INSIGHT VACATIONS Tour, and other meanderings

WHERE DO I BEGIN…VIENNA !!! Pastries, Trams, Hotel SACHER Wein,  The Naschmarket, Albertina, Schonbrunn Palace, the City Center…ahh!

Onto ZAGREB(Croatia). Exuberant soccer-fans, the Funicular. KUMROVEC (living village of Marshall Tito’s birthplace), lunch in the Hills. Next PLITVICE. Breathtaking…mammoth National Park of pristine rushing waters and 13kms (!) of boardwalks. Boat-ride, and Rain!

BIO-GRAD surprises us with a crispy new Hotel by the Sea. A  Full Moon! We walk along the foreshore and we’re young romantics again.

SPLIT,  Elegant, studded with swish cafes and with a port for the well-heeled. DIOCLEATION’S PALACE – I am apprehended(!) by 2 Roman Guards. Next am, DUBROVNIK, the gorgeous city with stunning ramparts. Has survived bombardment in the Croation conflict. Returning from a sunset cruise on the Adriatic we see a  city  ablaze with light Our Tour Director, TERRY MORGAN’S commentaries  keep us enthralled-

Moving to TIRANA (Albania), a country closely associated with Mother Theresa, and, the dictator  HOXHA who left concrete bunkers everywhere. Sadly,still some years away from full recovery. Crossed into OHRID (Macedonia). Tony recites ‘BUCEPHALUS’ (“Philip of Macdeon, longed four score, A thoroughbred horse to ride to war…”) at the Lake’s edge.

Finally, find 2 days rest in SOFIA (Bulagria).  See St Sophia’s and the  well-preserved eye-catching RILA Monastery with its beautiful bright murals.

Cross into TURKEY. The border bristles with Officialdom and long-haul vehicles by the hundreds. Soon ISTANBUL, the giddy one, opens her arms to us. At night we take a ‘pants-wetting’ Taxi Ride –reached 120kmh/72mph for a fact! - to TAKSIM Square. By day we are agog at AYA SOFYA, TOPKAPI Palace and the BLUE MOSQUE. Later, a spectacular dinner in a 'Fairyland' alive with pure street magic; Folks here are sooo special! Soon,  hugs and farewells end our INSIGHT segment.

Tony and I book into The BYZANTIUM HOTEL & Suites in Sultanahmet…perfect location. At the break of dawn we take-off for GALLIPOLI/Gelibolu – heart-wrenching, remembering the fallen young of that campaign in WW1. Back by mid-night! Next am, we trudge along Kennedy Cad, taste most delicacies alongside The GALATA BRIDGE, sail down The BOSPHOROUS, catch sight of a Lady (on the boat) surprise her Beau with an engagement ring - now that's class!  Get sucked into the GRAND BAZAAR and SPICE MARKET, and feel homesick at the shout of “Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi!” from an occasional young man…and, THIS DID OCCUR!
                           
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TRAFALGAR TOURS

Extracts from Tony’s illegible notes

          ‘…EMIRATES AIRLINE’s elegant 777, ‘packed tight’ - arrived @ WIEN-SCHWECHAT mid pm - crossed road for overnight stop at NH VIENNA AIRPORT(v.good)...6-Euro Bus-ride to WIEN MEIDLING Station, early am….perfect!... a relaxing 1st Class Train-ride to PRAGUE/Praha Hlavni Nadir(Czech Republic) accommodated @ HILTON PRAGUE.

TRAFALGAR Tour under Michael Doherty begins, PRAGUE is  one exquisite City. Visited Prague Castle by night, (ahhh!), Charles Bridge, Old Town Square etc, dined at the IMPERIAL- visited DRESDEN the next day.

Two days later onto  VIENNA -back after 24yrs!...memorable!...stayed at conveniently located HILTON VIENNA...rode Prater Wheel, visited St Stephen’s Hofburg Palace, Hotel SACHER, VIENNA WOODS etc -Dinners at MARCHFELDORF and PASSAUERHOF - Viennese CONCERT, Drinks and Dinner.

 BUDA-PEST (Hungary) a surprise. Settled into RADISON Blu Beke- Took in Fisherman’s Bastion etc, a dinner-cruise on Danube at night. Been to SZENTENDRE, SKANSEN(Village). A complimentary Bus-ride to VIENNA at Tour-end …cheers DALLI!’ - The Extra Excursions were worth EVERY CENT…’

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