Switzerland.....oh....so...cold!!!

From Nice we travelled up to Switzerland....OH. MY. GOD....it was freeeeezing! We got off the bus at our campsite (yes, campsite!!) & we all went diving into the bottoms of our packs for our winter woollies! We went to settle into the world's most expensive caravan cabin (over $100 per night...eeekk!) only to discover that we needed to pay extra for sheets...& that was only the beginnning. We also paid extra for WiFi, money in the slot to fire up the cooktops in the kitchen....they even took $10 security for a ping-pong ball. We weren't off to the best of starts so we retired early...in our sleeping bags cos we were frozen!!


The following day dawned & we, for the first time, saw exactly how stunning the place was. We had arrived in the dark the night before & hadn't noticed it but in daylight it was certainly hard to miss. The campsite was nestled in the foothills of the Swiss Alps (well, Bernese Alps to be exact!), towered over by huge, snowcapped mountains & surrounded by over 72 cascading waterfalls. One of said waterfalls can be seen flowing over the mountain from our little cabin.....quite a romantic way to start the day!

Photo: The cabin was quite cute too.....

Photo: ....not so cute on the inside.....Fffff..frrreeeezzing!!

Now, though we had gotten off to a slightly shaky start at the campsite, it turned out to be a really lovely place to stay. The people were very friendly & helpful, we just had to get used to that fact that in Switzerland you pay for absolutely everything & it is VERY expensive! We ventured out for a relaxing walk in the direction of one of the main local attractions - the Trummelbach Falls. A quite strange freak of nature that is 10 waterfalls inside a mountain! It was $11 to go inside the mountain to see them & I can't see what it is you actually pay for but it was a very unique (& cold) experience all the same.

Photo: Glacial water rushing down through the channel in the middle of the mountain


The walk there & back was really the highlight. Endless vistas of mountains, chocolate box timber chalets & alpine cattle with bells. The houses are so cute & it turns out the residents can actually be fined if they don't keep their homes & properties maintained to a certain standard.

Photo: I kept looking for Heidi.....


The other cool part of the walk was the opportunity to see insanity in the air. You see, Lauterbrunnen is the European centre for adrenalin junkies. Base jumpers, sky divers, hang gliders etc all converge on the town in their masses for the opportunity to fling themselves off perfectly good mountains & plummet to earth. It was during the walk that we saw our first base jumpers. I should say we "heard" the base jumpers cos the sound of their parachutes opening with a crack like a gun shot was the first sign of the crazy bastards!! At one point one was flying down towards us & I swear his parachute opened only about 20 metres from the ground before he landed on his feet about 5 metres away from us. No worries mate!! Well, he was Austrian or German so I think that's what he said!!

Photo: Incoming......


We left the base jumpers to their crazy antics & headed into the tiny town for a snack. Again we were smacked in the face by the price of things. We bought one brownie, one sausage roll & small beer & a hot chocolate & it was nearly $20.....Phwooaaah!! It has to be said though that the brownie was AMAZING!! Wanting to make the most of the cooking facilities, we also visited the super market & stocked up on supplies for dinner. It was going to be Andrew's birthday the next day so I decided to cook dinner for us & another couple we had made friends with earlier in the journey - Zac & Sophie. Dinner was rubbish but the evening was saved when Zac & Sophie appeared after dinner with Viennetta & sponge cake for Andrew's birthday eve (they were leaving early the next morning so would miss the blessed event!). I'm not sure how they managed to sneak away & organise it & I hope they didn't have to re-mortgage their house (I can't imagine how much a Vienetta cost in Swiss Francs!!) but it was such a lovely gesture & a great way to end the night...after a few more beers that is!!

Next morning - Andrew's birthday :) Time for pressies. He got a limited edition, Swiss release, genuine, authentic....Swiss Army Knife....with a deer head on the front! Every boys dream, I know. The rest of the day was spent chilling out in the shadow of the vast mountains, drinking a few more warm, supermarket beers & more homecooking for dinner.

Photo: Happy Birthday to you.....


The thing with Switzerland is that we will have to go back....with more money....a lot more money! We both want to do sky diving out of a helicopter (the only place in the world where you can do it) = $420 each, take the cable car up to the top of Jungfraujoch (3,454m altitude) to the revolving restaurant = $177 each & horse riding through the mountains = $90 each. Yes, incase you missed it....Switzerland is waaayyy expensive!!

We left Lauterbrunnen for our spiritual home - Munich :) We had already spent almost a week there over a month ago but couldn't resist the chance to go back. C'mon, pork knuckle & beer in the park, doesn't get much better. So our return to Munich was fairly uneventful although we noticed immediately how the weather had turned. It was a bit drizzly & cold but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm for the place. I think the best feeling you get in a foreign city is when you can head out for the day, sans map & be able to hang around in town & navigate the streets from memory. Andrew was actually stopped frequently for directions from other tourists so we must have looked like we knew what we were doing & where we were going.

