there are not any plants and we dock in big cities that are not very green or fresh. Trees, flower and green grass are rare occurrences it the countries we've visited. We sat on the bench and enjoyed the semi-fresh smelling air. We walked around and discovered that the woods were the main attraction so we headed back to the ferry and officially checked Asia off of our continents-to-visit list. We tried to get a ferry to the Princes' Islands (another one of my favorite places in Turkey) but the ferries were far and few between. With the strong possibility of getting stranded on the island, we decided to not take that chance. Instead, we headed to our new favorite shopping area. Although we've spent a lot of time in the Grand Bazaar you have to remember that there are over 1,700 shops and it is not set up like a mall in America. Think of a treasure hunt in an old antique store- now multiply that experience by 1,700. You never know what you will find as you purposefully get lost on the tiny paths that twist between shops. We later went to the Spice Market- my dad's favorite Turkish market. It has less than 100 shops and is much less overwhelming than the Grand Bazaar (despite the occasional power outage.) All of the shops sell a large variety of spices, teas and oils. You barter for prices here as well and we received a few interesting prices. One man would give us a discount if I went on a date with him- I didn't accept that offer. Another shopkeeper would give my friends a discount if she dated his son- she didn't accept. The best quote was, "ladies, make your life easier and just find yourself a nice Turkish man." I don't think that I am going to take this advice, but we have one day left so it's not too late :)

             I'm going to miss haggling for prices once I'm back in the states.

~Tori

Water Day: The Basilica Cistern and Turkish Baths

Hi again!

            It felt like my eyes had barely shut when my alarm clock went off on Day 2. We woke up extra early to get to the Basilica Cistern right when it opened. The Basilica Cistern is one of my favorite places in Istanbul; it was an ancient underground water reservoir that held 100,000 tons of water and was structurally supported by 300 columns that were gathered from old Byzantine buildings. The entrance looks like an outhouse from the street, but you descend down the slippery marble staircase into the spectacular drained cistern. There is a five foot raised walkway/bridge over the shallow water. Underwater lights illuminate the beams and fish swim around their bases. As you walk deeper into the cistern you see a change from Corinthian columns to Ionic columns and finally, short columns that are stacked upon large cubes. The two cubes have Medusa's head carved into them. Her head is sideways and legend has it that the Christian ruler was making a statement about Christianity being superior to Paganism by placing Medusa's head sideways. The cistern was nearly silent, allowing you to hear the water dropping down the columns. (A few times a year opera and orchestra concerts are held in the cistern. Only a few hundred people can go and tickets are very hard to get- but it is one of my life goals to go to a concert in the Basilica Concert!) I was grateful for our early arrival because a large cruise tour group clambered down the staircase with their voices echoing through the cistern as we left.

            We had some "celebrity" guest join us for the day. My friend Katie goes to the University of Virginia and her dad teaches at the college. Her dad also is teaching on our summer voyage (they've been on two other SAS voyages together) and her parents joined us for the day. It was refreshing traveling with parents again. Although it was not the same, it reminded me of traveling with my family and I loved that. Traveling with my friends has been wonderful, but it has made me so grateful for my family's travel style. I am thankful that my parents taught me to embrace history and understand the cultures we enter. Thanks mom and dad!

            Later that day we went to Bemberlitas Hamami, the historic Turkish bath house from 1584. I entered the female steam room and laid on the hot marble stone, then an old Turkish lady scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed my body (we all were a little dirty after visiting 6 countries) and I was covered in massive bubbles. She rinsed me off, sent me to the hot pool and then to a hot oil massage. Not to shabby! I am lucky that we don't have Turkish Baths in Eugene or I'd spend all of my money at the bathhouses. After the baths my friends and I drank apple tea while wrapped up in Turkish robes. While drinking my apple tea I thought back to Mark Twain's passage about his Turkish bath experience in Innocents Abroad. He said, "Presently my man sat down by a tank of hot water, drenched me well, gloved his hand with a coarse mitten and began to polish me all over with it… then he left me there, a snowy statue of lather" (286.) Although my experience was more enjoyable, Twain and I seem to agree on the process. If you ever are in Turkey you must get a Turkish bath!

            I appreciate all of your emails!

            ~Tori

Bargains and Tea: Turkey

Lütfen (hello)!

            To say the least, I have not come close to mastering the Turkish language! We are spending five days in Turkey and it is great being back in this beautiful country. We are docked in Istanbul and we walk over the Golden Horn on the Galata Bridge to reach the old part of Istanbul. We are staying on the middle land section of Turkey that is surrounded by the Golden Horn and Bosporus Straight. There are bridges over both bodies of water that connect us to Europe Istanbul and Asia Istanbul- the land we are on is also considered to be Europe Istanbul.

