Sarno

If you are ever wanting to go on a vacation in Italy..do not go to Sarno.
Day 1
These passed 11 days ended up being one setback after another. We booked our train tickets the day before and got our necessary reservation. We boarded the train that our ticket designated but two stops before the one we needed the ticket collector kicked us off because the woman who booked our ticket gave us the wrong time and we did not have reservations for that train. We frantically ran around the station trying to find our way to the Sarno station where we needed to end up. A helper told us what to do in really broken english and long story short after a few more mis-haps we made it to the Sarno Train Station.
Once we got there it dawned on Khrystalle that as she booked the B&B that we were staying at she didn't ask them for directions as to how to get to their place. Awesome. Also it turns out that absolutely no one in the entire town speaks english. I was going to pull my hair out. We walked into a real estate office down the street and attempted to communicate with them. After a while they caught on to what we needed and they gave our hosts a call. And it turns out our hosts were the nicest people ever. 20 minutes later they showed up in their smart car and we all piled in and they took us to the B&B and got us settled. A few more miscommunications happened and we accidentally told them that we were hungry and wanted to eat at 2 when we thought they were telling us that they were hungry and would be going out at 2. So those sweet people got us back in the car and took us to a restaurant! In my mind they were going to stay with us..wrong. They just dropped us off!
In places that are not super touristy it turns out that pizza is not served until after 8pm. Who eats dinner after 8?! I found that out the hard way as I attempted to order that for dinner and then picked what I thought was pasta when she denied my original request. Wrong. It was uncooked bacon and 3 balls of mozzarella. It was bad.
Day 2
The next day we decided that we were going to try and go to the Amalfi Coast and go on a fun hike. But..we got to the station just 15 minutes after the train left which left the next one coming after 4 more hours. Just as we were about to give up and stay in Sarno for the day a bus pulled up and we hopped on! Some nice people motioned for us to follow them at one stop and we were able to communicate with them enough that they knew we wanted to end up in Salerno and so the lady ordered our tickets for us.
We got to Salerno and then hopped on another bus to Amalfi. The drive was really pretty, I wanted to swim in the ocean so bad but we hadn't brought our suits. In the end we didn't even go on a hike! Surprise surprise. We ended up getting lunch on the beach and then just walking around town for a little bit.
Day 3
We decided that we wanted to try and explore Sarno a little bit to see what it was like to be in a completely not-tourist friendly town. Yeah..its not fun. There are 'farmacias' everywhere which held baby supplies and meds and then there were some appliance shops. That is literally all that was there. This was the day that we really learned how little was around us which was nothing. Oh it was a doozy.
Day 4
We wanted to go back to Amalfi so that we could swim in the ocean and it seemed that it was going to work out perfectly as the weather in Sarno didn't look so good but uh..the weather in Amalfi was not any better. As soon as we got there it started to pour! Actually pour. So we went and got lunch and then some gelato and then went home! It was so lame! And that was our last real day in Italy!
So really..never go to Sarno unless you have a hankering for a little escape into an agricultural town with nothing in it. Or if you were looking to loose 20 pounds because there is nothing to eat-then Sarno is totally the place for you.
Traveling Home
These last two days have been incredibly exhausting. We got up nice and early for the train that leaves the station in Sarno for Salerno every day at 9:47. We had all our luggage with us and were so ready to get on our way home but when we got to the station we were confused when there were no train times on the screen. Turns out that in Sarno the trains don't run on Sundays. Surprise!
So we made the decision to walk to the next station and see if there was any possibility that there was anything running out of there. And count our lucky stars there was a train going to Naples right as we got there so we hopped on board and made it to Naples where we were so lucky again to have gotten a spot on the train we needed.
We finished the train ride from Naples to the Rome Termini stop where we needed to then catch our coach to the other station in Rome. It took a whole lot of patience, sweat, and deep breaths but we finally figured it out and got to Fiumicino where we caught our plane back to London's Gatwick Airport. We had to spend the night in Gatwick-yuck. In my paranoia I wouldn't allow myself to fall asleep at all for fear that someone would steal all of my stuff and then I would be stranded so I spent the night people watching.
At 5:15 we were supposed to catch another coach to take us to the other airport in London. As it turns out we didn't have a printed off confirmation of our tickets which is mandatory to board and so the driver told us that we wouldn't be able to get on. Panic struck again. As Khrystalle got angry and rude towards the driver I went in the opposite direction and pleaded with him to let us on.. and he did! I wanted to buy that man a prize. I must have thanked him upwards of 10 times for letting us get on! Lucky again
That coach took us to another coach station where we had to go inside and pick up some of the luggage that Khrystalle had stowed while we were in Italy. Once we picked that up we made our way down to the tube and caught that all the way to the airport where I waited for 6 hours until I could board.

