Beach Travel Wine Podcast

We are continuing our Italian series with this Episode 59 all about the famous and bucket list city in Italy, Como on the beautiful shore of Lake Como. Hear about our amazing accommodation.  Everything about it was fabulous, the views, the room, the shower, the bed, the breakfast, the staff – it just had one small problem that was an issue for us and we tell you all about it. Come with us as we wander around the city of Como around the lake and what happened as we lined up to get on the Funicular (remember, I don’t like heights at all). I didn’t know if I should be happy or sad. We share the most beautiful restaurants on the lake to have lunch – or hire a beach chair and umbrella and have a swim. Listen as we tell you about how chaotic the ferry system is and how we found a way to enjoy the lake and the most stunning and exquisite place away from all the crowds and you probably haven’t even heard of it. Next we explore the old city area and piazzas of Como itself and tell you what happened to completely embarrass me while sitting at a lovely restaurant right in front of the huge Cathedral. Listen to the end to hear about another ferry ride on Lake Como to a small village where we did a live broadcast and the fancy restaurant that we were hoping to have lunch in, but ended up with sandwiches and beer. Make sure you click the link to see all the pictures – you really won’t want to miss them.  One of my friends who has been following our travels for years said that they are the best and most beautiful he has seen – so check them out. www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/59/como  And if you know someone planning a trip to Italy, please share our podcast series all about Italy by sharing the link to our Italy page on our website at www.beachtravelwine.com/italy If you would like to see all our other podcasts, pictures and blog posts then go to our website at www.beachtravelwine.com

In this episode we are taking you on a day trip from Como on Lake Como, to Lugano, Switzerland on Lake Lugano. We tell you about the crazy, anxiety inducing bus trip to get to Switzerland, plus one of the craziest things we have ever seen on a road.  Lake Lugano was utterly gorgeous and I share our walk around the lake to the beach area where I made Lyle see if the water was cold.  Lyle is pretty proud of himself as he shares a very interesting fact he found about Lugano. Next, we go back into Italy and catch a ferry on the narrowest part of Lake Como to Bellagio.  We share why this is everyone’s favourite place on Lake Como and how we managed to snag a great spot for lunch right on the lake, even with all the crowds and we give you a tip as to how you can do this too. Lastly, we take a ferry ride all the way from Bellagio, zigzagging our way slowly back to Como.  We tell you all about the towns we stop at and of course some of the famous villas we see on the way. Keep listening to the end to find out which is the fancy hotel, close to Bellagio that the rich and famous stay at, and how much the Russian Oligarch’s villa is on the market for. Make sure to click on the link below so you can see the pictures and link to the day trip that accompany this episode.  Trust me you will want to see beautiful Lake Lugano and our stunning lunch spot in Bellagio.  www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/58/lugano And if you know someone planning a trip to Italy please share our podcast series all about Italy by sharing the link to our Italy page on our website at www.beachtravelwine.com/italy Want to know what other countries and cities we have podcasts and pictures on then check out our website www.beachtravelwine.com

Welcome to episode 57 all about Milan, Italy.  And I have to say that Milan was a really nice surprise even though we weren’t supposed to be going there. Unfortunately, we had to change plans due to flooding in Italy and we tell you all about what happened. With our weekend in Milan, we were determined to get out and explore as much as possible.  Listen to hear why trying to find the Duomo started out as a very frustrating problem and the simple fix that had us in front the stunning cathedral in under 10 minutes. We also share all about the spectacular Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and the oldest café where we had breakfast. We went early to avoid the crowds and it was a great decision. Listen as we were surprised and delighted to discover the canals in Milan - complete with gondolas. We explored the canal area before we found a massive castle.  Come with us as we walk through the castle with its moat, towers and seven metre thick walls, to the extensive gardens and ponds that has its own Arc De Triumph replica – called the Arc of Peace. Stay listening to the end as we walk around the outside of an ancient arena and eventually find a way to see what was actually inside – we were so surprised. Oh, and also hear about what the arena was used for centuries ago – trust me - you won’t be able to guess. Hope you enjoy episode 57 all about Milan and don’t forget to click on the link below for the show notes where you can see all the photos of the places we talk about when we visited Milan. You can find the show notes and pictures for this episode here www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/57/milan or all our Italian podcast episodes here www.beachtravelwine.com/italy of visit our website here www.beachtravelwine.com

