After a 6-1/2 hour flight from Toronto to London,we landed at 7.00am and then had to be bused to the terminal at Heathrow. This wasn't one of the finest moments of our holiday so far, I can tell you. After getting through customs and security, and finding a shuttle, we eventually arrived at our hotel at about 10.30.
We checked in and explored our room which took all of 10 seconds as the room was the smallest hotel room I have seen in a long time. After a bite to eat we got a few hours sleep before facing what ever was to come.
We had a 5.00am wake up call next morning to be given a packed sandwich, unflavoured yoghurt, biscuit and juice for breakfast as we had an early start. Not good London. But things certainly went up from there. The first point of interest was when we crossed the Greenwich point used for the start of Mean Time. Up that road and through the gates lies a building with people crunching numbers all the time.
London currently has a population of 8 million and cover a small area considering that many people.
Then, another one off the bucket list - The White Cliffs of Dover.
What a great sight. I had such mixed feelings as we passed here. firstly - joy at having seen them after growing up hearing Mum and Ma sing the song which made the cliffs famous by Vera Lynn. then such sorrow at the lives lost when the British troops were cornered by The Germans in France. Thousands were whisked out from under the Germans nose by British citizens who went over in anything that would float and bought them back to Dover. Over 400,000 British and French troops were rescued by a fleet of hastily recruited foshing and recreational boats.
We also were shown tunnels dug by the English to thwart Napoleon's invasion back when and were re dug to kick Hitler out if he turned up on their shores. Just before we crossed the channel we passed a bunker left pver from the second world war.
From Calais we travelled through countryside that was not only awe inspiring but so steeped in history you almost felt it.
Our first stop was Brugge....... This entire town is listed as World Heritage and as some of the buildings were built in the 13th Century, we in Australia have no idea of that type of history
.
An ally way between 15th century architecture.
Of course, we needed to try the local brew. Yes kids, it's called Apple Juice.
Belgium has a population of 10 million but has an unemployment rate of 7%.
Belgium was very busy on the Sunday we were there as the King Albert, had just abdicated and his son Phillipe was being crowned that day so streets were closed and as these cities are so old they weren't meant for big buses just horse and carts so very narrow. Our driver did a wonderful job negotiating round them to find our way out.
The buildings we walked around and stood in the shade of were built around the 13 century. We saw The Church Of The Holy Blood which reputedly has a vial of Jesus' blood in it.
Not far from there we crossed through Flanders Fields which feature greatly in the history of the First World War.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
The first 2 standees of a poem written about the soldiers deaths in world war 1.
We then came to a town which boasted a monument of an atom. This is exactly to the scale of 150,000,000 to 1.
It is said that 3 people die in France and Belgium a year working the fields and digging up unexplored incendiary bombs left over from the second decade of the 20th century.
Brussels was next on our agenda, which has in its entirety been Heritage listed. We visited buildings dating back to the between the 15'th and 16'th century. Fortunately, a lot of this area missed the bombing during booth wars.
We then crossed into Germany and were guided onto a boat on the river Rhine where we slowly cruises up the river to view castle after castle all dating back to around the 12'th century.
We had a few hours in the town of Heidelburg built in the shade of the Heidelburg Castle which is now in ruins but being restored.
Our second night was spent on the town of Karlsruhe and got away early for Munich.
Munich was a city that was totally distroyed in The Second World War and then rebuilt using the bricks from the rubble it is said.
The town hall is spectacular and was built over 500 years ago and while Stuart relaxed over a stein of beer in the Hofbrauhaus, I went looking for a power adapter and spare battery for my camera and his C Pap machine. The guide took a couple of us with him to get those and left us about 2 klms from the bus drop off so by the time I got back on my own I was hungry, thirsty and not happy with our guide who I would have happily castrated by then.
We then travelled through to Austria to Innsbruck for our overnight stop.
Peter our guide is arrogant, rude and a pain in the neck but his knowledge of the area and how it was affected in wars from the 1300's forward to the current war with the Taliban, he could write a book on.
He took us past the Stadium where during the Munich games members of the Israel team were kidnapped and killed In 1972.
We sat in a square and drank a glass of the local beer watching about 30 people dressed in National costume play music as they marched round the square. How lovely. We bought some Swartscroft Crystal as gifts for when we get home, and headed back to our hotel for dinner.
Our guide, Peter, has been explaining as we go from country to country how the wars over the last thousands of years from very early times have lead to the current war the world is experiencing with Iraq. It has been very interesting.
We left Austria and travelled through a pass that was the only means of trade travel from Germany to Austria to the south in Italy for 5000 years. We left the Austrian Alps behind and then the same mountain range changed its name in Italy to become the Dolomites.
After about 50 klms of very winding road we made our way to the city of Cortina which, in winter is where the rich and famous come to ski in Winter. We were to stay there for lunch and look round town. Stuart and I went for a walk and ended up a fair way from where we were supposed to be and had to ask directions to get back to the bus and so missed lunch.
It was a different amazing site round every corner. We had beautiful mountains and valleys for kilometre after kilometre. We passed mile after mile of vineyards on the way in.
We came upon the most amazing church, St James Cathedral in Germany. Outside was like a lot of other old churches we have seen but inside was the most amazing sight. Both sides of the church were decorated amazingly.
The main alter
The ceiling above the alter
Just when we think we have seen the best around the corner comes something better.
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