Europe2015

We're leaving on a jet plane Tuesday October 6

colandscott — Tue, 6 Oct 2015 07:07:00 GMT

Got collected from our hotel at 5.15am this morning, bound for the airport! The joy of international travel.

Rome has been a great way to end our holiday. It's a beautiful city and we've really enjoyed it.

We have loved putting our journal together and hope it will bring back memories for us. Hope you have enjoyed it too!

Rome Monday October 5

colandscott — Mon, 5 Oct 2015 22:54:00 GMT

Had a sleep in this morning, our last day in Rome.

Took ourselves to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Pantheon. We seem to be staying near the consular district, as on our way we walk by the US and Japanese embassies among others. They have immense security and we can't even walk on the adjacent footpath. They are grand buildings in their own right though.

Neither of us have seen pictures of the Trevi Fountain before, so weren't sure what to expect. We were so impressed by it - despite the fountain being closed for repairs. It sits in quite a small piazza, but we now understand what all the fuss is about as it is really quite remarkable. Would love to have seen the fountain working. Unfortunately it is surrounded by a glass wall and with the amount of tourists is difficult to get close. The Spanish Steps were a bit underwhelming, but it could have something to do with the scaffolding that was on the villa behind and the fountain being fenced off and not working.

Wandered around near our hotel this afternoon. We are in a section where the wall around the city from ancient times remains. It is in good condition.

Dined at the same restaurant tonight. We were wandering past on our way to another, but our waiter recognised us and asked us so nicely to come in. How could we refuse? Another good meal to finish off on. More gelato for Col, Scott was still too full!

Rome Sunday October 4

colandscott — Sun, 4 Oct 2015 23:45:00 GMT

Spent most of today at the Roman Forum and Colloseum. We had timed it poorly, the first Sunday of the month is free! There were so many people but it all seemed to work well. The outlook from the Palatine gave a great overview of the Roman ruins, and you could almost imagine daily life in the grandeur of ancient times. We were only imagining how all these beautiful buildings must have looked in their heyday.

It isn't just the Roman Forum and Colloseum, there are many exposed ruins right around the city. They have been excavated and left for viewing. It is amazing reading the history of some of them, many of the ruins have had other buildings built on top of them over the centuries.

We were amazed at the amount of ruins such as slabs of marble and bits of column etc, where people just used them to sit and rest. After exploring the Forum, we took a guided tour of the colloseum. Our guide was very knowledgeable and passionate, and some of what he told us we remembered from the colloseum in Nimes France a few years ago. In Nimes we had read that their colloseum was the best preserved Roman amphitheatre and based on what we had seen agree with that assessment. A quick bite of a late lunch and we took in a few more of the city sights including the what is now the National Museum of Piazza Venezia (formerly Il Vittoranio). This is Col's favourite building - it is a white marble building dedicated to King Victor Emmanuel, the first king of Italy and was completed in 1911.

Found a great little restaurant close to our hotel tonight. Food was beautiful and great value. Witnessed the slicing of the beef for Scott's dish. It was interesting to note how they sliced prosciutto and raw beef for the various dishes. We were shouted limoncello in chilled glasses and finished off with gelatos from what is now our favourite shop.

Rome Saturday October 3

colandscott — Sat, 3 Oct 2015 22:02:00 GMT

By the time we woke this morning Hawthorn was well in control of the grand final, it started at 6.30am local time. Got score updates from the afl app, but the score didn't sound like it was too exciting. Except maybe for you Matt!

We traveled to Rome this morning and were able to check into our hotel despite being early. It is really nice, in a quiet residential area.

Had some lunch at, we're not quite sure what to call it, but we stood up and had a meal which was really good and cheap. It wasn't quite a bakery, but was similar and sold meals and pizza and pane by the kilo.

Rome isn't quite what we expected, it doesn't seem as chaotic, and the streets are wider than we imagined. It would have been nice to hold that thought, but after we jumped on the hop on - hop off bus our opinion changed. Bloody tourists! We saw the absolute worst of them, and there was a barney on the bus. Just familiarised ourselves and our first impressions were really good. The tour wasn't that far in distance but still took an hour and a half. Amazing history, beautiful buildings and quite friendly locals. We were surprised by the amount of English spoken.

Went to the supermarket for our obligatory drinks and nibbles. Did the hop on - hop off thing by night and the views by night were a nice contrast. We had passed a gelaterie close to our hotel a couple of times today that had queues out into the streets, and we went in there on our way home tonight. Well all we can say is bloody amazing! Left anything else we had for dead.

Caught the Rugby Union World Cup game between Australia and England on tv tonight. Italian tv with German commentary! The only thing we recognised was some of the players names.