I’M EXCITED TO SHARE THIS EPISODE 56 WITH YOU.  THIS WAS A DAY TRIP WE DID FROM VERONA AND IS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR ITALIAN TRIP SO FAR. Today’s episode is all about Italy’s largest lake – Lake Garda and the gorgeous little village of Sirmione. We tell all about the famous wine they make in this region – which is now our favourite. Listen as we take you on a fancy boat cruise on the lake past ancient ruins, snow-capped mountains, medieval villages and fancy hotels. Sirmione is famous for its thermal hot springs and we tell you some of the healing properties of the springs and which hotels and resorts you can visit if you want to enjoy the thermal baths. We wander the cobblestone streets, past a 15th century castle with its stunning moat to the most famous spot for photos – the kissing point.  We tell all about the stunning beaches and views and gorgeous restaurants in the village. Listen to the end where we talk about some unusual shops we saw (well I saw them, Lyle wasn’t too impressed) and where we found the massive lemons that were the size of footballs. Hope you enjoy being transported to the stunning Lake Garda and Sirmione in Episode 56. You can see all the show notes and pictures that go with this podcast here www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/https://www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/56/lakegarda or see all our Italian podcasts, show notes and pictures here www.beachtravelwine.com/italy or visit our website here www.beachtravelwine.com

Ciao and welcome to Episode 55 where we are telling you all about historic river city of Verona.  Now you might know Verona for a famous Balcony from a Shakespeare play or the Verona Arena which is older than the Colosseum. We do tell you about those, but first we will give you the grand tour – as we explore all around the old city from Castle Vechio and its famous bridge, across the raging Adige river and up the funicular to Castel San Pietro for the most incredible views of the whole city.  Lyle is blown away with some art all about Dante in the Castel – who knew he was such an art connoisseur? Of course, we have drinks with a view before finding our way back down the hill to the incredible Duomo.  The artwork in this church is incredible. Come with us as we wander the famous Piazza Erbe and Piazza Bra and find a fabulous bar where the locals were lining up to get in – luckily we were there early and snagged a great table. Listen to the end to hear about the live concert inside the Verona arena we bought tickets to and the famous singer we saw (here’s a hint – they call him Italy’s Tom Jones) and what happened after we left the arena. Enjoy episode 55 all about Verona, Italy. You can see all the show notes, links and pictures from the episode here www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/55/verona All our Italian podcasts and pictures here www.beachtravelwine.com/italy or visit our website at www.beachtravelwine.com

You are in for a real treat in this Episode.  We are still in northern Italy, but this episode we are taking you to a city that isn’t as popular as some of the others -and I can’t understand why, and you won’t either after listening to this episode. Trieste is a gorgeous city on the Italian Riviera and it offers so much to visitors. This week we will tell you all about the unique history which is linked to Austria.  We take you up to the highest point of the city and then walk back down to the main plaza which is one of the biggest and impressive in Europe. We wander along the marina and find a very nice rooftop bar.  Then we take you to Trieste’s jewel of the crown and national treasure the Miramare Castle. Listen as we were totally gobsmacked at the interior and then even more so with the gardens.  It was absolutely amazing. Listen to the end as we take you walking along the waterfront and find some cafes and bars on the Italian Riviera and also in this episode we share a lovely review we received from a listener who tells us how we helped him plan his holiday.  Oh, and I have a bit of a rant about a cancelled tour – which left me very disappointed. Trust me – this episode will have you wishing you were on the Italian Riviera in Trieste – and will definitely have you adding it to your bucket list. See all the show notes with links and pictures here www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/54/trieste See all our Italian episodes here www.beachtravelwine.com/italy or visit our website here www.beachtravelwine.com

