ReidTravel - The Grand Tour

The edited Version - the Whole Trip to Italy

2011-11-18T17:40:00.001+11:00

The Plan

28^th August 2011 we finally decided that the stars had aligned , the knee felt sort of OK and that we would take option 1 for a holiday, the other options were Option 2. Short trip to Asia, Option 3. garden and paint the house. Good decision I reckon!

2^nd October Fly out of Sydney via Hong Kong on Cathy Pacific

3^rd – 6^th October Rome – Staying at Zero6 Guest House

6^th – 12^th October Cortona in Tuscany - Staying at Le Gelosie B&B http://www.legelosie.com/beb_eng/beb_eng.htm

12^th – 14^th October Florence - Staying at Medici Chapels Palace Apartments, Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini

14^th – 17^th October Cinque Tere – Vernazza - Staying Barbara's near Maria Capellini Rooms

17^th- 21^st October Venice – Staying at Apartment 2 Rialto https://venice-rialto-apartment.com/form_availability.php?lang=en&cat=12∏=10

21^st - 23^rd October Lake Como and Milan
23^rd – 24^th October Geneva – stop over on the train trip to Paris

24^th – 28^th October Paris - Stay at Familia Hotel in the Latin Quarter

28^th October Fly out of Paris 11pm and arrive back in Sydney 9am 30^th October

Sunday 2/10/2011 Day 1 - Dubbo -Sydney-Hong Kong - Rome

Lets start with Friday night - a nice dinner and some drinks at the Commercial with friends, Alison gave "us" the journal which I’ll endeavour to write up as well as the Blog.

Saturday morning - wouldn't you know it, all the last minute jobs to do and it's pissing down rain! There's a break in the rain so I fire the Victa up and start mowing, Genelle comes out and blasts me for risking catching a dose of some lergy by working in the rain. So, it's inside for a cup of tea, and stay out of trouble - it's all very stressful this travel thing. There’s a break in the rain, Genelle heads down town so I sneakily start the mower, finish the job, sort the pool, wash up, downtown for a coffee with the West’s and a few odd jobs. After the Wallabies belt Russia in the rugby I pack the bag (the final pack) and it's seems to be OK, only a small cull is needed and end up with about 8 kgs including the backpack. Genelle has also done well, a bit over 10 kg’s I think last thing we do is the online Check In and reserve our seats on the Cathay Pacific Flights and print our Boarding Passes.
The social whirlwind continues, off for a few drinks with Sam for her birthday, then back home to check, recheck documents, and store the drugs and cash and the supporting documentation. It's a late night, particularly with Daylight Savings starting Sunday.

Sunday morning, the day is finally here, thought we'd never get to it. The boys pick us up and run us out to the airport, where we see a heap of people we know. It's rugby league grand final day in Sydney so the Dubbo airport is busy. The flight to Sydney is good, catch the train to the International Terminal and because we have already checked in on line we fly through Customs and are ready to go in plenty of time - much quicker than the manual check in I reckon.
No celebrity spotting at the Gate, except we're accompanied by some Scottish pop band who don't look familiar, with their pointy shoes, ultra funky hair does and tight jeans. The only reason we know they are musicians is they checked in their guitars - but my guess is they haven't made it yet because they are in economy and behaving reasonably.
The plan is to stay awake to Hong Kong and sleep to Rome so that our body clocks have a chance to adapt and we can hit Rome running Monday morning - after a good espresso. On the plane I manage to spill milk and food over myself, and only 1 gin and tonic! Genelle watches movies the whole way, jumps and screams at the scary bits and frightens half the passengers out of their wits (as well as me) - I think that's why I spilt the milk! I read a really good saying in a motor bike magazine, which I hadn't heard before , this woman writer described her future father in law’s Triumph motor bike as "looking like a pig licking piss off a thistle" - I'm not sure what that really looks like to be honest but it sounds like a good Aussie way to describe something. Its pretty bumpy coming closer to Hong Kong because of hurricanes around the Philipines, but we finally arrive at 9.30pm HK time tired and with headaches (only 1 g & t !!)
So this is the first real blog entry on the road but had to check who won the League grand final and the Moto GP first. This next leg is 13 hours and sleep is planned for most of it - if it's possible.

Monday 3/10/2011 Rome Days 1 & 2

Blog 3/10/2011 Monday - edited again (iPad hard to work out sometimes)
Hong Kong to Rome

Landed Rome airport about 7.30 am, waited for our driver to show up, for an hour, rang Luigi, he'd forgotten but would organize another, but by then we'd organized a shuttle bus for 20€ each and it would drop us at the door. And then the bit that's so special about travelling, one of our companions in the bus was dressed as a priest - not unusual if you are a priest - which he was, but he was the Bishop of Savannah, Georgia USA but originally from Cork in Ireland but had been in USA for 52 years. A lovely bloke, his name is Bishop Kevin Boland (had to Google it).
A man with a truck load of stories and a wicked wit especially with rugby and Ireland beating Australia a week ago. He was in Rome for a friend of his that was being ordained on the week-end.
The driver found our place near the Vatican, looked pretty average outside but inside was lovely, we're very pleased. We met Luigi who apologized profusely about the car not being organized. It's a lovely room with a modern bathroom in a really old building, very cosmopolitan. Luigi's parents own a restaurant which we will go to tomorrow night.
So, we shower rest freshen up and start with the closest thing - the Vatican.

The line up at St Peters the first day

Before we go we head to a TIM outlet and buy 2 TIM Italian pre paid SIM cards for 10€ each, get the TIM bloke to load them up, test them and off we go, bona fide travellers with Italian phone numbers, a much cheaper option for calling home or in Europe. Lunch is a place right beside Luigi’s families restaurant, which we plan to visit tomorrow night and the food is pretty good. The first coffee in Rome is especially good.

The walk to the Vatican is hot. St Peters Square is packed with tourist and pilgrims, and the lineup to St Peters is massively long, so we pass on another look at St Peters and just walk around getting oriented..

St Peters on the 1st day - we're a little warm!

We left the Vatican and walked into the main part of the city, via the Castel Sant Angelo (Castle of the Angels) and the Ponte Sant Angelo (Bridge of the Angels), over the Tiber, in through the alley ways through an antique area, past little restaurants and shops, and eventually find our way to Piazza Navonna. We spend ages just wandering lookoing at the artists, buy a gellato, look at the Bernini sculptures in the fountain, it's late in the afternoon and it's a beautiful time of day.
We then move on to the Pantheon, and this building is still the most amazing building I've ever seen, built before Christ was born but absolutely stunning inside and amazing it's stayed in such good condition for over 2,000 years.
Then we wander on to the Trevi Fountain, the place is teaming with people, everywhere. Genelle likes some shoes at Sore' and plans to come back (which she does next day and buys some)

We're getting bit weary and decide to eat and head home, that's where we find Rendes Vous restaurant in the alley ways behind the Trevi Fountain, pizza and Peroni beer which cost all up 20€ and then the long walk home over the Tiber past the Vatican to our room. Home at 10.30pm and we are absolutely stuffed.

10.37pm in Rome in our Guest House near the Vatican and Genelle has gone to sleep almost immediately. We're stuffed!
13 hours on the plane and I don't think I slept a wink and Genelle dozed a little, we arrived with the plan that we'd keep going until we were absolutely stuffed so that we sleep the sleep of the dead tonight and get the body clocks synced to Italy time. So, until now we haven't really slept from 6.30am Sunday until 10.30pm Monday 4th Italian time = 40 + 9 hours time adjustment = 49 hours.
So why are we so tired?

The Spanish Steps - Genelle is sitting in their somewhere

Castel Sant Angelo on the walk home -day 1

Negatives , the plane trip is hard work and sleep is hard to come by, no driver at the airport so small panic and then regather ourselves and take charge.
Positives - the place we are staying is fantastic so well located, and Rome is such a great place so easy to spend time. The phones work well, we got local TIM sim card for 10 € which included 5€ of calls and these are really cheap back to Australia.

Tuesday 4th October 2011 – Rome the 2^nd DayGenelle is up at about 1 am, the phones rang – apparently ( I didn’t hear it!), because she is a little cranky, Macquarie Alarms called about a sensor that went off - the f...wit we called about being away and the instructions we gave regarding not calling us overseas didn't put it the computer!
When we wake up it's 12 midday - shit bugger poop - that's the catch up for the jet lag etc but we still feel we've short changed ourselves a bit in time. We quickly see Luigi who sorts out our Internet free wi-fi connection then we head for a brunch at a cheap little place near Octavvia Metro station ( just around the corner from Zero6), then buy our 26€ 3 Day pass which is 3 days on the trains, buses, trams, and hop on hop bus and 3 tourist sites entrance eg the Colosseum or Vatican Museum - good value and we've used it a lot today.
No Metro strike today so we train it to Termini (Rome's version of Central Station)' and find our way from the subway to the major regional and Eurostar train terminal and buy our ticket to Cortona for Thursday. Cost 32€ for both of us.
The days is still hot, about 30deg C.
Train back to Spagna station and the Spanish Steps. This were we chill for a while and just sit on the steps, watch the crowds, and it is bloody crowded! The walk up the steps nearly does Genelle in, not a good sign of her fitness, she stops, I keep going to the top and the beautiful little church at the top is open so I step in, alone, and case the joint out. It's full of American tourists but it is quite serene and beautiful and quiet. Back down the steps to Genelle who has almost been caught up in a crime scene with African junk sellers doing a runner because the Polizi were coming!
After the excitement, a stroll throughout the shopping areas, past Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and others but of course we looked and didn't buy, really not up to our standards of tailored Thai clothes! Aren't we tight arses - at least I am, Genelle Im not so sure. Actually I am sure!

Then back past the Trevi Fountain and Genelle visits the shoe shop “Sore”, and finds another pair of shoes for 32€, and buys them. A bit more strolling and back to Baraberini Metro station and home for a rest.

At 8pm after a shower and chill, we head to Cucina l'Abruzzese which is Luigi's family restaurant which is about 5 minutes walk from Zero6. we stroll past 20- 30 lovely looking restaurants before Luigi's, it better be good! The place is chock a block with Catholic priest’s and being so close to the Vatican, this is not surprising - I suppose the Catholic Church can afford to feed it's employees while they are way from their office. We have a Peroni beer, bruschetta, Genelle has veal that she was drooling over and I had a pasta dish. It was fantastic, we met Luigi's Mumma! She was hunting flower sellers and buskers away but she clearly ran the place. We had dessert, a panacotta for me and Genelle had her 3rd gellato of the day. Luigi then brought some of Mamma's cake and limoncello's - it was so bloody good !!
A slow walk home to call a few people using our cheap Italian mobile sim cards and send a few emails and me to write up the blog.

Wednesday 5^th October 2011 - Just another Day in Rome

Guess what, we actually got up on time today! No phone calls from security about our house last night, and Genelle is happy about that. I still haven't worked out how to get photos into the blog but have now downloaded an iPad App that let's me put photos into Facebook and Picassa - that's progress for an old bugger like me.
The plan today - Vila Borghese Museum, then as many of the other things as we can fit in.
We take the Metro Metro to Spagna, and walk following the signs to the Villa Borghese Museum through a horse paddock and park thinking we'd end up lost but eventually we find it and are advised that it's booked out for the next 4 days so we can’t go in and look, so not a good start as this is one place I wanted to see. We wander into town then, past a Ferrari and Maserati dealer and a lot of expensive hotels, eventually to Republica where we pick up our Hop On Hop Off bus using our 25€ Roma Ticket. We travel around all the normal tourist sites, or at least as many as we can battling the throngs of tourists, the place is chock a block but hardly any Aussies? And hardly any rugby supporters as there are no comments about the Wallabies cap I'm wearing, so I'm guessing not many Irish people are in town either – thank goodness.
Our last stop is the Victor Emmanual monument, built about 1900' about 2000 years after the church right next to it. The day is hot again, we end up getting a bit sunburnt on the bus so we scoot home on the train, call into our favorite bakery for a treat, relax sort out a few emails and think about which one of the 50 or so restaurants we will eat at that are within 5 minutes walk. None will be as good as last night at Luigi's - and while where we go is good I thought correctly, Luigi's is still number 1. I can understand why Italians love opera, they converse like an opera, voices up and down in pitch, extending words and waving hands around with facial expressions to match.
Back to pack up as Luigi has paid for our cab to Termini Station to catch the train to Cortona, as a payback for not booking the car from the airport. 9am taxi, train at 10.18am, Terentola station just outside Cortona and then a taxi into Cortona. Our host Kirsten at Le Gelosie B&B has organized the cab and will be waiting for us. I like the personal feel of the small accommodation places + I think they are a lot cheaper.

Thursday 7/10/2011 - Move from Rome to Cortona

Looking over Tuscany from the wall of Cortona

Up early, for us anyway. Croissant and espresso, pack bags and an emu parade to check nothing left in the room. Luigi has organised a taxi to Termini and has paid for it as his apology for forgetting to have us picked up at the airport. The driver arrives early and waves to Genelle standing on the balcony. Now Genelle struggles down the steps, feels she should have taken the lift for the short trip but smartarse me strolls down with the backpack and she feels shamed into not taking the lift - potentially a bad mistake for me.
At Termini station it's like Sydney Central Station on a double dose of steroids - there are local trains, Intercity trains, Regional trains, Eurostars (flash sleek machines), and it seems like thousands of people. Old mate who booked our tickets a few days ago said we didn't need to book seats, and make sure to validate our ticket in the yellow machines before getting on the train, our train was leaving about 10.30am, it would be a Regional saying it was going to Venezia but we have to change at Chiusi for the local train to either Terentola or Chamucia where we leave the train to go up a bloody big hill to Cortona.
We wait for ages for our train to come up on the big Departures board and then another eon before the "bin" or platform comes up which it does about 10 minutes before the train is meant to leave from Bin 9. We rush up to platform 9, try to validate our tickets in the yellow boxes but they are all broken, and tightarse me is panicking because if you get caught without validated tickets the fines are up to 100€. Then sweating we rush, as much as you can with a backpack and then a bloke who we think was a gypsy was trying to guide us to a carriage started to hassle us until we moved near a Trenitalia person in a uniform and the gypsy looking chap disappeared. We got on to a carriage but all the compartments were quite full, so we kept moving down carriages and eventually find one with 2 Americans who suggest we come in and share with them. We notice gypsy types prowling the corridors of the train, but they don't come near us - if Genellle looks at them like she does at me occasionally they'd never come near us in the first place!

The dog gauarding our favourite bakery in Rome

Our traveling companions are from Billings Montanna, he's an optometrist and they are off to Orvietto, a very nice couple and we talk about lots of things. The next stressful unknown bit is the train change at Chimusi, but it's easy. Small debate with 2 Americqn couples over whether it's platform 5 or 7, but they are both going to Cortona so it's all fine and we hope on the tren ( how's that for my improving Italian tren = train)I now have an Italian vocabulary of about 5 words;
prego = your welcome
Ciao = hi or see ya
Arriverderci = catch you later dude
Tren = train
Bin= platform
Per favor = please
Gellato = ice cream but really special
Actually I nearly know enough to be considered a local!
So back to Cortona, Kirsten our host at the B&B picks us up, she looks about 17 years old but has 3 children, the eldest 7 and her husband is back from New York tomorrow.
Cortona looks stunning up on the hill, it's a steep climb up to the Etruscan walls with Roman walls on top as we drive into the ancient walled town. Our place is right near the main piazza and we have been given the honour of the room on the top floor, it's about 7 flights of stairs and Genelle is not impressed, this is potentially dangerous to her health and good for her fitness ( not something I'm game to talk about - my untimely death in Italy would be unfortunate - for me especially!)
After she recovers we stop and have a lovely lunch at a little cafe, seats facing the piazza, and the square where a lot of Under Tuscan Sun was shot, we wander the alleys and shops and explore. The place is spectacular and we can see what Dave and Alison saw that appealed. We find a couple from the train having a coffee and chat to them, they are just retired from San Francisco, and then on to an English woman who owns a bag shop ( Genelle hates bags!) and has lived here for 30 years, then an English bloke who is as camp as tent in Oxford street, and others . A real village and community feel about the place but stacks of Americans and Canadians, and the odd Italian.
Dinner is another treat, a little trattoria about 20 meters from our front door ( no shortage of food in Cortona), a beautiful meal for 30 €. this included wine, bruschetta, a veal dish a pork dish, veggies and a high demand for their seats was evident. .
Tomorrow? Rain is supposed to be on the way, a cold front moving through Switzerland and Germany - those bloody Swiss and Germans always spoiling things ! Whatever the weather is we'll be ok as it's “chill out and explore Cortona day tomorrow”.

Friday, October 7, 2011 - Corrections

Folks- I notice there are plenty of typos in the Blog, the iPad auto corrects and I miss some of it's illogical changes in my rush to get it typed - I'll fix them later.

Friday morning here in Cortona, it's raining and the weather has cooled, we're just heading for breakfast (the second B of B&B) at Nessun caffe not sure what we get for breezy here but espresso and pastry seems the go in Italy.

Friday, October 7, 2011 - A Quiet Day on a Tuscan Hillside in Italy

Walking to the top of Cortona - challenging!

A reward for the physical effort - a gelato and a rest. Time has got away, so as the air chills we focus on deciding on where to eat and loading a few pictures into Facebook. At least I do, Genelle gives instructions and reads a book, oh and she also skype’s Dale and Tobe in Edinburgh to catch up their travel’s.
Dinner tonight is at Trattoria Estrucia, a small place with only about 8 tables, just up from our B&B. the bruschetta is great ( lesson - you pronounce bruschetta as brews-ketta not brewshetta in Italy in case there are any culinary heathens reading!) - Kyra Peet will know exactly what I mean !
Secondo I have a gnocchi with zucchini, and Genelle has a veal thing, thinly sliced with oil and salad. She battles with it and I love the gnocchi, but she does try to get me to eat some to save a little face. I decline as I'm full already - shit I'm going to be in trouble!
The legs are burning and we're both yawning so it's time head back to LeGelosie for a little rest and recuperation. The customers are all American girls on Uni break and maybe this is a little snobbish, but they sound annoying using "like" every 2nd word and the or boyfriends who have PHd's and I bet would be absolute wankers.
Tomorrow is market day In Cortona - this is what Genelle trains for all year, an Olympic class shopper has to be allowed to use their skill and training. Plus it will take her mind off her aching legs from today's walking. Me - painkillers are the go, the knees are RS anyway it's just wearing them out as much as I can before I have to have them replaced. I'll watch the shopping, read the paper on line and sip on an espresso while the world wanders past this includes the 20,000 American tourists currently in Cortona or does it just seem that way?

Ciao until Saturday

Our might Ford Kaa with Cortona in the background

Saturday 8th October 2011 - Cortona Italy.
Buona Sera bloggers - if you don' get this Sunday morning then you know that the free wi-fi in the B&B and our breakfast joint Nessun Dorma is still down.
Saturday in Cortona is Market Day, and we hear the stalls being set up from early in the morning. I also hear the sound of the pounding under my right ear, a sure sign that the 1/2 litre of red wine last night should have been a 1/4 litre. Still, hindsight remains one of the skills I retain despite having a very good advisor with me who is an expert on the "shoulda's " - you know what I mean?

After a long Skype session with the family in Australia, we head to Nessun Dorma caffe for breakfast. Today, I have a custard and pine nut slice with cappuchino and Genelle has a jam roll with hot chocolate. It's slightly cool but fine so we sit outside, and read the Daily Telegraph on the iPad. I reckon dessert for breakfast in the European style has something going for it, it will keep chronic disease specialists in Australia in work for longer than we think with diabetes and obesity and other mean nasty diseases. We finish by washing down some panadol, for headache and aching legs from the huge walk yesterday.

The square of Cortona is chock a block with stalls, Genelle buys a scarf, some socks ( it does say "alpaca" on the wrapping but the label says 80% wool and 20% viscose) , there are lots of nice clothes, shoes etc. There is also one street that is just food, peccorino and mozzarella cheeses , whole cooked pigs that you can buy slices of, seafood and fruit and veggies. I buy a panini and porcetta ( a pork roll) for 2.50€ and the vendor throws a huge piece of crackling in it. I sit on the steps of the Teatro Signorelli building and eat my roll while Genelle shops for other bargains. Oh, we also buy some plums as a snack, and some Italian lollies and chocolates mostly made in Perugia I think, I get to taste a chocolate one and it is delicious and total cost about 6€ for a big bag of them. By the way one Euro (€) is about $1.20 AUD.

We ran into our friend the English lady who owns the bag shop and she gave us some advice regarding someone who is a travel agent and can help us with train tickets and a few other things including hiring a car ( which we rally want today for 4 days and not from Monday). So this is our introduction to Laura the Travel Agent who does many other things. We sort out all our train travel, but have to come back at 7pm to see her as she's busy and has to leave. We eat lunch at Teatro Signorelli building at a restaurant up the steps it is very nice and also very late. We get our car, it’s not a Smart Car but a Ford Kaa, a little 4 seater that should be a 3 seater unless the passengers are pygmies or small children. I do get the bloke from the car rental agency to drive it out to the car park for me, bugger driving up the cobblestones, through those narrow streets at this stage.

We have a rest and decide to take the car into Camucia to find a laundromat and do some washing which is desperately needed.

Well, to be honest this driving on the right hand side is spooky and seems totally unnatural and I 'm quietly shitting myself as we drive down this rather steep hill on the wrong side of the road, sitting in the wrong side of the car with a gear stick on the right hand side and no idea where to go when we get to Camuchia. It's an ordeal that I have a reasonable amount of stress with. Thank goodness for the GPS, even for the short drive into Camucia.

Genelle does some sign language with a shop owner to find out where the lauromat is, when we get there the we find a very helpful proprietor who sets us up and the washing is under way. There's another bloke there, he's black, and doing his washing and we talk a little. He's a refugee from Nigeria, has a wife and a 7 month old daughter and he's surviving in France on basic work, currently no work is available so hes struggling to survive. Because he has refuge status he can't move to any other country. He shows Genelle photos of his daughter and seems very proud. He has twin brothers back in Nigeria and his mother and Father are dead and because he has obviously crossed some people, he cannot return home to Nigeria. Sad story but I guess it's played out all over the world.

Laundry done, we race off to get back up the hill to meet Laura to sort out some accommodation in the Lake Como area, which we do and then it's back up the hill for a rest at about 7.30pm, and this is a rest day!! Quick rest and find out that the wifi is still off the air. Then dinner at Aquisto Cartasi restaurant where we sit beside some Aussie ladies older than us who book the travel themselves on the cheap and are currently on a 6 week trip from Budapest, Vienna , though Italy and finishing in France about the same time as us. What a pack of livewires they are!

Well its now 10.30pm and the day is dusted and time to write up the days notes and hit the sack. Tomorrow we're going driving and may need the help of mental health professionals after this day! I'll let you know how it goes in the next edition.

Sunday 9th October 2010 - Cortona Italy
Buona sera (good evening) to anyone who is still reading this rambling journal of an average Aussie couple travelling in Italy. We are still in the Tuscan countryside and apparently today the weather has returned to what is normal for this time of the year - cool but pleasant (mostly anyway). The bells are ringing in the churches and there are heaps of them, ringing for all the happy “left footers” (Catholic’s) to get out of bed and go and say their prayers and confess their sins, as a protestant almost agnostic semi heathen, I wish they'd turn the volume down on the bells.
The wifi is out in the B&B but it works in the Nessun Dorma cafe where we have breakfast so as I did this morning, will write up tonight and load up in the morning at breakfast.
What did we do before wifi? Its almost as essential as coffee these days.
Breakfast is the usual at Nessun Dorma, only difference is the good looking (female) waiter is not working, a bloke with a tattoo on his neck is there instead- good service but not as nice to look at. Reading the news on line is good this morning.
Thank god - the Wallabies have just beaten the Boks, and will play the winner of NZ & the Pumas, guess it will be the All Blacks. Haven't found anyone else here that gives a shit about the rugby, frankly I'm a little disappointed, but I guess football (soccer) is king in Italy, they do remember the fright Australia gave them in the World Cup in Germany but doubt they really rate us a soccer nation. Back to rugby, Wales beat Ireland and France beat England, so it looks like AUS v NZ play the winner of Wales and France in the final next week-end. Do any of you care?
We decide that today is a leisurely tour of Umbria, so we buy some proschiutto pesto and mozarella rolls and walk down the hill, in Australia a mountain, in Italy a hill, to the car. Like anything involving cars in Italy nothing is easy, we are jammed in so have to back out the wrong way and exit the car park on the wrong side of the road because a bus is blocking the exit - fairly normal here.
The first stop is Panicale, the home of Dave and Al and their travel writing daughter Elly and son Tim Brownsnake Robson (where does that come from?)
Panicale is wonderfully quiet and small compared to Cortona, but never the less a real hill town. Genelle can't resist and has to phone Al to say where we are. We have a coffee and pastry at Aldo’s in Panicale - he remembers Dave & Alison. Genelle has a white chocolate drink that tastes wonderful. We explore the town and then head cross country to Montepulciano, another hill town.
Montepulciano is cold and it rains a bit. We explore the church and streets of shops. The churches are all very different inside, some are sensational inside. Montepulciano is similar to Cortona but not as steep or as large a town, I think I prefer Cortona.
We're getting a bit of driving combination together, I drive and Genelle navigates using the Tom Tom GPS. We manage Ok as my confidence improves on the right hand side of the road. As always navigating my driving can be a challenge!
On our return to Cortona we come in a new way and end up in the wrong end of Via Nationale, so we circle the fountain and head out down the hill on to the right track to get us up to the gate we want to park at. It is a small ordeal, and after a day’s driving my neck is aching but I feel a lot better about driving here now. They aren't all idiots but but they toot their horns at anything and don't obey the road rules much at all. Our little Ford Kaa is a great little car, despite testing the gears and the clutch out on the hills and skinny roads.
Tonight we have booked a dinner reservation at Ambrosia Ristorante, a new restaurant opened by a young local guy who trained in Paris and London and now returns to Cortona, Laura recommends we try it, as its supposed to be a bit different and a bit more upmarket. Inside it has a running water feature with water coming from the back wall, falling into a trough on both sides of the back wall, running to the middle and under strengthened glass into an underground pond with Etruscan jars etc, quite spectacular. There are a couple celebrating their first wedding anniversary and a group of Italians with 2 little boys who love all the water and glass. The Italians also bring a dog into the restaurant and it sits on the floor near them. I'm taken back to the days after a big stock sale and you go to the pub for a counter lunch with the drovers and all their dogs in the front bar of the pub. The food is sensational, a glass of champagne is served first, then a small taster dish ( included for free) then the other dishes we order, Genelle has a chicken dish and I have a suckling pig dish. The waiter has no English and Genelle almost upsets him when she says she didn't order the free taster - which she didn’t but it was free and she didn’t understand it was part of the experience? Genelle's chicken is a little uncooked (or so it looks) in one spot, but mine is delicious and the crackling is really good. Then dessert, a peach cake for G and cheese cake and strawberries for me, it is light, fluffy cheesecake and is so good, an espresso and we're finished at 10pm. Fiji time and Italian time have a few things in common. So I've survived the driving and not ended up too stressed.
Tomorrow a trip to Sienna, San Gigimano and Arezzo and then a catch up with Laura regarding accommodation in Milan.
Ciao arrividerci

Monday Morning 10^th October 2011

Its cold this morning, but still not cold enough to not sit outside and watch the locals pass by after their morning shopping, little ones off to school right near our B&B, the garbage truck going the wrong way, the locals greeting each other "bongiorno" and waving their hands and the facial expressions. Its time to get moving for the day. The local Caribinnieri (or is she Polizia Locale?) is here watching who parks in front of Teatro Signorelli, she is a pretty and imposing looking young woman, not one you would want to tangle with, a gun in a white holster with white stripes on her ankle length boots, even the coppers have style, and presence. Genelle is trying to snap a photo of her directing traffic, but its hard without her seeing us watching her.
Its quiet today, all the bloody tourists have gone - but then again what are we! Seems like just locals and a few longer term stayers\semi touristo's around!
Better stop cop watching and focus on getting some planning done for the day.

