Road Trip MEL to BNE

Okay, let me preface this by saying, when you think you have a good idea to try something different, expect problems.

For our journey down, we tried a different route.  Aside from a few minor misplacements, we made it to Melbourne and truth be known, we would do it again as it was very nice.

Going back we thought we'd try another different route.  Looking at going via Sydney, the route showed motorways virtually the whole drive through, especially around Sydney.  I have no issues paying tolls, its a convenience I am happy to pay for.  Well Sydney lived up to its reputation as being a clusterfuck to drive in and we did not even go near the city.  Somehow the motorway became some backwater 6 lane suburban transgression that was gridlocked.  And then we learned that Sydney drivers cannot drive up hill at the speed limit.  Every time we came to a slight incline, gridlock.  We decided after 11 hours of driving to pull over into a town for something to eat for a late lunch (we started at 4am).  That gave enough time for the majority of idiots to dissipate.  We then encountered more gridlock in the Newcastle area.  Once past that it was destination Port Macquarie hopefully, we settled on Taree instead with what was probably the last room in the town in a motel which was very ambitiously described.  After a pub meal which was quite nice, though the clientele left a little to be desired we hit the hay.

Next day we were up at 3:15am leaving by 3:45am, quick fuel stop and we were on our way again luckily beating most of the traffic.  A stop for brekkie in Grafton had us basically non stop for 3.5 hours of driving to home.  Nothing was stopping us from getting there and it was such a pleasure to drive in Brisbane non-traffic.

Photos
2017-12-27 - Road Trip MEL to Taree
2017-12-28 - Road Trip Taree to BNE

Photography Workshop

Today was a photography workshop for TOGuy at night, daytime was a primary school reunion for TOGirl and a few friends who settled in Melbourne.

The work shop was really good, learned a few more tricks, got to try out some ideas and had a great time traipsing through Melbourne.

Until our road trip, the next couple of days are personal ones with family and friends so we will not be posting anything about those for privacy reasons.

Photo Workshop

Luna Park

Well I have to say my days (TOGuy) as a carnie participant are well behind me.

On entering Luna Park I was convinced to go on The Spider, there were only two of us and I was needed to balance out TOB2 (That Other Boyfriend of daughter 2) on the ride since we were the only ones riding.  That only took 2 hours to recover from, especially since I rode the Scenic Railway soon after it.  I had to eat 2 x Dagwood Dogs, some Onion Rings and a Churro to settle the stomach down.

TOB2 however, once the kids of our very good friend arrived, of he was, running from ride to ride.  Everyone had a great time.

Photos
2017-12-22 - Luna Park

Phillip Island

Today was a trip to Phillip Island via a friends place.

Phillip Island has much to offer, but we arrived mid afternoon so only really able to take in "The Nobbies", Cowes for dinner, and the of course the Penguin Parade.  Some very awesome scenery and wildlife which the photos just cannot do justice to.  To really take it in, you need to spend some time waiting for the perfect shot.

It would have been nice to spend a few days at the Island as it has so much to offer, including:

• Koala Reserve
• Surfing
• Grand Prix Circuit
• Museums
• Shopping 
• Bush-walking
• Cycling
• Tours
• Beaches

Photos
2017-12-21 - Road Trip start to Phillip Island
2017-12-21 - Phillip Island

Melbourne Zoo

Today was taking our youngest and her boyfriend to the Melbourne Zoo.  At 21 years old, he was like a kid in a candy shop, racing from one exhibit to another excitedly enraptured with the animals.  The highlight being tigers where it was pacing in its new enclosure, right past the perspex pane so you were literally inches away from its face with your own.  The other highlight were the lemurs which are in an enclosure you enter and they are running around.  TOGirl was enamored by the elephants and gorillas.

Photos
2017-12-20 - Melbourne Zoo

Melbourne Xmas Holidays (did someone say road trip?)

While this trip is not necessarily abroad, the feeling of going somewhere like Melbourne after being abroad provides you with a new perspective.  I grew up in Melbourne and knew it before it really exploded into what it is today.  Prior trips had always been to the 'burbs to stay with family, so this time, traveling and staying inner city was to us like traveling abroad and seeing Melbourne with fresh new eyes.  So far it has not disappointed.  For me personally, when visiting Milan this year, I was reminded of Melbourne.  Now being here, this very much reminds me of Milan.  Melbourne is very much a Euro style city, right down to the trams.

What makes this trip even more special is that our youngest is bringing her partner, he has never been to Melbourne.  Experiencing it through his eyes and seeing the joy he has in this trip so far is wonderful.

So far we have been to:

• ACMI
• National Gallery of Victoria
• Shrine of Remembrance
• Old Melbourne Gaol
• Queen Victoria Markets

With the Melbourne Zoo to come today.

For the road trip, we took a completely different route for a change with only minor similarities to the past.  Usually most people take A39 (Newell Highway) via Warwick.  This time it was via Toowoomba, then ontop familiar roads, but then we detoured via Mendooran, Dunedoo, Mudgee, and ending in Bathurst (1,000kms).  A very nice overnight stay, a lovely town to stop in.  From there it was Cowra, Young, Cootamundra, Gundagai and then the Hume Freeway to Melbourne (800kms).  A very enjoyable trip and nice to have a different drive to make the trip a little less boring.

Photos
2017-12-16 - Road Trip BNE 2 Bathurst
2017-12-17 - Road Trip Bathurst to MEL [SFH]
2017-12-17 - Road Trip Bathurst to MEL [LTH] 
2017-12-18 - Apartment View
2017-12-18 - Melbourne CBD & Art Gallery
2017-12-19 - Old Melbourne Gaol
2017-12-19 - Shrine of Remembrance

We're Back, The Journey Home

We're back home now, lots of stuff spilling out of suitcases, happy family, and very excited dog.

On the morning of leaving I got up to relieve myself only to see a large military gathering in the car parking area nearby.  Lots of military carrying all sorts of gear, military bands, machinery, and marching.

Turns out they are rehearsing for something like a military tattoo this coming Saturday which explains why the nearby concert arena is having gear packed into it.  It was very surreal though, almost like a military coup about to happen.

Other than that we eventually got up, had breakfast, checked out, and drove to the airport.  We dropped the car back without issue, checked in without issue, got through customs nice and fast avoiding a 1 hour long line because disabled people receive priority, and waited to board our flight.

We have actually found having the additional space of the exit row areas to be annoying, people seem to think they can congregate right in front of you.  We found the second leg of the flight in a "normal" row much better, though the aisle seat passenger was a chronic sleeper which means getting out was an issue.

Changi Airport once again did not disappoint with cleanliness and lack of crowds a very pleasant experience.  Singapore Airlines was also again very impressive, we will definitely choose them over Emirates every time.  On every single flight the toilets were well maintained and clean, the crew extremely accommodating, and always friendly.  We took some interesting photos in Changi with some interactive art.

Also on the flight we managed to catch the skyline in between daytime and nighttime out of the window.

Flight into Brisbane was an hour early which was nice.  We cleared border patrol and customs without issue and then into an Uber.  That again being pleasant.

I am writing this after waking from a disturbed sleep, but will be back in bed again shortly.

Enjoy the pictures and Ciao.

Lorraine & Sean

Photos

Google Compositions

2015-05-28 Roma by Dutch Bike 
2017-05-29 Landscapes of Roma
2017-05-30 We're Back, The Journey Home 

Italian Musings

Understanding Italy
The following websites are ones I found purely by accident during my last week and have some very useful information within.  The phrases PDF is particularly good in the Understanding Italy site.

http://www.understandingitaly.com/index.html

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/

Other Interesting Things
The following are some interesting things we took note of during our stay:

• You can buy alcohol anywhere.  While waiting for Lorraine at the Vatican I bought a stubbie at the gift shop right outside the entrance.
• Cafes are also bars which also serve food, its a very casual thing.  Evening meals are well after 7pm and from what we can tell people bar hop.  A drink here, antipasta at the next one, a meal elsewhere, then maybe dessert somewhere else.  You go to bed late, sleep late and everything opens later.
• When you buy alcoholic drinks at a cafe/bar you get either a complimentary bowl of popcorn, chips, or peanuts to go with it.
• In Milan, you see colorful dresses and suits in the shop windows, but people invariably are still dressing in greys and blacks.  Though you do occasionally see a peacock around strutting their stuff.
• Houses and gardens are amusing, you will see the most amazing gardens, well kept flower beds and window boxes, but the building is in a total state of disrepair.  Every available space of dirt has something flourishing.
• Bidets are in almost every decent hotel room, but not in public facilities.  If you haven't used a bidet yet, your bum has missed out.
• Be prepared to pay for public toilets, best option is to go to a Cafe/Bar, and have a drink, then go to the toilet.  At least you get a drink for your money spent as well as a toilet break.  The toilets are usually very clean in these establishments.
• If you can find a space and you are not blocking anything, you can invariably park something in it, car, scooter, motorbike, bicycle, truck, bus.  Double parking is normal while people do things, you just drive around them, preferably not using indicators.
• Speed cameras are well identified everywhere, if you get a speeding ticket you are simply not paying attention.  Its quite normal and seemingly acceptable to speed, just slow down for the cameras.
• Generally from what we noticed, the police will not bother you unless you are doing something really stupid, whether that be in a motor vehicle, as a pedestrian, or on a bike.  Behave in a respectful manner and you will be left alone.  Act like a dick and you will be singled out.  In over 2,000kms of driving I only saw two drivers pulled over.

