the adventures of picassi.

Saturday, 6 December 2014

first christmas market in london.

So i've been to a couple christmas markets, a small one in local rochester and a huge, massive, amazing one in aachen just about 2 weeks ago but for the past 2 and a half years i've been here, i've never been to one in london. And really that's quite depressing, almost shockingly, so I'm not about to finish my final year without having visited one in london.

A friend and I decided to head to London's Hyde Park christmas market on a wednesday night, rather spontaneously since we thought we might as well, since, we're pretty much past the point of getting back into uni work mode anyway, with just a week ish to go, it's all festive mood for me! After doing a quick little google search, turns out entry to the the market's free. And we gathered, it's probably less crowded on a wednesday night, what better time to go and experience a little early festive spirit. Before that, we had done some money splurging at Oxford Street, before walking all the way down to Hyde Park (about a good 10 minutes walk) and you can't miss it. I believe there were two entrances, one from the main entrance of Hyde Park and one from the back (if you were walking from Oxford Street). Even from awhile away, I could already see hints of the bright lights and with masses of people headed in the same direction, it's an easy find. Just the bright outlines of the market already had me going crazy with the camera and I felt like a child experiencing christmas for the first time again, it was amazing. For the sad people who've been like me, cooped up in a room and haven't been to one ever, or even if you don't have any plans for the day, just take some time out and head to Hyde Park. I'd say the best time to head there is late afternoon just when the sun's setting so you get to see the beautiful night lights but still have a good few hours to walk around and have fun before heading back.

the biergarten all lit up

The market was spread out, probably covering about half of the park I'd say, it felt huge anyway and the minute you step into Winter Wonderland, it's like there's no coming back out. Simply because of the holiday spirit, the lights, rides, atmosphere, food, everything. You feel like you're living in Christmas. Filled with rows, and rows and rows of little wooden huts, it's a german theme this year with quite a number of german BBQ and sausage stalls. All selling a slight variation of choices such as bratwurst, curry wurst, krakauer and other things which I can't recall. Food wise, you'd be spoilt for choice in the market. There's so many food stalls, every corner you turn you smell something amazing. Ostrich burgers, lots of waffle and crepe stalls, mulled wines, sausages, donuts, you could easily, easily eat your way round.

My friend and I each had a bratwurst and krakauer at four pounds each. And though I'm usually not a big fan of ketchup or mustard, I thought I had to do it justice and eat it the right way with some curry ketchup and mustard. The krakauer's a polish pork sausage with bacon wrapped, it's absolutely, fucking, amazing. So amazing I wanted a second but couldn't retrace my steps back to the first stall I bought it from. After that, we walked around quite a few stalls before deciding on some sweet dolce. Feeling slightly (too) greedy, I opted for a whole bag of four donuts for just three pounds. The first bite was heavenly, so was the second, but by the time I had eaten two donuts, I felt as stuffed as a foie gras. Greed - that's what it does to you.

As you keep moving deeper into the centre of Winter Wonderland, there would be a massive tent with tons of disco lights beaming out from it and lots and lots of loud, music. In there are much more food stalls as well as beer (I believe it was bavaria beer) stalls. Just entering into the tent, that atmosphere was absolutely amazing. With the music, smell of food in the air and the people all around, it was great. I can imagine, if I did have a love for beer as much as I loved my mojitos, I'd be spending a good amount of time there. Really, every corner of that Winter Wonderland was amazing, filled with lights and music, everywhere you looked, it was wonderful with all the blinding neon lights. I didn't get to go on any of the rides because I'm not the biggest fan of them though it did seem like there was quite a good selection too. And as much as I love just the food, drinks, party tent and all, the rides and game stalls were the ones that really made the market all the more better. You can't deny that just seeing all those game stalls with the massive fluffy plush toys hanging from the ceiling and what not, you don't feel like a child all over again. If I wasn't living in poverty and strapped for cash, I wouldn't have mind spending a couple pounds at each stall. Even if I don't end up winning (which chances are, probably considering my awful skills), just the fun alone is worth it. Second shocker here but I don't think I've even ever properly tried out a game stall, apart from the cheap horrible ones at school fairs. But never at a theme park, and that's definitely going on my to-do-list. Next theme park, I'm heading to the game stall. Just something about it, I don't know if it's because I've watched too much Adventureland or if it's just because of the whole nostalgia feel but those game stalls, they just look. tempting, like the food all around.

Spread out all over the market were rows and rows of little stalls selling all sorts of things, gifts, chocolates, souvenirs, scarves, jewellery. Anyone still needing ideas of some christmas gifts, this would be a great place to go because many stalls, particularly the jewellery ones were handmade and for the quality of things, prices weren't particularly ridiculous.

Anything christmasy, you'll find it in one of these little stalls. I've seen my fair share of candles, christmas ornaments, personalised gifts, decorations, and I don't know what they're called, but they're metal candle holders with intricately cut out designs on the surface so you'd see whatever it is, as the light from the candle shines through. Pretty amazing. Along the way as you walk through the market, there'd be odd little shops where you can sit inside, all warm and cozy, have a drink and just relax and socialise. It's great.

A couple more photos though really, it's best to head there to see it for yourself. If it was possible, I would've taken photos of every single corner of that park because even in the photos here, it doesn't quite capture the amazing atmosphere and christmas spirit in Hyde Park.

We left the place at about 7 ish and walked straight down to Hyde Park Corner tube station. Bear in mind it was a wednesday so human traffic was not too bad, the tube stations were still quite busy but we still managed to get onto the first trains that arrived though it was a little of a squeeze so my guess is, it's probably manic madness on the weekends. I don't think you can use cards at the stalls (I'm not entirely sure though it sure seemed that way) but there are lots of free withdrawal cash machines stationed at every end and corner of the park which is very convenient.

