Heading East; Salzburg & Prague

Wednesday- Austria; Salzburg

We only had one night in Austria however we somehow managed to pack in a huge amount of tourist activities. We began with a walking tour lead by our tour leader around the sights. We then were free to explore the tiny town of Salzburg were we climbed the many many stairs to the castle. We saw the view and an exhibition which included a full body armour exhibition and some medieval torture devices (including a real chastity belt!!!)

After then walked around and around trying to find the boys schnitzels, which we did find eventually… after the Mozart exhibition had closed… thankfully we did still go and see his birth house and where he lived before walking slowly back to the hostel for our basic dinner, some card games with the group and then bed.

Thursday- Czech Prague

Today we left for the Czech Republic but first we stopped at --- an Austrian concentration camp. There is no words I can use to describe the intense emotions we all felt being in such a place so I won’t even try.

We arrived at Prague and went on a night walking tour of the city. The quirky bohemian style amongst the gothic architecture had an awesome feeling about it and I quickly decided that Prague was rivalling my second favourite city behind Venice (obviously Paris is my favourite). We walked past my future house (some kind of castle) then through the Jewish quarter where they have one of the oldest and most packed graveyards. The last person to be buried there was in the 18^th century and in some spots people are buried 10 deep! They say the area and the synagogue next to it is haunted by ghosts and a ‘Gollum’ creature. I wanted to return at midnight… but Alex was too scared! 

After the walking tour we had dinner in a very “sausage and a beer” stype if restaurant. I had potatoes with cheese… no it was more like cheese with potatoes… but there was wine so I was happy. We also god a show with dinner, however the show was given by the Eastern European buck’s party sitting at the table opposite us.

Feeling enchanted in the old city of Prague we decided to continue our cultural experience with a club or two. The first was a deserted communist themed bar where we had cheap cocktails followed by an underground bar where I made the unfortunate decision to shot absinthe. It was hard to resist the spectacle of the bar tender melting the sugar cube on a spoon over the shot with a naked flame… but I think once will be enough. From there we progressed to the 5 storey nightclub and I found heaven on the fourth floor in the form of a retro/ rock and roll dance room equipped with multi-coloured, light up tiled floor. We danced at the club until 5 am before deciding that perhaps bed was a good idea… After hotdogs for the boys of course!

The next morning (or a few hours later) I was keen to get into the city so I pulled myself out of bed and into the shower. I swaying slightly I whispered to the occupants of the room “ quick get up we have to go and see Prague!” Michelle stirred and said “Margaux, don’t you think it is a little early?” I looked at my watch, realised it was 6am (I had only been asleep for an hour), agreed that, yes it probably was a little too early, and went back to bed.

The day started again at 10 am for a quick breakfast and then a dash into the city with Alex, Ian and Michelle. We visited the castle and saw the changing of the guards and climbed the bell tower which was much more steep and claustrophobic than we anticipated. We did get a spectacular view of the city and some beautiful photos of the gothic architecture on the surrounding buildings. (After my visit to Notre Dame I seem to have developed a fascination with gargoyles.)  We stopped for a quick lunch and managed to just creep in to the old Jewish cemetery before it closed at dusk. We found a restaurant tucked away in one of the streets and, delighted by the atmosphere, we ate ourselves a 4000 Kronor bill!! Definitely worth it! 

Venice; Masks, Gelato and gondolas

Tuesday; Venice

Venice for us meant hotel rooms!!! We arrived, ate a very nice dinner restaurant, Dante’s where I had pasta and a vegetarian soufflé. Alex, Ian, Michelle and I drank some Italian wine and returned home for n early night.

The following day we took a bus into Venice and did a walking tour with Lindsay. I was amazed that she didn’t get lost walking through all those winding streets. There was a live band playing alongside the main canal and we sat and listened to the band. After that we went and visited a glass making house where a very Italian man sat alongside a furnace, cigarette in mouth, and effortlessly crafted a horse out of a piece of hot glass. We were very impressed! After glass we went to a lace making house where the most gorgeous old lady explained the process to us and the reason why it is becoming a threatened profession (It takes 7 ladies 8 months to make one of the larger pieces so the government subsidises their wages).

