The rest of the afternoon was taken up by a walk back through the city and afternoon tea on the sidewalks of Le Marais, before jumping on the train to the airport for our trip out of Paris.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Day 227 - Last day in Paris .....
The rest of the afternoon was taken up by a walk back through the city and afternoon tea on the sidewalks of Le Marais, before jumping on the train to the airport for our trip out of Paris.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Day 226 - We knew it was closed, so why did we go there?
Paris - Hotel du 7e Art
We knew the Louvre was closed on Tuesdays - but for some reason this slipped our minds when we arranged with A&L to make it our first visit of the day. We finally realised our mistake when we saw that the ticket queue was empty ..... doh! We made the most of it though by continuing our walk along the Champs Elysees to the Arc De Triomphe, then to the Eiffel Tower via the Trocadero. There were huge queues to climb the tower, so we hopped on a Seine cruise where we continued our misadventures with French food. Tip - take your own lunch when you go on a river cruise.
After the cruise we headed back to the Eiffel Tower and walked up the equivalent of 42 flights of stairs to the second level, before taking the lift to the very top for the magnificant views of Paris. We didn't indulge in the champagne on offer .... 10 euros for 100mls seemed a little excessive, but it helped us work out why there were so many baggage checks when we entered!
After the tower we jumped on the Metro to visit Montmartre and the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur. After the church visit we had an afternoon tea of crepes and coffee, followed by some souvenir shopping, and a look at the Moulin Rouge, before going back to the hotel and out for dinner. We finally managed a very tasty French meal at a restaurant near our hotel, followed by a pleasant evening with A&L at a nearby bar.
We knew the Louvre was closed on Tuesdays - but for some reason this slipped our minds when we arranged with A&L to make it our first visit of the day. We finally realised our mistake when we saw that the ticket queue was empty ..... doh! We made the most of it though by continuing our walk along the Champs Elysees to the Arc De Triomphe, then to the Eiffel Tower via the Trocadero. There were huge queues to climb the tower, so we hopped on a Seine cruise where we continued our misadventures with French food. Tip - take your own lunch when you go on a river cruise.After the cruise we headed back to the Eiffel Tower and walked up the equivalent of 42 flights of stairs to the second level, before taking the lift to the very top for the magnificant views of Paris. We didn't indulge in the champagne on offer .... 10 euros for 100mls seemed a little excessive, but it helped us work out why there were so many baggage checks when we entered!
After the tower we jumped on the Metro to visit Montmartre and the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur. After the church visit we had an afternoon tea of crepes and coffee, followed by some souvenir shopping, and a look at the Moulin Rouge, before going back to the hotel and out for dinner. We finally managed a very tasty French meal at a restaurant near our hotel, followed by a pleasant evening with A&L at a nearby bar.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Day 225 - Back to the mainland
Puerto De La Cruz (Spain) to Paris (France) - Hotel du 7e Art
We had to get an early taxi to the airport for our flight to Paris - this is the first time we've arrived at an airport to find it wasn't open yet! The day was a typical travelling day, the first flight to Madrid, then a change to get the next plane to Paris.
On arrival in Paris in mid-afternoon we negotiated the railway system and made it to our hotel without too much difficulty. We'd arranged with our English friends A&L to meet them in Paris, so while we waited for them to finish their drive from Bristol, we decided to get an early start to the sightseeing.
First off a visit to Notre Dame, then along the Seine to view the various bridges, ending up at the Louvre. We only walked around the outside of the Louvre, we were planning a proper visit for another day.
We arrived back at the hotel shortly after A&L arrived, and spent the evening catching up over a drink, followed by a slightly disappointing dinner (after having heard so much about French cuisine over the years!).
We had to get an early taxi to the airport for our flight to Paris - this is the first time we've arrived at an airport to find it wasn't open yet! The day was a typical travelling day, the first flight to Madrid, then a change to get the next plane to Paris.On arrival in Paris in mid-afternoon we negotiated the railway system and made it to our hotel without too much difficulty. We'd arranged with our English friends A&L to meet them in Paris, so while we waited for them to finish their drive from Bristol, we decided to get an early start to the sightseeing.
First off a visit to Notre Dame, then along the Seine to view the various bridges, ending up at the Louvre. We only walked around the outside of the Louvre, we were planning a proper visit for another day.
We arrived back at the hotel shortly after A&L arrived, and spent the evening catching up over a drink, followed by a slightly disappointing dinner (after having heard so much about French cuisine over the years!).
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Day 217 to Day 224 - Back to School: The Sequel
Puerto De La Cruz - Best Semiramis Hotel
Day 217: A "rest day" before K goes back to school for more Spanish lessons, so we spent some time walking to town. The info we'd read about our hotel said there was an ocean pool, however when we went down to check it out it looked like it hadn't been used for ages .... false advertising? Town was a combination of a black rocky beach (with a surprisingly high number of people sunbaking - too uncomfortable for us!), a pool area nearby, and a mix of outdoor restaurants and locals selling necklaces and fake handbags. We finished the day with a nice paella - with enough food for four people.
Day 218: Just as you would with a child heading off to school for the first day, M escorted K into school, with a promise to meet her afterwards at 1pm. While K sat in her first class for the week, M walked around town to get a feel for the area. It was pretty quiet at 9am, few shops were open that early. After school we didn't do much, a walk back to our hotel, lazing by the pool for the afternoon, and dinner at one of the many German style restaurants in the area.
Day 219: We are really getting lazy, K has been at school in the mornings, but M really has no excuse! Today was very similar to yesterday, perhaps a little warmer, which was a good excuse for spending more time by the pool.
Day 220: A change of pace this afternoon - after K finished school we decided to visit Loro Park, a marine park in Puerto De La Cruz. We caught the free shuttle bus from town, and after avoiding the photo they try to get you to sit for on the way in (and pay for on the way out), we headed for the various animal shows and displays. The orca show was lots of fun, though a little on the cheesy side, while the emperor penguin display was very impressive with snow falling from the ceiling and penguins darting through the water in front of us. The gorilla display was a little depressing after having seen them in the wild back in Rwanda, and the bird show was just plain embarrassing. On the whole though it was definitely worth a visit.
Day 221: Back to lazy mode today. While K was in school, M arranged a rental car for the weekend (which took all of five minutes ....), and another afternoon was spent lazing by the pool.
Day 222: K's last day of school, so after farewelling her classmates we went for a drive to the centre of the island, intending to head up to the top of Mount Teide, the still active volcano that dominates the island. However as the afternoon progressed cloud gathered around the peak, and when combined with K's dislike of extremely steep and windy roads, we decided it would be best to turn back.
Day 223: Time to explore the rest of the island, so we drove around to the more popular south side of the island. Because of the volcano, it's easier to drive all the way around the outside rather than through the middle. We lunched at Los Cristianos, then spent some time walking along the beach. These were the first beaches we'd seen on the island with white sand, which apparently been imported from the Sahara. We took a whale watching cruise later in the afternoon, which guaranteed that we'd see some whales, with the chance of dolphins. We managed to see some pilot whales, which were a lot smaller than we expected. We weren't so lucky with the dolphins, though K did see one in the distance.
Day 224: Another theme park today, this time we went to Siam Park, a Thai themed (why?) water park on the south side of the island. The weather was overcast and a bit on the windy side, but as it turned out this wasn't an issue, in fact it kept the crowds down and the queues short. We had lots of fun on the various slides, finishing the day trying to catch a wave in the wave pool.
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Day 217: A "rest day" before K goes back to school for more Spanish lessons, so we spent some time walking to town. The info we'd read about our hotel said there was an ocean pool, however when we went down to check it out it looked like it hadn't been used for ages .... false advertising? Town was a combination of a black rocky beach (with a surprisingly high number of people sunbaking - too uncomfortable for us!), a pool area nearby, and a mix of outdoor restaurants and locals selling necklaces and fake handbags. We finished the day with a nice paella - with enough food for four people.Day 218: Just as you would with a child heading off to school for the first day, M escorted K into school, with a promise to meet her afterwards at 1pm. While K sat in her first class for the week, M walked around town to get a feel for the area. It was pretty quiet at 9am, few shops were open that early. After school we didn't do much, a walk back to our hotel, lazing by the pool for the afternoon, and dinner at one of the many German style restaurants in the area.
Day 219: We are really getting lazy, K has been at school in the mornings, but M really has no excuse! Today was very similar to yesterday, perhaps a little warmer, which was a good excuse for spending more time by the pool.
Day 220: A change of pace this afternoon - after K finished school we decided to visit Loro Park, a marine park in Puerto De La Cruz. We caught the free shuttle bus from town, and after avoiding the photo they try to get you to sit for on the way in (and pay for on the way out), we headed for the various animal shows and displays. The orca show was lots of fun, though a little on the cheesy side, while the emperor penguin display was very impressive with snow falling from the ceiling and penguins darting through the water in front of us. The gorilla display was a little depressing after having seen them in the wild back in Rwanda, and the bird show was just plain embarrassing. On the whole though it was definitely worth a visit.Day 221: Back to lazy mode today. While K was in school, M arranged a rental car for the weekend (which took all of five minutes ....), and another afternoon was spent lazing by the pool.
