Day 2 – Paris
6.30 wake up call and early breakfast as we have a guided Paris tour and a visit to the Eiffel Tower planned for this morning.
We are one of the first groups to arrive and with the advantage of Group touring we are the first up the lift to the 2nd stage of the Tower, magnificent views, but another bonus we are allowed to take a second lift to the very top for spectacular views of Paris, stunning.
We catch the lift to the 2nd stage and we decide to walk the stairs to the bottom, we are dropped off at the Arc di Triomphe, some of the group take the Palace of Versailles option but Sharon and I decide to walk down the Champs Elysees to the Louvre, where we have free admission because of Sunday and get to view many, many famous works of art including the Mona Lisa and the Statue of Venus, truly a magnificent collection.
We walk back up the Champs Elysees and catch the metro back to our hotel and prepare for the evening at the Moulin Rouge.
We’re picked up by the bus and dropped right off at the door for another bonus for group touring, no queuing and straight in to the show. The seating is comfy to say the least, and we sit with Dick and Louise from Canada and Marianne and Steve from Sydney. We have half a bottle of wine per person and a bottle of Champagne for the table complimentary.
A fantastic night and well worth the money, Patrick meets us after the show and we take the bus back to the Renaissance and in bed by 11.00.
Day 3 - Paris to Bordeaux
We leave Paris 7.30 and drive past some famous Paris landmarks such as Longchamps racetrack and Roland Garros tennis centre home of the French Open.
Our first stop is Chartres famous for its very old cathedral with its 2 towers they are very different. The oldest one dates from 1140 whilst the other which is more flamboyant dates to the 16c both in gothic style which we have a chance to visit and then back on the bus.
We drive onto the historic old town of Amboise on the Loire River, famous for the burial place of Leonardo da Vinci and its historic mediaeval castle. We have lunch here and struggle with the French language as we order our meal, but enjoy it with a glass of French wine.
We drive on past peculiar towns inhabited by Troglodytes with their homes built into the rock walls, we have a short break and then drive past the vineyards and along the Loire River Valley which is very pretty indeed and then onto our accommodation for the night the Mercure Mariadek, Bordeaux oldish but large and comfortable nonetheless.
We have a3 course set menu in the hotel and then decide to go for a walk up town with Garry and Josie from Melbourne, we stop off at a La Mushroom bar and have a couple of cocktails for the girls and Garry and I have a couple of beers.
On our walk back we are surprised to find a trail of blood and at the next corner come across a young couple lying on the footpath with what looked like stab wounds, a bit of a surprise as our tour guide Patrick described the city of Bordeaux as quite safe.
We arrive back safely ourselves and are in bed by 11.00.
Day 4 - Bordeaux to Lourdes
Leaving Bordeaux today and it’s a gorgeous day as far as the weather is concerned. We do see some of the important sights of Bordeaux on the way out including the theatre and the Stock exchange. The traffic leaving the city is good as we try to get on the main highway to Toulouse.
Our first stop is just past the main vineyards of Bordeaux wine at a place called Aire sur L’Adour a quaint little town of 6000 people built on the river Adour. It is glorious as we arrive and we have one hour exactly to enjoy this pretty little town with a nice market.
Our journey continues towards the large French town of Pau situated in the foothills of the Pyrenees’ mountains; the weather is fine so we have great views of the mountains and some of its snow capped peaks It’s just an half hour drive from Aire sur L’Adour and we arrive for lunch.
Sharon and I settle on a Mexican Restaurant and have the “best“ Mexican food in France. We board the bus and only takes us one hour to get from Pau to Lourdes and Patrick tells all of the history behind this religious extravaganza. He explains how it grew after Bernadette Soubirous had 18 visions and messages from the Virgin Mary in a little cave called the ‘grotto’ back in the mid 19th century.
Our accommodation is the Mercure an old hotel, small room but with great views over the river the Pyrenees and the town of Lourdes. We then set off to view the statue of Bernadette and Sharon collects some “holy water” to bring home.
We have a 3 course set menu in the hotel and then we set off for the Candlelight Procession with around 8,000-10,000 people, very moving experience and back to the hotel for an early night.
Day 5 - Lourdes to Burgos
On the road and driving through the Pyrenees mountains on towards Biarritz, although Patrick has promised me that this is the spot where I will get to have a surf, we arrive and you guessed it – flat as a tack, although the potential is good as the waves picked up as the tide dropped.
We have a 2 hour stop so we do some shopping and sightseeing and practice our French for the last time in ordering some lunch, very pretty seaside spot.
We do have time for to paddle our feet and walk on the beautiful beach of Biarritz before we are back on the road again crossing the border into Spain. We pass into the ‘Basque’ region which is one of the many autonomous regions of Spain. Spain is the most mountainous country in Europe and we follow then cross the Cantabrian Mountains they really are beautiful.
We arrive at Burgos stopping on the river Arlanzon. We walk through the gates of the city (St Mary’s gate) and into the lovely old town of Burgos, we see the cathedral and we are most impressed by this magnificent building where the tomb of El Cid the hero of Spain’s wars with the Moor rests. Sharon and I decline a visit to the cathedral and instead walk down to the statue of El Cid and have a drink at a local bar before meeting up with the rest of the group and onto our hotel.
Our accommodation is the hotel Puerta de Burgos, good room, plenty of space and free Wi-fi, we meet for pre-dinner drinks and some have the local Spanish drink mixing Red Wine with Coca Cola called Cali Mucho; it’s quite nice but a little sweet.
The meal itself is quite average with so so service and we have to pay for extra drinks.
Day 6 - Burgos to Madrid
Breakfast at Burgos was very ordinary, the worst of the trip, but we are on our way at 8.00 heading towards Madrid as we cross the mountain range of Sierra Guadamara. We have only 1 stop before driving into Madrid a city of 3 million people.
