What I did and saw: Mediterranean Balcony- The “Balcón del Mediterráneo” offers amazing views of the Mediterranean Ocean. It is free to walk up to and I would recommended taking the walk down La Rambla to check out this amazing viewpoint. Circ Roma and Amfiteatre- Tarragona was formerly a prominent Roman colony during the era of the Roman Republic, and was the principal Roman city in Iberia during this time. Because of this, there are some Roman ruins in the city such as the Roman Circus and Amfitheatre that are worth checking out. There is a small fee to enter the sites, but most of them are easy to admire for free from the outside. Murallas de Tarragona- Another well preserved Roman site in the Catalonian city are the old city walls, or “Murallas de Tarragona.” There is a small fee to access the site, but entrance allows you to walk on the old city walls. It offers some nice views of Tarragona and a small glimpse into the city’s Roman past. La Rambla Nova and Monumento a los Castellers- Like other cities in Catalonia, Tarragona features a “Rambla,” that is a nice place to walk down. On one end of the Rambla is Tarragona is the Mediterranean Balcony (see above), and on the other end is a Monument to the “Castellers.” Castellers are the Catalonian groups best know for making “Castellets” (human towers). Where I ate and drank: Quattros Cerveceria- Located in Plaça de la Font, Quattros Cerveceria is a nice place to eat. They offer pintxos, tapas, and a variety of other options such a Fideua. Also, it is relatively inexpensive. Heladeria Rafa Gelati- Heladeria Rafa Gelati is a nice place to grab a gelato or a cup of tea. Also, its coastal location offers some nice views of the Ocean. Where I stayed: Tarragona Hostel- Tarragona Hostel is an excellent budget option in Tarragona. It has a convienient, central location, and there are two outlets in each dorm bed. Also, the staff members were incredibly kind and helpful. How I got around: I arrived to Tarragona by train from the Barcelona area (about 90 minutes). Once in Tarragona I walked to get around from place to place. My favorite thing:
Due to its history, Tarragona has some interesting Roman sites. Also, it is a beautiful city with a very nice beach, and it does not have the crowds that other European cities do. My least favorite thing: Tarragona is great for a day or a weekend, but after that you might run out of things to do. It doesn’t feature the plethora of options that nearby cities such as Barcelona do, but it is great for a short period of time. For next time: Next time in Tarrogona it would be nice to go when it is warm and spend some time at the beach. I would also like to check out the Aqueducts just outside the city.
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What I did and saw: Mount Pellegrino- Mount Pellegrino is a nice place to hike through and it offers some absolutely beautiful views of Sicily. A city bus runs up to the cathedral, and from there you can take your pick of different hiking paths. Mondello Beach- Mondello Beach is one of Sicily’s many nice, sandy beaches. City busses run from the center of Palermo to Mondello Beach, and they take about 40 minutes. Catacombe dei Cappuccini- The Catacombe dei Cappuccini house a number of eerily well preserved dead bodies. Capuchin monks began mummifying bodies in the catacombs in the late 1500’s after they ran out of room in their cemetery. After initially only preserving friars this way, it soon became a status symbol to be preserved by the monks in the catacombs. The bodies are usually preserved in clothes owned by the deceased, and some bodies are preserved so well that it looks like they just went down for a nap. It is a very interesting place in a very macabre way. Museo Archeologico Regionale- The Museo Archeologico Regionale offered free entry while I was there. For a free musuem it was very nice and very interesting. Beautiful architecture- Palermo has a plethora of beautiful buildings and fountains throughout the city. Some are free to visit while others charge an entry fee, but all are free to admire from the outside. The famous Teatro Massimo opera house, the largest opera house in Italy and 3rd largest in Europe, was featured in The Godfather trilogy. Where I ate and drank: FUD- FUD is a nice place to get “new Sicilian” food. It is not necessarily traditional, but it is extremely tasty. They also had a nice selection of craft beers. Antico Caffè Spinnato- Antico Caffè Spinnato is a nice place to grab an espresso based drink and some Sicilian street food or pastries. Brioscià- Brioscià may not serve healthy food, but they do serve a gelato sandwich on brioche bread that is possibly the tastiest thing I’ve ever eaten. If I am going to eat unhealthy food I want it to be worth it, and the brioche gelato sandwich certainly was. Ke Palle- The “authors of arancine” specialize in the Sicilian street food “arancini.” It means “little orange,” and is basically a round croquette, usually with rice and something else inside, and looks a bit like an orange. Cannoli & Co. and Cannolissimo- I’m not normally a fan of pastries, and as I mentioned above, if I’m going to eat unhealthy food I want it to be worth it. For me, a legit Sicilian cannoli is worth it (in moderation of course). I especially liked the Sicilian pistachio filling. Antica Focacceria San Francesco- Having been open since 1834, Antica Focacceria San Francesco offers many different options of traditional Sicilian street food. Ferro di Cavallo- I really enjoyed my meal at Ferro di Cavallo (which means horseshoe in English). The food was excellent and surprisingly cheap. Antico Focacceria del Massimo- Antico Focacceria del Massimo offers some excellent Sicilian food at very good prices. It is well worth it to brave the crowds at this popular place. Pani Cà Meusa Porta Carbone- The “pane con la milza” sandwich I had at Pani Cà Meusa was on of the more interesting things I’ve eaten. It is cow spleen stewed in lard then thrown into a sandwich roll. It is not the tastiest thing I had in Palermo, but it is probably the most unique. Where I stayed:
