Venezia... april 13-15, 2007

Can you believe there was a train strike on my birthday?!! We had to take the express train that is not affected and deal with unfriendly staff but Venice, or Venezia, was worth it. I really wished I could spend more time there.
I was really sulky at waiting endlessly during the first half of my birthday and poor Xianhong had to endure my grumblings... oops! But things lightened up when we strolled around looking for dinner. This floating city is not exaggerated, all around are people laughing and chatting in streets lined with lovely buildings. Being the considerate girl I was, I chose a cheap pizza stall to eat at so that we can all save for Murano glass... haha! Xianhong sneaked off halfway to buy the cake. I knew something was up but was surprised when Lester whipped out the cake! How did it change hands? "... Happy Birthday to Yanlian..." washed away all the frustration of the day. Wished with all my heart that everyone would enjoy this trip and everyone at home is well and happy! The cake was delicious (Thank you Lester, Lydia, Alwyn and Xianhong) and special, never seen or tasted anything like that back home.

Then we went to Piazza San Marco... There's a band, gorgeous buildings with lights that illuminate the square in a romantic glow. It's so beautiful at night that Lester described a fantastic wedding scenario there, complete with fireworks display! http://picasaweb.google.com/guai.ah.lian/Venice

Murano glass is representative of Venice, so off we go to Murano to shop. The large variety of beautiful and delicate glass pieces dazzled us and choosing what to buy was so difficult! We spent half the day in Murano shopping and also saw an artist at work, manipulating the hot glass deftly to transform a lump into an ornament. We also visited Burano, the island famous for lace, and spied Torcello from afar. I had planned for visits to nearby, less touristy islands to cycle but were cancelled as there was insufficient time and anyway, walking about was already very enjoyable. http://picasaweb.google.com/guai.ah.lian/LagoonIslands

A perfect end to this trip was...
gelato...
and a motorboat ride up and down the Grande Canal. No gondola rides as we are feeling the strain on our pockets with the day's purchases. The setting sun cast a lovely glow to everything it touches...

http://picasaweb.google.com/guai.ah.lian/SettingSun

Firenze and Pisa... april 11-13, 2007

Florence, or Firenze, gives one a pleasant feel when strolling about. There is less hustle and bustle, certainly a conducive environment to visit the many art museums. However, being poor and not too interested in Botticelli's art, we skipped them entirely! Guess it is sacrilegious but gazing at artwork does get dull after a while no matter how beautifully rendered.

We did visit the Duomo Cathedral and went up the cupola (dome). The exterior is outstanding in that the walls are colourful and it is decorated with colourful frescoes and fine statues. The interior was different from most long cathedrals with many alcoves at the side, instead, there was a middle that leads to large side areas. The dome interior was painted with in three sections, the bottom being most arresting with scary scenes of hell but the view outside was peaceful as it was early morning. I looked more at the lovable baby girl of a good-looking German family touring the Cathedral!

For more
http://picasaweb.google.com/guai.ah.lian/Florence

Next, we made a short trip to Pisa. We, and all the world, had funny photographs of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Lester, Lydia and I went up the Tower and it was a dizzying experience. The steps spiral around the tilted building, so there is up and down feeling in addition to circular effects. To make matters worse were steps worned out in the middle through years of stepping. But reaching the top was rewarding, the view was interesting and there were large bells to inspect.

Prepare for a funny and dizzy trip!
http://picasaweb.google.com/guai.ah.lian/Pisa

Then it's return to rest at the hotel before setting off to Venice! The hostel we booked was full, so they packed us off to a hotel that is really a hostel. The guy at the reception was very humourous though, he looked at our backpacks and said, "Where are all the rest of the people? I see luggage for 15 but there's only 5 of you!"

Roma... april 8-11, 2007

We arrived in Rome, or Roma, on Easter Sunday and the place was packed! The pope was holding a mass in St Peter's Square and there were barricades around it. Though not a Catholic, my spirits lifted at hearing the people sing. Oh, not only was I lifted spiritually but also physically as I climbed up on Xianhong's shoulders to take photographs!

This is the second time I've been to Rome and I am back after ten years plus (gosh, ten years is old)! Rome feels different. During my last visit, I remembered Papa grabbing my arm so tight it hurts when passing through a crowd of gypsies that suddenly swarmed up. Now, there are peddlers all over the place selling fake goods and souvenirs. The sights have not changed though, and Rome is full of fountains, pagan and holy buildings, see for yourself!

St Peter's...

Castel Sant'Angelo...

Spanish Steps... At ruins...

The infamous Colosseo...Walk with me
http://picasaweb.google.com/guai.ah.lian/Rome

I did not enter the Colosseo because I have been inside before and the exterior is way more impressive than the interior. But I went in the Vatican city to see the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica by Michelangelo. Along the way to Sistine Chapel were so many beautiful art decorating the ceilings and walls that my neck ached from gazing upwards and my jaws hanging open from wonderment.

One section of the long and gorgeous corridor ceiling...

Raphael's art in the signature room...Michelangelo's famous Sistine Chapel...

One of the artpieces along the walkway that I found outstanding...For a more complete tour
http://picasaweb.google.com/guai.ah.lian/SistineChapel

St Peter's Basilica was really grand. Being inside gives me a sense of calm and quiet joy, maybe because the place was so beautiful and there were so many absorbed in their faith.
http://picasaweb.google.com/guai.ah.lian/StPeters

Pieta, one of Michelangelo's famous sculptures...

