Heading Home

Well all good things come to an end. Singapore went by very quickly, we had a late breakfast and then headed down to Orchard Rd for some of the usual, from there we went to Bugis St for more of the same, the recovery program included a Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel one drink for the price of four great value considering the surroundings. After all that we went back to our Motel for a quick shower before heading to the Airport to wander around for six hours and do some more, you guessed it shopping. This could be Jamie's last shopping trip before Xmas. any way this is more or less our last blog. It has been fun trying to keep everyone up to date and we thank our loyal followers.

Thanks to all who assisted and gave advice during our trips and to those we met in our travels for their pleasant company.

All the best.

JJJI

Hampshire to Singapore

Another catch up blog, we have been so busy sightseeing and revisiting the places from Jill's childhood, that by the time we get back to Christine's & Michael's have a couple of drinks before tea, then enjoy more of Christine's wonder full cooking, the blog seems to have fallen behind.

But here we go the story so far.

Tuesday the 22nd.

We decided not to go to far afield and first up we went for a stroll around to Jill's old house which was about a kilometre from C&M's with all the time Jill gushing about how wonderful the area was.

We arrived home from there and drove through to Petersfield Lake and took a stroll around there, then it was off to the Red Lion Hotel, a traditional thatched roof English Country Hotel where we dined on some roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and other fine meals.

We left the Red Lion and it was time for the boys revenge, as M&C took us to the B&O store which is the equivalent to Bunnings. Once inside the boys systematically went down each aisle and compared price and quality of each product. But alas we could of spent whole days in there and the girls would still have the edge in retail hours spent. From there we went to a local lookout and enjoyed an ice cream in the lovely English Sunshine as we enjoyed the view of Portsmouth and surrounding area.

After this grueling schedule it was time to go home for evening drinks and some fine food.

Wednesday the 23rd.

We got up a bit earlier as this was our last day and we still had a busy agenda.
After breakfast we set of for Chichester where we had a canal boat ride booked.
We boarded the boat at 10.30 am and enjoyed a lovely morning cruising down the canal.

The Canal was opened in 1822 and was able to take ships up to 100 tons it serviced Portsmouth Harbour and surrounding areas. The canal fell into disrepair after the advent of Steam Trains. It is currently maintained by the Chichester Canal Preservation Society who also run the canal boat rides. They do a great job maintaining a important part of England's History.

After the boat ride we stayed in in Chichester for some more retail adventures then it was of to the Chichester Cathedral for lunch. From there we went back to C&M's to tidy up our last minute packing, we watched England scrape into the next round of World Cup.

Our cab arrived at 5.00 pm to take us to Heathrow Airport.

This was a sad moment for Jill as it was time to say goodbye to her family. It was sad for the rest of us as well, because we had all enjoyed our stay with Christine Michael Sue & Barbara and it was unanimously agreed that it was the icing on the cake of a great holiday. We also thank Christine & Michael for taking us into their home and for being such wonderful hosts.

We arrived at Heathrow around 6.10 checked in for our flight which departed 10.10 pm Wednesday, once through immigration we wandered around the busy airport, trying to expend some energy before the long flight.

We arrived in Singapore at 6.20 Thursday evening it was not a bad flight as we all slept for around 5 hours. We arrived at the Furama Hotel about 7.30, checked into our upgraded executive rooms ( We also were given a 4.00 pm Checkout Bonus ) freshened up then went out for our evening meal at an Italian Restaurant on Clark Quay.

More Singapore to Follow.


JJJI

Portsmouth

Ahoy me hearties, well we had a lovely day out at the Portsmouth historic docklands. At least 6 hours is needed to cover the site which includes Nelsons Victory, the Warrior the first steel hulled warship the Mary Rose which is currently undergoing refurbishment also a boat trip around the Solent including the naval dockyards was included. The day also included some shopping in the outlet stores of Portsmouth and for the boys a trip up the Millennium Spinnaker for some splendid views of the area. Back home for dinner and good company and chat. Another great day and another late night. PS weather warm and sunny!

Hampshire

Sunday the 20th June.

Total bliss, we all had a nice sleep in to around 8 am, the first one in three weeks.
We sat around chatting and had a leisurely breakfast, no one was in a hurry to get moving as we had decided to have a quiet day and just take in a few local sights, rather than going to Portsmouth Harbour on what would be a busy day ( Fathers Day in UK ). So when we finally got moving around 11 am then ventured out to Butser Hill which is in the south downs and the highest point of land for some distance, we had wonderful views to the coast and around the district. We then went to do some grocery shopping for tea, then on to Stansted House which is a stately mansion on the border of West Sussex and Hampshire. It is staffed by volunteers that show you life as it was in the time of the gentry. What everyone found particularly interesting was that all the servants working gear was still laid out and explained by the Volunteers, so you got a real idea of life as it was. They had a copy of an old Census which showed five family members and 25 servants in attendance not a bad ratio, our kids have not even got it that good.

