July 11, 2007
Florence and Rome
With an extremely early departure from Cinque Terra we arrived that afternoon in the city of Florence. With only one full day to spend in the historic city, we had a lot to do and not a lot of time.
From Botticelli to Michelangelo we managed to sneak in much of the breathtaking art that have made the city the primo destination for many like ourselves...and yes, there were many. At one point we managed to wait in line for two and a half hours listening to frustrated groans and snarky remarks from all those around us.
Of course it was worth it though. Being a true art lover and somewhat of a rebel, the long waits only inspired me to boldly take my camera where no camera has gone before. With shots of the hunky David and sexy Venus I got what I like to refer to as "the money shot" on more than one occasion. But the life of a criminal doesn't come without repercusions, I may have had a few fingers waved at me and some slight yelling...seems they didn't appreciate my love for art.
And then with photos in hand we were off to Rome. The city was just as amazing as I remembered it. Much like the hundreds of tourists around us we gingerly checked off the sights as we strolled our way through the city. Colosseum...check! Roman Forum...check! Trevi Fountain...check! Vatican/Sistine Chapel...check, check! Spanish Steps...check! and so on.. Did I mention we were only there for one day?! You'd better believe we celebrated that evening with a bottle of wine...or two...an amazing day in an amazing city..we couldn't have asked for more!
July 1, 2007
Cinque Terra
Oh Italy, you've outdone yourself with this one!
Along the Italian coastline, The Cinque Terra is comprised of five towns all situated within a 12km radius that were designed to take your breath away. With views of infinite blue seas and white sand beaches, we once again got to experience paradise.
Monterrosso
Our stay in the town of Monterrosso was short but oh so sweet. In true Bex/Jess fashion we managed to stumble on the town just in time for the cowboy/idian party on the beach. Boys and girls of all ages gathered on the sand for awesome beats, dancing and random shots of booze which were sprayed in our mouths with little plastic water guns. I blame our behavior on the full moon or maybe the spirit of the Cinque Terra, but whatever it was, we wish we had more!
I'd like to tell you we did more in this fabulous little town but I'd be somewhat lost for words. We had a small hike along the cliffe side one morning and the rest of our days were spent on the beach with the occassional dip into the restaurants for a glass of champagne.
Lunch by the sea
Champagne at 2pm...it's 5 o'clock somewhere right?
Never fear though, our backpacking spirit is slowly being revived with our Eurail trips through Italy. We've developed a new distaste for running down rail stations with 30lb bags, getting sufficiently lost on side streets, and being (here's some new ones) sniffed at, slurped at and chased by male drivers standing up in their cars...ya, don't ask...
Will update more stories from Florence and Rome.
PS-Happy Canada Day EH!