Verona, Bardolino e Lazise

Sabrina, my darling cousin was my tour guide yesterday.  She knew I was keen to go to Verona, so on her day off she drove me to three beautiful towns.  First stop Verona after stopping at an Autogrill for a coffee (hers with ginseng).  A second stop for GPL (I haven't heard of cars that use GPL in Australia).

When we arrived in Verona, we needed to park the car.  Sabrina drove into a multi-storey car park and asked whether we had car parks like this in Italy.  She was being serious because she thought Australia was so large that we didn't need them.  I thought she was joking, so I sarcastically said that, no, I've never seen one before.  She thought I was serious.  

We first walked to the Verona Arena.  What a sight to see.  Magnificent.  Then we walked through some streets housing some lovely shops, to see Juliette's balcony.  From there through the Piazza and to the Torre dei Lamberti for a panoramic view of the city.  So lovely, and I told Sabrina that I didn't realise how big Verona was.  I thought it was just a small town.

We wandered on to the bridge to see River Adige, and we had lunch nearby by.  From there we decided to make our way to the next town of Bardolino, but not before stopping to get a gelati.  I got caffe and bacio, which was truly another fantastic gelati, but the texture was not as creamy, and it reminded me of the gelati I used to eat in my childhood.  Delicious.

At Bardolino we walked through the shops as I was determined to buy a pair of good quality shoes in Italy and I was fast running out of time.  But not seeing anything truly classic that I wanted except some gorgeous handbags, we walked on to see Lago di Garda.  The girls tell me that this lake is more beautiful than Como, and they don't understand what all the fuss is about for Como.  When I saw it, I saw for myself how beautiful it is, although I cannot compare to Como.  From our walk, even Sabrina suggested that I might be better off purchasing a bag instead of shoes, at least I will have something, and I had resolved that I would buy one of the bags we had seen.  When we got back to the first bag shop we had seen, even Sabrina purchased a bag for herself.

From there we got back in the car and went to Lazise, another gorgeous little town on the lake.  We had a quick wander around before heading back home, but not before driving through the small town of Peschiera del Garda, where the water from the lake was clearer and more of a turquoise colour.  Just beautiful, with lots of lovely flowers well maintained.

Another long day, but it was not as tiring as going to Torino the day before.  And I got to see a whole other perspective of Italy.  A different look at a most beautiful part of the world.

Back at home, I packed my suitcase and we had diinner together.  Who knows when we three will next be together again.  I will miss these girls so much.  

I love you Claudia and Sabrina.  Come visit soon.  You have a hoard of cousins waiting.  xxxxxx

Grand Torino

A very early start for me this morning.  Up at 6.40 in order to go to Torino for the day.  Claudia was dropping me off at the train station on her way to work, and we left at around 7.05.  I got to the station early enough to catch an earlier than planned train, as there would be little time to change trains at Milan Central.  I needn't have bothered as when I got to Milan, I found that the train was 20, then 25, then 30 minutes behind schedule.  In one way it was good because it allowed me time to get a 'Cornetto' and cappuccino.  Surprisingly, the cornetto wasn't great as the custard inside was a bit too runny.  

I enquired whether I could catch another train to Torino, but the other one would still have got in after mine, despite the delay.  I was going on the high-speed train.

At the Torino train station I found the Information desk, got myself a map, and enquired about the hop on, hop off bus.  I decided, given how little time I had in Torino that the bus would be a good idea.  Outside the terminal I had to find the stop and a gentleman saw me looking at the map and asked if I needed help.  At least, that's what I think he said, as I didn't quite get what he said.  Anyway, he assisted me and told me where I needed to be, but turns out the lovely man was wrong.  I then saw another information desk who directed me back to my original spot, except across the road!

The bus however, only departs once every hour, so I had to hang around for about 30 minutes for the next one.  The bus arrived and I listened to a bit of history and saw some lovely buildings and piazzas, but I got off at the Castello.  In hindsight, I really should have done the whole circle first, then got off, because, as it turns out, I didn't get back on for the rest of the day due to wrong timing, so pretty much wasted the 15€.  

