We finally left the Le Boreal behind us in Honfleur and looked forward to getting our land legs again.
The taxi from the pier to our apartment went smoothly (after all it was only a 1.4km drive which however cost us 30 euro and was shared with another couple - NEVER book transportation through the Ship 😡).
Honfleur was a delightful and quaint French town. It primarily caters for the tourists and is full of restaurants and places just to sit, enjoy the sunshine and consume a nice bottle of French wine (or cider). The cider is the main drink in the region made from apples called Calvados, very different from ciders we usually drink in Australia, and much nicer in our mind and extremely popular).
Our apartment was small but quite adequate for our needs, right in the centre with two restaurants opposite. Unfortunately I was still suffering from the flu so didn't feel up to seeing the sights on the first day. Dinner was bread, cheese, and some local salami with a bottle of cider the landlord kindly gave us. I slept most of the day while Julie enjoyed Netflix on my Surface (TV was all French).
The next day we explored the town. Luckily there were not too many clothes shops for Julie to see (but what there was she managed to get to see). There were a few 'arty' shops that took her fancy.
We had seafood for dinner. Oysters, mussels as takeaway from a local fishmonger and consumed in the room. We couldn't eat out as I didn't want to be spluttering over people. The seafood was very nice (and fresh).amazing oysters at 1 euro each, wish we had done that everyday.
The final day was very much the same as the previous Still not feeling well.
We left Honfleur by bus to LeHavre. A 30 minute trip to the bus/train station and then a short walk to the hotel. Didn't do much there as it was we only had an afternoon before getting the train to Lyon early the next morning.
The train to Lyon consisted of the first leg via Paris, very comfortable and took about 2hrs. We then had to get the metro to our next trip to Lyon. It was very easy although I still had to lug 2 heavy suitcases around plus backpack. I felt like a packhorse.
The train to Lyon was also a good trip. At times we were travelling at around 300km/hr. Why we don't invest in something like that on East Coast of Australia is beyond me. It really is a great way to travel.
Got into Lyon for a 4 day visit. The apartment was very good, as was the guy who rented it out. He couldn't do enough for us.
The building was heritage listed so quite old but the inside of the apartment was very neat. The downside was it was on the 3rd floor so I was forced to carry the bags up several steep flights. Almost 'killed' me as I was still congested.😭
We quickly recovered went went out for the essentials - bread, cheese, olives, meat and, of course, wine. 😁
A very nice afternoon snack.
Lyon is an amazing city. Lots to see, restaurants a plenty. Unfortunately for me there are also a great many clothes shops!!!
Day 2 had us walking around the city (as did Day 3). We were right on the river and close to a lot of the sights.
So it wasn't too far to walk to get to see most things.
With probably 1 exception.
The Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere was on the hill that we could see from the street outside the apartment. Looked close so we decided to walk there. A BIG mistake. Very, very steep and a long walk up a bendy road.
It was quite a warm day. After what seemed an eternity we reached the top thoroughly exhausted.
And just as we reached the top we passed the funicular that services the trip 😨. I then understood why there were so many at the top yet we didn't see many walking. Julie was not happy. 😡.
They certainly knew how to build churches back then.
We did take the funicular down.
The next day was more sightseeing (but less strenuous). There were so many places to see.
The weather during our stay was great. Sunshine and relatively warm. I started to get over the flu symptoms just as Julie started to come down with them - that was inevitable. Sleeping at night continued to be a challenge.
Our stay in Lyon was great. Highly recommend it as a place to visit.
However it was time to head off to our final destination, Florence.
Again we chose to get there by train - around 8 hrs including a 1hr stop to change trains in Milano.
Like the trip to Lyon, the train journey was very comfortable. We travelled in business class.
The first stage had us travel through the Alps to Torino. It was very picturesque with snow capped mountains and forests along the journey. So not boring and trip went quickly.
Through the mountains we were travelling around the 110km/hr but once past Torino we got up to 300km/hr.
The second half from Milano was just as quick but the landscape wasn't so exciting. Very flat.
We arrived in Florence and got to our B&B late afternoon. We were not in the centre but about 5kms out and within easy walk to either the bus or train into the city. We also had several very nice restaurants nearby. The first night we went for a walk and ended up at an Italian restaurant (what a surprise) and had a very good pasta and local wine.
The next day we headed off to the city by bus (30 min). What a great place. So much to see.
But the crowds were large (and it's mid-week and not peak season).
Restaurants everywhere as well as gelati shops and even specialty chocolate shops (Deb you would be in heaven).
A lot of walking was done so after few hrs we headed back to the B&B to prepare for the next day. That night we headed of to a sea food restaurant. Very nice 😋.Julie had a whole fish with great vegetables and I has a seafood deep fried mix. All of which was preceded by a few fresh oysters 😊
Breakfast the next morning and then off to the bus for another day exploring
We headed off to see the Bobilo Gardens. We thought it would be an easier walk than the previous day - wrong. It was situated on a hill which meant a lot of climbing 😱. But it was worth it.
The risk of going to the Gardens was the fact that we had to cross the Ponte Vecchio which has multiple jewellery shops. Julie couldn't resist.
I managed to drag her away before any damage was done. 😅
The next day we took a trip to Siena. Another very interesting place with lots to see. It's not a big place so doesn't take long to get around. However, as like Florence, it's very crowded with tourists. On top of that the weather wasn't too kind with misty rain falling. But still, an enjoyable walk.
And so our journey is nearing an end. We have another day in Florence before heading to the airport and flying on to Paris. We will get there in the early evening, staying at a hotel at Charles De Gaulle airport overnight before boarding Emirates the next morning for the flight home.
It has been a very special trip. 71 days, 4 continents, lots of days at sea 😏, seen some terrific places 😀 met new friends 😊eaten a LOT, drank even more 😵, gotten ill 😥, but recovered 😷 and now it's over.
Home on Tuesday and all this will fade into memory.
Hope you have all enjoyed the journey with us through the blog
Ciao,
Julie and Graham
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