These last 48 hours have been filled with so many instances where all of our plans should have fallen completely through but they never once did. How many frantic-pleading prayers I have offered up in those moments I could not even estimate but I am so glad that I am almost home to my family once more.
This trip has been  blessing in ways that had never even crossed my mind. Whereas Khrystalle found how much she disdains the states-I discovered just how much I love the states! I have a better understanding of what it is like outside of the small little bubble of the world that I had previously been exposed to and have realized how incredibly lucky and blessed we are to live in America. It is an incredible country and I have come to appreciate it so much more. Love love love America!

Rome

Day 1

We woke up nice and early in our hotel in Wales to get to the bus stop in time which would take us to the coach stop we needed. After our coach ride we had a train ride which took us to the Gatwick Airport in London where we waited for our plane for a good amount of time. Wow our plane ride was so sketchy. When we were taking off and on the runway, we were jerked left and right about 3 or 4 times in both directions HARD! It even continued when we were in the air for a while. But we made it! It took a while for us to get our bags once we landed but as we were leaving the airport to find a taxi a man came up to us and offered to take us. I was surprised at how quick it happened! As he took my bag and led us out I started to get a little nervous..you know-with Taken running through my mind at all. So our driver leads us up to a sleek little unmarked car and tells us this is it. Warning sign? We get in and he hardly looks at the directions we gave him so in my mind that either means he is really good at his job and knows his way around the city or he doesn't care where our intended destination is because he is selling us into prostitution anyways. Panic. Not to mention he took about 3 hushed phone calls over the course of the ride. Also we were cruising at 140-cruising! Oh and weaving. Good heavens. Talk about an adrenaline rush! Who needs a roller coaster when you've got a cabby in Rome! 

Anywho..we made it to the door unscathed and he was even nice enough to take our bags from the trunk and call up to our host to let him know we were there. Kind man. We made our way upstairs and into the main room of our B&B and found that our host was so nice! And sometimes unintentionally funny! He gave us a map and marked out where the market is, the good gelato, his favorite restaurant, and where to pick up our Roma Pass the next day. He spent an hour with us answering all of our questions and making us feel so welcome. He even let us borrow his own personal adapter so we didn't have to go out and buy one. Such nice people!

Day 2

We woke up and walked the 20 minutes to one of the places that was designated for us to pick up our Roma Pass and once we found it they told us that the website was out of date and that we actually needed to pick them up at the Vatican. Um what?! Yeah..it turns out that that is actually a 3 hour walk in heat I haven't felt since last summer! I was not equipped for that!

But we passed this really cool bridge along the way!

And then I made us stop and put our feet in the river for a while

But we finally got our Roma Passes! Woot woot! I was actually so stoked!

So we rode all the way around on the bus tour that we bought so we could orient ourselves and figure out how long it took to get from each of the stops to another and that was basically our whole day! It was a lot of us trying to navigate our way through this foreign city but it was awesome!

