9/23/07

venezia

After a full day of taking the subway, the bus, the plane and the train, we finally arrived in Venice. Check in time at our hostel had passed so we scrambled to find a place to lay our heads to rest. Using my trusty Rick Steve's guide to Italy, I secured a vacancy at a hotel near the train station, and even bargained down the price. Here are some pics of Venice...

St. Mark's Basilica

Gondola riders


Seafood pasta dinner

We got majorly ripped off at the Venice train station. Long story short, the lady sold us two tickets leaving from a station elsewhere, departing 5 minutes ago, with the printed price on the tix less than what we paid. I didn't go without putting up a good fight. But it was a costly lesson: watch your back, and look at your ticket very carefully before leaving the window.

9/11/07

paris

Paris is a beautiful city! It was our first stop and we stepped off the plane zombie-like, and very grateful to have a cozy and clean place to stay. Here's the view from our hotel balcony.

We arrived in the morning that first day so we kept ourselves awake by packing out the day: Trocadero, Eiffel Tower, and Seine boat tour. View of the city from the Eiffel.

As you can see, it was kinda cloudy. We were surprised by how chilly and rainy it was. Even in early August! Below is the Eiffel at sunset.

The sun set at 10pm so we waited for a few hourse before taking our boat cruise. Here's the Seine river at dusk.


We did not find Paris the friendliest of the cities we visited. However, we were ga-ga over its history, culture and aestheticism. It was a dream to even walk around in it. And the crepes in the street stands were to die for.

9/8/07

the beehive

I've been meaning to post more from my trip, and I'm finally getting around to it! Another tidbit I wanted to share about was the place we stayed in while we were in Rome, The Beehive. They offer hostels, dorms, private rooms and apartments. We stayed in one of their apartments. I loved it! It was eco-friendly, organic-loving and very cute. Here's our room...

They even had a cafe where they serve light vegetarian organic meals for a decent price.

We went for breakfast and I had the granola with yogurt, fruit and organic honey, of course. A little taste of home and a break from paninis, pizzas and pasta.

The business was started by two Americans. It's very traveler-friendly. Our suite had a communal free internet, phone, kitchen and bathroom. It was a treat. They also have yoga classes but those were on break due to the holiday. Cuteness, organic, eco-friendly, free internet, kitchen and yoga...I was a happy camper.