Italy
Well I arrived in Venice OK, just in time for sunset which was nice - found my hotel OK as well - my room (room no.310!)- a nice little cupboard, but relatively clean was OK - cosy :) Found out that a map is pretty much no use in Venice in my wanderings to find dinner that night, so ended up catching a water taxi back (5 euros! - not that cheap!) The hotel brekkie was good - a lot ebtter than Rome - rather than the sugar-encrusted croissants, got toasted jam-filled ones (still had the brick-hard bread rolls tho) but had FRESH fruit! Saw lots of things:
- wood carvings (which i was very impressed with) and paintings by Tintoretto in Scuola Grande de San Rocco
- mosaics in san Marco and the bronze horses dated back to 2nd century
- Museo Cnr and Archeologica to see sculptures and artwork
- couple of churches (of course!)
- what is meant to be the worlds first ghetto
- island of Murano to see glass being made
It was very picturesque! I liked murano better than Venice - was a lot easier to find your way round and seemed friendlier.. Venice I think it is more of a relaxing wandering type of holiday cf to Florence - which is kind of a busier sight-seeing type of one...
Have been busy sight-seeing in Florence today - the Duomo - up the 462 steps to see the spectacular view - 462 doesnt sound that much - esp cf to the Great Wall of China, but by golly! my legs could definitely feel it - probably didnt help little narrow passage going round and round in circles...
Saw the Bargello museum which I enjoyed - saw Donatellos bronze David and his lion... and developed a thing for knights armour there - all their fancy swords etc... - they were mainly only little folk... Saw teh pig fountain, the baptistry, Michaelangellos tomb and heaps of other sights!
Hmm lots of places dont let you take photos - very annoying...
Yep so travelling by myself hasnt been too bad - I still reckon tho that is like cooking for one - you can do it, it still is yum, but always better to have someone to share it with! :)
Am off to have dinner with the girls from my dorm - one from Sydney, the otehr from Brazil... and planning on going to Siena tomorrow, and then the Uffizi (have booked a ticket - HUGE line ups!) and to see david on the Friday! Exciting!
Anyway this internet is REALLY slow - very tempermental...
Later gators!