Hi all. Your very ... um ... thoughtful limerick, Tom, was very ... er ... touching. Jokes! Never new that it was Haiku day, great of you to make the effort. Nice to know that school is plain (and sorry you're jealous Tom). Hope the mufti day goes well. I agree with you, Alexander, that Scott is wrong, probably, (though I really don't know). What is you're Harry Potter view count Alexander? Really wish I could see it in English. Might have to wait for the flight home (possibly). I have seen snow before (October last year) when we were staying on a friend's property about an hour south of Cooma. We had a freak snow storm and almost got snowed in!! In October!!!!!
Went to Florence (as previously mentioned) yesterday and had a great time. We climbed the Giotto Tower, the Duomo church's bell tower, and got some amazing views of Florence and the surrounding countryside. It was extremely windy at the top of the tower and it seemed as though the tower was swaying slightly in the wind.
We then went to see the Ponte Vecchio (a famous bridge) and walked across it. The bridge has quite a few shops on it (possibly 20 or more), which are all jewellery shops! We then had a very nice lunch just near the bridge. I had one of the best Lasagnas I have ever had (probably because it was proper Italian).
After this we clambered up a hill near the Arno river (Florence's version of the Seine or the Thames) and got another great view of Florence.
In all Florence is an amazing city. There are so many churches and cathedrals as well picturesque little lane-ways that zig-zag throughout the city.
Unfortunately this excellent day was finished in frustration and slight anger. We needed to catch a train back to Bologna from Florence central. At the station after Florence central a strike was being held. We hopped onto a local train, hoping to get a connection to Bologna, but after 20 minutes of waiting, it was canceled so we opted for the Eurostar. We couldn't get seats without a booking so we had to sit/stand at the end of the carriage. Finally, at 6:10pm, 70 minutes late, the train was able to go and we managed to be back in our apartment by 7:30.
Not much planned for today but Jonathan and I are keen to go to the nearby Lamborghini museum.
Posted at 7:20am Italy time
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday 28th of November
As I said in the previous post, so much happened today.
After we woke up, we rushed madly to have some breakfast and find alternate accommodation before we had to check out of where we were staying at 11:00. this was extremely miserable because of the steady cold drizzle/rain that didn't seem to want to stop at all.
Despite all the rushing and rain we had a really nice breakfast at a bar. I had a hot chocolate and a cheese, ham and lettuce wrap, which they toasted to the cheese was melted. The hot chocolate was really nice, in a never tried it before way. They do hot chocolates so much different in Italy. It could really be described as a hot chocolate syrup, it was so thick!!
We found accommodation in a really nice apartment which turned out cheaper than last nights. We were just settling in when Gemma looked out of the window and noticed id had just started snowing. We hurriedly ventured out into the snow and decided to buy some lunch and settled down for some delicious pasta.
After lunch we decided to have a look around and found a market in a square which was entirely devoted to chocolate. Some of the chocolate things were amazing like this:
ALL CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!
After looking through all the stalls and amazingly only spending 24 euro went to a Medieval Museum which was awesome. There were heaps of artifacts, church objects like statues and tapestries as well as lots of battle items (weapons, armor etc.) including some Saracen weapons and armor from the crusades.
After this, to say the least, action-packed day, we had a small, home-made dinner of pasta and sauce and are just settling down for the night.
We are going to Florence tomorrow via train and so hope the weather is nice (either sunny of snowing, but not rain).
Posted at 8:29pm Italy time.
After we woke up, we rushed madly to have some breakfast and find alternate accommodation before we had to check out of where we were staying at 11:00. this was extremely miserable because of the steady cold drizzle/rain that didn't seem to want to stop at all.
Despite all the rushing and rain we had a really nice breakfast at a bar. I had a hot chocolate and a cheese, ham and lettuce wrap, which they toasted to the cheese was melted. The hot chocolate was really nice, in a never tried it before way. They do hot chocolates so much different in Italy. It could really be described as a hot chocolate syrup, it was so thick!!
We found accommodation in a really nice apartment which turned out cheaper than last nights. We were just settling in when Gemma looked out of the window and noticed id had just started snowing. We hurriedly ventured out into the snow and decided to buy some lunch and settled down for some delicious pasta.
After lunch we decided to have a look around and found a market in a square which was entirely devoted to chocolate. Some of the chocolate things were amazing like this:
ALL CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!
After looking through all the stalls and amazingly only spending 24 euro went to a Medieval Museum which was awesome. There were heaps of artifacts, church objects like statues and tapestries as well as lots of battle items (weapons, armor etc.) including some Saracen weapons and armor from the crusades.
After this, to say the least, action-packed day, we had a small, home-made dinner of pasta and sauce and are just settling down for the night.
We are going to Florence tomorrow via train and so hope the weather is nice (either sunny of snowing, but not rain).
Posted at 8:29pm Italy time.
26th and 27th of November
Hi everyone. Good to hear that scavenger hunt to maccas was good. Interesting that Scott and Alexander have different views on Harry Potter, with Scott not quite liking it because it was so true to the book, while Alexander liked because it was true to the book.
