My Amazing US Trip 2006/2007!

(Cities visited: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC, Niagarra Falls, and New York City)

Amidst the stress of cramming 2 days of work with full time uni (an overload of 4 final year law electives), I felt like the holiday was never going to come.

But finally, it did. December 3rd 2006. I set off, in good company, with my fellow travel buddies - Vanessa and Daisy, on our well-deserved post-university/pre-full-time-work/just-an-excuse-to-travel trip to the big US of A.

After planning most of the itinerary and booking most of the accommodation for the trip (with huge help from my sweetheart friend Suzie), I was a little worried that it may not live up to the standards of the girls. But, thankfully it all turned out okay in the end.


~New York City~

NYC was the last city I visited, but I am putting it on top of my travelogues because it is by far my favourite city.

I have often being told that it is impossible to take in the entire New York City on a holiday because it is unfathomably big and in a constant state of change. Well, after spending 3 weeks there, I'd have to agree. There is so much going on everywhere any time of the day, it is quite overwhelming at times.

I am truly grateful that I was able to spend 3 weeks there. It meant that there was no need to hastily dash from one sight to the other. Instead, I was able to do things at my own pace (having split up with the group at that stage)– enjoying a cup of coffee at Tom's Restaurant (as featured in Seinfeld - my favourite TV show); taking my time eating at Tao Restaurant (as seen on SATC); getting my photo taken with a spunky shirtless Abercrombie & Fitch model (though I was just as embarrassed as he was annoyed at being treated like a token animal from the zoo by all the tourists); spending an afternoon at the Wolfman Rink at Central Park to learn how to ice-skate backwards with the help of some lovely local youngsters; eating the famous kosher hot-dog in NYC's best deli – Katz (where Meg Ryan faked that infamous orgasm in Harry Met Sally) and following the footsteps of Bill Clinton, SJP and many other celebrities in having my photo taken with its owner; watching not one, not two and not three, but four amazing Broadway shows (Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Beauty & the Beast, and Chicago); chilling out at a comedy show in the World Famous Laugh Factory where comedians like Ray Ramano, Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock launched their careers; and sometimes just sitting idly by the window at MacDonalds in Times Square to watch the millions of tourists and locals passing by.

Almost everyday, I was able to make fascinating discoveries that was not featured in my itinerary, and more than once, the things I saw/did/experienced when I made unexpected diversions/detours ended up becoming the highlight of the day. It is true when they say that the real New York City is in the details.

My travelogue of NYC is not complete without the mention of SHOPPING! and not because I'm a girl but shopping was really THAT GOOD!!!

I'll list some of my favourite areas for shopping:
- 5th Ave: people ask - can a street be an attraction? OF COURSE it can but only if it is THE 5th Ave. It is jam packed with designer stores - my favourite's gotta be the Ferragamo store *droooool*
- Woodbury Commons: a massive factory outlet (has brands like Chanel, CD, Versace, Ferragamo, Coach, Kenneth Cole and many more) with genuine savings of up to 75% off. I have never bought so many things / spent so much money in one day. It has officially replaced Disneyland in my books as the happiest place on earth :)
- Soho: very trendy little area with unique and exclusive boutique stores.
- Greenwich Village: there are 3 Marc Jacobs stores in a row
- department store wise, Bergdorf, Barneys, and Bloomingdales all deserve a good mention.
- also loved the 2-storey Victoria's Secret store opposite Macy's.

My favourite food experiences (some of which I may have already mentioned):
- Tao Restaurant (SATC) near 5th Ave - nice ambience, good service and decent food portions
- Katz Deli (Harry Met Sally) in East Village - love their hotdogs
- Tom's Restaurant (Seinfeld) in Upper East - the real Kramer goes there every Saturday
- Dean & Deluca in Soho
- Republic in Union Square
- Buttercup (Magnolia's sister bakery - and I SWEAR their cupcakes taste better than Magnolia's - you can hold me to this!) - I think there's one in Upper West and another one in Upper East - google the address
- last but not least, Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, I had the perfect all-round meal experience there in the company of some superhot guitars, highly recommended!

bla bla bla .........

