Grand Tour of Europe - 2023

Finally! Our Grand Tour of Europe is here. 90 days travelling through the United Kingdom, France, (with a brief visit to Belgium) and then on to Italy, before finishing with a few days in Dubai. Read more

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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
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Bath
June 5, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Today we drove back into England, with the town of Bath, in the county of Somerset, our first stop. Bath is a UNESCO world heritage site on the River Avon.
It is famous for its Roman Baths, built by the Romans, of course, with artefacts found on the site dating it back to at least 76AD.

The Royal Crescent in Bath is also a famous photo stop. It is a row of Georgian townhouses and was used extensively in the TV series 'Bridgerton'.

The Pulteney Bridge on the River Avon is also another well recognised construction from Roman times.

After Bath we had a stop in Wells. We were here a few weeks ago on our 'Backroads Corners of Cornwall' tour, so didn't need to visit the cathedral again. Instead, we walked the town and had an ice cream. But we did get a good photo of the cathedral, as last time we were here the village green in front of it was being used for the kings coronation party, so it was full of people.

Our destination for the next two nights is Plymouth, in Devon.Read more
Traveler There's hardly anyone there! How good!
6/7/23Reply
TravelerIt was busy half an hour later!!
6/7/23Reply
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
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Calstock
June 5, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Our first night in Plymouth featured a dinner at the Tamar Inn, an old pub on the Tamar River at Calstock.

Calstock is 20 miles from Plymouth and to get there we crossed the Tamar River and headed into Cornwall. The bus then stopped a few miles up the hill from Calstock and taxis took us down the narrow country lanes to the pub, as the bus cannot turn around in the town.

Calstock features a huge railway viaduct that connects Cornwall to Plymouth and its harbour.

The dinner was terrific and Calstock is a picture book town, right beside the river and with narrow winding streets.

The night in Calstock was a certainly a highlight of the trip.Read more
Traveler Great picture
6/6/23Reply
TravelerWe really liked it there.
6/6/23Reply
TravelerYour photos attest to its great beauty. Glad your weather continues fine.
6/6/23Reply
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
Plymouth
June 6, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
We spent today in Plymouth, which traces its history back to Saxon times. It lies between the River Ply and the Tamar River. Its name means the 'mouth of the Ply'. The Tamar River is the border between Devon and Cornwall.

Plymouth has been an important port for shipping since the Elizabethan times. The Spanish Armada were defeated by the English led by Sir Francis Drake in the waters off Plymouth in 1588.

Any convicts or emigrants leaving England for Australia sailed from Plymouth.

The Mayflower sailed from Plymouth in 1620 for America. 30 million Americans can trace their lineage back to the 130 Mayflower pilgrims.

Plymouth has been a naval base since the Elizabethan times and remains so with HMS Devenport their nuclear submarine base.

We went on a cruise around Plymouth Harbour, which was terrific.Read more
TravelerPleased to see blue skies are continuing. Perfect day here today.
6/7/23Reply
TravelerPleased your weather is better thank ours. Sounds like a grand day.
6/7/23Reply
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
Heskyn Mill
June 6, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Our last night in Plymouth and also with the tour group ended with a celebration dinner at Heskyn Mill, a restaurant near Saltash on the Tamar River in Cornwall. It is a historic Grade 2 listed 18th-century mill.

Inside are many of the original gear workings and the mill stones that were last used to grind corn in the 1960s.

We had a really good night with great food.

Tomorrow we return to London, which will be our last day in the U.K before we go to France.Read more
TravelerYou certainly are having a grand tour. France will be a completely different experience. May fair skies follow the rest of your journey.
6/7/23Reply
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Stonehenge
June 7, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Our last day with the tour group began with the obligatory visit to Stonehenge.

Stonehenge, on the Salisbury Plains, is older than the pyramids, believed to be from 3000B.C. Much of its origins and original uses are unknown.

After our time at Stonehenge, we hit the motorway to return to London, which ended our 22-day Insight tour. Tomorrow we are off on the Eurostar to Paris.Read more
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
St. Pancras Station
June 7, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
We are back in London and staying near St. Pancras station, so we are ready for our Eurostar to Paris in the morning.

St. Pancras was built in 1868 and is now the international terminal for rail services to Europe through the Channel Tunnel.

