Category: Europe (Page 4 of 5)

Verona, Italy, May 2017

May 18, 2017 / terry

12 May 2017 – Prague to Verona

We flew from Prague to Verona, in Italy, on Czech Airlines. It is a short flight of around an hour and a half on a small turbo prop aircraft, comfortable enough and cheap enough to make the much longer trip on either a bus or train out of the question. The highlight of the trip was the flight over the Alps, when the cloud cleared for a section and we got a clear view of the magnificent scenery below. With the plane flying at a relatively low 20,000ft, we were effectively only 10,00ft above the mountains and ski fields and small towns were easily seen.

From Verona Airport we caught an airport shuttle for only 6€ that dropped us off at the Porta Nuovo Train Station, which was in itself only a 300m walk to the Piccolo Hotel. We stayed here on our last visit in 2012 and it proved comfortable enough at a budget price. We were far too early for check in, however, and left our baggage before heading into the city centre.

As we followed the roads, everything was familiar because we had given the city a pretty good going over on the last visit. In hindsight, we could have just got on a train and headed north to Bolzano because we didn’t have much left to see in Verona but the chance to re-visit the beautiful Piazza Bra and the magnificent ancient Roman Arena was too tempting. Part of of our mission was to top up our Italian Vodaphone cards. We had figured that it could be easily done at either the airport or the train station but surprisingly, there was no sign of any such facility. The station had a Wind outlet but nothing else.

Finding a Vodaphone outlet proved to be a major challenge which resulted in us walking a total of 7.5kms in a day. Unlike Australia, where mobile phone outlets are everywhere, in Italy they are hidden places that must be hunted down. Of course one can always Google it, unless of course you are trying to recharge. You can always log onto a free public network but then Google says it is not secure enough and won’t respond.

Along the way, we enjoyed the visual splendour of the lovely Piazza Bra, a huge open square that is dominated by the enormous Roman amphitheatre that is still in use today. To the right of the arena is a large public building built in neo-classical style and on this occasion it was the site of a massed schools choir event. Hundreds of students in school uniform sang their little hearts to the delight of a large amassed crowd.

With prices hitting ridiculous levels around the Piazza Bra we took to the back streets to find an affordable lunch. After rejecting many menus as too expensive or too fancy, we finally found a cute little lunch bar with a good range of paninis on sale and some cold beer on offer. The proprietor was a very jolly chap who welcomed us in and described the ingredients of each available pannini in great detail. It was fairly obvious that his English did not extend much further than the ingredient names but he was keen to try and when he found out we were Australian we became very much flavour of the month. He managed to convey in a mix of English and Italian (which we can sort of follow) that he had a sister in Australia and some friends who had given him a memento. From his wallet he produced his most prized possession, a gold kangaroo pin. We had a great time with the added bonus of tasty food and cold beer.

After much walking we finally located the Vodaphone outlet and stood in a queue for another half hour before we managed to get some more data and call credits. It should not be that hard.

We settled in for a relaxing afternoon at the Hotel Piccolo and to watch the rain settle in. We had already made the commitment to stay in for dinner, with the hotel offering a decent pizza restaurant. A pre-dinner beer at the bar seemed a good idea but we waited around in vain for someone to appear. A number of vending machines containing snacks graced the lobby and it seems the hotel has moved to a “serve yourself” mode of operation. There was a fridge containing beer so we helped ourselves and Christine went behind the bar to source a couple of glasses. More people arrived and we indicated the best way to go. By this time we had discovered that the hotel did not open its restaurant but the menu on offer referred to one at an affiliated hotel and a shuttle bus would run. This was hardly an ideal thing but we took the option anyway and got bussed off to a pleasant place with good food at reasonable prices. However, it was staff by one cook and two wait staff who literally ran through the area in order to keep up service. What is wrong with paying staff for goodness sake?

13 May Verona to Bolzano

The next morning we slept in late, had breakfast, which mercifully was not out of a vending machine, and hoisted our packs on our backs to march back to the rail station. The train to Balzano follows a beautiful mountain pass featuring picturesque small villages and numerous castles on the rocky cliffs. The only significant city along the journey was Trento, where the train seemed to fill with young University age students. We must be getting a certain amount of travel burnout because the scenery would normally have been a highlight of the trip but by now the sight of towering mountains, crumbling forts and castles and the occasional Roman ruin is just par for the course. What a sad state of affairs.

The train arrived on time in Bolzano or Bozen as it is also called. This part of Italy is the South Tyrol region and is mainly German speaking, having been ceded to Italy from Austria after World War I and everything and everywhere has two names. Rob and Yvette were there again to greet us and we threw the luggage into the Peugeot with French number plates and off we all went, headed for life in the mountains in Nova Levante (or Welschoffen as the majority German speaking population prefer).

Prague, Czech Republic, 2017

May 13, 2017 / terry

Prague 8-11 May 2017

Prague has long been on our bucket list, having read that it is incredibly beautiful, full of history, crammed full of first class cuisine, the best beer in the World and much lower costs than most other European cities. All of the above is true. This is a city that uses up all the superlatives in very short order.

We arrived from Passau on the Flixbus at around 6pm and had to find a way across town to the other side of the river and the apartment we had rented for our four day stay. Despite being part of the EU, the Czech Republic does not operate on the Euro and has Czech Koruna (or Crown) as its currency with around 17 to the Aussie dollar. We decided to cash some Australian notes at the bus station, even after we had read all the warning signs about scammers giving you Hungarian notes instead of Czech and the prevalence of counterfeit currency. An official changer gave us a good rate then it was off to find a taxi.

The driver didn’t seem to have a meter and wanted a flat 400Kc for the ride. We weren’t in a position to argue though and he gave us quite running commentary of the sights, the problems with the Social Democrat Government, the traffic problems and lots more besides. He explained that our address was only a hundred metres or so from the US Embassy so the car would get checked over for bombs, even though he had been up that street three times previously that day.

Once the car had cleared the inspection, we were dropped off in a tiny one lane cobbled road outside number 8 Vlašská to await the arrival of Michal, our host. We had said we would be there at 7pm and were half an hour early but had no Czech phone SIM to ring him. By 7:10, we were getting cold and irritable so Christine prevailed on a restaurant across the road to ring for us. Michal had thought we were getting to the bus station at 7pm so he apologised and hurried over. He proved to be a very helpful young man and he showed us around the gorgeous one bedroom apartment. The apartment is in The House of Three Swallows, on the ground floor of an ancient building and had a beautiful vaulted ceiling in the kitchen and wonderful carved and decorated open beams in the sitting room.

Central Prague is roughly divided into four areas, Old Town, New Town, Castle District and ours, the Mala Strada or Little District. The surrounding streets and lane ways were simply charming, crammed full of interesting shops, wine bars, beers halls and restaurants. A few blocks away was the main tourist drag (where prices rose accordingly) which was constantly filled with walking tours and guides carrying flags on sticks. Our street was quieter but there was still a steady parade going past our front windows. Our closest big attraction was the beautiful Charles Bridge, built in the 15^th Century. These days it is a walking bridge, covered with people, artists, street theatre and the like. Several beggars had regular spots on the bridge and stayed hunched over in a position reminiscent of Yoga’s “Child Pose” but I suspect it was a way of hiding their full bellies from view.

The walk across the Charles Bridge produces amazing views of the Vitava River and across to the Old Town. Each end of the bridge is guarded by a beautiful stone fort that rises majestically up and is topped by a sharp spire. The city is often nicknamed “City of a Hundred Spires” and that is certainly the impression, with multiple towers and spires being visible in most directions. The ability to build stable ten storey towers in the 11^th Century is quite an impressive feat.

Charles Bridge

The Little Quarter or Mala Strada is flanked on one side by a huge parkland that would make for perfect strolling grounds amid the huge shady trees if it weren’t for one major problem. It rises almost vertically up the side of a very large hill. At the peak of the hill is the Petrin Tower, a copy of the Eiffel Tower built in 1891. It rises 382 metres above the hill and has two viewing platforms. We climbed up through the parklands, using a complex series of switchback walkways, learning later that there is a funicular railway that achieves the same end. Once there, we continued the torture by climbing the Petrin Tower (and paying quite a bit for the privilege) but the views at the top were actually worth the money and the aching legs.

Little Quarter and Petrin Tower

The other flank of the Little Quarter is taken up with the Castle Precinct, dominated by the enormous Prague Castle, the World’s largest castle complex. We walked down the opposite side through the sprawling monastery complex towards the castle area. However, the weather had taken a turn for the worse so we abandoned plans to check out the castle and began to navigate the numerous flights of steps and alleyways heading in the general direction of home. Occasional glimpses of the Stars and Stripes heralding the US Embassy kept us on a general path and we were rather pleased with ourselves when we emerged right at the head of our little street. Along the way, of course, we had to stop for a beer and a bite to eat. A fabulous candle lit dungeon provided an excellent refuge from the now heavy rain and we were served up with delicious sausage, hot mustard and crumbed fried camembert cheese. A half litre of excellent draft beer cost us a whopping $A1.60 each. Another day, we went back to this little gem and were rewarded with marvellous goulash and slow cooked pork with dumplings and sauerkraut. The Czechs really know how to cook good cold weather food.

The following day was fine, although cold with a forecast maximum of 9 degrees. We rugged up and walked across Charles Bridge to the Old Town. It is very hard to find the words to describe the beauty of the Old Town and its incredible Town Square. Walking progress is slow at times because there is so much to stop and look at. Almost every building has something special about it and everything is different. Thousands of statues adorn the plazas or cling to the outside of the many majestic buildings. Intricate designs are etched into the plastered exterior walls, baring the underlying stone and producing some amazing effects. Many fine mosaics decorate the faces of churches and civic buildings, often using small cubes of glass to produce the designs. So much of the finery in other cities dates from the 18^th Century but here it shows off how advanced the culture was as far back as the 12^th Century.

On the walls of the Town Hall tower is a famous astronomical clock which simultaneously shows the time in normal 24 hour time as well as complex movements of the sun and moon along with time on the old Bohemian timescale. Given that the original clock was manufactured in 1410 it is a remarkable mechanism.

The Old Town

The sheer concentration of well maintained ancient buildings is down to the fact that Prague survived World War II largely unscathed. In fact, there was probably more damage and neglect arising from the years of communism and Soviet domination than anything else. Evidence of ongoing restoration and repair work is everywhere but, equally, there is plenty left to do. The beautiful city is not quite in the same state of maintenance as Turin or Milan but the hordes of tourists are bringing in the dollars and things will change rapidly. The Czech Republic has a strong economy with the lowest rate of unemployment in the EU so big public works are part of the way of life.

After wandering the Old Town and the adjoining Jewish quarter, we hopped onto a tram without really knowing where it was going. We had bought a three day pass to the public transport system and so far hadn’t used it so a jaunt on the trams seemed like a good idea. It is a great way to cover big parts of the city. The tram stops display very good maps of the city and the tram lines so the only hard part is figuring out which way the trams were headed. Only once did we get it wrong and then it was just a matter of getting off and swapping sides. Some of the trams are ultra modern jobs while others are rattling remnants of the communist era. We roamed around on one tram somewhere up behind the castle until we spied a large supermarket and a post office, both on our list, and jumped off. Our chores complete, we consulted the map, chose a tram number and were very pleased when we managed to get off only a couple of hundred metres from home.

On our last full day in Prague, the weather was fine and the temperature up to a warming 15 degrees so we climbed the dreaded hill once more to Prague Castle. We found the main entrance gates into what looked to be a somewhat uninspiring courtyard, a series of large mostly 18^th and 19^th Century buildings well adorned with carvings and statues but not particularly special. Once through the security checks on the gate and inside the enclosure, things changed quickly. The castle as such is really an enormous complex of buildings of all ages, fortifications, plazas chapels and totally dominated by the massive St Vitus Cathedral. We have said it a few times before in Europe but this is the most impressive church yet for us. Much of the building dates from the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in the 14^th Century and is an amazing example of a gothic cathedral with beautiful stained glass work and majestic supporting columns. We spent more time here than we usually do in the churches. We spent even more time outside just viewing the building’s finery from all angles. It is truly inspiring.

We had followed the advice of the guide books and arrived at the castle early, giving ourselves time to move around and explore the huge grounds in relative peace before the big crowds arrived. As we worked our way back to the entrance, the going got harder with a sea of people and selfie sticks coming at us. We pushed through and skirted around the castle into the palace gardens to wander amongst the many fine trees planted there. It proved most informative because we had wondered at many of the trees we had seen so far on our travels and the botanical garden section managed to name most of the ones we had encountered to date.

Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral

From the castle we caught a tram back down the hill to our apartment for a bite to eat, finding a great little deli to buy some rolls and mortadella. Then it was off back across Charles Bridge to a funny little shop called Prague Dolls that specialsed in Miska Dolls, the nesting kind. They had sets of dolls featuring AFL teams so we bought one of the West Coast Eagles, with Priddis, Gaff, Shuey, Sheed and Mastin. We got a set for Rob too and a Dockers one for Yvette. We realise that a set of AFL dolls is a pretty weird memento of Prague but they were so cute we couldn’t resist.

The New Town

Then we headed into the New Town area. Even though some of the buildings in the New Town are still many hundreds of years old, the newer influences are all there, with a few glass and steel jobs and quite a few bland and boring 1950s and 60s boxes. What is impressive are a couple of huge wide open boulevards, intersecting the streets and opening up the city with some lovely vistas. The best known of these is Wenceslaus Square, not really a square as such but long avenue largely closed to vehicles. One end was crowded with people around a free concert to promote Cancer Awareness.

