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Europe - 2015
  • Phil Douglas
Sep – Oct 2015

Europe - 2015

A 45-day adventure by Phil Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 6, 2015
    Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Home

    September 7, 2015 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Every trip has to start somewhere and ours start here.

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Paris home

    September 9, 2015 in France ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    We made it and managed a pretty full day in Paris. Can't say that we aren't totally stuffed, because we are, but it was too nice a day to let slide. Our little apartment is very nice and in a great spot. Looking forward to the week.Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas
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    Another day in Paris

    September 10, 2015 in France ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Day 2 in Paris and a few ticks in the tourist column. The place is pretty overwhelming but I think we'll cope. The Musee D'Orsay was awesome, the Rodin museum only had the garden open which was probably the best part anyway and then there was that tower 🗼 thingy.Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Place de la Concorde

    September 11, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Day 3 in Paris and I think we are just about settled. Still a bit of a rough patch about 4 pm which is midnight at home, but once we get through that we come good again. I had forgotten how nice it is to have light until 8 at night - so much time to get around and see what there is to see. Walked down the Champs Elysees thinking of Joni, back to the Place de la Concorde, where they chopped off all those heads back in the day, and then through the Jardin des Tuileries. And still time to saunter home for a bit of a rest before heading out for dinner. I like it.Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas
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    Sacre Cour

    September 13, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Missed out yesterday so I will have to double up today. After 3 perfect days weather wise we struck showers on day 4. We set off the Montmartre district to take in the Basilica Sacre Cour and wander about this old section of Paris which used to be the hangout of artists, bohemians and communards. We got to the basilica which is to the north on the highest part of Paris and a glorious site, but as we started out to wend our way back down through the district, the showers came down. Luckily we made it to the Musee de Montmartre and Renoir's Garden which easily filled in a couple of hours. Between the bohemians, the artists the cabarets and the failed exploits of the communards, the area enough colourful history for a whole country. By the time we had finished at the museum the showers had finished and we wandered back home.
    The highlight for the evening was a classical concert in Eglisse Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis one of the many old churches scattered the place.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Musee du Louvre

    September 13, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We had read so much about the long lines and huge crowds at the Louvre, we were tossing up whether to even bother with the Louvre at all. There is just so much to do in Paris we were thinking an hour in line to be squashed moving about didn't sound that appealing. A quick check of the radar on the morning of day 5, however, showed a fairly significant band of rain coming. So we hopped on the metro and headed out and I can only say that the tales are somewhat exaggerated. Ten minutes to get through security and 5 to buy a ticket and we were in - and what a show. Just the building itself is worth the admission and they have a few exhibits as well. We had a lovely few hours wandering about while the storm passed and the crowds weren't too bad at all.

    Then as the sun peeked out from among the clouds we headed back to the Marais to mosey about and enjoy the Sunday afternoon cafes, buskers and general weekend festivities.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas
    2

    Jardin du Luxembourg

    September 14, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After a couple of mostly cloudy days the blue skies were back for day 6 in Paris. A metro ride to the San Germain district. We managed to find our way back to the 'smallest square in Paris' and had some lovely little Chou pastries in the little shop - La Maison Du Chou - a couple little tables, coffee, tea and Chou pastries, that's it.

    We then wandered off to the Jardin du Luxembourg. We didn't actually go in anything there, but the garden was lovely and there was plenty to see and more than sufficient nooks and crannies to poke around in.

    Then back down to the river to the Isle de Citi, a baguette for lunch and a visit to Sainte Chapelle the small fascinating chapel on the opposite end of the island to Notre Dame Cathedral. I have put some more info with the pictures as comments.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas
    1

    Last day in Paris

    September 15, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Our last day in Paris was very low key. Just wandering around and enjoying ourselves - nothing in particular to mention, but it was a most enjoyable way to finish off.

