Firenze in autunno

There was a storm the day we arrived.

A huge storm with lightning and thunder and bucketloads of rain.  

I mention this becuase, during the storm, we were sitting on the terrace of a Tuscan villa.  Outside of Florence.  Drinking chianti.  

Right now, my life could be a lot worse.

Views like this are standard practice around this city.

Yes, we have arrived safe and sound in Florence, the home of the Italian Renaissance.  And it is truly a beautiful city.  The city is this interesting mix between small passage ways and vast open squares and the beautiful Arno river snaking its way past the city, and all of this placed amongst the beautiful hills of Tuscany.

On top of that autumn is now in full swing which means that, even though the temperatures are still in the mid twenties (w00t!), the leaves are falling.  All the colours match with the beautiful browns of the city.

After settling in on Sunday, we used Monday to get out and have a look around the town.  Here's a hint for future travelers, Mondays are good days to travel around Europe because a lot of the sights are closed. Anyway, we still managed to find plenty to do.  

First off, a walk along the Arno River and making our way up to Ponto Vecchio, a beautiful bridge across the river with built in shops.  There we saw the local authorities using bolt-cutters and power tools to remove all the padlocks that young lovers had put in place.  I wonder what happens to the couples when the bond is broken...

Then up to the Palazza Vecchio (The city's Town Hall), which is filled with beautiful artwork and overlooks the Piazza della Signoria which is filled with amazing statues.  Off to the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, the Palace of the Medicis (Remnants of this family are everywhere in this city!).

After two palaces in one day, we decided to head up to the Piazzale Michelangiolo.  If you do nothing else during your stay of the city, go here!  It's quite a walk, however the views out over the city and surrounds are second to none.  It is simply astonishing.

Then a quiet dinner and bottle of wine back at the villa.

The Firenze Duomo

Today we have completely arted ourselves out (is arted a word?).  Starting off with the Uffizi Gallery, which took a two hour queue to get into, but well worth it.  Sculpture and painting overload, but so much to see!  Probably what strikes me the most is the Bottocelli's Birth of Venus... I kept imagining Terry Gilliam doing the animations of it! (Original and Python version for those who have no idea what I'm talking about...)

Then, after lunch, we went to the Palazzo Pitti, a staggeringly large palace (yes, another palace) once owned by the Medicis (Yes, again...) with a huge collection of art.

So, after two staggeringly large art collections, we decided to... of course, go to another art gallery.  However, this time it was the Galleria Dell'Accademia.  This one is slightly special.  There, in pride of place, stood Michaelangelo's David.  I was standing at the feet of one of the greatest sculptures known to man.  And it was truly awe-inspiring.  The size, the level of attention to detail, it was just amazing.  A must do.

The Pitti Palace

So tomorrow, finishing off Florence then an afternoon in Piza.  Expect trashy touristy photos of running away/pushing down a certain tower.

Okay, time to get some sleep.  Lots of walking done today!

Venice By Night

Venice By Night - By all accounts magnificent

As amazing as Venice is during the day (and it IS amazing!), it is even more amazing between the hours of 7pm and 7am.  Generally speaking, a lot of the Cruise Ship guests get back on their boats, either to head off or to have dinner in their restaurants.  This means the evening and the early morning is generally given to those staying on the Islands or locals.  

In the evening, the weather cools down and the lights go up, making an almost different, completely mystical city.

The waters grow stiller as the gondoliers retire for the day and the lights shimmer on the canals and the lagoon.  St Mark's Square really puts on a show for its guests, and the classical music playing has a different feel to it.

The locals take advantage of the empty streets with laughing and drinking and eating creating a vibrant atmosphere all its own.  Pizza and pasta are cooked and the smells are everywhere, tempting you to sit in the piazza of your choice and enjoy a spritz (an Italian style aperitif - click here for more), then enjoy dinner and a walk amongst the tight alleyways.  Truly magical.

If you are lucky (or unlucky dependant upon your point of view) to have to catch an early bus or train out of the city, at 7am the streets are deserted.  You can take your time and wander around and, while not much is open, the ghost-town atmosphere is eerily beautiful.


So, Venice is Amazing.  That much is a given.  Any tips I'd give for future travellers?

• While there is a lot to see and experience, there's not a lot of 'attractions' per se.  Just enjoy being in the city, getting lost and seeing all the side streets.  You can take a different route each time and discover something you hadn't seen the time before.
• Make sure you take some form of water transport while there.  We took the water bus along the grand canal and, while crowded, was a thoroughly enjoyable way to see the city from a different angle.  You can take a gondola if you so see fit, but there are more cost-effective ways of spending time on the water, plus the gondolas don't necessarily take you from A to B.
• Stay on the island if you possibly can.  Yes, it's more expensive but you also need to take into account the transport in and out of the island each day, plus you might miss out on Venice in the evening if you choose to stay on the mainland.
• What you see in the windows of stores may not necessarily be what you end up getting, especially for food.  Sandwich vendors tend to make up a small selection of very good looking rolls etc for the windows, but store the rest out the back for sale, the ol' McDonalds bait-and-switch.

