Venice - Masks, Music and Mystery

After successfully boarding my train and finding my relatively comfortable seat I enjoy watching the luscious green scenery rushing past me. I relax and read my book to pass the time. Before long the announcement is made over the speaker phone. My stop! I grab my increasingly heavy bag and wheel it off the train. I look around - I can't see any canals, but then again I was sure the stop was on the outskirts of Venice so this is probably why. I head over to a nearby taxi. Luckily the driver speaks English so I show him the address of my hotel that I need to get to. I double check that I am close and the taxi driver informs me I am not actually in Venice that I am In another town called Vecenza and I am 70km away from where I need to be!! So after the shock wears off I barter with him on price and get him down to 100 euros.  He hauls my bag into the boot, opens the door for me and I climb begrudgingly into the back. Just what I need when I am trying to save money. However, I then realize what a sook I am being and how lucky I am to even be on my way to Venice. So after a quick mental re-alignment I sit back and enjoy the adventure.

Along the way the driver makes conversation with me. He takes me to a small diner where he so kindly buys me a nice cold bottle of coke. We get to the outskirts of Venice and now I see all the canals. We drive over the bridge and head into town. He then pulls the car over and informs me that I need a water taxi to my hotel! He kindly helps me to the docks and asks one of the men to help me. I'm told it will cost 60 euro to cross! I tell them that its too much and that I will catch the public water bus. The driver then points out to me that the bus doesn't go to my hotel directly and although other people would probably find their way ok - he doesn't trust that I will! After realizing he is most likely correct and it has already been a long day, the other man agrees to do the ride for 50 euro's for me. Another blow to the wallet and I am on my own private boat to my hotel.

The views are amazing and it is a very lovely way to arrive. We cut through the water, the warm breeze blowing through my hair. I pass gorgeous old buildings, gondolas and various other boats. It so strange to see a city built entirely around water. There are no cars, but a lot of different boats. Restaurants line one side of the water front. Everyone is whistling tunes, singing, laughing and calling out to each other in friendly banter (I think) it is so wonderful to be around. 

We finally pull up to the jetty outside my hotel. There is a little man dressed in a fine little uniform waiting with the bag trolley to help me with my luggage. The taxi man ties the boat to the pier then the two men help to escort myself and my luggage off the boat. The well dressed man walks with me into the huge reception area where another staff member opens the door for me. The air conditioning welcomes me in. The hotel is breath taking. It is apparently an old convent where young ladies would go to learn to be nuns and has now been recreated into 5 star luxury. The reception organize my bags and take them to the room. I wander down the old hallway and head out to the cobblestone courtyard to meet my friends for a drink. A table set with a wine bucket holds a delicious bottle of bubbly, we happily oblige and clink our glasses. 

After a shower, make up and hair session we head out, past the first courtyard into the large back courtyard. The tables are set with fine table cloths, the grass and gardens beyond the cobblestones are beautifully maintained  and the air is warm. Our waiter is very attentive and we order another bottle of bubbly. After all the travels I am starving so we order a few nibbles to share. Breads, octopus, scallops, salad and a delicious fritter of some kind. When the bottle mysteriously finishes itself we decide to head across the river to try out the sister hotel. 

We make our way over to the jetty and the complimentary boat awaits us. The driver helps me aboard and then drives us across the canal. The sister hotel is beautiful. We get off the boat and head through to the cocktail area on the terrace to continue the nights festivities. The cocktails are beautiful, very well made, delicious and apparently quite alcoholic. After a Pina Colada, Amereto sour and a Mojito we decide to go and explore St Marks Square. 

