Something old and something new

Travelling round with the parents certainly does have its perks. For one, I get to stay in hotels that have proper working showers and buffet breakfasts, but it also means I get to see places that I probably wouldn't have been able to head on my own- without having to pay. Thanks parents! Always great!!

First it was off to Vienna! While I have been there with friends previously, it was a completely different trip with the parents. For one- it was HOT! No snow! No Christmas trees or chunks of snow falling off the roofs onto passer-byes (I know, I shouldn't be entertained but come on, picture the image!). While Dad had a conference to attend, Mum and I made ourselves at home in the city. After a bit of a disastrous start to the re-jogging of my directional memory, I managed to get us around the city. Most times without a map! We did however have a few adventures while trying to find a specific street or a particular museum. All in all it was pretty fun just to relax. Being there over the weekend, of course we had to check out the shul- an amazingly beautiful building that survived World War Two by being the base of the Viennese Gestapo. After a quick Friday night service, we ended up meeting up with a friend of mine who was also travelling around Austria (hey Daniel Segal) for dinner.

Last time I was in Austria I was very disappointed that we did not make it to Salzburg so I could get my Sound of Music on. This time it was priority NUMERO UNO! Mum and I hopped on a day trip to visit the town so we could walk and sing as we explored, and after over 5 hours of driving we eventually made it. One place that I always find interesting to visit in a town is a cemetery, and the cemetery in Salzburg was no exception. They have these amazing grave markers that are really ornate, and the whole city has a beautiful background being surrounded by the hills and mountains. It is kind of hard for someone who has seen the movie to not dance around the fountain in the Mirabel Gardens or jump up and down the stairs singing ‘Do-Re-Mi’ as you walk past. Needless to say while I did not particularly enjoy the tour (although our guide entertained us by wearing different coloured shoes), visting Salzburg was a definite highlight. A tick on places I have wanted to visit!

 

My final day in Vienna could be counted as a ‘cultural class.’ We headed out to see the Hundertwasserhaus, and apartment building made up of crazy colours and expressionist style as well as checking out an opera and string concert in the Musik Varien, one of the many music halls in Vienna- completely decked out in gold paint and other designs. While there are a lot of design features throughout Europe, I thought Vienna to be a bit too decadent, and especially seeing this music hall made me feel it was a little bit over the top. I still think the city looks amazing covered in snow though- a definite winter preference for me!

After spending the week back in Milan trying classes, it was off to meet the parents again in Rome. Being as this was my second time to the city, and my parents have also been there before it was a lazy weekend with not much we needed to rush to see. We tossed a few coins over our shoulders into the Trevi Fountain (it clearly works, since I did so earlier this year), explored the street market stalls and ate our gelati by the Pantheon (most amazing gelato store ever is right near there). Ever since I arrived in Italy I have been trying to see The Pope. Finally got it right this time, as The Pope was giving a large outdoor Mass in The Vatican square, we joined the thousands of others there for a close-ish look and to fulfil my curiosity. A quick weekend in Rome was soon complete as I unfortunately had to head back to classes.

As viewed from the giant screen!

My final trip with Mum and Dad came in the form of visiting Sicily. While we didn’t quite make it to the heartland of Mafia Country, we at least made it to the island. Having a car and our lovely GPS to direct us to various towns, we spent much of the weekend driving from one town to the next trying to find a restaurant that was actually open! It seems that a lot of southern Italy shuts down when the tourist season ends, and many of the people who work around these areas head elsewhere over winter. We made it just towards the end of the period, but there still was not much available for us.

Dad and I were expecting to find old ruins all over the place, but instead they were limited to archaeological sites far off the main route- but when we did find them some of them were amazingly preserved. There is like a mini Parthenon on a hill in Segesta- practically fully constructed, and an old castle in Erice that overlooks the town below and a gorgeous view of the Sicilian coast. Personally wasn't such a fan of Sicily, but I suppose you win some- you lose some. Either way I can say I have been!

Nup, we're not in Greece

When saying farewell to Mum and Dad, I sent them home with a bit of extra luggage- almost 30kg to be exact. Why not laden them down with extra bags instead of having to try lug it all home myself! After all, we didn't get very much shopping done while they were here, I am going to have to re-stock everything before I leave…

England top to toe!

Before heading back to classes there was one more place I had to head to. I ended up spending 3 weeks in England, covering as much of the country as I could before my time ran out. Being able to stay with some family-but-not-really-related-family was great, a little bit of home for when the Jewish festivals came around. Big thanks to the Singer family for having me round for so long!

