After a meal and a walk, we got quite a good sleep for our first night here. Sue sent sms message at 7:30am to say she was in her hotel room, showered and was hungry. So we were up and out with her within the hour.
We had a good and busy day. We found a tailor for Sue. She is getting some shirts and pants made. All shirts from beautiful Egyptian cotton and pants in an easy wash wool.
Then it was a bit of a look around Kowloon, lunch in Mongkok, a stroll through the markets there, back to the tailor for a fitting, night harbour cruise, dinner on the mid-levels at a tapas restaurant then up to have a foot massage before getting back to our hotel a little before midnight.
Unfortunately I did not get to sleep until after 3am. I guess the jetlag is getting me. It is bucketing down tropical rain here today. I am pleased we did so much yesterday as we may just take it easy here today. Sue bought a bottle of Mandarin vodka coming out of the USA so we may have a couple of those for lunch. Our plans otherwise is to pick up all Sue's clothes being made at 5pm. We then hope to go up to the Peak lookout to show Sue the view and possibly dinner at one of the restaurants there.
We all leave here tomorrow. Sue flying out at 4pm and Mark and I dont leave until close to midnight. Cross my fingers we get some sleep before arriving home the next day.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Homeless in London
We arrived at our hotel to be told they did not have a booking for us and they were fully booked for the next 3 nights. I believed we had booked 2 nights and as it was now Friday lunchtime of a long weekend, we were homeless in London.
The Manager was very apologetic and said that the verbal approval I had received over the phone after several emails, was given either by a guy who won't admit it or another guy whom they have since sacked. He and another person started phoning their partner hotels, then Mark, Mitchell and another woman manager started asking up and down the street at other similar hotels. Fortunately we ended up finding a room. Unfortunately it was 30 quid more than our original room. It was not worth having a big argy bargy about at our original hotel... so we sucked it up... took the room and got on with our very short stay in London.
We were staying near Hyde Pk and thought we would walk through the park to one of the big roads and hope to find a tourist bus stop. I recalled we could buy a ticket that lasted 24 hrs so this would suit us fine. As luck would have it we found a stop within 100 m of the hotel and we were soon on our way seeing the sights of London.
After a lap of the city route, which took about 2 hrs, we got off at Oxford St for a little shopping. We hadn't really done too much shopping during our holiday. Only stopping in somewhere that looked good. After much strolling and mostly window shopping in the Friday night madding crowd we headed back for a meal at a nearby pub. Due to late night shopping and the twilight we lost track of time and by the time we got to the pubs they had closed all their kitchens. We ended up at a very basic place for a basic meal.
Next day, back on the bus and got off at the London Eye for a circuit in the sky. Quite an amazing distance we could see. Next was a stop at Buckingham Palace. This took about 45 mins longer than planned as the traffic was horrendous. Then we took a different bus route to see a different part of the city. Often we felt it was quite like Melbourne. The kids thought a mix of Melbourne and what they remember of USA. We have been quite surprised at the amount of people in the street who are not speaking English. There now seems to be a very big number of eastern european tourists here. Also service staff everywhere seem to be Russian. The only true brits we have seen, seem to be in the pubs. Lads and girls drinking in their football teams jerseys, on the street, some as early as 9am before going to a game. No wonder they are quite primed by the time they get to the games.
We were all interested in having a stroll through Harrods. (London was experiencing the worst pollen in the air this day. It literally looked like it was snowing. We were all suffering from either watering eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties and or itching skin, so to be inside our of the pollen and in air con, was looking attractive) All were impressed and Mark facinated with the foodhall. Mitchell had heard of some jeans that he loves being available much cheaper here than he can buy in Melbourne. ($350 in aus compared to £70 here) He had the hotel reception search on the computer to find a stockist. He named one in Camden. Having been to Camden market last time I was here, I realised it was not too far. So off we went to Camden. For those that don't know this area it is fantastic. As Mitchell said, it is the London you see when they show the punks, goths etc. In reality there is one block of shops that if you were into Gothic clothes, you would be in heaven. Anyway a couple of blocks away, he found his jeans and happily handed over his £70 for them.
We then headed over to a bar for drinks. Yet again Ashleigh was mortified that she was asked for I.D. Once her age was proven the woman on the door commented how lucky she was to look so young. Ashleigh is yet to appreciate this!! We enjoyed an hour or so then back to the hotel for the kids to pack.
The kids left London on Sunday morning on the train to Heathrow. Their flight was 10 hrs before ours and it didnt make sense for us to travel there with them just to wait for about 12 hrs before our flight. Our flight was with British Airways. This meant we left from the new terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport. It is very spacious and schmick.. and also so large it has terminals 5A, 5B & 5C. An underground train links them all.
They have a rather tricky way to keep you eating or shopping. They don't actually put up your gate numbers until the last minute needed. They even have signs up saying "don't know what gate you are departing from and don't know what to do... we have shops and restaurants on levels blah blah etc". AS our flight was at 10:15pm we arrived ready for some dinner. We decided to lash out and eat at Gordon Ramseys restaurant. (TV chef who swears alot apparently). Anyway the food was absolutely delicious. It would be worth a trip to the airport just to eat there.