We walked some more before stopping at a terrific little bar for a beer and fried onion rings. Christine was showing signs of spitting the dummy on more walking so we got on a tram to work our way home. After around 10 stops we decided that the tram was going the wrong way but we had seen lots of interesting things and it was a simple matter to switch trams and ride back. Eventually, we did get off a little early so we could walk and scope out some eateries for later that night.

Our apartment hosts drove us to the airport, picking us up at 5.15am, and charging a fraction of what a taxi would have cost. We ended up giving both our hosts and the apartment a rave review because the place was fantastic, especially the location. Prague and The House of Three Swallows will be talked about for years to come.

House of Three Swallows
Vlašská Pension
359/8 Vlašská 118 00 Praha, Czechia

Danube Cruise and Cycle – May 2017

May 10, 2017 / terry

Danube Bike Cruise 30 April-7 May 2017

We boarded our cruise ship (river barge?) in Passau on schedule and were soon settled into a small but very well equipped cabin. The ship is beautiful and has all the latest mod-cons, although as usual on cruise boats, money is the key. We saved ourselves a bit of money by buying and economy cabin that was cheaper because it was close to the engine room and suffered from noise during night time passages. It wasn’t nearly as loud as we had been led to believe and it didn’t worry us at all. However, we spent a little more by choosing a middle deck cabin rather than the lower deck, thereby scoring a full sized picture window well above the waterline.

Vessel Notes

MV Carissimar
Length 110m Width 11.4m
Draft 7m
Decks 3
Cabins 75
Passengers 150
Speed 21 km/h

Our route will take us from Passau in Germany, through Austria, Slovakia (stopping at Bratislava), Hungary (with a stop and a turn-around in Budapest), back into Austria (with a stop in Vienna) and back to Passau. The whole trip is eight days.

At the end of the cruise we had clocked up 172km on the bikes.

Life aboard the ship was very comfortable with some terrific company. We had two other Aussie couples, Sonja and Ray from Brisbane and Jenny and Darren from Melbourne. Dining seating was arranged by language spoken and we shared a table with a lovely English couple, Heather and Phillip, from Newark near Nottingham. There was also Barb and Bob from Alberta, Canada in our little group of English speakers. Most of the other passengers were German speaking although there was also a large contingent of Dutch. The meals were generally of a high standard with breakfast being a buffet and dinner four courses with some degree of choice. The wait staff, who mostly seemed to come from various Balkan countries, had a very strict set of rules, which included not changing seats. We delighted in breaking the rules and after a while the staff came to enjoy and share in our quirky sense of humour. I had a habit of ordering the chicken when presented with a choice of meals, even when it was sweets or there was no chicken offered and eventually they responded by doing a chicken dance for us.

Like all organised tours, there were a lot of rules and timetables to comply with. We were issued with the “Yellow Document” that gave strict times that had to be adhered to at the risk of being left behind. Daily announcements seemed to run to a somewhat different schedule to the “yellow Document”. We also received a daily “Cycling Briefing” where the complexities of the day’s cycle pathway were fully explained yet never fully understood. We never actually became lost but we had a couple of close calls and managed to rescue a few fellow cyclists at times.

The main guest manager was obsessed with hygiene, not an unreasonable obsession with 150 close packed guests on one ship, but obsessive all the same. Dispensers of hand sanitizer were positioned at every door way and instructions to “sanitize your hands please” were forthcoming on each and every boarding. I saw the logic and even agreed with it but it was hard to take at times.

Each day of cycling involved around 42km, mercifully mostly on the flat. We had paid the extra for an electric assist bike. We still had to pedal but at least we could kick in the help juice when the hills appeared. The bikes were of exceptional quality and brand new. However, unlike our e-bikes at home, there was no option to stop pedalling and simply apply the throttle. Our legs had to keep moving all the time so we still suffered the same degree of soreness and chaffing that the others copped. We were supplied with a pannier bag and handle-bar bag each, along with a spare tube and repair kit (luckily we didn’t need either).

Breakfast before a riding day was a fashion lovers nightmare. There was lots of lycra on show, complete with outlined rolls of flesh that should have been disguised under more voluminous clothing. Some people, like us, didn’t possess the full gamut of the real gear that true cyclist collect. We went out in thermal underwear, with shorts and T-shirts on the outer, raincoats to keep out the bitter wind and beanies instead of helmets. We wanted to wear helmets but there was simply not room to bring them in our luggage. The boat would sell us one for $A35 but that times two is a lot for five bike rides and there was no option to rent. Helmet use is not compulsory in Germany, Austria, Slovakia or Hungary unless you are under 15 so we went without.

The riding programs varied considerably from one day to the next. Out first day’s ride was through National Park alongside the Danube, almost all on cycle paths. Every so often we had to part with 2€ each to get on a ferry to cross to the other side of the river and sometimes the lure of a coffee stop or a lunch break would see us pull over and nurse our aching backsides. The scenery was spectacular, with magnificent forests covering the hills rising steeply above the fast flowing river. The river flow was being continually added to from streams entering along the valley, some creating lovely little waterfalls beside the road. It was quite charming and rather easy going. However, 43kms still works at the body even if the path is easy and the end was always a welcome sight.

Over the course of the week, we undertook four big rides, three of them 43km long and one 37km. We spent another afternoon riding in Vienna. Of the total distance, the vast majority was on well formed bike paths with the occasional stretch of road riding. This was mostly safe and secure except for one rather nasty 5km bit in Hungary where we had cars passing us at high speed on a fairly narrow country road. Most days we had to use a ferry at some point to cross the river, involving small ramp on vessels that charged around a couple of Euros to cross. One ferry in Hungary charged a whopping three Euros and only ran once per hour. We made it in good time but as we pulled out we could see others pedalling furiously along the river bank trying in vain to make the ferry.

There were a variety of little towns and villages dotted along the course of the ride with many cafes and small restaurants. Most were not open, with May being a little early in the tourist season. However, we did enjoy stopping for coffee and some form of delicious cake. Every form of cake or strudel is available in large quantities throughout Bavaria, Austria and Hungary and it is always cheap. Beer is also cheap but having a beer half way through a long ride is not recommended. We carried a packed lunch supplied by the boat and groups of riders would usually choose a pretty spot by the side of the river to stop for a break.

The cruise visited a number of major cities and some smaller cities or larger towns along the way. Sometimes we would stop overnight but usually the ship would depart at a later point and we would awake tied up somewhere new.

Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital city of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia). We rode into Bratislava from further upstream, crossing the border from Austria. On the Austrian side of the river there was a museum devoted to the Iron Curtain which featured a concrete bunker, layers of barbed wire and a system of trenches. I guess in times past most countries would have maintained some form of naval presence on the Danube but now many of the countries along its flow have open borders. We had the afternoon to explore Bratislava. The main feature is a huge castle that overlooks the city and houses many priceless art works and the Slovakian Crown jewels. The walls of the castle run down the steep hillside to be incorporated into the old part of the city, full of very beautiful buildings, stately apartment blocks and several open walking streets with shady trees down the middle. The weather was cool but good for walking and, as in all new cities, we stopped to sample the local brew and watch the passing parade. The streets seemed crisper and cleaner than most other places and everything was well organised. Bratislava created a very good impression.

Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Budapest

Budapest in Hungary was our turn-around point and we spent a whole day and most of the night there, giving the passengers a chance to really explore. There was an optional 52km ride to a nearby town but the aching muscles ruled that out and we opted instead for a bit of walking. As previous visitors to the city, some of the others picked our brains for the best way to see the city in a short space of time and I was relieved when the advice I gave turned out to be accurate. Luckily, I could go back and read earlier writings in the blog to refresh my memory. It was funny to read that I had noted an experience with an incredibly rude waiter because a lot of our friends ended up reporting similar experiences, including a waiter who yelled at people for not ordering Hungarian food and a woman in a shop who demanded that visitors to Hungary must try to speak Hungarian.

While in Budapest, we noticed with concern that we had mucked up on some of our bookings for later in the trip, booking a week in Trogir, Croatia for May instead of June. We needed access to better Internet than the boat seemed to be supplying so we decided to head out and find a cafe with good internet and have a solid session on the emails and bookings to see if we could rectify things before we started losing deposits. To do this, we needed a few Forints, the Hungarian currency but we had little other need of any, with lunch being available on the boat. I went ashore to an ATM and withdrew F1000, the minimum amount then realised half way back to the boat that I had withdrawn a whole $A4.68,probably not even enough for two coffees. The ship was docked on the Buda shore of the Danube so we crossed the famous Chain Bridge to the Pest side and wandered down a beautiful walking street. Most establishments were not yet open but we finally found one that was starting to open up. We asked if they took Euros but they said no. We explained that we only had F1000 and it appeared that that would buy us two coffees with a little change so we settled in to use their Internet. On this occasion we were lucky to find some friendly and helpful Hungarians.

Beautiful Budapest

Budapest by night is the most beautiful city we have visited, surpassing even Paris. On the Pest bank, the incredible Parliament Building under flood lights is beyond belief while on the Buda side the imposing Buda Castle and inspiring Matthais Church with adjoin Fishermens Bastion look down over the river. The Chain Bridge joins the two banks in a wonderful show of 19^th Century ironwork. To top all this off, we were entertained by a glorious display of forked lightning crackling down over the city and heralding a good dose of torrential rain. We were safely aboard the ship and dining at the time, although some of our new friends were experiencing the deluge first hand.

Vienna

Austria’s capital city was by-passed on our downstream leg but on the return journey we pulled in for an afternoon and evening, allowing passengers some time to explore or go to a concert in the evening. Once again, we had done most things on our previous visit to Vienna so were content to just take ourselves into the city on a tram and the Metro to walk for a while and visit our favourite Wurtzel Stall. This proved harder said than done and we spent nearly an hour of our time just getting away from the ship and onto the right tram, mostly due to poor directions from the briefing. A lot of us had difficulty following the Austrian guide, not so much because her English was bad but more that her way of explaining things might have worked well in German but failed to translate across.

A Wurtzell Stall in Vienna is one of our fondest memories from our last trip with tasty Bratwurst and Currywurst, wholesome German bread and good Austrian beer. I consulted a map and made my best judgement about its location, deciding that it was most likely located in Stephenplaza. After a few errors with the Metro and the trams we made our way to what we thought was the right station, emerged from the underground and there, right before us, was our Wurztle Stand. Despite that fact that we had just had a big lunch on the ship, we still managed to squeeze down the extra 1000 calories on offer at the Wurztel Stand and confirm our memory of this being so much better than anywhere else we have tried German sausage.

Vienna is a city whose history conjures up a lot of romance. Music and concerts are advertised everywhere and there is a lot of choice when it comes to performances, both classical and modern. The architecture reflects the history as the capital of one of Europe’s great empires and there are many grand buildings to be seen. However, the city is rather disjoint and has integrated the newer post war buildings rather poorly in my opinion. On the northern bank there is a cluster of new steel and glass high rise buildings which display an interesting variety of shapes and forms but on the older bank of the river the mix of old and new is not so appealing. The parks dotted throughout the city probably save it, because they provide some welcome relief to the endless stone walls and statues that adorn everything. The mix of parkland and architectural splendour comes to a head at the Hapsburg’s Imperial Palace, which remains a must see part of the city. On this trip, we did not do it justice at all, so we were very glad that we had done a good job on our first visit and could afford to have a fairly relaxed day. Tomorrow it is back on the bike.

Vác and Esztergom, Hungary

We rode the 43kms between a couple of smaller Hungarian towns, passing through a number of tiny hamlets along the river. Before setting off, we explored the main centre of Vác and discovered a delightful town square surrounded by charming buildings, all very nice but then we have now seen too many beautiful towns to count. The cycle trip was rather different however, with the small Hungarian hamlets displaying a somewhat different character to those in Austria. The houses had very steeply pitched roofs, with many being and actual A-frame structure. Blocks were larger, with gardens in front and a vegetable plot at back. It looked very comfortable. Along the river bank were numerous tiny huts, presumably for fishing camps. Each one had a fine net suspended out the front on a high tripod. We wondered at the purpose, possibly a net for gathering bait or maybe there are shrimps of some kind in the river.

As we approached the end of the ride at Esztergom we began to see the enormous dome of the Basillica of Esztergom, an enormous structure perched high on a prominent cliff alongside a fortress of considerable size. The closer we got the more the structure seemed to dominate the view. With plenty of time before the boat docked, we decided to ride up through the town to inspect the basilica and catch the view. Fortunately for us, putting the e-bikes in 1^st gear and full power makes light work of the very steep climb to the top. The heavily cobbled streets don’t help either and at one point, going up through a narrow lane to a draw bridge into the castle, it was more like serious mountain biking. The view was worth the effort and even the ride itself through the picturesque streets was thoroughly enchanting. Esztergom is a town worthy of a visit.

Esztergom, Hungary

Krems, Dürnstein and Melk

Our final ride was in Austria, after a day in Vienna, when we cycled the 37km from the town of Krems to Melk. We were looking forward to a ride 6kms shorter than the usual 43km but as it turned out, we nearly did the extra distance just getting out of Krems. Krems is a pretty enough little town with the usual scattering of old churches, the odd bit of fortification and numerous 19^th Century apartment blocks. However, the ride briefing failed to give us really clear instructions for getting through Krems and onto the Danube cycle path so we spent nearly an hour wandering around looking for signs. We weren’t alone, with lots of cyclists buzzing about calling out instructions to others or calling for help. Somehow, we all made it out of town and onto the path. The day’s ride was easily the most picturesque of the cruise, taking us through the Wachau Valley, a wine growing region of some renown. Every village we passed through was gorgeous, made more by the numerous outlets offering wine tasting. Given the early hour and the fact that wine and cycling don’t mix we resisted the temptation.