But there it is, my first ever christmas market/Winter Wonderland in london and it definitely, definitely lived up to my expectations.

Labels: london, travel

lol'd, 09:05

Thursday, 27 November 2014

... travels over the summer (and more) - italy, part 2.

fifth stop, lago di como & colico.

45.8167°N, 9.0833°E & 46.1358°N, 9.3717°E

Walking from the station in Colico

And I guess after the first taste of a spontaneous weekend getaway, I was hooked. And that was the start of my very regular weekend trips to the different bits of italy. I remember one of my friends always saying, "you're never in uni anymore, every weekend you're always somewhere else!"

So then, next was lago di como which I've heard from many friends, is a perfect place for a one night, two day weekend trip away from the busy city. This was actually also the first, and start of the many trips I ended up taking with my current boyfriend and it's true when they say travelling with your SO is one of the best things that you can do.

1. You learn about who they really are and see all the different sides to them.

2. It will either bring the two of you closer, or just apart.

3. It's just way more fun to have someone special to enjoy it with.

In my case, I was lucky enough that it just brought us so much closer and we both ended up with so many, many wonderful memories.

It's just an hour and a half ride on the train from Milano Centrale for a cheap 8 euros per person. The first thing I thought when I arrived was how quiet it was. Everything was peaceful, the town was empty but at the same time, there was a little buzz in the small market stalls that were setting up for the day. We had booked a hostel for the night in the outskirts of the town centre so it was a good 40 minute walk from the town centre but with the views of the lakes, mountains and the refreshing breeze, it was absolutely wonderful. What really amazed me were the views. It's stunning. You get both the views of the summer lake and the views of the snow caps on the mountains in the distance which actually are just about an hour's drive away (I've heard you can ski there too). And it's just the combination of everything, the scenery, environment, people, walk, you can't help but feel relaxed and so peaceful. Like you could forget about all your worries for just awhile.

View from the balcony

There are actually many little towns situated all around the lake. Colico's a small town just on the edge, the furthest from Como by ship as I remembered we ended up paying about 18 euros each and sat on the ship for a good hour and a half. Of course when we looked back at the map later, we were actually going from one end to the other. The accommodation we had was not bad at all. A massive double bed with a cozy bathroom but my favourite part of the room was the view. Once you open the balcony windows and step out, that's exactly the view you get. And best part of it all, the lake was just a 100m walk straight down. And you'd be standing at the rocky shore, where you can touch the waters, and see the beautiful mountains in the background. I don't think I could ever describe it in words how amazing it was. Where we lived, it was also a large parking space for lots of holiday trailers so you had to walk through a whole street of family trailers before you reached the lake. Not trailer trash kind of trailers but rather the cute, family weekend getaway, italian style, kind of classy trailers. And in a way, it added to the whole warm, holiday kinda vibe for the weekend. Really, apart from the occasional chilly winds (but really, bad move on my part for assuming it was already full summer mode), I can't complain about anything. As I've mentioned, to get to the town centre, you can walk and there are plenty of good cafes, gelaterias and restaurants. One of which was located just by the lake, absolutely stunning view and it seemed like a good restaurant for the night. As you keep walking past the town, you end up at a huge open space of grass where you can just lie and watch the people wind surf in the waters, or play with their kites. Even along the way, it was great that there were benches (or you could just sit on the edge of the rocks) where you could just sit. And look at the view.

You can just never get enough of that view.

Como

To get to the other towns, you can take the (very bumpy) bus or take the ship. We took a ship to Como and a bus back which did work out a lot cheaper because it was just about 6 euros per person though it was a good two hour ride. Como is probably the biggest and the main city, definitely worth a visit because there's so much to see and do, even on the way to there. It's much busier and much livelier with lots of food, street stalls, people chilling around in parks... I've even seen a wedding photo session going on. There are paddle boats you can rent but we decided to head straight for the hill to get a view of the entire town. You'd have to pay a couple euros for a ticket for the funicular. I've never even heard of such a thing so you can imagine how excited I was when I saw that fancy looking tram.

The views you get from the top of the hill is breathtaking. Not as breathtaking as Verona, but nonetheless, beautiful in its own way. There isn't too much to walk around though you can still spend about an hour or two and there are benches at view points where you can just sit, relax and look. And we've probably spent a good hour just sitting on the benches, enjoying the views, sun and warmth. It's probably best you did carry a drink along though. Silly me, forgetting a drink and ending up having to pay about 3 euros for a small glass of succo di pesca at some very typical, cafe that was right by the funicular station, clearly made for the tourists. Ah, me.

I think if I had known about all the other towns nearby surrounding the lake, I definitely probably would have stayed a day or two longer but if you're just thinking of seeing Como (which definitely is worth a visit), a day would probably be fine.

sixth stop, roma!
41.900°N 12.500°E

The streets of Roma

Finally, after about a month and a half into my stay in italy, I've finally had the chance to visit the capital of the country. This time, it was a 3 day trip over the weekend, leaving on a friday afternoon and I believe, getting back on a monday morning flight. Another one of the crazy, didn't-quite-plan-everything-out trips with a couple of my good friends/roommates in italy. It was a total of four guys, and just me and you'd think, oh crap travelling with a bunch of guys is going to be an experience... and it was. I can't complain when you're the only girl in the group and you're well taken care of and guys are simple, simple people. I can't say how happy I was to be far away from any girl drama whatsoever. It was just all relaxed fun and games all the way. Maybe almost a little too relaxed at times because I remember the afternoon of our departure, we were catching an afternoon train and we barely made the train, since we got to the platform with just 2 minutes to spare. Not one of the funnest of times when we were literally rushing to get to the metro station and the horror on our faces when the trains were delayed. Just the bunch of us standing at the platform, trying to work out how long it'd take for the train to reach each stop and how long it'd take in total, and then, how much time we'd have left to make the connection to the train to Roma. Oh those good, good, not great, times.

