Bus Tour – Page 2 – Pamper Stamper

October 15, 2014

Kotor – Montenegro

Today is day 9 of our tour and we are traveling from Dubrovnik to Tirana in Albania. If we traveled continuously it would be a 5 hour drive.

Approximately a 5 hour drive by car :-) — Approximately a 5 hour drive by car 🙂

Now to place these countries, and the cities we have visited or are going to visit, I have copied another couple of photos to help you.

The places we have stayed, and are staying at :-) — The places we have stayed, and are staying at 🙂

The Balkans with the surrounding European countries

But today we were lucky enough to break our trip after an hour and 40 minutes, with a stop at the very picturesque town of Kotor, Montenegro.

Okay… Now look at the map and see the bay that we had to travel around to get to Kotor. What a fabulous drive! There was a quicker route that we could have taken and that was by ferry, but then we would have missed out on some lovely winding roads, and some of the most beautiful scenery. We stopped and took a few photos on the way.

Kotor Bay behind me with the sea area we had already driven past

Robin and I with the beautiful bay behind us

This photo is actually taken from the bus window. The water looked amazing.

And then we arrived at Kotor! Wow…just wow!

A little help again from Wikipedia…

Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor and has a population of 13,510. Kotor has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is home to numerous sights, such as the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in the old town (built in 1166), and the ancient walls which stretch for 4.5 km (3 mi) directly above the city.

The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor, one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. Some have called it the southern-most fjord in Europe, but it is a ria, a submerged river canyon. Together with the nearly overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovćen, Kotor and its surrounding area form an impressive and picturesque Mediterranean landscape.

This is the first thing we saw

The Hills in the distance and the city wall beside us

And way up in the hills behind us is The church of our lady of health.

You can see the church directly above the building with the three windows in the roof

But walking in the old town within the walls was fabulous. It reminded me of Dubrovnik but seemed even older, and with the hill behind us with a track that you can walk up, I wished we could have stayed and explored all day.

Part of the city wall by the entrance gate

Walking through the entrance you see this and also some writing. The writing says "What belongs to others we don't want, what is ours we will never surrender. — Walking through the entrance you see this and also some writing. The writing says “What belongs to others we don’t want, what is ours we will never surrender.

As we enter this is what we saw :-) — As we enter this is what we saw 🙂

And we discover some sights you just don’t see everyday!

No cars in here so this bike is used to transport goods

Teresa and I decided to start to climp the track up the hill. We only had a very short time but we knew we would get the best view of the Old Town from higher up.

Another view looking down... Amazing huh! — Another view looking down… Amazing huh!

Now it was worth the climb just to see this!

Now isn't that a beautiful sight! — Now isn’t that a beautiful sight!

In recent years, Kotor has seen a steady increase in tourists, many of them coming by cruise ship. Visitors are attracted both by the natural beauty of the Gulf of Kotor and by the old town of Kotor. In the photo above you can see the old with the new!

Kotor was definitely worth the break in our trip.

October 14, 2014October 14, 2014

Day 8 – A visit to Cavtat and a Dinner Cruise

So far we have had eight wonderful stress free days. That is what I love most about a Bus Tour. All the planning is done for you. We just wake up in the morning, and if it is a day when we are on the move, it is just a matter of getting our bag out the Hotel room door by around 7.30am, and from then on our main task is following the Tour Directors instructions. We visit the best tourist attractions, the entry fee is included in the tour cost, and most days the lunch and/or the evening meal is also included. We get the most information possible about every town and attraction that we are visiting, we get guided tours through the towns, and we also get enough free time to discover a few things by ourselves.

The walk around the wall at Dubrovnik was something we chose to do, and it proved a great decision. Other people from our tour decided to take the gondola up the hill at Dubrovnik and see the views from that super high position. They came back with great reports as well.

During the day we selected an add on tour to a nearby town called Cavtat. A lovely little seaside town that has a half hour walk around the little beaches. The little township was the place for us to have our lunches at a restaurant of our choice.

Across the water in the distance is Dubrovnik

The day was beautiful and hot and there were several people enjoying a swim in the warm Adriatic sea. As we walked around I remembered the wonderful feeling that I felt from diving off a boat and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea at The Isle of Capri last year on our ‘Grand tour of Italy and Sicily’. Judy Teresa and I sat with our feet dangling in the sea, savouring the moment, when the decision was made that we would have a swim in the Adriatic!

