Gondola ride in Venice.
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Venice still magical - Day 2
I fel like I've died and gone to heaven! Venice is so magical and unbelievable. It is exactly like in the movies. Venice was built of mud flats. The buildings sit on wooden poles. It seens one of the churches sits on 12,000 tree trunks. It is amazing to see that the buildings end in a canal. All the streets are criscrossed by canals. Last year, there were 22 miliion tourists to Venice. The symbol of Venice is the winged lion. Everywhere you see statues of the winged lion.
Today we went to a glass blowing factory called Vecchia Murano. The guy doing the demo literally took 5 minutes to create a horse from a blob of glass. Beautiful beautiful works of coloured glass. The glass comes from one of the local islands called Murano. In the centre of the square was St Marks Cathedral. Angela and I queued for 20 minutes to go inside the cathedral. Even though the signs said no photos, everyone was taking them so we did. Magnificent marble columns and mosaic paintings on the domed ceilings and walls. You have to see the photos to believe it. Next to the cathedral is the Ducal Palace, that dates back to the time of Constantinople. The prison is connected to the Palace by the Bridge of Sighs. It seems that after prisoners were tried in the Palace, they would have to walk across the bridge to prison and probably to their death. Venice is a city of masks. Every year in February, there is a carnival of masks. The masks look like the one that Uncle Hee and Aunty Siow Fong bought Emily for Christmas. Some are even more elaborate. Wait till you see the photos.
For lunch, we took a boat out to an island called Burano. It is a pretty island. All the houses are painted in different colours. We had a huge seafood lunch. The island is also known for its lace. I bought a pretty lace scarf. I was so tempted to buy a lace top but decided against it in the end. Now I wish I bought it! Handmade lace - absolutely beautiful.
Tomorrow we have a lot of driving ahead of us. From Venice, we are driving south past Florence to Rome. We have 2 nights in Rome. We will be visiting the Coloseum and Vatican city. No dinners included - I think everything is expensive in Rome.
Have you guys got any of the postcards I've been sending? It is so hard to find stamps around. You'll probably get them all at once. I hope they don't get lost.
Ha, I've just worked out how to upload photos. My room mate is Karen and she lives in the Gold Coast. She was sleeping last night so I could not work on the computer for long.
I'll try and copy the photos from the camera and upload the photos from Rome tomorrow. Till then, Ciao, good night and love you all.
Love
Mummy & Poi Keng
Today we went to a glass blowing factory called Vecchia Murano. The guy doing the demo literally took 5 minutes to create a horse from a blob of glass. Beautiful beautiful works of coloured glass. The glass comes from one of the local islands called Murano. In the centre of the square was St Marks Cathedral. Angela and I queued for 20 minutes to go inside the cathedral. Even though the signs said no photos, everyone was taking them so we did. Magnificent marble columns and mosaic paintings on the domed ceilings and walls. You have to see the photos to believe it. Next to the cathedral is the Ducal Palace, that dates back to the time of Constantinople. The prison is connected to the Palace by the Bridge of Sighs. It seems that after prisoners were tried in the Palace, they would have to walk across the bridge to prison and probably to their death. Venice is a city of masks. Every year in February, there is a carnival of masks. The masks look like the one that Uncle Hee and Aunty Siow Fong bought Emily for Christmas. Some are even more elaborate. Wait till you see the photos.
For lunch, we took a boat out to an island called Burano. It is a pretty island. All the houses are painted in different colours. We had a huge seafood lunch. The island is also known for its lace. I bought a pretty lace scarf. I was so tempted to buy a lace top but decided against it in the end. Now I wish I bought it! Handmade lace - absolutely beautiful.
Tomorrow we have a lot of driving ahead of us. From Venice, we are driving south past Florence to Rome. We have 2 nights in Rome. We will be visiting the Coloseum and Vatican city. No dinners included - I think everything is expensive in Rome.
Have you guys got any of the postcards I've been sending? It is so hard to find stamps around. You'll probably get them all at once. I hope they don't get lost.
Ha, I've just worked out how to upload photos. My room mate is Karen and she lives in the Gold Coast. She was sleeping last night so I could not work on the computer for long.
I'll try and copy the photos from the camera and upload the photos from Rome tomorrow. Till then, Ciao, good night and love you all.
Love
Mummy & Poi Keng
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Magical Venice!