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas
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    Dijon

    September 16, 2015 in France ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    Saying goodbye to Paris and on the train to Dijon. There is a fast train available which is quick and comfortable, just try and book it far enough in advance to get a good price. Paris is perhaps the most iconic travel destination of them all and you can't help reflecting on your own experience in relation to that image. Yes Paris is expensive, but there are exceptions. We stayed in a studio apartment with facilities for meals. A breakfast of some fruit, muesli and a croissant was quite cheap. A baguette chomped down on a park bench in one of the multitude of gardens - you guessed it - cheap again (and so tasty). A fairly small and average cup of coffee and a bit of cake, on the other hand can be pretty expensive (especially converted to Aussie dollars).
    On the other hand, if there was ever any truth to the stories of the rudeness of French service it is certainly not the case now.- friendly and helpful is far more likely.
    Dijon should be very different to the mad scramble of Paris - we'll see.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Dijon

    September 17, 2015 in France ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Our first day in Dijon was fairly damp with persistent light showers. The best remedy seemed to be the remarkable 'Muses des Beaux Arts', a museum located in the Palais des Ducs, the palace built by the various Dukes of Burgundy. As Philip the Good and Philip the Bold were a couple of the main men, I was feeling quite at home. The museum had an interesting mix of history, culture and arts and it was free. We found out later that all the museums in Dijon were made free by the city council, presumably to encourage people to get out and visit them. When the weather would improve, we would duck out and do a bit of exploring along the 'Owl Trail' which was a kind of do It yourself guide to finding your way around the major sites of Dijon. Then perhaps a coffee and pastry and back to the museum. A good day all in all.Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    A bit of historical perspective

    September 18, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Second day in Dijon and the showers are not quite gone, but definitely on the retreat. Plenty of blue sky and sunshine as long as you had plenty to do if a shower came along. It was market day which meant plenty of stalls and crafts and food - of course - so after our usual breakfast at home we headed out. The markets were interesting with a mixture of craft, food and tourist baubles. We resisted all sorts of bargains, but ended up grabbing a bit of lunch and taking it back to our studio to enjoy as a shower went over.

    The highlight of the day came in the afternoon. We did a bit more of the owl trail taking in a nice garden and some very pleasant walking. Then we returned to the old Duc's Palais to climb the tower. We are not big tower climbers, but this one was quite large so that the steps could go up at a reasonable rate. The air was particularly clear after the showers earlier in the day and the view was spectacular. A good day finished up with a good meal at the Bistro Amiral Roissen - a restaurant just up the road.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Abbaye de Fontenay

    September 19, 2015 in France ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Another nice day on the horizon and we have a tour booked to get out in the country and see some of the country. Our tour guide is actually an american, Steve (or Stevie in French :) ) and we are the only two customers. That american accent is easy to understand without having to concentrate so we are good to go.

    Our first stop is a beautiful, old village, Flavigny-sur-Ozerain. It is somewhat famous as the town that the film 'Chocolate' was filmed in, but I'm not at all sure that much was actually done there. It is old though, and is certainly interesting to walk around and explore.

    Next stop is the Abbaye de Fontenay which claims to be the world's oldest Cistercian site (whatever that means) and is not only very beautiful and peaceful, but UNESCO heritage listed as well.

    Finally a stop at Semur-en-Auxois, a commune of the Côte-d'Or complete with castle walls and photo opportunities every way you looked. The two guys fishing were quite uninterested in whether they were in the photo or not.

    All in all a good day out!!    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Hotel Dieu - Beaune

    September 20, 2015 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Another fine day and the plan is for a self guided trip - to Beaune, one of the wine communes of the Côte de Beaune subregion of the Burgundy wine region. But for us it was just another interesting old city to go ramble about. It was only about half an hour by train from Dijon. Stevie, our guide from the day before had marked out some suggestions on our map, but we were pretty much on our own to explore the city.

    The Hotel Dieu was a highlight - run by the Hospices de Beaune it was a hospital for the poor (and not so poor - you could pay for a bit of extra comfort). It was certainly ahead of its time and even got support from Louis IVX who seems to pop up all over the place.

    A wine tasting tour in tunnels under the city was another interesting diversion for the day, even if we still can't really taste the difference good wine and really good wine and really, really ... well you get the picture.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Salzburg

    September 21, 2015 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    Last day in Dijon and time for our longest travelling day. We have to catch a train from Dijon to Zurich which is about 7 or 8 hours. We are giving the Swill a miss as we have heard how expensive it is and how Austria is just as beautiful, but considerably cheaper. So we have a half hour to change to a train to take us to Salzburg. We made the switch without too much of a panic and then had about 4 hours to go to Salzburg.

    Our only real brush with the (mainly) Syrian refugees in the train station. There were armed forces personnel about and the refugees had a space within the train station. Trains had been stopped between Salzburg and Germany, but there didn't seem to be much disturbance that we could see.

