Monday 18 August. We were up early and left Frankfurt at 7.30 am heading Northwest and using the Autobahn ( German motorways). Our first stop was at an old checkpoint. The old towers still visible today.
We had spent the day before having a good look around Frankfurt because we had arrived in the city one day earlier. It is a nice place and we walked the bridges along the river as well as seeing over the city.
Our lunch stop was at Weimar- at one time the intellectual heart of Germany and host to people such as Luther, Bach, Liszert, Schiller and Goethe. Once it was knowen as the "Athens of Germany".
We carried on over the river Elbe and into Berlin, Germany's capital city. We arrived at 5 pm, quite a long days travel.We had sandwiches in our room and then went out for a good hours walk round the area. Invaliden Strass and Friedrich Strabe, very interesting. Our Hotel is in old East Germany.
Tuesday 19 August. We were up early again as we went on a city guided tour at 8.15 am. A very fascinating city. Once a city of contrasts- West & East, but now the Berlin Wall has come down its harmonious again.
We got dropped off round 11.00 am and spent the remainder of the day exploring Berlin ie; the State Opera House, the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and walked its lovely Boulevards such as Kurfurstendamm and Unterden Linden and saw the Tiergarten, the Holocaust Monument and Friedrichstrabe ( an expensive shopping area)
We read up the history of the Berlin Wall. It was a fascinating place to see where all this history took place. had a photo alongside as well and then we saw the river Spree and the Landwerhr canal that winds through Berlin. We arrived home by 5 pm with very tired feet!
Wednesday 20 August. We were up and off by 7.30 am as we were going East to Poznan, Poland. A delightful spot with a lovely old town square and market place. We had our lunch here and explored the area for 1 1/2 hours before we left, passing through the Polish countryside till we arrived at Warsaw at 6.30 pm. The country side was very flat. We had dinner at 7.30 pm with everyone.
Thursday 21 August. We headed off first thing on the city sight seeing tour which was an excellent introduction to Warsaw. We left the tour at 11.30 am and had the remainder of the day to explore Warsaw ourselves. We visited Old town, the Old Ghetto area, the Royal Castle, Ogrod Park and Chopin's Statue, the Palace of Culture and two famous streets- Marszalkowska and Aljeronzolimskie.
Warsaw and particularly Old Town was almost 90% destroyed during World War 2 during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 ( it became the center of the resistance). Its reconstruction lasted from 1949-1963. We returned home by 5.oo pm and again had dinner altogether at 7.00 pm.
Friday 22 August. Up early today at 8.00 am but then delayed as the bus had a flat battery, left at 8.30am instead. Today we were south bound towards Krakow. But first we visited Jasna Gora near Czestochowa - The Monastery (14-18th Century) where the Black Madonna is worshipped as the Queen of Poland and is the country's national symbol.
Then on to visit Auschwitz Concentration Camp. A chilling reminder of the Holocaust! We saw the entrance gate with the inscription " Arbeit Macht Frei" ( work will make you Free) more like kill you!, part of the railway where SS Doctors carried out the selection of the Jews, the Crematoriums and gas chambers, the death Block and the Death Wall.
The area is a Memorial to the Victims of the Nazis and is a World Heritage Site since 1979. This was a real eye opener as we walked around the site imagining the atrocities that took place here. We were all quite moved by the experience.
We arrived in Krakow at 7.30 pm after a long day. We had dinner with everone at 8.00 pm and went to bed by 10.30 pm tired out!
Saturday 23 August. Again up early an off on a sight seeing tour of Krakow which included the Kazimierz- Medieval Jewish Quarter where some of the film "Schindlers List" was filmed, the market place, Church of St Mary's and to Wawel Hill to see the Royal Palace and the Great Cathedral where most Polish Kings and Queens were crowned and buried.
We crossed over the river Wista that flows through Krakow.We grabbed some lunch here and had 1 1/2 hours of free time wandering about the Old Town Market Square.
Next we met up for the Wieliczka Salt Mines visit. We took the elevator down into the depths of the mine to see the passage ways,caves, and chapels all decorated with rock salt sculptures. They even had a chapel called " St Kingas Chapel" which was very impressive and opulent and was used for Mass and Weddings. They were preparing for one while we were visiting.
This was an amazing tour being so far underground and seeing all the sights. To see the various chambers and caves as carved out by the workers years ago was some sight. We returned to our hotel by 5.00 pm and had a quiet evening watching the Olympic's on T.V.
Sunday 24 August. We were up early again for a departure by 8.30 am for the Tatra Mountains of Poland, then through scenic Slovakia and finially into Hungary. We arrived in Budapest at 5.00 pm. We had a relax prior to us all having dinner at 6.30 pm.
Next we went off on the Danube Cruise and Illumination excursion. We boarded the boat for the 1 hr cruise with a local guide and were given a glass of Champagne and a second glass of red wine. We enjoyed river views of the Castle district and the houses of Parliament and going under the chain bridge. This was a neat trip seeing the city of Budapest at night. We got home just after 10 pm.
Monday 25 August. We were off on the sight seeing tour of Budapest which was excellent for getting your bearings in the city. We saw Hero's Square, the Parliament, the Royal Castle, and Matthias Coronation Church. It was finished by 11.00am and we spent the remainder of the day walking about ourselves.
