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April - December 2017
A 254-day adventure by Our Year Off Read more
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  • Our Year OffEurope
    2
    Day 40

    Firenze

    May 17, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Obviously Florence is a beautiful city but... the highlight of today had to be the start of stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia. Little did we know at the time but we were literally an arms length from Omar Fraille, the winner of todays stage! Quintana, Cavendish, Greipel were all there too. Pretty starstruck to be honest! The view from Piazzale di Michelangelo also made the hike up there worthwhile.
    It wasn't as busy as we had thought it might be when we opted to get the train to avoid another drive - if you haven't experienced Italian driving I would not recommend it - Stuart refuses to do it so I am taking on the challenge and driving defensively at all times.
    After the start of the race we headed back to the centre of Florence via the Ponte Vecchio. We went into Il Duomo which in my opinion is not as impressive as Il Duomo in Milan.
    Florence is a real stunner though and worth the trip to wander around the old streets.    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    1
    Day 42

    Pisa

    May 19, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Hadn't thought too much about Pisa before heading there to see the Leaning Tower and to be honest didn't think too much about it having been there. Having looked for parking beforehand a few websites had mentioned avoiding certain carparks for fear of thieves and as I am on permanent crimewatch since the bikes were stolen I was feeling wary anyway! When you arrive it does seem pretty dodgy as every corner there's a chap trying to sell you something. At least the Prada bag there may not have cost as much in Milan...

    Went to see the Tower but decided against going inside. The area where the Tower is, with the Baptistry and Duomo - the only three things referred to in the guidebook and I can kinda see why - is immaculate and full of tourists, but otherwise the city appears to be made up of university buildings, tourist shops and restaurants. Altogether we were in and out within about an hour :)

    This did however allow us to get back in time for a swim in the pool, as we have done - in typical Brits on holidays style - everyday. Have attached a picture of the pool and the view.

    Typing this from inside the tent as a massive thunderstorm is raging above us. Onto Rome tomorrow which I think will look even better    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    1
    Day 45

    Rome

    May 22, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Day one of four here in Rome. Got through quite a few of the big 'sights' so will try to document Rome in a few days of blog. Colloseum was the first stop, which I had never been inside before and really is quite an epic reminder of how cruel humans are! Next we wandered around the Roman Forum (thanks for the suggestion Nia!) so much to see there but would get a tour guide if I went again.

    After lunching about 4pm we headed to the tourist filled Fontana di Trevi which was beautiful as ever but you cannot move for us holiday makers there.. and the bustle can detract from the real beauty of the fountain itself. We then walked to the Pantheon in search of a Gelateria that I visited nearby on previous visits. Evidently whilst my memory is pretty awful at the best of times, it obviously doesn't forget a sweet treat as I found it - Della Palma - and it has 150 flavours to try! Perfect temporary remedy to the heat!

    Hot hot hot for little old me here and I am not coping too well with the heat vs clothing situation. I could quite possibly be the worst dressed person in Italy at the moment :) Definitely not made for this climate so don't worry Mum I won't be moving to Italy!

    Campsite is a bit of a let down after the last one as we didn't realise before we came that it is 18 - 30 on a budget vs a Saga holiday. Lots of noise from the bar which is open til 2am and definitely not made for tents - after hours of hammering and a few bent pegs - hence why the majority of other (older) campers are in caravans and mobile homes! But it did teach me to read trip advisor in more detail before choosing the next one!

    Plenty more to see tomorrow so will keep you posted    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    111
    Day 49

    Roma

    May 26, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Rome, take 2.

    Seen a lot, walked a lot, queued a lot, over the last four days.

    Tuesday we spent the majority of the day in the Vatican City. It is absolutely mobbed here in Rome. Not sure if it is the time of year or if it is always like this but I don't recall the sheer amount of people when I was last here, admittedly about 12 years ago.

    We queued for about 45 minutes to view the Musei di Vaticani - a collection of museums - and most importantly to be squished like sardines into the Sistine Chapel. Incredible collection of sculptures, artwork and artifacts in the Musei - which Stuart and I took really seriously - and worth the wait to see Michelangelo's masterpiece. Next we headed to St Peter's and queued for about an hour and 15 minutes as despite returning three times during the day the queue never got any shorter, The experience was made much more enjoyable by spending the time chatting to a Korean chap called Reagan who is travelling Europe on his own.

    When we finally got through security, I made the journey up to the Bronze Doors to request tickets for the audience with the Pope the following day. Only one person is allowed to go up the stairs and I got to chat to a Swiss Guard. Visiting St Peters is a must,it really dwarfs any other church that we have visited.

    On Wednesday we headed in what we deemed to be early to get back to St Peter's square for the audience with the Pope. Reckon we underestimated it by about two hours as the place was swamped when we arrived. Although we couldn't get into the centre of the seating, we managed to hear and see him from a distance so pretty pleased with that.