Photo: Cool modern BMW World next to old, original BMW HQ


We did spend an afternoon at BMW World (or BMV Welt if you asked the tour guide), which was absolutely fantastic fun. It is no surprise that I'm a rev-head - it was inevitable really - but this was actually something I reckon anyone could go to & enjoy. It is located in a fairly new, architecurally stunning building right opposite the iconic 4-Cylinder, BMW HQ offices. Inside the building they have all the current models on display for you to climb all over (or lose your hostel room key in if you are Andrew) & they also have heaps of interactive displays & things to play with. But, we were there not only to wander around the new facility but to join a guided tour of the manufacturing plant. We got to go into the factory & see them building BMW's....from scratch. We saw the panels being pressed, welded together (by massive robots) & then married up to their matching drive trains & other car-ish type bits & pieces. We also got to see them being painted.....incidentally, they use massive, rotating ostrich-feather dusters to remove any loose bits of stuff in between paint coats...freaky. It was really fun....except for that one tosser (there's always one!!) who wnated to make sure that EVERYONE knew that "he drives a BMW". He quizzed the lady at evey opportunity about what his BMW would have & if she said it should have "Blah, blah, blah" & it didn't, he would start jumping up & down about it. Very tiresome :) Unfortunately none of the robots malfunctioned & accidentally welded annoying BMW man but we still had a great time.

Photo: Andrew....learning shit!


So after a few days of pork, beer, cakes, gingerbread & beer it was time to leave Munich & also time for our last trip with Busabout......next stop Paris :)

P.S Daddy...I want a BMW!!

Photo:......this one to be exact!!

From the Italian Riviera to the French Riviera....

From Florence we stopped off at Pisa for the obligitory "holding the tower up" photo shoot! There is not much in Pisa except the Tower, surprise, surprise. Actually, next to the tower is a museum which is rather pretty but really, it's all about the tower. It's actually quite a bit smaller than I expected & it's not on that much of a lean so after a few silly shots & a bit of a look around we were back on the road - next stop Cinque Terre.

Photo: The Leaning Tower of Pisa....yep, it's a tower & it leans!!



Where?? I hear you all ask. Cinque Terre translates to 5 Villages. It is a UNESCO World Heritage listed National Park & it consists of the villages of Rio Maggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Varnazzo & Monterosso. The villages are all linked by a 9km long hike amongst the hills & clifftop vineyards.We were dropped off in La Spezia & caught the train a whopping 8 minutes to the first (or the last depending where you start) town - Rio Maggiore. It, like all the other towns, is a beautiful little hillside village looking out over the Italian Riviera...& when I say hillside, I mean steep, like mountain! We were lucky enough to be staying in one of many rooms owned by a local man which was only 50 meters from the beach.

Photo: 30 seconds walk from our room....& this!!


Now, before I go on, I need to qualify the term beach. We are talking European beach, so not a grain of sand in sight. The beach was a small stretch of rocks...the kind of rocks that require a 2 inch thick foam mattress to be able to sunbake. That didn't seem to bother the hundreds of beachgoers who dragged their foam mats, rubber-soled neoprene "socks" designed for walking on the rocks without burning/cutting your tootsies & coconut oil (yes, still massive in Euorope - seems so 80's) & made a day of it. We did give it a go but all it did was make Andrew homesick!


So we headed to the shop grabbed some supplies & cooked a hot meal (yes, we had a kitchen!!)....very nice. The next morning we embarkerd on the 9km walk. We left early to try & get most of it under our belt before the heat of the midday sun. We caught the train to the last town, Monterosso. It was lovely to see the beach so empty & peaceful, just rows & rows of beach chairs waiting for the professional sunbakers to invade the beach.

Photo: Ahhhh...the serenity!!


There was quite a bit of cloud cover for most of the morning & the sea was eery & grey. Then the cluds lifted, the sun came out & the water glistened & shone. It was beautiful walking among the hillside vineyards & looking down at the ocean or over the rooftops. The trail took us through each of the little villages. I would have to say that Varnazzo was the favourite but really, they were all so charming & cute. The sadest part was that most didn't actually have a beach (not even a stone beach). Instead the locals would lay out on the boat ramps. How weird. Can you imagine doing that in Australia? "Come on kids, lets go to the "beach", lay our towels on the boat ramp & sunbake all day!". It just wouldn't happen! Another reason why we count ourselves so lucky to live in Australia!

Photo: Now doesn't that look relaxing??


Before we knew it, it was time move on again. This time, back into France....Nice, to be exact! The drive into Nice was pretty spectacular as it took in Monaco at dusk. All those super yachts bobbing in the harbour, you could smell the money from the bus! The first thing we did in Nice was our laundry. The machine in the laundry mat took our money & wouldn't give it back. We had to get the rather reluctant manager to come & reset it which ended up working in our favour cos it spat out ALL our money & started our machine aswell. Sweet, free washing! Now, it has to be said that Nice doesn't have the best beach in the world - sand wise. The water on the other hand was spectacular - the bluest I have ever seen. I could have sat & stared at it for hours but we had a date with Monaco.

