Tag: Travel

Just got back

Mrs FEEG and I have just got back from a city break in Vienna. Lots of Strudel and lots of Schnitzel, although without the noodles mentioned in that silly song in the dreadful musical about the von Trapp family, but with plenty of ErdapfelSalat or Austrian Potato Salad. (Yes I know the German for potato is Kartoffel, but the Austrians prefer to use the French way of naming them!). We also overindulged somewhat in the Café Central and the Sacher Hotel on speciality coffees and cakes!

We saw many of the sights and especially good was the Lippizaners being put through their paces at a training session and practice performance at the Spanish Riding School near the Hofburg Palace of Vienna. All in all, a great time was had by us.

Imagine our surprise when, having left Vienna on a very cold but bright sunny day, we woke up at home to another dose of global warming requiring the drive to be cleared yet again!

More holiday snaps…

The main ‘planner of what to do’ while we are on holiday is Cycloman – he’s good at making an itinerary and actually reads the travel guides. (I find I can read the travel guides better after the event, rather than before…. and because of that I’d like to visit a place more than once. The first time to orientate myself and the second to catch up on what we didn’t do the first time)

We only had time for one visit to Nice, and even then did far less than we had hoped. Teenagers don’t like getting up very early, do they?

When we arrived in Nice the first problem was traffic followed closely by parking: we eventually found somewhere in a massive underground car park, affiliated with a huge shopping complex. Being a Sunday in France, I was surprised that the shops were open when we arrived, but as in the UK they have a limited opening time and closed early. As I got out of the car in the parking slot an automated voice told me which pillar we had parked next to, for future reference. It was a truly huge car park: it was painted and decorated and had piped music!

Once we found our bearings we went to the main square.
The main square in Nice (Place Messena) is a huge open area, with a back and white tiled floor and figures high up on poles, which apparently light up at night.

We didn’t see them lit up, as we were only there in the day, but you can see an image here. Continue reading “More holiday snaps…”

Driving in France

We rarely argue, but one thing that can set us off is driving. I get travel sick and can’t navigate from a map when moving. He’s not a good passenger. The invention of the Sat Nag has, to a certain degree, helped – but when we picked up the hire car at Nice airport I drove, as the Sat Nag refused to work.

So there I was, driving on the wrong side of the road, my feet operating the pedals (which are of course in the same order as they are at home) while my arms were trying to remember that the gear stick is on the right, the opposite side to what I am used to, whilst trying not to make my darling husband too nervous as he issued directions to me, often three times, with increasing volume, sometimes confusing his left and right. You can imagine, therefore that, after an early start (5 am) and little food Continue reading “Driving in France”