The path took us through the village of Dürnstein, first mentioned in 1192 when, in the castle above the town, King Richard I of England was held captive by Leopold V, Duke of Austria after a dispute during the Third Crusade. The castle, which was damaged beyond repair by a Swedish army in the 17^th Century, is an imposing sight on the hill over the village but it is the village itself, nestled amongst the ruins of the castle’s old fortifications, that gives the true charm to the place. We actually found Dürnstein to be the most charming village we have yet encountered, a big call given the number of beautiful little hamlets we have been through so far. Unfortunately, the rest of the World shared our opinion and the narrow streets were filled with tour groups. We had been warned of this and had not attempted to ride our bikes through the village. The good thing about the tour groups was that there were lots of tour guides operating in English so we could listen in for free. There was ambience everywhere, little cottages, cute little shops, smart pensions, arched bridges etc, the place had the works. A lot of shops were selling a local version of fire water made from apricots, fermented and distilled into a 40% alcohol brew that we definitely resisted trying. Later, we were presented with a miniature bottle of the stuff by Heather and Phillip, fellow cyclists from Britain. We will be forced to try it some time.

Durnstein Castle

Summary

This cruise was one of the best experiences we have had and will remain a highlight of our lives for many years to come. Not only did we make some wonderful new friends (thank you to Phillip and Heather, Sonia and Ray, Jenni and Darren, Barb and Bob) but we proved that there was still a little bit of puff in these two old farts and managed to clock up 172kms of cycling along the Danube River. We loved the cruising lifestyle, survived the excesses of food and beverage and added enormously to our developing understanding of the heritage of European life that it so fundamental to, yet so poorly understood by Australians.

In hindsight, we were incredibly lucky with the weather given the time of year. The only rain we had was on rest days in the cities and no ride was ruined with bad weather. At times it was a bit on the chilly side but cycling in the cold is much better than the hot weather.

There were also a number of people on board who did not cycle. I confess that I would find such a cruise rather boring if I had to spend most of the time on the boat. The shore going past is interesting enough but not for eight days. Indeed, some of the cruises go right through from the Black Sea along the Danube, through the new connecting canal, into the Rhine and on to Amsterdam, taking around 20 days. I would go mad. The cycling was the key to this cruise.

We booked our tour with Rad+Reisen, an Austrian company that runs cycling tours in many parts of the World. The bikes were first class and the organisation excellent, although some of the actual daily briefings fell short of the mark. As an experience, I can only recommend it. https://en.radreisen.at/

Milan, Munich and Passau, Germany 2017

May 8, 2017 / terry

Milan 23 – 25 April 2017

We left Trisobbio today, with more than a few regrets. Life here has been wonderful and we will miss our gorgeous little village on the hill with its castle and church but it is time to move on and give the Piscicellis back their apartment. Rob and Yvette drove us to Ovada to catch the train to Genoa and we took a local train on the 1 hour 50 minute trip to Milan. Along the way, I watched the seeding operations in the wheat fields. Compared to back home in Dowerin, the process was simple, with small tractors pulling tiny seeding units across fields not much bigger than a football field. However, the land looked very productive and there were lots of them so there must be a decent yield.

The train delivered us to Milano Centrale, one of Europe’s biggest rail stations with more than 20 platforms. It took quite a bit of walking to get out of the place but we found the taxi rank with little difficulty. This was the first taxi we have used on this trip in Italy. We normally get away without them but our hotel location made it difficult to use public transport with heavy backpacks.

The taxi driver bundled us in, took the address then started driving out of the rail station into the traffic. I noticed that he was playing “Candy Crush” on his smartphone while driving so I growled something about “playing games” and he threw the phone onto the passenger seat alongside him. However, it was soon back in his hand but hidden from my view, forcing him to change gears with the wrong hand and no hands on the wheel. Christine typed out a clear instruction to cease on Google Translate and showed it to him. “No,” he said, “I need GPS.” Then he showed us the phone on Google Maps. After that, he did use two hands to drive but drove a lot faster just to show us he was still the boss of the taxi. We gave him the exact change.

Milan is one of Italy’s great cities and has numerous buildings that make you stop and stare in amazement. Overall, it lacks the grand scale open piazzas and sweeping vistas that so impressed us in Turin but the buildings are grander and more impressive. It houses many great art treasures, including da Vinci’s “Last Supper”. Getting a viewing is a long process so we skipped that, along with Michelangelo’s last unfinished sculpture but we go the idea and settled with copies.

The Duomo Cathedral is at the heart of Milan, on the site of the ancient Roman Forum. Roads radiate from here and ring roads circle it, following the lines of the various old town walls, expanded outwards as the city grew. The Duomo was the site of a church as long ago as 355AD and parts of that still remain beneath the current cathedral. Its modern form was commenced in 1386 and built in stages over the years until its final completion was commenced under Napoleon’s rule in 1805 so that Napoleon could be crowned King of Italy within the walls of the church. Work goes on well into modern times and incomplete bits are always in evidence. The effect of the many rising spires and countless sculptures clinging to the walls and battlements is simply stunning. The white stone of the facade gleams in the sunlight. No wonder the square in front is always packed with people.

Milan. The Duomo is at the bottom and Sforza Castle at top left.

The piazza of the Duomo is also home to a pigeon population to rival Venice. People purchase small packs of grain so they can be photographed covered in pigeons. However, covered in pigeons means covered in crap so it was not for me. Neither was sitting eating my lunch, as hundreds of people were doing while pigeons flew around overhead. We counted ourselves lucky to get away unscathed.

The dominant building in Milan is the Sforza Castle, the main structure of which dates from the 15^th Century. It was severely modified under Napoleon’s rule, who seemed to delight in tearing down the work of previous rulers, but restored towards the end of the 19^th Century and again after damage from bombing in WWII. Today it’s huge courtyards are open to the public and forms the focus of long walkways from the Duomo through to rambling open parklands. Many of the important museums and galleries are housed within the walls of the castle. Unlike most of the other castles we have visited so far, the Sforza Castle is built on flat land, a blessing seeing as our legs are feeling rather sore from all the walking. Indeed, all of Milan is built on flat land and used to have a huge system of canals, partly designed by Leonardo da Vinci, but only a couple remain today.

We were puzzled by the sight of very long lines of people queuing to gain entry to a small bakery in an alley near the Duomo. People also covered most of the nearby steps and walls as they sat and ate what looked like slices of a rather doughy pizza-like substance. The long lines put us off testing the food but it had to be something good, although how one store can sell pizza so much better than anyone else’s in the land of pizzas is hard to understand. A bit of research showed that this was the famous Luini Bakery, established in 1949 when Giuseppina Luini came from Puglia and began baking a type of panzerotta popular in Puglia. It is a pocket stuffed pastry filled with mozzarella cheese and tomato. No wonder it was so popular. We had sampled one at a small stall near Sforza Castle earlier without knowing what it was. Not a pizza at all but very yummy.

Milan has a lot of public transport, with an extensive Metro Underground, trams and trolley busses. Our hotel was around 5km from central Milan so we used the Metro to cross the city and trams to move within the central area. An all day pass costs 4.50€ so it was excellent value. Our hotel was on the Yellow M3 line, the latest Metro line that featured driverless trains. Sitting at the very front afforded a great view of the tunnel and approaching passing trains. Even weirder was a seat at the very rear to watch the tracks melt away into the darkness. However, in a country with youth unemployment running at in excess of 25% I think that driverless trains is something they can do without.

Our trip into the city centre on 25^th April was really relaxed and easy because it is a public holiday, not for ANZAC Day of course, but for Independence Day, representing the day that the Milan and Piedmont rebels overthrew Mussolini and the Nazis. The streets were quiet, despite the fact that most shops were open and at least half the restaurants were also closed.

Nearby our hotel was a large modern shopping mall, similar in layout to most the world over. It was really handy because it had a large supermarket that supplied all our needs. The top floor had a food hall of sorts with a range of different offerings, including a Spanish themed place that offered such a great range of tapas that we were wishing we had time to work our way through the entire menu.

The weather in Milan has been excellent, with maximums in the high teens, great for walking. From here we head over the Alps through Switzerland to Munich, where we can expect snow and temperatures only a little above zero. The bus will be warm but we have to get out at stops so it is drag out the beanie and scarf time.

Is Milan recommended? Absolutely!

Bus Trip Milan to Munich – 26 April 2017

We caught a Flixbus to Munich. The original plan was to use the Metro to cross town to Lampugnano Bus Station but fate intervened with a terrible back pain, not Christine this time, but me. I have no idea what did it but it was the same old issue, with the legs barely working and the muscles threatening to go into spasm. We know now that pain control is the only real solution and that it is a 48 hour issue if treated properly. So we caught another taxi.

The taxi driver was named Franco and was a riot, quite unlike the guy we had on arrival. He told us he knew all the ways to get around the traffic jams that the rain had created and gave a running commentary as he used back streets, changed direction and shot down bus lanes. The whole trip was very entertaining. Incredibly, it was like he jumped ahead of us to meet us in Munich, because the next guy was just the same, except for the German accent. He described in detail the upcoming important soccer match between Munich and someone that was bringing the city to a halt and ruining his night’s takings. This guy knew all about Australia because he had seen Crocodile Dundee. Both were friendly, spoke good English and were very entertaining.

The bus trip proved to be a highlight of the trip so far. We had been across the same route heading south from Frankfurt but it was at night. This time we crossed the Alps in daylight. What a drive. The early part of the drive took us through Como with its beautiful lakeside scenery. Once into Switzerland and climbing, the snow commenced and it was covering the pine trees, creating a forest of perfect Christmas trees. The snow fall was heavy enough to make everything white and fresh but didn’t create dangerous conditions on the roads. Below the snow line was a glorious carpet of green fields, quaint villages and fast flowing rivers. Scores of long waterfalls plummeted down from the towering cliffs. Higher up there were huge mountains, fairy tale snow covered hamlets and deep valleys traversed by high bridges. It was amazing and even the two Austrian women in front of us were busy with their cameras.

Crossing the Alps with Flixbus

I confess to being a little nervous about an alpine crossing in snowy conditions but the driver was very careful and at no time did I feel insecure. We reached Munich in the early evening, just in time for the peak hour rush and crawled our way into the bus station.

Munich 26-27 April 2017

Our accommodation in Munich proved a real winner. Rather than a hotel or AirBnB, we opted for a “Pension” or boarding house. This one (Mona Lisa Pension) had seven rooms in total, each with en-suite, and was attached to an Indian Restaurant called the Sitar. It was perfect, with our own secure entrance to the building, a lift facility rather than endless flights of stairs, great central heating and a wonderful location in the heart of the old part of Munich. The only thing lacking was any form of self catering, but we found a fantastic bakery with take-away coffee and piles of delicious offerings just around the corner. We also sampled the Indian fare and found it well priced and tasty.

My back improved steadily and we were able to explore the inner parts of Munich without doing our usual long haul of around 10kms a day. The Metro system helped us move a bit further afield to check out some of the history of this famous Bavarian city. One beautiful area was around the Isartor, one of the surviving medieval gates to the old walled city. Behind the restored walls is a market area that would have been an absolute feast of food if the weather had been better. The cold and steady rain put a lot of people off and the streets were quiet and more than half the stalls closed. There was little incentive to sample the beers stalls either because the thought of drinking beer outside in 5 degrees was too much. Later, at the central station, a wurztel stall did tempt us with a delicious plate of Curry Wurztel, which we would normally wash down with an ale but even the warmth inside the station didn’t tempt us. Wurztel stalls sell various types of sausage, along with a variety of sauces and a healthy serve of good German beer, usually from a small kiosk in a town square. A few standing height tables provide a space to consume the goodies and watch the passing parade while indulging in the ultimate gluttony.

Munich on a fine spring day would be wonderful. It is a shame that we have been here in such cold weather but then we have been lucky so far with an unseasonably warm spell. Furthermore, the local farmers were starting to fret, as they were in northern Italy, because even in Europe they can experience water shortages later in the summer.

Around Munich. Note the snow on the cars and the scene from the train.

We woke on our second and last morning in Munich to light snow. The cars lining the street where covered and the nearby trees had a charming white dusting. It took ages to get fully dressed to head out and around the corner to buy a coffee and a couple of rolls for breakfast but the scene along the street was delightful. As the morning wore on, the snow turned to sleet then rain. Fortunately, we did not have far to walk to enter a Metro station and get to the Central Railway Station for our train to Passau. My back had improved to the point where the backpack was not too bad and we got to the train without issue.

The train trip was only a couple of hours. The scenery just outside Munich was gorgeous with a heavier fall of snow covering the whole countryside. I am not sure how the farmers cope with snow so late in the season because there was a lot of wheat already growing and most of the canola was flowering. Hopefully, the effect of a light snow cover is not the same as a frost back in Australia. As the trip wore on, my back decided it had had enough sitting for one day and started to really hurt so I was very glad to get out at Passau, even though it meant loading the pack again and trudging through steady rain in very cold conditions.

Passau 28-29 April 2017

The rain destroyed our plans to walk to our accommodation, a trip of only about 1km, and we took a taxi. The driver dropped us at the entrance to Passau University and indicated that our address was somewhere within. After a bit of searching and help from students, we located our lodgings, a room in an apartment through AirBnB. This part of the University was once a monastery and we were lodging with the director of the student accommodation. We had a small room on the fourth floor (no lift) and the use of bathroom and kitchen. It was not ideal but it was cheap and central, two things that all other accommodation wasn’t. The worst thing was the smell. We couldn’t really identify it but it was definitely a stale food type smell, maybe the result of cooking in a closed environment over the cold season. It wasn’t the smell from “Jerry” the cat that seemed to revel in scratching all guests’ baggage and legs but I could have happily turned Jerry into stale food given the choice. He seemed to be the true owner of the property and was one of those repulsive cats.

