HALCYON: Verona

"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun." Yes you know the infamous Shakespearean quote. And whether you are familiar with the notorious playwrights work, you will have no doubt have heard the tale of the star crossed lovers and their tragic heart-wrenching ending (If you haven't I suggest you Google it right away, you can't go through life dismissing literary genius). But for those who have read the story of Romeo & Juliet (or at least seen one of the many films/dramatised shows) you will know that the play is set in Italy's humble and beautiful city of Verona.
I kid you not; Verona is the most romantic place I have ever been too. More so than Paris, because of the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere that lingers in the hazey air as you stroll up and down the crooked streets, delving in and out of stone lanes beneath the flower bedded balconies. Castles, Churches, Cathedrals, an arena reminiscent of a smaller Roman coliseum, Piazza's full of restaurants and cafes, the Fiume Adige river and of course Balcone Di Giulietta, or better known as the Balcony of Juliet.

Some of my Erasmus buddy's and I decided to take the trip down on Sunday 6th April, we hopped on the train and spontaneously arrived in the city, having absolutely no idea what we were going to do and see. We headed for the city centre, and low and behold, managed to see pretty much everything Verona had to offer in a day. We walked around the market place and explored authentic churches - the Basilica Di San Zeno having the most intricately decorated interior I have ever seen, unfortunately the photographs I took do it not justice. We had all packed a picnic lunch and so climbed one of the hills, sat on top and ate with the incredible view of Verona beneath us.

Of course we visited Castello Giulietta where me and Millie added a love-heart lock onto the lock gate and managed to get a photo on the balcony! The actual courtyard was so much smaller than I imagined, it was filled with eager tourists trying to have photos with the golden statue of Juliet (it's good luck to put your palm on her right breast, I do not know why, but it was extremely amusing watching everyone coppin' a feel and giving a cheeky wink to the camera).

When we had finished exploring the rest of our group headed back to Milan so me and Millie decided to stay and have a romantic meal at one of the restaurants outside the Arena. It was an amazing day of site-seeing and ice cream eating, an incredibly underrated city of romanticism and botanical beauty. It almost takes you out of reality for a little while, the streets and shops are old and quaint, everything feels gloriously authentic, an air not many cities exude nowadays. I think I would like to retire here.