Hi all
Today we left Austria and travelled to our 8th country - Italy! What magic. We stopped in Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet. I saw the famous balcony. There was a statue of Juliet. For good luck, women were supposed to touch her right wrist and men - her right breast! There was a market in the square where fresh fruit and veges were sold. I had a nice pizza bread for lunch. And to think that I never eat that at home! We then travelled for another hour and a half and arrived in Venice. My word, it is like in the movies. We went on a canal cruise on a gondola. It was so romantic. Venice is incredible. The buildings came right up to the water. We then had a drink at a cafe and a band played for us in St Marks Square. We will have more time to have a look inside the church tomorrow. We are having lunch at a fishermans island tomorrow. More updates then as internet is free in this hotel too. This hotel is by far the best we've been to.
Hope everyone is well and looking after each other.
Love
Mummy
Today we left Austria and travelled to our 8th country - Italy! What magic. We stopped in Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet. I saw the famous balcony. There was a statue of Juliet. For good luck, women were supposed to touch her right wrist and men - her right breast! There was a market in the square where fresh fruit and veges were sold. I had a nice pizza bread for lunch. And to think that I never eat that at home! We then travelled for another hour and a half and arrived in Venice. My word, it is like in the movies. We went on a canal cruise on a gondola. It was so romantic. Venice is incredible. The buildings came right up to the water. We then had a drink at a cafe and a band played for us in St Marks Square. We will have more time to have a look inside the church tomorrow. We are having lunch at a fishermans island tomorrow. More updates then as internet is free in this hotel too. This hotel is by far the best we've been to.
Hope everyone is well and looking after each other.
Love
Mummy
Monday, 2 May 2011
Inssbruck, Austria!
Hi all,
Not used to this and I posted the new blog as a comment. So go read the full commentary. We've got a 6am start tomorrow so I really should be in bed.
My gosh, London was so amazing! I wish I had more time. I didn't think I would enjoy London but I did. I guess it is because all the Monopoly names are so familar. But I never made Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square. But I did get to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and The Tower of London. Do you know the Tower was built in 1066? So many towers, Victoria, you will absolutely love it. And all the beautiful German castles. Today, in Austria, we passed through tunnel after tunnel. Off to Venice and gondola ride on canals. Looking forward to Dad coming so I can offload some stuff into his suitcase! Remember to bring the red hand luggage. And don't bring too many clothes. It will be hot during the day.
I'll see if I can manage to post some photos. Otherwise it is Ciao from me. Love you all.
Mummy & PKeng
Not used to this and I posted the new blog as a comment. So go read the full commentary. We've got a 6am start tomorrow so I really should be in bed.
My gosh, London was so amazing! I wish I had more time. I didn't think I would enjoy London but I did. I guess it is because all the Monopoly names are so familar. But I never made Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square. But I did get to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and The Tower of London. Do you know the Tower was built in 1066? So many towers, Victoria, you will absolutely love it. And all the beautiful German castles. Today, in Austria, we passed through tunnel after tunnel. Off to Venice and gondola ride on canals. Looking forward to Dad coming so I can offload some stuff into his suitcase! Remember to bring the red hand luggage. And don't bring too many clothes. It will be hot during the day.
I'll see if I can manage to post some photos. Otherwise it is Ciao from me. Love you all.
Mummy & PKeng
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Update!
Hi guys! So I have an update, straight from Mum!
--
26 April
London is FANTASTIC! Off to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath. 2 buses so many people. London is so exciting heaps to see and do. Place looking great for The Royal Wedding. Big Ben is beautiful, Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral are magnificent. The Tombs of the Kings, Queens and Warriors are so interesting. Not enough time to shop in Oxford St, which is the biggest shopping centre in Europe. If time tonight will go to Covent Garden Market.
--
Mum sounds like she is having TONS of fun!
She is on a 1 month old tour bus, which is on it's 2nd tour only! She has a Dutch tour guide and an Italian driver, with 45 people on the tour bus from Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
In London, before her tour officially started, she saw the play "Love Never Dies" - the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, which Mum, Victoria and I saw at the Civic Theatre a while back when they came to Auckland. We fell in love with the musical, and were singing the songs for weeks on end! I am so very jealous that she got to see the sequel!
She also txted me while they were driving past Mayfair! And my friend who has been to London tells me that almost ALL the streets on the Monopoly board, you can see in London! That's a funny thought, and I wish I could see them all!
She also mentioned that the Stonehenge is better in Carterton!! I would probably disagree though, if I saw it. Seeing the original Stonehenge would be incredible. It would be so worn down, you wouldn't really be able to see all the features that it once depicted, but to see such an ancient sight would be amazing.