Landscapes of Roma (and some pictues of Tivoli)

Well today was a bit of a bust as far as our "out of Roma" sight seeing was concerned.  We did go to Tivoli, but in all the research I did and of the only two destinations I researched, none of the research revealed the very critical piece of information that one of them is closed on Mondays.  To rub salt into the wounds, we tried for around 30 minutes to find a car park close to the first venue to no avail, so parked a couple of hundred metres away.  Naturally when we got back to where the venue was, there were plenty of empty spaces.  We did get a photo of the outside of the Villa d'Este though, nice name plates.

Finding Hadrian's Villa or Villa Adrianna as it is also known was also problematic, by this time we gave up after getting some nice photos in Tivoli and decided to return to Roma.

In hindsight it was a good thing as it gave us a chance to go for a wander down vias reminiscing on the great times we have had in Roma, have lunch just of the Corso at a street cafe, and then wander back through vias we have not wandered before.  We also managed to get into the Pantheon finally to take some more photographs.  To be honest though we are all sightseed out now.  We took the opportunity to take some photographs of things from different perspectives before returning to the apartment for a rest.  Back to Cafe Normale for dinner tonight before a final pack of everything to go home.

This will be our last posting until we get home to Brisbane.  We hope everyone has enjoyed reading our adventures.

For some interesting insights from us about Italy, click here.

Enjoy the pictures and Ciao.

Lorraine & Sean

Photos

Google Compositions

2017-05-27 Back to Roma (plus some pictures of San Marino) 
2015-05-28 Roma by Dutch Bike 
2017-05-29 Landscapes of Roma

Roma by Dutch Bike

So today Lorraine wanted to see the Pope delivering the midday Angelus in St Peters Square.  Figuring that driving there was probably a lesson in futility I had to come up with options.  Considering we also wanted to see the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon,  driving a car within Roma's city centre is hellish.  Now I know from last years experience that cycling on cobblestones is hard on the back and arse but at least its quicker than walking.  Also cyclists are permitted a lot more liberties and parking is a breeze but Lorraine wasn't having a bar of it.  I had to come up with an alternative.
Last year just near our hotel a new cycle hire place was opening up so I went and checked it out.

They had a Dutch Family E-assist (electric) bike.  For those who do not know what that is, it is a trike (2 front, 1 rear wheel), steering at the front with a large seated area where you can fit 4 small children or in our case, one wife with gear.  Being E-assist means you have some back up power to help up the hills so it really is quite effortless to ride. Lorraine described it as a bicycle with a wheel barrow attached to the front.

So off we went Sunday morning in our Dutch bike (it was made in Holland, so a real Dutch bike).  It was awesome, and the really refreshing thing was the absolute respect afforded us by cars, scooters, buses, even pedestrians.  No one passed close or extended any aggro towards us.  In the narrow vias, cars, delivery vans, trucks, scooters all just waited patiently until it was safe to pass.  It was awesome, even on the large roundabouts, fast roads and everything in between, we just signaled and moved where we needed to and other road users treated us with respect.  Initially Lorraine was a bit nervous but once she saw that the traffic actually gave us room, she enjoyed the ride.

So back to the activities, we eventually made it to the Pantheon after being a little geographically displaced (see below).  Only to find that mass was being held and it was closed until midday, so that got struck off the list after one photo from a distance of the inside.  Then it was off to the Vatican.

Lorraine did not want to go as she had heard the horror stories of the crowds, and difficulties of parking, that being one of the reasons we chose to ride a bike there.  As it turns out it was not as busy as we had expected, we could have driven the car, and there were plenty of available parking spaces.  But of course that means not riding a Dutch bike.  Lorraine went though fairly easy, I stayed outside as this is not my thing.  Lorraine reckons she took a photo for every time the Pope moved, she's edited the near 50 photos down to at least 10 I think.  She was out fairly quickly and we were on our way to Piazza del Popolo for lunch.  But not before seeing a collection of vintage and veteran Italian cars as we passed through.

We settled on a place for lunch, I got my 1 litre birre (see the pics for before and after), we ordered a pizza and then the power went out.  Luckily our pizza was finished (well near enough) so it came out and we had a romantic dimly lit meal.  Just as we finished the power came back.  Off to the Spanish Steps.  This is where the E-assist came into its own, up some switchbacks on full power assist and I made light work of it.  And then we saw a lookout we hadn't seen before.  Some obligatory photos and off to the steps.  Hey Kevin, bet you cannot work out which photo I shopped to remove the crane from the skyline.

At this point I might say we drew a lot of attention, its not often you see two adults using a Dutch Cargo bike to get round Roma.  Many photos were taken of us, lots of giggling, and possibly envious wives, so around the world there is going to be goofy pictures of us in peoples holiday snaps.

On arrival at the Spanish Steps we took better photos than last year when it had scaffolding all over it.  Both feeling a little 2nd hand by this stage we decided to head home via the Colosseum.  Some more photos and then it was back to Easy Bike Rent to return the bike. 

Back to the room and as I finish this the final riders are departing the start of the Giro ITT final stage, the Maglia Rosa is up for grabs, so its time for me to leave and watch that and let Lorraine finish editing her photos before the upload.

Dinner tonight just around the corner and off tomorrow to a little place an hour outside Rome called Tivoli for our last day trip.

Enjoy the pictures and Ciao.

Sean & Lorraine

Geographical Displacement and Lorraine
Now I will admit negotiating Roma and any Italian town for that matter is problematic with winding twisting streets that turn on themselves.  But Lorraine is still getting lost inside the Velabro from the elevators.  By the time we leave we will have spent around 11 days and nights and she still cannot find her way around the corridors.

Photos

Google Compositions

2017-05-26 San Marino + Road Trip
2017-05-27 Back to Roma (plus some pictures of San Marino) 
2015-05-28 Roma by Dutch Bike

Back to Roma

What an awesome day of driving.  Yesterday we drove up to San Marino from the coast and had a very slight taste of the things to come going down the other side.

But first things first.  Watching San Marino come alive as the sun rose was awesome.  I was up as usual around 4:30am and was moving between our room and the hotel hallway taking photos.  Then it was breakfast time, packing the bags, one more final gift to purchase, and then we hit the road.

We had a choice of three options, one which took us back to the coast, then over the Appenines, but based on past experience that does not necessarily mean coastal viewing, so it was out.  The other two were over Appenines, though one was more "A" road and less "S" road (that means tunnels and higher tolls), the chosen option being more "S" road and then a run into Roma on the "A" road.  "S" roads are basically the highway roads that linked towns before the Autostradas came into being.  They are max speed of 90kmh, usually windy and narrow, though occasionally if it is a traffic route between major towns with HGV traffic, they are wider and may reach 110kmh speed limits.

And what an option it was.  Nirvana whether on bicycle, motorbike or in a good handling car.  The BMW SUV at least had Tiptronic and Sports mode, so I made the most of breaking in the driving gloves with some spirited driving.  Tight Twisties which are called Fonzies in Italy, we'll post a picture so you get what we mean, abounded.  By the time we got to Arezzo, we were both a little queasy from the listing of the Beemer around corners.  Plenty of cyclists and moto riders out also enjoying themselves and I did see one Maserati driver obviously going to enjoy the roads.

Following that it was through some more villages through the valleys, more photo opportunities for stuff we were not expecting, the forte or castle in Anghiari was an unpected pleasure. So glad to have taken this option. Then it was the Autostrada into Roma, around 273kms in a shade over 2 hours.

We battled the Roma Saturday afternoon traffic which is actually quite tame now after 2 weeks of driving in Italy, back to our security blanket of Palazzo del Velabro.  A nice modern room, even bigger than our previous offerings here.  We're just chilling catching the 2nd last stage of the Giro on TV (so nice to watch a Grand Tour in real time in daylight on TV).  An early'ish dinner is planned and early night to get some rest.

Tomorrow Lorraine wants to see the Pope at the Vatican, we also have the Pantheon and Spanish Steps planned.  Monday we've decided to head out to Tivoli for the day.

Oh Lorraine also did some video of me parking the car outside Palazzo del Velabro, trying to show the tight squeeze that it is.  There is also some video of the Austostrada.

Enjoy the pictures and Ciao.

Sean & Lorraine

Photos

Google Compositions
2017-05-25 Last night in Venice

2017-05-26 San Marino + Road Trip
2017-05-27 Back to Roma (plus some pictures of San Marino)

San Marino + Road Trip

Okay, picture overload warning, around 380 for today, simply because I did not want to remove some because they help us to remember the journey and because the pictures from San Morino are simply too stunning.  In fact every picture I took from the room photos onwards are mine and absolutely unedited in any way.  I spent a lot of time framing many of the shots, yes Kevin M, I pointed the camera down, and just decided I did not want to edit them at all.

