Journey Around the World: Northern Italy

3 full days were well spent in Italy. Highlights of the trip were Verona and Venice! Ugliest city was Milan!It was alright but not fantastic. I must say that it was a well-planned trip by me-cheap transportation, accommodation, perfect timing and excellent orientation! *Pat on the back* ;) Impressed with myself! Good planning has allowed me to see a lot within limited time and budget=) My trip got better and better towards the end! I am gonna be a pro in planning trips soon=) Planning a 3day weekend trip to Barcelona and 19day back packing trip in December when my Parents and Nicolas come by=) I still have loads to plan but i am remaining positive about it=) I actually gain satisfaction from planning trips=) Might just be a freelance backpacking organiser in the future! Favourite food in Italy- Thin-crusted pizza and Pistacchio flavoured ice cream! The ice cream is pretty expensive and sinful. Despite that, i think i ate about 9 or more scoops in 3 days!

Half of Friday was spent in Bergamo before moving on to explore Milan for the rest of Friday. On Saturday, I left for Verona in the afternoon and spent about 5hrs there?Couldnt bare to leave coz it was so so pretty! Saturday evening and Sunday was spent in Venice! Venice is unbelievable pretty! Did half of the trip alone and met up with Simon for the second half before meeting Zhen Yi for 1 min in Venice during her Marathon at Venice! Great Job gal! Zhen will be joining my family and Nic during out trips in Dez! Looking forward to that! *Hugz*

BERGAMO

The old town of Bergamo is super old but nice! The old town is on a hill and a nice view of it from the lower new town was simply pretty... It was very nice just roaming Bergamo alone.. i think i enjoy travelling alone for a short while but no longer than that.. Will get boring....

The old town at the background...

Took the cable car down hill=) Nice scenery along the way=)

Nicolas:I thought of you when i took this pict... =) Did it capture any emotions?

A random church that came my way when i was roaming around...

Nice interior! They were having service..

Look at how old the shops and streets were! Very very old but nice!!! I love old cities.. modern cities dun really excite me that much.. so far the nicer modern city is Hamburg. The harbour probably made it more attractive! Cant wait to show my parents some old and nice citites of Germany like Köln, Heidelberg and München when they are here=) It is nice to be spending Xmas with them!

I had so many failed attempts with catching this yellow traffic light man! haha.. cool eh! Red yellow and green for pedestrians too...

MILAN
High point of the trip was when I was very comfortable moving around alone in Bergamo and Milan. The Metros in Milan were very similar to that in Paris and I got accustomed to how they worked very quickly and finding my way around was not the least difficult! Sense of achievement and satisfaction=) Felt very independent=)

My first Italian castle: Castello Sforzesc. It was the Renaissance residence of the Sforza dynasty. It doesnt really appeal to me.. looks very dull, rigid and boring compared to the ones I have seen in Germany... Oh well.. just a different style...

Shopping arcade-Expansive and high class shopping like Paris and Orchard Road! Dun really excite me... was thrilled by the awesome arichitecture inside this arcade though=)

It was gorgeous the architecture... Fancy fancy... Breadth-taking as well=)

The parade in front of the Shopping arcade and Duomo(Milan's landmark cathedral which is the world's largest Gothic cathedral). There were HEAPS and HEAPS of people at the parade! TOurists like me i bet=) haha...

Legendary Duomo Cathedral

Very nice architecture... Probably the only thing i liked about Milan.... The city have nothing special or exotic apart from that...

Some nice carvings at the entrance..

A corner in the interior of the cathedral

Fancy fancy Ferrari store. The F1 race made me a tiny winnie bity more intrigued by F1! BUt the stuff in this store are sold at exorbitant prices! Like 80 euros for a t-shirt for kids! *The shirt might be able to help burn fats and keep you slim without you having to do anything;) *

Mobile vans selling snacks, bread, ice cream and roasted "chestnut" (like those we have in Singapore along the road)... Thought it look quite cute=)

This couple is so good! They interacted well with one another and the crowd! Have seen many other "artists" like them and felt tt this was the best.. I would have given them money if i was really feeling rich... *Not feeling very rich in Germany actually.. trying hard to make ends meet but seem to be over spending no matter how thrifty i am.... den again, I probbaly wont have the time to spend money and enjoy life like this overseas again anymore after my return to SIngapore and when I start working... So that makes it alright to spend money WISELY now=)*

Italy seems to be a country where the government doesn’t pump in much money to develop the areas outside the cities. In Milan, I stayed at some place which is 4 metro stations away from the city centre and everything looks very run down.. Pretty much equivalent to Bangkok! ‘Developing country’ look alike! Unbelieveable. The environment is not nice outside the city unlike in Germany where more often than not, are areas away from the city very nice, peaceful and with great scenery. Oh well, it might just be the "wrong" parts that I have been to coz nicolas' aunt stays in a nice area outside the city=)

I have seen the most motorcycles in Italy compared to other countries like Switzerland, Paris and Germany!

VERONA

I am glad i stopped over Verona on the way to Venice! Was afraid of not having enough time initially but it wasnt so bad after all as i left Milan earlier coz theer was nth much there=) Decided to visit Verona coz lonely planet says, " Dont miss Verona, one of Italy's most beautiful cities. Shakespear set Romeo and Juliet here!" Look at how pretty the city centre is! I love Verona!

