February Italy Trip: Florence

Blogging on the bus again LOL I never have time to blog anywhere else!! Currently on the bus back to Strasbourg from Milan was so rushed today but I'll blog about it on a separate post hehe.

17 February Wednesday:

Had a lot to cover for Florence so YL and I started out really early with the climb up to Piazza Michelangelo. We asked for the B&B breakfast at 8 which consisted of chocolate croissants, biscottino, fruit juice and cappuccino (very Italian!). Then we walked to the Piazza which took us about 40 min maybe?? The climb was much shorter than the last time somehow I think we took a longer route that time zzz but phew! Good morning exercise haha. View wasn't as great as it was quite cloudy and started drizzling a bit when we left. 

We started walking down about 10am (thank goodness for the early start!) and the restaurant that we wanted to go to only opens at 12 so we went to the Piazza della Repubblica area to see. Went to a few other stores too. Ended up at la Rinascente because we wanted to use the toilet LOL then ended up shopping there hahaha. Went for lunch at Trattoria Casalinga again at 12 and the food was not bad but service was really slow ... The tiramisu was really good so I had 1.5 servings HAHA YL and I shared one first then I really wanted another one. We also ordered a steak but it wasn't really cooked very well like the cooking was quite uneven ... Needed the dessert to wash down the meaty taste LOL I guess I'm not a fan of steak!!

After lunch we went to see the Basilica while waiting for Brandy to open at 3.30 hahaha. It was drizzling by then so quite annoying sigh I have never seen Florence without rain even Rome didn't disappoint. Went to Brandy after that where we spent a really long time LOL I got so much stuff cause of the sale rack!!! Then came out just as the sun was setting and caught an amazing sunset hehehe.

We went back to the B&B to drop off our shopping then went out for dinner at ZàZà where we'd made a reservation the day before. Omg they had the BEST BREAD EVER it tasted like fried bread but was so soft I freaking love it!! Ordered chicken with rosemary potatoes cause I was getting a bit tired of pasta and pizza and it was really good too. Also had more tiramisu for dessert while YL got a cheesecake. All in all I can understand the rage haha it was really quite good would go back again!

Went back to the B&B after that to rest since I had a bus at 5am to catch the net morning but thankfully the B&B was really near the bus stop. The B&B that was stayed at is called Bed & Bed Peterson and it was really nice! There's only about 3 rooms but each room had like a different theme and ours was the fish room so all the deco were fish-related HAHA. The room next to ours was a love theme so they had a heart-shaped signboard hahaha. There was also cake and coffee in the lobby area hehehe and the lady was so nice! I was also able to take food with me cause of the 5am bus heh would totes go back again!!

February Italy Trip: Rome - Florence

16 February Tuesday:

Booked tickets for Vatican Museums the night before for the 11am slot so we could afford to set off slightly later than the day before. Meant to see the Palatino but we were confused and didn't realise that the Palatino and the Roman Forum used the same entrance so of course having already entered the Roman Forum our tickets weren't valid for a second entry. But it turned out to be a good thing as it took us one hour to walk to Vatican!! So had we stayed we would've been late for the 11am slot. 

The queue for the Vatican Museums were really crazy omg it was never-ending. We had to pay €4 extra for the online booking but given our lack of time it turned out to be the right thing to do. The museum was really huge and there was a recommended route (and also a shorter route) so we took the longer route. Lots of statues and ancient Egyptian stuff which was quite cool and I also really loved the architecture of the museum! We didn't have time to see everything in detail - it's so huge I don't think I would be able to finish seeing everything even if I had a week, but was pretty cool though I don't think I would go back again anytime soon as the tickets are not cheap and it's permanently super crowded.

We spent about 2.5 hours in the museum then went for lunch at this restaurant called Bella Napoli near Vatican found from Google maps again. Finally got a tomato-based pasta again but it was the thicker noodles (shucks I forgot the name) and also got desert - zuppa inglese which is basically a sponge cake with custard and liqueur (I tasted rum). It was really good and I would've liked to have another but was a bit full and we had a bus to catch. Took the metro back to the hotel to pick up our luggages before heading to the Tiburtina bus stop to take our €1 bus to Florence!

