Day 1

Sydney to Paris via GUANGZHOU!!!

Welcome to my latest travel blog. David and I are off on a new adventure, back to Europe but taking in new sights and sounds and making new memories.

We set off from Sydney at 10am on Saturday morning, flying to Paris via Guangzhou. You will have noticed I’m sure, my emphasis on Guangzhou in the heading and that is no accident. We were transiting in Guangzhou for about 6 hours. Last time we stayed over for a couple of nights so this was a new experience. Of course we have transited many times, in many countries in the past. Flying from Australia it’s basically mandatory if you’re flying further than Asia. So to us transiting means getting off the plane, going to the lounge, waiting for a few hours and getting back on the plane. Not in China! We had to go through security to get to the lounge. I was pulled up for a pat down and wouldn’t you know it I had forgotten about a lighter randomly stashed in my bra which the “delightful” security guard found whilst patting me down. She held it up triumphantly and called over a supervisor who looked intently at the lighter which I then realised also had a naked woman on it.

David was going through security so hadn’t yet seen the situation I was in. After a few minutes of to and fro, pointing at the lighter then pointing at me, I was told to follow her into a room. I yelled out to David that I was being taken away but he could do nothing as he was in the middle of going through security himself. I was taken into a private room and subjected to another patting down, which I will only describe as thorough. She handed me back the lighter and asked me to put it back in my bra whilst they photographed it, then I was told to hold it on the outside against my chest whilst they photographed it again Then a photo of my face. I then politely asked “trouble?” She shook her head but then says one word....“why?” I said I just forgot it was there, which of course was the absolute truth. She then chatted with her colleague and turned back to me and said “no second chance, passport flagged, next time big trouble”.

I was then allowed to leave and found David outside trying to talk to more officials. By this time I was in tears and I just tapped him on the shoulder and said “let’s go”. The last thing we needed was for him to lose it with the Chinese security officials.

Now it all sounds rather lame, reading it back, but when you’re in a communist country and suspected of smuggling something prohibited onto a plane, which makes no sense cause we were getting off a plane but still....being put in that position is terrifying, to say the least. If the lighter had just been in my bag, they would have just confiscated it, but being in my bra it was classified as hidden, so that’s a whole different kettle of fish. \240I have learnt my lesson, big time, and I will never be so cavalier going through security again. I’m not sure it has cured me of stashing objects in my bra...but I’ll definitely check my chest before going through security at an airport.

Drama over, we spent a few hours sitting in the lounge at Guangzhou, with the lounge hostesses fussing over me (which I hate), because of course David had taken the time to tell them all about what had happened. Plus they had seen me crying. We then boarded a lovely new plane with the newer sort of cubbies and I popped a sleeping pill and slept for about 8 of the 12 hours to Paris, arriving about 6.30am Sunday morning. Our first few days will be spent out on the western coast exploring the Normandy landing beaches, and visiting the military cemeteries. \240Oh and my first message when I landed was of course from Vodafone, welcoming me to Russia!!

Au revoir!!

Day 2

Arriving in Paris there was a stuff up with our car hire booking. Avis’ fault I stress!! After an hour and a half of watching them do a whole lot of I don’t know what, we finally get to our car, set google maps to Bricqueville and amazingly we get out of the maze of airport roads unscathed.

So this trip is a little different....well actually a lot different, than previous ones. The main purpose of this trip is to meet up with girlfriends in Tuscany for Marianne’s 50th birthday. A whole week with 6 girls creating havoc in beautiful San Gimignano! So of course nobody just flies all this way for a week, so we decided to do 2 months in Europe, which unfortunately has now been cut down to a bit over 1 month....stupid work comittments!! Anyway after organising the villa in Tuscany, I just didn’t have the time or inclination to research and book the other 3 weeks. And so after booking the first 3 nights in Bricqueville, from here on we are winging it for the next 2 weeks, and for the last week. We’ve never done it before and it feels a bit weird but hey....that’s how new adventures and experiences come your way. We have a vague plan of driving down through France, maybe along the coast, maybe inland, maybe a bit of both, but my only commitment is to be in Nice on the 15/9 to meet Marianne.

We couldn’t check into our Airbnb accommodation till about 3pm so we took our time getting out to the coast. It’s about a 3 hour drive. Our first stop was Rouen, the capital of the Normandy region and a famous medieval city. We drove straight into the city and straight to the Cathedral Notre Dame de Rouen. \240A beautiful gothic cathedral surrounded by medieval buildings dating back to the 14th century. One of these was the scene of the second trial of Joan of Arc in 1431.

Next stop was the war museum in Bayeaux and our first taste of what was to come in terms of the numerous museums, memorials and commemorations to the D-day landings and the liberation of France in 1944. Bayeaux was the first town liberated by the Allies and such was virtually unscathed in terms of destruction. In contrast Caen, about 50kms north was almost razed to the ground.

It was finally time to make our way to Bricqueville, a tiny village of about 100 people and our stop for the next 3 nights. It was fairly easy to find and our host Régine met us on arrival. Petite Maison is a charming little stone cottage set on a horse property and is about 400 years old. Beautiful old beams, a lovely big fireplace and quite high ceilings for a cottage. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens, quite English looking, with climbing roses all up the facade. Plus we have chooks and ducks as our neighbours, so we feel very much at home. Lily, there are rosemary and lavender bushes everywhere!

After settling in we decide we can manage to go out for dinner and, on Regines recommendation, we book a table at La Trinquette in Grandcamp Maisy. \240Right on the coast, you can smell the sea from a fair distance, salty, fishy and muddy all rolled into one smell. . Régine has told us the seafood comes straight from the fishing boats to the restaurant so of course a seafood dinner it shall be. We pig out on the “celebration menu” consisting of a lobster tail, scallops with garlic butter, fish with risotto and something for dessert which we pass on. \240David is feeling the effects of the trip and a rich French feast and we are home and in bed by 10pm. Hopefully a good nights sleep will see us ready to take on the landing beaches, and the American cemetery and whatever else we can fit in tomorrow. Au revoir....

Day 3

So we were supppsed to be off visiting Nomandy today and the various landing beaches and cemeteries. Unfortunately David’s gastroenteritis returned in full force last night and he is not going anywhere. He suffered for about a week with it, about 2 weeks before we left, but he thought he had it beat. Hmmmm....no. He was up just after midnight when his phone rang, which of course meant I was up too. He yelled at whomever was on the other end and went straight to the bathroom. So virtually no sleep for either of us.

He is not well at all but luckily we bought medication for it. Unfortunately the bathroom is downstairs and the bedroom upstairs....not ideal when you need to hot foot it to the loo!!! I’m having visions of him being house bound and bedridden for a few days at least, so I start the search for new acccommodation with an ensuite bathroom. I spent an uncomfortable night on the 2 seater couch and I knew there was no way David could do that for any length of time. As I’m searching he discovers that the couch is actually a sofa bed. We are saved!! Régine and Eric come and help us put it together and, after hearing of David’s stomach troubles, Eric kindly offers him some other medication called Smecta, which he swears by after spending years working in Africa. I settle David into bed....he is pale and achy and not well at all.

I take a leisurely stroll round the garden, visiting the chooks and horses and find the beautiful dahlias, which takes all of about 15 minutes. I haven’t driven here yet and these roads are narrow. I’ve already yelled at David I don’t know how many times for being too far to the right. He has hit the kerb at least 5 times. Needless to say I’m not comfortable venturing out on my own just yet, so I settle for a walk around the village of Bricqueville. It’s probably only 3kms round trip but there is a lot to see in this tiny village. Up the road is another lovely old church. I can’t see it from our house but I sure can hear it. The bells toll every hour and at midday they toll 24 times! 12 for the hour and about 3 minutes later another 12. Near the church is a monument to the war and an information plaque stating that the German commandant for the region commandeered the Bricqueville manor house as his headquarters. The roads are so narrow, 2 cars cannot pass and the hedges so high they block the sun. The houses all have beautiful gardens, most with at least one field and most have horses. In the field next to our property is a mother and her foal and I swear she is pregnant again....she is bulging out the sides!!!

On my way back I head into the churchyard and there is an elderly couple tending to a grave. I notice the gravestone says 1899-1944 and I ask them was it a relative. They don’t have much English but I make out mother, and she points to herself so I can only presume it was her mother. She died aged 45 and obviously during the war. This elderly lady must have been a small child at the time.

Funnily enough the church is closed so I cant see inside it. The doors actually look like they haven’t been opened in years, but there are recent graves in the cemetery so I presume it is still in use.

I get back to the house about 2.30 and David is still sleeping. I’m thinking I have to get to a supermarket as we really have nothing to eat. I’m hoping when he wakes he may be strong enough to at least accompany me, as I don’t really want to go on my own.

I settle down to do some writing and David finally wakes up about 3.30pm. I can tell he’s not feeling much better but I still ask him if he will come with me to the supermarket. He actually says no....to me. He really must be sick!! In a huff I concede to go on my own. It’s only 10kms away...I can do it. Well of course I did and everything was fine. The hardest thing was trying to find honey and puréed apple sauce, which Dr Google said was fine for him to eat (honey to put into his black tea). So honey is le miel and apple is pomme, which is weird because I thought pomme was potato as in pommes frit. Anyway I managed to get some supplies and make it back safe and sound, repeating over and over “stay middle, stay middle”. I didn’t hit a kerb once by the way.

By this stage it was about 6pm and I have had about 10 hours sleep in the last 60 hours (8 of that on the trip over) but I was determined to stay awake until at least 9pm. I made David some soup, nuked a horrible something for me, poured myself a large vodka and watched an English reality show on training people now to do what the SOE agents did in the war. I’m basically confined to the garden because David is on the sofa bed in the living room/kitchen and I don’t want to go to the bedroom as the floor boards creak terribly. Luckily the weather is reasonably warmish and of course it stays light till about 9pm.

The vodka kicks in and finally I think I should hit the hay. I’m not the greatest sleeper at the best of times, but I’m really hoping my mind and body just shut down and sleep.....I deserve it. I really suck at being nursemaid, but I’ve done my best today to keep his fluids up, feed him a tiny bit and just let him sleep. He certainly has done plenty of that. By the way the medication seems to be working so I am hopeful tomorrow will be better. Merci d’avoir lu!!

Day 4

After about 1000 hours sleep, thank goodness David is feeling better and we can begin our vacation. I too had a great nights sleep and by 9am we are on the road to see the landing beaches. We decide to go to the furthest one north and make our way back. First stop Sword Beach and not a whole lot to see here. It seems to be an ordinary beach with a lovely seaside village looking over it. Next one is Juno and there is a house right on the beach called Canada House. This was the first actual building liberated by the Allies and of course they were Canadian troops. There is an amazing museum, dedicated specifically to the Canadian forces and only just finished in 2003. All completely planned by Canadian veterans, but spearheaded by veteran Garth Webb, who organised grassroots funding. Eventually the French and Canadian governments kicked in much needed funds and they now have a tribute befitting the sacrifice made to help liberate France. Garth Webb’s vision was that it would convey a typical soldiers life in Canada, prior to the war, and then document their training and their waiting to participate in the invasion. Up till 2003 there was no specific memorial to the Canadian troops who had played a significant role on D-Day and beyond. 45,000 Canadians lost their lives during the war, 5,500 during the Battle of Normandy and 359 on D-day.You can go down into a fully preserved German bunker (part of the Atlantic Wall) and see where the massive guns were mounted. It is staffed purely by bilingual Canadians, all aged under 30 to show the ages of the soldiers who so willingly fought to liberate Europe from the Nazis.

Further along we stop at Gold Beach which looks out onto what is left of Mulberry Harbour B, one of the 2 artificial harbours built by the Allies to help unload men, munitions and machinery. It is said to be one of the greatest engineering feats of WW2.

Onto Omaha Beach and specifically the American Cemetery. This 172 acre cemetery contains the graves of nearly 10,000 brave American soldiers who lost their lives, mainly in the D-day landings and days soon after. Strangely you have to go through security to get into the museum, but if you just want to go to the cemetery no security is involved. As you walk out of the museum there is a reflecting pool looking straight out to sea. It is a sombre place, but beautifully maintained and, set high above Omaha beach, it has a lovely view out to the English Channel. \240When you see the first cemetery, with just lines and lines of pure white crosses with the odd Star of David mixed in between for the Jewish soldiers, it is overwhelming. Then you look in the distance and you see another and another and another, and there are just white marble crosses and stars as far as the eye can see, in perfect straight lines. Apparently there are 14 of these meticulously manicured cemeteries which is why the whole site takes up 172 acres.

Next year will be the 75th anniversary of the D-day landings and they already have banners flying advertising the dates and times of various commemorations.

