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Southern Europe

August - September 2023
A 34-day adventure by Jarrod Read more
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  • TravelerSouthern Europe
    Day 1

    Hostel Hotel

    August 20, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I had finally left Eastern Europe and made my way back to Italy. This time, I'm finishing off the northern bits that i missed during my first stint here. However, it was quite a long bus trip to get to Venice, so I did nothing when I arrived, and let myself an evening to relax. The hostel was very impressive, though. It was enourmas. It was the same size as a large hotel (9 stories), but instead of single rooms, each room fit 6 / 8 people. The capacity must have been in the thousands. Venice is a very popular tourist destination, so it makes sense they could have such a large hostel. Would be curious to understand how empty it is during winter, however. All the photos I have from this day are simply of the hostel as i spent most my day here or the bus.Read more

  • TravelerSouthern Europe
    Day 2

    Venice

    August 21, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    I only had one full day to explore Venice, and although I thought that would be sufficient, it turned out it wasn't even close. It was viciously hot, and i was forced to constantly walk for hours on end to ensure I saw everything I wanted to see. The worst part about this is that I would be rushing through certain areas without properly immersing myself in the culture. It also would have been a cool place to do a tour, but due to finances, I figured the best thing I could do was listen to a free audio tour. Erin had given me an app that is really good for exactly this, so I downloaded it and gave it a listen. It definitely wasn't better than the walking tours, but it was still quite informative. It walked you through St. Marks square and highlighted the different historical events and people who were prevalent in the city. The square itself was one of the most aesthetically pleasing to see that I have come across. The 3 sides of the square that are completely enclosed were all constructed during different time periods, and it is interesting to see how they have tried to make each side the same stylistically while still being unique. Napolean was the last to construct the final side, the short side that is the entrance to the Museo Correr. At the end of the square, which isn't enclosed, there is Saint Mark's Basilica. Although it doesn't quite compare to St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, it has to be second on the list in terms of grandure, detail, and beauty. You then turn the corner just past St Mark's Campanile and are greeted with another beautiful piazza. This one opens up to the sea with the colourful Doge's Palace to the left and the library to your right. Two large columns highlight your view onto the water with the other islands of venice in the distance. It was a beautiful sight to see so much in such a small space, especially given the character of the city. It is hard to believe a city like this could exist at any point in time, let alone thousands of years ago. It is an engineering monument that it still stands today. That being said, the city floods 100 times a year, and it normally starts in St. Mark's square. This means that the city will be more costly to maintain than it is worth in value within the next few decades. It is rather unfortunate, but it is inevitable. Throughout the city, you see the old doors that now sit below the waves and the new doors that have special fittings attached to the bottom to minimise the effects of flooding. But still, it gets in. After the square, I followed the water toward the gardens of the city. Along the way you pass by the bridge of sighs, an interesting monument that used to be used to transport prisoners from the courtroom to the jailhouse. The gardens weren't particularly impressive, so after a bit more of a wander around the southern part of the island, I headed back toward the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. This was quite interesting, and the inside was beautiful, but given the amount of basilicas I have seen in Europe now, they do start to become repetitive. Despite this, I then tracked towards the Basilica S.Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and the Rialto Bridge before finishing in the Jewish quarter. Although I feel like I saw everything, the heat made it difficult to properly enjoy each location. I wish I gave myself two days, but I can always look back at the photos to remind myself of the beauty and enginuity that is Venice.

    Although I knew all about the canals that were the main form of transport in the ancient city, seeing it first hand is incredible. You really wish you could go back in time and experience the city as it was in 500 AD. 10,000 gondolas were used in Venice during its heyday, but for the sake of organisation and cleanliness, now just 400 are present during the city. Of course, it is mostly being used for tourists. Only 400 gondoliers can exist at any one time in Venice now. Only when one retires or passes away can another take their place. I would have liked to have gone on the gondolas, but they're quite expensive and not all that necessary. A friend of mine had recommended I get on the water bus and explore the city that way. But this was also 15 euros and so I decided against it. I had walked everywhere I could, and the places that required water bus weren't too high on my list of important sites to see.