Roma at night.

It was about a 3 hour journey on the train but funny thing is, I didn't even realise we were taking one of them fancy, more expensive trains till later. One of my guy friends, typical italian, definitely loved travelling and living like a king so we all ended up on a business class of the frecciarosa train. Not the old, hobo looking, cheap ones I take on a budget trip but a proper, new, fancy, super fast comfy train. You could even tell from the seats and all, great legroom, great leather seats compared to the tiny, cramped, old seats I had to endure on the cheap train to Como. (I mean, they were that cramped that even me, a 5'1 midget, when I sat down, my knees were touching the other seats!) And obviously, we got all the fancy, snacks and refreshments along the way of the journey with it too. Can't lie, that was fucking amazing. It's been awhile since I've travelled in such comfort on a train. And when we got there, our italian friend's parents were even kind enough to let my boyfriend and I have a small apartment that they usually rent out, for the nights we were there. It was such a lovely cozy little place with a small kitchen, bathroom, a small lounge area and a nice, comfy, massive bed. Thinking about it now, I do miss that little apartment.

I can't quite recall which night it was where we had the crazy food feast at the sicilian restaurant (which I've mentioned earlier in my posts) but that was, amazing. It was like, sickly amazing, the kind where you're so full and you can't eat anymore but you have to because the food is that amazing. I do believe it was on the night of arrival, our italian friend took all of us on a tour around the city, going to all the touristy places... at night. As tiring as it may sound, it's definitely something new and cool, to see the city by night because all these places, are suddenly just empty at night and that's when you can really appreciate the beauty of the place, minus the tourists.

It was dead quiet, just us five, wondering in the streets of Roma. And it's crazy because till then, I've probably just known all of them for about a good 2 weeks but from the way we were getting on and all, you'd think we've all been great friends for the longest time ever. And i have to say, it was much, much better seeing the city at night. There was something so mysterious but amazing at the same time. We even took a trip to the Fontana di Trevi where it's said if you toss a coin into that fountain, you'd return to Roma.

Piazza di Spagna

So far, it hasn't happened yet but I don't see why I wouldn't be going back. It's a wonderful, wonderful city filled with so much history. So that's what we did pretty much for the rest of the night till I believe 3 in the morning, just wondering around, occasionally driving to the places that we can't walk to... And by the time we got back, we were all so tired we just crashed right into bed and didn't wake up till probably about, 12 the next day. And that was one of the best things about travelling with people that are exactly like you, we could stay out as long as we wanted every night and not have to worry about getting up the next morning with a whole list of things to check off the plans. We just did everything spontaneously, depending on the group and how we felt that day.

Really for the most part, it was just lots of walking around the city, relaxing, enjoying a coffee, best gelato at Fassi's and the best tiramisu at Pompi (all mentioned before in my earlier post here if you scroll down to the entry from 3 June (boy does that sound like it's been a long while since then!)

Stadio Olympico - AC Roma VS Juventus

And of course while we were there, with four guys, all who love football, naturally, we had to watch a match at the stadium. And I'd say that probably was my first ever, football match live with that kind of a crowd. The atmosphere in the stadium was just, like wow. I'm not the biggest football fan myself but watching it there, live, standing from the podium and when you're just 25m away from the pitch, it definitely changes things. 90 minutes of football on the tv would bore me to death but at that match, time went by so quick because it actually was pretty amazing I'd have to say. Even if you aren't a fan yourself, all the excitement and cheering from the crowds just kinda gets you going anyway.

The monday morning when we had to leave... oh that was absolutely, evil. We had gotten back at about 3 from the night before because we were hanging around some park having some beer and some fun in the night and the horrible thing that we probably forgot to consider was, we had to catch a 7am flight back to Milano Malpensa. Which meant, we had to get up and leave at about 5:30 in the morning. And obviously because we were all having that much fun, it just sort of slipped our minds that we all had work and university the next day, at 9. I think it's quite easy to guess, we all felt like death, beyond a shit and upon landing, we had to fight with the morning rush crowds onto the bus to get back to the city. The guys headed off to work (don't even ask me how they did that because that's just insane) but I decided nothing wasn't going to happen that day and headed back into bed. Needless to say, when everyone was back at the apartment that night, we were all just destroyed.

And you'd think I'd learn from my past crazy clubbing nights, it's never wise to get back at 5 in the morning, sleep for 2 hours and show up to class. But you know when you're 20, and out abroad in a new foreign place, you just think you're invincible and can do anything. I guess I've realised on a couple of rough occasions, this isn't quite the case.

seventh stop, sardegna!

40.000°N, 9.000°E

Town centre of Sardegna

By far, definitely one of the favourite places I've been to in Italy. As you can probably tell from the opening photo, it's one of those perfect, holiday vacation spots. It was about mid May, 16th to 18th just for another quick, short weekend. Flights were about 80 euros return from Malpensa directly to Alghero, Sardegna and it was only about forty five minutes long. Once there, it was a quick 10 minute taxi ride to the accommodation.

One of the best accommodations I've booked on airbnb to date. There were five of us in a four storey house, lots of room and it was always a lovely start to the morning just sitting outside in the backyard, having breakfast, enjoying the sun. I'd say the time we went probably was still a little too early, it was just starting to get warm but give it another two weeks or so and it'd be perfect weather. There were times when it did get quite cold at the beach, particularly the waters. I couldn't bring myself to even place a foot in there because it was ice, cold.