We then returned home for afternoon tea ( Gill was presented with a lovely birthday cake ) We sat around and had a few drinks with Sue and Barbara ( the mothers ) and then met M & C neighbour's Wendy & Stephen who were very entertaining.

It was then time for tea another lovely meal prepared by Christine & Michael we all feel very spoiled.

Catch up Blog

Sorry to fall so far behind in our blog, we were unable to get Internet in Cardiff and on the Saturday we did not reach Christine's & Michael's until 9.00 pm. The story so far.
Friday we set of to catch the Ferry to Rosslare which was about an 1 hour drive but we still had to get up early and be on the bus by 7.00 a.m. We sat on the ferry for about 4 hours and it was a very smooth ride then we were back on the bus again and we drove to a quaint little woodcarvers place who made the Welsh Love Spoons this stop was only supposed to be for 40 minutes but everyone bought a love spoon so we ended up there for at least 2 hours. So then we did not arrive in Cardiff until 5.30 then we had a tour dinner which was great. This meant everyone got to have one last meal together and exchange email addresses.

Saturday we set of from Cardiff first stop Cardiff Castle, we had an interesting tour around this castle which was originally built by the Romans in 55 AD then rebuilt in 1091 by the Normans the Castle was refashioned in the 18Th Century by the richest man in Britain the Marquess of Bute.Together with William Burgess the Architect they fashioned some of the most ornate decorations and rooms we have seen. The castle was handed over to the Cardiff council by the family in 1947. The current Marquess of Bute retired formula one racing driver Johnny Dumfries, is down to his last 60 million, poor man.

After Cardiff we headed of to the city of Bath, we took a tour through the Roman baths which was quite congested with other tourists, we then had some lunch, strolled through the city streets, then got on the bus and headed to Salisbury.

Salisbury Cathedral is a 13th Century Cathedral which houses one of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta it is also the town were it was decided to adopt the Gregorian Calender which resulted in the population losing 11 days of the year 1752. Think of the mayhem that would of caused ( recall the Millennium Bug ).

We then took of to Stonehenge, which was also quite busy as we arrived two days out from the Summer Solstice so all the hippies and wacko's were gathering to converse with the ancient spirits. We did the obligatory lap around the monument, took the required amount of photos and re boarded the bus for the last stage of our journey to London.

It was a bit sad arriving back at the Hilton Olympia were our trip started as we had met some wonderful people on this tour as well.

But all good things come to an end, we said our last goodbye's and caught a cab to Waterloo station and caught the train to Petersfield to meet up with Christine & Michael.

Arrived at Petersfield train station were Christine & Michael where waiting to take us back to their place. Upon arrival there at 9.00 pm, we met the mothers Barbara & Sue then Christine prepared a wonderful meal, we sat up chatting till midnight then rolled into bed for a good nights sleep.

Will get the Blog up to date tomorrow as it is quite late and some sleep is required,


JJJI

The Irish Stud Farm ( Not Jamie & Ian )

Hi Everyone,

Well must tell you about our Irish night in Dublin. It was fantastic great entertainment for two hours with wonderful dancers and musicians they had everyone jumping out of their seats. Great fun by all.

Today we set of late at 8.30 that is a lay in for us. We headed down south to the Kildare to the Irish National Stud farm what a beautiful place and it is one of Ireland's most prestigious stud farms which can even boast one or two Melbourne Cup winners. The day was perfect weather to walk around the farm which had beautiful gardens and we learned a lot about horse breeding. E.g 45,000 euros for a good stud to have a go. The boys eyes lit up thinking they could pay for there trip after one night.
After that we went further south to Kilkenny for lunch and of course the girls checked out the shops again and a nice walk in the park. Then back on the bus and headed toward Waterford to get there on time for the presentation at the new development at The Waterford Crystal (which wasn't really finished because the girls toilets didn't have toilet doors on!!! much to Jill and Jenny's disgust!!)) Jill Jenny and Jamie did not stay for the tour as it was stinking of chemicals and it was hot and stuffy and the presentation was forced on to you and it was razzle dazzle which did not endear anyone. So guess what off to the shops and Jenny found a nice trinket for herself.