From the Castle I went to the Royal Palaces (right next to each other).  This is where it got interesting and the understanding that Torino was Italy's original capital was accepted by my brain.  The palace was grand.  As it should be.  There is no other word apt to describe it.  However, given the short timeframe I decided not to get a ticket to see all the rooms inside.  I figured if I had time, that I would go back.

From there I walked down via Roma to Piazza San Carlo and saw the twin churches of Chiesa di Santa Cristina and Chiesa di San Carlo. At this point I won't bother you with all the detail.  But I saw much regality, grandeur, beauty and architecture.  Torino, definitely deserving of the title it once held.  However, it did appear to me to be quite 'dirty'.  It does look like it needs a good scrub.  I saw more graffiti than I would have liked.  But you know you're in a rich town when you see beggars, and there were quite a few of them.  Sabrina had told me this yesterday, and I certainly don't recall seeing any beggars in Calabria!  Via Roma is full of big name stores like Armani and Prada, but I don't know if it's just because we're coming out of the tourist season, but there certainly weren't hoards of tourists around, so that was nice.

In my wanderings I entered the grounds of the National Museum (del Risorgimento whatever that is), and I was approached by a lady, and talking to her, she asked me where I was from.  I simply said from Australia, except I used the dialect form of the word 'from'.  She immediately picked up on it and asked if I was Calabrese, and she then said that she too was from there, and to speak the dialect, as we would 'understand each other well'.  She was from Gioisa which is near where my parents are from.  We spoke for a bit before saying our goodbyes and shaking hands.

I went and saw the Mole Antonelliana which houses the cinema museum, but I bought a ticket for the lift to the top of the building for panoramic views of the city.  It was a hazy day, but it was still worth the trip.  It was an awesome sight when I turned the corner and caught sight of the Dome.  Stunning.  This building is on the 2 cent coin, and is the symbol of the city.

From the Mole, I walked to the River Po and through Piazza Vittorio Veneto, made my way back to Via Roma via a couple of other piazzas and viewed more grand buildings and private buildings along the way, witnessing once again, how much money is in fact in Italy, despite the 'crisis'.

At Via Roma I stopped for an espresso at a really fancy cafe which had tiny tiny cakes.  I had a cream puff the size of, oh, my thumb!  And it was divine!

I needed to make my way back to the train station to get my train by this time, but I decided I needed to have a gelati.  And I stopped at a place that claimed authentic or original gelati.  Whatever it claimed, I can vouch that it was bloody excellent (trying to compare it to the one I had at Cinque Terre, and it potentially rates first....or second....in my all time best gelati).  It was caffe and nocciolo.

Torino wasn't originally on my itinerary for Italy.  It should be for yours!

Beautiful Bergamo - a new love

Yesterday morning the girls got up and went to work leaving me to rest in bed.  At around 8.15 I got up and made myself an espresso (bellissimo).  After savouring that for a I while, I went about and did some chores and put a load of washing on.  I then made myself another coffee and enjoyed that too with a brioche for breakfast.  I then decided I would go out and do some grocery shopping for the girls.  It was the least I could do.  So I left the apartment and headed in the general direction where the girls said the central part of town was.  I soon saw a supermarket and I got things like toilet paper, dish washing liquid and the like.  I also bought them a tin of illy coffee which I was astounded to find was only 6€.  That's half the price what we pay in Australia.  HALF!

I walked back to the apartment and dropped the shopping off, and went back out for a caffe latte, at a little cafe around the corner.  Went back to the apartment and waited for Sabrina and Claudia to come home.  Needless to say they berated me for going shopping, but I was pretty chuffed that I could finally do something for them.  We had lunch and then Sabrina and I left for the afternoon for her to show me around Bergamo.