            We spend the first day navigating the city and I served as the under-educated tour guide. I successfully found Hagia Sophia and we stood in line while being hassled by professional tour guides. After studying Hagia Sophia in class and seeing it last year, we passed up the “once in a lifetime” offers from the relentless guides. Hagia Sophia was a church that used to have beautiful golden mosaics covering every ceiling and wall. When it was converted to a mosque all of the mosaics were hastily plastered over. A few hundred years after all of this happened Ataturk took over and turned Hagia Sophia into a secular museum. Restoration work has been done on the mosaics, but only some of the beautiful tile work survived the plaster. I loved seeing the golden mosaics of Jesus and Mary. The light hit both of these mosaics and the tiles glowed, lighting up the room. I find it funny that the mosaics also include images of the emperor and empress who ordered the construction of Hagia Sophia. They appear right next to Jesus, as if they were the Wise Men or the Sheppards. They later decided to add a mosaic of their son but ran out of wall space… so they added him on the perpendicular wall. To say the least, he looks like the loner of the group!

We walked across the plaza to the Blue (Sultanahmet) Mosque. It currently is the Ramadan, the Holy Month of Islam and Muslims cannot eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. (Due to Ramadan we all were instructed to be extra discrete when drinking water in front of the mosques around the city.) All of my SAS friends and I wore ankle length dresses so we just covered our heads, took off our shoes and silently entered the mosque. The tile work is spectacular and I find it amazing to think about how they made building of such grand scales without the current construction equipment we have. As we walked back into the plaza we heard the call of prayer echo off the neighboring buildings. The distinct sound reminded me of last summer when my family admired the call of prayer- until it woke us up a 5am. I laughed as I remembered Katie had made the unfortunate mistake of leaving her window open and had an extra-early wake up call!

A smile spread across my face as we entered the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is a pretty much a labyrinth of shops and restaurants. There are over 1,700 shops- but a 3x5ft booth qualifies as a shop. The Grand Bazaar is a claustrophobic’s nightmare and a bargain hunter’s dreamland. Prices are negotiable, so shopping becomes a game. Before entering the rat maze of shops we went over bartering techniques. Some of our strategies were inspired by my bargain-queen family members. If we loved something and wanted to our friends’ opinions, we would ask, “Do you think Aunt Dede would like this?” This was purely inspired by my Aunt Dede, the queen of Turkey. We didn’t want the shopkeepers knowing that we must have that item, so we pretended to be indifferent while negotiating. I also practiced the technique that Katie and Natalie had mastered, say your lowest price and when the shop keeper doesn’t lower his price just walk away, at which point he will start yelling “Lady, lady, fine I give it to you for ‘x’ liras.”

We had fun bargaining and I had even more fun revisiting some of the shops from last year. When I was with my family we found a wonderful jewelry shop that was 3x5ft big. The shop was passed down over many generations and at one point the pair of brothers that inherited it hated each other and builds a wall in the middle of the shop. I was talking to the shopkeeper and he claimed to remember me… I don’t think he did, but either way, he gave us wonderful prices and Apple Tea. Apple Tea is equivalent to scalding hot, tart apple cider. Even though it was 90 degrees it is customary to drink the delicious tea. So, while standing in the microscopic shop we had our first glass of apple tea and then continued to shop our hearts out. I quickly learned how to say “very expensive”: chaulk pa-haa-lah (don’t ask me how to properly spell that!)

I love that the shops are passed down through families in the Grand Bazaar. Rumor has it that there is a waiting list to get a booth and that can take many, many years to move up the list. My last fun fact about the Grand Bazaar is that all booth owners have to pay their rent in gold. The Turkish Lira is not strong enough to be reliable, so they only accept pure gold. That explains why many of the shopkeepers wear gold chains and necklaces; they literally are wearing everything they own. Ok, I lied, here is your last fact- all shop keepers are male. Majority of the families start training their sons when they are still children, so I had to negotiate with kids at some booths- this pulled at my heart, so I tried to only bargain with the adults.

Hosçakal (goodbye)

~Tori

Turkey!

Hagia Sophia

In Hagia Sophia with my roommate

Hagia Sophia- beautiful gold mosaic tiles

In front of the Blue Mosque with Reese

Turkey

I'll send you all an update about Turkey soon! xoxo Tori

Greece!

At the Acropolis- it was 115 degrees!

Acropolis: Greece

Running on the Olympic Track in Greece!

Our hotel in Mykonos. Not to shabby for my birthday!

How I feel about Nutella

In Mykonos, Greece- during a wind storm

Preparing for Turkey!!

Today we are entering Turkey. I have a little bit of down time while we wait for our passports to be cleared. I first want to apologize for the abundance of spelling errors in some of the posts!! I've been using a computer program that I'm unfamiliar with and just discovered how to use the spell check on it and reread my posts only to find tons of mistakes! Oops!! Hopefully I can redeem myself in these future posts.

