This will be my last post but its safe to say we are all glad to be back in Perth! After having our flight delayed by about 2 hours in Venice we almost missed our connecting flight from Dubai! Luckily they knew we were coming and managed to wait for us!
After the initial 2 hours extra, 6 hour flight to Dubai and 10 hour flight to Perth we are all glad to be here and looking forward to going back to school Wednesday!!!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Waiting patiently at Marco Polo
Well we made it safely to Marco Polo Airport in Venice after a half hour water taxi. Our luggage was sent separately with a porter on a boat earlier in the day and we were panicking at one stage that it wouldn't arrive. Luckily it did as we were lining up to check in!
At the moment we are waiting to board our flight to Dubai but the flight has been delayed by an hour and a half! It should be ok, we had a 3 hour wait in Dubai but now it'll only be 1.5hrs.
Will post again when we arrive in Dubai around 12pm our time.
At the moment we are waiting to board our flight to Dubai but the flight has been delayed by an hour and a half! It should be ok, we had a 3 hour wait in Dubai but now it'll only be 1.5hrs.
Will post again when we arrive in Dubai around 12pm our time.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Last day in Venice
Well it's been a fantastic holiday and needless to say the kids have enjoyed every moment. Today was the final day of our trip before we leave Venice tomorrow for Dubai and then arrive back in Perth Sunday afternoon.
We had a bit of a sleep in and brekky by 9am. The last two things we had planned were visiting Palazzo Ducale and going on a gondola. Palazzo Ducale is known in English as Doge's Palace. Doge was the duke or ruler of Venice and the Palace was thought to have started construction in the 10th century. Although it is also suggested that in the 15th century there were more expansions. It has been a public museum since 1923.
Inside the palace there are several courtrooms, an armoury, a grand courtroom (52m x 25m) and a walkway from the courts to the prison through the Ponte di Sospiri. We had a good walk through the entire place and also got to walk through the "bridge of sighs".
When we left the Palazzo Ducale it was time for lunch. Most ate pizza (again) and had gelato (again). After lunch the kids went on a gondola ride in groups of 6!
The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing at the hotel and packing, getting ready for our long flight home tomorrow!
Below are a few photos from today!
We had a bit of a sleep in and brekky by 9am. The last two things we had planned were visiting Palazzo Ducale and going on a gondola. Palazzo Ducale is known in English as Doge's Palace. Doge was the duke or ruler of Venice and the Palace was thought to have started construction in the 10th century. Although it is also suggested that in the 15th century there were more expansions. It has been a public museum since 1923.
Inside the palace there are several courtrooms, an armoury, a grand courtroom (52m x 25m) and a walkway from the courts to the prison through the Ponte di Sospiri. We had a good walk through the entire place and also got to walk through the "bridge of sighs".
When we left the Palazzo Ducale it was time for lunch. Most ate pizza (again) and had gelato (again). After lunch the kids went on a gondola ride in groups of 6!
The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing at the hotel and packing, getting ready for our long flight home tomorrow!
Below are a few photos from today!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Murano, Burano and Torcello
The kids were happy this morning because they had a chance to sleep in a bit longer as we didn't have much planned for the morning. Our tour to the islands Murano, Burano and Torcello was booked in at 1pm.
Before lunch the kids just relaxed and did their own thing. A group went out with Carmina for some shopping, pizza and donuts. When they got back I took another group to get pizzas and donuts. I was especially impressed with young Kaitlin and her continued support for the poor and needy. Today she offered a hungry man a piece of pizza! I wish I had of captured this moment on camera as the man reached out with two flat hands and a smile on his face. On several occasions our students have seen the poor and offered a couple of Euro to them!
Our tour guide met us at the hotel at 1pm and we walked to meet our water taxi. Our first stop was Murano, famous for its glass all around the world. We were greeted by Andrea who I believe was the owner of a small foundry and boutique Murano glass shop! He showed us through to an area where his best glass blower put on a demonstration. Within 5 mins he had blown a colourful vase and then in another 3 mins a medium sized prancing horse. The way he manipulated the glass at that high temperature whilst spinning it was jaw dropping!! We took plenty of photos and videos. The kids went in and bought plenty of Murano glass and we left just after 2.30.
The next stop was Burano, famous for its lace and doilies. Not my cup of tea but as Carmina said her mother and my grandmother would've loved it. Burano is very colourful due to each family painting their buildings in a different colour. We stopped for an hour to give the kids time to look around and buy some lace or souvenirs then we left around 4pm.