This week we are back in Venice.  Today’s episode is all about the big guns – St Marks Square the incredible St Marks Basilica and the Doges Palace as well as some real surprises. These buildings are absolutely incredible with amazing history, artwork and some fascinating stories. We tell you all about the secret police and their secret mailboxes all over Venice as well as the secret doors and tunnels in the Palace.  Lots of secret squirrel business that went on, including how the most famous prisoner held in the palace (Casanova) escaped in the middle of the night. Listen to the end to hear the dreadful thing that happened to the four bronze horses that sit atop of the Basilica in the main square. Oh, and also something else that involves horses – that you won’t believe and will make you go “that’s disgusting” (here’s a hint – blonde hair and ammonia) Enjoy episode 53 all about the fascinating and sometimes gross history of Venice. You can see the show notes and all the pictures here www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/53/venice Or visit our website here www.beachtravelwine.com

Welcome to Episode 52 and the beginning of a whole series of podcasts all about Italy. For our first episode we are in the magical city of Venice. This was my first trip to Venice and I was so excited to visit. We begin with our water taxi ride across the lagoon into the Grand Canal to our accommodation at the Foscari Palace. We stroll through the cobblestone streets, crossing over many bridges with canals full of gondolas into St Mark's Square. Then we take you on a gondola ride through the canals, under bridges and past many stunning ancient buildings. It was just as incredible as I thought it would be and was one of those pinch me moments that will stay in my memory for ever. Lastly, we share a food and wine tour that we did visiting four very unique wine and cicchetti bars that only the locals know about. Stay listening to the end to hear how much it costs to buy a gondola and our favourite places to enjoy a glass of vino in the beautiful city of Venice. See all the shownotes with links and pictures here. www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/52/venice Visit our website www.beachtravelwine.com

Hello and welcome to episode 51 of our podcast.  In this episode we are having a bit of a show and tell.  We have hit some incredible numbers with our podcast and wanted to take the time to share with you and also reflect on our first full 12 months of podcasting. We tell you our downloads stats, the countries that listen in and the most popular and least popular episodes. We also share how our process has changed from our first episode in Paris up to now, as we are planning for our next series which we have coming up. As this episode is published (May 2023) we are off to Italy and will be doing lots of episodes as we go – in our usuall style of fun, informative and of course sharing the best places to enjoy a glass of wine in each city. Listen to the end where we tell you our itinerary and the very exciting reason we changed our plans from going to Milan and are now having a weekend in Bologna (think fast cars). Also listen to find out how you can help us with our travel plans in Italy - and also, we give you 11 ways – yep that's 11 – that you can show support and help us grow the podcast – and none of them involve money. Oh, and if you want to receive a digital postcard each week from Italy – then I will tell you how to do that as well. The show notes for this episode are here www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/51/italyplans You can visit our website here www.beachtravelwine.com Sign up to receive a digital postcard from each city we visit in Italy here www.beachtravelwine.com/email Enjoy this wrap up episode and get excited for our Italian series. Arrivederci until next week.

Hello there, today is an unusual episode because I have left Lyle at home and have a special guest host. I wonder who that could be?? Today my guest host and I will be sharing all about a “girl's” weekend the two of us had in the hinterland of the Byron Shire in the cute little village of Bangalow. Ok ok, I'll tell you who the guest host is - it is Mikaela from Easy Family Adventures who is actually my beautiful daughter – Miki. We try and have a mother-daughter weekend once a year together, but it has been a little difficult the last couple years. We chose Bangalow for our weekend for quite a few reasons – which we share in the podcast and I’m sure you will agree it was a great decision. We went on adventures into national parks, on very narrow windy roads to the top of a 100m gorge and waterfall. We explored the local village and many of the cafes, bars and restaurants and the famous Bangalow markets. It is a stunning part of NSW and only 15 minutes from the famous Byron Bay – so there is a lot to share. Stay listening to the end to hear where you can find out all about Mikaela’s Easy Family Adventures and also hear her advice about the best places to go in the area if you have kids. Oh, and also, find out who or what is Saint Kevin and why we got a bit over seeing Saint Kevin several times a day.  I hope you enjoy this episode all about our fun girl’s weekend – sorry Lyle – I’ll let you back on the next episode. Visit Easy Family Adventures website www.moderndaymamas.com/easy-family-adventures Go to show notes and pictures here www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/50/bangalow Visit our website at www.beachtravelwine.com