Ciao!!!!

Just a week ago I joined a group of friends on a trip to Italy. 14 of us set out by plane to our first destination, Milan. I was all excited and looking forward to see Italy. However, Milan kind of let me down a bit. When we reached there, I really felt like I've reached Malaysia instead of Italy. Well, maybe it's just because I had very high expectations on Milan, the fashion city. Anyway the place look much like Ipoh old town, with hotels everywhere. On the night we reached it was already quite late, then we went around looking for our hotels. Yup, the first night in Italy, I slept in a hotel, just a 2 star one but it's still alright. The rest of the nights in Italy will be spent in camp sites. This is because we planned the trip ourselves and it's like backpacking. Ok then, back to Milan, the next day, we went around Milan and I noticed the best place to see in Milan is the Duomo. Beautiful place, but, unlucky as I am always, it was under restoration when I was there. *sigh* So the front of the building was covered with scalfoldings.

I also visited a castle there in Milan which I have forgotten the name.

Then that evening, we left to Venice by train. We did not stop or stayed in Venice itself but in campsite in Fusina on the mainland. We took a boat the next morning to the Island. Now, venice is what I can say a very beautiful place. It's a small island but the buildings and churches are beautiful. Even the life there is ot so busy especially in Murano, the island where glass makers stays. We were also so fortunate to witness one event which we hoped will not occur to ruin our trip, the flooding of Venice. I found information on Venice and got to know that some parts of Venice, like the Piazza San Marco, are prone to flooding during high tides as it is the lowest part of Venice. I never thought that it would really happen when we were there. However we only witnessed the beginning of the flood.

The water level was not deep but it has restricted trffic an cause the piazza to be crowded at dry areas. This stopped us from entering the Palazzo Ducale and Basillica San Marco which we have planned. It was really a waste that we couldn't enter the Basillisc.

Then, that evening, we left, again by train to Florence, or Firenze, as know by the Italians. In Florence we stayed in yet another camp site and this camp site IS by far the worst we had on the trip. Sleeping in tents with no lights was fine with me. However, in Florence it was extremely cold, day or night, and it didn't help when it rained for both nights we were there. Everyone had touble sleeping due to the extreme cold. Anyway in Florence, we went into one of the galleries there and the one we went in had David, the famous sculpture by Michelangelo. Well, most galleries and churches in Italy are filled with sculptures and frescoes by famous masters.

*yawn* ok it's late now... I gotta work tomorrow. I'll continue the journey tomorrow night.... Ciao!!