Venice To London By Plane

Today we rose early, to pack our bags before leaving. We had our breakfast, then headed out the door about 8:00am. Riccardo was kind enough to help me down the four flights of stairs with the luggage.

Our last walk through Venice was a quiet one, early enough that most people hadn't risen yet. We opted for the slower and cheapre Vaporetto, which would take us to Venice airport the long route. That's OK. We get more time on the water, and one long last look at Venice as we finally depart across to the airport.

Checkin and security were a little busy, but the whole process was quite painless. Before we knew it, we were on a plane bound for London. The flight was quick and it was only a couple of hours then we were back in England. Dad had flown in a couple of hours before, via Los Angeles, so as soon as we cleared immigration I phoned him. He was already at St Pancras station, waiting to hear from us. It took us nearly an hour to get to him via train from Stansted Airport where we had landed.

Together at last! We all check into our hotel, the same place we always stay, McDonald Hotel. This is close to Kings Cross station, a great location.

Once checked in, we are disappointed to find that our train tickets, mailed from Edinburgh, have not turned up. If they don't turn up in tomorrow's mail, we are in big trouble.

The day is nearly over already. And Dad is tired from his long flight. We catch the underground to Covent Garden market, where we find some dinner. We opt for an early night on Dad's behalf, so head back to the hotel. As soon as he lies down on his bed, he's snoring! So an early night for all.

Tomorrow we have another full day in London before heading for Edinburgh. Will our train tickets arrive? Or will we have to fork out £100's for replacements? Watch this space!

Italy - Day Six - Venice

Another lazy day. We take the Vaporetto again back to Church of San Giorgio Maggiore. This was recommended by our B&B, as an alternative to queuing for hours in Piazza San Marco for the similar tour. And it was cheap to enter. Just before heading into the church, we had a phone call from Edinburgh, our train tickets had been picked up from our flat, and mailed to London where we could collect them. What a win! Good news. We had good advice to come here. The tower had no queues. We head up the lift, and spend the next half hour admiring the views. While up there, the bells ring, giving me a fright.


After we finished, we came down and caught the Vaporetto back cross towards Venice. We then proceeded to get lost again. We found a Gucci store, and Helen popped in for a look, with her new Gucci handbag on her. The lone shop assistant paniced as she was unable to serve Helen! The look on her face as we walked out was priceless.

We eventually went back to the B&B for a rest. We then headed out again late afternoon to visit inside the Basilica di San Marco a Venezia. We were advised to go late afternoon not long before closing to avoid long queues. Again, good advice! No photography was allowed inside, but it was incredible, lined with gold tiles. It must incredible at the times of day where the sun shines through.

Riccardo at our B&B recommended a good place to go for pizza. It was a short walk, perhaps 15 minutes, across the other side of Venice. The walk took us through some interesting back streets, and past the hospital, where there was a line of ambulance boats.

The restaurant was off the tourist route. This didn't make it cheaper, just more authentic. Our table was waterside, next to a busy boating lane, and there was a constant stream of boats going past. Across the water was a large cemetery. We enjoyed a quiet meal, while the sun slowly went down.

This is our last night in Venice. Tomorrow we fly to London, to meet my Dad who's coming over to stay in the UK with us.

Italy - Day Five - Venice

A quiet day for us. And because Helen's birthday yesterday was somewhat dampened by the stress of travel, and having the worry of train tickets left at home, we decided to have another shot at her birthday.

At the recommendation of Riccado, our B&B host, we walked across the city to Rialto, to the markets. The weather turned a little humid. We find the Rialto Bridge, and got photos of the grand canal. It's still early for Venice. Most boats on the river are working boats, the Venice equivalent of couriers, mostly carrying food and drinks, to all the restaurants and shops around the city.

We head to the markets, open every morning. They are amazing; fresh meat and fish, cheeses, and fruit and vegetables. The smells, the sounds, all good! We get some fresh fruit to eat, and sit on the side of the canal watching the world go by.

Next we try a traghetto, recommended to us as "3 minutes of fun". Basically it's a gondola, in lieu of a bridge, to get people across the Grand Canal quickly. We pay 1 euro to get both of us across. Some people stand, as it means more people can fit on the boat. We choose to sit as Helen's not too confident.

