As predicted it was a long flight with a stop in Bangkok for refuelling and then via Dubai. It was 28 hours but it wasn't too bad, Emirates is good and the 380 Airbus really makes a difference! Caught the train from the airport. Great choice of hotels - I have a 3 bedroom suite in a lovely old building which was once a convent built in the 17th century. The hotel is built in the heart of antique Rome about a block from the Piazza del Popolo which is a hive of activity. Apparently it was once the square where all the executions took place.
During the afternoon I wandered around the local streets to get my bearings and I had my first gelato! I have been told that I have to have one each day so here goes! My first meal in Italy Was homemade pasta with pesto, pinenuts and a delicious tomato sauce and the obligatory Italian red!
I was up early and decided to go for a walk and look for a coffee which I found after walking across the river and then instead of going back the way I came I kept walking and reached the Vatican and then thought I knew where I needed to go to reach the hotel but after an hour of meandering I realised that I was lost - I had about €3, the hotel address and my camera! However I was every resourceful and asked a guard if he could speak English and he said "a little " so I showed him the picture of the Piazza on my camera and told him that I needed to go there - he pointed straight up the road so I wasn't too lost!- however it was still a few kilometres back! Those who know me won't be surprised as I am not known for my sense of direction!After breakfast I ventured out again - it was actually a public holiday - Labour Day and quite a few things were closed so I took the Metro on advice from the lovely staff at hotel reception and then I caught the Hop on Hop Off bus. The trip around took about 100 minutes and the commentary was really good. I did buy a larger handbag which is like a satchel and goes across my shoulders and I didn't feel safe with a bag across my shoulders - the crowds are amazing.My first stop was the Fontana di Trevi - it was amazing after seeing it in so many movies -I think that there were more people around the fountain than in Cessnock! But I was able to throw a coin in.Had some more delicious pasta for dinner -time it was filled with spinach and ricotta and more red wine sitting on the edge of the Piazza del Popolo.
It was raining when I started out to meet the tour for the Colosseum.It was a great tour group of around 20 people, quite a few Americans. I teamed up with a nice lady, Maureen from Sydney who has a daughter living in Switzerland.
Our tour guide was really good, she was Italian and has a degree in Archaeology and was actually able to show us some of the artefacts which she had dug. It certainly is an amazing structure and to think that they had the engineering knowledge in 80AD. It is a shame that they later pillaged all the valuable marble etc. for other buildings after the fall of the Roman Empire and allowed it to get into a state of disrepair. The history of the gladiator fights, the animals and crowds was all very interesting. We walked for a solid four hours up and down and around the grounds where there was once an Emperor's residence.
Maureen and I then found a Pizzeria nearby and had lunch. Then she took me to an amazing church which she had wanted to see. It is three structures in one - a 12 century Basilica plonked on a 4th century church which in turn, stands over a 2nd century pagan temple and a 1st century Roman house. Beneath it all is a subterranean river. We could not take photos but we were able to go right to the bottom. There is an underground temple to the Persian god Mathias
We then took the Metro to the Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps, by then it was quite warm after the rain and very busy. Maureen was very pleased to see all the azaleas out as they are the highlight of the steps when in bloom - there are up to 600 large pots all in a deep pink.
After Maureen left I wandered around the tiny side streets and admired all the designer label shops - the windows were magic. I then sat and had a aperitivo outside - in the late afternoon the give you snacks which include a bowl of potato chips, a bowl of olives and some warm nibbles. Another great day in Rome!
Friday was another big day! Up early and on the Metro to meet my tour group again, our Guide was great she also had a wonderful sense of humour. There was two Australians in the group - she was fem Mayfield and he was from Scone - it really is a small world!
The first part of the tour were the Vatican Museums which were full of the Pope's private collection. There was art and sculptures everywhere and of course the ceiling frescoes were amazing.
The highlight was the Sistine Chapel which is the home of the famous ceiling fresco painted by Michelangelo apparently he didn't paint it lying down as some people think but he did it standing and when he finished his eyes still faced upwards. A lot of the time he had one eye shut because of the paint drops! This is also where the Cardinals are locked in when it is time to elect a new pope. The impression I got was that the Italians are very happy with new one.
The frescoes were of course not contained to the ceilings in the buildings, every inch of the walls were also covered.
The other museum to highlight is the Raphael room which was Pope Julius11,s private apartment. There are two frescoes painted by Raphael.
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world and has its own currency etc. The. City doesn't pay taxes and relies on money from tourists and were plenty of them when I was there.
The other highlight was St Peters Basilica which is the largest church in the world. The marble walls and gold leaf are very impressive as is the main alter which only the Pope can use. It was also an experience to stand in St Peters Square. It was all very special regardless of what religion you are.
After a very full four hours I made my way back on the bus and by then it was nearly 3 o'clock and I was starving - it just as well that Italians eat at any hour as I had a wonderful bowl of pasta at a restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet, La Boca di Ripetta which is apparently a meeting place for local actors and directors. The décor was very rustic with even an early model Vesper in the middle of the room and it wasn't very big!
It was then time for a Nana nap before my next adventure.
I then ventured out and walked to the Piazza Navona which is famous for the street artists which are set up in the square all trying to sell their paintings - I was very tempted but maybe on my last visit. There are restaurants all around the perimeter of the square all vying for your custom - it was hard to choose. It was a lovely end to another great day!
Saturday was a day of no plans until the evening. After breakfast I wandered around the streets and admired the Saturday morning shoppers including the fruit and vegetables vendors.
I have conquered Rome!! I can now get around without getting too lost if you don't mind crowds it is a very easy city and I feel quite safe.
My walk took me back to the Spanish Steps as I didn't climb them the other day - there are 135 steps and it is certainly worth it for the view and the church at the top.
After lunch a rest before a fairly early dinner and then in a taxi and off to a performance of Opera and Ballet in a church. I saw a poster on a wall in the street and with the help of reception at the hotel (they have been amazing) I booked a ticket online.
It was a wonderful experience (I sat with 3 English ladies who were on a girl's long weekend- it reminded me of Heather and Alison and our weekends in Melbourne-oh to be able to go to Europe for the weekend!).
Back to the concert, there was a four piece Chamber Orchestra, a male and female ballet dancer, 2 male opera singers and one female opera singer. They played a piece from famous operas such as La Boheme, Madame Butterfly and Rigoletto and there was either opera, ballet or a combination of the two. It was well worth it! All performances were excellent and they had such a small area to perform on at the front of the church. I shared a taxi back with 2 American ladies. I have met some great fellow tourists.
This morning I have been for a walk along the river bank back to the lovely pastry shop I found on my first morning. This morning I succumbed and had a pastry (my first in Italy) with my coffee -it was delicious and so light and not fatty!
I now have to pack and go to the airport to meet my tour group and off to Northern Italy.
What have I found fascinating about Rome?
The friendly and helpful people - the local waitresses in the restaurants know me by sight and smile as I go by.
The Italians' driving - the taxi rides are an experience and standing and watching the traffic confusion and the road rage -constant horn blowing which makes no difference as they can't go anywhere!
The third thing is the street hawkers, I know that they annoy some people but I find them fascinating, it can be sunny and they will be selling hats and sun glasses and out of no where there will be a shower of rain and you turn around and they are selling umbrellas and ponchos and it nightfall will come and out come the laser lights - where do they store things?
Rome is certainly a great city and I am looking forward to returning in a few weeks!
I joined my tour group at the Rome Airport and we ventured on our way. There are19 of us in the group, a few more women than men, the ages range from 40s to 80s. They are all very friendly. We have Dave our Australian guide, Dante our Italian guide and our gorgeous bus driver, Pietro. We then boarded the bus and drove north along the autostrade to Monteca which is a fairly big town. Our hotel is a grand old building which is a 120 years old, the Hotel Grande Victoria and is very comfortable and has lovely grounds. We are here for the next 8 nights.
Dave changed the itinerary for today as the weather is supposed to be not as good later in the week so we travelled to Cinque Terre which is in the westernmost of the Lingurian Riviera.
Cinque Terre consists of five little villages which are built on hillsides and hide in picturesque inlets. There is evidence that there has been human habitats for thousands of years. During the day we visited three of the villages.
The first was Manarola, to get down to the water you walk down these lovely little narrow paths or streets. There are vineyards frowning up the sides of the hills which are stepped, they use tiny little trains to get to their vines. Tourism and fishing are the other forms of income. The big problem is that the younger generation do not want to stay and there is no one to work the land apparently you can get land for free if you agree to stay and work the land for 120 years!
It is a very civilised! Once we reach the first town in the morning we find a coffee shop and sit and relax. After coffee we wandered around and looked at the sights. All the little rowing boats are in the street and they use a crane to get them down the cliff face to the water.
We then took a train through the mountain to the next town we visited, Cornigligia. When we got off the train we caught a bus up to the top where we had lunch at a restaurant, I had crumbed sardines which were delicious. After exploring the village we caught the train to the third village we visited, Monterosso al Mare.
This village was the Riviera, there were people swimming in the sea and plenty of beach chairs and umbrella along the beach. It was lovely watching the sights from the sidewalk.
The tour is very civilised with wine being offered on the trip back. Dinner is each night in the hotel which is very jovial.
we got off the train we caught
Today we drove to a to the ancient town of Lucca which has history from the year 1000. Naturally it has some very interesting and historical architecture including fortified walls. We wandered around eating, drinking and looking! Lucca is the birthplace of Puccuni and there is a lovely statue of him in a lovely courtyard. The class of busking in the streets certainly lived up to the history.
On the way back we passed by the little town of Pinocchio which the story goes is the home of the little man with the long nose. All the shops around here have souvenirs of him.
The evening was spent in the bar of the hotel swapping stories.
Today we travelled to southern Tuscany to San Gimignano a hilltop medieval town. Again there were narrow streets with lovely little full of all sorts of things to buy. Ceramics and art were everywhere. Great coffee and little morsels for morning tea. I couldn't resist a few a few little things!
The views were amazing miles and miles of beautiful fields and vineyards scattered with terracotta coloured roofs.
Lunch was a lovely picnic provided by Dente our Italian guide -crispy rolls with cheese, meats, tomatoes and pesto followed by the sweetest of strawberries and washed down with vino.
It was then back to the hotel for a little sleep before we ventured out after dinner at 9pm to a Puccini concert. The concert featured a pianist and two singers who sang exerts from Madame Butterfly, La Boheme and Tosca. At half time we drank champagne in the garden by candle night -a wonderful end to a wonderful day!
Today we travelled South in Tuscany to a seaside fishing village which is near Cinque Terre. Some of our group said it was the nicest place that we have been. For me everyday is better than the one before!
The weather was sunny and the water was a deep aqua and as clear as clear. My friend Julia had to have a swim in the Mediterranean but I was content to get my feet wet.
We wandered around past the little shops and up the hill to the old church where the view was magnificent overlooking the rocks and the water. There was a lovely bronze statue of a old lady and the legend goes is that she is waiting for the lost fishermen to return. She has very large boobs and you are supposed to rub her boob for luck hence it is very shiny.
We eat ate lobster, prawns and fish at a lovely seafood restaurant on the water front for lunch.
On the way back we called into a little village, Sarzana which was once walled and had the remains of an old castle where they now hold music festivals.
Today we all set off on the train to Florence which is about an hour away. It was a whistle stop tour looking at the sights but not visiting any museums or galleries -that is tomorrow!
Our first stop was the markets - wonderful leather. The 3 girls bought 7 handbags and 2 wallets between us!
The food markets were amazing - my favourite sight was a large wooden wheelbarrow full of hundreds of dried tomatoes.
Lunch was delicious in a little street café but the highlight was the magnificent buildings, statues in the squares and the bridges across the river (which was very dirty). It was just like I had imagined. Lots of other tourists though.
In the afternoon four of our group left us for Venice for the weekend and one went to Rome as the weekend is free.
Today Julia and I were up early and caught the train back to Florence, the plan was to get the Gallery of The Accademia early so we could buy tickets to see Michelangelo's David which we managed to do, for the one o'clock session. So then it was back to the piazza Del Duomo where the main cathedral is for brunch.
The museum was wonderful and David was awesome to think over 500 years ago some one could carve a figure of that magnitude and with that detail. When you walk into the room he is breathtaking with the light steaming down from the dome under which he stands. The other statues were also worth seeing. The other room I really enjoyed was the musical instruments, there were violins and cellos doing back to the Fifteenth Century.
We then were able to walk straight into the Santa Maria Cathedral Del Fore -in the morning the queues were very long. The interior was great but I must say the exterior is magnificent.
After that we found a lovely sidewalk café where we had afternoon and listened to a live band in the piazza as there was a blues music festival.
So after a long ten hour days with lots of walking we arrived back in Montecatini.
Today is Mothers Day in Italy as well as at home. It was also the last chance to look around the local area where we have been staying for the last eight days. I went for my early morning walk through the lovely park which is next to the hotel and after breakfast we walked to the Vernacular which took us up to Montecatini Alto.
The Vernacular is around 115 years old and holds about 40 people. The whole interior including the seats and roof is made of beautiful timber. It was quite a grade to the top and when we arrived we were at a beautiful old village nestled high in the hills with wonderful buildings, amazing views and gorgeous little restaurants.
After morning tea we explored the village and ventured into the old church where they were having Sunday mass. Saint Barbara is the Patron Saint of Montecatini.
Next it was down the hill again to a lovely Italian restaurant in the park where we had a great Italian lunch washed down with a Italian red.
It was a truly lovely day!
Today we travelled north for 450 kilometres through 198 tunnels to Strasa a picturesque town on Lego Maguire arriving there early afternoon and where we will be staying for the next 6 nights.
I have a wonderful room on the end of the third floor with amazing views over the lake towards the small islands in the middle from both the bedroom, bathroom as well as the balcony. The walk around the edge of the lake from the hotel is just beautiful with manicured gardens and grand old hotels and private houses with some of them being well over 150 years old.
The is a lovely little piazza in the middle of town with little shops and restaurants all around serving coffee and alcohol which we tried before strolling back for pre dinner drinks on the balcony before dinner. It is a wonderful life!
Today after a long morning walk before breakfast we all walked down to the ferry terminal to catch our private ferry which would take us to the three little islands which I can see from my window.
The islands are actually reefs which have been transformed and owned by the Borromeo family since the 15th century.
The first one we visited was Isole Madre which has the most beautiful English style botanical garden full of azaleas, rhododendrons and other flowers all in bloom. There was a lot of restoration still underway as there was a cyclone in 2006 which did alot of damage. The is also a fortress which contains wonderful paintings and old doll and toy museum. There are peasants and peacocks roaming around the grounds.
The second island we visited was Isole Pescature which is a little fishing village where we wandered around and bought some lunch at a little deli.
Lastly we visited Isole Bella which contains a lovely old palace which is surrounded by Italian gardens. The terraces, pots and statues were beautiful as was the interior of the place.
We were lucky to be able to visit the islands in Spring!
Before dinner we all went up to the roof to admire the view and partake in pre dinner drinks.
Today we ventured over the boarder to Switzerland although Italians will tell you that it is Italian Switzerland because of their influence. It was also our first day of rain although it didn't worry us.
The first town that we visited was Lugano where we wandered around and had morning tea. It is a lovely town with great shops and is situated by the lake.
We then went on to Ascona which is a much older town with little narrow streets. Some of the roads to get there were quite narrow and we were very close to the edge as we climbed higher but we have an excellent bus driver. Ascona is also on the water both towns had lovely mountains behind them although by the afternoon there was a lot of mist and rain and it was also colder than it has been.
Today the weather was the worst that we have had as it rained all day and was quite cold. Some of our group decided to stay at the hotel while the other 10 of us set out for a day in Milan. Milan of course is a the fashion capital and is a large sprawling city with trams and lots of shops and people.The way people park their cars is amazing! They park on the footpath and anywhere else that they can get a park and are so squashed in I don't know how they get out!
Our first stop was the palace followed by the cathedral however we spent most of our day in the Galleria which is the most amazing shopping centre with a glass roof and a large dome in the centre - all the labels were there and the windows were gorgeous and there were many restaurants with the prices to match the shops. The young ones bought more than one pair of shoes however I bought a gorgeous little pair for Hannah.
Then it was back to the hotel for a hot shower and a couple of drinks to warm up.
The weather forecast was still not good for today so our free day was moved forward to today. After a bit of a sleep in we ventured down the town to the shopping area and walked around the markets there were pockets of sunshine which improved as the day went on.
Stresa only has a population of around 5500 but has a large constant tourist population and the facilities in the town are 5 star as it has been a popular tourist destination since the 18th century for artists and writers. The lake is around 200 metres above sea level and the area is covered with heavy snow in the winter, especially the mountains behind the town. The gardens in the town are beautiful roses and azaleas everywhere and when you are out walking early in the morning you see the workers maintaining them.
The old streets are narrow and cobbled with lovely shops full of quality merchandise.
We had one of the nicest Italian meals in a cosy restaurant with a lovey wine over a long lunch.
We then wandered up to the most beautiful hotel in the area which is 150 years old, Grand Hotel des Iles Borrowed. Hemingway stayed there in 1918 as part of his convalescence from a war injury at it was the setting for a couple of chapters for his novel "A Farewell to Arms". We sat in the lounge and drank bottle of Monet which brought to us by a waiter on a trolley with silver service.
It was a another delightful day in Italy!!
Today the weather was overcast and quite cold and I wore my new coat. We drove around the local other side of the mountains to Lake D'Orta which is about 40 minutes away. The lake is about 350 metres above sea level.
We then caught a little road train down the hill to the medieval lake side town of San Guillio.
We walked up the set hillside to Sacro Monte (holy mountain) where there are 21 separate chapels built between 1590 and 1785 and which contain beautiful frescoes and statutes dedicated to the life of Saint Francis one of the two patron saints of Italy. The views across to the little island were spectacular.
We then took the ferry across to the Island of Saint Giulio which is 270 metres long and 140 metres wide. One of the features on the island is the lovely old Benedictine Abbey built in the 15th century. It is also known as the Island of Silence and there are signs all along the pathway with quaint sayings - especially the English translations! "In the silence you accept and understand". People also live on the island and there are some lovely old buildings.
It was then back to the mainland for another long lunch. This was followed by the trip back to the hotel, a rest and then some champagne before our last dinner in Stresa. It was still raining and quite cold outside.
Today we travelled to southern Tuscany to a hilltop village called Pienza which is a medieval village which was once walled. It is a very popular destination in peak tourist time. We are staying in a lovely boutique family owned hotel for the last five nights of this incredible trip. In the 1930s the hotel was a theatre house.
After a light lunch we did some exploring through the lovely narrow streets. Today is the last day of the annual flower show and the garden out side the church in the village square was array of colourful flowers as were the pots and hanging baskets around the streets. As well as the usual ceramic and gift shops there are wonderful cheese and deli shops as well as little galleries. The views from the edge of the town looking across the valleys are something from a picture book.
Dinner was a beautiful four course meal in a lovely dining room accompanied by a sparking red. I do like Italian wines!
It was certainly lovely to be back in the sunshine although it was a little cool this afternoon wandering around the village as we are so high up. Some parts of Italy are flooding and where we came from in Stresa they have the most rain for this time of year in 200 years.
Today we drove through the beautiful Tuscany region to Siena which is about an hour away. Siena was established in the 1st Century BC when it was settled by the Romans as a military town.
There has always been rivalry between Siena and Florence over wealth, history and architecture although Siena's architecture is mainly gothic whilst Florence flourished in the Renaissance era although Siena it was severely hit by the plague in the 13th century which killed about two thirds of its inhabitants. It was also the a place where artists went to school and it is known for its artwork today.
I find it hard to compare the two cities although they both have amazing cathedrals, Siena is not built on a river and the narrow streets are steeper and it has a different feel about it. It seems more casual and even though there were many tourists around it did not appear as busy. It is listed on the World Heritage list as a medieval city and of course was once a walled city. It was taken over by the French virtually unopposed in World War 11.
The cathedral was built in the 13th century and they are currently doing extensions which have been planned for centuries. It is very spectacular from the outside.
The hub of the city is a large Piazza called the Piazza del Campo and it is the largest Piazza in Italy. The four sides of the square are surrounded by restaurants with seating facing into the square and these are intermingled with souvenir shops. It also the place where a famous horse race the Palo di Siena is held twice a year in June and August, ten riders representing 10 of the 17 city wards compete with many thousands of spectators filling the square.
The weather was a bit iffy again today -it started out sunny and then we had a storm at lunch time and the temperature dropped.
Tuscany is certainly beautiful- it is the colours, the terracotta coloured buildings, the green grass sprinkled with vineyards or olive groves plus the wild red poppies and the dark green pencil pines are a delight.
Today we travelled south west into Umbria to visit the hilltop town of Orvieto which is built on a plateau of volcanic rock called tuff. The town is surrounded is by walls of stone which have been built on top of the cliffs. To reach the town we caught a funicular and then a little bus. The town is famous for being under the papal reign until 1860 and was host to one of the papal palaces. The building of the Roman gothic cathedral or Duomo Di Orvieto commenced in 1290 and the town was recently visited by the Pope to celebrate the 750 years anniversary. The cathedral is quite beautiful on both the interior and the exterior.
The exterior has both marble carving and statues and is decorated with gold leaf decorations as well as frescoes.
The interior contains some wonderful frescoes and a lot of marble and beautiful carved dark wooden seating at the sides of the main alter.
I also spent time in the archaeological museum which had some interesting stone carvings and artefacts. Some of the group visited the underground caves.
The town consisted of stone buildings in little streets running off the piazza which were decorated with large pots and hanging urns full of flowers and were either shops or restaurants as well as private residences.
There were some interesting shops but the best one was a shop called Il Mago Di Oz, it like an enchanted cave and the owner was an elderly character who prevented you from taking photos. On the walls there were photographs of many famous celebrities who have visited.
The weather followed the pattern of the last couple of days and began raining at lunch time and again was quite cold so we were required to shelter in a little bar!
On the way back we stopped at a winery just outside Pienza for a little wine tasting. The winery is situated in a old castle on quite a large estate and the owners produce other products such as olive oil and spelt. We tried a white wine and a range of reds and were treated to some lovely bread soaked in olive oil and some tasty cheese. All the wines are fermented in oak.
Today we visited two quite different towns in Tuscany. The first was the hillside town of Cortona which is 600 metres above sea level. There was a mixture of architecture with a medieval section down some narrow streets where there some lovely little houses with great timber bearings. Cortona's more recent claim to fame is that it is the setting for the book by Frances Mayes - Under the Tuscan Sun. The views from the top looking over the valley were beautiful.
We visited a lovely old theatre which is still used today and I spent some time in the museum which was very modern and informative. It was lovely to have the sunshine on my back!
On the walk back we visited the hilltop town of Montepulciano which is in the heart of the Tuscany wine region. Again the views from the walls were wonderful. I really liked Montepulciano it had a nice feel about it. It is a artisan's town and there were some interesting galleries as well as cheese shops and wine bars.
We had afternoon tea in a famous Art Nouveau design elegant café which was full of pastries and chocolates and had great views from the balcony. The café was first built in 1868 and was restored in 1992 and has been compared to famous cafés in Vienna or Prague.
I shared a nice bottle of red from the region for dinner back at the hotel. We also had a Tiramisu making demonstration by our Italian Guide, Dante which will be our dessert tomorrow night.
Today was raining when I awoke so I decided to have a quiet day around Pienza rather then go with the group as one of the things on the itinerary was a visit to a leather outlet. Carol also stayed so after a quiet morning we walked over to the town centre and after a walk around the town window shopping and a coffee we decided to have lunch at a restaurant which I had been keen to try.
We wanted to sit in the garden as it overlooked the valley but the waiter wasn't keen due to the risk of more rain. The décor inside was lovely though, with beautifully set tables and lovely views through the glass doors. It was full silver service and the food was to die for. We met a young Australian couple who came from Florence to try the restaurant as it had been recommended.
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It was then on to the last night party which started in the bar at 6pm prior to dinner. There were a few little impromptu speeches as everyone expressed what an amazing trip it has been and what a wonderful group of people we had to share it with!
I know that I have made new friends and will have wonderful memories!!
After a final early morning walk in Pienza, the packing completed and a box of goodies sent home from the post office it was a relaxing morning and a nice lunch before boarding the bus for the trip back to Rome. The weather was still unpredictable sunshine, a thunderstorm and then a cold wind.
Spring so far has brought the most rain and temperatures about 8 to 10 degrees below average for many years. I am hopeful that it improves for the last week!
Once back at Rome airport there were goodbyes and then six of us shared a taxi into the city.
On arrival in the city I was met with a 24 hour public transport strike which didn't affect m. When I reached the Pizza de Paolo which is nearby my hotel there was a political demonstration. The mayoral elections are being held this weekend and there is much union unrest due to the austerity measures and high level of unemployment especially amongst young people. There has also been a reduction in services and the further delay in the completion of the third Metro line because of the discovery of ancient ruins is not helping.
After checking into the hotel where it was like meeting old friends I walked to the Pizza and sat and watched the demonstration whilst having dinner. The demonstration was noisy but peaceful and there were certainly many police and ambulance officers in place as well as TV cameras and the press.
Today was a free day before I leave for Venice. After an early morning walk and breakfast I set out for the Pantheon which is about a 20 minute walk from the hotel.
The Pantheon is a 2000 year old temple, now church and is best known for its architectural feats. Especially the huge oculus - the hole in the centre of the dome which
allows both light and rain in. The sun was out and even though it was fairly early in the morning the light streaming in was a wonderful sight. It also houses the tombs of Raphael the famous Italian artist as well as a couple of King's and Queens. Mass is still celebrated twice a week.
I didn't do much else except relax and finish my book and venture out for a walk and to eat.. I sat next to a lovely English couple for dinner who were over in Italy for the wedding of one of their children. All in all a nice day! Weather much the same, sunny then raining in the middle of the day and fine in the evening!
After a 3 hour fast train trip from Rome I arrived in Venice about 1.30pm. I had been warned but the view that hits you in the face as you walk out of the station is amazing - there is Venice but there was also lots of people with lots of luggage and all looking confused. I would advise anyone coming to Venice not to come much later than May because of the crowds!
