Netherlands - Amsterdam

Yesterday was day 152 - exactly HALF WAY! 

We started the second half of our trip relaxing for the morning with Jan and Bea, as well as cleaning the camper in preparation for its return in Amsterdam.

We were treated to some very Dutch delicacies including Salted Herring, and Ollie Bollen. Ollie Bollen is normally only eaten at New Years but lucky for us someone at the local market was celebrating something so they had made some. They were delicious, although not very good for you I am sure.  

After saying our goodbyes to everyone with promises to visit again and invitations for them to come to Australia, we drove to Amsterdam.

We found our hotel, after a little searching, checked in, and then went to return the van. 

Relieved to be finally free of anymore driving for the remainder of our trip, we settled into our hotel and caught up on some life admin.

Amsterdam is known for it's canals....and it's bikes, we just didn't know the two went together.

Netherlands - Ermelo

Our last full day with our beautiful family from The Netherlands was wonderful!

Firstly, we rose early and made our way to Alkmaar a little town famous for its Cheese Market held every Friday. The cheese market is still very traditional with the runners in their white uniform with a straw hat bearing the colour of the guild they belong to, the weigh in’s on an old fashioned hanging balance scale, and the judges/ quality control men in their long white coats - it has been running in the same fashion for ...... years. We then wandered around this gorgeous little town exploring some of the shops but mainly just taking in the atmosphere.

We were then treated to lunch at a lovely restaurant on the way home, not far from Alkmaar.

Our evening was a fabulous climax of our wonderful stay. Brii’s Dad’s cousins arranged for all the family from the Netherlands to gather for a family BBQ.  So, except for a few children, we had the pleasure of meeting all of our Dutch relatives and had a wonderful evening learning new family stories and relating similarities between our families even though we have never been together. Thank you Bea and Jan for hosting this and thank you Ernst and Nel for having us for the week!

Netherlands - Ermelo

Today, Ernst, Nel, and Bea took us to Volendam which is a traditional fishing village on the shores of the Marker Meer. Volendam is very quaint with its 17th century gabled houses and narrow streets. We explored the streets of Volendam and took a boat ride across to Marken, a neighbouring island. Marken is also a traditional Dutch fishing village with wooden houses in the traditional architecture. Here we tried Kibbeling (Dutch codfish), and an assortment of other fresh seafoods, all of which were delicious.

Both villages give that sense of ‘old world’ Holland. They were very cool.

After leaving Volendam we drove home along a different route. We visited Batavia Werf in Lelystad which is where traditional hand made wooden boat building is taught. 

We then drove across the Markerwaarddijk which is a dyke built in 1977. This was the second dyke built in the 20th century, with the first one (Afsluitdijk) being built in 1932. Prior to 1932, the Netherlands was much smaller. After they built these dykes, they pumped the water out, waited for the ground to dry out, and then built new cities on the reclaimed land (polder). It is an interesting part of Dutch history.

Another fun day with Brii’s family!

Netherlands - Ermelo

This morning Ernst drove us to Zwolle to visit the house that Brii’s Dad lived in with his family just before they immigrated to Australia. It was amazing to see the house just as it was all those years ago, and to see where Dad lived as a child.

After lunch we made our way to Palais Het Loo in Apeldoorn. This was built in 1682 as a royal hunting lodge and was used as a summer palace for many generations. We were able to tour through sections of the palace and see traditional old apartments with there original decor, as well as collections of Royal belongings and historical pieces. In the stables there were Royal carriages some old and some still in use today. The gardens were also amazingly manicured and beautiful, and well worth a stroll through. 

Netherlands - Ermelo

The plan for today was to go for a bike ride (very Dutch :-)!) into the surrounding areas to show us around as well as show us a few places of importance to Brii’s family.

We visited Gardaren, a small village where Tante Dreesje (Brii’s Opa’s sister) and Um Ernst lived for many years. Brii met Tante Dreesje on her last visit to The Netherlands in 2000. We went to their house (Meester’s huis = teacher’s house) and also visited the grave yard where they are now buried. This grave yard is also where Brii’s Great Grandparents are buried.

