# The Chronicles of Exodus (a.k.a I'm back from my month-long honeymoon!)



## exodus (Jan 26, 2006)

I'm baaaaack! Hubby and I spent a month in Hong Kong and Europe for our belated honeymoon - we got married in June but his evil boss wouldn't let him take time off in June since he has "forced leave" during Christmas and New Year's, but it's actually perfect because we got to experience winter in Europe (really romantic and way fewer tourists around) and escape the dreadful Melbourne summer 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Anyway we took some cool pictures (we think so, anyway) so I thought I'd make a thread and put some up here 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 We haven't gotten 'round to transferring them from the memory cards yet, so I'll post up some after that's done.

Our honeymoon wasn't very honeymoon-y, since our itinerary read more like The Amazing Race (my fault 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




). We went to Hong Kong, Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome and Athens. Unfortunately most of the galleries and museums we went to didn't allow photography, so you won't be seeing pictures of any of the amazing artworks we got to see 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




So here begins the chronicles 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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First stop: Hong Kong
We didn't see much of Hong Kong, actually, since we were blinded by all the food and shopping 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I bought a LOAD of Shu Uemura eyeshadows (ooohh should I take a pic of those too?), Biotherm makeup (not available in little ol' Oz) and of course MAC (cheaper than little ol' Oz). We also ate a LOAD of yummy food, some of which I'll post when I can find them in the mountain of pics we took hehehe. I'm having withdrawal symptoms already - I NEED Hong Kong food!
We peeled ourselves away from shopping for one day to visit Disneyland! Not quite as good as the one in Anaheim (no Toon Town? What the??) but it'll have to do. I had an absolutely magical time, I'm such a sucker for Disney 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Here's a few pics that I've found so far:

Cinderella's castle lit up at night:





Me and my obsession - (I LOVE HIM!!! P.S.: If you can't recognise and/or don't know him, he's Santa Jack from Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas)





I would've bought him, but he was too big for the damned suitcase! Oh and please excuse the shiny makeup-less face; I didn't take my makeup along with me, too much of a hassle to get dolled up every morning, I'm  far too lazy for that 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




After 4 nights in Hong Kong filled with copious amounts of food and beverages and spending copious amounts of cash on useless things, we're off on the 13-hour horrendous flight to Paris. I hate flights. With a passion. Thankfully Paris was worth it 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Oh and VV, look what we found at Hong Kong airport! A giant Louis Vuitton bag! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 They're waiting for you to come pick it up 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








Second stop: Paris
The first landmark we went to was Notre Dame. It started snowing when we were there, but I only noticed after my hubby made swatting hand movements and loudly asked "WTF are these ashes falling from the sky???" - he's never experienced falling snow in his whole life (no such luck here downunder) and expected snow to look more like balls of candy floss 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 We tried to take pics, but the snow just wouldn't show up!






Inside Notre Dame - way too dark to take pics, so this one came out horribly, but you get the idea hehehe





View from the Towers of Notre Dame - I just loved how the sky looks in this pic





Some birds we saw on a nearby tree 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













The next day we spent the whole day at Palais du Versailles, that place is just gorgeous! Some pics we found so far:

Ceiling of the chapel of Versailles - not a very good pic, taking interior pics are a pain!





Snow in the gardens





The days after that were spent mostly in galleries (Galleries du Louvre, Musee D'Orsay) and as I said before they don't allow photography of the artworks themselves 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Interior of Musee D'Orsay





View from inside Galleries du Louvre





Eiffel Tower





Metro entrances





We took a EuroNight train from Paris to Venice and this is the view we woke up to in the morning





Third stop: Venice
What an experience! To walk across the island of Venice takes no more than 40 minutes (we dragged our luggage all the way from one end to the other at 4 a.m. to catch our train to Florence) and there was not a single car, motorcycle etc. in sight! The air was incredibly fresh, it was amazing!

Obviously lots of water shots 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 We were so snap-happy in Venice!































