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Europe 2019
  • Sandra strongman
  • Peter Bowman

Europe 2019

August 2019 Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 6, 2019
    Europe 2019

    Getting Ready 14 Sleeps

    July 17, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    Hi everyone,
    So we are off on our Europe trip and we are just a little bit excited! So Pete thinks it’s too early to pack so the pile in the lounge room is growing. We take off on the 1st August and I will start the real blog then. Stay tuned for our new adventures!Read more

  • Europe 2019

    Countdown continues

    July 25, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    So there are now only 7 sleeps and I am packed and ready to go! What are we waiting for........ oh that’s right for Pete to pack. Sending this out to people on our mailing list to check it works for everyone. If you like it or leave a comment it will appear in the book I print at the end. Next update will be at the airport!Read more

  • Europe 2019

    Some plans dont run to plan!

    August 2, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Ok, so in the scheme of things we should be landing in Abu Dhabi and starting the holiday, but that was not to be. On Monday night I developed a blocked bowel and ended up in Bendigo Hospital for three days. Thank fully it resolved with conservative treatment and we didn’t have to cancel the trip, just delay the start.
    So now we leave the 6th August and return the 11th September. We moved our flights round and now are going to London at the end of the trip rather than the start.
    Been a bit messy changing things and Pete was close to throwing in the towel but back on track now, just going to spend a few days recovering and then start our trip Tuesday, so next post will be from the airport lounge 😉😉😉    Read more

  • Europe 2019
    Amanda crying (laughing) as we leaveSparkling to celebrate plus aspirin!,

    Setting Off

    August 6, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Finally the time had come for us to set off, Pete had been a bit concerned that we were not going to be able to go, but we had a bit of a delay but off we go. Amanda and Wayne arrived nice and early to pick us up and take us to the station for the 1st leg of the trip Castlemaine to Sunbury. Amanda did run along the platform and wave us off and it was an hilarious way to start the trip. When we got to Sunbury we caught a public bus that dropped us off right at the airport, so easy and only cost us $16.00 for two to get there! And that included the bus and train.

    We had Etihad lounge passes so the time passed very quickly and pleasantly.    Read more

  • Europe 2019
    First drink in Amsterdam

    Amsterdam On Arrival

    August 7, 2019 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    So we arrived! After 22 hours in a plane with a three hour stopover in Abu Dhabi we were more than happy to finally be off the plane. It took over an hour for our luggage to come from the plane and we were a bit worried it was never coming. We managed to find the train at the airport and headed off to the centre of town. We worked out the tram we needed and finally made it to our hotel. I was amazed we managed all that with minimal sleep and minimal fuss! The room is very small and is located in the courtyard in the back of the hotel, but it is clean, quiet and the location is great.

    We realised that is was 7:00 at night and so we headed out for dinner and a wander around. We were pretty much exhausted so didn’t last long, but we both love the buildings and atmosphere. Ready for exploring in the morning.    Read more

  • Europe 2019
    Our hotel
    Cheese heaven1

    A Day In Amsterdam

    August 8, 2019 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We woke up refreshed and ready for a new day of exploring. This is a beautiful city and you could spend days just walking around looking at the amazing buildings.

    We first went on a quest to find coffee! Our first stop didn’t live up to Pete’s expectation so we continued on till we found a small cafe that had great coffee and amazing food. Happy and full we set off to explore. We just kept walking and found a flower market that had sooooo many bulbs and plants so I was in heaven. We tried cheese in a shop dedicated to cheese and I was in seventh heaven. Jumped on a barge and did a canal tour during which we spied a market which we then tried to find on foot. Lucky Pete is good with direction, I would have had us walking in circles or in the wrong direction. Think we are on a but of a food tour too with a couple of stops to fill our faces on Dutch pancakes, croquettes and meatballs. Oh beer too of course.