We also visited the site where Brii’s Great Grandparents had a Pension (Bed and Breakfast) ‘Dennelust’. It was a gorgeous white house set on a 10acre block but unfortunately the house was knocked down about 4yrs ago so only the overgrown block remained. It was still very cool though, and important, as both Brii’s Dad and his cousin Ernst (who we are staying with) were born here.

A short stop at Castle Staverden which is actually more of a manor that has housed many Dukes and Counts for their hunting expeditions over the last 800yrs. We strolled through the gardens which a nice way to stretch our legs.

Our ride took us through many beautiful landscapes including the plains and fields where the sheep are let out to graze. Ermelo was traditionally a framing community.

We enjoyed a beautiful lunch in a local restaurant where Jack sampled his first Croquettes, and then rode home. 

Our fabulous day was topped off with a scrumptious dinner at Bea and Jan’s house... which we also rode to so no one had to drive home... :-)... a total of 46km for the day!

Netherlands - The Hague

This morning we left Delft and headed to The Hague, famous for the International Court of Justice. Our first stop was the Australian Embassy to see if we were able to cast our vote yet for the upcoming election... but unfortunately it was still too early.

We also found that all the museums and tourist ‘to-do’s’ in The Hague are closed on Mondays, and that the shops do not open until 12.00 - what a great idea for a Monday!! The city itself was quite picturesque so we decided to wander around just the same. After 12.00 we found ourselves shopping ... again... Brii is not sure if there are any T-shirts in Europe that Jack has left unturned .... the post home is going to cost a lot!

We were not due to arrive in Ermelo until Tuesday but after checking we would not be inconveniencing anyone, we decided to go early and spend an extra night with Brii’s family.

Brii’s family in Ermelo are her fathers cousins whom he has not seen since leaving the Netherlands in 1956 and Ermelo was the little town where her father was born. 

We first enjoyed a lovely dinner with Ernst and his wife Nel at their home. After dinner Ernst’s sister Bea (and her husband Jan), and one of his brothers Dirk came over to say ‘Hello’. Everyone was very excited to be meeting one another. We had a lovely time and are very happy that we are able to meet more of our ‘Dutch’ relatives and get to know them over the next few days.

Netherlands - Delft

We left beautiful Belgium this morning and headed north to The Netherlands. Our plan was to spend a couple of days seeing some of the southern cities before heading to Ermelo to meet some of Brii’s extended family. 

Our first port of call was Rotterdam, but being Sunday, everything was closed. This combined with the miserable weather we were encountering helped us make the decision to keep driving. We think we did see the lake that Brii’s Opa and Oma used to take her Aunt and Father for walks around though.

We drove on to Delft, a small, charming village just east of Rotterdam. Delft is famous for its blue and white pottery, called Delftware, and is the resting place of William of Orange who was the ‘Father of the Netherlands’ and commanded the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule in the 16th century. Whilst there we visited the Royal Delft Pottery factory which is one of the oldest functioning factories for Delftware.

But, like everywhere else in The Netherlands on a Sunday, most of Delft was closed so after wandering around this very quaint village we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in our camper... with wine and cheese of course!

Belgium - Bruges

This morning we drove to the beautiful city of Bruges. We have a very good friend at home who grew up here and gave us a few tips for the must do’s... which solely consisted of Belgian food delights ... we were happy to accept the advice :-). Our culinary delights included a pot of mussels, some fries with mayo, hand-made Belgian chocolates, and a few different Belgian beers, a ‘Zot’, and a ‘Straffe Hendrick’ form the Half Moon Brewery, and a ‘Palm’.... all very good!

Besides eating our way through Bruges we also explored the old town on foot. It is a gorgeous city with so much character coming from its 13th and 14th century buildings.

Belgium - Western Front

A jam packed day lay ahead as we realise we wanted to try to see the entire Flanders region of the Front in one day! 

We started by exploring the Battlefields and Cemeteries of Messines and Ploeg Steert Wood. The Battle of Messines was on June 7, 1917 and its goal was to capture the Messines Ridge. The cemeteries included Mud Corner and Toronto Ave Cemetery. Mud Corner is truly an ANZAC cemetery with all but one grave belonging to Australian’s and New Zealander’s, and Toronto Ave is the only all Australian cemetery in Belgium.

