Florence - Art, Bikes and Stairs!

I get off the train and head up to the main terminal where Kendyl is waving and calling my name - thank god I got the right train! I follow her to where Claire is waiting with the bags. Its dinner time and Im starving so I grab a quick slice of pizza to eat on the way. Well, I grabbed what was called a slice - but their slices are about the size of one of our pizzas, so my quick bite to eat became a quick sit down dinner. After my feast we locate the taxi rank and line up for our ride to our b&b. 

The ride through Florence is beautiful! Stunning old architecture, shops like Gucci, Prada and there is a Guess store for kids! Because the children must be up to date with their designers of course. We pull up at a beautiful old building. Big old trees sway lightly in the breeze as we make our way over the courtyard made up of stones. We buzz the b&b and the large front door opens to reveal . . . more stairs! Fantastic. I pick up my bag and struggle to the top, but surprise surprise - this isn't the top. There are three more sets before the top, and once again I am drenched in sweat. Got to love making these stunning first impressions everywhere that I go.

We are greeted by a very helpful little Asian man. He shows us to our lovely room and points out the great view from our window. He then takes us through everything we could possibly need to know in fine detail - even how to open the door using the key, and how to click the light switch on - who would have thought that was how its done? He then goes into detail on how to use the cappuccino machine (only 1 of us actually drinks coffee) and after the lengthy, but very helpful intro we finally escape back to our room and let out a sigh as our heads finally hit the pillow.

The next day Kendyl and I get up, put on our gym gear and set out to find a local park to do some exercise. We find a hill that we think the park is at the top of and begin running. The hill is deceptively steeper and longer than first anticipated, so to avoid dual heart attacks we slow down to walking pace. We duck out of the way of trucks, cars and bikes and finally reach the top. No park. So we continue running and walking down the other side as it must be there! Still no park, so we head back the way we came to a small area of grass and a few park benches to do some resistance training. Its amazing the things you can make do with when you need to be resourceful! We do step ups and a small cross fit style session ending in sprints - where we find a young couple under a blanket sleeping under a nearby tree. Good way to save a few dollars lol. After a good stretching session we head back to the b&b to get ready for the day.

We eat, shower and get ready, then realize we all have different agendas for the day. We agree on a meeting point at 6:30 pm and head out on our separate adventures. I download a tour app of Florence and, armed with my map, head out to explore the city. Strangely for me I find my way around very easily. I explore the Bargello, an interesting old building which dates back to 1255 and has been used as a fortress, a palace, a prison and is now a museum. I make an attempt to interpret the information panel below each of the old sculptures and artefacts. After the Bargello I find my way to the beautiful old Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, a huge, beautiful old church in the heart of Florence. I join the line, and purchase a sarong from a passing merchant. As I enter, a free English speaking tour has just began, so I tag along and learn the meaning behind the paintings and the history of the church. Every area of the amazing architectural design has meaning, and the placement of the paintings inside the church all have a certain purpose and representation. The inside of the huge 40mtre diameter dome is painted with a fresco depicting the rise of Christ. The tour guide goes into detail and explains the meaning of the pictures. Its beautiful. The dome sits 90 metres above the ground and there are a few visible holes in various points of the dome. We are informed that the structures that the artists who worked on this would use were just planks from one side of the dome to the other. They would dangerously balance on these unstable structures to complete the work. Needless to say, many would fall to their death. Nice positive piece of info

.

After the church I wander through the local market. As I pass each stall I am harassed by each merchant selling Prada, and Louis Vuitton (yeh right), the man selling belts, jewelery, food and local trinkets. I  practice my bartering skills amongst the jewelry salesmen. One guy tries to sell me a painting for 25 euro, by the end of our conversation I have him down to 10 euro and he wants to take me to dinner! I tell him Il be back soon and make my escape. After a long day of wandering I decide to head home and relax before meeting the girls. I find my way back very easily - again, much to my amazement. Begin the excruciating journey up the steep stairwell, unlock the door and flop down on my bed. It is like heaven lying down. About five minutes later the girls arrive, great minds think alike!

