Europe 2006

Scotland

2006-10-13T17:08:00.000-04:00

Last post everyone.

I'm off to Paisley tomorrow (Saturday) to spend the night at Celia and Iain's before flying out early Sunday morning for home. Una is staying a few more days...she's coming back Thursday, just in time to wave me goodby as I'm leaving Friday for a weeks golf trip in Florida.

Today was another great day...weather was warm enough to just need a sweater or light jacket. As you might see from the pics, we took an open air bus tour of the city which was very enjoyable. We lunched then at the Rose and Crown on Rose St where Alan and I enjoyed many a pint when we worked together 40 years ago. Next we went shopping and as you can see I splurged on a new outfit. No point in having a new purse without a new skirt! I've wanted a kilt for quite some time and just decided on the spur of the moment to go for it.

Loaded with parcels we took the bus back to Dalkeith only to have the bus break down on us and we had to wait another 10 minutes for the next one. Once back we drove to Lasswade and visited Una's dad then back to Mag's and Di's to enjoy steak pies which Una's dad had made for us.

It's been a great trip and I'm sorry that it is now virtually over. We have both enjoyed being able to share our experiences with so many people and reading all the comments along the way.

Cheerio from Edinburgh.

Scotland

2006-10-13T04:51:00.000-04:00

Thursday October 12th

We left Paris.... reluctantly..... yesterday morning. It really is a lovely city and we could easily have stayed longer...however...time to move along so we took a cab to Port Maillot and caught a bus for the 1 hour trip tor Beauvais Airport. Once there we had a breakfast/lunch followed by a pint at the Irish bar, Kitty O'Shea's, before boarding the Ryanair flight for Glasgow. The flight was smooth and quick and we were in Glasgow by just after 3:00pm where we were met by Celia and Iain. Ryanair are a great way to fly for short flights...very basic but efficient and luggage retrieval at Prestwick was a breeze...we had our bags within 5 minutes.

Back in Paisley we stopped off at Laura's house which is where we were staying before going to Celia's. Big Stefan showed up with his new friend Ann Marie, and Rachel was there with a friend and the nephews Philip & Andrew....anyway...you get the picture...lots of people...typical Ben Lui happening...controlled chaos....Scotland Ukraine on the tele....(full volume...)...Celia managed to dish up a great pot of soup and shepherds pie...beer ...wine...dogs barking...chatter....all in all a good night.

This morning we drove...thanks Celia for the car...to Edinburgh. We parked in the castle parking lot and walked Princes St. We enjoyed lunch in the Dome on George St which is the old National Commercial Bank Head Office where Una worked over 40 years ago. Quite the experience. The building is absolutely gorgeous...well up there with all of the wonderful buildings we have visited in Europe over the past month and very nostalgic. The general layout of the building is unchanged and the flooring and the wonderful domed ceiling are marvellous. We ate in the bar rather than the actual restaurant..something to do with not wanting to pay 18 pounds for a hamburger.....

Late afternoon we drove to Lasswade and went to Una's dad's. He was in good form and we enjoyed a very nice visit before heading down to Mag's and Di's for a very nice supper. As you might see from the pics, the weather continues to be glorious, as it has been for the past close to 5 weeks.

I'm hopeful I can get a guest to contribute something tonight.......perhaps Suitcase might reveal herself .......

****************************************************************

Suitcase speaking here...............I am much smaller than I thought I was....I must have lost weight. I was full of empty promises as it turned out and there were no presents for Mags and Diane!!! I was however full of Brian's dirty nick nacks which were banished immediately to the washer, after a debate which might have resulted in them being incinerated. Una has gone to bed after trying hard to finish the wine but she failed. It has been great fun going over all the highlights of the trip andI I am looking forward to seeing many photographs of myself. I am led to believe that Brian is going to be deserting Una and taking me home on my own.I am scared. I am afraid I might be mistreated. Jennifer please come and get me.

Suitcase

Paris

2006-10-11T04:31:00.000-04:00

We arrived in Paris right on time at 10:00pm and quickly found a cab to take us to our hotel. We were there in 20 minutes. It's nice, small but clean and certainly a step up from the place we stayed last time we were here.

Yesterday (Tuesday) I was up early and went across the road to where an outdoor market had set up. I was able to by 2 pair of underpants for 4 euros which solved the only real problem I had!

So, freshly dressed we sat and had coffee and croissants at a cafe downstairs from where you can see the Eiffel Tower. We then walked 15 minutes to the Seine and took a boat on an hour's cruise up to Notre Dame and back. We thought that it was a hop on hop off boat but turned not to be so we ended up back at the Eiffel Tower. The line ups to go to the top were long so we bought tickets for the red open top tour bus and went up to notre Dame where we visited. Back on the bus we next went to the Champs Ellysey where we had lunch on a patio. Back on the bus we headed for the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa but unfortunately it was closed being Tuesday. Off we went walking again this time to the Latin Quarter when we spied The Great Canadian Pub. Needless to say we went in and met some Canadians including the owner Mark and the pilot from Tuesday's Montreal/Paris Air Transat flight. The pub is very nice with all kinds of back home memorabilia..lots of hockey stuff. Apparently they get all the games and were packed to the doors for Saturday night's Toronto/Montreal game. I asked Mark how he got the TV feed ..he said he would tell me but would then have to kill me. Apparently it's very technical, involving a sattelite package back home then over the internet.

We then walked back to our hotel...a one and a half hour trip but very enjoyable. Paris is such a lovely city and so walkable.

We then went out for supper to a nearby Bistro/bar called Cafe Antoine. No tourists here...very authentic...It's been in existence since 1911 and nothing (and I mean nothing) has changed since that date outside of the prices. Una had Pate de Foi Gras while I had Beef Bourguinon...(I should have had something I could spell). Pricey but very enjoyable. Back to the hotel where we finished off the earlier purchased bottle of Vin rouge.

While we were in the Canadian pub we got instructions on getting to Beauvais Airport from where we fly out this afternoon to Glasgow. Apparently the bus leaves from an Irish Bar (well done Ryanair..great planning...) in nearby Port Maillot.

So that finishes up the Europe part of our trip which started off a month ago to the day in Richmond Hill.

It's been a wonderful trip and we are so glad that you were able to share in our experiences through our almost daily blog.

It's off to Scotland now and I'm looking forward to watching the Scotland/Ukraine soccer game tonight with Iain.

Au Revoir Paris.....we will be back for sure.

Nice

2006-10-09T17:24:00.000-04:00

It's 8:20pm and we are on the TGV about an hour and a half south of Paris. The train is very smooth and very fast although now that it is dark there is nothing to see so I thought I would just jot today's blog down and cut and paste it when we get to our hotel which apparently has wireless access.

We left the hotel this morning about 9:30. A glorious day weather wise... warm...not a cloud in the sky and no humidity. We bought coffees and croissants and sat on the promenade Boulevard des Anglais taking in the sights and admiring the ocean which was like glass. We then got on one of these open top tour buses and spent the next hour and a half being driven around admiring gorgeous scenery, following which we had lunch right on the beach in a very nice restaurant. The food was just outstanding and the view unparalleled...Sparkling water, bright sunshine, boats, sun bathers, and all the while the planes from Nice airport taking off over the water...they seemed to just miraculously appear out of the water.... before making a lazy turn south over the Bay of Angels which is where Nice is situated.

The meal was one of the best we have eaten since we have been in Europe and that's saying something. Una had baked Camembert cheese with warm honey sprinkled with pine nuts served with a salad while I had Mussels in a curry sauce which was to die for. I emptied the bread basket just dipping it in the delicious sauce. We shared a bottle of local Rose wine. The lunch wasn't even that expensive....40 euros..about $60. When you consider that included a bottle of wine and 2 outstanding entrees and factor in the location...on the beach in Nice...I think it was a bargain. Following lunch I went for a swim in the sea right in front of the restaurant, (the restaurant had changing facilities and lovely towels to rent) while Una sat and enjoyed the remainder of the wine. The swim was really great...the water was warm and clean and I could have stayed in longer but we reluctantly had to leave and catch our train.

