IV: Florence and Pisa
Posted by: Gloria on: October 20, 2009
- In: Europe | Florence | Italy | Pisa
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Hopped on to the Eurail to Florence from Rome and stayed at Hotel Domus Florentiae. I made a few hotel reservations via venere.com and they’re reliable. The hotel is actually very near Santa Maria Novella (SMN) station but somehow, I walked about in circles as I tried to follow the directions provided by the hotel and it took me awhile to find it, tucked away inconspicuously.
Hotel Domus Florentiae
Lovely way to start the day
III: Jam-packed, Rome in One Day
Posted by: Gloria on: October 19, 2009
- In: Europe | Italy | Rome | Vatican City
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Armed with a map of Rome that Marcel gave me (I think that’s his name), an umbrella and an empty stomach, I headed for the Colosseum with much excitement to watch the sun rise behind the ancient gladiators’ arena. Did you sense something amiss with the statement? It didn’t occur to me that I wasn’t gonna catch any sunrise because it was raining that morning. I also didn’t know how far it was to walk from Yes Hotel to the Colosseum. Nonetheless, the Colosseum looked beautiful from the outside when lit up. A common consensus though, would be that it’s a lot smaller than imagined, just like Mona Lisa.
The Colosseum
Cobbled pavement
Famished, I took the Metropolitana from Colosseo to Termini to return to Yes Hotel for breakfast. The Rome metro system is straightforward and convenient. What’s interesting is that you could also buy tickets from newsstands and tabacchis (places that sell cigarettes) other than from the vending machines.
Bigletto
Lots of graffiti at the stations and even on the trains but I felt they were more art than vandalism and gave lots of character.
Colosseo
Something I learnt: breakfast is usually cheaper and better outside than in hotels unless it comes free with your stay, which in that case, stuff yourself silly so you can last longer and spend less money on food. I also nicked some crackers just in case I get stuck on a train again.
Breakfast at Yes Hotel
Next stop, Vatican City! Read the rest of this entry »
II: Rome, finally
Posted by: Gloria on: October 19, 2009
- In: Europe | Italy | Rome
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Roma Termini
I was so relieved when I saw the sign Roma Termini. Didn’t matter if it was slightly wet that morning, I followed the directions and found myself at Yes Hotel. The lift was broken so we had to use another one located at the back of the hotel which turned out to be a vintage elevator, I like! Here’s a really bad video of the machina in action (Mr Tatonka and I, tugging a foldable trolley thingy I bought in Rome to help me with my hand carry):
I: Paris to Roma
Posted by: Gloria on: October 14, 2009
- In: Europe | France | Paris
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“This is it,” I thought to myself as I stepped through the customs at Changi International Airport after waving goodbye to my teary-eyed family and friends. Backpacking isn’t common in Singapore, not to mention alone. It was a blasphemous decision to everyone I knew. When I belted up on the plane and felt the familiar vibrations of a take-off, I thought, “Fuck, this is it. THIS-IS-IT. There’s no turning back now.”
Transit at Amsterdam. They wanted to check my hotel reservations, I left everything in my check-in luggage – a 60 litre backpack I named Mr Tatonka. Lucky I had my iPod Touch on me with my e-mail receipts stored, they let me through. It was cold and quiet in Schipol Airport. My cheery yellow cotton shawl did little to save me in T-shirt and jeans during the 2-hour transit. Time crawled.
Finally, Paris, Charles De Gaulle (CDG). A smile peeked through the gloom as I stepped out of the airport. Paris probably has one of the most complicated train system by far. Doesn’t help that I don’t speak French. I took my first train to Gare Paris-Bercy where my next train heads to Rome in the evening. Noted that EUR to SGD was 1.898 and I donated more than I should dropping what I thought were shillings to a not-very-friendly man playing an accordion.
Paris - Bercy
First meal, Bercy Cafe on 118 Rue De Bercy where I ordered one of the set menus at 18.30 Euros. I vaguely recall reading filet on the menu which I mistook for fillet. Slightly surprised when I received steak instead of fish but I kept quiet.
Pate de Campagne
Formule E/P
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