Очистить поиск
Europe with Trisha 2023Europe with Trisha 2023
СпутникИзменить маршрут

Europe with Trisha 2023

августа - октября 2023
Our trip in 2020 needed to be postponed but is now going to happen! Читать далее
+2
  • 45следов
  • 10стран
  • 46дней
  • 402фотографий
  • 0видео
  • 32,7ккилометров
  • 29,1ккилометров
Подписаться Календарь Поделиться Корзина
Дата по возрастанию
  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    1121
    День 21

    Day 20 Rome

    19 сентября 2023 г., Италия ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We remembered our breakfast this morning and were having croissants and Trish a cappuccino at 8am. After Trish escorted an elderly lady across the road, we were on our way walking to the Pantheon. Part way we decided that a bus was a better option.

    Pantheon was massive from the outside. But a really long queue for tickets. But right next door we found a really cool store called Legami, and we got a bit carried away buying some cool gadgets there. The store had only opened on Saturday. We took a few more pics and then headed for Piazza Nervona. It was a shame that the fountains were roped off, maybe to stop people from jumping in. There were a lot of people around today, and sooooo many tours with tired hot people following each other around. Very pleased that was not us!

    We tried some truffle sauces in a shop which was right next door to the cannabis shop which we didn’t try. Had yummy ice creams at a shop with 150 flavours which took us a while to choose. I had pistachio and pomegranate while Trish had Whiskey chocolate and blueberry. Rather nice and great to have a toilet there. Public toilets are a lot less available in Rome than we have been used to, and we have been drinking a lot of water.

    When we got to Trevi Fountain google maps said it was a busy as it gets and that was pretty busy. The colour was wonderful on such a sunny day and it is always good to see that.

    Time for some food by then, and we shared a really nice pizza and bruschetta in a restaurant with aircon. I was told off for removing my shoes tho, it wasn’t a crocs day. Next stop was the Spanish steps, and we found some roasted chestnuts on the way which we tried and they were just ok. The steps were not as large as either of us expected. Police were around to ensure that no one sat on the steps, or took ice creams up there. Some people were quite indignant to be told that they couldn’t.

    We were quite a long way away from our accomodation by this stage, but both feeling hot and sick of the many many people. So we caught a taxi back which was 13 euros and well worth it. Spent a few hours reading books that were available in the Airbnb (Sophie Kinsella), packing and we had a nice salad for tea using up the contents of the fridge.

    Off to Florence early tomorrow morning. Might need a bag for wet washing again, and will hopefully be successful in getting a taxi from here.

    14, 029 steps and 31 degrees.    Читать далее

    Посмотреть перевод
  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    День 22

    Day 21 Florence

    20 сентября 2023 г., Италия ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We had heard from our host that taxis sometimes don’t get to Trastevere very quickly these days, so we had planned to get up early enough so that if one didn’t come then we still had time to catch a bus. Of course the taxi was there within 5 mins, there was less traffic around so we were at the train station by 7.40am, and our train wasn’t until 9.10am. I’m not sure that all this being early is going to rub off on me though…

    We had a nice breakfast at the Mercato in Rome, our train was great, went 250kph, our new host allowed us to check in early so we were all unpacked and organised to see the city by 1.

    Our first stop was going to be the Florence Mercato for lunch. We got distracted a bit on the way there by the leather merchants. And then there were so many options for lunch. Trisha minded the table while I ordered mine which was beef ragout with salad and potatoes. It was very yummy and huge, so Trish ended up sharing it. We haven’t eaten a lot of meat in the last 3 weeks so made up for it today.

    So then it was walking time again. We went through a few piazzas, checked out some more leather, bought leather gloves for me, Trisha nearly bought a bag. And then we were at the Duomo which is always a stunning sight. There were lots of artists around and it was interesting seeing their drawings and paintings. There is also a Lindt shop right next door, and we might have bought a few things to sample. Off walking again to see the piazza that the replica of the David is in amongst other interesting statues,

    Then it was past the Uffizzi gallery and over the pont vechio bridge to the pitti palace. Just so many sights in a small area. Lots of people too, but not nearly as many as in Rome and feels a lot more comfortable. We also saw another Legami shop where I bought a small case for my foldable glasses.

