London Calling

With Paris done and dusted it was time for our final leg of our spectacular five week adventure.

Just a little pit stop in London before heading down to Portsmouth for our last night together.

:(

Touching down in London was strange as I felt like I was home..... Well as close as I will get to home for the time being.

Unfortunately we only had two half days so a quick look at Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, a glimpse of the outside of Madame Tussauds (the line was 2 hours long), taxi rides through all of the major parks, exploring Harrods and Selfridges and strolling down Oxford street. Lunch at two typically English pubs, fish and chips and burgers on the menu and of course getting drenched in some typically English weather, it was a great taster of London. 

The highlight. Dinner at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant PETRUS. 

I was absolutely spoilt and completely lost for words. The level of fine dining was extraordinary and I never have and probably never will experience something as breathtakingly wonderful. 

We were treated like royalty and we felt like it too. 

Deciding to go for the taster menu, we were treated to all of the top dishes within the restaurant. All of which got better and better, until we reached the finale. 

A chocolate sphere with milk ice cream and honeycomb.

Now, when you think chocolate sphere, you think a ball of chocolate.

This was a silky smooth ball that looked like a metal container sitting on top of a small amount of melted icecream. THEN. The waiter proceeded to pour a hot chocolate sauce over the ball, gradually it melted away until you could see a tiny scoop of icecream through the crack in the top, which got bigger and bigger until all of the icecream was visible, and all of the melted chocolate surrounding it. THEN, as you dipped your spoon in underneath the icecream gave way to reveal a deliciously smooth chocolate mouse with snippets of honeycomb scattered throughout. 

UNBELIEVABLE.  

It was a truly incredible experience one which I will never forget. 

After a little more sightseeing the next day, we caught the train down to Portsmouth so that I could show H my home town for the last eight months and also load him up with some luggage to take home (cheeky aren't I). We went to Jamie's a Italian last night which was once again, a beautiful dining experience, and headed out for a traditional English breakfast this morning and some pie, mash and mushy peas for lunch, yet another signature English dish. Having travelled for nearly five weeks straight we were both exhausted so decided just to take it easy and enjoy each other's company. 

I am and always will be so grateful to have found someone so wonderful, that can share with me my adventures and share in the joy that we have found in each place we have spent time in. Five weeks with someone 24 hours a day is a good tester on a relationship.... Poor poor man.... What a champion. I can say that the time I spend away from him for this short time now, will be the hardest, because I have realised that I never want to be apart from him again. Grab the tissues. 

What a journey we have shared and what a fire it has ignited for our future travels. 

2015 holidays are already being planned ;)

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my time abroad these past few weeks as much as I have loved writing about it, there is no greater joy for me, than sharing and hopefully inspiring others to chase their dreams and explore the world. There is so much to see, everywhere. 

From Paris...... With love.

Touching down in Paris was a very surreal experience, who doesn't want to go to Paris?
Arriving at our hotel we were not disappointed as we were offered drinks and a relax in the sauna upon arrival..... We regretfully declined as we were itching to explore. We were told to return in two hours and our room would be ready for us..... But the room was a secret, as Secret de Paris is known for its Parisian themed rooms. The Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, the Musee de'Orsay, the Opera Garnier, the Trocadero and the Artists Studio...... As we picked the concept experience we got to change rooms every night! We were lucky enough to stay in the Trocadero, the Moulin Rouge and the Eiffel Tower rooms, our favourite being the Eiffel Tower room.

The staff at our hotel were exceptional and made our stay in Paris unbelievable, upon their recommendation we headed for lunch a good twenty minute walk from the hotel, a small town on top of a hill that overlooked all of Paris below (we could see the Eiffel Tower!!!!).
After wandering past the Moulin Rouge and what is known as the red light district of Paris, due to the ridiculous amount of naughty shops stretching one by one on either side (you have to expect it, it's Paris) we finally made our way up the hill. Not stopping in between thankyou very much. As we reached the top the narrow streets were filled with tiny shops and bustling restaurants and we automatically knew that this was the place to eat in Paris, not for tourists but for the locals. Filled with families and groups of friends and filled with lots of laughter and lots of French! Our waiter was brilliant as we explained what we wanted to order making sure we finished with a 'Merci beaucoup' (thankyou very much). We decided on a meat platter to share followed by a salad of goats cheese, walnuts and figs for me and a juicy steak for H. Exploring the shops on our way back to the hotel we made a quick stop there before continuing down the road to the shops. Man ohhhhh man, Paris knows how to do designer labels. You name it they have it and it's usually at least seven storeys high.... And includes a fashion parade of the latest collection on the top floor. After coming from Greece with weather in the 40's to Paris with weather in the 20's we were a little chilly and I neglected to pack any warm clothing, so a quick trip to H&M was in order to grab some tights and a couple of jumpers to get me through the next few days in the cold..... ;)

