Last day in Rome

As we wind down our Roman visit with a big bus tour of the city and a visit to the coliseum, I can't   help but wonder how this beautiful city can be so untidy. With so much graffiti and many of the main attractions looking a bit scruffy,my horror soon turned to the toilets at the coliseum. What a shame that all the money the tourists bring to this place they neglect one of the fundamental basic needs a clean  dunny. With our next appointment set for 3pm we take time out for lunch,we have booked a 3hr private tour with a guide and a driver to catch up on some of the lesser attractions. Our guide is a professor in ltalian history,bingo we hit the jackpot does this man know his stuff sure does. After a short while we arrive at a place called the keyhole, with 2 large gates in a wall you can bend down and see through the keyhole the amazing view of St Peters over at the Vatican . We will leave Italy with a better understanding of this country and its history ,tomorrow we will head to the small Swiss village called Brig in the Swiss alps so good night and see ya later.........WADDA

 

Cooper at the key hole

What makes Rome tick

By far religion is the biggest money making machine in Rome, today we are going to visit the Vatican for the second time in in 2 days. This money making machine begins operations away from the walls of this already very wealthy place, the hawkers and any other fly by nighter begin trading there wares in the near by streets and laneways. Trying to get their greedy little fingers on WADDAS hard earned cash isn't easy, as my favourite word to these unscrupulous traders is a very stern no. 1 hour after joining the line we enter this scared site to nose around a bit, again the big bloke is still away and the thousands just keep on coming. We feel like lambs to the slaughter being herded from one place to the next, when we reach the Sistine Chapel and just stare up at the ceiling there certainly is the wow factor. As we follow the line that leads to the dome we shell out more euros to enter another place of interest, to climb to the top of this massive structure is only for the extremely fit and healthy like myself. The stairs leading up to the top are like climbing the inside of a corkscrew holding on to a bit of rope, very very nerve racking and not a thing I would do again in a hurry. The view made this tortuous climb well worth it, and the faithful just keep pouring through the gates. I spot a couple of blokes setting up about 100,000 chairs so just maybe the big bloke is heading home soon, anyway he has missed his chance to meet WADDA and I'm sorry I missed him also. Here's some photos of today's activities ..........WADDA

J

You lucky buggers

Hey blog watchers it's your lucky day, today you get 2 blogs for the price of one yes I did say 2 . There is a couple of things I have failed to mention so far on this trip, maybe more than a couple. Firstly our travel by the eurail system has been so easy and there trains are very fast and run on time ,secondly or accomodation has been far better than you could imagine, maybe the places with no mini bar were a pain in the a..e but all told every place has been of good standard. Food is another important factor on these long away from home trips, but again this has been our favourite part of this holiday. Selecting a food venue is taken very seriously it's not about price but what suits us at the end of the day ,ice cream eating comes easy to this bunch of sweet eaters. Sampling some of the local grape made products has also proved popular. The weather in Rome is 26 to28 during the day but cools down at night, anyway time to get some rest cos tomorrow we tackle the god squad from the Vatican at 9am..........WADDA

Rome...........The Vatican City

Well hooray for the traveling party our arrival in the Italian capital of Rome has bought us a pleasant surprise, our accommodation is bang smack right next door to the pontiffs place. Unfortunately he is not at home at the moment but by shit he had a lot of visitors today, word on the street is he is back in residence this week. I bought a ticket in pope lotto hopefully if I win I get to have a private lunch and wine tasting afternoon at his place , but not being a local I don't hold out much hope so let's just call it a donation. We walk the streets of the Vatican and surrounds before heading home to wait for happy hour to begin, over the next few days we plan a 3 hr private tour around this crumbling city and may be the hop on hop off bus . On Tuesday probably the coliseum and any other stuff that takes our interest, the happy hour bell is ringing so I must make haste in case I miss something.......WADDA

The Vatican fountain 

Pisa today Rome tomorrow

I rally the troops for another history tour this time to the lovely town of Pisa ,we catch the 0930 train for this hour long journey. Along with thousands of others who also decide to go and see the tower that just won't fall over, we negotiate the rail system with the ease of seasoned travelers. On arrival in this rather large place you just follow the crowd cos all roads lead to this beautiful building, can you believe that this tower has been trying to fall over for about 700 years. Just let me say I'm glad I made it here before it does topple to the ground, it might be sooner than later. The 2 hour wait to scale this leaning masterpiece did not fit out timetable ,so this impressive building remains unclimbed by WADDA . As we wander through the back the back streets of this ancient place food again grabs our thoughts , not more pasta I say yep the staple diet over here. Mary's Sunday roast would be nice but not for at least another month , tomorrow we move to the Italian capital of Rome seeking better food but I don't hold out much hope. Just heading out for dinner maybe a pizza anyway gotta go so hoo roo. .............

