Honeymoon 2 (Europe) : 10/12/13 - 1/1/14

From my past few posts, I know that overseas trips blogging can be quite intimidating, and this trip is my longest yet with my newly wed wife. 23 highly memorable days, fresh from my oven-baked brains. We had only landed in Singapore yesterday, but taking a record-breaking 14 continuous hours of no-wake sleep really pumps up my motivation to blog. 

I wouldn't exactly say this is our Honeymoon 2, perhaps it be more apt to refer to our Vietnam trip as Pre-Honeymoon and this... our Official Honeymoon, since our "official" chinese wedding refers to the wedding banquet and not the signing of our marriage certificate (which we did 2 years ago). 

90% of our trip went as we had planned, with slight impromptu changes to better fit into our energy level, convenience and sightseeing coverage.

Knowing that the impending dreadful long-winded posts that I've conjured in the past awaits me yet again, I have decided to keep my blog more streamlined, so as to keep my fire burning till I reach day 23.  

We hit Czech Republic (Prague), Germany (Munich), Austria (Salzburg) and Italy (Venice, Milan, Cinque Terre, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Sorrento, Amalfi, Matera, Alberobello and Rome). My top 3 places, in order of ranking would be Munich, Sorrento followed by Cinque Terre. Every city/town we've been has its own merits, but its the sum of various factors which makes these 3 places top my list. 

Germany was rich in culture, nightlife and the food was pretty awesome. Both of us loovveeeddd the sausages, selling at little stalls all over its christmas markets. They open till late, around 10-ish, and the atmosphere was magical; probably owing to the buskers, pro-quality buskers, who lined the streets and filled the air with music, and appreciative locals who gathered around them, dancing and singing along with the buskers. 

Retail shops, though closed, kept their shop front lights on and locals would stop by these shops to have a look. This is characteristic of Europe, and possibly where the term window shopping originated from. 

Sorrento, was a hidden gem. I wasn't drawn to it in the first place, but because my dear wanted so much to walk and see streets lined with lemon-trees, I decided to make Sorrento our accomodation stop rather then merely a day trip. Having read prior advice online during my honeymoon planning, Sorrento sounded like a decent place to stay over due to its accesibility to hot tourists attractions such as the Amalfi Coast, Capri Island and Pompeii. Furthermore, online sources states that its cheaper staying there compared to Capri Island or the Amalfi Coast. I'm so glad I heeded that advice. 

Accessibiilty was only one of the plus factors. Shops opened till a shocking 2am, and the streets were bustling with harmless locals staying up late to have a great time. Walking along the bustling streets lined with lemon and tangerine trees proved to be more than a browsing read on paper (or cyber paper), it was a walk to remember. However, don't expect the air to be filled with natural lemon fresheners, cos the citrus juices were all snuggly packed in their lemons hanging around like christmas ornaments to christmas trees. Food was supermodel (instead of pretty) awesome and souvenir shopping was at its pinnacle. 

Cinque Terre, collectively called so because it's made up of 5 (Cinque) villages proved to be worthy of its UNESCO World Heritage Site title. Though to be accurate, it should be Quattro (4) Terre since we only visited 4 villages. Of all the villages, I liked Riomaggiore the most, and thankfully by a stroke of luck, it also happens to be the village which we stayed at. Generally, not much night life there, but greatly compensated by it's gorgeous picturesque sights and its coastal locations (with the exception of one village). They were small villages, and each were picturesque in their own unique way. 

The common factor for these 3 places to top my list is that I felt safe being there, and it's an invisible vibe that cannot be explained.

Gnerally, language wasn't that big a problem, with the locals and customer service officers (train stations, tourist infos, hotel receptions) knowing basic English, but in smaller rural areas, we depended on our astute sense of inferences. Information signs (tourists attractions/bus/train timings) are also mainly in their native language. 

What I didn't like about Eurpoe was what looked like a syndicate of africans and blangadeshi men (source googled, since I've no idea where they are actually from) street vendors all over Europe. They sold stuff like roses, figurines, scarfs, umbrellas, polaroid photos etc. They are EVERYWHERE. Shining those irritating green laser pointers at your path to attract your attention, so on and so forth. The brollies street vendors were the most pro... they only sprout out when the rain falls... as if emerging from little corners of the cities. 

Also, it's fairly safe there, perhaps because I was so paranoid that I glared away anyone who got too close to us. And since it was during winter, and we were heavily clothed, our important belongings were well protected and kept very close to us at all times. Constantly keeping a safe distance of an arm's length to anyone and keeping a close eye, I would say that I overestimated the risk and danger there. We kept taxi taking to a minimum, knowing that we'll probably be ripped off in that area. 

Back to the happy part of our honeymoon, I shall end off with yet another list, my top 10 list of the most memorable and picturesque moments of our trip. I shall save the elaboration and details for my later posts. 

Top 10 most picturesque mental moments (in order):

1. Area where the Neuschwanstein Castle is (village of Hohenschwangau I believe that to be), overlooking the snow covered Swiss Alps 

2. Sunset view of the blue pastel-colored sea and a red giant ball of Sun as the backdrop during a Vaporetto ride from Burano to Venice

3. View of the colored stacked houses of Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

4. Brightly colored houses lining the canal running through the island of Burano



5. Night view of the 2D-cardboard-like Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence

6. Appreciating the 3D fresco paintings by the genius Micheangelo in the Sistine Chapel of Vatican City

7. Day view of Amalfi from one of its piers overlooking the coastal stretch and the sea



8. A bird's eye view of the old and new town of Prague from Vysehrad (historical fort located in Prague)



9. Buildings which seemed embedded in the rocky mountains at Salzburg



10. A particular slopy street of Alberobello lined with white-painted Trulli houses selling souvenirs