We walked to the central part of town, and on the way we stopped at a specialty coffee shop where we had an espresso flavoured with a syrup.  I chose caramel and Sabrina had nocciolo (hazelnut).  It was delicious.  We looked around at a few shops and I found Bergamo to be quietly stunning.  We then made our way to the train station as the girls had suggested I go to Torino for the day today.

Nothing and no-one had prepared me for the sight I would see as we turned onto a particular road and you could look up and see 'Citta Alta' (the old town built on a hill).  The sight literally took my breath away.  So beautiful.  The colours were not the colours of Italy that I know which is why I think it took me so much by surprise.  The autumn colours have also commenced, so I'm not sure if my perspective is changed because of that.  I also had never heard of Bergamo before the girls had moved there.   I certainly don't remember learning about it at school, nor any travellers recommending one visit.  If you are planning a trip to Italy, I strongly recommend a visit, especially if you are planning on going to Milan, as it is only an hour by train and you could explore it in a day.

After purchasing the tickets for Torino, we started the walk towards the old town.  We saw many beautiful buildings and architecture along the way.  We then had to make our way up the steep climb towards one of the gates to the city.

In Citta Alta, I was mesmerised.  I simply cannot describe the beauty of this place, and to me, it seems very different to other towns in Italy.  We wandered through squares and streets and made our way to the Duomo (an uninspiring building), but next to the Duomo is the Chiesa (di Santa Maria Maggiore).  The church is comparable to any of the great churches in Rome, on entering, once again I was floored because I wasn't expecting to see such beauty.  Also the size of the outside of the building doesn't prepare you for the size actually inside, due to a small adjacent church hiding some of the frontage and deceiving you.

We wandered on, and passed a small shop selling 100% cashmere.  We went in, and there were a couple of Americans trying to communicate with the assistant.  Between the five of us we were able to translate everything, but not without it being a small circus.  The assistant had to ask Sabrina in Italian, who had to then translate it to my dialect, so that I could then translate that to English.  Can you actually believe that went on?  Hilarious.  I then tried on a few jumpers and purchased one.  So soft, so lovely.  After wandering around the old town for a bit more, we made our way once again down the old wall to central Bergamo.  A bit more shopping and then we walked the rest of the way home.

At home we chatted for a bit before going out for a pizza.  This time we drove up to the old town, but to a higher point than we had walked earlier in the day.  Apparently on a good day you can see Milan, but it was night, and a hazy day so we saw the lights of Bergamo and surrounding towns.  Inside the restaurant we also had a table with a view.  Sabrina and I ordered pizza, and Claudia a calzone.  Mine was with eggplant, and hands down, it was one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten.  Claudia and I then shared a Tiramisu which was exquisite.

Leaving Croatia

Yesterday was fairly uneventful.  I packed my bag, checked out, arranged a taxi for the airport etc. before going to get a last espresso and Krafna from the local bakery.  

I also arranged to meet Isabella from the sailing tour for coffee at 11.00, and I had one last wander around the old town of Split with her before leaving for the airport.

Croatia has been wonderful.  So beautiful, so much history.  The people are fantastic.  The language barrier hasn't been a problem as they all appear to speak English (gosh we didn't even bother to learn to say please or thank you, Isabella pointed out).  The coffee has been great as well as the Krafna and Strudels.  The Sailing trip has been one of the most relaxing times in my life.  It is a wonderful way to travel, with the weather being perfect the whole time. 

I was very nervous about my flights as I only had a 45 minute transfer.  I was flying from Split to Vienna, and from Vienna to Venice.  But I needn't have been concerned.  It was one of the most seamless transfers I've had, and on the plane from Split the screens showed which gate to go to for each transfer.  It all worked like clockwork. 

Landing in Vienna was similar to flying into Dublin, you could see green everywhere.  Landing into Venice however was simply amazing.  You could actually see the whole Island, and I could even see the tower of San Marco.  It was one of those times I was actually grateful to have a window seat (I usually prefer aisle).

