Although I have labelled this as Oslo my adventure with Belinda began in Copenhagen 4 days ago. It was my second visit to the the great city but I knew it would be my last visit when I fell asleep on the boat tour lol. I did a few of the same things as last time. The canal tour from Nyhaven and an evening visit to Tivoli. I could not believe while on the canal tour that the little mermaid was not in it's usual location because they had sent it to an exhibition in China for a short time. One of the most popular tourist sights the country has and they are borrowing it out! go figure! This time we had the opportunity to take a look inside the newly renovated palace of Prince Frederick ... read more

So here we are in the Marais Poitiven which is a little hidden treasure only known to the locals. In fact, when I mentioned that France's 'Green Venice' was our next destination even alot of french people did not know of it. It was really hard to follow signs on the way to the canals. One would appear and then we wouldn't see another for 20 minutes. I think that mum was getting a bit concerned about taking so long to find the Hotel but my instincts got us there again. We ended up in a sleepy town with three or four buildings and a church all around a square. We took a short rest and then headed to find this 'Green Venice'. Again no signs, but following a dirt track took us to the head ... read more

Next stop was two overnight specialities..... Honfleur and Mont St Michel It took forever for us to find our accomodataion in Honfluer. When we finally found it we discovered it was a Bed and Breakfast that was in it's beginnings. Run by an english couple that welcomed us into their homes and were very friendly but for the price we paid the room was very basic and could not be reached without a car. Honfluer didn't really live up to my expectations. I had read about it in Conde Nast Traveller (a magazine I usually only read for the only if's) and although it was a pretty town I felt it lacked the charisma that came so warmly through the glossy magazine pictures. Honfluer was built around the lives of seaman which is reflected in every ... read more

After a rocky start I awoke the following day refreshed and ready to begin our time in Champagne. Mum on the other hand, had a bad headache and could think of nothing but staying in bed. So I left her to rest and took myself to our Moet Chandon appointment which meant bubbles at 11am! The days that would follow still did not reveal to me just who did begin the champagne facination but I did learn the Moet was and still is the royal supplier to the Queen. Established by Épernay wine trader Claude Moët in 1743,he began shipping his wine from Champagne to Paris. The reign of King Louis XV coincided with increased demand for sparkling wine. Soon after its foundation, and after son Claude-Louis joined Moët et Cie, the winery's clientele included nobles ... read more

So Believe it or not Catherine and I did spend most of our time in Prague. There is sooooo much to do and see and I could not believe it when we only had half a day left to visit the main square. Wenceslas Square, named after the patron saint of Bohemia is part of the historic centre of Prague, a World Heritage Site. It is a traditional setting for demonstrations, celebrations, and other public gatherings. At its centre stands the National Museum, which we rang out of time to visit, and a very large statue of Wenceslas. But what is most captivating of all is the astronomical clock hidden around the corner. It's attached to the side of the Town Hall and very hour a procession of twelve Apostles appear along with a death ringing ... read more