I had to cut short my previous message from Munich as we were running out of internet time so I'll try to continue from where I left off. We travelled from Prague to Krakow (Poland) using the Eurorail, it was very relaxing as we had a cabin to ourselves for the whole 7 hours and even better we knew it was going to be the last train journey for a very long time.

Krakow was beautiful and I felt it wasn´t as tourist driven as Prague. For dinner we had a traditional Polish dish called Perogi. It was nice but it didn't taste as good my grandma's Polish cooking as you would probably expect.

The next day we went on a city Tour of Krakow and their Castle. It was interesting hearing about the battles and alliances between Poland and other countries over many centuries. Bec and I were the only people on the tour so we had our own personal tour guide and a coach driver!

In the afternoon we spent about three hours trying to find Schindler's Factory, which was also used in the movie Schindler's List. When we had given up trying to find it, we hired a taxi to take us there and it looked like any ordinary factory that we could have easily walked past. That night we had dinner at the hotel as it was a tiring day and we were leaving early for Munich, Germany the next day.

It was pouring with rain when we were ready to leave the hotel at 5am the next morning and the hotel's pick up service was late. Fortunately after a quick reminder phone call from the hotel, the driver of a mid 90's Mercedes sped around the corner ready to go. The 30 minute trip to the airport was a memorable experience as the driver was determined to get us to the airport on time...actually in record time.... it was a bit scary travelling at 170km on wet roads but the driver and the car performed brilliantly. We were both relieved when we made it there in one piece and on time.

We flew to Munich within a couple of hours, which was a nice change, and we had the whole afternoon free to explore. That night I had the tastiest schnitzel ever... that's a big statement as I regularly have schnitzels in Adelaide. It was a pretzel-crumbed schnitzel fried in butter and served with wild cranberry sauce and salad. It was so good we went there again on the last night before flying home.

The following day we when on a quick city tour and did some final souvenir shopping as it was last major destination of our honeymoon. At night we went on a Beer and Brewery tour which took us to a number of pubs around Munich finishing off at the infamous beer hall Hofbrauhaus. It was a huge place and most beers were served in huge litre steins.

The next day we managed to get up early for a castles tour around Munich. I've had better days as I was still recovering from the big night of beer tasting. We saw the two main castles of King Ludwig, which were built in the 1800's. This king was very eccentric, so much so, he was dethroned for being mentally unstable. One of the castles, Neuschwanstein, gave Disney inspiration for the construction of the Disneyland Castles. It was snowing at Neuschwanstein which made photo taking very difficult but if they turn out they will be amazing.

Finally it came to the last day. We decided to take it easy and make our way to the airport early, ready for the 30 hour trip home. We flew from Munich to London, Singapore, Melbourne and finally Adelaide. Bec's parents greeted us at the airport with our beloved dog Willow who had been staying with them (my parents live interstate).

We would like to thank everyone for your best wishes and messages during our trip. We had a great time and can't wait to share our photos and stories sometime soon.

We are finally home ! remains copyright of the author BecandAndy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Just a minor correction...Bec has just reminded me that this isn´t actually the last destination...we are going to London (Heathrow) on Monday for few hours to get a flight home.

We are have had a busy couple of days using the Eurorail from Salzburg we went to Prague, Cech Republic and then to Krakow, Poland. This morning we flew from Krakow to Munich, Germany.

Whenever we spoke to people about Prague they would say.... "oh..that´s such a beautiful place and the beer is so cheap". We can agree with both of those comments. Beer was about 0.50 Euro to 1 Euro for a large 0.5 litre pint which is cheap. 1 Euro is about 2 Australian dollars.

Prague was an interesting place with a very colourful history. As we only had one full day to explore we went on a city bus tour and took a horse and cart ride around the major tourist sites.

Since we were so relaxed from Salzburg it took awhile for us to get into the travelling mood again. On the train to Prague we were in a cabin with a local who wrote down a few good spots to eat and the must see tourist attractions which was really handy.

Sorry to end this so quickly but I am running out of time on the internet. I´ll write about Krakow and Munich soon.

Hi from München remains copyright of the author BecandAndy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Before I write about Austria I´d like to expand on our coach tour from Paris to Rome. We saw so many things it’s difficult to remember them all.

The first destination for the tour was Paris. It took about 8 hours to travel to Paris from London so we were looking forward to a good nights sleep. The following morning we had a quick bus tour which gave us a look at the main attractions i.e Notra Dame, Eiffel Tour and the Louvre Pyramid.

