Arriving back at Heathrow was such a relief after playing the visa waiting game for much longer than I had intended. The aussie weather was balmy, warm and relaxing, but it is so nice to be back sleeping in my own bed, making coffee from my own kettle, catching the 88 to my 9-5 job (though I hate having our office in a basement), and catching up with friends over a pint at a local pub in Clapham.
G et al for one night only
My first night back also coincided with Georgia, Chelyn and Nadine’s last night in London. Thanks to the snail-like response for my visa, rather than spending a week with my sister in London (like we had originally planned) I had but a night instead. Nick had the lovely opportunity to share our flat with three 20 year old girls, and have the chance to show them around London while I was stuck back in Australia! A little confused thanks to jetlag, we spent the night with the girls introducing them to GBK which is on Clapham High Street. The girls loved the burgers, and it gave them a chance to tell me of their time in London before they eurostarred it over to Paris and beyond. It was a lovely evening, and I wish ever so much we could afford to pay the extortionate flight cost to go to meet them in Florence for Christmas (again, as planned). Unfortunately, the 500 pound round trip for both of us (plus accommodation etc) was slightly out of reach for me after not working for 2 months in Australia! I am still hoping I will be able to rendez-vous with the girls in another European city before they depart back to Brisbane.
The view from St Paul’s, finally
My second weekend back in London, Nick and I took advantage of the perfectly blue skies and spent our Saturday out and about. We met Mel for breakfast at London Bridge (Browns on the Thames) and then by midday we were a Borough Markets to meet Andy and Belle. We wandered the (crammed) stalls sampling the many cheese, dip, olive oil, chocolate and bakery stalls. Nick is now self conscious about accepting samples from the stallowners, as he’s frequented the markets so many times that he thinks they’ve started to recognize him! We ended up purchasing some Drunk Cheese, the others sampled the fresh oysters for lunch and we all lined up for ages for the essential Monmouth Coffee.
We then caught the tube up to Angel to visit the Camden Passage markets where one of Mel’s work friends has started a cupcake stall. Belle and I were so excited for cupcakes, it was bound to be the one day that her stall wasn’t there! Apparently Sundays only. Damn. We wandered the little antique market (so cute! Islington is so lovely!) and I picked up a small Christmas ornament as a reminder of our London Christmas. True, it’s our second overseas but it will be our first in London (while everyone else escapes to Europe for the bank holidays!).
After the markets, we headed south bank to Bank where we took the short walk to St Paul’s. A sunny day in London is not to be missed for a sightseeing opportunity! After living in London for 20 months, we finally found the day where I could climb the cupola of St Paul’s! We had gone to visit St Paul’s another day, but climbing to the top had been closed on that particular day.
The climb wasn’t so steep (it ain’t got nothing on St Peter’s Basilica!), and the view across London was fabulous. The only disappointment was that is was 3.30pm, and although dusk can be beautiful, unfortunately the sun was setting so strikingly that it was almost blinding us. And impossible for photos!
Christmas in London
December has been a gradual descent into the depths of winter: how quickly I forgot the usual routine of umbrella + mittens + coat + scarf + beanie + paschmina! Yes, it’s quite chilly here back in sunny London. But there is a feeling of magic, festivity and celebration as the grand L prepared for all the bling of Christmas.
The department stores, High Streets, and big brands have got their very best Christmas lights up, the sky high trees are up in the squares (including Trafalgar) and the streets are packed with Christmas shoppers.
The next twelve days will be filled with finishing up work for the year, Christmas parties (I have three for work alone), preparing our Christmas Day feast menu, and essentially joining in on all the Christmas cheer!
Departing London on the 7th October, 4 days after Mum had left; I arrived back in familiar old B-town to a cloudy (though muggy, not cold) day. It was a great surprise to have Alex and Georgia at the airport to greet me, though I was very confused and exhausted by the time I finally stepped off that Virgin Blue flight from Sydney!
Only 4 days later, I had collated all the necessary (plus some more) documents to apply for my UK Ancestry Visa (thanks grandad). I nervously sent it away on the 14th October, having already completed my biometric test on the 13th, and hoped for a speedy and positive response!