Next we had a gondola ride where we had to get into groups. All of the single guys got together in one gondola for form a “man boat’ and all the gondoliers, who were standing alongside the vacant gondolas, were in hysterics at the sight. Our ride was very romantic… apart for the section of the trip where Alex suggested we should look for poo fish as the sewerage is emptied straight into the canals… yep the water is the equivalent of liquid death. After our ride we went looking down side streets for some lunch. We found a really lovely place and, as we lingered over wine, antipasto and pizza it began to snow.

We finished off our day with some shopping which ended only when I was reluctantly dragged from the countless mask shops I tried to enter. Back on the main land we had pizza for dinner and then a few drinks at a bar before packing our bags and going to bed.     

Be Italian! - Florence and Rome

Saturday; Florence

With sore heads we headed off to Florence with a quick stop in Pisa to see the leaning tower; we saw it… it was leaning… we moved on. (It was quite interesting to learn however that it started leaning when they were building it as the foundations sunk into the ground on one side. Stubbornly the Italians just continued to build, correcting the weight distribution of the tower as they went.)

We arrived in Florence and had a terrible dinner at the hostel (frozen bread bruschetta and undercooked pasta with tomato sauce) but our Florence stay was redeemed by the following day. After a walking tour of Florence with a local guide we explored the streets finding many shops and stalls where I bought way too many things. We stopped for lunch at a busy restaurant and had bruschetta and pasta before heading towards the Basilica where Michelangelo, Galileo, Raphael and Dante are buried. We saw a street puppet show, bartered with locals over leather bags and, to finish a wonderful day, we had pizza for dinner followed by the biggest gelato I have ever seen/ eaten.    

Sunday & Monday; Rome

We arrived in Rome and headed for a group dinner at a local restaurant where we had pasta and Italian wine. The entire group has been sick and some people did not make it out into the city but Alex and I soldiered on... when in Rome...

We began our day at the Vatican which was mind-blowing. The wealth and grandeur of the collection and the history behind the artworks (particularly the Sistine Chapel) is amazing. I bought some Rosary beads and sent my grandfather a postcard from Vatican before leaving for St Peter’s Square. We then walked to the Coliseum and explored Palatine Hills. We found a little restaurant on one of the back streets and decided to have a late lunch. I had pizza, again, and it was yummy.   

We headed back to the hostel to have an early night and to get some washing done. This trip is exhausting!!!

Photo post; Paris and the Swiss Alps

Switzerland

Thursday; Swiss Alps

We left Paris for Switzerland early in the morning. On the bus we introduced ourselves to the group and watched a movie. Our group leader Lindsay also gave us some info about Switzerland. After driving for about 9 hours we arrived at our hostel in time for dinner which was a cheese fondue (and sausages). Our snow covered cabins nestled among the Alps were very picturesque, particularly as everything was decorated for Christmas still.

Friday; New Year’s Eve
For our only day in the Alps we decided to explored the village we were staying in (insert town name here). It was a beautiful day which must be rare because when we asked the lady at the campsite for change for the washing machine she rolled her eyes and said “you’re doing washing today!?” After doing our washing like good little travellers we walked through the snow looking at all the little shops, bought Swiss army knives (a must apparently) and laughed at Ian when, after grabbing a street pole, could not get his glove back off because of the ice. We caught cable car up into the Alps where we sat outside on deck chairs enjoying the scenery in the sun. The boys had beers and after we headed back down to prepare for our New Year celebrations.  

We started with some Champagne which we carted across from France and then Michelle and I, who were drinking Midori and pineapple juice, decided to make snow slushies. They were amazing (although I was particularly careful to use fresh, untouched snow)! We then joined the rest of our group in the bar for local apple cider and beers. Needless to say it was a BIG night which was highlighted by the fireworks display at midnight… put on by the 10-14 year old daughters of the campsite owners. This might explain why so many Swiss children were missing fingers?

We awoke New Year’s day to the news that it had been a big night for all… particularly for two unnamed members of the group who were caught having “good times” on the washing machine and for cabin 28… although the reason why is probably too improper for blogging purposes (just ask me what awaited the occupants of cabin 28 when you see me!)

