Hercules

Sometimes the guide books get it right. Tourists should stay in the centre of town. We witnessed the outskirts of the city today on our trip to Herculaneum and were surprised by the poverty, unkempt and dirty surrounds and shifty looking characters. I was pleased to return to the hustle and bustle of the city this afternoon.

Time for a bit of Gnocchi

It was a little sad to say goodbye to our faithful Pietro this morning in Arezzo.  We have had him for 17 days and traveled over 2500 km.  He was a pleasure to drive from lane ways in town to the Autostrada doing 130km/h.

We often parked where other tourists in larger cars couldn't and were always left with coin in the pocket when refilling the diesel tank. When in Italy we will be hiring a car again and selecting the fiat Panda, a perfect accompaniment to a couple traveling in this country. (I would like to trade in my Barina when I get home for my own Fiat Panda - Katie)

When the plans fail, there is always dinner

Even the best laid out travel plans can sometimes have unexpected 'road bumps' that get in the way. Today for us, that was the weather. While we expected we might get a little rain, we got a whole lot more. The plan was to visit Mt Amiata - highest point in Tuscany, for beautiful views. Somewhere along the journey Shannon thought it would be better to visit a small town first and get to the mountain a little later to avoid cloud coverage.

That's Amore

Our niece Zilpha loved the Sound of Music video that we created while we were in Switzerland, apparently she asks her mother to play it every day and sings along.

This got me thinking could we do another song, but better?

Well, we have tried, what do you think?

That's Amore.

(Note: The backing music was added in the editing after the singing was performed, hence why it is not fully in time.)

Lovely leather, fine Ferrari's and powerful Pavarotti

Today was our last full day in Modena. We wondered in to the centre after breakfast and dropped in the visitor information centre, to make sure we hadn't missed anything important. We stopped in

Magical Milano

Our first full day in the city of Milan did not disappoint. Today on our agenda was a visit to Leonardo Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper' and a tour of the city and Duomo, in the afternoon.

When we were planning this trip and considering which places to add to our itinerary, we had question marks over Milan. This was only because so many people had said things like "oh don't go to Milan, it's just another city." Or..."Milan is just for

Uetliberg, a vegetarian feast and a lake cruise

Today we planned to head up one last Swiss mountain for beautiful views and then spend some time cruising Lake Zurich.

Waiting for the tram

Uetliberg sits above the city of Zurich. We reached the base via train, which took about 20 minutes. Then from the arrival point, we had a 20 minute steep walk to reach the very top. Even at 10am, it had already reached around 30 degrees. This made the walk a little more tiring (and sweaty). For our efforts, we were rewarded with lovely views of the alps, lake and city below us. Shannon chose to climb the tower to get views from an even higher point, while I sat in the shade and enjoyed some people watching.

(I promise my editing will get better in later videos - Shannon)

We sat in the shade for a little while and had a cold drink and giant pretzel, before the walk back down to the train station. Upon returning to the city, we decided it was time for some lunch and already had a spot in mind, that we had read about. Hiltl is a vegetarian restaurant that has been around since the 1800s...yes you read correctly. It was absolutely heaving with people and walking inside was quite overwhelming. Fortunately, a nice waiter came to our rescue explaining how their system works. In the centre of the restaurant was a buffet type set up full of all sorts of vegetarian dishes. You walk around with your plate and make your selections. Then you take your plate to the register and pay according to the weight of your food! Amazing! I loved the beetroot fritters, guacamole, cauliflower salad and lemonade with ginger. A great find and highly recommended to anyone visiting Zurich. Thanks Shannon.

The heat had become intense and so we headed to the lake area to seek some relief. Our Zurich card included a boat trip, so we took advantage of this and boarded a 1 and a 1/2 hour cruise around lake Zurich. It was a great way to cool off a little and enjoy some more sights, with a beer and wine.

 

 A perfect end to our last day in beautiful Switzerland. We enjoyed a great hamburger for dinner and will now pack our bags in readiness for our train journey tomorrow to Milan.

Auf Wiedersehen, Zurich

Rhine falls and Zurich tour.

One of the few times we have taken guided tours was today, we got the Zurich super special, Rhine falls and 2 hr city tour.  The Rhine falls were spectacular but the

Always make time to stop and smell the roses

Heading to the city of Zurich we had 2 options, return on the same path on the highway, or take a different route. We chose the second option which allowed us to discover more of

Driving from Urnasch to Appenzell

Video of the drive from Urnasch to Appenzell in Appenzellerland Switzerland.

First welcome suprise

After checking in we decided to stretch the legs and go for a wander and look see in Appenzell town.  Nothing specific was planned but we were in for a treat when we come across these Alphorn players.

Play the video to hear mesmerising sound.

Morning stroll

I always find after flying from Australia to Europe I wake very early after the first full nights sleep. this trip was no exception.

Here is a little video whilst I was out walking on the first morning.