All posts filed under: Travel

Barcelona Day Three

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First things first….I’m writing this update under duress, I have just discovered the evil powers of Sangria! So has Rachael, who is having a siesta!! Right! Day three…started with a run amongst the yachts and cruisers of the marina and the Barceloneta, followed by coffee/croissant/fruit salad brekky at the La Boqueria which is growing on us by the minute. A great market place! We spent the rest of the day wandering around the Barri Gotic, La Ribera & El Born districts, which are all tightly bound within the old town. Fabulous laneways filled with shops, bars and historic buildings, including the Santa Maria del Mar Church which is the exact opposite of the Sagrada Familia….dark, somber, foreboding! We thought we had hit the jackpot upon reaching the Picasso Museum to find no queues….and no open doors!!! Not open on Mondays! We had what was supposed to be a quick lunch at the Caterina Market, but turned into an hour long battle of wits between the bored waitress and the cranky Aussie tourist. We became invisible …

Barcelona Day Two

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After crashing early last night, and missing the huge celebrations with Barcelona FC beating Juventus in the championship final, we were up early to make amends. After very quick coffee/croissant brekky, we made our way by taxi to Sagrada Familia Basilica, the most famous landmark in Barca, if not Spain. Commissioned in 1883, it is still about 20 years from completion, which seems to be about square with the laid back style around here.    It may not be finished, indeed a lot of it is a massive building site, but this would have to be the most unbelievable place we have ever been in. Words can not do justice to the majestic beauty, the impossible imagination of its creator, Gaudi, and the sheer scope and reach of this Basilica. The colour and light, the volume, the…the…the everything!! How is it possible for one man to have such vision?     It was probably best described by a visitor from the USA we spoke to as being a happy cathedral, unlike most that are gloomy, …

Barcelona Day One

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So here we are, 22 hours flight time later, in spectacular Barcelona. It’s hard to believe after all the planning, and the longest countdown clock, we are actually at ground zero. The flights were long, sleep deprived, and incident free except for the toddler next doors occasional vocal impressions. Bang on schedule we touched down, bags turned up, sim for phone organised and taxis everywhere. First port of call was the city baggage locker to store ours for a few hours, then down La Rumblas to La Boqueria food market, a huge colourful array of all manner of fresh produce from seafood, meats of all description with a strong “pig” influence, through to fresh fruit and sweet delights.      Main interest for us centred around caffeine, which was dutifully satisfied, with a croissant accoutrement! Afterwards we wandered the aisles checking out all the wonderful produce on display, from those we knew to the strange and wonderful.      Next stop was the Barcelona Cathedral which is tucked away in the Barri Gotic region, very close to …

Why, why, why….Wye River?

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Quite often people ask me why we go to Wye River each year, why there and not, say….Inverloch, Waratah Bay, Mallacoota…? Others ask…”Wye River! Where’s that?” Of all the places to pick as your annual camping destination, a tiny coastal spot at the foothills of the wettest district in the state, the Otways, would at first glance not seem to be considered ideal! So why do we choose to come to Wye River every January? For me I guess it’s the familiarity, the sounds and smells, the memories…the rock pools! Here’s me and my cousin Louise, in about 1963… on the rocks, just like every year, just like everyone. Go to the beach, look left, look right….and you have these magnificent rock formations running down to the surf. Rock pools for all shapes and sizes. People walking over them, swimming in them, fishing off them, watching the sea from them, contemplating the meaning of….all day, every day.      Pools big enough for Kenzie, and Rachael! For me, a sense of history and family ties …

Uffizi and beyond.