Starting off straight away, it was off to the Paralympics to watch Adam play in wheelchair tennis. Having not seen him play for a few years, it was so great to watch him in action, especially at such a fantastic competition level! For a few hours, it was like being at home- surrounded by other Aussies as we cheered our fave player on- go Team AUS! Surprisingly enough, I am able to say that I became one of those victims of the English sun... Yes, I actually got sunburnt on the surprisingly sunny day, and my face-decorations left me with a bit of a wonky tan!

After the excitement of the Paralympics, it was back to normal tourist-ville, as I completed the circuits of the museums, galleries and parks throughout the city. I even made an out-of-character trek to the Vogue Fashion Night Out event, where I managed to snag quite a few free goodies!!! Not being much a fan of museums or art, I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed all these places. After staying past closing in the British Museum, I was one of those people who had to be escorted out by security as they came to clear the exhibits. Thank goodness that the museums are all free in London as I was able to rush back another afternoon to check out what I had missed my first time round!

British Museum- take me back!

221b Baker Street...

With so much to do, I don't know how I managed to fit so much in- it often felt like I was running (or hopping on the tube) all over town. For anyone planning a visit, one thing you can miss, and I can attest that after a 7 year wait to see it, the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace- IT IS NOT WORTH IT! How disappointed I was after waiting so long to see it. I guess to make up for it I was lucky to visit the Harry Potter Studio and get my nerd on- heading there with Abby and Dan to have a highly entertaining morning making idiots of ourselves and wondering where our Hogwarts letters went when we turned 11... Still waiting for it!

  

Speaking of running around, standing by the Abbey Road crossing provides a lot of entertainment as you watch people trying to recreate the famous album cover while trying not to get hit by cars- anyone wanting to observe this for themselves can google the Abbey Road webcam and have 24hours of entertainment. So funny!

In-between my London explorations, I spent about a week travelling up and down England. From Brighton to check out the pebble beach and pier, to Bristol for some Banksy originals and other amazing graffiti works. Stonehenge (which is actually a lot smaller than expected) and Stratford-upon-Avon to catch the Royal Shakespeare Company in action. Manchester and the Old Trafford stadium tour to my final stop up in the Lakes District. A beautiful country which I am so lucky to have been able to see so much of. Everyone kept telling me how beautiful the Lakes were, and even in the pouring rain during my short trip there it was so true. While I wasn't able to stay in all the places I visited, being able to (attempt to) punt down the river in Cambridge and walk in the Royal Family's footsteps at Windsor was pretty cool too.

Knowing a few people in London made heading to some places a bit more enjoyable. Checking out Camden Markets with Naomi, Harry Potter world with Abby and Dan, and a fun day strolling through the Portobello Road Markets and late-night frozen yoghurt with Michaela. Sometimes it is nice to have someone to chat to instead of sticking my headphones in or eavesdropping on those around me.

With plenty of time to kill, I wanted to try and see as much of the country as I could. I think I did pretty well, seeing 9 different cities/towns while I was there! While I did not get to all the places on my list, that is what return trips are for. Whose up for joining me in England next time?

Portuguese style holiday

Portugal has always been this far off country where the Oporto chicken burger came from (thanks previous high-school place of employment!), a country that I knew very little about. So with this in mind, it was off to explore once again!

We arrived bright and early in Porto and after eventually finding our hostel- up the top of a fantastically steep hill (which in hindsight wasn't really that steep, it was just that we were carrying all our luggage with us on very little sleep) we found our way down to the Duoro River and hopped on one of the 6 bridges boat tours. They take you up and down the river and underneath the bridges that allows crossings from one side of the river to the other- from Porto to Vila Nova di Gaia, the port-making part of Porto, crossing under a variety of road, pedestrian and railway bridges. Although the Duoro splits the town in two, the Porto side which holds the town centre is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so exploring the alleys, staircases and buildings showed a beautifully well-protected side to Europe. Many of the buildings in Porto have these beautiful mosaic-type facades, made up of blue and white tiles. It was quite a contrast to some of the darker and dirtier buildings to see these, but something that I have not yet seen in many places throughout Europe. 

 

Not really knowing what port actually tastes like, and keen to give it a try, we signed up for a free (or significantly cheaper, we weren't really sure) port-tasting session. Needless to say, after one drink I was quickly put off. Being a student travelling on a budget normally I won't turn down a drink, but this is one liquid I will be staying away from! 