Our flight to HK was pretty easy. I managed to get 4 seats to lay on and dozed on and off for about 6 - 7 hrs. Mark also got a good 5 - 6 hrs sleep. There were a few delays getting to our hotel in HK but once there we were glad to be in the air con. It is about 30C here and close to 100% humidity. So unbelievable muggy, we just arent used to any more.
Will post photos from London when I get home, as I cannot find a place in HK which will allow me to plug in here.
Cheers
x D
The Manager was very apologetic and said that the verbal approval I had received over the phone after several emails, was given either by a guy who won't admit it or another guy whom they have since sacked. He and another person started phoning their partner hotels, then Mark, Mitchell and another woman manager started asking up and down the street at other similar hotels. Fortunately we ended up finding a room. Unfortunately it was 30 quid more than our original room. It was not worth having a big argy bargy about at our original hotel... so we sucked it up... took the room and got on with our very short stay in London.
We were staying near Hyde Pk and thought we would walk through the park to one of the big roads and hope to find a tourist bus stop. I recalled we could buy a ticket that lasted 24 hrs so this would suit us fine. As luck would have it we found a stop within 100 m of the hotel and we were soon on our way seeing the sights of London.
After a lap of the city route, which took about 2 hrs, we got off at Oxford St for a little shopping. We hadn't really done too much shopping during our holiday. Only stopping in somewhere that looked good. After much strolling and mostly window shopping in the Friday night madding crowd we headed back for a meal at a nearby pub. Due to late night shopping and the twilight we lost track of time and by the time we got to the pubs they had closed all their kitchens. We ended up at a very basic place for a basic meal.
Next day, back on the bus and got off at the London Eye for a circuit in the sky. Quite an amazing distance we could see. Next was a stop at Buckingham Palace. This took about 45 mins longer than planned as the traffic was horrendous. Then we took a different bus route to see a different part of the city. Often we felt it was quite like Melbourne. The kids thought a mix of Melbourne and what they remember of USA. We have been quite surprised at the amount of people in the street who are not speaking English. There now seems to be a very big number of eastern european tourists here. Also service staff everywhere seem to be Russian. The only true brits we have seen, seem to be in the pubs. Lads and girls drinking in their football teams jerseys, on the street, some as early as 9am before going to a game. No wonder they are quite primed by the time they get to the games.
We were all interested in having a stroll through Harrods. (London was experiencing the worst pollen in the air this day. It literally looked like it was snowing. We were all suffering from either watering eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties and or itching skin, so to be inside our of the pollen and in air con, was looking attractive) All were impressed and Mark facinated with the foodhall. Mitchell had heard of some jeans that he loves being available much cheaper here than he can buy in Melbourne. ($350 in aus compared to £70 here) He had the hotel reception search on the computer to find a stockist. He named one in Camden. Having been to Camden market last time I was here, I realised it was not too far. So off we went to Camden. For those that don't know this area it is fantastic. As Mitchell said, it is the London you see when they show the punks, goths etc. In reality there is one block of shops that if you were into Gothic clothes, you would be in heaven. Anyway a couple of blocks away, he found his jeans and happily handed over his £70 for them.
We then headed over to a bar for drinks. Yet again Ashleigh was mortified that she was asked for I.D. Once her age was proven the woman on the door commented how lucky she was to look so young. Ashleigh is yet to appreciate this!! We enjoyed an hour or so then back to the hotel for the kids to pack.
The kids left London on Sunday morning on the train to Heathrow. Their flight was 10 hrs before ours and it didnt make sense for us to travel there with them just to wait for about 12 hrs before our flight. Our flight was with British Airways. This meant we left from the new terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport. It is very spacious and schmick.. and also so large it has terminals 5A, 5B & 5C. An underground train links them all.
They have a rather tricky way to keep you eating or shopping. They don't actually put up your gate numbers until the last minute needed. They even have signs up saying "don't know what gate you are departing from and don't know what to do... we have shops and restaurants on levels blah blah etc". AS our flight was at 10:15pm we arrived ready for some dinner. We decided to lash out and eat at Gordon Ramseys restaurant. (TV chef who swears alot apparently). Anyway the food was absolutely delicious. It would be worth a trip to the airport just to eat there.
Our flight to HK was pretty easy. I managed to get 4 seats to lay on and dozed on and off for about 6 - 7 hrs. Mark also got a good 5 - 6 hrs sleep. There were a few delays getting to our hotel in HK but once there we were glad to be in the air con. It is about 30C here and close to 100% humidity. So unbelievable muggy, we just arent used to any more.
Will post photos from London when I get home, as I cannot find a place in HK which will allow me to plug in here.
Cheers
x D
Paris
How we loved our time in Paris! While we all knew that the time with the kids travelling would be quite rushed, and we would always be wanting more time in the places we were visiting, we do feel we had enough time to get a good taste of the places we visited. Our experience was that Paris is very clean. The buildings and pavements were scrubbed clean and visually beautiful. The people were very helpful and kind.With very detailed instructions from the apartment owner from L.A. we arrived easily to the correct address and into the building. When we rang the door bell, we were greeted by "you are not supposed to be here until 6pm", through the intercom. Fearing like it was going to be another Wengen experience, I had Mark and the kids wait in the courtyard garden and went up to meet (and sweet talk). As it turned out the owner was in Paris for the night before only, on her way through to Lyon. She was a little embarrased at us arriving to her luggage being opened and still needing to do her make-up before she was to leave. She was soon happy to 'make do' and we chatted, agreed to drop our luggage and head out to a nearby supermarket and come back once she was gone. We were back within 1/2 hour and we met the maid (Russian with very very limited English) on the way back in to the building. She did a quick clean up and rescrub of the bathroom and was soon on her way leaving us alone.
