A little time for some catching up!

Guten morgen from Bad Kreuznach in Germany! I´ll have to watch this keyboard as, like Austria and Ceskzy, some of the keys are in different places but I will type slowly and try to update this at least a little. When I return to Canberra I will do some editing of this blog!!

Back I go to Tuesday 12 July - Farewell to Tuscany!
This morning we went for a run around the streets of Lucca, in and out the paved streets, becoming lost but loving it. We ran for about 40minutes and followed this with a great brekkie, a walk round Lucca, lunch and a coffee in a gorgeous bar (a 7 for the coffee but a 10 for the ambience)! Finally left Lucca just after mid-day and started our long drive to Como. So now we farewell Tuscany as we leave the countryside we love so much.

We took the autostrada route and drove past the marble works again and past lots of villages perched high on the hills. They look so pretty way up there. We crossed some very high bridges and drove on through much flatter landscape, not nearly as pretty, just lots of flat, dull landscape. I listened to my music on my ipod while Dave listend to his CDs so it worked out well and made the time pass quicker. I followed the map too which makes it interesting watching each place go by. We stopped at an Autogrill for coffee (8) and a wee break! Then on we went through a tunnel and there was Como - wow, what a sudden change - spectacular views at last. We drove down the hill to the incredibly beautiful lake. There were hills surrounding it with little houses scattered all over the hillside - so pretty. What is more, we can swim here!

We drove into Menaggio and organised accommodation for two nights at The Garden Hotel about 1.5km from town - a pleasant wallk. Just after we checked in (lovely, clean modern hotel with stunning lake views) a storm started and we sat outside on the deck and watched spectacular lightning flashes over the lake against a backdrop of mountains and hilltop villages. When the rain became heavy we moved inside but it didn't last long and later in the evening (about 10.30pm) we walked into the township to browse round and look at the pretty views. The storm had dropped and it was a lovely, balmy evening.

Wednesday 13 July
No sign of any storm today! The sun was hot, the lake calm and it was a truly magnificent day. After a great brekkie including a jug of coffee with crema and a jug of hot frothy milk (do-it-yourself cappuccino - a great start to the day) we walked into the town and bought ferry tickets to Bellagio and Varenna and back to Menaggio. First stop Bellagio - a village which tumbles up the hillside accessed by narrow paved streets with cute artistic shops on each side and big hotels , restaurants and bars on the waterfront. Bellagio is the scene of a print we have on our bedroom wall which we bought in Sydney many years ago. We walked through the grounds of the hotel which looks like the print's setting and took photographs - so very beautiful. Back we went to the ferry and on to Varenna. Here we found a suitable lake for swimming and oh what heaven. The water was cold but it was so stony underfoot that there was no choice but to lift those feet and immerse oneself in the water. How refreshing on such a hot day swimming between the boats and seeing the little fish and weeds far below. Later we bought a gelati and ate it by the lake watching the little boats and feeling at peace with the world. The ferry back to Menagio was also a car ferry so slightly different from the others but it is such a pretty ride and over too quickly.

After returning to shower and change at the hotel we decided to drive to Switzerland just cos it was so close - a half hour's winding hilly drive away. As we approached the border we remembered two things:

1. Switzerland uses Swiss Francs, not Euros
2. We had left our passports at the hotel!

However, there are definite advantages in driving a French registered car. The police were busy putting a woman in handcuffs as we drove up to the border and they said in French to keep going through, obviously thinking we were a respectable middle-aged French couple! Let's hope we don't have any problem returning to Italy.

We drove through a few tunnels and into Switzerland where we noted that the roads were suddenly in much better condition - less pot holes and quite smooth driving. We drove to the first town, Lugarno, took a few photos while parking illegally (everyone stared) and managed to buy a couple of postcards with Euros - how lucky! We had a quick drive through the large city - nothing spectacular to report but nice views of mountains and villages. As we saw some banana palms I imagine this part of Switterland is probably quite tropical and would not have the same cold and snow as it does further north, nor is it as high up into the mountains.

We returned across the border but fortunately without a problem. Again the guard at the border stopped us, then told us to go on, all in French. All Dave said was 'ok' - that seem safest!

Back in Menaggio we bought takeaway pizza from a recommended pizzeria and sat by the lake to eat it (we have plenty left over for tomorrow!) - a lovely day and it was after midnight when we returned to the hotel.

