Unfortunately, since we were unable to get on our original train to Geneva, we only had a day and a half in this city. We arrived on a Sunday and everything was closed, so we took that opportunity to just relax by the lake. Lake Geneva is absolutely stunning, the water is crystal clear and contains several different shades of blues and greens. There was a beach/grassy area near the lake where we spent practically all day just relaxing and enjoying the warm weather. It was a much needed brake during our journey……after all there are only so many old buildings one can look at before they all start to blur together.
Tag Archives: Backpackers
Tuscany
Florence, Italy was on of my favorite cities so far, it was just as nice as Venice, but in a different way. We stayed at David’s Inn hostel, which was right in the center of the city. It was a very nice hostel with recently updated furnishings and decorations. The first night we meet a guy who told us about this great spot with live music that overlooks the whole city and gives a great view of the sunset; we ended up going to this spot every night, it was absolutely gorgeous. The views were fantastic! We mainly just wondered around and explored the city, but one day we did a day excursion. We did a wine tour through Tuscany. This was probably my favorite part of the backpacking trip so far. We book the grape escape wine tour at a really good price online before we left. The tour took us to a wine tasting school first where we tasted not only wine, but also olive oils and balsamic vinegars. We learned a little bit about paring with different foods and the proper way to taste the wine. We then went to a local winery where we were taken on a tour of the production of wine. After the tour we were treated to a traditional Tuscan style lunch over looking the beautiful Tuscan countryside; we also got more wine and cheese. The tour continued with a trip to the little town of San Gimignano, where I ate the best gelato I have ever had! The little town was what I pictured an Italian town to look like. I am so glad we did this tour because it gave us the chance to explore a side of Italy that we wouldn’t have had the chance to see without renting a car.
Venice, Italy
Venice, Italy is by far the most beautiful city I have ever been to. I don’t know whether it was the winding alleyways or the narrow canals, or perhaps the food, but it is a stunning city. For the last two days we have just been exploring this wonderful city. We got lost, and that was the plan…..Well at first it was a little difficult to find our hostel, because gps apparently doesn’t work on this island, but that was part of the magic of this city. The map the hostel gave us wasn’t much help either, because the streets weren’t labeled, but I am glad they weren’t. We wondered all around the island and somehow always ended back up in the same spot. No matter how far we traveled we always seemed to find our way back to the main square without even meaning to. The food was fabulous as well. The gelato was probably the best I have ever had, I couldn’t tell you the name of the place, but the flavor I tried was Nutella, which is impossible to mess up by itself anyway. Despite it being rainy today, the streets were just as beautiful to explore non the less. I can honestly say that I am in love with this city and can’t wait to go back one day.
southerner2londoner 