It is a grand building and nearby is Kings Cross Station, which features a well-known and popular platform, well at least for Harry Potter fans it does.Read more
TravelerDid Sally have an order in for you to collect from the Harry Potter shop?
6/7/23Reply
TravelerLuckily no.
6/8/23Reply
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London to Paris
June 8, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
This morning we left London bound for Paris, aboard the Eurostar. We were scheduled to leave at 8:01am and at exactly that time we started moving. The journey took 2.5 hours and was quiet, smooth and fast. Australian trains have a very long way to go to match this.

The train goes through the Channel Tunnel (the chunnel), which is 50.45km long and at its deepest is 75m below the English Channel. It can reach a top speed of 334kmh - the highest speed we got to today that I noticed was 270kmh. It certainly didn't feel like it.

We arrived on time in Paris and were only five minutes from the station when the train stopped because of technical issues with the track and we sat there for two hours before arriving at Gare du Nord!! Luckily we had nothing planned until 3:00pm.Read more
TravelerAt least the time delay did not impact your plans.
6/10/23Reply
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Paris - Citroen Tour
June 8, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
After arriving in Paris and checking in to our hotel, we were picked up for a Paris sightseeing tour - in an original 1960 Citroen 2CV - and not just any Citroen 2CV - it was the one used in the 1981 James Bond movie, 'For Your Eyes Only', starring Roger Moore, which was a real bonus.

Our driver, Nicholas, drove us around the major sites and showed us how to negotiate the Paris traffic. All the stories you hear about it are true. Cars going everywhere and all over the place. It would be a brave tourist to tackle these streets.

After two hours with Nicholas and the 2CV, we were taken back to the hotel, where to celebrate our first day in France, we had French Chablis and then some pastries for dessert.Read more
TravelerDriving in Europe can be a real adventure. When we visited the champs Elysse Wayne could not understand why there was a pedestrian underpass when there were no cars coming. He took off across the road and found out why about three lanes across out of about eight…and survived. He used the underpass on the way back…His other memorable moment in Paris was when he managed to join in with the start of the Paris marathon when out for a jog.
6/10/23Reply
TravelerI think there is a marathon on here tomorrow.
6/10/23Reply
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
Versaille
June 9, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Today we went to the Palace of Versaille. It was a busy day. We left the hotel at 7:30am and returned at 6:30pm.

We had booked a guided tour and return train journey and it was definitely the right move. Versaille gets 39 million visitors each year and you can see why.

Our guide was brilliant and he guided us through the palace, where we saw the Hall of Mirrors and the royal apartments where the three kings, Louis XIV, Louis XV and the ill-fated Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette lived, before they both lost their heads in the revolution.

We were also guided through the gardens and the Chateau Trianon where Marie Antoinette lived for a number of years, as well as Petite Trianon, the rural village built in the grounds of the palace purely for the amusement of Marie Antoinette.

It was a special day and everything there was amazing. Words and pictures do not do it justice in any way. This is just a small selection of the 100s of photos we took.Read more
TravelerWhat a perfect day. Yes good move re the pre booked tour. We did not prebook and faced with hours and hours of queuing decided we would make do with garden and wandered at our leisure eventually finding our way to the petit palace where eagle eyed Wayne spotted that we could purchase tickets for the palace there also and there was no queue. We had an equally glorious weather day there. Very memorable.
6/10/23Reply
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
Paris
June 10, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Today was another very busy day, a very hot day, which although it didn't go as we planned, still turned out well and probably may have been better.

We started the day with the guided tour of the Eiffel Tower we had booked for 9:15am, with the tower due to open at 9:30am. At 10:30am it was still not open and we were in a queue 150m from the first security gate. Our guide was told there was a 'technical issue' and it could be up to 2 hours before it was resolved.

We figured we could wait and potentially not do anything else today, or give going up the tower a miss and still do everything else we wanted to do. We decided to go, rather than risk queuing for hours. We think we made the right decision but have no idea when the tower opened.

So we jumped on our 'hop on hop off bus' tour and did a lap of Paris. It is probably not looking its best at the moment as many buildings and monuments are covered in scaffolding as they are being 'tarted up' for the Olympics next year.