It's a great place to go to if you're just thinking of a relaxing holiday of doing practically nothing. The entire vibe of the place is nothing but a slow, quiet sunday on repeat. There are many great places to go in Sardegna but I was recommended to try out Alghero as it's a little more quiet though I've also been told the demographics are slightly older in age.

It's possible to walk though it's much better to catch the bus to get to the beaches or the town centre. Each ride just costs 1 euro if you were to purchase the tickets from the newsstands or 1.50 euro if you got them directly on the bus. The town centre is absolutely beautiful. You definitely feel like you're on holiday, no doubt. There are lots of bars at night where you can have a nice drink and in the day, it's great to explore around town or have a gelato on the way.

As lovely as the town centre is, it's when you walk to the edge of the town centre, just by the sea where you really see the true beauty of Alghero. You can hear the light waves crashing against the 16th century catalan city walls, with a light breeze and the warm sun on your skin. Along this path are also tons of great restaurants, all which offer wonderful views of the sea. We did end up dining at one of them that night because we simply couldn't resist. It was a table just outside on the terrace where we got a wonderful view of the sunset.

16th Century Catalan City Walls

I wouldn't lie, it was quite an amount to spend on dinner but given the amazing food, atmosphere and service, if you're just about to afford it, I'd definitely say give one of the restaurants a go. And of course, since you're near the sea, definitely go for a seafood dish as they are amazing. Even after dinner, you could just sit at the table, have a glass of wine, sit back and relax. There was no rush to anything there, everything moves at a slow, laid back speed.

What I loved was just the entire vibe of the place. It was so, refreshing and relaxing, like you could just stay there for forever. I remember walking around in just some worn out tank top, shorts, flip flops and the typical tourist hat I picked up from a street vendor on the beach. Though I have to say, I remember seeing some ladies all dressed up in full on, stiletto heels while walking past the restaurants as we were eating, kudos to them cos I don't know how they do that. Trotting along on those stone pebble cob paths, I would have face planted a billion times along the way.

The beaches are absolutely stunning. And what's even more amazing was the fact that it was pretty much empty because it was still low peak season. So, really, it kind of felt like you had the entire beach to yourself. On the first day, we went to a smaller beach nearer to our house. It was perfect, soft warm sand, crystal clear blue waters (though freezing!) and heck, they've even got a couple palm trees! There even was a nearby pizza, seafood restaurant just a 2 minute walk away by the beach so you could dine at the beach and the best part was, you didn't even have to put all your clothes back on, simply because technically, you're still at the beach. So I just strolled in with my tie top over my bikini and my bikini bottoms.

The second beach we went to on the next two days was much bigger but similarly, the waters were freezing cold. There were much more restaurants to pick from and with the sun and lovely weather, it's a great (romantic) stroll down the coast with your feet just lightly touching the waves as they wash up on the shore. Likewise, restaurants were all on the beach so we literally sat at a table with our feet buried in the sand while having some mussel soup and calamari. Everything was just great, we just spent three whole days lying on the beach for a good 6, 7 hours a day, doing absolutely nothing. It probably is best to pack some sunscreen because I remember going home and having a shower only to realise it felt like acid on my skin because I clearly was, quite sunburnt. Like two shades of pale and pink skin burnt. But if you're looking to get a great tan, all you have to do is just lie there, like a beached whale. You'll get a lovely tan, guaranteed. I turned so brown after just 2.5 days of tanning. I couldn't even take it the last day as I didn't want to risk my skin falling off. It still did a week later anyway...

The only thing that was slightly disappointing while I was there was that I could not find a single gelato store/stall in sight! Shocker, I was planning on having some nice italian gelato while chilling on the beach with my music but there were none. Speaking of food, us few moneysaving budget travellers decided to bring some packed sandwich lunches to the beach too (they have a supermarket in town where you can buy groceries) and honestly it wasn't too bad. Kind of added to the whole, backpacking, travelling, hobo kinda lifestyle kinda vibe really.

Up till today, I still miss that place so much I'd love to go back there and just spend a week doing nothing all over again.

... to be continued.

Labels: italy, travel

lol'd, 11:04

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

i apologize, it's been awhile since I've updated anything, on my existence on this planet. and with good reason. for one, i've been busy globe trotting a little bit, and when that fun was over, i was pretty much, buried with work from university. only till last week have I finally been given a little break so i'm finally going to be doing a long, overdued update on everything so far.

travels over the summer (and more) - italy, part 1.

a total of 16 cities in 3 months which far exceeded my expectations. travelling through all the cities with just 3 tank tops, 2 shorts, one bag, one jumper and one pair of 2 euro flip flops, didn't expect to see myself living the hobo nomad lifestyle to that extreme but desperate times, calls for desperate measures. though i have to say, my only regrets were not being able to see sicily and naples.

first stop, milano.

45.4667°N, 9.1667°E

The Navigli

A wonderful city, though I have to say, it isn't necessarily the prettiest. Filled with graffiti, street art, vintage shops and tons of amazing restaurants and of course, the famous navigli.

It definitely is one of my favourite places in milano, mainly because of the atmosphere. Be warned, the so called "canal" definitely isn't as beautiful as you think it'd be but it does have quite a nice feel to it, particularly in the cool, summer evenings.

Along both sides are a huge variety of bars (as I've probably mentioned before in my previous posts), it's always great (and even normal) to be out a few times a week, even mid week for a nice sit down dinner at the bars, enjoying the apperativos or even just having a drink. There even are some pretty decent sushi restaurants/ all you can eat along the way which are great value for money, and quality. On sundays, there are the street markets selling all sorts of things you can imagine.

Posters along a shutter door in the streets of Milano

Even though the city is filled with graffiti, ripped posters, shedding walls that look like they are about to fall apart, there is a certain charm to it all. I don't know if it's because of the strange juxtaposition of the so called "posh" image of italy and the dirt and grit of the streets but it's just interesting.

