Thursday to Sunday Heathrow to Singapore

Our plane left Heathrow after a delay of about 45 minutes because they couldn't detach the boarding tunnel. Most passengers aboard were English and Irish Lions fans who were going to Melbourne for the rugby World Cup. It was an uneventful flight and because most people aboard headed for the transfer lounge it meant we had an easy exit into Singapore. Boy, what a shock, although it was 7 o'clock in the evening it was still warm and humid. Got to our hotel by taxi and fell into bed.
Friday morning didn't exist for us and when we got going we went looking for something to eat and finished up at McDonalds after an awful visit to the local food court. In the afternoon we got on the hop on hop,off bus and toured the city. The buildings here have to be seen to be believed, very modern and very different. Back to the hotel and we fell into the pool to cool off. Refreshed we walked along the riverfront for a beer and dinner. We are located at the Quayside and is a very lively place at night, but everybody is happy and it seems very safe.
Saturday morning, and our body clocks have still not got into gear, so after lunch we got on the river taxi and went to the Gardens by the Bay. These are relatively new and feature huge metal structures which are intended to look like trees. There are also two Glasshouses (Biomes) with international plants and flowers in them. It was as we were walking towards these that we met Jan and David who were walking in the opposite direction. One in a million chance of catching up with them. Anyway we organized to meet up for a drink and dinner later in the day.
The gardens are beautiful and the biomes are similar to The Eden Project, not as big but more controlled and featured plants from all over the world, including giant baobabs from Australia and Africa and old Olive trees from Europe. After a couple of hours there we got the Metro Train back to the hotel and into the pool again. Feeling refreshed we met Jan and David and went for a beer and dinner at the riverside.
Sunday and we headed for the Metro again to take us to the Botanical Gardens. These are well established and feature a collection of orchids in all colours, lots of walking here and the weather takes its toll on you.
Back to the Metro to take us to Raffles where we had a Singapore Sling each and threw our peanut shells on the floor as is the custom. They must make a killing here as the drinks were 30 Singapore dollars each, anyway it was one of those things you do.
On the train again to the hotel where refreshed ourselves in the pool, boy did we need the pool!
After dinner it was time to pack our bags for the final trip home. Up before sparrows tomorrow for the 7:45 flight SQ207 which is due to land in Melbourne at 5:05pm
It is now tomorrow (Monday) as the hotel didn't have free WiFi, we are at the airport waiting to board. Of course we were early, but the lack of people around makes it easy.

Wednesday 26th Heathrow

We left Angela's at 10:30 this morning after a very pleasant couple of days. Angela shepherded us up to the Motorway then we hit the M5 going up to the M4  for a two and a half hour drive to Windsor.
Decided we might as well have a look at the place seeing as we were going past it, however we didn't really have enough time to do it justice but at least we had a look. St George's chapel was lovely and the Private apartments were well preserved and presented. It's a noisy place with planes flying over it all the time.
Although we still had plenty of time, we decided we'd head for the car rental return which we got to after only one wrong turn. Car handed over and then it was into the shuttle to terminal three. People going everywhere of course and we are now sitting in the departure lounge waiting for the flight to be called, although we still have another three hours to wait.

Monday and Tuesday Cornwall to Somerset

Left Cambourne Monday morning and drove North west to have a look at Newquay. This is the surfing place for Cornwall and has sandy beaches. It wasn't really warm but people were getting on to the beach, many in wetsuits for a bit of surfing. Continuing along the coast road around Watergate Bay which has wide sandy beaches and could be a nice place to spend summer holidays.
Then it was on to Port Isaac (Doc Martin country). We had to park outside the town so it was a walk into town. It must be a mixed blessing for a town such as this to be involved in a TV show, it brings in the tourists who spend their money there, but some must regret the lack of privacy.
We then had a two and a half hour drive to Angela's house in Somerset so we hit the road again. Skirting around Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor, through Launceston, around Exeter and towards Taunton.
Angela is Janelle's cousin-in-law whom we have met before and she has made us very welcome. The cottage Angela lives in is in a beautiful spot down the end of a narrow lane with hedgerows right up to the edge of the road. The weather has turned bright and sunny which makes the area look all the more lovely.
Tuesday morning also dawned bright and clear, so after doing some laundry we headed off for a look around  West Somerset. First stop was the village of Dunster, where after a walk around town had lunch at the local pub, it being a traditional British pub with low beams and wooden panelling. Dunster Castle overlooks the village and this was a home of the Luttrell family since the 1400's and was handed to the National Trust in 1976 . This castle is different to many we have seen as it would be quite comfortable to live in and is well preserved. We then had a look at Minehead, Blue Anchor and Watchet which are on the coast of the Bristol Channel. The tide goes out a long way here and we could see Wales in the distance.
The it was back home to reorganize our cases ready for flying out tomorrow.
Singapore here we come.