Our first stop is to visit the Prado Museum, which houses most of the 16th century masterpieces, Rembrandt, Reubens, Goya, Velasquez, etc. Our guide is the lovely Spanish lass Charo, who is very informative although spending far too much time describing each individual piece of art.
We have a quick lunch in Madrid and then leave for a drive up to The Valley of the Fallen which is both sad but enthralling. It is a memorial to Franco and also a memory to those who died in the Spanish civil war. It’s really a church built into the mountainside of phenomenal skill using many prisoners from the republican side of the war to construct it, the highlight the 400 foot Cross.
We drive back to Madrid and our accommodation the Holiday Inn, a lot bigger and better than the Holiday Inn in London, very spacious and modern, and we have one of the few chances to go for a swim on the rooftop pool area.
Off to Dinner at Cafe Gijon, an optional night that turned out to be an absolute cracker, musical entertainment and jug upon jug of Sangria, wines and beers thrown in.
After a great night we hop back on the bus and go for a visit to Madrid’s main plaza the Plaza Mayor Plaza Mayor’ it is stunning at night with its dim lights and electric atmosphere. This is most definitely a very fine city. After the square we drive home past its most beautiful fountains of Neptune and Cybele’s, they are very impressive to say the least.
We’re not finished yet as Sharon, myself, Garry, Josie, Marianne, Steve and Jose find a local bar and get stuck into some for drinks, lots of fun with our new friends.
Day 7 - Madrid
We wake up to a marvellous day in Madrid, wall to wall sunshine and 33 degrees.
This morning a nice leisurely start after a great evening as we will discover some of the sights of this beautiful city built at an elevation of 660 metres above sea level and founded in 1561 replacing Toledo as the capital.
Charo meets us at our replacement Portuguese bus as Vito has the day off today from driving. We set off on time and see the city by day making two important stops. The first stop is at Plaza d’Espagna where we see the monument to Cervantes and ‘Don Quixote’ as well as Sanch Panzo his loyal servant. It’s very impressive and we stop for photographs and a brief explanation from Charo. From here we drive into the parking underneath the Royal Palace, we stop and all walk together after bathrooms up in front of the Palace. Charo then explains the statue in front and how Galileo created the balance of the horse on its hind legs and she also explained about the Palace of the Bourbon Kings of Spain. We had some free time for photographs before returning to the coach and completing our sightseeing along the old road Calle Mayor.
We then head out to Toledo as it was as an hour’s drive outside of the city. Then a little distance before we arrive, Charo explained the history of the city before we drove up for a wonderful view overlooking the River Tagus and the city itself. The view in itself was quite something special. Then we drove into the city and Charo walked us through this amazing maze of narrow medieval streets where Arabs, Jews and Christians all lived together in harmony for a period of time. We also have a visit to see the masterpiece by the artist Del Greco during our visit. They say if you have not been to Toledo you have not seen Spain its true what a really interesting and quite mesmerising place.
Sharon and I have lunch by ourselves in Toledo picking things of a menu written entirely in Spanish, Sharon asks for a glass of Sangria and we receive a jug !! but it’s all good. We then head back to the Holiday Inn and as there is no organised dinner Sharon and I catch a bus into the City and settle on a great little restaurant set in the Plaza Santa Anna – a Tapas menu, good food although a little confusing, great atmosphere, we manage to catch the right bus back to our hotel for an 11.00 bed.
Day 8 - Madrid to Barcelona
On the road again as we leave Madrid and head towards Barcelona we pass through Castille La Mancha, Castille y Leon, Aragon and Catalonia four of the most important regions of Spain’s 19 regions. The road is free for the first part of our journey and we pass one or two interesting towns including Guadalajara famous for severe fighting during the Spanish Civil war. The scenery is very impressive as we pass through the Huerta’s. These are fertile areas irrigated from the rivers whilst all around is barren and dry. The first part of the journey is on the flat but elevated journey called ‘La Mesa’ the table in English.
W drive past the main town Zaragosa and stop for lunch at a roadside stop called Pina. On the homewards the countryside becomes more fertile and we enter the Pinedes wine growing area (home of the Torres family), a vast vineyard making predominately red wine and Cava which is Spanish champagne.
We arrive at our hotel for the next 2 night the Abba Santis, nice size hotel with plenty of room, we have a couple of hours rest ant then we head into the city for the optional Dinner and flamenco show. Patrick has got special permission for the bus to drive down the most famous street of Barcelona ‘La Rambla’ We arrive at El Cordobes the show venue and can relax over Sangria and plenty of beer,
We have a very good and plentiful buffet dinner before the Flamenco Spectacular. We sat with Garry, Josie and an older couple from Canada John and Mary, lovely people who struggled to understand our Aussie accents. Patrick had a word to the waiters and the ”beer flowed”
The show was awesome and we had front row seats as we joined a table with David and Vicki from the Blue Mountains. We headed back to the hotel and had a nightcap at the bar with the regulars and were in bed after 11.00.
Day 9 - Barcelona
We are up early today for our guided city tour of Barcelona. Pilar our local guide meets us at the hotel Abba Sants as today we are doing our included city sightseeing this morning, its sunny but not particularly hot. Today is a Sunday and so the streets are very quiet so it’s easy to get around.
The 2 highlights today are the old cathedral and the famous Sagrada Famillia built by Antonio Gaudi. We drive onto the Olympic Village and site of the 1992 Olympic Games, onto a nice stop for a panoramic view of the bustling and crowded city of Barcelona, Pila explains that there is 17% unemployment and as such there is a lot of crime in the city, watch for pickpockets and beggars.