Feet dangling in and being tempted to jump in

Teresa, Lisa and myself were the only ones brave enough to jump in

The water was lovely and warm and very salty

The secluded place where we swam in our bra and undies!

The swim was fantastic! We ate lunch sitting in our clothes with wet underwear underneath but it didn’t matter in the least. The experience was enough to put up with any discomfort.

That evening we went out for a dinner cruise off Dubrovnik. A few others from the tour (and us three as well) were going to go for a another swim. This time jumping off the boat. The only reason why we didn’t was the fact the there was no ladder, the boat sat high up in the water, and the crew was going to have to pull us back onto the boat! It was hard enough for me to get back up on land from the swim earlier in the day. I couldn’t imagine getting my body dragged up the side of the boat and try to look glamorous as well, so I decided against it. So did the others!

We left Dubrovnik and sailed to a very still bay and had a super meal together. It was such a treat.

Our Captain telling us about the evening, and the alcohol :-) — Our Captain telling us about the evening, and the alcohol 🙂

Eating our nibbles and celebrating the night

Another view of the wall surrounding the Old Town of Dubrovnik

What a fabulous evening, and we all slept peacefully and with such happy memories of the day.

October 14, 2014December 4, 2014

Dubrovnik – Croatia

Dubrovnik is what George Bernard Shaw described as ‘Paradise on Earth’. I personally had never heard of the place, but having now seen it, I will never forget it. Imagine an old town with stone paved streets, houses down each side and all looking similar, and the whole place encircled with high stone walls and 16th century bastions. Then imagine a narrow path on top of the wall where you can walk around the town and look down on the roofs and streets. And then adding to the picture in your mind, put the whole place along the seafront. Can you picture it?

Dubrovnik – with the old town and wall surrounding it near the sea

Happily getting our photo taken with Dubrovnik and the Adriatic Sea as the backdrop

The walls run almost 2 km around the city. They are from four to six meters thick on the landward side but are much thinner on the seaward side. The system of turrets and towers were intended to protect the vulnerable city. The walls of Dubrovnik have also been a popular filming site for HBO’s Game Of Thrones for the fictional city of Kings Landing.

Walking along the wall with other tourists on a beautiful sunny day

The moment we arrived at the city gates we were in awe!

Look at the people walking around the wall behind me

Fabulous buildings. Any renovations done and the colour and stone has to be exactly the same — Fabulous buildings. Any renovations done and the paint colour and stone has to be exactly the same

On of the many steps to the outer houses — One of the many steps to the outer houses

The steps with the lower foot built in so the ladies ankles couldn't be seen by gentlemen (Obviously not from this era) — The steps with the lower foot built in so the ladies ankles couldn’t be seen by gentlemen below (Obviously not from this era)

As you can gather walking around Dubrovnik was an awesome experience. What you can’t see from the photos was the even smaller streets going off in all directions and all the little shops about the place. The walk around the wall was definitely the highlight of the day though. The roof tops and the distant views were wonderful.

Now prepare yourself. There are way too many photos, but they were all so good I couldn’t take any out. If you want a better look at a photo just click on it and it will open up as a bigger photo…. it may take a while to load though…. but will be worth it 🙂

The houses behind us were ones that are part of Dubrovnik but not in the old town

Another view of the roofs of the old town

Looking across the old town from the wall

Look at the crowd! It got busier as the day went on. Can you see Robin?

Looking down into someones home. She is doing her ironing :-) — Looking down into someones home. She is doing her ironing 🙂

From a turret looking out over the harbour

A view of the people on main street in the old town

Yes I know…. way too many photos. I did say I couldn’t delete any as they are all amazing! Thank goodness we have super Cameras to record these moments for us all to enjoy over and over again.

I have a short video of Dubrovnik for you to look at! Enjoy 🙂

October 12, 2014

Sarajevo – A Home Hosted Dinner!

You would think that we had already had a very good overview of Sarajevo buy reading my previous Blog post, but no…. there is more! The next part of our visit was just the best! We chose to do this add on tour right at the start of the holiday purely because of the write up on the ‘Insight Vacations’ brochure… And we weren’t disappointed. It was a very memorable experience and the food was delicious!

