travelstop: May 19, 2005

Salzburg (Austria)

Today we cross the border and enter Salzburg, Austria. Austria used to be a very rich nation because salt was found in Austria. At the time, salt was extremely valuable that people refer to it as WHITE GOLD because salt was able to preserve food (no refrigeration yet). Thus Austria became rich selling salt.

Salzburg is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and it was where the “Sound of Music” movie was filmed. Almost half the day was spent on the coach but that can’t be help. It’s normal when you are traveling around Europe because you wouldn’t want to stay in just stay one place; you want to see the whole of it. Well, nothing much happened, more of a photo stop so enjoy the pictures.

Some History about Austria
The King of Rome was very close to the Hasburg family therefore he asked them to help rule the then Austria (Austria used to include Spain). Since the Hasburg family has got 2 sons, the then Austria was split into 2, the now Austria and Spain.

St Mark Basilica (a cathedral is called a Basilica when an apostle is being buried underneath it)

a master craftman at work

a romantic gondola ride

some building

The sinking city- Venice

Venice was simply SPECTACULAR. I just love the place because people are friendly and the scenery is beautiful. Now back to the history of Venice.

Before sea faring was known, Venice used to be a place for sick people and outlaws but after people knew how to sail, it became the port of call. Referring to Chpt 6 of SS textbook, Venice had lots of foreign talents so the place is full of buildings of different cultures and remember Marco Polo? He was the only man recorded in the history of China to be allowed into China. When Marco Polo came to China, Genghis Khan was the ruler then, the Chinese didn’t feel threatened by him because he was quite petite so Genghis Khan being ambitious wanted to conquer the west too therefore he gave Marco Polo a pass to enter China whenever he wants on one condition, he wants to know the route to Rome. When Khan got to Rome, he realized that the Roman Empire was too powerful thus he abandoned his plan.

A bit of digression there, now lets get back to Venice. The island of Venice is sinking due to the strong current of the Adriatic Sea which washes away the soil. It’s like the Sea is slowly swallowing up the island. What a pity! Currently, the 1st level of most buildings has been abandoned, that’s how bad it is. One more thing, Venice is the smallest state in the world while Vatican City is the smallest INDEPENDENT state in the world so it’s different.

Most of us went on the romantic Gondola ride and enjoyed the man-powered boat (the water STINKS though) moving into the canal, seeing the Venetian’s way of life. Following that was a tour of the city and our tour guide, Vincent, brought us to the cheapest market there and showed us this special tie perfect for Male bosses. On the outside it looks like a normal everyday tie but when you open up the back of the tie you will see (GASPED) a picture of a voluptuous naked woman. I am not sure if anyone bought it but it sure is a great present for the boss! There was also a glass-blowing demonstration which is Venice's specialty so the Murano glass there is beautiful and cheap.

That’s all for the day.

signora square. in the bottom are those statues that I mentioned

leaning tower of pisa

my aunt, me and my mum (backdrop: Florence)

2nd day in Italy

2nd day in Italy and we are on our way to Florence. Before reaching the city, we stopped by the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Although the tower’s inclination is very small, it is said that the tower would fall within the next 15 years so you better start saving money to go there and see it. The cause of the leaning tower is actually due to a river under the soil. The water made the top soil soft thus causing the tower to tilt.

The city of Florence is famous of their leather goods because they know the skill on how to make it very soft. At least I bought a leather bag for school over here. We proceeded to Signora Square or Gentlemen Square. You won’t believe what I saw! All R(A) stuff, gory and naked. There were huge statues of naked men with all the fine details ( REALLY fine details) and these statues were portrayed with women in a very demeaning way. The statues of the naked men were holding the woman’s chopped off head or how they stabbed the woman. The purpose of the Square is to show no matter how strong the man is, they will fall under the woman’s charms and the woman will cause his downfall. (What nonsense! So don’t expect any really detailed pictures of the statues.)

While we were taking some pictures, some group members were trying to bargain with a street vendor for some paintings and when nothing came out of the negotiations, the vendors turned slightly hostile.

That night, we had a Tuscany Dinner (Home-cooked Italian Meal) and the lasagna and pasta tasted fantastic.

Some facts about Italy
Italian Leonardo Da Vinci was actually born out of wedlock so he felt pretty unwanted as a child. Often he would be alone so he enjoyed Mother Nature’s company. After he painted the Mona Lisa, he would bring it everywhere he went to and soon it became the most well-known painting in the world. When the King Louis of France heard about this famous piece of art, he asked Leonardo to go over to France to show it to him. Not long after his arrival in France, he died and King Louis declared to the world that Da Vinci has given him the painting. When the Italians heard about this, they were angry as they regarded the painting their National Treasure and they couldn’t believe that Da Vinci gave it to King Louis. Up till today the Mona Lisa is still in France and is being displayed in the Louvre Museum.