We were supposed to go the the outlet store for Prada but was not feeling up to it, so we decided to go to Pisa instead to see for ourselves the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But, I was not able to go with the group since I was feeling dizzy so I decided to stay in the hotel instead. I let hubby and Hermione go since I don't want them to missed anything as special as this is.
And true they enjoyed it so much, it was a 30minute train ride from Florence. They brought me real nice souvenirs and we met for a late lunch before heading to Milan.
Another train ride took us to this very beautiful part of Italy. I was not aware that we would be going to Tuscany so you can just imagine my surprise when I realized that we were actually there! To be honest, I was not paying attention to the itinerary that my SIL provided me for review and approval - I just had a quick scan then said yes to it. What can I say? I'm busy running the house. The itinerary said we should be doing wine-tasting, I was not very fond of doing the wine-tasting tour since I'm not into drinking but I had to join since everyone is going. The very helpful receptionist of our hotel made the reservation for us - she is such a darling. We paid 45 euros for the tour including transportation. The bus is huge, new and super comfy.
The view in Tuscany region is awesome! So green with olive trees and grapes vines as far as your eyes can see.
We went to a private vineyard and wine factory at Casteliani where I've tasted the most delicious black vinegar. We were also served with cheese, olive oil and had a lot of Wines - I'm not into Wines so I just took a sip but had to stop since my allergy is catching up on me. There is also a small store in the vine factory where I bought some yummy goodies. The movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" suddenly came into my mind as we were walking in the village. I love it! Its a place you would want to spend the rest of our life. So peaceful, serene. We had another stop at Monterrigioni Castle for another wine and olive oil tasting. And had some gelato before going back to the bus.
I'm happy that I went along since its such a great experience. I love Tuscany.
Day 3. Florence, Italy It was our last day in Rome, after a quick brekky we boarded Frecciarossa, the fastest bullet train in Italy to Florence. Just took us no more than an hour to get there. SIL and I were just a little stressed over being harped by his hubby as we did a little detour doing shopping at one of SIL's fave shop. But it was me who did all the shopping hehe. His hubby has this thing about being extremely early. It was Mother's Day and the train company were giving out single-stemmed red rose, I got a couple, felt extremely special as Hermione handed those to me.
Rain welcomed us in this beautiful city of Italy that was once the capital of Italy. Our hotel was nice and homey being a family-run hotel. After taking a little rest, we wasted no time and went to grab a late lunch at McDonalds and went straight to Palazzio Veccio Museum, and Catedrale Di Sta. Maria Di Fiore by foot as these were just 5-minute walk from our hotel, with lots of shops to see on the way there. Its so marvelous! We also sat down the plaza and get ourselves entertained by musicians - so Italy!
Then I got a chance to check on some Chanel bags at the nearby store but found nothing to WOW me. We decided to have dinner at one of the Italian Resto nearby Catedrale Di Sta. Maria and I regret dining there as it was pricey and the food was just so-so, nothing special. Since we were not happy with the food, we stopped by at one of the little nook there and had another round of dinner. This time we were quite happy as we get to ordered roasted pork and had some gelato and cappuccino I swore not to eat again at those fancy resto as it can be frustrating at times. We headed back to the hotel a bit earlier to rest and do some chitchatting. Tip: Do try small resto over classy ones, great ambiance may not equate to great food.
Day 2. Rome, Italy We woke up early, I had a good night sleep, I feel fresh - no more haggard-looking me. SIL and I went to the nearby grocery to get some breads and water while the others went down for breakfast. You may want to do this before going to the tourist spots as they can be very very pricey over there. The free breakfast that comes with the hotel room is just a cup of cappuccino and some pastries - really Italian! And I'm not happy about it.
We went to Collosseo - this is Hubby's favorite since he is a great fan of Gladiators! Palantine Hill was the next stop and then comes the Roman Forum. Again, we opted for a guided tour for 25 euros per person. Had a great time with our tourist guide, he has his way to capture and keep them all hooked up with his stories. Never a dull moment. Well spent 25 euros.
After shopping for souvenirs we headed back to our hotel via train, its just a quick ride. We rested a bit before going to a Pinoy restaurant serving Crispy Pata and the likes, coming from Middle East, we love eating PORK everywhere we go hehe especially my SIL's family since pork is banned at SA. Unlike in ours that we get to buy but 10 times the price in Pinas. Really expensive!
