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Europe 101

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  • out and aboutEurope 101Traveler

    Avignon

    May 24, 2016 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Well we came via TGV & local train( they don't tell you when a train has been cancelled so you have to watch carefully!). Walked around town took some snaps of significant buildings and churches , Pont and bought gifts and posted a box home . Ate dinner by the Pont which was lovely .Read more

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    Lyon France

    May 26, 2016 in France ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Just as well we were early for the train trip to Lyon. No train but there was going to be an earlier bus and we got that. The driver was a cold mid forties guy, very abrupt. Caught our connection TGV train.Our map of Lyon left a lot to be desired. We walked forever it seemed, luckily a lovely older French couple passing by gave us directions.After an hour we got there.A room across a small courtyard, It rained a bit but mostly when we were in the Musee des beaux arts. I guess we spent 3 hours in there!!! Lots of beautiful paintings, antiquities from Egypt, Greece. So tired of walking. However we searched for somewhere to eat dinner... Near the hotel I decided on one lovely pizza and a salmon salad and beer Grimmbergen. No internet at all .Read more

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    Geneva To Montreaux

    May 26, 2016 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Regional train to Geneva. The lake is spectacular, with Mont Blanc in the far distance and many other peaks iced with the remnants of a winter snow. Walked along the waterside in a park toget to the Botanic Gardens . Decided to have our picnic lunch looking across the lake on a park seat . Amazing.... We saw squirrels running around us mostly on the oak tree in front. I threw some bread crumbs and they ate them on the tree! We then went to the gardens seeing beautiful protected Swiss plants and ventured into their glass houses. Many plants in them we have here some in our own garden at home. We had locked our big bags at the Geneva railway station.Read more

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    Montreaux

    May 26, 2016 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Woke to a sunny day but the lake is misted over at the omens and on the waterfront there are stalls being set up..We went on the "paddle steamer" Vevey from Montreaux to Chateau Chillon 13C . We then travelled again on the boat across the lake to the French side but didn't get off . We got off again at the Swiss town of Vevey, where we had lunch with a great view.A really warm day 25C only cool in the shade of trees or on the middle of the lake .We were able to travel on & off all day so we went back to Chillon to walk along the lakefront to Montreaux our start point. We saw a funicular type train going up the Hillsong we investigated this: it was great we rose about 500m to a village of a few houses & a hotel. Took a snap& came back down to walk to the hotel.Read more

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    Montreaux -Lausanne- Beaune

    May 28, 2016 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Caught train to Lausanne at 10. Lausanne a large town by the lake which holds the Olympic museum. We walked up the hill to the old town, took photos of a cathedral and city scape views. We bought lunch food- tomatoes , lettuce, bread and a chicken ( was v expensive -12 Swiss francs. I spent all our cash. Had lunch in a park on the way yo the botanic gardens. Some pretty plants in a tiny garden but it did have cute green striped frogs! It was a really warm day after the rain had stopped when we left Montreaux. Now very warm as we found our way the the Olympic Museum. It was worth the money, a great interactive centre. Uniforms of old and new, history of Olympics, the torches and how the flame in them has changed - now butane gas fed. The medals of each country .Equipment samples eg luge, bicycle from velodrome. On way back up the hill ( from lakefront) we saw a group of protesters S photographed. We stopped in a cafe for a Swiss Pure Blonde beer( comes in a bottle with a stopper)& piece of berry crumble to share. We had used the railway locker for our big bags & now we needed them for the trip to Beaune, our destination for the next 2 days. Train change at Dijon from TGV, & passport checked by the Swiss, then regional train to Beaune.Arrived at9:20 & it began to pour!!! I helped a mum with a little baby in pram with all the ups and downs of the station stairs. Then we put on our wet weather gear & searched for the hotel which S had directions for asking a hotelier and shop keeper on the way. Arrived like drenched rats!! The streets were flooding.Stephen has hung a clothes line up for the wet stuff as there is an air conditioner we can use to dry them. Not sure what we will be able to do tomorrow!!! Maybe wine tasting!!!Read more

