A Trip to Old Sarum

After exploring Stonehenge, we decided to take advantage of our tour bus' optional stop at Old Sarum and hopped off, hoping to experience something a little more off the beaten path in Wiltshire County. Our lovely host Trish had recommended Old Sarum as an interesting site, and she was spot on. Unfortunately we hadn't tuned into the weather report that morning, or inspected the ominous clouds in the distance before bidding adieu to our transportation into Salisbury, and we were in for a wet surprise. 

The remains of the Motte-and-bailey castle defences.

The site of the earliest settlement in current day Salisbury, Old Sarum contains evidence of human habitation as early as 3000 BC and is now an English Heritage Site open to the public. While not a whole lot remains these days, Old Sarum was once an impressive Iron Age hill fort of high strategic value.The site was first  used by the Roman before being passed on to the Saxons and then the Normans. Under Norman control a large royal palace for King Henry I was built and stood as a royal residence during the 12th and 13th centuries. 

The ridge running around is covered in chalk

What remains of Old Sarum today is a castle motte, complete with part of the original stone walls and the remnants of the massive ditch surrounding the site.The foundations of many of the walls of the fort and castle, as well as the cathedral outside the castle walls, are still intact today and visitors are free to walk amongst the ruins.

The remains of the iron age fort and subsequent castle

After a short hike to the top, we were impressed by the seeming impenetrability of the fort. Even as it lay in ruins, nearly two thousand years since it was last inhabited, the enormous banks and ditches that surround the fort stand as evidence of it's once strategic military presence. The River Avon flows just a few hundred feet away, and the spire of Salisbury Cathedral can be seen in the distance.  

The remains of the old Cathedral at Old Sarum

We spent a good hour exploring the site and admiring the fantastic views. There were a good number of people going for walks along the Avon and playing football in the park nearby.As it looked like a nice day, we decided to take the popular walk from Old Sarum back to Salisbury...poor choice. The British winter crept up on us about halfway through the 30 minute walk and we were swept up in a torrential rainstorm not unlike the one we experienced in Kotor. Despite this minor wet setback, we ended up having a fabulous time visiting both Stonehenge and Old Sarum, and would definitely recommend a visit if you have the time. 

The view to town with Salisbury Cathedral - look at that inviting sky!

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The Howl of the Wolf(sburg)

With Calli lured by the promise of some outlet shopping, we boarded the train on our second day in Berlin and headed for the nearby town of Wolfsburg to watch (another) soccer game.

Home to the Volkswagen headquarters, the city owes it's size to the car manufacturer that has essentially been the sole purpose of the city since its inception. Originally set up by the Nazis in 1938 to produce the "people's car", aka the Beetle, the city has grown from just 1000 people to over 130,000 today. Today the city is full of stylish modern architecture and large parks, however, the Volkswagen factory still dominates the skyline from wherever you are.

The Volkswagen factory - always visible in Wolfsburg

Unfortunately, German outlet shopping is more pricey than the American original and we left the stores empty handed. Although this part of the trip turned out to be a disappointment, the game itself turned out even better than we anticipated.

Approaching the Volkswagen Arena - Home of VFL Wolfsburg

The Bundesliga (the German Soccer League) has a reputation as providing the best atmosphere to watch soccer in the world, and from our experience this reputation is well-deserved. From the moment we arrived, we were amazed by the atmosphere. Electrically-charged but welcoming, cheap beers, sausages, and pretzels, wolf calls and singing - what more could you ask for? People were friendly and welcoming, and the stadium was fantastic lit up in neon green. From the warm-up to the end of the game we thoroughly enjoyed our experience there and would recommend going to a game to anyone, whether you are interested in soccer or not.

The atmosphere was electric

Start of the second half

Oh and the match was fantastic as well, ending in a 1-1 draw with multiple shots hitting the woodwork and a red card to boot. 

