Day 1

Forgot my password to the blog, but up and running now I hope.
Today began at arrival in Heathrow at 5.45 am in the morning. Quick passage through customs, 15 minute ride on the exorbitantly priced Heathrow Express and we were in Paddington. Home for next 5 days! A very short 5 minute walk saw us arrive at our apartment in the lovely Gloucester Terrace.
Decided to get our bearings and be the typical tourist, on The Original Tourist Bus (red topless (the bus not us)double decker bus). Saw an array of monuments including Eros statue, Lord Nelson statue, Trafalgar Square. Got off the bus near the London Eye- huge but decided no...not a fan of heights. However at this stop was Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Walked around the first two – unbelievable- just like all the photos and we took heaps off our own. Walked over to Westminster Abbey. Went in and explored in awe. What an amazing place.
Hopped back on our red bus and the next stop as St Pauls Cathedral. Decided to get off again and go in and have a look. Man-o-man. What a ceiling – I know, I know..wait to we get to Rome. Again fantastic. (Think I might run out of superlatives this trip). Decided to climb the 257 steps up to the Whispering Gallery, which is 30 meters from the Cathedral Floor. Rick bowed out and I continued the climb, tackling the next 120 steps to the Stone Gallery. Great views of London, but not a sleek race horse any longer so cut my losses and did not tackle the last 200 steps. Descended all those steps and more and then went to the crypt where Nelson and others lay. Great weather, warm and mostly sunny.

Day 12 Glencoe, Argyll Coast

Day 16 Paris -Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Lourve, Saint Chapelle Bridge

Day 16 Paris -Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Lourve, Saint Chapelle Bridge
Bonjour.......Covered some distance today. Started out a bit late so transferred Eiffel Tower to Thursday or Friday- will do it (if not shut down). Headed for the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees. Walked up the steps (254 of them) to the lookout..well worth it. Got a great overview of Paris. After that headed to The Lourve. Fantastic...had our picnic lunch in the courtyard right next to the pyramids. Bit of an army presence – love the berets! Spent over 3 hours in The Lourve – and still not enough. Very excited to see Mona Lisa – went into battle to try and get a photo, took a few hits, almost had to commando crawl under everyone but I got it and survived. Went back a little while later when the bus loads of tourists had gone and we had a good silent chat. Saw other great works - Venus de Milo, The Dying Slave by Michangelo, some Rembrandt etc. Came out back 5.30 and trained to the famous Saint Chapelle Bridge. Started to rain a little so had a latte near the Seine and walked over when the rain stopped. Cooked great salmon for dinner. Loving the supermarket experience. Notre Dame tomorrow – one of the sight mentioned in the terror alerts. Will be careful. Also catacombs and Monteparte.
Au Revoir

Day 30 Am Cologne: NS Dokumentationszentrum (El-De-Haus: Gestapo headquaters and gaols) and Moselle Valley

We were unable to visit NS Dokumentationszentrum when we were in Cologne, so were keen to head out this morning before leaving for Koblenz. We were not keen on seeing a lot of war stuff – too emotional and we all abhor the horrors and atrocities committed, but I read this was a very good museum...and it was. The goals where innocent people were held and tortured was awful and the farewell messages carved on the walls (by young women in their early 20s) before execution and after torture were so sad and horrible. But, it was very informative and did detail the rise of the Nazi movement in Germany.
Koblenz is only about 1 ½ hours out of Cologne – but seems like a lifetime away.We spent the afternoon driving along the Moselle River, taking the route from Koblenz to Cochem. Went through little villages such as Mudener St. Castorhohle, Hatzenport and Alkener Burgberg. As you can see by the photos it is postcard perfect every time you drive around a bend. The valley has vines growing up the sides (because it is a major wine growing area) and castles up in the hills. Stopped off at a beautiful place and Rick sampled a local moselle from the grower...while I had...a cappacino. It was a peaceful, beautiful day. Tomorrow we take the other side and drive down the Rhine Valley.