    I was supposed to book myself into an accommodation in Lake Como, but accidentally booked into the same company's hostel in Milan. I had heard Milan is barely worth visiting, but now I was locked in to going there next. It is rather annoying, but when I checked the price of the hostel I was supposed to have booked, it was far out of my price range (80 euro/night). This meant I would miss Lake Como - a big name item on my bucket list for this trip, but I would have to come back and do it some other time.    Read more

  • TravelerSouthern Europe
    Day 3

    Train Travel

    August 22, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    Today was nothing more than a travel day. I checked out of the hostel at about 10 a.m. and hung around the hostel until midday, organising myself and preparing my trips. I then jumped on a train to Milan, which took about 3 hours. I then jumped on the metro and arrived at my hostel. The hotel was quite interesting, the people in my room weren't that talkative but I was quite tired so I spent most of the afternoon in my room. Eventually, a French guy checked in, and we were chatting briefly. I eventually went downstairs to cash in my two free drink tokens you get when you arrive at the hostel and sat and enjoyed my beers. It was a cool bar area that the hostel had. It was open to the public, and people would come in and do work, while others were travellers who were getting ready for a big night. Because it was a tuesday night, our hostel was one of the only places open and was hosting a karaoke night downstairs. I did not have enough money to be able to drink significantly enough to participate, but it did make the place quite lively. Eventually, the French guy came downstairs with two other people who had checked into our room, who seemed quite cool. They were French Canadians. The Frenchman then invited me to a seafood pasta restaurant he had heard was really good. I had barely eaten out in a while because of funds, but I obliged to make some friends and to get a nutritious meal. We returned and sat by the bar again, not drinking, but chatting with the other people in our room before we eventually were ready to head to bed.

    I was debating as to whether to head to Lake Como tomorrow, but I did not think one day would be enough. I decided against it as there was still quite a bit around Milan that i wanted to see.    Read more

  • TravelerSouthern Europe
    Day 4

    Milan

    August 23, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    While most of my new mates went to Lake Como for the day, I decided to stay around Milan, where I could save some money and actually explore the city I am staying in. I think I am going to have to come back to redo the north of Italy, and likely the south of France, when i have more money. Unfortunately, I have had to skip Lake Como and Chinque Terre despite being two huge travel bucket list items for this trip. I am short on time to get to Portugal by the 22nd of Septmeber, and even more short on money. So I would rather see Milan and come back and do Como when I have money to support my trip. All this aside, Milan was quite nice, the architecture was amazing and the monuments were quite interesting. I started my day by looking at Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio, which wasn't that exciting given you couldn't see much from the outside, and I didn't want to pay to go in so it was disappointing. Next door was the university, and to be honest, that was more exciting than the Basilica. It had a really nice garden area and some interesting architecture. But given I couldn't go into any of the buildings, it didn't take long until I was moving on. Next was the Santa Maria delle Grazie. This was much cooler and more beautiful, but unfortunately the inside was closed so I couldn't go in. But it was still cool to see from the outside. I then headed towards Sforzesco Castle, which was enourmas and very popular for tourists. As such, there were a lot of people trying to scam you, as you can hear in the video I attach. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed my Lime Scooter into the area, and so it heavily impacted the time I spent in there. It was completely open and high 30 degrees in Milan and so it was incredibly difficult to do anything. As such, I missed the Parco Sempione that resides to the back of the castle. This is also quite exposed and so would have been way too hot to walk through. This did, however, mean that I missed the Arco della Pace that is situated on the far side of the park. This would have been cool to see, but there are plenty of arches in France, so I'm sure I won't regret it too much. After this, I jumped back on a lime scooter and headed toward the Piazza Cordusio, where there are plenty of stores and restaurants. It was cool, but my lime scooter wasn't allowed here either, so that was sad. This eventually led to the main attraction of Milan, the Duomo. This was really cool to see, but of course, I came on the day that the museum was closed, so without my knowing i paid 6 euros just to see the inside and nothing else. This was disappointing, but there was not much I could do. The inside also wasn't thay nice compared to other basilicas in Italy, but was still quite cool. It was also undergoing renovations, so that took away from the moment, too. I don't know why they do these during the summer, but oh well. It is something you have to do when in Milan, so I'm not too fussed. The Duomo Piazza also accommodates the Palazzo Reale di Milano, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and the Teatro alla Scala. These were also quite cool to walk around and see. The location of the hostel was incredibly central, and it was great for seeing everything.