Breakfast at Nessun Dorma Caffe - Cortona

Monday 10th October 2011 – Later - Toscana - Italy Another day on the road for the ageing backpackers
There was a live update at breakfast earlier, we are now sipping a cappuchino on the piazza, after a day on the road we're home, and after a pizza and birra (beer) Italian style, Genelle is watching CSI over dubbed in Italian - she'll watch anything! Wifi is still down so TV is the only entertainment available other than a book.
So what did we do today?
We sorted some gear out to be sent back to Australia, and bought a post box and some stamps for post cards. We did a bit of washing by hand, rigged up some clothes lines in the room and escaped before they (the cleaner) came to clean up.

Walk to the Duomo in Cortona, and then to the car. I feel an old hand at this Italian driving now, almost anyway. We check out the cemetery down the bottom of the hill, then set the gps to Arezzo. Arezzo takes awhile but it is a pretty uninspiring place to be honest. The Lonely Planet, says the US bombed it heavily in WWII. The horse race with the maniacs in bright costumes throwing a goats body around (at least its something like this) happens here, but we struggle to find anything interesting. I just looked at the Lonely Planet guide and it said it had 92,000 people and wasn't one of Tuscany's prettiest cities, well that sounds about right, it looks and feels like a bit of a shit hole actually.
So next stop is Sienna, 52,000 people and about 70kms away. The Lonely Planet says the US bombed it heavily in WWII as well, I hope its better than Arezzo?. We trust the gps to get us to the fotball stadium as this is supposed to be the best place to park. The little Ford tears up the km’s, and we're there in no time and without much stress, any road out of Arezzo is good, but initially the gps couldn’t understand our instructions and kept sending us to the Arezzo football stadium – I had serious words with “Helen” our Tom Tom narrator in Arezzo. The stadium car park is great and right near the centre of Sienna so we walk to the famous piazza with the huge area and the church with the really big tower. We spend some time looking and decide we like Sienna and would like to come back one day.
The trip back to Cortona is like Formula 1 down the A1 Autostrada, 120 km/hour in the midget Ford but still the Alfas and Ferraris overtake us! Only one minor navigation stuiff up coming out of Sienna, but lets not talk about that please!
Dinner tonight is pizza from a little place about 50 metres from our place. 2 pizzas, beer, a soft drink and 2 waters cost us 17€.

Tomorrow is an easy day, a bit of shopping and looking around. Then get ready to pack and move on to Florence.
I'm going to miss Cortona, I think its close to being the pick location in Tuscany to stay, so central, good food, nice people, and such a nice place to stay. Smaller places like Panicale in Umbria are lovely but a little quiet, but thats just my view.
Arrividerci for another day.

Tuesday 11/10/11 – The last full day in CortonaAs usual we we struggled out of bed and dragged ourselves down to Nessun Dorma for breakfast, such a chore. We eat a different pastry, but same coffee, same place, same waitress. Looks like there is another market in town but not big like Saturday.
We had to go back to Laura Casella the travel agent about our train tickets, she’s lovely but her little office is a bit messy. We have to wait for a Nun who is getting train tickets. Obviously God’s business takes precendence over the Reid’s business, but eventually we get our business is done, we head off walking the lanes of Cortona a lot of which we still haven't seen, we stumble on beautiful little gardens hanging from windows, a stunning little church that was here in the Etruscan and Corinthian times 500 years before Jesus was born and was once a pagan temple, build in a round shape so the evil spirits would leave.
We decide to break our rule about not eating at the same place twice and return to Nessun Dorma for lunch, bruschette and other stuff, bit one standout was a bruschette that had olive oil, pecorino cheese (lightly grilled) and a slice of pear on it with a slightly citrusy type juice - even Genelle likes this one.
Then we decide to go driving, the search for the elusive GMB, or as Dave & Al call it the Gay Mans Bar. First though, Genelle wants to see a building up the hill, and I have to drive, too steep for her to walk and so we head to where she thinks this place is, the little Ford struggles up, it so bloody steep the goats have short legs on one side, there is White Audi which sits 30cm from the back of the car, we miss whatever place she wanted to see and before we know it we're on a goat track to Perugia (that’s what the road sign said anyway). The narrow road has few places to turn around and when we do pull over it still takes our over sized go cart a 4 point turn to get around , praying no other cars come, luckily it was so isolated none did come. I was pretty happy with the navigator! I said f.... the building you wanted to see, I'm not feeling so gay at present but let’s go find the GMB for a coffee. So we found Dave & Als card with the address, and we set off. Bourke and Wills little trek was easy compared to finding this GMB place, BUT, Dave did warn us it was in an industrial area. The GPS got us to the area, we drove up hill and down dale, but no GMB, we asked 2 old blokes sitting at a service station, Genelle bridged the language barrier (so she though) and took us down a dead end road, by now I was getting good at turning the car around in limited spaces. But to be fair, direction isn't a strong suit of hers, I thought he said whatever Italian is for "left", but to keep the peace I went where the navigator said, anyway, when we got on the track they said, we still couldn’t see the bloody GMB. Last chance, before we head home and we stop an old Italian bloke riding a push bike on this dirt road, Genelle again bridges the language barrier, waves the GMB card at him and he waves to our left, and there it is, sitting behind a cement factory with carpet on the ground etc as described - BUT - it was shut! It’s the sort of place that would make anyone who bats for the other side shake in their boots so the coffee must be pretty good.
Then it’s a quick drive home, one wrong corner up the Cortona Hill and end we up in Garibaldi Square, not the car park near our B&B. I'm grateful to be parking the car, only one more drive to go and that’s to the railway station tomorrow.

At the front door of Le Gelosie
our B&B in Cortona

So now to the important bit, the shopping for the day - after much indecision, Genelle buys herself an Italian leather bag, designed in Cortona by the English woman’s boss who has them made in Florence, and who has a very attractive Polish woman also working in the shop who cannot pronounce "decision". Genelle also buys a few Christmas presents in the same place. I am now certain I'm going to die poor! She then buys some earrings made by a jeweller close by to Cortona, the actual designer and maker is in the shop tonight, another good looking Italian lass, and her and Genelle get on well - as do most jewellers with Genelle.
It has been another warm day, and its a very pleasant evening, so we head back to our part of town, away from the tourists ( that’s not us by the way!) and decide to eat at Nessun Dorma. The tables beside us are occupied by a young couple from Manchester on their honeymoon, and an American couple who live in Germany (in the Black Forrest) with a holiday place in southern Germany somewhere sounding like Hinklehokenhiem or the like! The Americans have their 2 pet daschunds in cases with them - I wasn't game to ask if they had kids! The waitress was originally from England of West Indian heritage but married 20 years ago to an Italian - just like a joke " A bloke walks into a bar, there’s an Englishman, an American and an Australian the black West Indian/English/Italian waitress says .......” sorry but I can't think of a good ending for that stupid joke! Maybe someone else can help me with the rest of the joke? Anyway it’s very relaxed and we have a ball talking and sharing photos, and saying to the Pom how sorry I am they missed the rugby World Cup semis (NOT!) and he says he hopes the Wallabies win (and I know he's insincere) but we both know we'll never see each other again so who gives a toss! The English couple are 30ish and pretty fit but they walked an hour to get to Cortona this morning, and it’s now 10pm and then they struggle to get a taxi back to their honeymoon villa at the bottom of the hill. Eventually a taxi arrives.
I finish the dinner (0nly cost 35€ for both of us) with a lovely grappa.

Another day done on the Reids Grand Tour, we've been away 1 week and it feels like we left Australia a month ago - jeez I like holidays!

Quick Update

AM 12/10 -Editor in Chief has corrected a few things

- the American couple have children, they're grown up
- the English Couple walked for 3 hours not 1

I'm sure there will be a few other corrections

Bags packed, breakfast beckons

Wednesday 12^th October 2011 - Florence - Italy

Cortona to Florence 12/10
We had the last half day in Cortona today, drove the oversized go cart down the mountain the Camucia traIn station to hand the car back and wait for the 1.24pm train to Florence. Last minute shopping and post a box of surplus clothes and a bit of shopping back to Australia 150€ - bloody expensive but we needed to lighten the load. The RV (regional train) is pretty good, nobody checks the tickets and as predicted we end up in Florence. Currently typing this at a bar on the iPhone not the iPad with free wifi so a few beers and big fingers will affect the typing - may have to edit later. Got into Florence Santa Maria Novella Station on time, bloody hot and steamy and we sweat as we load the backpack and bags and try go navigate our way to pick up the keys to our apartment neear the Duomo, we sweat more lugging the gear back the the apartment, not good for the knees which give me a fair amount of pain today. Panadol Osteo don't make much difference.
Still we walk to the Duomo, get our bearings again in Florence and luckily we find the leather markets right near our apartment. Our apartment is on the top floor of the Medici Palace Apartments, a big challenge for Genelle who does have little whinge about the steps and needs a puff on the ventilin to reach the top. Our apartment is a 1 bedroom place not bad area and bigger than the B&B but not as personal. It’s time to find some dinner as it's almost 8pm and we've had nothing since the sandwich we ate at Camucia train station at 1pm

Genelle getting a little culture in Florence

Thursday 13/10/2010 - Florence - Italy

The Piazza Aldobrandi something or other, where our apartment is, is a busy place. The scooters and trucks accelerating over the cobblestones echo up and amplify into our little apartment. We've both had a dose of pain killers last night, yesterday was a hard day for the geriatric backpackers, and a few glasses of Chianti washed down the vegetarian pizza and helped with the sleep but not with the waking up.
So we get going after Genelle has a mild dummy spit at the Italian washing machine which has wrecked a top of her’s, of course I never mention the old adage " a good tradesman never blames their tools", and the sign does say " Italian Washing Machines do take longer than American washing machines" or words to that effect.
Sorry, but I have to stop typing for the last gellati of the day at a little place near our apartment where we are eating tonight (also has free wifi - bloody hell this stuff is good, thats the gellati I’m talking about, I wish I didn’t have all these vices!)

So, back to the day today.
My priorities are the Accademia and the Efuzzi Galleries. Not necessarily Genelle's priorities, as we all know she is an World and Olympic class shopper and this place is chock a block with leather, jewellery and other stuff that is really fantastic.
Anyway back to ME - she drags herself to the Gallerie Accademia where the original David is displayed and has been since 1879 or so, it is simply breathtaking compared to the copy on the piazza down near the Efuzzi. Even Genelle is pretty impressed, but I can’t stay that long, there are things to do.

Next stop is the Efuzzi (spelling Nazi's can get stuffed if I've spelt this and other things wrong - sorry). Genelle decides she’s had enough art for the day and heads of shopping. So I book a 33€ guided tour, and its money well spent, I meet an American couple from Arizona and head off on the English speaking tour with about 8 others, a DINK couple from Canada, an Aussie couple, a very latin looking couple from Miami (she looked way to young and good looking for him!), a couple from Israel and 2 other Americans as well as the nice ones from Arizona. The Efuzzi is huge, the art is stunning even for amateurs like me, my favourite is "the Birth of Venus". Anyway its fantastic, worth the aching feet and the time.
Genelle is waiting at the entrance, so I have a short rest and then on to the Ponte Vecchio and the jewellery shops, she's showing remarkable enthusiasm! It’s a slow walk over the famous old bridge full of very, very expensive gold and other jewellery, but she does manage to buy a few reasonably priced bits and pieces for Christmas presents for family etc.
We have lunch at a funky little stand up caffe on the Pitti Palace side of the Arno River, great espresso coffee and lovely panini and mozzarella , only 6€ for us both. So then on to Palazzo Pitti, we don’t go in, we’ve have seen enough castles and palaces at the moment, on the way back Genelle stumbles on to the groovy little place that sells glasses made only in Italy, very interesting design, so she buys herself a pair, why not, she should have bought 2 pairs!
The it’s back to find arguably the best gellati in Italy, maybe the world, near the Piazza Santa Croce, called Vivoli Il Gellati. I have a pear and cream gellati and Genelle has pear and merange ( this is her 2nd visit of the day!). Anyway we sit in the Piazza Santa Croce near the beautiful old church where Leonado Da Vinci and Michaelangelo and lots of other notable Italian artists and other famous and important dead people are buried. I didn’t visit this time as I saw it last time I was here. AG (after gellati) Genelle finds a leather place where they are making the coats etc in the shop, its fantastic but way to expensive, even for her. Still, she has a good look and a chat to the salesman.
Then back to the leather markets right near out apartment for last minute shopping, I retire to the Piazza Aldobrandini something or other near our front door to wait and watch the crowds. Italians of all sorts heading home on their scooters and push bikes, stunning women, handsome blokes, old farts, the odd beggar and lots of tourists. I think the crowds are amazingly large for this time of year, they say it’s unseasonally warm for this time of the year.

Genelle finally returns with her spoils from the markets and we buy a few goodies for a rest and nibbles with drinks in our apartment ( a Peroni beer, some chips, a box of tea bags etc). Rest is over, and then back up to the this little caffe about 50 metres from the front door, for pizza, coffee, gellati and free wifi to write this blog up. The place is open til 1am so no rush although Genelle is keen to back and pack the bags ready for the journey to the Cinque Terre and Vernazza tomorrow.
I'm really looking forward to the Cinque Terre, not sure what to expect accomodation wise as we have booked, via Maria Capparelli (who owns a B&B on the water but had no vacancies but was highly rated by TripAdvisor), anyway we’re with Maria's friend Barbara Sallustri who has a room for 70€ a night, she has no phone or email and will meet us at the train station, on the right hand side of the stairs and will be wearing a blue chemise (whatever the f.. a chemise is?) this is one Genelle was indecisive about (strange that!) but she will blame someone else if its no good - and you know who you are! It won't be me.
Not sure about the wifi situation in Vernazza so the blog may have a few days break.
Ciao from Florence

Friday 14/10/2011 - Florence to the Cinque Terre and Vernazza - Another Day on the Reids Grand Tour

The Aging backpackers move camp again.
The ear plugs worked well last night, not as much noise from the narrow streets around Piazza Aldobrandini something or other get through to my ear drums. The Alarm on the iPhone plays Van Morrison's "Baby Please Don't Go" at 7.30am, but I think I'm ready to move on. Our train is from Florence’s Santa Maria Novella Station at 9.53am, and Genelle wants to be there early, so we arrive after a plum and a cup of tea for breakfast, at about 8.15. Its strange because in Dubbo if she's catching or taking someone to the plane she reckons you only need to check in 15 minutes before the flight leaves, yet there is a touch of paranoia in Italy and we have to be really really early.
The schedule;
Leave Florence 9.53 am via Pizza to La Spezzia arriving 12.19.
Change trains and leave La Spezzia at 1.17 to arrive at Vernazza the 4th of the 5 villages of the Cinque Terre at 1.37pm
We have to meet Barabara Sallustri on the right hand side of the stairs at the train station and she'll be wearing a blue chemise – think you heard this earlier.

So, seeing we have plenty of time to pass at the Florence train station, that alternatively could have been spent with a little extra sleep, we have a Macca's muffin and I have a Macca's pronto espresso - not half bad. Genelle attracts all sorts, an African woman sits near her with her son and then tries to sell her a scarf, its a bit suspicious because she leaves very quickly when the Carabinieri (flashly dressed coppers) rush through near where we are sitting waiting for the platform for our train to come up on the board. Then when they leave with a bloke under arrest, she returns, maybe they’re illegal immigrants?
We get the call for our train, Binario 3 (Platform 3), its a long walk and as usual the gypsies are there trying to cadge a few Euros directing and helping people, one girl tries us on but we graciously decline her help, then when we board the train and find a seat, another gypsy girl puts a slip of paper with a drawn picture of a mother and baby with some sort of charity message on it on our seat, obviously looking for cash that she will pocket. I screw it up and throw it in the rubbish receptacle near the seat, she returns looking for the money, I hand her the crumpled up paper and she sneers and says something like "f...wit" in Italian to me, I don't get too depressed about this.
Two 50ish looking American women board with about 6 bags and I help one put her bag in the luggage rack. They seem friendly and they are also going to Vernazza. Another American couple sit near us, they are from Montpelier in Idaho, so we have a good old chat to them until Pizza, where they leave the train.
Pizza is a large train station, a bit grungy looking with graffiti and rubbish lying around and I'm disappointed we can't see the leaning tower from the station, maybe it's fallen down? At Pizza the train fills up, with what mostly looks like locals and I guess heading to La Spezzia where we have to change trains. Everyone is talking on their mobiles, all I can hear "Pronto, si, si, ciao, ciao, arriverci" with hands waving madly around describing what they're talking about - just like Italians really.
The countryside we travel through is mainly small farms with hot houses for commercial vegetables etc and lots of grungy looking houses right beside the railway line, so the journey is a little uninspiring. I can see the hills getting bigger and what looks to be marble quarries up in the higher parts, we also travel past factory yards with piles of marble stacked in them, ready for the kitchens of the world and keeping Italy looking old.
We arrive at La Spezzia on time at Binario 1 Sud (south for those of you who don't have the same grasp of Italian as me) and the board says our train to Vernazza leaves from Binnario 1 Nord ( read previous comment and see of you can work it out).
Genelle buys us some lovely pastry things for a late morning tea and we board our new train and settle in. We hear a call from the door " are you in here Ossies?" as the 2 American women load their 6 bags and struggle in to find a seat and some space for all their gear.
It doesn't take long and we're in Riomaggore, a few minutes later Manarola, Corniglia and then Vernazza in no time. We have our fingers crossed that Barbara is there to meet us. And of course she is, standing to the right of the stairs in a blue shirt (is that what a chemise is ?) maybe my Italian ain't that good?
She gives us the European hello with a "ciao " and a kiss on both cheeks, and leads us about 60 metres down the narrowest alley ways to our room in her house, its lovely and just out of the main piazza. So, Alison well done in convincing Genelle that it was a good idea to stay at Barbara’s! We do the passport thing, pay the money and head down to find where the water is and check the place out. It is quite beautiful, and old and rusticly charming. We find a place to lunch and order some food and drinks, our 2 American friends appear and join us and we chat for hours, they match it up to Genelle in the chat stakes. Their names are Barbie and Stacee from San Diego, although Stacee does still have a place in Yosemite up north. Don't they sound so bloody American! They are both single women travelling reasonable cheaply like us and also heading to Venice the same day. But they are very nice.
We are sitting in a street cafe near this old church and there are lots of people around, it’s obvious fairly quickly why, when some blokes walk in with a coffin. We did notice that one of the restaurants was closed and that the notice in the door looked like the owner had died. So all these people pour into this tiny little church for about an hour and then they all come out, there is a little hearse (I didn’t think it would fit in the street but it did) to carry the coffin to the cemetery up the top of the hill. They must cremate them as digging a grave in these rocks would take forever.
It’s a pleasant afternoon in the sun, but becomes much cooler late in the afternoon, much cooler in fact than we've felt all trip. But we are beside the Mediterranean Sea after all and it is autumn. After we explore the place more, we retire for a short rest before we consider dinner options and once again there are plenty of options. Hope the pirates that used to live here don't still have relatives running the food outlets.
Our landlady just dropped in to say hello and brought extra bedding because its going to be cold tonight. She then turns up a few minutes later with a bottle of Limoncello which Barbara and I try hard to finish, she doesn’t speak any English and Genelle nods and laughs and tries to drink her Limoncello but as we know alcohol and her taste buds have not yet reached an agreement. The Linoncello is made by her husband (we think?), that much I can make out but I'm not sure if he’s still alive? Then her son pops in, he’s just arrived from Monte Carlo in his BMW! He works in a shipping company and he comes into our room and does some translating for Barbara and us, his English is very good, he looks 30ish is very nicely dressed, he’s home to visit Mumma for the week-end. Barbara says she is coming back tomorrow night with another liqueor for me to try. They suggest a cheaper restaurant option for dinner and then leave upstairs.
There is no free wifi in Vernazza so this may take a day or so to get posted to the Blog. If there is a problem please email my complaints department fodh@reidy55.com.
We have dinner at a little retaurant with about 5 tables, pasta and wine. Even Genelle has a gnocchi with pesto, wonders never cease! It’s quite cold outside now so thank goodness we kept some of the warm clothes with us.
We've just found that there is an internet place with wifi for 3€ for 30 minutes so will do this off line tonight and load up in the morning and get our emails. And maybe load up a few photos as well if I have enough time.
I need to find out if I can get a telecast of the rugby tomorrow? Go the Wallabies!

Ciao from Vernazza on the Cinque Terra ( the Italian Riviera) not far from Genoa and Monte Carlo.

Panorama of the mian square in Vernazza

Saturday 15th October 2011 – Vernazza on the Cinque Terre in Italy

A little sleep in, as the sun struggles to get into the alley ways of Vernazza and we don't set an alarm. We're struggling to get organised when Barbara busts in on us and starts babbling away in Italian, this time we haven't a clue what she's saying but its all fun. I think she’s worried that we're only having a cup of tea for breakfast, we're not, but we can't explain it to her. She leaves and very quickly she's back at our (her) door with some toast and some home made jam which I manage to translate from the Lonely Planet translating book as “apricot”, its wonderful and we have 2 pieces each.

We then get organised and walk the short walk to the railway station buy a 1.60€ ticket each to Monterosso to explore for the day. After a talk with Johnny the playboy son (more on him later), we've decided that some of the Cinque Terre walks are going to be a bit hard on us with my knee being painful lately every day and Genelle still fairly breathless with the asthma.

The train ride is only very short as we go through a tunnel for part of the way. Monterosso is a bit different to Vernazza, more restaurants and a little more Port Stephens like than Vernazza, but still quite charming. Maybe we're just Cinque Terra snobs? There are some stunning villas in Monterosso, particularly the northern end. News by texts from Daryl Green and my brother in law Grahame that France have just scraped in against Wales in the Rugby World Cup semi final. Hope I can find somewhere to watch the Aust v NZ game tomorrow morning at 10am Italian time. We have a mid morning coffee at a beach side cafe with a couple of pastry treats and then a walk to settle things and work up and appetite for lunch.

Lunch in Monterosso is at Cantina du Sciacchetra, it looks like only does pizzas but they are seriously good pizzas, even Genelle finishes her ham, motzarella pizza and I have no trouble with a Neopolitana which has capers, motzarella and anchovies, washing down with an espresso. I'm getting the hang of these little baby coffee's with a big punch.

We then decide to get the ferry, rather than the train, back to Vernazza, the tickets are 3.50€ each so only a few extra than the train and much more interesting. We only have to wait about 10 minutes before it arrives, then about 50,000 mostly American tourists (I think probably maybe 50, but never let the truth get in the way of a good story) turn up and their leader moves to the front and blocks everyone else, except us, because we're not on his f....ing tour and we don’t play by and are not bound by his f...ing rules, so we quite unpolitely push through his upheld hands because we were here before all his bunch of wankers arrived and we show our tickets to the nice ferry bloke who smiles and waves us through. I'm pretty easy going most times but the guide bloke was close to seeing me a bit cranky, maybe I'm just a bit tired? We do then get a good seat up stairs on the ferry. Look, I know they're probably mostly lovely people, but I'm getting a bit sick of hearing their voices, you know what it’s like when somebody grates on you and you can't stand to hear their voice - sort of like that. There's just so many of them here! Our old landlady doesn't like them much, that much we can understand.

The trip back to Vernazza is lovely, this Cinque Terre coast line is stunning and I can see why people with good knees and reasonable fitness would do the walks. The sea is emerald green, the water a bit chilly but there are still a few people in swimmers having a swim and sunbaking, it would sort of be like surfing inside Sydney Harbour (that size waves) with narrow beaches of grey sand and rocks. In summer I can picture the Italian Rivierra with all the groovy people in their g strings frolicking topless, lying on their beach chairs and tooling around on their big yachts moored off the beach, but it would be better to see it in real life eh!

We walk up the top of the castle rock at Vernazza, the view is pretty spectacular, then walk back down to the piazza a different way. An Australian girl about 13 or 14 with her Italian born mother and her grandfather has twisted her ankle on the steps, it looks pretty bad but her Pop has got some ice to put on it, must be local because he’s down and back in no time and not even puffing. We see them later and the ankle still looks pretty bad. As we wonder back down to the main piazza, we see Johnny, Barabra's playboy son from Monte Carlo with a group of locals, he’s got bright checked pants on (the most outrageous golfer would probably wear them -maybe), anyway he looks a bit of unit. We sit for ages on the piazza just watching, there’s a crowd for a local wedding, all these tourists, walkers in their gear with their poles, local kids riding their bikes, the old local men sitting around chatting having a crack at other local men as they walk past. The breeze gets a little cold so we head up to the room to find that Barabra has left us some fresh fruit, some wafer biscuits, it’s time for little chill out before a light dinner. Not sure if we'll see Barbara with the other liquoer she said I had to try tonight?
The plan tomorrow is to train it to Riomaggiore and check out Manarola and Corniglia, the other villages that make up the 5 (Cinque) villages. I'm guessing these places will be full of Americans, doubt that bit will change. Just for us to have a look. We didn't run into Barbie and Stacee today, I'm glad, they're nice but we've heard enough American accents for the day.

We have paid 5€ for 1 hour of wifi at an internet cafe, so will have to get this uploaded quickly when I get to their shop in a few minutes. And we have to check our emails, please send Genelle some emails so she feels wanted back home, her email on her iPhone is reidgenelle@gmail.com, mine is reidy55@gmail.com
Ciao - Arrividerci from Italy for today - Saturday 15th October 2011

Saturday 16/10/2011 additional

Saturday 15/10/2011 - a short update
For dinner we thought we'd try Il Baretto a restaurant/bar on via Roma, Johnny recommended it. It was full and we thought we'd look for somewhere else, there was no where else that appealed so we ended up back there waited 5 minutes and then secured a table. It was very busy, and for a good reason, the food was beautiful. Genelle had a grilled fish, I had clams and pasta and then we shared a panacotta. The food was lovely. The table beside us was Lou and Pauline from Los Angeles, he's a retired trial lawyer but looks and sounds like a knockabout bloke. And after today one comment strikes home, he said that on one trip to Europe they we having a meal and an Australian bloke came up to him and said that it was good to hear and English speaking voice and that he was surprised there weren’’t more Americans in Italy at that time, Lou said that’s exactly the reason I'm here - to get away from Americans. I think things have changed, there are plenty here now.

