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Europe ‘23

June - July 2023
A 24-day adventure by Anthony & Jane Walsh Read more
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  • Europe ‘23
    11
    Day 1

    Barcelona

    June 20, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Barcelona is a vibrant,busy and cosmopolitan city. Filled with tourists from everywhere - lots of youngsters who must have finished uni for the year. Some of the highlights of our few days in Barcelona are (in no particular order):
    - [ ] Eating in the many tapas bars, often with incredible street buskers. In fact street buskers can be seen all over the gothic quarter at all hours of the day and night
    - [ ] Getting lost trying to navigate the many narrow lane ways
    - [ ] A walking tour of the old parts, venturing into the Gothic quarter, Jewish quarter showing Roman and medieval time periods. We explored the many narrow lanes and as many churches.
    - [ ] A Spanish Classical guitar concert accompanied by flamenco dancers in the most incredible music concert hall, Palau de la Musica.
    - [ ] Walking alongside the Harbourside were the rich and famous moor their yachts.
    - [ ] Walking down la Rambla, which is packed with people, who are shopping or taking a stroll to soak up the vibe
    - [ ] Visiting and sampling at the food market with the most incredible selection - lots of seafood of every kind, meat selection, cheeses, fruits, nuts and different tapa selections. We sampled the Catalan vermouth and agreed we would be back for more
    - [ ] We caught the metro to the funicular and cable car to Montjuïc which had stunning views over Barcelona including the Mediterranean sea and activity on the bay harbour
    - [ ] We had Lunch at Salts, a restaurant with views over the Olympic diving pool and city
    - [ ] We caught a Metro to La Pedrera - one of Gaudís famous apartment blocks. Also Casa Batlló - another of Gaudi’s creations. Gaudi was an absolute genius, born well before his time. His creativity using aspects from nature with geometry is mind blowing. Builders must have hated him!
    - [ ] We walked down Passeig de Gràcia, a street with all the high end shops
    - [ ] Visited Santa Maria del Mar, a fine example of gothic church and built and funded by the community. We attended Mass at the Cathedral (in Catalan, just when we have learnt all the Spanish responses). May as well have been a different country.
    - [ ] Attended a not so great Psalm concert at the Cathedral after Mass - I think more a local attraction with artists that must have been great in their time!
    - [ ] The many sampling of the finest ice creams we have tasted
    - [ ] Visited Sagrada Familia (Basillica of the Holy Family) - just Wow!!! Another of Gaudis’s creations. Building commenced in the late 1800s and will be completed in the next 10 years. Gaudi new that it would not be completed in his life time but left all the plans and models to be completed in generations to come. It is built purely from donations (no government or church funding). The intricate details and every thought that has gone into its creation are an absolute wonder - no explanation will do it justice. We also went up the Passion tower. We caught the lift up but then had to walk down the 400 steps. I am not great at heights so managed the odd peak but certainly didn’t do it justice. Thankfully Anthony took some photos.
    - [ ] We went to Mass in the crypt built beneath the altar. Again the detail was incredible. Somehow he managed to create the perfect amount of lighting and we were there as the sun was setting so the light reflecting from the stain glass windows in the Basilica gave a beautiful hue of colours.
    - [ ] We were also lucky enough to experience the festivities of The birth of St John the Baptist which coincides with the Summer solstice each year and so seen to be the introduction of summer proper. The whole of Barcelona was a huge party with bonfires, fireworks, concerts, dancing and singing. Families and youngsters out in full force - a lovely experience.
    Adios Espana- Hasta luego    Read more

  • Europe ‘23
    1
    1
    Day 4

    Sagrada Familia

    June 23, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Antonio Gaudi’s creation - We will let the pictures tell the story …

  • Europe ‘23
    Day 5

    Italy - Vigevano

    June 24, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We took a flight from Barcelona to Milan. Collected a rental car at the airport and headed for our destination, a small town in the North of Italy called Vigevano. It was pretty hot and the car aircon was very welcome.

    Spending two months in Spain, we had got used to the language and were able to communicate quite effectively. We felt a little lost as we arrived (although Italian is quite similar to Spanish in many ways). I’m sure it won’t take too long before we feel more comfortable.

