Dubai
We had a great day! All very tired and Sam only had 1 hour sleep on the plane and Ants was actually sounding worse!!! Anyway, had a shower and a 30 min nap and then headed out by foot to the main mall, about 20 min walk from the hotel. The temp was well into the 40s and stiflingly hot. The pavements are amazing. Even in this heat, they are beautifully planted and lush gorgeous plants and flowers are thriving. The pavements are so wide and paved with marble blocks and shiny black bricks. Such opulence especially when we compare them to
Mozambique, with their crumbling sidewalks! The mall was a pleasure to enter, such a blast of cool air that revived us again. We browsed a bit as we headed towards the lifts to the highest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, which has 160 floors in total. The viewing deck is on the 124th floor and the lift takes literally less than a minute to rise up to that level. It was so smooth and fast but we had to yawn a few times to equalize our ears! The views from up there we're amazing. Dubai really is just a big desert with the most amazing buildings and architecture to rise out of it. There are no beggars, everyone has jobs and although scary looking at first, the Arabs are very friendly. We then grabbed a quick lunch and Sam and I spent some time in the mall while the boys walked home to sleep. I was very proud of us girls sense of direction as we got ourselves back to the hotel a while later. I took the kids swimming at the pool - the water was almost as warm as the outside air!
Tonight we went on a desert safari. We were picked up at the hotel at 4.30 and driven about 45 min out of Dubai. We had a falcon show put on by a South African and then went 4 x 4 ing on the sand dunes in huge toyota vehicles. The Arabian Adventure company that organizes this tour must have a fleet of at least 60 vehicles and we all travelled in convoy. It was good fun and we all bounced around in the back seat as we went over beautiful colored sand dunes. Another stop was had for sunset and then we went off to the Arabian camp for dinner and a belly dancing show. All very well put on and organised! Oh, I forgot to mention the family camel ride too! Driving back into the city tonight was amazing. The city pavements are lined with palm trees all decorated with fairy lights. And other ornaments that all light up at night. Is just so magic. I am now tucked up with Sam in our room on the 1st floor. The boys are up on the 6th floor. Probably a little quieter as I have just realized we are above the restaurant!!
Dubai to Rome
We had a wonderful start to the day in Dubai. Ants woke us girls up at 7.30. I honestly had the best sleep in years!!!!! We had a fab breakfast and then took a taxi to Birj Al Arab (the famous hotel that looks like a sailing ship right on the beach) we took a few photos from the back of the hotel. There was no way we were allowed to go onto the private beach or hotel enterance (very strict). We saw where the wild water park is and where they do the indoor skiing but will have to save that for another visit.
Our very friendly taxi man dropped us off at the Al Jumeria Beach Park, a public beach but only costs R12. Unfortunately photography was not allowed on the beach but oh my, the water was to die for!!! We spent an hour floating in the most gorgeously warm sea ever!! After that a quick trip back to the hotel to pack.
We all agreed that Dubai is the most organized city ever and apart from the scorching heat!! Everything just works.
The trip to Rome was uneventful. I watched 2 movies but still have loads to chose from on our horrific trip home (15 hours or so).
Next step was to find the local taxi rank, and we happily went on our way until the car broke down about 5 min out of the airport!! We had to be rescued by his friend - long story short, we eventually arrived at the hotel!! So imagine our horror when we discover that Sam and Matt had a tiny sleeper couch to share for 3 nights!!! luckily the room is biggish and I asked them to bring in a second couch for Matt.
So tomorrow we will head out and see what adventures we can have with these Italians!!!
Rome (day 1)
Oh my, exhaustion reigns!!!
We had a rushed start to the day by trying to meet up with our friends from Franschoek. They have been in Rome for a few days but were leaving today at 11. The shuttle which leaves hourly from the hotel was booked up for 9am so we had to take a taxi down to the Vatican museum. We were met by a queue of a thousand faces all waiting to enter the museum to see the Sistine Chapel. After a few phone calls, we eventually met Natalie and her family!! Her son James was so happy to see Matt and we literally had a 5 min catch up in the street surrounded by a mass of people. We will pretend we had much longer and shared a capacino together as that sounds far more romantic!