Naples Friday October 2

colandscott — Fri, 2 Oct 2015 23:06:00 GMT

Naples (Napoli) won the soccer last night and the city was a mass of fireworks! Woke up this morning to persistent rain. Unfortunately the forecast had been proven right. It suited Scott, who is still struggling to walk (despite the pain killers that had been prescribed), but was frustrating Col. The weather gave us time to attend to those menial tasks (yep, the washing doesn't do itself when you're traveling!), and then lifted a bit after lunch.

Col took herself off for a walk, and arrived back some time later with a couple of melting gelatos. While our hotel is very good, it isn't located close to any attractions (except for being quite close to the main train station). We both found the city dirty with a lot of litter, and there is a general feeling of uneasiness on our part. Are we being too precious? Perhaps, but we are only making the comparison with the rest of Italy which we have loved.

Had drinks before dinner on the rooftop bar tonight. Still the blare of car horns. We were discussing Naples with our waiter tonight and he agreed with our summation. He said that it is 'the administration.'

Naples Thursday October 1

colandscott — Thu, 1 Oct 2015 23:01:00 GMT

We were booked on a tour to Pompeii and Vesuvius today. It was raining a little, but stopped before our tour. We were to be picked up at the front door of our hotel. When we got there, it was a mass of Polizei! 4 vans were parked there plus various other cop cars. There didn't seem to be too much urgency, most of them were standing around smoking, hugging each other like brothers or low fiving! We never did find out what it was all about. One other thing we noticed from last night and again today was the incessant blowing of car horns. It was seriously constant, and we're not quite sure it's supposed to achieve given the traffic.

Our guide was funny and informative. She lives just below Vesuvius herself. We both found Pompeii incredibly interesting. It was hard to imagine the city had been forgotten, laying under 6 metres of volcanic ash from 79AD to the early 17th century. It wasn't until 1748 that the first systematic digs were undertaken. To date, 44 of the 67 hectare site has been uncovered. From the ruins it was obvious that Pompeii was a once thriving city. It is still possible to tell what some of the buildings were. The wealthy seemed to have lived an opulent lifestyle. Based on doorways and some plaster casts, it was also obvious that people were smaller than current day man.

After a pizza and beer/wine lunch, our bus took us to Vesuvius. The road up was steep and winding - again, the bus drivers really earn their money. Col climbed up to the rim of Vesuvius, while Scott stayed behind reading a book on Pompeii and relaxing with a cold one. The road up was hard work, walking on volcanic ash was slippery. In terms of difficulty it outdid Cinque Terre. It was possible to walk right around the rim, with a tour guide, but time didn't permit. The volcano is still active and there was steam coming from the side. The crater itself was all rocks with some greenery. The last eruption was in 1944, but it looks so harmless today.

We had been really lucky with the weather, it had threatened to rain all day.

Naples Wednesday September 30

colandscott — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 23:48:00 GMT

We boarded the hop on - hop off bus and went up to Piazzale Michaelangelo. It sits across the Arno River with wonderful views over Florence. It is on the opposite side of the city to that of Fiesole that we been to on Monday. A bronze statue of David stands in the middle of the square facing the city. We were maybe a day early, but they were setting up for a gelato festival! There was also a chance to test drive a Ferrari, but alas time didn't permit. Short on time we jumped back on the next bus, which took us through the heart of the city. There is an amazing amount of piazzas in Florence, and even though the city is a restricted access zone, the traffic is heavy. Pedestrian traffic is also heavy.

After gathering our belongings from the hotel we boarded our train bound for Naples. It was a Frecciarossa service, and left our fast train the other day for dead. Top speed of 360 kph v 200 kph for the Frecciabianca, and we saw 294 kph as our speed! Melbourne - Albury service eat your heart out.

Shortly before arriving at our hotel in Naples, Scott was the target for a pickpocket. He had put something on my shoulder and wanted to clean it off. While his mate cleaned me out! He was brushed haside in no uncertain terms and given short shrift. Our hotel is very nice, quite modern while residing in a beautiful building that dates back to the 19th century.

Because Scott's foot was still red, swollen and sore, we ate in at the hotel. Unfortunately walking is still a struggle. The meal was great and unbelievably good value.

Florence Tuesday September 29

colandscott — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 23:47:00 GMT

Scott was no better today so was time to see a doctor. After a referral for X rays, we then had to wait for results.

Boarded the hop on - hop off bus again and were intending on going to lunch at a place recommended by Dan. Well, that was the idea, we just couldn't get near the place. There were queues out the door a mile long. Apparently they make the best specialty sandwiches ever. They are on trip advisor and half of Florence must have read the reviews!

