Asian Express: Italy Excursion

After an early morning flight from Edinburgh, we were greeted by Eileen and Noel in Pisa. The plans for the next 7 days in Italy were Pisa > Cinque Terre > Venice > Rome. Pisa is small and there is really not much happening in the city. The only attraction is obviously the leaning tower of Pisa. When we got there, all you could see were tourist doing stupid poses as if they were pushing it over. It was funny because EVERYONE was doing it so I decide to unbutton my shirt and started posing like Zoolander making sure there’s a little Asian guy in the background of other peoples photo. But it came to our time to look like dorks and away we went to devise a plan to make it look good; it wasn't. 3hrs later, we were back on the train heading to Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre translates to 'The 5 Terraces'. 5 terraces, 5 towns, 5 locations. Each town had their own unique touch; some are known for their restaurants others for the beach. We stayed in Vernazza which was known for its nightlife and partying we did. You can access each town by catching a train which cost €1.40 else you could take nice mountain treks around and through the hills. We only managed to hike between 3 terraces as Cinque Terre was all about leisure.
The walk still took us 3 hrs. Diet of fresh seafood, pizza, pasta washed down with Italian beers and wine. The 3 nights flew by without notice. Cinque Terre is very well known to the Italians and it has yet to be discovered by tourist. You can have fun without hearing loud geezers. Next stop, Venice.

Now what more can I say about Venice. The word 'Venice' is amazing on its own. It is beautiful and romantic but with not much to offer. Don't get me wrong, it's a great place but theres really not much there. All the shops are the same; they all sell venetian masks and silly glass things. Venice is not complete with a ride on the gondola's. I was sceptical at first but after seeing Venice from sea level really gave you a sense of freedom and pleasure. It was 8pm and there were 7 of us in the group, everyone was fluffing around not knowing where to eat or what to buy. While Noel and I dragged our feet, we came across a stall that sold cocktail. While we were watching the cocktail getting made, I started to give the bartender a bit of crap saying stuff like 'It better not be water, I'm watching you', all the regulars started to give him shit as well and the drinking began. Drinks were on the house because the bartenders were all hammered; no one cared, it was as if only friends drank at this little 3m x 2m stall. When the cocktail stall closed, we walked 5mins to the next stall (it was a chain) and kept drinking. The night was blurry and the next morning was even worst. What a night to remember (or not). 2 nights down and off we went to Rome.

Everyone knows Rome, even if you haven't been there, you know that the Sistine Chapel is there along with St Peter's Basilica, Colosseum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain. There was a lot to cover in 2 days. I don't think I need to go into the details but every landmark was astonishing. A picture tells a thousand words. After 5 nights of pizza and pasta, I ate kebabs for lunch and dinner for 2 days. It was good to get some meat in me. The weather in Italy was around 35 degrees; a bit too hot for my liking. The Sistine Chapel has a no talking, keep moving, no photos policy but on this occasion they allowed it. It was madness; Flashes going off everywhere! Back home in London now where I will spend 1 weeks packing and relaxing before I fly out to Montpellier to start my French lessons. Let's hope I can cope.

Cinque Terre - 5.7 MB
Drunk Venice - 5.5 MB
St Peters - 3.3 MB

Sam