SARO6 HOME HOSTED DINNER
A unique and rewarding in sight into the local way of life.
Small groups of 5 or 6 guests are invited into a Sarajevan
family home for a welcome drink and dinner. Savour the
warm hospitality and authentic cuisine as you hear
inspirational stories about their culture and recent
struggles. Dinner is typical of the region, usually soup,
stuffed vegetables and kebabs. Wine, beer, or fruit juice is
also included. Coffee or tea with baklava is served for
dessert.

Only 24 of us chose this experience and we all thought it was one of the best experiences we had had so far this tour. It was the easiest way to discover exactly what life was like for the average Sarajevan citizen during the four years of the Bosnian war from 1992-1996, and also what their everyday life is like now!

A very typical housing block. The building to the left is where we went for our hosted dinner.

Standing at the entrance of the housing block, waiting for our turn to use the lift. We went up to the 12th (or 13th) floor.

Now! None of us should ever moan about our living conditions or the size of our house. We New Zealanders are extremely spoilt (well the majority are anyway). We usually have separate houses with two or three bedrooms (maybe more), and with a grassed lawn area in front and behind. Some of us live in apartments or blocks of flats but they are usually still quite roomy and very comfortable. Our host family have lived in their one bedroom, very small apartment for 35 years! the couple brought up their three children there! Two boys and a girl! can you imagine two very active little boys growing up with no room to run around and play? I had four sons and I know that they need space for getting rid of energy and they also make lots of noise! The husband was working night shift as a customs officer, and the daughter who lives at home still with her two young sons, was at work also. So the mother not only cooked, was our hostess for the evening, but also looked after her two grandsons as well! What an amazing lady! She smiled the whole time and didn’t appear stressed at all! And the boys demanded her attention very often!

The lady in the blue top and glasses is our host. She has the older grandson on her knee

Nera our interpreter is busy answering our thousand questions!

You can see that we are sitting in the dining room, at the table, ready to start our dinner. What you can’t see is that the chairs are right up against the wall. The door to the left leads to a small lounge room. This is also the bedroom for the daughter and her two sons (the daughter is recently divorced and has moved back home). At the entrance is a very small hallway which has the one bedroom to the right and the bathroom to the left. The door behind our host leads to her very narrow tiny kitchen. It has the sink bench (with dishwasher….yay) one side and fridge and stove on the other. The doors open back onto the fridge and the stove! Arghhhh…. what a kitchen to work in! and for 35 years! How does she do it????? The kitchen also leads out to a very tiny deck which as she explained to us is used for drying washing and also storage! But she served us the most delicious meal!

Now doesn't this look yummy! — Now doesn’t this look yummy! The stuffed grape vine leaves and onions are very traditional food. They are both stuffed with minced meat.

During the war years our host family had young children including a baby. She told us that there was no easy access to running water and washing nappies was a major problem. Sickness was also a huge challenge. Natural remedies were often the only medicine available and that people just adjusted lives to the situation they were in. The neighbours all knew and supported each other and rallied together to help meet each others needs. They also shared in each others sorrows when family members or friends were either killed or injured in the war. They became very practical and would use any available ground for growing vegetables and mostly ate what they grew. The staple diet was rice provided by the UN, and Nera said that after four years of eating rice, she chooses to avoid rice at every occasion nowdays! The interesting thing was that as a child Nera said that war for her was a fun time. She didn’t attend school the whole four years and her game of choice was collecting the empty gun shells along with all her friends!

The stair well. It was actually quite scary!

After our fabulous meal and very informative conversation, it was time to get back to the Hotel. The exiting experience very exciting. We were 12 floors up and the lift just simply didn’t come, no matter how many times we pushed the button! So the decision was to walk down, and that is also very normal for the inhabitants of this housing building. The light is a timed light and we had to push the button at each floor because if you didn’t, the whole stair well would be in complete darkness! This happened on our first lot of stairs as we were all talking. Nera felt her way to the next switch in darkness while we stood in shock as it was so dark! And they have lived here for 35 years!!!!!

We all need to remember the living situations of others less fortunate and be so very thankful for all we have. Never take our life for granted! We are extremely blessed!