Day 67, 68, 69 Italy Amalfi Coast (Priano)

Well, I had read and heard stories of both the beauty of this area and the horrendous mountain roads from one town to the next: narrow, very winding roads, crazy speeding Italians in their Fiats on the wrong side around a bend, sheer cliff drops etc. And can I say ALL OF IT IS TRUE (to a degree). FANTASTIC VIEWS, the road winds around the outside of the mountain, barely enough room for two cars in places (you pray a bus does not come around the corner as they ARE on the wrong side of the road. Speed limit about 30 kms at best says it all). The Italians do drive around there fast – and are happy to pass on a blind bend. But, it was all worth it. We stayed in Priano, between the popular towns of Amalfi and Positano. Mainly because we had the car and I had found a lovely hotel with 180 degree views of Positano and the sea and it had a private parking space for the car. Did a deal with the family who owned the hotel...if we paid cash we got a suite at the ½ price I could get on net. Absolute bargain...very large room, huge balcony. It was all done in Vitriec tiles. The owner was quite proud of them. As there is only one road, and our hotel was perched on the ravine side, we went for a small walk...little crazy as no footpaths. You are on the road with crazy fiat drivers and even crazier bus drivers...think everyone here has unresolved Formula I racing dreams... Gorgeous church here and the church bells ring out every hour. Quite beautiful. Walked around the lower cliff and the coastline was lovely. The water is aqua...reminds me of the water up in Mission Beach, Northern Queensland.
Pompeii – decided to drive (because the bus driver would not sell us a ticket and we did not know where to get one as shops didn’t open till about midday). Pompeii was incredible... a whole town destroyed by the deadly Mt Vesuvius eruptions in 79 AD. Apparently the people had no chance to escape and died where they stood, due to the gases, heat and ash. The whole town was buried in metres of ash within a few hours. In fact the whole town was covered. Having been redug out, it is amazingly preserved. (Though watching the news tonight ... 2 days after we were there... a seven meter length wall just collapsed).
Mt Vesuvuis - Later that day we caught a tourist bus to Mt Versuvius...the cause of all the damage. The walk up to the crater was incredibly steep and thankfully it was quite coolish, though we were warned that it was extremely windy at the summit...and it was. The crater was huge and still had vapour leaking from parts of it. You can imagine the ferocity of the explosion and how devastating it was. Dinner in Pompeii, which is a little run down and home.
Isle of Capri – decided to trade ruins and volcanos for a glimpse of the life of the rich and famous. Caught the jet boat over ($80.00 return). Little more than 15 minutes and a bumpy journey and we arrived at the harbour. A quick funicular ride straight up took us to the city centre. The view down over the harbour was lovely. Decided to have lunch first... let’s say that the service charges were as much as the meal (about $25.00 before we even ordered). Rick nearly had a coronary...but no ;point worrying about it. Quick chat with guy at tourist office and we had a plan. Decided on the Arco Naturale ( a natural rock arch which is huge) first. Took us about 30 minutes to walk to. Very hot and the steps were a pest. Met a few people who gave up, but we got there and I am glad we did. It was great. Spent a while admiring the view. Next was the Giardini di Augusto, which are small gardens among rocks and trees with superb views of the Faraglioni. Very relaxing here. On the walk back found a perfumery where they manufacture the perfume on site. The vats were huge and it was very interesting. Bought a lovely bottle of their floral range. Back to the square and we browsed the shops... Prada, Versace, Rolex and Roberto Cavalli to name a few. Paid $8.00 for a small coffee and headed home. Nice place...but the rich and famous can keep it.