We've been to many places and said it more than once but Nice is certainly a place we would come back to.

The early part of the train journey was interesting as we travelled the Cote D'Azure past Cannes and other smaller towns but then grew more industrial, less attractive, however it got dark about 7:30. We had bought baquettes and a bottle of wine so we haven't even ventured up to the restaurant car.

Bon nuit from somewhere south of Paris.

Hello everyone its me Una, just to let you know how much we look forward to and enjoy all your comments on the 'blog' & to let the newcomers Nike Shoes & Tilly Pants (whoever you are) know how much of a laugh you have given us. Gees this train is fairly speeding along, it feels as though its ready to take off any minute, I'll have to sign off for now..........love to you all ......Unax

Nice

2006-10-09T02:09:00.000-04:00

Bon jour from Nice and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back in Canada! Looks like the weather is going to be good for you although I see it will be cooling down as the week goes on.

Yesterday we took the train up the coast half an hour and spent the day in Monaco/Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo is everything you imagine. The setting is stunning with the high cliffs and the ocean. The weather again was perfect, warm and sunny and the sea was like glass. The harbour is full of magnificent, expensive boats and yachts some as big as ferries.

We took a bus up the hill to where the Palace is and took a tour which was excellent. A bit of shopping and then we took the 6:30 train back to Nice. We had planned to head the other way on the coast today and visit Cannes, but apparently it's very similar to Nice so we are just going to spend the day here.

While we were in the train station yesterday we made reservations on the TGV for Paris later this afternoon. The train doesn't leave 'till 4:30 so we have most of the day to enjoy here and looking out the window at 8:30 am it looks to be another gorgeous day shaping up.

As you might see from today's pics, I bought man purse a gift in Monte Carlo. He's been ever so good and I couldn't resist. I think red suits him. I hope this gift proves more reliable than the last one I bought. I purchased a very nice Rolex time piece from a black gentleman on a street in Pisa. He insisted I make the purchase and even gave me a discount from his original asking price. The watch kept perfect time up until we drove out of the parking lot at the leaning Tower of Pisa and then inexplicably stopped and refuses to re-start. Not only that but I seem to have mislaid the vendor's business card and will not be able to take advantage of his guarantee.

Nice

2006-10-07T16:45:00.000-04:00

Thursday was a lovely day. Weather again was spectacular. We spent some time in Certaldo Alto with Celia & Iain, then drove to Empoli about 30 kilometers up the road but not a lot to see there although I was able to post from there and we did again enjoy a very nice gelato. On the way back we stopped at a winery and had a tour of the wine making process, then had a bit of a tasting and bought a few bottles but only for immediate consumption as transporting is a problem and shipping economically out of the question.We got back supper time and met up with Peter & Penny who had enjoyed a nice day touring nearby Monterigionni.

Back at the Villa we ate in as we had to use up what was in the fridge. Peter & Penny took charge and prepared a nice Pasta dish with ham and tomatoes + a salad then we finished off with a homemade (Peter) custard and cookies plus a few wines to help the digestion. We ate in as by the time the meal was ready it had cooled down a bit.

Friday was back to Florence as we still had to see David. Iain stayed home as did Penny who wanted a day by the pool. The plan was to take the train but when we got to the station we discovered the next train wasn't for another two hours so we drove. Another adventure, with traffic coming from all angles it seemed and those pesky Vespas buzzing by at breakneck speed. Safely parked, we walked to the Academia and lined up in blazing sunshine for an hour to see Michaelangelo's David. The statue is truly amazing...huge...very lifelike...and with breathtaking detail. While in line we met and chatted with a nice young couple from Vancouver, clearly identifiable from the maple leaf on their back-pack, and they like us happy for chat about home. While Peter & I stood in line the girls sat and had a beer.....and rejoined the line just as we were were ready to enter. After we left the Academia we bought some paintings from a street artist. They looked beautiful...hopefully we will feel the same about them once we get them home.

After, we strolled and then managed to find a Gelaterio which sold more expensive ice cream than we had enjoyed the other day...these ones the equivalent of $18 Canadian a dish....they were exquisite.....almost so good to look at you didn't want to eat them. A wonderful variety of flavours with fresh fruit and biscuits. We finished the day with a long walk to Piazzale Michelangelo. It's a bit of a climb but the views from the top are well worth it and I got (I hope) some great pics. None of us were looking forward to the walk back to the parking so we were pretty pleased with the women who somehow or other managed to snag a lift back for free on the last open top tour bus of the day. Peter & I sat upstairs sucking back on a couple of beers while the girls stayed downstairs during the 15 minute trip back to the main terminus where we had parked the car.

Once back we met up with Penny & Iain at Cere Una Volte and enjoyed our last meal in Tuscany...another wonderful dinner with (for me) roast suckling pig after starters of anchovies wrapped in sage leaves. Una had a dish of wild mushrooms and bacon and garlic.....yummy..

Back at the Villa we headed straight for bed (well Peter & I had a nightcap) as we had an early start the next day.

We had already arranged to meet our landlord at 6:30 this morning ( Saturday) to read the gas and hydro meters and get our (remaining) deposit back. He showed up promptly at 6:30 and by 7:00am we were headed north to Pisa to drop Iain & Celia off for their 10:00am Ryanair flight to Prestwick. We dropped off our rental car at Pisa airport at the same time which was a very efficient operation, taking probably less than 2 minutes.

Peter & Penny, Una & I then visited the leaning tower and the Cathedral before heading north via Genoa for France.

The scenery was spectacular along the way although we did run into a bit of rain...short lived however, and by 3:00 we had arrived in Mentone, in France and just next door to Monte Carlo. We enjoyed a lovely lobster salad for lunch as we sat on the promenade watching the topless sunbathers on the mediteranean beach. ( A hardy lot I might add...lovely and warm in the sun but a wee bit breezy out of it).

After lunch we drove maybe another 30 kilometers to Nice and after enduring horrendous traffic, eventually found our hotel. We checked in then enjoyed a parting drink with Peter & Penny before they headed further into France on their way back home.

The hotel is lovely as you may see from the link above. It has all the amenities and a lovely, almost hidden, sunken garden with a pool. We walked for a bit, finding the train station as we wanted to book our reservation for the TGV to Paris Monday, however the ticket office was closed so we will have to go back in the morning. A quick snack on a patio with a 1/2 litre of house red and then back to the hotel where Una is sound asleep as I bang this out in the room using the Hotel's wireless internet.

We are sad to leave Tuscany where we had such a lovely time in such good company. I don't think there is any question whatever but that we will be back to visit this lovely place.

Many thanks to Iain & Celia, Peter & Penny, for joining us and contributing towards making this a memorable week. An additional thanks to P&P for letting us hitch a lift with them to Nice....a very pleasant journey.

Bonne nuit a tous from France

PS Great news tonight...Scotland 1: France 0 in a European cup qualifier...Scotland unbelievably now top of their group. Remind me to wear a Scottish shirt tomorrow.

Today's pics (a few more than usual thanks to a good connection), From Pisa and Mentone. The detailed one is a panel from the bronze door of the Pisa Cathedral dating from the 12 century, the other self explanatory...from Pisa , Una trying to stop the tower from falling and a few others including pics from Mentone.

Tuscany

2006-10-05T10:11:00.000-04:00

Thursday Oct 5th

Tuesday we drove in to Florence. It's just over 30 kilometres but the trip took a while because the road was blocked at one point, We assume an accident but were unable to see because of all the bends in the road. A tricky 3 point turn later (thank heavens we had a small car...trucks and larger vehicles would have simply been stuck there) and round more back roads, we found our way and parked right downtown near the train station.

Iain had stayed home...he had been feeling under the weather and his mother in Glasgow was ill and not expected to last the day. As it happened she did die mid afternoon. Our sympathies go out to Iain & Celia and the family. They are not planning to go home early. His Mum had been ill for a long time and all the arrangements were pre-done. The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday October 10th. They will be home by lunch time Saturday.

