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  • Rachel Britton

2015

A 365-day adventure by Rachel Read more
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  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    An evening with Letters Live

    April 3, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Today is Good Friday, the first day of the Easter weekend and the first day of my birthday weekend celebrations. After waking up with a sore shoulder I decide I need a massage and promptly book myself in as I've many a thing to do today, and having a sore should is not one of them.

    After my massage at Siam Sanctuary (which was amazing) I head into Trafalgar Square for the afternoon. Today there is a performance of the Jesus story-taking place. I caught the last 30 mins of the event - just as Jesus was dying on the cross. It was sprinkling rain, not enough to have thought to bring an umbrella, but enough to make you wet when you stand outside in it for half an hour.

    With 2.5 hours to kill and walking in the rain an unappealing option, I headed into the National Gallery, which is located beside Trafalgar Square. After seeing some art, I went up to their dining rooms, which overlook Trafalgar Square. It was a beautiful spot to spend the early evening eating and watching.

    When it was time to leave the rain had cooled off and I walked the new freshly wet streets of London to Holborn, which is probably my favourite time of London.

    Tonight I am off to the Freemans Church to see an event called Letters Live.

    Letters Live is an annual event, which began in 2013. It's a series of 5 evenings, where a different set of actors each night, read a different set of letters each night.

    Inspired by Letters of note, by Shaun Usher and To the Letter by Simon Garfield, These letters are drawn from the two books of inspiration and are curated into a wonderful evening of performances, poetry and music.

    As stated on their website, "We don’t just programme a series of reading, we curate performances taking into consideration the content of the letter, its style, the person who reads it and where, ensuring each even tis unique and intimate".

    And that’s exactly what we got. From the musical numbers chosen to start and end each session, to the specific actors chosen for each reading, to their way they may have used their voice or expressions to transport us to the time and place the letter was written. It was just fantastic. And the Freemasons’ Hall, where it was held, was a specular and so beautiful.

    It has probably been my favourite show so far, and one that I wish would be held in Australia. With each night being very unique to the next, it's also the only show I wish I'd bought a ticket to every night. It would've been amazing!

    It has certainly inspired me to continue / take up letter writing. Look out back home. Letters are coming your way xx

    Tonight’s line up comprised of:

    singer Tom Odell
    Geoffrey Palmer
    Benedict Cumberbatch
    Gemma Chan
    Colin Salmon
    Samantha Bond
    Louise Brealey
    Sanjeev Bhaskar
    Joanne Froggatt
    Tom Sturridge
    Olivia Colman
    author Andrew O’Hagan
    cellist Natalie Clein

    Full List of readings from Friday 3rd April

     "The Letter" by Wayne Carson Thompson, sang by The Box Tops, performed by Tom Odell
    Evelyn Waugh’s 1942 letter to his wife Laura, o how not to blow up a tree stump, read by Geoffrey Palmer
    Robert Crumb’s letter to Mats Gustafsson “Torturing the saxophone”, read by Benedict Cumberbatch
    Rachel Carson’s letter to Dorothy Freeman “Dear One”, read by Gemma Chan
    Bill Safire’s pre-prepared speech sent to H.R. Haldemann in July 1969 “In the event of Moon Disaster”, to be read by President Nixon if Apoolo 11 did not land safely on the Moon, read by Colin Salmon
    Tina Fey’s response to internet commentators “Dear Internet”, read by Samantha Bond
    Michael Powell’s letter to Martin Scorsese, after he read the script for Goodfellas, read by Benedict Cumberbatch
    Beatrix Potter’s letter to Noel Moore “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”, read by Louise Brealey
    V.S. Naipaul’s letter to copy editor Sonny Mehta “Every writer has his own voice”, read by Sanjeev Bhaskar
    Zelda Fitzgerald’s letter to her husband F.Scott Fitzgerald “Come quick to me”, read by Joanne Froggatt
    Mark Twain’s letter to J.H. Todd “An idiot of the 33rd degree”, read by Tom Sturridge
    “Chinese Form Letter” from 856 AD “I was ready to sink into the earth with shame”, read by Olivia Colman
    Kurt Vonnegut’s letter to Charles McCarthy “I am very real”, read by Andrew O’Hagan
    “Dialogue” by Gyorgy Ligeti, performed by cellist Natalie Clein
    Chris Barker & Bessie Moore’s “My Dear Bessie”, read by Benedict Cumberbatch & Louise Brealey
    “Love Letter” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, performed by Tom Odell
    More of Chris Barker & Bessie Moore’s “My Dear Bessie”, read by Benedict Cumberbatch & Louise Brealey
    Hugh Dowding’s letter to Winston Churchill, 1940, “Final, complete & irremediable defeat”, read by Geoffrey Palmer
    Carl Jung’s letter to James Joyce “A string of veritable psychological peaches”, read by Andrew O’Hagan
    Three Elvis fans’s letter to U.S. President Eisenhower “Don’t touch his hair”, read by Olivia Colman
    Alan Turing’s letter to Mrs Morcon “You could not have had a greater loss”, read by Benedict Cumberbatch
    John Steinbeck’s letter to his son Tom “Nothing good gets away”, read by Colin Salmon
    Clementine Churchill’s letter to husband Winston Churchill “You are not so kind as you used to be”, read by Samantha Bond
    Henry James’s letter to Grace Norton “Sorrow passes and we remain”, read by Tom Sturridge
    Private Eye’s letter to Goodman, Dorrick & Co “Arkell v. Pressdram”, read by Geoffrey Palmer
    W.C. Lathrop’s letter to Thomas Edison “Thanks Mr. Edison”, read by Joanne Froggatt
    Spike Milligan’s letter to Stephen Gard “Oh Christ, the cook is dead?”, read by Sanjeev Bhaskar
    Charlotte Bronte’s letter to her sister Emily’s publisher W.S. Williams “Like a tree in full bearing”, read by Louise Brealey
    Lion Feuchtwanger’s letter to the occupant of his home in 1935 “To The Occupant”, read by Benedict Cumberbatch
    “I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter” by Fats Weller, performed by Tom Odell

    What I saw
    Freemason's Hall - 60 Great Queen St., Covent Garden, London, England, United Kingdom
    Trafalgar Square - Centre of the City, London, England, United Kingdom    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Birthday 25!

    April 5, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Today I have officially been on the planet for 25 years. I am a quarter of a century old haha.

    This time last year I was enjoying a weekend in Geneva, watching the Davis Cup, bleeding my wallet dry with the Swiss currency and basking in the beautiful sunny weather. For the second time in 2 years I was either on a job interview or heading into a job interview just after my birthday. My roles changed the direction of my life and have given me life long friends and experiences.

