It sucks running what used to be a travel blog when you're not traveling. I told you guys a few months ago the blog would take a slight turn towards some other topics as well, but I bumped into life and unfortunately wasn't able to update it as much as I would. But I was doing some cleaning the other day and found an almost two-year-old post-it with the cost breakdown of my Italy travels. I didn't want to toss it, but to write a blog post that might be useful to someone. Almost two years ago I wrote one of my most popular posts ever—How To Travel On A Budget—but I get it's one thing to offer general advice, but it's totally another to actually show someone how you really did it on a trip. So, here goes!

Positano, Italy

Just before I had planned the itinerary of my Italian trip last year, I read that Margo from The Overseas Escape had thought Positano was the most beautiful place in Europe. It sure seemed cute, and as I was planning to start in Naples, I thought: why not? Let's check this out! However, I wasn't as bought as she was. The place is indeed colorful and interesting, but there was something about that, I cannot even explain it... nah, we didn't click. I didn't feel the feel, you know? Would I recommend a short getaway to Positano? Yeah, I think so, it's nice to spend an afternoon there, have a stroll, have a dinner (the waiters were just the nicest human beings!) and go back. I would probably never stay there for more days, because it's small and full of tourists, I figure I could get bored easily. But hey, if you're the type of gal (guy?) that doesn't mind small touristy places, go for it! Oh, and also: the bus ride along the Amalfi coast (I got on the bus in Sorrento) is just the best - when going toward Positano from the direction of Sorrento or Naples, make sure to grab a seat on the right side of the bus, because the views are uhhhhh-mazing! Here are some photos for you guys. I just wish I had had better weather, because as you will see, it was quite cloudy. 

Rome Day 2 - Photo Diary

Oh, it feels great to go through my photos from Rome. It's been quite a while now and my Italian trip has certainly become a great memory. But I still haven't shared everything I wanted with you guys, and Rome is among those things too! Who would've thought, I know, right, I was being so loud last year with all that 'Rome is the most beautiful city ever' praise. Well it is! And today I'm sharing the rest of my days there. On my second full day I went to Vatican (don't do that on Sundays, learn from my mistakes) and because the estimate wait for entering the Saint Peter's Cathedral was three hours, I skipped it. (It was really hot and there is no shade on the square where the line is formed, so I figured I better use three hours in Rome in another way). I wandered around, had a coffee, wrote postcards, most of which never reached their destination though... have no idea why. And admired the beauty. Yep, that's pretty much everything I did. Also, I included photos of the lovely Campo de' Fiori farmer's market that I visited the day before. It was screaming 'Italy' from every corner and I had wished I had been going home so I can buy bunch of pasta and spices for my family. Well, some other time! Because if anything's for sure, it is that I will be back in Rome. Rome, the love of my life.

P.S. This is the 100th post on the Wandering Polka Dot! Woohoo, right!

What Solo Travel Taught Me

Few years ago it would have never even crossed my mind to travel alone.

Luckily, times have changed. I have changed?

And let's be honest, traveling solo has become a thing in the world of travel blogs (and of course outside of it). More and more people have taken the plunge and done it. When we were told last year that we were supposed to attend a conference in Italy, I got the idea of traveling the country because I'd never been to Italy before. But I really wanted to see all the major cities, spend some weeks on the road, so I couldn't really expect anyone to want to follow me for two reasons: it's a lot of time and it's a lot of money. So I would do it alone.

The Capital of Good Eats - Trastevere

You might remember my post about Rome - if you haven't seen it, make sure you read my ode to the most beautiful city ever! I mentioned having gone to Trastevere on the first day to have me some foodies. That's also what I did the following days, because a) it's a beautiful quarter, b) the food is no less than amazing. I didn't quite catch the best time of the day for taking photos, but I hope you'll enjoy. On your next trip to Rome, don't miss this part, please don't, you can miss Colosseum and Forum and everything but under no circumstances should you miss Trastevere! Just trust me and see for yourself. You'll be happy you listened to my advice. :)

Rome Rome Rome Rome

This was a working title, meaning "finally writing about Rome and this is the post about Rome and Rome is so great and DO NOT avoid it anymore but click this title and write!". But actually, I like the sound of it. It captures everything I feel. It's not just 'Rome'. It's so wonderful, beautiful, amazing, magnificent, that it's 'Rome Rome Rome Rome'.