Fourth stop: Florence
We only stayed in Florence for one night, actually. I was only there to check out Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Allegoria di Primavera at the Uffizi Gallery and David di Michelangelo at Galleria dell'Accademia (he was breathtaking!). Unfortunately photographs weren't permitted 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




So we took some pictures from Ponte Vecchio but I haven't found those pics yet 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




CONTINUED - SEE A FEW POSTS DOWN


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## midnightlouise (Jan 26, 2006)

I wanna see more pics!!! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 And you should def. take pics of your makeup hauls & post them for people to drool over in the hauls section!  Sounds like you had an awesome time!  Of all those places I've only been to Paris, but the rest of the places you went I'm dying to see. *really, really jealous*


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## user4 (Jan 26, 2006)

very nice... i cant wait till the continuation!!!!!!!


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## rcastel10 (Jan 27, 2006)

Those pictures are sooo gorgeous! Makes me want to go there for my honeymoon instead of a beach.


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## Lustrouslips (Jan 27, 2006)

NICE! You're so luckyyyy


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## missdiorable (Jan 27, 2006)

ahhh this sounds like a WONDERFUL honeymoon. cant wait till you cont.


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## CaliKris (Jan 27, 2006)

That picture of the view from the Towers of Notre Dame is beautiful!!!!!


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## user2 (Jan 28, 2006)

Easbsfdubjfwuibasfnjkscsrfrvvjureubguerwbgdjxfuegr  rfgfrugu!!! I WANNA LIVE IN THAT THING!!!!!!!!!!  Thanks sooo much for posting it!


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## iheartsellouts (Jan 28, 2006)

you take BEAUTIFUL pictures


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## aznsmurfy (Jan 28, 2006)

OMG i lUV all the pics!! and you are so cute! hehe you look fab! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 happy honeymoon too! ^_^


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## Pimptress (Jan 28, 2006)

exodus: did you stay in hotels or hostels! that sounds amazing! I want to go to Greece for my honeymoon. my work would never let me off for a month, though 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 poo


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## amandamakeup (Jan 28, 2006)

Awesome pictures! I especially love the one in paris with the gargoyle.. what a gorgeous picture! 
Looks like you had a great time!


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## exodus (Jan 28, 2006)

Wow thanks so much, everyone! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 We had an absolutely fantastic time, but I think a month on the road is far too long for us couch potatoes. We've been home for nearly a week and my body's STILL hurting in some parts. My legs have officially broken down on me 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Pimptress, we stayed in hotels that we booked through the internet with massive discounts (hotelclub.net and venere.com). We had no problems at all with the bookings, I thoroughly recommend them


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## Pimptress (Jan 28, 2006)

Nice. That's a once in a lifetime opportunity. You are from Australia then? I wonder why you didn't take a nice, romantic trip to dirty America 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Just kidding. I bet you are in great shape, too! You got to see so much.... Someday, someday... hehe.


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## Pei (Jan 31, 2006)

Hey Exodus!

I miss u so muchie!

U're one lucky woman! *Envious*

Great pics, ty for sharing


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## exodus (Feb 4, 2006)

Awww Pei, I missed you too! Thanks babe! Yes I know I'm very, very lucky


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## exodus (Feb 4, 2006)

Fifth stop: Rome
Rome was... interesting. I guess I had this amazing expectation of it in my head that nothing would've lived up to it. It was beautiful, but there were just too many people trying to scam us and steal from us that the enjoyment was greatly diminished.

At Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain), there were a crazy amount of people trying to shove roses into my hands and charge me an ungodly amount of money for them that we couldn't even sit and enjoy the view in peace. Oh well, you gotta take the good with the bad, right? 

Fontana di Trevi at night (at the lower right corner you can see a guy trying to sell me pieces of plasticine for 15 Euros!)





Fontana di Trevi at dusk





At the Colosseum, there were people dressed in gladiator costumes who asked for 20 Euros when a few Japanese tourists took a picture of him. What the? I might've paid 2 Euros, but most certainly NOT 20! *shakes head in disbelief*

Colosseum





Foro di Romano (Roman Forum)





Tivoli gardens (Villa D'Este and Villa Adriana) were one of the highlights of the Roman leg of the trip. When we were there, there was absolutely noone else, it's like we owned the place. It was incredibly romantic 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Villa D'Este









Villa Adriana













We went to the Vatican City (of course) and saw the Sistine Chapel. Surprise, surprise, no photography was allowed. We were allowed to take pics of Basilica di San Pietro, though, and boy was it absolutely beautiful. We also got to see the tomb of Pope John Paul II (the Italians called him Papa Johannes Paulus II), but I didn't take a picture - I mean, how disrespectful would that be!

