whew.
What a week.. Well, what a "9 days." I don't think I could write about every little thing we did, if you'd like to know things, ask me!, but I'll put up some little factoids. :)
Who: me, Isabel & Bethany
Where: ITALY (ITALIA)! Venice (Venezia), Rome (Roma), Florence (Firenze), and a smidge of Bologna (Boloney.. just kidding)
When: Oct 19th (18th really) - Oct 28th
Favourite city: Venice, by a long shot... It was beautiful, even though it was overcast pretty much the whole time we were there. Getting lost in the tiny winding streets was so cool.
Favourite hostel: Rome. We had our own bathroom in our cabin, it was on "Sunset Hill," and it was very easy/cheap to get into the center of Rome from the hostel.
A close second: Florence/Tuscany. It actually wasn't in Florence, which was kind of a bummer, but it was right in the middle of the Tuscan countryside, which made for some gorgeous views, albeit for only one night. Also, they had an indoor pool & sauna, which we took advantage of. :)
Least favourite hostel: Probably Bologna. WAAAAY out in the middle of nowhere, no sign on the place, we wouldn't have found it if it weren't for this couple who were going there too & had been there before. Sketch-tastic.
Best weather: Tie between Rome & Florence. Rome was like summer, and Florence was just very sunny and pleasant.
Favourite shopping place: VENICE! Hooray for buying out the masks on the Rialto Bridge! ;) Also Murano, an island close to Venice, where they make glass... lots of gorgeous glass jewelry.
Favourite food eaten in Italy: GELATO... So freaking good, and so different from ice cream... It's creamier, and... I don’t know... better. :D
Best gelato: I would have to say Venice, in the little stand by the Rialto Bridge. Isabel would disagree though, because she got very good chocolate in Florence (even I liked it, and I'm not usually a chocolate ice cream fan). I got "amaretto," which is cherry, most of the time, which was delish, and I got some mint, which is similar to mint-chocolate-chip ice cream.
Most expensive meal: Really yummy pasta with clams, €9 at a little outside-by-the-water "ristorante" in Murano. Didn't have too much money to spend on food, unfortunately... Though I’m pretty proud of myself that €9 (which is about $12-13) is the most I spent on a meal.
Cheapest meal: Hahaha.. Well, this isn't really a meal, but my breakfast several days in a row was an apple. :)
Most impressive sight: The Colliseum/Roman Forum... Wow. It was almost spooky, being in these ancient places that millions of people have been before... Amazing.
Biggest worry: Money, and planes, trains, and automobiles... Getting from place to place, espcially getting to out-in-the-sticks hostels is a pain in the ass.
Number of pictures taken: 362 (Isabel took the exact same amount! Crrrrazy!)
Music I had stuck in my head the whole trip: "The Light in the Piazza" soundtrack (appropriate, no?)
Favourite new phrase: Ciao bella! ;)
If I could go back to only one of these places, where would it be: Venice... Still want to go there for my honeymoon. A gondola ride with a sexy gondalier is definitely in order, as is an expensive dinner by the river with an expensive bottle of wine. Oh, and staying in an expensive hotel thats actually on the island of Venice. :)
Overall: An amazing trip. I saw so many things in such a short time! Italy is gorgeous. Go. ;)
<3 me
Who: me, Isabel & Bethany
Where: ITALY (ITALIA)! Venice (Venezia), Rome (Roma), Florence (Firenze), and a smidge of Bologna (Boloney.. just kidding)
When: Oct 19th (18th really) - Oct 28th
Favourite city: Venice, by a long shot... It was beautiful, even though it was overcast pretty much the whole time we were there. Getting lost in the tiny winding streets was so cool.
Favourite hostel: Rome. We had our own bathroom in our cabin, it was on "Sunset Hill," and it was very easy/cheap to get into the center of Rome from the hostel.
A close second: Florence/Tuscany. It actually wasn't in Florence, which was kind of a bummer, but it was right in the middle of the Tuscan countryside, which made for some gorgeous views, albeit for only one night. Also, they had an indoor pool & sauna, which we took advantage of. :)
Least favourite hostel: Probably Bologna. WAAAAY out in the middle of nowhere, no sign on the place, we wouldn't have found it if it weren't for this couple who were going there too & had been there before. Sketch-tastic.
Best weather: Tie between Rome & Florence. Rome was like summer, and Florence was just very sunny and pleasant.
Favourite shopping place: VENICE! Hooray for buying out the masks on the Rialto Bridge! ;) Also Murano, an island close to Venice, where they make glass... lots of gorgeous glass jewelry.
Favourite food eaten in Italy: GELATO... So freaking good, and so different from ice cream... It's creamier, and... I don’t know... better. :D
Best gelato: I would have to say Venice, in the little stand by the Rialto Bridge. Isabel would disagree though, because she got very good chocolate in Florence (even I liked it, and I'm not usually a chocolate ice cream fan). I got "amaretto," which is cherry, most of the time, which was delish, and I got some mint, which is similar to mint-chocolate-chip ice cream.
Most expensive meal: Really yummy pasta with clams, €9 at a little outside-by-the-water "ristorante" in Murano. Didn't have too much money to spend on food, unfortunately... Though I’m pretty proud of myself that €9 (which is about $12-13) is the most I spent on a meal.
Cheapest meal: Hahaha.. Well, this isn't really a meal, but my breakfast several days in a row was an apple. :)
Most impressive sight: The Colliseum/Roman Forum... Wow. It was almost spooky, being in these ancient places that millions of people have been before... Amazing.
Biggest worry: Money, and planes, trains, and automobiles... Getting from place to place, espcially getting to out-in-the-sticks hostels is a pain in the ass.
Number of pictures taken: 362 (Isabel took the exact same amount! Crrrrazy!)
Music I had stuck in my head the whole trip: "The Light in the Piazza" soundtrack (appropriate, no?)
Favourite new phrase: Ciao bella! ;)
If I could go back to only one of these places, where would it be: Venice... Still want to go there for my honeymoon. A gondola ride with a sexy gondalier is definitely in order, as is an expensive dinner by the river with an expensive bottle of wine. Oh, and staying in an expensive hotel thats actually on the island of Venice. :)
Overall: An amazing trip. I saw so many things in such a short time! Italy is gorgeous. Go. ;)
<3 me