• Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello

    6 мая, Италия ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    A huge day again today. Took another organised tour so we could get a look at some of the Amalfi Coast without worrying about the logistics. We knew it was only going to give us a glimpse, but hearing how chaotic that area of Italy is, we thought that would be all we’d want. First stop, Sorrento. We were given free time to roam. Peter and I walked to a vantage point for a stunning view of the coastline. There were musicians playing Italian music which heightened the experience. We grabbed a quick bite, then went into a shop that gave us lots of tastings. Chocolate, pistachio, Limoncello, Meloncello, biscuits, spices etc. I wanted to buy everything. lol Back in the van and our next stop was Positano. More free time to do more of the same. We stopped along the coastline at a gorgeous little restaurant clinging to the side of the cliff face, with a lemon arbor over the tables. We had our lunch here, then headed for Amalfi. We stopped at Amalfi, and then went on to Ravello. I found them all to be very similar. Same kind of shops, similar views of rugged cliff faces, littered with buildings. Beautiful blue water, and tonnes of tourists. Am I glad we went, yes. Would I go again, no. I personally think it’s overcrowded and overpriced, but I’m glad we saw what we did. After today we were both happy we based ourselves in Naples and just did day trips. Out of all the places we visited over the last 3 days, Capri was our favourite. 💙Читать далее

  • Naples and Capri

    5 мая, Италия ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    WOW! I pre booked a day trip to Capri. We got the fast ferry to the Island and hopped on a bus to head to the other side of the island to see if we could go into the blue grotto. Apparently it’s only accessible around 100 day’s a year at best. And that’s not always all day either. It depends on the wind, the swell, the tides and the weather. All have to align to access the blue grotto. The entrance is only 1 meter high and 2 meters wide. It’s quite scary going in as you have to lay flat on your back, head back, and arms crossed over your body like a mummy. The boat driver waits at the entrance looking at the swell and feeling the wind until he thinks it’s time. Then he pulls hard on the chain, lays backwards and pulls us in one huge pull. They showed us a video of what can go wrong in bad conditions. Not a pretty sight and so dangerous. (Google it) Not only were we very lucky it was open, there were only a handful of people waiting on the stairs to get on a boat to go in. We probably waited about 20 minutes to get on a boat. This is unheard of normally, even this time of year. The photos don’t do it justice. It was the brightest blue (aqua) we’ve ever seen. It looks as though there’s a huge flood light under the surface but it’s actually daylight. The walls of the grotto only go down just below the waterline which lets all the light in from outside. Some of the boat drivers were singing Italian songs which sounded beautiful with the acoustics inside the grotto. It’s something we’ll never forget.
    We then went on a single chair lift to the very top, which is called, Anacapri. The view was amazing. We had lunch at Capri town and I tried my first, and last, Aperol Spritz. 🤮🤮 I ended up having to scull it to get rid of it. 😂 We had a roam through the shops then got a funicular down to Marina Grande (Port level). Peter and I shared a lemon sorbet inside a frozen lemon skin, it was so refreshing 👌 Got the fast ferry back to Naples then home for a rest before dinner. HUGE, but incredible day.
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  • Lucerne to Naples

    4 мая, Швейцария ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Had a delicious breakfast at our hotel (making the most of our free meals in Switzerland), jumped in the car and took a scenic route to Zurich. We can’t get used to how close the countries are to each other and how easy it to go between. I saw Rhine Falls on the map and said let’s go there on our way to Zurich airport. All of a sudden we were wondering why we had to drop down to 20kms hr. It was because we were crossing a border back into Germany!! 😂 Not for long though, 9 minutes later, we crossed back into Switzerland. 😂 We spent some time at the falls, then continued on to the airport. We said goodbye to our hire car (it was a hybrid and barely cost us a cent to run around for 4 days - just 30€ in total). We had a good, short flight to Naples, Italy. A driver was waiting for us and took us directly to our hotel in Spaccanapoli. What a hive of activity. Pasta and pizza for dinner tonight, of course. 🍝 🍕Читать далее