Florence was wonderful. We visited the Cathedral and the Uffizi Gallery, walked the Ponte Vecchio and enjoyed a nice patio lunch in perfect weather. Back home at the Villa, we ate in. I grilled T-Bone steaks (over a wood fire in the barbecue no less), which were excellent and we had salad and baked potatoes and managed to finish off the 10 litre box of wine!

Wednesday, Peter & Penny went off to Sienna while Celia and Iain came with us, this time by train, back to Florence. We spent our time just taking in the sights, doing a bit of shopping...no need to get excited Canada... modest gifts I can assure you....and enjoyed wonderful Gelato (ice cream) on a very posh patio. I have never in my life paid $13.00 for an ice cream but it was worth it. Along the way I bought myself a lovely Italian leather man purse and an apron with some pictures of Italian food printed on it. Needless to say I took a bit of a ribbing ( and more to come I'll hazard to guess) but I can handle it....I'm entirely comfortable with my feminine side although I find it a bit disconcerting, this new found inability to pass a shoe shop....

We had parked the car in the nearby village of Certaldo where we had caught the train. We planned to be back just before dark, catching the 6:10 train from Florence however it was cancelled and we had to sit for an hour over some wine for the next train at 7:10. By the time we got to Certaldo it was dark and I'm not sure where we missed the turn but we went on a 10 kilometer adventure up a mountain and down a mountain on single track most times unpaved roads before finding civilization and meeting up with Peter & Penny at the other restaurant in town, The Grotto Pizzeria. We enjoyed a lovely meal. Una had a seafood pasta, I had a pasta as well with a wild mushroom sauce, Iain had sea bass, served whole and he did an expert job in disposing of it. 4 bottles of wine and to top it all off Peter & I each had a Sambuca for no reason other than the fact that the town of Sambuca is just down the road. Back at the Villa we had a nightcap from the fresh supply of wine Peter & Penny had bought on their way back from Sienna before heading for bed around midnight where I slept soundly "til 8 this morning.

The forecast for today, Thursday, is for showers in the afternoon, so we have decided to have a relax day, maybe visit a couple of wineries and take in a few of the local towns.Tomorrow we are planning to go back to Florence as we have still to see Michaelangelo's David for which I expect the line-ups to be a couple of hours. The weather this morning is same old, same old....blue skies and warm...

2 days left in Tuscany then Saturday morning we head north, dropping the car off in Pisa then hitching a lift with Peter and Penny to Nice, our next stop. Along the way Peter plans to drop in to Monte Carlo to show us the harbour.

Todays pics include the Ponte Vecchio, enjoying a gelato with Celia & Iain in Florence, the Cathedral in Florence and a picture of the group minus Iain the photographer in San Gimingano.

Lunched today in this place today...wonderful..

More later...Ciao...

Florence

2006-10-03T12:59:00.000-04:00

Tuesday October 3rd.

Today we are heading to Florence. I suspect we will need 2 days but we will see how we get on. Perhaps if we can we will book an appointment to see Michaelangelo's David because the lineups are reportedly long.
Yesterday was another succesful day. The visit to San Gimaningo was very enjoyable, magnificent views and we enjoyed an excellent lunch. On the way home we stopped and picked up some groceries then went out for supper again to C'ere Una Volte where we enjoyed another first class meal. Back home we sat outside and lit a fire in the stone fireplace/barbecue. When I was posting the blog yesterday, I wasn't able to upload as many pics as I wanted because the connection was slow and timed out on me which resulted in having to start all over again. I'm not lugging the laptop today...I'll save my commentary and pics on a memory stick and if I find an internet cafe I'll use their computer.

Ciao

Villa

2006-10-02T10:36:00.000-04:00

Saturday September 30th

We found the Villa after a short drive and arrived here at 11:00. The owner Paolo was there but we were not able to check in as they were still cleaning. The Villa is in a magnificent location, on a hill and surrounded by olive groves and vineyards as far as the eye can see. To pass the time we went in to a nearby town, Montesportoli, and did a bit of preliminary grocery shopping, essentials like wine and bread and beer. and snacky stuff and then we sat and had lunch at a very nice little patio. Una was trying to find a place to get her bangs trimmed and the young waitress at the restaurant, which was owned by her mother, volunteered to take her there so off we went to the hairdresser where Una got tidied up.

We then headed back to the Villa and met with Paolo who explained what needed explaining, took our 500 euro deposit and off he went. By this time we are talking to Peter and Penny by cell phone. They had met up with Celia & Iain in Pisa earlier and were now attempting to locate the Villa, not an easy task as Peter had downloaded information on the wrong Villa we discovered later. Anyway it all worked out and they showed up just after 5:00. The Villa is even better than I imagined. Beautifully decorated and furnished, entirely authentic throughout but with all the amenities. Fridge, gas stove, washing machine, dishwasher, microwave. 2 full bathrooms with showers, a lovely big kitchen with a farmhouse table seating 6. A lovely sitting area upstairs with a 40 inch plasma TV with satellite, DVD player and stereo. Outside a huge in-ground swimming pool, a nice seating area with a big table shaded by a canvas gazebo and a stone built barbecue. We are delighted with the place and spent last night sitting out grazing on bread and cheese, and a whole smorgasbord of nibbles we had bought, including sun dried tomatoes, and olives soaked in orange juice. All washed down with several bottles of local winel A very enjoyable evening with all kinds of conversations and reminisces. Outside the pool is lit up and there are lights surrounding the property. It cooled a bit to the point a sweater and long pants was need but none the less still a very nice night.

Sunday October 1st

Another gorgeous day. We breakfasted outside, on coffee and toast, cereal and bananas and then, leaving Una and Penny behind, we headed off on a shopping expedition to replenish the exhausted wine supply and get some groceries in. We headed to Montespertoli where we had shopped yesterday only to find it closed being Sunday. A young couple directed us to a small store which was open but it had limited selection. It did however have some lovely ham and fresh bread and a bit of a bargain in local wine...we picked up a 10 litre box for 17 euros...about $25. Not sure how long it will last but I doubt it will see monday night...

Back in our local village we discovered a very nice restaurant with gorgeous views over the surrounding countryside and so we booked a table for 6 for 7 o'clock tonight. It's been a lazy day, just what we needed. Una got some laundry done and I'm sure suitcase will appreciate having a respite from it's owner's soiled smelly clothes.

Tomorrow we are heading for some sightseeing at nearby San Giminagno and if I can find an internet cafe I will post this to the blog with some pics of the Villa. I may even try and get a guest journalist to contribute something for a change of pace for those that might be tiring of my pedestrian literary style.

OK, Peter here, tapping away on my own laptop. Must underline what Brian said about this villa - it's fantastic. We have views onto vineyards and olive groves laid out on sloping hills with castelated churches and houses on the hilltops. Today we have the sound of nature broken only by the sound of the church bells chiming and the occasional gunshot as some local bags dinner. Tonight we eat at the local restaurant in Lucardo where we have reserved a table for 6 overlooking a magnificent Tuscan valley. Didn't check out the menu this morning as I had left my glasses in the villa, but Iain says it's pretty comprehensive with rabbit and pheasant. More on the meal at Brian's next posting.

Iain taking over now and I have just calculated that given the price of the local plonk, it may just be cheaper to leave the girls here for the winter and pick them up next spring. It seems the ideal place to hibernate and given the price of the wine it should be quite easy to achieve! Concur with the previous comments about the villa it is truly excellent with amazing views and gives the feeling of being real Italian.

Briefly, we before we leave this Monday morning for our excursion to San Giminagno, the meal last night was wonderful, wonderful. Peter had Osso Buco, Celia and I some kind of lovely stew...Una and Penny had ravioli filled with ricotta and covered with a walnut sauce...everything was absolutely the best and very reasonable....the house wine (a chianti obviously) was 7 euros a bottle! The restaurant was called C'era Una Volta...which translates to Once upon a time. Of course we had to get a plate because the name is written on the bottom and as we left we toured the spotless kitchen and chatted with the cooks. We offered to buy a plate and were presented with one for free. This place is so good we have booked again for tonight...our barbecue night will have to wait...