I have always had a fascination with WW2. I have a couple of great uncles who valiantly served, but no real significant family history with regards to the war. I think it began after reading a book aged about 10, which documented a young Jewish girls life after being sent to a concentration camp. I vividly remember feeling her total shame when they started to shave her head on arrival and her thinking it was about the worse thing they could do to her, having absolutely no idea of \240the horrors that lay ahead. I wish I could remember the name of it, but it had a lasting impression. Since then I’ve read every book I could get my hands on and watched every movie and documentary I could. Marrying a Jew made me all the more inquisitive about how life would have treated me, my husband and my children if we were born just a generation or 2 earlier and had lived on the Continent.

Last stop of the day was St Mere Église, the town made famous as the landing site of US paratroopers the day before the actual invasion. US paratrooper John Steele’s parachute was caught on one of the church spires and he was dangling from a height for quite some time. This event is immortalised by a replica of Steele, parachute and all, still dangling from the church spire as well as being a scene in the film “The Longest Day”. A reminder that during war, life can be literally dangling by a thread. St Mere Eglise is a typical charming French village, dominated by the church and town square, and surrounded by quaint shops. Another statue of a paratrooper is atop an adjacent building. The Airborne Museum is on the outskirts of the square paying tribute to the heroic mission of the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions who paved the way for the invasion the next day.

We had done a full day and returned to La Petite Maison for a well earned drink. Well, I had a well earned drink. David said “darling I’m just going to lay down for a few minutes before dinner”. I raised my eyebrows at the fact that it was about 5pm and if he went to sleep now, would he sleep tonight? I needn’t have worried. He slept through till about 7am the next morning and we both went to bed without dinner. I’m not one to cook for myself so I made do with a banana and I was in bed by 9.30. Tomorrow we are off to Mont St Michel and then a 2.5 hour drive down to the Loire Valley. Chateaus here we come!

Today we are off to Mont St Michel! This place was really unknown to me until a few months ago, but when I saw pictures of it I knew I had to include it on this trip. It’s one of those sort of fairy tale places that only exists in Europe and, even looking at it in the flesh, it is hard to believe it’s real.

So leaving Bricqueville, I am conscious that we lost a whole day here. I wanted to see more, including the British cemetery and the actual city of Bayeaux but we really must be on the move. We have lots more to see before we have to be in Nice on the 15th.

It’s about a 1.5 hour drive to Mont St Michel and I get my first glimpse of it with still a half hour to drive. Off on the horizon, it is recognisable even from this distance with its very distinctive silhouette. The day is overcast but not rainy and a little on the chilly side. We park in the massive car park and I am so thankful we are not here in peak season as the car park stretches for miles. My husband does what he does best and finds a park right near the entrance to the shuttle. I thought I had been clever by booking our tickets online but it turns out the queue I see is for the shuttle, for which you don’t need a ticket. \240Luckily it’s only about a 10 minute wait. The shuttle is packed and it’s a very cosy 10-15 minute ride out to the “island”. \240For those of you who don’t know, Mont St Michel is situated on a tidal rocky outcrop, surrounded by salt marsh, so at certain times of the year it is completely surrounded by water. \240It is not so today and there are tour groups trudging through the swampy sand to get to the island. Fun for some I guess....if you’re into that sort of thing. Entering the walls through what used to be a gangway, I see a beautiful medieval cobblestone street lined with shops, most of whom are selling touristy rubbish and lots of restaurants. But I also see a shop devoted to selling curtains of all things. It is set in amongst all the gift shops and restaurants. Bizarre! There is a small community of about 50 people who actually live here...maybe their curtains constantly need changing??

I had told David we did not have to climb to the top. Apparently there are about 900 steps! So we decided to start on the ramparts and work our way around and just see how far we get. Building commenced on this rocky outcrop in the year 800 and something, and over the centuries it has been added to, with the latest addition, the golden statue of the Archangel Michael atop the spire, commissioned in 1896. It underwent a 10 week restoration project in 2016 and was put back in place via a helicopter much to the locals amazement.

Making our way around the ramparts the views are spectacular. The walls of the abbey are so high you literally have to strain your neck to see to the top. We are gradually working our way up and I’m thinking this a piece of cake. David is holding up alright too and each time we come to a new staircase we look at each other and nod, yep we can keep going. We finally come to what we think are the final steps up to the abbey, and it’s only here where we have to produce our tickets to keep going. By this stage I’m starting to feel it but we make what we think is one last push up the stairs to the abbey....only to find another staircase. And when I stay staircase I mean it’s about a 3 storey high staircase. Finally we are in the abbey and the views looking out are amazing but the inside is, quite frankly, cold. It is simply a massive stone church with soaring high vaulted ceilings and not much else. Not even my favourite....stain glass windows. But we are both chuffed that we made it to the top and we follow the rest of the people through a doorway, to what we think is the exit and find \240another staircase leading to another stone room, and another staircase and another and another. By this time I’m getting annoyed as each room looks much like the next and I’m desperate for a drink and a sit down. I’m actually starting to feel a bit panicky and my heart is racing and I’m trying to control what I can only imagine is a bit of claustrophobia. I contemplate chucking a bit of a tanty to get out of there via any means possible, as I really have never had this feeling before and it’s not pleasant. I ask a tour guide where the exit is and she says “no exit, you must follow the signs”. David is no more pleased than I am that we are caught up in this labyrinth of cold stone, and I can only imagine how his ankle is feeling. I take a minute to compose myself and then I start pushing through the people just to try and get to the end of this interminable maze of cold stone rooms. Did I mention the rooms were cold and made of stone? I finally see daylight ahead....but no, we have come out into the cloisters. There are about another 4 or 5 rooms until we finally get outside the abbey and I can sit down for a minute and try and stop my heart from pumping out of my chest.

The walk down is relatively easy and we eventually get back to the street at almost ground level and take a seat in a restaurant. We had been forewarned that all the restaurants were pricey but we hadn’t been forewarned that they all have basically the same menu. Unfortunately we didn’t feel like moule (mussels) or crepes or a galette of whatever. So we upped and left and found a hole in the wall sandwich shop and got a tuna baguette and a drink. We get out of the maze of people and cobblestone streets, out into the actual fresh air and sit down on the sides of the sand to eat. Unfortunately my heart is still racing and I really can’t eat anything. My hip hurts, my back hurts and all I can think about is the walk I still have to make to get to the shuttle. It’s actually not that far but in my mind it’s a long way.

We cram back into the shuttle and David starts talking very loudly about the lack of customer service and wouldn’t you know it, we are standing next to an American tour guide who has lived in France for the best part of 30 years. They start up a conversation and blah blah blah blah....I’m sure you can guess the topic. Nice guy but I’m in no mood. Never ever stops David from having a chat....

Back to the car and we are driving to Neuille, a little village in the Loire Valley. We are meeting Dominique who, according to reviews, has very little English. Should be interesting!

Dominique has requested we call him when we are about an hour away which I dutifully do. Yep very little English is an understatement. I’ve got more French than he does English which is not saying much. We find the place without too much hassle...his directions are in French and for some stupid reason the Airbnb app won’t let me copy and paste into google translate....big problem and one they should sort out quick smart. Dominique and Fanny greet us on arrival and show us round a lovely 2 bedroom bungalow, that is stocked with just about everything you can think of. But it has my must haves....wifi, washing, parking and a garden. Tomorrow we are off Château touring. Ciao for now 😃😃

Ps I feel like I have whinged non stop about Mont St Michel. I still say it is definitely worth a visit. It is spectacular!

Day 6

Remember my list of must haves....well the wifi is not working!!!! Fanny showed me the note with the network name and wifi password before she left yesterday but I stupidly didn’t try and connect until after they had left. The wifi password is, no joke, 28 characters long and the piece of paper shows a space in between every 4 characters. Do I put a space in or not? I try 6 times with and without spaces but no luck. It wouldn’t be so bad but the 3G network here in France is appalling, when you can get a signal, which is virtually never. I try and communicate this to Fanny, resorting to “wiffi kaput”. It is a bit scary how dependent we all have become on technology.

That aside we are off to the town of Saumur and specifically Chateau Saumur, which sits above the town on the banks of the Loire River. The Chateau makes quite the statement when viewed from the bridge below and is easy enough to find. We book an English speaking guide for 30 mins to give us a rundown on the history. So I’m wondering if an actual native English speaking person has signed off on this particular guide’s qualifications to conduct English speaking tours? I think not....He takes us to a corner of the Chateau where there is a model and starts talking about the history dating back....a very long time, or so we assume. David and I studiously avoid looking at each other because we know if we make eye contact we will not be able to contain our giggles. I can make out the odd word like rampart and Chateau but that is about the extent of it. There is only one other couple with us, so walking off would be just a bit too obvious and down right rude. So I stand there and smile and nod. Thank goodness he is done after 20 minutes. I won’t bore you with the history of the Chateau, other than the fact it’s really old and was bought by the town‘s people of Saumur in the early part of the 20th century to save it from ruin. It has important French and English history dating back to the Plantagenets and was certainly worth saving. They have turned it into a museum of artworks and, not being a real art connesuir, I am really more interested in the building than the contents. After visiting a few rooms inside, we tour the grounds and take multiple photos, including one of a most bizarre bright orangey mushroomy fungus growing half way up a tree.

Post Château we make our way into the old part of Saumur, manage to park the car in a proper car parking station and then venture into the town square for lunch. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before but most busineses close between 12.30 and 2.30 so the restaurants do a thriving trade. The French are very civilised that way, long lunches with at least a couple of glasses of wine are a part of everyday life. How could we not join in?

After lunch my phone rings with a French number calling. I answer it and I make out the words Dominique and wiffi (pronounced wiffy). I get the jist that she wants us to come back to the house so we agree. Trying to explain to her she could just try and connect her own phone to the wifi, rather than us coming back, is just too difficult. Luckily we are only about 10 mins away. Dominique has asked a friend, Marie, to help him figure out the problem with the wifi. Long story short, she tries to connect, fails so we are still without wifi. 2 hours later I have the brainwave....reboot the modem. Voila!! The tried and tested fix....when in doubt, reboot.

Our day has been cut short, but all is not lost. At least we now have wifi. A stroll to the village of Neuille is in order. We discover there only 2 shops; a bar and a patisserie. What more could you need....I’m certainly happy with just bread and wine!!

Croissants and wine bought, we still need a few things so we drive to the nearest supermarket, just about 10kms away. Supplies restocked, a quiet dinner in the garden at Le Petit Maison Fleurie (the little flower house) is in order. Jusqu’a demain 😘😘😘

More Château exploring is on the cards for today. After much research (well really about 30 mins on google and trip advisor) and I have chosen Chateau Chenonceaux, about 85kms east. I have picked this one for 3 reasons. It’s not too far away, it spans a river and a winery is also very close by, which we plan on visiting after. I book the tickets online and we are there by about 10am.

I can’t stress how relieved I am that we are not here in peak season.

A. The temperature is just about perfect...low to mid 20’s albeit the nights are a bit chilly going down below 10 degrees.

B. The places we are visiting are not terribly crowded.

C. The traffic on the roads is virtually non existent

D. There are almost no queues!

We walk the 500m grand driveway up to the chateau. It is simply stunning!! Surrounded by woodland we spot ducks on the bank, and some bottoms up in the river and even a cat prowling through the forest. The tower guarding the chateau would house a family of 10. It is enormous. This time we have booked an audio tour, not trusting the English speaking guides ability to speak English.

This is more like what a chateau should look like inside...each room is set up as it would have been hundreds of years ago and the furniture and wall coverings are gorgeous. The Château was not originally built spanning the river but extended in 1555 by Diane de Poiters. As we are finding, it was mainly left to the women to run, maintain and expand these magnificent buildings, as the men were always off fighting one war or another. This chateau was part of the royal court and occupied for only a few months of the year, as the royal court was almost nomadic. They would spend the year travelling from one residence to another with a staff of about 1000 people and about the same number of horses. They would take most of the furniture with them! A few hundred servants would go on ahead and set up each residence prior to the Comt or Comtess arriving. Chateau Chenonceau was also the scene of the very first fireworks display in France in 1560.

The Chateau changed hands a few times in the next 300 years until it was finally bought in 1896 by the Menier family (famous for their chocolates) who still own it to this day. The Great Hall, spanning the river was used as a hospital in WW1. The chateau was occupied by the Germans and subsequently bombed during WW2. Fortunately only the windows in the chapel were destroyed. \240But the fact I found most fascinating was that, during WW2, one side of the river was in occupied France and the other was in the so called “free zone” or Vichy France.

