London Town

Visiting London with the help of my cousin Sarah and her partner John was a another hilight of the trip. To connect with the Monopoly Board icons and to experience history first had was great.  Sarah was with us for the first two days and set us up on the underground transport system. We used the hop on hop off bus in town and got our bearings.  We loved the usual things like the London Eye, Madam Tusauards,  (especially the great mini train ride in london Taxis thst showed us the history of London), Liz's house, Kensington Palace Gardens,  Trafalgar Square, Fortnum and Masons, A night at the theatre seeing the Lion King at the Lyceum, and a special treat an evening meal at Jamie Olivers FIFTEEN. Still plenty to come back for.

Cambridge York and Castle Howard

Heading up to Scotland we called in at Cambridge and York. Sarah suggested we give the punting a go at Cambridge,  what a great idea, the trip down the river Cam, gave us a great view of the back of the various colleges including Trinity and St Johns.  The punter was a student and he gave as a insightful and amusing commentary. We had lunch at the Mitre I had bangers and mash. The sausages were pork and black pudding.  Off to York to see York Minister what a amazing building. so full of history.  We headed to Castle Howard where Brideshead Revisited was filmed.  It was a privilege to be allowed to see inside the current Howards family home. 

Paris

Paris in July-  Paris had lived up to all expectations,  a vibrant and exciting city that oozes charm. Special moments just sitting on the side of the Seine watching the world go by. A lovely lunch on the famous Boulevard de St Germain was great.  Another highlight was the opulence of the royal apartments at the Palace of Versailles including a hall with all the battle paintings.
The size and the extent of the Louve was amazing, we spend a number of hours there but you would need a couple of days to do it justice. We got a great perspective of Paris from a river cruise down the Seine . The hop on hop off bus also gives you an overall perspective. 
I would have loved to be more proficient in French as it was great to connect with the Parisians. On to London. 

Zurich

I could live here, perhaps only in the summer.  We have been so lucky with the weather so far. Apparently it rained here all last week. Our hotel handy, in the old town and close to everything.   The city is so clean , no rubbish to be seen and the river and lake are so clear you can see the bottom. People swimming it the river and lake all the time.
Another story... we went for a walk first night to get some tea, David thought this looks ok,went inside the restaurant and were directed to the courtyard,  very nice, suits and all. David had a 10.7oz angus steak cost  55SF $70 NZ bloody hell. Not cheep to eat here.  Might be a banana for tea tonight.  Will be a bit more careful and look at the menu first next time. We took a bus tour around the city which included a 1 1/2  boat ride on the lake , very nice. Good way to see the sights.  Saw where the rich and famous live with homes bordering on the lake. Most had boat sheds and bbq areas.  See photos. 

Following on from my episode in Barcelona,  Glenda also thought she would get her hair cut by someone with limited English , luckily she only came away with a nice hair cut, after using her brush to show him what she wanted , then wished him luck, he chuckled at that.  

Also walked around a number of beautiful parks, well kept and very peaceful. 

Off to Paris tomorrow 4hrs on train, looking forward to going through the European countryside. 

Venice

We spent a night on the boat when we arrived in Venice, the ship came up one of the canals it is amazing how nimble those big boats are in confined spaces.  We got ourselves sorted and disembarked at 9.30am the next morning,  we got a water taxi to our hotel, very kool ride along narrow canals lined with old buildings. The hotel was on a canal just a couple of streets from  St Marks Square.  We took a guided tour through the streets including a vist to the Doges Palace which is borded by St Marks Square and the grand canal.
Venice is a magical city built on wooden piles that petrify over the years. It was amazing to see the high tide bubble up through the streets and the squares and campos (small squares).  Venetians are very friendly, but we did see the police chasing a guy who pinched a lady's bag right in front of us. We flagged the gondola ride and decided that Glenda need some jewellery instead.  We ate at some really authentic  restaurants and really felt the Venetian atmosphere.   We strolled around the streets and canals in the evening as it was  still light till about 10 oclock. At this time the crowds had died away but most of the shops were still open and it was the best time to see and feel Venice. 
Funny story, on the first day the hotel said they has a complimentary water taxi to Marano island to vist a glass factory. Why not I thought,  we arrived at the back door to this factory and were shown a demonstration of glass blowing, vey similar to Burning Issues at the town basin in Whangarei. Once the demo was over we were then shown into the showroom,  45 minutes later we  escaped with Glenda buying a necklace,  after been offered €35k chandeliers,  €15k sculptures,  €3k vases. Why did I not take heed,  there is no such thing a  a free lunch !!!
When we left Venice were fascinated when we went to the airport to discover the other Venice,  the one onland which seemed very normal, cars etc and it is where most Venetians live.  Venice is a wonderful destination.   Dave I hope your maintenance on you outboard is better than they guy in one of the pictures attached.