Hi all, We are back in sunny (not!) Cardiff, but are going back to London on Sunday to see Mary & Dick and to see Lucy before she heads back to Oz.
Bordeaux and Poitiers
From Bilbao we headed back into Southern France and the first port of call was Bordeaux. It has a really nice feel about it and apparently when they decided to re-model Paris 150 years ago, it was Bordeaux they used. We could have easily spent a few days there instead of a couple of hours! We stayed overnight in Poitiers, but there was nothing remarkable or noteworthy here.
Ambois and Orleans
The next day was all about getting to Paris but we had 2 stopovers. Ambois is in the Loire river region, which is dotted with castles. At Ambois there is Da Vinci's castle and his burial place, apparently Da Vinci was a close friend of one of the King Louis! We also stopped in Orleans for lunch and took photos of the Joan of Arc statue.
Paris
We arrived back in Paris for our last 2 nights of the tour and Paris doesn't disappoint! On Tuesday night we caught the metro to Sacre Coeur and walked through Pigalle to Moulin Rouge and then onto the Arc De Triomphe and caught the metro home.
Declan's birthday
How many people can say they spent their birthday in Paris? Well Dec can! The highlight of the day was hiring bikes and riding down the Champs Elysees. We had a lovely day seeing a lot of sights that we hadn't seen on our previous visit. Later in the day we met Lucy at the Louvre and walked up the Champs Elysees and then onto the Eiffel Tower for one last time when it was all lit up! !!
Check out the photos for more details! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and need another few weeks to recover!!! Cheers! Go Pies
Friday, August 28, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Coach Trip Part 5: Spain
Spain: Barcelona, Zaragoza, Madrid and Bilbao
Barcelona
After settling into the hotel in the afternoon, we headed to the beach, about a 30 minute walk. The beach was packed and we claimed our 5 square metres close to the water’s edge. The sand was very coarse but the water was refreshing and got deep quickly. It was fantastic to lie on the beach and have a swim, it has been the only thing that we have missed doing this year. The crowd on the beach was predominately young (15 to 25 y.o). There were plenty of people selling drinks, massages, hair braiding, coconut, doughnuts, etc.. From the beach we walked along the marina at Port Vell to the Christopher Columbus monument and then headed up La Rambla (the main pedestrian walk in Barcelona). We had dinner and looked at all the people and headed back to the hotel.
Next morning was an organised bus tour of Barcelona. First stop was the Barri Gothic cathedral (I’m officially over cathedrals now!) and the surrounding “roman” streets. From there we drove up Mont Juic, the area of the Olympic stadium (first built in 1929 –they wanted the 1936 Olympics, but had to wait until 1992), and also panoramic views over Barcelona. As we drove through the streets we saw plenty of the uniquely designed buildings (see photos) and finished at the Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia is a cathedral that has been built for the last 150 or more years, purely by donations fro the public. It was originally designed by the architect Gaudi. There are supposed to be 16 towers (pillars?) of which only 8 have been finished. The front and the back of the building are magnificent (see photos).
After a siesta, we spent a few more hours on the beach. When we arrived back at the hotel and cleaned up, it was decided that boys would have kebabs for dinner. So we gave Billy and Declan some money to buy these at the Kebab shop diagonally opposite the hotel. 10 minutes later they returned empty handed, because they couldn’t find the shop!!
Zaragoza
The stopover on the way to Madrid from Barcelona was Zaragoza – lovely basilica, square, river, etc..
Madrid
Madrid, the capital of Spain, 650 metres above sea level and bloody hot!! After we arrived late afternoon and settled in, we went for a walk around Madrid. Our hotel was situated close to Retiro Park (The Lungs of Madrid), so we walked through it and contained lots of fountains, trees, statues and a man-made lake. From the park we walk along the beautiful avenue which has the Prado Museum, Reina Sofia and magnificent fountains. We found something for dinner and then headed back to the hotel.
First thing Saturday morning we caught the metro to the other side of Madrid and visited the Royal Palace. The Palace also contained the Royal Armory & Pharmacy. Next door to the palace was the modern cathedral but like the people of Madrid –it wasn’t that impressive! We then walked down to the Reina Sofia Museum of Modern Art. Declan and Billy went to McDonalds and played cards while Andy, Kristin and Lucy went in. There were lots and Picassos and Dalis, and the main attraction is Picasso’s Geurnica. We then had to get back to the hotel for the included sightseeing of Madrid – which included Las Ventas (bullfighting arena), Real Madrid’s football (soccer) stadium and the square dedicated to Don Quixote. We left the tour in the middle of Madrid and walked around the city centre and ended up at the Prado museum – free entry after 6 pm – the art pieces included works from El Greco, Velaquez and Goya.