Day 75, 76 Italy. Cinque Terre

Departed Rome and headed up to Northern Italy. La Speiza was our destination, so that we could visit the Cinque Terre and do the walks between the 5 small and picturesque coastal towns. Detoured on the to the town of Pisa, yes, to visit the famous Leaning Tower. We arrived at about 3.00 and to our surprise parked virtually in front of it. Boy! Does it lean...perhaps too much vino flowed on this job site...though as the tools all rolled off as it got higher, you think someone might have noticed. The other thing about it is that it is sooooo white. That’s one good high pressure water hose that keeps it clean. The Leaning Tower is the bell tower that belongs to the huge cathedral that is on the site (along with tourist stalls and heaps of tourists – all trying to get the photo of pushing the tower up – AND we were no different). Took heaps of photos...as usual.. and then we played around with the “tourist” photo. Felt like Next Top Model with Big Rick trying to direct me to the right pose for the perfect photo. He was such a bad director and I was such a bad model...have not laughed so much as Big Rick could not understand that I did not grasp his gestures to move and pose. Anyway we took a few. Were standing near some Indian lads who were having a great time with their photos. We had a look...they had some very funny shots of one of them blowing it over and the other trying to hold it up...looked great. Anyway, nice pitstop...not much else here and then 45 minutes later we were in la Speiza...very, very nice. Caught the lift down 5 levels to street level (hotel up high...remember Italians do not over exert themselves) and walked into the most gorgeous cobble stoned streets. Shopping was great, restaurants very nice.
The aim was to walk the Cinque Terre, but the weather defeated us this time. Only the first walk was open due to the rain and landslides over the previous few weeks. However, we still headed to these 5 quaint little towns via the train. Got off at Riomaggiore and did the first walk along the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean Sea to Maranola. Had a lovely picnic lunch overlooking the Mediterranean Sea...just past Maranola. Caught the train between the next 3 towns: Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso al Mare, hopping off to have a look at each one and wander through the little streets. Vernazza was lovely and looked like I pictured a small Italian fishing village. It was my favourite. (It’s the one with all the fishing boats on shore). It didn’t rain while we were there so we were lucky in that respect, but it did get cold later in the day. Back in La Speiza and we stumbled on to a small husband and wife owned and run seafood restaurant. Had the biggest fish and tastiest scampi meal...for not much. (Followed Big Rick’s guide to fine dining...(he established this early on)...if aging or mature man in fancy suit (ie: a waiter) is connected to a restaurant take a pass...prices expensive for the quality of food and they somehow think that as a waiter they can look down their nose at you and barely acknowledge your existence...interesting given you are paying their wage). This rule of thumb has meant that we have had great quality meals in restaurants where people care about the food they present. Shame to leave Italy...think I like it more than Greece. (Though I still prefer Greek food).

Day 80 & 81 Spain, Zaragoza (Day 79 travelling)

Very cool place. Driving though and over the Pyrenees was a great idea by Big Rick. Saw snow on the peaks...but not where we went. Temperature actually hit 18 degrees. It was a lovely mountain drive. Great scenery, cute towns, some obviously set up as ski towns. Just like I would have thought country France was like. One thing we did notice after hitting Spain was the how barren the landscape appeared...almost desert like. Zaragoza appears out of nothing...almost like an apparition and is the most perfect place. It rates in both Big Rick’s and my top 3 places. There is such a nice feel about this place and EVERYBODY is so friendly. Our reception girl Natalia at our apartment was an absolute delight (we are apparently in a converted old palace - above is a photo of the front door) and the guys at the Tapas Bar (El Tubo) where we ate both nights were great. Had the best Tapas (not that I know much about it). Had 2 very large vodka and lemon served in the biggest wine glasses I have seen. Not only ate Tapas, but was ready to Tappas on the counter. There are so many old sites to see and we explored most today. We started off walking back down the main mall towards the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar on the bank of the River Ebro. This massive church is in one of the nicest and grandest plazas that we have seen in Europe. The Basilica is huge and has a statue of the Virgin Mary that people make pilgrims to touch. It also has some works by Francisco Goya, who was from Zaragoza – and there are statues and fountains in his honour.


