A blog of travels & renovations.
After yet another few hours of scenic train travel and a very entertaining conversation with a Swedish family, we caught our first glimpse of the South of France.
First was Monte-Carlo, an independent state 6 times the size of the Vatican – a tax haven for the filthy rich. Even their train station echoes that this isn’t any ordinary place.
Continue reading “It’s nice to be in Nice”
Sadly we left Rome, probably a day early looking back as there was still a lot to see and do. But, the same can be said for the rest of our trip, so on we go.
We decided to venture up the west coast of Italy via train as it meanders around the cliffs overlooking the ocean beautifully. A very pretty train ride.
Our destination was Genova – right at the top of the peninsula before heading back down towards the French border.
Continue reading “Italian / French Coastline”
Our hotel, Hotel IQ was sensational. It was brand new, right in the nice par of the city, not too close to the main attractions but close enough you could walk to them all. Perfect. Highly recommended and good value. For Rome anyway.
Rome is one of the most visited cities in the world each year and for good reason, there’s a ridiculous amount of stuff to see. Even seeing the major stuff that is somewhat cliched these days will take you a good 3-4 days depending on quickly you’d like to see them.
Continue reading “Rome wasn’t seen in a day”
As we boarded our plane bound for Rome, we couldn’t help but think that our time in Romania went all too fast.
Our last night & day were very enjoyable. We arrived at our hotel in the heart of Bucharest where we found it to be extremely old and let’s just say, the internals were authentic to when the hotel was built. This included such “features” as climbing 2 flights of stairs to get to the lift which you had to open the outside door, then 2 internal doors and even then, only 3 very close friends could fit. We were on the 5th floor, but the lift only went to the 4th. Of course. But it was central, cheap & clean – we didn’t care.
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For a bit of an ignoramus regarding Romania, I didn’t know much about the country at all until we decided to volunteer over there. Yeah, we all know about the gypsies, Nadia the gymnast and Dracula – but I think for most of us, that’s about it.
Well it was, until Top Gear, the most watched car show in the world, visited Romania and introduced us to a few more special places and experiences Romania has to offer. And when a car show such as this boasts that Romania also has the best road in the world – it’s safe to say that if you’re a car enthusiast and in the area, you’d want to see for yourself.
Haven’t seen the episode? I’d highly suggest watching it…
Continue reading “The Transfagarasan – AKA the best road in the world”