So if you didn't know from my previous blog posts, I had a special visitor come stay with me for the past 10 days....NICOLE. She's my twin, ever heard of her?
Arriving back to Rome very tired from Spring Break, I had one day to convince myself that, yes, Nicole was coming the next night. Her visit was finally here.
Sunday night I went to go pick her up from Fumicino airport. I waited and waited and waited for her to get her bags, and after an hour delay I was pretty antsy, and kept thinking how I would react when I would see her walk through the doors. Finally she gracefully walked through the misty glass automatic sliding doors, rolling her overpacked suitcase. She quickly spotted me eagerly awaiting her arrival surround by the chaotic bustling airport terminal. Her eyes popped open and her mouth spread into a big smile and her jaw dropped a bit. I ran to her immediately and we finally embraced after 75 days. A few tears were shed, but nothing too overdramatic. Our reunion was perfect and everything I anticipated it to be. She looked tan, beautiful, effervescent, and fabulous and was ready for me to show her Roma. It was a perfect moment to begin our honeymoon in Rome together, filled with food, traveling, more food, and enjoying each other's company.
We were both starving, seeing that she didn't land until 9:30, meaning we needed to eat something by 10:00. I took her to one of my favorite restaurants, Alla Fratte in Trastevere near my apartment, and she got her first taste of some authentic Italian pasta. The first pasta dish of many to come. It was a great first meal, and I it was hard to realize that the two of us were actually sitting together at a table across from one another eating bread and pasta in Rome.
The next few days, Monday through Thursday, I dragged Nicole all over Rome. I wanted to show her what my daily routine was like, my favorite places to go, where I enjoyed walking around and the main sites. And of course, I took her to all of the best places to eat.
If you ask her, she would tell you how much walking we do here and how delicious and how MUCH we eat here. Our lives abroad are incredibly different, which is why it was so great to share with her what I have been doing and for her to actually get a grasp of what my life is like here in Roma. Each day, I took her to see a new area and site, and walked into stores and sat and enjoyed cappuccino. I really do think her favorite part was indeed the food. I made sure she experienced the best sandwiches, pizza, pasta and gelato I have had so far in Rome. It was a bit of a food marathon for her, but trust me she enjoyed it.
Wednesday night, Jori, Nicole and I took one of the free cooking classes that my program offers! It was the second time for me and Jori, but Nicole's first, and it could not have worked out more perfectly. We pretended Nicole was a JCU student, however, the plan almost went awry because of how tan she is in comparison to all of us insanely pale Rome kids. The chef Andrea says to her, "I am jealous of how tan you are, how are you so tan?" I quickly interjected, "Spring Break!" And Nicole cleverly told the truth saying she traveled to Israel for Spring Break, alone, and yes she had friends there to visit. It was a close call, but way worth the risk. We made bucatini amatricana with a tomato, vegetable and bacon sauce that was to die for. For the second course we made orange chicken. And for dessert, which the three of us and two other girls made, was apple and pear strudel. AMAZING. I plan to make each dish when I come home this summer. Nicole really really enjoyed the cooking class, and said it was one of her favorite meals she had while she was here, which made me happy. And bucatini is her favorite pasta, so it could not have been more perfect.
Thursday, Jori, Rachael, Nicole and I packed and prepared to board the bus, with Bus2Alps to drive to Sorrento, Capri and Positano. Before Nicole planned her visit here, we knew we wanted to travel somewhere together and we chose the Amalfi Coast. Bus2Alps is a travel company for students that plans trips for study abroad kids all over Europe, setting up housing arrangements and transportation and such. This was our first trip using Bus2Alps, and we chose to go with a group this time because it was the easiest way to get from Sorrento to Capri to Positano, and less stressful. It was a quick enough bus ride and we arrived in Sorrento around midnight. Hostel 7 is where we stayed, and incredibly nice for a hostel! In comparison to the Flying Pig in Amsterdam, this was heaven to me and Jori. We bunked with 12 girls total and the bathrooms were clean and there was a funky modern restaurant/bar in the lobby that played awesome old music videos. Hostel 7 is a 10 in my book.
Friday we were immediately back on the bus at 7:45 am (yes) and off to Capri. We took a ferry to Capri and let me tell you the coast of Sorrento and Capri are breathtaking. I have never been anywhere more beautiful and the scenery and views looked almost fake. The water was so blue, the weather was perfect and the island and coast is very mountainous and green. It is straight out of a movie. The ferry ride was so nice and I loved being on a boat! It has been so long since I have gone for a boat ride. The next thing we knew we were stepping into a much smaller boat, equipped for four people with a man standing to row the boat into the famous Blue Grotto. Our foursome hopped into the tiny little boat and ducked our heads as we entered the small cave. The Blue Gratto is amazing. Yes, the water is actually glowing royal blue, it is like nothing you have ever seen before. We paddled around for about 5-7 minutes, dodging the other small boats that were in the Grotto. Another one of the boat paddler men was singing some operatic italian song and it made the time inside the Grotto that much better, very entertaining.