  • out and aboutEurope 101Traveler

    Beaune

    May 29, 2016 in France ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Beaune
    Subject
    Today was wet at the start, we walked to the office of tourism after breakfast, which was quite good- the usual cornflakes fruits, croissants and bread with ham & cheese plus coffee. We booked into a $ 62 euro Wine tour at 4;30. We then then walked around the city walls Batements in sprinkling rain. After we went into the Wine museum which was very interesting . , esp if you read French! After we had lunch back at the hotel because it was raining again I needed a toilet. After this we went to the hospices , Hotel dieu. This as really good but disappointing that we could not see the first floor. Lots of photos nevertheless. We arrived to our wine tasting tour only to find that the guide for whatever reason had cancelled . The woman at the tourist office was quite apologetic , we had a choice of tomorrow or book with another agent at a more expensive price. This we chose and we weren't really disappointed- it was very informative of the region, the faults ( geological) and resulting soil types - these produce d quite extensively different grapes . Notably the area is a Chardonnay and Pinot noir region on Beaune . We tasted some lovely whites and not so good ( in my opinion) reds. We bought 2 however 1 was 30euro + tax & the othe under 30 euro€+ tax. Came back to Beaune & had a nice 4 course meal at restaurant Dame Tartine .Read more

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    Dijon ville

    May 30, 2016 in France ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Arrived from Beaune in rain , not too bad. Disappointed with this town- very little to see. Palace of Duc is now the museum of beaux arts. However under massive renovations and all art gone, apart from paintings of 14-15C and up to 18C for weapons., religious paintings and articles .It was raining heavily enough for umbrellas . We had lunch in a cafe and went to a shop like DJ's and I bought a hat. Came back to the small hotel room and watched French news. They have
    had massive rain some flooding and Paris is drowning in garbage- strikes.    Read more

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    Metz

    May 31, 2016 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Metz is a big Town with some historical features remaining from the 13C. The Porte des Allemands ( door of the Germans). & 15C bastions . WWII destroyed much of the old . Metz is a quaint bustling city. We arrived at 3 pm having travelled on TGV to Nancy then a gional to Metz. The hotel is small but opposite the magnificent railway station & our room is at the back so hopefully much quieter. We had a bite to eat on the trains so when we came we headed out soon. While in the old part we saw a draft horse pulling a carriage & we went for a ride. Poobah was 5 yrs old and weighed 1000kg. A beautiful horse It stopped raining so we went out again and this time to the Moselle river and there we saw swans feeding..We passed a lovely garden with fountain next to the Armory and a lovely purple shrub with pink flowers. Then we went to the place republique for dinner somewhere. We decided on an English pub- Windsor , of course French ,& had burgers with beers & a cafe gourmand- a dessert of: chocolate peppermint glacé, raspberry could span na cotta ( overdone), crime brûlée& fresh fruit--- a mini version with an espresso!Read more

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    Luxembourg

    June 1, 2016 in Luxembourg ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Well after a cancelled rail journey( 9:18) to leave at 13:33 ( real 13:40) and what should have been 45 min , we arrived at Luxembourg at 15:00 . Rail info not good- unknown whether we can get to Aachen on our booked tickets , .So the hotel has a nice layout. We then walked to the casements Bloch& it was open until 8 pm - great !S was very keen to visit these& only 8€ for 2 of us . It was interesting. Raining now, quite heavily. Took dome nice photos. We hadn't had any lunch except some mccas chips & coffee hours before, so on our way through the Grund, a UNESCO area there was a pub-- Scott's pub so in we went.... 1 pizza later & 6 beers later( it was happy hour & the guy got our order wrong so instead of 1 Guiness& 1 German we got double) & that was after our first beers!!! We managed!! Walked back to hotel , there were road stoppages because of a cycling event( in the pouring rain) got our rail tickets & visited station for an update. No luck so far, have to go there tomorrow before 7 am. We are looking forward to visiting Deborah and family!,,,,,Read more

