Our real "sightseeing" day in Salzburg was intense; we went to see the salt mines, where the city got it's name ("Salz" is German for salt), and the Festung fortress, and we did another walkabout the city before ending in the beergarten we went to our first night where the beer is brewed by the Augustinian monks who live in the monastery above.
The Salt Mines tour, operated by Panorama tour group, is 40-odd euro, and I'm not sure if it was really worth that much. Possibly we could have bussed up there and gotten admission for less, but the tour group meant that we would get some info on the way and that we got to see more than just the mines. The tour was separated into groups, the ones headed up to the Eagle's Nest (Hitler's seat of power in the Bavarian Mountains) and those of us headed to the Salt Mines. There were five of us headed to the mines, all from the same hostel, and all around 20's. So we stuck together for the tour, and it was probably more fun for it. The bus ride up there was not too enjoyable, the tourguide wasn't very good at his job, and it would almost have been better without narration. When we got to the mines, they put us into coverall suits because not only are the mines incredibly salty, but they're cold and there are slides which, if you didn't have pants on or didn't want to ruin your own, would have sucked. So there we are, looking ridiculous, but warmer for sure, taking pictures and dreading the rest of the group we were being stuck with: lots of babies and toddlers in a group with, presumably, their parents. They screamed a lot. So, firstly you have to take the tram to get into the mines, a nice long ride at a decent speed, where you straddle a bench and hang on to a rail to keep from falling off. Then, when you arrive at the first cavern you can walk around for a few minutes before the first slide. the slide is long and it's another straddle operated shindig, where five people get to hug one another and then scream to the bottom their their legs straight and you cannot try to stop with your feet, you come to a halt at the end. It was fantastic.
After that you take your audioguide and follow the conductor around to various demonstrations and attractions, the best of which is the "Mirror Lake," a cavern lake with no inlet or outlet, so when it settles it looks like a mirror it's so clear, thus the name.
The frustrating part of it was that the audio guides didn't work half the time, and the tour guide didn't speak a word of English or anything but German. Frustrating. We finished the tour with an elevator ride and free miniature salt shakers with salt (which will be used for cooking along the way!). Then another train ride to the surface and kabam, finished. Then the tourbus picked us up and took us to gather the rest of the group at the Eagle's Nest and then to some Bavarian town in the mountains where we stopped for lunch. The five of us had pretzels and then Air, C and myself played hackeysack to the great amusement of the general populace.
Overall a nice tour, but wouldn't recommend doing it through Panorama Tours
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Review for Sir Toby's Hostel, Prague.
Comfort Level: 5
Amenities: 5
Staff: 5
Location: 4
Fellow Hostelers: 5
Overall: 5
Sir Toby's is a really good hostel for long term stays, but maybe not as good for the short term people. It was clean and well kept, which is pretty amazing for Prague and Czech in general. The location is okay, but walking to town is really a long haul. The trams cost next to nothing though, and at check in they'll tell you which ones to take, point our great restaurants and good places to see. It is a long way from any real "nightlife" which is a downer for a lot of people: there isn't a whole lot to do and see in Prague that you can't do in a day or two, and everything closes around 6. We were happy to sit in the pub downstairs and watch movies and play games with the people there. The guest kitchen is available from 6am to 11pm, and they serve vegetarian food at the bar until 11:30. The breakfast bar is entirely worth the 100 crowns (110 if you don't buy in advance) because you get to make your own scrambled eggs, crepes, and breakfast roll sandwiches, all you can eat. You get a mug for as much tea and coffee as you want, as well as a bowl for yogurt (two kinds, I highly recommend the blueberry/berry flavoured one, it was wonderful) or granola (homemade!) and even cereal. They had all sorts of add-ons for the egg bar, and fruit toppings for the crepes and for munching. All of this is included in the ticket and all you can eat.
The beds were wonderful and soft with huge pillows! They were onsies too, so I felt like a real adult instead of a pretend kid. The room was spacious with 5 beds (though at first they shoved an extra bed in there to make enough room, and I asked to switch from that when one of the people left) and huge windows. There is NO central air, but the heating probably works. We had the windows open pretty much all day and night trying to cool off, but the whole hostel was absolutely hot.