We decided to take a tour of the Sistine Chapel with a guide as one could then by-pass the queues. However in retrospect, it was probably too long and formal for the kids. We must have gone round for about 3,5 hours and by the time we finally got to see the chapel itself, we had two very tired grumpy kids. The was a maze of museums, statues and rooms of tapestries we had to go through before we got to see Michel Angelo's painting on the ceiling. Our guide loved her job and did not stop telling us stories!!! I personally thought the Sistine Chapel was incredible - Much better than I had imagined. So beautiful and the room itself is huge ( and an added bonus was that it was air conditioned and the only time I felt comfortable!!! ) It is 34 degrees today and goes up to 36 by Saturday.
After the tour we popped in to St Peters Basillicas - I could have spent ages in there as it is also ornate and full of amazing things to see. I loved all the little child cherubs, fat tummies and all. We took 2 very hot kids for their first Italian pizza at a little side walk cafe. It was delicious and think it revived us all.
We have just got back to the hotel and thought we would chill by the pool ( it is the biggest pool I have seen) but low and behold, it is closed due to some problem with the pump!
Rome (day 1) (evening)
Just returned from a lovely evening out. We met our group of 51 people and a very nice tour guide called Nick from Canada. We jumped on the bus and headed out to a Italian restaurant for anti pasta, a Neapolitan pasta and pudding. Our group look nice, so far 3 other SA families from Stellenbosch, Kimberly and a lovely lady and her son from Soweto. We sat with her at our table and she works for Tito Mboweni and is a real career woman. She had planned this trip with her mom but she passed away a few months ago so it is a bit of a sad trip for her. Our bus driver drove us around a bit after dinner. So lovely to sit high up on a bus to get good views. My first impressions of Rome :
Hot, chaotic, unfriendly people, biggest sellers of of the Smart car due to no parking, lots of apartment buildings with flower boxes and plants on the balconies, crazy amount of people walking every where, gorgeous little back streets, beautiful old buildings with carvings and ornate features, beautiful bridges, gelato ice cream shops, motor bikes everywhere, smart cars parked vertically in horizontal bays.......
Antony has gone downstairs to the pub to watch some soccer. Italy is playing Germany. I hear loads of shouting coming from the ground floor - we are on the 4th!!!
We have a 6.30 wake up call tomorrow. Starting off with a walking tour early to avoid some heat. It is St Peters St Pauls day, a religious holiday so think that is why it was so crazy at the churches today as tomorow they will be closed.
Glad the leg is feeling a bit better mom. Hope you don't have to jab yourself for long. Ants still sick. All in his chest and he coughs whenever he speaks!!! That always happens when he gets ill and from experience it lasts for weeks.
Rome (day 2)
Hello all from a very hot Rome. 35 degrees today and heading for 36 tomorrow!!
We had a super day day today. The tour group is lovely and Matt has made loads of friends already - thanks in part to Sam for getting a game going and getting all the little boys involved. Hopefully she will make some friends soon too.
We did a walking tour of Rome this morning - the best way to discover all the gorgeous ally ways and quaint and very old buildings. We started early to avoid some of the heat but it certainly did not take long till it caught up with us!!!
We had a very funny Italian guide called Maria who told us the first thing we have to do when crossing a road in Rome is to pray! She also said the best part about public holidays like today is that all the Romans leave the city!! We saw the Trevino fountain, visited the 2 thousand year old Pantheon church and onto Piazza Navona whe we got vouchers for a gelato ice cream. The square was full of lovey fountains and tourists from all over the world. A real hub of activity. The heat was becoming unbearable and we still had to carry on as we then took the bus to the Colosseum. The queues were incredible but thanks to being on the tour we managed to skip them. I have always loved the look of the Colosseum and really enjoyed walking round it in the inside. Would have been even better if it was cooler and less crowded but that's life!! Matt and Sam were fading fast so were quite relieved to climb back on the bus to head back to the hotel for a lovely swim. ( there would have been mutiny if the pool had been closed today still!!!)
