December 2024
In just a few hours time we embark on our next big adventure, jetting over to Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic to explore the Christmas markets. After spending a few days in Frankfurt, we’ll head to Rothenburg ob der Tauber for a couple of nights, taking in Würzburg and Nuremberg along the way, before crossing into the Czech Republic to spend some time in Prague, then down to Vienna for a few nights, back to the Czech Republic for some time in Český Krumlov, before crossing once more into Austria for 5 nights in the Tyrolean village of Kirchberg. Finally, when all of the Christmas festivities are over, we’ll be heading to Munich for 2 nights, before returning to Australia just in time for New Year’s Eve.
This will be our first organised land-based tour; previously our overseas trips have been either river cruises or self-drive holidays, but this time around we’ve opted to let somebody else do all of the organising and driving. At least, most of the organising – we do have some free days before, during and after the official tour when we get to choose for ourselves what to do, and at this stage we’ve opted for a couple of extra excursions such as a return train trip between Frankfurt and Koblenz, along either side of the Rhine Gorge. Because we’ve already been to many of the destinations on this trip before, we’ll be able to gauge how well this one fits, and use it as a possible guide for future land-based tours to places like Italy, Spain and Portugal, which are all high on our list.
The lead up to this trip hasn’t been the greatest unfortunately. Back in November my mum passed away, then this week with only three days to go, we’ve had to have our beloved old boy Reinhardt put to sleep, just two days shy of his fourteenth birthday. Add to that the joys and frustrations of train cancellations due to track works, last minute car repairs, wet and humid weather, a stint of puppy sitting, and last minute accommodation changes, and it’s almost as if we’re desperately in need of a holiday. So much so, that I’ve had my bags packed in anticipation for the last three weeks. Vanessa, on the other hand, has left her packing until this weekend, but I have to say that she’s done a pretty good job of it all the same, and our newly acquired compression packing cubes have turned our packing into a work of art!
Our preparations have paid off though, and I’m more confident than ever that we’re going into this holiday well researched and well prepared. Our house sitter Wendy has spent the last few days with us getting to know the house and the dogs, so hopefully it won’t be too much of a shock to her or the girls once we’re gone. So now it’s just a matter of waiting for the clock to tick over to 1:00 am, in time for the car service from Emirates to pick us up and take us down to the airport for our 6:15 flight. We’d love for you to join us here on the blog for regular updates and snapshots of our trip, as we make our way through Bohemia, Bavaria, and the Tyrol this Christmas.