After lunch we collected the X rays and went back to the doctor. Nothing broken, but arthritis in 4 toes. Perhaps all those steps had taken a toll, but he would just have to deal with it. Went and saw a Leonardo da Vinci exhibition. It detailed the genius that he was providing static and sensory displays of his various works and philosophies. Col found it amazing, what someone could achieve in a lifetime. Scott learned something, he didn't know da Vinci was responsible for so much - painting, engineering, military strategist, philosopher, astronomer and biologist (and that's just what we could remember). It was interesting that he felt he had 'offended God and mankind because his work didn't reach the quality it should have.'

Florence Monday September 28

colandscott — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 23:46:00 GMT

Hit a pretty major speed hump today, Scott woke up in intense pain from his left foot and couldn't put any weight on it. He wasn't going anywhere. Col played nurse for a bit but we were in Florence. She ventured out and took in the Ponte Vecchio, Palazio Vecchio and the Duomo among others. The cathedral is the third largest in the world. Her impression of Florence was amazing with so much history.

Col convinced Scott to venture out and we hobbled to the hop on - hop off bus. The tour took 2 hours and took us out of the city. We stopped off at Fiesole, which sits so much higher than Florence and afforded majestic views of the surrounding countryside. We we both struck with the beauty of the area and can understand why so many people are attracted to it. Lush and green, with trees and shrubs abounding. It was actually quite cold sitting in the open bus, so were pleased when the tour finished. We think on another day we probably couldn't have got enough.

Florence Sunday September 27

colandscott — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 23:25:00 GMT

Had an easy morning in Vernazza, just filling in time until our train at 11.20. We were off to Florence via 3 trains. The Freccebianca (fast train) service from La Spezia to Pisa showed much different countryside than what we had previously seen. Houses with yards had replaced the apartments that we had been seeing. There was also hillsides that were being mined. From the marble blocks in factory yards we guessed it was marble being cut out of the hill. They were in blocks similar to how we cut sandstone out of a quarry.

Checked into our guest house and found our hosts warm, friendly and welcoming. Armed with a heap of tips we set about checking out our surroundings. Had dinner at a restaurant recommended by Col's son Dan. He and Kristy had only dined there a few weeks back. They didn't give us a bum steer, the food was beautiful.

Vernazza Saturday September 26

colandscott — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 23:18:00 GMT

After brekky on our terrace, we set out on our walk to Corniglia. There are 5 towns that make up the Cinque Terre, a UNESCO world heritage site, and we were off to another of them. The walk followed a path on the cliffside, which gave us amazing views the whole way. The walk was about 3 1/2 km and was rated as the the most difficult of the coastal walks between the villages.

While Corniglia was beautiful as well, we boarded the train for Monterosso, where we stopped for lunch. Chanced upon a great little cafe for lunch that was beachside, giving us great views of prominent features and out to sea. Sometimes we need to pinch ourselves to tell us this is real!

After a nice lunch we headed back for Vernazza. Whoever rated this mornings walk as most difficult is kidding themselves. The climb out of Monterosso was all stairs and just about vertical. The path was very narrow and more rugged than this morning. There were an amazing amount of people attempting the walk who perhaps shouldn't have - footwear or general health being amongst them.

Felt pretty satisfied we had done the walks and the fitbit showed over 20,000 steps and 194 flights of stairs for our day.

Vernazza Friday September 25

colandscott — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 23:01:00 GMT

Left Genoa at lunchtime on our train to Vernazza. The track ran right along the coastline, but we spent most of the time in tunnels, so only got snatches of towns and sea views. A lot of the towns seem to be built on hillsides.

The regional train we had to catch from La Spezia to Vernazza we thought we had pretty much to ourselves. That was until the first stop, Riomaggiore. My god, we went from hardly anyone to just about overloaded. A lot got off at the second stop, Manarola, but just as many replaced them. Obviously Cinque Terre is popular with tourists! Arrived at our accommodation (thanks Cayte) where we were greeted by our host, Rosa, with a big smile.

Wandered around the village in the afternoon - it's very hard to get lost, there's only one street and it leads from the train station! Laneways lead to the terraced houses. Had wonderful views of the township and the adjoining towns of Corniglia and Monterosso from the Castle of Vernazza, now called the Doria Castle. The village is only small, but in the 11th century was an important naval base. There is so much history of piracy and attacks by enemies and we were both absorbed.

