Thank you very much for all of your comments, we love logging on and reading your words. It helps us feel connected to home.

We have just travelled today from Lake Como, Italy through to Switzerland and we are now staying in Austria tonight. Thats the latest on our location.

The Internet at our Hotel in Austria is fantastic so i have uploaded all of my photos right upto date, be sure to checkout Spain, Italy, Ireland and France.

Ciao and Love to All

Justin, Mark and Julie

We rode the public boats under the bridges, alongside the gondolas with a fish eye view of the impressive buildings of a minimum four storeys. The shops are stocked with the magnificent Murano glass, jewellery, wine glasses, vases, plates, chandeliers, works of art! The Murano glass blowers are artists and the things they produce are individual, unique!

We are enticed to eat at the restaurant on the other property owned by our Tuscan hosts.  We are assured of real local produce.  Well now we feel we have found the best place to eat in Tuscany and the best value, not expensive! The antipasto is to die for! Pasta magnific!  Although the wild boar macaroni did run amok in Mark’s stomach during the night!

Our hosts take great pleasure in seeing their produce enjoyed and do not charge a lot for the privilege.  The cellar door Chianti-style wine is on the menu for 4 euro ($7AUD)  This little restaurant was way out in the country and would have served well over 100 guests tonight. A classic example of ‘doing what you do, well!’

We are now in Italy… you know how when you talk to an Italian person and they always go on about how good the food is in Italy… and you just roll your eyes, like whatever… well I have to say I am a firm convert… the food is inexplicably unbelievable.

There is a lot more detail to come in future posts, but we just wanted to let you know we are alive and well… oh we are struggling with italian, so if you know some useful phrases then please put them in a comment below! Grazis et arivaderche.

Our trip to Rome is going to be just ‘a taste’ of this city as we didn’t expect to get there at all but we have been able to take advantage of the easy access by train from Terni in Umbria.  Our first and main stop is the Coliseum and we opt for a 45 minute guided tour which includes a following 2 hour tour of the emperor’s palace and Roman forum. It’s a very long afternoon but very interesting.  We found t strange that both of our tour guides were very coy regarding questions to do with ‘lions and Christians’, something other people in our group tried to ask about.  The guides were very happy to talk at length though, about gladiators and chariot races.  Also, there was no hesitation in explaining that the whole coliseum, palace and forum were covered in marble (not now) and much of it is in the Vatican, certainly the best and most expensive marble is. Of great interest to us was the Arch of Titus, with the frieze depicting the Jews being taken captive after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70CE, carrying the utensils of the temple.  The Arch was built in 80CE. (There is a picture of this on the back of the new soft cover edition of the Bible Gods Word or Mans book). Bible prophecy being fulfilled and recorded in stone!!
Constantine also built much in the area of the Coliseum, e.g. another huge Arch in his honour.

We make a quick stop at the Trevi fountain and its 6pm and our train home leaves at 6.14 from Termini (Central Rome). Its an hour train ride and 20 minute car trip back to Fontegaia and Elsa’s kitchen opens at 8 pm. (Yes they eat late in Italy!) Since this is our last night at Elsa establishment we can’t resist eating at the restaurant again tonight.  We are not disappointed.  Justin deems this as the best meal, not of the trip, but ever! Now this is a huge call but Elsa’s hand made pasta is followed by the most tender fillet steak with balsamic vinegar and wine ‘juis’ and is ‘exquisite’!

One son, Marco, is a regular pioneer and has joined the English group.  We attend the meeting at 5.00 pm with him and although we are late and the security gates are locked restricting our access till the beginning of the Watchtower, we are able to stay for their Ministry School which follows. We have met Camparas from Macksville and their son Josh from Bethel at Fontegaia and it was lovely to have the afternoon, meeting and the most wonderful evening with them.  We have dinner in the restaurant at Fontegaia that opens at 8 pm. Camparas are Italian and conversing with Elsa is easy for them.

Elsa provides a typical Italian meal for us without us having to order off the menu and she chooses the wine (motte bene vino). What food, what a cook!! Pasta first with local mushrooms that taste so different to ours and sauce that is a little ‘picante’ (spicy).After diner Elsa has hers and we cry together as she emotionally explains that her husband has died only in February. We can’t speak the language but we can feel her pain so we just hug.

Luke, her youngest, very handsome son, joins us.  Luke’s passion is motorbikes and racing them.  His father, Elsa’s husband was professional rider in the 70’s, managed a racing team and later owned his own team.  Luke’s father also built the bike that Valentino Rossi won his first championship on.  Luke grew up with people like Valentino Rossi around and had the ability and passion to ride himself.  Luke explains that he was interviewed at the last district convention as he knew he had to make a choice between his riding and Jehovah.  He has chosen Jehovah and Elsa is so proud!