Sunday 23rd The Cornish Coast

Today we did a circuit of western Cornwall, starting off with Falmouth which is a port township facing the English Channel and therefore a popular port for ship repairs. The inner port however, suffers from the rise and fall of the tides which vary hugely during the day, the small boats in the harbour were all grounded, waiting for the tide to come back in.
Then it was across country through Helston to Penzance. On the way we thought we would have a look at St Michaels Mount, but so did everybody else in England so we couldn't find anywhere to park so had to be satisfied with passing glimpses.
Penzance is a twin city of Bendigo, but we couldn't find any reference to the connection. They suffer from great variation in tides here too!
The coast road from here appeared more interesting than the main roads so we continued around through Mousehole (pron. Moozle). By this time the sun was shining and it was a beautiful sight. The road continued and became the typical narrow country road, with which we have now become used to.
The next stop was Lands End which is one of those things you have to do. There are the usual tourist traps leading up to the Point and we succumbed to having our photo taken in front of the sign post showing how far from home we are. Although the sun was out, so too was the wind, it played havoc with my hair (???). However, it was great to be there.
Continuing around the coast, we had a look at St Just. A bit further out, Glen said to pull into a side road so she could take a photo, I continued down that road and it became the narrowest we have been on, bushes brushing both sides of the car, thank goodness we didn't meet any other vehicles.
Further around the coast was St Ives and were lucky enough to get a carpark on the Esplanade so decided to have tea there. We like St Ives, it seems to have its own micro climate and is very pleasant. This time the tide was in and was different to see the harbour from the last time we were here.
Tomorrow we head northwest and will leave Cornwall for Somerset, and have enjoyed our time here. Like everything you could spend days exploring each town or village, but we have had a good overview of the area.


 

Saturday 22nd The Ancestral Trail

Saturday 22nd The Ancestral Trail
We are staying at Cambourne which is about 5 or 6 miles away from Redruth.
Redruth is the town from which both Glen's Great Grandparents and my Great Grandparents emigrated to Australia in the Mid 1800's.
Our first stop this morning was to the historical records place in Redruth to see if we could find an address where my relatives may have lived. We weren't able to find any more information than we already knew, despite the help of the very helpful staff there.
We already knew the address where Glen's Great Grandfather, Sampson George, lived so we went there to have a look. Taking photos of the place we got talking to the current owner and she invited us in for a cuppa which we accepted, and had a great chat with her and her partner. They seemed as  happy as we were to exchange information.
Had a Pasty in Redruth for lunch
We then headed down the Lizard peninsular to Mullion, where Richard Thomas, my Great Grandfather was born in 1841. I had the name of a farm where the family probably lived and when we found it got talking to the current farmer. Most of the buildings on the property were built around 1900  although there were older outbuildings which indicated there may have been other buildings there before then.The farmer knew of Thomases that had been in the area he couldn't provide any information, but was friendly.
We continued down to Mullion Cove which faces the English Channel and watched the sea breaking over the sea wall.
We continued down the peninsular to Lizard Point which is the most southerly part of the UK and we really felt the full force of the weather. The wind had been blowing all day but was especially strong there.
It was a very interesting day and one of the reasons for doing this trip. It was interesting to see the area that our ancestors left. Although it is beautiful country, rolling green hill, fields with hedgerow borders, sheep and cattle grazing. also saw a family of foxes on the distant hill when we were talking to the farmer. You could imagine that life was difficult for them and how brave they were to seek a new life in a new country.
Dinner tonight was in a local pub called Tyacks which is also a familiar name in Bendigo. We see place and shop names with which we are familiar in Bendigo due to their Cornish origin. Almost a feeling of old home - a bit weird really.

Friday 21st The Lost Gardens Of Halligan

We packed up this morning to head further west. The hotel we were staying at is part of a chain and we decided to book ahead to an hotel in Cambourne. Doing this means we don't have to worry about looking for somewhere to stay when we get there.
Just out of St Austell are the Lost Gardens of Heligan. This Estate was the home of the Tremayne family for over 400 years and contained extensive and productive gardens. During the middle part of the 1900's the gardens declined and became derelict. A severe storm in 1990 devastated the site and that led to new owners starting to recreate the "lost" gardens. This has been ongoing for 20 years and has been a huge undertaking but has recreated something spectacular. The area includes large vegetable gardens, flowers, fruit trees, rain forest, an Italian garden, lawns and so on. Well worth the visit and we spent several hours there.
Then it was about an hour's drive to Cambourne and we think we will go to St Ives for seafood tea. Wonder if we will meet a man with seven wives? - Al thinks one is more than enough to handle!!!
9:30pm
We did go to St Ives and enjoyed fish and chips for tea. The town is a fishing village with lots of boats in the harbour. However it is not a deep water port and all the little boats are left stranded when the tide goes out, really enjoyed the place.

