Best of Liverpool [23/04 - 24/04]

E23rd April (Friday)

We arrived at Liverpool's John Lennon airport at 5.10pm via Easyjet. From there we took a bus to our hostel, Embassie Hostel. The host gave us a pleasant introduction of Liverpool and the possible places we can have our meals and sights to visit.

The Liverpool Anglican Cathedral is within walking distance from our hostel. So that is our first stop for the day. It is really huge.



A short walk further west brings us to Liverpool chinatown. This is the oldest chinatown in the whole of Europe. It seems very quiet now though...



We went on to the University of Liverpool which is also around the area. And have our dinner at one of the student hangouts there. Thereafter we walked back to our hostel.

24th April (Saturday)

We took a 20 minutes walk to Albert Dock this morning. We laze by the dock and just enjoy the view from there. There are several shops in the area so it is also souvenir buying time.



The Beatles Story is also round the area so we just checked it out. Here is the Yellow Submarine, one of the songs sang by the Beatles.



We went to check out the main Liverpool city and also the Walker Gallery round the area. Liverpool is more notable for its football team, so visiting the Liverpool stadium is something important in our plan. From a supposedly 15mins walk, it turned out to be a 1 hour journey.

There is a match against Manchester United when we were there, but it is playing in Manchester turf, so the big screen TV show the match live in the club.



We took a bus back to Mathew Street where Cavern Pub is. Many stars have performed in this club before and the most notable of which is the Beatles. Here is statue of one of the members of the Beatles.



We had dinner again at Liverpool university and get ready to leave the hostel in the evening. Our flight from Liverpool to Belfast is at 9.30am the next day, so we decided to hole up in the airport. Here we are waiting for the bus to bring us back to the airport. This also marks the end of our Easter 3 weeks plus long vacation.

Best of Côte d'Azur [20/04 - 23/04]

20th April (Tuesday) Getting to Nice
There are two trains departing from Milan to Nice daily. We took the afternoon one which departs at 3.10pm. It cost 33Euros and takes 5 hours. The train passes by the Mediterranean sea and it arrives at Nice’s Gare Nice Ville station. After spending 2 weeks in Italy, we have now arrived in France. By the time we checked in to our hostel – Villa Saint Exupery, it was evening time. We decided to turn in early and be ready to explore Nice early the next day. Nice falls under the region known as the Cote d’Azur, or the Azure Coast in English.




21st April (Wednesday) – Nice

We took a walk along the beautiful beach.



Notice that the beach consist of mainly stones and not sands. When the wave hit against the beach, the abrasion between the stones create a unique sparkling sound.




We visited the Flower market of Marche aux Fleurs, which sells lots of French produce.





And went to check out the special Russian church in the area, the Cathedrale Russe.



There is a hill in the area which offers a good view of Nice from the top, it is the Colline du Chateau.



Yachts are docked at a pier.



And me taking in the amazing sight from the top.



We got back down and went for dinner of French crusine.



We finished the day with shopping along Avenue Jean Medecin. The evening sun sets upon this lovely seaside town.



22nd April (Thursday) – Eze Village and Monaco
Our hostel owner recommended that we should check out the Eze Village (Beausoleil). It is a village made entirely of stone perched at the top of a hill. It is along the ride from Nice to Monaco so we dropped by there to check it out. The bus ride cost 2.50Euros.



There are many narrow walkways in the village, giving it a cosy and peaceful feel. Walking through, we can scent jasmine and bougainvillea. We came across sun-drenched paths, with its walls dating back to the Bronze Age. It is here where wrought iron and wild roses bushes co-exist with the stones.




At the top of the village, it overlook the Mediterranean sea. There are houses perch on the hill. This is really an amazing place for a peaceful getaway.




From Eze Village, it is another bus ride to Monaco which cost 2.10Euro.



Here is the famous casino of Monte Carlo Monaco, the Casino et Salle Garnier.



We went up to the palace area (Place Du Palais) where Prince Rainier is said to be living in now.



From there it offers a view of Monte Carlo. They are preparing for a F1 race, so notice the stands that lined up the road.



A group photo of us in the palace compounds.



23rd April (Friday) Farewell Nice
We did a bit of last minute shopping in the morning. Visited the flower market again and begin shopping for sweets and chocolates. Went back to our hostel to collect our bags. We were given a lift to the bus stop where we will take a bus to the airport. It is farewell to mainland Europe for Easter, our next stop is Liverpool.

Best of Como and Milan [18/04 - 20/04]

18th April (Sunday) - Getting to Lake Como
We left Venice early on Sunday morning. The journey from Venezia S Lucia station to the Como S Giovanni station takes 4 hours at a cost of 23Euros. Buying tickets from the train station is cheaper than the online prices. When we arrived at Lake Como, the weather was perfect and the sun is high up in the sky. The beauty of the lake is simply magnificence. Lake Como borders the alps and it has the mountain lake feel to it.