Dinner tonight at a local restaurant where we were talked into the fish of the day, flounder. Well, when they put a table down behind us we knew we were in for a novel treat. Our waiter dissected a whole flounder and served it on our plates with vegetables, but wait there's more. Another plate of scampi and prawns were added and our feast was complete. Talk about the centre of attention! And yes, it was really good.

Genoa Thursday September 24

colandscott — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 23:22:00 GMT

Today, as they say, was a new day. It was bright and sunny, a good start. On reflection we think yesterday was an aberration. We imagined the port area would be like Marseilles, which it definitely isn't.

On our way to get the hop-on hop-off bus this morning we passed a woman struggling with a man in a wheelchair, a backpack and 2 suitcases. We find she is Bulgarian and she and her husband are off to the cruise terminal to board a cruise ship. We carried her bags for her and had pieces of conversation in broken English. She seemed to know where she was going and it proved to be so.

Having done our good deed for the day we boarded the bus and found Genoa much more appealing than yesterday. We did a full lap of the tour and made some mental notes about where to get off. The city is full of beautiful buildings and has lots of Piazzas. Walked around the beach area - there is an exhibition centre under construction but not much else. However, the view out over the Ligurian Sea is beautiful. The water seems to be a deeper blue than we get in oz. Walked back towards the Pizza de Ferrari and admired the buildings that surround the square. Had lunch at a cafe in the square and boarded our bus again.

This afternoon we took a ride on the Funicolare Zeccha Righi. It is a funicular railway that opened in 1895 that rises 279 metres over a 1428metre track length. 279m doesn't sound much, but it was incredibly steep. It is more of a residential area than tourist, but the views are spectacular. There are 3 old forts up here but they are not within walking distance. The road is narrow, and at a tunnel entrance there were quite a few wreaths laid out. We're not surprised.

We stop off at a bar on our way back to the hotel. The waiter laughed when he served Col's cocktail and we soon understood why. Rocket fuel - so it's just the one.

Tonight we went to a party night on the 7th floor of our hotel. There is a dj playing music and for a cover charge we have a buffet dinner and our first drink. To call it a buffet dinner is being kind, but we had a good night anyway

Genoa Wednesday September 23

colandscott — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 22:16:00 GMT

Woke this morning to thunder, lighting and pouring rain. It was by far the coolest day of our trip.

Left Bellagio this morning with Jeannette and Greg and made our way to Milan. They dropped us at the railway station and we boarded our train for Genoa. They are flying to Berlin tomorrow. Our train trip is an hour and a half. The countryside wizzes by but was mostly crop farming. As we get closer to Genoa the terrain becomes mountainous - we don't go around them, we go through! We catch glimpses of houses built on the hillside with no obvious way to access them. Mostly the scenery is just beautiful.

When we checked into our hotel we find we have an upgrade - we're staying at the 5 star hotel next door. It is very nice, but we only have a first floor room without a view. Ventured out towards the port area which is close by. We found it grimy and dirty. There was a lot of Africans, most of whom seemed to be just hanging around. Our first impressions of Genoa aren't great, perhaps we looked in the wrong areas. Went to tourist info, but they weren't particularly helpful. We decided to adjourn to our hotel and consult lonely Planet and the booking.com guide!

Bellagio Tuesday September 22

colandscott — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 23:07:00 GMT

We're going our separate ways today, it is Jeannette and Greg's anniversary.

After breakfast at a local cafe, we set out on a town walk. We had a walking guide that said 2 hour walking time, but we managed a little more than the guide said, getting off the beaten track. So much so that Col's fitbit said 15 km. The walk took us up hills, so lots of flights of stairs. Second to tourism, Bellagio's biggest industry is horticulture. They supply most of Italys and some of Europe's trees, shrubs and plants. We saw some pretty suburbs of Bellagio including a fishing village, Pescallo. There were lots of beautiful villas and gardens.

Found our way to the Villa Melzi, that was built in 1808-1810. Melzi was vice president of the Italian Republic founded by Napoleon. There are magnificent English gardens and we recognised a lot of shrubs and plants that we also have in Australia. Our visit was interrupted by rain, but we didn't have far to return to our apartment. After a late lunch we finished off our tour. It has been very overcast all day and we think ourselves lucky we arrived yesterday in brilliant sunshine.

A few drinks in our apartment and we went to a bar for some dinner.

Bellagio Monday September 21

colandscott — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 23:42:00 GMT

Picked up our hire car this morning, an Opel Astra. We barely fitted our luggage in but it was the biggest car they had!