Thursday 20th Eden Project

We are staying at St Austell which is just a few miles from The Eden Project,  this was one of our objectives in coming here so that's where we headed. The weather was cloudy and a bit cool.
This area has been a clay mining district and a disused clay pit about 60 metres deep was acquired with the purpose of showing what could be done by recycling the site into something of use and for education. The site consists of two large biomes, or glasshouses which are constructed with a steel frame in mainly hexagonal shapes filled in with plastic pillows.
One biome is used to recreate a warm dry atmosphere and displays plants from Mediterranean and African climates while the larger one is tropical rain forests. Both are filled with plants and displays which make the whole thing interesting.
Outside the biomes the gardens are also beautiful displaying a large range of plants. The project is very much into ecological measures and educate without appearing to do so.
We spent several hours there and when we left it was starting to rain. They use buses to get you to and from the carpark. As the weather by this time was less than delightful we decided we would just go for a drive to Megavissey, a coastal village just down the road. Parking is not possible in these villages and you either park out of the village or just drive through it. We decided to have a look at the docks which would be very picturesque in the sunshine, but in the rain, with grey skies, grey sea and grey roads beside the docks it all looks pretty much the same. With no railings beside the seafront it is a bit creepy when you just have to keep going until there is a place to turn around. We survived that bit of driving much to the bewilderment of a local who just stood in the doorway shaking his head at us. (Stupid damn tourists)
Back to the hotel for tea and in for the night.

Wednesday 19th Coastal Villages and Country Lanes

Today dawned fine and clear so we headed off to explore the local area. First up was Charlestown Port where there is a fully rigged sailing ship, set in a picturesque area made all the more attractive by the sunny day. This area was owned and developed by the Rashleigh family centuries ago. Lunch was a pasty. They are not described as anything other than just a pasty.
We then headed towards Polkerris which consists of a privately owned hotel on the beach front, after negotiating the narrow roads, parking was impossible and involved reversing and juggling of cars to get back. It is really beautiful countryside and seaside. We had to laugh as we were going along these roads when we had to drive behind a farmer who was moving his cows back for milking, patience is a virtue here.
Then it was on to Fowey which is perched on the side of a hill overlooking St Austell Bay. By this time we were getting used to narrow roads. We could see Polruan on the other side of the bay and to get there involved another ferry ride. We had a ferry yesterday at Dartmouth. When we got off the ferry, we thought we would be right there in the town but it involved a few miles of county roads before we got there. Again beautiful views over the coast and hinterland.
Returning to St Austall we stopped at a white clay factory and display centre, but as it was late in the afternoon we weren't able to see any of the workings, so it was back home for tea.

Tuesday 18th Devon to Cornwall

Left the hotel in a light fog which added to the mystery of Dartmoor. A little way along the road we stopped to watch some wild ponies and one of them decided to check us out too. Stuck his head in the car window to see what we were doing.
Then headed towards the coast to Torquay. Nothing like Torquay on our surf coast but very busy and very touristy. It has a large Ferris wheel which we couldn't see the top of because of the fog. The fog eventually lifted and we continued on along the coast road. It is summer here but you wouldn't know it. The locals are perplexed, they say it is the worst season for 50 years. Trust us, we take 500 year floods to Europe and the worst summer in 50 years in England. The Met. Office was having a special meeting of its boffins today to try and work out what is going on with the weather.  Nevertheless we are making the most of it and enjoying ourselves.
Continued along the coast to Dartmouth, which is, obviously on the mouth of the river Dart. Here we stopped at Dartmouth Castle (yes we voluntarily went to another bloody castle). This was quite interesting as it guarded the entrance to the bay. They used to string a chain across the bay in order to keep undesirables out and when the ships floundered on the chain, they were bombarded with cannon fire from the castle tower. An impressive array of cannons were on display here. You have to pay for parking everywhere, here. Had to play the dumb Aussie tourist to a parking inspector because we didn't buy a ticket to park.
We then thought we had better head to our next overnight stop so plugged St Austell into TomTom and I think TomTom said to himself, "I know a short cut to the motorway". Well, I thought the roads yesterday were narrow, this was just a one lane road with hedgerows right up to the side of the cars, with only short spaces where you can manage to squeeze past oncoming vehicles. Cars are bad enough, but it's worse when a truck comes along.
Along the motorway, we side skirted Plymouth, over the River Tamar and into Cornwall.
Got to our hotel for the night and had tea and an early night. We are staying here for three nights, will do the Eden Project tomorrow, probably, then we will go to Redruth for three nights.