The journey was fairly uneventful, though if you look at some of the action road shots Lorraine took you'll get a very good idea of Italian driving.  In the cities, two wheeled transport will think nothing of driving on the wrong side of the road to move ahead and pass.  On the highways, its the turn of the cars to do so.  You'll see a series of photos of a car passing another car straddling the centre line passing a car with oncoming vehicles just moving to the side letting the driver through.  I must admit, I tried it myself much to Lorraine's horror, no problem at all.  Lorraine however does not have enough underwear for me to do it too often.

Coming into San Morino would be a motorbike riders delight and obviously is based on the amount of bikes parked.  I have included a Google Map extract of the road, it looks tame, but it is not, for those that know Mailmans/Bygotts Road from Samford Road, its that little bit, but on steroids, times 100, narrower and a speed limit of 90km/h.  For the moto readers, towards the end are some Ducatti pictures in a Piazza.

Now for San Marino.  I cannot remember where I read it, but the person who said there is nothing to do here is an absolute fool.  Okay, they said the views are awesome and that they are, the photos do not do them justice.  But there are at least a dozen museums and shops galore, all VAT/Duty free.  So when I said in a previous post we were done with shopping.  Not so.  We have the obligatory flag we always get from each country, we also collect fridge magnets and I collect shot glasses.  Last year I bought a nice hat in Paris and some hat pins for it, so now I also buy hat pins.  Of course that means I had to buy a hat for them.  I swore I was not going to buy anymore hats, except maybe a couple of commemorative Giro caps.  I now have an additional 7 hats/caps for my collection from this trip.  The hat wall just got bigger.  I also could not pass up on two more watches, a smart watch made in San Marino (so I am told) and a nice San Marino made timber framed watch with a very unique face that tells digital time in an analogue way.  Both were at least 1/3 the price I have see them around the traps even accounting for currency conversion.

Following the shopping we walked up to the fort towers built around 700 years ago, some more shopping for our own private collectibles, a new suitcase to hold all of these souvenirs and then back to the room.

A nice romantic dinner in the hotel restaurant where the food was to die for.  And then upstairs to watch the sun set.  The thing that strikes us most in San Marino is how clean it is.  Absolutely no litter, no rubbish, no graffiti, no street hawkers, no loud tourist groups, or for that matter not many loud tourists.  San Marino is a hidden gem.

Reflecting on our holiday we are glad to have driven, having access to immediate and personal transports an being able to go off the beaten track and see the things we want to see when we want to see them has been awesome.  Buses, trains and planes just do not offer that luxury.  I will be honest, the one big advantage we have enjoyed is my disability.  I know its sounds weird and maybe even crass, but being disabled does have advantages, parking for free in most places, unlimited not the least of them.

If we did this holiday again and in hindsight knowing what we know now.  We would make the following changes:

1. One extra day/night in Firenze.
2. One less day/night in Milan, also avoid Milan on Saturdays, its nutso gridlock.
3. One less day/night in Venice, 3 days is enough, two in Venice and one for the surrounding area.
4. One extra day/night in San Marino, not for any other reason than to relax and take it in.
5. We have the current wind down time in Rome simply because we love it and we missed the Pantheon and Spanish Steps last year.

Tomorrow we will the morning in Sam Marino before heading to Rome for some final sight seeing before our journey home.

Enjoy the pictures and Ciao.

Sean & Lorraine

Photos

Google Compositions
2017-05-25 Wanderings around Mestre and Maghera
2017-05-25 Last night in Venice

2017-05-26 San Marino + Road Trip

Last night in Venice

Back to Venice for dinner for our last night in the Veneto region of Italy.  Tomorrow we are off to San Marino, the last remaining principality in Italy that survives the older sub kingdoms that made up the Italian country.  As a country, known as Italy, it is younger than the US, and older than Australia.  As a culture however it is multi millennia in age.

Tonight was some last minute items of shopping for friends that were overlooked, plus some more impulse purchase for me.  Last night I purchased a nice spring loaded walking stick, actually for mountain trail walking, but the snow feature I realised would be a good feature for beach sand walking.  So I went back for another.  This trip I also had vowed not to buy anymore hats except for maybe a commemorative Giro cap or two, or three, well four of them and three other hats later, I promise to stop buying.  I think my hat collection now numbers in the 70's and overseas purchased hats are probably overtaking the majority in the collection.

Lorraine of course purchased more Murano glass (so did I in a romantic gesture, matching bracelet pendants).

My final purchase was a Venezia flag simply because I liked it so much.

Then it was a romantic canal side dinner and a lazy walk back to the car with some pictures along the way.  It was not quite dark when we left so didn't have a chance to try out the technique Kevin suggested for night shots.  Back to the hotel for a good nights rest before the drive to San Marino tomorrow.

Until then enjoy the pictures and Ciao.

Sean & Lorraine

Photos

Google Compositions
2017-05-24 Venice by Night
2017-05-25 Wanderings around Mestre and Maghera
2017-05-25 Last night in Venice

Wanderings around Mestre and Maghera

Today is a little of a chill out day for us.  It was a day we didn't realise we would have spare as we have now realised that for us a day and a night in Venice is more than enough to satisfy us.  Also Lorraine isn't feeling well having caught a cold she claims to have caught from me, so she let me organise the day with some low key activities.  We are going back again to Venice tonight for dinner simply because we can.  It is nice at night as the photos from last night show.  Kevin M has also given me some tips about night photography so hopefully I can get a few more better quality shots in.

It started raining in the morning after breakfast so we were glad to have had Venice basically finished without having to contend with rain.  However the rain only lasted for about 30 minutes luckily, so that means our day is still good.

We headed out to have the car washed.  I wouldn't normally bother with it being a hire car, but in Firenze, Milan and the first night in Mestre we had parked under a particular popular tree in Italy that I now know drops sap, lots and lots and lots of sap.  I had been cleaning the windows by hand but the car had reached a point where you could not even touch it anymore without it being sticky all over your hands.  So I found this incredibly friendly place where no one spoke English and of course all I could say was what I wanted from Google translate "lavaggio di automobile" or "autolavaggio".  They were puzzled about this tourist getting a hire car cleaned and wanted to do it outside and in, we just wanted a basic outside wash.  The car got a great clean, we all had a great laugh at each other and we were on our way again.

We then headed to Forte Maghera.  It was built in the 1300's as the first line of defense for Venezie by the Austrians before eventually falling to the French and now owned by the Italian Military who are donating it back to Venezie.  It is in the middle of restoration works, when I say middle, they have a long way to go and I have no idea how bad it was before they started.  Its like most Italian buildings, always in a state of both continual disrepair and repair at the same time, functional yet decrepit simultaneously, but it is what gives Italy its magic.

Following this we then went over to Piazza Ferretto, strangely classic and modern at the same time.  We both agreed though that we are shopped out and have no desire to spend anymore money on things as we have all we could want from this trip, maybe a few more knick knacks but nothing substantial.

We headed back to the hotel.  Initially we were going to pick up some nibblies and just eat in the courtyard at the hotel, but then not finding something immediately close by, we settled into a cafe bar for something light to eat and drink.  It was one of those subliminal and total existential experiences you just cannot get as part of a tourist group being herded around.  Let me explain that first of all dog owners take their dogs everywhere, shops, buses, trains, you name it, a dog will be there.  So it is not a strange sight to see people having a drink in the bar, indoors with their dogs.  But as we all know (looking at you Kathy and Murray), not all dogs like all dogs.  So when this lady comes in with her dog for a whatever she was coming in for and another patron's dog goes ballistic, she drags out her dog (by now also going nuts), but then the older gentleman at the table next to us goes ballistic at the first patron, who was for the better part minding his own business the whole while.  Now we know some Italian phrases and words and we do know "cane" pronounced 'carner' means dog (I wanted to know how to describe my MTB jersey from my Dirt Dogs MTB Club, its Maglia Cane Sporco).  This older gentlemen is swearing, cursing and most of all gesturing with a horizontal finger wiping under his chin at the patron.  This goes on for a full 5 minutes and was highly entertaining.  Of course we had to be careful not to laugh and incur his wrath.  Absolutely gold moment.

Back to hotel for a well deserved rest and some catch up on sleep.  We have been going hard for 13 days straight so I am writing this after having had a nap of about 2 hours and probably going to have another one soon.

Next Venice our last night.

Ciao.

Sean & Lorraine

Photos

Google Compositions
2017-05-24 Verona
2017-05-24 Venice by Night
2017-05-25 Wanderings around Mestre and Maghera 

Venice by Night

After our excursion into Verona, we headed back to the hotel for a rest and a cleanup and then drove to Venice for dinner and to see it by night.  It didn't disappoint.  There are plenty of places to eat but again, the further you walk in, the quieter it gets and sure enough we found a little place away from the throng of tourists.  An American guy was seated next to us so we shared travel stories and dinner until such time he had finished and was asked to vacate his seat as the restaurant wanted to use his table.  Bit rude but they rack em and stack em here.