Particularly if you've been living there for about 3 months, a period which isn't long enough to say you're a proper resident but at the same time, you can't call yourself a tourist so you're kind of wedged in the middle really. You get to experience both the local and tourist lifestyle - the best of both worlds.

Getting around the city is easy. Pretty much, if you live in the city centre or close, you're able to walk anywhere. Back when I was there, I was probably about 20 minutes away from Colonne and 30 minutes walking from the duomo but there's always something about milan, maybe it's the nice sunny weather, it's never too long for a walk to anywhere. Especially with all the things you see along the way, snacks you eat, gelatos, coffee, while soaking up the sun. I've mainly used the metro, bus and trams to get to places that are further away like the night outs in moscova or garibaldi.

Another exciting (and not quite legal) bit is tram and train hopping. If you're quick enough or in my case, tiny, you're able to slip through the train barriers and catch a free ride, especially during the late nights when the staff are no longer operating in the little boxes. Same goes for the trams, all you have to do is look out for the tram staff. Once they get on, you just get off the stop. I've spent my last 2 weeks illegally hopping on and off the tram and I have to say, without jinxing myself in the future, everything was fine.

You can't deny there's something equally cool and excitingly dangerous about "riding black". It's funny because, transportation isn't even expensive. For a student under 25, it's just 22 euros a month and it includes all trains, trams and buses within milano. I guess it's just part of the whole milano, typical italian experience of illegally riding the tram without a ticket.

second stop, bardonecchia.

45.0833°N, 6.7000°E

A three an a half hour journey, two hours to Turin and then a change to Bardonecchia. Probably one of the most spontaneous trips I've ever made with two of my other good friends. It was actually a thursday night decision and a sudden friday morning wake up call for me, and a five minute packing job before running to the station to catch the quickest train to Milano Centrale. It wasn't as bad as I thought because really, the train was quite empty so you could stretch out as much as you wanted. The three of us looked like a bunch of homeless hitch hikers stretched out across two seats, leaning up against the window, sleeping with our socks on.

But the time goes by fairly quick, and you get to see the towns you past by along the way too and funny enough, you know when you're reaching your final stop because it starts to get colder, you feel the snow breeze through the vents and you start to see patches of snow, then more, and more and finally, the mountains. It's one of those places, that's almost a little random really because there really wasn't too many people. And whenever I say "bardonecchia", I often get the clueless look, followed by, "where?" We were there for supposedly, two days but we ended up extending it by a day (and missing a monday's class) because we just weren't ready to leave just yet. The accommodation wasn't bad at all, we had a whole room to us three with a double bed and two bunk beds so it could sleep a total of 5. There was even a little kitchen we could cook in, a nice bathroom and a small TV so we wouldn't be bored out of our minds.

In general, I don't think costs were too expensive though it did end up adding up to an amount that blew my budget completely. And that's probably the price you pay for the last minute, no planning, plans.

During the evenings, there were events on if you could locate the clubs. I remember one night we were wondering in the streets for a bit before walking all the way to the town centre and just at the bottom of the slopes, we stumbled upon a club in the basement. Definitely one of the crazier ski trips I've been on in awhile, lots of snow and boarding in the day, lots of drinking and partying at night and of course, a rather late start the next day.

Just where we lived, about a minute's walk away was a little cozy family run restaurant that served up some pretty amazing food. I'd never forget that amazing, beautiful of a creature of a panna cotta that I had. Absolute, perfection. I guess it was really, just the excitement of everything, first arriving in milano and immediately taking off on a spontaneous trip for some unplanned skiing, I pretty much ended up living like a king. Splurging the cash wherever.

It wasn't too cold either, rather about a good 3 - 5 degrees on average, maybe dropping to 0 at night but what was amazing was the weather. We had amazing, sunny weather for all 3 days we were there and for those of you who ski, you'd know what I'm talking about. It can't get any better than sunny weather. It was lots of relaxed skiing on the slopes and then stopping off in the middle to one of the cafes for a coffee break. The best was this little rest stop we discovered on our last day. It was situated just on the top of a middle slope of a hill with bean bags lying outside. We ordered a hot chocolate each and I'm not kidding, we had all stripped down to our spaghetti strap tops and t shirts, just chilling on the beanbags with our hot chocolates like it was summer. It was summer, in the snow. It was beyond perfect. I could even just fall asleep right there, and I really, really was tempted to do so.

One thing to take note of, unless you're one of those who can afford to blow about 800 euros on a set of new gear, make sure you pack your own ski clothes. Shocker when we all got there for the first time, they don't do clothes rental. I don't know if it's just cos the people of italy are just that into fashion they've all got their own stuff, but that's a first for me. A ski resort with no clothes rental. Needless to say, we ended up skiing with whatever we had. In my case, it was some leggings, jogging pants, a t shirt, hoodie and a cheap 20 euro goggle I bought in the store.

third stop, venezia.

45.4375°N, 12.3358°E

Piazza San Marco, Venezia.

It was a day trip with a friend of mine where we (hilariously), made the smart? or not, mistake of catching a 7am train from Milano Centrale to Venezia.

The morning didn't start off too well. Picture this, pouring rain, freezing temperatures and there we were, dressed in shorts, flip flops, tank tops and one jumper. Trains weren't running so we had to catch some very odd buses and didn't even know where we were going. All I can say is, thank god for the creepy local on the bus who helped us find our way to Centrale. Then, we ended up camping at the station for a bit since we got there too early. Oh yeah, we looked like two homeless, soaked, rats.