After walking through the Basilica we walked over a very old and quite grand stone bridge over the River (Rio) Erbo. Nice views back toward the Basilica. Next stop on the walking trek was the old Moorish Palace of Aljaferia (in Aragon) – This was a castle built for the Arab sultans in the late 11th century. It was just stunning and was well worth the 25 minutes walk. Sun was out now and it was quite warm. Had a leisurely picnic lunch in the surrounding park...looking at the castle. Bought tickets, only to realise that it shut at 2.00. We had been sitting there for ½ hour eating. Oh well. Did a rushed visit anyway. Very glad we did. It was unlike anything we had seen. Was very “Arab” like with the architecture. I was picturing Lawrence of Arabia for some reason as I wandered through the rooms. Big Rick and I decided to head back to the Old Town. On the way we passed a huge colosseum style structure. As we walked around it on the outside, we realised it was a bull fighting ring called Misericordia Bullring (Plaza de Toros de la Misericordia). They seat thousands and thousands. Fortunately no bullfights.


Lots of lovely Piazzas, churches, great shopping, fantastic Tappas, very friendly and helpful people.


Zaragoza is a beautiful place and not as touristy as many other places we visited – even Rome. We decided that we could live here – Alex, Zaragoza has a football team in the Spanish Division 1 league.

Day 67, 68, 69 Italy Amalfi Coast (Priano)

Well, I had read and heard stories of both the beauty of this area and the horrendous mountain roads from one town to the next: narrow, very winding roads, crazy speeding Italians in their Fiats on the wrong side around a bend, sheer cliff drops etc. And can I say ALL OF IT IS TRUE (to a degree). FANTASTIC VIEWS, the road winds around the outside of the mountain, barely enough room for two cars in places (you pray a bus does not come around the corner as they ARE on the wrong side of the road. Speed limit about 30 kms at best says it all). The Italians do drive around there fast – and are happy to pass on a blind bend. But, it was all worth it. We stayed in Priano, between the popular towns of Amalfi and Positano. Mainly because we had the car and I had found a lovely hotel with 180 degree views of Positano and the sea and it had a private parking space for the car. Did a deal with the family who owned the hotel...if we paid cash we got a suite at the ½ price I could get on net. Absolute bargain...very large room, huge balcony. It was all done in Vitriec tiles. The owner was quite proud of them. As there is only one road, and our hotel was perched on the ravine side, we went for a small walk...little crazy as no footpaths. You are on the road with crazy fiat drivers and even crazier bus drivers...think everyone here has unresolved Formula I racing dreams... Gorgeous church here and the church bells ring out every hour. Quite beautiful. Walked around the lower cliff and the coastline was lovely. The water is aqua...reminds me of the water up in Mission Beach, Northern Queensland.
Pompeii – decided to drive (because the bus driver would not sell us a ticket and we did not know where to get one as shops didn’t open till about midday). Pompeii was incredible... a whole town destroyed by the deadly Mt Vesuvius eruptions in 79 AD. Apparently the people had no chance to escape and died where they stood, due to the gases, heat and ash. The whole town was buried in metres of ash within a few hours. In fact the whole town was covered. Having been redug out, it is amazingly preserved. (Though watching the news tonight ... 2 days after we were there... a seven meter length wall just collapsed).
Mt Vesuvuis - Later that day we caught a tourist bus to Mt Versuvius...the cause of all the damage. The walk up to the crater was incredibly steep and thankfully it was quite coolish, though we were warned that it was extremely windy at the summit...and it was. The crater was huge and still had vapour leaking from parts of it. You can imagine the ferocity of the explosion and how devastating it was. Dinner in Pompeii, which is a little run down and home.
Isle of Capri – decided to trade ruins and volcanos for a glimpse of the life of the rich and famous. Caught the jet boat over ($80.00 return). Little more than 15 minutes and a bumpy journey and we arrived at the harbour. A quick funicular ride straight up took us to the city centre. The view down over the harbour was lovely. Decided to have lunch first... let’s say that the service charges were as much as the meal (about $25.00 before we even ordered). Rick nearly had a coronary...but no ;point worrying about it. Quick chat with guy at tourist office and we had a plan. Decided on the Arco Naturale ( a natural rock arch which is huge) first. Took us about 30 minutes to walk to. Very hot and the steps were a pest. Met a few people who gave up, but we got there and I am glad we did. It was great. Spent a while admiring the view. Next was the Giardini di Augusto, which are small gardens among rocks and trees with superb views of the Faraglioni. Very relaxing here. On the walk back found a perfumery where they manufacture the perfume on site. The vats were huge and it was very interesting. Bought a lovely bottle of their floral range. Back to the square and we browsed the shops... Prada, Versace, Rolex and Roberto Cavalli to name a few. Paid $8.00 for a small coffee and headed home. Nice place...but the rich and famous can keep it.

