2015 Holiday

 
Well after a bloody awful last twelve months, we have finally managed to get away in the van for a while. The original plan was to follow a couple of weeks after Sue and John Fahey and meet up north of Perth - we were delayed, so we have changed plans slightly and decided to go up through the centre and hopefully meet them at Kunnanurra or Broome.

Off we set on the 22 May, first stop near the river at Narrandera,

followed up the next night by a stop at Merbein, again on the river.

We then went to Burra, a nice little town, 

then to Port Augusta. We had previously avoided PA, but were pleasantly surprised, and managed to fit in a game of bowls.

After that off to Woomera, and managed to have a couple of drinks in the shipping container that was a bar. 

Only one night stay then off to Coober Pedy - well it rained for three days - red mud everywhere.

We then had a rethink and decided we would go straight to Alice Springs and hope for some warmer weather, stopping at Kulgera Pub overnight on the way.

Alice was very busy as the Finke Desert Race was on - buggys, bikes and cars everywhere. We had not had a good look around Alice the last time we were here, so this was our opportunity. We then went to Glen Helen Gorge Homestead  - west Macdonell ranges and a lovely place to stay. We had day trips and explored Goss Bluff ( a big crater) , Ochre Pits, Ellery Big Hole and found a few interesting possibilities for future bush camps.

Next we will turn our direction towards the highway and head for Katherine. 

8 September - Marseille

We cancelled our excursion to Axien Provence and decided to do our own thing, find somemfree wifi ( we quickly found out that was difficult to find). We got the shuttle bus onto the city and proceeded to walk Along the water front, where there were some market stalls.

We then took the little train for a city tour - this was an interesting ride through the narrow streets and up the hill to the cathedral. We stopped at the cathedral for about 15 minutes ( until the next little train arrived) and took in the sights and then returned to the waterfront .

On returning to the waterfront we thought we would walk to the shopping area , however we found the streets to be dirty and grubby and really nothing of interest so returned to the market on the waterfront.

After looking around we decided to return to the ship and have a relax . Sometimes. You do not make the right choice - we did not enjoy Marseille - next time we might try and see some of the country side.

7 September Barcelona

We decided to do our own thing on this day - so once the ship docked we departed to find the hop on hop off bus.

This provided us with a great overview of this city - we were not sure what to expect but found that we really liked what we saw,including the old bull fight ring that is no longer used.. Wonderful buildings - the architecture was brilliant. Modern and old at the same time. The Cathedral which is still under construction was something else - very difficult to describe.

We loved how they had incorporated the tram tracks into the lawn throughout the city.

We ended up in the middle of the city and had a lovely paella for lunch before heading off back to the ship - getting caught in a huge deluge of rain. Such fun, everyone one was wet.

6 September Cannes - Monaco, Monte Carlo

We were not too sure what to do on this day, but then thought we would get the bus ( from the wharf) and do Monaco and Monte Carlo on our own. There was a guide on the bus and unfortunately they wanted to make sure we got value for money, so took up a fair bit of time talking to us . Eventually we sainted off, and Peter got to look at the black marks on the road from the GP, 

I got to admire the Palace and we had a great walk through the beautiful gardens.

There was a Bocce (bowling) tournament being held out side the Palace  - we thought Tuross could set up in a similar style next time we hold something.

We found Monaco to be a fascinating place, although we would never be able to afford to live there.

Next we were off to Monte Carlo - the "land of the beautiful people". Outside the casino, it was interesting to watch the cars "cruising" past and at one stage there were two Ferrari , two Bentley , Porche and another couple of expensive cars  parked at the front entrance. Loved the street with only exclusive shops - Cartiers, Louis Vuitton

 etc

All in all a good day.

5 September Florence ( Livorno)

Feeling pretty tired from our day in Rome, again we were up bright and early for another excursion. The ship docked at Livorno and today we were off to Pisa and Florence. Again it was very pleasant being able to see the country side during our travels.

First stop was Pisa. the coach had to park in a parking area and we then walked for about 15 minutes. We were there relatively early about 8.15 am but the crowd had already started to build up. Again, we can now cross this off the "bucket list". 

The only drama was the public toilets were not open until after 9 am, so many of us made our way to Macdonalds - what we did not know was you had to purchase to get a ticket to use the loo - no worries, we all just held the door open for each other .

On walking back to the coach we were go smacked by the number of coaches - Irene counted over 100.

Next stop Florence - again seeing the queues we were pleased we were on an organised tour.  Seeing the original statue of David was so worthwhile - you were just stopped in your tracks and stared! So beautiful. I could not take a pic of the original statue, so a pic of the copy in the square will have to suffice.. 

We had walk through Florence, and we were very taken with everything this city had to offer.

. Irene ended off the day by checking out the leather bags - and yes there are a couple of additional coming home on the suitcase - how could you not buy leather bags when in Italy!

4 September Rome, Italy

The ship actually docked at Civitavecchia a one hour bus trip from Rome - plenty of time to view the country side and have a quiet doze. Again our guide was excellent ( how they remember all the detail is beyond me). After arriving in Rome we had a short walk to our first stop -the Trevi Fountain. This was somewhere Irene had always wanted to go and was not disappointed. She through the coin into the fountain and hopefully will return one day.( Peter reluctantly complied with tradition).

Next it was off to the Colosseum  - how did they make these buildings. This was awesome , it is so large and powerful. We did not come across Russell Crowe ( Gladiator) but your imagination could certainly run wild with how things might have been.

Neither of us are particularly religious but going to the Vatican - St Peters and the Sistine Chapel was really special . The work, detail and splendour was magnificent. We did not see the Pope but at least we can now cross this off our list.

It was very crowded at all these venues and it made us appreciate going on a ships tour and not having to wait in line for hours to gain entry.

3 September Naples - Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri

What a day.....to finally see Pompeii. This was one of the " must see" on our list and while we only spent a couple of hours there our guide was so good and imparted so much information. Walking through the streets you are looking all over the place to take it all in. 

Next stop was Sorrento for lunch - very busy and did nt get to see much of it. We walked down ( very steep and a lot of steps to the bottom) to the port to catch the hydrofoil to Capri

Capri you see by going up in the ferricular - such great views.

We were a bit disappointed in Capri, we found it pretty but very expensive - perhaps it was at the end of a very long day and perhaps you need to stay there. We did however have a spritz before leaving - at 3 times the price we had usually paid for it.