Roman Reunions [ft. Margherita]

The best thing about expat life? Your best friend coming to pay your continent a visit!

In September, (yep, a while ago), my beautiful bestie Margherita was brave enough to make a solo journey to Rome and of course, I was straight on a plane after work to visit her for the weekend!

I landed (delayed and very late) in Rome in the early AM so upon getting to our Roman flat, we pretty much crashed and promised each other a packed weekend of catching up and exploring Rome. 

After having quite a cold and miserable summer, a weekend in Rome provided me with the little burst of summer I had been desperately seeking!

We stayed in a small suburb, just outside of central Rome, called Trastevere - Michael and I had stayed here once on our way through Rome and we loved it, it's a little less quiet than central Rome and definitely more authentic, it turned out the be the perfect place for us to indulge in Italian food and explore the city on foot. 

After some coffee and breakfast, we made our way into Rome for a day of exploring and general wandering. The best part about our plans, was actually our lack of plans - we have both visited Rome before so our agenda was pretty open and we were happy to wander around and enjoy each other's company - which was a perfectly relaxing way to spend the weekend!

First and foremost - gelato was an absolute must!

YUM! 

Nothing can beat some authentic Italian gelato on a hot day in Rome!

We wandered into Piazza Navona - one of the central squares in Rome and the location in which one of my favourite photos was taken. I love this photo of Marg in the square!

From here we headed to the Trevi Fountain - this was pretty much one of our only 'must see' things for the entire day. Last time I had come to Rome it was closed and I was really annoyed! So this time, since it had re-opened, I really wanted to make a stop!

Finally I got a make a wish at the Trevi Foutain

Panorama magic!

Marg, my stunning model once more, at the Trevi Fountain - it was incredibly hot here and I was loving the heat!

From here, we commended some more general wanderings around Rome and actually (accidentally) stumbled on the Pantheon, where I was once again able to use my panorama skills to take a pretty decent photo of the monument and the surrounding square.

As we walked around some of the less busy/touristy parts of Rome we started to get a little artistic (or as artistic as either of us can claim to be) with our photo taking!

A beautiful door way - featuring ivy and bikes!

And of course, what trip to Rome would be complete without a short stop by the Colosseum!?

As usual, it was packed with tourists - since we had both seen the inside we were content with wandering around the outside and taking a few happy snaps!

We enlisted the help of a kind stranger to help us take these 'bestie' style photos - not sure if it had the desired effect, we look kinda weird but we definitely look happy if nothing else!

From here, it was a mad dash back to Trastevere from the centre of Rome to avoid the rain - which suddenly started to pour down - we almost avoided it and ran into a restaurant for a late lunch and a reprieve from the suddenly wet weather!

Michael and I had actually visited this restaurant the last time we were in Rome and we really enjoyed it so Marg and I decided to head back there! Thankfully, it did not disappoint, the pasta and wine was as delicious as I had remembered and (as a bonus) also as affordable as I claimed it would be!

I am not a huge pasta fan but Italian pasta is absolutely delish!

After a huge day of walking, walking and more walking, we decided on doing some more walking! Haha! Although, this time we didn't go as far and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering, locally, around Trastevere. 

I have absolutely no idea what the name of this fountain / monument is or why it is completely unknown but we walked past it and had to get a few photos. 

The above photo is of Marg is a beautiful little plaza in Trastevere, she spent her first night (while I was experiencing a horribly delayed flight) people watching and eating food in this plaza - Piazza di Santa Maria,

A beautiful little cobble stoned walkway in Trastevere - this is exactly what I picture when I think of Rome :-)

We finally headed home for a little rest and recovery, after nearly 7 hour of walking!

Later that night we headed out for some more Italian food - complete with Limoncello shots!

The following day we both had to catch flights - Marghertia to Sicily and myself back to London. Of course, we made time for food and gelato!

Our final Italian gelato!

Marg outside a cute little cafe that we actually visited twice, for breakfast both days, the food was simple but delish and the people were nice enough to let us sit outside with our luggage before we headed to the airport!

