Archive | Kids RSS feed for this section
DSC00223

St. Peter’s

Like yesterday, first thing in the morning, we went to see a bit of Rome, but this time on the other side of the river.  We went to St. Peter’s Basilica fully expecting to see thousands of people lined up trying to get in and see the house of the richest god there ever was. […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC00043

Ostuni

No word of a lie it was 40°C so we spent most of the day either in the pool or around the pool.  In the evening when it got cooler, 31°C, we set of for Ostuni.  It is a small town with about 32K people in winter but during the summer months its populations swells […]

2 Comments Continue Reading →
DSC00102

Alberobello – Puglia

Alberobello is a small city of less than 11,000 people and it is famous for it’s trullos.  Trullos are scattered throughout this part of Puglia. The story behind trullo was to build a small home with only dry stone and no mortar so they could easily be reconfigured and taken down.  They were simply built […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC02803_4_5

Florence and Uffizi

There is always something new at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence that is worth seeing.  The priceless other works of art aren’t too shabby either.  I think the best thing about the Uffizi is the fact that it can be done in a reasonable amount of time – even in 3 hours.  The rest of […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC02423_4_5

Montisi

It appears that after Castelmunzio, Montisi is our next favourite place to over eat at dinner.  Montisi is a tiny and serene village, steeped in tradition but largely unspoiled by tourism.   It’s also a quiet retreat for a good number of celebrities who come here to hide from the crowds.    

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC02359_60_61

Cortona

Perched 600m up on a hillside Cortona is a medical town with narrow and steep streets and architecture.  The city overlooks Chiana Valley and  Lake Trasimeno, scene of Hannibal’s ambush of the Roman army in 217 BC.  Legend has it that Cortona was built some 273 years after the Great Flood.  After Arezzo it is the […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC01315_6_7

Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta

I think everyone knows or at least has seen Cappella della Madonna di Vitality. Alternatively if you have seen a calendar from Tuscany or have visited Val d’Orcia or drove between Pienza and San Quirico d’Orcia then you should instantly recognize this UNESCO protected landmark.  This time we drove up closer to the chapel and took a […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC00656_7_8

High Line

The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail. It was created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan. The High Line is a public park maintained and operated by the Friends of the High Line, in partnership with the New York City Department of […]

1 Comment Continue Reading →
DSC08228

Hyenas

This is our final game drive – and once again it exceeds our expectations.  You always hope or wish but certainly never expect that city slickers like us would happen upon some hyenas and vultures feeding on a small giraffe that a pride of lions has taken down a night before.  This is some National […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC08151

Hippos Hippos Hippos

This morning we are mixing things up a bit.  Up at 6am, quick coffee and a cookie and out in the car by 6:15am.  We did not even get 20m into the drive when we spotted a couple of giraffes and then another 10m later a herd of elephants.  They really are not kidding when […]

2 Comments Continue Reading →
DSC07893

Eagle View Camp

After about a 90 min drive we arrived at the Eagle View Camp – literally in the middle of nowhere.  Perched on the top of the hill is a little slice of paradise.  From the lodge and the rooms you can sit back and enjoy amazing vistas below where animals come and go in all shapes […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC07658_59_60

Baby Elephant

This interaction literally lasted about 10 seconds, too fast for the camera to focus and for us to do anything other than be frozen in amazement.  The baby elephant, which is about the size of the Land Cruiser tire, got up, charged at the car, either wanting to play, or pretending to scare us.  The mother trumpeted […]

2 Comments Continue Reading →
DSC07621

A Pride

Manfred really stepped it up today when out of nowhere in the middle of nowhere under some ordinary unassuming bush he found a band of brothers, well fed and sleeping.  They did not even raised their heads when we pulled up.  Having said that, I think the only thing that stopped the lions from eating […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC07598

Colour Us Impressed

We had two requests this morning for Manfred, our guide and driver.  We told him that we need to up our expectations and would like to see a pride of lions and a herd of elephants – half jokingly.  Well he derived on the elephant this morning and in the afternoon and certainly in the […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC07477

Herd Crossing

What is better than one solitary elephant minding his own business.  Well a herd of 40 or so elephants with lots of babies.  The tiny babies were hardly 3 feet tall, hardly sticking above the grass.  So far I think this is the best and most memorable and mesmerizing experience for all of us.   […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC07439

Cheetah

One of the great sightings this morning was a mama and cub cheetah.  The cub was nursing at first then grooming, then playing and stretching – playing nicely for all to see.  Manfred spotted a wagging tale from about 300m.  I honestly don’t know how these guys do it, I think the animal tracking is […]

2 Comments Continue Reading →
DSC07515

Simply WOW!

Every time we go out for a game drive there is something new.  This morning was the best one yet.  We sit in the Land Cruiser in total amazement and astonishment as the Savannah life simply unfolds in front of our eyes.  It seems that every 3 or 4km the landscape is totally different, from […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC06844_5_6

Ballenberg

Ballenberg is an open museum with a 100 original, century-old buildings from all over Switzerland, original gardens and fields. It is a working museum where people are in period, bake break, make sausages, make cheese and pretend they live in the centuries past. There are also 250 domestic animals on display as well.  This is […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC06781_2_3

Hasliberg

This is the last stop in Switzerland.  Apparently I can’t count to 5 so I booked us in for 4 nights. Needless to say a day before check out we needed to find a room for one more night.  Booking.com to the rescue and this is how we ended up in this village.  Dating back […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC06688

Seilpark Gantrisch

Doing something outdoorsy today – something right up Evelina’s alley.  Seilpark in Gantrisch has the highest forest adventure platforms in Switzerland – 36m – it is freaky.  There are 10 different courses to go through and 1.5km  of paths suspended  through the beautiful Längeney Forest.  We did 9 of the 10, the second most difficult one […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC06419_20_21

Thun

Thun is a small city of about 45,000 residents.  The area of what is now Thun was inhabited since the Neolithic age mid 300 BC. Like most Europe and Switzerland it was conquered by Rome in 58BC.  In 1819 a Military School was founded in the city, which later developed into the main military school in […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC06199_200_201

Lausanne

The city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, 62 kilometres northeast of Geneva. Lausanne has a population  of 146,372, making it the fourth largest city in Switzerland. Lausanne is a focus of international sport, hosting the International Olympic Committee, which recognizes the city as the “Olympic Capital”. Since 1994 the Court of Arbitration for Sport and some 55 international sport associations […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC06140_1_2

Magdalena Hermitage

Directly overlooking the Lake Schiffenen is a carved out cave measuring 120 meters which was chiseled out in the rock by two hermits around 1700.  The floor, as it was recently discovered, is actually a fossilized sandstone dune from prehistoric times. The dwelling in the cliff was later expanded to its current size by the hermit Johann Dupré and his […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC06005

Fribourg Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Fribourg  dominates the centre of the medieval town. The main church was started in 1283 and completed by 1430. The tower was completed in 1490. It is 76 metres tall and houses 11 bells.  Originally a parish church, in 1945 it became the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC06062

Fribourg

Fribourg is located on both sides of the river Saane, and is an important economic, administrative and educational centre on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland. Fribourg also has one of the most prestigious universities in Switzerland.  Its Old City, is one of the best maintained in Switzerland. There is a very old funicular […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC05963_4_5

Switzerland

We have arrived in Switzerland.  Once you pass the tunnels and the trains the views open up – no matter where you look the vistas are spectacular.  Interesting note, in Italy, the fastest drivers on the highway are either from Germany or Switzerland.  The posted highway speed is 130km/h the Swiss will do 150 to 160km/h.  The moment […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC05941_2_3

Milan

Milan dates back to 400BC.  Today Milan is the 2nd largest metropolitan city in Italy. The population of the city proper is 1.3 million, while its urban area with a population estimated to be about 5.5 million  is the 5th-largest in the EU. Milan is the main industrial and financial centre of Italy, it has the 3rd-largest […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC05705_6_7

Villa Borghese

Our schedule for today is very relaxed.  A nice stroll through the Borghese gardens towards the Spanish Steps and a bit of shopping.  The Borgheses were  a wool merchant family from  Sienna.  The head of the family, Marcantonio, moved to Rome in 1541 and this Sienese family rapidly gained access to the upper echelons of Roman […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC05636

Revisiting Rome

After the morning museum trip and an extensive siesta from the unyielding and relentless heat, we set out for a lap around Rome.  Last time we were here the Trevi Fountain was being renovated and cleaned, which apparently is done once every 50 years or so. There are over 2000 fountains in Rome but this one […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC05496_7_8

MAXXI

MAXXI – National Museum of the 21st Century Arts, is a national museum of contemporary art and architecture in Rome and is about 5 min walk from the gorgeous apartment we are staying in. The museum was built on the old and decommissioned military compound site.  This spectacular building was designed by Zaha Hadid who passed away this […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →
DSC05347_8_9

Villa Cimbrone

Imagine owning the entire mountain top of a peninsula on the Amalfi coast.  Small villa, pool and massive gardens.  Originally built in the 11th century the villa was rebuilt and reconstructed over the years passing from one family to the next.  The most extensive rebuilding and renovation was done at the start of the 20th […]

1 Comment Continue Reading →
DSC05090_1_2

Pompeii

Pompeii was an ancient Roman town-city near modern Naples. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, was mostly destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.  The city was lost and forgotten for about 1500 years.  It was […]

Leave a comment Continue Reading →