Day 222: K's last day of school, so after farewelling her classmates we went for a drive to the centre of the island, intending to head up to the top of Mount Teide, the still active volcano that dominates the island. However as the afternoon progressed cloud gathered around the peak, and when combined with K's dislike of extremely steep and windy roads, we decided it would be best to turn back.
Day 223: Time to explore the rest of the island, so we drove around to the more popular south side of the island. Because of the volcano, it's easier to drive all the way around the outside rather than through the middle. We lunched at Los Cristianos, then spent some time walking along the beach. These were the first beaches we'd seen on the island with white sand, which apparently been imported from the Sahara. We took a whale watching cruise later in the afternoon, which guaranteed that we'd see some whales, with the chance of dolphins. We managed to see some pilot whales, which were a lot smaller than we expected. We weren't so lucky with the dolphins, though K did see one in the distance.Day 224: Another theme park today, this time we went to Siam Park, a Thai themed (why?) water park on the south side of the island. The weather was overcast and a bit on the windy side, but as it turned out this wasn't an issue, in fact it kept the crowds down and the queues short. We had lots of fun on the various slides, finishing the day trying to catch a wave in the wave pool.
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Saturday, September 24, 2011
Day 216 - Travelling with the drunks ....
Barcelona to Puerto De La Cruz (Tenerife) - Best Semiramis Hotel
We had to get to Barcelona airport pretty early this Saturday morning, so even though there were no "regular" travellers, we had to contend with groups of drunks fresh from the opening of La Merce as we made our way into town to get the airport bus. Unfortunately one of our last memories of Barcelona is loud drunks and the smell of urine ..... lovely!
We arrived in Tenerife just before lunch, took another bus to Puerto De La Cruz on the north side of the island, and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in our room with it's great view of the town, followed by a little bit of exploring.
We arrived in Tenerife just before lunch, took another bus to Puerto De La Cruz on the north side of the island, and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in our room with it's great view of the town, followed by a little bit of exploring.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Day 211 to Day 215 - Back to school
Barcelona - Cocoon Apartments
Day 211 - K had signed up for a Spanish course this week in Barcelona, so we had an early start as K had to sit a test at 8am. The class times are 9am to 1pm each day, which works well as it leaves us the afternoons to do some sightseeing. This afternoon we walked down to the port and marina which aren't far from where we are staying, and up Los Ramblas, the "main street" where all of the tourist shops are, as well as human statues (which in Barcelona are much better than the crappy ones we've seen back home and elsewhere), and lots of pickpockets (we've been told).
Day 212 - Today after K's classes we headed to Sagradia Familia, a unfinished but still impressive church. This church is expected to be completed in 2026, 100 years after the death of the church's designer, Anton Gaudi. It is very unusual as it combines so many different architectual styles. We continued on to Park Guell to see more of Gaudi's famous creations.
Day 213 - Today we had a quiet afternoon, we had to do some more planning for our travels after Barcerlona. Our original intentions have changed quite significantly, we would have liked to have stayed on in Barcelona so K can continue her course here, but instead we will move on to Tenerife so K can pick up a course there. This meant we have had to spend a bit of time on the internet checking out plane fares, hotels, etc, fortunately there are some budget airlines so the costs aren't too bad.
Day 214 - Today is the first day of the annual La Merce Festival, which is a really big deal here. The opening ceremony was only a few minutes walk from our flat, so of course we went along. The square was packed with people, who all waited through the boring speeches (worse for us because we couldn't understand them), before the main show commenced. Papier mache giants in various forms - kings, queens, fire breathing dragons, lions "danced" around the centre of the square, accompanied by traditional music played by a large band on a stage. After each of the giants had done their little dance, there was a small fireworks display. The main parade is on Saturday night, unfortunately we will have left Barcelona by then.
Day 215 - The last day of K's course and time to get packed up and move on once again, we have a very early start in the morning to get the plane to Tenerife. Because we feel we have been working so hard lately, we are heading off to the Canary Islands for a holiday (actually K continues with her Spanish course).
Day 211 - K had signed up for a Spanish course this week in Barcelona, so we had an early start as K had to sit a test at 8am. The class times are 9am to 1pm each day, which works well as it leaves us the afternoons to do some sightseeing. This afternoon we walked down to the port and marina which aren't far from where we are staying, and up Los Ramblas, the "main street" where all of the tourist shops are, as well as human statues (which in Barcelona are much better than the crappy ones we've seen back home and elsewhere), and lots of pickpockets (we've been told).
Day 212 - Today after K's classes we headed to Sagradia Familia, a unfinished but still impressive church. This church is expected to be completed in 2026, 100 years after the death of the church's designer, Anton Gaudi. It is very unusual as it combines so many different architectual styles. We continued on to Park Guell to see more of Gaudi's famous creations.Day 213 - Today we had a quiet afternoon, we had to do some more planning for our travels after Barcerlona. Our original intentions have changed quite significantly, we would have liked to have stayed on in Barcelona so K can continue her course here, but instead we will move on to Tenerife so K can pick up a course there. This meant we have had to spend a bit of time on the internet checking out plane fares, hotels, etc, fortunately there are some budget airlines so the costs aren't too bad.
Day 214 - Today is the first day of the annual La Merce Festival, which is a really big deal here. The opening ceremony was only a few minutes walk from our flat, so of course we went along. The square was packed with people, who all waited through the boring speeches (worse for us because we couldn't understand them), before the main show commenced. Papier mache giants in various forms - kings, queens, fire breathing dragons, lions "danced" around the centre of the square, accompanied by traditional music played by a large band on a stage. After each of the giants had done their little dance, there was a small fireworks display. The main parade is on Saturday night, unfortunately we will have left Barcelona by then.Day 215 - The last day of K's course and time to get packed up and move on once again, we have a very early start in the morning to get the plane to Tenerife. Because we feel we have been working so hard lately, we are heading off to the Canary Islands for a holiday (actually K continues with her Spanish course).
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Day 210 - Flying into a protest
Rome (Italy) to Barcelona (Spain) - Cocoon Apartments
The problem with flying is that although the flying time is short it always takes the entire day. The queues at Rome airport for security were longer than usual, the plane was late, etc - so even though we left our hotel in Rome around 11am, we didn't get to our studio apartment in Barcelona until after 7pm.
We headed out for a quick explore and some dinner to find ourselves in the middle of a huge political demonstration, we suspect it was related to Spain's debt crisis and the austerity measures that were in place. It was a peaceful protest though, lots of singing and dancing in the street, we even joined it for about 20 seconds (while we crossed from one side of the street to the other).
We headed out for a quick explore and some dinner to find ourselves in the middle of a huge political demonstration, we suspect it was related to Spain's debt crisis and the austerity measures that were in place. It was a peaceful protest though, lots of singing and dancing in the street, we even joined it for about 20 seconds (while we crossed from one side of the street to the other).
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Day 209 - Ancient speed bumps
Rome - Candia Residences
An early train trip to Pompei today (via Naples), three trains and three and a half hours later we arrived, with the still active Mt Vesuvius in the background.
It was a little difficult to negotiate as they had run out of maps and it is very poorly signposted. We wandered around aimlessly for a while, finding some interesting mosaics in a very quiet area, before following the crowds and getting back to the main areas. We then managed to see most of the major sights, including the famous mummified bodies from the eruption. The streets are interesting as the cobblestones are heavily grooved from the carts and have speed bumps on them ... speed bumps have been around for a long time!
We had originally hoped that after Pompei we could go up to Vesuvius (it would have been easy as there were plenty of people outside the station offering their services), but we didn't have enough time, instead we headed back to Naples to have a look around. The vicinity around the railway station seemed a little seedy, but as we had to get our train back to Rome we didn't have a chance to go any further afield.
An early train trip to Pompei today (via Naples), three trains and three and a half hours later we arrived, with the still active Mt Vesuvius in the background.
We had originally hoped that after Pompei we could go up to Vesuvius (it would have been easy as there were plenty of people outside the station offering their services), but we didn't have enough time, instead we headed back to Naples to have a look around. The vicinity around the railway station seemed a little seedy, but as we had to get our train back to Rome we didn't have a chance to go any further afield.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Day 208 - Worst tour operator ever?
Rome - Candia Residences
We joined the unbelievably long queue to see St Paul's Basilica, which fortunately moved pretty quickly. Once inside we joined another long queue to go the cupola. It was a steep walk up very narrow winding staircases - we're pretty sure the Pope hasn't been up here for a long time. After the cupola it was back into the basilica at ground level, and once we'd had our fill of dead popes and more artwork, we headed into town to visit the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps.
