2011 Europe & Morocco

• *Disclaimer. There are photos here that are from my previous travel site virtualtourist. VT has shut down. Please ignore that VT flag, thongs, VA's and other paraphernalia that may appear here.**

MY PHOTOS HERE ARE BEFORE ENTERING THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DSLR.
I PURCHASED MY TRUSTY CANON 60D AFTER HUBBY MADE ME JEALOUS WITH
HIS FANTASTIC PHOTOS ON THIS TRIP WITH HIS FIRST DLSR CAMERA

FAVOURITE PHOTO -

HIGHLIGHTS PHOTO COLLAGE -

THIS WAS OUR FIRST BIG OVERSEAS TRIP. 6 WEEKS THROUGH 7 COUNTRIES -
SWITZERLAND, GERMANY, BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS, FRANCE, MOROCCO & SPAIN.

I FOUND VIRTUALTOURIST.COM WHILST GOOGLING FOR OUR BIG TRIP.
SADLY VT IS NO MORE. I SPENT 16 YEARS ON THAT SITE AND IT WAS A SAD DAY
WHEN TRIPADVISOR BOUGHT OUT VT AND THEN AXED THE COMPETITION.
SO I HAVE NOW JOINED TRAVELLERSPOINT AND THIS IS NOW MY NEW HOME.

THE FURTHEST WE HAD BEEN BEFORE THIS TRIP WAS TAHITI FOR OUR 10 YEAR
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY IN 1989.
SO NOW, OVER 10 YEARS LATER, WE WERE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON OUR FIRST BIG
OVERSEAS TRIP.

EACH COUNTRY THAT WE VISITED HAD IT'S OWN UNIQUE FLAVOUR AND EXCITING
STUFF TO SEE AND DO. FOR INSTANCE US AUSSIES LOVE TO SEE BIG CHIMING
CLOCKS, CASTLES, PALACES, COBBLED STONE STREETS, CANALS AND WINDMILLS.
ALL OF THIS IS DIFFERENT TO US AS WELL AS DRIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
ROAD, RIDING IN HORSE & CARRIAGE, RIDING CAMELS IN THE DESERT, SLEEPING
UNDER THE STARS IN THE DESERT ETC ETC...

YES, THIS TRIP HAS MANY, MANY WONDERFUL MEMORIES AND RELIVING THEM
HERE.... ESPECIALLY IF YOU READ ALONG AND GIVE A LITTLE COMMENT HERE &
THERE MAKES IT ALL SO MORE SPECIAL

IF YOU HAVE READ MY OTHER BLOGS HERE YOU WILL ALREADY KNOW THAT
HUBBY AND I LOVE TO VISIT 'OFF THE BEATEN PATH' PLACES.
SOME OF THESE WE VISITED ALONG THE WAY WERE BAD WIMPFEN, ETTLIGEN,
MELPELBRUNN, BRAUBACH, TONGEREN, LIER, ESSAOUIRA, TORREMOLINOS,
RONDA AND VALENCIA.

WE HIRED A CAR AND DROVE FROM ZURICH, THROUGH GERMANY, BELGIUM
AND INTO AMSTERDAM. OUR GOOD FRIEND FROM VIRTUALTOURIST BIRGIT
(bijo69) FLEW INTO ZURICH AND JOINED US FOR THE TRIP.
THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY SAW US DRIVING OUT OF THE AIRPORT AT
ZURICH..... TOM TOM GPS THAT HUBBY AND I HAD PURCHASED BACK HOME
WAS UNFORTUNATELY STILL PACKED IN A SUITCASE IN THE BACK OF THE
HIRE CAR..... 1ST BIG MISTAKE.....

HUBBY AND I WERE LAUGHING AT THE SIGNS - AUSFAHRT
AND SUDDENLY..... DIDN'T KNOW WHERE WE WERE GOING........
MORE ABOUT THAT STORY LATER

Birgit and aussirose

BRUGES WAS ONE OF THE MANY HIGHLIGHTS FOR ME. I HAD NEVER HEARD
OF BRUGES BEFORE SEEING THIS PLACE ON VT. I WAS CAPTIVATED WITH THE
PURE ROMANCE OF THE PLACE AND CONSEQUENTLY IT WAS HIGH ON MY
LIST OF PLACES TO SEE.

THE BELGIUM BEERS WERE ALSO FANTASTIC
HUBBY AND I LOVE TO TASTE LOCAL BEERS WHEREVER WE GO.
YOU NEED TO READ MY FUNNY STORY OF THE BEER TASTINGS IN BRUGES

NOT ONLY WAS BRUGES EVERYTHING THAT I HAD IMAGINED, BUT I ALSO
DISCOVERED MORE FANTASTIC TOWNS IN BELGIUM LIKE TONGEREN, LIER
AND GENT.

