Two full on days of travelling pushed us to the limit on the 12th and 13th, but the fact that we were staying one night in a castle did help! We didn't actually see much of Germany except to drive through it but the Rhine Valley was very beautiful. I will have to come back and see Germany properly though. On our way out of the Rhine Valley we saw a demonstration of beer steins and cuckoo clocks...quite entertaining :)

Our first stop in the Czech Republic was the quaint little town of Ceske Krumlov. In the main part of the town no new buildings have been allowed for centuries so it is like going back in time there. The buildings look like something out of a fairy tale...and actually being able to afford stuff in the Czech Republic made it even more like a dream! Onto Prague - definitely one of my favourite places. It was good to see a city that was so completely different ...

After a big night in Italy we were very much looking forward to chilling out in Austria - and what a place to relax! A last minute burst of energy prompted me to undertake a mountain bike ride around the town on the morning after we arrived and I was very glad I did. It was a beautiful place to explore (although other than adventure sports Tyrol doesn't really have that much happening). Much to my disgust we spent the two nights there drinking at an 'Aussie ...

En route to Venice we stopped at Verona to see Juliet's balcony. The balcony was such a gimmick (shock, horror) but it was cool to see Verona in any case, and the boys got to touch Juliet's boob for 'sexual prosperity' (yeah, any excuse!). Venice was absolutely amazing - as all of Italy has been. After a walking tour of the city, including glass and lace making demonstrations, we went on a gondola ride - yey! As you can see from the photo, we weren't going t...

On the way to Rome we stopped off at a little town called Ovierto. It was such a quite little town up high on a mountain and I really appreciated seeing something a bit off the tourist track. Rome was wonderful but overwhelming in such a short time. Seeing the Collosseum appear in the distance was such a surreal experience. To think that something built 2000 years ago is still standing is just amazing and makes you feel an amazing connection to history. On ...