Big 6 week trip - Zurich, Germany, Belgium, Amsterdam, Paris, Morocco, Spain.
My photos
here are before entering the wonderful world of DSLR.
I purchased my trusty Canon 60D after hubby made me jealous with his fantastic photos on this trip with his first DSLR camera.
~~oOo~~
This was
our first big overseas trip. 6 weeks through 7 countries.
Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Morocco & Spain.
I found
virtualtourist.com whilst googling for our big trip. Sadly VT is no more. I spent 16 years on that site and it was a
sad day when tripadvisor bought out VT and then shut them down.
The
furthest we had been before this trip was Tahiti for our 10 year wedding
anniversary in 1989. So now, over 10
years later, we were about to embark on our first big overseas trip.
Each
country that we visited had its own unique flavour and exciting stuff to see
and do. For instance us Aussies love to
see big chiming clocks, castles, palaces, cobbled stone streets, canals and
windmills.
All of
this is different to us as well as driving on the other side of the road,
riding in horse & carriage, riding camels in the desert, sleeping under the
stars in the desert etc etc.
Yes, this
trip has many, many wonderful memories and reliving them here, especially if
you read along and give a little comment here and there makes it all so more
special.
If you
have read my other blogs here you will already know that hubby and I love to
visit off the beaten path places. Some of these we visited along the way were
Bad Wimpfen, Ettlingen, Mespelbrunn, Braubach, Tongeren, Lier, Essaouira, Torremolinos,
Ronda and Valencia.
We hired
a car and drove from Zurich, through Germany, Belgium and into Amsterdam. Our good friend from Virtual Tourist Birgit
(bijo69) flew into Zurich and joined us for the trip.
The
beginning of the journey saw us driving out of the airport at Zurich, Tom Tom
GPS that hubby and I had purchased back home was unfortunately still packed in
a suitcase in the back of the hire car.
First big mistake.
Hubby and
I were laughing at the signs and suddenly, didn't know where we were going. More
about that story later.
Bruges
was one of the many highlights for me.
I had never heard of Bruges before seeing this place on VT. I was captivated with the pure romance of
the place and consequently it was high on my list of places to see.
The Belgium
beers were also fantastic. Hubby and I love to taste local beers
wherever we go. You need to read my
funny story of the beer tastings in Bruges.
Not only
was Bruges everything that I had imagined, but I also discovered more fantastic
towns in Belgium like Tongeren, Lier and Gent.
The most
amazing thing about travel sites besides discovering off the beaten path places
is making friends all around the world. The best memories for hubby and I were of
spending time with our friends that we have formed so many friendships with.
One of
those highlights for me was meeting PJ and his lovely wife Swanet in Amsterdam.
They arranged the best day out for us
and I have a tribute to that later on my Amsterdam blog.
Another
awesome memory was staying in a houseboat.
That was totally amazing!
It cost a
lot, but it was so worth while!!
I have
been in love with Paris and the Eiffel tower since very young.
When the big Paris meet went up on VT, I couldn't type from excitement!
So our whole trip was planned around the Paris meet.
The big Paris
meet was awesome. The Eiffel Tower was even more awesome. But the most awesomest thing was when hubby
surprised me with an eternity ring at the VT dinner in a quaint restaurant near
the Eiffel Tower!!
And then
we went to view the light show after. This
was pure heaven!!! An evening of my lifetime that I will
treasure forever!! If you are reading this Steve (stevemt) thank
you my dear friend!
Paris to
me is the city of love!!! xx
Both
hubby & I love exotic places. So it
was no surprise that we both picked Morocco.
We flew from Paris to Marrakesh for the start of our first African
adventure.
OMG! It was fantastic!! Marrakesh was an amazing experience, but our
trip with Habib who is a full Berber nomad and owner of sahara-desert-dream.com
was indescribable!!
There are too many
memories to list here including sleeping under the stars in the Sahara desert, meeting
and having tea with a nomad family in their cave, enjoying authentic lunch with
Habib's family in his home town of M'hamid and gunning the 4x4 through the
desert, overtaking other 4 wheel drives and riding camels out of the desert.
The last
country that we visited was Spain. This
was hubby's choice. I had heard that the south of Spain was nice
and of course the first place that I thought about visiting was Barcelona and
seeing the amazing Gaudi architecture - that was another big highlight!
Hubby's
highlight was visiting Alhambra. He
studied gardens as part of his Horticulture diploma.
But the place
that captured my heart in Spain was Valencia.
I wished that we could have seen more of this place.
We hired
a convertible for the first time here in Spain and drove around the hills to
visit Ronda - another beautiful place that I discovered whilst reading tips on
Virtual Tourist.
There are
a couple of regrets. Not seeing more in Paris and not visiting the
south of France. Never mind, they are
on my plan for a future trip incorporating more of Switzerland and Italy
including another romantic city, Venice.
But for
now, my blog is all about our fantastic adventure through Europe and Morocco.
So grab a
snack and drink or 3 and be prepared for a lazy afternoon or evening reading my
entertaining stories and nice pictures.
~~oOo~~
ZURICH - CITY OF CLOCKS
Zurich
was the beginning of our big Europe trip.
6 weeks
of discovery! How does one pick places
to see?
Hubby
wanted to see Germany and Spain. Hubby
loves mountains and gardens.
I wanted to visit Paris and Bruges because I am the ultimate romantic and I had a VT friend in Amsterdam.
I wanted to visit Paris and Bruges because I am the ultimate romantic and I had a VT friend in Amsterdam.
As we
both love off the beaten path places with interesting scenery, Morocco and a
trip into the Sahara desert was thrown into the mix. Our trip was coming together.
The plan
then became clear -
Fly into
Zurich
Drive through Germany
Continue on through Belgium
Drive up into Amsterdam
Stay in a houseboat in Amsterdam
Train to Paris
Fly to Marrakesh
Drive to the Sahara desert with a Berber nomad
Visit a place on the coast called Essaouira
Then to Casablanca to fly to Malaga Spain
Torremolinos, Alhambra, Ronda, Valencia
Train to Barcelona
Fly home to Perth
Drive through Germany
Continue on through Belgium
Drive up into Amsterdam
Stay in a houseboat in Amsterdam
Train to Paris
Fly to Marrakesh
Drive to the Sahara desert with a Berber nomad
Visit a place on the coast called Essaouira
Then to Casablanca to fly to Malaga Spain
Torremolinos, Alhambra, Ronda, Valencia
Train to Barcelona
Fly home to Perth
Yes! A lot to pack in, but we also stayed a few
days in some places so there was some down time too. When you have to do long haul flights from Australia
and pay huge travel expenses, then we have to pack in as much as we can without
making the holiday too busy.
