Paris, France

Well, hello again. I am finally back in a country where English is the primary language and it is fantastic. Strangely it feels less normal to be able to say hello to a person who is serving you in a shop than it does to try and remember if you are meant to be saying Guten Tag, Bonjour, or Bonjourno.

Anyway, I'm going to blog about the last couple of nights which we spent in Paris so I had better get on with it.

Paris
We arrived in Paris in the afternoon and checked into the hotel before heading out to see the sights of Paris by night.

Cindy said that she and Derek (our driver- previously I have spelt it as Derrick, but that is incorrect) had a surprise for us. It turns out that the surprise was the Eiffel Tower lighting up, sparkling, and looking extremely impressive. Apparently it does that every hour on the hour over night.


The Arc de Triumph is (rather strangely, I think) located at the centre of an extremely busy roundabout in the middle of central Paris. This roundabout is wide enough for about four lanes of traffic, but it does not have lanes. It has no markings or traffic control of any kind because Parisians do not follow them. If we had not have been in a huge coach I would have been very, very scared going around that roundabout. We saw several near misses, but not an actually accident while we were there. Statistically, there is an accident every 8 minutes so we easily could have witnessed one. I am now really not surprised that Paris was the location of the car crash that killed Princess Diana (we also saw where the accident took place in our scenic drive).

The next morning Cindy took us to an included demonstration at a French perfumery, but I got a huge headache from the overpowering scents. One girl described it as a scent to knock out a cow.

From the perfumery it was an easy walk to the Louvre so that was what we decided to target next.

The outside of the Louvre is extremely impressive in and of itself - it is absolutely massive.




But, of course, this is a real case of 'its what's on the inside that counts.' To 'do' the Louvre properly it would take months so we had a strategy to locate and admire (well, I admired, Rob complained) a few key pieces - the very famous ones, of course.



We only spent about an hour in the Louvre which any real classical art lover would find absolutely appalling, but we had other sites to see as well.

We then went back to both the Arc de Triumph and the Eiffel Tower to take in the atmosphere in daylight. We didn't go up the Eiffel Tower for two reasons. Number 1, Rob couldn't manage the heights. Number 2, its expensive (and as an added bonus there were massive crowds of Asian tourists trying to get up it).



We also went to see the Cathedral of Notre Dame. This may be my favourite of the many cathedrals, temples, and churches we have seen so far.




Speaking of temples, here is one that Napoleon commissioned to be built in the middle of Paris for his soldiers. We didn't go inside, but apparently at the front in a place of prominence where the crucifix would normally be positioned there is a representation, not of Jesus, but of Napoleon himself. Have you ever wondered why people say that French men are arrogant?


We went into the Spanish Quarter to experience 'the real Paris' away from the big attractions - the district where the university students live and eat. We had lunch at a little place frequented by the locals and had amazing baguettes.

No, we did not eat snails. I personally believe that small animals that cover their bodies with a mucus identical to our snot and position their anus above their heads should not be eaten. But that's just my personal feeling on the matter - you can eat them if you want. By the way, unlike frog's legs, they are not considered a delicacy over here and seem to be quite commonplace and are surprisingly easily found in restaurants and cafes.

After lunch we hit the largest department store in France. No, it wasn't me that needed some retail therapy. It was Robert. He spent just over $200Aus on toys. Collectible toys.

After shopping we wrestled with the highly confusing metro system again and made it back to the hotel in time to do our washing in the laundromat just down the road and have a nice relaxing evening.

The next morning (today) we got back on the coach and drove for the entire day except for the part when we were on the ferry over the English Chanel when we were sailing rather than driving. We are now back in London and have left our tour mates and our fantastic Cindy and Derek and now have to attempt to travel without a tour manager responding to our very beck and call and organising everything for us. Sigh :(

Another VERY long post - enjoy!

Italy

Venice

Our first experience of Italy was Venice. All you ever hear about Venice is how fantastic it is, but I have absolutely no idea why. Yes, the photos of it are very pretty, but they don’t show you several things about the place – it smells (the water in the canals stinks in some places), it is full of Gypsies trying to trick you out of your money in various different ways, and it has absolutely no soul whatsoever – it is just a tourist city and nothing more. I would hate to be there in summer when it is so crowded you can’t move – and the smell would be much worse, too.

Don’t get me wrong – it is very pretty and I did enjoy the Gondola ride, but its not all its cracked up to be, that’s for sure.