Guess what 

WADDA

Venice to Florence

Today we leave this watery city and head south to Florence in the Tuscan district of Italy, the journey south on Italy's fast train should take about 2 hrs. There fast is 250kph max not quite the 320 of the French and Germans but still pretty quick, arrival time in to Florence is 11.30am. A quick check in at the pub and we hit the trail of all things old, people everywhere but not so many cobblestones so pretty easy to get around. WADDA heads home for a rest and write this blog, also have a nana nap as this is a fairly solid campaign of foot slogging . The rest of the crew stay out and beat the pavement for another hour or so,their arrival is fairly low key as they slump through the door looking knackered  . Sleep soon claims them and it is only 4pm WADDA is up and about but has to cool his jets and wait for this mob to get motivated. Tomorrow we are off to Pisa to see another icon before it falls down, a pretty ordinary blog today but that's all i have got.........WADDA

More from the watery city 

Venice ????

Let me say from the start this waterlogged city is not actually my favourite city, with the smelly water      and the over priced trinkets I need to widen my search for some positives. The wide search pattern begins today, with water lapping every street I set of in the hope of finding some terra firma. The water taxi to San Marco is a novelty that costs a fortune, on arrival with the thousands of other tourists the trinket fair is in full flight. We are hauling no more shit out of this flea trap so we move on to the back streets of this crumbling city, food again crosses my mind no chance of a roast in this sinking city at any cost. More pasta or pizza same shit different day even a meat pie would be nice, as I look out of my window over the road not far away is the QE3 ocean liner plus some other big passenger liner. My sticky beak is getting the better of me so it is off to see what I can find out.......WADDA??

The prettiest place in the world

Without a doubt Austria has to be the prettiest place on earth, a big statement l know but show me a better place. This is the land where dreams are are made and fantasy fulfilled, today as we leave this special place I will never forget the pleasure I have had by just visiting this wonderful place. Slight drizzle is falling as depart Salzburg heading south to Venice, just south of Salzburg we begin our climb into the Alps we  are just spellbound by the scenery. After an hour of solid uphill toil we noticed that outside it was snowing yes snowing ,at the next stop we send Lucy outside for some happy snaps . I shouldn't go on about it but the beauty never stops, at Villarch we change from a train to a coach. Not before Cooper leaves his camera on board the train, oh dear . With a good hip and shoulder the conductor is now fearing for his safety, he allows Coops back on board to retrieve the forgotten item. The coach is the big European special not only built comfort it is also built for speed, we enter the freeway and it's pedal to the metal. The speed on this road is 90ks for trucks and 130 for every thing else, not long and we are passing everything except Audis and Mercs we are flying. Or arrival into northern Italy sees many changes gone is pristine landscape this is more agricultural. We arrive in Venice the place of water probably not much would grow here, always a job here for a boat builder all the same. Our place of residence for our short stay is a former monastery, so more history lessons for the kids,feeling a bit knackered tonight so farewell...........WADDA

Photo from Halstatt

Where going to Halstatt

Today we are going on a 5 hr coach tour to the world heritage listed village of Halstatt in the lakes district of Austria should be fun. But first there is still some credit left on our Salzburg card, while the girls catch up on some washing and shopping I will continue to plan the next phase of this adventure. The kids and l decide for one more crack at stairs and cobblestones,we retire broken and beaten so we head for the ice cream shop to lick our pride. All load onto the Halstatt express and make our way south, not far out of town we are in the Sound of Music country. Just let me say this is off the scale the scenery is breathtaking and it just keeps on going, as we pass more small villages it turns into unbelievable. As we skirt the edge of a lake you feel that something special is about to happen and sure enough as we come out of a tunnel I am gob smacked, the sheer beauty of  this place hanging of the side of a mountain on the edge of a lake. This is like nothing I have seen before just so so special, but first we are heading up the mountain on a funicular or should l say a box on wheels being yanked 800 odd metres up the mountain side. The view from the top was worth the effort as we admire the mountains I can  think of nothing l have ever seen could match it, back at water level we start to explore our new found beauty. I've read about a place called the bone house so time to try and locate it, pretty soon after paying 1.50euros I enter a room attached to a church to find 1200 human skulls packed on shelves around the wall. These skulls have been hand painted and look ok, I go outside and start drooling over the scenery again. If you ever make the effort to get to Austria this is a must visit place,you will not be sorry. Well tomorrow we leave the Austrian alps and the memories of Salzburg behind ,with a 6 hr rail journey ahead of us to Venice where hoping for some great times there as well. Bye.........WADDA.        Sorry no photos yet , tomorrow hopefully