During the "visa-wait" I have been able to enjoy the best out of what I had hoped to do during my time at home. My check list of must-dos has been answered:
- Beach time (any beach'll do!) - CHECK
- Byron Bay trip - CHECK
- Verve dinner (including delightful $4 house wine) - CHECK
- Dinner at Valley Corner - TO DO
- Breakfast at Expressohead - TO DO
- Trip to Valley Markets - CHECK
- Night of dancing with the girls - CHECK
But other wonderful things I have enjoyed include: Breakfast at Little Larder (yum!), Breakfast at Salt (yum!), a couple of beers at the RE (god, it's been a long time), dinner at Lefkas. Plus so many visits, laughs and randomness with everyone here. It's been such fun! But I am ready to jump on my plane and head back home to London.... but where is that visa?!
On the 18th November (5 weeks later!) I received an email from Canberra to advise me that my visa is APPROVED! HOORAY! I expect to receive my gorgeous little passport, fit with UK Ancestry Visa, within the next 5 business days (hopefully less, of course) and then I will be jetting it back to London (hopefully will have time to visit Mel in Sydney for a day or two as well) via Seoul where I have to make a short stopover.
Now, when I do get to Heathrow and flash my new visa at Passport Control, I will be secretly praying that Nick has remembered to bring my winter coat with him to the airport.... so I don't FREEZE TO DEATH IN LONDON! Welcome home?
The ferry trip into Santorini is spectacular, and little did we know it was only a taste of the island – you enter the bay with sheer cliffs on your right (topped with a mash of little white concrete buildings) and the low, bubbling (just a little), volcano to your left. Abruptly, you are docked at Port and upon alighting you realize that you will need some form of wheels to get you up to the island: it’s a steep zig zag road that leads you to the island life.
It was hot, still, and sprukers-galore as we alighted onto port. Although we had arranged some special accommodation on Santorini (as we would be celebrating Nick’s 25th on the island), it was located in a quiet end of the island where the local public transport didn’t run to. We were advised by many Greeks that the quickest way would be to take a taxi! I was feeling unwell, and with the hoards of competitive tourists beating us down to each taxi that meandered off the cliff I felt as though we were destined for a long wait on the port. Luckily, a lovely Greek gentleman who had given up trying to sell us accommodation (we kept saying: Apanemo! Apanemo! But to no avail…) offered to drive us to Apanemo in his van, which was located outside of Akrotiri, for just 10 euro. As it was the same price as a taxi, we jumped at the chance and considered ourselves very lucky!
Apanemo
Our quiet hotel, Apanemo, was a haven. Located above Akrotiri in the heights, a selection of quiet greek villas stitched together by paths and an Infinity Pool became our Santorini home. Our warm welcome by the family who owned Apanemo was relaxed and delightful as they settled us into our villa. Nothing was too much trouble or out of their way. The pool was sheltered (albeit some big gusts on our second last day) and positioned so that as you swam in it’s cool crystal-clear waters you approached the edge that seemed to only be split by the white wall – to the Caldera. It was stunning!
Happy Birthday Nick
The 14th July, our first day in Santorini, was also Nick’s 25th Birthday. Not only were we spending it in spectacular surroundings, we had also planned to dine at a traditional greek tavern to celebrate his special day. We asked for recommendations from our hosts, who suggested a lovely tavern around the corner named “Aeolos”. Our hosts drove us there (and offered to pick us up afterwards, but we declined and preferred to walk), at our chosen time of 8pm, and it couldn’t have been more perfect: a traditional greek tavern nestled on a cliff overlooking the Caldera (the name for the crescent bay that held the volcano in its centre) and with uninterrupted views of the sunset.
We dined on tomato balls and peppers stuffed with cheese for our entrée, then octopus and gyros for our mains washed down by a local Santorini white. The most romantic part of the night was when there was a black out and the entire restaurant lost power! But not to worry, our trustworthy waiter (and we suspect he was head chef, and owner) come electrician had the answer with gas lighting and an abundance of candles to help us navigate amongst our pita and tzatziki on our plates! Alas, as soon as he had gained control of the situation, the electricity returned and the candles and gas lighting were required no more.
After dinner, we were so full we couldn’t bare a dessert but we were offered some complimentary liquor to ‘settle your stomach’. After settling our bill with The Waiter, we thanked them for a wonderful and spirited evening when the Waitor politely informed us: “You stay at Apanemo?”
“Yes.”
“OK, then I drive you home. Please get in my car.”
We tried to say no, but the Greeks do not listen. So we did as we were told and we let him drive us home! Now, that’s customer service!!
Santorini is an island of many wonders: beautiful views (especially from the heights of the lighthouse!), beaches of all kinds decorated in different colours and surrounds, volcanoes, tiny cobbled greek towns upon breathtakingly high cliffs, and most importantly all of this is –ACCESSIBLE BY SCOOTER! The only drawback to our scooter was that the roads were poorly signposted and so it was easy to miss a turn (well you do if the turn off isn’t marked!) or three, and it’s also difficult to remember which town you are heading towards to arrive at your final destination. But we found our way. And on island time, there is no sense of lost time…
We spent our days in Santorini beach-hoppin’, island-bummin’, beer-sippin’, pita-eatin’, and scooter-ridin’. (Beer-sippin’ and scooter-ridin’ were not done in succession).
My favourite beach was Kamari (the pebble beach) which we visited on our first day. We also visited the Red Beach, and 7 Mile Beach which each had their own qualities but my favourite remained with the pebble beach. It was refreshing, cool, calm and no sand to get caught anywhere!
One evening we rode to the other end of the island to visit the charming town of Ia, who held the reputation of having the best position to watch the world’s best sunset. The town of Ia is a delightful collection of whitewashed greek hubs of activity amongst a madness of lanes and stores. Churches are shoved into spare corners, bars are hidden behind half-doors and no walkway is complete without uneven, yet steep, stairs. After our initial wander, we decided to grab some quick dinner about 7.00pm as we had decided that sunset was closer to 8.30pm. As we tucked into our 2 euro beers and I enjoyed my eggplant stuffed with mince and tomatoes, we felt pleased with ourselves that we weren’t perched on the end of the island with the other thousands of Americans and Australians who were shouldering each other out of the perfect position to capture that perfect Santorini Sunset. At 7.45pm we headed down to an opening to catch the sunset just as it was about to commence it’s final descent – only to be greeted with hoards of people heading towards us! We’d missed the sunset! Oh well, we did capture the moon rise.
My last night in Santorini we visited Thira, the main town, and were very pleased that we had spent most of our time outside it – it was more expensive than the other towns (4.50 euro for a beer? No! We pay 2 euro!) and the shopping was less local and stocked with more designer ware. Ia was definitely more charming, but Thira did contain one thing that Ia did not – the donkey train! The donkey train is a path that leads from a small port at the bottom of the Thira cliff (different to the one we arrived on) where aging Greek men (or are they just that wrinkly from sun damage?) guide a train of donkeys up the hill who carry grains, vegetables and other islands goods.
We promised ourselves our Santorini Sunset after our failed attempt. Rather than fight the crowds in Ia for a spot to enjoy a simple wonder of the world, we headed up to the lighthouse where we were accompanied by a local dog who set up camp with us on the roadside (we named him ‘Sunset Dog’, clever, I know). We waited a mere 15 minutes as the sun sunk from the clear blue sky, and tracked it’s exit from the day into the ocean. Being an Australian east-sider it is a rare treat to watch the sun set into the ocean; and this day was no exception as the sun disappeared into the Aegean Sea. What a fitting end to an amazing, spectacular and beautiful trip.
Greece – I’m sure we’ll be back.
After the 3 hour ferry (read: cruise liner) from Pireaous to Paros, we descended onto the port only to be greeted by a wall of island sprukers, even at 9pm at night! We waded through them, ignoring or ‘no’ing our way along the seaside to our hostel that was located about a 200m walk from the ferry dock. Our hostel owner was friendly, helpful and lovely (I’m sensing a pattern here). We checked in an then found a souvlaki place nearby where we could enjoy pita+beer for 4 euros. Love it!
The Incident with the Cat
At the best of times, I am not the best person with cats. They give me the creeps, and so I ignore them; yet this only seems to make them want to come and sit on my lap.
As with some places in Europe, there were a few cats lazing around in the seaside café we chose for dinner and I wasn’t terribly concerned. I only became concerned when a particular cat (Nick named it Smoky) decided to come and sit at my feet and stare and me with cold green eyes while I enjoyed my lamb pita. Mum always said about my brother: ignore him and he’ll go away. And so I did.
It was only when a girl across the restaurant looked shocked, and giggled a little that it peaked my curiosity that the cat may be misbehaving: I looked over to find this cat crawled up on the end of my cane chair arching itself and leaning across to have a go at my dinner! It scared the bejeezus out of me!!
