The first trip to Europe was via Singapore and London toured Britain and then caught the ferry at Dover white cliffs to Calais France travelling to Belgium, Amstadam the usual canal cruise and then on to Arhnhem and cologne to admire the gothic cathedral then driving on to bonn and its vineyards cruising to goar and staying at the hotel overnight. The cathedral was began in 1248 height 157m roman catholic opened in 1322 declared a world heritage site in 1996 it attracts 20,000 people a day and is the tallest twin peak in the world dedication st peter.

On to munich and the glockenspiel in the old town of graz plays just 3 times a day two figures can be seen to dance the clock was built around 1600 by wolf de a beautiful tour and then on to innsbrook and st jakob’s cathedral with its gold roof. From there salzburgb birthplace of Mozart.

wolfgang amadeus Mozart boy genius and accomplished composer born here in 1756 died 1791 at 35 and was buried in a paupers grave at vienna street Marx cemetery. mozart and his wife had 6 children but only 2 sons survived. no descendent has survived.

salzburg where sound of music was filmed

A stop on the Danube for lunch and then on to Vienna and an elegant opera night and a walking tour of the many sights and shopping on the Karntnerstrasse.

toured schsonbrun palace the habsburg coffins so interesting lay in the imperial crypt beneath the capuchin church vienna is absolutely amazing a must see 149 habsburgs incude 12 emperors and 19 queens have their final resting place here .
Double coffin of marie theresia and emperor franz1. bronze coffins.

On to the lake district through the austrian alps over the italian border and through the carnic alps on to veneto region finding our way to Venice.


Venice is such a special place 100 islands in a lagoon in the adriatic sea with canals and bridges and gothic housing st marks basilica is a roman catholic church in venice completed in 1092 byzantine and gothic style. venice has a population of 262,000 residents and it is a unesco world site.

st mark square
venice masked balls and mystery the doge’s palace and the bridge of sighs so much to take in here.

Rome center of the ancient world with its collisium and gladiator warriors such as priscus a well known popular fighter having won on numerous occasion’s and being pitted against an equal named versus they fought valiantly for several hours and eventually both exhausted conceded to one another putting down their swords the crowd applauded and emperor titus presented them both with a rudis and their freedom.

vatican city
the collosseum
st peters Basilica

Rome and the vatican

inside the vatican city is the history of christianity

135 swiss guard protect the pope and the apostolic palace because 500 years ago julius11 pope hired mercenary pontifical guard who remain to this day all due to economic hardship of the past.


gothic style franciscan church roman catholic santa croce basilica florence consecrated in 1443 tuscany

Florence was a delight its magic is in the very air you breath it took me back in time in a most personal way i have always been a history buff but to stand in the same places and see similar sights brings the past back in a way that would excite anyone. It made me think of the days of the medici families of times past the creation of wealth of the popes and times of trade the textiles the cloths so many beautiful things to see and remember. Florence gave me a vibe of by gone days just a feeling of wonder.

From Florence to Nice to Pisa and onto Lucerne and the lion monument an amazing tribute to the fallen swiss guard who in the beginings of the french revolution tried and died defending the king Louis XVI in versailles 1791. ”The lion lies in his lairin the perpendicular face of a low cliff for he is carved in living rock of the cliff.His size is colossal, his attitude is noble.His head is bowed,the broken spear is sticking into his shoulder, his protecting paw rests upon the lilies of france. Cines hang down the cliff and wave in the wind,and a clear stream trickles from above and empties into a pond at the base,and in the smooth surface of the pond the lion is mirrored, among the water lilies.Around about are green trees and grass. The place is sheltered,reposeful woodland nook,remote from noise and stir and confusion.-and all this is fitting, for lions do die in such places ,and not on granite pedestals in public squares fenced with fancy iron railings. The lion of Lucerne would be impressive anywhere ,but nowhere so impressive as where he is.” Mark Twain.

Mt Pilatus and swiss grandure and so worth the sights and just so much more lake como I forgot to mention.
chapel bridge near st peters built 17th century
Paris art the louvre , The champs Elysees the Arc de Triomphe Notre Dame Cathedral cruise on the Seine Shopping cafe’s just so much more no one could see everything its a magical dream.

Time to Fly home and dream of my next escape of which there are more adventure to tell.join me and discover the world is simply not enough lol.


From sydney to amstadam stopping to transfer in abu darbi 12 hours to arbu darbi arriving at midnight feeling the temperature which was warm to say the least then boarding another 10 hour flight to Amstadam arrived and transferred to our Botel ship accommodation right next to the ferry across the bay and the main shopping center train station and hop on hop off buses which carry you all around Amstadam and its beautiful canals. Easy walking push biking however you want to see the sights.

our unique Botel a 5 minute walk to free ferry to Amstadam central where you can take advantage of tours and Rail station

Amstadam was a fishing village in the 13th century it developed around the river Amsel and the name amstelledamme is seen in a toll concession of floris count of holland in 1275. Further development of buildings required the control of flooding so to connect islands canal bridges were installed and canals extended as shipping and transfer of goods required. The canals enabled trade to thrive and finance to empower the growing population and also its unique liberal attitude for fun.

pushbike hire is a popular way to tour the city
canal touring hop on hop off
museums cafe’s and interesting red light districts easy walking tours and of course visit the country side and the windmills
many live on the canal which are fully connected to the facilities at a high cost.
Amstadam was an absolute delight and well worth a visit
just a wonderful place to holiday holland

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