There is only one bathroom per dorm, so 5-8 people have to share one toilet and one shower, which could get hairy, though we never had an issue with ours.
The kitchen is pretty good, with two small refrigerators and two rangetops, sinks and pans, plates, bowls and silverware. They are serious, though, when they say anything without info on it is getting chucked each night. The kitchen is closed and locked after 11pm, but if you need to grab something or put food away you can ask for the key-- there's a time limit on it though, so you can't cook. Wifi is free and on all floors as well, though as always there are pay computers in the front you can use.
Overall I highly recommend this hostel for amenities and cleanliness, but the location is a little far for one day stays or those who love hardcore nightlife.
Amenities: 5
Staff: 5
Location: 4
Fellow Hostelers: 5
Overall: 5
Sir Toby's is a really good hostel for long term stays, but maybe not as good for the short term people. It was clean and well kept, which is pretty amazing for Prague and Czech in general. The location is okay, but walking to town is really a long haul. The trams cost next to nothing though, and at check in they'll tell you which ones to take, point our great restaurants and good places to see. It is a long way from any real "nightlife" which is a downer for a lot of people: there isn't a whole lot to do and see in Prague that you can't do in a day or two, and everything closes around 6. We were happy to sit in the pub downstairs and watch movies and play games with the people there. The guest kitchen is available from 6am to 11pm, and they serve vegetarian food at the bar until 11:30. The breakfast bar is entirely worth the 100 crowns (110 if you don't buy in advance) because you get to make your own scrambled eggs, crepes, and breakfast roll sandwiches, all you can eat. You get a mug for as much tea and coffee as you want, as well as a bowl for yogurt (two kinds, I highly recommend the blueberry/berry flavoured one, it was wonderful) or granola (homemade!) and even cereal. They had all sorts of add-ons for the egg bar, and fruit toppings for the crepes and for munching. All of this is included in the ticket and all you can eat.
The beds were wonderful and soft with huge pillows! They were onsies too, so I felt like a real adult instead of a pretend kid. The room was spacious with 5 beds (though at first they shoved an extra bed in there to make enough room, and I asked to switch from that when one of the people left) and huge windows. There is NO central air, but the heating probably works. We had the windows open pretty much all day and night trying to cool off, but the whole hostel was absolutely hot.
There is only one bathroom per dorm, so 5-8 people have to share one toilet and one shower, which could get hairy, though we never had an issue with ours.
The kitchen is pretty good, with two small refrigerators and two rangetops, sinks and pans, plates, bowls and silverware. They are serious, though, when they say anything without info on it is getting chucked each night. The kitchen is closed and locked after 11pm, but if you need to grab something or put food away you can ask for the key-- there's a time limit on it though, so you can't cook. Wifi is free and on all floors as well, though as always there are pay computers in the front you can use.
Overall I highly recommend this hostel for amenities and cleanliness, but the location is a little far for one day stays or those who love hardcore nightlife.
Review of Salzburg Yoho Hostel:
Location: 5
Staff: 4
Comfort Level: 5
Amenities: 4 1/2
Fellow Hostelers: 5
Overall: 5
This is one of the "Europe's Famous Hostels" group, and for good reason. Clean, well located and with generally decent prices for rooms it suits most every need. I give it a 5 for the showers alone, though if you try to shower early in the morning you'll run into the age old problem of never enough showers. So we shower at night or the afternoon when no one is around. The womens showers were renovated a few weeks before we got there, and let me tell you they are probably the BEST showers we've seen traveling. Ever.
The amenities gets a hit because the guest kitchen is a joke, open from 11am to 5pm and so tiny you can't turn around comfortably it makes a mockery of the word "kitchenette." If you're a hardcore self-feeder and don't want to spend 3-8 euro on breakfast and dinner respectively then you might rethink this one. However, the free wifi is actually free and accessible all hours on all floors. You have to pay for computer time if you don't have a laptop or mobile device, though, so be warned.