Tonight we just headed to a Italian Cafe for a meal with another member of our tour group and we sat chatted with a few wines because tomorrow we have to get up at 5.15 a.m. to leave at 7.00 a.m. to catch the ferry to Cardiff (Wales!!!) Jenny is not looking forward to a 4 hour ride on the ferry!!! Praying for smooth seas everyone else is giving her hell!!! Oh by the way Jill only had 3 sleeps today!!! (jenny one sleep)

Molly Malone

Dublin is a lively city we had an interesting bus tour with commentary provided by Adele.
We arrived on a good day as it was Bloom Day in Dublin, this is the day where followers of the great Irish writer James Joyce celebrate his great novel Ulysses by dressing up as characters from that novel.

The tour also took in Phoenix Park, this park covers 1760 hectares in the city centre, the Pope took Mass there and 1 million Christians attended.

We then went on to Glendalough which is 1000 year old Monastic retreat, the stones looked like they were drawn from the earth, it was a very eerie place with 600 year old tombstones, a stunningly beautiful place.

From there we returned to the city to amuse ourselves before going out for our Irish Music evening. We wandered around the city looking in book stores and music stores which proliferate the city. It is a very arty place.

Tomorrow we head to Waterford which could be interesting seeing as the Crystal factory is now closed and the hotel we were booked into has closed as well, we are booked into another Hotel, if the driver can find it we will all be well pleased.

Across the sea to Ireland

We had an early start this morning as we had quite a few kilometres to travel before we got on the Ferry at Stranaer.

We travelled through the beautiful Ayre country side before we made it to the Ferry.Once on the Ferry we found very comfortable surroundings with bars, movie viewing rooms and games rooms for the kids. The ocean was calm which was great for those of us that get sea sick.

Once we arrived in Belfast we had a guided tour through the city,Jill was disappointed as she slept through it when she woke up she just wanted to get off the bus. We did manage to get off for forty minutes enough time for a toilet break and a pint of Guinness, We then headed off for the two hour drive to Dublin. Things got interesting when the driver turned West instead of South.The bonus was we saw some lovely Irish country side as we travelled the B roads trying to get back to the highway with the driver and the tour director blueing like an old married couple.

Needless to say we arrived an hour late in Dublin, we did not stay in the room for long before we ventured out for tea, we went down to Temple Rd where you can find plenty of eateries most with live music.We chose a Pub called Gogarty's which served up a great meal and the music was that good that Ian brought the CD.

Looking forward to another adventure tomorrow, who Knows what the tour will throw up.



More will be revealed.

JJJI

Edinburgh Castle

It was a wonderful bright day no rain but a chilly wind. We set off at 8 am for the one hour drive from Glasgow to Edinburgh. Once we arrived we picked up our guide Keith who was resplendent in full Scottish Regalia with a big booming voice, the Ladies on the bus loved the Kilt and he milked it for all it was worth. When one of the young girls bent down to tie her shoe laces he jumped back aghast as though she was about to perve up his Kilt, it gave every one a laugh.

Keith took us through the town then through the seven gates of the Castle to to St Margaret's Chapel. It was a very informative tour and we all found Edinburgh to be much more picturesque than dour Glasgow. We left the group to make their way to the Rosslyn Chapel which featured in the Da Vinci Code, we decided to do our own thing and wander through the streets of Edinburgh where Ian & Jill brought every bit of memorabilia that featured the MacNab Tartan ( excess Baggage coming up )

We are about to head of out to Dour Glasgow for something to eat we were told not to turn left as we left the hotel, Jill is not sure why, if you don't hear from us tomorrow please call.

Meet the new Bus same as the old Bus ???

Saturday 12th June

Just in closing on our stay in London, apart from the occasional hick up it was really enjoyable. It was good to move around on our own and just take advice from locals on interesting places to visit.
Our first day on tour was not as smooth as you would like, breakfast was a real scramble with two tours trying to be fed as the same time, and then our bus was late getting away.
We eventually got underway and settled in to the job in hand, which is breaking in our fellow travellers. Our first stop was a team photo at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. We then proceeded to Shakespeare’s birth place at Stratford upon Avon which everyone really enjoyed the gardens were beautiful and the commentary in the birth place was excellent. We then had some time to explore around the town by ourselves which we really enjoyed because the streets where old world.
We then jumped back on the bus to York which was about a 3 hour drive. York is a walled city with lots of character and a Gothic cathedral. We had a nice time walking around the streets and the old world shopping precinct. So it was a full day in all because we did not get back to the hotel until 6.00 p.m. and our meet the other people on the bus properly with a dinner. It ended up a lovely day the people are great and the 3 course meal was delicious.