My choice of hotels is great, because it is three minutes now an alley from the station and thus near a water bus or ferry (vaporetto) station so I didn't need to take my luggage far. The hotel is an old Monastery, quaint and very clean with a lovely garden. It is in the Cannaregio Area. Venice is divided into 6 districts and each one has its own character and history it is said that some of the older Venetians don't like leaving the area where they live even although the only separation may be a small pedestrian bridge.
After unpacking and finding some lunch I wandered around the local area taking in the sights.
After dinner in a little café by the Grand Canal - you can smell it at times (a bit like dirty socks!) I bought a transport and museum pass and took my first ride along the canal getting off at Basilica and walked along the water and over some bridges down some side streets taking in the views. I saw lots of large cruise ships coming and going - no wonder there are lots of people about although when I returned about 9pm the crowds had gone. The weather today was perfect sunny all day and cooler at night. Tomorrow I will really go sight seeing!
The day started with an early morning walk through the streets and over little bridges-you certainly notice the difference without the crowds! After breakfast I visited the church adjacent to my hotel, the church of Saint Mary of Nazareth,it has a beautiful white marble façade. It was built between 1600 and 1700 and was damaged during the bombing on 1915 and was later restored in 1937. It was one of the nicest Italian churches that I have seen.
I then caught the vaporetto across to San Marco where I spent a couple of hours in the Palace of the Doge's which was first built in the 9th Century but was then added on to by many Doge's during their time in power. It is built on the edge of the canal and into the Pizza San Marco and is adjacent to the Basilica. It is full of wonderful art and frescoes and has great views from the windows. There was also a prison in the dungeon.
At lunchtime I spent a very pleasant couple of hours sitting in the Piazza at the Café Lavena which has been there since the 18th Century and has a small live orchestra and I had the most expensive toasted sandwich and bowl of ice cream that I will ever have and it was worth every Euro!
It was then around to the Rialto Bridge which was rebuilt of stone in 1591, replacing the wooden one. I fought the crowds to the top so that I could look at the view. I did go back later in the evening and have a drink outside at a canal side bar.
I also visited the Ca' Rezzonico museum which was once a stately home built in the 18th Century it was the last home of the poet, Robert Browning. It is now a museum depicting life in Venice in the 17th Century and it houses paintings, period furniture, tapestries and wonderful coloured Murano glass chandeliers. One of them is the oldest one still intact.
I had very early start this morning as I had booked a walking tour of Venice which included the Basilica di San Marco. The tour guide was very good as he pointed out all the important architecture and showed us how to recognise buildings from different eras such as gothic or baroque.
Venice is made up of 118 islands joined by many little bridges across narrow side canals and four main bridges crossing the Grand Canal. Its population is shrinking dramatically with only 59,000 residents and around 300,000 people coming here to work everyday from the mainland where it is cheaper to live. Main source of employment is tourism.
Over the centuries there were many rich merchants and families living in Venice who tried to out do each other by building grand houses or palaces along the Grand Canal. Most of the buildings are now either hotels, museums or government buildings with very few private residences. Venice floods on average 60 times a year from rain, tides or even winds which can raise the level of water in the canals. The difference in height between the tides each day is around a metre. Buildings are constantly being repaired.
The Basilica di San Marco was originally built as a private church for the use of the Doge. It has been extended a couple of times. The Baroque façade has some beautiful mosaic pictures which have been painted with gold leaf. All except one has been restored. The interior is also full of mosaics on the walls and the ceilings which tell stories from both the old and new testament of the bible. The floor is made of marble mosaic.
We climbed to the tower which has wonderful views from the outside and which also houses many treasures including four life size bronze horses which are the oldest and most valuable treasures in Venice. They were placed in San Marco in 1250 but were taken by Napoléon to Paris in 1798 but were later returned in 1815. There was also a chariot but it has been lost.
At the conclusion of the tour I took the water bus over to The Lido which a separate island and is the beach resort. I had a beautiful sea bass for lunch which was filleted by the waiter at the table. It was a bit rough coming back as the weather had turned quite windy and cold.
In the late afternoon I did a Grand Canal Tour, there was only 3 of us in the group and the guide took us in a water taxi, again she was very good and told us a lot of facts and history. We were able to go down canals with low bridges because of the low tide although you had to duck at times!
Today I took a trip to three of the outer islands which you can only reach by boat.
The first was Murano which is where the glass blowing factories are. The glass blowing factories were relocated to Murano in the 12th Century from Venice because of the risk of fire. The factory which we visited has been in the one family since then, it was interesting but commercial although I did buy a couple of pieces. The tour didn't give you enough time to explore the rest of the island.
We then visited Burano which is a fishing village and the where the Venetian lace is made. The were some beautiful pieces especially baby christening outfits. The village itself is quaint as all the houses and restaurants are brightly painted with lovely flower boxes. The church steeple has quite a lean. The cafés have lovely little titbits on the counters like tapas which you buy and eat in your hands - they were delicious.
The last island which we visited was Torcello which is pretty place with lovely gardens and nightingales singing (a fellow tourist pointed it out). Torcello has a long important history and wast the Bishop's seat in the 7th century and was also a lively trading post but Malaria later wiped out the population and there is less than 100 people living there today. The government is spending a lot of money rebuilding the sides of the canal to reduce flooding. It was a lovely place to sit and have a coffee.
It was then back to the mainland, the weather was perfect and the open lagoon was a beautiful blue. Before heading back to the hotel I visited the Bridge of Sighs I had been inside the other day when I went across to the prisons from the palace. It is quite famous and has been cited by writers in poetry and novels and is named because as the prisoners crossed the bridge it was often the last time that they saw the outside world. It is completely covered in except for small holes in the pattern of the stone work from which you can see out.
A heavy storm came over the city whilst I was having dinner but then the sun came out and it was a perfect evening!
The last full day in Venice I spent visiting wandering around visiting a couple of churches and museums.
I first went to the San Toma District and visited a beautiful church, the church of San Rocco and old Sculaola (school), The Sculola Grande di San Rocco which had some wonderful artwork and frescoes all over the ceiling, was first built in 1517. The schools built in that era were certainly grand buildings and were private concerns built for rich merchants or the Doge.
I then visited a small museum which told the history of Paper Mache which has been used in Venice for centuries especially in the making of masks and marionette puppets. There was a room full of puppets complete with a little stage with scenery. The museum itself was a lovely old house with period furniture and furnishings.
I also visited the Leonardo De Vinci Museum which was wooden models of some of his inventions, some you could play with. The Italians call him a genius and you would have to agree!
I then walked to the church of Santa Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari which was first built in 1250 and was later enlarged and modified in 1338. It is Franciscan and is fairly plain on the outside except for the 3 spires on the top but it is the paintings inside which everyone comes to see, it is the second most visited church in Venice after the Basilica.
It was certainly lovely inside with 2 side chapels. My favourite painting was the Assumption alter piece which was painted by Titan whose tomb is actually in the church, he died of the plague in 1576.
After lunch I moved on to the Gallerie dell'Accademia which was created as a gallery in 1750 and contains paintings from the 14th to the 18th Century. The was some wonderful works and I do like Gianni Bellini, some of the works were so big and it gave you the history of Venice in picture form. The are certainly a lot of paintings of Madonna in Italy!
When I came out of the gallery it was raining so I sheltered in a bar under the wooden Accademia Bridge.
I finished the day with a ride in a Gondola and I was lucky that it had stopped raining. I shared the Gondola with a young American couple, there were five Gondolas in our group and we were serenaded by a piano accordion player and an elderly Italian male singer. It was fun and you certainly went down narrow canals.
Venice is everything that I imagined!!
Today I leave Venice and take the train back to Rome before flying home tomorrow afternoon, Italian time.
I went for my last early morning walk and said my goodbyes to Venice. I have really enjoyed my time here and I found it really easy to get around and I certainly mastered the waterways!
The Venetians are very healthy and live into their nineties, they don't appear to smoke as much as their fellow Italians. The get their exercise from walking, there are no elevators and plenty of stairs everywhere and of course no cars or bikes.
The fast train trip back to Rome was fine and I was greet back at my Rome hotel like an old friend and have been given a suite on the top floor.
I took a walk down familiar streets and sat and had a aperitivo - I am hooked on Italian Spitz which is made with an orange flavoured Italian Liqueur, sparking wine and soda -very popular over here especially in Rome. When you have a drink in Italy you are always given nibbles, no good for the waistline!
I ended the day with a nice meal at the hotel.
I went for my final walk in Rome over a familiar route and stopped at my Bakery and had my final coffee and pastry. I have found the price of coffee interesting over here, I have paid up to €7 yet today it was €2 for a cappuccino and a pastry. It is also costs more if you sit at a table rather than stand at the counter. Take away is not usually available.
I just arrived back before the rain! Intend to relax in my room for the rest of the morning.
After final packing it will be off to the airport for a mid afternoon flight to Dubai where I have a night at the International Airport Hotel before flying home, arriving on Monday 3rd June.
To all my family and friends who read my Blog and left messages you have added to my amazing holiday. I certainly intend returning to Italy for a longer time in 2015!
I would also like to acknowledge Ma who left me a legacy which I put towards this trip and I know that this is what she would have wanted as she also loved to travel!!
I will be editing this Blog by adding more facts and photos before I close it and purchase the DVD as a permanent memento. The program also has a mind of its own and predicts and changes words that I haven't always noticed until I reread it and for this I apologize.
After a very early start from home (2.30am!) I had a good flight and I arrived in New Zealand around 2pm.
The chip in your passport means you can go through customs in the self serve line in around five minutes. It was then it was off to pick up the hire car and into the city. This was an interesting experience as the the GPS wanted to send you one way but because of the earthquake building program some roads were either closed to cars or only had one lane open but I did finally arrive at my favourite B&B. Apparently it was damaged in the earthquake and was closed for about a year. The building next door has been flattened and there is no tram out the front anymore!
After an early morning walk in the Christchurch Botanical Gardens it was off for a 300 kls drive to Oamaru where Mum was born. Oamaru has a port and is famous for its white stone which is still mind and sold for builing material and sculptures.. The beautiful old buildings are made of the stone and are magnificant! The other main industry is penquin watching.
It was lovely to see my Cousin Amuri and her husband!
I drove another 300 or so kilometres today to Invercargill to stay with my Aunt and Uncle. Enjoyed the drive along the coastline with a few stops on the way. It rained from Milton onwards. A nice quiet night catching up!
I had a lovely relaxing day! The morning was spent chatting by the fire although it was not as cold as I thought it woul be. We went for lunch at a lovely little cafe in Windsor and I had the local fish blue eye cod which was delicious. We then shared some lovely winter puddings.
After a drive around town it was back home to the lovely garden. Bruce is painting quite seriously now and I met his Art Teacher. I have 3 beautiful paintings to bring home.
After some sad goodbyes and promises to come back I left in my little black car and drove 565 kilometres back to Christchurch. It rained part of the way and though it is a pretty drive it was very long! In fact I probably wouldn't do it in one leg again.
I arrived at Peter and Kathryn's about 7pm and we had a relaxing dinner catching up.
A lovely early morning walk around the Westmorland hills overlooking the city started my day. It was not cold. There are houses in the nearby streets still waiting or currently being repaired post quake.
Peter had arranged a get together with my cousins over a lovely finger food lunch. We spent the afternoon chating and catching up so much so that we didn't notice the 3.9 quake around 2pm!
I had a lovely relaxing day. A walk around the block before breakfast and then out to lunch.
We drove to lunch via Lyttelon which is a working port. There has been quite a lot of quake damage.
We had lunch at a new centre called the Tannery in Woolston. The centre has been developed by a businessman and it has a row of little wooden shops with an arcade in the centre which has a dome shaped glass roof. It is full of up market shops and eateries.
On the way back we went for coffee in the seaside subsurb, Sumner which was quite busy.
The quake damage was obvious, a lot of houses were on the side of a cliff and have to be demolished. There is a row of containers filled with concrete blocks along the road edge to act as a buffer if there is anymore rock falls. The school which is half built under the edge of the cliff face has been closed.
It was then back to the city centre and a visit to the cardboard cathedral. It is great feat, it has a lovely feel about it and the acoustics are really good. The Organist was preparing for the evening service. We then drove around the streets lookng looking at the city as it is today.
After a early morning walk it was off to meet my cousins in town for a coffee at Ballantynes (NZ David Jones!). After coffee Lesley (cousin) and I wandered around the city.
First we visited the Container shops. The containers were set up after the quake so that the business could open up again. The area is really cool! The opinion is divided around whether they should be a permanent fixture. I think that they should!
We then went over to New Regent Street which is a mall of small wooden shops of spanish architecture which was first opened of 1932. It was reopened in April last year.
You can't come to Christchurch without having a tram ride although it doesn't go very far at the moment.
The day was completed by a lovely evening meal of NZ salmon and home grown baked potatoes which was washed down by a NZ reisling. Life is good!
After a pretty drive over the hills and a stop for morning tea at Little River I arrived at Akaroa around lunchtime. The weather has been bleak and rather cold - glad I brought my NZ fleece!
My accommodation is a cute little cottage high on the hill over looking the harbour. It is a bit too far to walk to the village but the views and the grounds make up for that.
It was then down to the village for an explore and lunch. Lunch was seafood chowder which was perfect for today's weather!
Akaroa is a french inspired villige which was first settled by the French in 1840 and the narrow streets still bear their french heritage with many original wooden cottages. There are plenty of Art and Craft shops as well as boutiques and cafes although some are already closed for winter or are only opening at weekends.
By 5pm the rain had set in but I am hopeful it will clear by tomorrow!
When I woke the weather wasn't good but it improved as the day went on. After a leisurely breakfast I did some more sightseeing in the village and after lunch I sent on a Dolphin Cruise. By then the rain had stopped but it was still overcast and cold but the water was calm.
The boat set out through the heads (and I wasn't sick!) and slowed down in the waters where the dolphins hang out and before long we had a mother and her calf along side the vessel. The NZ Hector dolphin is quite small compared to dolphins in Australia. We then moved on and found another pod of about five which frolicked around the boat however they were really hard to photograph as they were so fast.
On the way back we pulled in close to the rocks and saw a colony of small fur seals which were lying and playing on the rocks.
We also saw cormorants along the rocks.
The rock formation was also very interesting as the land formation is the result of 3 volcanic eruptions.
The sun was out by the time we made her way back.
Each evening in Akaroa I have been treated to great meals (and wines) at restaurants recommended to me. The seafood and local produce is wonderful!
Currently sitting at the terminal gate waitng to board. It has been a wonderful 10 days! It was great catching up with my relatives! Thank you for everying and I wiil keep in touch and I will be back soon! xx
When you are young you go off backpacking by yourself and when you are an oldie you go off hotel hopping! (not that I am old!)
I left Sydney, yesterday bound for Eastern Europe and I am currently sitting in Heathrow Airport waiting for my connecting flight to Vienna where my adventure will begin. It is 26 hours since I left home, the flight wasn't too bad although I feel like I have just come off night duty!
I arrived in Vienna about 3.30pm and caught a taxi to my hotel which is situated in the University section of the city just outside the inner circle. It is situated on a main street which is full of cafes, supermarkets and boutique shops. It is also on a tram line. I have noticed how many beautiful florist shops there are - their footpath displays are beautiful!
I kept myself awake until 7pm by going for a long walk except when stopping at the bar for a campari which was a favourite drink of mine when I was in Italy!
After a good night's sleep today was a quiet day spent getting to know Vienna. The weather has been ordinary - wet and about 14 degrees.
I caught the tram into the city circle and walked over to Parlament House and through the park down to St Stephen's Cathederal.
The weather dictated that I spend quite a hit of my time in cafes, sampling the local coffee and food.
For dinner I tried a local bar and restaurant which has a great reputation, Fromme Helene, I had to wait for a table. I have now had a local Viennese specialty - Weiner Schnitzel served with potato salad - it was so good! During the meal I made friends with a German couple who were here on holidays and we ended up joining tables. He is a retired Radiologist and gave me a lot of history around Austria and Germany.
Today I flew down to Split which is the second largest city in Croatia and is on the edge of the Adriatic sea wih a backdrop of mountains behind. It is a very busy port where people board cruise ships and where people catch ferries to the islands off the mainland.
It is a mixture of old and new but today I hung around the port and I will explore the old city when I am back in a week.
The hotel is really a guest house which is small and comfortable.
The area around the port was too busy and touristy for me with cheap market stalls everywhere and lots of people. Athough there was pleny of impressive boats moared along the edge as well as cruise ships further to sea out as tomorrow, Saturday is the big day for starting a cruise.
I have also met some fellow Australians which is a story or two in itself!
I had some great fish and chips for dinner at the hotel restaurant sitting on the terrace watching the storm come in.
Tomorrow I catch the ferry to Vis Island.
This morning I rose early and walked to the beach in Split which is a secluded bay with cafe bars along the edge and rows of white plastic deck chairs on not so white sand which they were just putting out.
Later that morning I caught the car ferry to Vis Island where I am staying for the next four nights. Vis is the furthest main central Dalmatian Island and it took over two hours to get here.
Vis spent much of its recent history serving as a military base for the then Yugoslav National Army and was only open to tourists in 1989.
It is known for its authenticity, nature, food, wine growing and its peace and quiet! It becomes busy twice a day when the ferry arrives! The island is divided between two small towns, Vis Town and Komiza which is a working class fishing village. A bus runs between the two. The young tourists prefer Komiza because of the diving.
Vis Town is situated on a horseshoe shaped bay which has a promenade right around it which is about 4 Klms - a nice walk. You can also hire bilkes and vespers.
My apartment is up on the hill overlooking the main part of the bay, Luka and is about 5 minutes walk down many narrow streets and stairs but it is a lot further by car. It is good for carrying groceries up!
I had prawns for lunch, they were small though, not like aussie prawns! The local white wine is good!
The cost of things in Croatia is still quite reasonable and you get about 5 Kunas to the A$. A cup of coffee works out at about $2 Aussie.
The weather was beautiful today, around 20 degrees - tee shirt weather but I don't know about swimming!
Today was a day of dining and walking! I walked aound to Kut, the south eastern part of Vis where I found a lovely little restaurant for lunch. I had cuttlefish infused risotto (black) which was great and to finish I had a traditional dessert called rozata which is like a creme caramel only served like a slice of pie. I spent some time over lunch talking to some Canadians who were there with a man who owns a holiday house nearby. He was saying that last week they had about 6 inches of rain which has ruined about 70% of this years grapes as it now harvest time. It has also affected the supply of vegetables and seafood.
There is certainly a different atmoshere on the island between day and evening. During the day you can stroll around and hardly see a soul and there are plenty of tables at all the restaurants but this evening it was so different!
All the yachts had berthed - there must have been over a hundred lined up. All the young crews and the not so young,well heeled passengers were everywhere and a lot of the little shops which were closed this afternoon were all open and there were little stalls set up in front of the yachts selling everything from cheeses and local olive oil to hot pancakes.
At some restaurants you could not get a table. I found a lovely little one that specializes in fresh local produce and had some amazing squid in a olive sauce with a tomato salad. The tomatoes over here are so good - as they were in Italy.
Tomorrow I am going to venture into the water - I had my toes in today and the water is warm.
Today I did go to the beach as planned. The water was a bit cold but I can say that I have swum in the Adriatic Sea! The pebbles are so big on the foreshore and on the bottom of the ocean that you need shoes - so I now have a pair of $10 swim shoes! I am getting a little bit of a tan - temperature is about 23 degrees.
I also hired a bike and rode up to the old St George fort which was a bit hilly in parts but good and the views were amazing! The fort itself was closed as it is now a restaurant/venue for weddings etc.
As I said before Vis is an interesting place in that it is so peaceful during the day and it comes to life at night when all the cruise sailing boats tie up. There was so many last night that there were not enough berths! A lot of the little galleries only open from 6pm to 11pm.
In the afternoon I had pre-arranged to catch up with a friend and his wife whom I met through the Art Gallery at home. They are on a 7 day cruise around the islands.
An American couple whom they have become friends with,also joined us for dinner - we had a great night!
Early in the morning I visited the Archaeological Museum which is housed in Our Lady's Battalion which is a stone fortress with a moat which was built by the Austrians in 1830. It played an important part in the Battle of Vis in 1866 when Vis was invaded by the Italians.
The fortress houses some lovely old greek artifacts from the 4th Century BC.
I then caught the bus to the southern part of the island to a fishing village called Komiza, it is only about 14 klms away but the road is steep and windy over the mountains!
Komiza is at the foot of Hum mountain, and is a favourite spot for Croats to visit as they like the Bohemian lifestyle although with the invasion of the tourists there are some more up market restaurants and accommodation now.
You can meander from the port through the narrow streets which are lined with 17th and 18th century stone houses to the pepple beach at the eastern end. Prawns again for lunch.
My last meal in Vis Town was probably the best I have had. I went to a little Restaurant recommnended in the Lonely Planet. The owner served on the tables and picked the food for you and gave you wine which he had made himself on his vineyard. I had warm octopus salad followed by grilled sardines, served with chargrilled vegetables and boiled potatoes served with butter and parsley. I tried his red wine which was slightly sweet but was really good! I have not had one meal which has not been seafood since arriving in Croatia!
Today I was up early as I didn't realise that there was no direct ferries between Vis and Hvar (pronounced Var) on a Wednesday, so I had to catch a ferry to Split and then another ferry to Hvar arriving about midday but it all went smoothly!
Hvar Island is the most luxurious island and is the most sunniest place in Croatia and hence the tourists come here in droves! Apparently August is crazy! More and more people from Asia are also discovering Crotia!
My host, Teo met me at the ferry and drove me to my little apartment in the garden of his house. Apartments attached to the owner's house is a very common type of accommodaton over here. I was given a welcome bottle of wine and recommendations about what to do whilst I am here. His wife has many relatives in Australia including one who played goalie for the Sydney Football team.
It was very warm today - around 25 degrees but the heat feels different to home! I am sure that the UV factor is higher!
I do not have a view this time but I have a lovely private courtyard which is where I am sitting now.
It is about a 10 minute walk to Hvar Town, again now many steps!! Good for the waistline!!
Hvar is famous for its wine and lavender fields. They also grow rosemary and heather.
Today I wandered around the port and looked at the little shops,many stalls selling lavender bags and oil. I also had my daily icecream - it is so good over here! and sold everywhere!
Later had dinner in a lovely little restaurant in a little street behind the port and spent a pleasant evening chatting to an English couple who are on a cruise.
Croatians still very much deal in cash, there are ATMs everywhere but they expect you to pay in cash even for accomodation.
Tomorrow I need to start out early as I want to go to the castle at the top of the hill - apparently there are many many stairs!!
Today was a very busy day! After morning coffee by the port it was off sightseeing. Firstly, I visited the old Renaissance theatre which is above the arsenal and was built in 1612. Plays were stlll staged there until 2008 and then it was a movie theatre for a while.
I then called into the Benedictine Monastery which houses some beautiful lace which is painstakely woven by the nuns from dried agave leaves. The nuns can be seen selling their lace in St Stephen's Square.
I should say that around 87% of Croatians are Catholic which is the second highest per capita behind Poland. The Nuns are very much apart of the community and still wear the traditional habit. When I was on Vis Island you would see them riding their pushbikes to and fro from the Monastery.
I reached the Fortica which was built high on the hill in the 16th Century to defend the town from the Turks. The construction actually started in 1282 and was built slowly over the years and was funded mostly by selling salt. Great views!
The fort houses some ancient artefacts from the seabeds. There have been over 200 ships recovered from the sea bed dating back to the 1st and 2nd Century BC.
It was then off to Stari Grad (old town) on the local bus. Stari Grad is situated on the island's north coast and it is also where the car ferries dock. It has a populaion of around 1600. Again, it is not far but the road is very windy and goes through a long tunnel.
Stari Grad is quite pretty and very quiet compared to Havar Town although the cruise sailing ships were starting to come in and there were lots of push bike riders - you can do bike/cruise holidays and they seem very popular with people of all ages!
I had lunch in a quant little restaurant/ bar in an alleyway.
Then back to Havar Town, a quick dinner of seafood pasta and off to the Franciscan Monastery to a concert in an outdoor theatre. It was a mixed choir, sometimes unaccompanied and some songs with a piano. The sang in both Croatian and English and it was just beautiful!!
Today was not as busy. After morning tea I set off in a taxi boat to one of two islands across from Hvar which has lovely little beaches which are set up for day trippers. I went to the first island, Jerolim Amo which is for nuditists and others. Needless to say I kept my clothes on but there were plenty who didn't! I did paddle and lie in the sun as well as walk around and had a lovely grilled fish for lunch. The prices were more expensive but you would expect that being the only facility.
I caught the 4o'clock taxi back and then visited the Franciscan Monastery which was built in the 15th century. In the refectory there is a beautiful 8m by 2.5m painting of The Last Supper painted by a Venetian Artist dating from the end of the 16th century. The adjoining church, Our Lady of Charity has some fine frescoes.
In the evening I went back to my favourite little restaurant, U O Junior where I had dinner with an English couple Sue and Ian. We then wandered down to the only pastry shop in Hvar Town (there are plently of bakeries) for coffee and cake - it is a place that one must visit!
Before I wandered home I walked over to the park on the waterfront where a local band was playing some lovely music.
Today when I woke up it was raining! My host drove me down with my luggage to the edge of the town (only taxis and hotel cars are allowed in the town) where I had a 4 hour wait for my ferry back to Split. I kept out of the rain in a cafe and then moved to a hotel restaurant for lunch. The rain had passed by the time I had to board the ferry.
Back to the same hotel in Split and then it was down to the old part of Split to do so exploring!
The main attraction is the ruins of the ruins of the Diocletian's Palace which faces the harbour. It is not a palace as such anymore but a shell full of upmarket shops, bars, restaurants and many people!! Each of the four walls has a gate which has a name such as the gold or iron gate. There are 220 buildings within the walls including ones which are now hotels and apartments. The cathederal of St Domnius within the walls is quite beautiful and is built as a octagonal form encircled by 24 columns. and being Saturday I saw a couple of weddings.
After wandering around the palace,within the walls and also in the park outside I had some dinner in a restaurant over looking a plaza. Mussels and frites - delicious!!!
