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Post by Owen on Nov 27, 2015 20:40:10 GMT
European Grandeur ~ April & May 2008 ~ Pat the Aussie
This travel tale was written by Pat the Aussie and relates to a Insight Vacations Tour. It was originally posted on the Insight Vacations forum.
Well finally I have this ready to post. I hope it will help people who are having trouble trying to work out a budget for their trip as I have included a lot of the cost of little things like lunches. I can only thank all the people who travelled with us for making it so terrific. We all got along really well and enjoyed each others company. The foot room in the bus was just brilliant.
We had a different bus for a day during the trip and we all felt the same about how cramped it was and couldn’t wait to get ours back again. We were offered 23 optional extras of which we did 21. All were good value for money and definitely added to our insight of the country we were visiting.
The accommodation was good although there were a couple of older places but they still had a lot of character and were clean so no complaints.
SUNDAY….. APRIL 20TH …. Home to Tokyo
Our alarm went off at 3.30 am and we awoke full of anticipation and ready for our big adventure that we had been planning for nearly 12 months. Our son Paul picked us up at 4.30am and we headed from the Gold Coast to Brisbane to catch our plane to Japan on the first leg of our journey. We were flying Qantas/BA but this part of the trip was with JAL but as Qantas passengers. We actually cut an hour off our trip doing it this way.
Our bags weighed in at 17kg for me and 19.9kg for Rod. Just made it under the 20 kg allowed and we still had 2 months to go. I had over packed as usual but it was still expected to be very cold in some of the places we were going to.
We would be driving around the UK including Scotland for a month after our Insight tour so expected some chilly weather. We had a good flight and our stay at Narita was uneventful, getting through customs was slow but without trouble. We found our hotel bus and arrived at the Holiday Inn tired but happy.
MONDAY….. ARPIL 21ST ….. Tokyo to London
We headed to the airport to catch our BA plane to London only to find they didn’t open the check in desk for another hour, we found out the hard way you only need 2 hrs there instead of the usual 3hrs that you do in Australia. The only place open to eat at 7.30am was McDonalds (Rod loves Macca’s… NOT) we didn’t get brekkie with our room as we thought there would be places open to eat at the airport. We had a McMuffin (very different to the Aussie kind they have a sweet pikelet like mixture for the bun).
We checked in our bags and then I tried out my new phone card I got from Flight Centre and called the family. It worked like a dream, very easy to use. It’s the same as the Insight one. We could have sent our bags straight through to London but with the change in airlines I didn’t want to risk loosing them as our friends had done on their last trip into terminal 5 at Heathrow.
We boarded our flight and had a good trip to London arriving around 3pm. We had trouble locating the Insight desk as the Dot to Dot office was missing the sign out the front and we walked past it a couple of times before finally getting someone to point the desk out to us. Even the information staff didn’t know where it was.
We had about a 30min wait before hopping on a mini bus to go to the Thistle Marble Arch. Our driver Alex was a good tour guide and told us where to look as we drove into the centre of London. He also told us how dirty Paris was so not sure if he was having us on or just didn’t like Paris, I would guess at it being the second one. He was proven so very wrong on that account.
We checked in and got our info pack with what was happening the following morning and then we went for a wander around the block stopping at the Three Tunnes for a well deserved drink. Rod’s first taste of English beer went down well, I wasn’t surprised at the cost of my Red wine although it was hard to take paying over double what I pay here… we will just have to stop converting to AUD.
TUESDAY 22ND APRIL ...DAY ONE…… LONDON TO PARIS
Wake up call 4.15am bags out and off to the lobby to collect our brekkie bags and meet our fellow travellers and also our Tour Guide Bob Williemsie. Our bag consists of a bread roll with mortadella and cheese on it also a Yogurt, Apple, Croissant, and Jam together with a bottle of water.
Our group consists of 2 New Zealand couples, 1 American couple and the rest Australians. We have 6 women and 3 men travelling on their own. The youngest person was in his early 30’s and the oldest was in their 70’s. We all had to make sure our luggage was on the bus and headed for Dover to catch the 8.30am ferry to Calais. We spent this time getting to know a couple of people from Brisbane Fay and Steve who have now become our very good friends.
We had a good crossing, just a little bumpy here and there. On arrival we met our driver Giovanni and the bus we would be calling home for the next 27 days. We started this trip sitting on the back seat which doesn’t have the leg room Insight have promised, trust us to land there for one of the longest days we spend travelling.
TD Bob handed out our optional tours for Paris which we had to choose straight away, the others were to follow in a couple of days. The Seine Cruise and Illuminations Tour was 31 Euro and the Guided Tour of the Louver was 39 Euro. Everyone took these 2 and then there was the Moulin Rouge which 4 couples including us decided not to do. Everyone who went said it was fantastic.
We stopped along the way for lunch at Pomme De Pain where we shared pita bread with salmon and salad for 7.20 Euros’, 3.5 hours later we arrived at the Marriot in Paris at 4.15 p.m. We then experienced our first of many fights with the lifts. You have to put in your room card then put in the floor you want to go to, sounds simple but for some reason it wouldn’t work. We finally got to our room after arranging to meet in the lobby at 5.15 p.m to go on the Seine Cruise and Illuminations tour, our first optional.
No words could adequately describe this, what a thrill quietly moving along the river viewing the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, Parliament buildings, Museums, many bridges and statues. The cruise lasted about 11/2 hours and we then were off to the Arch de Trimphe which we got such a thrill out of driving around in peak hour traffic, is there any other kind in Paris?
We were then dropped off to find our own dinner on the Champs Elysees. We found this little French restaurant that had food we could just point to seeing none of the people we had met up with could speak a word of French. It turned out really nice, I had Veal and Rod had lamb shanks. We then met up with our TD Bob at our arranged spot to go and see the lights on the Eiffel tower come on and start to flicker. Wow what a sight, all the tiredness we felt just disappeared. We were missing one of our single men but couldn’t wait to find him or we would have missed the lights. It was a lesson to all our new travellers that you have to be punctual.
It was now about 9.30 and the day wasn’t over yet, we hopped on the bus again for a drive around Paris. It was fantastic to see the city all lit up and as Bob explained we wouldn’t be getting another chance to do this and for some it would be the only time they would be in this fantastic city. We drove around all the major sites plus slowly drove down the street where all the designer clothes shops are situated.