  • Lauterbrunnen to Lucerne

    3 мая, Швейцария ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We bid farewell to the most amazing vista we’ve ever had the pleasure of waking up to, and started our scenic drive toward Lucerne. We stopped at a few spots for photos along the way but I needed to get there early enough to go to a medical centre to tend to my annoyingly persistent cough that I’ve been trying my best to ignore. Well, that was an experience! I had my OBS fine by a nurse then waited to see the doctor. He listened to my chest, sent me for bloods, did a spirometer test. I didn’t have pneumonia (I honestly thought I did) so that was a relief. Long story short, he sent me home with 6 boxes of medication, and a receipt that would make your eyes water. We still had time to go to a laundromat and get 2 loads of washing and drying done, so we’re all caught up again. ✅
    We chose a nice restaurant along the river’s edge for dinner. Peter had a homemade Swiss sausage (it looked like a big long 💩) with potato rösti, which he absolutely loved. I had a pork meatball with veggies and the flavour was so good. I’d love to know what they put in it so I could try and make them at home. Tomorrow we head to Zurich for our flight to Naples, Italy 🇮🇹
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  • Wengen, Grindelwald

    2 мая, Швейцария ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We started our day at Trümmelbach Falls. There are 10 different sections to these falls as they carve their way through the rocks down towards the valley floor. The water roars through there as all the snow melts higher up in the mountains. From there we went for a drive up to a little village called Isenfluh. The road was steep and very narrow. Fortunately we only had to pass 2 cars, which was hard to do. The views up there were, like everywhere around here, spectacular. We drove back to our accommodation and got the train up to Wengen. The train ride was steep, with beautiful views over Lauterbrunnen Valley for most of the way. Most of Wengen was closed as the ski season is over, and the summer crowds are yet to arrive. We then got another train to Grindelwald. Plenty open there, and lost more tourists but not busy yet. The weather has been warm enough for t shirts or a hoodie with sleeves rolled up. Just deciding where to go for dinner tonight. Plenty of places in the valley to pick from.
    *Edit - dinner at Hotel Schützen. Couldn’t go past the pork schnitzels. 🤤
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  • Lauterbrunnen

    1 мая, Швейцария ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Peter and I caught a bus to the bottom of the cable car station. This cable car is the steepest in the world. We had to go on 4 consecutive cable cars to get to the very top. Nearly 9,744ft above sea level. Peter was very brave and made it up the first three before bailing. His legs were wobbly and his hands were shaking (scared of heights). I continued on to the top, took some photos and enjoyed the crisp air. It was absolutely stunning!! We went down as far as Murren together and got off for a wander around. In the distance we saw people running off the steep bank and paragliding through the Lauterbrunnen valley and along the sheer cliff faces, right up to the snow capped mountains. I decided then and there I was going to do it. I contacted the company and they fit me in. Peter watched me leave then he took the last two cable cars to the ground. It was mind blowing how quiet and calm the flight through the valley was. Then running along the cliff faces, using the thermal winds to get higher and higher. This was a bucket list item for me that wasn’t originally on my bucket list. 😂 I waited for Peter to get down and told him all about it. Peter loved his dinner tonight - trucker rösti, while I had goulash soup, then fruit fondue for desert.Читать далее

  • Frankfurt to Switzerland

    30 апреля, Швейцария ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We checked out of our gorgeous hotel in Rüdesheim and drove to Frankfurt airport for our flight to Zurich, Switzerland! 🇨🇭 We picked up our basically new (less than 2000km’s) BYD SUV hire car from Hertz and started our scenic drive to Lauterbrunnen. It took about 3 hours because we chose not to use freeways. We will go back to the airport on toll roads when we leave. We had a nice dinner at the pub across the road and we sampled some Swiss beer.Читать далее

  • Frankfurt, Rüdesheim

    29 апреля, Германия ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We left Cologne this morning and got on our second high speed train to Frankfurt. So many beautiful bright yellow Canola (rapeseed) crops on the way. We arrived in Rudesheim just after lunch and checked in to Hotel Lindenwirt. Absolutely love this village, so quaint and very few tourists for this time of year. We enjoyed discovering little laneways tucked away everywhere. This place is crazy busy with tourists for the Christmas markets each year. Definitely a good time not to go. We had a few beers, yes, even me, before and during dinner. There was a guy singing which was nice to listen and sing along to. Any more beers and I’d have been up dancing. 😂
    We had a great time in Germany, but we’re really looking forward to flying to Switzerland tomorrow. Another bucket list place to tick off. ✅
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  • Cologne