We "rode black" for the second time, by just slipping under the barriers and hopping onto a boat to take us to the city square. Only did we realise after, the price of the tickets for the boat per person was actually 18 euros each. So hey, we saved 36 euros in total, not bad I'd say.

Like in most places of italy, you can pretty much get anywhere on foot. It is probably, maybe, better to take the river boats around Venezia or hey, if you're swimming in the money, why not pay a little extra for one of them gondolas. But if you're on a tight budget like us two broke, nomad students, then walking's the best option. It's not too bad and even though you've been walking for ages, it never feels like so because there's so much to see and explore along the way. And trust me, you'd get lost. But that's good. Where better a place to get lost than Venezia, walking from one alley to the next, to the end thinking there'd be a turn but it's just another dead end or canal.

No doubt, you can just feel the tourist vibes in the air, everywhere. And maybe because we picked one of the rainiest days to head there, but I can imagine the city being an amazing experience on a bright, warm sunny day.

Particularly when you're walking along the "ports" and main area where you just get off from the boats, you can hear the light sounds of the waves from the sea along with the sea breeze. Then you get the tourist hawker stalls yelling out and the buzz from the distant city square.

For most of the whole day, the two of us just wandered around the city without a map, just following the little alleys and streets, going wherever they take us. And I really think that's just the best way to get to know a place. Of course you should visit the main points of interests and what not, but it's also great to see the hidden parts of the place that not many people might necessarily think of venturing into.

I just remember towards the end of the day when we both were trying to find our ways back to the beginning, all we would ever say was "dove sei piazza san marco?" or just following whatever sign that pointed towards san marco. But it isn't all that big, and eventually, you somehow find your way back.

I'd say it definitely is worth a trip there because it is a beautiful place, however, I wouldn't say venezia is one of my top choices for favourite places in italy. Maybe it's the overwhelming, overrated kinda touristy vibes to the place. Or the chilly weather and awful start to our days that will never leave my mind really.

forth stop, verona.

45.4333°N, 10.9833°E

Our second weekend day trip in a row right after Venezia, the same friend and I then headed off to Verona the next morning. It was about a two hour train ride from Milano Centrale and once again, we were lucky enough to bag the 2 for 1 deals so we ended up paying just 34 euros for two, including a return. And since we're both broke exchange students trying to conquer italy, naturally, our main mode of transport for this day trip was walking.

Upon arrival, it was just about a 15 minute walk down to the main town centre and as soon as we entered the main city areas, food stalls everywhere! It was probably some weekend food festival going on but we just wandered around, trying all sorts of things from amazing salami to cheese and arancini, fried rice balls with bolognese stuffed in the middle, together with cheese. Amazing stuff.

One thing that you absolutely cannot miss while in Verona is Castel San Pietro. It's a little bit of a trek and hike but once you're up on the top, the view is so, worth the effort. You get to sit on the rock barriers, enjoying the light breeze and sun while looking over the entire city. Even this picture doesn't quite do it justice. But no exaggerations here, the view, is simply stunning. And don't be surprised if you find yourself just sitting there for a good while, taking it all in because it's just such a beautiful, beautiful sight.

Like we did in Venezia, the two of us wondered about the city. I'd say compared to Venezia, the word I'd use to describe Verona is historical, whereas Venezia was beautiful. And as usual, we covered all the main points of interest before taking off and getting lost, as expected.

It's definitely much hillier than Venezia and to really get the great views, it is a little of a trek up those hills. I remember when I was dragged to walk up to the Castel San Pietro and from there, across to another hill, simply because my friend wanted to reach "The Cross". Boy was that a trek. And since it was such a warm afternoon, I've never done this before but I actually unbuttoned the bottom buttons of my shirt and tied it to my waist to get some ventilation and heat cooling system going.

Don't forget to make a quick trip to Juliet's house just for the fun of it too. And remember to have a photo taken with you touching the left, or was it right, boob of the statue. Either way, just get there and do what everyone's doing. Apparently it's like a typical, tourist tradition.

Another place that's worth a little go see is the main city square Piazza delle Erbe where there are tons of little tourist stalls selling all sorts of knick knacks. I couldn't resist not brining home a little souvenir, one of which I have on everyday around my ankle - some string braided anklet with colours that reminded me of ice cream for some odd reasons. Oh and good tip, if it's a warm day and you need something refreshing and healthy, go for a fruit cup. They're usually about 2.50 euros to 3 euros. Then, after that, make sure you keep the cup because you can just fill it up with water from the public fountains and you save on buying a bottle of water and you're set for the day. Voila.

Piazza delle Erbe

Other than the fact that you look kind of like a poor homeless traveller like we both did but if it saves me a euro each time I need to buy a bottle of water, why not. And sides, it's much less lighter than chugging round a bottle of water everywhere. Instead, you can just fill it, drink whatever you need and walk around with the cup stuffed in the side of your bag. Perfect.

I'm pretty sure that there are some amazing restaurants around (let's be honest, as long as you have the money, really you can dine as much like as a king if you want to in italy) but while on this trip, I was on a temporary money budget crisis so we ended up spending just a good few euros on subs and sandwiches that were sold in the market stalls. And they fill you up good and don't taste too bad either. And one more thing, beware, trips to the toilet will cost you 60 cents each time.

Labels: italy, travel

lol'd, 10:32

Friday, 10 October 2014

Signs that you're stuck somewhere far away, from reality.

That's always the problem after all the amazing travelling and city hopping isn't it, returning to normality and that boring mundane life you had before all the crazy things happened. So here I am, suffering from some serious, serious post italy, post germany travelling problems.

1. You can't get back into working hard.

This is a tough one, probably one of the biggest struggles so far and what perfect timing for this to happen, when you're in your final year and 75% of this year's counting towards your degree.

