After a great sleep in a very comfy bed, I spent some time looking for accommodation for our next stop, Salzburg, Austria.
We went down to the train station and booked a bus to Villach and a connecting train to Salzburg for the next day.
Then we took the bus to Venice, where we explored for a while, before taking a water taxi to the island of Murano, famous for glass-blowing. We watched a glass blowing demonstration. We saw a vase being made and then a small horse. That was very impressive....it took only a few minutes for the whole horse to be created.
We bumped into a Chinese girl that we had met at the bus stop the day before. I was quite surprised to bump into her again, considering the amount of people around. We had a quick chat and then Miss S and I took another water taxi to the next island along, Burano.
Burano is a fishing village, famous for it's lace-making and rows of brightly coloured houses....every house a different colour. Another photo opportunity!
We had lunch here, and looked around the shops, bought a traditional Venetian cookie, and took lots of photos. There were thunder clouds rumbling in, so we decided to get a boat back before the storm came.
Meandering through the back streets and narrow cobbled lanes, we found a place selling fresh fruit and smoothies. I had a large cup of natural yoghurt, with muesli, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, grapes and pomegranate. It was so delicious, and felt like, and actually was, the healthiest thing I had eaten in ages. Miss S was rather more tempted by the gelato on offer along the lane, so she had one of those.
Eventually, we came to Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) and stopped under the arch of the bridge at the top of the stairs, to take some photos and shelter from the light rain that was falling.
I was amazed to bump into the Chinese girl again - we had now seen her three times in two days. It seemed incredible that we would have bumped into her a second time, but this third time we decided it must mean that we were meant to get to know each other a bit, so we swapped contact details. Her name was Joyce. She was on holiday from Glasgow University where she was an international student.
Joyce introduced us to Giuseppe, an Italian man she had met at lunchtime. Giuseppe was involved with a group of dancers who were dancing the tango that night, on the steps of La Salut - a fifteenth century church. Joyce was going to watch and they invited us to go along too.
It was a surreal and thoroughly enjoyable evening, having tango dancing lessons and dancing the tango amongst a group of local Venetians, in the moonlight, on the steps of a six-century old church in Venice, Italy.
It was such a lovely end to our short visit to Venice, and we added Venice to our list of places that we would love to return to one day.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Venice
After packing up our bags, we had a nice buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We saw the couple that we had met at the swimming pool yesterday. The children had gone up to their hotel room to get changed for a swim. Miss S wanted to go and say goodbye to them before we left the hotel. We went to their room and exchanged addresses, so we could send them a postcard. They live in Birmingham, one of the places we will be stopping to visit family, so we could possibly meet up with them while we are there.
Suddenly, I looked at the time, and was alarmed to see it was later than i had realised. We were now going to have to really rush if we had any chance of getting to the train station before our train departed. We got a taxi to the station, but despite the crazy speed at which the driver took us there, we missed our train by literally a minute. It was horrible seeing it chugging out of the station a little way up the line, while we stood on the platform as it left without us.
The ticket for that train was non-refundable and non-exchangeable, so that was a waste of money. However, my philosophy in life, is to try not to worry about things I can't change and it had already been and gone, so there seemed little point dwelling on that. I also value friendship over money, and while we had lost the price of a train ticket, we had made new friends, so that could only be a good thing. We booked a new ticket, which, as it happened was leaving in fifteen minutes and was a much faster train, so we ended up arriving in Venice two hours earlier than we would have on the first train.
We had booked an apartment in Venice Mestre, which is the mainland part of Venice, where the majority of the population live, due to ease of travel, more employment opportunities and lack of flooding risk.
Once we had checked in we took a bus from Venice Mestre, across the Bridge of Freedom to Piazzale Roma, which is as far as you can take a vehicle, and all the buses stop there. From that point, you can only travel by foot or by boat.
We wandered around Venice, crossing many bridges over the water, looking at all the little shops and restaurants and beautiful old buildings on the edge of the canals.
We had dinner in one of those restaurants, overlooking the canal. I had the most delicious spaghetti with mixed seafood - with mussels, clams, fish, calamari, shrimps and languistines. We were seated next to a couple from Tasmania and got chatting during our meal. They even played I spy with us when Miss S got a bit bored, waiting for the food to come!
We finished our meal with a gelato from a gelateria on the way back to the bus stop.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Rome
While we fell in love with Florence, we did not like Rome very much at all.
We found it a noisy, chaotic, sprawling city and difficult to navigate. The friendly vibe of Florence was definitely not evident in the capital city of Italy.
When we arrived at Roma Termini Station the chaos immediately struck us.
We needed to get the metro about ten stops and then take a bus a few stops which would deliver us to outside our hotel.
The first problem was getting a metro ticket because the ticket machine wouldn't accept my 50€ note, nor did it take credit cards. I found another machine, but that one was only to purchase train tickets, not metro tickets. Finally someone told me I could buy them at the newspaper kiosk.
Making our way down to the underground to our platform was very congested, hundreds of people squashed together like sardines. We took one look at the first train that arrived and it was so chock-a-block full we chose to wait for the next one. When it arrived it was only slightly better and I was so grateful to a kind girl who offered me a seat. She could probably tell I was about to collapse with exhaustion. It was very hot and we had been wandering around for half an hour in our ticket search. I was starting to wilt, with twenty kilos on my back and about eight kilos on my front.
Coming out of the tube station to catch a bus was confusing as there were three different exits and we had no idea which one we should be using, as the directions we had been given from the hotel just said to go out of the exit and catch number 889 bus. After searching unsuccessfully for twenty
minutes for the correct bus, I gave up and we caught a taxi, gratefully, to the hotel door.
One of the best things about our visit to Rome was staying in the Crowne Plaza Hotel. It was situated a fifteen minute bus ride away from the city centre and it's accompanying noise and chaos. At the end of a busy day's sightseeing it was wonderful to go back to relax in a peaceful and comfortable hotel.
We did two guided tour sight-seeing trips. One day we went to the Colloseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. It was a three hour walking tour. Our guide, Alessandra, was friendly and knowledgeable with lots of interesting and entertaining stories. It was amazing to see the Colloseum
and we took a lot of photos.
The next day we did a tour to the Vatican City, with the same tour guide, another three hour walking
tour. This tour included the Vatican City, Vatican Museum, Saint Pierre's Cathedral and the Sistine
Chapel.
We had a free bus pick-up from our hotel for that tour, which wasn't until 1pm, so I took Miss S for a swim in the hotel pool in the morning. She had a great time splashing around with some children she had met the day before, and when they left another two arrived. She really hit it off with them and was disappointed to have to go and leave them behind when it was time to get ready to catch the bus.
We enjoyed the Vatican City tour. I was unaware that Vatican City is actually a country - the smallest
in the world, with an area of 44 hectares and a population of 840, predominantly nuns and monks.
As always, we took a a lot of photos, but once inside the Sistine Chapel, photography is forbidden, although I did see a few people sneakily snapping away.
After the tour we bought a few postcards, and a Vatican City stamp....they have their own postal service, independent of Rome.
As it was our last night in Rome, we also wanted to see the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain.
We were exhausted from the tour, heat and general atmosphere of Rome, so we took a taxi from Vatican City to the Spanish Steps.
I was underwhelmed by them. They were large, concrete steps, covered with tourists - at the top the building was under renovation and obscured by scaffolding, which admittedly spoilt the overall look
of the monument. We stayed there about ten minutes, then took a rickshaw cycle taxi to the Trevi Fountain.
Trevi Fountain was nicer, but still, of course, crowded with people. We took some photos and each of us threw a coin over our shoulder into the fountain. Apparently the coins are collected each evening and donated to local charities, which is nice to know.
Legend has, it that if you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain you are bound to return to Rome one day. But I won't be going back in any hurry.
We found it a noisy, chaotic, sprawling city and difficult to navigate. The friendly vibe of Florence was definitely not evident in the capital city of Italy.
When we arrived at Roma Termini Station the chaos immediately struck us.
We needed to get the metro about ten stops and then take a bus a few stops which would deliver us to outside our hotel.
The first problem was getting a metro ticket because the ticket machine wouldn't accept my 50€ note, nor did it take credit cards. I found another machine, but that one was only to purchase train tickets, not metro tickets. Finally someone told me I could buy them at the newspaper kiosk.
Making our way down to the underground to our platform was very congested, hundreds of people squashed together like sardines. We took one look at the first train that arrived and it was so chock-a-block full we chose to wait for the next one. When it arrived it was only slightly better and I was so grateful to a kind girl who offered me a seat. She could probably tell I was about to collapse with exhaustion. It was very hot and we had been wandering around for half an hour in our ticket search. I was starting to wilt, with twenty kilos on my back and about eight kilos on my front.
Coming out of the tube station to catch a bus was confusing as there were three different exits and we had no idea which one we should be using, as the directions we had been given from the hotel just said to go out of the exit and catch number 889 bus. After searching unsuccessfully for twenty
minutes for the correct bus, I gave up and we caught a taxi, gratefully, to the hotel door.
