Goodbye

          This post is probably one of the hardest I’ve written yet.  My time in Toulouse has finally come to an end, and tomorrow I will get on a train at six in the morning and travel seven hours to Paris to meet my family who I haven’t seen in four months.  I have been so excited to see my family and friends back home that it hadn’t hit me that going home also meant leaving behind a beautiful city that I have grown to love and amazing friends that have become my family here. 

At the Salon de The

Last night I went out to a cute little Salon de Thé next to San Sernin (one of the landmark churches in Toulouse).  We had the most amazing dinner! I had stuffed rabbit with a chickpea based side and thé gourmand (which included an amazing black tea brewed from fresh tea leaves and served in a teapot, a lime cheesecake, and mint ice cream) for dessert.  The dinner took three hours, but it was lovely.  We had the absolute best time.  I really enjoy spending a long time eating here.  You really get to enjoy the food and the company.  That is one of the things I am going to miss for sure. 

The girls that I had dinner with are some of the coolest people I have ever met and were my best friends here.  After girls’ nights, wine and cheese parties, movie nights, travels, class, and living in the same city for four months, they kind of became like my sisters.  We were all sad to leave each other so we came up with an idea to ensure that we keep in touch.  We are going to share a bracelet among the six of us and each time we send it to the next girl send a letter with it to update her on what’s new in our lives.  We of course also plan to use Facebook, but the idea of letters and sharing a bracelet is so cute to me!

Going Away Party #1

Tonight was my last night.  As people have started leaving, we have been having “good-bye parties” in my apartment building.  Basically, we all get together in someone’s apartment to visit and say good-bye to whoever is leaving next.  As you can imagine, they are quite sad little parties.  Tonight myself and several others said goodbye.  I thought I was going to be fine.  Like I said, I assumed the excited of seeing my family would even out the sadness of leaving, but I quickly found that it doesn’t really work like that.  I began saying goodbye with my friend that I went to Nice with. She looked up at me all teary eyed, and I lost it and started bawling like a baby.  It was much harder to say goodbye than I thought. 

Last night in Toulouse

I hope that all of my Erasmus family knows how much I love them.  You guys have been my friends, classmates, teachers, traveling buddies, neighbors, and family here, and I cannot describe how thankful I am to have been privileged to meet and spend four months with all of you.  You are all amazing people, and you are the reason my exchange has been so absolutely incredible! I hope to stay in touch, and if you are ever in Arkansas (or the U.S. for that matter), you will always have a home there! Stay beautiful! Love you guys!    

My Last Week

               It’s hard to believe that my stay in Toulouse is almost over.  Both of my roommates have already moved out; my last day of class is tomorrow; I have already started packing/ cleaning; and I am officially leaving on Monday.  In some ways I feel like I just got here, but at the same time I feel like I’ve done so much in the past four-ish months. 

                My last week in Toulouse began with a trip to Narbonne.  It was a beautiful day in the small coastal town.  As usual here in France, the bus system wasn’t working due to the holiday.  We began the day walking around the small town.  It was quite charming with a lovely canal and an absolutely beautiful cathedral.  When traveling in France, I’ve found that you see many cathedrals, but this one was quite impressive.  My only complaint about our short visit was the map.  We were given a beautiful map of Narbonne at its impressive office of tourism complete with illustrations and explanations of major landmarks; however it only displayed major street names so it was quite easy to get lost.  After our tour of the old town, we caught a train to where we were told there was a beach since the buses were not running due to the national holiday.

When we arrived we had no idea how to get to the beach.  After briefly scanning a map and gaining an idea of the general direction of the nearest beach we began walking.  About an hour later after walking through “creepy French suburbia” where all of the pink houses all looked the same, we finally arrived at the beach.  The weather was perfectly hot.  The cool Mediterranean water even felt nice.  I would have spent more time in the water had it not been for all the jellyfish all over the place.  Overall it was a lovely afternoon sleeping, sunning, reading, and chatting on the beach.

