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Europe Adventure
  • Simon Cook

Europe Adventure

A 33-day adventure by Simon Read more
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  • Trip start
    March 29, 2023
    Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler

    Singapore

    March 29, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Flew from Adelaide into Changi Airport and spent the afternoon exploring Singapore’s gardens and shops. Also stumbled onto a light show over the harbour in the evening.

    Shops here were stunning, but the prices were very high - for example a standard Adidas training t shirt from their store was $89 Singaporean dollars - which is circa $100 AUD. Clare found a Lululemon top she liked which was $220 Singaporean. 😬 (did not buy).

    1 night in a hotel here and then another long flight to Paris. Thankfully we look to have avoided the protests at this point and the marathon looks to be proceeding as planned.

    Ben managed to play 2 pianos today, one in Adelaide Airport and the other in Singapore’s gardens.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    1
    1Bencoolen StreetThe Jewel in Changi AirportClare and Ben walking on a net 5 stories high.1Can you guess which emotion Ben had chosen.....1The Jewel has a train running through it that connects each of the terminals.

    Singapore / Changi Airport

    March 30, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Planned to sleep in this morning and shift our sleep patterns closer to Paris time. Instead I woke up at 5am….

    Checked out of our hotel, grabbed breakfast and spent the morning at the Jewel in Changi Airport.

    Singapore is a beautiful city - very clean and well designed. Clare especially has enjoyed this stop over.

    We have a 13 hour flight ahead of us so doubt there is much else of note to report for today apart from movie reviews.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    Family Eiffel Tower selfie
    1As chaotic a roundabout as the Dequetteville one!Clare in Paris2Fathers of instagramMore Eiffel Tower content1Last Eiffel Tower postCatching the bus in Paris gives us a chance to take it all in - while saving our legs.1Standard bib collection photoAsics Merch11Looking jet lagged1Complimentary running bag from the Paris Marathon1The laneway our house is in.1Lower level of the Airbnb

    Paris Day One

    March 31, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Landed at 10pm Thursday evening in Paris after a 13 hour flight. After being awake for nearly 24 hours we were all fairly delirious - which was made all the better when our Airbnb host outsourced the key handover / intro to a neighbour who I think was drunk - at least that would explain why he managed to partly open the wrong house for us. Lucky the real owners were home and had bolt locked the door.

    Finally got to bed at midnight and slept until 5am. Which is now 3 days straight in 3 different countries I’ve woken up at 5am and not been able to get back to sleep. But always 5am in the local Timezone. Bizarre. With only 2 nights until the mara I will definitely need a good night sleep soon.

    Today we started slowly, did some work and then headed by train into the mara expo. It wasn’t as slick as NY but still had a warehouse full of running merch. Managed to restrain ourselves and just get one t-shirt and a hoody each. The free gift was a running back pack.

    Then caught a bus from there to the Champs De Mars and picked up some baguettes - and onto the Eiffel Tower.
    Took a lot of photos of the tower, very original.

    Walked from there through to the Arc de Triumph which was spectacular- mostly for the random road rules everyone seems to use to navigate this massive roundabout. We sat by the Champs De Élysées and watched the chaos unfold. I hope there is a live YouTube channel of this - I’d watch it for hours.

    Caught another bus from there back to the house - and right now I’m trying not to fall asleep too early while Krissi is off shopping for supplies.

    Kids are cactus, but hopefully a quiet evening does the trick.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    1Gallery Lafayette - this building is entirely dedicated to womens clothes, perfume, handbags etcThe macarons were great - and came in a souvenir tin boxA view of Paris from the Gallery LafayetteSame view but with us in the wayMy baguettes.Paris was eerily quiet this morning.Clare is improving her camera work.2Ben and his new piano friends.

    Paris Day Two

    April 1, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Ridiculous sleep - woke up every 2 hours. I hope that’s the end of the jet lag for this trip.

    Started the day with a 4km jog through the Batignolles park to remind my legs how to run. Good to get a cold run in after the summer of training in Adelaide.

    Picked up 2 baguettes from a bakery on the way home from the Batignolles and I’m proud to say I managed to complete the entire transaction in French …….while holding up two fingers and pointing at the baguettes I wanted. But I’m sure it was my French that got the job done!

    Caught a bus to the Gallery Lafayette which was actually recommended by an old work contact on an Instagram post.

