Beautiful Verona: A Weekend Stopover That Resulted in a New Love

"Pleasant Verona! With its beautiful old palaces, and charming country in the distance, seen from terrace walks, and stately, balustraded galleries. With its Roman gates, still spanning the fair street, and casting, on the sunlight of today, the shade of fifteen hundred years ago. With its marble-fitted churches, lofty towers, rich architecture, and quaint old quiet thoroughfares, where shouts of Montagues and Capulets once resounded." - Charles Dickens, Pictures from Italy

Having said goodbye to the UK and all our friends we boarded our plane to Verona and began the next leg of our journey, in search of a white Christmas. We decided on Verona as our first stop for two simple reasons, we found a cheap flight with British Airways, well in advance, that left at a respectable time in the afternoon, rather than the cheap and cheerful airline with whom we could have traveled directly to Austria at the crack of dawn for the same price. Secondly we love scenic train journeys and travelling via Verona gave us the opportunity to journey through the Alto Adage and through the spectacular Brennan Pass.

We have been so very lucky on our travels and if we have had mishaps they are few and slight and today we faced one of these. Sitting on board our plane, after substantial delays resulting from a strike in Italy, which is simply to be expected, just after pushing back from the terminal we had a friendly announcement from our pilot . Apparently just as we had been allocated a slot to take off, simultaneously to pushing back, the Flight Data Computer Server at London Air traffic control went down and runways at Gatwick and Heathrow were closed and flights grounded. 

We were told if we stayed put on the plane, which he went and parked somewhere our near the runway, we would been given priority over those parked at the gate and those poor people waiting in the terminals. We were told it could be a very long wait but we decided to make the most of our time and chatted with people nearby and we even looked after a lovely baby in the next row to give his mum a break. Luckily it was only an hour or so later that we received the good news that the computer was up and running and we would be the fifth plane to take off from Gatwick. We were thanking our lucky stars as a huge number of flights were delayed or cancelled and we were in beautiful Verona.

In keeping with this stage of our holiday I had done no research whatsoever and with two full days in Verona and a guidebook downloaded from the library onto my iPad we planned two days as follows, one day walking the streets of Verona and just soaking it all in and one day at Gardaland, Italy's answer to Disney as we thought it was about time the kids enjoy some kid time without cultural or educational value, just good fun.

We were delighted with Verona, one of those lovely quintessential art cities of Italy, perfect for strolling, with wonderful food, markets, roman ruins, churches and galleries to visit. We were very lucky to have found a fabulous apartment a few minutes walk from the Roman Arena (VRBO #512485) with plenty of room for us and a lovely kitchen. However as this was to be our last visit to Italy the kitchen didn't get any use as we wanted to take advantage of the wonderful local food. With such a handy base and no preconceived ideas about what we had to see we found Verona easy to navigate, just wander and you are sure to find wonderful sights.

We woke on Saturday morning, the feast of Santa Lucia,  and set off arriving first at the Roman Arena, with it incredible shoot star of Bethlehem. In the piazza before the Arena, Piazza Bra, the Bancheti de Santa Lusia (the traditional markets for the day of Santa Lucia) were in full swing. The kids had been thrilled that morning to find that, like the local kids, their shoes had been filled with chocolate by  Santa Lucia who brings Christmas presents during the night between the 12th and 13th of December, riding on a flying donkey.

We started out by trying the fabulous rolls stuffed with sliced meat or sausage topped with eggplant, onions, capsicums, zucchinis, mushrooms and more. And so loaded up with enough food in one roll to cover lunch as well as breakfast we enjoyed looking at at the terrific market stalls. While there was the usual tat there was also lovely leather goods, woodwork and other artisan pieces. There was also a beautiful carousel which the kids never could just admire and walk past.

Our next stop was the Arena, which Julian was very keen to visit as he was pretty much over Christmas markets by this stage, and oh boy did we have more to come in Austria. We picked up a Verona Card for Rob and I as it gave us free public transport and entry into the Arena and Juliette's House. 

 The Arena is one of those terrific places for kids, where you can both sit and talk about the history with them and also let them run wild and explore. And explore they did, walking all across the arena floor, staging mock battles, writing their names with sticks into the sand, climbing up and down the steps and finally heading right the way around the top level. This level offered us views of Verona's surroundings reminiscent of the sfumato style of painting practiced by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as a birds eye view of the market.

