Paris and back to London

After another big day on the bus we arrived in Versailles (just outside of Paris) to see the castle - which is pretty extravagant looking from the outside. Most on the tour went on a tour of the inside of the palace, but after 15 days we were all church, castle and palace'd out (they all start to blend together after a while!). We had a wander through town and the markets instead before getting back on the bus and heading for our hotel in Paris. This hotel was to be the best one of the tour. We were yet to get a room anywhere that had a decent view (it had become a bit of a running joke each time we went to a new hotel). Well we finally got lucky because our room here actually had a view of the Eiffel Tower. After settling in we got back on the bus and headed into the city for some dinner and a night tour. We got dropped off at the Arc de Triomphe which has the craziest roundabout around it (there are no lanes!!). We went for a wander over to the Arc de Triomphe and had some dinner and then headed over to the Eiffel Tower and went up to the second level (which is about half way up). The views from here were amazing and it was another highlight of our trip! We stayed here for a while and saw the lights come on at 9pm. We got back on the bus to continue our night tour around town with the last spot being a viewing point where you could see the the Eiffel Tower lights "twinkle" at 10pm! Drinks were in our room that night with a few people from the tour because we had the view!!!

Next day we had a morning sightseeing tour with a local guide to see some of the other parts of the city in the daylight. At about 9.30am we got dropped off at the Opera House and had the rest of the day to explore. We walked down to the Louvre first and had a wander around the area (it's much more than just the pyramid everyone knows). We then sussed out the Metro system and got a day train pass and took off to Montmartre (where there is yet another church) and a view of the city. Next we went back to the Eiffel Tower to get some more pics during the day and finished off the afternoon wandering down the Champs Elysee, doing some "window licking" (the translation in French of window shopping)! We met back up with the bus in the afternoon to head back to the hotel for a break and then caught the train back into the city for some dinner later in the evening (Hard Rock Cafe - very french!!). Drinks were on again tonight as it was the last night of the tour and it was a very fun night (with even the tour director - Vince - getting in on the action). We had a very late one and with only about 3-4 hours sleep were were back on the bus and heading to Calais for our ferry back to Dover (it was a very quiet bus today!).

We arrived back in London late in the afternoon, had some drinks at a few pubs in the area with a couple from the tour, had some dinner and early to bed (after the previous night and because we had to be up at 4am the next morning). We got up early and made our way to the Australian War Memorial at Hyde Park Corner for the ANZAC Day dawn service. There would have to have been almost 5,000 Aussies and New Zealanders there and it was an awesome experience. This finished just before 6am and we caught the tube over to Portobello Rd, had some brekky and a wander through the markets (nothing starts early here and some stalls were still setting up at 9.30 when we were leaving). After this we headed over to the Tower of London and had a wander through. They keep the Crown Jewels in a vault here, which we got to see, so that was a pretty cool experience as well. In the afternoon we swapped hotels, did some laundry and went out for a couple of drinks at the local pub and a meal at the Indian Restaurant down the road (which was excellent again)!. Today we are having a fairly quiet one (a rest day before we head off to New York tomorrow). We went to the Spitalfield markets (these are fairly retro markets and we made some pretty cool purchases). Now just using the internet back in Picadilly, will probably head over to Westminster Abbey and might go see a movie this afternoon.

Finally able to post some pics since Florence so here they are:

Pisa




Monaco


Canne


Wade & Chuck Norris in Cannes


Paris
















London - Dawn Service

Florence to Nice to Lyon

From Florence we drove along the Italian and French rivierias to a stop in Monaco. We went up to the scenic lookout where we saw the cathedral and palace and a view over Monte Carlo. We had a bird's eye view of the F1 track and Wade had a good time checking out all the fancy cars of the rich and famous. From here we headed to our hotel in Nice and had dinner and drinks at an English pub with another couple from the tour. We had a free day the next day in Nice to do whatever we wanted. Neither of us were feeling that great so we had a nice sleep in, did some laundry (sad but true - it had to be done somewhere) and then went for a wander through town. We walked through the old town where there were shops and markets, along the waterfront to check out the beaches (there is no sand only rocks so they are big on the deck chairs and umbrellas) and walked through the main shopping area. Today we had a big drive with a few stops along the way. Our first stop was in Cannes, where they have the film festival. We got to walk on the red carpet and had a wander through town. We then stopped in Avignon for a lunch break and a wander through town. We arrived at our hotel in Lyon late this arvo and everyone is having an early night. Not much to do here plus tomorrow we head to Paris for the next couple of days.

