From Deiva Marina we travelled south by train to Florence with a quick stop in the town of Pisa. Famous for it's leaning tower and not much else, this one-trick-pony town provides not much more than one hour of interest to the average tourist. Having been there before, this was one hour too long for me, but we stayed long enough for Sam and Cade to get token photos holding up the tower and continued on our way.
Our first day in Florence entailed wandering the streets of the old town to see the famous Cathedral and Duomo, browsing the nearby markets and walking the banks of the river. One of the more interesting sights of the day was the line to see Michaelangelos David which stretched half way around the Piazza. Needless to say we gave it a miss - 3-hour line in Florences midday heat isn't fun.
In a search for a more typical Tuscan experience, our second day consisted of a two part day trip to the nearby countryside.
First stop was the town of Sienna, probably more famous for the opening scene of James Bond's 'Quantum of Solace' in the Plaza de Campo. Daniel Craig was nowhere to be seen, but they were setting up for the annual horse race the following week.
Next we ventured 1.5 hours north to the small town of San Gimignano - a walled Tuscan city with amazing views of the adjacent countryside. It took a while but our final roll of the dice yielded the Tuscan experience we were looking for. In true Italian style we finished the day with lasagne on the town steps.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Cinque Terre, Italy
- Three trains later and we lande in our fourth country in three days - Italy! We were working our way down the west coast via the Cinque Terre region which was extremely popular with Europeans during July and August. Due to this popularity, we had to stay at a campsite in Deiva Marina - a 20 minute train from the five towns.
- We arrived late on the first day but managed to plan verything for our day trip the following morning. As it turns out the day trip was only a half-day trip which gave us he opportunity to check out the Deiva Marina beach in the afternoon.
- We took a train from Deiva Marina down to Riomaggio (sic?), and then took the ferry north to each of the towns back to Deiva Marina. The towns all had a very quintessential 'Italian vibe' (if there is such a thing) and the myriad of paint colours on the buildings against the sea was quite a sight. Although each town was different in it's own right, each essentially operated in the same capacity - a main street with small pizzerias, jewlery stores etc and a lookout vantage point looking over the town back towards the sea.
- We arrived late on the first day but managed to plan verything for our day trip the following morning. As it turns out the day trip was only a half-day trip which gave us he opportunity to check out the Deiva Marina beach in the afternoon.
- We took a train from Deiva Marina down to Riomaggio (sic?), and then took the ferry north to each of the towns back to Deiva Marina. The towns all had a very quintessential 'Italian vibe' (if there is such a thing) and the myriad of paint colours on the buildings against the sea was quite a sight. Although each town was different in it's own right, each essentially operated in the same capacity - a main street with small pizzerias, jewlery stores etc and a lookout vantage point looking over the town back towards the sea.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Nice, France
- Despite departing 2-hours late, our bus to Nice arrived on time due to the drivers only taking 1 break for the duration. Make no mistake - this bus ride was terrible. We all felt like we were about to die upon arrival.
- After some food, we made the executive decision to get the train over to Monaco - home of the rich, famous and other people that can afford a €1-million application fee. Nice cars and generally over-the-top was the order of the day, especially up near the Grand Casino. Before departing back to Nice, we took a quick walk around Formula 1's most famous street circuit.
- After a sleep in the next morning, we ventured into the old town to see what was on offer, and then onto Nice's famous pebbled beach.
- That evening we walked along the water front promenade and saw all the acts for the nights 'Prom Party' warming up, including a rather peculiar banana race.
- After some food, we made the executive decision to get the train over to Monaco - home of the rich, famous and other people that can afford a €1-million application fee. Nice cars and generally over-the-top was the order of the day, especially up near the Grand Casino. Before departing back to Nice, we took a quick walk around Formula 1's most famous street circuit.
- After a sleep in the next morning, we ventured into the old town to see what was on offer, and then onto Nice's famous pebbled beach.
- That evening we walked along the water front promenade and saw all the acts for the nights 'Prom Party' warming up, including a rather peculiar banana race.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Barcelona, Spain
- The 8-hour ferry from Ibiza was suprisingly easy-going as we arrived in Barcelona in the early evening. We had to tread water for a few days with regards to sight seeing as we waited for Sam to arrive in a few days. After the week in Ibiza, we retired early on the first night.
- Before Sam arrived Cade and I decided to squeeze in a visit to the Camp Nou football stadium - the home of Spanish football, and home to the legendary FC Barcelona. We could have been excused for thinking it was a game day - queues around the corner for the tour ticket office and the merchandise store, as well as car park chaos. €20 seemed a bit steep so we opted to give the tour a miss.