Sometimes a difficult juggle act.
Sometimes a difficult juggle act.
Zurich,
our first destination was stunning!!
It is a
very clean city, not too big but compared to some other places we visited. We found Zurich to be a little
expensive. However with views like
this, who cares about the expense!!
FLYING INTO ZURICH
We both
loved Zurich!
On
holiday there is always something new & interesting to experience. In
Zurich it was the clocks. Wow! Clock city!! And I couldn't get enough of them!
I also enjoyed
listening to the chimes. I have a grandfather clock at home, my pride and joy.
There is something about clock chimes that I really love. Even from our B&B accommodation we could
hear them. So nice!!
Hubby
bought an authentic Swiss watch here and I loved the watch that I purchased for
my daughter so much that I bought one for myself too.
VIDEO - ZURICH CLOCK CHIME
~~oOo~~
RAPPERSWIL
The
highlight in Zurich was our trip to Rapperswil. I discovered this place on Patrick's
pages on VT (tripack).
Sadly no VT'ers
were available at the time but we had a fantastic trip on the ferry to Rapperswil
and enjoyed a wander around the quaint cobblestone streets with cute gift shops
and funky bars and restaurants.
Aussie Barney loves the local Ale.
~~oOo~~
ALPENTRAUM
B&B
I
wouldn't stay anywhere else when visiting Zurich. Great location between the airport and Zurich,
it has a lovely quiet garden setting, the bed was super comfortable, public
transport is close by and it is inexpensive.
The hosts were attentive and helpful.
~~oOo~~
FUNNY
AUSSIROSE STORY
How
exciting! First time in Europe!! Finally!!
We were here and this is my first sighting of the famous Swiss Alps! Hubby was in his element as he loves
mountains.
Woohoo!! We have arrived!!
Switzerland!!
Europe!!!!
😊
I had not
slept for goodness knows how long! We arrived at 8am after travelling for 12
hours from Singapore and 5 hours before that from Perth. Singapore airlines are by far my favourite
airline!!!
We were
right now running on pure adrenalin!
Ok, first funny sign and here is the story -
We
arrived in Zurich and jumped into our hire car full of excitement. Hubby forget to set our new Tom Tom GPS.
Big mistake!
So, here
we are exiting Zurich airport and past the funny sign.
OMG!
I was doubled over with laughter!
😭
Here we
are about to enter a six lane highway, still laughing our heads off!!
Hubby said, “Where are we going?!!"
My reply, "Oh
shiiiit!!
Just keep driving!!"
Luckily
we were headed in the right direction towards Zurich city. Upon
arrival, we found a parking space in which to set up the GPS. Thank goodness it worked and we proceeded to
drive back through the centre of Zurich city and to our bed and breakfast
located in between Zurich and the airport.
This Tom
Tom GPS was to be our guide for the next week or so and also in Spain and it
worked a treat! I am so glad that we
bought it.
After
dropping off our luggage, we walked down to catch the tram into town. On the way there was a local pub. Ahhhh,
time to stop and celebrate our arrival in Europe! Taste a local beer and send a few text messages
to the family.
We came
back to the local a couple of times after a big day sightseeing.
Later the owner of the B&B said that this was the dodgy part of town.
OK, that would explain the strange looks we received by the locals, but who
cares?!! We were on holiday, the beers
were cheap and refreshing, and we were having fun!!
😜
I was blown away with the stunning scenery when we arrived in Zurich!
The river and bridges were awesome! And
the clocks were just lovely.
We sat at the hotel Zum Storchen for a little
while, had a couple of beers and enjoyed the view and ambience. There were
quite a few tourists like us doing the same.
Walking
around this area with lovely views of the bridges and river just added to our
excitement at being here in Zurich Europe!
~~oOo~~
ZUM KROPF
Next day
we were checking out the backstreets and lovely architecture and we saw a cute
staircase leading up to a nice verandah where it looked like quite a few people
were enjoying lunch so we ventured up.
I am glad
we found this restaurant because not only did we have lovely shady surroundings
and a nice view but the food was fantastic!!
The prawn cocktail starter was fresh and cool.
And we washed lunch down with a local red wine which I must say was really good. In fact Zurich wines both red and white were pretty good.
😁
~~oOo~~
STREETS OF ZURICH
I
enjoy street scenes wherever we go. So
here are some that I particularly like including the tram transportation.
We
got a Zurich Card. You can use this for all sorts of transport and also entry into museums etc.
~~oOo~~
Lastly,
an old bus after hubby's last name.
also an old Faht!! lol.
also an old Faht!! lol.
Trusty
Tom Tom GPS loaded. Next stop Uberlingen, Germany.
Below is a map of our road trip through Germany.
~~oOo~~
ETTLINGEN, GERMANY
VIA LAKE CONSTANCE, UBERLINGEN,
& LAKE TITISEE
We had
arrived in Zurich on our first big overseas trip.
After
having spent a few days in this beautiful city of clocks, we were now prepared
for our big drive on the other side of the road through Germany, Belgium and
into Amsterdam.
Today's
destination - Ettlingen Germany. I
found Ettlingen through Virtual Tourist.
Unfortunately that site is no more due to its greedy parent company Trip
Advisor.
More
about the lovely Ettlingen later.
~~oOo~~
LAKE CONSTANCE
We crossed Lake Constance in the car ferry o the way to Germany.
~~oOo~~
UBERLINGEN
GERMANY
I hadn't
planned on driving through Uberlingen which is located at the northern end of
Lake Constance.
We had
quite a long trip as it was driving through the Black Forrest via Lake Titisee
to Ettlingen. But our friend Birgit (bijo69) from Virtual Tourist
had flown down to Zurich from Berlin to join us for the drive and she suggested
that we check out Uberlingen.
Slight detour, but I am glad to say that it was well worth it.
Uberlingen
is right on Lake Constance with nice views.
The town is a pleasure to walk around.
I liked the vines growing on the buildings.
We had a
lovely lunch at this nice restaurant.
Unfortunately I do not know the name. So if you recognise
it, please let me know.
This was where I tasted my first German Beer. It was a white beer called Zoller-Hof. I must say it was one of the better beers I have tasted on this trip!
We
enjoyed sitting outside under the shade with lots of surrounding greenery and flowers. Perfect for
discussing our trip so far and people watching.
Unfortunately
we had to drag ourselves away. Time to
hit the road. We still had some mileage
to cover to arrive in Ettlingen.
~~oOo~~
THE BLACK FORREST
What do
you think of when you hear that there is a place called "the black forrest?”
Visions of misty black woods where it
is unsafe to walk? That's what I thought haha.
The Black
Forrest is basically a thick forest of pines on a mountain range. It has lots of winding roads and we just happened
to enter just on peak afternoon traffic.