One of the best things about our visit to Rome was staying in the Crowne Plaza Hotel. It was situated a fifteen minute bus ride away from the city centre and it's accompanying noise and chaos. At the end of a busy day's sightseeing it was wonderful to go back to relax in a peaceful and comfortable hotel.
We did two guided tour sight-seeing trips. One day we went to the Colloseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. It was a three hour walking tour. Our guide, Alessandra, was friendly and knowledgeable with lots of interesting and entertaining stories. It was amazing to see the Colloseum
and we took a lot of photos.
The next day we did a tour to the Vatican City, with the same tour guide, another three hour walking
tour. This tour included the Vatican City, Vatican Museum, Saint Pierre's Cathedral and the Sistine
Chapel.
We had a free bus pick-up from our hotel for that tour, which wasn't until 1pm, so I took Miss S for a swim in the hotel pool in the morning. She had a great time splashing around with some children she had met the day before, and when they left another two arrived. She really hit it off with them and was disappointed to have to go and leave them behind when it was time to get ready to catch the bus.
We enjoyed the Vatican City tour. I was unaware that Vatican City is actually a country - the smallest
in the world, with an area of 44 hectares and a population of 840, predominantly nuns and monks.
As always, we took a a lot of photos, but once inside the Sistine Chapel, photography is forbidden, although I did see a few people sneakily snapping away.
After the tour we bought a few postcards, and a Vatican City stamp....they have their own postal service, independent of Rome.
As it was our last night in Rome, we also wanted to see the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain.
We were exhausted from the tour, heat and general atmosphere of Rome, so we took a taxi from Vatican City to the Spanish Steps.
I was underwhelmed by them. They were large, concrete steps, covered with tourists - at the top the building was under renovation and obscured by scaffolding, which admittedly spoilt the overall look
of the monument. We stayed there about ten minutes, then took a rickshaw cycle taxi to the Trevi Fountain.
Trevi Fountain was nicer, but still, of course, crowded with people. We took some photos and each of us threw a coin over our shoulder into the fountain. Apparently the coins are collected each evening and donated to local charities, which is nice to know.
Legend has, it that if you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain you are bound to return to Rome one day. But I won't be going back in any hurry.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Florence
We left the apartment in Geneva for the last time and took a tram to the station where we needed to get our tickets printed. We bought a roll and a muffin from Subway to take on the train with us. We had already learned that the food available to purchase on trains was unappetising. On our way to find the correct train platform, we passed a chocolate shop and it occurred to us that we hadn't eaten nearly enough Swiss chocolate while we had been in Geneva, so we went into the shop and each selected five chocolates.
The journey from Geneva, Switzerland to Florence, Italy was one of our longest so far. It was four hours from Geneva to Milan, where we had a forty five minute wait for our connecting train to Florence, which was a further two hours.
The apartment we had booked was beautiful. It was built in the 1600s, but was modernised inside and had been recently renovated. The location was wonderful, right next to a small square, with shops and restaurants, the station, and sightseeing destinations all within walking distance.
In the square there was a market held a few times a week. I bought a pair of shoes and a top there and Sophie chose a small cast iron horse that the man had made himself.
As we were browsing the market one day, a lady came up to us and said that she wanted to give Miss S a present. I must have looked wary, because she was quick to assure me that she didn't want anything in return. She explained that her daughter, who lived in Brazil, had given her hundreds of bead bracelets and every now and then she liked to give some away to people as a gift. So she gave Miss S four pretty bead bracelets and I took a photo of them together.
Miss S seems to attract people everywhere we go, she confidently chats to everyone and people are delighted with her confidence and friendliness. Another woman on one of our train journeys gave her a notebook.
Each morning we would walk two minutes to the local bakery and get a ham and cheese ciabatta sandwich for breakfast for a total cost of just 3€. We would often sit in the square by the fountain and watch the people shopping in the market and the pigeons pecking for crumbs....it was a relaxing start to the day, and the ciabatta was delicious.
From there we would walk to our favourite gelateria for our first gelato of the day, which was also a
total cost of 3€. It was the best ice-cream we had ever tasted.
Breakfast gelato! Miss S was most impressed.
Mind you, it was actually more like lunchtime by the time we got out, because we had slipped into the habit of staying out late in the evenings, enjoying all the entertainment in the Piazza and going to sleep close to midnight, and subsequently sleeping in till 9 am.
The shutters on all the windows made it easy - the bedroom was pitch black until you opened them and let in the sunlight, when it suited you. Fabulous invention.
The first day we were in Florence we decided to take a trip to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. We
took a train there and spent a lovely couple of hours admiring the town of Pisa, and of course the
tower itself. We took lots of photos, including the famed staged 'pushing against the tower shots' with
Miss S doing the pushing.
I didn't know until I got there, that the leaning tower is the free-standing bell tower of the Cathedral. The Cathedral and the Baptistery were also beautiful buildings, but not as popularly known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
We had dinner in Pisa, in a little side street restaurant. I had the most delicious lasagne there, washed down nicely with a glass of Prosecco.
During our time in Florence, we also went to see Michaelangelo's David sculpture. We waited in the ticket queue for nearly an hour. It was nice to see it, but I felt a little like it was just so I could tick a box. I didn't have an overwhelming desire to see it.
We enjoyed the wealth of excellent busking entertainment in Florence, the friendly, relaxed social
vibe, the food, the ability to walk everywhere; many things. I can't actually think of anything that we
didn't like about Florence, and I would love to return one day.
The journey from Geneva, Switzerland to Florence, Italy was one of our longest so far. It was four hours from Geneva to Milan, where we had a forty five minute wait for our connecting train to Florence, which was a further two hours.
The apartment we had booked was beautiful. It was built in the 1600s, but was modernised inside and had been recently renovated. The location was wonderful, right next to a small square, with shops and restaurants, the station, and sightseeing destinations all within walking distance.
In the square there was a market held a few times a week. I bought a pair of shoes and a top there and Sophie chose a small cast iron horse that the man had made himself.
As we were browsing the market one day, a lady came up to us and said that she wanted to give Miss S a present. I must have looked wary, because she was quick to assure me that she didn't want anything in return. She explained that her daughter, who lived in Brazil, had given her hundreds of bead bracelets and every now and then she liked to give some away to people as a gift. So she gave Miss S four pretty bead bracelets and I took a photo of them together.
Miss S seems to attract people everywhere we go, she confidently chats to everyone and people are delighted with her confidence and friendliness. Another woman on one of our train journeys gave her a notebook.
Each morning we would walk two minutes to the local bakery and get a ham and cheese ciabatta sandwich for breakfast for a total cost of just 3€. We would often sit in the square by the fountain and watch the people shopping in the market and the pigeons pecking for crumbs....it was a relaxing start to the day, and the ciabatta was delicious.
From there we would walk to our favourite gelateria for our first gelato of the day, which was also a
total cost of 3€. It was the best ice-cream we had ever tasted.
Breakfast gelato! Miss S was most impressed.
Mind you, it was actually more like lunchtime by the time we got out, because we had slipped into the habit of staying out late in the evenings, enjoying all the entertainment in the Piazza and going to sleep close to midnight, and subsequently sleeping in till 9 am.
The shutters on all the windows made it easy - the bedroom was pitch black until you opened them and let in the sunlight, when it suited you. Fabulous invention.
The first day we were in Florence we decided to take a trip to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. We
took a train there and spent a lovely couple of hours admiring the town of Pisa, and of course the
tower itself. We took lots of photos, including the famed staged 'pushing against the tower shots' with
Miss S doing the pushing.
I didn't know until I got there, that the leaning tower is the free-standing bell tower of the Cathedral. The Cathedral and the Baptistery were also beautiful buildings, but not as popularly known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
We had dinner in Pisa, in a little side street restaurant. I had the most delicious lasagne there, washed down nicely with a glass of Prosecco.
During our time in Florence, we also went to see Michaelangelo's David sculpture. We waited in the ticket queue for nearly an hour. It was nice to see it, but I felt a little like it was just so I could tick a box. I didn't have an overwhelming desire to see it.
We enjoyed the wealth of excellent busking entertainment in Florence, the friendly, relaxed social
vibe, the food, the ability to walk everywhere; many things. I can't actually think of anything that we
didn't like about Florence, and I would love to return one day.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Switzerland....France....Switzerland....France!
The next morning we went off to explore Geneva. We caught the tram into the city. We stopped at a city park and played giant chess. Miss S beat me! She told me her daddy had taught her well, then she added, "well enough to beat you anyway, Mama, but not well enough to beat Daddy,"
It was a pleasure to see so many locals out enjoying the park. There were many giant chess games and giant draughts boards painted on the ground. There were also picnic tables that were printed with chess boards, so could be used to play in the normal way. For those seeking more active a game, there were quite a few table tennis tables provided as well. I loved that the park was equipped with these games, and that people were actually getting together in the park and utilising them. We saw families, teenagers and elderly people all playing games in the park. What a wonderful community-spirited idea.
