Week 38 Wrap Up

Two bucket list items checked off this week! An Opera in Milan followed by Oktoberfest in Munich! I did not say that my preference for experiences are consistent... but I definitely felt in my environment at both events.

Schedule

• Thursday, September 24: Rome, Italy

• Friday, September 25: Rome, Italy

• Saturday, September 26: Milan, Italy

• Sunday, September 27: Milan, Italy

• Monday, September 28: Munich, Germany

• Tuesday, September 29: Munich, Germany

• Wednesday, September 30: Budapest, Hungary

Thursday, September 24: Rome, Italy

Arriving to Rome, I had a few hours before my afternoon excursion, which turned out to be just enough time to grab a taxi, check in to my hotel, and walk all the way back to the train station to meet with the group. I’ve decided that it’s a compromise to take the taxi when I have all my stuff with me, but must walk or take public transport when I am free of the additional baggage, which I how I found myself wandering the streets of Rome, getting distracted by every building - it was like walking through a museum, each structure adorned with magnificent sculptures and decorations.

As I was on the lookout for lunch or at least a snack, I checked my handy Google Maps to see if there was something I flagged on route. Turns out, there was! I had flagged a hotel that boasted a private terrace, overlooking the Tivoli fountain. Thus allowing visitors to see the beautiful creation without having to fight crowds while constantly worried about pickpockets, so I set my course. Upon arrival, it turns out that my information was only half correct - they did have a private terrace, but only available for dinner or in my case, a cocktail at the time I arrived. Deciding not to pay $25 for a photo and a drink, especially because the photo would be through glass, I quickly grabbed a few shots of the fountain and continued on. When people mention the crowds of Rome, believe them. It is nuts!

Still without lunch, I continued towards the meeting point. Now with a more dedicated plan to eat since I was close to the meeting point, but the meeting time was still about an hour out. I found a cute little cafe that advertised pizza! For some reason, the pepperonis were the diameter of softballs or CDs, arranged with one right in the center… So while the pizza tasted delicious, it was very difficult to eat.

It was time to meet up with the group. Now, at this point, I’ll admit that I was very, very tired. Tired of walking, tired of people, tired of being on the go. In addition, I had already been notified that the tour would no longer include going inside the Colosseum because unfortunately, a young man had lost his life there the prior day while working at heights, so the area was closed while investigations took place. Deep down, all I wanted to do was go back to my hotel and not move in silence for 24 hours. However, it was Rome after all, so I convinced myself to push on, knowing that it was a walking tour and I could bail at any point really. I’m happy to report that it was worth it!

We learned a lot from the guide (yes, I listened pretty well today). He shared a lot about what it would have been like to live during the times of the Gladiators. With the emperors trying to distract the people from all the wars, they basically gave them everything for free - free food, free drinks, free entertainment (aka slaves fighting slaves to death), free spas, etc. This made life as a commoner very comfortable if you didn’t think too hard about much. Looking back at it now, we realize how gruesome the Gladiator lifestyle really was. You could be best friends with someone, having meals and living together, and be required to kill or be killed by them the next day. Alternatively, the powers may decide to bring in exotic animals, such as rhinos or lions, withholding feeding them for days, then put you in the same arena with the beasts, knowing the outcome before it even starts. The arena is recognized now as a holy place because of how much life was lost there, with the Pope making annual trips to bless it on Good Friday.

I broke my no-taxi rule. I should note that in Italy, they don’t allow Uber. Instead you use the itTaxi app to call a local taxi, which gives you the same helpful information about where the car is and who will be picking you up, but not a pre-agreed fare. The payment will be based on the meter.

Even without my luggage, I just couldn’t bring myself to walk the mile back to my hotel. As mentioned, I felt like a zombie, just wanting to sit on my bum, so I did the next best thing and decided to hail a taxi, assuming that since Uber wasn’t available, what was the difference between hailing a cab vs calling one via the App. Thankfully, the Colosseum is in a very busy area, so finding a free taxi was not hard. However, before I got in, I confirmed the driver would take me to the location. He would. I confirmed that I could pay with Credit Card. He would not. He said only cash. For those who don’t continually read travel blogs, one of the biggest scams is taxi drivers over charging, claiming a broken meter. Therefore, I decided I didn’t like the look of this situation and passed. One thing constantly driven into solo travel messaging is their discomfort or seeming rude is not more important than your safety, and walking away is best, so I did. Thankfully, there was another taxi right behind him.