So now time for Firenze.  Will put a post up tomorrow, but in the mean time, thank you Venice for an absolutely amazing few days.  We will be back.

A quick tirade before my next post

Before I commence this post, I am going to start with setting out a few etiquette rules about the use of electronic devices according to C. D. Joseph.

1. If you are on holiday, you SHOULD NOT be composing email on your blackberry to your assistant asking her to organise a video conference.  You are in VENICE, FFS!  Put the Blackberry down and concentrate on enjoying yourself!  The company won't fall down because you're away for a few days!
2. An I-Pad is not a camera.  You look like a douche.
3. Do you really need three different cameras?
4. Do you really need that €3000 camera when you probably only have the talent and skill to use a Canon €200 point and shoot?  I mean you're just going to be holding up traffic playing with all those settings!
5. If you DO insist on purchasing a very expensive camera, learn the basics BEFORE you go on holiday.  I don't mind if you ask me as a passer by to take a photo of you against a magnificent backdrop, but get it set up before you give it to me... I don't really want to take five photos where nobody can see any details because the flash setting is wrong.  It's a waste of all of our time.
6. I'm all for keeping a record of your journey for posterity, but do put down your recording device occasionally.  If you spend all of your time staring into the viewfinder of your camcorder, you are going to miss things!  Plus you sticking your arm over my shoulder for the ENTIRE JOURNEY DOWN THE GRAND CANAL is really annoying.
7. If you want to use an electronic device on public transport, headphones are a good idea.  I really don't want to hear Mickey Mouse laughing all the way from Venice to Florence because your child is bored.

Right. Tirade over, back to travel-ey goodness.

Venice, Part I

Venice is amazeballs.

I'm much more impressed than I look!

There is no other word for it, no other phrase to describe it.  Amazeballs.  That is the only word I can think of that can capture the sheer beauty, majesty, and mysticism of this city, the feeling of awe that comes with this place, the slight disbelief that you’re standing in the centre of the Venetian Empire.

This city is everything that you think it could be, and then some.  The canals, the buildings, the movement and life of the street, the mix of tourists, locals, and students all gives Venice a feeling unlike anywhere on earth.  The gondoliers really do wear those silly hats and stripy shirts, there really are striped poles to tie the gondolas onto.  There really is classical and baroque music coming from the streets, whether from the gondoliers themselves, or quartets on the markets, or accordion players on the streets.

This place is truly stunning; from the moment you arrive it sends a tingle down your spine and then treats you to an experience unlike anything you’ve been through before.  While one can complain about the tourists if one so chooses, Nick and I are tourists ourselves so it seems slightly redundant.  Plus they give the city a certain buzz, a life along busy streets.  They mix with the locals in the cafes, they walk along the streets admiring the stores and sights, they really do add to the atmosphere.  It probably does help to be here in the shoulder season, so the streets aren’t totally packed.  Plus most of them leave the city in the evenings anyway.

We arrived via bus from Milan (unfortunately our bus was 15 minutes late for our transfer so we were stuck at Bologna bus depot for an hour – not fun).  To get to the city, the bus drives over a large bridge and drops you off at the Cruise Ship Terminal, and from there you need to make your own way, there are no streets in the town (and thus no cars, bicycles, scooters... it’s an odd sensation!), only canals and footpaths.  While it makes the streets very claustrophobic in some parts, it all adds to the charm of the city.  Anyway, after promptly getting lost twice, we managed to get to our accommodation.  We are staying in a twelve-bedroom what can only be described as a guest house.  Which is fine – it’s in the heart of the funky student area of the city.

We spent the rest of the first day walking around enjoying the views; unlike other cities where the canals seem to be primarily for tourism these days, these are busy waterways unto themselves.  Buses, taxis, private crafts all use the waterways.  Apparently there are even water-ambulances (but I haven’t seen one yet).   We just soaked everything in, the tight streets, the busy, bustling squares.  Then after what had to be the largest single pizza I’ve ever seen (New York has something to learn, I tell ya!), we called it a night.

Today, we took a more structured approach to take in some of the major sights.

Piazza San Marco

This is the big boy, the centre of Venetian tourism today.  A huge complex made up of several different buildings and right in the heart of the overly-priced shopping district, it is truly a sight to behold.

We took a tour of the Palazzo Ducale, what used to be the home of the Doge (imagine an elected king essentially) and his parliament, this was truly an exercise in excess, but completely beautiful.

Then a quick tour of the Basilica di San Marco, and up to the Bell Tower for a view over the entire city.  Absolutely amazing.  After that we took in the Museo Civico Correr for a quick history lesson of the City.