Best Cook Award

Tuesday was the final Erasmus event of the semester organized by our wonderful welcome team.  The final gala was an amazing four course dinner on a boat that cruised down the Canal du Midi at sunset.  The food was amazing.  It was served progressively by waiters carrying around trays of food so we got to try everything including gazpacho, duck and goat cheese skewers, a massive cheese assortment, and panna cotta.  It was delicious! The event was so nice.  We all got dressed up and felt super classy eating our French food cruising down the canal.  After dinner, we went downstairs for the presentation of a video and an awards ceremony.  We had all voted for our favorite Erasmus.  I got the title of “Best Cook.”  It was the perfect end to an absolutely incredible and unforgettable semester.

The rest of my last week in Toulouse was spent in Artemis, a business simulation.  I have done an online Capsim business simulation twice before at the University of Arkansas.  Each of those was completed over the course of an entire semester.  We did this one, which I would argue was even more complicated than Capsim, over the course of four days.  It consisted of two practice rounds, eight decision rounds, a series of conferences, a business plan, several excel models, and a final presentation.  The business decisions we were required to make in each round involved marketing, production, finance, labor issues, changing economic conditions, and response to carbon emission regulation.  My team did relatively well.  We didn’t finish first, but we were competitive the entire simulation and showed the highest exponential growth during the final two quarters of any team.

It was a lot to complete in four days, but I found it to be immensely beneficial.  I learned how to deal with complicated decisions in a short matter of time and how to better work in a team (something I’ll admit I find difficult when under extreme time pressures).  The intensity of the simulation made it a good and somewhat realistic experience.  I’m very glad I decided to participate. 

I can’t believe my studies in Toulouse are complete.  It’s weird to think that the next time I’m in a classroom I will be at the Walton College in Fayetteville.  This has been an unbelievable experience both personally and educationally.  I have learned how to work with people from all different backgrounds and operate in a very dynamic setting while simultaneously studying very relevant and diverse business topics including trade law, finance, marketing, management, and economics. I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything.     

The Fabulous French Riviera

             A week and a half ago, my friend and I went to Nice for the long weekend.  We spent five days in the beautiful French Riviera. 

Monaco

            Whenever we travel together, we have found that something always goes wrong but ends up miraculously working out.  This trip was no different.  Our train trip took about eight hours with two transfers.  We got off the train for our first transfer in Marseille only to find out that our next train was late, meaning we would miss our third train transfer in Toulon.  On an impulse we found another train to Toulon that left in less than five minutes and hopped on.  We were apparently not the only ones with this idea as the train was packed. 

Casino at Monte Carlo

Safe on the train, I decided to munch on some pretzels I had brought with me, but I pulled them out upside down and spilled hundreds of pretzels all over the floor.  It was hilariously embarrassing.  We could barely move it was so crowded, but we managed to pick them all up.  Luckily, the people on the train were very nice about it! We didn’t get a single dirty look! In addition to spilling pretzels all over the place, we were also in the way the whole time.  The train conductor had to hop over our bags every time we stopped and he had to get off onto the platform, but he could not have been more good-natured about it. 

Grand Prix Racetrack

            When we finally arrived in Nice, we found the hostel near the train station.  We walked into a nice lobby full of business men in suits checking in.  We automatically assumed we were in the wrong place and stood around like idiots for about 10 minutes trying to figure out if it was our hotel or not.  Checking in was an interesting experience.  When I checked in, I discovered that the man at the desk did not keep anyone’s reservations on file and instead asked me how much it said to pay when I booked it online.  I offered to pull up the reservation on my email, but the wifi wouldn’t work.  He didn’t require it anyway.  We also had to pay for our four night stay in cash, which we obviously didn’t have on us at the time.  It was strange.  The hostel was on the top floors of the hotel and was actually not too bad.  We met some cool people that stayed in our room with us.  One was even from Arkansas! I was overjoyed to find a fellow Razorback half-way around the world!

            Our first night, we took a walk around Nice and ate gelato by the beach.  We soon found out that there were lots of creepy guys in Nice that tried to hit on us and ask for our names.  We thus assumed new identities.  My new name became Caroline Craft for the remainder of the trip.  Yes, if you’ve seen Mean Girls, that happens the name of the mathlete that loses to Lindsay Lohan at the end of the movie.  

            The first day, we went to Monaco.  I can understand why the wealthy have dubbed it their personal playground – it was so beautiful! We saw the casino in Monte Carlo and walked along the beach.  My friend had a bit of a bad habit of cutting off people’s heads when snapping photos, so at her request, we had an impromptu photography lesson in Monte Carlo. We also saw the most extravagant children’s birthday party of all time.  It was exquisitely decorated complete with pink marshmallows on the tables and a giant inflatable pink castle on the beach in Monaco. 