For the afternoon we had booked a tour to Tivoli to visit Hadrian's Villa, something K has wanted to see for a long time. We had decided on a tour as it isn't easy to get to using public transport, and the temperature in Rome had been very hot. First stop in Tivoli was Villa Este, which had lovely terraced gardens on the side of the mountain, with many huge fountains including one that played an organ.
We finally arrived at Hadrians Villa to K's excitement only to be told it was closed!!! Unbelievable, "on strike" was the explanation given, apparently it's very common in Italy! We had heard that there were riots the night before outside parliament so we're not sure if this was part of the reason. Very disappointing, a waste of money and time. There was no offer of compensation from the company but a group of us did go back to the office and we were given €10 back per person, the company was happy to keep the entry fee for the site from everyone else on the tour!
We joined the unbelievably long queue to see St Paul's Basilica, which fortunately moved pretty quickly. Once inside we joined another long queue to go the cupola. It was a steep walk up very narrow winding staircases - we're pretty sure the Pope hasn't been up here for a long time. After the cupola it was back into the basilica at ground level, and once we'd had our fill of dead popes and more artwork, we headed into town to visit the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps.
For the afternoon we had booked a tour to Tivoli to visit Hadrian's Villa, something K has wanted to see for a long time. We had decided on a tour as it isn't easy to get to using public transport, and the temperature in Rome had been very hot. First stop in Tivoli was Villa Este, which had lovely terraced gardens on the side of the mountain, with many huge fountains including one that played an organ.We finally arrived at Hadrians Villa to K's excitement only to be told it was closed!!! Unbelievable, "on strike" was the explanation given, apparently it's very common in Italy! We had heard that there were riots the night before outside parliament so we're not sure if this was part of the reason. Very disappointing, a waste of money and time. There was no offer of compensation from the company but a group of us did go back to the office and we were given €10 back per person, the company was happy to keep the entry fee for the site from everyone else on the tour!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Day 207 - The real roman ruins
Rome - Candia Residences
We had ordered our tickets for the Vatican Museums online, so we were able to skip the very long queue. As it was quite early we decided to make a beeline for the Sistine Chapel, hoping that the bulk of the crowds hadn't reached it yet. As we eventually found out though, there was no chance of avoiding the crowds. The chapel itself is worth visiting, K would like the job of the person who "shushes" everyone (you are meant to be silent, but almost noone is), she thinks she would be very good at it. We then wandered back to the beginning of the museums and visited all of the other fabulous rooms with all sorts of artwork, having to visit the Sistine Chapel a second time so we could exit.
We then went to the ancient Roman part of the city to visit the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum. We've seen a number of Roman ruins on our travels, we finally made it to the "real" Roman ruins! This took up most of the rest of the day, though we did manage to fit in the Tivoli Fountain on the way back to the hotel.
We had ordered our tickets for the Vatican Museums online, so we were able to skip the very long queue. As it was quite early we decided to make a beeline for the Sistine Chapel, hoping that the bulk of the crowds hadn't reached it yet. As we eventually found out though, there was no chance of avoiding the crowds. The chapel itself is worth visiting, K would like the job of the person who "shushes" everyone (you are meant to be silent, but almost noone is), she thinks she would be very good at it. We then wandered back to the beginning of the museums and visited all of the other fabulous rooms with all sorts of artwork, having to visit the Sistine Chapel a second time so we could exit.
We then went to the ancient Roman part of the city to visit the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum. We've seen a number of Roman ruins on our travels, we finally made it to the "real" Roman ruins! This took up most of the rest of the day, though we did manage to fit in the Tivoli Fountain on the way back to the hotel.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Day 206 - On strike, but only for you
Florence to Rome - Candia Residences
We left Florence for Rome, but with a side trip to Pisa on the way. We had researched that it was possible to leave our luggage at the station in Pisa while we visited the famous tower, but when we arrived at Pisa station a man outside the left luggage office told us they were on strike because they hadn't been paid!
In the end we took a taxi to the Leaning Tower and took turns looking after the luggage while the other looked around. The tower and accompanying buildings were quite interesting, as was the number of people setting up the trick photo where someone is "holding up" the tower - we didn't try that though. We shared the taxi back to the station with another couple who had been able to leave their luggage at the station, apparently the strike was over less than an hour after we had left!
Our hotel in Rome was very close to the Vatican so we walked up to St. Peter's Square, and were surprised to find it relatively quiet, and that St. Paul's Basilica was still open. We tried to enter but K was turned away because of her shorts and top - knees and shoulders have to be covered.
M then decided we should complete our walk around the outside of the Vatican, K wasn't that keen, but at least we can now say we have walked around the borders of an entire country in only an hour or so.
We left Florence for Rome, but with a side trip to Pisa on the way. We had researched that it was possible to leave our luggage at the station in Pisa while we visited the famous tower, but when we arrived at Pisa station a man outside the left luggage office told us they were on strike because they hadn't been paid!In the end we took a taxi to the Leaning Tower and took turns looking after the luggage while the other looked around. The tower and accompanying buildings were quite interesting, as was the number of people setting up the trick photo where someone is "holding up" the tower - we didn't try that though. We shared the taxi back to the station with another couple who had been able to leave their luggage at the station, apparently the strike was over less than an hour after we had left!
Our hotel in Rome was very close to the Vatican so we walked up to St. Peter's Square, and were surprised to find it relatively quiet, and that St. Paul's Basilica was still open. We tried to enter but K was turned away because of her shorts and top - knees and shoulders have to be covered.M then decided we should complete our walk around the outside of the Vatican, K wasn't that keen, but at least we can now say we have walked around the borders of an entire country in only an hour or so.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Day 205 - Art overload
Florence - Locanda de Firenze
We were a little surprised to get to the piazza and see the huge queues for the Basilica, as the previous evening it had been much quieter. We decided to wait until later to see if the crowds would subside.
We had booked our tickets for the Accademia and Ufizzi galleries online, which ended up saving us so much time waiting in queues. First up was the Accademia, the highlight of course being Michaelangelo's David. After finishing there we went back to the Basilica and climbed to the top of the dome, followed by a quick look from the inside at ground level as well. Then a walk over the Ponte Vecchio, before heading to the Uffizi gallery.
Our Uffizi entry was scheduled for 5:30pm, but we managed to get in an hour earlier. There were some amazing artworks in there, by Da Vinci, Boticelli, Raphael. Carravaggio and many more, but it was a little difficult at times to get a good view because of the number of people - way too crowded for our liking. On this trip now we've seen so many works of art that we think we are suffering from art overload, but the really extraordinary and famous works are still great to see.
We were a little surprised to get to the piazza and see the huge queues for the Basilica, as the previous evening it had been much quieter. We decided to wait until later to see if the crowds would subside.We had booked our tickets for the Accademia and Ufizzi galleries online, which ended up saving us so much time waiting in queues. First up was the Accademia, the highlight of course being Michaelangelo's David. After finishing there we went back to the Basilica and climbed to the top of the dome, followed by a quick look from the inside at ground level as well. Then a walk over the Ponte Vecchio, before heading to the Uffizi gallery.
Our Uffizi entry was scheduled for 5:30pm, but we managed to get in an hour earlier. There were some amazing artworks in there, by Da Vinci, Boticelli, Raphael. Carravaggio and many more, but it was a little difficult at times to get a good view because of the number of people - way too crowded for our liking. On this trip now we've seen so many works of art that we think we are suffering from art overload, but the really extraordinary and famous works are still great to see.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Day 204 - Next time buy the tickets earlier
Venice to Florence - Locanda de Firenze
We headed straight to the train station to catch a train to Florence but stupidly hadn't thought to buy the ticket the day before, so as the train was booked out we had to wait two hours for the next one. We used the morning for one last walk around Venice, taking special care not to get lost this time.
Eventually we made it to Florence and checked into our hotel where the girl behind the desk said "you must be here visiting relatives" - she recognised M's surname as being from a nearby area.
It was still very hot, so waited until the early evening to do some exploration, wandering into an old church along the way and also visiting some of the piazzas.
Eventually we made it to Florence and checked into our hotel where the girl behind the desk said "you must be here visiting relatives" - she recognised M's surname as being from a nearby area.
It was still very hot, so waited until the early evening to do some exploration, wandering into an old church along the way and also visiting some of the piazzas.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Day 203 - A day on the canals and in the Piazza
Venice - Hotel Florida
We bought a whole day pass for the vaporetto (water bus) and travelled to Piazza San Marco, it's a nice cheap way to travel the Grand Canal and see some of the beautiful sites. Nice square, but once again ruined by advertising - must be an Italian thing. We visited the museum in St. Mark's Basilica and climbed out onto the balcony into the hot sun (Italy has been very hot so far), we saved our visit to inside the Basilica for later in the day as it was closed in the morning.
