Six weeks in Europe – Germany, Italy, Greece and more

[biba]

About an hour by train from Perugia is our next stop Spoleto, another remarkable hilltop town in Umbria. Staying here for a couple of days at Hotel San Luca which is situated just inside the old town walls at the bottom of the hill which leads up to the town. This town is so quiet after our other travels – very few tourists, just the locals which is very refreshing.

The new underground travelator(percorso meccanizzato) takes you from the base of the hill right up to the Rocca (fortress) at the top with exit points along the way to visit parts of the historic city. The impressive Ponte delle Torri is the ancient bridge and viaduct which spans the river just below the Rocca.

 

[biba]

Short stopover in Rome - focus is on shopping and food. Some of the tourist attractions are closed – Trevi Fountain closed for renovations; Spanish Steps barricaded off. Doesn’t stop the tourists taking selfies of the scaffolding. Stayed at Residenza Bourbon, a small boutique hotel close to Termini and Repubblica metros with many restaurants nearby. Difficult to find at first as it is located on the first floor of an apartment building with only a plaque outside to let you know the location but good value for a short stay.

 

[craven morehead]

Can't believe I missed the start of this Trip !! Fantastic pics and great report :mrgreen:

 

[biba]

Aegean flight A3651 from Rome to Athens. Checked in online and a short queue at the airport for bag drop. Two hour flight on a modern A320 which was near to full capacity. Excellent service on board and average food for a short flight. Two hour transit in Athens then flight A3 510 to Thessaloniki. This was also an A320 which was on its way to Stuttgart. All flights on time and comfortable seats in economy.

 

[OATEK]

Aegean flight A3651 from Rome to Athens. Checked in online and a short queue at the airport for bag drop. Two hour flight on a modern A320 which was near to full capacity. Excellent service on board and average food for a short flight. Two hour transit in Athens then flight A3 510 to Thessaloniki. This was also an A320 which was on its way to Stuttgart. All flights on time and comfortable seats in economy.
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I am booked with them for some similar hops around Europe, glad to hear you found them ok.

 

[biba]

I am booked with them for some similar hops around Europe, glad to hear you found them ok.

Aegean have a "Go Light" fare which does not include checked luggage. I decided that it was better to get the flex fare which includes 23kg of checked luggage and more flexibility. But if you only have hand luggage the cheaper fare can be a good deal.

 

[biba]

Five days R&R at Ikos Olivia resort which is located in the Halkidiki region about 45 minutes drive from SKG airport. Free transfers for bookings of 5 days or more which is a saving of €190. This brand new resort only opened in summer this year. Beautiful landscaped gardens dotted with ancient olive trees.


An all-inclusive resort with meals and drinks included. Choice of five themed restaurants with a la carte and good selection of local wines with a few imported options. Plenty of onsite activities including aerobics, yoga, pilates, spa and fitness centre with sauna, water activities, etc. The hotel can also arrange tours. Friendly and efficient staff. We had a 2 bedroom pool villa which was very spacious. Good value if you like a resort style holiday.

 

[biba]

Aegean flight A3530 from SKG to FRA. Easy check in with Aegean (compared to the chaos at the other end of the terminal for Easyjet and Ryanair). The terminal is fairly small and crowded. Passengers are bussed to all aircraft as there are no air bridges at this airport.

Flying an A321 this time. A full flight and once again good service on this 2h45 flight. Nice views of Thessaloniki.

 

[biba]

Frankfurt doesn’t have a lot in the way of tourist attractions compared to some other European cities. It is a major commercial centre, but it also an important cultural city (Goethe and all) with a variety of museums. One of these is the famous Städel Museum, which has an impressive collection of art works ranging from 14[SUP]th[/SUP] century religious art right through to 20[SUP]th[/SUP] and 21[SUP]st[/SUP] century modern German art. The English audio guide is a must to get a background the works. Spent three interesting hours here and it was not crowded at all.

 

[biba]

Next destination: Luxembourg. IC Train from Frankfurt to Koblenz then regional service to Luxembourg. Very scenic rails journeys – the first leg follows the Rhine River and the second section follows the Mosel River. Great views all the way. Modern and clean service from Koblenz on a double-decker.
Luxembourg. Staying at Melia, a modern hotel in the European quarter. Next to MUDAM museum and Philhamonie and close to EU offices Nothing much in the way of restaurants in this area, except for the hotel but it is only 15 minute walk into the old city or there is a bus outside. Received an upgrade to “The Level” and a large room with views over the valley to the old city.

Took a pleasant walk down the hill and across the Alzette River and then climbed up to the ramparts. Misty day but enjoyed the magical scenery.

 

[biba]

Well it’s time to head off back home. The weather in Frankfurt is noticeably cooler now and the trees have turned to beautiful shades of autumn colours.

Flying FRA-to HKG with CX 288 in Y this time. CX FRA lounge is quiet (they also share with some other airlines -Gulf, Istana and Air Namibia) when we arrived but was noticeably busier around 30 minutes before boarding . It is called a first and business lounge but no separate section for 1[SUP]st[/SUP]. Average food offerings. Selected first row seats in the Y section on the 777. Not as expected. Good: extra leg room; Bad: 2 wal mounted video monitors three seats so they were misaligned. Obviously designed for only 2 seats but they squeezed in 3. My OW status was acknowledged and a bottle of Evian.


Arrived HKG on time – quick visit to the Pier- definitely the best 1[SUP]st[/SUP] lounge in HKG. More intimate than the Wing and choice of a la carte or buffet style dining. I must admit the Cabanas in the Wing are better than the showers here at the Pier.


CX 139 in 777 to SYD. Managed to grab seats in row 42 . There are only two seats in this window-side row in the front section of Y. Great for two travelling together. Good service again from CX.

The end of a great trip. Back to work now to save for the next holiday!!