Safely in Rome!! Feels very safe compared to Napoli!! Just got here today, slept through our ferry on saturday (oops) and had to take in another day on the gorgeous island of Ischia! Maybe we shouldnt have gone to bed at 7am when our ferry was at 1pm. Suppose we should have skipped the bonfire party on the beach in a beautiful cove with a perfect clear sky above...or maybe not. Wicked. So worth paying for a night in Rome when we were not there. Just had dinner in a Chinese restaurant and soon to bed, have to catch up on a few nights of missed sleep!
Goodnight all
(We love you Moms, families and friends!)
PS: Below we added Venice pics. Pretty much all we had. We realize we are doing this way out of order and are still way behind but we're doing what we can and now we have free internet and peace and quiet at this place. Hopefully...
Monday, June 11, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Ischia, Italy (June 6-10)
Incredible island off the west coast of Italy. It was a vacation from our travels. So beautiful and met so many great people at the Ring Hostel. Had amazing home cooked Italian food and home made wine. Fantastic. Got some pics from some other people so we will try to post, although it will not do justice to this place which is hardly touched by tourism (compared to the rest of Italy). We were very sad to leave. Special shout out to our girl Kiwi Kate (who "worked" at the hostel) who was such an awesome time and very kindly gave us countless contacts in NZ. We are insanely jealous that she will be in Ischia for the rest of the summer and fall. The point is this(one of the brothers would say)....you come for 2 weeks and stay for 6 years...who cares?! You are all crazy in Ischia, we were so in love.
These are some pics from some guys from miami that we met, it is the best we can as we had no digitals!! It doesnt do justice to the place of course, or capture the feeling of life on the island but it is better than nothing I guess!
The first 2 are the view of the mountain from the roof top terrace on the hostel, the next are from a boat tour we all went on around the whole island (if you look closely you can see me sucking on a beer at the front of the boat. Once all the tourists got off we had the whole thing to ourselves (about 15-20 of us) and had a good ol time drinking beer and taking in the sun and sights (like a castle built in the middle of the sea on an island towering above everything). The others are randoms and the tiny van that 10-15 people would pile into and get driven to the family restaurant by Lorenzo or Giuseppe (brothers whose family own the hostel,a hotel and a restaurant) Thanks for everything guys! Literally, each night our lives would flash before our eyes as they tore through the tiny, winding backstreets of Forio, Ischia. Seriously, you couldnt even put a finger out the window as it would have been torn off by the stone walls. So much fun though, like an Italian rollercoaster.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
These are some pics from some guys from miami that we met, it is the best we can as we had no digitals!! It doesnt do justice to the place of course, or capture the feeling of life on the island but it is better than nothing I guess!
The first 2 are the view of the mountain from the roof top terrace on the hostel, the next are from a boat tour we all went on around the whole island (if you look closely you can see me sucking on a beer at the front of the boat. Once all the tourists got off we had the whole thing to ourselves (about 15-20 of us) and had a good ol time drinking beer and taking in the sun and sights (like a castle built in the middle of the sea on an island towering above everything). The others are randoms and the tiny van that 10-15 people would pile into and get driven to the family restaurant by Lorenzo or Giuseppe (brothers whose family own the hostel,a hotel and a restaurant) Thanks for everything guys! Literally, each night our lives would flash before our eyes as they tore through the tiny, winding backstreets of Forio, Ischia. Seriously, you couldnt even put a finger out the window as it would have been torn off by the stone walls. So much fun though, like an Italian rollercoaster.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Naples, Italy (June 4 - 6)
Oh Napoli, your rolling hills of endless garbage, your endless streams of sketchy immigrants, and your inability to speak english at all, has our heads spinning in your beauty and grace.
Seriously, this place is dirty and scary, mostly by the train station, thank god we are not staying near there. Although we did endure a 40 minute walk on a slow and long incline in 30 degree heat, with our teenage children strapped to our backs plus a 500lb package that we forgot to send in florence, all the while trying to not be killed by the traffic, the moped divers on crack and swarms of really italian locals. Asia here we come!! This place is like practice run. Although we feel that more people will speak english in Thailand.
Despite the looming danger (dont worry moms!) we think most is in our heads, well maybe not as the guidebook gives strong warnings about being extra careful here. And we have been. We just walk with minimal amounts of anything and pretend like we know where we're going. Which is hard when we half to pull out the map (which has no street names on it) every ten steps to make sure we don't end up in the ghetto like the other evening. It was pretty cool though as we went to a very local italian grocer and bought supplies for a huge dinner for 4 euros. There was a little italian bag boy that hands your bags to you in the 2x2 space that is the store while the man behind the counter is barking things in italian at him and winking at us. Outside in the piazza (courtyard) there are kids kicking soccer balls against the buildings that would be national heritage sites in canada and people are making out sitting on mopeds. Ahhh, Italy. We asked these people what street we were on, and they said I don't know... welcome to Italy!(And all with a smile).
