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This
was the month of this years “Big Trip” .
Christopher looked after the business whilst Jill and I did a
quick trip around Europe with Geoff and Chris Fitchett.
It was a very enjoyable trip with lots of highlights.
Too many to bore our reader(s) with!
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Day
1 - The trip started with an overnight to Rotterdam and a fast drive
to Meissen near Dresden
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We
started as we intended to go on - good food and good drink
Les,
Jill & Geoff |
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In
Meissen old town overlooking the "new"
Les,
Chris & Geoff |
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Day
2 – Dresden to Prague – Prague was by far the nicest city we
visited - our hotel rooms were something else!
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Leaving the Dvorak Hotel |
This was the
sitting room in our hotel suite - not bad for £80 a night
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The
hotel was located in a beautiful quiet square near the
river in the centre of the city - a real find and highly recommended
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Day
3 – This was Jill’s day –
she had wanted to visit a place called Karlstein-an-der-Thaya (WHERE?
– you are no doubt saying!). It’s on the Czechoslovak/Austrian
border. (Jill had stayed there when she was on an exchange to Vienna
whilst at school nearly 40 years ago!!!). The plan was to go
on to Vienna.
It
was a bit of a detour, so originally we decided against it, however, as
luck would have it we got lost in the Czech countryside and,
fortuitously for Jill, ended up heading towards Karlstein…...
Finding a hole in the border wasn’t easy.
(We think the natives still thought the iron curtain was up
– there were plenty of “Goon towers” – all deserted we’re
pleased to report – but none of the natives new a way through!)
We eventually found a border post. (About 50 yards from where
a local had told us they’d never heard of one!!!). Furthermore
we found Jill’s village and stopped for a picnic before heading into
Vienna.
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We arrived in Vienna on the hottest day ever
recorded. We didn’t
find Vienna very exciting, but enjoyed our brief stay despite picking up
our first parking ticket. (Still unpaid!) |
Jill
outside our Hotel on Konigsklostergasse (However you pronounce it -
Our hotel was next door to the apartments where she stayed 40 years ago!!!)
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Cooling our feet in a fountain
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Day
4 – A
long drive day - Our target was Florence.
Thanks to a shortage of petrol, no filling stations on the
autopista and an Italian town that was closed for a long (very pleasant)
lunch, we never made it to Florence.
We stayed somewhere else – buggered if we know where??? – but
the food and wine were good.
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Day
5 – We made a lightening stop at Pisa for Geoff and Chris to visit
and photograph the leaning tower, and then caught a ferry from Livorno
to Corsica, our holiday destination.
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Right -
Stand up straight woman!!!
For us drivers
the 4 hour ferry crossing was like a luxury cruise
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We
spent the next 7 days enjoying the sun, food, wine and countryside of
La
Corse. |
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Top
Left - The harbour at Bonifacio
Top
- A couple of old hikers
Right
- A couple of posers in a mountain stream
Left
- A very impressive waterfall that you never visit twice - Its too
bloody dangerous!! |
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After
Corsica
we headed back west. Spending
the first night in Orange – Chateauneuf du Pape country.
More good food and some superb wine. (The wine cost more than the
hotel room!)
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Our
final night in Europe was to be spent in Luxembourg visiting Danielle
and Pascal. First
of all they took us to see a plot
of land that they had bought in a little village near the German border.
It was a most beautifully picturesque spot. They have designed a house, but, in true Quigley style, are
currently experiencing planning problems.
Nothing major they assure us, put it is holding up their building
plans.
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In
the evening we were royally entertained to dinner by Regine and Pierre,
Pascal’s parents. Their
company, their house, the food and the wine were fantastic.
By far the best food we had eaten on the trip.
So much that we couldn't get through the cheese course and ended
up bringing many of the cheeses home.
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Les, Danielle, Jill, Pierre, Regine, Geoff &
Chris enjoying canapes and pre-dinner drinks on the patio at the "Ducarn's".
(Pascal took the photo - hence his absence!)
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