42. Lost in Tuscany

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We set off in the morning, bidding Florence “arrivederci and good riddance!” after a gruelling few days, and head towards the rolling countryside of Tuscany. The itinerary for today is a tight one;

10.00: Depart Florence
10.00 – 11.00: Drive…
11.00 – 12.00: San Gimignano
12.00 – 13.00: Drive…
13.00 – 15.00: Siena
15.00 – 17.30: Drive…
17.30: Arrive Rome

One might even say it’s a disaster waiting to happen, but we’re optimistic and starry-eyed and nothing is going to get in our way today! Or so it seemed…

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41. Five Reasons why Florence is like Highschool

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Florence, like highschool has long been a hub of culture, history, art, and finance. You’re supposed to emerge a changed person; worldlier, more cultivated, richer in the soul.

But after spending three nights in this popular city, I felt no different. More tired and frustrated for sure – and OK, we certainly had a little fun – but did it all add up to a life-changing experience?

Not really. Every morning we woke up and mulled over whether we should get out and give it another chance, or whether we should stay in bed, or perhaps blow it off completely and find some other city in Tuscany to while away our time in. I’m glad we committed to her, but in the end, it was merely a landmark in our lives to be ticked off the list. Much like highschool.

You’re probably scoffing at me right now, but read our experiences below before you come to your own verdict.

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40. Restaurant Review: Kashin Japanese Restaurant

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Edited 1/12/2014: Note that Kashin Japanese Restaurant is now under new management, with a different menu. Sadly you will no longer find the delicious chilli-infused food here. Kashin is now a boring, stock-standard Japanese diner.

If you take stroll along the row of shops in Gordon you’ll probably miss this understated restaurant, but what it lacks in presence it makes up for in flavour.

Kashin‘s kitchen is run by a master sushi chef whose only interaction with us is a booming “irasshaimase!” from behind his counter, and his delightful smiling wife, who potters out to greet us with a bow. Their daughter takes over and seats at a table near the window – she is friendly and chatty, and enthusiastically nods with all our menu choices. All of three of them are the most gracious hosts, and kindly offer a taste of their favourite sake on the house, as well as an appetiser to whet our taste buds.

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39. Garbage, Metro Theatre, Sydney 2013

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As the youngest of three children, my musical taste was greatly influenced by my (much) older sister. She was 22, I was 11, and we loved Belinda Carlisle. We loved Kylie Minogue. We loved Michael Jackson.

But as the mid 90s crept up on me and I entered highschool, everything changed. My new friends were listening to Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and The Smashing Pumpkins. They were wearing flannel, the boys were growing their hair long, and the girls embraced the “heroin chic” look. Grunge was at it’s peak even though the king Cobain himself had died just a year earlier. I remember one kid who turned to me in the very first class of Year 7, and said to me dead seriously, “the world is a vampire“, as if it were some sort of code. If I had been down with the right tunes I would have replied in similar form, “set to drai-ai-ain“, and been initiated into the halls of coolness for the next six years. But no locomotion or moondance could have prepared me for that.

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38. The Best of Cinque Terre

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Where in the world can you throw snowballs on top of a mountain pass AND visit the sweltering Mediterranean beaches in one day? Italy, that’s where!

After driving an epic 585km from the Stelvio Pass, through the Swiss Alps, (regrettably) past Verona, and down onto the Italian Riviera, we arrive finally at Riomaggiore – the first of the Cinque Terre, or “Five Villages”.

in the pursuit of | Riomaggiore

View of Riomaggiore from the ferry.

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