sylk

Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097 Usually a road trip means lots...not this time, it was pretty much a 7 or 8 hour bus ride to Paris, including stops. We left Lucerne really early and got into Paris around 4.15pm, beating the evening peak hour traffic.After a relatively short turn around we all had dinner and got on the "Bateaux Mouches" which literally translates to fly-boats to have a river cruise on the Seine river by night. Paris by night is fantastic. Probably the best of the whole trip. We got to see various monuments such as the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame lit up by night. We were late for the cruise though, because of the nightmare Paris traffic. One thing that hasn't changed from 18 years ago is the traffic in Paris. It's still the same.I ... read more

Geo: 47.0457, 8.30824So we left Florence early today as Lucerne is a fair way away. Not much happens during bus trips, in fact I fell asleep, so there is really nothing much to tell.On the way to Lucerne, the scenery was magnificent. As good as the scenery from Innsbruck. Driving in the Swiss Alps with the snow capped mountains was indeed a magnificent sight. We went through the Gotthart Drive which is a tunnel that is 17kms long.We did a little detour on the way to Lucerne, we went to a small town of Altdorf. What's there? That's where, according to legend, William Tell shot an arrow through an apple sitting on his son's head. It was a quiet town and we saw the statue of William Tell. Quite an impressive little town with the snow ... read more

Geo: 41.9023, 12.4581Wow. That's how to describe it. Wow. As a Catholic, it doesn't get any bigger than that. We were privileged enough to get into the Vatican City before anyone else. The tour started off with various pieces of art through corridors depicting various historical Christian events. There were paintings on walls and ceilings, canvas drawn on tapestry and glass mosaics.After winding through various stairs and corridors, we finally made it to the Sistine Chapel. Wow. Michelangelo's work on the ceiling was fantastic. To capture so much detail and do it upside down, I have new found respect for all artists now. Unfortunately inside the Sistine Chapel, no photography is allowed so there are no pictures.After visiting the Sistine Chapel, we went to visit St Peter's Church. Because it was a Holy Year this year, ... read more

Geo: 41.8955, 12.4823Good bye Venice, city of canals and off we went to Rome. It was quite a long trip. In all, we left Venice around 8am and got to Rome at around 3.15pm. Would love to say what happened on the bus...but bus rides are long and boring...and nothing much happened. There was some great scenery though, including a few villages on top of hills or mountains.During the evening, we were taken to see the Campidoglio. Basically that is Capital Hill for Rome. It was designed by Michelangelo and I was impressed going walking in there. As we entered up the steps, we were greeted by these two magnificent statues on either side at the top. Once past those statues, the square opened up to three magnificent buildings on either side of us and in ... read more

Geo: 47.2627, 11.3947Oh boy Innsbruck, what just happened? I'm writing this and written the previous blog half drunk. So I'll probably have to go back and make changes later on.The night started innocently enough. The trip to Innsbruck was spectacular. On the way in, there were magnificent views of the snow capped mountains. Our driver, and I almost told him to, was tempted to turn off somewhere to go to a ski resort but our guide kept him on the straight and narrow.After our arrival to the hotel, we went straight for a stroll around old town Innsbruck. When it's old town, it is old town. The buildings were old but magnificent. We saw the Golden Roof of Innsbruck. And it really is golden with its tiles made out of gold.The world's largest Swarovski shop is ... read more