We continued through the park and headed towards the lake, stopping for lunch in a pub on a quiet corner halfway there. We shared a huge burger, salad and chips, then continued on towards the lake. We took a boat ride across to the other side of the lake. The sun shining on the water, blue sky and beautiful mountain views surrounding the lake made for stunningly beautiful scenery.
Once on the other side, we strolled along the lake edge path for a while, then stopped on a park bench to admire the view, and watch Geneva life go by, and read our books. After a while, we walked back in the other direction until we came to Jardins Anglais, a beautiful garden on the edge of the lake. We watched someone with a giant bubble blower, and Miss S joined in with all the other children, chasing after the bubbles. Then we marvelled at the stillness of a man dressed as an admiral statue.
We finished our outing with a ride along the waterfront, on a solar-powered miniature train.
The next day, we had a bit of a slow start, with a sleep in, a skype session and then a bit of catching up on blog writing. It is hard to keep up to date with my blog entries. With only a few days in each place we are trying to make the most of our time in each one. It's sometimes difficult to find time to have the experience and write about it! I don't know if anyone is actually reading them, apart from my husband, but it will be nice for us to read them and relive our memories at some time in the future anyway. It would be encouraging to spur me on though, if anyone is reading this, if they could leave a comment.
By the time we got out it was pretty close to lunchtime, so we went to an Italian Restaurant and shared a pizza. I am so glad we decided to share one, and not have one each, because it was enormous!
We had a walk around the Old Town and stopped to see Saint Pierre's Cathedral. Beneath the cathedral, there is an archaeological site of previously built churches. It sounded interesting but Miss S saw a picture of a skeleton on a brochure and that put paid to that idea. She thought it looked way too scary to contemplate!
We took a bus to the border of Switzerland and France. We walked over the border, thinking how strange it was that we could just walk down the street and with one step be in a different country. We could walk a few steps backwards and forwards....Switzerland....France....Switzerland....France! But we didn't actually do that. That would have just looked silly! (As if that's ever bothered me before!)
Anyway, I digress, and this blog post is becoming daft! The point of us going across the border into France was to take a cable car up to the summit of Mount Salève. The views across France and Switzerland were beautiful and we enjoyed watching some sky divers launching themselves off the mountain and soaring around in the sky.
We had a bush walk. It started off well, with a decent path, but after about twenty minutes of walking the track started to disappear, and we were having to clamber over tree roots, and pick our way carefully down an increasingly steep incline, trying not to think too much that what goes down, must surely come up! Then it started to rain, and was getting muddier and slippery, so we decided to turn around and head back up to the kiosk for a well deserved cuppa.
Miss S met some French children in the playground and enjoyed playing with them while I had a cup of tea and chatted to their parents. Then we made our way back down the mountain in the return cable car and caught the bus back to Geneva, then the tram back to the apartment.
We went to bed feeling full of excitement and anticipation about travelling to Italy the next day.
It was a pleasure to see so many locals out enjoying the park. There were many giant chess games and giant draughts boards painted on the ground. There were also picnic tables that were printed with chess boards, so could be used to play in the normal way. For those seeking more active a game, there were quite a few table tennis tables provided as well. I loved that the park was equipped with these games, and that people were actually getting together in the park and utilising them. We saw families, teenagers and elderly people all playing games in the park. What a wonderful community-spirited idea.
We continued through the park and headed towards the lake, stopping for lunch in a pub on a quiet corner halfway there. We shared a huge burger, salad and chips, then continued on towards the lake. We took a boat ride across to the other side of the lake. The sun shining on the water, blue sky and beautiful mountain views surrounding the lake made for stunningly beautiful scenery.
Once on the other side, we strolled along the lake edge path for a while, then stopped on a park bench to admire the view, and watch Geneva life go by, and read our books. After a while, we walked back in the other direction until we came to Jardins Anglais, a beautiful garden on the edge of the lake. We watched someone with a giant bubble blower, and Miss S joined in with all the other children, chasing after the bubbles. Then we marvelled at the stillness of a man dressed as an admiral statue.
We finished our outing with a ride along the waterfront, on a solar-powered miniature train.
The next day, we had a bit of a slow start, with a sleep in, a skype session and then a bit of catching up on blog writing. It is hard to keep up to date with my blog entries. With only a few days in each place we are trying to make the most of our time in each one. It's sometimes difficult to find time to have the experience and write about it! I don't know if anyone is actually reading them, apart from my husband, but it will be nice for us to read them and relive our memories at some time in the future anyway. It would be encouraging to spur me on though, if anyone is reading this, if they could leave a comment.
By the time we got out it was pretty close to lunchtime, so we went to an Italian Restaurant and shared a pizza. I am so glad we decided to share one, and not have one each, because it was enormous!
We had a walk around the Old Town and stopped to see Saint Pierre's Cathedral. Beneath the cathedral, there is an archaeological site of previously built churches. It sounded interesting but Miss S saw a picture of a skeleton on a brochure and that put paid to that idea. She thought it looked way too scary to contemplate!
We took a bus to the border of Switzerland and France. We walked over the border, thinking how strange it was that we could just walk down the street and with one step be in a different country. We could walk a few steps backwards and forwards....Switzerland....France....Switzerland....France! But we didn't actually do that. That would have just looked silly! (As if that's ever bothered me before!)
Anyway, I digress, and this blog post is becoming daft! The point of us going across the border into France was to take a cable car up to the summit of Mount Salève. The views across France and Switzerland were beautiful and we enjoyed watching some sky divers launching themselves off the mountain and soaring around in the sky.
We had a bush walk. It started off well, with a decent path, but after about twenty minutes of walking the track started to disappear, and we were having to clamber over tree roots, and pick our way carefully down an increasingly steep incline, trying not to think too much that what goes down, must surely come up! Then it started to rain, and was getting muddier and slippery, so we decided to turn around and head back up to the kiosk for a well deserved cuppa.
Miss S met some French children in the playground and enjoyed playing with them while I had a cup of tea and chatted to their parents. Then we made our way back down the mountain in the return cable car and caught the bus back to Geneva, then the tram back to the apartment.
We went to bed feeling full of excitement and anticipation about travelling to Italy the next day.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Geneva - Stationary train and Sushi Train
We had an afternoon flight booked to Geneva, Switzerland the next day. We packed up our things and headed to the main Barcelona train station to catch a train to the airport. Between the apartment and the train station we stopped for a last play on the playground. We lost track of time a little and then it was a mad dash to get to the train. We were cutting it quite fine, but eventually the train we had been waiting for arrived on the platform and I breathed a sigh of relief that we would make it to the airport in time to check in our bag...just!
However, for some unknown reason, once we had boarded the train, it stood stationary on the tracks for at least ten minutes. I was starting to feel more anxious with every minute that ticked by, because we didn't have any minutes to spare. I was getting worried that we would not get there in time.
Unfortunately, my fears were valid. Eventually the train started to move, and we finally arrived at the airport, with only five minutes to spare. Five minutes was not long enough to get to our terminal, which of course, was the furthest away from the train platform. We ran all the way - a long way, with my 20 kg backpack on my back and my 8 kg day pack on my front, and my poor daughter rushing along behind me with her backpack. It was horrible. It was made worse when we got to the desk and they confirmed that bag check-in was closed. We were only a few minutes late. But late is late.
The woman on the desk said to take our luggage with us to the boarding gate and that someone there would take it from us and take it to the hold. That was a relief...apparently I wouldn't have to take it on the plane with me after all. Just as well, as there was no way it would fit in an overhead locker or under a seat!
When we got to the boarding gate, I handed the man there my passport and booking information. He
enquired as to where my boarding pass was....I showed him the wording on my paper which clearly stated all I needed was my booking number and passport, but apparently I did actually still need a boarding pass, so he sent me back down to the company office to get one.
The company office was unattended. Now I was nervous that not only my bag wouldn't be taken, but that we wouldn't be boarding either! I went back to the bag check in desk and eventually the woman there said she could print out boarding passes for us. With boarding passes in hand, we dashed back upstairs, breathing a sigh of relief as we went through security.
I ended up having to take the back pack right up to the plane door and they assured me that it would be put into the hold before we took off. We took our seats in the plane, and crossed our fingers that someone would put it in, and that we wouldn't arrive in Geneva with no luggage.
The flight itself was quick and pleasant. In the arrivals hall, we were relieved to see that our bag had indeed made the trip.
We made our way to the apartment we were renting a room in for three nights. The host were a couple in their mid thirties. He was more welcoming than she was. The apartment was lovely, overlooking a river, and with a mountain view from the balcony. Our bed was comfortable and we had our own bathroom.