The apartment was on the 4th floor of a lovely building. It was very quiet being in a rear building. We had a main bedroom, loft bedroom, loft sitting room and study, lounge, kitchen, loft laundry, balcony and tons of windows and natural light. We ate in on our first night with plans to go for another walk after dinner. Good food, chat and a couple of wines had us all very relaxed and Mark commenting how tired I looked. He said he was also very tired and maybe we could just get up early to see the city. (Our taxi driver from the station was great and had pointed out many sights on our way to the apartment) Letting go of the plan to go out for a nightime stroll, I was in bed and asleep within minutes. Mark and the kids not far behind me.
We were all up and keen to get going the next morning. Mark and the kids headed off before me to catch an early climb up the Eiffel tower. I was happy to have a slower start and quiet stroll though the streets to meet them as they came down.They were quite exhilarated, with Ashleigh commenting 'you didn't mention the scary elevator ride up'. I guess I had forgotten this from my previous visit.
How happy does she look here to be on top of the tower, overlooking Paris!After the tower visit we enjoyed a brunch of baguettes and delicious French pastries, whilst sitting on one of the park benches in the park below the Eiffel Tower. Rather splendid! We also experienced a little 'B-D grade' celebrity spotting, as Bec Hewitt, child and nanny strolled past us.
We then hopped on one of the tourist buses for a top deck tour of the city and its main sights. The weather was quite brisk but Ashleigh and I wrapped our scarves around and soon were enjoying the sights in comfort.
We decided to get off at the Louvre for a visit. It was Wednesday and this was a late closing day. We took advantage and stayed for many hours until well after 7pm. We all enjoyed the varied and beautiful art to see here.
Key highlights (Marks words) Venus di Milo (we now know why this is such a significant statue as it was made 190-110 b.c.... and the style of the twisted torso and the way the robes drape was centuries ahead of its time)... FYI... it was made 1600 yrs before Michelangelo did David. Mona Lisa was also a very popular piece to see. There were at least 100 people surrounding her and she was hard to see being behind thick glass and being kept at a distance of at least 5m.
Mitchell was keen to see the ancient Egyptian section for his mate Sharif. None of us could believe how many Egyptian artifacts are housed here. It was quite stunning really.We were all in overload mode from seeing so many new things. Trying to take it all in was a little overwhelming. We decided to walk home, through the St Germain district, from here and stopped at a great little, and very busy, bar/cafe for dinner. FYI- for a historically heavily smoking country, this restaurant like many now in Paris, was non-smoking inside. It was a great meal. Mitchell ordered Escargot (snails) to try them. His verdict = delicious! He kindly asked Ashleigh if she would mind if he ordered them as she absolutely detests them. (Like some of us hate spiders, cockroaches or snakes). Bravely she volunteered to try one. She said it would be her revenge on them for being so gross and slimy every time she comes home on the wet days in Melbourne.
Next day we had a later start. We walked to catch the bus again. For the whole time we were in Paris there was a very strong presence of military and police. Often police in riot gear standing next to riot vehicles, complete with bullet proof built in barracades that folded out to cover the front and sides of the truck.
When we passed Les Invalides again we saw many police in the streets surrounding the area. We then noticed there were military in formation. We believe there was some kind of official function taking place. Eventually we got off at the Arc de Triomphe. Mitchell and Mark climbed to the top to see the city from this vantage point while Ashleigh and I looked quickly around the base then happily headed towards the shops of the Champs Elysee. By the time the boys caught up with us we only had one shopping bag in hand. Ashleigh bought me a fabulous scarf for Mothers Day. (Having done lots of reading up on Paris Mitchell was interested to note that the rents paid for the shops on the Champs Elysee were the 3rd most expensive in the world only beaten by Causeway Bay, Hong Kong and 5th Avenue New York. He even took great delight telling us that McDonalds were fighting their rent increase.)
We walked down the Champs Elysee, ate crepes, then it was on the bus for a view of the Eiffel tower from across the river. We then went over to Notre Dame for a bit of a look inside. No hunchback to be seen but much discussion over whether the story of him was myth or reality.
Last planned site visit for the day was Sacre Coeur. This basilica has great significance to Ashleigh. As she went to Sacre Coeur school in Melbourne, it is a building she has heard much about and was happy to see.Our day finished with a bottle of French Champagne and nibblies in the apartment and then dinner at the restaurant on the corner. All being too tired to go too far. It was a good meal and we had a wonderful waiter who kindly assisted us to book a taxi for the next morning. I had tried but there was much french recording and button pressing to be done and I tried many options to no avail. In the end he tried a couple of different companies before having success.
The taxi arrived at the precise time booked. He was a great guy who had previously spent 2 months in Sydney. He quoted a story of getting on the buses and saying "g'day mate". He said he loved this little interaction and that if you did a similar thing in Paris the bus driver was likely to look and be uncomfortable. It was obvious he loved Australia and Australians. He told us many interesting and fun stories as we drove through the traffic to the station. It was difficult for him to let us go. He drove slowly towards the station (in sight at this stage) so as to finish the story he was telling. He then gave us instructions where to head in the station and warned us to watch out for pick pockets. Then as we had our luggage and were walking away he said Au revoir about 6 times and stood and waved until we were practically out of sight.