Anyway the hotel we were staying at is called Casa Cleo and it was really nice! Well not as fancy as Hotel Bled from the last time but honestly would never have been able to afford Hotel Bled if not for the Expedia mess-up lol. But this hotel was really nice too, YL booked it and it's more of a home-run hotel in an apartment building. Realised that Italy has a lot of these apartment-turned-hotel kind of things haha. We had a double room with a private external bathroom (meaning the toilet was down the corridor but it was just for us) and the people were really nice! Room was very clean and we were actually able to check-on early and they also helped us to print out Vatican tickets haha oh and one thing is most of the tickets in Italy require you to bring a hard copy. But anyway the location was good too except for the flights of stairs we had to climb to get to the 3rd floor (didn't know how to use the lift) and I wouldn't mind staying again!

The bus took about 3 hours and we arrived in Florence slightly before 8pm. Everything was closed by then and we were quite tired so decided to just go for dinner and then go back to rest. Took us a while to find our B&B because Google maps showed the location to be on the other side of the street but this elderly couple saw us and were really nice to ask what number we were looking for. The lady asked "Qual'è numero" and thank goodness for basic Italian knowledge I was able to understand and reply "venti-cinque" so she led us to the correct door!

Dropped out stuff down then walked towards to the city centre for dinner. YL's Friend had recommended a place called Trattoria ZàZà but it was really full and had a long queue by the time we arrived so we just searched for other restaurants near it and ended up going to another one called Osteria Pepo which was just a few units away. We both got a soup each and shared a steak which was quite good but nothing much special I think ... The soup was really thick more like a stew and not sure if it's just a different style but oh well!! Went back to the B&B after that.

February Italy Trip: Rome Day 2

15 February Monday:

YL had pre-booked tickets online for the Colosseum for 15 Feb so we had an early 8am start :D By the way will totally recommended booking the tickets online in advance because the queue is absolutely crazy!!! We arrived slightly past 9am so went to collect tickets for the 0930 time slot. Was really glad that we went early because the crowds started coming in around 10am but by then we were more or less done. The tours are quite expensive especially if you want to see the arena so we didn't go and just walked around by ourselves. There were lots of exhibits but being not really history people we only briefly read the descriptions ... But anyway the Colosseum is HUGE and we were lucky to have sunny blue sky weather that morning!!!

Walked around the long road with all the ruins after that and then decided to go to the Roman Forum as our tickets included entry for that and the Palatino too - so actually it's cheaper to book online because we paid €16 in all for the Colosseum and Roman Forum/Palatino (which we later discovered had the same entrance) and normally the Roman Forum alone would've costed €12. Walked around a bit in the Roman Forum and went to climb up the hill for the panoramic view :) After that we went for lunch at this restaurant that I found on Google Maps called La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali. It had good reviews so we decided to give it a try and was not disappointed! I had chicken in truffle sauce which was really good and also a change from the usual pasta and pizza, while YL ordered a pasta and a seafood platter which consisted of prawns and calamari. Apparently the seafood isn't in season now so they used the frozen ones (it's stated on the menu). I also ordered dessert - white chocolate soufflé which was the most amazing thing I've ever tasted!!! Am honestly willing to go back just for the dessert again omg!!

Walked around more after that and saw the Altare della Patria but by then it was starting to get a bit cloudy and drizzled a bit. Also went to the Pantheon (we confused that with the Palatino) then Ponte Sant Anges and Vatican City! The queue for Vatican City was crazy so we decided to visit the Castel Sant'Angelo instead. Unfortunately the reduced price only applies for EU citizens and they only do student fares for selected degrees so we paid the full adult fare. Was quite nice exploring the castle and we concluded the tour with an amazing panoramic view of Rome at sunset with the silhouette of the Vatican Basilica!

