My Travels

Made it back home complete and in one piece. Everyone overseas asks why Australians are such big travellers and when we go we go for months at a time. My take on this is that for us to really see what we need/want, we have to do as much as possibly in the time we have there as it is just to harsh to be making those journeys to often. My flights were crammed and long another reason not to do it to often.

It is now a little over a week and I have not gotten into a pattern of sleep as yet, my first day home i slept 12 hours, I have no problem getting to sleep at a normal hour but average only about 5 hours sleep a night. It is strange to be back to where you know what you are doing and where you are, but a very comfortable strange. My mind I think isnt completely with it yet maybe more sleep would help.

A short precis on my overall experience is that in a nutshell I had a great time and am glad that I went where I did and came home when I did. My first departure was the east coast Canada and was delighted with my time there and highly recommend that it be visited. National parks and beautiful scenery are abundant in this area as well as intersting cities and towns. My pick was probably Quebec where you could stroll around all day or kick back as you saw fit. Saying that though it was all wonderful and am assured there is plenty more to the east coast that I didnt see, which I easily believe. My tour from San Francisco to Los Angeles was a real blast it was all camping and was brilliant, All the gorges, canyons etc are unique in their own way aand each has much to see and trek through. Alaska was stunning, I suppose seeing the Aurora Borealis helps, not only that though the scenery is spectacular, the colours and rivers etc just magnificent. Then like Alaska the west coast Canada is equally if not more so spectacular then the aforementioned. Jasper all the way through to Banff gorgeous and am told the rest of the the west coast is as great which I believe. Then the polar bears to see them fighting and playing was a bonus I thought we would see them but I didnt think they would be as active as what they were, easily worth the money as it all had been.

Western Europe was great to see but where I could spend forever roaming Canada I could not do this with where I was in Europe, the one exception being Portugal. Portugal was fantastic and loved all that I saw there from the top to the bottom, easily my first recommendation for the region. Spain was nice and the tapas and drinks were great but for me not like Portugal not even close, I will say though that Salamanca in Spain was very nice, it felt like Portugal. Paris was nice to visit the museums etc were very good in that you saw a lot of art from books etc and perhaps the better ones being those you havent seen. Maybe it was the overcast ordinary weather but I was not fussed on Paris and I know many people love it so again this is only my opinion. Brussels in Belgium was a great little stay the chocolates the beer the people was a more kick back part but interesting but it could be left out of an itinery to save time for elsewhere. Amsterdam was great not to be missed, the atmosphere there was fun and relaxed and there is amusement everywhere to be found. Berlin and Munich were both awesome the history of them both captures the imagination when you are there. Salzburg another favourite, maybe for the snow the xmas atmosphere the leathal drink punsch who knows but for me this time of year was great fun. If you are into museums, cathedrals etc Vienna is your place the Innere Stadt is the place to see all and you could spend as much time in their museums as in Paris. Venice also a must see with the canals, the gondolas, being constantly lost is great fun and being like it is you cant ever be to lost. Florence was nice but certainly for me only a place for a short visit but certainly plenty to see for a few days or just sit back and have a drink and some food. Rome was intering to see ie the Vatican, Colloseum etc very touristy everyone with their map in their hand and certainly most are lost thanks to the bad maps.

So thats it in a nutshell, for me Canada is the place I would most recommend and West Europe I would be heading Portugal, Netherlands, Germany way if I was going to see the same things again. Weather is the determining factor anywhere I was very lucky and am thankful for that, out of season places as we know can be unbearably cold and in season the unbearable part are all the people but as they say life wasnt meant to be easy.

Well its been 5 great months and time has come to head home and I must say I am looking forward to my own bed. Still though even with less than 24 hours before I begin my journey home it feels like I am just moving on to another country, I have done it so much going especially in the last 5/6 weeks that mentally I dont have much else to think about other than for the pals to get to my next destination.