Following the tour, we went on our own to explore Paris using some basic French that I’d learnt in school many years ago. First task was to see Mona Lisa in the Louvre. I was expecting huge crowds and line ups but fortunately this wasn’t the case. We manage to find the famous painting very quickly and I was surprised it was about an A3 size as many people had told me it was much smaller. Louvre was definitely worth a visit, I was surprised to see that we could take photos in some parts of the Louvre (obviously not of the Mona Lisa but of the statues and sculptures etc).

Following this we climbed the Eiffel tower, all 700 steps, to the second viewing platform and had spectacular views of the city. Bec also found a snack to rival the jam and cream donuts from Brampton; French waffles with chocolate sauce (melted Nutella).

To finish off the day we went on a river cruise and had dinner at.... (I’m embarrassed to say it).... Planet Hollywood. We were craving a steak so unfortunately I didn’t get an opportunity to try snails in France, maybe next time.

From Paris we traveled to Lucerne, Switzerland. It was a beautiful place nestled in the Swiss Alps with a huge lake called Lake Lucerne (of course). This best memory from this day was the dinner... the whole tour group went to a music/dinner night and some people including yours-truly went on stage. Bec and I went on stage and participated in a traditional Swiss dance and to finish off the night I was dragged up on stage to try out some yodeling. Fortunately, we didn´t have the video camera with us that night and I will not repeat the act for anyone back at home.

After that hilarious night we went to Venice, Italy. We were fortunate enough to witness an event that only occurs in autumn and winter, the flooding of St Mark´s square. During the high tides in Autumn-Winter, the low lying areas of Venice flood. Temporary fold-out walkways (similar to the collapsible tables that are using in Wrestling WWE-style) are put up for a few hours so locals and tourists don’t get their feet wet; it was amazing to see.

From Venice we went to Florence for some shopping and Pisa to see the leaning tower. After Florence we travelled to Rome.

Okay now I have comprehensively written about the coach trip so I can now write about my favourite place so far, Salzburg, the home of Mozart and The Sound of Music.

We arrived in Austria at about 4am on 2nd November for those of you who didn’t know it was my birthday on that day. Yes....30 years young.

For the first time in my life and probably ever I can say it snowed on my birthday. I’ve had 37 degrees in Australia but never minus 5. The train ride from the Austrian border to Salzburg went through some of Austria’s ski slopes.

The blanket of snow was about a foot deep and it was spectacular. Bec has taken more photos of the snow then of the Colosseum in Rome....now that´s saying something. Someone told me it was 25 degrees in Salzburg last week and now its covered in snow ! Winter has finally arrived.

We went on a city tour yesterday and last night we went to a beer hall for dinner. We managed to finish off a few litre steins and a small glass of jagermeister and tried to speak German to a few locals which was a challenge but also good fun.

Today we went on a Sound of Music Tour to satisfy Bec´s love for the movie. The tour was worth doing, just to see the snow covered mountains and the Austrian lakes district. While we were driving through some breathtaking scenery doe-ray-me was playing through the speakers of the coach, I couldn´t stop laughing.

Wow this has been a long message. I’d better go and I’ll try to write again soon. Thanks for your emails we´ll try to respond to them as soon as we can.

Hi from Austria remains copyright of the author BecandAndy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Some highlights of our 11 day tour were climbing the Eiffel tower in Paris and going on a Gondola ride in Venice. The beer has been great everywhere but I have started losing weight since I haven't been drinking Guinness.

Bec has been loving all of the historical sites of Rome especially the Coliseum and Ostia Antica which was an huge old Roman Port.

I haven't much time left on the internet so this is only a short message to say hi and I hope to update this site again soon.

Hi from Roma remains copyright of the author BecandAndy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

We have been in London for a few days already as we arrived last Saturday. I can't believe it hasn't rained during the day-time for the past 5 days ! We have been really lucky. I've heard the average max temp for October is around 14C but it has been about 18C a huge difference.

There is so much to see and do in London so we have been very busy. Some of the things we have seen/done already are the London Eye, London Aquarium, Hop on and off Bus Tour, Buckingham Palace (well we went to the gates), London Tower, Jack the Ripper Walking Night Tour just to name a few.

Today we when on a day tour to Bath and Stonhenge which was fantastic. We took some great photo's.

