Zurich to Lake Como

12 April-Robert and my 34th wedding anniversary. Its amazing how time goes by so quickly. After breakfast we walked through the city centre of Zurich-a real German feel and beautiful. The river and lake is a great backdrop to the old buildings. The trip to Lake Como was spectacular with the scenery of the Alps, lakes, rivers and small villages scattered along the way. We had a picnic lunch of bread, cheese, salami, and fruit. We arrived in Como about 4pm and found a hotel, and then set off and explored the Lake area. A really pretty town with many old buildings and piazzas, we strolled through a market and then had a nice Italian meal and some wine.

Paris to Zurich

Our last day in Paris was quite one, we haven’t stopped in 2 weeks and we needed to catch up on some washing etc. We also had to pick up the car that we will be using to travel from France to Italy, Croatia, Macedonia and then back to France. Picking up the car was a challenge i.e driving on the right side of the road and then navigating back to the Apartment. We made it and then had to find a park (and find the car again in the morning!). Kate and Igor got back late from Champagne and we went to bed ready for an early departure-Zurich was the plan. Having GPS made it much easier to get out of Paris (using a map I think we would still be doing a circuit of Paris). We travelled for 7 hours: 647 klms on motorways so it was quite pleasant. The tolls were expensive but the roads very good. After a drive around the city we found a place to stay and had a lovely dinner.

Paris

Off to the Catacombs today, they are nearby our apartment. The Catacombs were developed as early as the 15 Century and contain a labyrinth of tunnels many metres underground. It was off putting seeing thousands of skulls and bones neatly stacked against the walls, very eerie. Then it was time to visit the Eiffel Tower but as you can see from the photos there were thousands of people lined up to go up into the tower. Some had been waiting 2 hours and thought it would be another hour before they would gain access. So we decided not to wait and made our way to the Musee Robin i.e. the Thinker and Ronin's exhibition was magnificent. The mansion in which he lived was wonderful surrounded by a lovely garden.
We decided to cook tonight because it is so expensive in Paris e.g. the previous night we paid $80 for risotto and a pizza with ½ bottle wine! There is a supermarket nearby and a street with small shops selling fruit, cheese, meat, olives etc. Just like the movies :-). The salad was lovely but the meat like a piece of leather (could have been stewing steak-my French is very rusty). The wine is good and cheap. A quite night watching a DVD, our first quite time since we left Australia.

Paris

Our first day exploring Paris. We have ahd great weather but today is cold and overcast. Kate and Igor are off to Champagne for a couple of nights but they left us their passes on the underground and entry into many of the attractions. So handy. Our first visit was the Sainte Chapelle. It was built in the 13 Century and has the most amazing stained glass. Next was the Conciergerie. It was originally a French Palace but became a prison during the French Revolution. Marie –Antoinette was held here until she was beheaded. The gothic halls were beautiful.
We then wondered down the avenue and found the Seine-so beautiful. The Louvre was next. Wow its so impressive, photos and film do not do it justice. Saw the Mona Lisa-much smaller than I imagined. So much to look at and see in one place. Next was the Arc de Triomphe . another magnificent monument. We walked up the stairs-a few hundred straight up! It was worth it the view was breathtaking. All of Paris was stretched out in front of us with the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Paris is everything I thought it would be and more. A great day!

Off to Paris

Our last day in Berlin and lunch with friends and family of Jenny and Karl. Another great German meal in a lovely restaurant. Jenny then took us to the airport via the underground. The underground in Berlin is very efficient and so cost effective. We didn’t miss our plane this time! Jenny and Karl were such great hosts and tirelessly showed us their city. Thank you, it was such a delight to spend time with you and get to know Berlin through your eyes. Berlin is a great city, full of such treasures and so interesting. I loved strolling the streets.

Kate and Igor met us near the apartment. The apartment is everything you would imagine of a Parisian apartment. Quaint building, a winding spiral wooden staircase (3 stories up and no lift!). Its small but very functional, clean and all of the comforts of home. And wireless Internet access. We caught up over a bottle (or 2) of wine and then went out for a nice Moroccan meal. Yes, know what you are thinking, we are doing a lot of eating. We will have to cut down or we will be so fat by the end of the trip! (but the food is lovely).

Berlin

Today we decided to have a rest and do a river cruise. It was delightful. The cruise lasted 3 1/2 hours and included historic and modern buildings in the metropolis of Berlin, green riverbanks (where the Germans dump sand and create a beach!), industrial areas and the elevated railway. It was great to see Berlin from the river, drink hot chocolate and eat some lovely German food for lunch. We also visited the largest department store in Europe and it was amazing. The food court took your breath away with the variety and also the prices of the food ie prawns for $90 per kilo!

Berlin Day 3

Today we went to Potsdam, the old Prussian capital. We walked around the lake to the Cecilienhof Palace where the Potsdam Conference was held in 1945. The Palace was built for the Crown Prince Wilhelm in 1917 in the style of an English country mansion. It was beautiful and the surrounding gardens lovely. The self guided audio tour was informative. We then went into Potsdam to the Dutch quarter were we had a lovely German lunch in a cosy restaurant. Potsdam is an old medieval city with beautiful gates and interesting buildings. We walked to the Sanssouci Palace, built by Frederick the Great in 1745-47. In the evening we went to a concert in the Philharmonie to a Johannes Bach Concert. Beautiful music but the concert was in German (funny that) so Jenny had to translate which made it hard to follow the story. After we had hot chocolate at Potsdamer Platz. This is a new city centre, and the Sony Centre an impressive structure of steel and glass. Another full day in Berlin. Berlin is a great city to visit and even better when you have hosts like Jenny and Karl. It is easy and cheap to travel on public transport-if only Sydney had a public system nearly as good!. The food is great and there is so much to see and do.