    This year, however, is a different story. I'm reaching the end of a 9 month contract. I'm giving up my flat, my job and going travelling for 4 months. A friend, whom I moved to London at the same time, moved back to Australia on my birthday. I'm throwing everything into the wind just to see what happens. It's thrilling!

    This year my birthday has landed on Easter Sunday and Easter weekend. So I decided to have a birthday weekend. I celebrated with my work colleagues on Thursday, who gave me the gift of two tickets to the Taste of London event! I had a massage on Friday, watched the end of the Jesus story in the rain in Trafalgar Square, I enjoyed dinner in the National Gallery Dining Rooms and attended a wonderful event called Letters Live.

    On Saturday I got lost in Hampstead Heath and lounged around the house. On Sunday, my housemates and I went to the local pub for a roast lunch. And guess what!? The sun made an appeareance! We basked in it's glory before going home to bake mum's chocolate cake. Louise and I sang happy birthday and blew out the candles. Monday saw the sun out in it's full glory and I on a bike ride along the London canals, from Hackney to Little Venice. Finishing with a gin and burger and a game of scrabble in a pub. A wonderful weekend of eating, drinking, and relaxing.

    I like this tradition of making a big change on or around my birthday. It means that once a year adventure must occur. I'm excited! I'm excited to travel, to eat, to learn, to enjoy the time I have to do this. The next four months will open up whole new possibilites and I can't wait.

    London I'll be back in the Autumn to finish out what has been, so far, an unbelieveable 16 months.

    Stay tuned :)    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Boris Bike Riding through London's Canal

    April 6, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Today I got to enjoy roaming around London on Boris Bike's once more! This is probably almost my favourite activity in London, after driving the big red bus of course.

    Jane, Saskia and I met at Limehouse in Hackney and embarked on a 3 hour bike ride through the London canals finishing in Little Venice. We cycled through Hackney, through Victoria Park, where we stopped for a coffee, up through Islington, past Kings Cross, through Camden Markets, past a pub that Guy Ritchie once owned and Amy Winehouse once partied at, through Regent's Park and past the London Zoo before parking our bikes up out Little Venice. We wandered through the area stopping in at different pubs, before settling at a rather cool one in Maida Vale.

    We enjoyed a delicious post bike burger and gin and tonic before settling into a game of Scrabble. Gran would’ve been proud.

    The sun was out today, I got to wear my sunglasses and got a little bit sun burnt. Not sure that’s happened since before I left home.

    We found ourselves in a very cool little spot beside Camden. It was on a bridge, with a small café at the end and a guy sitting in the shade play acoustic guitar and singing country music. We sat and enjoyed juice and sweet treats before peddling on further.

    I thoroughly enjoy these rides. You see a different part of London every time and Jane and Saskia always provide great stories of things that had happened past, or what this area used to be like.

    A wonderful way to end a wonderful birthday weekend. 25 isn’t look too bad at all!    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race

    April 11, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Today I enjoyed a classic British sporting event! The Annual Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race. It was the 161st men's race and ___ women’s. For the first time ever the men and women's races would happen on the same day, and on the same course. This was big deal here and very historic.

    The Boat Race is an annual contest between two rowing crews from Oxford and Cambridge universities. The Race takes place close to Easter each year on the River Thames in West London between Putney and Mortlake. The first race took place in 1829 in Henley on Thames following a challenge between old school friends. Since the second race in 1836 the contest has taken place in London.

    They expected 300,000 people to be lining the banks and a couple of million to be watching it live on the TV. I stood on Putney Bridge to watch the races begin, although part of me thinks the finish would've been more exciting.

    People were swarming everywhere. You're allowed to drink in public here, and so did the public enjoy such freedom. There were support crews wandering around handing out clappers in each of the team's colours and along the banks where large entertainment areas with big screens and food vans set up to accommodate the crowds. It had a festival atmosphere in a way.

    I stood on Putney Bridge and had a great conversation with two Londoners who had never been to the race! It was fairly cool, with the wind whipping up as the day went on, but the sun was bright and warm.

    After the race I walked up the length of the course to Hammersmith, about halfway maybe. All along were beer gardens buzzing with post race goers, people sitting along the Thames eating and drinking. It was just lovely. I couldn't help but notice that there were bin liners everywhere and most people had made the effort to put their rubbish in the bins or near it if it was full. That does not happen at home!

    A bit a of sun, sport, competition and history. A lovely way to spend a Saturday.

    More on the boat race
    http://theboatraces.org/    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    The winemakers club - Hungarian wines

    April 14, 2015 in England ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Tonight I'm at my first ever wine tasting at an independent wine merchant in Faringdon. I've been here once before, with a friend from work. It's a beautiful wine bar that has made a home in a tunnel or something, I'm still working it out. Candles are littered around the place, with old wooden furniture creating little spaces. There is a fire going, but it's not enough to keep the cool, that swirls around away. And the place is made of bricks. There is a giant bookcase at the back with all the wines they sell and a grudge to the left with bottles to try.

    Twice a month they hold a wine tasting and this evening the feature is Hungarian wines. There are 6 to try plus cheese and charcuterie on the side.

    It starts off as a bit of a shambles, we started 25 mins late because half of the people, all from one party hadn't arrived. By this point we started without them.

    We first up enjoyed a lovely sparkling white, this was followed by a ..... Which we enjoyed with some strong meats. Apparently it's a good wine to have with the salty Hungarian food.

    It was at this point that the other half of the party appeared, they had been in the area next door enjoying the Ł80 bottles at the wine owners preview event haha. Oh my did we get distracted, it was rather hilarious!

    Once we all settled down we continued our evening of tastings which included another white, two reds and a dessert wine, which we enjoyed with some cheese.

    The evening was more of a social adventure as opposed to a lecture. We were given a short intro in the wine, the region and maker. A number of these bottles were limited production.

    Apparently before the Cold War, Hungarian wines were a dominate force. But when the soviet army moves in they ripped up all of the wine land and planted crops to feed the army.

    As such a lot of the Hungarian type of wi e is still trying to make a come back in the market. So if you ever see a X or X I urge you to buy it over the point noir, you'll he in for a treat.

    Attending an event solo can be a dicey move sometimes. At first j was quite alone but thr group of people who came together were loud and excited and happy to include me. The wine and the face that I sat in the middle of them may have helped. They asked if I was going to dinner with them at the end of the night and I kind of wished I was.

    All in all it was good fun, but maybe next time they should make it clear where each event is.

    The Winemakers Club    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Highgate Cemetery

    April 18, 2015 in England ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    It is a glorious day in London today. It's cool and breezy but the sun is warm and the sky is blue. Ever since I moved to West Hampstead I've wanted to visit Highgate cemetery in Hampstead. It has cool people there and is consistently mentioned as a place to visit in timeout guides.

    With only 3 weekends left here I took the weather as a signal and headed out. There are two cemeteries here, the East and the West. The West is the oldest and can only be accessed on an official tour. The East is a few years younger and you are free to wanderer at your own will. Karl Marx resides here.

