Water Water All Around

and not a drop to drink! My journey to Venezia was an amusing one. I had no idea the trains would be so full that I can't get tickets for the time that I needed... So I bought a ticket for the 5PM train, but hopped on the 11AM one. I'm a rebel. Luckily I didn't get checked, the operator was only a few rows away when we arrived at the terminus station 2 hours away.

And what shall greet me upon my first step out of the station? A gigantic Geox billboard. I literally stopped in my tracks at that second. I couldn't stop paying attention to these billboards from the moment I saw the photo with the Hyundai billboard... Travel buddy!!! Alas, the blues of the canals were awe-inspiring under the warm winter sun. At that moment I felt like I understood why Venice is such a popular destination.

I'm lamenting the fact that I don't have a photo of the billboard.

It's the return of the panorama (near Piazzale Roma).

I didn't stay in Venice proper, rather, I stayed about an hour away by Vaporetto (Venetian water buses) on the island of Lido. On the ride to Lido, there is lots to see, many a beautiful scene to capture. With the sea breeze blowing, it quickly got chilly. So note to whoever goes in the winter, make sure you bring enough to wear! It was nothing compared to the blizzards that southern Netherlands was facing at that time, though.

Many of these bridges around town, that's what happens when your city is built on canals.

People don't drive cars, they drive... these things. What are they in English?

Something strange is happening here too.

Then I got to Lido, where I realised that Google Map was lying to me. I walked in the wrong direction for about 10 minutes, then stopped for directions to realise that... well, I was going in the wrong direction. Wasn't too difficult from there to get to the Bed and Breakfast, though. Was a small home, cute little place, really. Again, no photos. Where was my brain?

Along the coast of Lido

Trying to artsy fartsy, lol.

Main street of Lido, short and lined with shops and restaurants.

Top of a cute home on Lido under the warmth of the early winter sun.

I totally did not have enough time in Venice to see much, only had enough to take a leisurely stroll around Lido. Enjoyed Lido, though, it gives me a feeling of being a laid back suburb surrounded by water. Boats dot the canals that almost seem like a parking in front of each house. It's a strange and wonderful sight in its own right. The blues of the canals took away some of my homesickness though the company of my travel buddy was still thoroughly missed. Let's try to do it again!

Ok, the backlighting makes the boats difficult to see, but they're there!

Oh so blue~~~ the colours are absolutely gorgeous.

Colourful buildings such as these make me happy.

This marks the end of my Christmas Tour around Italia, and pretty much the end of my trip around Europe. I've definitely left yet another part of me behind in the beautiful architecture and scenery of Italy, and a whole lot more of me is left in wonderful Maastricht. Just waiting for the day when I get to revisit.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I'll blog about Whistler briefly next, then go back and record parts of my summer that I've missed (Shanghai and the Expo). 

By fishii with 2 comments

A Foreign Land with a Stranger

I've read about Academia Hostel being a great place to meet other backpackers, and it proved to be a truthful statement. The next morning, over breakfast, I sat with a girl from China who had just finished her exchange semester in Finland. Since we were both alone, we decided to take on Florence together. Probably for the better since we were both getting a little homesick.

Amongst the numerous statues that stand on the streets of Firenze.

After seeing a queue that probably would reach the moon if unwound, we decided to bypass the museum and take a look at random visitor's attractions en route to Piazzale Michelangelo. One of the attractions is Ponte Vecchio. This bridge used to be populated with fish stores (mmm... fish...), but then the stuff that got washed off the bridge contaminated water sources, so now they're banned. The bridge is now full of tourist traps gold shops selling all sorts of expensive jewellery.

Ponte Vecchio from afar.

Delicious. I want some now!

We strolled around in town for a bit, and I introduced my travel partner to gelato (yes, this is where I would expect gasps of "she didn't know about gelato?"). OK, truthfully, travel buddy, you didn't know what was special either, did you. But that's ok, because that means I get gelato, plus I was looking for this famous gelato shop anyway. Anyway, I just did some research on wiki, sugar content and fat content in gelato is lower than most ice creams, and unlike commercial ice creams, gelato is generally frozen (and made?) in small batches. Coincidentally, Florence was where this mouthwatering dessert has its roots. Mmm, gelato.

One of a series of stickers on signs.

From Piazzale Michelangelo.

Piazzale Michelangelo, at long last. It took some getting lost and lots of walking to finally reach the outskirts of the Firenze core. But the view was rewarding enough, and I can't let the gelato go straight to my waistline, right? I spent the rest of the day lazing around, since my new friend had to get on the train to get to Vienna.

From here on, I go to Venezia!

By fishii with 3 comments

From Roma to Firenze

Alas! The last day in Roma. Regrettably, we didn't have much time as it was the day my travel buddy and I went our separate ways.

From the Spanish Steps.

Blessed with wonderful weather, we set out one last time to see a few attractions, and the view from the Spanish Steps greeted us with warm colours of the Italian architecture. Perhaps because of the weather, the attraction was very busy.

And at the bottom of the steps were a group of horse-drawn carriages. I wonder if it's a popular option for tourists.

But away from the hustle and bustle was this quiet museum (Galleria nazionale d'arte antica). Its unpretentious exterior didn't draw many tourists into its grounds that day, so it was a wonderful place to relax and slow down. The second floor opened up to a garden, it wasn't the best kept garden, but the tranquillity made up for it.

There are a number of crazy stunts that Romans pull off on the roads, and this guy was playing soccer / football in the middle of cars! As soon as the light turned red he rushed out into the middle of the road to exhibit his abilities to juggle (is it what it's called in English?) the ball. 

After grabbing a sandwich on the go, I hopped onto the train to Firenze (Florence), this time making sure I was on the right one. When I arrived, I realised I didn't really know how to get to my hostel... So I randomly went one direction, found a map, then located my destination. Next time I'll try to be a little more prepared...

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

At this attraction, you can climb over 400 steps to overlook Florence. However, I chose the wrong set of stairs to find that there was a fence at the top of this one! Was slightly upset, but wasn't going to go down 400 steps and climb back up another 400 to where the crowds were. I'm a satisficer (don't mind the consumer behaviour language kicking in here).

Overexposed shot of the view at the top (sorry, I just slapped one of the many that I took on here)

Republica. Are they all over Italy?

Tortellacci di ricotta e spinaci ai funghi porcini

At night I visited a restaurant recommended by the receptionist at the Academic Hostel (because one of the museums nearby is called Accademia). I asked the hostess for a recommendation (luckily she spoke fluent English), and she brought me this! The tortellacci is supposed to be made fresh at the restaurant, I think, and I actually ate (almost) all the tomatoes!

Please excuse the poor image quality this time, I needed to procrastinate but don't have enough time to post properly. Next post will be better as I head into Reading Break! Hang around for Firenze part 2.

By fishii with 3 comments