October 11, 2014October 13, 2014

Sarajevo – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Now describing our time in Sarajevo is going to be very emotional for me! Talk about a city that has suffered so much destruction!

The whole city is still covered in scars and those are the visual ones. I believe the people are still learning to live with the consequences of the war, and those scars that it left are not so visual! Our local tour guide Nera was only seven when the war started and she shared many of her experiences with us. She remembered eating only pasta, rice, and American rations, no salt or sugar for 4 years.

Many many buildings stand tall with the evidence of war firmly engraved in their walls. This is just one photo.... sadly there are many more buildings that can be recorded! — Many many buildings stand tall with the evidence of war firmly engraved in their walls. This is just one photo…. sadly there are many more buildings that can be recorded!

Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is nestled within the greater Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River. Unfortunately it’s position in the valley made it easy for the Serb forces to surround it, and very difficult for the people to protect themselves and also to get out safely.

The Bosnian War for independence lasted from the 5th of April 1992 to the 29th of February 1996. The city’s residents endured 175 artillery shells falling each and every day! During the siege, 11,541 people lost their lives, including over 1,500 children. An additional 56,000 people were wounded, including nearly 15,000 children. How extremely sad 🙁

From our hotel window we could see the surrounding mountains and sensed a little of how vulnerable Sarajevo was.

We were quite high up so could see for quite a distance

If you look closely at the end of the building in this photo, you can see the scars from the shootings

Sarajevo is low in the valley. Thankfully though it has the river running through so it has access to water. — Sarajevo is low in the valley. Thankfully though it has the river running through so it has access to water, but only in the old town centre.

We commenced our Sarajevo discovery with a walking tour through the old city. Narrow marbled streets with little shops, cafes and restaurants, and churches of every denomination.

Some of our tour party as we wandered the little streets of the Old City

A Quote from Wikipedia…

“The city is famous for its traditional cultural and religious diversity, with adherents of Islam, Judaism and Catholicism Orthodoxy, coexisting there for centuries. Due to this long and rich history of religious and cultural variety, Sarajevo was sometimes called the “Jerusalem of Europe”or “Jerusalem of the Balkans”. It was, until recently in the 20th century, the only major European city to have a mosque, Catholic church, Orthodox church and synagogue within the same neighborhood”.

I think this is one of the churches??? — This is the Orthodox cathedral.

And I think this is a Catholic Church — This is the Roman Catholic Cathedral

This fence surrounds the courtyard of the Mosque

A BIG book containing all the names of the Jewish people who died in the war.

Along the pavement through the city are plaques with red paint splattered on them to show the ‘rivers of blood’ that ran down the streets ! A memorial of lives lost fighting for this nation!

We stopped at a local restaurant for lunch and sampled some of the local food. Little mincemeat sausages in a bread like a panini and served with a yoghurt drink. They were actually very nice.

We wandered further and then were given a Turkish coffee each to sample. It was very strong with all the coffee grindings at the bottom…. almost like sand!

We were given a tray with our little coffee pots and sugar lumps. You can see the coffee silt floating on top!

During our stay in Sarajevo we also went out to the historic site of the Sarajevo Tunnel – Known as the ‘Tunnel of life’. Wikipedia describes this tunnel far better than I can…

“The Sarajevo Tunnel was constructed between May 1992 and November 1995, during the Siege of Sarajevo in the midst of the Bosnian War. It was built by the Bosnian Army in order to link the city of Sarajevo, which was entirely cut-off by Serbian forces, with Bosnian-held territory on the other side of the Sarajevo Airport, an area controlled by the United Nations. The tunnel linked the Sarajevo neighbourhoods of Dobrinja and Butmir, allowing food, war supplies, and humanitarian aid to come into the city, and people to get out. The tunnel became a major way of bypassing the international arms embargo and providing the city defenders with weaponry”

Our tour group outside the house where the tunnel was built. Notice the gun shot damage to the house!