We decided to try the little local sushi restaurant in the same block as the apartment. When we got there it was fully booked and they didn't have any room for us. There was a couple behind us who were also hoping to get in to the restaurant, and we got chatting. They said they knew of another nice sushi place and invited us to join them there for dinner. So we caught a tram together into the city and had delicious sushi in a restaurant called Sushi Train. The little plates of sushi are placed onto carriages of a train that circles around the train track above you. As the train goes past you take the plates of sushi that appeal to you. Each plate is colour coded and each colour has a different
monetary value. At the end of the meal, you present your plates to the waiter, and they work out what you owe. We had a really fun night, and the food was delicious. The couple we had met were really lovely, and we swapped contact details. They insisted on paying for our meal, which was so kind of them and then they walked with us back to the tram stop we needed to catch home again.
However, for some unknown reason, once we had boarded the train, it stood stationary on the tracks for at least ten minutes. I was starting to feel more anxious with every minute that ticked by, because we didn't have any minutes to spare. I was getting worried that we would not get there in time.
Unfortunately, my fears were valid. Eventually the train started to move, and we finally arrived at the airport, with only five minutes to spare. Five minutes was not long enough to get to our terminal, which of course, was the furthest away from the train platform. We ran all the way - a long way, with my 20 kg backpack on my back and my 8 kg day pack on my front, and my poor daughter rushing along behind me with her backpack. It was horrible. It was made worse when we got to the desk and they confirmed that bag check-in was closed. We were only a few minutes late. But late is late.
The woman on the desk said to take our luggage with us to the boarding gate and that someone there would take it from us and take it to the hold. That was a relief...apparently I wouldn't have to take it on the plane with me after all. Just as well, as there was no way it would fit in an overhead locker or under a seat!
When we got to the boarding gate, I handed the man there my passport and booking information. He
enquired as to where my boarding pass was....I showed him the wording on my paper which clearly stated all I needed was my booking number and passport, but apparently I did actually still need a boarding pass, so he sent me back down to the company office to get one.
The company office was unattended. Now I was nervous that not only my bag wouldn't be taken, but that we wouldn't be boarding either! I went back to the bag check in desk and eventually the woman there said she could print out boarding passes for us. With boarding passes in hand, we dashed back upstairs, breathing a sigh of relief as we went through security.
I ended up having to take the back pack right up to the plane door and they assured me that it would be put into the hold before we took off. We took our seats in the plane, and crossed our fingers that someone would put it in, and that we wouldn't arrive in Geneva with no luggage.
The flight itself was quick and pleasant. In the arrivals hall, we were relieved to see that our bag had indeed made the trip.
We made our way to the apartment we were renting a room in for three nights. The host were a couple in their mid thirties. He was more welcoming than she was. The apartment was lovely, overlooking a river, and with a mountain view from the balcony. Our bed was comfortable and we had our own bathroom.
We decided to try the little local sushi restaurant in the same block as the apartment. When we got there it was fully booked and they didn't have any room for us. There was a couple behind us who were also hoping to get in to the restaurant, and we got chatting. They said they knew of another nice sushi place and invited us to join them there for dinner. So we caught a tram together into the city and had delicious sushi in a restaurant called Sushi Train. The little plates of sushi are placed onto carriages of a train that circles around the train track above you. As the train goes past you take the plates of sushi that appeal to you. Each plate is colour coded and each colour has a different
monetary value. At the end of the meal, you present your plates to the waiter, and they work out what you owe. We had a really fun night, and the food was delicious. The couple we had met were really lovely, and we swapped contact details. They insisted on paying for our meal, which was so kind of them and then they walked with us back to the tram stop we needed to catch home again.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Barcelona and Calella
After having two nights uncomfortable sleep, and with both of us under the weather, we decided to treat ourselves to a decent place to stay for our first two nights in Barcelona. The apartment we booked was beautiful and beyond our expectations. It was only three weeks old, and it was just the luxurious environment that we needed to rest and recuperate.
After a fantastic nights sleep, we went for a walk to explore the area. We spent a long time at a local playground, where Miss S did a lot of swinging. We had tapas in a local cafe.
The next day we went to Guell Park to see Gaudi's wonderful architecture. The hill we had to walk up to get there was so steep it had escalators alongside the stairs in some parts.
The park itself is free to enter, but the ticket-only part in the centre is where the exhibits are, including the mosaic lizard, and wavy mosaic wall, from where there is a great view of the city and the sea in the distance.
On my cousin's recommendation, the next day, we went to Calella. It was a fifty minute train ride, northeast of Barcelona, a beach town.
We enjoyed wandering the quaint lanes, a whole day on the beach and the cheapest mini golf and bowling prices we have ever paid. The bowling was pretty retro, with only five, short lanes, but fun and the golf course was varied and challenging. We had a great time, and for us both to play both games cost less than twenty New Zealand dollars!We stayed three nights in Calella, then returned to Barcelona.
Unfortunately, not back to the luxury apartment of last time. To make amends to the budget we had booked into a room in someone's apartment, rather than the whole apartment.
Sadly, this was to be the second 'springy' bed on our trip and also another noisy room, as we were in the front room, overlooking a busy road.
Conveniently located for the tube and the local playground and plenty of shops though.
We took the tube to La Ramblas and explored La Boqueria market, with it's amazing array of food
stalls. We took lots of photos, of strange and exotic fruits and enormous capsicums.
Barcelona is huge and we decided a good way to see the sights would be to take a tourist bus that we could hop on and off at different landmarks.
We hopped off at Montjuic and took the cable car up to Montjuic Castell. We didn't go in, but we walked all around it, took some more photos, and watched a couple of men doing some archery. Miss S also spent some time reading her book on a park bench half way round, while i admired the views. Then we rode back down the cable car and rejoined the bus, which we caught into town for some dinner. After we came out of the restaurant we discovered the tourist bus had stopped running, so we caught the metro back home.
The next day we went to Sagrada Familia. We waited in line to buy tickets for about twenty minutes getting rather hot. We purchased tickets for the Basilica and the towers as well. Once we had our tickets in hand, we crossed the road and bought some ice cream and ate it in an adjacent park. After her ice cream Miss S spent some time swinging in the playground. She was really getting good at keeping the swing going by herself. My swing pushing days with her are almost over.
We walked around to the entrance to the Basilica and spent the next half hour or so snapping photos. It is a beautiful and architecturally stunning building. We went up the tower in a lift that takes you up the first sixty metres, after which you climb up the steps of the last ten metres. The views were
amazing.
To get back down, we walked down a narrow circular staircase, with a hole in the centre. Through the hole you can see right down to the ground seventy metres below. I felt irrationally terrified as my young daughter kept peering down the hole, admiring the seventy metre drop, and I had visions of her falling right down it. I was quite relieved when we were both safely back down on the ground.
To finish the day, we went to the Magic Fountain of Montjuic, to see the display of water and lights, set to music. It was pretty. Miss S described it as breathtaking! I was surprised the music wasn't classical, instead it was pop music - the likes of One Direction! Bit of a let-down on that score. Too be fair, we only stayed for the first set, so it could have been classical after we'd left, but we'll never know. It was pretty though and I'm still glad we went to see it.
After a fantastic nights sleep, we went for a walk to explore the area. We spent a long time at a local playground, where Miss S did a lot of swinging. We had tapas in a local cafe.
The next day we went to Guell Park to see Gaudi's wonderful architecture. The hill we had to walk up to get there was so steep it had escalators alongside the stairs in some parts.
The park itself is free to enter, but the ticket-only part in the centre is where the exhibits are, including the mosaic lizard, and wavy mosaic wall, from where there is a great view of the city and the sea in the distance.
On my cousin's recommendation, the next day, we went to Calella. It was a fifty minute train ride, northeast of Barcelona, a beach town.
We enjoyed wandering the quaint lanes, a whole day on the beach and the cheapest mini golf and bowling prices we have ever paid. The bowling was pretty retro, with only five, short lanes, but fun and the golf course was varied and challenging. We had a great time, and for us both to play both games cost less than twenty New Zealand dollars!We stayed three nights in Calella, then returned to Barcelona.
Unfortunately, not back to the luxury apartment of last time. To make amends to the budget we had booked into a room in someone's apartment, rather than the whole apartment.
Sadly, this was to be the second 'springy' bed on our trip and also another noisy room, as we were in the front room, overlooking a busy road.
Conveniently located for the tube and the local playground and plenty of shops though.
We took the tube to La Ramblas and explored La Boqueria market, with it's amazing array of food
stalls. We took lots of photos, of strange and exotic fruits and enormous capsicums.
Barcelona is huge and we decided a good way to see the sights would be to take a tourist bus that we could hop on and off at different landmarks.
We hopped off at Montjuic and took the cable car up to Montjuic Castell. We didn't go in, but we walked all around it, took some more photos, and watched a couple of men doing some archery. Miss S also spent some time reading her book on a park bench half way round, while i admired the views. Then we rode back down the cable car and rejoined the bus, which we caught into town for some dinner. After we came out of the restaurant we discovered the tourist bus had stopped running, so we caught the metro back home.