Back on the ferry for a trip to Lido (not much there), then back to the Piazza for the Doges Palace and the Basilica proper. As part of the Doges Palace visit we walked across the Bridge of Sighs, unfortunately there wasn't much to be seen from the outside later on - ruined by advertising again! We walked back to the hotel via the Rialto Bridge and Market - K decided that souvenir shopping was in order, M decided that he'd rather relax and eat some gelati.
In the evening we headed back to the Piazza for the entertainment - there were a number of groups of musicians with piano and strings playing classical music - nice if you like that sort of thing, and it was certainly a lot quieter then earlier in the day, no hordes of tourists to contend with, and the evening trip on the vaporetto gave us great views of the buildings lit up along the canal.
We bought a whole day pass for the vaporetto (water bus) and travelled to Piazza San Marco, it's a nice cheap way to travel the Grand Canal and see some of the beautiful sites. Nice square, but once again ruined by advertising - must be an Italian thing. We visited the museum in St. Mark's Basilica and climbed out onto the balcony into the hot sun (Italy has been very hot so far), we saved our visit to inside the Basilica for later in the day as it was closed in the morning.Back on the ferry for a trip to Lido (not much there), then back to the Piazza for the Doges Palace and the Basilica proper. As part of the Doges Palace visit we walked across the Bridge of Sighs, unfortunately there wasn't much to be seen from the outside later on - ruined by advertising again! We walked back to the hotel via the Rialto Bridge and Market - K decided that souvenir shopping was in order, M decided that he'd rather relax and eat some gelati.
In the evening we headed back to the Piazza for the entertainment - there were a number of groups of musicians with piano and strings playing classical music - nice if you like that sort of thing, and it was certainly a lot quieter then earlier in the day, no hordes of tourists to contend with, and the evening trip on the vaporetto gave us great views of the buildings lit up along the canal.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Day 202 - Where did all these relatives come from?
Milan to Venice - Hotel Florida
Today was the day for our visit to M's Dad's home town of Piazzola Sul Brenta, not far from Padua, and of course to meet even more relatives. We set off early for the three hour trip, with Uncle Pietro driving us, doing a great job in the hectic Milan traffic for an 82 year old!
When we reached Piazzola Sul Brenta we first stopped by Villa Contorini, an impressive old "villa veneto", before heading to the house. M's plan was to stop by, meet a few relatives, take some pics and leave again. How naive we were, one glance at the length of the table set up in the garden and we knew this wasn't going to be a small affair! Unfortunately not many people spoke English but many people did their best to try and talk to us anyway.
One thing of special interest to us, when we were at Dakar concentration camp in Munich, M found a reference to a man who had died there with the same surname and home town as M's dad. One elderly auntie at the lunch remembered him, he was a great uncle of M's (i.e. M's dad's uncle) who went to Germany to work and then was imprisoned when Italy "changed sides" during WW2 - a piece of family history saved by chance.
After a traditional Italian lunch in the beautiful outdoor setting, photos were taken and many kisses were given to take back to Australia. We were then driven to the train station in Padua to catch the train to Venice, less than an hour away.
We arrived in Venice and exited the station right on the Grand Canal to find the place swarming with tourists. They say that something every visitor should do in Venice is to get lost - K has an excellent sense of direction so we rarely have a problem in this area. However when we headed off for an evening walk after dinner, it didn't take us long to get hopelessly lost - so it seems K's sense of direction doesn't work in Venice!
Today was the day for our visit to M's Dad's home town of Piazzola Sul Brenta, not far from Padua, and of course to meet even more relatives. We set off early for the three hour trip, with Uncle Pietro driving us, doing a great job in the hectic Milan traffic for an 82 year old!When we reached Piazzola Sul Brenta we first stopped by Villa Contorini, an impressive old "villa veneto", before heading to the house. M's plan was to stop by, meet a few relatives, take some pics and leave again. How naive we were, one glance at the length of the table set up in the garden and we knew this wasn't going to be a small affair! Unfortunately not many people spoke English but many people did their best to try and talk to us anyway.
After a traditional Italian lunch in the beautiful outdoor setting, photos were taken and many kisses were given to take back to Australia. We were then driven to the train station in Padua to catch the train to Venice, less than an hour away.
We arrived in Venice and exited the station right on the Grand Canal to find the place swarming with tourists. They say that something every visitor should do in Venice is to get lost - K has an excellent sense of direction so we rarely have a problem in this area. However when we headed off for an evening walk after dinner, it didn't take us long to get hopelessly lost - so it seems K's sense of direction doesn't work in Venice!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Day 201 - Planning and shopping
Milan - M's Uncle Pietro's apartment
Our original plan for the day was to visit either Lake Como or Lake Maggiore north of Milan, but we needed to spend some time on the internet planning travel and accommodation for the rest of our Italy visit. Our next stop was Venice, but because of the Venice Film Festival reasonably priced accommodation was difficult to find, and we also needed to sort out Florence and Rome.
By the time we'd done this the morning had gone, so we headed back into the centre of Milan for lunch and to do some gift shopping. That evening we went out to a local restaurant with Marilu, Stefano and some of Stefano's relatives for more authentic Italian food (but M thinks the home cooked meals were much better!).
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| Apartment block in Milan |
By the time we'd done this the morning had gone, so we headed back into the centre of Milan for lunch and to do some gift shopping. That evening we went out to a local restaurant with Marilu, Stefano and some of Stefano's relatives for more authentic Italian food (but M thinks the home cooked meals were much better!).
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Day 200 - Best cathedral yet, but ......
Milan - M's Uncle Pietro's apartment
Marilu's English has improved a lot since she visited Australia, as she has taken it upon herself to study with her children when they have homework, she managed to be a great tour guide of Milan for the day. Too bad our Italian skills are pretty much non-existent.
We arrived from the underground into the Piazza Del Duomo in the centre of Milan with its amazing gothic cathedral, the largest in Italy (and fourth largest in the world). Apart from its sheer size we were struck by how clean it was, many of the others we've seen in Europe have generally been in various shades of black. On the downside though there were huge fashion advertisements on the side of the cathedral .... it may have been the beginning of the fashion season, but it did seem a little strange to us.
We walked to the Galleria where you are meant to grind your heel into testicles of the ceramic picture of the bull on the floor for good luck - we watched other tourists do it but decided to give it a skip ourselves, of course there are no testicles left, just a depression a few centimetres deep! After that was the museum at La Scala, where we managed to catch the tail end of an orchestra rehearsal.
We returned to the cathedral for a closer look at the inside, then after lunch we first walked along Via Monte Napoleon (where they were setting up for Fashion Week) to look in the windows of the fashion shops that we could never afford, then headed to the Castello and the nearby gardens, before returning back home.
That evening we were treated to homemade gnocchi (made by Pietro), along with more relatives that had come to visit. After dinner we headed back into town with Stefano for a walk along the canals (designed by Leonardo Da Vinci), and a pleasant drink at one of the many bars.
Marilu's English has improved a lot since she visited Australia, as she has taken it upon herself to study with her children when they have homework, she managed to be a great tour guide of Milan for the day. Too bad our Italian skills are pretty much non-existent.We arrived from the underground into the Piazza Del Duomo in the centre of Milan with its amazing gothic cathedral, the largest in Italy (and fourth largest in the world). Apart from its sheer size we were struck by how clean it was, many of the others we've seen in Europe have generally been in various shades of black. On the downside though there were huge fashion advertisements on the side of the cathedral .... it may have been the beginning of the fashion season, but it did seem a little strange to us.
We walked to the Galleria where you are meant to grind your heel into testicles of the ceramic picture of the bull on the floor for good luck - we watched other tourists do it but decided to give it a skip ourselves, of course there are no testicles left, just a depression a few centimetres deep! After that was the museum at La Scala, where we managed to catch the tail end of an orchestra rehearsal.
We returned to the cathedral for a closer look at the inside, then after lunch we first walked along Via Monte Napoleon (where they were setting up for Fashion Week) to look in the windows of the fashion shops that we could never afford, then headed to the Castello and the nearby gardens, before returning back home.That evening we were treated to homemade gnocchi (made by Pietro), along with more relatives that had come to visit. After dinner we headed back into town with Stefano for a walk along the canals (designed by Leonardo Da Vinci), and a pleasant drink at one of the many bars.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Day 199 - Exit from Germany
Freiburg Im Breisgau (Germany) to Milan (Italy) - M's Uncle Pietro's apartment
Time to move on from Germany, we've ended up spending much more time there than we had originally planned - but that's the beauty of an open itinerary. Our train trip went via Zurich, and then through the Alps and into Italy. The scenery as we headed through the Alps was beautiful, it would be nice to visit again someday when there's some snow.
We were met at Milan Centrale station by M's first cousin Marilu. Luckily she remembered us from her visit to Australia three years ago - after such a long time travelling it was so nice to have someone waiting for us when we arrived.
