Travels and good intentions for 2014

I want to dedicate the first post of 2014 to what lies ahead for this new year... I speak in the plural because, by now, we are a bit like a big family and we move forward together: I write about my own experiences and you read (hopefully with pleasure) my stories. The events for this year are really a lot and I'm very happy. As for the destinations in Europe, the ideas are many and those that have taken shape, or are substantially taking it, are three: The first goal in the old continent will be Berlin. I'm going there in March and it's only the first trip of the year to be confirmed: flight and hotel are already booked and I can not wait to leave. For too many years I have said that you want to visit Berlin and, finally, the moment has arrived. Another goal that is getting closer is a journey in Dublin. I do not know the dates yet, but the itinerary is ready and will be the destination of my summer holidays! It is another city that I want to see for a long time, and I decided to go this year, possibly in late June, early July. I will keep you updated and if you have suggestions recommended to me as well! There is also the idea of ​​going to see Prague, braving the cold : the idea is to go in the Czech capital on New Year's Eve 2015 (Yes, I decided long time before... I know it). Maybe I come back to London... (I know not that I love this city , right?) In the middle of these European trips there will be many others trips in Italy: I will spend, at the end of January , two days in Abruzzo. When it gets a bit ' warmer and the days will be longer , I'm going to walk through the "SnowWhite forest" (I find that is in the Tuscia thanks to a National Geographic's article). I have a gift box to use (but I will talk about it further), and probably I'll use it to go somewhere in the region of Marche, a region that I have never visited. There would also be many other places that I would like to see and visit , but I would avoid to make an endless list of places: we are not here to do your shopping list ! I hope I can still give many useful tips for traveling ... What do you say , you will be traveling with me this year?

A year-end walking between stations in London

We arrived at the end of this year.. The sums of the'll pull through April, when the blog will celebrate its (first) three years of life: numbers, visits, visitors, inquiries and requests, I will assess all the next "blog birthday". Over the past two years (and a half) I've leaved and returned many times. Often I went by train, a way of travel that I discovered during these years. I traveled by trains in Italy, England and in other European countries. Today, in this post, the last one of 2013, I wanted to take you around in some of the main train stations in London. The train stations, after all, are not just places "where you take a train, perhaps running to not lose it". Train stations are places of passage, in where many people meet and collide leaving or returning. Those are places where people greet each other, only to find themselves a few days later... Or even after months In a train station there are a lot of people waiting for a train or waiting for someone (who knows, maybe boyfriend or girlfriend), or run in order not to lose it. I often pass through these buildings, strange places out of time. Places of thoughts and feelings that you are unable to stop. And, after all, during the last two years (and a half) have been years of train takend and missed, expectations in deserted stations. Years of books read in those long waits and views that ran beside me between one station and another. The stations in London are special: they are not old, but even modern. They are "half and half" , the buildings of the past, the first ones, have been updated, systematic, and integrated with new more modern parts. this makes them special, almost enigmatic

