The world is so beautiful! Part 2

My fairytale Europe story continues….

Austria

The next country we visited was Austria. We explored three beautiful places in Austria - Haiming, Innsbruck, and Hopfgarten im Brixental. Austria is wrapped in beautiful forests and mountains. The Austrian Alps form the backbone of the country.

The first place we visited was Haiming. Haiming is a small town in the state of Tyrol. It is famous for its water sports. People say that white water rafting is a must if you are visiting Tyrol. I had the utterly delicious goulash soup in a cute cafe in Haiming, the interiors of the cafe were very cozy with comfy cushions, and the outside seating area had sweeping views of the Inn river and the Austrian Alps. Goulash soup is one of the heartiest soups I have had in my life. It is a stew of meat and vegetables.

Innsbruck is the capital city of Tyrol. It is situated on the river Inn. The name Innsbruck translates to bridge over the Inn. We spent the day wandering different alleyways in this cute city. There are numerous, dinky souvenir stores and cutesy outdoor cafes everywhere and the mix of modern and historical architecture only brightened up our strolls in the beautiful city. But the most amazing sight in Innsbruck is the one in the picture below. The sight of colourful houses on Mariahilf Street alongside the Inn river with the Austrian Alps in the backdrop brought sparkle to the eyes.

We spent the night in Hopfgarten im Brixental. A pretty little town that made us feel at home. In the Contiki bar, we learned some Austrian dance moves and played the Austrian hammer, nail, and a block of wood game - Hammerschlagen. It is a game where a group of people stand around a block of wood. Each person has a nail and the hammer goes around. The aim is to get the nail completely in the wood using the hammer. In one round of the game, you get one chance before the hammer goes to the next person. The last person to get their nail all the way in has to buy drinks for all. German is spoken in Austria and we already know how to prost!

Venezia, Italia

Venice, the floating city, the city of canals, is a very unique city architecturally. Venice has 118 islands, 177 canals, and 417 bridges. Charming bridges, canals, boats, and gondolas make the whole city charismatic. Another pleasing quality about the city is that there are no cars here, you walk or take water transport such as the gondolas, which have been a mode of transport in Venice since the 11th Century. A trip to Venice is not complete without a gondola ride.

Piazza San Marco is the heart of Venice. Piazza means public square or marketplace in Italian. Napoleon called this square “the world’s most beautiful drawing room”. The church forming the backdrop in the photo above is St. Mark’s Basilica, which is the most important religious place in Venice and also one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Europe. The column is St Mark's Campanile, which is the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica.

If you are taking the gondola ride (which you should), the gondolier will take you on a wonderful trip around Venice and will give you a brief history of the city in their Venetian accent. The best part for me in Venice was this ride and experiencing the beauty, history, and Renaissance-style architecture of the city while drifting leisurely on Venetian waters. After our gondola ride, we wandered the narrow alleyways and got lost (quite literally) in this unique and exquisite Venetian city. How can the first day in Italy go without pasta? We had a hearty meal, the most amazing pasta at Trattoria da Bruno.

Fun fact - First quarantine in the world happened in Venice when ships arriving in Venice were required to stay at anchor for 40 days to protect the coast from epidemics.

Such a unique city with a rich heritage, but such a sad future. It pains to see that the city is sinking, the ancient buildings are degrading and the key reason is global warming. A new study suggests that Venice could completely descend into the lagoon as early as 2100.

Roma, Italia

Not going to lie, it was hot in Rome, but it was also gelato fun. On our first day here, we went to the Trevi fountain - the most exquisite fountain I have seen. The fountain is built in the Baroque style. It dates back to Roman times. Old folklore says that if you use your right hand and throw a coin over your left shoulder into the fountain, you would visit Rome again, if you throw two coins the same way, you would find the love of your life soon, and if you throw three coins, you would get married in Rome. As luck would have it, I only had one coin - guess I am visiting Rome again.

On our second day in Rome, we visited the Roman forum and Colosseum (or Colosseo in Italian). You would have definitely seen the building in the below picture somewhere. Colosseum is an architectural marvel. It was opened in 80 AD under the rule of Emperor Vespasian. It is the largest amphitheatre in the world. It has a gruesome history attached to it. The amphitheatre was a centre of entertainment for the whole of Rome. The most famous and regular event here was the gladiator fights. The other popular event was animal displays and hunts, where exotic animals were hunted and made to fight against the gladiators.

Nevertheless, what is an absolute must-try in Rome? - pizza, duh!! I had the most delicious pizza at Alice Pizza in Rome.

Vatican, Italia

Vatican City is located within Rome but is another country, technically. It is the smallest country in the world. It is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope resides here and is the head of the state. The museum is full of art and history - art that had been collected by popes since the seventeenth century. Art that is mind-boggling, eye-popping, and very impressive. And a history that is spine-tingling. A couple of examples of the art can be seen in the photographs below, but these photos do not do justice to reality. A classic masterpiece in the Vatican Museum is the Sistine Chapel. I fall short of words to describe how beautiful and peaceful being inside Sistine Chapel was. Sadly, no photos are allowed in the chapel, but the marvellous art will stay in my memories forever.

Florence - We spent the day doing a walking tour of the city and visited some remarkable churches and monuments. The most beautifully designed religious building in Florence is in the photo below. We also visited Piazzale Michelangelo, which showcases panoramic views of Florence.

The best for the last. The last few countries I visited made my trip the best. Watch this space for the last part of my story.

The world is so beautiful! Part 2

The world is so beautiful! Part 3

The world is so beautiful! Part 1