The next day we went to Sagrada Familia. We waited in line to buy tickets for about twenty minutes getting rather hot. We purchased tickets for the Basilica and the towers as well. Once we had our tickets in hand, we crossed the road and bought some ice cream and ate it in an adjacent park. After her ice cream Miss S spent some time swinging in the playground. She was really getting good at keeping the swing going by herself. My swing pushing days with her are almost over.
We walked around to the entrance to the Basilica and spent the next half hour or so snapping photos. It is a beautiful and architecturally stunning building. We went up the tower in a lift that takes you up the first sixty metres, after which you climb up the steps of the last ten metres. The views were
amazing.
To get back down, we walked down a narrow circular staircase, with a hole in the centre. Through the hole you can see right down to the ground seventy metres below. I felt irrationally terrified as my young daughter kept peering down the hole, admiring the seventy metre drop, and I had visions of her falling right down it. I was quite relieved when we were both safely back down on the ground.
To finish the day, we went to the Magic Fountain of Montjuic, to see the display of water and lights, set to music. It was pretty. Miss S described it as breathtaking! I was surprised the music wasn't classical, instead it was pop music - the likes of One Direction! Bit of a let-down on that score. Too be fair, we only stayed for the first set, so it could have been classical after we'd left, but we'll never know. It was pretty though and I'm still glad we went to see it.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Carcassonne
The next day we took the train to Carcassonne. This was a place I was really looking forward to...everyone who had been there had said it was beautiful.
We arrived late afternoon and asked directions at the station to the tourist office and the woman there booked us a room at Hotel Central, ten minutes walk up the road.
The man who ran the hotel was nice, helpful with all my questions, etc, but unfortunately his pleasant manner in no way made up for the bed, which had definitely seen years and years of better days. It was the most uncomfortable bed I have ever slept on and had springs that dug uncomfortably into me all night long.
I woke up feeling full of flu the next morning, although some of the aches and pains could have been attributed to the bed. I found a pharmacy and bought some cough medicine, as we were both barking like dogs.
It was a lovely sunny day so I thought a cruise on the Canal du Midi would be quite a relaxing and pleasant way to see the scenery. When we went to book we discovered the booking place also hired out bicycles. Miss S was very keen to do that instead, so we did. The minimum booking time was two hours. It was really enjoyable and a lot of fun, cycling along the tow path, alongside the canal. We watched a boat go through the lock which was interesting.
The next day we left our bags in reception and walked twenty minutes up the road to the walled Medieval City. We wandered around the cobble-stoned lanes of shops and restaurants and went inside the castle. Needless to say, we took a lot of photos. We had lunch and then headed back to the
hotel to collect our bags and went to the train station to catch our train to Barcelona, Spain.
We arrived late afternoon and asked directions at the station to the tourist office and the woman there booked us a room at Hotel Central, ten minutes walk up the road.
The man who ran the hotel was nice, helpful with all my questions, etc, but unfortunately his pleasant manner in no way made up for the bed, which had definitely seen years and years of better days. It was the most uncomfortable bed I have ever slept on and had springs that dug uncomfortably into me all night long.
I woke up feeling full of flu the next morning, although some of the aches and pains could have been attributed to the bed. I found a pharmacy and bought some cough medicine, as we were both barking like dogs.
It was a lovely sunny day so I thought a cruise on the Canal du Midi would be quite a relaxing and pleasant way to see the scenery. When we went to book we discovered the booking place also hired out bicycles. Miss S was very keen to do that instead, so we did. The minimum booking time was two hours. It was really enjoyable and a lot of fun, cycling along the tow path, alongside the canal. We watched a boat go through the lock which was interesting.
The next day we left our bags in reception and walked twenty minutes up the road to the walled Medieval City. We wandered around the cobble-stoned lanes of shops and restaurants and went inside the castle. Needless to say, we took a lot of photos. We had lunch and then headed back to the
hotel to collect our bags and went to the train station to catch our train to Barcelona, Spain.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Five French children and One Sick Kiwi
We had been really looking forward to the next part of our journey, as we were going to stay in the heart of the French countryside with a homeschooling family with five children.
We travelled by train from Paris to Limoges, and then onwards by bus to a little village called Aubusson. The bus journey between Limoges and Aubusson was really lovely....the scenery was absolutely beautiful, with rolling green fields, and we passed through lots of little villages with stone cottages.
We were met at Aubusson by the mum and seven year old daughter, and driven to the remote rural area of Pallier.
The girls were chattering together immediately in the back seat, and I could see that we were going to have a really fun time together.
Unfortunately, it was not to be, as the next day Miss S awoke with a very high fever and was awfully unwell. She stayed in bed for the whole of the next two days, slept a lot and ate nothing. Meanwhile, I was supposed to be working with the other children for a few hours each day, teaching them English. This proved very awkward, as my own daughter kept calling out to me to go and sit with her, and I couldn't not go to her when she needed me, so I felt I wasn't really fulfilling my end of the arrangement. The family were understanding, but I felt uncomfortable. This, coupled with the fact that the household was extremely noisy, and hard to rest in, with drums, the flute, and the piano accordion being played, often in unison, in the room below ours, meant we decided to move on after three nights, rather than stay the seven we had arranged.
It was disappointing, but we were so relieved to be leaving, so we could get some quiet space to sleep and recover our health. By this time I was also starting to feel a bit under the weather myself.
I had booked into a cheap hotel for one night in Limoges, and was hoping to change our next few bookings so we could carry on our planned route, just a bit earlier than we had arranged.
The hotel in Limoges turned out to be right on the edge of a very busy six lane road....practically a motorway, but with the added bonus of the street cleaner that came past at stupid o'clock in the morning. Needless to say, we didn't get the great nights sleep we were hoping for there either!
Perhaps we would have better luck in Carcassonne.
We travelled by train from Paris to Limoges, and then onwards by bus to a little village called Aubusson. The bus journey between Limoges and Aubusson was really lovely....the scenery was absolutely beautiful, with rolling green fields, and we passed through lots of little villages with stone cottages.
We were met at Aubusson by the mum and seven year old daughter, and driven to the remote rural area of Pallier.
The girls were chattering together immediately in the back seat, and I could see that we were going to have a really fun time together.
Unfortunately, it was not to be, as the next day Miss S awoke with a very high fever and was awfully unwell. She stayed in bed for the whole of the next two days, slept a lot and ate nothing. Meanwhile, I was supposed to be working with the other children for a few hours each day, teaching them English. This proved very awkward, as my own daughter kept calling out to me to go and sit with her, and I couldn't not go to her when she needed me, so I felt I wasn't really fulfilling my end of the arrangement. The family were understanding, but I felt uncomfortable. This, coupled with the fact that the household was extremely noisy, and hard to rest in, with drums, the flute, and the piano accordion being played, often in unison, in the room below ours, meant we decided to move on after three nights, rather than stay the seven we had arranged.
It was disappointing, but we were so relieved to be leaving, so we could get some quiet space to sleep and recover our health. By this time I was also starting to feel a bit under the weather myself.
I had booked into a cheap hotel for one night in Limoges, and was hoping to change our next few bookings so we could carry on our planned route, just a bit earlier than we had arranged.
The hotel in Limoges turned out to be right on the edge of a very busy six lane road....practically a motorway, but with the added bonus of the street cleaner that came past at stupid o'clock in the morning. Needless to say, we didn't get the great nights sleep we were hoping for there either!
Perhaps we would have better luck in Carcassonne.
Monday, May 26, 2014
A busy day in Paris
Our last day in Paris was a beautiful sunny day and a very busy one.
We had two things on our wish list for Paris, and it was our last day here and we hadn't done either of them yet, so we determined that we would do them both today. The two things were going up the Eiffel Tower and seeing the Mona Lisa.
We set off on the Metro to The Louvre.
We expected huge queues but were pleasantly surprised that we were in very quickly, with next to no queue at all. The Louvre is enormous and you could easily spend days and days there, but our mission was really just to see the Mona Lisa, and anything else we saw en route would be a bonus. I was very aware that my travelling companion was only seven, and although she is interested in art and famous paintings, I didn't want to push my luck.
However, we did see a lot of marble statues and beautifully painted ornate ceilings, as well as some other paintings on our way to finding Lisa.
When we reached the room that she was displayed in we saw crowds of people in the centre of the room, all jostling together en masse, trying to get a glimpse of the famous painting. So, of course, we joined the throngs and slowly inched forward through the crowd until we were standing right at the front, behind the barrier, with the Mona Lisa right before us! I snapped a few photos and we were happy!
We sat on the edge of the fountain outside the Louvre and ate some crisps, while taking in the beauty
of the outside of the building. Then we walked through the Jardin Des Tuileries, soaking up the Parisian ambience, the fountains, ponds, playground, people out enjoying in the sunshine. We stopped and had a lunch of crepes with salted caramel sauce, from a kiosk, which we sat in deck chairs under the trees and devoured....they were so delicious.