We walk through the courtyard, through the hotel and over the bridge to the Square. It is stunning. The Cathedral stands in all its glory in the distance in front of us. The other two long buildings standing behind their marble columns are lit up and look magnificent. There are restaurants along either side and four small brass and piano bands are taking turns playing beautiful classical music. We decide to enjoy another cocktail and are seated right in front of the group that have just started their next set. We order our Mojitos and sit back to soak in the atmosphere. The band is full of passion for their music and each musician is booggying away adding their own unique showmanship to the group with their own unique instrument The crowd is absorbed in the melodies drifting from the stage to us. Crowds of people have gathered behind all the tables to enjoy the music as well. I look up at the magnificent old buildings surrounding us. This moment is perfect. The drinks arrive, the next melody is new york new york and everyone is happily clapping and singing along. I enjoy a couple of small toasted sandwhichs with my mojito. after an hour or so we decide to make our way back to the hotel. The bill comes and these are officially the most expensive cocktails we have ever encountered. 60euros for two cocktails and a small sandwhich. Although we are floored, it was a very great atmosphere and the night has been perfect. We pay the waiter and head back to wait for our boat to the hotel.

 The next day we awake and head for breakfast. The boat is half an hour away so, with me already being past starving, we stop in at a small little cafe for a quick pre-breakfast pizza. A little Chinese man comes out to serve us. I order what I think is a margarita pizza and a hot chocolate to drink. After about five minutes my hot chocolate comes out. It is dark and very thick in its consistency, I almost need a knife and fork to get through it. I then successfully manage to drop a large splat in my lap and now need to go back and get changed before the day can begin. Then the pizza arrives. It has the standard cheese and tomato sauce on the base, but on top of this it is dotted with sausage. Keeping an open mind I bite into a slice and the the taste of salt and mystery meat is just a bit much to bear. I pick the meat off the top and am able to enjoy my pre-breakfast. 

After paying for breakfast and a quick change of clothing we are on the boat to go exploring in Venice. We wander around St Marks Square for a little bit and attempt to join the line for the cathedral. It is huge, so we decide to locate some lunch to pass the time. On the way we pass a lot of stores full of amazing hand crafted masks. The beauty and intricacy of each mask draws me in to each shop. It would have been amazing going to the masquerade ball back in the medieval times. Old ensembles are displayed on maniquiens.Huge, heavy looking dresses for the women of that era. We pass a few restaurants and decide on a small place on the edge of the canal. After a nice lunch of pasta and wine we go back to try our luck in the line.

We times it just right, the lines are only about a third as long and it only takes us about 20 minutes to get to the front.As we enter a man informs me that I must cover my shoulders. For one euro I can buy a triangle of fabric to cover them. I notice the boxes and these are cheap nasty table cloths that the cut into triangles and then sell for a tidy little profit. I have no choice really so I pay the man and wrap the horrid fabric around my shoulders to enter the cathedral. It was a great little purchase as the inside of the church is amazing.There is a choir in the far left hand corner and their music is absolutely beautiful to listen to. We climb up the stairs to get a birds eye view of the church and to explore other areas up stairs. We head out on to the balcony area and get a great view of the square as well. After a few sneaky photos we go back down the stairs and leave the church. 

After looking for a mask to purchase as a souvineer and finding so many amazing ones I am overwhelmed. We decide to go for a cocktail at the sister hotel then head back to get organised for the night. I enjoy the best pinacolada I have ever tasted and just in time for the boat to arrive. We head back, get changed and relax for a few moments. We again catch the boat back and head to reception to go on a Gondola ride. 120 euro's later we are on the gondola. We float through the streets enjoying the peace and relaxation of the ride. Our driver points out Casanova old house and a few other famous old places. The way he manoeuvre's the boat is incredible. We pass other gondolas and the drivers are all smiling, laughing and joking with one another. Some boats have men playing the accordion. Others have hired singers. We pass down the Grand canal enjoying all the sites along the way. We finally come back the dock where we stared and after I manage to successfully get of the swaying boat in sky high stillettoes we make our way back to the terrace for dinner. 

