Berlin, Venice & Rome featuring Toby (as himself)

Hi there, (sorry but i don't know how to make the underline go away!)

Well this is to fill you in on the last trip we took while Toby was visiting. First of all we went to Berlin. We had heard from other people that it was a great place to visit but we didn't have any expectations and were a bit unsure of what Berlin would be like. One reason for the visit was the hope of lots of snow!

Well, there was no snow unfortunatly although very cold. The 3 of us were pleasantly surprised by Berlin and all it had to offer. On our first full day we did an 8hr walking tour all over the city which was absolutley fantastic. The guide was great and we learned all about the history of the city during the war, nazi power and everthing about the Berlin Wall. We were really amazed by everthing we saw and heard, it was very educational and interesting.

One of the places we learned alot about was Checkpoint Charlie. Below are some pictures of us at the site as it is today

There is nothing really left of the Berlin Wall although there is a small section still standing a couple of hundred metres from Checkpoint Charlie. At the time the wall was in full use after many developments it was very different and a lot more high tech compared to the simple concrete wall that is left now! We went to a museum where he heard about a few of the desperate escape attempts that were made to get cross the wall, some were achieved.

Our tour also took us to the site of Hitlers bunker where he killed himself and to the Jewish memorial. The memorial is a very large area of grey concrete blocks all of different heights that you can walk amongst with some of the blocks towering over you. It's really hard to explain but a wonderful, eerie place to visit






The 2 pictures below were also taken on our tour. The bottom one is the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of Berlin and once the boundary between East and West.

Berlin is not a very pretty city and there is evidence of it's recent history everywhere. There are still vacant lots that are bomb sites not yet rebuilt, there is alot of graffiti and the Jewish Boys School still has armed guards at its gates! These pictures give a bit of a feel for what it's like. There is also alot of alternative bars, restaraunts and a buzzing student scene. It seems like a really creative place that's only just getting renewed.




We noticed that the traffic lights were different too. The green man signal to 'walk' is supposed to represent the happy communist off to work! He is quite cute so the people voted to keep them in use :)








Once again, like in munich we realy enjoyed the German food! good value for money too :)

And the boys enjoyed the beer!

On recommendation we also visited the Berlin Zoo which was quite impressive. It is very open plan and the animals are kept in by deep ditches around the enclosure rather than big fences which is nice.

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From Berlin we flew to Venice which was a different world!


We got a boat to our hotel which was in a really great location just near the famous Rialto Bridge. So we spent 2 full days just walking around and exploring the little cobbled streets and canals. It was great to see this beautiful place that is so different to anything we had seen. The Rialto Bridge (below) is one of only 3 bridges that actually cross the Grand Canal.

On our first morning the sun was shining so we took a Gondola Ride. It was great fun! We started in the Grand canal just near our place then under the Rialto Bridge and into the smaller canals winding in the Marco Polo district where we saw Casanova's House! :)

All of the residents get their goods and services via boat! Here are some fruit and veg :)




The italian food was a bit dissappointing we must say. It was very expensive for very plain dishes which was a bit of a shame. We found it to be the same in Rome as well. Even if you try to get away from the tourist spots it was hard to find a satisfying meal (except one great pizza place, not the ones the boys are eating below!) Maybe it's cause we were in big cities??

We did find some great gelato though, mmmm

This photo was taken at the markets where locals do their shopping. Lots of fresh fruit, veg and Fish!

The picure below was when i was standing on one of the other bridges that crosses the Grand Canal. You can see the great Venetian building behind me



We had a great time crossing all the little bridges over tiny canals
On our last day we went to St Mark's basillica which is on the larges squares in the city (Piazza San Marco). It's quite impressive!


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We got up early on my Birthday to catch the train from Venice to Rome. It was 4.5hr journey but we did see some lovely country side of Tuscany.

We had a bit of a traumatic arrival into Rome when i realised i had left my hadbag on the train! Luckily we had only just left the station and i ran back to find the train was still at the plaform. The train was locked so i had to find some help which was very difficult and stressful. I eventually got help from the police and i got my bag back. Oh my God! what a lucky birthday!

Anyway, it was considerably warmer in Rome and after checking into our awful hostel we had a sunny afternoon to check the place out. Can't complain about the room mates in the hostel this time cause Sam and Toby were ok ;) but the room and building was terrible! Well, we stuck it out!

We did a walking tour in Rome as well and saw all the main historical sites. First stop was the Colosseum.

Everything in Rome is massive. Their buildings and monuments are just amazing and all symbolic of something!

Below are the ancient ruins of Roman civilisation that we walked through on our tour.


We visited the famous Trevi Fountain (below) a few times. We thought it was really beautiful. It shows Neptune's Chariot being led by tritons with seahorses- one wild, one calm- representing the moods of the sea.

We also went into the Pantheon which is really amazing. It was dedicatd to "all the Gods" and is the best preserved ancient Roman building.

The last couple of days we spent looking around the Vatican. We went to St Peters Basillica and saw the Piazza ouside where everyone gathers to see the Pope from the balcony. The pic below is taken looking at St Peters from the Piazza.
See Toby down the bottom, below :)

The photo below is also taken from the piazza. The columns are on both sides of the Piazza leading up to St Peters

We also went to the Vatican Museums which were kind of interesting and the Sistine Chapel which really is stunning and i can't even explain it. The picture below was taken in one of the many long halls leading up to the Sistine Chapel. The roof is decorated with paintings and gold.

The morning before we flew back to London we spent some time sitting around on the Spanish Steps which are a really nice spot to sit and have more gelato! The 3 of us agreed that although it's great to see the historical sights in Rome, it is quite dirty with alot of dodgy looking characters, beggers and gypsies!

Bye for now, missing you all

Love Anita & Sam xox