I can't believe how lucky I was to have my best friend come and visit me - and in Rome of all places! It was a short visit and it went incredibly quickly but I am so thankful that we got to have an amazing weekend together!

xxx

Baltic Explorations: Lithuania

Klaipeda

From the [definitely] not sunny shores of Latvia, we headed south to Lithuania and the town of Klaipeda - this town is not a huge tourist hub but is more like a gateway to the famous Curonian Spit - a popular summer destination in the Baltics. 

We managed to take a look around and check out some sights in Klaipeda, although it's fair to say they weren't the most imposing attractions. On the top left is the Golden Mouse sculpture, apparently one of the top rights - you are supposed to rub it for good luck. Also, top right, is Matt beside a supposedly famous statute in the main Square of Lithuania. We made sure to get a photo of Matt beside the statue to provide some perspective - yep, it's definitely not a large statue. 

One amazing this we did discover in Lithuania: cheese! We got this amazingly delicious cheese board of Lithuania cheddars for a small 6 euro!

The following day I decided to journey from Klaipedia, along the Curonian Spit, all the way from the North most town, to the most southern Lithuania town of Nada.

For those who do not know (I didn't before I was in this part of the world) the Curonian Spit is an UNESCO Heritage site, it is basically a giant sand due that separates the coast of Lithuania (and part of Russia) from the Baltic Sea. The Curonian Spit runs along the coast of Lithuania and Kallingrad (a Russian country).  

I hired a bike from the hostel I was staying at, rode from the hostel to the port of Klaipeda and got on a ferry across to the Curonian Spit - where I started my 55km journey south to Nada. 

I was really fortunate, firstly, it was an absolutely beautiful day (something I had been lacking this summer) and the entire route was marked and had lovely bike paths to cycle along.

I cycled for about 20km before succumbing to my urges to visit the beach - this, after all, is what people come to the Curonian Spit for! Along the bike path there were constant wooden staircases (like the one below), that I knew led to a beautiful beach. 

The beautiful and isolated Curonian Spit - what an amazing part of the world!

 I took some time to chill on the beach - I was hanging to do this!

The beach was absolutely stunning and the weather could not have been more perfect - this was one of those long, sunny summer days that you do not want to end. 

But, eventually, it was time to get back on the bike - only 32km to go until I reached Nida!

I couldn't help but make a few more stops to admire the beautiful coastline along my way - I never would have thought of Lithania as a country with such beautiful beaches but these soon changed my mind. 

Back on the bike!

I rode through lots of beautiful, natural scenery - which seemed to constantly change depending on which part of the Spit I was in, I particularly liked this beautiful green section. 

Selfie time!

I will admit, as much as I love a holiday bike ride. I was beginning to want the ride to be over as I approached the 55km mark - it was much further than I had anticipated. 

As I approached Nida, a beautiful seaside town, there were lots of these little red beach houses - typically Lithuanian beach houses apparently, they were really cute - wish I had of stayed in one of them!

I arrived in Nida in time for a late lunch, luckily a friend I had made in Latvia told me about a great rooftop restaurant she had visited, so I headed straight here for some food and wine - I thought I had earned it after my long bike ride!

FInally, my last stop before getting on the bus back towards the ferry (because I definitely did not feel like riding back about 50+km without bike shorts) I went to visit some of the sand dunes near Nida.

It was quite funny, every other backpacker I seemed to meet at the hostel, or otherwise, seemed really excited about these sand dues - there are really good reviews online, so I thought, why not check it out? I mean, they are huge sand dunes and everything but I think, for an Australian, definitely not anything to write home about. So I took my standard tourist selfie and headed on my way!

Back in Klaipeda, the weather took a turn for the worst (suprise, suprise), I spent the next day hopping between cafes - I did take a few photos of some of the strange things in the park here and also some of the lovely old buildings in the old town. 

Vilnius

Now, this was HANDS DOWN, my favourite city in this entire trip!

Seriously, Vilnius is a really fun city - it's busy but small, full of young people, great views and cool restaurants - can't ask for too much more!

