Interrailing Chapter 4 | Rome

Following up on my previous post, in this next post I will be discussing the final part of my adventure in Italy; Rome. Roman history - one of the reasons I expect many people visit Rome, and something I too couldn't wait to witness. During our pleasant stay at The Yellow Hostel, again we got to see pretty much everything we hoped to  during our time in this marvellous city including: the Colosseum, the Vatican the Roman Forum and the Trevi fountain. Again we struck lucky with this hostel as not only was it pretty central, it was cheap, friendly and they had their own bar which was perfect for grabbing a quick drink or breakfast in the morning. I would definitely recommend checking it out if you are thinking of visiting Rome.

So what did we get up to in Rome and what's worth paying a visit? Well let me start by telling you - there's plenty to see and do. I would probably be here all day if I started listing all the things you could do so I will let you in on some of the things you shouldn't do. One thing I must start by saying is that the underground system in Rome is not the best. The attractions are not clearly listed like they are in Paris and therefore it's not as easy to navigate your way around. However, if you are visiting Rome for a few days then this will be your best point of call. If you are like me and want to be certain that you are going in the right direction then I would recommend double checking with the locals! 

The Trevi Fountain

Just a tad wet after the torrential downpour...

Another fantastic way of seeing this enchanting city is by an open top bus. Yes I know what you're thinking-typical tourist, but when it's pouring down with rain and you haven't got a clue where you are going, paying twenty euros or so to jump on a bus which takes you to every sight in Rome makes it all seem worthwhile. Unluckily for us, it was freezing again and raining too - we got absolutely drenched. Probably not the best idea to sit on the top but I surely didn't want to miss out on any of the sights, rain or no rain! Joking aside, I must say, the weather did have a big impact on our time in Rome. I didn't think I would be getting my rain mac out, certainly not in this city! But it just goes to show-you cannot rely on the weather not even in sunny Italy...

After a just about bearable tour of the city, we decided to jump off at the Vatican. Again this wasn't the best idea as it was Easter Sunday the weekend we were in Rome and because of the rain, everyone wanted to take shelter, literally anywhere... I knew there would be a queue but I wasn't prepared to wait three or more hours in the pouring rain so we decided to jump the queue and grab ourselves a tour guide. This was pretty easy going even though the reception at our hostel told us otherwise. Yes, you can always rely on the wonderful tour guides standing outside the attractions on the lookout for vulnerable tourists. I am always very weary of anything like this, I hate the thought of being scammed but luckily it was all legit and after a half an hour introduction we finally got ourselves in the warm.

So another tip here - if you want to avoid long tiresome queues it may be worth paying that little bit extra for a tour guide. This way you not only cut the horrendous queues, you actually get to learn about the different attractions and are not just standing there wondering what an earth you are meant to be looking at. This I found was particularly useful in the Vatican and the Colosseum as neither of them had any signs to explain what each room/feature was. When you have an expert on hand explaining all the ins and outs, you can sit/stand back and take it all in. Now as I may have mentioned in my last post, I am not the world's biggest religious person, neither do I take an interest in the Pope's affairs. However, I must say the Vatican was a very special place indeed. The fact that it is a separate city to Rome is something, but only when you get inside do you realise the complexity of such place. Hundreds and hundreds of rooms all surrounded in beautiful art work. I think we managed about 40 on our tour but as our tour guide said you would be there for weeks if you were to study each one. Our tour of the Vatican lasted for a good three hours and by the end I was ready to get of there. It was awfully busy and there was an awful lot to take in but still well worth a visit especially if you are a fan of the pope.

Inside the Vatican

Just look at that detail - a glimpse of the stunning artwork on the ceilings

Michelangelo in all his glory

During our tour not only did we have the chance to visit the wonderful Vatican museums, we also got to experience the beautiful Sistine Chapel and the Vatican's gardens. Unfortunately the Basilica of Saint Peter was not open to visitors on the Easter Sunday weekend but this didn't really bother me too much as I was already exhausted. Overall, I think we definitely tried to fit too much in during our trip. We were soon to feel the effects of hours of endless walking as soon on our return home. I for one was aching for weeks! Luckily we had two full days in Rome to check out all the sights and the following day the sun decided to make an appearance just in time for the Colosseum.