    Made it back to the hotel after a walk through Vondelpark to revive before we head out to find the red light district and maybe a coffee shop!    Read more

  • Europe 2019
    Last dinner in Amsterdam
    View of the harbour from the station2View from our room in ParisTime Sculpture1Enjoying our balcony. Cheers

    And so onto Paris

    August 9, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Our last night spent in Amsterdam we walked the Red Light District and was amazed at how many people there were. Had dinner overlooking the canal and wandered through the streets. Such an amazing place, very relaxed and we didn’t experience any negative vibes as we had been warned there might be pick pockets etc. As we walked back we went into a Coffee Shop frequented by the locals and experienced some of the local culture and Pete experienced some of the local coffee specials 😉😉. We both agree that Amsterdam is somewhere we could return and spend more time exploring.

    In the morning we had an early start and we headed to the station for our first international train trip. We had bought a second hand bike lock at a market so when we boarded the train we locked our luggage to the storage unit and didn’t have to worry about it going missing. We were in a first class compartment with free wifi and seats with heaps of room. An easy trip from Amsterdam to Paris. The tricky bit was then navigating the Metro with our luggage. My arm muscles were screaming as we carried our bags up lots of stairs, but we made it! It was raining slightly when we got out of the station but we made it to our hotel with minimal fuss.

    It absolutely poured down as we walked to find food and coffee and so we were forced to stop for a glass of wine to wait out the storm. Found some food and then Pete headed out to explore and I went out to find the wine, bread and cheese. As always had to buy the glasses, a bottle opener and knife, but it was worth it! Tonight we will walk the streets looking for a bistro for dinner and an early night before we head out tomorrow for the next big adventure!    Read more

  • Europe 2019

    A day exploring Paris

    August 10, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    After a great nights sleep we got ready to go off exploring for the day. We had a Hop on Hop off bus ticket so we made our way to the bus stop, after coffee of course and a croissant or two! Stopped at the Sacre Coeur and walked up the steps to a magnificent building and view. Who needs to go up the Eiffel Tower??

    Back on the bus and past the Opera House, The Louvre and the magnificent grounds. Then we hopped off the bus and started the walk up the Champs Élysées. We wanted to go to a museum or gallery but lesson learnt you need to pre book your tickets. We did come across the Petite Palace where there was an exhibition. Entry was free and there was not a line or a crowd. Hidden treasure. Then walked across the bridge over the Seine and stopped on the banks for a quick lunch of a delicious pizza and a glass of wine.

    We then continued our walk up to the Arc de Triomphe and then we caught a train on the metro and made our way back to the hotel, totally worn out.

    A short nap and now we are off to dinner and the late night show at Moulin Rouge.    Read more

  • Europe 2019
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    A Night To Remember

    August 10, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After a much needed nana nap we headed out to dinner, which was great and so was the cocktail! We then stood in line, just for something different at Moulin Rouge. We were taken to our seats and somehow ended up front row with a bottle of champagne. The show was fantastic and will be something Pete will never forget. Who said we are old?? Got home at 2 after an amazing night😍😍Read more

  • Europe 2019
    11

    Paris The Beautiful City

    August 11, 2019 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    After our late night at Moulin Rouge we still managed to wake early and catch a bus to meet up with our Eiffel Tower tour. We wandered the gardens and made like tourists taking photos with the tower. Really is an amazing structure, but the people and the queues really make the experience hard work. But you can’t go to Paris and not see the tower. So with much trepidation I went up to the 2nd floor with Pete.staying well back from the edge and keeping my eyes on the horizon and I took in the amazing views. The best part for me - going down the stairs and getting on solid ground again!

    We managed to get tickets to Musée D’Orsay and so we made our way along the Seine River and spent a couple of hours wandering the Museum. Really love Monet and his paintings were amazing. So much to see and we are amazed at how worn out we get. We have mastered the Metro and so we made our way back to the hotel for a well earned break.