    28 апреля, Германия ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We went to the Lindt museum today. It was great to see the history of chocolate and have some samples along the way. Peter and I added our own personalised padlock to the Hohenzollern bridge. There’s millions of them both sides. They obviously don’t cut them off here, some of them look like they’ve been there for 10-20 years. Had a nice dinner sitting outside watching the world go by but we’re getting fed up with breathing everyone else’s cigarette smoke with our dinner. We’re going to have to start sitting inside from now on. 😞
    We went back into the cathedral today. Inside the cathedral is a gold shrine. The shrine holds bones wrapped in ancient silk, believed to be those of the three wise men who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to baby Jesus. They brought the relics from Milan to Cologne in 1164 as spoils of war after the city was conquered by Roman’s.
    The shrine is made of gold, silver, and precious stones, shaped like a basilica. The presence of the relics made Cologne one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Europe, necessitating the construction of the current Gothic cathedral in 1248.
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  • Cologne

    27 апреля, Германия ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We left Brussels and got on our high speed train to Cologne, Germany. What was meant to be a quick 1hr 50min trip ended up taking 4hrs 30 minutes. We were only 15 minutes from Cologne station and there was an accident ahead which closed our line completely. We had to sit there while they tried to calculate another route. We ended up on a regular line so the rest of the trip was at a regular speed. Lucky we weren’t worried about a connecting flight or train. There were people sprinting for a train when we did get there. 😂 Our accommodation was just outside the station. About a 20 meter walk and directly in front of the towering cathedral. 😱 We checked in then walked around the old town. Crossed over the bridge ladened with padlocks to watch the sunset behind the cathedral - beautiful. Everyone just sits around eating and drinking. Peter tried a few German beers. We had a delicious dinner and a few drinks while we people watched for a couple of hours.Читать далее

  • Amsterdam

    26 апреля, Нидерланды ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    We got the tram to the train station and got our first ever high speed train to the Netherlands today. It only took 2 hours @ 300km/hr to get there. 😁 I loved Amsterdam. It was how I’d pictured it. All the lovely canals, wide ones and narrower ones. The tall row houses lining the canals are so bent and leaning either to the side or leaning forward. Normally this would mess with my OCD, but I found them cute and it added to the character of the place. We had the “hot chips”, definitely not as good as home (certainly not worth lining up for), but now we can say we did it. 🙄 Walked past the Anne Frank Haus then took a canal cruise and learnt about the area and the houses along the canals and also the history of the houseboats. We got the high speed train back home, then had dinner at 9.30pm. One last lap of Grand Place at night before calling it a day.Читать далее

  • Brussels

    25 апреля, Бельгия ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    We had a pretty relaxed day today. Just wandered from street to street discovering different landmarks and points of interest. We had a bit of a shop (not much as my bag is chockers). There are so many options for food it’s so hard to decide. Tonight we went Italian and both had a delicious home made lasagna and shared a panna cotta for desert.Читать далее

  • Bilbao to Brussels, Belgium

    24 апреля, Испания ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We checked out of our quaint little room and decided to take an inland drive through the country back toward Bilbao. So glad we did as it was lush and beautiful with huge steep cliffs. We’ve handed back the car and have just arrived at the airport for our flight to Brussels, Belgium. See ya Spain, it’s been a blast! ❤️

    **Update - we decided to treat ourselves to a taxi from the airport and save lugging our suitcases to and from a train station. Bad decision, I’ll let the photos explain lol ($$$$)
    Or hotel is right in the thick of it all. Fantastic location, bars, restaurants and shops on our doorstep! Great vibe here, the city is alive and bustling. We found a nice place for dinner and were served the biggest plate of ribs! It was all you can eat ribs - needless to say we didn’t even finish our first plate. 😂 stopped for a beer at Delirium Cafe, with over 2004 beers to pick from! Back at the hotel around 10.30pm. Done and dusted for today.
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  • Santillana del Mar

    23 апреля, Испания ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We left Bilbao and headed west along the North coast of Spain. We drove through some picturesque villages and seaside towns along the way, and even stopped and had a walk through a redwood Sequoia forest. They are soooo tall and straight. Got my final fix of Gaudì at El Capricho de Gaudi. This one was done in his younger years, and was very different to the styles we’d seen in Barcelona. We enjoyed a big lunch before heading for our accommodation in a little village basically made of stone. We stayed in an old palace from the 1500’s. Amazing location.! We wandered the streets until it was time for dinner. Sat and had a hearty meal, and finished sharing a Basque cheesecake. Peter had a few Spanish beers before strolling home to bed.Читать далее