We arrived back at the Marriot at 10.30 pm totally exhausted but very, very happy. Our missing man had caught a taxi back to the hotel; it pays to always carry the hotel address on you whenever you venture out. Our only bad news today was Rods good Canon camera decided not to work, lucky I had my cheap one plus a movie camera so all was not lost but he was very disappointed.
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Post by Owen on Nov 27, 2015 20:40:39 GMT
Wednesday ... APRIL 23RD ……DAY 2…. …… PARIS
Wake up call 6.30am, on the bus at 7.45am.
First off we visit the Louvre. The first of many special moments today was to see the pyramid featured in the Di Vinci Code, we broke into two groups and together with our guides we spent the next 2.5 hours just going from one amazing thing to another. All of the paintings, the sculptures, and just the atmosphere of being in a room with so many incredible artists work that you have only read about is amazing. The Mona Lisa was just as I had been told it was, very small and well protected. To see some artists there reproducing paintings from some of the great artists was terrific, they allow them to do this but they must be a little different to the original in reproduction. They were very good and interesting to watch for a short time, if only we could spend a day here.
Uh Oh we are missing a women travelling on her own when its time to depart, Bob and a couple of the men did a quick scout around but to no avail so it was on the bus and off again, time to say goodbye to the Louvre and head to The Invalids Museum where Napoleons tomb is along with a lot of tombs of other important military men. It was also terrific to see a set of clothes Napoleon wore, they were very well preserved.
We leave there and head to the Eifel Tower where we have tickets to the 2nd level. We also have a time slot to contend with where if we didn’t make it on time we would then miss out and have to line up with everyone else and what a long line that was. We marched straight in… ONLY With INSIGHT… the ride up the elevator was great, a couple of people were a bit nervous but it was fine. We walked around marvelling at the view, took heaps of photos and bought one bucket of chips and 2 coffees for 12 Euro… it’s getting worse still trying not to convert to AUD.
We then went for a drive around the city so we could see it in daylight including the tunnel where Dianna and Dodi’s car accident was before returning to the hotel to get ready for our meet and greet drinks supplied by Insight. If you haven’t fallen in love with Paris you are not human.
We then said goodbye to the group going to Moulin Rouge and met up with the others in a bar for pre dinner drinks before having a pizza not far from the hotel. The food was great, the company terrific but when we gave a 10 per cent tip which was supposed to be ok they were not happy. They knew we had just arrived so maybe thought they could get more or something. Bob said we did the right thing so that was ok. What a great day was had by all... can it get better?
Thursday ... APRIL 24TH DAY 3 ……….PARIS TO BORDEAUX
Wake up call 6.30am, sad to leave Paris. We move one seat a day which gives everyone a chance to get up the front of the bus. We have a break at a service station at 9.30am; we don’t have to pay for toilets. Next stop the Chateau of Chenonceau in the Loire Valley. This is what fairy tales are made from.
A few of us decide to have a quick lunch before entering the castle; the cafeteria serves soup/ bread/cheese and wine for 18 Euro for 2. It is glorious sitting looking at the castle while we eat. We then spend a couple of hours wandering around the castle; it’s very interesting with extremely beautiful gardens.
We leave at 1.30 and head to Bordeaux with a stop at a service station for a toilet break. They only have squats and some of the girls are not impressed. I have been to China and Vietnam so these aren’t so bad. We found out later some people found some good toilets inside a shop that we could have used.
We are now going to be staying at the Mecure due to a conference at the Sofitel , we are pretty disappointed as we have given our families lists of the hotels in case of emergencies and didn’t realise they could be changed, also the pictures of the Sofitel looked great. The Mecure was not very impressive at first glance but was clean so I suppose that’s the main thing.
We have our first Insight dinner, Tuna entrée, Pork/Tomato/Potato followed by fruity ice cream, we all agreed it wasn’t the best meal we have had but if that’s how it is in France then so be it. The hotel had free emails so that was a big bonus and a few of us spent time catching up with family and friends. The staff was really nice and friendly as well so that went a long way in making all of us happy.
Friday ..... APRIL 25TH DAY 4…… BORDEAUX TO LOURDES
Anzac day today so we are all thinking about the past soldiers who fought so bravely for us and also the ones serving now in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We left this morning at 8.30 am... it was nice to have a later start for a change. We stopped at the Monument to the Girondins. This was very interesting being erected between 1894-1902 in memory of the Girondin officials who had fallen victim to the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution. It stands 43mtrs tall and has 2 beautiful fountains; we all take heaps of photos before boarding the bus and heading for Lourdes.
We arrived at Lourdes around 3pm, our hotel the De La Grotto which is very old, a heritage building but clean and oh so central. We walk down to the Grotto and see an amazing amount of people lined up to go inside the grotto; we see a lot of people waiting for confession and listen to a mass for a while being said over the loud speakers. The experience for a lapsing catholic like me is amazing. I had read a lot in my school days about Lourdes but never in my wildest dreams every imagined being there. My husband who is not religious is trying to understand what it’s all about. We decide not to visit inside the Grotto as the lines are still far too long and there is only so much to see and so very little time.
We walk around the churches, milling with the thousands of people who are visiting this town. We buy our candles for tonight’s procession and some souvenirs and head back to the hotel where we sit out the front and have a beer 5.4 Euro and wine 3.10 Euro and watch the young pilgrims dancing and singing up the street.
We then have dinner at the hotel supplied by Insight, Vegetable Terrine, Beef/Tomato/Potato and Pie for desert, the meal is very nice better than the last one. We then gather together with Bob, and walk as a group to where they have the nightly torchlight procession. It was the most incredible experience to walk with in excess of 13,000 people saying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary in 5 languages, French, English, Italian, Spanish, and we think tonight it was Ukrainian.
The procession finished at 10.30 pm, we made our way back to the hotel and into bed ready for our next adventure.
Saturday ..... APRIL 26TH. …. DAY 5…….. LOURDES TO MADRID
8am start today and it’s in the bus and on our way to Madrid….. We arrive at an Auto grill at Aritzeta and stop for 30 mins, the cost being 4.85 Euro for one tea and coffee. We travel through Basque country and later Catalina country. Everyone is looking out for the bulls that dot the countryside; they used to be ads but have been painted black and stand out on the hillsides. Very Spanish and lots of fun yelling out when you spot one coming up. We drive near the Atlantic Ocean through Bibao.
