Drift along the VENICE flood..

Monday, November 30, 2009

WHY DO I KEEP PROCRASTINATING?!
NOW I HAVE SO MUCH TO BLOG ABOUT..
I HAVE AT LEAST 6 POSTS TO GO..
& that’s EXLCUDING my daily life here in little Aarhus!!!=S
PLUS NOW THAT I HAVE THE UPCOMING EXAMS TO BLAME..
IT’S NOT GOING TO GET ANY BETTER..DARN.

Okay sorry for the random explosion, I should just stop ranting & continue with something more important..

Continuing from where I left-off about my last-last trip..I went from Rome; to Pisa; to Florence; then to VENICE..also our last stop in Italy..We spent a mere one day in the little ~~sinking~~ flooding city.. I thought it was enough, but I think 2days would be just nice=)

This 2nd time to Venice was a totally different experience, not only the company is different, the surroundings & the climate were too!! So it’s a whole new & different experience in the same city=) Compared to the chilly-but-drier weather the last time, it was raining A LOT this time..so much that the city was flooding, thank goodness the sun creeped out later in the afternoon to soak up all the floodwater=) On a lower note, there were more construction going this time, so not as many pretty photos..BUT I still love the city, it’s old, it’s different, it’s one that haven’t fail to amaze me=)

When we arrived in the night, it was raining, it was cold, it was dark, the streets were relatively quiet..we got a tad lost looking for the hostel, the receptionist was not in, we got stranded outside B&B in the cold&wet weather, until a nice couple opened the door for us..sounds quite pathetic yea? But when we entered the hostel, stepped into our room..ALL MY ANGST FROM BEFORE VANISHED!! The room was cosy, warm, comfortable, nice-smelling….it was HEAVENLY compared to the other hostels we stayed in..such a pity we only stayed there for a night. Like what I told the rest, it will be nice if we had the time on hand, I could just laze in the room all day!! & it only got better when we saw the breakfast the next morning!!! Having breakfast provided was already a plus for us, and with such a spread to greet us in the morning..I WAS ONE VERY HAPPY CAMPER=D Honestly, I really won’t mind staying in this same hostel again if I ever visit Venice for the 3rd time! YES, even if I have the money to afford to stay in a hotel instead, I DON’T MIND!=D

Presenting our cosy room for “4”

The waterway was overflowing
I told you it flooded, and this was not even the main square which (according to the owner of the hostel) floods way before anywhere else in Venice..This was taken not far from our hostel which was quite a distance from that mentioned-square. We had to prepare ourselves mentally for the worse..

People had to walk in a single line

Its an old city.
Grandeur comes with age?

The steamboat station
These are like their “bus-stops”..where the “buses” (steamboats) will stop by and pick passengers up..

Some random shots while on the steamboat going down the Grand Canal:

Casino on water!

A little overcrowded, no?
Well..when I think of gondolas, the image in my mind will be a couple in each other’s arms having some lovely time sailing/rowing down the waterway.just-so-romantic..And this is such a spoiler!!!

Gondolas

Ponte di Rialto
aka Rialto Bridge..one of the three bridges along the Grand Canal..It is Venice's most popular bridge=)

Isn’t it gorgeous?

Huge arse cigarette-box & chair outside a museum

San Marco Station
This is where you should be alihtng to visit the main square (which I mentioned earlier)!!!

The Pink Lights
We were pretty amazed by the pink glas for the lamp-posts there..only to realise they are ALL OVER!!!=S

Another gondola.
I have been to Venice twice now, BUT I HAVE NEVER SAT A GONDOLA THERE BEFORE!!!!=(

Board-standing
Due to the flood that I was talking about earlier, we could experience board-walking..Basically, they lay out these fashionshows-like boards that are lifted above ground level for poeple to walk on, so that people won’t get their feets totally soaked in the floods & risk losing their shoes in there.

Campanile
The clock tower in San Marco Square..

The ankle-deep water
Seeing this make me want to get WELLINGTONS more!!!!! But for practical reasons, I shouldn’t..Don’t you think wearing such “Paddington boots” and playing in the rain is oh-so-fun?!=P

In on the little water-alley

One of the shopping alleys
Shopping in Venice is not such a great thing..maybe some Venetian Glass? That’s about it I think. In Venice, it’s more about walking around and immersing in the whole atmosphere=)

So-ERM-romantic?

