Discovering Arni

It is better to start the whole Rome experience by conditioning ourselves first that it is impossible to cover Rome in one trip. There is just so much to see! Do prepare before hand by listing down the sites of utmost priority to you.

I would have been pleased to explore Rome following a 6-hour walking tour based on the film Roman Holiday from the Lonely Planet. Much to our enthusiasm, one of my companions has a back problem and we had limited time in Rome (exactly 1 day and a half) and we wanted to see as much of it as possible. The most practical way was taking a tour of our choice- the Classic Rome Tour exploring the highlights or shall I say Rome's tip of the iceberg.

The Classic Rome Tour's highlights are:

Castello St. Angelo - Trevi Fountain - Piazza Navona - Piazza Colonna - Piazza del Popola - Pantheon - St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square

The advantages of taking the tour is, you get special VIP passes that allow you to cut the long queues at St. Peter's Square. Lots of tourists, it's amazing!

Here are some snapshots at the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona

Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi) is Italy's largest and most famous Baroque fountain. It was built in the 15th Century as an ending part of Aqua Virgo, an aqueduct built in 19 B.C. It is the central feature located at the Trevi Square in the Quirinale District. Designed based on the sketches of Lorenzo Bernini, Nicola Salvi and Pannini

A coin toss in the fountain. Legend has it that if one tosses a coin, there's a guaranteed return to the Eternal City.

Approximately 3,000 Euros worth of coins are collected daily according to our tour guide All of which are donated to charity.

The Trevi Fountain is also the popular site of Fellini's La Dolce Vita and Audrey Hepburn's Roman Holiday.

Piazza Navona is one of the world's most famous squares. The shape is elongated as it used to be Domitian's stadium. The stadium was paved over in the 15th century to create the square

Lorenzo Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers

Popular fountain and monument depicted in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons where it was listed as one of the altars of science. Four Rivers; Danube, Ganges, The Nile & La Plata.

Students on a field trip

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (The Fountain of the Four Rivers)

Do you notice how the statue on the left is positioned against the Church of St.Agnese in Agone? The church was designed by Borromini, Bernini's main rival. Bernini however, finished the fountain first before the church.

Fountain of Neptune by Giacomo Della Porta at the North end of Piazza Navona

One of the liveliest squares in Rome surrounded by restaurants, cafes and night clubs. A walking distance from the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain.

Ciao!

Have a great Easter Monday!

Happy Easter to Everyone! I've missed you all! You might all be sharing this wonderful Sunday with the family and friends hunting for the colorful eggs. While preparing today's post, I'm currently munching the chocolate bunny a very dear friend gave me today.

I just arrived back in reality after almost ten weeks in Italy for the Salone del Mobile in Milan. Prior to our working schedule, we took a sightseeing detour to see the grandeur of Rome and the famous architecture everyone has been talking about featured in popular films such as Roman Holiday, La Dolce Vita, When in Rome, Eat Pray Love, Angels and Demons..so on and so forth..oh we could go on with the list.

If you're based in Dubai and planning to explore Italy in few days by train, there is an interesting Emirates flight that is worth taking. It flies from Dubai Terminal 3 to Rome's Fiumicino Airport with a return flight back to Dubai from Milan's Malpensa Airport.

Upon arriving on a Thursday evening at Fiumicino Airport, there is a shuttle outside the terminal across the street that will take you to the city with a last stop at Stazione Termini. If you're travelling alone, this would be a better alternative. If you're in a group, you could also take a shared minivan service that will drop you off straight to your hotel for an approximate Eur 45-60 depending on the number of people and destination. It starts off at Eur 35 per person with an additional Eur 6 per person. For that we were being charged roughly Eur 47. Do take note that the airport is quite far from the city centre about 30km away.

We took the shuttle instead that cost us Eur 7 per person. There are two bus stops. We were booked very close to the Vatican City. As we were passing through Stazione San Pietro, I recognized the street, but we missed the bus stop. Two of my companions were seated at the far end of the bus. I was frantically hailing them to get down, but they didn't understand me and were merely waving back thinking I was having a great time. That wave cost us another Eur30 for a cab ride that took us round and round the city.

Beware of some cab drivers there. Some will take you for a ride, literally. We had the misfortune of meeting one that night, having realized only the next day when I checked it on the map that I got from the hotel reception.

We stayed in Starhotels Michelangelo for a very good rate including breakfast. It was the peak season and there were rumors of hiking up prices even more due to the events taking place at the Vatican City so we booked it online via Hotels.com weeks before travelling. We were pleased with that.

We ended the evening by a late dinner at a typical Italian pub and ristorante around the area and by booking two day tours the next day commencing at 8:30AM.

Check what happens next in Day 2

Ciao!

Among all the chateaux, I have seen so far, this is my favorite. Chateau of Chenonceau is one of the most visited castles in the Loire Valley and throughout France for that matter, second to the Palace of Versailles. It is situated in the small village of Chenonceaux.

We travelled through the Loire Valley in a small car with a good old map and found the place quite easily as there are markers and signs on the road that would lead you to the castle
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The chateau's architecture is a combination of late Gothic and Early Renaissance. This is where architecture and nature are brought together in perfect harmony. Delicate gardens of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici, remarkable potager, maze, farm, the serenely majestic river, all of which surround this magnificent work and tribute to celebrating history and architecture.