Today at lunch time I took the local bus down to Dubrovnik which is just over 200 klms from Split. The bus was full of locals and tourists like me and should have taken around 4 hours with stops. However, when we stopped for a late lunch break about 45 minutes from Dubrovnik we had a little problem, in that the middle passenger door of the bus was stuck open. Other bus drivers tried to help our driver with no avail, so it was everyone out and onto another of the company's buses which had stopped on its way from Zagreb. It was rather crowded and not everyone was able to get on - they asked the locals to travel on the bus with the door open. Needless to say the trip took over 5 hours.
My apartment is high on a hill overlooking the port and the old town There are 8 rooms and 2 apartments in the complex. The view of the water from my balcony looks quite hazy though but the rest of the view is lovely.
Again, there are many many steps down to the old town through narrow passage ways. It is coming back home which is always the issue!!
I wandered down and found a lovely seafood restaurant just outside the old town walls but didn't trust myself to find my way back in the dark so I took the local bus to the door. I had grilled local white fish stuffed with courgettes. The Waiter told me "the fish was rooster - like the chicken!"
I have a lovely couple from Sweden staying next door and we have had some good chats over the balcony wall!
It was up early and down the hill to the old town of Dubrovnik. I found an English Speaking History Walking Tour which went for 2 hours and was led by a very entertaining and informative young man.
Dubrovnik's history started in the 7th century when people fled from present day Cavtat after being attacked by the Slavs. Ragusa was choosen as a site for a new town because it was a rocky islet and was separated from the mainland by a narow channel. It was later to be come the Repulic of Ragusa. Up until the earthquake of 1667 Regusa was a very prosperus town due to trade. The earthquake killed nearly 5000 people and left the city in ruins.
Today the old town is still surronded by walls which were built between the 13th and 16th century. No cars are allowed in. The main entrance is across the wooden drawbridge and through the Pile Gate.
The Republic of Regusa was devolved after an attack by Napoleon in 1808.
Dubrovnik has had a turbulent history with the last attack being in 1991/1992 when much of the city was again destroyed and about 400 killed. It has now been fully rebuilt. Less then 1000 people now live n the old town.
There is much to see inside the walls including the Rector's Palace which is now a museum as well Monastries and the Cathedral of the Assumption of The Virgin.
The only trouble is the crowds! There were 6 cruise ships in the dock that day and thery are always in large groups with a guide. I did not even try and walk up on to the top of the city wall.
I took haven outside the walls on the port side at a restaurant where there was live music and had a long lunch.
In the evening I went back to the restaurant where I had my morning coffee and was caught in a short lived but violent storm - we were all shuffled inside! I don't how the waiters found us again! I ended up sitting with a young English girl who was going to the same concert that I was,so we went together.
It was a classical music concert held in the Church of St Saviour which is a lovely old church just inside the city walls. The quartet consisted of a piano, a double bass, violin and a flute. It was magic!!
Today I took a day trip to Mostar as I heard that it one of those places that you should visit. It is about 160 klms from Dubrovnik in Herzegovina on the border of Bosnia. It is known as the city of light. It lies in a basin about 60m above sea-level. It is famous for the bridge which was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005.
The people on the tour were a mixture of English and German and speaking. We followed the coastline to get there so it was very pretty and stopped at the remains of a medieval town, Pocitelj on the way. Again, some of the architecture was severly damaged during the last war (1992/1995).
Mostar is divided into two by the old stone bridge - the old part on the left bank. The old town has a strong Turkish History and presence. During the Turkish rule in 1566 the old stone bridge was built which replaced the original chain bridge.
The bridge was completely destroyed in the recent war and the world came together after the war to assist in the rebuilding to its original glory using original craftmanship except for a crane. It took 9 years to rebuild and Prince Charles was the first person to walk over the new foot bridge.
There are 36 Turkish Mosques in Mostar and plenty of turkish architecture and restaurants as well as people selling merchandise in the little stone streets.
The bridge and the surrounds were really worth seeing and the history was fascinating. I had some Turkish fare for lunch with an English couple who were in their late 70s and celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
On my return to Dubrovnik I took the cable car to the lookout to witness the sunset. It was very windy and cold but the view was worth it!
After a walk and a leisurely morning sitting in the sun I caught the local bus back to Split without any mishaps!
It is interesting, because Dubrovnik was independent for so long, a small proportion of the coastline on the way to Split is part of Bosnia so you go through a border control twice in about 20 minutes with the border police checking your passports each time!
I arrived back in Split around 4:30pm and back to the same hotel - this time my room was up in the attic! You had to remember not to jump up to quickly in the middle of the night or you would hit your head! The hotel was full of retired Aussies this time!
It was then back down to the old part of Split where I had a lovely salmon and risotto meal - my last in Croatia for a while! The old town is certainly pretty at night!! It is the end of the Summer Festival in Split and there was a traditional big band playing near the port.
After breakfast I headed to the post office to dispose of my few summer clothes, towel and bits and pieces including a small oil painting that I had bought. As it now Autumn and I will be away from the coast I expect the weather to get colder!
It was then off to the Gallery of Fine Arts. It had some wonderful art work dating back to the 16th century although that era was quite dark and very religious. My favourite works were by a Croatian Artist from the 1850s, Vlaho Bukovac, whose work reminded me so much of Renior whom I love.
I then had a final wander around the port which included an icecream before I was picked up at 1:30pm and driven to Split Airport for my flight back to Vienna
The flight was fine and I arrived back at the same hotel where I had stayed on my arrival. I have been upgraded to a suite - the only problem is that it is two storey! There are 13 narrow curved steps down to the bedroom and bathroom. Needless to say my suitcase stayed upstairs! I certainly am not going to put on any weight whilst I am over here!
I am not sure about the Austrian food though! It was 9pm so I went over to the pub on the corner where I had eaten last time and I ordered a pork cutlet - it was crumbed and as big as the plate!! They do make good potato salad though!
My German heritage must show here as the Waiters expect me to speak and read German!
Today I spent the day getting around Vienna on the Hop on and Hop off bus which was a good way for me to become acquainted to the city. The weather was grey and cool, below 20 degrees but no rain!
I started at the main meeting point, the Opera House and did the trip around the Ringstrasse which is a ring of magnificant buildings which includes, Parliament House, City Hall and Museums built in the mid 19th Century under the rule of Franz Josef after the demolition of the old city walls.
I had lunch in the cafe attached to the beautiful old Hotel Sacher which is famous for introducing Sacher Torte to Emperor Franz Josef and which is now available everywhere. It is a rich iced chocolate cake which has a layer of apricot jam. People line up to get in or to buy the chocolates in the chocolate shop.
I spent a few hours in the Art Gallery (Kunst Historisches Museum) which is a building in a museum complex which has magnificant grounds. Even without the art, it was worth seeing as the building has some wonderful wall and ceiling frescoes. The art collection is very extensive and included a large collection of Old Masters. I had afternoon tea in the lovely cafe.
I then went out to the Augarten Porzellan Museum. Augarten was founded in 1718 and it is the second oldest maker of Porclean in Europe. There were pieces in the shop that I could have bought! The premises is set in a large park which was lovely to walk around and there was a family flying a kite and many walkers with dogs and joggers enjoying the outdoors!
It was then back on the bus to the city and I wandered around looking at the nightlights before heading home. I was reintroduced to Strum at the local Bistro. It is very young wine which is unfiltered and just starting to ferment and it is only sold for a couple of weeks a year around vintage. You can buy red or white and it is a great drink but you have to remember that it is alcohol! Only sold in Germany and Austria.
Today I had a magical day indulging in two of my favourite things!! Art from the Impressionist Era and Classical music!
I spent the morning at the Schloss Belvedere and gardens. The Belvedere Palace is actually two palaces separated by magnificent grounds!
The Oberes (upper) Belvedere now houses a wonderful collection of art including a room full of paintings by Monet, Manet and Renoir There is also has a collection by the Austrian Artist Gustav Klimt (1862 – 1918) who painted a very famous painting Lovers Kiss. The painting is available on all the souvenirs over here from mugs to scarves!
The Unteres (lower) Belvedere was Prince Eugene’s magnificent living quarters. The rooms were decorated with gold and marble. He also had a private garden which is in English garden style (again my favourite!) I had lunch in the café in the lower Belvedere.
I then spent a quiet afternoon before going to the Kursalon Wien Concert Venue. There are a few of these beautiful venues across Vienna which offer concerts playing Viennese music. In fact where ever you go, you are accosted by nice looking, formally dressed young men trying to sell you tickets!
I bought my ticket on line before I came and I was bit worried about what it would be like! I had a 4 course meal in the restaurant beforehand which was very good and then had a front row seat and was given a CD.
There was a 13 piece, mainly string orchestra which played Johann Strauss and Mozart. The program also included a couple of Operetta segments and some ballet. It was just beautiful! Well worth the money!
Today I took a day trip in the Danube Valley. I was picked up at my hotel at 8.45am and transported to the coach with our guide. The bus was a double decker, although not full we were a large group. I made friends and spent the day with a South Australian Couple.
We drove through some lovely little villages in the wine growing area until we arrived at Splitz where we caught a boat and motored down the Danube to Melk.
On the boat we had morning coffee and admired the picturesque scenery on both sides of the river. The trip took about 1 ½ hours.
When we arrived at Melk the coach met us and drove us to the top car park. Melk’s main attraction (other than the local scenery!) is the Benedictine Abbey. The Benedictine Monk’s transformed the residence to an abbey in 1080 and it is still the home of 30 Monks today although they work out in the community teaching and working in nearby parishes.
The building today is not the original building but a Baroque style building built in the 16th Century. It has almost 500 rooms! We had lunch at a restaurant in the grounds and then were met by a local guide who took us on a tour. Some of the rooms were all marble and had lovely ceiling frescoes.
The abbey is full of wonderful treasures and artefacts. The Abbey was used as an overnight stay as Royalty travelled between the major towns using horse and carriages. Their entourage was often over 200! The monks did not charge for the accommodation but were given gifts.
My favourite room was the library which had full to ceiling leather bound books some of which are hundreds of years old. The library though is an active library which is used today.
At the end of the tour we had a quick trip home along the freeway, arriving back in Vienna at 5.30pm. The sunset was beautiful as I was heading home and then iot was back into the city to have a traditional Viennese meal.
Today I felt quite confident about finding my way around Vienna so I walked into the City and on the way visited City Hall in which local artists were holding an art show.
I went to the Stephansplatz and visited Vienna’s Cathedral, St Stephan’s. It is built in beautiful Gothic Style and has two towers. A church has stood on the site since the 12th Century. Habsburg Duke Rudolf 1V began the gothic makeover in 1359. One of the features of the cathedral is the tiled roof.
I stumbled across an Inn, Güiden Drachhen which was built in 1566! The interior, especially the wood panelling was just beautiful. I had traditional Beef Goulash soup for lunch.
It was then off on the Subway to the Schloss Schönbrunn and the surrounding gardens where I spent the whole afternoon.
The Habsburg Empire is shown in all its glory in the apartments at the Schönbrunn Palace. I took an Audio Tour which was really fascinating. I intend to read more about the Habsburg Dynasty! Emperor Franz Joseph’s (19th Century) wife Elizabeth or ‘Sisi’ as she was known is held in the same high esteem in Austria as Princess Dianna! Their state rooms were just beautiful. The Dining Room was set up for a state banquet.
The gardens were formal with hedges, Greek statues and a large fountain with ducks! There was also some Roman Ruins up on the hill as well as a maze and a zoo.
It was then back on the subway to the city where I took some lovely photos of Vienna at dusk.
Today after I had a final walk around the area near my hotel I caught the lunchtime train to Salzburg arriving about 3pm.
The train trip was really good, table service and beautiful scenery out the window!
My hotel is a boutique hotel situated close to the old town. My room is small but very nice and looks out to the street. Every afternoon between 3pm and 6pm they serve free coffee and cake in the lounge so I thought that that was a good place to start before heading out.
I then walked over one of the many bridges across the Salzach River to the old town and into the Mozartplatz. Salz means salt in German and the town and the river were named because salt was the main trade in the region back in the 8th Century. A bag of salt was once as valuable as a bag of gold!
I walked around the lovely little streets admiring all the wonderful buildings and shops before, having dinner outdoors at a little café. I had traditional Beef Goulash and Dumpling which I didn’t really enjoy – too much meat and the dumpling was stodgy!
I woke up to light rain and a forecast of around 14 degrees, which was a bit of a disappointment because I had booked a two hour walking tour around Salzburg.
However, the light rain didn’t really worry me and the walk was really good, there were only 6 of us and the guide was very informative and it gave me an insight on what I wanted to see during the rest of the day. By early afternoon the rain had gone!
Salzburg’s old town centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is made up of a series of old squares which have a fountain or a large statue in the centre.
I had a really busy day! Firstly I went to the Salzburg Museum which had a very large display on the Austria’s part in the First World War.
Then after the Walking tour I visited the Residenz which is a baroque palace where the Prince-Archbishops held court until the 19th Century. It is now an Art Gallery. I found the house where Mozart was born and the house where he and his family moved to when he was 17. Mozart was not actually an Austrian as Salzburg was an independent state until the 1800s.
I also visited the Cathedral and St Peters Church which is the grounds of the most beautiful cemetery!
The gardens around the Schloss Mirabell are magnificent. The fountain in the gardens was in the film Sound of Music – Maria and the children danced around it!
The highlight of the day though was the ride in the funicular up to the Fortress where from the top you could see all over Salzburg! The Festung Hohensalzburg was built in 1077 and is one of the best preserved in Europe. It was home to many Prince-Archbishops and has many state rooms plus a torture room. Wolf-Dietrich von Raitenau the Archbishop who was responsible for the redesign of Salzburg in the Baroque Style in the 16th Century lived in the Mirabell Palace with his mistress and 16 children, he was eventually captured and disposed by his cousin and spent the rest of his life imprisoned in the fortress.
My hotel, the Wolf Dietrich is named after him.
I came down from the fortress on dark and after wandering around the little streets I had dinner in one of the little cafés near the hotel.
Today I did two tours. The first was a trip was to the Salt Mine Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps just over the German Border. The scenery on the way there was just beautiful.
Salt has been mined there since 1517.
The tour itself was very good, when we arrived we changed into coveralls and were taken down deep down into the salt mine by little trains. The commentary was very informative and you saw how technology has changed over the times. We were also put on to a wooden barge which went across the salt lake.
The tour bus also took a group up to Eagles Nest which was one of Hitler’s posts during the war. His residence was destroyed by the British but the Eagles Nest which was built by his loyal subjects for his 50th Birthday is deep in the hillside and is still intact. Recently a 5 star hotel has also been opened there.
In the afternoon I did the obligatory Sound of Music Tour! We were lucky to score the best guide, he has been doing the tour twice a day, for 25 years! He had a great sense of humour and made the tour fun!!
One of the highlights of the tour was a drive to a little lakeside village, Mondsee to see the church where Maria and the Captain Von Trapp were married. I had the best Apple Strudel for afternoon tea.
Then it was back to Salzburg for my last night in Austria!
I had an early start to catch the train to Ljubljana. To get there I had to change trains along the way at Villach with a two hour wait in between.
Travelling south through the Alps was certainly picturesque! It was postcard material! On the first leg the carriage was full of Australians who were all going to Venice.
The Slovenian trains are not of the same standard as the Austrian trains but all was good, I had a six seat carriage to myself. I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t know when to get off as there was no announcements!
My hotel is by far the largest that I have stayed this trip, it has Conference facilities and there are people on Group Tours staying here. The facilities are great.
The hotel is a five minute walk away from the old town.
I spent the afternoon wandering around admiring the architecture and the sights. I went to the food markets which were vibrant with people out enjoying themselves after work. There were buskers everywhere mainly playing the piano accordion which added to the atmosphere!
I then headed back to the hotel where I had a lovely tuna steak for dinner.
Ljubljana is buzzing this weekend because there is a Mayoral Election in the City on Sunday and there is plenty of campaigning happening!
Saturday is Market Day and there were Markets all over the city! Food markets, clothes, fruit and vegetables and the most beautiful flower and plant markets. There were also stalls in the street facing the town hall square displaying local wine and other local products from a particular region and the local children put on a little play - they were so cute. I took a video!
The Old Town of Ljubljana is made up of five squares which all blend into each other so there is plenty of places to hold markets and other activities.
I met the walking tour at the Fountain of Three Carniolan Rivers in the Mestni trg (Square). Gustav Mahler, the famous Conductor lived in a yellow house on the square and there is a Bust of him on the wall.
The tour guide was great and tour included the Cathedral of St Nicholas. The doors are very interesting as they represent the history of Christianity across Slovenia, the side door depicts the 20th Century Bishops, as well as a bust of Pope John Paul the Second which was done for his visit to the Cathedral in the 1996.
The tour included a stop at a local restaurant to try some local fare which included kranjska sausage served with horseradish and apple strudel.
We also went up on the funicular to Ljubljana Castle which is the city’s most prominent landmark. The view from the Outlook Tower was beautiful.
At the end of the tour I wandered around the Old Town and the markets and soaked in the atmosphere and then went back to the hotel to have a nap in readiness for tonight!
Before I left Australia I booked a tour called Cook Eat Slovenia. I am so glad that I did as it was fabulous!!
Špela who runs the course hires a lovely little restaurant in the evening to run the course. There were only 3 of us – me and two German friends, Rainer and Steffen so there was plenty of hands on and lots of fun!!
When we arrived we sat down and had a glass of wine and some lovely starters that Špela had prepared and got to know each other and then it was time to put on our aprons and start cooking!! One of the starters was fresh fig wrapped in prosciutto.
Firstly, we made our entrée which was a Frfalje, this is a little like a frittata but contains flour as well as eggs and you separate the eggs like you do when you make an omelette. It was full of lovely fresh herbs which I chopped. It was served of a bed of lettuce. We tried a different local wine with each course.
Špela showed us on the map of Slovenia the region where each of the wines and the dishes come from.
We then made a wilted spinach and pumpkin Štrukji for mains which is a long dumpling which we rolled in a tea towel, tied with cotton and cooked it in boiling water. This was served with slices of loin of pork. We drank a lovely red wine.
For dessert we made a childhood favourite of Špela’s which was stale bread dipped in milk and egg and then fried. This was topped with stewed plums! Delicious!!
Then the Schnapps came out – the guys were in their element! I don’t really like it but was talked into trying one! One of the Schnapps, the plum, had been made by Špela’s Mum.
I am getting a copy of the recipes to try at home and I have the apron as a memento of a great night!!
Next year Špela is starting week long cooking tours around different parts of Slovenia so you never know!!!
I woke up with a headache on Sunday I don’t whether it was the wine and Schnapps or just a headache! So I had a lazy morning and didn’t leave the hotel until about 1pm!
I wandered done to the Old Town and had a light lunch and then caught a boat ride down the Ljubljanica River which was very pretty and because it was a nice afternoon there were people strolling along the banks, men fishing and people sitting in the bars and cafes.
I then had some afternoon tea and did some more wandering around the streets admiring the architecture before having an early dinner and a good night’s sleep!
Today as it was my last day I wandered around parts of the city where I hadn’t ventured before. This included buying a couple of souvenirs and little gifts.
I also ventured into the business section which was really busy with many many bikes, cars and buses transporting people to schools, the University and to work.
In contrast the old city was quiet as there were not very many tourists around.
After lunch I went back to my hotel, picked up my luggage and moved around the corner to my new hotel in readiness to meet my tour Guide and fellow travellers in preparation to start my 6 day tour around Slovenia (Slobenija) tomorrow.
There are only 8 people on the tour which is nice, 6 Americans, 1 Canadian and myself. All the other people on the tour have a Slovenian background and one of the reasons that they are here is to trace their relatives.
The Tour Guide, Martin is older and has many years’ experience as a Guide and a funny sense of humour!
I then went out to dinner with lovely 2 ladies I have hooked up with Helen (Canadian) and Barbara, they are cousins and they are going to meet some relatives at the end of the tour.
Today after a walking tour of Ljubljana with our Guide and the rest of the tour group we set off in our very comfortable 19 seat bus.
Our first stop was the Postojna Caves in the Karst Region. The caves are Slovenia’s most popular natural attraction. The subterranean system is over 20 klms long and consists of chambers and tunnels. They are formed by the seeping water of the Pivka River and its tributaries, which carved out several of the underground galleries over some three thousand years!!
The caves were first opened to the public in 1819. We were taken in on an underground railway for about 2 klms, we then walked up and downs steps and walkways admiring the stalactites and stalagmites. It was just beautiful and the lighting added to the magic. When we reached the Chamber called the Concert Hall which is known for its acoustics, a group of women who are in a church choir, burst into song which was a magic touch!!
After lunch we stopped at the Medieval Predjama Castle. This fortress is very impressive as it is carved into a huge rock! The site was originally fortified in the 13th Century and the present castle was built in the 16th Century. It has an interesting history as one of the owners was a bandit who was finally killed in a siege in the 15th Century. Every year in July there is a Medieval Tournament to celebrate the castle’s history.
We then drove on to the coast to the pretty seaside town of Piran which I fell in love with and would like to go back to one day.
Piran consists of pastel coloured buildings and cute little fishing boats and little narrow alleys which leads to a square. It was once a walled town and gained its wealth from salt which was produced at Seĉovlje and shipped to Venice from the port of Piran.
We stayed in a lovely hotel right on the sea and walked to a nice restaurant nearby for a great seafood dinner! I also did a lot of walking by myself in the late afternoon, sightseeing and taking some great photos in the evening light.
After an early morning guided tour around Piran which included a climb up the hill to St George’s Cathedral and a look over the whole city we were back on the bus and on our way.
We had morning tea at a lovely seaside town, Potoroz which is a spa resort and houses a famous former Habsburg Palace which is now a 5 star hotel where many overseas dignitaries and film stars have stayed over the years!
We then visited the Salt Pans Museum in Seĉovlje which has been known for salt production since the Middle Ages, although it was only in the 19th Century that it became the region’s main industry.
Dykes were constructed across the bay, creating shallow pans in which the seawater would evaporate leaving pure salt crystals. The salt is then raked and put into wooden barrows.
The interesting thing is that the production of salt has not changed over the years and the same method is used today. When production was at its peak the families from the Piran region moved to the little stone huts on the Salt pans and lived there from April to August during the salt harvest.
The Salt Pans were neglected during the Communist period and today only one pan in this region is harvested and the area has become a wetlands for birds.
We then drove on to Lipica, the home of the famous Lipica Horse Stud which breeds the Lipizzaner Horses, the famous Cavalry horses which have performed all over the world. The horses are grey or black when they are born and develop their white coats when they are about five. They are certainly a beautiful horse!
After lunch we drove through the wine region to the border town of Nova Gorcia where we stayed for the night at the Casino Hotel.
During the peace treaties after World War 11, the town of Gorcia was awarded to Italy so the Slovenians decided to build a new town on the other side, Nova (new) Gorica.
The group went over to Gorcia in Italy (the old town) to sightsee and have dinner.
We visited the Wine Café in the Grande Piazza which was built in 1628 before going on to dinner.
Today we drove upstream along the Soĉa River and stopped in a little town to visit the Kobaird Museum which is dedicated to the events which happened in the region during the First World War.
Firstly we saw a short film and then we had a Guide explain the exhibition. Most of the exhibition concentrates on the mountain warfare in the Julian Alps.
It was extremely moving, the conditions that the soldiers fought in were horrendous – the harsh winters and the terrain and they had limited infrastructure.including protective clothing!
The battle along the Soĉa River is described in Ernest Hemmingway’s Novel “Farewell to Arms”.
Then it was morning tea and a look around the pretty little town. There is a lovely walk up the hill which has a stone wall containing the Stations of the Cross in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives.
We then set out to drive over the Julian Alps, it was very pretty but a bit hairy around some of the bends! But we had a great Driver!
We had a few stops along the way including at a swinging bridge across the gorge which is famous for rafting.
We also stopped at a Russian Memorial dedicated to the Russians Prisoners of War who lost their life. The Prisoners were forced to build the road over the Alps which we travelled on, during one winter, hundreds of the soldiers lost their lives in a snow avalanche.
We then stopped for a photo shoot at the top which is 1620M high! The view was great but it was cold!!
Our late lunch stop was at a pretty little town in the valley, Kranjska Gora which is popular with skiers in the winter.
Our final destination for the day was Bled where we are staying for the next three nights. Our hotel is lovely and is right on the lake!
After an early morning walk around part of the lake, and then breakfast it was on to the bus and a drive up to Bled Castle. The view over the lake was lovely and the artefacts were interesting. The Monks have been making wine in a cellar in the castle for hundreds of years. I bought a bottle of white which we will drink before we leave Bled.
It was then morning tea at the Bled Golf Course as John one of our Group is a golfer! It is a beautiful Course!
We then drove to a little town 3 miles away, Radovljica which was some beautiful decorative Baroque architecture. We visited a traditional Slovenian Gingerbread making kitchen. The artistry was beautiful.
Lunch was at the Lectar Restaurant. The building is over 500 years old. Whilst we ate traditional food we were entertained by a harmonica player who is also the restaurant owner!
It was then back to Bled and onto a boat to visit the “Church of the Mother of God” on the little island in the middle of the lake.
I climbed the bell tower and then kept the tradition by ringing the church bell 3 times and making a wish for luck!
Afternoon tea was Bled Cream Cake which is famous all over the world and was first made at our hotel in 1953. There have been nearly 15 million pieces sold and if you put them altogether back to back from Bled, they would reach Rome! (my trivia for the day!!) It was delicious, very light and not too rich.
Some of us then walked around the whole lake which is about 4 klms, (we did stop at a lakeside bar on the way!!) before a light late dinner.
Before we boarded the bus today there was a little impromptu dancing to Johnnie’s CD of Slovenian music! Then it was on our way to the Triglav National Park and Lake Bohinj. During the trip we had to slow down for a group of female roller skate skiers. They were certainly good, it is a common sport as skiers prepare for the snow season. Being Saturday there were plenty of people about doing activities including trout fishing, cycling, hiking and mushrooming in the forrest.
Lake Bohinj is a pretty little village with charming alpine houses and a lovely church, Church of St John the Baptist which has beautiful 15th and 16th Century frescoes and timber work.
The lake was picturesque and the water crystal clear. It is a popular spot for kayaking.
A monument to acknowledge the first men to climb Mount Triglav in 1778 is in the middle of a pretty park.
It was then on to the Mount Vogel Ski Resort which is popular with hikers in the summer. We took the cable car to the top where there is a little alpine village and a couple of restaurants although there was only one open. The village is built at a height of 1,537 metres and has a view of Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia, but covered with fog today!