~Los Angeles~

Now I've gotten NYC out of the way, let's go back to the beginning, the very start of our trip ...

As we touched down safely on the LAX runway, with sleepy eyes, skin break-outs (this applies to Gloria only) and a very sore back from the 14 hour United Airlines flight, it finally hit us, that we were in the US and that our holiday has well and truly begun.

For some reason, my luggage did not feel as excited as I was as we waited a good 30mins after everyone else has claimed theirs before it decided to show up on the conveyor belt.

After about 1 hour, we were dropped off by the airport shuttle at the door of Celebrity Hotel in Hollywood. We were too excited to worry about our level of fatigue and immediately went out to check out the area. It so happens that our hotel was located right in the heart of Hollywood, less than 5 minutes walk to the Kodak Theatre (think Oscars) and the Chinese Mann Theater. There was also a lovely shopping centre in the area with a distant view of the Hollywood sign.

~Las Vegas~

4 December 2006
LA to Vegas – casino-hopping

We caught the subway to Union Station in LA and changed to the Goldline to get off at Chinatown. Our coach to Vegas arrived at 7:35am. We made a stop-over at Barstow Station around 10:30am. Out of pure serendipity, we bumped into Mayz and her family (and thank god for her mother's diahhrea pills haha).

It took about 4 –5 hours with a couple of stops in between before we hit Las Vegas (aka the Sin City), Nevada. The Hotel is Aladdin, located right at the centre of the Strip, opposite Bellagio and next to Paris (big thanks to Suzie who found us an unbeatable deal). The passageway filled by shops and restaurants were full of Arabian flavours and decorated exotically under a manmade/fake blue cloudy sky – it was magical. We filled up our tummies at Max Café - lovely food and excellent service.

After going back to the hotel room for a quick rest, we went to check out the rest of the Strip.

Just walking on the Strip and gazing at the gaudy, garish, absurd wonder of it all can occupy quite a lot of time. I soon came to understand that Vegas does not embrace the concept of "subtlety" at all. These buildings/structures are like nothing I have ever seen and everything is so grand and flamboyant, it is overwhelming, especially at night with all the neon lights.

My favourite hotel-casino is The Venetian (they couldn’t have done a better job replicating St Mark’s Square – I felt like I was in Venice – it felt magical).

Ceasar's Palace had amazing forum shops. They call it the most unique shopping experience in the world. It's like taking Rodeo Drive, marrying it to Rome and dousing it all in Spielberg.

Paris has an excellent buffet – highly recommended. You could score a free Paris jumper if you sign up as a member and spend $10 in gambling (it makes for a great souvenir). I tried my luck on the Blackjack table. At one stage, I had doubled my initial pot but ended up leaving at break even.


5 December 2006
Vegas – shopping day

We slept in this morning and got woken up around 10:40am when the room-attendant tried to come in to clean the room.

Daisy and I went down for buffet around midday. Aladdin’s buffet is probably amongst the best in Vegas. We also received an insider’s tip – Aladdin’s buffet is the only buffet in town that offers freshly squeezed orange juice - that was by far the most refreshing drink I had in Vegas! Food wise, I loved the lobster risotto and the pork ribs – yummmmmmmmmm!

After going back to our hotel room to get changed, we headed out to go to the Preimum Outlet. The bus (known as the Deuce) costed $2 1-way or $5 for a 24 hour pass. It was annoyingly slow, as it stopped every few minutes to collect and unload passengers in front of casinos. We got off at the bus stop in front of Sahara, crossed the road and went around Denny’s to take bus 108 which took us directly to the outlet.

The highlight of the Outlet was the Coach store with massive savings up to 50% off on a whole range of bags, wallets and accessories.

On our way back, we took bus 103 to the downtown terminal and hopped back on a Duece. We stopped at the Bonanza to shop for souvenirs and in front of Mirage for the volcano show.

