Well… If I Thought I Saw Ancient Before Then This Is Something Else Arriving in Cairo just before midnight, the first thing you notice is the size of the place. As the largest single city in the world and containing the population of Australia, the lights stretch as far as the eye can see… even from the air!!! Touching down, the second thing you notice is that security and customs are not something that seems to be taken too seriously. Buying a visa from the money exchange next to customs, handing in the medical advice that wasn’t even checked, and out through passport control with a cursory glance at my passport, I had found my way to the first great civilisation in the world. The taxi from the airport to the hostel was interesting to say ... read more

Heading South My last day in Rome for half a week was spent filling in the blanks, not so much with what I hadn’t seen in Rome but with what I had missed in Paris. Heading to the outskirts of the city, the first thing on the itinerary was a visit to the road that everyone was talking about when they said All roads lead to Rome. Via Appia Antica was built over 2300 years ago and was the main artery into Rome from the South East for the majority of it’s life. Lined with ancient villas slowly falling into disrepair, it is now more like a country lane with trees overhanging the road then a major artery. The road itself still has sections of the original cobbles… but I use the term cobbles with a ... read more

But Maybe Not Quite As Much As This Place So I mentioned that I was heading to a city that’s a country within a city today. It also happens to be the smallest country in the world at just one square kilometre and was given it’s independence from Rome in the 15th Century (I think???). It has it’s own postal service, currency, newspaper and radio station and has a unique army of Swiss Guards to protect it’s leader. If you need more than one guess as to where I am you should be shot right now!!!! Vatican City is an impressive area to say the least. Surrounded by high stone walls (God knows why they had to build them when they’re in the middle of Rome… sorry for the pun), from the outside it looks more ... read more

Ciao From Tuscany The train from Nice into Italy ran smoothly with a quick change at Genova, then on to my first real taste of an Italian city with a nights stop in Pisa. There's only a couple of reasons to visit Pisa, the obvious being the leaning tower, and then the Campo Dei Miracoli that it's situated in which also houses the Duomo (the main church of the city). Luckily, the hostel I'd booked was called Under The Tower, and that's exactly what it was. You could see it from the bedroom window!!! Placed on one of the little side streets just off the piazza with a row of pizzerias running the length of it creating a festive atmosphere. Kids with gelato and stalls full of all the touristy trinkets added to the vibe as ... read more

The Spanish Life Arriving in Valencia an hour late, I was pleased to find that the temperature here was much easier to handle at a mere 42C. Out of the train station and heading towards my hostel, the city was a sudden assault on the senses. There was life everywhere, from the lady feeding the birds in front of the enormous fountain to the people having a laugh around the bull fighting ring. It is also one of the more beautiful cities I've seen from first impressions with heroic monuments, fantastic sculptures and fountains in every plaza, as well as magnificent churches and temples and even the gate of the old city wall looming over the old quarter. Reinvigorated, I set off walking the winding back streets and lanes, weaving in and out of towers and ... read more