TravelStream™ news feed for member mrsmac on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mrsmac en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 22 Jan 2009 06:56:39 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mrsmac/1/1222866120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mrsmac/1/1222866120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mrsmac/1/1222866120/tpod.html Thu, 22 Jan 2009 06:56:39 -0500 Our trip in 2008

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Avignon, Provence, France

Today was my Classics day!! We left Carcassone this morning having looked around the new town a little more. Drove out on another glorious sunny morning towards Nimes. This promised a Roman Arena and other remnants of the Roman occupation, 2000 years ago. After travelling around Narbonne and Montpelier (more names for exploding cows fans) we arived in Nimes at lunch time. Parked and had some lunch in the centre square overlooking a beautiful fountain next to the Palais de Justice.Having dined well we walked to the Arena. This is one of only four which is still pretty well preserved albeit from being a Bullfighting ring. It is only about half the size of the Colisseum in Rome but it is still impressive. We had an audio guided tour through the main areas including the gladiators' rooms and the various levels. It was excellent.From there we walked to another Roman marvel, an almost intact Roman Temple built for the Emperor cult in the reign of Augustus. This has Corinthian columns all around and very steep steps. It is perched high above what was the Forum of the Roman city.In the distance we could also see a tower from Roman times but time was getting on. We drove towards Avignon but were able to stop at the Pont de Gard. Fletcher was particularly interested in this. This is the remains of the Roman Aqueduct which brought water to the city of Nimes. It is huge. It is set in a lovely park area and of course there was a fee, for parking, not entry. We walked to the base and across the lower section to the other side of the river Gardon. It is wonderful that this small section has been preserved.So after a "trip" back to Roman times we drove on to Avignon which we had visited in 1980. Found an inexpensive hotel quickly near one of the gates into the old city. Avignon is a walled city and has many fabulous old buildings. The highlight is, of course, Le Palais de Papes where the popes lived in the 14th century. We had a drink, sitting in the square watching the fading rays of the sun giving a rosy hue to the front of this elegant structure. We then walked down to find the famous Pont de Avignon. I remember very clearly standing with my three children on this bridge singing, "Sur la pont, D'Avignon". Alas we could not repeat the feat as now it is closely guarded by an entrance door, ticket box and gift shop!! It was closed for the evening. We returned to the main square for a very nice dinner and a quiet stroll back to our hotel. Another great day in France
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Eugene, Oregon, United States

We are now in Eugene having spent five enjoyable but frustrating days in the USA.  We landed in San Francisco with great expectations. Our Hotel, the Carlton was great and was within easy walking and Cable Car distance of all. The one drawback was that we did not have our luggage. We reported this through American Airlines and expected that it would arrive at any moment. However, we were determined it would not spoil our time here. On the first day we went to Fisherman's wharf. The original areas here were great but the new Pier 39 was much too touristy and over the top for us. We had a great lunch at Fisherman's Grotto, the original restaurant there where I had Dungeness Crab which is a specialty. The huge piles of them outside on the stalls were impressive. We took a small boat ride out on the harbour. This was run by a couple of young guys and was less touristy and significantly cheaper than the alternatives. We went out under the Golden Gate bridge where we were encouraged to "kiss your date under the gate". We then encircled Alcatraz where the various buildings were identified. The next day we picked up our car, a Buick Lacrosse. We drove south along the coast stopping at Santa Cruz where I wanted to see the famous Boardwalk. This was a huge disappointment being a tacky amusement park. We drove on to Monterey, Steinbeck Country. He is my favourite American author and I wanted to see the area he wrote about. Monterey was well presevered. The old Custom House showed how this was once ruled by Mexico until the Americans took it during the American/Mexican War. We walked to Cannery Row which is now modernised but they have tried to preserve some of the character of the place. There is only one small section which is still a fish factory. Still it was interesting to see.The next day we drove out to San Francisco airport. There we eventually found a Qantas baggage officer and though he tried to fob us off we made it very clear we were not leaving until we found our bags. Once he realised we were serious it only took him 15 minutes to find our luggage!! At last!!  We then drove north over the Golden Gate bridge and headed for the Redwoods area. We found a drive through tree and were amazed at how huge these trees are. We stopped for the night st a seaside town, Eureka. This had a great old town area which has been restored. Had a great meal at the Waterfront Cafe with some local Pinot Gris. Today we drove from Eureka through great country of Redwood forrests and National Parks. We have come to Eugene because it it one of the premium athletics tracks in the country and Fletcher wants to check it out. We had a great meal tonight in Ambrosia's and have finally been able to access the internet to register this blog.Although we have had some frustrations along the way we are enjoying ourselves immensely, especially the loose agenda and the ability to drive where we want.
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Vienna, Vienna, Austria