Glass can float!!
Quite a number of shops had these balloons, which are made of glass, “floating” around..

Glass Fruits
Being famous for their glass-ware there, they had many of such decorative glass items for sale..I remember visiting the glass factory the 1st time I was in Venice..Watching the professional blow glass, was mind-blowing!!! Super impressed=)

San Marco Square
I like this picture!=)

Basilica di San Marco
One of my favourite building in Venice, too bad a part of it was wrapped up for maintainence..

Intricate is the word
See why I love it now? The details just make the whole structure so magnificent!

The entrance of the Basilica

Step into the Basilica
Entrance into the main area of the Basilica is free, so OBVIOUSLY we went it to have a look..Photo-taking is not allowed in there, so we were only allowed to stand in there and take in the whole grandeur for real..It was surreal=) Okay I got to confess, I took a couple of photos in there secretly, I COULDN’T STOP MY ITCHY FINGERS FROM CLICKING THE BUTTON!!=S

Ponte dei Sospiri
Also known as the Bridge of Sighs..The story about this bridge is one of the (very) few I remember very clearly from my 1st visit in Venice..This is actually the bridge that links the Palace (where the courts were) to the prison..So back in those days, after somebody get charged, he/she will walk across this very bridge where they will get to see the outside world (city) & their family members (who will be standing on the bridge where I stood to take this very photo) for the very last time..basically this is the gist of it=) SADLY, thanks to this stupid construction/advert, we couldn’t see the palace (supposedly on the left-hand side) and the prison (supposedly on the right-hand side)..all we got are these HUGE BLUE BOARDS!

The Grand Canal behind

Further down along Riva Degli

Pretty apartments facing the river

The sun is peeping..FINALLY!
This was later in the afternoon, when the weather turned for the better..& of course we felt so much better!! Not as cold & nicer peektures!

Back on the steamboat
Some random island off the main square..just thought this picture was ncie..haha

Gesuati
One of the many samll cathedrals long the waterway..quite surprising that I actally still remember the name of this one..Seriously, after a while, all of them look the same!! Similar architectures!

Colurful buildings along the waterway

A different looking bridge?
At least different from the rest I saw there..I think this is in the more industrial part of Venice already..We took the steamboat from the wrong direction & kinda went a whole big round to get to a place that we were only a few stops away initially! So as we almost got rooted to the seats on the steamboat, I was busy snapping away at randomness..and this bridge was one of them..I think it’s the newst bridge in Venice=)

GORGEOUS
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PHOTO!! TO THE MAX!!!<3>

Maccers anyone?
There is only ONE McDonalds in Venice..I jus tdon’t want to start imagining how freakishly-expensive it will be=S

My very HUGE dinner
I was STARVING that day..I think it was only 4 plus when we had dinner? Because of me!=P So when I saw such a huge slice of pizza, I WAS HAPPY INDEED!!=P so greedy right?!=P

Mint; Tiramisu; Lemon
5th & also the last Gelato I had in Italy=) YUMS!!!~

View from Rialto Bridge
The main (more happening area) is so different from the little streets we had to venture through the night before!!!

Happy-shopper, Chirpy-globber

Sending some current?
We were playing some qi-gong thing on the last steamboat ride..We were supposed to look serious & focused..Evidently, I could not do it for all time sake!!! We were making so much noise on the boat..Nothing new by now?=S

My one-souvenir-per-place from Venice
I wanted something glassy, cos’ it was what I remember of Venice since the 1st time I visited (8years ago!)..Couldn’t really find a perfect one as I entered into almost every other accessories shop there.. This was a pretty last minute purchase too, cos’ I simply couldn’t make up my mind which was prettier/more suitable..etc..But I finally decided on this..only boohoo is that the string is too short (If you know what kind of accessories I wear, you will get what I mean=P)..but ISN’T THE PENDANT LOVELY? I love the shape, the colours, the design..& the price was so reasonable!!=) wheeeeee~ Can’t wait to find a suitable chain when I get back to SG so I can wear it!!!=D

So this short one day-one night trip to SPECTACULAR VENICE up-ed my Wanders Wonders list to a big 10!!!=D Enjoy the rest of my photos from this awesome 10th destination HERE!!=D

With that..I will be back soon for a few more!! [p.s. I need to clear my debts before I head off for the next round!!!!=S]

Toodles~

Labels: friends, Italy, SEP, trips, Wanders Wonders

♥ silence fall upon
8:29 AM

its our birthday..