We then have a great drive up to the religious town of Montserrat. Our ultimate goal is to see the monastery of the black Madonna. We do not drive all the way up to the monastery because Patrick has included a little extra into the excursion a train ride up the mountain. It is really spectacular and we all manage to get seats on the way up, the views really are something special. Once at the top we arrive directly at the monastery and here we have plenty of free time for photos and a spot of lunch.
We arrive back to our hotel and Patrick explains how to use the Metro system, quite easy so we go with Garry, Josie and Steve and Marianne and catch the metro to the Port of Barcelona and the statue of Christopher Columbus, very pretty, we have time to walk on the beach and paddle our feet in the Mediterranean sea. We have a couple of drinks in a few pubs and find a nice on the boardwalk and settle in for the afternoon, well it is Sunday after all.
We decide to walk back up the Rambla and struggle to find a decent place to eat, so we go off the “beaten track” much to the girls dislike and the area is pretty rough, anyway we do find a nice little restaurant on another Plaza and settle in for some nice Spanish Food. After dinner we catch the metro back to the hotel, unfortunately a nasty incident on the train with a couple of unsavoury character who boarded the train and began too abuse at first Josie and then Garry, fortunately diffused by a young local Spaniard, who sent them on their way next station, well done.
Day 10 - Barcelona to Cannes
Early start today as we have 600 kilometres to travel to Cannes, our route is along the AutoPista A7 taking us towards Girona and the Spanish French border. We are following the very well known route along the Costa Brava the wild coast of Spain with the Pyrenees Mountains on the left and the Mediterranean Sea on the right. Patrick tells us that it’s time to stop speaking Spanish and start speaking French as we cross the border into France, no security check, so it’s onward bound
Vito is immediately pulled over by the gendarmes apparently exceeding the speed limit for a bus on 2 occasions, nice start to France for us. We have our lunch stop along the highway near the French city of Montpellier. It is a small service station and we arrive at 12.00 and stop for 45 minutes.
The weather is fantastic as we pass Marseilles and Aix en Provence the former capital of the region we are in, Provence. We make one more stop before arriving near Cannes at a small service station. At the station we have coffee and buy ice creams ready for the last part of our long journey today
Then on to our Cannes, where our first stop is a perfume factory and shop, Sharon get the shits ‘cause she can’t decide what perfume to buy and then it’s too late – the bus is leaving.
Onto our accommodation for 2 nights the Hotel Amarante, quite nice hotel with large rooms, bathroom a bit small but OK. We have time to change and then meet in the bar with Garry and Josie, have a drink and then board the bus for a short tour of Cannes and our highlight dinner at a typical French restaurant on the beach at Cannes.
We have a nice dinner sitting with George and Marilyn from California and John and Sandy from Warren in Victoria, John’s a good bloke who calls me Hoges and I call him Strop the nicknames stick for the rest of the trip.
After dinner we decide to walk back to the hotel with Garry, Josie, Steve and Marianne, a nice pleasant stroll.
Day 11 - Cannes
Late sleep in, no touring today, breakfast at 8.00 and then we walk down to Cannes main town and marina. Unfortunately the weather takes a bad turn.
We get some shopping and sightseeing in, but then it really starts to rain really heavy so we head back to the hotel and try and find some place for lunch as we need to be on the bus at 2.00 for our afternoon excursion, we settle on a Texas Grill restaurant and the meals were huge, we only just have enough time to finish our main course and 1 deink and have to bypass the desert to be on the bus in time.
On the bus again on the afternoon excursion to Nice and then a spectacular drive along the 3 cornices of the French Riviera. It takes us literally 2 hours and twenty minutes to get to Nice as we have the most horrendous traffic jam caused by the intense rain we have had. Even the reception area of the hotel gets flooded by the rain just before we leave.
We have some time in Nice and Patrick takes us up some stairs and an elevator to some great views of the Promenade des Anglais and the old town of Nice. After the Nice visit we drive along the three famous roads that run along the Blue Coast (Cote d’azur) during our drive we make 1 photo stops to view this truly beautiful area of France.
We pass the road that Princess Grace drove on, crashed and died and have a roadside stop to take some spectacular photos of the Mediterranean Sea and a quaint village Eze nicknamed the eagles nest.
We arrive at the restaurant La Bergerie and have a great night of food and good company, we’re seated with Carol from Bowral, Bev from Kiama, Simon and Rita from Adelaide, Dick and Louise from Canada, Jane from Brisbane, Natalie from Canada and John and Colin from Perth, young John and I go shot for shot with the bottles filled with liquor Kumquats that Patrick brought around – very powerful.
At the end of a great night we have a sing along on the bus home.
Day 12 - Cannes to Montecatini
6.00 am wake up call as we have a long day ahead, we leave Cannes this morning and head towards the Principality of Monaco. It is not a long drive in terms of distance but we have to try to beat the Nice rush hour as well as the Monaco rush hour. We set off on time which is a good start and only have small delays around Nice, however, when we get close to Monaco we have a traffic jam which loses us 20 minutes of time. We then have to pay € 110 to enter the city of Monaco as all buses are charged to enter the playground of the wealthy.
Our first stop today is at the Palace of the Rainer family the rulers here since 1291. We see Princess Caroline’s home before arriving at the cathedral where Price Rainier and Grace Kelly were married and are both buried today. We go into the church and are silent as we walk to see their graves. We are able to get a few photos of the tombs of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier adorned with fresh flowers.
We have a good walking visit of Monaco and as we walk up towards Monte Carlo casino we walk across the famous Grand Prix Circuit and its hairpin bend, have a cup of coffee with Garry and Josie.
The drive down to Pisa is very spectacular driving quite literally through the Apennines Mountains; we go through 152 tunnels in all. As we drive along the western and eastern Riviera of Italy we have stunning views of the Mediterranean.
