Rocky (the internet connection, not the boxer).

The internet connection here in Orvieto is indeed unstable, but we have set up the little computer in just the right spot to allow us a signal that's just OK.  This is only a post to say we arrived yesterday afternoon and that as far as we can see, Orvieto is a dear little medieval village.  There is a restriction on vehicular access, so that cars are parked outside the centre of town, making it very easy to walk around without having to worry about being run down, but also means that the village is a tranquil place to be.  Tiny shops line the main street and they all seem to sell quality products - artisan crafted leathergoods, beautiful clothes and shoes, gloves and hats, ceramics and so on.  There is an absence of touristy junk as Orvieto is a little bit off the main tourist trail, so that's a plus, too.

Our apartment is very spacious, with a large lounge room, separate kitchen, laundry, bathroom and huge bedroom (queen-sized bed plus day bed) opening out to our own sun-terrace.  Photos of the apartment below.  Going shopping now, but will blog again soon.

In Padua

We visited Padua in 2009 and thought it was a really pretty little town, with a great deal to offer compared with larger cities, and being only 25 minutes from Venice means that it is readily accessible to the "big smoke" if the mood strikes one.  Last time we were here, we spent three days and didn't see a lot, because it rained on each of those days - we made a day trip to Venice on one, a day trip to Verona on a second and spent a soppy wet day in Padua itself on the third.  Nevertheless, as I said, we could see that it had the potential for a future longer visit, so here we are, and this time for an entire month.

We arrived by train exactly on schedule at 5:11pm, having made the trip from Paris to Milan, changing trains and journeying on to Padua.  The arrangement was that we were to phone the lady who owns our apartment when we arrived at the station and she would meet us at the apartment if we caught a taxi there.  That went very smoothly, which is always nice when you are making arrangements in part-English, part-Italian, by email from Australia, 10 months prior. 

The apartment is an absolute delight;  it is about three times larger than the one we rented in Paris, with a large separate (fully-equipped and pantry part-stocked) kitchen, bathroom, separate toilette and MASSIVE living room which includes a king-sized bed, two big white leather couches, a wall unit with TV, wardrobes, desk and chairs.  The huge window looks out over the cobblestoned street, and as I write, we can hear the sounds of people walking downstairs (we are on the first floor), cyclists riding by, laughter and general chatter.  The street is closed to cars, so there is no annoying vehicular noise drifting up.  Beautiful shops line both sides of the street and we have noticed a really big change in Padua since 2009 in that there are lots of designer-label stores and the shops seem to be more "upmarket" than we recall.  Nevertheless, the community feel is still very much evident and we find Italy more down-to-earth and easygoing than other places we have visited.  Again I remarked to David within 10 minutes of being here, "It just feels like home, that's why I love it here."

Early this morning David ventured out before I was properly awake, to get some breakfast food and milk.  In his absence I located the coffee-maker and some ground coffee and had that in train for his return.  We ate to the sound of Italian breakfast radio and planned how we would spend our first day here.  David said that while he was out, he had seen the market stallholders setting up, so we decided that we would head out and stock the fridge with vegetables, buy cheeses and prepare supplies for (at least) the next few days.

There is a huge piazza containing the fruit and vegetable market, just 100 metres from our apartment; you can also buy all kinds of nuts, seeds, rices, spices and fresh herbs there; behind it in an old building are the delicatessens, butchers, fishmongers, bakers and so on.  Just around the other side of that building is another market selling clothes, tablecloths, handbags, homewares and other necessary items.  Another 100 metres along is the supermarket, where you can buy all sorts of wonderful things that we can't get at home!  I would love to be able to transport the whole lot to Glenferrie Road, but alas...

No shopping trip is complete without stopping for coffee (cappuccino is only drunk in the morning - if you ask for milk in your coffee after noon, everyone knows you are "just" a tourist) and coffee is not coffee without a small pastry to accompany it - David enjoyed a custard pastry of some delicious description and I have no idea what was in mine, but it was damned good!  We also think that Italian coffee is far superior to French coffee, but I guess it's a personal choice thing.  I don't think you can go past the dense crema on top of an Italian cappuccino - absolutely divine.

Now we have returned to the apartment and it is 1:30pm.  David is preparing a light lunch of panini filled with all sorts of treats, while I write this and contemplate an hour on the couch reading and possibly napping (the shops are closed over lunchtime, and anyway I bought two shirts, a scarf and a cardigan this morning at the market and that should be enough self-indulgence for me today).

D1

The Sounds of Paris

It's 3 o'clock on day 1 of our stay in Paris, and we are having a little lie down after the initial survey of the St Germaine neighbourhood, and a stroll along the River Seine past the stunning Notre Dame Cathedral. We had been here just half an hour before we felt the need to go into a cafe, sit at the bar and eat freshly buttered baguette and drink excellent coffee.  The owner smiled kindly at Deb's attempt at ordering in French, (though of course he spoke English), but with a big grin he generously commented on how well she had done!

Through the open shuttered windows here in the flat there are the sounds of people sitting at the numerous open air restaurants that line our small street, the echo of the church bell at the top of the hill has just sounded, and everywhere there are the sounds of Parisians enjoying a perfect Autumn day. It's probably about 22 degrees - just right!

We arrived into Paris after a 13 hour flight from Singapore, and you can't help but notice the difference in how things work. Changi airport was the model of efficiency, whereas CDG is tired, dirty and everything takes forever. The only highlight was that Jean-Paul (the taxi driver) was waiting for us at the appointed place and was only too eager to please. The check -in at the apartment went smoothly and we can now settle in to our incredibly (and typically so in Paris) small but very cute home away from home for the next 8 days.  We have everything we need here and are eagerly awaiting Cookie's arrival on Wednesday to share it with her.

D2 (David)