Day one

It was a pretty good nights sleep before awaking at 4.30am for a 5am pick up by our driver. \240The trip to the airport was peaceful with barely a car on the road. \240Check in was swift with so many do it yourself portals and the abolishment of the immigration card which is always a hassle more so because I have three to fill out. \240Luckily I my right hand lady (chloe) with me and nothing is too much trouble for her, she is always one step ahead.

We meet Stacey wong and family as we pass through immigration. Renee is delighted to have them on our flight.

Before you know it we have boarded and are in our seats. \240Premium economy proving worth the money. \240Our seats are comfortable and there is even in flight wi-fi! \240We are presented with a glass of orange juice and a hot towel. \240The menu looks good and there are plenty of movies I've wanted to see. \240I'm surprised by how quiet the plane is. \240Almost eerily so. \240The passenger next to me tells me how luck we are to be on one of the new planes as they are far superior to the old ones. \240Happy days!!

It was another early start to the day as I awoke at 4.15am. \240Unable to sleep any longer I resigned myself to a long day and vowed to stay awake even longer tonight to get myself on Hong Kong time.

Once the kids were awake we made plans to go to Disneyland for the day. \240That plan was abandoned shortly thereafter hearing that a lot of the attractions were closed due to storm damage.

Instead we decided on a day of exploration with a little shopping thrown in. \240We headed out after breakfast and caught the ding ding tram towards Central and got off in the financial district to window shop the designer labels. \240Realising we were never going to be able to afford anything here we jumped on the MTR and headed for Mong Kok to explore the ladies' market.

We all bought designer knock off bags for $30 or under and I bought a sweater from Monki.com which I love for $40HK. \240Hong Kong is hot and sweaty. \240Full of noise, colour, lights, shops and people everywhere you go. \240So far I love it and can’t understand why I have not been here before.

After lunch we were all tired so caught the train from Mong Kok back to Central where we got another train to Tin Hau which is across from our hotel, Metropark Causeway Bay.

The rest of the afternoon was spent by the pool relaxing as we enjoyed the most amazing view.

Later in the evening we again boarded the ding ding and went into town to get some dinner. \240We stumbled upon Times Square which was amazing. So much colour and light. \240We found a nice Chinese restaurant and enjoyed some delicious wonton noodle soup, pork buns and Chinese tea. \240We came home around 9.30pm and grabbed an ice-cream from 7/11 before heading to bed.

I was happy to wake at 6.15am this morning rather than 4! \240Today we are catching up with the Wong family.

We met them at Central Station which was in itself a miracle as we all have no ability to make phone calls or use wifi! \240We decided to head to Kowloon on the Star Ferry to get a view of the city from the harbour. \240We wandered the shops for a while and then stopped for lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant. \240After lunch we went to the History Museum to learn a bit about Hong Kong in the past.

With tired feet we said goodbye to the Wong’s and headed for our hotel to have a swim and rest before heading down town to the Outback Steakhouse for dinner. \240Another fun day.

Today was our last day in Hong Kong and Stuart’s first. \240He arrived around 8am having flown overnight from Melbourne.

As we fly out later tonight we tried to make the most of the day by heading into town on the Ding Ding for breakfast at Starbucks. \240We then headed to Causeway Bay Station and caught the train to Admiralty where we strolled through Hong Kong Park on our way to the Peak Tramcar. \240Cost of admission was $20 each. \240Soon we were on our way up the steep incline to the top observation point. \240At the top there were many shops and restaurants. \240We took a few photos and then headed back down. \240We saw many private residences at the top - not sure why anyone would want to live so high up!

Next stop Soho. \240Unfortunately Soho involved way too much walking in the heat so we abandoned that plan and got some lunch at a nice Chinese restaurant which offered lots of familiar yum cha style dishes which everyone enjoyed.

After lunch we visited the Western Market before catching the Ding Ding all the way to the hotel for a well deserved rest and swim.

We had a pretty good flight from Hong Kong to Paris with everyone getting enough sleep to at least hit the ground running.

Renee left her passport in the seat pocket which delayed our progress through immigration but once she was reunited with it we were on our way. \240A bit of a scare and a note to self to make sure I carried it from now on!

