Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Athens, Venice, Vienna
Well it has only been 10 days since I last updated but we have been busy in that time. We took an overnight ferry to Athens spent 5 nights there, took another ferry and a train to Venice spent three nights there, and are now on our third night in Vienna. Tomorrow we are off to Budapest so to say we are hopping around is an understatement.
Greece and Athens were awesome. The landscape and water were just what you would expect. Surprisingly Athens was quite a clean city, which was not what I expected. I had heard what a chaotic place it was but after Naples and Milan it was quite pleasant. The Parthenon and Acropolis were both great, as were the other sites around the Athens area. The sculptures in Athens were excellent much more detailed and expressive than the ones seen in the museums of Italy. We enjoyed the ferry rides back and forth from Greece as well. Both rides were overnight and were 15-20 hours but a nice change from the typical running around we usually are up to. The food was expensive but we packed lots to offset the cost.
Venice was awesome! It was exactly what you expect it to be. It is a labyrinth of small narrow alleys, lots of different squares, and waterways with boats floating along all over the place. We spent our time in Venice just walking around and checking out shops and sights. We had seen so many museums and churches we were happy just to take it easy window shopping. Probably the best part other than just being there, is when I paid a Euro for some corn to feed the pigeons. It was awesome, I would put a little food on my hand and they would land all over me. It was kinda gross, cause they are pigeons but we were both laughing so hard. Melanie could hardly take any pictures.
Our train ride to Vienna wasn't the best we spent 4 of the 7 hours without a seat as we had to get on without a reservation and the train was full. We had a seat for a while but had to get out when we found out we couldn't sit there with the pass we have. Austria has been good though, it is very clean but colder than we are used to. It was 16 Celsius and we were nearly freezing. We went to the Zoo yesterday for a change, and it was great. The Vienna Zoo is the oldest zoo in the world and has everything. We saw Pandas, Elephants, Giraffes, Koalas, and a whole assortment of Monkeys and Penguins. There was even a bat cave which was awesome, it was freaky having so many fly all around you. I was proud of Melanie, she actually came into the cave (with a bit of coaxing). It was a great time and we spent 5 hours there. Today we walked around in the cold rain just looking and at the local cathedral and Hapsburg palaces. It would have been more enjoyable without the rain. Luckily the hostel we are staying in has a kitchen so we were able ti enjoy a good homey dish of fried potatoes and hot dogs. You would be surprised the things you miss when they aren´t around.
Off to Budapest tomorrow, our most easterly stop. Looking forward to the differences it will have from other countries we have been to . Not sure what exactly the things we will be up to but it should be fun.
A couple of pics of me with the Venetian pigeons
Greece and Athens were awesome. The landscape and water were just what you would expect. Surprisingly Athens was quite a clean city, which was not what I expected. I had heard what a chaotic place it was but after Naples and Milan it was quite pleasant. The Parthenon and Acropolis were both great, as were the other sites around the Athens area. The sculptures in Athens were excellent much more detailed and expressive than the ones seen in the museums of Italy. We enjoyed the ferry rides back and forth from Greece as well. Both rides were overnight and were 15-20 hours but a nice change from the typical running around we usually are up to. The food was expensive but we packed lots to offset the cost.
Venice was awesome! It was exactly what you expect it to be. It is a labyrinth of small narrow alleys, lots of different squares, and waterways with boats floating along all over the place. We spent our time in Venice just walking around and checking out shops and sights. We had seen so many museums and churches we were happy just to take it easy window shopping. Probably the best part other than just being there, is when I paid a Euro for some corn to feed the pigeons. It was awesome, I would put a little food on my hand and they would land all over me. It was kinda gross, cause they are pigeons but we were both laughing so hard. Melanie could hardly take any pictures.
Our train ride to Vienna wasn't the best we spent 4 of the 7 hours without a seat as we had to get on without a reservation and the train was full. We had a seat for a while but had to get out when we found out we couldn't sit there with the pass we have. Austria has been good though, it is very clean but colder than we are used to. It was 16 Celsius and we were nearly freezing. We went to the Zoo yesterday for a change, and it was great. The Vienna Zoo is the oldest zoo in the world and has everything. We saw Pandas, Elephants, Giraffes, Koalas, and a whole assortment of Monkeys and Penguins. There was even a bat cave which was awesome, it was freaky having so many fly all around you. I was proud of Melanie, she actually came into the cave (with a bit of coaxing). It was a great time and we spent 5 hours there. Today we walked around in the cold rain just looking and at the local cathedral and Hapsburg palaces. It would have been more enjoyable without the rain. Luckily the hostel we are staying in has a kitchen so we were able ti enjoy a good homey dish of fried potatoes and hot dogs. You would be surprised the things you miss when they aren´t around.
