In a couple of weeks, the Cinque Terre will be a mad house. But for now, these five little villages on Italy’s coast are somewhat accessible – without the craziness of peak season. With my teacup in tow, I explored Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. Riomaggiore was…
When you’re backpacking, and particularly CouchSurfing, small things become luxuries. A bed. A meal in a café or restaurant. Sleeping in. Clean clothes. So to experience something like the Blue Lagoon is, well, wow. The Blue Lagoon is THE attraction in Reykjavik. Try and find a visitor to…
The Icelandic horses aren’t big. They stand at about 13-14 hands. But visitors are warned early on. Do not call them ponies. More than 1000 years ago, Iceland banned the importation of horses. The island’s settlers required horses of excellent breeding to handle the conditions and terrain and…
In the 24 hours to 3pm on July 16, I learnt a lot.1. No matter how comfy a car may be for a nap while on the road, it is not a comfortable place to spent the night.2. If a track up a mountain “doesn’t look that far/hard”,…
Cruising the Canal du Garonne and River Baïse in southwest France revealed a side to France I hadn’t expected. I’d seen photos, paintings and movie scenes of the Eiffel Tower, the Parisian cafes and the paddocks of sunflowers. But the ivy covered houses, empty village streets as shop owners…
When I was working as a journalist in Tasmania, I attended the opening of a new art gallery. The owners spent a lot of their time in France, a lifestyle reflected in the pieces on the walls. The works of one artist, whose name I have unfortunately forgotten,…
As a young twenty-something travelling through Europe I’m supposed to be sleeping in airports, slobbering on the window of an overnight bus between cities and roaming the streets with my overloaded backpack for hours because I figured I’d find a hostel when I got there. But in the…
When you watch the Tour de France live, you’re in the thick of the action. Cheering, watching the riders whizz by, waving at the helicopters circling above. However, you have absolutely no idea what’s going on. After manning our little patch of footpath on part of the stage…
“Please remain seated until your teacup has come to a complete stop” comes the announcement over the speaker. We can only be in one place. Disneyland! “What?? You’re in Paris – one of the most beautiful and culturally significant cities in the world and you’re at freaking Disneyland??” Yep.…
