Countdown

We are now officially in countdown mode.   In 24 hours time we will be winging our way to the other side of the world.    My bag is almost packed - talk about a capsule wardrobe!  Does anyone know just how difficult it is trying to fit 3 weeks worth of clothing into a tiny 7 kg carry on bag??!!   For a while there it looked as if my Verali boots would have to miss the trip,  until I figured out I could stuff ALL my underwear + socks + pj's into them.    Amazing what a bit of lateral thinking will do!   Now I've just got to remember where I've put everything.......

Anyway, I'm hoping that I will be able to keep this travel blog updated along the way.   Of course, it is very much dependent on whether I have WIFI access (and whether my SURFACE RT decides to co-operate!)  I'll be really cranky if I lug it all the way to Ireland and Italy , only to find I can't access Blogger.   Fingers crossed - it will all work out okay.

I will upload our Itinerary now,  so that if things go pear shaped, at least you will know where we are.

So here goes :

ITINERARY 

Saturday 9 May    13:00  Leave Cairns             16:25  Arrive Melbourne
                               22:40  Leave Melbourne      06:45 (Sunday)  Arrive Abu Dhabi

Sunday 10 May - Happy Mother's Day!!
                             09:30  Leave Abu Dhabi       14:50  Arrive Dublin

(Hopefully Alan D will be waiting there to collect us from the Airport!!   Otherwise we will have to get a bus (2 hrs) from Dublin to Galway City.)

Sunday 10 May  -  Galway City - checked into the Eyre Square Hotel (I'm sure my head won't even hit the pillow before I'm totally comatosed!)

Monday 11 May -  Check out Galway CIty - there are some fabulous little antique shops I'm dying to scavenge through.   Also looking foward to gazing over "Galway Bay" - I can hear the song now.....

                           -  After lunch, we will drive to Strawberry Hill (Dunmore) to meet up with the Daly
                              clan and have a cup of tea (or three!) around their kitchen table.

Tuesday 12 May - Thursday 14 May  -   Sightseeing around Western Ireland.

Thursday 14 May  - Drive to Dublin in the morning to get connecting flight (Ryan Air) to PISA ,IT
Check into the Hotel Pisa Tower and then hit the tourist trail.

Friday 15 May  -  Catch the train to LUCCA (an historic walled city 1/2 hour from Pisa).
Check into b&b La Casa Del Gufetto.   Hire a couple of bikes and check out the sights.

Saturday 16 May -  Catch the train back to PISA and then onto CERTALDO - the home of Organic Tuscany.

Saturday 16 May - Saturday 23 May  -  Organic Tuscany.  Check out the link to the site (just hover over the link) and a detailed program of what we will be doing,  Can't wait!!!!


Saturday 23 May -  Catch the train to VENICE.   Check into Acca Hotel, San Polo, Venice.

Saturday 23 May - Tuesday 26 May -  Explore Venice and hopefully do a day tour to the Dolomites (north of Venice in the Italian Alps)

Tuesday 26 May -  Fly Venice to DUBLIN

Tuesday 26 May - Thursday 28 May - DUBLIN and surrounds

Thursday 28 May  -   Catch the plane to head home.

Saturday 30 May  16:00  -  Arrive CAIRNS

Whew!   I'm exhausted just typing up this Itinerary........   It is certainly going to be a whirlwind trip  - but it is a TRIP of a LIFETIME!