Despite the rain, we spent a couple of hours wandering the charming streets of Passau. The city is located on the junction of the Danube, Ilz and Inn Rivers. It has a population of around 50,000, of which students comprise a significant proportion at 12,000. Passau has a rich history dating back into medieval times and was an important part of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Empire. The streets are lined with beautiful buildings and shops full of charm and character. A couple of modern shopping malls take up the centre of the city but don’t detract. In the cold and wet weather, they provided us with a safe haven to dry off and seek some food for lunch.

Our second day in Passau was beautiful. For a start, the other occupiers of our accommodation were away in Prague for the day. Almost as good was the weather, with a cessation to the endless rain and a rise in temperature from a very chilly 5 to a bearable 12 degrees. We still set forth in long-uns and full length thermal underwear but at least the coats came off at times during the day. The worst part was entering a shopping centre, where they insisted on maintaining a steady 25 degrees. We were doing the full strip tease when only metres inside the doors.

Our final day in Passau was largely one of waiting for the cruise boat. In the morning, we found it at Dock 13 as expected and probably the most convenient location for our lodgings. Walking across town with our backpacks would not be difficult. However, we were not able to leave our luggage until 2pm and were unable to board until 4pm. Fortunately, Andreas our accommodation host allowed us to leave our luggage with him while we did other things.

Around Passau

The city was hosting a huge festival which was organised around a massive street parade featuring groups from the surrounding areas in traditional dress. We bagged ourselves a great vantage point and watched for an hour as group after group of marching bands, village groups and other organisations filed past, interspersed with magnificent horse team pulling carts loaded with people. Most of the men seemed to be drinking copious amounts of beer. There was much clapping and cheering and the whole spectacle was both entertaining and quite moving.

Any way you look at it, Passau is a very beautiful city, small enough to walk around the central old part and soak up the ambience and yet big enough to have a lot of features. Once the rain cleared and we were able to have a decent look at the city, its true beauty became apparent. Rows of quaint 18^th Century houses interspersed with 16^th and even 15^th Century remnants of fortifications and larger buildings create a wonderfully “toy town” atmosphere. It really is a delightful place to walk around. It is easy to get lost for a short while, given the random pattern of the streets and alleyways, but then it doesn’t take long to get ones bearings because a few minutes walking will bring you into contact with either the Danube or the Inn Rivers and a chance to re-establish a location.

With the weather taking a very optimistic turn for the better, we look forward to our time on the forthcoming Danube River cruise. Ours is the first cycling cruise of the year and so we knew we were taking a risk with the weather but it looks as though we may have made a good decision. Time will tell.

Piedmont and Liguria, Italy 1-24 April 2017

April 24, 2017 / terry

During our time staying at Trisobbio, we took a few trips away to explore nearby centres in Piedmont and neighbouring Liguria. We were very lucky to have Rob and Yvette to drive us around and to share the wonderful experiences.

Genoa (11^th April 2017)

We took the train from Ovada down to Genoa for the day. The trip only takes around 45 minutes on a comfortable local train, all of which seem to leave exactly on time, quite unlike our previous experiences with Italian trains. Genoa has a population of around a million people across the wider metropolitan area. It is one of the main economic centres in Italy and a very busy port. Its maritime origins go back to medieval times when it was a major trading nation and held considerable naval power over large areas of the Mediterranean.

We explored the maritime history of Genoa with a visit to the Museum de Mare down at the old port. We toured five floors of exhibits, the best of which was a full sized reproduction of a Genovese Galley from the 16^th Century that we could walk around in. The size was impressive but the conditions for the mainly slave crew of rowers must have been horrific. Another excellent exhibit was one featuring Genoa’s role as a point of embarkation for departing immigrants during the late 19^th and early 20^th Centuries. The exhibit was presented as the insides of a steamer, with all the walls being made of steel (complete with lots of rivets), sounds of the ship at work and the steady hum of the steam driven engines producing a very life-like feel. We wandered around in the cramped dormitories, stood on the bridge and watched as the crowds lined up at the immigration authorities in their new lands. Well worth the visit.

Around Genoa

The best part of Genoa is just walking the streets. This is so often the case in European cities, where there is ample opportunity to simply soak up the atmosphere. We wandered the length of the beautiful Via XX Settembre, stopping mid-way at the fresh produce markets to soak up the incredible display of fruit, vegetables, fish, cheese and pasta. Meat was also on sale but displays of meat in Italy have failed to impress, with very few good cuts on display. We had an excellent lunch at a sidewalk cafe on the Via Garibaldi, choosing from an appetising selection of sandwiches with a choice of three Italian breads and sides washed down with a lovely beer. The owner proved to be French rather than Italian and very chatty and jovial. The port area also had many attractions and we enjoyed simply wandering the docks and admiring the boats, as we always do. There were cruising yachts from all parts of the World making me yearn to have the courage to cross oceans and explore the seas. Christine just said an emphatic “No!”

Turin (14-17 April 2017)

The four of us spent the Easter weekend in Turin, Italy’s 6^th largest city and situated around 150kms to the north-west of Trisobbio. Italy’s excellent system of high speed autostradas made the trip quick but did feature some delightful piazzas and walking streets, But then, it seems everywhere in Italy is full of great townscapes. Turin, however, exceeds all others that we have seen so far and rivals many of the great cities of Europe. A direct comparison with Paris is obviously impossible but Turin is a true showcase of Italian and French architecture. The city was captured by Napoleon in 1800 and held for the next 14 years, during which time he redesigned the layout, knocking down the old city walls and replacing them with a series of wide avenues lined with elegant colonnaded buildings and graceful bridges, flanked by majestic statues.

Turin Sights

We had a magnificent apartment through AirBnB right in the heart of the city, overlooking a small piazza. Unfortunately, there was no parking attached and it took a bit of work to find a place, eventually leaving the car some 2.5kms away where street parking was free. Since we did not have need of the car during our stay and it came to no harm, the move proved a success. The car was definitely not needed, with the city well serviced by trams, busses and a metro system.

During the day, we tended to go our own ways and explore the wonders of the city. Christine and I had a fabulous trip up a local mountain on a special tram, driven by a rack and pinion system, that rose 450m in a 3.5km journey from Sassi to Superga, where an excellent view of the city below was to be had. We had hoped for great views of the snow covered Alps in the distance but the visibility was poor and a cloud bank covered the mountains. However, the following day, we climbed (on foot) another local hill to a large church and were rewarded with incredible views of the mountains and snow beyond.

At night we came together to find somewhere to eat. One meal was at a local Pizzareia, where we had the most amazing standard of food and service at amazingly low prices. Christine and I shared a pizza, Rob had a pizza while Yvette ordered a seafood spaghetti. We all eyed off Yvette’s dish, as she scoffed down lashings of prawns, squid and the like.

We expected the city to be mostly in shut-down mode due to the Easter weekend but, surprisingly, Good Friday is not a holiday in Italy, at least not in Northern Italy. Things certainly got quiet on Easter Sunday and the piazzas and walking streets of Turin filled with family groups, making the most of the fine and warm weather.

Unfortunately, there was a pall cast on the trip to Turin. One night, Rob and Yvette went out to meet the owner of the house they will rent in Nova Levante. During a meal together, Yvette had her bag stolen, despite taking precautions to safe guard it. Pick-pocketing and bag snatching is a big problem in Italy, particularly in Rome and Naples but we didn’t quite expect it in Turin. She lost a few Euros, her prescription sunglasses and her mobile phone. The good news was that she didn’t have her passport or credit cards with her. However, Rob and Yvette had to make a couple of trips to the police station to make a report and get the necessary police report to make an insurance claim.

Cinque Terre and La Spezia (19-20 April 2017)

The Cinque Terre is a collection of five villages, Monterosso, Vernazza, Cornigilia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, set along the Italian Riveria, south of Genoa. Each one clings precariously to the cliffs surrounding a tiny bay or landing point, except for Cornigula, which is set higher on the hills away from the sea. The stretch of coastline is a declared UNESCO World Heritage site and attracts huge crowds of tourists every year.

The drive from Trisobbio was along the Autostrada, a rather unpleasant trip in heavy traffic. From Genoa south, most of the road was down to two lanes, with trucks occupying the slow lane. The fast lane was a nominal 130km/hr but most cars were sitting on around 110. However, a few were doing 150 or so and this meant a constant swapping of lanes to get behind trucks then pass them and so on. Once near Monterosso, we left the Autostrada to sit on a narrow twisting winding road to the tiny port. We were very happy to get out of the car. Poor Rob bore the brunt of it, having suffered about two hours of total concentration.

To be honest, Monterosso was a bit of a disappointment initially. I felt it was just a bit of a seaside village and didn’t quite fit my visions of quaint little stone houses. Later, however, our impressions rose somewhat after we had explored the charming alleys and backstreets, and it was easy to see why it had such a seductive charm.

From Monterosso, we got on a ferry to hop from one village to another. This is the best way to view the villages because the sight of each one from the sea is quite stunning and certainly justifies all the postcard pictures. Venazzo from the sea was simply perfect. A restaurant carved out of a towering cliff sported a balcony hanging out over the water with a handful of tables set with white linen. The ferry nosed in to the rocky pier, rising and falling gently in the low swells and exchanged passengers before setting off to the next village. We got off at the last village, Riomaggiore, to start our exploration by land. Rob and Yvette went their own way, having made several previous trips to the Cinque Terre and having a couple of places and walks (more like climbs) they wanted to check out.

Cinque Terre

Walking around the villages is more a case of climbing around. Steps are everywhere and forming even regular sized steps has never been a priority. Christine’s short legs were a distinct disadvantage. Beautiful alleyways, corners, cafes and balconies create perfect scenes. The crowds were bigger than any we have so far encountered and I shuddered to think what it would be like here in June or July.

To get back to Monterosso, we bought an all day rail pass. The train line from Genoa to La Spezia hugs the coastline, spending around 70% of the time going through tunnels, so it provides a service to the four coastal villages. Before the rail line was built, the villages relied totally on small boat access. Unfortunately, the day we were there the train service proved unreliable and the advertised every 30 minutes proved to be an hour long wait for the first train to access Manarola.

Cinque Terre

Our clear favourite was Venazzo, mainly because it clung so beautifully to the cliffs. The walk down from the train station to the water’s edge was a picture. We chatted to another Australian couple who were staying in Venazzo for four days and loving it, although they did comment how expensive things were. We stopped for a wine and tapas and paid 12€ when it would have cost 7€ elsewhere. Monterosso was a lot cheaper. At one place we ordered a pot of tea for two but the woman came out with two pots of tea. We drank several cups each and when I went to pay, she asked for 2€ total.

Eventually, the day ran out and we caught up with Rob and Yvette back at Monterosso. From there, we drove to La Spezia, a large town south of the Cinque Terre, where we had organised an AirBnB apartment for the night. Rob phoned ahead to say we were on our way but was horrified to find that we were actually booked for the next night, all our mistake. We had come to the Cinque Terre on the wrong day. Fortunately, the host was very helpful and the apartment was available. We could have been liable for a financial penalty but all was sorted without loss.

La Spezia is a naval town with a large naval base still in use. A surprising number of warships were in evidence, as well as extensive marina complexes, container freight facilities and passenger liner port. While not as pretty as many other places, the city was pleasant enough and certainly provided an interesting stroll along the waterfront. Rob was keen to take us out of town and up the hills to a favourite restaurant called Il Paradiso del Golfo. Unfortunately, on arrival we found it closed, due to their irregular hours over the Easter break. However, the view was worth the drive. The restaurant was set high on a hill overlooking the whole bay with a glorious backdrop of snow covered mountains. The snow was on the melt, but there was still plenty on the far peaks and in the steeper valleys.

We found a pizzareia close to the apartment and had excellent pizzas at very cheap prices. The place had a healthy crowd of local diners, attracted by the prospect of watching the soccer on their big screen. It was fun.

Around La Spezia

On our way out of town, we stopped at a tiny seaside hamlet called Le Grazie before climbing back into the hills to Il Paradiso del Golfo again. This time, it was open. We were not disappointed. For 10€ a head, we enjoyed a six course seafood extravaganza, with a wonderful fish fillet in oil, an amazing octopus salad, some kind of prawn dish with a fantastic sauce served up in a scallop shell, battered fish , smoked salmon crepes and a dish featuring spelt in squid ink. There wasn’t one thing that wasn’t perfection. This would be the best value meal ever, especially considering the amazing view one could have while dining.

The drive back north to Trisobbio was better with the traffic generally lighter but it was still nice to drive around the bend and see our little village of Trisobbio on the hill with its castle nestled on top. It really has come to feel like home. Our return from the Cinque Terre marked the end of our stay with the Piscicellis, baring a couple of days to catch up on washing etc. From here we head off to Milan and then to Germany for a while. Unfortunately, the wonderful spring weather that we have been enjoying is destined to come to an end, with heavy snow forecast for Munich and Passau. It will be an adventure, but not too much of a drama I hope.

