La Dolce Vita 🇮🇹🇻🇦🇲🇨 🍸

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September 2023. 

My birthmonth, my birthyear. I was born in the year of the Hare so I needed to make 2023, another year of the Hare, special. As I had never been out of the country, I decided to finally make that long-awaited "first trip" on my birthyear. It happens once every twelve years so why not make it special?


My first time past Immigration!

So many countries were considered. Spain and Portugal came to mind. Thailand seemed plausible. Nearby Indonesia's fantastic architecture were tempting, and because Singapore was close enough, it was also suggested. Malaysia came into the radar too. But, not until visas were approved or airline tickets were bought, nothing was final.

And then - out of the blue - I heard my aunt and sister talk about a possible Euro Tour on no other month but September... Since it happens to be my birthmonth, I immediately asked if I could join them... "Sure," said my aunt!

Up until that point, my options were as flexible as they could get so hearing something palatable to my one grand plan excited me. How can a trip be both desired and somewhat serendipitous?


Inside Etihad Airways en route to Abu Dhabi, our stopover

During our tour, we crossed different parts of Italy together with Vatican City, and as we sojourned to affluent Monaco, we also witnessed the beauty of French Riviera and its many seaside cities. 👌🏻

Our vacation lasted for three weeks. It was art and beauty all around as we literally marveled at everything... So many pictures were captured, so many foods were tasted, so many layers of history unearthed...


The Abu Dhabi International Airport where we took our connecting flight to Italy.


La dolce vita... We experienced three weeks of "the sweet life" in Mediterranean Europe where we witnessed hundreds of masterpieces in all ten cities we went to... See for yourself by clicking on the thumbnails below... Their intricate details and inexplicable grandeur will astound you...


Magnificent Milan ⛪️




A luxury mall dating back to the Belle Epoque era and a gothic cathedral that took six centuries to build were some of the wonders we saw in Milan, our first destination!


Venice, the Sinking City 🛥️




The queen of Adriatic Sea left us a lasting impression with its impressive system of interconnected islands and bridges... We can attest that Venice is indeed the most beautiful city in the world where walking its cobbled streets felt like breathing the colors of an impressionist painting...

The Lakeside Paradise of Como 🏔️



Como, a province near Switzerland, had borders defined by the contours of a picturesque lake where we cruised several towns with impressive views of the Swiss Alps...






Siena was defeated in a centuries-long rivalry but its grandeur subsists to this day. The oldest bank in the world - aged four hundred and fifty - is located within its ancient walls...








San Gimignano was an old but quaint town located on top of a small hill in the heart of Tuscany. Though relatively small, San Gimignano has had layers of history, and ancient and medieval structures preserved to this day...




The famous leaning Tower of Pisa will never be corrected as its imperfections attract millions of tourists all over the world...

The Flair of Florence 🏰



The cobbled streets and Baroque buildings of Florence, the capital of Tuscany, brought us back to the Renaissance Era and made us imagine what life was like when princes and princesses roamed the earth...


Rome, the Eternal City 🏟️



The grandeur of Rome has subsisted for thousands of years despite the occurrence of chaotic wars, famine, and other calamities... Today, many of its ancient and centuries-old buildings remain intact...


The Vatican, Truly Divine! 🇻🇦





The smallest nation on earth is also the most sacred. Vatican City, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, is a place where voices of angels seem to echo within its gigantic halls...


Mesmerising Monaco 🇲🇨



Monaco is currently the wealthiest nation on earth. Its affluence was evident in its impeccable cleanliness, well-preserved Belle Epoque buildings, and a "forbidden" masterpiece that turned the city-state into an economic miracle...


⚜️⚜️⚜️


From Milan to Monaco, our Euro Tour began and ended on a high note... It was my first out-of-the-country tour and it turned out to be surprisingly serendipitous... What a way to celebrate my birthyear and birthmonth!




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