Not surprisingly the kids complained of being hungry after all this exercise, and so we just had to try the Fritule, expecting something like the small Dalamatian doughnuts of the same name we like so much and receiving instead huge pizza like pastries covered in sugar or smothered in Nutella.

We then followed the crowd down the via Giuseppe Mazzini, a lovely street good for strolling and window shopping and made our way to the Casa di Giulietta. 

 Every available space of wall outside "Juliette's house" has been plastered with love notes, stuck on with everything from chewing gum to band aids, which we all found hilariously gross. While the alley and courtyard, below the famed balcony, were very crowded the house itself was quiet and peaceful, and lovely refuge on a freezing cold day.

It gave us a giggle to hear many of the other visitors ask each other if this is the house that "Juliette really lived in or just similar to her house". Even Emma at age nine thought this funny as Juliette is a fictional character and never lived anywhere but it was a lovely renovated house from the period in which Shakespeare set his play.

We had a giggle at the very serious security guard who seemed to be keeping a very close eye on us, it must have had something to do with the fact that ours were the only kids to be seen. Luckily they were on their best behaviour. We even we able to go out on the balcony and embarrass the children by spouting our "Romeo Romeo wherefore art though's" much to their intense chagrin.

We next moved onto Piazza Delle Erbe which was filled with market stalls, though a sudden downpour had us seeking refuge in a cafe right at afternoon tea time. I would have really liked to see the Church of San Zeno Maggiore and with this plan in mind we set out at a fast clip as soon as the rain let up with the plan being to walk up Corso Porta Borsari and catch a bus from Corso Cavour. A great plan as it gave us the opportunity to see the Porta dei Borsari but unfortunately the bus timetables showed we would not make it to the Basilica until practically closing time.

And so we decided to catch a bus to the other side of the river as we had been told the views from the hill behind the Teatro Romano are priceless. Again our best laid plans went astray as the sun set within minutes of boarding the bus and it was so dark we couldn't even see the Teatro, let alone the amazing view of the beautiful medieval bridges. In fact we missed the bus stop and just decided to jump off and cross the first bridge we came across as Verona is so easy to navigate we were soon near to home and of course a good meal on the way.

There is so much to see in Verona, a city we have only seen a tantalising glimpse of, fallen in love with and we want to see much more of. It really goes to show that the slow travel principles we have attempted to travel by (staying at least 5-7 days in each place) are valid. What a lovely excuse for a return visit when we return again to our home in Croatia. However a promise is a promise and so off to Gardaland we went and it was a simple bus, train and shuttle bus ride from Verona.

It closes for the winter season but opens for a few weekends near Christmas at it was a very affordable and incredibly fun day out.

The kids went on everything except one roller coaster which Rob too tall to go on, Julian was too short, I was too scared and Emma didn't want to go alone. They did all go twice on one roller coaster (pic below) that went upside down a number of times, I know who the kids take after and its not me.

We loved that the kids could go on as many rides as they liked, as many times as they liked and without any sort of queue. In summer the price is higher and from what I have read the queues can be horrendous but winter in Gardaland is fantastic. 

Back home now in Australia when the children are asked by everyone we meet "where was your favourite place", a question that they find quite overwhelming, all I need to do is raise my eyebrows at them and they yell "GARDALAND" though there are many other favourites in there too. 

Reflections on our Return to the New Forest for a Final Fond Farewell

 “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Looking back on the past twelve months, because I am indeed writing these final instalments from back home in Australia, I would say the best decision we made was to chose a base for a long period of time and experience life rather than just playing tourists.

In total we have spent just under six months living in the New Forest on the Hampshire/Dorset border and here we have made life long friends, have had the most wonderful base for weekend and school holiday touring whilst providing the children with the opportunity to learn and grow where the world is surprisingly different to that at home.

In retrospect once we left our happy home in England perhaps we have travelled too far and seen too many places and despite our slow travel plans and philosophy a one week stay in so many places means we have appreciated and really absorbed so little of what we have seen.

If you were to ask me where we should have missed out I couldn't tell you as we loved everywhere that we have been and would be hard pressed to write an alternative itinerary.

We had really planned to use Croatia as a second home base and a place to rest, but once we were there it was impossible to stay at home and we travelled the country from top to bottom.

I love the UK and could return tomorrow and stay forever, but as this is impossible we will have to plan to visit again one day. It is to Croatia that we will return most often in the future. To our cosy little home in the country where we have left a big piece of our hearts and envisage many family holidays there over the years.