We caught the metro to her apartment block in the Milan suburbs where she lives with her husband Stefano and their three daughters. We enjoyed a lovely home cooked Italian meal with the family, then retired to M's Uncle Pietro's apartment in the same block. Unfortunately neither of us speak Italian and Pietro doesn't speak English, but we still managed to communicate OK.
Time to move on from Germany, we've ended up spending much more time there than we had originally planned - but that's the beauty of an open itinerary. Our train trip went via Zurich, and then through the Alps and into Italy. The scenery as we headed through the Alps was beautiful, it would be nice to visit again someday when there's some snow.We were met at Milan Centrale station by M's first cousin Marilu. Luckily she remembered us from her visit to Australia three years ago - after such a long time travelling it was so nice to have someone waiting for us when we arrived.
We caught the metro to her apartment block in the Milan suburbs where she lives with her husband Stefano and their three daughters. We enjoyed a lovely home cooked Italian meal with the family, then retired to M's Uncle Pietro's apartment in the same block. Unfortunately neither of us speak Italian and Pietro doesn't speak English, but we still managed to communicate OK.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Day 197 to Day 198 - Carless again
Freiburg Im Breisgau - Freiburger Hostel
Day 197 - Time to return our rented car, so after dropping it off we then walked into the centre of Freiburg and did the walking tour based on the map from the tourist information centre. Another nice day, another interesting city. After the tour it was back to our apartment, who ever thought you could enjoy having a lounge room and a bit of room to move so much.
Day 198 - We took advantage of our nice lodging by sleeping in and having a very lazy day. Nothing wrong with that - we are on holidays after all!
Day 198 - We took advantage of our nice lodging by sleeping in and having a very lazy day. Nothing wrong with that - we are on holidays after all!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Day 196 - Look away, look away
Stuhlingen to Freiburg Im Breisgau - Freiburger Hostel
We arrived in Frieburg around 12pm to check into our next place, what a lovely surprise. After months of falling over each other in tiny hotel rooms we have a lovely modern one bedroom unit, much nicer and cheaper than the tiny room we had in Switzerland.
We drove to Baden-Baden to partake in the number one activity for which this town is known - the Friedrichsbad Roman-Irish Baths. These are the only baths in the world that are still naturally heated. We were told to allow 3 and a half hours to follow the bathing routine through the 17 rooms - the one hitch being that clothing is not allowed!
After checking our clothes into a locker we finished off the 17 stages (including a massage) in about 2 hours - maybe we are not as good at naked relaxing with complete strangers as other couples? After getting over the fact that we were naked, it was quite an interesting experience. In each room there were instructions on how long to spend e.g. shower 3 minutes, 15 minute sauna at 54C, 5 minute sauna at 68C, etc. The strangest room though was the one near the end where we lay down in a silent, dark room and were wrapped in sheets and blankets by the attendants. We were meant to stay there for 30 minutes - we lasted about ten, and the snoring coming from the other side of the room didn't help!
We decided to drive back via France (through Strasbourg), however it started pouring rain so we didn't get to see very much at all through the drizzle, by the time it stopped we were back in Germany again.
We arrived in Frieburg around 12pm to check into our next place, what a lovely surprise. After months of falling over each other in tiny hotel rooms we have a lovely modern one bedroom unit, much nicer and cheaper than the tiny room we had in Switzerland.
We drove to Baden-Baden to partake in the number one activity for which this town is known - the Friedrichsbad Roman-Irish Baths. These are the only baths in the world that are still naturally heated. We were told to allow 3 and a half hours to follow the bathing routine through the 17 rooms - the one hitch being that clothing is not allowed!
After checking our clothes into a locker we finished off the 17 stages (including a massage) in about 2 hours - maybe we are not as good at naked relaxing with complete strangers as other couples? After getting over the fact that we were naked, it was quite an interesting experience. In each room there were instructions on how long to spend e.g. shower 3 minutes, 15 minute sauna at 54C, 5 minute sauna at 68C, etc. The strangest room though was the one near the end where we lay down in a silent, dark room and were wrapped in sheets and blankets by the attendants. We were meant to stay there for 30 minutes - we lasted about ten, and the snoring coming from the other side of the room didn't help!
We decided to drive back via France (through Strasbourg), however it started pouring rain so we didn't get to see very much at all through the drizzle, by the time it stopped we were back in Germany again.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Day 195 - Tarts!
Stuhlingen - Gasthof Hotel Krone
We travelled back into Switzerland today to visit Basel, another picturesque city, that had a bakery with wonderful raspberry tarts (according to M) - why don't all tarts contain this much jam? It was also kind of weird (in a nice way) - first we saw some strange performance going on in a cafe where people were walking around singing to themselves, then while we were trying to figure out what was going on, two scantily clad girls walked past done up completely in black skin paint (we had no idea what they were selling).
It was also a very nice day, not what we would think was swimming weather, but to the citizens of Basel it was a perfect day to float down the swiflty flowing river.
We headed back over the border into Germany for a drive through the Black Forest, along with hundreds of motorcyclists - the area is obviously a favourite for motorbikes. The scenery was beautiful, some of the towns and houses were quite pretty, and we finished up back in Stuhlingen for a second night.
We travelled back into Switzerland today to visit Basel, another picturesque city, that had a bakery with wonderful raspberry tarts (according to M) - why don't all tarts contain this much jam? It was also kind of weird (in a nice way) - first we saw some strange performance going on in a cafe where people were walking around singing to themselves, then while we were trying to figure out what was going on, two scantily clad girls walked past done up completely in black skin paint (we had no idea what they were selling). It was also a very nice day, not what we would think was swimming weather, but to the citizens of Basel it was a perfect day to float down the swiflty flowing river.
We headed back over the border into Germany for a drive through the Black Forest, along with hundreds of motorcyclists - the area is obviously a favourite for motorbikes. The scenery was beautiful, some of the towns and houses were quite pretty, and we finished up back in Stuhlingen for a second night.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Day 194 - Not exactly Vic Falls, but still worth a visit
Rothrist (Switzerland) to Stuhlingen (Germany) - Gasthof Hotel Krone
Today we drove to Zurich, and went for a short walk around town, including a stroll up and down Bahnhoffstrasse, supposedly a great street for shopping, though we didn't notice anything special. Sometimes you have heard of a city so much you think you have to visit but when you get there it is just another big city!
We drove from there on to the Rhine Falls (Rheinfall), the largest waterfall in Europe. Obviously after seeing Victoria Falls we are not going to be easily impressed. What the Rhine Falls lose in size is made up for by the way the platforms are built around the falls, giving you a closeup experience as you are very close to the water rushing past.
We spent the night at a lovely little guest house in Stuhlingen, a few minutes over the border in Germany, where we gladly opened up our wallets to eat in a restaurant again!
Today we drove to Zurich, and went for a short walk around town, including a stroll up and down Bahnhoffstrasse, supposedly a great street for shopping, though we didn't notice anything special. Sometimes you have heard of a city so much you think you have to visit but when you get there it is just another big city!
We spent the night at a lovely little guest house in Stuhlingen, a few minutes over the border in Germany, where we gladly opened up our wallets to eat in a restaurant again!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Day 193 - Three bears and a genius
Rothrist - Ibis Hotel
We have decided that we can't really afford to spend much more time in Switzerland - where we are staying in Rothrist is the cheapest hotel we could find, at $130 a night. It's seems to be in the middle of nowhere, but it's actually well based for day trips to Swiss towns.
We headed off for a big day of sightseeing in the south of the country. First was the Swiss capital of Bern. After parking the car we walked to the end of the street to find an enclosure with 3 bears wandering around - these were the remnants of the old bear pits, though the bears have a lot more space now than they used to. We then headed up the main street, visit Einstein's old house along the way, before walking around town and back to the car.
We then drove to Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva, apparently one of the richest holidays area in the world. After a short stroll along the waterfront we drove to Château de Chillon, a small castle on an island just a few metres off the shore. Next stop after this was Lausanne, where we quickly toured the city centre (cathedrals, etc .... you know the drill).
On the way back to Rothrist we did some shopping, and tonight we "dined" in our hotel room on potato chips and biscuits, unwilling to open our wallets in a country where a Big Mac costs $10 (not that either of us has ever eaten one).
We have decided that we can't really afford to spend much more time in Switzerland - where we are staying in Rothrist is the cheapest hotel we could find, at $130 a night. It's seems to be in the middle of nowhere, but it's actually well based for day trips to Swiss towns. We headed off for a big day of sightseeing in the south of the country. First was the Swiss capital of Bern. After parking the car we walked to the end of the street to find an enclosure with 3 bears wandering around - these were the remnants of the old bear pits, though the bears have a lot more space now than they used to. We then headed up the main street, visit Einstein's old house along the way, before walking around town and back to the car.