Earlier I mentioned we hadn't seen Stacee and Barbie earlier, well that changed, they ended up at the same restaurant so we waved and then had a chat and catch up on the day’s activities. They went to the other end of the Cinque Terre and walked from Riomaggiore to Manarola and said it was reasonably easy. That sounds like a plan for us tomorrow.
10.30pm in Italy = 7.30am in Australia Sunday morning, hope all you church going types made it to Mass, Communion or whatever and have repented your sins!
If not bloody well go, we saw Johnny the playboy heading to church this afternoon, at least it looked like he was going to church, may have been the Men’s Club?
Arrividerci & Ciao for Saturday for the last time

Sunday 17/10/2011 - More exploring the Cinque Terre

Vernazza in the Cinque Terra -Italy
We wake at a reasonable time and have some fruit and a cup of tea, then down to get organised for the train and park stuff for the day. The plan is to go to Riomaggiore, walk back to Manarola (it’s supposed to be an easy walk), train to Corniglia because there is a landslide blocking the walking track and there is only a real trekking trail you can use to get through, lunch in Corniglia and then train back to Vernazza for a final bit of shopping.
A capuchinno and hot chocolate at the Blue Marlin bar to kick start the system, and then on the train, its packed full of people speaking all different languages, one I think is Swiss. I guess it’s not far for a week-end run from Switzerland to the coast, sort of like a week-end in the Hunter Valley for us? The place (the Cinque Terre) is busy, amazing for this late in the season. I suppose it is the week-end as well? I guess we'll run into the same thing in Venice.
Riomaggiore is bigger than Vernazza, and mostly all in one street by the look of it, more up and down than Vernazza as well. The rugby is on and I can’t find anywhere with a tv on to watch it, but Daryl and Grahame send me texts to keep me up to date with the score. There are large planes and helicopters flying over the sea, coming in scooping up water and flying over Rio and dumping the water on bushfires buring in the hills
The walk to Manarola is pleasant and flat, and by the time we get there the rugby game is over and the All Blacks have not choked, they beat the Wallabies convincingly, hopefully no Kiwi's are around, BUT there must be as we saw a NZ flag hanging off a balcony in Rio. So, now I hope the All Blacks beat France and finally show that they probably are the best side going around day in day out at the present.
We have a short wander around Manarola, then back to the train and on to Corniglia. The trip is very short, and we are about last in the line for the bus and decide to walk - Genelle is a little peeved to say the least so we walk up the road and don't take the 397 steps. The walk is ok and at the top we find a little cafe and have bruschette and a cool drink. We meet 3 Aussies, one who is on a 3 month trip around Europe and we talk to them over lunch. The 2 younger (50ish) ones are from Perth and the older lady is from Woy Woy on the Central Coast. It’s amazing how many people in their 50's and 60's are travelling as ageing backpackers on trains and buses etc.
The walk back down the hill - what do we do, take the bloody bus of course, its steep and besides my knee giving me grief, and I don't want Genelle giving me more grief.
Another short train ride and we're back in Vernazza, for a short rest and then a few bits and pieces of shopping before the final pack.
I think we've had a nice stay on the Cinque Terre, 3 days is enough, we’ve had a fantastic host in Barbara, but its time to move on.

Oh, by the way, Genelle is a bit worried the fires might stop the trains running, i'm sure the Swiss will make sure their out so they can all get back to their snow covered mountains and cow bells.

Arrividerci ciao from Vernazza, next blog will be from Venice.

The harbour at Vernazza on the Cinque Terre

Monday 17/10/2011 - Cinque Terre to Venice

The finish to Sunday night - A short break after pizza by the waterside for dinner, the pesto and mozarella is good, and then back to use the last 7 minutes of wifi time that we paid for to upload the blog and download emails. It’s not like travelling in the old days when you picked your mail up at poste restante’s strategically located where you were travelling and called in from phone cards on public phones. It's all so instant now.
I get back to the room and Barbara calls in to say hello, she's been at church and repented her sins, now to restart the tally for next confession, so she brings in some home made apricot liqueor which her and I share a few jars and I have to sneek Genelle’s away from her and skoll it before Barbara sees. She tells us Johnny has driven back to Monte Carlo, Genelle says to her he should get married and have grandchildren for her but she says he has many girlfiends "French, Americano's, Italiano's, Germans - no time for bambino's. We take a photo with her and say our goodbyes. She’s been a real gem.
Short intermission - we're on the Eurostar from Florence to Venice and 4 railway police walk past with white belts, peaked caps and guns and tasers etc, scary dudes.
Monday morning now.
4.14 my mobile phone rings then stops, the number looks like Acccor, they'll be bloody lucky to get me this year doing that sort of thing. I dont like early starts that much, reckon they should have had that in their data base.
5.15 the alarm goes, shower, final pack and we hear Stacee and Barbie in the alley way making their way to the train station - it could only be them. We know they are leaving before 6 am to go to Venice, but last time we saw them they didn’t know which way they were going, only that it was through Milan. We hope they end up in Venice. When we get to the train station, we're the only ones there, except for 2 old blokes sitting down the bottom on the station chatting away, it’s dark and cold.
Today we have 3 changes of train, La Spezzia first, where we find an earlier train to Pizza than the one we had planned. The seats fill quickly with kids off to school and early start workers. To my disappointment there is still no leaning tower to be seen, we haven’t been watching the news but maybe it did finally fall over?
The train is freezing, and we pass through industrial areas, yards stacked with huge marble blocks for processing into kitchens, and the scenery is pretty unremarkable. For the 2nd time only on the trip a conductor checks our tickets, odd that it doesn’t happen more often. The iPhone music is a nice respite from the cold, an Aussie, listening to a Canadian playing Indian music, some of African origin , all on a train in Italy.
Florence comes up reasonably quickly and we wait for a while watching the board for the platform number for our Eurostar train to Venice. Finally Bin 11 hits the board and we race over to platform 11 and find our seats. Only 2 hours to Venice.
The carriage is full, but its warm, our seats are ours and there is food available. In 1/2 an hour we are in Bologna, it really moves along quickly.
So far we've copped pretty well, Genelle handles early starts better than me so I'm probably the main problem today. But it’s early yet, we've got to find our place in Venice and that could be a challenge.
The countryside of central Italy flashes past quickly at about 300km/hour or whatever speed this runs at.The country looks a lot like Cowra, very productive looking, lots of vegetables and smaller broad acre crops, its their autumn so its a bit bare looking as I guess sowing has happened or is about to happen.
It seems no time and we arrive in Venezia Santa Lucia station. Once again we had some grating yanks sitting right near us in the train, they didn’t shut up the whole way and 1 poor old codger went and got the others drinks and food all morning and they talked such crap I had to get the iPod on again to block them out. Genelle sat there and rolled her eyes, as I said earlier I'm sure they (the Americans) are Ok.
As usual we get off the train and mildly panic about which way to go to get the ferry to Rialto. We find the ferry station and buy 2 x 3 day passes, get on the first ferry and get of at Rialto, and then can't follow the instructions to the apartment. We ring Laura ( yep another Laura), and she says meet at the No 1 ferry which we go to and she calls to say where we, well we're at no 2 but where it has a No 1 with a sign, talk about complicated. Anyway she walks us to the apartment, right in the middle of the action near Rialto bridge, its pretty cute and basic but really good. Gellati at the front door and only a few minutes wander to St Marks Square. Laura is a really attractive woman about 30ish.
So we pay the money, drop the bags and start the shopping expedition immediately. Heading through the cobweb of laneways and bridges over canals to St Marks, we explore and find lots of potential shopping targets, Genelle even finds the place where she reckons Al bought her boots. After the early start and all the train changes we are pretty weary but boy you can see she’s starting to kick into gear now there are shops and shops and shops and trinkets of all sorts, clothes, shoes and you name it. Then we walk back to a supermarket (there is such a thing in Venice) buy 23€ worth of supplies for drinks and breakfast etc. Then a short rest and a gellati before heading out again.
We've booked in for another night at a lovely little hotel Hotel da Bruno just down from our apartment so am using the wifi there, had to pay 5€ for 2 hours and then its free when we stay here but will be worth it. We've been out on St Marks Square again just now and there are 3 orchestras playing, and it’s much quieter than earlier in the day. I was a bit blase about the buildings here, St Marks and the Doges Palace + the many others but they are truly magnificent. Anyway, a light dinner in the apartment tonight, before the serious shopping begins tomorrow, I might go and look at a few building and things rather than shop, we'll see?
Arrividerci from Venice

Venice at dusk

Tuesday 18/10/2011 - Venice

Good sleep, the knee feels a bit less painful today. Last night when we finally came back to the apartment we watched an Italian version of dancing with the stars. This was critically appraised by Genelle who said the Italians would get no where against the Aussie's. Jeez we must be good dancers! No me, but the rest of you must be good!

Sign for only Maccas in Venice

Venice seems to get going a little later than Rome or Florence, it’s about 9.30am before much noise starts to come from the streets, loud Italian voices, sounds like they are shouting at each other but they look like they're all still friends.
Genelle is writing up a list of her shopping so far, this could take a while! And she still has so much to do!
My first instant coffee since Australia, didn’t want to go out in my pj's to get a cappuchino downstairs, my god, the instant stuff is crap after the real Italian stuff, doesn’t matter how strong you make it. I have to watch I don’t turn into a real coffee snob/nazi! Hope my sister Frances doesn’t read this because she’s a coffee snob and a spelling nazi and I'll be off her Christmas list of she does hear about my comment.
Today we head west over the Rialto Bridge, supposed to markets somewhere, hate to miss them! We wander the alleys, a cappuchino at Bar ai Nomboli at San Polo. It’s not far to the Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari, which is supposed to be a must see, Genelle declines in favour of loitering around shops.
The Basilica is a Gothic church, but not made of stone (because it would sink into the mud), its made of light timber and plaster. The art work is stunning and quite a few by Titian from the 1480's, a wooden statue of John the Baptist from the 1300's, Bellini's Madonna and Child and a few others, it’s worth the 3€ entrance.

I exit and find Genelle standing on the Ponte dei Frari with a pained look on her face. She has twisted her ankle walking up the bridge, God's revenge for not visiting his beautiful basilica, for not being a Catholic and for sins of the commercial kind.
A restaurant gives me a bag of ice and we start rehabilitation quickly, she’s a bit fainty (thinking of lost shopping time?) but a Panadol and a little time and it starts to come good. I mange to fix her camera that hit the ground and jammed the lens into the body and then we walk slowly, with a bag dripping iced water, towards the Grand Canal and come out near the rail station. Lunch at a little cafe before we take the ferry (Ferrovia) to Accademia stop and I do the 6€ look. Once again Genelle refrains, preferring to ice her ankle outside sitting beside the Grande Canal.
Shes a tad cranky with herself.
She buys an ankle guard at a Pharmacia, and this eases the pain a little before we head back to the apartment. Its 5pm and all we've done is wonder all day. Tonight is laundry, hopefully the last before we leave for home in 10 days, its amazing how you can make clothes last when you're on the road living out of a backpack (although we're hardly doing it that tough)
Tomorrow we plan to go out to Murrano and Burano using the ferry passes we bought, pretty good value really, 33€ for 3 days and you can use then all day every day for 3 days, its not like there is any other alternative really, other than walking.

Ciao from Venezia

Wednesday 19/0/2011 - Venice

Bit slow to get going today, the twisted ankle is a bit stiff and sore. We head to Rialto Ferry station just a few minutes away, catch a ferry around to St Marks Square, then hobble up 2 bridges to another ferry pier that goes out to Murrano and Burano Islands. Genelle's a bit whingy, because the girl where we got off said 2 bridges and she counted something else as a bridge, not the 2 main bridges, its just a matter of interpretation, doesn’t change how far we have to walk.
Its a fairly long ride out to Murrano, and to be honest not overly impressive when we get there, although we do find some pretty unique glass studio's where they actually design and make things and we do buy a small glass mask on a stand and a beautiful glass (not for drinking out of this one) which will go well with our glass Paua shell from Flame Daisy glass in Picton NZ. Another treasure from our travels. After a long walk we find the Faro ferry terminal, this is where you leave from to go to Burano, the lace and coloured houses island. The crowds getting on the ferry are all push and shove, hate to be here in high season, the bastards would walk over the top of you, not the Americans this time at least they have a few manners, seems to be Germans and Russians and other people who speak a slavic type language. Jeez I'm turning into a bit of racist! Have to watch that!
Genelle buys some lovely scarfs with lace, its beautiful work they do here and the colours in the houses are bright and contrasty, much more appealing than Murano. It starts to rain, so we finish looking and shopping and head back to the ferry terminal, wait in the mad crowd again, push, push, shove, shove, on the ferry fight for a seat "f... off kraut thats mine...... " ( not really, they look a bit scary!). We head back to Venice and Nuova pier where we have a new walk to discover on our way back to Rialto. She’s like a kid in a lolly shop, more bargains and then we stumble on a Bata shoe shop liquidation sale, trouble is I find a pair of leather shoes that I like for 31€ (at 1/2 price made in Italy) and she can’t find anything, life’s a bummer isn’t it – she’s had a bad 2 days.
It’s not far to Rialto and our little apartment, a gellati break and then back to see if she can find something else to do......... or buy I reckon.
Well she does buy some hand made leather shoes at Kalimala a lovely little shop where the owner makes all the shoes, its between Rialto and St Marks Square, and may even be tempted to return tomorrow and look again.
Off to dinner now and ready for the last day of exploring Venice.
Ciao for now

Thursday 20^th October 2011 - Venice - the last day

Well, as my cousin Chopper Reed says about Alice Springs weather, "Alice Springs will be f....in hot, and it will be f....in hot for the next 5000 years...., get f....in used to it! "' well Venice is pretty wet as its surrounded by water, and today it was raining sideways from Siberia so as cousin Chopper would say " Venice was wet and f....in cold, so cold penguins would need f....in jackets!

We looked down from our apartment window and the alley was wet, people walking past with umbrella's but we didnt factor in that it would be so bloody cold. The layer thing with the clothes was essential, I had cotton long sleeve, thin wool Icebreaker long sleeve, shirt, thick wool Icebreaker jumper and a Mountain Designs vest + a one stage a rain coat, but it didnt stop the ageing backpackers. We unholstered the travel umbrella's and off we went, dry run on the ferry to the train station, back to exploring the many alleys and shops, back to the mad old book shop with the fire exit onto the canal ( bit of a dry, or should I say wet sense of humour!) We move out of the apartment, carry the bags and backpack about 80 metres to the Hotel Bruno, our most expensive night of the whole trip at 160€ but its really nice, the best room by a long shot on the trip, and so warm compared to outside or the apartment. We leave the bags and head off, knowing we have refuge in Room 144.

Genelle's ankle is coping well, still hobbling but have to push her through the pain barrier so she can get to the places ( read - shops) she wants to see. Frankly i'm a bit weary of looking at bags, glass jewellery, glass everything, bloody tourists, dirty bloody pidgeons in San Marco, so I thought I'd divert from her and relook at St Marks Basilica. From what I recall its a Byzantine design, and quite a stunning building with mosaic tiles making up the pictures, and masses of gold used although some of the gold has now worn away. Its really worth some time and i'm glad I went again.

We catch up again and shopping resumes, we then buy a lot of things that we had earmarked earlier. We had also bought some other things earlier in the day, a few things in the place where the bloke embroiders by hand on a sewing machine, he's unbelievable! We also buy some watches, that are made in Italy, havent seen them before, pretty funky looking. Being Italian they'll probably leak oil, belch smoke, toot a horn when its crowded, won't keep time and will break down occassionally. Actually I'm being harsh, for all that Italy looks like and people have this perception of it as disorganised, a mess, and not making sense, it actually works, the trains are fantastic and run on time, I haven't seen any car or bike crashes but lots with scratches on them ( eg Rome has 1 major corner we through with 4-5 lanes which could have been 6 if needed, all blending in a civilised way with the odd horn tooting - even so I would'nt drive in Rome). And mostly people have been lovely ( exceptions a Tabbachi bloke in Cortona, and a ferry attendant in Venice) Food - lunch was on a little square near the book shop mentioned earlier, mostly pasta, dinner was a place near Rialto Bridge that was probably set up more for tourists and probably was close to the worst food experience on the trip, Ok but they tried to rush us ( simply not the Italian way!) and food was average. Cortona was the standout food place (s) by a long shot + Luigi's family restaraunt in Rome.

We wonder until after dinner, its cold but quite lovely up the Grande Canal, the ferries, water taxis, work boats (Landcruisers on water) and gondola's all vying for space on the canal right on dusk.

Finally, back the warmth of the Hotel Bruno to warm up and to repack ready for the trip to Lake Como via Milan ( Italy's 2nd largest city) tomorrow. Only thing I didnt really get to do which I though would have been OK was the Peggy Guggenhiem Museum, maybe next time ?

Arroviderci from Venezia

Ciao ciao from the grey headed backpaker

Friday 21^st October 2011 - Venice to Lake Como via Milan

Yesterday was freezing, not good news to find that there was no hot water for a hot shower. Same thing again when we wake early, reception tell us the boiler has had a malfunction, the technician will be in in 1/2 an hour to fix, but this is too late for us so we have a short cold water wash( thats fun!), plenty of deodorant and down to check out and have some breakfast. We're on our way to the ferry by 7.45am, and at the train station by 8pm for an 8.58 train. Nothing like being early, I bet this won’t happen at home.
We meet a group of Ausssie’s waiting for the same train, one couple from Newcastle off to Assisi to visit relatives, a couple from Canberra (sound like academics- she leads tours in Italy), and a few people form Melbourne. The people from Melbourne tell us there is a rail strike between 1pm & 5pm and might be a good idea to check if we can change our tickets. I'm delegated that job, she delegates well, as long as it doesn’t involve a decision, anyway The answer from the ticket office is that our train is ok but to check in Milan to see if it’s all still OK.
The cold weather looks like it has translated into snow on the Italian and Swiss Alps which are on our right ( North) as we head to Milan. At least it’s clear outside, the sun is shining and the air is cool, not cold.
We pass through Verona, the location supposedly of Romeo & Juliet’s balcony, and speed across the north of Italy in the EuroStar City train sitting in 1st Class. The seats aren't that flash but we have more room and the food and drink is free. The towns and cities are reasonably unspectacular, lots of industrial areas near the railway lines as you'd expect. The country has more trees than further south and the farms appear smaller and more productive. As we get closer to Milan, a haze appears, but the sun is still shining.
A text from Daryl to say the Wallabies have beaten Wales 21-18 in the consolation game at the World Cup.
So we're now in Milan Centrale train station, lots of people wondering what to do because of a lot of trains being cancelled due to the strike, luckily ours isn't cancelled and after a wait we see Platform 6 come up for our train. There’s no train in there bit we wander in anyway, there are a few other people waiting plus a few ferals hanging around (look like Gypsies – and this proved to be correct). The train comes in, Genelle a bit distraught because the first class carriage looks like 3rd class compared to 2nd class but we all know she’s a hard marker. We make our way over to board and one of the young (20ish) feral’s stands at the door and as I help her lift her bag he jumps in and proceeds to lift and pushes Genelle forward, she falls on her wrist and knee, and jars her ankle - she proceeds to abuse me not realising what has happened behind her. The bloke knows he hasn’t impressed and when he offers to help lift mine I give him a glare and raise my hand, no F words just "no" firmly so he buggers off, must think I was born yesterday. We find our compartment and sit, and the Gypsies have found another mark, 4 other Aussies a bit older who also came from Venice get helped up the steps without asking so then they hit them for money, bit of an argument starts and I hop up and hover just in case there might be trouble - not sure what I'd do but it would be something! The gypsy girl then put the same pamphlet on our seats that we got in Rome (and I crumpled up and gave back to them) this one we leave and let them pick it up. I wonder why the Trenitalia people let them annoy people and ply their scams?
Because of the strike, the train is pretty full, we're sharing a compartment with 2 Italians who don’t talk much, 1 Swiss man who is very chatty, and 1/2 of a couple from Perth who are on a 3 month trip around Europe, starting with chartering a yacht and sailing the Turkish coast, she’s nice but quite young compared to the husband and dripping expensive jewellery. I'm guessing mining money and lots of time, could be wrong though.

We hit Como train station, but not the one we thought, the one that shows on the map that comes right to the water, when we walk out all we see is trees, so a taxi is the go. Now, you know that its a fair bet this place, where George Clooney and other rich and famous people have villas, is a bit ritzy when the cab is a new Porsche Cayenne. Later we see BMW and Alfa Romeo cabs as well. So for a 10€ cab ride, I've just ridden in Porsche for the first time.

There is a car rally starting in Como today, so we pass heaps of popping, crackling farting rally cars getting to the start in a car park near the water.
The hotel Tre Re is Ok, not flash but at least we should have hot water tonight.
So we have lunch in a little cafe near the water and wonder around the lake, we find the Funicular bus thing to the top of the mountain, which costs 5€ each return so we take it only to find when we get up there its smoky and hazy and you can’t really see a thing. So we come straight back down again and walk the Como shops, Genelle finds some unique clothes pegs and decides shed like to check them out better tomorrow.
Lots of people are out and about at dusk, so we finally return to the hotel to have a rest and some dinner. The restaurant is supposed to be quite good, so we'll give it a burl tonight.
Have to check and see if I can watch the Rugby World Cup final here tomorrow at 10am, even though Italy had a side in the event it really doesn't rate as all we've seen is soccer in the sport and over dubbed American shows with Italian voices - Interesting for the obsessive compulsive TV soap watcher, I think she still manages to make some sense out of it.
Ciao from Lake Como Italy

Lake Como close to sundown

Saturday 22/10/2011 - Como-Italy

Well the dinner last night was great, the food was excellent. Genelle had veal with mushroom and potato and I had local fresh water fish ( small fish) filleted then a dessert , Tiramisu for me and a baked apple thing for Genelle.
A hot shower and a bathroom that you can turn around in was also a bonus. The room and the hotel are really warm, almost too warm to sleep.
After yesterday we are a bit slow getting going today, breakfast at 9.30, and ready for a look around Como and a tour of the lake villages. Genelle Skypes the boys and has a chat before we head out to explore.
Today is market day in Como, so we trawl through the shopping area and the markets that we can see, Genelle buys a few bits and pieces for not much. Como is quite a large area for shops and restaurants, you just don’t see it from the water side. A rest and sit down at a sidewalk cafe for a cappuchino and a hot chocolate then we catch the fast ferry to Bellagio. It’s an hour to Bellagio on the fast ferry, the Lake is enormous, and we stop at a number of really nice looking towns on the way.
Bellagio, when we get there, is worth the trip, a really pretty place but lots of tourists and week-ending Italians. We cruise the streets, lots of steps, it’s quite steep but would be a pretty nice place to stay for a few days. The place has lots of BMW R1000's, Ducati's, Yamaha R1's etc and lots of serious looking bikers in leather, the odd biker chick, not the Hells Angels types, they types who like to ride challenging mountain roads on performance bikes, not the drug dealing types who beat the crap out of non Harley rider types. There a few blokes on serious pushbikes as well, I reckon more like seriously demented if they are riding in these mountains, its bloody steep around here. We never do find out which is George Clooney's house. A late lunch of panini's and coffee by the lakeside before we get the ferry back to Como, arriving a bit after 6pm.
We explore and find a part of Como that we hadn't notice before, checking the winter fashions for next year in Aussie, I 'm loving it ( like hell!) but it is nice watching the groovy hip young things, and the odd bit older things cruising the streets.
I've been trying to kill a nagging headache all day, so a short rest and some Panadol before we try to find somewhere for a light dinner.
Tomorrow we plan to do a 1 hour lake cruise, I want to find somewhere to watch the the Rugby World Cup final at 10am and try and change our train tickets to get to Milan earlier than we booked. We have looked at changing our accommodation in Milan, in retrospect it now looks like it could be a real dive, in the red light area, could be interesting and an expensive experience if we do decide to change.
A nice rest, the feet and knee are feeling better, think Genelle has rested her busted bits as well, which was the plan, so that we are ready to attack Paris the day after tomorrow.

Dinner beckons, but I know not where?

Ciao ciao, arrividerci from Como Italy

Lake Como from the jetty at Bellagio

Sunday 23/10/2011 - Como & Milan in Lombardy Italy

Well it got the better of Genelle, she had to find somewhere different to the accommodation we had booked in Milan. it was freaking her out that it was rated 400 out of 400 in the Trip Advisor list and the comments were absolutely terrible, lots of " we shoulda ..... " comments from her regarding this. We can’t change the other booking or get a refund so I think we've consigned 56€ we paid to the uncommitted revenue of the fleapit hotel, The Hotel Virgilio near the train station Centrale, but she was stressed that there would be bedbugs and that we'd be met at the front door by a hooker, or if not, by the pimp!
That decision made, major one for us, we wander down for breakfast and for the 2nd breakfast of the trip we get normal cereal, with our croissant's and other dessert for breakfast things. Bags packed, stored in the hotel lounge area, we then make our way to the train station to change our tickets from 6pm to 4 pm and then with that successfully done, back to the wharf where we take a leisurely 1 hour ferry tour on the lake. Quite relaxing really. There are masses of people with children using the parks and walking the streets with their dogs, one dog even comes on the cruise with us. People take their dogs every where here, little ones, big ones, dressed in their little doggy jumpers some of the ones who probably compensate for the DINK's types of people.
Back on land and we have a lovely lunch at a little covered in cafe behind Piazza Cavour, gnocchi with pesto is delicious and Genelle has a proschiutto and cheese sandwich.
A short relax in the lounge at the hotel before we wander up to the train station for the trip back to Milan.

The Como lake is beautiful, the 2 places to stay would be either in Como or in Bellagio. Como has more to do and good shopping with all the big name brands, and lots more, but Bellagio is really pretty and the more touristy place to stay.

