UPDATE!

Portofino, Italy
I had IPM this day, so I had about 2 hours to explore this port. This place was BEAUTIFUL! Our tender boat pulled into the dock, which was full of very expensive looking yachts, charming, Italian-looking buildings, and clear, blue water. Oh, it was just gorgeous. The shopping was very expensive near the pier (Prada, Gucci, you know all the favorites) with even more expensive restaurants that smelled AMAZING with tomato sauces and fresh seafood. Mmmm… So, I decided to do something for free- haha. I took a path that was on the outskirts of the island, that ran right along the coast, giving me gorgeous views of the water/yachts/people/hotels. People’s waterfront homes were beautiful and against the color of the water, it was simply breath taking. I started to run out of time and wanted to see more of the coast, but had to head back down. I loved all the colors and Italian charm I saw today!

Rome, Italy
This is probably the most stressful day that I have had since my contract began. I escorted a tour called “Rome on your own & Sistine Chapel.” We were taken to Rome at 8AM, and given about 2 ½ hours to do whatever we would like in the city. Well, it started to down pour rain about 30 minutes after we got dropped off. Here I am in jeans, flip flops, and no umbrella. All these shady looking men were appearing everywhere shoving umbrellas in my face, trying to get me to buy. I resisted, and resisted, and resisted…thinking the rain is going to clear up, it has to. Then there was thunder and lightening…and I had to give in. I was really frustrated at this point because I was lost, trying to go see some sights, but there were so many people, umbrellas, noisy cars…I was in a terrible mood and could not find it in me to even shop! I found a cozy looking coffee joint and headed upstairs, out of the rain…but still soaking wet. Miserable! Ordered a 6 Euro cappuccino…because I chose to sit down (probably would have cost me .80 cents if I just stood at the bar- but that’s no fun), and grabbed a grilled sandwich with mozzarella cheese, olives, and tomatoes on my way out the door (3 Euros…my huge sandwich was less than my coffee??!) Anyway, when I walked outside it was sunny out, so that made me feel a little bit better.
The traffic going to Vatican city was bad for a couple of reasons. It had been raining, so most people were driving cars today and the day before was a Labor Day holiday. We pull up to the Vatican Museum and the line is HUGE. All around the museum and almost out to the Basilica (for those who have been there before.) The only line I can think of to compare to this is the line at Disneyland for Indian Jones when it first opened…and even then you couldn’t actually SEE how long it was!
According to our guide the line is only “suppose to be” 30 minute long in the afternoon. But, because of the holiday, it was super jam-packed crowded. It was 1:45, and they close the museum at 3:30. So, we were given the option of giving the line a chance or get out of the line and explore the Bascilica and Vatican city and meet the group later. My passengers were unhappy, tired, hot, etc…about half left and the rest stayed with me in line, saying “There’s no way were going to get in” “It’s so hot” complain, complain, complain…I tried to ignore them as best as I could, while still having to listen to them since I was escorting the group. Well, imagine shuffeling in a huge line, sweaty people surrounding/pushing you on the sidewalk, with street vendors yelling on the sides of you, plus intense heat… This was how it was for an hour and a half…BUT I used my “secret” thinking (haha Mom) and finally we made it inside! Only to be surrounded by even MORE people…with a million different languages being spoken- ugh! I was getting a huge headache at this point. Now, because there are so many people, they give you this little walkie talkie with an ear piece and you set your channel to the one your guide is talking on, because there are so many people visiting the museum, it makes it easier to hear. We had a very rushed tour of the Vatican Museum (although it was very beautiful and saw some very neat pieces- ceramic baths, statues, tapestries, paintings), and it was difficult to keep up with the guide because it was so crowded inside. We finally make our way to the Sistine Chappel. AMAZING! I took a deep breathe and took in the amazing art work this crazy man did. Well, I took it in for too long because what happened next was a nightmare! There was a tiny doorway to get out of the Sistine Chapel, my group got through together, but I got left behind, caught in a mob of people. Then, the mob stopped moving, and I was stuck in the crowd. I could hear in my ear piece that my group was continuing on…and then my ear piece kept getting more and more static (meaning they kept on walking) and finally, I couldn’t hear them at all. So I lost my tour. I had no idea where they went! And this is very bad news if you are escorting… I later found out that mass was starting soon, so this was the cause for the huge backup. I finally made it through the exit at 4:20, and I start looking for anyone in my group, any Marco Polo people, anything. I can’t find anyone. I knew that the people who split from my group earlier were meeting at 4:30 somewhere at the Basiclica…but the place is freakin huge and I had no idea where they were meeting…so I’m walking up and down the Basiclia, searching, looking, I look at my watch and it’s almost 4:45 and at this point, I’m starting to panic because I have 10 eurors, no purse, no cell phone, (the guide told us to leave things on the bus because of the strict rules of the museum) and no idea what to do. To take a taxi back to the ship, it was like 90 minutes away, there might be bad traffic on the freeway, I’m starting to panic a little bit now. Just as I’m about to start crying and breakout in a sweat, I see two Filipinoes taking pictures of eachother, and I recognize them from the ship!! I’ve never been so happy to see two people I know. They are also on tour, so I find their guide and tell her to call my guide and let him know that I won’t be going back with the group and that I got lost behind them. It was such a nightmare. After arrving at the ship, I got my bag back and all the passengers on my tour said they were “so worried about me.” Well, I was worried about me, too. Haha. The fun didn’t stop there, when the Shore Excursion Manager made me write up a report saying what happened, because all the passengers want a full refund from the tour because either they didn’t get to Sistine Chapel, or they were unhappy with the whole day. Geesh. I hope the next time I visit Vatican City it will be a much better experience.

Naples, Italy (suppose to be Sorrento)
We were suppose to go to Sorrento this day, but two ladies were hanging up a Memorial Day sign the day before, fell off a ladder, and died…so Sorrento was having a huge service in their honor and shut down all of their shops, buses, etc. Instead, we went to Naples. This city is very comparable to New York…loud, so much traffic, shopping, cafes, extreme poverty, etc. I didn’t feel very safe this entire day. Matt and I walked around and got lost, and asked people where McDonalds was (thinking that there would be more shopping/eating/people near a McDonalds). The highlight of the day was lunch at a restaurant called Oro de Leon. I read that we should try wood burning oven pizza, so Matt and I both ordered pizzas- his margarita, mine grilled veggies. We watched them really roll out and toss the dough, and freshly prepare our meal. Huge pizzas came out, and I was really happy with mine. The veggies (sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms (the kinds with skinny stems), grilled eggplant, and grilled zucchini) were very good, with yummy Italian cheese, and the dough/crust was SO GOOD because of the wood burning oven! We probably ate more of the crust than the pizza.
After yesterday, I was not in the mood to be in a busy, noisy city. Things we found funny were really beautiful girls in heels riding their motorcycles (vespas?), people riding their vespas on the sidewalks to avoid traffic, and crazy people yelling at us in the street.
Matt has pictures of us eating the pizza- hopefully he'll put them up on the website!!