Matt and I arrived quite late in the afternoon, he was leaving the following day so we decided we definitely had to do some exploring before he left. First, we walked through the old town and headed to Gediminas Tower. 

It's hard to tell in this photo (iPhone photo just not cutting it) but the view from the base of this tower provides some amazing views over the city of Vilnius at night.

The following day I took myself on a self-guided tour of Vilnius. 

Top left: the old gate to the city of Vilnius

Top right: Piles street. 

A selfie at the end of Piles street, one of the busiest streets in Vilnius (not that particular morning) and is full of restaurants, bars and shops. 

The photos above and below are of the Vilnius Cathedral and cathedral square - the buildings were really beautiful and it was such a nice day! I was suprised more people weren't out and about - luckily for me Vilnius seems to be a real hidden gem of a city!

I walked over the Neris river - you can see the Gedimanas Tower in the top right of this photo. 

Also, stopped and got a delicious burger on Gediminas street - another main street in Vilnius.

From here I decided to check out the views from the Gediminas tower during the way - those cobblestones were a real pain to walk up and down on while wearing thongs!

Lovely view during the day too - the Neris river kind of reminded me of a much cleaner looking Yarra!

I then ventured to the Hill of Three Crosses - this is a monument that overlooks the whole city of Vilnius. It has been rebuilt several times, the most recent being at the collapse of the Soviet Empire. Supposedly, several monks were crucified here but I am not entirely sure if that is what the crosses are supposed to represent?

It was quite a hike to get here but I was rewarded with fantastic views and lots of sun - and as an added bonus, it seemed like not many other visitors could be bothered walking all the way up here, so I was more or less on my own!

I decided to take a pretty round-about path back towards the city, the Hill of Three Crosses is located in a park that is on the very edge of the city - but only about 20 minutes outside of some of the central streets. For an area that really wasn't that far from the city centre it was completely empty!

I got to have a lovely, peaceful and interrupted walk before heading back to the centre of Vilnius. 

On my way home, I detoured via Literatu Street (Literature street), this is a really cool street that pays tribute to all the famous writers and artists from Lithuania.

I was really interested in this - although I can't say I have heard of any of these authors. 

The street itself was beautiful, pastel coloured houses with beautiful shutters and red bricked streets... it was lovely. 

Vilnius is definitely recommend visiting - it would make a fantastic weekend break! There is so much to walk around and see and the atmosphere is really lively and fun - lots of cool bars and restaurants and fun things happening. The hostels also seemed really great, at the hostel I stayed at the owner cooked free dinner every single morning for all guests - it was such a friendly and welcoming place!

Palanga

My final solo stop on my summer holidays was Palanga - it was a long bus ride back to the coast of Lithuania and time for some rest and relaxation by the beach!

Palanaga is most famous for it's huge jetty - once I arrived I went for a walk through the main street and was immediately drawn towards the jetty - it's a great place to watch people and the ocean :-)

I went for an afternoon walk along the beach - which, again, was beautiful. The beaches in Lithuania certainly did not disappoint. Unfortunately, although it was quite sunny, the temperatures were still on the cooler side (and the water was freezing) so I didn't get to go for a beach swim - ahh, next summer I guess!

Back along the beach to the pier!

Another thing that Palanga is well known for is it's beautiful sunsets. 

I went back to the jetty to watch the sunset - it was amazing!

Panorama skills!

 The next few days were filled with limited activities - mostly including: eating, drinking coffee/wine, reading and relaxing in a park or on the beach!

Above is the Palanga Amber Museum - Palanga is also well known as a place in which Amber is found/collected. I didn't actually go to visit the museum, I had read the the building and surrounding groups were really beautiful (which is definitely true) and ventured here to spend the afternoon reading and sun-baking in the surrounding park and gardens. 

Well, it's actually been quite a long time since I got back from this holiday but, looking back, has made me realise how relaxing these holidays actually were. 

Now, back to work and reality. 

Until the next holiday comes!

XXX