I'd better go. Just a quick note to let you all know that we are going on a bus tour for the next 12 days or so we probably won't be able to log onto the internet for a couple of weeks. The tour is taking us through France, Switzerland and finishing in Italy.

I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories to tell when I update this webpage in Rome !

Hi from London remains copyright of the author BecandAndy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

We after spending time in Barrow we travelled across the countryside from East to West to a town that was thought to have inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula, Whitby. It was a beautiful seaside town which was overlooked by a very old Abbey which is now a historic ruin.

As Bec said to me ... if ever there was a port for Ghost Ships Whitby would be it. You could almost see the Black Pearl drifting into the Harbour which was covered by thick blanket of fog.

At night time after having the yummiest battered Fish and Chips (ever) we decided to go for a stroll to the Abbey and Cemetary at the top of the Hill. The cemetery was covered in fog and it was really dark...scarey...I almost jumped when the clock tower rang saying it was 10pm.

I woke up really early to take some dawn photo's of Witby but the fog was so thick I don't think any of them will turn out. Unfortunately, we only had one night in Whitby so next time I go there I'd love to spend atleast a few days to look around and relax.

From Whitby we drove to Lincoln via York. It was raining really hard on the drive to Lincoln so we were lucky to get there without getting lost. We are staying with some family friends in Lincoln and they have been looking after us really well.

I'd better go and as I said before I'll try to login in London.

Hello from Lincoln remains copyright of the author BecandAndy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

The ferry ride from Ireland to England went well and fortunately we crossed one of the roughest passages in the world with out any problems. These ferry's are huge (well they say they are world's largest) they have Burger King, Pokies and a few watering holes inside!

That night we stayed in a Bed and Breakfast a few miles outside of Brampton which is in the north of England. The Bed and Breakfast was built sometime in the 1500's well before Australia was even discovered. The Bed and Breakfast served us the yummiest Jam and Cream filled donuts with Tea on arrivial which has now started our newest craze...where ever we go we look for a Jam and Cream donuts for morning tea. Fortunately, for our waistlines, we haven't found too many places that have them.

The B&B overlooked Hadrian's wall which was built by the Romans in about 100-200A.D. Bec was in her element looking at the archeological site. I enjoyed it as well and what they have uncovered about life in those days.

We travelled from Hadrian's Wall to to the Lake District. We stayed in a place called Keswick it was a beautiful spot. Everyone from Adelaide who had been there had raved about it and I can see why. Unfortunately, it rained both days but I've heard that's not unusual. I guess it has to be wet to keep the lakes filled.... hee hee.

After the Lake District we drove to Michael's birthplace Barrow-in-Furness. Michael (Bec's sister's fiancee) reminisced of growing up in the industrial ship building town. The port docks museam was great and free which was a nice for a change.

Unfortunately, I have to go. Sorry I can't complete this page today. We are going well and having a great time. We'll be in London tomorrow so I'll try to find some time to update the page then.

Barrow-in-Furness remains copyright of the author BecandAndy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

We followed the coast from Guinness Heaven (Dublin) to Cork. Cork was a big fishing and cargo port which down the south of Ireland. We stayed at a B&B that I'll never forget. This place was amazing..... I have never eaten so much food in the morning for breakfast. Both mornings I had pancakes, scones with jam and cream and their very unusual and yummy porridge with Baileys. They were very generous with the Bailey's !

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of Cork so we'd like to go back but I'll never forget the breakfast. Instead of looking around Cork we drove to a fishing village about 30 minutes away called Linsail. The pictures we took were amazing, it was really picturesque. We also visited an old fort which was built in the 1600's called Charles Fort which was also worth a look.

From Cork we travelled up the western coast of Ireland to Galway which is a fishing town with great sandy beaches that has now been discovered by locals and tourists. It had plenty of modern buildings, pubs and clubs. We only stayed there for a night so unfortunately we didn't get a good look around. We went to a pub for dinner and the seafood was fantastic...the Guinness also tasted great (as usual). In the morning we strolled around the city but we had to leave in the early afternoon to drive to our final nights stay in Ireland at Portadown.

Tomorrow we will catch a ferry from Belfast to Stranraer so fingers crossed it is a calm day.

Overall, we are a bit tired from travelling so much but are having a great time.

Hello from Portadown remains copyright of the author BecandAndy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Sorry it has taken me so long to update our webpage.

We have been in the UK for a week and haven't had time to jump on the internet. I was hoping to use my mobile to update the webpage but unfortunately I haven't been able to get it working.