Everything, as with most European hostels, costs. Everything. There was even graffiti about that downstairs in the basement/laundry room, which was hilarious. There were years of graffiti on the walls from all corners of the world in many languages (though Australians are the most obnoxious of the ones we found). We added our marks as well, continuing a great tradition. We ought to buy sharpies to graffiti with, though, we busted two ballpoints writing on the wall.
The laundry costs 2 euro for the small washer and 2 euro for the dryer, so we had to halve our respective loads to fit three people's stuff into the wash. But they smells wonderful after the wash :) You put down a 5 euro deposit for linen, which you get back if you check out on time (10 am), and the same for a towel if you need one, though you pay them an nonrefundable .50 cent to use it.
The bar downstairs boasts cheap drinks, but there are so many beer gartens and restaurants around with better deal and drinks, according to what we saw and the input from the hostelers we talked to.
The beds were classic bunks that squeaked and shook with every movement, and the mattresses were original 70's we think, but they just got new mattresses the night before we left, and they're doing more renovations so they might get new beds too. Crap pillows, and the sheets were two heavily starched flat sheets.
The security lockers and door security were really pretty good though, you had to have the keycard to your bed number to open the corresponding locker. The only thing to remember was that the lockers didn't lock on their own and if you don't lock it manually before you leave, your "security" is compromised. We had no issues, nor had we heard of anyone having issues, but it's a good thing to note. Luggage drop is just the open downstairs area where bags can be piled for a morning; we brought a cable lock long enough to fit through all three bag handles and locked it around a bar in the staircase, just to be safe.
I would say that for a long stay, this is a great place but for the kitchen, for a one night stay it would be just about perfect.
Staff: 4
Comfort Level: 5
Amenities: 4 1/2
Fellow Hostelers: 5
Overall: 5
This is one of the "Europe's Famous Hostels" group, and for good reason. Clean, well located and with generally decent prices for rooms it suits most every need. I give it a 5 for the showers alone, though if you try to shower early in the morning you'll run into the age old problem of never enough showers. So we shower at night or the afternoon when no one is around. The womens showers were renovated a few weeks before we got there, and let me tell you they are probably the BEST showers we've seen traveling. Ever.
The amenities gets a hit because the guest kitchen is a joke, open from 11am to 5pm and so tiny you can't turn around comfortably it makes a mockery of the word "kitchenette." If you're a hardcore self-feeder and don't want to spend 3-8 euro on breakfast and dinner respectively then you might rethink this one. However, the free wifi is actually free and accessible all hours on all floors. You have to pay for computer time if you don't have a laptop or mobile device, though, so be warned.
Everything, as with most European hostels, costs. Everything. There was even graffiti about that downstairs in the basement/laundry room, which was hilarious. There were years of graffiti on the walls from all corners of the world in many languages (though Australians are the most obnoxious of the ones we found). We added our marks as well, continuing a great tradition. We ought to buy sharpies to graffiti with, though, we busted two ballpoints writing on the wall.
The laundry costs 2 euro for the small washer and 2 euro for the dryer, so we had to halve our respective loads to fit three people's stuff into the wash. But they smells wonderful after the wash :) You put down a 5 euro deposit for linen, which you get back if you check out on time (10 am), and the same for a towel if you need one, though you pay them an nonrefundable .50 cent to use it.
The bar downstairs boasts cheap drinks, but there are so many beer gartens and restaurants around with better deal and drinks, according to what we saw and the input from the hostelers we talked to.
The beds were classic bunks that squeaked and shook with every movement, and the mattresses were original 70's we think, but they just got new mattresses the night before we left, and they're doing more renovations so they might get new beds too. Crap pillows, and the sheets were two heavily starched flat sheets.
The security lockers and door security were really pretty good though, you had to have the keycard to your bed number to open the corresponding locker. The only thing to remember was that the lockers didn't lock on their own and if you don't lock it manually before you leave, your "security" is compromised. We had no issues, nor had we heard of anyone having issues, but it's a good thing to note. Luggage drop is just the open downstairs area where bags can be piled for a morning; we brought a cable lock long enough to fit through all three bag handles and locked it around a bar in the staircase, just to be safe.