Ciao...

Siena

2006-09-29T14:11:00.000-04:00

Friday Sept 29th.

Monteriggioni

Yesterday was a travel day and a bit tiring. After breakfast we said goodby to Carmela and walked with our luggage to the bus which we took the few stops to the Circumvesuviana train station. We then caught the train to Napoli and after paying the reservation fee of 30 euros we took the Eurostar to Rome. In Rome we connected with the intercity train to Milan changing at Grossoto and taking a local single carriage train on the last leg to Siena. We had bought sandwiches in Napoli and enjoyed them on the journey wih a few glasses of wine which we had also brought along. We are becoming quite the experts when it comes to the trains, no surpise given the number of times we have hopped on and off. Amazing..we only have one train trip left...from Nice to Paris, 10 days or so from now.

Arriving in Siena we thought it would be easy to just grab a hotel. Michael had e-mailed me with some suggested accomodation and in retrospect I should have booked something the night before while we were in Sorrento. We took the local bus from the train station to the centre of town to discover there were no rooms available in the city...something to do with a Festiva and a medical convention. By this time it is 8:30. Fortunately one hotel found us something in Monteriggioni, which is just outside Siena and a 30 euro cab ride later we check in to Euro Club Hotel. Nice room, quite a good size with lovely clean linen and towels. The room also has one of those showers we had read about, where the whole bathroom is the shower....the room has a drain in the floor. Just for the fun of it I did give it a whirl and can report that is possible to shower, shave and do your business all at the same time. I don't know why all bathrooms aren't designed like this! Supper last night was a lovely pasta with crab, a bit tricky to crack the shells and get at the meat but delicious none the less. Topped off with a bottle of the house Rosso and the bill was a reasonable 23 euros.
Today is another gorgeous sunny day. We have just finished breakfast and plan to take the train down to Siena for a bit of sightseeing, some lunch and then pick up the rental car.

Hopefully I can find a wireless connection in Siena to allow me to post. There doesn't seem to be anything here in Monteriggioni. No pics from yesterday so if I can post I'll add some more from Sorrento. I suspect that this might be my last or second last post for a bit because I don't expect I will find an internet connection at or close by the Villa where we book in tomorrow (Saturday), although I thought the same in Meta (Sorrento) and I was able to piggyback someone's wireless connection so stay tuned.

Colle Val D'Elsa

We took the train to Siena this morning, an eventful trip. We had been told at the hotel there was an 11:00 train to Siena so we went the station and bought tickets at the automated biglieterra (ticket office) for Siena. Turns out the next train wasn't until 1:30 but some guy told us that if we took the next train 1 stop north to Poggibonsi, there we would be able to get a connection back to Siena. The ticket collector on the train however didn't really appreciate what we were trying to accomplish, much to the delight of a couple sitting next to us who were from Airdrie on their way to Firenze. It all worked out however and we found our way to Siena. A beautiful old city. We sat in the Piazza del Campo and had a snack and a 1/2 litre of the local vino rosso befor heading off to explore Il Duomo, the Cathedral of Santa Maria dell'Assunta. The cathedral is spectacular although the outside is disappointing as there is a lot of scaffolding in connection with restoration work being done. Following that we took a taxi...after a long wait...and picked up the rental car at the local Avis office. A new diesel Fiat Punta, not big but adequate. We found our way firstly back to Monteriggioni where we had left our bags at last night's hotel, and then continued to Colle Val D'Elsa, just up the road and checked in here at Hotel La Vecchia Cartiera. This seems like a nice town and once Una has had a rest we will take a walk and see about some supper. We seem to be very close to where the Villa is so hopefully we will have no trouble in the morning making our way and meeting up with Peter & Penny, Celia and Iain. Celia and Iain are flying in from Glasgow to Pisa in the morning and Peter and Penny left their home in the south of France today. They are driving and overnighting with friends in Monaco. They are then meeting up with Celia and Iain in Pisa and driving to the villa.

Meantime I did find an Internet Cafe so I will post this and add some pics taken today in Siena.

Ciao!

1st picture is obviously Una saying goodby to our host Carmela in Sorrento, the others from today in Siena, the Piazza and the cathedral.

Sorrento/Capri

2006-09-28T02:48:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was to have been a down day, just sitting resting, which we did in the morning. At lunch time we wandered down to the beach to find something to eat and met a delightful elderly English couple from Wimbledon (picture above). They have been coming to this area for many years. They gave us some bus tickets and we decided to take the local bus to Capa di Sorrento, which is the end of it's run. Took close to an hour and we enjoyed the scenery and interacting with the locals. There wasn't a lot to see at Capa di Sorrento so we decided to walk to Sorrento. We basically took our lives in our hands because there is no sidewalk, just a narrow, single file strip at the side and cars, buses and scooters were whizzing by. Along the way we stopped in to a beautiful hotel to use the facilities. The scenery from the dining room was spectacular, looking over the Bay of Sorrento. Most of the hotels have nothing at the road level except an elevator taking you down the cliff. We met up with a Scotttish couple and chatted with them for a bit before finding the bus and heading back to our little place. Sorrento is lovely but very busy and touristy. We are congratulating ourselves on our choice of B&B. Meta is much quieter than Sorrento.

Back at the B&B we sat out on the terrace and chatted with Gareth and Heather and were joined by Paul and Andrew who are from Halifax Nova Scotia. We decided to go out to supper together and had a wonderful meal at Grillerie del Casale. Back home we all sat on the terrace and stayed up way too late drinking wine.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we went to Capri. The island is beautiful, quite spectacular in fact but there is a lot of hill climbing and it is very touristy. Lots of high end stores, Gucci, Prada, Svorski and the likes. We got home around 6:00 and went out for supper again to the same restaurant as the night before.

We have to leave this B & B today but don't want to leave the area so we may try and find a B & B for tonight and travel north tomorrow.

Sorrento

2006-09-26T07:02:00.000-04:00

We travelled by train yesterday from Rome to Naples, a short 2 hour trip. Naples did not impress us as we arrived on the train and we were a little apprehensive on arrival as we were unsure of the connection to Sorrento. As soon as we got off the train, some guy grabs our bags, says Sorrento train leaves in 6 minutes and he starts running along the platform with us trying to keep up. This way and that until we presents us at the ticket window, tells us how much for tickets (apparently our Eurail passes are not accepted on this local Circumvesuvio), and then down the platform steps where the train has just pulled in. 20 euros he tells me.....fat chance I tell him...I already had 5 euros in my hand for him. He was insistent so I gave him another euro,, threw our cases on the train and left him complaining as the doors closed.

The local train takes about an hour to Sorrento. We got talking to a mother and daughter who were from New Zealand and had just finished up a 2 week Trafalgar Tour. Of course we missed our stop...had to get off at the next one and find a taxi to take us back. The taxi eventually found our B&B but not without some difficulty and tricky manouvering...at one point he had to fold in the mirrors on both sides to navigate the impossibly narrow streets.
In any event we arrived at our B&B, Orchid Corner. The quaintest place you have ever seen.

We were warmly welcomed by the owner, Carmela, and immediately given a bottle of wine to enjoy while she chatted with us and explained the arrangements. The room is lovely, opening on to a garden /terrace where breakfast is served. Lots of plants and flowers including orchids, no doubt where the B&B name came from.

The view is spectacular, with towering cliffs and lime and orange trees. After we were settled we walked to the beach, about 5 minutes away and picked up a couple of bottles of local wine on the way back...a bargain at 1.30 euros each. We then went out for supper, ending up at a local Pizzeria where we shared a lovely pizza and a bottle of wine. The bill was 7.70 euros! Back at the B&B we sat on the terrace with a couple from England, Gareth and Heather, and drank some more wine. It rained overnight...quite heavily with thunder and lightning and this morning is a bit cooler with rain threatening. We have no plans for today outside of sitting on this lovely terrace and recharging our batteries.

Hi everyone its me Una we had a lovely breakfast out here on the patio its really lovely here so peaceful & just a few minutes walk to the beach, our room is really gorgeous,yellow walls lovely bedding & we each were given a lovely bath robe.

