42. Lost in Tuscany

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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27. A Tour of Pere Lachaise Cemetary

The sky is a brilliant blue today in the Marais.

The sun peeks through the light cloud cover; bright enough to put a skip in my step but not quite strong enough to melt away the chill in the air. The perfect weather for a romantic stroll through Cimetière du Père-Lachaise a.k.a. Pere Lachaise Cemetery – arguably the most visited cemetery in the world.

We jump on the metro and disembark at Gambetta for the quickest route to our date with Oscar. It’s the farthest out of Paris’ city centre that we’ve travelled so far, but the map makes it look much further than it actually is. The trip only takes us fifteen minutes or so from our apartment, near Hotel de Ville.

On the short walk to the cemetery entrance, we pass a strategically-placed flower shop, and stop to buy some roses for our fallen friends.

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20. A Guide to Kutna Hora’s Top Attractions

The delightfully goth Sedlec Ossuary (bone church) is located in the middle of an industrial wasteland, on the outskirts of a small town called Kutna Hora, about an hour east of Prague by train.

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The tourists flock here in drones, buzzing through the ossuary and taking their fill of happy snaps, barely seeing the place except through the lenses of their cameras. We linger til the first throng disappears, and enjoy the few minutes of silence we have. The second coming appears in another flash-flood, but soon disappears as well, and we are finally left alone, having the whole establishment to ourselves for a good half an hour. It seems odd that a minute ago you couldn’t take a step without a dozen Nikon flashes blinding you; now, we are able to take a grand photo of the place without a single soul to disturb us.

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19. A One-Day Tour of Prague’s Historic Old Town

The trams of Prague crawl like caterpillars through the winding laneways; antennae and headlights alive with retro kitsch. They are cheap (putting us back a mere AUD 0.70 for each trip) and convenient (stopping just around the corner of our hotel).

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We jump off at the Western end of Charles Bridge. The towers of Karluv Most are open to the public, and after paying a nominal fee, we alight the rickety old stairs to the top.

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The view is priceless. It stretches across an expanse of sunburnt rooftops, split in quarters by the river and it’s bridge. We are alone, save for a few feathered companions. A bell rings in the distance. We count the chimes to twelve o’clock, and watch the current of tourists wash down the bridge, mesmerised by the constant flow of bodies.

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18. Prague; Highlights of the Golden City

What better place to first savour the gems of Eastern Europe than the Czech Republic – home to the beautifully spooky Bone Church, medieval town squares lined in cobblestones and crowned in gargoyles, hearty and food and beer, bohemian crystal, and a culture that is rich with folklore of witches and golems.

We landed in Prague after almost 24 hours in transit. Not quite knowing what to expect, and armed with all the pent-up excitement of a life-long dream, I watched as he steps out of the airport.

My husband, after all these years, has finally made it to Europe for the very first time; and more significantly, to his Prague… the one he was always told he had to visit, the one city that he would feel a sense of belonging in, the one he dreamed of. The look on his face says it all, and I feel an overwhelming gratitude that I am here to share it with him.

Read more to find out why Prague quickly became one of our favourite cities in the world.

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