While we were eating our crepes Miss S noticed a large colourful castle across the park. We went to investigate and were told that it was a project that Disneyland Paris had created. Hundreds of children had drawn and submitted their drawings of castles, and a selection of them had been chosen to be enlarged and printed onto construction material that was then built together into a life size castle of the children's art. It was amazing and wonderful....we were so impressed and inspired. The children's accompanying stories were available to read on display boards around the castle. We were able to go inside the castle and draw on the inside of the castle walls. There were also tents set up where children could have their faces painted, and have their photos taken, and a tattoo tent where they could get a temporary tattoo put on their arms, but also have their own drawings made into a tattoo. Miss S drew a unicorn and delighted in telling everyone that she had designed her own tattoo.
After the fun of the Imagination Castle we went on to take a cruise on the River Seine. The cruise ended at the Eiffel Tower. We finished our day with a ride up the tower. We took endless photos of the far-reaching views across the city, before making our way back to our little apartment, exhausted but thrilled by our busy day in Paris.
We had two things on our wish list for Paris, and it was our last day here and we hadn't done either of them yet, so we determined that we would do them both today. The two things were going up the Eiffel Tower and seeing the Mona Lisa.
We set off on the Metro to The Louvre.
We expected huge queues but were pleasantly surprised that we were in very quickly, with next to no queue at all. The Louvre is enormous and you could easily spend days and days there, but our mission was really just to see the Mona Lisa, and anything else we saw en route would be a bonus. I was very aware that my travelling companion was only seven, and although she is interested in art and famous paintings, I didn't want to push my luck.
However, we did see a lot of marble statues and beautifully painted ornate ceilings, as well as some other paintings on our way to finding Lisa.
When we reached the room that she was displayed in we saw crowds of people in the centre of the room, all jostling together en masse, trying to get a glimpse of the famous painting. So, of course, we joined the throngs and slowly inched forward through the crowd until we were standing right at the front, behind the barrier, with the Mona Lisa right before us! I snapped a few photos and we were happy!
We sat on the edge of the fountain outside the Louvre and ate some crisps, while taking in the beauty
of the outside of the building. Then we walked through the Jardin Des Tuileries, soaking up the Parisian ambience, the fountains, ponds, playground, people out enjoying in the sunshine. We stopped and had a lunch of crepes with salted caramel sauce, from a kiosk, which we sat in deck chairs under the trees and devoured....they were so delicious.
While we were eating our crepes Miss S noticed a large colourful castle across the park. We went to investigate and were told that it was a project that Disneyland Paris had created. Hundreds of children had drawn and submitted their drawings of castles, and a selection of them had been chosen to be enlarged and printed onto construction material that was then built together into a life size castle of the children's art. It was amazing and wonderful....we were so impressed and inspired. The children's accompanying stories were available to read on display boards around the castle. We were able to go inside the castle and draw on the inside of the castle walls. There were also tents set up where children could have their faces painted, and have their photos taken, and a tattoo tent where they could get a temporary tattoo put on their arms, but also have their own drawings made into a tattoo. Miss S drew a unicorn and delighted in telling everyone that she had designed her own tattoo.
After the fun of the Imagination Castle we went on to take a cruise on the River Seine. The cruise ended at the Eiffel Tower. We finished our day with a ride up the tower. We took endless photos of the far-reaching views across the city, before making our way back to our little apartment, exhausted but thrilled by our busy day in Paris.
The most expensive cheese toastie ever!
The next day started warm but got gradually colder.
We walked down to the Eiffel Tower and bought tickets for a hop on/ hop off tourist bus tour of Paris.
We sat on the top deck and enjoyed a couple of hours seeing all the famous landmarks of Paris....The Arc d' Triomphe, The Louvre, Concorde, Notre Dame, Champs Ellyses, etc.
We decided to get off at Notre Dame. When we got there we realised we were quite hungry, and as the weather had turned wild and windy, we thought we would go into a little cafe next to the Cathedral for lunch. It was very busy, but we were shoe-horned into a table for two.
I had a croque Monsieur (cheese toasted sandwich) and Miss S had a chocolate crepe and we both had a lemonade.
Unbelievably the bill for this came to sixty New Zealand dollars! I think I will remember that toastie every time I have one at home from now on!
We walked down to the Eiffel Tower and bought tickets for a hop on/ hop off tourist bus tour of Paris.
We sat on the top deck and enjoyed a couple of hours seeing all the famous landmarks of Paris....The Arc d' Triomphe, The Louvre, Concorde, Notre Dame, Champs Ellyses, etc.
We decided to get off at Notre Dame. When we got there we realised we were quite hungry, and as the weather had turned wild and windy, we thought we would go into a little cafe next to the Cathedral for lunch. It was very busy, but we were shoe-horned into a table for two.
I had a croque Monsieur (cheese toasted sandwich) and Miss S had a chocolate crepe and we both had a lemonade.
Unbelievably the bill for this came to sixty New Zealand dollars! I think I will remember that toastie every time I have one at home from now on!
Paris
On Wednesday 7th May, we set off for our two month European adventure.
We caught the train from Worcester Park station to Vauxhall where we changed to the tube to King's Cross station. Through passport control and onto the Eurostar train to Paris.
Upon arriving at Gare du Nord in Paris, we found a McDonalds across the road from the station to use their wifi to look up the directions for our accommodation, as I had forgotten to print them out earlier!
The tube map for Paris was intense! It made London's look like a country village map. I finally got my head around it and we made our way to the appropriate platform. With one line change on the way, we soon arrived at our destination stop, only to realise I had no further directions after the street address, which was apparently four minutes walk from the stop. The only problem was we had no idea in which direction we should be walking for four minutes!
After walking for about twenty minutes and asking a few people for directions, we eventually came to the studio apartment where we were staying for the next three nights.
It was as small as we'd expected it to be, but had everything we needed, even tea bags, which was greatly appreciated. The bed was one that pulled down out of a cupboard in the wall, but it was very comfortable.
We went for an exploratory walk around the neighbourhood and soon came to the River Seine and not far away we could see The Eiffel Tower, so we decided to walk to it. It was about ten minutes walk from where we were staying.
The look of utter joy on my little girl's face was priceless. She said she couldn't believe she was actually at the Eiffel Tower!
We had an impromptu picnic tea of American Hot dogs on the grass in front of the tower.
A great end to the first day of our long adventure.
We caught the train from Worcester Park station to Vauxhall where we changed to the tube to King's Cross station. Through passport control and onto the Eurostar train to Paris.
Upon arriving at Gare du Nord in Paris, we found a McDonalds across the road from the station to use their wifi to look up the directions for our accommodation, as I had forgotten to print them out earlier!
The tube map for Paris was intense! It made London's look like a country village map. I finally got my head around it and we made our way to the appropriate platform. With one line change on the way, we soon arrived at our destination stop, only to realise I had no further directions after the street address, which was apparently four minutes walk from the stop. The only problem was we had no idea in which direction we should be walking for four minutes!
After walking for about twenty minutes and asking a few people for directions, we eventually came to the studio apartment where we were staying for the next three nights.
It was as small as we'd expected it to be, but had everything we needed, even tea bags, which was greatly appreciated. The bed was one that pulled down out of a cupboard in the wall, but it was very comfortable.
We went for an exploratory walk around the neighbourhood and soon came to the River Seine and not far away we could see The Eiffel Tower, so we decided to walk to it. It was about ten minutes walk from where we were staying.
The look of utter joy on my little girl's face was priceless. She said she couldn't believe she was actually at the Eiffel Tower!
We had an impromptu picnic tea of American Hot dogs on the grass in front of the tower.
A great end to the first day of our long adventure.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
All the fun of the fair.
Today we went to Morden Hall Park country fair.
There were craft stalls and demonstrations, food stalls and plenty of fairground rides. Miss S was in heaven and indulged by her grandparents who don't often get the chance to have a day out with her. She took part in the birds of prey demonstration, lying down on the ground with the other volunteers, while the huge birds flew over them.
We had a game of mini golf, and were awed by a huge k'nex display. There were many animal petting opportunities with farmyard animals, rabbits and guinea pigs.
After carousel rides, a hook the duck game, dodgems and an extra long turn on the vertical bungy, I was exhausted, and I was just the spectator.
I blame the jet lag!
There were craft stalls and demonstrations, food stalls and plenty of fairground rides. Miss S was in heaven and indulged by her grandparents who don't often get the chance to have a day out with her. She took part in the birds of prey demonstration, lying down on the ground with the other volunteers, while the huge birds flew over them.
We had a game of mini golf, and were awed by a huge k'nex display. There were many animal petting opportunities with farmyard animals, rabbits and guinea pigs.
After carousel rides, a hook the duck game, dodgems and an extra long turn on the vertical bungy, I was exhausted, and I was just the spectator.
I blame the jet lag!
Off we go.
Saturday 3rd May. The day had finally arrived. The packing was done, we'd said our goodbyes, given the sheep and cats an extra stroke and we were on our way to the airport. We stopped halfway for some lunch.