We saw Andrassy Street, Vajdahunyard Castle ( a copy of Dracula's Castle) a Synagogue ( the largest in Europe) the Opera House, Margaret Island, the River Danube and of course Szechetyl Baths (mineral pools) - Kevin had a soak in the various pools and saunas there. We got ourselves around the Budapest Underground system quite well too. We are becoming quite savvy with our getting around places and we also walked alot but it was an enjoyable day.
We got home by 600 pm and had fruit and sandwiches and juice in our room, to save changing more money into Hungarian Florints.
Tuesday 26 August. We were up early again bound for Austria. We arrived in Vienna at midday and enjoyed a sightseeing tour with a local guide seeing places like the Opera House, Parliament, the Town Hall and Hero's Square and the Hofburg Palace and St Stephen's Cathedral.
We had free time to explore the city for 2 hours. Which we did and throughly enjoyed it. We met up for the bus trip back to the Hotel. We'd bought fruit, bread and orange juice for tea in our room. Good old Kiwi savings eh...
Wednesday 27 August. We were up and off at 8.00 am a free morning to explore more of Vienna. Its such a beautiful city. We took a ride on the Worlds Oldest Ferris Wheel, a masterpiece from 1890. We had excellent views of Vienna and surrounding area.
We also went for a tram ride around the town and wandered through other areas of Vienna.
We met the bus at 12.15 pm and headed off to the Czech Republic. We crossed the Czech border into beautiful Moravia and past through the rich farmlands of Bohemia to arrive in Prague at 5.00 pm. We had dinner all together - buffet style, very nice indeed.
Next we decided to catch the underground train into town to see the Krizikova Fountain. A lovely outdoor spectacle where fountains of cascading water is synchronised with music and lights. It was very nice indeed. We were with Rikki and Kevin ( from Aussie) and had a great evening arriving home round 11 pm.( via the tram then the underground train) The others on the tour also did this but it cost them more than us.
Thursday 28 August. We were up and away by 8.30am for a walking tour with a local guide seeing such landmarks as the National Theatre, Charles Bridge, Old Town Hall and the Astronomical Clock. It was very beautiful and all very old. We had the remainder of the day free.
So Kevin and I raced around to see as much as possible. We saw Vaclauske Nam ( similar to the Champ de Elyesse of Paris), the National Museum, the Power Tower, up to Prague Castle ( a long uphill walk ) St Nicholas Church, the Golden Lane, crossed Manesuv Bridge, Charles Bridge, and Cechuv Bridge over the river Vltava that runs through Prague. A very buzy day was had!
We met up with the bus at 5.00 pm for a transfer back to our Hotel. Kevin and I had a nap for a while, then got up and headed off to buy some tea at a cafe down the road. We were home by 8.30 pm and straight to bed as tired out.
Friday 29 August. We were up early again, usual thing these days.Headed off by 8.00 am to Germany today. We passed through the beautiful landscape of the Bohemian Forest to the Czech - German border. We drove south and enjoyed the Barvarian scenery and carried on to Munich our final destination today.
We arrived at 3.00 pm and were given 2 hours free time to explore Munich - the Odeons Plaz and the Marien Platz. Its a very beautiful city. We arrived at our Hotel at 5.30 pm and farewelled our driver Mustafa as he was leaving tonight. Kevin and I had a shower and then together with Peter and Ann we headed back into downtown square to visit the famous Hofbrauhaus ( a German Beer Hall).
We stayed and sampled the beer. Kevin even had a litre glass of beer and it was huge! - but he managed to drink it all! We walked around and found a typical German Restaurant and had a nice meal of roast pork. We walked home again by 11 pm. Yet again we did this on our own device which saved us money. Great evening was had.
Saturday 30 August. As usual up early as we headed for Frankfurt today. We travelled the beautiful Romantic Road, which runs North up to the Alps. We stopped at Medieval Nordlingen. A beautiful Old Town with narrow streets and cobbled stoned roads and footpaths. We spent an hour exploring and guess what? We found N.Z. Granny Smith Apples for sale in the Old Town Market Place.
Next we drove on to Rothenburg. A lovely preserved Medieval Town with its ramparts and towers , cobbled streets and 16th century houses. We had 2 hours to explore here and it was fabulous! Kathe Wohlfahrts - Christmas Village Shop is open year round and is in 5 patrician houses that have been connected to one another and it has over 50,000 christmas items. It was just fabulous and I know my Mom would have really loved it!
Kevin and I climbed the Siebers Tower for a fantastic view of the town - mind you my legs were a bit like jelly at the time. We continued on to Frankfurt but were staying north of the city. We arrived at 6.00 pm, quite poophed out! Kevin did some laps at the pool before we had our final dinner with everyone at 7.30 pm and had a great time farewelling everyone and wishing them well!
Sunday 31 August. Our trip ends today. Kevin did some more laps in the pool before breakfast and off on our bus transfer to Frankfurt Airport to catch our flight back to London. We had an hours delay due to fog in London and arrived at 1.30 pm. We caught the tube and bus to our Hostel accomodation in New Cross. Its pretty basic but will do for £30 per night.
