Day 8: Venice

Our first proper day in Venice!

We got up early and accidentally went to the wrong breakfast area and ate leftovers from a previous group. Woops/ewww.

It was cold and rainy today, so everyone rugged up, and we made our way to the tram to head into the main part of Venice. After 15 minutes we arrived! It was just as I imagined. Little bridges were arched over narrow canals, gondolas were docked next to tall, colorful buildings and men raced around with trolleys shouting 'Attenzione, attenzione!'.

We had a guided tour (in the rain) which wasn't ideal but we learnt all the history of Venice. We walked over the Bridge of Fists. It has five small footprints on it. Apparently men would go there to have organised fist fights and try to push their opponents into the canals. It got banned after men started bringing knives to the fights!

We made our way to San Marcos square where we walked into the most beautiful lace store. We sat down and had a demonstration on how they make lace. I bought my family this Christmas tablecloth which would take 5 months to carefully hand make. Surprisingly it only cost 50 Euros. The government subsidies lace makers to keep the tradition going.

After the lace demonstration we walked over to the gondolas where we had our very own 30 minute gondola ride! It was perfect, the rain stopped and the sun came out. It went through the Grand Canal and down little narrow streets with towering buildings. It was absolutely gorgeous and something I won't forget. Next stop was lunch. We all had our own pizzas which we devoured, then spent the rest of the day getting lost in the streets of Venice. One thing to remember is that you can't follow a map in Venice. The streets twist and turn and it's impossible to know where you are. If you need directions, follow the signs and you should be ok.

We went to the Accademia gallery and onto a super posh hotel where we heartily ate cake and coffee while being served by Italian men in white suits. That night, instead of going out to dinner we went to the supermarket, picked up a few rolls and had a TV dinner. Day well spent in my opinion!

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Day 4: Florence

Today we were introduced to our Topdeck Tour group which was slightly interesting. I kind of imagined that everyone would be super welcoming and friendly but that wasn't exactly what happened. They were a bit standoffish which was fine because I had my friend there anyway!

We did a guided walking tour of Florence (most of which we had already seen because we've been here a few days) but it was still nice to hear about the history behind Florence. We went past writer Dante Alighieri's house, the Duomo, the hidden streets and the Accaedmia gallery. But my favourite was seeing the Ponte Vecchio bridge.The 'old bridge' is made of medieval stone that arches over the Arno River. There are beautiful little shops all along the bridge. Originally only gold sellers were able to sell their goods along there, now it's home to a number of jewellery makers. We made out way to a leather store where we had a demonstration on how to pick genuine leather from a fake. Good to know for a bag-a-holic like me!

Ponte Vecchio 

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Day 3: Florence

By the second day in Florence, we had picked up quite a few handy travel tips that I'm happy to share with you.

• Wander all over the city and don't be afraid to get lost. Take a map with you; they're pretty detailed so they're easy to follow.
• Don't be conned into giving away your money. They're are a lot of gypsies in Florence and Italy for that matter. Be careful with all your belongings and beware of pickpockets. If you don't want to hand over your cash, give a firm shake of the head.
• Water and sunscreen. I swear I spent most of my money on bottled water. It can vary from 60c to 5 Euro. Shop around and don't fall for the expensive places. Go next door and you'll probably find one cheaper.
• Don't buy the first thing you see. There are hundreds of leather good stores around Florence. Make sure you look around before settling on the first item you see. Plus haggle a little bit. They're always up for negotiation.
• Beware of extra charges (cover charges, service to tables) etc

To begin the day we knew we wanted to visit the inside of the Duomo. We got there around 8:15am (it opens at 8:30am) and there was already a line back to the 'one hour wait' mark. Make sure you get to your attractions early, otherwise you could literally be waiting in line for 3-4 hours, easily. When we made it to the front of the line, we made our way up the 463 stairs to reach the very top. It was so small and claustrophobic on the way up but man the end result was so worth it. With 360 degree views of Florence, it is absolutely breathtaking. 

On top of the Duomo

We spent the rest of the day getting lost in Florence; in my eyes, the best way to see it. We found this gorgeous little cafe to have lunch where we got a traditional panini with water for just 4 Euros. Make sure you visit multiple cafes; there's no point going back to the same one. They're literally everywhere, I've never seen so many. 

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Day 2: Florence

It's safe to say Florence lived up to my expectations. In fact, it blew them away and this place turned out to be my favourite destination of the whole trip. 

We arrived at Le Due Fontane Hotel. Overlooking Piazza della Santissima Annunziata, this refined hotel in a neoclassical palace is a 5-minute walk from Florence Cathedral. 

Classic, antiques-filled rooms are individually furnished and the location makes it a dream spot. 

Le Due Fontane Hotel

The great thing about Florence is that when you turn a corner there is always something different to see. We were in absolute awe of the architecture. Our first stop was the Duomo Di Firenze which will forever be my favourite building of all time and was in view from our hotel. Florence's cathedral stands tall over the city with its magnificent Renaissance dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. The cathedral build began at the end of the 13th century and took over two centuries to finish. We started at Giotto's Bell Tower and made the trek up 414 steps to the top to see the beautiful view of Florence. To say my legs were sore is an understatement. They were beyond trembling. The climb of the Bell Tower or Brunelleschi's Cupola is not for the faint hearted or unfit; the winding staircases are narrow, are on a steep incline with no ventilation. I unfortunately fall into the unfit category. To reach the peak though, is definitely worth it. This whole area is just beautiful. That night we had dinner right outside the Duomo and you feel like you're in a dream. 