Photo: Phwooooaaaa!!

Of course Monaco is famous for it's millionaires, mega-yachts & Monte Carlo Casino but we were also there to walk the Formula 1 track. The first thing I noticed is how steep & narrow the streets are. I have no idea how those cars get themselves around it let alone at the speeds they do. I can't wait to watch next years race to reminisce about the streets......you know, "oh my god, I've been there!!".

Photo: Start-Finish line for the Monaco F1 GP


The track took us up to the world famous casino & before you ask, no we didn't even attempt to go in. Not only does it cost you 10 Euro, the security would have taken one look at us & kicked us not only only out of the casino but out of the sovereign state of Monaco! Remember, we are feral backpackers....& sadly getting more feral by the day!

Photo: The reflection of the casino in the "satellite-dish" sculpture opposite!

It has to be said that the real show was out the front anyway. The money that breezed in & out of the place was mind boggling though. Every second car was a Maserati & we spent nearly 2 hours just walking round & round the roundabout infront of the casino checking out & drooling all over the cars. On second thought, if we had rolled up in a Maserati I'm sure the Casino staff would have let us in wearing a Borat man-kini or toga! It's not just the cars that made us drool, the yachts in the marina were equally impressive. We played that fun family game, pick your super yacht......sadly some random couple showed up & boarded the one I picked so I lost! It was pretty sexy though...sleek & black, complete with matching jet skis & a welcome mat with the name of the boat on it. Oh well, better luck next time.

Photo: Mmmmmmmaserati!!

On out last day in Nice, we actually went out on a little excursion (read: booze cruise) to St. Tropez. Well, cruise is a bit of a loose term. Of the roughly 9 hour excursion, 4 hours were spent on the bus getting there & back, 1.5 hours was spent at a random sea side town called Port Gramaud, 2 hours was spent in St Tropez itself & the balance was spent on the boat. So by my calculations we spent about an hour & a half on the cruise. However, the time we did have on the boat was cool. I mentioned it was a booze cruise & indeed we did get to drink all we could stomach whilst on board. We also had a running commentary of the mansions we were passing from some random Irish guy (who, incidentally, claimed to have been the guy that the photo of Princess Diana kissing Dhodi before the world even knew they were an item....bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!!). We did get to see some pretty impressive mansions belonging to the likes of Bryan Adams, George Michael, the Hilton family, the Heinekin family etc and we were informed that staying in town at the time were Lady Gaga, Robert Pattinson & Kristin Stewart. Sadly, we didn't manage to spot anyone famous but it cool to sticky beak into the yards of the rich & famous.

Photo: Part of the Heinekin spread....



Once we arrived in St Tropez, we headed straight for the biggest yacht we could find - Lionheart. It was massive! At this point Andrew had a few beers under his belt & somehow he managed to coax out of one of the staff members to tell him what the yacht would set him back - should he ever be inthe market.....the guy looked around before leaning down over the side of the yacht & whispering "$1million per metre". "How many metres is it then?" asked Andrew.......60 came the hushed response! Holy Hell.....how does one ever have that kind of disposable income to be able to say "Hmmmm, think I'll go out the weekend & pick myself up a $60 million mega-yacht!". The scariest part was that tied to the back of Lionheart was a sleek little speedboat (called Lioncub - sweet right!!)......ummmm, $40 million!! We skulked away feeling slightly inadequate. About 20 minutes later we were making our way back past Lionheart when we noticed a leather armchair & matching ottoman set up at the bottom of the gang plank (I spose that's what it's called!). Next to the armchair was a timber box & it was all layed out on a lovely rug. As we got up next to it the "lady of the super yacht" walked off the boat, positioned herself on the armchair, selected a pair of sneakers out of the box, put them on & went running off down the marina accompanied by her personal trainer. Sooooo freakin weird!!

Photo: It was this big...........

Photo: Lionheart even had it's own scary guard dog!

And so ended our small glimpse into the lives of the rich & famous. We frumped our way back to our boat (which was a dog) & consoled ourselves with the thought that at least we would be able to drink as much free "Captain's Punch" (a disgusting mix of cheap red wine & sangria) as we could stomach on the trip home!!!

 

Photo: A posh person's dog having a ball.....chasing a ball!!

Under the Tuscan Sun..............drinking wine!!

Upon leaving Rome we set off into the Tuscan countryside. We made a brief stop in the tiny town of Orvietta. Famous only for it's ridiculously over-sized Duomo or domed Cathedral. Legend has it that during a service in the original church on the same site, the priest went to break the wafer & it bled. So of course it was the blood of the Virgin May or something & they decided to build this ginormous Cathedral in it's place to commemorate the occassion. The town is at the top of a hill & it was an escalator ride, bus ride & steep walk to reach the top but the Duomo was worth it. The most unusual style of architecture we had seen so far on any church in Europe so far. Very pretty.

Photo: The rather over-the-top Duomo in Orvietta...pretty though!