After that, we walk through some more streets, and near the train station we purchase a 24 hour ticket for the Vaporetto. We ride it all the way around the Grand Canel, and around the long way past where the cruise ships park up, and past the Hilton. This takes us to San Giorgio Maggiore. As recommended to us by our B&B, we had plans to go up the bell tower to get a view, but the church was closed until 2pm. So we headed back across to Piazza San Marco again on the Vaporetto. From here, we went on foot and proceeded to get lost down a set of back roads, doing some shopping, and generally taking in the Venice atmosphere. We eventually found our bearings and went to a restaurant near our B&B that we knew to be air conditioned. We were treated to a selection of beers, and soft drinks, with a 2 course meal. From there we went back to the B&B to relax until later.

We decided riding the Vaporetto was the best plan for us. It's cheap, entertaining, and most of all cool out on the water and so very scenic. We head off around at dusk for another round on the water, taking over an hour. The air is still warm, and the dusk air is beautiful and fresh. The sunset was incredible! This photo is not enhanced by Photoshop, it really was this colour!

After that we walked around trying to find somewhere to eat. We do end up eating, eventually, by this time around 10pm! A late end to our lazy day.

So far, we've not managed to get confirmation that somebody is going to our flat in Edinburgh to rescue our train tickets. This continues to cause us stress as we wait for our cellphone to ring.

Italy - Day Four - Florence to Venice By Train

It's Helen's birthday today. She awakes, and the first thing that comes out of her mouth was "where's our train tickets for London back to Edinburgh?". I get that sinking feeling as I realise we left them at home, they are sitting on the bookshelf where I left them. For the sake of keeping the peace, I take full responsibility for this! This is bad. Very bad. UK rail companies will not bend in this situation. Tickets are non-replaceable, non-refundable, and we could be £100s out of pocket to replace them.

Anyway, we're up early because today we're catching the Eurostar Italia, first class, to Venice (Venezia to the locals).

First priority is to get packed and to station. Second priority, sort out forgotten tickets once on the train. We arrive a little early and our train isn't even there yet. It arrives about 10 minutes before departure, and it's a mad scramble to board the train. People are pulling suitcases, prams, etc down the aisles; bashing and crashing. We're pleased to get moving.

I spend the next hour phoning our property manager, letting agent, concierge etc in Edinburgh. We know somebody has a key to our flat. They can hopefully go in, get our train tickets, and mail them to London for us to collect on Friday. This proves difficult, and we go around in circles, but I eventually get one helpful person who takes ownership and arranges for somebody to help us. So far so good, but as the week progresses this proves less promising, more on that later!

Once we arrive in Venice, it's all go. We expected cooler weather, but we were wrong. Right outside the train station is the Grand Canal, and already I am amazed at what I see. We purchase tickets for the Vaporetto (water bus) and hop on board. It takes us through the Grand Canel to Piazza San Marco. It's packed with tourists, and we have to lug our bags through the crowds, over stepped bridges, and through narrow back streets to find our B&B.

At the B&B, it's up four flights of stairs with no lift! Our B&B host, Riccardo, is quick to give us a map and give us local advice. We head off nearby, for a little look around, and to find some lunch. The place we find isn't so Italian, actually run by Asians, and as the week continued we found them all over Venice. We called them "Mr Bun" and any Wellingtonian will know what we mean. Their pasta was nice however, as was their tomato and mozarella.

The remainder of the day was taken just walking around, in absolute amazement. Every building is beautiful in its own way. The Gondolas are soothing to watch. The gelato cones are refreshing. The water taxis competing with the Gondolas are entertaining.

The day goes very quick. We retire at a reasonable hour, preparing for a busy day ahead in this incredible city.

Italy - Day Three - Florence

We set aside today to ride the tourist buses around Florence. We rise early, so we get breakfast and can walk back to the train station to be on the first bus of the day. The motivation is that we can see some sights before it gets too hot. By 9am it was already topping 30 degrees. So much for that clever plan!

There are two bus circuits, on which we are allowed to hop on and off at any stop, and get back on, all day. We travel around various sites, but most importantly (in my opinion) visit Piazzale Michelangelo which has fantastic views of Florence from a nearby hill. I want to get off, but we have front row seats upstairs on the bus so we decide to stay on. The city is beautiful though, and the bus takes us around the hills where there are many historical buildings, and landmarks, and also many rich people's houses. It's all set amongst trees with a view of the city.