The walk up the hill to the train station is easy, about 10 minutes, now we know where to go. Our train is from platform 1, and the crowd steadily builds, we wish we knew which end the 1st class carriage will be, I ask a bloke with a Trenitalia jacket on and he says he doesn't know. So, as in tennis, when you don't know which way the ball will come at you, you stick to the middle. We guessed the left hand or front of the train, we where right but still have to fight our way up to the carriage. No accidents boarding this time, no gypsies, only me to stuff it up and thankfully I don't, its stressful stuff you know dealing with injured travelling companions.
The plan when we get to Milan, find the hotel, check in and then get the subway into the Duomo and the Gallerie Victor Emanuele, if we still feel like checking Milan out a bit. When the smell of shopping is around I'm sure we'll feel a whole lot better! I don't think Milan is an attractive city from all I've read, it’s the 2nd largest in Italy, had the crap bombed out of it in WWII (have I heard this before for a shithole town?) by the Americans and was rebuilt as an industrial centre. It’s Silvio Berlusconi's home, and he's a bit of a naughty old man so maybe it has other pleasures we may never know about?
Milan again - no f.....g gypsies to meet the train, that’s a good start!
We come out of the huge train station, pull out the iPad with the free navigation App I downloaded and navigate the whole 80 metres to the Florida Hotel. Its quite nice, a 3 star by Italian standards, and the room is Ok, no pimps, no hookers, and only 5 minutes walk back to the train.
Then a 3€ each return Metro ride to the Duomo and Gallerie Victor Emanuele shopping centre, 3 stops and we walk up and out into the magnificent piazza. There are thousands of people, the church is magnificent, the shopping centre looks fantastic, full of Prada, Gucci, etc etc so we stroll for ages just watching and looking. We see the most lavish McDonalds I've ever seen. Probably could have spent a few days here, not McDonalds, the shopping area of Milan. We go into one shop called La Rinascente, it has about 5 levels of all THE labels, Jimmy Choo, Lauren, Fendi, Gucci, Valentino and just about all the others you can name, and the store was stacked and lots of groovy young people and hip older type dudes with funky glasses and tight trousers buying...... Genelle is drooling, and it’s only that her ankle is playing up that we decide to catch the subway back and have some dinner. It’s a wonder she can drag herself away, and she’s already talking about what she would do next time she’s in Italy in relation to Milan. This place looks like the sort of place an Olympic class shopper trains for.
Despite what I've read about Milan, its clean, organised, the Metro subway is really clean and cheap and works a treat, at least the few hours worth that we've seen which is the ritzy end of town I suppose. Anyway I don’t mind the look of it.
We return back to Milano Centrale, and decide that as this has 3 Macca’s as we walk out of the train station, so Macca’s it is, a Crispy Bacon Burger meal each, its lovely to have some chips, first in 3 weeks. I notice you can buy beer in Macca’s in Italy, cheap too, that would be good in Australia!
Time to charge up the iPad, and phones for the early morning start. Paris beckons, a 6 hour train ride and we'll be there, we still don’t know which places we go through, guessing through Zurich or Geneva, doesn't matter anyway because the train doesn't stop until Paris. I don’t want to see a gypsy at the train station, I'm not flash early in the morning, who am I kidding they'd outrun me anyway.

So its Buonasera and arrividerci from Italy and tomorrow Bonjour to Paris.
Ciao from the ageing, greying, decaying backpackers.

Monday 24/10/2011 - Milan to Paris

Jeez these early starts are a pain. Up at 5.30 to have a quick scrub in the disfunctional shower ( you have to hold the hand held shower head otherwise the whole bathroom gets wet - Genelle found out the hard way by turning the water on and spraying the whole room and herself in cold water – I wondered what the scream was!)
Its quite dark outside but the walk to Milano Centrale doesn’t take very long, only a 1/2 hour early for the train today (shes slipping!), our train is waiting at Bin 4, a sleek pointy nosed TGV Eurostar, carriage 1 seats 63 & 64 which unfortunately face the wrong way and are on a pillar but are Ok. Genelle moves to another seat because she feels it has more room, only to have to move later on when some chaps take them as their booked seats.
We head off, sort of east, hard to tell because it’s still dark for some of the way. It starts to lighten up as we pass Turin, and head over and through into the alps, then I think we head to Paris via Lyon. It looks cold and grey outside and then black as we head into tunnel after tunnel. It’s the mountain country you see on the Tour de France, steep, rocky, mountain villages (some look really old) mist, frost, mountain streams. The gps on the iPad says we are 3,500 feet above sea level and at 200 kph heading towards Grenoble, a short stop at some a place that has "Oulx-Cesana-Claviere-Sestriere" on a board on the platform, its all starting to sound French to me?
Police with guns patrol the train, not sure which lot they belong to, but have more regular useable uniforms than the Italian lots we've seen with white belts and shiny bits all over them.
We arrive at Modane, definitely in France or Switzerland, (that’s really definite isn't it - you idiot Paul!) plenty of snow on the really high peaks, and a medieval fort above the rail station and the gps still says about 3600 feet, the water in the streams is greenish, a sign its from glaciers or snow melting (at least that’s what I think after NZ lessons from a few years ago). The exit signs now say "Sortie" rather than "Uscita"', and for platform "Voie" rather than "Bin", clearly French, being multi lingual, these things are obvious to me!
Sitting in this train I have too much time to think, that’s a problem with a small brain, you can only write contrite lightweight crap, not really f....g meanful crap.
Midnight Oil on the iPod drowns out the sounds of Italian and French announcements over the train loud speaker, we don't understand what they say anyway. I hope Peter Garrett goes back to the Oils again one day, might be better than having shit thrown at you as a politician. I remember seeing the Oils in Mudgee years ago, and he nearly stopped the concert when somebody lobbed an empty can on the stage - why pay money to go to a concert and do something like that!
The alps get less rugged as we pass vineyards grown on the side of mountains (obviously cool climate wines) and into the town/city of Chambery. The local trains are covered in graffitti, but infinitely more modern than our trains in Sydney, and workers are cleaning the mess off the carriages just past the station.
Just took a relook at the gps and its now clear we skipped Switzerland, went south of the Swiss border and straight from Italy into France, the SNCF guard, with short sleeves and 2 earrings (definitely French - this time I'm sure) checks our tickets, that’s 3 times on this train today, at least he doesn’t have a gun on his hip.
We are now travelling north of Grenoble, the country is lush and green, dairy cattle grazing, the odd herd of Maine Anjou and Charolais in the paddocks which are small (the paddocks that is, not the cattle, they look in good condition)
Through Lyon, just south of Dijon, the scenery is beautiful rolling hills, lots of hedgerows, much prettier country than in Italy, and it rolls past with John Lee Hooker singing "Bad Like Jesse James" , the train is humming along at well over 300 km per hour, actual feels really fast now. As JLH says Jesse was reaaal baaad!
And the train feels reaal fast, it’s like they turned the supercharger on after Lyon and slipped it into overdrive, the trees and posts flick past very quickly.

Its no time and we're in Paris, Gare Lyon station, out the front, we see the Terminus Hotel where we stayed 3 years ago, we wait for 5 minutes in a line for a taxi and are very quickly (7€ worth) at the Hotel Familia in the Latin Quarter. Oliver is very good and gets us checked in quickly, we sort out a late check put and a ride to the airport for when we are leaving. Unpack quickly then leave to get our bearings and do a reconnaissance mission. The walk over the Seine to the back of Notre Dame only takes a few minutes, then past Hotel Deauville, where we have the most expensive coffee & hot chocolate + cakes (25.40€ - wont get caught again at those tourist places), then to HBV, where Genelle thinks she might find a coat she’s been looking for. She can't find a coat in her size, I’m not saying a word, I move on to other things, for one reason I won't mention and also so she doesn't stress about a lack of purchases today - all she's bought is breakfast! Then its a wander through the streets, just looking, we see people walking dogs with hoodies, and all sorts of Parisian delights before we recross the Seine and head for Rue de Ercole and Hotel Familia for a rest before dinner.

A' plus tard, bonsoir from Paris.
(See you later, good evening from Paris)

Tuesday 25/10/2011 Paris - Sore feet

A short blog today, none of the drivel of yesterday, I hope.
After the long day, we didn’t rise so early, a latish breakfast of croissants and coffee. Then we walk, to Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, then to the shops on the way to Galleries Lafayette, coffee and lunch at a sidewalk cafe, onwards via the Louvre, and finally Galleries Lafayette, then the Metro back to our hotel for a rest. Then back to the Apple Store near Galleries Lafayette to check a price, dinner near the hotel and finally back after 10pm. Only a few days to go so we have to squeeze as much out of it as we can.
We noticed Saint Chapelle was open and had a short line as we passed by Notre Dame, so decided to take advantage, last time we were here we couldn't go in they were doing some work on the building. Bobby Paquet recommended it as one of the must see places. It is pretty stunning for a building built in the 1200's and the glass, over 80% of it is original. They are restoring some parts of it, true to the original techniques, can see why they charge 8€ to enter. It’s also the grounds for the courts so security is tight, lots of Gendarmes with guns and serious looks on their faces.
Onwards, we find a nice little sidewalk cafe for lunch, just crepes and coffee, then we find a shop called C & A which has all sorts of stuff at really good value. Genelle finds next winters coat, but thinks there might be a better bargain around the corner and refrains, I buy a pair of trousers - bit of a change eh! We see the prices in the Apple Shop and decide to check it out, but they seem too cheap, and as usual the gut feeling is correct.
Onwards to Galleries Lafayette, and the best value she could find was the toilet. The windows etc are fantastic, but the prices a tad dearer than we want to pay for anything.
We decide the walk home is not on, and finally buy a Canet (Metro train tickets x 10) for 12.50€, great value, we work out the track home, hop off at station Jussieu, right near the Sorbonne, walk 2 blocks to the Hotel Familia for a rest.
Back to check the Apple shop, then Genelle finds another C & A shop and the feather down coat she’s been after, shame its going into Summer at home, but as usual she’s thinking ahead and preparing for next winter.
Get the Metro home again, find a nice little restaurant near the hotel, have a lovely meal, and wonder home after 10pm.
Tomorrow - a push bike ride through Paris, hope we survive it.
Auvoir from the sore footed ageing backpackers !

Genelle from the
Arc de Triomphe

Wednesday 26/10/2011 Paris by day on a bike, by night on a boat

Biking in Paris

Well today was La Toure de Paris, we decided to do the Bike About Tour http://www.bikeabouttours.com of Paris on pushbikes, friends we met on the last trip to France 3 years ago said it was new and they were terrific. So we turned up at Charlemagne's statue at the front of Notre Dame, Genelle had a crack at me for rushing to be there early when she/we could have taken a leisurely walk through the St Germaine area on the way, and possibly see what’s on offer in the shops (can you believe the hippocracy!), so we get there 1/2 an hour early at 9.30am, hoping there were some spots available (I was, not sure about Genelle?). 2 young people turned up with 2 bikes and small sign "Bike About Tours- Paris", we walked over and said we would like to go, he "Aussie's eh, shame about the World Cup eh!" I said " F.....g Kiwi's , all you think about is rugby!" , desperately trying to hide my pain and embarrassment. We ended up with Renata's group, she is late 20ish, American accent, parents American & Italian, came to Paris with the family when she was young and has been here ever since. A short orientation, and we're off, only small groups and our group is 6 Aussies, 2 Americans, and a couple from Malaysia. The bikes are shortarse 7 speeders, can’t remember the brand, might show up in the photos, but really easy to ride and had gel seats.
Short break in writing - need to open my Belgium beire, a dark beer with a groovy label, more about that later.
First stop is near the Holocaust Museum in the Jewish sector in the 1st Arrondissment ( spelling Nazi's can get stuffed - I'm trying hard to type on a small keyboard and don’t have spell check on the iPad), then to the area where the 20m€ apartments are near the village area of St Paul. Genelle has only had a few whinges about pain, probably warranted, but she needs to push through it or be mown down by horn tooting Parisien's who have no patience or sympathy for wobbling whining tourists on pissy little poofter push bikes. We go down main streets, alley ways, along the Seine, over the Seine x 3 times, St Germaine for lunch and coffee, ( love St Germaine), we ride through the Louvre and see the huge lines waiting ( tip- go via the Virgin Store or car park under ground and you won't wait 1/10th of the time to get into the Louvre), to Les Halles, and the place where the family who caught rats and hung them in their door so other rats wouldn’t come in and developed a pest business, they advertise with dead rats hanging in their window ( bloody fascinating in such a cosmopolitan city!), near here is a beer shop with beers from all over Europe ( I go back later and buy a few which I've started to sample while resting my feet ready before we go on a night cruise on the Seine tonight), past the Pompidou Centre ( huge modern building ) , and eventually back to the car park we left from near the Hotel Deauville. It has been a fantastic 3 1/2 hours, our bums are sore, there has been minor stress with traffic, not as much complaining as I thought and the people from Bike About Tours were fabulous, highly recommended if you come to Paris. Genelle survived with a few minor injuries and a little pain, but she soldiered on through the pain barrier - just. There is evidence that she actually rode the bike that will be loaded on to Facebook tonight, not sure if these have her smiling or not? I have to say that pain management with drugs and alcohol helps.
I decide to go to look at modern art at the Pompidou Centre where there is the normal exhibition + an Edvard Munch special, the line into Munch is long, but I persevere, and to be honest do think much of Munch. Downstairs, the art of Picasso, Matisse, Chagal, Jackson Pollack etc is more my style, this bit I love and after I’ve seen as much as my legs and feet can handle I exit to try and find Genelle. Her text messages basically say, she’s not far away but she doesn't know where she is, but its near the Les Halle’s Metro station, that’s a great f..... help, how can I find her? She says she can see a Kentucky Fried Chicken sign and a Pharmacy sign, I see something in the distance like that and "voila" there she is, having walked a little, shopped a bit (1 pair of shoes - cheap she said!) and got tired a lot. We walk via the beer shop, buy some beer, catch the Metro from Chatelet to Jussieu, check out some shops, have a crepe and coffee and then to the hotel where we are now resting before we head to Ponte Neuf to take our cruise on the Seine tonight.
So far, it’s been a long day, but it not over yet! The coffee, and the black beer, and the shoes off for an hour have rejuvenated me.
Bloody hell, its nearly over and landing in Rome 3 weeks ago only seems like yesterday.
The boat ride leaves at 9.30pm, so its the Metro to Ponte Neuf, we walk up to St Germaine while we are waiting, Genelle thought we were heading to the Louvre but she was on the wrong side of the river going the wrong way, Paul says nothing ( death by pained glare and sharp tongue are great motivators). Finally we get on the boat, Paris is not called the "City of Light" for nothing, it’s spectacular, and cold. A loop of the Seine, up to the Eiffel Tower, past the Louvre, under bucket loads of bridges. It’s nice, but we have to come downstairs for the last bit to warm up. Off the boat, its 10.30pm, we walk back through Saint Michel, Saint Germaine which is really humming still, past the hotel Dale and Tobe stayed in and find its only 2 blocks from where we are. A quick chat to the weird bloke on the desk at night, then a hot bath to thaw out, we are still frozen. Not one thought of stopping and buying anything, she must be bloody cold!

Auvoir from Arrondismemt 6, The Latin Quarter, where we were told earlier today, you are supposed to be artistic, intellectual, read highbrow literature, smoke Goulois, dress like you don't have money but try to make it look like you do have money but don't give a shit for the Bourgouisie (spellcheck please) and that everyone else who lives in the other quarters of Paris are wankers "mon amie, sacrue bleu, we speet orn you peasants who leev in osser parts orf Paree"

Thursday 27/10/2011 – Paris the last full day of the trip in Europe

News just received that there has been up to 20 inches (800mm) of rain in about 2 hours in some parts of Northern Italy, around the Cinque Terre and Central Tuscany and 8-9 people dead and heaps missing. 2 tourists missing in Vernazza, but were later found. Thank goodness we weren't there. Hope Barbara is OK
Meanwhile, the weather in Paris is beautiful, looks like a little rain overnight but this morning the sun is shining again, and the air is coolish but pleasant. We have breakfast, and slip to the Hotel next door and pay 1€ to do the online check-in and seat reservation and print the Boarding Pass's out, only trouble is we are a little early for the Hong Kong - Sydney leg, so we'll do that later on. It’s great going in and picking where you are going to sit.
So first thing, up to Cardinal Lemoine Metro station, buy another canet of Metro tickets, and head off to Montmatre and Sacre Coeur, supposed to be a good view from up there. We have a couple of changes to get there, all goes well, Genelle has the Metro sorted out pretty well. Trouble though at Montmartre, as the hill is steep, and 2 choices are available, a decision is to be made - bugger! Take the, what looks like 500 steps or the Finicular? I decide to walk, Genelle decides on the no pain option and waits for the mechanical assistance, but then changes her mind and decides to walk up because the line is so long, apparently she called out to me " Reiid!!!" but I didn't hear her over the 50,000 other people there and kept walking - could be a black mark against me?
Its actually pretty hard work with sore ankles and knees and no fitness, but the church is lovely, the view is good, not as good as I expected though. We walk up the top of the hill to the food/ restaurant area, which is packed, and have a nutella crepe to keep us going. Genelle negotiates a deal with some African bloke for a few souvenirs, then the Metro from Abbess to the Arc de Triomphe.
We pay the 9.50€ each to go the top of the Arc de Triomphe and this looks like the best view of Paris we've seen, apparently there is now a better one one top on the Montparnasse building, but I don’t think we'll do that one.
Then we walk to the Eiffel Tower, which is further than it looks, we're both struggling with sore feet and painful joints so it’s hard work. As we've been before and been right to the top we don't venture up this time as the crowds and lineup’s are massive. We crowd watch, looking for Gypsies and pickpockets, Gendarmes, soldiers with M16's strolling through the crowd, meanwhile regaining strength for the next leg of the trip.
A short walk to the RER station, then link back up with the Metro at St Germaine de Pris, we really like this area. We turn on the gps in Genelle's iPhone and navigate to the oldest street in Paris and the best looking chocolates and sweats we've seen. The Maccaroons look like they are fantastic, we decide to buy some and the lady gives me a salted caramel one to try, they are so bloody good we buy some more.
We continue looking around and after a short coffee break head through the guts of Saint Germaine to Saint Michel where I want to visit a little sports shop I bought a Stade de Paris rugby shirt 3 years ago, its open and I find a nice new shirt with pink in it, its an easy decision to buy it.
Not far away we decide on dinner at a little brasserie/cafe and we both have steak, mine is good, Genelle is very fussy, she eats bits and pieces and mangles it, not sure she was that impressed. I'm happy, the waiter was great and an old guy sits beside us and sips his wine and has a chat. He's 75, well dressed in a suit with folded hanky thing in the pocket, lives in an apartment over the road from the restaurant, about 50 years ago, he left Italy, went to England to study English, came back to Paris and never left. He visits Italy every couple of months and just gets a cheap train ticket to Torino where his family are. He loves his life in Paris, goes to the opera whenever he wants, eats well, has a few glasses of kir or wine a day, whatever takes his fancy, and lives within his means, he says he’s not rich, but he seems happy and that’s being rich in a different way.
Then its a leisurley stroll from Saint Michel through to Rue de Poissy, up to Rue de Ecole and the Hotel Familia, just like its our home. We race next door, do the rest of the on line check in with Cathay Pacific and are in by 10pm, how the hell are we going to get used to work and a time schedule again!

Tomorrow, we have 11.30am checkout and will store our bags at the hotel, a last run at Paris, tidy up shopping etc, then our shuttle leaves the hotel at 6.30pm for an 11pm flight out of Paris to Hong Kong and then Australia. I hope we've got some stuff left to knock us out for the plane trip to Hong Kong.

Not sure how I'll go with the last bits and pieces of this blog over the next few days, there may be some final bits plus a big tidy up of spelling, gramma and typo's, plus a summary of stuff we liked, didn't like and any tips we think might be handy for other people.

Auvoir from Paris, the last night in Paris.

28-29/10/2011 Paris +Paris to Hong Kong

Friday 28/10/2011 - Paris - the last day of the trip
Late, just a little bit for breakfast, as we contemplate fitting everything into the bags, last minute shopping, how hard do we push ourselves today before the shuttle arrives at 6.30 pm to take us away fro Paris.
Mark is on the front desk this morning, Oliver obviously having a break. We found out the story on Mark later in the day, but basically he spent a number of years in the French army marines, served in the first Gulf War, then North Africa, exercises Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, South Africa and some other places I can't remember. He said that when he finally came home, the first thing his mother did was make him strip off to make sure he didn't get any tattoo's. He’s a funny bloke and really helpful.
So, after breakfast we finish packing, it’s a miracle, we fit everything in. I'll tell you the weights later (when we check in at Cathay's check-in at Charles de Gaulle Airport.)
A quick trip up the street from the hotel to a nice little shop with nice stuff, a small purchase, we then bring the bags downstairs. Its a great spot this hotel and we have really enjoyed our stay here, very reasonably priced and good staff ( except the weird bloke with funny hair and mad eyes that's on the night shift- he looks a bit of a deviate!)
We start walking, through Saint Michel, we buy a cast Eiffel Tower in a nice furniture and funky things for the house type shop, that’s for us to put with our travel treasures (still not as good as the marble tile from the Big Buddha in Thailand though - FYI if you're reading this Dale McLeod) On to Saint Germaine, over the bridge past Notre Dame, and Rue de Rivoli, bloody shops everywhere. First stop on the East Bank is H & M on the corner near Hotel Deauville, buy a blow up pillow, strap for my cheating back pack trolley, goggles so I don't have to look at the working class people while I'm trying to sleep and a few other things. Then on to C & A, where I (Yes me! Not the big spender) buy 2 pairs of pants (17€ & 19€ !) What a lash out for me, but I only do it to allow Genelle to release some of the guilt from all of her buying.
Genelle finds a sympathetic pharmacist who looks at her ankle and sells her compression socks for the trip.
We walk on to Saint Louis, the island our end of Notre Dame, where we plan to lunch at Isle St Louis on the recommendation of the old bloke from last night. We see it in the distance, cross the bridge and the old waiters (except for 1, they would have been 60 +), they seem like they run the show and no customer will tell them what to do, we have to move because they won't serve food where they first sit us, we both order omlettes, I have a coffee. The omlettes are great. We then have a baked apple dessert with a sauce that’s something neither of us can pick up but its delicious. We then cross the Seine at A’tour d Argent, one of the most expensive restaurants in Paris where waiters buy their jobs from the waiter that is leaving, like buying a franchise. Outside there is a car with a cheuffer, and a Range Rover, we walk on, not contemplating eating there, we couldn't afford the tip let alone the food. We were told that it’s now down to a 1 Chef's Hat rating, but is still so popular that it still takes ages to get a reservation.
We stroll back through Saint Germaine and Saint Michel, trawling for last minute bargains, none come to light so we use last the last Metro tickets for a ride back to the hotel to pack the last spoils of Paris. Then the last walk down the hill from Cardinale Lemoine Metro to the hotel. We then repack our bags, I drink my beer that I left with Mark in a fridge earlier in the day, re lock, re cable tie the bags and Mark chats while we wait. The shuttle arrives right on 6.30 and we arrive at Charles De Gaule airport at 7.15pm, find the Cathay Pacific Check In desk ( the early check in really makes it quicker) and the bag weights Genelle 18.5kg and mine was about 17.5 kg. What a bloody miracle, our carry on stuff will probably weigh about 20 kgs!

Through customs, what a poxy looking cranky bunch of pricks they are here. I think their attitude matches the poxy looking airport, hardly any shops open, we don't find it very inviting at all. So we wander to gate A 37, sit down in a lounge and have a snack and wait. This is the worst part of it other than the actual flight bit which is long and boring but has to be tolerated so you can bet where you're meant to be going.
Finally we get on the plane, and then the usual crappy bit - the flight, the boredom, the movies we've seen, the food that’s a real punt on what its actually made of, trying to sleep, but not really sleeping, getting up for a walk and nearly falling over because the knees have locked up, God I hate that bit! But if you want to travel you have push through the shitty bits to do it.

Finally Hong Kong
We are now waiting in Hong Kong for about 4 hours before we leave at 11.05pm = 2.05am, and we've only got a short period to link up so doubt there will be any more added to the blog today.
Not sure what "see ya" is in Catonese, but hooroo from Hong Kong.

The trip to Sydney from Hong Kong is uneventful, same crappy food, same crunched up position, still can’t sleep, the guts are rumbling, the movies I’ve seen before, I’ve finished the book, the gin & tonic is no tonic for sleep.

We’re through customs in no time after waiting for a while to see if the trolley will eventually come onto the carousel, but no it doesn’t, so I decide to consign the trolley to a write off. The write offs so far, 5€ at Rome Termini Station when I bought some drinks, 56€ for the dodgy hotel in Milan and 25€ for the trolley for my backpack bought in Venice.

Dig out the AUD$ and get a $5 bus ride to Domestic, check in at REX where our bags are overweight according to their scales but the still let them on, in through security where we get stuck behind a wanker with about 20 huge fishing reels and the occasional hook in his backpack, wish they had arrested and cavity searched the dopey prick, we’re tired and lacking patience and don’t feel like putting up with it, BUT we don’t say anything and put up with it. A good coffee is well overdue, and Australia is pretty good, not up to Italy but pretty good, and then we battle the noddies and yawning until the flight to Dubbo.

Flying into Dubbo its good to see everything looking so green. The boys meet us and we drive home. Genelle can’t wait, she unpacks the bags in the family room and starts distributing the boys and Laura’s presents, Mum & Dad then arrive and we have coffee and tea and eat our macaroons from Paris.

Sleep doesn’t come easily first night home.

Friday 19^th November 2011

We’ve been home almost 3 weeks, and the first 7-10 days we battled with jet lag, it was awful. We got really sleepy about 2-3pm and then again about 7-8 pm and then after going to bed we’d wake up at about 3 in the morning and struggle to get to sleep after that.

The trip was terrific, can’t wait to do another trip as soon as I can organize, time, money and a destination.

The Trip - Debrief of the decaying, greying backpackers

What did we like?

The short time to organise

The good advice of friends was a big help

The trains are fantastic in Europe

Guest houses & B & B's are cheap and good accommodation

The food

The coffee

Tuscany & Cortona

Barbara in Vernazza

Bike about Tours in Paris

Milan and the shops

Talking to fellow travellers and listening to their stories

Talking to locals and hearing their stories

What didn't we like?

Gypsies and their attempted cons

Sore feet& knees

Cold & rain on the one day

Too many Americans in some places

Train Strikes

Whining tourists eg "the coffee is too strong"

Cafes that think you're American and serve weak coffee

Beggars

Service charges in restaurants

Things we would like see more of or do

Milan

Tuscany

Cooking in Tuscany

Apartments in Tuscany

Buy more shoes and bags – that’s a joke!

