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lunedì 23 giugno 2014


 HOW TO GET THE VISA FOR EUROPE?


Are you planning your trip to Europe but you have no idea how to get the visa? No worries, I can help you =)
here you can find all the information that you need to require your visa!

The Visa for European Union, the main relevant legislation is the Schengen Convention. This applies to all European States signatories to the agreement and that the same have joined (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Monaco, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Malta, Switzerland, Liechtenstein).
Some states, although not part of the European Union, such as Switzerland, Iceland and Norway, however, have acceded to the Convention. Other states, which instead are part of the European Union do not apply the Convention, such as the UK and Ireland. Other states yet, despite having not yet acceded to the Agreement which apply to Bulgaria and Romania. In these latter cases it is therefore necessary, if you want to visit these countries, go to their diplomatic representatives and ask for an entry visa.

The Convention lays down the conditions for a national of a third State can do, within the European Union, a stay not exceeding three months. Among the conditions is expected, for strangers who must obtain, possession of a valid visa.

The visa is uniform, that is equivalent to all States parties to the Agreement.
The visa should not be limited territorial validity (LTV), because in this case, the visa will be valid for one or more Member States and not for everyone.

The Convention also provides that "Foreigner holding a uniform visa, entered the territory of a Contracting Party may move freely within the territory of all Contracting Parties for the period of validity of the visa."

That said, the holder of a tourist visa, obtained by a State party to the agreement, it may circulate for the duration of the visa within the Schengen area. And 'necessary, however, that in the coming other than that for which it was requested visa, signals its presence to the Police Authorities. In addition, it must be shown at the entrance to the purpose of the journey, to have the financial resources for the period of stay, adequate accommodation (eg hotel booking) and health coverage for accidents and diseases.


In the event that a person subject proves dangerous for the public order and safety, or if they are the result of previous reports expulsions, the entry will be denied.

lunedì 9 giugno 2014

PARIS IN 2 DAYS AND A HALF? YES IT'S POSSIBLE!!!


Paris mon amour...One of that city that you should visit at least once in your life!
I've always dreamed it since I was a child like a charming and a romantic city and in effect I was not disappointed! 
I found a flight from Pisa to Paris thanks to Ryanair for a special price of 46 euros, departure on Friday and return on Sunday...just a week end. My doubt was if it was enough time to see all the city, of course it wasn't, but i didn't care because my desire to visit Paris was bigger than ever and I didn't want to miss this opportunity for this price...so i booked immediately!
Next step was find an accommodation: dear friends, Paris is terribly expensive and all the prices, both in b&b or in hostel were out of my budget, and my aim was finding something quite close to the city center because I didn't want to waste my time on a metro just to reach from a side to another.
Fortunately I came up with a brilliant idea: search a little flat or a room on www.homeaway.com and after emails to everybody, a very kind man replied me offering a studio for 70 euros (2 nights and 3 days) in the 14th arrondissement. I suggest you this web site instead of others  that offer you only expensive hotels or not very cheap hostels...if you are lucky you can find a good accommodation for a great value of money!
Paris is divided in arrondissement (zones) and I can say that this zone is not the core of the city but it's very close to. The metro was just down my building and in 15 minutes I could reach the main attractions.



Friday I arrived at the Beauvais Airport at 9 am, but be careful : this airport is far away from Paris, it takes 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to the city. An advise that I do recommend to you is to buy the bus ticket in advance on internet, you'll safe money and above all time! I spent 1 hour just queuing  for ticket =(
The bus will bring you to Paris Porte Maillot which is the point where you can catch the metro or the train and start to move into the city...I bought a carnet of 10 rides for the price of 13euros which allows you to travel on metro lines, RER trains, Ile- de- France bus lines and the Montmatre funicular: for my week end this option was enough for what I planned to visit.
First of all I had my meeting with the owner of the flat! We met at the metro station Olympiade, thanks God for some reason, we recognized each other and he brought me to the flat: it was nice, cozy and clean but what was the most important for me was that the metro station was just down the building.
The morning flew and I had the afternoon to start visiting the city, first stop: Musée du Louvre. I'm an art lover and if you are too, you can't miss it! I think that I heard for all of my entire life about this museum, I've studied at school the main masterpieces and see thousand of reports, but just once here I realized for real how amazing it is!
To get here by metro, stops are Palais- Royal- Musèe du Louvre (line 1 and 7). The main entrance is the breathless pyramidal structure, even though there are other secondary entrances.
When I got in, below the glass pyramid I went to the ticket office: maybe I was lucky or maybe because it was afternoon, but I didn't queue and the best part of everything: for european people who are under 25 years the entrance is totally FREE =)
Actually, in Paris many attractions are free or at least have a discount for young people and I think this is awesome because favor tourism.