    For dinner we walked around till we found a great little bistro that served incredible French food for our last night in Paris.    Read more

  • Europe 2019

    Bordeaux Day 1

    August 12, 2019 in France ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    We woke up in Paris and with great sadness we got ready to move onto the next adventure. There is so much to see and do in Paris that we both agree it’s somewhere we would love to come back to. But on to Bordeaux. We caught our fast train which was super comfy and fast. Great way to travel. Pete says better than the plane!

    Arrived in Bordeaux and worked out the transit system and found our bnb, which is in a quiet neighbourhood in a 17th century apartment. Amazing building and a lovely hostess called Michelle.

    After settling in we headed out to explore and found our way to some of the sights in Bordeaux. We went to two art museums and tried to get in to a couple of things that were not open Monday’s, but we walked through some amazing parts of the old town. We were worn out, well our feet and calves were, so we headed back for a rest.

    Seems like the best way to do it as when we woke up we headed out for more exploring. Went to the mirror pools, which because of everyone walking in it wasn’t so much a mirror but still a beautiful building. Watched some line dancing, yes in Bordeaux and then wandered the old town until we found a dinner spot and then home. Really amazing how we are finding our way around without too much trouble! Google maps does help 😊😊    Read more

  • Europe 2019
    1

    Exploring Bordeaux

    August 13, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Definitely a beautiful place to stay and explore. We are pretty proud of ourselves managing to work out the public transport wherever we go. The weather is perfect and this morning we set off to the La Cite du Vin where we spent about three hours walking around this amazing museum of wine and wine making. The tour was topped off with a glass of wine on the eighth floor with an amazing view of the city. We then caught the ferry back to the old town and wandered around. Had some yummy lunch and then went to the Musee d’antiquities. Incredible that we have been to more museums in Europe than I have been in my whole life!

    Totally worn out we headed home for our siesta. Decided to stay local for dinner so we went to the local pizzeria and had an early night ready for the travel day tomorrow to Montpelier.    Read more

  • Europe 2019

    Travel to Montpelier

    August 14, 2019 in France ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    Our wonderful Air BnB host Michele offered to drive us to the station which really helped with the bags. She has been wonderful and her room is beautiful. We arrived early at the station, mainly because I would rather be there early and have a cafe and not have to rush or panic we might miss the train. Is working so far.

    The fast trains are an amazing way to travel and it’s a good way to relax after a couple of days of sightseeing.

    We arrived in Montpelier early afternoon and our hotel was in walking distance to the station. Mind you our room was the size of a matchbox compared to our previous place, but it was clean and in a good location. We headed out to explore the old town and to have a glass of wine, of course and some crepes which were yum. We found an old church that was amazing inside and in need of renovation. So much history to these towns. Pete found another musee that was in an old house which he explored while I rested my weary feet.

    I had a craving for pomme frittes (chips) and Pete found me some. We wandered home as I had had enough. Pete was going to go out again, but was soon settled in beside me asleep. I don’t think one night stays are worth it as you don’t really get a chance to explore. Tomorrow it’s on to Nice.    Read more

  • Europe 2019
    Marseille
    11View from our room in Nice11

    Nice - I'm in Love

    August 15, 2019 in France ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    After a reasonable nights sleep in the shoe box we made our way to the station. We had breakfast in a park, with a group of homeless people circling us for smokes. No luck with us. It is amazing how many homeless people we have seen in France, and makes me think how incredibly lucky we are to be able to live our life as we are.

    The train was once again fast and got us to Marseille where we had a three hour stopover. We stored our luggage and went to find somewhere for a glass of wine, of course! A truly beautiful town that has a beautiful port and looks like it would be great to explore! Maybe next time 😉😉

    Onto Nice where our Air BnB turned out to be amazing and our hosts were lovely and helpful, giving up their room so we could stay for two night! We dumped our bags and headed off to find the beach, which was beautiful. We found a place on the beach to sit and sip our drinks and watch the amazing fireworks they had arranged on our behalf, obviously!