From here we headed for Sienna. It is most famous for holding the world famous horse race - the Palio. The reason it is world famous is that it is run in the town square - the Piazza Del Campo - between 10 of the local city wards or "contrade". The riders ride bareback & the only rule is that they are npt allowed to interfere with the other horses reins. The Piazza is on quite a slope so apparantly the most challenging part of the 90 second race is not sliding over in the corners & hitting the deck. The coolest part is that the winner & their cantrade are basically given bragging rights in the city. Their colours are hung from every flag pole, fence post & inanimate object possible & they party in the streets for days afterwards. It should be noted that we missed the race by only about 4 days....bugger!!
 

Photo: A corner of the Piazza Del Campo, the site of the Palio Horse Race

So we were staying in another camping village in Sienna but this time it wasn't quite as hard core as the others in Venice & Rome. We were at least in our own "mini-caravan" with ensuite so it was quite posh! The campsite also had an amazing pool but the funniest thing was the pool boy!! He was a dead ringer for "Are you for scuba?" guy, Claude out of Along Came Polly. He had the typical shoulder length, straight, super-greasy hair & the oiled up, bronzed body & he strutted around the pool area infront of all the woman like he was Hercules. Unfortunately for him the sunbakers consisted mostly of middle aged, pasty English housewives or snotty nosed kids. Funnily enough it didn't seem to put him off though....it was so nice to see someone who so clearly LOVES his job!


There wasn't much to do in Sienna which was good cos I was still sick. Can't seem to shake this rotten cough & cold. We wandered the medievil streets...it was a Sunday so all the shops were shut (much to Andrew's relief!). Just when we thought it was time to head back to our super-lux caravan we rounded a corner & were confronted with a mini version of the Duomo we had seen previously in Orvietta. Here we were thinking it was a completely unique style & less than a few days later we came across the same thing. I really do like this style of architecture & decoration though. The gelati in Sienna wasn't bad either...just incase you were wondering :)

Photo: Not bad, not bad!!


After our couple of days relaxing by the pool in Sienna we headed to Florence. No sooner had we checked in that we headed out on an evening walking tour of Florence culminating in a 4 course meal & karaoke. (Can't tell you how thrilled I was about karaoke....some would describe it as my worst nightmare!!). The walk was ok, the old town is quite pretty at night & we went to a leather shop where we were shown that running a lighter over leather to see if it is real doesn't work....turns out that if you hold the flame still for long enough, the poor cow, she burn!! I have to admit, it was the 4 course meal I was most looking forward to. Apart from gelati & the odd pastry, we have been living out of the supermarket for the last 2 months so a cooked meal has become a luxury. We arrived at the restaurant & ate: 1 tiny bruschetta, 1 small plate of pasta, one tiny piece of chicken & a couple of chips & one scoop of gelati....oh, & a thimble of beer. It was quite tasty but we were still all starving afterwards....oh well, it was a hot meal......how I miss hot meals!!


Then it was on to the finale....karaoke! The karaoke bar was called The Red Garter & the karaoke master likened himself to David Hasselhof, swivelling his hips & crooning away with his eyes shut. It was absolutely horrendous. First of all, nearly everyone in our group went up to sing only to find that despite thier song choice being on the list provided, The Hof couldn't find it so most just gave up. Then 2 massive Contiki buses arrived & the Banarama & Billy Joel got going. Needless to say that when the table announced it was time to go, I was the first to the door!

Photo: Florence by night!


Walking around in Florence during the day proved to be rather uneventful. It's only a relatively small city (compared to the likes of Rome etc) but we managed to fill in a day wandering around checking out things like the Ponte Vecchio, the traditional bridge that dates back to the 14th century, lined with jewellery shops & souvineer stalls. We had also spoken to Shawn & he had recommended an Aussie bar he had been to a few years earlier. So, we went out on a mission. We did manage to find the bar...unfortunately it was closed...bugger! We also found a really cool gelati bar where they did different flavours in merangue texture...so it was like eating raw pavlova flavoured with chocolate or strawberry & kinda frozen. Sounds strange but it was delicious.

Photo: The all-singing, all neon gelati shop


We also saw Michaelangelo's statue of David...well, the modern day replica but don't tell anyone it wasn't the real thing!! It was a lot bigger than I was expecting....the statue not the noodle!! The Duomo in Florence is also quite stunning, with it's pink, green & white marble....& scaffolding. The Duomo was started in 1294 & is the 4th largest dome in the world. I will never cease to be amazed by how old everything in Italy is & how far back their documented history spans. Of course Florence is also famous for holding some of the most stunning artworks & sculptures of anywhere else in Italy but we were saving our cash for the Chianti wine tour on our last day in Tuscany.

Photo: Andrew doing his best David pose...almost as good as the modern day replica!!


