Trip Report_Croatia & Rome
Sep 21st, 2004, 02:38 AM
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Bok offwego, your post reminded me about friendly kitties in Dalmatia and especially about a particular one. I have a little story to tell about it. It happened this summer while I was staying with my friends in their summer house. Last nigh of my staying there I left the terrace door open before going to bed and when I woke up in the morning there was a kitty curled up asleep right on my trousers I left laying on the other bed in the room. I had to go to the bathroom so I got up and went on my toes trying not to wake her up. When I came back she just woke up yawning and stretching. She was a cute little skinny kitten with tufty tail and long whiskers. She had absolutely no fear from me. I petted hear head and she immediately started purring and mewing. She followed me all morning, I gave her something to eat but she wasn't very much interested, had only couple of bites. But she was so friendly, almost boringly so, not only to me but to everyone else. She waited for every possible moment to jump in somebody's lap or to play by jumping on your legs when walking around. We had so much fun with her. I was leaving that day and I almost took her home, but didn't know is she going to be missed by somebody, does she have a owner... Later I asked my friends what happened to the kitten. They said she would visit them every day but after few days their vacation finished as well and they had to leave. Anyway, it brings a smile to my face when I think about that kitten. I hope she is still well and happy.
Sep 21st, 2004, 05:29 AM
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Pat--I don't know if there are other options for travel via water. I know there are cruise lines that travel the entire coast with stops in both places, but can you "hop on and off" a cruise? Also there are private yachts....other than that I could never find anything.
I think of other ferry lines line the one that goes from Stockholm to Helsinki and think someone could make a killing with a nicer ship. Maybe there is one and we just don't know about it?
Jonas I loved you story about the cat. They are indeed some of the friendliest and most well behaved I've run across.
I think of other ferry lines line the one that goes from Stockholm to Helsinki and think someone could make a killing with a nicer ship. Maybe there is one and we just don't know about it?
Jonas I loved you story about the cat. They are indeed some of the friendliest and most well behaved I've run across.
Sep 21st, 2004, 02:13 PM
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Rome
I'll start by saying that Rome is one of my favorite cities in the world. I have been there six times now and if I go sixty more it won't be enough. Rome wasn't built in a day and cannot be seen in one lifetime. Each time I go it reveals more of itself to me and I love it all the more.
It's loud, it's dirty, it's scary and it's hectic. It's also layers and layers of art, civilization, history and contains the sum total of everything man has ever dreamed or created. It's intense. It turns all my senses up to full volume and I love it.
It;s a quick and easy Croatia Air Flight from Split to Rome. I thought it was funny that the flight attendant gave everyone breath mints instead of the ubiquitous pretzels or peanuts. How civilized.
We usually stay in Trastevere so when we arrived at FCO we take the train to the Trastevere stop and then the tram all the way up Viale Trastevere. The Trastevere station is about enough to make you turn around and go home-so gross--in general I think Trastevere has declined steadily in the last several years. I find myself a bit spooked walking around there late and night.
I was able to procure the Belvedere room at the Ponte Sisto Hotel which we have returned to a couple of times-- for 250 Euro which was a nice discount from the usual price but still a big splurge for this trip but SO WORTH IT. The room is the penthouse and has a 2 sided big terrace, one side accessable via french doors from the bathroom, the other side from the bedroom with wonderful views of Roman rooftops, the river, the Basilica at St Peters. The room is small-ish but the bathroom is huge and contains a wonderful Jacuzzi that will blast the city grime right off your body after a long day hoofing around.
The focus of this 3 day stay in Rome was the Scavi tour and Shopping. Before we left home I took a Streetwise map and had it copied at an enlarged size and then marked it with all the shops we wanted to see. Once it was marked, it was easy to make walking routes that made sense instead of losing your mind and running all over the city losing focus. We split the city up into sections and tackled each one at a leisurely pace each day.
I'll spare you the gory details of the shopping but we were very specific about what we wanted. We found it all, it was wonderful and we each bought a new suitcase upon arrival and filled them both up. Gloves, shoes, fungi, herbs, cosmetics, eyeglass frames, scarves, perfume, soap, toothpaste, cd's, handbags. Good Lord. I had called Amex before we left to let them know I would be in Rome on these dates wearing the numbers off my card and I surely did.