Four days in Paris

Today I'm going to tell you about my short trip to Paris. I have already spoken about the useful information in another post so,today, I can talk only about what we saw and we did in my four days in Paris. We walked a lot and we also got tired a lot, but we were in Paris, a very beautiful city (even though my favorite European capital remains London). We arrived on Monday at lunchtime, we took the "OrlyBus" and then we walked to the hotel, with a lunch break annexed. The afternoon of the first day we did what we could call "tour of the churches": after the first stop to the Pantheon (ticket costs 7.5 euro), where there are buried several important person of the French history, we headed to 4 churches close enough to each other and near the Latin Quarter (the area where our hotel was located): Saint Severin, small and very beautiful (in my opinion it must be visited), Sain Julien le Pauvre, evidence of the transition from Romanesque to Gothic style, Saint Germain des Prés with its Romanesque bell tower and remains of the Merovingian construction(visible in the Saint Symphorien chapel), ending with Saint Sulpice, the largest church in Paris after Notre Dame. To conclude the day we went for a walk into the Jardin du Luxembourg, getting close to where we were housed and it really is a place to relax. Of this garden hit the tables to play chess (and the crowd of observers), tennis courts (and yes, there are people who play there) and the area for playing boules. It affects the large amount of chairs made available to the visitors of the park as there is a ban on sitting on the grass On the second day (Tuesday), we woke up early. We started our walk with a visit to Notre Dame. I do not think that this place need many words to be described: beautiful and impressive. From there we moved to the Conciergerie/Palais de Justice. Next to it there is the Saint Chapelle that we have not seen for the long (very slow) queue that was there. The ticket, however, costs 8.5 Euros (with discounts for certain categories). We moved towards the Louvre through the Chatelet and Saint Germain l'Auxerrois (parish of the French royal family since the House of Valois settled in the Louvre). So we go to the Place de la Concorde through the Jardin des Tuileries. We had lunch and then we rested at the hotel (it looks like an easy path, but it is quite long and tiring). In the evening we took the subway and to go to Montmartre, where we visited the Sacre Coeur and we remained open-mouthed in front of the view of Paris (you will see all, or nearly so, the most important monuments of the city). So here we had dinner in Place du Tertre. We started our third day in Paris with a walk to the cemetery of Saint Vincent, the smallest cemetery in Paris. Then we moved to "Montmartre Cemetery" where are buried many important figures of the past (such as Hector Berlioz, Stendhal, Edgar Degas and Dumas fils). So we went to the famous Père Lachaise cemetery, looking for other important characters of the story: in that cemetery there us, among others, the grave of Jim Morrison (and Heloise and Abelard, La Fontaine, Gay Lussac, Balzac and Delacroix). We stopped to have lunch (there were two p.m. passes for a while) and then we went toward the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées. You can go to Paris without seeing, at least once the Eiffel Tower? Of course not! So we arrived to the Jardin du Trocadero, with its fountains, and then we passed under the Eiffel Tower, symbol of Paris. We walked through Parc du Camp de Mars, at the end of which you can see the military school, to take the underground to go back to the hotel. We had dinner in a Japanese restaurant in the Latin Quarter (many of these japanese restaurants offer the fixed price menu for two people), we took something to drink in a pub and go to bed (we were really tired). the day of departure we had the whole morning free before having to go to the airport (our plane was at 17:50). We decided to go to the Musée d'Orsay: there's not much to say, except that it is well worth a visit! If you have less than 26 years, you can enter for free! We had lunch and then we went back to take the Orlybus, with the promise, sooner or later, to came back in Paris(maybe for a slightly longer period of time!). You find all the photos of Paris on Flickr. I remind you that you can follow me on instagram , facebook and twitter.

A trip to Gubbio (Umbria, Italia)

We left the car in "piazza dei 40 martiri", where there are also some nice shady gardens for those who want to sit and stay cool (especially in summer). The church of San Francesco was closed, so we "jumped" the visit. After a stop at the bar on the "portico delle Logge dei Tiratori"(arcade of the Lodges of shooters), built in 1603, we began to delve into the streets of the country and we made a stop at the Church of St. John (XIII century). So we took the elevator and got up on the Piazza Grande, where the "palazzo dei Consoli" is, (It is now a museum. The price of the standard ticket is of 5 euro and the discounted is € 2.5) and, right there in front, there is the Praetorian Palace. This square is very particular: it is squared and has a very nice overlooking on the Umbrian hills. We take the elevator for the second time and we come to the gardens of the cathedral and then to the Cathedral ("Cathedral of Saints Marian and James"). We look in the Civic Museum just for a moment (5€ for the standard ticket and € 2.5 for the discounted one), but we avoid the visit So we arrived to the city walls and the port of St. Ubaldo. At this point there is a choice you have to made: get to the Basilica of St. Ubaldo embarking on a path that would take you half an hour away (at least, unless you're more than trained) or go back and take the cable car (ticket: 5 € ). We are back to take it (the journey will take you about 10 minutes away). Once you reach the top you will find two bars / pizzerias. So we get to the Basilica of St. Ubaldo, a beautiful basilica, a must - visit. Near the altar there are the remains of the saint and in one of the side aisle there are the candles of the famous race of the candles. You can get here by car, follow the signs. Leaving the basilica we can not avoid stopping to admire the view, and especially the one of Gubbio: the city has a completely different charm. There are also many other things to see, many small churches to visit and glimpses which draw our attention. Unfortunately, we did not have more time and we came away: but surely, sooner or later, we'll be back to visit all that we have not seen. I leave you, as usual, a few photos. (Here is the link to the set on flickr with all the photos)