- After Sam arrived, we ended up with two full days to see what Barcelona had to offer. Having been there before I was at a bit of an advantage as to what was, and what wasn't worth seeing. We teamed up with Evan and Roz and set off tothe Fort Montjuic, along the waterfront to Port Olympic, up to the Sagrada Familia, and finally Parc Guell. We ended the evening with a stroll up La Rambla to take in the atmosphere of Barcelona during it's peak season.
- The next day we had the opportunity to buy some souvineers and do a walking tour of the gothic region before our overnight bus to Nice.
- Somehow we managed to squeeze most of the touristy stuff, although not thoroughly, into the two full days. Hard work under the Spanish summer sun.
- Before Sam arrived Cade and I decided to squeeze in a visit to the Camp Nou football stadium - the home of Spanish football, and home to the legendary FC Barcelona. We could have been excused for thinking it was a game day - queues around the corner for the tour ticket office and the merchandise store, as well as car park chaos. €20 seemed a bit steep so we opted to give the tour a miss.
- After Sam arrived, we ended up with two full days to see what Barcelona had to offer. Having been there before I was at a bit of an advantage as to what was, and what wasn't worth seeing. We teamed up with Evan and Roz and set off tothe Fort Montjuic, along the waterfront to Port Olympic, up to the Sagrada Familia, and finally Parc Guell. We ended the evening with a stroll up La Rambla to take in the atmosphere of Barcelona during it's peak season.
- The next day we had the opportunity to buy some souvineers and do a walking tour of the gothic region before our overnight bus to Nice.
- Somehow we managed to squeeze most of the touristy stuff, although not thoroughly, into the two full days. Hard work under the Spanish summer sun.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Ibiza, Spain
- The undeniable king of party islands and living costs to match! Theres no Coca-Cola or McDonalds billboards here - just advertisements for the various club nigts on offer every night. This was my second time to the island and it didn't disappoint - it makes the competition (eg Mykonos, Greece) look amateur.
- Despite the plethora of club nights on offer, on any given night there is usually one or two that stand out. It was mostly these we were after. The itinerary for the week was jam packed with headliners:
Sunday: We Love @ Space - Jeff Mills, Derick May, Steve Lawler, plus about 20 others.
Monday: Cocoon @ Amnesia - Adam Beyer, Marco Corola, Richie Hawtin and Josh Wink.
Tuesday: Carl Cox @ Space - Carl Cox, Monica Kruse, Nic Fancuilli, Jon Rundell, plus some others. It was actually Carl Cox's bday which made for a pretty epic evening.
Wednesday: Decided to give it a miss. The best on offer was probably Erick Morillo @ Pacha which makes it hard to justify the cost.
Thursday: Cream @ Amnesia - Paul van Dyk, Eddie Halliwell and Filo & Peri, with John Dahlback in the Terrace.
Friday: Guestlist for Wonderland @ Eden was organised, but the financial damage of the aforementioned nights, in combination with an early morning ferry lead us to conclude it was best not to go.
- In between all this, our time was spst lazing around the beach. Our prime position in Playa d'en Bosa meant Bora Bora was only a stones throw away which made it easy to lounge the afternoon away.
- Before Cream on Thursday evening, we ventured over to San Antonio to check out the sunset strip which was well worth the effort.
- Despite the plethora of club nights on offer, on any given night there is usually one or two that stand out. It was mostly these we were after. The itinerary for the week was jam packed with headliners:
Sunday: We Love @ Space - Jeff Mills, Derick May, Steve Lawler, plus about 20 others.
Monday: Cocoon @ Amnesia - Adam Beyer, Marco Corola, Richie Hawtin and Josh Wink.
Tuesday: Carl Cox @ Space - Carl Cox, Monica Kruse, Nic Fancuilli, Jon Rundell, plus some others. It was actually Carl Cox's bday which made for a pretty epic evening.
Wednesday: Decided to give it a miss. The best on offer was probably Erick Morillo @ Pacha which makes it hard to justify the cost.
Thursday: Cream @ Amnesia - Paul van Dyk, Eddie Halliwell and Filo & Peri, with John Dahlback in the Terrace.
Friday: Guestlist for Wonderland @ Eden was organised, but the financial damage of the aforementioned nights, in combination with an early morning ferry lead us to conclude it was best not to go.
- In between all this, our time was spst lazing around the beach. Our prime position in Playa d'en Bosa meant Bora Bora was only a stones throw away which made it easy to lounge the afternoon away.
- Before Cream on Thursday evening, we ventured over to San Antonio to check out the sunset strip which was well worth the effort.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Valencia, Spain
- Another comfortable overnight bus and we landed in Valencia. It had big shoes to fill after Seville but we had heard good things. Unfortunately our hostel selection was poor - a bus-about hostel full of clueless 18-19yo bogan gap-year Australians. Awesome!