Tonight we went to an old farm house in the city for a pizza meal. The kids made their own pizzas and rolled the dough etc and then it was the adults turn. There was much merriment and laughter and it was a fun evening out. We took the kids and some of Matts new friends down to the hotels jungle gym to burn off some energy as the boys were all a litte hyper. If only the kids had been so full of energy this morning on our walk in the heat!!!
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Rome to Florence (day 3)
We had another early start today. Our bags had to be out of our rooms at 7am but the kids were very good!! The tour group headed out to the Vatican city to see the Sistine Chapel and St Peters Basillica. As we had done that excursion on our first day in Rome, we decided to take the Metro Train to the Spanish steps. It was only about a 3 station journey but we had to negotiate our way on the underground and find out which direction we needed to travel in. It is not like the London underground that is well signed with maps painted on the walls and it was a bit of a hit ot miss really. Luckily between Ants and I we got there safely. As Ants said to one of the people on the tour, I (being me) have the grand ideas and he (being Ants) has to execute them hence he is the one with the grey hair!!
We met up with the group again and headed out to Siena, about 1,5 hours drive. What a gorgeous medieval village perched a hill side, with a beautiful cathedral, town hall and famous for its bare backed horse races around the town square. Unfortunately the bus could not get close to the main village so we had about a 20 minute walk in 36 degree heat to get there. Luckily there is always ice cream to bribe the kids with!
We then headed straight through to Florence to our hotel. It is nice enough with 4 single beds. It is right across the road from the river, so after our dinner tonight we all walked back along the cobbled road. Our tour guide put all the kids together at 1 end of the restaurant and the adults at another. It was the hottest, noisiest evening evening ever but lots of fun. Our guide took all the kids for a walk while the parents ate their pudding and the noise level did not drop much!! So was actually the parents making the most noise!! Sam finally started chatting to some other girls. Once again she is a magnet for all the little girls and they adore her. She met a 12 year old from Stellenbosch who is Afrikaans so hopefully she will make a friend and improve her "Taal" in one go!!! Matt is in his element and surrounded by boys who think he is wonderful!!
Some other things I will remember about Rome - traffic light are purely there for decoration!! Just walk across the road, do not hesitate and never let the drivers see the whites of your eyes.
The drive through to Florence was also lovely. Once you left the crazy city madness behind, it was all rolling hills with the the most gorgeous fields of yellow sunflowers.
Florence (day 4)
Hello from a hot and sticky Florence!!
We decided to skip the extra morning tour of the original David this morning as there are so many replicas around the city. (besides I think sam has seen more than her fair share of naked male statues) We did join the group later on for a walking tour around the most popular sights and ended off with the obligatory gelato. Thank goodness these are included in the family tour package!!!
We then wondered back to the hotel via the Ponte Vecchio, a beautiful bridge over the river Arno.
At 1.30 we all hopped onto the bus and travelled down to Pisa. We took a little Noddy type train from the bus parking area to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We had the most hilarious guide who took us around. Roberto has all the children and adults in hysterics. The first time I have seen Matt smile during a tour of a building!!!
We then headed off to a Tuscan Vineyard and had a fantastic dinner, complete with 6 types of wine. The kids all sat together and had a ball as the adults got more and more merry. We all ended up dancing and one of the American guys serenaded us - such fun.
Last night was the Euro soccer 2012 final. Spain against Italy. All the men went off to find a big screen across the road from the hotel. What a pity Italy lost. It would have been an amazing vibe at breakfast this morning. Not just long faces!
We are off to Venice this morning.
Venice (day 5)
Well Venice has definitely been a highlight of our tour so far!!! Even though Ants and I both have done it before on Contiki tours, it certainly was not in so much detail. Yesterday after arriving fom Florence, the kids and adults jumped into the pool - the only redeeming feature of the Novatel hotel!! We then took our bus into the centre and caught a water taxi which took us down the grand canal to St Marks Square. It was just gorgeous. The beautiful but sometime run down buildings, so colourful with window boxes and peeling shutters. We got our bearings and had a quick stroll around the very busy square and then hopped onto a gondola. It was so peaceful being taken along the smaller waterways and there was even a musician singing to us. We passed under the the Bridge of Sighs - a famous bridge between the jail and the Doges Palace, so named because gave a sigh as they looked out its windows to see Venice for the last time before being imprisoned. Of course we had to go under the Rialto Brige, the oldest of the 4 bridges spanning the Grand Canal for the obligatory kiss!!!! We had dinner at the hotel last night, now known as the Fawlty Towers Hotel!! It was a horrid dinner with horrid service but so bad that it was quite amusing! Our mattress on our bed is no more than 10cm thick and the pull out couch fot the kids is even thinner with springs that stick into your body! Our one pillow each is more of a continental square pillow? At least the air con works!
