Archive for March, 2007
London – Zurich – Interlaken started on a good vibe, getting away from work to meet up with some familiar faces & enjoy some drinks far away from stress. (Actually, it was a working weekend in Interlaken for the Gomio conference!)
Heathrow tends to be the easiest London airport to get to from the centre…however not everything went smoothly for us. Our friend who organized the flight couldn’t make it, but also was the person who organized the flight, and also had his credit card expiring recently, even if was valid while flights booked, trouble started then, B.A agents started sending us here and there for an hour while the closing gate time never came faster, check-in desk, C.S, check-in desk… An unbelievable nightmare, at this time none of us could believe we’ll get on the place, rushing, asking questions, pressure rising, we finally managed to get answer from them, their policy was that the credit card need to be valid when ticket are used, now, all sorted, we need to rush to the get, 10 minutes left, running through customers, trying to find the gate, finally making it, and see on the screen: “flight delayed, 45 min.” well done guys!
A short flight followed by a great improvised journey Zurich – Interlaken, as a family booked a van to get to “The Valley” had two spare seats for a reasonable price…and as taking the train would have meant changing 3 times over 3 hours the minibus seemed ideal.
“Welcome to Interlaken” said Philippe, the driver, straight to our door, at that moment, the Hotel Blume looked ok, seemed pretty central, but no real idea about where we were.
We met Polo at reception, a really quite friendly guy, from Mexico who runs the best (and only!) Mexican restaurant in Interlaken. Now we have to drop bags, get changed and run to the party at “Balmer’s Herberge”, a huge Backpacker’s complex, we were invited to. We thought it would be quite a walk to get there, especially with snow and low temperature, in fact 5 minutes away. Within 30 min watch in hand, we were there, with a pint in our hands, smiling, mission accomplished!!!
The night went on and on with pounding music and flowing drinks, until we woke up the following day with no memories of the night before. Hotel Blume provided a huge nice breakfast, ham, cheese, cereals, yogurts, juices, toast, tea, coffee.
On to the conference proper, and a day of talks from various industry experts, hostel owners, tourist board personnel etc. Fair play to Gomio – the conference was well organized, in a fantastic venue (Interlaken’s famous casino), and some top food during the breaks. Overall a worthy day, though it was most certainly the out of hours networking that provided the most value 
After all this effort (walking around and enjoying the sun), the night finally came, and here was a pint in our hands, again at the K44, an indoor climbing club. One more time, free alcohol and the cream of Europe’s hostel industry ensured that it was a night to remember, though several people have to be dragged off the climbing walls during the course of the evening!!
After a good night’s sleep, the party carried on from 10am at Funny – Farm Backpackers, with a cider tasting session, courtesy of conference sponsors Scottish & Newcastle brewery. A day of glorious sunny weather in the Alps meant we were free to walk around Interlaken – a small, pleasant town with plenty for backpackers to do. Interlaken seems to be the European capital of adrenalin sports, from sky diving and rafting, to zorbing and para-gliding – take your pick! And the prices are fairly reasonable too, with some hostels actually arranging deals, so you don’t have to negotiate yourself.
After that, a day trip to the Lakes will most likely be the best views you will have in town, only 10 min away. On the way, we passed the mystery park – closed at the moment, but still hosting animals such as camels and lamas, as well as an Egyptian & Aztec pyramids, and Polynesians statues…all very surreal high in the Alps!
So, Monday soon came around, the trip was over, we had to head to Zurich (there are two train stations in Interlaken, so make sure you’ve going to the right one!). Zurich’s two hours away, so be sure to have your cameras ready – the views from Interlaken to Zurich are quite simply stunning!! Once in Zurich and as we were a bit early, we enjoyed a couple of pizzas on the grass between Zentralstrasse and Stationstrasse, little nap little pint, and straight to the airport. For photographers, Zurich Airport remains one of the nicest ever, in a matter of modern architecture & sculptures. There we were, on time flight, back to London after an hour and fifteen minutes. A mission worth the effort…
Wednesday, Mar 7th, 2007
Categories: Pisa
We had four appointments today but we need to meet with the staff at the Royal Victoria Hotel where we were staying. We had a meeting at around 9 with Elisabetta who was the manager of the hotel.
She has worked there for over 15 years so she was the perfect person to tell us all about its vast history and culture. The hotel has been within the same family for over 160 years which is in fact impressive and intriguing, the place is filled with beautiful antique furniture and plenty of Italian charm.
The staff at the hotel were truly professional and very helpful which was great as we needed help to find our way around the city. Breakfast at the hotel is fantastic which a wide variety of cereals and fruit available its really excellent value for money.
This was our last day to visit properties in Pisa as we were heading back to London early on Friday morning.
That day we’ve visited Hotel Repubblica Marinara which indeed looks like Holiday Inn this place was really brand new and located in the industrial part of Pisa, definitely a place to recommend for business people, they do offer fantastic rates throughout the year which would suit the budget travellers wallet, Michele Guest House was similar to Arcobaleno BandB it was a bit funny because the owner was very proud of his photography printed on the bathroom tiles, then we went to Hotel la Pace which was one of the very standard and it’s excellent their category and lastly Hotel Moderno, it is perhaps the best property which is situated in one of the best spots. Within walking distance of the main station and the airport it’s ideal. The rooms are clean, tidy and basic but are tastefully decorated and the owners of the hotel are incredibly warm and welcoming.
