Coping with Homesickness

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a cure for it, everyone is different and it takes on many forms, you might miss your dog, your mum, Saturday Kitchen, or even just having a kettle…and when you really do feel homesick it can feel like you’ll never feel better. But relax.. you will, and here’s and few things that have helped me get through when I’ve really wanted a kettle (*cough* my mum)

Stay in touch

Whether its a Skype date with your dog, or a quick whats app msg try and talk to your friends at home as much as possible, at some point in our lives we have all felt homesick so it’s something we can all relate to. Even if you don’t have Internet for a while remember that there’s people missing you just as much as you miss that kettle!

Write a ranty letter

This one works for most periods of un happiness. Write a long ranty letter, or email. But the key here is don’t send it, save this jem in your drafts folder. Come back to it in an hour or a day and ull see how most of those scary emotions have faded. It feels so good to get all your emotions down on paper where you can see them; I have a draft folder full of them and can’t believe how ridiculous I sound.. Thank goodness I didn’t send any of them…

Pamper time

Come on boys it’s time for that manicure! But no really male or female theres always little things that cheer you up, maybe a long hot bath, painting your nails, or even just a bit of moisturising, cracking on a good song and having a pamper evening works wonders!

Indulge your inner Disney

Ok ok so not always Disney but how about a tv show, book or film you love, something heartwarming with a nice happy ending… Warm your cockles and drift off to sleep, bliss!

Remember where you are…

I’m a self confessed negative nancy and really struggle to see the positive sometimes, but think about it, this short period of your life is just part of a really bloomin’ long period, appreciate where you are, remember why you chose to do it, and if that doesn’t help, think of all those years you’ll be back in England moaning about the cold all over again

Hope you feel better soon….

Ciao for now, I’m off to heat my water in a saucepan on the hob 😉

A Morning in Mantua

This Saturday at a loose end after the excitement of the lake the week before I decided on a day trip to nearby Mantua.

The trip took around an hour from Verona and cost roughly 4 euros each way, a relatively simple, albeit hot trip and a great chance to get stuck into my book.

Coming out of the train station I turned left towards the main centre towards the towns main Piazza’s (Ducale, Erbe, Te and Santa Barbra.) Here you can see the main cathedral, the Castello di San Georgio (owed by the towns most influential family the gonzagas), the Rotonda di San Lornza which circular shape and links to Venus appealed lots after recently reading the Da Vinci code! And my favourite the small but impressive Teatro Bibiena where a 14yr old Mozart played… And only 2 euros to enter. Fabulous.

You can easily walk down to the lake side and find the cycle path and docking stations for the boat tours. The boats I found charged 8 euros for an hour boat tour, I really wanted to do this but the first tour on Saturday was at 3pm and it was a little too late for me!

I Liked Mantua but it really is very small and at 1 ‘o’ clock the town shuts down for lunch, if you aren’t waiting for a boat or heading around the town on a bike tour you may be stuck for ideas around this time and personally this was the cue for me to head out of the sun and head back to San Martino for a day at the swimming pool!

How long to spend here: Between one half and a full day.
Cost: Around 4 euros each way from Verona
Highlights: Boat rides on the river Po and the Theatre.

If you are a keen cyclist or boat then Mantua is a great place to visit!

Lake Garda: Bardolino to Sirmione

Our second outing from Bardolino was an off the cuff trip to Sirmione. We knew nothing about the town but the name sounded ok and Lucy had heard some good things…

We took the ferry boat from the main harbour in Bardolino. We bought a return ticket from the office for just under 20 euros. The boat took around an hour and was amazing, the view was epic and it really was a great way to travel. Time tables and guided tours are also avaliable from the ticket office and boats leave frequently.

On arrival it was clear to all of us that we had made a great decison. Not only did we spot some of the biggest ice creams we had ever seen, the whopping great castle with its natual blue moat and the winding cobbled streets where a instant hit. First up we walked along the shore line in search of a cold drink, and even stopped on a getty for a swim in the lake. A cheeky nap also took place and we all felt very relaxed.

We took advantage of the ice cream, a ‘small’ cone was just enough to feed a small army, and headed up the tower of Rocca Scaigera- which again offered student discount do take those ID’s with you!

The climb pretty much reduced my legs to jelly but the view from inside the tour showed the castle to be a maze of towers and turrets filled with the amazing blue lake water.

A great beach, quaint shops, ice cream to die for and overall just god damn beautiful. Theres also a set of thermal spas here (natural and quite smally ones) but great for the skin! Id head back in an instant!

Lake Garda: Bardolino to Malcesine

This week I headed off for a weeks holiday in Lake Garda with my best friends from home. Our base was Bardoliono (look out for upcoming post) and proved to not only be beautiful but a great way to see some truley amazing towns around the lake. On Thursday we headed to the glorious town of Malcesine….

We took the 162 bus from outside the tourist information point in Bardoliono, tickets cost 4 euros each way (avaliable from the small shop near the information point) the bus ride took around an hour but followed the coastal road and was one amazing view from start to finish.

Once in Malcesine we walked from the bus stop to the cable car (signposted and around a ten min walk) there was a pretty large queue so getting here early is advisable. Personally I had no interest in going up a mountain in a tiny box on string but the girls assure me the view was amazing and well worth the trip and 19 euros each.

I headed off for a solo adventure, first stop the winding cobbled streets and alley ways that lead to the towns main harbour. The view here is beyond words. Like all the lake the water is blue, clean and clear, and with its many resturants and ice cream parlors this is a great spot for lunch. After a bite to eat I headed back up the hill to the ‘Castello Scaligero’

Just outside a musican was sining the blues and after 30 min of taking in his amazing music it was time to head into the castle. Under 25s pay 5 euros here with an extra euro for anyone older. First stop was the impressive natural history museum. A small but great gem, with Engligh, German and Italian information, modern layout and interactive design was really interesting and I feel like it was worth the visit. My particular favourite was the wall of scent:

Next I toured the castle, and climbed its main and rather scary tower. I dont have a head for heights so found this a little scary but the view was so worth it.

I finshed off the trip with a panna cotta gelato and the bus back to Bardoliono. If you are in the area be sure to head here, its has some beautiful beaches that we didnt have time to see, and really is quaint and beautiful. you can travel here by boat too and there are aslo boat tours on a cool looking ‘pirate’ boat once a day from the harbour. For the best views, head to Malcesine