The new driver confirmed that he would take me to the hotel and I could pay by card. He also suggested I sit up front and could watch the meter. (He guessed why I didn’t get in the first cab.) He also said he had daughters my age, so we chatted about where they were living and what they were doing. When we arrived at my hotel, I handed him the cash to cover the trip, plus tip. He gave me a confused face and I clarified that just because I had the money, didn’t mean I wanted to be required to pay using it and it helped to weed out the bad drivers. He laughed and waved as he pulled away.

Back at the hotel, I had a few options - take a nap, go to the rooftop bar, or call the spa to see if they had availability for the Roman Baths that afternoon. Most of you may be thinking this should be a no brainer, but the idea of soaking in a hot tub to rest my sore muscles seemed equally or more attractive than sleeping. My decision was made for me because there was no opening at the spa, so nap it was!

Waking up a few hours later, I forced myself out of bed to go watch the sunset from the rooftop bar. While the sun set a bit behind a larger building, so I didn’t actually get to see it cross the horizon, it created a plethora of colors in the sky, lighting a variety of domes throughout the city, including that of St Peter’s Basilica.

Friday, September 25: Rome, Italy

Speaking of St Peter’s Basilica, today’s tour specifically said that while the guide would show us where the entrance was, it did not include a guide inside the building. I took that to mean that we were on our own if we wanted to go inside.

The evening prior, I did two things after my nap - confirm a slot for the Roman Baths in the hotel spa and book a ticket to use the elevator / lift to the dome of St Peter’s Basilica. Because of the timing of the spa and of the tour, the dome tour needed to be the first stop of the day. I had to guess how long the adventure would take in order to still meet my guide at the required time. Thankfully, I decided to go extra early because as noted before, the crowds of Rome are no joke!

Oh, and I entered a new country! Technically Vatican City is separate from Italy, so checked one more box off my list!

As with every new city I find myself in where English is not the first language, it takes me a few tries to find the right way and they even included a map in the email confirmation. But, it still took a couple wrong turns and a questioning look to be pointed in the right direction, but eventually, I found the correct line for online reservations. Once through the first line, there’s another one. Then another one. Then another one, but eventually, I made it to the final line for the elevator. The elevator only holds about 11 people and I’ll say that there were many more than 11 people waiting in line, but somehow I had beat the rush and only had to wait for 2 groups to go up before it was my turn. Keep in mind, this line is only to be able to get to the top of the church to walk around the perimeter of the dome, but it is that impressive of a view that many people, including me, are willing to shell out more money to go up. (I’ll note that if you don’t want to pay as much, you can take the stairs - all 500+ of them. From yesterday’s events, I didn’t even consider that as an option.)

Once at the top, I have no problem to admit that my breath was taken away! Admittedly since I took the elevator it wasn’t from the exertion of the stairs. Instead it was all of the detailed mosaics and paintings on the dome. This may be one of those places that you have to visit to truly understand the magnitude of the beauty.

I took the stairs down. The line for the elevator down was about as long as it was to go up, so I figured I could handle going round and round, depending all the way back to the ground level.

The interior of the church is equally as impressive as the dome! And equally as crowded. Knowing that I only had a short time available, I zoomed around the massive groups, taking photos and standing with my mouth wide open, staring at the intricate figures and frescos.

But then, my alarm went off, which meant that I needed to hustle to meet the afternoon walking tour. This afternoon was going to take to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican museums.

Have I mentioned the crowds yet? Oh my gosh, this tour was almost silly. They had timed entry tickets, but I’m not sure why because basically everyone and their extended families and friends were herded into the hallways. While I kind of remembered reading some warnings about this tour, it did not prepare me for what was to come.

It’s not a maze. It’s IKEA on steroids! You all have to follow hallway after hallway after gallery after gallery with no real chance of escape. We were there for hours! When the guide did the introduction, he mentioned being with us for 3 hours and at first, I thought there was no way it would take that amount of time to see some galleries and the chapel. Boy was I wrong!

While there were some beautiful artwork to be seen, my energy levels and associated attitude depleted time after time as we entered yet another long hall without any indication that the chapel would come any time soon.

Finally, we got to a break point where the guide said we could continue on without him or stay with him as he showed the group another area. I opted for the without option. I had also spotted a sign for the chapel that was in the opposite direction than the herd was heading, so I asked a nearby guard if there was a faster way out. Just like IKEA, there was another door! He confirmed I wanted the “fast route” and pointed me away from the group, which I gladly followed. Within minutes, I was entering the Sistine chapel. We weren’t allowed to take photos there, although, I’m not quite sure why, but anyway, there were guards that continued to keep people moving and if you wanted to stop, you had to move to the center. I continued on - straight out the exit. Now, I fully can appreciate the artistry and mastery that was put into the paintings. I cannot appreciate them while standing in a crowded pen with what seemed to be thousands of other people.

