Archive for July, 2005

On Thursday morning we caught an early morning train from Bologna to Ancona, where we planned to catch the 11 am ferry to Split in Croatia. We arrived, and managed to get tickest – the ferry really wasnt that full which was nice.

On the ferry we met Michael, an American who was studying for a Doctorate of Philosophy and Law degree at the University of Texas. We enjoyed talking with Micheal, and he joined us for much of our time in Split.

Christian, Jans friend, met us at the ferry and took us to an Internet cafe owned by an Australian. Apparently they are reliable at assisting people to find accomodation, and our experience can confirm that! We were able to secure a two bedroom apartment for to nights for about AUD$40 a night. It had airconditioning and was situated inside the walls of the old town which made it an ideal location. After washing and changing, visiting a supermarket to organise tea and breakfast for the following morning, and washing some clothes, we met Michael, Christian, Christians girlfriend Rebecca and Rebeccas friend Lydia for a drink at a wonderful bar up in the hills overlooking the town. It was a lovely spot and we really enjoyed the evening.

Christian and the girls headed for Dubrovnik the next day, and we spent the day wandering the town with Michael. The Old Town is based on a 1700 year old Roman palace built by a retiring emporer who liked the spot) he had good taste). That evening we decided to spemd the money on a restaurant meal, which was civilized, then wandered the streets, as this is very much a part of the world where everone comes out at night. We saw two live bands playing in the streets who were fantastic. We felt really safe in the streets; it seemed very much a family atmosphere, even after midnight.

We said goodbye to Michael which was sad, as we had enjoyed his company, and went home to pack. We were due to catch the 10 am bus to Dubrovnik the next morning. We really enjoyed Split and will return there briefly on our return to Italy.

(Apologies for the complete lack of apostrophes – cant find them on the keyboard!)

We left Siena in the early hours of Wednesday morning and took a train to Florence, where we intended to spend the day before heading for Bologna, and on to our ferry to Croatia. One day, of course, is a pitiful amount of time to spend in Florence…

We began with a visit to the Duomo and I found the paintings in the dome beautiful. Spent a bit of time sitting on the floor, leaning against a pillar, contemplating them! You can climb up into the dome to see them closer, but after having done that at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, we were a little bit over stairs… next time perhaps!

Jan really wanted to see the original statue of David, so we duely lined up at the Accademia Belle Arti… for an hour and a half… hoping desperately he was worth it! He was, of course! Lovely legs, gorgeous curls, beautiful face, an all round nice package! And useful too, for slaying Goliaths and lions! Very nice!

I really wanted to see Santa Croce and the Arno, having read A Room with a View and seen the film adaptation many times! Santa Croce was lovely. The paintings were fascinating, and there was a small chapel off to the side which I particularly liked. Above the alter was a lovely sculpture in creamy stone with a blue (enamel?) background – it looked a little like a giant cameo!

We wandered along the Arno until we got to Ponte Vecchio. We had lunch at a cafe near the Uffizi then gazing with longing at the jewellery stores on the Ponte Vecchio! By this time we needed to head back to the train station to catch our train to Bologna. Not nearly enough time… I really want to return to this lovely city!

Siena is just lovely. The only thing I don’t like is the fact we have to leave tomorrow! Am finding more and more reasons to come back for an extended visit to Italy!

This morning we visited the Battistero, the Cripta and Museo Dell Opera. The panoramic views from the tower above the Museo were stunning (Jan says I am allowed to use the word “Stunning” for the first week only!). From there we wandered through the Duomo, then after lunch we saw some paintings at the Oratorio Di S.Bernardino.

However one of the greatest pleasures has been simply wandering through the streets. Narrow winding lanes up hill and down dale, fascinating little shops, colours of terracotta, brown and pink. I am loving finding interesting door knockers to photograph!

The only down side is our pokey stuffy room… A bit hard to bear in such hot weather, but never mind!

We leave early tomorrow morning for a day trip to Florence – I had wanted much more time here, but Ill be back! We stay over night in Bologna then are catching an early train to Ancona to get the 11 am ferry to Split in Croatia. We are meeting up with friends of Jan there and in Dubrovnic, which will be lovely!

Must finish off now and see about this ferry!

I’m in Rome! And I am updateing my blog. Will wonders never cease? The journey began yesterday with a train trip from Basildon to St Albans, where my friends Beth and Vish live, as does my travel companion for the next five and a half weeks, Jan. After a sleepless night (why is it impossible to get a good night’s sleep when one is anxious about sleeping through the alarm?) I arose at 4 am. Beth (bless her cotton socks) drove us to Luton for our 7.10am flight to Rome.