Rome has been interesting and probably more than any other city I have been to it is a place for real history buffs. For myself and other Aussies et al that I have met her it is a place to see the sites you see in pictures and on tv abd then move on to the next one. Whereas the historians could spend many many gours at it place just staring at the wonders that these places must have seen, how they were built etc etc, and that for me is the same of the Vatican. When you first arrive in Rome with its population of at least 2.2 million you would think it would take forever to see the sites as they would be spread out all over the place. This is not true it is actualy quite the opposite and one way that I saw so much in the first couple of days was that you go to one place have a look and then realise the next site to visit is about a five minute walk away so you just go that little bit further, it is quite compact. If you were in a really hurry and like me didnt want to spend a lot of time in awe of churches you could see most of the historical sites Rome the city has in 2 days. As an example the Pantheon, Trevi fountain, Colloseum, Roman Forum and several others are in an area of less than 1km. I said you could see them all in a very short time but dont get me wrong you could depending on your bent spend hours at each one therefore obviously time gets away from you. The only time I spent any real time at one of these places was the Colloseum, unless you wanted a guided tour you could stand in line alone for 2 hours. The tours are worth it as they do 2 or 3 sites and you learn a lot more, however you are severely restricted with what you want to see, but then you do jump the cues. These sites et al are all amazing to see but for me to see take a photo and move on which is what I did. maybe I did a diservice to them but hey I am there for me. As I said I saw these places and more and as I have said before especially in Rome walk around as in Rome there are ruins everywhere and to be honest the rawness if these are more interesting then say the Trevi fountain. The Colloseum is worth the money and effort either the line up or tour as it for myself was one of the places where I could actual imagine the history and spectacle, another was Cirrus Massimus just down the road from Colloseum.

The Vatican is another thing all together it impressed me yet felt that its audacity was not befitting of current times. The Sistine Chapel whilst very different then I had imagined (smaller less intricate paintings) was amazing to see, considering Michalengelo was ordered to paint it and wasnt a painter. I went on a tour with the Vatican which is a double edged sword as they are expensive and you dont spend anywhere near as much time as you would by yourself in the museum but you learn a lot of the history. In reality if you were realy that way inclined one day take a tour then go another day by yourself, it is a wonder to see. St Peters Bascillica is very grand as one would imagine and you are able to go underneath it to the area of Constantine and look at all of the sacophogies them embody the deceased popes. The museum is a place that you could spent (crowds permitting) many many hours with all of its art, tapestries and treasures this you really need to do on your own but be prepared to cue for hours.

I was told this is the busiest time for Rome as it is cold and the Romans and Italians are around as well as the tourists. It is funny to see so many people, myself included walking around with a map in their hand, all lost, and let me say most of these lost people are Italian. The Rome city map seems indicative of Italian city maps I feel as they are designed to get you lost. The landmark sites are not drawn on the map in the correct direction and it takes a couple of days to learn this (slow learner) and it is as confusing as you would not believe thanks to the street signage.

Seeing so much in the first few days has afforded me the opportunity to wander around and see the things not deemed worthy to be on the map, such as the intersection that has on each of its four corners an inlaid sculpture that seems to be nowhere else. Another place i visited was the Cappuchin Crypt which is under a church and its walls etc are decorated with the bones of the deceased Cappuchin monks. Morbid in one way yet very fascinating. There are four chapels each named after the body part ie the chapel of skulls, something you dont see every day.
Rome has a bit to see but I am sure there are a lot prettier places to see in Italy with a lot more Italian culture and I liken Florence in the same way. Interesting to see these places but if i was coming back I might be tempted to find quiter locales and more relaxed.

