Continuing our travels

Not posted for a few days due to feeling unwell. On the mend but going at a slower pace. 

We arrived in London and met up with Gwen who had booked the Vicotry Services Clib in Hyde Park. A great location.  We had already organised a tour to go to Stonehenge and Bath. Both places ver great with a lot of history 

The next day we were treated to the Queen Victoria exhibition at Buckingham Palace. This was a real treat and very special as we had not been into the Palace before. 

In the evening we went to see The Book of Morman. Wow this was so hilarious and we all laughed throughout 

The following day we headed to Shamley Green where my sister lives. Love this little village and my sisters home. Lovely garden setting with lots of flowers and of course pelargoniums .

The next day we travelled to Nymans and had a lovely time looking around the gardens. Such beautiful flowers 

In the evening we met up with family to celebrate Gwen’s birthday. It was grand to see everyone again and just catch up over a meal and drink 

The following day we headed to Gatwick airport to board our plane for a few days in Lisbon.  Lisbon is a great city and we spent a number of hours just strolling around the streets before retiring to bed

 

Today we have bought a hop on hop off bus pass. Such great value. We have seen a great deal of the city as well as stopping for the Portuguese tarts 

Border control to London

After our break in Bruges we headed into Francewhere we caught the Ferry from Dunkirk to Dover. Crossing was good. Calm seas and a time to relax watching the water pass by.  Back to my homeland. Lovely to see those ohh so white cliffs of Dover. Looking forward to seeing Gwen soon. 

Final day of tour

Left Amsterdam I’m the wee hours of the morning. Nap time on coach as travelled towards Belgium for a stop in Bruges. What a wonderful placewaffles. Chocolate and beer !!

On to Amsterdam

My second time in Amsterdam. So many bicycles in this city. Have to be really careful to ensure one keeps out of the way of bike riders

We had a lovely day out of the main city to see clog making, cheese tasting which was just delicious.  So many different varieties 

We then travelled to see working windmills. Lovely place and good to get out and about. From here we travelled onto a lovely seaside town where we strolled along the beach front looking in the shops along the way.  Lucy paddled in the North Sea for a bit. We tasted the mini Pancakes which were delicious 

A short visit to Germany

We left Switzerland and headed to Germany.  Went via France and then hit Germany. Our overnight stop was at Boppard - a lovely village on theRhine.  We had a short river cruise seeing castles and village along the way. 

Top of Europe

What do I say ..... just fabulous. So many delightful views. Mind boggling.  We made it to the top of Europe.  Takes ones breath away literally.  One has to really take it slowly and chocolate is on the cards to help with blood sugar levels 

Onto Switzerland

The view as we awoke this morning.  How can I retire when there is just so much of this world to see😊😊😊

Leaving Venice and travelled to Switzerland. Stopped for snack near border and had our lunch inSwitzerland. Such a lot of choices for food but salad was what I needed after pasta and pizza!

Switzerland views are just as you see in the Sounds of Music 

We have fab views from our hotel room. Lookingforward to train today 

Rome, Sienna and Venice

We met up with our tour fellow travellers and made some wonderful friends. Everyone so pleasant and even though some have been travelling fora few extra days than us they are all still smiling and happy. 

Our last days in Rome were spent walking the streets and enjoying a guided tour. Our tour guide was wonderful and would recommend having someone to to guide you around.  So much history

Lucy and I went back to our Hotel following lunch and had a swim. The weather is glorious although the water a tad nippy 😊

Yesterday saw us leave Rome and head to Sienna.  Reminded me of my trip to Rondo in Spain. 

From Sienna we headed to Venice and another amazing place.  So much to see and so little time.Our guide Gustavo was great walking us around and showing us the best spots. Ample free time to eat and go back to special spots

Now we head off to see what Switzerland has tooffer 

Rome and Florence

The last couple of days have been amazing. So much to see and we have only seen such a small amount of what these two cities have to offer 

On Monday we caught the train to Florence leaving Rome about 8am. Florence has just so much for us to explore and it was obvious one really needs a few days there. We chose to do the hopon off bus tour which would take us to the places we wished to see.

Views of the city were beyond our expectations

Lots of walking also took place with stops for lunch, gelato and coffee along the way

Tuesday we had a tour booked for the Colessium. Again what an experience. So much ancient history nit only at the colessium but at the many areas we saw as we walked the streets to get to our destination

It was very warm at colessium so drinking lots ofwater helped with the heat.  Our tour also included the Roman forum. Again very ancient history and for me it was just too hot to really appreciate all it had to offer

Following this we got on a hop on hop off bus getting of close to our hotel. In the meantime we discovered that the Vatican would be closed for a couple of days. We had planned to visit with our tour as this was an optional extra.  Lucy fortunately managed to find a skip the line for the Sistine Chapel so we found a taxi and headed to meet the tour.

This was beyond my expectation. So much history and lots of food for thought as one wondered how the beautiful artwork was done many years ago.  A truly amazing place