We had checked in online, so only had to check our bags in, which didn't take long, then we went upstairs. I exchanged some dollars for euros. I had got some pounds from the bank earlier in the week, but they hadn't had any euros in, and it would have taken more days than I had left for them to order some.
We had a drink together and then it was time to go through. There were big hugs and tears from us all. I wondered what I had been thinking to imagine I could do this trip and be so far away from my husband for two months! It suddenly seemed way too difficult and far too long as well.
But there was no turning back now, so through to passport control we went. When we got to the duty free shopping area we gave each other a final wave and then we continued on to our boarding gate. Very soon we were on the plane and finding our seats. We were in a group of three seats, but there was no third passenger seated there, so we were lucky to have three seats between us, and a window seat.
The first leg of our journey was Auckland to Melbourne, a four-hour flight. We left Auckland at 5.30pm.
We had to get off the plane in Melbourne, go through passport control again, even though we were
only in transit, and re-board the plane. The queue was long and slow. We played 'I spy' and 'the memory shopping game' to pass the time.
I managed 3 hours sleep and Miss S had 4 hours on this fourteen hour flight.
When we arrived in Dubai, due to some runway upgrading work, we had to take a bus from the plane to the terminal, about twenty minutes away. The bus was stifling hot, and had no seats. Upon reaching the terminal we were herded through passport control again. Then we wandered around the shops. Miss S bought a camel soft toy, and I bought a triptych of small carved wooden pictures. We then went back on the bus to board the plane
The last leg of our journey was 7 1/2 hours, which seemed short after the endurance test of the previous flight. I did not sleep at all on this flight and Miss S only slept for one hour.
Flying over the English countryside as we were coming into London was exciting. It looked so
beautiful and green. I always feel excited to be back in England. I was really glad that we were finally here and the arduous journey was over.
We collected our luggage from the conveyor belt and made our way to the arrivals hall where Hubby's parents were waiting for us.
As we drove home to their house in Surrey I enjoyed the quintessential English scenery and recognising familiar landmarks along the way.
When we got 'home' we met Poppy the dog who is just gorgeous. Miss S fell instantly in love with her and played in the garden, throwing things for Poppy to fetch. After a little while, she noticed
some neighbourhood children playing outside and asked if she could go and play with them. Gran took her out and introduced her and she spent about an hour playing with them.
I just want to know where she gets all her energy from.
We had checked in online, so only had to check our bags in, which didn't take long, then we went upstairs. I exchanged some dollars for euros. I had got some pounds from the bank earlier in the week, but they hadn't had any euros in, and it would have taken more days than I had left for them to order some.
We had a drink together and then it was time to go through. There were big hugs and tears from us all. I wondered what I had been thinking to imagine I could do this trip and be so far away from my husband for two months! It suddenly seemed way too difficult and far too long as well.
But there was no turning back now, so through to passport control we went. When we got to the duty free shopping area we gave each other a final wave and then we continued on to our boarding gate. Very soon we were on the plane and finding our seats. We were in a group of three seats, but there was no third passenger seated there, so we were lucky to have three seats between us, and a window seat.
The first leg of our journey was Auckland to Melbourne, a four-hour flight. We left Auckland at 5.30pm.
We had to get off the plane in Melbourne, go through passport control again, even though we were
only in transit, and re-board the plane. The queue was long and slow. We played 'I spy' and 'the memory shopping game' to pass the time.
- Eventually, we were back on board and ready for take-off and the second leg of our journey - to Dubai. This was a fourteen hour flight. We were in the same seats, but had a man called Brian sitting next to us. He was a frequent flyer and had a few hints to give us. The most important one being "check which terminal you fly from Dubai to London from, because where we land is not necessarily where your connecting flight will depart from!" He told me once he had almost missed his flight, in fact they had closed the doors of the plane and he was banging on the door so they would let him in! (Although this sounded a bit exaggerated to me!)
I managed 3 hours sleep and Miss S had 4 hours on this fourteen hour flight.
When we arrived in Dubai, due to some runway upgrading work, we had to take a bus from the plane to the terminal, about twenty minutes away. The bus was stifling hot, and had no seats. Upon reaching the terminal we were herded through passport control again. Then we wandered around the shops. Miss S bought a camel soft toy, and I bought a triptych of small carved wooden pictures. We then went back on the bus to board the plane
The last leg of our journey was 7 1/2 hours, which seemed short after the endurance test of the previous flight. I did not sleep at all on this flight and Miss S only slept for one hour.
Flying over the English countryside as we were coming into London was exciting. It looked so
beautiful and green. I always feel excited to be back in England. I was really glad that we were finally here and the arduous journey was over.
We collected our luggage from the conveyor belt and made our way to the arrivals hall where Hubby's parents were waiting for us.
As we drove home to their house in Surrey I enjoyed the quintessential English scenery and recognising familiar landmarks along the way.
When we got 'home' we met Poppy the dog who is just gorgeous. Miss S fell instantly in love with her and played in the garden, throwing things for Poppy to fetch. After a little while, she noticed
some neighbourhood children playing outside and asked if she could go and play with them. Gran took her out and introduced her and she spent about an hour playing with them.
I just want to know where she gets all her energy from.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
The Final Countdown
After months of planning and dreaming the last week was suddenly here.
I began the week feeling nervous. It was a whirlwind of washing, last minute shopping, packing, re-packing and goodbyes.
I felt really aware of committing my familiar environment to memory, storing up the beauty of my own country within me, before heading off into the world. It was a strange, and spiritual, surreal feeling.
With two days till we left, I really just wanted to get on with it. I was itching to leave after so long waiting.
The nervousness had gone and I was impatient, excited and ready to begin.
I began the week feeling nervous. It was a whirlwind of washing, last minute shopping, packing, re-packing and goodbyes.
I felt really aware of committing my familiar environment to memory, storing up the beauty of my own country within me, before heading off into the world. It was a strange, and spiritual, surreal feeling.
With two days till we left, I really just wanted to get on with it. I was itching to leave after so long waiting.
The nervousness had gone and I was impatient, excited and ready to begin.
Preparations and Provisions
For many years we had been hosts to travellers from various countries through a help exchange website. I signed up as a helper on the same site and began the search for hosts happy to accommodate helpers with children. The first family I discovered was a homeschooling family in France with five children ranging from four to ten years old. Perfect. The 'help' would be to help the children with their English for a few hours each day. Emails were exchanged and our visit of seven days was arranged. We would spend three days in Paris and then head to the little countryside town of Aubusson. We were really looking forward to discovering 'real life' with a French homeschooling family.
As well as researching routes and making bookings we also had a big of pre-trip shopping to do. I shopped around for a backpack, eventually settling on one which turned out to be the cheapest and had the most features. It had a day pack that could be detached from the back of the pack and attached to the front.
I also bought some packing cells, useful for separating things within the pack. In our case we had one each for our clothes, and a third for dirty washing.
We both needed good footwear. I bought us both a pair of sturdy, comfortable shoes that were a hybrid trainer/sandal, and machine washable.
I sewed Miss S six new dresses, in a selection of patterned fabrics, that she could wear on rotation, hoping that the prints would help to disguise some of the inevitable dirt collected en route.
A new camera was essential to record our trip. I also picked up a cheap, but decent quality, second digital camera, so we could both have one to use to record our own journeys.
We also bought an e-reader, to hold books for us to read along the way.
Apart from reading, other things would be needed for keeping us occupied during long train journeys.
I packed some playing cards, uno, six dice, some counters, a thin travel journal for each of us, felt pens, a small watercolour paint box, puzzle books, a small pair of scissors and a glue stick.
Miss S also packed her torch, binoculars and two teddy bears!
The IPad was to be invaluable, with games, art apps, camera, and internet capability, making it easy to keep in touch with everyone via Facebook, email and Skype. Gone are the days of travelling equating to not having any contact with loved ones until your return.
I decided to write a blog to document our journey, both as a way to relive my memories later, and to share the adventure with family and friends.
As well as researching routes and making bookings we also had a big of pre-trip shopping to do. I shopped around for a backpack, eventually settling on one which turned out to be the cheapest and had the most features. It had a day pack that could be detached from the back of the pack and attached to the front.
I also bought some packing cells, useful for separating things within the pack. In our case we had one each for our clothes, and a third for dirty washing.
We both needed good footwear. I bought us both a pair of sturdy, comfortable shoes that were a hybrid trainer/sandal, and machine washable.
I sewed Miss S six new dresses, in a selection of patterned fabrics, that she could wear on rotation, hoping that the prints would help to disguise some of the inevitable dirt collected en route.
A new camera was essential to record our trip. I also picked up a cheap, but decent quality, second digital camera, so we could both have one to use to record our own journeys.
We also bought an e-reader, to hold books for us to read along the way.
Apart from reading, other things would be needed for keeping us occupied during long train journeys.
I packed some playing cards, uno, six dice, some counters, a thin travel journal for each of us, felt pens, a small watercolour paint box, puzzle books, a small pair of scissors and a glue stick.
