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Europe Trip 2008 Photo Collection

Here’s a handy little post with a list of all the photo albums I’ve uploaded for my 2008 Europe Trip.

Panoroama – Self Stitched
Panoroama – Adobe Photoshop Photomerge
London
Vence
Milan
Florence
Pisa
Rome
Paris

Tags: Europe 2008, Florence, London, Milan, Paris, Pisa, Rome, Venice

. 28 Jul 08 | Photography, Travel | Comments (2)

Pisa Travel Pictures

There’s not a whole lot to share in the little city of Pisa. Everyone knows about the Leaning Tower and that’s all there is to that place. We spent 1 night in Pisa, arriving around noon and taking a train out the next morning.
In this city we did a fair bit walking, approximately 10KM, first from the train station to the ex-monastery where we stayed, then to the Leaning Tower, then back to the ex-monastery, then back into the city for dinner and a night glance of the tower before making the trip back to the ex-monastery to call it a night. This excludes the additional walking around to find a place for dinner, walking in the park and through the streets to see what the locals do.
There aren’t very many pictures, but here’s what I have to share:

Climbing to the top of the tower is not easy task, not because it’s tall but because the stairway is tiny!

I also find that climbing up the tower gives you a really good feel of how much the tower is leaning. It’s definitely worth doing if you’re visiting the Leaning Tower. My only advice is to show up early, buy your ticket and then make your funny pictures. They only allow 40 people up at a time and let people up in 40 minute intervals.

Tags: Europe 2008, Grad Trip, Leaning Tower, Pisa

. 19 Jul 08 | Photography, Travel | Comments (0)

Europe Trip 2008 Panoramics

I have finally pieced together photos of our Europe Trip that covered London, Venice, Milan, Florence, Pisa, Rome and Paris between May 7th and June 10th. The photos were taken with a Casio Exilim EX-Z1050 (10MP) digital camera and pieced together using Adobe Photoshop.

London was the first city we visited but we did not visit any high points in the city that would allow for panoramic city photos.

Venice was the first Italian city of our trip and from the Bell Tower in San Marco (Campanile di San Marco) you get a wonderful view of the city, the water and the islands that dot around Venice.

Leaving Venice we took the train to Milan but like London, there were no good free high points that allow you to take panoramic photos. From Milan we went to Florence, where the blue skies, green grass and small city made for breathtaking views. The photos below was taken from Cimitero Delle Porte Sante on our way to Michelangelo Piazza.

From Michelangelo Piazza the city is a bit closer.

Karen and I both believe that Florence had the best view during our trip.

Leaving Florence we went to Pisa for one day where the most obvious thing to do is to visit the Leaning Tower. However, going up the Leaning Tower is quite the experience. I think it is the best way to fully appreciate the lean. You also get a great view from the top.

The final Italian city for us is none other than Rome. Rome is full of history and two of the most popular places include the Vatican City and the Colosseum. At the Vatican City we went to the cupola (top of St Peter’s Basilica) and I had enough photos for 2 panoramic, possibly more if I wanted to put the rest together. In addition to those two sites, I compiled a panoramic photo of some ruins along Via dei Fori Imperiali between Colosseum and Victor Emmanuel II.

The final stop on our trip was Paris and the most obvious place for panoramic photos would be at the top of the Eiffel Tower. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that the view from the Eiffel Tower was spectacular but at such a great height (300m above ground) some of the detail is lost. However, it is the only monument open late into that night allowing for pictures of the “City of Lights”. Before revealing the photos from the Eiffel Tower, we first went to Notre Dame, the site Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame. From here you can see large portion of Paris and its surrounding area.

The night of our boat cruise we also went up to the Eiffel Tower because the weather was finally starting to clear and we didn’t want to miss the opportunity. When we arrived at the top, the sun was setting.

That’s a wrap for all the panoramic I currently have. I am still selecting which photos from each city I will upload and share. Expect that to happen in the coming weeks.

Tags: Europe 2008, Florence, Grad Trip, panoramic, Paris, photos, Pisa, Rome, Venice

. 19 Jun 08 | Photography, Travel | Comments (3)

Back in Toronto

After 36 days in Europe for my graduation trip where I covered London, Venice, Milan, Florence, Pisa, Rome and Paris, I came back to Toronto yesterday afternoon in one piece. The flight was smooth until the last 20 minutes when we hit some very choppy air. To make matters more interesting, they made us sit in the plane for another 20 minutes while Peel police escorted someone off the plane. Why? Who knows!

Over the coming weeks I will slowly upload a few of the photos I’ve taken. In total there are over 2200. I’ll likely break it down by city and share a few comments about why the photo is special.