After the Prado we had a few drinks in an Irish bar on the way back to the hotel.
Sunday, we had a long day’s drive to Bilbao (situated on the NW of Spain, on the Bay of Biscay). It was extremely hot (about 38 C) and dry. Our stopover city for lunch was Burgos, a lovely little town and one of its statues was of El Cid.
We stopped in the main centre of Bilbao for only about half an hour and took photos of the Guggenheim museum. The hotel had pool and many of the tour had a swim, except for Billy, Lucy and 3 others who went to the Bullfight in Bilbao. Billy and Lucy really enjoyed the experience.
Barcelona
After settling into the hotel in the afternoon, we headed to the beach, about a 30 minute walk. The beach was packed and we claimed our 5 square metres close to the water’s edge. The sand was very coarse but the water was refreshing and got deep quickly. It was fantastic to lie on the beach and have a swim, it has been the only thing that we have missed doing this year. The crowd on the beach was predominately young (15 to 25 y.o). There were plenty of people selling drinks, massages, hair braiding, coconut, doughnuts, etc.. From the beach we walked along the marina at Port Vell to the Christopher Columbus monument and then headed up La Rambla (the main pedestrian walk in Barcelona). We had dinner and looked at all the people and headed back to the hotel.
Next morning was an organised bus tour of Barcelona. First stop was the Barri Gothic cathedral (I’m officially over cathedrals now!) and the surrounding “roman” streets. From there we drove up Mont Juic, the area of the Olympic stadium (first built in 1929 –they wanted the 1936 Olympics, but had to wait until 1992), and also panoramic views over Barcelona. As we drove through the streets we saw plenty of the uniquely designed buildings (see photos) and finished at the Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia is a cathedral that has been built for the last 150 or more years, purely by donations fro the public. It was originally designed by the architect Gaudi. There are supposed to be 16 towers (pillars?) of which only 8 have been finished. The front and the back of the building are magnificent (see photos).
After a siesta, we spent a few more hours on the beach. When we arrived back at the hotel and cleaned up, it was decided that boys would have kebabs for dinner. So we gave Billy and Declan some money to buy these at the Kebab shop diagonally opposite the hotel. 10 minutes later they returned empty handed, because they couldn’t find the shop!!
Zaragoza
The stopover on the way to Madrid from Barcelona was Zaragoza – lovely basilica, square, river, etc..
Madrid
Madrid, the capital of Spain, 650 metres above sea level and bloody hot!! After we arrived late afternoon and settled in, we went for a walk around Madrid. Our hotel was situated close to Retiro Park (The Lungs of Madrid), so we walked through it and contained lots of fountains, trees, statues and a man-made lake. From the park we walk along the beautiful avenue which has the Prado Museum, Reina Sofia and magnificent fountains. We found something for dinner and then headed back to the hotel.
First thing Saturday morning we caught the metro to the other side of Madrid and visited the Royal Palace. The Palace also contained the Royal Armory & Pharmacy. Next door to the palace was the modern cathedral but like the people of Madrid –it wasn’t that impressive! We then walked down to the Reina Sofia Museum of Modern Art. Declan and Billy went to McDonalds and played cards while Andy, Kristin and Lucy went in. There were lots and Picassos and Dalis, and the main attraction is Picasso’s Geurnica. We then had to get back to the hotel for the included sightseeing of Madrid – which included Las Ventas (bullfighting arena), Real Madrid’s football (soccer) stadium and the square dedicated to Don Quixote. We left the tour in the middle of Madrid and walked around the city centre and ended up at the Prado museum – free entry after 6 pm – the art pieces included works from El Greco, Velaquez and Goya.
After the Prado we had a few drinks in an Irish bar on the way back to the hotel.
Sunday, we had a long day’s drive to Bilbao (situated on the NW of Spain, on the Bay of Biscay). It was extremely hot (about 38 C) and dry. Our stopover city for lunch was Burgos, a lovely little town and one of its statues was of El Cid.
We stopped in the main centre of Bilbao for only about half an hour and took photos of the Guggenheim museum. The hotel had pool and many of the tour had a swim, except for Billy, Lucy and 3 others who went to the Bullfight in Bilbao. Billy and Lucy really enjoyed the experience.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Coach Trip Part 4: Monaco, Cannes, Avignon and Carcassonne
An early start from Florence for a long day travelling to Cannes (French Riviera). We passed through Genoa and at least 170 tunnels (not a lot to see!). The coach passed Monte Carlo (Monaco) from a distance – everyone was disappointed that we didn’t stop but 10 minutes down the road we did stop at a perfume factory (not happy Jan!!!).
