Rome: 11th -16th

On our first day we were eager to see the Colosseum that we have seen in so many famous movies. As we arrived i was blown away with how astonishing this building was, it truly was as good as you could imagine. Apparently, with the assistance of slaves, it was built in just five years. When we look at it now you can see that it had a huge seating capacity, and with free tickets issued to all the civilians a crowd of up to 50,000 came to watch the gladiatorial contests and public spectacles.

One of the funny things we learnt was that a lot of the marble has been ‘relocated’ (not stolen apparently!) and used on other buildings, hence many of the basilicas have parts of the Colosseum in them. The only thing that was different from what i expected was the interior surface, which now only shows the underground section where all the slaves and animals were kept. I think i expected Russell Crowe in a battle ;)

Later in the afternoon we joined a walking tour up The Palentine Hill, which is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 meters above the Forum Romanum. According to Roman mythology, the Palatine Hill was the location of the cave, known as the Lupercal, where Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf that kept them alive. Our tour guide informed us that although we could only see ruins, these were the remains of a three story high palace, entirely made of marble. Covering such a vast area it was hard to imagine. Ironically, majority of the marble from this palace was also ‘relocated’ and is now found in Vatican City. Despite some showers of rain it was a great day and we found the history fascinating.

The entire area of the Roman Forum and some places around the Colosseum are still paved with the original ancient slabs of stone. In some places you can even see the ruts made by the chariot wheels. In ancient times these stones were laid down so precisely that the road was perfectly smooth. Unfortunately, when excavations began in the 19th century archeologists dug up this road, thinking that it was a more recent addition and that the original road would be underneath. When they figured out their mistake and tried to put it back together again, they found they couldn't do it nearly as well as the ancient Romans had done. So now the roads are very uneven and hard to walk on.

The following day Sarah and i went to explore the Piazzas. The first one we came across was Piazza Navona. It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in first century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium. There were three amazing fountains that made it a great place for eating life changing gelato and people watching.

The next Piazza we came across was Campo de'Fiori. This is an open-air market, where meat, fish, fruits and other products have been sold for centuries. It possesses a lively, colourful atmosphere, surrounded by enticing small shops and cafes, the market opens early and is completely gone by mid-afternoon in preparation for its transition to an evening hangout spot. For the remainder of the afternoon we went for a long walk around the city and came across so many beautiful monuments.

We came across many of the continuous flowing fountains, this would have to be the only free thing in Rome, so bring your water bottle!

We also discovered an extremely ancient building, i can’t believe it is still standing. The following is an excerpt photographed at the site that explains in more detail.

On the third day we prepared ourselves to see Vatican City. We decided to walk there which took an hour but as we came up the main street you could see how huge and truly amazing St Peters Basilica was. As we walked into this building it was just enormous, apparently it has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. The design by Michelangelo is pure magic, you can see why it was regarded as the greatest building of its age.

The main highlight of the day was when we ventured outside, there were thousands of people crowded in St Peters Piazza and a man speaking in Italian over a loud speaker. As we pushed our way through the crowd we spotted the POPE! There he was sitting in a little window; people were hysterical, clapping and cheering for him. When he spoke in English he made a blessing, which we thought was lovely.

The remainder of the afternoon we spent walking in a park that overlooked the city, it was a great view of the entire city.

On the fourth day we were advised by Nadine to head to Trevi Fountain and purchase a pizza, a bottle of wine and people watch. Well that is exactly what we did, and by the time we stood up there was no way we were walking in a straight line. It was such an amazing fountain and legend has it that whoever throws a coin into the pond will return to Rome, so we rustled up a few 5c to throw over our shoulders.

In the afternoon we visited the Spanish Steps. It is said that in the early eighteenth century, after they were built, potential models lingered on the steps, auditioning for the artists who lived in that quarter of the city. In front of the steps is a fountain featuring the "Barcaccia", a large boat that gushes water as it sinks.

After sitting in the sun for a while we decided to head back to the Trevi fountain and share one last gelato as we were all departing and going our separate ways the next day.

My last day in Europe was an extremely peaceful one. Sarah and Joel left early to catch trains to their new destinations, so i got up and went for a run in the beautiful park Villa Borghese. After a nice breakfast at The Yellow i took my book to read by Trevi fountain, again i was in awe of the beautiful waterfall that flowed; it really was the perfect location to relax. I then decided to head to a cute little restaurant and have one last Italian lunch, and i was not disappointed, the food was delicious. I then dragged my feat as i had to return back to the hostel, collect my bags and head to the airport for my evening flight.

All in all Rome was the perfect location to finish off my travelling adventures. We were blessed with great weather, and there was just so much to do that we could have spent weeks exploring the ancient ruins and architecture. Excited to return to Australia to see my family and friends i feel i will be planning many more trips overseas as there are so many fascinating countries that i want to see. Some of the places we visited will be great in the summer and i can’t wait to return. For anyone who is feeling that life is becoming mundane, book your next ticket away, i did and i loved every minute of it. Until next time.......

Florence: 7th -11th

I was told by Gemma that Florence is the ultimate shopping experience and she was not wrong. We arrived on a Sunday and the city was bustling with people and the shops were packed with eager buyers looking for a winter sales bargain. During our first afternoon wandering the streets we were able to absorb the beauty of this city whilst realising that it was incredibly cold as the wind tunnelled through the streets. Locals said it usually started to warm up at this time of the year, but we were not so lucky as the snow started falling out of the sky (all the more excuse to duck into a shop and see what they had to offer). The following day Sarah and i were lured into the shops by the possibility of finding an item that we loved, only to discover that there is an extreme amount of leather goods for sale, the question been who was selling genuine quality leather? There were so many bags and jackets in the market stalls, with prices starting at €300 and the sales man going “for you i make discount...€150 for the pretty girls”, alarm bells go off, I’m not sure if it was the quality we were after. Nevertheless we stumbled across a lovely shop located off the main path that had the most exquisite bags i had ever seen. The designs were unique and the leather was from the same Deer farm that PRADA used, well we could not resist the Italian style...purchase complete.


Because Florence is only an hour from Pisa we decided to do a day trip there to check out the famous leaning tower. It really was fantastic to see, i just can’t believe it’s still standing. Of course like all the other tourists we had to have the photo where we keep the tower upright. The surrounding buildings were also really beautiful, and immaculately white, which made a nice change as a lot of monuments we had seen during the trip were damaged by pollution.

The last day in Florence was taken up with a little more site seeing in which we came across the Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge that houses a multitude of goldsmiths and jewellery shops, with its medieval workshops overhanging the bridge. The bridge itself was built in 1345, and is the only bridge on the Arno River that was not destroyed in World War II.

We also were in awe of The Basilica Duomo of Florence which was established in 1296 in the Gothic style and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th century Gothic Revival facade by Emilio De Fabris. It was a lovely building and really looked amazing in the centre of the city.

All in all i loved Florence simply for its vast shopping, great architecture and its delicious food. If you have the eye for something quality then this is the city to purchase it in. There is everything from leather to terracotta, if only i had more room in my suitcase!

Genoa (Genova) 4th - 7th

Officially the worst city we have ever been to. We thought been located near a Port would be great as its right on the ocean. Wrong. In fact you can barely see any water as there is a major highway, skyline and numerous factory buildings right on the water’s edge that prevent you from getting within 100m of the shore. So our first day was a flop as we tried to explore this noisy city, all the shops were shut in the afternoon as they were having a afternoon sleep, all that was left were the multicultural residents trying to flog you a fake Gucci bag and D&G Sunglasses. The only good thing was the ice cream parlor that we dropped in at on the way back to the hotel. So that night we decided to plan a day trip to get out of the city.

(Pirate ship in the Port)

(Lovely boats, the only thing worth looking at in Genova)

The following morning we ventured 30mins on the train to a town called ‘Camogli’ that is located on the steeper and more rugged western side of Portofino headland. The town stands out because of its lineup of colorfully decorated, multiple storied houses which face along the sea.

(Above: Coast line of Mount Portofino & Below: The town 'Camogli')

After a quick coffee we decided to catch a boat around to San Fruttuoso Bay. It really was very cute, with its crystalline green water and Genoese fortress ‘Castello Bonomi’ that was renovated in the eighteen hundreds.

(San Fruttuoso Bay)

From this bay we started our two hour trek up the arch hills that enclosed the Golfo and the promontory of Portofino, with spectacular views over the sea. Walking allowed us to discover the protected park of Portofino, with some areas up to 400-600metres high. The Mediterranean brushwood alongside the olive trees was cool and shady, an although there were some steep parts and rocky climbing sections the view was breath taking as we stood in complete silence.

(View above San Fruttuoso Bay)

(Sun shining through the clouds)

(Tired?? It was so steep!)

(Funny little car parked in one of the villages we passed by on our trek)

Once we reached the village Portofino we were again presented with a beautiful inlet that is shielded between the small peninsula that closes of the Gulf of Tigullio to the west, and Punta Carega which is to the south of the inlet of Paraggi. We were very ravenous from our adventure so we decided to treat ourselves with a nice lunch of spaghetti marinara which was fresh and delicious as expected as we sat by the ocean. You can see why this is a popular tourist destination as it is very pretty and filled with expensive designer boutiques that will satisfy the fussiest shoppers.

