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Details

Southampton to London, then home via Hong Kong. After we had left the motorhome at Southampton Docks, Joy was happy to drive our rental car to London for the flight home. On the way, we made sightseeing stops in Winchester, Basingstoke and a short time in London.
Slide show and Diary updated.

A day trip to the Amberley Museum. This slide show will be of most interest to Telephone people. A most interesting museum of early life around the Pepper's chalk mine, limeburning kilns and cement works at Amberley (started in 1841). It is also one of the important telephone museums, set up by British Telecom and "Connected Earth".
Slide show and Diary updated.

Dorset Great Steam Fair. Might not interest many of our readers but this annual event is like Pimpama but on a huge scale. It has become one of the favoured places for those interested in how people lived, worked and played in bygone years and it is now widely recognised as "THE" National Heritage Show. The spectacle covers an enormous showground, at over 600 acres being one of Europe's largest outdoor event locations. In 2012 the fair is in its 44th year.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Back to the UK, Wales, then South to Southampton. Possibly our final slide show for this trip to Europe. We left Wales by ferry from Dublin to Holyhead in Wales. Two more impressive castles, both built by King Edward I. Then through Bath and on to the M/H's departure port at Southampton.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Counties Kildare, Meath, Louth and leaving Ireland from Dublin. A real change of sights for us in Ireland's central plains area in Co Kildare with the very picturesque National Stud and 100 year old Japanese Gardens. After that, the ancient Neolithic passage tombs in Co Meath, the Telephone Museum in Drogheda, where the Battle of the Boyne took place in 1690. Then finishing our Ireland experience in the city of Dublin; the capital city of the Republic of Ireland.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Counties Cork and Tipperary. County Cork in the far south of the Irish Republic is best known for the Blarney castle near the city of Cork, the second largest city in the RoI. Legend says that eloquence (or, the Gift of the Gab) is bestowed on they who have "Kissed the Blarney Stone" by bending over backward at the top of the castle tower - quite daunting for some. In 1912, Queenstown on Cork Harbour was the last port of call for the Titanic before her ill-fated voyage to New York. County Tipperary is located in the province of Munster and is part of the central plain of Ireland.
Slide show and Diary updated.

County Kerry then on to Cork. After the north and west of the "Ring of Kerry" we then completed our circuit around the peninsula with a short diversion around Valentia Island and the Ring of Skellig.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Counties Limerick and Kerry. After the amazing Cliffs of Moher in Co. Clare, we travelled to Co. Limerick and the lovely town of Adare - which is widely regarded as being Ireland's prettiest and most picturesque village. We visited Adare, Killarney and the most unusual festival in Killorglin (Puck). After that, a few days travelling around the north and west of what is called the "Ring of Kerry".
Slide show and Diary updated.

Counties Galway and Clare, on the west coast of Éire. Even in Galway's mountainous region, the ground still looks very fertile with so much water around. In County Clare, the highlight is the majestic Cliffs of Moher.
Slide show and Diary updated.

County Mayo, Éire (Republic of Ireland), where we visited Westport House with history of the 16th century "pirate queen", Grace O'Malley. Westport is a pretty town, but very busy with tourists and tourist traffic. After that we made a day trip to see Achill Island which is the largest island in Ireland.
Slide show and Diary updated.

County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. Our time in Donegal was spent mostly taking in the beauty of this County in the far north west of the Irish Republic. The beaches are the best we've seen since we left Australia, but the real treat is the rugged parts of the coastline and the lovely rolling hills; not to mention the ancient ruins, interesting villages and again piles of Peat, harvested then left to dry out.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Derry, Northern Ireland. Derry or Londonderry is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland. The old walled city lies on the west bank of the River Foyle. It is the only walled city remaining intact in Ireland and one of the finest examples of a walled city in Europe. It is an excellent walk around the wall that gives very good views of the city landmarks.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Antrim and Causeway coasts, Northern Ireland. A stunning piece of coastline with rich green rolling hills inland. There is so much to see and do in this area; the Castles, lovely villages, the Giants Causeway is amazing. Hard to picture for us Aussies, but the eerie Beech trees of Dark Hedges were probably planted before Captain Cook was born.
Slide show and Diary updated.