I was starving when we got back to Aladdin around 10pm, and went straight down to Zanzibar with Daisy to try the Pink hotdogs. We ordered "the Lord of the Rings" – it had onion rings wrapped around the hotdog – very cute and super tasty. That was probably the most expensive hotdog I have ever had - $USD8.95 plus taxes and tips.


6 December 2006
Grand Canyon, Arizona

The 7am pick up for the Grand Canyon tour was a bit of a killer but we managed to get there just on time.

We left Vegas city-centre around 8am and drove through the outskirts of the city, passed Boulder city (which has the lowest crime rate in Nevada, but only 5 new houses can be built per annum and no casino/gambling is allowed – quite strange given its proximity to Vegas).

The driver/tour-guide Brendan pointed out the holiday abodes of Julia Roberts and Barbara Strassand somewhere along the way.

There was also some beautiful ragged terrain scenery as we approached Hoover Dam which is located across Nevada and Arizonz (there’s 1 hour time difference between the states– the latter does not have day-light savings).

We hit Kingman, Arizona around 10:20am (Vegas time). The Star Wars movies have been filmed here and it is part of Route 66.

As we travelled towards Williamstown, it was not difficult to discern the change in scenery. There was no longer rugged brown/red terrains. We started to see green pine trees on the mountain hills.

Brendan dropped us off at a lovely little place called Max & Thelma in Williamstown for buffet lunch. I loved the setting/ambience – cozy fireplaces, with country-style furniture, exotic-looking paintings, and a toy-train circulating the ceiling.

Fate made us bump into Mayz & co again.

After lunch, we drove on Route 66 for a while before turning off it and driving past 2 dormant volcanoes and as Brendan said, let’s hope they stay dormant, because some guy has built a house right on top of one of them.

bla bla

I'm getting tired ... will pad out the details and the rest of the trip another day.

Trip to Europe July 2005!

~England: London~

Mum & I stayed in a hotel in Eccleston – a beautiful little suburb adjacent to Belgravia where stars like Madonna and Sean Connery have stayed (as we were told by the hotel owner). The location was very convenient, about 5 minutes walk to Victoria Station, 15mins to Buckingham Palace.

We arrived in London exactly a week after the London bombing and we started our trip in Finland exactly a week ago. We flew from Sydney to Bangkok via Qantas and changed to Finnair from there on. Most people on the plane (I spoke to a number of them during the flight and they were such delightful souls) did not get off at Helsinki as they were bound for London. They would have arrived in London about 2 hours before the London bombing. As I watched the reports on Finish television, I was desperately praying that those people weren’t caught in that tragic event. The scary thing was that it could have just as easily been Mum & I, had we not changed our plan to start our trip in Finland first.

The British government must have identified Victoria Station as a potential hot-spot for further terrorist activity as we could spot police officers in bullet-proof vests and machine guns (yeah I thought you only see images like this from Iraq) everywhere within 5 blocks of the station.

NB: We bought ourselves a pass for one of those "hop-on, hop-off" double-decker bus tours. On our first night in London, we tried out the bus but we were on there for scarcely half an hour before realising that walking would be a quicker alternative. However, I need to point out that we were there the week after the London bombing which may have induced most people to abandon the metro service. Also bear in mind that the bus pass entitles you to a free boat ride down the Thames. Overall, although we hardly used the bus service, we thought it was still a worthy purchase.

Convent Garden

This is another Gloria’s originals. I thought Convent Garden is like an actual garden with a lawn and flowers. I was loony enough to ask a shopkeeper where is Convent Garden and when he replied, "this is it", I asked him "so where is the garden?" Bygones!

Anyhows, it was a very vibrant place. We had a nice dinner in the area.

Buckingham Palace

The palace is massive but after witnessing the awe-inspiring grandeur of the Vatican City, we were quite susceptible to shock.

We had breakfast in the Park next to Buckingham Palace (St. James Park?) and patiently waited for the ceremony of the Changing of the Guard at 11am. About 15mins before it started, the area before Buckingham Palace began to fill up very quickly. Mum & I were only able to grab a second-rate spot where we had to stand on our toes in order to get a peek of the long furry hats of the guards. Many people have told us that this is one of the most overrated attractions but we felt it was worth doing for a first-timer in London just for the novelty of it.

