{ Why I Do Not Like Vienna } and { A quick update on my blog }

On a personal note:

So what do you do when Metro Manila goes into blackout ?
when storm signal #3 was hoisted and thankfully, it didn't last long.
For some hours, everything was in a standstill and while at home, bearing those pesky and über noisy neighbors.
Why not write something for my blog ?
It's been awhile since, I was feeling a bit under the weather for the past few weeks.
Personal stuffs really, as if one dilemma starts piling up with another,
Also a bit of soul searching whether or not my life is in the right track or not.
Sounds mysteriously ominous ?!
no worries, nothing too serious I can't handle.
After all, " Life is a curveball and you just have to keep on swinging it. " ^0^

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Anyway, as I was re-checking my posts, I think I accidentally deleted one of them.
The how to read the train schedule post , which was also possibly the Longest post to date.
Argh! I couldn't retrieve it anymore because it's been more than a month already.
welcome to my world ~
and now I'm contemplating whether to re-post the whole thing or just leave it be.
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It might comes as a surprise Why I don't like Vienna,
when I just posted the exact opposite of it.
* see link here *

As a traveler, you always hope for the best, have some good memories.
But sadly, this one left quite a bad impression.
My not-so-good day with Vienna, here goes...

Last December *Christmas day*,
Pepperoni and I decided to visit St. Stephen's Cathedral and then head to Graben street,
the Hofburg and its environs.
I couldn't wait to see the Cathedral, this would be my second time already.
The first time was a bit of a vague, and all I had then was an ordinary camera back then.

the glimmering roofs of St. Stephen's Cathedral







As soon as we stepped out of the Metro,
these annoying red-coated agents would bombard you with Opera tickets for sale.
Just ignore them and head inside.

spot the red!


The interior : Majestic and Imposing, just beyond words to describe it.
My sister and I took lots of photos from each corner and every angle.
It was a delight to see those intricate details and the massive size of this structure.




















































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After awhile, the church pews started to get empty and the crowds got thinner.
I thought to myself, maybe the main entrance is already closed to the public.
We obviously didn't see any DO NOT ENTER signs or barricaded areas.
So, we just continued taking more photos, even had a few self-timed shots.
We were more than satisfied without having to elbow anyone for a better view or fixing the lens to get a good shot.

We were clearly so engrossed that we didn't notice that a six-pack/ bodyguard/ security guy was already waving at us
with a not-so-friendly face and started shouting right in front of us!

He said: " I have told you more than 5 times already to get out of the area. It's closed, but you still take pictures!"

We quickly apologized and said we're sorry, we didn't hear him calling us.

Instead, He gave us this smug countenance on his face and said:
" you didn't hear me? you didn't hear me? I told you guys many times but you still take pictures.
Out now! Get out! "

Even our friendly smile wasn't enough!
I was obviously dumbfounded and utterly humiliated.
It was the worst experience I had.
After all, we were just merely tourists like everyone else,
We were told a lot of times to: Keep off the grass , Don't take photos, Don't cross this line and we abide by it.
But Never in our life were we shouted at or insulted for something so trivial.

This security guy has obviously got no diplomacy.
Treated us like we were some 8 year old kid.
Finally, I gave up.
No use arguing to a guy who speaks trash !!
Had I known this would happen, I could have recorded the whole fiasco.

This clearly left a dark stigma as to how Viennese people treats Asian tourists.
and to think we were inside the house of God, at least show some Respect.



Don't get me wrong.
I Do Not hate Vienna I just did not like it as much as I was expecting it to be.

" welcome to Florence "

do i need more adjectives for this city? ^0^

Florence is sans doute , one of the most beautiful cities i've ever been.
I've always wanted to visit this city ever since I was still dreaming of my Euro trip,
but acquiring a Visa from the Italian Embassy is a hassle here and so we have to planned out everything and choose wisely.

Every nook and alley is picture perfect, every wall and structure has a distinct history.
The locals here are nice and friendly, something the Italians are known for.

I haven't been surf blogging for awhile now
but the other day,
as I was reviewing some of my fotos while casually browsing anything that is Florence related,
I stumbled on this :
a blog about a girl name Melinda.
she talks about her experiences in and out of Italy, mainly Florence that is.
she said and quote:

" A compliment is a small gift we can give to someone to brighten up his/her day
even if just for a few moments. That is what I appreciate about the Italians.
We can all be beautiful, kind, generous, and warm by just saying a kind word to a stranger "

I totally agree that a smile and a nice compliment from someone can cheer up your day,
and yes, i also agree that Italians are generally nice people.

On the other hand,
everyone wants a piece of the Duomo,
every Piazza we had our picture taken was touristy ( like moi )
that it's sometimes hard to appreciate the beauty of this city.

This is the last stop of our trip before heading back home.
Originally we opted to spend a day trip to Lucca or Siena,
but we only got 4days -3nights and we wanted to make the most out of it,
we wanted to savour the whole Florentine culture and hopefully bring some good memories back home. ^0^




this is the majestic Santa Maria del Fiore or Il Duomo di Firenze.
(with a very festive tree on the side of the church taken last winter)
the first day we set eyes on this structure,
you can't help but gape, be stunned and utter the word... "wow".




*humming* ♫♫ all my bags are packed, am ready to go..♫♫ .
our luggages! ( mind the plural form)
we have a load of hand carry bags (one big bulky camera, one heavy backpack and a sling bag)
while waiting for the night train in Vienna train station, to take us off to Florence.
we took the Railjet train operated by OEBB, then the City night Line operated by DB bahn germany.
(I'll explain more of this on my next post. )



and Voila! after almost 8 hours (I think), i have to re-check my timetable if correct,
that's 3 hours from Vienna to Innsbruck and 5 hours from Innsbruck to Florence.
we arrived in firenze train station still sleepy and craving for more sleep.



outside the station, lugging our things just 10 minutes to the hotel.




alas,
we arrived too early and the hotel room wasn't ready for us yet,
so we decided to stroll down for a bit,
surprised that streets are just minutes away!
that's how small Florence is.
this is one of the many back alleys heading to Dante's casa.




finally, at the famous Piazza della Signoria.
there's the handsome David replica.



all the way up to POnte Vecchio,
stunning view even if the weather that day was foggy and misty.



details, details and more details.



Piazza della Repubblica during day time.
I must admit that in less than a day,
we were sort of done with the whole sightseeing already,
that's how small Florence is ,
but despite its close proximity,
the place is a city within a city.




morning, the sun is finally up,
my chinky eyes can't stop squinting,
this is me and Santa Maria Novella Church.



2nd day,
we walked the walk!
we took ourselves way up to the top of this city to get more stunning views and another replica of David.




our hotel is literally outside the busiest streets in FLorence which is the San Lorenzo area.
that's me and the church as my background.





I so wanted to see Santa Croce's interior,
but didn't get the chance to see it because of its strict opening and closing hours.
the timing wasn't just right.



last day,
we strolled around Piazza della Repubblica, and took lots of fotos.
this is where most of the high end shops were.



I love the climate here btw, it's cold but not too cold, you know what I mean?! ^0^



last night at the square with the Duomo.
we just had to see it for the last time.

so, that basically concludes me and Peppperoni's adventure last year, ^0^
I'll start sharing more fotos and experiences of our trip.