Berlin and Hamburg

A splendid train station awaited us in Berlin - spectacular complex architecture accentuated its ease of use and we were soon checked into Pegasus hostel, one of the cleanest and nicest hostels to date (The free internet, US Open on tv and excellent lattes helped boost its ratings). We had a quick nap waiting for the rain to pass then headed out in search of Kaiser Kuchen for supper - as if we hadn't had enough food in Landsburg. We underestimated the eating potential of the Germans once more and had to take half of our dumplings and mushrooms/goulash meals home with us...the salad was sent back for the next customer. It was with full tummies that we scurried home to get out of the cold and dark.

The next morning, our free walking tour with guide 'Gary' was more than worth the 20 buck tip we handed over after 4 hours or fascinating history. We started at the famous Brandenburg gate with a cup of tea from Starbucks and headed past the Reichstag, the Holocaust memorial with the different sizes of tombstone like blocks and Hitlers bunker where he and Eva Braun committed suicide, to the Berlin Wall (very overrated), the Topology of Terror exhibition and to Checkpoint Charlie of Cold War fame. A lunch of soup was in order to keep the chill away before we headed over to Museum island past the square of enlightenment and through the Babel square where 20 thousand books were burnt by the Nazi dictatorship.

We found Berlin a great deal different to Bavaria with their traditional dress of Levi jeans and their very friendly manner towards foreigners. Leftovers were had for supper before a gruelling game of chess and bed.

A relaxed start to the day meant that we had time to pick up a brunch at the supermarket across the road before checking out. Trains left on a regular basis and we soon arrived in Hamburg with blue skies - falsy indicating warmer weather. We quickly dropped our bags off at the hostel and headed back into town for a boat tour on the Elbe river. Prices were too high to be worth it so instead we wondered around the lake, through the gardens and towards the port. Dinner fish and chips was on the menu and it was late when we made our way out of the chilly wind back home. Another late start and a cup of tea gulped down and we were off on our final train trip to Hannover where we caught our delayed flight out to Newcastle and our new homeland.

What an amazing month with so many memories, queues, irritations and experiences...but its time to find a more permanent abode as the itchy feet are longing for solid ground and the barefeet need new shoes.

Bavaria

A breakfast of bretzen and cheese was enjoyed before jumping into the car bound for Fussen and the Nauschwanstein castle, built by the crazy king, Ludwig II. It was a fairy tale castle in its truest sense... remote, intriguing, mysterious. The inside was just as captivating as the outside, and left us curious to know more about the king himself. A stroll around the >1000 year old town of Landsburg and the quick dash home in the rain helped us to work off some of the lunch, only to be presented with more food for supper!

Sunday was a day made for rest, and in Bavaria, this means visiting the family, eating, drinking and being merry! So we headed just north of Munich to Rohr, and then on to Stetten, firstly to see how the hopps are farmed and then to taste the end product. Adorned in the traditional dress of a dirndl and leather pants, we arrived at the beer festival in time for lunch - 1/2 chicken and a grilled mackerel (eyes, tail and all!), and of course a lager for refreshment. We wandered through the beer tents and amusement park and flea market, meeting the family and friends en route.

A tour of Munich with Wilfred gave us further insite into more of the traditions of the Bavarians, and of course, more food and drink! The English guide on the bus tour was difficult to understand, but we did get to see the Palace of Justice, Victory Arch and Nymphenburg palace. We had to go to the top of the Olympic Stadium tower - a height of 200m afforded great views of the city, despite the ceiling of ominous clouds. We finally made our way home for a final meal and drink(s) with the family. An early start was required for us to make the train bound for Berlin.

Salzburg

Our train trip took a detour north through Germany to try and cut the cost of the ticket. It was stunning coutryside, through the snow capped mountains and pine forests. The trains ran like clockwork and we managed to catch every transfer depsite the connection times being minutes apart... gotta love the Germans! We arrived with the miserable weather in Salzburg, so found our home, had some tea and headed to bed with the bells tolling to the Sound of Music songs in our head.

Intentions of getting an early start were soon forgotten as we awoke to the pitter patter of rain on the roof. Luckily it started to clear so after a delicious Austrian breakfast, we headed into town. Memories came pouring back as we wandered in the footsteps of Maria and the von Trapp family through the Schloss Mirabelle gardens over the pedestrian bridge and into the old city. Bells heralded the return of the rain, and we abandoned our boat tour due to rising water levels.