For more information, see http://www.royal.gov.uk/

Houses of Parliament & Big Ben

The gothic Houses of Parliament and its adjacent clock tower are probably the architectural symbols of England. We were there afterhours so didn’t get to observe Question Time or the debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, which is a bit of a shame. Maybe next time.

For more information, see their official website at: www.parliament.uk

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is the ecclesiastical symbol of England in which most of its rulers were crowned and where many lie buried.

Apart from the Kings and Queens, famous writers like Tennyson and Dickens, and revoluntionary scientists like Newton and Darwin, have been honoured by monuments or interred in the abbey.

No camera is allowed inside.

For more details, see their official website here: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/

Thames

We then took the bus to the Big Ben and walked to the ferry port opposite the London Eye. The bus pass entitles you to a free trip down the Thames so we decided to do that. As we floated down the famous Thames, we spotted many of London’s famous attractions including St Paul’s Cathedral.

Tower Bridge

We hopped off the boat at the Tower Bridge stop amongst a sea of tourists.

For more details, see their official website here: www.towerbridge.org.uk

~France: Paris~

Bonjour Paris! What can I say … the single most visited city in the world … home to the greatest painting in the world, the Mona Lisa … home to one of the most recognised architectural constructions of the world, the Eiffel Tower ... home to the biggest Louise Vuitton store …

~Switzerland: Lucerne~

OH BEAUTIFUL SWITZERLAND, HERE I COME!

Those who know me, know that I lurrrrrrrrrrrrrve Switzerland ... yes with a passion!

From the moment we crossed the Italian borders, I fell in love with Switzerland. Okay fine, it was only a crush at first ...

Switzerland is just beautiful, so crisp and clean. The mountain sceneries were amazing. New Zealand is the closest any country has come to reminding me of it, I wonder if Canada is good enough to compare.

Lucerne is a splendid city. It abounds in narrow cobblestone streets, slender spires and turrets, architectural bridges and frescoed buildings, and the snowcapped Alps loom in the distance. It really does reflect the storybook image of a Swiss town ...

First stop, the Lion Monument, designed by Danish sculptor B Thorvaldsen. The lion, which was carved into a former sandstone quarry wall represents allegorically the bravery of the Swiss Guards in their defeat during the storming of the Tuileries in 1792. Mark Twain once remarked that the Dying Lion of Lucerne is "the saddest and most poignant piece of rock in the world."

Second stop, the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) - the symbol of Lucerne! It is an undercover wooden footbridge used to diagonally cross the Reuss River. It's one of the best-preserved wooden bridges in Switzerland, used originally for defense. There's also an octagonal Wasserturm (Water Tower) used as an archive. The bridge was always known for its 122 paintings that hung from its arched roof. Fire destroyed most of the original paintings and copies have been made as a replacement.

Hirschenplatz (Stag Square) is a landmark square of Lucerne. It's filled with restored buildings, many of them with painted facades.

We went to the Bucherer store which was like 5 stories. Apart from selling ridiculously expensive watches (which I have no doubt are also of ridiculously high qualities like all Swiss made things), they had a floor selling souvenirs. I bought two Swiss army knives (one in camouflage engraved for Nathan and one in red with Lucerne’s Chapel Bridge on one side and my name on the other). It’s the best pocketknife I have ever had and one of my favourite souvenirs of all times.

We had a traditional Swiss lunch at a restaurant, the name escapes me at the moment. We had amongst other things Swiss fondue – the cheese was very strong but definitely a must-try for any tourist. The waiters were all dressed in traditional Swiss country outfits which added to the warm atmosphere of the restaurant.

Performances were then carried out on stage which included singing traditional Swiss songs (some in Swiss dialects), playing of traditional Swiss instruments (names of which also escape me) and audience participation. It was an awesome experience, a very enjoyable and entertaining meal overall.