We spend half an hour relaxing, and then Kendyl and I decide to try out the cappuccino machine that our host is so incredibly proud of. We froth the milk, find what we can only assume is sugar (or salt) and sit down to enjoy our drinks. Ten minutes later, bubbling with our new found energy we all but bounce back to our room to get ready. After quick showers, hair and make-up we head down the street to the terrace, which is a popular spot for the locals to enjoy Appiritivo. We go to the bar and purchase our Mojitos. Only 7 euros each and we get a plate that we can fill with food as many times as we like! God I love Italy. We pile our plates with pastas, salad and bread and find a nice little area to sit down, on an old stone wall overlooking the river. We are surrounded by big old trees billowing in the wind, gorgeous old buildings line the street across the river and as we enjoy our food we watch the sun slowly setting. In the warm breeze surrounded by the locals and listening to funky lounge music it is the perfect way to end the day.

The next morning we wake early and get ready for another day of site seeing. We have a booking to see Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze, which houses beautiful works from Michealangelo and the famous statue of David. We head downstairs and walk across the bridge to find the local bike hire place. 5 euro each for the 5 hours - perfect. We get cute purple bikes with baskets on the front, and after a few wobbly attempts to mount the bike, I get the hang of it and we are off! We bike through the city, dodging wandering tourists and doing our best to keep to the right side of the road. It is so much fun and nice to give our feet a rest from all the walking - however our butt bones are not impressed! Cobblestone streets and hard bike seats are not the most comfortable combination.

We park our bikes and lock them up alongside hundreds of other bikes and line up to explore the gallery. It is amazing. The artworks throughout the ages are gorgeous. I enter one room and am struck by the beauty of the particular style from this era. Portraits painted in various shades of dreary dark colours line the walls. Musicians captured in dark old rooms, dressed in Medi-evil style clothing, standing with their instruments. They stare out at me from the paintings with a look of pain, sadness and boredom in their eyes. Their expressions are solomn, with the occasional hint of a slight smile. Was the time really that unbearable? I attempt a photo but am immediatley stopped by 'security'. I then find an area out of her site and capture the picture. I am that committed to sharing all the experiences with you all through my blog haha.

We continue to wander through the rooms filled with beautiful sculptures, paintings and old artifacts. The next room opens up to reveal at the end of the hall - the statue of David. He is glorious. The precise lines of his hands and body are incredible. It is like looking at a real person, of giant proportions, covered in grey paint. The statue is much larger than I had imagined and to think it was created out of a formless block is amazing. Michelangelo is a true master in his art. Again, no pictures are allowed, but being the rebel that I am, I sneak one so I can share here with you all on my blog. You are welcome.

After the gallery we bike to a nice little restaurant and indulge in some more pasta for lunch. We then head back to the Church I was at yesterday to walk to the top of the dome. We wait in line for half an hour. We pass the time by enjoying a delicious Gelati. We finally get to the front, pay our 8 euro and start the ascent up the 463 steps to the top of the dome. The passage ways are made of stone and concrete and get increasingly narrow as we reach the top. We pop out at the base f the dome and walk around up close and personal with the paintings. I look down and shudder - we are very high up and the ground is made of marble - just keep going, you have come this far! We go back through a small door and continue the climb. The passage ways are now very tight and almost claustrophobic. The stairs also become a lot steeper and we are almost climbing. Finally the last set of stairs with daylight pouring through the top loom before us. We are so close, but have to squish ourselves against the walls to make way for people who are coming back down. Definately a great activity for the claustrophobic.We make the final climb and arrive out in the fresh, windy air on top of the cathedral. We have 360 degree views of Florence. It was worth the climb! We take in the view, pose for a few pics and then decide to make our way back down. The day is getting on and I have to catch a train soon!

We finally reach the bottom and realize we need to get the bikes back to the hire place in five minutes! We walk around the outside of the huge church trying to find our bikes. We finally locate them, unlock them and zoom through the city to return them. We arrive a few minutes late but she doesn't mind. We head back through the city in the direction of the b&b. When we get to the other side of the bridge we say our goodbyes and depart ways. Thank goodness we meet up again in 2 weeks for a weekend in Ibiza otherwise this would be a very sad moment. I hurry to to pick up my luggage and jump in a nearby cab to get to the train station. I locate my train and wait for the platform number to come up on the screen. With 5 minutes to spare it finally comes up, so I race to my train, find my cabin and seat. That was relatively painless and now that I am on the train I sit back to read my book on Greek Mythology and Look forward to my adventures in Milan!

Rome - Art, History and Beauty

After collecting our bags from the carousel we head for the train station to make the trip to our hostel. We get off the train and after wandering a few cobble stone streets we finally find our hostel. The only rooms that were left were private double rooms and after checking Clair and myself in and dropping all our luggage including Kendyls in the room, we meet her outside and head down the street to find food.

