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| Saturday, 10-Feb-2007 10:46 |
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visit kakijalan mainpage at http://kakijalan.fotopages.com
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| Saturday, 29-Oct-2005 00:00 |
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Uji & Skinner travelling to Paris & Rome... October 2003
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This is a travelogue of two old friends to two of the best cities in the world... Paris and Rome.
It was a whirlwind of a vacation, since neither of us could take long leaves from the office. So we had to plan our trip very carefully and tried to squeeze as much as possible into each day. Since we also didn't have lots of money, we had to plan our budget carefully too.
So no luxuries.. simple lunches, no shopping (except for the odd fridge magnets and momentos)... But paying for the expensive admittance tickets (it was about Euro1=RM4 at the time) to all the wonderful places was never something out of the question... so splurge we did. After all, how often do you go to Paris and Rome?? It was an investment well made 
We stayed with friends in Paris and Dalmine, and rented a room with some nuns in Rome. Took public transport everywhere (even from the airport... imagine carrying your luggage through trains, subways and the labyrinth of the Paris metro system... steps and all).
We walked A LOT... but that was the best part. We would have missed the real city if we had stayed on busses or remained underground in the subways. I even had to buy new shoes since the one I brought along broke (literally!!)
We tasted local delicacies and tried to speak french and italian. My french was a bit rusty... but it definitely helped. In Italy, we had Laura who acted as our translator... but she also told us to give it a try... esp when ordering food. It was great fun  And to make it all more authentic, Laura made this rule for us to say the names of the attractions in italian... so it's Piazza de Spagna not Spanish Steps, Citta de Vaticano not Vatican City. We have to thank her for this "rule" because it made the entire experience better.
We met wonderful people along the way.. both strangers and new friends... plus some gorgeous italian and french men too  Although we were hijab-ed muslim women, we didn't have any problems. In fact, our distinctive headgear made us more recognisable to all other muslims... so almost everywhere we went, we would receive Assalamualaikum greetings. We saw the kindness of absolute strangers in Paris.. a city which is said to have some of the snobbiest ppl. That's a myth!! .. well based on our experience at least.
I suppose a smile.. and a confused & lost look,hehe... goes a long way.
We had an absolutely wonderful and fabulous vacation.. as our tales below will tell 
Special thanks to our wonderful friends during this trip...
Cindy & Thomas for letting us bunk in with you guys in Fontainebleau,
the Orlandi family... Laura, Mauro, Lauri, Enzo.. as well as Christina & her family for welcoming us into their homes & enabling us to experience how an italian family is like
last but not least... all of Laura's friends whom we met along the way.. Simone, Sarah etc (I've forgotten some names)
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| Tuesday, 14-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Day10.. Going home
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Work in progress...
What a vacation it has been. Although our body were tired with the hectic schedules and all the walking we did, our minds were refreshed with the new experiences... and I couldn't have done it without all the friends, old and new...
Skinner was a great travelling partner... we both love the same things... architecture, history.
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| Monday, 13-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Day9.. Flew back to Paris.. Sacre Coeur & Moulin Rouge
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Work in progress...
With a heavy heart, we said goodbye to the Orlandi family. They were such wonderful hosts. Although Enzo didn't speak a word of English, we understood each other well. Lauri fed us well... she's just such a wonderful cook.
Main page http://kakijalan.fotopages.com
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| Sunday, 12-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Day8.. Ciao Roma
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there are small villages or towns throughout tuscany
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there's sthg on every hill top
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rolling hills of toscano
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Work in progress...
It's time to head back to Dalmine... feel so sad to leave Rome  Although we managed to visit all the main attractions, there's still a lot more to see.
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| Saturday, 11-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Day7.. Castel Sant Angelo, Colosseo, Fori Imperiali, Foro Romano
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Work in progress...
It's our final day of sight seeing in Rome.. how time flies when you're having fun
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| Friday, 10-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Day6.. Musei Vaticano, Capella Sistina, Piazzas and Parthenon
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the front facade of basilica di san pietro
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one of the gardens inside musei vaticano
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inside musei vaticano... a popular tourist attraction
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Work in progress...
I woke up to the sounds of vespa as the city stirred to life...
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| Thursday, 9-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Day5.. Driving thru Tuscany.. Hello Eternal City!!
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laura, erm.., me & sara at piazza di san pietro
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at its centre... basilica di san pietro
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blue skies and it's not cold! :)
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Work in progress...
Laura woke us up very early in the morning because it's going to be a 7 hour drive down to Rome.
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| Wednesday, 8-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Day4.. Au revoir Paris (for now)... we're off to Italy!
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au revoir fontainebleau
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we use this station every day
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with laura outside a church in Citta Alta
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Work in progress...
I woke very early this morning.. despite sleeping quite late last night. Didn't want to miss the bus and train... and flight!! We had to go to another small town outside Paris since Ryan Air doesn't fly thru Charles de Gaulle airport.
Main page http://kakijalan.fotopages.com
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| Tuesday, 7-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Day3.. Musee d'Orsay, Chateau de Versailles
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tuilleries in the background
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musee d'orsay... used to be a train station
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inside musee d'orsay
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Work in progress...
It still cold... I pity S because her clothes are quite nipis and she's so thin. At least I've got some natural "insulation". But that didn't stop us from continuing our adventure...
Main page http://kakijalan.fotopages.com
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