It is  getting really hot now so we rationalise a cold beer when we arrive. After exploring this village for a while its lunchtime and we enjoy foccacia and bruschetta and probably the best coffee of the trip at amazingly good prices. (Bruschetta 3euro or $4.60) Our walk then takes us on to Vernazza, the 4th village a 4k and 1 ½ hr hike. This is the most challenging of all, a very rough path, incredibly steep both up and down, all steps and hardly ever flat going. When we finally stagger into the town square we are greeted by a Gelato shop, impossible to go past! We are so hot and we’ve earned it! Rationalising again!! There is a train between all the towns of Cique Terre so we chose this option rather than walking 2 hrs to Montorossa al Mare.

We have our swimmers with us so decide we’d rather spend the time in the cool, clear azure sea we’ve been looking at all day! As with the beach in Spain, it fine rock and sometimes just plain big rocks and getting into the water for some reason is not too hard and as it gets deep suddenly you can fall in anyway if need be.  Getting out on the other hand is quite a different matter all together! It’s hilarious watching people hop, tiptoe, use flailing arms for balance, whatever it takes to get out. Then of course, the smile’s wiped completely off when it’s our turn to get out! We decide that Manarola is the prettiest and most photogenic of the towns as we plan to have dinner there as the    sun sets and photograph this town at night.  Lasagne and pasta dishes are on the menu, of course, so authentic and delicious!

Our lovely hostess brings a large glass of local liqueur with almond biscuits for dunking to finish our meal, all on the house! She seemed so stern as she managed her restaurant, staff and clients. Yet she seemed to like us and her generosity touched me. Perhaps it was that I caught her gaze after we’d said our prayer before our meals. We walk a little way back to Corniglia to take the photos looking back on Manarola. Our intention is to catch the train back to ‘our town’, Riomaggiore but it’s a ¾ hr wait and only a further 1k to walk, well why not??? It is along the good path. I have to say the steep climb up the hill to our accommodation was the slowest and hardest of the day and felt as though someone had jacked the road up while we were away and made it vertical.  We walked 9 kilometres between the towns today plus all the stairs and exploring around the towns. It has been an incredible day thought, memorable in every way!

We have the loveliest antipast and pizza in a little restaurant down the hill.
Only photos can do justice to this place and even then probably not!

We have made up our own names for the Spanish coast (as one does) like the Costa Plenty, Costa Lota, Costa Moucho, Costa Armanalega, enough already??? We must be getting hard up for things to do in the car!!! Back in France it’s the street names that Mark liked to corrupt; Rue de Remarks, Rue De Noises etc!
According to Tom, our sat nav friend, it is a 13 ½ hr drive to Terni in Italy and we’ve allowed 4 days. That’s 13 hours via the toll ways or 26 not using them. You do pay for the motorways tho, its nothing to hand over 10 to 15 euros (16 to 24 AUD) so we keep a pocketful of change in car!

Crossing the border between France and Spain is not a bother either way. It involves slowing down through what looks like toll booths where armed guards take a cursory glance into the car.  You do see some cars pulled over undergoing a thorough search but generally everyone’s sailing through and there is no need for passports.

For the first time we have trouble finding accommodation and its after dark when we arrive in St Germaine, 130k’s from Nice, at the Hotel Plaisance. It’s our last night in France so we go out for dinner; another story!!! When in France don’t order Steak Tartare! After sending the raw meat doughnut with the raw egg in middle back to be cooked I ended up actually paying for a rissole and chips! I knew of this raw meat dish and really kicked myself for not looking out for it and avoiding it! Tired from a long days travelling though made me a little careless!

We had a lovely day with them seeing the sights of Barcelona. First stop, Las Ramblas, the central mall lined by beautiful building reminding us more of Paris than anything we had seen in Spain so far and pleasantly surprising. The mall is also lined by human ‘statues’, some almost impossible to tell from the bronze type! I marvel at what sort of backs they must have to stand or sit rigid for hours, mine aches at the thought! We all shared Tapas for lunch, very Spanish! Tapas literally means snacks and we order a selection to share.  Spiced meatballs, calamari, potato omelette, grilled eggplant, chicken kebab meat etc.. We also share a bottle of vino de casa (house wine).

This lovely experience takes place in an ancient square in the Gothic quarter, perfect with friends and conversation! We expored the narrow streets and ‘non tacky’ souvenir shops with pretty ‘Gaudi’ mosaic crockery. There is no way of bringing this home, sadly!