So it was with somewhat heavy hearts that we returned to say goodbye and collect our remaining bags before leaving England for the last time. We timed our return to coincide with the kids school Christmas Bazaar which was wonderful. From the moment we arrived Emma was off with her friends while we had the opportunity to catch up with everyone and enjoy the day.

We spent our few days here packing up and posting home boxes of school work and bits and pieces to send back home. We also spent as much time as we could manage in the forest enjoying the beautiful scenery and fresh air.

As I have said many times earlier in the year, the New Forest is a fabulous place, equal in beauty to the much more touristy Cotswolds and without the crowds.

Not only is the area blessed with beautiful countryside and villages but it is also close to fabulous towns such as Salisbury where we spent a day to see a pantomime in the build up to Christmas. We also met with friends to go ice-skating down in Bournemouth on the outdoor rink set up at Christmas time.

I am so glad the kids have experienced Christmas time in the northern hemisphere, as it is so very different from that which we experience at home. We have absolutely achieved our aim of seeing the seasons change on the other side of the world and we are ending with a Christmas in winter.

The last month of our holiday has really been devoted to exploring the way people celebrate Christmas in different parts of the world. I look forward to telling you about Santa Lucia in Verona, Christmas in Austria and New Year and Reyes Magos in Andalucía.

But now I bid a fond farewell to all of our wonderful friends on the UK and promise that though you live on the other side of the world we will take you with us in our hearts.

Return to old Favourites in London and a Chilly Week in Yorkshire

"We must go beyond textbooks,
go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness
and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey." -John Hope Franklin 

The chilly weather we had in Germany continued for our return to the UK. We had arrived at Heathrow expecting a long wait but our bags were waiting for us and there was no queue at all at immigration so we were out and onto to tube before you could say Jack Robinson.

When presented with part of the day in London to do with whatever we wanted, before our train to York at 4:30, the kids had just two places in mind. Firstly as we were at Kings Cross Emma wanted to get in line for a proper photo at Platform 9 3/4. That swallowed up our first hour but was lots of fun. We had such a laugh when Julian was described and applauded by the crowd as being the cutest wicked little Malfoy they had seen for many a day.

 The second request was to feed the squirrels in Hyde Park, and so, whilst completely ignoring the Winter Wonderland and Christmas markets next door ("Mum we've done that before"), the kids were  happy tempting the squirrels with all the wrong food, kicking up leaves and hamming it up for the camera. We all had a brilliant time and Hyde Park would have to be our #1 London attraction.

About this time we remembered that having left Julian's car seat on the bus which takes you from the terminal to the plane at Cologne (hopefully not sparking a security scare) we would have to replace it, at the same store in Oxford Street we bought it from last December. And so we got on the bus...and sat there...and sat there...and half an hour and only one stop further down Park Lane we got off again and ran for the tube station. It was really quite nerve racking as we managed to buy the car seat and run into Kings Cross with twenty minutes to go until our train departed. Luckily the luggage storage had no queue at all and so we could relax and enjoy our trip to York.

I have visited York many years ago and earlier this year when we passed through we all thought it would be a lovely place to spend some more time. And so with two weeks planned in England we decided to head back to visit Yorkshire and relax in the countryside.

Having reached that point in our holiday when relaxing experiences take much higher priority than mad rushing we decided to go with a tried and tested formula and booked a National Trust cottage. It was the perfect choice. Beningbrough Hall in North Yorkshire is Georgian mansion with beautiful gardens and grounds, not to mention a fabulous adventure playground.

Luckily for us the house is only open on the weekends and beyond that we had the place to ourselves. We had a apartment situated above the Victorian laundry, which displays all the mangles and coppers that the servants used to use to do the washing.

Our lovely cosy historical flat, had all the modern conveniences you could hope for with two bedrooms, a big lounge room and dining room and the terrific country kitchen. Best of all it had a huge bath, something I really missed during our time in Europe.We arrived in a taxi in the dark on the Saturday night and had the somewhat surreal experience of pulling our suitcases past the façade of the deserted mansion which is all lit up.

We awoke on Sunday morning to beautiful views from our windows and the sounds of the visitors in the Victorian Laundry below. Without a car until Monday we spent the day visiting the house, which is only open on the weekends over the winter season. The kids loved the dress ups and the interactive displays housed at Beningbrough, in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. The gardens however were the highlight for us and luckily we had them to ourselves for the rest of the week.