If you can look past the graffiti and the garbage and the homeless people, it is really quite a neat city built on hillsides with beautiful harbour views and castles all along the coast. We are staying in an amazing place. Best so far, a hidden gem in this chaotic town. Although we have to trek up 9 flights of stairs, narrowly escaping a NSTEMI (for all you hospital types) we have a newly renovated better-than-Ikea-styled room, complete with flat screen TV and Jacuzzi tub (Mitsy, Tawn really misses you!). It doesnt have a phone and a seagull has been trying to break through our window all day, but we have remote controlled AC and an a self service kitchen complete with fridge stocked with breakfast stuff and small bottles of vino!! And we are actually not paying very much for this place which is rare for italy.
Sooo...we are being so descriptive as we have no digital pictures to show. We are off to Pompei tomorrow hopefully, stay tuned for updates. And then to Forio on the island of Ischia if we don't get our asses kicked in the ferry ticket office line up. There is no such thing as proper lines here, so its elbows out and leave the nice Canadian attitude at home. This was difficult today as we stood in "line" at the post office for an hour and a half only to find out it was the wrong line and we accomplished nothing.
Updates to come, we really are OK Mom K&V, we'll call ya when we get a chance!!
çiao!!
Seriously, this place is dirty and scary, mostly by the train station, thank god we are not staying near there. Although we did endure a 40 minute walk on a slow and long incline in 30 degree heat, with our teenage children strapped to our backs plus a 500lb package that we forgot to send in florence, all the while trying to not be killed by the traffic, the moped divers on crack and swarms of really italian locals. Asia here we come!! This place is like practice run. Although we feel that more people will speak english in Thailand.
Despite the looming danger (dont worry moms!) we think most is in our heads, well maybe not as the guidebook gives strong warnings about being extra careful here. And we have been. We just walk with minimal amounts of anything and pretend like we know where we're going. Which is hard when we half to pull out the map (which has no street names on it) every ten steps to make sure we don't end up in the ghetto like the other evening. It was pretty cool though as we went to a very local italian grocer and bought supplies for a huge dinner for 4 euros. There was a little italian bag boy that hands your bags to you in the 2x2 space that is the store while the man behind the counter is barking things in italian at him and winking at us. Outside in the piazza (courtyard) there are kids kicking soccer balls against the buildings that would be national heritage sites in canada and people are making out sitting on mopeds. Ahhh, Italy. We asked these people what street we were on, and they said I don't know... welcome to Italy!(And all with a smile).
If you can look past the graffiti and the garbage and the homeless people, it is really quite a neat city built on hillsides with beautiful harbour views and castles all along the coast. We are staying in an amazing place. Best so far, a hidden gem in this chaotic town. Although we have to trek up 9 flights of stairs, narrowly escaping a NSTEMI (for all you hospital types) we have a newly renovated better-than-Ikea-styled room, complete with flat screen TV and Jacuzzi tub (Mitsy, Tawn really misses you!). It doesnt have a phone and a seagull has been trying to break through our window all day, but we have remote controlled AC and an a self service kitchen complete with fridge stocked with breakfast stuff and small bottles of vino!! And we are actually not paying very much for this place which is rare for italy.
Sooo...we are being so descriptive as we have no digital pictures to show. We are off to Pompei tomorrow hopefully, stay tuned for updates. And then to Forio on the island of Ischia if we don't get our asses kicked in the ferry ticket office line up. There is no such thing as proper lines here, so its elbows out and leave the nice Canadian attitude at home. This was difficult today as we stood in "line" at the post office for an hour and a half only to find out it was the wrong line and we accomplished nothing.
Updates to come, we really are OK Mom K&V, we'll call ya when we get a chance!!
çiao!!
Friday, June 1, 2007
Florence, Italy (May 31 - June 3)
****We updated the Auschwitz blog today so check it out if you are not in a good mood. Just click on the blog archives to the lower right. 10 pics are missing as the computer is no longer cooperating, so once again, coming soon...
We finally found cheap internet here. We have not used the computer in a while as it was $11 CAD/hr in switzerland and €8/hr in Venice. And when you are useless with booking accomodation, you need at least 1 hr and email, blog and stupid addicting facebook on top of that. Thats alot of moolah as we really like to eat. But cannot afford what we want.
So even though our camera stopped working in Venice (of all friggin places!!!), we are still trying to keep up with the blog with what pics we have. So below we updated Neuschwanstein castle and Munich. That is all we can handle for now. Enjoy!!
*******Update*********
These pics are someone else's (found them saved on a random computer in the hostel)but we literally took the exact same with our trusty disposable. Except for the city views, which are amazing but we never went up there but glad this person did.
-The first 3 are the Duomo (Santa Maria Del Fiore), an amazing church/basilica? built in 1296. The outside is incredible as it is covered in marble of all different colors. You can see its dome in the skyline of the picture below.
-The next church is the Santa Croce which contains the tombs of Michalangelo and Galileo and Dante (for all you poets).