    The Gallery is a 6 story shopping centre with a rooftop view of Paris. There is one building for menswear and another entire building dedicated to women’s clothes, perfume, souvenirs etc. This was high end shopping at its best - thankfully we only window shopped and I spent just as much time keeping an eye on the score in the Showdown. Go Crows.

    Stopped for lunch in a food court next door which was really a collection of quality mini restaurants and bakeries. Like Singapore, food court food in Paris rivals restaurant food in Australia.

    Then made our way to a Westfield shopping centre - so Ben could play a Piano he found online. We got there and 3-4 other random teenage French boys also had the same idea and Ben immediately struck up a friendship as they each took it in turns playing. He was buzzed afterwards.

    Finished the afternoon wandering the streets along with thousands of other tourists. Paris on Saturday is busy. Damn busy.

    Stopped for some photos at the Pyramid on top of the Louvre. Tickets are sold out for the Louvre museum for weeks - so we’ve missed out on that unfortunately.

    Finished the day prepping for the marathon tomorrow and finally resting our legs. I’ve done nearly 18000 steps today which wasn’t the plan.

    But we are in Paris - can’t waste the limited time we are here.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    Got the medal.
    PB!1First beer in 3 weeks. So i had two.

    Paris Day Three - The Marathon

    April 2, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    What else is there to say about day three in Paris?

    We ran the Paris Marathon. And finished it, thankfully.

    That’s mara number 7 and they don’t seem to get any easier for me….

    Krissi and I are both still feeling jet-lagged, but 6 months of training kicked in.

    Why do marathon designers decide that there should be a climb near the end? This one had a 5km climb from 35-40km. Merde.

    Really wanted to walk at that point, but got a text messages from Nicole all the way back in Melbourne at JUST the right moment. Took her advice, gritted my teeth and pushed through.

    Also got lots of nice messages from family and friends who were tracking our runs on the app. Put the pressure on, but it had the end result of me pushing through the pain and self doubt.

    Anyway, happy to report I got a PB! I went quicker by about 1.5 minutes than my previous best. It’s still a PB!

    The journey back to our AirBNB was interesting - got so cold I was violently shaking and thought I was going to vomit on the train. A French guy also pushed past and stole my seat, thanks mate. Merde.

    Finally, I am SO proud of Kristine who finished the mara - she has now completed Paris, NY and Sydney Marathons.

    Wrapped up the day with a meal out at a French restaurant. Which seems to mean all the meat is raw and the chips are cold. But I’m tired so I won’t complain….🤣

    We missed Alex and the Campbells a lot today - I know Krissi would have loved to share the experience with her. Maybe they will have to train up together for London 2024…. 🤣    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    Wall of love - I Love You in 250 languages.
    Cars up to the topMore stairsBasilique de Sacre CouerBasilique de Sacre CouerBasilique de Sacre CouerCouple of people in the line today.A painting from 2 sides. 1st side.A painting from 2 sides. 2nd side.Daily family selfieManateeAlligatorArmadilloLizard on a turtle on a turtleWine timeRubbish Day?

    Paris Day Four

    April 3, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Recovery day means a day on the couch - or maybe a show - right?

    Nah.

    We went to the hilliest place in Paris - Montmartre.

    Arrived and it was soon apparent that everyone else had the same idea. The lines for the Basilique de Sacre Couer were nuts. The laneways were completely over run by tourists - us included. Its a wonderful place and completely understand why it gets such rave reviews - but every third shop is a souvenir shop.

    Then we went to the Paris Zoo. The last thing our Uber driver said when we arrived was ‘don’t you have zoos in Australia?’
    Well yes, but this was a whole different set of animals and it was very cool. The Mozambique section was a genuine highlight. Clare came alive - for the first 2 hours - and then faded and it was time to find some hot chips.

    Finally stopped off at a little brasserie and had Wine, Cheese and Chips and rested the legs after 15000 steps.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler

    Paris Day Five : Disneyland Paris

    April 4, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Ever since we started planning this trip, Clare hasn’t stopped talking about Disneyland Paris.

    I am pleased to say she had a great day - even Ben had a good time.

    Krissi and I couldn’t help but compare it to Disneyland in Anaheim- and it’s not as good, frankly.

    The Tea Cups and the Small World rides (2 Clare wanted to do) were both closed for maintenance. We also lined up 20 minutes for the Carousel and just as we got to the front it broke down and we all abandoned that idea. The lines for everything were nuts - but it’s Disneyland in the week near Easter - so yeah, no shock.
    They also don’t have the Star Wars exhibition / museum here, which I really wanted to see again. But these are small gripes on what was a fun day with the kids.