Cheers from the Budgie's
Interlaken
Lauterbrunnen is the town in the valley below Wengen. Having stayed in Lauterbrunnen before, I knew where there was an internet cafe. So I guessed I would quickly be able to find us a hotel in Geneva (this was on the way to Paris our next planned destination). WRONG!! No website would allow me to book on the day of arrival. I called the tourist office as well as about 10 hotels to find all but one was booked out and the only rooms available were 2 dbls at $460 per night. Now while we were bloody happy not to be staying at the dragon lady's joint we didnt want to pay this much.
So it was back to finding a bed somewhere else. We decided to try Interlaken as it looked quite pretty (and civilised) on our way through the day before. We had luck after a couple of tries and we ended up finding a good hotel and where the people and service were great. We were happy to find that there were Swiss with personalities.
We enjoyed a lovely stroll along the lake and caught our breath again. The water was running quite rapidly and very high as there was lots of snow melt. Even though I was here a month later in the year than on my previous visit, it was still quite cool. Not unpleasantly cold for us Melbourner's though!!
So it was back to finding a bed somewhere else. We decided to try Interlaken as it looked quite pretty (and civilised) on our way through the day before. We had luck after a couple of tries and we ended up finding a good hotel and where the people and service were great. We were happy to find that there were Swiss with personalities.
We enjoyed a lovely stroll along the lake and caught our breath again. The water was running quite rapidly and very high as there was lots of snow melt. Even though I was here a month later in the year than on my previous visit, it was still quite cool. Not unpleasantly cold for us Melbourner's though!!
Wengen & Jungfrau
What a picturesque train journey it was from Venice. Past one of the big lakes (Lago Maggiore not Como) through the Italian and Swiss Alps and eventually into Wengen. In total we took 4 trains with our major interchange being in Milan.
When we got into Wengen it felt a little like a ghost town. Barely a sole to be seen in few the streets of this small town. We were undaunted though as we had been in communication with our hotel 3 times in the previous week as they were wanting to confirm our arrival time.
Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the hotel to be 'greeted' by a very abrupt and sour faced woman asking if we had a booking. Assuring her we did and having to confirm this to her with the documents I had with me, she eventually gave us 2 keys for rooms in the residential hotel next door. We were also told breakfast was supplied in the morning and not to come before 8. One of the key tags did not have a key attached and we figured the door opened in a different way. Not the case so Mark headed back to request the key. He was then given a key to another room. This room had a balcony and view of the valley below and mountains beyond. The other room had a lookout to an embankment about 3 ft away. Not nice! So I went back and asked if we could have 2 rooms with views as we were paying the same price for both rooms. After much heated conversation and translating by her son (we believe she was Phillipino) she said our 'children' were not eligible as they were younger than us. (I tried to explain they were in fact adults themselves) No matter what or how pleasant we tried to be, the only way to explain it was she was an absolute bitch from the first minute she laid eyes on us. We were NOT welcome. We were obviously the only guests there.
In the end, during my conversation with her, I told her instead of us staying the 2 nights we had originally booked we would be staying only one and she should take this as my 'official' notification that we were giving her 24 hrs notice of leaving and she could not in fact charge us for this 2nd night. The only reason we stayed the first night was that it was already 5pm, the town was dead, and I resented giving her any money without getting anything for it. None of us were particularly comfortable but we just went out to eat (there was one pizza place open and it was during this meal we decided everyone in the town needed a personality implant. Not a happy face to be seen) and have a look at the view then stayed in to discuss our plans for the next day and night.
The weather was very cloudy and we didnt think we would go ahead with our initial plans to go to the 'top of europe'. All we wanted was to be out of this town and as far away as we could. Mitchell fancied the idea of Geneva (and the possibility of sighting some of the 'dodgy' banks he thought may be there) so that was our vague plan as we all went to bed.
The next morning we awoke to a beautiful clear sky and view to the top of Jungfrau. Excited we showered, packed and left. (Mark paid by cash so they didnt have our credit card and we happily skipped their b'fast). 
While we waited for the train to take us up (coffee and pastry to sustain us), we noticed the clouds starting to creep up the mountains from the valley below. Quite a surreal sight. You may be able to see the cloud against the rock face. 
We were a little worried that the clouds would ruin the views from the top of the mountain but we soon realised that we were so high and well above the cloud line behind Mitchell. Though we could not see clearly into the valley below we could see some of the tops of the alps in the distance peeking through the clouds. As the clouds moved we occasionally got glimpses into the valley below.
To say we all loved this experience up here is an understatement. Not having experienced a lot of snow in our lives it was such a treat. Also being so high and being at the top of a glacier was hard to take in.
Officially we were above 3,500m. There were a couple of fighter jets that flew over at one stage. We could hear them coming and then going from a long way off. Here Mark, Mitchell and Ashleigh are trying to keep sight of them. It was VERY glary and only Mark and Mitchell had sunnies. (Ashleigh forgot hers and kept avoiding buying another pair and I left mine in a dressing room in Bologna and they were gone in the 3 mins it took me to go back and get them. Damn shame for the person who grabbed them as they had my prescription lenses in them which wont be much good for them. I did go back a couple fo times to see if anyone had handed them in but alas, no.)
