Hotel number 10 has internet access so I am back or one last post!
We left Salzburg and headed for Rothenburg. The drive should have taken about 2 1/2-3 hous and it took 5..lots of construction and traffic. Of course hotel number 9 of 10 is where we run into our first hotel problem. We find the hotel after driving 5 hours so we are a little annoyed. As I walk into the hotel I see a board that says todays arrivals...and guess whose name was not listed. The owner comes out to tell me that he made a mistake and booked our hotel for the wrong day and he does not have a room....BOO...He had made other arrangements for us and gave us our tickets for the night watchman tour. He walked us about 2 blocks to the Pension Elke. it was very nice and I could tell the owner of the original place felt very bad..not quite sure how that happened..since i booked in January and reconfimed the week before we left...But after two weeks on vacation you are abel to just let these things slid off your back and move on.
We wandered around town and found the gardens which overlooked the town. Very nice! We found the world famous Christmas shop which is enormous..room after room of Christmas! We bought a few things and then found another shop that Rick Steeves recommended better selction..better service and lower prices. The owner was very friendly and asked us if we found it because of Rick Steeves. Of course we had! He said that he would give us a 10% discount and gave me a map of Rothenburg that his mother drew and she signes some every morning. Now of couse we had to buy something. Prices were really good and he kept throwing things in.
The owner fo the christmas shop recommended a place for dinner whcih was good german food. Then it was 8pm and time for the Nighwatchman tour. The tour meets in the main square at 8pm each evening for a tour in English. At about 745 the entire square is full! I think this tour is pretty much something you must do when in Rothenburg. The tour last about an hour and you make about 7 stops for a little history of the city and the job of the nightwatchman. He was a great guide and very funny. At the end you kind of pay on an honor system. It is only 7E per person and I am sure there are a few people that skip but I think everyone feels it is well worth it and pays.
After the tour we went to Hell..ha ha ha..yes the bar is named hell..On the tour the nightwatchman says..when somone tell you to go to Hell it is a good recommenation!
We sat with a couple from Amsterdam who were travelling by motorcycle for two weeks around Germany. Off ot bed at 11pm.
Our last drive was from Rothenburg to Rudeshiem. The drive was about 2 hours. Rudeshiem is located along the Rhine river in the heart of Wine counrty. It was quite rainy on the drive and all morning but cleared up by the time we were ready to explore the area. We found the cable car which goes to the top of the mountain with a great view of the Rhine and a few towns..then a stop for lunch and a little more wandering around old town...We are very sad that our vacation is coming to an end, it seemed to go by so fast! We are even more sad that we will not be taaing naps every afternoon...which is where we are now...330pm. Time for a nap!
We are flying home tomorrow and desperatly hoping for a business class upgrade!
See you when we get home!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
SALZBURG
Day two in Salzburg started our a little rainy but we were very excited when it stopped in time for our Sound of Music Bike tour. The tour last about 3 1/2 hours. We took it more for the bike tour part rather than the Sound of Music part..and it was a great tour. We did see quite a few scenes from the movie. The front of the house and back of the house( two different houses) The gazebo and various other sights in the city that appeared in the move. We stopped at the gazebo which had been moved from the house due to tourist interest and it started to rain pretty heavy. Most other were prepared with ponchos or jackets. We were not. When the rain finally slowed down we hit the road for the last leg of the tour back to our starting point.It was a constant drizzle but not too bad. I defiantly think a bike tour is the best way to see any city rather than sitting on a bus..
After the tour we walked around for a bit in the old city stopped for lunch...learning again to watch what you order. I ordered sausages..with something??? It was only 4.80E so I did not expect much. It was pretty much two hot dogs..ok a little better than hot dogs..but not much
Tonight we went to a very nice Mozart Dinner show. There were performances between each course in and Old Baroque ballroom. The restaurant where it was held is said to be the oldest restaurant in Europe opened in 863! The show was very nice and dinner was good...not great but good..We sat with nice couple from England celebrating their 13th anniversary. It was nice to be able to finally meet people we would talk to. Wayne is usually always starting conversations at bars but it had been kind of hard when no one speaks the same language.
I think this may be my last post before my data plan runs out. Tomorrow we are off to Rothenberg Ob Der Tauber and doing the night watchman tour then one night in Rudeshiem which is a small wine town. We are already crossing our fingers for a business class upgrade on the way home.
Goodnight!
