Its our second full day tour in Athens and the focus today is the Acropolis and the surroundings. Our guide and driver picked us up again at 10 and we worked our way through the chaotic Athenian traffic. We happened to be driving past the presidents residence when they had the changing of the guard and stopped to watch them. Greece was a monarchy till … Continue reading Day 28 – Steeped in History
We departed from Hvar right before breakfast and as our rooms are on the lower deck it is incredibly loud when the engines kick in. I can see why the boat stays docked in one location all night rather than cruising along. We had a “Swim Stop” scheduled in the morning where the boat anchors near the shore and we can hop in the water … Continue reading Day 23 – Hvar to Trstenik via Peljesac (Cruise Day 2)
After all the walking we did yesterday we had the chance to sleep in this morning. The kids were very excited as the hotel room had their beds in a little alcove – and it felt like they were camping. We went down for breakfast which included a live pianist who played a lot of the pop classics. It was a bit of a weird … Continue reading Day 22 – Split to Hvar (Cruise Day 1)
We were up and out of the hotel in Amsterdam by 8 this morning to catch our flight to Zagreb for the penultimate leg of our trip. Amsterdam airport is quite spread out and our check in gates were almost in a little annex. After security, our boarding gates were in the furthest end of one of the terminals and was a good 20 minute … Continue reading Day 19 – Travel to Croatia
We started the day with a Dutch pancake making course. I had misread the tour titled and assumed we would be doing the course in a Dutch Canal Boat while meandering through, however it was just in a house that overlooked the canal. It was weird but the kids loved it. We were in someones house who runs these classes for tourists and we cooked … Continue reading Day 17 – Dutch Experiences
We started the day with a tour of a chocolate museum. Spread over 2 floors this museum showcased how chocolate was first discovered and how it’s produced. It was very interactive and the kids had a number of exhibits that they could touch and play with. I learnt that cocoa beans were used as legal tender in some countries centuries ago. We followed this up … Continue reading Day 14 – Chocolate, Fries and Beer – a Belgian Culinary Experience
We had the same tour guide today, Roman, and he was taking us for a drive along the Austrian countryside to see more Sound Of Music sights and also to the salt mine that Salzburg was named after. The unique experiences started early when the guide showed us hands free driving in his Tesla. Pretty soon after we got pulled over by the cops for … Continue reading Day 11 – A long day of unique experiences
The mercury is expected to touch 40 degrees today which is not something I ever expected to experience in Austria. By 7 am when we awoke the sun was already beating down on the windows and you could sense how hot it was going to get. Our itinerary for today includes a tour of Naschmarkt, the city’s largest and most popular open-air food market, stretching … Continue reading Day 8 – Culinary Creations
One of the things we look forward to the most is a food tour wherever we visit – especially ones that take us to local eateries rather than tourist destinations. We end up going to places where you would never otherwise frequent. We had a similar tour booked for tonight, which also included getting around the city in a tuk-tuk. Not only was it a … Continue reading Food Tour in a Tuk Tuk
We started the day with a visit to the Golden Buddha temple. It is the largest Golden Buddha in the world measuring over 15ft high and weighing over 5 tons. History had it that it was covered in plaster to protect it from the invading Chinese. Its value and worth was forgotten and it was left in the fields for decades till after the temple … Continue reading Day 4 – Pansies, Palaces and Prayers
blackCarrot 