It was worth the money too! We left Florence on a coach & were introduced to our local Florentine guide - Irene.....not pronounced I-rene....but more like E-len-i...or something!! She was an absolute clown & kept us all thoroughly entertained for the drive into the Tuscan hills of the Chianti region. They are exactly as you picture them....rolling hills covered in vines & olives, acres of sunflowers & the odd terracotta roof of a Tuscan villa dotted the countryside. We stopped at our first winery, Torciano, & sampled olive oil, truffle oil, white wine, 3 red wines & a dessert wine with biscotti. We were taught the art of the swirl & sniff.....& spit, but we chose to ignore the last step. Now, neither of us are wine drinkers but between us we loved (& bought) a red, a white & the dessert wine plus both the truffle oil & olive oil. These people are smart, they get you drunk on their wine & then flog you bottles of it while you're still sozzled. We are both looking forward to cracking it all open when we get home....assuming it survived the post. At this winery there were also heaps of cats strolling around so although I managed to drink a fair bit of wine, most of my time was spent having cuddles. I miss my baby at home sooooo much...can you tell??

Photo: Pussy cat........


So we rolled on to the next stop.....another winery & lunch. Lunch was in a courtyard overlooking the families vineyard...spectacular!

Photo: Not a bad spot for lunch aye??


What's more, the lunch was as equally delicious as the view. Slices of ham, cheese, salads, bread, pasta...nomnomnomnom. After we had gorged ourselves on food, topped up on wine, bought more wine, visited the horses in the paddock & walked through the vineyards we scrambled back on the bus for our final stop of the day - San Gimingano, a medievil Tuscan town boasting the World Champion Gelati maker...yes, I was going to love this place. The town was indeed lovely & the queue for the gelati shop was in direct comparison to how exquisite it was. How can the gelati just keep getting better & better? I also had another reason to love this town...it was here that I spied the most beautiful, handmade, Italian leather (no, I didn't get my lighter out) satchel I had seen in my life. Inside the same shop hung a sign that said "If you don't take it, you'll cry when you be back at home thinking about it". The sign was right & for 30Euros it was a bargain.....that's what I told Andrew anyway!

Photo: The queue for the World Champion Gelati!!

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Florence. What a lovely way to spend a warm Summer's day in Italian the countryside...drinking wine, having cuddles with kitties & buying handbags....Perfecto!!

Photo: Ahhhh...Tuscany, you are beautiful!

Roaming in Roma....& other adventures....

The drive into Rome was largely uneventful....apart from another hit of rude Italians (we have learnt that luckily most rude Italians are confined to Auto Grill's....I guess If I spent my days working at a truck stop I'd be rude too) & a servo selling guns, ammo & knuckle dusters!! The guns were the weirdest.....for example a 9mm handgun for 60 Euros (about $90)....what the hell?? They also had air pistols in a glass cabinet out the front for about 7 Euros.....crazy Italians!!


We arrived at our accommodation - Camping Roma - only to find we were camping....well how was I supposed to know that when I booked it! We got a 2 man permanent tent....that's it...no power, no toilet, seemingly no walls....it was very loud! The campsite was quite good though with a restaurant, pizzeria, supermarket, pool, washing machines etc all on site. It was also here that I came to love the Italians for something beside their pizza making abilities....every single one of them said my name right...first time!! We would all queue up & they would call out people's names & they would struggle with the easy ones...Rebecca, Sarah etc. They would get to my name though & instead of the usual Adriana, Arianna, Airiana etc I would get Ariana in that beautiful Italian lilt! I actually told the lady who checked us in that I loved the way she said my name & when Andrew went to check out she remembered cos she said "That's right, I remember Ariana...I said her name right!". Don't underestimate the joy at hearing your name said correctly having spent an entire lifetime having it pronounced wrong.......simple pleasures people!!


Ok...so you guessed it, we started with a walking tour, only difference was...this one wasn't free! Turns out nothing's free in Rome. Luckily for us there was a public bus stop outside the campsight & it was here that we had our first gypsy encounter. The bus was quite full so we were all standing & at one of the stops down the road Andrew was caught off balance for a minute. As he was regaining his balance a middle aged guy made his way between us, as if he was going to get off at the next stop. He had his back to Andrew & in about 3 seconds flat managed to slip his fingers into the cargo pocket on the leg of Andrew's shorts without him noticing....luckily I noticed & before I could give it another thought I shouted at him *insert suitable expletive* & smacked his hand away. He looked at me in slight shock for a second then reached into his own pocket & pulled out his own wallet as if to say "Look lady, that's what I was getting".....he also jumped off at the next stop without looking back & disappeared into the crowd! Quite a sobering experience as we had been warned about gypsy pickpockets...but to face it on day 1, on bus 1 & only about 10 minutes from home was very confronting!! Apparantly their other favourite tactic is to get you in a busy public square or something & throw a fake baby at you. Then while you go diving to save the baby little kids run up & pick your pockets.....well they are nothing if not original! Needless to say we were super aware after that!

