The Italian Trifecta

Naples. Rome. Venice. Three Italian cities each with their own culture, own personalities, own uniqueness. Each having a plethora of different things to offer, but all sharing one thing in common. Antiquity and simple, beautiful age. From the countless museums and churches to the quaint cafés and family owned gelaterias, everything has a story to tell.  Every corner is painted with a sense of history, and everyday the modern day public traverse and live in these streets and buildings once utilized by so many historic greats. I actually found it quite challenging to wrap my mind around this concept, but in the moments that I could "feel" it, it was an indescribable feeling of being connected, of understanding, and of appreciating. 

I'll start in Naples. Luckily my first day in the birthplace of pizza was not a precursor to the rest of my time there. My bag dried out, and there was no more rain. Beautiful weather to experience two main highlights of the area: Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. Mount Vesuvius is currently the largest active volcano in Europe and was actually steaming the day I made the climb. I'm not usually a nervous person, but this made me uneasy. Seeing how quickly and devastingly this volcano covered Pompeii in ancient times made it real that at no notice she could show her fury again. A scary thought by any means. Pompeii, the city frozen in time, can still be seen from the apex of the volcano.  As an engineer I found this place to be remarkable. We only think we're ahead of our time. Then there was the pizza. I never exactly knew what I was ordering (Italian might be harder than real maps), but I never went wrong. They have the pizza making mastered. My waiter also informed me that "only Americans share pizzas". I don't know how true that is, but I took his advice. Whole pizza. Embrace it. 

Next was Rome..synonymous with lost. A walking city where ancient cobblestone and modern asphalt mesh together into a sprawling layout impossible to navigate by no other way than trial and error. Or google maps I suppose, but that's one of the conveniences I'm learning to live without. To be honest, I'm starting to appreciate the slight disconnect. Yes, I got lost A LOT in Rome. Wrong turn, wrong street, wrong direction on the right street, all of it. At the beginning, it stressed me out. I felt like I was purely wasting time. Then it dawned on me that I have no timetable. Nowhere to be. I'm not sure there will be many other times in my life that I can say that so I made the decision to enjoy it, and it's been awesome. I've seen some pretty cool things while I've been lost. If someone says it takes 30 min to walk somewhere, I know it'll really take me two hours, and I just go with it. Again, embrace it. The Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel were the two big things for me in Rome. The grandeur of these places truly cannot be described in words. Add them to your bucket list. Rome was also the place that I had my first "this is why I'm doing this" moment. I met Sofia and Ellen one afternoon on a bus to dinner. We were actually all on the wrong bus :) They were a mother and daughter vacationing from Denmark. We ended up bonding over mutual lostness and spent the evening together. Five hours talking about everything from American politics to education to walmart. I learned a lot about them and about life in their country, and I also had the opportunity to share some of the things I love about my home. This is growing. This is becoming. The monuments are great, but it's about the people. I've had many of these opportunities, and traveling alone with no sense of time definitely makes it easier to engage in these spontaneous meetings. However, It's disappointing to think of how many of these chances I've missed at home simply because I was plugged in and focused on my own life. Take the headphones out, talk to the stranger next to you, allow a little bit of spotenaity for them to step in your life for a few hours. It's amazing what you can learn. 

The last of the three.. Venice. Italy's city of romance. It definitely lives up to that name. Beautiful architecture, shops, and restaurants all connected by gondola flooded canals. Even the attitudes of the people were romantic. Every time I went to a restaurant in Venice, the waiter would always ask, "For two?". I just smile, shake my head, and reply "Just one this time." This usually led to free glass of wine or dessert so I was fine with it. Venice for me though was riding in one of those iconic gondolas. Probably the most touristy thing to do in Venice, and I definitely paid for the experience. However, I felt like I was seeing the city how it was meant to be seen: from the water.  My gondolier's name was Pablo, and he's been driving the Venice canals for over fifty years. Even he asked where my Romeo was. I told him the truth. My Romeo is in Arkansas because life never happens how we plan it. We'll be back though, and we'll find you Pablo. Next ride for two. 

As for Crossfit, I have so much to say about Crossfit. Too much for this post. I'll just say that this community continues to amaze me. Crossfit Napoli in Naples and Crossfit Villa Albani in Rome. Welcomed with open arms wherever I am. More to come on this, but I am so thankful for this sport and it's people. Unlike any other. 

I'm pretty sure you could spend weeks in each of these places and not experience them in their entireties. I, like the typical fast-paced American, tried to squeeze them all into a week and half. Second lesson on traveling, SLOW DOWN!! It's not a race Amanda. This is not Italy for time. Seriously. Chill out. I ran myself ragged trying to see everything, and I learned that in actuality seeing more of and truly understanding a few select things leads to a much deeper experience and at the end of the day a much happier, less grouchy Amanda. I'm willing to bet that this concept would also apply directly to most other areas of my life as well, not just traveling. Learning. 

For now though, I'm settled into a small Tuscan town where I have my own space for a few weeks. A place where I don't have to fall asleep to the multi-lingual chatter of a sixteen bed female dorm room or better yet share one shower with those sixteen females. I have a gym that is quickly becoming my Italian home, and I'm Living the slow life for a while. This girl is worn out. 

Life is Still Life

Italy! Of all the destinations on my list, Italy is the one I am most excited about exploring. My first day in Naples, however, was a reminder that life is still life even when rustic Italian buildings and pizza parlors are your backdrop. Bad days still exist. When I arrived at the Napoli airport, it was raining, and the descent of my flight was delayed due to the weather so we just flew around for an extra hour or so. No big deal. It rains in the US. I had left Santorini almost 11 hours before so I was getting a little tired, but the end was in sight. Or so I thought. The plane finally lands, and it's not just raining. It's a torrential downpour.  The planes in Europe don't pull up cozily to the terminal. They park in what looks a bit like a plane parking lot then you exit using the plane's staircase and a bus shuttles you to the terminal. In my case, all this means is that I am soaking wet, drenched from head to toe by the time I make it to the terminal. Unfortunately, my bag doesn't fair much better. I spot it in the myriad of bags and watch it circle around the carrousel. I can tell by the bags around it that it is wet. However, when I pick it up I realize that just wet is an understatement. A puddle forms on the floor below where I'm holding it. The pads in the shoulder straps squish in my hands the way your tennis shoes do after you've spent an hour walking around in the rain. My bag and I together are a drenched hot mess about to walk into a huge Italian city and have no idea where to go. 3.2.1 go!

The directions given to me by the hostel say that there should be a bus stop right outside the airport. They lied. There is no bus stop in sight. I walk a good thirty minutes, in the pouring rain mind you and carrying forty-five pounds of luggage, before I finally spot something that looks like it could resemble a bus stop. I had decided that there was no way I could find a bus that would take me directly to my hostel, but if I could find a bus that got me to a central metro station, I had a better shot of getting where I needed to go. I climb on the next bus that stops and ask "metro?" The driver replies "Si. Eight euro". $12 for a bus ride seems like a lot, but I hand him the coins. I make my way to a seat and look at the ticket the guy just handed me. It CLEARLY says four euro for anywhere in the city. He totally ripped me off! I fight my way up to the front of the bus, point to the ticket, and demand my four euro back. Okay, maybe not demand. I ask nicely, but I am extremely frustrated at this point. He looks at the ticket then stares at me almost astonished. Yeah buddy. You're busted. I know I look like a drenched, frazzled, and confused American right now, but I'm not. Smarter than the average bear. Four euro. Four euro is a glass of wine, and I'm going to need one after today. Hand it over pal. He does and is actually very helpful after that making sure I get off at the right stop and know which metro line to take. 

Finally, I get off the metro at the stop that is supposedly only half a mile from the hostel. I'm suppose to be looking for a bright green door with yellow trim. Number 8. Does this look like that description?

Yeah. I didn't think so either. I walk past it 6 times then stand in front of it for a good five minutes trying to decide if I want to open it. It was the right door and actually opened up to cute little courtyard and a very welcoming hostel. Don't judge a book by it's cover I guess, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared when I opened that little hobbit door for the first time. It's almost 9 pm at this point. I left Santorini at 6 am and landed in Naples almost 4 hours ago. Walking around for four hours in the rain will put a bad taste in anyone's mouth I think. I missed home for probably the first time through this day. I missed being able to throw toilet paper in the toilet. I missed the standard of customer service that we expect and receive in the US. I missed knowing where I was going and being able to communicate effectively if I didn't. I missed things that I have never once been intentionally grateful for at home. Things that I will no longer take for granted. It had stopped raining about the time I was checking in, and I asked the receptionist, "Does it rain a lot in Naples?" He replies, "no.. It actually hasn't rained in almost two months. Just for the past few hours." I laugh. Life always has a way of keeping us grounded. Head up. Heart strong. Tomorrow's a new day. Still lots to explore in Italy. 

Island Life

Next stop.. Santorini. One of the many Greek islands that thrives primarily off of tourism, and after visiting, I can understand why. They are amazing. It's like hitting a slow motion button on life. I traveled from Athens to the island on an eight hour ferry. Not as painful as it sounds. There was plenty of room to spread out, and I met a friend. Lydia. She is a 23 year old student finishing a study abroad program with a few weeks in Greece and would be the one to teach me my first lesson about traveling alone. We spent the evening together in Santorini. We got fish pedicures where you basically stick your feet in a fish tank full of about 200 tiny fish and they proceed to nibble on dead skin until your feet are smooth. Gross right?  I was actually pretty freaked out by it. I enjoyed the experience though, and it worked! Anyways, we had dinner, talked about life, about relationships, about traveling. I got to know her. The waiter kept bringing us free glasses of wine (must be the American charm :), and we just talked. Then I never saw her again. She went her way. I went mine. The revolving door. I've met a lot of interesting people, people from all over the world, but just as soon as I meet them, we're saying goodbye. Such a short period of time to make an impression and learn from each other before life takes us separate ways. To be completely honest, I'm not really sure how I feel about this yet. It is definitely taking some getting use to.