            The night before entering each port we have a Logistical Pre-port and Cultural Pre-port. The Logistical Pre-port always let's us know about the laws, health and safety concerns, political issues, ect. The Cultural Pre-port is what I look forward to; we learn about the local foods, customs, language and places to see. In the Logistical Pre-port the ship faculty were talking about the dangers for females and I felt they were being a little unfair to Turkey. When I was here last year I found it to be the most beautiful culture I had ever experienced. The final guest speaker was a 25-year-old (very smart and accomplished) lady who lived in Turkey for a year and I loved what she had to say. She agreed with the staff about dressing respectfully but shed light on the beauty and kindness of the culture. I am so excited to go back to my favorite country and experience the Grand Bazaar. I am determined to barter for the best deal and will keep you updated on the hilarious names they have for us. Last year we were called "Charlie's Angels," "Prince Diana" and my dad was called "Sultan Father."

We just got approved to deport! ~Tori 

My Big Fat Greek Birthday

         When we arrived in Athens we heard of potential transportation strikes and decided to take the dependable, but incredibly “touristy” Hop-On-Hop-Off double-decker bus. The bus went to 20 locations around Athens and Piraeus, the town we were docked in. My friends and I try not to stand out like tourists in the countries, but we were willing to let our pride go for a guaranteed ride. We headed into Athens and by the time we got to the Acropolis it was 115 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the hottest temperature they will allow people to go up to the Acropolis at. Less than an hour after we left the Acropolis it was shut down due to “dangerous heat” and many of the main sites around Athens were also closed. While we were at the Acropolis I tried to imagine what it used to look like. The last time I visited this site I thought that it had always been the white marble color. In my Art/Architecture History Class we learned that the Parthenon, statues and other Greek buildings were vibrantly colored! The backgrounds were typically red and the tablatures, sculptures and friezes were a large variety of colors. The buildings were meant to be admired from the outside and told stories through the carvings. In The Norton Book of Travel a passage from Pausanias’ “Guide To Greece” describes the glory of the statues, “The statue of Athene stands upright in an ankle-length tunic with the head of medusa carved in ivory on her breast. She has a Victory about eight feet high, and a spear in her hand and a shield at her feet… Opposite the temple is a bronze Apollo” (52.) What we also do not see today is the large statues that decorated the Acropolis. There was an additional statue of Athena that was 30 feet tall and made of ivory and gold. To prevent Athena’s ivory from cracking in the dry heat the Greeks built a reflection pool in front of the indoor statue and filled the pool with oils to moisturize the statue. The current status of the statues remains a mystery. Some say they are still intact, while others believe they fell apart and were scrapped for other projects.

Despite the heat, it gave me a new appreciation for the site. My friends and I were determined to not let the heat stop our day as we headed to the Temple of Zeus- at which point we discovered it too was closed down due to heat. As we walked away we passed an artist in the shade and each ended up buying a painting. My goal has been to buy a painting and magnet in each country. I’ve succeeded with the paintings, but after leaving the port in Greece I realized the store clerk never gave me the magnet I paid for-- bummer!! After buying the paintings we walked to The Panathenaic Stadium, the official Olympic stadium. It was built in 139 ad, quite a while after the first Greek Olympics, but hosted many of their later Olympic events. It is the largest marble arena in the world and has hosted the recent world Olympics. Due to the heat it was empty and we took full advantage of that! We got to run on the Olympic track and explore the ancient vaulted passages. It was my favorite site that we visited in Athens. To escape the heat we went to the National Archaeological Museum and saw some of the ancient Greek art that I learned about in class. We decided to call it a day and get a good night’s sleep before heading to Mykonos.

We woke up at 5 am and hopped on a ferry to Mykonos. I visited Mykonos with my family last year and remembered two things about the island: the pelican and the windmills, which I will get to later. Although we were traveling on our own, Semester At Sea arranged the transportation and hotel and did a wonderful job! We arrived at our hotel and were blown away by its beauty. It had the typical white walls and blue doors, but was beautifully furnished and decorated. It felt like we were staying at a private villa, with a pool overlooking the ocean. We took a taxi into town and began wandering the tiny, car-free streets of Mykonos. We became big fans of gyros, honey fritters (the Greeks refer to them as, “what donuts wish they were”) and crepes. We encountered a massive windstorm, but after dealing with Athens’ heat we happily accepted it. The windstorm helped us understand why there were windmills coving the entire island.