I thought I was home free! Roman Baths here I come!

Thought being the operative word… After the chapel, there were a few more hallways and galleries and gift shops. And more gift shops. And finally an exit sign! And more gift shops. And a restaurant. And an exit sign! And more gift shops and toilets. And an exit sign! This one was confusing though, so I had to confirm with a guard. He pointed away to where I was going to head, so I was glad I asked. Eventually, I found myself in another gift shop, where I finally broke down and bought a post card. Thinking it was the absolute last place that they could force us, I realized that the exit was actually down many levels and to get there, you had to walk around and around, down this massive (yet beautiful) ramp. As soon as I saw it, I recalled an Instagram post about someone in the exact same situation, realizing that the exit still wasn’t near…

In summary, unless there is some vital piece of information or painting that you cannot do without seeing with your own eyes, I suggest skipping the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. St Peter’s Basilica was so much more impressive and while crowded, didn’t feel like you were trapped in a never ending Exit Room.

Once out in the fresh air, I found water. One thing to point out, in Rome and some of the other Italian cities, there are water fountains everywhere! It’s very helpful to carry a water bottle with you and refill as necessary.

Now dear readers, I walked back to the hotel, promising myself a long bath and good dinner upon arrival. Also, by the time I got out of Vatican City to where I might even find a taxi, I was only about 10 minutes walk to the hotel, so I powered through.

After my time in Rome and Florence and Venice, I was excited to see that there were no more walking tours on my agenda for a while!

Back at the hotel, I changed into my swimsuit and headed to the spa. They described the area as typical Roman Baths so I expected a massive heated pool with water flowing from a fish’s mouth or a Goddess perched to look down on the bathers. It was none of this. There were two large hot tubs, a steam and dry sauna, and a shower. While it was nice and relaxing, it was no where near what I was expecting. The appointments are to guarantee you have the place to yourself, so I soaked my sore muscles for the full duration allowed, finally tearing myself up and out to get changed for dinner.

Dinner became an event all itself, resulting in two courses plus desert. The appetizer was a potato gnocchi, but served very differently than I expected. They were more like little potato pancakes stuffed with something, surrounded with some white and green sauce. While I have no idea what most of it was, it was delicious!

Next, I chose the Vegetarian option for the main - a stuffed zucchini. While it’s not my normal approach to dinner, it sounded very tasty and it was!

Finally, for desert, I could not pass up the Cheesecake. It was covered in fresh blueberries and chocolate sauce. Yum!

Given that it’s Italy, that means dinner started some time around 8pm and finished just after 10pm.

And I was in bed promptly at 10:30pm.

Saturday, September 26: Milan, Italy

The main reason I scheduled Milan was to go to the Opera at the Teatro all Scala. It’s one of the most famous Opera Houses in Europe and I was very keen to check it out. I even planned these specific days because the online calendar showed a play would be on September 26. Only issue was that I booked this trip before tickets were available for purchase.

I dutifully put a reminder on my Google Calendar for when tickets went on sale so that I could hop online to purchase one before arriving in Milan. Only issue was that I was at sea and internet on Vista was not so reliable. Telling myself I’d buy one at the next port, I waited until we reached land only to find out that the tickets were sold out already!

Extremely disappointed, I started looking for resale options. The website has an official resale spot, but no tickets were showing available. No worries, it was still months away at this point, so I bookmarked the page and continued on my way. As the date neared, I’d check to see if any tickets were available, but none showed. I was finding it very strange because surely I could find ONE ticket for sale! I was even willing to pay quite a bit of money at this point.

With just days before arriving in Milan (after my fabulous nap in Rome), I decided to check the original webpage again, instead of the resale. Lo and behold there were TWO tickets available! I picked one as fast as I could and booked it!

Now that I was in Milan, I had an Opera to attend!

But before heading to the theater, I needed to do my normal person errands. Hoping that I could finally get my hair cut and colored, I wandered to a salon that looked promising. Upon arrival, the host confirmed there were no appointments available that day and they’d be closed the following. Bummer!

Oh well, off to my next item on the To Do list… Laundry. Unfortunately, they did not have self service laundry in the hotel and the closest place was about a mile away. However, from the photos on Google Maps, it looked clean and easy to use. I decided today was the day to wash my entire wardrobe since they advertised a large sized washer.