Decided that we had done enough cultural activities for the day so we went to shop at the Brandy on Via Cola di Rienzo instead LOL. I didn't buy anything for once while YL was the one who bought stuff haha. We had made a dinner reservation at this restaurant called Le Cave near Piazza di Sant'Ignazio because we'd passed by during the walking tour the day before and happened to see some English football players (?? VIP for all I know) going for dinner there with a lot of security so we reckoned it should be good. We both got pasta - I ordered carbonara while YL got a tomato-based one. I found the carbonara to be quite salty and regretted not getting a tomato-based one too. They also had this strange blown-up cracker (biscuit/pastry/crust???) appetiser which was quite cool hahaha. No more gelato was too full after dinner so we just went back straight to the hotel and that was all for day 2 in Rome!

February Italy Trip: Rome Day 1

Blogging on the bus from Rome to Florence now! Been so busy for the past 3 days in Rome so haven't had the time to update, and I realise I only ever blog when I'm travelling lol. But anyway this is the €1 bus ride from Rome to Florence thanks to Flixbus' promotion hehehe super worth deal cause usually it's €9 by bus or by train but only if you book super in advance!!

14 Feb Sunday:

Met Yilin at the hotel, checked in, showered (couldn't shower at the hostel the night before cause no hot water and flooded), then we went out. The location of our hotel was great cause it was really near Cavour metro, so it only took us about 20 min to walk to the Colosseum area. First stop as always was the Trevi Fountain! Surprisingly there was lesser people than the last time when I went in January. Then we went for lunch at L'Archetto again, which has the BEST PASTA IN ROME ever. I've been craving it since the last time! Ordered the Pasticciati again, but service wasn't as great as last time probably because it was during peak lunch timing. 

After lunch we went to get gelato from the same store - Gelateria Valentino - again and I was wondering if the store owner recognised me LOL but he smiled at us!! And gave me a slightly bigger scoop hehehe. Walked around the shopping street then went to climb the Spanish Steps! Then we went to Brandy Melville at Via del Corso LOL. Spent a while in there and I bought a black velvet dress which was on sale for €10 while YL got a top and a burgundy jumper. We also went to a few more stores like Subdued and Double Agent which all seem to have the same style as Brandy but not as nice material. Then we came across this super nice store called Sophie Charlotte which is also kind of similar to Brandy style but they had cute stuff!! YL bought a dress and I got a pencil case with cactus print on it. They had the cutest pencil cases that says "Sophie" or "Charlotte" which imo makes great gifts HAHA I wish they had it in my name too.

YL had booked a free walking tour at about 1730h so we walked towards the Spanish Steps where the meeting point was. Was a bit late cause we had to go to the toilet and the tour guide seemed a bit annoyed when we arrived slightly before 1730 but the meeting time was supposed to be 1720 for registration. But the guy was really good!!! It's called "New Rome Free Tour" and the tour lasts 2 hours. Our guide was called Stefano and he spoke really good English and had an absolutely great sense of humour HAHA and now we know how to be proper Romans LOL. Anyway will highly recommend but I think this needs pre-booking online!! 

We ended the tour at 1930 at the Trevi Fountain and after that we went to a place called Pizza Ciro for dinner which was a restaurant that we passed by during the tour. Stefano had recommended it to us so we decided to give it a try and have some pizza after having pasta for lunch. It was not bad but the serving portions were huge!!! I don't really know how to compare pizza but I think I prefer the softer ones ...

Got another gelato after dinner - went for lemon sorbet and mixed berries this time. The owners were so amused to see us go back!! I told the guy I went like so many times in January but he didn't seem to remember. Nonetheless he saw us taking photos so offered to take one for us then this random stranger man entered the gelateria and offered to take a photo of all of us but we ended up with a mass selfie instead HAHA. Walked back to the hotel after that and that concludes day 1!!

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Oops only actually just posted this on the bus back to Milan LOL but gonna type my other posts now too!!

Italy Round 2: the 19-hour journey from Strasbourg to Rome

Spent the whole of yesterday on the bus! Well almost. But now I'm sitting in a random room in the hotel that we booked waiting for YL to arrive so doing a quick post while waiting!