    We all did Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Orbitron and Buzz Lightyear. Krissi and Clare also did the Big Thunder Mountain while Ben and I did the train tour and walked the bridges.

    We finished the day with the parade and some gift shopping.

    Disney IS a great day out, even for the price ($600 for the day before spending another $ in the park) and I’m glad we did it - especially for Clare.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler

    Travel Day : Paris to Zurich

    April 5, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Travel Day : Paris to Zurich by train, stops in Strasbourg and Basel.

    The countryside of northern France and Switzerland was spectacular - but not easy to take photos through the windows of a moving train.Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    1

    Zurich

    April 6, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    After the big city, hectic nature of Paris, Zurich has been a breath of fresh air.

    Literally.

    Everyone in Paris seems to smoke! 😳

    Asked chatGPT to write a 300 word tourist summary or Zurich. It did and I based all my decisions today on that! 🤷‍♂️

    Started today with breakfast on the run and an outdoor market by the river. Stopped past a music store where Ben played a $40,000 piano.

    Perfect weather for walking - max of 9 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.

    Enjoyed a 1.5 hour Boat Ride on Lake Zurich, back to the Outdoor Market for lunch (sausages in roll of course!), then off to the Fraumunster Church, explored the Laneways of Altstadt and then walked to the Viaduct Markets - which we had seen on YouTube - but I think we missed the cool part.

    Did a little op shopping and Ben bought some cool new glasses.

    Another 15000 steps so far today and I’ve taken to wearing my sneakers as my feet (specifically my plantar) are battered. Averaging 20000 steps a day the last week.

    Currently on my first aperol spritz and the feet are feeling better…..    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    1

    Good Friday in Zurich

    April 7, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Woke up early and enjoyed a slow 5km run around Zurich. Pretty much had the city to myself, everything was shut and no one else was up. Running with the Swiss alps in the background at 450 metre elevation will be one of the more notable slow 5kms I’ll do this trip.

    Today was bitterly cold - and we were all cooked from 9 days straight of 20k plus steps a day - so we got a 24 hour transport pass and caught public transport rather than walk the city as we did the previous days. Except no one checked our pass once - so possibly could have done it without forking out $50!

    Really enjoyed seeing the suburbs and surrounds from a mix of tram, train, bus and again by foot. Zurich is a stunning city with only 430k residents. Every building feels like it’s either from a grand designs episode OR out of a history book OR from a fairytale. Do recommend - and the architecture was a little wasted on us. I’m keen to learn about this more moving forward.

    Today was SO cold though and I’m run down - and our next stop will be colder again - so also enjoyed the respite of sitting on public transport.

    We did the Lindt Factory today which Clare freaking loved. There are sections where you can basically eat as many Lindt balls as you like from all the flavours they have. I ate three, Krissi filled up her handbag….😂

    We made our way out of the city for dinner. Clare had chicken nuggets in a Mexican restaurant in Switzerland. 🙄

    Finishing the day with an Aperol Spritz in the hotel before we make our way to Stalden tomorrow.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    Zoom in to see K and the kids lugging the bags up to the chalet (second from the right)View from our balcony

    Travel : Zurich to Stalden

    April 8, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Made our way from Zurich to the Swiss Alps today and - as advertised - it’s a postcard.

    Loving Krissi’s decision to get the first class tickets for our train travel, it’s so nice to travel with space and comfort. Especially so today as Ben has a cold and Clare has run out of energy.

    Stopped past Visp for lunch and ice cream and then landed in Stalden. Made our way all the way up and down the hill to our villa, only to find out they had a cart to pick us up if we’d asked! 🤯

    Just settled in and enjoyed the chalet and the view today as we have a big few days ahead. Krissi and I headed off to the shop for supplies and explored the town. Population 1000 people.

    Celebrating 5 years in business for ourselves today. Which seems irrelevant but we are proud of the work we do - and 5 years seems like a milestone in small business.

    Anyway, we opened a bottle of Swiss Pinot and watched the sun set over the alps. 👍    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    11

    Zermatt and the Matterhorn

    April 9, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 2 °C

    This was a highlight day.

    In summary, it was like walking around inside a postcard or a tourist film all day.

    Unfortunately Ben was battling a nasty cold (RAT test says not covid thankfully) so took a little longer to get going today - but I don’t think we missed anything.

    The train ride in was great, the anticipation as we got closer was most evident in Clare’s smile. The ride into Zermatt alone was an adventure - but we had the Matterhorn to come.