What visit in the Louvre? In this museum there are thousand of masterpieces, it's impossible to see everything in one day! Take your time to visit it, I spent 4 hours here and I managed to see just what interested me most, I'm not an art critic, but I was curious to see all that things that I had studied at school. Le musee du Louvre is basically divided in 3 wings: Richielieu, Sully and Denon. 
My choice was starting my sightseeing from the ground floor where you can find egyptian, greek, babylonian and etruscan antiquities. Among a bunch of masterpieces, the most popular of them that I've seen are The Hammurrabi Code, that is the emblem of the Mesopotamian civilizationThe Statue of Rames II, The Venus of Milo and Cupid and Psyche: all of them are amazing and their aspect is incredible through the centuries!
Then I went upstairs to see the French and Italian painting collection, you just go through Rooms 1 and 2 and into the Salon Carré (Room 3): Italian collection is on Denon wing...you can find artist like Da Vinci, Raffaello, Caravaggio, Giotto, Tiziano, Veronese and so on...sorry but I'm Italian and the art of my country is one of the best in all over the world and I'm so proud of it  =) Sometimes Italy underestimates its treasures and it is quite sad that I have to see and enjoy my own country art abroad.
Anyway, I was really curious to see the Mona Lisa, the best known, the most visited, the most written about work of art in the world! In my opinion there are many others far stunning than this, I expected to feel me impressed but beyond doubt is certainly a very emblematic portrait, even though very little.
Keep going to my visit on the same floor but on the other wing, called Richielieu, I discovered the art of Georges de La Tour, Watteau, Ingres, Delacroix and Poussin which are among the best represented XVII to XIX century French painters at Louvre Museum. The collection is worth a trip by itself and i really loved the colors, lights, and movement that the artists used to arouse emotion in their audience. Unfortunately after 4 hours in the Louvre I was tired and I got a little bit bored because I realized that I did not manage to see everything...this in my suggest, divide your visit in 2 parts if you want really to enjoy it. It was late when I went out from the Louvre so I decided to take a walk from here down the Champs Elysee up to the Arch de Triumph and enjoy the charming surroundings...buzzing with restaurants, shops and theaters, some highlights are the Tiffan&co and Laduree cafe. It's a great walk towards the Arch de triumph, not long but nice especially during the night and at Christmas time I guess, when the lights are switched on. Part of the route is included the Place de la Concorde, great place to go (as indeed the whole area is) enjoy and take plenty of photos, you can photo one object with another behind in the distance and the view looking up to the Arc de triomphe is fantastic.This is one of those areas where you see some beautiful architecture - but it becomes so much more meaningful when you know the history of what took place here years ago!
One thing to be careful of is crossing the road , some crossings are quite long and as we found out you don't have as much time as you thought to cross. Wandering down this avenue I took a crepe with chocolate in a bar, actually there are so many that prepare this delicious dessert, if you are gourmand like me it is a MUST to eat. At the end of Champs Elysee just in front of you there is the Arc de Triumph: it's a huge stone arch in the middle of a huge round-a-bout, but it really is unbelievable, the intricate architectural design of this monument blew me away. It's in the centre so you get great views of the Paris landmarks with its buildings lit up.This was my last attraction for the first day, and the following day I would have been a very full day. I came back to my house and I had dinner in a chinese restaurant very close to my flat, nothing special but at least cheap!