Monday 17th Dartmoor

Monday 17th
Well our expectations have been exceeded.
In 2010 when we did a tour of Great Britain, on our last night we drove out from Plymouth to an hotel in Dartmoor for our farewell dinner. It was such a magical evening we decided that if ever we came back we would stay the night at the same hotel, well, we are at that hotel tonight and it has capped off a beautiful day driving through the south coast of England.
We left Christchurch late in the morning after a casual start to the day. It was nice not to have to be on the go and to be able to take our time along the way.
Leaving Christchurch, the towns just merged into each other, Christchurch, Bournemouth, Poole, they just seemed to go on and on. Then we hit some country roads, following the coastline westward.
We stopped for a break at Portland which is an island out from Weymouth, it would be a very popular resort at the height of the summer season, and was the site for testing of the bouncing bombs made famous by The Dam Busters.
These roads were smaller and drove through quaint villages with thatched cottages, along roads edged by hedge rows and covered by trees that arched over the road, just like as though you were driving through a green tunnel, just beautiful. There seemed to be another village every few miles along the road. Some of the houses are built right on the edge of the road.
There were some motorways along the way which covered a few miles in order to move us along and then we turned off towards Dartmoor. Well, the roads narrowed and we drove between hedgerows and trees and kept a careful watch on oncoming traffic.
We arrived at the Two Bridges Hotel at about 5:30 and had time to relax and wander around, taking photos. Although the road we drove in was through forest, following on from the hotel, was traditional moorland country which, although beautiful during warmer months would be bleak in the winter. We haven' t heard the Baskerville Hounds as yet, but who knows! It is raining now which adds to the atmosphere.
Dinner was a classy affair with lovely food. The hotel is historic and shows its history with photos in the restaurant and reception, it seems popular with hikers and cyclists doing their thing across the moor.
Tomorrow we go into Cornwall where we are booked in for three days at St Austell.

Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th

A couple of quiet days, so there's not a lot to talk about.
Saturday morning, Ken and Sue drove us to the outskirts of London. They showed us where they (and Margaret) grew up. It was interesting to see a neighborhood and hear the stories associated with it. Also had a look at Epsom racecourse, where we could drive right up to the rails on the racetrack.
Lunch was at a garden centre, where we could see that most of the plants are what we grow at home.
Dinner that night was at a nice local pub.
Sunday, we hit the road after lunch and headed for the coast, driving through the New Forest, part of the way was on a motorway which carries a lot of traffic and banked up where there had been an accident. We drove into Winchester but couldn't get a carpark so didn't hang around to have a look at the cathedral.
We are staying tonight at Christchurch which is between Bournemouth and Southampton. Went to the pub next door where I had haddock and chips with mushy peas (how British is that!)
Tomorrow we continue heading westward to Dartmoor.

Friday 14th The Villages of Surrey

This morning we headed to the village of Guildford, being near where we are staying. The village has a history going back 1000 years and has buildings that are historical and constructed in a variety of styles.
Guildford is on the river Wey which is used by narrow boat travelers and there is a lock on the river in town. While we were inspecting the lock a narrow boat went through. To do this is a manual process requiring someone from the boat to get off the boat and open the gates while another on board maneuvers the craft through the lock, very interesting to watch.
Then Ken and Sue took us for a drive through the local Surrey countryside. It is a beautiful area and we went through villages that are real picture postcard stuff, narrow roads, green hills, dense forests, just magic. It is just how we imagined the English countryside would be. As well the sky had cleared and it was a lovely sunny afternoon.
Continuing on we went up Box Hill which has a zigzag road to the top,and was the location for cycle races during the Olympics. There was a wonderful view from the top over the countryside to the village of Albury. So many place names here are familiar.
Ken and Sue have asked us to stay another day which we are going to do and move on on Sunday.
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Thursday 13th Dover to Guildford

Left our friendly hostess at 9:30 and went to the docks where the ferries come in from France. Had a look around there and could see the white cliffs reasonably well. The weather was cloudy and windy. Did I say windy? It was so windy we nearly got blown back to France!
We had intended to do a cliff top walk but decided it was too windy for that, cold too!
Instead we headed up to see Dover Castle. This is quite interesting as it is entirely intact. Hasn't been destroyed during any wars or set fire to. Apparently Hitler gave instructions not to bomb the place as he thought it might be nice for him to reside in after he won the war!
The castle was quite well set up to show how the old Kings lived, pretty spartan really. It was built by Henry II in 1180.
However, the most interesting part was the Secret Wartime Tunnels. These are are a series of tunnels dug into the chalk cliffs, originally during the Napoleonic wars and extended and modified during the Second World War. It was from these tunnels that the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk was masterminded. A well produced sound and light show described how troops were evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940.
After this it was so cold and windy we couldn't do any more so we hit the road to Guildford. This was an hour and a half trip along the motor ways. We are staying with Ken and Sue whom we have met before and are friends of Dan and Margaret's (Janelle's in-laws)After a cup of coffee we went for a drive to a nearby village of Godalming, a very picturesque place.