We arrive in Pisa and the bus drops us off in a car park and we board a motorised “train” for a ride into Pisa to visit the leaning tower. Wow!! It is everything we imagined it to be and more, plenty of chances for photos, we are amazed that it hasn’t fallen over.
We finally arrive at our hotel the Minerva, Montecatini and have a 4 course highlight dinner included, Patrick our tour director presents us with a very expensive and special Italian red wine for our anniversary, which please us greatly – great day today.
Day 13 - Montecatini to Assisi
Up early and on the road at 7.30 heading for Florence the capital of Tuscany. The drive in is uneventful, we pass many market gardens before paying the road toll and entering the city. Today the traffic is kind and we get into the centre early around the old walled city which is today a ring road as the walls have been taken down. Vito then drops us close as he can to the historic centre and Patrick walks us in.
We meet our local guide Patrizia at the church and she takes us all on the walking tour visiting the church, seeing the main square Piazza Della Signoria, the cathedral St Mary of the Flowers and baptistery. Finally we end up at the Academia famous as it houses Michelangelo’s David carved out of an old damaged block of Marble. This we all agree is a masterpiece unrivalled in the world and will always be firmly imprinted on our minds. After David we walk to the bus and drive up to Piazza Michelangelo square for a group photo and free time to grab a bite to eat.
On the road again past Tuscany into the region of Umbria, we pass Lake Trasimeno Italy’s largest lake in area; the bus also passes Perugia the capital of Umbria another old Etruscan town dating back to 1000BC. Before climbing up to Assisi we pass the basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels which took over a hundred years to construct between 1562 and 1679. We drive onto our hotel Windsor Savoia. The hotel is really quaint, we check in and join Patrick for a walk of the city and a little later to the Basilica of St. Francis. The walk takes us through the narrow streets up to the main square Piazza Communal. In the square is a hidden treasure the old Roman temple transformed into a catholic church. Patrick has asked the brave ones to join him on a climb up the castle Rocca Maggiore. This really is a lung bursting walk but the reward at the top is worth it as the views are unparalleled, we have earned an extra beer.
We have some pre-dinner drinks on the Terrace with a few of the group, Patrick joins us for a drink as well. The food in the restaurant is good and we have a table with John and Sandy and David and Vicki, we have a fairly early night only to be woken up at 10.00 by an amazing fireworks display – which we decline to go outside and watch as the noise in deafening.
Day 14 - Assisi to Sorrento
Early start and on the road at 7.00 driving through the Apennines enjoying more lush scenery heading for first Rome and then Naples, today we have Antonio as a replacement driver as Vito needs 45 hours rest according to European law. We drive past cassino for glimpses of the monastery built in 526 by Benedict of St. Norcia the monk who founded the rule of St. Benedict. We have views of the great Mt Vesuvius as we drive into the Port of Naples to meet our local guide Vincenzo and only just make the ferry by 1 minute, we board our ferry for the Isle of Capri, about a 50 minute journey.
We first take a scary mini-bus ride up the narrow cliffs to Anacapri where the fun begins as we hop on a chairlift (much to Sharon’s disapproval) but the views from the top are amazing and well worth it – we have time for a snack, a beer and then catch the chairlift back down to Anacapri where Vincenzo take us on a walking tour of Capri and the magnificent Gardens.
We catch the Fenicular back to the bottom, and have a great optional boat ride around the island, to view the white caves and also pass through the famous Faraligone Rocks, the colour of the water here is an amazing blue it’s really quite something to experience, we arrive back at the Port of Capri and as Sharon has been busting to somehow get to Positano, Patrick tells us there is a ferry leaving in 15 minutes that will take us there. We grab the ferry and are a group of 5 with Jose from Miami, Olivia from Melbourne and Jan from Victoria. The ferry ride is good with spectacular views of the Amalfi Coast.
We arrive at the beautiful cliff side town of Positano, truly breathtaking and have a pizza snack and some drinks at a beachside restaurant before some shopping and a walk up long, steep stairs to where we can catch a taxi back to Sorrento. We arrive at the hotel the Johanna Park Inn after 9.00 and go straight to join the rest of the group having dinner, who are buzzing to find out what Positano was like. The hotel is big and spacious, but we are too tired to enjoy it and have an early night.
Day 15 - Sorrento to Rome
Another early start this morning as we are heading for Pompeii. We get away early as we want to be the first group into Pompeii. Our journey takes us through the town of Sorrento and out onto the Sorrento peninsula affording us fine views of this crime free city. We then follow the coastline practically all the way to Pompeii with great views of the bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius.
Pompeii is fantastic and everything we thought it would be and we see a large cross section of the ruins including the red light district believe it or not. Our guide is very good and in the forum we have the best photo opportunity for Vesuvius. We leave Pompeii on the main highway and drive back towards Naples before heading north towards Rome. Later on we see Monte Cassino again from a different perspective and we stop for lunch at La Macchia services just after Cassino.
We travel to Rome, park the bus, meet our local tour guide Silvana a very nice lady indeed and enter the Vatican City, it is very crowded and hot as there must be at least 6 cruise ships with us. I think most of the group enjoyed it but some found the heat and crowds difficult. It was our only opportunity as it’s closed on Sunday all day such a pity. From the Sistine chapel we walk directly into the Basilica of St Peter’s the largest Christian church in the world, boy is this impressive especially La Pieta the statue by Michelangelo and the dome by Michelangelo. It is just a truly amazing structure.