    Wandered back along the streets and had a kebab as we walked. A very relaxing and pleasant city that we will explore tomorrow.    Read more

  • Europe 2019
    Our BnB
    Nice cheeks!Picnic on the beach

    A Day Exploring Nice

    August 16, 2019 in France ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Had a wonderful nights sleep and breakfast was provided by our hosts Gerard and Madeline. We then set off to explore. It is the most beautiful city with amazing buildings, parks and statues. And of course the beach. We found a street market where we found our food for our picnic on the beach to watch the sunset.

    We found a cafe where we sat upstairs for quite a long time people watching and just enjoying the atmosphere. We did more walking, eating and drinking and then headed back for our siesta!

    Headed out to the beach, not the white sand beaches we are used too. It was quite stony, but one benefit, no sand in your bathers. Though the stones are a bit tough on our soft feet so looks like ref booties will be acquired. Ooooh more to carry 😂😂

    We had a picnic after our swim in the azure blue ocean. What better way to end our last night in France than with a bottle of Rose, bread, cheese and olives. Yum!

    We ended the night at a wine bar where we enjoyed live music and a couple of drinks. Was our Friday night Guildford Grumpies night and a great way to finish our stay in Nice. Returned to our BnB giggling like teenagers trying not to wake everyone up. Early start tomorrow and 4 trains and we will be in Florence!    Read more

  • Europe 2019
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    On to Italy

    August 17, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    A full on day of train travel today, with us sadly leaving Nice at 7:40am. Then onto Milan where we ended up have a burger at Burger King as we didn’t have enough time to leave the station for real food! The trains were amazing and we had business class which gave us free snacks and drinks! After a long day on trains we finally arrived in Florence at 5.00pm and had no internet, which meant no Google maps to find our way! Lesson learnt - download map when you have wifi so you can use it offline!, so thank goodness for MacDonalds where you get free wifi eve if you don’t eat there! We downloaded our map and headed off for a 20 minute walk to our BnB which turned out to be lovely once we found it!

    We freshened up and then headed out to explore Florence albeit it briefly and wandered along and found the Ponte De Vecchio in time for the sunset. Found a great place for dinner and the wine was wonderful. Great finish to a tiring day.    Read more

  • Europe 2019
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    Getting to San Gimignano

    August 18, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    So what a drama!! We had paid for a hire car to pick up in Florence from Hertz. After finally finding the office, we waited and waited to be served. Finally we were told to go across the road to pick up the car. Ha ha that was a joke. We wanted to change the driver to me and all of a sudden we were told they would not honour our reservation. So here we were in Florence with no way of getting to our next stop. So I said to Pete, no stress it’s part of the adventure 😂😂😂

    We ended up at Budget, with the same paperwork and within 10 minutes we were on our way with a car. Lesson - don’t hire with Hertz, absolutely no customer care and would not help!

    Anyway we got over that eventually and found our way back to the BnB and picked up our luggage and set off for San Gimi. My favourite place! The driving was pretty good, I just need help remembering my left and right. Pretty important when driving on the other side of the road!

    Our BnB is amazing and we spent some time exploring San Gimi till the heat got to me and also the drive i think. We went back to the BnB with our snacks and had a swim and a yummy dinner. So nice to be in the county side!    Read more

  • Europe 2019
    111

    Tuscany

    August 19, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    The weather is amazing as is the location. Truly spoilt in this beautiful place.

    In the morning we went and found a laundry and washed our ever growing bag of dirty clothes, bought some food and then headed off in the car for an adventure.

    We headed to Cecina which is on the coast going through amazing villages and fantastic scenery. Arrived at Cecina and it was not the quiet little town I remembered! Firstly we found an Italian Aldi store which was amazing. Found a couple of beach towels and bits and pieces, then headed down to the beach. Absolutely packed beaches with umbrellas as far as the eye can see.

    We then drove on down the coast to San Vincenzo where we were looking forward to a seafood pasta, but no luck we arrived too late and the kitchen was closed, so we shared a kebab instead!

