Love conquers all in ‘piccolo Roma’

Since arriving back in Europe I’ve become mesmerised by what they call the ‘public transport’ system.

No matter how many miles lie between cities, towns, and villages on this vast expanse of land, there seems to be some conceivable way of reaching your final destination.

Land locked areas of beautiful countries, which were once sealed from my explorations, are now easily accessible – and wondrous sights and historical monuments can now be reached and enjoyed.

What is most galling is that these veritable treasure troves can be accessed in less time than it used to took myself and my crew to reach the end of the harbour!

After a wonderful stretch in Milan, I’m back aboard the train for my next adventure.

Toowist has assured me that in a few short hours, I’ll disembark in Verona – one of Italy’s most beautiful cities.

On my journey to this new unknown city I pass by sprawling mountains and vast expanses of lush trees and green field, I really am in a different world to the fast-paced lifestyle of Milan.

Stepping off the train, and following advice from my trusty guide (it hasn’t let me down yet, and why change a good thing?) I wander along the cobbled streets, seeking the dream which most young people have searched for at some point in their fragile lives – love.

Verona is labelled as the city of amore, and I’ve chosen a beautiful September evening to visit this fair place.

In the dark and crisp night air, it really is possible to believe that the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet is true.

Set on the streets of this Italian mecca, the Shakespeare tale, penned after my own time, is I am told very well-known to the modern world.

Steeping my mind in the pair’s tragic tale, I browse the streets to look for the famed wall where people whisper their hopes and dreams that they will someday find their one true love.

Based on a family feudwhich occurred in the area in the 13^th and 14^th century, the play, written by the Bard in the 16^th century is an interesting take on Italian culture – and one which I have learned rather a lot from.

Aside from immersing myself in stories from yesteryear, I am also thoroughly enjoying my time in piccolo Roma.

Verona was given this title – which translates as Little Rome – for its importance in the imperial days.

I am also thoroughly enjoying the food on offer here. The rich texture and deep sauces are a far cry from the water, vinegar and sea biscuits we were used to on the Santa Maria.

With a grand selection of Italian cheeses, pastas, warm bread and fine wines on offer, I truly am at home delving into the plethora of tantalising tastes found in the many quaint restaurants in this picturesque city.

Toowist has led me in the direction of the town’s oldest quarter – a hidden gem of divine meals, and even better hospitality.

I have two nights in this vintage city – and several more monuments to visit.

However, for now, I think I shall enjoy the soft setting of the sun, and the inviting night air which offers the hope that tomorrow shall be an even better day on my travels…

 

Muddling in Milano

After an exciting adventure in Barcelona, I can safely say that I am unlikely to forget my time in one of Spain’s most beautiful cities. Never before have I seen such a wonder as La Placa De Le Seu – although I think perhaps the Nou Camp may come a close second.

Attending a football game was a new experience for me – and one which I feel I may repeat.

An elated evening with the fans of FC Barcelona left me hungering for more adventure – so I’m off to Milan.

 Travelling the 12KM back to Barcelona airport via local bus, it took just 25 minutes and a 5 Euro fare before I stepped through the doors of the departure lounge.

A marvel, really, when you consider that I would have spent all that time and more, several hundred years ago simply preparing my ship to leave port.

After being hustled through a large metal machine which I’m told is part of the security process, I am asked to open my bag for a quick search.

This is certainly new. Aboard my ship, security was as simple as looking a man up and down. If he looked respectable, he joined the crew. If not, he was swiftly removed. However, I’m told times are different now, so I comply without question.

After a quick chat with the staff – who speak a fascinating and new localised branch of Spanish – I climb on board a shiny big airplane to experience my second journey in the sky.  I’m still stuck by the lack of space and the thought that I’m travelling in what is essentially, a tin can in the air. 

However, I am also impressed by the amount of people they have managed to fit into this craft – which is likely around the same size as the bow of my ship. And in the corner of my eye, I see a man and woman dressed smartly, and preparing a trolley. I have a feeling that we may be fed and watered on this short voyage. Excellent news.

My ticket details that this flight takes just over an hour, and I’m travelling for a good price as I booked my flights via Toowist. There were multiple options available, and I found I was spoiled for choice!

Hence I now have a rather larger budget than previously anticipated for my accommodation once I reach my destination…so I can choose a hotel rather near one of the many attractions I’ve been advised by Toowist to visit.

Touching down at Milan Malpensa, I’m graced with a multitude of options for reaching the city. I can travel via express bus straight to the financial capital of the north, or I can catch local transport to nearby Gallarate and jump aboard a forwarding train.