    We got to our hotel in the evening and only had time for a bit of a walk around the area and dinner at the hotel.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Fortress

    September 22, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Salzburg wasn't really on our itinerary, but we had booked an extra night so we could have a look around. Our hotel was conveniently located and we were able to walk down and cross the river into the old town. On the way we stopped off to have a look at the Schloss Mirabell. We didn't bother going into the palace, but we enjoyed a stroll around the extensive garden. Many (but not me) would be aware that some of the Sound of Music was filmed here - 'Doh a Dear' anyone?

    Then over the river to wander the old town ending up at the terrific fortress on the hill (where else). Fortresses are pretty common in Europe, but this one is definitely one of our favourites. A nice funicular ride to get up to it (unless you really want the climb) and a good variety of sections of the castle open to the public including great outlooks, princes' quarters and fortifications. Not to mention a superb piece of Sacher Torte in a restaurant overlooking Salzburg.

    Very pleased we had the day in Salzburg - tomorrow we head to a tiny town on a big lake - Wolfgangsee.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    St Gilgan

    September 23, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    Our hotel in Salzburg wasn't anything particularly special, but the room was really big compared to what we have had so far and it was in a really good spot. It was easy for us to walk to the bus stop where we caught a bus to St Gilgan, a tiny town on lake Wolfgangsee. Very cloudy and a bit of drizzle when we arrived, but again our hotel was fairly close to the bus stop and we managed to walk it ok.

    The hotel was interesting - almost a BnB as I think the breakfast was automatically included with a booking. Kniick-knack heaven you could say, with an alpine twist. We settled in and disregarding the less than spectacular weather decided to grab a ride on the cable car. As you may be able to tell from the photo, this wasn't the greatest idea. We are talking a very long cable car here and while the ride was ok there really wasn't much to see or do at the top. You could barely see the person standing next to you let alone any sign of the lake. The cable cars coming up after us materialised out of the cloud like the tardis.

    The town was very pretty though. WE wandered around the town which was small enough to cover in an afternoon. We figured we would get a better day ahead.and we scored really well for dinner. Tripadvisor came in handy again and sent us off in search of a restaurant which sounded good. We had a bit of trouble finding it, but it more than lived up to our hopes and would have to be one of our favourite restaurants from the whole trip which was certainly unexpected.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Hallstatt

    September 24, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Another really cloudy day for our first full day in the mountains. Undaunted we set forth on a day trip to Hallstatt, another tiny town on another lake, Hallstatter See. We first caught a bus to Bad Ischl - sort of mid way between the two lakes and then a train to the Hallstatt Bahnhoff (train station) which was very conveniently on the wrong side of the lake. So then we had a short boat ride to finish the journey.

    The journey itself was quite fun and Hallstatt was worth the time and effort as well, so it was a win. This place has been around for a long time and its claim to fame is a salt mine. It is hard to get a grip on just how important salt was back in the day. The salt mine is still there and is the major tourist draw card. We didn't go the the mine, but they had a small museum which was really interesting. Lately the place has grown to have great archaeological interest. The place has been going for so long and there is so much salt spread around the place that they are finding artifacts in a very well preserved condition. A couple of hours was plenty to see what there was to see. You can tell my fascination with the layer of cloud that had formed around the lake at just a certain altitude.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    St Wolfgang

    September 25, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    This was the day for the big trip up to the top of Schafbergspitz (mountain? I would say so) on the Schafbergbahn Cog Railway. A long, long way up some of it steep enough to be thankful that the engine made its way with cogs which locked into the railway line as we climbed (even more reassuring on the way down). We still didn't score a clear day, but we did manage to get the best day available for our trip. While some of those vistas would have been spectacular with a blue sky for background, the day we had was pretty special as well. As you stood there bits and pieces of the landscape would come into view and then vanish as a low cloud passed by. If we had come on our first day we would have been lucky to see the hands in front of our faces.
    Very cool spot..    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Furberg

    September 26, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Last day in St Gilgan. Still no sun or blue sky, but a nice day for a bit of a morning walk followed by an afternoon poking around the town which we really haven't had much time for so far.