Wednesday 12th Dover

We are now in Dover and guess what happened when we got here? It rained! I think the gods of the weather are trying to tell us something.
There was a taxi booked to pick us up at the hotel in Paris at 8am and he arrived 10 minutes early. We were ready, just finishing breakfast, so off to Gare Du Nord station. They advise you to be there 30 minutes early for the Eurostar, but we were two hours early, and we really needed most of that time to go through customs, passport control etc. and to have a cup of coffee. The train left promptly at 10:13 and we arrived at Ashford in Kent at local time 11:07. (One hour time difference) We were in the tunnel only for about 20 minutes so it was hardly noticeable.
Picked up the car, a nice VW Passat wagon, plugged in the TomTom and headed down the motorway to Dover. Decided we would have a look at the white cliffs, but we couldn't see them because by this time the fog had rolled in and it started to rain. I had to buy a new rain jacket because I had left the old one behind somewhere.
It's nice to hear English spoken and not having to worry whether we should be saying Grazia or Merci or whatever.
Then decided we had better find somewhere to stay the night so went to the info centre and they put us on to this B & B which is nice, owner seems the friendly sort. She told us where to go for tea so we walked down to a rustic place on the Marina called Cullen's Yard, an old ship builder's place by the looks of it. Had a pleasant time chatting to the locals and enjoyed a steak and chips. The locals can't believe the weather, it should be warm and sunny, but it isn't.
By the time we had finished, the rain had stopped so it was a pleasant walk home.
Haven't got Wi Fi here so will post it when I can.

Tuesday 11th Giverny and Versailles

Bonjour.
Picked up at the hotel at 8:15 for the day's adventure in a mini bus. There were eight passengers, four Americans, two Kiwi ladies and we two. Driving out of Paris at this time of day was rush hour but we seemed to make steady progress. I can't work a lot of the roads out, you seem to have to go past where you want to turn off and turn around and go back to the corner on the opposite side of the road.
Anyway about an hours drive in the country we came to the village of Giverny, a pretty spot where Monet's house and garden is situated. The weather was cloudy with a little drizzle at times but it didn't stop us from enjoying the garden. The roses are in bloom as well as irises, peonies, pansies, lupins, water lilies, rhododendrons, violas plus plenty of others. It was a picture and well worth the visit. Everybody was queuing up to have their photo taken on the Japanese bridge. The house was interesting too, considering that old Claude lived there with his wife, mistress and eight kids, some of them his. Giverny is a pretty village with narrow roads and the locals all have to keep their gardens up to scratch or face a fine .
Through our travels in Europe we have seen Flanders Poppies growing in the fields, they are considered weeds in many places, but Monet painted them many times. There was a field next to the Monet Museum where the poppies were growing wild and they looked beautiful.
We then drove through the countryside and other quaint villages to our lunch stop which was at a village called Fourges. There is a mill there with an operating water wheel namely Moulin et Fourges.
Lunch was nice and we enjoyed the company of our fellow travelers.
Then it was on to Versailles. Have you ever been swamped by other people so much you don't get to enjoy the place? This is what happened to us here. The queue to get into the castle was enormous and everybody was surging through the building, we just got carried along. It is of course heavily ornate with frescoed ceilings, marble etc. etc. we were just over it altogether. The gardens are very manicured but we didn't  really have a lot of time to wander too far.
Anyway it was back to Paris and tea and get organized for shifting.
We are on the Eurostar at 10:13 tomorrow morning and pick up a car at Ashford in Kent.
I don't know what the availability of WiFi will be like in the next two weeks so will have to take the opportunity to update the blog when I can.
Au revoir.

Monday 10th Paris.

After a leisurely breakfast of croissants and coffee we headed for the bus stop. Had to wait a while for the bus to arrive so chatted to some English people as well as a family from Texas. The Americans all think their throats have been cut because they had to fly for a whole eight hours to get to Europe. They can't believe it takes us 26 hours and more to get here.
We went to the Louvre and decided to battle the queues, which as it turned out were not as bad as we had expected. Thousands of people there and we got to see the Mona Lisa. Everybody had told me the painting was small so we were surprised to see the actual size. Had a good look at it and then wandered around some of the other exhibits. You would probably need a week to see the whole museum, but we saw what we wanted and were really happy to do that, having spent a few hours there. Met John and ? whom we met on the cruise. ( We've had a mental block here, can't recall her name although we knew it this morning). They had got separated from each other and were each starting to panic. We were able to get them together and they were happy.
After that we walked up to the Opera House and had a good look at that. It is in the Baroque style which is heavily ornamented, with marble, frescoes and mosaics everywhere.
Then it was on the bus to Notre Dame where we queued again to have a look inside. A huge Gothic building with stained glass windows. There was a full orchestra, including the pipe organ, and choir rehearsing there which would have been wonderful to hear if it weren't for those damn tourists, they are everywhere! Trying to be quiet and not succeeding.
By this time our little legs had been worn down to the ankles so it was decided to get the bus back home and find a place for tea. Our hotel is just a few steps from a junction with Boulevard du Montparnasse which is a very lively area so we did some more side-walk sitting and eating along with a nice Bordeaux. It's really lovely sitting with a glass of red, watching the locals wandering past with their little dogs on a lead and carrying their baguettes for dinner. Lots of bikes here too and cars going everywhere. You couldn't call the Parisiennes over weight, they all look slim and terrific, probably have a cigarette instead of a meal, I think.
Tomorrow we go to Giverny and Versailles, so that will be a nice day.

