Monday 24th September.  Our schedule wasn’t as hectic today and so we got in a morning walk. We retraced a lot of the ground covered yesterday but it was lovely to see the sights and statues without the crowds. I found it rather ironic that Mark wanted to photograph Mozart’s statue given he wasn’t a … More St Stephan’s Cathedral & Hitler tour day.

Sunday 23rd September Our morning activity involved attending mass with a performance from the Vienna Boys Choir. We set off a bit earlier to allow time for Mark to get a coffee before mass but Google maps had other ideas. It sent us in circles and we had to stop twice to ask for directions. … More Vienna Boys Choir Day.

Saturday 22nd September It was sunny but cool when we woke however there was no time for our usual morning walk. Our flight to Vienna was at 10.20 am and so we checked out at 8 am and caught an Uber to the airport. I noted on check-out that the cheapest daily rate for the … More Vienna: Day 1.

Friday 21st September. We woke to a wet morning, the first of our trip so we can’t complain. Our train from Bruges to Brussels was leaving at 10 am and so we had a rather peaceful preparation for this given the weather. The trip was rather uneventful and we arrived at our hotel, The Novotel … More One day in Brussels.

Thursday 20th September. Our day started with an early morning walk and we had the streets all to ourselves at 7.30 am. It was lovely to walk the cobbled lanes without the crowds and to enjoy the sights in the relative peace and quiet that the early hour offered. Our 2 hour walking tour started … More One full day in Bruges.

Wednesday 18th September Today was our last morning in Amsterdam and it was another glorious morning. Our host, Claire, later told us that Amsterdam had already broken the record for the highest number of sunny days. The weather had been beautiful for our whole stay so we were most thankful. Our train to Bruges didn’t … More Bruges: First day.

Wednesday 18th September. Today was our last full day in Amsterdam and we’re sorry to be leaving so soon as we feel we have only scratched the surface of this beautiful city. Mark has been a bit grumpy seeing all the peeps cycling without joining in so I sent him off on a 4-hour bike … More Amsterdam: last day.

Monday 17th September I slept poorly and was awake from 3.30 am so that shaped much of my day. We took a morning walk though and then headed out to visit the Van Gough Museum followed by the Rijkmuseum. After these, we bought a combined Bus and Canal ‘Hop On-Hop Off’ tour 24 hour ticket … More Museum Day

Sunday 16th September Our days normally start with a morning walk but our late sleep-in put that out for today. Our morning walking tour started at 11 am and so we focused on making that our goal for the morning; that and a load of washing. Our guide for the tour was Sergio again and, … More Shore & Ship

Friday 14th – Saturday 15th September. Our flight from Sydney left at 10.15 am on Friday 14th and we made it to Amsterdam at around 7 am on Saturday 15th. That might seem fairly quick to you but it was a rather drawn out affair for us due to the 6 hour layover in Hong … More First stop: Amsterdam