Mum was extremely excited that she finally arrived in France! She said that in Calais, which is where she was when she txted us, there are lots of Canola fields of yellow. Sounds so beautiful.
When Mum was in Holland she said that she had dinner at a Chinese restaurant! She went on the Canal Cruise, which by itself sounds so amazing, and she said that there were lots of beautiful buildings. You can just imagine all the buildings, amazing in the daylight, and even more spectacular lit up by the night lights!
Just before dinner, Victoria and I were txting her while she was on the bus to Germany, and she was telling us how pretty Holland is.
She says that in Amsterdam (Holland), the land was very flat, with lots of green fields and canals.
And that she has the Rhine River cruise today, or that day in London.
As Victoria and I learnt about France at school, the Rhine River cruise just sounds so spectacular!
Fun fact: The Traffic Lights turn orange before green in Holland! Isn't that odd??
Mum sounds like she is having an amazing time, and she says she has been learning so much! She now understands why people love travelling so much!
Hope everyone's lives are going well!
Myself, I just submitted 3 assignments today, and I'm VERY glad that those are over! Though I do have a few more projects coming up. Feels like my assignments and projects are never ending!
--
26 April
London is FANTASTIC! Off to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath. 2 buses so many people. London is so exciting heaps to see and do. Place looking great for The Royal Wedding. Big Ben is beautiful, Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral are magnificent. The Tombs of the Kings, Queens and Warriors are so interesting. Not enough time to shop in Oxford St, which is the biggest shopping centre in Europe. If time tonight will go to Covent Garden Market.
--
Mum sounds like she is having TONS of fun!
She is on a 1 month old tour bus, which is on it's 2nd tour only! She has a Dutch tour guide and an Italian driver, with 45 people on the tour bus from Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
In London, before her tour officially started, she saw the play "Love Never Dies" - the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, which Mum, Victoria and I saw at the Civic Theatre a while back when they came to Auckland. We fell in love with the musical, and were singing the songs for weeks on end! I am so very jealous that she got to see the sequel!
She also txted me while they were driving past Mayfair! And my friend who has been to London tells me that almost ALL the streets on the Monopoly board, you can see in London! That's a funny thought, and I wish I could see them all!
She also mentioned that the Stonehenge is better in Carterton!! I would probably disagree though, if I saw it. Seeing the original Stonehenge would be incredible. It would be so worn down, you wouldn't really be able to see all the features that it once depicted, but to see such an ancient sight would be amazing.
Mum was extremely excited that she finally arrived in France! She said that in Calais, which is where she was when she txted us, there are lots of Canola fields of yellow. Sounds so beautiful.
When Mum was in Holland she said that she had dinner at a Chinese restaurant! She went on the Canal Cruise, which by itself sounds so amazing, and she said that there were lots of beautiful buildings. You can just imagine all the buildings, amazing in the daylight, and even more spectacular lit up by the night lights!
Just before dinner, Victoria and I were txting her while she was on the bus to Germany, and she was telling us how pretty Holland is.
She says that in Amsterdam (Holland), the land was very flat, with lots of green fields and canals.
And that she has the Rhine River cruise today, or that day in London.
As Victoria and I learnt about France at school, the Rhine River cruise just sounds so spectacular!
Fun fact: The Traffic Lights turn orange before green in Holland! Isn't that odd??
Mum sounds like she is having an amazing time, and she says she has been learning so much! She now understands why people love travelling so much!
Hope everyone's lives are going well!
Myself, I just submitted 3 assignments today, and I'm VERY glad that those are over! Though I do have a few more projects coming up. Feels like my assignments and projects are never ending!
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Countdown - 2 more sleeps!
Bonjour and welcome to my travel blog! Just sorting out the luggage tags for the new suitcase, and the foreign currency in the new money belt. Not long to go. Had a great spin class tonight to mark the end of gym for 4 weeks. Am feeling really fit and raring to go. Shame I'll be so out of shape when this is over. It'll be a hard slog back to my fitness level now. I'd better make sure I do lots of walking while I'm on tour. I'm really pleased that In Ling is planning to join me on the last 2 legs in Paris and Hong Kong. It means we will be able to spend our 27th wedding anniversary together. I'm looking at this as a very belated silver wedding anniversary since we didn't really do anything grand on our 25th. Now back to the packing!!
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