The Scavi tour was ALL THAT. I highly recommend it. The guide we had was saddled with a VERY HEAVY Italian accent and her grammar wasn't that good. A couple of people in our group complained they couldn't understand a word she said. I understood her ok but I had just had a couple of glasses of wine with lunch and I think it helped. She was very knowledgeable and the subject matter was fascinating. I thought she went a little too quickly. I was really wanting to linger a bit longer--she went along at a pretty good clip but it was really interesting nonetheless. All those times before when I was walking around in the Basilica I had no idea all the history under my feet. I kept reminding myself of that everywhere I went in Rome. There's certainly more under your feet than is at eye level.
I had just finished reading the Agony and the Ecstasy while we were in Croatia and had read a large book about the Sistine Chapel so I needed to see it again. Seeing it with educated eyes made it even more astounding than the first time I saw it. I had a deeper appreciation for it.
There are certain places I always go in Rome and here they are:
Campo de Fiori-I have to have bags and bags of dried porcini mushrooms and tons of arrabiata and what is called "carciofi herbs" . I scored these things the first day and loved the way my suitcase (and our entire room) smelled. The customs dog gave it quite a long sniff but did not wag his tail.
I love the fountain at the Campo with it's admonishment not to worry what other people say when the Campo is probably the gossip capital of the world. I was happy to see our old friend Prospero selling his magical potato peelers and kitchen gadgets
Santa Maria Novella- just anything in the store is a necessity. The Rome store does not hold a candle to the mother store in Florence, but they have much of the same products.
CasaMaria Beauty Store-they sell the CinemaCitta brand of cosmetics and I can't find them anywhere else. I also stocked up on Marvis toothpaste which is 1/3 of the price here. It's the little things that make a girl so happy.
Piazza Navona-There's a guy who sells art there named Silla. We have a couple of his pieces and always like to go say hi and let him tell me his latest hard luck story. This time he had a black eye and said he got it falling off a scooter. Uh Huh. We also like to eat at a restaurant called La Dolce Vita right on the piazza. It's full of tourists but they have good pasta and the best insalate caprese. Love to sit there, sip wine, munch on food and play the game "guess where those people are from?"
Dinner at Il Ciak. This tiny restaurant in Trastevere is one of the final vestiges of a non-tourist eating experience in Rome. You will be there all night. You will need a reservation. You will need to be very hungry although the italians say you get your appetite while you eat. You will not hear any language but Italian and you will meet Sammy, the cook who works an open fire pit in the front of the restaurant. Their specialty is all manner of game and if you like veal chops, you will never have another one as good as this. The first time I came here, I was rather tipsy at the end of the evening and gave Sammy a big kiss and a $50 tip on my way out, so taken was I with my meal. He of course knows me now by name and over the years he has fed us many glorious meals. Oh goodness-The Panna Cotta. The limoncello. The carfiofi. Sigh. To me, a lot of the glory of Italy is in the food and in the loving way it is prepared for you.
We finally broke down and ate at the Filetti di Baccala around the corner from the Campo de Fiori and it was horrible. I have seen it recommended in guide books and on this forum and with all the fantastic cheap food in Rome, I don't know why anyone would eat here. Long John Silvers is better.
I'm not sure if Rome was seedier than I remember it or if it was just in such stark contrast to the cleanliness of Croatia but man, it is really grimy. More trash in the streets, more poop in the cobblestones, dirtier cars. Everything is just ickier than I recall. Anyone else notice this?
I had to get freaky with two guys at the ATM at the Pantheon, One of them was sitting directly under the machine and the other was wandering around behind me. I certainly wasn't in the mood to get mugged but I did need my money without delayso in my best Italian and my scariest voice I told the guy under me he needed to move. I told him again nicely, then not so nicely. I persisted. He stumbled away. I turned to his friend and told him to get away from me also. He told me he would go if I gave him 5 euro. I told him I was going to get the cops and see if the cops wanted me to give him 5 euro. I literally had a screaming match with this guy out in the piazza for a full five minutes while I scanned for a cop. Where are they when you need them? He finally tired of me and left, cursing me and my family as he departed. I got to be hero to several other tourists loitering around the machine, needing to use it but too weirded out to do anything.
We had a 7am flight so wanted to be at the airport around 5. We had the hotel arrange a cab for us at 4:30. The cab was there, right on time and I think he had a game with himself to see how fast he could get to the airport with no traffic. He ran EVERY red light and went a minimum of 180 km on the autostrada all the way there. We arrived at FCO in 18 hair-raising minutes. If he was trying to scare us, he did and I loved it.
