Venice: Carnival

I uploaded this photo in Facebook and a friend commented that it is an iconic photo of Venice. Masks have always been a distinguishing feature of Venice because of the Carnival. Historically, people were allowed to wear them from the festival of St. Stephen's Day, December 26, the start of the Carnival to Shrove Tuesday which marked the end .

The Carnival in Venice originated in 1162 when the State of Venice won in the war against Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia. To celebrate this victory, dances were organized every year in St. Mark's Square. When magicians joined the celebration, a special kind of street theather was born.

Today, the carnival is a celebration of the end of winter and the beginning of spring. This year the Carnival was held from February 14-24.

venice venice+carnival

Venice

Venice is a very expensive place to visit because it is very touristic. Despite this, Venice is still on top of my list of the most beautiful places on earth.

We didn't stay in Venice itself because it is too expensive. We stayed in Hotel Style in Mogliano Veneto which is located very near the train station. According to the brochure, the hotel should be 15 minutes away by train from Venice but with the "traffic", the travel time easily turned into 30-40 minutes. The hotel itself was so so. Actually, until now I am still wondering where the "style" was in Hotel Style.

Venice itself was spectacular! Truly a world heritage site!

The Venetian Republic was a major power during the middle ages and Renaissance. It was a very important center of commerce and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. Marco Polo, one of the very first Europeans to travel to China, sailed from the Venetian Republic.
The very first thing I noticed when we arrived in Venice is the Byzantine Architecture. Of course then I didn't know that it was called Byzantine Architecture. I found the architecture very curious because the palaces have Arabic windows and the churches have domes like mosques. Now, I know that is called Byzantine Architecture. I travel to learn you know...
Ahhh and the gondolas! As you all know, there are no roads in Venice, people used to move around using gondolas. Of course now, it is just for tourists because locals use motor boats. We didn't take it this time because a 1-hour ride costs 60 euros per person....
The best time to visit Venice is during spring because apparently in summer it is too hot and the smell of the canals is not so pleasant.

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Milan, the world's shopping paradise

So many shoes, so little time (and money). I bought ONLY 2 pairs of boots (among other things). So many fashionable and vain people packed in one big city! Who can blame them? They live in the fashion capital of the world (excuses to London, Paris and New York). Imagine this: Women with perfect make-up, no hair out of place, everyone in violet and grey (the in-colors for the year) and men looking like they stepped out of a magazine cover wearing elegantly cut suits and coats. Everyone really looked so great! Honestly, I had more fun observing the people more than the monuments and architecture.

On the first day, Anselme and I concentrated our shopping efforts along Corso Buenos Aires. It was really the shopping experience that I hoped it to be. What was great was that they really had stuff that cannot be found elsewhere. Anselme bought more than me as usual.

The hotel I chose was perfect! It's a spotlessly clean, 4-star hotel costing only 100 euros a night including breakfast. I strategically chose a hotel near Corso Buenos aires, so we could deposit our shopping bags easily.

There are four important streets in Milan that are entirely dedicated to shopping: Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Corso Buenos Aires, Via Torino and Corso di Porta Ticinese then there are the flea markets and the designer outlets outside the city. Unfortunately, we had time (and money) to visit Corso Buenos Aires only, so obviously we missed a lot! From now on, I think, we will visit Milan twice a year for shopping.

The second day, after we have put shopping out of our system, we were free to do the necessary picture taking in front of the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. The Duomo of Milan, built 1386 by Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo, is the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world (and the second largest Catholic Cathedral in the world). The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, on the other hand, is a neo-classical shopping mall connecting the Piazza del Duomo to the Piazza della Scala. We didn't have time to do many things since we had to go back to Zürich that day also. Next time I will make it a point to see the Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci at the Santa Maria delle Grazie. Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code made the painting so popular (than ever) that now one needs to take an appointment before being allowed to see it.

Technorati tags: Milan+shopping Milan Corso+Buenos+Aires Best+Western+Felice+Casati

Turin Italy

After 5 days and 5 kilos heavier, finally I am back from Italy. I love Italy! It has a certain "dilapidated" charm. Coming from Switzerland, the land of freshly renovated buildings, Italy seemed broken, disorganized and chaotic reflecting its citizens' passion and love for life.

I didn't expect Turin to be so huge! It is actually the 3rd largest city in Italy after Milan and Rome. As in all the cities of in Italy, its history dates back to Roman times. Since it was also the first capital of the first united Italian Kingdom (under Victor Emmanuel II), everywhere you turn, there is an important historic building or monument.
I didn't see much of Turin because I was busy attending a course. A bus would take us from the hotel in the morning and deliver us back in the evening. I didn't even have a chance to see the Museo Egizio which supposedly houses a very important Egyptian antiquities collection.
We stayed at the Art Olympic Hotel. It's a modern art themed hotel. For 85 euros a night including breakfast, it is quite a bargain. I like this hotel because it is very very clean! It is not in the city center but it is only a 10 euro taxi ride from Via Garibaldi.


Technorati tags: Turin+Italy Art+Olympic+Hotel

Colmar, France

Famous for being the "Capital of Alsatian Wine", and the birthplace of Frederic Bartholdi (you know, the guy who made the "Statue of Liberty"), Colmar is renowned for its well preserved medieval town, and its numerous architectural landmarks.
Personally, I find the region of Alsace very intriguing because it is a melting pot of German and French cultures. When we arrived in Colmar, it felt familiarly German with a French twist (the buildings are framed in wood but in pastel pink) . We tried flammkuchen (Flemkusch in Alsatian) with foie gras (very French) and Sauerkraut. Historically, Alsace has been bounced back and forth between Germany and France many times although the region has been mostly French in modern times. The Alsatian dialect is closer to German (sounds very much like Swiss German). Unfortunately, it is endangered because it is spoken by less less people as the younger generation prefer to speak French.

Tarte Flambée in French or Flammkuchen in German or Flemkusch in Alsatian

Unfortunately, France is on holiday every time we try to visit. This time was no exception. So, everything was closed when we arrived and I guess only the most touristic restaurants were open and so I have to admit that I didn't like the food very much. The wineries were closed as well. I was so much looking forward to trying and buying Alsatian wines. We do plan on going back one day to get the full experience. It is afterall only about an hour from Basel.

Mountain of Sauerkraut! Help!

Technorati tags: Colmar+France Alsace Alsatian+food Alsatian+wine nice+places+around+Zurich