Close up of the map showing the tunnel position

Our local tour guide describing the movements through the tunnel

Equipment that helped transport goods through the tunnel

We walked through the part of the tunnel that is still open to the public

My niece Teresa, who was on the tour with us had just finished reading the book ‘Goodbye Sarajevo’ (by Atka Reid and Hana Schofield). Everything we saw there just meant so much more to her as the events of the war are well described in the book. I was so impressed with her knowledge that I downloaded the book on my Kindle and started reading it straight away. I have finished reading it now and highly recommend it as a ‘Must read book’. Please comment this post and let me know what you think about it once you have read it too 🙂 Of course a trip to Sarajevo completes it nicely 🙂

We also experienced a meal with a local family….. but that is another story and a great one at that! Sarajevo part two will follow 🙂

October 10, 2014

Topola, Serbia

Okay… Wikipedia is going to be very helpful here.

While in Belgrade we went out to a place called Oplenac. We climbed a steep hill to see the amazing St George’s Church known also as Oplenac Church and Oplenac Mausoleum, it is the Mausoleum of the Serbian and Yugoslav Royal House of Karadordevic located on top of the Hill Oplenac in the city of Tolopa, Serbia. The Foundation in Oplenac is named after King Peter 1 of Yugoslavia. Our guide Milos filled us in on the history of the place. I got lost in the details! but I also got lost in the magnificance of the place. The inside was just amazing! I’m sure the photos won’t do it justice…. but I have to share the place with you somehow!

Does the strain of the climb show on our faces?

Our first view of St Georges Church. It certainly doesn't look that spectacular from the outside! — Our first view of St Georges Church. It certainly doesn’t look that spectacular from the outside!

We are all inside... and can't believe our eyes! — We are all inside… and can’t believe our eyes!

Just look at how amazing these ceiling are!

Even the floors are amazing! Works of Art!

In the lower floor were the tombs and the mosaics are just as spectacular!

And now the other :-) — And now the other 🙂

A close up of one of the mosaics downstairs

I'm still amazed by this place! — I’m still amazed by this place!

The windows and decorations above the tombs

Now after seeing this amazing place we went to visit the home of King Peter. Milos told us heaps of the history but I was lost in thought. I couldn’t get my mind of the fabulous church we had just visited! I guess I am way more stimulated by the visual rather than by listening to someone talk!

We finished off the lovely day with a superb meal together.

Celebrating the day together with a delightful evening meal.

Very happy Judy and Len :-) — Very happy Judy and Len 🙂

I love this photo of Teresa and me :-) — I love this photo of Teresa and me 🙂

So now you can see why Topola, Serbia deserved it’s own blog post! Isn’t it just amazing! I hope you are inspired to go see it for yourself one day 🙂

October 10, 2014

Belgrade, Serbia

After a fabulous Hotel breakfast it was on the bus to travel to Belgrade. One of our longer bus trips of the tour. Nearly all day travelling!

Our first bus photo :-) — Our first bus photo 🙂

Hey smile for the camera Judy and Len :-) — Hey smile for the camera Judy and Len 🙂

Our first stop was at Palic, Serbia. We all wandered down a long walkway towards the lake . Our tour director gave us a little information on the area and then it was free time and lunch. We dined at a lovely cafe in which the host thought we would like to finish with free drinks all round. Very kind but as the bus had strict leaving times, we were very rushed to finish.

Local building at Palico... very nice! — Local building at Palic… very nice!

The park and the lovely manicured gardens :-) — The park and the lovely manicured gardens 🙂

Soon we were back on the bus travelling past many unfinished houses and many more very run down homesteads. We got the feeling that we were now in a very poor country. Much different from our tour of Italy last year. We began to wonder about the statement our tour director said when he introduced himself at Budapest. He said that the tour of the Balkans was the tour most people did after they had done all the rest of the Insight Vacations tours. He said it would be very different… but still a great tour. This is definitely very different. We almost felt it was like a third world country.

As we arrived in Belgrade (the capital of Serbia and also the largest city) we began to see the evidence of war from the Kosovo conflict. Many buildings that suffered from bombings still sitting exactly like they had just been hit. Apparently they are historic sites and cannot be pulled down and rebuilt very easily. So they remain as eyesores for all, and a constant reminder of the unrest of the past.

Honestly this is just one of very many ruined buildings just sitting untouched! They were damaged by the Nato bombing of 1999.

We travelled on to view the fortress of Kalemegdan with our local guide filling us in on the history of Serbia.