    Once we arrived we quickly grabbed a coffee and explored the town. Realising it was a tourist destination (every 2nd shop sells outdoor gear and every store next to that sells souvenirs) and there was little to learn re culture, we headed to the cable car.

    It’s all very well done and we shared the car with skiers who were heading up to the top for a day on the alps. This mountain dwarfs anything we have in Australia, there are kms of runs in all directions.

    Once we got to the top we went into the restaurant which was overcrowded and overpriced. No shock there. $40 for 2 bowls of chips later and we were on our way to the upper platform.

    Never seen anything like it in person. Was -10 degrees out on the platform. Made it over 4000 metres high and could feel the lack of air. Had to climb some stairs and I felt like a pack a day smoker.

    A guy from NZ pointed out the Mount Blanc mountain in Italy to me quietly - said most people don’t know it’s there and he was helping me out because I’m Australian….🤷‍♂️

    Bit of tourist shopping (yes, they got our money) and back to the chalet for our last night here.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    Im enjoying the view over lunch, while Clare watches Disney movies....
    Ready to leave ZermattOur train for the dayPondering or asleep? 🤷‍♂️First guests from AdelaideLuggage buggy. Apparently they moved a Piano on this thing.Running in ChurK running in ChurArtwork in downtown ChurHow good is Switzerland?Chur Library

    Glacier Express : Zermatt to Chur

    April 10, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Checked out of our chalet in Stalden and our host kindly drove our luggage up the hill on his little buggy. He and his wife also walked us to the station and we chatted bees, covid and their family in Australia. Very friendly people and great hosts. We were the first guests to stay there from Adelaide - so proudly put a pin in their map on the wall.

    Took the early train back to Zermatt and boarded the Glacier Express. This is a luxury train that goes all the way from Zermatt to St Moritz. We took it as far as Chur.

    So today was 250km in 7 hours slowly weaving through the Swiss alps. It’s billed as the slowest fast train in the world. The pictures I took don’t do it justice - there is a bit of sun glare so photography is difficult. But I was glad to just soak it in and enjoy it today. I took the least photos today out of the whole trip - even though it was one of the more impressive visual days. The water off the glaciers is a rich blue colour that (I know I keep saying this) is out of a postcard.

    Ben is still quite unwell so he rested all day and Clare decided she wanted to watch movies….🤷‍♂️ ……as you do when the Swiss alps are just outside the window. Probably shouldn’t have given her the window seat.

    When we arrived in Chur I was feeling very sluggish after sitting all day - so Krissi and I went for a 5km jog around the town while the kids chilled in the hotel. Only my second run post marathon and need to get back into it.

    Chur is a cute town of only 35k people surrounded by snow topped mountains and is the home of Calanda brewery - which uses the water from alpine glaciers to make their beer.

    Finished the day with a salad at KFC! Which was the only healthy option in town on Easter Monday. Clare ate her body weight in chicken.

    The hotel is tiny, the Ibis experience in Switzerland has been tiny rooms and nice bars. This place is the same except for the nice bar. At least we have an air bnb in Milan, which is our next stop.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    Aperols and Apertif in Milan
    Dinner family selfieWalking MilanOur bus for the ride from Chur to BellinzonaView on the bus rideMore bus viewsDinner at PizziumA small town in SwitzerlandTrian station outside ItalyLake Como from the trainOur balcony in Milan2Our scary as crap elevator in Milan1Big Aperol at DinnerDinner photosKrissi posing

    Travel Day : Chur to Milan

    April 11, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌧 3 °C

    Today was pretty average. In as much as we woke up in the Swiss alps; caught a 2.5 hour bus through Switzerland with sweeping views of said alps and rivers; jumped on a 1.5 hour train into Italy with views of the Italian countryside and then Lake Como; and then ended up at a bar in Milan drinking Aperol Spritz.

    But as far as this trip goes, it was a bit average! 🤷‍♂️

    (Let me just say the train station in Milan is the centre of hell and it wasn’t until we made it more than 20 minutes away did I start to soften my view that we should just get back on a train and head to our next destination. More accurately, halfway through my first Aperol…...)    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    Family selfie outside the Duomo
    Arco della Pace with the Castle in the back ground.DuomoArco della Pace.DuomoLed lights at DuomoDuomo from the rooftopDoor way of the Duomo1Shopping centre in Milan. Basically Rundle Mall......Lego Duomo1Bucket Aperols at Pizzium1Aperol and Apertif

    Milan

    April 12, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Started the day with a run around the Arco della Pace and the Castle Sforzeco.