2. You keep thinking that you're still living in that particular city.

Yep, I'm still thinking of how nice it'd be to have a slow, relaxing walk down to the duomo, picking up some gelato along the way or maybe just a little stroll into the forest to pick up some mushrooms.

3. You can't shake off the routines.

I've now turned into some caffeine addict. A morning can't fully start until I've had my regular cup of strong black coffee with one sugar. Then comes the espressos and cappuccino mixed in with some baileys to end off the dinner. Coffee and alcohol, that's what italy does to you.

4. Or the habits.

I'm still working according to the inefficient italian way of things - you work for a bit, you head out, take a break, have a coffee and get back to work (for a short while before things repeat itself all over again).

5. You don't understand why people don't wish to do the things you do, and then you realise, it's because it's not normal back here.

i.e: sitting on the grass to enjoy the lovely sun, or just taking a trip down to town for a coffee. Oh right, slip of mind, I'm no longer in Italy. People don't do that here.

6. You keep mentioning, "back in..."

Can't quite keep count of how many times I've done this, especially whenever I'm on a phone call with a fellow friend I've met back in milan (you see what I mean). I've probably mentioned "we used to do that so much back in italy!" about a billion times.

7. You subscribe to cheap flight updates.

Whether it's back to Italy or Germany, whenever there's a good deal during a surprisingly good timing, I'm on it.

8. You eat like you're still on holiday.

Massive food shops, only and nothing but the good and fresh, living like a king. Everyday, dinner consists of a fresh ruccola mixed leaf salad with feta cheese and onions mixed in with some aceto balsamico and olio. And for the main, always, it's pasta or potatoes with garlic, onions, peppers, olio, sale, herbs, mushrooms and bacon, or rather, speck.

9. You've permanently adjusted to the nomad lifestyle.

i.e: practically living out of your suitcase. No more fancy dressing up or big coats, it's just all about comfort nowadays and I'm pretty sure, the past 3 weeks I've probably worn the same two pair of jeans and the same three tops alternatively each day. Forgot about all the nice coats, jumpers, make up and all the other little superficial things, I just want to look decent but stay comfortable the whole day. Like I'm about to hop off onto another train somewhere. Speaking of suitcases, my bag from Germany which was about 3 weeks ago, is still sitting at the end of my bed, unpacked.

10. You look at all these people and think, "what are you doing with your lives?"

Two years ago I was a workaholic but after experiencing the good things in life, it changes your perspective on things. Final year now and sometimes I just find myself in the studio, looking at all these people, and you feel that competitive tension in the air. And you just think to yourself, "is it even worth it? there's more to life than just this".

11. You keep dreaming of the days that you'll go back. One day.

Every single day.

12. All you can think about before sleeping are the good old days.

Partying it up three times a week till 5 in the morning, apperativo evenings, spontaneous weekend getaways, road trips, that's all I ever can think about. Those were the most amazing, best, days of my life.

13. You associate certain songs with wherever the place is.

Jubel by Klingande, I think of that afternoon in Chinatown with my boyfriend where there was a street saxophonist playing a remixed version. Avicii's Levels and Silhouettes, crazy club nights in Milan. Awful Dolce and Gabbana song, Ferdi's apartment. And the list just goes on.

14. You speak with a mixed jumble mis-mash of words.

Oh, for dinner, I've got ruccola, chipola, käse, maybe some other salad and for the pasta I might add some speck in it. Or how about, andiamo, avanti avanti! And gelb gelb! Literally, it takes quite an amount of effort to speak some proper english after hanging around Italy and Germany for a bit. English almost feels a little foreign.

15. You've lost track of time.

No more fixed schedules or punctuality. You get up when you want to, arrive when you want to, do things when you feel like it. Dinner could be at 6, it could be at 8, you could sleep at 10 one day or 2 the next but there's never a rush to get out of bed in the mornings. That's important, to take your time and not rush.

16. You have not updated your Facebook location even though it's been about 4 months.

Yep, I'm still "living" in Italy.

17. Or your Skype location.

18. You get so excited when you hear someone from that place.

I remember overhearing some italiano while on the tube and it sure did bring back some good memories. Or while I was on holiday in Bangkok and Singapore, I probably got just a little too excited when I overheard some German tourists.

19. You know there's no going back to the old life.

I try. I've been trying for the past few weeks and so far, niente.

20. You've got all your free dates marked on, already planning on your next trip.

Yep. Flight deals, groupon deals, everything, all planning way in advance! It's going to be part-ay once this year's done in May.

Labels: germany, milan, travel

lol'd, 14:28

Tuesday, 2 September 2014

tomorrow is the day.

i'm leaving hong kong tomorrow and getting on a 1520 flight back to London via Singapore.

See you miserable kong town, I'm headed back to Europe where the weather's so much cooler and mosquitoes do not exist. Back to life on my own without all the family drama and smothering. I don't think I've ever been this madly excited to go back. And for the first time, it seems like I've got most things going for me.

One fairly bearable weight, luggage and one bagpack, a priority pass to get me through the long, painful immigration faaassssttt and of course, then comes the worst bit - the journey back to chatham. Long, tiring and fighting against the London rush hour crowd. Fun, fun times. But for the most part, I don't think really anything's going to put a downer on my mood tomorrow.

And as you can guess, that isn't even the best bit. The best bit is after my trip back to lovely chatham, it's straight to unpacking and packing my other bag and popping off to Gatwick Airport to catch a 1540 flight to Germany.

I can't believe it's finally happening! After 82 days apart, I'm finally finally going back to see you, and it won't be through a stupid laptop screen. We'd be able to talk normally and not have to worry about laggy connections or frozen screens and I'd finally be able to touch the physical you. I'm going so crazy because I'm so fucking happy I can't believe that it's finally the end of my miserable summer in Hong Kong and the start of my proper holiday in Europe.