Before signing up for SAS I was worried that I’d be abroad on my birthday and not have good friends to celebrate with, but that was not the case!  In the evening we met up with ten Semester At Sea friends and had dinner to celebrated my birthday. We spent the night in town and ran into more Semester At Sea students. Besides being at home, it was the best 21^st birthday I could have asked for. We even saw the famous Mykonos pelican during our dinner! At the end of our night we waited for a taxi for over an hour, at which point we discovered there are only 30 taxis for the entire island and they can charge as much as they want. In the morning (of my actual birthday) we had a delicious breakfast with an ocean view and spent the day by the hotel pool. We then headed to the ferry at 6pm and found out it was an hour late. After an hour passed and no ferries arrived we were told it was going to be another hour. So, after 3 hours our ferry finally showed up and the passengers getting off looked green. They were telling us to “save yourself, do not get on that ship,” “catch a flight out of here, don’t get on the ship” or were making the Catholic cross over their body… definitely not a good sign. The ferry was sold out and it was the last ship of the day, so we couldn’t wait for the windstorm to pass. Before we boarded the ship we were being blasted by the windstorm and within a split second my ferry ticket was flying out of my hand and into the ocean. It landed on the last 5 feet of the dock and I ran faster than I thought possible. As I reached for the ticket a second blast of wind hit us and it flew into the ocean, 10 feet below me. At this point I let out a cry, my face turned white and the crowd gasped. I debated diving into the ocean, but in fear of getting crushed by the ferry I ran to the tour guide with tears in my eyes. Meanwhile I heard the crowd cheering and turned around to discover that a boat captain had seen this all happen and used a hook to fish out my ticket. I nearly kissed the old man I was so excited! That soaking wet, deteriorating ticket was the best birthday present I could have received. After getting a curious look from the ferry captain, I loaded the ship and encountered the biggest waves of my life. You know that the waves are bad when the crew is getting sick! We arrived back to the safety of our port at 1am, five hours after the expected time. Despite the crazy adventures, gigantic bug bights and the “cursed ship,” my 21^st birthday was one of my favorite birthdays. I’ve spent my birthday away from my family for the past seven years and whether on a mission trip, working at camp or on a Greek island, it always comes with a good story.

            Our last day in Greece was spent exploring the heart of Athens. We are now sailing to Turkey and will arrive on July 21^st.

            Thank you for all of your birthday wishes emails and posts. They brought the biggest smile to my face and made me feel like I was at home with my friends and family. I am officially halfway done with my voyage and am determined to make the most of every day left on this trip.

Xoxo Tori

Dubrovnik, Croatia

   As we sail further into the Mediterranean our Internet get less frequent, so I apologize for the delay of this post! While sailing between Italy and Greece we had classes for two days. We almost are at our halfway point for the Summer Voyage. The official day that marks halfway through our voyage conveniently lands on July 18th, my 21st birthday!! I will be spending my 21st in Greece- I can't really complain about my life right now! The only thing that would make it better is if my friends and family were with me, but I will celebrate with them when I return to the States. 

            Here's a little bit about beautiful Croatia. We spent four days on the southern peninsula of Croatia; we were separated from the main land of Croatia by Bosnia. Croatia had crystal clear oceans and a beautiful city center. We would walk for nearly an hour into the Old Town, the main part of Dubrovnik that is completely surrounded by massive walls. Within the city walls the streets were made of marble and were so polished that they sparkled. Old Town was built on a hillside and stretched to the water. It is very touristy now, similar to Venice, so it was not my favorite area- but I did appreciate its beauty. Before going on about the activities we did, I want to give you a quick insight into Croatia's history that I learned from Robert Kaplan’s Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History and Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruise Ports. Some of you may remember, but in 1991 Croatia was part of an awful and destructive War of Independence against Yugoslavia. The Croats fought to protect the land of Dubrovnik for eight straight months with hunting riffles and food that was smuggled up the steep hills, into the protection of the city walls. Kaplan said, “In late 1991, a time when fighting raged in Croatia while Bosnia remained strangely quiet, Croats and Serbs alike had no illusion about the tragedy that lay ahead. Why was there no fighting in Bosnia? went the joke. Because Bosnia had advanced directly to the finals” (22.) The general area of Yugoslavia has history that is deeply stained with blood and violence. As we walked through the beautiful polished streets of Old City it was easy to forget about the violence that happened only 21 years ago, but then I would notice the parts of the wall that were chipped from the bombs or guns. Dubrovnik tries to put the focus on their old charming history that is romantic and beautiful. The heartbreaking recent past is not emphasized when you are within the Old City walls, but there is a new museum about the war that I did not have time to see. I am incredibly grateful for my Travel Writing and Global Studies classes because through those classes I learned of the ancient and recent history of Croatia/Yugoslavia before entering the port. It is nice to appreciate a city for what it is, but I find it fascinating to experience a city through its historical and present situation.