    Then it was a slow walk back to our hotel, though it was nice by the river. Our hotel is pretty small and basic, but had aircon and a fridge which is great. It also has a private bathroom for us, but it is in a separate room over the corridor from our room.

    We went out later to the supermarket and had a light dinner in our room.

    20,896 steps, and a much more comfortable 26 degrees.    Читать далее

    Посмотреть перевод
  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    День 23

    Day 22 Florence

    21 сентября 2023 г., Италия ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    It was supposed to be raining today so we had not made any plans. Before we came here we had thought of a Tuscany bike tour, but wanted to check the weather before we booked. Of course it ended up being fine all day!

    Our first stop on our walk this morning was to the cathedral because it is just awesome to walk past. We decided it was too early for Lindt, so went to Eaterly for breakfast instead and had a lovely stuffed focaccia bread.

    Then I was off on a search for hire of e bikes. Trisha was probably quite relieved that we couldn’t find anyone that would hire us one. So changed the plan to local buses instead. First off was to Michelangelo Piazza which had stunning views of the city without too many people at that time. Then after a couple of dodgy road crossings we managed to get on our next bus to go to Fiesoli which is a town up in the hills on the other side of Florence. We had one bus change and made our first bus faux pas, ie waiting for quite a while on the wrong side of the road for a bus that didn’t come luckily. Once we realised and crossed the road, the wrong bus did come lol. The ride up the hill was quite spectacular in terms of the views.

    Unfortunately there were no markets up there today, but we walked up to the convent San Francesco where there were really great views. It was also slightly windy and we had a shady place so stayed there for quite a while.

    When we got back on the bus there was an American guy complaining to the driver that he had paid 21 euro for his 9 bus tickets to a previous driver and was wanting to know he could complain to. Answer is no-one buddy as tickets cost more if you buy them on board. We paid 1 euro 70 for ours and knew they lasted for 90 minutes after they were validated. Then another woman was talking about validation and I said you really need to do that, and she said yes we know as they got a big fine earlier in the day. Fines start at 50 euro and there were several women in their party. Pleased we have always passed muster so far and have tickets that are in order.

    So we got off the bus near the Mercato and Trisha bought her leather bag that she had eyed up yesterday and it was still her most preferred bag. And then Mercato again for a very late lunch.

    Back to the cathedral where we were treated to a brilliant impromptu opera performance by a singer who has an Insta account called opera on the street. He was really good and must have earned several hundred euros for his 4 song performance.

    I had noticed earlier that there was a Pylone store not very far away so we went and had a look there and managed not to buy anything which was a minor miracle as there were lots of cute small things there. Of course I have a few cute small things from there already at home!

    So once again we were back at our hotel early having dinner here and watching NCI type programs on tv, the last of the party animals! That was after Trish trying out the laundromat that was just at the bottom of our stairs.

    16, 753 steps and 28 degrees.    Читать далее

    Посмотреть перевод
  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    День 24

    Day 23 Florence

    22 сентября 2023 г., Италия ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We were really tired last night so were asleep rather early. So this morning we woke up pretty early ie 6am and were out the door just after 9am lol.

    It was a tragic day for Trish yesterday as she had been fanning herself with her pretty hat rather than having it on her head, and it chose to stay at some place unknown. So we went back to the Mercato to see if it had been there with no luck. But while we were in the downstairs market we had fun looking at everything and I bought some plain focaccia and mini tomatoes for breakfast along with some yummy fig biscotti while Trish got an olive and tomato focaccia. We tried quite a few things, cheeses, truffle sauce, and a honey pomegranate balsamic glaze that I ended up buying. We are eating quite a bit of salad and have accumulated a couple of dressings, but this one is just lovely and I have a couple of weeks to finish it off.