Mark and I at the top of the glacier, in the background.
Mitchell having a patriotic moment, having drawn an Aussie flag in the snow at his feet. In the background is the Swiss flag on a pole.
There are a couple of restaurants/ cafeteria also in the building at the top. There were also literally 100's of Indian tourists coming in and out every day. One restaurant was offering a 'Bollywood' experience for group bookings. Tragic, I know!! We think this sign may have been for them.
This is a picture of the town we stayed in, Wengen. We had to concede it was very pretty but we were happy to not be staying there another night.
When we got into Wengen it felt a little like a ghost town. Barely a sole to be seen in few the streets of this small town. We were undaunted though as we had been in communication with our hotel 3 times in the previous week as they were wanting to confirm our arrival time.
Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the hotel to be 'greeted' by a very abrupt and sour faced woman asking if we had a booking. Assuring her we did and having to confirm this to her with the documents I had with me, she eventually gave us 2 keys for rooms in the residential hotel next door. We were also told breakfast was supplied in the morning and not to come before 8. One of the key tags did not have a key attached and we figured the door opened in a different way. Not the case so Mark headed back to request the key. He was then given a key to another room. This room had a balcony and view of the valley below and mountains beyond. The other room had a lookout to an embankment about 3 ft away. Not nice! So I went back and asked if we could have 2 rooms with views as we were paying the same price for both rooms. After much heated conversation and translating by her son (we believe she was Phillipino) she said our 'children' were not eligible as they were younger than us. (I tried to explain they were in fact adults themselves) No matter what or how pleasant we tried to be, the only way to explain it was she was an absolute bitch from the first minute she laid eyes on us. We were NOT welcome. We were obviously the only guests there.
In the end, during my conversation with her, I told her instead of us staying the 2 nights we had originally booked we would be staying only one and she should take this as my 'official' notification that we were giving her 24 hrs notice of leaving and she could not in fact charge us for this 2nd night. The only reason we stayed the first night was that it was already 5pm, the town was dead, and I resented giving her any money without getting anything for it. None of us were particularly comfortable but we just went out to eat (there was one pizza place open and it was during this meal we decided everyone in the town needed a personality implant. Not a happy face to be seen) and have a look at the view then stayed in to discuss our plans for the next day and night.
The weather was very cloudy and we didnt think we would go ahead with our initial plans to go to the 'top of europe'. All we wanted was to be out of this town and as far away as we could. Mitchell fancied the idea of Geneva (and the possibility of sighting some of the 'dodgy' banks he thought may be there) so that was our vague plan as we all went to bed.
The next morning we awoke to a beautiful clear sky and view to the top of Jungfrau. Excited we showered, packed and left. (Mark paid by cash so they didnt have our credit card and we happily skipped their b'fast). 
While we waited for the train to take us up (coffee and pastry to sustain us), we noticed the clouds starting to creep up the mountains from the valley below. Quite a surreal sight. You may be able to see the cloud against the rock face. 
We were a little worried that the clouds would ruin the views from the top of the mountain but we soon realised that we were so high and well above the cloud line behind Mitchell. Though we could not see clearly into the valley below we could see some of the tops of the alps in the distance peeking through the clouds. As the clouds moved we occasionally got glimpses into the valley below.
To say we all loved this experience up here is an understatement. Not having experienced a lot of snow in our lives it was such a treat. Also being so high and being at the top of a glacier was hard to take in.
Officially we were above 3,500m. There were a couple of fighter jets that flew over at one stage. We could hear them coming and then going from a long way off. Here Mark, Mitchell and Ashleigh are trying to keep sight of them. It was VERY glary and only Mark and Mitchell had sunnies. (Ashleigh forgot hers and kept avoiding buying another pair and I left mine in a dressing room in Bologna and they were gone in the 3 mins it took me to go back and get them. Damn shame for the person who grabbed them as they had my prescription lenses in them which wont be much good for them. I did go back a couple fo times to see if anyone had handed them in but alas, no.)
Mark and I at the top of the glacier, in the background.
Mitchell having a patriotic moment, having drawn an Aussie flag in the snow at his feet. In the background is the Swiss flag on a pole.
There are a couple of restaurants/ cafeteria also in the building at the top. There were also literally 100's of Indian tourists coming in and out every day. One restaurant was offering a 'Bollywood' experience for group bookings. Tragic, I know!! We think this sign may have been for them.
This is a picture of the town we stayed in, Wengen. We had to concede it was very pretty but we were happy to not be staying there another night.
Venice
We rented a private apartment here. 2 bedrooms, kitchen, lounge and bathroom. (It also included breakfast for us at a nearby B&B) One wall of the building was on the canal and the other on a small lane. We were on the 2nd floor and across from us was one of the local schools. The kids terrace playground was at the same level as us. What a different experience school is for them than for most aussie kids... It was a treat to actually have a washing machine again.
Here is a photo of the kids in a couple of our apartment windows (look carefully to see Mitchell hanging out the left hand side of the building), our washing hanging out side, and the canal below. 
