15 Oct - The Split

The group went different ways today - half of the group travelled with the bus back to Calais and on to London. Others including Lynette chose the Eurostar (2.5 hrs instead of all day), some stayed in Paris for a few extra days. We woke at 7.30, the main group was meant to leave at 7.15. Trafalgar had left breakfast on at the hotel until 9.00 we had breakfast the the remainder, Mike, Robin, Linda, John, Leslie, Paul, Chris, Karen, Leanne and Nigel. Once again said goodbyes, I walk down the road 20 minutes to catch the airport shuttle.

This trip was very fast paced - it was a great way to see a lot of Europe in a hurry and meet new friends along the way. I really enjoyed it but started to run out of energy around Rome. If you are thinking of coming be prepared for this. Howard Hazekamp our tour director had great management skills, this was evident in the way we met each deadline to give us the priority entry we needed when we have limited time for sightseeing. Everybody had a place (or more than one) where they could have spent more time. I know I'll be back for more..

I hope you enjoyed the read. This is where this blog ends..

14th Paris

We were up early again, on the road at 8.00 am for a bus tour of Paris with our local guide. We hit all the highlights, drove around the Arc de' Triomphe down the Champ-Elysées, past the Concorde, the Opera house, the first Palace, the Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, the Louvre, past the Artists Bridge, the Military Hospital,  many Chapels finally ending at the Eiffel Tower. The advantage of leaving early was that the traffic had been very light throughout the journey. Went up to the 2nd level for the wonderful view of Paris.
Lynette, Robin and I made our way back down the stairs, Lynette took photos for others while I ask Howard where to meet for the night.
The main group had an optional tour of the Louvre museum. Lynette and I went to Notre Dame, it is celebrating 850 years this year and has a very ugly scaffold stand in front of it. We investigated climbing it but the queue was too long, walked across the bridge to the Latin Quarter for a cup of coffee, then Lynette had a Nutella and Banana Crêpe, while I had a ham, cheese and salad baguette. We made our way to Saint-Michel for a three and one half hour Sandeman's walking tour. We highly recommend this tours, they are run in most big cities.
The tour ended back at the Concorde, we walked down the Champ-Elysées past the Parks, the expensive shops, the Arc de' Triomphe to the Brasserie La Lorraine with enough time to enjoy a wine while watching the world revolve before our Trafalgar family arrived for our farewell dinner. It was a wonderful dinner, the food and conversation. Goodbyes were said to Howard and Eugenio, birthday celebrations for Maureen and Emma with Robin reciting a poem she had written for the occasion. I had the closest guess for the total kilometers for the trip. My one and only guess was 6,200 it was 6,150 km. Freaked me out.
Then we parted ways, the main group went on the optional boat cruise of the city by night, followed by a city by night drive taking in the lights of the tower for the hourly show.
Mike and Carol, Lynette and myself were driven back to the hotel by Eugenio we had all done the boat trip and lights in the past otherwise we wouldn't have missed it but I had much more mundane plans - pack for work and cuppa before bed.

The view from Eiffel Tower

A bird with a hand .. no wait a bird in hand..

No entry art

More no entry art

the Arc de Triomphe

Made it to the Brasserie la Lorraine

Eating snails again

Carol, Mike, Charlotte, Karen, Chris, Sam and Nigel

Carmen, Relinda, Rito and Joey - AFRICA!

13th Beaune - Versailles - Paris

Travelled up to Versailles - to see the palace is an optional extra, those who didn't go went to the hotel. Some walked to fhe Eiffle tower and back.
Once again we met a local guide, we had priority passes and started in the garden. They are stunning and massive, after a while we went through the palace visiting the waiting rooms, the dining room, the King's Chambers, the Queen's Chambers and the fabulous hall of mirrors. The gardens really compliment the building and vise versa.
The priority passes are worth it as the lines here are crazy.
After this went to the Hotel in Paris. Lynette and I went for a walk to get a late lunch. At night we went to Moulin Rouge for a dinner and show. It normally cost 180 euro for dinner and show and is worth every cent. I was amazed by the show, I can highly recommend this.

In the garden looking back - the hall of mirrors overlooks the gardens

Looking down the garden the other way - the pond is one mile long

The fabulous hall of mirrors

The fabulous queue for tickets, booth is to the left

Moulin Rouge - taken out the bus window

The anticipation - the show was terrific

12th Nice - Avignon - Beaune

Back on the bus, stopped at Avignon, looked at the Papal Palace where the Popes lived for some time while fleeing the various rapes and pillages that they didn't instigate themselves. One of the street performers was dressed as a red bug - he was unique and good.
Walked to the top of the palace where there are wonderful 360 degree vistas and a duck pond where the famous Lila of Brisbane fed the duckies. Walked back down to town, purchased a baguette and french tart for lunch. Great to be back in the land of good pastries.

Drove on to Beaune, it was a long driving day. We arrived around 5.30, it was cold and wet. It was the abridged version of sightseeing. Took a couple of photos and headed for the nearest cafe.