Dinner that night was spent with H's cousin and his wife at a beautiful French restaurant. Frog legs,  pork and creme caramel were on the menu and I happily devoured each! Surprisingly the frog legs were absolutely delicious. Ribet Ribet. After dinner we decided to check out the Parisian nightlife and visited a cocktail bar called Prescription. It was a beautiful walk, right beside Notre Dame completely illuminated against the pitch black sky, right along the river, passing the love lock bridge and watching all of the restaurants and bars lights twinkle in the reflection of the water. Standing outside Prescription I was a little concerned about entering, with four huge African American men in black suits guarding the door, the place was a black building with black curtains..... You couldn't see inside and you couldn't hear anything..... We walked up to the door and after a few words were exchanged with the men they decided we were ok to enter.... Opening the door one of them announced 'welcome to Prescription' and we were hurried inside.

The music was pumping, the place was packed and the barmen cheered as we made our way to the over, handing us menus and clapping along. It was dimly lit, two storeys, with a winding staircase and wallpapered interior, it was like we had gone back in time and I could imagine all the men in suits with cigars and the women in their fancy dresses and loaded jewellery lounging on the chairs sipping their martinis. What a place! A 'smokey piña' later, we wandered out and after some deliberating decided to call it a night and cab it back to our hotels. And what a cab experience it was, our driver, an older lady couldn't speak much English at all and was rambling on like a crazy person the entire time. She started by singing along to the radio, before making strange noises with her tongue, calling a man and talking to him in French (sounded quite heated), we decided to ask her if she knew where she had to take us and she replied with yes yes I know I know.... Exclaiming France is beautiful France is beautiful which was starting to convince me that she was with a mafia and we were going to be taken....just like the movie.... Finally we made it to the hotel and I got out of the car 
as quick as I could, with H laughing at how crazy she was we didn't even bother to wait for the 
change!

Day two in Paris was filled with sightseeing. The Louvre, the Arch di Triomphe and a bus tour that took us all around the main sights of Paris. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the palace of Versailles as it was quite a distance from the city of Paris and would take at least a whole day to see in it's entirety!! The Louvre was even better than what I imagined, it was absolutely enormous, in fact, you would need a whole day to explore all of the pieces. As we had limited time, we hit up all of the most famous pieces on the map, which of course included the Mona Lisa!! I know it sounds lame, but I actually had goosebumps the moment I saw it.... Unfortunately I couldn't get a very good photo because there were just so many people in such a small area, all crowded around to see this quite small painting. But just being able to say that I have seen it in the flesh feels pretty darn special. The ancient Egyptian art was equally as impressive, another visit to the Louvre is definitely on the list upon my return to Paris (which will be happening). We then jumped on the bus and cruised around
passing museums, napoleons burial site, bridges, churches (including one that looks like the Parthenon in Athens), parliamentary buildings, the arc, the Eiffel Tower, shop after shop, the catacombes whose line stretched a good two to three blocks, and so much more. As we had such limited time and it is peak tourist season a lot of the sights were just impossible to get into, time wasted standing in line for 4 hours could be time we spent walking around exploring the city. So we had to be very smart with how we did things, which I think we did very well.


Umming and ahhhing about what to do for dinner that night we decided on Hard Rock Cafe Paris! I had never been to one before and we had had enough French food to last us a lifetime over the past few days that we thought some BBQ ribs and nachos would go down quite nicely! I just seriously underestimated the serving size and could only make it less than halfway through my caveman size pulled pork nachos!! H smashed his pork ribs and a couple of cocktails later we were ready to walk it off and head home.