    Then we had a bit of a walk to the leather school. We ended up in a leather shop with a demonstration which was pretty good, and then sort of realised that we had joined part of a tour group which wasn’t obvious when we first went in. But hearing how to check for the best leather and seeing different techniques was very interesting, and the toilets were good lol. So the actual leather school was a bit further away and we found ourselves in a really peaceful area very close to a bit of tour group madness in the Piazza. The school had some lovely items for sale but we didn’t succumb. Some of the bags were individually designed and decorated and were just fantastic. We have just realised that neither of us took any pics of them, duh!

    Today seemed to be a ‘let’s feel tired day’. So we walked back to our hotel with just a few stops on the way, a nice different leather shop where I nearly bought a purse, a pharmacy for some Panadol which turned out to be double strength, the magic boar which must be touched to ensure that we return to Firenze, the local Pam’s for some lettuce cheese and prosciutto and a few other random stops which made our 21 minute walk from google maps take about an hour.

    We had a nice few hours relaxing eating lunch, watching more NCIS and the Simpsons on tv. Or rather I did with some impressive snoring coming from Trisha’s side.

    We haven’t been out in the evening much but tonight was the night. Back to the cathedral we went, ate out in an actual restaurant with pizza and drinks, gelato from the Lindt shop for dessert and then some more random opera watching. Of course we were still back by dark and packing up for our early departure in the morning for Venice.

    Steps 15,016 and 26 degrees    Читать далее

    Посмотреть перевод
  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    1
    День 25

    Day 24 Venice

    23 сентября 2023 г., Италия ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    We had to be out the door a bit quicker today as it was a train day and what a good train day it was! Once we were at the station I popped out to a supermarket and bought some fresh focaccia and we had cheese and tomatoes already. We had business class seats in this train as they were pretty reasonable at 30 euros when we bought them, but if we had wanted to buy the same today they would have been 270 euros each, quite a difference. We had great single seats sitting opposite each other and even had breakfast and coffee served.

    When we got to Venice we put our luggage in another "stow your bag" facility and went for a wander. We managed to visit a few shops, mainly murano glass ones and then found a nice place for lunch. I held the seats while Trish ordered her lovely turkey and roast vege salad. When she came out, I went to order the same thing but couldn’t find anyone to serve me. I went to the toilet, came back, spoke to 2 servers and then got the pip and decided I didn’t need food at all. So we wandered around a bit more, sussed out where we had our next excursion and an hour later when we wanted to use a toilet again we went back, and they served me this time. So maybe it was karma so we could use the toilet lol.

    Anyway, then we did our excursion. Trisha has been wanting to do this since she was a kid and I haven’t done it at all, but today we had a gondola ride with the lovely Luca who took us on a serene journey through various water ways and the grand canal at times. He also sang to us which was pretty special. Trisha was very pleased with the experience which exceeded her expectations.

    After the ride we went back to get our bags which was pretty painless. I was pleased that I had booked because there was a very annoyed man who couldn’t get a locker. There was another man who lad left his big bag there for 3 days while he and his family were in Venice. Then another couple who had just shut their bags in a locker, wanted to reopen it to put something else away and realised that neither of them had recorded the code. We left at that point.

    So then we caught a vaparetto to our accomodation, and found that without much hassle. Several of our hosts have contacted me through WhatsApp to ensure that I have good instructions to get places, and this lady had just messaged to check we were coming around the time I was looking at doors for the right number. She popped her head out the door, took us up our 3 flights of stairs and we were there. This room is similar in size to Paris, ie tIny. There is a weird wee wardrobe room though up 4 steps so we have bit more room for bags and hanging up washing.

    After settling in we went for a walk to St Marks square which is just around the corner from us. It was very spectacular with some lovely views with pink skies and flashes of lightening from the impending thunderstorm. We listened to some music for while, visited a few more shops and the returned to our hotel we we intended to share a pizza at the restaurant recommended by our host. We were really spoiled in Rome with the lovely pizza we had there. Neither of us eat much pizza normally, and the 2 that we have tried since then really have not very good, so we probably won’t try that again.

    It got very windy around 9pm, and we have enjoyed having our window open for the breeze. We have aircon here, but it doesn’t appear to work that well.

