We're 50

I know I am 3 days late. But you know how they say it's better late than never? Hehe.

These photos were actually taken during the first public rehearsal but were embargoed (self-embargo) for various reasons. Though the show that day was far from perfect, we still had fun. Before this parade, it was ages since I last saw a parade.

I like to go to the parade for nostalgic reasons. When I was little, my mum would have my brother and I queue up for tickets at the then National Stadium. We would get up at 5 or 6 in the morning, walk across the Kallang River and join the queue for the tickets. The 3 of us would then collect enough tickets to bring some of my other cousins and relatives along. It was great bonding time for the 3 of us. The joy and satisfaction of holding the tickets in your hands after long hours of queueing was indescribable. I think there is some truth when one interviewee mentioned in the national day video that queueing is a national past time for us. Haha.

There were many segments of this year's parade that I like; the vintage march past, the video tribute to LKY as well as the aerial display by the Air Force.

The helicopter fly past (with the Singapore flag) never fail to touch me. I don't know why either.

It has taken these guys 100 hours of training to perfect this 5-0 formation. It was quite a sight to behold at the parade grounds.

50 years is a long time. The journey hadn't been easy for our puny nation. But looking at the response of people at the parade, the souvenirs sold and the various activities organised for the SG50 celebrations, I think it is fair enough to say that we have fulfilled the vision espoused in the national day songs of earlier years. 

"We have a vision for tomorrow, just believe, just believe

We have a goal for Singapore, we can achieve, we can achieve.

You and me, we'll do our part, stand together, heart to heart

We're going to show the world what Singapore can be

We can achieve, we can achieve..."

I pray with all my heart that this SG50 celebration brings about a new dawn for the nation, for this is home truly!

Happy Birthday Singapore! You are 50!

Cinque Terre

Another tick off my bucket list. I have waited for such a long time to visit this Unesco Site of five fishing villages. It is possible to explore Cinque Terre on your own but because it takes too much effort and I hadn't had the luxury of time to do proper research, I took the easy way out and signed us up on a day trip from Florence. Boy, that was one of the best decisions I made.

Being the beach bum I am, I would have love to laze under one of these big umbrellas and swim in the cool waters without watching the time. Perhaps return when I retire?

I was so amused by this sight as our ferry nears the dock. This man was oblivious to the many pairs of eyes watching him from the dock and the ferry. Such is life!

The sea gull looks so serene and calm here... the rest of the trip weren't gonna be so simple. After lunch, we actually took a 1.5 hour or 4km hike from one village to the next which left the hub nearly died. Haha. 

But what rewarded us after the hike was a refreshing gelato, a nice swim and one of the best calamari and beer. What more can one ask for in a day?

I must admit Cinque Terre today is extremely touristy but I'm still glad we made the trip.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

After a one hour train ride from Florence, we finally arrived in Pisa. Tired from the Cinque Terre (in the next post) hike, we took the day really slow. As we made our way towards the tower, we realised that some shops and cafes are starting to shut their shutters for their daily siesta. Horror of horrors!

It's good that Pisa is a rather small town and the only attraction we were there to see was the Leaning Tower. 

What we did not know was that the Leaning Tower was part of a church. It is kinda special because this tower was built a little further away from the main church building and the Baptistry. And after my puking episode up the tower in Florence, I have officially swore off all tower climbs.

By the time it was around 3 p.m., we got a little tired of walking and stopped by for a nice cuppa to people watch (again...haha) and dog watch. And it was good that we managed to get to the train station before a big rain came.

Medieval Towns in Tuscany

While Florence was our base in Tuscany, the hub and I signed up for a day trip to visit the rest of the medieval Tuscan towns in the area. The first place we went to was San Gimignano, popularly known as the Town of Fine Towers as many medieval towers were very well preserved in this Unesco Heritage Site. 

The summer heat that day was so unbearably hot that the first thing we do was to get a gelato each at the shop that claimed that they sell the world's best gelato, or so they say. If there is one thing I learnt from this Italian trip, it is that people could eat gelato at practically any time of the day and in all sorts of weather conditions. 

San Gimignano is practically truffles wonderland. You see fresh truffles and truffles product in any corner you turn. This shop here even offer truffles hunting trip! The price of truffles and its related products were so unbelievably affordable that it makes you think twice about ordering that portion of truffles fries in some indie/boho cafe at home the next time!

With just 2 hours to spare, the visit was very much touch and go. It is a really quaint town and if I could have my way, I would really love to spend more time having coffee and people watching at the main square below.

The ultimate symbol of Italia - no, it's not the Ferarri; it's Vespa! ;)

It was almost lunch when we left San Gimignano. We proceeded to lunch at a Chianti winery, which was quite a disappointment. The food and Chianti wine presented were nothing to shout about. I thought I had better Chianti wines at the Florentine restaurants we tried out and the prices of the Chianti wines sold direct from the vineyards were nothing to cheer about either. What I enjoyed most was looking out at the scenery of endless vineyards and rolling hills.

By the time we arrived in Siena, we were rather tired out. But Siena is such a pretty and interesting town. Siena and Florence has always been keen competitors, both in ancient days and in the present. Both towns seek to outdo each other in trade, in architecture, in the arts and today, in soccer.