Basilica di San Pietro













For Christians who might be interested (I'm a Christian myself), Rome has quite a few sites that were very special to me. I didn't take any pictures of them because I thought it disrespectful to do so. I think it's far more important to me to know that I was there and the way it made me feel rather than a measly picture.

There's the Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs) that Jesus Christ Himself climbed to get to Pilate's palace. I can't describe the feeling I got when I was standing at the base of it; it's like, Jesus Christ was there and I was there at the very same spot, 2 millenia later. Absolutely indescribable. I feel very blessed that I got to experience it.

There's also Catacombs of San Callisto, where over 500,000 Christians were buried over the course of 400 years. To think that so many people were brutally murdered simply because they held the Christian faith was overwhelming to me.

Near the Catacombs, there's this tiny little church called Domine Quo Vadis, where they have a marble stone with Jesus Christ's footprints on it. It was a very special moment for me to touch them (I think you're allowed to - they had a cage over the marble slab, but with a hole at the top enough for your hands to pass through).

Oh and near Roma Termini there's this "phenomenon" (it's freaky enough to be called that 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




). Every evening millions of birds (no exaggeration - I'm telling you there really are millions of them!) would feed on trees nearby, and before they do so, they'd fly in amazing formations, it's like they were dancing. It was quite scary actually, because there were SO MANY of them and they fly quite low, obviously.

We were standing there fascinated and snap-happy until... *drum roll please*... they dropped "bombs" on us!!! I got some in my hair and hubby got some on his FACE! Right between his eyes! We ran back to the hotel as fast as we could after that (obviously). Here's the best pic we got of it:





After 5 fantastic days in Rome, we went on to Athens 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Sixth stop: Athens

(To be continued)


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## Jessica (Feb 4, 2006)

oh, I cannot wait to see and read more!!!!  What an amazing experience!!!


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## funKyVibeS* (Feb 5, 2006)

the sixth picture with the gargoyle is amazing


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## kaliraksha (Feb 8, 2006)

You had the perfect Honey Moon... so jealous! But yay for you!


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## fireatwill (Mar 7, 2006)

Wow. Nice pics!


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## Juneplum (Mar 7, 2006)

*faints* BIG......... L.....V......BAG......... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 *faints again*

these pics are GORGEOUS! thanx so much 4 sharing them with us!  makes me wanna go on vacation again! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 u know, i should post my pics of our travels to europe too!


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## sallytheragdol (Mar 18, 2006)

Beautiful pictures. and your story about the holy stairs brought tears to my eyes


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## V2LUCKY (Mar 18, 2006)

Those are beautiful pics! I am so jealous of your trip. Disneyland AND Paris?! I've promised myself that I have to go to Paris one day. Lucky lucky girl. I wanna see more pics.


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## french-dessert (Mar 19, 2006)

very nice pics ..cant wait to make my honeymoon
love it thanks


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## exodus (Mar 21, 2006)

OMG I can't believe I completely forgot this thread! It's not finished yet 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'm on a mini-holiday in Sydney right now, but I'll update with the Athens pics when I get back 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'm glad you like the pics, ladies


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## Pei (Mar 22, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *exodus* 
_OMG I can't believe I completely forgot this thread! It's not finished yet 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'm on a mini-holiday in Sydney right now, but I'll update with the Athens pics when I get back 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'm glad you like the pics, ladies 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
How could u?!? 

I was waiting for u to post~!

Work it baby!


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## Butterfly Princess (Mar 27, 2006)

wow exodus, you take really nice pics. I'm glad you had a good time. I would love to see your makeup hauls too


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## beautenoir (Mar 27, 2006)

omg!!!...I am beyond jealous!!!...you guys must have had soooo much fun!...I can't believe the beautiful stuff you guys got to see!...so much congratulations hon!!!


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## Beautiful1 (Mar 30, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *exodus* 
_OMG I can't believe I completely forgot this thread! It's not finished yet 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'm on a mini-holiday in Sydney right now, but I'll update with the Athens pics when I get back 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'm glad you like the pics, ladies 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
All Of Your Pics Are Gorgeous Girlie!
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I Am A Christian Too So I Was Particularly Interested In The Places Were Jesus Christ Was In Rome Thank You So Much For Sharing Those, They Meant A Lot To Me!