A Casa di Amici- I had a nice stay at A Casa di Amici. It was very walkable to the center of and many sites in Palermo. They offered breakfast, but it was basically just a croissant. A handful of musicians were staying there and would have jam sessions in the common area. How I got around: I walked from place to place during most of my time in Palermo, which allowed me to enjoy the beautiful architecture. I used the city bus to get to and from places like the airport, Mondello Beach, and Mount Pellegrino. My favorite thing: My favorite thing about Palermo is the food. There are a nice number of incredibly tasty, inexpensive food options. My least favorite thing: Palermo may not have all the offerings of some major European cities, but that quaintness adds to its charm in my opinion. However, due to its location it can be challenging (and at times expensive) to get to. For next time: Next time I would like to go to Palermo in the warmer months so I can fully enjoy the beaches. When my sister was with me in Europe last summer we got to spend time in some great cities. However, we only had time to quickly pass through Paris and Milan (and I’ve also had a couple layovers in Milan) so I have combined them into one post. Enjoy! What I did: Eiffel Tower- One of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world, the Eiffel Tower is very impressive to see in person. I decided not to wait and pay to go up the tower, but seeing it from bottom gave a good sense of its grandeur. Sandemans Free Walking Tour (Paris)- As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, free walking tours are a great way to see a city. My favorite free walking tour company is Sandemans, and I had the opportunity to take their Paris free tour and was not disappointed. However, they do not currently offer any tours in Italy. Duomo di Milano- The Milan Cathedral is a beautiful building. However, the Piazza del Duomo (the area just outside the Cathedral) can get extremely packed. That being said, it is worth braving the crowds to at least get a look at the exterior of the Cathedral. Palazzo Mezzanotte- The Palazzo Mezzanotte is site of the Italian stock exchange headquarters in Milan. In front of the building is a giant statue of a middle finger, as an apparent dig at the financial institution. Where I ate and drank: PIZ Milano- PIZ Milano is the only restaurant I have visited where I was greeted with a free prosecco just for entering the restaurant. It was a very good pizza place with excellent service and good prices, and is only a short walk away from many of the major sites in Milan. Rossopomodoro (Milan)- I got dinner at Rossopomodoro at the train station while waiting for the night train to Paris. The pasta would have been well above average in most places in the world, but it was only average by Italian standards. That being said, it is probably the best meal I have ever had at a train station. Un Zebre a Montmartre (Paris)- I went to Un Zebre a Montmartre on a recommendation from the Sandemans free walking tour. The food was very good, and the prices were fairly good as well. Orsonero Coffee (Milan)- In an area where espresso rules, Orsonero offers excellent filter coffee options. They also offer a few food options. Where I stayed:
Ostello Bello Grande (Milan)- Ostello Bello Grande is a very good hostel in Milan. It is located right around the corner from Milano Centrale train station. While it could use a few things like curtains for dorm beds, perks like a welcome drink, free dinner and breakfast, and balconies on the dorm rooms make it a very nice place to stay. Overnight trains- I took overnight trains out of both Paris and Milan. This allowed me to avoid the need for overnight accommodation and allowed me to go to bed in one city and wake up in another. I slept on “couchette” beds, which is basically a bench seat folded into a bed. It wasn’t the most comfortable place I’ve slept, but it allowed me to lay down and get some good sleep. How I got around: While in both Paris and Milan I used a combination of the metro system and walking to see a handful of things in a relatively short amount of time. My favorite thing: My favorite thing in Paris was the architecture, and my favorite thing in Milan (like just about anywhere in Italy) was the food. My least favorite thing: Both Paris and Milan can be cold and cloudy for much of the year, and they both tend to be relatively expensive. For next time: There are still plenty of things I would like to see and do and eat and drink in Milan and Paris. It would be nice to be able to check out some of the famous art in both cities. TripIt is a great resource to use when traveling. While there is also a paid premium very, the basic TripIt version is totally free to use and is great for many reasons: Organize itineraries- Once your email address is registered, you simply have to forward any confirmation emails you receive from travel companies (to plans@tripit.com) and TripIt will do the rest. It will organize everything into a nice itinerary for you. Share itineraries- TripIt allows you to share itineraries with people of your choosing. This can be very beneficial if you are traveling with others, or if you need to keep anyone updated on your travel plans. Look forward to trips- One of the great parts of a trip is the excitement leading up to it. TripIt will give you a reminder when your trips are close to starting, and it will let you look at your upcoming itineraries at any time. Look back on trips- TripIt lets you see your past trips saved to your account, so you can look back on and reminisce about past trips at any time you want. It’s free!- While TripIt has a premium service, its basic service (which includes all the features mentioned above) is totally free. It is convenient any easy to use, and can be a great option for many people. |
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