Our day in Salzburg

With our day planned for the old Salzburg experience ,today we are bit slow starting but with so much to see and do we best not dilly dally. After purchasing our Salzburg card we hit the streets of the old town and make haste for the Salzburg castle, and what a sight it is over looking the the old town. On the way we spot the catacombs at St Peters cemetery so duck in for a quick look and now to the castle, there is so much going at this place let's just say fabulous. With our Salzburg card we get to go virtually anywhere for the cost of the ticket, well let me just mention the high end entry to some of these places makes it worth it .Being tourists trying to get the best value for our money seems only fair, let's ride the cable car up some no name mountain was said in conversation. Like bees to honey we catch the NO 25 bus to the Untersberg cable car  departure point,on arrival we sus this 1800 metre monolith and yes it looked bad arse, when we clamber aboard the cable car I start to feel like s..t. After checking the drivers soberitrey and his mental health we clamber aboard and lock on to a handrail for this white knuckle ride. A few sideways glances and the terror begins,i begin to sweat as we start the climb to the top. More checking on the driver yep he is okay, as we arrive at the summit and get out l am feeling ok, the kids head outside and with their mother clamber the last 100 metres to the top. WADDA thinks it might be to cold outside so i stay indoors and doesn't look down, on the decent I was positioned in the centre of cable car with a lot of people packed around me to cut the view. Bye for now...........WADDA...........Tomorrow Halstatt

Salzburg from 1800 mths 

We are leaving this beautiful city

Today we begin or journey South leaving behind one of the most beautiful cities in the world, yes Prauge is a wonderful city to visit and wander around. My time to reflect on the holiday so far, the one word that comes to mind is fantastic, to hell with the crowds and cobblestones this is something I will never forget. 9.33 am departure from Prauge to Salzburg sounds inviting on any other rail system except the Czech Republics run down system, as it meanders through the countryside passing some very run down and bleak places you just wonder how tough life could be out here. As the train gets later and later our 8 minutes to change trains at Linz isn't looking to crash hot, at the Austrian boarder after changing locomotives we set sail again. The conductor informs us we will soon be catching a bus to Linz account track works, keep cool don't release the pressure valve this far from home. The bus passes a sign saying Linz 38ks and another train trip we arrive at Linz 90mins later, as luck may have it we catch the next train to Salzburg which has a speed of 230 kph,the day has improved. The old town of Salzburg is another story which I will tell you about tomorrow .........WADDA

Kepler museum 

Up and about

1. 
   A new day dawns in the city of Prauge so let's make it a ripper, the time is 6 am up early to listen to the footy on Seymour FM yes in Prague. We will be celebrating a birthday for the second oldest person in the touring party today, probably another hard slog on the cobblestones. Can't wait for some  real coffee in the morning as most of this stuff over here is shit , also a nice Aussie roast wouldn't be bad either. The good thing is that they do sell water at the same price as beer ,so there is no more cleaning my teeth in water beer tastes better. After a big breakfast at Miss Sophie's we are on the circuit, of to the Charles bridge to do some more wandering around. WADDA and Cooper break free with a 2hr pass to investigate this beautiful city on our own, we point our compass in the opposite direction to that of the ladies and bolt. We head for a location called the UFLEKU yep it's a pub ,this little watering hole opened for business in 1499 can you believe it. Then the torture museum caught our eye so a quick flick through there and our free time has expired, we catch up with the others and fall into line and follow as followers do. The cobblestones have taken their toll on us early today so it's back to Miss Sophie's for some R&R, tomorrow we are heading for Salzburg in Austria on the 9.32am, i need a price check every so often so today I got 2pints of beer and a large orange juice for just 5 Aussie dollars soooooooooop cheap. Hoo Roo.............WADDA
   
   
   
   
   Entering Charles bridge 
   

A day on the cobblestones

Today will be our first real crack at Prague and what it has to offer, with a cooler day than yesterday....33c...today's forecast is in the low 20s. We are staying at Miss Sophie's right on the edge of this ancient city, we are pretty close to most things in this city of 1500000 people. With a big breakfast under or belt we hoof it down the cobblestone towards city central, as we stroll aimlessly around the city centre someone suggests the hop on hop off bus. Not before spotting a 3 dimensional figurine maker, this should be fun he will be working with some 4 dimensional clowns. Yes the flash as rats with gold teeth family has decided to have figurines made of themselves, the cost is not to be spoken of ever again in this family. Armed with our bus ticket we start the journey to another castle set on 45 hectares,this is the biggest castle in the Czech Republic but they all say that. Found a nice little roadside cafe of lunch, the price of this little run in with the locals means no food till Wednesday. This mob can sure spot an Aussie and sink their fangs into the bone ,but we are still happy as far our trip is progressing . With one more day in the land of goulash and dumplings or chins are still up and we will tread the cobblestones again tomorrow, time to have a drink with the twisted sisters so goodnight........WADDA