Halfway around we got off and climbed the Arc de Triomphe, which was very special. We were glad we didn't miss this. It gave us great views of Paris, so the only thing we missed with the Eiffel was the experience of going up it. Never mind.

After finishing a lap of Paris we went on our cruise up and down the River Seine, which was a highlight.

Tonight we join our 22 day Insight tour of France with a welcome dinner.Read more
TravelerIf I remember correctly you are coming back to Paris. Perhaps you may be able to squeeze in a visit up the tower then.
6/10/23Reply
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Le Petite Prince de Paris
June 10, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
We began our Insight tour of France tonight with dinner at a little restaurant, Le Petite Prince de Paris, in the Latin Quarter. It was terrific and a great start to the tour. There are 30 of us and only 6 Aussies, so it will be interesting. The rest are Americans and Canadians and a couple of Kiwis.Read more
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Troyes
June 11, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Today we left behind the crowds of Paris and headed into the farmlands and vineyards of the Champagne region. The villages and wheat fields were picture perfect and looked just like the Tour de France. We made good progress - parts of the road had a speed limit of 130kmh.

Our first stop was the ancient town of Troyes. The town dates from Roman times, but a fire in 1524 destroyed the town and it was rebuilt over the next century.

The central and old part of Troyes was what you would imagine an old French village to look like. As we were in Champagne, there was only one drink that would make sense for lunch, so of course we had one. The chocolate lshops and bakeries were also pretty special as well.Read more
TravelerNice to see the t shirts are now required.
6/11/23Reply
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Dijon
June 11, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
After lunch we left Troyes and travelled into the Burgundy region, home of some of the best and most expensive wines in the world, primarily pinot noir and chardonnay.

Our destination was Dijon, the capital of Burgundy, a town from the Middle Ages, famous for its mustard making.Read more
Traveler Well, the BMW is now mine then I suppose?
6/11/23Reply
TravelerNo we will leave this one here for when we visit the chateau we bought.
6/12/23Reply
TravelerOh right, I hope you take me when you visit then!
6/12/23Reply
TravelerEnjoy all the French delicacies…have some foie gras for me please.
6/11/23Reply
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
Dijon
June 12, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
This morning we went on a walking tour of Dijon. It is a place we really enjoyed and it was not full of tourists.

The highlights were the Catholic Church of Notre-Dame, considered a masterpiece of 13th-century Gothic architecture. Next to the church is the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy (Palais des ducs et des Etats de Bourgogne), a 15th and 16th century building. The Dukes were the richest men in the world in the Middle Ages.Read more
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Route des Grand Cru
June 12, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
After looking around Dijon, we enjoyed a fantastic drive along the famous Route des Grand Cru on the Cote-D'or to the town of Beaune. This is a route through the historic wineries of the Burgundy region, many of which are Grand Cru, the top classification. These wineries produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and are some of the best and most expensive wines in the world. Lining the road are vineyards, villages and chateaus.Read more
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Beaune
June 12, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
Once in Beaune we visited the fascinating Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, a former charitable hospital. It was founded in 1443 by the chancellor of Burgundy as a hospital for the poor and run by an order of Catholic nuns and monks.

Elderly, disabled and sick people, orphans, women about to give birth and the destitute were all been welcomed for treatment and refuge from the Middle Ages until today, but now in a modern hospital.

It had displays of old medical equipment from the 1800's which made the stomach churn.Read more
TravelerYou have stirred up some happy memories of our own travel in this vicinity.
6/16/23Reply
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
Clos St. Louis
June 12, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
Our day finished with one of the highlights of the tour so far. We visited a Premier Cru winery in the village of Fixin - the Clos St. Louis. The owner and winemaker Phillip Bernard took us on a tour of the vineyard and the winery, followed by a tasting in his 17th century cellar. His family has owned the winery since the 1800's. The wines were great. We then had dinner (and wine) in his house and it was sensational.

Phillip is a member of The Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (Fraternity of Knights of the Wine-Tasters' Cup), an exclusive fraternity of Burgundy wine connoisseurs. And he's proud of it!Read more
TravelerWhat a great experience. The food looks fabulous too.
6/13/23Reply
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Chamonix - Mont Blanc
June 13, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Today we enjoyed a simply stunning drive into and through the French Alps, with our destination being Chamonix, where the 1924 winter Olympics were held.