Off to Budapest tomorrow, our most easterly stop. Looking forward to the differences it will have from other countries we have been to . Not sure what exactly the things we will be up to but it should be fun.
A couple of pics of me with the Venetian pigeons
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Some more pictures....
Melanie and I outside our Chalet in Rome
A nice picture of Saint Peters
Inside the Sistine Chapel (notice the God and Man painting in the middle)
The Hall of Maps inside the Vatican Museum - there were paintings along the entire corridor ceiling, which must have been 300ft long
A view of Mt.Vesuvius from Pompeii
A restaurant counter in Pompeii, the holes in the couters held soups and olives
One of the Ash People frozen in time
A view of Greece caught during our 16-hour ferry ride
The Parthenon
A view of Athens
A view of Athens
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Naples and a ferry to Athens
Quick Note, we were in Naples Wednesday and Thursday. Went to see Pompeii, it was awesome. There are so many things that are still intact, like paintings, restaurant counters and writing/paintings on the walls. We even saw a few skeletons and even though we thought we wouldn't see any of the ash people, we went to a large roofed area just before we left and saw some of them. It was really strange seeing people frozen in time like that, you could distinguish the clothes they were wearing (like short sleeves), and and other fine details.
After Naples, we had to take a 16 hour ferry ride from Bari to Athens. We had a hard time finding the correct place to buy tickets, but a couple of Aussies pointed us in the right direction. The ride wasn't that bad, the seas were calm and the food was good. The boat was really nice as well, had 10 levels, a couple of restaurants, a bar, and a casino. We spent the ride hanging out with a Korean guy we met looking for the ticket counter, was nice to meet someone new and share experiences. He had just gotten out of two years mandatory service with the military and was heading back to Korea in three days.
First impressions of Athens are good, it seems fairly clean and well organized, which is nice after the chaos of Naples. Our train to Athens was late arriving so that caused a minor headache, but nothing we aren't used to coping with. Don't worry about the heat it has subsided a bit, it is only supposed to reach 34C/90F today.
After Naples, we had to take a 16 hour ferry ride from Bari to Athens. We had a hard time finding the correct place to buy tickets, but a couple of Aussies pointed us in the right direction. The ride wasn't that bad, the seas were calm and the food was good. The boat was really nice as well, had 10 levels, a couple of restaurants, a bar, and a casino. We spent the ride hanging out with a Korean guy we met looking for the ticket counter, was nice to meet someone new and share experiences. He had just gotten out of two years mandatory service with the military and was heading back to Korea in three days.
First impressions of Athens are good, it seems fairly clean and well organized, which is nice after the chaos of Naples. Our train to Athens was late arriving so that caused a minor headache, but nothing we aren't used to coping with. Don't worry about the heat it has subsided a bit, it is only supposed to reach 34C/90F today.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
In Rome
Have had a busy couple of days in Rome. We arrived after having four great days in Zurich with Melanie's cousin Tamara, and enjoying Switzerland and it's wonderful scenery.
We have been going almost non-stop, but have still only been able to see a bit of Rome has to offer. We saw the Colosseum on our first day here along with the Palatine. The Colosseum was interesting but not a whole lot to see really. The Palatine was really cool, it was where all the the rulers used to build their homes and various other buildings. It gave a really good view of the Forum Romanum where all of the temples once were.
We are going to the Vatican tomorrow, can't wait for that. It should be wonderful. I walked through Saint Peters Square the first day I was here and was impressed but was to busy to really appreciate it. Will have an early morning trying to beat the crowds. Off to Naples next, going to see Vesuvius and Pompeii !!
We have been going almost non-stop, but have still only been able to see a bit of Rome has to offer. We saw the Colosseum on our first day here along with the Palatine. The Colosseum was interesting but not a whole lot to see really. The Palatine was really cool, it was where all the the rulers used to build their homes and various other buildings. It gave a really good view of the Forum Romanum where all of the temples once were.
We are going to the Vatican tomorrow, can't wait for that. It should be wonderful. I walked through Saint Peters Square the first day I was here and was impressed but was to busy to really appreciate it. Will have an early morning trying to beat the crowds. Off to Naples next, going to see Vesuvius and Pompeii !!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Pictures from Milan
The Scala Theatre (not my pic)
The Church where the Last supper is, as close as I got to it.
The Vitorrio Emanuelle Gallery, a shopping mall if you can imagine
Milans Cathedral
The Church where the Last supper is, as close as I got to it.
