Relaxing In Pag Island, Croatia

After Venice we went to Croatia, well to be more specific we went to Pag Island.  Along the way to Pag Island we went to the underground caves in Slovenia to look at the stalagmites and the stalactites.  We had to go via a special train that would take us deep into the caves.  It was pretty cool as I don't think we have anything like this at home.  Some of them were really cool as they looked like monsters!!

The caves!

After the caves we drove to Croatia and then caught a quick ferry to Pag Island.  From Croatia Pag Island looks like the moon...

One side of Pag Island

But on the other side of the island where we were staying there were signs of life and it looked like this...

The other side of Pag Island

Our time on Pag Island was pretty relaxing and we didn't get up to much.  This was probably good as so many people, including me, had been ill on our trip.  We did however walk out to the 'sandy' beach, which turned out to be a pebble beach, which kinda sucked.  We could have walked further to another sandy beach, however this beach required you to pay money and was a nudist beach, which didn't sound like fun.

Pebble beach

It was really lovely to lay on the pier and relax in the sun.  It wasn't warm enough to go swimming, however we did put our toes in the water.  And yes, I forgot to put sunscreen on and I am mega burnt.  Thankfully my sports tan will becoming back as I was wearing a Lululemon Cool Racerback top.

Relaxing by the water

Pag Island wasn't really my idea of fun.  I got a bit bored as I always like to be doing things.  Pag Island in crazy busy in summer, however as it is spring a lot of things are closed.  B and I wanted to go bike riding, however the bike hire place wasn't open yet.  I also think that considering it has taken B and I forever to get to Europe and it has cost us a lot of money, I want to make the most out of every minute of the day.  I didn't do that on Pag Island.

I also found that whilst the beach was nice, it was not in any way nicer than the beaches we have at home in Australia.

So, to be honest, I found Pag Island to be a bit of a waste of time and would have rather have spent the day somewhere nicer, such as an extra day in Switzerland.  But at least I can say I have been to Croatia now and thanks to them I have another two stamps in my passport!

Verona and Venice!

Our trip to Venice was one of the sights that I was most excited to visit.  On our way to Venice we stopped in Verona, which is the city that the William Shakespeare’s poem Romeo and Juliette is based on.  Verona has an old Colosseum which was pretty good to have a look at. The main attraction was Juliette balcony, which was created after the poem, and the Juliette statue.  Verona is a beautiful city and it was fun walking around the markets and the shops.

Verona

Later in the afternoon we arrived at our hotel.  We weren't staying in Venice but we were staying in a town about 30 minutes away.  We had a big group dinner and then it was time for some drinks at a bar.  This bar was pretty interesting as the beer came in wine glasses and there were hams hanging up on the walls.

Drink time!

The next day we all 47 of us (yup, our tour has 46 people and a tour guide) squeezed on to a public bus and traveled 30 minutes to get to Venice.  I fell in love with Venice the moment that I stepped foot on the island.

We went to a lace demonstration as the Venetians have their own specific style of making lace (which takes a really long time) and then a ride on a gondola.  We went down some of the smaller canals of Venice, as well as the Grand Canal.  It was a little rocky and I did think that the boat was leaning more to one side than the other but it was still lots of fun!

Gondola ride time!!

After the gondola ride we went to a glass making factory and watched a man turn a blob of glass into a horse, which was pretty cool.  After lunch B and I headed off to all the tourist sites of Venice.  We went to St Mark's Basilica, which is the main beautiful church on Venice.  I wasn't supposed to take any photos on the inside, but I was sneaky and took one.

St Mark's Basilica

We then went to the Doges Palace.  Back in the day, the Doge was the leader of Venice, so he got his own palace.  It was full of old works of art and a few weapons, which B was excited to look at.  My highlight was seeing The Lion of St Mark painting by Sala Grimani as that was one of the paintings I had studied at school.

Doges Palace

We then had a little wander around Venice and then it was time to catch up with some friends for dinner.  As we made our way back to the hotel it was pouring with rain but it didn't matter as we'd had a fantastic time in Venice.  I will most certainly be coming back in the future!!

When In Rome Do As The Romans Do - Eat Pasta and Pizza!!

After visiting Florence we headed over to Rome.  I slept most of the bus trip as I wasn’t feeling very well – I had a sore throat and a little headache.  We arrived in Rome and we quickly got changed as we had a walking tour of Rome.  Rome is beautiful!  I would have to say that I liked it more than Florence.  There are so many beautiful things to see in Rome.  We went to the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, where were all so beautiful.

Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon

We then stopped for dinner.  B, Andy, Dee and I went to a lovely restaurant outside the Patheon.  My gnocchi that I had was the best gnocchi I have ever had!!  It had zucchini and bacon.

Best gnocchi ever!!

Our walking tour continued and we walked along to the Capitoline Museum, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.  The Colosseum is magnificent and it looks beautiful at night!

Capitoline Museum, Roman Forum and the Colosseum

The next day we had to get up really early as we were going to the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica.  The Vatican Museums were pretty cool and we got to see a heap of statues, art work, and more importantly all of the old Pope Mobiles.

Vatican Museum

The Sistine Chapel was beautiful and amazing!!!  It was a lot darker than I expected but you could still see the paintings really well.  I could have spent all day there staring at the roof!  When Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, he actually didn’t want to do it as he only did sculptures, not paintings.  The Pope at the time was a cruel and got him beaten up to make him do it.  He still refused, so he threatened to kill his village, so Michelangelo gave in and did it.  There is a scene on the roof however where a person is giving the finger, which was meant for the Pope.  I thought that was funny! 

St Peter’s Basilica was also beautiful and had so much detail.  It was also huge too!  There are also the tombs of some of the Popes that have been turned into Saints on display, and with some of them you can actually see them.  Thankfully we didn’t look at them!

St Peter's Basilica

We then stopped to have lunch at a restaurant just outside the Vatican City.  Lunch was delicious and I had a really yummy pizza!

Pizza and pasta time!!

We then headed off to the Colosseum to have a look at it in the light and also on the inside.  The queues were really long, however we joined a tour group and skipped the queue.  The Colosseum was amazing as it was so big.  It would have been such a grand building back in the day as when it was originally built it was covered in marble.

Colosseum!!

After the tour we also had a quick bite to eat.  We had the biggest doughnuts I have ever seen in my life!!!

Huge doughnut!!  Its bigger than me!!!

Our next walking tour was of the Palatine Hill, which are old ruins of where Rome originated from.  Whilst it was really nice to look at, by this stage I was getting hungry and tired, plus it started raining.

Palatine Hill

Finally we did what everyone does when they go to Rome – we went to the Hard Rock Café for an American dinner.  And it was delicious!!

I have really enjoyed Rome and I think that it is a lovely city.  I didn't really know too much about Rome before I arrived but I now know that I really want to come back in the future.  It has so much history and so much to see.