Day 27 - 32: Florence, Italy

(Thu 17/05/07 - Tue 22/05/07)

Florence

The Ponte Vecchio bridge - the only bridge in Florence that survived the bombing attacks of WWII. Filled with gold- and silversmiths.

Some amazing bronze doors on the outside of the Duomo Cathedral depicting various biblical scenes.

A common scene of a narrow cobble-stone pathway and terrace buildings in Florence.

Cam, Margaret and Mike at the front of the Sheraton Firenze Hotel, after a tasty buffet dinner. This hotel was about 20km outside of the main city centre and we had quite an adventure travelling on a local bus to get to the destination.

A green grocer spread that we could not resist! The berries were so refreshing and juicy.

Pisa

It was very hard work holding up the mini Tower of Pisa ;)

This probably looks like harder work to hold up the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

A beautiful and colourful street of Pisa.

Rome

The HUGE Colleseum in Rome.

Scars left from the pillaging of metal from a wall in the Colleseum.

The Roman Forum (well, what was left of it). Before the full excavation in the early 20th century, the ground/dirt had been above the height of the pillars.

The Pantheon. It was such a marvel to see the precision of the construction up close.

Cam is next to the Trevi fountain. The water in the fountain by sight is amazing clear and clean considering the tourist crowds milling around this feature.

Vatican City

Outside St Peter's Bascillica and the Vatican Museum.

A glimpse of the fresco on the Cistine chapel ceiling.

The Swiss guards in their brightly striped uniforms.

Day 22 - 26: Nice, France

(Sat 12/05/07 - Wed 16/05/07)

Nice

The Cote d'Azur - the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, teaming with private beaches, restaurants, crowds of tourists and pebbly beaches. Not the same as the beautiful Perth beaches (with sand!), however the weather was ideal and nothing beats breathing in fresh, clean ocean air on a morning walk by the sea.

Savoury cheese and ham crepes, outside in the open side walk air on a Sunday morning in the old town.

Monte Carlo

The Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco - a casino used in many James Bond movies.

A harbour filled with large and luxurious yatchs.

Monte Carlo setting up for the famous annual Grand Prix through the streets of the town. We were there the week before the race.

Marseille

Our day trip to Marseille was unfortunately quite stormy, so we did not stay for too long in the city but enough to go down to the harbour, see the forts and try the city's signature dish of bouillabaisse. This is a photo outside of the Tourism Office.

Cannes

Today was the first day of the Cannes Film Festival and in just hours, the opening ceremony for the festival was beginning here. Cam is outside the Palais des Festival et des Congres, where the festival is held annually in May.

The red carpet entance for many stars at the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival. Jude Law and Norah Jones (starring in festival entry, My Blueberry Nights) on the red carpet. Norah is in the red dress and Jude is on the left.

Day 19 - 21: Biel, Switzerland

(Wed 9/05/07 - Fri 11/05/07)

During our stay in Biel, we enjoyed a Swiss national dish of cheese fondue (fondue fromage). It was much anticipated as we had to order it a day in advance.

Cam with his Swiss army knife bought in Switzerland.

An ‘all-in-one’ Swiss army knife for a mere 990 Euro (AUD$1,650!).

Brig

We only visited Brig as a stopover on the way to Zermatt, but will make sure to stay here on our next trip. It is a beautiful village with mountains in the background.

Scenery on the way from Brig to Zermatt

The train trips getting around Switzerland were always fantastic, usually with views of snow-capped mountains. The scenery on the way to Zermatt in Switzerland is especially breathtaking – rolling hills, mountains and lakes.

Zermatt

Scenery from the skiing town of Zermatt.

Cam with the cow bells in Zermatt.

Cam in a traditional Swiss Hat.

Day 16 - 18: Venice, Italy

(Sun 6/05/07 - Tue 8/05/07)

One of the smaller canals in Venice (with gondolas) that make wandering through the alleys so much fun (you keep stumbling on to views like this).

The alleys in Venice are completely random and filled with cafes, nice buildings, souvenir shops and hand-bag sellers!

The gondolas are everywhere in Venice but for some reason you don’t expect to see the gondoliers in their bright striped shirts walking their dogs and sipping a cappuccino :)

Marion, Bill and Mel on Rialto Bridge.

Mel making some new friends - the pigeons in St Mark’s Square.

These Carnivale masks are prolific.

Day 15: Torino, Italy

(Sat 5/05/07)

On the coach from Chambery to Turino we were very excited to see the first snow in our lives, on a snow-capped mountain.

Despite the large crowds, the Turin town centre has a very casual & relaxed vibe.

Roby showed us around the Turin town centre and even helped us find the best local chocolate.

After dinner with Roby, Claudio & Danny in Turin we drove up to the Basilica to see a view of the city from its highest point.

Day 14: Chambery, France

(Fri 4/05/07)

A fairytale building in Chambery that we found by surprise around the corner from where we ordered our dinner.

Despite our visit to Chambery being unplanned (some of the trains meant to get us to Turino that day were full) it was a pleasant visit to this quaint skiing town, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, where we enjoyed an evening walk and pizza from a street van.

Day 10 - 13: Barcelona, Spain

(Sun 30/04/07 - Thu 3/05/07)

Cam doing some hunting & gathering from the local supermarket. We had to queue for an astonishing 45 minutes!

The Sangria served by the street cafes is a bit of a tourist trap along Las Rambla – but you have to try one! Key questions being 'How much do you get?' And 'How much does it cost?'

One of our favourite meals in Spain – Tapas! Mel’s favourite was Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes in a creamy spicy sauce similar to Nandos Extra Hot perinaise).

The monumental Sagrada La Familia cathedral is the highlight of Gaudi architecture in Barcelona. A twisted yet impressive building that truly took our breath away.

Beautiful stained glass windows inside the Sagrada La Familia.

Apart from having to manhandle luggage up 4 flights of stairs which were also under construction, we had a really nice apartment just off the main market street (Las Rambla).

At La Boqueria markets - fresh Spanish cherries and strawberries – yum!

For sweet tooths’ like us, this stall at La Boqueria markets was heaven.

Outside La Fonda Restaurant just after 8.30pm (opening time for dinner). Sarah had saved us a spot in the queue for a table!