We eventually return to the train station, completing the circuit, and wait for the other bus. We have to wait 20 minutes, in the hot sun. We slowly bake alive! Once our bus arrives we hop on and shortly we leave. This bus takes a longer route, way up into the hills, about 15km away from Florence towards Fiesole, with again lovely hills and just like a postcard everywhere I point the camera.

The double decker bus is open top and many trees hang low, we have to duck to avoid being hit by branches but occasionally get wacked by some low leaves. Good fun! I didn't bring my hat today which was silly and I start to burn on top so have to use our map as a hat. Last stop before the end, the bus parks up in a hot piazza for 15 minutes and we all start to fry. We move downstairs to escape the sun, but the bus is so hot. By the time we get moving we're all hot and bothered.

We get back on the other bus again, and head around to the Ponte Vecchio to see the shops open and soak up the atmosphere. We then walk further along the river, and over to the Palazzo Vecchio. Here, the crowds are immense, the sun is beating down and the piazza amplifies the heat further. The queue to see David is a mile long. We see the replica statue, amongst many others, and decide that's enough. We head for the quieter back streets, where there is shade, and many restaurants and shops (including this little one pictured below). We find a nice place to have some lunch, sharing a calzone and enjoying the true Italian restaurant owners standing outside trying to entice passing pedestrians in, sometimes successfully. Fed and watered, we walk back to our hotel for a wee rest.

Although Helen has her bag now, I've had my eye on a couple of business laptop bags so we head back out to look at them again. It's hard work, even the locals are suffering the heat, but we press on and eventually I purchase a locally made leather bag. We then make a beeline to the hotel to cool off again. How did people survive living here for centuries without air conditioning?

About 7pm, we head out again back to the tourist bus, so we can return to Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sunset from the hill. The ride up there is nice, and when we arrive it's a busy place. Everyone wants the same photos! There are also two different wedding photo shoots in progress. We wait over an hour for sunset, which was absolutely beautiful, and from here the river glows orange.

Here's another video from Helen.



We then decide to walk home, so head down the hill and walk along the river. The evening slowly cools off, and the river is so smooth with no wind blowing. It's so beautiful. Here's a few pictures to share with you.

Nearing our hotel, it's about 10pm by now, we stop in at the Westin Hotel for a drink. Helen has a Bellini, I have a beer. The bar is nice and cool and the beer is so refreshing. Nice! A short walk to the hotel, and it's time for bed.

Italy - Day Two - Florence

We awaken at 7am, and leisurely prepare for the day ahead. It took us a while, and included breakfast in the hotel. A lovely selection of breads, meats, cheeses, plus cereals and yogurts plus the usual drinks.

Today was really Helen's day. She wanted to go to The Mall, a designer outlet mall which has many big names including Gucci. We avoid the expensive shuttle buses and use public transport. We walk straight past the bus station on the way to where we thought it was, by the railway station. In the half hour we lost looking around, our bus had left. The next was at 11am. So we headed back to "retail central" nearby, a small area only a block each way consisting of all of LV, Gucci, Pucci, Bulgari, Amani, Prada, etc. Most opened about 10am, some later, so we checked a few out and especially got the "you're not good enough for us" glares in Prada, and Helen found the bag she wanted in Gucci.

We eventually made our way back to the bus, via our hotel for a quick pitstop. We got the front seats, which was a bonus. And off we went. The ride took was an hour, and took in a drive through Firenze, and onto some motorways, through two toll bridges, but especially went via some hilly Tuscan areas on windy roads, full of idyllic old houses, lots of olive trees and other orchards. Very beautiful countryside.

We arrive at the mall, and have a whole 5 hours until the bus returns! Plenty of time for Helen to shop until she dropped. The haul we came away with was modest; a wallet for me, a hat for Helen and a pair of shoes. Three small bags. We ate lunch in the only eatery there. The food was nice but expensive. We had pizza and drink. We ended up having a bit of a wait for the bus, but waited indoors as it was 35 degrees outside. The bus ride was back through the same route. I noticed that most major intersections, no matter there they went, included signs pointing to "ROMA". It seems that indeed, every road does lead to Rome. We returned to the hotel to cool off, and plan our next move.

