Touring Italy tips

Touring Rome
I haven't been keeping notes on tourist tips, but am going to for Rome (and Italy in general) as it is certainly a city that beckons many returns! Perhaps if time permits, I will do the same for a few other cities I've visited since there are some I definitely hope to bring groups back to, if that opportunity ever comes to fruition!

Rome
Train, subways 'n whatnot
Traveling within Italy is absolutely possible and fairly economical with Trenitalia. Note that I didn't say easy, as that would be stretching it if one does not speak Italian. I don't, and I managed...with only two missed trains in all entirely due to passenger error. Mei Li and I had decided to buy tickets as we go along. This allowed a better sense of going with the flow and not just constantly having to keep to a schedule. However, if that is your style, by all means purchase the tickets online at www.trenitalia.it directly, or all of them when you get to the first station! You will still probably need to print the tickets when you get to the station if you bought online. Prices stay pretty standard with no obvious advantage for purchasing ahead of time as far as cost or seat reservation goes. Trains in Italy seem to run on a fairly regular schedule, especially to the major cities. Make sure to validate your ticket though at the small yellow boxes sprinkled throughout the station, else it's a $50 fine, unless you have sweet innocent faces like MeiLi and I do and can get away with shite like that!  :) Note that when I travelled from Zurich to Venice, I had to get the ticket from Zurich. The one I'd bought on trenitalia's website had to be voided.  And I would just entirely avoid RailEurope.com as they serve as a middle man.  Their packaged deals might come in handy if you plan to travel through several countries for more than a month.  From the Rome-Fiumicino airport, there is a direct metro line that goes into the central train station for 14euros.

Within Rome, getting around on the Metro is super easy.  Keep in mind though that it doesn't go toward the "historical city centre" where most of the tourist attractions are (such as the Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, etc.)  So, I highly recommend getting to know the bus routes unless you just plan on walking your feet off!  (Or can afford taxis.)

Where to stay?
Our first apartment was near Piazza Grillo, at a place I'd secured through AirBnB.com with Lorenzo called Anna Home for €90/night. The place was tiny, but had a miniature kitchenette. Though redundant, "miniature" is apropos. This is about a 7 minute walk to the Cavour metro station. Due to the cobblestoned roads, we decided to get a cab to our next BnB, for €10.
The next lodging was at elevenrome.com. Also tiny and for the same price, we did not have access to a kitchen (mini or otherwise) nor our own bathroom. Oh, and no ac like Anna Home did even though that stayed at about 18 degrees celcius no matter what the remote control said. However, elevenrome was actually a better location as it sits right by the red line Metro, 3 blocks from the Manzioni station. There is also good and affordable restaurants right on Via Merulana.
On the train to Torino, I learned from fellow travellers from DC that their BnB was excellent at €40 per person, called BnB Cavour. Might be worth researching next time?!
Moving around Rome was made easy with the Metro. The RomaPass is an excellent deal if you decide to visit at least two major attractions like the Colloseum and the National Art Gallery or the Borghese Gallery, which we missed as they only allow a controlled number of visitors each day. So be sure to make your reservation online if you are interested in the Borghese gallery. RomaPass can be purchased at the Termini or certain tabacchi (tobacco shops). At €25, we had unlimited rides on the metro or public buses, and free entrances to two sites, usable over 3 days. There are 5 or 7 day passes as well. See  http://romapass.it/?l=en


Sights to see
Rome is truly the land of art galleries, chiesas and basilicas. However, there are still only a handful not to be missed unless you're an artist or art student, or just crazy into seeing every piece of art at the deluge of seemingly unending list of galleries and have a lot of days here.  And I mean A LOT.
Walking around the Colosseum is just amazing as it all happened in the 500AD or so. That's a really, really long time ago! The area of this mega historical site is huge. It was helpful to go through Rick Steve's self guided tour (reading from his book, or download his free mp3 files:  http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/italy-audio-tours/id272230438) so I would allow easily 3-4hrs for this trip. Even though I'm not a history buff, these are the type of field trips that would have gotten me eating out of my history teachers' hands in grade school...

A day trip to the Vatican city is a must, even if you're atheist.  As Rick Steve's noted, the Cathedral seriously will make you want to be Catholic, even if just for a moment.  It is Spectacular.  My jaw wouldn't close for a while. And I teared up upon walking in with the sun rays shining right in.  It's the most palatial cathedral of cathedrals.  I almost wanted to attend mass.
There are of course endless sights around Rome, so I recommend reviewing the list from either the RomaPass website or general tourist sites like this to get acquainted: http://www.gorome.it/en/  There's just soooo much to see and experience.  So as not to wear yourself out, I'd preview the list and do some preliminary planning by not cramming too much into each day. We were there for 4 nights and could've easily doubled that.  Yes, we'd love to see and do everything Rome has to offer, but if you just try to hit every spot, you'd probably just wear yourself out and not have a chance to savor the experiences...certainly missing the Italian way of life in dolce far niente...

Ciao...n preeeeego!  ~m.

getting to know Karma 'n Zurich

Going to Switzerland was entirely due to good Karma. I had not planned on visiting this small country sandwiched amongst the three great nations of Germany, Italy and France as it is a financial capital of the world and many had warned me of the royal costs. However, my Facebook community determined that a trip here would be worthwhile. Plus, Karma had me convinced. She'd invited me to visit when Harry and I met her on the tour bus to Stonehenge a few weeks prior. Karma was vacationing with her cute elderly parents in London then. Yes, cute. Truly! They were just the most adorable family.

My first impression of arriving in Zurich was how clean and orderly everything seemed to be. That's an understatement for those familiar with this city, I imagine. On the weekend I was there, Karma took her family and me to the quaint country town of Appenzell. The image of Bart Simpson's dorky friend whose name I can't recall came to mind. It's that little German fella who wore 3/4 yellow pants with suspenders? Anyone?  I may very well be hallucinating too. I bought a miniature cowbell here for 18 swiss franks, which is about $21. Maybe it'll bring me good luck, who knows!

The air smelled fresh here, in Appenzell and even in Zurich, an anomaly for a capital city. I spent most of my time strolling around the Old Town area, resting up from the mad running around in Budapest. Surprisingly, I could afford the clothing more than I could the food! And yes, I am still shocked at the CHF 5.90 cup of tall latte at Starbucks (about US$7.00) despite warnings of the high prices. (note: I was in there purely for the wifi!) Ironically, right around Karma's apartment was a Malaysian restaurant, dishing up a plate of nasi lemak at around CHF 15 (US$18) which would normally cost about $3 ringgit (US$1) in Malaysia and $8 in US. I bought my stash of summer clothing I would need in Italy here. There were some amazingly good deals in Old Town! Karma met up with me after work and we hung out around town.

What's made this trip most memorable, aside from the tall latte, is Karma and her family. They are Tibetan and truly live the way what I imagine a Buddhist family does. This great experience getting to spend some time with them is further inspiring me explore more of the Tibetan culture when I head to the Himalayas this Fall. And yes, Karma truly is good! Thanks, Karma!!! Miss you!  Hope we get to meet up in our travels somewhere around the world soon again!   xo, ~magi.