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    Aachen

    June 3, 2016 in Belgium ⋅ 🌫 14 °C

    Luxembourg to Aachen
    Major dramas with trains. Staff very helpful at station. We got an official paper re : train strike Belgium so we were able to travel via Germany o Aachen. We haven't had to buy another ticket so far. Nawawext stop was Kolbenz Hbf butt rain was delayed and we missed the connecting train for Cologne. Another official paper & 1 hour later we are back on a train IC one., first stop Koln (Cologne). Stephen called Deborah& explained. Hopefully next connection will occur smoothly. What we have seen through the train Windows is mostly lovely green countryside, lots of terraced vineyards on the hillsides. Oh yes we saw a group of deer in a field - cream with tan markings. The rivers are almost overflowing their banks from all the recent rains. Very grey cloudy skies ,now passing river barges on churning water.After a quick rail chane at Cologne , 2 min to spare we left for Aachen. Deborah& Emelian were there to meet us!She took us to our apartment , we dumped our gear and we drove to park .We then walked around the town with Deborah as guide.We then had drinks at a cafe & stopped at their place to get the cake. She drove us to meet her parents in The Netherlands for afternoon tea, which was lovely. Renee had stayed here in high school on exchange when she was 16. It was pouring with rain when we left for Deborah's apartment and she made a delicious asparagus soup and a tart followed by yummy strawberries in mars alone, cream with vanilla bean. We had a lovely time meeting Andie& we walked back to the apartment at 10:40.Lovely apartment , a shame we didn't get to use its facilities- kitchenette. Deborah and Emelian met us at 9:30 & we drove to a nice cafe for brunch- I wasn't so impressed with my choice and my soft boiled egg was hard. S had smoked salmon. Afterwards we went back to the car which was at Emelian's dad's parents house. We left E there and Deborah walked us back into Aachen. We went to see the memorabilia in the treasury- gold religious articles and vessels, Royal and papist clothing, some paintings. It is all gelcap within a steel door vault. We then went inside the Aachen Cathedral which commissioned by Charlamagne in the 8 C . It was added onto afterwards as well but it was a moorish structure and 8sided. Very colourful with its tiled ceilings and marbled pillars and patterned floors.We went for a coffee and cake- I had a gooseberry tart with almond in meringue on top and a pastry base- ice cream. Not too sweet! Stephen had a chocolate dessert. We walked back to Deborah's home & put our washing in her dryer. Not long after she neede to go and pick up E. Andie has come home.Read more

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    Dresden

    June 4, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Dresden
    Arrived after a very long bus trip at 6:25 am. Dusseldorf train went fine but the us was late(25 min) & it didn't stop in its allotted place so we had to race for it. Then the drivers wouldn't let us take our day packs on board- I unloaded food, iPad , phone in black purse& S brought the water bottles. After we saw others with bags bigger on board. How annoying. Not much sleep. Early walk around, found hotel& left big bags. Had breakfast in a cafe attached to the Hilton.so toilets were free. Went to markets - all pottery& bought 2 small things then raced for our boat trip- 2+ hours. Very pleasant with a local beer.
    Musical festival on today/ night so I think dinner will be taken care of.
    After a nap and shower we headed off for something to do- S was keen to go to the Grosse Garden. This was quite a walk but worth the effort. Lovely huge trees around grassy areas and a palace where a wedding was occurring. There was a large fountain of course in a long rectangular pool , a huge double driveway leading to the palace from the road. We wandered further and in the garden 2 small trains ran. A cafe also was there & we ate spicy chicken wings & not so nice fish n chips with a drink,- the sign was on the beer handle but we didn't get beer but a strawberry drink. On the way back to the old town we saw 2 squirrels - reddy brown ones, and 2 cute birds. In the old town there were still musicians playing their brass instruments. We had a coffee & the girl didn't offer me the change so I guess she got a tip. Tonight we have a bottle of wine to drink from Beaune France because Stephen doesn't want to take it any further in his pack. We will try and sleep in before our train trip(which is short) to Bac Schandau for next week's walk in Saxony.    Read more

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    ... in Bad Schandau

    June 5, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Arrived near midday in lovely warm weather. Train trip was easy from Dresden and then a ferry across the Elbe R. The hotel is nicely placed on river front . Noise from trains could be an issue from the freight trains , we will see. Complimentary drink. We then went looking for where a bakery could. Be found for Monday so we can take lunch food. All shut today, only cafes, restaurants open here on Sundays. We then went to a historic tower and went up the lift to a nice forestry walk and a great viewing platform was there to take nice photos of the township. Walked further up to a nice view of a distant hillside possibly in the national park and then we had a cool beer. We descended in the lift and walked to the river through a park and on to the church which looked interesting and a fountain. Then the rain came down & we waited a while before putting on our jackets and came back to the hotel to go to our room with the bags that had been stored. Looked at the info pack for our walk and checked out the map too. Time to pack our day packs for tomorrow's first walk to Kurort Rathen.Read more