    On we drove and that’s when the fun began! We only had offline Google maps that had trouble keeping track of where we were. We found a gorgeous village called Rocca Strada which had lots of housed built into the side of the rock with narrow windy streets. Best part was we were the only tourists there!

    On we drove heading for Siena, where we took so many wrong turns and one time ended up going under a bridge that we were supposed to be going over! No we didn’t kill each other but it was getting pretty tense and in the ended we skipped stopping in Siena and we both agreed never again without a online map!

    Drove on and muddled our way back to San Gimi where we stopped finally at a local Pizzeria as Pete was desperate for an Italian pizza and I had seafood risotto to make up for missing out during the day. We were happy to finally be at home and we will remember the adventure of getting lost in Tuscany for years to come! Pete finished the day with Limoncello!    Read more

  • Europe 2019

    Taxi, taxi

    August 20, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Up sort of early and the Taxi driver set off for Pisa! Good navigation got us into the centre of Pisa and parked. We walked through the streets, having to stop for a refreshment, as it was hot, hot! We found the tower and of course Pete had to try to push it over, while everyone else was trying to hold it up!

    After looking at all the incredible buildings we headed off for beach nearby for a swim. Soooo many people but it was still great to have a swim, but too hot to sit on the beach for too long. It was amazing seeing the mountains in the distance while standing in the water.

    Then we set off again and went to Lucca, a walled city where we wandered around, we have done a lot of that, oh and also had to have some refreshments too!

    We finally returned home and we made a platter for our last night in San Gimignano. Off to Venice tomorrow.    Read more

  • Europe 2019

    Onto Venice

    August 21, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    After a lovely breakfast on the terrace we headed off in the car back to Florence to drop off the hire car.it was an easy drive with Google maps until we realised our offline map had sent us to a bridge that was closed! Lucky we had internet so we quickly recalculated and managed to get the car back with incurring any traffic fines, we hope.

    Made it onto our train and had a relaxing couple of hours speeding towards Venice. When we arrived the clever accommodation booker (Pete) had found us a hotel that only had one bridge to climb to reach our hotel. Mind you we had four flights of narrow stairs to make it to our room, but the lovely staff carried our bags for us.

    After a quick refresh we headed out to explore Venice and marvel at the beautiful buildings and canals. We were going to do a go dale ride but 100 euros about $180 made us think twice. Still we found a lovely place to stop for refreshments, but had some pretty average food. We went back for our afternoon siesta which was much needed!

    We decided to stay close to the hotel for dinner and found a lovely little restaurant on a canal. Weather was a bit cooler with quite a bit of wind, but quite refreshing after the previous hot days. Sooooo many tourists it makes it hard to walk the streets during the day but easier at night so we did more wandering until we were well and truly exhausted. More exploring tomorrow.    Read more

  • Europe 2019
    21

    Beautiful Venice

    August 22, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    It’s raining in Venice! After a slow start to the morning we headed off to use our hop on hop off water bus pass. It was much cooler today which was great for walking around. Our first stop is St Marks! So many people. We ended up getting tickets to explore the Doges Palace and only had a short wait to get in. Absolutely fantastic and the history was amazing. We spent about two hours wandering through the palace and then the Bridge of Sighs which led to the prison area.

    When we finished we were going to wander around but there were way too many people so we jumped back on the bus and went to Murano. It is a beautiful place and much quieter and less tourists. Interesting that some shops had signs saying not Chinese glass, which it wasn’t and it would have been a shame to destroy the local industry with Chinese imports.

    Had a yummy pizza on a canal and then looked at the many shops with amazing glass sculptures and jewellery. I was lucky and got a pair of Murano glass earrings. The ride back passed some beautiful buildings and sights!

    We got back to the start and then found a little bar for the expected refreshments and then we found a wonderful little restaurant where Pete says he had the best Seafood pasta ever! We shared some yum mussels and made short work of the bowl!