We returned to the Gucci store nearby, and Helen homed in on the bag she wanted. But wait! There is a new colour in the same design, which the rest of the world doesn't have yet. And it was nice. We purchased, not straightforward because my credit card was rejected twice. Rather embarrassing. What's the point of having a Titanium card to have it rejected in the moment of need? Helen used hers successfully. We later had an email from our bank, and phoned them to clear up the problem, apparently "The Westpac fraud monitoring system has picked up some 'out of character' spend on your card.". They had blocked my card. It was just Helen spending a large amount of money on a handbag in a foreign country. Which apparently is not so 'out of character' on her card :-) Anyway that was enough excitement for one day.

The day was wearing on, so we found a local eatery which served a variety of very Italian food including sliced meats, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, etc and lots of fresh fruit for dessert. Very nice indeed.

After that we headed off to our hotel, where we could cool down with air conditioning and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, we ride the around town tour bus!

Oh and here's a funny sight. Only in Italy!

Italy - Day One - Flying to Florence

Well here we are in Florence, or Firenze as the locals call it.

Our day started early, up about 5:30am, to finish packing and head out. Our bus never showed up, leaving us to catch the next one 20 minutes later. By the time we reached the airport, there was less than one hour to takeoff, for an international flight! Our baggage was surprisingly accepted and we had 20 minutes until boarding. We didn't muck around, and got to the gate as boarding commenced.

With 10 minutes to take off, and everyone in their seats, the captain announced our flight was delayed by air traffic control. We sat on the tarmac for an hour before we were airborne. So why did we rush? The flight was painless, 2 1/2 hours long, but our touchdown was hard.

We landed in Pisa. Immigration was so easy, a quick passport stamp and through. Not a word spoken. After collecting bags, we bypassed scanners and left. We chose not to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, as it was very hot and we had baggage in tow, and headed for our hotel in Firenze. Minutes later we had a train ticket. The ride took us first to Pisa Central where we swapped trains, and then had a hot ride without air conditioning to Firenze SMN.

We found our hotel easily on foot once we found our bearings. This was not helped by the fact I had lost our maps in our luggage. Once we checked into our room, we headed out. It was now 3pm local time and we were starving.

We found a pizzeria just a few doors away and thought "this will do". And it did. The pizzas were lovely, I finally got to try authentic Italian pizza! It wasn't perfectly round, it was all funny shaped as it was hand made. We then walked further, in a random direction, encountering the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella and Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore.

We were getting hot and thirsty again, the sun was beating down and we're just not used to it. We walked back towards the hotel via some back streets, where I purchased a leather belt at the markets after some haggling. We also found a really helpful vendor selling leather laptop bags. I was tempted but didn't buy as they weren't cheap. We'll see how the trip eventuates.

We headed back to the hotel again. After reading the Lonely Planet, we followed their advice and headed down to the River Arno to watch the sun set around 8:30pm. It was worth it. The sky was clear, and the sun set almost dead centre down the river.





That took us through till twilight, after which time we walked back via some new streets, encountering a couple more piazzas and more sights.



And look for the moon in this photo.

We stopped at a restaurant which sold Duff beer and went in. Once I saw the prices (€8 for a Pepsi !!!!) we left without ordering anything. Instead we found some gelato and drinks near our hotel, more fitting to our budget, and sat outside to watch the twilight. Then off to bed, it's been a big day.

Simple Minds

Me very wet at Simple Minds on Saturday night, the rain started about 30 mins before they came on and really didn't stop for most of the night, I ended up leaving early. Watch it all it is pretty funny now.

Duran Duran

Ok so this is the concert of 2009 for me, it has to be one of the best ever. I wasn't much of a Duran Duran fan in the 80's, but I am now a big Duran Duran fan. Live they are just brilliant and their voices have got better with time. I took a few video clips at the concert to give you an idea, and I have put a playlist together of all the clips.

I am hoping my sister in law will enjoy these it is a shame she couldn't be there.

Mike on Calton Hill

Mike telling a story about where we live, anyone would think we live in a tree, well on the hill next to the tree, maybe we have turned in to the Wombles.

BBC's North and South Filming Locations in Edinburgh

Another of Helen's favourite DVDs is the BBC version of North and South, based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell.

She was watching it a couple of months ago, and on one street scene I commented that it could have been filmed in Edinburgh. My comment was based on the types of buildings in view, they reminded me of New Town in Edinburgh. Later on, I saw a scene that was unmistakably on Calton Hill in Edinburgh.