We arrived at Cannes late in the afternoon and it was very warm. We walked down to the city centre and dangled our feet in the Mediterranean Sea, had dinner and went up to the Le Suquet, a castle at the top of a hill overlooking Cannes and the marina – great views. More walking around the town (used McDonalds for free internet) before heading back to the hotel.
After leaving Cannes we spent a day driving to Carcassonne via Avignon.
Avignon was once (13th century) the Papal seat for about 7 Popes and several Antipopes. The main sites here are the Papal palaces, the Cathedral and Pont Saint-Benezet. The cathedral had several tombs of the popes, but Lucy wasn’t allowed in because she was inappropriately attired! (Maybe they realised she was never baptisied!). Pont Saint Benezet is a 13th century bridge that was partially destroyed by floods of the Rhone river, but now spans 2/3 of the way across.
Carcassone is close to the French/Spanish border (apparently it was right on the border in times past) and the main attraction here is the Citadel. The Citadel is a massive two walled fortress which has a town inside the walls, as well as the obligatory palace and church. It is a great sight to behold and looked fantastic at night all lit up.
Next stop is Barcelona for 2 nights the Madrid, more soon.
We arrived at Cannes late in the afternoon and it was very warm. We walked down to the city centre and dangled our feet in the Mediterranean Sea, had dinner and went up to the Le Suquet, a castle at the top of a hill overlooking Cannes and the marina – great views. More walking around the town (used McDonalds for free internet) before heading back to the hotel.
After leaving Cannes we spent a day driving to Carcassonne via Avignon.
Avignon was once (13th century) the Papal seat for about 7 Popes and several Antipopes. The main sites here are the Papal palaces, the Cathedral and Pont Saint-Benezet. The cathedral had several tombs of the popes, but Lucy wasn’t allowed in because she was inappropriately attired! (Maybe they realised she was never baptisied!). Pont Saint Benezet is a 13th century bridge that was partially destroyed by floods of the Rhone river, but now spans 2/3 of the way across.
Carcassone is close to the French/Spanish border (apparently it was right on the border in times past) and the main attraction here is the Citadel. The Citadel is a massive two walled fortress which has a town inside the walls, as well as the obligatory palace and church. It is a great sight to behold and looked fantastic at night all lit up.
Next stop is Barcelona for 2 nights the Madrid, more soon.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Coach Trip Part 3: Rome, Pisa and Florence
ROME
The pace has been very hectic and it is surprising how tired you can get travelling long days on the coach – but someone has to do it!
Rome, “The Eternal City”, was fantastic (I’m running out of superlatives to describe places!). We arrived in Rome late in the afternoon and we hopped on a couple of buses to get to the Piazza Popolo, where there was an Obelisk (the first of many in Rome) and lovely statues, fountains, etc.. from here we went to the Spanish Steps and onto the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain, although crowded, was very tranquil and a magnificent work of art. As we made our way to the Vatican via Piazza Novona and Castel Santa Angelo and crossing the Tiber river, it seemed that around every second corner there was another monument/statue/etc. If it wasn’t the emperors of the Roman Empire building monuments to themselves it was the Popes!
The next morning, another early start, we lined up to go into the Vatican Museum/Sistene Chapel (only about 20 minutes wait – free tip get there about 8:00 am). Most of our Coach tour paid 52 euro each (~$80) to go on a guided tour and quick entry. We caught up with them inside, as we all had been given the audio headsets for the day we also got the commentary from the guide – except we paid 52 euro for all 5 of us!! (A big win!).
The museum was nice, but really everyone is there for the Sistene Chapel and it really was worth it. We sat there for about 45 minutes (listening to the guide) and truly amazed by the artwork.
From the Sistene Chapel, we went to St. Peter’s Basilica, if anyone ever tells you the Catholic church needs money, just send them to Rome! We have seen a lot of cathedrals and basilicas this year but St. Peter’s was out there by itself for magnificence! See the pics for an idea.
Next stop was the Colosseum, the boys were really looking forward to this – I think they were hoping to see some blood and guts! I was impressed that after 2000 years that it was still standing and in fairly well kept condition. We also visited the Forum, but the Forums that we saw in Athens and Ephesus (Turkey) were much better.
