Partly due to overall tiredness, and in good part because of my gastrointestinal issues (courtesy of that camp in Venice that I'm never going back to), I decided to take it easy in Today. I didn't get to sleep in though. Got woken up at 6:15 by garbage trucks and motorcycles. On the upside, that got me to the Flavian Amphitheatre (AKA the Colosseum) quite a bit before 10am. We (went with travelling acquaintences Nicole and Charlie) only waited 10 minutes in line. The structure is quite impressive, even half collapsed. The "touristy" additions detract from the feeling though. The authentic [View Full Entry]

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You know that freezing cold shower I had to take last night? That, and packing resulted in me going to bed quite late. The result being that we kinda missed the bus this morning. That actually turned out to be something of a blessing, as I'll elaborate on a bit. Gabi and I ended up heading into Venice central station, and taking a train to Rome. The local (read: slow) train to Bologna left Venice at 11:00 sharp. Ironically, the transfer in Bologna to Eurostar Italia was late 30 minutes. It did get us from Bologna to Rome in about 2 [View Full Entry]

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Didn't really get much done today. Took us a while to track down a Fedex to ship off my Murano vase. I have a lot of fingers and toes crossed that it gets back home alright. It's considered precious, so the shipping companies won't insureit for private individuals. We finally got into Basilica San Marco, and it's quite spectacular inside. The ceiling is very much in the Byzantine style, with hundreds of thousands of tiles (most golden) forming elaborate mosaics. I discretely took a few pictures. After that, I just wandered around for a bit. Did you know the Venetians even [View Full Entry]

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Had a bit of a late start this morning. Living out of a tent makes getting ready much more complicated (starting with the fact that you actually have to walk a fair distance to the sinks, toilets, showers, etc.). Ended up taking the 10:30 bus into the lagoon. The late start was kind of good in a way - I was up late last night doing laundry. I wanted to hold out, but one of the disadvantages of packing light (3 pairs of underwear/socks/shirts, etc.) is that laundry duty sometimes calls at unfortunate times. Anyways, had a full day in Venice. [View Full Entry]

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I absolutely adore Venice. The city charms you the minute you cross the tiny man-made strip of land into the lagoon. The city also guarantees that you'll get lost in it. I have probably the best map money can buy, and my companion Gabrielle and I still had one heck of a time navigating the streets that are 2 meters wide, with buildings 4 stories high on either side. Oh yeah, did I mention that street signs are relatively rare? I was hoping to get an evening meal in some secluded place, but the guidebook's listing was closed for the [View Full Entry]

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One of the benefits of doing Busabout is flexibility. Case in point is my decision while filling out the check-in form at Camping Jungfrau, I decided to stay only the mandatory 1 night. Part of the reason is that the area is expensive - very expensive. Another is that if I stay the 3 nights (2 full days), I'm going to want to do things. A trip up to the mountains (even taking the alternate route, and not to popular and €140 Jungfrau peak) alone would have been expensive. T [View Full Entry]

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[I usually create independent entries for my personal journal and this blog, but in this case, I'm posting an edited version of my private journal] I guess I'm doing Paris kind of backwards. My last day in Paris, and only now do I go to the Eiffel Tower. I was convinced last night to do the tower the "authentic" way. Let me tell you, those 600 or so steps to platform 2 were definitely authentic - brutally so. This morning's trip on the metro [View Full Entry]

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The 24 euro night's sleep was definitely better than the 13 pound's night's sleep. I actually felt rested this morning.... I wouldn't say I'm in love with Paris, but I'm definitely loking this place. I got a bit of a late start today (walked out at 8:50). The first stop was the Louvre. Now that place I am in love with. Just the building alone. If it was initially built as a fort, it doesn't show. I especially like the Apartments of Napolean III. The fellow knew how to live. Burgandy walls, what I presume to be gold-leafed moulding, elaborately painted [View Full Entry]

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This will be brief, one because I'm working on a French keyboard, and two, because this entry is backdated (I couldn't get internet access last night). A note on the hostel I stayed at: in general, it's good value. However, the showers are of the variety that you have to keep pusching a nob to get water, and the sinks all have 2 taps - freezing cold and boiling hot. I didn't really mind that. What I did mind was experiencing a level of snoring I didn't think humanly possible. Suffice it to say that my alarm was not needed since [View Full Entry]

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Flew into London today. The flight was uneventful, though I didn't get that much sleep. I find it ironic and somewhat amusing that I get the most rest on cheap, no-frills airlines; with no inflight entertainment, no meals, etc., the only thing you can do is sleep. I landed in London on time, though getting to the hostel took longer than expected. I don't know where the London Tube got it's bad rep though; it seems quite clean, comfortable and convenient to me (once you've mastered the tangle of different lines) albeit a tad slow. Anyways, my delay in getting settled [View Full Entry]

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