Plus I got some pizza. This is like the cheesiest picture ever but its really not..I'm not hiding behind my pizza I swear! I'm taking my first bite of the back piece! I was so embarased that it looked like this when I saw it..oh heavens. 

Not the best picture but this is where we ate our gelato after we had pizza. Classic

Day 3

Yesterday we woke up and went straight to the Vatican Museum. It was really cool! 

The view from one of the Vatican windows

So thats a real mummy..

This was the ceiling! I felt like they had so many works of art and not enough room so they put them all on the ceiling! It was really rad. 

The Vatican. 

When we went to the Vatican it included the Sistine Chapel which was so much smaller than I thought it was going to be! It was about the same sq footage as one of the LDS chapels that I am used to. For some reason I thought it was going to be some big thing like St. Paul's Cathedral or something similar but it was really small and simple which ended up being really rad. They also enforce a dresscode here which I found really interesting. To get into the Vatican you were supposed to have your shoulders and knees covered..not that everyone did that..but to get into the Sistine Chapel it was mandatory for your shoulders to at least be covered-they made women wear theses paper shawl type deals if they didn't do it on their own. 

The Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, and The Sistine Chapel! 

So many pillars!

Then we went to the Spanish Steps. This building was seriously so impressive! I was surprised at how few people were at this cite since all of the other ones were so packed but it was a nice change. I loved this place! 

From the Spanish Steps we headed over to the...Pantheon! 

So so fun! Yesterday was actually so packed! We had to get all of the cites in! Busy busy!

One a separate note..Anybody know how this works!?

Then..the Trevi Fountain! I forgot to make a wish again because I was so focussed on trying to make a normal face for this monumental picture! Also this picture of Khrystalle and I took years! Everyone around us was so oblivious and kept walking directly in it! Thank heavens for nice people who were patient enough to take it!

Day 4

This morning we woke up and had some logistics to take care of. In my mind we would just fly to Rome- hang out, take a train to Pompeii-hang out, and then just go back and fly home! Wow so not the case! There is so much planning that goes on between all of the smaller things like busses and extra trains. So thanks to everyone who has ever planned anything for me! 

Anywho, this morning we went over to the train station that is next to us to get our tickets for tomorrows journeys. We thought it would be a quick half an hour deal and then we could just go on with our day-wrong. We were there for a total of 3 hours. After getting chatted up by a guy who asked way too personal questions for us to feel comfortable we scurried into a crowd where we hopefully wouldn't be found again and waited for our numbers to be called. Turns out we have to take 2 trains tomorrow to get to our place, oh and it's in Sarno, not Pompeii. Surprise! But in the end we got it all scheduled (we think) and made our way over to get some more gelato that is 'The Best in Rome'-do you know how many times I have heard that?! 

When we couldn't find the recommended place we settled for another gelateria and then headed for the..Colosseum! 

Most awkward pic of this trip..Couldn't figure out what to do with my hands and then mid-picture I laughed so not only are my hands strangely placed but my mouth resembles a beaver of a gofer! Heaven help me

After the Colosseum it was actually pretty late so we managed to find our way back to the realm of our B&B where we struggled for a good half an hour to find a recommended restaurant. Yeah-didn't find it. In our starvation we settled for a random place along the street where they had umbrellas to shade you. Not the best food or the most authentic but that wasn't what made the experience so terrible. We sat behind a group of 4 upper college aged kids who had a profane word come out of their mouths ever few seconds between the group of them and were trying to convince one another that 1. They were not racists, despite what their followers on twitter have been saying. 2. That girl (who as it turns out they don't even know) is a total slut. 3. Doesn't everyone know how smart they are? I mean..they have a law degree! 4. And who slept with who. Might I add that they also went as low as to make fun of people with Downs Syndrome. I wanted to say something to them about how inappropriate their conversation had been but didn't know how. Drat. To treat myself for that terrible encounter I went and got gelato. That fixes everything right?

