From Inverness To Kyleakin

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Jumping off in Kyleakin

I decided to see the Isle of Skye the next day, so I jumped off!

From Inverness to Kyleakin I saw few sites in the span of a couple hours. The tour would directly go from Inverness to Fort William today but I decided to jump off in Kyleakin, Skye, to see the Isle of Skye. We ventured into Rogi Falls, Loch of Carron, and finally Kyle of Lochalsh which connects via a new toll bridge to Kyleakin, Skye. Kyleakin is a small little town so there was hardly anything to see or do, so relaxing in the ‘homely’ hostel was the best option. Because MacBackpackers don’t operate a tour of Skye unless there are more than 6 people booked, Adrian (Australian) and I figured we were going to rent a car and do it ourselves.

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Battlefields, Monsters, and Dancing

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Battlefields, Monters, and Dancing

The first day of my tour of Scotland.

From Edinburgh to Inverness our tour stopped at the Hermitage, Culloden Battlefield, Pitlochry, Ruthven Barracks, Loch Ness to see ‘Nessie’, and then some cultural Scottish dancing in Inverness. The day was interesting and rewarding. I was glad to hook up with MacBackpackers tours because I was starting to experience parts of Scotland I had in mind.

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Glasgow, Scotland’s Largest City

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Glasgow

A more modern part of Scotland with fewer historical sites.

Glasgow is the largest city with an industrialized port. The city is known for its famous architecture by Charles Rennie Macintosh, who designed many of its buildings. The Merchant City (older part of town) was once a pivotal part of Scotland’s iron production following the American Industrial Revolution and the innovation of James Watt. Glasgow has changed into a shipbuilding culture encompassing a more modernized city. Glasgow with its local universities is also exciting with its excellent nightlife provided by a college town environment.

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Poppin’ In To See The Pope

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Doin my lil’ praya’ wit da Pope

…At a very sllllloooooooowwwwwww pace.

I didn’t think I was going to be able to see the pope while going to Vatican City, but was fortunate to experience the first assembly of 2002. Hardly moving at all, as if he was asleep, he was rolled down the center of the auditorium. Then, when on stage he talked as if he was asleep. And then, almost I fell asleep. But, because the assembly was more of a nationalist rally having groups of pilgrims from all over the world chanting and cheering for their country when announced, the vibrant environment kept everyone alive. It was interesting to see the pope in real person, and hear him speak many different languages. The city itself kept me busy and to find the opportunity to see Pope John Paul, I was overwhelmed.

I liked Vatican City more than Rome because of the views from St. Peter’s Basilica, The Pieta, Sistine Chapel, and the other places of interest. It was nice to come here to start the new year.

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Roaming Around Rome

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Roaming Around Rome

The eternal city with colossal landmarks.

By this last leg of the trip, I was absolutely tired of seeing the touristy & traditional sites of museums, art galleries, churches, etc. I wasn’t the only, as many other travelers just wanted to feel the city than run around with maps and books not really taking anything in. I managed to make my own guided walking tour to the more important destinations of Rome, but really seeing it once was good enough for me. I enjoyed Rome’s nightlife, shopping, and landmarks and must make another visit in the summer.

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New Year’s In Naples, It Was A Riot!

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A Neapolitan New Year’s!

A crazy fun time!

I didn’t think Naples had any celebration worth staying for until I saw it for myself. In Piazza Plebiscito they had a concert celebration with an Italian hip hop artist and great performances. When we arrived into the square I was uncertain what the night would turn out like. At 11:30 the square was a quarter full and it seemed as if there was going to be nobody in the square at countdown. But, within the time of 20 minutes the large square was completely packed just in time. Following the countdown there were performances with people gravitating inside sphere balls, fire dancing on floats, dancers dressed up in elevated stilts, and performers/singers flying on drawcords connect between the buildings. Additionally, there were surprising little celebrations within the crowds of people with champagne flying all over and random fireworks exploding sometimes at right behind your leg.

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