- First cab off the rank - Valencia's Formula 1 street circuit. The site where many flying laps had been completed, Michael Schumacher had cheated his way to many-a victory, and where local lad Mark Webber did a full speed backflip downthere back straight just a week earlier. It crossed our mind to hire a car/scooter/segway but the famous swing-bridge was open which quickly ended that though process.
- As has become customary, we did the free walking tour on the first day (well, evening) to get our bearings. Much of the history was a repeat of what we heard in Seville, but it confirmed a few attractions for us, and also provided a few more for us to follow up.
- The next day composed mostly of checking out the local beaches. Adventurous? Not really - but it was the first decent beach I'd seen since Miami.
- Back on track the next morning, we ventured through the old town to check out some of the sites we saw on the walking tour - city gates, brasilica, the many plazas throughout the city, and the riverbed turned submerged parkland.
- Our final day consisted of a quick trip to the beach, with a stop off past the arts and science park located in the former river bed. This was probably my favourite aspect of Valencia and it had nothing to do with it's history - one o the best examples of contemporary architecture I've seen.
Next stop: Madrid, but only to get a flight to the party mecca - IBIZA!
- First cab off the rank - Valencia's Formula 1 street circuit. The site where many flying laps had been completed, Michael Schumacher had cheated his way to many-a victory, and where local lad Mark Webber did a full speed backflip downthere back straight just a week earlier. It crossed our mind to hire a car/scooter/segway but the famous swing-bridge was open which quickly ended that though process.
- As has become customary, we did the free walking tour on the first day (well, evening) to get our bearings. Much of the history was a repeat of what we heard in Seville, but it confirmed a few attractions for us, and also provided a few more for us to follow up.
- The next day composed mostly of checking out the local beaches. Adventurous? Not really - but it was the first decent beach I'd seen since Miami.
- Back on track the next morning, we ventured through the old town to check out some of the sites we saw on the walking tour - city gates, brasilica, the many plazas throughout the city, and the riverbed turned submerged parkland.
- Our final day consisted of a quick trip to the beach, with a stop off past the arts and science park located in the former river bed. This was probably my favourite aspect of Valencia and it had nothing to do with it's history - one o the best examples of contemporary architecture I've seen.
Next stop: Madrid, but only to get a flight to the party mecca - IBIZA!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Seville, Spain
- An overnight bus and 1-hour time difference landed us in the Seville bus station at 5am. After getting lost for an hour we had a 7 hour wait till checkin.
- As our first night happened to be a Saturday, we felt obliged to partake in the hostel pub crawl. Good crew, cheap drinks and a bit of rowdiness confirmed a good evening.
- After a bit of a sleep in the next day, we went on the free 2-hour walking tour which gave us a good overview of the cities attractions and historical significance. The 46-degree heat certainly made it hard work!
- Armed with our new understanding of the city, we set off to the Torre XX for. Tour of the bullfighting ring and museum. Unfortunately the summer heat renders bullfighting cancelled, but the tour of what is one of Spains most historic bullfighting rings gave us a good appreciation of the sports prestige.
- Next up we trekked over tothe Real Alcazar. We spent a good 2-3 hours walking through the various rooms, courtyards and gardens, all decorated with elaborate detailing. A must-see if you ever go to Seville.
- On our final day we went to the Seville Cathedral - Europes third largest. Interestingly, the Cathedral was the closest attraction to our hostel and one of the last thing we did. The inside was excessive, massive cielings and over-the-top alters. A climb to the top of the tower cofirmes to us that Seville is definitely viewed from ground level.
- Our final stop was the Plaza d'España - a massive arced building encompassing a yet-to-be constructed river/fountain. The construction took away from it a bit but the overall presentation can only be described as epic.
- As our first night happened to be a Saturday, we felt obliged to partake in the hostel pub crawl. Good crew, cheap drinks and a bit of rowdiness confirmed a good evening.
- After a bit of a sleep in the next day, we went on the free 2-hour walking tour which gave us a good overview of the cities attractions and historical significance. The 46-degree heat certainly made it hard work!
- Armed with our new understanding of the city, we set off to the Torre XX for. Tour of the bullfighting ring and museum. Unfortunately the summer heat renders bullfighting cancelled, but the tour of what is one of Spains most historic bullfighting rings gave us a good appreciation of the sports prestige.
- Next up we trekked over tothe Real Alcazar. We spent a good 2-3 hours walking through the various rooms, courtyards and gardens, all decorated with elaborate detailing. A must-see if you ever go to Seville.