Day three we left the hotel early, stopped at the patisserie across from our hotel and got some pastries and espresso for breakfast. We walked all the way to the Louvre, across to the love lock bridge where we purchased our pink padlock, writing our initials and the year, clasping in on the bride and throwing the key into the river below (sealing it with a kiss of course). Heading towards the Museo d'Orsay I was super excited to see inside as it is an old train station converted into an art museum..... Monet galore! Little did we know. All museums are closed on Mondays!!! Another reason a revisit to Paris is essential. So with a heavy heart (but too happy about being in Paris to cry) we then headed towards the gardens at the beginning of the Champs Élysées, walking up towards the arc de Triomphe  where we stopped at some shops and had lunch at a small restaurant (snails and French onion soup) I'm never eating snails again..... They still looked like little garden snails and tasted like rubber, but I ate them so I am a champion. THEN we found the MOST AMAZING MACAROON SHOP IN THE WORLD and the most famous, world renowned store LADUREE. We stood in line for half an hour, but it was more than worth it. Two large macaroons each and a small one for good luck we lost our minds. They were so good...... We went back for seconds later on and H had his for breakfast the next morning! It was then time to go to the Eiffel Tower for our 4pm tour. We captured our iconic jumping photo and got some shaky legs looking down at the little dots of people scattered on the grass below. Strangely due to the architecture, the lift for the tower goes on an angle, not straight up which makes the experience delightful..... Naht. It was unsettling. On our walk back to the Champs Élysées we came across the memorial of princess Diana, passing over the bridge where she was killed. A tremendously moving moment, I actually had goosebumps and was happy to move right along. But a beautiful statue of a golden flame sits just above the bridge to commemorate the beautiful woman she was. Back on the main stretch we hit up the Laduree once again before retiring to our room to get ready for our surprise dinner that Jeremy and Sasha had organised for us.

 We were not disappointed!!!!
A stand up tapas and wine bar, we were served 12 meals that were all absolutely delicious, 4 bottles 
of wine to wash it all down we were well on our merry way..... I have never had better bread and butter all served in baskets and on small plates with a help yourself set up. Finishing dinner at about 12 we took a taxi to see the Eiffel Tower by night, which was completely lit up so it looked like solid gold. We admired it whilst soaking up the alcohol with some Nutella crepes!
Unfortunately for me.... It wasn't enough........ And once again I found myself redecorating yet another hotel bathroom.
Up early the next morning to catch our flight to London........I didn't want to leave.
Paris has been one of my favourite places and I would go back in a heartbeat.
There is something about the language, the charm, the food, the streets and the architecture that just fascinate me and I couldn't get enough of it. It's impossible to be unhappy in Paris and I was even luckier to share it with the man I love.

London goss to follow shortly..... After five weeks abroad it is nice to be back in Portsmouth. 
I'm thinking that the next few days will be purely dedicated to sleeping xx

Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona

Well well well, 

what do I say about Barcelona? 

First impressions were a bit hit and miss, it is undoubtedly an enormous city with an even bigger population, a sea of apartment blocks, very similar to Athens, but hints of a Spanish style began to emerge the closer we got to the inner city. 

As we took the cab from the airport we took in the views of the city stretched out on one side and an enormous cemetery scattered within and upon the side of a mountain on the other. But so intricate and detailed that it was hard to see what exactly it was to begin with. 

Gradually as we got closer to the buzz we began to see the ocean and the harbour, filled with ships and also massive storage vessels within the huge port. 

We quickly realised that our accommodation was a little further out of town than we had hoped (really only a 10 min taxi ride, but seemed a lot longer on our first day!). So we unloaded our gear and asked at reception for a recommendation for dinner...... hmmmm an interesting response. 

So we followed the suggestion and headed over to the massive shopping complex just down the street (winner winner chicken dinner) where apparently there were lots of 'really nice' restaurants upstairs.

After sussing out these really nice restaurants..... it was a tough choice between mcdonalds, hungry jacks, a steakhouse or a mexican restaurant. We decided to go with mexican as we figured it was the closest to spanish we were gonna get. Quickly realising that we were kinda in the ghetto we sat down and tried not to catch any diseases off the tables..... joking it wasn't that bad, but I was totally feeling the scene in Bridesmaids where they all go to the really dodgy mexican restaurant and later end up shitting in the street and I began to really hope that my first encounter with spain would not result in me depositing my waste in the middle of the highway. THANKFULLY it wasn't that bad, H and I still laughed the whole time though, and regretted our decision to eat there when we realised that a taxi to the port where all the best paella is was not REALLY that far.

But oh well, we got an authentic spanish shopping mall dining experience..... beat that.

We did the next day when we had a delicious seafood and meat paella and a jug of sangria the traditional spanish drink of choice which is a combination of red wine, chopped fruit and a sweetener (probably not the best idea in hindsight, one glass would have been enough). DELICIOUS. But also brought back memories yet again of the last time I drank red wine, which resulted in me vomiting the contents of my stomach onto my brand new pair of yellow suede boots which my beautiful stepma later revamped with a toothbrush!!