We then drove to Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva, apparently one of the richest holidays area in the world. After a short stroll along the waterfront we drove to Château de Chillon, a small castle on an island just a few metres off the shore. Next stop after this was Lausanne, where we quickly toured the city centre (cathedrals, etc .... you know the drill).On the way back to Rothrist we did some shopping, and tonight we "dined" in our hotel room on potato chips and biscuits, unwilling to open our wallets in a country where a Big Mac costs $10 (not that either of us has ever eaten one).
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Day 192 - Why is Switzerland so expensive?
Bludenz (Austria) to Rothrist (Switzerland) - Ibis Hotel
After breakfast (served on a beautiful outdoor terrace with a lovely view of the Austrian Alps) we headed back to Liechtenstein to recover our card. We finally spoke to someone at the post office who could help, but they said we would have to wait an hour! After some grumbling from K, they suggested they could post it to us - very useful! They eventually got the picture and opened the machine for us, after which we finally managed to leave the country we couldn't afford!
We drove on to the beautiful Switzerland city of Lucerne (no, we didn't see any hay). After walking through the town for a while, we caught the world's steepest cog railway up Mt. Pilatus, passing cows grazing the steep hillside with huge bells around their neck, it was all very reminiscent of Heidi, it would be amazing to see it with snow. It was a beautiful day, from the top we had the most amazing views of the Swiss Alps and Lucerne. There was snow on some of the peaks in the distance, but none where we were.
After breakfast (served on a beautiful outdoor terrace with a lovely view of the Austrian Alps) we headed back to Liechtenstein to recover our card. We finally spoke to someone at the post office who could help, but they said we would have to wait an hour! After some grumbling from K, they suggested they could post it to us - very useful! They eventually got the picture and opened the machine for us, after which we finally managed to leave the country we couldn't afford!We drove on to the beautiful Switzerland city of Lucerne (no, we didn't see any hay). After walking through the town for a while, we caught the world's steepest cog railway up Mt. Pilatus, passing cows grazing the steep hillside with huge bells around their neck, it was all very reminiscent of Heidi, it would be amazing to see it with snow. It was a beautiful day, from the top we had the most amazing views of the Swiss Alps and Lucerne. There was snow on some of the peaks in the distance, but none where we were.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Day 191 - Into the clouds
Innsbruck to Bludenz - Schlosshotel Dorfinger
Innsbruck has hosted two Winter Olympics, so we had to visit the Olympic ski jump which wasn't far from our guest house, quite an amazing sight! We caught the funicular to the top, it was a little scary looking from the top and thinking how talented you would have to be to manage that slope - especially when the view towards town off the end of the jump is the town cemetry! We walked down and were very lucky to see someone practicing on the jump, it was covered in a plastic material and watered before use.
After that we headed into town and took the Nordkette funicular and cable car up the mountain. They view was fantastic on the way up, but unfortunately when we finally reached our destination we were in the clouds, so there wasn't much to do other than head back down the mountain.
Now finished with Austria (we thought) we drove into the tiny country of Liechtenstein, with a vague plan of spending the evening in Valduz. However Liechtenstein decided it didn't like the likes of us! First of all it was impossible to find any accommodation priced even close to what we thought was reasonable. We had two cups of coffee so we could use wifi to do some investigation on the internet - $12 later we realised that we wouldn't be staying in Valduz, instead we found some nice accommodation in Bludenz, not too far over the border in Austria! But Liechtenstein hadn't finished with us yet, while trying to get some money from the ATM it decided to swallow our card - meaning we had to come back the next day to retrieve it.
On the positive side though the accommodation we had booked in Bludenz was booked out, so we were upgraded to a 4 star hotel.
Innsbruck has hosted two Winter Olympics, so we had to visit the Olympic ski jump which wasn't far from our guest house, quite an amazing sight! We caught the funicular to the top, it was a little scary looking from the top and thinking how talented you would have to be to manage that slope - especially when the view towards town off the end of the jump is the town cemetry! We walked down and were very lucky to see someone practicing on the jump, it was covered in a plastic material and watered before use.After that we headed into town and took the Nordkette funicular and cable car up the mountain. They view was fantastic on the way up, but unfortunately when we finally reached our destination we were in the clouds, so there wasn't much to do other than head back down the mountain.
Now finished with Austria (we thought) we drove into the tiny country of Liechtenstein, with a vague plan of spending the evening in Valduz. However Liechtenstein decided it didn't like the likes of us! First of all it was impossible to find any accommodation priced even close to what we thought was reasonable. We had two cups of coffee so we could use wifi to do some investigation on the internet - $12 later we realised that we wouldn't be staying in Valduz, instead we found some nice accommodation in Bludenz, not too far over the border in Austria! But Liechtenstein hadn't finished with us yet, while trying to get some money from the ATM it decided to swallow our card - meaning we had to come back the next day to retrieve it.
On the positive side though the accommodation we had booked in Bludenz was booked out, so we were upgraded to a 4 star hotel.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Day 190 - People really dress like that?
Salzburg to Innsbruck - Sporthotel Schieferle
We had decided that in order to see the best of Switzerland we needed a car. After much investigation we worked out that it was much cheaper to pick up a car in Germany and return it to Germany, than to hire a car in either Austria or Switzerland, so we caught the train from Salzburg to Rosenheim. On the trip we were really surprised at how many people were wearing traditional costumes, we expected that type of dress to be only to entertain tourists, but we saw lots of people wearing it, even teenagers. It's very cute on the girls but the shorts on the men...well that's something else!
We picked up the car and drove back into Austria, this time heading to Innsbruck, where (after a short walk around town) we stayed in a guest house not far up the mountain.
We had decided that in order to see the best of Switzerland we needed a car. After much investigation we worked out that it was much cheaper to pick up a car in Germany and return it to Germany, than to hire a car in either Austria or Switzerland, so we caught the train from Salzburg to Rosenheim. On the trip we were really surprised at how many people were wearing traditional costumes, we expected that type of dress to be only to entertain tourists, but we saw lots of people wearing it, even teenagers. It's very cute on the girls but the shorts on the men...well that's something else!
We picked up the car and drove back into Austria, this time heading to Innsbruck, where (after a short walk around town) we stayed in a guest house not far up the mountain.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Day 189 - The hills are alive .....
Vienna to Salzburg - Hotel Garni Evido
Back on the train again, this time to Salzburg - birthplace of Mozart, and also where the "The Sound of Music" was filmed. The town was quite pretty, with many Mozart related sights. However neither of us are into classical music or have seen "Amadeus", so "The Sound of Music" related attractions were the order of the day.
First stop in our mini Sound of Music tour was Hellbrun Castle. The tourist map we'd been given implied it wasn't far from town - but after walking around Salzburg Castle and then heading in what we thought was the right direction, we worked out we still had about 4km to go - those tourist maps have a bad habit of not being to scale! So we hopped on a bus and eventually saw the gazebo from the movie (which was a lot smaller than expected), as well as some very nice gardens in the castle grounds.
We then went to find Leopoldskron Castle (the house on the lake from the film) only to find that it was a private conference centre and visitors weren't allowed - a waste of time. Next were the beautiful Mirabell Gardens where they sang "Do Re Me". Although M has never seen the film (and doesn't want to), he did kind of recognise the song based on K's singing (if that's what you could call it).
First stop in our mini Sound of Music tour was Hellbrun Castle. The tourist map we'd been given implied it wasn't far from town - but after walking around Salzburg Castle and then heading in what we thought was the right direction, we worked out we still had about 4km to go - those tourist maps have a bad habit of not being to scale! So we hopped on a bus and eventually saw the gazebo from the movie (which was a lot smaller than expected), as well as some very nice gardens in the castle grounds.
We then went to find Leopoldskron Castle (the house on the lake from the film) only to find that it was a private conference centre and visitors weren't allowed - a waste of time. Next were the beautiful Mirabell Gardens where they sang "Do Re Me". Although M has never seen the film (and doesn't want to), he did kind of recognise the song based on K's singing (if that's what you could call it).
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Day 184 to Day 188 - Who'd have thought we'd pay to see horses prance around a riding arena??
Prague (Czech Republic) to Vienna (Austria) - Der Wilhelmshof Hotel
Day 184 - Being the now savvy European train travelers that we are we didn’t pay for a seat reservation, just plonked ourselves in the first available compartment and settled in - and of course they'd been reserved by someone else! Another lesson learnt, check the paperwork on the outside of a compartment before you enter! After hauling our luggage down from the racks we finally found a compartment with two unreserved seats. Every trip you learn something more!
We disembarked in Vienna a few hours later to a blast of heat - not what we had expected. As we had a few days planned here we decided not to venture into town yet, instead we just explored the local area near the hotel.
Day 185 - The temperature is to be in the mid 30’s for a whole week here, which we are told is unusual for Vienna and certainly makes sightseeing a challenge. There seem to be very few hotels, shops or restaurants in Vienna that have air conditioning, they probably don’t need it enough to warrant it but it makes weeks like this difficult.
