THE PEARLY SHELLS: amazing Italy trip

i had an amazing time in Italy! And I am really grateful to mummy, papa and my sisters for your support, both morally and financially. So, I shall write chronologically from the first day we departed from Nizhny Novgorod.

After planning for months, Jonas, Yeow, Phoebe and I finally ventured to our much anticipated trip to Italy. I won’t say it went smoothly, but the rocky part is really funny when I reflected back.

From Nizhny Novgorod, we went by train to Moscow Train Station and met Sia Rou there which was really a pleasant surprise and a lucky thing too because Sia Rou’s boyfren gave us the directions to go to Domodedovo Airport.

Jonas and i in the airplane

We left by Air Berlin, transited at Düsseldorf and arrived in Orio International Airport, Milan. It was already night and we spent the night there which was really a funny experience. First of all, the airport closes and we were sent to this place which looks like a big store and it was not heated thus we were really cold. There were also other stranded people like us there. It was a real torture trying to stay warm and sleep. Thanks to Daniel’s small kettle which we brought along, we made some maggy mee to fill our stomach and heat our body too with the hot soup. In the midst of that, we were ‘entertained’ by this weird man who wore a woman’s sports bra over his shirt, obviously with some psychotic problems. He was harmless - just walking around, humming and mumbling and whistling until he got tired and slept on the floor.

our night in Bergamo airport, Phoebe, Yeow and Jonas (under the 2 towels). purely backpackers!

excited for our trip - on the bus to Milan!

Jonas and i at the Milan Train Station

Early the next morning, we left for Milan and searched for our hostel. Rent room Zara was not really my ideal hostel but it was comfortable enough except that we do not have a private bathroom. Milan was colder than expected and things are expensive there but other than that everything was great – the people are nice and friendly and there are many interesting places to go and nice food to eat. Our favourite was the famous gelato or ice cream and we found by accident the best gelato in Italy, near the Duomo.

yummie!!!! the 4 of us with our delicious gelato!

trying out Italian food - Spaghetti alla scoglio or simply seafood spaghetti

In Milan, we went to the famous Duomo, world's largest Gothic cathedral. The design and architecture was magnificent and simple amazing. Its lengthy creation bestowed on it 3,400 statues, 135 spires and 96 gargoyles. It is best visited in full sunshine when the interior is illuminated by the colourful mosaic of its stained glass windows. The church is a five-aisled cruciform seating 40,000 worshippers. Every year in May and September a nail from the cross of Christ is displayed to worshippers and is retrieved from its resting place by the bishop who is hoisted to the nivola to reach it.

the Duomo in Milan

inside the Duomo

inside the Duomo there are many of these glass stuff - really beautiful

The Duomo is Milan’s most famous tourist attraction and it is situated right next to the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuel II where all the rich and famous people shops for their branded stuffs. Nearby there is also the Monte Napoleone, which was considered by many to be the most exclusive, shopping area in Milan and home to all the top names in fashion and design.

me, Jonas and Phoebe and the entrance of the gallery

Jonas and i inside the gallery

Of course I could not afford a single garment there, but I enjoyed the ‘rich and famous’ atmosphere. LOL.
We also went to Santa Maria delle Grazie, a beautiful church where next to the church is Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, The Last Supper (Cenacolo Vinciano). Unfortunately, we couldn’t see the painting at it required early reservation and we preferred to use the money to eat gelato. Another interesting place we went was the Sforzesco Castle, a huge and beautiful place.

us at the entrance of Santa Maria delle Grazie

Jonas, me and Phoebe with this superbig turtle in the archaelogical museum

me, Jonas and Yeow with our dino friends

identical twins

a free dog area in a park in Milan. Italians really love dogs!

We also spent a morning in an archeological museum which was really awesome! I could not recall having so fascinated by a museum before!

Jonas in the San Siro stadium

We also visited the San Siro Stadium. San Siro Stadium is one of the most recognized football stadiums in the world. The world-class stadium hosts two major Italian Football League Teams: A.C. Milan and Internazionale, most commonly known as Inter. Jonas went for a 12 euro tour in the stadium but the rest of us who were not as passionate at him went for another gelato trip at San Carlo.

After spending 2 nights in Milan, we departed for Venice. Even at the name of Venice, I was already so excited, moreover we will be celebrating the Venice Carnival, an annual event where the Venetians were dressed in costumes and wore masks – the whole festive atmosphere was just awesome. we bought masks ourselves too, to enjoy the carnival while visiting the places there.

Venice.......

At San Carlo Square....

Enjoying the Venice Carnival...

Every step of the way just never fails to captivate me in Venice – the rivers, bridges, buildings, gondolas and boats! They have water ambulance, water post boats, floating water bus station and everything else on water. Jonas and I took a ride on a water bus through the Grand Canal, a truly unforgettable experience for me!
We went to Piazza (Square) San Marco where the grand Basilica San Marco was situated.
In Venice, most of my euros went flying because of the beautiful Murano glass. Murano is an island in Venice where they produce the world famous murano glass and we got the best choices from Venice.

After 2 nights in Venice, we went to Florence. Florence was peaceful, quiet and lovely part of Italy. We were really fortunate to stay in a very comfortable hostel-apartment Locanda Daniel which was just 5 minutes walk from the train station. we visited many interesting places, such as the Ponte Vecchio. This glorious bridge was the only one of six spared by the retreating Germans on 4 August 1944. There were many goldsmiths’ shops along the bridge – truly fascinating!
We also went to Duomo in Florence which was different from the one in Milan but it has its own beauty.

the Duomo in Florence

the Lusa pig - famous in Florence

Jonas and i with the Vecchio Bridge behind us

We went to see the world-renowned David, sculpted by Michelangelo between 1500 and 1504, is considered, along with the Pietà, the masterpiece of its creator who was only 26 years old at that time. Made out of an irregular block of marble, the statue portrays the biblical hero David before entering his battle against Goliath. It symbolizes the youth and strengh and is known to represent the power of the Florentine Republic.

David by Michaelangelo

Uffizi gallery

Yeow and Phoebe visited the famous Uffizi gallery (by that time Jonas and I were broke!). The Medici family reserved rooms for their prestigious collection during use of the gallery as magistrate's court in the 1700s. Made up of 40 rooms, the gallery contains works by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio and Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, collection of Flemish, French, Dutch and German masters. The corridors, ceilings with splendid frescoes, are lined with Roman and 16th-century sculptures.
I really enjoyed walking along the streets of Florence and admire the beauty of the buildings, lovely weather, nice people – everything was simple perfect!

the view of Florence

us celebrating Chinese New Year in a chinese restaurant in Florence

We spent half a day in Pisa, which was previously one of the 7 wonders of the world, but for me, it was a real wonder! I spend 15 euros to climb up the tower but it was worth every cent! Right next to the tower, there was another Duomo which was just as amazing as those in Milan and Florence.