It takes a good few hours to see as many rooms as possible. The kitchen is amazing with dozens of shiny brass and copper pots and pans lining the walls, and jelly moulds the size of a 2 or 3 tier cake on shelves all around. It’s somebody’s job to keep them all looking like that...glad it’s not mine.

Luckily the grounds are also home to a lovely brasserie and we sit down for well deserved meal. I look down and next to me is a women wearing a pair of shoes I would kill for. \240I’m not one for stilettos or heels of any kind really and these are not that. They are like sparkly sort of platform sneakers. I literally gasp at the sight of them and tell David I want a pair. Of course he goes over and asked the lady if she speaks English....she says no. He then proceeds to carry on a conversation with her with the odd French word thrown in here and there, but pointing at her shoes, then pointing to me. She looks over and smiles and then just says “Italia”. Of course they are from Italy. But the good news is, she got them in Milan. I absolutely covet them and I will search high and low for a pair once I get there....well at the very least google it.

It’s definitely wine o’clock (about 3pm) and The Caves of Father Auguste are a mere 2 kms away. We find what looks like a little local winery with a tasting room in the side of the mountain. Five generations of the Auguste family have been making wine here since 18 something, with a 6th generation nephew now learning the business. We taste 5 wines, a rose, a sav blanc, a cabernet, a gamay noir and a sparkling wine. David stupidly spits his out in the bucket (being the conneusuir he is), but I think that’s just a waste. I drink mine and then his whenever he has any left after spitting.

Christine tells us this small local winery has 45 hectares of vines and makes 200,000 lites of wine a year!! I quite like the rose so we purchase a couple of bottles for 6€ a bottle....cheap as chips!! After the tasting we head down into the caves where the wine is stored; barrel upon barrel, and shelf after shelf of the stuff. Shelves where the wine has been sitting for nearly 30 years and there is so much dust on the bottles it doesn’t even look like a bottle. Fascinating to see and a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Before leaving we ask Christine if there is a local place we can view the chateau from the river and she gives us directions to the perfect spot. We find it easily, park the car and then follow the path along the river, surrounded by forest, for about a kilometre. There is not another soul in sight. The water is beautifully clear and it was worth the effort because we finally get to see the Chateau as I saw it in my research, spanning the river Cher.

Homein time for cheese and more wine, a light dinner and we watch a YouTube doco on Carcassonne, tomorrows destination.

Merci beaucoup 😃😃

We are on the move again. We were planning on staying in Bordeaux for a few days but then we decided to go straight to Carcassonne as our time is quickly running out. I booked a place in Carcassonne, then googled mapped it and found out we had to go through Bordeaux anyway. Would never have thought that looking at the map. Not to worry.

On our drive out of the Loire Valley we have one more Chateau to see. It’s called the Chateua de Breve and is also known as “Un chateau sous un chateau” or “a chateau under a chateau” because of its massive underground cave system that housed the troglodytes.

We are the first ones in the parking lot, arriving at 9.30am. These civilised French people don’t open at 9am like the rest of the world. Why open at 9, when you can open at 10? Tickets and audio guide in hand we cross the drawbridge and look down. The chateau is surrounded by an 18m deep dry moat. It has always been dry, but you can see that with the drawbridge up there is no way of climbing down one side and up the other. It is immense....about 8 stories down. Once across the moat you can explore the rooms of the chateau at will. They are authentically decorated but are in need of a fair bit of tlc.

Underground is where the action is. Troglodytes are people who chose to live underground, mostly to be safe from invaders, although ironically this chateau has never been attacked There are over a kilometre of tunnels with rooms off to each side ranging from the largest underground bakery in Europe, to full stables (the animals lived underground as well), to a “nursery” which was actually a room dedicated to silk production. There are niches in the walls where the silk worms lived, munching away on mulberry leaves, until eventually they spin their cocoon. There is also an ice room which they filled up in the winter and it would basically last until the next winter. The caves temperature is a constant 12 degrees. Absolutely fascinating. There are troglodytes caves all over the Loire Valley, some with people still living in them today!

The drive south west to Carcassonne is very pretty, although it would have been absolutely stunning 4 or so weeks ago. There are fields upon fields of sunflowers that have now gone to seed. I can just imagine, having grown our own “field” of sunflowers, how beautiful it would look. There seem to be 3 main crops; sunflowers, grapes and corn as far as the eye can see. We drive through charming village after charming village until we finally hit a freeway about 2 hours in. The only slight delay is around Bordeaux where we hit traffic for about 10 mins.

Arriving into Carcassonne about 5.30pm, seeing the medieval walled town for the first time is super impressive. Of course it sits above the landscape, as they all do, and it dominates in true style. We find our little house directly below the walls and are in the process of self checking in when our host Dominique rides up on her bicycle. She is charmingly French, but with very good English and she gives us lots of tips for restaurants in the area, where the “epicerie” is (grocery shop) and the path to follow to get to the walled city.

At first glance I am disappointed with the house. The walls on the stairway are yellow, the bannisters are bright blue and it looks sort of child like with brightly coloured linens on the beds and flowery curtains in the windows. The tiles on the floor are kind of ugly too. However the upstairs living room, dining room, kitchen is very nice with neutral colours, a thoroughly modern kitchen and windows and doors on both sides to let the breeze flow right through. We also have an amazing view of the medieval town from our living room and kitchen balconies.

Settled in we walk around the corner to a restaurant Domenique has recommended called Le Jardin d’ete (The Summer Garden) and walk in through a small corridor which opens out into a massive open air courtyard. We have a lovely meal with lovely wine and stroll home for a well deserved rest.

Day 9

We have a lazy start to the day because the Dragons are playing in the semi finals at 8am. I wake up and tune into the radio. Within a few minutes we are down 2/10 and I promptly fall back asleep. I wake up again and we have just scored and are now up 12/10. I start a text message convo with a friend and another one with my brother and cousin. We aren’t really expected to win but we smash them 48/18. What a start to the day!!

Finally about 10.30 we start making our way up to the walled city. There are 2 gates in and we are closest to the Aude Gate. Its a bit of a steep climb but nothing we can’t manage 😕😕

You may have noticed those yellow lines on the outside of the castle. From our house they are quite prominent and seem to make no sense whatsoever. In fact in the photo of the house when I was looking to book I thought it was just shadows on the building at sunset. Now, walking up the ramp to the gate, we see what they are supposed to be, and quite frankly....yuk!! They are supposed to be one continuous swirl and some artist won the right to exhibit this stupidity in an art contest to celebrate something which escapes me right now. Honestly....I just don’t get art, particularly modern art. It just looks wrong. Thank goodness it’s not permanent....it’s done using a type of heavy duty coloured masking tape. Anyway to each his own, but on a beautiful ancient building like this...no thanks.

Inside is beautiful. We spend a couple of hours exploring the shops and streets, particularly a lolly shop (yum) guarded by 2 knights and an embroidery shop and we end up on the other side of the castle. We see a horse and cart ride and on impulse decide that would be a good idea to take us around the outer walls. It would have been....had the guide been speaking English. We spend 20 minutes bumping along, all the while clueless about what is being said. David tried to translate for me and apparently does a pretty good job of it. I know this, because the guy sitting next to me is English but understands French and said David pretty much got the jist of it. Well let’s say he got 2 points out of the 20 minute conversation. Pony dude over we make our way to the very famous church inside the city walls and step inside. We were not really prepared for this....some of the most intricate, beautiful, stained glass I have ever seen. Honestly it’s mind blowing!! I walk around straining my neck, to just stare and stare. Next minute we hear voices and there are 4 guys starting to sing acapella in the middle of the church. AVA MARIA if you don’t mind!!! The acoustics in the church are astounding and the whole performance is totally goose bump worthy. They are from Russia of all places. Everyone but everyone stops to listen and luckily David and I are right by 2 chairs so we sit down and soak it up. The little old disabled English lady sitting beside me has tears rolling down her cheeks. Bless her. I look over and so does David and so of course that sets me off. One of those moments where you say fate has had a hand in this. David lost a family member in the last few days and it seemed a fitting time for a few minutes of reflection. Amazing that we would walk in, right at that moment and they would sing that...it was so meant to be. So here we are, 2 Aussies sitting in a French church, next to an English lady, listening to Russians, all exhibiting a mixture of tears of joy, sorrow and awe. I will put the video on FB for those who would like to hear it.

Back home, it’s a nanna nap for David and some writing time for me before we head out for dinner. Dominique has recommended a seafood restaurant on the canal du midi, and we are keen to try it.

One of my goals for this trip was to take a boat on the canal du midi for a week or so. In the end the research proved to much for me, and I canned it. I’m disappointed I didn’t make more of an effort because that’s what we should be doing. However we have to settle for eating beside it and looking with great jealousy at the people doing it. It will have to wait for another trip. We find the restaurant easily enough and I order what I think is fish with a few prawns. What I get is a platter with a whole huge squid, mussels, 4 massive prawns, a big fish which I think is a sardine (not a fan) a smaller fish which I have no idea about and a skewer of a lovely white fish.....oh and chips and a whole carrot! Most of it is delicious and the wine is not bad either. Its a really beautiful setting and a lovely end to a lovely day

So another day is over....bring on tomorrow!!! \240Bonne nui mes amis 😴😴😴

Today we plan to hire a bike and ride along the canal du midi. We have found the place to hire on a little tourist map and we are confident we can find it...no GPS! We don’t have a name or an address, just a little bike icon on a map...what could go wrong? We are out the door by 10am.

David makes his first real mistake on the road and turns down a one way street, and not a little laneway, a major road! I have my head down looking at the map until I hear....expletive!! \240I look up and see cars facing me but thankfully they are stopped at the lights. \240Thank goodness he manages to turn sharply and we get out of a hairy situation, but it kind of sets the tone for the next few hours. We can’t find this dam bike place! We stop at a servo and ask someone who says it’s 300m down the road. Of course we believed him....but it isn’t. We ask someone else who says it’s back the other way and to the right. Of course we believed him too....but it isn’t. We ask a third person who gives us different directions...wrong again. We finally make our way back to where we thought it was at the beginning and there above us is a tiny sign of a bicycle high up on a street pole, and we see bicycles in the window....and, of course, it’s closed on Monday’s. We then realise that the first servo we stopped at first is right next door! You can’t trust these French people and their directions.

Determined to salvage something of the day we head down to the canal for a stroll and wistfully watch the boats go in and out and up and down the locks. This also happens to be the exact place we have booked a cruise for tomorrow, so at least we know where that is.

Crossing the bridge we head into the old town of Bastide for lunch. Would you believe they have the same umbrella decorations above the streets as they had in Saumur? Strange but true.

Sitting down at an outdoor bistro we order a drink and lunch on paella. We are only a few hours from the Spanish border here and you can see the influences in the food. It’s yummy and they serve it with an absolutely delicious sangria. Fed and watered we head home for the obligatory siesta.

About 5pm I suggest a walk as I have seen a lovely garden and bridge each time we have driven into Carcassonne. It’s literally at the end of our street and it is a tranquil escape from the bustle of the surrounding city. It sits on the river Aude and the arches of the ancient \240bridge, frame it beautifully. Walking up along the river, I can hear what I think is rapids and we head inland. It is kind of rapids as the river does a loop and goes through a causeway then round under a walkway bridge. As soon as I see the bridge I think “Pooh sticks”. Who wouldn’t?? I find some sticks as well as some nice big oak leaves and for a few minutes we revert back to our childhood and enjoy a very simple pleasure. Of course David is Pooh and I am Piglet even though he forgets and calls me “Sticks”. Maybe it’s more of a childhood memory for me than him. Of course I win every round and am the champion of Pooh sticks! I have posted a video on FB cause this dumb app only lets you post 30 second videos.

A simple pizza for dinner and we actually turn on the TV for the first time. I spend about an hour trying to find something in English. I finally do and it’s CNN 😫😫😫. Clever me also finds the BBC but that is about the extent of it. I hope my American friends are not in the path of Hurricane Florence but if you are....be safe 😘😘😘

Day 11

A big day is planned! We are determined to ride long the canal du midi and we have also booked a lunch cruise on said canal. This time we plan ahead and call the bike shop, only to learn they no longer hire bikes, only sell them. We find another one a bit further away, but I’m a bit hesitant because it looks to me like you have to ride through the city to get to the canal. David convinces me that won’t be the case and we arrive about 9.45am. He asks us if we would like electric bikes or standard and I say electric of course. He asks how long for and we say 2 hours. He says the bikes have to be back by 11.50 as they close for lunch at 12. If we’re not back we will have to pay for 4 hours. Sounds like plenty of time to me.