This is a photo taken from the kids bedroom window looking up the canal. Note the coloured railings of the kids playground for the school on the terraceon the left. We were surprised to see just how high the water got on an average high tide. It must be daunting for the locals when they get one of the 40 floods per year.
Here is a photo of the kids in a couple of our apartment windows (look carefully to see Mitchell hanging out the left hand side of the building), our washing hanging out side, and the canal below. 
This is a photo taken from the kids bedroom window looking up the canal. Note the coloured railings of the kids playground for the school on the terraceon the left. We were surprised to see just how high the water got on an average high tide. It must be daunting for the locals when they get one of the 40 floods per year.We all were keen on a gondola ride so the next morning we found one near by and the gondolier took us down many tight canals then onto the grand canal. 
At some points it was very busy and it had us all wondering how they manage their traffic 'jams' (note both kids hands up practically biting their nails with this blockage ahead) with boats handling all normal amenities which we would presume are done by a truck for us.
At some points it was very busy and it had us all wondering how they manage their traffic 'jams' (note both kids hands up practically biting their nails with this blockage ahead) with boats handling all normal amenities which we would presume are done by a truck for us.We enjoyed a couple of days strolling the streets and continually crossing many of the over 400 bridges in this beautiful city. Our visit to St Marks square had us all in awe. 
For Mitchell it was the bell tower. For Mark (and all of us) the buildings and for Ashleigh and I, the fabulous shops that surround the piazza. Though she tried, Mark did not give in to Ashleighs jests to buy her something at Cartier, Chanel or one of the many other shops there.
For Mitchell it was the bell tower. For Mark (and all of us) the buildings and for Ashleigh and I, the fabulous shops that surround the piazza. Though she tried, Mark did not give in to Ashleighs jests to buy her something at Cartier, Chanel or one of the many other shops there. 
This is the view from the Rialto bridge at dusk. Our last night we booked a table at a nearby restaurant that looked great. It was tiny and had lots of character. 
Before dinner we went to a bar around the corner. It is very 'ok' here to buy your drinks and take them outside (some 50m away) to drink. Either sitting on nearby stairs or standing around. We chose half way up a bridge. What a lovely night we all had. Many laughs and chatting over our drink and then dinner.
Before dinner we went to a bar around the corner. It is very 'ok' here to buy your drinks and take them outside (some 50m away) to drink. Either sitting on nearby stairs or standing around. We chose half way up a bridge. What a lovely night we all had. Many laughs and chatting over our drink and then dinner. Saturday, May 17, 2008
Bologna
We had 2 half days here. I had passed through last time I was in Italy and just HAD to come back and stroll the beautiful colonnaded footpaths I had seen from the taxi.
I was not disappointed and nor was the family. What an absolutely stylish city this is. 
All the footpaths are marble or terrazzo like this. (Michelle you would love it) So many fabulous Italian designers we had not heard of. So many beautifully and impeccably dressed people. Mitchell has caught the shoe bug and bought himself a pair of Dolce & Gabbana leather shoes. He also bought a Jacket in Diesel. A great casual one he will get heaps of wear out of.Besides the fashion the deli's got Mark's retail side very excited. He was saying words like ... display, merchandising, presentation, freshness, I would like to own this shop.. etc etc... whilst practically salivating all over the fabulous food.
We did not have enough time here and would love to spend more time. (Another for the next trip!!)
We stopped at a fabulous bar for a couple of drinks in a little laneway. There was also a launch going on at a nearby shop which meant lots of interesting folks and great music playing. 2 x models dressed in 30's swimwear in nautical style at the front door.
They also have their own leaning tower. Here is a pic of it and another tower next to it.
Florence, Pisa pictures
FLORENCE
Mitchell climbed to the top of the dome of the main cathedral in the city. The rest of us piked out due to sore feet. He was pleased he did and this is one of the pics he took overlooking the bell tower, main body of the cathedral and piazza below... then out towards the hills beyond.
The kids and I by the river.
A 3-wheel electric car being charged up. Mitchell stood behind and just managed to get his head in the shot. It ended up looking a bit surreal.
This building had such fabulous decoration on the outside.
PISA
Mitchell holding up the tower. (They all laughed at what corny pics they could come up with)
The tower and nearby cathedral. All built with similar materials. The tower is actually the bell tower for this cathedral.
Mitchell climbed to the top of the dome of the main cathedral in the city. The rest of us piked out due to sore feet. He was pleased he did and this is one of the pics he took overlooking the bell tower, main body of the cathedral and piazza below... then out towards the hills beyond.
The kids and I by the river.
A 3-wheel electric car being charged up. Mitchell stood behind and just managed to get his head in the shot. It ended up looking a bit surreal.This building had such fabulous decoration on the outside.PISA
Mitchell holding up the tower. (They all laughed at what corny pics they could come up with)
Friday, May 16, 2008
Florence & Pisa
We had only a day and a half here. We had pre-booked tickets at the Uffizi gallery and the Accademia Gallery (Michelangelo's David is the draw card here). This turned out to be an excellent idea as on both occasions we believe it saved us at least an hour in queues. When we had such a short time in Florence it was good to not feel it was being wasted.
The Uffizi galleries were outstanding to all of us. Highlights being works by Michelangelo, Botticelli (birth of venus and many others) and many others we cant seem to recall in the 15 mins we have here now before the place closes. We spent well 2 hrs here and loved it all. Even enjoyed a coffee break on a terrace overlooking the city.
