Tuscany

Our Italian adventure continued with another train journey to Florence, the biggest city in Tuscany. The heart of the city is the 'Duomo' - the Cattedrale de Santa Maria del Fiore.

Construction of the Duomo began in 1296 and one of it's main features is Brunelleschi's Dome, with it's stunning artwork lining the inside.

It is 463 narrow, uneven stairs to the top of the dome but the view makes it all worthwhile...

The city of Florence is found on the Arno River and the oldest bridge is the Ponte Vecchio. The only surviving original bridge (the others destroyed in World War II), the shopped lined bridge was built in 1345.

In Florence we picked up a rental car and drove through a very wet Tuscany to the UNESCO World Architectural City of Heritage site of San Gimignano. This charming 10th Century fortress on a hill is dominated by a series of towers.

The narrow streets weave their way through the city and it is very charming and peaceful.

The location in the Tuscan countryside isn't bad either...

Our final stop before leaving Tuscany was Pisa. You just had to check out the famous leaning tower, which was surprisingly a lot smaller than expected but great to be able to see.

Venice

When you first see Venice it is hard to believe it is real. You feel like you have stepped into a fairytale. This is one of the classic Venice scenes, looking out from the Piazza San Marco across the bay.

Throughout our trip, Judy and I stayed in Monasteries, which on the whole were quite good and considerably cheaper than hotels. The Venice accommodation was one of the best; the photos below showing why - location, location, location.

We stepped off the Eurostar train from Rome and walked out onto the Grand Canal. This bustling waterway is the main artery of the city with a network of smaller canals branching off in no particular pattern making it an easy place to get lost.

The smaller canals are charming and the water was surprisingly clean. The famous gondolas are quite a sight, although bring your credit card if you want to take a ride!

One of Venice's main attractions is the beautiful Basilica San Marco. Consecrated in 832AD, the intricate facades overlook the Piazza, their detail quite stunning.

Venice was a great experience and definitely a place to visit if you get the chance, just ask Judy!

Rome

It is hard to describe the feeling of walking through the ancient streets of Rome and seeing some of the most famous historical sites in the world. My sister Judy and I were fortunate to experience this on out trip to Europe in June.

Our hotel was near one of the best of them all - the magnificent Colosseum.

From the Colosseum it is a short stroll to the Roman Forum. It is hard to believe that Caesar once walked here and addressed his people.

The Pantheon is tucked away amongst the back alleys.

Trevi Fountain and The Spanish Stairs are two more of Rome's landmarks

Rome is also home to The Vatican and the enormous Basilica of St. Peter. This first blog of our European adventure finishes with some pictures inside and outside St. Peter's.

Anzac Day 2010

Anzac Day took on a whole new meaning this year as we remembered the fallen Australian and New Zealand soldiers at a place where so many of their lives were lost building the Burma-Thailand Railway as Prisoners of War of the Japanese.

We started the day with a very moving Dawn Service at Hellfire Pass. As the first light of the day appeared while the Last Post was played it was hard not to feel the emotion and heaviness of the occassion. There are no pictures of the service but you can back to an older blog to see the Pass. The shot below is the 'Peace Vessel' overlooking the River Kwai Valley towards the hills of the Burmese border and just above the Pass. Hard to imagine what it must of been like 67 years ago when it looks so serene now.

We then went to a second service held at the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery.

The town of Kanchanaburi is where the most famous section of the 'Death Railway' is found - the Bridge on the River Kwai. The bridge was destroyed a number of times by the allies, recognising how crucial it was to the Japanese supply line.

We had the added bonus of a group of novice monks crossing over the bridge and adding a bit of colour!

There were a few other things to do over the weekend including a visit to a waterfall which was being enjoyed by the locals.

We also saw some of the locals of the four legged variety, although I don't know how happy they were.

Looks like I'm finishing with another sunset - this time the view from our hotel on the River Kwai