The Vitorrio Emanuelle Gallery, a shopping mall if you can imagine
Milans Cathedral
Thursday, June 14, 2007
In Milan, heading to Zurich tomorrow
Well we took another diversion from our intended path, which I am sure will not be the last. We were going to go to Lyon, but everything was either to expensive or didn't have room. So we decided to go to Milan instead and see "The Last Supper". Well it turns out you have to book a reservation to see it, we knew that, but you have to book 2-3 weeks in advance. We didn't know that. We were able to take in a few other attractions though, Melanie wasn't feeling so well so we didn't get a chance to see as much, and I didn't want to leave her by herself to much. Don't worry though, she is feeling fine now.
Milan isn't that bad of a city, but people like to relieve themselves in the streets, which is sick. The city is really noisy, noisier than Paris, but the people are alright even if my Italian is terrible and barely existent. Write again soon
Milan isn't that bad of a city, but people like to relieve themselves in the streets, which is sick. The city is really noisy, noisier than Paris, but the people are alright even if my Italian is terrible and barely existent. Write again soon
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Mount Vesuvius !!
Well the other day I was reading an article on Mount Vesuvius and realized that it isn't that far out of the way, almost on the travel path actually, and I was stoked. I am sure you all know the story of Mount Vesuvus and its famous explosion that covered the town of Pompeii and Herculaneum and has since become legend, especially since the towns were rediscovered in the 1700's and excavation revealed the tragedy of it all. The fragile ash casts of people hiding and belongings left where the stood, there was a movie on the discovery channel a few years ago about it. You can read more by click on the links in the previous sentances. Anyway, it is a pretty cool place to go as much of the towns have been uncovered from the ash and debris that covered them. I guess it is one of those places that is so traggic and morbid that you have to go see it for yourself, kinda like when you are watching something disturbing on TV but can't look away.
The ironic part is that the current city of Naples is not that far away from Vesuvius which is still an active volcano and has erupted as recently as 1944, though not to the magnitude of 79AD. There are many sensors around the volcano and experts believe they can predict an eruption up to two weeks in advance, so there isn't a whold lot to worry about, but evacuation plans are in place. Maybe there will be an eruption when we are over there that would be cool, as long as we are at a safe distance.
The ironic part is that the current city of Naples is not that far away from Vesuvius which is still an active volcano and has erupted as recently as 1944, though not to the magnitude of 79AD. There are many sensors around the volcano and experts believe they can predict an eruption up to two weeks in advance, so there isn't a whold lot to worry about, but evacuation plans are in place. Maybe there will be an eruption when we are over there that would be cool, as long as we are at a safe distance.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Cafe Florian in Venice
Venice, the city of canals and gondolas. A place I can't wait to go and see.
I was watching one of my favorite travel shows called "Backpackers" (on the Outdoor Life Network) the other day, and the were visiting Vienna. Anyway, while there they visited a cafe called "Cafe Florian" and it looked really cool. It is the oldest cafe in Europe founded in 1720. The interior has a really cool ornate look that probably hasn't changed since it opened, and it has a seating area outside in St.Marks Square, with about 100 chairs, the type of cafe seating so often seen in pictures of Venice.
It is supposed to have some great coffee, and I thought it would be a great experience. The only thing that takes away from it is that the coffees cost around 7 Euros, which translates to be about $20 Canadian it will have to be one of the luxuries on the trip. As you can see from the pictures below it is a pretty cool place. Hopefully the coffee will be worth it. The guys on the show had this to say, "I don't know anything about coffee, but this is really good coffee" so I guess that kinda sums it up. I will be sure to let you know. On one final note looking for famous people that lived in Venice and may have had a coffee there I found out that Casanova actually lived in Venice from 1725-1798, so he probably went here. Pretty cool. Anyway hope you like the pictures.
I was watching one of my favorite travel shows called "Backpackers" (on the Outdoor Life Network) the other day, and the were visiting Vienna. Anyway, while there they visited a cafe called "Cafe Florian" and it looked really cool. It is the oldest cafe in Europe founded in 1720. The interior has a really cool ornate look that probably hasn't changed since it opened, and it has a seating area outside in St.Marks Square, with about 100 chairs, the type of cafe seating so often seen in pictures of Venice.
It is supposed to have some great coffee, and I thought it would be a great experience. The only thing that takes away from it is that the coffees cost around 7 Euros, which translates to be about $20 Canadian it will have to be one of the luxuries on the trip. As you can see from the pictures below it is a pretty cool place. Hopefully the coffee will be worth it. The guys on the show had this to say, "I don't know anything about coffee, but this is really good coffee" so I guess that kinda sums it up. I will be sure to let you know. On one final note looking for famous people that lived in Venice and may have had a coffee there I found out that Casanova actually lived in Venice from 1725-1798, so he probably went here. Pretty cool. Anyway hope you like the pictures.
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