The City of Belfast, Northern Ireland. In Belfast, the Peace Walls are still in place. Even though a peace agreement was made in 1998 and there's been mostly peace, but sporadic violence still continues.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Belfast's Titanic, Northern Ireland. The Titanic Exhibition in Belfast wich had only recently opened on 31st March 2012, 100 years after the sinking on her maiden voyage
Slide show and Diary updated.

North-West England. This update covers our short time back in England before boarding a ferry to Ireland. First we decided to see Hadrian's Wall and the Roman Fort remains at Housteads. Then a Regan family visit in Kendal and the beautiful Lakes District.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Scotland; the South-West. From the Port of Mallaig, through Fort William and Glen Nevis and on to the border at Gretna Green. Just a few miles from Fort William is the highest peak in the UK, Ben Nevis (1344 metres - 4406 ft). From there through the amazing mountains and valley of Glencoe to the "Bonnie, Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond".
Slide show and Diary updated.

Scotland, the Isle of Skye West and South. After our few days at Edinbane we headed west then south. Our first stop was at Dunvegan castle with its largely unbroken occupation for 800 years. Then, driving through the magnificent "Cuillins" mountains, we arrived at Armadale for our mainland ferry.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Scotland, the Isle of Skye, Loch Bay Watch Wildlife tour. In the north of the Isle of Skye we joined a Wildlife boat tour from the small village of Stein. The tour took us through Loch Bay to Waternish Point and gave us a chance to see much of the coastal wildlife in its natural environment.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Scotland, the Isle of Skye East and North. From the Scottish mainland we crossed to the island via the Skye bridge. Then through Broadford, Portree and Staffin to the north west.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Scotland, One of the Best Road Trips - through the Western Scottish Highlands. Scottish Highlands through Ullapool and Wester Ross, Eilean Donan Castle (a prominent location for the 1986 movie "HIGHLANDER"). Then on to the Isle of Skye.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Scotland, from John O'Groats along the spectacular, rugged coasts of Caithness to Dunnet Bay then North-West Sutherland to Durness and the Smoo Caves.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Scotland, the Orkney Islands are full of interesting history from the Neolithic (New Stone Age) settlement at Skara Brae, ancient Cairns and standing stones to the transfer of ownership of the islands from Norway to Scotland. During WWI and WWII, the Skapa Flow was used as a natural harbour and important base for the British Fleet.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Northern Highlands, Scotland. From Inverness through Easter Ross, Sutherland and Caithness to O'Groats, where we can then say that we have travelled the length of Britain from Lands End to John O'Groats 
Slide show and Diary updated.

Northern Highlands, Scotland. The Falkirk wheel, Stirling, the picturesque Grampians and Inverness to Loch Ness
Slide show and Diary updated.

Edinburgh, Scotland. So much to see in Edinburgh and there will plenty that we don't see in the few days we're here. Unfortunately the weather was miserable in the first couple of days and it made Edinburgh seem quite depressing. When the sun appeared though, the city took on a new look with splendid old buildings, buskers, the monuments and great parks and gardens.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Yorkshire, England. After Bury in Lancashire, we move North into Yorkshire. First stopping at York, one of the nicest cities in England (IMHO). From there, the two lovely coastal holiday towns of Scarborough and then Whitby. Whitby with its' lovely harbour and the Abbey which has been used as scenes in the Bram Stoker, Dracula movie; more significant though for Australians is that it was the place where Captain James Cook learned his seamanship before "discovering" Australia.
Slide show and Diary updated.

