I‘ll be honest, I fancy a trip. However, not just any trip but a trip through
space and time and I would love for you all to come with me. You see, I’ve been watching a lot of Doctor
Who recently and I thought it would be fun to travel through space and
time. Alas, since I don’t have a TARDIS,
I’m just going to have to use my memory for this (bit disappointing, eh?). You
see, I’m going to talk about Christmas, as I actually haven’t done that yet. Don’t worry, I’m not going to sit and talk
about how I ate a lot of Christmas cake, drank copious amounts of wine/beer and
saw my friends (which was awesome – ed). No, I am going to discuss my short trip to
Italy to visit my sister…this is meant to be a travel blog after all. That’s the only reason.
.
..
…
Ok, fine! You’ve
caught me! I actually have a secret
agenda…you see, I plan to apply for a World of Nomad Writing scholarship where I
will get paid to travel to Beijing for two weeks to write for the Lonely Planet
guide and I want to practice a little. I
don’t know if I can write well enough to win the scholarship but I’m going to
have to try. So, I ask nay beg: if you
have any advice, feedback or constructive criticism, please share it with me so
I can stand a chance.
Now that my begging is done, let us start, so gather round
children. I’m going to tell you a story.
You see, as my sister was leaving almost immediately after Christmas to
travel to New Zealand, she had suggested I take a few days to fly over to Italy
(where she lives) and visit her, which I thought was a great idea. I had been before, so it meant I could have a
relaxed time wandering around Verona. So, I packed my bag and caught the first plane to Verona that I could (Ok, I actually had pre-booked the flight but
this sounds better – artistic licence ed).
Upon arrival, I collected my bag, got questioned by airport security (I
guess I look dodgy) and then promptly got confused, lost and panicked.
An auspicious start to say the least. Well, what happened was that
my sister had told me to give her a call when I landed and told me where to
stand for pick up. However, I couldn’t
quite work out where she meant and my phone had died due to a dodgy
battery. Faced with being stranded at
the airport, I did what any solo traveller would do: I panicked then improvised. Collecting myself and after trying every
possible phone booth I could see and any wifi that I could try and connect to,
I suddenly had an idea. As I carry an android
tablet with me when travelling and my phone is android, perhaps I could charge
my phone via android! So, I started
fiddling about with various wires (perhaps
not my smartest move in an airport) and held my breath as I plugged my
phone in…and thankfully, the phone screen lit up and I could eventually get in
touch with my sister.
After this
rather stressful event, it was straight home for some homemade fajitas (delicious),
some beer and a few episodes of Modern Family as I spent the night chatting and relaxing with my
sister and her flatmate Andy. All in
all, it was a great first evening where I was able to catch my breath and just
recharge my own battery (and my phone
battery as well).
So, the next morning – long after my sister had gone to work
– I emerged from my cocoon of a bed to a warm haven that protected me from the wintery
outside that I would soon have to brave.
Following a breakfast of black pudding (it needed finishing), toast and
coffee and an episode of Modern Family, I opened the curtains and was greeted
by this view:
You see, although she works in Verona, she actually lives in
a small village/town near Verona and the views are absolutely beautiful. Situated on a hill, the village itself covers
the entire side with one long road winding all the way from the top, down to Lake
Garda itself, ending in a beautiful harbour that, as it was Christmas, also had a
rustic and small Christmas Market. Now, after a scenic
walk down to the bus stop complete with some beautiful architecture, it was
time for a bus journey to the main act: Verona itself.
As ashamed as I am to admit it, I got lost again after
arriving in Verona. Now, whilst I do
take responsibility for this, I had been dozing on the bus as we arrived at a
bus stop and suddenly everybody got off.
Naturally, like the sheep I appear to be, I got off assuming this was where
I was supposed to be. Amusingly enough, it turned
out to be exactly where I needed to be but I ended up heading off in the wrong
direction, hence getting lost.
Eventually, after being phoned by my sister, I was guided to where I was
supposed to be: Piazza Bra and the Arena.
Whilst I had been here before, just being near this historical landmark took
my breath away and allowed me to feel like I had travelled back in time…even if it
had been decorated with a massive, white shooting star…and has a merry-go-round
right next to it.