Adventures in Paris

Sunday
After another big buffet breakfast (this is to be a theme throughout the trip) it was straight to the Eiffel tower for our bike tour of Paris. Despite it not snowing the air was bitterly cold and I was not looking forward to being on a bike for 3 hours. We met our guide, picked our bikes and off we went. It turned out to be a really good way to introduce us to the city. We got around to many of the main attractions and were able to mentally plan where we wanted to go back to> We were told some history and got a few opportunities to take some photos. My hands and feet by the end of the tour were frozen but it was a good experience and I would definitely recommend it (in spring!)

After the bike tour we lined up at the Eiffel tower but, sick of people already, Alex suggested we come back where there are less people (ha). So instead we went down to the river where there were some Christmas markets still open so we bought vin chaude and marrons chaude and watched the river rise.

The rising river was the unfortunate catalyst for the cancellation of our river cruise so instead we headed to dinner at a little restaurant where we made the embarrassing mistake of ordering  cocktails in France! They came out garnished with lollies and a smug look from the waiter (we did not ordered cocktails again in France).

After dinner we headed back into Paris to see the Eiffel tower at night and to meet up with one of my Cavilam friends, Danielle who took lovely photos of us with his DSLR camera. We then journeyed over to the Champs Elysees to see the lights and Christmas stalls. The street was packed but we still managed to make our way to the Arc de Triumph and take some more photos.

We slowly made our way back to the hotel to get some rest for the next day. I endeavoured to pack as much into our time in Paris as possible but, as Melanie said, there is no way you can see it all in a week!

Monday
Our second day began with (after breakfast) the line at the Louvre. The line was very lovely… but after we got into the museum and saw the obvious musts; the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo but we also saw some amazing things in the Egyptian exhibition and the ancient Greek and Roman collections. We spend the next three hours trying to take in the amazing the collections and the beauty of the actual building itself. Although I could have stayed there all day we left and walked to the Military museum to see Napoleon’s Tomb and learnt about France’s turbulent (yet impressive) military past. We also saw Napoleon’s horse, which they stuffed and stood in the corner of the museum… nice.

We stayed in the museum until security herded us out. We then decided to head to Notre Dame where we took some photos and explored the Latin quarter of Paris. We found a little restaurant on the outskirts which read “authentic French cuisine” on the menu so we decided to head in for some dinner. Turned out it was owned by a Chinese family where the mum cooked in the basement, sending the meals up to the son who, during his ‘service’ interludes watched videos on his laptop at the table across from us (perhaps this is authentically French service?)Our food, thanks to “mum” was amazing and cheap! All in all an exhaustingly productive day!      

Tuesday
For our last day in Paris we decided we would visit Versailles to see the Chateau. . We got off the train to face the biggest line I have ever seen. Inside the Chateau was no different; I have not been in such a small space with so many pushy people! The Chateau itself was amazing though, particularly the room of mirrors.

We returned to Paris and trekked to the hotel where we were meeting the tour group. After a treacherous and dirty walk through the suburbs of outer Paris we found the hotel and met our lovely Scottish tour leader, Lindsay. Ian and Michelle (the couple who were planned to do the tour with) we staying in the room next to us so we had a good catch up with them before our group dinner. Dinner for 40-something people on the cheap would be a challenge for any restaurant so I wasn’t expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised with French onion soup and an omelette and salad. The others also got to try escargot. (I tried to but just couldn’t do it; those snails had families too!)

After we went all got on the bus to do a city lights tour. It was nice to sit back and see all the areas or Paris we had been in. We also drove past the Moulin Rouge, down the Champs Elysse and around the Arc de Triumph round about (twice)! After stop at a church and the Eiffel tower we headed home.

Wednesday
Our final day in Paris!! We headed to the Eiffel tower first to make sure we got at the front of the line. We climbed the stairs to the second level (a good 800 or so) and had a look at the view. After the Tower we were to the Catacombs where we were faced with a two hour long line. Thankfully we had Ian and Michelle to talk to and before we knew it we were descending some more stairs into the mass graves. The bones were all arranged into patterns and we walked through the tunnels surrounded by more than 8000 skeletons of ancient Parisians who had fallen victim to the plague. It was a humbling and hallowing experience and we all left in a subdued silence.