First sight at entrance instils a sense of wonder in me...
Looking up to the cupola/dome...... in the solemn night I watch
Before the Easter morn.
So pure, so still the starry heaven,
So hushed the brooding air,
I could hear the sweep of an angel's wings... -- Edna Dean Proctor

Napoli... april 5-8, 2007

Naples, or Napoli, is completely opposite the dreamy, idyllic place one imagines to define Europe. The traffic is crazy and the buildings are dirty. There are people jostling everywhere and roadside stalls are selling pirated goods under the noses of police. But the pizza is heavenly, crispy, thin crust topped with creamy, aromatic cheese.

Don't be deceived by this plain looking one called fritta ripieno, there is ham and cheese inside, making every bite heavenly =)
My other favourite is the reddish-one with mushrooms, called funghi in Italian. Sounds yucky (funghi makes me feel it's mouldy) but tastes yummy!
Ordering for pizza delivery is done by the staff at our extremely cosy hostel if any hostelite wishes it. The guy who settled us into Hostel of the Sun is every inch the image people have of Italians, Luca is exuberent and funny, making us feel welcome immediately. He told us how to get to Pompeii and Capri from our hard-to-find hostel (so hard that a nasty middle-aged man forced 5 euro tip from us after volunteering himself to show us the way). There's breakfast and our eyes popped at seeing...

the giant Nutella, it's bigger than my head! a giant chocolate bar I bought for Xianhong for fun!
Pompeii and Herculaneum are Roman cities buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Pompeii was so full of tourists that I keep forgetting that I am really walking through ancient streets. Herculaneum was smaller but the interiors of buildings are better preserved. There was a museum showcasing all the unearthed items but it was closed. We had wanted to go up Mt. Vesuvius and peer into the crater of the only active volcano in Europe, but it rather expensive and we spent a lot on a youth card that we had to make full use of.

A step into the lost world

http://picasaweb.google.com/guai.ah.lian/Pompeii

http://picasaweb.google.com/guai.ah.lian/Herculaneum

Capri Island is a sunny island with many grottoes. We took a motorboat ride around the island and saw Capri in all its natural beauty. I never knew how graceful seagulls are in flight and how imposing craggy cliffs are from the sea. The most breathtaking sights have to be those of the grottoes and the one synonymous with Capri is Grotta Azzura (Blue Grotto). The motorboat stops at its entrance where rowboats ferry one in at a hefty fee but it was an amazing experience. The rower serenades as they row about the irridescent blue waters caused by sunlight shining up through the crystal clear waters.

http://picasaweb.google.com/guai.ah.lian/Capri

I thought it would be brilliant to be a hostel owner but now I dream to own a motorboat or yacht and go sailing around!

Munich... april 1-4, 2007

Like Berlin, there's a Free Munich tour and its emphasis was on beer because that is what Munich is all about! The number one tourist attraction, Glockenspiel, has figures of barrel-makers to store beer. Biergartens (beer gardens) everywhere... Dreamy smiles on recollecting Oktoberfest... you get the idea, anyway, below is a pictorial view of this pretty city, restored to its medieaval beauty after the war.

http://picasaweb.google.com/yannyranran/MunichTour

I find Munich a little contradicting. Munich comes from the word meaning monks, because its beginnings came about from the settlements of monks. This is why one symbol of this beer-loving city is a boy-monk, another is the lion. This Catholic city was presided over the bishop who is now the current pope -- Benedict XIV. His church was rumoured to be built by the devil due to its rapid construction.

A look through the new pope's old church.
http://picasaweb.google.com/yannyranran/NewPopeOldChurch

We had a wonderful dinner in the oldest brewery -- Hofbrauhaus or Royal Brewing House. Breweries are the favourite meeting spots in Munich with regulars having a place to lock up their beer mugs! We had Schweinehaxn (pork knuckles) and of course, beer.

They DO lock up their beer mugs!The guys looking each other in the eye because it is said that if you don't, you'll suffer from bad sex for 7 years! Sauerkraut, Germans' main vegetable dishPork knuckles with potato dumplings... I prefer Chinese roast pork but the dumplings were sepcially tasty!

Neuchwanstein Castle is to rip tourists off. Expensive, no photography, poor guide and limited access. It is enough to photograph outside this castle that inspired Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. Walk around and admire the lovely view around. A visit to King Ludwig's other castle -- Linderhof, would be more rewarding. I been there when I was little and the grotto in the basement still lingers.

Scenic spot...

Castle King Ludwig grew up in...

This is the castle that inspired Sleeping Beauty's!

Waterfall nearby

The trip up to Germany's highest peak, Zugspitze, was once in a lifetime. The view was brilliant and the skiing was unforgettable. The snow and lake was dreamy but the skiing was something else. I enjoyed skiing around little slopes. Then we saw the gadgets bringing people higher up and we had to try it. Whoosh... whee... it was fun being pulled up.

Zugspitze, highest peak in Germany

Me skiing... very slowly and carefully...Lydia finally has enough snow to make snowman!The fun thing that pulls one up... not so fun going down though
Then we don't know how to get down. Skiing was too scary, so we struggled down and were so afraid we had to spend the night up the mountain if we missed the cable and tram. We DID miss it, the cable was out of order but a blessing in disguise as the cafe there gave all free food and drinks during the wait... haha!

Anyway, I made it down all in one piece to meet Yip and Zhang Er on the streets the next day and Ruoling and Lifang in their hostel later that night. It's very warming to meet old friends unexpectedly. Hope they're having as much fun as me!