Holiday Post 3 - Lake Como and Milan

We stayed a couple of nights in Lake Como in a beautiful little family run hotel overlooking the lake. What an amazing place. So serene. The video below is the view from our hotel bedroom. We were in search of George Clooney all the time we were there cause we know he owns a place on the hill and were told that he often drives his Harley around town. So our tour group had a commitment to shout CLOONEY ALERT any time we heard the hum of a motorbike nearby... alas.... we didnt see him.... sigh... lol

Below are some of the stunning views from our adventures around Lake Como and the surrounding villages we visited by boat. Was raining one of the days we were there but sunny the next. Amazingly we saw beautiful snowcapped mountains from our window and knew that Switzerland was only a bus ride away.

The below 2 photos were taken from a beautiful villa we visited that was a setting for a scene from one of the Star Wars movies as well as the movie "A month by the lake". I wouldnt mind spending a month by this lake!

Would have to say that overall Milan is incredoubly overrated as its really just a big city. Fortunately we only spent 4 hours there on our way to Lake Como, however I would have been happy to have forfeited those hours for longer by the lake. All we really ended up doing in Milan was shop, and even then the shops are much like any other city... just more expensive. One nice site, however was this lovely cathedral. I wish I could remember the name, but cause I visited about 100 on my trip, lets just call it the Milan Cathedral... lol... Now Im not one for associating God with expensive ornate buildings cause I much more relate to God through nature and people, however these buildings were awe inspiring from an architectural and design perspective. So much work had gone into designing them. It was all amazingly intricate.

I so love stained glass, and the above is just one example of 1000s of stunning windows viewed throughout Italy.

Holiday Post 2 - Venice!

Needless to say Italy was amazing. We joined a 15 day tour with only 12 people using public transport and blending in with the local communities. Such a contrast to the large bus group tours which made all their participants wear orange scarves so they wont lose the group and they also had to hear the guide via headphones. We just had this really cool young italian dude who assisted us in orientating ourselves to each place we visited.

Now Im gonna tell the story of my travels on this blog in parts. And cause I dont have a great memory for detail, things are going to be slightly out of order. Venice was actually the last stop on our trip, but cause I have the most photos of venice Im starting with it. Its also one of the places I loved most cause it was so unique. No other city like it in the world. We only spent two days here (damn it! lol), but what I did see made me fall in love with it, and one day I will dream about going back to take more photos.

Speaking of photos.... Im convinced it is near impossible to take a bad photo of Venice, cause everything is so beautiful. Here are some highlights of Venice... starting with the gondalas... followed by the city landscapes...

This is my favourite cafe in Venice. Its where the hot barman tried to get me drunk on Baileys! ;-) lol

And below... me tipsy on Baileys... lol (got to remain anonymous lest I be recognised!)

My favourite jewellery shop in Venice. I love everything they sell as its so unique.

I bought the red glass heart necklace below cause I knew that I was in love with Venice straight away and was leaving part of my heart there.
I bought the red necklace top left from the shop mentioned.

Only issue with Venice was that the locals decided to have a train, bus and ferry strike on the day we had to leave for the airport. DAMN YOU! lol But fortunately, we managed to get a taxi to the aiport and flew to Paris.

Ahhh Venice.... I hope to visit you again one day..... sigh...

Holiday Post 1 - The UK

Well Im finally back from my European holiday and sooo glad to unpack my friggen suitcase and wash my clothes! I cant say Im a fan of living out of a suitcase for too long cause you are forever having to wash and dry stuff in your hotel.

Anyway, holiday was amazing.... started by meeting my mum at Manchester airport cause we had to travel by train to her temporary place at Rhyl in Wales (yes, another country! - so that made it 3 countries in 24 hours! lol). We only stayed in UK two nights at the start and then 2 nights at the end of hols so not too many exciting things to report there. The photos show some features. The red phone boxes, needless to say, are very typical in England.


We also went to visit Conwy Castle in Wales and I purchased some celtic stuff as gifts for friends. My mum used to live in Wales so she was keen to show me the beach that she used to walk down every day. Im glad I did, cause the sunsets in Rhyl are amazing!Saw this in a local shopping centre. Its for kids to put money in and the Thunderbirds dance. Hilarious! I used to watch this show as a kid many years back.

Stay tuned for the more interesting part of my hols... ITALY!

Up Up and Away...

Well today is the day... am almost packed and fly in a few hours. First stop Dubai aiport for 3 hours (hope the shopping is good! lol), then onto UK for a couple of nights, then to Rome to start my two week tour up to Venice.

Talk about having last minute crisis though. Yesterday I lost my only credit card and was starting to freak out about how I was going to manage overseas without it .... but, fortunately, today I retraced my steps and found it back at a shop I was at and collected it. Woo hoo. Now Im free to spend up big... as I should!! lol

This will be the longest I have been away in ages but I guess my recent US trip was a taster. So NOT looking forward to the long flight. I usually dont watch two movies in a row cause I get bored, but expect Im gonna be watching about 6 to keep me distracted from the discomfort of economy classed seating. Only hope Im seated next to nice people, so the journey is less tedious.

After a great deal of anxiety leading up to this trip, I can finally say Im feeling peaceful about it.... which is a nice way to be.

I will try and check my emails when I can so please stay in touch and let me know whats happening. Just dont tell me that SL is more fun now that Im away! lol

Ciao! T x

Short and Sweet

WAXING = OOOUUCH!!!

A blast from the past

Here are some of my old school photos I tracked down recently. Dont I just look fabulous! lol
You too can find your old school photos by going to http://www.yearbookyourself.com/

Was prompted to do this today cause got a surprise phone call from an old school friend whom I hadnt seen for 18 years! WOW! We were chatting about old times, and reliving the many relationships we had been negotiating back in our late teens/early 20s. Ahhh... I feel a song coming on... "meeeeemmmmrieeeeees... like the corrrner of my minnnnnnnnd. Misty watercoloured meeeemmmrieeeeeeeees, of the wayyyy we werrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeee." lol

A lazy day by the pool...

Its a hard life, this week off work, just lazing by the pool. Wouldn't wish it upon anyone... lol

Today I did it... swam in my pool for the first time! woo hoo. It was still cold, but refreshing. The sun was really warm so also sunbaked and tried to ensure I wasnt in view of neighbours. Applied some Reef Tanning Oil which I havent used since a teenager and the scent of coconut oil immediately transported me back to being 16. Ohhh the smell of summer! mmmmm

All might be sounding glamourous up until this point, but thought you might like to know the final twist... while lazing on my towel on the waters edge with my arm and leg dangling in the pool, I rested my magazine over my face to protect me from the sun... I then fell asleep briefly. When I woke up, the magazine pages had melded with the sunscreen and the print had come off on my face... When I went inside again I was embarrassed to see that I had print which read "Australia's hottest supermodels" across my cheek!! lol ... hardly! lol