After the tour we walked around for a bit in the old city stopped for lunch...learning again to watch what you order. I ordered sausages..with something??? It was only 4.80E so I did not expect much. It was pretty much two hot dogs..ok a little better than hot dogs..but not much
Tonight we went to a very nice Mozart Dinner show. There were performances between each course in and Old Baroque ballroom. The restaurant where it was held is said to be the oldest restaurant in Europe opened in 863! The show was very nice and dinner was good...not great but good..We sat with nice couple from England celebrating their 13th anniversary. It was nice to be able to finally meet people we would talk to. Wayne is usually always starting conversations at bars but it had been kind of hard when no one speaks the same language.
I think this may be my last post before my data plan runs out. Tomorrow we are off to Rothenberg Ob Der Tauber and doing the night watchman tour then one night in Rudeshiem which is a small wine town. We are already crossing our fingers for a business class upgrade on the way home.
Goodnight!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Goodbye Croatia! Hello Slovenia and Salzburg
We left Porec bright and early this morning knowing we had about a 4 1/2 hour drive ahead of us. This is the longest drive on the trip. We were originally going to stop somewhere for the night but decided Salburg was worth 2 nights and the drive..
Side note on the GPS in the car. she is very funy..sometimes she says..continue to follow the road until further instructed. Like it is a secret how long we have to be on that road or what is coming up next..the other day she said...traffic delay due to inquisitive drivers..how does she know that???
OK back to the trip. We crossed the boarder leaving Croatia and the boarder entering Slovenia- Why do all border agent looklike the are ready to shoot you.... We did have one toll booth challenge. I forgot that we had already bought our vignette for Slovenia on our way from Italy to Croatia when we briefly had to pass through Slovenia - which is basically a toll sticker. We got to a toll booth and had no idea what to do..pulled into a lane...backed out..pulled into another lane and backed out..then just drove through..thinking we would be getting a ticket later...then I remembered the toll sticker, so I think we are safe.
If you know my saying that I cannot actually count visiting someplace if I do not see something of interest. We were going to stop at the caves but missed that exit. I saw that Lake Bled was just a short detour off of the highway and thought I had heard abut it on one of the many travel shows we watched so off we went.
The Lake area was absolutley beautifuly. We got to the lake and there was a boat ride about to leave so we hopped in..no idea how long or how much..it ended up being about 1hour 15 min. Trip down the lake to an island where we wandered aroudn for about a 1/2 hour and back up the lake..and only 24E..which we thought was a pretty good deal. Then we had lunch overlooking the lake and decided this was a great unexpected stop.
Back on the road to Salzburg. We had about 2 more hours to drive. The Slovenian and Austian country side were beautiful. Small towns all throughout the amazing mountains. The pictures I was able to post do not do it justice.
We arrived in Salzburg and headed right out to visit the old town. We walked around the shopping area, found a pretty cool beer gaden and of couse had a beer..then found a place for dinner. We had the famous Austrian souffle kind of dessert..mixed reviews..very much like a souffle with a raspberry sauce..pretty much like eating air. It started to rain while we were having dinner in the garden so we moved into a semi covered area and finished our meal..and walked back to our hotel in the rain. Luckily it was not pouring..just a light rain..
We are in salzburg so of course the Sound of Music is on TV. I think they pretty much show it all the time.
Tomorrow we have a Sound of Music Bike tour in the morning and a Mozart Dinner in the evening..Very busy day! 10pm Now time for an epsisode of Downton Abbey and off to bed...Goodnight!
Side note on the GPS in the car. she is very funy..sometimes she says..continue to follow the road until further instructed. Like it is a secret how long we have to be on that road or what is coming up next..the other day she said...traffic delay due to inquisitive drivers..how does she know that???
OK back to the trip. We crossed the boarder leaving Croatia and the boarder entering Slovenia- Why do all border agent looklike the are ready to shoot you.... We did have one toll booth challenge. I forgot that we had already bought our vignette for Slovenia on our way from Italy to Croatia when we briefly had to pass through Slovenia - which is basically a toll sticker. We got to a toll booth and had no idea what to do..pulled into a lane...backed out..pulled into another lane and backed out..then just drove through..thinking we would be getting a ticket later...then I remembered the toll sticker, so I think we are safe.
If you know my saying that I cannot actually count visiting someplace if I do not see something of interest. We were going to stop at the caves but missed that exit. I saw that Lake Bled was just a short detour off of the highway and thought I had heard abut it on one of the many travel shows we watched so off we went.
The Lake area was absolutley beautifuly. We got to the lake and there was a boat ride about to leave so we hopped in..no idea how long or how much..it ended up being about 1hour 15 min. Trip down the lake to an island where we wandered aroudn for about a 1/2 hour and back up the lake..and only 24E..which we thought was a pretty good deal. Then we had lunch overlooking the lake and decided this was a great unexpected stop.
