08-Jun-17

Peter and Penny disembarked from the train in the quaint town of Brno in the south of the Czech Republic. They meandered around the streets, taking in the cathedrals and the square, the restaurants and the bars, and trying desperately to understand even a hint of the Czech language, which seemed totally indecipherable to them. After a couple of days dodging trams, cars and bicycles with every step, they hopped back aboard the train and set off for the nation’s capital, Prague. Arriving first to Václavské nám, the pair of expats felt surprisingly at home on spotting Marks & Spencer and Debenhams on either side of them. They enjoyed wandering streets lined with crystals, taking in the lovely weather along the Vltava river, checking the time at the Old Town Square, and stopping off at the Kalfka museum, for a change. From the top of Charles Bridge gatehouse they enjoyed an awe-inspiring view of the city, and its basement museum of riverbed treasures called to mind 1610 things they’ve lost. Amid the hikes up to Prague Castle and the Petrin Tower, Peter & Penny enjoyed ice cream, macaroons and cold brew coffees. They agreed that Prague was a perfectly picturesque little European capital, but for now it was time to leave country #14 Czech Republic, and go home again, at least for a while.

03-Jun-17

After an exhausting month, feeling well versed in the Impressionist artistic movement, Peter & Penny made their way to Vienna, a cultural hub of central Europe, keeping their eyes peeled for masterpieces of the Renaissance housed in Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum located in the Museum Quarter of the city. On their way there the pair stopped at the awesome Burgtheater, the large gothic Rathaus City Hall and the beautiful Austrian Parliament Building, not forgetting to stop along the way to indulge at some secluded Viennese coffee houses. After wandering through the quaint typical European side streets that the pair had fallen in love with during their time in Paris, Peter & Penny made their way across the Danube to the infamous Prater Amusement Park to get a bird’s eye view of Vienna from the giant 19th century ferris wheel that’s housed there. Even with Penny’s slight trepidation over having too much distance between herself and the ground, as pigs don’t fly, the pair enjoyed watching the peacefulness of the city below. By now, full of coffee and macaroons, Peter & Penny had one last stop in Vienna. They caught the U-Bahn to Schönbrunn Palace and wandered around the expansive grounds, with beautiful gardens and statues, and particularly enjoyed the Neptune Fountain, that sits directly behind the palace. After this they hurriedly departed for their train to the Czech Republic and bid a fond farewell to the lovely little capital of #13 Austria.

21-May-2017

Arriving on the last day of April, Peter and Penny finally fulfilled their dream of seeing Paris in the springtime. Their trepidations over what to pack for a month in the French capital had been well-founded. Although they landed and departed in pouring rain, they basked in glorious sunshine for days in between. The pair made good use of their Navigo passes and their legs, as they took to the streets to admire buildings and bridges, each one as remarkable as the next. Although at times the promise of air-conditioning was enough to bring them inside, there was no shortage of indoor wonders either. From Manet’s ‘Le déjeuner sur l’herbe’ to Rodin’s ‘La Porte de l’Enfer’, they marvelled at one chef-d’œuvre after another. Fuelled by crêpes and café allongé, they climbed Montmartre, promenaded in the Luxembourg Gardens, browsed the Champs-Élysées, strolled the Champ de Mars and wandered from the Marais to Place de la Bastille. Further exploring the Parisian region, Peter and Penny traversed the forest at Fontainebleau to get a glimpse of the spectacular Château and took the RER to Versailles, recognising the familiar Lady Liberty as they passed Île aux Cygnes. There they strolled the splendid gardens and watched Medea’s tragic destiny unfold at the royal opera, a true highlight of their séjour in #12 France.

20-Dec-15

One last train journey took Peter & Penny to their final Scandinavian destination, Oslo, Norway. The pair checked themselves into the tallest building in the country and reserved a romantic candle-lit table overlooking the sparkling Northern City. The Northern explorers made their way to the famous Fram Museum, to uncover the legend of some of the country’s greatest Polar voyagers. Having dipped their toes in the North Sea, Penny decided the North Pole would have to be a summer expedition! In keeping with the Nobel theme of Stockholm, the twosome visited the thought-provoking Peace Museum. Unfortunately, the only award they picked up on this trip was made of chocolate. At the end of an almost nearly perfect Scandinavian trip, the pair almost nearly missed their flight. As they travelled home from #10 Norway, the pair reflected on a lovely, though sometimes chilly, Christmas excursion in Northern Europe.

19-Dec-15

Jumping on their first sleeper train, Peter & Penny overnighted it through Malmo and into Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden. In the early hours of a December morning Peter & Penny meandered around the streets of Stockholm, and watched the city wake. Peter was very excited to visit the City Hall in Stockholm, the location of the annual Nobel Prize ceremony. Just as the sun was beginning to rise, the couple walked through the courtyard of City Hall, admiring the stone plaques on the wall commemorating Alfred Nobel and the huge, lit Christmas tree reaching up above the arches. The pair wandered back through the streets, with a cup of coffee while resisting the pickled herring on offer. Before continuing on with their Scandinavian farewell to Europe, Peter & Penny visited the Skansen open-air museum. They watched the glassblower making Christmas decorations, so the pair purchased one for their tree to remember their visit to #9 Sweden.

16-Dec-15

After Christmas, Peter and Penny planned to say goodbye to Europe for a while. As they waited for their visas to head west, they had enough time to skip north in search of snow and reindeer. With less than a week to spare they packed their thermals and headed for the almost nearly perfect region. First stop on their Scandinavian tour was country #8, Denmark. Arriving after dark, the two wrapped up tight and set out for the bright lights of Tivoli. There they found a true winter wonderland, a Christmas delight. Hours of fun later, dizzy from the rollercoasters, full from the fare and having found their perfect tree ornament, they returned to their hotel library bar to sip hot drinks and plan the day ahead. No snow yet, but on a crisp winter night Copenhagen certainly seemed almost nearly perfect.