            Enough about that, here is what I did. On the first day my friends Katie, Hope (both are students at the University of Virginia), Alyssa (goes to a small school in Virginia), Kaitlin and I got off the ship as early as we could. We walked along the port until we reached the docking area for the yachts and fishing boats. Along this dock were old Croatian captains who were trying to have us go on their boat for a day trip to the Elaphite Islands. We had done some research, exchanged our dollars for kunas ($1=6 Kunas) and found the best deal. For 200 kunas each we got to go on a yacht to three of the Elaphite Islands and spend time on the beautiful beaches. At first we were hesitant on the price, but we had to remind ourselves to convert the kunas to dollars and once converted the price seemed fair. We got a table on the shaded open porch and ate breakfast on our way to the first island. As we pulled out of the port we passed beautiful old houses with red terracotta roofs and white walls (this style is mandatory for the city we were in); we also passed numerous "pirate" boats and cruises headed to various islands. Croatia has over 1,000 islands, so the port was busy.

All three islands were gorgeous. The water was warmer than the beaches in Maui's and was clearer than the other countries we've been to. The Oregon coast has given me low and cold expectations for what counts as a "beach," so the areas we go to constantly blow me away. The fact that you can swim in the ocean and not get hypothermia is always exciting to me, so I spent most of my time just floating. The one thing you did have to watch out for was the sea urchins. The purple sea creatures with long, sharp spines were stepped on by multiple students during our stay in Croatia. I always made sure to do a quick sea-urchin-scan before plunging into the refreshing water. I think I forgot to mention this- but it was over 100 degrees each day, so jumping into the ocean was more of a necessity than an option!! I don't know how I will survive Greece where it is expected to be 110 degrees!! I guess time will tell...

            The next day we walked to Old Town and got croissants and fresh orange juice on the steep back streets. The street was about six feet wide, but the cafe managed to fit tables and chairs into the tiny walkways. The sight of the steep, never-ending stairs built into the hills amused me. As I said before, the city is built on a hill, so in order to reach your neighbors three blocks away you had to climb three steep sets of stairs. The restaurants and cafes that were in the hilled section put cushions scattered on the steps for their customers to sit on. Who needs chairs when you can sit on the sidewalk stairs? We explored the city, enjoying the old shops, farmers markets and abundance of lavender products! After a day in the city we went back and cooled off on the ship. A few hours later we returned to Old Town for the Summer Festival of Dubrovnik's Opening Night. The Summer Festival marks the beginning of summer for the city and the festival lasts 45 days. It was spectacular! We ran into a friend from the ship whose dad was visiting from Germany and his dad bought us all tickets to the festival. We sat on a stone beach and watched the fireworks explode over the port and city walls. The explosions would echo off of the ancient walls and the sound bounced around. It reminded me so closely of the Fourth of July fireworks on Lake Oswego. It made me a little homesick, but grateful to have my own belated Fourth of July celebration.

            On day three we took a gondola up to a lookout that provided a remarkable view of the city walls and the neighboring islands. We took our time admiring all of the different views and notices that this lush city backs against a dry desert, that resembled Eastern Oregon's desert. Seeing the environmental differences just kilometers apart was pretty interesting. We had brunch overlooking the city and enjoyed a wonderful breeze, that cooled the area down to 90 degrees, before heading back down into the hot city. We wandered through the ancient streets until we found Buza, a cafe along the sea with a prime view of cliff jumpers. We did not jump, but it was fun seeing the few brave souls who attempted the long dive! That night we met up with some more friends and went to Restaurant Dubrovnika, famous in the area. It was a relaxing evening with great friends and an amazing view. The fourth day was short and we spent a little time in the city. I would love to go back to Croatia and go to the northern part of the country or sail around the islands.

            This port was different than the rest we’ve been to because the city was much smaller. We ran into our peers more often, but it was nice to see familiar faces. Now that we are nearly halfway done I can say that time has flown by. Time moves so quickly when we are at ports, but seems to crawl by while we are at sea. Classes keep me busy while we sail, but allow me to truly appreciate the sites we are seeing. I am looking forward to going back to Athens; I am curious about the relationship that the citizens will have with the government when we arrive. Last year the protestors burnt down a hotel while we were there and this year they still are protesting. I wrote my application letter for SAS about my 2011 experience in Greece and am eager to reflect on the changes, or lack there of, as I return. From what I've learned in classes and the news, Greece is a very corrupt country. When it comes to taxes there apparently is an unspoken 4:4:2 rule. 40% of your taxes go to the tax accountant, 40% is kept by the individual and 20% is given to the government for taxes. The country relies heavily on bribes and under-the-table transactions. In the richest neighborhood swimming pools are heavily taxed. Only 60 of the 500 houses reported having pools, so the government hired helicopters to fly over the neighborhood and count the unreported pools. After this happened the residences started buying disguised swimming pool covers that make you pool look like a tennis court or garden. This is only one example of the mindset the people have. It is sad reading of the economic crisis they are in, but it will be interesting to experience it first hand for a second time. I'll be sure to give you a report.