English Midlands. Nottingham, Melton Mowbray and their pork pies and Stilton cheeses. Collecting my telephone collection purchase in Leeds, then on to Bury (near Manchester) for about 6 days.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Back in England. After our arrival in Dover we travelled to London for a few days. Then to see the impressive Windsor castle - the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations is a massive event that one can't escape in Britain. Taking of pictures is prohibited inside any of the buildings at Windsor Castle, so any such pics in this slide show are non-copyright images from the Internet. After that we are on to Milton Keynes to see their heritage museum and telephony exhibits.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Warneton, Belgium telephone museum. With a fairly quick trip through Belgium and the north western tip of France we left on our Channel crossing from a foggy Calais. On the way though we were able to finally see the Warneton telephone museum that was closed when we were here in September 2011.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Cologne,  Germany. Cologne is located on both sides of the Rhine River. The city's famous Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. In 1792, Cologne was the origin of the fragrance "Eau de Cologne" (water from Cologne). While we were here, we didn't use any public transport preferring instead to use the excellent riverside bike and walkway that took us all the way into the city.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Nuremberg is a city in the German state of Bavaria. The city played a major role in the politics of the Nazi years and during WWII. It seems fitting that the war crimes trials were held there immediately after the war.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Czech Republic. Plzen (Pilsen) the capital of West Bohemia was established in 1295 and in 1842 was the birthplace of the world's first lager beer, now imitated around the world. Pilsener Urquell is the resulting brand and it is served around the world, including Australia - we'll have to check that out when we're back home.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Prague Castle in the Czech Republic. Prague Castle was long the seat of Czech kings and has been the seat of the president since 1918. The Gothic gem of the castle is the St Vitus, Wenceslas and Vojtech Cathedral. It was founded in the mid 14th century and stood unfinished for 500 years, to be finished only in the late 1920's.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Prague in the Czech Republic. It is hard to find enough superlatives to describe Prague. We barely scratched the surface of the "Old Town" (Stáre Mesto) with buildings dating from the thirteen hundreds and the "New Town" (Nové Mesto).
Slide show and Diary updated.

The Czech Republic. Český Krumlov is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Český Krumlov Castle. It is said to be a miniature Prague - it is a lovely place to visit but Prague is the "must see" destination in the Czech Republic. The Vltava river almost completely encircles the old town.
Slide show and Diary updated.

Slide show and Diary updated.

Vienna is just beautiful and the 5 nights that we had here was not nearly enough. The buildings, churches and statues are works of art. They are just some of the heritage that has been many centuries in the making and makes Vienna the jewel that it is. Just a walk around the Ringstrasse takes one past many of the sights; and of course, the Danube
Klosterneuberg is a satellite village some 14km from the Vienna city centre. We stayed here and commuted into the city and also walked and cycled around the village. The cathedral and concert hall and their outbuildings are so incredibly ornate.
Slide show and Diary updated.

7/5/2012

from Vienna

A fellow traveller recommended a visit to Szentendre; a medieval town with interesting old buildings and cobbled streets. It was interesting but just a little bit over the top with wall to wall tourist shops and restaurants. I suppose we are tourists but it is nicer if we can avoid the tourist crowds, but not so here. The stopover at the park on the Danube was a nice place and particularly popular with youth groups.

Slide show and Diary updated.

7/5/2012

from Vienna

Beautiful Budapest, Hungary's capital city. Joy and I agree that this is probably the nicest European city that we have visited so far. It is a place where you feel comfortable: clean streets, civilised drivers, plenty of greenery, great bike paths and just so much to experience.

Slide show and Diary updated.

After busy Istanbul, we had planned to spend a couple of days just lazing somewhere on the Black Sea coast. Unfortunately in Bulgaria, there is almost no M/H parks available. So we moved on quickly into Romania. We noticed significant differences in the two countries, particularly the landscape and homes. In Romania, the landscape of Transylvania in the area of the Carpathian mountains is simply stunning. We spent most of our time here. Rightly or wrongly, we decided that Bucharest was probably not what we wanted to see and by now we don't have a lot of time left to cross back to Western Europe.