We also visited the assumed site of the “Christmas Truce”. It is known that the truce took place but it is not known exactly what happened. According to legend on Xmas Day 1914 British and German’s in this sector of the line held an informal temporary truce. They met each other in ‘No-mans Land’ and exchanged gifts (cigarettes, different foods and rations), and family stories, it is thought that they may have even had a football match.

Our next stop was Tyn Cot Cemetery. Tyn Cot is the world’s largest Commonwealth military cemetery holding 11,953 graves. There are more Australians buried here than in any other cemetery of the first world war; 1368, of which 791 are unidentified. 2 of the Australian graves here are of 2 of our Victoria Cross medal winners, Sgt Lewis McGee, and Cpt Clarence Jeffries.

Following the cemetery we toured the battlefields of Broodseinde Ridge and Passchendale and visited the sites where the 2 VC’s mentioned above were won. We also stopped at the Zoonebeke Chateau Museum which has a recreated Britich Dugout in its cellars and held lots memorabilia form the War.

Our next exploration was of Polygon Wood. The Australian 4th and 5th Divisions attacked Polygon Wood along a 2000m Front on the morning of the 26th September 1917. They had to advance through the heart of the wood overcoming dozens of pillboxes and machine gun emplacements before tackling the Buttes itself. The Buttes, a large mound of dirt originally the backdrop of a rifle range, had been turned by the Germans into a fortress. It had many machine guns, dugouts, and tunnels, and was surrounded by barbed wire entanglements. The Buttes is now the site of the 5th Division Memorial and overlooks The Buttes New British Cemetery where there are 564 Australians, 407 of which are unidentified due to the terrible fighting in this area. After visiting the cemetery we walked through Polygon Wood itself leaving the track in places to find pillboxes that still remain. This was very cool to see!

On our way back to our campsite we visited the Australian Tunnellers Memorial at ‘Hill 60’. The Memorial has bullet holes in it from WW2. Hill 60 was a prized piece of land and changed hands several times. When the fighting became too hot on top of the hill both Armies resorted to an underground war and began tunnelling under the earth. They would tunnel under enemy trenches and detonate mines. Hill 60 was never restored after the war and the battle scars of the fighting are still evident today.

Our tour of the Western Front was an enlightening and emotional journey which heightened our sense of pride in our soldiers and our country. Our only words that we think sum it up are: “THANK YOU!”

France - Western Front

Today we returned to Fromelles to have a look around the battlefield and explore the Pheasant Wood cemetery which we didn’t get to see on the day of the dedication.

After a brief chat to one of the friendly ground staff at the new cemetery we were able to find the old Pheasant Wood site where the soldiers were originally buried in 4 mass graves. There was also a photo exhibition in the local church of photos from WW1 at Fromelles - these were a fabulous visual insight into what things looked like and the conditions in which the men were living. One of the most moving photos was a photo of crosses in an Australian cemetery with young French girls attending to the graves and laying fresh flowers.

One of the local men at the church also gave Jack some shrapnel when he realised he was Australian.  

We also made a coffee stop at the local cafe/pub in which we were warmly welcomed and there was one wall richly decorated in Australian memorabilia. 

After finishing in the village centre, we visited the ‘Cobbers’ Memorial which is a famous statue based on Sergeant Simon Fraser of the 57th Battalion, a farmer turned soldier, who rescued many men from the battlefield before being killed in the Battle of Bullecourt in 1917. The statue is Sgt Fraser carrying an injured soldier across his shoulders. The memorial lies in another Australian Memorial Park which also contains 2 German pillboxes which were from later battles. 

VC Corner is a unique cemetery on the Western Front as it has no headstones, but instead has a rose bush planted for each man buried there. The reason it has no headstones is because the 410 men buried here are unknown.  It is the only cemetery in France that is wholly Australian and has no headstones. The cemetery was serenely stunning with its 410 red rose bushes in bloom, and extremely moving.

Our last stop in the French section of the Western Front was the Le Trou Aid Post cemetery. This beautiful cemetery, surrounded by a moat and weeping Willow trees, is set across the road from the buildings that formed the Le Trou Aid Post during the war. It was first used in October 1914. 

