at leisurelocals Living on our Peninsula we are spoilt for choice we have a huge variety of natural and man made attractions to enjoy.
Our National Parks provide fabulous walking trails as do the long stretches of beaches on both bays.
So many people travel for hours to explore what is in our own backyard.
How lucky are we My Summer Holidays As a local writing about my summer holidays, you might expect that I experienced a regular Peninsula summer on the beach, up in the hills, dodging the crowds and enjoying all the many and varied attractions the Peninsula has to offer.
However, the reality was quite different I actually spent 6 weeks in the UK and France, having a cold and snowy Christmas while visiting family.
With parents who live in the UK and the only grandchild living here, we had made the long haul trip twice already before deciding to attempt a Christmas visit.
The first hurdle was trying to find a flight even though we were booking in August it was a busy time of year to fly so I had a great deal of trouble finding something on the internet my usual method of booking .
Therefore, I decided to do something I hadn t in a long while consult a travel agent.
Well, the team at Harvey World Travel couldn t have been more helpful they not only quickly found us a flight, they found it at a lower rate than any I d been able to track down online, plus they assisted with pre-booking seats, meals and gave us a whole host of travel information to make our trip all the easier.
And the trip itself Well, it was fabulous of course Christmas with family is hard to beat as was Isabelle s first snowfall , while five days in Paris including a trip to EuroDisney was simply sublime.
After the sights and sounds of Europe not to mention the 22 hours of flying it was something of an adjustment to be back here.
We came back just before Australia Day and then had to host our own international visitors friends from Canada whom I had not seen for many years.
They arrived with their three kids for a short visit as part of a larger trip to Australia and we had a wonderful time showing them the sights, starting with a drive through Main Ridge to the Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm where the kids picked strawberries and tried, unsuccessfully, to stay out of the mud.
Then it was on to Arthurs Seat to take in the view, and finally a trip to the Enchanted Maze which was enjoyed by all.
Beach visits and a touch of fine dining completed their experience and seeing the Peninsula through their eyes made me realise how lucky I am to live here.
Sure, the history and variety of Europe are wonderful to experience, but our very own Peninsula also offers world class experiences to visitors from all over.
Sometimes, we need to get away in order to really appreciate the true value of home.
-Helen Jones Travelling with Bill After a long flight from Melbourne the cloud cleared over Hungary as we made our descent into Budapest.
We were greeted with the country side white from the recent heavy snowfalls across Europe.
The Danube looked spectacular shimmering in the sunlight.
After a short drive from the airport we arrived on the riverbank and the Amabella.
It was last December and I was joining APT's Amabella in Budapest for their 15 day Christmas markets cruise to Amsterdam.
The Amabella is the flagship of the APT fleet and was launched in 2010.
In its first season Ms Amabella took the Best River Cruise Ship award at the Australian Cruise Passenger Readers Choice Awards in December 2010.
The first impression of the ship is one of relaxed opulence and a friendly and relaxed crew.
After unpacking once for the following 15 days I explored the ship.
It has a spacious front lounge with wrap around front windows giving a grand view.
Adjacent to the lounge is the library and gift shop.
The main dining room is below and serves the whole 160 guests in a single sitting.
Aft there is a separate intimate dining room seating 24 giving everyone an alternative dining experience twice during the cruise.
In the space of this column I cant describe the entire cruise.
The highlights for me were the twin cities of Buda and Pest and the Hungarian State Opera House visit with its final private performance.
Vienna will always be a highlight of any trip to Europe.
It has a musical heritage that permeates throughout the city and in my case a visit to the Musikverein, the site of the New Years Day concert was a must The Melk Abby, Passau, Salzburg, the Rhine Gorge and the quaint town of Ruedesheim, the Cologne Cathedral and of course the beautiful and laid back city of Amsterdam are all sights that leave the tourist in woner of the history and tradition that is Europe.
The key element of this trip though are the Christmas markets.
Every town has its own and its own unique gifts crafted by the local artisans.
The food smells and atmosphere is unique and it gives the chance to buy some really different gifts.
It is winter and it is cold but the local Gluhwein keeps even the hardened shopper warm.
It is a tradition to not only by a mug of wine but the mug itself as a record of your trip through the markets of Europe.
Winter is not a time of the year that most Australians visit Europe, but the Christmas markets cruise gives a unique insight to centuries old traditions from a comfortable 5 star river ship.
We are running a Christmas cruise on the 22 November this year from Amsterdam to Budapest, but if winter is not to your liking the 2012 River Cruise Season has now been released.
Call us for more details.
Bill Forrester.
Bill Forrester has visited over 31 countries and owns and operates Harvey World Travel Frankston 9781 3733, Dromana 5987 3444 and Dandenong 9792 0541.
Email bill harveyworldfrankston.com Web www.harveyworldfrankston.com Licence 32615 www.gdlife.com.au 21