Day 82, 83, 84, Spain, Madrid

Left the beautiful Zaragoza for the 4 hour drive to Madrid. Again the landscape was barren...like a red clay desert. At times the fog was so thick you could barely see the car in front. Yes...we did the airport option again with the car. Getting pros at this. Finally found long term parking and caught a shuttle to airport...then the Aerocity bus right to our apartment (for a fee). Again our luck holds and we are in a large apartment with the magnificent royal palace our view out the 4th floor window. We are 5 minutes walk to Gran Via, the main street and 10 minute walk to Puerto del Sol, a famous square. We decided to go for a small walk...4 ½ hours later (and very sore feet) we headed home to cook. We walked the length of Gran Via, passed plaza de Cibeles and up to what look like another Arc de Triomphe, but was called Puerta de Alcala. Our lovely Spanish concierge had recommended an area where good Tappas is served (we are pros now) and we walked there. OMG, OMG BIG MISTAKE! About 1 million people were out (8.30 on Saturday night). We got to a major intersection and it was literally blocked in every direction with people and kids. We moved with the crowds as we had little choice. Back at Puerta de Sol the large Christmas tree was lit and there were Disney characters etc all dressed up. We thought we had stumbled into a festival. Asked at the Tourist info and she explained that this was typical for Christmas. You could not move. We found the market we had been told about. It was an upscale eatery, like a massive Tappas building. We sampled fresh oysters (outstanding at E5.00). We then purchased a selection of fish, squid and the largest anchovies (yum, yum) on little pieces of cooked bread (toast). Gave up after that as it was too packed and it was hard to point over people. Walked past the palace all lit up and through the palace gardens back to apartment. Went back the same way in the morning to see the sights and piazzas in daylight, hopefully with less people. Only got one of those options...daylight. Walked past the palace again and it really is possibly the grandest??? It gets hard to remember. The surrounding gardens, statues, courtyards are beautiful. Just up from the palace is the Cathedral de la Almudena. Our concierge said it was the most beautiful building in Madrid...which is a big call because Madrid is full of magnificent architecture. As you walk down the main street, Gran Via, and look up at the tops of the old buildings you see fantastic statues, sculptures, spires etc. Trialled the Metro...very easy to use and trained out to what we thought was a huge monument. Should have realised by the name... Plaza de Toros de las Ventas that it was...a bull fighting stadium that houses 25,000 people. Walked back and passed the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (the home of Real Madrid). Went to buy a ticket to go in and have a look...decided to pass as they wanted $50.00 to look at the pitch, coaches box, players rooms and trophy cabinet...not that much of a fan (though intend to watch them play Zaragoza tonight on TV...disappointed we left Zaragoza otherwise we would have got tickets to the game). 5 hours of walking today and I decided to head back to apartment...armed with a map I braved the metro on my own, whilst Big Rick continued his walk. Got home easily and my feet were very thankful. After a night’s sleep we toured the beautiful Royal Palace...great art work and furniture. Love to know who the interior designers were because who would have thought stripes, dots, patterns in velvets and silks in reds, oranges, greens and creams would have blended so well? If I had lived in one of these palaces I am sure I would have a permanently strained neck. The ceilings are not...ceiling white...but fantastic ornate works of art. Frescoes or coloured, gilded patterns...spectacular! Walked up to the Temple of Debod. This very small temple was a gift from Egypt because France had help save significant works in Egypt. The gardens here were nice and there is a good look out over parts of Madrid. We were going to take the cable car...but closed this week.