Can you believe that today was my last day in Rome! I cannot! The time has flown by and I have really loved every minute of it. This city is incredible. I was constantly amazed at how in the midst of all of these modern buildings there were these amazing ruins smack dab in the middle of it all. I think that was my favorite part-just to see all of the history that is here is remarkable. 

I love Rome!

Wales!

Day 1

 We were out the door of our London flat by 10am on Wednesday. Boy was I glad that I hadn't packed anymore. I didn't believe everyone telling me that until we were walking the half mile with all of our luggage. I had my one bag and backpack and Khrystalle had three bags and a backpack!
We got on our coach and made it to Cardiff with only a few hiccups. Once we found our "hotel" we got in our beds and watched Big Bang Theory for the night. It was a win

Day 2
Yesterday we got up and went over to Cardiff Bay. It wasn't as fun as we thought it would be! Thats really all that we did..sorry theres nothing more to report.

Day 3

Khrystalle had a late night last night and so we got sort of a late start this morning. Our first stop was Cardiff Castle. We got off the bus and as we made our way over to the castle we thought it would be a 'good idea' to take a short cut and go through a tunnel instead of crossing the street. Bad idea. After we got down the stairs and approached the tunnel we saw a man push himself from the wall that he was leaning against and start to walk towards us-my heart dropped. He was limping a little and I noticed he was rambling as we cautiously got closer. Khrystalle and I started to walk as fast as we could but it wasn't fast enough. As we got within hearing distance I heard him say "Oh good, you came over." I didn't know how to respond and I was starting to feel more and more sick to my stomach. As he was right next to me he shouted "don't come any closer" and "watch out." As we started to run a little I looked behind me and watched as he pulled something from his back pocket and rip something from it. In my delusional and terrified mind it was a grenade. Ya think I've watched too many crime shows? Good gracious. At that point Khrystalle and I sprinted the rest of the length of the tunnel, continually glancing behind us to ensure he wasn't following and then we ran the rest of the way up the slant of the tunnel. I actually almost started crying-my heart was pounding and I was sick to my stomach with fear. It was obvious to me that he was just an older man who wasn't all there but I still could not stop myself from shaking. Freak it was scary. 

We made it into Cardiff Castle and walked around for a good amount of time. We hadn't really had anything to eat and so by that time we were starving! We made our way over to the Cardiff Market which was a lot of butcher shops and then there were a few with old clothes. But then we saw that they had shops with 5 donuts for sale for 2 pounds! What a steal. We were sold. But we decided to be good and eat dinner first so we went to an italian restaurant down the street. The food was delish and so were the donuts! 

Brighton & Days 46, 47, 48, 49

So I uh..haven't posted in a while but I haven't been doing a whole lot of big things to write about!
Brighton (Day 45)
After getting back from all of that craziness in Stratford we got to spend the night in our own beds again before leaving on another trip, but this time it was only a day trip. We went to Brighton!

So fun right? Those chairs were everywhere and I really wanted to sit in one and have someone take my picture but for some unknown reason nobody else was as excited as I was about that plan. I'm not really sure what I pictured when our teachers told us we were going to Brighton but it sure wasn't this! As soon as we got there we heard about these incredible donuts "They are the best in all of Brighton" said the girl who spent a day here a while back and had only tried this place..but hey. We thought we would give it a whirl. So we walked all along the beach until we came to the one and only Beach Hut this tiny little shack of a place overlooking the beach. We got 6 for 3 pounds and each had one and they were actually really good..they don't compare to Pucks but who really could? 

From donuts we walked back along the beach and walked along the pier. Man it was pretty. Who knew the UK had a beach!? Teasing. While we were on the pier we discovered the rides! Woot woot! Sadly enough nobody would go on the scary ride with me. One girl was down until she found out it was 5 pounds and then she bailed. Lame. 