I decide to queue amongst a range of other travellers for the express bus, which drops me at the front of Milan’s stunning train station. The Stazione di Milano Centrale seems the perfect location for exploring this beautiful city.

 

Toowist has a vast section on Duomo – one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world. Dazzling in the morning sunlight, I join a group of tourists for a closer look at the building – which is not unlike some of the greatest treasures I laid my eyes upon as an intrepid explorer.

 

After surveying the sights and sounds of Milan from a great height, I return to solid ground to further my exploration of the city.

After consulting my Toowist guide once more, I pay a visit to Museo del Duomo to learn a little more about the history of the building.

The museum displays the 700-year-old history of the construction of the cathedral in a variety of ways, and I take great pleasure in viewing the impressive walk in wooden models, and façade designs from several centuries ago.

There are also a variety of sculptures – I’m fairly certain I’ve met a few of these great gentlemen on my previous travels.

After a day of exploring Milan, I head off to find a bed for the night – for tomorrow I shall be visiting the Sforzesco Castle.

 

Oh, the life of a traveller…

Reign in Spain

It is official: I have rediscovered my love for Spain. Vibrant and peaceful, beautiful and rugged, this stunning country has everything to offer both the seasoned (like myself) or rookie traveller.

After spending a wonderful few days in the picturesque city of Bilbao my adventurer’s feet were itching to move on to my next location. Recommendations from fellow travellers on Toowist and various other social networking sites (what a way to communicate – immediate interactions, gone are the days of messages in bottles and carrier pigeons) pointed me in one direction.

I was Barcelona-bound.

Not content with just getting travel advice from Toowist, I discovered I was even able to book my onward travel through the site – incredible! I was told the quickest way to travel to Barcelona – even faster than the train – is to fly. Fly! Can you imagine my reaction? For years I heard stories of people, who attempted to grow, make or craft wings from wood, wax and metal – and now it is a reality.

These sensational inventions are called airplanes and I was beside myself with excitement when I realised I could travel from Bilbao to Barcelona on one.

The journey in the airplane was incredible – I just couldn’t fathom how it worked. I was told by a very helpful young man, who called himself a ‘flight attendant’, that the plane was flown by a pilot who sat right up at the very front in the nose of the aircraft. Sadly I wasn’t allowed to go up there to see the mechanisms for myself but he assured me it was very impressive indeed.

After what seemed like no time at all I was back on terra firma – this time in the beautiful land of Barcelona, Catalonia

I passed through this breath-taking city just once on my previous travels but I was too busy swashbuckling my way past pirates and artful dodgers to really drink it all in. Now I was determined to take my time to explore this vast metropolitan that has become so popular with modern-day adventurers.

Another train journey (I really am becoming quite the dab-hand at this train travelling thing) later and I found myself in the centre of Barcelona. I stepped out of the Barcelona Sants railway station into a buzzing hub of activity.

With my Barcelona guide, courtesy of Toowist, open on my newly purchased iPad (really this modern technology thing is a marvel!) I set about making my way to my first destination – the Sagrada Familia, a church designed by a famous Catalan architect by the name of Antoni Gaudi. I’ve been told it is really something to behold – never completed despite the project starting way back in 1882 and it is now a registered World Heritage Site.

I was transfixed by the gothic beauty of the church. Its countless spires seemed to rise endlessly into the sky and it was hard to see all the way to the top. I had to fight through hundreds of tourists, all greedily snapping photographs from every angle, to make my way inside the church. It was spectacular and like nothing I have ever seen in all my years of travelling. I stood rooted to the spot marvelling at the incredible detail on the ceiling for what seemed like hours before finally moving on.

Inspired by Gaudi, I decided to make my way to Park Güell – the park designed entirely by the man himself. I am told it was inspired by the English Garden City Movement in the early 1900s and that Gaudi actually lived in one of the houses built on the site – but he was not the one who designed it – and it is now known as the Gaudi House Museum. Unfortunately for me it wasn’t open the day I visited the park, however if his works inside the house are anywhere near as impressive as his works outside, I can only imagine how breathtaking they would be.

And if I thought Barcelona was electrifying during the day, I have no words to describe the city at night. It just came alive, with music on every corner, dancers in the city square, people crowding into bars along every street and stalls galore selling everything under the sun (or moon as it was).

My time in Barcelona was certainly an experience – I’ve discovered a love for architecture and am finding myself being more drawn into the history of cities and countries than ever before. When I first started out on my travels I wasn’t so interested in the history of the places I came across – if they had a history I wanted nothing to do with them as I wanted to create history, not fall into someone else’s.