There are no words to decribe how happy I am. So happy that I'm literally sat by the stairs now, leaned up against a wall, typing away at the screen when there are so many other things that I need to get done today, like packing, envelope making, final stuff, hair, nails, but i'm just so freaking excited I need to type this out before I go absolutely crazy. Even all these things I have to do doesn't seem too bad, lots to do means lots of time will fly by and then it'd be night again (mind you, I did just get up about an hour ago) and then when I wake up tomorrow noon, boom, it's time to leave to the airport.

If I was alone and if the rooftop wasn't so far away, or if it wasn't crazy hot upstairs, I would actually, scream my lungs out just because of how excited and happy I am right now. In 1 day and 1 hour, I'd be on the plane back to London!

Germany, here I come. See you in 2 days.

lol'd, 14:11

Tuesday, 12 August 2014

I'm going to Germany.

IT'S OFFICIAL. I've booked my tickets to Germany!

20 days. 20 days from now, i'll be hopping on the plane back to London. And 21 days from now, I'll be on a plane to Germany. Finally, it's no longer just numbers up in the air, plans, it's actually happening. It's happening for real.

After 10 miserable weeks apart, I'm finally going to Germany. I'm finally going to see you.

The real you. No longer just a Skype video, but the physical you.

Words can't express how excited I feel. I'm so overwhelmed with happiness I don't think I can quite process things, or believe that this is actually finally happening, for real. As if, in just a short three weeks, I'll be seeing you again. I'll be able to touch, see, feel and experience all those amazing moments with you again. To feel your touch on my skin, to feel you hugging me so close, to feel your lips on mine, to feel your arms wrap around me and to feel like I'm falling in love with you all over again.

As soon as I leave the arrival gates, you'll be there. And i'll jump into your arms and everything's going to feel infinite. The moment that we have been waiting for ever since I left in June. Summer may seem like it's almost over but for me, that is when my real summer begins.

As if, as if we'll actually have 17 days together this time. 17 days where we can do whatever we wish be it laying in bed all day or taking little spontaneous trips or walks, meeting your family, seeing your little village, eating lots of food, lots of movie nights but ultimately, nothing beats the nights where we lay in bed and fall asleep together, or the mornings when we wake up to each other.

I'm so happy I feel like I'm going to explode. If it weren't for this inconvenient hill I live on, or the fact that I'd probably piss off the entire neighbourhood, I'd run up to the rooftop now and scream my heart out. "I'm finally going to Germany!" It's so crazy I feel like a complete idiot because every time I think about it now, I can't contain myself. I smile, think, and feel my mind drift off to September. I can't even imagine how utterly, speechless and amazing it's going to feel when I finally see you.

And it's strange, because I have in fact almost kind of learnt to cope with all this. It's much easier now, I don't wake up feeling like death, I don't go to night in tears but instead I wake up each morning thinking "it's a new day, i've got plans today" and I go to bed each night thinking "I'm going to Germany". Every Skype call now makes me smile and instead of it being a reminder of how much I miss you, it makes me feel so happy to see you again, to hear about your day and your plans for the day.

Of course, it doesn't change the fact that I miss you so much, more and more each day but I'm glad to know it's finally mid August. We've made it through a long and painful 8 weeks and now the end seems so much closer. The wait is almost over. Almost 4 months together yet more than half of that time we've spent apart. And what made me realise how much you mean to me is the distance. It's made me appreciate everything we do together even more. I no longer take the small things for granted. What we have, it's something special. And it's made me even more grateful that I've met you. Call it fate, luck, whatever, but if it's meant to happen, things will. I suppose we were meant to happen, this was meant to happen. And we've survived the test.

I don't know how else can I describe it. But the feeling of being loved and to love, when you meet your right other half, it's magical. All the little, mundane things are no longer just that, they're little special moments that you share with someone, and those memories stay with you forever.

"I've learnt that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" - Maya Angelou

Nothing is going to come close to them. The crazy emotions going off like fireworks when I see you again. It's going to be impossible to hide the grin on my face, I'll probably be running towards you like a fool with an oversized bag weighing one side of me down and who knows, I may even just end up getting teary eyed but all because I'm so happy. So happy that it's real. So happy that I'm back with you.

I don't know if I'd be able to hold myself together on my last day here, or the long journey back. It'll be one of my happiest last minute packing days, I can already picture me attempting to fit all my crap back into the suitcase with a big smile on my face. Who cares if I'm having troubles fitting them all in, or who cares if I'm going to have a massive, overweight suitcase on the verge of exploding, it doesn't matter because in 24 hours I'd be out of the country and ready to head over to Germany. In fact, I think the last day in Hong Kong and the 2 days of travelling will be the worst of days because it's the feeling of so, so close yet so far. I'll be exhausted, probably jet lagging quite a fair bit and everything will suddenly slow down to the speed of almost nothing.

The wait at the Hong Kong airport will be long, the flight to Singapore will feel even longer, the 3 hour transit in Singapore is going to feel like forever, the 14 hour flight to London is going to feel like an eternity, the journey back to Chatham will feel like a never-ending journey, the trip back to Gatwick Airport and then security checks and boarding the plane, heck, even the 1.5h flight to Germany will feel like a billion. And let's not forget customs before I'm finally let loose out of those gates. But everything after that, will make it all worth it.

I'm so excited that I'm still ranting on and on and on and on. And even after all this, I'm still as high as a kite. Every time I check my email, I've got two confirmation emails of my flights that automatically puts a smile on my face.

It's finally, happening.

I'm finally going to see you in 22 days. And we'll have an amazing 17 days of summer together.

lol'd, 07:34