Destinations – Europe 2016

It’s The Journey, Not The Destination!

That being said though, we thought we would love to show you some of the places we will be staying over the 6 weeks. Searching the route we will travel and looking for places to book has been a lot of fun, lets hope they live up to expectations! So this is where you can see the places we have chosen to stay at each location.

VENICE – July 7th – 9th

First stop, Venice! I love Venice, there is nowhere else in the world quite like Venice. It truly is a unique place, no cars, no trucks, not even a bicycle. The only way to get around is on foot through the narrow maze-like streets, by boat or by Gondola if you want to experience the true romance of Venice.

We are staying at the Hotel Hespera for two days. When we make a major trip like a trip to Europe we prefer to spend our money in the beautiful restaurants and going shopping (Di does any way, the shopping part that is), consequently you will find most of our accomodation to be modest. As long as it is clean and has a good bed we are happy. After all, we only sleep there, the rest of the time we are out and about being tourists.

We want you to feel like you are there with us so feel free to have a look around inside using Google’s Virtual Tour. You can even move from room to room.

CUNARD MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE – July 9th – 16th

Then it’s “All Aboard” the “Queen Victoria”. Seven Days on this baby! This is a posh boat! Here we  join Gavin & Bec as well as Maureen & Jen, they have already been aboard for a week, so hopefully they will be able to show us our way around until we get the familiar with what will be our home for a week.

You can take another 360 degree tour of our cabin by clicking here.

We will be boarding in Venice, the Ports of Call are…. Dubrovnik, Heraklion, Ephesus, Santorini, Athens. We have put photos up in the Gallery of these ports, and we will add to those with the happy snaps we take while we are there.

ATHENS – July  16th – 18th

2 nights in Athens, staying here with views of the Aeropagus. Not far from Ermou Street and an easy walk to Monastiraki Flea Market for the best shopping, perhaps a handy local water hole for Lee would be best, while we brave the crowds. Maureen & Jen will be joining us for a couple of days. I hope it’s not too hot because I don’t fancy walking up to the Aeropagus in 40 degree heat.

They don’t show pictures of the front of this building, it looks so bad lots of graffiti everywhere which is a shame. But the inside looks great. Time will tell if we made the right choice.

I’m looking forward to Athens, It’s no wonder that all roads lead to the fascinating and maddening metropolis of Athens. Lift your eyes 200 feet above the city to the Parthenon, its honey-color marble columns rising from a massive limestone base, and you behold architectural perfection that has not been surpassed in 2,500 years.

ORVIETO – July 18th – 19th

Flying from Athens to Rome and believe it or not, we are not staying one night in Rome. We have decided that we did Rome enough 2 years ago and would rather explore the Tuscany and Umbria region so we jumping aboard a train and heading out to Orvieto a town in SW Umbria about an hour and a half north of Rome where we will spend the night at La Casa Di Tufo.

The site of the city is among the most dramatic in Europe, rising above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are completed by defensive walls built of the same stone called Tufa. Fortunately, we won’t have to climb the cliffs there is what is called a Funicular, an electric cable car that takes you to the top from the main train station of Orvieto. From there it is short walk to our accomodation through the narrow cobbled streets.  High on this hilltop town we will be soaking in the local culture, eating bread, olives, and sipping vino! Yes Please! I’m thinking the stay here is going to be too short.

FLORENCE – July 19th – 20th

We are off  to Florence next. It takes about two hours to make the train journey. We will only be staying the one night in Florence before heading out into the nearby countryside for a few days to explore the surrounding areas of Tuscany. While in Florence we are staying at the Pontevecchio Relais which is situated, funnily enough right next to the famous Pontevecchio bridge right in the heart of Florence.

Magnetic, romantic and busy, Florence is home to masterpieces of art like the statue of David. Truly a city of the past, Florence, Italy is a city so rich with history and art, every street and building has its own story and significance. A trip to the Museum will be a must here.

SAN DONATO – July 20th – 22nd

Next we are hiring a car and we head back into the countryside of Tuscany staying for two nights in the quaint little town of San Donato. Driving in Italy should be classified as an extreme sport and is not recommended for the faint of heart, driving on the wrong side of the road is challenging enough without having to wrestle with the other road users. Anyway we survived the last time we drove over here so hopefully the same can be said on this trip.

With this as our base we hope to head out through vineyard covered hills, olive groves and the traditional Tuscan farmhouses and explore San Gimignano & Siena.

Palazzo Malaspina will be our home. San Donato in Poggio in Chianti promises stunning landscapes and offers the best of the warm and welcoming Tuscan hospitality. So, beautiful countryside, great food and wine (we are in Chianti after all) to explore, friendly people to meet.