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    Bad Schandau to Rathen

    June 6, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Bad Schandau to Rathen
    After a sumptuous breakfast of muesli, scrambled eggs, cheese, fruits and croissant we left the hotel but was just raining. Umbrella up and zipped off pant legs ,we were off. A steep climb and the sun reappeared so we were sweating madly. Great views from the Galgenberg plateau where wheat & some kind of beans were growing. Walked to a great view from a restaurant/ pension at Brand where we had a dark beer each.Walked through forests to an area for lunch called Gautschgrotte , shady sandstone rocks all around us. This is abseiling country .Instructions were a little confusing when we arrived at Hohnstein and after searching we eventually found the green on white marker. We had a lovely day with all the green moss, lots of fungi ,very tall straight trees. Got a bit confused by incorrect literature but some girls were going our way and together we matched up the map to our route. Climbed a metal staircase between cliffs to a nice view across to Hohnstein and its castle at mount Hockstein before descending into the forest again & to a lake called Aselsee, followed this to Rathen and our accommodation . Walked to shops and the ferry , had icecreams.Dinner to have in the hotel restaurant tonight after our 17 km walk.Read more

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    Rathen to Könighstein

    June 8, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Bad Schandau to Rathen
    After a sumptuous breakfast of muesli, scrambled eggs, cheese, fruits and croissant we left the hotel but was just raining. Umbrella up and zipped off pant legs ,we were off. A steep climb and the sun reappeared so we were sweating madly. Great views from the Galgenberg plateau where wheat & some kind of beans were growing. Walked to a great view from a restaurant/ pension at Brand where we had a dark beer each.Walked through forests to an area for lunch called Gautschgrotte , shady sandstone rocks all around us. This is abseiling country .Instructions were a little confusing when we arrived at Hohnstein and after searching we eventually found the green on white marker. We had a lovely day with all the green moss, lots of fungi ,very tall straight trees. Got a bit confused by incorrect literature but some girls were going our way and together we matched up the map to our route. Climbed a metal staircase between cliffs to a nice view across to Hohnstein and its castle at mount Hockstein before descending into the forest again & to a lake called Aselsee, followed this to Rathen and our accommodation . Walked to shops and the ferry , had icecreams.Dinner to have in the hotel restaurant tonight after our 17 km walk.Read more

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    Köhnigstein to Görisch

    June 8, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Bad Schandau to Rathen
    After a sumptuous breakfast of muesli, scrambled eggs, cheese, fruits and croissant we left the hotel but was just raining. Umbrella up and zipped off pant legs ,we were off. A steep climb and the sun reappeared so we were sweating madly. Great views from the Galgenberg plateau where wheat & some kind of beans were growing. Walked to a great view from a restaurant/ pension at Brand where we had a dark beer each.Walked through forests to an area for lunch called Gautschgrotte , shady sandstone rocks all around us. This is abseiling country .Instructions were a little confusing when we arrived at Hohnstein and after searching we eventually found the green on white marker. We had a lovely day with all the green moss, lots of fungi ,very tall straight trees. Got a bit confused by incorrect literature but some girls were going our way and together we matched up the map to our route. Climbed a metal staircase between cliffs to a nice view across to Hohnstein and its castle at mount Hockstein before descending into the forest again & to a lake called Aselsee, followed this to Rathen and our accommodation . Walked to shops and the ferry , had icecreams.Dinner to have in the hotel restaurant tonight after our 17 km walk.Read more