    I wouldn't spend more than a day in Milan as you can see just about all of it in half a day. I did exactly this and I was quite bored by afternoon. As such, I decided I would go visit the San Siro Stadium, a legendary football stadium of Milan and Inter that is due to be replaced in the coming years. This meant it was likely my last chance to see it. It would have been great to see a game, or even wander through the museum, but both were too expensive, and it was a tuesday, so there were no games on.

    When I arrived back at the hostel, the French Canadians had bought a bunch of drinks and were having them on the terrace of the building. They invited me to join, and we got very drunk of jeiger, scotch, and vodka. The biggest mismatch of drinks I've had in a while. We played drinking games and chatted until about 5 am. I was shocked how quickly time had passed, but given I had a train to catch the next day, I showed myself to bed.    Read more

  • TravelerSouthern Europe
    Day 5

    Italy - France

    August 24, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    I checked out of my Milan hostel at about 10 am and headed to the train station, 3 trains later I arrived in Nice. I had heard some great things about Nice and the surrounding areas, so I was keen to explore. After I checked into my hostel in Nice at about 4pm, I figured I should explore the area surrounding. It turns out my hostel is in the perfect location once again. Right at the beginning of the main strip of Nice, next to the train station. You follow the main strip all the way to the beach, which is about a 15-minute walk. This is all I really did for the day as I wanted to get up early and watch the sunrise over the beach. So that was my day, I headed back to the hostel and did some journal logs.Read more

  • TravelerSouthern Europe
    Day 6

    Nice Sunrises

    August 25, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today, I accepted the challenge from Erin to wake up at 6 am and headed to the beach. This is apparently when the water is at its clearest and most beautiful. Unfortunately, in an attempt to not wake up everyone from my room, I forgot to bring a towel and so couldn't go for a swim but enjoyed standing in the crystal clear water. I expected to be the only one there, but apparently, it is quite a popular thing to do as there were plenty of tourists with the same idea. It was worth the wake-up as the beach and the water were unbelievably clear and calm. I stayed here for a good couple hours as the sun slowly made its way onto the beach and the water. It didn't take long until the suns heat began to take effect, and I had to move on. As I try to always do in a new town, I booked a free walking tour for the city at about midday. It's a great way to learn about the city and is always super interesting. Rather than walking around with no idea what you're looking at, you get an insight into the history of the town and begin to understand why things are the way they are. It makes wandering through the city that much more enjoyable for the rest of your trip as you are looking out for things mentioned in the tour. Before that, however, I walked along the Promenade des Anglais, heading West to ensure I didn't walk through the areas outlined in the walking tour that I'd be doing soon. It was quite an enjoyable walk, especially out of the midday heat. But, it wasn't long until the heat became a bit much, and I found somewhere to sit before the walking tour. Eventually, though, the tour started, and we began at the end of the main strip at the statue of Apollo. She explained that the houses at the end of the main strip are incredibly historic and some of the first houses built in the town. They are very well preserved, but to live in them, not only is it incredibly expensive, but it also comes with rules. Firstly, you can't hang clothes on the front side of the buildings. Secondly, you can't have coloured blinds, and finally, you can not be naked in the vicinity of the window. Strange rules that are still somewhat enforced, apparently. We then went to a famous theatre and chocolate store, both incredibly old with an interesting history. The chocolate shop was a favourite of Queen Victoria who would drink tea there during breaks from the theatre. We had time to walk inside and see what chocolates were on offer, and it looked unbelievable. I wish I had the money to buy something but it was very, very expensive. After this, we moved on to the markets that were always present in Nice from morning until about 2pm. We had about 20mins to explore, and it was cool the amount of interesting food they had. We then moved on to the biggest church in the old town. It is quite big but easy to miss, as it is somewhat hidden in a little alleyway. She then showed us the best places for authentic French food while pointing out some cheaper places to eat if you're on a budget (which I am). We ended on the same Promenade des Anglais I had walked on earlier, but this time, we headed East. She explained the history behind the name, which translates to the English Promenade. Nice has always been a popular travel destination for the English people, especially during winter when they are escaping the harsh cold. But they complained that there wasn't enough walking opportunity along the water. The old Promenade used to be on top of the buildings that now track along the Promenade (photo 15 shows it well). To please them, they built a 6km long walkway and removed access to the roof of the buildings along the front. The Promenade now goes from the first castle constructed in Nice all the way to the airport. She ended the tour at the Eastern most point, which is great for photos, and then she heavily suggested we go to the top of the castle, it is free, and the views are amazing.