The train was not as user friendly as the ones in Hong Kong. \240The train not levelling up with the platform made getting on and off a little challenging. \240There was also no lift or escalator so carrying your suitcase up and down stairs to change platforms wasn’t much fun either. \240Anyway, 2 trains and a 5 minute walk later we arrived at our accommodation which was just a short walk from the Eiffel Tower in a cute little neighbourhood with everything you could want close by.

Our hosts were lovely and welcoming. \240They offered us coffee and took our bags. \240Our room would be ready at 12.30 do we set off to explore.

We headed towards the Seine and the Trocadéro neighbourhood where we enjoyed a couple of cups of coffee and croissants for 7 Euro each.

As everyone was still tired we thought that doing a river cruise would be the best way to spend the next hour or so until our room was ready. \240This took us past many sights and gave us a better idea of where some of the things we wanted to see were. \240We passed the Louve, Notre Dame Pont Nurf and many other historical buildings.

After the cruise we grabbed some bread, cheese, wine etc and headed back to our hotel to check in. \240Stuart and Chloe were keen to watch the last half of the Richmond v Collingwood game and we did this whilst enjoying lunch.

At last it was time for a quick nap to try and get onto local time before meeting the Durstans for dinner and drinks.

Kristy and Damien arrived at 6.30pm and we set off up the road to a bar to catch up and then later to an Italian restaurant. \240The Eiffel Tower was sparkling with lights. \240We took some photos then headed back home for a cup of tea before saying goodbye to the Durstons and going to bed. \240It had been a long but wonderful day.

Everyone sleep well and after a lovely breakfast of croissants, fruit, scrambled eggs, orange juice and coffee we got ready for our tour of The Eiffel Tower.

Today we had a lot on our agenda being our last full day in Paris. \240The weather forecast wasn’t the best with grey skies and light showers so indoor activities were high on our list of priorities. \240 First on our list Musee L’Orangerie and then up the road to The Louve. \240Later in the afternoon it’s off to Galleries LaFayette for some shopping and then back to our hotel for a rest before heading out to Elina’s apartment for dinner and then to The Lido at 8.30pm. \240These are big days!!

It’s our last day in Paris. \240We are flying to Venice at 3.45pm so we are up and about early enjoying one last breakfast prepared by our host Leo. \240We will miss this place. \240We have felt so much at home. \240We’ve all slept well and enjoyed access to such beautiful common rooms.

We woke up to a gorgeous sunny day and headed down to breakfast. \240We had a big day ahead of us with just one day to see all that Venice had to offer.

It’s all smiles even though we are sad to leave Venice. \240It’s been an amazing 36 hours. \240Here we are in our private water taxi which will take us to the Train station for our journey to Citavecchia.

Today we docked in Livorno, a city about an hours train ride from Florence. \240After a quick breakfast we caught a taxi from the port to the train station.

We arrived in Cannes Nice and early. \240We quickly got dressed, had breakfast and headed down to board the tender boat to shore. \240We had decided to rent a car and try and see Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo in the time we had available which was about 6 hours.

We enjoyed a leisurely sleep in and relaxed breakfast before docking in Majorca at lunchtime.

F

Everyone was excited about spending a whole day on the ship

Arriving in Naples about 6am with a big day ahead. \240We booked a driver to take us to Positano, Sorrento and then Pompeii.

We said goodbye to the comfort of the ship and met our driver at about 9am. \240The trip to Rome would be at least an hour with it being peak morning traffic time. \240

Once we dropped off our luggage at our hotel we set off to explore on foot.

Day 2 in Rome and we are up early to do a tour of the Colosseum and then the oldest part of Rome, Palentine Hill.

On our second last day in Rome there wasn’t really a lot I could do with a sore and swollen knee. \240Stuart was keen to do a tour of the Vatican and so he booked himself in. \240The girls and I were happy to just spend a leisurely day in Rome with no fixed plans. \240I had already been before when I was last in Rome do didn’t mind missing out. \240I was also pretty sure the girls would not be interested.

We caught a taxi to the Vatican City to save me having to walk all the way. \240So many people lining up to get inside. \240And almost as many people outside trying to sell you something.

Sadly the time has come to go home. \240It’s been a wonderful adventure and we have all had a fantastic time.