Thursday 14 July
Today was another stunning, hot day. We went for a brisk run at 8am just for 31minuts then after a shower and another yummy breakfast overlooking the lake in the hotel, we packed our bags and drove to Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo just on the other side of Menaggio. The building was built in 1690 and in 1850 Princess Marianne of Nassou gave it to her daughter Charlotte (known as Carlotta) as a wedding present. Carlotta used it as a summer house but hardly ever lived there and in fact died just 5 years after her marriage at aged 23. The gardens were so beautiful - rhododendrons and azaleas and little flower beds of pansies etc on the rocky hillsides. The villa, with its gorgeous lake views, is fabulous with sculptures including Eros and Psyche. Then upstairs we could admire all the stunning living areas and bedrooms, nursery etc. Carlotta had 3 children and it seemed so sad that she only lived such a short time to enjoy this fabulous villa in the summer.

After our visit we left Como and continued our journey. On the outskirts of Milan we stopped to visit the Alfa Romeo Museum which is a well-kept secret. It was free entry but they held our ID until our exit and we passed guards on the gates. This museum houses Alfas dating from the first ones in 1911. There were standard touring cars, luxury touring cars, sports cars and racing cars. There were some prototypes which never went to market. Prior to the war the Italian cars were right-hand drive then changed to left-hand drive after the war. There were five floors of Alfas (Dave's heaven) set out in their years and we spent 1 hour 40mins browsing and taking photographs. It seemed strange that we could not buy a single postcard or souvenir - not even a ticket on entry so I hope the photos are ok.

It was nearly 4pm by now and there was lots of traffic as we filled up with petrol and resumed our journey. We arrived in Padova (pronounced Padoa in English) about 6.45pm where we decided to stay a couple of nights. We found a convenient hotel through the Tourist Information. It has garaging and breakfast included and is five minutes walk from the station, a 30minute train ride to Venice. We walked into the 'old town' in the evening, about 15mins from our hotel. It is quite attractive and was full of Uni students. There were a couple of squares backing on to the Uni full of bars and restaurants where people were having drinks and snacks. This isn't as pretty as some parts of Italy but it's convenient and the room has air-conditioning, a big plus, and is fresh and clean. What's more we have an excellent shower which we can easily figure out!

Friday 15 July
After brekkie we took the 30min train ride to Venice. It was full of tourists and shops selling Venetian/Murano glass, masks and souvenirs. We walked and walked over the little bridges looking at the canals and the gondolas, to St Mark's square to see the magnificent cathedral and thousands of pigeons. We visited Cafe Florian where musicians played but if you sat down there it cost 5Euro to listen to them. We could listen as we walked. After a lot of walking and browsing we took a boat trip to Murano where the glass factories are located. We watched through viewing windows as the glass was shaped and heated in huge ovens. We had a good look round Murano, only accessible by boat, and browsed round all the little shops selling glassware then we caught the boat back to Venice. We saw the queue to go inside St Mark's Church and decided against it as we only had one day here. Instead we looked at as much as possible, we saw the Bridge of Sighs, Rialto Bridge and later in the early evening we went for a romantic gondola ride remembering advice from Janice NOT to take photos on the way. Instead at the end of the ride, we asked the gondolier to take a photo of us with my camera. It was a perfect, calm ride seeing parts of Venice we would not otherwise have seen, but the canal is definitely a bit smelly. However, we really enjoyed the whole experience.

Later we ate a beautiful meal with those superb roast veges in olive oil, grilled veal for me and fish for Dave. We a 'touristique' menu special so we had a starter too - Dave had marinated sardines and I had the best lasagne I've tasted in my life! A nice glass of wine and bread and cheese sticks - aaah, Italian food is so good.

We took the 11pm train back to Padova. It was actually a long-distance train travelling overnight to Nice so a number of carriages were sleepers. Everyone seemed to have load of luggage but we only had a 30min journey back to our hotel, after an exhausting day!

Saturday 16 July
We decided to have an extra day here and have an early start tomorrow instead so that we can visit St Mark's. We validated our train ticket but caught an ES train which is apparently an especially fast and comfortable train, usually for long trips. The ticket collector made us pay an extra 16E ($25) for the privilege and as were already travelling on the train we had no choice - a very expensive train ride but comfortable!

As soon as we arrived in Venice we took a boat trip to the other side of town to visit the Academia which houses 24 rooms of masterpieces spanning the full development of Venetian art from the early 1400s. It is Venice's equivalent to the Uffizi in Florence but this time we didn't have to queue. Each room had explanatory cards in English which helped heaps. Each painting tells a story and the detail is amazing. We really enjoyed our visit.

After this we sat by the canals to eat our lunch (which we collected from the hotel at the breakfast table!) then followed the signs to St Mark's Church - this time to look inside. This turned out to be a bit of a procedure as we had to deposit our bags and I had to go shopping to buy a t-shirt with sleeves (what a shame!) before entering the Church. The queue moved quickly and the church was beautiful inside. It is breathtakingly beautiful outside as well. Inside the ceilings have fabulous mosaics with goldleaf over glass and 13th century mosaics depicting the New Testament. Even the paving on the floor is a mosaic masterpiece.