With my duffel bag loaded on my back, I headed out. Upon arrival, I had the entire place to myself! This also meant that I would have to figure out the system by myself as well. Using Google Translate to help with some of the signs, the machines started up. Yes, plural. My whole bag of clothes didn’t fit into one large washer, so I ended up with two going.

Shortly after making myself comfortable, two guys walked in. They only spoke Arabic, so we spent about 15 minutes trying to communicate about how the laundry system worked. Eventually, they decided to give up and left. Next in was a woman from Japan, who spoke English, so it was easier to explain the system. We chatted about traveling for a bit, but since she had a much smaller pile, hers was finished before mine. Once mine was dry, I folded, repacked my pack, and headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the show!

Bit of history - a few years ago, I had COVID that took away my taste, smell, some hearing. Taste came back, but differently. Smell came back, but very muted, and hearing is touch and go depending on if I want to listen. While doing laundry, I realized that my smell was coming back! I realized this because the detergent they used was so fragrant! Not necessarily in a good way, but at least it smelled floral. Since the other woman had already left, I couldn’t ask her if it was as overpowering as it seemed to me, but I was happy to have clean clothes, so off I went.

I broke my no-taxi rule again. This time because I was wearing heels and was dressed up. Also because when I asked the helpful receptionist at check in if she thought the metro would be safe to take at night, she made a face and highly recommended a cab instead.

Arriving at the theater, I was sooooo excited! Now, the exterior of the building is not as ornate as I expected, but the inside was a different story! One thing I realized is the reason the tickets sold out so quickly is because most of the available seating is in boxes along the perimeter. On the floor, there is limited individual seating.

This is the theater -

And the chandelier -

This is the boxes that reminded me of the Muppets -

Photography or videography was not allowed during the performance, so I have no photos of the show, but I was able to grab a quick shot during the curtain call. Here you can see how massive the set is and the detail of the costumes. What you cannot see is the 100 person ensemble who supported the story.

After the show, I headed out to grab a taxi. What I didn’t know until today was that it was also Fashion Week in Milan, so finding a cab at midnight was near impossible! I had to try a few times with the app to get one assigned as there were none available anywhere near the theater. Eventually, I made it back to the hotel and promptly fell asleep!

Sunday, September 27: Milan, Italy

Happily, I did not have a walking tour booked for today and slept in. What you may have noticed in my write up from yesterday was description of any meals… I didn’t stop to eat other than quick snacks at any point, so I was hungry when I woke up. Luckily, my hotel stay included breakfast. All I had to do was get down there before 11am…

Following breakfast, I convinced myself it was time to start walking and exploring Milan. One of the other tickets I booked after my Rome nap was a cooking class, where the menu included Tiramisu, Gnocchi, and pasta. The class started at 5pm, so I had ample time to walk there… 3 miles away.

On my way, I passed by lots of women who I couldn’t tell if they were models or soccer moms. What they say about Milan is true regarding fashion!

I passed by Prada stores, and Louis Vuitton stores, and Dior stores, which were all in the same location. With it being Fashion Week, these areas were packed, so I kept walking. Well, for that reason but also because I am not allowed to buy anything that I’d have to carry. However, as I was wandering away from these stores, I saw a pair of shoes in a window that looked like hiking shoes! Immediately, I went in. Motioned in hand language + broken English + broken Italian to where the worker came out with the shoes I wanted in a size that fit!! Hooray! I did not hesitate to buy them. However, this also meant that I had to carry them… Oh well, at least I had one pair of shoes to replace three others!

After a few blocks, I realized that I could wear the new (heavier) shoes and carry my sandals. My new mission became finding a pair of socks. Going in and out of stores that I expected to sell socks, I was still without by the time I arrived at the cooking school.

While I might not be able to go into detail about each of the recipes, I can say that I ended up sharing a table with four other amazing women: one from Norway, two from England and one from Canada. We had so much fun together, cooking and trying new skills.

We learned how to make pasta, potato gnocchi, and Tiramisu, but similar to the cooking classes on Vista, the sous chefs did a lot of the heavy lifting. I’ll say that while I enjoyed this experience immensely, I will not be voluntarily making any of it again. Without a pasta press or someone to help roll all the dough, it’s just too much work.

However, I highly recommend the class if you’re ever in the area!

Monday, September 28: Munich, Germany

When I was initially planning the train route, Munich was not on the list. Once I realized what time of year it was, I added it specifically to go to the original Oktoberfest!