Sunday 13th June

Just a quick update on proceedings. Things are on the improve. Set off through the murky English sunshine to the lake district and the Yorkshire Dales which was all very beautiful. We had a cruise on Lake Windemere which was damp but still beautiful. Saw Emily Brontes house and then onto Grassmere a stunning English village and the final resting place of William Wordsworth. Then onto Scotland first stop Gretna Green where we stopped to redo our wedding vows. The boys want us to sign off now to consummate the wedding. (They are dreaming) Tomorrow off to Edinburgh to visit the castle.

Surprise Surprise

Friday 11th June 2010

Up early again had a bit of a late night after going to Grease we all thoroughly enjoyed the show it was great fun tapped our way to the bus stop on the way to the hotel. Ian thinks Jilly is Sandy now with her blonde hair as long as he doesn't start singing we are ok.
We set off early to Madame Tussards cathing the bus to the other side of town Jill and Jenny really looking forward to it. Got there just before it opened and big crowd out the front already but it wasn't too long and we were in there. Well what can we say it was a big disappointment of our tour!!! For a start they need crowd control people pushing and shoving to get their pictures with the wax dummies and they just knock you over. So consequently left just after an hour!!!
This caused a bit of a dilemma for Jenny and Jamie because they knew Christine and Michael (Jill's Cousin) were coming to surprise Jill and Ian so Jenny and Jamie had to stall them from jumping on a bus to elsewhere. Consequently it worked out alright they got a surprise of their life when they appeared at the train station where funny enough we were just having coffee as a concidence!!! So after lots of chatting we headed off to Regents Park and looked around there then off to Sherlock Holmes musuem then we checked out all the Memorabilla music shops. Then we caught the double decker bus back to the hotel to have tea at the local hotel The Hand and Flower to have tea with a few more drinks. Great day as Jenny and Jamie finally met Christine and Michael.

Portobello Rd

Hi Guys.

Slept in this morning, though that was a bit of a mistake, as the hot water ran out in Jamie & Jenny's room. Jenny got by OK, by going to Ian & Jill's room but Jamie braved the chill and ended up with frozen assets, not a good start to the day.

Needless to say Jenny had something to say and we ended up with a room change, they put us on the sixth floor in a room with a much nicer outlook, a drink voucher and many apologies.

We got under way and made our way to Portobello Rd. We had great time looking around the antique shops and the Pop Art stores brought a few souveniers, we also checked out the Humming Bird cake shop and sampled the best cup cakes in London Town.

Then we headed of to Mark & Spencer's , it was just like going to Target, though the girls obviously enjoyed it. we grabbed some take away food and headed off to Kensington Pk to eat our lunch, the weather stayed kind to us for most of the day, we went back to the Hilton to freshen up ( no Nana naps ) then went out for tea at a nice Italian eatery before taking in our evening show Grease,.

Tomorrow we go to Madame Tusauds sic wax works. Should be fun I hope we bring the right dummies home, full report to follow ( the girls are in the shops as we write this )

Cheerio Chappies

JJJI

From Park Plaza to Hilton all down hill.

We had a great last night on the tour, apart from the bus being late again. We had a nice tea albeit rushed in the Prospect of Whitby Hotel then we boarded the the Thames Cruiser for a twilight tour of the River it was very pretty. then back to the Hotel to say our last goodbyes. Jill & Ian went off to bed & Jenny & Jamie went down to the bar for a last drink with our friends, and ended up dancing and carousing, it was a great send of.

Woke up Wednesday, and checked out early to make our way to the Hilton, we had a great cab ride with a traditional cabbie he was a real character. We dumped our bags in the Hilton ( it looked fairly low rent after the Park Plaza ) and made our way on the Underground to Harrods, need we say more that was pretty boring for us blokes, but the girls had a ball, there was a sale on. The items they had increased by 200% they then reduced by 25% the girls were impressed.

We then continued on the underground to Trafalgar Square. We disembarked and found our found our way to the National Portrait Gallery ( it was raining outside ) we had a good look around there it was better that the Tower Tour as we could take our time and read the Biography's and view the portraits at our leisure.

We went back to the motel were Jenny & Jamie needed a nana nap after all the dancing and drinking the night before.We are now sitting comfortably in the Hand & Flower Hotel, we have had a great pub meal and are just having a quite drink while we update the blog.

