Well, our additional kms that we had planned to walk on our last night in Paris, were doubled at least, as we took the wrong turn out of the underground station and ended up miles away from where we had intended to go! Well, the Arc de Triomphe was standing prominently at the end so one could have been forgiven for thinking they were heading towards the Champs Elysees, when in actual fact we were heading the opposite way! (So, the Arc looks the same from both sides!!!!! How were we to know! And you know how utterly hopeless I am [View Full Entry]

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As money was running low (actually, that is an understatement! We are now into money we had put aside for other things when we got home!), we decided we would get the water ‘bus’ to the airport instead of a taxi, for under half the price. The trouble with this great idea was that we had to lug our suitcases across a trillion bridges and through packed cobbled stone streets, to get to the said ‘bus’, on the hottest day in Venice they have experienced in history, I am certain!!! All went well though, and after hauling our gear up onto [View Full Entry]

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After a whirlwind taxi ride to Camucia station, and a ticket machine in Italian only, we managed to secure ourselves two tickets to Florence (it was either there or Rome and that was in the wrong direction…). Mind you, I lost 12 Euros in the process as the machine did not give change!!! But we managed to haul our luggage down the stairs and back up the other side and then up steps onto the train. Talk about buggered before you even get anywhere! Florence was absolutely packed and once again we encountered the language barrier. Finally I found a small [View Full Entry]

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Now that we had wheels, and the shops re-opened (Monday), we decided to head into Foiano Della Chiana to buy some supplies for the rest of the week. I am certain that driving on the opposite side of the road to what you are used to is quite stressful but I can almost guarantee that being a passenger in such a situation is even MORE stressful!! I was so tense and tight by the time we got there I resembled something out of a Frankenstein movie!! Suffice it to say, we made it there in one piece. However, (yes, there is [View Full Entry]

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Tuscany….ahhhh! Arriving at the Villa was everything I imagined, and more! After entering the large black iron gates and travelling up a tree lined drive-way, there it stood; a most magnificent old, two story house, set in the middle of no-where, overlooking hills, pasture land, and rows of sunflowers, cypress and olive tress. The building is an off white colour, with massive thick wooden entrance doors, and bottle green shutters on all of the white trimmed windows. There are five bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, with an array of other rooms serving as kitchen, formal dining and living roo [View Full Entry]

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After leaving Galway we travelled to Killarney, via the Cliffs of Moher and Limerick. The cliffs were spectacular, with the craggy rock faces a stark contrast to the brighter than bright lush green grass that adorned their tops. We walked as far as we could (or were allowed) and were amazed at how many people had jumped the wall and ignored the ‘Do not enter/private property’ signs, to get a closer encounter with the edge of the cliff. We were further amazed at the security guards just standing watching, but were informed by them (on inquiry) that it is not for [View Full Entry]

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On our last day on Manchester we decided to tackle the rail system and go into the city - a far better option than driving in! It is safe to say that Hong Kong really did spoil us for any future public transport, and the rail system in Manchester was neither speedy, nor clean! We did make it in to the city and back however, and had a great time exploring, including going on the Manchester Wheel to get a good view of the city. Jen and I were terrified and held hands - well more like clutched hands - for [View Full Entry]

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Some photos that got chopped off the previous blog... [View Full Entry]

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The past week has gone by so quickly, and has been full and exciting! Of course, it hasn’t been without its dramas…as one would expect when you are across the other side of the world…but as my granny used to say “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”, so cheers to that! The Edinburgh Fringe Festival was fantastic and the city was absolutely ‘heaving’! We visited the Edinburgh Castle and had a fast, record breaking tour by a Scottish lassie who let us know that it was her last tour of the day and she couldn’t wait to finish work, [View Full Entry]

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The time has just flown here and we have done so much that it seems, in some ways, we have been here for ages. Not missing an opportunity for a bit of fun and a few (more) drinks, we pushed through the jetlag and headed into Edinburgh to a Scottish Ceilidh on our first ‘real’ night here. Now for those who might not know, I am definitely NOT the kind of person who will get up on centre stage and try to dance in front of a group of people (despite the ‘instructions’ on the steps being given from the band), [View Full Entry]

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