Gap Year

So, not much time so will move on to France though Venice was very good. So decided to get an overnight train from Venice to Lyon as they would only offer me a connection via Dijon so that meant 13 hrs. Well, by the time someone decided to jump in front of another train on the tracks ahead of ours, and then I missed my connection, well it ended up being a little more than that. Painfully long. And I was so sure those two pitiful straps were not going to keep me from falling out of the bunk! Anyway I passed through Dijon -where I took a pic of somewhere that was making mustard -because hey, you know it's Dijon- anyway got to Lyon and my guidebook was right Lyon really is super friendly and ethnic and just very very cool. Actually I'm thinking maybe of going there for my year abroad with uni if poss... Not much time so moving right along to Carcassonne... got of train from Lyon and went to ask the tourist office how to get to the hostel. 40 mins walk. And the last bus just left. What??? Sucks that doesn't it! Anyway no choice so off I set. Half an hour later I got to where I thought the next road was supposed to be and there seemed to be a big castle in my way...but happily it turned out I was staying there and it was a walled city...out of time, sorry!

I didnt write much about Florence so...Went on a really good free tour that included all kinds of random places I would probably never have gone to -like a church that used to be a granary so you can still see the grain chute in the middle, because of which the church had to be placed off to one side. A church where Michaelangelo lived and the monks let him examine the bodies before they were buried (and buried vertically in the walls no less) hence his amazing knowledge of anatomy that was only too apparent when I went to see David yesterday. Let me just say that despite the huge numbers of tourists joshing you it would be worth going to Florence just for that. All the veins in his hands and each curl each muscle perfectly defined. I really cant say how wonderful it was. Lots more stuff besides but I only have 1/4 of an hour so... Now in Venice. Really surreal having water buses everywhere but Ive got so used to the floating bus stations that I actually am swaying a little in my seat here. Havent got my land legs back yet lol! Venice is really exactly like I thought it would be yet so much better. My guidebook informs me its best not to bother with maps -just to set off in a general direction. So I decided to give that a go this morning. Well...I had a lovely morning wandering around completely lost -knowing where the grand canal is but when theres water in your way that doesnt help too much you know! - and managed to find several churches and ancient schools etc that I wasnt looking for but were well worth a visit but few enough of the places I was actually looking for. Oh well -nice to have a break from museums and I had more luck this afternoon anyway. Oh here's a tidbit of the day. Now everyone has stereotypes of Venice but did you also know that its the origin of the word ghetto? Apparantly It comes from their word for foundry -where a Jewish ghetto was formed in 1516. Didnt you always want to know that? Oh and I bought a new top. Its a sad day when a 4.99 top excites you but believe me it did. Thats like a 3rd outfit... On to France tomorrow...

Just to let you know...love Florence but not much time to blog and internet v. expensive in Venice so you may not hear from me for a few days or a week or so. Dont worry though. love Amelia

589 visits people, I am impressed!

So...went around Florence this afternoon and was great. I think I forgot to mention earlier that I got to where my hostel should have been -number and everything- and there it was not. So asked around and this Italian guy was like oh you have the red number 94 you need the blue one. Yes thats right people apparantly the colour of the street sign matters! Oh well. I knew there was no chance of following the street signs right to the Duomo so just headed in vaguely the right direction and got to the end of this little cobblestone street and amazingly there it was! And believe me it was amazing! My guidebook says that it was comissioned in 1296 to be a cathedral that was so magnificent it would be impossible to surpass and you know from the outside certainly I think they may have achieved that. I cant even begin to describe it! Then after all that strenuous work, you know, twas time for a gelato so I found a place called Grom that my guidebook recommends and time for a piccolo cono coco -a small coconut cone but sounds so much more interesting in Italian doesnt it! Loads of yummy looking flavours and was really good. Then I wandered down to the Uffizi but had a last minute change of heart and decided to go to Palazzo Veccho instead. It had beautiful paintings all over the walls and ceilings and, interestingly a modern art display -collections of drawings paintings carvings newspaper cuttings etc by an artist called Georges Adeagbou scattered all around and some placed on these ancient carved thrones. It was really interesting with the modern stuff mixed in. Then wandered down to Ponte Vecchio -the oldest bridge in Venice. Really typically Italian. So...thus far am loving Florence. More than Rome actually.