Friday, September 16, 2016

Venezia



It has been a month since I spent a day in Venice. And until now, I am still pondering how to describe her, although, I’ve been in Italy once before (when in Rome). Going through editing these pictures made me gasp, and beam, and sigh all at the same time thinking to myself – what a wonderful world. Thank You God! 

It’s incredible that I’ve made it here at the most perfect time soaking up the Venetian summer and the rush of people exploring this incredible city. I fell in love with the fact that Venice is surrounded by water – connected by the most rustic little bridges and the movement of Gondolas, waterbuses and water taxis enough to make your heart flutter. Venice does know how to do romance.

We made it to the city as soon as we’ve touched down, which didn’t quite prepare our legs for an intense day of walkathon! Under the sun! I couldn’t help but be in awe and have a grateful heart the moment we reached the Canal Grande. It was a dream! We walked into the city finding all sorts of boutique shops, small restaurants, souvenir shops, local crafts and even your favourite brands. We marched further looking for Piazza San Marco in the hopes of finding a place to eat what Italian’s do best with a glass of Bellini. And it did not disappoint! People and sea gulls flocked to the Piazza as if there was a celebration. I’m glad to have spent my 24 hours with a bunch of lovely (and crazy) crew. Mafia pa! More walking and half a day later, we were looking upon the life of the Canal from the Rialto Bridge - which significance I’ve learned via Wikipedia. In my heart, I’ll be back in Italia soon before I know it. The city was as colourful as it was bustling. And the people, as warm as the Venetian sun could leave a tan.

And as the sun was slowly setting, so did the day end so pleasantly. It was as if this day was made for us. It was indeed a day to celebrate. Grazie Mille Venezia, you are beautiful!

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Roma

 
 


This is where my Italian Odyssey has all began. I fell in love with Italia ever since Under the Tuscan Sun, Letters to Juliet and when Lizzie McGuire went to Rome. How can you not?! With it's laidback charm, great food and wine - it is love at first bite. As a premise though, this is a little bit tricky for me as I am writing this travel post which happened about... errr... 5 months ago! Since I'm on home standby, I thought, I could squeeze in some writing. To be honest, I have a backlog of stories to share with and have lost ‘some’ photos along the way. BUT! There's nothing to worry about because I kept safe all the good memories locked away in my heart and memory bank (and hard drive). 

As Fiumicino made it’s first appearance in my roster, the Colosseo canNOT be missed! And with that, landed No. 2 on my list of the 7 Wonders of the World! It was on and off sunny and gloomy when we arrived but that didn’t stop me and, my beautiful Egyptian colleague-turned-friend, Amira from exploring this historical city. Seeing the ruins made me appreciate time and all the history it withholds. We found a quaint Italian restaurant called the Pasqualino Al Coloseo, tucked within the alleys from the Colosseum. The streets were filled with gelato and vespas. Well, we missed the Fontana de Trevi as we got stuck with shopping and hoarding Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. Toink! I’m also hoping one day to make a trip to the Vatican City. For now, I ended my travel here visiting the Basilica Sta. Maria in Aracoeli. Short and sweet. Thank you Eataly! Ciao Bella!