Rome to Paris
Paris to Houston
on a practically empty flight, mainly French passengers. When the attendant announced our arrival in Houston at the George Bush Airport, the entire plane booed. I thought that was funny.
And that's what I did on my summer vacation!
The end.
I'll start by saying that Rome is one of my favorite cities in the world. I have been there six times now and if I go sixty more it won't be enough. Rome wasn't built in a day and cannot be seen in one lifetime. Each time I go it reveals more of itself to me and I love it all the more.
It's loud, it's dirty, it's scary and it's hectic. It's also layers and layers of art, civilization, history and contains the sum total of everything man has ever dreamed or created. It's intense. It turns all my senses up to full volume and I love it.
It;s a quick and easy Croatia Air Flight from Split to Rome. I thought it was funny that the flight attendant gave everyone breath mints instead of the ubiquitous pretzels or peanuts. How civilized.
We usually stay in Trastevere so when we arrived at FCO we take the train to the Trastevere stop and then the tram all the way up Viale Trastevere. The Trastevere station is about enough to make you turn around and go home-so gross--in general I think Trastevere has declined steadily in the last several years. I find myself a bit spooked walking around there late and night.
I was able to procure the Belvedere room at the Ponte Sisto Hotel which we have returned to a couple of times-- for 250 Euro which was a nice discount from the usual price but still a big splurge for this trip but SO WORTH IT. The room is the penthouse and has a 2 sided big terrace, one side accessable via french doors from the bathroom, the other side from the bedroom with wonderful views of Roman rooftops, the river, the Basilica at St Peters. The room is small-ish but the bathroom is huge and contains a wonderful Jacuzzi that will blast the city grime right off your body after a long day hoofing around.
The focus of this 3 day stay in Rome was the Scavi tour and Shopping. Before we left home I took a Streetwise map and had it copied at an enlarged size and then marked it with all the shops we wanted to see. Once it was marked, it was easy to make walking routes that made sense instead of losing your mind and running all over the city losing focus. We split the city up into sections and tackled each one at a leisurely pace each day.
I'll spare you the gory details of the shopping but we were very specific about what we wanted. We found it all, it was wonderful and we each bought a new suitcase upon arrival and filled them both up. Gloves, shoes, fungi, herbs, cosmetics, eyeglass frames, scarves, perfume, soap, toothpaste, cd's, handbags. Good Lord. I had called Amex before we left to let them know I would be in Rome on these dates wearing the numbers off my card and I surely did.
The Scavi tour was ALL THAT. I highly recommend it. The guide we had was saddled with a VERY HEAVY Italian accent and her grammar wasn't that good. A couple of people in our group complained they couldn't understand a word she said. I understood her ok but I had just had a couple of glasses of wine with lunch and I think it helped. She was very knowledgeable and the subject matter was fascinating. I thought she went a little too quickly. I was really wanting to linger a bit longer--she went along at a pretty good clip but it was really interesting nonetheless. All those times before when I was walking around in the Basilica I had no idea all the history under my feet. I kept reminding myself of that everywhere I went in Rome. There's certainly more under your feet than is at eye level.
I had just finished reading the Agony and the Ecstasy while we were in Croatia and had read a large book about the Sistine Chapel so I needed to see it again. Seeing it with educated eyes made it even more astounding than the first time I saw it. I had a deeper appreciation for it.
There are certain places I always go in Rome and here they are:
Campo de Fiori-I have to have bags and bags of dried porcini mushrooms and tons of arrabiata and what is called "carciofi herbs" . I scored these things the first day and loved the way my suitcase (and our entire room) smelled. The customs dog gave it quite a long sniff but did not wag his tail.
I love the fountain at the Campo with it's admonishment not to worry what other people say when the Campo is probably the gossip capital of the world. I was happy to see our old friend Prospero selling his magical potato peelers and kitchen gadgets
Santa Maria Novella- just anything in the store is a necessity. The Rome store does not hold a candle to the mother store in Florence, but they have much of the same products.
CasaMaria Beauty Store-they sell the CinemaCitta brand of cosmetics and I can't find them anywhere else. I also stocked up on Marvis toothpaste which is 1/3 of the price here. It's the little things that make a girl so happy.