Even when we were in Florence, a lot of comparisons were made between the Sienese school of art and the Florentine school. 

Siena remains a very traditional town until today. Every summer, they still hold the palio horse races in the square above, which is a real sight to behold. 

And a must visit for any visitor to Siena is the Siena Duomo. The Duomo was initially conceptualised to outdo the grandeur and scale of the Florence Duomo. But because of financial challenges, the original plan was abandoned. Once you are in the Duomo, look up at the ceiling near the alter area. The stars that adorned the ceiling are well-represented in many famous art works by Sienese artists.

The final stop of this day trip was to Monteriggioni. By then, I had only enough energy and enthusiasm to take this one last photo below for posterity sake. According to our guide, this puny town has only got 42 inhabitants and you complete seeing this town in 30 minutes, which is pretty much the case for us.

Overall, the day trip was a good introduction to these smaller towns for us travellers who do not drive and it certainly made me want to go back to explore more. I just wished I had more time for coffee!

Hope you have had a good weekend and I will continue documenting my trip in the upcoming posts.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Buon Giorno! Two weeks ago, we came back from our annual summer pilgrimage to Europe. This year, we decided to explore Tuscany and Milan! To be frank, I was a little skeptical about another Italian trip at first. I didn't really enjoy myself the first time we went to Italy (to Rome and Naples) five years ago. But boy, can I tell you how much I love, love, love Florence?

We pretty much concussed in bed after a room service dinner the day we arrived, thanks to the long flight and stressful train ride from Milan to Florence. But as soon as we recover from the fatigue, we wasted no time in exploring the town. Prior to departure, I booked a four-hour Uffuzi Gallery cum Vasari Corridor tour online. We kinda paid an arm and a leg for this visit but trust me, you learn so much about   Middle Ages and Renaissance art that it is worth any ticket price. More importantly, you get to visit the famed Vasari Corridor built by the illustrious Medici family, which is only accessible via a guided tour!

I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone heading to Florence, especially if you are an art enthusiast like moi.

All Uffuzi/Vasari Corridor tours end at the Boboli Gardens. Usually, you are required to pay a fee to enter the garden. But our guide told us to just freely take a walk since the weather was so fine. And that was what we did. Although the scale and grandeur of the Boboli could not be compared to the Versailles Garden, I like it that the garden wasn't very crowded with tourists. If you like walking in parks and gardens like I do, this place is for you. For those who intend to spend a longer time there, you could even pack a picnic. I thought that would be quite romantic. Don't you think so?

The beautiful view of Florence from a higher vantage point at the Boboli.

Like all our trips, we like to take our day real slow. We walked a lot to explore the town, trying to feel and understand the pulse of this charming town. The Florentines are very friendly people and I love the relaxing vibe of the place. This trip has certainly taught us a lot about patience and the need to have time to smell the flowers as we go about the hustle and bustle of life. Here, I was so enthralled by how siesta is a daily reality for the Italians. Open the shop in the morning, close at noon for lunch and siesta and open the shop again from three to five in the afternoon. And we are done for the day. Such is life!

I love taking quirky pictures during travelling and recently I developed a penchant for shooting birds. Here is one tiny one resting on the hand of this statue! Too cute!

What's a trip to Florence without a visit to the Duomo? On the third day of the trip, we visited the Duomo. We were one of the earliest visitors of the day, which was a good thing especially if you plan to ascend the 400 odd steps up the bell tower. The stairway is narrow and going early ensures that you won't be an obstruction to others and vice versa. I'm not promising an easy climb but a wonderful view awaits at the top. I must admit I didn't make it all the way to the top but 3/4 of the way is good enough for me.

The Duomo ticket includes visits to the Bell Tower, the Baptistry and the Duomo dome. Visits to the Cathedral itself is free. Between the Duomo itself and the Baptistry, I like the latter better. Here, you see the awe-inspiring ceiling of the Baptistry.

No visit to Florence is complete without at least walking through the many glittery jewellery shops on the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence. I am actually more intrigued and curious of the traditional architecture of the store fronts of the shops on the bridge than the wares they are selling. The design of each shop is unique and unless you visit on a Sunday where most shops are close, one wouldn't notice this unique feature of the shops.

Besides the Uffuzi and Vasari Corridor, another one of the highlights of the trip is to see Micheangelo's David. The one outside the Palazzo Vecchio is actually a copy and not the real deal. The real man is now placed in the Academia. Standing in front of this amazing statue, 'wow' was all I could manage. 'This must be the ideal man', I thought to myself. No Rodin or Bernini could match the skill, technique or ingenuity of Micheangelo. He became my favourite sculptor instantly.

Besides David and other Micheangelo's masterpieces, one of my favourite room in the Academia is this converted hospital room that is now used to store original moulds of sculptures. They may not be works of famous artists but they are equally impressive too. Nicely put together, it gives off a nice arty farty feel to the place.

There is so much to say and document about Tuscany that I just can't do it in one post. While I reminisce the trip, it's cappuchino time for now. Ciao!