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!

Cape Town: The Second Time Around

Make that the Third. I have been flying down to Cape Town more often than I expected I would be. And for the record, got pulled out twice from standby which made me scream and squeak due to flat out excitement! It's always a drum-roll-sort-of moment for crews waiting for the rostering team to pull you out for either a very bad sector or a really good destination. I'm flattered to technically be in Cape Town the whole year round, experiencing the Southern Hemisphere winter season and smashing summer day! It is no secret that the Mother City is very close to my heart from the very beginning, right here. It was love at first sight.

It's a blessing that for the second time around I got to make completely new memories with her, see what I missed and experience what more she has to offer. I'm glad to have tagged along with the rest of the crew and who else could be a better tour guide than someone who used to fly with us and a home grown Cape Townian - Andrew, whom you can follow on instagram and add on facebook for a well-tailored and super friendly tour. Seeing happy feet in Boulders Beach was at the top of our itinerary. You feel gigil by these cute little creatures, with the most delightful backdrop on a beautiful day. And being a waterbaby, I plunged into the most inviting waters to get soaked! Let Cape Point take your breath away and get a panorama of waters, cliffs and mountains as far as your eyes can see. I swear, no other word is gonna come out of your mouth from the cable car ride up until coming back down but... WOW. And if you're keen enough to spot where the Two Oceans meet (Indian and Atlantic ocean), aside from tasting a wonderful Sauvignon Blanc! We drove further to reach the most South Western point of the African continent that is the Cape of Good Hope. I'm just a speck in a million of other specks and to find myself being there was just unbelievable! Unbelievable. It was a truly majestic moment. Full of hope. More to our journey was being half awake passing through the wonderful valley of Noord Hoek below Chapman's Peak where you can have a dreamy horse ride by the shore, driving thru the coast and sight the Lion's Head and Signal Hill while Pompeii by Bastille is playing in the background. Our itinerary ended up at Table Mountain blanketed with a cold fog plus getting a view of Robben Island which holds what used to be Nelson Mandela's cell. And then, capping off the night at the Waterfront. 

This post is more of a photodump than a photo diary and I hope the pictures would speak for themselves. The editing process brought me back to the moment which made me so thankful and happy to finally share this with you all. And if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like you've been here before?

Penguins at Boulders Beach

Cape Point

Cape of Good Hope

Meet the Crew and Andrew!

From Instagram

Posting a mini compilation from my Instagram account. We're still at the first quarter of 2015 but a lot has already happened and is happening during the in-betweens. Choose to see the beauty. Well, I've been feeling a little blue, but looking back over the past few weeks alone gives me a guilt feeling not to be utterly grateful! Which made me count my blessings in all forms while I'm laid in bed. We started off the Month of March happily and successfully moving in to a new place :) We not only found a wholesome flat in the City Centre, but one that's filled with warmth I'm always excited to come home to. This month is also of significance to me (us - me & Ate Julie), which I will surely be putting down in my diary. I think I'm getting too addicted to this app that I deliberately delete it from my mobile to help save myself for a little while! Writing this post already brings back flashes of memory to be truly thankful for. That and Instagram slowly fades away my blues.