Piazza Navona-There's a guy who sells art there named Silla. We have a couple of his pieces and always like to go say hi and let him tell me his latest hard luck story. This time he had a black eye and said he got it falling off a scooter. Uh Huh. We also like to eat at a restaurant called La Dolce Vita right on the piazza. It's full of tourists but they have good pasta and the best insalate caprese. Love to sit there, sip wine, munch on food and play the game "guess where those people are from?"
Dinner at Il Ciak. This tiny restaurant in Trastevere is one of the final vestiges of a non-tourist eating experience in Rome. You will be there all night. You will need a reservation. You will need to be very hungry although the italians say you get your appetite while you eat. You will not hear any language but Italian and you will meet Sammy, the cook who works an open fire pit in the front of the restaurant. Their specialty is all manner of game and if you like veal chops, you will never have another one as good as this. The first time I came here, I was rather tipsy at the end of the evening and gave Sammy a big kiss and a $50 tip on my way out, so taken was I with my meal. He of course knows me now by name and over the years he has fed us many glorious meals. Oh goodness-The Panna Cotta. The limoncello. The carfiofi. Sigh. To me, a lot of the glory of Italy is in the food and in the loving way it is prepared for you.
We finally broke down and ate at the Filetti di Baccala around the corner from the Campo de Fiori and it was horrible. I have seen it recommended in guide books and on this forum and with all the fantastic cheap food in Rome, I don't know why anyone would eat here. Long John Silvers is better.
I'm not sure if Rome was seedier than I remember it or if it was just in such stark contrast to the cleanliness of Croatia but man, it is really grimy. More trash in the streets, more poop in the cobblestones, dirtier cars. Everything is just ickier than I recall. Anyone else notice this?
I had to get freaky with two guys at the ATM at the Pantheon, One of them was sitting directly under the machine and the other was wandering around behind me. I certainly wasn't in the mood to get mugged but I did need my money without delayso in my best Italian and my scariest voice I told the guy under me he needed to move. I told him again nicely, then not so nicely. I persisted. He stumbled away. I turned to his friend and told him to get away from me also. He told me he would go if I gave him 5 euro. I told him I was going to get the cops and see if the cops wanted me to give him 5 euro. I literally had a screaming match with this guy out in the piazza for a full five minutes while I scanned for a cop. Where are they when you need them? He finally tired of me and left, cursing me and my family as he departed. I got to be hero to several other tourists loitering around the machine, needing to use it but too weirded out to do anything.
We had a 7am flight so wanted to be at the airport around 5. We had the hotel arrange a cab for us at 4:30. The cab was there, right on time and I think he had a game with himself to see how fast he could get to the airport with no traffic. He ran EVERY red light and went a minimum of 180 km on the autostrada all the way there. We arrived at FCO in 18 hair-raising minutes. If he was trying to scare us, he did and I loved it.
Rome to Paris
Paris to Houston
on a practically empty flight, mainly French passengers. When the attendant announced our arrival in Houston at the George Bush Airport, the entire plane booed. I thought that was funny.
And that's what I did on my summer vacation!
The end.
Sep 21st, 2004, 02:30 PM
#25
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Oh Offwego......I want to travel with YOU. What a fun trip this report has been. Thanks so much.
By the way, some of my photos can be found at www.virtualtourist.com member name callavetta
By the way, some of my photos can be found at www.virtualtourist.com member name callavetta
Sep 22nd, 2004, 07:40 AM
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Kismet
Thanks for slogging through the report. I wanted to tell you that Zabaglione is my favorite flavor now too. I had not tried it until this trip (I can never get off bacio and menthe) and then I came home and read your post about it!
Thanks for slogging through the report. I wanted to tell you that Zabaglione is my favorite flavor now too. I had not tried it until this trip (I can never get off bacio and menthe) and then I came home and read your post about it!
Sep 22nd, 2004, 08:31 AM
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thanks for the roport. I think we will bypass the ferry from Hvar to Dub, and go back to Split and take the bus to Dub. Maybe a little more trouble, but hopefully, worth it. Does anyone know how often the bus runs to Dub?
Sep 22nd, 2004, 08:51 AM
#30
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Pat
Hard to say which is worse, that ferry or a bus. Certainly if the budget is tight, I would try the bus, since it's quicker. However if I were doing it over, I would fly from Split to Dubrovnik and be done with it.
Here's the bus schedule I found on
http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/engl...tion_coach.php
INTERCITY LINES - from other towns to Dubrovnik ...