We drove north to the Flanders region in Belgium, and after sampling some local Belgian beers and cuisine in the town centre of Ypres (Ieper) we made our way to Menin Gate. Menin Gate is the easterly exit of the town of Ypres, and was the main route used by the troops on their way to the Front line. In the war years there was no gate but a gap in the ramparts guarded by a pair of stone Lions. These Lions now guard the entrance to Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Unveiled in 1927, the interior walls record the names of 54,338 Commonwealth Servicemen who have no known grave, including 6176 Australians. Every night at 8pm the streets around Menin Gate are closed to traffic and crowds gather to hear volunteers from the Ypres Fire Brigade play the Last Post in a Bugle chorus. It is a ritual that has gone on here every night, in all weather, since 1928. The only pause was during the 4yr German occupation in WW2. The Fire Brigade recommenced the service on 6th September 1944 the day the town was liberated.

The Last Post always brings a tear to our eyes and it was even more moving surrounded by the names of the missing soldiers. A beautiful tradition! 

France - Western Front

This morning we drove our to Mont St Quentin. The Battle of Mont St Quentin took place from 31 August - 2 September 1918 and was ‘the beginning of the end of the First World War’. It was this battle that was also considered by many veterans as the greatest Australian action of WW1.

We started at the 2nd Division Memorial which is a Digger in full kit standing astride a stone plinth. This memorial originally was a Digger bayonetting an Eagle (the symbol of the German Army) and was erected in 1925 but this monument was removed during WW2 when Germans occupied this town. The 2nd Division Memorial, along with each Division’s Memorials, contains an honour list of the battles in which the Division took part. This battle involved 2 soldiers who performed VC winning actions, one of which cost the soldier his life.

We also explored some of the nearby woods where some German trenches captured by the Australians in this battle and craters from the Australian Gunners are still visible amongst the trees.

After finishing at Mont St Quentin we made our way to Pozieres. The Battle of Pozieres took place from 23 July - 5 September, 1916, and claimed nearly as many lives in 6 weeks as Gallipoli did in 8 months. It was also the site of 5 VC winning actions. The village of Pozieres is the highest point in the 1916 Somme Battlefield, sitting between Albert and Bapaume, and therefore was strategically very important. 

Here we visited the 1st Division Memorial which lies on the site of the ‘K-trench’, a communication trench for the German Army, and one of the first captured at Pozieres. Across from this memorial is a wooden platform which sits next to the remains of ‘Gibraltar’, a massive double storey German blockhouse used as a machine gun post and for artillery observation. The wooden platform allows a fabulous view across the battlefield. We then made our way to the Windmill Memorial which is now a rough mound, but was a windmill that had stood for centuries until 1916. It marks the highest point of the entire Somme Battlefield and was captured by Australian troops on August 4, 1916. This Memorial unofficially represents the 23,000 Australians killed or wounded during The Battle of Pozieres.

Across the road we also paid our respects to the British Tank Corps at the Tank Corps Memorial which has 4 miniature tanks surrounding it and is fenced by original tank chains.

Our last stop in the Pozieres region was the Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont-Hamel. This park is a Newfoundland-Canadian memorial and was fantastic. It consists of 72 acres of preserved battlefield complete with trenches, both German and ‘British’, and no-mans land in the middle with a multitude of shell holes. Despite its grassed over appearance (unlike the bare muddy field the troops would have had to contend with), they have preserved the field exceptionally well and set up a few of the trenches for walking through giving you an even more realistic experience. 

From here we drove north to the northern end of the Hindenburg Line and Bullecourt. The Hindenburg Line was a well constructed German trench system which was behind the German front line and Bullecourt was a village which was integrated directly in the Line. The Battles of Bullecourt were among the most ferocious endured by the Australian soldiers and cost the 4 Divisions who were there over 10,000 men.

The first stop in Bullecourt was the memorial to the 4 Divisions who took part in the 2 battles. This memorial is a bronzed WW1 Slouch Hat - it was very cool. We also took ourselves through the battlefields, past the sites of the German trenches which formed the Hindenburg Line, and also to the sites of the 2 Australian VC winning actions which happened during these battles. There were 2 other memorials along the way, one which has been embellished with private plaques and commemorates the 2423 soldiers who were killed here and have no known grave. The other memorial is the Australian Memorial Park which lies on the ground between the German trenches which is for all 10,000 men killed or wounded in the 2 battles.