Shouldn't
have had that extra Zoller-Hof.
😏
~~oOo~~
LAKE TITISEE
I had
planned to spend more time here but our plans had changed during our journey to
detour via Uberlingen.
We had an agenda to get to Ettlingen for a
Virtual Tourist meet with a friend I had been really looking forward to meeting, Kathrin
(kathrin_e) and Christine (tini58de).
Hubby was
going to by-pass lake Titisee. Noooo!! Not going to happen!
I am glad
that we did drop in to lake Titisee. It is so pretty! I had planned to wander around more of the
town, have lunch overlooking the lake and maybe buy a Cookoo Clock. Bet hubby is glad that I didn't. One Grand Father Clock is enough says hubby
lol.
Quick walk over the bridge to the Loo with a View
Sorry, no drunks allowed
~~oOo~~
ETTLINGEN
We finally
arrived in Ettlingen!
Kathrin
had arranged for the paparazzi to greet us!
No, it just so happened that there was a festival going on in town when we arrived. Not only that but when we walked in the door of the hotel.... there was Katherin and Christine waiting for us! How nice is that!!
No, it just so happened that there was a festival going on in town when we arrived. Not only that but when we walked in the door of the hotel.... there was Katherin and Christine waiting for us! How nice is that!!
What an
absolutely fabulous time we had! Meeting
friends that you have never met before but know so well from years of
interaction on our favourite travel site is special!!
Love you
Kathrin! And nice to meet you too Christine. Russel Wombat and Aussie Barney VT mascot
also joined in on the fun.
A night to
remember!!!
😍
HOTEL
ERBPRINZ
5 STAR
LUXURY! BED
WAS VERY COMFORTABLE. JUST WHAT HUBBY
NEEDED AFTER A LONG DAY DRIVING. LOCATION
IS PERFECT AS WELL.
Elb River that runs through Ettlingen
This
little off the beaten path town was a delight to stay in.
Next
destination - Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber.
~~oOo~~
DRIVING IN GERMANY
~~oOo~~
ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER
VIA BAD WIMPFEN
BAD WIMPFEN
Quaint
timber houses & a blue tower.
When
researching for this trip I discovered this delightful off the beaten path town
whilst reading my good friend Lori's (loripori) tips on Virtual Tourist.
There are
a lot of 'bad' towns in Germany that are not really bad at all. 'Bad'
means spa.
Bad Wimpfen
is a spa town, or a town with a natural spring.
It is a very old medieval town that was occupied by the Romans. As such, it has a tower, old fortress and
chapel that were common at that period of time.
The blue
tower that overlooks the town and Neckar Valley below was really unique and lovely. Tudor houses and cute cobbled stone streets
had a wow factor too.
This was
our first encounter with Tudor houses.
I just loved them!!
😎
I was
quite taken back with the lovely colourful and ornate doors here as well.
Bad Wimpfen had a lot of wows for us.
An amazing little village.
~~oOo~~
ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER
Ahhh.....
Romantic Rothenburg.
This
little medieval walled village was an absolute pleasure to visit. thanks again
to Lori.
We stayed for 1 day/2 nights.
Rothenburg
Ob Der Tauber is very touristy because of this very popular photographic street
scene.
But at
night when the bus loads of tourists have gone, the village is nice and quiet.
VIDEO - ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER AT NIGHT
We stayed
right inside the walled city. It was
interesting to navigate through the tiny arch towers that are the only entrance/exit
to the city.
~~oOo~~
HOTEL
GASTHOF BREITELE
Enjoyed
our stay. Owned by Mike and his wife
from Australia. They made us feel at
home. Parking is right across the road.
And they were right there waiting for our arrival.
The hotel is located next to a small arch city entrance and just down the road from the centre square. Breakfast buffet was nice.
Coloured loo paper got an extra tick from me
~~oOo~~
WALLS OF
ROTHENBURG
It was
interesting walking around the walls, reading about the history and checking
out some of the placards. Restoration of
the city is an ongoing process, all funded by donations. Those that donate, have a placard placed on
the wall.
I found a koala in the stone work
Time for a beer
WALKING THE STREETS OF ROTHENBURG
I bought
a sweet little red apple Swarovski crystal necklace here at Uhrenhaus Jewelry
and watch store. It is still one of my
favourite pieces. Tip - cost of Swarovski
is very cheap in Germany.
Don't
forget to look up. I loved these lovely
ornate wrought iron signs that were everywhere.
This was another first for us.
~~oOo~~
RESTAURANT
MICHELAGELO
Right
next door to our accommodation and recommended.
The staff were pleasant and the service was exceptional. A nice evening to end our stay here in Rothenburg.
~~oOo~~
MESPELBRUNN
VIA KITSINGEN & WURZBURG
KITSINGEN
When
planning our journey from Rothenburg to Mespelbrunn I knew that it was only 2
1/2 hours so, what to see along the way?
I equipped myself with google maps and images and checked out all the places I could find along the way and came up with this
cute place called Kitzingen.
Well as
we drove into town, Howie and Birgit thought it looked like a waste of time,
but I was persistent. I knew that this
place had some of the nicest river scenery I had seen whilst planning the trip.
So we
found a parking place and went for a wander, finally coming across that river I
had seen. Well we were all nicely
surprised. The foreshore was lined with
these lovely flowers. Saw a couple of barges and
some swans and ducks.
Ok, Aussirose
story time!
Oh come
on! 😜 You know you love my stories lol.
Truth is,
things did not go as smoothly as I stated at the outset.
We set
the trusty Tom Tom GPS to the local cop station. Turns out that Kitzingen Police Station is not
in the heart of town. Haha.
Consequently,
that is why hubby and Birgit were wondering why I had brought us here? Still, hubby and I found stuff to take photos
of. Meanwhile, Birgit was still scratching her
head. Birgit lives in Berlin so this
scenery is every day stuff for her.
😏
Narrow
cobblestone streets and cute entry ways are fascinating to us. We don't have that in Australia.
VIDEO
~~oOo~~
Beer
o'clock.
😁
We found
a little mall devoid of tourists. How
quaint! It was nice to eat with the
locals.
Primed
with a coldie we re-assessed our situation.
Kitzingen
is a nice little off the beaten path village indeed!
😃
We were all impressed. A detour through Kitzingen was most certainly worth our time.
We were all impressed. A detour through Kitzingen was most certainly worth our time.
~~oOo~~
WURZBURG
A grand
palace on top of a hill with stunning city views!
I had
heard about this from reading Michael's (globetrott) pages on Virtual
Tourist. Michael's suggestions on
places to visit in Germany proved to be very helpful.