We had a relax for a while then we found a internet cafe around the corner for only £1 per hour, so checked out our emails and caught up on the blog. Cloudy and cool and slighly drizzly here in London. But quite nice to be back. We also had some chicken n chips for tea before getting some well earned rest.
Monday 1 Sept. Today was a chance to catch up with Bellerbys College, to check our mail and to update our cell phones and do all kinds of chores including banking our accom refund cheque and finalising our travel arrangements.
We have tomorrow as well to relax before we head off on our main European Discovery Tour of 30 days, followed by 9 days in Russia. We are looking forward to this. We had a long chat to friends Jo and Rob Ridland ( In Bunbury Aust ) as well. We have been updating our blog and writing emails these past 2 hours or more so we are now ready to head back to our accomodation for the night. Until next time cheers.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Scandinavia and Switzerland ( August )
Saturday 2 August. Raining on rising today. Bergen is the rain capital of the world though. We went off on a sight seeing trip in the morning. We drove through the main area`s of the city, over Bryggen passing Haakon`s Hall and over to Sandviken - with its small wooden houses and narrow cobbled streets.
Next we went up to Eidsvagneset for a fabulous view over the fjord and city. We went back down again to Bergen, to the Funicular station to go up Mt Floyen by cable car for another view of Bergen and fjords again.
The afternoon was spend wandering round Bergen, the town, the fort, the handicraft shops and stalls and the fish market. It stopped raining by midday.We bought fresh strawberries, apples and breadrolls for tea.
Sunday 3 August. Up early and saw lots of spectacular scenery as we drove to the Sognefjord. We had a lovely 3hr cruise on one of Norways longest fjords. It was fabulous!
We saw waterfalls and Stave Churches along the way.
We arrived at Fagernes by 6.30pm. The buffet dinner was great-heaps of seafood. Kevin and I went for a walk round town and waterfront and then decided to have a sauna and swim. Very nice!
Monday 4 August. Kevin went off for a swim at 7.00 am and after brekky we left for Lillehammer of Olympic fame. Then we saw beautiful scenery, green valleys, shimmering lakes and towering mountains. Saw the ski jumps and saw some people practicing so that was good.
We drove along lake Mjosa and across the border into Sweden.
Passing through the Varmland of wilderness, forests and lakes to arrive in Karlstad at 6.30 pm. We went out to tea to a local chinese restaurant with Jane and Terry from the Goldcoast. It was Terry`s birthday, home by 10pm.
Tuesday 5 August. We left Karlstad and headed East towards Stockholm via Alfred Nobel`s country. ( he invented Dynomite and started the Nobel prizes.)
We passed through Orebro and Eskilstuna and Mariefred. We stopped to visit Gripsholm Castle which sits on the shores of lake Malaren just outside Mariefred. It was built in 1537 by a swedish king- Gustav Vasa.
We arrived in Stockholm about 3.30 pm.Its a unique city set on 14 islands between Lake Malaren and the Baltic Sea.
Wednesday 6 August. We were up and off on a city tour by 8.30 am. At 11.00am we went off on a guided tour of the Vasa Museum. It was excellent value. The Vasa ship sank in Stockholm harbour back in the 16th century and was raised up in 1961 in one piece.
From 1 pm -5 pm we were free to sight see as we wished. We visited Old Town ( Gamla Stan) and went for a boat cruise-Under the Bridges for 2 hrs. We even went through 2 locks between the Baltic Sea and Lake Malaren
Our last tea together and we ended up having a few beers with our fellow travellers, not getting to bed till 1.00am !
Thursday 7 August. Up and breakfasted and farewelling our travelling friends as they headed for home today. We spent the time chatting and emailing. We shared a taxi to the airport to catch our flight to Zurich at 4.15 pm. We arrived in Zurich at 7.30 pm as slightly delayed.
Friday 8 August. We were up and off to explore Zurich via a tram to the waterfront. We caught a waterferry for a river cruise of the Limmat river down to Lake Zurich for 1hr. We walked around the Old Town, the Fraumunster Church, the biggest church clock face on St Peters Tower and the world famous Bahnofstrasse.
We caught a city Tour of Zurich and Surroundings, which consisted of seeing the harbour, the lake, and surrounding hills. We saw the famous Chagall stained glass windows at the Fraumunster Church. We continued to Adliswil for a ride up a cable car to Felsenegg for a beautiful view over Zurich, the lake and peaks of the Alps.
We crossed the lake via ferryboat and drove back to Zurich along the "Golden Coast".
We got back to our Hotel in time for a meeting with our tour guide. We met up with Frank and Mitch( Aussies) from our last tour.
Saturday 9 August. We were up early to journey by train from Zurich to Lucerne. (1 hr).
Lucerne is just an idyllic place surrounded by a beautiful lake and nestled amidst the Alps.
Our day for us was free at leisure to explore Lucerne.
We saw Musegg Wall and its tower (heaps of steps) but with a view that was fabulous, the Lion Monument ( carved into the natural rock in memory of the Swiss Heroes killed in 1792), the Chapel Bridge ( built in 1333-a main landmark) and the 2 churches - the Hofkirche built in 1634 and the Jesuit Church built in 1677. We walked round Old Town and saw various town squares called Platz- Falken Platz, Sternen Platz, Kornmarkt Platz, Nrschen Platz and Muhlen Platz- all with beautiful architecture and statues and water fountains.
