Wish List

Just before booking the last or next holiday really, I decided to do up another list of possible destinations. Decided to write down 15 places I would like to visit and then did the old David Bowie trick of cutting up the list into 15 bits of paper, put them into a bag and made a list on what came out first. I have decided I dont have to stick rigidly with the list. Have to take into consider where Mum would like, the time of year and what special deals might be on offer. The list is as follows:
Sorrrento (Including Naples, Capri, Amalfi Coast)
Cologne (Bonn, Wupperthal, Konigswinther )
Beauvais (Giverney, Rouen, Amiens)
Barcelona
Budapest
Southern Belgium ( Thuin, Charleroi, + Lille in France)
Prague
Zurich ( St. Gallen, Appenzell, various Swiss Railway Journeys)
Berlin
Majorca
Collioure ( Southern France )
Porto
Austria.

There are still many places to visit and revisit. Also if it wasnt such a rip off a trip on the Orient Express train. However at nearly 2,000 euro for 1 day and night it can wait a few more years or just remain on the wishful thinking list. Also must go and see the Monaco Grand Prix, also very expensive.
The next trip is off to Florence with side trips to Assisi, Pisa, Siena also planned. Also hope to go to Maranello to see the Ferrari and Maserati museums and catch a glimpse of a red Ferrari being tested around the streets of the town. Will have to make do with a scale model Ferrari instead of a full sized one for now.
Maybe one day will be able to go on the Orient Express to Venice, then on the Maranello to pick up my new full sized car, could of course get the Chaffeur to deliver it to the railway station in Venice then race back to Monaco just in time to view the Monaco Grand Prix from a private Yacht. Wishful thinking!

June 2009

Florence is the next holiday destination. Flying in to Bologna and staying there for a couple of days. Possibly get a chance to go to the Ferrari Museum at Modena, another long time dream to be fulfilled.
Then on to Florence. Managed to get a City centre Hotel near the Railway Station and Duomo. Last time we visited Florence we stayed outside in a holiday camp and it simply took too much time travelling and also couldnt stay late in the City due to train timetables. Also the 'free' campsite Bus only went to the train station if you bribed the driver several euro, and he did this for all the passengers.
Also hope to go by train to Assisi, Pisa, also must go to Siena and hopefully San Gimiano. Lots to see, taste feel and drink.

Have to scan in the photos from the last visit as I had a regular i.e. non digital camera.

Vienna 2009 pt II

Great thing about going to a City for a second visit is you should waste less time going the wrong direction, making stupid mistakes! Well supposedly. Didnt make many but there were a few mistakes or more correctly wrong turns due to Austrian errors and even the odd google error. Firstly the Airport posed no problems and we even had someone to bring Mum on a swift wheelchair jaunt right out to the new Train Station. However arriving at Vienna, the station doesnt connect with the Underground yet. there is a load of building work and upon exiting the train station you must do a 270 degree waltz around a block. One day the whole thing will be complete. Then the directions given by the Hotel suggested getting 2 trams to the Hotel and no indication where to find the tram. Getting the Underground would have been only one shorter journey but for some reason the Hotel or Google want you to take the much longer journey.
Another Austrian 'cock up' has been to change the numbers of some of the Tram routes or rather change the routes of the existing numbers? tram 1 and 2 used to do a complete circular route right round the inner city. Now an 'improvement' changes this and both routes divert of the 'ring' and out into the Suburbs, so one night we found ourselves lost in outer Vienna. Amazingly we bumped into some people from Longford who put us back on our way. Vienna now have a Vintage tram service which does the traditional 'ring' service but its a special half hourly service and one of the few things that I was dissapointed with, its not a real old tram just a 1960s tram painted bright yellow and filled with Computer monitors and sounds.
One of the days we went to Baden by tram which was a pleasant trip, certainly a very pretty town full of floral displays, beautiful shops and picture perfect buildings almost too perfect like a Disney World street scene. On the Friday we took a combined train and boat trip to Melk and Krems, it took up most of the day. Most evenings we went to the world famous Central Cafe, Mum wanted to hear the piano man playing and it was a very nice way to end an evening eating fabulous cakes an Austrian beer or Melange and not that expensive and cheaper in fact than in a Dublin Cafe or Pub, which surprises me. I think if the owners knew how expensive Dublin is they would be surprised.
It has always been a slight ambition of mine to have a snack and drink up on one of those revolving Restaurants atop of one of those communication tower things. Theres one in London but alas it isnt open to the Public so I was delighted to find they had two in Vienna. So we went to the Donauturn Tower and although some would be bored, I was facinated to feel the Restaurant turn slowly and watch the City scape changing. From the Tower we then went up the Vienna Woods to another Cafe, again with great views looking down on Vienna. Since the last visit they had built a new additional Hotel and several Cafes up in the Vienna Woods, and someone had even left out traditional deck chairs so you could rest your weary feet and grab a few rays of sun while have another melange or ice cream.