    I arrived under the impression that the East gives a tour as well, it wasn't, only the West was today. So I signed up for the 2:30pm session. For Ł12 I got a 1 and a quarter hour tour of the west and access into the East.

    I roamed around the East first, visiting the Karl Marx plot and just generally wandering and enjoying the view. It was nothing like a cemetery I'd never seen before. It was forest like, people were buried all over the place, no straight lines. You could hear only the sounds of the wildlife going about their day. It was peaceful and quiet. At one point I saw a black cat sharpening it's nails on fallen down tree.

    At 2:20 I headed back to the chapel entrance of the west cemetery and waited for our tour to start.

    We were just a smallish group, probably 10-15. And started off in a courtyard. Our guide tells us that the cemetery was built in the Victorian era when there was a burial crisis. Too many dying people and not enough ground space. Eventually the idea of the great 7 was developed and set up.

    Given the era it was very fashionable to have a flashy funeral. You must always keep up appearances apparently, even in death! There were also these mourning fazes. Where the women had to wear certain clothes and colours and they were only allowed out if the house after a certain period of time.

    Keeping in mind the it was necessary for a flashy funeral, the design of the cemetery catered for this. There was an area called the Egyptian corridor, there were giant above ground buildings which families owned so that people could be buried together.

    Some of the interesting tombs we saw / met included :

    Russian spy
    Coloeir outbreak in soho
    Adam worth - Henry j Raymond, the Napoleon of crime
    The doctor who did the first surgery under anesthetiser
    Michael faraday - quote about tax

    I had a great time and would recommend it if you've some free time in London and not sure what to do.    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    ANZAC Day

    April 25, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    This year I am in London for ANZAC day and have received a ticket to the ANZAC day service at Westminster abbey. I'm excited and feel that this is a good event to go to, seeing as I was at Gallipoli last year.

    I arrived early and was taken in through security, this included a passport check, bag check and metal detector walk through.

    The whole area was shut down and tourists were wandering by looking confused as to why the abbey was shut and what was with all the police. I felt really special.

    I entered the abbey and was told to walk forward. It was a very chilled affair. There was one side for the Australians and the other for the New Zealanders. Lots of people here seemed to know each other and gave the impression that this wasn't the first time they'd attended this service.

    I was sat towards the back of the abbey and third row I'm from the aisle. We had beautiful ceremony books on our seats and the organ started playing tunes at 11:45am. It was whilst reading the programme and looking at the tiles of VIP guests that I realised the Queen and Prince Phillip will attend!!

    As I sit watching the guests I start to realise how big of a deal this ceremony is. I watch Nick Clegg, David Cameron, Alexander Downer, Kevin Rudd and .... Walk in with their wives. There was also portent reps from NZ and Turkey and the ... Of Westminster, but u didn't recognise them.

    When the Queen arrived we all had to stand and four royal guards (in the red coats & black hats) stood up in the archway separating the front and back of the church, and sounded a fanfare with their trumpets. The queen greeted different service men and women who were at the entrance, then preceded to the front if the church, smiling and nodding at everyone as she went by.

    I couldn't believe it!! Seeing a royal family member wasn't in my list. Yet here I was a mere metre from the number one!! No wanting in long lines or rough crowds, no cheering and trying to get just a glimpse. There she was in all her glory and she'd be walking past me in get way out too.

    The ceremony was lovely. We heard prayers, sang songs and joined in refrains. I proudly sang out the Australian anthem when it was our turn and joined in fur the Turkish and New Zealander ones.

    When the Queen left we again all stood and the fanfare began. What a way to enter a room each day, with such noise and attention. I'd have to cheer you up on sad days haha.

    The abbey holds a lot of people and it took us all a little while to exit. The crowds had grown by now and watched on as we left. I walked out past Big Ben before going home, riding high on my meeting.

    Lest We Forget    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    London Marathon

    April 26, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Today is one of the biggest events on the London calendar. It's an event that absorbs the city and makes London feel like this one great big community. It's the London marathon!

    And this year I know someone who is running. It's very exciting. Nat who is a great friend and housemate of nicky's is running for the first time this year. It's a dream come true for her and very exciting for me. I love seeing people work really hard for a goal. It's very inspiring.

    I stayed at their place on sat night in preparation to form part of the cheer squad. We were up early and took Nat to the start. We were only allowed in so far before we had to wave goodbye and send her into the marshalling area. We joked it was like waving a kid off on their guest day of school.

    When the went for breakfast to fuel up for the big day haha. There were racers in our restaurant eating breakfast 20 mins before the race started. It was crazy!

    Our first stop was to meet Nag at the 7 mile mark (x km). We saw all sorts of people and customers running by.

    These included:
    A guy bouncing Basketballs
    supermans
    giraffe
    rhinos
    princesses
    cool runnings
    tardis
    jesus on a cross
    pink lady apples
    army / marina
    gorilla & banana
    juggler

    I thoroughly enjoyed watching these his run around the course. They definitely deserve a prize and function for running a marathon and in their outfits!

    The other cool thing about marathon is that all runners have their names in their shirts, so the public can call them out and offer support. It was fabulous!! I had so much fun cheering people on while we waited for Nat.

    We met her at mile 7, 13 and 22 m. We waited at mile 25 hoping to see her on the last leg but she rang us saying she'd already crossed the finish line.

    In a very distant way we ran the marathon ourselves today. We had to reach each destination before Nat did. This meant taking the overground rail and crisscrossing the city. It was awesome as you could see the track and runners at different times. It literally takes over London. I wouldn't recommend visiting London on this day as there'll be no accommodation and all the transport will be delayed.

    Nat was just buggered. We got some supplements into her and headed home. It was such a fantastic day!! And so very inspiring! But sheets hit up a marathon, but I'm starting to think a half marathon would be a great goal to achieve.    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Last day at TMP

    April 30, 2015 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    oday is my last day at TMP before I begin my adventure across Italy and France. I've almost been here 9 months, which is pretty awesome considering that I was initially contracted for 3 months only.

    It's been a very interesting time here. I've learnt a lot about myself, what I want to do and what skills and strengths I have. I've learnt all about graduate recruitment, blue chip companies and the advertising world. I got to travel around the country attending careers fairs and pop up events.

    I've met some really great people, enjoyed many a night out at Hudson's, took one Brit to Paris for the first time and eaten at some cool places.

    And on my last week, I got to enjoy four glorious days sitting beside a window looking out over the intersection of Oxford street and Tottenham Court Road.

    I watched the company strive for a huge client, jump through many hoops, assist in delivering pitch documents, which included driving around London's CBD one Friday afternoon and celebrate in their eventual success.

