You are quite welcome, Swagman.

Spring when the wild flowers are blooming is really nice. Summer if you don't mind the heat. I guess anytime from spring onwards but the Margaret River area gets very crowded over the summer school holidays so I would avoid that if possible. It is a really beautiful area and of course there is the wine..............

Thanks again Maudie.

The last time I was in Perth was in 1981, I was still under-aged and couldnt drink, I was actually not interested in alcohol. But years later, I have grown to love Margaret River wines.

I would love to see Perth again, see what the resource boom has done to the city and then spend perhaps a week down at MR, staying at Bunker Bay, just wine, dine and relax. If time permits and money is no object, head north to Broome. How does that sound to you? :p

S

Just perfect! Bunker Bay has a new resort (which we can't afford) we usually stay in a friends house at Dunsborough.

Please email me if I can be of any help.
troys at bigpond dot net dot au

Maudie

Maudie

I forgot to ask you, what countries are you visiting in Europe next year?

S

I fear we are hijacking this post!

Hubby & I and our best friends are taking 2 months LSL. This is it start to finish.
3 nts Brugge - including last post at Ypres
4 nts Netherlands countryside - Keukenhof, Delft etc
3 nts Amsterdam
3 nts Copenhagen
4 nts Svenborg - friends hometown - free accom
5 nts London - free - accom yippee
1 nt Bergen
12 nts Norwegian Coastal Voyage (breaking the bank)
2 nts Bergen
8 nts Brienz in Switzerland - apartment
3 nts Vevey
4 nts Locarno or Lugano
3 nts Pontresina
2 nts Stein Am Rhein possibly - open to suggestions on this one

How does that sound?

Hi PRLCH, we have a similar trip with our 2 boys 13 and 16 or next August. Nice-CT-Bellagio- Grindelwald-Paris. How long was the drive approx to Paris. We cannot decide on whether to spend a night in Dijon, drop off car and train into Paris or skip Dijon and press on to Fontainebleu and then Paris. Was your day doable or really long. Thanks.

DOCK,
We left Lauterbrunnen at 7am and were at Fontainbleau by 2pm - stopped for morning tea (roadside cafe) and lunch (picnic). Fontainbleau to Orly was about an hour and an easy connection into downtown Paris. I guess it depends how good your kids are at big day trips - ours are very used to the 11 hour day trip from Sydney to Melbourne.

Maudie

Other than London, I have not been to any of the places you mentioned so can't comment. But it looks like it will be an amazing trip. It's also good to see you have plenty of multi-night stays and not rushing from one place to another.

Happy travels!

S

Thanks Swagman,

Can't wait, still saving like crazy. Booked our tickets yesterday with Singapore Airlines - now it feels like its really happening.

All the best to you.

Wonderful Report!

I hope to reread it and gather even more info, you really did a nice job! I think I'll re-read the London part and try to fit this city into a day from Paris via the Eurostar.

Thanks, you and your family impress me with your give and take and good travel ing abilities!

Danna,
Thank you for your positive comments. I enjoyed re-living the trip as I wrote it and am sorry it was sooooo long! We had a great time and if our experiences help someone else in their plans then I am pleased. I got so much help from Fodorites with the trip planning last year and again now as I plan our next family experience. Happy travelling to you!

Thanks PRLCH, we are likely going to skip Dijon as I would like to get 4 full days in Paris.Thanks for the detailed report.

Nice job.

By the way, "paypal" is how you pay to buy something on ebay.com, a very popular site in the USA. Ebay is an online marketplace, one of the first for ordinary people to sell their items. Paypal works as an intermediary between seller and buyer to ensure payment.

I have now successfully used paypal to book accommodation for our next trip in Germany. Easy to use - so thanks.