After a little look around we caught a bus to ‘Santa Margherita Ligure’ which was originally built in the 1300s and was extended in the 1800s. Upon entering his town you are immediately aware of the exclusive style a beauty of this town on the Riviera, with its hotels in Liberty style and its elegant villas. We decided to sit in a bar on the shore and enjoy a drink after our great day. I would highly recommend anyone to take up the opportunity of exploring the coast line as I really is easy on the eye!

Venice: 1st - 4th

The little island Venice is on most people’s travel list, so it was a must see destination while I was in Europe. Getting there was a difficult task as only one train left Ljubljana per day and that was in the early hours of the morning;

• So we set our alarms for 1:30am to catch the 2:30am train.

• At 2am as we check out of our hostel Joel sees a Black Cat and makes a joke about it. I said it wasn’t funny and that Black Cats are bad luck (I’m very superstitious)

• At 2:15am we arrive at the train station, and at 2:25 there is an announcement that the train is delayed by 150minutes!

• Talk about bad luck. So we had to sit in the cold with nowhere to go until 5am which none of us were pleased about. Nevertheless we eventually got on the train and slept the whole way to Venice, and Joel will hopefully not joke about black cats again :).

As the train crossed the ocean you could see the buildings are literally on the water’s edge and there were many little boats coming across from the mainland to drop off supplies to the city, just amazing. Our hotel was on the canal and very easy to find, whilst many people utilized the water taxies and busses to make their way around.

The first day in Venice we got lost in the Labyrinth and realized how much fun that could be. If you love shopping this is the place to be, so many beautiful leather products and Murano glass. It is hard not to spend a fortune especially if you are like a Lyre Bird and attracted to shiny things. So the next few days we literally just walked around looking at all the shops, Sarah and I found some lovely Italian leather boots and we all invested in a custom made leather belt. If you were not careful you could spend so much money, but I believe quality is worth every penny.

Life in Venice is very unique, the day to day routine is unlike anything on the mainland. You forget that the garbage collection, resource dispensing and food supplies all have to be carried out via little motor boats. Around the smaller canals are charismatic men dressed up in funny little hats trying to persuade you to have a ride on their Gondola, unfortunately at €80 we decided to give it a miss and spend our money on the lovely glass work.

All in all I absolutely loved this island, if I had more money I could have spent weeks there getting lost in the shops, I just love the Italian Style, must be my expensive taste. Overall I can’t wait to return to this place one day as it was such a treat.

(Is Venice sinking?? Take a look at the photo below. On our first day it was flooded)

Ljubljana: 26th – 1st March

Ljubljana is one of the main cities in Slovenia and we merely chose it as a stopover place to break up the long trip to Venice. The Hostel was interesting as it was originally a prison, dodgy location but really cool place. The basement jail cells have been renovated and there are now daily tours run if you want to see how it originally looked. The remainder of the hostel was brightly colored and decked out in many different kinds of wood, bedrooms were upstairs and a bar and restaurant on the ground floor, it was great fun so were happy with our choice.

(Hostel)

(Graffiti rat, really pretty good I think)

The first day we felt like getting out of the city so Sarah organized a day trip to a small town called Bled. If you were picking places by their names this would not be a first choice, but some other people at the hostel recommended it so we thought we would give it a go. We were blessed with a sunny day and after an hour’s bus ride we arrived at a breathtaking location. The town was built around this superb lake that had an island with a church in the middle of it.

(Lake Bled)

(Island)

After a lovely lunch we decided to walk around the lake and found ourselves trekking through the forest up to a castle that was built on a cliff face overlooking the lake. We got such a great view of the entire town up there, and it was so peaceful (nice to be out of the bustling cities), all you could hear was birds happily chirping.

(View from the castle)

(Island and castle)

By the time it was dark we had finished walking so we found ourselves a nice café that served a life changing hot chocolate called ‘Antica Cioccolateria’. There were all sorts of flavors ranging from white to dark chocolate, infused with anything you could dream of, fruits, nuts, vanilla bean, chili, caramel etc. They empty the sachet into a jug with milk and froth it up, it ends up thick and delicious, so now I’m on a mission to import it to Australia.

(The Moon as the sun sets)

The following day Sarah and I went touring around the city of Ljubljana. First we went to see a Mansion which houses photography, it really was nice as it was built in the middle of a large park. Because it was a Sunday it was packed with locals strolling around and children playing, unfortunately the display was closed for the day but we enjoyed the nice walk.

After an hour or so we ventured to the monumental Castle that was built in the middle of the city on a large hill, it was really charming and again like most castles gave a good view of the city.

I believe that the outskirts of this city are just like any other, but the central area is quiet nice as it is divided up by a few canals that give it a bit of character. It was not a life changing place but a good one to base yourself at especially if you want to see some really cute towns. The tourist brochures listed some other really interesting day trip options that were between 30min to 2hrs away, so if you had a week you could explore the most beautiful parts of Slovenia. I would most definitely consider returning in summer and exploring the rural regions of this country.