Nick scared him away (with his secret cat scaring method) and Smoky then went searching for his next victim, but I could relax knowing that I’d only be clear of being harassed again once I had finished my food. (It was the next day we realized that these clean and friendly cats are actually strays, but that the locals love them).
The following morning, Nick hired a scooter as our mode of transport for the island. There are local buses that will take you around, but that was far too much effort and coordination for Nick, and he wanted to freedom a scooter could give us: we could park, ride and scoot anywhere we wanted!
The scooter gave us access to beaches across the island: Kamares, Parasporas, Alyki, Santa Maria and Chrysi Akti (pictured L-R).
Our first swim was Kamares, just 2 mins up the road from our hostel (though the directions from our hostel sent us the back way and took us 20 minutes!), and we enjoyed the salty water, the crisp, refreshing feel of the water and sand between our toes! Unfortunately the two ½ days we were in Paros it was quite windy so some beaches were unbearable with sand whipping us, but the more protected ones were lovely.
One afternoon when the windy was proving chaotic, we followed a random road to the Butterfly Valley. Tucked into the side of an arid, and dustry dry hill (as is all the island), there is a natural rainforest where a rare breed of butterfly mates. It’s bizarre! They are of triangular shape when they are rest on a tree, chocolate with white spots; until they fly and they are a beautiful, brilliant burnt orange colour.
Our last morning in Paros we wandered the Parikia Old Town: an intense, cobbled mayhem of stairs, pathways, lanes, drainpipes, whitewashed cement, blue doors and flat stone. Bougainvilleas crawl up white walls, un-tamed; stores and home are shoved in odd and unusual places all captured in the greek island charm. If only life could be the simple island life we were becoming accustomed to!
At midday we boarded our ferry (read: cruise liner!) to Santorini. It was cheap as chips (16 Euro) as therefore meant it was first in, best dressed to get a seat under the canopy on the top of the boat. But it proved to be a great spot to watch the island world pass by….
Our arrival into Athens was very welcome: 40 degree heat thankyouverymuch. Perhaps not a welcome that most would appreciate, but for us the immediate tidal wave of heat that hit us as we departed the airport was a warm, and soothing welcome to our adventure.
Locating out hotel was easy, and although we were warned the Greeks weren’t than friendly or helpful, the receptionist come travel agent, tour guide, information desk, local advocate and water dispenser proved to be joyful, helpful and friendly. After dumping our things, we caught the Metro to Syntagma in search of Lycabettus Hill and, therefore, ‘the view’ over Athens.
Syntagma Square greeted us with news that the temperature we suspected was correct. 42C; hot, but not unbearable. The European sun doesn’t carry the sting that the Australian one does, it is more subtle and although it was very warm, the air didn’t cling to you and suffocate you as you gasped for more.
Albeit mapless (unless you count the somewhat hand-drawn one from our hotel we carried), we wandered the streets of Kolonaki in search of the cable car that could take us up the Lycabettus Hill. But with no luck. We wandered back streets and main streets, followed corners, stairs and crossed small squares. Eventually, we found ourselves at the foot of the hill where the only path to the top was to trek.
By this time, waterless, as we neared the top I thought I was going to die of thirst. But the reward of the view (and the two full bottles of water we guzzled at the café) reminded me to stop being so dramatic. (See what too many months in London does to your heat stamina!)
That night, and as we did the following night aswell, we ascended to the roof garden of our hotel where they served homecooked Greek Cuisine for a cheap 7 euros a main. It was beneath an Athenian sunset, sipping 2 euro Mythos we first saw the Parthenon (and Acropolis) from afar. Stunning!
The following day, we were up early to me Despina below the hanging clock at Syntagma Metro for our walking tour across Athens, finishing at the Parthenon. I had purchased the tour for Nick, (aka the ancient Greek history nerd), as little birthday present to celebrate his 25th birthday.
The tour was very interesting and we learnt a lot about not only greek mythology and ancient Greece, we also learnt about modern Greece, the attitudes of the greek people, and what has shaped Greece to be the country it is today. Not only did we learn all of this, but Despina, our tour guide, hates the sun; and taught us to always seek out the shade by navigating the tour from shady spot to shady spot, even to the top of the Acropolis!