My bus in Strasbourg departed at 5.15AM on Saturday. Was glad that Lizzie was heading to Rome too so we were bus partners!! We took Flixbus and it was really crowded so we had to find separate seats until like Freiburg or something then many people got off including the lady who was sitting next to me, so I asked Lizzie to come over to the front. It's so weird that it's actually a Germany - Switzerland line but they stop in Strasbourg which is like the only France stop?? But anyway yeah, slept on the bus but kept waking up when it stopped at Basel and Zurich. And I finally found the toilet on the bus omg!!! It was clean but the smell was awful so didn't really want to use it much but at least now I know where it is LOL it's actually like right by the rear exit of the bus but you have to turn the knob and I waited for ages thinking someone was inside when it was empty. But at least there's one, was so awful the last time when I had to hold for hours ......... So we sat in the bus for like maybe 7 hours?? There was no stops between Zurich and Milan but the view in Switzerland was absolutely amazing!!! So much snow woop woop! And we arrived in Milan much earlier like about 12nn instead of 12.45pm so that was great.

Lizzie and I got off the bus and we rushed to find a proper toilet LOL but alas we had to pay 50c for it at the station. Bought metro tickets and got off at the Duomo and weather was great! Super sunny and blue skies and there was some major celebrations going on because there were lots of kids in fancy dress costumes throwing confetti around but I had no idea what it was for. Also got reminded of Big Bang Theory when Sheldon says the singular form of confetti is confetto to which Amy replies why would you ever use the singular form LOL okay random but I found it funny haha. Anyway Lizzie and I went for lunch at this place called Pizza Pane e Companatico near the Duomo. The pasta was cheap and I had an Americano while Lizzie had a juice so was not a bad lunch. Lizzie had a train to catch at 3pm so by the time we finished it was about 2pm so she made her way to Centrale while I went to Brandy. 

The sales have unfortunately more or less ended :( Also found this amazingly HUGE Zara and Mango hahaha I need office clothes ... Like just on Friday I bought this really nice navy blazer from Mango at Rivetoile gah I don't know why I didn't go see the sales earlier!! Brandy wasn't having much sales and I regret not buying the Klum skirt when it was 10% off but hopefully can find it in Rome or Florence!! Didn't buy anything at the Duomo Brandy but went to the one at Via Statuto and bought a long sleeve top in burgundy (it looks like the Breanne top but I don't think it is) and a necklace! Meant to go to the other store at San Giovanni too but it was already 4pm by then and didn't want to risk missing my bus so decided to forgo it and made my way to Lampugnano instead.

Caught the bus in good time and (thankfully) found the toilet for the single decker buses too LOL. We had to stop halfway somewhere near Bologna and was so confusing cause the driver only spoke Italian and the people around me only spoke German omg I missed French-speaking places and generally the feeling of knowing the language of the place. But the driver was really nice and he used Google voice translate to translate for us (I didn't know there was such a function!!!) so basically we had to stop the bus and it will leave again at 2020h. Went to the convenience store and bought some Loackers to eat HAHA. The rest of the journey was pretty smooth after that and I had data so at least had some form of entertainment but holy moly I'd spent 14 hours on buses yesterday and including my 5-hour transit that would add up to a 19-hour journey which is even longer than going back to SG LOL?!? But tbh it was so cheap (think €11) and there probably wouldn't be any other alternatives even close to that price so yeah ...

Arrived in Rome at 12 midnight, also earlier than our scheduled time of 1225h so was great. Was glad that I've already been to Rome so knew how the metro works and all so managed to make my way from Tiburtina bus stop to Termini quite easily. I'd made a reservation for a hostel and also made another stupid mistake of not checking reviews until after I'd booked ... Was actually reading reviews on the bus lol and hoping that it wouldn't be as bad as it had sounded.