We had a great time wandering at our own pace. Home by 5 pm. Then out again at 7.15 pm with the whole group for a restaurant meal, typically Swiss with a folklore show. It was alot of fun!
Sunday 10 August. We left at 7.30 am on the Golden Pass Panoramic Train, heading to Meiringen. ( train 1) Its well known for the Reichenbach Falls, which we visited via flunnicular car.
We visited a square named after the Scottish novelist- Conan Doyle. The father of Sherlock Holmes - there is a bronze statue of the detective as Doyle loved Switzerland and Meiringen made him an Honorary citizen of their town. We caught the train ( train 2 ) to Interlaken Ost, arriving at midday.
We spent 1hr here and wandered down to the beautiful river and park and had our lunch with Frank and Mitch. Then ( train 3) to Zweisimmen, another beautiful spot. We changed trains ( train 4) to Gstaad.
An important spot for international celebrities. We had 2 hrs to spend here and had a little bite to eat then on to our next train ( train 5) to Montreux. It stretches along the shores of Lake Geneva. It is also an important cultural city. After 45 mins we caught our final train (train 6) to get to Lausanne.
We arrived at 7 pm and walked a short distance up hill to our hotel. Lausanne is a cosmopolitan city with lovely views of Lake Geneva and the surrounding Alps. We got a bite to eat in town and had a walk around the Rue Saint Francois Square. We got back at 10 pm very tired out.
Monday 11 August. We put our luggage out at 7.15 am for an early start for Montreux today. Montreux is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva and is known as the "Swiss Riviera". We had time for 2 hrs lunch and leisure. It is a nice place and we enjoyed walking around here.
Next we went off on an excursion to Chillon Castle built on a rocky islet, with its towers reflecting in Lake Geneva. It was first built in the 9th century to guard the road from Avenches to Italy.
We returned via ferry boat to Montreux, to depart at 3.30 pm to Visp on the train naturally!
Then on to Zermatt by 6.30 pm and a 300 metre walk to our hotel.
After a little freshen up we went down to dinner with the rest of our travellers.
Finished off the day with a soak in the bath -wonderful. Zermatt is a lovely tourist resort in all seasons and there are no cars allowed in the area. Hotels have electric baggage cars for delivery of baggage to hotels which you see all over the sreeets.
Tuesday 12 August. Up at 7.00 am ready for the excursion to the famous "Gornergrat", travelling on board Europe's highest rack railway. The views from it's summit were lovely despite cloudy and spitting rain weather. We had a cup of tea in the hotel atop the mountain.
We had our photo taken with St Bernard dogs as well.
We headed back down again and walked through the town to catch the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise Cable Car. But due to high winds it only went up 2 stops to the Trockener Steg. ( 2939m) The view was amazing and worth the trip up. We did not see the Matterhorn because of the clouds but it was close by.
We got down and wandered through Zermatt absorbing all the variety of shops, cafes, bars and narrow streets. We returned to our hotel for a relax and some internet use and a look at the Olympic Games of course. Also interesting Zermatt is Traffic free! It's a beautiful ski resort- boy I wish I could ski well, I'd come back for sure!
Wednesday 13 August. Another early start today as we boarded the Glacier Express for our journey to St Moritz. A famous Swiss Mountain Railway taking 7 and a half hours- across 291 bridges, through 91 tunnels and across the Oberalp Pass at 2,033m Altitude.
A very panoramic trip through the Alps in the heart of Switzerland. It was a real high light of our tour. The landscape was filled with mountain forests, alpine meadows, rushing mountain streams and mountain valleys. All unspoiled natural beauty! We arrived at 5.45 pm. St Moritz is the most famous Swiss Skiing resort and has Sankt Moritz-Dorf- the oldest ski school. (1927) We had a rest before dinner at 7.30 pm.
Thursday 14 August. Kevin went off for a swim in the hotel pool at 7.00 am. The pool is about 15 metres long so he cranked out 80 odd lengths. After brekky we went off on the Bernina Express to Tirano - for one of Europe's most spectacular train rides ! Just magical, fairytale like and majestic are some descriptive words to describe this journey. We crossed the Bernina Pass via the Swiss Poschiavo area to Tirano in Italy.
We had 2hrs in Tirano and visited the Santuario Madonna de Tirano at the Piazza Basilica. (built in 1505). A beautiful cathedral. We had our lunch there with Midge, Frank, Doreen, Steve and David. We also sampled an Italian ice cream.We caught the train back to Pontresina and then got a tour supplied taxi to our hotel.
We decided a dip in the pool was called for and ended up doing several lengths ! Kevin cranked out another 80 or so lengths before heading off for a special Cosmos travellers dinner. We had a great day and really enjoyed experiencing nature via a railway!
Friday 15 August. We left St Moritz this morning for the journey back to Zurich.
On the way we stopped at Klosters ( situated 1,200m above sea level) for a 2 hour stop over. Its famous as Prince Charles visits often to ski here and no I didn't bump into him ! We wandered about and had our lunch with some of the travellers sitting in a childs playground area by the river. We ended up chatting to an American who has now made Klosters his home - very interesting.