Venice (day 6)
We had a hilarious breakfast, no better than the disorganized dinner than the night before (very nervous as our hotel in Paris is also a Novatel hotel and we stay there for 3 days). We boarded the bus again to take us to the main ferry stop about 20 minutes drive away. We headed out to St Marks Square again where we had about 3 hours of free time to explore on our own and get lost. There are hundreds of shops and markets and Sam and I had a ball. I shopped for some glass jewelry and she spent granny Sheila's money on tee shirts and scarves. Next up was a trip across the lagoon to see some glass blowing and the children painted their own Venecian masks to take home. Luckily not as big and ugly as the one you have Mike!! Then as an optional excursion, we took the water ferry about 45 min out to another island called Murano. It is a much quieter and a bit off the beaten track which was wonderful after all the crowds. The island is so delightful and every house is painted a different colour. They say it was due to the fishermen coming home from weeks at sea and going in to the wrong house so they were all painted different colours so the men folk did not get lost! We had a sea food lunch under the fans in a restaurant overlooking the square. The heat is almost unbearable. Next trip would certainly not be in the heat of summer. Hopefully tomorrow it will cool down a bit as we head to Switzerland. We have a 7 hour drive ahead of us but the kids are so happy with their new friends, I am sure they won't even notice. They take turns swapping seats and sitting with their pals. So cute. They are both so settled and they loved Venice too.
Venice via Verona to Engelberg Switzerland (day 7)
It was a long day in the bus today but the scenery was so worth it. We left Venice and headed to Shakespeare's Verona to see the Roman Arena and Juliet's balcony. This was in the scene from Letters to Juliet and I loved looking at all the love notes graffitied onto the wall. Most noes had been stuck done with bubble gum and the letters had long gone but not the chewed bits of gum! Made for an incredible sight. There was a big heart with loic Anthony. Ants said it must must mean Lots of Incredible Chicks love Anthony!
We drove on past the commercial centre of Milan to lake Como. We crossed the Switzerland boarder painlessly and within 5 minutes of going into Switzerland the temperature had dropped from 38 to 20!! We drove through the a tunnel that was 17km long and when we emerged the rain had started! What a difference to Italy! It was about another hour traveling along the scenic Alpine St Gotthard route into central Switzerland where we arrived at a very pretty sports resort called Engelberg. We had been warned that our hotel was very average and people had been complaining about the beds but we were so pleasantly surprised at the huge room, split into 2 parts and 3 beds and a comfy sleeper couch . We had decided not to do the optional tour this evening which was a horse drawn cart taking our group to a working dairy farm for dinner. We watched the group leave and then we headed out for a walk in the pouring rain to explore. Such a quaint little town. We headed off to find the fondue restaurant that was recommended and we looked like drowned rats when we arrived! We shared a meat and broth fondue that came with lots of fruit and veg too. We are all missing that from our diets. Italy was just carbs!!!
There was lots of coughing going on in the bus today. Lots of people getting sick - just as Antony finally getting over his chest infection. Poor Sam full of bites and quite miserable today. Walking in wet jeans did not help the itching.
Engelberg - day trip Lucerne day 8
I am so in love with Switzerland!! Rain in the afternoons and all.
This morning we had a fantastic excursion to Mt Titlis. We took 3 different cable cars up to the top, a 40 minute trip in total to the top, 10 000 feet. The views were exceptional and the weather was fantastic. The air at the top of the mountain was the freshest I have breathed in years. Of course there was lots of snow at the top of the mountain and we had a good hour frolicking in it and making snow balls. There was a glacial cave too that we walked through. The kids were in seventh heaven! We got off half way down and walked to a lake on the mountain and played with some friendly cows Swiss cows with bells around their necks. I am sure someone could do a theisis on the mental health of these cows with the constant ringing in their ears!