We waltzed into Vienna after a three hour train trip from Budapest. Found our way to the hotel and had time to walk into the centre to renew aquaintance with this attractive city. We were here in 2004 though staying further out. Our hotel is opposite the Stadtpark at the edge of the first district. The park is an oasis of greenery and is a popular spot for locals. We found our way to St Stephen's, the towering church at the heart of the city. (Those Inspector Rex fans would recognise it immediately) It is being cleaned and renovated at the moment so is covered with scaffolding. After our reccy we returned to the hotel to meet with our tour group. Once again, there are 39 in the group and this time 35 of them are Australians!! At  the meeting, Piotor, our guide reminded us, "We are not on holiday we are on the tour" and therefore most mornings the wake up call will come between 6 & 7. We went back to a restaurant we had been to last time. However, we had had a late lunch so just shared a Pizza.We started out the next morning at 7-45am. The early start was so that we could get ahead of the crowds at our first stop, Schonnbrun Palace. We were the first group which gave us space to see the place. This was the summer palace of the Hapsburg family, particularly under Empress Marie-Theresa. It has over 1,000 rooms and she needed the space as she had 16 children. The main reception room was similar to the main hall in Catherine's Palace. The wood carvings coated in gold leaf were dominant, and the ceilings were painted in allegorical paintings. During the war remarkably this place was almost untouched and of course it has been extensiveley restored. We wandered through the many rooms and admired the elaborate decoration of the main sitting rooms. The best feature of the palace was the gardens. These were extensive. There was a huge gravel driveway leading to a large fountain and monument at the end. Nothing as spectacular as Peterhof but pleasant for all that.From the palace we returned to the centre of the city and drove around the Ringstrasse which circles the city centre and along which all the major buildings are situated. We went past the Opera then the Winter Palace. The most impressive building is the Parliament which is in Neoclassical style with a huge statue of Athena at the front.We alighted behind the Opera . We then went across the road to the Albertina Museum. They advertised a special exhibition, From Monet to Picasso. We couldn't resist. The exhibition lived up to our expectations. This had been a private collection that had now been willed to the museum. There were some great paintings included; a Waterlilies from Monet as well as two or three other works, Cezanne, Signac,Sisley. then on to Post Impressionists and Fauves like Matisse, Kadinsky etc and through to Chagall, Picasso and Braque. After enjoying this we explored the gallery and found that it was once part of the Winter Palace and the State rooms were displayed. Some of these contained old masters like Rubens, Michaelangelo and Durer. Well worth the visit!!We walked back to Karlsplatz to see St Charles church then stopped at the Naschmarket. Here were many cafes and market stalls. This is where the ordinary Viennese come for lunch rather than the tourist spots. We enjoyed wandering through the stalls looking at the olives, cheeses, meats and fruit and vegetables. Had lunch at a Vietnamese cafe which was excellent.We wandered back to the hotel through Stadtpark. This contained a golden statue dedicated to Johann Strauss as well as being a pleasant place for people to relax and enjoy the sunshine. That night we took the optional dinner at a Viennese Restaurant. This was Niky's Kuchlmafterei (Lucy please translate!!) We had a lovely meal there with stuffed quail as the main course though the large, blonde maitre d' would have made the Nazis quake with her demands for us to tell her our order!!!All in all we had enjoyed our day in Vienna seeing some different areas of the city from the last time.
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Barolo, Italy

