Peter and I spent Christmas and New Year in Europe this year. I know. Why go to Europe during winter? Well, Peter could only get time off during either summer or winter school holidays. I chose winter, because it would be cheaper and less crowded. I would also rather deal with the cold weather, than extreme heat. Anyway, who hasn’t dreamt of having a white Christmas?
We flew Singapore Airlines, and our first stop was Rome. Rome was majestic. It was a perfect introduction for Peter to Italy. We visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum. Peter was blown away by the urns and marble statues he found in the Vatican Museum. The highlight for me was the Systine Chapel. One never tires of its beauty.
Next stop was Florence. After a perfectly fine first day, we experienced a substantial snowfall on our second day. It was clear one minute and snowing the next. It was amazing. We were like kids enjoying the snow. Peter fell in love with Florence. He loved the scale, the history and the artistry of the city.
Florence was known for its leather ware. I was happy we both found nice leather gloves and bags to buy. Peter also discovered this quirky designer shop called A Piedi Nudi Nel Parco. He could not resist and bought a black Girbaud winter coat and an Isaac Sellam aviator cap. He wore them all around Europe after that. I bought a black robe by Lumen Et Umbra.
We stayed at this friendly place called Hotel David. They had complimentary happy hour each evening for their guests serving drinks and nibbles. We met the other hotel guests and enjoyed making new friends. This was such a simple, but effective hospitality exercise that I am surprised that more hotels do not do it. We ended up having a very enjoyable dinner with 2 other couples one evening.
We made a brief one day stop in Verona. It was so picturesque. Of course, we had to visit the balcony of Juliet. We strolled around the snow covered gardens of Giardino Giusti, which Peter loved.
Venice was magical. Where else is there another city in the world that literally floats on water? It was enough to ride the vaporetto and admire the ornate palazzos that line the Grand Canal. I booked us at the Palazzo Sant’Angelo sul Canal Grande. To our delight, we were upgraded from a standard room to a suite with a balcony view of the Grand Canal. It was so beautiful, the most beautiful hotel room I have ever stayed at.
Based on the recommendations from the hotel, we ate in excellent restaurants around the city. We enjoyed the wines, the pastas and the tiramisus. It rained during our last day in Venice, and it was cold and miserable. However, this hasn’t stopped me from choosing Venice as my favourite stop in this trip.
Despite a cancelled flight and the threat of demonstrations in Venice, we made it to Prague. We strolled to the old town square and it was like a Christmas wonderland. The Christmas markets were on, and we drank mulled wine to keep warm. Christmas day was perfect. We walked across Charles Bridge to the castle as it lightly snowed all day. This was what people came to Prague for. We attended a classical chamber concert at a church in the evening.
Peter loved our train ride from Prague to Berlin. We spent the almost 5 hour trip in the dining car sitting by the window and enjoying the snow covered scenery pass us by, while eating and drinking.
Our hotel, the Radisson Blue Hotel, was unique in that it has this giant aquarium in the middle of the lobby. It was several stories high and our room looked out on it.
Berlin was our coldest stop and it was constantly snowing. It got too cold, but I still loved the snow. We explored some of the museums in Berlin, which were numerous. I gave up after a day, so Peter visited 6 museums on his own the following day. We also visited a gay club called GMF. It was located on the 12th and 15th floors of an office building. We did not stay long though because we could not stand the cigarette smoke filled rooms any more. We have it so good in Australia where smoking in clubs have been banned for several years now.
In Amsterdam, we stayed at this trendy hotel called Citizen M. Our room had a giant wall to wall king size bed, which was so comfortable. All the amenities in the room were controlled by a remote control. The shower and toilet were housed in these cylinder booths in the room. It was a great, good looking design.
We spent New Year’s eve at a gay club dancing the night away. We also went to a gay party called Rapido on the 2nd. It had great music and sexy boys, the main ingredients for a good party.
In Paris, we stayed at a bed and breakfast ran by gay boys, Yann and Rob. They had a beautiful apartment on the 5th floor, looking out onto the Republique. We visited the Louvre, where I was blown away by the Napoleon apartments. The decors were even grander than the palaces in Versailles. Versailles was huge, and we were so tired after exploring the palace and its huge grounds.
On Peter’s boss’ recommendation, we watched the show at the Moulin Rouge. We enjoyed the very camp show, where the girls were topless and the boys, sadly over dressed when compared to the girls. I enjoyed the crepes and the macaroons, but missed out on a proper French meal.
London was our last stop. We visited the V&A museum, where Peter found a giant collection of ceramics. We saw the Royal Ballet’s production of “Giselle” at the Royal Opera House. London was a shopping haven at this time, because all the stores were on sale. I discovered that Peter had a shoe fetish. He bought footwear from Ralph Lauren, Emporio Armani and Burberry. I bought a beautifully tailored suit from Emporio Armani at a ridiculous bargain price. London was a great final stop on our trip. It was comfortable, and one can relax because there was no language barrier.
I thoroughly enjoyed this holiday. Even though it was freezing, I loved it. I enjoyed travelling with Peter. I have travelled on my own in the past, and it was nice sharing the experience with someone. Peter and I had a couple of dramas, but that was not surprising on a 5 week trip. I pre-booked all the hotels and train rides, and they went without a hitch. I am so grateful to Tripadvisor for the excellent hotel information that it provided. The internet has made travelling so easy.