Trisobbio, Piedmont, Italy 1-24 April 2017

April 24, 2017 / terry

Rob and Yvette met us at Ovada train station in their leased Peugeot. After all the planning and travelling it was a bit of a “pinch yourself moment” to actually catch up with the Piscicellis in Italy. Rob drove us along the twisting road to the tiny village of Trisobbio, our home for the next three weeks. Trisobbio is in the Province of Alessandria in the region of Piedmont, very close to the border with Liguria, and is one of a number of similar hilltop villages in the area. Each one seems to have a church and a castle at the summit, with a collection of houses clinging to the sides of the hill.. The hills were covered with fruit trees, most in glorious springtime flowering mode, and grape vines. Houses were numerous though well spaced. In places the road reached a switchback, presenting a wonderful vista across the farmlands to the distant mountains.

The first sight of the cluster of buildings on the hill with the battlements of the small castle poking out on top was a scene from a fairy tale movie. As Rob manoeuvred the car through the narrow roads and alleys of the village to our apartment I was glad that he was the one driving, especially with the left hand drive. I find that the fine judgement is not there when I get in a left hand drive car but Rob seems to have the gift.

We unloaded our gear and familiarised ourselves with the apartment. Ours is on the second storey, the bottom floor being used by the owners and the top one being another apartment for rent. Our apartment is wonderful, with comfortable facilities, two bedrooms and a good kitchen. Best of all are the views. I found myself spending quite a bit of time just standing at a window and looking out at the complex roof lines and jumble of courtyards of the neighbouring houses or beyond to the rolling hills and patches of forest. The owners, a very welcoming and friendly family, retain the downstairs apartment for times when family members return to Trissobio for a visit (they live in Genoa now).

An aerial view of Trisobbio showing our apartment

Rob and Yvette had had a few weeks to get to know their surrounds so were able to point out the various features around and take us on drives to the nearby villages. It is easy to become blasé about the magnificent scenery, the opulence of the church interiors and the magic of the many medieval castles that adorn the landscape. The area is very hilly, with the northern end of the Apennines rising in the distance. Some years, we would be graced with the sight of snow in the distance but the snow did not come this year, which is a shame but at the same time we have been blessed with some much warmer than normal spring weather. Most days are a pleasant 20 degrees with the occasional cooler rainy day. It is only ever a couple of kilometres between villages and each one seems to have its own unique features and charm.

A hiking trail of sorts connects the five closest castles, although it looks like it could do with a bit of maintenance to counter the rapid spring growth. On one occasion, Christine and I set out to walk the 3.5 kilometres to nearby Cremolino. It proved to be a hard slog because we had to climb a hill that proved to be higher than all the others around. The views were staggering but the thighs were sore for a few days.

Around Trisobbio

The main industries around the area are all agricultural in nature, with grape growing being the most obvious, along with apples, pears, strawberries and other fruit and vegetables. The region has long been renown for the quality of its produce and it show through in the vegetables, all of which seem to have much more flavour than back home. Livestock still remains absent from the scene, with the exception of horses, which is quite strange because there are a few meat processing places around. Meat and fish is generally expensive, while fruit and vegetables are cheap by Australian standards. The real work these days is in the cities, with Ovada having a scattering of light industry and small businesses. Both Genoa and Turin are large manufacturing centres and the drift to these cities for work has led to the rural population decline over the years.

Rob and Yvette drove us to many nearby villages and town, all of which were a delight to explore. We also love to visit the Tre Castelli Winery at Montaldo Bormida, only a couple of kilometres down the road. Here you could taste a variety of local wines and purchase them for ridiculous prices, between 3.10€ and 5.50€ a bottle. We loved the Rose, the Chardonnay and a dry red made from Dolcetto grapes. Actually, we liked everything and became good customers, doing our best to consume enough to keep us going back.

Shopping in Trisobbio itself is limited, with a “Bar” that sells coffee and a few drinks, a small bakery and general store that is really only good for a few emergencies, a pharmacy (every village seems to have one), an excellent restaurant and pizzeria, a post office and a hairdresser. All our real supplies come from Ovada, where a number of different supermarkets provide most things we want. We made occasional trips to the local bar for delicious coffees, where a great cappuccino costs a whole $A2.

Views of Trisobbio

Trisobbio has one amazing restaurant called Antio Torchio Trisobbio that serves a variety of Italian dishes and a great selection of wood fired pizzas. It is set in a 8^th Century Palace that just drips with ambience. Cipriani is a very amiable host and the food is excellent. Even better is the price, with us paying 66€ for four people, which included a bottle of red and a bottle of wine.

Another real bonus is the ready availability of excellent wine at crazy prices. Nearby is the Tre Castelli Cantina that sells an amazingly good selection of wines ranging between 2.5€ and 5€. We did not taste a bad one and we sampled many. The owner is very accommodating and spent a lot of time with us even though we were very small customers in the scheme of things. The Piedmont Region is famous for its wines and locally Dolcetta and Barbarossa grapes are mostly grown for reds with the. Chardonnays also feature, although they are often bottled as “Frizzante” with a light carbonation. It makes for a very pleasant drink. At another winery in Revolta Bormida, we saw a local come in with his 10 litre plastic jerry can and fill it up from a fuel type bowser. It cost him 1.60€ a litre, only slightly dearer than the fuel he used to drive to the winery.

A couple of days after we arrived, Christine began to experience some very painful and debilitating spasms in her lower back. She had been feeling some soreness since all the physical work in Vietnam but this was much worse. I am the one who usually causes a problem with back pain so we were carrying four tablets with enough power to get me by in case of an attack so we started using these for Christine to get her through a night. Rob drove us in to Ovada where she was seen by the emergency department, X-rayed and pronounced free of any skeletal damage. We sort of knew that anyway and just wanted a script for decent pain killers. The best we managed was some Tramadol, which did little to help. On the plus side, we did not have to pay due to a reciprocal health agreement between Italy and Australia. The spasms persisted so we tried the local visiting doctor, who comes to the village once a week. He pronounced the Tramadol useless, gave a script for what we wanted, took our 50€ and waved us on our way. Given a couple of pain free days, Christine’s back soon came good (or at least better). It needed to come good because there was no way I was going to carry both backpacks.

Football days were a source of some frustration. With no telecast we were reliant on the Internet. Rob has a subscription for live feeds but the Internet in Trissobio is very intermittent and so the picture kept freezing or failing altogether, usually just at the crucial moment. We tried running from the wireless router, using the phones and a combination of the above. Somehow, we managed to scrape by but it was always an effort.

Around Piedmont

We explored the nearby towns and villages with Rob and Yvette. A car is essential in this part of the World and without it one would be reliant on the infrequent local bus. A motorbike would be useful in the warmer weather, giving good access to the narrow streets of the villages and making finding parking in the towns easier. Although we saw quite a few cyclists, the very hilly nature of the region rules a bicycle out for me.

The villages perched on a hilltop were the most interesting, because all the houses were forced to crush together in an interesting jumble of stone walls, archways and cobbled laneways. Most had a castle of sorts to add to the interest and all had had a prominent church spire. From Trisobbio, it was possible to look out and see the neighbouring castles of Carpeneto and Morsasco. One can picture the local Lord standing on a balcony in times past glaring across the divide and hurling insults at the Lord across the way.

Churches, churches and more churches. Every village has one and some have two.

The population of these villages has fallen steadily, peaking in 1901 at 1200 people in the case of our village but it does appear that the decline has slow or begun to reverse. Morsasco has a number of modern apartment blocks attached to it, built at a discreet distance so as to not disrupt the charm of the castled centre. In my biased opinion, Trisobbio was the prettiest of the surrounding villages, resembling a fairytale Camelot when viewed from some angles.

Ovada

Ovada was our “go to” location for shopping and train connections. Also, it was a convenient entrance location to the Autostrada so we seemd to head for Ovada at least every second day. As the driver, Rob got to know his way around Ovada very well whereas I just sat in the back and watch the shops go by. In itself, it was an interesting enough town with its bevy of beautiful churches, two rivers, some gorgeous cobbled streets and vibrant markets. It is easy to become blasé and we did, tending to ignore just how pretty Ovada was.

Gavi

Gavi, a fortress town a little further away, was quite a bit bigger and was overlooked by a huge fort dating back to the 14^th Century. A narrow winding road took us up to near the summit where a small door gave access to the castle itself. Unfortunately, the tour times did not suit so we decided to come back on another occasion. Besides, we had seen a restaurant in the town offering a two course meal with wine and coffee for 10€ so a second trip was definitely indicated. On this occasion we contented ourselves with a beautiful gelato in the town square.

On our return, we paid our 5€ for the tour of the fortress and joined a small group. Unfortunately, the guide only spoke Italian but there was sufficient signage in French and English to keep us foreigners happy and informed. The fort had origins dating back to 900AD but the main structures were built in the 1600s and strengthened throughout the 1700s. I have no real understanding of how anyone could attack such an impenetrable bastion an hope to succeed but history shows that it changed hands many times between French, Austrian, Genovese and Sardinian control. In each case, surrender on the order of a nearby load seemed to be the case rather than actual invasion. The fort was used as an internment camp for prisoners of war during both World Wars. In WWII, it housed allied prisoners who had tried unsuccessfully to escape from other camps. One guy, Jack Pringle, managed a famous escape only to be caught again within sight of the border with Switzerland. You can’t help bad luck.

Fort Gavi

The restaurant with the 10€ (A$14) meal proved a real gem. We had a good choice of dishes and enjoyed some very good local Gavi white wine. Given that we were supplied with lashings of excellent bread and good salads as side dishes it went down a real treat and we left with very full stomachs. Where in Australia could you manage that?

Acqui Terme

Acqui Terme is a larger town about 15 kilometres from Trisobbio. Its main claim to fame (and the a marbled edifice. During the Winter, the spring produces clouds of steam that drift throughout the town. The locals come with plastic bottles to take the water, believing it to be good for their health. We visited Acqui Terme on a Tuesday, when street markets occupied several of the main thoroughfares. These markets sported an amazing array of clothing and shoe stalls, all selling quality Italian made goods at crazy prices. Whole racks of coats, shirts and pants were just priced at 5€ each. A beautiful pair of all leather hiking boots caught my attention at 60€ (A$84) a real bargain for Italian made boots. I could have spent some serious money here but the big problem is space. We simply do not have the room to carry any more stuff with us and shipping goods back to Perth is both time consuming and expensive.

We went into one of the many churches in Acqui Terme, a rather plain affair on the outside, but amazingly rich and opulent on the inside. The many supporting columns were made from a gorgeous apricot coloured marble and gold leaf adorned the ornamentation on the pulpit. The sheer magnificence of all the churches we have been into is beyond belief. Centuries of work and collected artistry are on display, the value of which probably can’t be assessed in pure dollar terms.

Alessandria

Alessandria is the capital city of Piedmont and is around 40km north of our village. With a population of just under 100,000, it is not a big city by most standards. A high speed “Autostrada” makes the trip from Ovada north a quick one. We visited on a Monday to take advantage of the markets in the Piazza de Garibaldi, a town square surrounded by colonnaded buildings dating back about a Century or so. The market sold mostly clothes and many cheap buys were on offer. We browsed for a while before wandering through the older parts of the town. Perhaps we are becoming immune to the sight of narrow streets lines with old buildings because we found the city interesting but unspectacular. We stopped off for a 10€ meal at a restaurant, again rather unspectacular by our demanding standards, and headed out of town. Along the way, we saw and followed a series of signs to a citadel, which proved to be worth a visit. It was a large 18^th Century fort with an expansive internal courtyard and it was easy to picture the cavalry troops parading and drilling within its walls. During the turbulent times of the 17^th and 18^th Centuries, it was of supreme importance and changed hands frequently, being attacked by the French, Spanish, Austrians, Russians and almost everyone else.

Sezzadio

Another place we explored was Sezzadio, about 20km north of Trisobbio, to check out a large church Rob and Yvette had seen on a previous drive. The church itself proved to be a bit of a disappointment, very imposing from the outside but quite plain by Italian standards inside. A smaller chapel at the rear was packed with families attending a Palm Sunday service. Everyone carried an olive branch and I wondered if this was because there is a distinct lack of palms in the area. I “confess” to being rather ignorant of church ceremonials.

On the outskirts of Sezzadio, Yvette spied a turn-in to an abbey so we investigated. It turned out to be an old abbey turned into a reception centre. One part of it was an ancient vestibule and crypt dating back to the 8^th Century. The mosaic floor in the crypt was beautiful considering its age and the frescoes covering the walls were fantastic. At some point, all the frescoes were plastered over and the removal of this is only partly completed.

The rest of the abbey is in various states of repair, from crumbling to fully restored. The property was purchased by a family back in about 1980 and the main building was restored to a beautiful condition. We were lucky enough to be allowed to look through the interior and the owner seemed to welcome us as either long lost friends or prospective clients because he speared no effort at explaining things, rather surprising really given that he was awaiting the arrival of 100 guests for a conference. Outside, the grounds were a picture, with beautiful lawns, numerous marquees, shady trees, a pond, swimming pool (rather empty at this time of year) and lashings of ambience.

Conclusion

Trisobbio is off the beaten path for most foreign tourists, although the immediate region enjoys the patronage of Italians in the know. It is a superb food and wine region with wonderful views. We have dearly loved our time here and despite our almost complete lack of language skills have enjoyed the welcoming attitude of the locals. A highlight for us was going down to the local shop and communicating with the lovely woman who runs it via a series of hand signals and gestures, with a smattering of Italian and English words thrown in. Life in the more remote small villages obviously has its down sides for the locals but we found the experience here to be everything we had hoped for.

Frankfurt, Germany – March 2017

April 3, 2017 / terry

Moscow, Russia 27 March 2017

All in all, we had a bad day. It started off OK with a taxi out to Saigon Airport without the usual fight over the fare. We found the check-in for Aeroflot to Moscow only to find the line stretched halfway to Hanoi. Christine had to restrain me after I blocked access to a Russian family running up the line. “We are with our friends,” they claimed, pointing to a couple who had actually reached the line to the counter. “I growled but got the recall from the wife and just stood around looking like an angry Aussie in a sea of Russians.