Photo: In Rome cats are honorary citizens....they can even vote! These old ruins are a cat sanctuary....there are cats in every nook & cranny!! I love Rome :)


Anyway, the walking tour went ahead without incident & we were introduced for the first time to some of Rome's big boys.....The Colloseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Pantheon, Mouth of Truth & of course our first, real, Italian gelati. This was to become a staple of our diet, often with many servings consumed in a single day! I have to admit that even with just this small taste of Rome, the Pantheon was proving to be an early favourite. I couldn't get enough of it. The way the light fell in a perfect sphere on the walls & floor was completely mesmorising. After a pizza dinner (NB still no photos at this point, hence officially still no pizza had been eaten), we retired to our tent.....& spent a lovely evening listening to 18 & 19 year old Contiki passengers drinking copious amounts of grog, screaming at the tops of their lungs & oversharing details of their holiday "romances"...all seemingly from inside the tent with us!! We have come to accept & embrace what old farts we really are!!

Photo: The mesmorising Pantheon

The next day was Wednesday. I share this because it is pertinent to the story...you see the Pope does his Popey public address on the balcony at St Peter's EVERY Wednesday....except when he's on holidays. We had been assured when we booked the Vatican City tour that he was back in town this week from Ibiza or wherever it is a Pope goes to kick back & it was with much excitment that we rocked up to the begin the tour on said Wednesday morning. The first thing the guide said was "Now of course you all know that The Pope is on holidays at the moment??"...well, of course we didn't know this & there was a very loud collective groan! Not least of all from Andrew who had been preparing to have his cricket club hat blessed....seems he is destined to remain a cricket tragic!! Anyway, the tour started & it actually ended up being the best walking tour we had done. The guide was amazing....the perfect balance between incredible historical knowledge & salacious stories & he kept us laughing for the full 6 hours that the tour ran for. The tour took us along the path the Pope would take should he need to escape & before we knew it we rounded the cormer & were confronted with our first view of St Peter's Basilica. A giant, shiny, white dome sticking up through the mess of terracotta roofs, the sun shining off the cross on the top. It really was breathtaking. We continued into the Vatican City & into the gardens & Vatican Museum. It is remarkable to think that within these stone walls is a country...complete with it's own university, law enforcement, postal system (more about that later) & currency. When it was time to enter the Museum, we first needed to queue up for the entrance tickets. Now, we had heard horror stories about Roman queues......picture thousands of tourists (many from countries who struggle with standard queueing procedures), standing in 35-plus degree heat...for up to 3 hours. Horrific! We were lucky & breezed straight up to the window & straight into the museum. This museum was not just impressive because of the sheer number of important religious artworks it contains but (for me) the amazing alfrescoes painted on every ceiling.


We walked through endless corridors & I ended up with a kink in my neck from looking up constantly. This was even before getting to the Sistine Chapel. I have to admit I was tickled by one scuplture in one of the courtyards.....yes, I was childish & giggled at all the staues who had had their willies chopped off during the reign of one particularly mental Emporer....but what got me more were the ones who someone had attempted to mend...not very well!! Very obvious scars left behind by a none too reputable plaster surgeon!

Photo: Ouchies!!

And so we made our way to the doors of the Sistine Chapel & it was here that we were warned about the Shoosh Police - yes, I believe that is their official title! When we entered the Chapel, the first thing we saw & heard were half a dozen grown men, in uniform going up to people, putting their fingers to their lips & SHHHHOOOSSSHHH-ing really loudly! It was hard not to laugh but I'm sure if we had we probably would have been arrested. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is amazing - that goes without saying - more because of the legend than just the artwork itself. Unfortunately it is in terrible disrepair, however it is still easy to see how beautiful it would have been when it was fresh & Michaelangelo unveiled it to the Emporer...even more amazing to think that he had never painted a frescoe before this one....now the most famous one in the world. It is very sad to think that it is not in great nick since the story goes that many years ago Kodak (the photographics company) donated many millions of dollars to restore the ceiling. I'm not sure if it was a one off deal or not but apparantly that is also why you are forbidden (also by the Shoosh Police) to take any photos at all inside the chapel.....not to preserve the religious significance of the site or any of those other reasons usually given at sights around the world....no instead it is because when Kodak "donated" the money they said that in return they would own the rights to the image & so would not allow anyone else to reproduce it in any form....if that's true it stinks really because the ceiling is faling down around everyone's ears & no-one seems to be being doing anything about it. I will admit that I did click off a few sneaky shots while the Shoosh Police were off shooshing elsewhere....well I nearly got away with it until I got greedy. Just as I went to step through the exit, I clicked one last time & whoops, busted...Shoosh Police about 2 feet from me...."NO PHOTO"....I just smiled sweetly & scurried off before he tried to take my camera or something!! Once outside I excitedly (& somewhat smugly) reviewed my shots....all crap!! Serves me right!