    I got a beautiful card and book to take with me. This is my second London employment who have described me as the sun ... Haha. Till next time!    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    A new princess

    May 2, 2015 in England ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    I turned on the news at lunchtime to find out that the new Princess arrived this morning. This is the only thing all the news channels are covering and slowly so was all of social media.

    There are several traditions that happen when a new royal is born. First it is announced via the town _____ outside the hospital, then a sign is erected in front of Buckingham Palace with all the details, then the family present to the media before heading home.

    I believe last time the family waited a few days before going home, but as the afternoon ticked over it crowd were notified that the royals would be leaving today.

    I originally planned to go past Buckingham Palace on my way to the theatre to see the royal sign, but then I realised that the hospital was just down the road from me. I didn't intend on seeing the royals I just wanted to see the crowds and all the fanfare, so far I had missed all of this while being here.

    As I left to head out the TV was saying that Wills and Kate would present the princess between 6:30pm – 7pm, I’d be arriving at 6pm and need to leave very shortly after, so I figured I wouldn’t see them.

    As I leading Paddington Station there was police stationed at every corner. As I walked up the main street towards the hospital it increased to every couple of meters. I turned to the hospital grounds and saw all the people waiting.

    I could see the Royals car – this should’ve been a sign – waiting a little way down, the world press were all lined up on the right hand side and directly opposite them was the hospital entrance. People were waving and shouting, standing on stepladders they’d brought trying to get the best picture.

    I turned to leave when this almighty cheer and roar went up, the press where flashing their cameras like crazy and yelling 'Kate, Kate, Kate’. The car revved up and crept forward. I couldn’t believe my luck, I had managed to be here when they appeared.

    But time was ticking on and Ralph was in a play that I had to get to, so off I popped looking back one last time at the crowds. As I got closer to the station these women were running past me. One stopped to ask the officer where is the car going and he said straight ahead, but be quick.

    I walked really fast after them and as we got closer to the station the police presence had increased, the road had been shut, the traffic lights were no longer of use and the crowds thickened and I saw the green land rover, whizz by, royals and new baby all in.

    And that was it. The police dispersed, the traffic lights were playing their role once more and the crowds started toward the underground.

    Two weekends in a row I’ve a brush with the royals! I feel very British right now.    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    I'm here! In Napoli!

    May 7, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    I've arrived in Napoli! I flew into Rome last night and then took a train down to Napoli. I used my interrail pass for the first time which was exciting. I took a bus from the train station to my hostel, but as in Rome apparently no one in Italy feels the need to have big signs pointing out their location, so I again wandered up and down my street a few times before I found my home for the next few days. Good times haha.

    My hostel is located one street back from the sea. You can smell the sea air and see glimpses of the cruise liners that fill the bay. The hostel is lovely. I've views over the city, a balcony, and the staff full of useful information.

    After settling in I headed out, first along the water and then up to the two main streets in old town, where all the best pizza places are, I'm told. Napoli FC were playing so I stopped in at a bar that was full of locals. I had a drink and some bruschetta and enjoyed the atmosphere. Everyone smokes here, inside, outside, on vespers, but the smell isn’t the same, or it isn’t as overpowering as it can be in London.

    At 8pm I wandered up to a pizzeria I was told about and enjoyed a cheese, Gorgonzola cheese, salami and onion pizza. It was delicious! But I stopped in at the wrong place. Apparently the word Sorbello is a popular one for pizza places haha. Oh well, lucky there are more days in Napoli for more pizza!

    Where I stayed
    Hostel of the Sun - 15 Via Melisurgo, Naples, Italy

    Great place to stay. The rooms are a good size, you have a balcony, a nice kitchen, breakfast is good, there are aperitivos every second night. The staff are really knowledgeable and tell you all the best places in Napoli and for day trips.    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Napoli Adventures

    May 10, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Having acclimatised very quickly in the 1.5 days I've been here I headed out on Friday morning to join a walking tour. The guide was apparently waiting at Castel Nuovo and after dodging the traffic and road works I made it, to find no guide.

    Instead I wandered around the castle before jumping on one of the tour buses. I toured around the city for almost 3.5 hours listening to the commentary and taking in the sights. Napoli is a feast for the eyes. The countryside changes from lush green areas to a real coastline, the buildings are bright and individual, some are looked after, and others have been let go.

    We wandered up to areas on the coast, which still had a Greek feel, where there were small fishing communities and fantastic views over the city, coastline and Mt Vesuvius. Napoli has so much history that I didn't know about. The Greeks used to be out there, it was once a very royal place and only lost it’s capital title when the south merged with the north to create one Italy and Rome became the capital.

    You can just tell that it was once very stately and regal. I wonder what has happened (I'm sure they probably did mention it :/). After the tour I walked along the coast for a little while, before having some lunch and climbing one of the free castles - Castel Dell'Ovo. I intended on having a quiet one tonight before I joined the others in the hostel for drinks and story swapping.

    On Saturday I set out to explore a fruit and vegetable street market and purchased a few local items before wandering up the north to find pizzeria starita. This came highly recommended by a local and a wannabe local. It was tucked way off the main street, but there were signs from a certain point onwards directing you left and right – thankfully or I would’ve never found it. Pizzeria Starita seems to be a chain, it said it had 2 locations in the USA as well, but maybe it was founded in Napoli. Either way the Napolian margarita special was amazing! It reminded me of the magretia that Otto’s makes at home – yummy!

    I also had my daily dose of gelato at a place called Gayodin, I thought it was a special gelato and chocolatier, but it was a chain haha. I also tried an Italian pastry called Sfogliatella.

    On Sunday I achieved a bucket list item. A part from eating pizza, I came to Napoli to see Pompeii and climb Mt Vesuvius. I’ve always wanted to see a real volcano and as Mt Vesuvius isn’t classified as extinct, just dormant, I’m classifying this as a win! See other post for my adventure there.

    Upon returning from my adventures scaling the mountain, I headed out with some of the crew from the hostel for a couple of very cheap beers on the town. A wonderful way to end my time in Napoli.    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    MT Vesuvius and Pompeii

    May 10, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today I am off to tick off a major item on my bucket list visit a real volcano! Every since learning all about Mt Vesuvius and Pompeii in Italian class in primary school I have wanted to visit this town that was covered by a volcano and preserved history so well.

    Mt Vesuvius and Pompeii are located towards the south of Naples on the way to Sorrento. Mt Vesuvius is our first stop I get off at the station and hop on board a mini bus that takes us towards the middle of the mountain.

    From here we hand over our tickets and climb all the way to the top. It feels quite barren even though there is much greenery around us. We walk over a large dirt road, but the whole feeling has quite a touristy feeling. It's a little bit steep and there are lots of little stops along the way haha.

    As we reach the peak of the summit the winds reach their height and howl all around us. It’s so strong that you have to hold onto the rails to avoid falling off.

