We took an international flight from Sydney to Wellington, New Zealand. While we saw iconic attractions in Australia, New Zealand featured beauty everywhere. New Zealand is believed to be one of the last places in the world to be inhabited, with people initially coming from Polynesia – perhaps around 1250AD. It is also relatively isolated from other parts of the world. I had always thought of New Zealand and Australia as being relatively close, but they are actually about 1,000…
The iconic tourist destinations in Sydney are the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. They were both within walking distance of our hotel and we had a beautiful day to see them. The bridge is built of 53,000 tons of steel and at its highest point, is about 440 feet above the harbor. Construction began in 1924 and the bridge opened in 1932. Eight hundred families’ homes were demolished to make room for the bridge. Presently, the bridge…
We flew from Uluru to Cairns, going from desert to rainforest. Our first stop was the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway where we visited the rainforest in Barron Gorge National Park. While on the cable car, we passed just over the top of the rainforest canopy (first picture). We then hiked on a boardwalk through the rainforest. The third picture is a Kauri Pine. It is the tallest species of trees in Queensland and can grow to a height of 160 feet. …
We began the Grand Australia and New Zealand tour in Melbourne. We stayed at the Langham Hotel on the Southbank Promenade. There are many restaurants along the Promenade and the walk along the Yarra River is beautiful. We saw several teams rowing on the Yarra. Pictured immediately below is the Southbank Footbridge which crosses the Yarra River. There are steps that took us below the bridge to a restaurant/bar called Ponyfish Island where we had lunch. On a walking tour…
This blog will focus on the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square), St. Mark’s Basillica, and Doge’s Palace. The first picture below is one I purchased and depicts St. Mark’s Square from above. St. Mark’s Basillica is toward the back and the large tower on the right is St. Mark’s Campanile. On the left is Procuratie Nuove (second picture). The Procuratie Nuove was originally built to serve as office space but now houses museums. It construction began in 1586. The…
From Florence, we took a high speed train, the Italo, to Venice. It travels up to 225 miles per hour and we made the 160 mile trip in just under two hours. The Italo is made of recycled materials and is lightweight, making it eco-friendly. Once in Venice, we took a water taxi to our hotel. The main entrance to the hotel was actually a dock making it one of the most unique hotel entrances we have encountered. Venice is…
As I shared with you in my first post, Florence has many art galleries and museums. Michelangelo’s David, representing the David in the Bible, is displayed in the Accademia Gallery. Michelangelo sculpted it between 1501 and 1504. We were not allowed to take pictures in the Gallery, so the one I am sharing with you is one I purchased. David is in a circular room – tourists can walk completely around the statue. It is seventeen feet tall and made…
This blog will focus on Florence’s Duomo and Baptistery. The Duomo is officially named the Santa Maria Del Fiore, or St. Mary’s of the Flower (referencing the origin of Florence’s name). It is the fourth largest Christian church in the world. Construction of the cathedral began in 1296. Work on the external decoration, consisting of green, pink and white marble, began in the 14th Century and was completed in 1887. The dome is known as Brunelleschi’s Dome and is crowned…
Florence is an incredible city and was our favorite on the Classic Italy tour. It is an easy city to get around. And despite never having an interest in art history, I developed an appreciation for it while visiting this lovely city. And then there was the food. Florence is said to have the world’s best gelato. I had to sample it (on a few occasions) and would heartily agree! There are also small restaurants with incredible food. We had…
We visited several small towns in the Umbria region of Italy which include Orvieto and Assisi from my last post. Umbria is famous for medieval towns, wine and beautiful farmland. We stayed in Torgiano, also in the Umbria region. The oldest part of Torgiano is still partly surrounded by a wall. Pictured below is the Torre di Guardia which is a defensive tower dating back to the 13th Century. As we walked to see this tower, we came across the…