I would say that for a long stay, this is a great place but for the kitchen, for a one night stay it would be just about perfect.
Switzerland; Glacier express June 8th(ish?)
The Glacier Express is a panoramic train through the Swiss alps. It costs about 110 euro/ 120 franks, and it starts in Zermott or Briggs and winds it's way to St. Martin (??) or Davos, a tiny nowhereville. The ride is roughly 7 hours, and if you don't get a car where the heating is broken, then you'll have a pleasant view out of the fully panoramic windows. If, like us, your car has no air conditioning, you will fry like a piece of bacon. Air said I turned into a little shrimp, small and bright pink. She was a lobster, bright red from the sun, and C was... we couldn't decide because he was grumpy from being so sick and the heat wasn't helping. We sat in hell for about four hours, and were ecstatic to get off the train at the stops along the way.
We ate lunch outside while they changed engines (the grade becomes too steep at times and they have to have special engines to get the train up the mountains, which means fairly frequent stops for changes) and enjoyed the scenery. Lunch was fresh bread torn from a loaf, appples and water. it felt like true mountaineering style, and was probably the best lunch we've had in terms of place and enjoyment.
There were, as I said, several stops, and we got off to not only breathe but to take some spectuacular photos of the countryside. After the last stopover where the St Mrtinez group had to switch trains, we switched compartments to an empty one with air, and it was still hot, but bearable. The sun beats down in a non-stop heating on one side of the train, so we moved to the shaded side and just relaxed into happier boiled seafood. When we got of in Davos it turned out to be one of those tiny nowherevilles that is only busy in high skiing season, so there was nothing open after 5-6pm and nowhere to go when our train left at 9pm.
-
Now, we were coming out off Briggs, remember, and none of us had really slept at all since Milan, and we were really trying to stay awake for the 7 hour ride through the alps, and by the time we got to Davos were just absolutely ready to get somewhere and sleep. We had some caffeine, played some hackeysack and tried to relax a bit while we waited for the train. We had two changeovers before the sleeper rail, so we couldn't even really think of more than nodding a little on the connectors. The sleeper went from 11:30 to 4:30, when it got to Salzburg, and we were so tired that when we finally found an empty compartment, we all just pulled the couches out (in the daytime these compartments seat 6, at night they pull out into 3 couch-beds) and passed out, only waking for the ticket lady.
We made it out of the train on time and found ourself waiting till it was a little lighter out, and then set off for the hostel knowing full well we couldn't check in until after 11. We figured we would drop the bags and if we had to go find food and a park to sleep in for a while. The guy was nice though, and pointed out that the lounge was empty and would be relatively quiet from 5:30 to about 7, we could try to catch a quick nap if we wanted. So we did. We dropped the bags at the luggage drop, carried our small packs and laid out on the most uncomfortable benches I've ever encountered. We legitimately passed out until after 9, backs and necks and shoulders on fire, we endured the laughs and comments. It was the best, worst sleep we'd had, and it was fantastic.
We ate lunch outside while they changed engines (the grade becomes too steep at times and they have to have special engines to get the train up the mountains, which means fairly frequent stops for changes) and enjoyed the scenery. Lunch was fresh bread torn from a loaf, appples and water. it felt like true mountaineering style, and was probably the best lunch we've had in terms of place and enjoyment.
There were, as I said, several stops, and we got off to not only breathe but to take some spectuacular photos of the countryside. After the last stopover where the St Mrtinez group had to switch trains, we switched compartments to an empty one with air, and it was still hot, but bearable. The sun beats down in a non-stop heating on one side of the train, so we moved to the shaded side and just relaxed into happier boiled seafood. When we got of in Davos it turned out to be one of those tiny nowherevilles that is only busy in high skiing season, so there was nothing open after 5-6pm and nowhere to go when our train left at 9pm.
