jamestravels

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, ...

'What's in a name?' she sighs . When we were planning our itinerary back in Oz, these Northern Italian cities all sounded impossibly exotic and romantic. Florence, Siena, Bologna, Padua, Venice, Bolzarno and so on. In the end we took a punt on Verona, not really knowing much about it. We are very glad we did. Of course, Juliet and her boyfriend Romeo feature largely here. We thought to avoid the cheesiest of the tourist traps, but quickly found ourselves at Juliet's house, where dozens of doe-eyed teenaged girls fondle the right breast of her statue while having their photos snapped by their slightly bemused boyfriends. I'm not sure of the significance, but I'm willing to go along with the practice. Gracie, any ideas? Perhaps we should put up something similar in Kylie Minogue's old home? The pleasing thing, though, was the tour through the house. Most tourists just do the photo and look up at the balcony and leave, but the house has 4 or 5 levels of seeming...

Ahh Venice, they said we were crazy.. Only 2 nights?? For Venice? You'll need a week at least! Well, they were wrong. We came, we saw, and, like the Russian /American/Armenian guy in the next room, we were just a tad disappointed. Sure , she can offer up some stunning sunsets, and the views are jaw-dropping at times, but she is an old dame who has seen better days, and sad to say she is very slowly but surely slipping into the lagoon. Rising sea levels will just about finish her off, I'm afraid, and there's not much anyone can do about it. If only we still still had slaves and a feudal system, we could get a few things done- but no, everyone is too worried their rights and freedom to pursue their goals. I blame the Americans! We felt like 'tourists' for the first time here. Venice has 22 million visitors every year. Say that slowly...twenty two million. More than Australia's population every year. We expected them to run a fairly tight ship, but really, you are...

Florentine thoughts; (to be consumed with a shot of espresso and a sweet pastry) Michelangelo's Dave- he is everywhere! Literally in your face at the Gallery, in the main square just in case you missed that, or alternatively at every little street stall for to take one home! Rhonda was impressed by the extraordinary anatomical detail of his .... forearms!! (at least I think that's what she mumbled) I saw a pair of boxers in the colours of the Italian flag and with a pic of David's goolies on the front. Laugh? I thought of you, Sutts, but Rhonda wouldn't let me buy a pair. City of statues! If you don't watch out, you'll poke your eye out on one. This fellow looks down on the shoppers on the Ponte Vecchio. He doesn't seem too impressed with all the decadence, and I'm with him on that one. I saw a lot of worried blokes holding hands with their women- too scared to let go in case of a huge Visa bill next month! Lots of American girls being sized up by youn...

Took the last train out of Manarola, heading South! Good idea for a song, eh? Actually it was an early train, and it meant we had to fill in 2 hours in La Spezia, not a town high on the tourist trail. But on the upside, we did see this monk who looked like he was auditioning for a role in the next Dan Brown book. (There is symbolism to die for here, Dan) La Spezia is a working port, a naval base and not a whole lot else that we could see. 2 words of advice: Don't try to go down a tunnel, and always carry an umbrella! (Ask Rhonda to explain) Wow! This is a big room with a cathedral-sized ceiling. Florence hotels are huge, luxuriously appointed and ridiculously cheap. Don't tell anyone in case they put the prices up! Internet in the room, cable TV, big breakfast with eggs, how could you go wrong? Ponte Vecchio: we came, we saw, we ran! Some women go weak at the knees at the sight of all that bling: not mine, she is made of sterner stuff. The oldest bridge in Florence, in fact the...

Ahh , the Cinque Terre! The '5 Lands' so-called because they had been isolated from the rest of Europe for so long. They even developed their own dialect in Manarola, where we stayed for 3 days. Impossibly perched on the edge of sheer cliffs dropping to the Mediterranean, these multi-coloured buildings have some of the best views imaginable. Our apartment was at the very top of the steepest street in the village. Well worth it though! And to think that we had never heard of this area until a few years ago when Shoni & Simon stopped here on their European trek and came back with some amazing shots. The water was beautiful! I must have impressed the tourists with my death-defying dives into the water, as they all averted their gaze while muttering indecipherable words of wonder! The water is incredibly clear, very buoyant and as warm as Cairns in May. Magic... Our apartment was quite modern, reasonably priced and split level: more stairs to climb after the long hike up the hi...

We left Nice earlier than expected. It meant a stopover in Ventimiglia- the first Italian town on our tour. It was a little gem- a smallish town with a good beach and a lovely seaside trattoria. Palm trees, gum trees, a pebbly beach and old women who (mostly) kept their gear on. A couple of beers, a bowl of gnocchi and a salad for the little woman! Very Italian- I felt like going off and having a game of cards and a smoke with the old men on the foreshore. Settled for a gelati instead- Rhonda's mission is to sample as much of the gelati on offer as is humanly possible in 5 weeks. Might have to pay excess baggage on the way home! Then to Genova/Genoa. Home of Christopher Columbus, and don't they let you know about it! It is a remarkable city, in many ways as grand as Paris, but a little tatty around the edges lately. They have been a formidable power in this part of the world- very good traders and palace-builders. There are Palaces everywhere, mostly serving as museums now. ...

I knew it would all end in tears! Farewell and bon voyage to Pernes, the 'gite' and to Aude, her chocolate gateau, her aubergine mousse and her never-ending parade of bikinis! Notice the tears welling in all our eyes: Aude and her husband/brother/uncle (we never did find out) with relief to be finally rid of us, the rest of us with sadness at the end of a great holiday. Having put Tony and Debbie onto the very fast train to Paris and London, we explored Avignon for a couple of hours before our train left for Nice. Avignon has a long history back to the Roman times (of course!) and was for a time in the Middle Ages the head of the Catholic church before the Vatican regained control. The Popes of Avignon made sure the city ramparts were up to scratch keeping the barbarians out. Nowadays it is overrun by busloads of American tourists looking to dance 'sur le pont d'Avignon'. We took one look and fled! Me and Brigitte having a final moment! Le Peugeot 3008 avec sat-nav,...