David organises the payment, ID and deposit whilst the other guy is showing me how to operate the bike. I vaguely see the map which has one long blue line on it, which I presume is the canal and it doesn’t seem to be too far away at all. Once David is helmeted up we are off and I’m following him. I follow him around a roundabout and he turns straight down on to the main road....riding on the road...with actual cars...on the opposite side than what we are used to. After about 200m I yell for him to stop.

Me...are you sure this is the right way darling....I thought it was a very short distance to the canal.

Him...no it’s about a 15 minute ride down to the canal.

Me...really cause the blue line didn’t seem very far away.

Him...darl the blue line was the way to get to the canal, not the actual canal.

Me...well why would they make it blue, why wouldn’t they make it red or something? It looked to me like that was the water not the freaking road! I can’t ride all that way in traffic, on a bike, on the wrong side of the road!

Him...yes you can. You’ll be fine. Just follow me.

Me...no way. I’m walking!!

With that I start walking with the bike on the footpath. It’s difficult; the pedals keep banging into the backs of my legs and the footpaths are narrow and have cars parked on them and people walking. After about 5 minutes he asks me to just try and ride on the road. “Don’t worry, they’ll go round you”. I agree to give it a go. Of course most of the streets are narrow, a car can’t pass you without going on the other side of the road, which means they have to wait until there is no oncoming traffic. I manage to ride some, but I get off and push whenever we come to a crossing. I refuse to sit and wait at a red light with cars lined up behind me.

We finally make it to the bridge and see the pathway along the canal. What should have been 15 mins has taken us 30. There are cars and people everywhere and I’m still pushing my bike the last bit to get down to the canal. Suddenly I hear “darl!” and what sounds like a crash behind me....and I’m thinking please no!! I turn around and David has managed to take out the side mirror of a car parked on the footpath, and he’s blaming me! I was walking my bike and he decided to get on and ride and couldn’t stop in time when he saw the car parked on the footpath and just slammed right into it. Of course I’m horrified and then I see a guy actually sitting in the car and I’m thinking this is going to be a problem.

I smile at him apologetically and sort of shrug my shoulders. He gets out and walks round to the other side of the car. If there was ever a time to let David take care of something, this is it. David picks the mirror up off the ground and amazingly it is still intact. It looks to me as though just the actual mirror part has come out of the frame. He apologises profusely to the man, who sort of shrugs his shoulders and waves us away. David insists on giving him his card, apologises again and thanks him. Did we really just get out of that unscathed?

Finally we are on the canal and on an actual bike path...no cars, a few people but it’s lovely. It’s now about 10.40 so we have just about an hour before we have to be back. We ride about 4 kilometres along the canal. One side is beautiful with the canal and trees and the boats slowly going past. The other side is a road for some of the way. We can’t really see the cars but we can hear them, which detracts a little from the peacefulness. It’s perfectly flat so you don’t really need the help of the electric bike. I try and film whilst I’m riding but I’m just not that coordinated. We settle for filming each other. We come to a lock and watch as 3 boats file in. It’s a tight squeeze as one of them is a day cruise boat, but they just fit. On those \240cruise boats surely you would spend half the time getting into the lock, waiting for it to drain, moving into the other side of the lock and waiting for it to fill up.

Back along the same path and as we are coming back up to the bridge, the same car is still parked there and we see 2 policeman next to the car talking to the driver. David sees the same thing and we both know what to do....act normal and just keep going! I’m hoping the guy was being booked for parking in such a stupid place and not that he was reporting our earlier incident.

On the way back, I am much more confident and manage to ride virtually the whole way. I have only one minor incident and I manage to scrape my arm against a brick wall. It doesnt even slow me down! I’m on a mission to get back on time and we do just that with a couple of minutes to spare.

We decide to forgo the lunch cruise. We have seen the boat...not very inspiring. It goes along the same waterway we have just ridden, the food will probably be crap and it will be crowded. I decide to try and find a nice restaurant on the canal to have lunch. Google tells me there is one not too far away. It’s a bit of a mission to find but we arrive at what looks like someone’s house....not a restaurant. A young lady comes out and we ask her where the restaurant is. She says there is no restaurant here. We show her on the map, the name of the restaurant and sure enough it’s right where we are standing. There is even a picture of her barn with the words “cosy and groups welcome” She’s astounded and calls over a guy to look at the phone. Neither of them can explain it, but one things for certain...it isn’t a restaurant.

I try again with another restaurant, this time an Italian one with reviews and everything. Would you believe the exact same thing....no restaurant. We succumb to our hunger and make our way back to our house, park the car \240and walk down to our “local”. We have a very nice 3 course set menu lunch with the required bottle of wine. We book in again for dinner, as we still haven’t tried the local dish, cassoulet, which is required eating in this part of the world.

We only have one more thing to do before we leave and that is to see the citadel lit up from the other side. For that we have to wait until dark, so it’s home for a few hours, to read and write and nap and pack.

We have our last meal at Le Jardin d’ete and the cassoulet is delicious. I make David order it as I’m not a huge duck fan. It’s like a stew with white beans, sausage and a duck leg.

After dinner we drive around to the other side of the citadel, take some lovely photos and we are home by 10.30. Tomorrow we are off to Nice on the French Riviera for the last part of our French journey and where I will meet up with Marianne.

Merci et bonne nuit 😴😴😴

Today we are travelling about 450kms east to Nice. We will have 3 nights there before David goes over to the UK for a week and I meet up with Marianne and fly to Rome.

The drive is easy and very picturesque. Lots of castles on top of hillsides, mountains and of course grapevines. We arrive into Nice about 2pm and hit a bit of traffic....roadworks! We can’t really complain...we have barely had to deal with traffic for 2 weeks. We arrive at our apartment in the beautiful part of old town Nice and are pleased with our digs.

After settling in we hit the beach about 4pm and have our first swim of the holiday. Even me....who barely swims in our Aussie summer! We spend a civilised couple of hours drinking cocktails and laughing at everybody with new born baby feet trying to get into and out of the water, ourselves included. My feet are tougher than his but even I struggled! I have a video of David which I might share...very funny!

This is not our first time in The Côte d’Azur. We were here about 18 years ago with our 3 girls, but we stayed in Cannes and David spent many a week here in his misspent youth. He reminisces on his past times here and then expresses a wish for Moules Mariniere for dinner. We ask our friendly waiter for a recommendation and he tells us about Le Maori, where he had eaten the night before, and it’s only about a 10 minute walk from our apartment.

Home for a 30 minute rest, we change for dinner and head out to Le Maori. The city is buzzing at this time, about 8pm. 5 blocks up and we turn into a plaza with packed restaurants on both sides, bars, gelato shops, shoe shops and tons of people. Luckily we thought to ring ahead and make a booking. Ordering is easy...moules mariniere for us both! And to drink.....Maree, I finally get my Aperol Spritz! I’ve been asking at every restaurant we’ve been to, but no one has had them. Finally, within spitting distance of Italy, I get a “yes, no problem”.

Minutes later the most magnificent bowls of mussels arrive and they smell amazing! Accompanied with the required “frittes” we consume mussel after mussel....the bottom of the bowl never appears and we admit defeat.

We take the long route home along the Promenade Les Anglais, past all the famous old time hotels like The Negresco and The Westminster. This Promenade is the site of the Nice terrorist attack on Bastille Day 2016 and we come across a tribute to it. That night the street had been closed to traffic and it was dubbed “prom central”. The 19 tonne truck drove through barriers and straight into the crowd, just mowing people down. There a lot of people here tonight but I can only imagine how crowded it gets every July 14th. What a nightmare it must have been. I remember watching the footage and seeing prams upturned and shoes lying in the middle of the street. 86 people were killed and 458 injured. The terrorist was eventually shot and killed. It can take a city a while to come to terms with such a tragic, senseless event and thankfully Nice seems to be its old happy self.

Home by 10ish and I get a text from Marianne with a picture of her, all smiles, and Rafa sitting right behind her. She goes to all the cool places!!

Today I get to do what every girl would love to do.....make her own signature French perfume....in Grasse, in France!

It has rained overnight so the morning is cloudy and not too hot. A perfect day to skip the beach. \240I have wanted to visit Grasse since the last time I was here and today is the day. Grasse is only about 40kms away and sits up on the hill side behind Cannes. It is famous as the perfume capitol of the world and is home to 3 major perfumeries; Galimard, Molinard and Fragonard. We are going to Molinard which was established in 1849 and is still owned by the Molinard family.

Easy to find, and with free parking, we arrive a few minutes early for our class. We are taken into the “laboratory” and Julien, a perfectly delightful young Frenchman, introduces himself and gives us a rundown on what we will be doing. We are sitting at a large round table and in the middle is a 3 tiered lazy Susan, called an organ. \240Julien explains there are 3 layers to a perfume; the top, the heart and the base. The 3 tiers on the organ correlate to the 3 layers and contain about a 100 different scents. For a 50ml bottle of perfume you would have 12.5ml of top, 25ml of heart and 12.5ml of base. We go through and smell all the different scents and choose 3 from each layer. It is quite a heady experience, but you don’t smell the bottle, just the cap...otherwise your nose will be overwhelmed. After choosing the 3 layers we then label and spray some on those cardboard sticks, just like you get at department stores being careful not to mix up the different layers. You the have to smell each layer on its own, making sure you like it, and then all 3 layers together. Both David and I took out 1 scent at this stage, because it was overpowering the others. Finally Julien tells you how much of each scent to put into the bottle and using a pipette we measure them out and mix....very gently. Ladies do not shake your perfume bottles! 😜😜 We are both happy with what we have produced....mine is quite floral using some gardenia and rose and and David’s is quite fruity using some tangerine and raspberry.

We get a certificate for our efforts. The certificates have a number which you can use to reorder your perfume in the future. They must have thousands on file in their database! It is a really interesting and fun way to spend a couple of hours and I would thoroughly recommend it. Julien is a charming and a very knowledgeable “nose” and a real credit to Molinard.

Lunch time and we find Juliens recommendation for lunch, but after walking out of Molinard I realise for some inexplicable reason a great big blister has appeared on the bottom of my big toe. I cannot walk in my shoes...it is too painful. We bypass Cafe Artiste and head to another mountain village called Mougins and find an almost deserted restaurant with an amazing view out over the valley and hills. I order what I think is stuffed eggplant and receive something completely different....a whole soft cheese the size of a grapefruit with a couple of slivers of eggplant on the side, accompanied by a very colourful salad...not really my favourite. The salad has 14 ingredients in it, including a bunch of different fruits ☹️☹️☹️ David declares it one of the best salads he has ever eaten!

Just outside the restaurant is a sculpture called “la Longue Marche du Jeans” ie “The Long March of the Jean” and what instantly comes to mind is the movie “The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants” or in my case “The Sisterhood of the Travelling Poncho”....inside joke. I probably should google the purpose of the sculpture. Hopefully I remember. To do that.

We take the scenic route back to Nice, through lots of little villages and very narrow mountain roads. Home and it’s a lazy evening of writing and drinking and maybe a little eating.....but mostly writing and drinking.

Day 14

It is our last day in France. Tomorrow I am off to spend 7 days under the Tuscan sun with 5 girlfriends and David is flying to London to spend time with friends.

So my observations on France:

They take their dogs everywhere, restaurants, museums, the beach, church, shopping....everywhere. I think it’s great, but it is very different to home where we have rules and regulations up the wazoo with regards to dogs.

They are reasonable drivers...not like the Italians!

There are yet to discover the toilet roll holder. Bizarre but true. The only place I saw a toilet roll holder was in the little loo in the cave at the restaurant yesterday.

Their pillows are square....what we call Europeans pillows and use for decoration. They just do not do the same job as rectangular pillows and I’m not really a fan.

The beds are firm but comfortable.

The people are friendly and most have at least some English, Domenique number 1 excepted. If you ask “parle vois Anglais?” many say no but if you attempt a little French they will then attempt a little English and eventually you reach a meeting of the minds.

Everywhere worth seeing is at the top of a hill or up a mountain of stairs. I wish I had worn a pedometer to know exactly how many steps we had done.....at least a million I reckon!

The toll roads are expensive and they still have barriers and tickets. They need to come into the 21st century in this regard.

The history is incredible, as it is in all of Europe and I have seen and learnt a lot. We have had a wonderful 2 weeks, but I’m now ready for a rest.

We spend a lazy couple of hours at the beach. Luckily David found some water shoes in the apartment so there is no repeat of the pain of getting in and out of the water.

The afternoon is spent packing and we then walk around the block and find a restaurant off the main streets. 2 English couples are eating and without prompting tell us the food is very good so we take a seat. The food is really just ok....I order lamb cutlets and it comes old style French with potato dauphine, a tomato au gratin but without a really good French sauce. Like I said, just ok. The wine on the other hand...amazing!!

