Blogs from Vicenza, Veneto, Italy, Europe

I can't remember what I last said on here, and I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to give you the highlights of my latest trip. I left Northern Switzerland and the Batschelet household yesterday quite early, after many emails and phone calls to various people and places who are putting me up, and took the train to Locarno, in the Tessin (Italian-speaking) region of Switzerland. The train ride was breathtaking - we went through the beginnings of the Alps, over bridges and around gorges and through tunnels, and there were snowy peaks and green hills and deep valleys, and villages perched everywhere! And the train made it through - quite some engineers must have made that route. When I got to Locarno I headed for the hostel, which took some finding, but I found it eventually. ... read more

Our first full day in Vicenza began with a delicious breakfast - fruit, cereal, toast, biscuits, yoghurt and the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had. We headed down into the town and with the expert map-drawing skills of our host, made it quite easily to the parking lot. On her advice we walked to the Teatro Olimpico and bought ourselves a day pass to many of Vicenza’s attractions. The Teatro was rather beautiful and very well preserved. We then walked across to the Museo civico Palazzo Chierati. More religious paintings which have now become a blur of bored-looking Madonnas, dead looking matyrs and fat babies. Onwards we went to the Tempio di Santa Corona which was undergoing some serious renovations. We continued to Museo Naturalistico Archeologico. The natural history part of this museum was a little ... read more

Week number 3… Getting acquainted to a normal summer schedule here, where I work 4 days of the week and have off on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Not that bad. Pretty much I hang out with the kids in the morning by going to one of the parks in town, then we go back to the house where I make some lunch and they take a nap for a couple hours. From 3pm until the rest of the day I have off, although I usually join the family for dinner/hanging out. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before, but wow it’s taken some adjusting to taking care of kids again. My patience has been tried on more than one occasion, and I forget how much energy they have at all times of the day and ... read more

hello everybody who still reads this, how are you? The next segment of my travels is in Europe. I have never been to this part of the world, so I am really excited to step foot into this continent. Well, Europe has always been a coverted choice as a travel destination, but stayed out of my reach due to its increasing cost of living. I am fortunate enough to be granted a study exchange program with the University of Zagreb, Croatia, for a semester. Before lessons officially starts, I have plans to explore Europe. First destination: Italy. Why? Because Angela is there currently with Marco, who can host us for a week. Needless to say, the ancient Roman architecture, fantastic food, and world-class fashion are pretty strong pull-factors as well. The next question I asked myself ... read more

Three Must See Places In Venice While visiting Venice, I experienced the true meaning of discovery. Sure, I followed the maps and the mobs to San Marcos Square and Rialto Bridge, but that wasn't what I will remember about my travels. I will remember taking the time to get lost a little, because that is when you find the gems of the city. On my wanders, there were three places that stuck out from all the rest: San Giovanni e Paolo, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, and Isola di San Michele. These monuments are captivating and beautiful, and cannot be missed. Santa Giovanni e Paolo and Campo When you come upon the Church of Santa Giovanni e Paolo from the sea, a massive gothic facade with seemingly ancient splendor will stand towering in front of you. ... read more

We left Matteo's appartment in Milan and headed to Venice for the night and then from there to Florcence he helped us book hostels and even gave us not one but three maps of florence to help us on our way when we arrived in the station Katie went to the washroom Feeling confident, Lynsey went to ask information about where on our map the hostel could be located the woman at the desk looked at the address and tried to locate it on the map before saying "it isnt here" Lynsey responded with a puzzled look as we had already booked it, it definately did exist then she talked slowly again with big sympthetic eyes saying "you do know you are in Venice now right? this is a map of Florence...." good. go us! just ... read more

Well everyone, tonight is my last night in the beautiful country of Italy. It's an experience I'm so glad I was able to have. Sure it was a little tough in the beginning, just like anything new is but there is so much I'm going to miss. I will miss my walks through the piazza eating gelato, Spritz, ancient architecture and art, tug of war with the Hulk, trying to speak Italian, train rides, near death experiences with Vespas, home-made pizza and pasta, men with purses, Cinque Terre, fragolino, boat rides on Lake Garda, watching parades out my window, incredible espresso, kabobs, out-door cafes, breath-taking views, my new friends, etc.....ok you get the picture..I could go on and on. Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures and if you haven't been to Italy ... read more

Last Day & Night in Venice Robert and I woke up to the wonderful view from our room of the Grand Canal. Went off to view the Doges Palace - what a sight! I still can't get over how much these men revered themselves. A thunderstorm came through while we were in the palace. Went back to our room for couple of hours and then decided to go have a cocktail before getting ready for dinner and a gondala ride. Robert had washed all of his undies which he had hanging from the shower curtain rod - picked them up and hung them in the closet for when the maid came in - no white trash in this hotel! Went for drinks - this bartender makes a mean cosmo! during our drinks, Venice was hit with ... read more