    Unfortunately the washing machine in our Airbnb is stuffed so took a load of clothes to the laundromat and knocked off some some work while I was there. A lady approached me and tried to engage in conversation - only problem is I only speak English.

    I’m confronted daily by the fact I’m the only person in most conversations who speaks just the one language.

    We then headed to the Duomo via tram. They have really old school trams here which remind me of when we first moved to Melbourne.

    Grabbed some paninis in a small cafe and then walked through Duomo and then up the stairs to the top.

    Once we’d ticked the ‘culture’ box for the day we went shopping around Milan which was fine - it’s not cheap here at all though - an AC Milan too was about 170 Australian….🙄

    Made our way back to the house via the Arco della Pace and the Castle Sforzeco. Kids were more interested in the local cats than the history - but that’s the way it goes.

    Grabbed an Aperol and an Apertif without the kids - always a highlight - and then headed out for dinner at Pizzium.
    Legendary pizza and bucket sized aperols….🤣
    Finishing the evening with AC Milan VS Napoli on TV. Tried to get tickets but eg were going for $400 Australian each. Given it’s a 80,000 capacity stadium that’s good going.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler

    Milan (rain day)

    April 13, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    So I’ve got Ben’s cold (which was Clare’s cold and which was somebody else’s before that…) so had a quiet day.
    Made it out for a tram ride to the canals of Navigli - and a proper Italian pasta lunch. We get really solid pasta in Australia but the bolognese sauce was top class.
    Wandered that part of Milan and then came back and chilled in the Airbnb and caught up on Ted Lasso.
    Heading to Venice tomorrow - so will need to head back to the horrid Milan train station! 😬    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler

    Milan to Venice

    April 14, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    The less said the better about the first half of today.
    Italian train workers went on strike - so instead of arriving in Venice before lunch it was closer to 2pm. We had to take 2 trains and stand for an hour on one because 3 trains worth of people impacted by the cancellations piled into the one fast train and all the rules went out the window!

    Then when we arrived at our hotel in Venice the concierge was on a long, long lunch - and didn’t come back until some concerned locals called him and helped us out.

    So basically didn’t get going until nearly 3pm in Venice.

    But that’s the negative out the way - Venice is great - albeit completely overrun with tourists (us included). It’s hard to move without bumping into a group of tourists. Every line has 90% respectful people waiting their turn and then an Italian lady who can’t be bothered waiting and has decided she is pushing in right at the front - or right in front of us at least.

    Positives - sorry - there is something special and unique about a city with 180 islands and 400 bridges. We managed to walk about 10000 steps in a few hours and am looking forward to more exploring over the weekend.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler
    Family Gondola photo
    Venice at sunsetGondola photoThe sites you only get on a GondolaClare and Ben posing on a GondolaClare and Dad posing on a boatClare posing on a boatAmbulance Ramping in VeniceClare posing on a boatWalking VeniceSowmthing cool from the guided walk that i forget now..... othello maybe....? 🤷‍♂️Canals of VeniceK + C on the guided tourThe only Banksy in VeniceLargest oil on canvas in the world.The mask shop that supplied Eyes Wide ShutEnd of run selfieOur tour guide Andrea - who has a Venetian reggae song with over a million views

    Venice

    April 15, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Big day in Venice : Ran along the river and enjoyed the quiet Venice experience ; Buffet Breakfast in the hotel which was overpriced but only 20 metres from our room; Guided walk around the city (great 2.5 hours with a local who gave us lots of time and showed us the less beaten track - we even saw a Banksy and also the worlds largest ‘oil on canvas’ which was also the roof of a church),

    Stopped for lunch at an Italian reataurant; Took an extended boat ride around the harbour which Clare loved; had some Gelato and coffee by the sea; More boat rides; got our tourist fix with a Gondola ride around the Canals - and some Aperol then Dinner out to finish the day.

    Fun facts, our guide told us that less than 50,000 people now live in Venice and more than 28 million people come through each year as tourists. The apartments have been bought up and used as AirBnbs and have driven out the locals - who have moved to the mainland - either after selling their homes or renting them out for big profit and using this money for their (cheaper) rent elsewhere.

    So Venice is basically an Italian historical Disney land theme park these days - which is hard to criticise because we are 4 of the 28 million people who will come here this year.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler

    Venice Day 2

    April 16, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Venice day two started on kinda the wrong foot after a broken sleep caused by partying tourists screaming near our room all night.