We stop for lunch at La Pausa near Burgos. We get rolls with potato in them with a tea and soft drink for 8.35 Euro. Very clean and nice.
Our hotel the NH Nacional in Madrid is great. We meet up with some of our new friends for pre dinner drinks at a little place near the hotel.
Our Tapas dinner started with appetiser of sausage quiche followed by the main course of Pork or Lamb served with potato slices followed by Bom Alaska for desert. A small group of singers entertained us while we ate, drank and became merry . We had a great night.
We return to the hotel where Fay and I use the internet and are offered coffee and cakes by the hotel staff, it was such a nice touch. The internet here is free; each person is given a password to put in for 10 min I think it was per person per day. It’s getting close to midnight before we get to bed. Another perfect day… |
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Post by Owen on Nov 27, 2015 20:40:57 GMT
APRIL 27TH …. DAY 6….. MADRID
We wake at 6.30 and leave the hotel at 8 am
to visit the Royal Palace Apartments with Maria our guide. It’s Sunday and a big marathon is being held in the city so some roads are closed, it takes us a few detours to get to the Palace. Absolutely wonderful, the fresco’s, chandeliers, carpets and tapestries are amazing. We hear about the last Spanish wedding held here not so long ago and you can just imagine it all happening.
We then have to cross the street to get to our bus while the marathon runners are running by. Anyone who has played the game frogger could relate to this. There were hundreds of people running past and you had to just take a breath and walk through them. It took a while but we all managed to get there eventually with no injuries to us or the runners although I am sure I heard some new swear words in Spanish. An experience I will not forget in a hurry.
We left Madrid at 11am to go to Toledo 60 km away ... It was amazing. I loved this place the minute I set eyes on it. We first stopped at a lookout and took photos then continued into town where we had to go up 4 lots of escalators to the top of the hill that the town is built on. They are all undercover which is great but I wouldn’t like to be around and have to walk up that hill if they broke down. Small alleys dominate the town; we walked past a church built by the Muslims when they ruled this part of Spain. The brickwork throughout the town is incredible.
We walked around town for an hour before having lunch then it was time to go into the Cathedral, what an amazing place. I have become a churchaholic since hitting Europe. We saw lots of frescos and statues in marble and gold. A highlight of the day for me was viewing 4 Cardinals rings and crosses, absolutely beautiful.
We arrived back in Madrid at 5pm. Maria our tour guide for the day was great. We showered and went to our favourite little bar near the hotel for a drink with 4 couples before heading off to have dinner at a restaurant down the road from the hotel where each couple bought a 3 course meal and a small bottle of wine for 15 Euro which we then shared, this was a great way of doing it and we ate so much that we gave the desert a miss. The staff was really nice and spoke some English which was good.
APRIL 28TH DAY 7….. MADRID to BARCELONA
Wake up 6.30, Breakfast 7.15 Leave 8 am.
Breakfast was cold platters this morning. We left 2min early…. What a group. We got into a traffic jam getting out of the city our E.T.A for Barcelona is 4.30pm. Bob gave us the optional list. We decide to do everything except the flowers in Amsterdam, I really wanted to go through Anne Franks house and knew there would be a line up so allowed the time for that. 1,246 Euros each without counting the Paris Tours. Bob asks for some cash if people can give it. We decide on 400 Euros as I had read on the Insight BB that they use this along the way so we were already prepared to do this.
The bulls are still a big hit and everyone is taking photos now as we pass them. Stopped at Aragon for tea break. Our next stop Catalovia at 1.40 pm. We pass through the Arch representing Greenwich Mean Time. 0 deg longitude. We arrived in Barcelona at the Melita Hotel at 5.30 pm. We showered then caught the bus to Gaudi’s Gwell Park where we were all pretty much amazed by his work in mosaics. The fact that he did such outlandish work and got away with it was incredible. My favourite was the longest seat of this kind in the world; it was so comfortable to sit on seeing it was all mosaics I expected it to be uncomfortable but your body just fits into the curves. It had started to rain so wasn’t that pleasant although some of us enjoyed the experience more than others did.
We then went on to Monchoos restaurant for dinner; this is an upmarket restaurant where a lot of important people go, actors, singers etc. We had a fantastic buffet of seafood, hot and cold dishes followed by steak, chicken and fish served on skewers at the table. Included in the cost were all the drinks as well... good value for 57 Euro. We arrived back at the hotel at 10.30pm a little worse for wear but very happy.
No internet or public phone in the hotel lobby and the public phones outside didn’t work either. The calls from the house phones are too expensive as one of our group found out when he called his daughter, I think it was about 70 AUD for just a few minutes.
APRIL 29TH DAY 8….. BARCELONA
Our guide for the day Pila arrived to take us on a tour of Barcelona. She was full of information about Barcelona having the lowest birth rate in the world, 4 women to 1 man; it also has the longest street in the world at 10km. Our first stop is the Sagrada Familia… everyone thought Gaudi was mad yesterday well today proved it… oh what a church. I am determined to return one day to see the finished building. It just blew us all away, the size, the structure, it was incredible. We spent time just walking around trying to get some decent photos as it is so huge.
We then went for a walk through La Ramblas and did some souvenir shopping before leaving for our optional tour to Montserrat which was 45 mins outside Barcelona. The drive up the mountain was spectacular. The monastery was well worth the trip and to top it off today the boys choir are singing in the church. We have a quick bite to eat and head for the church along with thousands of others but only with Bob and Insight we are led right up the front to the alter and sit on the steps. The voices these young boys have, how pure and incredible they are. The line to see the black Madonna is too long so we give that a miss.
We leave here at 2pm to return to Barcelona where we have some time to wonder around the shopping centre near the hotel. Our optional Catalan dinner tonight is excellent followed by the Cordobes flamingo dancing show where we have front row seats. A great night was had by all with lots of laughs, everyone is starting to relax and we are all getting along very well. A few drinks always help people relax but we have a great group and everyone behaves themselves and just has a lot of fun.