Our last thing to do was to go and see Torcello, home to the oldest church in Venice. We thought time and the weather would be against us so just drove past on the boat rather than risking the wet weather. On our way past we took some photos then returned to the mainland.
After our tour the kids were a bit tired so we went back to the hotel for a rest before dinner. For dinner we had Roast Chicken with fries and Creme caramel dressed as Pannacotta (it was meant to be pannacotta but tasted very average). We returned to the hotel by 8.30 and lights were out by 9.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Venice. We are going to Palazzo Ducale and on a gondola ride. I'm looking forward to coming home Saturday/Sunday and I think some of the kids are too!!
Before lunch the kids just relaxed and did their own thing. A group went out with Carmina for some shopping, pizza and donuts. When they got back I took another group to get pizzas and donuts. I was especially impressed with young Kaitlin and her continued support for the poor and needy. Today she offered a hungry man a piece of pizza! I wish I had of captured this moment on camera as the man reached out with two flat hands and a smile on his face. On several occasions our students have seen the poor and offered a couple of Euro to them!
Our tour guide met us at the hotel at 1pm and we walked to meet our water taxi. Our first stop was Murano, famous for its glass all around the world. We were greeted by Andrea who I believe was the owner of a small foundry and boutique Murano glass shop! He showed us through to an area where his best glass blower put on a demonstration. Within 5 mins he had blown a colourful vase and then in another 3 mins a medium sized prancing horse. The way he manipulated the glass at that high temperature whilst spinning it was jaw dropping!! We took plenty of photos and videos. The kids went in and bought plenty of Murano glass and we left just after 2.30.
The next stop was Burano, famous for its lace and doilies. Not my cup of tea but as Carmina said her mother and my grandmother would've loved it. Burano is very colourful due to each family painting their buildings in a different colour. We stopped for an hour to give the kids time to look around and buy some lace or souvenirs then we left around 4pm.
Our last thing to do was to go and see Torcello, home to the oldest church in Venice. We thought time and the weather would be against us so just drove past on the boat rather than risking the wet weather. On our way past we took some photos then returned to the mainland.
After our tour the kids were a bit tired so we went back to the hotel for a rest before dinner. For dinner we had Roast Chicken with fries and Creme caramel dressed as Pannacotta (it was meant to be pannacotta but tasted very average). We returned to the hotel by 8.30 and lights were out by 9.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Venice. We are going to Palazzo Ducale and on a gondola ride. I'm looking forward to coming home Saturday/Sunday and I think some of the kids are too!!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
First full day in Venice
Today was our first full day in Venice. We had a bit of a sleep in and breakfast at 8.30am. After breakfast we decided to take a walk to the main tourist attraction of Venice, St Marks square.
On our way to the Piazza San Marco we past the Ponte di Sospiri (the bridge of sighs). The name comes from the fact that prisoners used to breathe their last sigh after being imprisoned for life due to crimes. The bridge connects the law court with the prison and on the bridge used to be the prisoners last view of Venice through two small windows.
We then continued on to the Piazza di San Marco. The kids took lots of photos and had a chance to wander around for a half hour or so! The main attraction is St Mark's Basilica and the kids went in to have a good look. In the piazza there were thousands of tourists but also hundreds of pigeons which you can buy feed for if you wish! Our kids weren't too keen and were just happy taking photos.
After they did a tour of the basilica the kids were starving so we went to find the nearest restaurant! We stumbled upon a little trattoria with a 13€ deal. You could have a two course meal with a dessert or coffee! A couple of kids just had the one meal but most took advantage of the space in the bellies to fill them up. Some cousins of mine met up with us and we ate lunch together.
After lunch the kids went back to the hotel for a brief stop then they were off to see the Ponte di Rialto. The Ponte di Rialto is the oldest bridge in Venice and spans across the grand canal, the widest canal. They returned to the hotel to rest before dinner!
Tomorrow will be another sleep in as we begin to unwind our trip! In the afternoon we are going on a tour of the islands of Venice, Murano, Burano and Torcello. Murano is famous for its glass blowing, Burano for its lace and Torcello for its church. Friday will be our last day spent here. It will consist of gondola rides and last minute shopping.
