Italy
Monti

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    • Day 15

      On strike!

      October 1, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      Honestly could not walk another step so I am protesting right here with this bottle of wine... oh and him in doors! (The ruins are the Circo Massimo) chariot racing arena built in the 6th century BC and was the first and largest stadium built in Ancient Rome and is still used today. (Although the beast hunts have stopped!!) And in the 1980s they uncovered tiered seating and the starting gates but covered them up again to a depth of 9 m....Read more

    • Day 136

      Fabuleuse Rome !!!

      October 12 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Lever à 8 h , on part vite pour Rome. Velo le long de la mer 20 mns, 1/2 h de métro (1,5. € le ticket , 1/2 h de trajet) et à peine sortis de la petite gare, ça commence! Tous les 100m , arrêter le vélo , cadenas , photos , repartir , c’est infernal ! Mais quel bonheur! Il fait soleil , 25*c, du monde mais pas foule,, en tout cas pas la grande, et cette ville est juste splendide ! Jenna , après la traversée d’un pays en 2024 , inaugure avec moi le tour d’un pays complet: le Vatican . Pas vu le pape dont d’ailleurs le nom m’échappe tellement il me paraît , pardon , banal. Pas vu non plus ni Audrey Tautou ni Tom Hanks.
      Retour vers 17 h au train. Jenna s’est pris une insolation: elle me propose à l’instant d’aller nous baigner ! Je crois que j’ai dit oui. Merde , je ne sais plus dire non à mes filles. N’en profitez pas !!!!!
      À suivre, vont ils le faire?
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    • Day 26

      Rome

      September 28 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Off to Rome. The high speed trains are fantastic. Our accommodation is in Monti - a very picturesque part of Rome. This day and the following- we did the rounds of the usuals. Even though it’s shoulder season there are still many people. Thankfully not too crazy hot though. It’s a real shame that basically every attraction is under maintenance due to next year being the Jubilee so this is disappointing but there you go. We’ve been so fortunate with good weather, no train strikes, smooth runs.
      St Peter’s Basilica was pretty impressive. Could put four football fields within!
      The guy playing the instrument - no idea what it is! However it is stringed but he plays it as a percussion. Crazy.
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    • Day 3

      Colosseum

      May 31, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Went for a tour of the colloseum. Tour guide couldn't have been more boring but cool to be shown where to go and ignore her lol. Jon lost the gladiatore battle unfortunately so you won't see him in any more photos.Read more

    • Day 3

      Roaming Rome

      January 16 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

      Today was our first big day in Rome! After brekkie we headed towards the Colosseum where we met our tour guide! We headed off to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, and then finally the Colosseum itself! Amazing amazing amazing. The we stopped off for lunch at a restaurant called La Base where I had some creamy penne and Sarah had some pizza! After that we decide to wander down to the Pantheon where we had some gelato! (Rare for me, but hey, when in Rome) then we walked all the way to Trastevere where we explored some more and had dinner. One taxi ride later and we were back at the air bnb. ZzzzzRead more

    • Day 37

      Arrivederci Italia 🇮🇹

      September 18 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      On the way to the airport - after 5 weeks! We just wanted to take the opportunity to say a big thanks to everyone for following us on this amazing trip. It wouldn’t have been the same without you all XX. See you back in Oz 😘 🇦🇺Read more

    • Day 7

      Colloseum

      March 15 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      Wir sind sehr froh, dass wir uns für einen Besuch des Innenraumes entschieden haben und am Freitag Morgen noch Eintrittskarten für den Nachmittag ergattern konnten. Janosch hat es sich nach den Geschichten über die Gladiatoren sehr gewünscht und wir haben es für den Folgetag mit ihm verabredet. Am Ende waren wir alle Vier drin und es ist wirklich auch mit Kindern gut machbar. Mit einem Individual Ticket kann man sich so lange aufhalten, wie man möchte. Wir wurden am Ende mit als Letzte sehr bestimmt zum Ausgang getrieben.

      Die Vorstellung, wie dieser Koloss entstanden ist, hat uns begeistert. Wie fortschrittlich und ausgeklügelt es zu seiner Zeit gebaut wurde, wie viele Menschen dort Platz gefunden haben und die Kämpfe an sich, ist unvorstellbar. Lasst die Bilder wirken.
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    • Day 6

      Brot und Spiele

      September 6, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

      Heute heisst es mal wieder gezielt aufstehen. Denn um 11.00 dürfen wir ins Kolosseum. Das antike Bauwerk ist so gefragt, dass es pro Stund gerade mal 3000 leute aufnehmen kann - winzig hä? 😂 Nichts desto trotz ist die Vorabreservation eines Timeslots sehr praktisch, da man für gerade mal 2€ mehr an den anstehenden Massen vorbeilaufen kann.