Love to all our followers JJJI

We miss you Mauro

Tuesday 8^th June.

It is Jill’s Birthday, celebration time. Our new hotel the Park Plaza is very flash, it has only been opened for 3 months and it has over 1000 rooms and is very well located.

This morning we had a leisurely breakfast then we went on an orientation tour of the London sights including Christopher Wrens beautiful St Pauls Cathedral , West Minster Abbey, 10 Downing St, Clarence House and the onto Bucking Huge Palace to see the changing of the guard.

Back to the motel for lunch at one of the South Bank eateries, then we hooked up with the afternoon tour to the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels, this proved to be the disappointment of the tour as the bus was late and we felt we were rushed through the tour we only had a hour and forty minutes most of this was just wandering around on our own unguided. But despite this it was interesting seeing the jewels.

Tonight we have the taste of London tour and final dinner with the tour group. It will be sad to say goodbye to our new friends, we have been lucky to share our adventures with a great mix of people.

P.S thanks for the comments guys its nice to know some one is reading

Euro Star to London

Monday the 7th June.
Well we are a little sad today we leave behind Europe and our tour guide Mauro and driver Piero.They do not take part in the British section of our tour.
But we are excited at the prospect of travelling on the Euro Star train; we left the motel a little after 10.15 am to make our way to the train station were Mauro herded his brood of travellers through the busy terminal.
We went through two sets of immigration, French & British. This took only 10 minutes which is much better than what we encountered in Italy.
We started this blog while sitting on the Euro Star waiting for departure, once we get underway we may be hanging on to our seat as the train hurtles through the country side to Calais at 285 KPH, Awesome. Jill said this could be our last blog: though she is not frightened at all.In 2.5 hours we will be in London.

1 pm English side of tunnel (Jill’s thoughts).
The air feels cleaner as we pass through beautiful green & leafy countryside. The meal on the train was good value we had toasted sanger, s chips & beer,cool drinks. We ended up in a different carriage to the majority of our tour, which was fine as we had nice seats with little booths that accommodated 4 passengers with a table in between.
20 minutes to London Jill is like a puppy with two tails.

Arrived in our Motel The Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, it is in a ideal location 100 metres from the South Bank and less than 500 metres from the the London Eye. After dropping of our bags we went for a stroll down the South Bank to have a coffee and a beer, we found ourselves as impromptu extras in a BBC drama Waking the Dead ( can't go anywhere ). We went back to the Motel and decided to take another walk down the West End to do some Laundry and grab a bite to eat, we had a couple of drinks in a theatre bar while our smalls were spinning around, then we grabbed a quick bite to eat in the Camel & Artichoke on the way back to the hotel

From Lucerne to Paris

Saturday 5th June.

Up early for a 7.30 departure for the long trip to Paris, over 650 km to be traversed.

Once we crossed the Swiss Alps and the Rhine River the km slipped away and we were on our way, travelling through the beautiful French country side, mile after mile of forest and fields of mustard, grapes and wheat. In France the Motorway does not go through the villages so apart from the usual coffee and lunch breaks we made good time. We arrived in Paris about 4.00 pm; we found beautiful wide streets and a huge traffic jam. Our driver Piero got us to our hotel with his usual skill, so we checked into the best rooms we had encountered through the trip so far.

By the time our suitcases arrived in our room we had no time to write the blog for the day, as we were heading out for the Paris illumination dinner. This was our chance to stretch the boundaries of our eating, Ian had Quiche and Jamie had Escargots for entrees followed by a regular main course. After the meal it was time to see the Paris lights, spectacular, the Eiffel Tower lighting burst into life about 11.00 pm. It was special. We got back to the Motel around midnight so no time for the blog.

Sunday the 6th June.

Slept in to 6.30 then out for breakfast and on the bus by 8.30 for the tour of Paris, we drove through the tunnel were Lady Di met her demise( we had more success in getting through the other side ) and then the trip up the Eiffel Tower another thrill for those that don't like heights. We had lunch on the Champs de Elysees, as you do. Then in the afternoon it was off to the palace of Versailles, 1000 rooms of art and extravagance and 2000 acres of manicured gardens it was a real eye opener. Back to the motel for a couple of drinks then out for tea with a few of our fellow travellers who were not taking in the Moulin Rouge Show. Paris is one city we all feel we would like to come back to, so elegant so much to see.