Sunday 9th Paris

Last night certainly was a night out on the town. We were picked up at the hotel at 5:40 by a French guy with a mini bus. The whole night had been booked as a package and we thought we would be part of a group. Well, the group was just us. The guy drove us to The Tower where he gave us fast access tickets up to the restaurant. It was a beautiful meal with a great view. Chatted with two young couples who were doing the same thing as us. It seems to be the thing to do, dinner, cruise and Moulin Rouge. After dinner we walked to the dock and had a cruise up and down the river to see the lights. The Tower looks wonderful with its sparkling lights on the hour for five minutes.
After the cruise our guy was waiting for us and  drove to Montmartre for the show with lots of hand waving and horn blaring along the way. The tickets were ready so we don't have to join the really long queue.
The show was marvelous, lovely girls in spectacular costumes, mostly anyway, interspersed with other acts. The show finished at 1:30 and our man was waiting for us again to take us home. There would have been hundreds of people at the show and we had great seats, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Today (Sunday) we had a sleep,in and a late start. Out of our window we watched the butcher over the road, he must have a booming business because he had a queue out the door all morning, also sold BBQ chooks which were cooked in a portable oven on the footpath. Eventually got on the hop on hop off bus and spent the afternoon driving around Paris. The weather got colder and had some light rain so we were glad to get back to the hotel. Anyway it was a good way to get an overview of the city. Went around the corner to a cafe for dinner where we sat on the footpath under awnings and gas heaters. Unfortunately the mood was spoiled by the smokers.

Amsterdam to Paris

FRIDAY 5th
There were different activities that were options for today. We opted to do a canal boat cruise which was very interesting and got a bit of a look around the city. Driving into town via the scenic route we stopped at a traditional windmill which is someone's residence. The people living there hid inside until all the buses had gone. After that it was dicing with death as we dodged among all the bicycles to walk around the city. One of our ladies was knocked over. It is a very busy place with a lot of young people around. It is a university city and it has a relaxed lifestyle, where you can indulge in a few different guilty pleasures (?).
After lunch we went to the flower market. the tulips are finished of course, but you could buy all sorts of bulbs and plants there. we were let loose on our own for an hour or so, before returning to the hotel.
The farewell dinner (another one) was held at the hotel and it was quite emotional for Cheri as not only did she have to organize us, she was dealing with the fact that her country was in a state of crisis and her home town was cut off by a landslide. One of the local guides we had used in one of the cities lost her home altogether, so we are not so badly off after all. Although she is a Scot by birth, Cheri has lived in Austria for 20 years.
Although this is the finish for us of our trip with APT there are many others continuing on to do the Paris extension with them. They are booked on the same train as we are on Saturday morning.

SATURDAY 6th
Well it was up at sparrow's this morning for the buses to take us to the station to catch the 10:19 train.
The station would have been really easy to get to had we disembarked from the ship, but by bus it was a different story. All stations seem to be in a state of renovation and we had to lug our cases across roads and roadworks, but we got there. Found our platform and boarded (first class of course!!). The train took off on time and it was a three hour trip across Holland, Belgium and France, really beautiful countryside and all of it cultivated in some way. Lunch was included so we didn't go hungry.
Arriving in Paris we got a taxi to the hotel, which is a small boutique hotel in the Latin Quarter. By the time we put our bags in the room there was not enough room for us, which says two things , the room is  really small and our luggage has increased in size.
We are out on the town tonight, with a sightseeing tour, dinner at the Eiffel Tower, a cruise on the Seine and visit Moulin Rouge. I think a sleep in might be the first order of tomorrow