After piering we decided to go on an adventure to find all of the supposedly awesome vintage shops that were just up the road. We found them..but they weren't awesome. Most of them were these tiny little rooms with clothes in them that would only fit someone who was a 00. Awesome. So I didn't find anything super rad during our shopping but part way through I started to feel really shaky so I figured I needed to find something to eat-but there wasn't anything around us. My roommates and I broke off from the other 3 girls we had been walking around with and started to head back to the pier where we were supposed to meet the bus. I was feeling pretty weak by then so we found a grocery store and I bought some ritz crackers and a role. Way healthy right? But then I decided that I needed a milkshake too. I was on a role. I went from feelin shaky and weak to sooo sugar overloaded!

Day 46
On Saturday my roommates when to the Harry Potter exhibit that is here in London and I stayed behind to just spend the day! It was great. I really do love London and am so sad to be leaving it but I am so excited to get back home and have more than a few outfits and I can curl my hair! Oh the joys of life

Day 47
Sunday was my final Sunday here. It wasn't all that eventful. I got to see Abbey Tingey again-it was actually her last Sunday as well before she heads back to Utah for a few weeks and then heads out on her mission! Crazy. Anywho..church, food, sleeping, food, sleeping..that was my sunday!

Day 48

Yesterday morning we had our last Shakespeare class. Can you believe it?! We had our final in class which  I found out I will definitely be docked for 2 questions I got wrong-blast. Then we went out for lunch and I got a panini..one that finally had pesto on it! And then we got ice cream-of course. Once we got back to the room we had to work on the take-home portion of that final and then once we got that done the rest of the day was ours! 

My roommates decided that they were going to go to a park that we hadn't been too yet but I figured I needed a break for a while if I was going to be spending every minute with one for the next 11 days so I told them to go ahead without me and I would do my own thing. Pretty sure they think I am a freak because whenever I get the chance I let them go together to do something and I do my own thing but I just need my alone time! I get mean when I spend too much time with people and they bother me so really I was just doing them a favor..

Once they left I figured that since I hadn't gone running or done any real physical activity in the past 6 weeks that  I needed to do something-so I went to Hyde Park and went for a "run". Yeah I think the running portion lasted 10 minutes. I hate running. I need insanity and STAT! The rest of the hour that I was out and about was me just strolling through the trees..and it would have been really peaceful except for the fact that I had forgotten to take my zyrtec pill that morning. Wow that was terrible. My nose was running and I ended up sneezing 36 times! Seriously I counted because it was so often! My eyes turned all red and they started to water. It was bad. People thought I was having a mental breakdown!

Day 49

Today was our last day in London! How sad is that? We had our third and final final this morning and we had to ACT! Um..what? Seriously almost had a heart attack but I managed to get the part with the least amount of anything involved..I just had to hand an oversized 'card' to one of the other girls. That was it! Phew! After class I went over to this noodle place for some lunch and managed to bring it all the way home before I ate it. Yeah..not good. Probably shouldn't just be going to asian restaurants willy nilly like that. After lunch I took my last shower in that teensy little thing they call a tub and went over to the boy's flat to do laundry. I'm pretty sure I washed every single article of clothing I brought with me because I am hoping that as I go throughout my last few days in Europe I wont need to do it again..cross your fingers! Later tonight we are going to go out for our last shake at one of the hamburger restaurants that we have grown fond of and then it will be my last night in bunkbed! Thank heavens! It's a little too rickety these days..the other night when Khrystalle was climbing into bed it made this terrible noise and I threw my hands up over me in the event that it collapsed..its that bad. 

And then tomorrow..we are off to Whales! Heaven help us..theres me who is absolutely hopeless when it comes to directions and then there is Khrystalle who thinks she is good at them..debatable. We are quite the pair! Hopefully we will have good internet access so that I can keep updating but if not I will be in Whales until the 22nd and then Italy until July 1 when I come home to open my mission call! Stoked.

Stratford

Day 1

We had to be out and on the bus by 6:45am. It was a doozy! Our first stop was Coventry Cathedral which is now just ruins because of the bombing that took place. 