    The view over Naples is spectacular! The view into the mountain isn’t the most glamorous, it just looks like dirt everywhere, but man is it so cool! You can just imagine it exploding everywhere. And it could still happen, it is only dormant, not extinct!!

    After walking all the way around and taking shelter in the small bar / souvenir store I headed back down to meet the bus that would return us to the town. I had lunch here before heading onwards to Pompeii.

    I managed to make the last guided English tour of the day – phew! and headed off around Pompeii. It was pretty cool, stepping into this old town seeing where the baker was, the courts, the first pedestrian crossing, the roman baths for men and women, the supermarket and so on.

    The funniest area was the brothels where they had pictures of services men could request on the wall. Also in streets around the brothels were penises on the road and walls of houses directing people to the brothels haha.

    As per usual they had these beautiful water fountains everywhere so you could fill up your water bottles with fresh, clean, cold water. The only downside was that most of the cool relics and frozen people were in the archaeological museum in Naples, so they only had a few items you could actually see in Pompeii.

    Otherwise, it was an awesome day!    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Napoli - a sum up of this great town

    May 11, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After 4 wonderful days in Napoli it is time for me to pack my bags and head north on my journey once more. I was warned by several people about coming to Naples. Be careful they said, it's dangerous, you’ll be pick pocketed - blah blah blah. Well I have to say how wrong everyone was. Napoli has been amazing! It beats to it’s own drum, has a vibrant rhythm running through it’s streets, beautiful food, lovely scenery and wonderful people.

    The city is everything you imagine an Italian city is like. The streets are cobbled, the buildings are painted bright colours with their balconies a complementary colour. The washing is hanging out on lines that crisscross the city and children call out to each other in the windows. Homes mix along side businesses and you could often families, grandparents, parents and children, sitting around tables together.

    The traffic in Napoli has a mind of it’s own. Vaspas whip around the streets, cars push and shove into every nook and cranny and pedestrians try not to get run over. There is no such thing as a pedestrian only area. If a vesper can fit and the traffic is moving to slow the vesper will mount the curb and start beeping at you.

    Pedestrian crossings are more a decoration then anything else. Nobody stops for you; you just have to walk out saying 'gratias’ with a hand up haha. At first I waited for more experienced or braver people to cross with me. In the end I was leading the others!

    Some things I saw on vaspas:
    - a dog
    - a child standing in front of the ‘driver’
    - a passenger holding onto 3 boxes of vegetables
    - a driver holding onto their sports gear with one hand and driving with the other
    - some people wore helmets others didn’t. Sometime parents had helmets and children didn’t

    Everyone loves to talk on their phones and drive a car, bus or vaspa. They love to smoke to. But everyone, and I mean everyone LOVES their horn! Beep, beep, beep = out of the way, beeeeepppp = move! Sometimes they just beep because they haven’t beeped in 5 seconds haha. It gives a melody to the humming traffic as you walk around the streets. Oh, and vaspas don’t go slow. Oh no, they whip around the corners and speed through streets full of pedestrians, you move or the vaspa moves you! Their brake systems here must be amazing!

    Taking the train down from Roma to Napoli reminds me of the Tully / Ingham area. There are mountains all around, it’s green, the houses are of similar colouring and design, there is agriculture everywhere and it’s warm. The people are happy and loud and loving. I miss that.

    The one thing that I think sums up Napoli perfectly is the graffit found all around the city, espeically on the monuments. The past meets the present. Napoli was once a influential, wealthy town and for whatever reason it has descended into something else. I liked it. It was like, yeah you might be old, but we're making your ours #grafitt tag ... or something like that.

    Recommended pizzeras:
    Gino’s Sorbello
    Starita

    Temperature average while I was there: 27-15 degress

    Food is cheap! €3 for a beautiful margerita pizza    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Roma : Take 2

    May 12, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I've made it to Rome! I’m here staying near the Termini station, but we’ve already had an accident and I’m currently limping my way around this historic city. But let me start at the beginning.

    I arrived yesterday from Naples and settled into my hostel, the Freedom Traveller hostel. I am really enjoying this hostel. The rooms are massive, there are lots of bathrooms, we get a free breakfast in the form of pure sugar (well sugar coated pastries) each morning, there is a little garden out the back and free wine and nibbles are put on every night, which makes the place very social indeed.

    My favourite bit is the windows. I’m on the 3rd floor and get to open up the wooden doors out onto the street below. I can hear the street artists playing music, see people sitting in restaurants eating pizza and watch travellers wander up and down trying to find their hostel. I love hearing the music wander up into our room. It’s so Italian!

    After exploring the local grocery shop this afternoon and purchasing some olives, cheese, prosciutto and fizzy red wine (I do not recommend this) I sat in the garden and chatted with all the new visitors to the hostel. As I’ve already been to Rome before and seen the major sights, I didn’t really want to see them again, but I did want to see the Colosseum at night. So after saying goodbye to my new friends I walked down to the Colosseum, it’s about 25 mins from my hostel.

    It was just beautiful. All light up and standing tall. There were just enough people sitting around to make to feel really comfortable and fun. Everyone was enjoying the view and the fact that they were in Roma. After walking around a few times and taking some pictures I headed back to my hostel.

    I was walking down a set of beautiful stairs that was partially in the dark. As I walked down admiring its beauty, literally just thinking how it wasn’t that unsafe to be there, I slipped on some pasta and fell down twisting my ankle as I went. The people ahead of me turned to see me fall and then just kept walking – very lovely I thought.

    I slipped in the pasta getting back up and hobbled home thinking, aside from the pasta now all over my pants, I’ve got away scot-free here! Unfortunately no. I woke in the middle of the night in a lot of pain. So I texted mum haha, help me!! So my foot is now strapped and I hobble everywhere. This has slowed me down quite a lot.

    And I’m a fast walker! Limping around only makes you more of a target for all of the pesky 'do you want a selfie stick’ or ‘can I sell you this tour’ people. But I did have a little laugh to myself at the irony of what had just happened. It’s a story at least!

    Instead of exploring the city and hitting up a number of food places that was recommended, I very slowly made my way to The Vatican today. I took the Metro and tried desperately to weave past every person trying to sell me a ticket to the fast queue.

    I sat in the St Peter’s Square eating my lunch and taking in the view. The line never stopped growing for entry. I went to the post office and posted a couple of cards home – keep a look out for those, and wandered around a bit, but in the end I gave up and headed back to the hostel to rest my foot. Tonight I enjoyed the company of a few Americans and other hostellers in the free wine and sharing stories of the day.