Today we had planned to visit Schönbrunn Palace. We had read about the crowds and the long wait in the sun for tickets so we made sure we were there for opening at 8.30am, even then the palace was still surprisingly busy with tour groups.
After touring the castle and walking around some of the extensive grounds we left a couple of hours later glad we weren't part of the crowds now waiting to get in. When you go to these major tourist attractions you realise that the crowds must be like this day after day and you get an appreciation for how many tourists there are around
Back in the city we wandered around to see the sights, and we stumbled onto the Spanish Riding School, for which K has a ticket for Saturday's performance. We were surprised to find it right in the centre of town, though if we'd done some research we would have already known that!
We then caught the train down to the banks of the Danube (with some pretty uninspiring "beaches") and walked around until the heat did us in, arriving back to our air conditioned room about 4pm.
We are staying a few train stations out of the city and we had dinner at a pizza/pasta place around the corner from our hotel. Amazingly sitting at the table next to us were the couple we had shared the carriage with on the train from Prague – as this is such a huge city, it was an amazing coincidence.
Days 186 and 187 - Our lack of planning has started to uncover some some gaps in our future travels, so we decided we needed to spend some time figuring out where we'll go over the next couple of months. It's obvious we do not have the time to see everything we want, one of the reasons being that K can only stay in Europe for 90 days. As a result we have started narrowing down our list of highlights to see, as well as working out the cheapest way to get around. It also seems a good way to make use of our time at the moment and escape the heat of the day.
We did still get out and about though, just not as much as usual. We visited the huge park near our hotel called the Wiener Prater, which contains an amusement park. In the park is the Wiener Reisenrad, a giant ferris wheel that was built back in 1897, as well as many more modern rides - though we didn't go on any of them.
Day 188 - K had a ticket for the first performance of the Spanish Riding School since their summer break. The place was packed out and the show absolutely stunning. It was the young horses' first performance and there was lot of shying, some taking off and even some bucking thrown in.
The seasoned performers were as striking as you would expect. The riders all looked liked clones. There was only one female rider, the rest were all very long legged men with the most perfect leg positions you have ever seen. Everything you'd expect to see was in the show but K did wonder whether the one time changes on the long rein was appreciated by the audience, but as it turns out the applause was so huge that the trainer actually looked up and smiled at the audience, the only time any rider seemed to acknowledge that the audience was there.
K had one of the best seats right near X in the front row. The head rider of the school came out for the last performances, quite a bit overweight and no one has obviously felt like pointing out to him that he is losing his leg position! For K, this would be the best show she has ever attended and she could easily go again tomorrow.
Day 184 - Being the now savvy European train travelers that we are we didn’t pay for a seat reservation, just plonked ourselves in the first available compartment and settled in - and of course they'd been reserved by someone else! Another lesson learnt, check the paperwork on the outside of a compartment before you enter! After hauling our luggage down from the racks we finally found a compartment with two unreserved seats. Every trip you learn something more!
We disembarked in Vienna a few hours later to a blast of heat - not what we had expected. As we had a few days planned here we decided not to venture into town yet, instead we just explored the local area near the hotel.
Day 185 - The temperature is to be in the mid 30’s for a whole week here, which we are told is unusual for Vienna and certainly makes sightseeing a challenge. There seem to be very few hotels, shops or restaurants in Vienna that have air conditioning, they probably don’t need it enough to warrant it but it makes weeks like this difficult.
After touring the castle and walking around some of the extensive grounds we left a couple of hours later glad we weren't part of the crowds now waiting to get in. When you go to these major tourist attractions you realise that the crowds must be like this day after day and you get an appreciation for how many tourists there are around
Back in the city we wandered around to see the sights, and we stumbled onto the Spanish Riding School, for which K has a ticket for Saturday's performance. We were surprised to find it right in the centre of town, though if we'd done some research we would have already known that!
We then caught the train down to the banks of the Danube (with some pretty uninspiring "beaches") and walked around until the heat did us in, arriving back to our air conditioned room about 4pm.
We are staying a few train stations out of the city and we had dinner at a pizza/pasta place around the corner from our hotel. Amazingly sitting at the table next to us were the couple we had shared the carriage with on the train from Prague – as this is such a huge city, it was an amazing coincidence.
Days 186 and 187 - Our lack of planning has started to uncover some some gaps in our future travels, so we decided we needed to spend some time figuring out where we'll go over the next couple of months. It's obvious we do not have the time to see everything we want, one of the reasons being that K can only stay in Europe for 90 days. As a result we have started narrowing down our list of highlights to see, as well as working out the cheapest way to get around. It also seems a good way to make use of our time at the moment and escape the heat of the day.
We did still get out and about though, just not as much as usual. We visited the huge park near our hotel called the Wiener Prater, which contains an amusement park. In the park is the Wiener Reisenrad, a giant ferris wheel that was built back in 1897, as well as many more modern rides - though we didn't go on any of them.
The seasoned performers were as striking as you would expect. The riders all looked liked clones. There was only one female rider, the rest were all very long legged men with the most perfect leg positions you have ever seen. Everything you'd expect to see was in the show but K did wonder whether the one time changes on the long rein was appreciated by the audience, but as it turns out the applause was so huge that the trainer actually looked up and smiled at the audience, the only time any rider seemed to acknowledge that the audience was there.
K had one of the best seats right near X in the front row. The head rider of the school came out for the last performances, quite a bit overweight and no one has obviously felt like pointing out to him that he is losing his leg position! For K, this would be the best show she has ever attended and she could easily go again tomorrow.
(M: I didn't go to the riding school, and I don't even know what any of this means so I'll just leave it as it is ....K tried to explain what a "one time change" is but I still don't get it .........).
Later in the day M went for a long walk in the Wiener Prater and guess what .... lots more stick walkers, most of them walking not very fast at all! From what we can tell though, they are doing something called "Nordic Walking", there's even a club in Australia (no, we won't be joining it when we get back).
Later in the day M went for a long walk in the Wiener Prater and guess what .... lots more stick walkers, most of them walking not very fast at all! From what we can tell though, they are doing something called "Nordic Walking", there's even a club in Australia (no, we won't be joining it when we get back).
Monday, August 22, 2011
Day 181 to Day 183 - So many bones ......
Berlin (Germany) to Prague (Czech Republic) - Clarion Congress Hotel
Day 181 - The train trip from Berlin to Prague was easy and comfy, train travel is certainly much less hassle than flying. As per usual, we had booked a hotel near a railway station. In this case the station was inside a shopping complex with the hotel attached, so it couldn’t be easier. As it turns out, when we made our reservation they were almost fully booked, so we were upgraded to an executive suite. Finally .... after 6 months of hostels and hotels it was probably about our turn!
We caught the train in to the centre of the old city for the evening and were surprised by the number of people around. The huge old town square was full of tourists, and it was also very warm, so there was a great atmosphere, and with the lighting on the old cathedral it was quite a sight.
Day 182 - Today we've been on the road for 6 months - it has gone so fast, and we are well behind where we thought we'd be by this time, but we've also changed our plans a number of times along the way (because we can!).
After enjoying the walking tour of Berlin we decided to try one in Prague. This time we signed up for a free one, they bank on large numbers with tips at the end, plus the upsell to their other tours.
It started off much more disorganized than the previous one. It took 45 minutes to get started and there were about 50 in our group alone. Our guide was perhaps a little on the young side (though at least he was Czech) and at times over the top and repetitive but we still saw a lot of the sights (clocks, cathedrals, churches, town squares, headless statues, 400 year old mummified arms ....) and also heard some of the interesting history, including the events after WWII and the Velvet Revolution.
After the tour we decided to continue on with the paid tour of Prague Castle (so the upsell worked!) and this time had a guide more to our liking (who also happened to be Australian). As we walked around she filled us in on more of the medieval and communist history of Prague.
It was a long day and we both felt we'd had enough by the end, but we had seen and learnt a lot - plus our attitude to group tours seems to be changing!
Day 183 Today we caught the train to Kutná Hora, a small town about an hour from Prague. From the station we walked into town, and it was really warm, the whole week's forecast was for mid 30’s.
After seeing the town sights (including St. Barbara's Cathedral) we caught a local bus to the Kostnice Ossuary. This place is famous for its human bone collection. About 40000 bodies were dug up and arranged into all sorts of shapes, including pyramids of skulls and a coat of arms complete with a bird. However the grand display is a chandelier hanging from the ceiling made from every bone in the human body.
We finished the day desperately trying to find reasonable accommodation in Vienna with air con. We failed miserably and ended up spending much more than anticipated as we are leaving tomorrow - and K needs her air con!
