07-07-06 [ENROUTE TO VENEZIA aka venice]

We had the morning still in Innsbruck before heading on towards VENICE ... made quick visit to St. Ann's Church, from outside it looked like any other ordinary church but the interior was amazing ... the walls and ceilings were all painted with artwork, giant organ on the top level balcony ... it was v. bling bling i must say! ehehe

We were given some time to take a stroll through old innsbruck, filled with lovely old buildings, was shown where the famous golden roof was and as the name states it really was just a roof that is gold...a tour of the worlds largest swarovski shop was next, 3 levels of just crystals one level being the exhibition room and the theme was winter wonderland, i felt like i walked into some fairy tale scenery!

After touring swarovski store we started our journey towards italia, first stop was verona for lunch, i really would have loved to spend some more time there, it was a small city but for some reason i was drawn to that city and i'd love to re-visit that place some day. Took photos of the arena, and this is where you can find what is rumoured to be "romeo & juliet's" balcony ... that tiny area was packed with tourists trying to get a shot of the famous balcony me being one of them ... haha the balcony was nothing interesting i actually found the entrance to the balcony to be of more interest ... the walls and doors were scribbled all over with names of tourists and their partners not an inch of empty space ... it lookd so cool!

You'll probably be hearing this heaps throughout my blogs but omg every city i go to had at least a few streets dedicated to just DESIGNER BOUTIQUES! Verona being my first city encountering the designer hotness! *sigh* too much hotness in one street for me and no money to afford it! haha

St Ann's Church - Innsbruck, Austria

Interior of St. Ann's Church

Random Pic outside of St. Ann's Church

The Streets of Old Innsbruck

The Golden Roof

Random Pic

I just thought this building looked kind of cute

Sidestreets of Old Innsbruck

Entrance to the "winter wonderland" exhibition

I love me some crystals!

hehe this was my attempt to take a pic of myself and the background of crystals but it didn't work out!

Crystal Globe

I just really liked this display definately my fave at the swarovski gallery!

I was bored!

View from the coach enroute to Venezia

Verona - random pic how cool does this building look? ok well i think it looks cool...

Some more random pics

Remains of old Verona City

Doorway near the entrance to Romeo & Juliet Balcony

The graffiti-ed wall outside of Romeo & Juliet's Balcony

Romeo & Juliet's Balcony

Masquerade masks

Market Square - Verona

One of the many footpaths in Verona, this one filled with designer boutiques!

Louis Vuitton Store - Verona

Some statue dude

Sideview of Arena di Verona

A few gladiators hanging around the arena

Me & a fellow tour companion (kim) being held captive errrrmmm my mum didn't know how to zoom!!!

Balenciaga madness!

06-07-06 [INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA]

Left Germany for Innsbruck Austria ... drove through Bulvaria full of greenlands and small villages looks like such a peaceful and nice town.

Stopped over at Nuuschwanstein Castle for lunch ... castle was absolutely magnificent looked like a fairytale castle, apparently the king had a fetish for building fairytale castles and had caused his country to go bankrupt because of it. The interior of the castle is incomplete as the king had either committed suicide or was murdered in the nearby lake, rumour was that he was murdered because he was causing the country to go bankrupt...

Crossed border to Austria ... view was breathtaking, surrounded by mountains and the river below was absolutely amazing! Aqua blue!! it was so pretty!

Stayed in Innsbruck for the night, host of the winter olympics, we drove past the Olympic Ice Arena and Ski Jump ... Innsbruck is a v. small town, in the evening we took a tram ride around town and let me tell ya one 5 minute tram ride took us around the entire town!

The amazing aqua blue lake!

Amazing-ness!!!

Our PINK coach!!!

Nuuschwanstein Castle

I just thought this street sign was cute hehe no idea what it was for i'm guessing children crossing???

More pics of that amazing aqua blue lake!

I just thought this was a really interesting looking mini church

Winter Olympic Ski Jump in Innsbruck

Innsbruck Ice Arena

Innsbruck town centre ... i love their buildings

05-07-06 [GERMANY]

I'm going to be slacking off with the posts for my europe trip as it will take me forever to post all the destinations up so i'm just going to keep the notes short and just post up piccies...

headed to Germany, our next destination on the itinerary most of the day was spent on the coach catching up on sleep because the hotel in Holland had no air-con and apparently most hotels in europe don't have air-con so imagine how unbearable it was trying to sleep in the hot summer heat!

Stopped off at Gaasan Diamond Polishing Factory (this is still in Holland), let me say i never found the appeal women had towards diamonds but when they had all those diamonds in front of me haah i must say i wouldn't mind owning one of those sparkly babies!!!

in Germany we stopped at Koblenz to cruise the Rhine River (note: alot of the tourists attractions that i comment on will most probably be mispelt! so please excuse the bad spellings) it was v. v. hot! Same old Same old scenery saw a tonne of castles and let me tell you i am so sick of seeing castles!

Random car i saw just thought the pic on the hood was cool

One of the many diamond displays at the Gaasan Diamond Polishing Factory

How big is that diamond!!!

Twin Spires Cathedral - Koln

One of the many castles viewed whilst cruising the Rhine River

Vineyards along the Rhine River