Tag Archives: 2014
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Corniglia

Unlike the other localities of the Cinque Terre, Corniglia is not directly adjacent to the sea. Instead, it is on the top of a peninsula about 100 metres high, surrounded on three sides by vineyards and terraces and the fourth side descends steeply to the sea. To reach Corniglia, it is necessary to climb the Lardarina, a long brick flight of […]

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Vernazza Beach

After a nice stroll through the village we decided to go under the mountain to the other side of town and hang out on the beach.  This is a rocky beach and since we did not bring the sand toys with us, we did what comes naturally to all  Canadians – building our versions of Inukshuks. It […]

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Vernazza

Our second stop is Vernazza which is a short train ride. First records recognizing Vernazza as a fortified town date back to the year 1080.   This village is completely different.  It has a different vibe, it is layer out differently with limited access to the water but it is perched more on the mountain […]

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Monterosso

The Cinque Terre –  “The Five Lands” comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We are setting off on a train which goes between these 5 villages […]

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Off to Cinque Terre

After a great Brunch we set  off for a 4 hour drive to Cinque Terre National Park on the Mediterranean.  None of us have been there so we are looking forward to it.  It is Sunday so there is almost no traffic as the big trucks are not allowed on the highways unless they carry parishables […]

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Wander around Rome

It seems that no matter where you go in Rome, there are old Roman ruins or something that predates the  Rome itself.  No visit to Rome  would be complete without spotting Hare Krishna people making a spectacle of themselves and being happy in their own way.  The final stop on our list of things to see was what […]

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The Roman Forum

Right next to the Colosseum are the impressive ruins of the Roman Forum.  The Forum Romanum was the center of life in Imperial Rome, evidenced by the many remains of triumphal arches, temples and basilicas.  Until 509 BC, when Rome became a republic, the city was reigned by an Etruscan dynasty of Tarquin Kings. They […]

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The Colosseum

The Colosseum is probably the most impressive building of the Roman Empire. Originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater, it was the largest building of the era.  While the Colosseum is largely in ruins it is still an amazing site to see. The elliptical building is immense, measuring 188m by 156m and reaching a height of […]

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Saturday Market

First thing on our agenda today, after breakfast of course, is the weekend market.  This small market is where locals come to get their fruits and vegetables, pastas, oils, spices and just about anything else you might need or want to eat – all fresh.  We got some giant sweet peas and  cherries the size of  plums. […]

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Reality Check

After visiting the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica we decided to visit a couple of other churches.  These were simply on our way from point A to point B but we though it would be worth the effort to see if these smaller less impressive buildings will still have the same effect as they […]

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Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain  is a fountain in the Trevi district in Rome.  It designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Pietro Bracci. Standing 26.3 metres  high and 49.15 metres wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world.  Each day some €3000,00 are […]

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The Pantheon

  We continue our journey across Rome through the narrow streets and piazzas.   The Pantheon  was  commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus  and rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian about 126 AD. It is one of the best-preserved of all Ancient Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history, […]

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St. Peter’s Basilica

The one Basilica to rule them all would be quite an understatement.  There is really nothing in this world that can prepare you for the sheer magnificence of this place, or its gigantic proportions or it’s over the top splendour.  We have seen our share of wonderful churches and cathedrals but nothing and I mean nothing comes […]

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St. Peter’s Square

St. Peter’s Square is a massive plaza located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, the papal enclave surrounded by Rome. At the centre of the square is an Egyptian obelisk, erected at the current site in 1586. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square almost 100 years later, including the massive […]

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Sistine Chapel Contraband

The Sistine Chapel  is a large and renowned chapel of the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City. Originally known as the Cappella Magna, the chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who restored it between 1477 and 1480. Since that time, the chapel has served as a place […]

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Papal Apartments

Papal Apartments – is where you start seeing the real splendour of the Vatican Museum.  If you were a Pope in the olden days you could commission Raphael to paint your apartment.  At the age of 25 Raphael was asked to do just that – scrap all the previous work done by some of the […]

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Looking Up

If a dizzying array of splendour that adorns the walls with famous paintings or tapestries or the floors done in priceless mosaics or just ordinary marble cut to perfection were not enough then perhaps the rooms and hallways and gardens lined with sculptures by every famous master from the beginning of time will impress and astonish. […]

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Sculptures

It appears that whatever is not at the Louvre or at the National Gallery in London is here.   There are a lot of priceless sculptures here and a great many of them share the same story.  No one knows how some of these 2 or 3 or 5 thousand year old sculptures found their […]

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All Roads

If it is true that all roads lead to Rome then this is where we are heading this afternoon.  On the way there we  are treated to some amazing and spectacular sites along the way.  It appears that each mountain top has its own town.  Orvieto, Moltepulciano, Fabro, Orte and countless others.   Beautiful day […]

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Pizzeria del Borgaccio

This little place in the village below Buccia Nera is where we stopped by for breakfast.  It is a bakery / pizzeria place.  Basically a breakfast with freshly baked goods and some cappuccino and espresso for the four of us, plus some cookies for good measure was just under €7.00 that is what I call […]

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Good Night Arezzo

We went out to Arezzo one more time.  First because there is a great pizza place we wanted to check out and second because we really wanted to have another go at Paradiso Gelato – some shopping seemed in order as well.  Arezzo being one of the more affluent cities in Tuscany has a lot […]

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Day of Rest

It is not like we have strained ourselves yesterday but it is early days on our Italian adventure so we are taking it easy.  We never got up early enough to get to the bakery so we had fruit for breakfast.  After breakfast –  the pool from 10 am to 7:15 pm with an occasional […]

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Paradiso

We started off in this place and I finished the day off in this place.  I think we have crowed the new best gelato place on this trip.  Paradiso I think will permanently unseat the great gelato we had in San Gimignano Italy and Cacao in Ljubljana Slovenia.  It is that unbelievably good. Paradise as […]

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Luck

We found a great little restaurant in Arezzo called Luck, the actual Italian name is Osteria da Luchino. Off the main street, no English menu, small and charming and just perfect.   We decided to try the Italian way of eating dinner.  You start off with a small pasta dish, then have the main course with […]

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Pool Time

Today, we are proud to say, we have done nothing at all.  We drove down to the village to have breakfast the local bakery.  We stopped by a shop to get some milk, cheese and salami and on the way back up we also stopped at a fruit stand and bought half a trunk of […]

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Prague Afternoon

After the castle we hastily headed down to the restaurant as some storm clouds started rolling in.  We did not have to walk far and in all honestly the rain did not last very long.  But while it was raining we were sitting down enjoying a nice dinner and coffee.  Good times, Prague never disappoints […]

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Day Trip – Prague

It’s a day out. A couple of  hours in the car and just like that we are in Prague having pastries at Paul.  Getting here was not a lot of fun: fog, a bit of rain and generally slow going, and by slow I simply mean we took it easy.      

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Summer Plans

We are slowly thinking of what our summer might look like and here is our wish list.  We did not include the cities we already visited because Google Maps is very difficult to deal with when it comes to dropping pins in the same city. A quick calculation shows: 9214 km and about 99 hours […]

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St. Egidien

We have walked past this church many times on many walks to the old town.  The kids walk by it everyday, twice a day, going to and from school. The church is  considered a significant contribution to the baroque church architecture of Middle Franconia.  The original medieval church was started in the early 12th Century, and was […]

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