Birgit and
Howie were looking forward to it. I
looked at all those steps leading up the hill to the Palace and it was the
thought of a cool beer at the end of the road that kept me going lol.
🍺
Well this
Palace was impressive and the views overlooking Wurzburg were stunning.
It was our first
encounter with a Palace.
There
were a lot of first's for us on this trip.
After a
wander around the courtyards and a bit of a read of the placards we headed to
the nice shady courtyard for a tasty ale.
Hubby and I were enjoying German beer tasting.
~~oOo~~
MESPELBRUNN
A cute castle on a pond story.
When
planning the car trip through Germany, I had Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber on the
list and the next thing to see was the Rhine River. So armed with google maps, images And VT
pages, I was looking for a place to stay overnight along the way.
MESPELBRUNN
CASTLE
I found
it! Mespelbrunn and this cute castle on
a pond in the middle of the forest.
Thanks again Michael!
This was
our first castle experience.
Another
first for us.
We stayed
overnight at a hotel recommended by Ingrid (trekki). The place that Michael stayed at was near the
castle, but a little too expensive for us.
Michael’s choice below.
The
forest was lovely and green and a pleasure to walk through. First sighting of this cute castle was
everything that I had imagined!
Not being
a history buff, I found myself imagining the pure ingenious idea of building a
castle in the forest, hidden from the enemy with the added advantage of a pond
and moat.
The inhabitants were no doubt a lot smarter than some of the others that built their castles in open view on top of a hill.
I was
captivated with the lovely pond and shimmering reflections the still water.
VIDEO
~~oOo~~
HOTEL ZUM
ENGEL
We stayed
here at the hotel Zum Engel on the suggestion of local Ingrid (trekki) on
VT.
The owners just love Aussies.
I am glad
that we chose this one. We were
certainly made to feel like royalty by the owners and our room overlooked the forest
which was a pleasant view after our car trip.
I would totally
recommend to stay here. We really
enjoyed it. I would describe this hotel as elegant with personalised service.
Next stop
Braubach on the Rhine River via Oestrich-Winkel and the amazing Mouse Castle.
~~oOo~~
ALONG THE RHINE RIVER
TO BRAUBACH
VIA OESTRICH-WINKEL
Ahhh.....
Mausetrum - the cute mouse castle! Have
you ever seen a castle more cute?!!
I was
planning our big Europe holiday with the idea of driving along the Rhine River
for part of the way. I didn't realise
how many castles there were along the river until I started doing
some intensive research using google maps and VT.
some intensive research using google maps and VT.
That was when I discovered Mauseturm or the
Mouse Castle and just knew instantly that I had to see it!
The most
obvious place to view this cute castle is in Bingen on the left hand side of
the river looking upstream, but there isn't much else to do in Bingen so I
started to look elsewhere.
Then I found Michael's (globetrott) Oestrich-Winkel
page on Virtual Tourist and the rest fell into place.
More
about that later.
~~oOo~~
Our first
sighting of the lovely Rhine River.
When we
arrived in Oestrich-Winkel I recognised the old crane from pictures I had seen on globetrott's pages.
These cranes were used to help in the transport of such goods as wine barrels,
sand, gravel, coal and grain. Here we
went for a short walk along the river bank.
~~oOo~~
GRUNER
BAUM RESTAURANT AND PUB
Beer
time! Whilst trip planning I had
discovered this quaint place to eat and enjoy a coldie.
The
Gruner Baum was tucked away in a back street.
I liked the quiet shady dining area that was enclosed by lots of
greenery.
~~oOo~~
MAUSETURM CASTLE
Mouse
Castle is located just past Oestrich-Winkle on the opposite side of the
river. You need to keep a look out
because it quickly appears and there is not much room to pull off the road for
a quick photo shoot.
Lucky for us, I spied
it in time and the traffic wasn't too busy which allowed us to pull off the
road quickly.
The Mouse
Castle is situated on an island in the middle of the Rhine River near Bingen, I
was fascinated to hear the story behind the name.
Apparently
this fella called Hatto took over the Archbiship seat in Mainz and reigned
Bingen. He used to stay in this castle
thinking he was safe. One day he became
ill and apparently was overcome by thousands of mice and died.
Shivers!! We once lived in a place called Edithburgh south Australia. Being in the wheat belt, there were mice everywhere. Our rental house was infested! You might like mice, but they give me shivers!!! Eewwwe!! Lol.
Shivers!! We once lived in a place called Edithburgh south Australia. Being in the wheat belt, there were mice everywhere. Our rental house was infested! You might like mice, but they give me shivers!!! Eewwwe!! Lol.
~~oOo~~
RHINE
RIVER AND CASTLES
We were
headed towards Braubach and a hotel recommended by my friend globetrott
(Michael) on Virtual Tourist.
Driving
along the Rhine River was a pleasure and great memory. Castles everywhere we looked!! We were gobsmacked!
Thank
goodness there were no flies around. Haha.
This one
is called Pfalzgafenstien Castle. Phew,
that's a big word! Lol.
I later found out
that it was used to collect river tolls. Apparently
a chain was placed across the river and forced ships to submit. Traders that didn't were placed in the dungeon
until a ransom was delivered.
An
ingenious way to make money. Governments
today aren’t so smart.
And some wineries along the way
~~oOo~~
BRAUBACH
When
planning our car trip through Europe I chose Braubach to stay overnight because
of this majestic castle on the hill and cute little tram to take you there.
Thanks again Michael for your suggestions!!
~~oOo~~
MARKSBURG CASTLE
This
castle so far was by far the most majestic one we'd seen on our trip! The other
castles in their own right had interesting features like the one in Mespelbrunn
where we had just come from and the cute little mouse castle near Oestrich-Winkle.
You could
not miss this castle, perched on top of the hillside. We arrived late in the afternoon
so could not take the cute train up to check out the castle that was
disappointing.
Plus we had a long day of driving in the morning. So all we could do was admire Marksburg Castle from down town.
And across
the road was the lovely Rhine River.
FUNNY
AUSSIROSE STORY
Hey! Wanna hear a funny Aussirose story?!
Hey! Stop groaning and listen!!
Guess
what? The hotel was full!! Even though we booked ahead. So they shoved us in the barn
across the road. True!!!
The out
house across the road, the white building over there, was to be our accommodation for the night.
Poor Birgit's
bed was no bigger than a baby cot! So
Howie took the lounge to sleep on and Birgit and I shared the queen sized bed
lol.
Oh well,
without something like this happening, I would not have a story to tell now
would I.
😕
All was
not lost however. We had pretty good
views of Marksburg Castle from the outback shed.