After the tour, we descended the Acropolis to visit the Pynx (birthplace of democracy!), and also the Mars Rock (named by the Romans after the God of War, and also the place where St Peter delivered the first Christian address). Although I learnt ancient Greek history in year 8, having Nick nearby to fill in the many gaps in my memory of the greeks was certainly very helpful!
That afternoon we wandered the Monostiraki Flea Market (we picked up souvlaki pita for 2 euros for lunch, and a hat to protect me from the sun on the islands for 13), before heading back to the hotel for another cheap dinner overlooking the acropolis.
(Nick didn’t say much at dinner as he spent it sipping Mythos and in awe of the acropolis, a sight he had longed to see for a very long time).
Our last day in Athens, we decided to head to Hadrian’s Arch, Temple of Zeus and the Ancient Agora (ancient marketplace). Again, our shade-jumping became very useful to guard our skin from the heat, as did the many times we re-filled our water bottle. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt perpetually thirsty (but damn, my skin was good)!
We collected our packs from our hotel and caught the Metro out to Piraeous where we would meet our ferry to the islands. We received a phone call from Nick’s boss on the metro – Nick had finally received his work visa! It was this good news that we left Athens ready for the next chapter of our Greek adventure….. island-hopping, beach-bumming, beer-sipping heaven; here we come!
Thursday
MY BIRTHDAY!
After arriving into Termini the Wednesday night, our B&B host escourted us back to our B&B which is nestled on the west (nasty) side of the central station but would not cause us any concern during our visit. He checked us in – he had only just opened so everything was perfect – and then walked us down to a local eatery (not a turistico one, no) and negotiated a meal for us as by this time it was 11.30pm and new diners were not exactly a welcome sight! The meal was divine and we wolfed it down in 15 minutes before heading back to our leisurely bed….
The piccolo princessa (little princess) awoke early on her birthday as our dear friend Melanie had arranged a free Coliseum tour for us through a local friend! We had to be at the Il Coliseum Metro at 9.40, and squeeze in our glorious breakfast before then! Following our shower in our space ship shower, we enjoyed fresh croissants, cake, Italian toast, free cappuccino and juice with strawberries before heading out for our day.
We opted to walk to the Coliseum as it was not far – the equivalent of two metro stops. We managed to make it to our meeting place on time (after leaving at 9.15am) and then tried to decipher which tour group we were with! We found out home, was adorned with our blue dot and ear piece in preparation for Bruno, our guide (and a hottie, happy birthday to me! – sorry Nick) to takeover.
First stop on our (free) tour was the humbling Coliseum. Not only did we get in for free (thank you free tour), but we also skipped the lines! Our tour throughout the Coliseum was so interesting and worthwhile and we appreciated it so much as it’s not something we can usually afford to do. We learnt so many extra details about the history of Roma in general (we were taught early that Rome ‘means nothing’, but Rome means ‘love’ (or amor backwards). Following a lengthy tour of the Coliseum and a glimpse back in time to gladiators, lyons, tablets and circus acts; we then wandered past the Constantine Triumph Arch, past the Pine-Umbrella trees and up to Palantino Hill.
Again, free entry and jumping the queue was a great benefit upon entry to Palantino Hill. Just jokes! Our tour was not only a tour of the ruins of the emporer’s 40 roomed house (thankyouverymuch!) and extensive bathroom collection, but also of the area and of the many herbs that grow wild on the side of Palantino Hill that are the base to Italian cooking: Italian mint, wild fennel, thyme, myrtle, olive trees, fig trees and grape trees.
To the unguided eye, there are many many rooms and walls of a empire once so enormous only 50% of the city had to work (as the rest could live comfortably off the fruits of the empire without working!). We learnt stories of the Gemini temple, temples named after wives, after virgins, and the tomb of Julius Caesar (who apparently was never really an emporer).
I couldn’t rate the tour guide highly enough, and Nick loved the ancient Roman overload of info just as much as I did. After three hours of wandering ancient Roma, our feet were tired and we headed up towards Michelangelo-designed Capital Square (near Capital Hill, the original but now non-existent place where all roads lead to). We then checked out the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before seeking out a pizzeria for lunch near the Fontana de Trevi (Trevi Fountain).
The Trevi Fountain was very beautiful, and we secured our return to Rome with a coin over the shoulder (and as a request for Nick’s Mum Nick threw a coin over his shoulder to ensure she would one day visit Rome!). We also threw the second coin for good luck/good love depending on which tradition you choose to believe in!