Day 15

Day 1: The Unreal Totally Awesome Housewives of the Gold Coast!! (and Melbourne)

Up bright and early to get to the airport by 8am to drop the car off. It’s a bit of a mission to get the luggage to the car, about 100m away in a parking garage, get the car out of the garage and then get the keys back up to the apartment. This sets us back about 10 minutes but we arrive at the airport in plenty of time.

I say goodbye to hubby outside, as he is leaving from Terminal 1 and I am leaving from Terminal 2. He pouts for just a minute but I push him in the direction of the terminal and he has no choice but to keep going. Walking into the terminal I see a queue winding, winding, winding and I look up and see EasyJet and think....oh dear, where is David when I need him? Marianne is not where I think she is supposed to be, so I text her, whilst rushing to the loo. On my way out of the loo, there she is.....on her phone 😕😕😕😕. Yep she was dying to see me...I can just tell. Big hugs and we are off to stand in that ridiculous queue. About 30 minutes later and we have checked our bags in, got our gate number and the flight is on time! Going through security we come across the nicest security guard I have ever encountered in any airport. Up for a laugh, whilst still doing his job....very refreshing.

We only have about 30 minutes to wait and then it’s a short, comfortable 60 minute trip to Rome.

Points for EasyJet.... plenty of leg room (Qantas shame on you), left on time, arrived on time.

Point off for EasyJet....the bag drop queue!!! Seriously would it break the bank to actually put on a few more check in staff.

Picking up our bag (after a carousel change mid wait) we have about 4 hours to kill whilst we wait for Lynda and Janine to arrive. Wine, lunch and coffee...in that order! 2 hours later and we decide maybe we should check out the car hire booking and plead for a 7 seater automatic rather than the 9 seater manual I have booked. Now there are only 6 girls, and we will never be travelling altogether with all the luggage, it seems a bit excessive. There is a huge queue at the check in counter at Hertz so we get to chatting to an elderly American lady. Finally our turn, but alas....no 7 seater auto cars available and so the 9 seater bus it shall be.

We sit in the bus for an hour or so in the heavenly airconditioning and within 10 minutes of each other Lynda and Janine find their way to us. It’s so awesome to see them, even if it is in the middle of Rome Fiumicino airport, carpark A, level 1, space 172.

The bus departs about 5pm and Lynda and Janine settle in for their coach tour, whilst Marianne is navigator and Joey is driving. I was hoping to get to the villa before nightfall. It’s only a little less than 3.5 hours, but less than an hour in and the sun is setting quickly and I can tell that wish will not be granted.

They tell me the drive is quite scenic before it gets dark, but I am laser focused on staying on the “right” side of the road and listening to Marianne’s very explicit instructions. We have known each about 15 years now and she knows exactly how to instruct me....she never raises her voice, I get hand signals when I need them and whenever I have to turn she very quietly reminds me which side of the road I have to be on. The last probably 20kms, is up a narrow windy mountain road, barely enough room for 2 cars to pass, and it’s really a bit hairy. I feel Marianne tense occasionally when I get to far to one side. It’s hard to know where to drive.....too far over to the right and we would either be in a ditch or rolling down the hill, too far over to the left and I’ll hit someone coming towards me head on!! Janine and Lynda seem blissfully unaware I have their life in my hand right now. Lynda is asleep and Janine is more worried that the other 2 girls have enough wine when we arrive!

It feels like the last 20kms takes an hour....and then we hit the dirt road. I had been forewarned of this, \240but I was kind of expecting a sort of long, straight, \240dirt driveway...not a goat track!

Emma had said she would tie a sarong to the tree and every driveway we are looking for the sarong. Finally when it seems we are at the end of the goat track we see the sarong...relief be my friend. I am alive, my friends are alive and the car is alive....can’t ask for more than that. It’s about 9.30pm.

Finally the six of us are all together and after hugs all round it’s time for a drink. The villa looks amazing....a lovely private pool out the back, seems like a nice view although it’s pitch black and a big open plan floor plan downstairs with a grand piano, huge modular lounge, very Tuscan dining table that sets 10. Upstairs the 5 ensuite bedrooms are all a good size.

After a nibble on some food, a couple of wines and a chit chat it’s time for bed. We have all been up since about 6am and I for one am exhausted. Till tomorrow!

Day 2 Unreal Totally Awesome Housewives of the Gold Coast

A few hiccups have raised their ugly head in regards to our villa, so we put in a call for someone to come and explain things to us. The lovely Sylvania arrives and we take her through the few, relatively minor, issues. Did you know they don’t use kettles in Italy? Sylvania promises to get one for us, attempts to show us how to use the oven, fails, promises someone will come and fix it, looks at the shower head upstairs, tut tuts that its not good enough, promises someone will come fix it, shows us how to use the dishwasher....yep I’ll remember that 🙄🙄. She tells us the best supermarket to go to and the closest train station to go to catch the train into Florence.

So a trip to the supermarket is next on the cards. We all pile into the bus and drive the approximately 10kms to Certaldo. It’s huge and at least half of it is devoted to fresh food. We all wander round getting various essentials...wine, cheese, water, salami, prosciutto, bread, olives, loo paper.....

As we are going to the check out I ask “so do we have any actual food...like to cook, as in a meal?” I get a few quizzical looks in return. “You know, something other than nibbles”.

Lynda suggests a BBQ chicken....perfect! \240We then get the makings for a salad and I grab a banana cake....my version of actual food. Getting back into the car and the smell of BBQ chicken is our cue that we are starving. “Good call on the “actual” food luv” says Marianne. Our main chef is not on this trip....missing you Beth! \240She would have had all the meals organised before we arrived, at least in her head if not already prepared. I don’t cook at home so I’m certainly not cooking on holidays. Marianne is the same, so Emma is my nomination for Beth in training and she is doing a great job.

On the way home our signal drops out and we miss a turn. We have to go all the way to the top of the mountain before we can turn around and go all the way back down the mountain and up the other side. The girls are all sweet and nobody complains or even mentions the fact that the trip home is taking slightly longer than the trip there.

A BBQ chicken lunch and salad is consumed once we arrive home, with the most delicious focaccia. No wine for me as I have to drive us to the train station in an hour or 2. Our first “real meal” in Tuscany and its good old BBQ chook.

We are booked on the 3.50pm train from Certaldo into Florence. We have booked a walking wine bar tour and it starts at 5.30pm. The train is waiting on the platform for us as we walk up the stairs. The gods are smiling on us. It’s an easy 50 minute train into Florence’s Santa Maria Nouvella station. Our paperwork tells us to meet at the marble column in the Piazza del Repubblica. We come to a main piazza with a marble column and think....yep this is the one. Emma has the great idea to do a loop round, just in case there is another marble column in a piazza.....surely not in Florence 🙄🙄🙄 Marianne then informs us we are still 250m away from the right piazza. Emma comes back confident there is not another marble column in this piazza. Sorry Em....next piazza. We all follow Marianne is confident she knows where she is taking us, and sure enough in the next piazza is a marble column and Emmanuelle is waiting for us. We spend the next nearly 3 hours wandering the streets of Florence. Our first stop is a rooftop bar with views across the city to the domes and beyond. Just stunning!! An opera singer is in a corner warming up for a kids birthday party....yes I said kids birthday party and we are treated to a mini concert.

Next stop is a truffle and caviar wine bar and we nibble on gorgeous truffle sandwiches with a lovely white wine. Lynda cannot get up onto the stool, poor love, and we have a giggle. I, on the other hand, plant my behind on the stool and take in my surroundings. It is a very sophisticated dark bark with beautiful displays of bottles. Not to mention a counter with caviar and truffle!! Emmanuelle is great and gives us history that is interesting and is able to answer all of our questions.

Last stop is a cocktail bar, across the river, after the required stop on the Ponte Vecchia which we arrive at perfectly at sunset. \240The views up and down the river are amazing and we witness “that light”....you know the light they talk about in Florence, which is impossible to explain....you just have to see it for yourself. I have an Aperol Spritz and it is easily the best one I’ve had so far. 3 girls have Moscow Mules, one an old fashioned, and one an elderflower gin and tonic. Another nibble plate comes out with gnocchi, some fish and something else that looks like a crumbed prawn but isn’t. Still yummy though.

Emmanuele has finished the tour...we have gone way over but we have all just had the best time. We’ve seen a lot, learned heaps, drunk not too much and eaten a little. The perfect combination! We all agree Florence is to die for....something amazing to look at up every street and around every corner.

We stop at a gelato shop on the way back to the station with Sheila hard faced witch behind the counter. They try and rip me off by not giving me my 10 euros change but I’m onto them. Rude!!!

Caroline tells us the next train is at 9.10 and we probably won’t make it. I say we will if we speed up the pace a bit. In fact we would have made the 9.10 train....if there was one. The next one is at 9.28 and we will have to change trains. No problem...except it’s 15 minutes late. Janine and Caroline enquire as to whether we will miss our connection now and the lady says “no problem....the conductor will hold the train for you”. Really....we have the ability to stop the trains??

Long story short we made our connection....thank goodness, because the next train was at midnight!!! You would have had to peel me off the platform if I had to wait that long for a train!

Home at about 11pm and I have that dreaded feeling a cold is coming on. I’m praying I’m wrong and that it’s allergies or something. I’m so ready for a good nights sleep. It has been an amazing day and I would like to have a few more amazing days....and not with a cold!!

Arriverderci ❤️❤️❤️

Day 3 of the Unreal Totally Awesome Housewives of the Gold Coast

Alas my fears have come true and I have woken up with a cold. Well woken up implies I slept which would be an exaggeration.

Luckily today is a pool/relaxing day so I’m under no pressure to do anything. The girls dose me up with every concoction known to man including Emma’s famous “bug buster”. Tastes like absolute crap so it must be good!!

Everyone is in need of a rest day, not just me. We have all been going non stop for at least 2 weeks....some longer. Emma cooks up some eggy, bready, sausagey, thing for lunch along with some pasta dishes. Totally yum! Of course this is after we’ve had the gardener/oven repair guy down for the 3rd time to get the oven going. This time we make him stay while it cooks. He has no English and apparently some interesting conversations were had.

I FaceTime Cristie, who was supposed to be on this trip with us. She is in a love/hate relationship with us right now. Love because she is glad we are having a good time and hate because she desperately wanted to come. It’s good to see her smiling face 😀😀

So who are these fabulous girls on this trip? Well there is.....

Lynda....short, blonde and cute, she is the friend everyone should have. Would do anything, and I mean anything for you and is the sweetest kindest person I’ve probably ever met. After a few drinks though...watch out. She might get a little bit loud.

Emma....shortish with dark hair cut in a stylish bob. Loves shoes...maybe more than she loves her hunky Hungarian fiancé Tamas. She is our resident health guru. She always has a remedy, potion or tip to keep us on the straight and narrow.

Caroline....tall and blonde with legs forever. She is a bit of a glamour and loves pink and sparkles. After a few drinks she is prone to snort and giggle.

Janine...petite with dark blonde hair. She is our only girl from Victoria. She loves Collingwood like I love St George and has killer thighs after conquering Croatian mountains day after day after day and saying she loved it. She is my nomination for sporty barbie.

Marianne....tall and blonde. Quietly spoken but quick as a whip. Can drink us all under the table and you’d barely notice. We just click like gin and tonic.

And then there’s me. Your resident bus driver on this trip. I’m the impatient one who can’t stand still for very long, doesn’t suffer fools lightly, and complains about long walks, stairs and queues. I’m just thankful they put up with me and let me tag along year after year.

Some girls couldn’t make this trip. I hope I get to include them in my next blog. Rest assured Margie, Karen, Beth, Maree, Cristie, Katrina, Bernie, Suzie you have been missed!!

It’s off to bed for me at about 9pm to try and kick this cold. I can’t afford to be sick right now!! I’m really hoping for a good nights sleep and to be fresh as a daisy tomorrow.

View from my balcony

Day 18

Day 4 of the Unreal Totally Awesome Housewives of the Gold Coast

Feeling good!!! About 90%, which is amazing. We have a big day planned. We want to go to San Gim and explore and shop and then we have a winery tour booked for 4pm. We decide to be really adventurous and check out the Certaldo Castle first thing, which we only found out about because we saw a funiculare from the train station yesterday.

We leave at a leisurely 10.30am and make our way down the mountain to Certaldo. We know the funiculare is near the train station, but we’re not 100% sure on where to park. Marianne expertly guides me to a parking place in the middle of the town and when we get out we see the sign, literally across the road. Bless her....she could be David!