Sunday, November 29, 2009

SEBASTIAN!!!!
happy HAPPY BIRTHDAY..
to both of us!!!=D
28th Nov babies are da-best!! Cheers!~

p.s. SO MANY THINGS TO BLOG ABOUT!!!=S party first!!=P hehe
CIAO!!~

Labels: birthday, friends, SEP

♥ silence fall upon
4:10 AM

Before I step across the line..

Saturday, November 28, 2009

..my last couple of hours (or so) before I turn 21.

It will be the 1st time Im spending my birthday away from home. And to think its my 21st. I still remember dreaming/thinking/imagining how my 21st party will be like. That was since 2years ago, when my elder-sister was celebrating her 21st. And such thoughts continued to swamp me every single time I attend a party/celebration. Now I don't even need to plan for a party! Disappointed/Happy? I have no answer for that. Pros & Cons=)

According to some of my friends, I am already 21, "since you were born in SG, you should be following SG time!"- so they say. BUT I choose to see it otherwise, since Im in Denmark now, I should follow the time here!!=P Not that I am afraid to turn one-year older, or not ready to step across the official line into adulthood..its just..I like being 20 too much=D Hey! Im in Denmark afterall alrights, just let me immerse in the whole Danish thing (time) for now=)

In the past one year, there was love; loneliness; grief; loss; anger; fustrations; stress; fun; laughter; JOY..almost all kinds of emotions I felt. A roller-coaster ride indeed.

In the 365days, there were just so many happenings. With all the images running through my head, Im pretty amazed. How could all these happen in just one year? Many things have changed, some for the better; some for the worse. But every change brings about a lesson for me to learn. Whether in family; relationships; friendships; studies..every aspects of my life, I picked up little valuables along the way. & I know I still have many more (endless supply of) of such treasure awaiting me..I know the road ahead will NOT be smooth, and will never be a bed of roses. Like what my mum said to me "Age 21 is when you TECHNICALLY can start making your own decisions"..Okay I have been making my own decisions for many things already, very thankful & grateful for my parents who have allowed me to do whatever I want/wish to (as long as its not illegal/ridiculous).. But at the age of 21, I will be officially an adult in the eyes of the government. No more nicely planned routes (aka education system, DUH.), I am on my own now. I have to start planning for myself, no more "conveniently following the crowd".

I have my huge ambitions. I have my crazy dreams. So what actions do I take now? I guess only I can answer that. I am pretty nervous yet excited to step into this whole "official adulthood"..Its always a mixed feeling. I like the challenge; the adventure; the new; the difference, yet I will miss the comfort-zone; the familiar; the old. I am one confused ~~kid~~adult yea?=P But anyhows..
I AM STILL LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS NEW CHAPTER OF MY LIFE!

Labels: birthday, family, friends, me, SEP

♥ silence fall upon
4:35 AM

Famous Granny?

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

i just read this off my sister's blog..
"some reporter came to our place this morning to interview my grandmama...for grandparent’s day!"
COOLNESS!!!!!=D
p.s: SUM!!! update update!!=P

Labels: family, SEP

♥ silence fall upon
1:47 PM

flow down to FLORENCE..

Monday, November 16, 2009

To be true, Florence did not impress me,
At least not until the last part=)
It’s definitely a beautiful city, very accessible..can walk everywhere..
But its too tourist-populated.
Maybe due to the cramp-y city, I felt it more.
Tourists aside, Italians (in general) aside,
The city was not that bad!!
AT LEAST SHOPPING WAS GOOD! FOR SURE!!=D