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## exodus (Mar 31, 2006)

Thanks for all the comments ladies 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Okay here's the last chapter!

Sixth stop: Athens
The fondest memories I have of Athens are of... the food! Ooohh yeah, those souvlakis, gyros and kebabs were just AMAZING! Me want more! My goodness, they were the most delectable I've ever had (one should hope so, right?).

I also LOVED figuring out the letters and words, it was like a little puzzle hahaha. We went on the metro train system quite a bit, and the words "Epomeni stasi... Monastiraki" (Next station... Monastiraki) will forever be etched in my brain 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 For some reason the airport train announcer said it in a different way, it was "Epomenos stasmos... Aerodromio". Would anyone care to explain this to me? I thought it could be the male/female attribution thing like French or Italian, but both the announcers are female (their voices sound female anyway), and surely the different train stations wouldn't have different gender attributions, right? I'm confused, help! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Anyway, so we spent the first day around the Forum and Acropolis. Acropolis was undergoing major reconstruction work, so half of it was down. I was really upset, this is what I came to Athens for dammit, and it wasn't in one piece 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I managed to take the pic from an angle where it didn't look too bad though hahaha.





The view from Acropolis





One of those blue-painted windows! Yay! We went past this on the way up to the Acropolis (notice the little kitty... awwwww!)





The next day we went to Delphi (as in Oracle of Delphi. I'm a big mythology buff as well, so I've dreamt of going to this place as long as I can remember) on a local bus. It cost us about 15 Euro per person, if I'm not mistaken. We saved over 100 Euro by going by ourselves instead of joining a tour. I was pretty proud of that 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Delphi was absolutely beautiful, definitely worth the three-hour bus trip from Athens. 3000 years ago, this place would've been an amazing sight to behold. It still is, but I guess you need a little bit of imagination, because hubby was like "Err... we've already seen ruins, back in Rome. We didn't spend three hours on the bus just for ruins, did we?". The poor guy didn't understand. I LOVE ruins 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 He was happy (and snap-happy too) in the end. He took these pictures, I was busy taking in the place 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Sanctuary of Apollo (the Oracle of Delphi) - well, what's left of it anyway 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








View from Delphi - isn't it just beautiful? I can definitely understand why the Ancient Greeks chose this place for the Sanctuary, well, aside from the fact that the mythology says Delphi is the "navel of the Earth". Brief explanation: Zeus released two eagles in opposite directions, one to the east and one to the west. The eagles met in Delphi, so Zeus proclaimed that Delphi is the centre of the world, where the world began.





The Sacred Way, the road that goes from the Roman Agora to the Sanctuary of Apollo. It had the most beautiful sheen (as hopefully you can see here), I think it might be made of marble.





From here, we come down the mountain a little bit to reach Sanctuary of Athena Pronaea. As you can tell, those pillars had fell down and they rebuilt it with non-matching cement. Why, oh whyyyyy? Is it that hard not to make it look like camouflage gear? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Oh well, it gives it "character", I guess... ... ... ... ... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








A more "artistic" shot 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








Okay that's all folks! I hope you enjoyed the pics as much as I enjoyed taking them 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Thanks again for all the comments! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Oh actually, I took this beautiful shot of the Acropolis from our hotel at night, but you'll have to wait until I find it


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## mspixieears (Mar 31, 2006)

What a lovely trip, and gorgeous pictures! It sounds like a dream, I hope you and your husband will be very happy together! Very mean of your husband's boss not to let him time off for an immediate honeymoon, but it looks like it was worth the wait!!!


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## Pushpa (Mar 31, 2006)

beautiful picture and it looks like you had a wonderful time


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## Beautiful1 (Mar 31, 2006)

You Take Excellent Pics They Are So Professional Looking!


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## exodus (Mar 31, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Beautiful1* 
_You Take Excellent Pics They Are So Professional Looking! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
Thank you 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Well we took a million pics from a million different angles (we totaled 20 Gb worth of RAW images!!! Thank goodness for the portable hard drive), and I picked the nicest ones to show here 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 There were lots of duds too


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## Pei (Apr 1, 2006)

*drop jaw*


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## Butterfly Princess (Apr 2, 2006)

Wow your pictures are amazing. The kinds you see in travel books etc. Athens looks beautiful.


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