            We then proceeded to the Japanese Gardens.  It was a lovely little park so obviously we started taking a bazillion photos.  The most adorable park ranger basically followed us everywhere we went and offered to take photos of the two of us together.  He was so sweet! He even gave each of us a lovely flower from the gardens.  It was a lovely time and the weather could not have been more perfect. 

Nice Old Town

            After that we walked along the Grand Prix racetrack set up for the Formula One Race the following weekend.  It was surreal! We then climbed a hill to see the old town and royal palace.  The views were incredible.  Then we walked through a beautiful park and headed back to Nice.  That night we had an amazing dinner, and I tried Magret de Canard (a.k.a. duck) for the first time.  It was so delicious!

View of the City

            The next day was not quite as nice weather wise so we spent the day shopping and exploring Nice.  We went to the open air market and got some fruit for a picnic lunch on the beach.  Then we climbed up the hill that overlooks the city and spent some time up there.  We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping in the Old Town.  We found lots of little interesting shops and even stopped for crepes and coffee at an amazing little creperie. That evening we went out for seafood.  Again, the food blew me away. I had shrimp and red snapper.

Antibes

            The next day we went to Antibes and Cannes.  The weather when we got to Antibes was awful. It was terribly cold, windy, and rainy.  We were expecting sun as we hadn’t been able to check the weather forecast since Wednesday since the hostel’s internet didn’t work.  We still managed to have a good time and enjoy the lovely little town.  We went to an incredible market and looked around.  We also found a neat little English book store that we spent some time in.  Then we took a long walk by the exquisite coastline.  It was beautiful.

"La Sirga" Cast and Crew

            After that we headed to Cannes for the Cannes film festival.  We ate pizza for lunch before meeting our friend who was there with his company to throw a big a-list party on the rooftop of a castle the next day.  We walked around the festival, spent some time on the beach, and went to go see a film.  It was a Columbian film called La Sirga about a girl who loses her family and goes to live with her uncle.  The best part of the day was the atmosphere of the festival.  There were so many people there from all over the world and there was just a really neat vibe. 

We then went to the red carpet to sneak a peek at some movie stars.  We managed to see Shia LaBeouf which was pretty cool.  My friend had gotten to see the cast of Madagascar the night before.  That evening, we stuck around to see a screening of a film on the beach; however, unfortunately the showing was canceled due to the weather. 

By the red carpet

Beach in Cannes

In Cannes, we had some interesting experiences unrelated to the awesome festival.  First, as we were walking past a group of business men chatting on the sidewalk, my sweater got hooked onto the zipper on one of the men’s bags.  He didn’t notice, but I was stuck there frantically trying to unhook myself.  It was so embarrassing! The second involved being attacked by water balloon fire from the roof of a building on our way back to the train station that evening. The next day we headed back to Toulouse.  The trip was absolutely incredible – beautiful places, lovely people, and lots of cool experiences!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Lovely Friends!

            They say that April showers bring May flowers, but I hope they also bring consistent sunshine! If you have been in contact with me over the past month at all, you probably have heard me complain about the weather.  We had about three weeks of consistent rain during April, and the weather has been bipolar ever since. Luckily, Toulouse is starting to bloom after a month of rain and gloomy weather.  The weather was lovely for my birthday on Thursday, and Friday, it was allegedly 31 degrees Celsius.  I spent the afternoon doing my nails, reading a novel, and chatting with my girlfriend in the park.  It was fantastic! I just hope the weather decides to stay like this!

            This past weekend I went to an event called “Semi-mer” hosted by the school’s extreme sports association.  We left from the school at 6:30 in the morning (which is about 7:30 French time) for a beach near Biarritz on the Atlantic coast.  It was about a three and a half to four hour drive.  When we arrived, we settled into the hotel which was very nice and then headed to the beach for a barbecue lunch.  As I had guessed, we had what I’ve deemed “French Style” hot dogs (i.e. sausage in a baguette).  After spending a little time on the beach, we headed over to a nearby lake to go sailing.  It was an interesting experience and so much fun! Being on the lake kind of reminded me of Arkansas. 