After a short period gazing at this monument to time and
wandering through a few stalls in the area, I headed off to the place I really
wanted to see: the Christmas Market. Set in another, smaller Piazza, this
Christmas Market had all the usual stalls you would expect e.g. decorations and
hats and some of the more unusual ones e.g. dried meat. Embracing the Christmas spirit, I felt it was
my duty to have a mulled wine or two and a bratwurst as I wandered round. Naturally, I carried my duty out to the
letter and enjoyed this warming combination whilst playing a game called 'what's that meat?'.
After an afternoon of Christmas shopping, I was picked up by
my sister (I didn’t get lost this time)
and we drove back to her flat before heading out for dinner at a local
restaurant that Andy and her frequent.
Here, I was able to experience duck carpaccio with balsamic vinegar and
spaghetti with garlic, chilli and oil. I
can honestly say that this was one of the best meals I’ve had in years, with
the spaghetti dish having been added to my cooking repertoires for its
simplicity and deliciousness. I even
tried a pizza with shredded horse meat on it, which was new to me (although, in
the wake of the horse meat scandal, may not have been the first time). This was just a simple restaurant up the road from my sisters flat but with such high quality food: a real testament to good Italian food.
Next day, I decided not to travel to Verona. Instead, I decided to enjoy the immediate
surroundings and the fact that, despite being the middle of winter, it was a
warm day made it all the more better. First up was the German War Cemetery
that Andy recommended. Perhaps a
slightly sombre way to start the day but it was interesting to walk through the
area where over 20,000 German soldiers had been buried. I didn’t take any pictures of the cemetery
itself but here is a picture of the view from the top.
Again on recommendation, I took a leisurely stroll along the
banks of the beautiful Lake Garda to the next village. As it was a working day, there were only a
few joggers and dog walkers along the path which meant I could really appreciate
the calm and quiet of the lake. There is
just something serene about being able to sit in the grass and stare over the
lake whilst being surrounded by forested mountains. Arriving in the next village (can’t remember the name. Pfft amateur – memory ed), it was revealed to be similar to where my sister lived but this one actually had a small ice rink
next to the harbour which was filled with town people. After wandering around the village, I sat
down for lunch with parma ham before heading back to my sisters for some home cooked ribs,
beer and modern family.
Finally, my last full day was spent back in Verona where I
wandered through the streets again and once again succumbed to the temptation
of mulled wine and bratwurst, this time with sauerkraut. Sweet mother of Jupiter, why have I not tried this before? It's a topping from Valhalla! After a nice and quiet day looking at the various
different markets (not just Christmas markets) and through the stores, I then decided to end the day by eating a donut about the size of my head covered in Nutella. Then, it was time to head back
to my sisters' for some pizza (how could I not?) as my sister packed and I helped tidy up. Next day, it was just a lazy day before heading to Verona to for a quick lunch and to meet my sister before flying home.
Now, whilst it may not have been the most action packed
holiday, it was a good opportunity for me to spend time with my sister; enjoy
myself whilst relaxing; and enjoy the Christmas spirit in a different country. If you’re looking for a beautiful city to
wander round, with good food and culture, you could do a lot worse than Verona
and its surround towns.
Pick of the Week
BBC Good Food - Well, as much as I love cooking, I need a good supply of recipes to keep me entertaind and BBC Good Food has supplied many a good meal to me. In fact, Good Food books were one of the first recipe book set that I ever used and I still use them to this day. The books themselves come in various categories e.g. one-pot dishes, curry, vegetarian but the website comes with every possible category you can think of. Not only that but it suggests good sides, a place to buy the ingredients and you can add recipes to your virtual binder as well.
Music of the Week
If you're looking for a pick-me up song and you enjoy nostalgia with a twist, check this out: Turisas - Rasputin. Despite being a metal band, this is one of the funkiest songs I've heard and, in my opinion, surpasses the original.
That's it from me folks. Perhaps not my best piece but it was from over 4 months ago, so I had to think hard. Regardless, I'm going to work on my application for the writing scholarship this week, so wish me luck!
No comments:
Post a Comment