No visit to Barcelona is complete without seeing at lease some Gaudi architecture so we visit Sagrada Familia, the most famous of all his works, started in 1882 and due for completion 2020. It will only be finished (we wonder) by this date with the assistance of modern cranes and construction methods! We stop for  lovely coffee and pastries and say goodbye to Geoff and Piriot, it’s been a day to remember.

They go back to England for one week a month to window clean and work like mad. They then spend the next three weeks in Tarragona in the ministry. Mark and I hope to get the compulsory service done on the car but although we were told in France that no appointment is necessary and that it only take ½ hour, it can’t be done till 3.30 and will take 2 hours! Oh well! We shop in Tarragona and to my delight the markets are on! We didn’t buy a lot but it was great fun wandering through them.  Justin joins us for a late lunch and on we go to get the car serviced.

A team of electricians from Barcelona were working there and were able to tell us that the local Spanish congregation meets for field service at 10 am today (Sunday) and the meeting is at 12, so we meet the group. Justin is able to go on a Spanish bible study and Mark and I try some informal witnessing with English literature n the town centre, with the blessing of the local elder of course. We were hoping to find English speaking tourists however, it’s very quiet. At the hall this morning a brother originally from Mexico, Brooklyn Bethel and now assigned to Cambrills (next town) tells us that there is an English speaking meeting in Tarragona at 4.30 so that sounds great to us.  The congregation is lovely, friendly and very welcoming.  They have only been formed as a congregation for 1 month.  There were thrilled to have 70 in attendance, a lot of visitors like us, but encouraging for them.

Spain is ‘under construction’; even buildings decades old seem unfinished somehow, or at least ill maintained.  There are of course exceptions to the rule, but landscaping is distinctly lacking on the average street and there is an obvious shortage of grass. However, it is sunny, warm and the Mediterranean is azure blue.  This area, although generally Spanish speaking, also has its own language, Catalonian, a mixture of French and Spanish apparently.

We have a long drive today. We want to see the bridge in Millau, it’s a bit of a detour and more back roads but we’re sure seeing the country! This is real France; farms on rolling hills and beautiful villages with people dining outside.

The Millau bridge is an incredible feat of engineering it is 2.5 k long joining two mountains 2550 ft above sea level. We strongly recommend looking this up on google as in this case a picture can truly replace a 1,000 words. The motorway crosses the bridge and this section has 110k speed limit (normally 130) but it was quite gusty up so high even though generally it was not a windy day. Our little Citroen was being buffeted around a bit so it felt slightly freaky! We stopped at the ‘Pointe de Vue’ to take photos of this tribute to man’s ingenuity and God-given intelligence.

The scenery today is a complete contrast to yesterday’s rolling fields.  We travel through the province of Auvergne renowned for its chain of 80 volcanoes. As this would suggest it is a drive through beautiful mountains with deep gorges, spanned by enormously high bridges. The gorges are covered thickly by trees in their autumn colours. Gorgeous! Ws stopped at the ancient stone village Terrasson, parts of which were built in 1177AD. It is magnificent, built on a cliff face overlooking a little river over which the Pont du Terrasson provides a walkway.  We have taken the motorway through the mountains and our little diesel Citroen hums along at the 130km speed limit. The roads in France are wonderful.  The total for tolls today thought, has been 20 euro ($30.15 AUD) however, we figure we would have saved at least an amount of that in fuel had we had to wind up through the mountains. We found a nice little motel for the night and did a quick change so we could have some dinner and attend the meeting in Riberac.  The meeting is in French with a second school in English and so there are some brother and sisters there who understand us. Lovely!

We are picking up our brand new C3 that we are leasing for the rest of the Europe trip.   We are impressed with the service and whole concept of leasing rather than hiring a car.  We can drop the car off in Frankfurt and in the deal they provided us with a nights accommodation near the airport and paid the costs of getting the car back to Paris, all this cheaper than hiring.  Insurance with no excess (even if we write the car off and they will provide another one) is included. We do have to make sure the car has its first no charge service at any curie dealer. Citroen will find it much easier apparently to sell the car as a demonstrator, without the obviously huge new car sales tax on it, something that new car buyers also want to avoid.

Leaving Paris was interesting, not difficult even driving on the other side of the road except for the roundabouts.  They have to be experienced to be believed.  Lanes lead onto the roundabouts but after that it’s every man for himself.  If four cars can fit across what would normally be two lanes then so be it. Picture dodgem cars and you come close! Watching people park in Paris is also hilarious! Drivers will pull up to the car in front, hit it and back of an inch. I asked a sister at the meeting about this and she said you have to keep bumping the car back and front to get out. They believe bumper bars are just that and as you can imagine they are well ‘massaged’. It was awesome to get into the French countryside south of Paris.  It is a buffet for the eyes. We took the ‘off motorway’ route through little, ancient villages and ploughed fields as far as the eye could see, south to Burgundy.