If there is one thing this Florence trip “taught” me..
It will be…
Never to stay over at any train station. NEVER AGAIN.
In short, we spent our very 1st night in Florence at the train station (or rather 80% of the time OUTSIDE the train station, thanks to closing times!); just 1 word for that experience TERRIBLYHORRIBLE=( period.
Okay enough of ranting about shytty stuff…PHOTOS TIME!!!=D Halloween trick or treat?
We were walking pass this little café when these sweet cookies made us stop in our tracks..Knowing it will cost a lot, we only stood outside the glass window gawking at them…I bet the café workers were looking at us, & all ready to chase us away when they saw our cameras slipping out of our bags!!=PMusically inclined
Florence was the 1st place I saw this collection of music-notes filled stuff..The cities following had even more..I really like them, but I won’t bear to use them if I ever got them..Baslicca di Santa Maria Novella
This cathedral is just opposite the main train station that we stayed over at…Its so huge but I didn’t notice it till the next day when we were touring around..haha..Too zonked out from the terrible night I guess..In Mercato Centrale
This is in the food market in the main market place of Florence…They sell quite a lot of food, especially dried products, cheese & meat..& I think they are very reasonably priced..at least we couldn’t find dried fruits going at the good price they offered anywhere else in the other cities, not even in Prague where its supposed to be cheaper? So highly recommended if you ever visit Florence..Can buy ingredients & cook up a storm!!=) Unfortunately we didn’t have a kitchen in our Florence hostel.pity.. The Academy Gallery
We expected some huge lavish building!! Okay maybe not lavish, but definitely something more presentable than the above!!! When we stood in front of it, I questioned myself if I directed them to the right building (Yes, I was holding the map)!! It looks like some old school building that got abandoned, & probably used for some random ~~nonsense~~ things now..I think any other building around looked better!=SMint, Niccolia, Coconut
Yes how could we forget about Gelato? WE WERE STILL IN ITALY!!=PIn Piazza della San Marco
I was still SAVOURING my icecream=P Too busy to take photos..haha excuses ttm!!!San Marco Statue
I was suppose to imitate his pose!!! So my icecream was the “sword”..hahaha..I look retarded la..dang..trust me to do such things!!Buggee or Car?
So small and easy to park yea?! But the sides are open la..so I don’t think it’s a car..hmmm why don’t they have this in SG? I think it will be quite cute to drive it down the highway..hopefully the wheels don’t start rolling off!!hahaPiazza della Republica
One of the closer piazzas from our hostel..Nothing much there, except for some really expensive concept stores along the same road..nice to oogle at though=) Cool artpiece!
There was this couple who were doing some art on the roads..super funky..they will draw the piece, colour (with I-don’t-know-what), drag it down to another rectangle (to create this faded effect)..Very impressed!!! Imagine the time needed!! & once the sky opens & showers fall upon, there goes the art pieces, washed away! Loads of patience my friends.
Halfway there..
This is the original richness of colour..then after they “sweep” it to the next frame it will fade like & turn out like the previous photo..Cool or what?=) At the doors of Cathedral do Santa Maria del FiorePiazza San Giovanni
One of the most impressive piazzas in Florence I must say..The cathedral, the bell tower, the dome..all really impressive..Just a tad too cramp & squeezy..just the few attraction buildings took up 90+% of the space, so it was pretty challenging to capture all of them together... Our hostel room
Dosen’t it look like some dodgy red light district room? Only plus: ITS HUGE!!! Okay maybe its just the lighting…but really it hurts the eyes BIG TIME!!! But the Alekine Hostel is in a very favourable location..so maybe another plus? Hmmm but for the chokey drainage & rude email..MINUS 90 POINTS (out of 100)..HAHA I’m evil=P
Our own trick or treat!!
We had our very own little Halloween party..TREATS FOR DINNER!!! NUTELLA <3<3<3<3!!>nThe others..
They still continued to eat the Nutella filled with our saliva!!HAHA sorry girls=P
My partner in crime
More Nutella?! How about Christmas?=P
Makeshift plates for the party!!
Florence Town Hall-Palazzo Vecchio
Piazza della Signoria
One of the bigger piazzas..actually I think it’s the main one as it houses the Town Hall..We went there early in the morning, & it was buzzing with many tour groups already…Told you it was a tourist-filled city!
A "raping" Statue
..one of the few in the piazza.
Palazzo Entrance
Galleria degli Uffizi
Aka The Uffizi Gallery..known for being the most crowded museum in Italy..
Some random lion stone
I got told off by this old man for resting on the slab which this lion is standing on!! HELLO, EVERYBODY WAS DOING IT!!!grrrrrrr…US AGAIN=D
scoot-free?