Day 181 - The train trip from Berlin to Prague was easy and comfy, train travel is certainly much less hassle than flying. As per usual, we had booked a hotel near a railway station. In this case the station was inside a shopping complex with the hotel attached, so it couldn’t be easier. As it turns out, when we made our reservation they were almost fully booked, so we were upgraded to an executive suite. Finally .... after 6 months of hostels and hotels it was probably about our turn!We caught the train in to the centre of the old city for the evening and were surprised by the number of people around. The huge old town square was full of tourists, and it was also very warm, so there was a great atmosphere, and with the lighting on the old cathedral it was quite a sight.
Day 182 - Today we've been on the road for 6 months - it has gone so fast, and we are well behind where we thought we'd be by this time, but we've also changed our plans a number of times along the way (because we can!).After enjoying the walking tour of Berlin we decided to try one in Prague. This time we signed up for a free one, they bank on large numbers with tips at the end, plus the upsell to their other tours.
It started off much more disorganized than the previous one. It took 45 minutes to get started and there were about 50 in our group alone. Our guide was perhaps a little on the young side (though at least he was Czech) and at times over the top and repetitive but we still saw a lot of the sights (clocks, cathedrals, churches, town squares, headless statues, 400 year old mummified arms ....) and also heard some of the interesting history, including the events after WWII and the Velvet Revolution.
After the tour we decided to continue on with the paid tour of Prague Castle (so the upsell worked!) and this time had a guide more to our liking (who also happened to be Australian). As we walked around she filled us in on more of the medieval and communist history of Prague.
It was a long day and we both felt we'd had enough by the end, but we had seen and learnt a lot - plus our attitude to group tours seems to be changing!
Day 183 Today we caught the train to Kutná Hora, a small town about an hour from Prague. From the station we walked into town, and it was really warm, the whole week's forecast was for mid 30’s.
After seeing the town sights (including St. Barbara's Cathedral) we caught a local bus to the Kostnice Ossuary. This place is famous for its human bone collection. About 40000 bodies were dug up and arranged into all sorts of shapes, including pyramids of skulls and a coat of arms complete with a bird. However the grand display is a chandelier hanging from the ceiling made from every bone in the human body.
We finished the day desperately trying to find reasonable accommodation in Vienna with air con. We failed miserably and ended up spending much more than anticipated as we are leaving tomorrow - and K needs her air con!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Day 177 to Day 180 - All in all it's just another brick in the wall
Dresden to Berlin - Best Western Hotel City Ost
Our next stop after Dresden was Berlin, so this post summarises our few days there. Overall we found Berlin to be one of our favourite cities in Germany, due to the amazing history and its more cosmopolitan nature (and the fact that there were some decent restaurants near our hotel that didn't just offer schnitzel, bratwust or pizza certainly helped)!
Day 177 - Just as we were getting the hang of speeding along the autobahn it's time to hand the car back! On our way to Berlin we visited the nearby city of Potsdam. The most impressive sight there was Sansouci, the old summer palace of Frederick the Great, where we spent a little time wandering through the gardens.
Driving into Berlin was a bit of an ordeal, the fact that we were in peak hour traffic didn't help, nor did the route the GPS selected, as it seemed to take us past (and even through) every tourist infested attraction in Berlin! We needed to get to our hotel, drop off our luggage, return the car and get a train back to the hotel. Three hours later we had finally achieved it, M ended up with a headache, and K was totally stressed and she wasn't even driving!
Day 178 - Against our normal way of travelling we signed up for a walking tour of the city. We'd read it was rated very highly. and as Berlin is so big and there is so much history we thought we'd try going with the experts, and at least it would save us all the hours that we usually spend lost.
We found the tour great, the guide was entertaining and informative. We walked by all the major sights from Checkpoint Charlie to the Brandenburg Gate and we learnt so much about the whole post-WW2 period when the Berlin Wall was erected. It was also surprising to hear that Berlin is a poor city with unemployment at 14%, with all the wondeful buildings it gives a different impression, though we did encounter a few pushy beggars.
Even though the majority of the wall has now gone the route has been kept at road level marked with different cobblestones, so as you wander the city you cross the line in the street umpteen times which reinforces so well the path that it took. We also saw a wonderful WW2 memorial which was a sculpture of a mother with her dying son in her arms, the skylight in the roof above her is not covered over so when it is raining it appears as if the world is weeping with her and when it snows her cloak is covered in a dusting of snow. On a different note the tour finished opposite the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled the baby from the balcony. The rest of the day was spent revisiting some of the areas we visited earlier that had piqued our interest during the walking tour.
Day 179 - We are getting to the stage where we have stopped visiting the insides of every church, palace and museum but rather choosing just the ones that appear special. In Berlin we chose the Pergamon Museum. The ruins of Pergamon are close to Troy, which we visited in Turkey. The museum is designed brilliantly with the friezes and temple pieces structured to the original building sizes and plans. Exhibits included the Pergamon temple, and the Ishtar Gate from Babylon. Despite the amazing number of people there it was brilliant a place to visit, but once again we wonder why some of these artefacts are in Berlin and not in their home country (then again, it would be quite difficult to see the Ishtar Gate if it was back in Iraq ....).
More revisiting after that, including a closer look at the Berlin Wall and the nearby exhibition, as well as a bus ride to one of the main shopping areaa where we watched a pole vault competition in the square.
Day 180 - We decided we needed a break today from sightseeing and to catch up on some chores. The internet in Germany has been appalling even though we have been booking hotels that advertise free wifi it never seems to have a decent enough signal to maintain any reasonable connection, but finally in Berlin we have good wi fi. This meant we could do some banking, answer emails, finally get our tickets booked for Carnival in Rio next February, as well as arrange a train and accommodation for Prague, and of course do some catching up on the blog.
Also, as we are preparing to now leave Germany, there a few German oddities that we would like to mention:
1/ Every bakery has wasps swarming in the cabinets over the food. They don't seem to have any way of controlling them so it's just normal. They seem completely harmless, but every now and then you see someone violently trying to shoo one away.
2/ They have a really odd way of making the bed, and weird shaped pillows. The pillows are like massive floor cushions and the bed is made by folding up the doona and placing it in the centre of the bed, and we've encountered very few real double beds, they are usually two single beds pushed together. Also instead of chocolates on the beds they place little bags of soft lollies.
3/ There seems to be a ridiculous custom of using hiking sticks for just walking down the street (this was quite common in Bavaria). We found it hilarious to see people walking along paved footpaths with a pair of hiking sticks. Now we have nothing against the sticks and they were helpful when we were gorilla trekking through impenetrable forest - but why does anyone need them to walk down the street (we've even seen someone using them to walk inside a railway station!).
4/ Finally we can confirm it isn't a myth, but some Europeans do wear socks with their sandals - generally black - which is such a charming look, especially on young children!
Our next stop after Dresden was Berlin, so this post summarises our few days there. Overall we found Berlin to be one of our favourite cities in Germany, due to the amazing history and its more cosmopolitan nature (and the fact that there were some decent restaurants near our hotel that didn't just offer schnitzel, bratwust or pizza certainly helped)!
Day 177 - Just as we were getting the hang of speeding along the autobahn it's time to hand the car back! On our way to Berlin we visited the nearby city of Potsdam. The most impressive sight there was Sansouci, the old summer palace of Frederick the Great, where we spent a little time wandering through the gardens.
 |
| Sans Souci, Potsdam |
Day 178 - Against our normal way of travelling we signed up for a walking tour of the city. We'd read it was rated very highly. and as Berlin is so big and there is so much history we thought we'd try going with the experts, and at least it would save us all the hours that we usually spend lost.
More revisiting after that, including a closer look at the Berlin Wall and the nearby exhibition, as well as a bus ride to one of the main shopping areaa where we watched a pole vault competition in the square.
Day 180 - We decided we needed a break today from sightseeing and to catch up on some chores. The internet in Germany has been appalling even though we have been booking hotels that advertise free wifi it never seems to have a decent enough signal to maintain any reasonable connection, but finally in Berlin we have good wi fi. This meant we could do some banking, answer emails, finally get our tickets booked for Carnival in Rio next February, as well as arrange a train and accommodation for Prague, and of course do some catching up on the blog.
Also, as we are preparing to now leave Germany, there a few German oddities that we would like to mention:
1/ Every bakery has wasps swarming in the cabinets over the food. They don't seem to have any way of controlling them so it's just normal. They seem completely harmless, but every now and then you see someone violently trying to shoo one away.
3/ There seems to be a ridiculous custom of using hiking sticks for just walking down the street (this was quite common in Bavaria). We found it hilarious to see people walking along paved footpaths with a pair of hiking sticks. Now we have nothing against the sticks and they were helpful when we were gorilla trekking through impenetrable forest - but why does anyone need them to walk down the street (we've even seen someone using them to walk inside a railway station!).
4/ Finally we can confirm it isn't a myth, but some Europeans do wear socks with their sandals - generally black - which is such a charming look, especially on young children!
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