We get back to the restaurant in time for our booking. We are seated and they bring us out a bowl of perfectly baked bread and some beautiful pesto butter with a small flower on top. We order a bottle of wine and then scan through the menu. Being a fine dining restaurant, all the food items are not your typical itallian or Australian type of food. I order my entree of marinated cherries with pate and blue cheese. It is suprisingly delicious!! Next the waiter brings out some fried cheese balls as a welcome from the chef. We all order our mains. The only thing that i felt like I could stomach was the veal, and apparently it must be shared between two people. So, after convincing one of my friends to share with me, dinner is ordered.  Soon the waiters start to prepare for our meal. The replace our cuttlery and top up our drinks. Next they bring over not one, but two round tables and place them next to us. The drape a table cloth over them. We look at each other - how huge is the steak going to be? Then they bring out a huge knife - almost the size of a machette, wrapped in a cloth and place it on the side of the tables. Im getting a little nervous about our meal now and other guests in the restaurant are starting to look at us a bit weird. Then two large silver platters with the dome lids are placed on the table. They remove one lid and a ginormous lump of meat is covering the tray! It is enough to feed the entire town! The waiter picks up a spoon and a fork and begins to tap the meat all over, the shell begins to break and he slowly removes the outer layer. By the time he has finished a much more proportionate sized meal is in front of us. In fact - now it might not be enough! He then picks up the large silver knife and begins to slice it into smaller edible portions. He devides it onto two plates, then takes the lid off the next tray. Underneathe are perfectly cooked egg plants which he adds to the plates. Finally, he drizzles an very delicious gravy all over the meal and places the plates on our table. Seems like a lot of effort to bring out our meal - but the showman ship was entertaining. The meal is beautiful. Perfectly cooked and all the flavours mesh perfectly together.

After enjoying a lovely dinner and another musical display in st marks square, it is a nice early night ahead for all of us. The food, the wine and the day of site seeing has drained the last bouts of our energy supply, and after another boat trip across the canal to our hotel we all gratefully fall asleep nice and early. 

The next morning we pack our bags and the reception staff store them across the canal at the sister hotel. We spend the morning exploring the tower across from the cathedral. The views of Venice are beautiful. After a quick souvineer stop we make our way back for some lunch and to wait for the water taxi to the airport. After sleeping on the boat we arrive at the airport and make the 10 minute walk from the dock to check in. The line is huge and stress begins to mount slightly. We work our magic and skip the line straight to the front-that was easier than expected! So after checking in the bags, we clear security and sit and wait for the plane. Next stop . . . London!

Milan - Style, History, Gelati and Shoes!!

My train arrives at Milano Centrale station around 6:00pm. As I walk down the long platform I am keeping an eye out for my friend Catherine - god I hope I have gone to the right station! Soon I see here smiling face as she waves out from the sea of people making their way to and from the station. After a quick greeting we weave through the crowds to another platform underground to catch another train to her house. It takes around 20 minutes and soon enough we have popped back up into the land of the living and in about 50 metres we are standing outside her apaprtment. We walk up the red carpet and squeeze into the cute, ornate little elevator. The lifts are bizare here. There is a door you have to manually open, the two glass doors that open up and are held by magnets while we entre, then all the doors must be closed before any buttons are pushed, at which point we get loudly locked in and the slow elevator ride begins. After the elevator adventure we arrive at her door. Her appartment is beautiful. Marble floors, wooden accents, two bathrooms, decent sized rooms and a lovely view. I am very happy to be here.

I settle in, put my stuff down and enjoy a nice warm shower to freshen up. We get changed, do our hair and makeup and go back to the train station to go out for an apiritvo and a few wines. We catch a bus and a tram and end up along the river side. The river side is lined on either side with bars and clubs. We find a nice looking little place and sit down to enjoy apiritvo. We order a bottle of wine, fill our plates with food and clink glasses - to a great night out! I then realise I am not the only one enjoying dinner. A swarm of mosquitoes are happily feasting on my legs and draining me of blood. Luckily there is a convinience store next door, so 10 euros later I am drowning myself in insect repellent and they no longer bother me. I think I have drowned half of the other guests at this restaurant as well due to the looks I am getting - they will thank me when they are not covered with welts tomorrow!

After our dinner and wine, we wander down the river side in search of somewhere to enjoy another drink. We find a little place and indulge in long island iced teas - always a garunteed way to start the night off well! We finish those and choke down another free shot from the lovely bar tender. We wander around in search of some form of club. A group of local guys inform us of a good club up the road called Bobino, so with them leading the way we head to check it out. The club is fun, lots of people are dancing and the music is really good. When it closes at 3am we go in search of chocolate banana crepes - my new obsession! After searching and finding nothing of the sort, I end up with a burger in my hand from a local mc donalds and we head home.