    Where I stayed
    Freedom Traveller Hostel - Via Gaeta 25, Rome, Italy

    Fab hostel that is close to the main train station. Staff are pretty helpful. There is a little garden, social area, coffee machine, free computer and kitchen for use downstairs. I was on the 3rd floor. The room was huge and had 4 single beds in it, plus a desk and cupboards. We opened out our windows on to the street below. Bathrooms were good. Breakfast is free, but is coffee and pastries - the Italian way. Also free wine and nibbles from 7pm each night. It makes for a very social evening with the other hostellers. I was happily stay here again.    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Living out my biking dream in Roma

    May 13, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    I've come to Rome to see the tennis. It’s the reason I’m in Italy to be honest. Being able to travel around Europe following the tennis is one of the things I really wanted to do while here, so here I am.

    It is the Rome Masters 1000 and all of the big names will be here, including Federer. I think this may be the final tournament before the French Open. this will be my first real tournament outside of a Grand Slam. So I’m of course very excited! And today is tennis day.

    As Federer is playing tonight, I’ve decided to participate in a free (tips requested) bike tour of Rome. The Americans from last night raved about it, they had done the night bike tour on Monday. The night tour sounds awesome, but today I do the day one. Biking through Europe also interests my a lot, so here we go.

    It turns out that I am the only person today interested in the free bike tour, I suppose everyone else is at the Papal mass. But the guide takes me anyway, a private tour for me. As I told him I had already seen the big sights, he takes me on a different journey through Rome. We pass sites not well-known, go into free museums and pedal along the quieter streets of Rome.

    It was great fun. He showed me of local places to eat and drink at, explain the Roman water system in great detail and took me to see a giant pyramid tombstone. For lunch we stopped in the Jewish quarter and enjoyed a pizza base of sorts. He tells me that this is a local spot and it’s a meal that locals often enjoy.

    It was great and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see a lot of Rome in a short period of time. Biking in Rome is an experience in it’s self. But as in Naples, you just need to push out and people generally stop for you. You can keep the bike for 24 hours once the tour is over and pedal around yourself.

    After the tennis (see other post) my time in Rome ends, and I’m kind of glad. Rome is full of tourists, and tourists attract people trying to sell you everything under the sun, it’s hard to find good meals and the overpriced tasteless ones are coming at you from every corner. Or maybe this just me.

    What I do love about Rome, and Italy in general, are the water fountains that are all through the city. They have free (woohoo) and have fresh cold water streaming out of them all the time. It’s lovely and just what you need.    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Rome Masters 1000

    May 13, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    One of my dreams of coming travelling was to follow the tennis circuit in Europe. There are many more tournaments on here throughout the year then at home, and it's the reason why I've come to Rome this time.

    Although all the big names are here I've come to see Federer and he plays his first match in the second round tonight. So I am off to the tennis!
    I catch the metro and the bus to the grounds. All around the grounds are these giant marble statues of Gods all looking fierce and powerful. The grounds are really nice. It's a small area, but there are lots of flowers, little sponsor shops set up, eateries all mostly selling pizza, but a few American hotdogs and burgers as well.

    When I arrive Dimitrov Grigor is on his way to losing to an Italian, so the Italians were like 4 rows deep around the stadium. It was a cool stadium. It was set in the ground so you could walk past it and look in. It felt Colosseum like.

    Tonight I see Federer vs Pablo Cuevas and Petra Kvitova vs Karin Knapp, an Italian women. The Italian audience is nothing like I’ve seen at a tennis match before. They are loud, talk through sets, and get up and leave whenever they feel like it. It feels like they all interact with one another, one side will respond to the other side if they yell out, or if they feel someone is being nosiy the stadium will shhh them. It' really interesting and fun.

    The stadium is full for Federer and he wins in 2 sets, although Cuevas is great competition. I then saw that Nick Kyrgios was playing double with Sam Sock from the USA on one of the outside courts, but by the time Federer had finished Nick and Sam had also completed their match and made a awesome come back and fought hard for the final set and win.

    As I wandered around the stadium between the two matches I realised that a number of the sponsors had masses of people standing out the front of them with a TV playing. I realised it was soccer, there must've been a big match on. Soccer seriously rules everything over here, even, apparently, at another sporting event.

    Rome Masters 1000: http://www.internazionalibnlditalia.com/en/l

    Star Wars music for players entrance to court    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Day 1 : HelpX in Pontremoli

    May 15, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    For the next week I've decided to try my hand at HelpX (exchange). It's a website that was recommended to me when I originally at home. The premise ... "HelpX is provided primarily as a cultural exchange for working holiday makers who would like the opportunity during their travels abroad, to stay with local people and gain practical experience. In the typical arrangement, the helper works an average of 4 hours per day and receives free accommodation and meals for their efforts."

    I'm staying in Northern Tuscany, way up in the mountains, in the town were Ponocchio is famous . I'm staying with a retired English couple, who have lived here for almost 11 years. They have their own house here and prefer to live off the land. So they have lots of vegetables gardens, fruit trees, wood stocks, animals etc.

    I arrived yesterday afternoon and was given a short tour, by my hosts David and Helen, of the small town before heading up to the mountains. Pontremoli was the last Pagen viillage in Italy and it also has the oldest working theatre here.

    David and Helen live in a beautiful old home, which they are constantly renovating or changing. The houses here all live on top of each other and there are no dividing yard lines. It reminds me of Beatrix Potter's farm and I forget sometimes that I'm in Italy. They have a double storey house and upstairs is a 3 bedroom apartment, which myself and a Canadian Helper, Diva (pronounced Diver) are staying in. The view from our balcony over the valley are just glorious!

    Last night we had apivertors downstairs before enjoying a lovely meal of pasta with local prochinni mushrooms, second course was a salad and third course was dessert. We also drank local red wine. The wine is served in those typical Italian wine bottles and has a dry cork on top. Due to the dry cork, when bottled, oil or vasaline is put in the neck of the wine to prevent the air reaching the wine. David tells us that when the wine is ready to drink they used to put horse hair (but he used paper towel) into the neck to scope out the oil.

    I have a lovely huge room with a massive bed and am basking in all it's glory at night!

    Today it's raining, which is a problem as a lot of the work David needs help with is outside. We have a delicious breakfast of croissants and cereal before we tempt the weather and head outside to dig up the patch for the potatoes.

    Unfortunately, the weather has other ideas and so we head inside to break up a concrete floor with a drill.

    Tonight we play some card games; scoupa, chase the ace and one other.

    Dinner is:
    Soy fillet in rescue of chicken
    Vegetables
    Peaches in liqueur with a cream thing & biscotti biscuit crushed in

    I also handsome lemonceklo

    http://ciaolunigiana.com/activities-children-po…    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Day 2 : HelpX

    May 16, 2015 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    Today the markets are on in the town, so instead of working in the morning, we shall work in the afternoon and visit the markets first.

    After breakfast we head down to the town. Diva and I go fit a walk through the Old Town. We see some markets, the oldest bar (coffee shop) in town, we walk past an old cobbler shop which is thought to be linked to the story of Pinocchio and take photos with the Pinocchio statue. We also visit a local corner store and walk around the seat working theatre in Italy, ___.

