Following my last blog I was sent the next day to the pharmacy again with paper in hand and was luckily enough greeted this time by someone who could speak English! Although it turns out I had got the wrong thing anyway and had to return the day after to change what I had got...oops!
We then went to meet the model after a few bits and bobs and we went to the shop that her boyfriend owns, it's like a huge clothes, bags and shoes shop with men and womens wear. I had a wander round and most of the shoes were 200 euros or more, I was horrified! Everything was so expensive. Erica had her model friend trying to personally style her whilst shop workers hurried around grabbing outfits for her to try on, I was in complete awe at how rich these people must be! Then we went with her boyfriend to see the new gym he will be opening, I genuinely am so confused at how they all do it! I went home and did a big workout and then found out that it was sushi night! It's so amazing that here they have actual takeaways purely for sushi! Why are we not funding this?! UK YOU ARE MISSING OUT.
There was so much avocado I could have cried with happiness!
The next day as I said earlier I had to go to the pharmacy because I had got it wrong! This time I felt much more confident...third time lucky! I did another workout in the morning and then I played with Riccardo in his play pen after his nap. It's so hard to focus when I know he's napping, I always try to workout when he does and every twitch he makes I swear I hold my breath...
However he is actually my new bestest pal.
How could you not love this little face? :)
Then I went into Brescia with Erica and we shopped for her wedding outfit, again it was in all the shops where rich people go and I felt completely out of place! The Italians can be so judgemental, they always look you up and down when you go past and I just want to headbutt some of them!!!
However Erica looked beautiful in everything, you could have stuck a plastic bag on her head and she would still look amazing.
It was amazing it had mozzarella, mushrooms, spinach and ricotta inside and it was so delicious and freshly baked and aaaaah! Let me take all the Italian food home!
Then I had tiramisu for dessert which was just as delicious and freshly made there too!
As you can see the calzone was huge! And I got a nice cheeky photobomb from Michele haha!
Now here I can speak about the main part of this blog post which is the next day....my first day off and my amazing trip to Verona...alone! Yes you heard me... I did it alone. Honestly I hands down recommend if you ever get the chance to go to Verona you HAVE to, I truly believe it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I felt totally liberated doing it alone, although I was apprehensive!
I had booked my ticket on Go Euro the previous evening so that all I had to do was to present the paper to the person on the ticket counter at Brescia station and they could give me the actual ticket from there to Verona...however after Michele put me in a taxi to Brescia station I took the paper to the woman on the ticket counter and she told me she didn't understand and she only spoke Italian and asked me to leave...how fucking rude! Never in my life have I been so mortified, the sign for the ticket counter was in Italian and in English so I assumed it being an international fucking station and everything she would understand the word ticket so I tried to show her that this wasn't my ticket blah blah blah and she basically shoo'd me away. Then I walked up and down the platform on the phone to Erica who was by the point absolutely livid at how I had been treated and then a woman came out of her office and I thought brilliant..some help! I showed her my paper and she laughed at me and said she didn't understand it and she only spoke Italian so Erica told me to give her the phone and after hearing Erica shout for a couple of minutes about how she should be more open minded and it is 2015 and she should learn English the woman handed me the phone back.
Erica told me to go and buy another ticket from the machine because literally nobody would help me because I didn't speak Italian. I advise that you don't book tickets with Go Euro because why would they sell me a ticket to somewhere that nobody could understand what it meant? A complete waste of money.
Finally I boarded the train to Verona with my ticket in hand- thankfully the machines had an option to book a ticket in English.
After thinking every man on the train was going to kill me and that I was actually in 'Taken' I got off the train after a nice short 40 minutes. There is so much helpful stuff online that got me through my trip to Verona, places to go, how to get there etc.
For anyone that ever goes into Verona via train, you leave the train station, walk through the bus station, cross over the main roads and go through a road that has trees on each side and resembles an archway, turn left and follow the road right to the end and then turn left again and walk straight on and you will go down a long boulevard that will lead to central Verona!
As soon as I arrived I saw the Verona Arena, outside there was a man and woman in costume. The area is where they have open-air shows and where they used to have fights presented as shows. The arena was built waaaaaay back and has been re-built several times due to assumed earthquakes or wars etc. (I found this information from a little phonebooth inside where it tells you all about it!)
The Arena!
I have absolutely no idea who this woman is..apologies!