That evening we went back into Rome and wandered the streets, ate Pizza (you buy it by the weight) at the Trevi fountain and had one last look at some of the many sights of Rome. Like Paris I think you need at least 5 days in Rome – so we may have to come back another day!
PISA
The next day (I’ve lost track of the date and days of the week!) we headed off early, and as usual about an hour on the road the “oldies” needed a toilet stop. By early afternoon we had a short stop (about an hour) at Pisa. Along with the thousands of others there, we took our photos of the “Leaning Tower” and the went to our hotel in Signa (about 30 minutes from Florence). That evening we had dinner at the Pizzeria across the square from the hotel.
FLORENCE
Next morning (Sunday I think), we headed into Florence. The “David” trail began! We first went to the Gallery Accademia and saw Michaelangelo’s David (the real one) and it is a magnificent sculpture, the rest of the gallery had some modern works of Robert Maplethorpe and many 12th, 13th and 14th century artworks – all religious! Then we went to the Duomo, the medieval cathedral that took over 150 years to finish! After grabbing supplies for lunch, we went across the Arno river and up the hill to Piazza Michaelangelo, which gave panoramic views over Florence. One of the David replicas is up here, but has gone green because they stuffed up the cleaning of it! We had lunch overlooking Florence, then headed down to the Vecchio Bridge (full of jewellery shops) and then past the Uffizzi Gallery to see the third David (another replica). By mid afternoon (and it was very hot) we had had enough and caught the train back to the hotel.
We go to south of France next and then onto Spain later in the week.
Cheers for now!
PS Go Pies!
The pace has been very hectic and it is surprising how tired you can get travelling long days on the coach – but someone has to do it!
Rome, “The Eternal City”, was fantastic (I’m running out of superlatives to describe places!). We arrived in Rome late in the afternoon and we hopped on a couple of buses to get to the Piazza Popolo, where there was an Obelisk (the first of many in Rome) and lovely statues, fountains, etc.. from here we went to the Spanish Steps and onto the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain, although crowded, was very tranquil and a magnificent work of art. As we made our way to the Vatican via Piazza Novona and Castel Santa Angelo and crossing the Tiber river, it seemed that around every second corner there was another monument/statue/etc. If it wasn’t the emperors of the Roman Empire building monuments to themselves it was the Popes!
The next morning, another early start, we lined up to go into the Vatican Museum/Sistene Chapel (only about 20 minutes wait – free tip get there about 8:00 am). Most of our Coach tour paid 52 euro each (~$80) to go on a guided tour and quick entry. We caught up with them inside, as we all had been given the audio headsets for the day we also got the commentary from the guide – except we paid 52 euro for all 5 of us!! (A big win!).
The museum was nice, but really everyone is there for the Sistene Chapel and it really was worth it. We sat there for about 45 minutes (listening to the guide) and truly amazed by the artwork.
From the Sistene Chapel, we went to St. Peter’s Basilica, if anyone ever tells you the Catholic church needs money, just send them to Rome! We have seen a lot of cathedrals and basilicas this year but St. Peter’s was out there by itself for magnificence! See the pics for an idea.
Next stop was the Colosseum, the boys were really looking forward to this – I think they were hoping to see some blood and guts! I was impressed that after 2000 years that it was still standing and in fairly well kept condition. We also visited the Forum, but the Forums that we saw in Athens and Ephesus (Turkey) were much better.
That evening we went back into Rome and wandered the streets, ate Pizza (you buy it by the weight) at the Trevi fountain and had one last look at some of the many sights of Rome. Like Paris I think you need at least 5 days in Rome – so we may have to come back another day!
PISA
The next day (I’ve lost track of the date and days of the week!) we headed off early, and as usual about an hour on the road the “oldies” needed a toilet stop. By early afternoon we had a short stop (about an hour) at Pisa. Along with the thousands of others there, we took our photos of the “Leaning Tower” and the went to our hotel in Signa (about 30 minutes from Florence). That evening we had dinner at the Pizzeria across the square from the hotel.
FLORENCE
Next morning (Sunday I think), we headed into Florence. The “David” trail began! We first went to the Gallery Accademia and saw Michaelangelo’s David (the real one) and it is a magnificent sculpture, the rest of the gallery had some modern works of Robert Maplethorpe and many 12th, 13th and 14th century artworks – all religious! Then we went to the Duomo, the medieval cathedral that took over 150 years to finish! After grabbing supplies for lunch, we went across the Arno river and up the hill to Piazza Michaelangelo, which gave panoramic views over Florence. One of the David replicas is up here, but has gone green because they stuffed up the cleaning of it! We had lunch overlooking Florence, then headed down to the Vecchio Bridge (full of jewellery shops) and then past the Uffizzi Gallery to see the third David (another replica). By mid afternoon (and it was very hot) we had had enough and caught the train back to the hotel.
We go to south of France next and then onto Spain later in the week.
Cheers for now!
PS Go Pies!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Coach trip part 2 : Venice
Hi all,
We have just spent 2 nights in Venice and it is a truly remarkable place. Our hotel was about 15 km from Venice, so on the first night (the temperature was still 26 C at midnight!) we caught the local bus to Venice.
We started by having a pizza and beer on the edge of the Grand Canal near the Scalzi bridge (one of the 3 bridges that cross the Grand Canal. From here we walked to the Rialto Bridge (#2), with Kristin only stopping at every second shop! The Rialto has beautiful views along the Grand Canal and we were there as the sun was setting, so all the canal was lit up.
We then successfully got to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Plaza) the main centre of Venice without getting lost in the maze of alley ways, canals and bridges. There were bands playing for the diners at the restaurants on the Piazza. San Marco (the cathedral) looked very impressive and the façade was very ornate (see photos). We went around the corner to see the Bridge of Sighs and this was the only disappointing part of Venice. The building was being restored and only a little part of the bridge was visible! So we think the Bridge of Sighs in Oxford was better!
Next we walked to the 3rd bridge (Accademica) that crosses the Grand Canal on our way back to the bus stop. This wasn’t a problem, but for the next hour we took a wrong turn and ended up walking along the docks, so instead of a 20 minute walk it took 60! They say everyone gets lost in Venice! As a consequence we missed a bus by 2 minutes and had to wait another hour for the next! We were finally in bed by 12:30 am!
Wednesday morning we went back to Venice as a part of the “group sightseeing” day. We caught a motor boat along Canale Della Giudecca to San Marco. First we went to a glass blowing demonstration and showroom for the Murano glass. The products were not my cup of tea but you can appreciate the skill and style of the pieces. We then lined up (about 15 minutes) to go into San Marco cathedral, it was impressive but when you have seen so many cathedrals as we have this year, you get a bit “seen that before”, in fact later in the day we went into the church at Stefano (not far from San Marco) and it was much brighter and just as good (also no queues or many tourists!).
Billy, Andy and Lucy also went up the tower at Piazza San Marco (about 8 storeys) and it gave great views in all directions of Venice and its islands.
After some lunch we walked around more of Venice and the girls bought more trinkets!! Mid afternoon we went on a lagoon cruise and got off at the island of Burano. Originally a fishing village, now famous for lace making, The day finished with dinner at the hotel and a relatively early night, ready for the next start at 7:30 am and off to Assisi and Rome for 2 nights.
Ciao!
We have just spent 2 nights in Venice and it is a truly remarkable place. Our hotel was about 15 km from Venice, so on the first night (the temperature was still 26 C at midnight!) we caught the local bus to Venice.
We started by having a pizza and beer on the edge of the Grand Canal near the Scalzi bridge (one of the 3 bridges that cross the Grand Canal. From here we walked to the Rialto Bridge (#2), with Kristin only stopping at every second shop! The Rialto has beautiful views along the Grand Canal and we were there as the sun was setting, so all the canal was lit up.
We then successfully got to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Plaza) the main centre of Venice without getting lost in the maze of alley ways, canals and bridges. There were bands playing for the diners at the restaurants on the Piazza. San Marco (the cathedral) looked very impressive and the façade was very ornate (see photos). We went around the corner to see the Bridge of Sighs and this was the only disappointing part of Venice. The building was being restored and only a little part of the bridge was visible! So we think the Bridge of Sighs in Oxford was better!
Next we walked to the 3rd bridge (Accademica) that crosses the Grand Canal on our way back to the bus stop. This wasn’t a problem, but for the next hour we took a wrong turn and ended up walking along the docks, so instead of a 20 minute walk it took 60! They say everyone gets lost in Venice! As a consequence we missed a bus by 2 minutes and had to wait another hour for the next! We were finally in bed by 12:30 am!