Duomo Di Firenze

Inside Giotto's Bell Tower

View of Giotto's Bell Tower from the top of Brunelleschi's Cupola

Next we made our way to the Piazzale Michelangelo. This was also one of my favourite things to see. The view was incredible and we could see the magical skyline of Florence. The square was created in 1869 and has a monument base dedicated to Michelangelo, where copies of Michelangelo's works, including the David can be seen. We hiked from our hotel thinking it would be a nice walk, and it definitely is, but it's also very intense. There are a lot of stairs going up a steep incline and on a hot day, it was quite the workout! You need a camera, water and self belief. 

View from the Piazzale Michelangelo

Day 2 in Florence was one I won't forget. If you go in the middle of summer, expect tourists and heat, but don't worry the buildings are so tall they provide great shade. 

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The Airport Journey Part 2

After 20 hours on a plane, we arrived in Rome in one piece (just). Palms sweating, knees weak, arms were heavy (thanks Eminem), we hesitantly made our way to the baggage carousel.

After 5 minutes of bags circling and re-circling us we had almost given up hope. Then, praise the Lord, my red bag popped out and came towards me. LIFE SAVED. We literally jumped with joy, hugging each other and laughing/crying hysterically. The Italians were looking at us like mad women, but we didn't care.

What I neglected to mention in Part 1 (mostly because the fear of the reality was too hard to digest) was that we booked a Topdeck Tour. Our first destination wasn't even Rome and we would be travelling every two days. There is no way if we lost our luggage we would ever see it again and the thought of traipsing through Italy in 30+ degree heat with long pants and one t-shirt did not sound appealing. Not to mention no sunscreen, clean underwear, make up and general necessities.

That feeling of everything turning out okay was the biggest relief and such a joyous moment. It felt like the universe (or airport) was trying everything in it's power to knock us down, but things kept happening to make it all alright again.

Our next challenge was to brave the Rome train system. How hard could that be? Well, put it this way; where I live there is one train line that I can't use. I fail at public transport. We need to catch two trains- one from the airport to Roma Termini and then from Roma Termini to Florence. We've been given clear instructions on how to get the tickets. What I notice in Italy already is the serious amount of required checkpoints needed and the zero staff around to help navigate. We purchase our tickets (somehow), go through all the security and attempt to 'validate' our tickets. Suddenly, my friend Sophie looks at me. Her face is white, she's silent with her mouth wide open and I know something is wrong. I quickly scan around us and notice we're one suitcase down. HOW?!?!

We look about 50 metres behind us and notice a lone suitcase propped in the middle of the train station. We've just gone through numerous check points, our train leaves in 3 minutes and my travelling companion's life (okay, slight exaggeration) is just out of reach. She sprints back, desperately trying to squeeze through barricades and railings to reach her suitcase and success, she has it. How no one thought that lone suitcase sitting in the middle of a train station by itself for 10 minutes was a bomb, sent the train station into lock down or it wasn't stolen beggars belief. The travel gods were on our side. The train guard just looked at her shaking his head and waved her back through. Our first, actually second, judgement of the day.

Suitcases in tow we got on the train and made it to Roma Termini. The next challenge begun. Remember how I said I wasn't good at public transport with my one-line-train at home? Well try adding about 20 platforms, multiple train companies, a foreign language and no staff around to help you to the equation.

My first tip on going on overseas holidays; if you think pre-booking tickets will save you stress and time, think again. Our train company was different, the train number was different and the platform had changed. After one hour of aimlessly wandering around the station with the tourist information desk refusing to help because we didn't buy tickets off them, we took a gamble and went to the only platform with our designated departure time. And hallelujah, it was right. After all this, we were on our way to Florence.

Man, Florence better live up to our expectations!

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2015 Bucket List Continued...

So as you would have read from my post a few months back  http://whattshesaid.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/2015-bucket-list.html I created a bucket list for 2015.
Last year was pretty tough in terms of having time to do anything fun and for myself. I had just landed my first full time job (wish I was very thankful for) and started the day after I finished my final exam at university. Working full time was a bit of an adjustment and one thing I found out very quickly was that 20 days of annual leave a year does A) not accrue fast enough and B) is purely not enough to span across 365 days! So I spent my first year working and not taking any time off. In 2015 I was determined to have some fun so devised a list of things I wanted to do. This included:

- Go jet skiing
- Go scuba diving
- Go stand up paddle-boarding
- Go to Serpentine Falls/See a waterfall
- Go kayaking
- See and explore New York City
- Ride a horse on the beach
- Participate a charity fun run (and actually run)
- Ride a camel
- Go rock climbing
- Go to a zoo
- Feed a giraffe
- Pat an elephant
- Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge
- See a psychic 

Considering it's only the start of July, I think I've done quite well! The items in pink are still yet to be completed but with that being said I've got my trip to America booked in October and Sydney (almost) booked in December for Christmas so they can almost be crossed off. Hard work paid off and I finally started doing all the things I wanted to do.

Here's my year in review so far.

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