After the visit we wandered off to a bar to buy a tasty pastry each and a cappuccino for me (yes, they still serve them in the afternoon - probably used to tourists). Then we waked past an area of Venice we missed yesterday and window shopped past all the 'brand name' classy shops.
Later we bought pizza and soaked up the atmosphere. We caught the train back to Padova just after 8pm as an early start is required for a very long drive tomorrow to Vienna.

Sunday 17 July - En Route to Vienna
After a large brekkie and collecting a few goodies from the table for lunch, we left Padova by 10am and headed towards Vienna on the Autostrada. It goes without saying that it was another hot, sunny day. We turned off at Lignano which is by the coast and here we found a proper little beach resort with sand - the first sandy beach we've seen on our trip. And gosh, was it popular on a Sunday! I think half of Italy was there. The beach was covered in deckchairs and umbrellas. We spent 20mins finding an illegal parking spot. We changed into our swimmers in the car and walked to the beach. Ah, sand between the toes - what a feeling. The beach was very busy with frisbees and ball games. In fact the games continued in the water which was shallow for ages, but finally we found clear space to swim far out in the Adriatic Sea (no waves). The water was not at all cold, in fact it was positively tepid and not particularly clean and clear but we enjoyed our swim thoroughly and way out there it felt quite safe to skinny dip - bliss. Later we walked along the beach enjoying the sunshine, then walked back to the car via a bar where I had a great cappuccino (I scored it a 9), standing at the bar which is 30cents cheaper than sitting down. Dave had a coke and we had a bite to eat before continuing our journey. I guess that is the last coffee I'll have in Italy so I'm glad it was a good one with nice creamy froth.

I must just add here that I believe we are so lucky with our beaches in Australia - I agree with my friend Maree, that Australia has the best beaches in the world and wonderful soft sand!

We have noticed that on the Autostrada sometimes the distances to places seem to go backwards. You can drive several kms then find that the place sign says it is further than it was 20km further back - not sure how they calculate the distances here - quite bizarre!

It didn't take long to suddenly find some lovely Italian mountain ranges ahead of us. They looked quite spectacular as a backdrop which gradually surrounded us as we started the ascent to Austria. We saw a few pretty Alpine villages and drove through lots of tunnels one after the other and quite long. The hills were very beautiful, rocky with the light shining on them.
There appeared to be no definite border to cross into Austria but when the signposts changed to German names we assumed we were now in Austria!

We had dinner at the Autogrill - wiener schnitzel followed by apfel strudel which seemed the appropriate food for our current location. We continued on to Vienna without problems but managed to become horribly lost on the outskirts of the city. Finally Dave succumbed and bought a map and we found Kirsty's approximate location. However, the streets were one way and it was quite a maze. Eventually Dave stopped at a corner pub which was just closing and the pub owner fortuitously happened to be English! By the time we reached Kirsty's it was well after 11pm and the poor girl had been up all night the night before giving a farewell party for a friend. We had a lovely welcome and will catch up properly tomorrow night after Kirsty finishes work. What a beautiful apartment!

Monday 18 July - Vienna
We spent the morning washing and repacking our bags. Kirsty's apartment is on the top floor of a 5 level apartment block (145 steps in a circular staircase or alternatively a creaky small open lift operated by a key). For those fans of Inspector Rex on SBS it is very familiar territory. Kirsty also has a beautiful black 12yr old labrador, Boston, who she took with her from Aussi 3 years ago. He has his own little outdoor courtyard during the day with kennel, trampoline and swimming pool. At night he sleeps inside. He has two walks a day and has a beautiful, friendly nature. In Austria and Italy people love their animals so much. If Kirsty takes Boston with her shopping she has precedence over others. We've noticed that people take their dogs into shops and restaurants in this part of the world. In fact in one of the hotels we stayed in Italy a family had their dog staying too and he was at breakfast with them. Also a number of restaurants and bars have 'hundsbars' with bowls for the dogs to have food and water!

After lunch we walked along the street to Hundertwasserhaus which is not far from Kirsty's apartment. It was a lovely discovery - all bright colours and unusual angles. Apparently he had a special affinity with NY and spent a lot of time there. He only died in 2000. We walked round the apartments which are all individually decorated by the occupants then caught a tram to the city. Here we visited Stephansdom - the large cathedral located in the heart of the city. We had a good look inside. It was very beautiful and lots of people were wandering through.