The patio is so quaint it reminds me a bit of Helen & Jimmy's garden in Pittenween, & our landlady Carmela is a real treat, I asked her where I could find a laundrette & she just offered to do it for us ......this is the life ...last night we sat outside till "yon"time chatting to the young couple who arrived yesterday too. Thank goodness we can rest today ... we have walked our feet up to our knees & now its time to relax & I for one do not want to go inside another @#@#@ church or look at any more bloody pictures or statues of naked men for a very long time!!!!. Simba baby girl I'm glad you have made yourself at home with Julie,looks like you are getting spoiled gees she's even giving you treats you are a lucky girl.

Suitcase" you are too funny for words what a laugh you gave us both this morning.

well ciao ciao for now XXX

Rome

2006-09-25T04:03:00.000-04:00

Sunday was a wonderful, if exhausting day.

We were up by 6 and on the road before 7. We walked to the Vatican and as arranged met up with Jason. His friend Mike was doing the tour and Jason decided to come along as well as he is trying to learn as much as he can.
We joined the line-up which snaked around the outside Vatican walls and it went remarkably quickly. We were inside the Vatican Museums in less than 2 hours. It was extremely crowded but our guide Mike was excellent. He was extremely knowledgable and we were able to follow most of his commentary via the supplied headsets. The Sistine Chapel was jaw dropping and we finished up with a tour of St. Peter's Basilica. We weren't done until about 1:30 at which point we joined Jason and Mike at a patio bar for a couple of well deserved drinks. All the more enjoyable because thy were free...as tours operators the guys refer customers to the place and as a consequence the bar owners look after them.

We then headed off, still with Jason & Mike, on the subway to their local, the Shamrock where we met lots of their friends. A really nice group of young people from Norway, New Zealand, The States, England, Crotia and Australia. We left them on the patio and walked up to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Breathtakingly beautiful, it rivals St Peters in it's architecture. We sat there for a bit in a side chapel listening to the beginning of a sung Mass, and then we headed back to the Shamrock where by this time Marzia had joined the group.

We left them about 6:30 and walked home which took about 30 minutes. We were both exhausted. We had been on the go virtually non stop, standing and walking for over 12 hours. Anyway we rested up and went out for something to eat around 9:30 just around the corner again sitting out on a patio.

Once we got back to the B&B I hooked up the Internet phone and we used Skype to call the Bank back home. Una's bank card had a low daily and weekly withdrawal limit (apparently it is set automatically based on your historic usage). We got through easily and the customer service rep says the limit has now been changed so we will test it today. We also got a rather loud complaint from one of the guests who came out of her room in her night attire asking what the hell we were doing (we had to make the call in the small lobby that all the rooms adjoin). calling at this time of night and didn't we know what time it was and on and on....She was in no mood to listen to Una's apology but beat a hasty retreat when I told her to put some pants on!

Today we slept late and have a taxi booked for 11:15 to take us to the train station for our trip to Sorrento. It is a bit cloudy and there has been a little bit of rain, but that's OK. The weather so far has been brilliant and today being a travel day it doesn't matter.

The holiday should start to take on a different character from here on, more relaxed with a lot of the major sightseeing out of the way, it's time to re-charge the batteries and find a laundrette.

Arrivaderci Roma!

Rome

2006-09-23T18:33:00.000-04:00

Saturday September 23rd

We arrived at Venice train station via waterbus just before 12:30, in lots of time for our 1:30 train.

I noticed the 12:35 train sitting on the platform and thought...why not give it a try. I checked with some guy... he looked like the train guard to me... and he said hop on board (In Italian of course...), just pay the reservation fee on board. So that we did and minutes later the train pulls out. All kinds of room on board and no trouble finding a seat. What we soon learned however is that the original advice was correct. There was no room because as the train made subsequent stops along the way, passengers with confirmed reservations and assigned seats, started bumping earlier non confirmed passengers. I lasted 2 hours before being bumped...Una got lucky and had a seat all the way to Rome. I sat on a step for 2 and a half hours slightly comforted by an entirely reasonable and eminently drinkable bottle of Chianti...only 6.50 euros for a half bottle.
On arriival at Rome's Tremini train station, we immediately made reservations for Monday's journey to Sorrento (or at least to Naples)...No need to beat me over the head with a stick...this next ride I'm having a seat.

Jumped in a cab and 15 euros later he deposits us in a back alley, announces we are there, rings a door bell and buggers off. We are then greeted by a delightful Indian couple who welcome us, look after our luggage, show us our room and generally make us feel entirely at home and one of the family. 15 minutes later Marco, the owner shows up and he is charming, showing us the facilities and suggesting restaurants and tours. We met and chatted with a nice couple from Dublin and then set out to find somewhere to eat. No more than 5 minutes out the door and my phone rings...the lady from the B&B we had reserved asking where in the name we had got to because she had been expecting us for the past hour. Nicely explained to her that we were already checked in..she insisted absolutely not the case and then it dawns on us...we are checked in at the wrong hotel! Back we went to find a terribly embarrased Marco consoling a lovely English couple whose room we had occupied.. It was all a bit Keystone cops, particularly as we had already paid the guy for the room in cash. Turns out the proper place was just down stairs and in 15 minutes we were relocated although not before a mix up with the passports. You see, we had surrendered our passports when we checked in...Italian law apparently, and when they returned them to me to give the 2nd B & B I didn't even look at them until the lady registering us questioned my picture...they had given me the passports of the 2 english women whose rooms we had been in....

Eventually it was all sorted out although Una was grumbling and complaining that the new place wasn't as nice as the old place and of course I agee with her but what could we do...there were no rooms in the nicer place. Any way off we went for supper and met a nice couple from Stratford Ontario and a couple of girls from Kingston over here teaching english.

This morning we had breakfast at a small cafe and then called Jason. Jason is the son of my good friend Derik and he works here in Rome for a tour company. Within less than an hour he met us and took us to the Colliseum where he introduced us to several of his co-workers. Along the way he stopped off at a supermarket where we picked up ready made sandwiches and bottled water. As he so correctly pointed out, no sense in paying outrageous prices for food in the tourist areas. We got a free tour of the Colliseum and afterwards he took us by the Metro to Finnegans pub where we watched Celtic beat Rangers 2:0 in as rowdy a crowd as I can remember. Great atmosphere, virtually all Scots people and 100% Celtic supporters. Many of the people were co-workers of Jason and they made us very welcome. Afterwards, Jason's Fiancee Mazzia joined us and they continued to show us the sights as we visited various historical areas iincluding, Circus Maxima, San Pietro in Vicoli, Trojan's market, The Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navona before we stopped for supper at a lovely restaurant called Navona Notta on Rio del Theatro Pace was I think the name of the street. Wonderful food and great value. We stuffed ourselves and shared a litre of house wine and the bill was only 46 euros.

We then got a bus for a couple of blocks before saying goodnight to our hosts/guides and we walked the rest of the way back to our B & B which is in the Trastevere area.

A marvellous day, in outstanding weather. I doubt that we could have accomplished as much as we did (in fact I'm 100% certain that we could not have) without Jason and Mazzia and I hope they read this and know how much their company and local knowledge was appreciated and Mazzia if I murdered spelling your name I apologise...please put the correct spelling in the comments and I will be sure to fix!

Tomorrow being the last Sunday of the month the Vatican is open and free so the crowds will be a major problem. Again Jason has volunteered to help us out and we are to meet him at 7:30am at the Vatican. Una is asleep as I write this at just after midnight...a good thing because she will need a lot of energy to get through tomorrow.

Hope you enjoy today's pics. The 1st one was taken in the Church of St. Cecilia just around the corner from where we are staying in Trestevere, where a wedding was just about to start. Una & I throwing coins in the Trevi fountain, jubilation in Finnegan's pub as Celtic defeat the enemy...are you there Tommy???..Mazzia and Jason our hosts and another pic of Una and I.

Ciao

P.S.