We left the pinot resto with heavy tummies and took the bus to Piazza Navona, bus in Rome are not strict, its up to you if you will swipe your travel card or not. The reason we know that is that we were not able to use our cards since we can't find the card slot, but I'm sure its just there somewhere hehe. For those who doesn't have enough money, they can just simply take a free ride. Glad there were two friendly locals who were there in the bus with us who gave us the signal on when to go off the bus since we were not sure where is the exact location of our destination. We walked to The Pantheon and watched some artist onsite. We were really amazed by the artists showing great talents using spray paints, you can instantly purchase their works at 10 euros, I was tempted to buy one but carrying it would be a problem since we will be visiting other countries too. Then we walked more over to Fountain of Four Rivers and Trevi Fountains. Glad we had a few coins to spare.
I love walking in Rome at night. Reminds me of those romantic movies.
Yes I'm back from our vacay, its been a very enjoyable and memorable trip for the family.
Day 1. Rome, Italy
We arrived at FCO airport around 7AM, I wasn't able to sleep during the 6-hour plane ride as I got hooked with the movies. It's one of the best things I love with Qatar Airways, they have great movie selection. Hello eyebags!
Line at the immigration was quite long, there were so many asians, Chinese among others traveling by groups. We were able to get a taxi that brought us to our hotel. It was less than 30minutes drive, though I was feeling sleepy I managed to enjoy the view while on our way to our hotel. The city street made me feel that I'm really in Italy!
We booked a hotel near the train station. SIL and family arrived there a day earlier so we stayed at their room while we wait to be checked in. The hotel was quite small, but the rooms were newly renovated. We were excited to see the Yaps. Hubby immediately went to our luggages to fish out the two Ipads we bought for our nephews. They were extremely happy to see the new gadgets we have for them. They didn't waste time and began tinkering their new toy. We decided to give them iPads for their birthday and Christmas, but since shipping could be very costly, we just opted to give it to them personally since we will be meeting them anyways for our trip.
We went to the nearby resto to have a quick breakfast and headed to Vatican City. We decided to avail of the guided tour since its much better to have someone who could explain us the history and all there is to know at the Vatican City and Sistine Chapel. We paid €45 each for the guided tour. And it was indeed a good idea as we learned so much than just merely looking around. Michael Angelo's Creation is so amazing! So insanely amazing to be exact!
We went to St. Peter's Basilica, appreciated every bits of it. And shopped for rosaries and murano-glass cross at the shop Basilica's shop.
We were really starving when we reached the strings of restaurants, we chose one with the most Italian ambiance we could find. Eating out is pricey, imagine a coke-in-can would cost you €4!
After the dinner, we went back to the hotel to take the much needed rest. Our bed being for double occupancy only is quite small for the 3 of us. I'm glad I was able fo sweet-talked the Pinay in-charge to give us an extra bed at no extra cost.
I'm into baking these days. After being at rest for most of the days because of colds and coughs due to shifting weather. Weather here is insane! But airconditioning helps and so cheap too.
I tried doing cheesecake earlier, but the oven here in the flat is not digital so I'm still having a hard time figuring out the right setup. But I'm pleased with my cheese cake, its yummier than the one we ordered for 80riyals, and I don't want to be bitchy about it but they should not be selling those in the first place!
---
On another note, I'm super happy with JapJap, my new ride. It's a 2014 model of Mitsubishi Pajero. I was initially looking at Hummer, but since the last model available in the market is 2010, it's quite hard to find decent-looking ones. And I have a no-no policy on second hand vehicles, or anything pre-owned so I opted for a brand new pajero. And I made the right choice. Thanks to Hubby for buying me one. He is a little envious of it because nothing beats an offroad vehicle so he would soon sell the Captiva to get a pick-up for himself 😝.
---
Hermione is enjoying school, apart from that she can read already with just barely a month after school has started, she is also learning arabic, and next year french - I'm sooo jealous. One of my goal this year is to learn a new language. And I'm not sure I'll be able to achieve it.
And speaking of my goals for this year, I started stocks investing this month and so far, so good.
Name: JV Home: Manila, Philippines About Me: 30-something. A wife to a wonderful husband. A mother to my little chinita. Career Woman by Choice. A Coffee Drinker.Shopaholic.Book Lover.Blogger.Movie Addict. Know me more