Exit to the surrounding area and lookouts

Our tour friends using the opportunity for photos

A nice photo of Judy, Len and Teresa :-) — A nice photo of Judy, Len and Teresa 🙂

We walked through the park and ended up at the outskirts of Belgrade township. Our tour guide explained the horrendous issues with money that Serbia has had over the years. Even now for NZ $1, you would get Serbia Dinar $78. Or for Euro $1, you would get Serbia Dinar $119. Serbian money had no value. In fact the values of the notes became higher and higher! We were shown some of the old currency, and then our tour director David gave us a 500 Billion bank note each. These can be brought for $3 Euro purely as a souvenir as they are no longer part of the local currency…. but they were!

A 500 Billion Dollar Bank note from the past!

The next couple of hours was free time for us to discover Belgrade on foot. Such a lovely town (apart from the damaged buildings!)

A drinking fountain where the streets meet at the shopping mall

We also visited the white marble Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, which will require at least 15 more years to complete. Even the mosiacs in the church were painted canvas strung up until the real mosiacs are finished. Only one is actually complete, but not really on show yet.

Look closely and you can see where the canvas is tied on :-) — Look closely and you can see where the canvas is tied on 🙂

While in Belgrade we went on an extra excursion to Topola. I’m going to do a separate blog post about this place. It deserves it’s own set of photos. Hopefully you have enjoyed looking at our little trip to Belgrade. Serbia is certainly an interesting country!

July 22, 2014September 21, 2018

Less than a month!

Here I am sitting at my laptop when I have so many other things I should be doing! Time is running out and I am beginning to feel the panic! But I wanted to share all the happenings with you…. my reader 🙂

On the 19th of August, Robin and I will be flying over to Wroclaw, Poland. My sister, her partner and her daughter are also coming with us. We are all going to my second son C2 and D2’s wedding! Now isn’t that something to get excited about! Checkout their wedding plans…

And even more exciting news…. Eldest son C1 and grand daughter G3 are coming to the wedding as well… from Sydney! G3 is going to be a little flower girl. And wait… there’s more… Youngest son C4 and daughter in law D3 are also coming from Sydney. Nearly a family reunion! I can’t wait!

After the wedding we will be travelling to Prague for three days and then onto Budapest. We are going on another ‘Insight Vacations’ tour! Yay! I am sooooo spoilt…..and don’t I know it! This time it is the tour called ‘Treasures of the Balkans’. We travel from Budapest to Bucharest! I will be regularly putting posts on my blog and uploading photos when I can 🙂 Here is the tour…

and the details a little clearer…

And the day to day travel and sights to see…

Sorry the printing isn’t that easy to read 🙁 But do you think a wedding and a tour are enough to get excited about? Well there’s more!

At 10.52pm on the 21st of April little 3.3 kg G7 was born. Our third grand child to be born this year. G5 on the 4th of February, G6 on the 18th of March and then G7 on the 21st of April. Look at this gorgeous little girl…

Brand new Baby G7

A very alert little baby girl :-) — A very alert little baby girl 🙂

I love this photo of Sophie having a tub bath! — I love this photo of G7 having a tub bath!

One of my favourite photos. Sophie and her Daddy asleep together <3 — One of my favourite photos. G7 and her Daddy asleep together <3

Now isn’t G7 a wonderful addition to our family! We now have seven grand children. Four girls and three boys! I have had quite a few cuddles with G5 and G6 but have yet to cuddle G7. Roll on August the 19th!

Now after the wedding and the tour, Robin, Judy, Len and Teresa are flying back to New Zealand via Hong Kong. I will be doing something very different. I will be flying to London. Yes London. I am going to be G7’s Nanny until Christmas time, when C2, D2, G7 and myself will be flying to Sydney to celebrate Christmas with family there. Robin and C6 will fly from New Zealand to join us (Joanna has to work).

So I am going to get plenty of G7 cuddles. Will be missing the other grand children cuddles and my other children/adults/husband/friends, but what an opportunity! I feel like I am the luckiest person alive…. and I am very thankful.

Watch out people… this blog is going to have so many updates over the next six months.

September 7, 2013May 15, 2015

Sad farewells and new beginnings

So here we all were in the hotel foyer saying our goodbyes. The Insight Vacations ‘Grand tour of Italy and Sicily’ had come to an end! And we were on our own! No more Brad to lead us into unknown terrtiories. We had to make and follow our own decisions! Ahhhhh! And no more Max! Our trusty bus driver. Big hugs all round again…and a few shed tears and we were off!