The flight itself went well, taking off on schedule. The plane was comfortable and we were well catered for in the food department, with two full three course meals and an icecream over the 10 hour flight. Aeroflot plays it safe with alcohol, serving a wine with a meal only and not dishing out loads of free vodka, in fact no spirits at all either free or paying. Perhaps experience has dictated this policy. We watched three new release movies each, more than we usually watch in ten years. A regular check of the flight map suggested that we were taking a zig-zag route to avoid some of the higher mountains to avoid turbulence, a wise move because every time we did get close the turbulence started to cut in. However, as the flight wore on, the deviations started to count and we arrived in Moscow 45 minutes behind schedule.

Exiting the plane gave us around 5 minutes to get to the Frankfurt flight, although I figured it would be unlikely that our luggage would follow. We hit the transfer desk in a state of panic to be told that our flight would go tomorrow. We looked down at our T Shirt and shorts, and across to the windows and the outside world of zero degrees and piles of snow. “It’s OK,” we were assured. “We give you hotel in airport and meals.”

Armed with vouchers for accommodation and meals, we sat down for a while to regroup and log on to the airport Internet so we could inform the Ibis Hotel in Frankfurt that we were no-shows. While we were getting organised, we heard “Last Call for Frankfurt” announced. We hot footed it to Gate 6 and explained the situation. Sure enough, our plane was waiting. However, on checking the documents, it appeared that the deed was done and our luggage had been withdrawn for tomorrow’s flight.

While walking past all the duty free shops in the airport, we figured we would make up for the lack of access to wine in Vietnam over the past two weeks and buy a bottle of duty free Italian wine to drink in the hotel. We didn’t have any Roubles but we managed to use Euros so the deal was done. The room wasn’t available until 10pm so we decided to sit and have a beer in a bar to kill the time and relax. As I took my backpack off, the bottle of wine somehow released itself and crashed to the floor, leaving a large puddle of blood coloured issue to run between the chairs and tables. I’m not sure who was more pissed off, me or the cleaning lady.

As we booked into the hotel, we met another couple who had the same experience as us , being rescheduled for a flight they could have made, except theirs was from Romania and going on to England. We also saw a large group of angry Norway bound passengers who were having to accept that not everyone would even get home tomorrow. I think this will be our one and only Aeroflot experience.

We woke to a spectacular sight. The airport was carpeted with more snow and a light fall continued. In truth, this is the first actual snow fall we have ever seen, our previous encounters with snow being after the event rather than during. The sight of all the ice covered planes was sobering, recalling all those “airtime disaster” docos we have seen that involve ice on the wings. There was no need for worry as the plane visited the de-icing team before take-off and we hit the skies shiny clean and covered in anti-freeze solution.

Snow and ice at Moscow Airport

Frankfurt, Germany 28 March 2017

The arrival into Frankfurt was amazing. The airport is one of the World’s biggest and there were planes, terminals and runway everywhere. Landing on one of the four runways is a bit surreal because one looks out the window at the neighbouring runway flashing by, producing the feeling that the plane is about to miss its landing. Just controlling the taxiing aircraft would be a major job in itself, let alone the take-offs and landings. We taxied around for ages before finally finding our spot to park.

Processing through immigration was very slow, mostly because almost everyone bar us on the plane was Russian and the immigration police spent quite a long time interviewing each person. It was quite fascinating watching them engage people in seemingly casual conversation yet continue to probe about the nature of the visit to the EU. When we finally got to the front, the process was quick with a question about where we were visiting then a cheerful “Have a nice visit.”

We picked up our bags, relieved to see them after the missed flight debacle in Moscow and headed for customs. An ATM just before customs gave us the chance to stock up on Euros, so we took advantage then marched through into Germany, out the front door and straight on to the Terminal 1 transfer bus. Easy! Oh Oh! Christine found she had left a backpack at the ATM, on the other side of the Customs Barrier. I ran through to the door but it could not be accessed in reverse. Images of the bomb squad surrounding the bag ran through our heads before we managed to locate a very nice woman who had the power to take Christine behind the scenes. She emerged victorious, although the fact that the bag was still sitting unattended did upset the helpful woman a tad. It seems it should have been detected by the three customs guys we saw chatting together about 15 metres away.

With all bags in our possession, we re-boarded the shuttle bus, found Terminal 1, found the S-Bahn train to Frankfurt Central then navigated the 700m out of the station and down the road to the Ibis Hotel. The room afforded excellent views across the city and the Main River and the Ibis is very well located to explore the delights of this very pretty city. All around us is an amazing blend of 19^th Century German grandeur and post war utilitarian box architecture. Trams glide across the nearby bridge and people move around with ease on the relatively empty pavements. The city is open enough to provide many excellent vistas, especially further along the river in the main shopping areas where numerous medieval buildings and some glorious churches add character. Most of the medieval buildings are either recreations or reconstructions of the originals, the city being largely destroyed during WWII. These provide a welcome relief from the bland structures of post war development. The more modern sky-scrapers are generally spectacular, and spaced far enough apart to be able to be fully appreciated, with some amazing glass and steel creations. Frankfurt is Germany’s only true high rise city, housing 14 or the 15 sky scrapers in the country.

Frankfurt views. The railway station is one Europe’s largest. The views of the River are from our hotel room.

The weather was perfect, with daytime temperatures in the low 20s, which actually represented unseasonable heat with the daily average maximum for March being around 11°C and the record at 24.7°C. The local population obviously believed in the average because we were the only ones walking in shorts and T-shirt. The rest had jackets, scarves and even beanies. We covered more than 10km of walking each day and just soaked up the visual delights of Frankfurt, as well as the food and drink (goes without saying). Along the way we booked a bus to Genoa, not because we love bus travel, but because the trip was 62€ as against 270€ for the train and over 300€ for a flight.

Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew

Christine found a Birkenstock shop and showed signs of lapsing into a shopping panic before settling down and buying only one pair. We bought some classy thongs from a Croc store and shopped for nibbles in Aldi, which proved to be a bit of a disappointment with fewer choices and lower stock levels than back home in Australia. The clear skies also allowed for a fantastic ever-changing mural in the sky produced by the endless jet-trails as the continual parade of aircraft from all parts of the globe flew far overhead. There are at least eight flights visible at any one time and another two or three local aircraft taking off or landing at Frankfurt Airport.

Note the ever present criss-crossing jet trails.

Frankfurt is very cosmopolitan, with 25% of residents being foreign nationals and 40% from a migrant background. These statistics are certainly reflected in the food on offer, with every type of cuisine being readily available in restaurants and street stalls. Besides the obligatory frankfurt sausage and beer lunch, we ate a few Turkish meals, including a pizza that had decidedly eastern flavours, and sushi. Korean restaurants were also common, with Frankfurt being home to Europe’s largest Korean community.

No stay in Frankfurt would be complete without a frankfurt.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Frankfurt, a delightful and restful city. From here it is a bus trip south to Italy.

Bussing South – 31 March 2017

A Eurolines coach took us from Frankfurt to Munich, via Nuremburg and along seemingly endless motorways. The Germans definitely know how to build these things and how to drive fast on them. The route took us through a large area of forested hills, interspersed with farm lands, light industry, tiny hamlets and the occasional larger town. The villages looked like Lego towns, with quaint little churches and steeply pitched roof lines on the houses. Spring is only just showing itself and most trees are still bare of leaves, giving the forests a stark appearance, except where the pines dominated. The pasture fields were lush and a gorgeous shade of green while preparations are underway for seeding of various crops. Strangely, there was a complete lack of livestock in the areas we drove through.

Travelling to Frankfurt Genoa with views of Nuremburg.

The bus was modern and very comfortable, with a toilet, wifi connection, 240v power outlets and lots of leg room. We were happy about that because the total length of the journey would involve some 17 hours.

The bus left the motorway for a stop in Nuremburg and picked its way through very heavy traffic to the bus station. Nuremburg looks very interesting, with a large walled city forming the core of the central city, still very much intact. It could be worth a visit.

We reached Munich just before 7pm, giving us a three and a half hour wait for the connecting bus to Genoa. One option was to check the bags into a locker and explore the city centre but night was falling so we just opted for dinner at a bus station kebab shop. We tried to buy a couple of beers but were told that we could not buy them if dining in, only with take-aways. It seems that street drinking is the only acceptable way to go. Instead, we were forced to pay 2 euros for a small bottle of mineral water.

Our experience so far suggests that bus ports in Europe are a poor cousin to the train stations, lacking in facilities such as seats and displaying large amounts of rubbish, ugly puddles of various body fluids and groups of very strange looking people. It was like we had already left Germany, with most people speaking a language of Balkan origin. We seemed to be the only people on the bus or at the bus port that weren’t smoking and a pall of cigarette smoke hung over the place. As people prepared to board a bus, they furiously chain smoked to stock up, usually in company with the driver.

The night drive from Munich to Milan was better than we thought it would be and we both managed to get quite a lot of sleep. For some strange reason, we only had one driver so he stopped every hour and a half for a nap, which was a good thing, but added to the length of the trip. It would have been better to have done this part of the trip in daylight because it took us over the Alps, through Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein and into Italy. At times the view out the window showed the lights of a town far below us, sometimes almost straight below us, suggesting a sheer drop on one side. Perhaps it was better that we couldn’t see. Sometimes, the bus stopped at a roadhouse, a good chance to stretch the legs. Unfortunately, hitting the cold air turned our thoughts to the toilet and all the places seemed to charge exorbitant fees for toilets. They ranged from .50€ to 1€ (75c to 1.25) and over the course of the trip we racked up a bill of around 6€ just for going to the toilet. This was crazy seeing as there was a toilet on the bus but somehow the urge never took us while actually moving.

Once in Milan, and facing the final couple of hours, the driver suddenly singled us out as going to Genoa, rather than the final destination of Nice and made us swap to another bus. This one was full to overflowing and we had to squeeze our way to the back seat. The route took us across the Po River floodplain, with beautiful views to the snow covered Alps in the distance, before winding up and over the Ligurian Appenines to Genoa. When we bought our ticket we were offered two drop off points in Genoa and we opted for Via Fanti d’Italia because it was next to the main rail station. Instead, we were ejected, after much protesting, at the Piazza del Vittoria. So we loaded up our packs and walked the streets before finding someone whole direct us to Brignole Station. Fortunately, it was not as far as we had feared and we made it in one piece, purchased tickets for Ovada and got ourselves an Italian Vodaphone SIM card. Then it was onto the train for the last hour and a bit of our long journey.

As promised, Rob and Yvette were at the station to greet us and introduce us to Trisobbio, our home for the next three weeks or so. After so much preparation and high expectations, it was wonderful to finally join the Piscicellis and commence the Italian part of our trip.

Paris Revisited 2012

August 7, 2012 / terry

Click here for a video of our time in Paris

1^st August – Zurich to Paris

The train trip to Paris lacked the interest of the trip into Zurich and certainly lacked the comfort of the trips to date. The train was a fast one, reaching speeds of up to 320km/hr, but we had 2^nd Class seats which were cramped and the carriage was somewhat on the warm side. The train was packed, and there was a lot of changeover of passengers at the regional stations such as Dijon. We were close to one end and the continual flow of people going out to the toilet or wandering through the train meant we kept losing what cool air there was coming from the air conditioner.

The scenery was nothing special, mostly mixed agricultural fields with only the odd small hamlet or chateau to break the monotony. Although the trip was only four hours, flying may have ben a better option this time.

Once in Paris, we chose to walk from Gare de Lyon to the Hotel Jardin de Cluny in the Latin Quarter. On paper, this is not such a bad walk and we figured that since much of it would be along the river, the paths would be wide and smooth. How wrong. We came to regret our decision as the path kept running out, the surface was the most broken and uneven we’d found in Paris and we constantly had to run the gauntlet of suicidal cyclists on the shared cycle ways/footpaths. By the time we were really fed up, it was too late to change our minds.

Eventually, we arrived hot and tired at the hotel, a cute little place called Best Western Le Jardin de Cluny beautifully located just off St Germain Blvde. There are lots of eateries around at a fair price and the even cheaper tourist areas of the latin quarter are a mere 5 minutes away.

The beautiful 12th Century St Severin church, close to our hotel

We soon settled in to a spot on the street to wash the dust down and criticise everyone who walked past, one of our favourite pastimes. For dinner, we chose to eat at a Chinese place next to the hotel because it was cheap and convenient.

2^nd August Paris

Armed with our list of things that we had missed out on the first time in Paris, we set out to tick off some more “must see” spots. The first stop was to be the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs D’Elysee, the most recognised attraction in Paris after the Eiffel Tower. This should have been very straight forward with the Metro station close by but we found that a stretch of Metro is currently closed for maintenance so we faced a bit more walking than we had bargained on. We ended up walking across the bridges to the other side of the river and catching a Metro at Chatelet up to Charles de Gaulle Etoile, emerging right on the World’s most horrific roundabout.

This is a piece of traffic madness, with no less than twelve avenues converging into one ring. We stood and watched near miss after near miss. I have no idea how people can possible drive and navigate under these conditions.

Right in the middle of the madness stands the glorious Arc de Triomphe, a monument to Napoleon’s victories and built in 1806. Fortunately, a tunnel gives access to the centre of the circle so we didn’t have to scamper across the road. It’s pretty certain we wouldn’t have made it. Close up, the Arch is even more impressive and the list of victories and names of Napolean’s generals reads like a history book. Beneath the Arch, the poignant “Eternal Flame of the Unknown Soldier” burns, remembering those killed on the fields of France in the Great War. While we have seen many Triumphal Arches around Europe, none compares with this, although even this one is actually a copy of the Arch of Titus in Rome.