Set off for Bellagio, which is on Lake Como, a little over 300ks. The countryside is beautiful, lush and green despite it being the end of summer. The alps which are on our right never seem far away. Closer to Bellagio they are closer still on both sides, absolutely stunning backdrop. Scenery on steroids. We checked into our apartment and it just keeps getting better. The apartment itself is in a historical building, with high ceilings, large open rooms, parquetry floors and quality furnishings. Scott's jaw nearly hit the floor when our receptionist opened the shutters! Amazing views from our 2nd storey apartment.

Wandered around again, no need to use the car. Copyright applied for here. Punta Spartivento which, literally translated, means the point where the wind divides, provided exceptional views which are supposedly the best on Lake Como. This is the point at which the lake splits into 3 branches, Lecco, south eastern branch, Como, south western branch and Colico, northern branch. Found our way to the upper levels and chanced upon a deli/market/grocery store for some supplies. Do you get the feeling we're enjoying our late afternoon drinks and nibbles?

Enjoyed a late dinner at a restaurant recommended by our receptionist called Far Out. Great food and ambience.

Venice Sunday September 20

colandscott — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 23:15:00 GMT

A lazy start, we were still tired. We were going our separate ways with Jeannette and Greg today. Jumped on a vaporetto which took us to Murano, an island about 15 minutes away. Murano is home to the glass making industry which was removed from Venice due to the fire risk. We both really liked it, less crowded and more relaxed. The level on which it was established appear to be higher than that of Venice. The building line was well above the water and the buildings better preserved. The glass creations were beautiful with so many different designs. Did a little shopping and then found a great little Trattoria for lunch, where we dined outside canal side. It proved to be a great choice and seemed to be popular with both locals and tourists. Col liked Murano so much she thought it could have been another accommodation option. We just wandered after lunch taking it all in.

Met up with Jeanette and Greg at Piazza del Roma at 6 and wandered off to find somewhere for dinner. Found a nice quiet restaurant in a back street and again enjoyed a lovely dinner.

One point to note is that dogs seem to be allowed anywhere, including eating places and all forms of public transport on land or water. Had an early night, we are starting to find our days tiring.

Arrividerci Venezia!

Photos: Italy

colandscott — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 21:02:00 GMT

Venice Saturday September 19

colandscott — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 23:11:00 GMT

Sadly we left the ship for the last time today. We disembarked mid morning and dumped our bags at our respective hotels. We purchsed a 2 day bus and vaporetto (water bus) pass that is good for 48 hours. Back to the island where we spent the rest of the day.

This place is amazing, like nothing we have ever seen before, well only in movies. Movies don't really do it justice. Sadly, we saw apartments whose steps are now under water. Water laps some front doors and some apartments ground floor is just used for storage. It has been said that water levels continue to rise.

As you would expect, crowds are massive and most public transport is chockers. Even so, we boarded a vaporetto and got off at San Marco. Had a ridiculously overpriced lunch in St Marks Square, but you have to do it, right? Took a tour of Doge's Palace which has been well maintained and in original condition. The Doge was the ruling duke of the time. The Doge and the council ruled for centuries without a constitution. It was also the place of law making, justice and the prison, which was connected to the palace by the Bridge of Sighs. Jumped back on a vaporetto and just toured Venice. It was also a chance to sit down after being on our feet all day.

We then found our way back to the Rialto Bridge and found a quaint little restaurant in the back streets that catered mainly to locals. It had a nice atmosphere, and while the waiters only spoke a little English we enjoyed it a lot. Dinner in Venice, who would have thought! Jumped back on a bus to our hotels and fell into bed exhausted.

Venice Friday September 18

colandscott — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 23:09:00 GMT

We went up on deck at 11am this morning. The Maitre d and our waiter had highly recommended watching our approach into Venice on the starboard side. The cruise director rated it in the 3 best ports in the world, along with New York and Sydney. My god, what stunning views. It took the best part of an hour and a half from the time we entered the Venetian Lagoon to our berthing. Unlike the other ports, the ship was towed in by tugs. It was like Pitt St or Bourke St, except with boats and gondolas!

We got off the ship to get our bearings, found our respective hotels and worked out the public transport system. Our first impressions, in Col's words, of Venice was a 'water fairy land, something magical.' The island (Venezia) was very busy with tourists and after crossing the Ponte Della Liberta to the mainland to Mestre which is the main residential and business district.

Having got our bearings, we returned to the ship sans the letter we had gone to the hotel to retrieve. Shortly after we received an email that the letter we were expecting was indeed at the hotel. Last drinks at the bar, we made our way to the dining room for our last dinner on board. Formal photos and many sad goodbyes, especially Karen and John. We exchanged contact details and they promised to visit Australia. A sad farewell to our waiter, whom we nominated as our 'consummate host.'