We met our Intrepid group of travellers. There were 9 other people aside from us, and our leader who was Croatian. The group was a good mix of nationalities - Australians, Brits, Americans and a New Zealander. One of the British travellers was our good friend Alan from Oxford - 87 years young and fighting fit. We met Alan on our 2008 Intrepid Middle Eastern Adventure - 4 weeks through Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey. We met Alan again in 2009 in Budapest and again in 2011 at his home of Oxford, and he also came to visit us in Brisbane later that year. After a welcome dinner with our group and then drinks at a funky open air multi-storeybar, we went back to the hotel to rest for a big day ahead of exploring Budapest. ... read more

Well, our trip has now ended L We are now in the hotel, getting ready for our looong trek home back to Australia. Today we went to the Castel Sant’Angelo, and old castle near the Vatican. It was so awesome, and greater by the fact it was an expensive sight, so our Roma pass really paid off with the Colosseum and transport as well. We walked around the old fortress and took many panoramic photos of Roma. Afterward, we had a very lovely lunch (yes pasta) which was great for our last lunch in Italy. Well, what to say about our trip. Sooo happy we did Lebanon we had the opportunity – with the terrible events that have unfolded with the bombing in Achrafiye (near where we were staying) last week and now secretarian violence…I feel ... read more

Florence We arrived in Florence on another overcast day. We found ourselves at our B&B ‘Le Seggiole’ (take note) the BEST B&B ever. The owner, Ulrike (Swede married to an Italian) really was the loveliest and gracious host gave us an in-depth guide to Florence and Tuscany’s surrounds. She was very lovely, and all of the staff as well. After check-in, we headed to the Piazza where we got stuck in a massive downpour and rushed undercover for a late lunch. The next day we visited Florence’s sights – climbed the 400+ steps up the tower and viewed the amazing Florence and glorious Tuscan surrounds; then visited the Duomo which was simple yet lovely, the crypt, and another museum associated with the Duomo. Afterward, we explored Florence, including the famous bridge and leather market!! ... read more

Milan Milan, everyone seems to dislike it, but we liked it. Our hotel, which was near the centre, couldn’t find our reservation, sent us to another hotel (it’s a chain) in the sticks. Still it was 4 star and nice. So we hadn’t had lunch as Alitalia’s in-flight service is non-existent (unless you call 5 mini biscuits service) so we wandered and the only thing we could find open was Tizzy’s NY grill. We had some yummy burgers (not very Italian of us) and wonderful Chianti and a chat to the owner Tizzy from New York. Afterward, we caught the metro to central station to buy our tickets to Venice, then went back to the Duomo and walked around. The next day (yesterday) we went to the Duomo, which is a very grand cathedral ... read more

12 October 2012 Once again, it has been awhile since I have updated my blog. We are now in Italy, en route from Milan to Venice. We have also been in Paris and Amsterdam, so I must get up to date. Paris I last left this blog on 30 September where we were on the Eurostar to Paris. We left Grantham, saying goodbye to Fiona, Marcus and little Riley. We knew we only had a short window between getting off our train at London’s King’s Cross and running across to St Pancras. As it was, the train was 10 mins late (!) however we made it to London on time, skipped across to St Pancras and was all checked-in, stamped into the Schengen Zone and security checked by 11pm! The Eurostar was smooth (we ... read more