We arrived in Zurich to pouring rain. We bought our train ticket required for tomorrows travel.
Everyone met up at 7.30 pm in the bar for drinks and to thank our tour director Judit, for an excellent job she'd done. Then we all had a Cosmos menu dinner together with lots of farewells and goodbyes thrown in. We have had a wonderful trip through Switzerland and made lots of firm friends.
Our next adventure will begin tommorow as we head by train to Frankfurt, Germany. I will try and keep you posted.
Next we went up to Eidsvagneset for a fabulous view over the fjord and city. We went back down again to Bergen, to the Funicular station to go up Mt Floyen by cable car for another view of Bergen and fjords again.
The afternoon was spend wandering round Bergen, the town, the fort, the handicraft shops and stalls and the fish market. It stopped raining by midday.We bought fresh strawberries, apples and breadrolls for tea.
Sunday 3 August. Up early and saw lots of spectacular scenery as we drove to the Sognefjord. We had a lovely 3hr cruise on one of Norways longest fjords. It was fabulous!
We saw waterfalls and Stave Churches along the way.
We arrived at Fagernes by 6.30pm. The buffet dinner was great-heaps of seafood. Kevin and I went for a walk round town and waterfront and then decided to have a sauna and swim. Very nice!
Monday 4 August. Kevin went off for a swim at 7.00 am and after brekky we left for Lillehammer of Olympic fame. Then we saw beautiful scenery, green valleys, shimmering lakes and towering mountains. Saw the ski jumps and saw some people practicing so that was good.
We drove along lake Mjosa and across the border into Sweden.
Passing through the Varmland of wilderness, forests and lakes to arrive in Karlstad at 6.30 pm. We went out to tea to a local chinese restaurant with Jane and Terry from the Goldcoast. It was Terry`s birthday, home by 10pm.
Tuesday 5 August. We left Karlstad and headed East towards Stockholm via Alfred Nobel`s country. ( he invented Dynomite and started the Nobel prizes.)
We passed through Orebro and Eskilstuna and Mariefred. We stopped to visit Gripsholm Castle which sits on the shores of lake Malaren just outside Mariefred. It was built in 1537 by a swedish king- Gustav Vasa.
We arrived in Stockholm about 3.30 pm.Its a unique city set on 14 islands between Lake Malaren and the Baltic Sea.
Wednesday 6 August. We were up and off on a city tour by 8.30 am. At 11.00am we went off on a guided tour of the Vasa Museum. It was excellent value. The Vasa ship sank in Stockholm harbour back in the 16th century and was raised up in 1961 in one piece.
From 1 pm -5 pm we were free to sight see as we wished. We visited Old Town ( Gamla Stan) and went for a boat cruise-Under the Bridges for 2 hrs. We even went through 2 locks between the Baltic Sea and Lake Malaren
Our last tea together and we ended up having a few beers with our fellow travellers, not getting to bed till 1.00am !
Thursday 7 August. Up and breakfasted and farewelling our travelling friends as they headed for home today. We spent the time chatting and emailing. We shared a taxi to the airport to catch our flight to Zurich at 4.15 pm. We arrived in Zurich at 7.30 pm as slightly delayed.
Friday 8 August. We were up and off to explore Zurich via a tram to the waterfront. We caught a waterferry for a river cruise of the Limmat river down to Lake Zurich for 1hr. We walked around the Old Town, the Fraumunster Church, the biggest church clock face on St Peters Tower and the world famous Bahnofstrasse.
We caught a city Tour of Zurich and Surroundings, which consisted of seeing the harbour, the lake, and surrounding hills. We saw the famous Chagall stained glass windows at the Fraumunster Church. We continued to Adliswil for a ride up a cable car to Felsenegg for a beautiful view over Zurich, the lake and peaks of the Alps.
We crossed the lake via ferryboat and drove back to Zurich along the "Golden Coast".
We got back to our Hotel in time for a meeting with our tour guide. We met up with Frank and Mitch( Aussies) from our last tour.
Saturday 9 August. We were up early to journey by train from Zurich to Lucerne. (1 hr).
Lucerne is just an idyllic place surrounded by a beautiful lake and nestled amidst the Alps.
Our day for us was free at leisure to explore Lucerne.
We saw Musegg Wall and its tower (heaps of steps) but with a view that was fabulous, the Lion Monument ( carved into the natural rock in memory of the Swiss Heroes killed in 1792), the Chapel Bridge ( built in 1333-a main landmark) and the 2 churches - the Hofkirche built in 1634 and the Jesuit Church built in 1677. We walked round Old Town and saw various town squares called Platz- Falken Platz, Sternen Platz, Kornmarkt Platz, Nrschen Platz and Muhlen Platz- all with beautiful architecture and statues and water fountains.
We had a great time wandering at our own pace. Home by 5 pm. Then out again at 7.15 pm with the whole group for a restaurant meal, typically Swiss with a folklore show. It was alot of fun!
Sunday 10 August. We left at 7.30 am on the Golden Pass Panoramic Train, heading to Meiringen. ( train 1) Its well known for the Reichenbach Falls, which we visited via flunnicular car.