Go to the Amalfi coast

Pompei

More focus on food and wine less on buying things ( thats just me)

Essentials for Travelling

Good quality walking shoes

Really good socks

Less but better quality clothes

Good jacket to fit the season

Good quality light camera + mini tripod

IPad & free wifi

Travel journal or write a blog

Local SIM card (TIM in Italy) to put in an old phone

Stay in touch with friends via email, Facebook or blog

28-29/10/2011 Paris +Paris to Hong Kong

2011-10-29T21:57:00.000+11:00

Friday 28/10/2011 - Paris - the last day of the trip
Late, just a little bit for breakfast, as we contemplate fitting everything into the bags, last minute shopping, how hard do we push ourselves today before the shuttle arrives at 6.30 pm to take us away fro Paris.
Mark is on the front desk this morning, Oliver obviously having a break. We found out the story on Mark later in the day, but basically he spent a number of years in the French army marines, served in the first Gulf War, then North Africa, exercises Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, South Africa and some other places I can't remember. He said that when he finally came home, the first thing his mother did was make him strip off to make sure he didn't get any tattoo's. Funny bloke and really helpful.
So after breakfast we finish packing, its a miracle, we fit everything in. I'll tell you the weights later ( when we check in at Cathay's check-in at Charles de Gaulle Airport.)
A quick trip up the street from the hotel to a nice little shop with nice stuff, a small purchase, then back to bring the bags downstairs. Its a great spot this hptal and we have really enjoyed our stay here, very reasonably priced and good staff ( except the weird bloke with funny hair and eyes that's on the night shift- he looks a bit of a deviate!)
We start walking, through Saint Michel, we buy a cast Eiffel Tower in a nice furniture, and funk things for the house type shop, thats for us to put with our travel treasures (still not as good as the marble tile from the Big Buddha in Thailand though - FYI if you're reading this Dale McLeod) to Saint Germaine, over the bridge past Notre Dame, and Rue de Rivoli, bloody shops everywhere. First stop on the East Bank is H & M on the corner near Hotel Deauville, buy a blow up pillow, strap for my cheating back pack trolley, goggles so I don't have to look at the working class people while I'm trying to sleep and a few other things. Then on to C & A, where I (Yes me! Not the big spender) buy 2 pairs of pants ( hey big spender 17€ & 19€ ! What a lash out for me, but I only do it to allow Genelle to release some of the guilt from all of her buying.
Genelle finds a sympathetic pharmacist who looks at her ankle and sells her compression socks for the trip.
We walk on to Saint Louis, the island our end of Notre Dame, where we plan to lunch at Isle St Louis on the recomendation of the old bloke from last night. We see it in the distance, cross the bridge and the old waiters (except for 1, they would have been 60 +), they seem like they run the show and no customer will tell them what to do, we have to move because they won't serve food where they first sit us, we both order omlettes, I have a coffee. The omlettes are great. We then have a baked apple dessert with a sauce thats something neither of us can pick up but its delicious. We then cross the Seine at Atour d Argent, one of the most expensive restaurants in Paris where waiters buy their jobs from the waiter that is leaving, like buying a franchise. Outside there is a car with a cheuffer, and a Range Rover, we walk on not contemplating eating their, we couldn't afford the tip let alone the food. We were told that its now down to a 1 Chef's Hat rating, but is still so popular that it still takes ages to get a reservation there.
We stroll back through Saint Germaine and Saint Michel, trawling for last minute bargains, none come to light so we use last the last Metro tickets for a ride back to the hotel to pack the last spoils of Paris. The last walk down the hill from Cardinale Lemoine Metro to the hotel. We then repack, I have my beer left with Mark in a fridge earlier in the day, re lock, re cable tie the bags and Mark chats while we wait. The shuttle arrives right on 6.30 and we arrive at Charles De Gaul
E airport at 7.15pm, find the Cathay Pacific Checkin ( the early checkin really makes it quicker) and the bag weights Genelle 18.5kg and mine was about 17.5 kg. What a bloody miracle, our carry on stuff will probably weigh about 20 kgs!

Through customs, what a poxy looking cranky bunch of pricks they are here. I think their attitiude matches the poxy looking airport, hardly any shops open, we don't find it very inviting at all. So we wander to gate A 37, sit down in a lounge and have a snack and wait. This is the worst part of it other than the actual flight bit which is long and boring but has to be tolerated so you can bet where you're meant to be going.
Finally we get on the p
And and then the usual crappy bit- the flight, the boredom, the movies we've seen, the food thats a real punt, trying to sleep, but not really sleeping, getting up for a walk and nearly falling over because the knees have locked up, God I hate that bit! But if we want to travel you have push through the shitty bits to do it.
We are now waiting in Hong Kong for about 4 hours before we leave at 11.05pm = 2.05am, and we've only got a short period to link up so doubt there will be any more added to the blog today.
Not sure what "see ya" is in Catonese, but hooroo from Hong Kong.

Thursday 27/10/2011 - the last full day of the trip in Europe

2011-10-28T07:43:00.000+11:00

Thursday 7/10/2011 Paris
News just receieved that there has been up to 20 inches (800mm) of rain in about 2 hours in some parts of Northern Italy, around the Cinque Terre and Central Tuscany and 8-9 people dead and heaps missing. 2 tourists missing in Vernazza, bit were later found. Thank goodness we weren't there.
Meanwhile, the weather in Paris is beautiful, looks like a little rain overnight but this morning the sun is shining again, and the air is coolish but pleasant. We have breakfast, slive to the Hotel next door and pay 1€ to do the online check-in and seat reservation and print the Boarding Pass's out, only trouble is we are a little early for the Hong Kong - Sydney leg, so we'll do that later on. Its great going in and picking where you are going to sit.
So first thing, up to Cardinal Lemoine Metro station, buy another canet of Metro tickets, and head off to Montmatre and Sacre Coeur, supposed to be agood viee from upt their. We have a couple of changes to get there, all goes well, Genelle has the Metro sorted out pretty well. Trouble though at Montmartre, as the hill is steep, and 2 choices are available, a decision is to be made - bugger! Take the what looks like 500 steps or the Finicular? I decide to walk, Genelle decides on no pain waits for the mechanical assistance, but then changes her mind and decides to walk up because the line is so long, apparently she called out to me " Reiid!!!" but I didn't hear her over the 50,000 other people there and kept walking - could be a black mark against me?
Its actually pretty hard work with sore ankles and knees and no fitness, but the church is lovely, the view is good, not as good as I expected though. We walk up the top of the hill to the food/ restaraunt area, which is packed, and have a nutella crepe to keep us going. Genelle negotiates a deal with some African bloke for a few souveniers, then the Metro from Abbess to the Arc de Triomphe.
We pay the 9.50€ each to go the top of the Arc de Triomphe and this looks like the best view of Paris we've seen, apparently there is now a better one one top on the Montparnasse building, but I dont think we'll do that one.
Then we walk to the Eiffel Tower, which is further than it looks, we're both struggling with sore feet and painful joints so iys hard work. As we've been before and been right to the top we don't venture up this time as the crowds and lineups a massive. We crowd watch, looking for Gypsies and pickpockets, Gendarmes, soldiers with M16's strolling through the crowd, meanwhile regaining strength for the next leg of the trip.
A short walk to the RER station, then link back up with the Metro at St Germaine de Pris, we really like this area. We turn on the gps in Genelle's iPhone and nivigate to the oldest street in Paris and the best looking chocolates and sweats we've seen. The Maccaroons look like they are fantastic, we decide to buy some and the lady gives me a salted caramel one to try, they are so bloody good we buy some more.
We continue looking around and after a short coffee break head through the gt
Uts of Saint Germaine to Saint Michel where I want to visit a little sports shop I bought a Stade d Paris rugby shirt 3 years ago, its open and I find a nice new shirt with pink in it, its an easy decision to buy it.
Not far away we decide on dinner at a little brasserie/cafe and we both have steak, mine is good but with food, Genelle is very fussy, she eats bits and pieces and mangles it, not sure she was that impressed. I'm happy, the waiter was great and an old guy sits beside us and sips his wine and has a chat. He's 75, well drsssed in a suit with folder hanky thing in the pocket, lives in an apartment over the road from the restaurant, but 50 years ago, he left Italy, went to England to study English, came back to Paris and never left. He visits Italy every couple of months and just gets a cheap train ticket to Torino where his family are. He loves his life in Paris, goes to the opera whenever he wants, eats well, has a few glasses of kir or wine a day, whatever takes his fancy, and lives within his means, he says hes not rich, but he seems happy and thats being rich in a different way.
Then its a leisurly stroll from Saint Michel through to Rue de Poissy, up to Rue de Ecole and the Hotel Familia, just like its our home. We race next door, do the rest of the on line check in with Cathay Pacific and are in by 10pm, how the hell are we going to get used to work and a time schedule again!

Tomorrow, we have 11.30am checkout and will store our bags at the hotel, a last run at Paris, tidy up shopping etc, then our shuttle leaves the hotel at 6.30pm for an 11pm flight out of Paris to Hong Kong and then Australia. I hope we've got some stuff left to knock us out for the plane trip to Hong Kong.

Not sure how I'll go with the last bits and pieces of this blog over the next few days, there may be some final bits plus a big tidy up of spelling, gramma and typo's, plus a summary of stuff we liked, didn't like and any tips we think might be handy for other people.

Auvoir from Paris, the last night in Paris.

Venice 8/0/2011 - doesnt seem like this one published earlier

2011-10-27T08:27:00.000+11:00

Tuesday 18/10/2011
Good sleep, knee feels a bit less painful today. Last night when we finally came back to the apartment we watched an Italian version of dancing with the stars. This was critically appraised by Genelle who said thie Italians would get no where against the Aussie's. Venice seems to get going a little later than Rome or Florence, its about 9.30 before much noise starts to come from the streets, Loud Italiam voices, sound like they are shouting at each other but they look like they're still friends.
Genelle is writing up a list of her shopping so far, this could take a while! And she still has so much to do!
My first instant coffee since Australia, didnt want to go out in my pj's to get a cappuchino downstairs, my god the instant stuff is crap after the real stuff, doesnt matter how strong you make it. I have to watch I dont turn into a real coffee snob/nazi! Hope my sister Frances doesnt read this because shes a coffee snob and a spelling nazi amd I'll be off her Christmas list of she does hear about my comment.
Today we head west over the Rialto Bridge, supposed to markets on somewhere, hate to miss them! We wander the alleys, a cappuchino ay Bar ai Nomboli at San Polo. Its not far to the Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari, which is supposed to be a must see, Genelle declines in favour of loitering around shops.
The Basilica is a Gothic church, but not made of stone (because it would sink into the mud), its made of light timber and plaster. The art work is stunning and quite a few by Titian from the 1480's, a wooden staue of John the Baptist form the 1300's, Bellini's Madonna and Child and a few others worth the 3€ entrance.

I exit and find Genelle staning on the Ponte dei Frari with a pained look on her face. She has twisted her ankle walking up the bridge, God's revenge for not visiting his beautiful basilica, for not being a Catholic and for sins of the commercial kind.
A restaraunt gives me a bag of ice and we start rehabilitation quickly, shes a bit fainty ( thinking of lost shopping time?) but a panadol and a little time and it starts to come good. I mange to fix her camera that hit the ground and jammed the lens in and then we walk slowly, with a bag dripping iced water, towards the Grand Canal and come out near the rail station. Lunch at a little cafe before we take the ferry (Ferrovia) to Accademia stop and I do the 6€ look. Once again Genelle refrains, preffering to ice her ankle outside sitting on the Grande Canal.
Shes a tad cranky with herself.
She buys an ankle guard at a Pharmacia, and this eases the pain a little before we head back to the apartment. Its 5pm and all we've done is wonder all day. Tonivht is laundry, hopefully the last before we leave for home in 10 days, its amazing how you can make clothes last when you're on the road living out of a backpack ( although we're hardly doing it that tough)
Tomorrow we plan to go out to Murano and Burano using the ferry passes we bought, pretty good value really, 33€ for 3 days and you can use then all day every day for 3 days, its not like there is any other alternative really, other than walking.

Ciao from Venezia

Wednesday 26/10/2011 Paris by day on a bike, by night on a boat

2011-10-27T08:26:00.000+11:00

Wednesday 26/10/2011 Paris
Well today was La Toure de Paris, we decided to do the Bike About Tour of Paris on pushbikes, friends we met on the last trip to France 3 years ago said it was new and they were terrific. So we turned up at Charlemagne's statue, Genelle had a crack at me for rushing to be there early when she/we could have taken a leisurely walk through the St Germaine area on the way, and possibly see whats on offer (can you believe the hipocracy!), so we get there 1/2 an hour early at 9.30am, hoping their were some spots available (I was, not sure about Genelle?). 2 young people turned up with 2 bikes and small sign "Bike About Tours- Paris", we walked over and said we would like to go, he "Aussie's eh, shame about the World Cup eh!" I said " F.....g Kiwi's , all you think about is rugby!" , desperately trying to hide my pain and embarrassment. We ended up with Renata's group, she is late 20ish, American accent, parents American & Italian, came to Paris with the family when she was young and has been here ever since. A short orientation, and we're off, only small groups and our group is 6 Aussies, 2 Americans, and a couple from Malaysia. The bikes are shortarse 7 speeders, cant rememeber the brand, might show up in the photos, bit really easy to ride and had gel seats.
Short break - need to open my Belgium beire, a dark beer with a groovy label, more about that later.
First stop is near the Holocaust Museum in the Jewish sector in the 1st Arrondissment ( spelling Nazi's can get stuffed - I'm trying hard to type on a small keyboard and dont have spellcheck on the iPad), then to the area where the 20m€ apartments are near the village area of St Paul. Genelle has only had a few whinges about pain, probably warranted, but she needs to push through it or be mown down by horn tooting Parisien's who have no patience or sympathy for wobbling whining tourists on pissy little poofter push bikes. We go down, main streets, alley ways, along the Seine, over the Seine x 3 times, St Germaine for lunch and coffee, ( love St Germaine), we ride through the Louvre and see the huge lines waiting ( tip- go via the Virgin Store or car park under ground and you won't wait 1/10 th of the time to get into the Louvre), to LEs Halles, and the place where the family who caught rats amd hung them in their door so other rats wouldnt come in and developed a pest business, they advertise with dead rats hanging in their window ( bloody fascinating in such a cosmopolitan city!), near here is a beer shop with beers from all over Europe ( I go back later and buy a few which I've started to sample while resting my feet ready before we go on a night cruise on the Seine tonight), past the Pompidou Centre ( huge modern building ) , and eventually back to the car park we left from near the Hotel DeauVille. It has been a fantastic 3 1/2 hours, our bums are sore, there has been minor stress with traffic,not as much complaining as I thought and the people from Bike ABout Tours were fabulous, highly reccommended if you come to Paris. Genelle survived with a few minor injuries and a little pain, but she soldiered on through the pain barrier - just. There is evidence that she actually rode the bike that will be loaded on to Facebook tonight, not sure if these have her smiling or not? I have to say that pain management with drugs and alcohol helps.
I decide to go to look at modern art at the Pompidou Centre where there is the normal exhibition + an Edvard Munch special, the line into Munch is long, but I persevere, and to be honest do think much of Munch. Downstairs, the art of Picasso, Matisse, Chagal, Jackson Pollack etc is more my style, this bit I love and after I seen as much as my legs and feet can handle I exit to try and find Genelle. The text messages basically say, shes not far away but she doesn't know where she is, but its near the Les Halles Metro station, thats a f..... help, how can I find her? She says she can see a Kentucky Fried Chicken sign and a Pharmacy sign, I see something in the distance like that and "voila" there she is, having walked a little, shopped a bit (1 pair of shoes - cheap she said!) and got tired a lot. We walk via the beer shop, buy some beer, catch the Metro from Chatelet to Jussieu, check some shops, have a crepe and coffee and then to the hotel where we are now resting before we head to Ponte Neuf to take our cruise tonight.
So far, its been a long day, but it not over yet! The coffee, and the black beer, and the shoes off for an hour have rejuvenated me.
Bloody hell, its nearly over and landing in Rome 3 weels ago only seems like yesterday.
The boat ride leaved at 9.30pm, so its the Metro to Ponte Neuf, we walk up to St Germaine while we are waiting, Genelle thought we were heading to the Louvre but she was on the wrong side of the river going the wrong way, Paul says nothing ( death by pained glare and sharp tongue are grewt motivators). Finally we get on the boat, Paris is not called the "City of Light" for nothing, its spectacular, and cold. A loop of the Seine, up to the Eiffel Tower, past the Louvre, under bucket loads of bridges. Its nice, but we have to come downstairs for the last bit to warm up. Off the boat, its 10.30pm, we walk back through Saint Michel, Saint Germaine which is really humming still, past the hotel Dale and Tobe stayed in and find its only 2 blocks from where we are. A quick chat to the weird bloke on the desk at night, then a hot bath to thaw out, we are still frozen. Not one thought of stopping amd buying anything, she must be bloody cold!

Auvoir from Arrondismemt 6, The Latin Quarter, where we were told earlier today, you are supposed to be artistic, intellectual, read highbrow literature, smoke Goulois, dress like you don't have money but try to make it look like you do have money but don't give a shit for the Bourgouisie (spellcheck please) amd that everyone else who lives in the other quarters of Paris are wankers "mon amie, sacrue bleu, we speet orn you peasants who leev in osser parts orf Paree"

25/10/2011 Paris - Sore feet

2011-10-26T08:16:00.002+11:00

Tuesday 25/10/2011 - Paris
A short blog today, none of the drivel of yesterday, I hope.
After the long day, we didnt rise so early, a latish breakfast of croissants and coffee. Then we walk, to Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, then to the shops on the way to Galleries Lafayette, coffee and lunch at a sidewalk cafe, onwards via the Louvre, and finally Galleries Lafayette, then the Metro back to our hotel for a rest. Then back to the Apple Store near Galleries Lafayette to check a price, dinner near the hotel and finally back after 10pm. Only a few days to go we have to squeeze as much out of it as we can.
We noticed Saint Chapelle was open and had a short line as we passed by Notre Dame, so decided to take advantage, last time we were here we couldn't go in they were doing some work on the building. Bobby Paquet reccommended it as one of the must see places. It is pretty stunning for a building built in the 1200's and the glass, over 80% of it is original. There are restoring some parts of it, true to the original techniques, can see why they charge 8€ to enter. Its also the grounds for the courts so security is tight, lots of Gendarmes with guns and serious looks on their faces.
Onwards, we find a nice little sidewalk cafe for lunch, just crepes and coffee, then we find a shop called C & A which has all sorts of stuff at really good value. Genelle finds next winters coat, but thinks there might be a better bargain around the corner and refrains, I buy a pair of trousers - bit of a change eh! We see the prices in the Apple Shop and decide to check it out, but they seem too cheap, and as usual the gut feeling is correct.
Onwards to Gallaeries Lafayette, and the best value she could find was the toilet. The windows etc are fantastic, but the prices a tad dearer than we want to pay for anything.
We decide the walk home is not on, and finally buy a Canet (Metro train tickets x 10) for 12.50€, great value, we work out the track home, hop off at statio Jussieu, right near the Sorbonne, walk 2 blokes to the Hotel Familia for a rest.
Bavk to check the Apple shop, then Genelle finds another C & A shop and the feather down coat shes been after, shame its going into Summer at home, but as usual shes preparing for next winter.
Get the Metro home again, find a nice little restaraunt near the hotel, have a lovely meal, and wonder home after 10pm.
Tomorrow - a push bike ride through Paris, hope we survive it.
Auvoir from the sore footed ageing backpakers

24/10/2011 Milan to Paris

2011-10-25T03:45:00.002+11:00

Monday 24/10/2011 Milan to Paris
Jeez these early starts are a pain. Up at 5.30 to have a quick scrub in the disfunctional shower ( you have to hold the hand held shower head otherwise the whole bathroom gets wet - Genelle found out the hard way by turning the water on and sprayimg the whole room and herself in cold water - wondered what the scream was!)
Its quite dark but the walk doesnt take very long, as we walk into Milano Centrale, only a 1/2 hour early for the train today (shes slipping!), our train is waiting at Bin 4, a sleek pointy nosed TGV Eurostar, carriage 1 seats 63 & 64 which unfortunately face the wrong way and are on a pillar but are Ok. Genelle moves to another seat beacuse she feels it has more room, only to have to move later on when some chaps take them as their booked seats.
We head off, sort of east, hard to tell because its still dark for some of the way. It starts to lighten up as we pass Turin, and head over and through into the alps, then I think we head to Paris via Lyon. It looks cold and grey outside and then black as we head into tunnel after tunnel. Its the mountain country you see on the Tour de France, steep, rocky, mountain villages (some look really old) mist, frost, mountain streams. The gps on the iPad says we are 3,500 feet above sea level and at 200 kph heading towards Grenoble, a short stop at some a place that has "Oulx-Cesana-Claviere-Sestriere" on a board on the platform, its all starting to sound French to me?
Police with guns patrol the train, not sure which lot they belong to, but have more regular useable uniforms than the Italian lots we've seen with white belts and shiny bits all over them.
We arrive at Modane, definitely in France or Switzerland, (thats really definite isn't it - you idiot Paul!) plenty of snow on the really high peaks, and a medieval fort above the rail station and the gps still says about 3600 feet, the water in the streams is greenish, a sign its from glaciers or snow melting ( at least thats what I think after NZ lessons from a few years ago). The exit signs now say "Sortie" rather than "Uscita"', and for platform "Voie" rather than "Bin", clearly French, being multi lingual, these things are obvious to me!
Sitting in this train I have too much time to think, thats a problem with a small brain, you can only write contrite lightweight crap, not really f....g meanful crap.
Midnight Oil on the iPod drowns out the sounds of Italian and French announcements over the train loud speaker, we don't understand what they say anyway. I hope Peter Garrett goes back to the Oils again one day, might be better than having shit thrown at you as a politician. I remember seeing the Oils in Mudgee years ago, and he nearly stopped the concert when somebody lobbed an empty can on the stage-why pay money to go to a concert and do something like that!
The alps get less rugged as we pass vineyards grown on the side of mountains (obviously cool climate wines) and into the town/city of Chambery. The local trains are covered in graffitti, but infinitely more modern than our trains in Sydney, and workers are cleaning the mess off the carriages just past the station.
Just took a relook at the gps and its now clear we skipped Switzerland, went south of the Swiss border and straight from Italy into France, the SNCF guard, with short sleeves and 2 earrings ( definitely French - this time I'm sure) checks our tickets, thats 3 times on this train today, at least he doesnt have a gun on his hip.
We are now travelling north of Grenoble, the country is lush and green, dairy cattle grazing, the odd herd of Maine Anjou and Charolais in the paddocks which are small ( the paddocks that is, not the cattle, they look in good condition)
Through Lyon, just south of Dijon, the scenery is beautiful rolling hills, lots of hedgerows, much prettier country than in Italy, and it rolls past with John Lee Hooker singing "Bad Like Jesse James" , the train is humming along at well over 300 km per hour, actual feels really fast now. As JLH says Jesse was reaaal baaad!
And the train feels reaal fast, its like they turned the supercharger on after Lyon and slipped it into overdrive, the trees amd posts flick past very quickly.

Its no time and we're in Paris, Gare Lyon station, out the front, we see the Terminus Hotel where we stayed 3 years ago, wait for 5 minutes in a line for a taxi and are very quickly (7€ worth) at the Hotel Familia in the Latin Quarter. Oliver is very good and gets us checked in quickly, we sort out a late check put and a ride to the airport for when we are leaving. Unpack quickly then leave to get our bearings and do a reconaisance mission. The walk over the Seine to the back of Notre Dame only takes a few minutes, then past Hotel Deauville, where we have the most expensive coffee & hot chocolate + cakes (25.40€ - wont get caught again at those tourist places), then to HBV, where Genelle thinks she might find a coat shes been looking for. She can't find a coat in her size, not saying a word, I move on to other things, for one reason I won't mention and also so she doesn't stress about a lack of purchases today - all she's bought is breakfast! Then its a wander through the streets, just looking, we see people walking dogs with hoodies, and all sorts of Parisian delights before we recross the Seine and head for Rue de Ercole and Hotel Familia for a rest before dinner.

A' plus tard, bonsoir from Paris.
(See you later, good evening from Paris)

Sunday 23/10/2011 Como & Milan in Lombardy Italy

2011-10-24T05:39:00.000+11:00

Sunday 23/10/2011 Como to Milan
Well it got tje better of Genelle, she had to find somewhere different to the accomodation we had booked in Milan. it was freqking her out that it was rated 400 out of 400 in the Trip Advisor list and the comments were absolutely terrible, lots of " we shoulda ..... " comments from her regarding this. We cant change the other booking or get a refund so I think we've consigned 56€ we paid to the uncommitted revenue of the fleapit hotel, The Hotel Virgilio near the train station Centrale, but she was stressed that there would be bedbugs and that we'd be met at the front door by a hooker, or if not, by the pimp!
That decision made, major one for us, we wander down for breakfast and for the 2nd breakfast of the trip we get normal cereal, with our croissant's and other dessert for breakfast things. Bags packed, stored in the hotel lounge area, we then make our way to the train station to change our tickets from 6pm to 4 pm and then with that successfully done, back to the wharf where we take a leisurely 1 hour ferry tour on the lake. Quite relaxing. There are masses of people with children using the parks and walking the streets with their dogs, one dog even comes on the cruise with us. People take their dogs every where here, little ones, big ones, dressed in their little doggy jumpers some of the ones who probably compensate for the DINK's types of people.
Back on land and we have a lovely lunch at a little covered in cafe behind Piazza Cavour, gnocchi with pesto is delicious and Genelle has a proschiuto and cheese sandwich.
A short relax in the lounge at the hotel before we wander up to the train station for the trip back to Milan.

The Como lake is beautiful, the 2 places to stay would be either in Como or in Bellagio. Como has more to do and good shopping with all the big name brands, and lots more, but Bellagio is really pretty and the more touristy place to stay.

The walk up the hill to the train station is easy, about 10 minutes, now we know where to go. Our train is platform 1, and the crowd steadily builds, we wosh we knew which end the 1st class carriage will be, I ask a bloke with a Trenitalia jacket on and he says he doesn't know. So, as in tennis, when you don't know which way the ball will come at you, you stick to the middle. We guessed the left hand or front of the train, we where right but still have to fight our way up to the carriage. No accidents boarding thos time, no gypsies, only me to stuff it up and thankfully I don't, its stressful stuff you know dealing with injured travelling companions.
The plan when we get to Milan, find the hotel, check in and then get the subway into the Duomo and the Gallerie Victor Emanuele, of we still feel like checking it out a bit. When the smell of shopping is around I'm sure we'll feel a whole lot better! I don't think Milan is an attractive city from all I've read, its the 2nd largest in Italy, had the crap bombed out of it in WWII by the Americans amd was rebuilt as an industrial centre. Its Silvio Berlusconi's home, and he's a bit of a naughty old man so maybe it has other pleasures we may never know about?
Milan again - no f.....g gypsies to meet the train, thats a good start!
We come out of the huge train station, pull out the iPad with the free navigation App I downloaded and navigate the whole 80 metres to the Florida Hotel. Its quite nice, 3 star by Italian standards, and the room is Ok, no pimps, no hookers, and only 5 minutes walk back to the train.
Then a 3€ each return Metro ride to the Duomo and Gallerie Victor Emanuele shopping centre, 3 stops and we walk up and out into the magnificent piazza. There are thousands of people, the church is magnificent, the shopping centre looks fantastic, full of Prada, Gucci, etc etc so we stroll for ages just watching and looking. We see the most lavish McDonalds I've ever seen. Probably could have spent a few days here, not McDonalds, the shopping area of Milan. We go into one shop called La Rinascente, it has about 5 levels of all THE labels, Jimmy Choo, Lauren, Fendi, Gucci, Valentino and just about all the others, and the store was stacked and lots of groovy young people and hip older type dudes with funky glasses and tight trousers buying...... Genelle is drooling, and its only that her ankle is playing up that we decide to catch the subway back and have some dinner. Its a wonder she can drag herself away, and shes already talking abput what she would do next time shes in Italy in relation to Milan. This place looks like the sort of place an Olympic class shopper trains for.
Despite what I've read about Milan, its clean, organised, the Metro subway is really clean and cheap and works a treat, at least the few hours worth that we've seen which is the ritzy end of town I suppose. Anyway i dont mind the look of it.
We return back to Centrale, and decide that as this has 3 Maccas as we walk out of the train station, so Maccas it is, a Crispy Bacon Burger meal each, its lovely to have some chips, first in 3 weeks. I notice you can buy beer in Maccs in Italy, cheap too, that would be good in Australia!
Time to charge up the iPad, and phones for the early morning start. Paris beckons, a 6 hour train ride and we'll be there, we still dont know which places we go through, guessing through Zurich or Geneva, doesn't matter anyway because the train doesn't stop until Paris. I dont want to see a gypsy at the train station, I'm not flash early in the morning, who am I kidding they'd outrun me anyway.