Photo: My best effort....Sistine Chapel


From the Chapel we ended our tour inside St Peter's Basilica. It is a pretty impressive building from the outside but what impressed me more was the inside. The way the light filtered in through the windows in the dome....similar to the way it beamed in at the Pantheon was just beautiful. It is such an enormous space too so we were really able to wander at our own pace without feeling like cattle at the sale yards. We spent about an hour wandering around including going down underground to visit some of the tombs of the Vatican's previous Popes. The newest being John Paul II, who's tomb is still watched over by armed guards who's main job seemed to be to shuffle the crowd along so that a bottleneck didn't form in front of it. Instead, should you wish to pay you're repects, you must step to the left & behind a barricade where you could kneel & pray to you're hearts content.By this stage though, we had been walking for nearly 7 hours & it was definitely time for gelati. It was in the Vatican that we discovered the best gelati....EVER!! Old Bridge Gelateria was a tiny, hole-in-the-wall, scruffy looking shop but it served the most amazing, fresh & cheap gelati we had ever tried.....(NB. it still remains on top of the list to this day...after many, many other shops had been sampled!!). I settled on my favourites here: Nutella, Morello Cherry & Limoncello with whipped cream on top......YUMMO!! Andrew would always have Mint, Stracciatella (white choc with dark choc pieces) & chocolate. Yes, again I had a religious experience with food....at least it was in a place of holy significance this time!!


The rest of our time in Rome was spent doing the usual stuff. We went back & revisited some of the sites we had whipped through on the tour. We also took in the Spanish steps (overrated...too many tourists (yeah, I know, ha ha!!), too many fake handbag salesmen & waaayyy too many gypsies), the Trevi Fountain (Beautiful!!) & the Colosseum lit up at night. I also managed to pick myself up some Roman sandals too......when in Rome!! Plus, we had bought Birkenstocks in Munich so I had to keep the cultural traditions going!!

Photo: The Colosseum at night...quite magical!


On our last day in Rome, we went back into the Vatican City so that I could send a postcard from their post office. I walked in & chose a postcard from the stand. Joined another queue for the stamp & went across to a table to write it. Andrew got great delight in putting on the stamp & we went outside where he got photos of me posting it in the Vatican box! Very exciting! It wasn't until we were almost back to the campsite that night that I was horrified to realise I had not paid for the postcard. I was mortified....of all the places to steal something. All Andrew said was "You're definitely going to hell now!!".

Photo: Oh no....there's the evidence!!

Finally......Italia!!!

Before we made our entrance into Italy we made a brief stop in the small town of Innsbruck, Austria. There's not much to report about Innsbruck....it's tiny, it rained & I was sick...the end!! Well, not quite! The first afternoon we got there, we walked across the bridge into the old town. The town is most famous for the Golden Roof.....really just a small awning over a doorway....but yes, it is gold. We were actually lucky to see it cos the next day when we went back into town they had constructed a giant outdoor stage for some sort of perfomance, in the courtyard infront of it....competely blocking it from view!!

Photo: The world famous (well, not quite!!) Golden Roof.


It continued to rain so I spent the majority of the next morning in the hotel room trying to recover from the bug I had picked up....plus we had a TV & it got MTV so I was in heaven! It's quite lucky we were in Innsbruck cos there isn't much to do there & the weather was crap so I didn't feel so bad about bludging!! I did manage to drag my arse out of bed in the afternoon & we caught the fenicula then the cable car up into the Austrian Alps. That was amazing! The whole trip took about 20 minutes & we arrived at Seegrube Station, at nearly 2,000 metres altitude.

Photo: The view back down the mountain from the cable car.

The sun was actually shining & the view was spectacular....all the way across Innsbruck to the ski mountains & Olympic Mountains on the other side of the town. (That's right, Innsbuck actually hosted the Winter Olympics twice in a row....once when it was their turn then again when it was Denver's turn & they decided they didn't wanna anymore...as you do!!). Being up on the mountain was really cool, we did a mini hike - cos that was about all I could manage without coughing my lungs up - & I also managed to make friends with the local mountain cattle. They were beautiful, complete with rusty old bells hanging from leather straps around their necks. It probably goes without saying that I want one of them now too.

Photo: A lone mooey in the shadow of the Austrian Alps!!

Photo: Get out of my shot Daisy.......Austria's Next Top Model!!

We sat outside at picnic tables & I had a delicious hot chocolate with heaps of whipped cream & we watched the mad mountain bike riders hurtle down the hill below us. Those guys were completely bonkers. They were so fast down the mountain that by the time I had finished my hot chocolate they were getting off the cable car back at the top & getting ready for round 2. Back at the bottom of the mountain we wandered around a little food market selling ready to eat food like crepes & corn on the cob & found this strange little fish'n'chips place that cooked the food upstairs then put it on a slide which sent it to the counter below, ready for you to eat.

Photo: Mmmmm....hot chocolate with extra whipped cream!


It quickly started to rain again though so we beat a hasty retreat back to the safety of the room (& MTV!!) where we retired for the night. Very boring! That's about it for Innsbruck though....except one last thing, our hostel was non-smoking.....apart from in the bar downstairs which, as it turns out, is frequented by many locals.....who ALL smoked! In the morning we came down for breakfast & a quick check over the shoulder revealed about 10 locals in the bar in the room next door, eating their brekkie, with a thick cloud of smoke hovering above their blissfully unaware heads!! Yuck!