My awesome friend surfing!!

Beach!

            After, we returned to the beach for the rest of the afternoon.  It was a rather lazy day sunbathing, sleeping, reading, and playing a bit of Frisbee.  That evening we went to dinner at a restaurant.  As soon as we got there, all of the French people started immediately banging on the tables, yelling, and singing.  They continued like that for pretty much the rest of the evening.  It was kind of funny being with the other Erasmus.  None of us knew why they continued to make so much noise and grew tired of it rather quickly.  The evening was nice though, but there was so much food – starters, rice, pasta, meat, chicken wings, and dessert.  We had also eaten a lot during the day because we had been scarred by previous experiences where we didn’t get the opportunity to eat for long periods of time.  We were so full after dinner that my friend and I went home and went to bed almost immediately, after attempting to watch MTV.

            I slept amazingly and slept in the next morning.  We spend the entire day again lounging on the beach.  It was a great weekend to get away and relax.  I had a blast!

            This week, my courses end on Wednesday after which I will immediately board a train to Nice for five days.  I am so excited! We will be visiting Cannes during the renowned Cannes Film Festival, Nice, and Monaco. 

            

"Remember, Don't Drink All The Wine!"

                Last Tuesday was a national holiday in France.  As we were out of class, my friend and I went to Bordeaux for a wine tasting tour.  We were very excited since we kind of live in the wine capital of the world.  We had a wonderful day despite all of the things that went wrong.

Bordeaux!

                Unlike in the U.S., cities pretty much shut down on national holidays here.  That includes all public transportation – metro, buses, trams, everything.  This affected us first in Toulouse.  We rented bikes and rode to the train station since the metro was closed.  As I was wearing a dress and Niamh was wearing a skirt, riding bikes proved an interesting challenge.  After almost getting hit by a car, we finally made it to the train station.  We met a guy on the train that we talked with for a while.  After we told him we were going to Bordeaux for a wine tasting, he informed my friend for the first time that you weren’t actually supposed to drink the wine, just taste it.  When we got to his stop, he left us with the most memorable quote of the trip “Remember. Don’t drink all the wine!” We were quite tickled by his emphatic advice.

Beautiful Vineyard

                When we arrived in Bordeaux, we got tram tickets to the city center and waited for about ten minutes before realizing that the trams weren’t running because of the holiday.  We then proceeded to walk forty-five minutes to the tourism office where we barely made the bus for the tour. 

Wine Tasting

                The tour went well, excluding the fact that my phone went off during an intense spiel about how wooden wine barrels are made.  I had no idea how significant the wine industry was in France, and especially Bordeaux.  Over 50% of agricultural land is dedicated to wine production, providing tens of thousands of jobs and a multi-billion dollar French industry. 

Being a Child... 

We went to two vineyards in the Entre-Deux-Mers region southeast of Bordeaux.  The first was classified as a domain due to the amount of wine produced there.  The domain had been run by the same family for fourteen generations and only distributed its wine through direct sale which is apparently a unique practice among most vineyards.  This particular domain made some of its own barrels on site and the owner showed us in great detail how a barrel was made all the way from cutting down the tree to the finished product.  He gave us lots of information about the wood used, explaining that they only use European trees as they give the wine a different quality than American trees. European wooden barrels are also more expensive than American barrels because they only use 30% of a cubic meter of European wood compared to 80% of a cubic meter of American wood.  American wood apparently has more “knotholes” than European wood.  My friend and I found this part of the explanation quite entertaining as the translator didn’t know the English word for “knothole,” and when one of the guests told him that the word he was searching for was in fact “knothole,” the translator misunderstood and proceeded to say “noodle” instead of “knothole” for the rest of the visit.  The most interesting part of the process was how they actually get the wood to bend by lighting a fire within the barrel and using your hands to help the wood take the appropriate shape from the outside. 

Beautiful Chateau

After the tour and tasting, my friend and I found an irresistible playground on the way back to the bus which of course we couldn’t help playing on while we waited to proceed to the next vineyard.  I’m convinced that no matter how old I get, I will never grow up. 

Favorite Winemaker Ever!