The photos for today haven't come through yet 

Prauge here we come

As our short stay in the beautiful German city of Nuremburg draws to a close we make ready for the next chapter of this wonderful holiday, the Czech Republic city of Prauge is next on our list of places to visit. With another day of riding the rails life is sure to be fun, as we climb aboard another piece of high quality German railway rolling stock I wonder what lies on the other side of the boarder. The trip to Schwandof is quick and smooth , cruising speed of 180 kph your head is still spinning on arrival. The next part of this journey will be undertaken by the Czech Republician railway, when this piece of junk rolled into the station i began to wonder. 40 minutes late this train eventually departs soon to discover no AC and by now it is quite warm, with the six of us stuffed into a small compartment not long before there are a few long faces. With many stops along the way and a lot of slow going we inch towards Prauge, passing through many locations which looked run down and very drab also the country is very dry after a hot summer, as we near this ancient capital things are on improve as this great city unfolds before our eyes. Exploring here over the next 3 days should be fun, gotta go and help do the laundry o I will be in th s..t see ya.......WADDA

Just a few window shots on the way to Prauge

Early to rise in Nuremburg

The reason I'm watching the sunrise over this beautiful German city of Nuremburg today is because during the night there was a lot of bed thumping directed at me,so maybe I was snoring a bit I don't really know. So before the sun has risen armed with my iPad I head for a less hostile location, time for a coffee. When I line up to this automated machine that dispenses the morning nectar I am in trouble, as I fumble through this process a big beafey German labourer comes to my assistance. Today's forecast is for the mid 20s and I have booked a walking tour of the old city with man called Kevin . The hustle and bustle of this city is not as bad as Paris or Melbourne but still quite busy, time to head back inside and see if I am still welcome. The public transport here is very similar to Melbourne because it has trams and we understand them so we catch one to the city, can't buy a ticket so we just hop on and hope for the best. On arrival in the city still no tickets so we rode the Nuremburg tram system for zip zero zilch, about time the tourists had a win. 1hr from our intended walk with Kevin the tour guide ,we get a text message informing us of his no show. Well Kevin you have left us all very disappointed but this show must go on. After 4hrs of wandering through the ancient walled city of Nuremburg words can not describe this place dating back to the 11th century. As the day winds down I think a cool drink will go down well. I'm having trouble with the attachment of photos on this shitty free wifi so I will see how it goes..............WADDA

Nuremburg night out at the Noris hotel

Good bye France hello Germany

My last supper in this great city of Paris took place at the Indiana cafe in the very cosmopolitan suburb of Republic,the cafe life here is unbelievable and  I will always remember this down to earth area. Up early for our trip from Paris to Nuremburg on the 7.30 express to Stuttgart, the rocket we will ride today is the French engineered TGV, and can this thing fly and has been clocked in time trails at a gut wrenching speed of 515kph. 15 minutes out of Paris this this bad boy is cruising at a steady 320kph ,as the driver flogs the guts out of this metal monster all the way to Stuttgart.The country side is also passing very quickly when our breakfast arrives ,not even a ripple on my cup of tea . Arrival in Stuttgart in the early afternoon time to explore some of this beautiful city, tomorrow I have booked a private guide to lead us on a 3hr walking of the old city. See ya later.......WADDA

SORRY NO PICS TODAY bit tired.....hic

The best Eurodisney

Today is our last day in Paris and what a day it has been, we hit the tunnels early for our programmed trip to Eurodisney some 30 min by rail to  Chessy on the outskirts of Paris The children are at fever pitch on arrival so the pace is on from the start, WADDA and auntie Rachel are at the same level of excitement as the children. Bang first up is the is the spinning cup and saucer then the small boats, had enough of this small time kids stuff bring on some serious rides. Next up the mountain train ride this is still the kids section got to get out of fairyland and into adventure land, as we stroll past the Alomo we head for Thunder Canyon . This ride was all it was cracked up to be, with lots of squealing yelling we were in roller coaster heaven,as we snap out of one trance we spot the Indiana Jones ride and immediately begin preparing for this next piece of action. Well with the living be Jesus frightened out of us it is time to re access our next theme park thriller. Nan is having some retail therapy and staying away from these dangerous activities,so we push on. The day just keeps on getting better UNTIL  the children want to go on to Space Mountain and suggested that I should participate in one last thrill so I drag my sorry arse to this space adventure,never again. When this ride began my eyes shot back into my head about 2inches I knew this was not going to be pretty,and when it stopped my eyes landed on my cheek. I will return this favour to my grand children in the Swiss alps. But all in all a great day was had by all, see ya all in Germany tomorrow.........WADDA