    14,915 steps and 24 degrees.    Читать далее

    Посмотреть перевод
  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    22
    День 26

    Day 25 Murano and Burano islands Venice

    24 сентября 2023 г., Италия ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We had an interesting morning with the shower today. Trisha was first and there was so much crashing and banging that I wondered if I needed to go in and rescue her. She was wondering the same thing when having difficulty opening the shower door for her to get out. After being forewarned I tried lifting it while opening which worked ok. It is a tiny shower with a shower head that sort of goes sideways. We will be looking forward to something better at our next place.

    We walked for a bit and then got on a water taxi that took us directly to Murano. I think Trish thought she had died and gone to heaven. We did a glass blowing demonstration to start with which was great. Then a visit to that shop, and then to another glass shop, and then to another glass shop, and then to another glass shop, you get the picture? At some stage we stopped for some food at a lovely place beside the water. Trisha bought a wrap which was 7 euros, but because we ate that sitting down there was a cover charge of 2 euros each. The toilet was good though lol. Then we visited around 20 to 30 more glass shops, and each of us bought a few pieces. As I have metal walls in my house I was targeting cute magnetic pieces, while Trish got some jewelry.

    Then we joined a rather long line for the water taxi to Burano. Trish held the place in line while talking to an extremely talkative Belgian guy who was practising his English while I had various seating places while the line moved. It was a pretty long taxi ride there and we were pleased we had seats as a lot of people had to stand.

    Burano is such a pretty little town with the lovely painted houses. We also really enjoyed the shops there. Still more glass, but also lace shops and lots of lovely linen clothing. We were probably there for around 2.5 hours just meandering around and taking pics. We then stopped for a snack and Trish had an Aperol spritz which has become her drink of choice.

    The queue to get back was even more crazy. We were all in an orderly lane before going through a turnstile. And then the corridor widened a bit, and lots of people jumped the queue. So there were about 8 people wide in this enclosed area, and then they opened the gate for people to advance towards the boat coming in. Everyone just pushed at the same time to get through the 2 people wide gate. Trisha was squashed up against the barrier and it was pretty unpleasant. But, we did manage to get a seat in the taxi so we were happy then.

    Earlier in the day there was a squish of people coming through a narrow street which was shaded. There was a shortish woman walking down in with her umbrella up saying come on everyone, just push through. I had to say “ it would be a lot easier if you put your bloody umbrella down!” There were some lovely quiet areas to go on Burano though with grass even.

    So supermarket on the way back after we were on the mainland, and we had a nice salad with cheese for dinner. It was dark by the time we reached our hotel so it was quite a big day.

    And the thing that is annoying me most is the bug bites. I did bring my special creme from Bali that soothes the itching, but I need more. Will be off to the pharmacy in the morning for some antihistamine. The first bites were on my legs and were like midge bites. But yesterday a definite mosquito bite appeared on my tummy and now I have 2 more on my lower back. I react to mozzie bites so they are bit obvious. I had heard of lots of people being bitten here so brought bug spray but obviously need to apply it to more places.

    14,872 steps and 25 degrees. Even had my light scarf over my shoulders briefly tonight!    Читать далее

    Посмотреть перевод
  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    День 27

    Day 26 Venice

    25 сентября 2023 г., Италия ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    This morning we had thought that we would start off together, but that didn’t end up happening. I waved Trish good bye and she was off into the big wide world all on her own. She will have to add what she did herself.

    As for me…. I wanted to find a pharmacy to get some antihistamine pills. I managed that, got some clarityne which had an amazingly quick effect. The shop next door to the pharmacy had a wallet which I had been looking at in Florence but decided not to buy. Luckily it wasn’t open, but I thought deserved a visit later in the day. Then I started wandering in what I thought was the direction of the Rialto bridge. I kept following some signs and ended up at the Acadamia taxi station which was quite a way down the canal from the Rialto. Never mind, I had seen lots of cool little shops on the way and there weren’t that many people. The most unusual was a pet store which had kitty litter in the shop window, but also sold leather jackets - perfect combination lol. I found a university and figured there must be some free toilets in there and yes struck it lucky. Then walked a couple of blocks and there was a young girl playing music on her part filled water glasses. She was really good, so I found a seat at the base of the fountain so I could listen for a while. Then I noticed a patisserie shop on the left so got some plain focaccia. Sat down again then noticed a supermarket on the right, so went and got some cheese and tomato, sliced that up and had a really enjoyable lunch.

