Introduction to Greece and Italy
In and around Europe
This is our first "big" trip away - just over three weeks to get a taste of Greece and Italy. It's been 12 months in the planning and after many, many, changes to the itinerary (!) we're about ready to go and excitedly counting down the final weeks.
We will, as usual, try and pack as much in as possible and will therefore no doubt come home exhausted - but, hey, you only live once and you've got to make the most of the time away, especially when travelling such distances.
So, a holiday for us both, and the realisation of a lifelong dream of Toni's to see the islands of Greece, as well as fulfilling Dwayne's long-held desire to stand in the Colosseum in Rome. In amongst all the travelling we'll also be including some tramping as well as meeting up with friends Brent and Claire to walk the Cinque Terre.
Watch this blog for updates as we continue our journey.
Tuesday 23/05. 4 sleeps to go! OK, so this isn't really an addition to the travelling portion of events, but after 16 months of planning, it's now "real" and we're getting REALLY excited.
Events of interest leading up to Saturday; Toni's ongoing belief that we will be able to take one bag between us (and Dwayne's fear that he will end up with one inch of space in said bag ...), not sure who will win this one. Only Dwayne has an international drivers licence, which means that Toni will be the navigator. So the scene is set; we will be driving on the right hand side of the road, on Crete, deciphering Greek road-signs, Dwayne driving and trying not to kill us, with Toni translating and attempting to remain calm ... a good test for any marriage! We have down-loaded the train schedules for Italy, where we have the inter-city legs pre-booked and paid for, but we have to catch local trains to get to these main stations. To add some adventure to proceedings, some of the timings are pretty close and finding the right platform could be interesting ... we are picturing some "amazing race" scenes and hope we don't get eliminated at the next pit-stop!
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Ms Toni
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1
Singapore to Rome
So we had 5 hours to spare before our next flight departed for Rome. If you want to shop, that's great. However we weren't ready to sho... Continue reading »
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2
Christchurch to Singapore
OK, so we're finally on our way and are writing this at Singapore airport, our transit point for 5 hours...!
After extensive consultation wit... Continue reading »
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3
Venice
Venice - where to start? I write this on our last evening and thinking back over the last couple of days it is difficult to pick out one high... Continue reading »
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4
Rome to Venice
It is probably best to start this instalment with a short story from our pre-departure. We had been discussing the merits of taking some mues... Continue reading »
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5
Cinque Terre
People, stunning scenery, people, great walking, people, simple and exquisite food, oh and more people.....!
We are visiting the Cinque Terre... Continue reading »
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6
Rome
Sunday the 4th of June saw us packing our bags again and saying arrevederci to Brent and Claire. They had enjoyed their time so much in... Continue reading »
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7
Chania, Crete
Thursday morning, and thanks to Toni’s insistence of having curtains open, we were up with the birds again. A “quaint” breakfast was included with... Continue reading »
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8
Rome to Athens to Crete
Early, early on Tuesday morning (the alarm was set for 5.15am....where's that sleep-in?!) we were up and heading back to the train station for the... Continue reading »
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9
Samaria Gorge
Early, early on Wednesday morning and the alarm awakes us at 5.15am (holiday, what holiday?!) so that we have time to wander down to the bus stop a... Continue reading »
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10
Heraklion, Crete
After a repeat “quaint” breakfast and a quick stop to pick up catamaran tickets for our coming trip from Heraklion to Santorini, we set off for the... Continue reading »
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Santorini, Greece
Monday morning – 9.45am and we were sitting onboard the FastCat4 about to depart for Santorini. The day was clear and calm and perfect conditions f... Continue reading »
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Santorini to Athens to Singapore
So, the dreaded wake up call happens at 4.30am, giving us a chance to get ourselves organised in time for Denny to take our bags to the top of Espe... Continue reading »
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