On Saturday I woke up early, destination: The Notre Dame Cathedral. If you catch the metro, lines 7, 11 and 14 will get you right in front of the cathedral, the stop is Chatelet. Built in 1862, the cathedral is widely considered to be one of thelargest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture.
After seeing dozens of magnificent old European cathedrals, this is one of my favorites. The architecture is outstanding, the feeling you have when you're inside is indescribable, it's quite overwhelming. The entire cathedral and the external garden is amazing and without doubt it was one of the best attractions in Paris. To be honest, only a negative observation: I was sorely disappointed by the several shops in the cathedral selling souvenirs during the Mass...I found it very insensitive =/
Lots of stairs, will bring you to the top, be prepared to get plenty of exercise and queue for limitless time...but the effort worth the spectacular view! Stunning city views and completely fascinating architecture gave me off a sense of mystery and made feel hypnotized by the stone decoration and of course by gargoyles. If you can't make the climb to the top, still a wonderfully beautiful church!The stained glass in the Rose Windows is the most stunning I've ever seen. And it's free to get in (it is also the climb to the top for young). 




After visiting the Notre Dame I decided to spend my afternoon in Montmatre: this area in northern Paris, will make you fall in a dreamy french atmosphere...so sophisticated and quaint!
I took the metro from Chatelet, getting to the stop of Montmatre takes 20-30 minutes, you should get off at Pigalle (line 2 and 12).
When I was here there was a local fair of food, and I could not miss the opportunity to taste hot red wine for 2 euros and I was not disappointed! Moreover, you can find inexpensive little cafes where you can try the typical parisian pastries like the fabulous macarons...I've already told you that I'm glutton ;) Take your time to explore the narrow streets full of handicraft shops, young emerging designers and creators, vintage shops and cabinets of curiosities. Look for La Boutique des Anges, Tombées du Camion and Chinemachine, just to name a few.  
The path to walk up to the church Sacré Coeur is wonderful...don't be afraid of doing a good climb! If you are lazy there is also a funicular that will bring you up and down avoiding you any labor. Basilica is breathtaking with the unusual architecture and colorful windows. In contrast to the Gothic churches of the Middle Ages like Notre-Dame de Paris, the style is inspired by churches such as Saint Sofia in Istanbul and San Marco in Venice. It is very calming and peaceful inside, while you are amazed by the grace and beauty of the overall building. The views over Paris are simply spectacular, definitely worth a visit!
Just a niggle- I wish I could take photos inside, it 's forbidden =/

Once ended my visit to the Sacre Coeur I took the chance to stroll about the neighborhood Pigalle, which is really close to Montmatre, I reached it by foot, but if you want to go by metro from a different spot, you have to get off at Blanche or at Anvers. Pigalle is a notorious section of Paris and a tourist attraction, the area is full of cafes and restaurants offering plat du jours and happy hour specials. Nearby there is the famous Moulin Rouge, I didn't enter or had a pleasure to see the show of Can Can because of the high price...it 's about 100 euros...sadly, completely out of my budget, but I think that it's worth it. Anyway, it's very unique walking and chilling out in the same place where Van Gogh, Dali, Modigliani spent their time along with Jean Baptiste Pigalle, the sculptor after whom the area is named.The area is littered with sex shops and there are several shady characters hanging around but this just make me smile.
Along the way I found a bar named 'La Famille' at 41 Rue de Trois Freres. This has great food and outrageously good cocktails. Surprisingly cheap, but be warned, it is very small and so always crowded. It's raunchy, bawdy, and I sort of enjoyed the unsavory-ness of it. It was much different than my other visits in the city, but nonetheless, it was great for people watching. There is definitely 'something-for-everyone' here ;)