We visited a square named after the Scottish novelist- Conan Doyle. The father of Sherlock Holmes - there is a bronze statue of the detective as Doyle loved Switzerland and Meiringen made him an Honorary citizen of their town. We caught the train ( train 2 ) to Interlaken Ost, arriving at midday.
We spent 1hr here and wandered down to the beautiful river and park and had our lunch with Frank and Mitch. Then ( train 3) to Zweisimmen, another beautiful spot. We changed trains ( train 4) to Gstaad.
An important spot for international celebrities. We had 2 hrs to spend here and had a little bite to eat then on to our next train ( train 5) to Montreux. It stretches along the shores of Lake Geneva. It is also an important cultural city. After 45 mins we caught our final train (train 6) to get to Lausanne.
We arrived at 7 pm and walked a short distance up hill to our hotel. Lausanne is a cosmopolitan city with lovely views of Lake Geneva and the surrounding Alps. We got a bite to eat in town and had a walk around the Rue Saint Francois Square. We got back at 10 pm very tired out.
Monday 11 August. We put our luggage out at 7.15 am for an early start for Montreux today. Montreux is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva and is known as the "Swiss Riviera". We had time for 2 hrs lunch and leisure. It is a nice place and we enjoyed walking around here.
Next we went off on an excursion to Chillon Castle built on a rocky islet, with its towers reflecting in Lake Geneva. It was first built in the 9th century to guard the road from Avenches to Italy.
We returned via ferry boat to Montreux, to depart at 3.30 pm to Visp on the train naturally!
Then on to Zermatt by 6.30 pm and a 300 metre walk to our hotel.
After a little freshen up we went down to dinner with the rest of our travellers.
Finished off the day with a soak in the bath -wonderful. Zermatt is a lovely tourist resort in all seasons and there are no cars allowed in the area. Hotels have electric baggage cars for delivery of baggage to hotels which you see all over the sreeets.
Tuesday 12 August. Up at 7.00 am ready for the excursion to the famous "Gornergrat", travelling on board Europe's highest rack railway. The views from it's summit were lovely despite cloudy and spitting rain weather. We had a cup of tea in the hotel atop the mountain.
We had our photo taken with St Bernard dogs as well.
We headed back down again and walked through the town to catch the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise Cable Car. But due to high winds it only went up 2 stops to the Trockener Steg. ( 2939m) The view was amazing and worth the trip up. We did not see the Matterhorn because of the clouds but it was close by.
We got down and wandered through Zermatt absorbing all the variety of shops, cafes, bars and narrow streets. We returned to our hotel for a relax and some internet use and a look at the Olympic Games of course. Also interesting Zermatt is Traffic free! It's a beautiful ski resort- boy I wish I could ski well, I'd come back for sure!
Wednesday 13 August. Another early start today as we boarded the Glacier Express for our journey to St Moritz. A famous Swiss Mountain Railway taking 7 and a half hours- across 291 bridges, through 91 tunnels and across the Oberalp Pass at 2,033m Altitude.
A very panoramic trip through the Alps in the heart of Switzerland. It was a real high light of our tour. The landscape was filled with mountain forests, alpine meadows, rushing mountain streams and mountain valleys. All unspoiled natural beauty! We arrived at 5.45 pm. St Moritz is the most famous Swiss Skiing resort and has Sankt Moritz-Dorf- the oldest ski school. (1927) We had a rest before dinner at 7.30 pm.
Thursday 14 August. Kevin went off for a swim in the hotel pool at 7.00 am. The pool is about 15 metres long so he cranked out 80 odd lengths. After brekky we went off on the Bernina Express to Tirano - for one of Europe's most spectacular train rides ! Just magical, fairytale like and majestic are some descriptive words to describe this journey. We crossed the Bernina Pass via the Swiss Poschiavo area to Tirano in Italy.
We had 2hrs in Tirano and visited the Santuario Madonna de Tirano at the Piazza Basilica. (built in 1505). A beautiful cathedral. We had our lunch there with Midge, Frank, Doreen, Steve and David. We also sampled an Italian ice cream.We caught the train back to Pontresina and then got a tour supplied taxi to our hotel.
We decided a dip in the pool was called for and ended up doing several lengths ! Kevin cranked out another 80 or so lengths before heading off for a special Cosmos travellers dinner. We had a great day and really enjoyed experiencing nature via a railway!
Friday 15 August. We left St Moritz this morning for the journey back to Zurich.
On the way we stopped at Klosters ( situated 1,200m above sea level) for a 2 hour stop over. Its famous as Prince Charles visits often to ski here and no I didn't bump into him ! We wandered about and had our lunch with some of the travellers sitting in a childs playground area by the river. We ended up chatting to an American who has now made Klosters his home - very interesting.
We arrived in Zurich to pouring rain. We bought our train ticket required for tomorrows travel.
Everyone met up at 7.30 pm in the bar for drinks and to thank our tour director Judit, for an excellent job she'd done. Then we all had a Cosmos menu dinner together with lots of farewells and goodbyes thrown in. We have had a wonderful trip through Switzerland and made lots of firm friends.