We enjoy some pasta at a local restaurant. By the time we are finished we can barely keep our eyes open, so we return to the hostel to get a decent nights sleep. The three of us share the two single beds, and it works surprisingly well. The things you do when you backpack!

In the morning the cold I managed to catch on yacht week is steadily becoming a throat infection. Rather than let it get worse I decide to find the nearest pharmacy and pick up some antibiotics. I have a discussion in broken English with the lady at the counter. She hands me what I need and asks for three Euro. How simple and easy! I race back to the hostel where we are all stressing about being ready in time for our tour. We zoom downstairs, well when I say zoom it is more like an awkward struggle at a modest pace. The elevator is about the size of my body, so to squeeze in there with a bag and then endure the slow declince down to reception is not a quick nor easy task. We check out and scoff down some breakfast. We then realise our clocks are set an hour behind and we have plenty of time on our hands. Duh. So we play the waiting game again. 

At the correct time of 10:15am the guide arrives and after the introduction the tour begins. I strongly recommend getting a tour as the information you learn along the way makes site seeing even more enjoyable. We wander around ancient churches, the Spanish steps, the Trevi fountain, beautiful monuments and finally the Collussium. 

Over the course of the day we have made a small group of friends within the tour group. The eight of us decide to grab some lunch before exploring the Collusium. We sit down at a lovely little restaurant and enjoy plates of pasta, pizza and salad. After lunch we go back and explore the ruins. It is so surreal to be here. I wander down to where the ancient floor would have been and gaze up at the magnificence that once was. I am over joyed to be here, it is an amazing feeling. Thousands of years before me this arena would have been packed with spectators about to watch someone standing exactly where I stand, about to walk out and fight to the death. I can't imagine how the gladiators and slaves of the time would have felt walking out into the grand arena, knowing that their fate lies in the hands of one man.

After a full day of site seeing we head back to the hostel to get our bags and check into the new hostel, yellow, which is just up the street. Everyone agrees to meet us there at 9pm for dinner and drinks. The plan is to have a quick nap but in the time it takes us to find the hostel, check in, get to the train station to buy tickets to Florence, get back and get ready it is time to get downstairs for a drink. Kendyl and I are ready slightly early so we get ourselves a drink and sit down outside our busy little hostel to mingle with fellow travellers. It is definately a very social hostel. 

After one drink we are happily giggling away like little school girls. By the time our friends arrive we have met so many people at the hostel that it is hard to leave. We agree to meet them across the road for dinner when we finish our drinks. When we finally arrive, they take one look at us and send us to 'the naughty corner', which is a two seater table behind them. The waiter decides he likes us and our feeble attempts at Italian. Apparently speaking English with an Italian accent and using hand motions doesn't count as Italian? We receive priority service, much to the disgust of our friends, and also a free shot of lemon cello to top it all off. We pay our bill and head back to the hostel to dance, have some drinks and witness an Olympic battle of beer pong! I feel like we are in an American college movie - I have to admit, the experience is pretty fun.

The hostel has no aircon so after about half an hour our makeup has evacuated our faces and our hair is slicked back with sweat. We party with the hostel goers for the few hours, and then decide we are hungry. I raid the kitchen with one of the bar staff and prepare a nice healthy feast of pasta, pizza and potatoes for our group. Everyone hoes in and it's a great way to finish the night. 

The next morning we check out and stagger our way downstairs. We order breakfast and join some of the backpackers we met the night before. Once breakfast is finished we we once again wheel our bags to the train station and store them while we head off to explore the Vatican. We have been informed prior to departure that we have to cover our shoulders, chest and knees, so we are equipped with maxi dresses and sarongs. We reach the Vatican and after being warned of huge lines, are very greatful to see there is only a couple of people before us and the wait is not long at all. 

Once inside the church I am struck with awe, it is absolutely beautiful. Amazing and precise detail lines the church from floor to ceiling. No inch goes without astonishing attention to detail and beauty. The sculptures are almost life like in their stances. Beautiful gold fills the church and lines the walls. The art work is breath taking. After seeing the amazing master piece of the church we leave to find lunch. We then find ourselves talked into another guided tour of the museum and sistein chapel. 

The museum, it turns out, is where previous popes have lived and their high profile guests such as sculptors and artists stayed. We walk through Leonardo De vincis lounge room at one point-how amazing. After a wonderful tour we check the time and realize we need to get a move on to catch our train. We race through the sistein chapel, marvelling at the art work and taking a couple of sneaky pictures. We reach what we think is an exit - and then see the huge flight of spiral stairs. So the race to the station continues. 

