Rome - The Old Favourite (and still the one!)

We have just spent two days in Rome, and they are our last on this fabulous adventure. After dropping off the bike and two bags in Luggage Storage at the airport on Friday, we then said goodbye to our car before heading into Rome on the train. Here are just a few of our favourite spots - Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and others...

And this is the sunset view from the little balcony off our room. We got a last minute room change from a very nice receptionist!

Yesterday we arrived at St Peters Square just before 10am and queued for 2 hours during which time we realised we had a deadline of midday before they closed the Basilica for a Families afternoon with the Pope. Our hopes were sinking as the line slowed towards the finishing line (due to all the line jumpers!) but we did make it, although once we were inside it was a whirlwind visit. We had Vatican security sweeping everyone through just a few minutes after we arrived. I'm sure our time there broke all records. We did keep moving although we were some of the very last to leave and got a couple of unique photos of a near empty Basilica.

Today we did the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Queues weren't a problem here because we arrived before it even opened due to daylight saving finishing and us not being aware of it! I had also pre-purchased tickets which helped. I am just amazed at the age and engineering of these structures. Awe-inspiring! 

(Selective photography as a huge chuck of the Colosseum was covered in scaffolding)

Then it was back to the Basilica to climb the dome but the lines were long again, so I bailed and Karl climbed it. I spent the afternoon browsing and photographing all the lovely little details of doors, windows, spires and statues that scream ancient Rome.

So after 7 weeks, we leave tomorrow and we are both very excited to be going home. We have had the most amazing time but have missed our gorgeous family and can't wait to see them!

Here's a few stats:
Days Away: 50
Beds: 18 (plus 4 plane seats)
Kilometres Driven: 8,832
Photos Taken: 9,479
Countries Visited: 7
Caffe Lattes, Caffe Creme, Latte Macchiato and Cappucinos...too many to count!

Thanks for following on. I have loved being challenged with the erratic and ever-changing technology, finding the time to write, edit and upload, and stretching the creativity muscles of doing Just A Faase blog while we have been away.

Love Jane

Reflections of Florence

I couldn't resist another post. After a night of heavy rain I decided to give you some of my reflections of Florence...

The Dome of the Duomo

Fake Statue of David outside Palazzo Vecchio

Lamp Post along Arno River

Pidgeons...obviously!

Laneway

I got plenty of strange looks (Karl had left for his ride at this stage!) but a few "got it" and one lady was even fending off tourists from stepping in my puddle! And then I'd leave a trail of keen photographers behind me also trying to photograph the reflections after they worked out what on earth I was doing!

Florence

Our second last stop - Florence! Our hotel is within walking distance of the major sights... the Ponte Vecchia, the Duomo, Galleria dell'Accademia and just some of the best and oldest architecture on earth. There is a photo opportunity around every corner, so its probably fitting that Karl has driven out of Florence each afternoon (two so far) into the Tuscan countryside for a ride while I photograph the life out of this beautiful city.

Yesterday was hot (24oC) by our standards here and beautiful blue sky. Today was a little cloudy but so far fine.

That photo is just begging for some nice typography in the upper right corner! Just a wall on a construction site at sunset. And a flower from the Rose Garden to balance things up.

This morning we had our pre-booked tickets for Galleria dell'Accademia so we walked straight in half an hour ahead of our scheduled time. Perfect!...as was the statue of David by Michelangelo.  The unfinished Slaves sculptures were also amazing - as if a man were emerging from a hunk of marble! Unfortunately no photos were allowed in the museum, but it probably meant I enjoyed it more and even read the guidebook for a change!

The view of the rooftops of Florence is taken from Piazzale Michelangelo, up on the hill. After Karl left for his ride I enjoyed a cappuccino and waited for the sun to come out ever so slightly. 

There will probably only be one more post on this blog from Rome. I've taken over 8,000 photos so far (Karl is a very patient man!) but be assured I won't be boring you with them all when I get home.

Cinque Terre

Well I've got to say that initially I didn't think the Cinque Terre lived up to the hype. I'm not even sure what I expected! But having now spent a day and a half here, it has warmed to me.

There are 5 little villages perched precariously on the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. Out of the five we visited four.

They are predominately fishing villages with vineyards covering the hillsides. Boats are parked outside homes just like we do cars!

Vernazza

There are trains which run through the towns delivering hoards of keen hikers and tourists to each of their destinations. There is also a boat but it was unfortunately cancelled today due to choppy seas. Apparently off-loading passengers can be a bit scary.

We enjoyed lots of coffee and pastries, wine and cheese. We really did attempt to also do a few walks but each time we seemed to head off on a track our plans were thwarted. Several of the shorter ones were closed for repair. So we'd go and have another coffee, or wine! Supporting the local economy we are! This was a gorgeous cafe/wine bar right up on the cliff at the start (or end) of the Via dell'Amore path. I think its designed to offer sustenance to those who have earned it after a long hike. We just partook anyway!