Miss S also packed her torch, binoculars and two teddy bears!
The IPad was to be invaluable, with games, art apps, camera, and internet capability, making it easy to keep in touch with everyone via Facebook, email and Skype. Gone are the days of travelling equating to not having any contact with loved ones until your return.
I decided to write a blog to document our journey, both as a way to relive my memories later, and to share the adventure with family and friends.
Itinerary
So I was off to Europe and had lots to plan.
I began to create a wish-list of countries to visit. Italy, Croatia and Czech Republic were top of my list. Sophie was keen to see the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa and it made sense to take the Eurostar train from London to Paris to begin our journey.
I decided to do a loop, beginning in France and ending in Belgium, also using the Eurostar to return to London from Brussels.
I booked flights to London. We planned to travel in Europe for the months of May and June. Then spend July, August and half of September in England, catching up with friends and family spread all over the country and seeing some of our favourite places along the way, as well as discovering some new ones.
It was really important to me that I had my itinerary mapped out, with transport and accommodation booked before we set off. If I had been travelling alone I would have been happier to 'wing it' along the way, but with a small child in tow, I didn't think that was the responsible option. I didn't feel comfortable arriving to a strange city and having to start searching for somewhere too sleep. I also didn't want to be arriving in the dark to places, so this factor also affected my choice of trains to book.
My father in law had bought a new car, so I bought his old one, which would work out a lot cheaper than car hire, and would give us the freedom to travel in the UK. I considered driving through Europe, but discounted the idea, mainly because I didn't like the thought of driving on the right (wrong!) side of the road. I also thought travelling by train would be more relaxing and make it easier to entertain my travelling companion, and enjoy the scenery.
I finalised my list of where we would go and began to book trains and places to stay.
The list was as follows: France, Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
I began to create a wish-list of countries to visit. Italy, Croatia and Czech Republic were top of my list. Sophie was keen to see the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa and it made sense to take the Eurostar train from London to Paris to begin our journey.
I decided to do a loop, beginning in France and ending in Belgium, also using the Eurostar to return to London from Brussels.
I booked flights to London. We planned to travel in Europe for the months of May and June. Then spend July, August and half of September in England, catching up with friends and family spread all over the country and seeing some of our favourite places along the way, as well as discovering some new ones.
It was really important to me that I had my itinerary mapped out, with transport and accommodation booked before we set off. If I had been travelling alone I would have been happier to 'wing it' along the way, but with a small child in tow, I didn't think that was the responsible option. I didn't feel comfortable arriving to a strange city and having to start searching for somewhere too sleep. I also didn't want to be arriving in the dark to places, so this factor also affected my choice of trains to book.
My father in law had bought a new car, so I bought his old one, which would work out a lot cheaper than car hire, and would give us the freedom to travel in the UK. I considered driving through Europe, but discounted the idea, mainly because I didn't like the thought of driving on the right (wrong!) side of the road. I also thought travelling by train would be more relaxing and make it easier to entertain my travelling companion, and enjoy the scenery.
I finalised my list of where we would go and began to book trains and places to stay.
The list was as follows: France, Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Super Hero Hubby
My brother was getting married and we were off to England. We started to discuss people and places that we wanted to visit, and take our daughter to see.
We began to look for flights. we realised they were rather expensive, because we would be travelling in high season, into the Northern Hemisphere summer.
Enter Super Hero Husband stage left!
Washing the dishes together the next evening, he suddenly came out with the suggestion that I should go earlier, with Miss S, and he would meet us later on. This meant we could travel in the shoulder season, arriving in the springtime.
It would also mean, more excitingly, that we could visit Europe after all!
He pointed out that we had money available, and that as we had chosen to homeschool, we had no constraints of school schedules to stand in our way. There was nothing to stop us.
I rejected the idea completely.
There was no way I wanted to make the trip without him. My plan had always been for the three of us. I didn't fancy it alone, and I fancied it even less, on my own with a small child.
It was out of the question.
But, after a few days, the seed of the idea started to grow in the back of my mind, and I began to consider the idea as a possibility.
It really did seem like a crazy notion. But many who knew me could already vouch for my craziness. Some of my best ideas have been my craziest! I think a little bit of crazy keeps us all sane.
But was I brave enough? Maybe. I had survived other situations in my life that had required some courage.
Eventually, I realised that if I didn't go, I would regret it. That this was really the perfect time and an amazing opportunity.
And that my Hubby was pretty amazing too!
We began to look for flights. we realised they were rather expensive, because we would be travelling in high season, into the Northern Hemisphere summer.
Enter Super Hero Husband stage left!
Washing the dishes together the next evening, he suddenly came out with the suggestion that I should go earlier, with Miss S, and he would meet us later on. This meant we could travel in the shoulder season, arriving in the springtime.
It would also mean, more excitingly, that we could visit Europe after all!
He pointed out that we had money available, and that as we had chosen to homeschool, we had no constraints of school schedules to stand in our way. There was nothing to stop us.
I rejected the idea completely.
There was no way I wanted to make the trip without him. My plan had always been for the three of us. I didn't fancy it alone, and I fancied it even less, on my own with a small child.
It was out of the question.
But, after a few days, the seed of the idea started to grow in the back of my mind, and I began to consider the idea as a possibility.
It really did seem like a crazy notion. But many who knew me could already vouch for my craziness. Some of my best ideas have been my craziest! I think a little bit of crazy keeps us all sane.
But was I brave enough? Maybe. I had survived other situations in my life that had required some courage.
Eventually, I realised that if I didn't go, I would regret it. That this was really the perfect time and an amazing opportunity.
And that my Hubby was pretty amazing too!
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Wedding plans and Dashed Plans
As luck would have it, my brother had finally agreed to marry his extremely patient girlfriend in July 2014. We definitely wanted to be there for the wedding, so we were already planning a trip 'home' to England to attend. My mind started racing, to the logical conclusion, of extending our visit so we could have a European adventure. It was perfect. After all, getting from little old NZ, all the way to the Northern Hemisphere, was the most expensive part of the exercise. Once we were there, seeing a few more sights of Europe was only a hop, skip and a jump way. We'd be crazy not to do it! It was a perfect plan and my excitement levels were running high, until Hubby quietly reminded me that he could only take four weeks off work.
I was really disappointed. We had so many friends and family members throughout the UK that we wanted to visit, four weeks would barely be enough time to see them all, let alone allow time for any adventures in Europe.
I felt deflated and sad that my big plans were over as quickly as they had begun.
For a few days, I think I walked around with a black cloud of despair hanging over my head.
Finally, I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to be satisfied with going to England and put aside plans to visit Europe for another time.
Disclaimer no.2: Don't get me wrong....I love visiting England and especially my family and friends, but it didn't fall into the 'adventure' category...and it was adventure i was craving.
I was really disappointed. We had so many friends and family members throughout the UK that we wanted to visit, four weeks would barely be enough time to see them all, let alone allow time for any adventures in Europe.
I felt deflated and sad that my big plans were over as quickly as they had begun.
For a few days, I think I walked around with a black cloud of despair hanging over my head.
Finally, I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to be satisfied with going to England and put aside plans to visit Europe for another time.
Disclaimer no.2: Don't get me wrong....I love visiting England and especially my family and friends, but it didn't fall into the 'adventure' category...and it was adventure i was craving.
Wanderlust
Throughout the second half of 2013, I began to feel more and more, that 2014 was going to be a great year.
I didn't know why, but I felt that it was going to involve personal growth and changes for me. Positive things that I was going to wholeheartedly embrace.
I distinctly remember telling a friend, that I didn't know what was going to happen in 2014, but I knew it was going to be big. That I felt as if I was on the brink of a really exciting adventure!
As soon as I had uttered that word - adventure - it was like something inside me just clicked into place, like the third and matching apple on a casino fruit machine. Jackpot. It hit the nail on the head.
I realised then my mind had just figured out what my heart had been longing for. The gypsy in me rejoiced and danced around the campfire. She wanted to travel, and she wanted me to come along for the ride!
Disclaimer: I am not a gambler. Nor, necessarily, a gypsy, but I do have wanderlust. If you feel it too and want to share our journey, you are welcome to follow us.
I didn't know why, but I felt that it was going to involve personal growth and changes for me. Positive things that I was going to wholeheartedly embrace.
I distinctly remember telling a friend, that I didn't know what was going to happen in 2014, but I knew it was going to be big. That I felt as if I was on the brink of a really exciting adventure!
As soon as I had uttered that word - adventure - it was like something inside me just clicked into place, like the third and matching apple on a casino fruit machine. Jackpot. It hit the nail on the head.
I realised then my mind had just figured out what my heart had been longing for. The gypsy in me rejoiced and danced around the campfire. She wanted to travel, and she wanted me to come along for the ride!
Disclaimer: I am not a gambler. Nor, necessarily, a gypsy, but I do have wanderlust. If you feel it too and want to share our journey, you are welcome to follow us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)