This is the very famous ‘Bridge of Sighs.’ The buildings around it are being cleaned and restored – hence the big blue plastic covers. The bridge got its name because prisoners walked across it when transferred between prison buildings and, as they got a rare glimpse through the small window of the beauty of Venice, they let out a sigh, “ahhhhhhh.”

Rome

After Venice we moved on to Rome – Rome was 10 times more enjoyable at least, but you have to understand that Romans are crazy. Everything is so absolutely disorganized. Nothing makes any sense, and this is typified in the way they drive – it is absolute madness. It is a completely the opposite to the strict orderliness of Germany.

The first thing we did in Rome is get Gelato, of course. Yum… drool…

Then we went and checked out the Pantheon. The Pantheon was built as a temple to all the Roman gods, but was then transformed into a Church in the early days of Christianity – it is still used occasionally today for weddings.

I've somehow misplaced the photo - I'll show you later. Oops

On our way back to the hotel we did a scenic drive through the famous sites by night.

The next morning the first thing we did was leave the country … and go into the Vatican. The Vatican was an experience, but I didn’t really enjoy it (surprise, surprise). Everything in it is completely overdone.

The roof of the Sistine Chapel is no exception.

But the outside of St Peter’s isn’t too bad.

After the Vatican we went on a guided walking tour (and it absolutely poured down with rain – the only time we have been rained on so far in the trip) through the ruins of the Roman Forum (including where Julius Caesar was killed and where he was cremated)

And the Coliseum.

They have replaced some of the floor of the Coliseum so you can imagine how it would have looked when it was still in use, but they have kept much of the “behind the scenes” structures still in place as well.

Then we had free time to explore the city and we decided to hit the Trevi Fountain.

This photo has also gone slightly missing - dont worry it is still safe and sound on the computer.

And the Spanish Steps

And the Monastery of the Cuppacine Monks. The Cuppacine Monks were a weird bunch – they bought back some dirt from the Holy Land to bury there dead in, but they quickly ran out of room so they decided to dig them back up again (so far not too strange), but when they got out all the bones and were wondering what to do with them, this is what they decided on!

I didn’t take these photos (you weren’t allowed to) so we downloaded them (yay, for google pictures) – sorry about the quality, but at least you can see what we mean. We have postcards which are better quality so you can see them when we get home if you want to.

Florence

Florence is the capital of the Italian region of Toscana (or Tuscany for us English speakers). It is beautiful and, unlike Venice, still has soul and was quite an enjoyable place to be. We went on a walking tour around the town centre.

This is a Catholic Church designed by a Jew - notice the Star of David

There are some very famous people associated with Florence, including Da Vinci

Also very interesting is this chapel – originally it was a Roman temple, and (here is the interesting part) it is well over 1,000 years old!

Right next to it is this Church – it is the 4^th largest Church in the world (or in Europe, I can’t remember – I’ll have to look it up later), it was also the first Church in Europe with a dome in it (I am sure of that part), this is the dome that St Peter’s in Rome is based on, and it took over 100 years (and 5 architects) to finish it. Its pretty impressive, but when you go inside it is even more impressive – unlike every other Cathedral we have seen, it is gorgeously simple inside. That is, except the roof of the dome – which is very, very impressive, but the photos don’t really show just how impressive.

Switzerland

Switzerland is exactly as advertised – lots of mountains, stunningly beautiful, breathtakingly cold, and superbly organized and orderly. We love it! None of the craziness and nonsense of Italy here – yay, everything makes sense again! And in Lucerne they speak the sensible language of German. The only issue with Switzerland is that it is a very independent country and they do things differently to the rest of Europe – including having different money. Some of the shops will accept Euros, though, which made things easier.

Just look how pretty everything is.

Of course, you know that Switzerland is famous for three things.

Swiss Watches

Swiss Army Knives

And Swiss Chocolates – but you can’t see a photo of this because I ate it all J

The hotel we were staying in was interesting, too. Up until 1998 it was the prison. Yes, a prison. We spent the night in a Swiss prison cell, and with the exception of the addition of a shower (yay, a shower- the one in the Florence had no hot water) and a wall around the shower and toilet it was hardly any different to the original prison cell. So Rob, very proudly, told Mum that I had spent the night in a Swiss prison cell (but didn’t tell her that he had as well).

Europe Trip Uddate

Well, hello again. It has been several countries since I last had a chance to blog so we have quite a bit of catching up to do. Get yourself a drink and make yourself comfortable before you start reading. Sorry its so long, I hope it isn’t boring.

The Netherlands.