Heading home

The award-winning Phaeno building and the Volkswagen factory

 

After a long day, with our fingers and toes tingling from the cold temperatures of the outdoor stadium, we made our way back to Berlin with another successful European football game under our belts.

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The Colours of Burano

It's easy to go photo-crazy in a place like Burano, with it's striking painted houses in every imaginable colour (yes that's right, colour with an "o-u") and its picturesque canals, and Calli did just that. We spent the day wandering the friendly streets, eating pasta and pizza, looking at bead shops (and by we, I mean Calli), and looking for Campion boats in the marina (no such luck).

Burano is a lovely island, even if its skipped over in favour of Murano far too often. While it doesn't have the glass-blowing shows, it does offer a glimpse into somewhat "everyday Italian" life that is otherwise missing from the region. We enjoyed watching fishermen bring back their catches and people hanging their laundry, and loved how much pride they seemed to have for their little island. 

The houses are all painted these bright colours so that returning fisherman could navigate back to their houses even in the dense fog that settles here. In any case, they make for some fantastic photo opportunities.

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They Loved Hercules!

Hopefully you've already checked out our post on our trip to Pompeii, but if not you can read it over here. 

Our second stop of the day after Pompeii was the similarly-devastated ancient city of Herculaneum. Although it has always lived in Pompeii's shadow, Herculaneum offers a very different (and overall, probably better) experience than Pompeii. Other than the fact that they were both Roman cities and destroyed forever by the eruption of Vesuvius, they have very few similarities.

The excavations sit just below the modern city of Ercolano

Many of the buildings are still fairly intact

Herculaneum (named after Hercules...a guy they seem to have really taken a liking to) was a coastal port city located between Naples and Pompeii. Unlike Pompeii, it was not pelted by flying rock and ash; instead, it was covered, from the bottom up, with a pyroclastic flow of boiling mud. This resulted in very little damage to the buildings, compared to those seen in Pompeii, and amazing preservation of the site itself. Many of the buildings have multiple stories and extremely well preserved frescoes, mosaics, and sculpture. There's even a lot of the wood (doors, beams, etc.) still intact after being instantly carbonized by the intense heat. 

Some of the frescoes - amazingly preserved after all this time

Pottery still where it was found

Cofferred arch details still intact

Wood instantly carbonized by the intense heat

Another nice feature of Herculaneum is the fact that it is in the middle of a bustling city. This means that it is largely inaccessible to tour groups and buses. When we arrived at Herculaneum, there were probably only 20 other people at the site which meant that we got to explore and take photos in relative peace. 

Calli by a pot!

Travis by some wall paintings!

The site is much smaller than Pompeii, mainly due to the fact that a city surrounds it on all sides, but does have some extremely impressive buildings including the College of the Augustales with its frescoes depicting myths of Hercules, and the Villa of the Papyri with its library containing 1785 carbonized papyrus scrolls. 

Small place for worship

Floor mosaics

Some beautiful columns

Much of the excavations have stopped in favor preservation efforts, mainly due to the unfortunate location of the site under the modern day city. Some buildings have even been covered back up using modern mining techniques to try and preserve them until they can be safely excavated.

Statue of Marcus Nonius Balbus - a major benefactor to Herculaneum

At the end of the day, we enjoyed each site for different reasons, but the combination of the two into one exhaustive daytrip proved to be all the more rewarding. The vastness and location of Pompeii combined with the completeness and preservation of Herculaneum are truly amazing in their own right and worth of the millions of tourists that visit them every year.

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A Day on the Amalfi Coast

As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy attracts millions of visitors every year. They come to enjoy the sunny weather, see the sparking blue waters of the Mediterranean, and explore the cities that cling to the coast along the 40km stretch of road. We knew that we couldn't pass up the chance to see some of these cities up close and after a little research (and some advice from our B&B owner in Sorrento) we decided to narrow our visit to two areas, Amalfi and Ravello. 

