Friday, August 31, 2012

Airport waiting

Well here we are at the Brisbane Airport waiting for the plane to leave.  Scheduled to go at 2.30am, there has been a delay and we'll now go at 3am (we hope).  We were very disappointed no-one came to see us off, surely someone could have got up early or stayed up late to join us for beer and wine (or breakfast) at the lounge?
Ah well, I suppose we will have to keep each other company.
Pam has been a little ill all day, she has a bad cold, went to the Doctor and he gave her a stack of medication, hope she feels better after the flight.  The up side of that is she hasn't had the time or inclination to worry about the miracle of flight.
I only have one photo - Pam busy with a crossword book, she wants to save the dozing for the flight.  Only 2 hours before we depart.   No more now until we get to Italy.
arrivederci
Vernon and Pam xxx 


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Plans for Italy


We leave Brisbane on the 1st September; arrive back about 6 weeks later on the 15th October.
We hire a car on arrival in Milan and drive anti-clockwise around the north of Italy before getting the ferry from Genoa to Palermo in Sicily on the 20th. We then drive around Sicily and north, arriving in Rome on the 1st October; making it 4 weeks with the hire car driving around Italy.
We then give the car back and spend 5 nights in Rome and fly to Dusseldorf on the 6th October and spend 7 nights with Luke and Carolin in Germany.  Fly back to Milan on the afternoon 13th and fly back to Australia that night.
This is Plan A – if the weather doesn’t co-operate or things don’t go to plan – we will have to resort to another plan……. maybe make it up as we go along.

The blue row is where we stay; the brown is the approximate kilometres we travel for the day. (Total – about 4,000 kms)
 

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday






1 Sept Milan






Leave Bris 0230hrs
Arrive Milan 2050hrs
2   Milan
3  Milan
4    La Spezia
5    La Spezia
6 Florence
7 Florence
8 Florence
Milan
Last Supper,
Milan Duomo

Milan
Lake Maggiore
Through Parma
Cinque Terre
Lucca,
Pisa – Tower, Arno River banks
Florence Duomo, Uffizi and Accedemia  Museums
Florence, Michelangelo Lookout
Walking and shopping
40 kms
40 kms
250 kms
20 kms
140 kms


9 Florence
10    Pesaro
11   Pesaro
12    Bologna
13    Venice
14    Venice
15    Venice
Monteriggioni,
Sienna – Duomo – the ‘Striped’ Cathedral
Assisi Basilica
San Marino

Go to the beach at Cesenatico
Bologna
Verona
Romeo and Juliet balcony, Roman arena
Vaporetti – canals, Piazza San Marco
Grand Canal,
Bridge of Sighs Murano
140 kms
350 kms
150 kms
150 kms
300 kms
40 kms
40 kms
16   Bolzano
17    Como
18    Como
19    Turin
20    Ferry
21    Palermo
22    Palermo
Dolomites, Lago di Misurina
Bolzano ‘Ice Man’ Museum
Through Parco Nationale Della Stelvio
Lake Como
Cruise

Shroud of Turin museum,
Duomo
Genoa, Portofina
Leave on ferry at 11pm
Arrive on ferry at 7pm
Palermo and Marsala
300 kms
300 kms

160 kms
250 kms

280kms
23  Agrigento
24    Catania
25    Catania
26    Cosenza
27    Naples
28    Naples
29    Naples
Valley of the Temples
Siracusa
Mt Etna,  Taormina Greek Theatre
Tropea
Cassino Commonwealth War Cemetery; Maratea
Pompeii
Amalfi coast
125 kms
250 kms
150 kms
300 kms
300 kms
50 kms
70 kms
30    Naples
1 Oct   Rome
2    Rome
3    Rome
4    Rome
5    Rome
6    Germany
Isle of Capri





Vatican and Sistine Chapel 0745hrs

Fly to Germany
20 kms
250 kms





7   Germany
8   Germany
9   Germany
10   Germany
11   Germany
12   Germany
13






Fly to Milan
Leave Milan 2220hrs
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Arrive Bris 0640hrs