    Tomorrow we jump back on the bus to take us back to the train station in Salzberg and then grab a train for Vienna. It has been a nice quiet break here, but we are looking forward to the sights and sounds of the famous city.Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Vienna

    September 28, 2015 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Our bus and train connections all went according to plan yesterday. We found our apartment which is in a good location for getting around. It is pretty plain which is fine with us, but we were thinking that it wouldn't be such a good idea for people who need someone to help them settle in to a place. We were met, given the keys and given vague directions to the nearest metro station and supermarket. That was pretty much it. Luckily (well not really luck we did search) the nearest metro was at Karlplatz which had easy connections whichever way you wanted to go.
    Vienna is really beautiful and much more dynamic and fun than I expected. When we are travelling we tend to get off to a slow start and keep going far later than we would at home. Vienna was alive at any time, maybe even more than Paris, No hunting around for somewhere to have morning tea in the afternoon, or lunch at nearly tea time - always going and ready for whatever. So much to look at and enjoy.
    There was so much to see and do - first full day in Vienna we checked out the opera house a park with Mozart's statue (the boy got around, but Vienna was probably his main haunt) and a major look around Schonbrunn Palace (we didn't quite manage all 1,414 rooms, but we did a few). The main story line we followed was that of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Franz Stephan. She, in particular, seemed to have quite a story line to follow.
    Another very efficient U-Bahn and the actual stations were just amazing - shopping malls with a train running through the middle.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Melk

    September 29, 2015 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Day two in Vienna and time for a bit of a river cruise. We didn't go on one of those monsters of the rivers in Europe, although we saw plenty of them. Looooong they are and narrow. We took the train to visit Melk Abbey, a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, We arrived in plenty of time to climb up to the abbey and have a good explore (this was an all inclusive ticket purchased though the train companay) around this old and well preserved complex. Then we had plenty of time to have a look around the town before catching our river boat for the cruise back to Vienna along the Danube. It was beautiful up on top of the boat for a while and then it got a bit too chilly in the breeze and we retired to the main cabin. The food on offer was pretty good and not outrageously expensive considering. We were proud of ourselves for figuring out where to switch from the train taking us from the dock to Vianna to the metro to get us back home with the minimum of fuss.Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Albertina

    September 30, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Gallery time today and what a beauty the Albertina is. A great permanent collection of artwork to view as well as special exhibitions and quite a section of the former palace still set out as it was when the Habsburgs roamed the halls. It was certainly a highlight of a great day exploring the delights of Venice.

    The advantage of daylight saving and those nice long afternoons means more time to explore without sacrificing time to just poke around and enjoy places at our leisure. This afternoon we are off to Schloss Belvedere another palace perhaps, but real beauty not far from where we are staying - in two parts both with artwork as well as the grand buildings on display and with an enormous garden running between the two.

    And then we tracked down a jazz club for supper and music. Not the easiest place to track down in the end, but we got there and had a really enjoyable night.    Read more

  • Phil DouglasEurope - 2015Phil Douglas

    Cesky Krumlov

    October 2, 2015 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    There were no connections from Vienna to Cesky Krumlov through normal train and bus services that weren't long and round about. So after some heavy consideration of internet possibilities we decided on a a shuttle service. The service was a fairly reasonable price and also did a pick up and delivery at your actual address which meant no expensive taxi to get to a station of some sort. The shuttle bus (about an 8 seater at a push) arrived on time. We were picked up first, but the driver asked if we could sit up front. It was a bit of a squeeze, but not too bad. It turned out that we were picking up a gaggle of Japanese girls who did a pretty good job of filling up the back. It seemed like it was going to be a bit of a dull journey, but the driver was a fairly young guy with reasonable English and in the mood for a chat. Quite and interesting chat.,

    Our room in Cesky Krumlov attracted us partly because it was on the ground floor, which seemed quite a good idea as many of these old buildings have no lift. It was indeed on the ground floor, but what they didn't mention was that the reception and main door weren't on the ground floor they were on the street level. The more you travel the more you find that fools you.

    Cesky Krumlov is another old walled city dominated by a fortress - this time with Unesco Heritage listing. Our taxi driver had been complaining about the fact that Cesky Krumlov got all the publicity and tourists when there were other cities (like the one he was from that were just as beautiful, but no tourists to speak of. Our guide for a night time guided walk on the first night was adamant that it was the heritage listing that made the difference.    Read more

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