Pozdrav iz Podgorice! Has the era of risk minimisation ruined our capacity to take responsibility for our own actions? Have we devalued surprise in the quest to make our lives safer? Has fun been taken out of the adventure? Tara River Yesterday we ventured into the northernmost corner of Montenegro for a rafting trip down …Read More
Greetings from Dubrovnik in Croatia. Dubrovnik greeted us on the first day of summer (21st June) and produced a beautiful warm day. In fact, the seven-day weather forecast is showing seven bright suns. George Bernard Shaw is quoted as saying that “those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik”. The old city is …Read More
Bongiorno from Italia As we are about to leave Italia for the last time on this journey, it’s a good time to compose the 1st chapter of the new book on the Italians. We have both enjoyed Italia as much as we anticipated, and for predictable reasons. Possibly the most striking thing about Italia is the people. …Read More
Bongiorno from Venice, We are both enjoying the Mediterranean cruise, perhaps even more than anticipated. The cruise ship is a gigantic monument to nautical ingenuity. It is 294 metres long and 32 metres wide. We enjoy the view from our porthole which measures 1.3 m in diameter. some on their way up, some on …Read More
Bon giurnu from Monte Carlo, First stop on the cruise was Nice, in southern France, where our penchant for trying all local delicacies was never going to extend to the eponymous biscuit. M. decided to stay on the ship today, finding the French Riviera a bit of a yawn. Cote D’Azure All the wealthy locals …Read More
Bonjour from the French Riviera. On our car journey through southern France, we travelled from Vichy to the coast via a long straight road aptly named Le Meridienne. The landscape was mostly rural and occasionally spectacular. Like Italy, France has quite a sizeable proportion of land which remains uncleared; not merely that which is …Read More
Bonjour mes ami from France, We have been on the road for a few days, making a very pleasant journey from Austria, to Germany, back to Austria, through Switzerland and now in France. For Australians, it seems remarkable that this is possible in two days. The road journey was made more engaging because of the …Read More
Gutentag nach Salzburg. Salzburg is a city in which one could easily be lulled into a belief that there were no issues in the world, like crime or environmental degradation or rudeness. We’ve spent two lovely days here in this very pleasant city on the Salzach River in northern Austria. Everything is …Read More
Guten Tag from Bavaria, The Schellenberg Eishohle (Ice Cave) is just shy of Salzburg and the German border. From the bottom of the valley, it appears like a tiny insignificant gap in the limestone mountain, way up in the sky. Access to the Ice Cave is after a steep drive up the foothills, a taxing …Read More
Gutentag dach Badgastein, We’ve come to another halt, this time in the mountains of Austria. The countryside of Austria is predictably scenic, but even more so than expected. a ferry but no water The road to Badgastein ended in brilliant sunshine at Mallnitz, which reposes peacefully in a perfect example of a hanging valley. The maps …Read More