Tomorrow London

From Venice to Lucerne

Thursday 3rd June
Venice to Lucerne
Up early again to travel 550 kilometres to Switzerland. The Auto Strade was very busy heading towards and through Milano saw two accidents one involving a car and a truck which blocked the road for at least 5 kilometres and it was going to get a lot worse. The other accident we saw was just literally in front of us (just happened) you could see the smoke and smell it as two semi trailers had collided a bit hairy especially as it was Jenny and Jamie’s turn to sit in front. Stopped at Lugano for lunch which is just after Lake Como (Lake Como is just before the Switzerland border). As it was a public holiday in Switzerland Mauro got Piero our new driver to take us off the Auto Strade and onto the side road and through the lovely Swiss villages. This was a real treat Jamie took 95 pictures just travelling in one day. The season is still changing and there were still drifts of snow close to the side of the road.
Arrived in Lucerne around 5.00 pm and had a 30 minute orientation tour of town taking in the dying Lion monument and the Chapel Bridge. Checked in to the Astoria Motel about 5.30 and got ourselves ready for the night’s theme dinner, Swiss Folklore. It was very entertaining the Swiss hosts put on a great show.
Friday the 4th June.

Great joy we got to sleep in until 7.45 am.
We had breakfast in the Thai Restaurant, then on the bus at 9.00 am for the short drive to Mt Pilatus. This was the part of the journey that Ian was really looking forward to, travelling up a 7000ft mountain on a cogwheel train. On some sections the train was travelling on a 48 degree incline ( we all held on tight). Once you get to the top the view was fantastic and made it all worthwhile, but then you had to contemplate the trip down the mountain on the cable car, not for the faint hearted. Back to town for some lunch and you guessed it time for some shopping. Jenny & Jill have decided to collect book marks, Ian & Jamie think it is just a front to check out every shopping precent. Dinner tonight is at the hotel at 7pm another great day.
Tomorrow Paris.
Adieu. PS thanks for the comments. JJJI

Florence to Venice

Wednesday 2nd June.

Happy Birthday Ryan. On the road very early again at 7.30a.m. continuing through bueatiful Tuscanny through Bologna across the river Po and passing through the Po plains.We could see the Dolimite mountians in the distance still with the covering of snow.
Then at last we reach Venice then move onto ancient Venice boarding a water taxi. Venice has a population of 300,000 though the population on the islands is a static 60,000. Entering Venice on the ferry we passed Elton John's Venetian Apartment,Cruise Liners and bueatiful ancient buildings. Once in Venice off to the glass blowing exhibition at Murano's one of the premier glass creators. This followed by hard sell to entice us to buy $1700.00 wine sets. (not much luck there!!!) Had lunch in a quaint little cafe. Jill and Ian then went off to a Gondola ride and Jenny and Jamie watched and took pictures hoping for a mishap. Jilly couldn't take her eyes of the Latin Gondolier/ Gigolo. Weather great until Jill and Ian got off the Gondola and the skies open and we had an hour to kill before being picked up by the ferry. Consequently by the time it came we looked like drowned rats. After 15 hours of reapplying the make up and fixing the hair, Jill and Jenny scrubbed up alright for there 4 course meal at the hotel. But we received sad news our driver Giovanni the coolest dude of a bus driver is leaving us and we are getting his father as a replacement!!!! On to Lucerne tomorrow!!!!!

P.S
We have readjusted the settings to ensure that people can post a comment if they wish!!!!


Cioa!!!

Rome to Florence.

Tuesday 1st June

Up early again for a 7.30 departure on our way to Florence. Giovanni got us out of Rome with his usual skill (bus driver) and before we knew it we were on the Auto Strade driving through Umbria heading towards Tuscany. After morning tea we entered Tuscany.
It was glorious driving through Tuscanny passing hilltop villages from the 17th century surrounded by stunning country side. We had lunch in Tuscanny with uninterrupted view of the rolling hills (and the bw semi trailers passing beneath as we sat in the Auto Grill service station astride the Motorway.) LIttle bit different!!! Arrived early into Florence and Giovanni drove us to a lookout overlooking the city. No one could dispute that Florence is the most bueatiful city in Europe breath taking. Then we drove down to the city to meet our guide whose passion for the city and art was contagious he took us through the main churches and to one of the forty Art Musuems in the city. We saw Michangelo's David the original!! and he gave us a 15 minute lecture on the creation of this masterpiece which gave us a greater understanding of Michangelo stunning work. Wandered through the streets of Florence looking at all the shops and leather goods Jill and Jenny showed restraint. Had dinner at the Hilton where we were staying for the night. Good day for all. Tomorrow Venice here we come!!!!

Ciao