Old Goa: the Rome of the East

On the way from the beach to a temple location, we stopped in Panjim for a night. Smallest capital in the whole of India, the city has got a very Portuguese feeling in some area... We are staying in a little Portuguese house tonight, with wrought-iron windows and high ceilings with wood poles. Even the streets have Portuguese names!

About 9km away from the capital, lies Old Goa. The place has got so many churches it could compete with Rome! Visited 4 in the space of two hours, all Catholic and all of colonial heritage. Old Goa was the capital of the state until 1843 and until the 18th century its population exceeded that of London or Lisbon. What I found interesting it is the devotion practises around here, crosses and sacred imagines (of any kind!) are very popular everywhere: buses, houses, bars... But they are often get put together where a Christian image gets offered incense and flowers of Hindu tradition!

On a night bus with no AC for 10hours tomorrow, on the way the Unesco World Heritage Site, Hampi... Wish us luck!

Rainy north Goa

Little did we know about monsoon season. It rains. A LOT! Cabin fever aside, we get plenty of nice food (hail the veggie thali!), nice beers, walks along the beaches, card games and afternoon naps! 

Life has got a very different pace in India and the coast is humid but breezy, with some black Goan pigs running around along with free-roaming sacred cows.

Currently in Anjuna, where the beach is rocky and the vendors are pushy... But we have running water!

Mental Mumbai

Got to India after a long journey through Dubai.

We are staying in an area not very popular with tourists so we are getting the odd stare, but think that is all part of the game!

On the other hand, got some very cheap dining ... Two meals for less than £2! 

Went for a walk and explored Mumbai - chaotic, hot, poor, mental, beepy (as in the horn beep), sweaty and rainy.

Managed to get on a bus today: Mumbai buses have no doors and you basically have to run onto them while they are still moving. They can get really busy and I am not sure you wanna fight the locals for a spot on the bus!

Colonial builiding outside Victoria Terminus

Just a goat, hanging out on a bike outside our hotel.

Also went to see the "Gateway of India", an arch built to commemorate the visit of the British king George VI in 1911: very busy with local tourists... And we also got asked to take some pictures with a couple of locals. Feels weird to be the foreigners!

Gateway of India

The butterfly island

With just 14 sq miles, the island of Favignana is the biggest one in the Aegadian Islands off the Sicilian city of Trapani. It is also known as the butterly island as it has the shape of a butterfly with some mountains right in the middle of it.

The Phoenicians used this island on their Mediterranean trading routes, until in 241 BC when the Romans defeated them in one of the Punic wars. One of the beaches on the island is actually called "Cala Rossa" in remembrance of the red blood spilled during these wars - the redness actually comes from a kind of clay in the sea.

Until the 80's, fishing and packing tuna was one of the main occupations on the island but now it has become a touristic paradise, with amazing seafood and views on the beaches... and the local seagull who's always near one of the fishmonger's on the main street, accustomed to the locals feeding him for entertaining purposes!

We eat and lounged on the beach, went for a boat tour, the water was 12 degrees as it's only the beginning of the season but still went for a (quick) dip and sun-bathed... the English way!! 

Let's not get too tanned!

We also celebrate a little bit of romantic time as it was our mini moon after the wedding in Italy! 

Back on the planning wagon!

And we are back! 

Doing a bit of research on health requirements for travelling, all while finishing up work, getting ready to move out, putting our stuff in storage and, why not, finishing up the last bits of our Italian wedding+holidays!

This is how my notepad looks like:

This is how I imagine what my first few days will look like:

Not long at all now, 38 days and counting!! 

The Paris of the East

A long week end in Budapest was a nice mid-winter break (not to mention a brief honeymoon!) 

Budapest is a city over the Danube river - its unification goes back to November 1873. Buda is on the west bank of the river and Pest is on the east bank.

We could taste a lot of nice hearty and food at the Christmas Markets on Vörösmarty square - I think this is a pork skewer with some cabbage!

This is the Hungarian Parliament Building (I took a picture while "cruising" on the Danube) - it is the largest building in all of Hungary and the tallest in Budapest. 

 My favourite part was absolutely the Széchenyi Thermal Baths - only a few minutes outside the city centre... the water comes from 2 different thermal springs. The outside pool is 38°C and the outside temperature was about 4°C - you can get massages, go into the Finnish sauna and run ice on yourself before you go back to the the hot pool!

 

Night view from the Danube River

Bologna love

Just spent a few days in my hometown, Bologna. 

Sometimes I forget how pretty it is... and then I remind myself there must be a reason why I am getting married here next year!

This is the Basilica of Saint Petronius - the first stone was laid in 1390 and it is an impressive landmark in Bologna city centre. The front of the church has been undergoing massive restoration works and it has been hidden for the last 3years. It looks stunning now!

Another thing that keeps me coming back here is my amazing friends and family... 

Always there for me, no matter what the distance and all you need is a pizza order to get together and act like this! I love them.

Flying back to the UK this afternoon - with a suitcase full of cheese and heartful of love!