Mount Pilatus

Pilatus-Kulm is located 15km south of Lucerne. We were told by the Canadians that visited Mount Pilatus before that it is worth the trip and they have the Rockies!!! So Mum and I booked ourselves onto the tour at 90 euros a head.

We took the cogwheel at Alpanchstad, which runs at a 48% gradient -- the steepest cogwheel railway in the world. As we were going up, the fog began to thicken. By the time we reached the top of Pilatus, well … let’s just say … I could not see beyond 5 metres of myself. It was that foggy. Mum & I ended up spending most of the time in the souvenir shop which was just such an anti-climax.

We took the cable car on our descent.

Truthfully, that was a complete waste of money. So even perfect Switzerland couldn’t live up to my full expectations, but of course it had nothing to do with Switzerland, just have to blame the weather.

Okay ... here's the bit where I digress ... During our time in Lucerne, Mum & I bought about 20 blocks of chocolates. Ate about ¾ of them even though we planned on bringing them back to Australia to give to people as presents. The thing I loved about Switzerland was how you could just walk into a supermarket, pick up the cheapest block of chocolate and still have an amazing tasting experience. So just try picturing (or should I say tasting) the expensive brands. I have to confess, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to chocolates. Only Swiss chocolates do it for me. No-no to Cadbury and certain other brands of chocolates which to me just taste like a block of sugar. They lack the smoothness, the richness, and the za-za-zu that makes chocolate chocloate! Long live the Lindt Café in Sydney!!!

I was sooo sad to leave Switzerland ...

~Italy: Murano & Burano Islands~

Mum & I took a vaporetto near St Mark’s Square in the early morning to Murano Island. That took about 40minutes as it was travelling very slowly, stopping endlessly and giving way to all the other water transport vehicles on the way. Murano is a lot quiter than Venice and is famous for its glass works. We scrolled to the other side of the island to get another vaporetto to Burano Island which is a world-heritage listed site. That took another 40minutes or so.

Burano is basically just a more colourful version of Venice (literally). The walls of all the buildings are painted with bright colours which really make them stand out. There are many restaurants and souvenir shops on the island, but we also got a good glimpse into the everyday living of those on the island when we detoured off the main area and wandered amongst the residential areas surrounded by pretty gardens and clotheslines obstructing the way. I really liked the look and feel of Burano but if you’re short for time, keep in mind that it takes a good 3 hours for a return trip (taking into consideration interchange times for vaporettos).

That night, we stayed at the Continental Hotel in the Italian Lakes District. The area was beautiful but we were too tired to enjoy it and rested inside the hotel.

Italy was amazing ... everywhere we went was teemed with so much history, culture and art ... that it felt overwhelming at times ... It was everything I expected and more ... Ciao Italy!!! I'll be back!

~Italy: Venice~

Venice is extraordinary ... to the point of magical. It's gotta be one of my favourite European cities.

St Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco)

Mum and I took a leisurely cruise along the "Canalazzo" (the Grand Canal) from Ferrovia (train station) to Piazza San Marco.We caught the no. 1 vaporetto in the late afternoon. It was a magical experience. A must-do in Venice!

We bought one of those passes thing which was handy because it gave us unlimited travel via vaporetto and free use of the public toilets (which were few).

We did some souvenir shopping in St Mark's Square. I bought a few masks to bring back home. The thing about being in Europe during the peak summer season is that it's hard to take a photo of anything without some tourist being in the way ...

St Mark's Bascilica

Doge's Palace

~The Vatican City~

The Vatican City, the smallest and the grandest country in the world. Here lies the irony!

Vatican Museum (Musei Vaticani)

We were told to get up really early that morning to avoid the queues to get into the Vatican Museum.

Basically, we still had to wait about 1 hour with our tour group before we got in but apparently that’s way less time than if we had gone on our own as a casual visitor. Whilst lining up against the back walls of the Vatican City, were were told that the Vatican Museums boast one of the world's greatest and finest art collections. It is a gigantic repository of artistic treasures , all housed in a labyrinthine series of lavishly adorned palaces, apartments, and galleries leading you to the Sistine Chapel.