The weather has been forecast for rain for the last 2 days but it has really only been cloudy with a few sprinkles. This afternoon while we out on one of the cliffs, the sun did peek through the clouds and lit up a beautiful view of the town of Manarola.

Manarola

This is the amazing formation of the rocks at the cafe - such amazing texture and colours.

Tomorrow we are heading off to Florence for a few days, then Rome and home. We have clocked over 8,000km in our car so far.This trip has been a wonderful experience for us for which we are very thankful!

Mendola and Miracles!

Well I've just done my 3rd big mountain drive…oh, and Karl did his 4th big mountain ride. I think my achievement is equal to his considering the hairpin bends, the sheer drop off the side of skinny roads and wild Italian drivers to negotiate! It was the Mendola pass in northern Italy. And for those of you who are interested it was 16km ride rising 1070m. Incredibly impressive mountains in this area!

And now for anyone who may doubt God's provision and intervention, here is a story that will give you hope. On my morning adventure up the Mendola Pass, the GPS worked perfectly well. British Kate (the GPS) and I were at one. But she had a hissy fit and just wouldn't turn back on for our drive to Lake Garda. Thankfully I had my trusty (paper) maps and we headed off in the right direction, all the while wondering and praying how on earth this might turn out. Do we just try to do Italy with maps? (Impossible to find our accommodation in the middle of Florence and Rome with a map). Do we activate data on our mobile? (very expensive) Do we buy another GPS? (where would we find a place in the middle of northern Italy selling English speaking GPS's?) or possibly buy an overseas mobile and SIM card?

I thought I could at least find the town of Garda, on Lake Garda but after missing the first turnoff (which said Affi, in my defense) then misunderstanding the toll collectors instructions we found ourselves in the back blocks of Verona, trying desperately to find our lake. And then what do we drive past? A huge supercentre-style shopping centre with a shop that at least had Auto in their name. And once we found the entrance, we initially thought it was only a mechanics shop until someone opened the door and I saw a sign inside saying Accessories (or the Italian word for that). It was also now early afternoon on a Saturday and shops are closed here on a Sunday. 

(Never has there been such a boring, but welcome photo in this blog!) And so to keep a long story long…in a range of perhaps 6 GPS's they had our exact Garmin model. Not only that, he showed us how to change it to English language but then when they didn't have another in stock, sold us the demonstration model which he'd just set up for us. Now what are the chances of that????? I could never have imagined that God would intervene in such a miraculous way! I am in awe of His goodness to us! And so very thankful I don't have to spend the rest of our holiday with my head down trying to navigate using a map.

We made it to Lake Garda and it was completely mist-covered. Literally a sea of white! Nothing was going to spoil my day now so I embraced the unique lighting conditions and here are the results...

With Love from Austria

We have just had 2 fabulous days in Austria. Yesterday we were in Salzburg and today we drove to Innsbruck then on to St Michael in northern Italy.

Salzburg was stunning, especially the views from the mountains right on its doorstep. 

From the map, I thought we had a lovely park just in front of our hotel. In fact it was the sheer cliff face of a huge mountain. I'm getting much gamer now. I google-search hotels with parking in the town we are visiting then pick something as close to the Altstadt (old town) as possible. So far so good! We have scored some fabulous accommodation right in the heart of things and at really good prices! No more Ibis Budget for us!

Some of the highlights of Salzburg were, sorry, another cemetery. But this one is "the most loved cemetery on God's earth" according to the guide books. The views from the nearby lookout were stunning and also the cute signs in the main (busy) shopping strip.

Something that surpassed all this (well almost) was the news yesterday that Olive Tree Media has been nominated for two media awards with NRB (National Religious Broadcasters, USA). This was exceedingly exciting news for us and we eagerly await the results in mid November. We celebrated by going to an incredible restaurant, Carpe Diem...two Michelin stars we found out later. It was a finger food restaurant with a dining mantra of "less is more" except for the price! We had a wonderful night but left hungry because we were stingy with our order and ate baguettes on the way back to our hotel.

Here are a couple of pics of the view from the top of the cable car at Innsbruck. We took the scenic route through the Austrian alps, and so glad we did so. It was absolutely stunning! Hope you enjoy because we are!

Prague in Black & White

Here are a few pics from Prague in black & white:

Bridge over Vitava.

They don't make pews like they used to...Church of St Nicholas

Door Detail

 View of Spires in the Little Quarter from Charles Bridge

Can't go past a good cemetery...Old Jewish Cemetery

Gate to abandoned house on the outskirts of Prague

Lamp and it's shadow outside Prague Castle

School room propaganda under Communist rule - Museum of Communism.

Charles Bridge Stairs

And just a bit of colour to finish with...