As far as Santorini goes though, the island is beautiful. I spent time at all three beaches. They have two black sand beaches and a red sand beach. I rode a donkey. I hitched a ride on the back of a Vespa scooter (sorry mom. The bus didn't show up). The big thing in santorini, though, is the sunset, and I'm a sunset person so this was on my priority list. I got to the tip of the island about two hours before sunset, found a tucked away spot amid the iconic white and blue buildings, and waited. As sunset drew closer, the people piled in. I felt like a was waiting to watch the fireworks at Disney World to be honest. However, The sky did not disappoint. It was amazing to watch the sun seemingly fall off the edge of the earth. Worth my two hour wait, but honestly nothing that can't be rivaled by a Mississippi or an Arkansas sunset. Remember to look up sometimes. 

Santorini is the one island on my list that does not have a Crossfit gym, but I made the beach my playground. I did Santorini style Murph on the beach of Perissa. 1 mile run, 100 Burpees, 200 push ups, 300 squats, 1 mile run. To my non-Crossfit friends, Murph is a workout done at Crossfit gyms across the US on Memorial Day to honor the men and women who serve our country. I'm glad I got the chance to pay my debts in some way. Proud to be an American and so very thankful for those who serve for my freedom. 

That's it for Greece though. I'm leaving the land of gyros and kabobs and headed for pasta and pizza. Italy is next. 

All Greek to Me

First city in the books. I spent two full days in Athens, Greece, and did the best I could to see all that the city had to offer. With Athens being the first city, I arrived completely exhausted. I left Gulfport, MS at 5 am on Saturday morning and arrived in Athens at 9 am Sunday morning. I hadn't slept. I don't know if it was nerves or excitement, but sleep just wasn't happening. Amazing what you can get accomplished on a 10 hour flight when you don't sleep. Regardless, I strapped on my 37 pound pack and walked into the city. Overwhelming is a good way to describe my first few hours in Greece. Train ride, Greek street signs, euros, and no Google Maps. Stop taking your navigation apps for granted. Real maps are hard. :) I found my hostel and checked into my bed (yes bed. I don't have my own room)..

Not quite Hampton Inn but when you haven't slept In a day, it doesn't really matter. 

Days 2 and 3 were spent walking the city. Ancient Greek monuments, original Olympic stadium, Mount Lycabettus, gyros, kabobs.  The streets of Athens are scattered with small cafés that seem to always have people sitting or dining. This was probably one of my favorite attributes of the city. Although, I learned pretty quickly that eating the way I'm accustomed would either be nearly impossible or extremely expensive. My first night I ordered a diet coke with dinner. When I saw the receipt, I realized that it was 3.50. My first reaction was "$3.50 for a glass of Diet Coke! Holy expensive". I later realized that it was actually 3.50 euro which is the equivalent of about 5 bucks. For a Diet Coke! Wine is cheaper. Let's just say that I was frugal for the rest of my stay. 

I was very impressed by the English spoken in Greece. For the most part, I never went anywhere where there was at least a communicateable level of English being spoken. Most Greeks actually spoke two or three languages. It definitely made me realize how boxed off we are in the US. Add it to the bucket list to become to become proficient in another language. Traffic laws don't really exist here, or at least none that I could observe. Cars, motorcycles, pedestrians going in all different directions share a single one-way road. Crossing the street is seriously like Frogger.  A few close calls, but luckily I survived. The last thing about Greece that I found different, gross actually, is that their plumbing system is not equipped to handle....toilet paper. Yep. Can't throw toilet paper in the toilet. Each bathroom has a small trash can for disposal. 26 years of throwing paper in the toilet, I might have forgotten a few times :/ Sorry Greece for any blockages. 

No city would be complete without a trip to a local Crossfit. Actually all but one city on my list has one. It was in the requirements. I found a gym a bit outside the city: Reebok Crossfit Primal. There was actually very very little English spoken in the gym so the first few minutes were awkward. Trying to relay what I needed through simple words and hand movements. Luckily, "WOD" is universal. At the 3.2.1 though, all of that disappeared. I felt right at home. We spoke the same language through movement. I knew it would be like this, but I never could have imagined the effect it had on me. I was comfortable. I was in a foreign country, knowing not a soul, and I was comfortable. I honestly didn't want to leave. I went back the next day. As I was finishing up the class, I saw a group of athletes warming up. It happened to be a few members of the Greek Olympic Weightlifting team. They were deadlifting so I walked up and said "deadlift?" Luckily "squat", "snatch", "deadlift" are all pretty universal as well. They all smiled and replied "yes, yes". So we did some deadlifting and then a few snatches. One of the members said in broken English, "We never see girl like deadlift".  I laughed a little at the irony. I actually hate deadlifting, but I appreciated the compliment nonetheless. This experience left me so excited to continue to Crossfit around the world. Always a home away from home. 

It's only been a few days, but I'm already struggling to remember what day it is. Time has been measured only by the sunset. So very excited for all to come

For more pictures, follow me on Instagram @amandamdearman.