After an uneventful flight (the best kind, as my brother recently pointed out on his blog…) we arrived in Rome at about 10.15 local time. We took a bus into the city, found our hotel (the very pleasant Hotel Des Artistes), and decided to brave the Metro, taking the train to the Vatican. Having been warned about bag snatchers, it was lovely to see so much security around the trains, although methinks they had their eyes open for terrorists rather than petty thieves…

We really enjoyed St Peter’s Basilica. We did the mandatory wander past the tomb of John Paul II and then walked to the top of the dome (well, alright, we cheated and took the lift part of the way, but that still left over 200 steps to the top – Jan counted!). The views from the top were well worth the puffing, sweating bodies we arrived it- just stunning! We were there when a service was in process so we were able to hear the choir singing, something I always enjoy! The sun was shining in through the windows above the alter, creating ‘fingers of God’ (sun beams!) which was lovely.

From there we walked to the river, where we enjoyed a sit down and drink. It was a lovely mild evening after a really hot day! On our return to our hotel we found a cafe for tea, where I had my first Italian Pixxa (sorry for spelling, but ‘that’ key isn’t working on my keyboard) which was absolutely scrummy – so glad it wasn’t a disappointment.

So now it is 10.40 pm and time for beddy byes – having had negligible sleep in the last 48 hours! Will try to update next time I am near a computer! Tomorrow we are checking out the Colleseum etc, and will catch a train to Siena in the afternoon.

So much for keeping the blog up to date! It’s so far behind it’s not funny. Ah, well. Will try to get you up to speed now! This entry will let you know what’s been happening lately and what’s happening next, and then a few updates from the last few months will follow.

Today was the last day of the academic year. We start 6 weeks holiday for the summer. Don’t tell any teachers from England this, but frankly the last 7 weeks of term have been the easiest of my entire career! The Year 10s were on work experience for three weeks, and had exams for one. That left barely three weeks for teaching. I had plenty of time for preparation, and was actually up to date with marking (those who work with me will be astonished…). I am tired today, but that may be due to a late night at the end of year staff do last night (hearts were broken, reputations shattered, a fun time had by all…).

I really enjoyed some of my classes this past 6 months. My Year 7s were a delight, and I am growing to really love my Year 10 Voc boys (students with literacy and/or behaviour issues). I will follow the Year 10 boys into Year 11 and will be really sorry to say goodbye to them at the end of this year. My Year 9s, with the exception of a handful of kids (thank you Matt, Abby, Daryl, Lee, and Laura), I hope I never have to teach again as long as I live!

In September I will teach a Year 7 lower ability class, Year 8 lower ability class, Year 9 Literacy class (students with major literacy issues), Year 10 D-G class (those are the grades they are expected to achieve – in other words none are expected to pass!) and my Year 11 Voc boys, all for English. No top sets unfortunately, but that is mainly because I am leaving and they don’t want a top set to be interrupted part way through the year (or at least, that’s what they told me…). It’s all about results here, and the top sets get first priority with staffing. Not quite how it works where I come from – generally I try to give the most difficult classes the most suitable and experienced teachers. Ah well…

So, now for the summer holiday. I am off backpacking through Europe, with a new acquaintance, Jan. I met Jan nearly 7 weeks ago in the dining room of a B and B in Haworth, Yorkshire. Jan was there with a friend, and happened to be an English teacher from Brisbane! She has been working on contract at a school in St Albans, although she hasn’t particularly enjoyed it (she refers to the school as the ‘Pig Pen’). We were there to do the Bronte thing. Jan is a huge Bronte fan. I’m not so much (too much yelling and shouting), although I like them better now for having been there. After 15 minute’s conversation we decided to join forces, as we were both a little concerned about travelling on our own. It shocks us both a little that we are travelling with someone we know so little, but we both think we will muddle along quite nicely.

The plan, and I use the term loosely, is to fly to Rome on Sunday, then work our way to Siena, Florence (where I have a date with George Emerson – wonder if he will show up?) and Venice. We will then work our way around to Croatia, then up to Prague. From there to Krakow, Warsaw and Poznan in Poland (I will visit Trzciel, the home of my Hampel ancestors who lived there when it was called Tirschtiegel and was part of Prussia). After that Berlin and Hamburg, and maybe somewhere else in Germany, followed by Switzerland. Very much a whistle stop tour, but it is intended to be a taster only. One day I would like to see much more of parts of Europe.

So, I hope I can keep up the blog and let you know where I am and what I am doing. I am really looking forward to spending so much time travelling, reading, meeting new people, blah, blah, blah! This will be the longest holiday I have had in a long time when I haven’t had to do school preparation or move house!