I am happy to say that I have sorted out all of my music on my laptop, entertained my mother-in-law for three weeks, designed a pamphlet for my business, read a book about Nelson Mandela and also about a Saudi-Arabia princess, made lots of gluten-free goodies and still made time to sit on the porch looking at the sea and playing with our cat.
Since I last blogged, our plane tickets have been booked and we are officially leaving on the 10th of September. Whoohoo! My task is to book our accommodation and tour activities and I will keep myself busy with that over the next few weeks :)
So here follows part two of the tour - Italy (where my husband's forefathers reign from, which I guess is why his pasta sauces are always so delicious!).
Day 8 and 9: From the French Riviera we will continue on to Cinque Terre - one of the most beautiful places in Italy according to many people and definitely one of the places which I am looking forward to see the most.
Wow is all I can say!!!
Some random information about Cinque Terre: "The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Love this little blue door and I think there are many different coloured doors and houses around these little villages...
The Postcard of Italy - Cinque Terre
We plan to hike most of the two days between the little villages (there are 5 of them) and also do some kayaking or go on a paddleboat on the beautiful glassy blue water. There is even a pesto- making class that we can attend if we have time. I loooove pesto and CT is known for it's famous pesto.
I would also like to see the Il Gigante at Monterosso.
Day 10 and 11: From there we will be on route to Florence and make a pit-stop in Pisa. If only for the signature pictures :)
The Leaning Tower of Pisa or simply the Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side. It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square.
The tower's tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed, and gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. *
I am not sure yet how my OCD nature will feel about something so obviously skew...
Florence: There are so many things that we want to see in Florence, Rome and Milan that my head started to hurt when researching it. I just chose a few random photos that I thought looked good, but there are many things that we want to do including the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte (free of charge - he he), the Statue of David (although I might want to put a leave on it), the Piazzale Michelangelo for a panoramic view of the city, the characteristic Duomo Santa Maria and hopefully attend an opera or concert at the St Marks Anglican Church (depending off course on our funds), the Cupola climb, Ulfulzi Gallery and the Medici Chapels. Too many things to name. We might take the hop-on-hop-off bus here to get to as many of these things as possible in the short amount of time we have.
Beautiful bridge of which I can't remember the name.
I love lamp :)
So happy there will be something I can eat in Italy (except for the bread off course)
Day 12, 13 and 14 and a bit of 16: Rome. If we thought there are too many things to see in Florence, then Rome overwhelmed us even more. It is just impossible to see everything (and afford everything) in 3 days. We have decided the only two things we really want to see is the Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel and also the Coliseum. The other things we will discover as we go.
I found this really cool link on how to spend 3 days in Rome. So we will follow some of the steps on there, with a few adjustments :) Here are some of them.
- Hit the historic Roman landmarks: the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, and the Circus Maximus.
- One of the most historic landmark of Rome is the Coliseum (70–80 AD), the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire.It reflects the architectural beauty of Roman engineering.
- The oldest and most important structure-The Roman Forum is located between the Palatine hill and the Capitoline hill of the city of Rome. Roman Forum is also referred as the "Forum Magnum" or just the "Forum".
- The Pantheon -one of the oldest standing domed structure in Rome was built as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome. It was believed to be built in the 126 AD.
- Spend the first evening at a local restaurant and then go to the Spanish Steps for the night.
- Spend the entire second day at Vatican City. Go to the top of the dome; see the crypts, monuments, painting, and statues along the way. You can even decide to visit the Vatican Museums: the ticket costs about 14 €. It is worth to see if you are fond of Arts. The only bad thing is that the line could be very long and it would take you hours to get in it. If you are interested in visiting the Museums, go there early in the morning (around 07:00-07:30....quite early it is) to avoid long waiting.
- Spend the second night at the Trevi Fountain. Enjoy dinner at a local cafe.
- The third day is for catching up. Walk to the historic places you missed, and do some shopping for your family and friends.
- Have a special farewell dinner before you leave the "Eternal City".
Day 16, 17 and 18: Milan: The Fashion Capital of the World some say, not that I really want to go for shopping :) I will go for:
The Opera
These kind of buildings
This kind of street atmosphere :)
This beautiful portrait of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
Here is another link for 2 days in Milan.
Day 1
Museum of Twentieth Century
The museum offers insight into the history of various 20th century artistic movements. See Futurist, Spatialist and Arte povera artworks.
Milan Cathedral
The largest Italian Gothic cathedral was under construction for 600 years. Its grandeur and elaborate artworks are simply breath-taking!
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
An absolutely stunning example of Art Nouveau architecture. Built in 1877, it belongs to the oldest shopping galleries in the world.
La Scala
Hugely reputed opera house built in 1778 which is a star attraction of Milan's artistic scene. Book tickets ahead to see a performance here.
Via Sant'Andrea
A luxurious shopping thoroughfare where you can find high-end boutiques such as Hermès, Chanel, Kenzo, Giorgio Armani or Miu Miu.
Via Monte Napoleone
A fancy boulevard which overflows with high-end boutiques, prêt-à-porter stores, HQs of famous designers and shoe-maker shops.Day 2
Brera Botanical Garden
Lovely botanical garden which spreads across 5000 m² and prides itself on more than 300 different plant species. A tranquil oasis.
Sforza Castle
Sturdy buildings formed into a magnificent castle complex. Its purpose changed across centuries and now it houses museums and collections.
Simplon Park
A large and tranquil city park surrounded by several major sights. See the lake here, feed ducks or let your kids enjoy the playground.
Church of Holy Mary of Grace
An inconspicuous church which hides a jewel inside – the mural of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Inscribed in the UNESCO list. Spazio Rossana Orlandi
Peep into this interesting art gallery housed in a former factory building. See the avant garde designer artworks.
We will then take an overnight train back to Paris and spend one more day in Paris before flying back late that evening. We haven't decided what we will do on that last day, but we will see what we feel like :) Starting to count down the sleeps... (50)
*Wikipedia
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