For the rest of us not taking part in the water fight, we simply just sat around on our porch – enjoying a quiet evening in a peaceful and serene Italian countryside with spectacular views at Agriturismo ai Casoni. To the right are the mountains, in front is an old country house, to the left […]
At 5pm, when we were coming home from Treviso, it was still 26C outside and very humid. The best solution for that would be to cool off in the pool which was a bit cold still, so the children went for the second best option – a water fight. There were no winners in this […]
Today is our last full day in Italy so we are visiting Treviso. This small city of about 80,000 people is actually quite famous. Treviso became a city in 89 BCE, the main road leading up to the Venetian defence walls is lined with spectacular villas on both sides of the road. Because of its […]
St. Mark’s Basilica is the most famous of the city’s churches and one of the best known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture. It lies at the eastern end of the Piazza San Marco, adjacent and connected to the Doge’s Palace. Originally it was the chapel of the Doge, and has only been the city’s cathedral since 1807. Know for […]
Piazza San Marco often known in English as St Mark’s Square, is the principal public square in Venice. The Palaces, St. Mark’s Basilica, the Bell Tower, the Clock Tower leading to the Rialto Bridge as well as the connection to the Grand Canal and the Grand Canal promenade is all here. It is a massively large open […]
The Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square and Basilica are the most iconic landmarks in Venice They are instantly recognizable and quite amazing in their own right. The weather is fabulous, there are no crowds – a perfect day to be in Venice.
Going to Venice and not taking a gondola ride is like going to Rome and not seeing the Coliseum or going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. Not only do you get to see Venice from a totally different perspective but you also get to see Venice as people who live there see […]
Venice is famous for its glass, colourful and ornate. You can buy just about anything you can imagine made out of glass, from candies and cakes to animals, to pencils and cufflinks. You can also get some good street art. While a lot of it is simply printed there are some local artists that actually […]
There are some 190 churches in Venice. To see them all in one day or even a week is mission impossible. There are churches dedicated to all sorts of saints and holidays and important historical events you can imagine. ” The plague is over” – let’s celebrate and built a church – literally. To make […]
Some 60,000 people live in historical Venice, while Venice proper houses some 270,000 people. Historical Venice is built on wooden piles which were driven into the seabed and unto which the foundations of the buildings were build on. There are some 486 bridges in Venice we walked on 29 of them. Everything here is different, […]
We are going to Venice this morning for a day. There are a number of ways of getting there, but since we have a car we going to drive across the Liberty Bridge and park at the first available parking garage. Parking in Venice is interesting. We pulled into the first parking garage which has […]
This church has a status of cathedral. It is not so much due to its size but its historical importance. Dating back to the late 1400’s this church was at the centre of Renaissance movement in Conegliano. Of particular importance was the fact that the front facade of the church was connected to the school and […]
Conegliano is a small town and commune in the Veneto region, Italy, in the province of Treviso, about 30 kilometres north from Treviso. The population of the city is around 36,000 people. Conegliano is noted for its wine, mainly the dry white Prosecco (made from the grape of the same name) which comes in three varieties: tranquillo (still), frizzante (slightly sparkling) and spumante (sparkling). It […]
The remains of a 10th-century castle are situated on a hill that dominates the town and offers beautiful views of the countryside. Formerly belonging to the Bishop of Vittorio Veneto, what remains of the castle is a bell tower, which now houses a small museum, and outer walls. There is a huge courtyard as well as […]
We have now travelled some 22,000 km in our lovely Alfa Romeo throughout Europe as part of our trip here. This excludes the train trips and the time we drove the Volvo. Here is an updated map of places we have been to and seen as we continue to explore more and more of the […]
We have arrived at Agriturismo ai Casoni, just outside Treviso – where we are going to be spending the next 5 days. This is a small family run agriturismo that produces its own wine and Prosecco as well as the meats and fruits and vegetables. So, as you walk in and are greeted by the hosts […]
Let’s face it – I think that by now, our need to travel is largely dictated by the fact that we don’t want to be recognized as “are those people eating again?” That’s us, we travel and eat and eat and eat, but it is soooooo good, we simply can’t help ourselves. From this day […]
Turn the other cheek might as well be the biggest lie ever told. Today I got a fair share of “turn the other cheek and give an evil eye” stares. I was simply trying to take a few quiet pictures of this lovely early-Baroque Franciscan Church. Built in the mid 1600’s the layout takes the form of a basilica with […]
After 11 months of being here and traveling rather extensively my wife said – finally a country I haven’t been to yet. Slovenia has about 2 million people, 270,000 of which live in its capital – Ljubljana. It is a picturesque and beautiful little city with a lot to offer. While Ljubljana does not have any […]
We have arrived in Ljubliana, Slovenia. We are sticking to our strictly regimented schedule. Drive, check in, go out to eat!
We are leaving Salzburg once again and driving to Slovenia. It should be a great drive through the mountains, it is only about 3 hours with a stop or two for coffee. It’s nice and sunny so the views should be amazing and hopefully the traffic will be light.
Some 5 minutes on foot from our hotel is St. Sebastian’s Church. Tucked away behind the church is a famous cemetery. The cemetery was designed in the shape of an Italian Capo Santo. There are a number of famous Salzburg natives found here – their last resting place. Mozart’s widow and his father were buried […]
In two hours we are back here for dinner. Judging by the menu it should be nothing short of spectacular!