After lunch it was back to Bled for a free afternoon before meeting at 6pm for our pre-dinner drinks preseding our farewell dinner.
We went to an old pub for a traditional Slovenian meal which was a great!
It was arranged that all the group travel back to Ljubljana, however when the coach arrived it was smaller than the one we had had for the week and I stayed behind as I was the only not staying in Ljubljana.
There was then some hurried goodbyes and I was left with a couple of hours to fill in before Martin our Tour Guide came back for me.
I filled in the time by going for a walk, catching up on my Blog and of course coffee!!
Martin came back in his car and we drove back to Ljubljana to pick up my and luggage which I had left at my hotel. I was supposed to catch the train to Zagreb but Martin insisted on driving me!! Zabreb is about 120 klms from Ljubljana.
As we were leaving the hotel we ran into Barbara and Helen so Martin drove us up to the Castle for one last drink.
During the tour we had decided that one of Martin’s traits was that he couldn’t take us directly from A to B, we had deviate to C first and that is exactly what happened on the way to Zagreb!
We left the Autobahn to take the scenic route and because he wanted to take me to a castle on a manmade island which is near Novo Mesto.
Otoĉec Castle is a 13th Century Renaissance building which was built on the edge of the Krka River and then the land was made into an island for protection against attack. The castle has now been restored by a Pharmaceutical Company, and is now a luxury hotel which has had many well known guests over the year.
It was certainly beautiful and I had to try the local cake which was full of fruits and cinnamon as I hadn’t had any lunch!
There were lots of families picnicking and strolling around the grounds - it was certainly worth seeing.
We arrived at Zagreb about 4.30pm and I said my goodbyes and thanked Martin for a great six days in Slovenia!!!
My morning booked " Walking Tour of Zagreb" ended up being myself and the young guide which was great! I asked if he still wanted to do it! He was a very knowledgeable and nice and as we walked around the Upper Town looking at the sights he told me all kinds of interesting snippets!
Zagreb is divided into two parts the Upper Town whilst is the oldest part of Zagreb and which has lovely narrow streets full of old buildings and where the two main churches are situated. The Lower Town has some interesting museums and lovely examples of 19th and 20th Century architecture. My hotel was situated between the two.
After the tour I went to the Museum of Broken Relationships which is certainly different and quirky! It is a place where people can put mementos and the story about the end of a relationship. It is supposed to help with the healing – there is exhibits form all over the world.
Whilst I was there I ran into a lady I had been on the Walking tour in Ljubljana with – Domara and her friend Jane were over here from Italy.
The three of us shared a great seafood lunch at the fish markets before we went our separate ways and then we met up for dinner that evening at a restaurant that the waitress from the fish markets had recommended.
During the afternoon I continued looking at the sights in the old town before going back to the hotel and getting ready for dinner.
The Old Town is very pretty at night!!
After an early morning walk around the Lower Town it was off to that Crotian Museum of Naïve Art. Naïve Art is art which is simplistic, and usually very colourful, often the artists have had no formal training.
The art was beautiful, some of the pieces reminded me of our own indigenous art as it was done with little dots. I liked it so much that I went to the local artists’ Naïve Gallery and bought a small painting. It is actually painted on the back of glass.
I then visited St Mark’s Church and the stopped for morning tea on the terrace of a little gallery before going to the Dolac Markets which are on every day.
It was then off to the Museum Ivan Meštroviĉ , which is the former 17th Century home of the local artist. The house has some lovely wood features including staircases and frescoes. Meštroviĉ was also an architect and designed part of the house. It contains, sculptures, lithographs and paintings.
After lunch which I had in a Street Food Café I took a tram ride on the circuit which went out to the suburbs.
When I arrived back at the main square there was a display of local goods put on by the Tourist Association.
It was then a wander around the main square for an evening meal in a local restaurant.
I woke up to a very wet day! So it was a good day to visit the Art Gallery and Museum!
Even though it was raining I decided to walk and I sheltered for a while in the café attached to the Palace Hotel which is a beautiful mansion built in 1891. I then wandered into the Botanical Gardens but it was pretty miserable. I was impressed though that every plant was not only named but catalogued with a number!
I then reached the Museum Mimara which is a must see in Zagreb. Ante Topiĉ Mimara was a very rich and prominent Croatian who donated his entire collection of over 3750 priceless objects to his native Zagreb. To house and display the collection, the authorities moved the children out of the school and turned the impressive building into a Museum.
My favourite piece was a statue of a large intact (except for one finger) Greek Athlete which was only found on the bottom of the seabed in the 1990s and it has been a major exercise to raise it from the seabed and clean off the crustaceans. There was an interesting video of it taking place.
There was also a lot of Japanese and Chinese Artefacts as well as some paintings done by well-known artists such as Rubens and Renior.
When I came outside it had stopped raining so I walked across the road and had lunch in the Art Gallery café.
I then caught the Tram back to the main square and wandered around the streets where the main shopping area is before going back to the hotel for dinner and to pack.
I left Sydney for Kuala Lumpur on Malaysian Airlines early in the morning after a night in Glenbrook. Flight over was pretty good although I have had better food! The flight was about 8 hours.
I caught the littler golf cart over to the Sam Sama International Airport Hotel where I was staying for the night before flying on to Hanoi.
The hotel has won awards for being the best transit hotel and I can see why!
After checking in I sampled some local food before heading off to the pool where I met two of my fellow travellers plus our Australian Guide, Brian. There are 14 ladies around my age on the tour plus Brian!
The pool was great and I spent a couple of hours there before a shower and down to the bar to meet some more of our group.
We then had dinner together in the local restaurant before heading off to bed as it another early start tomorrow!
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I had a really good flight over to Hanoi, especially as I was upgraded because there was also someone else allocated to my seat.
The temperature on arrival was about 22 degrees Celsius but very misty. Our local Guide's name is Tiger, named after the year of his birth and he is delightful!
It was about an hour in the bus but there was plenty to see, there were flower markets all along the way as people prepare for the Vietnamese New Year Celebrations which have started.
There are 7 days of holidays so the Banks are now shut, the main day is the 19th so that will be fun!
The main decorations for the festival are Cherry blossoms and cumquat trees.
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and has a population of 7million people, 3 million live the city centre and 4 in the surrounding districts. Hanoi is a thousand years old, it has 9 rivers, and the main one is the Red River, named because of the red silt. The city is divided into 29 districts. The Old Quarter is the liveliest of the commercial districts and during the 13th Century many Artisans settled along the banks of the Red River to cater for the needs of the palace. Each of the 36 streets are named after the wares which were originally sold there, such as Shoe, Silk or Bamboo Street!
There are over 3 million motor bikes in Hanoi and there is an art to crossing the street!
After checking in to our boutique hotel which is tall and narrow as land is at a premium in Hanoi, I found my new local coffee shop (great coffee) while I was waiting to start our walking tour of the Old Quarter which was interesting and great fun.
It was then off to a local bar before going out to dinner to a lovely local restaurant around the corner! Seafood with passionfruit sauce - Delicious!
Finally a walk back through the streets looking at the nightlife.
We spent a very busy day visiting the main sights. Our first stop was BA Dinh Square, where silent sentries guard the marble and granite Mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh lies in state. There is a very strict protocol which must be observed as everyone files past his body! No talking, hands by your side and no clenched fists and no stopping!
We then walked over to the Palace which now is the home to the head of government and then walked over to the two simple houses in the vast grounds which was where Uncle Ho chose to live rather than the palace. One of the house is on stilts overlooking the lake and it contains a bunker where Ho Chi Minh hid during War against the French in the 1950s.
We also visited the One Pillar Pagoda which was built in the 11th Century by the Emperor after the birth of his son.
Vietnam’s first university, the Temple of Literature was also built in the 11th Century and it has lovely grounds including lots of Bonsai in the courtyard. It was founded in honour of the Chinese Philosopher Confucius and it educated future Mandarins for the next seven Centuries.
Then it was off to lunch in a local restaurant, Koto (know one, teach one) which was started by an Australian to give street children a new start by training them in hospitality. They have trained over 600.
After lunch we visited the infamous, Hoa Lo Prison Museum. The prison was built by the French in 1856 and housed many political prisoners over the years including downed American Pilots during the Vietnam War who nicknamed the prison “Hotel Hilton!
We then took a Cyclo ride around the Old Quarter which was fun although a bit hairy at times as we weaved in and out of the traffic!
Our last outing before dinner was a visit to the Water Puppet Theatre. The production was very clever and entertaining.
Today we said goodbye to Hanoi and travelled by bus for around 3 hours to Halong Bay where we took a 4 hour boat trip.
The weather wasn’t the best as it was misty and grey but not raining!
Halong Bay is listed as a World Heritage area and one of the Seven Wonders of the World for its natural beauty. It is known by the Vietnamese as “Dragon Descending to the Sea” and consists of over 3, 000 limestone islets. It is spread across 15,000square klms.
It attracts over 4 million tourists a year. Many of them take a one or two day boat ride. The area is going through a building boom with over 40 new hotels being built and they have just opened a second Wharf.
We had a lovely old wooden boat to ourselves and after the bus driver getting lost because we were sent to the new terminal we boarded and set sailing.
Lunch was wonderful hot and cold seafood and local white wine!
We didn’t see the beauty of the emerald green water though as the grey mist stayed with us! However the weather created an eerie view as the tall islets rose out of the water and it was still so calm and beautiful. Our Guide told us of many shapes which the Islets represented.
We disembarked on a larger of the island and climbed up and then down into a cave where we saw many stalactites and stalagmites which have been lit with coloured flood lights.
At the end of our cruise we went to our hotel which was lovely and I had a massage and a couple of drinks at the roof top bar.
I didn’t hear or see the New Years Eve midnight fireworks!
Today took longer to get to Hoi An then had been anticipated as we had to take a later flight due to flights being cancelled because of Tet Holidays as that it was New Years Day.
We travelled back to Hanoi by bus and caught an evening flight to DaNang and then we travelled by bus for about 45 minutes to our resort hotel in Ho An ariving there about 8.30pm.
Our resort is situated on the banks of the river and consists of 2 story villas with 4 suites in each. My villa is upstairs with a balcony over looking the river.
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There is no chance of sleeping in here as a loud speaker with music and talking comes on at about 5am every day to wake the locals. It is a 30 year tradition from the Communist days!
So I decided to go for an early morning walk along the road and check out the sights before breakfast. The grounds are beautiful and there are some enticing little restaurants along the road and not too many motor bikes at that hour of the morning and of course it was still holidays.
After breakfast we travelled into town to commence our walking tour of old Hoi An.
Hoi An is located on the north bank of the Bon River and is known as the city of lanterns. It is the oldest city in Central Vietnam and was an important trading port from the 16th to the 18th Century. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and the architecture is a mixture of Chinese and Japanese origin as well as French influence.
We walked across the beautiful covered Japanese Bridge which was built in 1593 to link the town with the Chinese quarters across the stream and then on to the Phuoc Mien Assembly Hall which is a Chinese Pagoda built around 1690 and later restored and enlarged in 1900. The temple is dedicated to Thien Hau Thanh Mau the Goddess of the Sea and the Protector of Sailors and Fishermen.
The little narrow streets and old houses are so full of character and some of houses and shops have beautiful large pots or hanging baskets full of beautiful flowers. The smells and the sights from the street food vendors was amazing.
We also visited a lantern making factory and a silk factory before going back to the hotel and finding a little local restaurant for lunch. The best food in Vietnam so far – the spring rolls were to die for!
It was then a relaxing time at the Resort Spa for a 90minute massage and facial before walking to a local restaurant for dinner. Bliss!
Today was one of the best days our tour so far!
We were up early and we were taken down to a little restaurant in town which was the starting point for our half day cooking class.
After a welcome drink we were divided into two groups and we were off on foot to the food markets.
The experience was wonderful, the array of fresh food and vegetables, the raw meat, fish and fresh noodles on display as all the sellers tried to sell their products. Some of the stalls were outside, others were in a big open shed and as the markets backed onto the river some seafood stalls were on the wharf. It a family affair with generations working on the stalls and sitting down cooking and eating.
There were also stalls selling kitchenware and some of us bought vegetable knives and graters.
On the way our Guide bought a few herbs which she needed for our cooking class as she explained some of the Vietnamese foods to us.
We then caught a boat and travelled down the river to the Red Bridge Restaurant where our cooking class was being held.
The restaurant setting was just beautiful, it was situated on the river bank with lovely gardens which included a massive herb garden.
Have a welcome drink we were taken to our demonstration kitchen to commence our class. The kitchen was built in the garden and had a roof but no walls and we each had our own area with a little gas burner to prepare our dishes.
Our teacher called for an assistant to help make a Vietnamese Seafood Salad so up I went!
We also made Fresh Rice Paper Rolls with Scrimp. We made the rice paper from scratch, steaming it over a saucepan covered with a cloth but the best dish was Vietnamese Eggplant in a Clay Pot!
We also learnt how to make some vegetable decorations which I failed at, as I am too heavy handed!
It was then back to the main restaurant where we ate our dishes along with some extras prepared by the staff which was accompanied by some local wine. It was a fun day and I have all the recipes!
After lunch we went into town to visit the Tailor. All the girls in the family are scoring new handmade clothes! I did bring over some material which I have had for over 30 years!
It was then back to our hotel for a relaxing evening.
Today a couple of us caught a taxi into town early before the crowd. We started out at a beautiful Coffee House and then we wandered around the streets.
We found a large monument surrounded by water with the most beautiful pink lotus flowers growing in it.
We then strolled around the old part of town and met a women with the traditional bamboo stick and baskets on her shoulders selling fruit. She convinced me to have a go. She was a little lady and the baskets were so heavy! She showed us the scars on her shoulders.
I spent the rest of the day relaxing at the resort. Late in the afternoon I walked down the road for a couple of kilometres to China Beach which was the beach the Americans used for R &R for their troops during the Vietnam War. All signs that they were there are long gone and it was full of families preparing dinner. Further around the point there are many new Resorts and Hotels being built, it has become quite touristy.
It was a bit hairy walking back at dusk as there are no footpaths and there were streams of motorbikes whizzing by!
My new friends and I then went for a final meal at our favourite restaurant across the road where we were made very welcome.
We arrived in Ho Chi Minh around 3pm, the weather was in the mid 30s and very humid!
After dropping off our bags at the hotel which is in District 1 right in the heart of the city we began our tour.
Our first stop was to visit the Reunification Hall (former Presidential Palace). During the 19th Century the Palace was the residence of the French Governor General and later the home of the President of South Vietnam. In 1975 the gates were knocked down by a North Vietnam Army tank when North Vietnam took over the South.
Our next stop was at the General Post Office which is a wonderful hellow building designed by a French architect in the late 19th Century. It is across the road from the Notre Dame Cathedral. Some buildings were still closed though because of the Tet Holidays.
My favourite buildig was the Peoples Committee Building another impressive French Colonial structure.
We then walked back to our hotel where I had a quiet night.
Today I had a “me” day! I decided not to go with the group but to do my own thing.
After breakfast Mary and I walked up the street and found a gorgeous Vietnamese Tea House where we lingered over our drinks in a wonderful setting. The bill was a bit of a surprise though, $15 for a cup of tea.
While we were in the Tea House we heard music and went outside to see a colourful Ceremony of music and dancing which included a dragon on the steps of the Plaza. The ceremony was held outside many banks and large businesses across the city that morning to ensure a prosperous year.
After a walk around the block I went back to the hotel for a massage.
In the afternoon Mary and I went to the Caravelle Hotel where we had Vietnamese High Tea with Champagne which lasted a couple of hours.
Later in the afternoon three of us went to a performance at the Opera House, the Ao Show which was performed by a group of very talented young people who did acrobatics and dance movements using bamboo baskets and rods. It was set to beautiful music and depicted Vietnamese Culture over the years. It was amazing and moving!
We then joined the rest of the group at a local restaurant for dinner.
On our last day in Ho Chi Minh City three of us decided to go on a day trip to the Mekong Delta rather than spend the day at the shops!
We left early and walked down to the pier where we met the guide and the crew and the other seven passengers. Our wooden boat was flat bottomed with a canopy and an outboard motor.
Once we set sail they served breakfast. The sights along the banks were certainly interesting as we witnessed the housing and the local people going about their daily life.
Our first stop was to the Cao Dai Temple which is also a Monastery for Monks as well as a place of worship.
We then stopped at a small riverside market where we saw live poultry and other staple foods being sold.
Once you get up into the countryside there are not many bridges across the Mekong and where there are bridges they have been built as projects by other countries such as Australia. The locals rely on very old ferries to transport them from side to side.
We then visited a typical country homestead where we met the matriarch who was in her 80s. They had a huge pet python!
Our next stop was to visit a more wealthy family who had a Rice Paddy and also grew coconuts. We sampled fresh coconut milk followed by homemade whiskey (didn’t like!).
Our final stop was to a small village where we first visited the Pagoda and then went to the local school where many orphaned children live. The tour company supports the school and 12% of our fare is donated, which is great!
We had a lovely Vietnamese lunch there which was cooked by the local chef. It included fried elephant ear fish.
It was then a quick trip back to the city. Along the way we saw a different aspect as it was low tide.
It was then time for a final dinner in Ho Chi Minh City and packing for an early start in the morning.
We arrived in London around 8:30am after a good flight although we were an hour and a half late due to a late departure from Sydney.
We caught the express train to Paddington a then a taxi and to our serviced apartment in the Grand Plaza Hotel in Bayswater. The hotel is a great spot, it only a five minute walk down the road to Bayswater tube station and the shops and the other way a ten minute walk to Kensington Gardens.
After dropping our bags at the hotel we caught the Tube to the Tower of London. The weather was overcast, cool with a little drizzle of rain.
We had a jolly Beefeater as our Tour Guide who had great sense of humour and was a good story teller as well giving us all the historical facts.
We then wandered around on our own visiting the museums and of course viewing the vault which holds the Crown Jewels.
Tom was really engaged and enjoyed the history and was impressed with the Tower Bridge. We did not walk over it but we will before we leave.
We then came back to the hotel to settle in before going to a Italian Restaurant for dinner where I was worried that Tom was going to fall asleep in his pasta!
We were both in bed by 7:30pm!
Tom’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed the Tower of London and my favourite section was the vault contain the Crown Jewels.
Andrew had arranged for Tom to meet up with a family friends who they meet when they lived in London and Andrew played rugby.
The rugby session started in London this weekend and there was a two hour training session on Sunday for the Hammersmith Under 13s team. Tom joined the team with his friend Archie who he hadn’t seen since he was 4 years old.
We then went back to Archie’s place for lunch. There was six boys in total as Archie had twin friends staying for the weekend and he has also has twin brothers who are six years old.
It was a British Empire lunch as the boy’s old Au Pair from Canada and her boyfriend also joined us.
After lunch we all walked along the bank of the Thames over to Bishop’s Park in Fulham. The grounds are beautiful and were packed with families enjoyed the sunshine after a very wet school holidays.
The park is adjacent to the estate of the Bishop of London. The Residence or Bishop’s Palace is beautiful and is surrounded by a walled garden and a community garden which had a path edged with apple trees. The boys had lots of fun hiding in the trees and Tom saw his first squirrel this trip.
We then walked back to the house for coffee and goodbyes before coming back to the hotel for a light supper and bed.
Tom’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed the Rugby session although I was disappointed there was no tackling! I also enjoyed hanging out with Archie!.
We caught the Tube back to The Tower of London so that we could walk over the bridge before we caught the boat around to the London Eye but that wasn’t to be as we hadn’t validated our tickets!
So we had morning tea at Starbucks before venturing over the bridge. It certainly is a grand structure!
It was then back on the Tube and off to South Bank to the London Eye. We were very lucky as the queue were short and there was only around ten of us in each capsule. Everything is geared around the upcoming Rugby World Cup – the London Eye capsules are decorated in one of country’s colours playing in the cup.
It was a fairly clear day so the view was really good.
It was then off on a River Cruise down the Thames where the Guide told us many interesting titbits about the buildings that we were passing.
Our last stop for the afternoon was the Science Museum which is pitched at children and is very interactive.
We did a little retail shopping at the local shopping centre on the way back to the hotel.
Dinner was at one of the local pubs.
Tom’s Thoughts:
He thought the London Eye was really cool! The guy posing without a head outside the Tower of London was pretty cool and took quite a while to convince him that was a person inside the clothes!
He enjoyed the Science Museum and he thought the best section was the red section - Volcano /Earthquake.
First stop today was Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. We did a self-guided tour of the Abbey with commentary which was really interesting and Tom enjoyed finding all the stopping points! One of the interesting things I have found is the lack of English history that Tom knows!
We then caught the tube around to St Pauls Cathedral as Tom wanted to walk over the Millennium Bridge which he had seen during our Thames River Cruise.
Firstly though, it was a big pub lunch as dinner will be fast food at the game tonight! Tom is enjoying the food!
We then looked at the Cathedral and headed over the bridge and had a quick look in the Tate Modern.
Then it was back home to get ready for the trip to Wembley Stadium and the game.
We had to go on 3 different trains which were packed with supporters!
The Football game we saw was between Switzerland and England. There were 75,751 people there although the Stadium wasn’t full! It was a great game with England winning 2 nil. Tom joined in with all the English Supporters and had a great time.
The crowd was well controlled and the trip home wasn’t too bad!
Tom’s Thoughts:
Tom thought the pub and food we had was great! He enjoyed Westminster Abbey and the history.
Although the highlight of the day was the trip to Wembley Park!
Today the first stop was Harrods where first stop was morning tea and the third floor to the Toy Department where we spent a couple of hours! The staff are amazing as they spent tome demonstrating the toys and playing with kids! Tom had a ball! He bought an interactive computer game after some hard decision making!
We then caught the Tube around to Trafalgar Square. He was a bit disappointed that the big lions are now roped off as he could remember sitting on them when he lived in London.
We visited the National Gallery and concentrated on the English Artists such as Turner.
We then headed back to our hotel and walked down to Kensington Palace and the Gardens where we spent a few hours wandering about. We saw lots of squirrels!
We visited the Lady Dianna Children’s Park which was also a favourite of Tom’s when he was little!
Just before dusk we hired bikes and had a great time riding around the park with everyone else!
Tom’s Thoughts:
The highlights today was Harrods and the ride! Boy things!
Today we caught the Eurostar to Paris. The trip was fine and we seemed to cross the channel very quickly and there was no trouble in Calais which is an issue at the moment with the refugees.
Our little apartment is right in the eating district of the Latin Quarter opposite the Seine River on the left bank, near the Notre Dame. It is on the second floor above restaurants and Tom loves the bedroom in the loft!
After putting our bags down it was off exploring but firstly our first taste of Paris food crêpes for afternoon tea.
We then walked over the road to the Note Dame which was a good time to visit as there was a 6pm Mass in progress and the crowds were less! Tom enjoyed lighting candles for the family and chasing the pigeons!
After a walk along the right bank of the Seine we had a lovely meal in one of the restaurants in our street, visited a supermarket for supplies and headed home to bed.
Tom’s Thoughts:
Tom is enjoying the sights of Paris from our window and likes seeing in the Loft!
Today it was up early and off in the train to Disneyland Paris. The trip took about 45 minutes.
The crowd wasn’t too bad when we arrived and the weather was beautiful, sunny but not too hot!
The outside is quite spectacular, the grounds are beautiful!
Once inside it was morning tea whilst we looked at our map and planned our day.
It was then off to the ride section. Our first adventure was to visit Bus Lightyear on a small train and help him fight off the enemy with laser guns. My score was around 4,000 compared to Tom’s which was 75, 000!
The next ride Tom went on turned out to be his favourite and he came back for a second ride before we left. It was called Space Mountain Two, it was a little like a roller coaster but not for me!
Tom and I had fun on the cars – Tom drove.
It was then off to Adventure Land where there was another rollercoaster ride!
Followed by Fantasy Land which was my favourite! Lots of little girls running around dressed in Frozen costumes! Tom did talk me into going on the Dumbo Elephant ride with him!
After lunch we headed off to Movie World and first stop was the Nemo Ride. The queue was over an hour long but Tom said it was worth it!
The crowds became much larger as the day progressed
It was then ice-creams and back to Disneyland for the 5:30pm Parade which we loved- the floats were spectacular!
We then had dinner in a restaurant where there was a buffet- it was great to have a plate full of lovely crisp vegetables and for Tom the desserts!
We headed home around 8pm, tired but happy!
Because of the weather today was a relatively quiet day! We braved the rain with ponchos and umbrellas and caught the tube to the Eiffel Tower which was on the top of Tom’s list to see. At least the rain kept the crowds down!
We caught the lift to the top and the views were spectacular! We weren’t up there too long though as they announced a security alert and we had to go down! We don’t know the reason!
We then found a nice pub and had a long lunch before heading into the city to pick up our Paris Pass for the next two days.
We then headed home and hung around our district for the rest of the day.
Tom’s Thoughts:
Tom really loved seeing and going up the Eiffel Tower!
It was still raining when we started out on our big day of sightseeing but it did improve by early afternoon!
We had a day pass on the Hop on Hop Off Bus so that we could easily get around.
After doing the loop which took about two hours we hopped off and visited the Muses d’Orsay where we spent a couple of hours.
I love the Impressionists so I was in heaven! I was able to introduce Tom to Renoir, Manet, Monet and Van Gough.
The building is amazing it was formally the Gare d’Orsay railway station built in 1900.
The panorama view through the clock face is good fun.
We then headed back to the bus and next stop was the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elyse and the sun was out!
We climbed all the steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe where again the views were wonderful! Top enjoyed watching the traffic chaos in the giant roundabout!
It was then a stroll down the Champs-Elysees admiring the Designer brand shops before we had some dinner and then back to the bus to the stop near the Eiffel Tower to catch our night cruise down the Seine River.
The cruise was beautiful, we cruised under 22 bridges – the lights were very pretty.
We then headed home after a long day!
Tom’s Thoughts:
Tom liked some of the Muses d’Orsay but became a little bored! He did enjoy the Arc De Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees and of course the Eiffel Tower lit up!
This morning it was off to the Louvre bright and early! The Paris Pass certainly helped with beating the queues! The crowds were very big and became larger during the morning!