APRIL 30TH DAY 9….. BARCELONA TO NICE
Today we have a very long drive; we leave the hotel at 7.45am and head for the French border arriving there at 9.55. We cross the Camargue heading towards the French Rivera. Bob fills us in on some history of the places we are passing through along the way, also he is playing some wonderful music to suite the occasion. We give him a hard time about our wonderful beaches as we near Nice; he really must come to the Gold Coast sometime. We stop for lunch for an hour before arriving at St Paul De Vence at 5pm. It’s raining a little bit which is a shame as it looks like a beautiful place. We park the bus and walk up the hill and through the tiny little streets all full of quant shops selling all sorts of art and beautiful objects also lots of hand made jewellery. It’s a real artist’s village, we just wished we had more time here and the weather had been kinder. I hop up onto a wall with everyone else to take a photo and not looking where I am walking put my foot in a hole in the wall and I go for a tumble to the ground. The pride is hurt but luckily I only have a few minor scratches.
We head back to the bus at 7 pm and arrive at our hotel the Beau Riverge a short time later. Its really nice and just a short walk to the Mediterranean Ocean where all those photos you see of Nice are taken. Position, Position, Position. We can see a little bit of the ocean, from our bedroom window so we are very happy. We all head to a pub not far from our hotel for tea, it’s very crowded but they squeeze us in and we have pizza and salad for 16 Euro. 3 beers/ 3 wine 25 Euro.
Tomorrow is free until 2pm so we can sleep in a bit if we want to.
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Post by Owen on Nov 27, 2015 20:41:10 GMT
MAY 1ST … DAY 10 ………….NICE
We went to brekkie at 8.30 then afterwards we walked along the beach. The sand is small stones and we found it amazing to see people laying on them sunbathing after our beautiful sandy Queensland beaches. How beautiful this place is, just like all the postcards. We get caught up in a Labour Day march with lots of people carrying red flags and shouting slogans while lots of police are trying to keep everything running smoothly.
We hop on a train and go along the beach then through the back streets and up to the top of a hill which overlooks the whole area. This was 40 mins for 7 Euro, great value. The day is beautiful so we couldn’t ask for more. We leave at 2.30 for our optional tour of Monaco visiting the Fragonard Perfumery on the way, nearly all the ladies bought the royal jelly face cream which is absolutely beautiful then it was onto Monte Carlo, we spend a couple of hours here before heading up the Three Corniches for Dinner at the La Bergerie D’Eze Restaurant. Giovanni showed us his bus driving skills when he had to find another way to the restaurant due to road closures. He gets my hero award when he does a 3 point turn near the top of the mountain. What a wonderful day we have had as we happily head back to the hotel singing our hearts out to some old favourite tunes that Bob has supplied for us.
MAY 2ND …… DAY 11……………..NICE TO TUSCANY
Wake up call supposed to be 6.30 but was late and didn’t come until 6.50am so we had a big rush to get on the bus by 8 am.
The temp is 17 degs and everyone’s happy. We go through 168 tunnels today before arriving at Pisa. We have finally made it to the front seat which makes the trip really interesting. The scenery is beautiful with villages, valleys and huge overpasses over whole villages, also ocean views part of the way as well so a taste of everything. We stopped for a break at 10.45 for 30 mins and experienced our first Italian auto grill. I managed without any effort at all to buy a specially marked promotion plastic bottle of coke for 7 Euro which we were supposed to be able to refill again along the way but very soon found out this was not the case. All I said was that I wanted a coke …oh well a good lesson learned … Rod gets the lunch next time around.
We arrived at Pisa at 1.15pm and caught Fabio’s little train into the leaning tower area, we then all took heaps of photos before heading off to visit the cathedral which Bob was lucky enough to get tickets for at short notice. It was fabulous, so surprising as we were not expecting to go into such a magnificent building here. We then walked around the markets where I bought my favourite t shirt for 6 Euro with Cao Bella written on it. I should have bought more as they were a lot more expensive everywhere else. We were warned about pick pockets here but didn’t have a problem although some people did see one being caught.
We then caught the bus to our hotel at Montacattani where we arrive at 4 pm. TD Bob’s wife Delita is there to meet us and will be spending the next few days with the tour. She is very lovely as well as a few months pregnant so everyone fusses over her. We head out to our under the Tuscan sun dinner at 5.30 and enjoy our first beautiful Italian meal, with a few reds, a few songs and life is perfect. Good old Dean Martin was in fine voice.
MAY 3RD ………….DAY 12…………….FLORENCE
We leave at 8. 30 today and head into Florence stopping at the towns entrance to pay the fee that it cost all the busses to enter the city. We first proceed to Santa Croce square where we are then taken to the Peruzzi leather store and afterwards meet up with Anna Maria our guide. The leather factory was terrific; the owner certainly had a good sense of humour. A few of our group purchased jackets and were very happy with the price and the quality at about 350-450 AUD.
We then proceeded on our walking tour passing the copy of Michelangelo’s David; we passed Leonardo Di Vinci’s home and also Michelangelo’s, the Duomo was amazing, the definition on the bronze doors on the Baptistery were just incredible. Today was a public holiday with the place being more crowded than usual so we couldn’t get in to see the real David which to me was a major disappointment. We couldn’t get inside the cathedral either as the line up was enormous so we just spent our time looking at everything from the outside and soaking up the atmosphere.
I bought the nomination bracelet that I had my heart set on before leaving home and about 4 other girls then bought one as well. I do love it and will have great memories with me whenever I look at it. I bought all the links they had for places that we had been to and were going to as well, it’s very special. We had lunch at a nice little café, after which we hit the shops at full speed bargaining for everything, nice scarves for 3 for 5 AUD were the most popular item with nearly everyone getting some. We also purchased other small mementos and left at 2.45 for home. On the way we went to Piazzale Michelangelo a lookout which has fantastic views over all of Florence.
On arrival home we headed for the markets near our hotel and I had my first gelato, I could get addicted to these. We then walked around the town before heading back to the hotel for our Insight dinner. The meal wasn’t that nice, the desert, Italian cake was the best part of the whole meal. I think the waiters were a bit stressed as one tipped part of a glass of wine over a lady at our table and never even apologised or offered a replacement until Bob sorted it out. The internet was free here and the hotel with its very colourful rooms was in a good position so we were again very happy with the accommodation.
MAY 4TH ………DAY 13……….TUSCANY TO ROME
Wake up 6.30 bags out 7 leave at 7.45.