 Not actually certain as to why I chose to pose like this but I'll take it

Then we stopped at Kenilworth Castle which is another ruin. When Henry V began to rule he did so at a really young age and one day when he was there he received a box of tennis balls. Apparently that was really rude because it suggested that he was just a young boy and should run along and play with his toys. Just a fun fact

Didn't actually know that there was a polar bear statue behind me..

This is where I climbed over the fence that says "NO CLIMBING" on it

Ashley was really nervous that I was going to fall but I made it!

I convinced Khrystalle to come over too

Our final destination was Warwick Castle which was completely unlike the other places we had been to previously. It was super touristy and was almost theme-parkish. Strange

It was really pretty though!

This is the scary bald eagle that flew right over my head! Its 25 years old!

This bird was mean. It kept hulking toward us like that and I'm pretty sure that his trainer was nervous he was going to attack us because he would start running towards it if it got too close..yikes

After Warwick we finally made our way to Stratford and to our hotel. It was this cute little B&B that didn't have an actual normally functioning shower so I didn't shower the entire time we were there. Disgusting. After being home for a little bit we went to dinner at this cute little pub that had 2 meals for 10 pounds and 2 desserts for 5 pounds. Basically the cheapest meal ever and it was way good! From there we headed over to see our play of the night which was As You Like It. It was really good but incredibly long! Also it turns out that allergies in Stratford are terrible! Oh man it was a doozy

Day 2

The next morning we woke up and went down to the dining area thinking we would get in and out before everyone else and that we were so clever-yeah no. We were sitting there for like 5 minutes when a worker walked by and asked what we were doing-when we told her she let us in on a little secret that breakfast didn't start for another 25 minutes..awkward. Not like we had poured ourselves glasses of juice or anything yet-we had. So we went back upstairs for another 25 minutes and sat staring at each other. Awesome. The breakfast consisted of: raw bacon, sausage, cauliflower type hash browns, wet eggs, baked beans, and the most delicious waffles I have ever tasted. Very strange meal but I was more than happy to just eat 20 of those waffles..in fact I think I did

After breakfast we went to Shakespeare's Birthplace, his granddaughter's house, and then his daughter's house. Joy joy joy. Then I needed a nap so we went back to the hotel for a hot second, napped, and then had to run back out for our backstage tour of the theater we were seeing our plays at. Then we went to "dinner" at...

McDonald's! Seriously-in Europe and we ate at McDonalds? How lame-but it totally hit the spot! Then we went to see Hamlet which was our second and final play in Stratford. It too was really good but good gracious do you think Shakespeare could be a little less wordy so that his plays weren't 3.5 hours!? 

Day 3

This morning we had the same breakfast and then loaded the coach up at 8:45. Our first stop was Anne Hathaway's Cottage which was Shakespeare's cougar of a wife. She was 26 and pregnant when they got married and he was only 18. Yikes. 

Then we went to the Mary Arden Farm. It was so fun! There were all sorts of animals! The pigs were so strange! Instead of being the cute squealing pink things they were these brownish things with super coarse hair all over them, but it wasn't thick enough to be called fur-so they just appeared to be balding. 

And then we happened across this monster! Can you even tell what type of animal it is!? Its a PIG! It was massive! Actually the size of like a baby cow..but fatter. Its belly hung on the floor! After a while its ugliness grew on me and I found it slightly endearing but it was shocking for sure!

Just another pic with the scary pig is all

Then we found the cows and they were so cute! They are actually sort of pretty in a strange way..their coloring is rad and then if you look at their eyelashes they are forever long! Lilash has nothing on them! Except their eyeballs themselves are creepy..so dont look at them

Just the hardest swings to maneuver ever! These were the roommates while in Stratford. That new girl is named Jenna. She was really nice!

Then we went to Blenheim Palace where Churchill was born and grew up. It was huge and so pretty! And thats it! That was my Stratford excursion!