Rome to Sorrento to Florence

Well our Italian 5 course meal was unbelievable! The food was awesome and the waiter put on a bit of a show for us all. Everyone had a great time and there were a few sore heads the next morning!!! We had an early start for our drive down to Pompei where we walked through the ruins with a local guide. The small portion we saw of what was left of the town was very interesting. We then drove down into the Bay of Naples where we boarded our boat to the Isle of Capri. It was a really rough ride either and while neither of us have ever been sea sick before we were both feeling a bit under the weather by the time we got there. We went up the funicular and walked to the other side of the island with the guide and the view was amazing. It wasnt the nicest day but the colour of the water was still so blue. We took the boat back to Sorrento then where we met the bus and headed to our hotel. We were yet to get a room with a view in any of the places we had stayed at and were hoping we would get lucky with this one. Well you could say we had a room with a good view but the balcony was about 1 foot wide so not much space to enjoy it!! We headed down to the pool area for a drink before dinner and the views from there were beautiful (especially with the sun setting)! Dinner was at the hotel and we had a few more drinks afterwards with some of the people on the tour before heading to bed! Today was a big drive and we arrived in Florence late this afternoon. We went up to a scenic point that overlooked the town and have just been wandering around the town otherwise.

Tonight is our last night in Italy before we head to France tomorrow (first stop Nice where we have a day and a half to ourselves to explore). We have really enjoyed seeing the sights of Italy but havent so much enjoyed the rudeness of the locals!

Austria




Venice






Murano


Vatican City


Rome - Pantheon


Rome - Colosseum




Isle of Capri & Sorrento






Florence

When in Rome....

We arrived in Rome late in the afternoon and headed straight to our hotel. There is heaps of graffiti everywhere in Rome and the roads are crazy so it looked like we were staying in a really dodgy part of town but the hotel is actually really nice! After getting ourselves sorted we headed into the city of Rome where we did a bit of a walking tour to see some of the sights. We saw the Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Palazza Navona and a night view of Vatican City. The Pantheon was amazing. It is so hard to imagine that something that was built so long ago was built the way it was (puts us and all our computers to shame!!). We had dinner in one of the restaurants down one of the side alleys off Palazza Navona (Pizza and Gelati!!). This morning was an early start so we could miss some of the huge queues at the sites. We met up with our local guide and with headsets she took us through the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel (where we got a couple of sneeky pictures when you weren't allowed) and St Peters Basillica. We definitely got a cultural dose this morning! We had lunch close by (Pizza again!!) and then met up with the bus again to go and see the ancient ruins with the highlight (of course) being an internal tour through the Colosseum! We are now back at the hotel for Siesta (!!) and are heading out again tonight for a night tour including the Trevi Fountain and a 5 course dinner at an Italian Restaurant!

