Suzie's European Adventure

In September 1995, my friend Lina and I embarked on our tour, from Malta through Sicily and Italy, Switzerland, Paris, and back to London - all in one month!

We had many adventures on our tour, but the most memorable places (for unusual things happening) were Sicily (where there was a case of mistaken identity), Milan (where my bag got stolen) and Rome Station (where we spent the night after missing our train). There were other funny things which happened on the way... but I don't want to bore you!

Malta

We flew to Malta, and stayed with a hospitable friend for the duration of our stay. While we were there we visited many places of interest and experienced a 'Maltese Night'!

One of the most spectacular sights in Malta is the Blue Grotto. The water is so clear, you can see all the fish and sealife below. The colour of the water is electric blue, hence the name Blue Grotto.

If you find yourself needing a rest, why not take a carriage ride? Maltese carriages are called Karrozin's (I am told on good authority!) This picture was taken on a previous visit to Malta, with my mum.

Malta is a wonderful place to visit if you enjoy exploring little towns and villages, boat rides, markets and craft centres. One of my favourite towns is Mdina. It's unusually quiet and tranquil and the the little streets are fascinating. The picture above, on the right is a typical street in Mdina.

If you visit Malta I recommend chartering a boat to see the other islands and coastline. Check out the decoration on the Luzzo's (Maltese boats)! There are other excursions available, including a trip to Sicily by catamaran and Gozo by ferry.

After our week in Malta, we took the catamaran to Sicily, and took the train to....

Sicily and Italy

We made it to Sicily and travelled by train to Catania. We didn't quite make it to Mount Etna, but what we saw from a distance was awesome.

Our next stop was Taormina. Unfortunately, we arrived at dusk and only had a few hours to look around. It's on my 'Must Visit Again' list!

We hopped back on a night-train, and found ourselves in Rome the following day. Rome is just as you expect... historical! History is everywhere! My favourite attraction was the Colloseum. It was a strange feeling being in the building where such terrible things had happened, especially to Christians.

We also visited the Trevi Fountain which was certainly worth the visit! It's beautiful seeing the historical sights illuminated at night, so take an evening bus tour of the city.

Due to my desire to eat pizza, we missed our train to Guilianova. This meant spending the night in the Rome Station waiting room. An experience, but not one I would particularly want to repeat!

We visited Lina's home town and I realized the true meaning of Italian family life! While we were there, we took an early morning (4am) trip to see the Grande Sasso. It was so cold, but it still worth getting up for.

Our few days were used relaxing and catching-up on sleep, because the following week would be a very hectic week. We headed for San Marino and Rimini. The Republic of San Marino is a beautiful place, but let down by it's laws! I was shocked to find most shops selling every type of weapon, which made me uncomfortable.

We then headed for Venice. This was my favourite place of this epic tour! Venice oozes romance. From the Gondolas, to the little street cafes, everything is perfect. And no... the water didn't smell... but we visited in Autumn, when the weather was starting to cool down.

Florence was next on the itinerary. This was one place I had heard so many good things about, and yet I think it was all hype! Maybe I was getting over tired, but I didn't enjoy my stay as much as I thought I would. We stayed in the Florence youth hostel. It was Lina's first experience of hostel life! It was a lovely hostel... Here is a picture of the only memorable thing we found:

Swizerland

We travelled through Milan, onto Luino in Northern Italy. We took a day trip on Lake Maggiore, and found ourselves in the place my sister stayed on her honeymoon. It was typically Italian, even though it was on the Swiss border.

We stayed in Lugano, where the ladies were dressed immaculately, had bouffant hair, and all were draped in gold and diamonds. After getting a complex that my English style was not cutting it... I decided to get my long locks chopped off. But when I looked in the mirror my hair was so 'big and bouffant' I nearly fell off my chair! We took a day trip to Lucerne, where we had a further adventure with helium balloons! Nothing dodgy (may I add), but the adventure finished in Basle! On the journey we took pictures of the scenery:

Paris

We didn't spend long in Paris, because Lina's shoes broke and there was a bomb scare at the station... but even so, I've added a picture of a Bateaux Mouches Seine river cruise boat and of course... the Eiffle Tower... (but that was from a previous holiday, when I actually ate in a restaurant on the eiffle tower... it was amazing! - Do it!)

I hope you enjoyed my tour of Europe! It is certainly worth visiting all these places, but my favourites were Sicily, Rome (for the history)and Venice (for the ice-cream!).