Grace Heather

Grace 2009

Grace Heather

First backpacking trip to Europe!



Europe » Italy » Liguria » Cinque Terre July 21st 2010

Cinque Terra Day one (21st) Left Florence early this morning and headed to the Cinque Terra region via Pisa. We got all the usual funny photos (scaffold included) and then some gelato before continuing onto La Spezia. La Spezia is the town before Cinque Terra (which literally means 5 towns) and from here caught the train to the first of the towns Riomaggiorie (which was also where we were staying). Our accommodation is a 10 bed house so we have our own kitchen and Geoff and I also ended up with our own bedroom. After making our own dinner tonight we headed to bed nice and early Day two. Today we caught the train to Monterosso, the last of the 5 towns. We went for a walk through the “New Town” which is all the glitzy ... read more

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence July 18th 2010

Florence Day One Today was Sunday, so not much was open in Siena so we had a little sleep in before packing our bags and getting the bus to Florence. The drive was great, looked a little like the road you take trough the Blue Mountains to get to Sydney. We arrived in Florence and were taken to the Piazzale Michelangelo, where you get amazing views of the city of Florence, and there is a bronze replica statue of Michelangelo’s David. From here we headed to the busabout accommodation (which we weren’t staying at) and began the walk to our accommodation. Hotel San Giovanni. Not much to look at from the outside (actually there isn’t really an outside as it is one of those apartment blocks) but the inside is very cute, with old furniture and ... read more

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena July 16th 2010

Siena Day one Yay, back on Busabout today. Head off to Siena today. We drive for a few hours and stop in Orverto. Beautiful place, would have loved to spend at least a night there. But unfortunately we had about an hour to get up to the top to the village, find a panini and get back to the bottom in time. Didn’t see much at all. Arrived into Siena about 1.30pm and checked into the sweatbox! Headed straight into town and began our usual dawdle around the town to get orientated. I love Siena, would be even greater if it wasn’t so hot, but you can’t have it all. Very gothic buildings all enclosed with the ‘old walls’. Lots of beautiful old churches too. We went to the Santa Maria d. Servi Basilica and it ... read more

Europe » Greece » Attica » Athens July 14th 2010

Athens (again). Slept really well an am in a room with another two guys who are both nice. Woke up after a sleep in and went down for brekkie. Got out my laptop to send word to the family that I had arrived ok in Athens, read my emails on a whim. CRAP!!. Our flight from Athens to Rome the very next day had been cancelled due to strikes in Athens. Ok its 10am ring Simmone she will know what to do. No answer. Try Rebecca, No answer. Try Mum, No Answer…crap….crap…crap…try them all again, still no answer. Panic begins to set in. Geoff’s Aunty is on Skype, we get her to ring Simmone on the house phone to tell her to answer Skype. Finally! We decide that we have to catch the next flight possible ... read more

Europe » Greece » South Aegean July 1st 2010

Greek Islands Day One Boarded the ferry this morning for stop number 1, Mykonos. The ferry was hot and humid but I stayed on that top deck so if it sunk I would at least have a chance of swimming! We stayed away from the main town at Paradise Beach, lots of youngsters on the plonk from the night before and would probably keep going until they left the island! Got settled in then sat on the beach with a warm (they don’t understand the concept of cold here) glass of non-alcoholic beverage! Headed into town that night for group dinner, and a bit of an orientation walk. Saw the famous windmills and little Venice. Nice dinner then off to the cocktail bars. We then went off, exploring all the little white houses and shops that ... read more

Europe » Greece » Attica » Athens June 30th 2010

Athens day one. Flew into Athens today, and no matter how well prepared you can be, it very quickly turns to shit. Athens was rioting again, and there was a public transport strike. Of course there was! So plan B catch the bus to the main square. Whoops can’t go to the main square as that is where the riots are. Plan C catch the bus as close as possible to the main square and start walking. First impression of Athens isn’t a good one. Dirty dirty dirty. It was very quiet too; everyone was obviously staying away cause of the riots. We did however make it safely to the accommodation after about half an hour of paranoid walking! We didn’t venture far that night for dinner and made sure we were home before dark! Day ... read more

Europe » Italy » Lazio » Rome June 28th 2010

Rome 28th of June My birthday! We had nothing planned for today. So we went to an old monk monastery. The church (known as the Immaculate Conception) was home to some 4000 monks over the years. When the monks had no more grave space to bury the dead, they dug up the old ones, and used their bones as decorations! It is quite creepy to walk under an archway, and here is a skull with scapula behind it to make it look like wings. All the light chandeliers were made of vertebrae, and the fences were made with femurs. Place of nightmares actually. The entire roof, walls doors lights were all decorated in bones. When digging up the monks, some were mummified, so instead of disassembling then they put them up as complete skeletons, with their ... read more

Europe » Italy » Campania » Sorrento June 27th 2010

Italian Adventure day one Today we began the Italian adventure tour. The drive to Sorrento was boring. We drove through the outskirts of Naples - which is still controlled by the mafia and the home of pizza - and around Mt Vesuvius, which erupted in 79 A.D., covering the town of Pompeii in 7 metres of ash. We had a guided tour of Pompeii, which showed some well preserved buildings, two amphitheatres, multiple brothels and the mould casts of people (and a dog) who were all overcome by the explosion. After lunch we continued our trip into Sorrento. Stayed at the (dodgy) camping ground, and headed out for a 3 course dinner with the group. We had a taste of lemoncello, lemon liquor which tastes like toilet cleaner! And finished the night off at a cocktail ... read more

Europe » Italy June 24th 2010

Rome day one. Travelled to Rome today. Long and boring drive with not a great deal to look at. Oh except rain. Day Two. Into Rome today and the weather finally pulled through for us! We arrived in Piazza Pompolo and went to the Santa Maria Basilica. This is the church where science and religion complement each other rather than both trying to battle it out. Galileo was the whole mediator of the two. The marble in the floor was patterned into a type of calendar. A hole in the roof would allow the sunshine through, and depending on where the beam of light hit the floor they could tell dates and times. Very complex, but amazing. We made it to the Spanish Steps, built to join the upper class society of Rome (which ironically sat ... read more

Europe » Italy » Veneto » Venice June 21st 2010

Day one Travelled to Venice today. Its amazing how quickly the countryside can change. When we crossed the border in to italy, the cliffs dissapeared and we became surround by vineyards. We drove through the Dolmites on our way to venice. We arrived into Camping Alba D’Oro fairly late. So we settled in with a pizza and a couple of bottles of wine with Sophie and Clint from NZ. Soon enough it 1am and were ready for bed. Day two. Today we caught the valpretto (water bus) from the Piazza Roma down to San Marco Square along the Grande Canal. Venice is not quite what I expected. It has lots of narrow little streets with canals of water that stop you from getting to where you want. There are lots of gondalas that criss cross paths ... read more




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