Let's dig a little bit deeper into the history of this castle. This was built on the River Cher sometime in the 11th Century originally owned by the Marques family. It was later sold to Thomas Bohier, Chamberlain for King Charles VIII. It was rebuilt in the 16th Century overseen by his wife Katherine Briconnet where a new residence was built by demolishing the fortified castle and mill. She often hosted dinners for the nobility and King Francis I has been an honored guest twice.

Marques Tower

King Francis I, who has the penchant for great architecture seized the castle later from Bohier's son for unpaid debts. When he passed away, his successor, Henry II gave it as a gift to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. She was strongly attached to the castle and initiated the construction of the arched bridge to connect it to the other side of the river.

River Cher (View from the castle windows)

When King Henry II died, his widow, Catherine de Medici had Diane banished from the castle and in exchange gave her the Chateau Chaumont. Queen Catherine made Chenonceau her favorite residence adding more gardens and threw spectacular evening parties. The grand gallery over the arched bridge to celebrate the ascension of her son, Francis II to the throne. After the queen's death, the castle has been the residence of succeeding mistresses and wives of nobility. It was later saved by Madame Louise Dupin from destruction during the french revolution. It was then passed on and bought by a millionaire Daniel Wilson for his daughter who trew parties beyond her means which was later seized and sold to a Cuban millionaire in 1891, Jose-Emilio Terry.

During the World War I, the gallery was used as a hospital ward. Later, during the Second World War, it was used as an escape from the Nazi occupied zone of one side to the free zone on the opposite end.

The Dining Room of the Chateau Employees

Bread Oven (Left) and Pantry (Right)

Kitchen Stove (Left) and Five Queen's Bedroom (Right)

The chateau was later resurrected back to its former glory by the Menier family. Hats off to the artisans responsible for the restoration and upkeep of this castle. The chateau has been wonderfully maintained with fresh flowers.

View of the Arches and East Facade of Pont du Diane

So much to do and so little time. During summer, the chateau enables visitors to hire rowing boats. There are also play areas specifically made for kids. It is also an ideal haven for artists, as it open its doors once a year to exhibitions at the first floor gallery. It is such a delight to be there either admiring the history indoors or the beauty of nature outdoors. I would love to visit it again.

It 's already the weekend here. Have a great Thursday Everyone!

Are you all excited for the weekend? As usual, ours started much earlier and I was amazed at how fast the time goes. In a couple of months, the birthday is on the horizon and I'm not ready for that yet. It's so funny how when we were younger, we were so in a hurry to celebrate birthdays. Now, I think the best part of birthdays is the day itself when it feels magical.

When I hit the 30s, when someone asks me-"how old are you?" I often have to pause. I swear I always forget. '

Speaking of birthdays, I dug up some pictures of last year. My hubby gave me a weekend getaway as a birthday gift. It was a surprise. He told me to pack my bags. He drove the car without telling me where we were going. On the way, I was trying to spoil the surprise by guessing. (My first guess was correct) but he pretended that it wasn't by detouring and changing the direction.

Finally, as soon as we entered Dubailand, I knew he was headed for my first guess' direction. We drove for 20 minutes from the centre of the city through a remote desert.
We were greeted by the lovely staff of Bab Al Shams . Bab Al Shams means Doorway to the Sun.

We went during the scorching hot summer. It was +40 degrees Celsius. Hotels normally offer special packages during the low tourist season from June to August. My hubby landed on a special package including a Couple spa treatment, buffet breakfast and stay for a very good price.

During the peak tourist season the hotel could be very pricey.

It is very refreshing to be in the water during a sauna-like afternoon.

Infinity pool and the sand. Watching sunset here is amazing!

The design of the hotel is based on a traditional Arabic fort. A lot of stone alleyways, courtyards, lush gardens and private balconies for every room.

There are a lot of activities you can do during your stay apart from lounging in the pool during the day.

Indulge yourself in a vast number of treatments and wellness consultations in Satori Spa.

Explore the desert dunes on a 4 Wheel or by Camel or Horse Riding.

Archery, Falconry and Croquet. A game of chess ?

There's Sinbad Kids Club and a children's pool to entertain the youngsters.

The most popular restaurant within the hotel is the Al Hadheera an outdoor Bedouin Style restaurant that offers a unique Arabian experience. Imagine dining under the stars! We didn't get the chance to try it but we've heard great reviews from friends and co-workers who went. It's a desert buffet of traditional Arabic cuisine with henna painting, belly dancing and folk dance entertainment.

We tried Al Forsan for dinner and breakfast which is an international buffet with live cooking stations.
Rating would be mediocre.

There's a great number of restaurants, lounges and bars inside the hotel resort to choose from including rooftop sheesha (hookah pipes) lounges overlooking the desert in tent style seating.

What I love most in this five star hotel are the lush gardens with trickling sound of water everywhere. I think the architect of this hotel is brilliant! The architect managed to stimulate the guests'senses in a very subtle way, even for those who are residents here. The whole experience is of peace and utmost tranquility.