Day Eight; Pesaro (Cin Cin)

                So I believe the Italian way of life is really something I could get used to, like everything in Italy. Today we were treated to a very delicious breakfast, curtsey of Cristiano’s Mom. Now my Italian breakfast was significantly smaller than my German one, but what it lacked in size it made up for in taste. Fresh marmalades and an apple torte with some very milky cappuccino, ah bellisima! Well today was started a little late, but that is probably because me and my crew were not very energetic today. Venice has taken its toll on everyone. The only remedy for us was relaxation, and our means of dosage was 2 heaping tablespoons of beach.

On the Way to The Beach



Basically what you think of when you think Italy

  The Pesaro beach easily beats every North American Beach hands down. The sand is extremely soft and the water is crystal clear and has a very tolerable temperature. The water also leaves you skin feeling well…hmm…like clean skin. It’s pretty much the best beach I’ve been to, and I’ve been to 5 so that’s saying a lot. But it’s not only the environment it’s the people. They’re so attractive, beautiful and nice. It’s just all around good for the eyes.

BEACH!!!

Apparently it's a joke?

The Pesaro beach easily beats every North American Beach hands down. The sand is extremely soft and the water is crystal clear and has a very tolerable temperature. The water also leaves you skin feeling well…hmm…like clean skin. It’s pretty much the best beach I’ve been to, and I’ve been to 5 so that’s saying a lot. But it’s not only the environment it’s the people. They’re so attractive, beautiful and nice. It’s just all around good for the eyes. Anyway we stayed there relatively briefly and headed over to Cristiano’s house for an amazing lunch and basically just hung around the house until it was time for dinner, also amazing. Now when the Italians make a toast they always (at least the family I’m with) say Cin Cin! (Cheeen  Cheeen) which is I think the sound the glasses make when they are hit together. Well they like to Cin Cin a lot, basically at every meal but breakfast (and I’m sure they even do it then sometimes) I can’t complain I’m growing rather fond of the sound. I’m also growing fond of the family. Cristiano has a daughter Elisa who is a little over 1  and is probably one of the best babies ever.

Elisa

 (Excluding Eli and Woods) And his wife is way to kind and one of the best cooks I’ve ever met. I really hope all Italian women can cook as well as she does. Until the morrow, I have only a few pictures today.

Day Seven Venice to Pesaro

Up early…again but this time it’s ligit early, like 7 A.M early. Friday has never applied more to me than now “gotta stay fresh gotta have cereal” “fun, fun, think about fun” anyway it was a rough morning because of my stupidity. Well it wasn’t stupidity; it was more of a concern for how Elizabeth would return Mr. Darcy’s violent proclamations of love.  Anyway I got the traditional Venetian cold shower and packed to head out the door, after a bite to eat, which was much more satisfying than yesterday’s. This is me leaving Venice.

 We headed onto the bus to the airport and finally to our rental car. A bit of drama occurred between all that. Moving on, we planned on driving to Pesaro and so we did.



My Airline



 The Italian countryside is amazing, rolling hills everywhere and beautiful fields lining the sides of the road. It’s stunning.

But it’s nothing compared to Pesaro! Pesaro is a small city in the Marche region of Italy and is just what you imagined Italy would be like!

 Everything is really old, like the house we are staying in. It’s older than America, yet it’s probably nicer than 90% of American homes and very spacious, very different than what I had expected. Well we are here because of my Dad’s friend for school Cristiano. He’s a pretty cool guy and is describing someone as very Italian a compliment? because I mean it as one. Well  when we got here in Pesaro we were treated to a really good lunch, with the best Calamari I have ever had and some very delicious Italian I guess tortilla’s because that’s what they’re like but are like a hybrid between a taco and a tortilla, very good anyway. Well after lunch we came to Cristiano’s mother’s house, where we are staying and it’s amazing, like I said before. His mother only speaks Italian which is awesome because I’ve got to improve I am nowhere near where I would like to be with it. I understand her the best here, but still that’s not saying much. Anyway it’s a great learning experience and she’s really cool even though I can only understand 30-40% of what she’s saying.  Anyway today is my parent’s 20^th anniversary and so we had to celebrate it! We went to a CASTLE to eat dinner. A castle.

 The food was great the view, amazing, and the company unbeatable… the wine was ok too haha! Really today was kinda slow but I believe that’s just the way things go in Italy. Everyone drives like the world is going to end but when we are planning on going somewhere apparently they have all the time in the world to get there, much like the South. I could get used to that. Anyway I’m tired and not to thrilled that I have no internet as of now so until tomorrow Ciao! Oh as I type this music from the very famous school here is quite audible form my room. This place is amazing

Day 6 Venice

                My goodness was last night crazy! At least that’s what it felt like to me this morning! HAHA well today we woke up “early” which for me and my family is anything before 10. We decided that, like in the land up north, we should get breakfast first thing. I was extremely excited to get some delicious Italian pastries and coffee aka Espresso e Cappuccino. Thus a restaurant was chosen quickly and our orders placed equally as fast. I had the absolute best Cappuccino that I have ever tasted. Normally, in that place called ummm….America, I don’t really care for them. But here, in this magnificent country, I love them. And the pastries well left much to be desired. Venice is a tourist trap, plan on spending a lot of money.  After a decent breakfast (our German ones were much better) we headed off via water bus to Piazza San Marco, where we planned to inquire about the Venetian boat tours. Today it was not raining and so I had a better chance to admire the beauty of the surrounding city. Here’s a little of what I saw.