The Netherlands was beautiful – and yes there were windmills everywhere, although, unfortunately we weren’t in tulip season. Amsterdam (where we stayed) is mostly famous for the sex and drugs of the red light district. Although most of the tour group went to the red light district to see the “Sex Show” and experience the coffee houses (where they are legally allowed to sell cannabis, our severe jet lag (or more specifically my severe jet lag) gave us the perfect excuse to stay in our hotel room and get some sleep instead. The next morning we got free time to wander around the city and check everything out. Amsterdam should be famous for much more than sex and drugs – it is beautiful. It is basically a canal city like Venice is famous for and has streets running along the canals full of beautiful houses.

We also enjoyed Dutch food. And, although I have already experienced poffitches (spelling? Small Dutch pancakes – you know what I mean) Rob hadn’t so we had them for lunch.

Germany.

After our morning in Amsterdam we headed straight into Germany and stayed the night in the Rhine Valley at St Goar. St Goar is a village not a city and is so quaint and beautiful and is literally right on the banks of the Rhine River.

Germany is much prettier than I imagined it would be. Everything I have ever seen about Germany before has been about the war and only shows the concentration camps and similarly depressing sites – but Germany is full of beauty – the architecture of the buildings, the landscape, and the food are all just amazing. And Germany, along the Rhine, is full of castles. I am struggling to find enough adjectives to describe the beauty of the places we have been passing through.

St Goar is where German beer steins are made so we got to go to a shop specializing in them and learn all about them. I liked the pewter ones the best, but they are very heavy and expensive so Rob bought a glass one (plus they’re the ones he likes best).

St Goar is also right near the Black Forest - the origin of Teddy Bears, Cuckoo Clocks, and Black Forest Cake. We were given Black Forest Cake with dinner and it was yummy. It tasted exactly the same as Mum’s but they put more kirsch in theirs and give you a smaller piece so you don’t get too sozzeled.

This is the world’s largest free hanging cuckoo clock- its in the Guinness Book of Records and it is in the tiny village of St Goar.

After leaving St Goar we travelled on towards Munich (or Munchen in German). The countryside went from just looking cold…

To being covered in snow.

In Munich we checked out the Glockenspiel (like a big cuckoo clock really)

St Peter’s Church

And that night, The Beer Hall. In Germany beer comes in one litre glasses called steins. You can’t order anything smaller than a litre in the beer halls. Beer Halls are the best place to get good, cheap, German food so we went along. You all know how I feel about the smell of beer, but I am extremely pleased to report that German beer does not stink like Australian beer does so I was able to enjoy the atmosphere of the beer hall, watch the locals and enjoy the German food. German food is all about pork, cabbage, and pretzels. We enjoyed all three. Rob had what they call a pork knuckle which was like almost an entire roast of pork to himself. I had the wurst because I like wurst the best. We both had sauerkraut – it actually wasn’t bad at all, I would eat it again.

Rob had a stein of beer, but he doesn’t drink much so he went with the beer mixed with lemonade option. I had a mini stein of wine (wine comes in a smaller stein than beer). My wine was also watered down somewhat with mineral water so it was a little fizzy as well.

The next morning when we were leaving Munich, Cindy (our cute little French tour manager. We have a Scottish driver as well) surprised us with two extra stops that she doesn’t normally take the tours on – BMW Welt and Dachau Concentration Camp. Dachau was far more of a highlight for me than the BMWs, though. Dachau was the first concentration camp they ever built in Germany and became the model for all the others to be built on. It was a very somber place to be as literally thousands (yes, thousands) of people died in that concentration camp alone, but I’m so, soooo glad we got the opportunity to go.

Austria

After leaving Dachau we went straight into Innsbruck, Austria. Innsbruck is a small city – the origin and home base of Swarovski crystal. I thoroughly enjoyed the Swarovski shop and exhibition and I would have taken home almost everything in the shop if I could have done.

Austrian cuisine is all about trying to get you drunk on schnapps. We tried the schnapps at a free tasting in one of the shops (I liked the cappuccino one and the strawberry one) and then when we had dinner in the hotel the dessert (a chocolate mousse type of thing) was absolutely drenched in it as well.

The real highlight of Innsbruck, though, was when it snowed. We have seen a lot of snow, but this was the first time it had actually snowed on us. Even the Americans on the tour who are used to snow were amazed by it. They described it as snowing in balls rather than flakes – the snowflakes were huge!

Anywho, that’s a giant post so I’ll let you all go back to whatever it is you are supposed to be doing at the moment.