Right back again with a post from Venice. This sorta picks up where I left off last time. So if you haven't read that post, best you do it now...
After Paris we headed off to a little town in Switzerland called Lauterbrunnen. I had never heard of it before I came on this trip but it is such a beautiful place, I wanted to go back there before I had even left. It's in the middle of a valley no more than a few hundred metres across with sheer cliffs on either side. There's a huge waterfall coming down the cliff just behind town too. Amazing. Back into French Riviera next and Nice. I spent the day wandering around the markets and laxing out on the beach. It doesn't sound like much but just being there with all the great people on my tour was really cool. We had a trip into Monaco too while we were there and saw the Monte Carlo casino, I didn't do any gambling though, it's a bit expensive there.
We stopped of at Pisa on our travel day, I had to get a photo of me pushing the tower over. Florence was really quite nice. So many statues and they are all quite amazing. I didn't get to see the real Statue of David though, the queue's were far too long. But I did see the replica which is exactly where the original stood for years. There's also a funny story about a carving on the wall not far from there. Apparently Michelangelo was walking home one night and saw a particularly nasty mugging so he grabbed his hammer and chisel and carved the muggers face into the wall so he wouldn't forget what he looked like. The story goes that the guy got caught the next day. How's that for the worlds first wanted poster?
Another travel day and another quick stopover in a little place called Orvieto, there's a wicked cathedral there. And Rome next. Of course I had to see all the main sights; the coliseum; the pantheon; the Vatican city and Sistine chapel; the roman forum, the list goes on and on... Because we were in Rome for a couple of days, we got the chance to take a day trip down to Pompeii. I had always wanted to go there and I wasn't disappointed. So many amazing ruins. So now I am in Venice. We did stop off in Verona on the way down though to have a look at Juliet's balcony. I had a gondola ride this morning through the canals and Venice really is quite a nice place. Unfortunately I was a little hungover from our toga party last night, but it was my first hangover of the trip. It had to happen sometime.
I'm having a little trouble putting photo's on here at the moment, but I'll figure it out one day. And when I do I'll put a whole heap up here.
Well I guess I'll catch you all up again sometime later, I'll have to tell you some more stories when I get home and have the time.
Ciao