Well I head home tomorrow so that about wraps up my travels I will however once I recover from jetlag etc add one more update and maybe fill in some blanks or just give a bit of a precis on my interpretation of places that I have seen. Thanks to all that have been reading and maybe I will be talking with some ofyou soon and to the others I hope my travels have been entertaining enough and if there is anything you might like to know please just leave a comment for me and I will try and answer the best that I can. Cheers to all

Well I have made it to Rome my last port of call. I say this as a person travelling solo but I really cant see that Florence is any more romantic than anywhere else. I think it has a movie history of be so but it is really (maybe this time of year) quite dark even when sunny, the very narrow streets are rarely in sun and the Piazzas are absolutely crammed, whoever said this wasnt peak season obviously hasnt been here this time of year. I stood in line at the galleria del'Accademia to see the statues etc, the most famous being that of David, for about 15 minutes, it did not move and I was quite a distance from the door so I gave that up. There is two sides to Florence separated by the river, on my first day I wandered to the far side which had less attractions but the distance was the equaliser. You climb up the many many stairs to reach Piazzale Michelangelo which is atop a hill and overlooks greater Florence. There were two main rival families in Florence the Medici who were the far superior and the Pitti family. The Pitti family resided on the other side of the river from the main population while the Medici in the city itself, the Pitti resided in a massive palace and owned all around but the Medici had the greater area and all the chapels etc so you can see where the churches allegiances were.
My second day was spent roaming the main streets of Florence it being new years eve they had markets on, first let me say how narrow the streest are so its a little crazy to put market stalls up in them or so you would think, and how much leather could even the throngs in Florence possibly buy. There is many chapels and Bascillicas to see but to be honest am getting a little tired of them all ( he says heading towards Rome). As I earlier stated the romance side of it I just dont see it I thought Venice, Vienna, Amsterdam was more so but I can only speak for myself. Again I am glad I am not staying longer than my three nights as I am sure I would have been walking the same streets seeing the same things that I had already seen because as i have said of these cities they have crammed much into a small area and walking about you can see a lot in a relative short time, it is the museum cues etc that kill the time but if that is what you are there for it is all a trade off.
Well an hour and a half train ride and I am in Rome. Rome is a different story it is a lot bigger, that being said I asked at my hotel how long a walk it was to the Vatican (the greatest distance for an attraction away) and was told you dont want to walk that it will take you a good hour. Well when there are things to see along the way I am happy to walk it and as there are so many things to see I am sure It wont be a dull walk, hopefully not to many things as I will never get there. I have drawn up my list of places to see and will cross them off as I go, surprising they are not as far apart as I thought and again you can taking the right path see quite a bit in a day. Well first full day out exploring Rome tomorrow I think I will weather permitting (currently fine here expecting rain 15 max 5 min) investigate the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, Circo Massimo et al time permitting also. Take care and place nice.

Time does go quickly that said again I am happy with the time that I have spent in Venice. Yes you could easily spend longer and see more but a lot of that time would be just sitting around in coffee shops (not that thats a bad thing) or visiting more museums etc. The waterfornt is easily accessible and you can walk quite a long way even before you have the opportunity to lose your way. My hotel was in the San Marco area which hosts the major Piazza so was again well chosen. As a word of advice yes you can find cheaper places to stay but places like Venice are noisy and the difference in hotels and the lesser Pensions and other nplaces dont always pay off and they are not that much cheaper. The one thing I didnt do was visit the Murano glass factory where the obviously Murano glass comes from but that was a several hour or so day done. Venice is very tourist friendly with a number of churches and museums free (very rare). I easily spent my two days wandering around canals over bridges looking in shops and taking pictures. Venice has two shopping genres the outright expensive and sadly cheap crap. I did also as most do got lost, well I didnt get lost I was headed home and managed to end up where I started heading back from which was the Rialto bridge one of only three bridges that connect the major islands to each other. I still dont know how I managed to circle back. The small museums in Venice are good as they dont consume you yet are quite interesting. Christmas time is out of peak tourist season yet it is the busiest time outside of the season and it was very very busy I cant imagine it at peak times. I was also interested to see how many church towers (they stand out the most) are aslant a far way from being upright.

Well that was Venice it was a Vaporetto (waterbus) ride this more back to the train station for my two hour train ride to my new location Florence. I settled in then went for a walk to the area where there was just the one attraction the old fort which was closed, I have realised that out of season a number of sites are closed as the take the opportunity to renovate and just give a freshen up. There is quite a bit to see here in Florence so am sure I will be doing a bit of walking and add a few more pics to my collection I will do a bit of planning tonight so I dont waste time just aimlessly wandering, which is what I do in all the cities I visit.

