Porta Palio Verona

... haut, on avait une tres belle vue sur toute la ville! Ensuite ca ete la visite de quelque eglises, puis le theatre romain de l'autre cote de la riviere. finalement, on a vue un tres beau pont attacher a un chateau en bordure de la riviere.

nous avons eu le temps de prendre quelques coupes de vin local, accompagne d'excellent bruchetta avant de prendre le train pour milan.

Verona photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album. php?aid=163660&id=613699523&l=4 6b9c473c4

We figured we only needed to spend 1 night in Verona as there wasn't a lot to do, plus the lack of any hostels meant we had to stay in a hotel (La Magnolia). We were right.
Got to Verona from Venice early afternoon and wandered around town. The Arena was awesome. So huge and overwhelming inside ...

... of undying love to each other. Makes for quite a sight really. There were nice markets there and a sort of mini colosseum which is still used today for concerts.

There was also a statue of Juliet which is meant to bring you good luck if you rub her right breast. Her right breast is very polished!

Jumped back on the coach to the next stop!

... the station in Reggio Emilia. Michael lived some distance from the station and had told us to get a taxi there. So right off the bat I spent money. We got to his apartment where Meri was waiting. The three of us went out around town and I found peanut butter at a grocery store (I was so excited!!!!!). We killed time watching Office and Family Guy episodes then got another taxi to the place where Michael was, it was a club or something in another town ...

... as we had had enough of Venice and decided that we would rather be in Verona.

Even on a Monday night, there were lots of people out and about enjoying the restaurants – we notice that while we are having dinner, most people in Europe are having drinks or coffee and they eat later. We also have a theory that TV in Europe is pretty lame (American shows from years ago) because everyone is out, rather than home watching it.

... ants nest. not the best pitch we have ever had. We spend the first day lounging by the lake, this part of the lake is dirty and nothing like the romantic picturesque images we were looking forward to. nevertheless it was relaxing the food was good and the beer was cold.
what more could I ask for?
a pitch in the shade away from the ants and the children, too much to ask?

... There I rub Julliets right boob for good luck in love not that we need it. We see the statue of the poet Dante in Piazza Signore, Stand under a whales rib that supposedly falls on a virtuous person (obviously fiction because it did not fall on us), see the doumo, Castelvecchio, Via Capello, Piazza delle Erbe, Basilica di San Fermo Maggiore and the shopping on Via Mazzini. However more than all the sights we both fell in love with the look of the place. It is very clean and has great ...

... all the rain macs looked fantastic from that distance and the arena lit up. The show was amazing, the rain eased off half way through and we were able to slightly dry off. The clouds disappeared and a beautiful starry sky appeared making one of my favourite songs even more beautiful. We were sad to leave the next day, wanting more time to explore the area, but Ross and I were headed off to Milan, leaving Emma and Dave to fly home.

... wherever we felt like, took in a few sights accidentally, bought some souvenirs, etc. It was a thouroughly fun day, if a bit too humid for my liking. Back to the hostel, for a quick shower and some slow beers, before our american frat boy roommates arrived back. They were called Phil and Will, and I think one letter would just about summarise the difference between them. They weren't too bad though and we ended up drinking cheap draught wine with them on top of a bridge, where two ...

... toast and tea and having a scratchy throat. Sarah will have more about Verona on her blog, which is listed under my favorites as "azmarine." Things I found out about Verona - It's nice, but forgettable (especially if you're sick). The story of Romeo and Juliet was not created by Shakespeare, but by another poet many years earlier, and he based his poem on reality. All of the things marketed as R&J-esque ...