We checked into Hotel In Riva al Lago, the lady keep talking to us in Italian, thankfully my 5 chapters of Italian language helped decipher what she's talking about.

The plan for lake como is just to relax and bathe in the afternoon sun.




We took a boat ride around Lake Como which cost 5Euro.



And disembarked at one of the town.



The sky started to get foggy, this is an indication that it is going to rain soon.



We got back to the ferry and it brought us around lake como. Next we went to check out the Lake Como town centre, the Duomo occupies the central of the town.



We went for fine dining dinner which cost 14Euro. And took a stroll along the lake in the evening.




19th April (Monday) - Milan (Milano)
The next morning, we took the train from Como S Giovanni station to Milano Centrale station, it takes 40mins and cost 5Euros. Milan is the financial city of Italy and it is famous for its shopping and fashion. One point to note is that there are lots of McDonalds in the city. A five minute walk around and you will be sure to bump into a McDonalds outlet. Finding Italian food is quite a challenge for us. We placed our luggage at Hotel Demo and thereafter took the metro down to the Duomo. The Milano Cathedral is an impressive sight. Unfortunately, the front façade is currently under renovation, thus we took a photo of it from the side. Notice the jagged spires of the cathedral.



The interiors were also equally amazing.



This gate is next to the Duomo and it leads to a shopping pedestrian district.



A sheltered shopping pedestrian area.




20th April (Tuesday) - Milan outskirts

We dropped by 'The Last Supper' museum at Cenacolo Vinciano, it is said the authentic copy of the Last Supper can be found here. Unfortunately, the tickets were sold out. They only limit a number of visitors each day and reservations can be made online.

We took the metro to visit San Siro, home of the AC Milan football stadium. The horse racing stadium is also in the area.



The AC Milan stadium.



Thereafter we did the thing we were supposed to do in Milan – shopping. This is one of Milan’s famous shopping street.



While waiting to cross a pedestrian crossing, we notice a button which is ain’t there. From the discolored region, it appears many people have accidentally ‘press’ on it.

Best of Venice [15/04 - 18/04]

15th April (Thursday) Travelling to Venice (Venezia)
Venezia lives up to its name as the most beautiful city in Italy. The perfect blending of its canals and islands gives the city a unique charm found nowhere else in the world. The great Doge’s palace and Duomo are all located around San Macro piazza. And not to be missed is Valvidi’s Four Seasons. The city patron saint is St. Macro (San Macro). Venice has its share of famous names such as Macro Polo and Casanova.

We took the first train out of Florence to Venezia Mestre. The train ride takes around 3 hours and cost 19Euros. From there we took a taxi to Camping Alba D’oro which comes up to 4Euro per person. It is quite a pleasant place which easily accommodates the 4 of us in a personal hut. It comes with kitchen and personal bathing facilities.



From the camp site is a 1Euro bus ride to the Venezia isola bus station, which is on the Venice island. Venice is an ultimate maze island. I am unable to decipher the maps at all. So eventually we just follow the cardinal direction and the signs there are provided along the popular route.



The Grand Canal (Canal Grande) cut through the middle of Venice and it is the busiest waterway in the city.



Along the way, we came upon this performer who plays music just by using glasses and water.


We walked to Venice main attraction - the Piazza San Macro and its Basilica. There are many pigeons walking around the plaza.





And fine cafes where we can just sit and have a cup of cuppuccino.



A peak into San Macro side gates.



Elizabeth and Si Yu are both experts in classical music and they recommend we should attend a Vivaldi Concert on Quattro Stagione (Four Seasons).




16th April (Friday) – Venice Sights
On this day we will visit one of the main museum of venice, the Doge Palace (Palazzo Ducale). Venice was ruled by the Doges until Napoleon invasion. It is said that Casanova escaped from the prison palace via this narrow waterway.



We also visited the Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale and Sale Monumentali Della Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana.

After the sights, it is shopping around venice. Venice is famous for its Paper Mache (Carnevale masks).

There are people travelling on gondola around the many waterways.




17th April (Saturday) – Venice Sides
On Saturday morning, we visited San Banabas church where Indiana Jones uncovered the tomb of the ancient crusades in 'The Last Crusade'.

From there, we did more shopping followed by a Vaporettu ride to a outlying island - the La Guidecca island.



A view of the cathedral from the opposite island.



The Santa Maria Maggiore is the main cathedral on the island.



As evening approaches, we paid a visit to Venice fresh food market.



Seafoods dorn the many stalls in the market.



As our camp comes with kitchen facilities, we decide to prepare our own italian crusine. Here is the combined effort of the four of us.