And at this point came the end of another emotionally charged day with our ANZACs.

France - Western Front

Our official start to our ‘Western Front’ tour was Villers-Bretonneux (April 1918).

Villers-Bretonneux saw action throughout WW1 from 1914, but the village made history when the Australian troops finally halted the German offensive here in March 1918. Links between Villers-Bretonneux and Australia have been strong since this time and the village really fills all Australians with a sense of belonging and unexplainable pride (well it did for us anyway). The prime example of this relationship is seen at the Victoria School, destroyed during the war and then reconstructed in 1927 using funds donated by Victorian school children. In the school’s playground is a sign that reads “Do not forget Australia” which brings forth a proud tear to any proud Aussie. This sentiment is reflected around the town with plenty of welcoming smiles and friendly gestures from the locals when they realise you are Australian.

Also in the school, housed on the first floor, is the Franco-Australian Museum. This is a museum dedicated to the Australian troops and their role in the first world war. Again it was an experience that made us proud to be Australian and helped us further realise the great work and sacrifice these boys and men made for us and France.

The people of Villers-Bretonneux also celebrate ANZAC day every year, holding its ceremony on the Saturday closest to the 25th April.

From the village we made our way out to the Australian National Memorial and the Villers-Bretonneux Military cemetery that lies in front of this memorial. The imposing white stone memorial consists of a tall central tower and 2 corner pavilions linked to the tower by a wall that bears the names of the 10 772 Australians who were killed in France and have no known grave. This includes men from every battle in France except The Battle of Fromelles. The missing men from this battle are recorded at VC Corner in Fromelles.

We then made our way to Adelaide Cemetery where the ‘Unknown Soldier’ who now rests at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra was originally buried. He was moved from here in 1993 and this action further strengthened the tie between Villers-Bretonneux and Australia.

We also visited the Australian Memorial Park at Le Hamel. This site was laid out by the Australian Government in 1998. The walk into this memorial is lined with plaques and information boards outlining the strategic significance of the ground where the memorial now sits and the role that the Australians played in this particular battle. There were also some preserved trenches here.

In our drive today we also saw many locations of significance in Australian WW1 history. The book we are using as a guide “Walking with the ANZACs” by Mat McLachlan outlines some of the locations and history of the ground you are either walking or driving on. This makes it even more fascinating as today it is difficult to imagine because it has all been utilised for farming. Of note today we walked into a section of farmland that was the site of ‘Pear Trench’ which was near where Private Harry Dalziel won his Victoria Cross (VC).

France - Fromelles

This morning we were fortunate to have tickets to the dedication of the new Pheasant Wood Cemetery and burial of the final unknown soldier of the 250 Allied soldiers buried in mass graves by the Germans shortly after The Battle of Fromelles. Of the 250 soldiers which were found in 2007, 203 were identified to be Australian. It was decided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that they should be buried in individual graves with full military honours, hence the new cemetery.

The ceremony was not until 12.00 but because of the logistics of getting there with all of the road closures etc we arrived around 9.30. This unfortunately meant for a long morning sitting in the surprisingly hot sun but it was well worth it!

Firstly in the ceremony was the arrival of the dignitaries being Prince Charles, and our Governor General Quentin Bryce. The soldier was then buried with full Military Honours including a 3 rifle volley salute. This was a beautiful service and worthy of such a courageous young man. The dedication and opening of the cemetery followed with speeches from both of the dignitaries, with Prince Charles officially opening the cemetery which so aptly carries the slogan “A new cemetery for a new century”.

After the service we decided to leave the exploration of Fromelles until after the crowds had gone, so we headed south to ‘The Somme’.

On arrival in The Somme, we found a campsite in Amiens and briefly explored the local city centre. The main attraction in Amiens is its cathedral. This UNESCO World Heritage listed site was built between 1220 and 1269 but was not fully completed until 1519. It is a beautiful gothic style cathedral decorated internally with some absolutely amazing carvings.