Yesterday morning we packed the car (and I mean packed) and with Brent and Marg headed out of Villefranche towards the wine district of Piemonte, Italy. With a large suitcase standing up in the middle of the back seat and all of us nursing various bags, it was not really comfortable, but we survived the 4-5 hours it took to drive here.We first headed to Ventimiglia and then up through the mountains towards Cuneo. There were many winding roads and a couple of hairy moments with some of the mad drivers around here. Fletcher did well to keep us safe and on the road. We stopped by the side of the road at Fossano for a quick picnic lunch and then continued into Barolo. This is a small village in the middle of stunning scenery, the centre of the wine industry here and especially the Barolo wines made from Nebbiolo grapes. Brent and Marg had been here two weeks ago and had booked us into this lovely small hotel attached to the Brezza winery. Because of high demand we were sharing a room which was fine as it is large and we are old friends!!!I had not heard of this area before but the views are magnificent. Before we got to the hotel we drove on to La Morra, another small town and tasted some of the wines from around here at the Community visitor's centre. Very well made wines and some with excellent fullness of taste. The vista from the top of the hill over a valley full of symmetrically organised vines which followed the contours was stunning, even though there was a low lying haze about.We went back to Barolo and checked in. Then we wandered into the town to look around. Found a couple of places there with tasting areas. They do make some good wines here!!! At both we had great chats to the winemakers even though the language barrier on both sides made it necessary to use our hands, but hey! we're in Italy. At 6pm we had arranged a tasting at the Brezza winery under our hotel. Here this is done in a sophisticated manner. We sat down at the table with crunchy bread and a variety of cheeses and the winemaker, Enzo, talked us through the various varieties. As Brent is a winemaker himself, albeit a small one, he had lots of questions and we were given interesting information about how they were made. I just enjoyed the tastes!!We then went up to the hotel restaurant for dinner. This had an interesting menu and was inexpensive, especially compared to what we had been paying in France. I had guinea fowl and Fletcher, rabbit. Delicious!! Later Enzo came and joined us along with a young Australian winemaker, Chris, from Victoria who is here doing the vintage as part of his oenology course. Brent had brought one of his own wines along so Enzo and Chris tasted along with us. Enzo then brought out one of his special wines for us to taste so it turned out to be an excellent night!!This morning, after a later start, we relaxed a little at the hotel while Brent and Marg sorted out their travel arrangements for the next few days on the Internet. We then set out about 11-30am to drive to Santa Maria to taste some more wines. Here we first went to a winery called Alessandri Silvio and the lady there, the wife of the winemaker, gave us their range to taste. She was lovely and we had a great time communicating in broken English and Italian. After that we had lunch in La Morra and went to another winery, Erbaluna, in Annunziata. Here the winemaker gave us a tour of his winery and then another great sit down tasting, accompanied by beautiful creamy soft cheese. He is an organic winemaker and his English was great so no problems communicating here. He was generous with his time and we were there for over an hour. It was another beautiful sunny day and the haze from yesterday ,which had been around this morning, cleared away so we could get fantastic views out over the valley. I could look at the scenery for ages!!The others have gone off into Barolo for yet another tasting, but I decided to stay here at the hotel to catch up with this and prepare for another great meal tonight!!Tomorrow we head to Torino (Turin) to drop Brent and Marg and then Fletcher and I are heading north to Innsbruck. We may catch up with the other two there later in the week.
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Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

We arrived back in Australia at 7am on Saturday, October 11th which happened to be our 40th wedding anniversary!!. We were chosen for a full search at Customs by the Agricultural guys but it didn't hold us up too long. However, we only had time to transfer to the Domestic terminal and then straight onto the flight to Adelaide.Got into Adelaide at 10am. Carolyn picked us up at the airport and we were soon home. After 14 weeks of travel the sight of our own backyard was welcomed, especially since our niece, Amanda and Carolyn had tidied up, planted new flowers in the garden and had the place looking good.It was a trip of a lifetime and we are not likely to repeat this again. 14 weeks was a very long time to be away. We think that 8-10 weeks would be an optimum time. But it is a time we will never forget. 26 countries, at least 4 mountain ranges, numerous lakes, rivers and some of the most wonderful cities in the world. What more could we ask?
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Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany

After a wonderful day checking out the Nazi history in Nuremburg we drove to Frankfurt airport late afternoon, arriving about 7pm. Our flight was not due until midnight so had to wait to check in. The flight was chockers so we did not get the upgrade we had requested. It was also about an hour late in taking off. The flight was OK and we are now in Singapore airport waiting for the call to board. Australia here we come!!
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Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany

This morning we left Munich about 11am. We had decided to visit Nuremburg, made famous by the Hitler rallies there and of course the War Crimes Trials at the end of WW2. Drove northward on the freeway and chose to stop in the town of Ingoldstadt for a look around and lunch. This was an excellent decision as this is a beautiful place with another lovely old town. There are so many hidden gems in Germany. Walked through the pedestrian section of town, browsing through the shops and admiring the old buildings that are so well maintained. Had a great lunch at a small bistro and then continued on our way into Nuremburg.The outskirts of the city were not all that impressive, but again when we got to "zentrum" we were amazed. Here is another medieval walled city, obviously restored after the devestastion of WW2. Found a great hotel within the city walls, just below the castle. Once checked in we walked to the nearby square. This is dedicated to Albrecht Durer the 16th century artist and his house, now a museum, was on one side. There were some lovely old wooden and daub buildings and several great cafes. There was also a statue of a rabbit in the Durer style.We then walked to the main market square where the market was just closing. Here there is a beautiful 14th century fountain with 40 different figures on it which was well preserved during the war. Looked around the nearby streets and stopped by the river. We were intrigued to see a shop called Australian chocolate. The girl told us that ir is actually a Netherlands franchise but uses an Australian recipe for their icecream.We had dinner overlooking the market square. Another interesting day.The next morning we asked at the Tourist office about the Nazi connection. We were shown on the map where both the War Crimes courtroom and the rally fields were. After spending some time looking around the old town we checked out of our hotel and drove on. We first made a quick stop outside the courtroom to grab a photo and then drove to the outskirts of town to where the huge Nazi Party rallies were held. The large Congress Hall, designed by Albert Speer but nevere completed is still standing. It is now a wonderful museum detailing thr rise of Hitler and the connection with Nuremburg. We spent nearly 2 hours here.We then walked around the lake to the Zeppelin field which is still nearly intact. It is used for car racing now. Though the huge swastika which adorned the top of the marble wall was blown up by the Americans, the wall still stands as do the tiers surrounding it. We then walked around the lake to the Great Road and back to the hall. A fascinating experience.
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Munich, Bavaria, Germany

We visited Neuschwanstein today. We left Innsbruck around 9am and headed north. Fletcher wanted to go to Garmisch-Partenkirchen so we made that our first destination. It was a cool, cloudy day but as it warmed up we enjoyed some excellent views. From Garmisch we continued to Fussen from whence we could access Neuschwanstein castle. The minor road we took to get to Fussen took us through some spectacular scenery. Stopped next to Plansee, a beautiful still lake where the reflections of the colourful trees and the mountains afforded spectacular scenery.We arrived at "mad" King Ludwig's castle around 12. The car park was jam packed. I would hate to see it in peak summer time. While Marg queued for tickets we had a look around. There are two castles here, one in which Ludwig grew up and the other one he built. Once we had the tickets we then walked up the hill to the castle. This took 20 minutes but was uphill all the way. At least it was cool and the scenery was beautiful. Our tour was scheduled for 12-45pm so we had about a 20 minute wait. Took lots of photos and wrote postcards to little boys.The tour was very interesting. The castle was built to honour Wagner. In every room there were murals depicting the various myths upon which Wagner's operas are based. Brent was particularly interested as he has read much about the Ring Cycle. The rooms that we saw were the only ones that were finished when Ludwig mysteriously drowned. They were all elaborate. The throne room was set up like a Byzantine church but the Singer's Hall was the most impressive. Ludwig's eccentricity was shown by the artificial cave he had installed on the third floor.It was a fascinating place and certainly worth the visit. It is one of the most well known castles in Europe so I was glad to match my daughters in visiting it. We then drove into Munich. This was about an hour or so drive. We took the Rankines to the Railway station and said farewell about 4pm. Fletch and I then found a hotel close by. Once settled we walked into the city centre. Neither of us had been here since 1980 so it was interesting to view it all over again. Amazingly, we found the same pianist busking in Marienplatz who had been in Salzburg last night!! He and his grand piano sure move around. We found a traditional German restaurant for dinner and had some great food. Not long to go now but we are still enjoying our experiences
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Innsbruck, Austrian Alps, Austria