Wednesday morning we went back to Venice as a part of the “group sightseeing” day. We caught a motor boat along Canale Della Giudecca to San Marco. First we went to a glass blowing demonstration and showroom for the Murano glass. The products were not my cup of tea but you can appreciate the skill and style of the pieces. We then lined up (about 15 minutes) to go into San Marco cathedral, it was impressive but when you have seen so many cathedrals as we have this year, you get a bit “seen that before”, in fact later in the day we went into the church at Stefano (not far from San Marco) and it was much brighter and just as good (also no queues or many tourists!).
Billy, Andy and Lucy also went up the tower at Piazza San Marco (about 8 storeys) and it gave great views in all directions of Venice and its islands.
After some lunch we walked around more of Venice and the girls bought more trinkets!! Mid afternoon we went on a lagoon cruise and got off at the island of Burano. Originally a fishing village, now famous for lace making, The day finished with dinner at the hotel and a relatively early night, ready for the next start at 7:30 am and off to Assisi and Rome for 2 nights.
Ciao!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Coach trip Part 1
London, Dover, Calais, Amsterdam, Heidelberg, Lucerne
Hi all,
We have covered a lot of ground in the last 5 days.
We left Cardiff Thursday morning and arrived in London about midday. We went for a walk from the hostel (King's Cross) into London, via the British Museum, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Carnaby Street, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery and Portrait Gallery. Then late in the afternoon, we decided to go to Greenwich and see the Observatory and straddle the Prime Meridian of Longitude. As we returned to the hostel it started belting down with rain and didn't stop until the next morning, this aborted our dinner plans and we ended up eating in the hostel cafe.
Friday morning we had to catch a bus/coach to Dover, then get on a ferry and then join our tour group in Calais (France). We then had a very long drive through Belgium, then the Netherlands and arrived in Amsterdam at about 9 pm. A long day, but the hotel (Dorint) was fabulous and allegedly the best we will have for the whole tour!
Saturday morning started with a canal tour of Amsterdam and a diamond factory visit (managed to keep Kristin from buying anything!) and then a couple of hours around the city centre. The boys insisted that we went for a stroll through the Red Light District (well, Lucy hadn't been there before), then it was another lond trip to our accomodation in Hennef, Germany.
Another early start on Sunday to catch the 9:00 am boat cruise down the Rhine river from a pretty little town of Boppard. The 2 hour boat trip, was lovely and the scenery spectacular. If you have a look at the photos on the web albums you notcie the vineyards on very steep hills above the river. Besides the many castles there was also the Lorelely Rock, which has a tale about a mermaid/scorned lover/ etc..
After the boat crusie, our next stop (all too brief) was Heilelberg, a pretty medieval (now a university) town on the Neckar river. From Heidelberg we travelled to Lucerne in Switzerland (via France for a short time) in total about 700 km in the day!
Monday began with a walk around Lucerne, which is located a large lake and at the bottom of some large mountains. We visited the Lion's monument, built to commemorate the Swiss Guards who were killed trying to defend Louis XVI (?) and Marie Antoinette, not successfully obviously, and as a result this why the Swiss became neutral. Next was the visit to Stanserhorn (a relatively small mountain ~1900m) which involved a cog railway then a cable car trip to reach the summit. Up there were some great views looking towards other peaks and down on the lake and Lucerne. Back in Lucerne Billy and Declan each bought themselves genuine Swiss Army Knifes and they think they are very pleased with themselves!.
At he moment, we are driving through Switzerland and its amzing scenery and tunnels. One of the tunnels, St. Gothards, is 17 km long, third longest in the world.. Next stop is Lugano, then onto Verona (Italy and the last stop for the day is Venice.
Cheers for now.
Hi all,
We have covered a lot of ground in the last 5 days.
We left Cardiff Thursday morning and arrived in London about midday. We went for a walk from the hostel (King's Cross) into London, via the British Museum, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Carnaby Street, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery and Portrait Gallery. Then late in the afternoon, we decided to go to Greenwich and see the Observatory and straddle the Prime Meridian of Longitude. As we returned to the hostel it started belting down with rain and didn't stop until the next morning, this aborted our dinner plans and we ended up eating in the hostel cafe.
Friday morning we had to catch a bus/coach to Dover, then get on a ferry and then join our tour group in Calais (France). We then had a very long drive through Belgium, then the Netherlands and arrived in Amsterdam at about 9 pm. A long day, but the hotel (Dorint) was fabulous and allegedly the best we will have for the whole tour!
Saturday morning started with a canal tour of Amsterdam and a diamond factory visit (managed to keep Kristin from buying anything!) and then a couple of hours around the city centre. The boys insisted that we went for a stroll through the Red Light District (well, Lucy hadn't been there before), then it was another lond trip to our accomodation in Hennef, Germany.