Love you all!!

Tori

Naples, Italy & Croatia Pictures

It's blurry, but this is our Caffe friend, with our note attached to the picture on the mirror.

Croatia is absolutely beautiful. Crystal clear water everywhere!

Croatia- you can see why I'm in love!

The sunset in Croatia. I'm obsessed.

I'll give you an update later this week! Croatia is gorgeous... but so hot hot hot. The nice thing is you just jump in the ocean to cool off.

xoxo Tori

Capri, Anacapri and Caffé

We have now left Naples and I still love the city- but with that being said I picked up on some interesting vibes. The city is indirectly controlled by the mafia. When my sister lived in Milan she told me that she had visited Naples and felt slightly uncomfortable while only traveling with females. On my third day in Naples my friends Christine, Laura, Lauren and I went back into the hills of the city. We stopped by Caffé Torado, I'll note on that later, and then wandered the same streets we had explored two days ago. Unlike two days ago we did not have a guy with us and you could see the change in the locals behavior. About two blocks in an older lady asked us where we were trying to go and through our broken Italian we explained we were walking. She suggested going back down the hill to the beach. We didn't quite understand her suggestion and kept walking up the hill, at which point another lady asked us where we were going and we decided to just turn around and go back to the main city. It was interesting because we were dressed even more conservatively than the other day, yet met greater concern by mother-type females.

            Once returning to the city center we had no issues and enjoyed our last day in Italy. Now back to Caffé Torado. We navigated the zigzag cobble stone streets until finding our favorite caffé. When we walked in the owner instantly recognized us and as we tried to order our pastries, he made the decision of what we would have. I had a freshly made chocolate filled croissant and a cold cappuccino. As we sat at the tiny bar we watched an Italian soap opera about a nun and a bishop. Before we left I handed him a note that I had my sister translate into Italian for me. It said, "Grazie per la vostra ospitalità, l'altro giorno. Il tuo caffè ha i migliori dolci che abbiamo mai avuto. Grazie per il caffè, che era anche delizioso. Il tuo caffè è stata la nostra preferita." In English this means, "Thank you for your hospitality the other day. Your cafe has the best pastries we have ever had. Thank you for the free coffee, that was also delicious. Your cafe has been our very favorite." At first he seemed a little confused, which I presume is from the online translation, but then a smile spread across his face. He pointed to the paper and motioned for us to sign our names. After doing so, he placed it on the mirror behind the bar. We felt famous because the only other thing on the mirror was a picture of him and some man. I know that someday I will return to Italy and I would love to visit Caffé Torado again!

            In the last two blog posts I've jumping all around with the sequence of events- sorry! On the second day in Naples I took a Semester At Sea trip to Capri and Anacapri. I quickly observed that it is pronounced Cahh-pree and Anna-cahh-pree. Capri and Anacapri are two of the villages on an island. Capri has early history of man, tracing back to prehistoric times and then vacancy until pre-Roman times. The Roman emperor Augustus particularly liked Capri and made it into the Capital of the Roman Empire for a short time. We took a short bus up to Anacapri, and then we hopped on a gondola that fit one person at a time. The ride was 12 minutes of breathtaking view that got better and better with the increase in elevation. At the top was a viewing area of all of the island- absolutely amazing!! You could see the bays, aqua colored water and fancy yacht floating by the grottos (which I didn't have a chance to see.) My Pi Phi sisters were taking a picture with our hands in the shape of an arrow –the Pi Phi symbol- and a girl came up to us asking if we were Pi Phis and it turns out she is our Florida sorority sister! On the gondola ride down I took in the view one last time while listening to a chorus of church bells and birds chirping. I miss the sounds of birds so much! Our feet touched the top of plum and apple trees as we returned to the lower platform. We had a delicious and giant lunch along the ocean and then had free time. Some people went shopping, but with the average price of 200 euro ($300) for a pair of sandals, I preferred spending my time by the ocean. We found a rocky beach where laid out and swam in the warm, clear ocean. Upon returning to Naples we went to a famous pizza restaurant that was in the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" with Julia Roberts- but I preferred the small local restaurant from the night before better. Either way, Italian pizza is a in whole different food category than American pizza!!

Although Spain was fantastic, I love Italy a little bit more. I'm excited to go to the next five countries and compare them to each other. At the end of this voyage I'm not sure if I'll be able to compare the countries because they are all so different.

Ciao! –Or as they say in Croatia, Dovidjenja!

~Tori

Pictures of Pompeii

Christine and I on the large stepping stones

Pictures of Naples

Our new friend, the owner of the best pizza shop!