So its Buonasera and arrividerci from Italy and tomorrow Bonjour to Paris.
Ciao from the ageing, graying, decaying backpackers.

22/10/2011 Como-Italy

2011-10-23T05:09:00.000+11:00

22/10/2011 Lake Como - Northern Italy
Well the dinner last night was great, the food was excellent. Genelle had veal with mushroom and potato and I had local fresh water fish ( small fish) filleted then a dessert , Tiramisu for me and a baked apple thing for Genelle.
A hot shower and a bathroon that you can turn around in was also a bonus. The room and the hotel are really warm, almost too warm to sleep.
After yesterday we are a bit slow getting going today, breakfast at 9.30, and ready for a look around Como and a tour of the lake villages. Genelle Skypes the boys and has a chat before we heaf out to explore.
Today is market day in Como, so we trawl through the shopping area and the markets that we see, Genelle buys a few bits and pieces for not much. Como is quite a large area for shops and restaraunts, you just dont see it from the water side. A rest and sit at a sidewalk cafe for a cappuchino and a hot chocolate then we catch the fast ferry to Bellagio. Its an hour to Bellagio on the fast one, the Lake is enormous, and we stop at a number of really nice looking towns on the way.
Bellagio, when we get there, is worth the trip, a really pretty place but lots of tourists and week-ending Italians. We cruise the streets, lots of steps, its quite steep but would be a pretty nice place to stay for a few days. The plCe has lots of BMW R1000's, Ducati's, Yamaha R1's eyc and lots of serious looking bikers in leather, the odd biker chick, not the Hells Angels types, they types who like to ride challenging mountain roads on performance bikes, not the drug deals beat the crap out of non Harley riders types. There a few blokes on serious pushbikes as well, I reckon more like seriously demented if they are riding yhes mountains, its bloody steep around here. We never do find out which is George Clooney's house. PA late lunch of panini's and coffee by the lakeside before we get the ferry back to Como, arriving a bit after 6.
We explore and find a part of Como that we hadn't notice before, checking the winter fashions for next year in Aussie, I 'm loving it ( like hell!) but it is nice watching the groovy hip young things, and the odd bit older things cruising the streets.
I've been trying to kill a nagging headache all day, so a short rest and some panadol before we try to find somewhere for a light dinner.
Tomorrow we plan to do a 1 hour lake cruise, I want to find somewhere to watch the the Rugby World Cup final at 10am and try and change our train tickets to get to Milan earlier than we booked. We have looked at chanfing our accommodation in Milan, in retrospect it now looks like it could be a real dive, in the red light area, could be interesting and an expensive experience if we do decide to change.
A nice rest, the feet and knee is feeling better, think Genelle has rested her busted bits as well, which was the plan, so that we are ready to attack Paris the day aftertomorrow.

Dinner beckons, but I know not where?

Ciao ciao, arrividerci from Como Italy

21/10/2011 Venice to Lake Como via Milan

2011-10-22T07:39:00.000+11:00

21/10/2011 Venice. To Milan - Lake Como
Yesterday was freezing, not good news to find that there was no hot water for a hot shower. Same thing again when we wake early, reception tell us the boiler has had a malfunction, the technician will be in in 1/2 an hour to fix, but this is too late for us so we have a short cold water wash( thats fun!), plenty of deodorant and down to check out and breakfast. We're on our way to the ferry by 7.45, and at the train station by 8pm for an 8.58 train. Nothing like being early, I bet this wont happen at home.
We meet a group of Ausssies waiting for the same train, one couple from Newcastle off to Assisi to visit relatives, a couple from Canberra ( sound like academics- she leads tours in Italy), and a few people form Melbourne. The people from Melbourne tell us the is a rail strike between 1pm & 5pm and might be a good idea to check if we can change our tickets. I'm delegated that job, she delegates well, as long as it doesnt involve a decision, anyway The answer from the ticket office is that our train is ok but check in Milan.
The cold weather looks like it has translated into snow on the Italian and Swiss Alps which are on our right ( North) as we head to Milan. At leats its clear, the sun is shining and the air is cool, not cold.
We pass through Verona, the location supposedly of Romeo & Juliets balcony, and speed across the north of Italy in the EuroStar City train siting in 1st Class. The seats aren'nt that flash but we have more room and the food and drink is free. The towns and cities are reasonably unspectacular, lots of industial areas near the railway lines as you'd expect. The country has more trees that further south and the farms appear smaller and more productive. As we get closer to Milan, a haze appears, but the sun is still shining.
A text from Daryl to say the Wallabies have beaten Wales 21-18 in the consolation game at the World Cup.
So we're in Milan Centrale train station, lots of people wondering what to do beacuse of a lot of trains being cancelled because of the strike, luckily ours isn't and after a wait we see Platform 6 come up for our train. Theres no train in the bit we wander in anyway, there are a few other people waiting plis a few ferals hanging around (look like Gypsies - this proved to be correct). The train comes in, Genelle a bot distraught because the first class carriage looks like 3rd class compared to 2 nd class but we all know shes a hard marker. We make our way over to board and one of the young (20ish) ferals stands at the door and as I help her lift her bag he jumps in and proceeds to lift and pushes Genelle forward, she falls on her wrist and knee, and jars her ankle - she proceeds to abuse me not realising what has happened behind her. The bloke knows he hasnt impressed and when he offers to help lift mine I give him a glare and raise my hand, no F words just "no" firmly so he buggers off, must think I was born yesterday. We find our compartment and sit, and the Gypsies have found another mark, 4 other Aussies a bit older who also came from Venice get helped up the steps without asking so then they hit them for for money, bit of an argument starts and I hop up and hover just in case there might be trouble - not sure what I'd do but it would be something! The gypsy girl then put the same pamphlet on our seats that we got in Rome ( and I crumpled up and gave back to them) this one we leave and let them pick it up. I wonder why the Trenitalia people let them annoy people and ply their scams?
Because of the strike, the train is pretty full, we're sharing a compartmen with 2 Italians who dont talk much, 1 Swiss man who is very chatty, and 1/2 of a couple from Perth who are on a 3 month trip around Europe, starting with chartering a yacht and sailing the Turkish coast, she nice but quite young compared to the husband and dripping expensive jewellery. I'm guessing mining money and lots of time, could be wrong though.

We hit Como train station, but not the one we thought that shows on the map that comes right to the water, when we walk out all we see is trees, so a taxi is the go. Now, you know that its a fair bet this place, where George Clooney and other rich and famous people have villas, is a bit ritzy when the cab is a new Porsche Cayenne. Later we see BMW and Alfa Romeo cabs as well. So for a 10€ cab ride, I've just ridden in Porsche for the first time.

There is a car rally starting in Como today, so we pass heaps of popping, crackling farting rally cars getting to the start in a car park near the water.
The hotel Tre Re is Ok, not flash but at least we should have hot water tonight.
So we have lunch in a little cafe near the water and wonder around the lake, we find the Funicular bus thing to the top of the mountain, which costs 5€ each return so we take it only to find when we get up there its smokey and hazy and you cant really see a thing. So we come straigjt back down again and walk the Como shops, Genelle finds some unique clothes pegs and decides shed like to check them out better tomorrow.
Lots of people out and about at dusk, so we finally return to the hotel to have a rest and some dinner. The restaruant is supposed to be quite good,so we'll give it a burl tonight.
Have to check and see if I can watch the Rugby World Cup final here tomorrow at 10am, even though Italy had a side in the event it really doesn't rate as all we've seen is soccer in the sport and over dubbed American shows with Italian voices - Intesting for the obsessive compulsive TV soap watcher, I think she still manages to make some sense out of it.
Ciao from Lake Como Italy

Ciao from Venezia

2011-10-21T06:04:00.000+11:00

Thursday 20/10/2011
Venice - The last day
Well, as my cousin Chopper Reed says about Alice Springs weather, "Alice Springs will be f....in hot, and it will be f....in hot for the next 5000 years...., get f....in used to it! "' well Venice is pretty wet as its surrounded by water, and today it was raining sideways from Siberia so as cousin Chopper would say " Venice was wet and f....in cold, so cold penguins would need f....in jackets!
We looked down from our apartment window and the alley was wet, people walking past with umbrella's but we didnt factor in that it would be so bloody cold. The layer thing with the clothes was essential, I had cotton long sleeve, thin wool Icebreaker long sleeve, shirt, thick wool Icebreaker jumper and a Mountain Designs vest + a one stage a rain coat, but it didnt stop the ageing backpackers. We unholstered the travel umbrella's and off we went, dry run on the ferry to the train station, back to exploring the many alleys and shops, back to the mad old book shop with the fire exit onto the canal ( bit of a dry, or should I say wet sense of humour!)
We move out of the apartment, carry the bags and backpack about 80 metres to the Hotel Bruno, our most expensive night of the whole trip at 160€ but its really nice, the best room by a long shot on the trip, and so warm compared to outside or the apartment. We leave the bags and head off, knowing we have refuge in Room 144.
Genelle's ankle is coping well, still hobbling but have to push her through the pain barrier so she can get to the places ( read - shops) she wants to see. Frankly i'm a bit weary of looking at bags, glass jewellery, glass everything, bloody tourists, dirty bloody pidgeons in San Marco, so I thought I'd divert from her and relook at St Marks Basilica. From what I recall its a Byzantine design, and quite a stunning building with mosaic tiles making up the pictures, and masses of gold used although some of the gold has now worn away. Its really worth some time and i'm glad I went again.
We catch up again and shopping resumes, we then buy a lot of things that we had earmarked earlier. We had also bought some other things earlier in the day, a few things in the place where the bloke embroiders by hand on a sewing machine, he's unbelievable! We also buy some watches, that are made in Italy, havent seen them before, pretty funky looking. Being Italian they'll probably leak oil, belch smoke, toot a horn when its crowded, won't keep time and will break down occassionally. Actually I'm being harsh, for all that Italy looks like and people have this perception of it as disorganised, a mess, and not making sense, it actually works, the trains are fantastic and run on time, I haven't seen any car or bike crashes but lots with scratches on them ( eg Rome has 1 major corner we through with 4-5 lanes which could have been 6 if needed, all blending in a civilised way with the odd horn tooting - even so I would'nt drive in Rome). And mostly people have been lovely ( exceptions a Tabbachi bloke in Cortona, and a ferry attendant in Venice)
Food - lunch was on a little square near the book shop mentioned earlier, mostly pasta, dinner was a place near Rialto Bridge that was probably set up more for tourists and probably was close to the worst food experience on the trip, Ok but they tried to rush us ( simply not the Italian way!) and food was average. Cortona was the standout food place (s) by a long shot + Luigi's family restaraunt in Rome.
We wonder until after dinner, its cold but quite lovely up the Grande Canal, the ferries, water taxis, work boats (Landcruisers on water) and gondola's all vying for space on the canal right on dusk.
Finally, back the warmth of the Hotel Bruno to warm up and to repack ready for the trip to Lake Como via Milan ( Italy's 2nd largest city) tomorrow. Only thing I didnt really get to do which I though would have been OK was the Peggy Guggenhiem Museum, maybe next time ?
Arroviderci from Venezia
Ciao ciao from the grey headed backpaker

Wednesday 19/0/2011 Venice

2011-10-20T04:18:00.002+11:00

Wednesday 19/10/2011
Venice - Italy
Bit slow to get going today, the twisted ankle is a bit stiff and sore. We head to Rialto Ferry station just a few minures away, catch a ferry around to St Marks Square, then hobble up 2 Bridges to another ferry pier that goes out to Murano and Burano Islands. Genelle's a bit whingy, because the girl where we got off said 2 bridges and she counted something else as a bridge not the 2 mains bridges, its just a matter of interpretation, doesnt change how far we have to walk.
Its a fairly long ride out to Murano, and to be honest not overly impressive when we get there, although we do find some pretty unique glass studio's where thye actually design and make things and we do buy a small glass mask on a stand and a beautiful glass ( not for drinking out of this one) which will go well with our glass Paua shell from Flame Daisy glass in Picton NZ. Another treasure from pur travels. After a long walk we find the Faro ferry treminal, this is where you leave from to go to Burano, the lace and coloured houses island. The crowds getting on the ferry are push and shove, hate to be here in high season, the bastards would walk over the top of you, not the Americans this time they have a few manners, seems to be Germans and Russians and other people who speak a slavic type language. Jeez I'm turning into a bit of racist! Have to watch that!
Genelle buys some lovely scarfs with lace, its beautiful work they do here and the colours in the houses are bright and contrasty, much more appealing than Burano. It starts to rain, so we finish looking and shoppong amd head back to the ferry terrminal, wait in the mad crowd again, push, push, shove shove, on the ferry fight for a seat "f... off kraut thats mine...... " ( not really, they look a bit scary!). We head back to Venice and Nuova pier where we have a new walk to discover on our way back to Rialto. Shes like a kid in a lolly shop, more bargains and then we stumble on a Bata shoe shop liquidation sale, trouble is I find a pair of leather shoes that i like for 31€ 1/2 price made in Italy and she cant find anything, lifes a bummer isnt it - shes had a bad 2 days.
Ots not far to Rialto and our little apartment, a gellati break and then back to see if she can find something else to do......... or buy I reckon.
Well she does buy some hand made leather shoes at Kalimala a lovely little shop where the owner makes all the shoes, its between Rialto and St Marks Square, and may even be tempted to return tomorrow and look again.
Off to dinner now and ready for the last day of exploring Venice.
Ciao for now

18/10/2011 Venice

2011-10-19T04:36:00.000+11:00

Monday 17/10/2011 Cinque Terre to Venice

2011-10-18T05:49:00.000+11:00

Monday 17/10/2011 Vernazza to Venice
The finish to Sunday night - A short break after pizza by the waterside for dinner, the pesto and mozarella is good, and then back to use the last 7 minutes of wifi time that we paid for to upload the blog and download emails. Its not like travelling in the old days when you picked your mail up at poste restants strategically located where you were travelling and called in from phone cards on public phones. It's all so instant now.
I get back to the room and Barabara calls in to say hello, she's been at church and repented her sins, now to rstart the tally for next confession, so she brings in some home made apricot liqueor which her and I share a few jars and I have to sneek Genelles away from her and skoll it before Barbara sees. She tells us Johnny has driven back to Monte Carlo, Genelle says to her he should get married and have grandchildren for her but she says he has many girlfiends "French, Americano's, Italiano's, Germans - no time for bambino's. We take a photo with her and say our goodbyes. Shes been a real gem.
Short intermission - we're on the Eurostar from Florence to Venice and 4 railway police walk past with white belts, peaked caps and guns and tasers etc, scary dudes.
Monday morning now.
4.14 my mobile phone rings then stops, the number looks like Acccor, they'll be bloody lucky to get me this year doing that sort of thing. I dont like early starts that much, reckon they should have had that in their data base.
5.15 the alarm goes, shower, final pack and we hear Stacee and Barbie in the alley way making their way to the train station - it could only be them. We know they are leaving before 6 am to go to Venice, but last time we saw them they didnt know which way they were going, only that it was through Milan. Hope they end up in Venice. When we get to the train station, we're the only ones there, except for 2 old blokes sitting down the bottom on the station chatting away, its dark and cold.
Today we have 3 changes of train, La Spezzia first, where we find and earlier train to Pizza than the one we had planned. The seats fill quickly with kids off to school and early start workers. To my disappointment there is still no leaning tower to be seen, we havent ben watching the news but maybe it did finally fall over?
The train is freezing, and we pass through industrial areas, yards stacked with huge marble blocks for processing into kitchens, and the scenery is pretty unremarkable. For the 2nd time only on the trip a conductor checks our ticket, odd that it doesnt happen more often. The iPhone music is a nice rspote from the cold, an Aussie, listening to a Canadian playing Indian music and some of African origin , all on a train in Italy.
Florence comes up reasonably quickly and we wait for awhile watching the board for the platform number for our Eurostar train to Venice. Finally Bin 11 hits the board and we race over to platform 11 and find our seats. Only 2 hours to Venice.
The carriage is full, but its warm, our seats are ours and there is food available. In 1/2 an hour we are in Bologna, it really moves along quickly.
So far we've coped pretty well, Genelle handles early starts better than me so I'm probably the main problem today. But its early yet, we've got to find our place in Venice and that could be a challenge.
The countryside of central Italy flashes past quickly at about 300km/hour. Looks a lot like Cowra, very productive looking, lots of vegetables amd smaller broadacre crops, its their autumn so its a bit bare looking as I guess sowing has happened or is about to happen.
It seems not time and we arrive in Venezia Santa Lucia station. Once again we had some grating yanks sitting right near us in the train, they didnt shut up and 1 poor old codger went and got the others drinks and food all morning and they talked such crap I had to out the iPod on again. Genelle sat there yand rolled her eyes, as I said earlier I'm sure they are Ok.
As usual we get off the train and usual panic about which way to go to gwt the ferry to Rialto. We find the ferry station and buy 2 x 3 day passes, get on the first ferry and get of at Rialto, and then can't follow the instructions to tje apartment. We ring Laura ( yep another Laura), and she says meet at the No 1 ferry which we go to and she calls to say where we, well we're at no 2 but where it has a No 1 with a sign, talk about complicated. Anyway she walks us to the apartment, right in the action, its pretty cute and basic but really good. Gellati at the front door and only a few minutes wander to St Marks Square. Laura is a really attractive woman about 30ish.
So we pay the money, drop the bags and start the shopping expedition immediately. Heading through the cobweb of laneways and bridges over canals to St Marks, we explore and find lots of potemtial targets, even finds the place where she rckons Al bought her boots. After the early start and all the train changes we are pretty weary but boy you can see shes starting to kick into gear now the are shops and shops and shops and trinkets of all sorts, clothes, shoes and you name it. Then back to a supermarket ( there is such a thing in Venice) buy 23€ worth of supplies for drinks and breakfast etc. A short rest and gellati before heading out again.
We've booked in for another night at a lovely little hotel Hotel da Bruno just down from our apartment so am using the wifi there, had to pay 5€ for 2 hours and free when we stay here but will be worth it. We've been out on St Marks Square again just now and there are 3 orchestras playing, and its much quieter than earlier in the day. I was a bit blase about the the buildings here, St Marks and the Doges Palace + the many others but they are magnificent. Anyway, light dinner in the apartment tonight, before the serious shopping begins tomorrow, I might go and look at a few building and things rather than shop, we'll see?
Arrividerci from Venice

Sunday 17/10/2011 More exploring the Cinque Terre

2011-10-17T03:57:00.000+11:00

Sunday 16/10/2011 Vernazza in the Cinque Terra -Italy
We wake at a reasonable time and have some fruit and a cup of tea, then down to get organised for the train and park stuff for the day. The plan is to go to Riomaggiore, walk back to Manarola ( supposed to be an easy walk), train to Corniglia beacuse there is a landslide blocking the walking track and there is only a real treking trail you can use to get through, lunch in Corniglia and then train back to Vernazza for a final bit of shopping.
A cappuchino and hot chocolate at the Blue Marlin bar to kick start the system, and then on the train, its packed full of people speaking all differnet lamguages, one I think is Swiss. I guess its not far for a week-end run from Switzerland to the coast, sort of like a week-emd in the Hunter Valley for us? The place ( the Cinque Terre) is busy, amazing this late in the season. I suppose it is the week-end as well ? I guess we'll run into the same thing in Venice.
Riomaggiore is bigger than Vernazza, and mostly all in one street by the look of it, more up and down than Vernazza as well. The rugby is on and I cant find anywhere with a tv on to watch it, but Daryl and Grahame sent me texts to keep me up to date with the score.
The walk to Manarola is pleasant and flat, by the time we get there the rugby game is over and the All Blacks have not choked, they beat The Wallabies convincingly, hopefully no Kiwi's are around, there must be as we saw a NZ flag hanging off a balcony in Rio. So, now I hope the All Blacks beat France and finally show that they probably are the best side going around day in day out present.
We have a short wander around Manarola, then back to the train and on to Corniglia. The trip is very short, and we are about last in the line for the bus and decide to walk - Genelle is a little peeved to say the least so we walk up the road and don't take the 397 steps. The walk is ok and at the top we find alittle cafe and have bruschette and a cool drink. We meet 3 Aussies, one who is on a 3 month trip around Europe And talk to them over lunch. The 2 younger (50 ish) ones are from Perth and the older lady is from Woy Woy on the Central Coast. Its amazing how many people in their 50's and 60's are travelling as ageing backpackers on trains and buses etc.
The walk back down the hill - what do we do, take the bloody bus of course, its steep and besides my knee giving me grief, I don't want Genelle giving me more grief.
Another short train ride and we're back in Vernazza, for a short rest and then a few bits and pieces of shopping before the final pack.
I think we've had a nice stay on the Cinque Terre, 3 days is enough, we've had a fantastic host in Barbara, but its time to move on.

Oh Genelle is a bit worried the fires might stop the trains running, i'm sure the Swiss will make sure their out so they can all get back to their snow covered mountains and cow bells.

Arrividerci ciao from Vernazza, next blog will be from Venice.

Satirday 16/10/2011 additional

2011-10-17T03:55:00.002+11:00

Saturday 15/10/2011 - a short update
For dinner we thought we'd try Il Baretto a restaurant/bar on via Roma, Johnny recommended it. It was full and we thought we'd look for somewhere else, there was no where else that appealed so we ended up back there waited 5 minutes and then has a table. It was busy, and for a good reason, the food was beautiful. Genelle had agrilled fish, I had clams and pasta and then we shared a pannacotta. The food was lovely. The table beside us was Lou and Pauline from Los Angeles, he's a retired trial lawyer but looks and sounds like a knockabout bloke. And after today one comment strikes home, he said that on one trip to Europe they we having a meal and an Australian bloke came up to him and said that it was good to hear and English speaking voice and that he was surprised there were'nt more Americans in Italy at that time, Lou said thats exactly the reason I'm here - to get away from Americans. I think things have changed, there are plenty here now.

Earlier I mentioned we hadn't seen Stacee and Barbie, well that changed, they ended up at the same restaraunt so we waved and then had a chat and catch up on the days activities. They went to the other end of the Cinque Terre and walked from Riomaggiore to Manarola and said it was reasonably easy. That sounds like a plan for us tomorrow.
10.30pm in italy = 7.30am in Australia Sunday morning, hope all you church going types made it to Mass, Communion or whatever and have repented your sins!
If not bloody well go, we saw Johnny the playboy heading to church this afternoon, at least it looked like he was going to church, may have been the Mens Club?
Arrividerci Ciao for Saturday for the last time.

Cinque Terre Saturday 15th October 2011

2011-10-16T04:14:00.002+11:00

Saturday 15/10/2011. - Vernazza on the Cinque Terre in Italy
A little sleep in, as the sun struggles to get to the alley ways of Vernazza and we don't set an alarm. We're struggling to get organised when Barbara busts in on us and starts babbling away in Italian, this time we haven't a clue what she's saying but its all fun. I think shes worried that we're only having a cup of tea for breakfast, we're not but we can't explain it to her. She leaves and very quickly she's back at our (hers) door with some toast and some home made jam which I manage to translate from the Lonely Planet translating book as apricot, its wonderful and we have 2 pieces each.

We then get organised and walk the short walk to the railway station buy a 1.60€ ticket each to Monterosso to explore for the day. After a talk with Johnny the playboy son (more on him later), we've decided that some of the walks are going to be a bit hard on us with my knee being painful lately every day and Genelle still fairly breathless with the asthma.

The train ride is only very short as we go through a tunnel for part of the way. Monterosso is a bit different to Vernazza, more restaurants a little more Port Stephens like than Vernazza but still quite charming. Maybe we're just Cinque Terra snobs? There are some stunning villas in Monterosso, particularly the northern end. News by texts from Daryl Green and my brother in law Grahame that France have just scraped in against Wales in the Rugby World Cup semi final. Hope I can find somewhere to watch the Aust v NZ game tomorrw morning at 10am Italian time. We have a mid morning coffee at a beach side cafe with a couple of pastry treats and then a walk to settle things and work up and appetite for lunch.

Lunch in Monterosso is at Cantina du Sciacchetra, looks like only pizzas but they are seriously good pizzas, even Genelle finishes her ham, motzarella pizza and I have no trouble with a Neopolitana which has capers, motzarella and anchovies, washing down with an espresso. I'm getting the hang of these little baby coffee's with a big punch.

We then decide to get the ferry back to Vernazza, the tickets are 3.50€ each so only a few extra than the train and much more interesting. We only have to wait about 10 minutes before it arrives, then about 50,000 mostly American tourists (I think) turn up and their leader moves to the front and blocks everyone else, except us, because we're not on his f....ing tour and we dont play by and are not bound by his f...ing rules, so we unpolitely push through his upheld hands because we were here before all his bunch of wankers arrived and we show our tickets to the nice ferry bloke who smiles and waves us through. I'm pretty easy going most times but the guide bloke was close to seeing me a bit cranky, maybe I'm just a bit tired? We do then get a good seat up stairs on the ferry. Look, I know they're probably mostly lovely people, but I'm getting a bit sick of hearing their voices, you know what its like when somebody grates on you and you can't stand to hear their voice - sort of like that. There's just so many of them here! Our old landlady doesn't like them much, that much we can understand.

The trip back to Vernazza is lovely, this Cinque Terre coast line is stunning and I can see why people with good knees and reasonable fitness would do the walks. The sea is emerald green, the water a bit chilly but there are still a few people in swimmers having a swim and sunbaking, it would sort of be like surfing inside Sydney Harbour (that size waves) with narrow beaches of grey sand and rocks. In summer I can picture the Italian Rivierra with the groovy people in their g strings frolicking topless, lying on the beach chairs and big yachts moored off the beach, but it would be better to see it in real life eh!

We walk up the top of the castle rock at Vernazza, the view is prettyy spectacular, then back down a different way. An Austalian girl about 13 or 14 with her Italian born mother and her grandfather has twisted her ankle on the steps, looks pretty bad but Pop has got some ice to put on it, must be local becuase hes down and back and not even puffing. We see them later and it still looks pretty bad. As we wonder back down to the main piazza, we see Johnny, Barabra's playboy son from Monte Carlo with a group of locals, hes got bright checked pants on (the most outrageous golfer would probably wear them -maybe), anyway he looks a unit. We sit for ages on the piazza just watching, theres a crowd for a local wedding, all these tourists, walkers in their gear with their poles, local kids riding their bikes, the old local men sitting around chatting having a crack at other local men as they walk past. The breeze gets a little cold so we head up to the room to find Barabra has left us some fresh fruit, some wafer biscuits, time for little chill out before a light dinner. Not sure if we'll see Barbara with the other liquoer she said I had to try tonight?
The plan tomorrow is to train it to Riomaggiore and check out Manarola and Corniglia, the other villages that make up the 5 ((Cinque) villages. I'm guessing these places will be full of Americans, doubt that bit will change. Just for us to have a look. We didn't run into Barbie and Stacee today, I'm glad, they're nice but we've heard enough American accents for the day.

We have paid 5€ for 1 hours wifi at an internet cafe, so will have to get this uploaded quickly when I get to their shop in a few minutes. And we have to check our emails, please send Genelle some emails so she feels wanted back home, her email on her iPhone is reidgenelle@gmail.com, mine is reidy55@gmail.com
Ciao - Arrividerci from Italy for today - Saturday 15th October 2011

Another Day on the Reids Grand Tour

2011-10-15T19:30:00.002+11:00

Friday 14/10/2011 -Florence to the Cinque Terre and Vernazza
The Aging backpackers move camp again.
The ear plugs worked well last night, not as much noise from the narrow streets Piazza Aldobrandini something or other get through to my ear drums. The Alarm on the iPhone plays Van Morrison's "Baby Please Don't Go" at 7.30am, but i think I'm ready to move on. Our train is to Florence Santa Maria Novella Station at 9.53, and Genelle wants to be there early, so we arrive after a plum and acup of tea for breakfast, at about 8.15. Its strange because in Dubbo if she' catching or taking someone to the plane she reckons you only need to check in 15 minutes before the flight leaves, yet there is a touch of paranoia in Italy and we have to be really really early.
The schedule;
Leave Florence 9.53 am via Pizza to La Spezzia arriving 12.19.
Change trains and leave La Spezzia at 1.17 to arrove at Vernazza the 4th of the 5 villages of the Cinque Terre at 1.37pm
We have to meet Barabara Salustri on the right hand side of the stairs at the train station and she'll be wearing a blue chemise.

So, seeing we have plenty of time to pass at the Florence train station that alternatively could have been spent with a little extra sleep, we have a Macca's muffin and I have a Macca's pronto espresso - not half bad. Genelle attracts all sorts, an African woman sits near her with her son and then trys to sell her a scarf, its a bit suspicious because she leaves very quickly when the Carabinieri (flashly dressed coppers) rush through near where we are sitting waiting for the platform for our train to come up on the board. Then when they leave with a bloke , she returns, maybe they are illegal immigrants ?
We get the call for our train, Binario 3 (Platform 3), its a long walk and as usual the gypsies are there trying to cadge a few Euros directing and helping people, one girl trys us on but we graciously decline her help, then when we board the train and find a seat and then another gypsy girl puts a slip of paper with a drawn picture of a mother and baby with some sort of charity message on it on our seat, obviously looking for cash that she will pocket. I screw it up and throw it in the rubbish receptacle near the seat, she returns looking for the money, I hand her the crumpled up paper and she sneers and says something like "f...wit" in Italian to me, I don't get too depressed about this.
Two 50ish American women board with about 6 bags and I help one put her bag in the luggage rack. They seem friendly and they are also going to Vernazza. Another American couple sit near us, they are from Montpelier in Idaho, we have a good old chat to them until Pizza, where they leave the train.
Pizza is a large train station, a bit grungy looking with graffiti and rubbish lying around and I'm disappointed we can't see the leaning tower from the station, maybe it's fallen down? At Pizza the train fills up, mostly looks like locals and I guess heading to La Spezzia where we have to change trains. Everyone is talking on their mobiles, all I can hear "Pronto, si, si, ciao, ciao, arriverci" with hands waving madly around describing what they're talking about- just like Italians really.
The countryside we travel through is mainly small farms with hot houses for commercial vegetables etc and lots of grungy looking houses right beside the railway line so the journey is a little uninspiring. I can see the hills getting bigger and what looks to be marble quarries up in the higher parts, we also travel past factory yards with piles and piles of marble stacked in them, ready for the kitchens of the world and keeping Italy looking old.
We arrive at La Spezzia on time at Biario 1 Sud (south for those of you who don't have the same grasp of Italian as me) and the board says our train to Vernazza leaves from Binnario 1 Nord ( read previous comment and see of you can work it out)
Genelle buys us some lovely pastry things for a late morning tea and we board our new train and settle in. A call from the door " are you in here Ossies?" as the 2 American women load their 6 bags and struggle in to find a seat and some space for all their gear.
It doesn't take long and we're in Riomaggore, a few minutes later Manarola, Corniglia and then Vernazza in no time. Fingers crossed Barbara is there to meet us. And of course she is, standing to the right of the stairs in a blue shirt ( is that what a chemise is ?) maybe my Italian ain't that good?
She gives us the European hello with a "ciao " and a kiss on both cheeks, and leads us about 60 metres down the narrowest alley ways to our room in her house, its lovely and just out of the piazza. So, Alison well done in convincing Genelle that it was a good idea ! We do the passport thing, pay the money and head down to find where the water is and check the place out. It is quite beautiful, and old and rusticly charming. We find a place to lunch and order some food and drinks, our 2 American friends appear and join us and we chat for hours, they match it up to Genelle in the chat stakes. Their names are Barbie and Stacee from San Diego, although Stacee does still have a place in Yosemite up north. Don't they sound so bloody American ! They are both songle women travelling reasonable cheaply like us and also heading to Venice the same day. But they are very nice.
We are sitting in a street cafe near this old church and there are lots of people around, its obvious fairly quickly why, when some blokes walk in with a coffin. We did notice that one of the restarants was closed and that the notice in the door looked like the owner had died. So all these people pour into this tiny little church for about an hour and then they all come out, there is a little hearse (I didnt think it would fit in the street but it did) to carry the coffin to the cemetery up the top of the hill. They must cremate them as digging a grave in these rocks would take forever.
Its a pleasant afternoon in the sun, but becomes much cooler late in the afternoon, much cooler in fact than we've felt all trip. But we are beside the Mediteranean Sea after all and it is Autumn. After we explore the place, we retire for a short rest before we consider dinner options and once again there are plenty. Hope the pirates that used to live here don't still have relatives running the food outlets.
Our landlady jusy dropped in to say hello and brought extra bedding because its going to be cold tonight. She then turns up a few minutes later with a bottle of Limoncello which Barbara and I try hard to finish, she doesnt speak any English and Genelle nods and laughs and tries to drink her Limoncello but as we know alcohol and her taste buds have not yet reached any agreement. The Linoncello is made by her husband, that much I can make out but I'm not sure if hes still alive? Then her son pops in, hes just arrived from Monte Carlo in his BMW! he works in a shipping company and he comes into out room and does some translating, his English is very good, he looks 30ish is very nice, dressed very well, hes home to visit Mumma for the week-end. Barbara says she is coming back tomorrow night with another liqueor for me to try. They suggest a cheaper option for dinner and then leave upstairs.
There is no free wifi in Vernazza so this may take a day or so to get posted to the Blog. If there is a problem please email my complaints department fodh@reidy55.com.
We have dinner at a little retaurant with about 5 tables, pasta and wine. Even Genelle has a gnocchi with pesto, wonders never cease! Its quite cold outside now so thank goodness we kept some of the warm clothes.
We've just found that there is an internet place with wifi for 3€ fpr 30 minutes so will do this off line tonight and load up in the morning and get our emails. And maybe load up a few photos.
Need to find out if I can get a telecast of the rugby tomorrow? Go the Wallabies!

Ciao from Vernazza on the Cinque Terra ( the Italian Riviera) not far from Genoa and Monte Carlo.

Florence Thursday 13/10/2010

2011-10-14T06:55:00.000+11:00

Florence - Italy Thursday 13/10/2011
The Piazza Aldobrandi something or other is a busy place. The scooters and trucks accelerating over the cobblestones echo up and amplify into our little apartment. We've both had a dose of pain killers last night, yesterday was a hard day for the geriatric backpackers, and a few glasses of Chianti washed down the vegetarian pizza and helped the sleep but not the waking up.
So we get going after Genelle has amild dummy spit at the Italian washing machine which has wrecked a top of hers,of course I never mention the old adage " a good tradesman never blames their tools", and the sign does say " Italian Washing Machines do take longer than American washing machines" or words to that effect.
Sorry but I have to stop typing for the last gellati of the day at a little place near our apartment where we are eating tonight (also has free wifi - bloody hell this stuff is good, I wish I didnt have all these vices!

So, back to the day today.
My priorities are the Accademia and the Efuzzi Galleries. Not necessarily Genelle's priorities, as we all know she is an Olypic class shopper and this place is chock a block with leather, jewellery and other stuff that is really fantastic.
Anyway back to ME - she drags herself to the Gallerie Accademia where the original David is displayed and has been since 1879 or so, it is simply breathtaking compared to the copy on the piazza down near the Efuzzi. Even Genelle is pretty impressed.

Next stop is the Efuzzi (spelling Nazi's can get stuffed if I've spelt this and other things wrong - sorry). Genelle decides shes had enough art for the day and heads of shopping. So I book a 33€ guided tour, and its money well spent, I meet an American couple from Arizona and head off on the English speaking tour with about 8 others, a DINK couple from Canada, an Aussie couple, a very latin looking couple from Miami (she looked way to young and good looking for him!), a couple fom Israel and 2 other Americans as well as the nice ones from Arizona. The Efuzzi is huge, the art is stunning even for amateurs like me, my favourite is "the Birth of Venus" . Anyway its fantastic, worth the aching feet and the time.
Genelle is waiting at the entrance, so I have a short rest and then on to the Ponte Vecchio and the jewellery shops, she's showing remarkable enthusiasm! Its a slow walk over the famous old bridge full of very very expensive jewellery, but she does buy a few bits and pieces for Christmas presents for family etc.
We have lunch at a funky little stand up caffe on the Pitti Palace side of the Arno River, great espresso coffee and lovely panini and mozzarella , only 6€ for us both. So then on to Palazzo Pitti, we dont go in, have seen enough castels and palaces at the moment, on the way back Genelle stumbles on to the groovy little place that sells glasses made only in Italy, very interesting design, so she buys herself a pair, why not!
The its back to find arguably the besy gellati in Italy near the Piazza Santa Croce, called Vivoli Il Gellati. I have a pear and cream gellati and Genelle has pear and merange ( this is her 2nd visit of the day!). Anyway we sit in the Piazza Santa Croce near the beatiful old church where
Leonado Da Vinci and Michaelangelo and lots of other noteable Italian artists and other people are buried. I didnt vist this time as I saw it last time I was here. AG (after gellati) Genelle finds a leather place where they are making the coats etc in the shop, its fantastic but way to expensive, even for her. Still she has a good look and a chat to the salesman.
Then back to the leather markets right near out apartment for last minute shopping, I retire to the Piazza Aldobrandini something or other near our front door to wait and watch the crowds. Italians of all sorts heading home on their scooters and push bikes, stunning women, handsome blokes, old farts, the odd beggar and lots of tourist. I think the crowds are amazingly large for this time of year, they say its unseasonally warm this year.

Genelle finally returns with her spoils from the markets and we buy a few goodies for a rest and anibble in our apartment ( a Peroni beer, some chips, a box of tea bags etc). Rest over and then back up to the this little caffe about 50 metres from the front door, for pizza, coffee, gellati amd free wifi to write this up. The place is open til 1am so no rush although Genelle is keen to back and pack the bags ready for the journey to the Cinque Terre and Vernazza tomorrow.
I'm really looking forward to the Cinque Terre, not sure what to expect accomodation wise as we have booked, via Maria Capparelli (who owns a B&B on the water but had no vacancies but was highly rated by TripAdvisor), anyway we"re with Maria's friend BArbara Salustri who has a room for 70€ a night, has no phone or email and will meet us at the train station, on the right hand side of the stairs and will be wearing a blue chemise (whatever the f.. a chemise is?) this is one Genelle was indecisive about ( strange that!) but she will blame someone else if its no good - and you know who you are! Ot won't be me.
Not sure about the wifi situation in Vernazza so the blog may have a few days break.
Ciao from Florence

Florence - Italy

2011-10-13T04:50:00.000+11:00

Cortona to Florence 12/10
We had the last half day in Cortona today, drove the oversized go cart down the mountain tithe Camucia trIn station to hand the car back and wait for the 1.24 pm train Florence. Last minute shopping and post a box of surplus clothes and a bit of shopping back to Australia 150€ - bloody expensive but we needed to lighten the load. The RV (regional train ) is pretty good, nobody checks the tickets and as predicted we end up in Florence. Currently typing this at a bar on the iPhone not the iPad with free wifi so a few beers and big fingers will affect the typing - may have to edit later. Got onto Florence Santa Maria Novella Station on time, bloody hot and steamy and we sweat as we load the backpack and bags and try go navigate our way to pick up the keys to our apartment neear the Duomo, we sweat more lugging the gear back the the apartment, not good for the knees which give me a fair amount of pain today. Panacol osteo don't make much difference.
Still we walk to the Duono, and luckily we find the leather markets right near our apartment. Our apartment is on the top floor of the Medici Palace Apartments, a big challenge for Genelle who does have little whinge about the steps and a puff on the the ventin. . Our apartment is a 1 bedroom place not bad area and bigger than the B&B but not as personal.time to find some dinnerS it's almost 8pm and we've had nothing since the sandwich we ate at Camucia train station at 1pm

Quick Update

2011-10-12T17:54:00.000+11:00

Last day in Cortona

2011-10-12T09:19:00.000+11:00

Tuesday 11/10/11 - Last full day in Cortona
As usual we we syruggled out of bed and dragged oirselves down to Nessun Dorma for breakfast, such a chore. Different pastry, same coffee same place, same waitress. Looks like there is another market in town but not big like Saturday.
We had to go back to Laura Casella the travel agent about our train tickets, so we do, shes lovely but her little office is a bit messy. We wait for a Nun who is getting train tickets. The business is done, we head off walking the lanes of Cortona which we still haven't seen, we stumble on beautiful little gardens hanging from windows, a stunning little church that was here in the Etruscan and Corinthian times 500 years before Jesus was born and was once a pagan temple, build in a round shape so the evil spirits would leave.
We decide to break our rule about not eating at the same place twice and return to Nessun Dorma for lunch, bruschette and other stuff, bit one standout was a bruschette that had olive oil, pecorino cheese (lightly grilled) and aslice of pear on it with a slightly citrus juice - even Genelle likes this one.
So then we decide to go driving, the search for the elusive GMB, or as Dave & Al call it the Gay Mans Bar. First though Genelle wants to see a building up the hill, and I have to drive, to steep for her to walk and so we head to where she thinks this place is, the little Ford struggles up, it so bloody steep the goats have short legs on one side, there is White Audi who sits 30cm from the back of the car, we miss whatever place she wanted to see and before we know it we're on a goat track to Perugia(thats what the road sign said anyway). the narrow road has few places to turn around and when we do it still takes our over sized go cart a 4 point turn to get around , praying no other cars come, luckily it was so isolated no did come. I was pretty happy with the navigator!
I said f.... the building you wanted to see, I'm not feeling so gay at present but lets go find the GMB for a coffee. So we found Dave & Als card with the address, and we set off. Bourke and Wills little trek was easy compared to finding this place, BUT Dave did warn us it was in an industrial area. The GPS got us to the area, we drove up hill and down dale, but no GMB, we asked 2 old blokes sitting at a service station, Genelle bridged the language barrier (so she though) and took us down a dead end road, by now I was getting good at turning the car around in limited spaces. But to be fair direction isn't a strong suit of hers, I rhought he said whatever Italian is for "left", but to keep the peace I went where the navigator said, anyway, when we got on the track they said, we still couldnt see the bloody GMB. Last chance we stop an old Itailan bloke on riding a push. Ike on this dirt road, Genelle again bridges the language barrier ,waves the GMB card at him and he waves to our left, and there it is, sitting behind a cement factory with carpet on the ground etc as described - BUT - it was shut! Its the sort of place that would make anyone who batted for the other side shake in their boots so the coffee must be pretty good.
Its then a quick drive home, one wrong corner up the Cortona Hill and end up in Garibaldi Square, not the car park near our B&B. I'm gratefull to be parking the car, only one more drive to go and thats to the railway station tomorrow.
So now to the important bit, the shopping - after much indecision, Genelle buys herself an Italian leather bag, designed in Cortona by the English woman but who has them made in Florence, and who has a very attractive Polish woman also working in the shop who cannot pronounce "decision", Genelle also buys a few Christmas presents in the same place. I now am certain I'm going to die poor! She then buys some earings made close by to Cortona, the actual designer and maker is in the shop tonight, another good looker , and her and Genelle get on well - as do most jewellers with Genelle.
It has been another warm day, and its a very pleasant evening, so we head back to our part of town, away from the tourists ( thats not us by the way!) and decide to eat at Nessun Dorma. The tables beside us are occupied by a young couple from Manchester on their honeymoon, and an aAmerican couple who live in Germany (in the Black Forrest) with a holiday place in southern Germany somewhere like Hinklehokenhiem or the like! The Americans have their 2 pet daschunds in cases with them - I wasn't game to ask if they had kids! The waitress was originally from England of West Indian heritage but married 20 years ago to an Italian - just like a joke " A bloke walks into a bar, theres an Englishman, an American and an Australian the black West Indian/English/Italian waitress says ....... Sorry but I can't think of a good ending for that stupid joke! Maybe someone else cam help me? Anyway its very relaxed and we have a ball talking and sharing photos, and saying to the Pom how sorry I am they missed the rugby World Cup semis (NOT!)and he says he hopes the Wallabies win ( and I know he's insincere) but we both know we'll never see each other again so who gives a toss! The English couple are 30ish and pretty fit but they walked an hour to get to Cortona this morning, its now 10pm and then they struggle to get a taxi back to their honeymoon villa at the bottom of the hill. Eventually a taxi arrives.
I finish the dinner (0nly cost 35€ for both of us) with a lovely grappa.

Another day done on the Reids Grand Tour, we've been away 1 week and it feels like we left Australia a month ago - jeez I like holidays!

2011-10-11T18:24:00.000+11:00

Monday 10th October 2011
Toscana - Italy Another day on the road for the ageing backpackers
There was a live update at breakfast, sipping cappuchino on the square, after a day on the road we're home, and after a pizza and birra Italian style, Genelle is watching CSI over dubbed in Italian - she'll watch anything! Wifi is still down so TV is the only entertainment available other than a book.
So what did we do today?
We sorted some gear out to be sent back to Australia, and bought a post box and some stamps for post cards. We did a bit of washing by hand, rigged up some clothes lines in the room and escaped before they came to clean up.

Walk to the Duomo in Cortona, then to the car. I feel an old hamd at this Italian driving now, almost. We check out the cemetery down the bottom of the hill, then set the gps to Arezzo. Arezzo takes awhile but is a pretty uninsporing place to be honest. The Lonely Planet, says the US bombed it heavily in WWII. The horse race with the maniacs in brigjt costumes throwing a goats body around happens here, but we struggle to find anything interesting. I just looked at the Lonely Planet guide and it said it had 92,000 people amd wasn'nt one of Tuscany's prettiest cities, well that sounds about right, it looks like a bit of a shit hole actually.
So next stop is Sienna, 52,000 people and about 70kms away. The Lonely Planet, says the US bombed it heavily in WWII. We trust the gps to get us to the fotball stadium as this is supoosed to be the best place to park. The little Ford tears up the kms, and we're there in no time and without much stress, any way out of Arezzo is good. The stadium car park is great and right near the centre so we walk to the famous piazza with the huge area and the church with the really big tower. We spend some time looking and decide we like Sienna and would like to come back one day.
The trip back to Cortona is like Formula 1 down the A1 Autostrada, 120 km/hour in the midget Ford but still the Alfas and Ferraris overtake us! Only one minor navigation stiff up coming out of Sienna.
Dinner tonight is pizza from a little just about 50 metres from our place. 2 pizzas, beer, a soft drink and 2 waters is 17€

Tomorrow is an easy day, a bit of shopping and looking. Then get ready to pack and move on to Florence.
I'm going to miss Cortona, I think its close to being the pick location in Tuscany to stay, so central, and such a nice place to stay. smaller places like Panicale in Umbria are lovely but a little quieter
Arrividerci for another day.

Monday Morning

2011-10-10T18:17:00.000+11:00

Its cold this morning, but still not cold enough to not sit outside and watch the loclas pass by after their morning shopping, little ones off to school right near our B&B, the gargbage truck going the wrong way, the locals greeting each other "bongiorno" and waving their hands and the facial expressions. Time to get moving for the day. The local Caribinieri or is she Polizia Locale? Is here watching who parks in front of Teatro Signorelli, she is a pretty and imposing looking woman, not one you would want to tangle with, gun in a white holster with white stripes on her ankle length boots, even the coppers have style, and presence. Genelle is trying to snap a photo of her directing traffic, bit its hard without her seeing us watching her.
Its quiet today, all the bloody tourist have gone - but then again what are we! Seems like just locals and a few longer term stayers\semi touristo's
Better stop cop watching and focus on getting some planning done for the day.

2011-10-10T18:05:00.000+11:00

Sunday 9th October - Cortona Italy
Buona sera (good evening) to anyone who is still reading this rambling journal of an average Aussie couple travelling in Italy. We are still in the Tuscan countryside and apparently today the weather has returned to what is normal for this time of the year - cool but pleasant (mostly anyway). The bells are ringing in the churches and there are heap if them, for all the happy left footers to get out of bed and go and say their prayers and confess their sins, as a protestant almost agnostic semi heathen, I wish they'd turn the volume down on the bells.
The wifi is out in the B&B but it works in the Nessun Dorma cafe where we have breakfast so as I did this morning, will write up tonight and load up in the morning at breakfast.
What did we do before wifi? Its almost as essential as coffee these days.
Breakfast is the usual at Nessun Dorma, only difference is the good looking (female) waiter is not working, a bloke with a tattoo on his neck is there instead- good service but not as nice to look at. Reading the news on line is good this morning.
Thank god - the Wallabies have just beaten the Boks, amd will play the winner of NZ & the Pumas, guess it will be the All Blacks. Haven't found anyones else here that gives a shit about the rugby, frank
I'm disappointed but I guess football (soccer) is king in Italy, they do remember the fright Australia gave them in the World Cup in Germany but doubt they really rate us a soccer nation. Back to rugby, Wales beat Ireland and France beat England, so ot looks like AUS v NZ play the winner of Wales and France in the final next week-end. Do any of you care?
We decide that today is a leisurely tour of Umbria, so we buy some proschiutto pesto and mozarella rolls and walk down the hill, in Austalia a mountain, in Italy a hill, to the car. Like anything involving cars in Italy nothong is easy, we are jammed in so have to back out the wrong way and exit the car park on the wrong side of the road beacause a bus is blocking the exit - fairly normal here.
The first stop is Panicale. The home of Dave and Al and their travel writing daughter Elly and son Tim Brownsnake Robson (where does that come from?)
Panicale is womderfully quiet and small compared to Cortona, but neverbthe less a real hill town. Genelle can't resist and has to phone Al to say where we are. We have a coffee and pastry at Aldos in Panicale - he remembers Dave & Alison. Genelle has a white chocolate drink that tastes wonderful. We explore the town and then head cross country to Montepulciano another hill town.
Montepulciano is cold and It rains a bit. We explore the church and streets of shops. The churches are all very different inside, some are sensationa inside. Montepulciano is similar to Cortona but not as steep or as olarge a town, I think I prefer Cortona.
We're getting a bit of driving combination together, I drive and Genelle navigates using the Tom Tom GPS. We manage Ok as my confidence improves on the right hand side of the road.
On our return to Cortona we come in a new way and end up in the wrong end of Via Nationale, so circle to fountain and head out down the hill to the right track to get us up to the gate we want to park at. It is a small ordeal, and afte a days driving my neck is aching but I feel a lot better about driving here. They aren't all idiots but they toot their horns at anything and don't obey the rod rules much at all. Our little Ford Ka is a great little car.
Tonight we have booked a dinner reservation at Ambrosia Ristorante, a new restarant opened by a young local guy who trained in Paris and London and now returns to Cortona, Laura recommends we try it, and its supposed to be a bit dofferent and a bit more upmarket. Inside it has a running water feature with water coming from the back wall, falling into a trough on both sides of the back wall, running to the middle and under strengthened glass into an underground pond with Etruscan jars etc, quite spectacular. Ther are a coiple celebrating their first wedding anniversary and a group of Italians with 2 little boys who love the water and glass. The Italians also bring a dog into the restaurant and it sits on the floor near them. I' taken back to the days after a big stock sale and you go to the pub for a counter lunch with the drovers and all their dogs in the front bar of the pub. The food is sensational, a glass of champagne is served first , then a small taster dish ( included for free) then the other dishes we order, Genelle has a chicken dish and I have a suckling pig dish. The waiter has no English and Genelle almost upsets him when she says she didn't order the free taster - which she didnt but it was free and didnt understand it was part of the experience? Genelle's chicken is a little uncooked ( or so it looks) in one spot, but mine is delicous and the crackling is really good. then dessert, a peach cake for G and cheese cake and strawberries for me, it is light, fluffy cheesecake and is so good, an espresso and we're finished at 10pm. Fiji time and Italian time have afew things in common. So I've survived the driving and not ended up too stressed.
Tomorrow a trip to Sienna, San Gigimano and Arezzo and a catch up with Laura regarding accomodation in Milan.
Ciao arrividerci

2011-10-09T18:47:00.000+11:00

Blog Notes Saturday 8th October 2011 - Cortona Italy.
Buona Sera bloggers - if you don' get this Sunday morning then you know that the free wi-fi in the B&B and our breakfast joint Nessun Dorma is still down.
Saturday in Cortona is Market Day, and we hear the stalls being set up from early in the morning. I also hear the sound of the pounding under my right ear, a sure sign that the 1/2 litre of red wine last night should have been a 1/4 litre. Still, hindsight remains one of the skills I retain despite having a very good advisor with me who is an expert on the "shoulda's " - you know what I mean?