Back on the road to Salzburg. We had about 2 more hours to drive. The Slovenian and Austian country side were beautiful. Small towns all throughout the amazing mountains. The pictures I was able to post do not do it justice.
We arrived in Salzburg and headed right out to visit the old town. We walked around the shopping area, found a pretty cool beer gaden and of couse had a beer..then found a place for dinner. We had the famous Austrian souffle kind of dessert..mixed reviews..very much like a souffle with a raspberry sauce..pretty much like eating air. It started to rain while we were having dinner in the garden so we moved into a semi covered area and finished our meal..and walked back to our hotel in the rain. Luckily it was not pouring..just a light rain..
We are in salzburg so of course the Sound of Music is on TV. I think they pretty much show it all the time.
Tomorrow we have a Sound of Music Bike tour in the morning and a Mozart Dinner in the evening..Very busy day! 10pm Now time for an epsisode of Downton Abbey and off to bed...Goodnight!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Our last day in Croatia
Last night we went to a small place for dinner and had pizza. Which is pretty much the fast food of Europe. We tried our hardest to find a burger but no luck. Every olace you go serves a grappa at the end of dinner. Last night was by far the worst one...almoost like gasoline..but we drank it!.
Today we started a boat ride at 930 am which took us to the town of Rovinj where we had about 2 hours to wander aound. We walked around did some shopping and climbed to the top of the bell tower ..the stairs were definately not OSHA compliant. Scary going up and even scarier coming back down. Pretty much just boards for steps. They did feel sturdy but when walking down there were huge spacies between the steps that could easily swallow a small child. It was quite a hike up but the view over the city was amazing. I think I got some really good pics.
Our next stop was Vrsar which was not much to speak of. We wandered a bit. We did not want to walk the climb to town so opted for an ice cream and them a beer before getting back on the boat for the trip back to Porec.
Notime for a nap today! Tonight we went back to Konoba Aba for dinner. Small family run restaurant I found on Trip adivor and excellent. We both had spaghetti with seafood which was very good.
We are all packed up to hit the road tomorrow to Salzburg. We have decided to skip the Eagles net since is primarily just a restaurant now and since we were at the tof Mount Pilatus for an amazing view of the alps. We will head right to Salburg and do a walking tour on our own. Maybe it will be less than 90degrees tomorrow.
Good Night!
Today we started a boat ride at 930 am which took us to the town of Rovinj where we had about 2 hours to wander aound. We walked around did some shopping and climbed to the top of the bell tower ..the stairs were definately not OSHA compliant. Scary going up and even scarier coming back down. Pretty much just boards for steps. They did feel sturdy but when walking down there were huge spacies between the steps that could easily swallow a small child. It was quite a hike up but the view over the city was amazing. I think I got some really good pics.
Our next stop was Vrsar which was not much to speak of. We wandered a bit. We did not want to walk the climb to town so opted for an ice cream and them a beer before getting back on the boat for the trip back to Porec.
Notime for a nap today! Tonight we went back to Konoba Aba for dinner. Small family run restaurant I found on Trip adivor and excellent. We both had spaghetti with seafood which was very good.
We are all packed up to hit the road tomorrow to Salzburg. We have decided to skip the Eagles net since is primarily just a restaurant now and since we were at the tof Mount Pilatus for an amazing view of the alps. We will head right to Salburg and do a walking tour on our own. Maybe it will be less than 90degrees tomorrow.
Good Night!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Happy Anniversay to us! Visit to Motovun
Today we celebrated our 5 year anniversary! It really does feel like it was just yesterday...
We took the boat over to Nikola island and rented some chairs and spent the day at the beach. I think we both spent a little too much time in the sun and we both have a little sun burn to prove it.
I do have to say that I almost felt out of place with a one piece suit on and even with a top on!
Of course there was an afternon nap and back out for dinner about 9pm. We went to the same restaurant where we had the sea bass in salt a few days ago. It is called Cardo. We had another delicious meal! We went with meat this time...Yes my not eating red meat did end on this vacation but I did last 7 months at home. I did break it in Italy with Carpaccio of all things.
A few more drinks after dinner and off to bed.
We had originally planned another beach day for today but felt as thought we had enough sun so we took a drive in the countryside to Motovun. It is a small beautiful hilltop top. When Anthony Bourdain filmed his No Reservaiton episode on Croatia he visited Motovun and we had lunch in the same resturant. Lunch was delicous. We had the motovun mixed plate appetizer which was all things Motovun and Istria are known for: procuitto, cheese, olives and peppers all with a little olive oil. We walked around the town for a bit and did a little shopping. It is a small artist community so lots of hand made and local crafts.