Once inside we climbed a magnificent spiral ramp to get to the ticket windows (ticket is about 12 euros, more than worthy). Once you’re admitted, you can choose your route through the museum from four color-coded itineraries (A, B, C, D) according to the time you have (1½ -5 hr.) and your interests. All four itineraries will utlimately lead you to the Sistine Chapel.

I was so overwhelmed by the sculptures and the artworks that hit me in the next hour, I cannot recall which route we took. Basically, once you’re inside, everything that catches your eye is mesmerising. I am not even an art junkie and I could not help but appreciate the creativity and skill that went into those works.

Sistine Chapel (Capella Sistina)

My visit to the Sistine Chapel was extremely memorable.

Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor, not a painter. In his 30s, Michelangelo was told to work on painting ceiling frescoes in the Vatican. He laboured for 4 years (1508-12) over this epic task which resulted in permanent damage to his spine and eyesight. Michelangelo painted nine panels, taken from the pages of Genesis and surrounded them with prophets and sibyls. The expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and the creation of man were amongst them.

He was in his 60s when he began the masterly Last Judgment on the altar wall. Evidence that Michelangelo was working against his wishes can be found in his jaundiced portrayal of human beings and their fate, in having God sit in judgment and sinners plunged into the mouth of hell.

On the side walls are frescoes by other Renaissance masters, such as Botticelli, Perugino, Signorelli, Pinturicchio, Roselli, and Ghirlandaio.

It was so beautiful ... I felt so empowered standing in that room ... it was an amazing experience.

Mum almost fainted (that's how packed the inside was) and we walked through a supposedly very special corridor – apparently visitors are not usually allowed in there as it is reserved for the Pope to travel from the Sistine Chapel to the St Peter’s Basilica in private.

As we walked out into St Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro), I was again overwhelmed by its sheer size. As you stand in the piazza, you’re surrounded in the arms of an ellipse partly enclosed by a majestic Doric-pillared colonnade. Atop it stands a gesticulating crowd of some 140 saints.

In the center of the square is an Egyptian obelisk, brought from the ancient city of Heliopolis on the Nile delta. Two 17th-century fountains lie on either of the obelisk. The one on the right (facing the basilica), by Carlo Maderno, who designed the facade of St. Peter's, was placed here by Bernini himself (you'd remember this if you read Angels & Demons); the other is by Carlo Fontana.

The sheer grandness of the whole place was a real eye-opener!

St Peter’s Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro)

The present basilica, built in memory of St Peter was mostly completed in the 1500s and 1600s and is predominantly High Renaissance and baroque. Inside, the massive scale which is almost too much to absorb, showcases some of Italy's greatest artists: Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, etc. This church is spectacular in its detail of architecture, marble, and mosaic. There is no room for sublety and you won't find anything but grandeur.

The first chapel houses one of the Vatican's greatest treasures: Michelangelo's Pietà. It shows off his genius for capturing the human form - pay special attention to the incredibly lifelike folds of Mary's robes and her youthful features.

There was a massive queue of people patiently waiting to kiss the feet of the 13th-century bronze of St. Peter.

Under Michelangelo's famous dome, resting on top of the papal alter is the exquisite twisty-columned baldacchino(1524) by Bernini.

Highly recommended is the climb to Michelangelo's dome, about 113m (375 ft.) high. The view over the city of Rome and the Vatican City is breathtaking.

~Italy: Rome~

Our room at Hotel Waldorf was very small but very clean (it had the best bathroom out of all the hotels we stayed during our trip). Location – very convenient, about 10mins walk to metro and a short bus ride to the Vatican City.

Mum & I went to an evening tour of the Pantheon, Forum, Piazza Navona & Palazzo Venezia (ironically located in Rome). The tour guide Christine was lovely. Very multi-lingual and knowledgeable.


Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona is one of the main squares in Rome. It’s within walking distance from Castel Sant Angelo (Angel’s Castle – by Bernini) which is built on top of Hadrian’s tomb.