This morning we were awake from 5am as the church bells started to ring then every hour. When the alarm finally went off at 7 we just thought it was another bell!
We were picked up from the cable car end point and whisked off to Lucerne. I think most of the men wanted to come back to the hotel first to change their underpants - most of them had had snowballs thrown at them by their kids and it had ended up in their pants!
I say this about every place we have visited but Lucerne really is the prettiest city we have visited so far. The lake is gorgeous. There is a walkway across it with the most beautiful planter boxes full of gorgeous flowers. We had lunch and wondered around the shops and then took a peddal boat on the lake for 30 minutes. Ants and I were dripping with sweat but it was so peaceful!
Sams bites don't look good and we are dosing her with anti histamines. She is still rather miserable! The bus is falling like flies with colds. Tomorrow we have a 700 km drive so that is going to be fun!!!
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Switzerland to Paris Day 9
We are in Paris! It was the longest day in the bus so far - took about 8 hours. Nick put on a DVD for us to kill two hours. It was call My Life In Ruins about a tour leader taking a group of tourists around Greece. It was hilarious and it depicted the Australians and Americans perfectly. We have 2 Auzzi guys on the tour who perpetuate the typical Auzzi mentality of beer, beer and more beer! The one has a super wife and am sure I will keep in contact with her. We only had 2 rest stops along the way. I am so over truck stop fast food. The one had about a 15 minute for the ladies and no queue for the men's! So unfair. I should have kept an account of how much we have spent on bathroom visits. The most expensive place to pee is Venice at R15 and the Louve was R10. I have been holding it in a lot!!!
We arrived in Paris in the pouring rain and before we even had a chance to drop off our bags at the hotel, we were taken to the Louve. We had about an hour tour (which was about 55 min too long for Matt) and I finally got to see the Mona Lisa. I must say, the Siistine chapel was much more impressive to me than one single painting but it was still pretty special seeing it close up. Because our bus driver had done his legal hours of driving, a contract bus was going to pick us up from the Louve and take us to the hotel. However, it never arrived so our tour leader had to pack 51 of us into taxis! It must have cost him a small fortune! The driving here is quite frightening. Twice I thought someone was going to hit us. The hotel is the same as Florence, a Novatel. It has the tiny sleeper couch with the same springs that cut into you! Luckily they gave us 2 extra duvets that we are using as a mattress. In Europe the pillows are just too awful. They give you just one square one. We have had to ask for extra ones at each hotel we have been to.
The hotel has 28 floors, we are on the 13th! Luckily we all had a good nights sleep
Paris
Yesterday morning (7th July) we took an optional tour to see the Palace of Versailles. We were very lucky with the weather as we seemed to miss most of the heavy rain. We still needed to buy an umbrella from the vendors but it may come in handy in the UK. The Palace was beautiful, I heard there are 10 000 rooms, luckily for Matthew we only saw about 15 inc Hall of Mirrors, Marie Antoinettes bedroom, Louis The 14th bedroom and lots of reception rooms! We then went into the most exquisite gardens, with music playing and the fountains going. It was a bit wet though and we got back to the bus just before a huge down pour.
We were dropped off at the Arc de Triomphe. We walked down the Champs Élysées and bought a baguette to eat -reminding me of my Contiki tout 20 years ago!