Rome to Budapest via Athens! Yes we land in Athens for one hour. I asked the air hostess if the flight was leaving on time as we had another flight to connect with. Her answer was I am sure you will be okay. We land in Athens and are directed to the gate we need to board the next plane…and the gate leads directly to the plane we had just gotten off! Naturally we were going to be okay…it is the same plane!..she could have told me that and then Judy could stop worrying (I wasn’t worried of course!) Anyway out came the cameras and we take as many photos as we can (in the departure gate) to prove that we have been to Greece…even if we haven’t even left the airport!

Our next worry was finding our way to the Hotel in Budapest when we land. But that was easy peasy as well. The airport has buses that run to the various areas of Budapest. All you have to do is pay the fare and tell them where you are staying. We boarded the right bus and away we went. To think that the transit from Rome to the Hotel in Budapest was our biggest concern…and yet it was as calm as anything. All three of us were delighted and ready for the next stage of our journey.

We wandered the local area and found that we were just a few blocks away from a street of restaurants. Entree at one, main meal at one, dessert at the last. And at the end we had savioured food from the local Hungarian dishes. Goulash is delicious and the Chocolate pancakes so yummy!

Amazing building on our way to tea at Budapest

The street not far from our Hotel in Budapest

We decided that the hop on/off bus was the best option to see Budapest the next day and weren’t disappointed. Budapest is lovely and has some amazing buildings and things to see. We found out that Buda is the flat area and Pest is the hilly area across the river. We went over to Pest and took some very good shots of the whole area from a lookout on a hill. We also had a lovely bowl of Goulash there…I could eat Goulash for every meal. It is a bit like a beef stew but a lot runnier…like a soup. Big chunks of veges and meat! Yum!

Looking through the archway. The place was crowded with people

Look at the view behind us. We were amazed at how pretty Budapest looked

Teresa had really wanted to go to Auchwich, but we really didn’t have time to go up to Krakow in Poland. When she found out that Budapest had a tour available which was all about the holocaust, we made that our next stop. Once again a very sad but memorable reminder of just how cruel humans can be to each other…when you add prejudice and hatred together! We came out to see a statue of the iron curtain and were just taking our photos, when Daniel and Marysia walked along the path! Yay…now our second part of the holiday was really about to start…and I loved reconnecting with my second to eldest and his lovely fiance 🙂

Yay...we have met up with Daniel and Marysia! — Yay…we have met up with Daniel and Marysia!

Life couldn’t get better!

August 26, 2013May 15, 2015

Time for a catch up…maybe

Today is our first wet day for a month and with good internet I thought that maybe the time could be utilised with some blogging. So here I am in Paris sitting on my bed, listening to the rain outside and relaxing! What..you say! Yes I know…I can hardly believe it myself…but in my defense, the last 2 days have been full on! And, we are all so tired! So here I am in Paris and still in bed at 11am!

Now where did I blog last? Oh thats right…in Sicily, fabulous place that it is! I really can’t believe that our tour incorporated such fantastic accomodation for us there. Tours really are a fantastic option for having the best places to stay, and also quick access to all the sightseeing places. We certainly have been spoilt!

We had spent most of our time on the south west coast of Sicily but now needed to travel up to the North coast in preparation for the return trip to Rome, by boat. Along the route was another place to stop and walk through the ruins of Temples and palaces. The valley of the temples once formed part of the greek colony of Akragas, and we looked at them in awe…and took lots of photos.

Imagine it in it's day! — Imagine it in it’s day!

Nice photo of Judy...and the background too :-) — Nice photo of Judy…and the background too 🙂

Lovely view behind us...look carefully! — Lovely view behind us…look carefully!

On our last day in Sicily, we stayed at Palermo. We wandered through the local markets. Oh how I would have loved to have been able to purchase some of the lovely fresh fruits and vegetables, some of which I had never seen before. Each stand was full of colour, and exuded the smell of the produce available. The fish stands certainly stood out! But these were quite interesting with the many varieties of fish for sale…including many live ones!

Look at the size...yum! — Look at the size…yum!