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    Görisch to Krippen

    June 9, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Bad Schandau to Rathen
    After a sumptuous breakfast of muesli, scrambled eggs, cheese, fruits and croissant we left the hotel but was just raining. Umbrella up and zipped off pant legs ,we were off. A steep climb and the sun reappeared so we were sweating madly. Great views from the Galgenberg plateau where wheat & some kind of beans were growing. Walked to a great view from a restaurant/ pension at Brand where we had a dark beer each.Walked through forests to an area for lunch called Gautschgrotte , shady sandstone rocks all around us. This is abseiling country .Instructions were a little confusing when we arrived at Hohnstein and after searching we eventually found the green on white marker. We had a lovely day with all the green moss, lots of fungi ,very tall straight trees. Got a bit confused by incorrect literature but some girls were going our way and together we matched up the map to our route. Climbed a metal staircase between cliffs to a nice view across to Hohnstein and its castle at mount Hockstein before descending into the forest again & to a lake called Aselsee, followed this to Rathen and our accommodation . Walked to shops and the ferry , had icecreams.Dinner to have in the hotel restaurant tonight after our 17 km walk.Read more

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    Krippen

    June 10, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Hrensko to Pravcicka Brána

    Caught the train to Schona then the ferry across Elbe R to Hrensko (Czech Republic).
    We walked through the the town to get to the walk up (5km) to reach the Pravcicka Brána , natural arch of sandstone. A wonderful piece of nature with tables and chairs set up beneath it!!! With a cafe. A shame the pics show this . Many interesting lookouts to view Czechoslav republic, wonderful sandstone cliffs .It was a real climb, hot work so a beer cooled us down and the air temp was cool enough for me to need S's jumper. We then walked on through forests stopping now and then for photos until we reached Mezni Louka where we street walked on along a country road for a few kms until we got to Mezna. We then descended to the river, this was a knee ordeal(Edmundsklann). We thought we would be able to walk by he river all the way to Hensko. Ha! The walk description talked about taking a nice boat trip as an optional activity to the day. We were faced with choice of walking back umpteen kms or take the boat trip. The boat was a large plastic green punt driven by a pole. It was all very pleasant even though we had to wait. A beautiful gorge but not quite Australian standard ( dad thinks it was similar to Mt Wilson ).The driver made comments along the river, in German and Czeck, a pity for us .He played the harmonica which was a nice touch here and there. Lovely blue dragonflys were on the water and some pretty ducks ( purple necked- royal blue). At one place there was a carved statue , dragon, Saint but the funniest part was when we had seen a cable running up to the othe side high up.- the punt driver pulled on this as we passed and immediately a waterfall fell. We completed the trip in 20 mins and we were at Hrensko again. Waited for the ferry to cross the river Elbe so we could wait for the train back to Krippen. We spent a lot for ferry, boat and the arch. - about 21 € extra for the walk!!

    Walked to the small rockery store for yummies for later tonight. I forgot to turn my phone on so we don't know how far we walked! Route description said 15 km but we know we did more.
    Tomorrow is last day walking.    Read more

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    Krippen to Bad Schandau the long way

    June 11, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Well we started the day by taking the ferry across the river to Postelwitz a town up the road from Bad Schandau ( ~ 2.5km). After a short walk we reached a path to our left which was steep for a short time. We crossed a junction and climbed metal ladders etc to reach the Schrammstein . Fantastic views from this famous German lookout.Teenagers were sitting eating their morning tea blocking the tiny access to the best view point! Typical. Returned to a main path and followed the forest path .There were 2 options and only 1 was marked on the map ( yesterday only 1 was marked on the map!). We found a sign pointing towards the opt. Kuhstall. We were very glad we did! It was another natural arch of stone, the 2 nd largest. We had our lunch on the rock platform overlooking national parkland with enormous cliffs.It was a hefty climb up a solid metal staircase between the narrow rock crevasse( one person at a time only) . The trip down was easier - there was an alternative stone and timber route!!! It was good to be able to do both. The crazy walk description mentioned often " just a few steps" .There were a hundred steps to be sure,taking us down to the forest floor. Once we'd left the Cow Barn ( Kuhstall ) we followed a path to Lichtenhainer waterfall. What a disappointment - it was so small and tucked away between a hotel and it's beer garden. The silliest thing also was that they block up some of the water flow and then release it so people get good photos. We had a nice dark beer anyway sitting in the garden. We walked down the road to see the Beuthenfall waterfall. The buildings beside it were derelict & a fence across the viewing of it . This was an even smaller one. The walks notes ended the walk here and they simply said take a bus back to Bad Schandau, but they recommended going on the historical tram Kirntzschtalbahn back. We decided to walk. This added on several kms but it was beside the river and took us on rough paths requiring chain fencing ropes for some exposed ascents and descents. Very worthwhile.Picnic dinner planned in our room with cheeses, salami,chips, nice bread, wine , dessert and TV.( even though we can't understand German! It's quite hilarious watching Eddie Murphy and Jacki Chan being dubbed!) . I had my pacer counter on today - approx 11 km the route paper said. Well we walked 26.8 km.Read more