Lynda goes to the parking machine and comes back with 4, 15 minute parking slips...all for the same 15 mins!! Not sure how you even do that. She then spots another parking ticket machine, this time with English and secures a 2 hour ticket. Luckily the parking is like 40 cents an hour or something ridiculously cheap.

We cross the road to the funiculare and get our tickets. 10 minutes to wait...plenty of time for a coffee. Janine orders a latte and the lady asks if she would like coffee with that....lol. You have to ask for a cafe latte otherwise you’ll get a cup of hot milk.

We make the funiculare and it’s a short 3 minute ride to the top. We step out into another world. It’s almost as if time stood still for about 600 years. This castle dates back to 1164! For some reason this is not on the tourist route so there are very few people around and it is just all old houses with wooden shutters, brightly coloured window boxes and worn smooth marble roads leading up to a castle that is now a museum. They even have a little dog park at the top. The views out over the Tuscan countryside are just magic....rolling hills with olive groves and grid like vineyards everywhere, little villages dotted here and there. Everyone just ooo’s and ahh’s and the photo ops are too many to count. There are virtually zero tourist shops which is so refreshing.

Exploring done we find a beautiful restaurant with a terrace overlooking the view and have a fabulous lunch of bruschetta, pasta, some pastry thing that Marianne and Lynda ordered thinking it was pasta but was still yum and of course dessert. A few bottles of local wine may also have been consumed but everyone kept themselves tidy....well except Lynda who all of a sudden realised we had been longer than 2 hours and started shouting s***, s***, s***, the parking meter. We managed to calm her down by saying “the parking was 40 cents an hour, how much could a \240parking fine possibly be?” She’s only little and after a few glasses of wine....let’s just say she can be quite exhuberant. But in a totally good way. We love her to bits.

We may have lingered over lunch a little longer than usual because A. everyone had to use the unique toilet...too hard to explain, B. our waiters were terribly cute and C. we realised we would never fit in San Gim before the winery tour at 4pm.

A leisurely walk back to the funiculare, down the hill and we were all relieved to see we had not got a parking fine. Marianne navigates us to the winery, only about 10 minutes away. We are about 15 minutes early so we sit and wait for the lovely Laura (pronounced Lowra in Italian) to commence the tour. We are a bit disappointed to see we are not the only ones in the group...there are about 20 people. She walks us down to the vineyard and starts explaining about the local grape and the local wine and the local this and that and frankly I’m tuning out. I hit the grass, thinking “I just drink the stuff...it’s someone else’s job to know how to make it and someone else’s job again (usually David or Marianne) to decide which wine to buy”. Next minute I hear Caroline asking a question about baby grapes and fertiliser or something and I’m thinking....wow she is really listening.

Vineyard tour complete it’s now into the room to see how it’s made. It’s all a bit much for me so I quietly slip out of the group and go and sit on the terrace and drink in the view.

Not long after, the group rejoins me on the terrace and we taste the local wines along with platters of local meats, cheese, olives, fruit and honey....oh and bread. Always copious amounts of bread. Simply delicious. This is no ordinary wine tasting...you get a proper glass of 3 different wines....no spitting going on here! Oh and I have to drive the bus home! Of course I was responsible.

It’s now about 7pm and after a fantastic day we decide a quiet night at home is called for. The drive home is easy...well as easy as it gets on these narrow roads. I don’t even think we get lost, even when google maps cuts out halfway up, which it does every time.

Cards is on the menu for entertainment tonight but I beg off as I can feel my cold chesty thing resurfacing. I think I’m in bed by 9pm!! It has been a really magical day...one of those days when you discover something off the tourist track and that surpasses all your expectations. Certaldo Alto....grazie 👍👍

Ciao 😘😘😘

Day 19

Day 5 of the Unreal Totally Awesome Housewives of the Gold Coast.

Today is San Gim day! I picked this part of Tuscany mainly because of its proximity to San Gimignano. I wanted to go last time I was here but never got around to it. The town of towers....8 or 12 or something. It’s only about 8.5kms away and we are hoping, being shoulder season, there are not too many people around.

As always with us girls we have a leisurely start to the day. A bit of brekkie, a bit of sun baking, a few coffees and we are on the road by about 11am. Down the mountain and up the next mountain (well they’re kind of big hills really) and we drive into the outskirts of San Gim. I had read there was plenty of parking available so I was confident of getting a good spot right near the entrance....no such luck! We start at the top carpark and work our way down. Because of the size of the bus, I can’t just pull into any old space....I need a big space and not one I have to parallel park. Down the hill we go until we are at the bottom car park! A trek back up it will have to be. It isn’t so bad...walking up and down my driveway and property has certainly paid dividends. Back at the top and Marianne and I might take a well earned rest...just for a photo op mind you, no other reason.

My wish of there being minimal people has not come true (should have figured that out by the parking situation) and although it’s not wall to wall people, it’s enough to be incredibly annoying. It’s also very very touristy. We were spoilt by Certaldo Alto yesterday and this, although very beautiful, is just shops and people and cafes and more shops and people. Begging off (I wish I could ditch this dam cold) I find a restaurant as out of the sun as possible and drink Aperol Spritz whilst the girls explore. I’m happy!

Couple of hours later and the girls have found a beautiful restaurant for lunch out of the way of all the people, up a flight of stairs and in a beautiful garden setting. By this time it’s nearly 2pm and everyone is starving. I go rogue and break my cardinal rule of not ordering pasta in Italy and go for a pork dish with Rosemary sauce. Experience has taught me....when in Italy order what they do best and that is usually pasta. Thankfully it’s delicious, but the sauce is next level!

A typical Joey moment happens on my trip to the loo. They seem to have different flushes in all the toilets and some of them have been “challenging” for me to find. It turns out this one was not particularly challenging but instead of hitting the flush I hit the alarm. The flush is a massive big button above the loo (and when I say massive I mean like 30cm x 15cm). You literally can’t miss it. But instead I push a teeny weeny black button off to the side which sets of the alarm. That would have been fine except I hadn’t pulled my pants up yet and I’m having visions of them storming the loo whilst I’m trying to turn off the alarm whilst pulling my pants up. Luckily no one comes charging in and I regain my composure, get my pants up, see the massive flush button directly above the loo and feel like a complete fool. As I walk out the little old nonna is standing outside with a big grin on her face. Getting back to the table, nobody has heard the commotion I’ve created....I am very relieved.

Pleasantly full...some more than others after entree, main and dessert, not mentioning any names (Janine, Lynda and Caroline), although the tarte citron and creme brûlée are declared the best ever!! There is still time for a bit of shopping on the way out. Marianne, Lynda, Janine and I stop at a leather shop called Cuoiecia (don’t quote me on the spelling but there were definitely more vowels than consonants) and I do my first bit of actual shopping. Soooo proud! I have heard that we can claim our VAT back at the tourist office which is just across the road so we head there. Caroline and Emma have long gone...who knows where. It takes a bit of time but we are successful, but in the mean time the storm clouds have rolled in and we can hear thunder. As luck would have it, the heavens open just as we exit the city. Me, always putting others before myself 🙄🙄, decide we have to leg it back down the hill to the car because we think Caroline and Emma will be waiting there for us. We are quite literally saturated by the time we get there....no sign of Caroline and Emma. Poor Janine kindly takes a detour on the way down to get wine and milk, so she is even more wet when she arrives...still no sign of Caroline and Emma and no reply to our messages. Finally we hear from them and their response.... “ we thought there would be no way Joey would walk down in the rain so we waited till it mostly stopped.” Rightio....last time I do that 😜😜

Easy drive home.....well apart from another slight detour when google maps dropped out again. We have now seen all sides of our mountain!

After such a late lunch we are not really hungry when we get home. A card tournament is on again but unfortunately I am exhausted and need to sleep. Marianne has taught all the girls a new game. I forget what it’s called but you get to award stupid points for stupid play.....

I’m texting the girls downstairs to keep the noise down cause Lynda is leaving early in the morning to catch a train into Florence and do a 5 hour walking tour. Unfortunately the stupid part of the game has well and truly kicked in, along with the wine, and my warnings go unheeded. Hours later and sleep eluding me I venture downstairs and take up a hand and learn the finer points of said game.

Midnight hits and I give up, earning no stupid points!! Well maybe I should have had a couple but being a beginner they cut me some slack. Janine is cleaning up and Marianne has a ridiculous number of stupid points.

I’m not sure what tomorrow holds other than farewelling Lynda early. \240My suspicion is not a whole lot after the “stupid” card tournament!!

Day 20

Day 6 of the Unreal Housewives of the Gold Coast

We are all up bright and early to farewell Lynda. She put in a call to Rocco the previous day to pick her up in a taxi to take her to the station, but Marianne and I are on standby in the likely event he doesn’t show. By the time we are up Lynda somehow has managed to silently get her bags down the wooden staircase and to the front door. I have no idea how she did that!

Amazingly at 10 to 8 Rocco shows up! Early if you don’t mind...I would have put money on him not arriving. Farewell hugs all round and Lynda is off to Florence again and then onto Paris to meet her daughter.

Marianne is looking fine, Janine not too bad, but Caroline and Emma....not too good. Everyone goes back to bed for a few more hours sleep.

My suspicions are correct and there will be no adventuring today. About 10am I’m in the kitchen making coffee and Emma walks in “I’m not feeling so good”. And with that she’s straight to the downstairs bathroom...thank goodness there is one. I wait a few minutes and then knock on the door asking her if she is ok. I get a very meek reply in the affirmative and then a few minutes later Emma comes back feeling a whole lot better. “Better out than in” is a phrase we have used a few times this week.

Yes a quiet day by the pool sounds like what everybody needs. That is until Luigi the gardener/oven fixer brings out the hedge trimmer and decides today will be the perfect day to trim our hedges!! No....not today, not on my watch. Joey puts her big girl pants on and marches round to Luigi in the front garden and with my best sign language I put my fingers in my ears and make a horrible face and then say “cut”. Not sure why I say cut but he gets the picture.

About midday Janine and Marianne cook up a lunch of roasted potatoes, rosemary, mushrooms and onion. Sensational and just what the doctor ordered for those of us with “slight” hangovers. Caroline had swore there was no rosemary growing anywhere around us. I was sceptical because it is literally growing in every garden and Janine even more sceptical and so much so she went on the hunt. Sure enough just through the hedge she is triumphant and comes back with a lovely long stalk of rosemary to use in our lunch.

Janine has given us a choice of restaurants for dinner....fine dining or cute and cosy. We choose cute and cosy and it’s only 2kms up the goat track. Well it’s actually 2kms after the goat track but it’s close enough. After a day of lazing and not drinking Emma is feeling human again and we book for 7.15pm.

Just before we are to leave it’s starts raining. The weather here for the last few days has been remarkably like the Gold Coast with hot days and an afternoon storm. I’m suddenly having visions of rivers of mud coming down the goat track and me trying to get us up the goat track in the bus and failing miserably. I put out a call “the bus is leaving” to try and beat the rivers of mud. I needn’t have worried...the goat track is remarkably stable, not to mention my expert driving, and we get to the top unscathed.

The “cute and cosy” is set in beautiful gardens. We sit in the car for a few minutes to try and sit out the rain but it doesn’t seem to be letting up. We give up and hot foot it into the restaurant. Caroline has an umbrella and so does Emma...well of sorts. She has a plastic shopping bag to put over her head. Remember the stylish bob...turns out, not so stylish if it gets wet.

We were supposed to sit outside on the verandah but the rain now means we have to sit inside by the window. Honestly the gardens are to die for and I am super jealous of their roses. We order entrees and mains and then ask the cute waiter with very little English to take a picture of us by the window. He complies but when Janine looks at she is not happy. So she asks him again, pointing out where to take it from, what to focus on etc. Turns out as a photographer he makes a very good waiter...lol. We were trying to capture the gardens through the window, it’s a good shot of the 5 of us but not so much of the gardens.

Dessert time comes around and they have a trio of chocolate and creme brûlée on the menu. Caroline tempts fate after having the best creme brûlée ever the day before, and orders it again. Janine and Emma and I order the trio of chocolate. Dessert comes and I have this mass of chocolate on my plate with one blackberry for relief and I have about 3 spoonfuls and I’m done. It’s just too rich. Janine manages to get some ice cream which helps her polish off the whole lot...impressive! Unfortunately the creme brûlée has separated....as I said tempting fate. Still tastes ok according to Caroline.

Home about 10pm and the “stupid” card game is on the agenda again. This is my my first real go......I get flogged!!! Not because of stupid points I hasten to add, just really bad cards hand after hand. Marianne cleans up tonight. Midnight rolls around and we call it a night. Emma, Caroline and Janine are leaving tomorrow, but not before a shopping trip to Siena. It’s almost over 😢😢😢.