This time however, things are different – there is so much out there for me to learn and discover and I can’t wait for my next adventure.

The Spanish Inquisition

After buckling my swash in Adventureland thanks to some excellent Toowist travel tips, I headed back to the great Parisian mecca to continue on my travels.

Met with the smell of coffee – an illustrious drink which I tried just days ago, but now cannot imagine life without – my senses came alive as I turned toward the great plasma screen in the sky which read ‘Departures’.

Somewhat different from navigating with a map and compass, I struggled to read between the lines of orange text flashing in the distance, but finally managed to establish that in order to reach my next destination I had to find ‘Platform 4’. Or ‘Quatre’ as they say in this beautiful city.

One of the finest things about exploring this new world via untried and tested transport is that everything seems to move much more quickly – meaning that I get to try out most of the recommendations I’m given for things to do and see, as well as learn some words of a new language.

Clutching my European phrase book and jumping aboard a train – I’m finally getting to grips with this new-fangled contraption – I nestle in amongst my fellow travellers for a trip set to take almost 12 hours, but which will land me in one of my oldest haunts – a Spanish port close to that of Valladolid - the very place I hung up my original travelling hat in 1506.

When sailing on the high seas time is of the essence, and it took just weeks to travel from one land of opportunity to the next.

However, after boarding what is known as the SNFC (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français), I came to the realisation that journeys have become abnormally fast in this modern Europe, and that less people seem to suffer from the sickness.

This can only be a good thing – I lost many a good crew member to scurvy, and even more to the broken promises of chests of treasure at our destination.

There was no such problem as I pulled into the city of Irun after spending the night sleeping on this automatic invention.

However, beautiful as it was, this fair city was not my final destination for the day.

No, I was heading for the city of Bilbao. Capital of Vizcaya, in the Basque country of Spain, the city has become vast and very ornamental in my years away.

Housing many large buildings I’m told are called museums, I spent the next few days ‘Guggenheiming’ –an exciting way to use a few hours – and exploring the rich green hills of the surrounding countryside which were less plentiful many hundreds of years ago.

Thankfully I had access to Toowist – an accurate guide as to what was available to see and do. Goodness me, if this had been around in 1490, I would have wasted less time at sea, and spent more time on land!

And now that I’m in Spain, I need suggestions of where to hot foot it to.

It’s a large country you know…

Onward to the land of Disney!

Having followed the hordes of pilgrims to the amazing spectacle, which was the Olympic Park, I was mesmerized by the display that unfolded in front of me thanks to another new technology – giant rectangles which play out real life happening in a place you cannot see – mind-boggling! I believe they are called plasma screens.

I simply could not believe what I was seeing  - huge golden rings, an army of drummers and of course who could forget those magnificent explosions, bigger and brighter than I ever saw during my time on the high seas. It really was a tremendous battle, although I am not entirely sure who won – it all seemed very acrimonious. Not like in my day that’s for sure.

Of course, being an explorer at heart I awoke the next morning with one thing on my mind – travel. Luckily for me adventure was well and truly on the horizon.

 After scoffing a muffin and skinny latte at St Pancras Station (it seems the rumors of those magical coca beans were true, and who would have thought they could be ground into such a tasty, low calorie brew!) I was on my way to France.

I had traveled to this difficult and dismal land many a time during my previous explorations and have to say I found the French less appealing than most. However, I was willing to give it another shot after careful research on travel guide website Toowist had led me to another discovery - an exciting and quite unbelievable way to get to French soil – an underwater train! Who ever would have thought! Similar in concept to London’s nifty Underground yet this contraption travels under the sea for miles on end. My mind went into over drive thinking of the places and treasures I could have found had I been the captain of the Eurostar.

I have to say, the journey was far superior to navigating the wild and wily seas, and not one of my fellow crewmates succumbed to scurvy. In fact my limes remained safely tucked away in my jacket pocket. Despite this it has to be said I did miss the homely smell of sea breeze and the cry of gulls from above.

Having glided into the Gard de Nord in a miraculous three hours the wondrous Eurostar was in no time off again. You see the city of Paris was not my destination today. No, I had heard of a magical and mystical land where anything and everything was possible. A land ruled by a giant mouse and home to more princes and princesses than anywhere else on this fine earth. Yes, I was off in search of the land of Disney.

 Well all I can say is that explorers of today have it far easier than in my time. Finding the mysterious land of Disney was, well, far from a mystery. All I had to do was remain in my seat for a little while longer and my underwater vessel, which had by this time become an over ground vessel, dropped me off at the edge of this ‘promised land’.