We also witnessed first hand the welcoming nature of the French in this region when an elderly gentleman asked us where we were from and when we answered Australia, he replied, with a friendly tap on the chest of Jack, “Your Grandfather has died here and you have come to visit, Australians are always welcome!”. Jacks Grandfather wasn’t in Europe during the war but the sentiment was appreciated.

France - Fromelles

Rising early this morning we all organised ourselves ready for the days adventures. Once we had the car packed we helped Peter jump start the boat and then we said our farewells.

Thankfully we did hear that they made it safely back to Lagarde without too much trouble.

We arrived in Fromelles as planned mid afternoon and found a campsite not too far away. We briefly visited Lille on the way and wished we could have spent more time there ... and maybe on a weekday ... as not much happens in France on a Sunday. Lille, on first impressions, is a very beautiful little city with some stunning buildings in the city centre.

France - Lagarde

We were to head back to port today and were travelling along nicely until we reached the 16m lock and had to wait for a while. This was only a problem because unfortunately when we went to restart the engine to go into the lock .... well ... it wouldn’t - “bugger” with a very French accent was the word of the afternoon :-). 

The afternoon was passed playing cards, as well as intermittent mechanical and electrical assistance from the people from Lagarde. The plan was that we would jump start the boat in the morning and problem solve once back at Lagarde. 

Jack caught a ride back to Lagarde and retrieved our car so we could leave form there in the morning as we had to be in Fromelles that afternoon.

More cards, laughter, and fun all evening before our final sleep on the boat.

France - Lagarde

Our second day on the canals.

After breakfast we went for a walk into the little village near our anchorage. During our walk we came across the local bread van form which we bought a baguette and some pastries, it seems normal that there is a bread van doing the rounds in every small town.

We set off for our second day of cruising the water ways. We stopped for lunch and went for another short walk to explore a little village nearby. This walk was cut short because we found a small grocery store and stocked up on some necessities such as some fruit, and more importantly, beer and flan.

We turned around not long after lunch and headed to a canal that veered off the main one we had been on. We travelled up this canal for a little while before finding a lovely spot to anchor for the night.

France - Lagarde

After a good nights sleep and making sure all the last minute things were tidied and functioning we set off on Joyeux for her maiden voyage.

We cruised for a couple of hours down the ‘Canal de la Marne au Rhin’ and then stopped for lunch for a few hours in a lovely shady spot.

After a rest from this ‘strenuous’ lifestyle we set off again further up the canal to find a nice spot for overnight. 

Jack had lots of fun helping Peter with the locks, especially the 16m high one!

France - Lagarde

After saying our good byes this morning we set course for France. Today was Bastille Day and we were heading to Lagarde in north eastern France to meet up with some of our friends on their canal boat to enjoy the festivities.

During our drive we detoured via Basel and very competently followed a tram up the tram lines through the centre of town... not quite sure how legal that was! :-)

We arrived in Lagarde mid afternoon and were immediately thrust into the atmosphere of Bastille Day. The little marina of NavigFrance was setting up as the meeting point for the entire village of Lagarde. 

During the afternoon our friends officially named their boat - “Joyeux” - meaning “happy, joyful”, celebrated with the traditional champagne spraying and glass of champagne and nibbles. We then enjoyed a very French meal of hot chips and sausage.

The end of a fabulous day was finished off with a magnificent fireworks over the canal which felt like they were going to land on the boat - it was absolutely fantastic.

Switzerland - Zurich

Today we went into Zurich city for some last minute shopping in Switzerland and then enjoyed our last night with Bruno and Erna.

Switzerland - Zurich

We had a sleep in this morning as Erna and Bruno both had to go to work early and spent the morning catching up on life admin.

This afternoon, we were extremely fortunate that Bruno had arranged to take the afternoon off work and took us sightseeing. We travelled north to Rheinfall Neuhausen which is an amazing section of the Rhine River where the river cascades over a series of rocks forming a powerfall waterfall. In summer there averages 700 cubic meters per second of water through this section. It was very cool!

From here we visited a few other little towns which were very typically Swiss in their beautiful architecture and frescoed exterior walls. These included Schaffhausen, and Stein am Rhein. It was a great afternoon seeing some of the countryside that is much easier to find with a local!