    The town is a beautiful, old medieval town. In our way back to meet Helen and David we stop into a local bakery - the smell was just lovely. In most of the cabinets is fresh pasta! Pasta of all sorts. There are also fruit pies, little sweets and a savoury delicacy called .... I had a potato one and it was yummy.

    David took us to his local pizzeria where we tried local focaccia and .... It's like a pizza based made from chickpea flour.

    While I was eating my ... In the street David asked if I still had the receipt. He said, that in Italy you must always haves receipt to prove to the police that you bought the item. If I couldn't show my documents to prove I'd paid for it I could be fined as would the suite who sold it for not giving me one. It's crazy!

    After lunch we worked in the forest cutting up trees that had fallen over for firewood. David would cut the trees with the chain saw and Diva and would carry them up the hill to the house.

    For dinner we have:
    Entree - pesto, tomato & cheese in squares of fill pastry
    Pasta - pest pasta, the pesto is made from stinging nettles
    Dessert - fruit salad with a coconut yogurt semifredo

    Tonight we are watching a movie that David and Helen really like called 'brother, where out thy?' It's a Cohen brothers film. It was really funny and enjoyable.

    We have a fire going again tonight. This time putting the wood in means a bit more haha. More wood = more chopping!    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Day 3: HelpX

    May 17, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Today we are up at 8am. First task is to finish off the wood chopping job. David drives his tractor and cart down to where we stacked the wood cuts yesterday.

    His tractor is really cool! It has rope curled around the front which is pulled to start, you can see all of the machine sections and it has a little metal stick to turn it off. The cart off the back is a tip loader, but we have to tip it haha.

    We cart the wood up to his wood shed and chop it down, first with chainsaw then with axe, into pieces we can stack. He says he currently has 3 years worth of wood cut and stacked for them.

    For lunch today we are being treated to real Italian pizza cooked in the outside pizza oven that David has made. Bruno, their neighbour, joins us for lunch. It was such an Italian thing to do and such a treat!

    Helen has made the dough balls and we went outside to work on the marble table top. Bruno started and showed us how it was done. First up we rolled out the rough with a rolling pin. We sprinkled Helen's homemade pizza sauce as the base, then chose a handful of ingredients, some vegetables, some cured meats before putting either mozzarella or Gorgonzola.

    In Italy you share your pizza with everyone else. So when we brought our pizzas back from the oven, we sliced them up and shared them out. You might only get one slice of your own pizza. I love this sharing culture.

    Diva and I join David in a little mission late this afternoon. A local from another village has offered David a scooter, so we travel up to his village to collect it. The village used to be the main village of the area, but has since broken down. We wander into the local little bar for a piccolo vino rosa, before heading back home.

    Tonight Bruno has invited us down to his house for apivertor. We drink local red wine (the best I've had so far) and meats cured by Bruno himself. It was delicious.

    Bruno joins us for dinner at our house and a round of chase the ace.

    Dinner is:
    Pasta - salmon and vegetables
    Salad - garden salad
    Desert - mousse and wafer sticks

    I also try some homemade vodka sloth berries. It was good.    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Day 4: HelpX and Cinque Terre

    May 18, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today is our day off. So Daiva and I are headed to the cinque Terre coastline for the day. I had no intention of visiting here originally, but as the opportunity has presented itself and I recall several people at work speaking about it, I've decided to join Diva today. The images online do look amazing!

    Cinque Terre, which means five lands, is combined of five small coastal villages, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. We begin at Monterosso and make our way down the coast line. It is very beautiful.

    Monterosso
    Was the biggest and had the best beaches to swim at, main because it had a beach. It was refreshingly cold to swim in and really weird to stand in stones instead of sand. The water was a beautiful blue colour and the sand on the beach a grey-ish colour. There was lots of little markets and restaurants here. I loved the lemon trees the best. Walkers would also start the trek along the coastline here.

    Vernazza
    Was small and squished. We didn't really like it here, but they may have been because we were looking for a place to lay on the beach and have lunch. There were two small swimming areas, all very rocky and it was crowded with people. We did walk up a section where the walkers would enter the town and take in a birds eye view, then we left.

    Corniglia
    We didn't really visit Island Corniglia. It's the only Island that doesn't meet the waters edge, but sits high above it. After heading towards the town from the train station we stopped after 5 mins realising it would take 15 mins to walk in. We were hot and hungry and not that interested. We walked back to the train station, down some steps and found a little alcove where we set and had lunch.

    After lunch we headed back to Island a for some swim time.

    With time marching on we boarded the train once more and headed to our final two islands.

    Manarola
    Manarola was the wine island, known for its white wine, the hills all around the small village are filled grape vines. After exploring the small town and watching the youths jump off the rocks in the middle into the sea we wandered up to a restaurant that overlooked it all. We sat here and enjoyed some white wine, rosa and nibbles. This is also where you can take some beautiful photos of the classic Cinque Terre look.

    Riomaggiore
    Our final destination is Riomaggiore. This is probably one of the biggest villages. We walk around for a bit trying to find the ocean and evenutal after back tracking and taking a different path we do. I enjoy an ice-cream as we watch the sunset and enjoy the afternoon.    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Day 5: HelpX - final day

    May 19, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Today is my final day as a HelpXer for Helen and David.

    And as it's not raining we're finally getting j to the garden to plant those potatoes! We've got our earliest start yet, breakfast at 7 with croissants.

    Divia and I start in the vegetable patch we started with last week, before moving on to two others. We dug up the dirt, pull out any weeds and then rake it back over the ground.

    I'm responsible for planting the potatoes. I line up the pegs, pull up the dirt, place the potato and burry the dirt. This takes up all of our allocated time for today.

    For lunch we had 5 salads to choose from and muffins for dessert.

    While I pretend to pack up my room Divia is preparing for her nursing interview tonight in Skype with a university in Toronto.

    This afternoon we take a walk up to the ghost village. It's this old town, that looks to be built in the medieval period, that was abandoned by its occupants in the war. They took only what they could carry and everything else was left behind. It's still there now, spoons in walls, bed frames, tables and ovens.

    The view walking down was spectacular. Added bonus was the clear blue skies. That was a 2 hour return walking journey.

    But the walking wasn't over. While Divia attended her interview David and I went for a walk through the forest looking for mushrooms. It was, unfortunately, to dry and to early in the season. But we saw all sorts of plants, beds wild boars had made, badgers borrows and fox's toilets.

    For dinner we had:
    Seafood risotto
    Salad
    Tiramisu and strawberry-misu
    Pink prosecco

    We played uno, but we regular cards and chase the ace. I managed an epic 3 match winning streak in uno to hold off losing to David, but I eventually succumbed.