In addition to the twin-towered facade of 17th-century Santa Agnes, the piazza boasts several baroque masterpieces. The best known, in the center, is Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi), whose four stone personifications symbolise the world's greatest rivers: the Ganges, Danube, della Plata, and Nile. I couldn’t tell which is which even though I read about it in the Da Vinci Code. At the south end is the Fountain of the Moor (Fontana del Moro), also by Bernini. The Fountain of Neptune (Fontana di Nettuno), which balances that of the Moor, is a 19th-century addition; it was restored after a 1997 attack by two men who broke the tail of one of its sea creatures.

The only downside was the fact that there was metal bar/fence with red stripes around all the fountains. The photos would have looked a lot better without them.

There are lots of restaurants and market stalls in the square if you get hungry or want to buy souvenirs.


Pantheon

The Pantheon is the oldest church in Rome. It was built in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa and was reconstructed by Hadrian in the early 2nd century A.D. It is an easy 15min walk from Piazza Navona passing through a labyrinth of tiny streets and all of a sudden the Pantheon hits your eyes and it was just huge.

The tour guide told us that you could fit a perfect sphere in the Pantheon. The real story of the oculus (opening at the top of the dome) is that they didn’t have the skill or knowledge to close the dome at the time it was built. Every time they tried to close that part of the hemisphere, it fell straight down to the floor (that’s what Dan Brown said in the Da Vinci Code). Michelangelo came here to study the dome before designing the cupola of St. Peter's (whose dome is .6m/2 ft. smaller than the Pantheon's). So, it is fair to say that the Pantheon houses the mother of all domes.

About 125 years ago, Raphael's tomb was discovered here. Vittorio Emanuele II, king of Italy, and his successor, Umberto I, are interred here as well. If you have read the Da Vinci Code, you would know the reference there.


Palazzo Venezia

The Palazzo Venezia (ironic since it’s in Rome), in the heart of Rome near Piazza served as the seat of the Italian government during the fascist regime. The balcony from which Mussolini used to speak to the people and declared World War II was built in the 15th century.


Piazza Venezia

Piazza Venezia situated within the Palazzo Venezia is a magnificent piece of architecture. I was confronted by its sheer size and height even when I was viewing it in a distance. It is constructed out of white marble and was a wedding present (I think) to Vittorio Emanuele II, first king of Italy. It is an absolutely stunning structure. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

Around the corner of Palazzo Venezia is Capitol Hill. The stairs leading up to the top were designed by Michangelo.

Roman Forum

Once you climb to the top of the stairs, you’re in the Senate Square. There’s a great big statute in the centre of it. As you walk through a little alley way on the right, you can overlook the Roman Forum. The ruins were amazing to observe. To think that there once existed a city of people who lived there is quite eerie.

Collosseum

Around the corner of Capitol Hill is the Collosseum which remains ancient Rome's greatest architectural legacy.

Long after the Colosseum ceased to be an arena to amuse sadistic Romans, it was struck by an earthquake, yet a large part of it remains standing today. I'm truly amazed that something built so long ago on such a grand scale back then has been so resilient and CityRail has to repair its 10 year-old rail-tracks weekly.

~Finland: Helsinki~

We stayed at the Hotel AVA.

Facilities: basic, 2 beds, a desk, a TV, a cupboard & a bathroom (no kettle, hairdryer or ironing facilities)
Cost: EUR60/night (by far the cheapest accommodation out of our trip)
Location: good - right next to a lovely park and 2 mins walk to bus stop. Around 10mins bus ride into city and 20min to airport.

Considering the standard for hotels in Europe is very different to the one in Australia, it wasn’t bad for the price we paid.

In my opinion, Finland is not as touristy as some of the other European countries. But it has an air of sophistication without the arrogance. We visited the usual sites like:

Market Square, the Presidential Palace, Uspenski Cathedral, Senate Square, Eliel Saarinen's Central Railway Station, Finlandia Hall, Sibelius Park, Suomenlinna Fortress etc ...