On our way to the Piazza San Marco we past the Ponte di Sospiri (the bridge of sighs). The name comes from the fact that prisoners used to breathe their last sigh after being imprisoned for life due to crimes. The bridge connects the law court with the prison and on the bridge used to be the prisoners last view of Venice through two small windows.
We then continued on to the Piazza di San Marco. The kids took lots of photos and had a chance to wander around for a half hour or so! The main attraction is St Mark's Basilica and the kids went in to have a good look. In the piazza there were thousands of tourists but also hundreds of pigeons which you can buy feed for if you wish! Our kids weren't too keen and were just happy taking photos.
After they did a tour of the basilica the kids were starving so we went to find the nearest restaurant! We stumbled upon a little trattoria with a 13€ deal. You could have a two course meal with a dessert or coffee! A couple of kids just had the one meal but most took advantage of the space in the bellies to fill them up. Some cousins of mine met up with us and we ate lunch together.
After lunch the kids went back to the hotel for a brief stop then they were off to see the Ponte di Rialto. The Ponte di Rialto is the oldest bridge in Venice and spans across the grand canal, the widest canal. They returned to the hotel to rest before dinner!
Tomorrow will be another sleep in as we begin to unwind our trip! In the afternoon we are going on a tour of the islands of Venice, Murano, Burano and Torcello. Murano is famous for its glass blowing, Burano for its lace and Torcello for its church. Friday will be our last day spent here. It will consist of gondola rides and last minute shopping.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Venice
This morning we had a quick breakfast before grabbing our bags and leaving the hotel by 8am. We were heading to a bridge nearby to catch the bus to the station. We got to Florence Termini by 8.50 and waited until our train arrived just before 9.30am.
We loaded our luggage onto carriage #7 and went towards our seats. Our seats had been pre-booked and paid for months in advance so there shouldn't have been a problem. However, for some reason, Italians (and a group of three who we thought we Russian) don't think they need to sit in their allocated seats. We were all meant to be seated together but we weren't because they refused to move. I had to hold my best Italian words on the tip of my tongue but I thought how rude!!
Anyway, we made it to Venice after a 2 hour train ride. Our next task was to load our luggage into two separate water taxis. If you can imagine the most pristine timber boat with leather seats, that was our ride. The drivers weren't too impressed with the amount of cargo but they got us to our location. We offloaded the luggage to dry land and walked to our hotel.
As it was before 2pm we couldn't check in so left our luggage in the storeroom and went for a walk to find some lunch. We had lunch just around the corner in Piazza della Santa Maria Formosa. We came back and checked in. The kids went to their rooms briefly before we asked them to gather their laundry because we were going to make a quick trip to the laundromat!
After an hour or so we returned to the hotel for some downtime before going out to dinner at 7pm.
Tomorrow we will walk around Venice to get our bearings and see some sights.
Below is a photo of some of the kids in the water taxi!!
We loaded our luggage onto carriage #7 and went towards our seats. Our seats had been pre-booked and paid for months in advance so there shouldn't have been a problem. However, for some reason, Italians (and a group of three who we thought we Russian) don't think they need to sit in their allocated seats. We were all meant to be seated together but we weren't because they refused to move. I had to hold my best Italian words on the tip of my tongue but I thought how rude!!
Anyway, we made it to Venice after a 2 hour train ride. Our next task was to load our luggage into two separate water taxis. If you can imagine the most pristine timber boat with leather seats, that was our ride. The drivers weren't too impressed with the amount of cargo but they got us to our location. We offloaded the luggage to dry land and walked to our hotel.
As it was before 2pm we couldn't check in so left our luggage in the storeroom and went for a walk to find some lunch. We had lunch just around the corner in Piazza della Santa Maria Formosa. We came back and checked in. The kids went to their rooms briefly before we asked them to gather their laundry because we were going to make a quick trip to the laundromat!
After an hour or so we returned to the hotel for some downtime before going out to dinner at 7pm.
Tomorrow we will walk around Venice to get our bearings and see some sights.
Below is a photo of some of the kids in the water taxi!!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Ferrari Museum and Shopping
Today was a day to keep the students happy in two completely different ways. The ladies were having a sleep in before a long day shopping and the car lovers had an early start so we could take the train to the Ferrari Museum.