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Uffizi and beyond. Florence, Italy Florence, Italy Our day started with a visit to the Galleria degli Uffizi. Our plan was to get there early so as to avoid the torrent of tourist buses/cruise ships. We joined the relatively small queue but had to jump ship as the PDF Voucher on our phone would not download in time before it was our turn. Back in the queue with Voucher downloaded and we were away. Tickets in hand we then joined another relatively small queue to enter the museum and just beat a group of Japanese tourists by the slimmest of margins. All going to plan beautifully. The building of the Uffizi was first a palace begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de’ Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates — hence the name “uffizi” (“offices”). Over the years, further parts of the palace evolved into a display place for many of the paintings and sculpture collected by the Medici family or commissioned by them. The gallery had been open to visitors …

Nude & Food

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Nude & Food Florence, Italy Florence, Italy Today we are doing something different and taking a food tour, “nude & food” so called ‘cos we meet at the Galleria dell’ Accademia which houses “David”. Everyone’s seen pictures of Michelangelo’s statue of a nude David, slingshot ready to slay Goliath, but until you see him in the flesh, or should I say ‘marble’, it’s not hard to see why everyone loves this iconic piece of art. He is 17 feet tall, standing on a platform 6ft high, so he is very imposing. The girls seem to be quite enamoured by his…um, his…. physique!?? The tour group comprises 12 intrepid souls from Canada, USA, Russia, England and Australia, plus our wonderful guide, Sam. Sam is a native Florentine married to a Kiwi, so there goes half the joke package! As long as we don’t have to try any Sauv Blanc! The tour was terrific, lots of laughs, good conversation, and plenty of great food and wine. We started at David, then headed off for coffee and pastries …

Damn sunglasses!

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Florence, Italy Florence. Time to pack up and leave our lodgings in Cavriglia for Florence, but not before another visit to our new favourite butcher in Greve. On the way to said slaughter house we bypassed to the tiny hamlet of Volpaia, an 11th century fortress town high in the hills of Chianti. Lovely town, but our bovine shop awaits As I navigated our journey through the winding roads of the Chianti, my brand new mirrored sunglasses just snapped at the bottom of the rim. Devastated, cannot believe a €30 pair of sunglasses only lasted a week. Obviously too aggressive on the corners with my driving. Time for a decent pair, as these cheap sunnies are starting to add up!! I digress, our old friend Cleve recommended checking put the dried pigs penis riding stock at the butchers, who could resist? But sadly we could not find one! Seriously, this shop is so great it was sad to have to head off to Florence, but head off we did, sans GPS. Eventually we had to …

Another hot day…

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Tuscany, Italy Another hot day in the Tuscan sun that started with a run up and down the hills in searing heat. Straight into the swimming pool after the run so as to avoid heat exhaustion, and to give the body a jolt back to normalcy. With that done we got ourselves ready and headed into Siena. This town is a lot bigger than we had anticipated, and being amongst the tourist groups again, was an indication of what crowds we were in for. Grabbed a copy of the local map, which of course set us back €1, nothing for free when tourists are involved, and set off to explore Siena. The map was a relic of ye olde days and looked like it had been drawn using crayons, but managed to get us through. The main road Banchi Di Sotto, was packed with tourists and lined with the ever increasing popular souvenir shops, suffice to say this was going to be a quick visit for Hughy and I. We walked to the local Duomo …

Under a Hot Tuscan Sun

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Tuscany, Italy Ah, the serenity. After what seems like weeks, actually it is weeks, we finally have the sounds of silence. No traffic, garbo’s at dawn, drunken yobbo’s, crowds…..did I mention traffic? Tuscany, quiet, peaceful….and a pool! Have I talked about the heat? Hot! 32-34 every day lately, and humid. Sweat city. We haven’t mentioned breakfast much, but our morning diet lately has consisted of bakery/cake/bakery/bread…repeat! This morning we had muesli. Muesli, with MILK! Thank God for self contained accommodation. We got a few tips from people, thank you, and after getting provisions for dinner (i.e. beer!) we headed off to the Chianti region and a few reds. First stop Greve in Chianti, yes GPS that is GREVE in Chianti…..GREVE, not San Polo!! Nice place San Polo, just not Greve, and 20 minutes further away. We reach Greve in Chianti, and a lovely place it is. We wander around the main piazza looking at the shops, checking out the tourism info joint, enjoying the sunshine, and come across the most incredible shop we have ever …