We hired a talking self-guided tour and Tom led the way!
The Louvre is one of the world’s largest and most diverse museums in the world and holds over 35,000 works. The original building was a fortress built in the early 13th Century and it has ben rebuilt and added on since with the distinctive glass pyramid unveiled in 1989.
Tom enjoyed the large marble statues including the most famous one – Venus de Milo. The painting of course, that everyone goes is the Mona Lisa! Tom commented on how cracked it looked!
We spent the whole morning at the Louvre and even had lunch at their McDonald’s!
It was then off to the Chocolate Museum which had samples!
We then found our way back home before going for a walk to the Luxembourg Palace and gardens.
The strange Paris weather continued and we needed to shelter in a coffee shop until the sun shower cleared.
Tom did some last minute Paris shopping at the Gap Store before we headed home to have dinner and then pack our bags.
Tom’s Thoughts:
Tom really enjoyed the Louvre! It was his favourite museum.
We caught a mid-morning flight to Rome airport where we were picked up by a Driver and taken to our apartment which was located near the Colosseum.
Tom was starving as usual so we dropped off our bags and ventured out to find a restaurant in our local area.
We then ventured down to the Colosseum and wandered around the outside before heading off for dinner,followed by a supermarket for supplies.
I also introduced Tom to Italian gelato and the rule of one a day!
Tom’s Thoughts:
Tom was very impressed with seeing the Colosseum as he had just finished doing a school project on its history. The gelato was also a hit!
Today we spent the day looking at the sights on the Hop on and Hop of Bus. After doing the full loop on the bus our first stop was the Trevi Fountain which was disappointing as it is under refurbishment.
The weather in Rome was very hot – around 35 degrees and very humid!
We found that sitting in restaurants was one of keeping cool so Tom enjoyed a large pizza for lunch!
In the evening we went to my favourite Piazza, Rome’s iconic Piazza Navona. It has a beautiful fountain – Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the 4 rivers)
Piazza Navona has a wonderful atmosphere as it is full of street performers and artists. The architecture is also lovely with beautiful apartment buildings. Tom was fascinated by an artist who was painting with spray cans to music. He was quite a performer and his art was quite good also.
We enjoyed sitting outdoors in a little restaurant watching and listening to the sights!
Tom’s Thoughts:
Tom did not enjoy the heat! Thank goodness our bedrooms are air-conditioned!
Tom loved the Piazza Navona and all the street artists!
Today we spent the morning trying to keep cool!
We made our way to the Victor Emmanuel Monument (the first King of United Italy) which houses the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is aimpressive white building with lots of statues and which the locals call “the wedding cake”.
The current building was used by Mussolini in the Second World War who famously made speeches from the balcony and subsequently the building is not a favourite with the locals. The views from the top were great.
On the way we stopped at the Galleria Shopping arcade where we had a long late morning tea.
At 4pm we met our Guide for our Roman Forum and Colosseum Children’s Tour.
There were only us and another Australian family on the tour. We walked down the road looking at old Roman ruins and the statues as we headed towards the Colosseum. The guide was very informative and told the children lots of little stories.
The Colosseum tour was also great again, we learnt so much.
It was then dinner across the road before heading home.
Tom’s Thoughts:
Tom really enjoyed the Colosseum tour but found the heat hard going!
Today it was an early trip by Metro to the Piazza Del Popolo where we were to start our tour to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii.
There were about 40 of us on the tour with two English speaking guides.
Our first stop was Mount Vesuvius which is 9klms east of Naples. Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano in Europe which last erupted in 1944. Predictions are that it due to erupt again soon with devastating effect, maybe 2017.
The size and shape has changed over time due to the eruptions. We were able to walk up the 1000 metres or so to the crater wall. The view towards Naples was a little hazy.
The walk down along the gravel road was as difficult as the walk up.
We then had a short drive to a hotel on the out skirts of Pompeii for a pizza lunch.
It was then on to see the ruins of Pompeii. Pompeii is an ancient Roman City which was destroyed and buried by ash and pumice during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Today it is an UNESCO Heritage Site. Originally it was thought that the people died from being buried by the ash but it is now known that it was from the toxic gas which escaped from the mountain.
The ruins were very interesting, especially seeing the infrastructure that they built all those years ago including an amphitheatre and running water!
It was a long 14 hour day by the time we had dinner on our return but it was very enjoyable.
Tom’s Thoughts:
Tom enjoyed Pompeii but was bored and hot towards
Our last booked tour in Rome was the Vatican Museum and St Peter’s Basilica. Again, I was so glad that we booked the tour as the lines were enormous! People everywhere. We were informed on arrival that we would not be able to get into the Basilica until after 1:30pm as the Pope was holding a last minute Mass before his oversea tour.
Our tour guide was extremely good and pointed out so much as we walked around.
The Vatican museum was very interesting but the highlight was the Sistine Chapel and the frescoes of Michelangelo! It was very crowded and hot though!
After lunch we were able to visit the Basilica and as we in just after it opened the crowds were small. Tom light a candle for the family.
We then stopped at the Piazza del Popolo to visit the Leonardo de Vinci Museum which was full of interactive models as well as prints of his artwork. Tom really enjoyed it and he also bought a book.
It was then back to the apartment to escape the heat and have a rest.
In the evening we visited the Spanish Steps where we enjoyed our dinner whilst chatting to an English couple.
Tom’s Thoughts:
Tom enjoyed the morning Vatican tour and was interested in the history but found the crowds and heat hard to take. He loved the Leonardo de Vinci Museum!
Joan and I had a good flight arriving in London around 7am, however, getting through Passport Control wasn't good as it took about 3 hours before we had retrived our luggage and were on our way! By then we were really in need of a coffee.
We then headed on the Tube to our our lovely little B& B in Islington which has a really good transport sytem nearby and only one stop from St Pancras where we will catch the Eurostar early on Saturday morning.
We have now picked up all our tickets for our European train trip.
So it is a glass of red, a simple dinner and a hot shower and off to bed!
We were up early this morning and after breakfast and my morning walk we headed off for a day of sightseeing!
Our first stop was Holburn where we had morning coffee and walked down to Smithfield and visited the famous Bartholomew's Hospital (St Barts) which has stood on the site since the 1123. It started out as a monastery and then a hospital for the poor. Some of the existing buildings date back to 1759. The hospital museum was very interesting! The is a plaque stating that it was at St Barts where Sherlock Holmes met Dr Watson!
The Smithfield Markets building is magnificent and was originally the meat markets built in 1867.
Next stop was St Paul's Cathedral gardens which are beautiful at the moment. The colors of the hydrangeas in the gardens around London are just beautiful.
After an early lunch it was off to the British Museum where we spent time looking at the early Asian porcelain, the ancient artefacts and mummies from Egypt as well as some viewing some early British history
Our final stop for the day was Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery which I never get tired of visiting!
We concentrated on the works of some British Artists including Gainsborough ,Turner and Constable as well as viewing works by Rembrandt, Renior, Monet and Van Gough. One of favoutite artworks was The Bathers at Ashieres by Seurat.
It was then back on the Tube home, a bit of rest and then a walk to a local pub for dinner.
Today we ventured into the wharf area. First stop was the Borough Markets which were great,the stalls were so well displayed and the cheeses were amasing.
After coffee we walked down to the Thames and over the London Bridge.
It was very sad to see all the fresh flowers and Memorials for the victims of the recent terrorist attack!
We walked along the river edge via the Queen's Walk, stopping at the shops in the Hay's Galleria, before continuing on to the Tower Bridge. All along the river bank has been recently done up with shops and eateries and an outdoor cinema for the Summer Festival.
Next, we walked over the Tower Bridge and bought some Street Food for lunch from one of the many vendors.
We then walked back past the Tower of London and caught the Tube back home to pack ready for our early start tomorrow.
Later in the afternoon we headed back to Trafalgar Square for some dinner and then on to a string orchestra concert at St Martin-in-the- fields church, "Bach, Handel & Vivaldi". It was a wonderful way to finish our time in London!!
We were up at 4:30 to get ready to catch the Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels.
Our first class trip was great including the breakfast that were served.
Our day changed once we arrived in Brussels! We only had around 30 minutes to catch our train to Cologne, however the kind travel agent had writtenn the platform number on on ticket which of course was wrong and by the time we had found the information board and raced to the platform, the train was shut and the Guard would not let us on.
She was kind enough to take us downstairs to the Reservaion Office so that we could replan our day! Missing the train also affected the connecting train to Hamburg!
The next train was in 4 hours time so we stored our luggage and went for a walk around the surrounding area which had some nice architecture but was very run down, even a lovely old church was closed and fenced off.
We did manage to have wine and nibbles in the Dining Car on the second train!
We finally arrived at our hotel at 10pm, it was just starting to get dark.
So it was a brief walk around the square near our hotel, some supper and off to bed.
After breakfast, we headed off to the station across the road to catch our first train which took us to Copenhagen.
This was a fast train through lovely German countryside which took us to Puttgarden where the train boarded the Prinsese Benedikte ferry to take us across the Baltic sea and into Rodby in Denmark.
Everybody had to leave the train and go up into the ferry which was full of duty free shops and cafes. We enjoyed a light lunch and a glass of Chardoney. The day was a bit grey but it wasn't too wet and windy on the outer deck. The trip took about 45 minutes.
We changed trains at Copenhagen and took a fast train to Stockholm, arriving about 9:30pm.
Dinner was moules and frites at the local pub, apparently it is their specialty and they were delicious!
It was still light when I went to bed at 11:30!
Looking forward to our next three days exploring this wonderful city!!
During the morning we wandered aroond the local area to find our bearings. We found the modern shopping strip which has lovely stores, including all the well known internation brands. We found Ahlèns which is the equivalent of our DJs! The knitwear over here is lovely, the other thing I love is the linen home accessories- the colours are gorgeous and the material is of very high quality.
We wandered on over to the old part of town just in time for a quided tour of the Parliament Houses which was very interesting.
The Parliamentary system is quite different in Sweden, it changed in 1971 and is now a Democracy Government which only has one Chamber. After the election where the people choose the members to form the Riksdag, the party with the most votes (should reach 50%) forms Government, the Speaker is first appointed who then proposes the Prime Minister who in turn chooses the Ministers who then decide on policies to put forward, these are then debated and voted on by all the Members of Parliament (around 300). The Member's sit in their Counties, not with their affiliated party in Parliament. Members of the Riksdag can also put forward po,icies for debate.
The debates are very civil, there is no name calling or bickering!
Actually, if you asked me what stands out in Sweden, I would say the politeness of the people
After lunch in the old town we headed over to Djurgãrden by ferry. The island is also accessible by a bridge which is the way we came back. Since the 1600s the island has been the recreational island for the locals, it now is the home to many museums, lovely gardens, cafes and a large amusement park as well as a small zoo which houses nordic animals.
We spent a couple of hours wandering around the outdoor museum, which is a reconstructed villiage made up of genuine buildings which were relocated in the 60s. The villiage depicts early life in Sweden and the buildings are furnished with genuine furniture and artefacts. The staff in the buildings also wear period costumes.
The weather was strange - sun and then showers and then sun, which meant we had to shelter in a cafe or a bar!
Tomorrow is another day!
Today, after a quiet morning we bought a 24 hour pass for the Hop on and Hop bus and boat as we decided that this was the best way to see the major sights.
Stockholm is built on what was once marsh land around the; edge of Lake Malaren and there are more than 40 bridges crossing the lake. There are over 30, 000 islands in the Stockholm Archipelelago.
First stop was the Royal Palace which is the official residence of the King, the castle has over 600 rooms. It was built in the 18th Century in the Italian Baroque style.We missed the official changing of the Royal Guards but did manage to see them change posts.The Royal Family were not in residence as it is summer holidays here and they have a smaller residence on another island.
We then walked to Stockholm's gothic Cathedral which was built in 1279 and is a magnificent structure, the highlight is the large imposing wooden statue of St George sitting on the Dragon which was added in 1489.
From there we visited the Noble Prize Museum which was very interesting, showing you all the winners from 1901 until today, as well as the life of founder, Alfred Nobel.
Dinner was a typical Swedish meal of meatballs, mashed potato and picked cucumbers washed down with a glass of Spanish red.
After an early morning walk followed by breakfast it was off to begin our last day of exploring.
We were disappointed to find that the National Museum was closed for renovation which meant we weren't able to view the city's art collection.
Our first stop was the Opera House to purchase some tickets to a short Summer Concert, we also had a very pleasant walk around the park plus morning tea.
Our next stop was the Vasa Museum which is Stockholm's maritime museum and contains the fully preserved sailing ship, the Vasa which sank in Stockholm in 1628 whilst on its maiden voyage.
The mighty wooden warship was salvaged some 333 years in 1962 after lying in clay and mud all those years.
The Vasa was built with many coloured wooden statues and artwork adorning it, as well as 64 gun holes. Many artifacts and bits of furniture were also recovered. There were over 100 crew and around 300 soldiers on board when it sunk just outside the harbour. It was meant to be the flagship of the Swedish fleet.
It was a huge effort to recover the vessel once it was discovered in the 1950s, divers dug tunnels underneath so that it could be carefully lifted up in one piece. The divers could only stay under the water for an hour at a time.
It was amasing to see and read about!
We then walked over to the Nordic Muesum which is Sweden's largest museum of cultural history. The focus of the museum is people living in Sweden and the Nordic region. It is very well done, with glass display areas set up as rooms of a particular era or class of people, depicting daily life.
From there we went back to the Opera House for a glass of champagne and our little concert.
I loved Stockholm - the people; the food; the history and the architecture as well as the fact that it on the water!!
A last walk around the city and morning tea in this cute little bakery I found and then it was off to the railway station to begin our five hour journey to Copenhagen where are staying for the next four nights.
The scenery was great and the journey gave me time to catch up on my blog!!
We arrived about 5:30 pm and after becoming a little lost we found our hotel.
Our hotel is on the edge of town in a new area, still near the canal though but quite different to the others we have stayed in. It is huge with two great towers and over 600 rooms as it is also the Copenhagen Convention Centre. It is called the Tivoli and the decor is very much around Han Christian Anderson with huge wooden toy soldiers in the foyer.
We had dinner at one of the three restaurants in the hotel then went for a walk along the waters edge.
In this part of the world it is daylight in the summer from 4:30 to 10:30pm which has taken a bit to get used to!! The temperature is in the early 20s during the day and thete are octen aftsrnoon showers.
We were out early and on the first Hop On and Off bus for the day, we are lucky as the hotel is one of the stops.
We stopped at the water boat terminal and took a sightseeing boat around the waterways which took about 1.5 hours. It was great, it took us under many little bridges which go across the many canals as well as out into the wider harbour where we saw the naval boats. We also went around the residential area and past the Christina Freetown which is an area of public land which is a self-proclaimed autonomus neighborhood of about 850 residents who live in these cute houses and houseboats in a hippie like community.
We then wandered around the Gammel Strand square where we had morning tea and looked at the local shops including, Georg Jensen and the beautiful Royal Copenhagen china shop.
After lunch we visited the National Gallery which houses Danish and foreign artworks dating back to the 14th century as well as the Geological Museum.
We also visited The Little Mermaid sitting on her rock and finished the afternoon with a walk and afternoon tea in the Botanical Gardens.
It was then a visit and a little shopping in the large department store "Magasin du Nord" which first opened in Denmark in 1892, however the chain is now owned by the British chain, Debenhams.
We went to a lovely seafood restaurant "The Fish Market" for dinner before catching a bus back to the hotel.
Today we started out by visiting Churchhillparken which is a lovely park near the water, named in honour of Sir Winston Churchill to commerate the British assistance in the liberation of Denmark during World War 11.
In the park there is a magnificent fountain and the Anglican Church of Denmark.
We then walked down to the Amalienborg Palace, the home of the Danish Royal Family, including Fredrick and Mary. It consists of four identical palaces on the edge of an octagonal courtyard. The families mainly live there in the winter.
Across then to the Cathedral which was lovely but not as palacial as Stockholm's. On our way back to the centre of the city we stumbled across a lovely little street of antique shops and local boutiques.
Lunch was more seafood by the water. The view was magnificant!
The city was very busy today as there about 4 cruise ships in town so the queues are longer!
After lunch we visited the Rosenberg Castle, a 400 year old Renaissance palace built by Christian 1V in several stages. It is now a museum depicting royal life down through the ages and houses some magnificant art works, furnishings including giant tapestries and of course the royal jewels, including crowns.
After a rest at the hotel we walked to a great eating area recommended to us by the Concierge. It is called the Meatworks and it was once the meat and fish markets. It is now rows of eateries with outdoor seating.
Barbecued pork with Danish potato salad and green salad was the fare of the day.
The weather today was gorgeous! The temperature was 22 degrees and very sunny! It actually felt hotter than what it was!
The biggest thing that we have had to get used to in Copenhagen are the bikes. Apparently, in Denmark there is an average of 2 bikes per person. The bike lanes which are very wide are part of the road system and are situated between the road and the footpath.
If you step off a bus or out of a taxi, it is very easy to step in front of a very fast cyclist/s and they don't' like it!
There are always hundreds of bikes parked out shops and other public places.
This morning we walked to Tivoli Gardens, stopping at a Flea Market on the way which was fun.
Tivolli Gardens was just lovely, set in acres of lovely established gardens full of flowering plants and scrubs and manicured lawns. There are also lovely fountains and pools.
There are plenty of cafes, ice cream palors, merchandise shops as well as fast food outlets in Side Show Alley.
It just had a lovely, almost elegant atmosphere, there was some screaming that could be heard from some of the rides but other than that everyone was strolling around, eating in the outdoor cafes or having picnics on the lawn whilst watching the entertainment.
We had morning coffee and then stayed on for an early lunch before going for a walk to the Denmark National Museum, passing the statue of Hans Christian Anderson on the way
The early religious artifacts from churchs which was interesting.
It was then a visit to the Ny Carsburg Glyptoteket Gallery to see an Exhibition of French artists.
The building was beautiful, a mixture of old and new architecture with a beautiful courtyard joining the two wings.
The exhibition was hung in 3 timespans in reverse chronological order. The period was 1968 to 1809. It was really good, there were also alot of Degas's bronze statues which I had seen in Melbourne last year. There were also works by Monet, Manet, Rubens, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cèzanne and Besnard.
We then strolled back home via the canal and watched all the young people swimming and basking in the sun.
Dinner was more wonderful seafood at the "Meatworks" restaurant and bar area where we sat with a very interesting Danish couple for half our meal and then an Americian family joined us and of course we had the obligatory "Trump" conversation!
It was a long day on trains today but quite fun! We actually went on 3 trains altogether, one of the stops was Hamburg which still had visible police presence after the G20!
Train travel is very pleasant and interesting and going First Class you are well looked after and there is always the opportunity for an afternoon wine!
The scenery was lovely, especially between Hamburg and Cologne however, the intercity train was going so fast it was hard to take photos and carrying your coffee was a bit hairy!!
We arrived in Cologne and walked to our hotel which is situated just behind the Cathedral.
We had found an old Berman pub in the square for dinner and had typical meal of german sausage, fried potatoes and salad.
We then went on a sight seeing walk down the little side streets and down along and the cathedral was spectacular with the sun shinging on it!!
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Today we were up early so that we could continue our exploring of Cologne before our late morning train to Heidelberg.
We did a long walk down through the old town towards the river and back up to the Cathedral where we were able to go inside before the crowds arrived. It is certainly a spectacular building, both the interior and the exterior!
Our train trip was fairly short and we arrived in Heidelberg around 2pm. Our hotel was situated on the edge of the old town.
Heidelburg is a beautiful city - a mixture of old and new. We walked down through a big Mall full of all the well known European Disigner brands and into the old town which was a maze of beautiful old coloured buildings and lovely narrow streets.
First stop was a coffee and then a visit to the old Holy Ghost Church which was first mentioned 1239. This was followed by a drink and some people watching in the square.
We then caught the Funicular to the top of the mountain where the view over the city was amasing, especially the view of the river and the old bridge!! It was then down to the next level to view the old castle by then the afternoon showers had arrived!
The castle buildings and gardens were surrounded buy a huge fort. The first buildings were built around 1533 and the uppsr story was added between 1610 - 1619. However, it was blowned up during the Palatinate War of Succession in 1693 a d the rebuilt.
After the castle we went back down in the Funicular to the old town where ae had a german meal of Weiner schnitzel which was great!
This was followed by a stroll over the wonderful old bridge which was built in .........
The castle high up the mountain overlooking the bridge looked very imposing!!
Heidelburg is certainly one of my favourite cities!!
Our train trip today was quite long but very pretty as we travelled down through Germany and Austria and into Slovenia.
We had one small hiccup about 15klms from Lake Bled, there had been a goods train derailment earlier in the day and we were transferred to buses for the last part of our journey.
Our next change was to our hotel, we were bumped due to a large tour group and we were sent over to anothe Hotel with an upgrade!!
Both of us had a hugh suite with a large two sided balcony with amasing views over Lake Bled facing the castle. The whole of the lakeside is lit up at night and it looked like a fairytale!!
We ate dinner at a lakeside restaurant before going for a walk along the edge of the lake.
The only downside of our hotel was the amount of stairs up to it from the lake!
Today we were up early and off to the bus station so that we could catch a ride to the National Park to visit the Zgornje Gorge. We ended up getting a driver.
It was a beautiful 5 klm walk each way along a wooden path with running creek water and small rapids.
The gorge itself is the site of the high old raiway bridge which was built through the cutting in 1891.
We were came back up there was a line of over 150 people waiting to pay!
On our return our Driver picked us up and took us up the rocky hilltop to the Bled Castle, by then we were ready for coffee and cake.
The Bled Castle is one of the oldest castles in Slovenia. Its first written mention is in 1011.
The image of the castle towering above Lake Bled and its romantic island and church has earned Bled worldwide fame!
The castle buildings are spread over two courtyards and the museum tells the history of the Bled region from the Bronze Age to the present.
The views of the Gorenjska region, tucked between the mountain ranges of Karavanke and the Julian Alps are breathtaking!
We then walked down the hillside stopping at thw beautiful Catholic Church of St Martin, which was a lot simpiler inside but very beautiful and tranquil.
Lunch was in a restaurant by the lake.
Our afternoon was spent quietly, I had a wonderful facial at the Wellness Centre and Joan had a rest.
At 4:30pm we headed out again again, this time we took a boat powered by a man standing with two long oars acoss the lake to Bled Island. There were about 14 people on the boat.
The attraction on the island is the beautiful church. There was a small Wedding Reception taking place in the gardens.
The ringing bell has always very dear to many pilgrims and visitors to the island. By ringing the bell (which we did) you commend yourself to the Mother of God in hopes that our wishes are fulfilled.
On our return we strolled up to an old inn which is a guest house and restaurant and we had a wonderfull meal whilst sitting outdoors, savouring the view once more.
I talked Joan into sharing the famous Bled Cake for dessert!
When we paid our bill the owner gave us each a long stemed rose which was a perfect ending to a wonderful day!
During my last trip to Slovenia I fell in love with Ljubljana and I was keen to share it with Joan so we caught the local bus which took about 1:5 hours as the bus stopped at little towns along the way.
When we left Lake Bled it was raining as it was when we arrived in Ljubljana so we caught a taxi up to the castle where we had morning tea, wandered around and looked at the displays. The castle was also a prison from the mid 1800s, the conditions were pretty gruesome!! Women and men were imprisoned there.
We caught the Funicular to down to the Market Square and by then the rain had gone.
Friday is market day in Ljubljana, scattered around in the different squares, we found clothes, fruit and vegetables as well as wonderful food markets which was where we had lunch.
One of the best ways to see Ljubljana is by boat, the trip took about an hour and a half and we travelled along past the residential areas and parklands as well as under the old bridges in the old town.
One of the most spectular Cathedrals which we have been to, is the Saint Nicholas in Ljubljana! The two hugh doors have bronze carvings embedded into them, one has a series of busts of previous Bishops.
I love any city with a canal running through the middle and Ljubljana is no exception, there are rows of outdoor eateries lining the edges on both sides with beautful old buildings in the old town and a mixture of old and new bridges giving the foot traffic access to either side.
Dinner was back in Lake Bled at a wonderful little restaurant in a Penzion next to our hotel.
We sat in the garden and listened to piano music whilst dining on the superd food. We started with chicken liver pàte followed by chicken breast stuffed with truffles and seasonal vegetables washed down with a French Chardoney! Perfect for Battelle Day!
I loved Laked Bled just as much as I did during my first visit and it was made all the more special by the hotel!
I went out for an early morning walk to have one final look at our wonderful surrondings.
After breakfast we caught a taxi to Lesce, a little town just outside of Lake Bled to continue our journey.
Today we travelled back into Austria and up to Innsbruck where we are spending the next three nights. We travelled high up into the alps and the scenery was beautiful, the clouds were low over the mountains and the houses were adorned with beautful flowers hanging over the balconies. We saw lots of ski slopes along the way as well as hikers.
We changed trains at Schwarzach just before lunch which we had in the diining car.
The train was full of young backpackers as well as bikers, their bikes travel in a designated carriage.
We arrived in Innsbruck around 3:30pm and booked into our hotel which is just out side the walls of the old town, " Grauer Baer" which translates as grey bear!
Innsbruck appears to be is quite large and of course is quite a famous ski resort in Winter. The Winter Olympics were held here in 1964 and 1974. Skiers also train here during the summer.
The old town was once a walled city and the old buildings date back to the 1400s.
The buildings are well maintained and their colours are beautiful! Some of them are very ornate.
I am sure that The McDonalds store is one of their most beautiful stores in the world!
We spent the afternoon wandering around the city and admiring the sights. There appears to be more tourists around but that might be because the streets in the old town are narrow.
The Inn River runs through Innsbruck, it is a right tributary of the Danube. It is very pretty a long the river bank.
We had dinner in a lovely old pub in the old town and the did some more strolling around.
There was the beautiful sound of music everywhere from some local buskers, incuding a man playing a violin.
Just beautiful!!
Today was a beautiful day - sunny skies and around 23 degrees.
Being Sunday we had a little bit of a late start.
Innsbruck is capital of the Provence of Tyrol and was founded in 1180. The original County of Tyrol was handed over to the Dukes of Austria in 1248 and Innsbruck was once was the residence of the Habsburg Royal Family.
