From Venice to Sicily... with my family then solooo... Here we go!
It has been a while since I have blogged about my adventures as I have been on the road constantly and have found that my 'downtime' has been spent organising my next moves instead of reflecting upon and sharing my experiences.
The two halves of last May/ June were extremely different in that the first half was spent on a completely planned tour of mainland Italy (and some of Switzerland) with my mother and sister. All our accommodation was booked earlier in the year (generally through airb'n'b and booking.com) and each day was somewhat planned in advance so there was not much room for spontaneity as far as locations were concerned- we had a schedule and we had to stick to it!
We also hired a car... Australians, driving in Italy. Culture shock you ask? Yes. Italian drivers are crazy. Italian roads around the coastline and countryside are especially crazy; extremely narrow roads, incredible cliff drops... lots of manoeuvring and waiting in turn to get through... Very different from our driving experiences back home! My Mum recovered after a flat tyre within the first 2 hours of getting the hire car- (note: there was no spare tyre provided & it took us hours to get sorted because it was a Saturday afternoon- make sure you hire a car with a spare tyre!) and managed to survive the insane roads in Sorrento and Positano on the Amalfi Coast.
There are so many perks to having your own wheels in a country like Italy. But do keep in mind if you drive on the left like we do in Australia, it might be wise to try in a country other than Italy for your first time ;)
First stop:
My Feathered feet in Venice
We stayed in the region of Castello (near the stop 'Giardini') and it was absolutely a dream. Typical venetian neighbourhood and a healthy distance from the super touristic areas near the Grand Canal- a more authentic experience with big plazas, beautiful nearby gardens and cheaper food. When we tried ordering gelato in English there, the guy said "Italiano Italiano!", we still managed :)
Walking around in Venice feels surreal, like you have stepped into a movie set. I really loved it and found it one of the most photogenic places I have ever been- both during day and night!
Highlights: Getting lost and asking some locals how to get to somewhere more familiar and these locals happened to be in the church and the Priest of Saint Mark's Basilica escorted us back to square where he said "That... my church" Wuhh! / Getting free lemoncello & other delicious assorted shots in a lovely restaurant for my sisters birthday after the entire restaurant sang to her in Engtalian / Watching gondolas pass by with an accordion serenade / Picturesque sunsets by the canal / Finding new and interesting alleys and nooks all over town / The Gelato.
The Gelato...
Next blog entry My Feathered Feet take you to Tuscany~
It has been a while since I have blogged about my adventures as I have been on the road constantly and have found that my 'downtime' has been spent organising my next moves instead of reflecting upon and sharing my experiences.
The two halves of last May/ June were extremely different in that the first half was spent on a completely planned tour of mainland Italy (and some of Switzerland) with my mother and sister. All our accommodation was booked earlier in the year (generally through airb'n'b and booking.com) and each day was somewhat planned in advance so there was not much room for spontaneity as far as locations were concerned- we had a schedule and we had to stick to it!
We also hired a car... Australians, driving in Italy. Culture shock you ask? Yes. Italian drivers are crazy. Italian roads around the coastline and countryside are especially crazy; extremely narrow roads, incredible cliff drops... lots of manoeuvring and waiting in turn to get through... Very different from our driving experiences back home! My Mum recovered after a flat tyre within the first 2 hours of getting the hire car- (note: there was no spare tyre provided & it took us hours to get sorted because it was a Saturday afternoon- make sure you hire a car with a spare tyre!) and managed to survive the insane roads in Sorrento and Positano on the Amalfi Coast.
There are so many perks to having your own wheels in a country like Italy. But do keep in mind if you drive on the left like we do in Australia, it might be wise to try in a country other than Italy for your first time ;)
First stop:
My Feathered feet in Venice
We stayed in the region of Castello (near the stop 'Giardini') and it was absolutely a dream. Typical venetian neighbourhood and a healthy distance from the super touristic areas near the Grand Canal- a more authentic experience with big plazas, beautiful nearby gardens and cheaper food. When we tried ordering gelato in English there, the guy said "Italiano Italiano!", we still managed :)
The Grand Canal
Walking around in Venice feels surreal, like you have stepped into a movie set. I really loved it and found it one of the most photogenic places I have ever been- both during day and night!
Highlights: Getting lost and asking some locals how to get to somewhere more familiar and these locals happened to be in the church and the Priest of Saint Mark's Basilica escorted us back to square where he said "That... my church" Wuhh! / Getting free lemoncello & other delicious assorted shots in a lovely restaurant for my sisters birthday after the entire restaurant sang to her in Engtalian / Watching gondolas pass by with an accordion serenade / Picturesque sunsets by the canal / Finding new and interesting alleys and nooks all over town / The Gelato.
The Gelato...
Proposing to my sister on our Gondola ride... Why not ;)
Next blog entry My Feathered Feet take you to Tuscany~
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