Our spirits quickly escalated as we stepped onto the Champs Elyesse. We walk the length of the street and the boys say and watched the traffic at the roundabout. Despite him being sick it was the happiest I had seen him all day! (boys..) We window shopped and bought souvenirs from the  stalls then rushed  to Notre Dame to meet our group for dinner. Despite the overwhelmingly packed metro we got there early so we went into the church. It was magnificent. I cannot describe how beautiful the building is and the rich history behind it made it even more incredible. 

We met our tour group and walked to the Latin Quarter to have dinner which was, for me, a goat’s cheese salad, vegetables drowned in cream and cheese, and sorbet. One of the boys in the tour got a bug in his dinner and so, in an effort to make us all forget the experience, the waiter gave us copious amounts of free wine. It was a good night!

After dinner we went to a cabaret show. It started off a little tacky with motorcycles however they did the traditional cancan at the end. There was also an amazing male  gymnast, juggler and tap dancer who were incorporated to entertain the female component of the audience. There is something in the fact that the men actually have to have some type of skills while the women just have to look pretty... my thought for this post...       

Alex a Vichy et notre Noël blanc

Christmas Eve and my last day in Vichy

Friday
I got up Friday morning early enough to run down to the bakery and buy a croissant for Alex and a baguette for my class. I asked Alex to bring some vegemite and for my last day I wanted to treat them to an Australian delicacy. Our morning class was a mix of Christmas sayings and words and some traditional carols. We had vegemite during our break (which everybody surprisingly liked) and I said my goodbyes to the class.

I met Alex outside the school and we walked to a tea house to have some lunch. I ordered in French and Alex and I enjoyed hot chocolates and baguettes for lunch. After lunch we walked to the Grande Marche to buy some cheese, bread and a bûche noel for Christmas Eve. We shopped and bought some expensive lollies on our way back to the room where we got ready for drinks at Niveks place to say yet another farewell. After cheese, wine and bread Alex and I went to the local church Christmas service for a while. It was lovely to see the old church packed full of people but it was so crowded! We tried to find somewhere open for dinner but, after no luck, we went back to the hotel room to eat more cheese and bread and watched the Christmas programs on French television. It turned out to be a very quiet, cosy Christmas Eve.        

White Christmas!

Saturday
We woke Christmas day to beaucoup beaucoup de neige!!! It was awesome to have a white Christmas in France and Alex and I took many pretty photos from our hotel window. We went downstairs for petit-dejeuner and, unfortunately for the hotel restaurant, it wasn’t at all petit!  As we ate our big breakfast we watched the snow build up in the street and started to wonder just how we were going to get our bags to the train station. In the end we decided to catch a taxi. In now time at all we jumped off the train and landed in Paris. After negotiating our way through the metro system we clambered up onto the street. By the time I had opened the map an old French woman had Alex by the hand and was asking him where he wanted to go. (If only every metro station had a resident old women out the front!) She directed us, in French, to our hotel and we checked into our first Parisian hotel.  

Alex had organised with his cousin Tori to go and have some Christmas drinks with them because they lived in Paris. So after quick showers we were back on the metro heading towards Alex’s cousins in-laws place, a bottle of French Champagne in hand. We arrived and were warmly welcomed by Tori, Vincent (her French husband) and his French parents (who spoke a little English). Their house was beautiful and we ate cheese, pate, salad, vegies and little sausages (well I didn’t…) We also drank, which is where the adventures began. After two bottles of champagne and three bottles of red we were all relatively toasty and Vincent’s parents joined us so I got to practice my French with some real Parisians. They either understood me or cleverly and politely pretended to, either way we had the most amazing Christmas day thanks to them. After a very warm and thankful farewell on my part (I think the wine played a large part in this final exchange) we made our way back to our hotel, and crashed straight away; our first full day in Paris was to begin with a bike ride, oh my!