    I followed her suggestion and headed up the hill to see the castle and learn a bit more about the history. It was cool to be able to see the old Promenade from atop the castle. The castle was the original town of Nice, founded by the Greeks, who were victory over a neighbouring colony. Thus, the city was named after the Greek goddess of victory Νίκαια (Nike gets its name from the same place) or Nice. But it has history going back 400,000 years, with evidence of the earliest uses of fire going back 230,000 years ago. The extensive cave systems that exist in the area made it perfect for early humans. The views from atop the castle did not disappoint either. It had historical photos of paintings that overlook the same area, and you can see how it has changed over hundreds of years. It was really cool. Not only this, but it had a really nice park area where the castle once stood, so it is still very functional despite many of the ruins of the actual castle being gone. There are some, but it is minor - it is mostly just the castle walls that remain. It even had its own little water fall.

    I was well and truly exhausted by the time this was done, it was many hours of walking in some pretty brutal heat so I went back to the hostel for a little bit and when the sun set a bit more in the sky, I headed back to the beach for a quick swim. This was really nice despite the busyness and a good way to end the day.    Read more

  • TravelerSouthern Europe
    Day 7

    Monaco

    August 26, 2023 in Monaco ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Today, I was catching a bus to Monaco for the day. It's an incredibly rich and expensive city and as such I didn't plan to go to crazy with sightseeing. I was just keen to wander around and see exactly how poor I am relative to some people. It is bad timing to come to a place like this as I am as poor as I have been since college, but it's still interesting to see. I started the day quite late while I spoke to the folks, but getting on the bus, even at midday, was chaotic. Eventually, I did arrive and headed to the Prince's Palace of Monaco. Although I didn't go in, there was still plenty to do on the headland as it exists as its own little town. Lots of markets, churches, and parks exist in quite a small area. It made it interesting to walk through. This took quite a while to get through, and afterwards, it was time to go to the docks and see how all the rich people live. This was as depressing as it was cool. There were some enourmas boats with huge crews, basically mansions on water. I walked around here for a while, suffering in the heat, before I started to head to the casino. The casino has plenty of nice cars out the front, a very fancy walkway, and some pretty intense security. It was paid entry to go anywhere but the lobby basically so I left not long after arriving but it was cool to see all the cars. I then headed home and grabbed a feed before heading to bed. I hadn't eaten out in a long while, and I hadn't eaten all day. As such, I bought a chicken pizza (for protein), and it was incredibly average, but I ate it all nonetheless. After this, I headed back to the hostel and got ready for bed.Read more