    Walked home after Pete had the best Tiramisu ever! We are off to Rome tomorrow.    Read more

  • Europe 2019
    View from our hotel

    On to Roma!

    August 23, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After a lovely relaxed morning we said goodbye to Venice, we probably could have had another day here but there is always next time! I am going to learn Italian when we get home as it would make life much easier and I love Italy❤️.

    We boarded our train and once again had a relaxing trip with table service and free water, drinks and snacks! Very civilised.

    On arrival in Rome we were hit with two things - millions of people and the heat! After a bit of research we hopped on a local bus and found our hotel which was a lovely hotel with a big room. Had a brief rest then it was out to explore. We found the Spanish Steps and the Trevi fountain, which considering the heat and people was amazing.

    One thing about Rome everywhere you look there is history, beautiful buildings, fountains, statues and gardens. Back to the hotel for dinner and an early night to build up our strength for a full day tomorrow!    Read more

  • Europe 2019

    A Day in Rome - A Test of Endurance!

    August 24, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Ok so off we set after a great breakfast in the hotel, even had scrambled eggs, a bit upmarket for our travel, but this hotel was booked by the travel agent so we certainly paid for it!!

    Firstly we ended up at something similar to our Shrine, which was a monument to an unknown soldier. The polizia were everywhere making sure you didn’t sit on the steps or the side of fountains. I didn’t want to sit on the edge I wanted to jump in to cool down, but alas that is forbidden. We continued our exploration and finally found the Panthenon which was open and free to explore. What an absolutely stunning building. We listened to an audio that talked about the history of the building and I marvel at how they got the massive slabs of stone and marble into these buildings. Incredible architecture. We stopped after this visit to sample a cold Sangria before moving on to the next place.

    We found the Piazza Navona which has three fountains and is beautiful square with lots of restaurants and bars. Again I was tempted to jump in a fountain but again the fun police were not cooperating.

    We found an exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s work and models built from his many drawings, what an amazing man. Must admit I didn’t realise the extent of his brilliance.

    We stopped for lunch in a small square where there was a market and enjoyed the misting fans. I was tempted to spend the rest of the day there, but no we were on a mission. We had a tour booked at 3.00 and had to meet the group at the Piazza Colosseum, and so we figured out the bus and the directions (well Pete actually!) if I did it we would still be lost!

    The heat was stifling as there had been a small rain shower which I happily stood in, but that made the heat even worse. Pete was worried I was going to explode I was so red in the face, but 5 bottles of water, and numerous stops in the shade and we made it around Palantine Hill, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum and it was amazing and worth the struggle. There were a few times (I must admit) that I thought I have seen all this before I will wait in a bar, but I’m glad I stayed with Pete and we got to see these things together. So much history it is hard to take in that some of these things are 2000 years old.

    Everywhere you look there is something historical to see from old viaducts to incredible churches.

    After a really full day we made it back to our hotel and decided to go up to a bar for a drink before going to the room to get ready to go out for dinner. Turned into three drinks and lasagne and salad because we were too exhausted to move. Then back to the hotel for dessert and a nightcap before we fell exhausted but happy into bed! Ah Roma!    Read more

  • Europe 2019
    Last Train
    Entrance to our apartment

    Now to Naples

    August 25, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We had a few hours in the morning before our train so we went to a Museum nearby that housed an exhibition of vintage clothing and decor. Then we wandered around seeing more historical buildings and having coffee and pastries of course!

    Our last train trip on our Eurail pass is to Naples. We would definitely use trains again as it’s been great. After a relaxing trip we arrived in Naples, worked out how to use the local trains and headed to Torre Annunziata where we had a fantastic Air BnB apartment. While we were on the local train a group of young guys hopped on in high spirits. They started talking to us and distracted us so that we missed our stop, we got off at the next stop and it just meant a bit further to walk as we couldn’t find a taxi.

    We had a rest and then headed to a supermarket to buy supplies and then we made our way down to the beach, finding a restaurant with a great view and good food.    Read more

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