After buying our 48 hour Innsbruck pass we started our sightseeting tour on foot.
Our first stop was the Tyroleal Museum of Popular Art which is mainly a museum of early life in the area. The museum contains lots of farm implements, householdwares and costumes as well as beautfully decorated furniture, much of it with folk art.
After trying some local apple strudel for morning tea, we visited St James Cathedral (Dom St Jakob) which was first built around 1270 but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1689.
It was completely rebuilt in high Baroque style between 1717 - 1724.
Next it was the Imperial Castle (Hofburg), the original castle dates back to the late middle ages and was built in 1460 as a royal residence for the Tyrolean Sovereigns. Over the years it was built onto and restyled by later Emperors, the last addition was by Empress Maria Theresia. There are over 400 rooms with many state rooms on display which are filled with wonderful portraits of the Royal Family as well as splendid furnishings.
After lunch we used the sightseeing bus to take us up to the Ambras Palace which stands in the middle of beautiful grounds. The medieval castle built in the 11th Century and was first used by visiting German Royality on their way to Rome.
It has a wonderful collection of artworks and Knights' armour.
On the way back down the hill we stopped to have a panoramic view of the city.
We later wandered into the old town for dinner and whilst we were eating we were entertained by a group of young engineering students who were busking around the country during their University break.
Another great day!
Before breakfast I took a lovely walk through the Court Gardens (Hofgarten) which is around the corner from our hotel and across the road from the Imperal Castle. It wasn't a fast walk as I was too busy admiring my surroundings and taking photos!
Today we visited sights outside the old town. Our first stop was the Funicular Station at Congress Hall where we travelled up in a very modern vehicle to Hungerburg which is 860m above sea level.
The town area is quite big with hotels and chalets which I am sure are busy in winter, although there were a lot of hikers and bikers about.
After a wander around the town, a look at the wonderful view below as well a visit to the lovely little Theresien church, we continued onto the next level in a cable car.
The Seegrube Station is 1.905m above sea level. It was a little hazy but the view was still wonderful. We had morning tea which was shared with the local black crows. A couple of hang gliders also enertained us.
The weather was gorgeous today and the temperature reached around 29 degrees.
We were ready to go down when we discovered that there was a mechanical fault with the cable car and it turned out that it was about 1.5 hours before it was running again.
We decided to have lunch out on the viewing deck whilst we were waiting and then took a short walk along a trail. When the cable car finally arrived we waited until the crowd of people had been taken down before we ventured down!!
Our next stop on the red bus was a lovely area of Innsbruck where the expensive real estate is. The land alone costs €250,000 a square metre which does not include a building.
The large stately houses are beautiful, some of them have small frescoes on the outside and all of them have large gardens and the streets are lined with deciduous trees.
We caught a local tram back to town and had afternoon tea was in the famous Sacher Tea House built in the outer walls of the Imperial Castle.
The Sacher chocolate torte cake was introduced by Austrian Franz Sacher in1832 for royality, he then went on to build the famous Sacher Hotel in Vienna.
The torte was just as delicious as one I had a few years ago in Vienna!!
Next it was back on the red bus to visit the Wilten Basillica which was first mentioned in 1259, as the "Our Lady" which became a place of pilgrimace to the Virgin Mary. The ruins of the first 5th century church have been found underneath.
The was an interesting grave yard in the garden.
We were hoping to visit the Wilten Abby across the road but you can not do a tour without an appointment! The present Baroque building dates back to the 1650s, although it was heavily bombed by the Americans in 1944 after having been looted and partially destroyed a couple of years earlier.
It is still used as a high order catholic church where a lot of pastoral work is carried out.
We again caught the local tram back to the city.
We completed our day with a great meal in a little restaurant we found tucked away in a little side street of the old town.
Innsbruck has stolen my heart!!
Today we left Austria and travelled up in to the Alps of Switzerland in the Glacier Express through some of the most beautiful countryside!
We passed over bridges and through tunnels and marvelled at the little villiages below.
We saw lots of hikers and bikers out on the trails which pass through the fields and down beside the creeks
There were cows grazing in the meadows and we could hear their bells clanging as we passed!
St Moritz is a luxury alpine resort town in Switzerland’s Engadin valley about 1800 metres above sea level.
It has a mixture of lovely old buildings plus new modern apartments and hotels.
It has hosted the Winter Olympics twice, has the Cresta Run, a world-championship bobsled run made of natural ice, and an outdoor Olympic ice rink. Its frozen lake in Winter, hosts polo, cricket and even horse racing!
We were picked up by the hotel as the villiage is half way up the mountain from the railway line. It overloos the lake with the alps towering behind. There is visible snow on the top.
The hotel is very nice and has its own patisserie and chococlate shop. All the shops appear to be expensive.
We wandered up to the square to do some window shopping before stopping for a light meal in a patisserie/ cafe which overlooks the lake and mountains.
Tomorrow is a day of exploring!
Today was a day of heights!!
We started out early to go to the top of the alps.
It reach the top peak, Piz Nar which is 3057 metres above sea level, we caught two Funiculars and then a cable car to the top. We rode straight to the top and then visited the other stations on the way down.
The view was amazing from the viewing bridge, although a bit hazy. It wasn't as cold as I thought it might be.
We had coffee at the Panoramarestaurant which is curved and has wonderful views of the snow capped peaks nearby!
It was then back down to the next level, Corviglia which is 2489 metres above seal level. This is the level where hikers and walkers start from. It also has a restaurant and gorgeous views.
We then continued down to the first level, Marguns which as well as a cute outdoor bar has some lovely villas. There were pretty wildflowers growing on the side of the mountain and the view down to St Moritz was gorgeous.
It was then back to the hotel to drop off our coats and to start exploring the town.
We stumbled across this beautiful villa, Cresa Veglia which has a large terrance overlooking, the beautiful 5 star hotel, Badrutt's Palace which was built in the late 1800s and just looks like a Palace, complete with a Rolls Royce out the front!
We sat in the terrace which was a maze of large containers of colourful petunias, and had a cold drink whilst marvelling our beautiful surroundings!
Every designer and well and known boutigue have a beautiful store in the cobbled streets of St Moritz!
We visited a beautiful chocolate shop, Läderach and I bought a sample for later.
It was then down to Lake St Moritz by escalator where we had lunch at the Sailing Club whilst watching some children complete their sailing lesson.
In the early evening we caught the local bus to the Funicular to reach Mount Murgal which is 2454 metres above seal level to attend an outdoor concert. We saw well known English Jazz Singer, Jamie Cullum. It was the first concert of the Jazz Festival which is on for the next two weeks.
The concert was free and was great, hie also plays the piano and his backing group were very good.
We bought some food from one of the vendors. The atmosphere and the venue was amasing.
It did get quite cold as nightfall came as the mountain faces south.
We left a little early as we heard that last year, it took to two hours to catch the Funicular back down.
The night was finished by a drink and a hot swiss chocolate back at the hotel.
Today was a day of "wow factor"!!
We took a seven hour trip on the Bernia Express train down over the border to Italy to a villiage called Tirano.
The scenery was absolutely beautiful!
The Bernia Epress railway runs along 122 kilometres of track, passing through 55 tunnels and over 196 bridges and viaducts. The line followed by the Bernia Express is a masterpiece of engineering skills, its combination with the surrounding landscape is what constitutes its recognition as UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008.
There were many highlights during our trip!!
The train stopped high in the alps at a lovely stone station called Alp Grüm where
we stopped for a photo shoot. The grounds were a mass with wild alpine flowers and you could see over Cavaglia and on to the Italian Alps beyond.
There were some beautiful lakes, which were a gorgeous blue/ green. The biggest and prettiest one was Lake Bianco which flows via the Danube into the Black Sea.
One of the most spectacular sights was the the Cavaglia Glacer and the nearby town of Cabvaglia boasts a large hydro power station. Over 60% over Switzerland's power is supplied by hydro electricity.
Another spectular part of the trip was going over the Brusio circular 360 degree viaduct, it was built to allow the railway to perform a change of height in a very short time.
We were able to get some great photos of the long train as it curled around! There were also lots of tourists watching and taking photos from the ground!
At times the train track was so close to the road that you felt like that you were on a tram!!
We had a two hour stop in Tirano where we had some great Italin pasta before a walking on a sightseeing tour around the town. The only disappointment was that the retail shops closed from 12:30 until 3pm!
On the return trip we treated ourselves to a glass of bubbles.
Naturally, timber is a very big primary industry in the alps and we saw timber mills and goods trains carrying large logs along the way.
We were back in St Moritz about 4:30 and we ventured out again an hour later for a drink at one of the bars in a square which was followed by a lovely dinner at the oldest hotel in St Moritz.
Another wonderful day in Switzerland!!
Today we caught the Glacier Express to Zermatt along the railway line which is the other section which is part of the UNESCO Hertiage.
Again, the scenery was magic, but to me I didn't think it was quite as pretty as the line to Italy or maybe I am just a little spoilt from all the beautiful scenery that I have seen lately!!
The track was an enginering marvel, the highest bit of the trip is the Oberalppass which is 2033 metres above sea level. The train uses its cog wheels to climb, you can hear the sound of the cogs and feel it pulling!!
We also crossed over the famous Landwasser Viaduct which was built in 1902 and is 65 metres high and 142 metres long and is constructed with five walled pillars.
The trip took all day and they provide silver service for lunch, complete with linen tablecloths and serviettes!!
The train still runs in Winter and they have large snow ploughs which can move 19 tons of snow per minute!!
There were lots of beautiful rivers along the way and we saw lots of people fishing as well as white water rafting in one place. Again, hikers and bikers everywhere!!
Zermatt, our destination is 1604 metres high and it is the nearest town to the famous Materhorn Mountain. I was not aware that the Toblerone chocolate was designed to represent the mountain range!!
The train also uses the cog wheels to go from Visp up to Zermatt.
We arrived in Zermatt around 5pm and were met by the hotel porter in a little electric van. There are no cars in Zermatt.
Our hotel is just gorgeous! It is third generation family owned and is like something out of a picture book! It is also in a quiet area , through the town and right next to the river - I can hear it running from my room. The little rivers do run very fast over here though.
It started raining just after we arrived so after a quick walk and a bit of down time, we decided to eat in.
After all the fishing I had seen along the way, I decided to have fresh trout - it was delicious!!
Today we spent the day enjoying the sights of Zermatt and of course trying to get close to the Matterhorn.The Matterhorn stands 4,478 metres above sea level and can be seen from most parts of Zermatt and beyond. In saying that, a great part of the mountain is often covered by cloud, which can come in very quickly.After my early morning walk, followed by breakfast, we headed out. Our first stop was Sunnegga which is one of the ski slopes and is 2288 metres above sea level, to reach it we took two Funiculars.In the Summer it is very popular with hikers, we went for walk along one of the trails which was very pretty, the ground was covered with wildflowers and the pine trees were tall and very green.The snow topped peak of the Matterhorn was very clear and looked like a serve of icecream.After our walk we returned to the town where we enjoyed wandering around as well as our morning tea and and an early lunch.We visited the Memorial built to honour the men and women who have lost their lives trying to conquer The Matterhorn. The number stands at over 300.The chalets and hotels are just gorgeous, they all have beautiful window boxes brimming with brightly coloured petunas and geraniums.By early afternoon the narrow streets in the town were quite busy and they were even busier in the evening after all the mountain climbers and hikers arrived back!It was then time to venture up to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise which is one of the closest viewing points to see the top of the mountain. We caught a cable car up which was quite expensive and for me a little scary! It stopped a couple of times in the middle and was swaying in the breeze! I enjoyed the trip down better!!In saying that, it was well worth it! I thought the surrounding smaller mountains and the glaciers were spectacular. It was quite cold and while we were there it became windy and the top of the mountain was soon covered with clouds. A hot Swiss chocolate in the restaurant helped!That evening we wandered down to the square and had a drink on the terrance of the Grand Hotel Zermattadorf whilst listening to the piano player before having dinner nearby. An afternoon storm prevented us from eating outdoors.
Today we moved on to our last stop Switzerland, Zurich which is in the northern part and is the largest city but is not the capital, this is Bern. It is though, the global financial and banking capital.
Zurich is very much a mixture of old and new and has a river, the Lammat running through the old town with many lovely bridges.
The trip was pretty, the train was the Matterhorn and again used the cog system, to come down the mountain to a town called Visp where we changed to a very nice intercity train. It is certainly very comfortable travelling First Class in the trains around Europe!!
The second leg only took two hours and we passed through many towns as well as the city of Bern, along the way.
The agriculture land is so green and many of the towns are situated by a lake.
Our hotel is lovely, it is old although it has been remodelled and it is situated on the edge of a lovely square. It's restaurant is very famous for serving the traditional cheeese fondues.
We spent the afternoon wandering around the old town, criss-crossing the bridges and
admiring the wonderful architecture and understanding the history.
We had a great dinner at a little restaurant in a tiny square near our hotel.
Today was the first rainy morning we have had during our trip!!
We had booked a four hour tour " Cityrama" which left around 11am.
The information provided by the tour guide was very interesting but it was very wet when we got out of the bus and not a good day for photos!
The bus took us out of Zurich along the lake to a place Rapperswil, which has along history and is known as the city of roses. It also boasts a castle.
We saw the factories of many well known brands along the way, including 3M, Lindt and IBM. IBM also have a large housing estate for some of their 3000 employees.
Watches remains the number 3 export industry for Switzerland.
We decided that it was too wet to venture up the castle so we sheltered in the restaurant and enjoyed a nice swiss meal of quiche.
We came back to Zurich by ourselves on a boat (part of the tour) which was really good. The rain had stopped and we pulled into a few stops along the way, the trip took about 2 hours.
Lake Zurich is 400 klms long and 2 klms wide and flows into the River Rhine at Basel.
There were some gorgeous little towns along the way, some with vineyards growing up the side of the hill. Also some beautiful houses, complete with a boathouse.
After we docked, we wandered over to the Opera House which is a beautiful white and grey stone building sitting on the edge of a big square.
It is orginally built 1891 and houses both the Opera and Ballet companies. It was renovated between 1982 and 1984 at a huge cost. There was a large youth protest in the Square in May '82 because of the high subsidies and lack of youth programs.
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around before a lovely dinner in the square.
Another great day in Switzerland!
Today we were tourists in Zürich.
First it was coffee in a nice square over the otherside of the river.
Our first stop was the old church, the Fraumunster which was built in 1898 on top of a 9th century convent and during the construction, the old crypt was discovered.
The protestant church was quite plain compared to the catholic churches (which is the norm), we had seem previously, but still beautiful. The main feature in the church is the set of beautiful stained glass windows done by Marc Chagall in the s and is a big tourist attaction.
We then walked over to the Kùnsthaus, the main art gallery in Zürich. The interior of the gallery was stunning and the Gallery has a wonderful collection of paintings of Dutch, Italian and Swiss Renaissance as well as french Impressionists and a great collection of Chagall.
Afterwards we caught a tram which took us to an area we hadn't wanted to go to but after some map reading, asking directions and a lot of walking we found ourselves in the main shopping precinct, the Bahnhofstrasse, which is full of all the well known brands and boutiques from Switzerland and across the globe as well as the hierarchy of Swiss Department stores. The streets were lined with trees and of course the tram lines. It is a lovely part of the city!
There is no underground railway in Zurich but the transport system of trams and buses is excellent. There is though, a lot of upheaval at the moment as there are extending the tramlines throughout the main city area.
We found a lovely little cafe for lunch in a little alleyway which leads on to an old square.
The area was a marketplace in the 13th Century.
Next we headed down to the Landesmuseum, which is the national museum of Zurich.
It is currently undergoing major renovations at the moment.
The building was built in 1898 and is replica of an old french chateau. The parts we looked out were mainly about the history of Switzerland, including the their role in the 2nd World War, as well as their industrial history.
After a coffee stop at the museum we walked back to our hotel.
Dinner that night was Moules and Frites at the French Restaurant in our square which incluxed some bubbles to start my Birthday Celebration (Australian time).
Today after breakfast and receiving some Birthday wishes from family and friends, we set out on our adventure!
It commenced at the Zurich's main railway station, the Bahnhof which is like a small city, with masses of eateries and shops and today there was a fresh food market as well!
1600 trains go from the station every day!
We bought a return ticket to Lucerne and the trip took around 50 minutes.
Swiss trains are great, thsy are so clean and comfortable, the train on the way back even had a Children's play area, complete with slippery dip!!
When we arrived and walked out of the station, the scenery was "wow factor"!!
The old city sits on the edge of Lake Lucerne which then runs into the Reuss River where it has many beautiful old foot bridges running over it.
Some the sights included the wooden Chapel Bridge which was constructed during the first half of 14th Century as part of the city's fortification. The lovely painted panels were added in the 17th Century and portray scenes of early Swiss life. It also has beautiful flowers hanging over both sides acoss the whole span.
Next to it stands the old water tower which is over 34 metres high and was built in the 1300th Century and over the years has been used as an archive, treasury, prision and a torture chamber!
The other beautiful old bridge is the Spreurer Bridge which is the oldest wooden brige in Switzerland, being completed in 1408. It also features 67 old paintings.
We visited the lovely Jesuit Church , this was established around 1666 and was the first large Baroque building to be erected in Switzerland.
One of the intertesting attractions on the lake is the Needle Dam which was installed in 1859/60 to regulate the water level by the removal or insertion of timber needles.
After morning tea we took a walk up the big hill to the Musegg Wall which has nine towers and was part of the original city walls. There was a wonderful view over the city from the top of the walls! It also has a lovely clock tower which rings over the city.
After lunch, which we had in a little cafe by the river, we walked over to the wharf to catch the panorama yacht the "Saphir", to go on an hour cruise around the lake.
The sun was now trying to come out and the trip was just magic!! We passed by lovely castles perched hill on a hill on one side and some beautiful homes on the other!
Mount Polatus looked great with some low cloud hanging around.
Back on shore it was afternoon tea in the other part of town and afterwards we also visited the Chuch of "St Leger im Hof" which is high on a hill and was first built as a Monastery around 1135 and it was rebuilt in 1633 after being burnt to the ground.
It is a beautiful building , with cloisters on the edge of the courtyards which are used as tombs, the garden beds around them were lovely.
We relaxed on the train on the way back in preparation for dinner which we had at a little Thai restaurant near our holtel. The food was great!
A Birthday to remember!!
Today I was a little sad to leave Switzerland! I have loved it although it is quite expensive! A cup of coffee is equivalent to $8:20 Australian! and those who know me, know that I like my coffee!!
That aside, the scenery is magnificent, the country is one of the cleanest that I have ever been to and the people are lovely, although a bit reserved. Everything is organised, runs properly and is on time.
We caught the TGV train from Zurich which up through France to Paris and then we took the Eurostar to London, arriving about 7:45 pm and finally a taxi back to our little Airbnb flat in Islington!
We have seen and done so much over the last month, the trip on the trains has been amasing!
We were given wine and dinner on the Eurostar so we decided to just go for a walk to brush away the cobwebs, and typical London weather, it started raining on the back!!
Over the next 3 days we are having some down time and we will be using the washing machine!
Today we had no real plans so we just "wandered"!!
We caught the tube to Hyde Park Corner as Joan wanted to visit the Australian War Memorial, it was designed by her Artist cousin, Janet Laurence. The wall is semi circular and is made of western Australian granite stone and commemorates all the Australian Men and Women who served in the First and Second World Wars by listing the towns in Australia where they enlisted from. It was dedicated in 2003.
We then walked over to Hyde Park and bought morning tea which we had in the Rose Garden.
The gardens are certainly very pretty at this time of year and being the summer school holidays there were plenty of families about.
We continued on walking in the park until we reached the Albert Memorial which is a hugh ornate memorial situated in front of the Royal Albert Hall, it was erected by Queen Victoria during her mourning period, after the death of her husband.
Our walk continued by the lake and went over into Kensington Gardens and around past the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain where there were lots of children paddling.
Then on to Kensington Palace, where the main garden has been all planted in white, in honour of the 20th Anniversary of Dianna' s death, next month. It was lovely!!
We then walked down Kensington Palace Garden Road (the most expensive street in London!!), past all the stately Embassy and privately owned houses to Bayswater Road where we caught a bus into High Street, the mecca shopping area of London!
We spent some time browsing in the beautiful old four storey Liberty store before having lunch in a little cafe in Soho.
I then took Joan down to one of my favourite places in London, Covert Gardens, the old hall is full of beautiful shops and high quality market stalls as well as eateries, there is always plenty of street performers to provide entertainment, as was the case today!! In the 1800s, Covert Garden was London's fruit and vegetable market place.
We then walked along past the theatres in Drury Lane and then on to the Royal Opera House before we caught the tube back to Islington.
We went to this tiny Ethiopian Restaurant for dinner where we were greeted and looked after by the owner who was also the cook, we enjoyed her amazing food which we ate the traditional way with our fingers and injera bread.
This morning We were up early to catch the tube to go to Notting Hill to the Portobello Markets which is one of my favourite places to go whilst in London. The markets are largely antiques stalls and I can' t begin to describe the amount of stuff there!! Over the years I have bought a few lovely things as I did today!. There are also general stalls as well as wonderful food and fresh fruit and veges. The stalls seem to go on for miles!!
Joan and I caught up with my friend Bev who lives in Melbourne which was great! The morning included coffee and a lovely savoury tart from one of the stalls.
We were glad that we went early as it became very crowded later in the morning!
It was the back on the Tube and in to Knightsbridge to visit Harrods which was probably the other end of the scale!
It is still as wonderful as ever and we spent most of the time in the food halls admiring the wonderful displays before having afternoon tea in one of the cafes.
In the evening went to a great pub for dinner which I had found on the internet.
Before we went to Europe I booked tickets to visit the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace which are open every Summer when they are not used in an official capacity. In all my trips to the UK I had never managed to do this and I wasn' t disappointed!!
It is a self guided tour with the aid of an audio guides. We visited about 10 rooms as well as grand entrances and went up stately staircases.
Buckingham Palace has been the official royal residence since the 1820s when George V had it decorated by famous architect, John Nash. It was added on to during the reign of Queen Victoria to accomodate her large family
The last major addition to the Palace took place in the late 19th century. It has over 700 rooms.
The decor was grand but felt stately. The Royal family have a wonderfull collection of artworks including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck and a magnificent sculpture of Venus and Mars done by Canova. Many of the items were bought by Prince Albert.
In each room there was a display of the many many gifts that have been given to the Queen by dignitaries from other countries over the last 65 years, including the magnificant Royal Coach given to her by Australia to celebrate our bi- centenary.
There was also some wonderful portraits of the Royal Family and a special display about Diana which has been put togetherby her sons to mark the 20th Anniversary of her death, on 31st August.
We had morning tea in the garden cafe before leaving through the gardens.
We then went down to the docks and caught the ferry boat down to Greenwich which was great, the sun was shining and it was good to see the wonderful buidings from another angle.
We had a late Sunday roast at the old local brewery before doing some exploring around town.
We admired the Cutty Sark which was a wonderful old sailing ship which finished its commission carrying wool between Australia and England.
Because of the time we didn' t make it up the hill to the National Observatory but we did manage to visit a pub which is on the Meridian Line.
We decided to catch the bus back to London which was a silly idea because of the Sunday afternoon Summer traffic!
The evening was spent packing and getting organised for our flight to Singapore tomorrow.
Heathrow Airport hasn't improved! Although it was school holidays! For some reason the automatic check- in didn't work for us and we lined up for around two hours until I warned a volunteer that we had about 10 minutes before closing time and we were then fast tracked!
After a good flight we arrived in Singapore at around 7:30 am. We were straight through Customs and out of the airport within the hour.
We then stored our luggage at our Airbnb and started exploring.
After mastering the MRT subway and spending some time at Suntec City which is a hugh three tower development with floors and floors of shops. Outside, between the towers is a large fountain called the Fountain of Wealth which was entered into the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as the World's largest fountain and recognises the equality and harmony of all races and religion.
The island of Singapore has over 6 .5 million people who come from three main races, Chinese (over 70 %), Malaysian and Indian which makes it very multicultural and why it has such great food!!
We caught the Hop on and Hop of Bus to help us become orintated to the city and decide what we wanted to see over the next three days.
We did get rather wet though as we didn't see the brief afternoon downpour coming!!
Our first stop was Marina Bay and the magnificant Marina Bay Shopping Centre which even has a canal runniing down the centre of the ground floor, complete with sightseeing boats.
There is a floor just for Kids which has a specific Kids Designer label store by each of the well known stores. We had a great lunch in the Food Hall.
Our next stop in the late afternoon was the Gardens by the Bay which are located next to the Marina Reservoir. The multi award winning gardens span over 101 hectacres of reclaimed land . There are 3 stunning man made trees which are 16 stories high and from which there is a laser light show at night.
Inside there are two main domes, The Flower Dome, which at the moment has an absolutely stunning Orchid display. It also has gardens from each continent of the world.
The other dome is the Cloud Dome which had a man made mountain which you climb until you are high in the clouds of a rain forest! It is awesome!
By then it was dusk and we walked along the promenade back to Marina Bay for some dinner. Even though it was still very humid, hundreds of evening joggers past us along the way.
Marina Bay is absolutely stunning in the evening!! All the buildings have magnificent lighting and the architecture is so different, there are still some magnificant old white stone buildings which sit grandly amongest the new tall sky scrapers.
One of the most most stunning buildings is the Marina Sands Casino and luxury hotels building which consists of there towers with a boat like construction on the roof. The Singaporean Arts Science Museum stands beside it and iis built in the form of a white lotus flower.
We had dinner at a lovely little restaurant overlooking the Bay before heading home for a much needed sleep!!
Today was another day of sightseeing in this great city which is full of wonderful sights and smells! The people are so helpful and friendly, the city is clean and it has a wonderful transport system.
After breakfast in down town we caught the Metro to the Botanical Gardens before it got too hot, although it was already 29 degrees and humid! I followed the Asians and used my umbrella for shade.
The gardens are more than 150 years old and is 74 hectacres of open spaces and tropical flora. There is also a wonderful orchid garden which was quite different to the one yesterday, as we saw them growing in their natural habitat.
Of course we stopped for morning coffee in the garden cafe!
We were feeling the humidity by the time we left so we headed over to one of the local malls on the bus for some shopping and a light lunch.