Next we wandered through the city and I made the mistake of ordering cappuccino which was really just a coffee with cream plus an extra blob of cream and chocolate flakes on top - too rich for me. Kirsty tells me I need to order a melange next time and this will give me a cappuccino! We found a shop called Steffl which had a skytower with good views of the city. We met Kirsty back in her apartment in the early evening and sat outside on her deck eating pizza, drinking wine and having a lovely catch-up chat. Kirsty helped us plan the next day.

What a spot, there on top of the world, with stunning views over Vienna. In winter apparently her deck is completely covered in snow. That day was a scorcher - really hot and tiring but as we sat up there we watch lightning flash across the sky and later the wind picked up and we shut all the windows. It was quite a storm and Boston slept on the floor at the end of our bed enjoying our company. He is so gorgeous.

Tuesday 19 July
We started our day with a 12km run. We ran from the apartment to the Prater (about 1.5km) where we ran a 9km track where Dave says dead bodies have been found! It's a great surface for running and is lined with chestnut tress. The only problem is it is quite flat. However, it was a good 70 minute run and a good start to a busy day.

After a shower and brekkie we walked to the Hundertwasser Museum as distinct from the Hundertwasser Apartments. This has two floors of artwork by Hundertwasser and two floors by Marcus Waske. We really enjoyed it - all very modern, colourful and different. After seeing the Hundertwasserhaus yesterday it was great to see lots of examples of his artwork and read about his life. Marcus Waske was quite different again - paintings full of irony - three eyed Mona Lisa, lots of naked women with animal heads etc - rather strange but certainly interesting.

After our visit here we took a tram into the city and an underground train to the United Nations Centre where Kirsty works and had lunch in her enormous cafeteria with her. In Kirsty's organisation there are 3,000 people although she only works directly with 25. The spoken language is English. In fact Kirsty can go a week without having to speak German at all. Kirsty travels quite frequently to countries all over the world and lovers her job. She is a public relations officer and it certainly sounds an interesting, stimulating career.

After lunch Dave and I caught the train back to the city and found Julius Meinl to have a coffee. We looked in the supermarket where the rich and famous shop - a bit like Harrods. I remembered to ask for a melange this time but I would only rate it a 6. However, they did serve a cute little chocolate square with it and a glass of soda water (or 'water with gas' as it is known in Europe).

We next walked through the grounds of the Hoffburg Palace, Vienna's former Imperial Palace. The chapel here is where the Vienna Boy's Choir sing mass every Sunday. We explored lots of shops, fancy and otherwise, and found an internet cafe to check emails. We also found some yummy pastries. Why do we keep finding these delicious morsels full of pastry, custard and fruit - so fattening and mouth watering? I had another coffee in the afternoon as we sat listening to some great buskers, playing beautiful classical music on cello, violin and oboe. The coffee would barely rank a 4 - very ordinary with thin disappearing bubbles - but the music was lovely.

In the early evening we walked to the Rathaus (town hall) where there was a large food and wine festival. We bought some nice goodies for tea and a cocktail and sangria. Later we watched a free outdoor screening of the original Rogers and Hammerstein black and white version of the musical/operetta of Cinderella - all in English. It was lovely. There were about 2,000 chairs and they were all filled. We took train rides back to Kirsty's as it approached midnight.

We sat and talked for a while over schnapps and choccies. We have enjoyed our visit here very much.

Wednesday 20 July
We said our goodbyes to Kirsty as she left for work, loaded up the car (several trips up and down that lift), said goodbye to Boston, then walked to the PO for stamps, then the bakery (oh dear) and set off on the next leg of our journey. The weather today, although sunny, was a lot cooler than Monday. We first drove to the Schloss Schonbrunn - the summer residence of the Habsburgs who were the ruling family in the first world war. It is enormous and the gardens alone are very extensive. We decided, as time and money were becoming limited, that we would explore the grounds and not go inside the palace. We'll save that for our next trip! The grounds, gardens, fountains and ruins were beautiful. One would need a whole day to 'do' the palace properly inside and out, not just a few hours. We walked to the top of the gardens where we had stunning panoramic views over the ground, palace and Vienna. There is a zoo there too which we didn't visit. There were lots of runners running through all the maze of paths - a great venue for running.

We drove on through Austria but felt very tired today so had a short break in a rest area before heading North towards the Czech Republic. We stopped at Freistadt, just before the Czech border, visited a Tourist Information and found a gorgeous little B & B - very cheap with parking and breakfast and comfortable. (Kirsty - if you read this - the loo has a shelf!) This bed is actually a double bedhead and base with two single mattresses, two single quilt covers and soft pillows. We walked throught the village in the evening and shock, horror, we ate at McDonalds which was the only place we could find open! We were hungry and anything tasted pretty good at that stage. We had a good night's sleep in our cheapest accommodation - best value for money by far!

