italy

Accidental blast from the past — in Rome!

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Before sleeping, I was reading a thread on Reddit on old movies. Someone suggested Bicycle Thieves (Italian: Ladri di biciclette) of Vittorio De Sica.

It is a textbook and well known example of Italian neorealism, and considered one of the masterpieces of Italian cinema.

We have watched this movie back in college for our intermediate Italian class. It was quite a depressing film set in post-WWII about the working family man Antonio Ricci, his adorable son Bruno, and their search of their missing bicycle around Rome, which he needs for work.

I have rewatched it before going to Rome, and even visited Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II on our third day just to see the area. I’ve had a look again at the movie last night and got goosebumps exactly at this point on YouTube.

I realized we had been EXACTLY where this scene is at!

Scene from Ladri di biciclette around Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II

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(End of my) Bottega Veneta Era

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And just like that (I felt like I had to start with these because of HBO’s season 2 of And Just Like That…), I officially ended my Bottega Era.

As soon as we decided that we’ll be going to Europe this year, I already began planning what bags to bring to the trip. I knew I’d go for those that are as discreet as possible, knowing how rife of pickpockets most areas in Rome and Paris (our major destinations) are.

I did not want to attract much attention, although I have not been using any bags with identifiable logos for quite some time. And so, I had Bottega Veneta in mind.

Inside the Colosseum with a bunch of Bottega Veneta goodies - Men with Bottega Veneta

Inside the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Yes, I carried two bags because I was extra. LOL

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Eurotrip 2023: Day 7 – Trastevere, Castel Sant’Angelo and Walk

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Day 7 and it was our last full day in Rome. By this day, we had nothing major planned, except to go around the Eternal City one last time.

But for the last full day, we did not leave until around lunch time as we expected to be out until late in the evening, We also had to pack our bags and not rush the following morning.

Our flight to Paris won’t be until mid-afternoon, but we’d be checking out early of the AirBnB for Fiumicino much earlier.

Thankfully, the weather forecast had no rain indicated whatsoever, making it easier for us to move around.

Walking the streets of Esquilino on our last full day in Rome

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Eurotrip 2023: Day 6 – Day Trip in Firenze

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While we spent most of our time in Rome, we decided to dedicate just one day trip for Florence.

Nothing against those spend one day trying to cover as many cities in a week in one country let alone across Europe, but I am personally not a fan of doing it. Heck we already spent 4 full days in Rome and still missed out on a lot of things.

Also, that would be impossible to do with my parents, and the many bags we’d have to carry around.

Thus, in our minds, Florence was the most feasible day trip from Rome given it won’t take us more than 2 hours to reach this Tuscan city.

Mama checking the sights outside the train

Halfway from Roma to Firenze

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Eurotrip 2023: Day 5 – Vatican City and Vatican Museums

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Day 5 and I was beginning to think there was already a pattern to the weather.😅 Much to our chagrin, it was raining even before I woke up.

It was unfortunate as we’d be spending most of morning at St. Peter’s Square for the Papal Audience.

I dressed appropriately, not only because we are to enter St. Peter’s Basilica, but also we’d have to possibly stand in the rain for hours.

It was quite early in the day, and raining – St. Peter’s Square

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Eurotrip 2023: Day 4 – Colosseum and a glimpse of Vatican

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Day 4 in Rome, and I woke up at exactly 6:00 am without an alarm clock. That was a big improvement compared to the last 2 mornings. It meant I was already recovering from the jet lag.

We had another long day ahead of us, visiting the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and Castel Sant’Angelo. We also needed to drop by the Vatican City to get our tickets for the Papal Audience the next day.

Looking at my phone, there was no forecast of rain at all. The highest temperature we’d have for the day was 24 degrees Celsius, which was around the same temperature we had at Piazza del Popolo.

Andiamo al Colosseo!

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Eurotrip 2023: Day 3 – Santa Maria Maggiore, Lateran and Pantheon

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On our third day in Rome, I still woke up quite early at 5:30 am. I still felt a bit tired, yet excited. I also immediately checked the weather app on my phone to see the temperature and the forecast for the day. There was a small chance of rain, which we had to learn to adapt with.

I also heard Papa and Mama having their usual morning call with our family at home, who had been checking in on them.

Compared the the day before, we left a little late at 9:30 pm. The first thing we planned to visit was the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

At Via Ratazzi

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Eurotrip 2023: Day 2 – Trevi, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza del Popolo and Jet Lag

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Despite us being tired from the flight the day before and sleeping at around 11:30 pm, I still woke up at 4:00 am.

Jet lag has hit me, and I found it difficult to sleep until everyone started waking up at 5:30 am. It was still dark outside, but I could tell that Papa was already in the kitchen preparing his coffee and getting ready to eat his cornetto.

Then at 6:00 am, it was obvious that I could no longer sleep so I finally got up. Over breakfast, we just had a debriefing of the our flight, and shared our excitement when we finally arrived in Rome. I also briefed everyone what to expect for the day, and at what time we should be leaving the AirBnB for Termini.

Good morning, Rome!

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Eurotrip 2023: Day 1 – Buongiorno, Roma!

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And just like, the big day finally arrived: the start of our trip to Europe!

I have waited for decades, and the best news was to do it with my parents and Mon. It was such a trip of a lifetime that I have saved for quite some time just to make this happen.

Although I speak French and a bit of Italian, I never had the opportunity to travel there. I was not sure how that would go about finally being in France and Italy. I thought, “we’ll see”.

We have also scheduled our visa appointment back in early March, then a couple of days after, Mon’s father had to undergo an emergency open heart surgery. More than 2 months ago, we were in Singapore with him and did not notice anything strange. We almost did not push through with the the trip.

The night before, Mama and Papa stayed at our apartment so it’d take only around 30 minutes to reach NAIA Terminal 3. I found it difficult to sleep because I normally sleep late.

It was exacerbated by my excitement over the upcoming flight, as well as worrying a bit of the three cats (who Leigh would be looking after for the next few days). I may have fallen asleep worrying until almost 2:30 am.

And before I knew it, we had to wake up at 5:30 am.

Finally, our vacation to Europe!

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