Switzerland to Innsbruck to Venice

Our next day took us through the alps to Innsbruck. The drive was beautiful and there was alot of snow around. When we arrived in Innsbruck we went to the Swarovski crystal shop and had a wander through the town. We found a little shop down an alley way and had the biggest slice of pizza ever! Innsbruck was a very pretty town and our hotel was in a little village just out of town surrounded by all the snow capped mountains. In the afternoon we went on a bit of a pub crawl with a NZ couple we met on tour - was a very interesting afternoon!! Our hotel was really nice but we are yet to get a room with a view! The next day we headed to Venice via Verona. Being Easter there were markets on and people everywhere! We saw juliet's balcony and had a really nice lunch in a cafe. After this we drove to Venice and on arrival did a gondola ride down the canals. Venice was amazing and hopefully we have some nice photos. Our hotel in Venice is probably the worst so far but we are only sleeping here so no big deal. Today we headed back into Venice again and had some free time to wander around the streets - it is like a maze but pretty hard to get lost in if you know what signs to follow. We went into St Marks Church which was awesome. You couldn't take pictures in there but I don't think you would be able to capture it anyway. For lunch we took a water taxi across the lagoon to murano and had a seafood lunch. I don't think we have ever eaten so much before. If it wasn't for all the walking we are doing we would be coming home the size of a house!! Tomorrow we are off to Rome - the eternal city!! Defintely looking forward to this! Will post some more photos as soon as we can.

Amsterdam to Germany to Switzerland

After finally arriving in Amsterdam we took a trip into the city to see the red light district. Was very interesting but probably not as out there as we expected. The next day we took a drive through the city before heading on our way to Germany. Our first stop was in Cologne where we saw an amazing gothic cathedral and had a wander around town. We then headed to the Rhineland where we took a boat cruise down the Rhine. After a long day of driving we headed to our hotel. From the outside the hotel looked like a hospital but the rooms were actually really nice. Next day we took off again on our way to Switzerland. On the way we stopped in Heidelberg and saw the castle and had wander through town. It was good Friday so nothing was open but it was a very pretty town. Next we drove through the Black Forest where we saw the first sign of snow along the side of the road. Then off to the Rhine falls before we headed into the town of lucerne. Lucerne is so beautiful and we had a wander around town checking out the lake and snow capped mountains. Today would have to be the highlight so far. We took the cable car up mt pilatus which is 7000ft high. The weather today has been beautiful and the views were amazing. It was so cold up there though - would have been lucky to be 0! We then headed into town where we went to folklore show and had some traditional Swiss food. We have spent the afternoon wandering around town and are heading back to the hotel soon for an early night (we need it!). Some pictures so far:

Start of Tour



Amsterdam


Gothic Cathedral in Cologne


Rhine Cruise


Heidelberg Castle


Rhine Falls


Lucerne


Mt Pilatus


Drinks Man on Mt Pilatus

Tour Day 1 - London to Amsterdam (with a slight detour)!!

Well this morning we had an early start for Day 1 of our tour - up at 4am. It was a pretty crappy day so sitting on a bus wasn't going to be an issue. We caught the ferry from Dover to Calais where we met our bus for the drive to Amsterdam. The bus was a brand new coach (as ours was one of the first tours of the season) - but apparantly that doesn't matter because about 2 hours out of Amsterdam the bus broke down!! After sitting on the bus for a while we were escorted (by the Belgium Police) back up the highway to a rest stop - where we spent the next 3 hours waiting for a replacement bus. Things weren't looking good to see much of Amsterdam (we were supposed to do a canal cruise and a tour through the red light district), but luckily the tour director was able to find us a bus to head into the city to see some of the nightlife!!

Pics from London

Well day one in London was a busy day!! We walked through Hyde Park, saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, went on the London Eye and to Madame Tussauds wax museum. By 6pm we were both shattered so had granny tea (some really awesome Indian from down the road near our hotel - yes wade voluntarily ate Indian) and went to bed. Some pics from the day:

Jo in Hyde Park



Wade in Green Park on the way to Buckinham Palace and the first red bull of many on this trip



The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace - we couldn't believe how many people were there (1,000's)







The London Eye and views of London




Madame Tussauds




Day 2 and we had to swap hotels. We got lost and walked way further than we needed to but all good now and checked in ready for our tour which starts tomorrow. From here we caught the tube to Covent Garden - where there are some cool markets and shops. We are now in Picadilly in an internet cafe writing this post! Here are some pics from today so far:


Jo in red phone booth at Covent Garden



Picadilly