😄
VIDEO
~~oOo~~
HOTEL LANDGASTHOF ZUM WIESSEN
The hotel
was quite interesting. There were 2
buildings, 3 if you include the shed across the road lol. 2nd building was where breakfast was prepared
and I must say in the hotel's defence, that breakky was really good!
I had my first authentic German breakfast here complete with all sorts of
bread, cheese and meat. I was in heaven
!!!!
The
street was really narrow here. I reckon
that car could almost fit through there.
What do you think?
What do you think?
We had a
good laugh at this sign haha. Pfft!! Tanks get to drive at 100'k's in Braubach!!
~~oOo~~
LIER BELGIUM
VIA TONGEREN
We hadn't
planned to visit Tongeren on our road trip through Europe. We were headed to Lier for a special Virtual
Tourist meet and we had arranged to pick up Kirsty (kshezz) from her home in Tongeren.
My first
impression of Tongeren was a small town that I immediately felt comfortable in.
The people here are warm and friendly
and the countryside is lovely.
First
time in a new country, you have to try a local beer. This one Grimberben went
down real well. A nice introduction to Belgium
beers!
Ok, now
we've had a nice coldie, let's start with an Aussirose story. Stop groaning!!! 😉
We were
on our way to pick up Kirsty from her home in Tongeren and we were driving
through some nice countryside and into a small village, through the streets and
then heading out of town.
Hey, wait
a minute!!!!!!! We are not
supposed to be heading out of town????!
We came to a screeching halt!! Dust surrounded the car.
We came to a screeching halt!! Dust surrounded the car.
Is there
something wrong with the Tom Tom?!! We
again punched in Kirsty's address and headed back into the small village to
which we had just come from, Tongeren.
Story to
be continued. Later.
The great
memory a lot of us had with Virtual Tourist (closed in Feb 2017) was our
fabulous VT meets. I hope that tradition
will continue on Travellerspoint.
So here
we are at Kirsty's place in Tongeren exchanging hugs. It's like meeting up with an old friend and
sharing new experiences. Awesome!!
It was a real pleasure meeting you Kirsty! Never a dull moment! You are a lively fun loving person and so easy to get along with.
😘
We all
enjoyed a walk around town and learning about the story behind the amazing
statue Ambiorix in the centre square.
Kirsty
also had some presents for us. My first taste of Belgium chocolates!! And a key ring for Howie of the famous Ambiorix.
~~oOo~~
LIER
Our first
canal experience! We had a lot of firsts
this trip.
We had already experienced, clocks, Tudor houses, cobblestone streets, Castles and a Grand Palace.
Now the canals!! How beautiful!!
When
planning our big trip through Europe I had google maps up and google images and
of course VT as my trusty source of info.
We were driving from Braubach to Brugge - too long to do in 1 day. I discovered Lier.
Lier has
3 big things going for it - an interesting clock, some old buildings in a place
called the Beguinage and canals!! Lier
is called "little brugges".
The clock
was amazing!! I have a thing for clocks. My pride and joy at home is my
grandfather clock. This unique clock in
Lier was a masterpiece!!
Called the Zimmer Tower, it was actually part of the old town walls and then made into a clock in 1930 by a very ingenious fella called Louise Zimmer.
Called the Zimmer Tower, it was actually part of the old town walls and then made into a clock in 1930 by a very ingenious fella called Louise Zimmer.
VT mascot
Aussie Barney just loved Lier! Bet you
can guess why! Lol.
What the heck have sheep and Lier got in common? I'll explain later.
First
things first. This was a special VT
meet. It was my 51st birthday.
I was going to spend my birthday in a little village in Europe that I knew nothing about. Well except for the lovely canals and clock.
Turns out
that I could not have picked a better place!! And that was because of some fantastic VT
members who made this a day to remember and the wealth of information they had
to share with me!
VT MEETUP VIDEO
Thanks to
kshezz (Kirsty), irisbe (Dannie) and eddymario (Eddy). You guys rock!!!
😘
We exchanged
hugs all round and had a couple of drinks as us VT'ers are accustomed to. Then went for a wander
around town.
I had
read all about the Beguinage and was excited to see it. A Beguinage is like a convent. In the old
times there was a surplus of women as a result of war which took the lives of
many men. These women formed communities
where they became religious and took on the lives of nuns. You could say that a
Beguinage is compared to a Monestery except the beguines did not make vows like
nuns do.
This was turning out to be a
most enjoyable day!!
Beer
o'clock and party time!!
Eddy and
Dannie chose a fabulous restaurant for our party!! We had a lovely view over nice greenery and the famous sheep statues.
Thank you for organising guys!!! You are
amazing friends!
We had an awesome party!!!
💖
~~oOo~~
STREETS
OF LIER
Early
next morning we took a wander around the streets. It's a nice thing to do when
the air is cool and there's no one around.
Opposite
the restaurant we had partied the night before was a lovely painting portraying
the life of the women in the old Beguinage.
I am by far a history junkie. But I was actually quite liking what I was learning. Lier has a very interesting history.
Ok, now
for a sheepish story.
Did you
know that the inhabitants of Lier are nicknamed "sheep's heads"?
This is the story behind the sheep statues
that you find around town.
Way back
in the olden times they were asked what they wished for - a cattle market or a
Uni?
Yep, you
guessed it. And Leuven, a place down the
road got the University.
This story
didn't matter to Aussie Barney. He was
just happy to meet some of his fellow mates. He picked the black sheep to sit on for a ride
no hidden secret there. Lol.
😁
So whilst
Aussie Barney was being led astray by the black sheep. I got a little distracted myself.
😜
Whoaa?? Hell
yeh!!!
The Chippendales
were in town! How could I have missed
them??!
Despite
missing the Chippendales our visit to Lier will definitely be another great
travel memory!! Made all the better by fantastic friends!!
Thanks guys!! 😃
~~oOo~~
PURE
HOTEL LIER
We stayed
at the pure bed and breakfast. This place is the most clinical hotel I have
ever stayed in. Everything was new and 'white' with lots of chrome fittings.
There was no atmosphere here. It was as clean as a hospital without the smell.
Might have had something to do with catering
mainly for those that come out of the sleezy disco in front of the hotel lol.
Breakfast was good though. Don't think I'd stay here again.
~~oOo~~
GENT
Well what
an amazing surprise!! We were not sure
what to expect. I had done no research
at all on Gent.
We made a quick stop in Gent on the way to Brugges purely to meet a very old friend of mine on VT, Erwin.
Erwin (Joeplaboam)
had kindly offered to show us around his hometown and who wouldn't accept an
invitation like that from a friend I had known for 13 years on VT.
We met Erwin
at a car park just off the highway at the Holiday Inn Express. That's a story in itself. In a minute.