Una is right...this B&B is not as nice as the one that we checked in to by mistake. However, it is clean and comfortable and well located and they keep a bottle of Limincello in the fridge in the lobby wich I have managed to put a very nice dent in as I composed tonight's blog!

Venice

2006-09-22T05:10:00.000-04:00

Friday, September 22, 2006
Another perfect day yesterday. Weather was lovely, sunny and warm all day.
We walked to Piazza San Marco and visited the cathedral. We then sat in the square and had an outrageously priced cappucino after which we visited the Doges Palace and did the walk over the Bridge of Sighs.

Lunch was a slice of pizza eaten as walked looking for shoes for Una. She eventually settled on a pair of white Nike sneakers, which to this point appear to be making her walking more comfortable. We shall see how they stand up to Rome...stay tuned. After the shopping we decided to walk to the rail station.On the walk we stopped in to the Chiesa Santa Maria Gloriosa del Frati to admire the church. Now sooner had we sat down than the bell rings and out marches the priest and we are having Mass. We managed to escape after the gospel and before the sermon and more importantly before the collectioni....

Apparently, notwithstanding 1st class rail passes, you have to reserve seats on the train for which you pay Venice to Rome 15 euros each. After lining up for an eternity we discovered that the 2 early trains are fully booked and we have to take the 1:30 train arriving in Rome at 7:00pm, for which no reservation is required!

So we walked back to our area of the canal and had supper, again sitting out on the patio, followed by Gelatos (ice creams) before heading back home.

This morning the B&B owner showed up to prepare breakfast. Apparently he and a partner rent 3 or 4 properties and operate them as B&B's. The owner of the property which we were originally booked in to broke his contract (lease) and he had to relocate guests. This place we are now in he has only rented for 4 months for 3,500 euros a month. The property is for sale at an asking price of 850,000 euros....that's $1.3 million canadian!. In any event, after some discussion I agreed that while this B&B does not have the amenities or the elegance of the property advertised on the internet, there can be no doubt that the location is superior and the view from the window is magnificent. Add that to the fact that we are the only people here...we actually have a whole apartment to ourselves...and I think we got a bargain at 120 euros a night.

Arrivavaderci from Venice....see you all in Roma!

Venice

2006-09-21T05:31:00.000-04:00

Arrived about 30 minutes late. Weather is brilliant..nice and sunny and warm. As instructed we took Waterbus 82 and how we managed to miss our stop at the Rialto Bridge I have no idea but miss it we did and we had to get a boat back the way. Not a big deal. Now it's only 3:00 O'clock and we have to wait for our landlord until 5:30. No prizes for quessing what we decided to do. We managed quite nicely to fill in the time sitting in the sun at a canalside restaurant with a bottle of Chianti. At 4 O'clock I called the landlord who apparently was on a train either going to or coming from Milan, and from the quality of the transmission, I would hazard to say he was in a tunnel. As best I understood, we were to kind of just keep doing what we were doing (sitting watching the world go by) and his wife would somehow or other find us by virtue of us sitting at the # 82 waterbus stop.
Needless to say 6:00 o'clock and we're still waiting for Filomena (or Kathia) to appear. Another cell call to the tunnel bound Milan landlord who in turn called his missing wife who it turns out was standing no more than a few feet away from us. So the meeting is consumated and off we go, but only a short distance, up a close (narrow dark street for the uninitiated), through a medieval door, up a steep smelly staircase and into this big apartment.Furnished in a cross between 50's Walmart and 40's St. Clair & Dufferin, this place isn't the Ritz, but I doubt you could find a better location in the whole of Venice. We have 2 big windows that overlook the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge, so close in fact, we are no more than 100 yards from the bridge. The place is buzzing and the canal is jammed, with water taxis and buses, gondolas and every other kind of craft.. Once we got settled, we went off for a walk and reached St. Marks Square in less than 15 minutes. Peter...thanks for the recommendation for Harry's Bar. It seemed like quite the place but they asked me to leave...apparently Tilley Shorts and crocks (shoes) are not an acceptable dress code. I' ve been asked to leave better and worse places so no big deal...probably saved 20 euros by not ordering a couple of drinks.
Anyway supper outdoors again, for me a to die for seafood pasta while Una just had a salad. Before you know it it's 11:00 so I got a couple of ice creams and we sat at the window watching the world go by. This really is a most incredible city. The ambiance is wonderful, the architecture amazing and the shops are magnificent. I can tell already that we will not want to leave for Rome, our next stop.

The pics above were taken from our window, so you can appreciate the view we have.

I have still to find a wireless internet cafe but hopefully will tomorrow so I get get up to date on my postings..

Ciao for now.

Vienna

2006-09-21T05:01:00.000-04:00

Vienna
September 18th

Another great day.
We travelled to Vienna from Salzburg...a 3 hour trip. We had a lovely carriage in first class to ourselves...very plush and comfortable.
A bit of a struggle finding the hotel...in retrospect we should have taken a cab from the station but we were advised at the Info desk that it was "just up the road...".... Indeed..
We were a wee bit discouraged once we found the place because there is no grand entrance...the reception is on the 2nd floor of a building, presumably a large house at some point now divided up...there are a mixture of apartments and hotel rooms and our room is quite spectacular. The decor is magnificent, as are the hallways, dining rooms etc.....extremely plush and very tasteful indeed. Not that I've had a chance to watch much TV but it bears mentioning the room has a lovely wall mounted plasma.....

After we got settled in we went for a bit of a wander to the centre of town...lots of magnificent buildings etc....we stopped for a bite to eat outdoors and had barely started when the heavens opened and it rained cats and dogs. While we were under an umbrella we still got a bit damp so headed off back to the hotel room to dry off and change.
Tonight we went to a concert of chamber music at the Palais Auersperg, a gorgeous building where Mozart actually worked and lived The music, which was a selection of Mozart and Strauss, was wonderful, the performance by http//www.residenzorchester.at. All in all a good day. Tomorrow we have booked a 3 hour city tour leaving at 9:00 so we better lock up the Mini bar and try and get some sleep. I'm told breakfast tomorrow includes champagne...wouldn't want to miss any of that.
Not sure about pics today. The hotel has free wireless internet throughout but somehow it doesn't like the blogger site and I can't get in. I'm sure I'll figure something out though.
September 19th

Breakfast this morning was sensational. Fruits and cold cuts, cheeses and breads, smoked salmon, all kinds of cereals with nuts and dried fruits, jams, marmalades, teas, coffees and champagne and orange juice.. All served in a very nice room.
Following breakfast we were picked up by minibus at the hotel at 9:00 and driven to the tour bus which left at 10:00. The tour was very good and it included an hour and a half guided tour of Schonbruun Palace. It was quite incredible. The weather stayed good, not hot but no need for a jacket and the sun broke through occasionally. Following the bus tour we walked though the old town enjoying the sights. We got a couple of pictures of the Lipizzaner horses at the Spanish Riding School but unfortunately we were not able to see the horses perform. We also visited St. Stephens Cathedral, a magnificent building. We then worked our way back to the hotel and had afternoon tea and pastry. We rested up and went out later, Una looking for new shoes as her feet are causing her some trouble....(see pre-departure post re: orthotics....). No luck with the shoes but we scored a bargain at the off -licence, picking up 2 bottles of wine and 4 tall boy cans of beer for 7.35 Euros. That's just over $10. Great deal and now we won't be held hostage by Austrian Railways on our 8 hour rail journey tomorrow to Venice. Back in the room, I plugged in the internet phone and made a few calls to back home, then spoke to brother Peter in France who told me we have to visit Harry's Bar in St. Mark's Square Una then talked to Mags for a while. Great reception on Skype and only cost pennies.
First fly in the ointment. I sent an e-mail to the B&B in Venice yesterday, advising them of our arrival time. Got an e-mail back saying something about a problemo with the property but that they were honouring our reservation and moving us to another property just down the street (canal). From what they say, we still have a view of the Grand Canal close by the Rialto bridge. Appaerently we are to take Waterbus # 82 from the train station, get off at Rialto and they will meet us once they get out of work at 5:30.