We then travel to our accommodation the Leonardo da Vinci, well located in central Rome, good size hotel with plenty of space in the rooms. We then head out for optional dinner night at a place called Mangrovia. This is a really fun evening as there is so much entertainment to enjoy. First of all our waiter Giuseppe entertains us during the first few courses of our meal. We eat anti pasta then 2 pasta dishes followed by a choice of main course and dessert, the drinks are unlimited. Then Patrick entertains us and makes us laugh with a Welsh rugby song called Sosban Fach. He cannot sing but 10/10 for effort it’s hilarious. Tracey also entertains us with a song. A great night topped off with a visit to the Trevi Fountain one of Rome’s most spectacular and most beautiful. Back to the hotel and to bed.
Day 16 - Rome
My birthday today and Patrick starts off the day on the bus with Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” and everyone sings along. We have our local guide Silvana with us again as we start the second part of our Rome tour. We cross Rome to Venice square where we see the National monument for the first time, then drive up the imperial way and around the Coliseum heading towards circus maximums where they used to hold the chariot races in front of crowds of up to 150,000, onto the Aventine hill and from here there is a truly magnificent view of the Roman Emperors then continue to the great amphitheatre the coliseum, where we are the first to enter as being part of Trafalgar group. This amphitheatre was an engineering masterpiece, and we think what must have happened inside here.
Our next visit was to the catacombs just outside the city walls where the Christians were buried. We visited the St. Domitilla catacombs and we had a local Vatican guide to take to the underground church and through some of the narrow scary tunnels it was quite an experience
The next part of the day is on foot and we started at the Spanish steps walking from Ludovisi where the bus dropped us. We actually approached the steps from above so we were able to walk down the 137 steps to Rome’s busiest meeting place. Then down the via Candiotti Rome’s designer street before crossing the parliament of Rome and arriving at what must be one of the most amazing buildings left in this world, the Pantheon built between 120 and 126 AD. We have free time and Sharon and I have lunch in a café on the square overlooking the Pantheon, we have a great Italian lunch with beer and champagne and rejoin the group and walk to Piazza Navona Rome’s most beautiful square dating back to the 17century.
Back to the hotel and prepare for a great night for for my birthday at Café Concerto where we are entertained by 4 opera singers, who sing happy birthday when my birthday cake arrives, the girls get to dance and then back to the hotel where a good selection of the tour party help me celebrate at the bar including, Simon and Rita, John and Sandy, Steve and Marianne, Garry and Josie, Tracey and Reg, David and Vicki, Jose, Denis and Lynda, young John and Colin, Jane, Carol and Bev. A late, late night as Patrick forced the beer and eventually sambucca’s down my throat – bed time.
Day 17 - Rome to Venice
We leave Rome with a massive hangover and I am grateful that we have a few hours before our first stop to grab some well earned sleep. We head out of Rome towards Venice with the Apinine mountains as our main scenic feature. We pass Marconi’s birth place, Sasso Marconi, then we leave the mountains and pass the capital of the region of Emilia Romagna; Bologna. We see huge amounts of vines, fruit and rice growing through here; it is probably the most fertile area of Europe we have seen to date, we arrive at Piazzale Roma Venice for a gondola ride We have 7 Gondolas in total and Patrick adds a nice little touch by giving each boat a bottle of Champagne. The ride lasts 30 minutes and is a magical experience as we drink champagne and glide through the canals. It is hot on the canals but that does not spoil a magical moment!
We the then walk to St. Marks square through some of the quieter areas of Venice which is both nice to be away from the crowds as well as seeing some interesting sights. Finally we arrive in the famous square of St. Marks and it is as magnificent as they say with its bell tower and it’s Basilica at the far end. We decide to take the lift up to the top of the bell tower and there are magnificent views of the lagoon and the whole of Venice truly unforgettable and we are lucky the bells did not go off what a relief.
After our free time, we board 3 private taxis which take us down the Grand Canal, Venice’s finest street. Everybody has a fine view of the magnificent palaces and it is such an unusual place, it is a visual extravaganza. The taxis take us along the canal and we alight at the same spot we got on the Gondolas. Vito meets us at the main traffic square and we drive home for dinner and a quiet night after 2 heavy but fabulous evenings in Rome. Our dinner is OK but the service is lousy which takes the gloss off this hotel the Veneza Mestre as it’s brand new and located in a quiet spot out of the old town.
Day 18 - Venice
Up early and breakfast is as chaotic as the dinner was the night before, Patrick is going to go nuts !!! We drive back in town and pick up a water taxi over to Venice we start to see St. Marks square in the distance, the Bridge of Sighs and the prison which once housed the great Italian lover Casanova.
First we walk past the Basilica through some narrow back streets to the glass blowing demonstration, we then have time for ourselves and Sharon and I have a coffee in the square and then visit Doge’s Palace which was a truly amazing experience.
We then have a lagoon cruise and we are going on typical boat from Venice so we have good views of the surroundings on our 40 minute journey to Burano. We cruise past the Lido Island, the Cemetery Island, Murano the glass Island before arriving at Burano, the place is beautiful, it's quiet and it has lots of character especially its different coloured houses. We notice church of St. Martin with its bell tower leaning at 1.87 metres pretty impressive but nothing like what we saw in Pisa. In the main street there numbers of shops selling lace, one of the biggest money spinners here since the women have been making it for centuries ever since they started making fishing nets for their men folk.
We go for lunch in a typical local restaurant Raspo da Ua and seafood is the order of the day, we are served fish, lasagne, fish risotto, mix fried fish as well as white fish. We had fresh fruit followed by the local biscuits which we dipped into the wine. We are seated with Josie and Garry, George and Marilyn and the old but loveable Aurora and Jeff. The lunch was great and the waiter had a little fun with us and also brought me a cake and sang happy birthday again, boy this birthday is getting some time !