The next day is spent sleeping, doing some grocery shopping, eating and then sleeping again. At 5pm I manage to roll myself out of bed and make myself semi presentable. We decide to catch the train to the Duomo and then do appiritivo with two of Catherines friends.We reach the Duomo station and climb the stairs back up to ground level. At the top of the stairs I am struck in awe of the beauty of the Duomo Cathedral. It is a huge, and absolutely breathtaking old building. It is so amazing spending time in these gorgeous old cities that are filled with so much history. I am so greatful for the opportunity to have all of these experiences. Catherine shows me around the centre and over to the old theatre, where a show is about to begin. We decide to go get dinner and find a nice little place up the street to sit, eat and wait for the girls. They meet us about an hour later and we make our way to a gorgeous roof top bar on Catherines suggestion. 

The next day we get ourselves ready and race to the train station. We are off to spend a day in Lake Como - hopefully George Clooney will be there at his holiday home! We get to the station and jump on the train. We are racing against the clock to reach the station we need in time. We get off our train and make a run to the next train - 6 minutes, we are really cutting it fine now. It arrives, we jump on and head to the next station. The clock shows 12:30 and that is the time our train leaves! We make one last effort and sprint through the station, up the escalator and down the next set of stairs. we are in luck! The train is still there! We jump on with seconds to spare, find a seat and plonk ourselves down. We can now relax and watch the rolling green country side fly past us.

An hour and a bit later we arrive in Como. It is a beautiful little town, filled with little houses speckled all over the tree lined hills. The lake is like a huge mirror with small ripples being made from the various holiday makers out on their boats. Little restaurants line the street side and as we look for a place to refuel ourselves we are called over and seated at a nice little place with 180 degree views of the lake. The waiters are very attentive and although they have run out of pizza, and the pasta I want - they go next door to get us pizza and make me a special batch of tomato and basil spagetti.

After lunch we head down to the 'beach side' area of the lake. We find the hidden little pathway next to and icream store. When we arrive we pay our 9 euros and a friendly African man comes out with two lounge chairs for our sunbathing convenience. We set up in a nice little spot close to the lake side. Shortly after we have settled in the girls arrive with their chairs and set up camp. The people watching opportunity is hillarious. Old leather handbags lie there in the sun, baring their 60 year old boob jobs and years worth of sun damaged skin. Italian men in their speedos parade past, their hair blowing in the wind (not just the hair on their head either). Other men stand around, one hip cocked to the side and a hand fabulously placed on their hip.The children run around and enjoy swimming in the murkey pool. The picture as a whole is amazing to take in. After an hour or so of sunbathing we decide it must be cocktail o'clock. Apparently we can' t get served in our bikinis, so we throw on our dresses and head up to the restaurant. We order a couple of Pinky coladas, cheers, and enjoy the show of people that surround us.

After a couple of beers in the sun it is time to head back home. We pack up and go to the station to wait for our train. Its been a long day so we head straight home. The next couple of days are spent catching up on domestic chores such as washing, blogging, and taking some time to relax. After three weeks solid of activities, tasks, partying, bad food and not enough sleep - my body is  very happy for the break. I decide to get outside and do some much needed exercise. So I don some shorts, sports top and shoes and head out equipped with a bottle of water and my ipod.  As I begin my run down the street in search of a park, it occurs to me that I am the only person out running. No one else even slightly resembles exercise clothes of any kind. So naturally, being the alien running down the street I get a lot of stares, random conversations in Italian that I can't understand and a few toots. After twenty minutes I find a small park. I run a few laps around the park and then due to the decrease in my fitness and the scorching afternoon sun I decide to walk and take in my surroundings. It feels great to get the blood moving around my body and after two hours I manage to find my way home, indulge in a cold shower then relax for an afternoon siesta before Catherine gets home from work.