September 20th
An ungodly time to be up. 4:30 am!
Picked up by cab for the short ride to Vienna Sud Banhof. Our train left bang on time at 6::30. We had already reserved seats and we are now sitting comfortably enjoying the scenery with the sun streamimg in the the window

Salzburg

2006-09-18T04:17:00.000-04:00

It's 2:30 Sunday afternoon and we are on board the Transalpin train between Zurich and Saltzburg.

We woke late this morning...the bells chiming 8 woke me up and we had an 8:45 train to catch. We missed breakfast but we made the train ..in fact we changed our itinery somewhat at the last minute in the station and took the Salsburg /Zurich train leaving at 8:35 which then connected to the Transalpine to Salsburg.

This train has business class...1st class compartments and we decided to upgrade after sitting for a while in the observation car and having breakfast in the restaurant car.
We have a compartment to ourselves and we have enjoyed the wonderful scenery as we travelled through the Swiss and the Austrian Alps. I'll leave it to Una to describe the scenery but she isn't interested in typing at the moment...she is transfixed on the passing scenery and doesn't want to take her eye away fom the window for a minute. We have passed Innsbruk and in just under an hour we will arrive at Salzburg.
The best way I can describe the scenery is to tell you that I was trying to watch the Dukes of Hazzard on the laptop...(I brought a few movies along with me...), and even Daisy Duke couldn't distract me enough to keep from watching the mountains and lakes....

The weather when we woke up this morning was wet and it was raining pretty good on our walk to the train station but it didn't last and we have had sunshine for most of the day....every day in fact since we got here...

A couple of house keeping items if I may......

Peter & Manon...what are you doing in Vegas? and did you win anything?

Wee chap....have you had a chance to check the house and cut the grass? Glad you were able to log on...liked your comments...we miss you 2....What about Amanda & Nicki? I gave them the Blog URL..tell them to add a comment.

Brian/Debi...did you get a chance to call Uncle Tom?

Julie..where are you and how's Simba?

Paul/Sandy...Brian/Debi might not get this so would you call Uncle Tom and check on him....

More later...

9:50pm Salzburg
We found our hotel easily...just a short 15 minute walk from the train station. The hotel is very nice, the room clean and there are (were!) chocolates on the pillows.

Once we checked in we took a walk and had Schnitzel for supper, again on a patio...the weather is just wonderful. We then took a stroll to the old town where there was a mini Oktoberfest celebration happening. We enjoyed an open air theatre production which was a kind of comedy/parody on Mozart. Extremely well done and enjoyable, the fact we couldn't understand a word didn't detract from our enjoyment at all. On the way back to the hotel we stopped for a night cap at another patio.

Tonight's posting is courtesy of an internet cafe just around the corner...if I position the laptop on the window sill of our room just so, I am able to pick up a weak signal...hopefully it will be enough to upload this.

Tonight's pics show Una in the kid's play area on the train this morning from Lucerne to Zurich, yours truly watching Dukes of Hazzard between Zurich and Salzburg and finally a picture of a statue of Mozart, whose birthplace we are visiting.

Una wants to explain:

A) That the photographer selected the wide angle lens for her pic and that her real profile is much more slender.

and

B) That because we overslept there was only time for a possible wash....(for those that don't know what that is...you wash up as far as possible, then you wash down as far as possible ...and then you give possible a wee wash too...).

Vienna tomorrow...waltzes, sausages and the blue Danube...

Swiss Alps

2006-09-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

Breathtaking.....
That's about the only word I can conjure up to describe the scenery that we saw today. On being picked up by the tour bus at 9:30 this morning, the guide quickly talked us into an itinery upgrade. We had originally booked a trip that would take us half way up the mountain but thankfully we listened to his advice...(he being a young kid from Thailand living in Zurich....) and paid the extra francs...(Switzerland liked the UK being a Euro holdout).
The journey to the mountain was spectacular, the first hour being on a coach with a brief stopover in Interlaken. Shortly therafter we transfered to first one train and then another with 4 or 5 stops along the way and the opportunity to get off for a few minutes and enjoy the panoramic view. The last portion of the jouney was a 7 kilometer trip through what semed like an almost vertical climb in a tunnel before arriving at Europe's highest train station Jungfraujoch, 11,000 feet above sea level. The thin air was very noticeable and for the first 5 minutes we were light headed and a bit shaky. There is a whole complex build at that level, with an Ice Palace carved out of the glazier, observation decks, movie theatre, restaurants, gifts shops etc.. We even went outside and walked a bit in the snow. The weather was spectacular, sunny and warm even at that elevation. We spent 2 hours at the top of the mountain and then retraced our journey.I don't ever recall seeing such wonderful scenery...around every corner there were new, awe inspiring lakes , mountains, cows with bells on and chalets. We took between us about 100 pictures...lots will be deleted but there are some real keepers among them and I'll post 3 or 4 after supper. I'm writing this off line on word and I'll stop off at Starbucks later and cut and paste and post pics once I get on line.
Hello everyone its me.....Una....Switzerland truly is a beautiful country... none of the pictures do it justice. What a perfect day. On our first stopover in Interlaken we bought a few post cards for Dad, Uncle Tom & the grandkids & sat at an outdoor cafe enjoying the wonderful view & fantastic capuccino. As we were sitting there at least half a dozen skydivers landing in the park in front of us... what a wonderful sight, mountains,blue sky gorgeous flowers & wonderful green grass. The journey up the mountain was great until we got inside the dark tunnel going up the inside of the mountain,that part lasted about 20 minutes & I have to say I was a wee bit claustrophobic,inside my head I was shouting for my Mummy and Daddy!! but anyway the journey was worth it, (guess I was in a cave on top of a mountain something I've always wanted to do..... my sisters know what I'm talking about ha ha ).......... we stood in snow today, but honest the weather was warm we wore our red jackets only up at the top, otherwise it was short sleeves all round. the town of Lucerne is lovely situated at the foot of many spectacular mountains, our hotel is right on the river which runs directly into the lake. We can hear the clock chiming from our room,which is lovely however at the moment sprinkled with all our laundry trying to get dry ready for the morning, there is a whole story about my khaki pants which" must be told" however I don't have all night, so will leave it till I get home.....anyway we are now off to "Starbucks (Brian's new Pub) he needs to do something with the Blog.
Cheers...talk to you from Salzburg Austria, our next stop.

P.S. Just read yesterday's comments...loved them...keep them coming....By the way the suitcase arrived a couple of hours before we left for the airport.

Lucerne part 2

2006-09-15T16:28:00.000-04:00

I was able to get wireless access at Starbucks next to the hotel and I'm sitting outside on the banks of lake lucerne at 10:30 at night. The 1st pic is from today in Lucerne looking across at our hotel. The other 2 are from the Rhine cruise. I'm hoping for some great pics from tomorrow's trip up the Alps.

Lucerne

2006-09-15T15:46:00.000-04:00

Evening all from Lucerne Switzerland.

Unable to post yesterday as no access to internet and unfortunately there is no wireless access in this hotel so I will not be posting any pics.

Thursday was a great day. The weather was wonderful and the Rhine cruise was marvellous. The Rhine is a busy commercial river. It flows north fast and we were headed south slowly. On the boat for over 9 hours and I don't think we travelled more than 100 kilometers. Not a lot of pleasure craft but lots of barges and cruise ships. The scenery was outstanding with a castle round every river bend and lots of picturesque little towns and villages. The boat made around 12 stops on its way downstream. We sat on the sun deck the whole way except when we went to the dining room for lunch.

We arrived in Mainz at around 8:00 and Una will no doubt take credit for finding our hotel as she committed the cardinal sin and asked someone for directions. I have no doubt whatsoever that I could have found the hotel on my own. The hotel was lovely and close to the train station. We went out for supper and had pizza on a patio.

