The view from the top of the Campanile.

Our second night in Florence. It is, of course, beautiful. Spent the day seeing some of the sights, starting with the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) with Brunelleschi's dome. We climbed the 414 steps to the top of Campanile, just next to the Duomo, and were rewarded with a fantastic view of both the dome of the cathedral and all of Florence. These two buildings, along with the Battistero (at the front of the cathedral), are all spectacularly decorated and amazingly large.

The Pazzi Chapel

We also saw the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella; walked over the Ponte Vecchio (the only bridge not to be destroyed in WW11), which is lined with jewellery shops; went to the Piazza della Signoria to see Michelangelo's statue of David (well, it's just a copy, the real one's in a museum) and the Palazzo Vecchio; and went on one of my 'architecture hunts' to find the Pazzi Chapel (I did a history assignment on it in first-year uni) that is located next to the Basilica di Santa Croce - great to see it in real life. In between we wandered the streets lined with old palazzo buildings and looked in shops.

What do you do when you're hungry in Florence?
Eat a gelato, of course! (Even if it is freezing...)

Last night we arrived in Florence around 8pm, so after finding our hostel we went out for dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant (ZaZa's) recommended by the hostel. I had gnocchi and it was delicious - just melted in your mouth. So good (and relatively cheap) that we are going there again tonight to try something else - their menu is huge!

Yesterday we were in Bern, which was also very beautiful - the main part of the city (a very small city for the capital of Switzerland - only 123,400) was on a hill which was partly surrounded by a river and beyond this hills rose up into snow. Unfortunately we didn't have much time there, but managed to see the bear enclosure (only one bear that wasn't 'denning' - hibernating) and the exterior of the Paul Klee centre - the building was designed by Renzo Piano. We also wandered the streets, which were very 'Swiss'.

The day before (Monday), we left Douranenez for a long day of trains. First from Quimper to Paris, a two hour wait there where we had to change stations, Paris to Geneve (Switzerland), and a quick change to Bern. Left in the morning at 8:30 and arrived in Bern that night at 9:30!

Time for tea,

Cześć, Fiona

As promised, the yellow Cadillac.

Prunelle, me, Rosalie, Shayne and Taina (an exchange student from Brazil staying with the Tudal's) at Pointe du Van (Bay of the Dead)

Long time, no post.....

We are in Douranenez, staying with the Tudal's - Rosalie's family (Rosalie came to Australia on exchange in 2010 and stayed with the Lillas' but also with my family for a week while they were away). Lovely house, lovely place. And it is warm!!! Well, in the positive temperatures at least - like a cold winters day in Tasmania. It is so nice to not wear so many clothes.

Arrived on Friday evening and had a yummy meal of crepes at Rosalie's father's creperie. Yesterday (Saturday) was spent strolling around Douranenez - so many boats - and exploring the nearby city of Quimper (pronounced Kemper). Today Roger (Rosalie's father) took us along the coast in his bright yellow Cadillac to Point du Van (Bay of the Dead) where there were amazing views of the coast - very rugged. And tomorrow we will catch the train in the morning from Quimper to Paris, then to Bern in Switzerland - back into the negative temperatures!

Cześć, Fiona

The Villa Savoye

Just a quick update. Spent today not going to the Louvre, as it was closed, but walking the streets, browsing in shops and making the trek to Poissy to see Le Corbusier's wonderful Villa Savoye. We finally got to see some snow in Poissy (on the outskirts of Paris), and it was so soft! Still not very much of it though - just a light covering of the ground. I'll post more later (and more pictures).

Staircase in the Villa Savoye

Cześć, Fiona

Paris! Here we are! Arrived this evening from Strasbourg. And Strasbourg! Strasbourg was wonderful.

Arrived in Strasbourg on Saturday morning via Offenburg (a small city in Germany), where we stumbled across some kind of carnival that happens once a year (where all the 'crazy carnival people' come). There were people dancing, costumes made with masks, felt and bells, music playing and general frivolity. All-in-all quite an interesting spectacle to come across.

With Juliette in Strasbourg

We met Juliette at the train station (for those who don't know, Juliette came on exchange to Tasmania and was at Hellyer College for the first half of my year 11) and she showed us the sights of Strasbourg including the magnificent cathedral and astronomical clock, and the beautiful Petite France area with its lovely old buildings and cobble-stone streets. She also took us to a slightly alternative cafe where we sampled strawberries and plums with some kind of mint and pepper sauce, as well as bread with toppings of chocolate and a lolly banana; strawberries, almonds and melted hard-boiled lollies; and a cinnamon French toast. We also visited her school and student accommodation - they have their own (albeit, small) bathroom in their room! It was so lovely to see her.

Today we explored a little more of Strasbourg on our own. We climbed to the bell tower of the cathedral - which was quite amazing and so high (with a fantastic view), and wandered around the streets before catching the train to Paris, and here we are! We did try to catch up with Elodie (she stayed with my auntie and uncle in Hobart), but we arrived in Paris too late and missed her as she was heading back to her school for the week.

The view from our hostel room in Frankfurt

A cute little touristy square in Frankfurt

However, I missed the last day in Frankfurt. So.....that day was museum day. I think it is safe to say that Frankfurt is the capital of museums. We passed at least 10 without specifically looking for them, and on the map we saw that there were 31! There was a great value 'museum surfer' ticket (€8 for students) that gave you admission to all of the museums and paid off by seeing just two. Our first stop was the Architecture Museum - amazing. So many models that were meticulously put together and really great displays. Next was the Museum of Modern Art - just missed the Andy Warhol exhibit. A lot of the work there was video art and quite strange. Last was the Stadel Museum. Unfortunately the modern gallery was closed so we viewed the older collections quite quickly, but the shop was great. Back at the hostel was crepe night which provided us with a free dinner!

And so now to explore Paris.....



Cześć, Fiona

Have made it to stop number one: Frankfurt, Germany, and our hostel for the next two days (the Five Elements Hostel - in the middle of the red-light district). Landed in -10 degree darkness - bit of a shock to the system! But so far I've managed with only a t-shirt, cardigan and wool coat - though I'm going to add a few more layers - trouble is it's always so warm inside so you cook and then freeze. Waiting to check into our room at 4, but will head into the city centre to check it out and maybe peruse some museums and buy Shayne some much-needed gloves!

Cześć for now.

ps. The picture is of the dining/bar area of the hostel - pretty nice! Hope the rooms offer the same comforts.