So from Innsbruck we drove across the spectacular Dolomites Mountain Range.....& across the border into Italy. We stopped at a roadside eatery just over the border & I had my first Italian pizza....well, kinda!! Andrew & I have a pact that unless we get a photo of the "first time" eating any food, it doesn't really count......so in actual fact there were quite a few "first" pizzas! Our first night in Italy was in Venice.....unfortunately the bad weather was following us. We were camping but luckily in this case it just meant a caravan type arrangement but the mozzies were freakin monsters. We got eaten alive. We also had our first experience with the infamous "Rude Italian". Now before all my Italian friends get their voodoo dolls out on me, let me explain! We arrived at the campsite & were introduced to their card system.....5 Euros deposit on a little microchipped card & then load the card up with cash & use it around the campsite to buy food & the like. Sounds easy right?? Well, not so easy as it turns out. The cards (we were told) are designed to make our lives easier....eliminating the need to carry cash, eliminating the need for the various shops/restaurants etc to carry cash = safer for everyone! Not quite.....you see you still had to carry cash around to top up your card, everytime they rang something up at the register the cash drawer would burst open spewing forth wads of cash (don't ask me why) & when you were a bit short, you needed to top up your card with a minimum of 5 Euros....not convenient at all really! Plus the number of people  who lost their card within 10 minutes of receiving it (we are talking backpackers) & thus losing their 5 Euro deposit was astonishing. Anyway, that doesn't explain the rudeness. The people at reception were just generally unhelpful.....ie. they would roll their eyes at you when you dared to ask how to get to the bus station...you know how it is.

Then we discovered the rudest man alive working in the Pizzaria on site. At one point 2 mates had bought food from the restaurant...one had bought a pizza in a take away box & the other was having a plate of food from the buffet. The guy with the pizza wasn't allowed to eat in the restaurant so his mate came outside to the tables & chairs out there so that they both didn't have to eat alone. Well, the rude man had other ideas.....he came running out of the restaurant behind them shouting at the top of his lungs...."You can't eat out here, that plate is hot (???)"...then he snatched the plate out from under the poor guys nose whilst he was mid chew & ran off with it. The guy got up & pursued him saying " Hey, that's my dinner, I paid for that"....& that was the last we saw of him & his buffet. It all reminded me of the soup nazi from Seinfeld......"NO buffet for you...you come back...2 year".


Anyway, next morning we ventured into town...not before having the bus drive off in us when we were literally 2 steps from its door....& it continued to rain! I was pretty gobsmacked by my first impressions of Venice. Even under grey drizzle, the city really blew me away. The cobblestone alleyways leading off in all directions - yeah, probably the same as many other European cities but the canals just added a whole other dimension. What a romantic way to live...& how romantic to be rowed around on a gondola by a stripey Italian man who also sings....until I saw the price. Around $200 for between 20 & 30 minutes. Whoooaaa nelly.....I can live without romance!

Photo: Even on a grey day Venice is still beautiful.

As we wound our way towards St Mark's square the rain fell harder. (Note to Bec...it turned out to be easier than I thought to get a photo of the square almost empty cos no one went out there...they didn't want to get wet!!) Unfortunately as taken by Venice as I was, I was very undewhelmed by the jewel in the crown that was St Mark's square. It didn't help that half the cathedral was cloaked in scaffolding (as is the way in Europe in Summer!!) but it just didn't speak to me the way other squares in other cities had. Anyway, we moved on to the main canal which is behind the square & then down along the waterfront. After a few hours trying to avoid getting saturated we headed back to the campsite...damn you rain!

Photo: For Bec.....that's about as empty as it gets apparantly!!

Photo: The top of the cathedral


Next morning dawned & it brought with it a completely new kind of day.....beautiful, bright sun & clear, blue skies & what a different face Venice presents in fine weather. I fell in love all over again. It was funny in Venice because when the rain came out all the street vendors touted umbrellas with the inspired catch cry "umbrella, umbrella, umbrella, umbrella" over & over until it sounded like one word. Now that it wasn't raining though, they weren't gonna sit at home & cry...no, they brought out all their hats & shouted "hats, hats, hats....", you get the idea. Now, today's mission was shopping...for secret presents for a certain BFF!! Andrew & I headed off into town with a new friend, Christine from NZ....also a shopoholic! Andrew's mission was to get us to all shops we had seen yesterday & then out again without destroying the credit card & our mission was the exact opposite. So we shopped, ate gelati, took about a million photos & generally had a really lovely day. All shopping goals were achieved, credit card remained intact (just) & we made it back in time to enjoy the last couple of hours of sun by the pool. SATISFACTION!!

Photo: Beautiful blue skies.....

Photo:..............pretty!

Venice was fantastic. Just the right mix - great shopping, delicious food & a quirky personality........but most of all I loved it for being completely, drop dead gorgeous.