Sorry about my lack of posts for the last couple of days. We caught a ferry to Italy which took most of the 26th. The ferry then arrived 2 hours late because the wind was against it during the night. It then took a couple of hours for us to get a train to Bologna from Ancona (the port). We arrived in Bologna at 5:00 by which time it was already dark and so we had to madly rush to find accommodation. We eventually decided on a mediocre place (without Wi-Fi) which was cheaper than anything else we could find. Had some nice pizza for dinner and slept grateful for at least somewhere to stay.
P.s. I am writing this on the 28th but keeping that day's entry separate because so much happened.
Posted at 8:07 Italy time.
Sorry about my lack of posts for the last couple of days. We caught a ferry to Italy which took most of the 26th. The ferry then arrived 2 hours late because the wind was against it during the night. It then took a couple of hours for us to get a train to Bologna from Ancona (the port). We arrived in Bologna at 5:00 by which time it was already dark and so we had to madly rush to find accommodation. We eventually decided on a mediocre place (without Wi-Fi) which was cheaper than anything else we could find. Had some nice pizza for dinner and slept grateful for at least somewhere to stay.
P.s. I am writing this on the 28th but keeping that day's entry separate because so much happened.
Posted at 8:07 Italy time.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thursday 25th
Read your comment, Tom, about the Pokemon starter names. I agree with you, they are crap. Oshawott is weird though. What you did to Minh sounds hilarious. Tell him that I laughed. Alot. Sorry about lack of pictures so here's a few.
This is the boot of our hire car
A sign in the Byzantine Castle in Nafplio.
Cheece pizza anyone??
Or maybe Cheece, bacon and ham??
Also last I heard Australia were 0/25 at stumps day 1 after bowling England out for 260, with Siddle getting a hat-trick.
Having a great time in Greece. Visited the Byzantine Castle above Nafplio which was amazing. It was extremely hard to believe that it was actually taken by the Turkish in A.D. 900 because of the size of the castle and its location on top of a steep hill.
We then drove to Mycenae to investigate some ancient Mycenaean ruins. The Mycenaeans were the precursors to the ancient Greeks and the civilisation that invaded Troy. We also saw the Tomb of Agamemnon, the General in-charge of the attack on Troy. This featured a stone slab that weighed 120 tonnes. It is understandable, then, why the Ancient Greeks believed that Perseus, a demi-god, had hired two cyclops to help him build that walls and tombs at the village.
Tomorrow we are taking a ride on a rack railway (which can go up steeper inclines than a normal railway) before going back to Patra to catch an overnight ferry to Italy. I probably won't get internet on the ferry so won't post until saturday (possibly).
Hope the scavenger hunt to maccas tomorrow is good and you all have fun.
Ranga.
Posted at 7:45pm.
Or maybe Cheece, bacon and ham??
Also last I heard Australia were 0/25 at stumps day 1 after bowling England out for 260, with Siddle getting a hat-trick.
Having a great time in Greece. Visited the Byzantine Castle above Nafplio which was amazing. It was extremely hard to believe that it was actually taken by the Turkish in A.D. 900 because of the size of the castle and its location on top of a steep hill.
We then drove to Mycenae to investigate some ancient Mycenaean ruins. The Mycenaeans were the precursors to the ancient Greeks and the civilisation that invaded Troy. We also saw the Tomb of Agamemnon, the General in-charge of the attack on Troy. This featured a stone slab that weighed 120 tonnes. It is understandable, then, why the Ancient Greeks believed that Perseus, a demi-god, had hired two cyclops to help him build that walls and tombs at the village.
Tomorrow we are taking a ride on a rack railway (which can go up steeper inclines than a normal railway) before going back to Patra to catch an overnight ferry to Italy. I probably won't get internet on the ferry so won't post until saturday (possibly).
Hope the scavenger hunt to maccas tomorrow is good and you all have fun.
Ranga.
Posted at 7:45pm.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday 24th
Great to know James found the conference interesting but sorry to hear about your missed opportunity Scott. Also good to know some fun things are coming up on the program. I have no idea about the comment times Alexander, I'm just as confused as you are, but I suggest you write the time at the end of a comment. Jonathan received Gibbo's e-mail about HP7 and thought about replying with some (un)helpful suggestions. Still reckon I should be Charlie Weasley or various Weasleys on a dragon-catching expedition across Europe.
Hired a small-ish car on Tuesday and managed to fit everything into the boot (just!). Figured out or reduced tour of the Peloponnese and set out for a place near Olympus to stay.
Wednesday (today) drove to Olympus (Olympic site, not mountain). Some amazing ruins there. Need to show you all the photos when I get back. Interesting fact: just before the athlete's entrance to the main stadium there are a row of statues of Zeus, though only the pedestals are left. An info sign told us that any athlete found guilty of cheating would have to pay a fine which funded the construction of one of the statues to be displayed as a warning to other athletes. Visited The Museum of the History of the Olympic Games, which had various statues and artifacts to do with the Ancient Olympic games. Several 'helpful' signs present, including one saying that to enter the games an Athlete had to be "born free of parents" (I suspect it meand born of free parents).