From the Arc de Triomphe, we walked the length of the Champs D’Elysee to the Place de la Concorde. This wonderful tree lined avenue is a feature in its own right, filled with top shelf shops and fashion stores, and many eating establishments. The crowds were incredible, with tables filled for the lunch time break and tourists out and about in force.We did our bit to help the French economy by have a hot dog from a road-side stall. At least we can say we stopped to eat in the Champs D’Elysee.

From there, we crossed the Seine again to walk to the Museum D’Orsay, home of the art collection of the Impressionists and Post Impressionists. This collection is housed in what was originally built as a railway station but was found too small for modern trains and fell into disuse by 1930. It may not have made the grade as a rail station but it is a very beautiful building in its own right and a superb art gallery. The high arching roof encompasses and enormous floor area, and this was used to good effect for housing a huge collection of sculptures. We wandered through the various galleries, featuring works from Gaugin, Monet, van Gogh, Rembrandt and scores of other famous artists. Just as in the Louvre, priceless works of art are in abundance and just hanging on walls, all within touching distance of the visitors. It is such a vast collection that we found it hard to really do justice to it, especially with exhaustion setting in.

From the Museum, we continued our walk along the river. Twice, we were amused by gypsy women who magically “found” a gold ring on the pavement right in front of our eyes. This neat little scam is one where the girls finds the ring just as you approach and she asks you whether it is yours. Regardless, she offers it to you “for good luck”, then proceeds to offer a sob story about not having eaten for a day or so and needing a similar donation “for good luck”. The ring, of course, is rubbish. We were able to burst out laughing on each occasion and watch them scurry away looking silly. We came across lots more. There was the “blind man” who had got himself trapped between a wall and a guard rail and couldn’t find his way out with his cane. We ignored him, walked past, then I suddenly turned around to catch him looking at us. There was the old crippled lady who could barely stand, the shaking limbs rendering her helpless. She somehow managed to pass us in the space of half a kilometre and re-appear in a new location. The awful thing is, that like prostitution, these people are actually under the control of pimps and minders, the real villains. The fact that they continue to thrive is only because their work is profitable.

For dinner, we hung out in the Latin Quarter streets for a bit then found a nice Italian spot for some incredibly good bruchetta and ravioli.

3^rd August Paris

After breakfast, it was down to the Metro to catch a ride across town to the RER, the regional train to Versailles. With our stretch of the Metro closed, we needed a bus for part of the journey, then it was onto the train at Invalides for the half hour trip to Versailles. After extensive searching on the Internet, we decided to actually book a tour of Versailles. Although it is a lot cheaper ($18 each) to just do it yourself, the lines are very long and a tour promises a special entrance and the chance to skip the lines. Some tours are up to 30 people, so we paid more ($60 each) to join a group of no more than 10. It proved to be money well spent. The lines into the palace were a good hundred metres long, if not more, and moving quite slowly due to the exhaustive security scanning on entry.

The gardens at Versailles

We met our guide “Aisson” and teamed up with another group of three Aussies from Sydney to begin our tour. After the short walk to the palace itself, we headed to the gardens, enormous formal affairs covering some 800 acres and Louis XIV’s pride and joy. The floral displays were absolutely stunning and the statues and water features on a huge scale but it was the overall grandeur and scope of the grounds that makes the Versailles Gardens so special. Long avenues radiate out from the palace, some containing carefully manicured shrubs and trees while others were more water oriented, such as the Grand Canal that Louis created to ferry guests around to the accompaniment of fireworks displays. During the reigns of Louis XIV and XV, the gardens were the playground of the aristocracy and a showcase of French superiority.

From the gardens we added a couple from Indiana to our little group and entered the palace proper, avoiding the line by using a special booked tours gate. We did have a short wait, but occupied ourselves by admiring the stunning exterior architecture of the palace and the abundance of gold leaf embellishments. The way it presents today is not actually as spectacular as it would have been prior to the French Revolution, when most of the gold and many of the statues of past Kings were removed. Restoration programs run continuously, aiming at replicating what is known of the original building.

The Hall of Mirrors, Versailles

Once inside, we began a dazzling tour of chamber after chamber, most featuring incredible artworks on walls and ceilings. Everywhere was crowded but Aisson was quite brilliant at finding space and moving us through the throng with ease. We each had a radio powered earpiece so we could hear her from where ever we were, allowing us to wander around a room a bit and still keep track of her commentary. It was really informative, particularly the insight into life for the royals of the 18^th Century and the way in which they tried to manage their official duties and private lives.

Once again, much was destroyed in the Revolution, Louis and Marie Antoinette’s beds being a particular target, but the replicas are said to be very carefully researched copies, faithful to the design and materials of the times. One absolute highlight was the famed Hall of Mirrors, an incredible reception hall filled with crystal chandeliers and mirrors, created in an age when any mirror was a rare and prized object. Incredibly, there are modern sculptures dotted around both inside and out, all created by one woman. While a giant pair of shoes created exclusively with stainless steel pots and pans or a hanging rotating heart formed from a massive collection of plastic cutlery may be all very interesting and enthralling, why anyone would consider placing these works in the Palace of Versailles is totally beyond me. People do some silly things in the name of art.

Eventually, we both reached the stage of being completely overwhelmed with chambers, anti-chambers and state rooms and were very glad that the tour finally finished. Three hours was probably enough, even though we could have opted for a further visit to Marie Antoinette’s farm, a play farm that she set up to entertain her guests with perfumed sheep and manicured vege gardens., or a look around the Prince’s quarters. Acres of gardens remained to explore. Instead, we chose a baguette and a beer at a local boulangerie. Versailles and all its glory is definitely not to be missed. Who knows, we may one day return to explore further.

Our last afternoon in Paris was an exciting one, spent doing the washing at a nearby laundromat. In reality, this meant chucking all the wash in and going down the street to a little pub for a beer. What other way is there? There are quite a few sights left unseen, but we feel we have done fairly well in our two short visits to Paris. Monmartre and Sacre-Couer was missed (not sure why) and neither the climb up the Eiffel Tower, nor seeing it lit up at night ever eventuated. Oh well!

4^Th August Paris to KL

We left the hotel at 8:15am to get to the airport for a 12 o’clock flight, not bad we thought. As it happened, we had a bare 20 minutes of sitting around at the airport before boarding. The wait for trains seemed endless, and the procedures at the airport even worse. The line for our flight was terribly long when we arrived, although we were able to skip through to Business Class. After that, we headed for the lounge, but took so long to find it because it was poked away on the 10^th level down several corridors and with a door that poorly marked. After a quick drink, we had to shoot off again, down the lift and start the security thing. It seems like every time we go through a check it gets worse, this time we needed not only laptops out but cameras. Even passports had to go through scanners. The woman wanted me to remove my belt, until I finally convinced her that plastic belts don’t count. Of course, they had lots of scanners around but only one or two actually operated so the whole thing was a nightmare. Then they boarded us at 11:20, which was terrific because the plane finally climbed into the sky at 12:30. This represents a mere 4 hours and 15 minutes from leaving the hotel to lift off. This is why we like train travel.

Farewell Europe! We leave much wiser and much more confident about travelling around this varied and complex continent. In hindsight, we didn’t make too many poor choices along the way although we are now in a much better position to travel here again. Next time, it will be longer stays in fewer locations, with more self catering. We may even learn to drive without messing our undies.

Zurich 2012

August 7, 2012 / terry

Click here for a video of our time in Zurich

30 July Vienna to Zurich

The train journey from Vienna to Zurich was a highlight of our trip so far. The section from Innsbruk to Zurich took us through the Alberg Pass, at a heights of around 1200 to 1800 metres, with marvellous peaks around us to 3000 metres. It was hard to know which side of the train to look out of, such was the changing nature of the vista as the train rounded bends or emerged from tunnels.

It was not only the mountains that made the scenery so appealing, but also the beautiful tiny hamlets dotted along the way, set on rolling meadows of brilliant green grass. The snow on the mountains had long since melted, it largely disappearing by end of May, but it hardly mattered. We kept pointing out tiny settings that looked like a scene from Heidi, complete with goats, a cow and Grandfather sitting out the front. Near Salzburg, we scanned the rolling hills for a glimpse of Maria spiralling down the hillside singing. It was a gorgeous trip.

We had a three person section of the Business Class carriage to ourselves, not quite a compartment, but a walled off area. This came as a bit of a surprise, because we only had 1^st Class tickets but we’d been allocated the better seats. The seats were expansive and comfortable, although the recline was a bit tough to manage at times. Railjet promised WiFi Internet on the Western bound Austrian trains but it didn’t seem to materialise, which was a shame because we find that being able to research what we see as we go along a distinct advantage.

The adjoining compartment housed three Swiss guys who were travelling to a town about an hour from Zurich. This meant that of the eight hours we were on the train, we had the pleasure of their loud talk and laughter for seven. We considered asking them to “Shutituppenforawhilen”. The really annoying thing is we found ourselves listening in on their conversation , even though we couldn’t understand any of it.

Zurich Station is huge and very busy. It is a major hub for Central Europe, a fact that surprised me given the mountainous nature of the access routes. It took us quite a bit to actually find our way out of the station, through a heavy crowd of people all going about their business. Once outside, the traffic was also heavy, with the evening knock-off starting. Nothing really seemed to rush however, and cars, trolley buses, trams, bikes and pedestrians seemed to coexist amicably. Crossing busy intersections requires full attention, because it may be that the one green light or crosswalk will cross three different transport systems. At one point, I failed to look and walked in front of a tram. Much to my relief, it simply stopped for me. Later, we found that even trams give way to pedestrians in the central city areas. Amazing!

We had only two streets to cross and a short walk to our hotel, the quirky little Hotel du Theatre. We had a small but comfortable room on the top floor of five, that proved to be a small room in an attic. Although well appointed and modern, we both (even Christine) needed to take care to not hit our head on the low sloping ceilings in places, including the shower. However, it is right in the very best location in Zurich, amongst the nightlife and eateries, not to mention the more colourful females on the streets at night. It seems that street prostitution is legal in Switzerland, leading to a lot of women from poorer parts of Europe coming for the pickings. Currently, Hungarian women make up some 85% of the trade. Although we (I) didn’t have any problems on the streets, the local hotels are starting to get a bit sick of the situation.

The cost of living in Zurich makes Venice look cheap. At least tourist areas in Venice charge an arm and a leg because they can whereas everywhere in Zurich charges impossible prices because they haveto. Looking around the nearby restaurants and cafes quickly made us realise that eating out was off the agenda. So, it was off to the supermarket to see what was on offer. The first thing that struck us was that everything was very expensive here too. Manageable, but dear. A small raw chicken cost $A16, a small pieces of ordinary looking beef was $A40/kg. Most things were priced per 100g. The cheap European wines that we have experienced all over were replaced with lots of $A20 and $A30 bottles, although we could have slummed it with a $9 Jacob’s Creek.

Fortunately, the high cost of cafes meant that the supermarkets catered well for the pre-prepared meal set and we were able to buy some lovely cooked fish, potato gratin and salad to take back to the hotel. The quality of the food was excellent, and we made up a lovely meal with a beer and wine for around $15, about the cost of one cheap entree in an average restaurant.

31 July Zurich

I awoke to find the curse of the sore throat had descended. A day in bed was hardly an option, given that the delights of Zurich awaited, but we still moved slowly.

We had a circuit of the river mapped out, picking up the main sights and taking us to Lake Zurich, where a trip on a river boat was in order. The walk through the streets was absolutely charming, with mostly old buildings but interspersed with a scattering of tastefully built modern structures. There was the usual mix of churches, meeting halls and Government buildings dating back as far as the 9^th Century. The flamboyance of Vienna was absent, with many buildings showing the austerity of the Reformation or the pragmatism of the German merchants who were so dominant in this part of the World during the 17^th and 18^th Centuries.

We came across one supermarket that catered so well for pre-prepared foods that one floor was devoted to take-aways and tables and chairs were provided both inside and out for people to eat. Needless to say, the backpacker brigade was out in force having breakfast, most other offerings on the streets needing $20 as a starting fee.

Having reached Lake Zurich, we bought a ticket on a public transport river boat that would take us on an hour and a half circuit of the closer part of the lake. While we were waiting, we watched a beautiful old paddle steamer leave the dock, puffing steam through old reciprocating engines and pistons. It would have been nice to be on it, but it was bound for the full circuit, taking over four hours and costing $50 a head.

Our boat was less glamourous, but still very comfortable and slid almost silently across the dead calm waters of the lake. Only 390,000 people live in Zurich proper, while another 1.2 million live in the surrounding area. Zurich has the highest rate of public transport use in the World (it hasn’t helped keep the price down) and lake transport plays a part in this. We had a fantastic time, admiring the features along the river as we came in to each stop. If these are the suburbs of Zurich, it is a paradise, and it is little wonder that it was voted the World’s most liveable city four years running from 2002 to 2006. It was like everyone gets to live in Peppermint Grove. Wonderful houses lined the lake, most with private boat houses. Those less blessed could take advantage of the hundreds of small yacht clubs and marinas lining the shores. Swimming beaches or baths drawing on lake water are common, with the fresh water allowing beautiful parkland to extend right up to the water’s edge. The number of people swimming and sunbathing suggested the water was not too cold.

