Prague, December 2012

Our second visit to Prague for the pre-Chritsmas festivities.  We stayed at the same hotel as last time - The Cloister Inn Hotel and it continues to meet our high expectations.

The weather was pretty cold, as you would expect for the time of year, with temperatures rarely climbing above zero and snow lying on the ground all week.  This created a festive atmosphere and in no way did it spoil the trip.

We flew (like last time) with Jet2 direct from Edinburgh - they are fantastic.  We would recommend them highly.

We took a day trip out of the city to Karlstejn.  A picturesque village with a classic 'Castle on the hill' overlooking the 'commoners'.  We would recommend the trip.  45 mins each way on the train, very easy.

Here are some photos from the trip.  You can see more at: http://www.pbase.com/davidleask/prague_2012

On Charles Bridge looking east.

On Charles Bridge looking west

Karlstejn Castle

Prague Castle and Charles Bridge

Sydney Australia, August 2012

Our second visit to Sydney!  The main purpose of our trip was to visit our daughters Clare and Sarah, both of whom now live in Sydney.  It was lovely to see them in an environment they have come to love.  We can certainly see the attraction.

A few practicals - we flew with Emirates via Dubai - great flights and great service.  We chose an overnight stay in Dubai in between flights - this was great, certainly worthwhile and quite restful.  We wouldn't hesitate to travel with them again.  For the 3 weeks there we lived with Richard and the girls out in Manly.  What an awesome place to chill out!

We didn't stray very far from the city but we did have overnight stays in the Hunter Valley and in Oberon (Blue Mountains).  The rest of the time was spent generally chilling out, enjoying beach walks, good food and fabulous company.

Here come the photos.  If you want to see more images from our trip please visit our galleries at:
http://www.pbase.com/davidleask/australia_2012

The Opera House and Opera Bar

Sydney Harbour Bridge from above the Opera Bar

Sydney Opera House

Skippy making his escape, lol