Tags: Europe 2008, Florence, Grad Trip, Itinerary, London, Milan, Paris, Pisa, Rome, Venice

. 11 Jun 08 | Travel | Comments (0)

Final Itinerary for Europe Trip

Here’s our final itinerary for Europe. I’ll be back in Toronto in June!

Date	Depart	Arrive	Location
Wednesday, May 07, 2008	18:25		Depart Toronto
Thursday, May 08, 2008		6:25	Arrive in London
	7:15		Liverpool Finsbury Square
Monday, May 12, 2008	11:25		Depart London (Stansted)
Monday, May 12, 2008		14:20	Arrive in Venice
			Bus to Venice
		16:00	Arrive in Venice
Friday, May 16, 2008	10:30		Depart Venice
Friday, May 16, 2008		13:05	Arrive in Milan
Tuesday, May 20, 2008	11:50		Depart Milan
Tuesday, May 20, 2008		14:32	Arrive in Florence
Saturday, May 24, 2008	10:00		Depart Florence
Saturday, May 24, 2008		10:35	Arrive in Pisa
Sunday, May 25, 2008	8:55		Depart Pisa
Sunday, May 25, 2008		12:14	Arrive in Rome
Thursday, May 29, 2008	3:00		Bus to Airport
Thursday, May 29, 2008	6:45		Depart Rome
Thursday, May 29, 2008		8:50	Arrive in Paris
			Bus to City
	8:00		Train to CDG Terminal 2A
Tuesday, June 10, 2008	11:40		Depart Paris
Tuesday, June 10, 2008		14:05	Arrive in Toronto

Tags: Europe 2008, Florence, Grad Trip, Itinerary, London, Milan, Paris, Pisa, Rome, Venice

. 07 May 08 | Travel | Comments (0)

Europe Trip Planning – Where We’re Staying in Pisa, Italy

Pisa is really one of those cities that you can cover in a single day. The biggest attraction is the Leaning Tower and being only 30 minutes away from Florence, you could simply make it a day trip. However, factoring in the extra cost of taking a train back to Florence and the cost of taking the train from Florence to Rome, it wasn’t a big difference if we spent the in town. Expedia had a Europe sale but the place we ended up taking wasn’t on the list. As a matter of fact, Hotel Santa Croce is one of the more expensive nights, $128.17/night, and with tax it comes to $141/night.

/images/Travel/Europe2008/Planning/pisa_santacroce/pisa1.jpg

Hotel Santa Croce is at the edge of Pisa but within public transportation to the Leaning Tower and Central Station. The hotel is actually an old monastery built in the 13th century. It’s address is Piazza Santa Croce, I guess you can’t miss it.

/images/Travel/Europe2008/Planning/pisa_santacroce/pisa2.jpg

There aren’t very many pictures of the hotel but some of the amenities include: free wifi, complimentary breakfast, private bathroom, TV, A/C, patio and a view of the courtyard. Our train out of Pisa is around 9AM so we’ll be getting up and out early, let’s hope the free breakfast starts early! From Florence we will make our way to Rome, the last stop of our Italian leg of the trip.

/images/Travel/Europe2008/Planning/pisa_santacroce/pisa3.jpg

All Images Courtesy of Venere

Tags: Europe 2008, Grad Trip, Hotel Santa Croce, Leaning Tower, Pisa

. 06 May 08 | Travel | Comments (0)

Europe Trip Planning – The Schedule & Budget v1

I promised to deliver and update on the schedule and budget planning of my 2008 Europe trip for 2. With the long weekend approaching, I decided to take the entire night off and work on this instead. Whether or not this is a good idea has yet to be determined. There’s still a fair bit of work to do for school but this is far more enjoyable and relaxing!

The planned departure date is 8:35PM from Toronto on May 7, 2008. We’ll take an evening flight that will allow us to sleep through most of it. The estimated arrival time in London is 8:35 AM, giving us a whole day to recuperate, relax and enjoy the city. From London, the plan is to travel to Rome by plane and then visit Venice, Milan, Florence and Pisa by train. From Pisa, we’ll return to Rome and fly out to Paris the next day. We’ll stay in Paris for 10 days and then return back to Toronto on the June 10, 2008.

The budget is still 9K for planning + 1K for any unforeseeable costs. I’ve guessed some food and living costs and I’ve more or less exhausted the budget. If I hope to find some great deals through priceline, apartment rentals or just browsing the net to save a few extra bucks.

Here’s a more detailed look at the itinerary. It’s subject to many changes. I’m still looking for suggestions as to places I must visit, so ping me back with a comment or email!