Category Archives: Italy

I am off to Pompeii by myself! Yes that is right I am petrified to venue past Naples, but the Lucy’s don’t think they would be able to handle the heat. Away I went with Andrea thankfully walking with me the hour to the train station and waiting with me until my train left. It felt like I was getting being sent off to my first day of Kindergarten.

Away I went to Naples. A few hours later I ended up in the train station and took the city shuttle to Pompeii. I was able to find a friendly local who lead me there! And yes he did fill the oh so typical ‘what’s the matter with you’ stereotype when he found out that I just passing thorough Naples and not spending any actually time there. Getting to Pompeii I started off in the Porta Marina and walked thorough the Pompeii street to the Forum. It’s amazes me how far advanced they were for their time. What they had done was construct pedestrian sidewalks, just consisting of three large stones that where high above the ground. They were so high for the purpose so that they could allow water to run along the streets each night and clean them for the next day without having to deter civilians from daily life. Walking down to the Basilica I was able to see Mount Vesuvious in the distance. I could not believe how intact the city and streets are so well preserved. I was walking through the archeological wonder of the world! I then made my way to the Baths of the Forum. Inside the labyrinth the rooms were segregated beth wen sexes and the water was heated using thermal energy by from the soon to erupt Mount Vesuvious. Outside the baths were on of the many fast food joints in Pompeii. Due to the small living quarters, the majority of the population did not have enough room to prepare their own meals. So they relied inn these concession like areas so supply their meals and socialize with one another.

Later in ventured my way into the House of the Tragic Poet, House of the Fawn and the house of the Vetti. One of the most memorable sights that I saw during my time here was lead pipes. I was able to crutch in the ground to get a better look of what used to supply drinking and all water to the city. No then saved the grand finale for the end. I headed over to the amphitheater. The large are looked as though it had been built to host chariot races and cricked around as the crowd on all the benches would gawk. Inside was an exhibition area where archaeologists brad gone something extremely clever, or at least I thought so. They had taken the remains of the bodies in Pompeii that have been perfectly preserved and were able to fill in the area they found the Koch with plaster. The plaster was able to contort back into the painful images and fill in the areas where only the bones remained. Thus, body casts were constructed! Inside I was able to see the body cats of those who had been killed unjust a few short second from the pyro clastic flow of Vesuvious, I had never seen anything like it. These cats were contorted and you could see the pain and fear across tuner faces and bodies. I then wandered my way back to the the Forum and headed in back it Rome.

By the time I got to the train station it was starting to get dark and I had the whole crew to welcome me at the station. We all made our way back to our place, taking in to marvel at the beauty of Rome just nine last time. We made a detour of over to the coliseum and it even looks stunning at night when all the lights are lite up and cast a glow both into the land and skies. I took in all of that I could of this historic city so that I could few hours in before we catch our flight to Barcelona tomorrow!

Today we set off so a walk referred to the ‘Heart of Rome’. Off we went from our place of Campo de Fore back to the Pantheon and went back inside it again. We then made outer way through the historic streets to the Trevi Fountain closed for reconstruction, so I wasn’t able to thrown my coin in, to insure that I would be able to go back one day. Now with all the water out of the fountain I am sure that they were able to pay for the renovations with all the coins that were there. Since when we walked by all the coins had been taken out. Nether less the statues were impressive! We continued our way walking past streets with very high end clothing stores. We passed by what made my ideal of stereotypical; and it was fantastic! Three business people in what looks like their lunch break just left Valentino with huge bags in hand. I don’t know why but this to me just felt so Italian….We made our way to the Spanish steps. Looking up at them they looked like quite a feat, but once we started waling up them we were up at the top in no time at all! Now I thought that once I was up at the top I would have a spectacular view if the stairs, but you could barely see then form up above. We concluded the heart of Rome walk by going down one of the major shopping street and I finally found a much needed pair of shoes since I have been walking so much I have literally been wearing through the rubber and seems of my shoes! Crisis averted though :)

Heading back to our place to the safe haven of air conditioning some of us had a little siesta time while I organized my things and went out to the terrace and soaked up some sunshine. Afterwards we went of to the Victory Plaza into the immigration museum. I found it super interesting that the interesting that the information overlapped with what I had learned at the Hamburg museum of immigration. Also I found it hard to believe that Italian is apparently the second most common language to learn aside from English. Bridget and I then went for a walk essentially everywhere! We started off at passing the ruin and the Roman Forum, the Coliseum, and going though a ghetto, hopefully the Jewish one. To end we walked along the Tiber River and ventured back to our place to meet up with the rest of the crew. After a lot of walking today I was very excited to go get into bed and rest up for a big day ahead of me.

We are off to Vatican City! I find it crazy that I am able to go to another country within the city of Rome! Now just a short walk away from where we are staying we entered another country. So much easier than trying to cross the US border I must say. I could only figure out the differences from the city and country by the distinguishing street lamps in Vatican City.

The main plaza was astonishing! The pillars are strategically build so that if you stand in certain places your are able to see one of the two sets of pillars. While we were line waiting to enter I was able to look up and see the balcony where I have seen the Pope out and address the crowds. Now I hate to say, but I just doesn’t have the same effect when the square isn’t filled with thousands or people like it does when I’ve watched it. Looking up and out to the left of the main plaza I was able to see the main residence of the pope. It just blends into the upper level, I suppose that is done for both an aesthetic and safety feature. Once we passed through security I walked passed the guards who are apparently all Swiss, rather than Italian or any other nationality as a result of the Switzerland’s neutrality. I must say that they were wearing extremely ingesting and rather colourful uniforms, making then hard to miss.

First we went inside the St. Peter’s Basilica. It is nothing like nothing I have ever seen before and I don’t think anything that is like it! It had the most beautiful interior and extravagant interior of any church that I have ever seen. Trust me, I have seen a lot of churches in this trip, and I know that’s this is the epitome. If any church standards for a reason, but still it is just amazing! The tombs are both in the floor with ropes surrounding the perimeter and others along people to walk on them. I wasn’t able to distinguish the difference between why only some of them where barricaded. Tombs also lined the walls and had exquisite statues around. I went into a prayer room where on the wall was a a chronology of all the Popes. What was truly beautiful was that there were panels of light that beamed down in streaks from the window above and cast an angelic glow. I honestly cannot explain how beautiful the Basilica was. The pictures that took don’t even do it justice.

We then went inside the Vatican Museum. Now the exterior of the building was not what I expected whatsoever. It was actually an inventive use of the old city walls, so it was a brick building that extended for at least a block. Inside there was anything that you could imagine. We sought out what interested us first so we would be able to extend ourselves to make it through the many exhibitions. I had never seen Egyptian artwork before so we went to see it and I saw few real mummies! We worked our way through, getting memorized and swarmed by everything and everyone around us. Another highlight of the museum for me was going through the grand maps that covered the walls. It was so interesting to see which cites held the most importance back then, since they were typically in the middle of the map and the other towns were around it. We ended off having lunch in the courtyard and looking out into a huge globe and watching the tour groups pass by, trying to snap as many photos as they could.

Afterwards we continued our way to eventually go to the Sistine Chapel. Now it wasn’t as magnificent as it looked to be in person. If I didn’t know any better I wold have just thought it was a little chapel with a pretty ceiling. We were lead into the main centre by guards that were frantically leading everyone. Making sure no one took photos and ensuring everyone was silent. Gazing up at the ceiling looked up at Michelago’s Work. Once our necks were strain from looking up, we made our way out and felt quite tuckered out from our busy day!

Back at our place we brought back some pizza for dinner at ate it without a crumb to be spared. We then later went out and grabbed some gelato. Andrea and I both wanted to steal some wifi at the restaurant we all had been going to the past few days so we sat on the street side of the restaurant and ignored the glares of both the staff and people walking by. An all time low in the desperation of obtaining Internet.

Off to explore Roma! We made sure to get off it an early start today since not only did we hope to avoid the swarms of tourists, but also the height of the heat. With all this in mind we went off to the Roman Forum. We walked around with an audio guide shared between us and I tried to imagine what life would have been like way back at this time of ancient civilization. Walking around the hall of justice, baths, merchant shops and many temples transported me back in time. What I found really interesting were the Vestal Virgins. They were young virgins whose one responsibility was to make sure that a flame maintained at all hours of the day. This flame was in the middle of the Forum and it was to represent Rome. So if and when the flame went out then Rome would no longer exist. These ladies were treated higher than nobles and if they were able to maintain their virgin statues when they were at the age to marry then they would be able to be married to nobles. If they however did not get married then they would become an saint once removed of their duty.

We then walked up to Palatine Hill. Again ruins are everywhere, and if this wasn’t impressive enough, behold the coliseum with a view extending out to the far edges of Rome. Up the hill was where they royalty lived, typical to have the city and commoners below. The baths which were the size of about a block were nothing but impressive. Further up the hill was an exhibition hall where there were tiles, and kitchen supples that had been savaged. There was even a film done that showed a recreation of what life would have been like back then, and it further helped me imagine the wonder of the Roman Civilization,

In an attempt to escape the heat that was starting to hit its peak we went to the Coliseum. You have no idea how excited I was! Going up to the main entrance was just breathtaking! It is so much bigger, grander and everything else than I had thought it to be. Walking past the many pillars I learned that over 20,000 animals had been killed in the first month of the Coliseum’s opening. Another interesting fact that I didn’t know is that it used to be flooded and used to host boat battles! I also learned the extravagance that went into having the battles. Their used to be sets with a wide range of wildlife and geographic climates. Apparently the battles use to be interactive with the crowd in a sense as the audience was the one that decided whether or not a gladiator got to live or not. The wealthy of course got to sit the closest to the live action, however it was not the best view. The city folk got to stand up at the top and had a whole view of the battles and they also where able to be covered from the sun. Whereas, those were c,lest to the battles were exposed to the blaring sunshine.

Afterwards we walked past ruins (what else is now in Rome) but these were different as it was a space where stray cats were kept in a shelter. The Lucy’s love cats and foster them back in Edmonton so the visit to the volunteer cat shelter I have a feeling probably made them feel at home. Afterwards we made our was back to the Campo de Flore where we were staying, but in the way we passed by so many shoes shops and yes I may have made a few pit stops but we made it back eventually!

We headed back out when the sun was starting to cool down to the Tiber River. We were covered with a rows of trees that stretched out to follow the water. We followed the river to take up us to the Pantheon. We went inside to St. Peter’s Basilica. This is where the world marvelled as to how to make an open circled roof. Also Bridget was also here for Pentecost and when she was here there were red rose petals all on the floor. These petals are apparently a symbolic representation of all then blood that was shed and to represent sins as well. Together we went to the Piazza Navona where streets performers, vendors, restaurants, locals and tourists lined the streets. We had some dinner and with this being our wifi access time we planned the rest of our time here. We are off to Vatican City tomorrow!

This morning we all got out things together and headed off to the train station. We didn’t want hat happened on the way to Cinque Terre to repeat itself once again so we made sure to have ample time to get to La Speczia in order to catch our train to Rome.

Thankfully there were no major hiccups and we pulled into the station with s few hours to kill. So the girls went off to explore La Speczia! As we made out way into the town we noticed that we walked into a large market. It was not just limited to food like I have seen markets so far. No, this one had an arrangement of everything you could even need even cleaning products. It was also nice to see the locals shopping here and supporting locals business rather than just going to grocery stores. We continued through walking along the major shopping street to eventually make out way to their beautiful park right along the water with radiant purple flowers everywhere. Walking along the seaside we were lead to tent harbour with boats surrounding the piers. Away in the distance we could see a cruise ship that looked as though it was docked for the day and it’s passengers eager to get out and explore. Taking a break along the seaside we grabbed an ice cream bedroom we made out way back to the train station.

On the train ride to Rome I was able to see a glimpse of the ocean. As we began to pull into the Rome station I could see that basically everything is so old here! Actually right before the train entered the station passed by ruins! So cool, I can’t believe that I am actually in Rome. Once we pulled and managed to find a real taxi not one o father many scammers we made our way to to our place and when doing so we were all pretty tired from the sun the past few days and traveling today that we rested up in bed and getting ready for the next few days of exploring.

Even though the trails through Cinque Terre are closed it won’t stop us from seeing all the islands. With this mentality in mind the we all were able to get tickets to go on a boat that would take us along the and have stops at every one of the five towns. After Bridget and I saw a postcard of one of the town beaches we unanimously decided that’s where we had to go. Thus off to the the furthest island from us, Monterosso for the beach. On the roof of the boat it was sweltering when there was no movement it looked as though some people were considering jumping off the boat just to cool off! I was close to it :) Yet when the boat was moving the wind felt so refreshing. The boat ride took us past the towns Vernazza, Cornigira and Manarola. Getting off the boat at Monterosso was quite a process, it seemed like everyone was racing to get off the boat and run into the water. We somehow embedded being the last ones off the boat, but none of that mattered when I saw the beach. Trust me when I say that the postcard didn’t do it justice.

Now this beach had real sand unlike the one from yesterday. We laid out all of our things and then I jumped off into then ocean. Again the water was so nice and warm just like it was yesterday. The girls then swam out to the rocks and went into the caves. After floating around I then sat along the shore with my feet in the water and soaked up the sunshine.

We all met up at a cafe up overlooking the beach and I had the best strawberry granita, a fruit slushie ever! Afterwards made our way back to and had the most beautiful view of all the island! The sun was just beginning to set and it cast an angelic glow up on the vineyards and hills. Turning the lush green into all vibrant shades. To end the day we all had some dinner along with our wifi time at the restaurant and packed up to get ready for our trip to Rome tomorrow!

Now that we are all rested up we are ready for our first day in Cinque Terre. We went off to the beach. Eventhough I was expecting a sandy beach I was surprised that their beach consisted on just rocks. Now these rocks aren’t like the small pebbles, are rocks, the smallest on was literally the size of my fist. I moved some of the rocks I could lift around to make a flattish surface and when I laid on it was like having no rocks placed on your back. My own sort of spa day :) None of this really mattered anyways since I spent most of my time in the ocean. The ocean was so cold at first t then after the first impact it was so refreshing. The water was impeccably clear and blue. Since Riomaggiore is protected by the cliffs there were no waves and the water was also insanely salty so we floated easily.

Our beach time was cut short when Chuck got stung by something, most likely a jelly fish on his wrist. After a little panic a quick trip to the pharmacy and everything was under control. The incident put us off going back to the beach so instead we grabbed some lunch including a yummy iced coffee! We then got the sad news that there had been a landslide on a part of the Cinque Terre hike so the whole thing had been closed. The hike is one of the most popular this to do here, there are different sections that you can do depending on time and ability. Each of the five towns are all interconnected within the hike. Very unfortunate but there is nothing that we could do about it. We then grabbed a gelato and sat on the top of the cliffs watching some brave and crazy people jump off! Around us there were boats coming into the area full of fresh seafood and people enjoying the sunshine.

Afterwards I went to the top of the Main Street and sat on a bench with an view of the whole drag below me. I watched as the tourists went to and from shops. Yet the most interesting hing I found was watching the locals intersect with one another. Some stood outside giver shops waiting to welcome whomever inside yet the shopkeepers we talking to one another and giving each other different good. Like one person gave someone fresh bread in exchange for a slice of pizza. As people they knew came along they immediately reached out to them calling each other love and spoke about their day and what occurred. Or a least this is what I was able to somewhat pickup with my non existent Italian. Of course when they spoke there was the over exaggerated hang gesture to go along with the conversation.

Afterwards right before sunset we went up to then Torre to see the sunset. It was in such vibrant colours! Red skies reflected off the water as the sun slowly hid behind the hills in the distance. Taking a hint from the sign we then went back to our place to rest up for another fun day ahead!

Happy Canada Day! Now this is my first time outside of the country for its birthday, I don’t know how patriotic I’ll be today but I’ll try my best. I’ve already been being an ambassador of Canada in some ways since my travels begun. We all have a super busy day ahead of us!

We packed up our things and headed off to the train station. Even leaving somewhat early in the morning walking there with our backpacks I could still feel the heat. Then again then extra pounds on my may have also been a factor in my excessive sweating. Oh well, your suppose to sweat once a day anyways at least I got it done with earlier.

Anyways… We are off to Pisa! In just a few hours out train end just a few blocks away from the leaning tower. Yes indeed it is leaning, and not just a little but a substantial amount. Now with a couple hours we are planning to get through the tourist things and then off to our next destination! Of course Andrea and I had to be the ultimate tourists and make sure to get our photos by the tower. The only thing is that they had the whole grassy area around the tower barricaded, this didn’t hold us back though! What is interesting about the tower is that once they realized that is was leaning they realized it they tried to fix. One method they did was to dig around the base in order to try to stabilize it, but instead ground water seeped out and created a mote around the tower and actually increased the leaning aspect of it… Seems to me like the approach if it isn’t broken don’t fix it hasn’t been their model whatsoever. We then went inside a Basillica and at the beginning of an hour a guide goes into the centre and sings. Now this seems like a strange thing but the acoustics in there are ridiculously amazing! Her voice echoed through the two story building. Afterwards we went to the Camposanto Monumentale. In the middle opened up into a beautiful courtyard. Along the sides were the graves both on and along that walls. What I found strange is that pedestrian path actually forced you to walk on top of the graves.

When we finished up our tourist time in Pisa we boarded the train to Lucca. The Lucy’s actually made their way to this town by complete chance and unintentionally their last time in Europe and feel in love with it. This medieval town is still today enclosed by city walls. When we got off the train we actually had to walk through tunnels and got into and through the brickwork walls to get inside. It was so cool walking into Lucca. Inside the town we grabbed a cold drink to cool us down overheard audio guys setting up for a huge summer festival in the main square. There were big name artists like John Lennon going to this small Italian town. We then made our way to an old chariot ring which now today has become a square full of restaurants and shops. Afterwards we went to the Guingi Tower. It is super unique in the town and stands out as it has trees that are on the top of it. We climbed up to the stop to get the view. I think I will be an expert at climbing towers at this rate once.

Our final train today is to take us to Cinque Terre. Or at least that is what we thought… There were so many delays for our train to get to the terminal that we ended up a silly amount of time. And then it happened to us again when we had to transfer to another train. There was nothing to do but wait, and grab some McDonalds for dinner. I’ve learned through my travels so far that you can always count on a McDicks aka McDonalds to be at or near any train station in Europe. Once we finally got in the train we were rewarded with a stunning drive through vineyards carved up in the hills. We passed along lavender and sunflower fields. Now this it the Tuscany region that I have seen! The train then climbed up to the cliff tops where we were able to get sneak peaks of the ocean! Once we finally made it to one of the five towns in Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore, we were so excited to pass out in our beds from a long a tiring Canada day :)

Today we went to the Convent of San Marco. When we got there we started to follow along with a tour but since we only had about an hour before it closed we spilt apart and wandered on our own. It was so interesting to walk along and see all of their chambers. I personally think they looked like prison rooms. It was a a little room with a beautiful painting of course depicting some religious scenes, and every room had a different picture. Only some rooms had a window that looked out to a courtyard and that all. Further down one of the main hall ways lead to their exhibition that showed all books from the thirteenth century. What I found even more interesting besides the impressive books that looked like they weighed at least twenty pounds each is that they explained how they were made. Some of the books are bound with dark leather and have large metal buckles, used to close the book. The pages are made form a lighter animal skin that is stretched and dried out until ready for use. The ink colours are primarily made through minerals. They start off with a basic colour pallet and then expand upon there. There were many different brushes made our of animal fur that were used to depending on the depictions in the page. In some of the books there are pages that have paintings with extremely detailed drawings, I can’t imagine how long it must have taken to not only make a page but to even creat a whole book! No wonder the general public was not able to access them. Some if drawings even had real gold flakes that were stuck on with fish glue. It seems like such an amazing art form that is now nonexistent due to the printing press and today’s modern technologies.

We had some time to kill before we went into the Academia. So we went off to grab a quick bite. I had pershutto?!? And me,on for the first time. Now I was a tad skeptical about meat and fruit together, but After my first bite I can see now why it’s so common here!

Later went to see our boy David! There are actually signs outside the Academia to direct the tourists, but instead of referring it to the Academia its ‘David’s Museum’. There were four really interesting statues known as slaves. Michelangelo believed the sculptor was a tool of God, not creating but simply revealing the powerful figures already contained in the marble. Michelangelo’s task was only to chip away the excess, to reveal. Therefore these four slaves are pieces of his that were never finished. Once we got to David and to say that up close and personal he Is bigger than what I imagined. Seriously the size of his toes is basically as it as my forearm! What is also interesting is that his pupils are heart shaped, now there is no way to actually see this in person since his huge, but I promise that it’s true! There were so many things to see and tell, but something that stood out to me was an exhibition where all there were was busts and statues. Yes of course they are interesting to look at but what I enjoyed was that they explained how they made plasters and created moles of the original statues. I got rather mesmerized and watched the video they had for about a full half an hour. That process is to complex, tedious and messy that there is no way that I can fully explain it. All I know is that it takes precision and patience. Another super interesting thing about the Academia is that for the majority of write ups about the art work piece they had another section that showed and spoke about the restoration that had been done to it.

After heading back to our place and grabbing a bite to eat and resting up. We decided to make the most of the day and hike up to the see the sunset at piazzale michelangelo. Now we didn’t know what time the sunset and as we crossed by the bridge it was such a stunning sight! The water had reflections in yellow, and red hues from the sun. With that in sight we quickly hurried up to the top of the hill and got to see the rest of the sunset. We found a place to sit down of the stairs even though there were hundreds sitting and enjoying view and one another’s company. Even though the sun had set the stairs were still warm from the sunlight that day.

Today Andrea and I went out for a walking tour. Now the interesting thing about Italy is that they actually have made free walking tours illegal, so instead tour guides have set their company or organization as a registered charity. I thought that was a fun fact, and it explains why there isn’t all well know group here. So after a Google search we found where a tour started and headed on over. Sadly, the tour guide was not good, no one was really able to hear him, he seemed so disinterested and was like he was just so scripted. We didn’t really learn much, but it was still interesting to walk around the streets and marvel at all what we would cover later on our stay. One thing that the tour guide repeatedly kept on saying was how those from Florence were born in the shadow of the Dome.

After the tour Andrea and I went on our own little mission to find the best gelato possible in our way backtracking to our place to meet up with her parents. When we finally got back to the house we recharged our batteries and then headed it once again to the Dome. Now the Dome is nothing like I have ever seen before! The marble exterior is in the colours of green, white and red to represent the colours of Italy. On our first attempt to get inside the church we were all sent away for having our knees exposed. Determined to get inside Andrea and pulled down our skirts basically to the point that we were the typical rap stars with low riders. We got inline for the second time and those monitoring attires didn’t even give us or anyone a glance. So we got the view of the church at a stands level and now it was time to stand in line so that we could climb up to the top! Now similar to the climb that Andrea and I did in Munich this would not be up to safety protocol in Canada. I have to admit thing that this climb was a hundred times better than that Munich one! What was really interesting is that here were little glimpses as we progressed fourth up; a sneak peak of what is to come. The further we got up to the top the steeper that steps became. By the end of the climb it was as if we were climbing up out of an attic. What a view we got! The colourful marble stood out from the every out stretching terracotta rooftops. In the distance I could see the lush greenery and behind the high hills that looked like they rolled on forever. We all sat along the edge and took in the view and also rested from that strenuous climb! Once we regained our strength we decided to head on down it seems like everyone thought the same too since the stairs are only one way there was a major traffic jam. About halfway down we walked down out to this circular platform where we were able to see the paintings up close and personal that were on the top of the Dome. Up above I was also able to see the tiled patterns all on the floor.

As soon as we got down we crossed the street and entered the Basilica, but not before admiring front door it took twenty six years to make and was designed by Brunelleschi.
It’s intricate carvings told a story form the bottom up. An interesting thing is that in the past those that who wanted to enter the Dome were only able to if they were baptized here first.

Afterwards we had an early dinner and then I was faced to get back to the reality of going back to school. We got back in perfect time for my class registration time. A few clicks later and I have officially signed up to go back to school. I don’t want to think about that, I still about two months before I have to go back anyways, so I am going to make sure that I make the most of this freedom while I have it!

This morning we packed up our things and headed off to the train station on our way to Florence to meet with Andreas parents. Once we met them we headed off to our place to drop off all our gear and then walked to the uffizi Museum. We had some time to kill before our entrance time so we looked at all the statutes outside. There was a replica plaster statues of David, Neptune riding a chariot and others that you could get a close up look if you lined up due to capacity restrictions. I was able to get a good enough view even without having to enter, besides we are going to see the real David soon enough!

Inside there was just covered with paintings and artwork! There was this really cool exhibition where there was photos of the back of a dancer or gymnast. The model’s muscles where so impressive and just so beautiful as he stood in different poses. There was also an music exhibition area where we were able to see all basically anything instrument you could imagine and some that I didn’t even know existed. What was also interesting is that there were pianos and I was able to see the redesign and structure of them throughout the years. Some were actually looked like organs in the sense that they were designed to stand up. Looking at all the art, I always find it interesting how a painting or sculpture is able to depict a story. Thankfully we had an audio guide with us and the Lucy’s were able to pass along some stories from the famous artworks. After working our way through the three levels of the museum we were fairly tired out and slightly relieved when we got to exit sign.

Afterwards we grabbed some dinner in the main square and walked around the streets. Eventually we made our way to the ponte vecchio Bridge and got to look over the Arno River. It is so cool since there are houses that look like they are perching over the bridge. We even got glimpse of the Dome peaking above all the other buildings within Florence. Then we made our way back to our place to rest up and plan out the rest of our time together! Plenty of exciting things coming up :)

Well this morning I was awoken to birds landing on our tent and shaking the whole structure as they perked. I also had some uninvited roommates of ants that were crawling all around and even on me! I somehow managed not to scream and wake up the others in the tent. However, when I left to walk to the washroom I stepped in a lizard! This time I screamed as I heard its tail scrunch under my foot it did manage to runaway afterwards so I hope I didn’t hurt it too bad.,,

Andrea and I then made our way from the mainland back to Venice for our day of Island hopping. Beforehand we sat down for a quick coffee and croissant, but don’t worry no seagulls attacked us this time.

Our first stop was to the island of Murano. It defiantly took longer than we thought it would to get there. We were under the impression that the boats that went through the islands were more for tourists use, but they are sort of like a bus! They have multiple stops typically one for each island, but sometimes two, one on either end. When we got there we followed the other tourists that got off and walked along the perimeter to a glass studio where there was a free demonstration taking place. It was fascinating! The glass master first of all is a job carried on by those in the family and like the profession that is passed down through the generations. Therefore there is no actual place or school you can go to learn. It also takes an average ranging between ten to fifteen years from the age of fourteen before you can master the trade. The glass is over 1000 degrees Celsius and when it is being formed it looks as though it is a soft and tangible plastic. Constant spinning, rotations, pressing onto surfaces and blowing the metal pole are the only things used to make the creations. In the demonstration it took him less than two minutes to make a figurine of a horse and when we were later shown to the store it was being sold for fifteen Euros! After walking around the island which was mainly just workshops and very expensive store filled with glassworks we made our way to the island of Burano.