We are currently staying in a hotel in Napfia, a lovely seaside town with a Byzantine (post Roman, pre Middle Ages) castle overlooking it. The castle, which is on a hill near the back of the town if you are looking from the sea, is lit up with floodlights at nigh giving a pretty spectacular view.
Its 9:35pm an I've just been told I need to go to bed, so will post again at the next opportunity.
Hired a small-ish car on Tuesday and managed to fit everything into the boot (just!). Figured out or reduced tour of the Peloponnese and set out for a place near Olympus to stay.
Wednesday (today) drove to Olympus (Olympic site, not mountain). Some amazing ruins there. Need to show you all the photos when I get back. Interesting fact: just before the athlete's entrance to the main stadium there are a row of statues of Zeus, though only the pedestals are left. An info sign told us that any athlete found guilty of cheating would have to pay a fine which funded the construction of one of the statues to be displayed as a warning to other athletes. Visited The Museum of the History of the Olympic Games, which had various statues and artifacts to do with the Ancient Olympic games. Several 'helpful' signs present, including one saying that to enter the games an Athlete had to be "born free of parents" (I suspect it meand born of free parents).
We are currently staying in a hotel in Napfia, a lovely seaside town with a Byzantine (post Roman, pre Middle Ages) castle overlooking it. The castle, which is on a hill near the back of the town if you are looking from the sea, is lit up with floodlights at nigh giving a pretty spectacular view.
Its 9:35pm an I've just been told I need to go to bed, so will post again at the next opportunity.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday and Tuesday
Thanks guys for commenting. Sorry for leaving out the 'boring' bits. Food is pretty good, except been tricked into buying food from expensive restaurants twice. Promised ourselves it won't happen again. Found something as good as (if possible) kebabs, which is souvlaki (seasoned meat on a stick) wrapped in pita bread with tzatziki (Greek yogurt and grated cucumber), tomato and red onion.
Awesome news that James is honorary prefect. Makes going away a whole lot more worth it (honestly). Good to hear that the conference was a worthwhile experience and that the school program thing is pretty good.
Rooster won the fight, but it was a close call. Wasn't fast enough to film the fight, but got the aftermath (though there wasn't much of it).
We had a big mix-up with buses from the Peloponnese and when we thought we were going to Nafplio, but there was only a bus to Athens, so we ended up there. We are going to bus to Petra (where we ferry to Italy in three days) and hire a car there to do a quick(er than before) tour of the Peloponnese.
Thanks all for commenting and I will try to post when possible.
Ranga
Athens time 9:31
Awesome news that James is honorary prefect. Makes going away a whole lot more worth it (honestly). Good to hear that the conference was a worthwhile experience and that the school program thing is pretty good.
Rooster won the fight, but it was a close call. Wasn't fast enough to film the fight, but got the aftermath (though there wasn't much of it).
We had a big mix-up with buses from the Peloponnese and when we thought we were going to Nafplio, but there was only a bus to Athens, so we ended up there. We are going to bus to Petra (where we ferry to Italy in three days) and hire a car there to do a quick(er than before) tour of the Peloponnese.
Thanks all for commenting and I will try to post when possible.
Ranga
Athens time 9:31
Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st
We have been staying in a really nice hotel on a Greek island about 1 hours ferry trip from Athens, called Aegina for last night and tonight. The lady who owns the hotel is very nice and makes excellent cakes for breakfast. Dad reckons Jonathan is considering proposing to her because of the cakes. The island is very nice and we hired some bicycles and rode to some ruins from the Neolithic period (dunno what centuries) through to Byzantium times (the middle ages). Dad, Jonathan and I then rode to a neighbouring village with a view to Athens which was a very nice ride and had some great views. Tomorrow we are crossing over to the Peloponnese (an almost-island part of Greece where Sparta, Mycenae and Corinth are) and, on the advice of someone we met on the island who comes from Sparta, are going to Corinth, Olympus and Mycenae, but not Sparta which, contrary to what Mum and Dad thought, does actually have some ancient ruins. I am posting this from an internet Cafe because the hotel doesn’t have Wi-Fi and I might not be able to post stuff because there is no guarantee of Wi-Fi in other places we might stay.
Ironic moment of the day (Sunday 21st): There are some horse and cart rides on the island and Gemma said, jokingly, I would do anything, even vomit twice, to get a ride. Poor Gemma proceeded to vomit three times and so earned a horse ride later in sympathy.
Posted at 6:14pm Greek time.
Ironic moment of the day (Sunday 21st): There are some horse and cart rides on the island and Gemma said, jokingly, I would do anything, even vomit twice, to get a ride. Poor Gemma proceeded to vomit three times and so earned a horse ride later in sympathy.
Posted at 6:14pm Greek time.
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