    My walk to Rialto included some more interesting shops, I may have purchased a couple more items… The foot traffic got increasingly busy and really annoying. So I managed to go back to get my wallet, and then decided it was time to go back to our hotel for a wee rest. Trish and I had been in contact during the day, and she was on her way back as well.

    Trisha’s day….
    I started off on my own looking for a bookshop I’d found online when researching this trip, Liberia Accqua Alta. Found it easily and spent sometime wandering around it. The shelves are filled to overflowing and are stacked in many unusual ways including a bathtub. There are resident cats but didn’t see any of those. The back door exits straight into a canal. The are stacks of old books outside that are a popular place for photos. A helpful guy took a couple of photos of me on the book stack.

    From the bookshop I made my way to the Rialto bridge, with many stops on the way to take photos of beautiful canals and interesting buildings . Not many people were about so it was easy walking.

    After the bridge I just wandered the streets, found a shop selling just rubber ducks, lots of shops selling ornate masks and some beautiful handmade stationery shops. Also saw some building work Venice style where the builders rappel down the outside of a building above a canal to make measurements.

    I managed to make my way unintentionally to the bus station and decided at that point to head back to our hotel. By this time the sun was out as were all the crowds and was quite tired by the time I got back having completed 15,000 steps.

    So after resting for a couple of hours in the heat of the day we then went out on a reccee mission for our bus ride in the morning so took a water bus to where we are catching the Flix Bus. That seemed pretty easy, so then we took a water taxi through the grand canal just for a bit of sight seeing. We got off at the Ferrovia station so we could buy the metre long licorice that we had not seen anywhere else, some fruit at a supermarket and then back on the water. We got to the end of the line, didn’t get off where we should have and the boat then went in the reverse direction so we went back a stop. That wasn’t so bad as the new taxi had seats at the front so we got a lovely view coming into St Mark’s stop.

    We had a great view of a beautiful sunset for the third night in a row.

    Steps 22,037, temperature 25 degrees.    Читать далее

    Посмотреть перевод
  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    1
    1
    День 28

    Day 27 Slovenia

    26 сентября 2023 г., Словения ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Our trip reccy mission yesterday was helpful and we were at our bus stop nearly an hour early as per usual. We then had a 4 hour flixbus ride which was surprisingly good after some of the reviews we had read. There was wifi on board, seats were comfortable, toilet was clean and it was easy to find and on time. What more could we want?

    We have hired a car here which was a short walk from the bus station and have a nice wee Dacia SUV wagon which is very nice to drive. So after a stop at a LIDL supermarket (yes their chocolate is still nice lol) we were hooning down the motorway at 130kph. It took us around 50 mins to get to our accommodation which is near Lake Bled and is simply amazing.

    I had found the accommodation just through a Slovenian site on fb and got in contact with the owner - Neil, so have rented this privately. Wow was that a great decision. This is his holiday home here and has a lovely deck with a great view as well as 2 rooms with a double bed in each. After settling in we did 2 walks, one heading towards Lake Bled along a country path which got terminated when Trish noticed a small snake on our track. Though on our way there we found a patch of raspberries that haven’t been picked for a while. I got a few through the fence but will be back for more lol. Then we chatted to a Neighbour for a while and headed off in the other direction to where there is a big cave and people rock climbing. It was a bit of a climb to get up there, and we found a much easier track to get down from. The views were amazing, and this is such a lovely peaceful valley to be in.

    Dinner was a salad with all sorts, pomegranate, corn, radish, Gruyère cheese plus other things. Just so nice to have our own kitchen. We have bought some meat to cook for the next 2 nights so will enjoy having home cooked meals.

    And I have been excited to have a tv with Netflix and just watched 2 episodes of the new season of sex education.

    We could hardly have had a bigger change going from the very busy Venice to this calm tranquil location. It is about time though; we have been ready for a bit of serenity. The roads here are so narrow that they look like bike paths. Have included a pic with a car to show that it can be done.