-
Now, we were coming out off Briggs, remember, and none of us had really slept at all since Milan, and we were really trying to stay awake for the 7 hour ride through the alps, and by the time we got to Davos were just absolutely ready to get somewhere and sleep. We had some caffeine, played some hackeysack and tried to relax a bit while we waited for the train. We had two changeovers before the sleeper rail, so we couldn't even really think of more than nodding a little on the connectors. The sleeper went from 11:30 to 4:30, when it got to Salzburg, and we were so tired that when we finally found an empty compartment, we all just pulled the couches out (in the daytime these compartments seat 6, at night they pull out into 3 couch-beds) and passed out, only waking for the ticket lady.
We made it out of the train on time and found ourself waiting till it was a little lighter out, and then set off for the hostel knowing full well we couldn't check in until after 11. We figured we would drop the bags and if we had to go find food and a park to sleep in for a while. The guy was nice though, and pointed out that the lounge was empty and would be relatively quiet from 5:30 to about 7, we could try to catch a quick nap if we wanted. So we did. We dropped the bags at the luggage drop, carried our small packs and laid out on the most uncomfortable benches I've ever encountered. We legitimately passed out until after 9, backs and necks and shoulders on fire, we endured the laughs and comments. It was the best, worst sleep we'd had, and it was fantastic.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Our trip from Gaeta to Formia was by car, C's grandfather drove us (and we made it in one piece with very little heart failure on the passenger's part) to the station to save us time and money, which was much appreciated. We got from Formia to Rome in time for T's train to Fiumoncino, but getting there at 8:30 meant that our train to Milan, leaving at 12:30, was oh so far off. We bought a brioche and sat at the table of a station cafe, for the entire four hours. We got on the train and oh boy was it full up. Our compartment (they seat six) had an older couple and a younger woman, and then the three of us, packs full to bursting. We sat on that train, vaguely dozing at times, reading or watching videos at others, for 7 hours. Not as bad as some trains I've had, it was certainly not the worst though.
We got into Milan about 7:15, and found our hostel after some interesting subway adventures. Having to go up and down a lot of stairs with the back pack and the baby-front pack while it was practically 80 underground was nauseating. After we settled in we made dinner and started more research on our trains and hostels for Switzerland, Austria, and Prague. After much annoyance and debate, we finally had a plan and went to a late sleep. We got to sleep in to ten am, an important fact to note here.
We left Milan around 5 and got to Brig, Switzerland at 7ish. C was looking worse, his stomach was really nasty and he was green, and so Air and I went in search of a grocery that might be open to get some stuff for him, bland food, and some drinks and food for the next two days. We found nothing, but our first experience of the Alps was absolutely breathtaking. We wandered for an hour, and then we came back to C, who was watching the bags. There was a little shop in the station where we got our stuff, and we hunkered down, ready to sleep in shifts.
I should describe our setup: The were benches, all the metal type with holes and as uncomfortable as all get out, and we took the two farthest to the left. The ticket office was across from us, and what is apparently the only vending machine in Brig was diagonal and only like 10 feet away. Now, C took one bench, and Air and I took the other. Our bags were placed behind the bench in a little hollow of the window, like a bay window only with one pane and high up, so it was the perfect spot to keep our stuff contained and safe. Air and I played games and watched tv shows on the Acer (named Gimli) and let C sleep. Neither of us was too tired, but we knew that 14 hours was a long time to be awake, so we decided to make "tea." I use the term lightly here... What we had was three tea bags, frizzante water (accidentally purchased instead of normale) and three packets of honey. The bottle was 2 liters, we poured half of that into another water bottle, and we stuck the three tea bags into the big bottle, tied together to keep them from getting lost. The carbonation kept the teabags from sinking, but they did steep, and we left them for about and hour, hour and a half, before we tested the waters, so to speak. We ended up having to cut a hole into the side to pour out of, and we used a nutella cup to split it. Added one honey packet (there was about three cups worth of tea, so we rationed) and took the ultimate test: I had the first sip and it was horrid. But, in the spirit of caffeine, hydration, and not wasting anything, we drank the vile stuff, every drop.
The night was otherwise uneventful; we mostly played Peggle and watched stuff, no one bothered us except one to ask for cigarettes, but she left us alone when we said we didn't have any. The last train left at 12:30, the next train came at 4:30. Yet the station never closes, so there were travelers, like us, stuck waiting, or teens with nothing better to do on a Friday than to hang out at the only open place in town. It seemed like everyone who came to the station came for two reasons, not only to get somewhere but to use the vending machine!
