First Trip: London
London was so beautiful! I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. To be honest, I know quite a few people who dislike London. So, when I stepped into the U.K. and realized how amazing it was, I was shocked.
Everything is very old, not old in the same style as in Ireland persay, but a distinct English style, in which everything is unique to anywhere else I've seen (except Belfast, but that of course, is owned by England...). Its a very white city, and when I say that, I'm referring to it's buildings. The buildings are all white, quite the site coming from Ireland, and before that, Pittsburgh, where everything is grey.
Sadly, I did not get to try fish & chips, as I had wanted to, but I was on a strict budget, being as the pound is almost twice the amount of a dollar. It's ok, I will try it sometime.
We got to see the big attractions, ie.: London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben & the House of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace. Surprisingly close together walking wise. Also, I had the notion that you could touch Big Ben, but it is gated in, so, that didn't happen. We also got to walk on Abbey Road, which also to my surprise, was not on a road called Abbey Road, but another street. (After finding this out, I realized this is a common mistake made by tourists, and it is kind of funny to read about online...)
Ook, so we spent 2 days in London, had a blast. Here are some photos:
Anyhow, onto Venice:
Venice is literally the most charming place that I've ever been. I fell in love instantly. Venice is of course, famous for it's canals and gondolas. The main streets of Venice are too narrow for cars, so it's fun to explore on foot.
Our group decided to take the water taxi instead of the beautiful gondolas. Although the gondolas are enticing and exciting to see, they are extremely expensive, and the water taxi got us around on an all day pass for cheaper.
So really, how could I sum up Venice? Amazing, mind blowing food. Beautiful, well dressed men. Gorgeous streets and sights. A dream.
We got by with the little Italian I know, and gesturing between broken English and broken Italian. Either way, it was a blast. We got to see Murano, famous for its beautiful hand blown glass as well.
Photos:
I honestly didn't want to leave Venice. I really didn't. I miss it a lot.
Last stop. Milan:
We honestly went to Milan in order to get a flight back to Dublin. There were no flights available out of Venice to Dublin, so we decided on a small trip (less than 12 hours) in Milan. Milan was not my favorite city, and compared to Venice, sort of seemed blehhhh. (But then again, compared to Venice, a lot of places seem blehhh.)
The cool thing is, we took a train from Venice to Milan. It was beautiful. I snapped a few pictures of the Italian countryside. The mountains were breathtaking, and I really enjoyed the ride.
We got to the hostel - which happened to be the best one we've ever stayed at - and met a girl in the same room as us named Stephanie. She was from Texas, and offered to show us around Milan in just a few hours. We happily agreed, and got to see the Duomo, the Galleria, and had a delicious dinner. Inside the Galleria we didn't get to buy anything (obviously, because...poor) but we did get to turn on the bull. In Milan, its tradition to place the heel of your right foot on the bull's testicles and turn three consecutive times. It brings wealth, health, and good fortune. Milan also does this thing where they offer you a huge drink for 10 euros (at almost any local pub/restaurant), and a free buffet with it. We took full advantage of that, and chowed down on some deeee-lish home made Italian food. Yum.
Pictures of our short 3 hour tour of Milan:
I had a really nice week away, but it was nice to be home in Carlow after a long trip. (I will miss you Venice)
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