ROME

ok ok - so I havent up dated in sooooooo long... you see sometimes its just too hard to turn on the laptop d/l photos and write stuff about stuff and well.......... ok it's been a mixture of being busy and lazy... :p
Rome was a spectacular place I was there for about 4 days and saw most of it... It was such an unreal feeling walking around and through these buildings that back in the times before christ - these places were full of people... If any of you are planning on coming to europe come to rome... as for the pickpockets - I didn't see any!! but I've heard from alot of people who have had their things taken so I would say that when (and if) you come DONT dress up like a tourist (camera bag, backpack, daggy hat, bum bag, always looking at the map) because you'll be the biggest target to be robbed.... right-o photo's:-
This one above was the bets view of rome... this is the top of the vaticain looking over st peters square....

A cool photo: cant think of the name but this place is somewhat rome's war memorial...
Ok above is the trevi fountain (you are suppose to toss a coin over your shoulder into the fountain) - but this place is packed at night (as you can see) - people just sit a look at it.... random!!
I'm lost here - I cant tell you if this is rome or florence (if i was to guess i'd say florence - BUT it also looks like a small area in rome) - So confusing...

Lucca and Pisa - Tuscany

After florence i caught the train for about 1-2hours and arrived in Lucca a small city about 20mins from Pisa. The original city was surrounded by walls and inside felt like you had stepped back in time. felt very italian and very tuscan!! I heard that italians go here to escape the tourists... but they couldn't escape me... Surprisingly this place was very happening, shops open late and the streets were just filled with people (this was midweek too). Loved the way that around sunset, half the ity was up on top of the city walls jogging, cycling, or walking the dog... (the original city is probably 1kmx1km) stayed here for about 3 days then on the way to Rome stopped by Pisa - pisa only has one thing going for it "the leaning tower"so i stayed for 2h in pisa before the train down the west cost of italy to rome..... enjoy the photos :)

ITALIA - Lake Como and Florence

Arriving into Italy we stayed in a place called varenna (not to be confused with verona) :p a beautiful view over lake como and the place where I had my first italian pizza... WOW!!! amazing. and i was soon to find out that pizza is a main food group over here. There is a pizzeria on every corner some areas have 4 pizzeria's on one intersection...
Another look at varenna: - the home of Francesco Totti currently one of the top soccer players in the world...

Moving into Florence.... a great place for my 2 day stay... wouldn't stay there much longer though...



street paintings








A fake statue on the streets of florence

More florence to follow - including statue of david ;) - i sneaked a picture....

Top of Europe - Junfraujoch 3454m

Went up to the top of europe - The highest point without hiking, etc. Here is our challenge: - (we had already climbed quite a height (by car and by train to get to where I took this photo...) - from here it would be another 1 hour through a 18km tunnel to get to the top..

Our transportation for most of the trip.....




Reaching the top - to get here was another 45min walk through the snow...



The walk through the snow







Another great photo. Was a great day - beautiful sky, thin air, white snow... Loved it!! very much a 'HIGH'-light.. :p

The Giessbach Grand

Well Chris and Clara booked us into the Giessbach Grand Hotel in the Swiss alps...and let me tell you it was VERY GRAND!!! :) :) loved staying there definitely one of the top highlights of my trip. The best place I've stayed in my life... (so far... lols)
Breakfast was included - very flash and dinner time was worth it even if you didn't eat (but of course I ATE!!) - very silver service and when they put the meal in front of you it had the silver lid on it then they waited and then lifted the lid as if to say "Tadaa" - cool if there were 2 people but because we had 5ppl they brought out an entourage of staff and the meals went down at the same time then the lids came all off at the same time (I felt like clapping - but would've embarrased the others as well as myself :p) then they all walked back in a line carrying the silver lids in the air... anyway check out the pics..The waterfall was in view of my room's window!! very cool..
A shot of the hotel from the waterfall track..
The lake that the hotel overlooked. It's a glacial lake thus the unreal blue/green tinge
Another great shot... these were just a few but i thought it was worth sharing... :) we stayed here for 3 nights.

Switzerland - Geneve

The United Nations building in Geneva - very very... ummmm, full of flags. :p Most of you have heard of the Geneva convention/s - international humanitarion laws that have been agreed upon - i.e. prisoners of war, etc (in Geneva - i assume in this building)... hmmm, too much info... next slide.. :p

Here we have the most photographed clock in the world.... i was expecting something a little more but still flowers and a big clock... it might work for some.

aaaaaahhhhh - geneva, reminds me of home. Flags, ..... flower decorations, and a big fountain... hehehe. too much like home... :p









Oh, this last one was from the day before... in Strasbourg, France. A big church...

Europe - Quite flat compared to Honkers

Arrived into frankfurt and met up with chris and clara, later with mum and peter. stayed the night near the airport then drove down to heidelburg the next day. Very nice. PIC: Chris, Clara and I overlooking the city from a castle.

Heidelburg is a very romantic city, its got the water, bridge, old buildings, castle on a hill, etc.... I was soon to find out alot of cities over here have that... lols. - but heidelburg is unique.

PIC: the city from a lookout




PIC: the best gummy bears... these ones were bigger than the size of my fist... better than the gummy venus di milo (simpsons)

PIC: inside the main hall of the oldest uni in the world. (or so i was told) - i was later to find out maybe the uni in pisa is older. can someone find out and let me know...



Oh and the europe being flat comment: well its because i flew out of Hong Kong and into Frankfurt and when coming in the buildings were sooo small and there were no mountains a big contrast to where I had come from... (europe's not that flat when you get to switzerland :p)