Day 21

3 more girls are leaving today 😢😢😢. This amazing Tuscan girl adventure is nearly over. But we have one more outing planned before parting ways.

The girls leaving today pretty much packed last night so we are on the road by 9am and driving to Siena, about an hour away. Tom, Emma’s fiancé, has kindly sent us a pin drop on where to park in the city, mind you to get there I have to drive the bus through the narrowest of cobblestones streets, full of people walking, who don’t realise it’s actually a road. Its a teeny tiny bit stressful...but we make it into the carpark and see Tom. The car parks are also tiny, the bus literally hangs out into the road, and the helpless female in me kicks in and I throw in the towel and ask him to park it for me. Pathetic I know....I’ve done so well for the past 7 days, but I’m not apologising.

Walking into the city we are specifically looking for an outlet shop. It doesn’t take us long and we find it. Not all it was cracked up to be. A bit after midday we farewell Emma and Tom who are driving to Milan and flying home tomorrow. Then there were 4.

More wandering the streets looking at shops, me sitting on stoops until it’s lunch time. We find an alley restaurant that has wifi and Janine eagerly tunes into the AFL football. The Pies are playing in the preliminary final but not expected to win. When she hears the score you cannot wipe the grin off her face. They are up by like 40 points! We have a delicious pasta dish..mine is Ameritriciana...or something like that, and is almost the best pasta I’ve had. By the end of the meal the game is over and the Pies are into the grand final! Neen is one happy happy girl.

We return to the bus to drop Caroline and Janine to the train station. They are travelling to Rome and flying home from there. Final hugs...and then there were 2.

I had told Marianne this morning to bring a towel and something to swim in, as I thought we should try and find some hot springs this afternoon. There is a place called Bagno Vignoni, about an hour south of Siena which looks gorgeous. It’s a relatively easy drive and we arrive in the little village. The centre of the town is a massive thermal pool...no swimming, but it’s very beautiful. It’s about the size of an Olympic swimming pool. We sit down for a glass of wine and ask the waiter where the river is. I have read there are hot springs down near the river...off the beaten track but worth making the effort. He vaguely points us in the direction. After our wine we begin the search. We had the waiters vague directions and a report on trip advisor that said head down in the direction of the castle on the hill. Outside the village we see the castle on the hill and head in that direction....to a cliff!! We can see and stand in the springs running down from the town and straight over the cliff in a waterfall. Looking over the edge we can see a pool of incredibly ice blue water down below, but we can also see cars down there, below the pool. There is a track off to the side, but being the sensible girls we are...we decide to drive.

The track to drive down is not difficult to find and we come across the cars parked. Jumping out we head up the track and find a scummy blue pool that does not look inviting at all. I know this is not what I saw from the top, so we head back to the car and keep driving down the track until we can’t go any further. Nothing!! Getting frustrated we head back to the cars parked and see a couple getting changed into togs so I decide to follow them. I see they are heading higher than what we did the first time so I run back to the car and we get changed. We meet the couple coming down as we are going up. They don’t look wet and I ask them how it was. They said ok if you’re from Scandinavia...what!!! Please don’t tell me we’ve made all this effort and the water is cold. We decide to find out for ourselves and we finally see the pool we had seen from the top. It’s beautiful to look at and I dip my toe in. Not freezing but not hot...kind of lukewarm but that’s good enough for me. Marianne is a bit iffy about what’s on the bottom so I become the guinea pig. It’s quite slippery getting in and the bottom is a bit squelchy but it’s really quite lovely. Marianne puts her fears about the bottom and joins me....and the naked guy swimming up and down. We had read the smell was a bit off putting but not at all. It’s peaceful and beautiful...naked guy notwithstanding. Luckily he keeps his distance. We had done it...searched and found the secluded rock pool, swum and photographed it. Mission accomplished!

By this time it’s late afternoon and getting a bit chilly so we head back to the car, get changed and start the drive home. We have booked for dinner in the restaurant on site for 7.30. Dinner is not even worth talking about. I was actually worried about how we looked and were dressed...straight from the thermal pool. I needn’t have been. I was expecting a beautiful room with views over the Tuscan countryside that we have been marvelling at for days. Instead it’s like a barn with saddles and cow skulls for decoration, no view at all and a fairly basic set menu, that is actually quite average. Worst meal in Tuscany by a country mile. It doesn’t spoil our day though and we have a good giggle when we see the dessert. Described as “home made cake” it is a an apricot tart and is exactly the same as the one Emma bought at the Coop a few days before, and I mean exactly. So much for home made!! We don’t eat it.

Down the goat track and home to bed for our last sleep in Tuscany. We have a fairly long drive tomorrow, up to Milan, about 5 hours away. ‘‘Twas a good last day...

It is time to say farewell to Tuscany!! We have had a great week....so many memories made and new experiences had. We pack the car and head up to reception to pay the bill and give them a \240few tips on how they could improve things. I’m taking a leaf out of David’s book...trouble is I probably should have told them about the few problems before I paid the bill 🙄🙄🙄 Nothing was terribly wrong...just a few hiccups like no kettle, the oven not working, no balcony furniture, no real information about the area. Overall it was a great villa....very comfortable and very peaceful.

We set google maps for Villa Malpensa in Milan and we aim to arrive about 2pm. Once we hit the Autostrada the bus \240cruises along nicely at 135kms per hour.... and I’m being passed by most people. We tune in and listen to the Roosters/Rabbitohs game. What a shocking error riddled game it is. My first message from Ranald when it’s finally over is just one word....which I can’t repeat. Bye bye bunnies for 2018.

We make one stop for coffee and then one stop about 50kms away and fill up with petrol. Right on schedule we pull up to Villa Malpensa and check in. Well I check in...Marianne is just hanging out till she has to go to the airport at about 7pm. After check in we take the bus back to Hertz at the airport and I am very proud to announce that I did not hit a single thing all week...not even one. When I first saw the bus a week ago I was skeptical I could even drive it, let alone on some of the roads we have been on, but there you go.

Marianne and I head down to the bar at 4pm and order some food and a drink and wait for David to arrive. Amazingly his flight is on time and he arrives about 6.20. He is very pleased to see me....as I am him. He has had a lovely week in London, with a friend surprising him and flying in from Australia and catching up with our London based friends Angus and Briony. He also spent a night out at Bray with Michel and drank the most amazing wines and ate food that only the Waterside can do.

It’s time for Marianne to head to the airport. She has been the Aperol to my Spritz since we met up at Nice airport 7 days ago. But she has to return home and I have to return to my husband and continue travelling for another 10 days. \240Biggest hugs all round and we stand on the terrace of our room waving her off, like the royal couple we pretend to be 😜😜😜

A quiet dinner in the hotel dining room, then a coffee in the bar and it’s time for bed. Let the next stage of this adventure begin!

Not a great night....between my coughing and he who shan’t be named snoring, not a lot of sleep was had. However we are down at breakfast by 9am and in the hotel shuttle to the airport to pick up the car by 9.45am.

Remember the bus I was driving yesterday? Well cut that in half and then half again and you will get a picture of the car we are driving now. Serves me right for being a cheapskate and booking a “compact” car.

We have decided to visit Como on the way to Switzerland, as we can’t check in till 4pm and it’s only about a 4 hour drive. Driving into Como is not at all what I expected....it’s almost a city. I expected a little village with houses on the lake and a bistro or 2. We can’t even see the lake for the buildings. David has been here once before about 40 years ago and remembers a little town above Como called Brunate. So we decide to drive up to Brunate. Holy cow...the road!! I will let my screen shot of google maps tell the story, but needless to say....switchbacks be my friend!! We are in a little manual car but she keeps going....up and up and up. We finally reach the top and would you believe we find a car park. I don’t know how, as there is a service going on at the church at the top, but I guess the locals are to smart to drive. Only dumb tourists would drive on this road. There is a lovely restaurant....basically empty with a stunning view down to Lake Como. Not quite the view we were after but it’s fantastic. We have a lovely meal and then start the drive down again. Half way down I see what looks like a spot to take a photo and somehow a car park magically appears....again. It’s uncanny!! More photos of what I thought was Villa d’Este but turns out to be some other Villa hotel and the whole of Como is below us.

Back in the car and after getting back to the bottom, we decide to try and change our car if possible. After 3 attempts we find the Europcar office in Como...closed on Sunday. We must persevere with what we’ve got.

Google maps set to our address in Aieschi, and we are off to Switzerland. Surprisingly within minutes we are at the border. The guy at the Europcar check in counter had told us we had to buy some sort of road pass for Switzerland so after we cross through the Italian border and come to the Swiss border, we pull over and David goes in and buys whatever this thing is we are supposed to have. We have only just realised that Switzerland is not part of the European Union, but there is no passport control and we could have just kept driving. Also no euro here....Swiss francs are the currency.

The scenery on the drive is breathtaking!! Stunning mountains and ice blue lakes, the greenest of meadows dotting the mountains, interspersed with Swiss chalets. And the tunnels!! We went through the Gotthard road tunnel, one of the longest road tunnels in the world which went for over 16kms. Honestly the engineering is amazing. Unfortunately we also got caught behind 2 accidents in 2 different tunnels, which added over an hour to our trip. Fortunately one of them was right on a lake with the most spectacular scenery and I had the chance to get out and take some pictures.

We still managed to get to our chalet before dark and it is gorgeous. The scenery at the front and the back is amazing and it has massive picture windows on three sides of the house so you are literally immersed in the surrounding countryside.

We stopped on the way to pick up some dinner but as David is preparing it I decide I need to go to the hospital to get checked out. Not like me at all....I hate hospitals with a passion! But I’ve lived with asthma my whole life and I know when I’m not quite right. The last thing I want is for it be come an emergency. Surprisingly David is almost angry at me....I know it’s because he’s tired after having driven for 5 hours plus. Of course it’s a Sunday night so our only option is the emergency room at the hospital about 15kms away.

Long story short....go to hospital, they say \240oungajn bike accident just come in so the wait could be hours, I say then I’m leaving, night doctor comes on, get seen pretty quickly, she wants me to have blood tests and chest X-rays, I say X-rays not necessary but blood test ok, get \240nebulised ventolin and feel much better, blood test results ok, they gave me 3 days of steroids and antibiotics as a precaution and I’m happy with the outcome. All up, only a couple of hours..plus $602AUD. Travel insurance will take care of that.

David still kind of pissed because he blames himself for not forcing me to go earlier. He just doesn’t get that before it was just a cold, but when I felt it change I acted on it. Totally responsible of me....I thought. Still not really speaking when we get home so it’s straight to bed for me. Tomorrow will be a better day 🤞🤞🤞

Day 24

We are speaking again by the morning. On doctors orders today is to be low key. I don’t mind....I had planned on having a low key week, so a low key day suits me just fine. This morning it is actually freezing....4 degrees if you don’t mind. I’m not prepared clothing wise for this kind of weather so a trip to a store is in order. We also need to go to the supermarket. After breakfast we head down to Spiez and find a kind of mall with an Aldi and an outlet store. I manage to find a coat and some warm pants in the outlet store. I really should be getting a beanie, gloves and a scarf as well but the weather is forecasted to be warmer in the coming days so I resist.

Down to Aldi and we stock up on groceries. Everything is so expensive!!When we go to the pay machine for the parking it is 1CF. The machine doesn’t take cards and we have zero cash on us. I go back into Aldi to ask where an atm is and they kindly let me buy something, pay for it on a card and then they give me the cash. Reading that back, that makes no sense...unless she charged me double for the Mentos I bought. I didn’t bother to look...I was just grateful to get the 2.95CH in my hand.

We decide to take a drive up to Grindelwald which is apparently beautiful. It’s a big ski town in the winter but should be just as beautiful in the Autumn. It’s about an hours drive up and once again you are completely surrounded by the most exquisite scenery. You simply cannot escape it. Not that you would want to. As I said Grindelwald is really a ski town, and is packed with chalets, apartment blocks, and restaurants. We see a train going up and decide to google it. Turns out it’s the Jungfrau which takes you to the “top of Europe”. That will be for another day. The cloud cover is quite low today so we cannot really see the snow on the top of the mountains. In some parts the cloud is so low it is still sitting in the valley. Satisfied with what we have seen we drive back to Aeischi for a quiet afternoon of Netflix, wine and scrabble. Today was hardly worth writing about...forgive me. Tomorrow will be better.

Day 25

Had a great sleep. Checked in with Lily to make sure everything went ok today, as we had guests leaving in the morning and checking in the same afternoon. Of course she is on top of it and everything is fine.