Well as I
said, Gent was a total surprise and has heaps to offer! My friend Erwin was a fantastic host and made
our short stop in Gent a total pleasure and fantastic memory.
The
highlight for me in Gent was our first Europe canal experience. It was also my best canal tour of our whole
Europe trip!! This was not only due to Erwin's
company but also because our tour guide was so entertaining and funny.
~~oOo~~
CRUISING
~~oOo~~
STREETS OF GENT
Gent is a
popular pace for weddings. We saw 4 in
the short space of time that we were here. And no wonder! The backdrop with gorgeous old buildings and
cobblestone streets. Wow! Who wouldn't want to get married here!!
Out and
about wandering around gent with it's amazing buildings, architecture, Cathederal
and even a Castle!! - Gravensteen! Stunning!!
And then,
just when we thought it couldn't get any better, Erwin took us to the amazing
Werregarenstraat - Graffiti Street!!!!
Ok. Back to the funny aussirose story.
Dont!!!
*** aussirose making stop hand signal ***
Keep your thoughts to yourself!!!
Was our trusty
GPS playing tricks on us?
Tom Tom had
helped us navigate bustling cities, windy roads, small Cobbledstone Streets
within old fortress walls and wide open countryside. We could not have done
this trip without it. Well except for a
couple of hickups.
We had travelled
through the gorgeous Belgium countryside the previous day to pick up Kirsty
from Tongeren and take her with us to Lier for my birthday bash.
Tom Tom took
us right past Kirsty's house and out of town. We thought at the time that it
was strange.
But didn't think anything more because we were excited to see Kirsty.
But didn't think anything more because we were excited to see Kirsty.
So here
we are driving from Lier to Brugges via Gent to see Erwin.
Well guess what? We took the exit off the
highway to Gent. Then did a loop and re-entered
the highway towards Brugges.
Huh???
Wtf??!!!
Then it
clicked!!!
Tom Tom didn't know that we actually wanted to stop in gent Stupid GPS!!
Lol.
By
putting in 'via' - GPS was doing just that. Taking us via. Haha.
~~oOo~~
BEER OÇLOCK
Erwin
took us to this pub called Dullo Griet Bar when they serve over 250 beers!!
Hooleydooley !!!!
Cheers!!
🍻
As you
can see here. I am totally happy after a
couple of hours spent in gent with our wonderful host Erwin.
😎
Thank you
so much for showing us around mate. Gent was amazing! And you are the best!!
I would love to come back and explore some more.
I would love to come back and explore some more.
Next stop
the stunning and romantic Brugges.
~~oOo~~
BRUGGES
How
romantic!!
This is
still a favourite photo! And it was taken with my point and shoot camera and I
colour popped and stitched together in Photoshop.
Brugges
was one of the 1st on my list of places to see in Europe. I fell in love with Brugges whilst visiting
Ian's (iandsmith) pages on VT. I saw his
night shots and immediately knew I wanted to visit! Thanks mate!
We had
already experienced our first Europe canals in Lier and Gent. But the canals here in Brugges at night were
something else!!
AUSSIROSE
MEETS BIG KWAK!
BIGGER THAN ANY CROC I HAVE COME ACROSS YET!
I was
gobsmacked!!!
Have you ever seen a beer
so big!!
Now this is what I'm talking about!!
Now this is what I'm talking about!!
But how
is Aussirose going to polish this off without spilling it all over her face and
embarrassing herself in public?!
Well I
delicately lifted the yard glass out of its holder and sipped it. There was no
way I was going to spill this thing all over myself!! Lol.
I did
this technique a few times, pretending I knew what I was doing. No lifting the
little pinkie. I am a professional!!
Well
there were some strange looks at neighbouring tables and I thought, what's the
problem? I'm doing real good here. I have not got a
face full yet! Think my technique is working!!
Well it
turns out that I was not doing this in style at all! I was making a total fool of myself at
everyone's expense lol.
😏
But
that's alright because Aussirose is used to being a dumb blonde Queenslander
lol.
This is
what I should have been doing. Lifting
up the whole wooden frame and yard glass at the same time. This nice waiter took pitty on me and came
over to help lol.
Well
after I mastered it, followed by a few laughs all round including me, I
polished off my beer to a round of applause!!
And just had to get a photo of my Kwak beer drinking teacher!!
😄
Well by
this time I needed a distraction from my failure.
And I got it!!!! Lol.
And I got it!!!! Lol.
What sort
of head is that Howie?!!
Chuckle..... Snigger snigger.
Where's the beer?!! Now drink that!! Lol.
Hubby
prides himself on pouring a good beer. But
I think these Belgium beers have certainly given both of us a good challenge!
Ok says
hubby, enough of the silly stuff, let's check out the menu. Well that just created more laughter on my
side!! Hawhaww!
Now who is the looser!!!
Pfft!! I lost it totally!!! Hahaaaa.
🤣
The staff
couldn't have been more helpful and we had a nice time enjoying our
surroundings and people watching.
~~oOo~~
BRUGGES AT NIGHT
Brugges
is such a romantic place. I loved the canals and night lights.
~~oOo~~
HORSE AND BUGGIES
Brugges had horse &
buggies!
What a lovely way to see the sights and equally romantic!
We didn't do this as the line up was too long. We did however ride horse and Buggy elsewhere on our trip but that's another story.
We took a
few minutes to sit and enjoy the ducks and swans on the canal front. This was a
nice quiet part of the city with lots of trees and shade.
Ok, funny
aussirose story.
And you
thought that my beer drinking technique was funny!! Pfft.
This is
the main square in Brugges. Hubby and I
stayed in a beautiful bed and breakfast about 20min casual stroll from this
centre square. More about the B&B in a minute.
On our
first day we decided to hire the B&B bikes to take the fast trip into town.
No problem! Aussirose was an accomplished bike rider.
Years ago.
These Danish
bikes however were big!
Mine was a bit
too big!!
Of course I had no problem mounting it! 😇
Riding.
No problem. Lol.
But
getting off. Just a slight problem. Haha.
😏
Nothing
like a crash landing in the Centre Square of Brugges! In front of the horse and buggies and crowds
lol.
Out comes
the violins.
No, just thought I'd throw that in for effect. Hehee.
No, just thought I'd throw that in for effect. Hehee.
Speaking
of musical instruments. This fella was in the next street. I really enjoyed his violin and trumpet
playing. He was a real talented guy. Check him out on the steets video below.
So after
my impressive touchdown into the centre square, Hubby and I took a wander around the streets, taking in the lively
atmosphere and tourist attractions.
~~oOo~~
STREETS OF BRUGGES
~~oOo~~
BRUGGES CANALS
Going on a canal tour in Brugges was on my must do list. We had already experienced a surprise canal cruise in Gent. So I had something to compare this with. Although both had similar nice sights, Gent wins. You will have to check out my Gent blog to find out why.