Slide show and Diary updated.

Istanbul is a huge and amazing city of some 20 million people and they all seemed to be on our train most days. Traffic is chaotic so we kept our driving to our entry on day 1 to our exit on day 4. Our copy of Lonely Planet says that "you could spend sevral weeks here and still only scratch the surface" quite easy to believe. The major mosques are stunning and most of the time you can hear Koran chants over the loudspeakers. In the Topkapi palace Pavilion of the Sacred Mantle (where Prophets Mohammed's relics are housed), the Imam chants Koran verses continuously.

Slide show and Diary updated.

This update is mostly about Gallipoli; known as Çanakkale Province to most Turks. It is a very moving region for Australian visitors especially around Anzac Day. We intentionally arrived there as the preparations were going on because of the extra difficulties we would have with road closures and negotiating our M/H on Anzac Day. There are many monuments to Allied and Turkish soldiers on the beaches and hills where the fighting took place. Very prominent are the many tributes to the Turkish hero, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Slide show and Diary updated.

After three and a half weeks, we leave Greece to make a short visit to Turkey. We enjoyed our time in Greece with their love of blue and white for buildings and houses; an abundance of white in the cemeteries and their prominent blue & white flag. We met nice people and enjoyed the foods - A Greek salad is almost mandatory for the first plate. And of course, their ancient historic sites are most memorable.

Slide show and Diary updated.

Meteora is one of Greece's most extraordinary sights, with its magnificent 14th century monasteries perched atop enormous rocky pinnacles. You can see the looks of amazement on the faces of visitors to the monasteries. And, like a lot  of other ancient sights we had to ask ourselves "How could they build in such impossible places all those centuries ago"

Slide show and Diary updated.

From Corinth we travelled to what is often considered as Europe's historical capital, Athens. The ruins, monuments and museums certainly show that history. We found it a very interesting capital city; Like a lot of places though traffic is chaos but it was pretty easy for us to negotiate by public transport. It is getting pretty sunny and warm in early April but we still see the locals with dark clothes, long sleeves and coats but very few hats

Slide show and Diary updated.

After Olympia we travelled via the mountain road between Kalamata and Sparta. It was a slow drive, but the views were great. Mystras (Sparta) is an interesting relic of the Byzantine era after the Roman influences. Then on to Corinth (Korinthos) where we're staying 3 nights on the water's edge of the Gulf of Corinth (Meditteranean)

Slide show and Diary updated.

From our ferry departure in Bari, Italy to our arrival overnight in Patras, Greece. Some stunning Ionian islands as we are appproaching the Gulf of Patras and then Patras city overshadowed by a snow capped Mount Panachaikon. After Patras we had a couple of rest days at Ionian Beach and then travelled to Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic games. We spent a lot of time at the archaeological site and the excellent museum.

Slide show and Diary updated.

We return to mainland Italy after Sicily and arrive at Reggio di Calabria. We stayed in Bari for a few days at our embarkation point to Greece; there was a seamen's strike on when we arrived so that delayed us by a few days - they're never wasted though. We caught the train for a day trip to see the ancient "cave dwellings" in Matera. Matera is one of the most interesting and memorable tourist destinations in Italy. A bit like a bulldog, ugly but appealing at the same time.

Slide show and Diary updated.

From the picturesque rolling hills of the wine country in the north-west, Marsala harbour and salt flats. Then along the beautiful northern coast back to Messina for the return ferry trip to mainland Italy after two and a half weeks on the island of Sicily.

Slide show and Diary updated.

We spent more time than we estimated back home in May to August 2011. That means we will miss the Scandinavian countries preferring to use our available time with a return to the UK to see Ireland and Scotland. The red lines on the map on our "home" page now show what should be our approximate travel route from March 2012.

