Browns Boutique Blog

Today we went on a Bubbly Grape full day wine tour of the Marlborough region - we went to 6 wineries (Cloudy Bay, Saint Clair, Withers Hill, Villa Maria, Bouldevines and Bladen) and the boutique chocolate factory, along with a delicious lunch platter... We were pleasantly surprised with the variety of the wines - this region certainly doesn't only do Sauvignon Blancs! We had some really nice Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir! A great day...... read more

On Saturday afternoon we arrived in our final destination, Vienna, by train from Hallstatt. Our apartment is only three metro stops from the city centre (or approx. 15mins stroll) and we certainly saved the best accommodation til last - this place is really nice. After we arrived we went for a walk into the city to look around and came straight across the famous Stephansdom. We returned to the hotel, buying a small suitcase on the way - to keep our purchases safe on the long trip home :) On Sunday it was time for Mike's surprise activity - I had purchased tickets to the exclusive Spanish Riding School performance. And wow - it was absolutely amazing (and being a non-rider, I know I can't appreciate it nearly enough)! The riding hall is a beautiful setting ... read more

After a champagne breakfast to start the day on a great note, we caught a local bus to one of the most popular places in Nationalpark Berchtesgaden - Konigssee (lake). The lake is 602m above sea level, 8km long, 200m deep and the most pristine lake in Germany. Its emerald green, clear waters are simply stunning. We took a ferry ride on the Konigssee to the furthest point of the lake. Here we did a hike (approx 6km return) to Lake Obersee and around its shores to a waterfall. The views were simply breathtaking - amazing alpine lakes with snow capped mountains in the background every direction you looked. After the hike we caught the ferry back to Konigssee and then caught a cable car up Mount Jenner. The cable car took us to 1800m above ... read more

Today we did a massive hike (approx 15kms) from Mount Ulriken to Mount Foyen which surround Bergen to the East. It was hard going, up and down and around other mountains, on rocky and muddy terrain. But the views were spectacular and it was a good way to spend the day - being a Saturday there were heaps of locals also doing the walk - some hiking like us, but other were running and some mountain biking (don't know how on earth they would have got up and down some of the tracks - we had to climb like monkeys up and down the mountain face in some parts!). At the top of Mount Ulriken there was a fantastic view of the whole area and the surrounding islands, but best of all (as it was a ... read more

We've seen quite a lot since my last entry. The cruise ended on Saturday in Athens. A quick summary of our thoughts re the cruise - whilst cruising as a whole probably isn't really our thing, it was the best way for us to see Gallipoli and the Greek Islands. It was also nice to have a comfortable place to come back to - where you knew the food would be safe and you didn't have to think much! It was really nice not to have to pack our bags and lug them to an airport or train station for 7 days. The negatives - such a short time (one day) at each destination, which isn't really long enough to get a feel for the location. Also not eating the local food (which is usually a ... read more