Our next adventure will begin tommorow as we head by train to Frankfurt, Germany. I will try and keep you posted.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
26 July - 1 August, Scandinavia here we come.
Saturday 26 July We spent the night in West Ham, London, before flying to Copenhagen. We tried to find a pub to watch the All Black v Australia game, but had no luck. Therefore we went into central London and found a Walkabout pub down on the Embankment.
Tons of Aussies and New Zealanders were there watching and the atmosphere was great! We met up with a Fitzroy SLS guy called Gusto and the mother of Michelle Sutton from New Plymouth. ( Michelle has had a serious head injury and is in hospital in London). What a fast game but NZ made too many errors and the Aussies in the pub were delighted of course. After this we returned back to West Ham to get organised for our travels the next day.
Sunday 27 July Up early at 6.00 am for our journey to Heathrow Airport, The famous Terminal 5. We flew off to Copenhagen and arrived 3.30 pm. The Cosmos people we expected to be met by had gone by the time we came through the gate, so Kevin and I got a taxi to our Hotel. We met the other 42 people on our tour. Next we had a lovely 3 course dinner, very nice!
Monday 28 July I awoke really early at 4.00 am as it was very light. Up and down to breakfast by 7.00 am. At 8.30 we went on a tour of the city for 1 1\2 hr. We had free time to spend how we wanted to.
At midday we went through beautiful countryside and visited Frederiksborg Castle ( a renaissance Palace), The Kronborg Castle ( famous as a Shakespeares Hamlet play setting), and also Fredensborg ( the Queen of Denmark's Summer Palace).
We went back to Copenhagen in time for a quick shower and change of clothes before we headed out to dinner wth the whole group. It was a great get together with fellow travellers and we sampled typical Danish foods. After this we went over to the Tivoli Gardens.
We watched the Ballet being performed and listened to some big Band music on the Bandstand and wandered through the beautiful gardens and enjoyed the Tivoli Illuminations. We got home safe and sound by 10.30 pm What a nice place Copenhagen is. Clean and eco friendly A very attractive city beside clear blue water.
Tuesday 29 July Today we left at 8.00 am for the journey North. We crossed over the new Storebaelforbinersen bridge which took us to the island of Funel. We stopped at Odense ( Hans Christian Anderson Country.) and checked out his staure and house.
We wandered about the narrow streets and had a fruit lunch under the shade of tree's as it was 30 degrees. Next we crossed the Little Belt Waterway, heading for Frederikshavin on the Jutland Peninsular to our Hotel. Arriving there at 4.30 pm.
After a shower we wandered through the town and visited the port and ferry terminal. We will be crossing to Sweden tomorrow. We had dinner at 7 pm and it was fabulous - Lots and lots of different kinds of seafood ! A smorgasbord like no other with unlimited choices. I see on the news Los Angeles had an earthquake today!
Wednesday 30 July I'm still waking early, 5.00 am this morning. We left at 9.00 am via the ferry across to Kattegat to Gothenburg (Sweden). Its a thriving 2nd largest city and one of Europe's major sea ports. We followed the road and crossed into Norway and arrived in Oslo.
After a shower we went off to explore Oslo. We went down to the Alcer Brygge- the sea front . We wandered about seeing the Royal Palace, The Oslo University, Museums, The Building the Gestapo Occupied during the war and quaint town squares with sculptures. We walked back to our Hotel by 9 pm. Oslo is also a beautiful city surrounded by water.
Thursday 31 July The last day of July ! Off on our way by 8.45 am looking around Oslo. We visited Frogner Park with all the loads of sculptures of people and animals there. Next we visited National Theatre, city Hall and Parliament.
At 12 midday we went off to visit the Viking Ship Museum, then Thor Heyerdahl's Museum which showcased the world renowed "Kon Tiki" raft ( Ra 2 ) which he and a crew sailed in 1947 to prove that Polynesians could travel using papyas materials and the 3rd museum was about the Arctic Expeditions on the "Fram", built in 1892 and also used by Amunsden on his Heroic Trip to the South Pole.
It was really interesting and we both enjoyed it alot being able to walk over the original ship. Where else in the world would this be allowed. There is alot of personal responsibility and flexibility in Scandinavian culture which is really refreshing. Their lifestyle is good and we both notice these things.
We headed back to Oslo town center with time for a quick visit to the Oslo Opera House on the water's edge. Its a beautiful building. We left Oslo at 4.30 pm to drive through the Telemark region to our overnight hotel. Scenic countryside yet again. After a delicious meal we wandered about the small town of Kongsberg and admired their river running through the town.
Friday 1 August We were up early and headed off to visit Vemork. ( where the heavy water plant was) This plant was severly damaged during the war and the ferry boat that was used to transport the heavy water was also blown up by a commando unit to stop the Nazi's using it to make an atomic bomb.
We passed through the Telemark region with its lakes, winding valleys, rugged gorges and towering mountains. We went over the Hardanger Fjord from Utne to Kwannadal by ferry which was a short trip of 25 min.
We saw snow on the tops of the mountains and fantastic water falls. Very very beautiful ! We continued on to Bergen - a picture perfect seaport. We settled into our Hotel and then went down town to explore. We had fresh fish and chips at the Fish Market on the water front of Bergen with several of our tour group who also must have been keen for some good ol fish n chips.