From SPLIT
3.20, 3.30, 4.15, 5.00, 6.15, 6.40, 7.00, 8.00, 8.30, 10.00, 13.00, 13.30, 14.00, 14.30, 15.00, 16.15, 17.15
(some lines are not direct. They departure from other towns and only stop in Split to pick up passangers)
The bus station is just up the street from where the ferry lets you out. Couldn't be more convenient. If you schedule in a couple of hours between the ferry and the bus you can take your luggage to the garderobe rfor storage and see Diocletian's palace before boarding the bus.
Good Luck!
Hard to say which is worse, that ferry or a bus. Certainly if the budget is tight, I would try the bus, since it's quicker. However if I were doing it over, I would fly from Split to Dubrovnik and be done with it.
Here's the bus schedule I found on
http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/engl...tion_coach.php
INTERCITY LINES - from other towns to Dubrovnik ...
From SPLIT
3.20, 3.30, 4.15, 5.00, 6.15, 6.40, 7.00, 8.00, 8.30, 10.00, 13.00, 13.30, 14.00, 14.30, 15.00, 16.15, 17.15
(some lines are not direct. They departure from other towns and only stop in Split to pick up passangers)
The bus station is just up the street from where the ferry lets you out. Couldn't be more convenient. If you schedule in a couple of hours between the ferry and the bus you can take your luggage to the garderobe rfor storage and see Diocletian's palace before boarding the bus.
Good Luck!
Sep 22nd, 2004, 01:12 PM
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Hi there offwego.Have really enjoyed reading your report. We returned a week ago from a 2 week trip to Croatia....so much catching up to do at home but will post a trip report asap.
Pat. We needed to get from Dubrovnik to Split and decided to take the bus rather than the ferry. We did do a ferry trip from Hvar to Korcula and, to be frank, 2 hours was enough. It was hot on deck....hardly any shade, and down below was smoky but at least cool.
The buses leave at least hourly and the one we used was comfortable and air conditioned.The tickets were about 75 Kuna with an extra 10 Kuna for luggage. It did stop at a few towns along the way and the entire journey took 4 1/2 hours.The views were stunning......Glorious coastline,gorgeous little beaches,terracotta-roofed medieval villages. The time passed very pleasantly. As offwego said, you would leave from near the ferry terminal in Split and when you arrive at the Bus station in Dubrovnik, just ask at the information office which local(Libertas) bus you need to get to your destination.
Just a tip. Our bus stopped in Neum for a 10 minute break. I was stuck in a line at the supermarket and very nearly got left behind.Rather stock up on goodies at the beginning of the journey!
As I say, will do my report soon.
Linda
Pat. We needed to get from Dubrovnik to Split and decided to take the bus rather than the ferry. We did do a ferry trip from Hvar to Korcula and, to be frank, 2 hours was enough. It was hot on deck....hardly any shade, and down below was smoky but at least cool.
The buses leave at least hourly and the one we used was comfortable and air conditioned.The tickets were about 75 Kuna with an extra 10 Kuna for luggage. It did stop at a few towns along the way and the entire journey took 4 1/2 hours.The views were stunning......Glorious coastline,gorgeous little beaches,terracotta-roofed medieval villages. The time passed very pleasantly. As offwego said, you would leave from near the ferry terminal in Split and when you arrive at the Bus station in Dubrovnik, just ask at the information office which local(Libertas) bus you need to get to your destination.
Just a tip. Our bus stopped in Neum for a 10 minute break. I was stuck in a line at the supermarket and very nearly got left behind.Rather stock up on goodies at the beginning of the journey!
As I say, will do my report soon.
Linda
Sep 22nd, 2004, 02:33 PM
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offwego,
I was able to view your Croatia pictures..It is such a beautiful country..
I liked everyone,but I enjoyed the" morning in the street, very much..It gaves us a glimpse of everyday life and mornings rituals..
Thanks again for sharing,
Ciao,
AnnaMaria
I was able to view your Croatia pictures..It is such a beautiful country..
I liked everyone,but I enjoyed the" morning in the street, very much..It gaves us a glimpse of everyday life and mornings rituals..
Thanks again for sharing,
Ciao,
AnnaMaria
Aug 20th, 2006, 07:39 PM
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Hi Offwego - just reading through some old posts about Croatia, and taking a few notes before we go in about two weeks.
This was a terrific report and I got some great info from it.
Are your pictures still posted somewhere? The links here no longer work.
This was a terrific report and I got some great info from it.
Are your pictures still posted somewhere? The links here no longer work.