Before dinner we booked the Eurostar for 5 from Paris to London. I had won a bottle of red wine on the bus so cracked that and some of the snapps we had bought in Innsbruck. Had a  good night after all.

The Papal Palace in Avignon

The red bug, this guy could move very fast

The view from the top

Shooting up the old town

Beaune in the rain

Another thing the famous Lila had played on

11th Nice

A day off from travel, yeah.
Skyped mum and dad, Chantal and Lila.
Went for a run at 7.30, my right calf knotted up (actually at my age it is more cow than calf), I limped the 30 minutes - can't quit now.
After the run looked up some bike hire places, couldn't find the first place so went to the second, they wanted a 230  euro deposit and ID. I didn't have any ID so back to the hotel for internet and ID. Went to the first place again and found it. Once we were on the bikes it was 12.30 and my cow was bellowing.
On the bike it was fine.
Kym had suggested we go to Antibes which was 20kms away. It was a beautiful ride along the Cote d'Azure, the clouds were sparse and the sea was a beautiful deep blue. The beach itself was pebbles, pretty hard to bury somebody. To make a castle you'd have to bring a bag of mortar.
At the 15km mark the bike path was on a very busy road so we turned back. We stopped for a coffee. Later we stopped for a Cola, sat and watched the world go by. It was pretty funny to watch people getting in and out of the water, gingerly navigating the stones.
We rode out the other side of Nice, then through the old city where we found ourselves lost. We asked directions, returned the bicycles and had an early dinner.
Nice lives up to it's name, it is.

The Whale Building

A medieval city behind Nice

If your happy and you know it, then you really aught to show it

A selfy with a view - having trouble standing as the calf is still knotted up

Bocce courts along the beach

10th Florence - Pisa - Monaco - Nice

Woke at 5.00am for our run, 33 minutes, breakfast and bus.
First stop of the day was Pisa to see the famous bell tower. It is still leaning, hasn't fallen down yet. Took the obligatory holding up the tower photos. It bucketed down rain while we were there, it was my fault, I had left our rain jackets under the bus.
Then we dried out as we drove along the Mediterranean coast, leaving Italy and crossing over into France once more. Just across the border we headed down towards the sea to the Principality of Monaco. We went to the Gardens, the Church where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III are buried and the the Palace. From the hills of the palace the Casino of Monte Carlo was just visible. We only had about an hour all up before heading off again to Nice.

Had a good dinner in Nice, walked the streets a bit, checked out where the laundromat is. We have all day in Nice tomorrow, with all morning to ourselves. We are situated very close to the beach, there is a lot of wind tonight so hopefully it will blow away all of the rain and clouds.

The Basilica, with bell tower in the background 

Netty the Giant

Look Ma, one finger

Looking up to the heaven before the downpour

Caught the choo choo, from the bus and back - find the Wally

In Monaco the castle was taken by Francesco Grimaldi who disguised himself as a Franciscan Monk, he had a sword under the robe. He is credited with started the whole Principality thing.

Netty in Monaco with my Yacht in the background, it's the white one. (Thanks to Greg for that line)

9th Rome - Florence

Went for our Rome run at 5.30am. Then pack, breakfast and on the bus.
Once in Florence we went to the university museum to see Michaelangelo's David and other works. David is a bit of a Goliath, standing 5 meters tall. After this we toured the city past more churches, town hall and a quaint 700 year old bridge that is packed with gold shops. We also went to a demonstration on making leather goods. We had some free time so grabbed a gelato and wandered the city.

A church, or Basilica - I've lost track

A tower

another church - seen 50, 700 year old buildings, you've seen them all

Benvenuto Cellini's 1545 bronze sculpture of Perseus with the head of Medusa, a very famous artist, the one who spent time in jail for murder.

The gold building bridge, row team in the background, with Nigel no friends on his imaginary boat in the foreground 

Somebody has been very clever with the no entry signs, saw another in Rome where the man was carrying the white bar.

8th Rome

Drove in to Vatican city past the ruins of massive baths, city walls and what is left of the Circus Maximus. Also past a 1st century bridge still in use and many churches.
We visited the Vatican Musuem, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Bascillica. After this we went to the Colisseum and then the Catacombs. We then drove on the Ancient Apian way which is an original Roman road. This is not allowed except a bus was broken down and the traffic diverted.
Rome in a day and a bit is tourist overload, there is just too much to see and it is all amazing!
The traffic here is hilariously chaotic with cars triple parked in any direction, vespa's zooming in and out dangerously, watching this alone is worth the admission price.
We went to a (tour extra) meal in town, the food was good and the entertainment very funny. They were plying us with drinks so it may not have been funny as we thought but it was a great night out.

The Goddess of Fertility, in the Vatican Museum

One of the halls in the Museum

The Deposition of Christ by Michelangelo

Netty - Peace baby

Swiss guard asking Lynette for a dance

Italian Unification Buiding

The Colosseum from the inside, it originally had a wooden floor, under the floor was where the Gladiators and animals entered 

Old city walls

Outside the Catacomb

A prize from Egypt - after the Rosetta stone was found, it was found to be a Roman copy and gibberish

Had to position her head for the photo