    Steps 12, 557 and 26 degrees. Definitely cooler here tonight. I have long pants on and a blanket around me and Trish actually has a light jacket on.    Читать далее

    Посмотреть перевод
  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    11
    День 29

    Day 28 Lake Bled

    27 сентября 2023 г., Словения ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    We both had amazing sleeps in the very comfortable beds in separate rooms and actually needing to have some bed covers on was great.

    We drove to the next village and visited the bakery for some bread and a lovely cheese pastry thing. And then we were off to Lake Bled. We drove all the way around the lake and then found a parking spot at the main town. Not a free one of course, but good to find somewhere. Our next stop was to hire some bikes and then we were off biking around the lake. The island in the middle is just magnificent and it was the perfect day for lots of photos all the way around. We biked for a couple hours and then visited some very cute shops and may have made a couple of purchases.

    There are a lot of restrictions around the lake, no parking here, no swimming here, no picnics here etc etc, So we drove back to our house and had a great lunch with the yummy bread and salad.

    Our plan after that was for me to go paddle boarding in the lake and for
    Trish to walk up to the castle. So after finding a place to park and paying for it, we realised it was quite a long way from where I could hire a paddle board and it was getting a bit windy by then, so we sat on a jetty with our feet in the rather cool water for a while just enjoying the day and the view. Then we drove up to the castle carpark for a different view,

    We have decided to walk the Vintgar gorge in the morning, so then drove there to check it out early and just because it is pretty special just driving around through the tiny towns with very narrow streets, On the way back google had some fun with us and we found even more narrow streets and had to reverse quite a way at one stage. Also ended up on an unsealed road with very deep ruts. Car seemed to manage ok through.

    Our dinner was one of the best since we have been away with home cooked chicken thighs with a tomato pesto sauce, and baked eggplant, courgette, peppers and broccoli.

    9,452 steps, but a bit of biking, and 25 degrees. It was 6 degrees when we got up this morning and I am going to fill the hottie I have found in the cupboard tonight!    Читать далее

    Посмотреть перевод
  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    2
    День 30

    Day 29 Vintgar Gorge

    28 сентября 2023 г., Словения ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    We were up early this morning and at P1 parking spot at
    Vintgar Gorge and ready for our walk. Omg that was such a good decision. The gorge was just stunning. It was a little like Karangahake gorge but on steroids. There weren’t many people when we started at 8.30 but more turned up. It was never too busy though, and seeing all the different coloured jackets was cool.

    The waterfalls were spectacular and our photos can not do them justice. The walk down the gorge took around 45 minutes. But then we had to walk back up again which took us quite a while, Some of the hills were quite steep and I was very pleased to have found a sturdy walking stick along the way. I was rather sad to throw it away at the end of the walk. We walked up to a church which was rather cute, through paddocks with sheep, cows and horses and had a stunning view over the countryside. It took us about 3.5 hours to get back to the car and it was such a great thing to have done.

    Popped home to have some lunch, more yummy fresh bread and salad. Had a wee rest sitting out in the sun on the deck. Then we went back to Lake Bled and caught a rowboat out to the island in the middle of the lake with the original name of Bled Island. It was a very serene experience and we had 40 minutes or so on the island and then rowed back.

    Our next stop was Lake Bohinj which was a 40 minute drive late in the afternoon, but it was fun going for a longer drive through all of the pretty little villages with very similar names. The lake was gorgeous with a lot less tourists. We met a Dutch girl with a border collie who will be visiting nz in January so had a bit of a play with her dog and a chat to her before driving back again.

    Dinner was scrumptious. Who knew that Argentine steak was so tasty. With baked veges again it was a great end to the day.

    We have so enjoyed our stay here, but it is time to leave again. Have also enjoyed some Netflix in the evenings. Off to Croatia tomorrow.

    18,437 steps and 25 degrees… again! I have never been on a holiday overseas with such beautiful weather every single day. Though I did enjoy my beanie this morning as it was pretty cool in the gorge, and also we happy to find a hot water bottle in the cupboard here.    Читать далее

    Посмотреть перевод