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    Prague Day 1

    June 12, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Set off from Bad Schandau by crossing the river Elbe, then up to the train station & waited for train. Margaret & John Fegent were in the same carriage behind us.Arrived at Praha & made our way to Rybna street, had to ring Eva, the owner to let us in.She was very nice.We tried to meet M & J,but it took longer to find the place( we thought it was wrong due to street front- but it was correct). So we didn't see them, it also bucketted down .After we had a coffee each (150 krona). The currency is crazy, a pizza costs 200 k,for instance, my pork ribs were cheap in comparison at 310k.We walked to the famous King Charles bridge, it wasn't as crowded as expected. There were many street side sellers there with their wares such as wooden jewellery, artists, cartoonists and beggars who leant forward in semi prostate form.It looked like the clouds were going to explode & let forth so we went into a nearby restaurant for dinner. On way back to the flat we called in at the supermarket for groceries.Read more

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    Prague Day 2

    June 13, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Slept in- big mistake as we were meeting Margaret and John at the castle. Navigation error big time. We crossed a bridge beyond the King Charles bridge and could'nt reach the correct road. We ended up crossing a road with cars and tram to climb a track then under an underpass and climb a hill. All sweaty!We went around various areas of the Castle and it was lunchtime before we knew it. Lunch in one of the cafes, salmon sandwiches + crisps and rocket with a dark beer. We could use the toilet then for free. Did some more touring and went back to have a beer & toilet stop. We all caught the tram back to the city ( John gave us 2 tickets that were spare- they didn't get to validate due to crowds) .We found some cold meat, cheese & salad or tomorrow's picnic at the park. Had dinner in Apetit around the corner from us with Margaret & John - traditional Bohemian cuisine : roast duck , red& white cabbage& various dumplings for me, goose for Margaret, Goulash for John & S had a cabbage soup and a pork plate.Read more

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    Prague Day 3

    June 14, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Slept in and then made our way to the ottomh of the funicular railway . Bought bread on the way for our picnic. We decided to walk instead of the rail and I tried a short cut but my sandals slipped ,,,, grazed knee. Took another short cut and it worked. The walk was a winding switchback type so hence the short cuts. We were dripping by the top.yuk. We met Margaret & John and walked looking for a nice place. The rose gardens were lush, scented and well maintained. It started to rain and we waited under Pine trees. We spotted a rare picnic table and it was under a tree.There we enjoyed M& J's wines we had chilled, as we ate our picnic. After we walked to the Petrin tower and walked up it. It was swaying a bit at the top with all the people but a great view. I took the funicular down with M&J while S walked it. At the bottom M& J took the tram back to their accommodation. S& I walked back over the same bridgeVitzna & it was hot.Went to the I❤️Prague shop and bought a crystal elephant & pair of earrings.Read more

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    Prague Day 4

    June 15, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    It was raining through the night and still but only lightly when we went out.Today was an easy day, wandering around the old town, trying to see the Jewish quarter, only seeing some and buying fruit bread and cheese.We made it to the astronomical clock 3 x today but only once to see the movements. We went into Marks and Spencer store & I tried on some swimwear to no avail. We walked and walked towards the Dancing House designed by Frank Gehry and took lots of photos of it and views around it from the bridge, including the boats and locks. We came across a wine shop and tried 2 wines (20ck each time- a full glass). We decided to buy a litre of the White Czech wine from the barrel as it was nice and cheap! 103ck including the plastic bottle. A lunch inside the apartment of cheeses, salami,tomatoes & lettuce& hard boiled eggs. Back for dinner and our last 500ck to spend or change to Swedish krona or euro. Have bought our bus fares to the airport already and found the best route to the bus stop for tomorrow.Read more