The next vineyard was actually classified as a chateau, and it was spectacular.  On top of a small hill surrounded by green meadows and vineyards sat a beautiful eighteenth century chateau.  It was like something out of a fairytale.  Beyond the eighteenth century style courtyard was a very modern stainless steel facility in which some of the wine was produced and stored.  The winemaker at this vineyard was the cutest thing.  He was so incredibly passionate about what he does and it really made the visit for us.  His French was also very easy to understand so we listened to him mostly as he drew beautiful imagery from his description of winemaking.  It sounded so beautiful in French, but the translator was unable to do it justice in English.  In fact, after we listened to the winemaker in French, the English translation seemed to be completely different from what he had actually said.  We got to go into the chateau for the tasting.  It was lovely.

Tasting

When we returned to Bordeaux, we began our trek back to the train station and stopped in a nice but inexpensive restaurant by the river.  It was so cozy, but after carefully selecting our choices and drooling over the menus, we realized we did not have enough time to eat and make it back to the station in time for our train.  The waitress was very understanding.  Almost immediately after we left, it began pouring down rain, and neither of us had umbrellas.  By the time we got back to the train station, it had stopped raining, but we were soaked.  All of the dry people coming out of the station gave us really weird looks.  

Even though we couldn’t get transportation, eat at our restaurant, or stay dry during the torrential downpour, we had an absolutely amazing day.  We didn’t ever get discouraged or upset, but instead kept smiling and fully enjoyed our lovely trip to Bordeaux.  

When in Rome! (Spring Break Part 1)

                I’ll admit. This post is a little overdue. In fairness, I when I got back from Italy around two weeks ago, I came home to an extremely full week at school – 30 hours of class, three papers, and a group presentation.  But finally, I am posting about my super cool (I’m serious. It was freezing…) spring break.

                Around three weeks ago, we had our spring break here.  It started out very quiet.  Everyone left on Friday and it felt like Toulouse and the residence that I live in were strangely empty.  I spent Friday evening in town with my two lovely girlfriends from Denmark and Ireland.  We did a little shopping and then had dinner at an Indian restaurant.  I spent the rest of the evening and most of the next day hanging out at home.  I actually really enjoyed being lazy by myself for a little while. 

Our Lovely Group at a Cafe in Rome

                Don’t worry though.  I didn’t spend the whole break lounging around on my couch.  Sunday morning, I woke up bright and early and caught a train to Bordeaux with two friends.  After arriving in first class (student discount rail cards really pay off!), we caught the bus to the airport where we met another friend and departed for Rome!  We flew round trip on Ryan air for only fifty euro.  It was an interesting experience flying with Ryan air for the first time. I had been warned that it was not the most hospitable airline.  While my friend humorously noted that we were being “shuffled around like monkeys” as the flight attendants rather brusquely demanded over the intercom that we continue moving to the back of the plane when we boarded, the flight was not that bad.  It obviously wasn’t ritzy, but it was cheap and in two hours I was in Rome. 

Trevi Fountain

                  One thing that Ryan air is famous for is its strict luggage restrictions.  You are only allowed one carry-on bag (yes ladies, no purses) that fits rather stringent weight and size requirements.  One of my friend’s bags was over the maximum of ten kilograms and resorted to wearing something like 5 pullovers to get his bag under the weight limit.  In order to avoid the hassle and extra expense of checking a bag, I brought only one backpack for the entire week.  This required me to bring only lightweight sundresses and rompers as they didn’t weigh much or take up much space.  I didn’t expect this to be an issue. I mean, it’s Italy, right? Always warm and sunny.  Wrong.  Very wrong. It was in the 50’s the entire week.  Not exactly sundress weather… Nevertheless, traveling with one backpack makes getting around much easier. 

Make a Wish!

                Our first night in Rome we freshened up after a long day of traveling and headed out to find some food.  Before we found food, we found the enchanting Trevi Fountain.  It was lovely.  After waiting for a spot near the fountain to open, we threw coins in the fountain and each made a wish.  After our wishes and about a thousand pictures, we found dinner nearby, and beautiful week of pasta and pizza began.  Afterward, we stopped for gelato and spent the rest of the evening in the hotel. 

