Blogs from Europe - page 2

We had breakfast in the room since we had an early excursion plus Susan had to get to medical center early to get her stiches out. Our first excursion was the included one that we finally got confirmed on yesterday. The tour drove through the countryside and we saw many sheep and cattle but no trees. The baby lambs were so cute. I could see them jumping and playing. The countryside was very green with rock fences but there were no trees since the winds can get near 100MPH often. The hills had large patches of brown and the guide said that heather grew there in the fall. I can just imagine the blue and purples on the hills. We saw some burial mounds that were several thousand years old and then we came to ... read more

Made it to Rethymnon where the chilly weather continues. However, forecast for Friday was initially 37, no not Fahrenheit, it's Celsius, which would be 99F. Yeah hot. It is Thursday as I now write this with the current forecast indicating we now will experience a cool 93. Bit of a change from our chilly days wouldn't you say? As for Rethymnon, yes certainly preferrable to Sougia or Plakais, yet it is no Chania. Overall, the island has underwhelmed us. Except for the superb food with cook-at-home prices. We recall a restaurant review where a guy complained of bill totaling 37 Euros (about $40.) where they had a starter, half carafe of wine and two entrees. Would you complain in the U.S.? Plus flavors are just wonderful here. Of course, we do not cook even when staying ... read more

Susan just got her 4th new country, and I got my 3rd. I now have 68 different countries that I have been to. Our port was Ullapool Scotland. We didn’t get into port until after lunch and there was a bridge group that was going to meet in the morning, so I joined them. It was fun. The 3 people at my table had been on the world cruiser that this ship had just finished. During that 160+ day cruise they took bridge lessons and played on the sea days. My partner knew how to play. The other couple, not so much. George told me if there was another bridge group meeting, he wanted me as his partner. After lunch, Susan and I started a movie until around 2 when they let people take the tender ... read more

Yesterday was a travelling day to get to Mayrhofen and today is familiarising ourselves with a new environment since we are here for a week. Our apartment is spacious and well appointed so we can with sit at the balcony looking at the mountains, or go on the large deck at the back and face a tree lined verticle cliff. Tomorrow the immediate chairlifts start operating so we'll have an opportunity to get up into the 3000m+ mountain tops. In the morning we wandered the streets of this small but beautiful town and bought outdoor gear at a very reasonable price. It sure does leave our selection for dead in NZ. The colours and designs of clothing is amazing and the footwear, a vast selection. I wished I had held out and not not bought mine ... read more

There's not too much to report for today as it has been another travel day from Salzburg to Mayrhofen. The rail route to the Inn area from Salzburg cuts across part of German Bavaria before it heads back into Austria. Mayrhofen is at the end of the Zill Valley and is a mountain resort mainly for winter sport. We chose this place as we had stayed at the bottom of the valley when biking the Inn Cycle Trail a few years back. There was a little red train and some information about the valley and we had thought it would be a good place to visit one day. And, this is the day. The setting is deep into steep mountains with many small villages and farms dotting the landscape. Hopefully, our next few days will show ... read more