And what a place it was! Just where to go first? I was confronted with an abundance of choices – Main Street USA, Frontierland, Discoveryland, Fantasyland, Adventureland…it was like discovering the New World afresh, only this time with burgers, French fries and the most wonderful invention of all, carbonated soft drinks…bliss.

 After a hearty lunch to build my strength I set off in search of Adventureland. I had heard of a nasty fellow who goes by the name of Hook who rules this land with an iron fist. This I had to see.

What a place it turned out to be! Not only did I survive my trip aboard Hook’s pirate ship I also rode a run-away train through Indiana Jones' temples of perils and was a fearless teammate throughout the journey to the Caribbean, defying cannonballs and pillaging pirates.  It was clear that I was victorious in my voyage. In fact, when I met the main man Hook he gave me a big hug and ruffled my hair – he clearly knows who is boss.

Well, one land down and four more to conquer…not bad work for one day. Now, where is that delightful burger stand?

A New Adventure...London Calling

I’VE discovered a lot going on in the short time since deciding to return to my travel adventure.

This week I found myself in the hustle and bustle of the great city of London – rumour has it there is a big event being held here over the next few weeks: The Olympic Games.

During my years out at sea I had come across fellow travellers from far away lands who talked of the ancient Olympics held in Greece centuries before where proud warriors would compete in the name of Zeus. I had thought this was all nonsense, although from the number of pilgrims who have already made their way to the capital of this land named the United Kingdom I seem to be the only one without a ticket!

Research tells me these modern Olympic Games started in the late 19^th century and it is a privilege to play host to the many thousands of athletes who take part every four years.

Finding my way around London has been a whole new challenge for me – those pesky gatekeepers wouldn’t allow me to sail my ship up the Thames – so I’ve had to familiarise myself with a method of transport they call the London Underground. This involves using a train – a concept I find hard enough to fathom – to transport people under the ground –incredible!

Another amazing tool I have recently discovered is the Internet! What a marvel, it allows me to research anything at the click of a button. A quick search of London on Toowist armed me with the knowledge to discover this incredible city from top to toe.

So much has changed since I last visited English shores – gone are the horse and carriages and in their place are cars, buses and a wonderful contraption called the Boris Bike! Apparently it was introduced by the Mayor of London to encourage a people making their way around the city to be ‘greener’ – although how that works I’m not quite sure, the bikes are bright blue after all. It does make me chuckle to watch people zip in and out of traffic though.

A walking tour around the city on Friday led me to Stratford, east of the city. I’m not generally one to follow the crowds, but in this instance I’m glad that I did – because I ended up at the gateway to the Olympic Games. Once again I watched history unfold before my eyes, a glittering ceremony to mark the official opening of the Games.

The atmosphere was joyous and you could feel the excitement crackling through the air like that fantastic new invention electricity. I was surrounded by thousands of people from all across the world, all there for one reason.

Thank goodness my journey led me to London at this time – I cannot imagine a more exciting place to be but I have time on my side and a whole new world to discover.

Until next time…

Christopher Columbus Sails Again...

Sailing the high seas in search of new lands and adventures, the world’s most famous explorer of all time Christopher Columbus, was top dog of the travelling world back in the 15^th Century.

Ever in search for a quicker way to get to Asia, Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain several times during the 1490’s in search of Oriental treasures; instead he headed west discovering the New World of Central America and coining the name Hispaniola – now known as the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Fast forward more than 500 years and budget airlines have solved Chris C’s biggest travelling dilemma, yet the world renowned globe trotter is back on earth to continue on his journey of discovery – 21^st century style.

Finding that all that remains of his beloved Santa Maria is her anchor on display at a museum in Haiti, Chris C has been left with no choice but to use more modern forms of transport to fulfil his quest to tour the new exciting lands which make up planet earth.

No longer able to rely on a map, compass and a good pair of sea legs, Big C has joined the technology revolution and thanks to his laptop and smart phone is able to access travel information from even the most remote of locations.

Not only that, but thanks to travel guide website Toowist Chris C is learning new tips and advice wherever he goes from fellow travellers whose guides feature on this revolutionary site. In fact, with almost 30,000 guides for everywhere from Alaska to Zanzibar, Chris will be hard pushed not to find a guide written by travellers for travellers which will suit his needs.

In this blog Chris C will share his views on experiencing the world anew as he comes to grips with everything from the modern layout of cities he thought he knew well to new, previously unfound, lands.

Of course the big question remains… will Big C ever make it east and if so what will he make of the modern version of this ‘promised land’? To answer this question you will need to read on!