Helen eventually researched the Edinburgh film locations on IMDB. She then carefully found the scenes from the DVD and took screenshots. We then spent the weekend visiting the locations.

So, without further ado, here is our official guide to visiting:

"BBC's North and South Filming Locations in Edinburgh"

Forres Street, New Town, Edinburgh. On the lower end of Forres Street, on the corner where it meets Moray Place.

The lamppost on TV is temporary, look closely to see it's held up by a wide stand. And notice how the horse and cart is replaced by a rubbish bin, the joys of modern life! The street sign on the building was covered over for TV also. Otherwise, probably an easy setup for the film crew.

TV

Real Life

Stockbridge Market, Stockbridge, Edinburgh. More precisely, Saint Stephen Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh. A short dead end street, cobblestones have bright yellow paint all around. Walk through the arch at the end and through an alley to Hamilton Place where the 36 bus stops.

Obviously a big job for the film crew. New lampposts have been removed, old lampposts have been added. And there are props galore. A quiet street is brought to life. The main sign saying Stockbridge Market is still there on TV, a dead giveaway as to its location!

TV

Real Life

Borthwick's Close, Old Town, Edinburgh. From Chambers Street, walk down Guthrie Street. On the right hand bend, before reaching Cowgate, the steps head up on the left.

The stairs don't look much different, and are still worn from years of use. The landing behind where Helen had to stand for this shot was messed up with an open door, and some gear. She closed one door for the shot, and immediately after the photo a van parked at the top of the stairs. Obviously the film crew have an advantage over us, a closed set!

TV

Real Life

Calton Hill, Edinburgh. This shot is easy to find, North Bridge in the background is an easy landmark, as is Dugald Stewart Monument in the foreground. The biggest challenge is walking up the hill to begin with.

The graveyard isn't there in real life, it was planted by the film crew. It does give the foreground an equally cluttered look for the busy background.

TV

Real Life

Saint Stephen's Church, New Town, Edinburgh. Walk down Frederick Street from George Street, and it's at the bottom of the hill. You can't miss it. It's an impressive building, but not in the best condition, and looks disused to us.

The film crew have again set up temporary lamp posts and lights. And we have parked cars to spoil the shot. Anything modern is blocked off easily with horses and carts for TV.

TV

Real Life

Now a close up of the stairs. The gates are closed for us, they were open for filming. This show was supposed to be taken out of a window across the street. It was not however. The windows of surrounding buildings are wrong, and the camera angle is defintely from street level where we got our photo too. The window conveniently covers a modern street light.

TV

Real Life

Calton Hill, Edinburgh. Almost the same shot as before, only more of Dugald Stewart Monument is in view and the graveyard looks quite different!

The camera angle is slightly different, but North Bridge is still clearly visible in the distance.

TV

Real Life

This shot is also on Calton Hill, around behind Nelson's Monument, and looking towards Edinburgh Castle, but obscuring it out of view.

We suspect some CGI here, as the general landscape is identical but certain structures are slightly different. For example, Saint Giles Cathedral is much less defined on TV.

TV

Real Life

William Street, Edinburgh. From Queesferry Road at West End, walk west along Alva Street, to William Street, and then find the corner of Walker Street. Find the photo by looking East.

We found this easily, as the handrail in the foreground is unique. The street looks quite different but it is cobblestoned. No doubt lots of props were required for this screen.

TV

Real Life

Warriston's Close, Old Town, Edinburgh. The easiest way to find this is to start from Waverly Bridge, and walk up Cockburn Street. It's right near the bottom and easy to see.

We were surprised to see that the lamp at the top of the stairs is real, not a prop. Look at the window on the far left of the real life photo, and see an extractor fan in a window. It's on TV too, but obscured by smoke.

TV

Real Life

Borthwick's Close, Old Town, Edinburgh. This is a small alley off Royal Mile, right next door to the Fringe Office.

It's narrow and dark, but less cluttered without all the TV laundry and people.

TV

Real Life

Well folks, that's it! We hope you had a laugh at our expense. But it is fun finding movie and TV film locations, and recreating them.

We photo-shopped our photos, to give them the same colour and gloomy look as the TV show, just for fun.

Here's a map of the locations, in the order in which we visited them: