TravelStream™ news feed for member kbsp on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/kbsp en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:50:14 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kbsp/globetrotters/1191254400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kbsp/globetrotters/1191254400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kbsp/globetrotters/1191254400/tpod.html Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:50:14 -0400 Tickling itchy feet ..

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Papeete, French Polynesia

To be completed soon....
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New York City, New York, United States

Ah, New York, New York; The Big Apple; Bright Lights, Big City.... so many words have been written about, sung about and spoken of this metropolis but they can do no justice to experiencing it first hand. In short, we loved it!!

It was good having local "tour guides" in James (Kylie's cousin) and Jono, who allowed us to get off the tourist track and experience the local eateries and life. The food was fabulous and the variety and choices almost endless. There are 18000 restaurants spread across the 5 boroughs, so we could hardly make a dent in the days we were there. We sampled Cuban, Mexican and the traditional weekend "brunch" which doesn't really start till after midday. You can get find pretty much anything here - we went to a place which sells only.... wait for it... rice pudding. "Specialty" is New York's specialty. We also had a New York diner experience where the entertainment was watching the locals interact - New Yorkers are very direct but have the knack of being polite about it.

Our week was filled with walks in Central Park, browsing the shops and stalls in downtown Soho, visits to the "Top of the Rock" and the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island and dinner and drinks in the Meatpackers District where we were snapped by the papparazzi as we crossed the road. Ok, there was only one... Let's hope we don't appear in the next edition of Vogue's "What Not To Wear"!!

We joined James and Jono at the Australian Tropfest (short film festival) in Tribeca where the presenter reminded us of the true blue Aussie accent which we haven't heard in such a long time. He signed off his intro with "See ya's all lata". Do we really sound like that?

Our visit was completed with a visit to the Pen-Top Bar & Terrace, a roof-top cocktail bar with stunning views over 5th Avenue and the city, where we had a deliciously expensive Cosmopolitan.

See you again New York!!
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London, United Kingdom

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Rome, Italy

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Praiano, Italy

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Venice, Italy

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Lugano, Switzerland

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Tremezzo, Italy

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Siena, Italy

Or should that be.... Why Italian women DO get fat?!?

We have just spent three weeks in Italy, and I'm over the Italian diet of ham, cheese, pizza and pasta. It's a carb lover's delight but a nightmare for the rest of us. It's no secret why the Italians have not released a book on how to stay slim - best left to the French. Italians are immensely proud of food 'from the local region'. It's not like back home where you buy vegetables with a sticker on it 'imported from China'.

I must confess my Italian has not advanced from Merci and Bonjour. Oh hang on, that's French. Growing up in Australia, it's unfortunate we have no exposure to other languages or the willingness to learn. My ignorance is highlighted when speaking to European tourists, as most can speak English as well as another language fluently. Stephen has grasped more than me as he manages to converse with local shopkeepers. I have made a concerted effort to learn the menu translations - afterall food is important when on holidays.

Driving in Italy should be classified as an extreme sport. The girl who made our coffee in Rome warned us about driving in Naples. She advised that Italians inherit a sixth sense on the road and know when someone is turning or pulling out - apparently they don't see the need for blinkers. Or for being courteous. We made one wrong turn in Naples which turned out to be a one hour tour of the city as we navigated our way back on to the freeway. I'm sure my fingerprints are etched into the car hire door as we drove thru the local streets of Naples. Afterwards, Steve admitted to enjoying the aggression and chaos. For me it was an absolute nightmare !

The Amalfi Coast is best seen by water if you truly want to experience the beauty and dramatic coastline. We hired a boat and putted around, stopping off at beaches only accessible by boat. We indulged in a sensational seafood lunch that we are still talking about now.We also anchored out at sea and had a refreshing swim. Some of the beaches can be reached by foot if you are willing to tackle hundreds of steep stairs. Perhaps suitable for a mountain goat more so than a pregnant woman. No thanks - I'll stick with Steve motoring me around on the boat.

Our stop at Siena was spent in a villa out of town - the service was a little too formal for our liking but the grounds were stunning complete with pool and views of the Tuscan region. Siena is home to a famous horse called the Palio, run in the town's square. Unfortunately, we missed it by just a couple of weeks. A bonus was a day spent in San Gimignano - a small walled hilltop town famous for its medieval architecture and locally made white wine in a region predominantly producing reds. We were lucky enough to sample some over lunch - even Baby Bean approved! Well worth a visit.


Lake Como was how I remembered and it was a treat to have movies and internet access in our room. I was happy to stay in the hotel for three days and watch movies. Sorry girls, but no sightings of George Clooney to write home about. We also drove to Lugano in Switzerland for a lazy lunch - Why ? Because we could. It's not everyday you have the opportunity to drive to Switzerland for lunch. Besides it is the home of Toblerone and Lindt chocolate. Nuff said.

Venice was a one night stopover - it flashed RIP OFF in neon lights so I was happy to move on quickly. It amazes me how tourists appear to lose their common sense on holidays. We saw grown men climbing on miniature lions to pose for photos, people standing in the piazza with ferral pigeons on their arms and heads and adults walking around with masks on as if they were going to a masquerade party. It was ridiculous but also gave us a laugh. Speaking of laughs, we decided to buy a takeaway pizza and sit by the water - this pizza was literally the size of a car tyre. Put it this way, it was big enough for a family to point at us and laugh ! Perhaps this could be added to the list of 'tourists doing dumb things' in Venice. I admit we fell to being a victim. Not so much as the poor tourists paying up to 120 euro for a gondola ride. Steve said he would have paid the money if James Bond was driving.

We have enjoyed our three weeks in italy and looking forward to our next stop - New York, New York. Start spreading the news ....... We are home in 21 days but who is counting ?!?
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Rome, Italy

Our visit to Rome was taken at an easy pace. The heat was crazy. We always had our water bottles in our hands and filled them up at the many free fountains around the city.

We visited for 4 days, the first of which was a day of 'getting a feel' for the city. We walked around having a look at some of the major sites that don't involve standing in a queue. The Spanish Steps, the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain. The Pantheon is amazing - I stood in awe at the size of it and the fact that it has been there for 2000 years. The Trevi fountain is in the middle of a small shopping district, you turn a corner and there it is in front of you! In the evening we went over to the Trestavere to have dinner the way the Romans do. It's a mostly residential area with loads of restaurants frequented by local families and tourists alike. We took a long slow walk back to the hotel after our meal passing Circus Maximus and the Colosseum, which was lit up against the night sky. And we had a refreshing piece of watermelon on the way.

Wednesday we spent at the Colosseum and surrounds. We did a tour in the morning and then spent the afternoon being taken around the nearby Roman Forum and then Palantine Hill (the site of the emperors' palaces over the ages). The scale of the ruins is a small indication of the size of what the buildings were like before they all came tumbling down.

Our next day was filled with a visit to the Vatican to see how the leftovers from the Roman temples were used when they were sacked by the church. Yes, that's right. The church stole a lot of the stone from the old Roman temples to build the Vatican city. Those lovely columns that surround the square in front of St Pauls Basilica? They came from the Colosseum. That's just one example. The Sistine Chapel is stunning. You could look at it for hours and continually see new things. The rooms leading up to it are also breathtaking. And the inside of St Pauls Basilica and the Dome of St Peters, made of marble, gold and bronze leave your jaw on the floor. But the overall feeling is one of discomfort at the scale of wealth and riches. Just a small percentage of what is on display could be used to solve some of the poverty in this world. And they have the cheek of having donation boxes!!
While walking around those massive rooms of the Vatican and St Pauls Basilica I couldn't get the thought of the Pope imitating Tom Cruise from the film Risky Business... running around in his underwear and black socks, playing air guitar and skidding along those marbled floors. I had to smile to myself. (Am I going to hell for this? Probably!)

Some of the things that we noticed:
Crossing a road is a game of death - even at a pedestrian crossing. It took us a little while to work it out. Basically, you just walk at the pedestrian crossing - the cars will either drive around you or stop.
Italian breakfasts are crap. Consisting of pastries, rolls, biscuits and tar-like coffee. We went to the supermarket on the first day and bought our own muesli and take it down with us. Not sure if the lady who serves breakfast is offended or thinks we're crazy.
You can so easily get ripped off here. We bought a cappucino on the first morning which cost 5 euro each, because we made the mistake of sitting down. We found a place just down from the hotel on the second morning and it was 80 cents. What a difference!
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