After seeing some of the historical parts of Italy, and particularly Sicily we start to understand what an influence the early Greek people had. Ancient Greeks settled in Sicily to escape from the threat from Phoenicians. We travelled from the East coast through the picturesque centre where again, we saw many towns and villages perched on seemingly inaccessible clifftops. Agrigento and The Valley of Temples was special

Slide show and Diary updated.

The East side of the island of Sicily. Arriving on Sicily we didn't know what to expect. Our only experience of Sicilians was seeing "The Godfather". Stunning cliff-top towns of Castelmola and Taormina dominated by the ever present Mt Etna, still showing signs of the recent eruption. Then on to the historically important, but not so attractive town of Siracusa (Syracuse)

Slide show and Diary updated.

In the last few days we travelled from Naples past the Amalfi and Cilento coasts in the Campania region to the Calabrian port of Villa San Giovanni. On the way we spent some time at the ancient town of Paestum (Poseidonia). More weather related excitement/stress explained in the Diary.

Slide show and Diary updated.

Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the burying and destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The museum of the ruins of Herculaneum has the best preserved Fresco's in some of the building ruins, particularly in the Sede (house of) degli Augustali. 

Slide show updated.

On another of our "Napoli days" we took the train to the clifftop town of Sorrento, and then from Sorrento we took the coast road bus to Amalfi. 

Slide show updated.

On one of our "Napoli days" we took the train to the clifftop town of Sorrento, and then from Sorrento we took the ferry boat to Capri Island, for an enjoyable Valentine's day.

Slide show updated.

After Rome, we drove around 260km south to try to avoid more snow. Our first day in Naples reminded us (from our 2008 visit) just how dirty some of the old city streets are. That said though, there are some great sights in the historic town. The pizza at the famous Di Matteo was great. Pompeii town is a nice place to stay for a few days for our second visit. Slide show and Diary updated.

This is a catch up, mainly for our own future use. Just one image showing our journey(s) through France

Rome; the Cittá Eterna (Eternal City). Many ruins, and wonderful archaeological sites in Rome and to see many of them one has only to travel a relatively small area. We even saw the heavy snow as a highlight of our visit.

Slide show and Diary updated.

We have separated the Rome slide show into two separate pages. This first one is of some of the wonderful Catholic sights including the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St Peter's Basilica

Slide show and Diary updated.

Liguria to Toscana regions on the West coast of Italy. Praying for some warmer weather didn't help much as we were in for some more worrying conditions. Our stop in Pisa was a great experience. We plan/hope that the snow covered roads in this update are the final ones for us.

Slide show and Diary updated.

Snow in the Asti region; visiting our friends where it could have gone pretty badly with the (about 8") heavy snow fall just before we left. We had to fit the snow chains on our van, but that little bit of excitement is behind us now thankfully. It is easy to get caught out with the snow because it happened again twice after Asti - more on that next update. Then South to the Riviera di Levante in Liguria region where we saw the lovely villages of the Cinque Terre

Slide show and Diary updated.

France; the Cote d'Azure. From Le Merou Heyeres, east to the border; a great stretch for "boaties". Then through Nice and along the France/Italy border North to some colder weather in Refrancore, Asti.

Slide show and France Diary / Italy Diary updated.

Montpellier - the town wasn't mentioned in our travel guides, but very interesting and compact. Arles; another surprise where the Roman Theatre and Amphitheatre are semi restored to a condition where events can again be held. Then on to Provence, Marseille and some of the dangerously narrow winding roads in the Provence mountain areas.

Slide show and Diary updated.

Just one image showing our 6.5 weeks journey through Spain

Slide show

Barcelona, then the Costa Brava to the French border. Having been to Barcelona before, we didn't do the tourist bus thing. Most of our time was taken up exploring some of the Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926) creations. Much of Gaudí's work was marked by his four life passions: architecture, nature, religion and love for Catalonia.
His masterpiece, the still incomplete Sagrada Família Basilica, is one of the most visited monuments in Spain

Slide show and Diary updated.