We are going church crazy today – it’s almost Easter so why not. St. Peter’s Abbey is well over 1300 years old. This old Benedictine Monastery is a church, it has a spectacular library, a small quiet and charming cemetery, if there is such a thing, a massive court yard and the oldest European […]
From the top of Salzburg Fortress the views are breath taking. Today, for the first time we actually got to see the mountains form the city. While fog and clouds add their own mystique to this town, clear blue skies and white capped mountains have their own beauty. We are happy to be here, it […]
The University Church with its grandiose façade is one of the most magnificent Baroque churches in Austria. It feels light, open and airy – with the usually obscene dash of expansive marbles and gold, as no god could ever be happy without the usual riches. The chapels inside the church are dedicated to the patron […]
After the Mirabell Palace we set off along the river towards the Medieval Street and towards the old town. It it amazing how we have already been here but have not seen about 90% of things we are looking at today. Quick stop for coffee and dessert and we are off to the Cathedral and […]
We are exploring a bit of the other side of Salzburg. The side of Salzburg we did not see the last time we were here. First on the agenda after breakfast was a quick stop for a coffee and beer. Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau had Altenau Palace built in 1606 as a token of […]
It has been almost six hours since our last meal. We had a short drive from Sankt Georgen, we got into our apartment, parked the car, had a nap and came out to eat something. Back by popular demand we are back at Goldene Kugel – kids favorite place in Salzburg.
This is yet another Baroque style church. Splendid last time we looked at it and even more so with bright sunlight shining through the windows. Simply spectacular and awe inspiring.
It is very rare that we are out late at night which is a shame because the city looks totally different at night. Great accent lighting on all the major monuments in the old town and empty streets – make for a charming stroll through the city.
We are back to our favourite restaurant in the old town – for a good traditional German dinner. For a flame roasted Nuremberg sausages – this place is a real treat.
We spent a day exploring a bit of our beautiful city – from the Imperial Castle to the old town and a section of newly renovated St. Sebaldus Church. After a bit of pre-dinner gelato and a lovely dinner, we set out for another walk around the large park by our house. Lovely day… […]
This then is a traditional Polish dessert. It is only made in certain parts of Poland and it is now Boris’s favourite dessert. A basic sękacz is made of 60 eggs, a lot of butter, milk and a bit of flour. A large sękacz will be made of 80 or more eggs. Once batter is […]
It’s dinner time. We are down at our local restaurant Mullers. Great authentic German food – no cooking involved in this meal.
Lazy Saturday afternoon – out for a walk and a beer.
After an early lunch we set out to explore a bit of town for a nice walk, but really we went looking for a place to sit down to have a little drink.
In an unusual turn of events we are out of the house before 9 am. Out of the house, through the park to the bakery to get some fresh bread. Our parents are here, and in about an hour more guests from Poland are arriving for the weekend. It’s going to be fun.
The travellers come bearing loot….
We are off to Frankfurt to pick up Anna’s parents. They will be visiting with us for about 3 weeks!
The Bavarian Spring is in full swing. Everything is exploding in all shades of green. All other colours of spring are not far behind. White asparagus is in season and literally everywhere you look, next up will be rhubarb and then strawberries all locally grown of course. While today was not the hottest day – […]
Heroes’ Square is one of the major squares of Budapest, rich with historic and political connotations. Its iconic statue complex, the Millennium Memorial, was completed in 1900, the square was named “Heroes’ Square” in 1929. The square is dedicated to the heroes of Hungary and was originally conceived as a Millennium Memorial for Hungary’s 1000 year anniversary as a […]
This place is no Zeller Bistro but we are out trying something new. Tonight we are at Lado Cafe. This little place, is where the locals hang out to have a dinner and listen to some live jazz or blues. Tonight is a live jazz show. Frankly we did not have the time to take […]
Art Deco is everywhere in Budapest, but so are great many other buildings in Romanesque, Gothic, Gothic Revival, Neo-Classical, Baroque, Hungarian secessionist, Renaissance and modern styles. For anyone with any interest in architecture Budapest is a treasure trove of amazing examples of different architectural styles – more often than not standing side by side.
Budapest – the city of cafes and pastry shops is not disappointing. Laying waste to our waist lines is this little gem. Going back to 1956 this quaint little cafe, off the beaten path has been serving amazing cakes and coffees for well over half a century. We are talking a small break to relax, […]
The Parliament Building on the bank of the Danube is currently the largest building in Hungary and together with St. Stephen’s Basilica the tallest building in Budapest standing at 96m. The number 96 refers to the nation’s millennium, 1896, and the conquest of the later Kingdom of Hungary in 896. About one thousand people were involved in construction of the Parliament, during […]
The church is named after Saint Stephen I of Hungary, the first King of Hungary (c. 975–1038), whose incorruptible right hand is housed in the reliquary. This is the most important church building in Hungary, one of the most significant tourist attractions and the third highest building in Hungary. Equal with the Hungarian Parliament Building, it is one of […]
Meanwhile in the other room at Zeller Bistro a fox hunt themed bachelor party was taking place. 14 crazy Englishmen, a bachelor dressed like a fox and a lot of toasting. There were two different toasts given in about 5 minute intervals – To the Hunt and What Did The Fox Say! As the table […]
As my wife said, when you come to Budapest but don’t stop by Zeller Bistro, for dinner – you have wasted your trip here. Zeller is a very small bistro on the Pest side of the city, family own and family run. They also own a small farm and make their own wine and some […]
After a nice visit to Buda site of Budapest we crossed the famous Chain Bridge, to Pest side of the city. This, architecturally speaking, is the modern part of the city. Pest side of the city is a treasure trove of Art Deco, Neoclassical and Classical architecture, perhaps mores than Prague. For me that is […]
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