  • TravelerSouthern Europe
    Day 8

    Nice by Night

    August 27, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Today, there wasn't much for me to do. I had seen Monaco, and although I was keen to see Eze and Cannes, I didn't have the money to do so. It's quite unfortunate, but I will have to come back when I have more money and time, and it's less busy. Not only this, but the weather had taken a turn for the worst, and I got to experience the first rainday on my whole trip. I had a couple of other instances of showers or brief downpours, but no real rain days until now. Despite this, I spent the morning walking through the old town and seeing if I missed anything. There wasn't much more to see a part from the Nice Cathedral that was now open, so I could see the inside. Other than that, I spent the day watching sports because it's free and dry. There was formula 1 on today as well as a Liverpool game, so that took most of the afternoon. As such, it was really only the evening in which I had time to explore Nice. I had been told it was nice to walk through at night, and so I was excited to see it. I had seen it early in the morning, but it's not quite the same. I essentially just walked through the main strip and bought some fruit for my train trip tomorrow, but even that was enjoyable. They have an open-air museum in Nice at the moment, so it was good to see it in full effect as they light up the sky. After this bit of a walk, I headed back to the hostel and got ready for bed. I was off to Montpellier tomorrow, so I had a big day of travelling. The reason I chose Montpellier is because there are some really nice towns around it, but it seems unlikely that I will have my money come through by then, and so I doubt I'll get to see them. But oh well, I have a couple of days to see what Montpellier has to offer.Read more

  • TravelerSouthern Europe
    Day 9

    Rain Day, Train Day

    August 28, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    Today was very uneventful, as I did little more than catch a bus to Montpellier (Yes, I lied so the title would rhyme). But a part from some tanks roaming the streets of Nice while I waited for my bus there was nothing even slightly noteworthy to mention today. I left my hostel at about 9 am and arrived in the hostel in Montpellier at about 6 pm, so there wasn't even much opportunity to do anything anyway. I didn't even bother to explore around my hostel cause I knew I had multiple days to do exactly that, and there was no need to rush. The log and the photos will be quite lacking as a result of a boring day, but there wasn't much to take photos of or talk about.Read more

  • TravelerSouthern Europe
    Day 10

    Montpellier

    August 29, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    Because I wouldn't have the finances to fund my explorations to places like Carcassonne, Sete, Arles, or Avignon, I had 2 full days to explore Montpellier, and that really isn't required. As such, I took my time exploring and seeing what was on offer. Overall, I do like Montpellier. It's less touristy than other places in France and Italy that I have come from. This was a nice change, but it does have its disadvantages. This is mostly things like English speakers, which are few and far between but given I wasn't eating out or doing much travelling, it wasn't a big issue. It also means there is less to do to attract tourists, but like I said, this is good as well. The historical part of town is quite interesting and the town itself was really nice and clean. There are trams that run everywhere and it seems so convenient for catching public transport. I did not see many cars my whole time here. It is a place that would be cool to live but not so much for travelling. Nonetheless, I had little choice but to explore and see what's about. The first thing I did was simply walk left out of my hostel and see where I ended up. The first thing I arrived at was the Promenade du Peyrou, which has a cool monument of King Louis XIV of France and some very well maintained aqueducts. This runs opposite the historical part of town, which was what I explored next. The entrance is via an Arc de Triomphe. You walk past the courthouse and along a really cute main road with some beautifully old buildings on either side. Most built in the early 1800s. Further exploring led me to the Nice Cathedral that wasn't that exciting (especially given how many I have seen at this point), and the doors were closed, so I figure you couldn't enter. I have since been told you can enter, so I will have to try and find the entrance tomorrow, perhaps. It has cool main doors, but other than that, it was just another cathedral. I wandered around the main areas of town some more before heading back to the hostel. That was most of what I wanted to see in montpellier and so I returned to do some journal logs. I figured I would use my downtime to get my social media's up to date as well as my journal logs. I have to begin to plan my africa trip (mostly just visas), but I need money before I can do these so I am getting a bit stressed that without some money coming in I will have to ditch parts of my trip. I will have to see what options I have.Read more

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