About 5 C woke up long enough for Air and I to force him to take watch while we snatched some downtime. Air couldn't sleep, but I passed out until 6, when the cleaner came around loudly. So, from then until our train at ten, we just kind of passed the time between us by walking; we watched the sunrise come up over the alps, and the city come to life. It was well worth the long wait.
Next installment: The Glacier Express and the rest of the journey to Salzburg.
We got into Milan about 7:15, and found our hostel after some interesting subway adventures. Having to go up and down a lot of stairs with the back pack and the baby-front pack while it was practically 80 underground was nauseating. After we settled in we made dinner and started more research on our trains and hostels for Switzerland, Austria, and Prague. After much annoyance and debate, we finally had a plan and went to a late sleep. We got to sleep in to ten am, an important fact to note here.
We left Milan around 5 and got to Brig, Switzerland at 7ish. C was looking worse, his stomach was really nasty and he was green, and so Air and I went in search of a grocery that might be open to get some stuff for him, bland food, and some drinks and food for the next two days. We found nothing, but our first experience of the Alps was absolutely breathtaking. We wandered for an hour, and then we came back to C, who was watching the bags. There was a little shop in the station where we got our stuff, and we hunkered down, ready to sleep in shifts.
I should describe our setup: The were benches, all the metal type with holes and as uncomfortable as all get out, and we took the two farthest to the left. The ticket office was across from us, and what is apparently the only vending machine in Brig was diagonal and only like 10 feet away. Now, C took one bench, and Air and I took the other. Our bags were placed behind the bench in a little hollow of the window, like a bay window only with one pane and high up, so it was the perfect spot to keep our stuff contained and safe. Air and I played games and watched tv shows on the Acer (named Gimli) and let C sleep. Neither of us was too tired, but we knew that 14 hours was a long time to be awake, so we decided to make "tea." I use the term lightly here... What we had was three tea bags, frizzante water (accidentally purchased instead of normale) and three packets of honey. The bottle was 2 liters, we poured half of that into another water bottle, and we stuck the three tea bags into the big bottle, tied together to keep them from getting lost. The carbonation kept the teabags from sinking, but they did steep, and we left them for about and hour, hour and a half, before we tested the waters, so to speak. We ended up having to cut a hole into the side to pour out of, and we used a nutella cup to split it. Added one honey packet (there was about three cups worth of tea, so we rationed) and took the ultimate test: I had the first sip and it was horrid. But, in the spirit of caffeine, hydration, and not wasting anything, we drank the vile stuff, every drop.
The night was otherwise uneventful; we mostly played Peggle and watched stuff, no one bothered us except one to ask for cigarettes, but she left us alone when we said we didn't have any. The last train left at 12:30, the next train came at 4:30. Yet the station never closes, so there were travelers, like us, stuck waiting, or teens with nothing better to do on a Friday than to hang out at the only open place in town. It seemed like everyone who came to the station came for two reasons, not only to get somewhere but to use the vending machine!
About 5 C woke up long enough for Air and I to force him to take watch while we snatched some downtime. Air couldn't sleep, but I passed out until 6, when the cleaner came around loudly. So, from then until our train at ten, we just kind of passed the time between us by walking; we watched the sunrise come up over the alps, and the city come to life. It was well worth the long wait.
Next installment: The Glacier Express and the rest of the journey to Salzburg.
Whew! What a lot to catch up on, we've hopped two countries since last I posted!
Right now we're in Salzburg, Austria, at Yoho Hostel, but I'll get to that later.