Switzerland - Zurich

Our plan today, with our trusty local guides, was to travel to the other side of Lake Zurich and walk into the mountains for some more fabulous views. It started with an hour long boat ride along the Lake which was a great way to see more of the shore line and some of the little cities surrounding Zurich. We then set off from Mannedorf for 2 hours of walking, at least half of which was ‘up’ through the beautiful countryside and farm lands - Switzerland is gorgeous. At this point we stopped off at a pleasant little lake in the mountains for a swim and cool down... and yes, the lake was a little chilly, but very refreshing once we got over the initial shock of the cold water :-). After our swim we walked around to a local farm that also is set up as a little ‘restaurant‘ which overlooks the other end of the lake. They only sell what they produce so we tried the local dark beer, a delicious apple juice/ cider type drink, and a plate of proscuitto, salami, cheese, and a Swiss speciality sausage (Cervelat on grill) - which was absolutely delicious!

After our snack we walked for another hour or so to make our way back down to the edge of Lake Zurich, to a town called Rupperswil (the city of Roses), and from here we caught the train home.

We then enjoyed another evening of fine food (Spatzli and Geschnetzeltes), wine and great company.... but unfortunately watched the Dutch lose the World cup final :-(.

Switzerland - Zurich

From Luzern we headed for Zurich where we are fortunate to have some fabulous friends, Erna and Bruno who we met while learning Italian in Salerno.

After lunch we headed into the hills behind Zurich to a scenic viewpoint and then walked to another viewpoint across the crest of the mountain. Switzerland is set up for outdoor activities there are so many walking paths and bike riding tracks all through the mountains it is fabulous. From the second viewpoint we caught the funicular down the mountain and then the train into the city. Our friends showed us around the centre of Zurich and then took us to their favourite wine bar for a glass of wine and some tapas.... tough, we know! 

A great day was finished off with some delicious traditional Swiss cuisine (Tisdgrill), prepared by Erna, and lovely Italian red wine.... and given that our common language is Italian we were all fairly proud that we actually had some decent conversations :-).

Switzerland - Lake Luzern

Our time in Italy finally came to an end this morning as we headed north into Switzerland.

We spent most of today driving which sounds boring but it was breathtaking! Our indirect (non motorway) route took us across the border into the ‘cantone’ Ticino which is an Italian speaking province in Switzerland’s south. We then entered the Alps. The scenery was amazing. The mountains are beautiful and despite the warm weather, there was still some residual snow at the roadside. Scattered amongst the mountains are also a series of stunning lakes which were busy with people trying to make the most of the 2 months of warm weather that Switzerland has each year.

We spent the night in Luzern which is a pretty city in central Switzerland situated on Lake Luzern. The main icon in the city centre is the Kapellbrucke (a wooden bridge) which was built in 1332.

Italy - Lake Como

This morning we hit the road again bound for Lake Como in the north of Italy. The drive was scenic changing from the rolling green hills of Tuscany, to the flat lands around Milan, to the mountainous, rocky landscape of the north reminding us that we are nearing the Swiss Alps.

Tonight we stayed at Bellagio (camp site). Lake Como is an upside down Y-shaped lake and Bellagio is situated at the junction of the 3 arms of the ‘Y’. Our little campsite overlooked the lake and was very picturesque. The town of Bellagio, although quite touristy, was very quaint with cobblestone streets, and very Italian style architecture.

Italy - Florence

After an early start we made our way into the Florence city centre. Florence is a beautiful city filled with a phenomenal number of breathtaking churches and museums.

Our sightseeing tour on foot took us to see Galleria dell’ Accademia which is the Academy of Fine Arts founded in 1563 famous for being the first school in Europe set up to teach drawing, painting, and sculpture. Since 1873 it has housed Michelangelo’s sculptures including the statue that defined him as a sculptor of the time, ‘David’ (1504). Other sculptures of Michelangelo’s are also housed here including the ‘Quattro Prigioni’ (4 Prisons), which are individual sculptures all depicting muscular figures trying to free themselves from stone.

We walked across the Ponte Vecchio which is the oldest surviving bridge of the city built in 1345. This bridge once housed blacksmiths, butchers, and tanners, but these were evicted and replaced with Jewellers in the 16th century because they would pay higher rent. It was the only bridge to escape destruction in WW2.