The train stations here are incredible...magnificent shops, fast food outlets and information kiosks. Before we boarded the train this morning for Lucerne, we bought sandwiches in the train station and snacked on board. Today's train journey was interesting although nothing like yesterday's cruise. The scenery improved once we got into Switzerland. We found our hotel easily. We are nicely located downtown only 3 minutes from the train station and right on Lake Lucerne. We have booked a tour for tomorrow which will take up the whole day, travelling by bus and train up into the Alps. We are really looking forward to it and hope the weather stays fine as it was again today....still in shorts and Tshirt and we ate supper outside again tonight on a patio...we are just in and it is 10:00 pm as I bang this out on the hotel computer.

Lucerne is a lovely city and we have swans swimming in the lake right outside our door.

Hope everyone is well. Keep posting comments...its great to read them.

I'll try and post pics later...there's a Starbucks next door and I'll see if I can get logged on there.

Bye for now...

Koblenz

2006-09-13T16:30:00.000-04:00

Another great day..as warm as yesterday!

We caught the 11:07 Inter City Train (ICE) and travelled to Cologne (KOLN). As planned we didn't use our rail pass for this trip as that would have meant usage in 6 countries and our pass only permits 5 countries.

The journey was very pleasant and comfortable. We shared a sandwich and drank water. We arrived in Cologne around 2:00pm and visited the Cathedral which is immediately outside the train station. A very impressive structure with magnificent stained glass windows. We were back on the train within an hour headed for Koblenz. We were about 15 minutes late in departing because of a train which appeared to be disabled not being able to move off our track. They switched our track and all the passengers we given a complimentary soft drink to compensate for the delay. The journey to Koblenz took about an hour and the scenery was gorgeous as the route ran alongside the Rhine for much of the way.
Once in Koblenz we found our hotel a leisurely 5 minute walk from the station. The hotel is very nice, quite modern and again only a short walk from the banks of the Rhine. We took a stroll through the town which is beautiful and very clean. There are numerous pedestrian precincts and lots of outdoor patios. We ate on the patio of a non touristy pub and Una enjoyed a bowl of pea soup with german sausage and a salad while I had a schnitzel with fries. Very tasty and quite reasonable too.

I got talking tonight to one of the hotel staff here and he is a frequent visitor to Toronto. He has some friends in the city and was last over in February when he went snowmobiling. Small world and on top of that we both share the same birthday although he looks to be a few years younger than me!

Tomorrow we cruise the Rhine down to Mainz. Hopefully the great weather will continue.

The pictures above were taken tonight in Koblenz and I also uploaded a couple from Amsterdam which I have added to yesterday's posting.

Amsterdam

2006-09-12T16:43:00.000-04:00

We arrived in Amsterdam at 5:30 am...a half hour early thanks to some brisk tail winds which apparently were also responsible for a pretty choppy flight. All in all it was a good flight ...the decision to pre-book our seats in row 13 I think was a good one because it is the only row on the A310 Airbus that gives any legroom at all, however Una had mixed feelings as she being in the middle section had to contend with passengers crossing to the washroom. She eventually tired of the aggravation and gave some guy a pretty decent kick! There were a few anxious moments at the baggage carousel as our luggage took an eternity to show up. They apparently "mislaid" a whole cartload. However to our relief (as well as the relief of the Canadian Tug of War Team who were on the same flight heading to the world championships in Hollaand somewhere, an hour and a half after we landed we got our luggage and headed for the train. A short train ride downtown...chatted with a guy from Minneapolis who was travelling on business for Polaris...and we got to the Central Station in downtown Amsterdam. We were able to quite quickly find our hotel...actually a boatel...it's a boat moored in the canal...but no surprise we were not able to check in at 8:00am. However we were able to drop off our luggage and headed out to explore the area in the midst of rush hour...dodging bicycles along the way. There are absolutely millions of them and they are pretty aggresive riders too. We found a breakfast spot and wolfed down a full English breakfast following which we bought tickets for a Canal tour of the city and spend an hour and a half enjoying the gorgeous sunshine...did I mention it was at least 30 degrees and sunny today?... and the lovely sights.
I was frustrated that I couldn't get my new cell phone to work notwithstanding that I got a message shortly after arriving from Rogers welcoming me to Amsterdam and giving me a 514 (Canada #) to call for customer service. Trouble was I couldn't call the # ..the message says I wasn't authorised. It was doubly frustrating because I was trying to hook up with brother in law Iain who had a 5 hour layover in Amsterdam on the way home to Glasgow from Tallin in Estonia. I was finally able to get through to Rogers customer service via a VOIP call using Skype on the laptop and the guy was excellent...he quickly activated my phone for overseas use and within minutes it worked perfectly..to the point I was able to reach Iain who had just landed at Schippol and arranged to meet up with him. An hour later we are sitting on a patio drinking pints of Heineken before Iain headed back to the airport. Una and I continued our walking tour ending up in the Red Light district. It was interesting but a bit on the seedy side ..and yes you could buy seeds as well although we didn't bother! We picked up a bottle of wine and a couple of sandwiches on the way back to the hotel and enjoyed them as we looked out our canal view window watching the boats cruise by.
All in all a great start to the holiday. The hotel is basic but clean...nice towels sheets etc...and you can't beat the location..minutes from the train station and all the main attractions. Tomorrow we plan another canal cruise in the morning before heading south to Cologne (Or Koln as it is properly called). Meantime Una is sleeping ..It's 10:30 as I write this...so I'm heading off to the bar for a nightcap! before hitting the sack!

The night before....

2006-09-10T20:07:00.000-04:00

It's 8:00pm Sunday night and the anticipation is building. We haven't packed yet but everything is pretty well laid out ready to go in the suitcase....hopefully I will have one...the backpack/case that I bought over the internet from Ric Steeves travel site is still in transit. The latest update from the web tracking site at UPS says it will be delivered tomorrow between 9 and 5...cutting it a bit fine to say the least as we have to be at the airport by 1:30. I have a provisional/backup case on standby just in case....

Busy weekend. Saturday was the big wedding...a grand affair indeed. Alan and Natascia tied the knot and a good time was had by all. Following the church wedding, the guests were invited to King Henry's Pub in Richmond Hill which is owned by the groom and he generously laid on an open bar and munchies to tide us over for the few hours between the service and the reception. We took full advantage of the hospitality although we had to make a side trip as we delivered Simba our cat to Una's good friend Julie who is cat sitting while we are away. Julie...if you are reading this we both appreciate you taking this on. Feel free to post comments but spare us the details of any misdemeanors. Una is worried that she forgot to discuss with you what to do in the event Simba gets sick...How much to spend at the vet....all I can say is we really don't have a budget so whatever you think is reasonable...under no circumstances are we paying for Cat Scans though....

The evening wedding reception was 1st class...great food, open bar...good music, good company ...I'm not much for the dancing but managed a few quicksteps to the bar which may explain why I was dragging my butt a bit today.

This afternoon we were at Brian and Debi's to celebrate Brian Junior's 40th birthday. A nice afternoon, sitting around outside in the sunshine. We had already had a big party for Brian's birthday a couple of weeks ago so today's celebration was somewhat low key although anything but quiet with any number of rug rats running around. We got home to a phone message from my sister Celia telling me that Big Iain (her husband) will be in Amsterdam on Tuesday on a 5 hour layover connecting from Tallin (Estonia) to Glasgow. She wondered if we might give him a call on his cell and see if we can't meet up for a pint. Sounds like a plan to me...let the fun begin!

All going well I will try and post from Amsterdam.

Cottage

2006-09-03T13:04:00.001-04:00

We are just back from a mini vacation after spending 4 days at a lovely cottage with friends. We stayed as guests of Pat & Frank at Tory's Landing just north of Orillia on Sparrow Lake. Alan & Lilian from Burlington and Art who drove up from Michigan were also there and we ate like kings and drank like fishes. The weather was spectacular, lovely late summer warmth without humidity. The guys enjoyed a couple of games of golf at the nearby Lake St. George Golf Club and the ladies relaxed and walked and chatted.

On the way home on Saturday the weather cooled and rain moved in as the remnants of tropical storm Ernesto moved north. We stopped off at the Cookstown Outlet Mall on the way home and bought some more clothes for the trip.

Next week we pick up our tickets and begin the countdown.

8 more sleeps!