Again, Sean took some great night photos.

Ciao.

Lorraine & Sean

Kirk, the American guy was a very nice guy.  Conversation turned to politics eventually and being from California, it is a very Democrat dominated area.  All he could do was say even Americans are puzzled as to how the Baboon got there and how he manages to stay there.  Only diehards support him and their system being so binary with very few independents means if you don't like your own representative you will simply not vote at all, hence why they have what they have.

As for the night photos, I forgot to take my mini tripod and monopod with me.  As night photos rely on slow shutter speeds, you need a really steady hand even if resting on something, this means I had to discard nearly half the pictures I took.  What is there is okay, but not as good as I would like.

Sean

Photos

Google Compositions
2017-05-23 Venice
2017-05-24 Verona
2017-05-24 Venice by Night

Verona

Today we headed to Verona, the famous setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliette.  The 1hr drive was uneventful with not much to look at and neither is the outskirts of Verona but again, like many Italian cities, you have to drive deep into the city centre to find the 'wow' stuff.

Firstly we found Juliette's balcony along with a thousand other people. From the street, the entrance is an archway that has been signed by lovers over the decades to form a wallpaper of signatures, notes and messages.  Walking through the arch, you enter a small courtyard and the the balcony is perched high on a brick wall.  A statue of Juliette is under the balcony and surrounding the courtyard are a number of little stores selling, you guessed it, love souvenirs.  There is an embroidery store that sews your name onto red hearts while you wait.  The balcony is quite popular with tourist and school groups and we had both crammed into the little area.  Even so, it was still lovely to see.  I also really enjoyed the fact that so many others wanted to be remembered in this place so messages covered every possible space. Of course you always get that one tourist who has to have his picture taken with Juliette's statue and then places his hand over her boob for the photo.  Really!!!   Anyway, apparently Romeo's home is actually someone's home so you can't see that one.

We then moved on to see the Verona Arena, the very first Colosseum built in 1 AD.  It is still used to host concerts etc but it is nowhere near the size of Rome's version.  It was then onto Piazza Bra and Piazza Delle Erbe.  You have to give it to the Italians, they loved their Piazza's and why wouldn't you.  It's a great place to take a break, relax, eat gelato and people watch.  Unfortunately the high end fashion stores have taken up one entire lane way so it kills the historical feel of that particular part of the square.

We then took a walk over to see the Castelvecchio, a medieval castle built in the 1300s.  Entry was free and we were able to walk up to the turrets and see the view of the city.

Overall a great day.  Don't forget to see the photos.  This time Sean took them.


Ciao.

Lorraine & Sean

Photos

Google Compositions

2017-05-23 Venice
2017-05-24 Verona
2017-05-24 Venice by Night

Venice

First of all an update on our accommodation.  We sent an email to Nae our Travel Agent.  She in turn contacted the wholesaler of the accommodation in order to sort out the breakfast part of bed and breakfast.  We were assured that everything would be sorted, so we waited until a confirmation email was received and that everything had been sorted.  The wholesaler had apparently made the necessary calls.  Seems like the reception area were not having a bar of it.  So I called Nae personally since by this time it was close to close time in Australia and let her know if it could not be sorted in 30 minutes (9am) we were simply leaving and wanted a refund since the breakfast part of the bed and breakfast was not being honored.  I went next door to the supermarket to buy some Foccacia possibly knowing already this was never going to end in our favour, I waited 20 mins.  Well then 9am arrived, I went upstairs and in 5 minutes organised new accommodation, including buffet breakfast, secure parking (though there is a handicap spot right outside the hotel door), 5 minutes away for roughly the same money.  We rang Nae back and let her know so that she could commence seeking reparations (Nae see my previous blog post for pictures and a list of issues).  You will see by the pictures, the outside of Hotel Cris is quaint, it is small and privately owned.  We turned up, they were happy to see us, gave us maps, told us the in and outs of the public transport system, where we could get meals in the evening and then when we eventually went to check in after a day out in Venice I offered my card for payment, they said just pay when you are leaving.  The room is nice, the shower a little small, but I can overlook that since we only spend 10 minutes a day there.  The room is clean and homely, no bar fridge but then the one at the other place didn't work anyway.  Best of all the WiFi just works, no silly hourly logins, no lockouts, it just works.

So after sorting out the accommodation and leaving our luggage behind, we headed over to Venice.  Got a parking space straight away, 6.00Eur for around 9 hours of pre-paid parking, not that we stayed that long, I think we eventually left at around 5pm (after 7 hours of trekking).  With that we set off to unlock the beauty of Venice.

We had done some research overnight and knew of some stores we wished to visit in order to get items for specific people.  This meant taking a more direct line through the heart of Venice, deep into the centre.  What a revelation, the deeper you got the less graffiti and the less touristy and junky the shops became.  We bought up a storm until lunchtime, whereupon on making a location error we stumbled upon a nice restaurant.  Lorraine had Spaghetti Ragout, I had Spaghetti Genovese, Lorriane unable to finish hers which was such a shame for me. :-)

After lunch we continued with the shopping picking up some nice Murano Glass items, some other items for a friend who placed an order weeks and weeks ago, I managed to score some very nice Italian leather driving gloves and finally managed to get the souvenir Giro d'Italia pink jersey the Maglia Rosa I had been trying to get since getting here.  Soon after we found the high end stores of Venice, right in the heart.

It was shortly thereafter that Lorraine realised why I kept asking her to turn off the DSLR camera in between shots.  Leaving it on for hours at a time in between shots drains the battery rapidly, very very rapidly.  She was shattered.  No more photos for her as we would be relying on the phone for all the pics thereon in.

We then thought it was about time to take that Gondola ride, we passed on the first two locations due to the lines, settling on a quiet starting point for a nice 40 minute ride around the canals.  We were lucky to score the paid singing of another ride just ahead of us for a little while and then our oarsman would occasionally chime up with song or whistling.  Our oarsman was very chatty telling bout the history of some of the places including where George Clooney was married, where Napoleon Bonaparte lived and other interesting information about the buildings.  He told us the Gondolas are a state run business with the oarsmen being salaried workers, there are around 433 operating Gondolas in the canals.

After the Gondola ride it was time to head back, but not before Lorraine had to stop at one of the Murano Glass shops we saw yesterday that had a wide and reasonably priced range of items.  Since I was not allowed inside with a back pack on, I decided to head back to the car to unload.  I was just about to head back for her when I saw her coming so we headed back to the Hotel Cris.  All up 7 hours trekking around Venice, 6 of those walking 1 seated for lunch.  To say I am tired is an understatement.  And while I may look like a pack horse with back pack on and shopping bags hanging from caribinas on the front, its a nicely balanced system that keeps my back static.  It was only towards the end that I could feel I had reached a new limit.

It was at this time the staff at Hotel Cris said not to bother paying until we left.  Very nice of them.  I also forgot to mention that we snagged the last room in the hotel.  They are so friendly and accommodating.

Dinner had us eating takeaway pizza, another funny story in that for another time.

Tomorrow we're off to Verona for the day, we may head back to Venice the day after for an evening.  We both felt though that once you have seen Venice, that's about it, one day, maybe two or an evening and it is really no different to any other tourist destination.  The key to Venice however is to delve deep into her in order to unlock her potential.  If you skirt around the edges, you'll miss the best part of it.

Ciao.

Sean & Lorraine

Photos

Google Compositions
2017-05-21 Giro Stage 15 at Cossata & Road Trip
2017-05-22 Milan to Mestre (Venezie/Venice), First Impressions of Venice 
2017-05-23 Venice

Ambasciotori Hotel Mestre is CRAP

Worst fucking hotel ever.

Shit WiFi system.
Incomplete building work in hallway with live wires hanging down.
No soap tray in shower.
No towel rails.
No bedside table.
No cupboard or vanity.
Minibar fridge did not even keep contents cold.
Uneven and sloping floors.
Electrical points inoperable.
Nowhere to open suitcases.
Barely adequate bed coverings.
Lift buttons not working.
Cannot charge restaurant meals to room.
Breakfast not included when told it was.
Shit WiFi system that forces you to login in every 1 hour.

Worst fucking experience ever.

Photos of a Polished Turd

Milan to Mestre (Venezie/Venice), First Impressions of Venice

We said goodby to Milan today and headed off early to Venice.  The drive was uneventful, I managed to get a few shots along the way but all in all, very industrial and not much to look at. It was surprising to see not much traffic on the highway this morning compared to Saturday afternoon/evening when it was manic.  Also on Sunday, the roads and streets were fairly empty and quite a number of the stores were closed.  We wondered where everyone had gone but then found 1000s of them in the Duomo.  I have to mention that the tolls from Milan to Venice was quite expensive, I think all up we paid about $30. 