Before we hit the food train we spent the day travelling around Barcelona on a tour bus, which stopped at all of the most impressive sights. As we were only limited to two full days we just didn't have enough time to get off at all of them, so only picked our favourites. We took the two day tour option and finished off all of our sightseeing today. The highlights being the Sagrada Familia, very weird but cool at the same time, with modern and classical architecture moulded into one (H thought it looked like a melted candlestick), Camp Nou home of Barcelona's football team their start of season match is on the 18th..... so we only missed it by 2 days!! The MNAC gave us incredible views of the city of Barcelona and surrounds and both of the ports were beautiful and gave us the best meals we had in Barcelona. My favourite part of Barcelona was visiting the small town of Gracia where they hold a street festival each year in August. During the festival each street designs and creates a different theme for their particular street, filling it with decorations and props, music and food. We were lucky enough to see 3 themed streets, a Wonka themed street filled with oompa loompas, wonka candy, the buckets all in their bed with their woollen blanket thrown over, willy wonka in his glass elevator, candy, mirrors and everything else you can imagine from the film, an under the sea theme, with all different kinds of sea creatures, beach huts and life floats, and a music themed street, with enormous instruments, musical notes hanging above your head and life-size models of conductors and musicians scattered everywhere. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before and so creative! Everything made out of recycled materials made by the people. I can only imagine how wonderful the whole thing would be. 

Tonight we topped it all off with a bang and went to a flamenco and opera show in a beautiful old theatre. It was absolutely breathtaking, the theatre was filled with classical charm and the singing and dancing was mind-blowing. The only downside...... sitting in front of American tourists who said wooooooooow oh woooooooow every five minutes and talked throughout the whole performance. I was just about to show them an Australian version of WOW but was wearing a slightly revealing jumpsuit and decided it probably wasn't the best idea..... But we were only 3 rows from the front, right in the centre with a perfect view, so close you could see the sweat spraying from the male dancers hair as we twirled around and around. 

Barcelona has been a beautiful place to visit, with a combination of the old and the new scattered into one.... so much so that sometimes it is hard to distinguish between the old and the new, particularly as the Spanish style is so different from the classical seen in Rome and Florence. 

Tomorrow we have a 6am start ready for our flight to Paris at 9!!!

Bon voyage! 

Venice and the beginning of a love affair with France....

Venice

From the moment we arrived in Venice we both knew that it was going to be completely different to anything we had ever experienced before.... we were right!

A city surrounded by and built upon water. The only way to get around is to walk, take a water taxi, or go for a spin on a gondola. We decided to walk, which made dragging a 25kg suitcase through tiny alleyways packed with tourists, up and down bridges (I counted five to our last hotel) but it was all part of the Venice experience. Venice is exactly how it looks in photographs, and really, once you have been on a gondola, walked around the city, visited the glass blowing island of Murano and the lace making fisherman's village of Burano there is not a lot else to see. But it is one of those places that is a MUST see, I have a feeling it would be much more enjoyable after all the tourists have left.... as at times it was too overwhelming and I found myself wanting to push a few of them off the bridges. We found a delicious gelato bar in Venice that we visited everyday..... whoopsies.... and had a wonderful time during our tours of St Marks Basilica and Dodges Palace which were both rich in Italian history. Ceiling mosaics made purely out of blown glass with 25 carat gold pieces as their background. It still amazes me that with all the technology and the knowledge we have today, we still fail to create structures as impressive as those that were made centuries before us. As our flight didn't leave Venice until 11pm we had to catch a water taxi to the airport, which was on the mainland. So we strutted out to the end of the jetty at our hotel and waited for our ride to pull up, a wooden boat with plush white leather seats (just like a water limousine) we jumped in and zoomed off across the water to the airport, watching the sun set over Venice and the gondolas fade away into the distance.

Nice

By 12pm we had landed in Nice, just a 45 minute flight. It seem taxis are not in high demand at the airport in the middle of the night as we waited patiently for half an hour for one to zip around the corner and take us to our hotel. Finally we were inside and after a quick conversation with the driver, we were on our way to our home for the next three nights. As the doors closed the French Jazz playing from the radio filled the car, combined with the drivers questions about Australia in his very thick French accent I was swooning. We peered out the windows in excitement and knew that something pretty special was in store for us yet again. Unfortunately we had to wait patiently until the morning to really get a good look at Nice but the vibes were good and we were both completely and totally smitten with France. 

DAY ONE: after spending two weeks relaxing at the beach every day in Greece we were in mutual agreement that a beach day in Nice was a MUST. Believe it or not, travelling can be exhausting and it was exactly what we needed, we set out on a walk to find the beach after breakfast and realised it was only ten minutes down the road, we chucked a u-turn and  headed back to the hotel to claim our swimmers and towels. Our bodies hit our beach beds at 12pm and we didn't leave until 6.30!! Apart from a quick lunch at a tapas bar which was absolutely delicious, some paella, roasted potatoes, cured beef and tomato bruschetta!  