David... what can we say but... unbelievable!! The details down to the veins in his arms and hands etc... so beautifully done. The other work in this gallery was minimal. Some plaster sculpting models used in the schools centuries ago. There were also blocks of marble where they had started some statues but not finished. So interesting to see these different stages of how the work is done.
Mark and kids very keen to go to Pisa so we left Florence early in the morn and headed off on the train for a 1 hr 20 min trip to Pisa with the only real purpose being to see the leaning tower. We only planned to spend 3 - 4 hrs there. I was not initially keen but am pleased I went the actual tower was really lovely. It is interesting to see how they have righted the lean a little and how the top 2 floors of the building are not leaning as much so as to counterbalance it. We saw hiding behind a house some very large weighted anchors which obviously go underground via cables back to the tower to hold it from falling.
Pisa was otherwise a very stylish and pretty town. Tastes of Florence and Rome combined in the architecture and river scene. Very stylish people too.
Thats all we have time for, for now... sorry we had planned to do more but they are about to close on us.
Love to all x
The Uffizi galleries were outstanding to all of us. Highlights being works by Michelangelo, Botticelli (birth of venus and many others) and many others we cant seem to recall in the 15 mins we have here now before the place closes. We spent well 2 hrs here and loved it all. Even enjoyed a coffee break on a terrace overlooking the city.
David... what can we say but... unbelievable!! The details down to the veins in his arms and hands etc... so beautifully done. The other work in this gallery was minimal. Some plaster sculpting models used in the schools centuries ago. There were also blocks of marble where they had started some statues but not finished. So interesting to see these different stages of how the work is done.
Mark and kids very keen to go to Pisa so we left Florence early in the morn and headed off on the train for a 1 hr 20 min trip to Pisa with the only real purpose being to see the leaning tower. We only planned to spend 3 - 4 hrs there. I was not initially keen but am pleased I went the actual tower was really lovely. It is interesting to see how they have righted the lean a little and how the top 2 floors of the building are not leaning as much so as to counterbalance it. We saw hiding behind a house some very large weighted anchors which obviously go underground via cables back to the tower to hold it from falling.
Pisa was otherwise a very stylish and pretty town. Tastes of Florence and Rome combined in the architecture and river scene. Very stylish people too.
Thats all we have time for, for now... sorry we had planned to do more but they are about to close on us.
Love to all x
Monday, May 12, 2008
Hanging with the Pope in Roma
Mark & I enjoyed a day in Rome before the kids got here on Saturday. 
We had to leave early in the morning to get to the airport, but they arrived well and only a little late.
Initially they thought they may want to sleep before heading out but a shower revived them and we were off!! We had a walk to Piazza Navona and then to The Pantheon. Its such an amazing building and we spent at least 30 mins inside.
This is a pic taken in the style of a recent one we did with some others (M,A&S). The kids remembered it and figured it was a good way to shoot the hole in the top of the Pantheon. We took several and had lots of laughs. We all reckon we look a little like Kilroy here!!
Then it was lunch by the Trevi fountain before heading off to the Colosseum. We had pre-bought tickets for access to the Colosseum for 2pm. 
This was a good thing to do as it saved us at least an hour in the queue.
Yesterday we took the tourist bus for an early circuit of the city and the plan to eventually get off at St Peters Basilica, Vatican. On our first cruise by it seemed quiet and that there was no mass going on. (we thought the outside courtyard and street could have been full of people) Since it was quiet we thought it would be easy to get in, in the hours time after we had done the trip around the city.
This was not the case. We noted the piazza was quite full and the steps and landing into the Basilica full. As well as long queue's heading in from both sides. Next we noted they were closing the front doors and closing for the midday break. We figured we would just stand in the middle of the circular courtyard for a bit of a look then head elsewhere.
We were trying to work out which window the Pope appears from, when Mitchell saw from one window the embroidered red banner hanging unfurl. We stood there for only a minute before the crowd started cheering and Pope Benny appeared with arms held open. What a surprise we got!!! 
He spoke for about 20 mins in 5 different languages. Welcomed particular groups that were there and gave blessing to us other plebs hanging around.
Long walk to, and lunch in Trastavere. Revisited a couple of the main sites in the evening then staggered home exhausted to share 2 pieces of fruit for dinner (too tired to do anything else) and 1/2 bag of lettuce greens, 2 packs of airplane peanuts, dark choc that hadd been hanging around since Croatia. We know how to do it in style with our kids!!!
This morn we caught an early train to Perugia. Left our luggage locked at the train station and showed the kids a little of this lovely city.
They loved it and were pleased we took this little side trip on our way to Florence. We are here in Florence for 2 nights. Hope to get more to you after then.
Love from all us Budgie's xxxx
We had to leave early in the morning to get to the airport, but they arrived well and only a little late.Initially they thought they may want to sleep before heading out but a shower revived them and we were off!! We had a walk to Piazza Navona and then to The Pantheon. Its such an amazing building and we spent at least 30 mins inside.
This is a pic taken in the style of a recent one we did with some others (M,A&S). The kids remembered it and figured it was a good way to shoot the hole in the top of the Pantheon. We took several and had lots of laughs. We all reckon we look a little like Kilroy here!!