Luckily we didn't pay the Colosseum a visit when it was raining

Inside the masterpiece that is the Colosseum

A better look at the beauty

Roman history in its finest form - this place was truly remarkable. I actually shocked myself at how much much I enjoyed it. Along with seeing the wonderful Colosseum, on the second day we also had a guided tour of the Roman Forum which again exceeded all my expectations. If you are a fan of Roman History or simply want to see some amazing architecture then I recommend you get yourself down to Rome ASAP! It was amazing to see so many of the vital foundations of these buildings still standing - you could really picture how it used to look all those years ago. It's crazy to think they used to have so many gruesome battles and these buildings played such an important part of Roman life. I must note, I am a huge fan of the theatre and anything performance related so for me this was bound to be one of my highlights of Rome..

One of the many temples in the Roman Forum

The Roman Forum at a glance-breath taking

The Colosseum from afar

The Pantheon

After a hectic two days exploring all that Rome has to offer which also included the spectacular Pantheon (see above), we finally got to sit down and enjoy our last meal in the big city. This time we decided to go all out in one of Rome's finest restaurants and what a delightful evening we had. As the famous saying goes; when in Rome... I think the pictures below pretty much sum it up. I don't recommend you reading the rest of this if you're hungry.

One of the best salads I've ever tasted-King prawn and avocado

Another delicious Italian pasta 

So there you have it. Besides the torrential rain and the countless hours of walking, it was great to finally see Rome. This was the place I held the highest hopes for out of everywhere on our trip and it certainly didn't let me down. In terms of size, I was quite shocked as Rome wasn't as big as I thought it would be but still more than enough to do in a couple of days. I will definitely be paying a return visit to Rome when I'm older as I am sure I will appreciate it even more so then but for now I will say Ciao!

L.A
xox

Interrailing Chapter 3| Milan Fashion

So here we are at the favourite part of my journey; Italy. Following up on my previous post, I am now going to share with you the third part of my wonderful trip. Words can't describe how beautiful this country is. Fortunately for us, we got to spend the majority of our time here during out three week trip exploring the likes of the Roman forum, the Colosseum, the fashion of Milan and the jaw droppingly beautiful Florence. 

We started off in Milan. Now for those of you who love shopping like myself you may be feeling slightly envious as you read this. However I don't want to disappoint any of you fashionistas out there. Why you may ask? Well I was really looking forward to visiting Milan. Shops, shops and more shops. What isn't to like? Yet Milan disappointed me for many reasons. Not only was there not a lot to do or see, it didn't have a very pleasant atmosphere. To say it is one of the fashion capitals I expected so much more from this potentially magnificent city, but instead I got so little. Not helped by the fact that we were staying in the ghetto of course and had just been travelling for 18 hours from Barcelona. This includes a five hour wait outside a freezing cold train station in the middle of France (don't ask). Yes, unfortunately Milan is so not all about glamorous shopping, it has its deprived areas too! To say there was not a supermarket or restaurant in sight near our hostel would be an understatement. Our hostel was fine but this didn't make up for the fact that it made false promises. Located in a lively built up area.. I think not

Luckily we were only staying for one night so we made the most of the time we had and headed straight to the shops; central Milan. Window shopping-I've never been the world's biggest fan. I adore my clothes as much as the next fashion blogger but when you have a strict budget and a small rucksack then maybe coming to Milan isn't the brightest idea. I wouldn't be able to put Milan on the same level as Paris or London for it's sense of fashion because it's simply incomparable. Some wonderful shops but maybe somewhere to visit when you meet a rich man ladies. One thing is for certain though, they do damn good ice creams. Yes, I think Gelato may be my new guilty pleasure!

Central Milan

The wonderful Duomo

The best Gelato in the whole of Italy

Fashion' finest

Window shopping in Milan may make you want to cry..