It was a wonderful meeting in English! The brothers and sisters were so friendly and there were other Aussies there from Melbourne. A few sisters, the other Aussies and ourselves hit a local café for lunch. It’s a gorgeous sunny day and we sat outside. Its not long and we feel we’ve known our new friends for years. We could have sat and chatted all afternoon but the café had other clients needing tables. We sadly said goodbye and exchange email addresses.  By the time we walk home the markets are packing up. Its very important to pack this afternoon and clean the apartment as we leave early in morning. We get done in time for one last walk in Paris at dusk. 

We visit a local park, Parc Butte Du Chaumont. It very large with a large ‘butte’, hill in the middle with lovely old trees and families are strolling enjoying the serenity in true Parisian fashion.

This is a little time lapse clip I took at Mahon Falls, its taken over a five minute period but only runs for 5 seconds. It was a really windy day so it looks quite good with the clouds whizzing over head. Enjoy it all, lots more to come.

We ate lunch at the market and had a selection of Asian dishes and rice. Apparently Asian restaurants are only just starting to spring up around Paris. France has extremely high standards for serving food so eating out is as safe as it can be anywhere.

After lunch we catch another two trains to Monmatre in the shadow of Sacre Coeur, originally famous for its artists but now it seems, dominated by souvenir shops. It’s an interesting place though if only to observe the guys with the coin under the three discs swiftly moving them around and the gamblers sure they know where the coin is and willing to bet on it.

There are more buskers on the train home and they are really talented. Another singer accompanied this time by a friend with an accordion played by blowing with the mouth. There are also more people begging in the stations, every day they are out there. There are some who are obviously homeless but also those using their children as emotional incentive to extract money. We have had women claiming to be from Bosnia who hand you a note to read asking for money for food as their mother is ‘ded’ and they have children to feed. Surprising to us, was the Islamic women in full dress, sitting with exaggerated depressed expressions and their hands out for money. Paris apparently has more than its fair share of underprivileged people. The hard thing is to tell the genuine from the professionals.

It’s fine so the guys disappear into the dark for their Paris by night shots.

Well, the Palais de Versailles is ‘tres tres grande’! It is still raining however, we don’t mind as the grounds are breathtaking. Sculptured gardens stretch literally, as far as the eye can see! There are long avenues, lakes, monuments and flower beds. To picture the size of these grounds we figure that the building and grounds would stretch conservatively, from Oxley beach in the east to Short St in the west, Clarence St north to Koala St South, for all the Port Macquarieites!

French royalty sure knew how to live well, just not long! The boys intended to take some Paris night shots tonight but it’s way too wet!

After a quick dinner it’s off to the meeting. Well…..yet another story. After ringing the branch earlier in the week and trying to make the poor brother understand our high school French, he told us in his broken English the address of the English speaking congregation.  We catch two trains and walk some distance to arrive just as the meeting started… in Portugese!! The English meeting was apparently last night according to the board outside written in French! It was still nice to be with brothers and sisters, sing the songs and follow along in our English literature.

We did discover a beautiful part of Paris though, amazing cafes and patisseries near the Kingdom Hall.  We decide to walk home, a very brisk 35 minute walk with the five flights of stairs at the end!

It has been such a long cold ordeal that it’s well past lunch time so we eat our packed sandwiches at the top!

This afternoon we visit the Louvre. Honestly, a month wouldn’t be long enough and words can’t describe the immense size of this musee d’art. We walk the long corridors awe struck by the works of art on the ceilings that tower from above. We decide to make a point of seeing the Mona Lisa and the Venus De Milo, however there was so much more. For example a collection the exquisite crockery, bowls and goblets, belonging to Louis XIV or the diamond and emerald necklace and earring set, priceless and a wedding present Napoleon gave to a friend.

We are exhausted tonight as we have done so much walking today. Home for dinner, Quiche!

Another short Metro trip takes us to the Tour De Eiffel! We are not ascending the tower as dark clouds are congregating and the view would be spoiled. We will come back. Leisurely walking along the Seine with its many restored barges and bridges reminds me of a song my mother used to sing about being “Under the Bridges of Paris with You”. I wish she was here.

The area contains magnificent building, such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Trocadero.  There are stunning parks with fountains and monuments.

It’s raining now so we decide to check out Haussman street and a quick look at the exclusive (and expensive) department stores of Printemps and Lafyette.