      Drinnen besorgen wir uns einen elektronischen Guide und los gehts. Der Bau ist beeindrucken und die Geschichten die sich hier abgespielt haben imposant (und eher grausam). Im Bezug auf die damaligen Zuschauerzahlen kann das Kolosseum problemlos mit heutigen Fussballstadien mithalten. Wir waren beide etwas überrascht, als wir herausfinden, dass nicht der Arenaboden erhalten ist, sonder der Blick frei auf die Kellergewölbe fällt.
      Am Ende sind wir beide uns jedoch einig, dass der beeindruckenste Anblick des Kolosseums von Aussen ist. Hier wirkt das Gebäude viel mächtiger, als innen.
      Den Rückweg tretten wir durch das Forum Romanum an, einer der ehemaligen Mittelpunkte von Wirtschaft und Politik im kaiserlichen Rom. Heute gehört es zu drn wichtigsten Ausgrabungsstätten (und 50% der Guides sehen auch nach Studenten aus).
      Nach dem ganzen herumlaufen, gönnen wir uns eine Stärkung um anschliessend durch die Shoppingstrassen zu tingeln, bis wir die Piazza del Pobolo erreichen. Ausbeute: eine kurze Hose für Stephan und eine Handtasche für Tina ✌️🏻
      Am abend planen wir die zweite Woche unserer Reise zu Ende und gehen anschliessen ins Mivà essen. Hier gibt es lauter Neuinterpretationen von mediterranen Klassikern. Bei der Past hat Tina weniger Glück, aber der Fisch und das Dessert bringen den Abend noch zu einem versöhnlichen Ende. Etwas Überfressen gehts nach Hause und ab ins Bett.
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    • Day 34

      The Colossal Colloseum and Ciao Europe

      December 6, 2023 in Italy

      My last day in Rome, and final day on this epic journey.

      I'm beginning to see the reason why the Italian carbs haven't impacted my weight too much. My jeans still fit. By 11.30am, I'd traversed 12km on foot. By the days close, this number grew closer to 20km.

      Today, I explored the Colloseum. It was splendid. Built in 72 AD, preserved beautifully, no grifters trying to fleece you of more. Another testament to the deep respect the Italian people hold for history.

      Whilst it did not evoke the same feelings of awe as I felt in Athens, Greece, I was profoundly grateful. Even more so of my stealth. I'd paid for a self guided tour with underground access, though I slid into a private tour group to gain access to other areas of the arena. #touristhacks. #notsorry.

      Vowing to enjoy my last day, I earned my last food rewards. More pizza. More pasta. Some cannoli. I think (I hope) the only impact is my overall fruit and vegetable consumption. Negligible compared to what I'd have at home, though our seasonal fruit and vegetables are spectacular right now.

      I have an extra spring in my step as I hold my loved ones so close in my heart. I'll be seeing them all so soon. There's nothing like being apart to remind you how profound the love you feel for your family and friends really is. And your dog. How I've missed my shadow.

      Over a month without hugs. A month without my little Ferdie by my side. Loving me at my worst. Loving me at my best. Loving me when I've eaten too much cheese and am re-enacting Pompeii.

      I've had an incredible trip. And I'm so ready to come home.

      I finish this post on the rooftop of my hotel. Sipping an Italian red. A rare indulgence during this trip. Salute Italia. Ciao Bella.

      I can't wait to be home and I have the biggest hugs ready for you all.
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    • Day 3

      Colossal Colosseum

      September 10, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      Feeding time at the zoo! 😳😱
      Our breakfast sitting was at 7:45 am… My anticipation was for the typical Italian breakfast table ladened with delicious fresh produce, but, nothing could be further from the truth! There were two tables hastily arranged with what seemed like stale pastries, basic generic cereals and bread 🍞 you would probably hesitate feeding to a duck 🦆 Oh! And Jugs of coffee and cordial. Very underwhelming! We certainly hoped this was not a sign of things to come!

      Mauritzio ushered us onto the “Blue Bus” 🚎 and we headed into the centre of Rome and did a walking tour around the Roman forum and Julius Caesar’s’ forum. It was a 33° day, and all of these historical markers were directly exposed to the heat of the midday sun ☀️ so excuse my ruby red cheeks 🥵

      We found another fantastic little place for lunch and enjoyed fresh, tomato 🍅 bruschetta, grilled vegetables 🥗 and another pizza 🍕 All washed down with Aperol Spritz & a litre of wine 🍷 It didn’t take long for the wine to wear off as we continued our journey using the Metro to get to Saint Peters basilica in Vatican City. Unfortunately we were unable to go inside the Museum because it is a Sunday. It was impressive to wander around the forecourt.

      Fortunately, we pre-booked a Twilight tour of the Colosseum, thus saving us being part of a line that snaked around the outside and luckily we were part of the final day entry into this magnificent Stadium, which, incidentally, was built in only 11 years! By the end of this expedition, I was plum tuckered out, so decided to sit and people watch along the road built by Mussolini while German continued to walk around and work off the carbs 😝

      We had a couple of quiet drinks in the gay street right next to the Colosseum and thought we had it all worked out until we got to the Metro station and replacement buses were in full force… Now, if you thought catching a replacement bus is hard in Melbourne, you ain’t seen nothing like trying to find one that takes you to the middle of nowhere in Rome! I won’t go into detail except to say that it was an experience like no other! The bus ride could only be compared to a white knuckle ride at any amusement park! 😳😱🤯🫣🫨
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