From there we headed to The Rialto Bridge for lunch.  The bridge itself is beautiful and has amazing views on both sides.  Unfortunately it’s covered in graffiti these days, but still worth checking out. 

Then, after some more wandering and getting lost (which is so much more fun in Venice than anywhere else I’ve been!) we headed down to take in the Gallerie dell’Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Museum.  The Gallerie is made up of historical religious works, and the Guggenheim is more modern pieces, so served as a nice contrast to each other.

Finally, Ca Rezzonico for another look at how the other half live.  I’m loving all of these palaces!  Amazing!

Final tip of today, head to Campo Santo Margherita for a spritzer (a wine based aperitif) before heading to dinner, delicious!

Well, today has come to an end, time to rest my legs and read my book.

What more need be said?

Will write more soon.

Ciao!

End of Berlin & Start of Italy

Berlin now seems to be a distant memory.  We had a great time there, and hopefully we'll get the opportunity to go back at some stage.

Yes Corry, that's what a palace looks like!

For the last few days, we decided we should get out and have a look around the city, so took the opportunity to head down to Potsdam.  About an hour's train ride out of Berlin, this is a great day trip if you feel like getting out of the hustle and bustle of the main city.

Potsdam is sort of like the Palace Capital of the region.  The Sanssouci Palace and gardens are absolutely magnificent.  On top of this, the architect designed a reservoir for the palace in the style of ancient Roman Ruins, absolutely fascinating.  From the top of the ruins you can see all the way to Berlin.

Yesterday, we packed up our bags and said goodbye to our cute little apartment in West Berlin, and flew to Milan, arriving late at night.  Another day, another country!  Even better, no customs, no passport check, picked up bag and was in Italy!  These Europeans have their heads screwed on right, it's easier to fly between countries over here than it is to fly between Auckland and Wellington.

Our cute li'l Berlin apartment

Still, it feels completely different.  The language is much more flowing, people seem more relaxed (yet crazy - our taxi ride to the hotel bordered on terrifying), and there's generally a more full-on attitude.

Today we've spent hitting Milan's high lights - the Sforza Castle (feeling very The Borgias right now) had a Milan Fashion event right in the middle of it!  Still very impressive.  Then through the side streets, passing by the Pinacoteca di Brera, and the Scala Opera House.

Finally onto the Gallery Vittoria and the Duomo.  These are both absolutely stunning structures - the Gallery is full of beautiful shops and restaurants (well out of our price range!), and the frescoes and architecture are both astounding on their own merits.  The Duomo towers above its surroundings and is simply stunning.  Well worth the look around inside.

Large pointy building...

 Well, that's about it for the last few days.  We have one full day left in Milan, and then we're off to Venice.  Should be fun!

More Berlin-ey goodness

It was thiiis big... (actually it's bigger!)

It's been a lovely few days in Berlin.  It's definitely beginning to get colder over this side of the world, I've had to wear a light pullover.  However, I suppose one should not complain over highs of 16-17 degrees and no rain.

We've moved into a cute little apartment in West Berlin for a few days.  This is a great place for us to base ourselves as we explore the other side of the city.  Granted, it's not as funky or as alternative as the Eastern Side, but it has its positives.

Yesterday, we went and hung out in Berlin Zoo.  If you are in town, GO TO THE ZOO!  It's like being a kid again!  The Zoo has the largest collection of species in the world (according to their wiki page).  But anywho, the hippos were absolutely amazing.  And when one of them roared (or burped, who knows?), the ground shook.  Stunning.  Also worth checking out is the aquarium.  

Today we took in the Bauhaus Design School Archive.  It's quite interesting to compare the work done in the school in its history to retro and modern design elements of today.  Plus they also had several modern competition works on display showing up and coming designers.  Very interesting.

After that, we went to the Reichstag, home of the Bundestag.  Unsurprisingly, a building that's absolutely choca-block full of history. The tour doesn't go through the building itself, instead it takes you up to the newly renovated dome (a huge glass contraption that sits on top of the building), allowing great views out over the city and straight into Parliament itself (although the Budestag wasn't sitting at the time).  

From up there, you can get a real sense of how large Berlin is.  But because of the way it's developed and its split history, it's rather sprawling rather than central and building out.  It's also not as tall a city as, say, Manhattan - it's wide, and most of the buildings are relatively short.  This gives it a great skyline, but is an arse to navigate through!

Anywho, a few further days in Berlin, then off to Milano, Italy.  Might still do an update here, who knows?

Shameless Plug

Hi All,

Am currently in West Berlin enjoying the American-style capitalism-ey goodness.  More details to come tonight, however..

One of my good friends has put a technoblog together.  It's quite good, and I think you should ALL go over there and follow it.

The Upload (www.theupload.geek.nz).  Go. Follow.  


(On that note, it would be great if I could have a few further followers and comments... Give me a sense of purpose, why doncha?).

Signing off...