~~oOo~~
VT MEET
Lovely Sarah (crazypaws) who organised our meet
up. Thanks a million Sarah for a
fantastic job!! We all enjoyed ourselves immensely!
Attendees
were Bell (titabell), Dannie (irisbe), Caroline (b_caro) and Ian-Grace (kylian74).
Oh and Aussie
Barney (who stole the show) and those naughty VA's. The plastic people from
around the world that would have loved
to have attended in person. So the next best
thing was ti become a Virtual Attendee. Or VA as we affectionally
call them.
Bell -
you had been my friend for a long time on VT and it was a highlight to finally
meet you!! What a warm reception you
gave Howie and I. And your eyes lit up when
you saw our VA's Hansi, Lori, Dorrise and Rexy xx.
Dannie -
you came to my birthday bash in Lier! What an amazing time we had!! And thank
you again for also coming to Brugges!! Xx
Caroline
- you had a warm and bubbly personality!
Who wouldn't have been drawn to you! We had a fabulous time.
Ian-Grace
- you came along with your hubby and little baby girl who was so cute!! You came from 3 hours away! I am so privileged to have met you and your
little family! Don't stop smiling and enjoying life to the full!!
Again. Sarah, looking forward to showing you around Perth
when you visit us shortly in July 2017!! Hugs xx
BRUGGES
ACCOMMODATION - ELEVEN BED AND BREAKFAST
I would
recommend to stay here. Our hosts were
attentive but also gave us our space. Parking was not too far away. We had the use
of the bikes to ride into town. About 7 minutes away. Great location. Breakfast was nice!
Brugges
excelled everything I had imagined!
Next stop
- Amsterdam and a stay on a houseboat, fun at the Heineken experience, windmills,
boats, bikes and booze - plus meeting PJ, Swanet, Dila and Mary.
boats, bikes and booze - plus meeting PJ, Swanet, Dila and Mary.
~~oOo~~
AMSTERDAM
BOATS, BIKES & BOOZE
Not one
of the better photos I took in Amsterdam, however this photo brings back happy
memories our houseboat.
Yes, we
stayed on a houseboat! It was awesome!
aussirose
and Houseboat owner Frank
When
planning our holiday, Amsterdam was one of the first on my list. Not because of
the boats, bikes and booze, but because
of my good Virtual Tourist friend PJ (pieter jan) and his
lovely wife Swanet.
lovely wife Swanet.
Meeting up with PJ and Swanet was the highlight of Amsterdam.
😊
We also
had the pleasure of meeting another Amsterdam resident, Dianna (dila) who
kindly showed us around on a nice walking tour of Amsterdam and also joined in
on our daily activities.
~~oOo~~
CANALS
Our time
in Amsterdam was accompanied by rain which could have put a damper on the whole
experience, but it didn't matter much. We had a fun time anyway.
Our whole
Europe trip incorporated so many new and different experiences, cultures and
sights. I n fact there was a wow factor around every corner! Amsterdam was no different.
My
highlight here was the canals. Yes, we did the red light district, windmills
and the fun Heineken experience, but the canals for me was the highlight.
~~oOo~~
HEINEKEN EXPERIENCE
Hubby
wore his FBI t-short especially for the occasion - famous beer inspector.
We had
been tasting beers all through Germany and Belgium. Now came the time for the FBI to put
Heineken, Amsterdam to the test!!!
So far so
good. The FBI is impressed.
PJ gives his nod of approval.
The FBI is still working on it.
PJ gives his nod of approval.
The FBI is still working on it.
Now for
the first test. The FBI smells the
ingredients. You need to have good barley, hops and yeast. Not bad says the FBI.
Now for
the all important taste test. Check out
the bubbles, clarity and taste!
Does it pass?
Does it pass?
Final
inspection completed! Beer passed the test!!
Meanwhile
Birgit and Swanet were doing a bit of their own smelling and tasting.
The Heineken
experience may be a bit tacky but the FBI and I agree that it is well worth a
visit.
You get
to experience the feeling of actually being a beer being made and bottled by
means of a simulated activity. They have
other fun stuff to do including Kareoke.
And at
the end there is a beer pouring competition.
We were
all given 2 buttons for free beers. You could use the 2 buttons to pour your
own beer.
The FBI
couldn't resist the challenge. Hubby
stepped up and poured his beer like a true FBI pro! Unlike his feeble attempt in Brugges. Lol.
And received
a Heineken experience beer pulling certificate!
The crowd
clapped and cheered!!
And hubby
proceeded to scab a few more buttons from those who cheerfully gave them away
to the famous FBI.
~~oOo~~
ZAANSE
SCHANS
A trip to
Amsterdam is incomplete without visiting the lovely windmills. Located in the village of Zaanse Schans which
is just a short train ride from central station. The link above
shows how to get here.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieinUSdF2ocOmbs-C2ZneiFPOwSUX2z-ctdi9JAZIY5sXMYPtfriTDyhDHYqGnhHt014Xvtz7hInpfZxHewSz8p79t2QvYxMqJ-UXkrx6qlY1lM2vXwgEo1lM4EsG9C3IosR772SPL7MM/w500-h281/PIC_0442.JPG)
The pub that we had our VT meet and greet was just a few steps down the road on the corner. Transport was close by. And the best thing was that our room had a bath!!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFA7gpkZImTWj-hdSjDLD6XPJ82pX7Qia3IxPTJi2hG0r6whcNaVGAmSoxARQ063gK5M6HHPfXOKhPNjTbGMJB6irNrtCddwPZdCa9i2fkknBT7JiVfSDX8j9r-jGt3dOski5FEeBw4WM/w500-h375/DSCF2102.JPG)
shows how to get here.
We had
experienced lots of first's on our Europe trip - chiming clocks, cobbledstone
streets, castles, a big palace, canals, horse & buggy, and now for the windmills.
I loved
our day out here. The little village is
just gorgeous!!
I believe
that there are 25 historic houses in which around 40 people still live with 2
working windmills still selling their products to nearby factories.
Here in
Zaanse Schans I had the best apple pie ever!! Yuuum!!
De Hoop op D’Swarte Walvis Restaurant.
~~oOo~~
A WANDER AROUND AMSTERDAM
WITH AUSSIROSE
Anne Frank House
Begijnhof
Van Gogh
Museum
Brouwerij
't IJ Brewery
XXXX Beer
at Brouwerij 't IJ Amsterdam
We caught
tram No. 5 and Dianna was Driving !!!
~~oOo~~
BIKES OF
AMSTERDAM
Beware. Bike riders here have priority. Well at least that is the experience I had.