    The earliest records of Vigevano date from the 10th century. It is crowned by the Castello Sforzesco, a stronghold rebuilt in the late 1400s. It is famed for its beautiful and large Renaissance "Piazza Ducale" in the centre of the town. We parked our car in the public car park and took a short stroll to our accommodation. We walked past the Cathedral and onto the Piazza. What an incredible sight- lined with restaurants and already for early evening there was a vibe created by the people milling about for Saturday night entertainment. Our accommodation was an apartment right on the piazza - beautifully renovated and steeped in history. We off loaded our bags and hurried back along the Piazza to make it just in time for Mass. On leaving Mass there was a buzz about the piazza and we found a lovely spot for dinner where we had some delicious pasta and local wine. By the time dinner was finished there was even more people about enjoying the summer cooler night time temperature.    Read more

  • Europe ‘23
    1
    211
    Day 6

    Cinque Terre

    June 25, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We made our way to the Western Coast of Italy, the Italian Riviera. Cinque terre is a series of 5 villages which date back to the 11th century along the rugged Italian Riviera with distinctive colourful buildings up the steep hills. Breathtaking views, cliffside vineyards, scenic hiking trails and bustling harbours. Each village had at least 1 church, always open and masses available on most days at each village. The food … fantastic fresh seafood and delicious pasta and quite partial to a Limoncello Spritz! The down side is that it is either a steep uphill or downhill climb to get anywhere and these are not normal steps. They’ve been built into the rock over hundreds of years and there is no consistency in height, depth, anything so you can’t get into a pattern. Some of the descents are knee wreckers!

    Our hostess for the 4 days we had planned here was an eccentric Italian lady and her son. She would always call on video which was rather entertaining if we were not fully dressed! We had to squeeze our car into her garage as there is very little parking with her barking instructions to stop, turn, come, stop. When we asked for directions she would give you the first part and then tell you to video call. She would look at the screen and direct you with No, No just listen …

    Tourists move around the villages by train or ferry or hiking trial so every hour or so there is a new wave of arrivals, hundreds at a time squeezing into the small streets.

    We stayed at Riomaggiore, the most Southern of the five. The others are Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. They are all connected by hiking trial, ferry or train. We did a mixture of all three and enjoyed visiting each of the villages. It has been incredibly hot so the often dipping into the Med has been very welcome. We also visited another close seaside town, Portovenere, which is a little bigger, and has an old castle at the top of the hill with gorgeous views over the village and rugged coast line. There are plenty of narrow lane ways with quaint shops and restaurants.    Read more

  • Europe ‘23
    132
    Day 10

    Chamonix Mont Blanc

    June 29, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We drove from a very hot Cinque Terre to Chamonix which was a full 10 degrees cooler and overcast so we had little view of the Mountains. On the way we drove through numerous tunnels and the longest at the border to France just before our arrival. The tunnel is 10km long, the famous Mont Blanc tunnel. We were to spend the next few days with a work colleague of Anthony’s (Angele and partner Kevin) who have a stunning Alpine Chalet 5km outside Chamonix. They were the perfect hosts, pointed us in the direction of many things to see and do. We all went to several of their favourite restaurants and were introduced to the cuisine of the area (Savoyard).
    Chamonix is a typical Alpine village catering to skiers, hikers , cyclists and mountaineers. Everyone was always dressed in their outdoor adventurous gear. There were outdoor shops galore. We had fun browsing on the one rather miserable day. We were able to enjoy some good mountain walks with incredible views when the clouds decided to disappear. We saw plenty of waterfalls, fast flowing rivers and mountains. One of the walks was to Mer du glacé (see of ice), which included an alpine train, cable car and 500 descending steps to get to the incredible ice cave which is part of the glacier which we viewed from above. We saw the markings of how the glacier has diminished in size, on average 3km per year. (New steps are added continuously).

    The sun decided to make an appearance on Monday morning and we were spellbound by the incredible views surrounding us on every side. We caught the cable car (65 people per car) to the top of Aiguille du Midi (3800m). When we left Chamonix, there were still clouds above, but we travelled through the clouds and what a view was before us. The magnificent Aiguille du Midi and the ever impressive Mont Blanc surrounded by the many peaks of the French Alps. We saw many Alpinists heading off on their various climbing exhibitions, including those that were attempting the summit of Mont Blanc (the highest mountain in Europe, 4800m). There were views all around us and each one was as impressive as the last. Kevin was kind enough to come with us and be our guide. He has climbed most of these summits (including Mont Blanc), so we learnt a lot from an Alpinists perspective and didn’t have to guess at what we were looking at.

    In the same afternoon we took another cable car the other side of Chamonix, to mountains looking onto Mont Blanc. We enjoyed watching the paraglides jump off the mountain right in front of us.

    We were also lucky enough to visit an old friend who lives about an hour away. They spoilt us to a delicious lunch in their own restaurant .

    I’m sure we will be back because once is definitely not enough …    Read more

  • Europe ‘23
    11211
    Day 15

    Bergamo

    July 4, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We left Chamonix after breakfast. It was the most stunning day so we appreciated the last look at the glorious mountains. We decided to travel back to Italy, via Switzerland and the St Bernard Mountain pass, rather than go through the Mont Blanc tunnel. The route was exquisite with mountains on all sides. A very windy, steep drive along a lot of Tour de France roads. At the actual pass is the original St Bernard Monastery, which still exists as a refuge for pilgrims and travellers. In winter the road is closed and can only be accessed via skis. It is on the pilgrim route, Via Francigena , an ancient route from Canterbury to Rome - maybe one day ….. The pass sits at over 2000m in altitude. The original monks were there to rescue travellers in the snowy conditions. They used the St Bernard dogs to help them. The breeding program for these dogs from the original St Bernard’s are still here today. We saw them going on a walk. This is also the border to Italy. We crossed the border and had lunch sitting next to the lake.

    We headed to Bergamo for the night, another recommendation from a fellow pilgrim. Bergamo is a beautiful city located in the center of the Lombardy region, 60 kilometers northeast of Milan, a city full of history and tourist attractions. The City of Bergamo is divided into the High City “Citta Alta” steep on the mountain, the oldest part of the city, fully walled, it has historic buildings and palaces and important tourist attractions. and "Lower City “Citta Bassa”, modern, almost all developed at the beginning of the twentieth century, rich in business and wide boulevards very special for walking.

    We enjoyed walking around the old city. We made it just in time for Mass at the beautiful Cathedral and then had a lovely dinner sitting outside on the Piazza Vecchia, enjoying the cooler evening air. We continued our exploration walk before heading back to our accommodation in the centre of the new modern city, which was bustling with people.

    The city was much quieter and peaceful in the morning. They really are lucky to have such beautiful cities.    Read more

  • Europe ‘23
    Day 16

    Bassano del Grappa

    July 5, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    One of our most special days so far, confirming that travel is enriched by the people we meet along to way. We were invited to stay with Alina, a young Italian lady we met on the Camino at our retreat in Rabanal. Although we were only together for a short time (2 nights) she and Jane connected immediately. She had to stay there for a week while she recovered from tendonitis and now believes she was meant to be there as she was able to spend days with the priests and brothers to help deal with the recent loss of loved ones. We met again briefly when she arrived in Santiago which was such lucky timing as we had just returned from our bicycle trip.

    On our way from Bergamo to Bassano, we stopped for a walk,, an ice cream and lunch at Largo de Garda, a huge lake surrounded in the north by mountains. It is a very popular Italian summer holiday spot.

    It was lovely arriving at Alina’s home to a warm welcome. We set off for a walk to her home town where she acted as the walking tour guide while we shared Camino stories. We had an aperitif (one of those things the Italians do that we have embraced) with her mother and sister on on of the main squares of the town. We then walked home for a shower before heading off into the mountains to one of her favourite restaurants which was just like in the movies. We ate the most delicious, authentic Italian meal as the sun set …

    The next morning was raining lightly so we had a slow start before finishing the guided tour walk. One of the favourite stops was her favourite ice cream place where her cousins works. It’s hard to keep,describing the food but wow, you could actually taste the fruit in the sorbet and I had a cassata like never before. We did some food shopping and then went home for lunch.

    Ok, now the food Alina made for us …. It was wonderful to experience how important food is in their culture. When we arrived she offered us a drink served with strawberries in a juice. Then after a rest and before heading out she gave us a tart she had made with her own homemade orange jam / marmalade. In the morning for breakfast we had toast with her homemade marmalade, fruit and muesli and then another tart. And then before leaving she made a “quick 2 course lunch” with beans and a caprese salad and then pasta with a homemade tomato sauce. All this in less than 24 hours but it was her way of inviting us into her home and feeling welcome.    Read more

  • Europe ‘23
    112
    Day 17

    Verona

    July 6, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    We chose Verona because of the Opera festival at the ancient Roman Arena which holds 15000 people with incredible acoustics. The arena was originally built for gladiator “sport”, was built before the Colosseum in Rome and is in much better condition because it has been actively used for centuries since the Venetian era as an event venue, shopping centre and other.
    We went to the open air opera “Carmen” which started at 9pm and ended at 1am! The environment made for an informal affair - not the usual formality of an opera but the audience was very quiet during the performance. The stage is enormous and at one point there must have been over 200 performers on stage, horses and carriages too! So it made for a colourful show and a large choir. Thoroughly enjoyable.
    Verona is also a lovely city to visit with 3 distinctive eras visible, each with a city wall depicting the boundary as the city extended from the Roman era to medieval and then Venetian period.
    We did a guided cycle tour to see the city, the 3 city walls, the churches influenced by each period and the river. The Roman bridge was destroyed and completely rebuilt with same stones by the local inhabitants.
    What was interesting was learning about the local history and the power of the rich families. They had no royalty and all the castles, palaces and forts were built by these families to protect their patch. So the story behind Romeo and Juliette is true. Italy was only unified as a country of 20 regions in the 1800’s so there is strong rivalry.
    The street markets, restaurants on the narrow streets and Piazzas continue to create “wow” moments and the food wasn’t bad either (it is Italy). We also found a new Aperatif, the “Hugo” which you will need to visit us to taste as I will be making it.
    Sadly, the main attraction is people coming to see “Juliette’s house and statue” which was a bit tacky but …

    Another great visit!    Read more

  • Europe ‘23
    Day 19

    Bologna

    July 8, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We set off for Bologna excited to be meeting up with Shannon and Theresa who were arriving the following day. It was so lovely to see them again after 3 months. We felt obliged to give them an Italian induction and made sure they did a lot of walking, sightseeing and sampled as many Italian foods as possible. Bologna is famous as the home of “bolognaise”. They are developing into a ‘food destination” and we decided to do a pasta making course in the home of a local Italian “Grazia” who not only was a great pasta teacher but gave lots of personal family insights into Italy.
    The pasta in this region is made from double zero flour and eggs, different from the flour and water used in the south (like Spaghetti). So they don’t actually have Spaghetti Bolognaise but rather use a tagliatelle pasta. They also use the word “Ragu” rather than bolognaise but that may change from a marketing perspective. At our course we made tagliatelle and tortellini. She then made a bolognaise sauce or “ragu” and served us a lovely lunch of both.
    After weeks of lovely weather, just as the girls arrived it turned hot with the start of a heat wave which was a real test (and excuse for gelato).
    Our sightseeing highlights included a guided walking tour, a 500 step tower climb, several incredible churches, at least 5 large ones that we saw, one of which is actually a complex of 7 churches (St Stefano) built over many time periods, the Basilica of San Petronio which was funded totally by the local inhabitants and is quite easy to see where they ran out of money and trimmed back the finishes and some specific sculptures and paintings. There was also the continuous battle as to who had the power and therefore what was allowed to proceed or not. Bologna grew as a university town and had a series of covered porticos that resulted from adding student accommodation on the first floor as the demand grew. The old university library and original anatomy rooms were open for a visit too. The university is the oldest in Italy (and the world) created by the students themselves as a place to collaborate.
    And there was the food induction - pizza, pasta, gelato, granita, aperitif, tiramisu and pastries. We are continually amazed at the consistently high quality of Italian food. Everything is just delicious. We had to try a few varieties of Spritzes too as Prosecco featured everywhere, Aparol, Hugo, Limone, …    Read more

  • Europe ‘23
    4221
    Day 22

    Como and Milan

    July 11, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    On our way to Como we stopped in Milan to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper which is a mural painting in a church outside the city centre and the impressive Duomo (cathedral). The painting has been so well restored and depicts the expressions and body language at the moment when Christ told his disciples that one of them would betray him. The basilica next door also has some lovely frescos.
    It was a very hot day which made our visit to the Duomo challenging but the church was so impressive. It has 52 columns and too many aspects to mention. Shannon was interested that it held the relics of St Charles Borromeo (her local parish in Sydney), who was the Bishop here. We climbed the stairs to the terrace roof which gave lovely aspects but again was very hot so we couldn’t stay long. We definitely earned our gelato before heading off.
    We arrived in Como in time for a meal, a cool shower and bed. Early the next morning there was a big thunderstorm which cooled everything down and we had a lovely cloudy day for our walking tour of Como and a ferry ride on the lake. Our guide was so good in her calm yet passionate commentary and insights. She gave. Some good history lessons for Italy in general and seemed less territorial than most other guides. The lake and the quaint villages are so beautiful and wasn’t too crowded either.
    It was so nice just walking around and having meals with Theresa and Shannon. This would be our last evening together before we headed to India and the girls continue their Italian tour to Venice, Florence and Tuscany, Umbria and then a few days in Vienna to visit friends of Shannon’s before they start their World Youth Day pilgrimage, starting in Rome, Assisi and then onto Portugal.
    We had a typical Italian aperitif and then a lovely dinner in a local piazza. The meal was lovely and ended with another big storm so we had to run back in the rain which was quite a hoot. And so ended our Europe trip in such a special way with our girls (we missed you Robbie !). As always, Italy was so impressive in so many ways. Next time maybe we need to head South! Ciao!    Read more

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