THE MOST AMAZING THING ABOUT TRAVEL SITES BESIDES DISCOVERING
'OFF THE BEATEN PATH' PLACES IS MAKING FRIENDS ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
THE BEST MEMORIES FOR HUBBY AND I WERE OF SPENDING TIME WITH OUR
FRIENDS THAT WE HAVE FORMED SO MANY FRIENDSHIPS WITH

ONE OF THOSE HIGHLIGHTS FOR ME WAS MEETING PJ & HIS LOVELY WIFE
SWANET IN AMSTERDAM. THEY ARRANGED THE BEST DAY OUT FOR US AND
I HAVE A TRIBUTE TO THAT LATER ON MY AMSTERDAM BLOG.

ANOTHER AWESOME MEMORY WAS STAYING IN A HOUSEBOAT
THAT WAS TOTALLY AMAZING! COST A LOT, BUT IT WAS SO WORTH WHILE!!

I HAVE BEEN IN LOVE WITH PARIS AND THE EIFFEL TOWER SINCE VERY YOUNG.
WHEN THE BIG PARIS MEET WENT UP ON VT, I COULDN'T TYPE FROM EXCITEMENT!
SO OUR WHOLE TRIP WAS PLANNED AROUND THE PARIS MEET.

THE BIG PARIS MEET WAS AWESOME.... THE EIFFEL TOWER WAS EVEN MORE AWESOME....
BUT THE MOST AWESOMEST THING (new word invented by aussirose) WAS WHEN
HUBBY SURPRISED ME WITH AN ETERNITY RING AT THE VT DINNER IN A QUAINT
RESTAURANT NEAR THE EIFFEL TOWER!!
HOWIE!!.... I LOVE YOU!! XX
AND THEN WE WENT TO VIEW THE LIGHT SHOW AFTER. THIS WAS PURE HEAVEN!!!
AN EVENING OF MY LIFETIME THAT I WILL TREASURE FOREVER!!
IF YOU ARE READING THIS STEVE (stevemt) THANK YOU MY DEAR FRIEND!

PARIS TO ME IS THE CITY OF LOVE!!! XX

BOTH HUBBY & I LOVE EXOTIC PLACES. SO IT WAS NO SURPRISE THAT WE BOTH PICKED
MOROCCO. WE FLEW FROM PARIS TO MARRAKESH FOR THE START OF OUR FIRST
AFRICAN ADVENTURE.

OMG! IT WAS FANTASTIC!! MARRAKESH WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE...
BUT OUR TRIP WITH HABIB WHO IS A FULL BERBER NOMAD AND OWNER OF
SAHARA-DESERT-DREAM.COM WAS INDESCRIBABLE!! THERE ARE TOO MANY MEMORIES
TO LIST HERE INCLUDING SLEEPING UNDER THE STARS IN THE SAHARA DESERT,
MEETING AND HAVING TEA WITH A NOMAD FAMILY IN THEIR CAVE, ENJOYING
AUTHENTIC LUNCH WITH HABIB'S FAMILY IN HIS HOME TOWN OF M'HAMID AND
GUNNING THE 4X4 THROUGH THE DESERT.... OVERTAKING OTHER 4 WHEEL DRIVES
AND RIDING CAMELS OUT OF THE DESERT.

THE LAST COUNTRY THAT WE VISITED WAS SPAIN. THIS WAS HUBBY'S CHOICE.
I HAD HEARD THAT THE SOUTH OF SPAIN WAS NICE AND OF COURSE THE FIRST
PLACE THAT I THOUGHT ABOUT VISITING WAS BARCELONA AND SEEING THE
AMAZING GAUDI ARCHITECTURE - THAT WAS ANOTHER BIG HIGHLIGHT!

HUBBY'S HIGHLIGHT WAS VISITING ALHAMBRA. HE STUDIED GARDENS AS
PART OF HIS HORTICULTURE DIPLOMA.

BUT THE PLACE THAT CAPTURED MY HEART IN SPAIN WAS VALENCIA. I WISHED
THAT WE COULD HAVE SEEN MORE OF THIS PLACE.

WE HIRED A CONVERTIBLE FOR THE FIRST TIME HERE IN SPAIN AND
DROVE AROUND THE HILLS TO VISIT RONDA - ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL PLACE THAT
I DISCOVERED WHILST READING TIPS ON VIRTUALTOURIST.

THERE ARE A COUPLE OF REGRETS.... NOT SEEING MORE IN PARIS AND NOT
VISITING THE SOUTH OF FRANCE.
NEVER MIND...... THEY ARE ON MY PLAN FOR A FUTURE TRIP INCORPORATING
MORE OF SWITZERLAND AND ITALY INCLUDING ANOTHER ROMANTIC CITY....
VENICE

BUT FOR NOW.... MY BLOG IS ALL ABOUT OUR FANTASTIC ADVENTURE
THROUGH EUROPE AND MOROCCO.

SO GRAB A SNACK AND DRINK OR 3 AND BE PREPARED FOR A LAZY AFTERNOON
OR EVENING READING MY ENTERTAINING STORIES AND NICE PICTURES.

AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A SMALL COMMENT