We then wandered past Tritone’s Fountain (Barbarini), Quattro Fontana (the four fountains) and Il Repubblica before returning to our room for a little afternoon birthday snooze. We were very worn out (and slightly sunburnt).
Plus, Nick was nursing an eye developing in conjuntivitus, and I was trying to overcome a nasty throat infection that had begun the day before in London.
For my birthday dinner, we had decided to head back towards the backstreets behind the Coliseum and choose a local wine bar to celebrate my coming of age to the big 2-6. After a bit of wandering my heart became set on a lovely bustling little wine bar that had a spare table on the street. It was meant to be!
We took the table and ordered our many courses and bottle of Chianti – bruschetta, then prima piatti, seconda piatti, and an amaretto to finish. A key highlight was the drunk who set a fire in the street outside the gallery across the alley. Yes, that’s what you get celebrating a birthday in Rome!
Friday
We took the Metro to Flamino to check out Piazza de Pompeo – a very impressive square! It is huge, with an obelisk and two churches that are exactly the same that sit to one end. We climbed up the many stairs above the square to see out to Vatican City.
We headed across the Vatican via a walk along the Tiber River, across Pont St Angelo to see St Angelo’s Castle. After a tip from one of Nick’s friends, we were aiming to hit the Vatican line up about lunch time – a quiet time of the day when all the other tourists would be invading the many pizzerias nearby and therefore would leave St Peter’s almost empty for us to explore!
We headed back over the bridge just prior to lunch, and happened across a convoy of policemen on scooters armed with whistles, motorbikes, security, and a truck towing a car behind it. “I wonder what that was all about,” Nick wondered aloud. “Oh, probably filming a video clip or a TV show or something,” I answered non-challantly. After a slight pause, I asked Nick: “It wasn’t towing a black Alfa Romeo was it?!” (In reference to Angels and Demons, a book set in Rome). Nick’s response: “Yes.”
“I wonder if they are filming ‘Angels and Demons’. Imagine!”
We wondered further up the street, and took a table outside (read: half of the road, that the owners had blocked off with pot plants for diner’s to enjoy the courtyard ‘ambience’. After ordering a beer and a pizza each, we were overwhelmed by the storm of whistles, scooters, motorbikes and car convoy again as it raced towards Castle St Angelo. This time – the traffic slowed the convoy and the Alfa Romeo came to almost a stop right in front of us to reveal – TOM HANKS! Aka, Robert Langdon! There was Tom Hanks in the car, reciting lines quickly with his eye up to a microscope reading a piece of manuscript (aka Robert Langdon reading Galileo’s Diagramma in Angels and Demons!). When Nick had told me to make sure I read Angels and Demons prior to going to Rome I didn’t realize it was so that I could CELEBRITY SPOT!
The convoy circled our block another couple of times allowing me to point Mr Hanks out to Nick (to make sure I wasn’t seeing things), and for us to snap a pic!
Following the lunchtime excitement, we then wandered across to Vatican City to bring our plan into action. And it worked brilliantly: we rocked up about 1pm and there were a measly 15 tourists in line and we were past security in a couple of minutes. We sailed in St Peter’s Basilica with no problems and were able to explore the very impressive, and breathtaking art and architecture of the monstrosity that it is. Easy to see where all the stolen marble from the Coliseum went!
Nick and I also paid 5 Euros to walk up to the Cupola (it cost more to take the lift) but of course had no idea exactly how many stairs it would take to get up there. A LOT! And it’s a very long circular staircase you have to climb! But the view from the top of the inside of the dome – and outside across Rome – is SPECTACULAR!
We then went in search of the Sistine Chapel, and as it was 3.30pm we were running out of time – last entry was by 4! A kind Swiss Guard pointed us in the right direction when I asked him ever so kindly if he could let us know how to get there (quickly). Again, as it was 3.45pm when we arrived at the entry of Musei Vaticano, there was no line but the Museum wasn’t due to close until 6pm so we had plenty of time.
The collection and arrangement of the art held within the Museum is amazing. Many of the great artists have works that are owned and held by this museum, including the Bellini (or was it Raphael?) sculptures that had their ‘boy parts’ removed so as not to ‘tempt’ the cardinals; and then the later sculptures had their ‘boy parts’ “tastefully” hidden by a leaf. Hmm, subtle non?