We took  advantage of the National Trust Tea Rooms and had a lovely Sunday roast, which we had been looking forward to for some time. We have been year careful all year about not buying souvenirs and such as we would only have to carry everything with us later. However, I realised that this would probably be our last visit to a National Trust Shop and I must say I love the National Trust Shops and so I picked up tea cups that I have been admiring all year and our luggage grew yet again.

On the estate there is also a farm shop, where we were able to buy wonderful fresh produce, meat, bread and gourmet items as well as a terrific café. It was fabulous to be able to take advantage of the local produce and the wonderful kitchen in our apartment while the kids were running around the adventure playground downstairs and playing in the gardens.

We visited nearby York a couple of time and the Jorvik Centre is an absolute highlight of York with kids. We had discussed the Vikings during our home-school endeavours and so it was fascinating to see a real Viking village below the streets of York.

The kids loved taking the ride through the reconstructed Viking village of Jorvik, the street of Coppergate in York was 1000 years ago. To make the experience more realistic not only are the sights and sounds as authentic as possible but so are the smells. It is fondly remembered as the stinky museum. Luckily your ticket entitles you to return visits and so we held our noses and visited for a second time during the week.

We had another day in York with the only real plan in mind being to walk the walls and visit the York Minster Cathedral. The walls were fun and gave us a great view of the cathedral, the town and a lot of inquisitive squirrels.

Unfortunately we didn't visit the minster as we were just so shocked by the 10pound entry fee per person. We have seen some amazing cathedrals as we travelled, and having visited before I know that this one ranks amongst best, and I do not mind making a contribution to care and maintenance of these treasures but it was just too steep for us, especially as the kids would want to climb the tower and that was another 5pounds on top.

It really didn't matter as we popped in next door to lovely Tudor chapel where we were warmly welcomed and greatly enjoyed looking at this lovely church where we could continue our discussion about the exploits of Henry VIII.

York is a brilliant town for wandering, and so we wandered its beautiful streets, through the Shambles, the old street of butchers with houses dating back the fifteenth century, through street markets with fruit and vegetables and Christmas markets. 

Staying in such a lovely place meant we were never going to get away early and have full days out. Instead the next day we again left in time for lunch on the road, in the lovely town of Ripon, on our way to Fountains Abbey, a lovely ruined Cistercian abbey.

As the sun sets so very early in December in this part of the world our visit was in twilight which made the visit the Abbey quite special. It was one of those great places that combine the opportunity to discuss history with the kids and also run amok somewhere very beautiful. It was a brilliant place to play hide and seek and playing it up for the camera.

We were told that the Abbey closes when it get too dark but the little museum there closes precisely at four. By four it was quite dark and we just popped our heads in to have a look at the historical displays and timelines. When we were inside we were startled to hear the caretaker begin locking up and the rest of our stay was filled with conversations beginning "if we got locked in we would have to..." . It really was quite funny.

On our last visit to York we visited the National Railway Museum which was a hit with the whole family. While initially reluctant to go both kids loved it. Emma particularly enjoyed seeing the display of the "royal trains" which has been used by the various kings and queens of England. Whilst we were there we saw a demonstration of the turntable used to turn the trains, it was a bit like Thomas the Tank Engine but on a huge scale. There was even a nice café for me to sit and put my feet up with a cuppa while the kids explored the massive workshop filled with trains.

Since leaving Croatia we have felt the time just fly by and our six night stay was over before we knew it. We faced a long drive down to the New Forest and decided to break the journey at Harwick Hall, another fantastic National Trust Property. On the way my mother asked us look out for a town in Yorkshire where an ancestor of ours lived before getting a one way ticket to Australia as a convict. Sadly when I found the place she mentioned it was a huge coal fired power station, the only blight on the face of beautiful Yorkshire.

Harwick Hall was decked out from Christmas which was a delight. The top floor was closed which was a blessing as we needed to get back on the road and with wonderful kitchens to explore and kids activities we could have stayed here half the day. After leaving we noticed the traffic was moving a little slowly, soon the traffic came to a complete standstill and we though fondly of the benefits of train travel as it took us seven hours to make our way south.

We certainly have gotten our monies worth out of our National Trust annual membership many times over, I believe we have visited a total of seventeen National Trust properties. Our English Heritage Membership was also good value but we visited only eight properties and so our savings were much less but I'm still glad we invested in both.

Visit to Yorkshire: 29 Nov - 5 Dec 2014