The student hub where our apartment was located

I don't think I will be coming back to Milan in a hurry which is a shame as it does have a lot of potential. Maybe if I had a bit more money and time to really appreciate it then I would have enjoyed it more. If its any consolation the train station is really pretty, just watch out for the gypsy ladies who will try and con you out of money! In terms of safety this was something Milan failed on. I would definitely recommend checking out the Duomo as this was stunning. That's one thing you wont be deprived of in Italy, beautiful churches and cathedrals. There are also plenty of museums and apparently some pretty nice canals which we didn't get to see so if you are paying a visit to Milan, I would recommend you start looking up things like this to do in advance! 

Next up Florence and what a treat I have in store for you...

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Interrailing Chapter 1 | Paris

So just a couple of weeks ago I embarked on a two and a half week trip around Europe by train and what an experience I had. Along with my best friend, we visited a total of 8 different cities (some of the best cities in the world some would argue) and saw a multitude of sights that I could only once dream of.

Why I decided to bring this hat along I will never know...

Starting off in Paris, the Fashion capital (along with London and Milan of course), our journey began. We stayed in an apartment in the Noisy-Le-Grand area right next to Disneyland Paris and only a short walking distance from the Bry-Sur-Marne train station. It was a quiet area with not much going on, perfect if you want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. We had a very pleasant stay here at the City Residence apartment. There's no denying that it wasn't the most 'glam' of apartments but as we were essentially being 'travellers' for the week we did not expect anything more. In terms of having somewhere to lay down after a day of tiresome sight seeing, this was perfect.

Our not so glam apartment

Now for those of you who haven't visited Paris before or are not in touch with the underground service, you will soon realise that getting around at first can be a bit tricky. However, after a couple of interesting journeys to say the least you will soon get the hang of things. I have to thank my best friend Erica for most of the navigating though! In fact one of the most stressful things about this trip was the constant lack of direction after we had arrived in a new city. We had to rely on locals to find our way round which isn't the easiest of tasks when they can't speak a word of English! Yet for me one of the best things about Paris were the people. They were so kind and welcoming, not the sort of reaction I expected really. A big shout out especially to the little man outside the train station selling the delicious fruit (I didn't catch your name). You were a very happy chap indeed and enabled us to find our first accommodation and the supermarket. For that I am forever grateful...

In terms of getting into central Paris, this took us around 15 minutes in total which wasn't too bad considering how far it looked away on the map! During our stay the weather of course decided to take a turn for the worst but this didn't surprise me one iota. As we were essentially living out of a small rucksack for a couple of weeks, there was no chance of me fitting in any warm clothing hence why I nearly ended catching pneumonia sitting on an open top bus. Not the best idea we but all part of the experience I guess. An open top bus of course being another great way of getting around Paris and making sure you don't miss any of those all important sights. In terms of cost we definitely found Paris was up there with the most expensive city we visited on our travels, but again this was expected from such a popular tourist attraction. 

We did start off trying to budget opting for the cheaper meals (not so cheap in comparison to the UK) including a McDonald's and a very basic steak and chips from a Bistro. However, we found further into our trip that paying that little bit extra for food was definitely worthwhile.

Everybody needs a bit of Louis Vuitton in their life

The joys of our open top bus- Arc de Triomphe

Notre Dame

The infamous Eiffel Tower

Lock your love away on Lovelock bridge

So all in all Paris was truly amazing. I fell in love with this City from the moment I set eyes on it and even after spending a couple of weeks exploring the likes of Rome and Barcelona for example, I have to say this was possibly my favourite place we visited during our trip. Not only did it have so much history, there was such a vibrant atmosphere and so much to do, much more than you expect. You could easily spend a week here and not get bored which is probably what I am going to do next time I visit, once I have saved up the pennies again! I have heard so many great things about Paris in my time but it's not until you actually visit it for yourself that you realise how truly beautiful it is. 

Is it better than London? I woild say so. Its very similar in terms of size and things to do but its just so much prettier and the people are much more sophisticated, the men especially ladies. What's not to like? From the tacky musicians on the underground hoping to catch one of the tourists vulnerable eyes to the luxury shops and extortionate restaurants, the city of love is a place for everyone to enjoy. 

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