The journey back was uneventful but very relaxing. And in one hour we were back on the mainland and our bus ride back to the hotel in time for shopping at the commercial centre before dinner as well as a few drinks. The hotel buy us an aperitif to apologise for the bad service the night before and this evening everything goes well with a much faster service, Sharon an I finish off the bottle of Italian Red Wine that Patrick gave us for our anniversary .
Day 19 - Venice to Vienna
Up early 6.00 am call and 7.30 on the bus, breakfast not much better, but an improvement. Once past the city of Udine we can see the alpine chain ahead of us and in particular the Dolomites. The weather is still good and the mountains are very impressive indeed. We make our last stop in Italy at a service station and it’s the last time we will have to pay for our ticket first which is a relief. It’s quite a beautiful spot where we stop for our first break of the day.
We then say arriverderci Italy and into Austria, firstly the lake district of Carinthia, it’s really stunning the scenery. We pass the Worther Sea a 16 kilometre lake which has a blue green colour bordering Austria and Slovenia. After passing by the lake we skirt around the capital Klagenfurt and start to head north for our lunch at a Rosenberger service station, It’s so refreshing to be in Austria as everything is so clean and neat and tidy so different from Italy.
The service station has fabulous food a great buffet and a special coffee called ‘Kaiser Melange’ which is coffee with fresh cream and they give you a free cup if you order this. We now drive in the Vienna basin a flat plain area of the river Danube. Fortunately there is no traffic going into the city as many people are now on holiday. We arrive at the hotel Renaissance a great hotel, similar to the renaissance Paris and tonight we are going to a special restaurant in the countryside
The Marchfelderhof restaurant described as a museum as well as eating establishment. It takes 50 minutes to get there as we cross the River Danube on route which is very impressive, the second longest in Europe at 2,800 kilometres long. We arrive at the restaurant at and as we get off the bus there is a fantastic welcome, a red carpet and Carol is given the job of cutting the ribbon as it is her birthday. The restaurant is really something very different as so many famous people have visited and left their mark with a photo or a plaque even the famous Hapsburgs have been here. The bathrooms are also very unusual, what a place this is unforgettable! We eat listen to music watch dancers and generally just browse from room to room. It’s been a long day and the journey back to the hotel is much shorter and we are home in 40 minutes. We have a night cap at the bar.
Day 20 - Vienna
Sleep in today and we have a great breakfast in the hotel, we decline the optional visit to the Imperial Palace as we will be going there with Scenic Tours on the River Cruise. Vito picks us up on the bus at 9.30 and we meet up with the others and the tour guide Sylvia. Firstly we drive into the heart of the city at St. Stephens’s cathedral. We have a lovely walking tour which takes in the medieval part of the city and also past the massive winter palace of this incredible Hapsburg family who ruled Europe for 600 years. The bus is then to be found waiting for us at the statue of Maria Theresa.
We continue along the Ringstrasse built in 1857 by Franz Joseph by destroying the old city walls. It is lined with impressive buildings including the Palace of Justice, the town hall, we complete the included tour at the square called Albertina next to the Opera House and we have lunch at the Australian Hotel, we’re joined by Colin and Jose who both decide to sample the delicacy of Fried Grasshopper ??
Back to the hotel and prepare for our night out, once again we are guided by Sylvia who takes us through a large section of the Vienna woods on a road built in 1936, we stop then at the Kahlenburg Heights a beautiful spot overlooking the city, it’s a fantastic view. Then it’s time to descend the woods back to Vienna to visit the little suburb of Grinzing, for dinner at the wine village in a restaurant called the Reinprecht, as we enter the Reinprecht we are amazed at all the different corkscrews in window cases, some very interesting ones as well. The stairway is small and the place opens up into many different rooms of all shapes and sizes. Our room is in a quaint spot just off the main corridor and we are welcomed by an accordionist and violin player.
What an evening and a great dinner! We eat well, we sing and dance, and we drink copious amounts of the local young wine as we celebrate the birthdays of Jane and also Dick, the bus drops us off at the hotel and take the rest to the Vienna Concert, we don’t take this option as once again we are going there with scenic Tours, Sharon and I hit the bar for a night cap and are joined a bit later by Vito the bus driver, we have a good yarn with Vito and are off to bed after a great day.
Day 21 - Vienna to Salzburg
Early wakeup call 6.00 and we say farewell to Vienna as we pass through the provinces of Wien, Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Salzburg on route today also following the Danube River on our right hand side with one of the highlights seeing the old Abbey of Melk built in the mid seventeen hundred’s, it is very impressive even from the bus as it dominates the Danube valley. We drive past Linz Austria’s 3rd largest city where Adolph Hitler went to school and constructed right on the Danube River.
We arrive in Salzburg and then walk into the city via the gardens of the summer palace of the Prince Bishops, the Mirabelle Gardens. We also see a scene from the Sound of Music where the children are walking with Maria and mimicking the statues. Then onto the River Salzach a river which dissects the old and the new town of Salzburg, with a fine view of the old town and its many churches.
We meet our guide for the day Veronica a very typical Salzburg lady with a good humour and well dressed, it’s Oktoberfest and the town is buzzing. We see Mozart’s birth place, the old cemetery, the food market, the festival halls, the castle, the cathedral, the prince bishop’s residence and Mozart’s statue. For lunch we head for the KK restaurant to try the well known potato soup, it’s delicious.
Back on the bus and up the mountain to Eagles Nest, Veronica talks about the history of Hitler. The route leaves Austria and enters Germany and then the bus climbs up to where Hitler lived although there is nothing left of his home. We have a private bus to the top, an amazing drive with some great views, the engineering to build the road truly a work of art and it was all completed in 13 months including the Eagles Nest itself. At the top we walk through a tunnel to a lift decorated in Venetian glass this takes us to the hideaway built by Martin Bormann as a present to Hitler in all 1864 metres.