The next day we got up early and headed out for an ambitious day of sightseeing.  We started at the Roman forum.  It was so cool walking around and seeing it! My only complaint is that there wasn’t more information about the ruins unless you were on a guided tour.  We still had a great time and had a relative idea of what we were looking at most of the time.  We stopped at one point to read about the ancient art of making glass and its evolution over time.  As we were reading, I noted to the group “I am such a business major... As I am reading this, all I can think about is product diffusion…” to which my engineering friend replied “All I can think about is the chemical components of the glass.” It was a lovely nerdy moment. 

In the Coliseum 

Gelato at Piazza di Venezia

After the forum, we proceed to Palatine Hill which was somewhat of an extension of the Forum.  It was absolutely beautiful with views of the Coliseum and the rest of the city.  It was also beautifully landscaped among the fascinating ruins.  We continued on to the Coliseum after.  The line to get in was enormous and very cold as we were in the shade for most of the wait.  When we finally got inside, we all ran straight into the sunlight to warm up.  The coliseum was incredible.  I really enjoyed the visit although some of the history involved with the ancient sporting venue kind of grossed me out.

After the coliseum we went to the magnificent Piazza di Venezia to meet our friend from Milan and of course get gelato.  After that, we tried to go to the Pantheon, but it was closed for observation of the Easter holiday.  We then went down the main shopping street, Via del Corso.  Even though we didn’t buy anything, it was a fantastic afternoon shopping and drooling over the beautiful designer brands. We ended at the Spanish steps and then returned to the hotel. 

Via del Corso

Drooling Over Dior

That evening we went to dinner at a restaurant recommended to us by our concierge.  The pizza was fantastic! Afterward we went into town to get a taste of Roman nightlife.  Our receptionist had told us where to go when we had arrived the day before pointing out the best piazzas for dinner, nightlife, and men.  We thought the idea of a “Piazza di Men” was hilarious so we went to check it out.  When we arrived, the square was dead, and the only men we could find were statues. 

St. Peter's Basilica

The next day we went across town to St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican.  When we arrived the line to get into the Basilica wrapped all the way around the square.  Surprisingly, however, we didn’t have to wait that long to get in.  St. Peter’s was unreal and probably the most beautiful church I have ever seen.  Afterwards we stopped for lunch at a nearby café before heading to the Vatican Museum. 

One of the Many Art Galleries
on the Way to the Sistine Chapel

The Vatican was beautiful, and the museum was immense.  I have never seen so much fantastic art in my life.  Frescos, paintings, tapestries, sculptures.  There was so much that it was a little overwhelming.  We explored the first art gallery and then started our journey to see the Sistine Chapel.  At first we were all fascinated by everything, reading everything we could set our eyes on (that was in English of course..).  I’m generally the type of person that can spend hours in a museum and loves reading every plaque, brochure, and information board there is, but after about the tenth gallery, we all began to wear down.  That day, all alternate routes to the Sistine Chapel were closed and we had to take the longest route available which wound through literally gallery after gallery.  Each gallery was filled from floor to ceiling of magnificent art, so much so that it became overwhelming and difficult to take it all in.  By the time we got to the Sistine Chapel, we were all exhausted.  It was however pretty sensational.  All of the famous Michelangelo frescos were exquisite. 

The Spanish Steps

Best Gelato in Rome
(Cinnamon, Oreo, and
Dark Chocolate!)

After the Vatican, we took a break, did a little shopping, and got some gelato before heading back to the hotel to rest.  That evening we had a great dinner finished with tiramisu and met up with some new friends we met in Rome.  We hung out that night with them in their amazing apartment and rooftop terrace overlooking the Vatican and the river.  It was such a fun evening with good friends!

On our last day in Rome, it started to rain.  We went to the Pantheon and then had the best gelato in Rome at a place suggested to us by our new friends.  It was amazing! I had cinnamon, dark chocolate, and Oreo!  Afterwards, we walked to the Spanish steps.  We were busy taking photos when a torrential downpour began.  Totally caught off guard, we ran for the nearest Metro stop.  That evening we said goodbye to our Danish friend as she went to meet some friends in Paris for the rest of the week, and the rest of us boarded a train for Naples.       

When All Else Fails, Eat! (Spring Break Part 2)

Rainy Day in Naples

           The train to Naples was much different than the French trains that I have become accustomed to. It seemed to be much more similar to a metro than a train.  The train was overbooked and there weren’t enough seats.  A lot of people had to stand most of the way.  We stayed on the train long enough to find seats but they were again more like the plastic seats in the metro.  The tickets were much cheaper, however, than in France.   