- On our final day we went to the Seville Cathedral - Europes third largest. Interestingly, the Cathedral was the closest attraction to our hostel and one of the last thing we did. The inside was excessive, massive cielings and over-the-top alters. A climb to the top of the tower cofirmes to us that Seville is definitely viewed from ground level.
- Our final stop was the Plaza d'España - a massive arced building encompassing a yet-to-be constructed river/fountain. The construction took away from it a bit but the overall presentation can only be described as epic.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Lisbon, Portugal
- We managed to keep our bearings and possessions between the bus station and the hostel - always good!
- First stop was the Oriente area which is essetially a fabricated docklands style tourist area. On the words of Sam we avoided the aquarium, and took the chairlift the traverses the waterfront. Good views but not mind-blowing.
- On the way back we hopped off the metro to walk through the old town area to see the many plazas and monuments, then back to Chiado.
- That evening we went on the hunt for our Portugese food experience - Portugese style chicken! Success! A whole piri-piri chicken and large serving of rice for €7.50! Such a bargain we got it again the following evening.
- On our final day we took the no.28 histrorical tram (suprisingly similar to the Santa Teresa tram of Rio de Janeiro - wonder why?) up to the top of the town to see the castle and overlook the waterfront. Great weather complemented the view. Glad we didn't walk though!
- Afterwards, we did our customary football stadium trip to the home of Benfica FC. Not exactly an impressive stadium aesthetically, but plenty on history.
- First stop was the Oriente area which is essetially a fabricated docklands style tourist area. On the words of Sam we avoided the aquarium, and took the chairlift the traverses the waterfront. Good views but not mind-blowing.
- On the way back we hopped off the metro to walk through the old town area to see the many plazas and monuments, then back to Chiado.
- That evening we went on the hunt for our Portugese food experience - Portugese style chicken! Success! A whole piri-piri chicken and large serving of rice for €7.50! Such a bargain we got it again the following evening.
- On our final day we took the no.28 histrorical tram (suprisingly similar to the Santa Teresa tram of Rio de Janeiro - wonder why?) up to the top of the town to see the castle and overlook the waterfront. Great weather complemented the view. Glad we didn't walk though!
- Afterwards, we did our customary football stadium trip to the home of Benfica FC. Not exactly an impressive stadium aesthetically, but plenty on history.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Porto, Portugal
- Our first stop for mainland Europe. 3ish hour flight with our best mate RyanAir.
- After checkin, did some quick google-ing and mapped out a DIY walkigtour tour that took us through the old town and down to the riverfront. After a quick refreshment, we headed up the hill on the lift to get a view of the centre and Cathedral.
- The next day we trekked out to FC Porto's stadium in what appeared to be a completely new area of the city. The stadium itself was very impressive, however €12 for a tour seemed excessive. In the afternoon we quickly checked out XX before we called it a day.
- After checkin, did some quick google-ing and mapped out a DIY walkigtour tour that took us through the old town and down to the riverfront. After a quick refreshment, we headed up the hill on the lift to get a view of the centre and Cathedral.
- The next day we trekked out to FC Porto's stadium in what appeared to be a completely new area of the city. The stadium itself was very impressive, however €12 for a tour seemed excessive. In the afternoon we quickly checked out XX before we called it a day.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
UK Roadtrip: Southern England
London-Brighton: walked around the waterfront and famous Brighton pier.
Brighton-Bristol: After a quick stop at Stonehenge (actually, the motorway next to Stonehenge) we headed to Bath for a few hours enroute to Bristol. Walked around the many streets of sandstone buildings and checked out the historic Roman Baths that gave the town it's name.
Oxford (day trip): Left Bristol early to head out to Oxford. Used the park and ride bus system and walked around the town during the morning. After lunch we did a guided walkingtour that took us through the history of the town and many colleges before we returned to Bristol.
Bristol-London: Made it back to te M25 but it was all over after that. Took the M23 exit and got lost somewhere around Croydon/Brixton/Camberwell. Realised we also had a crack in the windscreen. Somehow we got away with being 2 hours late, low on fuel and a cracked windscreen.
Brighton-Bristol: After a quick stop at Stonehenge (actually, the motorway next to Stonehenge) we headed to Bath for a few hours enroute to Bristol. Walked around the many streets of sandstone buildings and checked out the historic Roman Baths that gave the town it's name.
Oxford (day trip): Left Bristol early to head out to Oxford. Used the park and ride bus system and walked around the town during the morning. After lunch we did a guided walkingtour that took us through the history of the town and many colleges before we returned to Bristol.
Bristol-London: Made it back to te M25 but it was all over after that. Took the M23 exit and got lost somewhere around Croydon/Brixton/Camberwell. Realised we also had a crack in the windscreen. Somehow we got away with being 2 hours late, low on fuel and a cracked windscreen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)