Leaning tower of Pisa - made of marble and after the third floor, it's built towards the other direction to balance it out. Spent the 30 mins here trying to perfect the touristy poses.
Lunch in Florence (Firenze) - sitting outside in the 35C heat. Margherita pizza, pesto pasta.
My last pistachio gelato .. not as good as Venice.
The famous David (replica)
Duomo - this is huge, especially since it's situated in such a small and crowded area. Red, white and green marble.
View of Florence from the bus - looking back at this, you can truly tell the size of Duomo compared to the surrounding houses
Trevi Fountain - surrounded by hundreds of tourists, it appeared smaller than I'd imagined. (left side was under repair)
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Roman Forum
Colosseum - Like the Eiffel Tower and Great Wall of China, the Colosseum is something you need to experience and see for yourself in real life to truly marvel at the beauty and grandness of such a structure. Pictures really don't explain anything; it is seriously huge in person and perhaps the most amazing thing was that it was built 2000 years ago. The oval shape paved the way for the olympic stadiums of today.
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City - there is such a peaceful feeling when you enter; if I was Catholic I think it would be a very serene experience. The letters on the wall actually measure 6ft. tall, all the art work is made of mosaic tiles, not paint, and everything else is marble.
I'm really not into history and looking at ruins in the scorching heat, but Rome was definitely an eye opening experience. There's something special about the atmosphere. Despite the heat, the good thing about visiting in August is that there's very little traffic as most Romans are off vacationing.
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| Margherita Pizza - (Red) Tomato sauce, (White) Mozzarella, (Green) Basil represents the Italian flag |
Slightly salty thin crust, basic ingredients, delicious authentic taste
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| Linguine w clams |
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| super clean streets.. something about these tiles that make it much nicer than cement |
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| I thought this was an Asian street food, surprised to see it here |
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| looking out to the sea, our cruise ship ~ 拍下這個舒服休閒的感覺 |
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| Rialto Bridge |
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| St. Mark's Square - Doge's Palace |
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| the most beautiful is at sunset, the reflection of the colorful buildings in the river |
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| THE BEST GELATO |
Creamy texture, rich and natural flavors, tastes so true and real
Hazelnut - strong hazelnut taste, like eating Ferrer Rocher/Nutella
Coconut - with real coconut flakes
Pistachio - fragrant and creamy
Gelato = Gel (jello) + Latte (milk) = Ice Cream
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| Ham, mushroom, artichoke pizza |
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| Spaghetti Bolognese |
Al Dente pasta in Italy is literally much harder than the rest of the world's interpretation. Tomato sauce had a fresh and sour aroma.
- Like they say, you will get lost in Venice. Lots of walking in a crowded city filled with narrow alleys, bridges and canals. No cars in the main tourist area - travel by foot, gondola or boat.
- Apparently 50,000 tourists per day. Encountered a lot of Asian groups from China, South Korea and Japan
- Italians are not the nicest people. Encountered pushy restaurant owners and rude sales person. When looking at souvenirs, the sales lady literally said "How long does it take to choose a color?" and started tapping her wrist and counting down from 10.
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{ Room service breakfast on the veranda; ice cream crepe; food/souvenir market; alleys; houses; Old Wall }
After days of endless ocean view, waking up to little white/red houses was simply breathtaking. A lot of walking exploring the old town in 35C blazing sunny weather. My calves were in pain for the next few days.
Croatia Quick Facts:
Local currency: Kuna
Specialty souvenirs: lavender