Goodbye Firenze we all did so love it here. Giovanni has a couple of days off so we have Giorgio as our new driver. We stop at Siena for a walk through the town and up to the Cathedral of St Catharine, we ask to go in but as its Sunday they won’t let us in so we just have to admire from the outside. We then walk around the campo where they have the famous Palio horse races which are held in July and August every year.
I buy another Gelato and while enjoying the delicious flavour get a present from a bird flying overhead. Just one lone bird, why did it pick me? The girl from the ice cream shop was good enough to supply me with wet paper towels so all ended ok. We really enjoyed walking through the streets but all too soon we were on our way again. Bob gave us a talk on how the Italians just love chaos which they call casino “without casino life is not worth living” we realised very soon they do like their casino.
Soon after arriving at the Grand Beverley Hills Hotel we headed out again for the optional dinner at the Hostoria Al Gladiatore restaurant near the Colosseum, on the way viewing the ancient fitness centre and many other very old amazing buildings. We were very squashed into seats on the footpath of this restaurant but nobody would change it for the world. To sit and see the colosseum while eating dinner was just perfect. We were entertained by a group of singers and musicians who made the whole experience just the most amazing night anyone could wish for.
After dinner we drove around Rome looking at the wonderful buildings all lit up, we got out at the Forum and had a walk around before heading to the Vatican. We were standing looking at the Vatican buildings when the only bird up that late in Rome found me again… there were 37 other people and I was the only one who got deposited on. Maybe it was the same bird following me!!!!. Twice in two days, unbelievable, especially at 10pm at night. Bob then informed me if I got one more tomorrow I would live to be 100. We were just getting a little taste of what we would see tomorrow, it was terrific that we had time to stand there and look when it wasn’t crowded and Bob could tell us a lot of things that he wouldn’t get a chance to do tomorrow.
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Post by Owen on Nov 27, 2015 20:41:21 GMT
MAY 5th…… DAY 14……… ROME
Wake up 5.30am.. we are to leave the hotel at 6.58am not a minute later, being the good group we are we arrive early and are ready to go by 6.45….We have to be early to line up for the Sistine Chapel or it will be too crowded.
We arrive there at 7.30, our guide Maria gets us organised and are the 2nd group to line up. By 8 am the line is huge. We are then taken through security and into the Vatican Museum. To see the huge maps that are so old and accurate is amazing, you couldn’t believe they could do it without the technology they have today. I had heard about the fresco’s, mosaics the sculptures but to see them for real it’s too much to take in given the short time we have. I would like to have a day just to see this part all over again. The reason we chose this tour was the Sistine Chapel and the Eifel tower and we were not disappointed. We wanted to go into the chapel and up the tower and we had now done both. Because we were so early the space we had inside the Sistine Chapel was terrific; we could sit or stand with plenty of room to appreciate the work involved. We were given plenty of time to do this as well which was good. We then headed off to St Peters Basilica to stand in awe again of this wonderful place, the Pieta was incredible, and it’s always been a favourite of mine. We left there about 11.30 and headed for the Spanish Steps where the flowers were just lovely, after which we walked through the streets to the Parthenon. We then were given 45 min for lunch so we found a nice little café and had margarita pizza as Maria had been telling us about how the pizza is a representation of the Italian flag and also named after Queen Margarita, with the white being the base and cheese, the red being the tomato and green the sweet basil. We couldn’t have had anything else and it was really nice. We headed off next to the Trevi Fountain next where we all threw in coins in the hope of returning here in the future, then last but not least was the Colosseum by now it had started to rain so after quickly taking our group photo we walked around here for about an hour. The weather was quite miserable by this stage and we were a little over Maria’s voice as she scolded us for not listening to her. It would have been great to come here earlier when it was fine. We arrived back at the hotel at 4.30 to get ready for our drive around dinner tonight. The restaurant was nice but the service and the meal definitely not up to scratch. With our complaints lodged we were told Insight would not be using them again. Back to the hotel by 10.30pm.
MAY 6TH…DAY 15…ROME, ISLE OF CAPRI, SORRENTO, and POMPEII
Wake up call at 4.45 collected our brekkie in a bag and off we went.
We stopped at an auto grill for coffee and then continued onto Naples where we were to catch a ferry to the Isle of Capri. We couldn’t believe the traffic in Naples with mad drivers everywhere ending with a car running into the tyre of our bus... funny to us but his car had a lot of damage, the bus never got a scratch. Poor Giorgio had to return and sort things out once we hopped on the ferry.
We met up with Letto here, our guide for the day. It took 45 mins on the ferry to get from Naples to Capri, not rough at all. We then caught a sports car taxi with the top down to the top of the mountain. What a marvellous trip up the mountain, the road with lots of bends and very crowded with hardly any room to pass made it a lot of fun. The views were fantastic. Rod went up on the chair lift while I chose to go to the Villa. They were both great, we then had lunch at the hotel Bellavista with its magnificent views and our host Tomiso kept us all amused.
We then caught our taxi’s back where we quickly managed a little shopping, would have liked more time but the ferry to Sorrento was leaving and we had to hurry. The 30min trip was a good chance to have a quick nanna nap before we were off again this time to Fabbrica Liquori, the lemonchello shop where we tried some of this tasty liquid.
We then had to hurry to catch the train to Pompeii. That was an experience, the train was pretty dirty with lots of graffiti and it seemed to take ages to get there. Letto walked us though the ruins explaining the history of the town. A lot of people would have liked more time here but I suppose you can’t have everything. Everyone learnt a lot of new things about the past, we had seen a lot of programs on it and to put it all into perspective now was terrific.
We then hopped on the bus for a 3 hours trip back to Rome arriving at 9 pm… we raced across the street grabbed a sandwich and took back to our room, showered and into bed by 10.00. I am coming down with the flu as it’s been going through the bus so am feeling really lousy. We had the best day today… they just keep getting better and better. It was well worth the 205 euros it cost for this optional.
MAY 7TH …. DAY 16…….ROME TO ASSISI…
Late start this morning bags out 9.45 leave at 10.30am. We are to leave Delita behind this morning so everyone is very sad, she was definitely a pleasure to have along if only for a very short time, we all wish her well and try to convince her to come with us but to no avail, we will be thinking about her in late August and hope all goes well for her and Bob and the bub.