  • San Sebastian and France

    22 апреля, Франция ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    I woke up feeling like sh*#. Sore throat, bloked runny nose, and a headache. 🤒 But we had a 10 hour organised tour booked and paid for today, so I had to soldier on. First stop, Biarritz, France. We had free time to look around. We saw where Napoleon Bonaparte III lived. Wandered along the boardwalk, then got lost for a bit, eventually resorting to Google maps to get us back to the bus. 😂From there a beautiful seaside town, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. This is where the original macarons came from. (1660) Very different to ours as they use honey, not sugar, and almond cream. They were delicious. It was a family recipe held for over 400 years! Next was San Sebastian, Spain. Another costal town with lots of alleyways and mainly Pintxos. (Small portions of food, often on bread, and mainly seafood). We had lunch here and tried a famous baked cheesecake. This place was the first to use eggs. OMG it was divine! I’ll not a fan of any cheesecake, but I’ve been talking about this one all afternoon. 🤤 Got back to Bilbao just after 6pm. Checking out of here in the morning and going for a drive in the countryside to our next, very old, authentic hotel.Читать далее

  • Bilbao

    21 апреля, Испания ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We got up nice and early to catch a train to the airport. Just a short flight (1.15mins) to the North Coast of Spain for a completely different vibe. I picked up our car rental and somehow managed to get to our accommodation right in the middle of the city. Not only was I driving a larger unfamiliar car, it’s left hand drive, and a manual! The pedals are the same, but the gear stick was on my right. I haven’t drive a manual in quite a few years (mum’s car occasionally). It’s so busy driving the streets around here. If you don’t take off from the lights the split second they turn green, you get blasted by the cars behind you. lol Then I couldn’t find a park outside our apartment, so Peter had to jump behind the wheel while I ran in. There was no one at reception, so I was forced to drive around the city for a lap or two and go back. We finally made it and checked in! 😂 We went for a walk and covered a few km’s wandering the streets and having a look around the area. Lots of long, narrow, tall alleyways. There’s one area where 7 of them converge.Читать далее

  • Sagrada Familia - Barcelona

    20 апреля, Испания ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    WOWWW!!!
    This is the most amazingly beautiful piece of architecture we’ve ever seen (excluding Egypt). The story of Antoni Gaudi and all the sections and meanings behind the design of La Sagrada Familia (the Royal Family) were breathtaking. Even Peter was speechless as we walked inside (apart from a few WOW’s) I tried to capture what we were seeing in the photos I took, but it was simply impossible. Nothing compares to what you see and feel as you walk around, both inside and out. I was fighting back tears on more than one occasion. (wish you were here Kath) it’s definitely a day, a moment in time, etched in our memory forever.Читать далее

  • Barcelona

    19 апреля, Испания ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We had a great morning zipping around the streets of Barcelona on Segway’s. We covered a lot of ground in 2.5 hours and learnt heaps along the way. Not sure how much of it we’ll retain after another 6 weeks of information overload. Still, it was very interesting. Antonio Gaudí s inspiration for his designs were incredible to hear about . I found his work beautiful, and nothing like I’ve ever seen, or will ever see again. We found a lovely spot under some trees for a tapas lunch, and I tried a red Sangria. Not a fan, but I’ll try another one when we head to the North of Spain just to make sure. 😂 Peter rated his seafood Paella a 9/10 for dinner tonight at Micu Maku. 👌We’re looking forward to our tour of La Sagrada Família at 5pm tomorrow.Читать далее

  • Lisbon to Barcelona

    18 апреля, Испания ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Last morning in Lisbon. We wandered down the road for a nice breakfast to kick start our day. Back to the hotel to pack and head to the airport. It was a short, smooth flight with Vueling, then we got a free shuttle from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 to get our train to our hotel in Barcelona. We arrived 4 stops later and walked up from the underground station. Right in front of us was one of Gaudí’s masterpieces, ‘Casa Batlló’. It seemed surreal. We’ve never seen anything quite like it. Dinner at an little Italian restaurant, then a short stroll through the Gothic Quarter. We’re looking forward to our Segway tour in the morning where we’ll see more sites then decide what we want to go back to and explore in more detail.Читать далее