Sanna Maria Saulte

San Giorgio

Canal

 After leaving the bus I looked up the square or piazza (fun fact every other square in Venice is called Campo)  I noticed that there was little or no line to tour inside the Cathedral and no line to enter the tower opposite to it. Normally the lack of a line is not too big of a deal to me,  but my aunt ,who has previously been to Venice, said that the line to go to the top of the tower was so long that they didn’t even do it. Well naturally I jumped upon the opportunity to ascend to the top of the tower and tour San Marco before the lines grew as the day waned. The tower was the first task to be conquered by our group and we plunged daringly to the top, for a small price of 24 Euros. Ugh Venice is a tourist trap. But upon reaching the top we were all very well rewarded for our purchase.

The view is unmatchable. I am convinced that it is the only way to truly grasp the beauty of the city fully. Yes traveling by boat down the canals is an equally rewarding experience, but I still enjoyed the aerial view a little better I think. Well, I couldn’t very well remain up there forever, since the city had only but a little been explored this day, so we descended and made the brief walk to San Marco where a small line was forming. There is poverty everywhere I very well know, but why, if impoverished, would you choose the most expensive city in Italy to live! I say this because there were multiple women begging outside the Cathedral but they were a little demanding for the money, like not so much as “Please sir, could I have some more?” but like “Um your in Venice and I’m poor, give me some money your greedy swine!” Well no big deal right? So we finish the line and move into the interior of the Cathedral where we saw all of this. Now photographs were not allowed here, but for all my fans I pulled a few string in order to provide you with these (aka I snuck around like the ninja I am and got these pictures).

St. Mark's Sepulcher

Pretty Amazing, no? Well amazing isn’t amazing enough in Venice! So we had to move on to the next big thing and this thing was a boat tour, and I’m talking about secret canal boat tour. Well almost we missed  that by a couple of minutes, so we opted for the next best thing which was a tour of the surrounding Islands of Venice. Well we had a while before the tour started so we headed over to Santa Maria Salute where we were greeted by yet another begging woman who was blocking the door of the church until you gave her money! Crazy! Anyway this church was more beautiful outside than in. But saying that doesn’t really do it much justice so you decide for yourself whether you like the interior or exterior more.

Well that eventually became old to us and our stomachs were telling the group to fill them up. So we headed back over to San Marco to search the back alleys for a pizzeria. The first place we went to was run by some Chinese, Japanese or Korean or some other type of Asian native. It was kinda disappointing, like when you go to a Chinese restaurant and you see only white people there I mean, no it’s not ok at all!

Asian Italian Ristorante

 Especially on my Italian vacation no! So we had to leave of course and go eat somewhere else, where the Italians where. Well we found somewhere and ate but by the time we were finished it was pouring down rain and of course lunch wasn’t enough we wanted coffee and dessert! SO we headed out to find some and wouldn’t you know it Haylee’s purse has somehow gone missing! So we have to quickly retrace our steps, because our boat tour is fast in coming, and find this thing. It’s not only her German souvenir but also contains all of the money that she currently possesses to obtain more. SO we run back to our lunch spot look and look around, but no purse! So we go back to the Asian Pizza place, where I’m sure they remembered us as the guys who came in sat down and left because they weren’t Italian enough for us, and ask for her purse…which they have. Looking back on it, it was less awkward to me at the time than it is now looking back on it. But yeah they had it and they got a small tip from us even though we didn’t eat there (we are amazing people). Well  it was raining heavily now and we had to find our tour starting spot, but it was nowhere to be seen.

Looking for the Trip place

Beautiful

 We searched and searched but couldn’t find it anywhere, and we decided to ask and well really no one was very helpful We had to take cover from the rain, so we hid in front of the Dodges Palace and there it was! Hidden behind a mass of people! We got there got on the boat blah blah blah and traveled to three Islands, one where they make very fine glass and charge a lot for it, one where they make lace and one that’s just old. The glass one was ok but again Venice is a tourist trap and the glass there was very expensive and on Venice it was much less. But you could haggle with them which was fun to do. Haylee got some glass dogs. Hopefully they will last a until we get home.

Glass Island

Glass Isalnd

The second island was where lace was made and it was actually a lot cheaper than in Venice. I didn’t get lace but I haggled over two masks and got two for half of the price of one in Venice. Needless to say I am pleased with the purchase.

The last Island was just old. Not much to say.

Travelling to Venice

 

After we got back to Venice we were tired and wet from head to toe and slightly annoyed (because someone stole my umbrella! But the jokes on them because it sucked big time) and decided to return to our hotel room briefly to change and recoup and find a decent place to each. All these things were done but disappointment came when the restaurant that was recommended was to full to take us in. Well we went somewhere recommended to us, which was a ton better than the meal we had last night. After filling our bellies we wanted to go on one more boat ride through the city but the rain kept us boring and we headed back to Hotel room to sleep and prepare for our departure, which is tomorrow.  Tomorrow we leave for Pesaro. Until then!