Now I was super excited to go to Burano as I had seem so many photos of all the colourful houses and wonderful handmade lace that the island is known for. Back in the day when the fisherman use to head back home from a day out on the sea with a bit too much of alcohol there weren’t able to easily identify high house was theres. So as a result, their wives started to paint their houses in outlandish colours so that the husband could easily identify which was their house.Now it was so much more in person! The colours are all in array with different colour window shutter and curtains covering their front doors. There are bridges that allow you to cross the water and boats in the front of the houses rather than parked cars! As we weaved our way through the alleys away form the main drag the colours still continued on. We ventuakly waked the whole side of the island and ended up by a fishing port where all the nets were hanging from a day our in the water. As we walked back to I admired all the lace along the street stands, we got back on the boat and headed over to the island Lido.

Now by the time we got to Lido not only were we bombarded by tourists since this is apparently the resort island we were also starving. We headed into the first restaurant that we could see and watched all the tourists pass by who looked like they were returning from the beach. We went the opposite way of the crowd and magnates to find a beautiful beach. It must have been all imported sand but it was so nice and sort between our toes. After walking along the beach we headed back to the boats and we needed to make sure that we would be able to get back to the camp site before night. As we were on the boat it started to pour of course we were completely unprepared so we wrapped our scarves around our heads for just a little protection. From the boat terminal we dashed to the train back to the mainland and thankfully when we got off then train the majority of the rain subsided. As a out stop on the walk to the camping site we grabbed some of the very best gelato I have ever had and went straight asleep as soon as we managed to make it back to our tent!

Starting off the day we grabbed a croissant to go and headed over to the Doge’s Palace our way there as we were passing through the San Marco square and seagulls flew down and snatched Andreas croissant from her had and cut her finger! I thankfully was able to protect mine, and in the line up the children started to clap in celebration and laugh at the sight! We made it to the castle with no other interruptions and headed inside the castle. Inside was beautiful furniture all lined with gold and then most beautiful chandeliers I have seen. They were glass blown and in colourful and playful designs. Each room had a different chandelier and was painted or covered with wallpaper. What was really interesting as well is that some of the rooms had secret hidden doors that were used by the servants so that they would not associate with the royals and nobles.

After looking through we went off to the market to buy a whole bunch of fruit for lunch. Included in this we bought a quarter of a watermelon for just 2 euros! It was all so messy but so fresh and good! Again we went to our favourite little spot, the steps onlooking the water on the side of the market. Since we were able to get here relatively early unlike other days we were able to see the fish market. Well I was actually able to smell it before I saw it! It was fun to watch the locals buying their food for the day and see the tourists follow suit.

We went back into the San Marco square and went to the Museo Correr, which includes the library, and the Archaeology museum inside there were three other museums all within one building and interconnected. The library portion of it was so interesting, the books were form at least the thirteenth century, there were also maps and globes too. Canada wasn’t even drawn onto most of the maps. Then we went to area that had so many busts all of whom we presume were famous Greek statutes that the Romans obtained. Even though there were so many different types to me all the faces started to look the same! After finishing up we were a bit tired of museums, so we went and grabbed some gelato and sat San Marco Square. We then still didn’t know what at else to do, so we roamed the streets and somehow managed to end up at another gelato shop. With a different flavour of course. We then sat down by a canal and watched gondolas pass through. As dinner time was approaching, or as the Italians refer it to ‘happy hour’ since they eat to late here we went off to a tapas sort of bar where we were able to get all we could eat for just 2 euros. We grabbed our plates and loaded up of bruschetta, pasta and rice. There were so many different types of bruschetta that ranged from deep fried tuna, artichoke, beans, capers and of course with tomatoes and basil. Once we felt we justified our all our can eat we needed to cross the other side of the water so instead of walking decide to get a taste of a gonadal ride by taking a treghetto over to the other side. So technically we did ride in a gondola. We then grabbed our gear and made our way over to the mainland to go to the camping site that we will be staying at for the next few nights. No according to Andrea and the website this is t the typical pitch a tent camping. There are tents along with cabins, big washroom facilities, restaurants, bars, Internet cafe and pools: making it glamorous clamping or Glamping. Of course it wouldn’t be an adventure if we didn’t get lost. We needed up having to ask many local at shops, hotels and on the streets befor we got there. What was suppose to be a half an hour walked turned out to be at least double that amount and walking with our big backpacks in total of three hours lets just say that we were very excited to be able to go to sleep. Now it’s been quite some while since I have camped so we shall see how this night goes…