Let us speak of our last days in Gaeta. June first, two days before we left, we went to the beach again. it was bright and sunny and absolutely wonderful, but since it had rained a lot the night beforehand, the waves were huge. Like over 7 feet crests, red flag conditions. We had a fantastic time body surfing, though it was cold in there. Unrelenting undertow made it a tiring experience, so after an hour or so we decided to lay out and dry off the sunny way (yes mom, I wore sun screen.) We went home for leftovers, but went out for pizza that night with Mariana, C's Grandfather's niece (I think she is C's grandfather's sister's daughter...what a mouthful!) at a place called Ciro's. A truly wonderful pizza place, we sat outside by the bay, just off the Yacht club, in a tent that kept the chilly bay breeze away. Air had a pizza with egg on it, which was delicious (I stole a bite) and C and T had Margharita pizzas; I had sliced salame on mine. The pizza was huge, and C, Air, and myself ate every bit of ours. C ate the last half of T's, because she eats very little at a time. I was full to bursting about 3/4s of the way, but upon the challenge of finisheing, I ate the rest. And then we had a sampling of cakes, Limoncello afterwards and a nice walk to round it out. The morning after I was still full, and feeling a bit sick for it, unfortunately.
We went to the fresh market, held every Wednesday in Gaeta, to buy travel food. Peaches, apricots, cherries, whole salamis (which are hanging from Air's pack), some cheese and two bags of rolls for sandwiches. We also got gifted the leftover meatballs for our sandwiches on the first train. We had 6 balls of buffalo mozzarella (in milk, which is heavy to carry!) and two bottles of homemade wine to take with us. We ate all the fresh stuff over the two days of travel (because we had nowhere to store it, wanted to not be carrying it anymore, and were hungry despite C not eating anything but the bread after Milan) but have only gone through most of one salami.
June 2nd is for the Italians what July 4th is for us Americans. So most every shop was closed, and there were hundreds of people just milling around town waiting for the grand procession. We didn't stay to watch the procession because we had dinner waiting for us, but the fireworks went off at midnight, so it might have taken longer than we thought anyways.
We had a fabulous time in Gaeta, and I would heartily recommend visiting, especially in the off season between May-June and Sept-Oct.
Right now we're in Salzburg, Austria, at Yoho Hostel, but I'll get to that later.
Let us speak of our last days in Gaeta. June first, two days before we left, we went to the beach again. it was bright and sunny and absolutely wonderful, but since it had rained a lot the night beforehand, the waves were huge. Like over 7 feet crests, red flag conditions. We had a fantastic time body surfing, though it was cold in there. Unrelenting undertow made it a tiring experience, so after an hour or so we decided to lay out and dry off the sunny way (yes mom, I wore sun screen.) We went home for leftovers, but went out for pizza that night with Mariana, C's Grandfather's niece (I think she is C's grandfather's sister's daughter...what a mouthful!) at a place called Ciro's. A truly wonderful pizza place, we sat outside by the bay, just off the Yacht club, in a tent that kept the chilly bay breeze away. Air had a pizza with egg on it, which was delicious (I stole a bite) and C and T had Margharita pizzas; I had sliced salame on mine. The pizza was huge, and C, Air, and myself ate every bit of ours. C ate the last half of T's, because she eats very little at a time. I was full to bursting about 3/4s of the way, but upon the challenge of finisheing, I ate the rest. And then we had a sampling of cakes, Limoncello afterwards and a nice walk to round it out. The morning after I was still full, and feeling a bit sick for it, unfortunately.
We went to the fresh market, held every Wednesday in Gaeta, to buy travel food. Peaches, apricots, cherries, whole salamis (which are hanging from Air's pack), some cheese and two bags of rolls for sandwiches. We also got gifted the leftover meatballs for our sandwiches on the first train. We had 6 balls of buffalo mozzarella (in milk, which is heavy to carry!) and two bottles of homemade wine to take with us. We ate all the fresh stuff over the two days of travel (because we had nowhere to store it, wanted to not be carrying it anymore, and were hungry despite C not eating anything but the bread after Milan) but have only gone through most of one salami.
June 2nd is for the Italians what July 4th is for us Americans. So most every shop was closed, and there were hundreds of people just milling around town waiting for the grand procession. We didn't stay to watch the procession because we had dinner waiting for us, but the fireworks went off at midnight, so it might have taken longer than we thought anyways.
We had a fabulous time in Gaeta, and I would heartily recommend visiting, especially in the off season between May-June and Sept-Oct.
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