Valencia. The birthplace of Paella and their architectural pride; the Ciudad de las Artes and Ciendas. A new museum complex of modernist buildings. The pretty Costa Rapita, then Tarragona with it's Roman ruins and then on to Barcelona

Slide show and Diary updated.

Driving along the Costa del Sol from Andalucia through Murcia region toward the Valenciana region. The area alternates from stunning mountainous country to flat agricultural coastal stretches. Many greenhouses and so many orange orchards. A couple of stops with the most interesting being Alicante with its' nice white sandy beaches

Slide show and Diary updated.

Granada, another lovely Spanish city in the shadow of the snow covered Sierra Nevada and with so much to see. The Flamenco, the Albayzin district, the Alhambra and for a country struggling financially they still go all out with Christmas decorations, lights, nativity scenes etc

Slide show and Diary updated.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS. 

One of the pictures shows the next phase of our journey, from Andalucia in South East Spain, then North around the Mediterranean, South through Italy then a vehicular ferry crossing to Greece and Turkey. All the time trying to avoid the coldest of weather conditions.

Slide show updated.

Still in Spain's Andalucia district for Christmas. Stayed in Villafranca and  commuted in to Cordoba. In the amazing Mezquita (mosque) you find a mesmerising array of 856  two tier arches supporting the roof and inside, about 60 or so chapels around inside the perimeter walls.

Slide show and Diary updated.

Seville is a magnificent city with so much to see and experience. The highlights for us were the stunning ceramics in the Plaza de Espana, and the Alcazar. Orange trees in full fruit in parks, gardens and on sidewalks everwhere.

Slide show and Diary updated.

In Extremadura, the scale of the Roman ruins in Merida indicate how much Rome invested in Augusta Emerita as its' capital of Lusitania. Andalucia

Slide show and Diary updated.

Just a simple Christmas message in this update - be sure to click on the "Audio" button.

Slide show updated.

La Mancha - Toledo, the old town is impressive with narrow streets and buildings and monuments crammed into a small space. Then Consuegra where Cervantes fictional "Man of La Mancha" supposedly takes place

Slide show and Diary updated.

Madrid - an amazing city to explore.

Slide show and Diary updated.

From the Bay of Biscay travelling south to Madrid through Castile-Leon, Castile-LaMancha and Madrid provinces. Still quite cold, possibly because we are in the centre and away from the sea's tempering influences.

Slide show and Diary updated.

December already in Spain. It is still very cold so we'll have to continue south for a bit of warmth. It was 0.3C last night overnight. We're reasonably cosy in the M/H though.

This update has Slide show and Diary for our time in the Basque and Cantabria regions of north-west Spain. Beautiful coastal towns and citiees on the Bay of Biscay

Leaving France after the Pyreneese and into Spain, through Biarritz.

Slide show and Diary updated.

France, The Pyrenees

Slide show and Diary updated.

France, The Loire Valley

Slide show and Diary updated.

France, The palace of Versailles, Chartres and then to the amazing Mont St Michel and St Malo

Slide show and Diary updated.

Paris, The Louvre, The Seine, Notre Dame and Cafe Oz at Port D'Orleans

Slide show and Diary updated.

Paris.

Slide show and Diary updated.

After our short but expensive visit to Switzerlands' North we then travelled through the Alsace/Lorraine region stopping for a while at the historically important town of Verdun. Lovely country and some fine buildings, but quite a lot needing serious maintenance - looks like town that might be going through an economic struggle.

Slide show and Diary updated.

After the Romantic Road, near the German/Swiss border on to Zurich then travelling across Switzwerlands' North on to the Alsace region in France.

Slide show and Diary updated.

Through the "Romantic Road" - we started at Dinkelsbühl in the North then travelled South, leaving Germany near Lake Constance.

2 slide show pages for the Romantic Road - Slide show and Diary updated.

WWII - Dachau concentration camp. A respectful relic of a very cruel time under the Nazi regime between 1933-45. Slide show might not be for everyone. 

Dachau Slide show and Diary updated.