Do not linger on a bike path!!!
~~oOo~~
AMSTERDAM
AT NIGHT
It's no
secret that I love night lights and night photography! I even took a lovely short
video of the night lights reflecting on the canal near our houseboat which I
will attempt to upload here later.
Amsterdam
at night was stunning!! As you can see
below.
~~oOo~~
VT MEET
oxymoron
And Mary
came all the way from Scotland to our vt meet!!
That is awesome!! Had a wonderful
time with you mary! Xx It is such a pitty
that you got sick and couldn't attend any
of our day trips.
of our day trips.
Thank you
so much PJ and Swanet for hosting us in Amsterdam!!
You will always be good friends!!! Xxx
❤
Next
destination Paris for the big vt meet!!
And a special surprise from hubby... Kept secret by my vt friends.
And a special surprise from hubby... Kept secret by my vt friends.
~~oOo~~
PARIS - CITY OF LOVE
Ahh Paris!!
City of Love!!
Paris has
been my dream destination since very little.
And finally! Here I am!!!
And finally! Here I am!!!
😍
Paris is
known as the City of Lights, however
after having experienced Paris first hand all I can say is wow! J'adore Paris! I'm in love with Paris!!
Lights. Yeh sure!
The tower looks absolutely amazing at night and everything else for that
matter when you are in love.
Of course
it also helps when one is presented with a gorgeous eternity ring of diamonds
and rubies.
More
about that later.
I now not
only adore Paris but also my lovely hubby to whom I've been married for over 40
years.
So here I
am in love. It's amazing what one sees
when one is in love.
❤
Is this a
boring scene to you? Well not to me. Love
the colour! Love the fact that there are just 2 bikes. Are the bikes out of place? No way! They look like they belong there. That spot is
made just for them. I think that this picture
captures the essence of Paris!
Ok enough
of that romantic dribble.
😏
~~oOo~~
PARIS
ARCHITECTURE
One thing
I found when visiting Europe was that around every corner there is something
amazing to see! The architecture here in
Paris is phenomenal!
From the
awesome Eiffel Tower to the grand Notre Dame to the stunning Louvre. To the simple design of a row of arches that
is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
The
statues were so lifelike and I was amazed at the intricate detail. In fact at
Versailles I found the many lifelike statues were more interesting than the
gardens. Art work was pretty good too.
~~oOo~~
GARDENS
OF VERSAILLES
Hubby is
a horticulturist. He studied gardens on his course. So it was a no brainer that
hubby wanted to visit the most famous gardens in Paris - Versailles.
Although
I found the gardens nice. I preferred Monet gardens.
I did
however enjoy the wonderful statues and fountains.
~~oOo~~
MONET
GARDENS
This was
my favourite! Cottage gardens with an array of gorgeous colourful flowers are
so nice.
I guess
that is the difference between Hubby and I.
He likes more formal gardens whereas I like the more natural gardens with
a mixture of this and that.
Claude Monet
must have really enjoyed painting in the lovely surroundings that he created
here.
2 Barney VT Mascots
Unusual House on the way there
~~oOo~~
PHOTO
TOUR WITH PARIS SET ME FREE
Hubby,
stevemt and I did a walking photo tour with Sab - Paris set me free.
Even
though I did not have a DSLR camera, I learnt a lot. If you are into photography, I would
recommend this when visiting Paris. Sab was a great teacher!
~~oOo~~
VT MEETS
Below are
happy memories of our fantastic VT meet ups here. Each and every one of you who met me here
know that you are all special!
We had an amazing time!
Love you all!!
💗
Hubby and
Pfsmalo
Dear Birgit
from Berlin who travelled with us
Sonja & Steve
Gillybob
picnicking with a couple of big boys
Aussirose & Valerie from KL
~~oOo~~
STREETS
OF PARIS
Paul and
Cathy (pfsmalo) kindly arranged to take us all on a walk around Paris. Below are some of the cool things that we
saw.
I love VW bugs!
How did
they park that? haha
Bike with
2 front wheels??
~~oOo~~
CUJAS
PANTHEON HOTEL
LATIN QUARTER
I
couldn't have picked a better hotel! Right
in the Latin Quarter and close to everything.
I totally
recommend the Cujas Pantheon Hotel! We
booked through booking.com. Location is great, staff attentive and the deal for
the price was certainly well worth every penny, especially because Paris can be
very expensive.
Breakfast
included downstairs was nice. Our room
was bigger than some of those I have seen.
We could look out the window on nice architecture of surrounding buildings.
The pub that we had our VT meet and greet was just a few steps down the road on the corner. Transport was close by. And the best thing was that our room had a bath!!
~~oOo~~
EIFFEL
TOWER
Ok. Cannot do a blog about our visit to Paris
without a few photos of the famous tower.
Although
Hubby and I love off the beaten path places more than visiting touristy icons,
you simply cannot visit Paris without checking out the amazing Eiffel Tower!
Of course
we didn't bother with lining up. We were
just happy to view it from the ground.
Better still, a picnic in the gardens with our VT friends. That was lovely.
I would encourage you to do the same if you plan
to visit. There is nothing better than having a picnic with wine, cheese and
breads in the grounds of the Eiffel Tower!!!
~~oOo~~
A SPECIAL
MEETUP
Hubby
contacted good VT friend stevemt who arranged a meetup for this special
occasion.
Hubby presented me with a
gorgeous eternity ring of diamonds and rubies.
The 3
diamonds represent hubby, son Dylan and son Jesse. The 2 rubies represent daughter Kelli and
daughter Janine.
After 32
years of marriage, hubby is still a romantic at heart. Love him!!
Hubby
along with our good friends Steve and Birgit kept a special secret from me.
Steve
arranged the restaurant where we had an amazing dinner. Birgit along with everyone else knew about it
and kept the secret.
Birgit
travelled with us all the way from Zurich, through Germany, Belgium and Amsterdam
(check out my other blogs).
We had
dinner at La Varangue - philippe's restaurant not far from the Eiffel Tower.
Chef Philippe was wonderful!
Not only
that, but my VT friends that came were also in on the secret. All but me! Lol.
When
hubby was making his speech about the great time that we had so far in Paris
with our special friends, I was busy filming. It wasn't until hubby turned to me and
presented me with this gorgeous eternity ring. That the penny fell!
Omg!! In front of all of our friends, hubby
presented me with the most stunning eternity ring and I was lost for words. I cried!!
Thank you
Howard! I love you so much!! And my friends were here to see this? Totally the best night ever!!
❤
aussirose
and Chef Philippe
And we
all walked down to the EiffelTtower to see it lit up
at night!
at night!
What an
amazing end to our Paris adventure!!
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