Determined to see the trick fountains at Schloss Hellbrun, we caught the bus the following morning and headed out of the city centre. It was just as much for the adults as it was for the kids, as we were squirted from behind, under, on top and round each bend... The weather held our just until we'd seen the water theatre and had a pic at the sound of music gazebo singing "15 going on 16". We got back to the train station with just enough time to retrieve our bags and jump onto the train. Friends greeted us on arrival in Munich and herded us down the pedestrian street from Karlsplatz to the beer garden for lunch. Horrified looks were shot in my direction as I ordered a glass of wine rather than beer, but we loved the Bavarian meatloaf and sauerkraut ordered for us by Edith and Wilfred. We had to check out the Oktoberfest beer garden tents before heading out to Landsberg - our home with Ingrid and Erich for the next few days.

Switzerland

Being as organised as we are, we didn´t get round to booking our tickets to switzerland until a day before we left. Of course the train was full so instead we decided to take the scenic route from Nice, back into Italy, through Milan and then the long way round through Switzerland. We planned on buying our tickets for the Swiss leg on the train but were lucky enough to not get checked and therefore got the trip for free...score.

We arrived in Montreux at about 7pm and were welcomed by beautiful weather and stunning views of the lake. My cousin Claire and her boyfriend Milo met us at the train station and took us to a party right on the edge of the lake with a beautiful sunset and big tents with beer everywhere...was fantastic. Reminded me of Guy Fawkes parties in Karoi and/or Charara New Years. We both fell in love with the country immediately!

Milo and Claire were wonderful hosts...they have a massive (in London terms) apartment in the town of Leysin which is situated about a km up a mountain looking over the Rhone river valley. The views of the alps are fantastic. Snow capped mountains everywhere and green fields and forests as far as the eye can see. We were itching to explore so we all went for a hike through the mountains the next day and drove through some picturesque towns seeing the sights. Obviously we caught the cable car up the mountain and only walked down! That night was fortunately Leysins annual town party and parade through the streets of the town which we enthusiastic joined and mingled with the locals...Claire more so than the rest of us. Crazy party animal.

The Swiss lifestyle is very outdoor and active...loved it. Milo, being a bit of a extreme sports junkie, borrowed climbing gear and downhill mountain bikes from the Leysin community and ably led us all up a mountain the following day. We all made it up the via ferrata (rock face with artificial grips bolted into the rock) without passing out and eventually reached the summit at 2333m above sea level. We had such fantastic views of the mountains in the region and the valley and Lake Geneva (Lake Leman to the Swiss). It was definately a highlight of our trip so far! We then took the fast route back down the mountain on our downhill bikes which we hid behind some barn half way up the hill. I attempted to follow Milo (he´s absolutley crazy) straight down the mountain face almost losing my helmet and manhood at the same time while the girls took the road more travelled and met us further down...loved every second of it!

On the Monday Claire and Milo both took the day off work and we all took a trip east to the almost museum like village of Ballenberg near the town of Interlaken to learn how the Swiss lived hundreds of years ago...how they farmed, made clothes, medicine, food etc. It was lovely to see and very fasinating...a nice change from everything else we`d done on our trip. After a beer at hooters we made our way back home.

We spent our final day arranging travel and accommodation at our next destination and made our way into Montreux to meet Claire after work. It too was a lovely clean town and after a photo or 2 with the Freddy Mercury statue and a long stroll on the promenade around the lake, we made our way back to Leysin. We stopped on the way home at a fromagerie and bought enough cheese to feed a small army. That night we had a fantastic cheese fondue which filled our bellies nicely (and gave us an excuse to drink lots of wine to help the digestion) before falling asleep ready for our 5 o´clock awakening to catch the train to Salzburg, Austria.

Nice is nice

The overcast and miserable weather was waiting for us when we arrived in Nice, but after a night in a comfortable couchette, we were ready to go (despite the snorer on the bunk below us!) The gloomy clouds kept us off the beach, so we headed back to Monaco for a peek into the lives of the rich and famous. A quick cup of tea helped to keep the chills at bay as we headed around the grand prix track up towards the old town, then back to the Monte Carlo casino of 007 fame. Yatches of the multi-millionaires lined the bay, as did the wannabe's dressed up to the 9's!! We headed home with stars in our eyes, or more like the reflection of the lights along the beach front.

The following day was another dvd day, leading us to believe that we had possibly arrived at the incorrect cote d'azure. Wrapped in our towels we found a warm haven in a brasserie with croissants and tea, but were soon back at the hostel for a game of cards to wait out the bad weather.