Then it was lunch by the Trevi fountain before heading off to the Colosseum. We had pre-bought tickets for access to the Colosseum for 2pm. 
This was a good thing to do as it saved us at least an hour in the queue.Yesterday we took the tourist bus for an early circuit of the city and the plan to eventually get off at St Peters Basilica, Vatican. On our first cruise by it seemed quiet and that there was no mass going on. (we thought the outside courtyard and street could have been full of people) Since it was quiet we thought it would be easy to get in, in the hours time after we had done the trip around the city.
This was not the case. We noted the piazza was quite full and the steps and landing into the Basilica full. As well as long queue's heading in from both sides. Next we noted they were closing the front doors and closing for the midday break. We figured we would just stand in the middle of the circular courtyard for a bit of a look then head elsewhere.
We were trying to work out which window the Pope appears from, when Mitchell saw from one window the embroidered red banner hanging unfurl. We stood there for only a minute before the crowd started cheering and Pope Benny appeared with arms held open. What a surprise we got!!! 
He spoke for about 20 mins in 5 different languages. Welcomed particular groups that were there and gave blessing to us other plebs hanging around.Long walk to, and lunch in Trastavere. Revisited a couple of the main sites in the evening then staggered home exhausted to share 2 pieces of fruit for dinner (too tired to do anything else) and 1/2 bag of lettuce greens, 2 packs of airplane peanuts, dark choc that hadd been hanging around since Croatia. We know how to do it in style with our kids!!!
This morn we caught an early train to Perugia. Left our luggage locked at the train station and showed the kids a little of this lovely city.
They loved it and were pleased we took this little side trip on our way to Florence. We are here in Florence for 2 nights. Hope to get more to you after then.Love from all us Budgie's xxxx
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Gubbio & Spello
Our last day in the car and off we went to Gubbio, about 40 kms away. 
First up we headed to the funicular we had heard about to get a view from above. Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into. Each 'car' was actually a 2 person birdcage. Just a metal frame with a mesh see-through floor. (this pic is not us as you may have guessed) It is apparent they were built to also be able to take people and their ski's in winter. (this area is completely covered in snow in winter) Undaunted we braced ourselves and went for it. I figured if I didnt look down and just looked at the view it would be fine. Fine it was.. and great it was. 
It goes up on quite a steep angle but it was worth it as the view over Gubbio old town as well as new town and the valley beyond was absolutely worth it.
First up we headed to the funicular we had heard about to get a view from above. Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into. Each 'car' was actually a 2 person birdcage. Just a metal frame with a mesh see-through floor. (this pic is not us as you may have guessed) It is apparent they were built to also be able to take people and their ski's in winter. (this area is completely covered in snow in winter) Undaunted we braced ourselves and went for it. I figured if I didnt look down and just looked at the view it would be fine. Fine it was.. and great it was. 
It goes up on quite a steep angle but it was worth it as the view over Gubbio old town as well as new town and the valley beyond was absolutely worth it.
Also from the top we spotted this Greek Theatre. Approx 200-300A.D. We also noted other ruins in big open parklands near this one.
Gubbio also holds a festival like Assisi but it is held a week later. Here is some of the flags they have out in preparation.
We really enjoyed wandering around this town and visited an amazing palace. 
Mark took this pic of me and the hill behind which the funicular goes up. If you look at the pic of the palace and the 2 dark arches on the upper left of the pic, I am sitting in the one on the right.
A quick bite of lunch had us off to Spello. What a damn cute town. Much quiter than all the others we had visited but just as lovely. It would be a fab base for a future stay in Umbria.
We had to have the car back by 6pm so through peak hour in Perugia (and only getting lost once) we found the car depot again. We headed back up the hill to the Perugia old town for a drink on the steps of the church, a bit of blogging and then some dinner. We had checked what time the trains for Assisi left (an hour apart) and when we headed to the minimetro to go down to the train station, imagine our surprise to find it stops at 9:30pm!!!!! and it was now 10pm!!! BUGGER!!!!
We were not at the top of the hill but at one station below so as I knew from past unfortunate experience it was not too far to walk.. It was off on foot hopefully to catch the train. (Yes G & E & L... that bloody walk down that hill again... at least this time without luggage). We missed the train by 2 mins. The next was not for 2 hrs at this time of night so we forked out 40 euro for a taxi. BUGGER!!!
OK... Michelle, you asked could I say a bad word about Italy. The answer is YES.. a BIG resounding YES... and it is .. the public toilets.. there are no seats, there is never paper, and often the bowl has a big scoop out of the front. I was so excited to find one with a seat yesterday only to find that it was not attached and I nearly slid off onto the floor mid-pee. the fun of public toilets in italy!!
We have just arrived in Rome with lots of laundry to do and nothing clean to wear. We hoped our apartment would have a washer but alas no. There is one only a couple of blocks away so here we are with a load of washing happening and taking advantage of the internet cafe 2 doors up while it goes through.
As Michelle mentioned on one of her comments, possibly we may not be able to blog so much when the kids are here. We will be travelling at a quicker pace on some level and I am not sure how it will be, besides busy. Therefore, our blogs may slow down... We spoke to them today, both are finished work and Mitchell doing a Uni exam tonight before they fly out tomorrow. Both are excited and eager to get here. After they have seen and heard of Mark shopping fun they are asking if they also will have time to shop.... Time will tell.
x D & M
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