Ok on to the juicy bits! Our main stops were Cinque Terre and Venice in Italy and Athens and Santorini in Greece. Along the way we got to stop in Milan on two separate occasions as its the cheapest place to fly to and from. And we got to see Genova when we had to change trains with an hour to spare in between. Plus we even got to see Verona (Romeo and Juliet town) when we got kicked off a train! How cool is that right? Get kicked off and get to tour another pretty town =D I'll start with the throw ins and then move in to the main attractions. Happy reading!
Milan
Well, we were only there at night and in the early mornings so I can't say much about the grand shopping streets. But the parts that I saw were sadly unimpressive and badly littered. And we got really lost looking for our hostel, only to be asked to take another tram down 20mins to another hotel cos they did not have room for us. But ok, it was an upgrade from * to ***, but we were exhausted. And the second time we went back the same thing happened except that this time the hotel we were being pushed to was not that near and the guy at reception sent us. It was a strange hotel called Hotel Diablo (I know right!! What a name) and there was a shower in the middle of the room. Mel, Bryan and I were so amused. No one used it though.
Genova
We hopped on the train from Milan to go to Riomaggiore, the last of the 5 towns of Cinque Terre. In order to get there we had to change trains in Genova. I was really happy in Genova, because as far as what Italy was in my mind...Milan did not cut it and Genova was quaint, bright and well...just like in the movies. We just walked about for a bit, enjoyed a really good mozzarella and tomato panini (sandwich) for 1.50 euro and got back on the next train.Verona
"Romeo, Romeo Wherefore Art Thou Romeo"...so we didn't find the famous balcony or Juliet's castle. But we did find another castle with a pretty courtyard facing a river and many lovers have locked padlocks all around the place to pledge their eternal love to each other...I'm sorry the unromantic cynic in me can only roll her eyes at it, but ok lah...very sweet lah.
Oh and We could not have left Verona without seeing the Arena De Verona, it's sort of like a mini version of what I would have seen in Rome I guess.
Cinque Terre (Five Lands/Earths)
This place is a must see for anyone, I'd pick this over Venice any day. And very few people I've spoken actually know of this wonderful gem hidden south of Milan. It is basically 5 towns along a long mountainous coastal stretch and it is a protected Unesco Heritage Site now. You can swim, hike, sail, eat, shop...something for everyone indeed. We stayed at the last town and hiked all the way to the first town along the different trails, stopping in every town along the way. But if you don't want to hike, the towns are connected by frequent trains which most of the tourists took. While we were relaxing at the top of a church/castle thingy we found, Mel exclaimed that she was certain she wanted to get married there. It's that nice.
Venezia
Venice is really quite interesting. When we arrived by train it was late at night, so I walked out of the train station expecting to see a road, but I was greeted by a dark river glistening under the streetlamps and a river taxi! Then it hit me "Shila you are in Venice!". This is once place that really made me miss my parents, because I know my mum has always wanted to go there. We began walking down the main street and realised just how commercial everything was, not quaint like Cinque Terre, it was shopping left right and center. And I don't mean family owned handicraft shops, I mean big brands and boutiques. So after we had walked down the shopping stretch and seen the main square with the famous church, the next day we went to explore and get lost in the tiny streets where hardly any tourists were to be seen. And believe me when I tell you, the tiny streets were more beautiful because you don't get to see a lot of water when you walk down the main street. Take the roads people usually skip and see how people really live there. We found where the locals eat, the Venezian University, saw a floating grocery shop, a postman bringing parcels by boat and old women hanging out laundry. And the gondolas were ridiculously priced so we didn't bother with them either.
Santorini
Greece! I can't believe I went to Greece! It has always been my dream destination so this one got me really excited. We took a ferry down from Athens and arrived at the stroke of midnight with no accommodation. Thankfully an old woman on the ferry was telling Melissa about this Hotel Perissa that she and her husband are the caretakers of, and that her husband will be at the jetty with a blue van to give us a free ride to the hotel, and we would only have to pay 10 Euros each. So with 
nothing to loose except potentially our lives - if they turned out to be mass backpacker murderers- we loaded ourselves into the little blue van and went off to the hotel. It was such a lovely room you guys! Hahaha I'd recommend it to anyone. We even had a free breakfast of eggs and bread :) And the old couple were so cute together and so sweet to us. So in Santorini, the best thing to do is swim because it is just so hot and the water is crystal clear and oh so inviting! We went to 2 black sand beaches and a red beach. Then we went to the main town area and later rushed to see the sunset at the end of the island. Sadly we missed it, but the place is gorgeous at night when all the little white buildings that are stacked together light up and the sky is just a blue/orange glow behind it...breathtaking. Oh and I made to animal friends too, a horse that just kept following me after I pet it...which made Bryan and Mel really nervous and a dog that just cuddled next to me on a rock on the beach. 
Athens
There is only one reason I wanted to come here...Ruins! The Parthenon, Dionysius's Theater, just the whole Acropolis compound. We really didn't expect it to be as scorching hot and massively crowded with tourists as it was. But all the perspiration, walking and jostling was well worth it - I think. I was like a little child in Toys R Us. Don't remember the last time I was this excited about something. I just wanted to absorb everything in the Acropolis museum, the statues, descriptions, videos. And at the main site of the ruins, I was so overcome with awe at how beautiful everything was and the fact that everything here was from centuries ago. Just sitting on a slab of ancient marble made me feel all tingly because I knew that centuries ago other butts of the ancient people have sat on that same marble slab too. Hahaha, I'm starting to sound really silly I know, but I'm just glad I didn't stand at the Parthenon and weep, because I really thought I would end up doing that.
It was a great trip with good friends. Was so nice to get away from the cold for 10 days. Well all there's left to do now is plan the next trip. Portugal and Spain anyone?
No comments:
Post a Comment