Floating City

So as not to miss our train we arrived at Como station an hour and a half early but, as we discovered, Italian trains can be as punctual as the British variety and consequently we had about 4 minutes to make our connecting train in Milan (picture me running like a headless chicken, Dan following on with our suitcases!) Nevertheless - we made it to Venice!

Here we stayed at Lola's place, a lovely family apartment just a 10 minute stroll from St Mark's Square. As soon as we arrived, we were mesmerised by the water, the canals, the vaporettos, the bridges giving glimpses of views, snapping away on our camera. Venice is truly a feast for the eyes, so different as the light changes throughout the day, and we spent most of our time wandering, aiming to just get lost. On our first evening we explored the streets of the Dorsoduro area and spotted a charming place to return to for dinner the following night, Al Vecio Marangon. The food was typically Venetian and delicious. Our full day in Venice started early; we were in Piazza San Marco as the sun was creeping up from behind the buildings - the light was incredible. Later we headed up to the Rialto Market, stumbled upon a canal side protest march after lunch and stumbled upon my favourite square, Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio. In the dappled sunlight children were playing football in amongst vegetables growing in boxes. After an exploration of the quiet Arsenale area, including a walk over the sea, the following morning, we were now heading to Florence...

Italian Adventure

From the idyllic lake villages of Como to the bustling ancient streets of Rome, Dan and I have been adventuring through the towns and cities of northern and central Italy. We started off staying in Tremezzo on the western shores of Lake Como for the wedding of my cousin Ed to Lisa - what a lovely occasion and what a setting! From here we jumped on the train to head towards to the canals and bridges of beautiful Venice. The weathered buildings really do look like they're part of a flooded city rather than a planned network of waterways - we loved every moment. Next we were on our way to Florence, teaming with tourists gazing up at the marvellous cupola of the Duomo and being gazed upon by towering statues. Picking up our bright little Fiat 500 we sped off into the hill towns of Tuscany and found ourselves up in Montepulciano. With twisting narrow vicolos we felt like locals living behind one of those great wooden doors. From here we explored Siena, Montalcino and San Gimignano, an authentic medieval town. Our penultimate stop was a farm in the little village of Valgiano overlooking Lucca down in the valley. In the city we hired bicycles and had fun riding around the city walls. Finally we were on the train again, heading further south to the city of Rome. We explored the cobbled streets and imagined what life would have been here as Romans thousands of years ago.

Over a thousand photos later we're back home remembering the places we stayed in, all found via Airbnb, and all the people we met. The best thing was that we were always so centrally located; we went everywhere by foot. We ate in such a variety of places from eccentric performances theatres to local trattorias, from osterias where was sat a big tables with fellow restaurant goers and sometimes just grabbing a sandwich and sitting on some fountain steps nearby. All in all it was a great adventure and soon you'll be seeing more pictures in this here space. For the time being my Instagram page has a selection of snaps...

Italia

The last few weeks have been busy busy busy but nevertheless two thirds of my final year are complete. Something to look forward to is the sunshine of Italy in September and I've spent many an hour on Airbnb checking out possible places to stay. We've already booked up Lake Como for my cousin's wedding, but we still have Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Rome to decide upon. These treasures are in the running in Florence! (and here are a few of my Wishlists for future trips!)

1/2. Garden Loft Apartment Downtown Florence
3/4. Apartment in Historic Building
5/6. Pignone Flat

Ye Old York

Last week, Leah and I set off early in the morning on our adventure to York. We wandered round the museum grounds, found many squirrel friends, bought jam and chutney at the market, were awestruck by the (foyer of) Minster, discovered the quaint Shambles and drank tea and ate cake in Betty's. All in all a brilliant day, and makes me think how much we're gonna miss our Aussie.

Bike or Pony

On the way to Battersea Park the aim of cycling (rather than bus or tube) was completed... and what a hair raising experience it was! With helmet and hi-vis donned, perched on a Boris bike we negotiated the rush hour traffic from Camden to Sloane Square. Now that I have done that and come out alive, I can do anything!

Emma's looking to buy a town bike and recently we popped into Bobbin Bikes, such a sweet bike boutique. You can buy really nice bike accessories, as well as bikes themselves. On the bus toward Shoreditch last night I spotted revellers in Look Mum No Hands! a cafe/bar/bike workshop.

After the epic London adventure, I think I'm gonna cycle everywhere... perhaps!

Image from Bobbin Bikes