Florence, Go With Oh, and a Travel Dream

As I start to dream about a whole heap of travels for 2014, Europe is shaping up as a major part of my ideas for next year. Bits I haven't been to, and places I should have been to, but haven't yet. Next year seems to be as good an option as any to get to some of these places.

One of the most raved about places in Europe within my group of friends is Florence in Italy. The way they all talk about it, I don't really understand why I haven't been yet - perhaps next year I could fix this!

I was encouraged to put together a post for the Go With Oh Guest Tester Blogger competition for this year, and so my dream of going to Florence suddenly has a picture in my head attached to it now! It looks like this:

The competition is to write a blog post showing off the apartment you would select to test drive, should you win the €1000 towards such a stay in one of Go With Oh's rental options across 17 cities in Europe. They have some pretty impressive options. Plus, I am always on the lookout for another accommodation source for my travels.

In Florence I would pick what the site has called the Elegant Apartment With Incredible Views Over The Duomo.

That view alone has me. Imagine having that outside your window of a morning, and an evening. Wow! The price fits with my usual aim within a loose budget, and a week would fit perfectly within the prize on offer for mid-2014. But location is the real factor for me when booking a place anywhere - and whilst I have done NO research as yet about Florence and where to go and what to see, the Surroundings tab tells me that I could walk most places - well, that's all I need!

Having Wi-Fi is another criteria of mine for selecting accommodation, of course, for contact with the outside world, blogging, but also for a research source for things to see, go to and events going on in the area. 

I would really only need a one bedroom or a studio, given that I usually travel alone. But this apartment would sleep six. 6! I could invite Katie across from London, and let's face it, anyone else I know travelling around in the area for the week. It would be fun to have a little ad hoc gathering, or even a mix up of guests, across a few nights. A week would give me enough nights to explore the city, and then plot travels to Pisa and the Cinque Terre, which are also both on my radar for travel for next year.

The apartment has a great kitchen, and a balcony for breakfast dining. That will save me some money, and let me plot out my day of exploring before hitting the streets.

The idea of wandering around Florence, exploring all the things that so many people rave about, whilst having a hassle free, central and spacious apartment sounds like an amazing plan to me!

Do you have any Florence tips for me? Must sees and don't misses?

Venice, fair Verona and gelati

Friday night after work, Laura, Charlotte and I haul-arsed out to the airport on the Stansted not-so-Express, for our much anticipated long Bank Holiday weekend in Venice. After our flight, we then bussed into the station on the mainland, and then bussed again out to our hotel.

Having booked quite close to the actual weekend, our hotel was out in the...interesting suburb of Spinea. Public bus trip in and out of town, it worked in that it was just a bed, with breakfast...but was a mission to get there!

In the morning of Saturday we headed to the cluser of islands that is Venice. Wandering through the tiny cobbled streets, and over the many, many bridges of the many canals, we reveled in being lost, and wandering aimlessly. This is the only way to soak Venice in! Away from the hordes of tourists, just walking through the little streets, where life is happening right there - washing strung out to dry, and people traveling by boat to everyday things.

Walking through the streets, we sampled gelati, chocolate and pastries, before arriving at the beautiful Piazza San Marco, with the Basilica and Doge's Palace. Drawing in the visual spectacular of the square over lunch, we walked through dodging pigeons and tourists. Walking out towards the Grand Canal, we were approached by a gondola driver for the wheeling and dealing.

Securing our price, the three of us jumped into our gondola, and were spirited through the canals, under the Bridge of Sighs, and past the former home of Marco Polo. Sitting at the side of the boat proved a little rocky for me, much to the amusement of the girls, and I needed to swap seats - after our placement had been specified for balance! Our driver gave a spiel as we went around, and answered questions, comically (not!!) rocked the boat, and even sang for us!


More gelati and a lounge in the sun in one of the many piazzas, after walking down to see the Rialto Bridge. Dinner of pasta and calamari ("tourist menu" with a sample of several dishes - very good!!), and several drinks later, we then made the trek back out to Spinea.

Coming back into the city the next morning, we walked to the other side of the Venice island cluster to catch a ferry out to the further islands. We disembarked on the island of Burano, an island famous for it's lace, but we were there to check out the pretty coloured buildings. Very cute, every house was painted with a different and bright colour, contrasting all the way down the street...er, canal. Lunch of pizza, and another serve of gelati, we stretched out of the few patches of grass we had seen all weekend, before the next ferry.

A short ride across the lagoon, and we arrived in Lido, another island around Venice itself. Hiring bikes, we rode for an hour covering a fair bit of the island (the first time I have riden a bike since I was a kid - a major conquest!! Hee hee!). We had been planning to visit the beaches, however the warm weather had started to drop off. Ferry back to Venice, we headed to Harry's Bar, after receiving recommendations from Niny as a 'must do'.

Sitting at our table, quite keen for a decent drinking session, we almost had a stoke when we saw the price of a Bellini! Champagne and peach juice, we actually ordered one of the tiny glasses and shared it between us!! All class!! And considering it tasted like Passion Pop, at 16 €uro, that was more class than we could afford!! Hee hee!

Drinks at an off-the-main-trail piazza, we then found a spot for dinner, and walked through San Marco's when it was all lit up. We then wandered back to the bus station through the labyrinth of the tiny cobbled streets.

Venice is so quite! No traffic, the absence of car traffic noise, honking and flow, was so apparent here. The only sounds were conversation, the lapping of the canals, and footsteps. So lovely.