  • Sintra, Lisbon

    17 апреля, Португалия ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We left or picturesque spot in Carvoeiro this morning and headed straight for Sintra. First stop, Pena Palace. It was a long tuk tuk ride to the grounds and the main entrance, followed by a steep long walk to the bottom of the palace. We were rewarded with incredible views in all directions, and quite a unique looking palace. Very colourful and whimsical, almost like something you’d see pictured in a fairytale book. From there, we drove to Lisbon and checked into our hotel. No time to relax though, we had lots of places to check off our list. We walked and walked and walked. Visited most of the places we wanted to see. Had dinner in a massive warehouse styled building called Time Out Markets. We stopped for a drink at a little cafe somewhere in bowels of Lisbon city, then almost crawled back to our hotel. My feet aren’t happy with me at all. 11.8km’s in sandals for me, and thongs for Peter. 😩😂Читать далее

  • Carvoeiro

    16 апреля, Португалия ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Breakfast arrived in a picnic basket and set up on our terrace. It was a spectacular view, sun in the sky and not a breath of wind. Perfect start to our day. We drove to a couple of popular beaches and strolled through the very fresh water of the North Atlantic Ocean. We enjoyed lunch and a sangria right down on the beach and watched the tide come in before climbing some very steep stairs back to our car. From there we visited a little fishing village, Ferragudo, then stopped for a quick roam around some shops before heading back to Carvoeiro. We freshened up then walked along the cliff face to a beautiful restaurant tucked away from everything. We got some nice photos of us at sunset in a cave before having a delicious dinner and desert. All in all it was another great, full day.Читать далее

  • Carvoeiro, Algarve

    15 апреля, Португалия ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We left our quaint, unique little house in Monsaraz and headed South towards the Algarve. We drove through lots and lots of vineyards and olive groves on the way, eventually finding a beach I have wanted to see for many years, Praia da Marinha. It didn’t disappoint. The brilliant blue water with limestone cliffs looming up out of the ocean was absolutely breathtaking. 😱 We walked along the cliff face for about an hour, taking in the incredible view from every location. We headed to our accommodation in Carvoeiro, a hotel perched high on a cliff top overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean. We are here for a couple of nights. Looking forward to breakfast on our terrace in the morning.Читать далее

  • Monsaraz

    14 апреля, Португалия ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We started our day at the Cristo Rei Monument. We went up in the lift and were amazed at the spectacular view over Lisbon. The monument itself was enormous. We then walked around the grounds at the base and went and had a nice lunch at the cafe on site, and finished with a Portuguese tart. On our way to our accommodation we stumbled across an old castle on a hill. We found our way there and got out to explore. From there we headed to a town called Évora. We were looking forward to seeing the Chapel of Bones, but it’s currently under renovation so we couldn’t go in. We had to settle for gelato. 🍧 After walking around the main square, we continued on to our accommodation in Monsaraz. A tiny village in the countryside. It was more perfect than I imagined. It was like stepping back in time. We walked down an alleyway to a little restaurant with a stunning view and had dinner. We got back to our accommodation just in time to sit on our terrace and watch the sunset. Tomorrow we drive down to the Algarve, to the hustle and bustle of the touristy beachside towns.Читать далее

  • Marrakech to Lisbon - Portugal

    13 апреля, Марокко ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    We had a beautiful breakfast at the riad then went for a walk through the Medina and bought a canvas to bring home and frame. We checked out and left for the airport. Just a short flight from Marrakech to Lisbon, Portugal. We picked up our hire car and drove to Alcochete where we are staying the night. Had a delicious Italian dinner at a restaurant recommended to us, then walked it off on our way back to the hotel. Our room had a great view of the river between us and Lisbon.Читать далее

  • Marrakech

    12 апреля, Марокко ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    We got picked at 9am this morning and started making our way toward Marrakech. Incredible contrast in scenery yet again today. We stopped and climbed to the top of Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou. (UNESCO world heritage site) and enjoyed the view. We got lost twice on the way up, and then 3 times on the way back down. 😂 It was like a rabbit warren inside, paths and little alleyway’s leading everywhere and nowhere. We winded through the Tizi n’Tichka Pass through the High Atlas Mountains. It got down to a very fresh 6°, eventually arriving in the hustle and bustle of Marrakech. We met our tour guide and spent a few hours wandering through the Medina, a palace, a school and the main square before heading to our accommodation. Our driver got lost a couple of times but finally found it. The company paid for our dinner tonight for the inconvenience. Peter tried a Casablanca beer with dinner, but didn’t rate it as highly as the Egyptian beers he’s had. Back in the hotel now getting ready for bed. We leave for Portugal tomorrow afternoon. Time for a little shopping in the morning before our flight.Читать далее