We make the station in time. The girls have a train half an hour earlier than mine, so I sit down and wait to see what terminal I need to board at. Apparently my train is not on the board and with fifteen minutes before departure I begin to stress! I decide to walk up and down the terminals to see if there are any trains going my way. I locate one that doesn't seem to be my train number - but it will do! I jump on and pain stakingly make my way through the cabins, boiling hot and there is no air con. Still not knowing if it is the right train I ask a nearby lady who doesn't speak English. From what I can gather, the train is going to Florence. I ask another man and he says yes - so I am starting to feel better. I walk and walk and walk and finally find a man who speaks little English but shows me to my cabin. My Italian mastery of the previous night would be very handy right about now! Finally I arrive, drenched in sweat to a small cabin with no air con. the cabin is filled with three old men who don't speak English. One helps me store my bag, I thank him and plonk myself down in a seat. I entertain myself with a book on Greek mythology. It is so fascinating and I love learning this new information. So as I sit, sweat running down my face and reading my book I take the time to relax. Soon I shall arrive in Florence (hopefully) where the fun task of finding the girls will begin and the next adventure of finding our bed and breakfast. Looking forward to a nice long sleep tonight!

# Living in Faith, Hope and Love

Living by Blind Faith

The moment we realize the true potential of our minds and thoughts is the moment we can let go and truely start to manifest the amazing things in life that we seem to strive so hard to achieve. This knowledge mixed with the belief and faith in God is the ulitmate garuntee of a recipe to ensure youy live your best life that you can possibly imagine. A year ago I was running along the broad water, doing my usualy morning routine. I stopped at my 'secret' meditation spot on Soverign Island to stretch, meditate and connect with god. I had a vision in my mind to travel the world. Ever since I was a little girl I had always wanted to travel. But as we grow up and learn to live in fear and doubt, the 'whys and hows' sneak in. As a child I knew in the depth of my soul so many amazing things would happen in my life. So many of these have come true. But as an adult we increasingly fall vicitm to fear. Yes I wanted to travel - but how can I when I have x amount of deb? I have a great job, I cant leave that? How will I ever save enough? Who will I go with? I dont even know how to get around the Gold Coast let alone a country where I dont speak the language! All these paralysing thoughts would cross my mind - until I decided to change. If you keep doing the same things you will recieve the same results - so it was time to try something new. I stepped out in blind faith, knowing that I can achieve anything I set my mind to. It is never a lack of resources, yet a lack or resorcefullness!

A romance in Venice. Not planning my trip has worked to a wonderful advantage to me. Four months prior to my departure I met a lovely man online. He lived in the Uk wich is perfect as I will be moving there soon its great to know one familiar face. Little did i know the romance to unfold. On July 20th I anxiously await my train, I board and am whisked to the beautiful town of Venice. I arrive at my hotel . . .

Mykonos

We awake refreshed after the beautiful dinner last night. We pack up our things and go to reception to say our goodbyes to George. He walks us to the car park where he has a bus waiting for us and after the wonderful bell boy brings our heavy luggage up the stairs we say our goodbyes and board the bus. The driver is flustered and tells us he is behind schedule, and so the crazy ride begins. He speeds off along the cliff face, tooting at anyone who dares cross his path and hinder his progress. Once again I am impressed to make it to our destination in one piece! We sit down at a local cafe and have a bite to eat while we wait for our ferry to arrive. After we board we find our allocated seats and I again take the opportunity for a nap. 


The voice over the intercom wakes me, informing us we have arrived. We pick up our luggage and leave the ferry to find Billie. We have not booked any accommodation as many other travellers have informed us to play off the hotel owners waiting at the dock. So amongst looking for Billie, we are swarmed with offers. A lovely lady called Maria stands out to us. She offers us a four bed private room in the city centre for 25 euro a night each - plus it has aircon. Seems pretty reasonable, the pictures look decent and she offers to drive us there for free - done deal!

We find Billie and Maria escorts us to the van where a family of five are already waiting. We somehow manage to squish our 5 bags into the already packed boot and close the door. Then comes the hilarious activity of squishing 10 people into a 6 seater van. The family (two adults and three teenagers) squish into the back, and the four of us are left the two front seats. Three of us take up the two seats and Billie takes our knee. The door is slammed and we are compacted in.