So I was on my way to where I’d have all of 36 hours to celebrate and get myself back on a train to Budapest to pick up the planned route.

Arriving to Munich late afternoon, I was happy to find that my hotel was across the street from the train station, meaning I didn’t have too far to haul my belongings. Once I checked in, I ventured next door to get some traditional German food, which was delicious!

Following dinner, I considered venturing out and exploring, but decided to save my energy for the following day - a 10am start for a tour of the Oktoberfest grounds followed by a reservation at one of the tables in the Haufbrau tent! (I had to look it up - it’s the big party tent…)

Tuesday, September 29: Munich, Germany

Arriving at the meeting point, which conveniently was a block from my hotel, we were split into three more manageable groups of 30 people each. Each group getting our own guide that would show us around the grounds before taking us to our tables in the tent. My guide’s name is Iain, spelled just like my old boss, so it was easy to remember!

Following him though was a bit more difficult as there were so many people heading to the same destination. From the meet up point, we needed to jump on the subway to take us one stop closer to the grounds. Then we crossed over a bridge and zig zagged through the city streets to arrive at the main gates. Somehow, we didn’t lose anyone! (Or at least none that we know about.)

Entering the area, we were welcomed by all the sights and smells of Germany! (At this point, I was happy to have my smelling ability back! Although my nostrils did seem attacked by the aromas since I hadn’t been able to smell much for years…) Anyway, Iain lead us down the street, pointing out the various delicacies to try later and weaved in and out of various other tents that were not ours. He explained that each tent is known for various things, such as serving fish on a stick or roasting full sized bulls.

On another street, we were in the middle of a massive carnival! For those who have been to the CNE in Toronto, it was a lot like that, with tons of rides and games.

Eventually we made our way back to our tent, where we were seated immediately as we had a prompt noon reservation. One thing to note is they packed us in with 10 to each table, that comfortably fit 8. In addition to being squished side to side, you found your self sharing very limited space with the person behind you. Once the beer and food started flowing, we forgot all about the limited space!

With our tickets, we got two beers and half a chicken. Plus I ordered a soft pretzel because… well, that’s obvious if you’ve been following along with my adventures this year.

We sang and shouted and drank and ate for the next 5 hours. With our reservation coming to an end (and yes, they do kick you out), we headed out to the festival streets. Somehow I got separated from the rest of the group (have I mentioned the crowds yet??) and decided to head back to the hotel as I had my fill of food and drink; going on any rides at this point would not be a pleasant result. But I survived my first Oktoberfest! And yes, I do want to go back! Next time, I’ll start with the rides and museum, then finish with the tent activities.

Wednesday, September 30: Budapest, Hungary

The train ride from Munich to Budapest took over 7 hours, meaning I didn’t arrive to Budapest until after 4:30pm. Since my hotel was about a mile from the train station, I decided grab a taxi instead of walking. While in Italy, I got used to taking taxis and thought it would be easy enough since it was not far. Finding the Taxi stand, I walked up to the first one waiting. He suggested that he would only take cash. Not only that, but went on to say that all Taxis from the Train station only took cash… Yes, we’ve been over this. So I walked away. Thankfully, Uber is available in Hungary and a cab was only minutes away. When I checked into my hotel, I asked the receptionist if it was true about the train station taxis. She confirmed that it was not true and suggested I use Uber going forward.

Surprisingly my hotel room was actually a suite! I had a kitchen, a sitting area, a bedroom, and bathroom. Along with this, it overlooked the river with a view of one of the bridges and mountain tops. Extra fancy! Also, the receptionist explained that I had access to self-service laundry machines that were located on each floor! This was going to be a great stay! (Although, because I just did laundry in Milan, I wasn’t as anxious about using that option, but decided I’d use them on my last day there to start fresh for the next segment.)

Once I dropped bags, I went to explore! The riverfront, while busy, was not packed, so I meandered along, stopping to check out the small market with various crafts. At some point, I had a great idea to find a food market to pick up some snacks for the evening since I had such a large room to take advantage of. After being at Oktoberfest less than 24 hours prior, this seemed like a great idea!

And it was. I went and plopped myself on the couch, drinking my wine (yes, mine because it had my name on it) and watched a Christmas movie. Yep, I’m one of those. I have no qualms about watching Christmas movies before Halloween and there were no English speaking channels on the TV for me to pick from. Instead, I set up my laptop on the coffee table and lazily welcomed the night to come.

Coming in the next Wrap Up is more adventures in Budapest, including a BeerSpa, learning about a new-to-me country (Slovakia), and heading to Austria for a few days.