    We then went onto Castel Sant'Angelo, which sits on the west of the River Tiber which was built by Hadrian as his Mausoleum. Whilst I didn't really find the exhibits that fascinating.. can I say that? it was worth it for the view from the top. As we left the Castel we crossed the River only to bump into our friend Reagan again randomly in the street, we are now Instagram buddies so can follow each others travels. Despite having seen the Pope a few hours earlier I think that chance meeting was definitely Stuarts highlight of the day!

    Headed to the city last night to eat after doing washing and preparing for moving on. Visiting my gran's friend Maria today and on the ferry to Croatia next Thursday, in the meantime who knows, will keep you updated!    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    Day 51

    Aquino

    May 28, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌫 30 °C

    The last three days we have spent in the midst of wonderful Italian hospitality. We visited Maria and her family in Aquino. Maria is my grandparents friend who was originally from Guernsey before she moved to Italy with her husband. I have often heard my grandparents talk of Maria, her family and the nearby Monte Cassino so we could not miss the opportunity to pop by on our trip. We stayed with Maria in Aquino and met her three children and four grandchildren.

    Stuart finally experienced real Italian home cooking and safe to say that he adored it! As my mum put it he was in his element "good food and good company". Maria's daughters, Stella and Anna-Maria both hosted us for pranzo (long lunch with pasta as a mere starter...!) finished off with Italian coffee which Stuart is enjoying very much!

    After having lunch made for us by Maria and meeting her son Carlo on Friday, we headed to Stella's house for the largest pizzas I have ever seen with all the family. In the garden we saw fireflies which I got a little childishly excited about!

    On Saturday we had a traditional Napolitano soup, followed by Buffalo - which neither of us had tried before - home grown beans and home made salcicce washed down with home made wine at Anna Maria's. Late afternoon we headed to the Abbey of Monte Cassino which is a short drive away. Perched on top of the mountain this incredible place has been destroyed four times and rebuilt, most recently during terrible fighting in the second world war. We were not prepared for how impressive the Abbey is both inside and for the views. We then headed down the mountain to visit the Polish and then the Commonwealth cemeteries paying tribute to those who lost their lives trying to take back the Abbey and the surroundings from the Nazi stronghold in 1944.

    Today we went to Mass in the church in Aquino followed by a cafe in the Piazza where everyone congregates on a Sunday to meet and drink more coffee. We could definitely get used to the culture here. Another huge pranzo followed on the terrace at Stella's house with a view of Monte Cassino.. On the drive out this afternoon Stuart commented that he was very sad to leave. We were made to feel completely welcome and will definitely plan to return again to visit everyone and try to see all the places that we will sadly not have time to see this trip.

    We have now arrived in Pompeii to visit the "scavi" and Naples.. will write again in a few days.    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    Day 52

    Pompei

    May 29, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We picked our B&B so we could visit the "scavi" at Pompeii. This is the Italian name for the excavations at Pompeii. We had previously read somewhere that Pompeii may not stay open to the public as the constant traffic is damaging the protection of the artefacts. "In June 2013 UNESCO declared: If restoration and preservation works “fail to deliver substantial progress in the next two years,” Pompeii could be placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger." (from good old wikipedia!) We had no choice really but to ensure that we made a visit.

    The place is huge.. easy to forget that it is a whole city that was destroyed and therefore we underestimated the five hours that we would be walking around! The city foundations themselves are well preserved, showing how the city would have been laid out. For the first time we purchased audio guides (gotta be careful of the budget!) to show us around. The history of Pompeii and the age of the artefacts is quite incredible but I am beginning to realise that any type of archaeology is just not for me. Stuart on the other hand finds it fascinating and therefore for anyone else who probably would be interested, it is worth going while you have the chance.    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
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    Day 53

    Napoli

    May 30, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    "Vedi Napoli e poi muori"

    Rough translation "See Naples and die". There is nothing else worth seeing after a visit to Naples according to this old Italian proverb..

    It is dirty, smelly and noisy. Not necessarily a criticism from me as I love cities and this is definitely a buzzing city. I really enjoyed the maze of narrow alleys and then when you reach the bay with its beautiful waters and the view of Vesuvius, it really is quite something.

    We got the train from Pompeii to Naples as Maria's son had advised us that all the cars in Naples were round ;)

    We massively underestimated the size of Naples and ended up walking 12 miles throughout the day. A lot of it in search of Piazza Plebiscito and the Pizza Fritta (fried pizza) that had been recommended to us. It didn't disappoint. They made it fresh in front of us. It had tomato, salami, buffalo ricotta and something else I can't remember, then fried in about 2 minutes. Piping hot and delicious, my mouth is watering at the thought!

    After we found this treasure, we wandered to the bay and sat by the water, taking in the view and the Italian street style which appears to be popular in Naples.. very gansgta.