VAREENA, LAKE COMO – July 22nd -25th

Next…. we drop the car back off at Florence and jump back on the train to Vareena Lake Como, one of the places Lee is most keen to see! The train trip is quite a long one, it will take about three and a half hours and we have to change trains at Milan.

We will be staying for three days here on the lake at the “Charming Apartment” we will let you know if it lives up to it’s name.

Varenna is an attractive village on the eastern shore of Lake Como, looking over the central part of the lake towards Bellagio. Varenna’s picturesque lanes and old fishermen’s houses are unpretentiously appealing, and some visitors prefer the town to its grander neighbours. Although Varenna is a tourist destination, and its pretty waterfront and tiny stone beach fill up with holidaymakers, it has somehow a more authentic air than the other hotel-packed resorts. The main tourist activities in Varenna are relaxing by the lake, and visiting the gardens of two villas, Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi.

SWITZERLAND – July 25th – 27th

3 days later we are on our way to Interlaken in Switzerland for a stay at Sunny Days B&B, another marathon trip by train of five and a half hours. Really looking forward to it though as the scenery should be spectacular as the train winds it’s way over the Alps.

Interlaken is a resort town on the Aare River, between lakes Thun and Brienz in central Switzerland, and gateway to the Bernese Oberland. In a dramatic setting with vistas of the Alps, it has long been an international destination. It looks like the scenery here will be  mind-blowing. We plan to take the famous Jungfrau train to the top of Europe and on the way up visit Lauterbrunnen, which we are told is absolutely stunning. 

DIJON,  FRANCE – July 27th – 29th

Bonjour! Bienvenue a Dijon!

Back on the train we go for a four and a half hour trip back over the Alps to Dijon. La Petit Tertre is our place of residence in the mustard capital of France.

Dijon is the capital city of the Burgundy region in eastern France, one of the country’s principal wine-producing areas. It’s known for its vineyard tours, autumn gastronomic fair and building styles from Gothic to art deco. The distinguished 1787 Musée des Beaux-Arts, housed in the vast Palace of the Dukes, holds a rich collection of paintings, sculptures, crafts and antiquities.

Next stop Paris!

PARIS – July 29th – August 1st

Then of course you cant go to France and not make a stop in Paris.

The Hotel Mont Blanc is along the Seine close to Notre Dame right in the middle of all the action, cafe’s restaurants. Time to soak up the atmosphere. Ear plugs needed to sleep at night time in this area apparently! We are prepared though, got the ear plugs ready.

There is so much to see and do in Paris,  Museums and Theaters, Monuments and Attractions, Food and Cafes, Fashion and Shopping. The City of Lights, worth taking your time and walking your way through amazing streets, taking it all in. We plan to visit Montmartre on this trip because we missed it last time. At the beginning of the twentieth century, during the Belle Époque, many artists had studios or worked in or around Montmartre, including Salvador Dalí, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Camille Pissarro and Vincent van Gogh. We might pick up a painting or two.

ENGLAND August 1st – August 15th

Under the channel we go to Good Ol’ England.

We are set to have a “Cracking” time with family. First stop…. Aunty B’s for a bit of palaver and a lot of country cooking in Chobham Surrey. My auntie lives in a beautiful little town about forty minutes or so by train from London.

Aunty B’s hospitality and gardens are amazing.  Such a pleasure to stay in such beautiful surroundings with such great company. We should be able to spend some time with my cousin Karen & Richard with the three little rug rats Summer, Amy and Fin. Hopefully we can go and visit Highclere Castle with them where Downton Abbey was filmed.

Then we move to the “Entertainment Coordinators” place of residence, my other cousin Helen not far up the road in Woking, Chris, Helen, Bethan,  Lauren and we can’t forget Smudgee the dog are going to be putting us up, (or putting up with us!) for the last week.

Last time we came we had fantastic weather, Sunny days and warm temps, so we are looking forward, hopefully, to much the same, although from all accounts this summer hasn’t been all that good we are hoping they are saving the best for when we are there. They came through with the goods last time.

CORNWALL

They are taking us into Cornwall, what a treat! So much to see and do in Poldark country, we are hoping to take some great photos of the amazing countryside. This is where we are staying in Cornwall, a gorgeous cottage in the village of Lerryn. We will be spending four days here just chilling’ out and day trippin’ around seeing the sights. Would really like to see St Michaels Mount and the port of Fowey looks really good too or we might catch a show at the Minack Theatre.

These last days are going to fly by, before we know it we will be back on the plane and heading home. With over weight bags, over weight bodies, happy, tired, jet-lagged and glad to see you all.