Of course, the many rooms and passages filled with loads of Renaissance and Impressionist Art leads to the most amazing and wondrous of all: the Sistine Chapel.
There, with our very own eyes we were able to see the brilliance and amazing work of Michaelangelo. Everyone stands there with eyes glued to the ceiling.
The most curious part of the experience are the Swiss Guards: one in particular was a tyrant of the Sistine Chapel. ‘YOU! YOU, I SEE YOU! PUT THE CAM-E-RA DOWN! CAM-E-RA DOWN! NOW!’ Needless to say cameras are banned (buy a postcard people!).
Not to mention the woman he confronted who was wearing a singlet top (‘You are in a CHURCH. Cover yourself. Show some respect), or the inevitable SILENCE! (‘Shh’ was obviously not part of his vocabulary).
The Metro trip back to Termini was reminiscent of London in peak hour: packed. We changed at home and then caught the Metro to Circus Massimo to see Palantino Hill by dusk before discovering Trastevere and a restaurant there for dinner. It was a gorgeous little area, and an amazing little restaurant. Bellissimo!
Saturday
After a bit of sleep in, we headed out about 11am to the Spanish Steps (crowded), down via Condotti (the shopping strip) towards Colonna Piaza and Templo Adriana (unfortunately under refurbishment). Next stop was the Pantheon.
The Pantheon (I love churches with free entry) was amazing. Not only the architecture of it, but also it houses Raphael’s tomb and demonstrates that the church was a Pagan Church that was converted to a Christian Church. Now that’s an old building! And it’s remarkably good condition.
Lunch was a backstreet trattoria behind Piazza Navona. I was looking forward to checking out this Piazza (arguably the most beautiful in Rome) however the central sculpture by Bellini turned out to be under restoration until about 2010, and it is covered up by so much scaffolding and wire you feel as though you are just looking at a building site (not a piece of art). Luckily we threw that coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure we would be back to Rome to see if post-face lift!
The afternoon was spent wandering Trastevere and Rome between lanes, and backstreets while enjoying some divine Gelati! OMG! It was so very very good!
A brief visit to the Rome Rose Gardens, promised as the ‘most beautiful in Rome’ were a little disappointing as they were more wild rose gardens – a few dead, a few weeds, a few wild vines, and some very beautiful roses for those that were surviving the elements.
We picked up a couple of bottles of wine (it’s so cheap in Italy!) to enjoy before heading out to dinner that night. We were going to eat just behind the Trevi Fountain as Nick wanted to see it by night. After two bottles of wine, we headed into town and were surprised how many people were there by night. It was packed!
We found a beautiful restaurant named ‘Dune’ where we enjoyed the most beautiful Italian meal of all. I enjoyed Canelloni for my First, and Chicken Tequila for my second course. It was so scrumptious!
We finished up at dinner by 10pm, but as we approached the Metro station it was all closed up! So we had to take a taxi home, but luckily it was not far and only cost us 8 Euro to make it back to Termini.
Sunday
After a little lazy sleep in, we enjoyed our last shower in a space-shuttle shower and completed some local errands (sending postcards, withdrawing cash to pay for our room) in the sprinkling rain. We were glad that the weather had been so good during our stay in beautiful Rome.
We took the Metro out to try and see some Roman Baths, but as it was past the expanse of our free map, we ended up wandering the streets of Rome and not finding the baths until it was time for us to head back to the B&B to make the trip home to London…..
I hope that promised return to Roma is sooner rather than later! I (heart) Roma!
The Dorf
18th April, my first visit to the Dorf to visit Nick and my first Autobahn experience. Nick collected me from Weeze (great work Ryanair: an airport an hour by car outside of Dusseldorf!) when I arrived at 11.30pm and we drove back into the Dorf. Of course, it proved to be slightly challenging at 1am when we accidentally took an exit too soon – with no map – and Nick having no idea what suburb he was living in! We were definitely happy to see Prinzalee Tram Stop, the only local marker near his apartment that Nick knew well!