The hostel that I booked was called Two Ducks Hostel. Something that I also realised about Italy is that hostels / hotels almost never have buildings of their own LOL. It wasn't hard to find but was difficult trying to figure out which apartment the hostel was in. So I went up to the 5th floor where the reception was then there was a guy there who checked in for me and then led me to another building. I'd reserved a bed in a "6-bed female dorm" and he said that all the female rooms were in the other building so okay. It was about 5 min from the main building but we went up and he showed me my room which turned out to be a 4-bed room with only 2 other girls there who were already asleep which is actually better LOL. But it was a really basic room and was only €8 + €3.50 city tax per night (a bit expensive for that standard really) so €11.50 and couldn't really expect much. I was so budget!!! But the toilet wasn't great, was really flooded and wet and smelled and no hot water :( Bed was okay, I took the lower bunk of a double decker bed but saw reviews about bed bugs so didn't change into my sleeping clothes just in case ...

Woke up at 8am when one of the girls got up but stayed in bed until 10am HAHA was so tired out from the bus journey! One girl had already left but there was another girl so we talked a bit. She's from Poland and studying here and I told her it was my first time in a hostel so she looked really surprised then told me I look really young like 17 years old LOL. Then I packed my stuff and walked to the other hotel that YL booked and waiting for her here now as I type! 

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Okay she's just arrived so we're leaving now!

Happy Chinese New Year!

It's CNY again ayeee but I'm spending CNY eve alone and in the midst of cooking instant noodles like damn sad please?!?! It's always during CNY that I wish I could be home and this is already my third CNY that I've spent abroad :'( And I wanna eat all the CNY food!! LJ and I are thinking of going out for dinner tomorrow after class, I have 7 hours of class tomorrow which is absolutely dreadful and we only end at 6pm. But we haven't decided on where to eat yet so shall see HAHA.

Anyway been so busy after coming back from Italy that I haven't posted since Milan! I came back on the 10th Sunday afternoon and K came to pick me up from the gare. Then had classes starting from 11th and was so intense because at the beginning it was still choosing modules so I basically just went for everything and was so tired. Stayed in SXB that weekend, but the following weekend I went to London from 21-24 Jan. Spent 21st Thursday running errands on Oxford Street, 22nd Friday at Bicester and 23rd Saturday with Car then prinks at night with the Wasabi gang. Took the 1am bus to Stansted because my flight was at 7am, then got back to Basel and SXB at about noon. Went for classes then left SXB again for Paris on 28th Thursday for Car's birthday weekend, and J came to join us on Friday. Was good but so rainy the whole time! Also managed to see YX before I left and managed to meet Elles and Evan for brunch on Sunday right before my train so was a nice weekend! I left my towel at YX's place though hahaha gah. Arrived back in SXB in the afternoon. Then went for another 3 days of classes and took a blablacar to Brussels to see V!! Had a mini ESPS reunion in Brussels with A and Vicky and then I took a day trip to Antwerp on Friday because my blablacar got cancelled so I booked another one which leaves in the evening/ Got back on Friday night quite late and went library a bit on Saturday and today has just been packing and sorting out stuff :D

And I've also just had instant noodles for chuxi dinner hahaha fml. K has just woken up so shall see if we can go out for some proper food (I'm still quite hungry) ...

Day 9: Milan

Omg super tired today!! Woke up at 5.30am because my train from Bologna to Milan was at 7.05am, much regrets for booking morning trains LOL but I think they were the cheapest. The train was so empty haha I guess not many people want to travel early on a Saturday morning. Check-out was pretty smooth, I just had to leave the keys on the door and make sure I had everything with me. The B&B I was staying at is called Stazione Centrale and I'd booked it via booking.com. Thought it would be a hotel at first but turned out to be a private-apartment-turned-B&B with 3 bedrooms and a shared toilet. But the location was prime hahaha it was literally right outside the station like just across the road from the exit! Less than 1 minute to go between the two LOL. Anyway I had a double room all to myself, and breakfast was provided but it was just a tray of snacks haha but suits me anyway LOL. There was also an espresso machine which I didn't use since I don't drink coffee, but there were plenty of other drinks available too even soy milk!! And I had a constant supply of juice hahaha the owner was nice even though he didn't speak much English. Also the toilet was really clean haha just that the shower was a bit weird because the water kept alternating between scalding hot and cold lol. But all in all it was quite a nice stay! If I didn't have so much luggage with me I might've picked a location closer to the city centre though haha.