Another early start on Sunday to catch the 9:00 am boat cruise down the Rhine river from a pretty little town of Boppard. The 2 hour boat trip, was lovely and the scenery spectacular. If you have a look at the photos on the web albums you notcie the vineyards on very steep hills above the river. Besides the many castles there was also the Lorelely Rock, which has a tale about a mermaid/scorned lover/ etc..
After the boat crusie, our next stop (all too brief) was Heilelberg, a pretty medieval (now a university) town on the Neckar river. From Heidelberg we travelled to Lucerne in Switzerland (via France for a short time) in total about 700 km in the day!
Monday began with a walk around Lucerne, which is located a large lake and at the bottom of some large mountains. We visited the Lion's monument, built to commemorate the Swiss Guards who were killed trying to defend Louis XVI (?) and Marie Antoinette, not successfully obviously, and as a result this why the Swiss became neutral. Next was the visit to Stanserhorn (a relatively small mountain ~1900m) which involved a cog railway then a cable car trip to reach the summit. Up there were some great views looking towards other peaks and down on the lake and Lucerne. Back in Lucerne Billy and Declan each bought themselves genuine Swiss Army Knifes and they think they are very pleased with themselves!.
At he moment, we are driving through Switzerland and its amzing scenery and tunnels. One of the tunnels, St. Gothards, is 17 km long, third longest in the world.. Next stop is Lugano, then onto Verona (Italy and the last stop for the day is Venice.
Cheers for now.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Budapest
Hi all,
Budapest (capital of Hungary) was a great city to visit. We had an apartment for 2 days not far from the centre of town (Pest). The Danube splits Budapest into 2 parts, the hilly side (Buda) has the castle and the flat side (Pest) is the commercial/retail/.. area. The currency of hungary is the Forint - the exchange rate is something like 157 florint to A$1 - so they have big notes - e.g. 20000 Ft - so I'm thinking in Hungary, I could be a millionaire!!
For the first time on our tours we did a "Hop-On-Hop-Off" tour. Even though we enjoy the walking around the towns, it was quite enjoyable. It was 33 C, so it was probably a good idea! The buses are open topped and have a audio commentary via headsets. We did all the sites of Budapest, check the albums for photos, including the castle, citadel, heroes park, jewish synagogue, parliament etc.. As part of the ticket we also got a free 1 hour ride on the Danube. It went around Margaret Island and gave another view of the wonderful sites along the river, but must have been too much for Andy and Kristin as they both had a little nap!
Budapest had a very similar geography to Prague, but we enjoyed Budapest a lot more - maybe it wasn't as a "tourist city" as Prague. The streets were a lot more open.
Anyhow we arrived home in Cardiff for a couple of nights and guess what? Rain!! On Thursday we head off to London and Friday morning we start our coach tour. Hope all is well and will try to keep you informed of our travels.
cheers,
GO PIES!
Budapest (capital of Hungary) was a great city to visit. We had an apartment for 2 days not far from the centre of town (Pest). The Danube splits Budapest into 2 parts, the hilly side (Buda) has the castle and the flat side (Pest) is the commercial/retail/.. area. The currency of hungary is the Forint - the exchange rate is something like 157 florint to A$1 - so they have big notes - e.g. 20000 Ft - so I'm thinking in Hungary, I could be a millionaire!!
For the first time on our tours we did a "Hop-On-Hop-Off" tour. Even though we enjoy the walking around the towns, it was quite enjoyable. It was 33 C, so it was probably a good idea! The buses are open topped and have a audio commentary via headsets. We did all the sites of Budapest, check the albums for photos, including the castle, citadel, heroes park, jewish synagogue, parliament etc.. As part of the ticket we also got a free 1 hour ride on the Danube. It went around Margaret Island and gave another view of the wonderful sites along the river, but must have been too much for Andy and Kristin as they both had a little nap!
Budapest had a very similar geography to Prague, but we enjoyed Budapest a lot more - maybe it wasn't as a "tourist city" as Prague. The streets were a lot more open.
Anyhow we arrived home in Cardiff for a couple of nights and guess what? Rain!! On Thursday we head off to London and Friday morning we start our coach tour. Hope all is well and will try to keep you informed of our travels.
cheers,
GO PIES!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Vienna and the Danube
Hi all,
Just left Vienna on the hydrofoil to Budapest, along the Danube river.
Vienna was a very lovely city - we enjoyed it immensely.
