1 month remaining!

The London Passes have now arrived and all are stashed in preparation for the trip.
I've looked into it and there's apparently Rome Passes too - not quite as comprehensive but if used properly seem to give some good discounts.  Can use for 2 of the dearest entries and then get discounts on the remainder.  http://goitaly.about.com/od/romeitaly/qt/rome_pass.htm
As usual, the Trip Advisor crew have plenty of insights and it'll probably be next on my hit list.
Now that it's less than a month to go, it's finally starting to feel like it's happening!
We also realised that we're in Rome for the entire Easter weekend, so I guess it'll be packed - might just have to avoid the Vatican those days - hope the day trips to Pompeii via Naples will still be running!
Have also been trawling through the pics on Instagram (App for iphone) from everyone who's been where we're headed - there's some great captures there - really inspiring stuff.  It makes it soooo much more real!

5 weeks and counting!

So it's 5 weeks to go on Thursday - and work is crazier than ever!
Oh well - I'm thinking of the spending money!

Our Paris Passes have arrived and I've ordered our London passes now.

Seems like everything we want to do in Paris is covered - except the Eiffel Tower.  According to all research, it's probably best to book that before we go too - the lines look crazy!  Otherwise, I'm sure we'll be satisfied with the view of it from most of the City too.  But it'd be a pity not to head up - at least part of the way whilst we're there!  Who knows when we'll get back!?

The Louvre, Orsay, Napoleon's Tomb, a cruise on the Seine and Versailles are on the hit list for Paris - and we've booked a photography tour of the City also. Anything else is a bonus.  Sounds very touristy - but still excited about it!

Researched up on the London Pass and it also seems to cover off most of what we want.  Hampton Court is a definite as is the Tower.  We'll be there twice and a day trip to Bath is a must for me.  Would love to fit in a trip to the Cotswolds and take in a play also - possibly the Lion King seeing we're taking the kids.

It's all coming together nicely!

Finishing Touches

So we're in countdown mode now - the itinerary is finalised and we're just arranging the bits and pieces and tours we really want to include.
We're heading to KL first for a couple of nights and have decided to see the Batu Caves in the morning.
A bit of R&R for the afternoon to help kill the jetlag and then a foodie tour of the capital of Malaysia to top it off.
It's a 4 hour food tour through KL with pick up and drop off!  Sure to leave us groaning!
The next day we're off to London, UK, followed by Paris, Nice, Venice, Florence, Rome, Malta, Tallinn, Helsinki, St Petersburg, then London, KL and home again to the gorgeous Gold Coast.
Happy for anyone to provide MUST SEE suggestions in the meantime.
We're planning to include Bath and Versailles in the tour but also consider any great ideas.
Can't hardly wait!

Preparations for the European Adventures

Well, the family and I are off on our first big trip in April.
We've done little trips to Asia and the South Pacific, but never a 5 week tour of Europe and beyond.
Thanks to the internet, I've managed to do all the research and booking ourselves and come up with some great deals.  Australia is just so far from the rest of the World, and once we're in Europe, we really want to make the most of it.
We're certainly not extravagant travellers, but hoping to do tonnes of sight seeing and visit places I've dreamed about seeing and read about all my life!
High on the priority list are visits to Bath and Versailles from our bases in London and Paris.
My son is desperate to see the Lambourghini Factory outside Bologna, Italy and my daughter has put her order in for the Place de la Concorde, Paris, after seeing if featured on an NCIS episode - to which she's currently addicted.  Hubby is happy to come along for the ride.  Having said that, he's of Maltese descent and looking forward to meeting family in Malta and seeing the bakery where his grand-father worked before emigrating to Oz in the 1950's.
Trip Advisor and all it's contributors have been of great help, along with sites like Expedia and Booking.com.
All our flights are paid and a couple of tours arranged.  We're hoping to travel like the locals on public transport instead of spending a fortune on pre-arranged coach tours.
Can't hardly wait!