Patrick meets us at back in Salzburg where we walk to the oldest restaurant in Salzburg dating back to 803. Many famous people have eaten there one notable being Bill Clinton. The food is fine and we have a Salzburg speciality for dessert a soufflé, it’s then back to our hotel the Austria Trend Europa.
Day 22 - Salzburg to Oberammergau
Another 6.00 am wakeup call on the bus on towards Innsbruck, but firstly into Germany and then back into Austria. As we enter Innsbruck we have a good view of the Ski Jump which is still used for competition. We see the Ice stadium and the Arch of Triumph of Maria Theresa. Innsbruck was probably her most favourite place to live until her husband Franz Stephan died and she moved away to Vienna.
Vito drops us very close to the old town and Patrick walks us into this quaint little place. We first see the Golden Roof with its 2065 copper tiles gilded in gold, the old palace of Maximillian, then we all go into the Swarovski shop, buy nothing so we decide to explore this beautiful city of Innsbruck. Sharon and I have coffee and watch an Austrian band warm up and then march in the town, very beautiful and great chance for some good photos. We buy a “kitchen witch” for Natalie and then meet up with the rest.
We’re then away for our “Horse and Buggy ride, arriving at the village of Rinn to find Siggi and Petra waiting for us. We board 2 wagons one is the party wagon the other the romantic version. The champagne is popped along with the orange juice and we set off shouting ‘prost’ cheers in German. We love the ride it’s gorgeous and we make a stop at the oldest farmhouse in the area dating to 1400. Siggi gets the homemade schnapps out now which needs to be downed in one go to survive it, some say yummy others say aargh!!! We re-board the carriages and go to a local pub where we relax for enjoying a drink on their terrace. It’s a most memorable and enjoyable experience.
Then onto Oberammergau, past the wall paintings of the Grimm brothers and the classics ‘Hansel and Gretel as well as ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ these are painted on local houses. The hotel Wittlesbach is right in the middle of town which is perfect. Patrick shows us the Passion Play House famous throughout the world for its depiction of the life of Christ. The people have celebrated this since 1634 as a thanksgiving to God because they were spared from the plague for some unknown reason whilst all around died. We have a nice bit of free time so we, have a drink at a local pub and watch as the cows ringing their bells walk through the town on their way to milking, we are all in love with this place.
Day 23 - Oberammergau to Lucerne
We’re up early again and it’s sad to leave the beautiful town of Oberammergau, but the next part of our trip takes us through some of the most beautiful scenery. The scenery really is something quite special as we climb towards the fern pass. Our first stop is for a photo overlooking the Blindsee and looking directly at the Zugspitze Germany’s tallest mountain. There is a 14 kilometre tunnel we have to go into to get through the Arlberg massif, it is quite impressive and lasts 12 minutes in total.
We are driving in the last province of Austria the Vorarlberg which is as beautiful as the rest of Austria. Everyone will have fond memories of this beautiful country, we enter Lichtenstein now a country of 160 square kilometres and German speaking, We stop at the capital Vaduz where the ruling Prince Hans Adam lives. There is not a lot to see in this country but we do grab a stamp on our passports. Our drive then brings us out of the Alps into the Swiss Plateau which makes up 30 % of the country the rest is mountains 70% of the country. We enter central Switzerland and we can see the Alps again in the distance, we arrive in Lucerne behind the railway station where we board our cruise boat for an hour’s cruise around the lake It is a lovely experience sitting down sipping local Eichhof beer and being surrounded by the Swiss Alps. After the cruise we board the bus for a brief orientation tour which includes the very sad and moving ‘Lion Monument’ which remembers the Swiss Guards who died in the employment of the French King Louis 16th. We now have 4 hours free time and Sharon and I do a bit of shopping. Our hotel is the Flora right in the centre of town and its lovely as it’s just been refurbished.
We walk across the magnificent and famous Chapel bridge and arrive at the Stadkeller Swiss Folklore Restaurant, the beer is served in huge 1 litre beer steins which we have 2 each. It is a great night some of the group blow the Alpine Horn (Dick) whilst others Yodel (Carol) in between sips of beer. Then at one point a cow comes into the restaurant which is hilarious. It’s a great night and after we walk back along the river to Mr Pickwick’s Hotel for a few more drinks with Garry, Josie, Steve and Marianne, back to the hotel after a great night.
Day 24 - Lucerne
Sleep in today 7.00 am wakeup call, breakfast is ok and we have a short trip to the foot of Mt Pilatus, where firstly we board our Gondola and Cable Car ride to the top of Mount Pilatus 7,000 feet, a journey of approximately 30 minutes. We set off in groups of 3’s and 4’s and the sun is shining enabling us to take in views that are breathtaking and we see many of the Swiss Brown cows grazing on the high pasture with their bells ringing to a constant beat, it’s fabulous. As we near the summit we have to change from the gondola into a cable car built in 1956. There is a short delay as they are bringing the rubbish down from the top of the mountain. When we finally get in the car it will not move as we are overweight so 2 strangers have to get out lightening the load, now it works. The ones who are frightened of heights (Sharon) stand in the middle and it’s all over in 6 minutes as we reach the top.
At the top of the mountain we have 45 minutes of free time so we go for a further walk up the mountainside for a fine view of Lucerne and the lake. From this vantage point one can see the cross shape of the lake represented on the Swiss flag as this is where Swiss history begins. We then have time for a nice hot chocolate and we can see the snow covered Matterhorn in the far distance.
We then go down on the steepest cog railway in the world 48% gradient, we all go together. The train was constructed in 1889 and can handle 40 passengers maximum. It is a little cosy but does not spoil the view of the lake and the surrounding mountains as well as the farming. The train ride lasts exactly 40 minutes to the town of Alpnachstaad. It is a marvellous experience as we watch the cows graze the trains meeting in the middle and people hiking up and down the mountain.
Sharon and I head off to town for a visit to the Cathedral and shop for Swiss chocolates to send home, we then have dinner in the hotel, a pretty ordinary buffet, we share a bottle of wine with Garry, Josie, Steve and Marianne and then head out for the Metro Hotel, a place where Jose planned to meet us after he went to the Casino (he never turns up). It’s a great rooftop bar with magical views over Lucerne and the lake and we enjoy several cocktails and beers before heading back to the hotel .
Day 25 - Lucerne to Boppard
On the bus at 7.30 and we leave the beautiful Swiss City of Lucerne, we drive back into France for a short time and then cross the Rhine into German for our first stop this morning Freiburg. This is a pretty University town which nestles in the foothills of the Black Forest and it is well known for its Black Forest cake and its cathedral located in the corn market square. The city was badly bombed during the war but has since been completely rebuilt in the old style. We stop for some coffee and some Black Forest cake.
We drive into Heidelberg and past the Heidelberg Printing Machine factory, which I am particularly interested in. Vito drops us at the official bus drop off pick up area and Patrick walks us into town showing us the Red Ox made famous in the Student Prince film, we view the castle from down below and the market place. The castle is impressive built between 1400 and 1626, it dominates the city. We walk up the many steps to the castle where we have excellent views over the city.
After the castle visit, Sharon and I go to the main square for some German food and beer and are joined for lunch. Our next stop is St. Goar where we board our boat for the Rhine River Cruise. The cruise is good and is giving us a taste of what to look forward to when we start our River Cruise next week.
The cruise goes downstream from the town of St Goar to the town of Boppard where we are sleeping tonight in the Bellevue Rhein Hotel, a very beautiful old style hotel overlooking the Rhine. We see initially the Loreley monument, the beautiful maiden who used to entice the sailors onto the rocks with her devastating beauty. Then we pass many villages with their vineyards growing above them and also their castle fortresses. It is such a beautiful part of Germany is the Rhine and the good weather makes it even more memorable.
We have a few pre-dinner drinks with Patrick, Garry and Josie and are joined by Dennis and Lynda as well. The meal in the hotel is first class and off to bed early, woken up a few times by trains roaring up the track beside the river.
Day 26 - Boppard to Amsterdam
Nice breakfast in the hotel on the Rhine this morning and then we board the bus and drive north along the river past Koblenz for our first stop Cologne, unfortunately it’s raining and we don’t really have a great amount of time to visit this city, but we do visit the massive Cologne Cathedral, gothic structure which took over 600 years to build begun in 1226 and completed in 1880, it’s the second tallest in the world at 157 metres high.
Sharon and I join some of the group for coffee and cake in the Cafe Reichard, with the most unusual see through toilets., we then do some shopping and find a Cookoo Clock that will be perfect for Melanie, we don’t buy straight away as we will be coming back this way in a couple of weeks.
Onwards into the Netherlands, very flat with pretty farmhouses, we arrive mid afternoon in Amsterdam and join our Canal Cruise with Glass topped boats, very interesting and gives us a good overview of Amsterdam and it’s 1,000’s of bikes. We also pass by Anne Frank’s house, and hope to be able to visit when we come back to Amsterdam in a couple of weeks.
After the cruise Sharon and Josie want to look for Diamonds so we locate the Gassan Diamond factory, out of our price range, but Josie buys a pair of diamond earrings, bad luck for Garry. We are running late to catch the bus so we catch a cab to our hotel the Novotel, typical flashy, modern hotel a little out of the city.
We change and go by bus back into the city for our Farewell Dinner at an Indonesian Restaurant on Rembrandt Square, everyone is getting a little teary eyed as our tour is fast drawing to a close, a few speeches and everyone gives Patrick and Vito their bonus, Patrick then offers to take us through the red light district as he seems to know where he is going. We all go along but are advised not to take any photos as they sometimes confiscate the cameras. We see some interesting things along the way, the girls are scantily dressed behind windows and men browse to see what they like.
Day 27 - Amsterdam to London
Our last day on tour and we have a good breakfast in the Novotel and head out of Amsterdam and drive through the Netherlands straight into Belgium. The geography is very flat indeed both in the Netherlands and in Belgium, we are barely above sea level.
Our one and only stop today before the boat home is in Belgium at a service station, enough time for bathrooms and a quick cup of coffee and then on the road passing Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges. Antwerp is the largest port in Belgium and the fourth largest in Europe. After Ghent we turn north towards the Belgian coastline running parallel with the sea towards the battlefields of the First World War and the Flanders field.
We drive beyond the war zones and re-enter France passing the city of Dunkirk, known for the evacuations that took place in 1940 when 338,227 men and women were brought to safety whilst completely surrounded by superior German forces. Our bus driver Vito leaves us here at Calais as he is driving his bus back to Venice, we will miss him very dearly as he is not just a good driver but also a great person to be around, we wish him well.
We board the ferry as foot passengers to meet our English coach n the other side of the channel in Dover. The crossing lasts 90 minutes and we have lunch (Cornish pasties) on board and great views of the white cliffs of Dover as we sail back into England. It’s now sad as we approach London, Patrick says his goodbyes, a few tears are shed and this fantastic 27 days tour comes to an end !!! Patrick gives us his DVD’s with all the photos, our diary and all passengers try to guess our total mileage for a bottle of wine prize, the total for the 27 days is 9195 km – a lot of travelling and we enjoyed every kilometre.
We check into the Holiday Inn again, same sort of room, very small although this one has a different layout and feels a bit better. We get to say farewell to a good portion of our great group in the foyer.
Hide All Signatures