Thursday 21 July
We had a lovely sleep, a fantastic brekkie - salami, cheese, rolls and bread of the region, juice and that great coffee with a jug of warm frothy milk - a good way to start the day. We both feel much more alive today. It is cloudy, windy and cool.

We drove to Cesky past fields of wheat, many houses with flowers in window boxes and very green countryside. We had to show our passports as we crossed the Austrian border and again as we crossed the Czech border a few minutes later - first time since Europe! Now we are seeing signs in a language neither of us can read - very exciting. As we crossed the border we saw two prostitutes (Kirsty told us they were always there waiting hopefully). We also saw hitch hikers a bit further on including a whole family with a mother and baby. There were lots of trucks on the road which slowed our progress. This is the first time we have been behind the former iron curtain.

Once we arrived in Cesky we walked up a fairly steep paved pathway to the castle grounds to browse. Cesky is a medieval town dating back to 1253 with a castle and a very picturesque village. We found the information centre and changed a few Euros to Krone which is the currency used here. For 20E we received 560K so everything sounds expensive although it is really quite cheap. A Krone is worth about 5cents Aust.

We had some strudel and I had a coffee which was VERY sweet with chocolate and cream. I asked for 'English' cappuccino - interesting result! In fact it was unrecognisable as coffee but was surprisingly drinkable. They even gave me two extra sugar lumps on the side! We English must need some sweetening!

We saw people dressed in medieval costumes and on horseback as a duel was planned, people kayaking in the Vltava River way below us and white water rafting over the rapids. The buildings all had terracotta tiled roofs. The castle is built high up on the cliffs to protect a ford across the river. It was a lovely little glimpse of the Czech Republic.

It was after 4.30pm when we drove back through Austria through Germany and thus we became caught in a traffic jam on the motoway. We passed over the border into Germany at 6.55pm. We stopped for petrol near Passau - much more expensive here, diesel was 1.13E per litre. We decided to stop at Deggendorf just before 8pm to look for accommodation. We stayed in a hotel with twin beds as that was all they had. We walked through the town to have a browse and returned to the hotel about 9.45pm. The streets were cobbled and wide and the shops were full of sales. At that time it was very quiet except for the bars and restaurants. It's a nice little town.

Friday 22 July
Had a dreadful sleep - must be that narrow, single bed. We rose early and went for a run round the town square and across the bridge over the Danube along a track chasing two rabbits. We only ran for 33 mins as we need to keep driving today but we picked up speed in the last half so would have run a good 6km. After a shower and good brekkie we walked round the town square to buy postcards and cheap bananas at the markets then set off on our way again.

We passed through Munich and Dacchau turn offs where we visited in the 70s but no time to stop this trip. There were lots and lots of trucks on the highway. It was a cloudy day, only 23deg.
We stopped for a break at Augsburg and had some lunch in the very nice Rasthaus leaving again at 1.15pm and driving along 'The Romantic Road' passing corn and wheat growing in the meadows. We passed pretty houses and drove through the villages slowly. Over the Danube againg and past some more pretty villages in the distance. We detoured through Donauworth, an interesting town with pastel coloured quaint village shops and apartments. It looked a bit like a movie set. There was a big market happening in the centre of the town where everyone was congregating. We drove slowly through but did not linger. Further on we saw a large castle high on the hill so this called for another detour. We drove on through pretty villages and little streams searching for a place to stay with a 'Bad' in its name as this means there are public hot baths. Eventually we decided to drive to Bad Kreuznach which was a little further north than we planned but Dave has been here before and knew there are baths here. Daves's grandfather was born about 5km from here so it is a very interesting place to stop. We checked into the hotel he stayed at last year and it is amazing - really roomy and comfortable. We have 2 nights here before driving on to Paris. In the evening we walked down into the town and checked out the baths where we will go tomorrow and stopped at a nearby bar for cocktails before walking back to the hotel feeling very, very tired.

Saturday 23 July - Bad Kreuznach
I am now up-to-date with this blog - unbelievable! We are about to go check out the baths. It's a coolish day and I'm wearing my jeans and a t-shirt. This is a really pretty town and much bigger than I imagined. I will continue this in Paris. In a week I will be home. I think we are starting to wind down now and feel a bit tired. It would be good to stop except the day after I arrive home I have to hop on the plane and fly to the Gold Coast for work - I think I would rather sleep! I am so looking forward to a normal queen sized waterbed - aaaaah!