On the drive we were very close to Switzerland and had some good views of Lake Geneva.

Chamonix lies beneath Mont-Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe, 4810m high. Mt. Kosciusko is only 2228m.

The Arve River runs through it and is fed by the glaciers of the Mont-Blanc valley, but mainly from the Mer de Glace (glacier).

When we arrived, Mont-Blanc was covered in clouds, so we abandoned plans to go up in the gondola to the Aguille du Midi, a viewpoint only 1000m lower, not that Debbie seemed overly disappointed. Instead, we went up in the train to the Mer de Glace, which gave us great views.Read more
TravelerClouds and mountains are never a good combination. Good choice of alternative.
6/16/23Reply
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
Mer de Glace
June 13, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
A 'petit train' takes you up to Montenvers, 1913m high, where there are views of the Mer de Glace. The glacier is receding so it was a long walk to it after catching a gondola, so we spent some time walking around, until the rain got heavy, so we caught the train back down to Chamonix.Read more
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La Cabane des Praz
June 13, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
For dinner tonight, we drove into the nearby hills to the La Cabane des Praz, a log cabin restaurant with great views of the golf course and mountain peaks. The dinner was pretty good - you were given sauces and thin slices of duck, beef and chicken, which you cooked on a grill plate. Dessert was a creme broulee (of course) and I chose snails with garlic butter for entree. First time I had tried them and they were surprisingly good!Read more
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
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Mont-Blanc
June 14, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
We woke up this morning, opened the curtains and there it was - Mont-Blanc had appeared in beautiful sunshine!! It was a 'wow' moment.

Spectacular is an understatement. We weren't leaving until 11:00am so we had plenty of time to walk around Chamonix and enjoy the sights.Read more
Traveler I’m finally catching up with your days. Have been busy getting ready for a Sydney-Fingal Bay-Melbourne jaunt for a couple of weeks. Making Mum a birthday present. In Sydney with Em for the weekend. Going in to see Vivid tonight.
6/16/23Reply
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
Annecy
June 14, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
If yesterdays drive was stunningly spectacular, then today's was even more so, as we made our way through the valleys of the French Alps to Annecy. A cloudless blue sky made it very special. It is a beautiful part of the world.

Lying beneath the Alps and beside Lake Annecy, Annecy features cobblestone streets and numerous canals running through the old part of the town. It is a spectacular place.Read more
TravelerWe thought it one of the most beautiful placed we have ever visited.
6/15/23Reply
TravelerMmmm I can feel through your photos just how relaxed you are.
6/16/23Reply
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Grand Tour of Europe - 2023 Traveler
Grenoble
June 14, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
We spent the night in Grenoble as we make our way towards Nice and Monaco. Once again, this was a spectacular drive.

Grenoble was the venue for the 1968 winter Olympics. It was
heavily bombed by the Germans in WWII, so much of it has been rebuilt since the 1950's.

The park opposite our hotel had war memorials and also memorials for members of the French Resistance in WWII as well as French victims of the holocaust.Read more
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Napoleonic Road
June 15, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Ww left Grenoble and travelled to Nice on the 200 mile long Napoleonic Road.

This is the route Napoleon and his supporters took as they marched from his landing point near Cannes to Grenoble, on his way back to Paris after his escape from exile on Elba in 1815.

It is yet another spectacular drive through the alps and valleys, with many hilltop towns along the way.Read more
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Nice
June 15, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
We arrived in Nice, on the Cote d'Azur this afternoon. Our hotel faces the beach and the Mediterranean.

There has been a settlement at Nice since 400B.C. It is the second oldest town in France, with Marseille the oldest. Much of the 'old town' of Nice dates from the 14th-16th centuries.

Nice was part of Italy until 1860, when it was ceded to France. It retains a predominantly Italian feel, or 'nicoise', the name given to its local culture.

We went for a walk in the old town where we had tea and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the narrow streets and squares which were crammed with people.Read more
Traveler Yum!
6/15/23Reply
Traveler Look good don't they! We were tempted but resisted.
6/15/23Reply
TravelerWhy!!!
6/15/23Reply
TravelerWe couldn't find the shop again. A good thing we couldn't, they were $11.00 Australian each.
6/15/23Reply
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