Tuesday 4th

Have just realized there wasn't an entry for Tuesday. I think I did one but perhaps it wasn't saved.
Anyway, we went for a drive to Wurzburg, and as noted in the previous day's blog, the glass blowing guy did a roaring trade.
There is a partially ruined castle at the top of the hill in this town and we walked up there where we had a drink before going down again. There was an American Army base situated here after the war and the buildings for the base are situated around the hill overlooking the old town, it looks bit of an eyesore really. Russian Germans were relocated to these buildings when the iron curtain fell. Unfortunately this was not a success as they are considered neither Russian or German and are ostracized and do not mix with people from the town. It is becoming a ghetto.
This town, like many others, has a Jewish history and the tales the guides tell are quite harrowing. One family was the only ones not to relocate early on and they paid the ultimate price. There are brass plaques set into the cobblestones to commemorate them.
This town also has a leaning tower, and has records on the side of buildings showing the height of previous floods, just as well we weren't there then.
Back to,the ship for our last night on board and farewell to the crew. Spent some time organising our cases. We were booked in to the special restaurant at the stern , where they put on a multi course meal with all the service you could want.

Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th

Thursday 6th 4:30pm
We are now on the road to Amsterdam, having crossed over the border into Holland. The traffic on the Autobahn is very heavy, multiple lanes both ways and lots of vehicles. Have been on the road since 2:30 and expect to get to our hotel about 6pm. There are three buses traveling together and we have just had a pit stop. Can you imagine about one hundred people pouring out of the buses into the servo for the toilets. Chaos. The guide wanted us back in the bus in 15 minutes. Fat chance! - 70+ ladies with only 2 cubicles.
Lunch stop today was in Cologne (Koln to the locals) where we walked around the old town and inspected the cathedral which is a massive building in the Gothic style. Like a lot of the old sandstone buildings it has absorbed pollution and is black, but has beautiful stained glass windows including a more modern and controversial one. Lunch consisted of German fare where they brought out trays of mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, sausages and pork knuckles. Sadly much of it went back untouched, too much to eat. Plenty of beer too!
Last night we stayed at a beautiful town Bad NeauenAhr. This is a spa town. Like Daylesford and Hepburn Springs people go there to take the waters, it is larger and grander than the Victorian towns but has lovely gardens and was nice to be out of large cities. The hotel didn't have free WiFi so didn't do the blog yesterday, will post this entry tonight.
On the way yesterday we stopped at Koblenz, frankly that was a waste of time mind you we were feeling 'a bit over it all' as we had finally left the ship in the morning and knew there was now no chance of seeing the river as we had hoped. We should not complain we have been well cared for and seen all our options plus extras via the bus trips.
Like many other towns Koblenz and Cologne were 90% destroyed during the war. Amazingly the cathedral in Cologne had hardly any damage at all.
Cologne is on the Rhine, and like the Danube and Main rivers, it is spreading out along the banks.
The Coach travel has been taking its toll on the travelers, there are coughs and sneezes all the time and people are generally tired.
Thursday 9pm
Have arrived in Amsterdam and have now been fed and watered. We are staying at the Radisson at the airport. Cheri tried to get accommodation closer to the centre of town, but its a bit difficult to fit in 150 people on two days notice. The weather is still sunny and its quite pleasant out.
Tomorrow we do a cruise on the canals and have a look around Amsterdam.

Monday 3rd

Monday 3rd
Well our cruise is finishing. We have been docked here in Wurzburg since Sunday and this ship is not going anywhere until Tuesday or Wednesday next week. The river is still rising and all the rivers are closed to shipping. The floods have been a disaster throughout Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, all areas we have been in.
We have not been stopped from doing things, however, as we have been bussed around. Yesterday. In the morning, we had a look around Wurzburg and into the Prince Bishops palace. Another grand and opulent building. After a light lunch on the ship(after the previous day's effort we decided against the roast that was available in the restaurants) we headed to Rothenberg. Glen and I stayed there in 2010 so it was familiar to us, left some euros behind in the Christmas shop. This is getting into wood carving territory and saw a beautifully carved altar piece at the cathedral.
Rothenberg was 30% destroyed in WW2 but was quickly rebuilt in the old style with the help of donations from overseas, America and Japan in particular. Wurzburg, on the other hand was 90% destroyed and was rebuilt in the sixties in the typical plain style of the time.
The drive back from Rothenberg was interesting, lots of wind turbines and solar panels, both on the roofs of buildings and huge solar parks in the paddocks. Apparently they rely heavily on Nuclear powered electricity generators which will be phased out by 2020 so there will be lots more wind and solar generation.
Our usual information session before dinner gave us the news that we will have to leave the ship on Wednesday and head for a hotel somewhere in the country. On Thursday we will head for Amsterdam. It is dissapointing that we are missing out on so much of the rivers, but we are being looked after and still seeing lots of land based things.
After dinner we had a glassblowing demonstration by a guy from Wertheim who was not only good at what he does but was entertaining as well. We are going to Wertheim on Tuesday and he has a shop there, coincidence do you think?