    I've had an awesome time here. Manual labour is a very different kind of wok haha and I have a new appreciation and thankfulness for all the farmers out there.    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Torino with Alex

    May 21, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    So my 24 hours in Torino is over and I've had a wonderful time!

    I've eaten my last pizza, gelato and pasta. I've been served a coffee, drank in a bar and saw hail. Alex has a beautiful home (only for a few more hours), which is located in the heart of town. But let's start at the start....

    I arrived at 2:30pm to be greeted by Alex a 4 of her aui Paire friends. Two of them have the crowd a show with one playing the piano in the station and the other singing the songs. It was just awesome!

    We walked through the streets to Alex's house, where I gawked at all the beautiful rooftops from her balcony. Then it started to hail haha. I've never seen hail before.

    The storm passed in time for us to collect the kids from school and take them to their afternoon sport classes. Olivia is 6 and went to gymnastics and Paublo is 11 and went to volleyball. Al showed me some of the big piazzas and churches whole we waited for the kids. We even enjoyed a sneaky G&T in a square.

    For dinner we had basil pesto pasta for dinner, followed by beans and carrots in vinegar and a dried meat with parmesan cheese. I can't remember what it was called, but it tasted a bit like corned beef but really thin.

    There was a big match on the TV last night. One of the local Torino teams vs a Rome team for the Italy football cup. We settled down to cheer their team to victory.

    Two of Alex's friends have offered to let me stay the night, so after the match they picked me up. On the way to their house we stopped in at a food and drink shop, which Molly described as a bit like McDonald's except with booze and cheap food. And it literally was. Beers were in taps in place of soft drink and little sandwiches and olive bowls filled the back kitchen. Almost everything, including pints of beer, for €1.

    Today, Alex picked me up at 11 and we head into the city for a coffee and croissant. She tells me that in Torino, Nutella is the poor man's version of ..... Also the Ferroche office is near here. So for breakfast we have a .... Croissant and tea for me. I love sitting and eating in cafes. This has not happened enough in London.

    We meet Alex's friends at 1pm at her favourite pizza restaurant in Torino. They have a €9.50 lunch euro where you get a pizza, salad or dessert and 1/4 craft wine or beer. They are all nannies and swap stories of how their weeks have been so far.

    After lunch we go to their favourite gelato place, two deserts is a bit much, but when in Italy! We wave off Al's friends before heading back to her apartment to collect some items to take to a Vinnie's bin. We walk through the streets of Torino one last time and pass the church where the holy shroud is currently on display.

    I wave goodbye to Alex as she heads to the kid's schools one last time and her American friend drives me to the train station.

    Bye Torino, bye Italy, it's been fun!!    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Avignon

    May 22, 2015 in France ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    I'm meeting Kerry, Nigel and Britt in Avignon today for lunch.

    Getting to Avignon has not been as straightforward as I thought. There has been a transport strike in Lyon so walking is my only option through the city, and the walk from my host's house to the train station is a 1 hour without stops or dead-ends. This walk is right through the city and old town, so it is a very lovely walk. I pick up a chocolate croissant on the way.

    Due to having to walk to the station I've had to take the fast train to avoid leaving the house at crack of dawn and getting the slow train. This meant that I had to pay for a reservation, which I thought would've been a few euros, not the €18 rip-off I was charged. This was most annoying, especially as I waited in line for almost 40 mins to be served!

    I then got off the train to be told that I needed to catch a shuttle train for an additional €3, but due to the slow nature of the train staff (a common theme I'm finding across Europe) I missed the train which was leaving in 10 mins and had to wait an additional half an hour to reach the town. So my start was not a good one.

    But finally I found them!! And we enjoy a lovely lunch at a small restaurant. The centre of Avignon, known as the city of Popes, is a UNESCO protected area. It's like stepping back into a different time. We walk all around the centre, up to the highest point fit a fantastic view and down into the little street markets. We stop for a final drink before waving goodbye. It's situations like this that make living here not a big deal. My family are here and it's the south of France, it could be home.

    My journey back is almost as eventful as the arrival. This time I took the slow train, but not before travelling on the shuttle bus twice because I didn't read the departure point properly!

    Tonight, I walked back through the city towards my host's house. It was on dusk and beautiful to travel the same path as this morning and see a different Lyon. As I neared the the square Bellecoure I saw a little side street that was full of restaurants and stopped in for a meal. I had a cheese and toast salad for entrée, meaty dish for mains and crème Brule tart for dessert.

    After dinner I wandered back to my accommodation, stopping to take photos of beautiful Lyon lit up at night.    Read more

  • Rachel Britton2015Traveler

    Lyon, France

    May 23, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today is my only full day in Lyon before I leave for Paris tomorrow. Last night the housemate at my Airbnb stay invited me to join her and a friend at her favourite market in the ____ area of Lyon. Being that food markets are one of my fav things to visit I of course said yes.

    So at 10:30am today we set off taking the underground to the nearest station and then walking down. We got a bread roll from the local bakery and walked down to take in a beautiful view over the town. We her friend arrived we entered the market.

    It was the longest market I've seen! Everywhere you looked there was fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, olives, breads, nuts and so much more. You could smell the peaches from a mile away. I picked up some peaches and bananas for under 2, plus some olives and blue cheese. I couldn’t go past the opportunity to buy local cheese in France.

    Afterwards she took me for a walk through the city, as we were on top of a small mount we walked down into the town. It was a beautiful bohemian walk, passing all the little shops with people selling their jewellery and hand made clothes.

    We stopped in for a coffee and éclair before she took me through the old town area, after I admitted that I hadn’t been there yet haha. After a quick rest at the house I head out on my own heading up the shopping district of Lyon. I was feeling a bit low, probably nervous about heading back to London and not having any concrete plans. London will chew up your bank account with plans.

    To cheer up I stopped in a cool looking bar for a drink and ate the free nuts that come with drinks at this time of the day, and contemplated life. After a while I headed across Old Town and did a loop a few times looking for the perfect place to have dinner.

    I settled on a small, very busy restaurant and had to wait 15 mins before a table would be ready. They have a variety of 3 course meals you can choose from and as I want to try the snails to make up for the poor dish Contiki served me last year, that’s the course I settled on.

    First course: 12

    Second course: beer something

    Third course: tart something

    Apparently the tart is a local dish in Lyon, but it tasted a bit like icing sugar haha.

    Tonight is the Eurovision final, so the town is buzzing and the housemate is having a friend over to watch it. So I head home to watch it in my room too and cheer on guy. I didn’t realise how long it went for! It was made more interesting because I had a friend attending and enjoyed her live reviews throughout the weekend.

    Tomorrow I plan to catch an uber to the train station and have some breakfast there before taking the train to Paris. Goodbye Lyon you were definitely a good visit!    Read more

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