Pompeii, Italy

I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July!

Today we arrived in Naples, Italy and my friends and I wandered around the city for two hours. I can't lie, at first the city seemed dirty and dilapidated, but once we got away from the center of the city and started walking up hill I fell in love with Naples! We walked past a cafe and backtracked because of the delicious scent in the air. We followed our noses into Caffe Torado where we ate the best pastry of my life. It was doughy, yet flakey on the outside and filled with rich chocolate! The owner spoke as much English as we did Italian but we hit it off and he gave us free coffee. My roommate and I are going to try and type a translated message thanking him for his generosity and kindness and go back on our final day in Naples. As we left three men carrying large stacks of flour up the huge hill made there way into the cafe and one called me "bellisima" and then said in English "pretty, beatiful girl"... clearly I love Naples now. We then kept going up hill and entered the area that the locals live- the tiny streets were decorated with fruit stands, hanging laundry and shines to various saints and Mary. The smells were delicious and the sight was colorful! The locals were friendly as we truly had to practice our Italian due to the lack of English (which we hadn't encountered prior to this port, it was actually exciting!) At one point a lady on a second floor porch dropped a wet pillowcase onto the cobble stone. My roommate picked it up and was going to place it on the staircase, but the lady grabbed a bucket tied to a rope and lowered it down to us. After that encounter, we noticed buckets on all of the balconies about ground level! The heart of the city was beautiful with cobble stone sidewalks, 6 inches wide at times and the adrenalen of never knowing if a vespa or car was about to nearly run you over... a little different than Oregon drivers!

My roommate and I navigated the trolly and train to Pompeii- my favorite city so far! Pompeii was established in 600 bc and was a thriving town of 20,000 people ranging from low to middle class. The town was very sophisticated for the time and had aqueducts, amphitheaters, advanced draining, ect. In 79ad the volcano Pompeii sits upon erupted, surprising the locals who didn't know it was a volcano! It erupted for 18 hours and sent ash 12 miles into the air. Boiling mud descended upon the town and completely covered it with 30 feet of incredibly hard dried mud. 2,000 locals dies, I'm not quite sure what happened to the others. The city literally disappeared overnight and wasn't discovered until 1600ad! Since then most has been excavated, but it's an ongoing process. We were able to walk around half of the remains of the city (it was well preserved due to the mud.) The roads were made of stones but occasionally had two to three large raised stones spaced eight inches apart. These raised stones served as stepping stones as the city street's were flooded and cleaned daily, the eight inch separation allowed the chariots to pass over the stones. They had complicated multi-room bath houses with heated floors and benches, detailed water systems and statues that created the sauna effects. We spent five hours in the ruins and unknowingly wandered deeper into city. At one point we stopped and both were quiet, realizing for the first time at any port we visited we were completely alone in silence. It was so peaceful and rejuvenating- I forgot how much I miss quiet moments. We took advantage of the lack of tourist and found areas that we could explore the ruins and get off of the main pathway. It was a dusty dry city, but in the midst of our silent 45 minutes we entered a tranquil lush area where the wealthier citizens lived. There were blooming, fragrant trees, grasses, frescos on walls and mosaics everywhere. Unlike the beginning of the park, we were allowed to walk around the excavated site and into the ancient building/former buildings. During this time I imagined the city back in 600ad with 20,000 people in it. Pompeii isn't that large of a city and it must have been hustling and bustling with peoples, carts, chariots, donkeys and slaves. The alleys that we wandered down were social hangouts and the bathhouses were places were political deals were often made. I would love to go back to Pompeii!

Upon returning to the ship we had dark lines of dirt against the pale skin that was covered by my shoes. We met up with friends and went to authentic Naples approved (an actual distinction made by the government) DOP pizza restaurant and had a delicious dinner. The restaurant was packed with locals and had a live performer. (When we were in Pompeii we saw one of the first pizza ovens from 600bc- it looks exactly like the ones we use today.) 

I'm heading to bed with tired feet and a full belly. Tomorrow I am headed to Capri and Anacapri, I can't wait!

Caio, Tori

P.S. after the cafe, three other Italians called me a beautiful girl. I didn't encounter this in Rome or in the States, so this means one thing- I must move to Naples!!

Bongiorno!

  Bongiorno and happy Fourth of July! I am writing this while on one of the speedy trains from Rome to Civitaveccia, where I will board the ship and have an American BBQ (I'm now typing this after attending the BBQ and it was the best food the ship has served in a month!!) Tonight we set sail for Naples and tomorrow my roommate and I will catch a train into Pompeii.

