If its good enough for the Rooneys...

...then two weeks on the Italian Riviera will do for us!!  It has been a difficult month or so after all; eating, visiting and exploring its tiring work!  

We managed to find ourselves a gorgeous little apartment just outside the bustling resort of Rapallo.  It was nestled amongst olive groves and lemon trees; we even had a pet duck! The owner Harold speaks not a word of English and about three words in French. We speak very few words of Italian and a little french - this made for some incredibly interesting conversations where miraculously (and with a lot of hand gestures) we managed to understand each other.

Rapallo is a lively port and town.  Its multi-coloured buildings cascade down the hillside  and along the mile long promenade where everyone from kids on scooters, millionaires from the Marina and local octagenarians come to stroll, eat fabulous ice cream and sit on the shaded benches looking out to sea to watch the world go bye.  

Rapallo was our base from where we where able to explore other parts of the Riviera.  We boarded a typical tourist loaded boat headed for the Cinque Terre and quickly came to the conclusion that we hate other tourists and organised fun... Nevertheless it was definitely the best way to see the beautiful UNESCO world heritage site.  As the name suggests the Cinque Terre are five small villages, 12 km from end to end, that cling precariously to the rocky slopes which rise steeply from the sea.  The buildings are painted in typically bright Ligurian colours and are interspersed with vineyards which look impossible to harvest!   A wander around the winding alleyways to purchase souvenirs, a delicious seafood lunch by the sea and getting a little tipsy on alcoholic iced lemon juice made for a very enjoyable day trip. 

Stunning coastline walks take in the beautiful bays such and Zoagli, Santa Margherita and St Michel.  

We hopped aboard a water taxi to take the 10 minute trip across the bay to join the jet set in Portifino.  We had hoped to do bit of celebrity spotting but the closest we got was sitting down for an ice cream with a guy who looked a bit like captain Birdseye!  The village is a pretty little place with its now famous coloured houses and is gorgeous designer boutiques (window shopping only!) however its celebrity status inevitably means that prices soar, standards slip and even the waiters have an air of self importance about them.  Nevertheless, like us, boat loads of tourists flock in every hour to see what the place has to offer.  They leave with a cheap souvenir having paid over the odds for lunch but still with  big smile on their faces. In our opinion (and of course we are biased) it is a very nice place but not a patch on Positano! 

The Ligurian Coast in beautiful and well worth a visit.  It is billed as northern Italy’s answer to the Amalfi coast.  We are not sure it is quite that but it certainly has plenty of its own charm without needing to make the comparison. 

Greetings from nearly 4000 meters!

From blue skies and blazing sunshine to thunderstorms and freezing temperatures we have witnessed it all in just four short days in the Alps.  

Neither of us are keen winter sport enthusiasts (give us a sunny beach over a mountain full of snow any day) however we must say that there is something entirely captivating about this place.  

It was a surprise to learn that the Alps attract more tourists in the summer than they do in the winter.  It is full of walkers, mountaineers and those crazy fools who throw themselves of 2000 meter high mountains with only a parachute on their back! 

We managed to find ourselves an ideal base just outside Chamonix where we could choose from a myriad of alpine trails right from our front door.  The Bossons glacier hangs precariously above us so first stop had to be a visit to pay closer attention.  

There is a wooded trail leading from the back of the chalet that took us directly there.  In winter you can take the easy option and use the chairlift which is unfortunately closed in the summer months. The weather turned a little nasty as we continued our trek up to the pyramids.  However through breaks in the clouds we were still able to get some spectacular views - and so we should from over 2000 meters!! Thankfully we were also able to see the signs ....

Day two and the sun came out again so we had to take the opportunity to jump aboard the Aiguille du Midi (a two stage cable car) which takes you to a height of 3842 meters in just 20 minutes.  The vertigo inducing journey crosses the treetops of the pine forrest and the bossons glacier before reaching the summit.  The perfect weather conditions permitted a truly breathtaking view of Mont Blanc as well as the surrounding French, Italian and Swiss Alps.  Definitely our best “Wow” moment so far!!!

We followed this with a trip on one of the two remaining rack and pinion mountain trains in France which slowly chugged its way to a the base of the Mer de glace (France's biggest glacier). The journey was like stepping back in time.  Sat on old wooden benches we wound our way through pine forests and tunnels carved in to the mountainside arriving at an altitude of 1,913 meters in around 30 minutes.  

At the top we were able to walk directly to the glacier which due to a tornado last year looked remarkably grey.  If it we not for the cracks and crevices which give a brief glimmer of turquoise you would be forgiven for thinking it was just bare rock and grit. 

Our final day took us to the smaller valleys of  Argentiere and Le Tour where we took a leisurely stroll through the forest and along the river Arve before stopping for a pic-nic and a visit to a random french car boot sale so that Mike could buy some dominos - Malc, he is practicing!!!  

Pigs trotters, boiled veal’s head and breaded tripe....