We set out early from Lake Maggiore heading to Innsbruck. Wanted to arrive before Brent and Marg were due in on the train at 4-30pm. Drove through the mountains seeing some stunning views along the way.We first drove along the the lake to Locarno and from there headed up and up.We eventually made our way though the San Bernardino Pass.This was spectacular scenery with the snow having dusted the pine trees overnight and the autumnal colours of the landscape painting a fabulous picture of reds, golds and greens. The road took us through Leichtenstein: though we didn't stop there we can say we have revisited. We did stop in Chur for a quick lunch.The last part of our trip took us through several tunnels, one was about 15Kms long. We eventually came into Innsbruck about 3pm. Found the bahnhof and booked two rooms through the Tourist Info office there. After we had checked in we met the Rankines at the station and took them to the hotel. This was ideally situated just across the river from the old town. We walked over there and found the Goldener Adler Hotel where we and the children had stayed in 1980 when we had last visited. After a drink in the square opposite the famous golden roof we found a traditional Austrian restaurant and had some of the local food, washed down with some of the local wine.The next day we set out for Berchestgaden, the site of Hitler's Eagle's nest. This was a fair drive away but it was a beautiful day so we were not daunted.We did run into roadworks near St Johann which held us up for about 45 minutes. We got to the town at about 1-30 and had a quick lunch.then it was a short drive to Obersalzburg and the bus which was to take us up to the top of the mountain. We had to wait till 2-45 for the bus and then the drive up was spectacular. The vistas that unfolded were incredible. Once at the top we ascended the last couple of hundred feet in a lift that Martin Bormann had had constructed for Hitler's 50th birthday.Emerging into the sunlight at the top was amazing as the views from there were breathtaking. It had snowed overnight and we made our way through snow and melting ice to the highest point on this mountain. Gazing out over the valley was breathtaking. The colours of the trees mixed with the small villages dotted about in the green fields made this trip well worth while. We also got to see the building where Hitler entertained guests. It is now  a restaurant. while sitting on the outside terrace having a beer a WW2 American plane flew over our heads, did a victory roll and sped off! Quite an experience!After this marvellous experience we drove on into Salzburg which was very close. Here we wandered through the main historical streets and had a bite to eat. We listened to a busker in the cathedral square who was playing a grand piano. He was great. I hadn't been here before so I really enjoyed seeing Sound of Music country.The drive back to Innsbruck was difficult as Fletcher had to contend with rain, the darkness and many semitrailers sharing the road, however we did it in 2 hours which wasn't a bad effort. All in all a great couple of days!
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Verbania, Piedmont, Italy

Having spent a couple of days immersed in the vineyards around Barolo we headed north to Torino this morning. This was a pleasant drive on another cool but sunny day. We drove into Torino about 11-30 but did not have a detailed map. Made a wrong turn and then roadworks made the correction time very slow. Eventually, Marg found the city map and we headed back into the centre. Stopped though at the river where there was a fabulously ornate fountain with statues representing the various months of the year. nearby was the Borga Medioeval, a reproduction Medieval village and castle constructed in 1884. We had a wander around there admiring the detail that had been put into this. There were several brides also there posing for pictures in this attractive setting. Drove into the centre of the city where we dropped Brent and Marg. They were meeting a friend of a friend there so planned to stay the night.Fletcher and I then drove on. It took us half an hour just to get out of the city environs and then we headed north. Our plan was to try and make Locarno this evening. However, we had a very poor map and though we reached Biella without too much trouble could not find the direct route through to Verbania that we wanted. Drove up into the Alps and eventually stoped in Trevino at a newsagents and were able to buy a better map of the area. Armed with this we found that we were heading in more or less the right direction and continued. We did have to stop in Varallo though at the tourist info office for further clarification but eventually found the right road.Although all of this might sound frustrating, (and there were the occasional expressions of disgust) however, the drive was very scenic and coming over the mountains and down towards Lake D'Orta was stunning. After looking in vain for accomodation at Omegna we went on to Verbania. Here, as we came into the town, we saw this hotel, 3 Ponti and they had a great room. We are on the 4th floor looking out over  Lake  Maggiore and it is an apartment with cooking facilities etc,(not that we will use them,) but would be a great headquarters for exploring this beautiful area of Italy. We have had a great meal in the town and just watched a fireworks display in the town of Stresa, exactly on the opposite side of the lake from us. Tomorrow we are heading for Innsbruck and will meet up with Brent and Marg again as they are coming up on the train.
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