7 Things You Need to Do in Venice

Venice is actually in a way responsible for my Italian trip, because hadn't there been for a conference everybody from my master's program attended, I'm not sure I would have decided to do it. I didn't know what to expect, because I know a lot of people who visited it and didn't really like it very much, so I was impatient to see it myself. Long story short - I loved it! I found it extremely charming (one would perhaps say 'romantic'), I loved the architecture, the cute bridges and alleys, and, oh, the water! Maybe it has to do with the fact that my hometown doesn't have a river, a lake, anything (just a canal... not a very interesting one); in Venice (and around Venice) I realized not only how much I love the sea, but that I love water in towns in general. I remembered how much I liked Saint Petersburg and its canals; or Berlin; or, after all, the town I now live in (Netherlands = canals). So it really didn't come as a surprise that I absolutely enjoyed my hours in Venice. They were few - we did attend the talks and poster presentations after all - but they were enough to wonder why on Earth somebody wouldn't like this place.

A Day in Florence

I finally got some time to write about my Italian adventure again! As I said, I will not be writing in the exact order I visited places - and I actually wanted Rome to be the next city I would be writing about (it certainly did precede Florence), but I've got a problem there, the city is so beautiful and I want to say so much about it, that I feel I need A LOT of time to do that, and also fear that nothing I say could really compare to the jewel Rome is. But anyway, back to Florence!

I spent more than a day there, but it is a relatively small town and everything worth seeing can be seen in one day. Well, except for the museums - which I missed, and which are the exact reason I will be coming back to Florence one day. Don't repeat my mistakes and book the tickets in advance!

How to Pack in a Carry-On for Three Weeks

I was strolling through Venice with my friend Chaya, and then I saw an old-ish couple struggling with three enormous suitcases and a number of smaller bags. "What do they need so much luggage for?!", I asked Chaya in a disbelief. She laughed: "Tihana, I wonder the same thing about you!"
Almost three weeks before I was packing for my Italian trip. I don't own a big backpack, so I had to pack a suitcase, and I was aware of the fact that I would have to drag it around every time I change city - which was like every two-three days. I have two sizes: a small one, carry-on, that I use for weekend trips, and that can be in fact used for up-to-five days' trip, so that one I didn't even consider; and a big one, that I use for summer holidays, trips home, and well, moving countries. So I had to pack wisely, pack only things I will definitely wear, bear in mind that I don't want it to be too heavy... the usual things. I failed miserably, and it was during the very first half of the trip that I realized it. And now I'm here to share the wisdom.

(via)

Tasty and Wild - Benvenuti a Napoli!

Finally I am settled down in one place and have time to start re-living my big Italian adventure here on the blog. For those of you who missed it (how could you?!), I was travelling through Italy in September for almost three weeks. September is the time off in my master's program—except for the conference Science of Aphasia that we are supposed to attend. The conference is held in a different place every year, so this time it was Venice we had to go to. We've known about this for a year and I was very excited, because I had never been to Italy - even though it is rather close to Serbia. But it never bothered me too much because I've always known I'd go to Italy someday—who would miss this gem of a country anyway? So as the summer approached, I decided not to go to Serbia in September - that's why I went home in July, I wrote about that on the blog—but to Italy. From Rome up north! But then a dear Italian friend of mine told me to go to Naples. Naples? Ummm, I've heard of it, of course, but why should I? "They have the best pizza there," he explained. "Naples is the home of pizza. You will not have better pizza anywhere else. And you should trust me on this, because I am from the north, Naples is in the south, and we're not each other's favorite people... so when I tell you pizza is the best there, you know I'm not lying." Well. Pizza indeed has been my favorite dish since I was a little child. Didn't take much until I booked my ticket to Naples.