Ireland

It is difficult to believe our week in Ireland is over. Tomorrow we fly to London.

A week of beautiful countrysides, warm, hospitable people, rugged coastlines, music, history, more fabulous food, Guinness and Whisky...

Spending time with Tamsin was precious ...

Sooo many photos.... and we managed to get some sunlight as well as the beautiful Summer Irish mist...

End of Cruise

Well the cruise is over and we are currently in Praha (Prague). The hot weather has followed us all the way and we are now used to tramping all over cities and the countryside without a complaint.
The final evening in Budapest was magical as we cruised up the river to view the city lights from the top deck of the boat. This wonderful city really appealed to me, we had heard so many aspects of the history connecting this magestic city with Communist rule and the cruise was a poignant moment with the opportunity to reflect on how we should value our heritage and lifestyle.
Prague is a similar grand old city.
Today we visited Terezin where political prizoners and Jews were held before being shipped to concentration camps. A very sobering experience and a complete change from other tours.
Off to Ireland tomorrow and catching up with Tamsin and John.

In the footsteps of Mozart

Salsburg, Melk, Durnstein, Vienna the heart of tourism in Austria.
Huge numbers of ships and buses conveying thousands of tourists to the most popular places.
Surprisingly the tours work like clockwork. We have earpieces connected to a receiver that is worn around the neck. These tune into a frequency and microphone unit used by the tour guide so we can wander around within close range and hear all the information without the guide having to shout at us….
Remind me not to get famous… the thought of a cardboard effigy outside every souvenir shop in my home town is not appealing ;-))
The weather is still warm and many places do not have air conditioning the river is attracting many families who are on Summer Holidays and you can see people dotted along the banks swimming, fishing and boating.

Austria

We have left Germany behind and are heading towards Venice. Cathedrals, towers, monastries, castles and lots of steps. So many buildings have been recently renovated, all competing for the tourists and of course we actually pay for the continuing upgrades which attempt to bring the buildings back to their original glory. In Germany in particular many buildings were destroyed during the war and have been completely rebuilt to original plans...



Many buildings and towns have architecture which includes Roman influence , gothic architecture and baroque decoration... an interesting mix .....

More Wonderful Experiences.

More beer, wine, ice cream and now sausages, sauerkraut and mustard.
We have reached the highest point in our tour and now begin the descent down through the locks. The Canal from the River Main to the Danube actually passes over highways… it is an amazing construction, which has opened up the water ways from the Black Sea to the North Sea. All the ships are built to fit into the locks and pass under the dozens of bridges, even the steering cabin collapses and no one can stand on the top deck in some stretches because there is the likelihood of hitting your head on a bridge ;-)
In Regensburg we decided to wander around by ourselves. The guided tours are good but I enjoyed the chance to soak in the atmosphere and do some shopping away from the tourist centres without having to keep up with the fast pace.

More photos on Fabulous Places at Flickr.