It was a beautiful day relaxing in the sun, and enjoying the Nice scenery, boobs included, the French are not prude. H bought himself a water donut so I watched from my tanning station as he floated around out on the sea. I only ventured into the water once as the beach was filled with rocks, about the size of your palm, which made walking in and out of the water incredibly hard as they were soooooo slippery. I decided that in the best interests of the pubic, it was safer if I stayed on land. Nobody wants a salty Tonoya landing on top of them mid sandwich. 

Dinner was at a French restaurant where I decided to try something new and went with some duck! Creme Brûlée for desert... of course! I had officially consumed my first authentically French meal (Im saving the snails and frogs legs for Paris).

DAY TWO: Can you say MONACO aka the playground for the rich and famous!

15 euros got us to and from Monaco in just twenty minutes! 

Stepping off the train, heading out the front doors, hellllllooooooooooooooo dollar signs!!!

An absolute paradise, luxury yachts and cruise ships, sports cars, luxury cars, designer shops, designer people, the home of the grand prix!

It really was beautiful, with the royal palace on the top of the hill, the houses surrounding it all over the cliffs below and in front was the harbour, with its crystal clear blue water absolutely filled with any kind of boat you could imagine..... except for tinnies (I don't think they are allowed). On the other side was the Monte Carlo Casino..... yes where James Bond 'Casino Royale' was filmed, and it is no surprise as it is the perfect location for the extravagance that is Bond...... James Bond. Wandering up to the top of the mountain peak to see the palace and slowly descending back down, taking in the view in absolute awe we made it to a marine museum, so we decided to take a peek. It was delightful, filled with all different kinds of fish and other sea life. Thankfully no great whites!! 

After the museum it was time to hit up the casino..... a little different to the Cas back home. 

You don't often see luxury cars pulling up one after another outside.... Porsche, Ferrari, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Mclaren.... you name it, it was there and H has a photo.... or 500 to prove it. We were not entirely certain that we would be let in because of the dress code (shirts, slacks, long dresses, suit jackets) but this is only essential in the private section, so with the all clear we headed for the tables to try our luck..... mmmm lady luck was not on our side, so it was time for a Mojito just because we could, just because we were inside Monte Carlos Casino!!!!! One drink wonder Tonoya struck again as I entered the males bathroom..... classy, reaaaaaaal classy. Thankfully there was no one in there and H politely told me that I was in the wrong bathroom and re-directed me towards the ladies. 

Sushi for lunch after a wander.... stumble.... (ohhhh theres the mojito) all the newest designer collections and a jam packed train later (I mean jammed packed) we were like sardines, there was almost a punch up, lots of French swearing and a couple of blow up beach toys throw in the mix. A lovely Irish man who knew a LOT about Tasmania helped us with where to get off as all the train announcements are made in French and not translated, which makes things a little tricky!

Stepping off the train we finally had time to process what has just happened. 

We had visited Monaco! 

& we are very very lucky people x

FLORENCE

Another day...... another Italian city.

This time, by train! 

A quick one and a half hour ride at 200+ km an hour and we had arrived at Firenze train station in the centre of Florence. A jump in the taxi and just a short five minutes later we had arrived at our hotel which just so happens to be owned by one of Romes most influential families the Medici's. 

As we arrived earlier than our check in time we decide to dump our baggage and go for a wander in search of the Duomo..... the most famous building in Florence. Unknowingly, we were just a five minute walk from the grand building and were frozen in awe as we rounded the corner and came face to face with it. As you imagine, Florence is like other Italian cities, with the high apartment buildings made out of earthy sandstone with the brightly coloured flower boxes hanging from each of the rough iron patterned balconies. Cobblestone streets and small alleyways make it feel small and intimate even though, really, its enormous. What makes the Duomo so spectacular is the array of coloued marbles that were used to build it. As it stands in the centre of the piazza it automatically draws your gaze, as if you smashed a rock open and found a sparkling gem inside.

Backtracking our steps we figured out where we were in relation to our hotel and found a charming Italian restaurant to have our first feast in Florence, best known for its steaks, in particular its 1kg T-bone steaks.... which H tried at our favourite restaurant so far (we are booked to go back tonight, our last night in Florence). After lunch we went back to the hotel to settle into our room before heading out again to check out the shopping..... another thing Florence is famous for, most commonly for its Italian leather. Bags, wallets, shoes, jackets, trousers, you name it, they sell it. Market stall upon market stall is filled with hundreds of different bags (every girls dream) and I quickly realised that a Florentine leather bag just belonged on my shoulder. So.... after making the tough decision I ended up with a beautiful lilac coloured design but may just have to head back to the bags before we leave..... When in Florence right????