How the corridors inside looked. So ancient and beautiful.
The Arena cost 10 euros for myself to go in but for groups it costs less depending on the size etc. However it was a very beautiful place to see even if there wasn't a tour or anything, it was still lovely to wander round and sit peacefully in the sun.
I then walked through the winding streets which were filled with shops and bars and restaurants and gelaterias etc. I saw a woman that was a painter at the side of one of the streets and her work was beautiful.
After my little walk I went to the Church of St Anastasia, it wasn't on my definite things to see but every time I spotted somewhere I thought aaah it's fate I must go...
All the buildings in Verona are so beautifully designed and the inside of the church didn't disappoint either! I'm not religious at all but I found that being inside the church was so relaxing and peaceful.
Need I say anymore.... it was actually really therapeutic.
Then I wandered round looking in the food shops and found Peter's Teahouse and had the most refreshing fruit iced tea which was 100% natural!
A cute little bakery I saw!
Then I found the most beautiful gelateria and had two scoops... one of Straciatella and one with wafers with chocolate sauce and nuts...regardless it was SO good!
After having to throw away half my gelato because I was trying so hard to savour it it was dripping down my hands I went to Casa de Giulietta (House of Juliet) and I bought a pen before I went in all prepared to write on the wall that was completely covered in names. However I ended up having to write mine and Anthy's name on a piece of gum because that was the only free space I could find so I thought I owed it to him for having to put up with my moaning ass to buy a lovelock (a padlock you write your names on) and attach it to a gate along with everyone elses. When you walk under the arch to go into the garden there are gift shops and you can see the balcony above where hundreds of people were having pictures taken. There was also an ornament of Juliet in which you are supposed to touch her left breast and it will help you meet your soulmate (apparently). There was also a script on the wall with a small section from the play. I think this place was one of my favourite parts of the day and well worth going inside and paying 6 euros! Inside there was more quotes from the play dotted around along with beautiful paintings of Romeo and Juliet, her bed, costumes they would have worn, etc.
This is my favourite quote. So bloody cute.
After I went to the House of Juliet I decided to go to the Ponte Pietra- a beautiful bridge in Verona.
Google maps helped me round half the time and absolutely drained the shit out of my battery but it was so worth it! It started to rain but I was completely mesmerised by my surroundings that absolutely nothing could have ruined the day I was having!
^Where me and Anthy will live one day, yeah you're smiling now Ant. Get saving sunshine, I am going to be looking over the balcony looking like a Loreal advert by the time we're done.
By this time I had been walking around nonstop from 10 am and it was nearing 3 and my legs felt like they were gonna fly off at any given second so I wandered round (and got lost several times) there is absolutely nothing romantic about being lost in Verona, the streets are like bloody Wonderland!
I found a little cafe and sat outside which faced the Cathedral, I had a cheese, olive pate and aubergine toastie with an aperol spritz, it was perfect. I was just missing my date.
Sitting alone and eating wasn't even as bad as I thought.
After I had eaten I went to the cathedral and it was incredibly lucky that I did because as I was leaving it was actually starting to be closed off! I can't explain the beauty of half of the things I saw in Verona, I simply just have to show you.
After walking round the cathedral I took the long walk back to central Verona and when passing the Arena again I saw a beautiful couple that were just married having their pictures taken outside. I know you have read my mind. Of course it would be a dream to be married in Verona. My god.
And then of course I had to stop off for another one of these bad boys again... this little restaurant was situated right in the centre of Verona so I could drink my aperol spritz and be completely nosey at the same time, perfect!
I walked back to the station and sorted my ticket with ease and boarded the train back to Brescia completely exhausted after the amount of walking I had done. I then thought I would be clever and try and recall the way the taxi had drove... turns out I don't actually know Brescia very well at all and actually the less than 10 minute drive it took in the morning....took me an hour and a half before I eventually found my way home...well it's home for now anyway!
Its safe to say I slept incredibly well that night but I was in such a blissfully happy mood, nothing in the world could have changed it. Travelling alone is honestly so much fun but if you have the chance to go to Verona in a group or alone you MUST go. It is such a beautiful city, I am still in awe.
The next day we set off for Laegueglia which is by the sea where Michele owns an apartment. We are here until the 2nd of July so hopefully shortly after that I can blog about our adventures here.
Happy reading folks! Xo
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