Waiting for me at the Venice airport were my cousins Sabrina and Claudia.  They had come to pick me up to take me to Bergamo where they live.  We had to drive 2.5 hours to get there.  That means they spent 5 hours in the car just to pick me up.  I don't know what I can do for them in return.  When we got home (late), we had a bite to eat and went to bed.  The poor girls are at work now, probably exhausted.

I don't think I took one photo yesterday.  So there is nothing to see here.

Walking Split

I had a lazy morning in this morning and had biscuits for breakfast.  There are these wafer biscuits you can buy that I tried on the boat the other day, which I just can't get enough of.  After my shower I went out for my daily espresso.  Then wandered past the fish market, and then went to the green market for some fruit.

The weather was cloudy, but quite hot, and I was expecting rain from the forecast.  But given the heat, I decided I should make my way to the beach.  So I went back to the apartment, got changed and walked to the beach.  It took about half an hour to get there, and yes Todd, I actually got in the water!

When I got back to the town it was really quite late so I wandered around to find myself a salad for lunch (after all the biscuits I'd eaten, I didn't need more than a salad).  I ordered a greek salad, but I've had better.  From there I went to do a walking tour.  The next one was till 5.00 so I had to wait around for a bit.  

The tour guide eventually arrived and he proceeded to show us around the town, providing us with an excellent history and the stories behind all the old walls.  Split's old walls are now UNESCO heritage listed, and for good reason.  So there is a mish-mash of architecture and there is lots of renovation going on, but mostly you notice all the walls of the old Empire or their remnants scattered about the place.  It was a really interesting tour, and whilst I had seen most of the town already, I now saw it with new eyes.  Fascinating.

There was a girl on the tour from Auckland and after the tour ended, we walked some way together.  I was about to ask her to join me for dinner, but she wouldn't let me get a word in edge-wise, so when I did get a word in, I said my goodbyes.

I went back to the apartment and changed into jeans and searched on-line for a restaurant recommendation.  A couple of sites strongly recommended Restaurant Nostromo, and I had seen the restaurant and knew it was close to my apartment so I went there.  It is near the fish market and apparently the owners of the restaurant are also owners of the fish market.  I ordered the prawn risotto, but I have to say I enjoyed the bread (on which I drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar) more!  I also thought the waiter was a bit rude so I didn't bother leaving a tip.

From Milna to Split

Yesterday was the last day of sailing for me.  I was leaving the tour early in order to spend more time in Split.  The rest of the group will have spent their last night at Trogir.

At Milna yesterday morning, it was the usual start to the day with coffee and a Krafen from memory.  At around 9.30 we headed off.  The weather was cloudy so we didn't anchor for a swim anywhere, and we pretty much just sailed straight to Split which took about an hour and a half.  Nico reckons he saved our life when we had to sail over the biggest wave we'd encountered yet, created by another boat nearby.  Good work Nico, but I think we would have survived even if you hadn't manoeuvred so deftly.

At Split I said my thanks and good byes to Nico then walked with the rest of the team towards the town.  As we neared, I figured I was nearby to my apartment so then I said goodbye to the crew.  What an awesome week it has been.  One of the best, most relaxing holidays ever.  The weather was absolutely perfect, and the crew amazing.  It was very sad to leave.

I thought I would need to go to a cafe to get online in order to find the location of my apartment, but by sheer luck, I found it virtually immediately.  They had got my room ready early too for me so I was able to check in immediately.  Even better, my luggage had arrived safe and sound.  All things awesome.

The first thing I did was jump in the shower then dried and straightened my hair.  Then I went out to explore and of course I run into the crew.  They were having a drink before heading back to the boat.  After second goodbyes, I wandered around and discovered the markets, and the old ruins.  Stunning.  Amazing.  I stopped for lunch, had an average risotto and skyped Todd, then went back to the apartment and skyped from there.  Exhausted or no reason at all, I had a nap.

After waking I went out for another wander and a bite to eat, which consisted of cevapi in a bun with sauces and salad.  It was amazing!!!