The Museo di Storia della Scienza was one of the highlights. This museum is a fabulous display of the history of Science, Mathematics, and Navigation. The museum is dedicated to the great Gallileo who was actually born in Pisa but his parents were Florentine, and therefore he was claimed as Florentine. It houses some of Gallileo’s telescopes and models of Gallileo’s experiments. It also had some obstetric plaster models from the 1700’s which demonstrate all sorts of birth complications and even the application of forceps... Brii was amazed at how much intricate knowledge there was this long ago. This museum was only 2 floors but it was so interesting we took a couple of hours here.

Santa Croce Church (1294) houses the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, among others. It is also the home of Donatello’s ‘Annunciation’ and multiple 14th century frescoes by Giotto. It was awesome to see the final resting place of people so famous and tombs that are so old.

We wandered through the Palazzo Vecchio which was where David originally stood until he was moved to protect him from the elements. In his place is a very good copy. In Vasari’s courtyard of the Palazzo we saw the Putto fountain, some beautiful architecture and fresco’s.

We also visited the outside of the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) which is famous for having the largest dome of its time built without scaffolding.

To finish off this great day we explored the famous Florentine leather shops and markets... and yes Jack finally got himself a leather jacket :-).

Italy - Siena

This morning we made our way into the old town of Siena. It was just as beautiful as Brii remembered! We spent the morning exploring a lot of the narrow cobblestone streets. We were disappointed when we realised we missed the Palio on July 2 which is a horse race in the main semi circular shaped piazza (Piazza del Campo) and is held twice a year - the photos look fantastic and make it appear like something that would be great fun to be a part of. 

Whilst in the old town we also visited the Duomo, the gothic church San Domenico where we were able to view the preserved head of the city’s patron saint, St Catherine.

This afternoon we made our way to Florence and relaxed for the afternoon at our campsite.

Italy - Pisa

We decided that we would take the opportunity to visit Pisa today given that we were relatively close. We took the train from Siena and were happily travelling when we started to smell the burning brakes of the train .... and then at a routine stop there was a moment of panic as we were rushed off the train to find the station workers spraying fire extinguisher under the train!

Thankfully there were no flames - that we saw anyway - and we safely boarded another train and arrived in Pisa.

We explored Pisa on foot. There isn’t really a lot to do there except see the Leaning Tower and the Basilica that is in the square around the tower. 

Italy - Tuscany

We picked up our next wicked camper this morning... it is camouflage.... and its slogan is “Flies spread disease so keep yours closed!”...  we thought this was pretty clever. After stocking the esky with food we left San Benedetto for Siena. The drive was very scenic through the hills and mountains of Umbria and Tuscany... reminding Brii why she loved Tuscany 10yrs ago.

On our drive we also briefly visited Assisi, the home of St Francis of Assisi. We visited the Basilica di Francesco which houses the tomb of St Francis and is adorned in frescos by Giotti, and Lorenzetti. The town itself is small, beautiful with its medieval stone houses and streets.

Italy - San Benedetto Del Tronto

This morning we said our farewells and shed a tear with our molto bella (very beautiful) Signora Clara but were excited to be starting to travel again. We caught the train to San Benedetto Del Tronto on the East coast and spent the afternoon sitting by the pool and exploring this cute seaside town.

Italy - Salerno June 28 - July 2 Week 4.

This week’s time after school was spent trying to make sure everything was organised for the next chapter in our adventure. We also wandered around Salerno ensuring we had seen as much as we could of this pretty little city. Salerno is known for its medical history as it has the first university of medicine in the world. Unfortunately every time we went to visit this university and the associated museum of medical and surgical instruments they were closed (despite the sign saying they should be open).

Our final day at school was filled with mixed emotions, sadness to be leaving some new found friends and to not be continuing to learn a beautiful language, but also excitement and happiness to be entering the next segment of our journey.

Our last night with Signora Clara was great. We shared lots of laughs and a few Italian songs (this was a favourite past time between Jack and Clara). We were also treated to yet another amazing meal of home made pasta (this time gnocchi), Caprese salad, baked capsicum, and to finish.... the best Tiramisu that either of us had ever tasted!!!!