For those of you who don't know we are spending the first four weeks of our honeymoon holidaying with Bec's sister Mandy and her finacee Michael (who was born in Barrow, England).

We arrived in London after a LONG 22 hour flight. After arriving at Heathrow we caught a bus to Birmingham which is about 2 1/2 hours north-west of london(its the home of the Villa for those football (soccer) fans).

We were fortunate enough to stay with some family friends who were very accomodating. We visited the city centre, a palace around the area which was spectacular and had a medievil themed dinner at an old abby that is now a popular restaurant.

We stayed there for 3 days but could have easily been much longer.

We hired a car from Birmingham and set off for the 2-3 week driving part of the holiday/honeymoon. The car is a Vauxhall Vectra Wagon similar to a Holden Vectra). Fortunately, most of the road rules are the same over here so we haven't had much trouble getting around. We have taken the wrong turn a couple of times but overall it has been uneventful. The trickest thing about driving in the UK is that the indicators and windscreen wipers on the car are on opposite sides from that in Australia. So we have made a deal that if you turn on the windscreen wipers instead of the indicator you have to buy a round of beers (and we have had plenty of those).

From Birmingham we travelled west to Chester. We stopped over in Shrewsbury for lunch and took a guided tour of the town which was classic and somewhat stylish place. We arrived in Chester late that afternoon. The accomodation we were at was fantastic they looked after us very well being a honeymoon couple (sorry I can't remember the name of the place). We recevied free chocolates and a good sized room.

The next day we went on a hop-on-off bus tour of the town and unfortunately the weather turned nasty! It bucketed down. A large storm that had been effecting Ireland finally hit the UK. The heavy rain, thunder and lighting only lasted a few hours in the morning so fortunately we had the afternoon to look around without an trouble. We saw some old roman ruins, walked along the towns walls which were built to protect the city during battle times.... I'm not the historian so Bec will need to fill in the details. We had some local Beers in one of their oldest pubs and relaxed.

We set off the next day for Conwy in Wales. Conwy has a castle over looking the city it really magnificant. As I hadn't seen any castles before I really got to experience a few in Wales. The Conwy castle and town walls were mostly standing so we got some fantastic photo's. I hope to upload a few photo's later on.

We spent the next day driving around Wales visiting Castles built by King Edward and Lewyellan (sorry about my spelling). The castle I really enjoyed was Caernarfon. It had been completely restored and it was huge! It was easy getting lost in the passage ways and towers. I think everyone was exhausted from all of the walking as it was a big place.

I think Bec's favourite was Conwy or Dolwyddelan Castle due to their rustic look and historic significance (I'm not saying that Caernarfon was not historic it seen a few battles!).

We returned to Conwy ready for the next busy day.

The next day left Conwy for Ireland... we drove to Holy Head and caught the ferry to Dublin, Ireland. The ferry trip was quick and a bit choppy but we were lucky as the afternoon ferry was cancelled due to rought seas.

I think I spent most of the time in Dublin testing out the local brew... Guinness ! We went on the hop-on-off bus yesterday (which is becoming routine) and stopped over at the Guinness factory yesterday. We could have spent a whole day there with no trouble. It's a self guided tour and there is so much to see and do for Guinness fans. We all poured our own 'perfect' pints on the 5th floor (and have a signed certifcate as proof and took our drinks to the Gravity Bar on the 7th floor for a great view of Dublin. The merchadise at the factory was great so we spent alot! The handy thing is that foreigner's can claim back the VAT (consumption tax like GST) when they leave the country which is a 10% saving.

After the factory we went to a traditional Irish pub and listened to some local music. Many people in the pub were singing along to the Irish songs... it was a great night, fantastic day and very tiring.

I was surprised at how busy Dublin was. It has a population of 1.1 million but the tourist seem to out number the locals, the're everywhere. At night time everyone is out the streets. A massive golf tournament was in Dublin last week so I think that could have something to do with the number of people around but it is a real party place.

Unfortunately, I have to end it there as its almost dinner time and I have some Guinness to drink. I will try to update our webpage more regularily. Farewell from us in Dublin.

Hello from Dublin remains copyright of the author BecandAndy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Welcome to our travellers blog for our honeymoon across Europe.

Please keep this web address handy to see regular updates on our trip.

Best wishes,
Bec and Andrew

Welcome remains copyright of the author BecandAndy, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs