Toddle pip!
Well my dear friends what a journey. What! What! Now originally the journey should have taken 15 and a half hours but due to that train strike I told you about I got to Belgrade at 09:25. You know me by now I cannot cope with dramas. A strong cup of tea was in order I can tell you. So here I am on the train station having spent the day yesterday and most of today in Belgrade. We are due to depart for Sofia in Bulgaria at around 21.30 as I need to get there by tomorrow if I am aiming to arrive in Egypt on Saturday evening. Now Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia and did you know that its name translates to White city. So I spent yesterday exploring this exciting and historical city. My first stop was Belgrade Fortress, which consists of an old citadel and Kalemegdan Park. It sits on the union of the Rivers Sava and Danube. I had a lovely time looking around and enjoying the rich historical heritage of Belgrade. Now if you delve into Belgrade's tumultuous past there has been conflict from Roman times until the Cold War. I went to explore the Belgrade underground and went on a fascinating two-hour tour of subterranean caves, bunkers and secret passageways. It was very informative although I am not a fan of the dark. What!What! On the tour of the underground I meet Branislav and Ana who were a very friendly couple from Nis, which is a city south of Belgrade. Interestingly Branislav’s name is Serbian and means ‘glorious protector’, while Ana tells me that her name is also Serbian and means ‘grace’. I am not sure what Phileas means I may have to, what do you call it? ‘Google’ that information. They were in Belgrade for a short holiday and invited me to join them for supper in Skadarska, which is famous for its Balkan taverns, strolling musicians, cafés and art galleries. During the evening the restaurants spill out onto the street, with theatre and cabaret performers entertain customers and passers-by. It was a lovely sight with lots to entertain us I can tell you. We went to the Tri Šešira restaurant, which translated in English is the ‘Three Hats’ and once it was a millinery. We had a wonderful evening with good company, food and conversation. Today I had a well deserved lie in as I think all these train journeys are wearing me out. So I spent the afternoon reading in a local café and exploring Sveti Sava which is the world's biggest Orthodox church, a fact made entirely obvious when looking at the city skyline from a distance or standing under its dome. The church is built on the site where the Turks apparently burnt relics of St Sava. Work on the church interior (frequently interrupted by wars) still continues today. So here I am now on the train station another overnight train journey awaits. This time apparently the train journey between Belgrade and Sofia takes nine and a half hours but hopefully there will be no train strikes this time!
Toddle pip!
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Well this morning I awoke to the sun shining through the curtains of my marvellous room at the Hotel Dei Dragomanni. What! What! I began my day with a very relaxing breakfast, which was a very continental buffet style. Very avant-garde. Now I potted around the room and room service brought me my dry cleaning so I could pack ready for the 14.55 Simplon- Orient Express train to Belgrade. Now according to my new steward Philippe the journey is going to take around 15 and a half hours to get from Venice to Belgrade. Now you know my mathematics skills are poor so I am unsure what time I will get to there. When the journey began I was perusing safari on the iPad you gave me and I came across this website which announced that there was a train strike in Belgrade today. Well I was perplexed. I just hope that I will be allowed to get off the train when I arrive there. Otherwise I do not know what I will do or where I will go. Well I am now off to the dining cart for an aperitif and hopefully some delicious food, as I know the quality of the food aboard the Simplon-Orient Express is the best there can be. I have dressed up for the occasion in my best suit, as dining aboard the train is quite an occasion. Phillippe kindly took this photograph of me in my cabin for me. Such a helpful steward I must say.
Toddle Pip! Ciao, Come sta? Well I journeyed on to Venice and arrived yesterday. Venice is is a city in northeastern Italy which is sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its outstanding architecture and its artworks. What a wonderful and a very romantice place too. What!What! Of course one of the first things I had to do when I arrived is go on a Gondola. Well, it is an interesting experience, especially as I am not too keen on the water I can tell you. My gondolier whose’s name was Marco told me all about the history of Venice. Fascinicating indeed. We passed the Rialto Bridge, which is one of the four bridges that span the Grand Canal. It is the oldest bridge across the canal, and was the dividing line for the districts of San Marco and San Polo. I also ventured to the Piazza San Marco, which is often known in English as St Mark's Square. It is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as "the Piazza" (la Piazza). Here is a little video clip I took of the square but no sound sorry as had it on mute. Sometimes this new technology gets the better of me. Well this weekend I was fortunate enough to be here at the same time as one of their very vibrant and religious festivals. Now the streets were packed with thousands of people today for the ‘Festa della Sensa’ (Sensa Feasty-day). This is one of the Venices's best known festivals that bring to life its thousand year history and its close ties to the sea and the art of "Voga alla Veneta" rowing. It is tradition that on Ascension Day, the Mayor of Venice, civic dignitaries and religious and military representatives, followed by a colourful procession of decorated boats, leave St. Mark's Square and sail to the Port of St. Nicolò, where they throw a gold ring into the sea - a rite known as the "Marriage to the Sea".