We boarded the bus in the morning with expectations of a twisty and turny ride from Sorrento to Amalfi, however we weren't prepared for how narrow the hairpin turns really are, requiring a three (or five) point turn in some areas. I can honestly say that there are only a handful of jobs I wouldn't do, and "Amalfi Coast Bus Driver" has got to be near the top of that list. How he managed to maneuver the bus around dubious right-angle blind corners, past parked cars and oblivious tourists, and squeeze between cars in the oncoming lane and the cement barrier I will never know. All I do know is that I am a pretty easy-going guy and am usually hard to rattle, but my legs felt like jello when I got off that bus. 

Winding road and nerve wracking driving aside, the views along this stretch of road are stunning, and easier to enjoy through the bus' large windows than while focusing on the road in a rental car. Like Cinque Terre and Santorini, the colorful cities are perched in seemingly impossible positions and painted in bright pink, orange, and yellow hues. 

Amalfi and the coastal road

The city of Amalfi

After a slight mechanical malfunction in Positano (the bus doors stopped opening and closing automatically meaning people had to hold them shut while driving and open them to let people on and off), we arrived in Amalfi just in time for lunch.

Amalfi was once a real maritime power and proof of this can still be seen through the Duomo, a magnificent Cathedral with some real treasures inside. After paying the 3 euro entrance fee (a great deal as we got a nice 10-page booklet explaining much of what we would see), we entered into the Cloister of Paradise, a beautiful white-columned Arab-inspired cloister where the elite of Amalfi used to be buried. 

The facade of the Amalfi Cathedral

Original frescoes in the Cloister of Paradise

Upon leaving the cloister, we entered the Cathedral itself which is made up of three main parts. First is the original 9th Century Romanesque Basilica of the Crucifix, which currently holds a museum containing relics found on the grounds and gifted to the families of Amalfi during its most prosperous times. Second is the Crypt of St. Andrew, which houses (you guessed it) the remains of St. Andrew, brought to the Cathedral in 1206 from Constantinople for safekeeping. The final part of the Cathedral is the "new" 13th century Basilica, decorated sumptuously in Baroque style. 

Painted ceilings in the Crypt of St. Andrew

The interior of the "new" Basilica

The exterior of the Cathedral is just as impressive. 62 wide stone steps lead visitors up to its entrance, huge bronze doors forged in Constantinople in the 11th century guard the treasures inside, and a beautiful Romanesque Belltower rings on the hour. 

The Romanesque Belltower

Our experience in the Cathedral was made all the more memorable by the presence of an Eastern Orthodox religious tour group that was there at the same time as us. While in the Crypt of St. Andrew, they broke out into full singing and praise. Taken off guard at first, we decided to just sit down nearby and enjoy the free entertainment. Even as we were leaving the second Basilica we could still hear them singing away down in the Crypt.

The tour group singing in the Crypt of St. Andrew

The rest of Amalfi is just as fantastic as the Cathedral, and is complete with a beach, a promenade, and some lovely streets housing interesting shops and lovely restaurants. We settled on a simple slice of pizza that we enjoyed on the steps of the Cathedral, where we enjoyed one of our favorite past-times - people watching.

While Amalfi is bus and bustling, Ravello is quite and tranquil. Perched high above Amalfi, it can be easily reached by public bus in about 25 minutes. Ravello is the kind of place that makes you want to slow down and relax. Panoramic views can be had from nearly everywhere in the town, and small streets and alleys are just waiting to be explored. It also has a very nice Duomo from the 13th century as well as two very famous villas - Cimbrone and Rufolo. For those who love a nice hike you can also hike all the way back down to Amalfi in just a couple of hours. 