You know how you watch movies/shows where Italian guys will sweep some girl off their feet on their little oh-so-cute scooters..Then he will scoot around the cities so freely with the girl hugging him tightly & leaning on his back..Scoot till the sun sets..etc…At least that’s the image I have..But when you come to Italy, you know all that is not true! I didn’t really see many people riding about..Hmm I think Danish guys biking in their vintage bikes are more attractive, how about that?=PPonte Vecchio across Amo River
The most popular bridge in Florence..There are many jewellery shops on the bridge selling mainly gold & silver..& expectedly we skipped all of them..haha
Looking down Ponte Vecchio
Because of the many stores that take up 2/3 the space, the bridge is very narrow..so being the most popular bridge in Florence, there are A LOT of people on this very narrow passageway..so not fun! Especially at the centre of the bridge where people can take photos of the Amo River..OVERKILL!!! So difficult to take one photo there without any random head popping in! Locks locked
On the bridge, there is this statue head with a little railing fence around, & there are many many locks locked on the railings..Almost all are like “locks of love” with the couple’s names on it..Maybe some good luck thing? Hmm…Read the words!
Hilarious thing is…there is this plate that states “IT IS NOT ALLOWED TO PUT LOCKS ON THE RAILING”..Did they do it on purpose? Haha..Im surprised they didn’t cut all the locks up! I think if this is taking place in SG, say bye-bye to all the love-locks?
Amo River
I managed a headpopper-free photo on the bridge!! Probably because my head is already taking up 2/3 the photo, there is no space for another!!!HAHA..but I think the picture is quite nice..love the water behind=)
Pitti Palace
Another disappointment..This is suppose to be a PALACE (used-to-be)!! It looks like a huge-ass library building..Okay why should I be surprised anyway? Hmm…maybe it was just one of the small palace which is not of not much importance?
Huge eyes!!
What do we do when waiting for lunch to be served?!
Michelangelo
We almost missed this statue..It was not on our itinerary (my bad)!! Then we got abit curious/suspicious when we start noticing many “little Michelangelo-s” in the souvenir stores..He got to be somewhere!! Ta-da!View from Piazzale Michelangelo..
Climbing is ALWAYS worth it!!=D
Flower Power
On the way down from Piazzale Michelangelo, we started picking pretty pink flowers & camwhoring with them..Stucking them into our hair etc…I think we spend more time at that weed/flower-wall than at the Piazzale itself!!HAHA Is the wall bare already? View, Me, Flower=)
Flower pinned
I sat there for a good 10 minutes (?!), as YJ & BX were SNAPPING THE TOP OF MY HEAD, trying to test out some colour picking effect on their Canons..
When the horses go round..
I miss sitting one of these..This was in the Republic Square..I wonder if its perpetually there.Certain nights, they will put pink feathers on the horses heads (so-pretty!!)..Totally random=P If only it was free!!!Lift squashed
The small lift that brings us up to our hostel..but its still bigger than the one in city-sleepin=PThe reception
This hostel was more of a apartment..The owner basically “rented” her rooms out to budget travelers (like us)..So there was no proper reception, just this huge armchair where the woman will sit when she is even around..Rushing for time?
Some random vandalism on the train station walls which I saw while waiting for our train to Venice!! Zebras just attract me!!=D
My one-souvenir -per-place from Florence
Not my favourite city, but one of my favourite souvenir!!! So like I mentioned earlier that SHOPPING IS GOOD IN FLORENCE..many many markets..& they are NOT some wet food markets..They are like flea markets (?), selling mostly LEATHER GOODS!!! If only I could buy more, if not for budget issues & BAGGAGE WEIGHT LIMIT [damn the budget planes]!! So anyhow, I saw quite a number of bags that were oh-so-gorgeous, but they were not very practical to lug all the way back to SG..especially my the vintage bag=((( I was like 80% tempted to buy it already! Price was good; fab quality; beautiful design; different from my other bags…BUT it’s a hard bag..HOW TO BRING BACK?!=( All the whining & angst aside…I was determined to find a leather product for a souvenir..DUH. Since I had to put my hands off those too-huge-bags..a wallet will make the cut! I wanted either a vintage brown or bright-coloured one…& after much picking&pointing&bargaining, I decided on this pretty reddish-pinkish one..& I haven’t regret yet (hopefully never!)..Im excited to use it when I get back to SG!!!=D [plus point- the stall-owner gave us really good deals!! About ½ the ave price compared to other stalls for EXACTLY the same products!! Hurrays to being Singaporeans!!!=D]
So a nice souvenir definitely made this trip to Florence NOT SO BAD afterall..& of course it stamps a tick to my 9th destination on Wanders Wonders!!!=D
More pictures can be viewed HERE.