studentsineurope

Latest, Best, Worst, Next: Sara Harding

One of many gorgeous cathedrals in Cagliari, Sardinia - my next destination.

Latest: My most recent trip was a month spent in Italy near Naples. I started in Naples, where I visited the Naples National Archaeological Museum. This is the museum where they house most of the artifacts that were found in Pompeii, including the famous and beautiful Alexander mosaic. You really have to see this thing to believe it. Experts estimate it contains over a million tesserae and from a distance it looks like a painting. The Naples Museum also has the “Secret Cabinet,” where they keep their collection of ancient erotic art. I recommend seeing it for its amusement value; the Romans had… explicit taste.

After Naples I took the train south and saw Pozzuoli, Mt. Vesuvius, and Pompeii – which is particularly amazing. The city is so intact it feels like everyone just took off to go to the beach for a day. Looking around felt a little like trespassing – in a good way.

From Pompeii I went to the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi coast, where I spent time hanging out in Sorrento, Positano, Capri, and Amalfi, all of which are fantastically beautiful and fun. Sorrento is great for shopping – the city specializes in leather goods, hand-painted ceramics, and limoncello – and Positano is a wonderful place to laze on the beach for a few day. Amalfi is also good for shopping and has a great piazza where you can sip coffee and marvel at the city’s gorgeous cathedral. Finally, I went to Paestum, another amazing archaeological site.

Best: It’s hard to pick a best experience, so I’ll pick a kind of experience: almost all my “bests” come from getting off the beaten path. Like when I took a tiny, inflatable ferry to the Great Blasket Island off the coast of Ireland and got close to a baby seal on a remote beach. Or when I took off into the Troodos mountains on Cyprus, trusting my map and my instincts. Of course, you shouldn’t let your sense of adventure make you do things that are truly stupid, but when you’re tempted to say no to something, ask yourself why. It’s worth the extra effort to push yourself out of your comfort zone – that’s when you have the most interesting experiences.

Worst: I have the usual list of worst experiences: Getting my wallet stolen the day I was flying out of Athens (thank goodness my passport was in a different place!). Getting grabbed by over-enthusiastic men in a variety of Mediterranean countries. Having my luggage lost. Getting horrifically and unexpectedly sick and cowering alone in my hotel room for a week. Maybe the absolute worst was being in Athens the day 9/11 happened. It was hours before I was able to get in touch with my family, just because the phone lines were so busy. My family doesn’t live anywhere near New York, but there’s still nothing scarier than being away from the people you love when there’s a crisis going on and you don’t know what might happen next.

Next: I’m going back to Sardinia soon, which is exciting. I’ll be living in Cagliari, which is pretty close to being the perfect city if you ask me (Berlin may be the only city I like more). Cagliari has great museums, an impressive botanical garden, beautiful churches and cathedrals, archaeological ruins, fascinating public holidays that involve parading saints through the streets, over two miles of sandy beach, and really chic nightclubs. I also plan to visit a friend of mine in Sweden; RyanAir flies from Cagliari to Stockholm.