Venice greeted me with a warm smile as i stepped off the bus from the airport. The warm weather continues to bless me as i've only had a handful off days it has been cold a rainy, mainly in Paris and London.
I don't think that Venice was designed but rather just built. Wherever there was room for a house it was raised and therefore it's a maze of street's where someone like myself could easily take off from the train station and end up back there thinking "What the? Is there two train stations that look the same in this city?"
The tourists surround almost every bend and back ally but it is possible to get away from the hordes and off to the secluded spots where you could sit and just gaze at the sight of a picturesque canal with houses rising out of the sea on either side. Probably the most beautiful city i've been to yet.
On to Rome a few days later and with a couple of days missed by the delayed flight i spent the two days there doing the best to see as much off it as possible in the time frame. St Peter's Basilica was the first stop and at 7:30am it is an awesome sight with hardly anyone around to bother you and no line at all. The sight from the top is amazing as you stare down towards Piazza di San Pietro and central Rome.
The Vatican required a two hour wait and while it was good to see what the Sistine Chapel looked like along with some Rapheal frescoes, i don't think the wait is quite deserving.
Moving along, to the other sites, the Pantheon is an awesome testament to roman engineering in the way it has stood the test of time even with a hole in the roof. It would have been a sight when they had there Pagan rituals there back before Constantine brought in Christianity. It is interesting to think of what our lives would be like had he not done such a thing.
The Colosseum is a little smaller then i thought it would be, but still a magnificent amphitheatre. It would have been an awesome sight when packed but i'm not sure if the games themselves would have been my cup of tea.
Next stop was the Forum and Paletine Hill. At first glance it just looks like a bunch of fallen down houses with the foundations left, but i'm sure back 2000 years ago it would have been a sight to see.
After finishing up in Rome i took my last journey on Busabout to Florence. On the first night we had an overpriced meal at a steakhouse in town but it was a good way to meet up with some of the others on the bus and after a few shuttles a good time was had by all, including some karaoke thrown in for good measure.
The lines continued in Florence which meant that a few of the museums were skipped, but this just left more time to stroll around the city and relaxing back at the camping ground.
After a train ride early in the morning i took an afternoon plane to Budapest for the start of my Eastern European adventures and to lighten the load on my wallet.
One more month to go before i get to some South East Asia action, can't wait. But there is still lots more in store for me in Europe including a viewing hopefully of my beloved Cats win a Premiership from Munich during Oktoberfest.