We also did the optional tour at Palermo…the Capuchin catacombs! 8000 mummies…yes 8000, all from 1599-1881, and dressed in their pre-18th century finery, and perfectly preserved and on display! All grouped by their class or profession – even a hallway of brides! I was most taken with the 45 monks still in their clothes, but each having a three braded cord around their necks. The three cords represent penance, poverty and chastity. No photos were allowed at this place and understandibly so. They weren’t that lovely to look at…but well worth the visit.

After visiting the Catacombs, we all boarded the bus again and went off on another tour to discover Palermo’s golden age. A local tour guide took us to the Baroque Quattro Canti Square and we also had a glimpse of the fountain of shame. The story of the fountain is that a fountain was built and the designer/artist wanted naked statues placed all around it. The trouble was it was outside a Nunnery and the first sight the Nuns got when they pulled their curtains in the morning was the naked statues…all men! The Palermo Cathedral was awe inspiring…and place where your spirit was just touched by God! Inside the mosiacs depicted the bible story from Creation to Revelation. Absolutely amazing…and so very pretty! And the Palatine Chapel in the Palace of the Normans was huge and completely cobered in glittering 12th century mosaics. Have a look at these photos. They really don’t do it justice. You really have to see it all in person!

More stories from the Bible at the Palatine Chapel

Palatine Chapel ceiling and more mosaics

Outside the Palatine Chapel...amazing Mosaics inside and out! — Outside the Palatine Chapel…amazing Mosaics inside and out!

Our tour group listening to the tour guide

Just amazing isn't it! — Just amazing isn’t it!

The last afternoon was spent at a local farm where we had a fabulous meal together sampling the local foods. The farm itself was high up in the hills and we got a magnificent view of Palermo. The food, the company, and the sights were amazing!

So to get back to the mainland we needed to board another boat, but this time an overnight stay on a ship! The bus pulled up alongside the ship and we got priority entrance and just walked on board (up a scary flight of steps) as a group. Our cabin was just big enough for the three of us but served it’s purpose nicely. I got the top bunk, and I must admit, clambouring up and down isn’t a very glamourish sight at all! My body doesn’t bend like it used to and the roof was only 18 inches above me! But all three of us were like excited teenagers and we made the most of the experience and giggled all night.

Yes...I had the top bunk! — Yes…I had the top bunk!

We arrived at Naples at 6.30am and had to be ready to walk out as soon as the ship berthed. The Bus took us to a local Hotel and we joined all the other Hotel patrons for breakfast.

We viewed all the sights of Naples from our bus windows as we didn’t have any stops in Naples itself, but headed straight to Pompeii! Yes…I have always wanted to go to Pompeii. I can remember learning all about it as a primary school student. We meandered through it’s streets looking at the ruins imagining how it all would have looked before Vesuveus? errupted. It was also hard to believe that archeologists had spent years unearthing the whole city. I was suprised to see inside a house that was used for prostitution and still see pictures on the wall which described their lifestyle! It was a very interesting place though and I am pleased that I have been there.

Look at the road....bit bumpy! — Look at the road….bit bumpy!

Inside the baths....ruins — Inside the baths….ruins

You can just imagine a huge temple standing there!

Travelling on…we stopped at Cassino. A beautiful memorial and graveyards for fallen soldiers. The grounds were perfectly manicured and the headstones well kept. Such an honouring place for all those men who gave up their lives for freedom for all. We wandered around looking for the NZ section and felt so proud when we found it. Even though we didn’t know any of the soldiers personally, it was a very moving moment.

As we were exiting I couldn't resist taking this photo — As we were exiting I couldn’t resist taking this photo

Moving on we arrived once again in Rome! This time the arrival wasn’t touched with excitement as last time, only 2 weeks earlier. This time there was a sense of sorrow and pending end! The tour was finishing! We were all to fly off in different directions the next morning. Our little travelling family was ending. Emotionally I was wrung out. I loved everything about the tour. It was like a little bit of heaven on earth for me.

Judy, Brad (Our tour guide), Teresa, Max (Our bus driver) and me

A bunch of our 'Brad family' listening to a guide — A bunch of our ‘Brad family’ listening to a guide

So we all celebrated our last meal together and shared many hugs and tears….along with email addresses and Facebook names. Thank God for the World Wide Web!