The Best Pizza in the World

When we arrived in Naples, we went straight to the hostel.  It was my first time staying in an actual hostel as opposed to a low-cost hotel.  We stayed in a dormitory style room with bunk beds and a shared bathroom.  It almost reminded me of living in the dorms back home in Fayetteville.  There were four other people staying in our room who it turned out were all American girls studying abroad in Prague.  I talked with one of the girls who went to Michigan State, and she actually knew someone that went to the University of Arkansas!

Hiking on Mount Vesuvius.
(In a Sundress)

Naples is known as the place where pizza was invented, and consequently it is home to the “best pizza in the world” due to its proximity to extremely fertile land where the ingredients are grown.  We were eager to try the famous pizza after settling into our rooms.  We went to one of the renowned, family owned pizzerias and were blown away.  Naples is rightfully the pizza capital of the world. 

Beautiful View

The next day we got up early and headed to Mount Vesuvius after breakfast at the hostel.  We took a bus out of the city, up most of the mountain.  When we stopped, someone came on to the bus and informed us in about four different languages that there was a strike of the park workers and we would have to take an alternate hiking route to the top of the mountain that would take two extra hours.  I wasn’t too bothered by this since I was excited for the hike anyway.  When we got off the bus, it was freezing.  I looked totally out of place in my little sundress and paper thin sweater amongst everyone in big coats and scarves.  Even though I was totally inappropriately dressed, the hike was fantastic.  Between the sensational views of the mountains, coast, and city and the interesting volcanic terrain, it was an unforgettable experience.  At the top, we got to look inside the crater.  It was pretty low-key, but the steam rising from the ground inside was pretty cool to see. 

Inside the Crater

Strike.

After Mount Vesuvius, we got some pizza.  Imagine that.  We stopped at a little café recommended by trip advisor.  There, we got to try pizza with Bufala Mozzarella.  It was amazing! After lunch, we went to the Pompeii excavation site.  It was probably one of my favorite things we saw on the trip.  The place was absolutely enormous and divided into actual neighborhoods.  We were barely even able to see half of the site before the park closed that evening.  It was amazing how in-tact the whole city was.  Plus, the scenery was beautiful with gorgeous landscaping and brilliant views of Vesuvius.  We even got to see an ancient bakery.  Apparently, they used some of the same technologies that we still use today like brick ovens.  If I am ever in the area again, I will definitely be going back to Pompeii.

      

"These fish better be grateful!"

When we left Pompeii, we headed back to the train station to catch the train back to Naples.  We arrived at about 7:15 and then expected to catch the 7:30 train.  When that train simply didn’t come, we expected to catch the 8:00 train.  After that train was also a no show, we waited for the 8:30 train which ended up being extremely late.  We ended up waiting like 2 hours for the train back to the city.  By the time we got back, it was around 10, and we were starving.  We headed to the port to find some good seafood.  We went to a restaurant were we could get a fried seafood medley.  I have no idea what was in it, but it was delicious. 

Petting a Starfish 

The next day, it rained all day.  Not just a light, misty rain. More like a torrential downpour.  As the rain was not very conducive to our plans to visit Sorrento, we decided to spend the morning relaxing at the hostel.  That afternoon we went to the aquarium.  It was small, but it was something to do inside.  By the time we got there, we were all soaked through.  My friend aptly noted that “those fish better be grateful that we came to see them!” Afterwards we walked by the sea to another seafood restaurant where I got calamari and shrimp served on fried spaghetti. 

Seafood!

The next day, it rained again.  We left the hotel and headed to another famous Napoli pizzeria where we waited 45 minutes in the cold rain to get in.  The place was kind of a hole in the wall joint where there were only about 4 things on the menu.  We each ordered pizza with double mozzarella.  It was well worth the wait and probably the best pizza I have ever had.  Julia Roberts apparently felt the same way as photos of her visiting the quaint pizzeria adorned the walls. 

Favorite Pizzeria!

After that, we caught a train back to Rome where we spent the night in a hostel near the airport and caught our flight back to France the next morning.  Despite the cold and the rain, it was an absolutely unforgettable spring break!