jamestravels

I was almost a reluctant visitor to Vietnam in 1972 (Thanks Gough Whitlam!), and I've always wondered how things might have turned out..... Now we are going as tourists to this fascinating country- many of our friends and relatives have been lately, with varied levels of enjoyment it must be said, and many adventures await!

An interesting way to support a needy cause-  Independent film!!

Paris in Autumn was a very different place to the city we had left in late Summer. The Parisians had pulled out their Autumnal wardrobe gear, there was a lot more purposeful striding (or scootering) through the streets with a Gauloise ciggy and a briefcase. Summer was definitely over! Our mood was gloomy, dark thoughts of the approaching 24-hour flight lay heavy on our minds. We needed to go to ..... a Cemetery! Pere La Chaise is the most famous (and biggest) resting place in Paris. Jim Morrison's grave is one of the must-see sights for American backpackers and women of a certain age who could still remember the late 60's. (Rhonda said, 'Jim Who?') Coincidentally, the first movie I saw on the return flight was a documentary on Morrison (People Are Strange, I think it was). It was a very good doco, and quite timely. He really had a death wish, did Jim. Even Janis Joplin was disgusted by his behaviour, which is saying something! And then we saw Archie! This young fella w...

Chateaus, vin rouge and hunting!! We thought a few days lounging by the beautiful Loire River would be a great way to wind up our grand tour. An inspired choice by her indoors! The top pic is the view from our room at La Buisson. The Loire is the focus of this area: at this time of the year it is a sluggish old girl, but we were assured it comes to life when the rain falls on the hills. The second pic is of Chenonceau castle, home to Diane de Poitiers and Mary Stuart at different times. There are over 30 of these chateaux in the valley- some tourists come to 'do' them all! Not us. 2 was plenty- honestly, they start to blend in with each other after a while, a bit like Hawthorn's premierships in the 80's. So we rationed ourselves to a daily quota of 1 old building, one top meal, one dessert and one wine, with an afternoon nap thrown in! Highlights were the Da Vinci expo at Clos Lucé, where the great man spent his last few years. Would you believe he carried the Mona Lisa...

Right, pop quiz! What do we know about Bern? Um, it's in the middle bit, where it's flatter. Is it the capital? Is it the home of Bernaise sauce? Answers: Sort of, yes & no. We had decided to make a dash for Paris and then the Loire Valley for the 4 or 5 days we had left swinging, so I says "Why not stay overnight in Bern and catch the fast train from there?" One of my better ideas, as it transpired. Bern is one of the easiest places to live in we have come across: we both fell in love with it. Cultured, quiet, organised and friendly- it was a real delight, and we were disappointed to only have 24 hours there. In a funny way it was very like Melbourne, without the cheeky kids and graffiti/vandalism! Did you know Einstein was Bernese? He was travelling home from his work in the Patent Office near the big clock in the town square, when he formulated the ideas for his theory of Relativity. The clock is 2 minutes fast! At about 4 minutes to 12 every day, hordes of cam...

After getting a taste for the mountains around Como, Interlaken seemed the logical next step. Serious mountains, full of serious people furiously dashing hither and thither with their little clickity-click walking sticks. Mace had warned us about them, but they really are a different breed! Heaven help you if get in their way- it would be like getting between Rhonda and an apricot danish. About the only ultra-motivated person in town was Dave, our ex-pat Pommy B & B owner. An ex-hippy who tolerates guests (barely) as long as they don't disturb his equilibrium (by asking daft questions or requesting anything). The one fast thing at Dave's was his internet- mind you he charged as much for 3 days as I pay a month at home! Enough about Dave- he certainly motivated us to get the hell out of there each morning and hit the slopes. Maybe these people who threw themselves off the mountains attached to a flimsy sheet and some pieces of string had had similar experiences. When we pict...

We knew that we would like the Lake Como area. What's not to like? A million miles away from the fleshpots of Venice and Florence, a perfect location in the foothills of the Alps and a mild Mediterranean climate! No wonder Madonna, Ronaldhino, Versace and George Clooney were all sharing our little patch of heaven... Our villa (above) was in Tremezzo, a small place about 10 kms from Como itself. It is best reached by boat- there is a constant stream of ferries on all parts of the lake day & night- but we punted on the local bus the first time. It proved to be the last. It was jam-packed with excited adolescents out from school early. It was the first week back and there was apparently a lot to talk about (and this is what Italians do best!) at top volume, while studiously ignoring the poor tourists perched precariously on the step clutching bags and cases. With some gesturing and pantomime Italian, we made it in one piece. The trip was worth it: our villa was right on the lake, ...