But that aside, I really did enjoy myself in the past 3 weeks in Italy (Rome and Naples), Croatia (Dubrovnik, Brela, Split, Plitvice Lakes, Zadar) and Paris, France. I will be off in to Istanbul, Turkey in less than 12h time, with the same backpack, and barely anything unpacked from the Paris trip.
Italy was great, cos I got to see a side of my mum I never knew. Someone so childlike, so sweet and who likes to laugh so much. To me, she seems to be reliving her youth again, afterall she did devote her prime years to us. And, Im glad that now I have reached a stage of my life whereby my mum becomes one of my best friends and I listen to her because I respect and value her advice, more than because Im terrified of her. Im also glad that when I give her feedback or tell her I dont agree with her actions or ideas, she takes it in and we talk about it instead of me being dismissed as a naughty kid who 顶嘴s. Its really refreshing because its been a long time since I had the luxury to spend this much time with my mum.
This aside, Rome was beautiful. I love the Italians- the men were dropdead gorgeous and really friendly, even when we dont speak their language. They would go out of the way to help you and show you directions or offer tips. The streets of Rome were clean and despite many warnings about thieves and conmen etc, we didnt meet any. The food was good- I loved the pastas (squid ink pasta omg yums), pizzas, italian starters, coffee, biscottis, gelatos and the list continues. I basically had too much food there. The weather was slightly too warm for my liking, but that is of course better than having it chilly. The typical tourist sites- Trevi fountain, Colosseum, Vatican City etc were majestic but too crowded for my liking. And because it was just after exams for me, I was getting slightly saturated after a couple. But that also means that I have another excuse to go back there again (:
Although Naples was a more chaotic city (definitely more unsafe with rowdy teens and drunks in the noon), Pompeii is definitely worth a visit. Im not sure if its cos I was able to identify with it more since I studied it for history last time or that it is actually just really amazing that an entire city can be so well preserved. It also really struck me how good engineers, scientists and artists the Romans are. Many of the technology that we see today appears to have had some of its roots from their times- saunas, ovens etc. Naples is also the birthplace of pizza, and indeed, it did not disappoint. I definitely had the best pizza I have ever tasted at a small family run place near my hotel. The staff was extremely friendly- the cook even came out to have a chat with us, the food was fantastic (portions a little too generous) and prices good. In fact, all the best meals I have in Italy seemed to be in Naples. It was also really interesting for me to contrast Rome, a tourist hotspot, and Naples, what I would imagine to be a less well- to- do italian town.
I will update soon about Croatia, whereby some of my mates joined us and Paris- who is truly beautiful in Spring (and when you have a local to bring you around). Meanwhile, I need to catch some sleep before I head off to Istanbul, Turkey for yet another week long trip.
Ciao!
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