Anyway, we arrived at our hotel at midday but couldn't check in until 2.00 pm so we headed off to get a quick squiz of Venice and to see how close we could get before we had to park. (We are staying on the 'mainland' as the hotel prices in Venice itself were more than we were willing to pay).   From our hotel it is about 10-15 min drive and surprisingly we could drive right up to the pedestrian bridge.  We found a park pretty much straight away and because Sean is disabled, we get half price parking. Bonus!  There is a bus right outside our hotel that leaves every 8 minutes but for us, the car is cheaper and more comfortable option.  We wandered over the bridge into Venice and first impressions was wow, look at all the people.

Once we came to terms with the number of tourists, we started our exploration by walking the outskirts and then meandering inwards.  The main thoroughfare was crowded but as we walked further in, the tourists thinned right out.  Now  it's fairly obvious that Venice oozes with history but what you don't see in the travel brochures is the sad state of the buildings and the graffiti (and the junk souvenir stores at every corner.  Sean was looking at some hats at one of the souvenir stores when the lady owner came out to adjust some stock, she started coughing and then hoicked and spat right near me.  Talk about killing the romance of the place.)  The graffiti is everywhere and at eye level so you can't miss it..  Also, I understand that the buildings are extremely old but there doesn't seem to be much restoration going on which is such a shame.  You will see by my photos of today what I mean.  The beautiful brickwork is falling apart, the building motifs are crumbling and then idiots graffiti them.  In saying all that, we only saw 2 hrs worth of Venice so we are spending the full day tomorrow and I am hoping to find the amazing part further in.

We did notice that those who are staying in Venice have to drag their luggage from the bus parking area, over the footbridge and to their hotel.  There are some porters at the footbridge to assist but not many.  Depending on your location, you could have a long haul ahead.

Eventually we headed back to our hotel, that is a whole new story.  Looks very modern and smart in the foyer and restaurant but once we got to our room we found stark white walls and the very basic essentials but I have to say it was clean and comfortable.  I don't mind but Sean was disappointed.  They are currently renovating the hotel so the ceiling outside our room is non existent, there is just a bunch of cables with the occasional roof tile in place.  Not a great first impression when you are walking towards your room.  Also Sean is tearing his hair out because the free wi fi logs you out every hour.  It's going to be a long 4 days if he doesn't get his techno geek fix happening.

Here's hoping tomorrow we find the picturesque romantic Venice.


Ciao.

Lorraine & Sean

Sean here, Ambasciatori Hotel is the worst fucking hotel I have ever stayed at and I have stayed at some really shitty places.  It makes Fawlty Towers look impressive.  I'm not prone to swearing online, but this place is just crappy.  I can excuse most things but internet that logs you out every hour so you have to login is just fucked up and unnecessary.  This was my pick of hotel and I have regretted every damn moment of the decision.

Photos

Google Compositions
2017-05-20 Road Trip - Lake Como & Monza (race track)
2017-05-21 Giro Stage 15 at Cossata & Road Trip
2017-05-22 Milan to Mestre (Venezie/Venice), First Impressions of Venice

Giro Stage 15 at Cossata & Road Trip

Today we saw the Giro from another perspective, the Gruppo going through a village not far from the start of the race.  We had intended to see the start and then try to catch the race along the way, however due to some missed turns early on the Autostrada getting out of Milan and some stops to take in the scenery along the way we arrived in Cossato (our destination was Valdengo) just as the roads had been closed for the race.  So we parked just off the main road and walked down to camp out waiting for the Gruppo to arrive.

Before staking our spot we had some Cicciolati Caldas (hot chocolates) which were awesome, the spoon nearly standing up by itself (check out the cup handles).  Quick break then to stake our spot.  I missed the caravan as it came through earlier than expected but the Gruppo arrived spot on estimated time, a local giving Lorraine the tip on when to start recording video.  Our spot was on the bridge near a corner so we had a brilliant vantage point for both video and photos, check out the guy fly fishing in the river below, right in the centre of town.  Also check out the video Lorraine captured, absolutely spot on, first the neutral support car, then the Gruppo and finally the tail end.  I also managed to capture a perfectly focused Quintana shot as he rode past me.  I was so excited to get that one.

Back to the drive though, the start was in a foothill town so as we were driving to the venue and eventually stopped at Cossato, we had the most brilliant views of the Swiss Alps as a back drop.  Lorraine captured most of the shots and the second hand suggestions that I have gleaned form Kevin and Scott are helping her perfect her photos (and potential post editing).  She must be enjoying it as its almost a fight over who gets to use the DSLR camera now.  Coming home she tried some artistic shots using the cars interior mirror.  They didn't quite come out the way she expected but 10/10 for attempting them, they're never easy to pull off.

Arriving back at Milan we went for some retail therapy.  I finally managed to track down the Vespa watch I have been chasing since I saw one last year and stupidly did not buy it at the time.  A few other things purchased such as the obligatory fridge magnets and themed shot glass and we were home in the hotel shagged.

Tomorrow its Verona on our way to Venice.  No more Giro stages unfortunately as they are almost entirely mountain stages and notoriously hard to gain a good vantage point without spending a whole day or more doing so.

Ciao.

Sean & Lorraine

PS.  You will notice photos of signs, this is so we can keep a record of what towns we visited along the way.  

Photos

Google Compositions

2017-05-19 Giro Stage 13 Finish Tortona

2017-05-19 Road Trip To/From Tortona
2017-05-20 Road Trip - Lake Como & Monza (race track)
2017-05-21 Giro Stage 15 at Cossata & Road Trip

Road Trip - Lake Como & Monza (race track)

Wow wow wow wow, what an awesome day!!!

Another early start, this time to Lake Como via the scenic route.  I cannot begin to describe how beautiful this place is but George (Clooney) knew what he was doing when he decided to move here. Instead of going to the town of Como, we decided to drive along the lake to the highest possible point.  Every aspect of the drive was breathtaking but when the mountains finally open up and let you see what they have been hiding, it is truly a site to behold!  Even Sean was using words like gorgeous and beautiful and that is rare.  It was like staring into the perfect photo.  Check the photos and you will see for yourself.  We pulled into a little town called Bellagio that sits right on the lake.  We could not resist having a break, getting something to eat and bask in the magnificence of this place (our table looked straight out at the lake).  We took a few photos of the local wildlife and then decided to take a photo of our shoes on the lake's edge.  When you look at the photo you will think we are standing on white stones but the water was actually touching our shoes.  If you see the duck photos you will see how crystal clear the water is because the duck looks like he is swimming in mid air.
We then decided to follow the road even higher and we are so glad we did.  We ended up in the town of Visgnolo.  Wow wow wow!  They have a fantastic lookout over the river and the mountains so Sean took full advantage with the camera.  Lucky for us it was not busy, very few tourists but a lot of cyclists.  Needless to say, Sean was in 7th heaven.  If you ever have the opportunity to travel to Italy, you must, you must, you must include this in your itinerary.

We eventually dragged ourselves away and headed for Monza to see the legendary racetrack.  Again, not disappointed.  Not only was it free to walk in, we were able to enter the grand stand and see a few high end cars (Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, Alfa Romeo, Formula 3's - one was even road registered) fly up and down the racetrack with a handful of other enthusiasts.  We then headed to see if there was anything else going on.  We saw a bunch of leather clad biker guys and gals milling around so we decided to see what all the fuss was about.  You would not believe it, they were scooter owners (Vespas no less).  Vintage, modern and some wicked paint jobs.  It was so cool to see.

Heading home after a super long day we took the Autostrada and got caught in our first grid locked traffic jam. I don't know how he did it but Sean managed to find an alternative route so we didn't lose much time.  We did however lose a bit trying to navigate through the Milan's city centre.  The roads were clogged with cars, scooters, bikes, people.  It was mayhem and Sean was on extreme high alert.  Never ever ever drive in Milan on a late Saturday afternoon/evening.  When we finally parked at our hotel, I gave Sean a huge hug and wanted to kiss the pavement in relief.

Tomorrow we are off to see another Giro start (Stage 15) in Valdengo but this time we are going to wait on the roadside. After that we will probably head back into Milan city centre.  I am hoping to see Da Vinci's Last Supper.

Just a side note on the shopping district in Milan, Sean mentioned yesterday that it was very understated. When you check into the hotel you are given a map of the shopping district showing the location of every store in the precinct.  When you navigate your way over there, there are no giant fashion billboards, no oversized signs directing you into stores, no stands of clothes on the street to entice you in.  That's not how it is done here. We walked down Via Della Spiga where the big boys are. The stores are marked with their brand on the building or in the window.  The window displays are stylish and elegant.  Security guards patrol the road.  Cartier, Rollex and Tiffany have their own guard outside their doors as well as inside, the other stores only have a guard inside.  There are no prices displayed so if you have to ask, you can't afford it.  The same goes for the surrounding streets but not so many guards outside.  Also the stores close on Sundays and I think Mondays as that is their rest days so make sure you plan your shopping trip or you will be disappointed.

If you are into high end shopping, this is your mecca.  If you want history and landscapes, use Milan as a base.  


Ciao.