Each property again was of the highest quality and absolutely worth every penny for guests who would like to stay in Pisa.
After loads of walking and talking Phil and I went for a couple of slices of Pizza at the local Pizzeria before going back to the tower to buy couple of souvenirs and again take some pictures of the Tower on a different angle, although the weather was not as good as like on our first day, we were still able to take some good shots.
We got back to the hotel and packed our things ready for the early start on Friday morning. Following this we went back to the local bar and enjoyed a couple of glasses of local wine and beer, along with the wonderful Apertivo on offer at the bar.
In bed by 23:00 we were exhausted having walked the length of Pisa several times over. It was a wonderful trip! Pisa is a city I would highly recommend visiting, even if only for a day whilst staying in Florence the tower is well worth a visit.
Wednesday, Mar 7th, 2007
Categories: Pisa
Day two of the property visits meant we were to go and see the following hotels. Some of these properties were situated a little outside of the centre so we travelled to these by bus.
We had organised to visit Hotel La Torre, Hotel Astor, Centro Storico Bed and Breakfast as well as La Mimosa Bed and Breakfast which was a bit far away from the city centre, but the first three properties were in the very middle of the city.
Each and every one of these properties kept to the same great standard we had come to expect for all the properties we had in Pisa. All were incredibly clean and tidy with plenty of storage and all were in walking distance of the tower and other tourist attractions. Granted some properties were a little more expensive than others but you would most certainly be getting your moneys worth when staying there as they were brilliantly decorated and filled with a wonderful Italian style and atmosphere.
After our appointments Phil and I went back to the hotel for a little siesta before going out for a couple of drinks and dinner. We had walked a substantial amount during the day so were pretty worn out.
Having had a massive lunch we met up at around 20:00 for a couple of drinks at the local bar which was literally just a 2 minute walk from our hotel. We sat enjoying the local cuisine while having a few drinks. By about 10:30 we were a little tipsy and very tired so we decided to head back to the hotel.
Wednesday, Mar 7th, 2007
Categories: Pisa
We started the day with a substantial continental breakfast at the hotel. In the past few trips I had been on there had been nothing but grey skies and endless rain but on this particular day the weather couldn’t have been better. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was incredibly warm for the time of year. After breakfast Phil and I went to the nearest kiosk and bought a Pisa map, planned our trip and started the short walk to our first appointment.
Situated just a short while away from the leaning tower of Pisa is Hotel Villa Primavera, the place was actually pretty and neat and has also an annex across the road which it’s on different category, along with this hotel we visited Hotel Villa Kinzica which is literally directly next to the leaning tower of Pisa, we’ve checked one of rooms and from there you’ll see an awesome view of the tower, Village Torre Pendente was quite far from the city centre, considering it’s actually a camping site, the owner was very generous as he gave us ride going to our next appointment, Arcobaleno BandB is actually apartment units converted into B&B and lastly on that day was Hotel di Stefano which some part of it were still under refurbishment, but it’s for sure a place to look after because of the interior design, as a matter of fact their breakfast room was really appealing because it looks like a tavern.
All properties were fantastic, all of them are family businesses, each offer real value for money and even those that were so called out of the city centre were still in walking distance of the tower. Pisa is a small city so walking from A to B is always possible. There is a regular bus service that runs throughout the city as well as buses too and from the airport which run about every 10 minutes.
During the day we had a bit of spare time in between some of the appointments so considering the weather was so perfect we decided that day to visit the leaning tower of Pisa. I had been told it was spectacular but I don’t think words can really describe how remarkable it is. When I first caught sight of the whole structure I couldn’t believe my eyes. It sits at such an angle I am surprised it’s still standing at all. With the blazing sun casting shadows on the intricate details which cover the tower it really was a sight to behold.
After having had a good look around the tower we took a break on the lush green lawns that surround it. There were plenty of people relaxing in the sun; it really was a gorgeous day. The entire area is bustling with people as there are little kiosks spread all around for tourists to buy little mementos and kitsch little sculptures of the famous tower.
As we lay there we noticed our tummies beginning to rumble, not surprising really considering there was a hot dog stand in arms reach of where we were lying.
We bought a couple of hotdogs, some drinks and enjoyed them in the warm sunshine while we marvelled at the tower and its brilliance.
After lunch we continued onto our next appointments. On a whole everyone in Pisa was particularly friendly and helpful which made trying to find our different appointments a lot easier.
By the end of the day we were exhausted. We went back to the little kebab shop we had visited the night before to get a bite to eat and then headed to bed quite early.
Wednesday, Mar 7th, 2007
Categories: Pisa
This is to be the last trip for a while. Having visited a large number of our top European destinations its time for a well deserved break from travelling.
Phil and I had a five thirty flight to catch on Monday afternoon so as per usual we flew out from Stansted Airport. The flight was on time and getting to Pisa went off without a hitch.
We arrived in Pisa shortly before nine in the evening. We were trying to make our way to the Royal Victoria Hotel which is situated right next to the river in Pisa but the regular buses took a very round about route to get there so we took a taxi which cost us 8 Euros.
The weather in Pisa was substantially warmer than London, on our arrival it was 14 degrees. We checked into our hotel and dropped off our bags then popped out to grab a bite to eat at a local kebab shop. The food was surprisingly good.
Phil and I each had our own en-suite room at the hotel. The rooms were beautiful! With substantial storage space and fascinating old fashioned Tuscan décor and some amazing views of the river. It was a superb choice of accommodation.