Yesterday we got the intercity train across to Verona. A beautiful Italian town in the hills, Verona is the picturesque scenery you imagine. Walking through the main piazza with the Arena on one side, we headed through to Piazza delle Erbe, and the market there. Following the map, we found the Casa di Giulietta, which features the mythical balcony of Romeo and Juliet fame. Mystery surrounds whether this was actually the home of a family of the Capulet name, however this does not stop the droves from a visit and a wistful look up to where she may have stood... Not far away is the Tomba di Giulietta, where the star-crossed lovers are said to have ended their lives.

More gelati to keep to our daily quota, we then boarded the train back to Spinea, on which we got a private cabin. All very lovely, pulling out of Verona with the sun setting behind the rolling green hills.

Had a gorgeous weekend, one which even the drama of getting to the airport and arriving in rainy London for work could not dampen. (More photos.)

Roman Holiday

After a bit of a flight delay at Gatwick on Thursday night, I touched down in Rome, Italy for the Easter weekend. Getting in quite late in the end, I taxied from the main station to our hotel, Colors, to meet Nata and Laura, to prepare for our long, long weekend of exploring the Eternal City. Technically two countries in one, there was much to see and do!!

Good Friday we visited the Vatican. Wowed by the site of San Piedro's Basillica from the Tiber River, we walked up the main street up into the Square, and joined the queue to go in. Accosted by someone offering a free tour in English, we tagged along and listened to an American lad with too much time on his hands tell us all the history and the special sites of the Bascillica itself.

After a tour inside, and a walk through the Grotto below the Basillica where popes including John Paul II are laid to rest, we had lunch (pizza!) in one of the cobbled side streets near the Square, before heading up the hill behind San Peidro to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. Loads of rooms full of amazing paintings before the final, gob-smacking roof of the Sistine. Full neck crick material, we each walked through with our faces glued to the roof, trying to take every intricate bit in.

The next day, we walked Roma! Walking across the Tiber and finding our way to Piazza Navona. Taking in the square and the amazing sunshine, we then set out through the cobbled streets preparing for the next sight....the Pantheon. Taking the piss about setting our face to stunned (The Simpsons style), I was soon silenced by the massive pillars and structure that is the Pantheon. Wow! Hee hee. A little disgusted that the piazza had a Golden Arches in the coloured shuttered buildings surrounding the obelisk and fountain.

Every couple of turns in the street and we were confronted with another towering, amazing old old building....

Walking then further, we located the Trevi Fountain, and threw the necessry three coins with our right hands over our left shoulders. Depending on which guide book you read, this ritual means that you will return to the Eternal City I can certainly live with that!! - or you will get married - hopefully that can wait!!


Walking a little way more, we then found the beautiful Spanish Steps. Covered with people, basking in sunshine, with a fountain at the foot and an obelisk at that top. Resting at the top to people watch and gaze on the sight below us, we sampled some gelati.

Still more city to explore we set off south, and once we knew we were in the vacinity of our intended destination, we stopped for lunch. Pasta was the call this time, and some much deserved Italian beer.

On the day my girls were watching our team deliver the biggest upset in the AFL season so far, in the shittest stadium in the world, I visited the greatest stadium in the world, the Colloseum. (Although perhaps the two stadiums are in the same state of disrepair - hee hee, Laura made a funny!!) Wow! The Colloseum is amazing! Awesome!


After lining up, and then walking through the giant ruin, we then wandered across to CIRCUS MAXIMUS. Just a green paddock now, was once the site of chariot races, and a huge crowd. Ahhh, I had built that place up all day!! Hee hee.

Veiwing the Roman Forum ruins in the setting light of the sun from up higher, we then had espresso and chocolate taking in the wedding cake building, the Vittorio Emanuele Monument towering over the Piazza Venezia.

Nata being sick all weekend, Laura and I headed off to see the Roman Forum ruins while Nata rested. Tasting some gelati to die for after walking through the huge, crumbling ruins of an anicent civilisation, we then walked over to Piazza Bocca della Verita, where the Mouth of Truth is located, and a rather nice lawn for a nap was found!

Walking along the river after this, we wondered over Isola, the island in the middle of the Tiber, before walking through the beautiful cobbled streets to find Piazza de Fiora. And a gnocchi and people watching stop here for lunch. And then some sun soaking and a beer in Piazza Navona.

The next morning I headed off to see Piazza della Repubblica, with it's grand pillared buildings and the Santa Maria degli Angeli, before having coffee along Via Vittoria Veneto, made famous by the 1950s La Dolce Vita fame. Tree lined, and now big multi-national hotel street, there was much people watching to be done here.

Laura and I then headed out to see one of the catacombs, St Sebastian. Site of Christian burials, our tour was unfortunately disappointing. Joining the English tour, this was lead by an Italian man who seemed to speak rote learnt speech for the walk through, which seemed to make very little sense. I don't think we came away from there the wiser!!

As darkness gathered over the city, the three of us then set out for a food and beverage crawl through the city, getting in some views of the lit up sights along the way. (More photos.)

With Laura heading off in the morning on Tuesday, Nata and I took in some final wanderings through piazzas and cobbled streets. Some authentic Italian cooking, more pasta and espresso....before having to head out to the airport for our respective flights back to London.

Roma! What an amazing city. Has easily become my favourite European city, just like that!! Five days in Rome. A city bustling with good food, amazing sights, cobbled streets, and vespas aplenty!