It rained sporadically on the drive from Bled to Augsburg in Germany. The rain fell in those hard sudden summer showers that make driving visibility difficult. We ate lunch at one of those expensive roadside cafés which I hate. But self catering wasn’t an option today. €34 for lunch, a bit exxie in my book.
The plan was to drive towards Munich and wherever we were around 2pm we would start looking for a hotel. Well at 5pm we were still driving around looking for a hotel. Usually there’s always hotels on the outskirts of town as you drive in. Maybe we were in the wrong part of town. The tourist office offered us a dorm room at the youth hostel which we initially declined but later ended up going back to because we couldn’t find anything else.
The youth hostel room was ok apart from the rampaging young folk banging on doors and hollering up and down the hallways. The breakfast was as good as any hotel breakfast we've paid 14 euros for. We scored a free carpark at the front of the building and we only brought up what we needed for the night rather than lugging suitcases up 4 flights of stairs. I guess you could say it was a learning experience. I learned that I never want to stay at a youth hostel again!
Augsburg is full of people riding their pushbikes all over the place. It’s great to see a city really set up for cyclists. The footpaths and roads all have a separate marked bicycle lane. I wonder how safe it is to ride a bike amongst all that traffic.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
A Day in Bled
Castle looking over Lake Bled
In the Gondola going over to the island
Pulling the rope to ring the church bell
Church on the island in Lake BledWe packed up quickly this morning. Tomaz couldn’t believe how fast we could pack up. I think they’ll be glad to have some peace and quiet after the noisy Speedies. A big THANK YOU to Tomaz and Ksenija for their hospitality.
When we left Budanje we headed to Bled where we had booked a unit. I’ve been looking at photos of Lake Bled my whole life and I was so happy to finally see it for real. It is even more beautiful than any photos could show.
We had a lovely walk around the perimeter of the lake. The forest trees across the path were so thick that when it started raining, we could still walk along and not get wet. The rain was pouring down and the sun was still shining. People were swimming in the lake. The lake water is a gorgeous translucent aqua colour with these huge fish clearly visible. Samuel was rapt to see the fish.
The town of Bled is pretty too. So clean. Everywhere in Slovenia is clean and tidy. You often see people in the street at the front of their houses sweeping up the leaves and keeping things looking tidy.
When we left Budanje we headed to Bled where we had booked a unit. I’ve been looking at photos of Lake Bled my whole life and I was so happy to finally see it for real. It is even more beautiful than any photos could show.
We had a lovely walk around the perimeter of the lake. The forest trees across the path were so thick that when it started raining, we could still walk along and not get wet. The rain was pouring down and the sun was still shining. People were swimming in the lake. The lake water is a gorgeous translucent aqua colour with these huge fish clearly visible. Samuel was rapt to see the fish.
The town of Bled is pretty too. So clean. Everywhere in Slovenia is clean and tidy. You often see people in the street at the front of their houses sweeping up the leaves and keeping things looking tidy.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Sveta Gora
On the front steps of the church
Old buildings at rear of church
View looking down towards Nova Gorica
Cross collectionHere's some information about Sveta Gora. http://http://www.slovenia.info/?sakralne_znamenitosti=3816&bigfont=1&rnd=0.74092446671271
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Ostrich Pate
I was disturbed to see ostrich steaks and ostrich pate on the menu in the guest house where we had dinner. I didn't know that people ate ostriches.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Budanje
At Portoroz, swimming in the Adriatic
Everyone at lunch at Jurman
Ella sitting on one of the unusual chairs in the Museum at Bistra
Samuel and Luka
Picking veges in the gardenWe’ve been here in Slovenia a week already. It’s been good fun. We’re staying at my cousin’s house in Budanje, which is near Adjovscina in the southwest. We’ve been catching up on things, like washing clothes, cleaning out the car, sorting out stuff and working out what we should do next after we leave here. We’re thinking of selling the car in Slovenia and getting the train up north through Austria, Czech Republic then Germany.
The lifestyle here is much quieter than some other places we’ve been to recently and it is very nice to be able to rest awhile. Slovenia is a very beautiful country. It’s small but there’s a lot to see and do. I’d be quite happy to stay for several weeks but we’re coming to the end of our 12 months away and we have to hurry up and do a few more things before it’s time to go home.
The lifestyle here is much quieter than some other places we’ve been to recently and it is very nice to be able to rest awhile. Slovenia is a very beautiful country. It’s small but there’s a lot to see and do. I’d be quite happy to stay for several weeks but we’re coming to the end of our 12 months away and we have to hurry up and do a few more things before it’s time to go home.
On Our Way to Slovenia 16 Jun 09
This morning we packed up for the millionth time and headed off to Slovenia for a couple of weeks. We stayed on the autostrade all day. The toll was €27.60 when we crossed the Italy-Slovenia border at 3 o’clock. The drive was long and uneventful with the usual heavy haulage trucks bumper to bumper.
We haven't booked any accommodation. We'll stay with some cousins for a few days. It’s nice being with people. It gets a bit lonely being on our own all the time.
We wouldn’t normally stay with rellies because it’s hard staying in someone else’s house especially because there’s four of us and we’re noisy and make a lot of mess in a short time. Also I don’t want to be rousing on the kids every minute about picking up their stuff all the time. But, like I said, a few days should be ok.
We haven't booked any accommodation. We'll stay with some cousins for a few days. It’s nice being with people. It gets a bit lonely being on our own all the time.
We wouldn’t normally stay with rellies because it’s hard staying in someone else’s house especially because there’s four of us and we’re noisy and make a lot of mess in a short time. Also I don’t want to be rousing on the kids every minute about picking up their stuff all the time. But, like I said, a few days should be ok.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Genoa 15 Jun 2009
Kids standing in the arch in the street of Christopher Columbus' house 
Writing on the archway
Some motorbikes
Door knockerToday we leave the ship, sad. It’s been fun but if the cruise had been any longer, I would have to be wheeled off on a trolley because I ate so much food.
The disembarkation procedure from the ship was excellent. It was very well organised considering there was a couple of thousand people leaving the ship this morning. We had a short wait and they were ready for us to go ¾ hr earlier than the expected time. We picked up the car keys, loaded up with the luggage and were on our way. It was all painless which was a pleasant surprise. For some reason we were thinking it would be hard.
It was a short 50km drive from Savona to Genoa where we checked into a hotel for the night, got rid of the car and bussed into town to find lunch. We enjoyed our afternoon in Genoa walking around the medieval and renaissance streets which were marked on our tourist map. The narrow bumpy streets led us to some of the most interesting buildings we’ve seen anywhere. Totally unexpected because Genoa doesn’t give a good impression when you first arrive. It’s grimy and rundown and chaotic but we found it an interesting place.
The disembarkation procedure from the ship was excellent. It was very well organised considering there was a couple of thousand people leaving the ship this morning. We had a short wait and they were ready for us to go ¾ hr earlier than the expected time. We picked up the car keys, loaded up with the luggage and were on our way. It was all painless which was a pleasant surprise. For some reason we were thinking it would be hard.
It was a short 50km drive from Savona to Genoa where we checked into a hotel for the night, got rid of the car and bussed into town to find lunch. We enjoyed our afternoon in Genoa walking around the medieval and renaissance streets which were marked on our tourist map. The narrow bumpy streets led us to some of the most interesting buildings we’ve seen anywhere. Totally unexpected because Genoa doesn’t give a good impression when you first arrive. It’s grimy and rundown and chaotic but we found it an interesting place.
Palermo Photos
Hand painted Palermo map on the ballroom floor of the Countess
Chopping up the octopus to taste
Tuna at the market
Decoration inside Church
Palermo building
Doorknocker
Fountain with statues
Cathedral
FicusShore Excursions Photos from Malta, Tunis, Mallorca
Palazzo in Malta
War Memorials in the Barracca Gardens in Malta
Central Bus station in Malta
Sign in Tunis
Silk rug for sale in Tunis
Lady making rug
Andrew on the ruins at Carthage
At Carthage in Tunis
Cathedral in Mallorca
Park in Mallorca
Fountain, MallorcaWednesday, June 17, 2009
Last Day of Cruise...Sad!! 14 Jun 09
Today is the last day of the cruise and we are lazing around the ship. There was excursions into Rome today but it was a 2 hour train trip there and 2 hours back and we didn’t feel like trying to cram the many amazing sights of Rome into such a short time in one day.
The Cruise
One of the best bits of cruising is when you leave the port and sail out into the open ocean. When you’re out in the middle of the ocean and there is absolutely nothing else to look at just the neverending sea and sky. It's very relaxing. The ship glides along the water. You can hardly feel you're moving at all.
I would have liked for the English speaking people to get together and meet up before the cruise finished. We seemed to start chatting to people just as it was time to leave. Apparently there was an official greeting in English at the start of the cruise but we missed it because our information was given to us in german not english. We think they thought we were Austrian and not Australian.
The food on the cruise was fantastic. I ate an absolute mountain of food. It was impossible to resist overeating. I had to try abit of everything. Andrew is calling me his little buffet muffin because of the vast amount of food I've been eating. The food is non stop and lots of variety of everything. My favourite is the afternoon tea with tray after tray of scrumptious sweets, cakes and slices. Yum.
I would have liked for the English speaking people to get together and meet up before the cruise finished. We seemed to start chatting to people just as it was time to leave. Apparently there was an official greeting in English at the start of the cruise but we missed it because our information was given to us in german not english. We think they thought we were Austrian and not Australian.
The food on the cruise was fantastic. I ate an absolute mountain of food. It was impossible to resist overeating. I had to try abit of everything. Andrew is calling me his little buffet muffin because of the vast amount of food I've been eating. The food is non stop and lots of variety of everything. My favourite is the afternoon tea with tray after tray of scrumptious sweets, cakes and slices. Yum.
Cruising
The kids club onboard was great. Andrew and I did a few shore excursions and we put the kids in to the kids club while we went out.
Tunisia was so interesting and different to any place we’d been before. We walked through the rabbit warren of the medina and Fattie the tour guide took us to a shop selling handmade carpets and also a perfume shop. The silk and cashmere rugs were beautiful. There was a lady sitting at the loom showing how the rugs are made. What a painstaking process, loop by loop, knot by knot.
In Malta the streets are built in a checkerboard pattern, all straight lines and square making it easy for people like myself with zero sense of direction to find my way around. We looked at the beautiful church of St John Co-Cathedral. The outside was plain but once you’re inside, like all the churches we’ve been to, the decoration of the church is unbelievable – ornate and every surface covered with some type of ornamentation and paintings.
We also went into St Paul’s Shipwreck church which was full of very beautiful artwork. St Paul’s right wrist bone is displayed in a case in one of the little side chapels.
In Palermo we did another brief 4 hour tour looking at famous churches, the names of which I don't know because I didn't write them down. Italian churches are unbelievable in their ornamentation.
We visited a real life palazzo, the home of a real life Countess who greeted us in person and showed us around. Her home has been in the family for 500 or so years. The working areas like the kitchen and upstairs certainly looked medieval and didn't look like any renovation work had ever been done.
We visited the noisy and smelly Mercato di Ballaro where they had the usual array of fresh food and unusual bits and pieces. One of the vendors chopped up a freshly cooked octopus about the size of a man's hand for us to try. He sprinkled lemon juice on it. It tasted a tad rubbery but not unpleasant if you like the taste of rubber.
Tunisia was so interesting and different to any place we’d been before. We walked through the rabbit warren of the medina and Fattie the tour guide took us to a shop selling handmade carpets and also a perfume shop. The silk and cashmere rugs were beautiful. There was a lady sitting at the loom showing how the rugs are made. What a painstaking process, loop by loop, knot by knot.
In Malta the streets are built in a checkerboard pattern, all straight lines and square making it easy for people like myself with zero sense of direction to find my way around. We looked at the beautiful church of St John Co-Cathedral. The outside was plain but once you’re inside, like all the churches we’ve been to, the decoration of the church is unbelievable – ornate and every surface covered with some type of ornamentation and paintings.
We also went into St Paul’s Shipwreck church which was full of very beautiful artwork. St Paul’s right wrist bone is displayed in a case in one of the little side chapels.
In Palermo we did another brief 4 hour tour looking at famous churches, the names of which I don't know because I didn't write them down. Italian churches are unbelievable in their ornamentation.
We visited a real life palazzo, the home of a real life Countess who greeted us in person and showed us around. Her home has been in the family for 500 or so years. The working areas like the kitchen and upstairs certainly looked medieval and didn't look like any renovation work had ever been done.
We visited the noisy and smelly Mercato di Ballaro where they had the usual array of fresh food and unusual bits and pieces. One of the vendors chopped up a freshly cooked octopus about the size of a man's hand for us to try. He sprinkled lemon juice on it. It tasted a tad rubbery but not unpleasant if you like the taste of rubber.
Costa Pacifica 6 June 2009
Our first sighting of the cruise ship behind the terminal building
Kids in their lifejackets
Sitting in the cabin window
Level 12
Waiting for the water slide
Samuel
Ella
Andrew
The people looked like ants on the ground waving the ship goodbye
SundeckIt was a real thrill seeing our cruise ship, the Costa Pacifica for the first time. You have to see it in real life to appreciate the beauty and size of it. It’s a brand new ship and totally luxurious in decor and we are the first group of passengers to sail on it. Lucky us!
The car was booked into parking at Savona Port for the time we’re on the cruise. The checking in of the car and drop off of our luggage went smoothly. The terminal for the cruise at Savona looked brand new and when we arrived upstairs there was already a couple of thousand people there before us. There’s about 3000 people on our cruise. This is our first ever cruise and I can’t believe how many people cruise all the time.
We were given a card with a number on it which was our number for embarkation. At a quick glance our cruise companions all look like older people (maybe in their 60’s) and couples without kids. But we’ve seen a few kids who might be in the Maxi Kids Club with Samuel and Ella.
Our itinerary departs Savona and then we sail to Marseille, Barcelona, Mallorca, Tunisia, Malta, Palermo, Civitavecchia then back to Savona, 9 nights in all. The ship arrives in port every morning about 7 am and sails through the night to the next port.
Shore excursions are available at each port. I initially thought the excursions were quite expensive but after we’d been on a couple and found it so relaxing not having to organise everything by yourself, we considered it money well spent.
We’d been to Marseille a week ago so we stayed on the ship for that day. In Barcelona we got the shuttle bus in to town and wandered along the Ramblas for a while. In Mallorca we walked into town ourselves which was a lot further than it looked on the map. The kids were whining early on and it was very hot. We made our way to the cathedral and walked around with hundreds of other tourists. The view of the island from the steps of the church was beautiful.
We tried to haggle on the price of a horse and buggy ride back to the boat but the cheapest we could get was €50 – still too much for a 5 km ride. We ended up getting a cab back to the port for €8.
That night the four of us went to a fantastic show at Son Amar which had a variety of different entertainment. There was a magician, a comedian, singers and flamenco dancers. I’d never seen flamenco before and the dancers were magnificent to watch clack clacking their way across the stage.
There was a mini drama when we had our first dinner on the boat because our Costa card wouldn’t work. This is the card that we use to open our cabin door and also to pay for anything you buy on the boat. All was revealed when they discovered that we hadn’t actually been embarked by Immigration officials even though we were already on the ship and in our cabin. Anyway that was soon sorted out. But then we get a phone call from our travel agent (my sister) in the middle of the night in a panic because she had received an email at work saying the Speedie’s hadn’t been checked in to board the ship on Saturday. So Irene thought something had happened to us because of the mixup with Immigration. But all was fine.
The car was booked into parking at Savona Port for the time we’re on the cruise. The checking in of the car and drop off of our luggage went smoothly. The terminal for the cruise at Savona looked brand new and when we arrived upstairs there was already a couple of thousand people there before us. There’s about 3000 people on our cruise. This is our first ever cruise and I can’t believe how many people cruise all the time.
We were given a card with a number on it which was our number for embarkation. At a quick glance our cruise companions all look like older people (maybe in their 60’s) and couples without kids. But we’ve seen a few kids who might be in the Maxi Kids Club with Samuel and Ella.
Our itinerary departs Savona and then we sail to Marseille, Barcelona, Mallorca, Tunisia, Malta, Palermo, Civitavecchia then back to Savona, 9 nights in all. The ship arrives in port every morning about 7 am and sails through the night to the next port.
Shore excursions are available at each port. I initially thought the excursions were quite expensive but after we’d been on a couple and found it so relaxing not having to organise everything by yourself, we considered it money well spent.
We’d been to Marseille a week ago so we stayed on the ship for that day. In Barcelona we got the shuttle bus in to town and wandered along the Ramblas for a while. In Mallorca we walked into town ourselves which was a lot further than it looked on the map. The kids were whining early on and it was very hot. We made our way to the cathedral and walked around with hundreds of other tourists. The view of the island from the steps of the church was beautiful.
We tried to haggle on the price of a horse and buggy ride back to the boat but the cheapest we could get was €50 – still too much for a 5 km ride. We ended up getting a cab back to the port for €8.
That night the four of us went to a fantastic show at Son Amar which had a variety of different entertainment. There was a magician, a comedian, singers and flamenco dancers. I’d never seen flamenco before and the dancers were magnificent to watch clack clacking their way across the stage.
There was a mini drama when we had our first dinner on the boat because our Costa card wouldn’t work. This is the card that we use to open our cabin door and also to pay for anything you buy on the boat. All was revealed when they discovered that we hadn’t actually been embarked by Immigration officials even though we were already on the ship and in our cabin. Anyway that was soon sorted out. But then we get a phone call from our travel agent (my sister) in the middle of the night in a panic because she had received an email at work saying the Speedie’s hadn’t been checked in to board the ship on Saturday. So Irene thought something had happened to us because of the mixup with Immigration. But all was fine.
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