After a long Skype session with the family in Australia, we head to Nessun Dorma caffe for breakfast. Today, I have a custard and pine nut slice with cappuchino and Genelle has a jam roll with hot chocolate. It's slightly cool but fine so we sit outside, and read the Daily Telegraph on the iPad. I reckon dessert for breakfast in the European style has something going for it, it will keep chronic disease specialists in Australia in work for longer than we think with diabetes and obesity and other mean nasty diseases. We finish by washing down some panadol, for headache and aching legs from the huge walk yesterday.

The square of Cortona is chock a block with stalls, Genelle buys a scarf, some socks ( it does say "alpaca" on the wrapping but the label says 80% wool and 20% viscose) , there are lots of nice clothes, shoes etc. There is also one street that is just food, peccorino and mozzarella cheeses , whole cooked pigs that you can buy slouches of, seafood and fruit and veggies. I buy a panini and porcetta ( a pork roll) for 2.50€ and it the vendor throws a huge piece of crackling in it and I sit on the steps of the Teatro Signorelli building and eat my roll while Genelle shops for other bargains. Oh, we also buy some plums as a snack, and some Italian lollies and chocolates mostly made in Perugia I think, I get to taste a chocolate one and it is delicious and cost about 6€. By the way one Euro (€) is about $1.20 AUD.

We ran into our friend the English lady who owns the bag shop and she gave us some advice regarding someone who is a travel agent and can help us with train tickets and a few other things including hiring a car ( which we rally want today for 4 days and not from Monday). so this is our introduction the Laura the Travel Agent who does many other things. We sort out all our train travel, bit have to come back at 7pm to see her as she's busy and has to leave. We eat lunch at Teatro Signorelli building at a restaurant up the steps it is very nice and also very late. but we get our car, not a Smart Car but a Ford Kaa, a little 4 seated that should be a 3 seated unless the passengers are pygmies or small children. I do get the bloke from the car rental agency to drive it out to the car park for me, bugger driving up the cobblestones, through those narrow streets at this stage.

We have a rest and decide to take the car into Camuchia to find a laundromat and do some washing. Which is desperately needed. Well to be honest this driving on the right hand side is spooky and seems totally unnatural and I 'm quietly shitting myself as we drive down this rather steep hill on the wrong side of the road, siting in the wrong side of the car with a gear stick on the right hand side and no idea where to go when we get to Camuchia. It's an ordeal that I have a reasonable amount of stress with. Thank goodness for the GPS, been for the short drive.

Genelle does some sign language with a shop owner to find out where the lauromat is, when we get there the we find a very helpful proprietor who sets us up and the washing is under way. There's another bloke there, he's black, and doing his washing and we talk a little. he's a refuge from Nigeria, has a wife and a 7 month old daughter and he's surviving in France on basic work, currently no work is available so hes struggling to survive. Because he has refuge status he can't move to any other country. He shows Genelle photos of his daughter and seems very proud. He has twin brothers back in Nigeria and his mother and Father are dead and because he has obviously crossed some people, he cannot return home to Nigeria. Sad story but I guess it's played out all over the world.

Laundry done, we race of to get back up the hill to meet Laura to sort out some accommodation in the Lake Como area, which we do and then it's back up the hill for a rest at about 7.30pm, and this is a rest day!! Quick rest and find out that the wifi is still off the air. Then dinner at Aquisto Cartasi restaurant where we sit beside some Aussie ladies older than us who book the travel themselves on the cheap and are currently on a 6 week trip from Budapest, Vienna , though Italy and finishing in France about the same time as us. What a pack of llivewires they are!

Well its now 10.30pm and the day is dusted and time to write up the days notes and hit the sack. Tomorrow we're going driving and may need the help of mental health professionals after this day! I'll let you know how it goes in the next edition.

A Quiet Day on a Tuscan Hillside in Italy

2011-10-08T07:18:00.000+11:00

Friday. (Venerdi)
Ciao to anyone reading the rambling notes of an aging backpacker. As Genelle's friend the bagshop owner predicted - it rained! Also as predicted, the temperature dropped to about 20degC, which is bit of shock when it's been about 30 most days.
We had a Skype conversation with Marie and Jane in Cobar this morning, caught up on the gossip in Aus and what Dale and Tobe have been up to in Scotland.
As I mentioned in a short note this morning, I'm trying to fix the typo's but I notice the iPad is trying to do the right thing and correct me, but I don't always pick up it's stuff ups.
The wind is blowing but it's not freezing, so the first breakfast at Nessun Dorma cafe this morning, it looks pretty well patronized by the locals, a good sign, so we line up and wait for the bright young thing serving to get to us. We choose our pastry ( a croissant for G and a pear filled thing for me) a capuchino and a hot chocolate for Genelle, + we got the free wifi going and I read todays Daily Telegraph off the iPad while sipping coffee in the middle of Italy. Jeez the world has come along way since I though a digital watch was the coolest thing since sliced bread. Breakfast is really good. We then stroll down the hit to one of the gates through the stone wall. As a really old walled city, the wall kept the invading armies of neighboring principalities out ( hopefully it did anyway), if the wall didn't stop then they be so stuffed from the walk up they would have the energy to attack, but it doesn't manage to keep American tourists out - why is that?
After wwalking and trying to book a hire car, eventually successfully for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday ( a Smart Car for 104€ for the 3 days)we find a delicatessen and have ham, pesto and mozzarella focacchia rolls made, a drink and we buy some grapes and decide to go exploring and have lunch on the way. We start our trek around the Cortona wall, lovely views across the valley to Lake Tresimino, and what's that white stuff blowing our way? F..... rain is what it is ! We've made reasonable headway and the only place we can shelter is under and old Tuscan or Roman arch way - why didn't they buid them wider. It thunders and absolutely belts down, the rain is rushing down the cobblestone streets in torrents about 1-2 metres wide. So we eat the grapes, try to stay dry and wait for a break.
Eventually it stops so we struggle back in the drizzle to eat in our B&B.
The weather clears up so we take the back streets to Sant Francesco and continue up the hill to Santa Margherita church and the Fortress Di . It's along climb but the church is spectacular - blues and yellows and ornate motifs. The view from the top of the fort over Tuscany is fantastic, so far up now, at least, the day is spectacular.
The walk back down is not so spectacular though, knee's that are bone on bone struggle with the pain, bit eventually we make it back, having done a full lap of the wall almost, plus to the peak of the Cortona hill
A reward - a gelato and a rest. Time has got away so as the air chills we focus on deciding on where to eat and loading a few pictures into Facebook. At least I do, Genelle gives instructions and reads a book.oh and she skiypes Dale and Tobe in Edinburgh
Dinner tonight is at Trattoria Estrucia, a small place with only about 8 tables, just up from qour B&B. the bruschetta is great ( lesson - you pronounce bruschetta as brews-ketta not brewshetta in Italy in case there are any culinary heathens reading!) - Kyra Peet will know exactly what I mean !
Secondo I have a gnocchi with zucchini, and Genelle has a veal thing, thinly sliced with oil and salad. She battles with it and I love the gnocchi, but she does try to get me to eat some to save a little face . I decline as I'm full already - shit I'm going to be in trouble!
The legs are burning and we're both yawning so it's time head back to LeGelosie for a little rest and recuperation. The customers re all American girls on Uni break and maybe this is a little snobbish but they sound annoying using "like" every 2nd word and the or boyfriends who have PHd's and I bet would be absolute wankers.
Tomorrow is market day In Cortona - this is what Genelle trains for all year, an Olympic class shopper has to be allowed to use their skill and training. Plus it will take her mind off her aching legs from today's walking. Me - painkillers are the go, the knees are RS anyway it's just wearing then out as much as I can before I have to have them replaced. I'll watch the shopping, read the paper on line and sip on an espresso while the world wanders past + with the 20,000 American tourists.

Ciao until Satirday

Corrections

2011-10-07T18:07:00.000+11:00

Folks- I notice there are plenty of typos in the Blog, the iPad auto corrects and I miss some of it's illogical changes in my rush to get it typed - I'll fix them later.
Friday morning here in Cortona, it's raining and the weather has cooled, we're just heading for breakfast (the second B of B&B) at Nessun caffe not sure what we get for breezy here but espresso and pastry seems the go in Italy.

Move from Rome to Cortona

2011-10-07T07:59:00.000+11:00

Thursday
Up early, for us anyway. Croissant and espresso, pack bags and an emu parade to check nothing left in the room. Luigi has organised a taxi to Termini and has paid formit as his apology for forgetting to have us picked up at the airport. The driver arrives early and waves to Genelle standing on the balcony. Now Genelle struggles down the steps, feels she should have taken the lift for the short trip but smartarse me strolls down with the backpack and she feels shamed into not taking the lift - potentially a bad mistake for me.
At Termini station it's like Sydney Central Staion on a double dose of steroids - there are local trains, Intercity trains, regional trains, Eurostars (flash sleek machines), and it seems like thousands of people. Old mate who booked our tickets a few days ago said we didn't need to book seats, make sure to validate our ticket before getting on the train, our train was leaving about 10.30am, it would be Regional saying it was going to Venezia but we has to change at Chiusi for the local train to either Terentola or Chamucia wher we leave the train to go up a bloody big hill to Cortona.
We wait for ages for our train to come up on the big Departures board and then another eon before the "bin" or platform comes up which it does about 10 minutes before the train is meant to leave from Bin 9. We rush up to platform 9, try to validate our tickets in the yellow boxes but they are all broken, and tightarse me is panicking because if you get caught without validated tickets the fines are up to 100€. Then sweating we rush, as much as you can with a backpack and then a bloke who we think was a gypsy was trying to guide us to a carriage started to hassle us until we moved near a Trenitalia person in a uniform and the gypsy looking chap disappeared. We got on to a carriage but all the compartments were quite full, so we kept moving down carriages and eventually find one with 2 Americans who suggest we come in and share with them. We notice gypsy types prowling the corridors of the train, but they don't come near us - if Genellle looks at them like she does at me occasionally they'd never come near us in the first place!
Our traveling companions are from Billings Montanna, he's and optometrist and they are off to Orvietto, very nice couple and we talk about lots of things. The next stressful unknown bit is the train change at Chimusi, but it's easy. Small debate with 2 Americqn couples over whether it's platform 5 or 7, but they are both going to Cortona so it's all fine and we hope on the tren ( how's that for my improving Italian tren = train)I now have an Italian vocabulary of about 5 words;
prego = your welcome
Ciao = hi or see ya
Arriverderci = catch you later dude
Tren = train
Bin= platform
Per favor = please
Gellato = ice cream but really special
Actually I nearly know enough to be considered a local!
So back to Cortona, Kirsten our host at the B&B picks us up, she looks about 17 years old but has 3 children, the eldest 7 and he husband is back from New York tomorrow.
Cortona looks stunning up on the hill, it's a steep climb up to the Etruscan walls with Roman walls on top into the ancient walled town. Our place is right near the main piazza and we have been given the honor of the room on the top floor, it's about 7 flights of stairs and Genelle is not impressed, this is potentially dangerous to her health and good for her fitness ( not something I'm game to talk about - my untimely death in Italy would be unfortunate for me especially)
After she recovers stop and have a lovely lunch at a little cafe, seats facing the piazza, and the square where a lot of Under Tuscan Sun was shot, we wander the alleys and shops and explore. The place is spectacular and we can see what Dave and Alison saw that appealed. We find a couple from the train having a coffee and chat to them, they are just retired from San Francisco, and then on to an English woman who owns a bag shop ( Genelle hates bags!) and has lived here for 30 years, then an English bloke who is as camp as tent in Oxford street, and others . A real village and community feel aboutnthe place but stacks of Americans and Canadians, and the odd Italian.
Dinner is another treat, a little trattoria about 20 meters from our front door ( no shortage of food in Cortona), a beautiful meal for 30 €. this included wine, bruschetta, a veal dish a pork dish, veggies and a high demand for their seats was evident. .
Tomorrow? Rain is supposed to be on the way, a cold front moving through Switzerland and Germany - those bloody Swiss and Germans always spoiling things ! Whatever the weather is we'll be ok As it's chill out and explore Cortona day tomorrow.

Just another Day in Rome

2011-10-06T07:17:00.000+11:00

Guess what, we actually got up on time today! No phone calls from security about our house last night, and Genelle is happy about that. I still haven't worked out how to get photos into the blog but have now downloaded and iPad App that let's me put photos into Facebook and Picassa - that's progress fro an old bugger like me.
The plan - Vila Borghese Museum, then as many of the other things as we can fit in.
Metro to Spagna, and walk and follow the signs the Villa Borghese Museuma through a horse paddock and park thinking we'd end up lost but eventuallybwe find it and are advised that it's booked out for the next 4 days, so not a good start as this is one place I wanted to see. We wander into town then, past a Ferrari and Maserati dealer and a lot of expensive hotels, eventually to Republica whet we pick up our Hop On Hop Off bus using our 25€ Roma Ticket. We Travel all the sites, or at least as many as we can battling the throngs of tourists the place is chock a block but hardly any Aussies? And hardly any rugby supporters as there are no comments about the Wallabies cap I'm wearing, so I'm guessing not many Irish people ate in town.
Our last stop is the Victor Emmanual monument, built about 1900' about 2000 years after the church right next to it. The day is hot again, we end up getting a bit sunburnt on the bus so we scoot home on the train, call into our favorite bakery for a treat, relax sort out a few emails and think about which one of the 50 or so restaurants we will eat at that are within 5 minutes walk. None will be as good as last night at Luigi's - and while where we go is good I thought correctly, Luigi's is still number 1. I can understand why Italians love opera, they converse like an opera, voices up and down in pitch, extending words and waving hands around with facial expressions to match.
Back to pack up as Luigi has paid for our cab to Termini Station to catch the train to Cortona, as a payback for not booking the car from the airport. 9am taxi, train at 10.18am, Terentola station just outside Cortona and then a taxi into Cortona. Our host Kirsten at Le Gelosie B&B has organized the cab and will be waiting for us. I like the personal feel of the small accommodation places + I think they are a lot cheaper.

Edit to Day 1

2011-10-05T18:15:00.000+11:00

In my haste last night I missed a large chunk of time between the Vatican and finally back to bed.

We left the Vatican and walked into the main part of the city, via the Castel Sant Angelo (Castle of the Angels) and the Ponte Sant Angelo (Bridge of the Angels), over the Tiber, in through the alley ways through an antique area, past little restaurants and shops, and eventually find our way to Piazza Navona. We spend ages just wandering lookoing at the artists, buy a gellato, look at the Bernini sculptures in the fountain, it's late in the afternoon and it's a beautiful time of day.
We then move on to the Pantheon, and this building is still the most amazing building I've ever seen, built before Christ was born but absolutely stunning inside and amazing it's stayed in such good condition for over 2,000 years.
Then we wander on to the Trevi Fountain, the place is teaming with people, everywhere. Genelle likes some shoes at Sore' and plans to come back (which she does next day and buys some)

We're getting bait weary and decide to eat and head home, that's where we find Rendes Vous restaurant.

Rome Days 1 & 2

2011-10-05T09:59:00.005+11:00

Blog 3/10/2011 Monday - edited again (iPad hard to work out sometimes)
Hong Kong to Rome
10.37pm Rome in our Guest House near the Vatican and Genelle has gone to sleep almost immediately. We're stuffed!
13 hours on the plane and I don't think I slept a wink and Genelle dozed a little, we arrived with the plan that we'd keep going until we were absolutely stuffed so that we sleep the sleep of the dead tonight and get the body clocks synced to Italy time. So, until now we haven't slept from 6,30am Sunday until 10,30pm Monday 4th Italian time = 40 + 9 hours time adjustment 49 hours.
So why are we so tired?
Landed Rome airport about 7.30 pm, waited for our driver to show up, for an hour, rang Luigi, he'd forgotten but would organize another, but bu then we'd organized a shuttle bus for 20€ each and it would drop us at the door. And then the bit that's so special about traveling, on of companions in the bus was dressed as a priest- not unusual if you are a priest which he was but he was the Bishop of Savannah, Georgia USA but originally from Cork in Ireland but had been in USA for 52 years. A lovely bloke, his name is Bishop Kevin Boland (had to Google it).
A man with a trunk load of stories and a wicked wit especially with rugby and Ireland beating Australia a week ago. He was in Rome for a friend of his that was being ordained on the week-end.
The driver found our place near the Vatican, looked pretty average outside but inside was lovely, we're very pleased. We met Luigi who apologized profusely about the car not being organized. It's lovely room with a modern bathroom in a really old building, very cosmopolitan. Luigi's parents own a restaurant which we will go to tomorrow night.
So, we shower rest freshen up and start with the closest thing - the Vatican. Then dinner at a nice little place called Rende-Vousin the alley ways behind the Trevi Fountain, pizza and Peroni beer which cost all up 20€ and then the long walk home over the Tiber past the Vatican to our room. Home at 11pm and we are absolutely stuffed.
Negatives , the plane trip is hard work and sleep is hard to come by, no driver at the airport so small panic and then regather ourselves and take charge.
Positives - the place we are staying is fantastic so well located, and Rome is such a great place so easy to spend time. The phones work well, we got local TIM sim card for 10 € which included 5€ of calls and these are really cheap back to Australia.

Day 2 Tuesday 4th October
Genelle is up at about 1 pm, the phones rang -apparently, because she is a little cranky, Macquarie Alarms called about a sensor that went off - the f...wit we called about being away and the instructions didn't put it the computer!
When we wake up it's 12 midday - shit bugger poop - that's the catch up for the jet lag etc but we still feel we've short changed ourselves a bit in time. We quickly see Luigi who sorts out our Internet free wi-fi connection then we head for a brunch at a cheap little place near Octavvia Metro station ( just around the corner from Zero6), then buy our 26€ 3 Day pass which is 3 days on the trains, buses, trams, and hop on hop bus and 3 tourist sites entrance eg the Colosseum or Vatican Museum - good value and we've used it a lot today.
No Metro strike today so we train it to Termini (Rome's version of Central Station)' and find our way from the subway to the major regional and Eurostar train terminal and buy our ticket to Cortona for Thursday. Cost 32€.
The days is still hot, about 30deg C.
Train back to Spagna station and the Spanish Steps. This were we chill for a while and just sit on the steps, watch the crowds, and it is bloody crowded! The walk up the steps nearly does Genelle in, not a good sign of her fitness, she stops I keep going to the top and the beautiful little church at the top is open so I step in, alone, and case the joint out. It's full of American tourists but it is quite serene and beautiful and quiet. Back down the steps to Genelle who has almost been caught up in a crime scene with African junk sellers doing a runner because the Polizi were coming!
After the excitement, a stroll throughout the shopping areas, past Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and others but of course we looked and didn't buy, really not up to our standards of tailored Thai clothes! Aren't we tight arses - at least I am, Genelle Im not so sure. Actually I am sure!

Then back past the Trevi Fountain and Genelle the shoe shop Sore, Genelle finds anode pair of shoes 32€ and buys them. A bit more strolling and back to Baraberin Metro station and home for a rest.

At 8pm after a shower and chill, we head to Cucina l'Abruzzese which is Luigi's family restaurant which is about 5 minutes walk from Zero6. we stroll past 20- 30 lovely looking restaurants before Luigi's, it better be good! The place is chock a block with Catholic priest s and being so close to the Vatican is not surprising - I suppose the Catholic Church can afford to feed it's employees while they are way from their office. We have a Peroni beer, bruschetta, Genelle has veal that she was drooling over and I had a pasta dish. It was fantastic, we met Luigi's Mumma! She was hunting flower sellers and buskers away but she clearly ran the place. We had dessert, a panacotta for me and Genelle had her 3rd gellato of the day. luigi then brought some of mamma's cake and limoncello's - it was so good !!
A slow walk home to call a few people using our cheap Italian mobile sim cards and send a few emails and me to write up the blog.

Day 1 - Dubbo -Sydney-Hong Kong - Rome

2011-10-03T01:48:00.000+11:00

Lets start with day -1 ! Friday night a nice dinner and some drinks at the Commercial with friends, Alison gave "us" the journal which I"ll endeavor to write up as well as the Blog.

Saturday morning - wouldn't you know it, all the last minute jobs to do and it's pissing down! There's a break in the rain and I fire the Victa up and start mowing, Genelle comes out and blasts me for risking catching a dose of some lergy by working in the rain. So, it's inside for a cup of tea, and stay out of trouble - it's all very stressful this travel thing. Thers a break in the rain, Genelle heads down town so I sneakily start the mower, finish the job, sort the pool, wash up, downtown for a coffee with the Wests and a few odd jobs. After the Wallabies belt Russia in the rugby I pack the bag and it's seems to be Ok, only a small cull is needed and end up with about 8 kegs including the backpack. Genelle has also done well, a bit over 10 kgs I think.last thing we do is Check in and reserve our seat on the Cathay Pacific Flights and print our Boarding Passes.
The social whirlwind continues, off for a few drinks with Sam for her birthday, the back home to check, recheck, document, and store the drugs and cash and the supporting documentation. It's a late night, particularly with Daylight Savings starting Sunday.

Sunday morning, the day is finally here, thought we'd never get to it. The boys pick us up and run us to the airport, and we see a heap of people we know. It's rugby league grand final day in Sydney so the Dubbo airport is busy. Flight to Sydney is good, train to the international terminal and because we have already checked on on line we fly through Customs and are ready to go in plenty of time - much quicker than the manual check in I reckon.
No celebrity spotting, except we're accompanied by some Scottish pop band who don't look familiar, with their pointy shoes, ultra funky hair does and tight jeans. The only reason we know they are musicians are they check in their guitars - but my guess is they haven't made it yet because they are in economy and behaving reasonably.
The plan is to stay awake to Hong Kong and sleep to Rome so that hue body clocks have a chance to adapt and we can hit Rome running Monday morning - after a good espresso. I manage to spill milk and food over myself, and only 1 gin and tonic. Genelle watches movies the whole way, jumps and screams at the scary bits and frightens half the passengers - I think that's why I spilt the milk! I read a rally good saying in a motor bike magazine, which I hadn't heard before , this woman writer described her future father in laws Triumph motor bike as "looking like a pig licking piss off a thistle" - I'm not sure what that really looks like to be honest but it sounds like a good Aussie way to describe something. Its pretty bump coming closer to Hong Kong because of hurricanes around the Phillipines, but we finally arrive at 9.30pm HK time tired and with headaches (only 1 g & t !!)
So this is the first real blog entry on the road but had to check who won the League grand final and the moto GP first. This next leg is 13 hours and sleep is planned for most of it - if it's possible.

Getting Closer

2011-09-26T23:03:00.001+10:00

26th September 2011
Well it's getting closer, nearly all the planning we've done has worked out, we have accommodation in Rome, Cortona, Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice and Paris. None at Lake Como or Milan yet - we'll work that out in Italy while we're on the go.
Trains are also something we've decided to leave to providence, looks to be cheaper to book the short steps rather than do the Eurail Pass here in Autsralia.
Today a trip to the dentist threw up a small hurdle, a broken filling and some pain, and another trip to the dentist on Wednesday to fix the offending tooth - if they can find a slot to get me in.
Now I have to work out how to get photos into this blog thing!!!

2011-09-02T15:33:00.007+10:00

The Plan

2^nd October Fly out of Sydney via Hong Kong on Cathy Pacific

3^rd – 6^th October Rome – Staying at Zero6 Guest House

6^th – 12^th October Cortona in Tuscany - Staying at Le Gelosie B&B http://www.legelosie.com/beb_eng/beb_eng.htm

12^th – 14^th October Florence - Staying at Medici Chapels Palace Apartments, Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini

14^th – 17^th October Cinque Tere – Vernazza - Staying Barbara's near Maria Capellini Rooms

17^th- 21^st October Venice – Staying at Apartment 2 Rialto
https://venice-rialto-apartment.com/form_availability.php?lang=en&cat=12∏=10

21^st - 23^rd October Lake Como and Milan

23^rd – 24^th October Geneva – stop over on the train trip to Paris

24^th – 28^th October Paris - Stay at Familia Hotel in the Latin Quarter

28^th October Fly out of Paris 11pm and arrive back in Sydney 9am 30^th October

ReidTravel - The Grand Tour

The edited Version - the Whole Trip to Italy

Sunday 2/10/2011 Day 1 - Dubbo -Sydney-Hong Kong - Rome

Monday 3/10/2011 Rome Days 1 & 2

Wednesday 5th October 2011 - Just another Day in Rome

Thursday 7/10/2011 - Move from Rome to Cortona

Monday Morning 10th October 2011

Quick Update

Wednesday 12th October 2011 - Florence - Italy

Thursday 13/10/2010 - Florence - Italy

Friday 14/10/2011 - Florence to the Cinque Terre and Vernazza - Another Day on the Reids Grand Tour

Saturday 15th October 2011 – Vernazza on the Cinque Terre in Italy

Saturday 16/10/2011 additional

Sunday 17/10/2011 - More exploring the Cinque Terre

Monday 17/10/2011 - Cinque Terre to Venice

Tuesday 18/10/2011 - Venice

Wednesday 19/0/2011 - Venice

Friday 21st October 2011 - Venice to Lake Como via Milan

Saturday 22/10/2011 - Como-Italy

Sunday 23/10/2011 - Como & Milan in Lombardy Italy

Monday 24/10/2011 - Milan to Paris

Tuesday 25/10/2011 Paris - Sore feet

Wednesday 26/10/2011 Paris by day on a bike, by night on a boat

Thursday 27/10/2011 – Paris the last full day of the trip in Europe

28-29/10/2011 Paris +Paris to Hong Kong

28-29/10/2011 Paris +Paris to Hong Kong

Thursday 27/10/2011 - the last full day of the trip in Europe

Venice 8/0/2011 - doesnt seem like this one published earlier

Wednesday 26/10/2011 Paris by day on a bike, by night on a boat

25/10/2011 Paris - Sore feet

24/10/2011 Milan to Paris

Sunday 23/10/2011 Como & Milan in Lombardy Italy

22/10/2011 Como-Italy

21/10/2011 Venice to Lake Como via Milan

Ciao from Venezia

Wednesday 19/0/2011 Venice

18/10/2011 Venice

Monday 17/10/2011 Cinque Terre to Venice

Sunday 17/10/2011 More exploring the Cinque Terre

Satirday 16/10/2011 additional

Cinque Terre Saturday 15th October 2011

Another Day on the Reids Grand Tour

Florence Thursday 13/10/2010

Florence - Italy

Quick Update

Last day in Cortona

Monday Morning

A Quiet Day on a Tuscan Hillside in Italy

Corrections

Move from Rome to Cortona

Just another Day in Rome

Edit to Day 1

Rome Days 1 & 2

Day 1 - Dubbo -Sydney-Hong Kong - Rome

Getting Closer

Wednesday 5^th October 2011 - Just another Day in Rome

Monday Morning 10^th October 2011

Wednesday 12^th October 2011 - Florence - Italy

Friday 21^st October 2011 - Venice to Lake Como via Milan