We decided to walk back to the hotel. One really only appreciates a city when you walk it. Our hotel is about 10 mim walk from the Eiffel Tower so quite covenient. We had about an hour free time before we headed out on our hectic night out. First stop was the Eiffel Tower. The queue was crazy and one car was not working. Luckily we had our fast track tickets and the wait was only 15 minor so. We went up to the 2nd level and then queued for car to take us right up to the top. It is really HIGH! I surprised myself though as I normally hate heights. The view is amazing from the top. We took the car back to the 2nd level and then walked down to the ground! All of us have rather tight calves today!! We then went to a rather posh restaurant of our farewell dinner. There were cut glasses on the tables and 2 knives and forks etc. rather child unfriendly but it was a lovely meal. The kids made a huge racket and feel sorry for the other customers in the restaurant. We then boarded a boat and had went down the Sein river in time for sun set. At 10pm, as we cruised past the Eiffel Tower, it lit up like a Christmas tree with twinkling lights and all. Very beautiful. Nick had given us plastic cups and champagne to sneak on board. Of course the Australians were by now getting a little silly but it was lots of fun. Our last activity of the night was a tour of Paris by night. There was so much laughter and talking in the bus we could not hear a thing! Quite a few of us were getting off the tour before London so it was a night for farewells.
It was the latest night we have had on the whole trip. They have been very considerate knowing it is a family tour with early dinners etc. we had 51 people on the tour, the youngest was Rilley who was 5, there were lots of teenage girls, inc 2 twins from America who were 18 and off to medical school, no teenage boys, the oldest was 12. we had equal amounts of South aAfrians, Americans and Australians, and 3 Kiwis and one grandmother!
Paris
We had a bit of a non day today. We got up early to see the bus off and say goodbye to our fellow travelers who were heading to London. We had breakfast - rather lonely without the big group but so lovely and unrushed as we had no busses to catch! We went to the room and Sam and I slept for an hour nd the boys wrote their journals. We decided to do a dry run for our trip in the underground tomorrow and spent the morning traveling by tube. Matt was exhausted and nearly fell asleep on his feet and not a happy chappie. We had a baguette outside at the Notre Dame and then headed back by tube to the hotel where passed out for 2 hours. This afternoon we took the tube to a huge shopping centre about 20 min away. It was crazy with a capital C! Sam needed to toilet, a 20 min queue! It was just awful and we escaped as soon as we could get out. We had a very delicious dinner at the hotel, roast chicken, chips and salad for 4 (although a salad in Europe consists only of lettuce!!!) and we even has vegetables. Who though I could be so excited to see veg again!!
We are going to pack - again as tomorrow we leave for Euro Disney! I am not looking forward to more queues!
Euro Disney
Hello from Euro Disney! I could not face writing last night as we were so exhausted from a full day here with the most insane amount of crowds and queues that we all had had a bit of sense of humor failure by the time we went to bed! However, it is a new fresh day, and as we stayed at the Disney park hotel, we get an early access pass today and have 2 hours from 8 - 10 to our selves until the general masses arrive. I am typing this as I wait for my dare devil family to do space mountain for the 2nd time this morning. I am not nearly so brave and lost my voice and nerve doing it once yesterday. I closed my eyes the entire ride and screamed like hell. Eventually I stopped yelling and then Sam was worried about me as she had thought me being quiet meant I had passed out!!
We left Paris early yesterday morning and made our way to Euro Disney quite easily, bags and all. The train was full but we eventually found a seat. It was about a 45 min ride. We left our bags in storage at the hitel, as we could only check in at 3pm. Next time we would stay at the cheapest hotel here as we were only there in the room for such a short time. We only checked in at 7pm and checked out again by 8am! The village of Disney is beautiful. Gorgeous little building serving as shops, restaurants and suvenior shops. The village is H UGE and basically divided into 4 sections. The average wait was about 40 min to 1 hour for a ride, this morning between 5 and 10 mins.
The thing that stand out to me the most: the beautiful flower displays and gorgeous gardens, the crowds, the amount of smokers!, the number of prams, the beautiful kids all dressed up to the nines in their newly bought Disney outfits, the number of Micky Mouse ears that people were wearing, the amount of disabled kids and adults at the park, the queues for the ladies toilets, the constant noise from music being played at every corner, the screams from people on the rides ......
Today, Tuesday 10 th, we did some rides at Walt Disney Studio Park, inc tower of terror where you do a sudden drop of 12 stories!
As fun as it has all been, I am now ready to go. We catch the train to Paris later and then go on the Eurostar to London. We get in tonight. I am so looking forward to being in London. English and left hand driving!!
Rome
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Dubai
Italy
Paris
Switzerland
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