I also ended up with a blazer (not leather) and a pair of sandals which made the first day of Italian shopping a success!! As you can imagine, after a shopping extravaganza we were pretty beat so we decided to return to the hotel and put our feet up for a few hours before dinner.

Various family members had recommended we visit a particular Italian restaurant, hidden up a small alleyway, but rated extremely highly by trip advisor (the best way to search for restaurants, hotels, shopping etc. when abroad). Arriving at the door, behind a small line we saw that the restaurant was jam packed and that judging by the smells and vibe inside we were definitely had something special in store for us. The restaurant did not disappoint, after some delicious starters and mains of pasta and steak, an incredible red wine included we were on cloud nine and were that excited that we booked again for our last night in Florence.

Yesterday we went on an all day tour of Tuscany. The best of Tuscany in fact. Visiting several small towns, an amazing organic farm and vineyard for lunch, where we were served freshly made pasta, wine, bread and olive oil all made and sourced from their farm. We sat next to the loveliest American couple from Texas who asked us all about our travels and home, and made the experience one to remember. After lunch we headed to another small medieval town where H was intrigued by the torture museums..... me not so much.... So I left him to check those out, whilst I wandered through the hand painted ceramic shops. The tower of Pisa was next on the list arriving by a small three carriage road train (hilarious). We took the iconic photos next to Pisa and admired the architecture, whilst laughing at all the other tourists with their hands up in the air, mouths agape, legs flying, basically looking like absolute morons. But hey..... its Pisa, its a MUST DO. Our tour was made even more enjoyable by the amazing Italian tour guide Stephano, with his thick Italian accent and contagious laugh he had us in stitches the whole time. Back in Florence at 8.30 we just missed the hail storm!!! (Yes it poured in Florence yesterday) so quickly raced to dinner before returning to our hotel at 10.30. 
Unfortunately we were unable to see David as the line into the museum stretched two blocks!! Not keen to wait in line for hour upon hour, so, with nothing left to do, we decided that some retail therapy was in order. After some bargains at Zara we had lunch at a delicious Japanese inspired restaurant..... Yes, they have Japanese food in Italy..... so bizarre, but SO good. With lunch covered I snapped up another of Florence's finest in the way of handbags, H got a haircut, we hit up our favourite restaurant EVER for our final dinner, which was EXTRAORDINARY to say the least!! 
With bags packed we are just about ready to hit the train station yet again for our next exciting chapter!

I cannot explain just how amazing this city is, it has the most peaceful, yet exciting vibe, is not overly touristy, but enough to make it buzz, unlike Rome..... it doesn't feel commercialised, it feels authentic, like an Italy that hasn't been so influenced by the outside world. 

Venice we are coming for you!!!!

ROME

2 hours in the air and we made it to Rome.

After an hour in the taxi due to a delay on the road, we arrived at our hotel, which just so happened to be five minutes walk to Vatican City!!! Upon arrival we were a little concerned about our choice of accommodation as the host handed us a set of keys with six different keys attached..... turns out our hotel is in an apartment block filled with hotels and residential homes which is a nice combo and proved very helpful when we tried to break into the wrong hotel room and were kindly helped by a gentlemen across the hall who told us that "key is fifth floor, you are on fourth floor"...... bloody Australians. 

After dumping our bags we decided to do a bit of exploring after discovering during our travels so far that it is best to go out and look around your area to become aware of where you are in relation to the major sights...... and not find out on the last day that you were 5 minutes from a historical landmark! So we set out and were stopped almost immediately an offered a fantastic deal on a tour of Vatican City, which was at the perfect time for tourists (late afternoon) when they have all carked it from the heat! So after our first hour in Rome we were already exploring Rome's eternal city!! 

Did it disappoint........ NO WAY 

In fact H and I hardly spoke to each other during the tour as we were both in absolute awe of what was happening. The tour took us through the Vatican museum that was filled top to bottom, wall to wall, floor to ceiling with paintings, mosaics, statues, monuments, rugs hand sewn that would have easily covered half the floor of an entire home etc. etc. It was all too much really and just when we thought we could take no more we arrived inside the Sistine Chapel...... I had to buy a scarf to cover my shoulders as its a holy place that values ancient customs, there was no talking and no photography.... just hundreds of people crowded in a room looking up and the ceiling..... drooling! 

Well done Mic..... you bloody beauty!!! What a man Michelangelo was and what an amazing work of art he created, it is so difficult to explain just how magnificent and overpowering the chapel is to those that have not seen it and it is an ABSOLUTE must see for anyone that values art, but I am sure that for those that do not, it will easily win you over, how one man accomplished such a masterpiece astounds me.

After our adventure through Vatican City which also included a little peep at St Peters Basilica and all of the internal gardens we wandered back towards our hotel and decided to stop at a nearby restaurant for our first italian meal! Pizza and carbonara were on the menu and as expected did not let us down..... and as a result we have been eating pizza and pasta for the last three days (today being the day we had the best pasta of our lives) ...... when in Rome!!! 

Day two in Rome meant it was time to visit the other treats the city had to offer...... The Colosseum, Palatine Hill, The Roman Forum, The Trevi Fountain (which was closed for restorations, so we drowned our sorrow in gelato), The Spanish steps and several other churches, historical buildings and roman ruins. The Colosseum is just as breathtaking as you imagine it to be, although nothing prepares you for the sheer size of it, which puts into perspective just how massive an effort it was to build. Once inside, it is impossible not to imagine the screaming Roman citizens awaiting a gladiator fight, and you can feel the electric intensity of what once was. I don't even know how to begin to explain the Palatine Hill...... we walked around it for three hours and only covered less than half of what it had to offer..... A massive massive array of ruins that once again take your breath away. Whenever I visit a place like this I am always filled with so many mixed emotions, grateful that I am able to see and walk through, and touch and feel what it is like to be THERE, but also sad that it is not the way it once was, that although a lot is left we will never be able to see such places in their former glory. These people, without the latest technology, machinery, manpower or funds were able to build monuments that have lasted centuries and THAT never seises to amaze me. Walking through the Roman Forum was equally as surreal, with so many historical events taking place within this part of the city, perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of the forum was an ancient door (the original) still attached to the building it was prised too which still takes its original key which to this day OPENS THE LOCK!!! Exhausted from our adventures we ventured to the local supermarket and bought some antipasto treats and put together our own italian dinner which we ate in our hotel, doors to our veranda open, with the blue skies, roman apartment blocks and bustling city street as our view. 

Today was our last day in Rome and we spent it checking out the Catacombe's, the oldest burial sites of ancient Rome. Built under the ground, the excavations to date trace the tunnel 20km under modern day Rome, which is filled with crypt after crypt. The majority of these were for commoners, 30% were children under the age of 3, however they were also the final resting place of many of Rome's popes. Today, the excavated crypts are empty as the remains have disintegrated and the funerary goods stashed alongside the bodies were stolen during their discovery, although we were informed today that there is still ongoing excavations of the catacombes and no one is certain of how far underground they stretch and how much more there is to discover. Going down into the ground was an incredibly eire experience as you could feel the temperature drop the lower you descended. Although there were no bodies to be seen it was still an incredibly powerful place and definitely worth the visit. However it seems that all of our bragging caught up with us and we were absolutely drenched in our open roof tour bus on the way to the archeological sights. There was nothing else to do but laugh it off as we got off the bus and rung out our hair and clothes! After the best pasta of our lives for lunch we headed back towards our apartment, walking alongside more ancient ruins and getting lost in a dodgy part of inner city Rome, we decided to cab it the rest of the way and had a little siesta before heading out for our final meal.
Unlike Australia, Italy follows its own rules, these rules also apply to pets, who walk freely through shopping centres, supermarkets, any kind of public place with their owners! This takes a little getting used to as giving way to a poodle in the handbag section is a completely foreign concept.

Dinner was spectacular, topped off by a moonlight walk through illuminated Vatican City, there is something so special about sharing adventures with someone that you love so dearly and I feel so grateful and lucky every moment I am here, watching and experiencing the world with someone that values and appreciates what wonderful things history and nature have to offer. After some gelato for desert and a race up the five floors in an attempt to burn it off..... unsuccessful..... we are turning in, as we prepare for our train tomorrow.....

FLORENCE HERE WE COME!!! 

Santorini!!!

SANTORINI SANTORINI SANTORINI

where do I even begin.....

Firstly, it is EXACTLY as beautiful as the pictures, films, documentaries but even so I wasn't prepared for how overwhelmingly spectacular and magical it really was. After feeling very poorly after over-indulging in cocktails in Mykonos..... After a cosmo, a pina colada, a chocolate ice cream flavour, an espresso martini and I can't forget the toblerone I was surprised I was still functioning the next day..... I was veeeeery happy to arrive on solid ground and was instantly buzzing when we ventured up from the port to the top of Santorini, all you could see was blue sky and blue water and the beautiful white houses scattered all over the mountain top (a little like mount wellington at the moment) HAHA.  The week has been fantastic as we have spent our time cruising around the island in our Jeep, soaking up the sunshine on the beaches and generally enjoying each others company. We were lucky enough to spend our time here with more of H's family which has made the last four days extra special. Our schedule was as follows......

