Tag Archives: Europe
Lucca – In Search of Puccini
Taking a break from the city of Florence afforded us an opportunity to visit nearby Lucca on the train. Located 75km due west and on the banks of the Serchio River in a fertile plain near the Liguria Sea this one time rival to the Republic of Florence lies. This makes it ideal to visit, […]
of the Flowers…
And when I thought of Florence, it was like a miracle city embalmed and like a corolla, because it was called the city of lilies and its cathedral, St. Mary of the Flowers Marcel Proust In our previous posts we talked about how much we enjoyed the city of Florence – its various piazzas, palazzos […]
Return to Florence Part 2
In our previous post we discovered the popular sights and sounds as we sauntered through the city. This time we would work around the margins of the centre of Florence to see what else we could find. The Mercato Sant’Ambrogio is known as Florence’s second market. Second after the Mercato Centrale and its tourist market. […]
Return to Florence Part 1
Our Taxi from Firenza Santa Maria Novella Train Station drove past an open square with a single statue in the middle of a circle of trees – Piazza della Indipendenza. It had changed very little in the preceding 12 years. The last time we were here the watchful gaze of Ubaldini Peruzzi’s Statue (He was […]
There and Back Again – Falkirk and Fife
Chariots of Fire During our Hogmanay Hootananny in Pitcarlie House we found ourselves a short drive from a lovely spot of Scotland. Located between Dundee and Edinburgh is the coastal town of St Andrews and it’s West Sands Beach. This provided the perfect spot for a brisk walk and chance to blow out the cobwebs […]
Yes, but what about Second Christmas Dinner?
The main benefits of being in an ‘International’ relationship is that every trip home involves two locations – two families and particularly at Christmas – two dinners 🙂 This year would be no exception. The Scottish leg of our home trip began with a night in Shawlands staying with Dan and Laura where we had […]
A Very Irish Christmas
December 2018 Normally when we fly into Dublin it is not the end of our journey, but the beginning of the end – a 3 hour car journey awaits us back to Midleton. This time would be different. We had one more stop to make before heading back to the Rebel County. 24km west of […]
Vienna Part 2: Music, Museums and More Markets
Throughout the course of human history, different cities became hubs for various strands of human endeavour. Florence was the crucible in which the Renaissance flourished. Venice and Xian, two cities seperated by distance and cultures became powerhouses thanks to their locations at either end of the Silk Road. Videogames (and their records) have their capital […]
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
December 2018 As we boarded our Qatar Airways flight in Sydney I was caught humming the tune to Driving Home for Christmas. Chris Rea at his best! This would be our first flight / drive for Christmas in Europe since 2015. Our first Christmas in Europe together 🙂 But not quite yet. We take a slightly […]
East Side Story
Jet lag: a physiological condition that dramatically affects your sleep pattern and wrecks the first few days of any trip from Australia to Europe as you speed across 10 time zones. Remedies for this malady range from Tamazepam to “a bit of plain toast and de-fizzed 7-up”. Luckily we arrived in Scotland first this time […]
Of Mice and Rain!
The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft a-gley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain For promis’d joy. Celtic Connections There are lots of benefits to being married to a Scottish person. They share a deep sense of humour and will not say no to any type of adventure. While they […]
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