We get Giovanni back after a few days off and head for Assisi. We stop at Orte for lunch after a very beautiful drive. We arrive at Assisi at 1.40pm. We walk through the Basilica, absolutely amazing; we see St Francis’ clothes and the letter he wrote in the 1200’s. It was really great to see. We are missing one of our group when its time to go and after a search around we head to the Grand Hotel without him, he turns up later so all is ok.
I must stress here that it is essential to have the hotel name and phone number along with the TD phone number and your mobile phone on you at all times. The hotel is really nice although I don’t feel very good so have a nap and then head off to our Insight dinner at 7.30pm. The dining room is full of other tours and very, very noisy, everything just echoed throughout the room. The ceiling is very low and with marble floors the noise is kept in the room. We were trying to talk but you couldn’t hear what anyone was saying and although it was beautiful surroundings it was spoilt by that so we left early and headed back to our room. Dinner consisted of vegetable soup or pasta, roast pork chips and salad followed by strawberry blamongue and cake. No drinks were included in tonight’s meal.
MAY 8th DAY 17 ASSASI TO VENICE
We leave at 8.15 and stop for a break at a beautiful little Italian town where we have ice cream and a little walk around before heading off to Venice. We went through lots of tunnels and beautiful surroundings, we cross the Apennines through Po Valley before we stop at Ravenna to visit the Basilica Sant’ Apollinaire in Classe. This is amazing as I have said before I am now addicted to churches. It’s a huge cathedral; this was intended to be the main church before Rome. I had a really nice gelato before heading to Venice. Still not feeling very well but must soldier on.
We arrive at our hotel in Venice after a hick up getting to the hotel due to road works. We have a nice room overlooking the water in Chioggia at the Grand Hotel. Some people are having a bit of a whinge to Bob about the size of their rooms. We have a nice one overlooking the water and a reasonable size but by all accounts others haven’t got that. We have had small ones and not so good ones as far as views are concerned before but haven’t complained as its all part of travelling. We have a nice dinner supplied by Insight but we leave early as I am not feeling real well and decide to have an early night.
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Post by Owen on Nov 27, 2015 20:41:34 GMT
MAY 9th… DAY 18…………VENICE
Wake up 6.15 Leave 7.45
My eyes have been really sore, woke at 1 and 3 to put drops into them. One of the girls on our trip has really sore eyes and I think I have the same thing. It’s like conjunctivitis but different. We get a private launch to St Marks, about half and hour at least where we are met by Anna our guide for the day. We do a walk around but maybe I just don’t feel very well and find it really hard going. Too much unimportant information and people are very rude who pass us in the street. One lady was quite abusive to one of our group who did nothing to upset her except get in her way unintentionally.
ob got me some eye drops from a chemist while we were doing our tour and we head to the Murano glass factory. A lot of people enjoyed this but I wasn’t feeling great so didn’t get the full value as my eyes were very sore by this stage. Free toilets were great and I put in the drops Bob had for me and then we headed to the Basilica which I thought was awesome. Not everyone went in but those that did really enjoyed it. We were given some free time to wander around where Fay and I found some cheap fake Nomination bracelet links (4 Euro) but later found they didn’t last( the winged lion had fallen off before we left London after our tour) you only get what you pay for. We had a nice coffee for 2.5 Euro which the girl allowed us to take away and drink in the square after promising her we would return the cups.
Our Gondola ride was nice but with 6 people on board I wouldn’t call it romantic. The driver wouldn’t sing for us either so really not Real Venice stuff. We then caught a launch to Burano to our optional lunch. Bob gave commentary while we moved through the islands. It is really pretty with all the painted houses and different colours for the different families. It was all very interesting. Lots of underwear hanging on clothes lines added to the interest with the fellars, quite funny really.
It was about a 10min walk through the streets to our restaurant. The meal was really nice and was worth the money although we had decided we wouldn’t do this optional due to the fact that I didn’t like seafood. There was plenty to eat beside the seafood so in the end it was great. We then had some time to shop before hopping on the boat and then the bus back to the hotel. (Had to pay 1 Euro here at the bus station for toilet) It was now 7.30 pm when we got back to the hotel.
MAY 10th …..DAY 19… VENICE TO VIENNA …..
Wake up 6 am bags out 6.45 Leave 7.30am.
Everyone on time and off we go. Our last stop at an Italian Auto grill went well; we are now all accustomed to the way they work. The loo’s are free and clean here. We are all sorry to leave Italy. It has been fun. We are all looking forward to Austria and our next adventure. Bob just a got message to say Eagles Nest is open so that is good news for all those who want to visit it. Bad weather has so far delayed the opening for this season. A few people are coming down with the dreaded bus flu and there is lots of coughing going on throughout the day. My eyes are improving but still sore. We only had a short day yesterday so Sue, Eric and Bill will stay in the front seats of the bus today. The toilets today cost 30c and 50c along the way.
The country side is beautiful, the colour of the water amazing. We arrive at the Hilton Hotel at 4.30 p.m. The room has an iron…wow.. I don’t think I remember how to use it as it’s been so long since I have used one….. Amazing that you can go without ironing clothes. What have I been doing it for all these years? My blow up coat hangers have been fantastic everything is drying very quickly even jeans.
We depart at 6pm for our Blue Danube dinner. Incredible place with a welcome to befit royalty they even supplied the red carpet. The dinner was great, the entertainment terrific, we had a fantastic night. The whole place was full of atmosphere that is hard to put into words. We all left a little tipsy and full of joy singing our hearts out , not all in tune I might add , back to the hotel.
MAY 11th ….. DAY 20… VIENNA
Wake up 6.15 Breakfast 6.45. Leave 7.45.
Today we meet our new tour guide Trudy who is very nice. First we visit Schonnbrunn Palace which has 1441 rooms and is amazing. We loose another of our group for a while but she finds us eventually and we continue on with our tour, its then onto the Opera House and the Crypts for an optional extra tour. We go backstage at the Vienna Opera House and see the staff setting up the stage…then into the concert hall where we sit and imagine what it would be like to see a show from here. Absolutely incredible feeling. It was then onto the Crypts, interesting but not mind-blowing as I cannot stop sneezing all the way though out the place.
We then walk around town, have lunch, buy souvenirs, and go inside a church…. Me not Rod.. Then walk back to the hotel to get ready for the Vienna Woods Concert tonight.. Rod wants to gel out as he’s not feeling the best so I am going on my own. Its great and I really love it, we had front seats again… only with Insight…. Bed about 9.30pm..