The understated Duomo of Ravello

The 13th century Villa Rufolo

We decided just to take some time and explore. The temperature was a bit cooler and made it nice to just walk around and peek in on the way of life of the people there. We watched kids play soccer in the main square, using the Cathedral as a substitute for a goal; we admired the lovely villas that inspired the likes of DH Lawrence, TS Eliot, Richard Wagner, and Winston Churchill; and we strolled the narrow walkways lined with vegetable gardens, monasteries, and small restaurants. 

Vineyards in Ravello

After a couple hours relaxing in Ravello it was time to head back to Sorrento. A quick bus ride back down the hill connected us with the bus back just as the sun was setting. If I thought the ride there was harrowing, well just imagine my pleasure to do it in the dark. Needless to say, I was extremely relieved when our bus finally pulled into Sorrento and I could get back to my preferred mode of transportation - my feet. 

We would have liked to visit more of the towns along the coast. We passed Positano, Praiano, and a few others during our bus rides, and all of them looked just as amazing as Amalfi and Ravello. In the end, however, what we did get to experience was fantastic and we loved (almost) every minute of it.

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A Rainy Stopover in Pisa

The majority of the time traveling is enjoyable; exploring fascinating places, gaining exposure to new cultures and traditions, and learning interesting facts. However travel can also be exhausting at times and a test of your patience and ability to remain optimistic. And every now and then, when you're at your weakest, travel can make you hate its guts. 

 

After thoroughly enjoying a three day stay in Cinque Terre, it was time for us to move on to Florence and, as we were passing the city anyways, we decided to stop over in Pisa to visit the Piazza dei Miracoli and wander the lovely streets. Unfortunately we failed to check the weather report before booking our tickets and the rain we awoke to in Riomaggiore followed us, through a connection in La Spezia, all the way to Pisa. 

Light at first, we decided to brave the rains with our umbrella (we left our luggage at the train station for a few Euros) and managed to get to the Piazza dei Miracoli without getting too soaked. Then the rain picked up and, completely exposed in the middle of the piazza, we looked up at the leaning tower as buckets of rain began to fall. 

That's when I snapped and in an instant I was ready to get back on the train and into a warm room in Florence. Not wanting to risk the camera, Travis dodged the raindrops as best he could to snap a couple pictures with his phone while everything started to unravel...

Fighting with our useless umbrella I mangled my hand and in my haste to storm back to the train station left Travis behind - needless to say I looked completely stupid. Halfway back to the station our paper bag containing breakfast gave in to the rain and tore, spilling its contents and adding to my fury. Finally, as I could make out the station at the end of the road, the gutters of stores lining the street began to overflow, spilling gallons of water onto the unsuspecting umbrellas below.

Sitting in the station, soaking wet, cold, and angry at the rain but also at how I responded to it, I hated traveling. I simply wanted to be at home, curled up with a Starbucks in front of the television, where my favorite shows are in English; I probably would have cried if there weren't so many people around. However a 9 hour flight home has a way of calming even the craziest of minds and I realized that there wasn't anything for us to do but apologize to each other, work together, and get the heck out of Pisa and onto Florence as soon as possible. 

Note: I should disclose that I was probably already a bit very cranky that day before getting soaked by the rain. Also, walking amongst people holding umbrellas has a way of making me lose all patience and act like a toddler throwing a hissy fit. Oh and I totally cried in the train station while staring at the ground hoping people didn't notice.

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Cinque Terre - A Photo Essay

Cinque Terre is the envy of Pinterest members everywhere and one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Five cities cling to the Ligurian coast for dear life while still maintaining their old-world charm. The people inhabiting these places are friendly and helpful, never seeming to get frustrated by the millions of tourists who come to stay and explore every year. In just three short days, the region captured our imagination and made us vow to return.

Monterosso

Vernazza 

Corniglia

Manarola

Riomaggiore

We hope you enjoyed our photos even a fracture as much as we enjoyed our time there. Check out our post on Riomaggiore, where we stayed for four relaxing nights at the lovely Casa Lorenza. If you did indeed enjoy these photos check out our Flickr page for some more!

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