The boys, Chelsea, Sierra and I started with a brisk walk to the station at 7.30am. We arrived just before 8 and had a quick brekky before taking the train to Bologna. We stayed on at Bologna and got off at Modena. Modena is home to the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari. We had an hour or so to kill so we spent it at the museum. This museum focuses on the story of Enzo and Scuderia Ferrari as well as other people involved with the early stages of Ferrari. There are also several cars on exhibition including "Maseratis" and are changed ever 6 months. After an hour or so we jumped on the shuttle bus to Maranello, the home of the Ferrari Museum.
We arrived in Maranello about 12pm and I saw about 12 Ferraris in the main street. When we arrived in the museum car park there were another 10 at least including 4 you could test drive. Again, I had to resist because it costs about 400€ for an hour. We had a quick lunch in the cafe before going through the museum.
The museum's entry starts with Ferrari's "super car" version similar to Bugatti's Veyron. It's called the 599XX and just looks amazing. Other cars you can find in the museum are their F40, F50, F430, Dino's, F1 racing cars and the list goes on. There's also a special room dedicated to F1 racing with trophies, F1 cars and a sound room where you can hear various Ferrari sounds in full throttle. We spent a good hour or so walking around before a couple of the boys tested their driving skills on an F1 Simulator. Being completely different to any video game they've ever played they struggled initially to keep the car under control. After a warm up lap they were starting to get the hang of it but sadly they're not younger versions of Michael Schumacher.
We left the museum about 2.30 and had a quick look in the gift shops where some kids bought some great things. The shuttle bus took us back to Modena, then we caught the train to Bologna and onto Florence. Dinner was booked for 7pm, we arrived shortly after and met up with the shoppers. They had a busy day going in and out of various retail stores and the markets. By the sounds of it a few dollars were spent!
Dinner was brief as most of the kids were stuffed after a long day. We had roast chicken, pork and sausages served with green beans and potato wedges. Dessert was called "Nonna's Torta", a slither of cake made with a cheesecake style base, custard and apples in the middle and icing sugar on top. It was a good way to end the day. The kids spent their last half hour before bed doing a quiz on Florence and writing in their journals.
Tomorrow we're off to Venice in the morning so a long train ride and a few boats and we'll be there mid afternoon! Hopefully all the presents fit into their suitcases...
The boys, Chelsea, Sierra and I started with a brisk walk to the station at 7.30am. We arrived just before 8 and had a quick brekky before taking the train to Bologna. We stayed on at Bologna and got off at Modena. Modena is home to the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari. We had an hour or so to kill so we spent it at the museum. This museum focuses on the story of Enzo and Scuderia Ferrari as well as other people involved with the early stages of Ferrari. There are also several cars on exhibition including "Maseratis" and are changed ever 6 months. After an hour or so we jumped on the shuttle bus to Maranello, the home of the Ferrari Museum.
We arrived in Maranello about 12pm and I saw about 12 Ferraris in the main street. When we arrived in the museum car park there were another 10 at least including 4 you could test drive. Again, I had to resist because it costs about 400€ for an hour. We had a quick lunch in the cafe before going through the museum.
The museum's entry starts with Ferrari's "super car" version similar to Bugatti's Veyron. It's called the 599XX and just looks amazing. Other cars you can find in the museum are their F40, F50, F430, Dino's, F1 racing cars and the list goes on. There's also a special room dedicated to F1 racing with trophies, F1 cars and a sound room where you can hear various Ferrari sounds in full throttle. We spent a good hour or so walking around before a couple of the boys tested their driving skills on an F1 Simulator. Being completely different to any video game they've ever played they struggled initially to keep the car under control. After a warm up lap they were starting to get the hang of it but sadly they're not younger versions of Michael Schumacher.
We left the museum about 2.30 and had a quick look in the gift shops where some kids bought some great things. The shuttle bus took us back to Modena, then we caught the train to Bologna and onto Florence. Dinner was booked for 7pm, we arrived shortly after and met up with the shoppers. They had a busy day going in and out of various retail stores and the markets. By the sounds of it a few dollars were spent!
Dinner was brief as most of the kids were stuffed after a long day. We had roast chicken, pork and sausages served with green beans and potato wedges. Dessert was called "Nonna's Torta", a slither of cake made with a cheesecake style base, custard and apples in the middle and icing sugar on top. It was a good way to end the day. The kids spent their last half hour before bed doing a quiz on Florence and writing in their journals.
Tomorrow we're off to Venice in the morning so a long train ride and a few boats and we'll be there mid afternoon! Hopefully all the presents fit into their suitcases...
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