The next day a friend of mine has kindly offered to take the day off work and give me a guided tour - via scooter around Milan. At 12:30 he arrives, hands me my helmet and the tour begins. We wizz past old monuments, parts of the ancient wall that once protected the city and other historical features of the city. We park the scooter near castello Sforzesco and take a nice walk through the castle grounds. We come out the other side and head towards the Duomo. We make our way through the many levels of the mall next to the Duomo. The first lever]ls are makeup and perfumes. Then the torture of a level of handbags. Next I am drooling over Jimmi Choo, Prada, Gucci and hundreds of beautiful shoes. Next is a level of beautiful clothing - this really is heaven and hell wrapped up in one. The final level is full of beautifully displayed novelty and luxury foods like heart shaped sugar sticks, coffee and tea, pastas and chocolate shaped like shoes (love). I am drawn to beautiful sparkling crystal bottles. It appears to be luxury . . . water! The price ranging from 35 euro to 250 euro!!! the things some people will pay money for! So after escaping the amazing mall and using every ounce of discipline not to purchase anything sparkly, shoes like or chocolate we stop for a lovely roof top lunch with a spectacular view of the duomo.

After lunch we make a hasty exit down the many escalators to the bottom of the mall and burst out into the street. We make a quick pit stop into chocialto italiano - best ice cream store in the world!!!!!!!!! The waffle cone is filled with melted chocolate and the amazing smooth, creamy ice cream is topped with nutella. I am in love. With the ice cream steadily melting in the heat and running down my arm I am now equipped with lovely sticky hands as I head to explore the Duomo. I change into a maxi skirt and cover my sinful shoulders with a sarong I have pre packed. We then join the line to enter the cathedrial.

I am awe struck again. It is just so beautiful and intricately designed. Gold lines the roof and walls of this spectacular, artistic masterpiece. Huge stained glass windows let in brilliant shades of light from the sun outside. Sculptures stand, frozen in action. I wander around and take in all the beauty to be seen. There is a glass case behind a roped off area. I step closer to get a better look. Inside the case, lying at peace for the world to see is the body of a past pope. He is dressed in his traditional robes and a silver mask covers his face. Resting on his pillow I can see the back of his head and his hair. The only other visible part are his hands, a greyish brown colour, resting on his torso.

We then go into another small room. It is a shrine to another couple of past leaders. The room is beautiful, every inch paying attention to detail. At one end, behind bars is a large, beautiful room. Lit with candles, intricately and artistically designed and housing a glass case which contains the remains of another past leader. At the other end of the hall, another body lies still in a case for the world to see.

After the Duomo we head back to through the castle and back to the scooter. We zoom through the streets, ducking in and out of the traffic to make our way home to meet Catherine. A quick distraction at a beautiful shoe store - there was a sale, so it had to be done, we continue on our way home. The night is then spent relaxing with a wine, and organising the next leg of my trip. Where to go? how to get there? where to stay? The options are as endless as the transportation methods. After about four hours of researching, my brain is about to explode. So I put the computer away and fall into bed.

The next morning the decision is made! I will go to Venice for the weekend! The train ticket is booked and I feel a lot better knowing I have a plan in place. I throw on my running gear again and head out to pound the pavement once again. The stares are back in full force of my alien running routine down the street. On my way back I stumble across a small store that is having a sale. I all but sprint home, shower and get changed, then power walk back. I spend the next hour trying on dresses, shorts, tops and a million pairs of shoes. My tour guide has to come and drag me out of the store - but not after making a few purchases. After a month of wearing the same outfits I really needed to go shopping. Back on the scooter and we explore Via Monte Napoleone, a beautiful street lined with all the top designer stores. After an hour or two of torture looking at all these beautiful things I head home and get ready for my final night in Milan.

Catherine and I decide to go out for a final Aperitivo. We order our drinks and go inside to pile up our plates. The food selection is amazing. Salads, meat, pasta, pizza, vegetables, bread and chips. After a few plates of food it is time for dessert. I notice a huge jar of nuttella - heaven! I load my plate with a couple of waffles and absolutely smother them with nutella. The waffles are really just an excuse to eat a plate load of nutella - I just didn't want to look like a complete pig. After dinner and a couple of drinks we head home for an early night. Time for a decent nights sleep before my next big adventure . . . Venice!

Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans xx

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