Although Saturday was overcast, we caught the U-Bahn (tram) into the city so that I could see the wonders of the Dorf. It’s a beautifully clean and pleasant city, a lovely and livable place, with happy and polite citizens. We wandered up the ‘fancy street with designer shops’ then across town to the ‘old city’ and along the Rhein. Nick had planned on taking me to a large pub in the old city where the barmaids rolled the kegs along the bar floor to change them, but it was bursting at the seams by 12 with locals guzzling pints of dark beer! So instead we walked down to the Rhein where a load of restaurants are nestled against the Riverbank. We dined on some local delicacies: pork, cabbage, potatoes (leaving the sauerkraut to the side) washed down by the local dark beer (a sign of the fierce rivalry between north and south: only southerners in Cologne drink light beer).
The remainder of the day was spent exploring more of the city, including the Mirror Building (I’m sure the architects among us would appreciate it more than I could, but still weird and amazing), the TV tower and the many gardens and parks that Dusseldorf has to offer.
Our final adventure of the day was a trip to the supermarket. Nick requested I whip up some Chicken Penang (seeing as he had only managed to master 3 dishes by shopping in Dusseldorf: Pork Stir Fry, Spaghetti Bola-pork, Frozen Pizza). The challenge was finding the asian products in the supermarket. We walked out truiumphant: with all ingredients except fish sauce (but it would taste close enough to the real thing).
3rd May I arrived in the Dorf for the second time. I flew into Cologne-Bonn airport where Nick met me for the short train trip back to the Dorf. The automatic train ticket machines had proved to be quite a challenge for Nick but I didn’t want to let them beat me – until it kept giving me timetables instead of tickets, and the train we had to catch rolled up! We jumped on as Nick had never come across a ticket inspectors and we decided our non-German was an advantage. The bad news was that for the first time ever, a ticket inspector came through the train, but the good news was her English was minimal and just sold us a ticket without fine or a tut-tut-tut for not buying a ticket.
On our way home, we stopped in at the Big Pub that we had tried to get into for lunch on my first visit and ordered some lunch beers. We received the menu (from the only waiter who spoke English), and were slightly disappointed by the lack of pork knees, roast pork, and big meat meals in general. We opted for pork meat on bread (imagining a roast pork sandwich idea) and enjoyed the spring weather. Our lunch meals arrived: to what looked like raw pork on bread rolls – cold! Nick and I both hesitated, then figured if we were to have salmonella poisoning from raw meat, we would go down together! But it tasted more like pate than raw meat, so our accidental ordering was a success…. (and no food poisoning)!
Three weeks on from my previous visit, the Dorf was now in full bloom, with plenty of green leaves and sunshine. That afternoon we headed back into town after dropping my things off to enjoy the balmy spring weather and in search of a classic German dinner venue. We spotted one, and returned to enjoy some classic German meals for dinner, meanwhile spying the Dusseldorf Party Bus – by pedal operation only!
Aachen
On Sunday, we headed out to the town of Aachen, nestled on three borders (Belgium, Netherlands, Germany) to spend the day in a little German town. And little it was.
The town streets were very quiet, the people were scarce, but we found our way from the train station to the main centre of town by accident, though knowing that heading towards a big cathedral would most probably help us find the town centre!
A local jazz band was gigging it up at the front of the cathedral, while what seemed like all the town enjoyed a coffee and cake in the shade of the local trees by the café. We then wandered through the many small lanes spying the local artistic water fountains, churches, impressive old buildings and flower gardens. It was warm, pleasant, and everyone was eating ice cream!
Koln
After too much of a sleep in, I hurriedly packed my stuff and then we headed back to Cologne for a mosy before catching my plane at 3.30pm. We crammed in a few must-sees: the impressive cathedral, the bridge, the Rhein, a wander through the local old town and most importantly – lunch!
Well, lunch seemed like a good idea with plenty of time when we ordered. We enjoyed a light beer (the pride of Koln), and some schnitzel, only to realize upon wolfing that down and arriving at the train station the next train was at 2.40pm, and then train ride would take 20 mins. Check in closed at 3pm! How was I finding myself running for a departure flight in Germany again?!
As the train pulled into the airport, the race was on as Nick and I bolted up the station and through the airport, continuously taking wrong turns and bolting up flights of escalators. Unfortunately, check in was on the very top floor, but fortunately there was still one passenger checking in at 3.03pm when I ran up to the desk panting and puffing (must really adopt a fitness strategy rather than always running for flights). It was another quick goodbye for Nick and I as we re-assured ourselves he would be back in London by the end of that week… Hmm.