-The next are of Ponte Vecchio ("old bridge") 13th Century, which is very cool and has all kinds of gold merchants and shops built on it since 1593. Before that it was butchers and tanners who were kicked out because they smelled.
-There is a pic of the statue of David (1504) which is crazy because photos are not allowed and they yell angrily at people who do it. This person did take one discreetly but it does not do any justice to his magnificence. This work of Michalangelo is truely mind blowing and so visually impressive that you get chills at the sight of him (but maybe not his er...you know). Tawnya did have a small crush on him though. The thing, as in the entire statue, is massive. And as you walk around it, the expression on his face changes at every angle from one of peace and silent reflection, to an intense and imposing gaze. Those of you who have seen him know. Also there is a copy of him in the Piazza della Signoria (last picture) where he originally stood but was moved in the 1800's to the Accademia Museum, as 'ol Dave just couldn't take the Florence weather after all those years. Poor guy, you'd think he would be tougher, being able to defeat Goliath and all?!
-the last pic is the Palazzo (palace) Vecchio in the Piazza della Signoria which has some amazing sculptures and when we were there, had an open air full orchestra concert in the evening free to everyone. Very cool backdrop to an evening stroll through the streets of Firenze.
The names of these may be a little confusing for some (as they were on Tawnya's Art History final 7 years ago) and not sure if she knew them then either (they all sound the same). But you do have to describe the details of the photos somewhat so y'all kinda know what yer looking at, and so you can differentiate the structures somewhat. There is also the church of Santa Maria Novella (we stayed near there but its facade was under restoration) and countless other Santa ______ ______'s. You get the point.
We finally found cheap internet here. We have not used the computer in a while as it was $11 CAD/hr in switzerland and €8/hr in Venice. And when you are useless with booking accomodation, you need at least 1 hr and email, blog and stupid addicting facebook on top of that. Thats alot of moolah as we really like to eat. But cannot afford what we want.
So even though our camera stopped working in Venice (of all friggin places!!!), we are still trying to keep up with the blog with what pics we have. So below we updated Neuschwanstein castle and Munich. That is all we can handle for now. Enjoy!!
*******Update*********
These pics are someone else's (found them saved on a random computer in the hostel)but we literally took the exact same with our trusty disposable. Except for the city views, which are amazing but we never went up there but glad this person did.
-The first 3 are the Duomo (Santa Maria Del Fiore), an amazing church/basilica? built in 1296. The outside is incredible as it is covered in marble of all different colors. You can see its dome in the skyline of the picture below.
-The next church is the Santa Croce which contains the tombs of Michalangelo and Galileo and Dante (for all you poets).
-The next are of Ponte Vecchio ("old bridge") 13th Century, which is very cool and has all kinds of gold merchants and shops built on it since 1593. Before that it was butchers and tanners who were kicked out because they smelled.
-There is a pic of the statue of David (1504) which is crazy because photos are not allowed and they yell angrily at people who do it. This person did take one discreetly but it does not do any justice to his magnificence. This work of Michalangelo is truely mind blowing and so visually impressive that you get chills at the sight of him (but maybe not his er...you know). Tawnya did have a small crush on him though. The thing, as in the entire statue, is massive. And as you walk around it, the expression on his face changes at every angle from one of peace and silent reflection, to an intense and imposing gaze. Those of you who have seen him know. Also there is a copy of him in the Piazza della Signoria (last picture) where he originally stood but was moved in the 1800's to the Accademia Museum, as 'ol Dave just couldn't take the Florence weather after all those years. Poor guy, you'd think he would be tougher, being able to defeat Goliath and all?!
-the last pic is the Palazzo (palace) Vecchio in the Piazza della Signoria which has some amazing sculptures and when we were there, had an open air full orchestra concert in the evening free to everyone. Very cool backdrop to an evening stroll through the streets of Firenze.
The names of these may be a little confusing for some (as they were on Tawnya's Art History final 7 years ago) and not sure if she knew them then either (they all sound the same). But you do have to describe the details of the photos somewhat so y'all kinda know what yer looking at, and so you can differentiate the structures somewhat. There is also the church of Santa Maria Novella (we stayed near there but its facade was under restoration) and countless other Santa ______ ______'s. You get the point.
Venice, Italy (May 28-30)
AMAZING!!!
Here are some pics of Venice before our camera went loopy. This is San Marco Square which flooded after it rained that night, and strangely was totally bone dry the next day! All the restaurants and cafes flooded as well and therefore make zero money. That guy in the boots was not impressed. Jodi was jealous of his boots as you can imagine (she never got to pack hers). Others are views from our hotel window where the gondola drivers would flirt with us. So funny.
Here are some pics of Venice before our camera went loopy. This is San Marco Square which flooded after it rained that night, and strangely was totally bone dry the next day! All the restaurants and cafes flooded as well and therefore make zero money. That guy in the boots was not impressed. Jodi was jealous of his boots as you can imagine (she never got to pack hers). Others are views from our hotel window where the gondola drivers would flirt with us. So funny.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