It was then back home to get changed for one of the highlights of my trip - high tea at Raffles Hotel. It is something that I have wanted to do for over 30 years. You have to book well in advance to get in.
We arrived by taxi and we were greeted by the elderly doorman, dressed in period Indian Costume, who opened the car door for us.
The hotel is beautiful, the owners have recently being giving it a face lift and they only have the back wing to finish. It was just like we have seen in the movies from the cane furniture on the spacious verandahs to the elegant furnishings inside.
The dining room was a picture, complete with a young lady playing the harp. We had a great table on the edge so we could see the whole room. The service was impeccable and the food was delicious! There was some hot food and of course the traditional 3 tier plate of little treats, including cucumber sandwiches. We, of course had a glass of bubbles.
After nearly 3 hours of pure delight we walked around the hotel and into the beautiful old bar where we indulged in a Singapore Sling (S $32)! We even throw our peanut shells on the floor like everyone else!
It is a shame in some ways though, that there a hugh sky scraper towering over such a beautiful building, although the flip side is that Singapore has done a great job in ensuring that their heritage buildings are preserved.
From the beautiful Raffles Hotel we walked down to the harbour past all the Street Food stalls (it was shame that we were too full to eat!!) where we caught a River Boat Cruise which went from Marina Bay under the bridge and along the Singapore River. It was just dark and the waterfront was spectacular!! The commentary was very informative and we picked out an area that we would like to explore in the morning!
I arrived in Auckland on Tuesday afternoon to begin a 38 day trip around the North Island. Over the years I have always traveled to the South Island to catch up with family so this time I am going to tour right around the North!
Auckland is a vibrant city with a gorgeous harbour. I am staying in a hotel on Queen Street which is the heart of the city.
Next morning after strolling down the hill to find a coffee shop which I could call my local for the next few days I was picked up by a long time friend of my NZ friend at home.
Annie drove me down to the northern beaches of Devonport which were so pretty. The old well preserved Victorian and Edwardian wooden homes are gorgeous!
After a walk along the beach we drove around to the old wharf and explored the local art gallery before meeting another friend of Paulene's, Maggie, at this great Japanese restaurant, Tokyo Bay where we shared some wonderful food and French wine.
This was followed by walk along Tukapuna Bay and an afternoon coffee.
Today the weather was pretty miserable, it drizzled rain most of the day but at least there was no cold wind!
I decided around lunch time that I would stick to my plans and to Auckland Zoo with the main aim was to see a kiwi or two!
The Zoo is a few kilometers out of town at Western Springs which also is home to a large park which is built on an old water reservoir.
The zoo was built in the 1920s and is now going through a major renovation.
It is divided into World Regions, I going resist visiting Africa but spent most of my time in the New Zealand region called Te Wao Nui which is divided into seven zones. There was lots of beautiful birds, both water and land. They also had a small forest which was planted with some of the local trees, some of which ate at risk of becoming extinct.
The highlight was the Kiwi which is nocturnal, so after my eyes adjusted to the dark, it took a while to find one (actually two!). There are five different species. The ones found in the North are a lot darker than those found in the South. The Kiwi is related to our emu. The zoo is part of a Kiwi preservation program. Volunteers are used to find in the eggs in the scrub and then they are put in incubators and hatched.
I later took my self off to the local movies before a later dinner at a little restaurant/ bar at a local theatre nearby.
Today I walked down to the ferry terminal and caught the ferry over to Waiheke Island. Wai - means water and heke means fall. After a lot of rain you can see waterfalls running down the hills.
It was still jacket weather but the sun was shining! I bought a ticket for the Explorer Hop or and Hop off bus. Waiheke is about 23 kilometers long and is very hilly. It has a permanent population of about 8000 which swells to about 40,000 in tbe summer.
It has two town areas, a small industrial area, two primary schools and the rest of thd island is quite rural, consisting of 30 vineyards.
My first stop was Oneroa a little town petched on top of the hill over looking, the beach.
The town was full of eateries, art galleries and boutiques. A great place for a coffee sitting on the deck taking in the view.
I decided rather than visit many wineries I would choose one and saviour the experience, including the food and I wasn't disappointed!!
I visited Stonyridge Estate which was established in the early 198os and is designed to be reminiscent oof the South of France. The vineyard is famous for its red wine and fine food. It also grows olives.
The food I had was delicious, including some local oysters. I did stick to their white wines which come from their Fallen Angel range, the white grapes are grown on the South Island in the cooler climate.
After lunch I wandered around the vineyard and then back down the road to catch the bus back to the ferry.
Well worth the visit!
Today was spent relaxing and wandering around the city.
After a morning coffee I walked down to the harbour and then over to Britomart to the food markets.
Britomart is a lovely part of the city which is full of old and modern architecture which houses designer boutiques and modern restaurants and cafes as well as office buildings.
I then decided that I would hope on a train and go to the suburbs, I ended up at Sylvia Park which had a huge modern shopping centre near the station but not much else.
I then had a lazy afternoon enjoying the sunshine with the locals before an early dinner.
Today I picked up our little red car (Joan isn't here yet) and drove 230 kilometers to Russell.in the Bay of Islands.Some of highway had lots of bends and went up and down mountains but the scenery stunning! Everything is so green!
I stopped in a little seaside town, Waipu for a coffee and looked in on the local markets where I bought some local produce.
To get to Russell you have to catch a vechicle ferry from Paihia.
Russell, formerly known as Kororāreka, was the first permanent European settlement and seaport in New Zealand. It is very pretty, especially around the Bay, all the shops and houses along the water front are beautiful old white timber buildings.
My B&B is very comfortable and is up on the hill so I wiill keep fit walmi g to town.
It was great to relax and eat in tonight!
Today I spent a lazy day walking around the old town. Russell is home to both the oldest church in New Zealand as well as the olded licenced pub, The town has so much history!
Russell was discovered by Captain Cook but it also has a chequered past as it was once the home of brothels and many drinking houses when it was a whaling port.
At this time of the year it is a very quiet little village before the influx of the summer tourists.
The local Museum is very interesting and contains a large Maori section with lots of artefacts. The highlight is a 1/5 scale of the Endeavour.
Lunch wa delicious seafood chowder complete with mussels in their shells. I will be going back for another serve before I leave!
The typical spring weather then brought in the the rain and chilly winds so I retreated to my cozy home and a good book!
Tuesday was a big day! I took a 10 hour bus trip up to Cape Reinga, the furthest tip on tbe top of the North Island. I can now say that I have been to the southernmost tip (on the mainland), Bluff and now the northernmost!
Our first stop along the way was Puketi Kauri Forest to look at some really old trees. The Kauri is now protected and the only wood you can buy is from the swamp kauri which are 50,000 year old trees that have been preserved under peat at the end of the last Ice Age. They have been discovered on farm land in the north. Once dug up, the pieces take 5 to 8 years to dry out before they can be carved. As you can imagine the finished products are very expensive to buy! We went to a wood carving place on tbe way back.
We stoped for morning tea and lunch along the way at two pretty little spots before we reached Cape Reinga. It was a fairly steep and windy walk down to the lighthouse.
Te Rerrenga Wairrrua, as it is known by the Maori people, is the Cape of the departing spirits. It is also the place where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Oceans meet. The two distinct colours made it quite easy to see.
The lighthouse is now automated and its light can be seen some 50klms away.
The bus was actually a fourwheel drive so our next stop was through a farm to Te Paki Stream to find some large sand dunes for some of the passengers to have a go at sandboarding which was quite funny!
Further down we turned on to Ninety Mile Beach, by then it was raining so visibility out of the wi dow wasn't the best and we only found one poor little seal on the beach. We drove alonng the beach for about an hour.
The Driver/ Guide on the bus was a youngish lady who told us lots of history and legends a long the way.
Today I took the ferry over to Paihia and walked for about 25 minutes along the edge of the Bay to The Waitangi Treaty Grounds where I bought a Day Pass and spend the next four hours learning some significant New Zealand history.
The Treaty of Waitangi (Māori: Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a treaty first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and Māori chiefs (Rangatira) from the North Island of New Zealand. It was then sent around the South Island to be signed, although not all Maori Chiefs signed it.
The purpose of the Treaty was to enable the British settlers and the Māori people to live together in New Zealand under a common set of laws or agreements
6th February is a publc holiday and a day of celebration for the people of New Zealand.
The Museum was extremely well done and was very interactive and included a 30 minute film.
I had lunch outdoors at the cafe and then joined a tour of the grounds. There is a lovely old colonial house in grounds where James Busby and his family lived. The house was precut in Australia abnd shipped over. The surrounding garden is very pretty.
The largest carved ceremonial war canoe is on display. Along with smaller canoes it is used as part of a parade on the water to celebrate Treaty Day.
Before I left witnessed a traditional Maori Welcome in a magnificently carved Meeting House.
Dinner that night was whole Baked Flounder at the 190 year old Duke of Marlborough Hotel on the shores of Russell.
It was a beautiful sunny day to go on a morning cruise around the Bay of Islands!
The plan for the morning was to cruise out to the "Hole in the Rock"- the icon of the Bay of Islands and also to see what large marine life we can find along the way.
Some of the younger ones on board were hoping for an opportunity to swim with the dolphins!
Eighty eight islands make up the Bay of Islands - Captain Cook recorded 144 but the official definition of an island is that it must rise so far out of the water and it must have vegetation on it.
A few of the islands have holiday homes on them and the largest island in the bay, Urupukapuka is a recreational reserve and farm park and is full of campers in the summer!
Robertson Island or Motuarohia has two beautiful lagoons and it where Captain Cook first anchored. There is a rock with a plaque in the Bay to commemorate the landing.
The highlight of course was the Hole in the Rock - we were also very lucky, as because of the tide it is not always possible for the boat to go through but after some reversing etc - we made it! Apparently over the last few days this had not been possible!
However, marine life was scarce we only managed to see a few few seals sunning themselves on the rocks.
That evening I ventured out to one of the most famed restaurants in the area for dinner which was supurd! The building and decor is lovely, including Kauri wood panels on the walls - it was built in 1847.
Today I drove 404 kilometres from Russell down south and across to the west coast peninsula to Wyuna Bay which is in the Coromandels.
On the way I picked up Joan who was waiting for me at a railway station outside Auckland.
It was a really pretty drive once you left State Highway 1 and headed to the coast.
Lots of cows and sheep and everything is so so green!
We stopped at Waiomu Beach for an afternoon coffee and a quick look at the scenery a long the way
Wyuna Bay is a little shetered bay surrounded by steep hills about 6 kilometers further around the peninsula from Coromandel town.
There are no shops just a lovely little beach.
We have a lovely upstairs apartment right on the beach with the most amazing views!
We were happy to eat in and enjoy the view with a lovely New Zealand wine!!
After morning coffee at one of many lovely cafes in Coromandel Town we headed to the Information Centre to seek some help to plan our day.
Our first stop was Driving Creek Railways and Potteries which was about 3 kilometres from town.
The railway was the dream and inspiration of a local Potter, Barry Brickell who commenced the project in 1973.
He built this 15 inch gauge railway track for 3 kilometres through very rough and hilly country. The track has bridges/ viaducts and tunnels and takes you up to the Eyefull Tower where there is a two story view ing platform where you can see all the way to Auckland.
There have many trees planted on the property, including the Kauri as part of a conservation plan.
The property also houses pottery studios and accommodation for artists. There are many quirky pieces of pottery on the sides of the tracks.
The railway was opened to the puplic in 1990 and is now run by a Trust as Barry died two years ago.
Lunch included local green tipped mussels cooked in white wine, lemon and garlic - yum!
In the afternoon we did a couple of lovely walks from Long Bay camping ground which was full of NZ grey nomads who have large camper buses!
The first walk took us through a beautiful forest which had all sorts of ferns including the beautiful silver fern. There were also lots of tall Kauri trees.
The second walk took us down to Tucks Bay where were able to walk around the headland and back to Long Bay.
Then back to our idyllic little home on the bay!
Today we took a day trip across the Peninsula to Cathedral Cove. We took Highway 309, not realising that it was gravel, however it was worth it because of the sights along the way!
The first thing we had to stop for were farm pigs of all colours and sizes - Stu, the eccentric local farmer owns property on both sides of the road and lets his pigs graze wherever they like!
Second stop was to The Waterworks for coffee, it is an quirky eco water theme park using recycled material, including using toilet bowls to grow pot plants.
Next stop included a short walk down through a glen to Waiau Falls which were very pretty.
We stopped at the town of Hahei for lunch at the Pour Brewery, local fish and chips were had!
We then drove down to Hahei beach to park the car and walk for 45 minutes up hill and down dale around the edge of the coast to reach Cathedral Cove. The tide was just going out so it was a good time to walk into the Cove.
The scenery was stunning and well worth the walk, it is a very popular tourist spot and I would not like to walk along the track in summer!
We then drove down to Hot Water Beach, however it started to rain so we didn't feel like hiring a shovel to dig a hole in the beach to releasethe hot water!
Afternoon tea in a warm cafe was a much better idea!
We returned home the long way - no gravel road but still lots of bends!
On Monday we drove about 170 kilometres down the East Coast to the Bay of Plenty in to the city of Tauranga. Nearby is Mount Maunganui which is the name of the large lava dome which was formed by the upwelling of rhyolite lava about two to three million years ago.. It is officially known by its Māori name Mauao, but is colloquially known in New Zealand simply as The Mount.
The Bay of Plenty was named by Captain Cook because it offered plenty of fish, food and other commodities. Tauranga is the busiest port in New Zealand and the fifth largest city.
We actually are staying at Papamo Beach, a few minutes drive from Mount Maunganui.
Dinner that night was some wonderful Thai food at one f the many restaurants along Maunganui Road.
Today our first stop was down to The Mount for a look and a coffee. It was quite overcast and you couldn't see the peak so we decided to leave our walk around the base until tomorrow.
We then drove about 17 kilometres out of the city to the McLaren Falls Park, 190 hectares of pastoral and horticultural parkland set along side Lake McLaren.
The lake was created in 1925 after the construction of a dam and power station in 1925.
We walked right around the lake and up to the McLaren Falls - the parkland is just beautiful, the cherry blossoms were coming out and the daffodils were blooming under the trees.
The grounds are popular for fishing, camping and picnics in the Summer.
The highlight was the walk up the track to the pretty waterfall and of course all the ducks and black swans swimming in the lake!
Next stop was at the Tauranga Historic Village which is a little villiage full of old wooden houses and shops. It was a bit touristy but cute! We had some lunch at the little cafe.
By then it was raining.
Dinner was a wonderful meal of beer battered oysters followed by snapper and prawns served in a creamy sauce.
We started our day today by walking around the base of Mount Maunganui.
The walk followed the shoreline and the seas were quite rough today so the view was quite spectacular! The walk took about an hour and half, the only disappointment was that about three quarters of the way around there had been a rock fall and the walk was closed so we had to return the way we came!
After coffee at one of the many cafes at the base of The Mount we drove around to the Maunganui Road shopping strip which is renowned for some of the best boutiques in New Zealand and we weren't disappointed!
Lunch was yummy Asian bowl food!
We then drove into the Tauranga Art Gallery which had 3 small exhibitions on view which were interesting, it is a lovely modern gallery!
The afternoon rains had then set in so it was coffee and then back to our apartment.
We had dinner in a lovely little restaurant which was 50 metres up the road - I had a great steak with a Hawkes Bay red!
After a leisurely morning and a last look at the Pacific Ocean on a beautiful sunny day we headed south and inland to the Lakes District. We stopped at Rotoura for lunch ( we will explore this area later) and then continued on.
We travelled through beautiful green dairy country with rolling hills and lots and lots of well fed cows waiting to be milked.
Taupo is defined by a beautiful lake and the moutains behind and is a ideal holiday place with waterfalls and geothermal pools. It is a great place for trout fishing.
It is also famous for mountain bikers with lots of tracks which are also used by hikers.
In the Winter all tbe skiers arrive as the snow fields are only about two hours away and if you are adventurous there is skydiving and bungy jumping.
We are staying in a lovely little two story apartment with views down to tbe Waikato River
After morning coffee in town we headed off to see the Huka Falls which is where New Zealand's longest river, the Waikato, is squeezed through a ravine of hard volcanic rock resulting in 220,000 litres of water blasting every seond! The water was such a beautiful blue green!
Next stop was to visit the "Craters of the Moon" which is a large geothermal park where you can walk on the specially built tracks and see great examples of steam rising from the ground as well as a couple of large craters which last erupted in 2002.
There is also a large mud crater that frequently erupts pumice stone and mud.
Eruptions occur when steam passages well below the earth's surface, are blocked by mud after heavy rain or by earth movements.
It was really interesting and I had a free steam facial along the way!
After lunch on the way back we spent a couple of hours in the Waipahihi Botanical Reserve. It covers 35 hectares and as well as forest trees it has over 2000 rhododendrons, azaleas and camelias. It was still too early for some of the specimens to be out in bloom but there was some magnificent Rhododendrons and Magnolia trees in flower.
The garden is manned by volunteers.
We took a late afternoon walk along the riverbank before dinner.
I have fallen in love with New Zealand's native Tuii bird which is the largest of the honeyeaters and is black with two tufts of white feathers under its throat. It is sings the most beautiful song!!
We saw five in a tree during our walk.
First stop was to the Saturday markets which wete reasonally small but had some good artisan made breads, cakes as well as farm produce, arts and crafts.
We then drove out of town to Acacia Bay to L'Arte Cafe and Gallery..
The gallery is nestled in a large garden and is full of beautiful ceramics - I couldn't resist some pieces for my courtyard!
The food and coffee was also delicious!
It was then to the Taupo Museum which is focuses on the Maori people and includes a cery old canoe and a beautifully carved meeting house.
In the afternoon we went on a 1.5 hour boat cruise on the lake to see the Maori rock carvings. The ten metre high carvings were etched into the cliffs near Mine Bay by a Master Maori Carver in the 1970s. They depict the story of the Maori navigator who guided the tribes to the Taupo Region a thousand years ago.
The Skipper/ Guide was a lot of fun and he has the local ducks trained to follow the boat and fly up and take bread from his hand.
We also had a go at Trout fishing from the back of the boat but no luck!
Beautiful grilled snapper was on our menu for dinner though!!
Today we drove around 90 kilometers to the Tongariro National Park which is close to the ski fields, it is one of New Zealand's four World Hetitage sites. It is also the site of three towering, active volcanoes - Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Ngauruhoe which are an imposing sight with their snow capped peaks.
Mount Ngauruhoe, th youngest of the three has a single dome vent and was the mountain used in tbe film " Lord of the Rings" - Mt Doom!
Our first stop was the town of Turangi which had a real alpine village feel to it!
You don't pay to go into the National Parks in New Zealand unless you sleep there.
We decided to a 7 kilometer loop walk to see the the Tarankai Falls - ir was very pretty walk through the alpine vegeation with some wonderful views of the snow capped mountains. The waterfall itself was worth seeing.
Our reward for the afternoon was High Tea at the beautiful old Bayview Chateau Tongariro which was built in 1927.
We had booked before our walk and we were given a table right in a large window with magic views of snow capped Mount Ngauruhoe. We started with a glass of bubbles, the food was delicious!
On the way home we first stopped along the riverbank to watch some trout fisherman and then on the side of the lake to catch the beautiful sunset.
The weather today was perfect, sunny with blue sky and not a cloud in sight!
The weather has been very unpredictable today! We have had sunshine, clouds and rain and this evening it is also quite cold as snow is predicted in the South overnight!
After morning tea we went for a drive around to the other side of the lake followed by a browse around the shops and then home for lunch.
We then had a couple of games of Scrabble before going out to a lttle bar over the water for a farewell drink - no viewing the sunset today!
The Lakes District is certainly a lovely area to visit!
To day we drove about 140 kilometers over the mountains to tge East Coast, Hastings, Hawke's Bay area to explore the wine region and check out the Art Deco City of Napier.
It was raining when we left Taupo but the sun appeared as we got closer to the coast
Our first stop was Napier for a little preview, a visit to the Information Centre and some lunch.
I love the Art Deco buildings and the beautiful gardens.
The 1931 quake demolished most of Napier's brick buildings. The reconstruction over the next two years occured during the throes of the art-deco mania.
After lunch we drove about 17 kilometres down the East Coast to Haumoana where we will be staying fotr the next 5 days.
It was then time to explore some of the local area around Clifton which included a stop at our first winery, Elephant Hill.
Elephant Hill Winery is a relatively young winery with modern architecture and lovely sea views.
We came away with a bottle of Piot Noir and a booking for dinner on Saturday night.
Next stop was a beautiful villiage, Havelock North which has beautiful flower lined streets, interspersed with flowering Crab Apple trees.
Havelock North is a very prosperous area and this is reflected in all lovely shops and little cafes.
We bought some provisions at the local supermarket and then hezded home to have a wine in our little cout
After my early morning walk along the beach front and breakfast I was ready for the day!
First stop was down to Clifton Bay to have coffee at a gorgeous cafe, Hygee. The decor is just charming, it has two areas with lounges and open fires and lots of tables scattered under the trees so that you can sit and admire the views. We will be back!!
We then drove into Napier and along the shoreline past the Port of Napier to the next little town.
We now know what happens to a lot of the pine timber we saw being felled between Taupo and the coast- it goes overseas by ship. There were large timber logs stockpiled everywhere!
There was even a better view of the Port from the Bluff Lookout which was where the guns were postioned during the war. A wonderful 180 degree view!
It was then time to hit the local vineyards! Our first stop was Church Road which produce some award winning Chardonnay and Syrah ( related to the Shiraz grape variety) - both of these varieties do very well in the Hawkes Bay Region. - of course we came away with a bottle of each!
We then drove next door to Mission Estate Winery which was established in 1851 by pioneering French Missionaries and is New Zealand's oldest winery and the birthplace of New Zealand wine.
The winery is housed in an elegantly restored seminary building and has beautiful gardens and sweepng views from the back terrace.
We had a lovely lunch whilst sitting in the covered courtyard.
Later in the afternoon we drove to the town of Hastings which is the municipal hub of the area but we decided to go back to Havelock North for afternoon coffee and cake.
After a lovely early morning walk through wetlands and farm lands we drove down to Clifton Bay to our favourite cafe where we spent quite a bit of time relaxing by the fire!
We then visited a lovely little Winery, Clearview Estate where we tasted the local wines and enjoyed a light lunch before our afternoon tour.
In the afternoon we joined a small group tour, Gannet Safari who took us to the the top of the Cape Kidnappers.
The driver took us through riverbeds, pastures where there were sheep and cows grazing, and up very steep and windy inclines and deep gullies. The area is also a commercial pine forest.
On the way up we stopped on a cliff top to admire the views of Hawkes Bay and to hear about the geology of the area.
The land we drove through is private station which is owned by an American who has built an exclusive Lodge and Golf Course which is usually accessed by helicopter.
As we drove around the corner of rge cliff there in front of us was the most spectacular sitght - the nesting place of the Gannets.
The Gannet is a member of the Booby family and is a fairly large bird with distinctive black eye markings and a pale gold crown.
They mate for life and during the winter they migrate to Australia and then fly back to Cape Kidnappers in the Spring. There can be up to 20,000 birds in the colony.
We stood behind the barrier for ages and watched the pairs of birds preen and perform a dance ritual. They were also flying in with large strands of black seaweed in their beaks to make or repair their nests.
It was truly a spectacular sight!
In the evening we drove over to Havelock North to a genuine Italian Pizza Shop which had been recommended to us by our Host.
The Italian wines and pizzas were delicious!!
We had been told about this beautiful little gallery and cafe, Birdwoodsand out of Havelock North which was worth a visit and we weren't disappointed!
The Gallery and cafe are housed in a lovely old wooden church surrounded by lush grounds which is also a sculpture garden, complete with life size sheep finished in small white beads.
Morning tea was delicious and so beautifully presented!
The rest of the day was spent in Napier.
After visiting the local Museum we had lunch at the beautiful old Masonic Hotel, which overlooks the ocean. It has been wonderfully restored and is full of artifacts.
In the afternoon we went on a two hour walking tour around Napier with a Guide from the Art Deco Trust. Jane pointed out some of the wonderful art deco buildings which were built after the town was destroyed after the 1931 Volcano which killed over 200 people.
Before we drove home we walked along Marine Parade which has been redeveloped and is a mixture of lovely gardens and play areas, including a large skate park.
Our morning coffee stop today was at a little pop up cafe, The Red Bridge Cafe which is in a paddock around from the bridge which crosses the Tukituki River.
It was such a lovely spot with a great atmosphere that we went back for lunch to sample the food from Vagabond Jack's van!
After morning coffee we drove to the Te Mata Trust Park and then on up to the Te Mata Peak lookout where the views over the Hawkes Bay Region were wonderful.
It is also a great spot for Hang gliders!
I walked back down along the side of the road and meet Joan back at the park.
After lunch we drove over to Craggy Range Winery which is in a beautiful park setting at the base of the craggy ranges.
It was then back towards home for a final coffee at our lovely coffee shop in Clifton Bay folowed by a walk by the wetlands where we saw a mother duck and her eight ducklings - so cute!
Dinner was a wonderful meal at the Elephant Winery!
On Sunday we left Haumoana to drive to Wellington, our first stop along the way was the Hastings Farmers Markets which hs a reputation as bejng one of the best in New Zealand.
The atmosphere was great and there was lots of lovely fresh produce but it was hard to buy much when we were going to be stayiing in a hotel for the next three nights! However, I did buy some fig jam which I couldn't resist!
The trip was just over 300 kilometres down south nd the last section before we reached the outskirts of Wellington was quite hairty as we climbed up and over the mountain range!
I wax definitely ready for a coffee at a little garden cafe we found on the outskirts of Wellington.
Our Hotel was situated in Oriental Bay on the harbour and my view from my room was wonderful.
After checking in we we went for a walk along the waterfront and Wellington certainly lived up to its name - it was windy and cold!!
Dinner was at the Yacht Club over the road.
We rose to a windy and wet morning!
After breakfast we ventured out to walk over to visit New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa museum which is a wonderful building full of six floors of maori artefacts as well as other history and environmental exhibits. There is also a national art collection. On the way over I wrecked the hotel's large umbrella which blew inside out!!
After leaving the Museum we wandered around the waterfront before finding a little cafe where I enjoyed a kilo of green mussels for lunch.