MAY 12th … DAY 21 … VIENNA TO INNSBRUCK
6 am wake up 7.15 depart.
Today we visit Eagles Nest and Salzburg on our way to Innsbruck. We meet our guide Gabby and then drive for about 20mins before changing buses for the ones that go up the mountain to Eagles Nest. They have special buses that do this trip as they are all controlled by how many are where on the mountain at a certain time. They go in a group of 5 at a time and stop to let the ones coming down do so at a certain place on the mountain. It’s very interesting and very well organised.
This was Rod’s special place of our whole trip and a lot of our group felt the same. It was beautiful, emotional and interesting. We walked through the tunnel then hopped into an incredible lift that took us to the top in a matter of seconds. You could just picture Hitler standing here in the lift with you as it hadn’t changed since it was built. The snow was very new and white so looked awesome. After about and hour we then went back the same way as we came and after finding our bus headed to Salzburg.
We did a city walking tour with Trudy which was great seeing where Mozart lived etc, it was 24 degrees and very warm for this time of the year. Afterwards we stopped for lunch where I bought a Almdudler soft drink that someone on the BB had told me was very nice and I really enjoyed it before catching the bus to Innsbruck. Rod really is not feeling well at this time as he’s coming down with the dreaded bus flu.
We arrived at the Hilton (we were supposed to stay at the Hotel Innsbruck but had been upgraded) dropped our gear quickly and headed out for a quick bite to eat so Rod could get to bed very early. We found a little Pizza place down town which was lovely and after a nice meal and a glass of wine headed back to the hotel for an early night only to find some friends who were travelling throughout Europe had tracked us down and wanted to catch up on our travels. It was very difficult for them to find us when we were not where we were supposed to be but they found a friendly hotel somewhere who phoned a number of hotels until they found us. How nice was that? We sat and chatted for a while enjoying hearing about their travels as well as telling them all our news. It was a great night and I just wished Rod had felt better and was able to enjoy it a bit more than he did.
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Post by Owen on Nov 27, 2015 20:41:52 GMT
MAY 13th….Day 22 ….INNSBRUCK TO LUCERNE
Bags out 7.15 leave 8.30am.
Really nice brekkie then off to the Swarovski factory to look at the crystal stopping along the way to look at the golden roof. It was very nice and lots of people bought earrings and jewellery. We wandered around town for an hour doing a bit of shopping here and there. It was lovely and we did like Innsbruck. On the way out of town we stopped at the most beautiful church the Conception Basilica Mariae. Bob dared the ones who said no more churches to have a look and everyone had to agree it was truly amazing.
Our next stop today was Liechtenstein where we stopped for lunch and ¾ hour walk around. It was nice to say we have been there and we all paid the couple of Euro to get our passports stamped which was fun but not a lot to see as its only a very small country the same as Monaco.
We arrived in Lucerne at 3.40 stopping at the Lion Monument before heading to Lake Lucerne for our wonderful cruise where we were given a nice drink to relax as we sailed around for an hour taking in the beautiful snow covered Swiss Alps. It was a beautiful afternoon; the weather couldn’t have been kinder to us.
We then headed to our hotel the Astoria and got ready to go to the Stadtkeller Restaurant for the Swiss yodelling folk show. A fantastic night was had by all. It was the first time many of us had tried cheese fondue, some were happier than others with it; actually I liked it as I’m a cheese lover. The steins were a real hit with the fella’s and some ladies also tried to keep up with the men. You were allowed 2 drinks with your meal and the wine glasses were quite large as well so good value. A couple of our group joined the show for a few laughs and after which came a lot of cheering from our table. . . we walked back to the hotel which was really pleasant after such an eventful day.
MAY 14th … DAY 23 … LUCERNE
Today we leave at 8.10 after a pretty ordinary brekkie.
We drove to Mt Pilatus where we found the train wasn’t working so we went up 2/3rd of the way in the chairlift which holds 4 and then 1/3rd in the cable car which holds 40. I am scared of heights so am a bit apprehensive but find it’s great and have no worries at all. The view is great and I just love the cow bells. The snow is still on the top but the day is crystal clear, we are just so lucky and wander around the top for an hour before heading back to go to the Swiss Farm for our carriage ride and lunch.
We all really enjoyed this optional extra, the surroundings with the horse drawn carriages taking us through little villages for about 40 minutes were delightful, the meal, the farmer Hans and his wife were just lovely people. We arrived back at the hotel at 2pm and had a free afternoon until our Insight dinner at 7.30 tonight. Fay and I decided to post some things home as we were both going travelling afterwards and then home via Hong Kong so headed to the Post Office not far from the hotel. We bought our boxes and after going back to the hotel to pack them took off to the P.O again to post them. We were then told after we had them all ready to post it would have been much better to keep them under 2 kg and send them home via snail mail post. I had managed to get 7kg into my box costing me 107 SF but it was going by courier and would only take a few days. It turned out to be worth it as it was home in a week safe and sound.
We posted boxes home from England by snail mail (ship if anyone doesn’t know what that means) and 14 weeks later are still waiting for it to arrive. Our husbands didn’t appreciate it at the time but were happy with lightening the load when they got over the initial shock. We joined some friends and after a couple of beers the guys were fine with the whole episode. We had drinks at the hotel on the top floor viewing area which had great views of Mt Pilates. The meal was superb, the best Insight dinner yet and the apple strudel was great and very appropriate. Everyone said it was the closest thing to a home cooked meal we had since leaving home. I think it had something to do with the amount of vegetables everyone had. We were missing the variety of vegetables we get at home.
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Post by Owen on Nov 27, 2015 20:42:10 GMT
MAY 15th ….DAY 24…. LUCERNE TO MAINZ
Wake up call 6.30am. Leave 8 am.
We are very good and all on the bus by 7.55. Today a change of plans due to road works and we are going to Heidelberg which is ok by all of us. Giovanni is leaving us tomorrow so everyone is getting sad as he has been an exceptional driver. You just feel so very safe with him at the wheel and I know everyone has said how good their drivers have been but to get into and out of some places Giovanni has he needs a medal. A collection is being taken up to buy Diletta a present for the baby as well.
We stop at the border of Switzerland and Germany for coffee and loo (free) before heading to Hofgut Sternen where we have a cuckoo clock demo and lunch. It’s very nice and interesting and we all manage to buy something before heading off again. Next stop Heidelberg where we walk around town for a while, it has some nice shops and after buying the usual souvenirs and paying 30c for the loo we then walk to the Art and Science Centre from where we view the castle.
We leave here at 4 pm to drive to our hotel at Mainz. We arrive here at 6pm and after a quick shower and change all gather overlooking the water for a nice relaxing drink. The hotel is quite different with a walk from the hotel room across a walkway over a busy road to get to the reception area and dinning rooms. The Insight dinner was nice although the service was very slow. Bob spoke to them and it improved straight away with the manager giving us a free drink.
MAY 16…th DAY 25….. MAINZ to AMSTERDAM …
Wake up 6.15am bags out 6.45 and off at 8 am.
Breakfast was nice and we were all looking forward to the cruise on the Rhine. We drove for about and hour before hopping on the boat, it wasn’t a very nice day with showers of rain coming on and off. It was quite cold and some of us gave up the top deck for a nice relaxing coffee and sightseeing from the comfort of the lounge area. It was really nice although it only lasted an hour everyone enjoyed the views of the small villages and castles along the way.
We stopped at Koln (Cologne) for lunch and a walk through the cathedral... That was incredible and not to be missed. It had been really badly damaged during the war and had heaps of postcards for sale showing this. We caught the bus at 1.10 to go to Amsterdam stopping for a break along the way at 3.10 pm and then arriving in Amsterdam at 5pm...
We drove through the city stopping to walk through the red light district… very interesting. The women clung to their men although I don’t think we had much to worry about. We walked past some coffee shops but didn’t have time or the inclination to try their wares. The pungent smell of marijuana wafted through the streets which were crowded with young people wandering around.
There were thousands of bikes though out the city which we were all amazed by. We then had a 15 min drive to our hotel taking so long because there are not a lot of roads the bus could get down. We were staying at the Hilton hotel which had wonderful views from our bedroom window over the city and canals. A fantastic finish to a great trip. We had dinner here tonight at the hotel, our last Insight dinner which turned out to be the best. We started off with pre dinner drinks with the gang in the bar where there was a problem with some not paying as the barman wasn’t collecting the money when he gave out the drinks.
It was then into dinner in the very pretty dinning room. We sat with Richard, Dolores, Jeff, Margaret, Steve, Fay, Peter and Anna. Our dinner consisted of prawn cocktail, steak, beans, potato with cream sauce the strudel for desert. Everyone agreed it was terrific. We gave Giovanni a kiss and tip as he was leaving today and we would have a new driver to take us around Amsterdam tomorrow then onto London. Everyone was sad to see Giovanni go he was an awesome driver and so stylish with his jumper swung over his shoulders every day.
MAY 17th ……DAY 27 …. AMSTERDAM
Very wet today, we had been so very lucky with the weather we couldn’t whinge now so just took out the brollies and braved it. We left at 8am with Johann our new bus driver for an hour long canal cruise which was really spoilt by the rain as we couldn’t see much out of the glass topped boat. We hopped on the bus and went to Gassan, a diamond place where we seen a demonstration of stones being polished and interesting talk on how they are cut, the colour, carat and clarity. Some people bought some small pieces which were all very beautiful. I bought a genuine Delft blue china windmill from the gift shop which I love. Next we visited a cheese and clog factory. That was good and quite interesting. The cheese was beautiful but I didn’t have anywhere to store it so couldn’t buy it and too much to eat straight away which was a shame as I do love my cheese.
Six of us were then got dropped off near Ann Frank’s house where we were lucky to only wait about 35 mins before we entered it. The line was huge behind us by the time we got to the enterence. It was amazing and well worth the wait. You felt quite emotional at times and the displays were excellent. We spent over an hour inside before grabbing a hot dog with sauerkraut on from a street vendor for lunch. It was the best hotdog I have ever tasted although I don’t usually eat them often.
We then only had time to grab a couple of souvenirs before returning to the hotel to get ready for our final dinner. We left at 4 pm for a drive into the country where we visited a working windmill and were given an interesting talk on the building and operating of this windmill by Rowan. A lot of small souvenirs were available for purchasing before boarding the bus in the rain and heading to Volendam a cute little village on the North Sea for our dinner. The seating wasn’t the best and we were a bit disappointed for our final dinner as we were spread out all over a much crowed restaurant. Delitta joined us and we gave her a nice gift for the baby. A couple of speeches were made but couldn’t really be heard by everyone who by this stage had been celebrating pretty well and the noise was pretty loud. Our meal was fish or steak with salad and vegies followed by apple strudel and custard. We had other meals that were a lot better but it was still nice. We sang our way back to the hotel after which we were joined by a number of people for a nightcap. Everyone gradually left until only Fay, Margaret and I remained where we had another red and reminisced about our wonderful holiday until 1 am.
MAY 18th …… DAY 28….. AMSTERDAM to LONDON
I awoke at 5.30 with a message to say Kai our grandson had been taken to hospital with croup, not much we could do over here except worry. An hour later we received word that he was fine. We showered, packed our bags and headed off to breakfast which we had with Jeff and Margaret. We left at 7.30 for our trip through Belgium to Calais. At 8.55 we were at the border of Netherlands and Belgium.
We stopped in Belgium at Gent for a break before arriving in Calais at 11.40am. We managed to get through all the customs ok although it did take a while before boarding the ferry, this time in the bus as it was taking us all the way back to London. We left the ferry at 2pm, Europe is 1hr behind the UK, and then got held up by a bad accident on the motorway for a while. Everything was at a standstill for over an hour.
We then arrived in London at 5.15pm. Our fantastic journey of discovery is all over and everyone is looking very exhausted by this stage. Bob had to leave us a few streets before we got to the hotel as he had to rush to catch a train to the airport or he would have missed his plane which was a bit of a disappointment as we would all have like to say a GREAT BIG thank you for an unbelievable trip.
The end.
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Post by Owen on Nov 27, 2015 21:27:08 GMT
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Post by plane2catch on Nov 27, 2015 22:48:14 GMT
First link not working.
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Post by Owen on Nov 28, 2015 3:49:01 GMT
All photo links worked every time.
What web browser are you using ?
Please explain ~ What is the error message ?
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