Lorraine & Sean

Sean here, today was simply awesome, if you do not do Lake Como and Monza when you come to northern Italy, give yourselves a pre-emptive uppercut.  The words I was using were gorgeous and beautiful and for those that know me I use superlatives like that rarely.  Do yourselves a favor and go north to the Lake Como area and also visit Monza (even if not a racing fan).  A driving holiday is simply the best way to see Italy uncut.  In fact its the best way to see any country uncut (Scott you would be proud of us).  Absolutely no regrets doing a driving tour, go forth the brave, go driving, no fear.

Photos

Google Compositions

2017-05-19 Giro Stage 13 Finish Tortona

2017-05-19 Road Trip To/From Tortona
2017-05-20 Road Trip - Lake Como & Monza (race track)

Milan Wanderings and Giro Stage 13 Finish Tortana

 Mixed bag of things today.  Morning was spent wandering the shopping district.  Its hard being "early risers" (I usually rise around 4:30 to 5:00am and Lorraine well anything before 7:00am is good).  Trouble is Italy, is lucky to be even taking a wake up call much before 10:00am in retail.  Most shops are not even open, though they do stay open late.  Just as well as we have no real intention of doing any serious Milan spending.  To be honest most of what we would consider spending money on we can at the same brand shops in Brisbane.  And the prices are far more reasonable in Brisbane.  The Vans shop had some nice shoes but we picked up Vans in Hawai'i for at least half what they are here.  We were very disappointed not to see any Zelows or Strandbags luggage shops or even a Best and Less, what sort of shopping precinct is this? :-)

Seriously though, the shopping precinct is elegantly understated and understandably with the type of merchandise on offer, security abounds.

We did do some shopping and That Other Youngest Daughter will just have to wait and see what we purchased for her.  Don't worry, That Other Oldest Daughter, we have things for you too.

Having done the wanderings, we had a quick stop for some refreshments in the form of Ciccoliata Calda and Ciccoliata Torte (for me).  Grande is the only way to describe it.  Its at a little place just near the hotel called "Salumeria Il Legale".  A small eatery that serves awesome pizzas and calzones, ciccoliata calda and torte, beer and generally grande service and conversation.  Very accommodating.

Then it was off to Tortona for the Giro Stage 13 Finish.  A little town that we made it to going by a scenic route via Corsico (check out the graffiti) and Mortara as the main towns and lots of villages in between.  The photos tell the story of the drive.  Suffice to say we accidentally stumbled across the course along the way to Tortona, the Pink signs with blacks arrows indicate the course, we were driving in the opposite direction.  Today's course being a flat stage doing a very scenic tour of the Po Valley region before finishing in Tortona.

Then of course it was Tortona.  We found a great parking spot less than 200 metres from the finish straight.  I decided camping out at the 150metre mark was the best compromise.  Any closer and it was very crowded, any further back and a chance there would not be as much intensity.  The finish straight was 450 metres long, downhill and around 7 metres wide.  We waited 2 hours before the caravan arrived and provided some entertainment, then another hour before the riders sprinted through.  All over in about 10 seconds  LMAO, the things we diehards do.

We've decided the next stage we do we'll probably either or both of go to the start line in the village as we both agree the Ponte A Ema start was awesome, and then try to find a way to a mid course point with a picnic and sit by the side of the road waiting for the riders to go past.  Hopefully a few bidons cast our way.

Having seen the riders sprint through, it was time for a drive back to Milan, express via the Autostradas.  A toll ticket and we were on our way at 130km/h.  The Autostradas make Australian drivers look like a bunch of morons.  Want someone to move over, tailgate them, they move over, let you past then move back.  Someone tailgates you, move over, let them pass, move back.

Dinner was calzones at "Salumeria Il Legale".

Tomorrow is a Monza and Lake Como day trip. Have to say we are really enjoying this trip.  Lots of things done, always exhausted at night, but thirsty for more the next day.

Ciao.

Sean & Lorraine

Photos

Google Compositions
2017-05-13~14 The Journey
2017-05-15 Road Trip, Rome to Firenze
2017-05-16 Tuscany & Pisa
2017-05-17 Morning Amble
2017-05-17 Giro d'Italia - Ponte A Ema - Gino Bartoli Tribute Start
2017-05-17 Non Giro Stuff and Things
2017-05-18 Michelangelo and David
2017-05-18 Road Trip - Firenze to Milan A1 Autostrada
2017-05-18 Milan Initial Ramblings

2017-05-19 Giro Stage 13 Finish Tortona

2017-05-19 Road Trip To/From Tortona

Michelangelo's David, Road Trip & Milan

We saw David!!  And what an impressive specimen he is.  The day started off fairly early because after yesterday's debacle, we did not want a repeat performance.  We got to the Gallery at 7.45 am, and we were 42nd in line.  (The Gallery opened at 8.20 am)  We only had to wait 35 min to get in and once inside, David was extremely easy to find.  Because we were early there were not too many people around him so we had some good photo opportunities.  In saying that, Sean got 'spoken to' for trying to use a selfie stick and for using a flash. The Gallery was surprisingly small but filled with many beautiful sculptures and paintings.  You had to pass David a few times to view the other exhibits so I took every opportunity to photograph him from every angle. It was a very satisfying experience.

After we left the gallery we decided to wander before heading off to Milan.  As we were walking past a shoe store, a little old man came out, grabbed Sean and asked him to come inside.  He sat Sean down, his daughter took off his shoes and he was handed a pair of handmade Italian shoes to try. The old man said he makes the shoes (not sure if this was true).   During the fitting, the old man started to sing and dance whilst his daughter tried to bring some sort of nomality back into the situation by explaining how the shoes were made.  Needless to say Sean bought the shoes at which time the old man started singing again and handed out biscuits.  A sales ploy maybe but Sean loves the shoes. 

We hit the road to Milan at 11.00 am.  It was a 3 hour drive up the highway.   We passed a lot of industrial areas but we also saw mountain ranges and houses in fields of yellow with a smattering of red.  It was a quirky mix of landscapes.

Sean's commentary on the drive:

The A1 Autostrada, Firenze to Milan is an awesome drive, non stop except for occasional road works, 130km/h.  Now that I have the cruise control system dialed I can basically drive the car using just the cruise control buttons on the Autostradas.  Everyone just knows the road etiquette brilliantly, no aggro, no road rage, just people respecting other people and letting them through.  You just do not use the fast lane unless you are doing in excess of the limit (though speed cameras will get you if you ignore the signs clearly marking them).  People move over for merging vehicles, merging vehicles get up to speed at least to the 80km/h speed that trucks are limited to so that they just sit in the slow lanes, only on the odd occasion moving into other lanes when absolutely necessary.  Got a toll ticket at Firenze, drove straight through to Milan, 299 kms in about 2.5 hours, 3.50Euro toll.

Back to me...

We arrived in Milan around 2.00pm and checked into our hotel.  What a pleasant surprise.  Modern decor, helpful friendly staff, we are on the 12th floor with a great view of the city and no weird smell or statues.  We dropped our stuff and went for a walk.  Italy never fails to surprise.  The streets we were walking were similar to ones we have seen elsewhere until we walked around a corner and this amazing Piazza appeared with a huge 'Duomo' (church).  Jaw dropping, mind blowing, we stood in awe of this structure.  We thought the one in Firenze was great, wait till you see the photos of this one.  There was also another ornate building with an arched entrance that was too beautiful to ignore.  Inside were many top end designer stores and for Sean, his pot of gold - the Giro Trophy.  A complete accidental discovery but a great one for him.

Tomorrow we are checking out the shopping district.  It looks like quite a large area on the local map and it has it's own map with all the the designer stores marked for your convenience.  After that we are heading to a place called Tortano to watch another stage of the Giro. 

Big day ahead!  Ciao.

Lorraine & Sean

PS.  To the AAT team, I thought our pigeon problem was bad, we have nothing on the pigeons in the Piazza.  The photos don't even come close to showing the number of birds in this place.  I am sure there were more birds than people and surprisingly very little pigeon poo around. 

Photos
Google Compositions
2017-05-17 Giro d'Italia - Ponte A Ema - Gino Bartoli Tribute Start
2017-05-17 Non Giro Stuff and Things
2017-05-18 Michelangelo and David
2017-05-18 Road Trip - Firenze to Milan A1 Autostrada
2017-05-18 Milan Initial Ramblings

Non Giro Stuff and Things

Today was Sean's day, Giro day!

We kicked off fairly early to a little town called Ponte A Ema, the 11th stage of the Giro.  You'll have to read Sean's blog post about this one for the details.  Needless to say, it was brilliant seeing a little town get ready for probably the biggest highlight of its calendar year.  Pink pink pink was all you saw (pink is the leaders jersey apparently),  the town's population swelled to new heights and the excitement in the atmosphere was all consuming.  But enough on that, like I said you will have to read Sean's post.  I also filmed Sean driving out of Firenze so you can see what the traffic is like at 8.00 am.  Please excuse the weird noises, it's me freaking out!!