After lunch we walked through the city to the Lambton Quay to take the Wellington Cabel Car up to Kelburn. The Cable Car has been running since 1902.
We were able to see all over Wellington! We then spent some time in the lush Bootanical Gardens before catching the Cabel Car back down.
A walk through a lovely old arcade and afternoon tea was next on the agenda before heading back to the hotel for a drink before dinner.
My cousin Andrew and his wife Jennifer picked us up at the hotel mid morning to show us the local sights plus take us out to visit their hobby farm and have dinner.
Our first stop was at the Victoria Lookout, it wasn't too windy and we could see all around the city.
We then drove around the harbour and through some little beachside places, at one stage we could see the South Island in the distance.
We had lunch at a cafe in Lower Hutt which also gave me a chance to meet Anxrew and Jennifer's daughter, Jill who works nearby.
We then drove to Porirua which is nearby, to their gorgeous 10 ha farm which they have named BushView.
The house is up the top of a lovely drive in front of rolling hills and the views out of every window are just beautiful. The garden is just full of deciduous trees, flowering trees and natives and there are lots of lovely rambling gardens full of lovely flowers including bulbs.
There is also a little creek running through the property, complete with a wooden bridge.
Jennifer, designed and planted all the gardena which also includes a vegetable garden and an orchard.
There are about 100 sheep on the property and at the moment there are lots of cute little lambs.
Just after we arrived it started to gently rain but that didn't stop us wandering around the garden carrying large umbrellas!
After a lovely dinner and much talking and looking at old family photos, Andrew drove us back to our hotel.
Today we traveled 350 kilometres, up and over to the west coast to stay at New Plymouth for three nights.
New Plymouth is on the Tasman Sea and boasts good surfing beaches and a deep water port. It is dominated by Mt Taranki which at the moment, looks like a giant snow cone!!.
We are staying in Standon which is a nice area, about ten minutes walk to the beach.
After picking up some provisions and unpacking, we took a walk to the beach before enjoying a wine with dinner whilst planning our next day's sightseeing.
It was a lovely sunny morning so we headed off to the Pukekura Park Gardens which were first opened in 1876 and consist of 52 ha of dense bushland walkways, sweeping lawns, flower beds and native and exotic trees as well as a small zoo and children's playgrounds. There is also a large lake which boasts a red Japanese style bridge.
We had morning coffee in the lovely old wooden tea house. There were some parts of the park we couldn't get to as there was a lot of maintenance going on.
The highlight though, was the fernery which is on three levels. As well as beautiful ferns and other plants it also contains a seasonal display of flowering shrubs and plants. Everything is grown in pots so they can be movec to different displays. We spoke to one of the gardeners and he told us that there are around 50,000 pots!
The orchards and bulbs were gorgeous!
Next stop was the Govett - Brewester Art Gallery and Len Lye Centre which is one of the Country's best regional galleries, presenting contemporary local and international shows.
Len Lye ( 1901 - 80) was born in Christchurch, he was a sculptor, filmmaker and artist and the new wing of the centre which was named after him is made of gleaming towers of stainless steel which is very imposing and cost 11.5 million to build. It was opened in 2015.
A lot of Len Lye's work we saw were kinetic sculptures which were fun to watch as they moved about. There is also a large "Wind Wand" he designed, swaying in the breeze on the boardwork.
Aftsr lunch at the cafe we walked over to the Puke Ariki Museum which has a large collection kf Maori artefacts plus colonial and wildlife exhibits.
It was then time for some retail therapy before a long walk on the foreshore's boardwalk.
A relaxing drink at a local bar was a lovely way to finish a full day!
Today we drove to Egmont National Park to get a little closer to Mount Taranaki and to do one of the walks around the base.
Mount Taranaki is a stratovolcano and is 2518 metres tall, it is also known as Mount Egmont which was the name given to it by the English.
We chose to do the two hour "Veronica Loop"walk which was mainly stairs, it seemed like thousands up and then a fairly steep descent back down! It was very pretty going through the bush but when we came to a clearing it was hard to see the mountain anymore as the clouds had descended.
Lunch was very leisurely as we sat and recovered from our morning's exercise sitting in the restaurant looking out at the local port.
We then drove out to Lake Mangamahoe which is set in in beautiful parkland.
We were fascinated by all the local Canadian Geese which were very friendly.
It was then down to the local beach to watch the sunset over the Tasman for one last time!
Today we left New Plymouth and drove north and a little inland to Hamilton.
Much of the early part of the trip was along the coast and it was very pretty as was the farm lands we drove through.
We are staying in a lovely old renovated house in East Hamilton for the next five nights.
We also intend to use Hamilton as a base to visit other sights in the area.
Hamilton is the fourth largest city in New Zealand and is famous for its beautiful parks and gardens and the lovely walks along the banks of the Waikato River which runs all the way from Lake Taupo.
The late afternoon was spent walking around the local area and a welcome drink at the local boutique brewery.
Our first stop today was the beautiful Hamilton Gardens which are centally located and are 50 acres of formal gatdens, parkland, playgrounds and a cafe.
The formal gardens were divided into themes and included, Italian, Japanese, Chinese as well as a lovely vegetable and hetb garden. My favourite was the Italian Renaissance which had masses of beautiful colour co-ordinated beds of tulips.
After lunch in the garden cafe we walked down to the river and took a river cruise which gave us a different view of the city.
We then wandered around the main part of the city, the landscaping and the public areas including the plaza in front of the Council Chambers are just lovely! Beautiful beds of flowers and shrubs and of course it is tulip season!
A lovely relaxing Sunday!
Day 1 and Day 2
Our flight from Sydney to Dubai was long but fine! We had a six hour stopover in a hotel in Dubai before we caught the next plane, arriving in Athens around 2:30pm.
We had a pretty hairy (Beth hadn't had that term before!) taxi ride to our hotel. Our driver was a large older Greek man who couldn't speak a word of english, resulting in him having to ask two different people to translate the name of our hotel so he knew where to take us! He drove at around 120 klms even in the 80 zone, weaving a cross three lanes without using his blinker once!
Our hotel, Athens Tiare, is on the edge of Omonia Square which is very handy to all the sights but it is in the older area of the city where some the buildings are derilect and there is lots of graffiti around.
The hotel itself, has been recently completly renovated and is very comfortable, the staff are lovely and very helpful.
Beth found it very confronting when we first arrived!
At the moment the famous square is under construction and it taking a lot longer than the Greeks would like, being held up by local and national elections. It will be a parkland with a feature fountain in the centre.
The old fountain was removed in 1992 to make way for the metro. During the construction the area has had a sharp rise in the crime rate.
Being on the square means there is a lot of traffic which travels one way around three sides of square at the moment - we sat at the window of the hotel restaurant during dinner and kept ourselves awake watching the mad Greek drivers, including those on motor bikes. We commented that there were not many push bikes and we decided that it would be madness to ride one!
After dinner we had an early night, Beth was asleep by 7pm.
Today we used the Hop on and Off Bus to get around some of the Athens attractions.
First stop was the Temple of (Olympian) Zeus which is now in ruins with only 14 of the original 104, 17 metre Corinthian columns left, the 15th fell down during a gale in 1852.
The build of the temple was started in 6th Century BC but was abandoned because of lack of funds, various leaders tried to finish it but it wasn't until AD 31 that the Roman Emperor Hadrian finished it some 700 years later!
Hadrian also built a big marble arch which now stands on the edge of one of Athen's busiest avenues.
We then sat in a lovely outdoor cafe and had lunch, Beth enjoyed her Lamb Souvlaki.
Afterwards we meet our Guide for our booked four hour Walking Tour of the Acropolis Museum and the Parthenon high on the top of the Acropolis.
The Acropolis Museum was opened in 2009 and is a specatular building, built over some ruins which you can view through the glass floor. The building has three floors, displaying over 4,000 wonderful artefacts recovered from the slopes of the Acropolis predating the Parthenon as well as from the Parthenon. The top floor houses the 160 metre frieze which has been mounted exactly how it was in the Temple.
Some of the exhibits are replicas and some of the original pieces have been repaired but many are intact.
We were lucky with the weather as a storm came through whilst we were in the museum but the sun was shining as we walked up the Acropolis!
On the way up we stoped at the outdoor theatre and other ruins but high on the top is the remains of the Parthenon which is the largest Doric temple ever built in Greece and it is made completely out of white marble apart from the wooden roof. It was built to house the great statue of Athena and as a treasury. It took 9 years to complete and was finished in 438 BC.
The remains of the building are spectacular as are the views from the top of the Acropolis, 360 degrees of the city and beyond!
Our Guide for the afternoon, Alexis was great and so knowledgeable and she told us many Greek fables as well as so much history
By the time we left it was 5:30pm and it looked like another storm was coming so we headed back and had a quiet night in our hotel.
Day 4 City and the Port of Piraeus
Today we used our two day Hop on and Hop off Bus pass to explore the City a bit more and also to go down to the Port of Piraeus.
Our first stop was the lovely old Turkish Quarter of Athens known as Plaka which is filled with windy narrow streets, lovely old houses with bougainvillea cascading over them, flower pots and window boxes. The area is filled with many cafes and shops! and as it was Saturday morning - many people!
To have morning tea at the gorgeous little cafe we chose, you sat on a cushion on the steep stairs with a little stool as a table. Beth tried some Baklava.
We then meandered around the streets before finding our way back to the bus stop to take the Pirraues line down to the Port.
Our next stop was Parlament House and Syntagma Square. They have the changing of the Guards every hour.
We stumbled across a free concert in the Square which we sat and listened to- the girl band was very good!
The Port of Piraeus is a big hub where the large Cruise ships come in, the ferries leave for the islands and the rich moor their large sailing ships. It is also used by the local fisherman.
It was very pretty!
We had a delicious late unch in a little cafe on the water. There is a whole row of cafes and the staff bring your food from the main cafe across a fairly busy street, dodging the traffic on the way.
We caught the last bus back to our hotel.
Today we went on a group tour about 180 kilometres north west of Athens to visit the historical site of Delphi.
The bus trip along the way was very intetesting as it gave us a chance to see the countryside outside the city of Athens.
The land is mainly used for agriculture with crops including wheat, corn, potatoes and other vegetables. We also passed many olive groves
We had a stop along the way for morning tea and I bought some cannabis face cream! I am not sure what difference it will make!
The archaeological site of Delphi is a UNESCO world heritage site and lies on the slopes of Mount Parmnasssus. It is the site of the remains Temple of Apollo built in 4th Century BC and the Sanctuary of Athena. There is also the remains of a theatre and a stadium.
We spent a couple of hours wandering about the ruins and again we had a wonderful Guide, Helena who told us so much history.
We also visited the Archaeoloogical Museum which had some amasing art works and statues including the bronze Roman Charioteer and the Sphinx of Naxos which is from 6th Century BC and is 2.92 metres tall.
Lunch was a lovely three course meal at a hotel nearby. We had a great discussion with some Americans over lunch about their politics.
On the way back we stopped at Arachova , a little ski village on the side of the moutain which is famous for its folk art.
Today we had decided to go to one of the beaches near the City of Athens in the area which is called the Riviera.
It is a very pretty strip of luxury apartments, hotels and beaches with umbrellas and deck chairs on the black pebbly sand.
To get there we decided to buy another ticket on the Hop on and off bus but use the blue bus company rather than the yellow one which we had been using which was a mistake as the bus didn't stop where we wanted to get off. So in the end we so picked a stop and and jumped off and looked at the local sights including doing a bit of shopping at Marks and Spencers and had lunch.
We had intended to catch the a local bus back but it was all too confusing and wnen we did work out which bus there was standing room only so we took a cab back to the hotel.
Our original Ferry departure to Santorini was at 7 am but when we heard about the Transport Strike I rang the ferry company and was told that a ferry would br leaving at 3:30 pm and we could catch that.
We woke up to see a large gathering of protesters gathering in the square outside our hotel ready to march to Parliament House.
A lot of the streets near the hotel were baracaded off and there was a heavy police presence.
We went for a walk down to Plaka and wandered around the shops until it was time to catch a taxi to the ferry terminal.
By the time we left it had started to rain! The ferry terminal appeared deserted except for Maritime Police and a few other potential passengers. The ticket office was closed.
At around 3pm a ferry arrived from Santorini and we walked down in the rain expecting to board but that wasn't to be as there were some large burly union workers barricading the gang planks!
Finally the Captain came down and said that the ferry would not be leaving so it was back to our hotel! Thank goodness we had a room booked on standby!
We crawled out of bed at 4am (at least Beth did!) and left the hotel at 4:45 to go back to the ferry terminal.
This time the terminal was a hive of activity full of yellow taxis, people and delivery trucks.
We caught a very large Seajet fast ferry which was very comfortable and not as full as I expected although a lot more passengers got on at Mykonos.
It was a pretty trip passing other islands on the way as Santorini is the last port.
It was chaos when we arrived as other ferries had docked too as well as all the people lining up to board.
We did find our transfer driver and we arrived safely at our hotel on the outskirts skirts of Fira but it only a 5 to 10 minute walk to the heart of tbe town.
Our small hotel , Philipppion Boutique in Fira , is lovely, there are only around 17 rooms, the restauran and bar area by the pool serves breakfast and then snacks until 8pm.
The hotel is across the road from the coastline and we have a sea view room at the front - all the tourists gather along the wall each evening to view the sunset.
After we settled in we wandered up to town and had an early dinner (there is a great strip of little traditional greek restaurants just up the road!) and then watched the sunset from our balcony.
The weather in Santorini at the moment is beautiful, it is around 24 degrees with beautiful blue skies, although it does feel hotter!
Today we caught the local bus to Oia which is a coastal town on tbe northwestern tip of Santorini. The bus ride took about 30 minutes from the bus station in Fira.
It was morning cofee and smoothie time when we arrived!
We then wandered around the tiny streets on the side of the Caldera cliffs looking at all the little shops and restaurants. It was picture perfect! Just like the postcards!
In Oia there are two types of dwellings, the cave houses dug into the the volcanic rock and the Captain's houses and of course the white churches with the blue domes. It is also famous for its sunsets.
There were lots of tourists about, especially tour groups which we tried to avoid!
We were glad that we visited in the morning as the tours from the Cruise ships come in the afternoon.
We had lunch up stairs on the balcony of the Oia Gefis Restaurant which is housed in a traditional 19th Centuary Captain's house which used to be a mansion of the wealthy ship owner. It was decorated with period artefacts and was just gorgeous with amazing views! The food was also very good!
We arriced back in the middle of the afternoon and then spent a couple of hours by the pool before going to a little Greek cafe recommended by the' Lonely Planet' for food "like Mamna cooks" and it was good!
Today we went by to the Vocanic Island of Nea Kameni where we walked to the top of the land form to view the vast craters. The highest peak is 127 metres.
There have been six different volcanic events spanning 430 years which have formed the landscape. It is still an active volcano which is closely monitored ,the last major quake was in 1950.
After the walk the boat sailed around to a little inlet where there are some hot springs and many of the passengers jumped off the side of the boat and enjoyed a swim. Beth enjoyed her swim.
We then sailed to the Island of Thirassia where we had two hours of free time to enjoy lunch and a swim.
We had a lovely lunch overlooking the old port (it is a shame that Beth does not eat seafood!) We then found some sun lounges and relaxed by the water before having an ice cream before we sailed back to Santorini.
Today we wandered up to the Caldera area of Santorina in Fira which has rows of cafes and hotels on the edge with amasing views of the sea.
Along the meandering narrow roads there are also rows of boutiques and souvenir shops. The only mode of transport allowed are motor bikes.
We visited the lovely Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral which was built in 1827. It was damaged in the 1956 earthquake and subsequently rebuilt.
We had a lovely morning tea in one of the cafes overlooking the water.
In the afternoon we relaxed by the pool at our hotel before walking back up to the Caldera to have dinner and watch the sunset at the 1500 bc Restaurant which was really great - the food and the view!
I went for an early morning walk around the local strreets near our hotel.
There is a couple of vineyards close by - I don't know how the vines grow in the dry volcanic soil and the salt from the seamist.
The cultivation of the vines go back 5000 years and the area is known for its dry white wines.
After Beth finally woke up and had breakfast we headed up to the local bus station and caught the bus to Kamara Beach.
The beaches in Santorini are black pebble rather than white sand which Beth found quite different. All the hotels/ restaurants along the beachfront set up sun lounges with umbrellas and side tables and as long as you buy refreshments from them they are free.
We sunbaked, swam, collected shells and pebbles and wandered around the foreshore. We had morning tea on the beach but moved up to the tables undercover for lunch.
After lunch we wandered along the boardwalk, looking at the little shops and luxury hotels before catching the bus back.
In the evening we walked up th the town for some dinner before sorting out our packing for tomorrow.
Today we caught the ferry from Santorini to Mykonos, arriving there about 15:30 where we were picked up by our hotel staff.
The trip took about four hours and was very relaxing sitting in the lounge.
Again, we passed some lovely islands on the way!
Our hotel, Hotel Alkyon, is situated on top of a hill overlooking the ports and the old town. There are two ports in Mykonos, the old port is on the edge of the Old Town near a little beach which is mainly frequented by tourists. There are small ferries which run from the Old Town to both the ports.
The new port is the hub for the large ferries which travel between the islands and Athens and some of the cruise ships, although most of the ships are too big and have to anchor further out and transport the passengers in by small craft.
The government in Mykonos has recently reduced the number of ships allowed to dock at and one time, from 7 to 4 because the narrow streets in the Old Town can not cope with the number of tourists.
Many of the ships only stay one day - you wake up early in the morning to see the passengers disembark and next morning there is a new ship in its place!
Our boutique hotel is family owned and is lovely, our room has a large balcony with view s to the harbour.
We had a quiet afternoon settling in before walking up to a nearby restaurant for dinner.
This morning we went on a Walking Tour around the Old Port and town. We were very lucky as we had a lovely young local guide and there were only two other people, two ladies from the US on the tour.
The walk gave us some sense of direction as well as it very eady to get lost as the little winding streets all lead off each other.
We also picked out some shops and cafes that we intended to visit whilst we are here!
We were lucky enough to run into their famous resident and Mykonos mascot, Petros (Peter), the pink Pelican who is around 30 years old and has the run of the island.
We also visited a very old bakery which has been in the family for generations - the windmill which was used to mill the wheat is still out the back. Their biscuits were delicious!
One if the icons of Mykonos and symbol of the islands rich past are the old windmills which represented one of earliest manufacturing units in Greece.
We had lunch in one of the many restaurants overlooking the port.
After lunch we relaxed by the pool before taking the 15 minute walk along winding track back down to the Old Town for dinner in a lovely traditional Greek restaurant.
The walk down is certainly easier than the walk back!!
Today was a rest day! We lounged around the pool, enjoying the cool water and relaxing.
We orderd hamburgers for lunch from a nearby restaurant as the pool bar has stopped serving food as the hotel is winding down in preparation to close for the winter break in about a weeks time.
In the evening we wandered down to the Old Port where we enjoyed a lovely seafood dinner ( me anyway, Beth won't eat seafood!) and enjoyed the sunset.
Another beautiful day in Mykonos! Today we headed off to the Old Port early to go on a day trip to a deserted island for an explore and a swim as well as to visit the Archaeological Site on Delos Island.
There was about 20 of us on the lovely wodden clipper. We made friends with 2 Canadian couples and a young couple from Tasmania.
Our first stop was Rhenia Island where we moored in a little cove and were taken to the shore by rubber dinghy, although Beth and a couple of the others decided to jump off the side of the boat and swim to shore.
We had a lovely couple of hours climbing around the rocks and swimming in the lovely blue green water. Beth did some snorkeling.
We had a delicious BBQ lunch back on board the boat before heading off to Delos Island.
Delos's history goes back to the 2.500 years BC and is the most scared place for Ancient Greeks because Apollo and Artemis, the Greek God and Goddess were born there.
By the 5th Century, there were many farms and towns and by 167 AD it was a rich port and the commercial centre of the world.
Rich merchants and bankers built large houses which were richly decorated with frescoes and mosaic tiles.
The island has been abandoned for many centuries and excavations started in 1872 and are still in progress.
Beth decided not to explore the island but rather sail to another island to do more swimming and snorkeling.
I enjoyed my time on the island walking around the ruins and looking at the displays in the museum.
There was also a sculpture exhibition by British Artist Anothy Gromley on Delos at the time, which was really cool!
In the evening we again walked up the hill to a very good local Greek restaurant for dinner where we again ran into the Canadians.
Today we wandered around the Old Town and had morning tea in the Pancake Cafe which we had been eyeing off over the last few days.
After spending time enjoying the window shopping and looking at the sights we had lunch and then caught the ferry over to the New Port where we ended up getting a taxi back to the hotel as it was quite hot.
We spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool.
In the evening we walked down to a nearby hotel where we had dinner overlooking the town and the harbour.
Today we caught the ferry back to Athens leaving the beautiful Greek Islands behind.
We didn't leave until early afternoon so we spent one last time relaxing by the pool.
The ferry ride back was to the Port of Piraeus was just over two hours.
We stayed in the over night in the same hotel in Athens and had dinner in the restaurant.
Our flight wasn't until the early evening so we had a late check out from our hotel.
In the morning we went for a walk down to the town square near the hotel where there were great markets full of wonderful food.
We also watched some children do some traditional Greek dancing which was fun.
Our flight was only about five hours and was fine.
We arrived in Dubai at around 11:30pm.
The queue to go through Immigration was long but they were very efficient as were the staff managing the taxi queue.
We arrived at our hotel , The Movenpick Hotel, Jemeirah Beach, at around 1am.
One of the things I noticed driving through the city was that Dubai never sleeps - many of the businesses and cafes like Starbucks are open 24 hours.
After a bit of a sleep in we spent the day exploring the local area.
After breakfast we walked down to the beach which is in front of the hotel, the only problem is that there is so much skyrise development going on that I don't how long the hotel will have a watsr view. There are plenty of luxury hotels along the water front.
Jumeirah Beach is a lovely long white sand beach on the Persian Coast.
The water is a beautiful teal blue but is very flat - no waves!!
There are plenty of white pepples on the shoreline which Beth enjoyed looking for.
The water was quite pleasant. The temperature in Dubai was about 35 degrees and quite humid.
Water sports including jet skis are plentiful.
We also tried out the hotel pool and later in the day walked along the sand to a local park.
We stayed on the Executive level of the hotel which meant we had access to our own restaurant which served afternoon tea as well as sunset drinks and finger food so we didn't need any dinner!
Beth enjoyed having access to hot chocolates and other snacks during our stay!
After a quiet morning by the pool which included an early lunch we caught a taxi to the Burj Al Arab hotel to enjoy a prebooked afternoon tea at the Sahn Eddar Restaurant.
The hotel is famous for its striking sail shape design and is on its own island, you have to show your reservation to the guard on the gate to gain access.
A standard hotel room costs around $3000 per night.
We were a little early so we wandered around the beautiful grounds and pools before wandering around the foyer and the shops.
The foyer has 22 karet gold pillars and dancing water fountains which splash down from above. The huge flower arrangements were amasing! Even though it was opulant I thought it was classy and not over done.
Our waitress was lovely. I had a glass of bubbles, a coffee which was sprinked with 24 karet gold sprinkles and a delicious cake. Beth had a fruit juice and cake. The whole experience cost over $200 but it was worth it.
Our next stop was to the Dubai Mall which is one of the world's largest and most visited retail and entertainment destination.
We did a bit of shopping and then when it was dark we walked next door to go up in the towers to the 125 floor of the Burj Khalifa building where the 360 view was stupendous!
We then grabbed some dinner from the food court in the mall before vising the aquarium which was fun.
The shopping mall boasts an aquarium as well as an indoor sking park.
We had a big day!
After another relaxing morning by the pool which included lunch we were picked up by our Driver to begin our Desert Safari.
There were six of us in the Mercedes SUV, our young driver and Guide was from the Phillipines , he was great.
It wasn't long before we left the city behind and we were out in the desert. We saw lots of construction of new suburbs on the way, both shopping centres and housing. It is amasing how everything is built on the sand!
Our first stop was at an adventure park where the others went quadbilke riding through the sand dunes.
The next stop was into the sand dunes for some sand bashing.Sand Bashing means driving at increasing and decreasing speeds over sand dunes As the surface of the sand keeps shifting, it takes a special skill and a special type of car to navigate the terrain – usually a sports utility vehicle or SUV.
I didn't really know that this was part of the tour and it was just of well as I would not have gone!
We went up and over the dunes gliding often on two wheels and leaning on the side. Beth enjoyed it more than me!
We stopped out in the middle on top of a sand dune and watched the sunst - it was beautiful!
Our last stop was to the campsite where we enjoyed a camel ride before having a BBQ dinner.
There was fire dancing and belly dancing to keep us enertained.
Beth got a pretty henna tattoo on the back of the hand which she really liked.
We arrived back at the hotel about 10:30pm.
We had a fairly early start on Thursday morning to go to the airport for our 10:15 am flight home.The fourteen hour flight was fine, we watched a few movies and had a little sleep.We arrived back in Sydney at 7am.
It was a great holiday and one which I hope that Beth will remember for ever!
Today we flew from Melbourne to Tokyo on Malaysian Airlines via Kuala Lumpur. We arrived at Narita Airport around 7:30am. We were meet by our lovely South Korean Guide, Jisook.There are 34 people in our group. A mixture of ages. There are 2 girls and a lone guy in their early twenties and the rest other than Max would be in their 60s and beyond.Whilst waiting for check in to our hotel we explored the streets around our hotel. There are lots of little narrow alleyways filled wirh small restaurants and shops.Shoes shops everywhere with masses of colourful sneakers which are much cheaper than home. Max bought a pair. In the evening we tried a Japanese BBQ Restaurant with some of our new friends which was fun! Then early to bed!
Today we visited the countryside of Japan
Our first stop was a very old wasabi farm. Wasabi is grown in water under black netting to keep it cool.
We covered 286 kilometres during the drive to Shirakawa-go which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site in 1995. The area is famous for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old.
Lastly, we visited Takayama Old Town and walked along Sannomachi Street, which survives in a particularly pretty state with many old homes, shops, and restaurants.There was a heavy shower of rain at lunch-time.
We were luck enough to join in a carnival where there was a music and dancing show and people in traditional dress offering warm Sake.
We spent the night in Gifu.