There was the Doge's procession in San Marco Square, the Sensa Market at the Church of San Nicolò on Lido, Venetian style rowing races and a water parade by the local rowing clubs. Oh ! how much fun I have had today! I have ‘uploaded’ (I so love that word!) a copy of the brochure that I had today for you to look at. It is in Italian mind so you might need to translate it. What!What!
Venice is such a wonderful place I thought that you might like to see for yourself. Now I know Miss Howells will not be able to bring you all to Venice but I found a way that I could bring Venice to you. I have put a link to a website below which allows you to have a virtual tour of Venice. It is incredible, you will so think you are here! http://maps.veniceconnected.it/en Tomorrow I journey on and travel by Orient Express to Belgrade which is the capital of Serbia. I do not know much about Serbia so hopefully I will learn a great deal about their customs and traditions. I need to try to get to Egypt by Saturday so I hope you are finding out that information for me about where I can stay and what I can do when I get there.
Arrivederci da Venezia. Ciao miei piccoli amici! I am having an amazing few days here in Milano recharging my batteries after all that travelling by train. What!What! I have been exploring Milano an its tourist attractions the past couple of days. I went to the Duomo of Milan which is an amazing sight my little friends. It stretches up high above the piazza del Duomo. It has a staggering 3,500 statues and 135 spires that adorn the marble structure as well as five bronze doors carved by different artists. It's no wonder that it took 500 years to complete and building work continues today. What!What! To appreciate this beautiful cathedral in all its glory, I took the lift to the roof, from where I managed to have a breathtaking view of the Alps. It was marvellous a truly wonderful experience. Well as you know I like to keep ahead in the fashion stakes as I am a very stylish individual. Now Milan is a haute couture powerhouse, where the city is all about fashion. Now Milan's boutiques fit into one square so it was a wonderfull afternnon perusing the latest fashions. But I must say these latest fashions are really not my style. You cannot beat a well-tailored suit. So in Milan they are very well known for their extremely long lunches. Now I went to one little bistro for a bite to eat at lunch. Now at the Bar della Crocetta the humble sandwich has become an art form, with over 100 panini oozing wonderful ingredients, from wild venison to prosciutto. Well I ate so much at that lunch I could hardly move. What!What! Now I thought I would try to get into the sport I think you call ‘football’. So I went to the San Siro Stadium which is apparently is the 85,000-seater home to two rival clubs, AC Milan and FC Internazionale, which are among the most powerful in the world. So I was given a tour and I also managed to visit their museum, which gives an insight into the powerhouse of football. It was fascinating but my tour guide, who was called Geovanni, was trying to explain to me about something called the ‘offside rule’. Well, really, I could not understand a word of what he was saying. Well tomorrow I join the Simplon-Orient Express again and journey on to Venice. I cannot wait to go to such a historical and beautiful place. Arrivederci alla prossima volta.
Ciao from Milano. I arrived here yesterday and I am staying in a rather grand hotel called the Hotel Principe di Savoia, where I must say effortless elegance meets timeless tradition. It is so me and on a plus side also has wifi and the biggest television you could imagine. So yesterday after I arrived mid afternoon I decided there was one place I had to visit and that was the Church of Santa Maria delia Grazie. Now there is a very famous painter called Leonardo da Vinci and he painted ‘The Last Supper’ which is arguably the greatest painting of the Renaissance. It captures the dramatic moment at which Jesus reveals one of his disciples will betray him. What!What! It's so realistic that you can imagine the shock, amazement and hostility of the religious followers. Well I was in awe I can tell you. It is the most wonderful painting and incredible to see up close. Later on I took a stroll around the city trying to get my bearings and soaking up the atmosphere of this wonderful Milano. I spent the evening in a rather traditional restaurant, which serves the most varied of all Italy's regional cuisines. The restaurant called 'Antica Trattoria della Pesa' is located in a 19th-century weigh station, it had a very cosy ambience and some of the finest funghi porcini pasta I have ever tasted and the generous Costoletta alla Milanese (breaded veal) barely fitted onto its serving plate. Today I will be sightseeing around Milano including visiting AC Milan where apparently they play football. I can’t wait to see more sights of this remarkable city. Arrivederci my dear friends!
Well I left Lausanne yesterday but had to wait until late morning for the train. I journeyed on the Simplon and luckily the train would be waiting for those who wanted to explore. Very fortunate indeed. Now Simplon is really called ‘Simplon Pass’ because it is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig in the canton of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont (Italy). The Simplon Tunnel was built beneath the vicinity of the pass in the early 20th century to carry rail traffic between the two countries. What a beautiful place it is my friends. As we departed the train a fellow tourist called Benjamin showed me some of the 'apps' on the iPhone. Well I was very excited. Did you know about this 'Google Maps' you can use to pinpoint exactly where you are? See that red marker? That's me! The sun was shining down on us today so I took the opportunity to trek up the mountain and what I view I saw. Now Miss Howells had another 'app' on her iphone called ‘Photosynth’ which allowed me to stitch some photographs together to show you a panoramic view of the pass. This new technology is very clever you know. I really cannot believe all the things I have learnt to do. What!What! When I arrived back at the train, my steward had brought my supper to my cabin, as requested. I had decided an early night was in order as I was exhausted from all the treking up mountains. A gentleman is not used to such exertion. Tomorrow I will arrive in Milan where I believe I may stay a few days to recover. Toodle pip my dear friends!