    Luckily for my back which is suffering at the moment, Stuarts new found love of espressos means that we can stop often for a seat in one of the many cafes down the side streets. However, having seen on the news that 2 days previously 6 people were shot in a 24 hour period, it was a bit disconcerting hearing a loud bang to which a lady next to said "I don't like this at all" and quickly moved on. Convincing myself it was a balloon we stayed to finish our drinks and evidently lived to tell the tale.. Maybe we should take the proverb a little more literally!    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    1
    Day 54

    Matera

    May 31, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    This place.. is such a beauty. Our rough guide (thanks Richard and Nia!) describes it as one of the south's most fascinating cities. It is where Mel Gibson filmed the Passion of the Christ and you can see why it was such a fitting setting. We both wish we could have more time here as one day is definitely not enough to appreciate it all. The apartment that we are staying in is also quite a luxury! There is a four poster bed and a fab shower. Good old Airbnb! When we arrived the hostess showed us exactly where to head to and where to eat.

    According to the local leaflet, Matera is one of the oldest towns in the world, dating back around 7,000 years.. Matera has two 'Sassi', which are two districts made up of two sets of dwellings. The original cave dwellings date back to the early 18th century, the "Sasso Caveoso" and were lived in by "peasants". We visited one of these cave dwellings which were really pretty cool, also literally pretty cool as it was super warm here today.

    After WWII they moved the people into newly built dwellings which are in the second "Sasso Barisano". These were built in a sympathetic style and the overall effect looks amazing.

    Tonight we ate some regional food in a cave restaurant and it was really good and of course really filling. Luckily the lady here stocked up with tea bags, so just chilling with a cuppa, you can take the girl out of Guernsey...

    Matera is another UNESCO world heritage site so currently feeling very cultured ;D Off to Bari and the overnight ferry to Dubrovnik tomorrow, will catch up next from Croatia x    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    5
    Day 57

    Dubrovnik

    June 3, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    A.K.A Kings Landing for all you Game of Thrones fans out there! For those of you who aren't, Dubrovnik doubles as this fictional city for some of the filming of the series.

    We are actually staying in Mlini, which is a resort just south of Dubrovnik, as Dubrovnik would have bust the budget! The reason for coming here was of course to visit Dubrovnik itself but yesterday we were pretty exhausted after the ferry ride that was a journey in itself.

    It involved complete and utter confusion. From the moment we boarded - about 3 hours before the ferry left - until getting through passport control in Croatia we, and seemingly everyone else including the staff, had no idea what was going on. Firstly our sat-nav took us to completely the wrong place for the port in Bari. When we found it and 'checked in' as we should we were just told to wait in a big carpark where people were still trying to sell us selfie sticks... Chaos at the gate continued into the car deck so we were relieved to arrive up to our cabin. 2 tiny bunk beds - one broken - and a wash basin. The facilities on the ship do not appear to have been changed from the 1970's and the CD selection since the 1990's. The crossing itself was fine and in the morning the chaos continued with a 45 minute wait to be allowed off the ferry and a further 1 hour 45 to get through passport control.

    I am learning a very important lesson this trip. No-one queues like we British but I think they could do with learning ;)

    Back to Croatia. Mlini is a nice quiet resort. We are staying about 150 steps up from the beach area but this is getting off lightly compared to some of the places. Yesterday we swam in the sea and chilled and had a beer by the water.

    Today we headed into Dubrovnik by boat. The majority of our time was spent in the Old City where it is surrounded by walls, a bit like St Malo. Being Game of Thrones fans ourselves we booked into a walking tour to hear about the filming of the show and the history of Dubrovnik.

    It really is a great looking city. Thronging with tourists again (us included!) and most of the Old City is just restaurant, souvenirs, restaurants, souvenirs and so on. Our landlady - who I would estimate to be in her 60s - did say its not like it used to be when she was younger. The tour was interesting and included a visit to the Fort Lovrjenac whose entrance has an inscription in Latin reading “Freedom is not to be sold, even for all the fortunes of the world”. Which is particularly interesting as for 450 years Dubrovnik paid the Ottoman Empire a fortune every year to remain independent... At the end of the tour we got to sit on a replica of the Iron Throne so unlike most of the characters in the show, we had a happy ending.

    Tomorrow we move north to a place called Kastel Luscik near Split for four days and hope to finally do some washing!!    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    1
    311
    Day 58

    Kaštel Lukšić

    June 4, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Where we are staying now is in a place called Kastel Luksic. It's part of an area called Kastela, basically the coast between Split and Trogir dotted with Castles...

    The minute we arrived we really loved it so booked an extra 3 days to make our stay up to a week! We have two rickety old bikes, but bikes nonetheless, included in our accommodation so I am one very happy girl. Such a joy to be cycling even if it is at 5 mph holding on for dear life!

    The sea is refreshing and clear, we have both been "swimming". Inverted commas as it's more a quick dip and then sitting in the shallows since I read about shark attacks in Croatia!

    The drive up here took us 24 mins through Bosnia. This is somewhere we wanted to stop but insurance restrictions changed our minds.. at least we gained a stamp in our passports to say that we have been here!

    We diverted off the motorway to drive the coastal route as the Dalmatian coast is beautiful! Arriving here we were not disappointed.    Read more

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