Home again

Someone's very happy we're home

Frankfurt revisited

We've returned to Frankfurt, which means we are close to the end of our holiday. That's a little bit sad, but we've had a good time. However, we didn't get to do one thing....see snow! So I did an internet search to find the nearest mountains near Frankfurt and found one within an hour's train trip. I checked the webcam from the mountain...and....it was showing snow. We've had a cold snap at the end of our holiday and they had a fresh cover of snow fall yesterday. So we hopped on the train and headed up the mountain. Luckily there was still just a little bit of snow lying around, so we got to see snow on our European Winter holiday.


Right now we are waiting at the airport to board our plane. Once again a full flight so we may not get our business class seats. Fingers crossed (otherwise it will be legs crossed as we squeeze into the seats). We'll be home soon Reba!!!

Bye bye Europe, we'll be back (?soon) especially Amsterdam and Vienna. It's been fantastic.

Vienna

We left Venice by overnight train heading for Vienna. We didn't have a sleeper this time, opting for a couchette (an open bunk in a compartment of six bunks). We arrived to a chilly but sunny morning in Vienna. The hotel room in Vienna turned out to be the nicest of the trip, which is a lovely way to finish the trip. Vienna may well be the highlight of the trip as well. It looks to be a very lovely city, magnificent architecture, clean, friendly, gardens, easy to get around. I'm thinking we should have left more time to spend in this city.

Schonbrunn Palace
The Gloriette - The garden pavillion
The Palmenhouse


The Gates to the Imperial Palace Complex
The Imperial Apartments
At the public transport depot!

The main Shopping Mall

St Stephan's Cathedral
The (Blue) Danube

Venice

There are no words for Venice; words couldn't possibly capture the experience. Photos don't really do it justice either. In any case I will leave the photos to try and convey the wonderful experience that is Venice.

The Basilica

The Doge's PalaceThe markets around San Marco Square








The Rialto Bridge

Train from Nice to Venice via Milan

We started the journey in a compartment with an elderly farming couple from West Australia and a young couple from Texas. We al chatted for the four hours to Milan, so the trip went very fast. Unfortunately, the train went very slow and we missed our connection to Venice. Luckily there was another train just an hour later (not in the schedule), however it was almost standing room only. Managed to find two seats (nearly together) in 2nd class.
Arrived in Venice after dark, and still managed to find our way to the hotel.

Nice day 3

At the market in Nice

It was a very quiet Sunday morning in Nice. The streets were quiet and deserted. We thought everyone was sleeping off their saturday night hangover...it turns out they were all having brunch at the Market in the Old Town part of Nice. Everyone was sitting at outdoor cafes soaking up the sunshine.
After wandering around the market, we made our way up the old fort atop the hill overlooking Nice. Great views over the city and the Cote d'Azur.
We continued wandering through the narrow streets of the Old Town, looking at the many shops and boutiques and people shopping in them.
We bought some crusty bread rolls and a bottle of red wine for lunch which we enjoyed in an old square with a church, a central fountain, and grand buildings on all sides. We sat on the steps, bathed in sunshine enjoying a wonderful lunch. A perfect scene.

A day in Monaco

Museum in the old walled part of Monte Carlo

Monaco HarbourSome lovely building who's name I forget!

Monaco marina

The casino at Monte Carlo

We thought we might take the train to Monaco, go to the casino and win some extra spending money so we could extend our holiday. Luckily we wouldn't have been allowed in (jeans and t-shirt) or we might have been coming home early!
We had lunch at the top of Monte Carlo in the old fortified, walled city, with beautiful views over the bay. A little breezy, but a balmy 19C. Even got a touch of sun today.

PS
Think carefully before you ask to see our photos when we return, we're up to 500+ with two cities still to come!!!!