Anyway, the train ride took about 2 hours and I slept a bit on the train. Arrived in Milan at 9.10am then went to drop my bags at the hotel. I was supposed to meet M at this pasticceria called Ernst Knam for breakfast so I got the bus there. It's supposed to be quite a famous chocolaterie but I guess it might be from Milan? Anyway when we arrived they didn't have tables and seats so we just bought some cakes and chocolates and went to M's place nearby to eat instead. Was a good catch-up session!

Went back to the hotel afterwards to check-in before heading out for my Brandy shopping LOL. I basically spent the whole day shopping hahaha the weather was awful anyway it was a light spray sort of rain and very foggy and visibility was like only 1km?! So there wasn't much point in sightseeing in such bad weather. I did want to visit the castle at first but I still passed by it on the way out from Brandy LOLLOL it's actually in the middle of 2 stores hahaha ... Anyway, I went to the San Giovanni store first because the last time I went on a Sunday it was closed! It's quite small but they had a lot of home stuff and deco. They also had a lot of the summer floral prints somehow and I spotted a whole rack of Eve shorts on the upper floor but alas I already have them all! Also saw a few floral Jadas and other dresses and the Jacky dress which I'd been contemplating! As well as a paisley Kiara tank. Tried on a lot of button-up shirts but they were all really oversized and not very suitable for formal occasions. Didn't buy anything from that store cause I wanted to check out the other stores first.

Went to the Via Statuto store next! They had a lot of items on 30% off in the basement but they were mostly the stuff in the autumn colours like rust orange and mustard yellow and baby blue. All the Alena dresses were 30% so they were only €19!! But I already tried the baby blue and it looks so weird on me and I've gone off Alena dresses for now so didn't get any. In the end I bought a burgundy striped Luana top that was on sale for €10! Also saw a ton of scrunchies there but I have so many already omg.

Finally went to the Duomo store after that. It was super crowded omg. They had a lot of jeans at €15 but the materials were all really thin so I didn't really want to get them. Tried on a couple of other shirts and there was a striped Peyton top at 50% for €16 but it was too cropped for me but the other shirt fitted perfectly! Then I went to the 1st floor (they have a basement, ground loot and 1st floor) and there was a whole rack of skirts at €10!!! But they were mostly the corduroy skirts with the full front zip which I didn't like and some Raquel skirts that looked way too big. Picked out an Armelle skirt in the end and got that even though it was slightly too big but I'd been eyeing it for ages! The material isn't as nice as Topshop's denim skirts though to be honest, and I think the skirt is one of the items manufactured in China. There was also a bunch of accessories on sale so I got 3 quite cute necklaces! Kind of regret not buying more omg ...

Spent ages in the Duomo store so by the time I left it was already past 5pm. Went back to the San Giovanni store as it closes at 7pm and got the Jacky dress and Kiara tank there! The Kiara tank was the last piece in store omg! It wasn't on sale but the Jacky dress had 10% off hehe. Then went to the Via Statuto store again and got the burgundy corduroy skirt with the elastic band (even though I already have the one without but this fits better) and bought the Rosa pants in olive green!! It's super comfy omg. Almost bought the Lima pants, they had the navy and olive green ones at 30% off but didn't really like the material of the pants and would rather spend the same amount on a pair of Rosa's. I really wanted the corduroy skirt in black (been meaning to get that the whole trip omg) but they didn't have it in store and the other stores would've been closed by the time I reached since it was already 7.30pm by then T_T And almost got the other Rosa's in the lightest grey but decided against it at the last minute again hahaha no fate. But my skirt!!! Aish. Also regret not buying more Rosa's when they were €25 in Florence omg. But anyway I didn't buy that much stuff!!! Still a bit of stuff to add into my luggage but hopefully will be okay ...

Anyway so that concludes my day LOL omg I need to finish packing now and super sleepy will continue tomorrow!!