The symbol of dictator Ceausescu’s megalomania and desire for grandeur is Palace of Parliament in Bucharest - the 2nd largest office building in the world, beaten only by The Pentagon. It’s also the heaviest in the world.

Romania derives its name from Rome as the people regard themselves as the descendants of the ancient Romans who conquered southern Transylvania under emperor Trajan in 105C. Here we visited Peles Castle and Bran castle - - home to the legend of Dracula!.

During the 1920s and 1930s Bucharest, capital of Romania, was one of Europe’s most avant-garde cities and became known as Little Paris. French influence was the hype until the mid 20th century - a time when younger men studied in Paris, returning with a strong desire for change.

The beautiful city of Bern, is the capital of Switzerland, quite small when compared to other capital cities and unlike any other city in Switzerland. Founded in 1191 and built around the Aare River, Bern’s medieval architecture has been carefully preserved.

From travelling on the Glacier Express said to be slowest express train in the world, to the sweet town of Stans with its cable car and funicular and finally picturesque Lucerne, located in the heart of Switzerland.

The Gornergrat cog railway climbs to 3,089m offering great views of the Matterhorn at a height of 4,478m and includes a vista covering a total of 29 mountains above 4,000m.

The atmospheric town of Aosta, nestled in the Aosta valley surrounded by majestic mountains. It’s known as the Rome of the Alps as it was founded by the Romans in 25BC at the junction of the roads leading to France and Switzerland.

Turin is one of the hidden gems of Italy. Milan, less than 2 hours away, may have the reputation, but Turin has elegance in spades. The centre of the city is filled with large piazzas surrounded by majestic palaces, residences and castles built by the Savoy dynasty.

The Bernina Express is one of the world’s most beautiful train journeys - the highest railway in Europe, and one of the steepest. An engineering marvel of the early 1900s. The train descends from an altitude of 1,864m in Saint Moritz to 429m in Tirano, reaching an 2,253m at Ospizio Bernina.