After the Giro we headed back to Firenze for a quick rest and over to the Galleria de Acadamia to see David, or so we thought.  Not only did we get lost, when we finally found it, the line outside was ridiculous and it was 4.00pm in the afternoon.  We were offered immediate entry for 25 euro each which we rejected as the normal entry is just 8 euro each.  We are going to try again tomorrow but this time we will be there when it opens.

Even though we did get lost, we managed to find the  Duomo, a magnificent intricately sculptured church that is absolutely breathtaking.  The sheer size of the building has to be seen to be believed. You'll see by the photos but they don't do justice to its enormity.

We also found a great local market near the railway station.  Heaps of stalls selling mostly leather goods (bags bags bags), clothes, ceramics and more bags. My joke to Sean lately has been that because I love Italy so much when we get home I was going to render the front of the house and paint it orange, put a few geranium filled pots around the front patio, place a few roman statues in the front garden and put a tiled No. 5 on the front of the house.  Well I found my No. 5 at these markets and I will be putting it on the front of the house!!  Our little piece of Firenze in Albany Creek.

Tomorrow we are off to try and see David and then onto Milan for 4 nights.  It is sad to say goodbye to Florence, it is a lot quieter than Rome and a little more homely.  3 days was definitely not enough to see all her treasures (even though we crammed in quite a lot) so hopefully we will be back again one day.

Oh and I have become quite fond of our doll house room complete with weird smell and street view.... but the statue outside still gives me the creeps.  We filmed it so you can see what lies outside our door because seriously, seeing is believing.


Lorraine & Sean

Photos
Google Compositions
2017-05-16 Tuscany & Pisa
2017-05-17 Morning Amble
2017-05-17 Giro d'Italia - Ponte A Ema - Gino Bartoli Tribute Start
2017-05-17 Non Giro Stuff and Things

Giro d'Italia - Gino Bartali Tribute Start

Today was an awesome day for the Giro, not only 100 years, but a start at Gino Bartali's birthplace.  You can check out the link to his Wiki page from his name.  We were right at the start line outside his birthplace.  In short he is not only a national hero to Italians, but a celebrated hero among the Jewish for his services to saving lives during WW2 and recognised as "Righteous Among the Nations".  Read the Wiki for more.

We arrived early, managed to get a great parking space nearby and then waited for around 3 hours soaking up the atmosphere before the riders came through, paid their respects and commenced racing.  Whoever wins this stage will be honored, hopefully an Italian rider can rise to occasion.  We'll know this afternoon after many grueling mountain stages, 5 in all.

Sean

Photos
Google Compositions
2017-05-16 Tuscany & Pisa
2017-05-17 Morning Amble
2017-05-17 Giro d'Italia - Ponte A Ema - Gino Bartoli Tribute Start
2017-05-17 Non Giro Stuff and Things

Morning Amble

Just about to head out to the Giro start.

Thought I'd post a link below to this morning's amble and photos.

Sean

Photos
Google Compositions
2017-05-13~14 The Journey
2017-05-15 Road Trip, Rome to Firenze
2017-05-16 Tuscany & Pisa
2017-05-17 Morning Amble 

Driving Etiquette and other Modal Options

I just wanted to mention how good it is driving in Italy and how the etiquette work.

Trucks are basically speed limited based on size it seems and the type of roads.  The highest speed of 90km/h for mid size trucks on Autostradas down to 60km/h on smaller roads.  Typically Prime Movers with a triple axle trailer have a speed limit of 80km/h on the Autostradas where the speed limit is 130km/h.  They are also disallowed from using the fast lane unless absolutely necessary to pass another slow moving vehicle.  This makes passing very simple, you just go past them in the fast lane.

Even though there may be speed limits of 130km/h many car drivers exceed these by a lot.  At times I will have the cruise control on at 130km/h catch up to a truck or slower vehicle, check if t is clear and there will be an empty road both ahead and behind.  I'll pull out (after indicating which is in itself unusual here).  I'll be half past the slower vehicle when there is a car up my clacker.

So here the etiquette is is they are happy behind you, they will sit a reasonable distance back and match your speed.  If they want to pass you they will be tailgating you.  That's your cue to move over, so you do move and if you do it to others (tailgate them), they will move over to even if they just move into a spot between two other slow lane vehicles to let you pass.  Its is quite normal friendly and non-aggro.

Another thing I will mention is tolls.  There are many tollways, some you just pay along the way and they are fixed amounts.  However sometimes the toll is at one end and you are charged for the distance used.  How this works is that at the entrance to the toll road you are given a ticket at the entry point by a machine.  When you get to the payment point you hand both money and ticket to the person and they determine your cost based on vehicle size and distance used.

Driving around town is also one of those situations where you need to be a little assertive but not aggressive and very aware.  Leave room for scooters which outnumber the motorbike 10 to 1 easily.  Two wheeled transport is king from wheeled recreational devices, to bicycles, to scooters and motorbikes.  No cost at all for parking these in order to encourage their use.  Cars cost in every way, to park (thankfully with the disability parking permit I am untimed and free), diesel fuel is around 1.40Euro which is about $2.10AUD a litre, petrol is even more again.  The BMW we are driving is incredibly fuel efficient getting around 1,000kms to a 70 litre tank.

As for using bikes, they are highly respected road users.  Streets are narrow so that for example a bus will just fit and if behind a cyclist, will just sit there patiently, as will car drivers.  Why, because everyone uses them and it could be your brother, sister, mother, father, son, daughter, grand parent, aunty, uncle, cousin, colleague or even someone you don't know.  And that is the point, they are a person, someone else's loved one, a life to be respected.

You see all walks of life using bikes and scooters, from young people, ladies in their high heels and dressed to the nines, men in the patent leather shoes and suits, to tradesmen carrying tools and ladders, delivery riders carrying all sorts of items and older people getting around with dog carrying baskets.  And virtually not a helmet in sight because riding a bike is a normal and safe thing to do.  Just like walking, and bikes are literally velocipedes, for those who are not up on their Latin and Greek it translates to "fast (veloci or velo) pedestrian (pede)".  Its why it always make me laugh to see bike shops or bike related things referred to as "velo", it has nothing to do with bikes, it just means fast, though the French partially co-opted the word to mean bike in their language.

Velodrome (mash up of Latin and Greek) simply means a structure where people can go fast in one direction, we associate it with bikes, it could be anything.

Sean

Photos
Google Compositions
2017-05-13~14 The Journey
2017-05-15 Road Trip, Rome to Firenze
2017-05-16 Tuscany & Pisa
2017-05-17 Morning Amble 

Tuscany & Pisa

Big day today!!

We took off fairly early to Pisa but wanted to do a scenic route.  The GPS had other ideas and we we ended up back on the highway.  Prior to getting to the highway however was ridiculously hair raising particularly merging onto roundabouts during peak hour.  Sean again, cool as a cucumber, me hanging off the car roof like a cat with its claws out.  Holy shift!  Anyway, an hour on the highway and Sean made the bold decision to 'get off' so we did.  We took the next exit and headed for a little town called San Miniato, high in the Tuscan hills.  Best idea he had.  It was gorgeous, picturesque, story book stuff.   We found a park on the village outskirts and trekked up to the centre.  At first there was no one around but as we got closer to the 'hub' we found more and more people (when I say more I mean max. 10).  We were the only tourists in the place and it felt good to be where no one else was.  After the obligatory 1000 photos we headed back to the highway and onto Pisa.

Pisa is everything the travel guides say it is.  Again we found parking relatively easy thanks to my disabled husband.  We were accosted on entry by hawkers which is typical of many landmarks (they are not allowed inside the site so they hang around the entry).  We arrived in Pisa at about 11.00 am thinking that the lines were going to be outrageously long but to our surprise the line to the tower and surrounding church were very short. Maybe because it was a weekday and not quite peak season.  The tower is certainly impressive as you will see in the photos.  It has been restored so many times, it shows no age and is pure bright white.  It was surreal actually being able to see it in person.  Sean was supposed to take my photo 'holding up' the tower but he only managed my arm, what the?  It was funny seeing so many people with their arms in the air all doing the same pose. The Field of Miracles was unfortunately off limits as the groundskeepers are trying regrow the grass.  It was lush and green but chained off with many 'Keep off the grass' signs.  There was also a really great statue called 'The Fallen Angel' which I really loved.  You'll see the photo.  We of course bought the obligatory fridge magnet and leaning tower statue but Sean also bought a leaning tower shot glass.  It actually leans so he has dubbed it "The Leaning Tower of Jamieson (Whiskey)".

On a side note, you have to pay to go to the toilet which I thought did not exist any more!

From Pisa we headed to Lucca and then onto Barga to find my 'Tuscan Postcard'.  I googled this morning the scenic routes to take so we decided on this one.  (I was trying to find the Tuscan fields with its poppies but I think we missed them as they were near Siena and Cortona.  We did see poppies on the way through Siena but not in masses like the postcards.)  Anyway, the Lucca/Barga route did not disappoint.  Again many beautiful buildings and towns but this time, breathtaking mountain ranges and no tourists.  Another 1000 photos taken and we then decided to head home.  We did get lost a few times but that's part of the fun right?  Not when you are tired.  Nevertheless a great day had and a huge thank you to my hubby for driving all over the countryside to help me find my postcard. 