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    Stockholm Sweden

    June 16, 2016 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    No rain today! It was an easy walk to the Prague railway station and out the other side to the AE bus stop to ride to the airport T3. 33 mins later and we alighted. Stephen exchanged our remaining Czech money for Swedish krona. We've eaten some of our provisions and are waiting for the all to board our SAS flight to Stockholm. Hopefully the flight will run on time as the previous SAS to Copenhagen leaving from the same gate has been delayed.We have arrived it's 7:45 pm and it's raining here and 15C but not too bad. The hotel room has really poor lighting and NO WINDOW.Oh for 2000$ more we could be upgraded! It eels so claustrophobic .We took a bus here & it was close to the accommodation so that was really good!& we purchased return to airport tickets and saved a small fortune, not going via train (430 instead of 980 sek).Read more

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    Sweden Day 2

    June 17, 2016 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Because there are no windows nighttime lasts forever in this room. So it was 8 am when we woke up! Breakfasted in the hotel - a good feed, no nice cheese! We've been spoilt. We found the way to the tourist info at the Central station and from there we decided on our day's activities. We walked through Drotining a shopping street to Parliament at Rikgatan. We walked by the water and saw part of the changing of the guard and stopped to buy ferry tickets for the feather island in the archipelago (Fjäderholmslijen). A nice trip and the rain has stopped. We had a burger with small roasted potatoes and a garlicky mayo on the side with a local beer( OK) called Monkey Business). We wandered all over this little island stopping in at the local artisans stores. I bought a few items to bring back home. I accidentally walked close to a Nordic seagull chick - its parent swooped down after me but I escaped with paper bag over my head. They are a noisy bunch.I found a stray egg in a nest on a rock face earlier, obviously no good and Stephen photographed it and a chick at the water's edge which must have been a seagull. The next ferry isn't until 4:30 so we'll just meander a bit .Its a 20 min ride back.We walked through some of Gamla Stan the old town, stopping for a beer ( dark) in an old tavern that was a dungeon. The beer was quite good. Stopped at small shops before entering a square with the Nobel Museum and there we had dinner at Kaffe Koppen - Baked potato and seafood, Spinach& salmon pie. It was delicious with a good salad on the side. We walked back via the palace and then along the waterside passing many bridges , finally arriving back just enforce 9 pm. My feet are sore, 15.5 km, including the ferry travel.Read more

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    Sweden Day 3

    June 18, 2016 in Sweden ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Saturday and it's raining. Set my alarm for 7:15 as this room has no natural light to wake you up.Went to breakfast and after we walked to the Royal palace .There we visited the Royal Apartments, The Treasury, The Tre Kronor Museum, The Museum of Antiquities and walked back to the Riddarholmen Church. At 12:15 we stood in the rain waiting to see the changing of the guard.We were often swamped by pushy people with umbrellas when we had stood where directed by guards . In the end the band played on and we only saw them March by having had to empty their instruments of water. There were no horse parades today, I'm glad for the horses.The Treasury was very interesting, seeing the crowns, Queen's robe with ermine finishes, the robe was a red velvet embroided all over with crowns. No photos allowed and this was in a huge vaulted area. The antiquities were mostly of the Roman emperors.The Kronor museum was about the early days to present castle design. The Royal apartments were not as flamboyant as the French, in some quite plain. There was an emphasis on clocks. The church was a cemetery in effect - sarcophagusses of the royals, and crests of nobility on the walls, we walked over stone flooring housing the dead. Something more pleasant occurred when we walked, yes in the rain over Skepps Homsbron bridge to the Moderna Museet ( modern art museum). Some curious artworks, sculptures, some Picasso.Before leaving I had a Chardonnay and dad a cappuccino . On our way back to the hotel we were passing the Town Hall we were able to enter its courtyard and the foreshore garden. S took photos. It was very nice, garden had parties style hedging.We ate at a local pizza place where a delicious cabbage salad was presented with our pollo pizza & bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio (2015- very light).
    Watched Jack& the beanstalk variation & ate a block of chocolate .18 km today.    Read more

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