Seen one castle seen em all

Today will forever be known as castle over load day ,this is the day 2 fine young blokes were reduced to castle ash. Let me start at the start of this horrendous trip to the castle of all castles, yep we are going to Chateau de Versailles on the outskirts of Paris. First up its to the hole in the ground known as the Metro we have virtually lived in this dark and dingy place for 3 days as we climbed slithered and wandered around like lost Aussie tourists trying to negotiate our way through this labyrinth of tunnels. We have scaled many flights of stairs and walked many cross tunnels and survived, I have placed Cooper Clydesdale my grandson in charge of all further journeys to the underground world of travel. Now back to the castle of all castles which you can't even enter without joining the lineup which seems to have no end. Once inside if you view the gardens first it's back to the end of the line and start all over again trying to see where some old French king slept or had a feed. There were literally thousands of idiots like us all trying to do the same thing at the same time, never again . Still not a bad gig if you like castles,we will test our stamina on Eurodisney tomorrow. As the crew starts to  fail WADDA makes a decision to forage the night meal alone in the seedy district of Republique . With food alcohol and people watching high on my list of activities BINGO I hit the mother lode what a place to see it all. Nothing to worry about here as I stroll back to the Paris France Hotel 30 euros lighter , the 1664 beer is now my preferred taste. If you ever decide to come to Paris do not miss little adventure ...........WADDA

Saturday in Paris when it rains

The weather forecast was for scattered showers today but we got a lot more than that, from 11am till 3 pm it fairly flogged down. Not being fair weathered tourists we set sail in pursuit of fun ignoring the gloomy weather forecast. Our first place of interest was the Church of Notre Dame a very spectacular piece of religious history, still no rain so we push on to the Lourve the home of most expensive painting ever painted bar none. Yes the MONA Lisa is hanging at this gallery, with 1.30 to 2 hr wait we burned this idea and moved on to the Champs Élysées, this awe inspiring walk to the Arc  de Triomphe looks very tempting so off we head . The rain starts to fall so we grab a motorised tut tut to complete this journey, the kids and I decide to climb the Arc to stay dry. What a stupid idea the kids struggle up for free I pay 9 euros and nearly died in the process, I was well and truly knackered on arrival at the top, rain now heavier at the top so time to decend. Catch the Metro home to re think our plans, hop on hop off bus sound fine but still flogging rain , back on the Metro to catch up with the bus. Welcome aboard the leakiest in bus Paris with water leaking out of the light above I move to the upper deck wet but better. Stopped raining the weather has fined up so we complete this tour and catch the metro back home. 7pm and the worms are biting time for dinner at Buffalo Chills for the second night in a row,bloody beautiful. After dinner WADDA wanders off on his own to check out our surroundings and becomes only slightly lost, WADDA now has a new friend called Marcel . I met him in a bar he doesn't speak English and I don't speak French so we chatted in a language we both understood,arrived home happy but safe ...........WADDA

The magic carpet ride

As we leave behind this beautiful city and head for the French capital of Paris ,i think of the city I am leaving behind . A clean and well set out city so easy to manoeuvre around just a great place.
The day starts early for the travellers with an 8.31am departure from St Pancres station,after clearing boarder security we wait for the time  to board the Euro Star express to Paris. As this journey begins I notice how smooth this beast is, as we clear the city we start to accelerate quite rapidly and pretty soon we are doing 200kph plus. As we slow down to go under the English Channel for 20 minute ride  to French soil I think how lucky am I. When we pop up again in the beautiful French country side the train speed is hovering around 300kph ,on this man made magic carpet. The weather is about 25c just beautiful, but at Paris metro station the well oiled machine of WADDA and Co has developed a slight squeak. We have no idea where we a going until Rebecca slides in the lead position and somehow I don't know how but managed to stumble on the right track,well done Rebecca. Alas more problems the new leader has lost her ticket, as she crashes the exit barrier like a wild rodeo bull we start to laugh all in good fun. We walk the streets of the vibrant suburb ofTemple which is a suburb in district 3 looking for a cool drink , unable to speak the lingo or work out the money side of things, life just couldn't get any better than this......................WADDA