Venezia

From Austria back to Italy...and YAY! Good weather is back!

And about time too...having been sick from Milan through to Austria (funny how I think in terms of places I visited instead of time..time really is relative when travelling. Most of the time I don't even know what day of the week it is!) and had grey weather, sunshine was most welcome!

Twas another long day on the bus, but we did stop at the highest Mickey D's in the world...right by the highest bridge in Europe, near Innsbruck...and the view was pretty cool

Watched the Full Monty en route...movie doesn't fail to make one laugh :)

Finally get to Venice, or rather, the hostel outside of Venice, as staying there will just be ludicrously expensive! Check in, find my bungalow (which I had all to myself for 4 days...bliss baby, after a month of sharing my personal space it was most welcome. Another girl I'd met also had a bungalow to herself and as she put it, the cheapest we'll ever pay for a 'single' room, since it's supposed to be shared between three but wasn't.), drop pack, dig out bikini and head to the pool!

That water was most welcome after a long day on the bus. And that dip set the tone for my stay in Venice...every day after being tourist I lazed in the pool, soaked up some rays and just chilled.

Sunshine and blue skies...what more could a girl ask for.

Venice is a great city. No car traffic, it's only foot traffic and canals. Forget a map...because you will get lost, but that's half the fun in discovering a new city - getting lost in it. You discover things you wouldn't if you'd been following a map.

In Venice it's pointless anyway, you're unlikely to find the place you want and will just end up frustrating yourself. A girl was saying how they found this cool mask shop the one day, wanted to buy a souvenir and the next day spent goodness knows how many hours trying to find it again!

Did a walking tour of the area around St Mark's Piazza and the Doge's Palace. St Marks Basilica is insanely decadent on the inside (no photos allowed, sorry). The church itself took about 29 years or so to build while the decor took 400 years to complete!

Insane! There's detail everywhere - the walls, the floors, the roof and most of it is mosaic. There is the beautiful gold leaf piece behind the altar and the detail in it is astounding!

In Venice I didn't do too much...it being my last stop and my budget blown a few cities back...I thought it best to not spend an excessive amount of money. If you avoid the stores and just wander the streets and soak up the atmosphere, it's possible. This doesn't mean I spent no money...of course not! But I did (more or less) behave financially.

It didn't matter though..just wandering the streets you see so much, and it being Italy, and filled with tourists, people aren't afraid to stop and talk to you. Or fellow solo travellers stopping you to ask you to take their photograph...got chatting to this uber tall German dude that way... he was cycling through Europe...I mean seriously! Craziness...fun at times I'm sure, but definitely insane. And he'd started in Prague of all places!

The food was of course good. It's Italy... wander a few streets away from the big tourist areas and you'll find some really reasonably priced and oh-so-yummy food stores! And don't forget the gelati! Never forget the gelati...

Yes, yes...I love food :p

The strangest compliment I have ever received was from some Spanish guy...stopped me asking for a light (like I smoke), had no clue South Africa was a country...gave up trying to explain to him since English was clearly not his first language and I don't speak Spanish...and as I'm about to walk off he shakes my hand and tells me 'Congratulations, you're beautiful.'

To my credit, I didn't laugh in his face...but I did have a giggle after I'd walk off...certainly a new one! And yes, I said thank you...one has to accept compliments graciously...Italian men are very free with their 'ciao bella's'... One gentleman stopped me in passing, Ciao, I greet back, smiles, says 'bellissima' I reply with grazie and then walk off with a ciao....

How can a girl not feel good amidst all of this? :p

So being complimented aside...an awesome way to end a great trip I must say... I had fun in Venice, doing an impromtu study in black and white. Venice is a city that just begs for it...






My last day in Venice, post chill time in the pool of course, I headed back in to the city...failed attempt at sunset photos ( I realised that I needed to be on one of the islands off the main one to get proper photos) and I got lost anyway, after having found my way to St Mark's Piazza - successfully - numerous times..the one time I want to find it fairly quickly I get lost...such is.


I eventually got there - and it was the day Andrea Boccelli had a concert. It was a paid concert so they'd closed off the concert area...but acoustics and microphones and such, just because you couldn't see him...didn't mean you couldn't hear him...It was pretty awesome.

Couldn't stay until the end though, had to weave my way back to the main land to catch the last shuttle back to camp.

The next day was the last leg of my journey...return to Rome, with an evening arrival, just to overnight and head back to London town.

And that is the end of my euro trip!

I had tons of fun, met some pretty cool people and all it did was confirm that the travel bug has bitten good and proper and it ain't letting go!

So, here's to more travels...not only a return to the continent, but the rest of the globe!