It got quite tiring walking with the backpack after a while. Leg cramp. Back ache.

Some castle across the river! Was a memorable view!

The gate into the city!

Even MacDonalds look different!

The walk to the city centre from the train station in Verona was disappointing! The streets were ugly!

Trains in Germany are about 4 times or more expensive than that in Italy! But the trains in Italy are older definitely. Italy is a nice place to travel but it doesn’t feel like a nice place to live in. Planning another trip to Central Italy (Rome etc) in Feb! Bought tix le! Return ticket with budget air(Ryan air) for 22 euros! Dunno how they make profit!

Some ROman wall with soldiers guarding them! SO funny!

The had a fair on the Arena, selling cheese and sausages. We were super hungry and went straight for the food samples! Oily, fatty and soft sausages!

Touristy trains once again.

The Arena

Nice houses along the way!

Sat down for a good meal to recharge our batteries. Typical delicacies from Italy- Pasta (available in different shapes and colours), specialist in Pasta sauces and pestos, thin crispy pizzas, cookies like Biscotti (baked them when i got back!Made that once in Singapore before. Did not know that it ‘originated’ from Italy back then.) Pasta is the centerpiece of Italian eating and Italians take pride in their proficiency in the many and varied kinds of pasta making and cooking. Cheese and wine are a major part of the cuisine. Italian cuisine is now famous worldwide.

Chance upon another castle, with the same style as the first i saw at Milan, by chance.

This bridge to the castle can be lifted, preventing entry into the castle. I intially tot that such stuff only existed in cartoons... amazing!

Old ROman gates!

A typical shop in italy selling sausages, all types of pasta, sauces and spices.

VENICE

It is really hard to believe or imagine that a place like this actually exists. Island surrounded by water=) It is a place that one MUST visit!It is super easy to get lost in Venice due to the hundreds of bridges and there are many small lanes… you will understand best when you go there=) The most effective way to move around was to walk in the general direction by looking at the map, feel ya way around and ask people along the way=) Be sure not to ask tourists!The amount of tourist there is incredible though! On Sunday, I gained an extra hour in Venice due to the change in timing due to the approach of Winter. It felt like it was a gift from heaven, having an hour extra to enjoy and appreciate everything around! Germany is now 7 hrs behind Singapore. Bought a pretty pretty glass necklace from Venice! All the shops in Venice sold the same stuff- Either Bakeries,shops selling glassware (an island off Venice, Murano, specializes in the manufacture of such stuff) or shops selling colourful masks which are worn during some festival in Venice. There are not much tourist attractions in Venice except St Mark's sq! But for me, that was not the highlight. Weaving my way through the buildings, overcoming the bridges, watching the various ships/boats go by, admiring the amazingly old and interesting buildings were enough to made my jaw drop!

Love this!

The amount of tourists here was worse than Milan! Incredible! Spent 5 hours walking from the train station to St Mark's sq here and we only stayed here for about 15 min! Couldnt wait to get out of this tourist infested place! The queue into the Piazza was crazy!

Cute baby! Simon was fast=)

Here is a Gaundola looks very luxurious! Coz 80 euros for a ride on this boat! Way off budget!

Masks for a special event in Venice is sold everywhere!!

Look at how many people were flooding this place! Had to inch my way through and had look out for Zhenyi amongst the million participant under the scorching sun! It is suppose to be Autumn but it felt like some crzy summer that you can never find in Europe, only in Singapore!!

I msged Zhen and she replied say that she is 1km away from the finishing line. I stood around, not knowing if she has passed already! And after like 10 mins of anticipation she appeared, looking like her usual cheery and jolly self! She said that," Xiuqing, i wanna die already!". But she made it! Passed her chocs for herself and darrel and a pretty watch!

MOre fanciful mask. Wanted to buy one initially but after much consideration, i came to this conclusion that it looks quite scary! Bought a glass necklace from Venice and I love it! Despite all the shops selling the same stuff, I only saw my necklace at ONE store and I was praying that it will be open on Sunday on our way back. Was peering into every store and looking for it and Simon was on the verge of putting me on a dog leash!!

Playing with pigeons would be the last thing I would ever play with coz their faeces are toxic! But this gal was very sweet and adorable!

INteresting chimney!

"Street stalls" on a Sunday morning! Shops are specially opened on Sunday becoz of the sheer amount of tourists in Venice!!!!! *Shops are always closed on Sundays in Europe*

Cute ginormous paint brushes!

Cute pizza box when we bought a thin-crusted pizza to share! had to pay for the box!

Italian Bakeries! Quite ex though! Everything is sold by weight!!

Here's a soap shop that we chanced upon... Simon was comtemplating if he should get his mum sth from here for her bdae... He did not eventually... I dun like received soap stuff for bdaes! It is probably worse den receiving edible food stuff...It is just me! It is always nice to have stuff that would not perish as presents!

Some pretty boxes! I love collecting boxes and tins etc...

More pictures of Venice......... ;)

There are no cars in the city centre! Only mode of transport is with boats or ferries... unless you wanna swim to ya destination! There are buses etc out of Venice=)

One of the million necklace shops..... which i stopped by in search of my dream necklace... *guys will never understand* I dun usually spend money on such stuff unless i see something i really like... In fact, ever since i got to Germany, i havnt bought anything for myself when i went shopping.. This is the first necklace/item that i bought...