I was expecting Rome to be wonderful a second time around, but was pleasantly surprised to find it absolutely amazing again!! Unlike three years ago, when we experienced Italy's coldest winter in 60 years, this time we experienced an African heatwave, making it 100 degrees on average- but it was so worth it! I fell in love with all of the fountains around the city because they are connected to ancient aqueducts and provide free drinking water, which was much needed on our long days! I spent my first day with my Art Architecture History class and we kept a tight schedule. We started at New Saint Peter's and had a tour led by my professor. Although it was my second time in NSP, it felt as if I was seeing it for the first time. My class spent two of our nine days studying NSP and it sure paid off! I learned in Spain that I didn't want to travel with my camera glued to my face. I took about half as many pictures as I did in Barcelona, but they are more meaningful and directed. The class tour lasted until 9pm and then with my money belt, purse and backpack awkwardly layered on top of each other I hailed a cab before it became too dark. I met up with Kaitlin at the hostel (which was in a fun and friendly neighborhood.) The hostel was wonderful, kind, clean and very safe. I met a girl who is from NE Portland and went to Catlin Gabel! She thinks she knows Lauren Ellis, our former neighbor!

Kaitlin and I got up early and headed straight to the Colosium. We entered right when it opened and it was really special seeing it with minimal crowds- and while the temperature was cool. Once again, my architecture class gave me a new perspective on the Colosseum (and just about every building or site in Rome!) In the two full days I spent in Rome I managed to fill up about a fifth of my journal, so instead of listing each thing I saw (which is almost every major site) I will give you some of the highlights. 

1) Seeing the inside of NSP and getting to ask my professor question after question. It was nice seeing it for a second time and not feeling like I had to rush through it to cram it all in. 2) Learning about Michael Angelo's complicated relationship with Pope Julius II, who commissioned NSP. Michael Angelo designed part of the exterior of NSP, but when asked to paint the Sistine Chapel he felt the Pope was trying to set him up for failure and fled the country. Michael Angelo later returned and agreed, but under his own conditions. He told the Pope he would not paint the 12 apostles, and that he would design the ceiling, not use the Pope's design. Some think that Michael Angelo was making a statement by having the mural, above the door where the Pope enters, of man's shame and fall- when Noah is seen drunk and naked by his sons. The paintings go in reverse chronological order to finally end with the creation of man. The Pope favored Rafael and commissioned him to create wall tapestries of the 12 apostles, but unfortunately those were stolen and burned a few hundred years ago. I love the specific and unique history of all the sites we visited! 3) Walking through hidden ruins/excavated sites that weren't known about by many tourists. One place we went walked through had taken marble slabs off an ancient- and now historic site- to display fish on for a fish market in 600 ce. It is crazy how much value we put on these building now and they once were just an abandoned old building in the neighborhood. 4) Stumbling upon a gorgeous cathedral, S. Maria dell' Orto that was tucked away in a neighborhood that we were very lost in. It reminded me of miniature NSP, but with the building structure of Old Saint Peter's. I hadn't seen a building like OSP yet, so it was exciting seeing the actual architecture, not just a sketch. (Grandma Falconer, thank you for the scarf! I always have it in my purse and wear it into all of the cathedrals. It is so cute, light and convenient! Gratzi!)   5) Running into my ship roommate and her sorority sister at the Pantheon and getting dinner together. I got to serve as their (poorly trained) "tour guide." 6) GILATO, Paninos and fresh squeezed orange juice!! 7) Skyping with my family- I miss you all SOO much!!)   9) The ship BBQ.    10) Seeing Italian night life. I preferred it over Spain's night life because it was more social and casual. We walked around the neighborhood and ate gilato, I can't ask for much more!

I'm about to head to bed, but I'll leave you with some of my "adventure" moments on my three day break from the ship. --We didn't know you had to bring your own towels to the hostel, so we had to get creative...I used my dress as a towel. --We always were getting lost and turned around on their zigzag streets (not like the grid street pattern used in Barcelona) and found the best way to get directions is to ask an Italian, follow their directions for two blocks and then ask another local and repeat the step from before. This will prevent you from walking miles and miles in circles.  --Although we walked countless, unnecessary extra miles while being lost, it gave us the opportunity to stumble upon some hidden gems of Rome. There is so much to see that is not well publicized or even on a map and while walking we found amazing cathedrals, piazzas (plazas) and cafes.

I fell in love with Rome yet again. I guess I should blame the Trevi Fountain because when you toss in a coin it ensures that you will return to Rome. Mom and Dad, I apologize in advanced because I tossed in another coin- so I see a trip to Rome in my future!!

Ciao!! Tori

When In Rome 2

My email was too large, so I had to break up the post.

Here are some more pictures.

When In Rome!

Happy Fourth of July! We currently are in Civiteccia (outside of Rome) and are about to have Fourth of July BBQ on the ship as we sail to Naples! This is post is mainly for pictures, I'll have a detailed post later!