We spent the day on the island of Capri and headed over to Anacapri as well. We walked all around and climbed up and up and up in the sunny weather to Augustus' gardens. The view from the top is unreal. See the pictures, because there are no words that can do justice to this heavenly view. We enjoyed the town of Anacapri, tasting lemoncello (not my favorite), chocolates and looking at handmade sandals. The four of us sat down for a nice lunch at a restaurant the Bus2Alps leaders recommended. The rest of the day we just toured around the small, white and lush town. After taking the ferry back to Sorrento and resting at the Hostel we went out and explored the town of Sorrento at night. We had a nice dinner and headed into a few bars and returned home to the Hostel ready to get our tans on the next day in Positano.
Early next morning we headed to Positano, which was my favorite place on the trip. It was a gorgeous beach and such a cute little town lined with shops and beachy restaurants. Mainly the view was just unreal and mountains are the backdrop of the beach. The four of us got situated with our towels and laid on the sandy beach enjoying the warmth of the sun. The event of the day was a boat ride on the coast to go cliff jumping and cave swimming. There were 35 of us, and we split into about 5 boats and took off. There was no time to think because within 5 minutes we were at the cliff where we were supposed to catapult ourselves from into the cold water. Nicole and Rachael bravely went before me and Jori. The two of us waited a bit to take pictures and watch everyone else. Nicole and Rachael successfully jumped and made it back to the boat, but Nicole came back one toenail less and one ring less. Very sad, but she was still glad she braved the cliff jump. Jori and I were literally the last two to go. We climbed up the rocky difficult cliff (approx. 35-40 feet tall) and each took our turns fearfully leaping off the rock into the FREEZING water. I was personally more phased by the temperature than the jump. We were all very happy we manned up and did the jump, despite losing the toe nail, but it was something to remember.
The rest of the day we lounged on the beach trying to get tan, well not Nicole who was just building upon her tan, and watched all of the kids running around on the beach. It was thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing. A perfect day in Positano. Plus we all found straw hats and for the rest of the trip looked like a traveling band. Sidenote: the oranges and lemons in Sorrento, Capri and Positano are enormous and the lemons are actually the size of my head. That night we checked out "mexican night" in the hostel restaurant and had some not so fabulous burritos and quesadillas and sangria, but it did the job. Being Sunday night of Easter not much was opened in the town of Sorrento. The four of us ventured out, but everything was closed, except a few little places. Easter in Italy means business, but not for stores and restaurants.
The final day we went to Pompeii and Naples, which Jori and I had already visited before with our on site class. Not needing to reenter into the ancient city, Nicole, Jori and I meandered around Pompeii, while Rachael went to tour the city for her first time. We occupied the two hours pretty well checking out all of the tourist souvenirs and restaurants. We sat down for some seriously delicious pizza. Naples is known for their pizza, as it is the birth place, and Pompeii is pretty close, so it was fabulous. After the Pompeii stop was completed we headed into Naples to take a quick train back to Rome. Leaving the tropical and glorious Amalfi Coast was not easy to do and I left a bit unwillingly, but I am always excited to return to what is familiar in Rome. The trip was amazing and one of my favorite trips I have taken while abroad. Traveling with Nicole made it that much more memorable, and it was the best trip we could have decided to go on together. She really enjoyed it and thought the coast was unbelievable and said she was so happy she chose to come to Rome and Amalfi on her Spring Break.
The last few days having Nicole in Rome, I continued to show her around and be with friends and enjoy more food. We shared a few amazing last meals together, cramming in as much pasta and gelato as possible before she left. One of the days I took her to the Bergeise Gardens, which is above Piazza del Popolo, one of my favorite places in Rome. We rented a golf cart and had some fun driving around in the gardens. It was a good deal and pretty funny watching Nicole drive the golf cart trying to avoid all of the bikers, segways, and walkers filling the park. We almost got lost finding our way back to the small cafe we rented it from, but it was a hilarious enjoyable afternoon in the park. All we needed was a picnic.
The week went by way too fast and all of sudden it was today, meaning the day she needed to leave me to go back to Israel. I walked her early this morning to the train station and we said farewell. I stood on the platform waving as she stuck her head out of the train window and waved her handkerchief blowing me kisses as the train slowly pulled away from the station....just kidding. It was very sad to say goodbye, but more surreal that her visit here had too quickly came and went. I will be seeing her very soon in Israel and I can't wait for her to take me around! Our experiences have been completely different. Now she has a better sense of what I have been doing here in Europe and I am very curious to see what her life is like in Israel. I am so excited to to go back, but now it will entirely different having her guide me and show me what it is like to actual live in Tel Aviv. All in all, Noodle enjoyed the land of noodles, Rome, and we had a great time together. She is back safe in Israel now and yes, we have already spoken. I hope she loved Rome just as much as I do.
Sooo just as Nicole leaves....two more Garelicks are about to take on the city of Rome! I don't know if Rome can handle all of these Garelicks... They come in early Saturday morning and are here until Wednesday. I have much planned for them and cannot wait to share everything with them and be with them again! See you soon!
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