Tomorrow we are going to try and catch the Giro just outside Firenze where we are staying.  We did try today but miscalculated our timing, mainly because we got lost.  We will also be trying to see David, hopefully the lines won't be too long.

PS.  Noticed that the photos taken of the Florence buildings along the river were quite overexposed.  Sean will be rectifying this tomorrow morning as the camera was not on the right setting.  It is such a beautiful strip of road that we have to try and do it justice.



Ciao for now.

Lorraine and Sean

Photos
Google Compositions
2017-05-13~14 The Journey
2017-05-15 Road Trip, Rome to Firenze
2017-05-16 Tuscany & Pisa

Road Trip - Rome to Firenze

We left Rome this morning at 8.00 am and tackled the Italian traffic.  Sean was as cool as a cucumber, me, I was clinging onto the roof of the car.  Pedestrians, scooters, bicycles, cars and buses all merging into one big mass of controlled chaos.  Once we left the city centre, the autostrade and highways were much easier to contend with.  There were plenty of speed cameras along the way and much to Sean's disgust, the speed limits changed constantly from 70 to 90 kph.  Oh, and no one uses an indicator.

We decided to travel to Florence via Siena on what we thought was a coastal route but no such luck so we headed inland.  The landscape was lovely but the towns were the hero for me.  A lot of the landscape reminded us of what we have back home, particularly around Dayboro/Maleny.  We are hoping the drive to Pisa will deliver what the postcards depict.

Driving into Florence was a whole different story.  It oozes with history and true to form is a hodge podge of age old buildings and cathedrals.  Coming over the bridge to the older part of Florence, where we are staying, was magnificent.  We were so excited to see it we had to take a closer look once we checked in to our hotel.

Speaking of our hotel, I have no words to describe our room except to say we walked into the 18th century.  The colour was the first thing that struck me and then there was the smell.  It's yellow, has an oil painting hanging over the desk and a canopy over the bed.  The smell we worked out is from an air freshener outside our room.  It's supposed to be floral but smells like disinfectant.  We are street level so our window faces the footpath.   Open the curtains and you can wave or have a conversation with passers by.  The weirdest thing is that outside our door is a dimly lit foyer with a little seated area and a giant statue behind it.  It's quirky to say the least.  All the rooms are the styled the same way but the more you pay the more "opulent" the room.

Once we had checked in we headed off to do a little exploring.  Our photos will show you what we saw but.I have to say, it may not have the ruins like Rome but it certainly has the history and charm.  Another beautiful jewel in Italy's crown.  We are here for another two days so tomorrow we are off to Pisa!!  then back to Florence for more exploring and hopefully an eyeful of  the statue of David.

Ciao for now.

Lorraine and Sean

Photos
Google Compositions
2017-05-13~14 The Journey
2017-05-15 Road Trip, Rome to Firenze

Deja Vu of the best kind

Its early morning here in Rome and no different to home I cannot sleep as usual.  Partially because of headache, partially because of time zone adjustments, but mostly because I do not want to waste one single moment.  Every single thing is to be treasured.

As Lorraine and I were walking yesterday back from lunch feeling a little tired we commented that it felt like we had never left.  I know its corny and that its something you see screen writers and directors try and convey in movies, TV etc, but it was real.  Walking around feeling comfortable and at home but most of all feeling like the last 11 months was just a brief interlude in our life leading to this point in time.

The familiar sounds, smells and the sheer joy of feeling like you belong.

Sean

Photos
Google Compositions
2017-05-13~14 The Journey

The Journey, Brisbane-Singapore-Rome

Smooth sailing or flying as it were for the trip.

Took an Uber for the first time and thanks to KM, we had a $20 off voucher, so the ride was around $15 to the airport.

Virtually no line to check in, flight took off on time.  Singapore Airlines are sensational.  We thought Emirates was good last year.  Singapore Airlines are even better, in every possible way.

Changi Airport was very good as well.  I can understand its best airport in the world rating.  You'd swear you were in a 5 star hotel going to the toilet.  Speaking of which, Lorraine managed to not only get lost in the toilets at Changi, she even got lost out of the toilets on the plane coming to Rome.

Leonardo di Vinci Airport Rome was also good.  As always, they feel sorry for disabled people so we shortcut the line going express through customs saving around 30 minutes.  We also get to board first at the terminals.  Saves a lot of stuffing around as I do find it difficult moving in the confined spaces of the airplane.

After collecting our luggage we headed over to pick up the hire car.  We had ordered a small car in keeping with the desire to make it easy to park.  The car we ordered was an Audi A1, which for anyone who knows is made by parent company VW and based on the same platform as the VW Polo and Skoda Fabia of which I own one.  I figured if I was going to be in unfamiliar surroundings, a familiar car was sensible.

Well when the lady at Europcar heard what we were planning to do drive wise she insisted on a free upgrade to a mid size BMW 218D SUV.  Very nice I must say and will be much nicer as we drive along the Autostradas.  Its also not too large as I managed to park it outside the Palazzo del Velabro when we arrived.

Pictures are a few on the plane of us, some through the window particularly a good one of the snow covered Alps that run down the middle of the country, a couple of Rome from the plane, selfie of us picking up the car, on the Autostrada coming into Rome, one of us driving on the streets (Lorraine's having a heart attack from fear) and Piazza Navona where we had lunch today.

The two of the car parked outside the Palazzo show the Via (lane or alley) I am parked in.  Bear in mind I reversed parked it there by reversing into the Via.  The end of the Via where the rear of the car is pointing is basically a right angle around the building that only bikes and motor bikes can negotiate, cars, even small ones cannot get through.  So if you want to park in front its a challenge that rewards the brave and punishes those who cannot reverse a car.  You have to drive down a narrow Via first into a dead end, then reverse out of that and around two corners to place your car out front, with about 12 inches either side of this car.  Putting the Vespa there last year was a little easier to do.

Tonight its off to Cafe Normale around the corner, a very unassuming place with sensational home cooked meals.

Tomorrow its Florence in the Tuscany region and hopefully see a bit of the Giro d'Italia if we time it right.

Sean and Lorraine

Photos
Google Compositions
2017-05-13~14 The Journey

More preparations - route and trip planning

So because we are doing a lot of driving on this trip we have a few levels of redundancy for route planning and navigation.

First of all I have used Google maps to plan all of our trip and in a separate sheet in which I have collated the planned destinations with estimated traveling times and possible daily activities.  Also in the same sheet is the actual trip data including links to the Google map travel routes.  Of course that would mean having data capabilities which we will not be using for expense reasons.  So in the absence of that I have printed over the weekend all of the route instructions from Google and turned them into a bound booklet using our comb binder.  This way I have a trip by trip guide to where we are going and theoretically how we will get there.

Of course this relies primarily on everything being smooth sailing.  The double/triple redundancy we have is two smart phones with GPS capabilities and pre-loaded maps using the "Here" Maps and App. Google maps on your phone relies on some data connection for updates so we chose not to use that avenue.  I have been using the "Here" Map App for over 4 years without issue in Europe, America and of course Australia.  This is good for when you make a mistake with a turn and need on the fly directions to regain your route, you pre-download all the maps for the countries you need while home on your "free" data.  The printed pages also assume your navigator is not geographically challenged as Lorraine often is.  And this where I tell you about my favorite game in hotels where I let her lead the way out of the lifts as she gets lost and disoriented even in hotel foyers and lobbies.

We have car chargers for the phones as well as two backup power supplies in case the charger fails or the phones get low while we are away from the car.  The "Here" Map App also has a locator option you can use (before you leave the car).  We should have used it last year when parking the Vespa in Rome, we did park outside the Main Post Office in Rome so thought that was enough of a landmark, Doh!

Here's a link to our downloaded maps we made into a booklet.

Preparations for Italy 2017 & Giro 100th edition

Thought I would share some early thoughts about our trip this year.  Last year we traveled through Italy, Switzerland and France by train.  We actually wanted to drive but the return cost of the hire car was exorbitant.  So this year we decided as we loved Italy so much we would go back, but this time we would drive it, leaving from and returning to Rome as a book end.  We really like Rome.

So the big issue is car parking, it can be prohibitively expensive.  I am not at all fazed with the driving aspect as we will be taking it slow as we do not want to miss a thing along the way.

Surprisingly parking will not be as much of an issue for as as it would be for most.  Being mobility disabled I do qualify for a National Disability Scheme permit, the scheme that the Queensland government signed up to.  What does that mean?  Well as a co-signatory to the international scheme, it means my permit is valid in Europe.  I simply display it along with another plaque that is in Italian (which naturally I have laminated being the pedant I am) and I have the ability to park unmetered and untimed, much like I can do in most Australian locations.  I can even stop in other no-standing locations so long as I am not impeding traffic flow.

Link to the Worldwide Information about Disability Parking

And the Plaque I will be using in Italy

And the English Translation