Just some of the delicacies on offer at one of the many Lyonnaise Bouchons.  For the rest of France a Bouchon is a bottle stopper but here in Lyon it is a small friendly bistro that cooks up traditional Lyonnaise fare using local produce.  Today vieux Lyon with its winding cobbled streets, riverside cafes and artisan patisseries is littered with bouchons but that was not always so.  They began to spring up in the late 80s when lots of the the grand families had to let their head cooks go.  Les Meres (the mothers) moved in to the city and set up their own restaurant businesses.  They are simple gingham table clothed affairs with a no frills attitude.  The 3 course set menu is written on a blackboard and accompanied by a pot of local wine (Beaujolais or Cote du Rhone).  We were not brave enough for the veal’s head or the pigs trotters - (which we were assured are delicious) but, with did try local boiled sausages studded with pistachios and liver and onions.  Mike thinks that if he had Liver and onions like that as a child he might actually have enjoyed it!  

(The fourth little pig)

Other than its gastronomic delights Lyon has a lot to offer.  It is a bustling modern city situated on and around two major Rivers, the Saone and the Rhone.  The majestic Notre Dame Cathedral overlooks the city like a guardian angle and the 100s km of riverside walks make for a very enjoyable stroll.  You can find extravagant barges moored along the banks of the Rhone one of which had its deck completely covered in grass with a huge tree growing the in centre and the next a swimming pool!   

We were taken slightly by surprise when walking through the rose garden in the Parc de la Tete d’or (France’s largest urban park) to be confronted by giraffes!!!  It turns out that there is a free Zoo in the park where all of the inhabitants have been rescued.  From Flamingos to water buffalo the mini replica of an african plain was a delight. 

All in all Lyon is beautiful and bustling dynamic city with something to offer to everyone. 

Switzerland....

It is the first time we have visited Switzerland and we must confess to not knowing a great deal about the place before we got here.  The first things to spring to mind were watches, banks, chocolates and cuckoo clocks.  

We have bought and eaten some fine chocolates - they put the M&S versions to shame! I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to purchase a cuckoo clock and given the prices here we have no money left to put in a bank or purchase a watch!!  

We therefore decided to spend our first day lazing on the beach that leads to the pristine waters of lake Neuchatel.  If you were to imagine a swiss lake in your head, this would be it.  Crystal clear waters, surrounded by densely wooded mountains.  We joined the fish, ducks and even a swan for a refreshing swim.

Next stop was Lake Geneva.  We had every google image of the lake floating around in our mind so when we arrived to an overcast, grey drizzly day we were bitterly disappointed.    With only a day to explore it was a case of brining out the brolly, putting on a rain mac and hopping aboard the ferry - well we couldn’t visit Geneva and not have a sail on the 72km long lake.  

All in all Switzerland is a pretty place.  It is very neat and tidy and has some amazing scenery.  Nevertheless it seems to lack its own identity. Most people speak French, in some parts they speak German.  The currency is the swiss Franc but everybody pays in Euros.  The buildings all look and feel french so other than the 40 Euros you pay to cross the border there is nothing remarkable to say you are in Switzerland.  

Our first trip to Germany

“Schnell Schnell” and some other things that I couldn’t possibly repeat were Mike’s words as we drove over the Rhine to pass in to Germany. I can tell that this ‘O level’ German that he keeps telling me about is going to come in very useful!!!

I don’t really know what we were expecting but I have to say that already Germany has exceeded our expectations.  First stop was Freiburg fringed on one side by lowlands covered in grape vines (hopefully not for their liebfraumilch) and on the other by the mist covered southern hills of the black forest - which is where we are headed.  We happened to drop in to town on market day so we were able to stock up on fresh produce for our stay in Hinterzarten in the middle of the forest.  We plan to do some hiking and exploring from here over the next few days.  

Day two involved a hike through the forrest which inevitably means that we got lost.  Our 7km walk soon doubled but what’s new about that!  The walk ended at lake Titisee where we hired a motor boat to cruise the pine fringed waters in style (well as much style as a 12 euro electric motor boat permits!).

The weather on our third day put paid to our previous plans of a guided tour through the forest.  We decided that the hidden wooden climatic retreat in St Blasien was a much better idea.  That was of course until we entered the sauna.  We should really have known better, we are in Germany after all - why did we no think that this place would be a hedonist’s paradise!  More to the point why is is that these places are only ever full of crinkly white octogenarians who consider it perfectly acceptable to parade their little bits of manhood in your face and then have the audacity to stare at us like we are strange for wearing swimwear!!!!! I’m worried we shall be mentally scarred for life.  

The afternoon’s activities called for a few beers in the local Rothaus before dinner.  Sitting at the bar in something akin to a tradition english pub meant that we quickly made friends - slightly problematic when you only have Mike’s O level german skills to rely on!!!  We were welcomed by all of the locals but Herman, our closest neighbour, was obviously desperate to talk to someone and despite a serious language barrier with lots of hand gestures (my favourite being Mike actually meowing) we managed to hold a conversation all night.  We were glad to head home for some Bratwurst and a rest!