    Great first up experience though - visited the Doges Palace early and then caught the unique book store as well as a nice meal and some shopping.

    Had to pull the pin on the glass blowing in Murano (almost as soon as we got to the island….) as I got sick from the omelette at breakfast.

    Took a few hours to recover in the room while the family went shopping - then out for dinner and some shopping of my own.

    Up early tomorrow for a train to Rome.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler

    An afternoon in Rome

    April 17, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Started the day in Venice.
    Made our way to the train station via the boat ‘bus’, then a relaxing 4 hour train ride through the Italian countryside. Caught up in some work and messages while listening to podcasts. Some much needed down time.

    Once we made it to Rome, quickly checked into our hotel and then out for lunch. Poor choice - none of us were happy with our food - but we needed fuel.

    After that it was go go for the rest of the afternoon - 15000 steps in a few hours and we made it to Trevi Fountain, stop for Gelato, Pantheon, Piazza Venezia, Roman Forum, short stop for an Aperol, Colosseum, then back to the hotel for a short break via the back streets. Found a piano shop on the way back and Ben had a quick play.

    Then out for a really nice dinner at a packed Trattoria - with an Aperol.

    Finally back to the hotel to watch YouTube videos of Rome to plan tomorrow’s adventure.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler

    Vatican City / Rome

    April 18, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Started the day with a run around Rome. Fair to say it’s not a welcome city for morning runners - the sidewalks are broken, the roads are often cobblestone, the people are all smoking and blowing it at you - and there is little flat ground. I still had fun though - albeit got a little lost.

    After some breakfast we found 4 tickets for a Vatican Tour via our concierge (only $400 for the family). From there, in short, we spent most of the day travelling from our hotel to the Vatican (getting metro tickets alone was a challenge) lining up for the Vatican (the tour company we booked our tour through made some mistakes which set off a chain reaction of problems for the 30 of us in the group - which meant we waited an extra hour for our tour to start….), then a 2 hour tour of the Vatican. At the end, we took the exit from the museum and found ourselves out on the street. We had meant to stay in Vatican City and see the square…. 🤷‍♂️

    But well worth every second - I’m not sure I’ll ever see anything quite like it again. They’ve got some serious cash the popes! 🤣

    Finally made our way back to Rome for some shopping, the Spanish Stairs and some Aperol and dinner out.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler

    Rome to Sorrento

    April 19, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Didn’t take many photos of this day - which is a shame because it was an interesting one.
    Started the day slowly in Rome after an interesting nights sleep (a drunk lady was making a phone call in the hallway outside our room at midnight - it was in Italian so no idea what she was saying but I think she liked the guy….), checked out of our hotel and walked across to the train station with all of our luggage. We are getting better at it but it’s still a pain in the butt - especially for Clare who struggles.

    Spent some time in the train station waiting before getting in our last regional train this trip. The extra for 1st class has been worth it, we get drinks, snacks, plenty of baggage room and our own reclining seats. Economy class flying home will be a shock to the system.

    We caught the train from Rome to Naples with a top speed of 280km/h. Why we don’t have these in Australia baffles me. You could go Adelaide to Melbourne in 2-3 hours and enjoy a movie on the way.

    Once we got off the trim in Naples it was clear this was going it be a hectic stop. Tried to negotiate with a taxi driver for a fare to the ferry which only annoyed him and he spent the first half of the trip bringing it up.

    Which helped distract us from his driving - which was hectic. I assume everyone drives like that in Naples from what I could see - but being in the front seat made it an experience.

    Then boarded a ferry with a bunch of English tourists - and just as we are boarding they randomly grabbed people to pay a 3 euro luggage tax. I made it through but Krissi got caught out.

    The ferry was great, saw Mount Vesuvius as we entered Sorrento.

    Once we arrived we decided to take the stairs rather than get a cab. Do not recommend….

    Sorrento is lovely - albeit very focussed on getting money from tourists. Sounds familiar on this trip…..

    Had our customary aperol and then a meal out.    Read more

  • Simon CookEurope AdventureTraveler

    Sorrento Day One

    April 20, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    It did not take long for our adventure to come to a grinding stop.
    Sorrento is a lovely tourist destination - but after 8 hour days walking Rome, Venice, Milan, Zürich, Paris and Singapore - this was a distinctive change of pace.
    And the kids were BORED! 🤣    Read more

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