We must have been tired last night because we slept in till eleven! We both turned off our alarms when we were sleeping, defiantly not the place to sleep in but I guess we needed it! To start off our day we walked over to the market to grab some fruit to eat while we once again just got lost in the streets. We passed by so many local shops all selling a wide array of things; ranging from leather gloves, kitchen supplies to so many baked goods. On both in the middle of the streets and along the sides vendor spent up little shops mainly selling masks, handbags and oh so many different souvenirs. I have no idea how they are able to all be in business since they sell the exact same goods at the exact same price right beside one another. Even though the walls within the maze of the city block most of the sunshine within the city there are still pockets of sunshine that beam down and luminate an alley with an angelic glow. On other streets are fully exposed to the sunshine and were probably a reason why we weren’t that hungry! Making us to be true Italians who don’t eat when it is too hot outside. So instead we opted to gelato! Now this gelato place was set like a frozen yogurt store, self service and all the toppings you could want! We quickly ate our gelato before it melted and headed over to our walking tour.

What was interesting is that the tour focused on the opposite side of the tourist madness where the people of the island live. First and foremost I learned that the shape of Venice is thought to be as of a fish, so it is all around the city. Also Venice is compromised of a 134 islands with over 348 bridges! Liked this fun fact? Don’t worry have more for you! Italy and Venice more specifically was where the first ghetto for WW2 was and ghetto actually comes from the Venetian dialect for dump. Also the houses in Venice are always prepared for flooding. In the front doors there are metal plates that slide onto the front of the door creating a barrier against the water. These metal plates go up to my mid calf; also during the rainy season in Venice there are wooden planks that are all throughout the island so that people can still get about when it floods! Instead of checking the weather Venetians check the sea levels: if the sea level is estimated for anything 80 and above they then can prepare for flooding.

After the tour we went back to the same pizza place as last night and again grabbed it to go and ate it at our spot along the water. Judge all you want, but is was cheap, easy and most importantly delicious! Later on we grabbed our bottled Bellini, (yes that exists and want it back home) and some cherries from our market purchase and sat at San Marco Square. At the square there were three different orchestras playing famous classical music and people dancing,clapping and watching. We watched the sun set behind the square and as dusk set in the lights turned on around the square and what a sight that was to see and just experience.

We have made it it Italy! Our overnight train wasn’t the most comfortable, rather than having a couchette we had seats and needless to say a full train with people drinking the ride the whole ride I didn’t get the best of sleep. At least it was our last overnight train for this trip!

The train drove from the mainland over to the island and for about five minutes we were driving on water. The bridge was at a much lower level so that it seemed as if you were gliding along in boat. Once we we got off the train station just a few short meters away there was a canal and boats all in the water. It hit that I was actually in Venice! Even though it was water all within it, like Amsterdam did it was so different. We checked our bags in the train station grabbed a map and wandered the maze of the city. We only grabbed a map so that we could find our way back to the station. The street of Venice are literally a maze! We unanimously decided that we would not try to navigate our way around and instead let the streets take us around. The brick wall walls are no more taller than four stories and have balconies where baskets of flowers hang and laundry is hung across to the other side of the streets. We weaved our way through ending up at dead ends of brick walls, houses and docks leading to the sea. What is so strange is that on one street there would be no one but Andrea and myself walking. along but as you turned the corner there was every tourist in Venice! We were able to make our way to San Marco Square. St. Mark’s Basilica and the Rialto Bridge was sadly under construction but even then it did not disappoint. Restaurants were along the edge of either side and people were sat along the edges enjoying passing the time and watching the vendors and people walk by. We partook in this and I enjoyed a super cheesy calzone! We walked to this exhibition where all there was was life sized boars with red paint smeared across their face, defiantly contemporary arts that might give me nightmares! Making our way to the train station we went inside Basilica di Santa Maria Della Salute just a few of the many churches on the island.

We were able to find our way back and grabbed our bags and went off to our hotel. Yes hotel not like hostel, thanks to Andreas parents! Thank you Chuck and Bridget :) It was right along the high end shopping street less than a five minute walk to San Marco Square. No doubt that the reception was wondering why in the world two backpackers were checking in. After settling in we went to search for dinner, we ended up at a pizza place and grabbed a huge pizza for less than six months euros! We walked to where the food market was earlier in the day and sat along the pier. After dinner we went for a walk to park. It was so huge and reminded me of Stanley Park the walk was right along the water with plenty of benches looking about to the water with people running by. We sat on a bench with a view of San Marco Square and waited for the sunset. It was stunning, as we walked our way back to the square we set a new conquest to find a Bellini. An absolute obligation since Bellini’s originated here. Afterwards we headed back to our hotel and passed out tired from a long day with not that much sleep.