There are olive trees and grapes vines eveywhere. The Istrian wine is very good and the olive oil is excellent! We learned that when croatia joins the EU next year they can only have what vines and olive trees they already have and will not be able to plant new ones so you see new plantings everywhere.
It is now 315..must mean it is nap time!
Tomorrow we are going to take an all day boat trip down the coast to Rovinj, the Fjord and Vrsar with lunch and swimming!
We took the boat over to Nikola island and rented some chairs and spent the day at the beach. I think we both spent a little too much time in the sun and we both have a little sun burn to prove it.
I do have to say that I almost felt out of place with a one piece suit on and even with a top on!
Of course there was an afternon nap and back out for dinner about 9pm. We went to the same restaurant where we had the sea bass in salt a few days ago. It is called Cardo. We had another delicious meal! We went with meat this time...Yes my not eating red meat did end on this vacation but I did last 7 months at home. I did break it in Italy with Carpaccio of all things.
A few more drinks after dinner and off to bed.
We had originally planned another beach day for today but felt as thought we had enough sun so we took a drive in the countryside to Motovun. It is a small beautiful hilltop top. When Anthony Bourdain filmed his No Reservaiton episode on Croatia he visited Motovun and we had lunch in the same resturant. Lunch was delicous. We had the motovun mixed plate appetizer which was all things Motovun and Istria are known for: procuitto, cheese, olives and peppers all with a little olive oil. We walked around the town for a bit and did a little shopping. It is a small artist community so lots of hand made and local crafts.
There are olive trees and grapes vines eveywhere. The Istrian wine is very good and the olive oil is excellent! We learned that when croatia joins the EU next year they can only have what vines and olive trees they already have and will not be able to plant new ones so you see new plantings everywhere.
It is now 315..must mean it is nap time!
Tomorrow we are going to take an all day boat trip down the coast to Rovinj, the Fjord and Vrsar with lunch and swimming!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Pula, Croatia
This morning we took a drive to Pula which is about 45 minutes south of Porec. We went to see the Collisieum which was pretty amazing I still have not figured out how to put photos here but there are some on Facebook. It was still really hot here and I see it is the same at home.
Came back to town and it got a little cloudy so we walked around town and did some shopping and had lunch. Then of course nap time.
We went out for a great dinner at Konobo Aba which is a small family run resturant. The food was great and the price was excellent. Wayne had a nice steak with truffle sauce. The Istrian penninsula is know for their truffles.
There is a folklore dance festival going on in town so we watched the dance troupe from Egypt for a few minutes.
We found a bar for a cocktail with some live music. Quite a mix of music..from Pink Floyd and Janis Joplin to John Mayer and Eric Clapton. There were pretty good. It started raining so that was the end of our night.
It is 1231 here so if is officially our 5 year anniversary! Happy Anniversary to us!
Came back to town and it got a little cloudy so we walked around town and did some shopping and had lunch. Then of course nap time.
We went out for a great dinner at Konobo Aba which is a small family run resturant. The food was great and the price was excellent. Wayne had a nice steak with truffle sauce. The Istrian penninsula is know for their truffles.
There is a folklore dance festival going on in town so we watched the dance troupe from Egypt for a few minutes.
We found a bar for a cocktail with some live music. Quite a mix of music..from Pink Floyd and Janis Joplin to John Mayer and Eric Clapton. There were pretty good. It started raining so that was the end of our night.
It is 1231 here so if is officially our 5 year anniversary! Happy Anniversary to us!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
End of Day two in Porec.
We had a great dinner tonight..Fresh caught Sea bass cooked in salt and fileted(sp?) tableside. It was delicious. Stopped and bought my first anniversary gift a nice gold and citrine ring.
We found a casino down the steet so we stopped in and I actually carried Wayne this time. He only lost 20 Euro but I won 290 Euro!! Lucky number 7. I was kind of bummed that after I hit with 5 euro on 7 I cashed out and then 7 came out again!!! but we walked away winners!
I am feeling the sun as the day goes on. I fell asleep a little too long and got a little too much sun on the back of my legs. Tomorrow we are off for a drive to see the Collisieum which is older that the one in Rome and still in use.
Good Night!
We found a casino down the steet so we stopped in and I actually carried Wayne this time. He only lost 20 Euro but I won 290 Euro!! Lucky number 7. I was kind of bummed that after I hit with 5 euro on 7 I cashed out and then 7 came out again!!! but we walked away winners!
I am feeling the sun as the day goes on. I fell asleep a little too long and got a little too much sun on the back of my legs. Tomorrow we are off for a drive to see the Collisieum which is older that the one in Rome and still in use.
Good Night!
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