We had no joy with hiring a scooter, so instead headed inland the following morning on the chemin de fer du Provence. It was a beaut of a day, but frigid when we hopped off the train at St. Andres les Alpes (the location chosen for our day-trip). The thought of sun and surf swayed the decision to cut the excursion short and head back to the coast, although the multi-coloured paragliders were tempting. We did get the sun and sea, but not much surf and no sand as we laid our towels out on the pebble beaches to catch the rays. A quick pint and glass of rose urged us hand in hand back to the hostel for an early night.

Florence

They say that when you throw a penny into the Trevi fountain, you'll return to Rome. Well in our case, that wish couldn't have come true sooner... we suddenly remembered that we'd forgotten our camera memory card in one of the computers at the youth hostel in Rome. So no sooner had we arrived and Dave was on the next train back to Rome.

With no time to spare, I checked into the hotel and headed for the Galleria Dell'Accademia to catch a glimpse of the most famous sculpture in the world... Michaelangelo's 'David' in all his glory! The queue was another tester, but well worth the wait - it was more spectacular that imagined, but 'no photos' please. When Dave got back, we headed out together to marvel at the red, green and white marble Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio (the only bridge not to be destroyed during WWII), the square surrounding the Uggizi gallery with the life-like replicas of David and various other famous sculptures. Strolling through the streets on the way home we were able to snap away at the sunset and the fairytale city of lights before picking up a folded pizza (with all the goodness on the inside).

We awoke to dripping gutters and grey skies, but still determined to look inside the Duomo. The humidity made the climb up to the Michaelangelo square more difficult and with the rain clouds rolling in we scoffed down our lunch before scurrying to find shelter. It was a cool afternoon as we browsed through the pasta shops until it was time to catch the overnighter to Nice.

All roads lead to Rome

Past experience has shown that the early bird catches the worm... and luckily for us, it ensured that we had the most comfy bed for the night for our 9 hour ferry crossing to Italy. Smiles lit up our faces as we closed our eyes and let the gentle rocking of the ferry on the Adriatic take us into dreamland.

We awoke to weary faces and stiff-necked travellers all eager to put their feet on solid ground. Another stamp in the green momba and we jumped on the first bus we saw with no idea where we were going. Luckily we were dropped off at the main train station in Bari... only to find out that the next train to Rome was leaving mid-afternoon. So off we went to explore... At about half 9, no shops had opened yet so we thought that maybe we had crossed a date line during the ferry crossing and were about to set our watches back by an hour until we found out that it was a public holiday. Not much exploring to be done, but we were soon able to find our seats on the tracks headed for Rome. The directions were unclear as to the bus stop for the hostel, but with darkness closing in, we ably found our rooms (with the help of a few English-speaking Romans). It was not surprising that after a long day of travelling, our 1st night in Rome was uneventful... but we had arrived.

They say that when in Rome, do as the Romans do... in our case, the 'Romans' were hoards of other tourists, so we took to the streets in search of the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Constatine's Arch and the Monument of Vittorio Emmanuel II. Works by Michaelangelo, Raphael and other Rennaissance greats surrounded us and the sheer thought of walking in the footsteps of Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony, Mussolini and Pope John Paul II filled us with a sense of awe and wonder. The penny thrown into the Trevi fountain was followed by a stroll down the Spanish Steps and in and out of each piazza we came across. Not many people did as much walking as we did that day, but we were rewarded with an Italian pizza and gelate with scoops the size of polo cross balls!

An early morning visit to St. Peter's Basillica ensured that we beat the crowds and the heat. The mere size of the basillica was enough to impress with the grand square and 120m dome. Inside was the magestic alter piece and separate chapels at each turn. A walk up to the top of the dome which allowed 360 degree panoramas of the city. Not even the hardiest of Zim fuel queuers could have been able to endure the >1 km throng of people making their way, 1 baby step at a time toward the Vatican Museums, and ultimately the Sistene chapel, so we gave it a skip and headed home to get some laundry done.

Crowds seemed to be the order of the following day as well - each person wanting to get their one perfect picture at every spot... makes you wonder if any post cards are ever sold. The Vatican Museums were well worth the 3 hour wait in the queue, but after wondering through the galleries for 4 hours, we were spent. It is a true test of endurance with the Sistene Chapel coming right at the end, but amidst hundreds of other 'illegal' photographers, we finally saw Michaelangelos masterpiece which took him 4 years to complete! After such brilliance, we had to rest, but not before a photo at the Pantheon.

So many steps taken down the paths of history and it was soon time to pack our bags ready for our next adventure... although a pint at the Irish pub with their big screen TV (Dave was craving TV), the Nag's Head did not go amiss.