It's time to leave Pigalle for me and got closer to my apartment. I decided to spend the night in the Latin Quarter, I saw on internet before my departure to Paris that this zone is very vibrant especially during the evening hours. Music, people, entertainment and whatever one wishes to eat are all here. Located in  the area of 5 and 6 arrondissements  on the left bank of Seine, the metro stops to arrive here are Cluny-Sorbonne or Saint Michel. I may say this is a real intellectual region with so many beautiful, short streets to see, and many various locals in them to visit, as the coffee, dinner locals, then also the restaurants, bars, jazz clubs, bakeries and delis. Sitting in someone of them, you may feel yourself, at the times, as some writer or artist. Beside, you can too, be the witness of so lively students life and meet them on the streets everywhere, going in the different directions,since the Latin Quarter is the home to a number of higher education establishments. 
Very pleasant time I have had in Latin Quarter, except for the restaurant I chose to eat the famous entrecote! The restaurant named "Relais de l'entrecote": I waited for a long time in queue, outside the local and once I got in they made me sit at a table in front of the door, so every time that someone opened it, a cool air kicked my back...not very pleasant feeling...Anyway, I've ordered the main dish, entrecote served with french fries; a dessert and a red wine for a total price of 40 euros! Food was delicious but the problem was that portions were really little and when I went out I was still hungry. Not suggested!  
It was late but it was my last night in Paris and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to see the famous tower illuminated. 
What to say about Eiffel Tower? This is one of the most iconic and beautiful attractions in the world! It's a must see for travelers to Paris. The view of the city is magnificent from top , specially at night. If possible, experience the view from the top both during the day and at night to get the most of it and enjoy a memorable and unforgettable memory. Don't get mad because pictures cant be as you expect, due to many people under and around it, just go to the library 100m away over a balcony, the place named Trocadero where you can relish the view of Tour Eiffell that is absolutely amazing!
I want to go up to the top, but during the winter time the tower is open until 10.30 pm and I arrived at 10  =O After a very little queue I managed to start my climb by lift!!! See the streets from the summit of Eiffel make you understand why is it called The City of Lights...that's would be the high point of the Paris trip for anyone. And its just so amazing to see it all lit up in the night...loved it totally. 
Once I got off I wanted to reach Trocadero to see the tower sparkling: every hour at o'clock time, the lights of the Tower begin to twinkle for 5 minutesSitting in the garden, I was waiting for this moment just like child...it was the most touching moment of my trip and I could not expect best end for my day.

Sunday was my last day in this city and I had almost all the day to see the remainder. I left the key of the apartment early in the morning and I had breakfast on my way to the Eiffel Tower. My advice is to buy a good croissant in a patisserie to taste the real croissant...it will be your best one ever! =D
I wanted to have the opportunity to see the tower during the day and take other pictures. I noticed that to climb the tower there was a super long queue...good choice scaled it during the night. Note: beware of the fake charity workers who may try to get you to sign a petition near the tower, it is all a swindle and they will try to get you to hand over money. So walk away and ignore them! 
After taking thousand of pictures of the Tour (I could not stop to do it hihihi) finally I had a walk up to the Bridge Alessandro III, it was a pleasant sunny day and  even though I had been walking for hours in the latest days. I could admire the outside of the  Musée d'Orsay enjoying the atmosphere of a timeless city. I reached the bridge, a beautiful monument with nice views over the Seine and the city, on one side of the bridge is the Invalides and on the other the GrandPalais. It can only be described as awe inspiring. Straddling the Seine, this bridge had elements of the rococo style of art (in my opinion), it was elaborate and very photogenic, a very romantic site indeed. Just the time to take some pictures and I stumbled on this bridge on my way to visit another attraction:

The Musee De L'Armee is in the historic "Hotel National des Invalides" and interesting building to see inside of. There were no line ups to get in and you could actually get close to the exhibits (if you are younger than 26 years the entrance is free). To get to this attraction, just look out for the building with the golden dome. Upon entering the building, one will see and be astonished at the sight of a golden cross. The tomb of Napoleon and the Sain-Louis Chapel are also included in your entrance ticket and they are both really worth the time. The museum has a good lunch counter, with sandwiches and a couple of hot daily specials. I enjoyed the suits of armour, muskets, Napoleonic history and World War II displays. It was neat to see uniforms from not only the French army, but also, England, USA, Russia and China. 
The place is beautiful with an air of luxury about it. A delightful hour wandering around.
Be sure to go down te stairs to see the Tomb of Napoleon from below as the lit up passageway with the carved ceilings and walls is quite pretty. The army museum was fabulous, all relating to the military history of France, I'm not a huge military buff so that says a lot!
Time ran and it was time to come back to Italy...sadly! I took the last metro to Port Maillot to catch the shuttle bus to the airport (buses leave from Pershing parking 3 hours before your flight). These 2 day and half were very full, I've had a little taste of an incredible city, I could bot to see everything but i strongly recommend to visit it even for few hours because it really worth it: Paris is magical, it will leave you an indelible feeling in you mind and in you heart! So..what are you waiting for? let's travel =)

BON VOYAGE MES AMIS!!!