Sunny Santorini Pictures alone cannot do this place justice....I tried! A few samples below but the memory cards got a hammering once again! We are so lucky to have spent time on this beautiful island in such a wonderful hotel. Cave Houses Oia is run by a lovely family who really look after you, they certainly contributed to our stay. Oia is on the north of the island and does not yet quite have the amount of people as the main town of Fira. In fact there are no bars (they are not allowed to set up here) in Oia therefore you can imagine it gets very peaceful at night and attracts people looking for this peace. We had 3 lovely days here, unfortunately the wind was fiesty on the first 1.5 days though this didn't ... read more

Kutna Hora We had seen come pics, Ewen had been there, it was now our turn... After an easy ride of 1 hour upon the Czech railway system we found ourselves in Kutna Hora. A picturesque town west of Praha, known for it's silver mining (circa 1700's) and following briefly by zinc mining (now non existent, as per silver)..Heinekin brought the brewery here and nothing has been the same (according to our driver!)...Communist, Socialist, Capitalist - this place has taken it all and survives...just! One thing now drives, or at least supports this town....BONES! No BOB's here (I am wrong as the pics will show, and we were unaware of St. Barbara's/ Barbaricus (I should pay more attention!) Church - but BONES keeps it afloat! The Kutnice Ossuary, or Church of Bones is a fascinating place, ... read more

Day 2 - Praha This place is full of it - BOB's to the left, BOB's to the right (almost every building is a BOB to me) - some have some historical significance, others just look the part, and why wouldn't they? Coming from Australia to a place like this imparts, for me anyway, history...! (How can it not?) Not that we don't have any, but a remark made to a local today (not us) about a cottage built in 1890 being "pretty old" drew an interesting remark - a small silence, an iffy wave of the hand, then a reference to a building in plain sight built in 1320...There is no way a culture like ours can 'fully' appreciate the history associated, the generations forging a living in and on this land. What has this ... read more

Hi All, Our last day in London and the UK for that matter, we decided to get out of town (but not too far). Julie recalled Richmond being a nice spot, so that's where we headed... Absolutely nothing exciting to report but we had a nice, relaxing meander around town and found a nice spot for lunch on the banks of the Thames. Not a bad spot and if we happened to live in the UK, it wouldn't be a bad base from which to commute - not too far, yet far enough out of town (if you know what I/we mean). It has everything required shops / cafes / restaurants etc etc with a sprinkling of "pompous pom!" but could get over that... Anyway, tomorrow is Prague So very much looking forward to that (to ... read more

Day 3 Well, with what seemed to be the last 'fine' day we decided to venture down by the river and check out the sites (BOB's) - London Tower / Tower Bridge / St Pauls etc etc. A hell of a lot of walking and we paid for it by the end of the day...but worth it! The weather turned (or the wind at least) and we found ourselves seeking refuge in a pub A: To escape the wind and B: To rest the feet. With all the walking you have to keep up your fluid intake and we were in a pub! Now, prior to finding our cosy pub, Julie was seeking "refuge" in shops - seeking the warmth was her excuse, yet she departed these establishments with nothing but rosy cheeks so we'll grant ... read more