Touring the West (Part 1)

Shall now give more insights on the 16 day tour of the great West, Europe.

From the start, it was obvious that this would be the most hectic trip ever for me because of the train schedules and itnereries on the list. Time was of the essence during this 'short' vacation. The moment we landed at Heathrow airport in London, the clock started ticking. It was go go go from here. First up was to get to Waterloo train station from Heathrow via train where we would then be able to take the Eurostar train bound for Paris, France. It was an agonising 45 min ride to Waterloo via the Tube as we had not completely adjusted to London time, which was 8 hours behind Singapore. Thus, it was tiring to have to step it up after an uncomfortable 12 hour plane ride from Singapore. Nevertheless, spirits were high and the mood was not dampened by jet lag. Very soon, the camera was flashing and eyes were popping from seeing the 'beautifully designed' train stations in London. Nothing very spectacular to be honest, just a train station.

So that's spectacular? You bet not... Just a view from the underground train station at Waterloo

That was the start of a journey of discovery of the sights, sounds and wonders of Europe, mainly France, Italy, Switzerland and London.

It was as if time had stopped. Or maybe we were lost in a time zone or something. Travelling to 3 countries in a single day feels as if one day has 48 hours. Just imagine crossing borders 3 times and experiencing different cultures, sights and sounds. Quite unique. Anyway, final destination was Rome, Italy via the overnight sleeper from Bercy, Paris.

Earlier, a good friend of ours warned us of pickpockets in Italy and true enough, it happened to us. But luckily, God was there to protect us. The syndicate, comprising of two ladies and a baby dropped the wallet at the last possible moment after a local lady chased them away. That was a close shave indeed. If the inevitable had happened, we would be a couple thousand dollars poorer. Moral of the story: Beware of strangers and pray to God for protection.

One thing I noticed about Italy is it's rich history. The Colosseo, Monumento A Vittorio Emmanuele II and the Vatican City are two great examples. The Colosseo, a monumental marvel of engineering in the 8th century AD, accomodated close to 50, 000 spectators and measures 186m by 144m (oval shape). It is the home of gladiators and took a mere 8 years to complete which was unbelievable during those days, considering the state of technology during that time. Made of limestone, it housed people after the Roman Empire collapsed. Currently, 98% of the ruins have been recovered though a mere 2% of the recovery process is ongoing.

Rumor has it that the Vatican City even has a secret underground passage which leads to the Monumento A Vittorio Emmanuele II, a magnificent and majestic building. It's purpose was so that the Pope could escape in case of an attack on the Vatican.

Below are photos taken of the 3 places mentioned above. Hope you get a feel of how large the place is and hopefully it would inspire you to visit it next time.

Monumento A Vittorio Emmanuele II. View from across the road.

The Colosseo, from inside. The entire floor covering the basement has been destroyed. The partially covered floor at the far end is a restoration.

The church where the Pope makes his speeches from (Balcony Window, right in the middle) in the Vatican City.

Another highlight is the Leaning Tower of Pisa, as it is famously known around the world. Apparently, it has been refurbished, cleaned and restored bit by bit over many years. Bad engineering caused it to tilt at an angle. The ground on which the tower stood on consisted of soft sand which was sorely overlooked by the engineers during those times. However, the buildings around it are built on hard rock. So its an anomaly.

Leaning Tower of Pisa in the town of Pisa, Italy. Does it really tilt that much?

Actually from this angle, it does not.... But from afar..........

It certainly does when put side by side with another building! An illusion? Maybe.... I bet David Blaine has better tricks....

To claim that you have gone to Italy, you must have visited Rome and Venice at least. So that was the last place we visited in Italy, the floating city. Also known as the sinking city, Venezia, as affectionately known by the Italians, is a marvel in itself. The main mode of transport is by boat and the streets are really narrow, definitely not wide enough for a car to pass through. During Feburary each year, the 'Mask Festival' attracts over a thousand visitors from all over the world, dawning their fancyful masks and partying in the narrow streets. It usually lasts for a month.

Narrow, isn't it? That's how 'wide' the waterways are in and around the city.

Can you figure out what that means? The words are in four different languages, Italian, English, French and German. Try guessing the order which the languages are in......

A Gondola, a popular mode of transport for tourists with fat wallets!

That's it for Italy. Guess how many days we took to cover all these places? (visited Firance, another city in Italy also)

Stay tuned for Switzerland, Paris and London in the next edition.

PS: Comments are welcome!