Well a quick update done. I will update again I think when I arrive in Rome or shortly after, which is my final destination but have plenty of time there so will easily see all that I want to see. To all take care have a nice and safe New Years.

Well Salzburg was marvellous a small city with so much to offer, especially this time of year. It is christmas time and its snowing, the markets are open and everyone is out braving the weather, I think it is more the Punsch and beer that is drawing the crowds, everywhere is busy but all are in great spirits. I for the first time have decided to wear my thermal underwear as it is nicer to be comfortably warm rather than just warm especially if a breeze rears its ugly icy blast. My time in Salzburg is perfect any more and I would just be wandering for the sake of it any less and I would feel as if I left it undone, Salzburg is a very compact city and most of the attractions/sites are right at the doorstep. I chose to visit Salzburg rather than somewhere in Switzerland as it was on the way to Vienna and I wanted to go there rather than anywhere in particular in Switzerland (of course that doesnt include the swiss alps). I was not disappointed with my choice and am pleased with the way all worked out, I have had a great time in a wonderful part of the world.

A two and a half hour train ride and I arrive in Vienna, the countryside on the train ride was magnificent the snow on the mountains, the mist between the hills and houses very picturesque, although it may not be the first choice of some the train is far superior than flying possibly better even than driving, no better way to view the country in all its winter splendour. Even seeing the things I have seen and am seeing still doesnt always seem real as in my mind it is all a world away but then I realise I too am a world away. Back to where I started this paragraph, I arrived at the Wien Westbanhof (Vienna Main Train Station) where I found a taxi driver whom spoke enough english that we didnt have a five minute conversation as to where I wanted to go (mental note write down address in the native language, it would save a hell of a lot). My hotel is in the Innere Stadt which is in the centre of the city, District 1 you cant get any better or closer, yes and it did cost extra but hey its xmas. I arrived at about 4pm and with the shops closing at 6pm and only open until 2pm the next day xmas eve, the pressure was on for those that had there last minute shopping to do. aas I said I was right in town, the main shopping mall/street is KarntnerStrabe of which when I looked out my bedroom window and straight down thats what I saw. People were everywhere especially about 300 metres down the Strabe/road where St Stephens Cathedral is, man that places is like honey to bees. Vienna is one cathedral after another and one museum after another seriously if your into museums and alike you have to come to Vienna (and stay in the Innere Stadt) It is all within easy reach as I said St Stephens Cathedral, Mozarts house, the Opera House where he and Strauss played and the Albertina a museum which houses many many works of art and not as austentatious as the Louvre. Luckily there was not much museum time as there was things to do and see and the museums for the most part that I was there were closed, honestly if your into museums, history architecture etc visit Vienna but bring you money touring the museums alone could cost you more than your accomodation, there is that many and none are cheap. The weather has been fine but a wind boardering on a gust picked up and it was cold especially on xmas day and even with no shops open the city was still full of window shoppers.

My time again was well spent and am happy to get on the move again. This time though to get to my next destination is not quite so easy. I have to backtrack and pass through Salzburg on my way to Innsbruck which is on my way to Verona which is on my way to Venice. Luckily again the countryside for the most part is spectacular especially once we get nearer the snowfields. Well it was a long day I left my hotel at 9am and arrived at my new hotel in Venice at 9pm, for the most part it went quickly there is plenty to look at and I dont mind starting up a conversation with a stranger on a train. I arrived at Santa Lucia train station and you literally walk straight out onto the canal and await your waterbus, my luck is holding out as I had to wait no longer than about 2 minutes and I was on the canal on my way, I got off at my designated stop walk about 70 metres up a dark laneway and there was my hotel. So its a dinner of biscuits and coke and off to bed, to venture off tomorrow and see what I see, maps are useless apparently so hopefully you will all hear from me again soon.