Lucy joined us on Friday and we all stayed in our apartment (Opera suites), as the name implies it was next door to the Opera in the heart of Vienna. A great spot. There was even an Aussie bar around the corner. I went in there Fri. afternoon because they were showing the cricket live, bought a local brew (although I could have bought VB, Crownies, XXXX, Tooheys,etc..)watched 1 over then they went off for bad light!!!
Before Lucy arrived, we went for a short walk around the "Inner Strade", and were impressed with the buildings, cathedral, sculptures and open spaces. Not as grand as Paris but lots of similarities. friday evening, we had dinner, but only Lucy had a Wiener Schnitzel (Wien is the Austrian name for Vienna).
Saturday we spent the day walking around the "Ringstrasse", which has all the prominent museums, parliament, fountains, churches, monuments.... very pretty city! See web album to see the sites.
Sat. night dinner, I went for the Wiener Schnitzel washed down with a nice local brew (1516).
Sunday morning, we rose earlier to catch the hydrofoil to Budapest. The trip was about 6 hours long (inluded 2 half hour stops at locks) and overall not bad. The hydrofoil averages about 68 kmh and was very comfortable. For the majority of the trip there wasn't much to see, but there were some very pretty towns and cities along the way. We also passed Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, which sits on the Danube.
We have been blessed with the weather so far, most days for the past two weeks has been between 25 and 30 C. Yesterday on the hydrofoil was about 33 C and when we arrived in Budapest at 3pm it was very warm and a bit humid.
Will write about Budapest in a few days, but so far it looks great!
Just left Vienna on the hydrofoil to Budapest, along the Danube river.
Vienna was a very lovely city - we enjoyed it immensely.
Lucy joined us on Friday and we all stayed in our apartment (Opera suites), as the name implies it was next door to the Opera in the heart of Vienna. A great spot. There was even an Aussie bar around the corner. I went in there Fri. afternoon because they were showing the cricket live, bought a local brew (although I could have bought VB, Crownies, XXXX, Tooheys,etc..)watched 1 over then they went off for bad light!!!
Before Lucy arrived, we went for a short walk around the "Inner Strade", and were impressed with the buildings, cathedral, sculptures and open spaces. Not as grand as Paris but lots of similarities. friday evening, we had dinner, but only Lucy had a Wiener Schnitzel (Wien is the Austrian name for Vienna).
Saturday we spent the day walking around the "Ringstrasse", which has all the prominent museums, parliament, fountains, churches, monuments.... very pretty city! See web album to see the sites.
Sat. night dinner, I went for the Wiener Schnitzel washed down with a nice local brew (1516).
Sunday morning, we rose earlier to catch the hydrofoil to Budapest. The trip was about 6 hours long (inluded 2 half hour stops at locks) and overall not bad. The hydrofoil averages about 68 kmh and was very comfortable. For the majority of the trip there wasn't much to see, but there were some very pretty towns and cities along the way. We also passed Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, which sits on the Danube.
We have been blessed with the weather so far, most days for the past two weeks has been between 25 and 30 C. Yesterday on the hydrofoil was about 33 C and when we arrived in Budapest at 3pm it was very warm and a bit humid.
Will write about Budapest in a few days, but so far it looks great!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Prague
Hi all,
We had a lovely train trip from Berlin - very comfortable!
Prague was very different to Berlin and Paris. It was a lot more compact and therefore looked very busy. The main sights of Prague included the Prague Castle, Astronomical clock (slightly disappointing - 45 seconds and the show is over!), Charles Bridge and the many old buildings.
Kristin enjoyed the shops (Andy and the boys not so much!), Andy sampled several different beers and didn't find a bad one and the boys once again were the perfect travellers.
cheers fro now, next blog will be from Vienna then Budapest. (We are in Vienna now and the city is lovely - more like Paris/Berlin - off to Budapest on the Danube Sunday on a hydrofoil!)
Cheers!
We had a lovely train trip from Berlin - very comfortable!
Prague was very different to Berlin and Paris. It was a lot more compact and therefore looked very busy. The main sights of Prague included the Prague Castle, Astronomical clock (slightly disappointing - 45 seconds and the show is over!), Charles Bridge and the many old buildings.
Kristin enjoyed the shops (Andy and the boys not so much!), Andy sampled several different beers and didn't find a bad one and the boys once again were the perfect travellers.
cheers fro now, next blog will be from Vienna then Budapest. (We are in Vienna now and the city is lovely - more like Paris/Berlin - off to Budapest on the Danube Sunday on a hydrofoil!)
Cheers!
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