An early start this morning in Lausanne. I departed the train at 07:35 and proceeded to the Mövenpick Hotel. The hotel is nestled on the shores of Lake Léman or Lake Geneva as it is called in English, with astonishing views over the Alps. Oh how I love Switzerland. What!What! Now Lausanne is a very interesting place. It has a population of approximately 133,000 and is the headquarters of the International Olympic committee(IOC). Well after a lovely breakfast of croissants and pastries in the hotel I decided to explore. First I went to ‘The Olympic Museum’ which is located in the Olympic Park in Ouchy and was opened in 1993. The Olympic Museum contains the history of the Olympic games through pictures, video, documents and others (coins, stamps,etc.) from ancient times until now. I can tell you it was fascinating. I continued my exploration in the Old Town of Lausanne which is the picturesque part of the city with numerous pedestrian streets. I was lucky enough to walk there during Sunday morning when most of the squares and side streets were filled with happy locals that gathered there for shopping among the numerous stalls with fruits, vegetables etc. I stopped in a local café and was overcome with an array of gorgeous smells of baking. Well I do have a sweet tooth and had to stop myself from indulging too much. In the afternoon I then went to the Cathedral Notre Dame, which is one of the most beautiful Gothic structures in Europe. Lausanne Cathedral stands 150m above Lake Geneva. Construction on the cathedral began in 1175.
The doors and façade of the Cathedral are luxuriously ornamented with sculptures and bas-reliefs.
The Cathedral has two towers; and I climbed them both. (I had to try to work off some of those calories from lunch somehow.What!What!) The south facade is studded with a spectacular giant Gothic rose window of stained glass, and flying buttresses encircle the exterior of the choir and ambulatory. It was a marvellous sight I can tell you. My evening was spend at the hotel. After dinner I enjoyed an digestif as I admired the spectacular views from the hotel. Tomorrow I rejoin the train as I journey on to Simplon. Toodle pip!
Well as you know I need to now get to Egypt. So I decided to travel across Europe by train. What! What! But you know me by now , it could not be any train, so I booked my trip on the Venice Simplon Orient Express. You do know how I like a bit of luxury and it was a snip at £5700. Without stops it would take six days but I decided I would like to stop off at different places on my way so it is going to take me 12 days to get to Venice. But what an adventure I will have! So I boarded Venice Simplon Orient Express train at Paris Gare de l’ Est, mid afternoon with Scruffy, of course. After being greeted by my steward, (Who’s name is Andre), I settled into my cabin and relaxed with a delightful afternoon tea. As you can see my cabin is wonderful. The height of luxury. So me! Later I enjoyed a delicious gourmet dinner on board the train in the dining cart. Oh it was marvellous. I enjoyed the sublime scenery as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train and relaxed as a pianist played some wonderful relaxing songs. There was a great deal of chatting with my fellow travellers. What!What! I met a lovely couple called Tom and Maureen Weaver who were enjoying their 40th Wedding Anniversary aboard the train. I am now sat in my cabin ready for a good nights sleep. I will be arrving in Lausanne very early in the morning so I need my sleep. Toodle pip!
Bonjour my friends. Well today has been very busy. what!what! I went for a stroll this morning along the River Seine and began a conversation with a Parisian. He was telling me all about France and a place called 'Disneyland'. Now I am an explorer and I have never heard of a land called 'Disney'. Well that got me thinking and as I am waiting for your final report on routes etc. then I thought I would try to find this 'Disneyland'. I headed to the train station and managed to get a train at a cost of £12.5 euros which is around £10 I believe. When I arrived in 'Disneyland' I could not believe my eyes. Did you know what they have mice that can walk around and are called 'Mickey' and 'Minnie' and ducks that can talk! I was so amazed I can tell you. There was a gigantic castle with princes and princesses. I was overcome with the sights that I saw. I went on something they call 'rides'. There was 'Space Mountain', 'Rock and Roll coaster' and 'It's a small World'. There was this parade where all these people paraded down the street but I can not put in words the colours and sights that invaded my eyes. I am now on the train travelling back to Paris and maybe I need a day to recover before I begin the journey to Egypt. Hopefully you are near to finishing your report so that you can help me decide what to do next. Toodle pip!
Bonjour my friends. I have had a wonderful day today visiting lots of tourist attractions here in the wonderful city of Paris. What!What! Have a look at all the wonderful places I have visited. I have had such a lovely day, but very tiring. I will now be travelling across Europe over the next week. I will try to keep in touch by blogging and texting and as and when I have wifi what!what!. Good luck on your new challenge I think this might take you longer than a day or two but keep me up to date with your progress. Toodle pip!
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AuthorI am attempting to circumnavigate the world in 80 days or less, for a wager with @Alienfromvega. I will need the help of my friends at Cwmclydach Primary School in my quest. I vow to return to London by 3.15 pm on Friday 18 July 2014 at the latest. ArchivesCategories |