We went for a walk about the town and saw Bryggens - very old wooden buildings and alleyways on the water front, before heading home to our Hotel by 10.30 pm. More will follow see ya later Cheers for now.
Tons of Aussies and New Zealanders were there watching and the atmosphere was great! We met up with a Fitzroy SLS guy called Gusto and the mother of Michelle Sutton from New Plymouth. ( Michelle has had a serious head injury and is in hospital in London). What a fast game but NZ made too many errors and the Aussies in the pub were delighted of course. After this we returned back to West Ham to get organised for our travels the next day.
Sunday 27 July Up early at 6.00 am for our journey to Heathrow Airport, The famous Terminal 5. We flew off to Copenhagen and arrived 3.30 pm. The Cosmos people we expected to be met by had gone by the time we came through the gate, so Kevin and I got a taxi to our Hotel. We met the other 42 people on our tour. Next we had a lovely 3 course dinner, very nice!
Monday 28 July I awoke really early at 4.00 am as it was very light. Up and down to breakfast by 7.00 am. At 8.30 we went on a tour of the city for 1 1\2 hr. We had free time to spend how we wanted to.
At midday we went through beautiful countryside and visited Frederiksborg Castle ( a renaissance Palace), The Kronborg Castle ( famous as a Shakespeares Hamlet play setting), and also Fredensborg ( the Queen of Denmark's Summer Palace).
We went back to Copenhagen in time for a quick shower and change of clothes before we headed out to dinner wth the whole group. It was a great get together with fellow travellers and we sampled typical Danish foods. After this we went over to the Tivoli Gardens.
We watched the Ballet being performed and listened to some big Band music on the Bandstand and wandered through the beautiful gardens and enjoyed the Tivoli Illuminations. We got home safe and sound by 10.30 pm What a nice place Copenhagen is. Clean and eco friendly A very attractive city beside clear blue water.
Tuesday 29 July Today we left at 8.00 am for the journey North. We crossed over the new Storebaelforbinersen bridge which took us to the island of Funel. We stopped at Odense ( Hans Christian Anderson Country.) and checked out his staure and house.
We wandered about the narrow streets and had a fruit lunch under the shade of tree's as it was 30 degrees. Next we crossed the Little Belt Waterway, heading for Frederikshavin on the Jutland Peninsular to our Hotel. Arriving there at 4.30 pm.
After a shower we wandered through the town and visited the port and ferry terminal. We will be crossing to Sweden tomorrow. We had dinner at 7 pm and it was fabulous - Lots and lots of different kinds of seafood ! A smorgasbord like no other with unlimited choices. I see on the news Los Angeles had an earthquake today!
Wednesday 30 July I'm still waking early, 5.00 am this morning. We left at 9.00 am via the ferry across to Kattegat to Gothenburg (Sweden). Its a thriving 2nd largest city and one of Europe's major sea ports. We followed the road and crossed into Norway and arrived in Oslo.
After a shower we went off to explore Oslo. We went down to the Alcer Brygge- the sea front . We wandered about seeing the Royal Palace, The Oslo University, Museums, The Building the Gestapo Occupied during the war and quaint town squares with sculptures. We walked back to our Hotel by 9 pm. Oslo is also a beautiful city surrounded by water.
Thursday 31 July The last day of July ! Off on our way by 8.45 am looking around Oslo. We visited Frogner Park with all the loads of sculptures of people and animals there. Next we visited National Theatre, city Hall and Parliament.
At 12 midday we went off to visit the Viking Ship Museum, then Thor Heyerdahl's Museum which showcased the world renowed "Kon Tiki" raft ( Ra 2 ) which he and a crew sailed in 1947 to prove that Polynesians could travel using papyas materials and the 3rd museum was about the Arctic Expeditions on the "Fram", built in 1892 and also used by Amunsden on his Heroic Trip to the South Pole.
It was really interesting and we both enjoyed it alot being able to walk over the original ship. Where else in the world would this be allowed. There is alot of personal responsibility and flexibility in Scandinavian culture which is really refreshing. Their lifestyle is good and we both notice these things.
We headed back to Oslo town center with time for a quick visit to the Oslo Opera House on the water's edge. Its a beautiful building. We left Oslo at 4.30 pm to drive through the Telemark region to our overnight hotel. Scenic countryside yet again. After a delicious meal we wandered about the small town of Kongsberg and admired their river running through the town.
Friday 1 August We were up early and headed off to visit Vemork. ( where the heavy water plant was) This plant was severly damaged during the war and the ferry boat that was used to transport the heavy water was also blown up by a commando unit to stop the Nazi's using it to make an atomic bomb.
We passed through the Telemark region with its lakes, winding valleys, rugged gorges and towering mountains. We went over the Hardanger Fjord from Utne to Kwannadal by ferry which was a short trip of 25 min.
We saw snow on the tops of the mountains and fantastic water falls. Very very beautiful ! We continued on to Bergen - a picture perfect seaport. We settled into our Hotel and then went down town to explore. We had fresh fish and chips at the Fish Market on the water front of Bergen with several of our tour group who also must have been keen for some good ol fish n chips.
We went for a walk about the town and saw Bryggens - very old wooden buildings and alleyways on the water front, before heading home to our Hotel by 10.30 pm. More will follow see ya later Cheers for now.
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