Nothing quite like an afternoon at the beach playing chess

No more thanks!

Final stop on our travels together was to Lisbon. While I do enjoy travelling by myself, it was fun to once again be travelling with a friend. It's always great when there is someone else with you willing to take stupid photos and laugh at random jokes. Thanks Jo! After a traditional Romi-style injury- you will all be glad to know I haven't lost my clumsiness while I have been away, and tasting custard tarts from the original custard tart bakery, it was time to say goodbye to summer and head across the Channel (diagonally) to England. Farewell to my gorgeous summer tan and lack of layered clothing, hello once again to jeans and jackets! 

Mmmm custard tarts!

Spanish sounds like Italian... kinda?

Finally, I am back again after a long break of travelling. Since classes have now started unfortunately I had to come back home (and by home I mean Milano, Sydney home is not for another few months!) and pretend that I am actually going to go to classes again. Keyword being pretend- there is still a lot of travelling that I want to get done before I leave! Over the past few months I crossed off a large part of western Europe, but unfortunately I have not made a dent in the east. Another trip to Europe sometime soon?

Anyways- back to this post, and it will be a long one!

After a quick recharge in Milano it was off to Spain to meet some family and catch up with Jodi again. I met up with some relatives in Estepona- a town in the south of Spain for a few days. I met Colin and Vivian years ago when we visited America in 1999, so it had been quite a while since I last saw them. It was a nice break to catch up on some family history, and even though I did not see Gibraltar due to all the fog, there is always next time!

Open-top bus tours = uncomfortable sunburns or makeshift hats...

For a while Jodi and I had been planning on hitting Spain (and Portugal) together, and together we managed to cross off quite a few places. We began in Barcelona getting in some culture with the Gaudi gardens and houses, the sun (and getting to hear the locals call out for "mojitos and sangria" over and over again) on the beach and making a dent in our bank accounts with the shopping- we can't forget the shopping! Not being much of an art person myself, I do have to admit that Barcelona is amazing with all the different buildings and architectural styles- makes for quite a pretty city. Although it STILL isn't complete, I am a big fan of La Sagrada Familia, the big cathedral, and its amazing insides and out! It is such an amazing building from the sheer size down to al the little intricate carvings on the walls and sculptures.

For our last night in Barcelona we had to head down to the dancing fountains, where we proceeded to spend hours being soaked in water and watching the light and sound show. These pictures can't do justice to how much fun and how beautiful it was, but the amount of pictures and videos I ended up taking at them was an attempt for me to capture the atmosphere!

Our next stop was San Sebastian, where after an hour-long breakdown of the train we swapped from steamy hot weather to rain and clouds... Not at all what we were expecting for a Spanish summer! After it eventually cleared and warmed up a bit after some sightseeing, we were able to spend an afternoon chilling on what had been the day before an empty beach- becoming just two more in the huge crowd.

We managed to hit many cities while we were in Spain, and after dropping our stuff in Madrid and rushing to buy tickets for the Supercopa Finale between Barcelona and Real Madrid we spent the next day visiting Toledo. The town has a fantastic history of rule changing between the Moors and Christianity, as well as prior to the Spanish Inquisition having a strong Jewish influence. After spending all day walking around I certainly had my history fix!

Back to Madrid and our last few days in Spain meant a lot of touring. For anyone travelling Europe there is this great company called Sandeman's New Europe who do free walking tours which are fantastic! I have now done one in Paris, Edinburgh and Madrid, and have not been disappointed at all. They took us all over the city and showed us all the main sites, as well as throwing in some fun facts and stories along the way. One of the places they took us on the tour was this beautiful site that shows the three religions that all played some part in Spanish history, and a place that allows you to see all at once- the church, the defending wall from the Moors and a water feature in the shape of a Magen David (Star of David). Definitely loved Madrid, could quite possibly have been my favourite city in Spain- but of course, I don't have favourites, just places I enjoyed the most!

Dead centre of Spain- all measurements are taken from this spot

Woohoo tickets!

Throughout the country, we realised one major thing- neither of us can speak Spanish! We did manage to get by, using my limited Italian- with a hint of a Spanish 'lisp'. Definitely came in handy on more than one occasion!! After finally grasping a semi-hold on the language, it was off to Portugal... but THAT is for a new post.