We arrive at the motel and Maria leads us to our room, informing us on everything we need to know. We pay for the two nights and pack into our sardine can of a room. After a quick freshen up we head out in search of lunch. A promo boy of one of the local clubs leads us to a local restaurant. We enjoy a beautiful lunch in the cool breeze and then head back for a nap before the big party at Cava Paradiso.

We contact our new american friends and decide to meet them for pre drinks. We shower and get glammed up, then head out to meet the guys, stopping for kebabs and vodka red bulls. We join our new friends at their apartment and the vodkas are poured. By 1:30 the vodka is gone and its time to get on the bus to Cava. The boys have booked a private table and bottle service. After paying the 25 euro cover charge we enter one of the best clubs Iv ever seen. The haze from the smoke machine catches the multi coloured lights. The club is set on a hill on the beach front with an amazing view of the ocean. There is a large pool inside the club, which could be quite fun later on as Kendyl and Claire are destined to find out.

We locate the table and enjoy another round of vodka. The drinks are mixed extremely strong here. Soon Cascade is on and he is amazing! Everyone is in a great mood and the club is packed with party goers dancing the night away. We all stagger home some time after sunrise, which is a beautiful site to see.

We waste the next day sleeping off the previous nights shenanigans. At 3pm we finally rise due to hunger. Food is a great idea. We find a nice cafe on the waters edge and the occasional spray of sea water is refreshing and very welcome. When we finish lunch we decide to head to the beach to relax. We board the bus which takes us there. We very quickly learn that people don't go to the beach to relax here!

The beach is lined with sun lounges and cute thatched umbrellas. There is a strip of bars with loud pounding music and copious party goers dancing on tables, singing and having the time of their lives. We find the sun lounges furtherest away from the crazy bars - but of course the base still vibrates through them as if we were right next to it. We manage to have a small nap then head back to watch the sunset.

We find a gorgeous little restaurant on the water front and are seated at the best table, with uninterupted views of the ocean and perfect position to appreciate the sunset. The waiter brings us a plate of bread and we agree on a bottle of wine. The sun is slowly setting, throwing a parade of pinks and oranges across the sky as it reflects off the smooth, oil like ocean. The waves crash on the near by rocks and give us a gentle light spray. The waiter returns to light a candle on our table. This is the perfect way to enjoy such a beautiful sunset, and with the wonderful conversation we sit back and relax.

After another bottle of wine, we head back to our sardine can to get ready for the night ahead. By 11pm we return to our new fav souvalaki joint and enjoy dinner. The waiter also gives us a beautiful dessert of rich greek yoghurt and fruit. We finish dinner and head to scandinavian bar. However, by this time we are relatively sober and the clientelle there are less than desirable. We manage to handle an hour of seediness, horrid bar dancers and space invaders. We make a hasty get away - but the manager sees us and runs after us. He desperately wants us to stay and manages to convince us to come back by enticing us with free cocktails. We oblige and he takes my arm and leads us back. We order our drinks and attempt to dance for a while. Once again the space invaders swamp us, so we down our drinks and get out of there. We are all tired so we head home to sleep off the ordeal.

The next morning we pack our things and head out for breakfast. At 12:30 Marias boyfriend meets us and takes us to the ferry terminal. We thank him and then wait in the dusty shade for an hour for our ferry. We board as fast as we can and go in search of a suitable area to rest. We fall asleep on a couple of benches on the deck, but once the ferry starts up it gets a bit too chilly. we find a quiet-ish corner and I fall asleep face down on the table. When I awake my neck is stiff and my chest slightly bruised - but I am refreshed.

We pull into the terminal and catch a nearby cab to Demis house. Chris and her are waiting to greet us. After we put our bags in the rooms and a quick change of clothes they take us out for another lavish feast. Thank goodness for loose fitting dresses! Once again we are stuffed with amazing food. We thank her father for his generosity and say our goodbyes, then Demi takes us out to meet her friends and show us an amazing local Greek club.

The club is playing Greek music and the beat is so great to dance to. Its a good sized club and again it is located on the ocean front. There are huge ivy covered arch ways and flowers covering the floor. Apparently the tradition is that they all buy the flowers and throw them to pretty girls while they dance - how sweet. After a few hours of dancing we say our goodbyes and head home. It is good to be in bed and sleep is much needed before another day of transit as we make our way to Rome!!!

# party, eat, sleep, repeat - it is great to let loose and only achieve these things sometimes xx