Once back in Zurich, we set off on the other side of the river to wander back to the hotel. This side of the river was mostly retail, and high brow retail at that. There was hardly a store that we’d even think of walking into in shorts and sandals. Christine did stop to window shop in the Prada store and priced an ugly $490 top, with matching ugly $600 skirt and complementing ugly $1025 jacket. Thank goodness her birthday was over. Every now and then we would deviate off the main drag and wander through a tiny back street, each one a beautiful setting in its own right.

The sore throat took its toll and we headed home to rest up. In my case, that meant sinking into a very deep sleep, to emerge later feeling distinctly better. Once again, we used the supermarket to eat. We are living in the colourful part of town so I wasn’t surprised when I saw three or four ladies of the night assembled as we walked back to the hotel. I was surprised, however, when I got a proposition from one while walking with my wife and carrying a pizza. Did she really think I’d forgo a pizza?

We ate dinner in front of the TV, watching more Olympics. We are starting to hanker for some English commentary so we can find out why the Aussies are doing so badly. All we get is lots of blond haired commentators saying “Deshalb ist unser Team wie Scheiße”.

Afterwards, we headed out into the evening to sample the nightlife but it was strictly a “look and don’t touch approach”, which means we watched other people eat terribly expensive food, listened to bands without paying and held hands when we passed women of ill-repute.

1 August Zurich

Our train to Paris was scheduled for 1:30pm, giving us the morning to explore more of Zurich. The hotel offered a free bike hire using a third party hire group, but we failed to locate it, the promised location seeming overly quiet. In fact it dawned on us that everything was extremely quiet for 9am and it soon became obvious that Zurich was having a holiday. Apparently, it was a National Day and everything closes up. We seem to be good at locating the holidays of Europe.

We opted for a walk in a lovely park instead and came across a small group of guys dressed in 19^th Century infantry gear and holding bayonet equipped muskets. They were accompanied by a brass band and seemed to be getting ready for some kind of parade for the National Day festivities.

We watched with interest as they went through their drill, loaded the muskets and fired off a couple of very loud volleys. It was all good fun.

The park followed the river for some distance and we watched a couple of guys fishing from a bridge, catching a beautiful silvery fish with red fins. It as immediately despatched and put into the bag so it must have been edible. Here the river is the Limmat, flowing out of Lake Zurich. We came across a large weir, controlling the water levels and ensuring that the Limmen and Lake Zurich maintain optimum water levels for transport and swimming. The water in the river was a very pleasant temperature and several swimming spots are set up within the city itself. Somehow, I’d never imagined bikini clad girls trotting around in the middle of land-locked Switzerland but it seems swimming is a big part of the hot Summer months here.

We wandered back through the deserted streets, sauntered across the deserted roads and spent an hour or so resting up before checking out of the hotel. Zurich has left us both surprised and impressed. It is nothing like we imagined and certainly does not give the appearance of the financial capital of Europe. The place is almost like a giant Lego town, perfect in every detail. No rubbish, no broken pipes, no roads under repair… it just works. But, it all comes at a cost.

Vienna 2012

August 3, 2012 / terry

Click here for a video of our time in Vienna

28 July Vienna

The train trip from Budapest to Vienna was only three hours, on a comfortable and reasonably fast RailJet train. We had 1^st Class tickets, giving more leg room and only a 2 + 1 seat configuration rather than the more cramped 2+2. It cruises along at up to 160km/hr, although seemed so slow frequently to cater for the large number of trains on the line and stopped at around six regional stations. There was no border control into Austria, both countries being part of the borderless Europe arrangements. We spent a bit of time in the dining car, spending up our Hungarian Florints before returning to the Euro Zone.

From Westbahnhof station, we caught a Metro to our hotel, the Am Konzerthaus. The greeting was very friendly and the room quite beautiful, although it lacked the wonderful view of the room in Budapest. Once unpacked, we set off armed with maps and a few ideas of where to go to get some sight-seeing under our belt. Our current itinerary of two nights in each city is quite wearing, and despite coming fresh off a train, we had to push ourselves to move on.

Our first target was the old part of the city, walking down through the Stadtpark on the way. This is a large park area that is very popular with Viennese, particularly on weekends, and there were a lot of people out enjoying the sun. A minor canal traverses the park, part of the system created in medieval times to guard against flooding by the Danube. We stopped for the obligatory photo of the statue of Johan Strauss, who used to perform in a theatre on the edge of Stadtpark.

Statue of Johan Strauss in Stadtpark

As we pushed on through the city, we became increasingly disappointed, finding things to be rather boring after the beauty of other cities. This was not the Vienna we’d expected, the grandeur being displaced by numerous plain post-war buildings or moderate sized modern glass and steel creations that lacked a lot in style or imagination. The streets were quiet, almost deserted in places, and it was only Saturday afternoon. We wondered just how quiet things could get on the Sunday.

Heilegenkreuzerh

Once in the old city proper, we discovered a few old buildings of interest, including the Jesuitenkirche, a 17^th Century Jesuit Church, and the quaint Heilegenkreuzerhof, a collection of shops, apartments and courtyards that date back to the 12^th Century, with most coming from the 17^th Century. In one spot, we stopped to read the tale of a famous minstrel from times past who fell asleep on the road after a heavy night and was mistakenly picked up by the plague patrol (“Bring out yur dead!”). He awoke to find himself in the common grave and had to dig himself out, living on with celebrity status to a ripe old age. It sounded like a scene from Monty Python’s Holy Grail.

We emerged from the narrow old streets onto the ring road, known in Vienna as the Ringstrasse. This beautiful wide avenue encircles the main central city, and is built on land that was once the city walls. It provides, roads, tram lines, bike paths and pedestrian paths, along with numerous eating areas. It is the life blood of the city.

We decided that no visit to Vienna could be complete without a good feed from a “Wurstel Stall”. These wonderful stalls sell various type of sausage, either Frankfurter types, usually served hot-dog style in a bun, or Wurst types served cut into small pieces and accompanied by heavy brown bread. We ordered a Curry Wurst and a Brat Wurst with Mustard, both big fat smokey sausages. The curry one was covered in Ketchup, Dijonnaise and sprinkled with curry powder. Washed down with a German Pilsener, it was extremely good, if not devastating for the waist line. Only two sausages between us was very filling.

The walk back to the hotel seemed extremely long, probably because we were close to collapse from exhaustion. Trams stream by along almost every street but we had no knowledge of their route or how to pay so we just walked and walked. A supermarket broke our journey, to stock up on a few bits and pieces for a meal in and we hit the room for an early collapse. Later, somewhat refreshed, we had a light dinner and settled down to watch some Olympics, not understanding the German commentary but enjoying it anyway. In fact, given the drivel that most sports commentators produce, a foreign language is a good way to go.

29 July Vienna

After some solid research on the Internet to target the best sights, we set off after breakfast to see the best of Vienna. We headed for the Vienna Opera House on the Ring Strasse to buy a ticket on the “Yellow Line Tram”. This is a tourist tram that runs on a continuous circuit of the Ring Strasse, allowing a hop-on hop-off approach and providing a multi-language commentary via headphones. It cost us 14€ each, but also gave us unlimited travel on any public transport. While we waited, we were able to admire the beauty of the Opera House, a huge stone structure that has seen some of the great performers of the World over the Centuries.

The Vienna Opera House

First, we did the complete circuit, to see what was on offer and to learn a few basic facts. It was soon obvious that the beautiful city we’d missed the previous day was there before us. What a lovely place, well worthy of its great reputation. After a full circuit, we went on again for one further stop to alight at the Burggarten, a magnificent garden on the Southern side of the Hofburg. The Hofburg was the palace of the Hapsburgs, the long standing Royal family that ruled much of Europe throughout the 18^th and 19^th Centuries. The palace did all royals proud, a huge grand structure, extensively adorned with sculptures. The Burggarten parklands set off the grandeur of the building perfectly and there were art students seated all around sketching delightful scenes. While we were wandering, the church bells rang out, calling the people to Sunday mass. For the first time in my life I regretted not being into Sunday mass, because in this case, the Vienna Boy’s Choir often sings.

Wandering around to the Northern side of the palace took us into an enormous square in which a number of tour groups congregated, on foot, using bicycles, Segways or even in horse drawn carriages. It was a picture of tourist heaven. Across the road, another huge square sported a huge memorial to Empress Maria Theresa, one of the best known of the Hapsburg rulers. The entire area simply reeked of power and riches. It must have been an incredibly exciting place in the late 18^th Century.

The Hapsburg Palace

We strolled through to the Volks Garten, or People’s Garden, which promised an extensive rose collection, but we were disappointed and decided that modern rose varieties are actually a big improvement on the old ones. We caught a tram again from a stop outside the Austrian Parliament. This building is really so ugly it is magnificent, having been built in 1874 in a Greek Revival style with huge frontal columns, loads of statues and a huge statue of the Goddess Athena dominating the front courtyard. It captures the eye, but then assaults the senses.

The Daunaukanal

Back on the tram for to a change of venue took us to the area alongside the main Danube Canal or Donaukanal. This is a large arm of the Danube that was regulated in 1598. It showed a significant water flow but had little else to recommend it. It was hardly “The Blue Danube”, in fact the Danube does not even exist as an actual river around here and the water flowing through the various canals had a very distinct grey shade to it. Damn! Another piece of romance shattered!

Maria Theresa Plaza – a memorial to the great Austrian Empress

One poignant point of interest was the site of the former Hotel Metropol, used by the Gestapo as headquarters between 1938 and 1945. It was hit by a bomb and burned to the ground in 1945, the ruins being torn down after the war to erase the memory. The land remains empty as a reminder. A small but tragic memorial remembers those victims of the Gestapo, a small cairn of granite blocks taken from the quarry at the former concentration camp at Mathausen. It was a moving piece of empty land in an otherwise built-out city.

We wandered through to the Wurstel stall we’d sampled yesterday and indulged in another feed of delicious Austrian Sausage. It is so good. I know that this type of snack would really take off in pubs around Perth but then it probably wouldn’t cost 10€ for two plates and two pints either.

Then it was back on the tram to get back to the hotel area for a rest and a toilet break. Toilets have been very hard to find in Vienna, almost to the point of being non-existent. In Budapest, they were common but all wanted 50-100HUF to “spend a penny”. This was OK because they were staffed. Here, the only stop we found was in the Volks Garten and it wanted 0.50€ in a coin slot. It only took correct change and we didn’t have any 50c coins. Some enterprising woman had jammed the door open with a toilet roll so Christine was catered for but I had no such luck. I was just thinking of ducking in with Christine when two other women came along and I chickened out. By the time I’d had two sausages and a pint of beer, I was ready to go back to the hotel for a blessed relief.

We slept well for a bit, then headed out once more to find a supermarket hopefully to buy a prepared salad for our dinner. We were amazed to find that the local large supermarket was closed up, along with all the shops and even most of the restaurants. Sunday is ultra-dead day in Vienna. It seems the Sunday trading debate is not even an issue, it just doesn’t happen. It was then that we realised that we hadn’t seen any of the small local grocers that seem so prevalent in other cities and, in fact, the only place to buy a salad of any kind was MacDonalds. We drew the line at that, and went back to the hotel, paying double the MacDonalds price but keeping our self respect.

In the evening, we had a concert booked, mainly because one can’t be in Vienna without hearing a good waltz or a bit of Mozart played. We cast aside the usual shorts and T-shirts for long trousers and something a bit more dressy and, as we trotted down the hall to the lift, Christine remarked that we scrubbed up quite well considering. I agreed with her, although I did think that her blouse was ageing and had faded a bit, I wisely didn’t say anything. Once into the lift, I saw it was inside out and I at least was kind enough to tell her so we could go back up in the lift. She did admit that if I’d waited, I would have been dead.

The Kursalon – home to the Strauss brothers

The concert was in the Kursalon, the famous music hall built in 1865 and the scene of many of the Strauss brothers triumphs. The program featured many well known pieces from Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Some brilliant arias from Mozart’s operas or Strauss’s operettas were performed by a tenor and a soprano, while a pair of ballet dancers interpreted some of the Strauss pieces. The acoustics were outstanding, the performance from the small chamber group perfect and the night exceptionally good, one of the best musical performances we’ve experienced anywhere. Quality certainly shows. We were both very sorry when the program ended.

What a wonderful concert!

As we walked the short distance back to the hotel, people could be seen leaving the various concert halls in the areas, with a night of music obviously being a big thing in Vienna. When there is so much on hand, why not? Despite the reputation for being top of the classical music scene, Vienna is obviously a favoured location for other music genres as well, with posters advertising forthcoming appearances by Madonna, Jethro Tull, Tom Jones, Eric Burdon and a string of others.

30^th July Vienna to Zurich

Christine’s Birthday! I got her an all expenses trip to Zurich.

First she had to cart her luggage down to the Metro, work through to Westbahnof station with a change of tubes, then find her carriage. Not a bad present really.

We leave Vienna with mixed feelings. It is a very beautiful city with lots of interesting history. However, it can be quite difficult to live in as a tourist, with clear information quite difficult to access. The level of English signage or explanation is the worst of any city we have encountered and people seem somewhat distant. Added to the fact that nothing seems to be ever open, we struggled at times to really enjoy things. While waiting for our train, I wandered off to buy a fridge magnet to add to our little collection. You would think this to be a simple chore in a large rail station but I walked around for ages. Finally, outside the station and down the street, I spied a sign in English saying “Souvenirs” so I took off, crossed two sets of lights and made my way to the shop. It was closed, the door sign indicating that it only opens from 6pm to 9pm, except on Saturdays when it opens 8am to 11am. You would need a big mark-up to make a living. The Viennese certainly value their leisure time.