Sunday 2nd June Bamburg

Awoke this morning to see some sunshine, only a little bit of sun but at least it wasn't raining.we are still docked at Wurzberg and will be here for the next day or so and then it will depend on the state of the river as to what we do.
We are now on the Main River, having skipped the Main - Danube canal,which joins the two rivers, when we drove here yesterday.
There was another ship docked beside us last night and those people disembarked and were sent off in busses to be split up in three different hotels in Salzberg. Apparently there are 2500 people on the river who have been put off ships into busses and hotels, so at this stage we are still the lucky ones.
There has been flooding in Passau, and Vienna where we have been. There has also been serious flooding in Dresden and 4 or 5 deaths due to the water.
We headed off this morning to Bamburg, which is another UNESCO listed town, and this town is a little different in that it had little damage during the war, although there was one bridge that had to be partly rebuilt due to Allied bombing. We wandered around this town and headed to a restaurant for an included lunch. Pork knuckles, sauerkraut, flour dumplings, which were preceded by potato soup and all washed down with beer.  I hate to think how much weight we have put on! A brewery in this town makes a dark beer that smells and tastes like smoked bacon and we got a free sample to take away.
Leaving Bamberg, we drove to Kitzingen for a wine tasting session of local Franconian wines. Franconia is a part of Bavaria and the locals are very proud of their region and I think they wish they were not under Bavarian control. Bavaria is one of the states of Germany. It was a lovely drive to this town through farming areas, it is so green. There is a lot of water lying about so there is still plenty to find its way into the river system.
After dinner on the ship, tonight, we were entertained by a German lady who sang in different languages, songs of different European countries, ending up with I still call Australia home

Saturday 1st June Nuremburg

Saturday 1st Nuremberg.
Early start today as we had to have our bags out at 6 am ready for the transfer to MS Amaverde in Wurzberg.
We have been fortunate in that we have been able to swap ships, which are identical, even though they are a long way apart. Apparently many ships are stranded, so I presume passengers either stay there or get bussed around and stay at hotels.
We headed off at 7:30 which was half an hour late as the bus driver couldn't find his way into the port.
 Four and a half hours later we reached Nuremberg and walked to the Old Town Square where we had lunch, Bratwurst and sauerkraut washed down with beer. Coincidentally it was the same place Glen and I had lunch when we did the tour of Germany in 2010. While there we met the people who were doing the reverse transfer from Amaverde.
Having been fed and watered a local guide took us on a bus tour of the city and then to Zeppelin Field where Hitler had the annual Nazi Party rallies. Also saw the Congress building that Hitler wanted built in order to hold one meeting of the rally each year. This was to be greater than the Colosseum in Rome and grander, but was never finished. We then saw the courthouse complex where the Nuremberg trials were held. The guide was a German American who was knowledgeable ,informative and passionate about his city.
Then it was on to the bus for a 90 minute drive to our new home, where hopefully, our bags will be in our cabins waiting for us.
10:00 pm
Well we arrived and settled in, talk about Deja Vu all over again, this ship is identical to Amabella down to the fixtures and fittings, so it seems we have never moved.
We are docked in a commercial port, which is the safest place to be and hopefully will be here until Monday, the river is still rising though, so anything could happen.
Having the day out to Bamburg and Kitzingen tomorrow.
Just going with the flow - no pun intended!

Friday 31st The River Danube

Last night the ship left Passau to sail to Deggendorf, however, in the morning  we found we were going back, the captain had turned the ship around about 4:30  am.  Getting back to Passau,  the river  had risen  two metres overnight and was continuing to  rise.
After breakfast  it was on to the buses for the excursion to Regensburg,  the roads were dry along the way so we thought we were in for a good day , but get out of the bus and it started to drench rain, so umbrellas and coats were again the order of the day. Walking tour of the town was followed by some free time for shopping, (note for Heather, no money was spent)
Two hour drive back to the ship and we were no sooner aboard when we moved off. Captain was told the ship couldn't stay there as the port was about to be closed to shipping, and water expected to rise by another 3 meters so we would be above the .mooring point over night so we backtracked again! Back to Linz in Austria . River is still rising but the locals don't seem concerned, apparently it happens often, one guide pointed out the houses along the river and said their basements will be flooded within a couple of days. The port in Linz is the winter port where they leave the ships over winter. Vienna is also closed to shipping, so at least we got past there.
Before dinner our cruise director, Cheri, gave us the good (?) news that it will be a five hour drive to Nuremberg tomorrow where we will do our planned excursion after a lunch of local sausages and sauerkraut. Then it will be another two hour drive to Wurzberg (because cant stop at Nuremburg)where we will join the MS Amaverde. This is our sister ship and identical so all passengers from both ships will swap over and go to same room numbers that they were in before. Ie we were room 208 on Amabella and go to room 208 on the Amaverde. The crews stay on their ship just the passengers swap