Our next stop in Belém is the undisputed star of the district, the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (Jeronimos Monastery). I had never seen a monastery like this before, in terms of size, architecture, and ornamentation. Built in the 16th century to commemorate Vasco da Gama's voyage (Vasco and his crew spent their last night in Portugal praying in Belém before sailing for India) and to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for its success, this grand complex is the most impressive symbol of

After leaving Verona, we passed by Padua to head to another romantic Italian city – Venice. But we only got a glimpse of it at this time. We took a ferry from Tronchetto in Venice to San Nicolo on Lido Island, an 11-kilometre-long barrier island in the Venetian Lagoon, where our hotel was located. Along the way, we caught sight of bustling Venice from the Giudecca Canal side. I thought it was a good idea to stay a bit further away from tourist-laden Venice. The Lido was only