Day 1- We settled in to our accommodation before walking through Oia and watching the world famous sunset, with literally THOUSANDS of people crowding the mountain top, on top of roofs, restaurants, scattered through the streets, all trying to get the best view of the ocean. As the sun went down, the sky lit up in the most glorious shade of red which reflected onto the water, turning it the lightest shade of purple/blue. After closing my mouth we headed down to Amoudi to the fishing port where all of Santorini's freshest seafood restaurants can be found, here we had a family feasta on a traditional seafood dish..... Spaghetti pasta and crayfish. It was the most intense flavour with the pasta cooked in the juices that were used to cook the crayfish it was unlike anything I have had before, but DELICIOUS! With a little Greek salad to top it all off (mopping up the olive oil and salad juices with bread, as is the Greek way). We were even treated to some authentic baklava before waddling back to the hotel and calling it a night.

Day 2- The morning began with a donkey ride down and back up the Caldera (the mountain slope), the donkeys range from draught horse size non donkeys.... seriously AS if they get that big, to shetland pony like size, luckily I got a beautiful white one somewhere in the middle who treated me very well down and up the mountain, although I was middy terrified the whole time. The donkeys answer to the Greek mountain men, who speak to them in another Greek villager type language  commanding them to go up and down, although they are tied together in a line to go down the slope, they let them find their own way back..... WITH PASSENGERS STILL ATTACHED!! Naturally, they go at their own pace and sometimes this is too fast for non Melbourne cup jockeys like myself.... although I felt like I was in the great race as H and his family yelled commentary about who was coming up on the inside lane for the entirety of our upward journey. Copped a few donkey farts (luckily no wet ones) which made it an experience to remember forever. After the mornings excitement it was time for our yacht cruise!!! From 3pm until the sunset at 8.30pm we were on the water, first stop was the hot springs right next to the non active volcano!!! We anchored and jumped off the boat into the crystal clear blue water, swimming over into the shore to check out the springs. As we got closer you could see the change in colour as the sulphur began to come through and the colour of the mud underneath swirled between our toes. We were not up for rubbing the mud over us as it stinks and H decided to tell me that it wasn't actually mud under foot but all of Santorini's sewerage hot spot..... (he was joking) but it was enough to get me swimming back to the boat quick smart. After the springs it was time to head to the red beach, called the red beach due to the colour of the sand and the rocks above (the beach was actually closed as the rocks were known the slide and it wasn't safe for people to be there, although many locals still were we swam to shore and swam straight back). Next stop was the white beach where we got to snorkel, THE MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCE EVER!! Although I had a little trouble with the breathing to start with and swallowed a few gallons of salt water I got the hang of it eventually.The water was absolutely see through and all you could see were thousands and thousands of fish!! After spending a good half an hour in the water it was time for lunch, a traditional Greek BBQ of pork and chicken, greek salad, fetta cheese, dolmates, pasta salad, bread olive oil and balsamic vinegar and some traditional Santorini wine  to wash it all down. It was then smooth sailing back towards Santorini, chasing the sunset until it was lost beneath the sea. As we got closer to Oia we could see the flashes of the tourists cameras and felt pretty darn lucky that we had the best view in the house!

Day 3- We met up with more of H's family for lunch, a seafood FEAST and a half!! Prawns (fried hole, you eat the shell and all, Dad you would be so proud), tiny little fish kinda like sardines that you also eat whole..... yeah this part freaked me out because it was still a whole fish...... but I tried it anyway! I can't forget the calamari, king prawns, fresh fish, spicy cheese dip, salads and a Greek kind of fried cheese that blows your mind!!!  We were also given some fresh figs by H's aunty and uncle picked straight from the tree, my first figs ever and I was not disappointed! After some more beach time we were exhausted as it was a whole day of venturing around the entire island. Dinner last night was on top of Oia with another spectacular view of the sunset, a few cheeky cocktails and some gelato.... of course!

Day 4- Our final day in paradise was spent at two beaches, one by some giant rocks, with beautifully clear water that you could see your toes through (the beaches are all black here because of the volcano eruption and sooooo hot) hence having to wear your shoes to the waters edge! After a few little purchases it was time to head home for a relatively early night....

because tomorrow

WE FLY TO ROME!!!!