After researching the Jungfrau and finding out they charge 190ch each or over $270aud each David takes it upon himself to come up with an alternative. Although I would love to do it, I’m not convinced icy mountain air is the best thing for me right now, so I let him lead the way. He has found a funicular which takes you up above Interlaken, taking in the views of both lakes, and there is a restaurant up there to have lunch. It’s called the Hardenklum. \240Looking on the map I see Interlaken sits between the 2 lakes and there is a canal running between.

It’s a leisurely 30 minute drive down to Interlaken and we easily find the funicular. I’m thankful to see it’s not crowded and we get a seat in the second carriage. It’s only about a 10 minute ride to the top and the views are spectacular the whole way, apart from in the tunnel. Part way up we see a deer/goat sort of zoo and I’m disappointed to see it looks a bit like a concrete slab. There is a not a spec of greenery in the whole place. It’s really quite depressing.

At the top and it’s a gentle uphill walk to the restaurant and viewing platform. Its not too crowded and I quickly grab a table on the edge overlooking the view. Our “friendly” waitress informs us of the set menu for lunch and it sounds quite nice...creamy vegetable soup and beef stroganoff....for 35cf each, more than $50aud. I guess for a tourist trap it’s not too bad by Swiss standards and the food is pleasant enough.

We have found the Swiss people to be guarded. Not friendly but not rude. We certainly haven’t been bowled over by their enthusiasm for visitors. And the language of Swiss German is not pleasant on the ear. Unlike French or Italian, German is just so gruff sounding. I wouldn’t say English is widely spoken, but enough that we can get by and not make complete fools of ourselves and I have found their websites to be complicated, if you don’t speak German.

So did I mention the view??? Spectacular, stunning, amazing....pick any adjective along those lines and you get the picture. The turquoise blue lakes, the green of the smaller mountains and then the snow capped mountains in the distance. I make my way out to the viewing platform and I have to call my girls and share it. It’s that good!! FaceTiming with Lily and Josh goes well and they get to sort of see what I’m seeing. It doesn’t go quite so well with Michelle and I’m not sure if she got to see it. Jacqui and Brooke left for Vietnam this morning so I can’t show them.

David is hesitant standing on the viewing platform, which also has a glass panel in the floor. Not sure why as there is not much to see directly below my feet. David retreats back to the table, but not before I get him to take a couple of pictures. I’ve never really seen this side of him....or maybe I have and I’ve just forgotten.

Heading back to the funicular and I’m wanting to get a seat in the front carriage. Mission accomplished...front carriage, second row and there is an Aussie couple in front of us. He spends the whole time complaining about the people standing, because he thinks they’re pushing in...all the while he has the best seat in the house!

Its now about 3pm and we decide afternoon tea by the lake sounds ideal. These are the times I like the best....we get an idea, we have no clue how or where, but we are determined to find it. We take a drive along the far side of the lake, passing some great homes, a few hotels, lots of lake frontage but very few eating places, and the ones we see are closed. I understand this is shoulder season and the place is not packed but it does seem odd. We are almost out of lake when we spot it...The Eden Beach Bar, and it’s open. It couldn’t be more perfect. The sun is shining, they have comfortable lounge chairs and they have cake on the menu! We are right on the lake, with ducks and swans and sail boats and the view is...well you know what it is. Unfreakinbelievable!! I have the chocolate cake and David has an apricot flan thingy...coffee and Aperol Spritz completes the picture.

We complete our tour of the lake on the way home, driving through Thon and back around to Spiez and up to Aieschi.

Home by 6pm and pasta is on the menu and a movie. It’s has been a lovely day and one I am thankful I got to share with David. No plans as yet for tomorrow...let’s see where the mountain wind blows us.

Guten abend ❤️❤️

Day 26

Today is a rest day. This altitude messes with your head and you get very tired. I’m not complaining though....I couldn’t think of a more perfect setting to chill....surrounded by mountains, meadows, cow bells and clean fresh mountain air.

I spend the morning catching up on my blog....I’m so behind!! I have found it more difficult this time around. With this stupid app I’m using, unless my readers download the app (which you don’t need to do to read it) \240I don’t get any feedback. I’m getting the odd “thumbs up” and comment on FB but not nearly enough to boost my fragile ego when it comes to writing. Anyway for those that have taken the time to read it, my most sincere thanks. I know I have one avid reader in my friend Barb in America who always manages to give me a thumbs up. Thanks Barb!!

It’s a beautiful day and I sit outside in the sun (it’s about 18 degrees) and manage to catch up on a few days writing. After lunch we decide to go for a bike ride. Our host here has purchased brand new electric mountain bikes and we are keen to put them to the test. There is a bike/walking path that runs right past the chalet’s kitchen window. Unfortunately the instructions for the bikes are in German, so it takes us a good 30 minutes to figure them out.

Speaking of walking paths....the whole country is one big walking/hiking trail. They have signs everywhere. The ones in yellow are for “normal” people and the ones with a red stripe in between 2 white stripes are for advanced hikers. The signs say things like 8 hours hike to Frutigen or 6 hours hike to Mülenen and people are doing it. Who walks for 8 hours for fun??? And really old people are just walking up mountains with there walking poles like it’s normal. Very strange behaviour....I’m pretty sure that’s what cars were invented for.

Anyway....no hiking for me. Any other time I would have been up for an hour or so walk but not with this stupid chesty virus that I just cannot shake. And David’s ankle really precludes any walking for fun. So it’s a mountain bike ride. After testing the bikes going up and down our driveway we turn left and head down the trail. Within 400m or so we come to a gate, which means hoping off and opening and closing the gate...not a great start. In the next field we come across a herd of alpacas, every different size and colour you can imagine. They are not interested in us in the slightest. However we seem to have missed the signs and we have wound up in a field with no sign of a trail. I keep going in the hopes of finding the trail, all the while I’m mountain biking on someone’s land and is this even legal? I get to another gate and I’m convinced I’m in the wrong spot. I’ve been riding on slopey grass for a while and it just doesn’t feel right. I see no sign of David behind me so I head back. He has just stopped dead...also convinced we are not in the right spot. We head back the way we came, past our house and head in the opposite direction. This is a sort of trail, but very rocky and slopy...so this is what mountain biking is?? The bikes are handling the terrain ok...it’s just me thinking the wheel is going to spin out or I’m going to get a punctured tire from running over a rock...that would not be cool. We eventually reach another gate and David decides the road would be a better option for us so we head back to the house and then down the driveway and all the way down to the main road...to the donkeys. David has fallen for these donkeys big time, and we have been buying them carrots and oats and feeding them pretty much every day. They are incredibly cute and love our daily visits and treats.

Carrots finished we head home, pleased with what we have accomplished....mountain biking in Switzerland!

It’s a quiet night home with a movie and an early night. All this mountain air is making me sleepy....again!!

Day 27

I get a treat this morning when I wake up about 7am and see a full moon just sitting above the mountain. The photos don’t do it justice but it is so beautiful.

Today we were supposed to be going on the Gelmerbahn but when I go to book tickets, we can get up but we can’t get back.....unless we walk down for 3 hours!! Their website is stupid and phoning them is no help whatsoever, so we concede defeat and go to plan B.

Plan B consists of going up Mt Niesen (The Swiss Pyramid). We can actually see the funicular from our house. We didn’t even realise this massive mountain was there for the first 48 hours, because of the low cloud cover. Now with the clear days we can see to the very top and we are looking forward to seeing the view from up there.

It is another beautifully clear day....I just hope tomorrow is the same for the Gelmerbahn. My friend Emma was the one that told me about it when we were in Tuscany and we need good weather for it to be worth going up.

Anyway...today we have good weather so we must make the most if it. A lazy morning followed by another bike ride down to feed the donkeys, a bit of washing and a nice big salad for lunch and by 2pm we are ready to drive down the mountain to the Niesenbahn. Google says it takes 38 minutes to get there. Turning left at the village roundabout instead of our normal right, a few twists and turns down the road and I can see it....plain as day, NIESENBAHN written on the side of what looks like a funicular track. But google says we are still 30 mins away. Gut instinct kicks in and I tell David to hang a right at the bottom of the hill and bingo...we are there. I have no idea where google was planning on taking us but I’m looking at a big sign and I can see the funicular and this has to be the place.

Car parked and we buy our tickets and wait for the next funicular. It’s not long but luckily David has queued up....I don’t do queues....and we manage to get a seat. We had thought they only let a certain number of people on at a time but they cram them in sitting and standing....hiking poles and backpacks flailing everywhere. About 20 minutes later we transfer to another funicular and about 10 minutes later we are at the top. Walking out, the view is breathtaking but then I look up and see that it’s a bit of a hike uphill to actually get to the top. I’m not sure I’m up for it but David is keen so off we set. It’s a relatively easy 10 minute walk or so to get to the top viewing area...and there are no fences. Seriously we are on the top of a mountain, 2500m up and you could actually just fall right off. We get a 360 degree view of the lakes, the hills, the valleys, the villages and the snowcapped Alps. We can see for miles on such a clear day and we are very thankful for the weather. Seriously...I can’t adequately describe what we are seeing....it’s just immense. And to top it off, we can actually see the village of Aeschi and our house. We can even see the donkey paddock....but not the donkeys lol.

There is construction going on at the top, we presume a new hotel. There is even a digger perched on the side of the mountain....as I said with no fences. It is amazing to think of them building up here, even in this day and age and the Swiss have been doing it for well over 100 years. The funicular we came up was finished in 1910 but the first guesthouse was built up here in 1856. The guests had to walk up or, if they were well off, they paid 4 men to carry them up. So not a job for me!

Honestly, you could walk around the top and stare at the view for hours, but after an hour or so we have had our fill and make our way back down to the funicular. The ride is not particularly comfortable. Your body is always on an angle and as I said they pack the carriages full. David is not happy at all with the cramming in of people and when we get to the bottom he can’t help himself....he has to go and speak to someone. I make my way back to the car. Looking across the railway line I suddenly see a herd of cows wandering up the road...seemingly on their own. They seem to know where they are going but they are right on the road and cars are stopped waiting for them. Finally bringing up the rear is a lady walking along with the last cow. Do they do this every day....is that how they know where to go?

We have booked for dinner at a local restaurant we came across on our bike ride. Called Panorama, it’s literally just up the hill from our house. We booked for 7pm, planning on going home first to shower and change. But after coming down from Mt Niesen we realise, if we want to see the view, we will have to go earlier. So we head straight there from the funicular. It’s about 5pm and we figure we can have a few drinks before dinner....shower and change of clothes be damned.

The restaurant is virtually empty...just one other couple finishing their coffee. We take a seat on the terrace and the view is lovely, however not dissimilar to the view from our house. The cows are in the next paddock....we can see them but we can also hear them. The constant tinkling of cow bells has become the norm. It seems to me we are surrounded by a whole lot of quite small farms....maybe 2-4 acres. I have no idea why these small holdings with anywhere from 3-10 dairy cows feel the need to have these massive bells on their cows. \240Honestly some are as big as a soccer ball. They jangle whenever the cow is upright and eating or walking....which is most of the time. My understanding was (from reading Heidi as a child) the bells were for when they took the cows or goats up into the high meadows so they could hear each other. These cows are right there!! You can’t lose them...the farm is not big enough. Anyway I have actually started feeling sorry for the cows wearing these bells and having this constant noise....and of course it’s not just one cow bell, they all have one on... in different sizes. So it’s musical bells pretty much from sun up to sundown. I think they go to the barn at night. At least that is what the farmer next to the restaurant is doing with his 3 cows....he calls them in and finally the jangling stops.

I am happy to report we have finally met a happy Swiss person. Our waitress named Johanna is just lovely. Only 19, she is a credit to hospitality and we have a very enjoyable (if not expensive) dinner. This is not a tourist restaurant....mostly locals frequent it, according to Johanna, but goodness me the prices. We have a couple of drinks, a main each and a bottle of wine and it is over $230AUD. Don’t get me wrong...the food was delicious but sheeeezzz 😫😫😫. The restaurant has been here for over 30 years so they obviously know what they are doing.

We are finished dinner by 9pm and it has been a really lovely day. Apart from the cramming of the funicular we have not encountered crowds or tourists or traffic and most importantly we have enjoyed each other’s company....kind of essential when holidaying together!!

Tomorrow we take on the Gelmerbahn!!!

Day 28

Today we take on the Gelmerbahn! It’s not really that big a deal. It was only the steepest funicular in Switzerland till last year....not the highest, the steepest, with a 106 degree incline. Although it looks like a roller coaster, it is not. I don’t do roller coasters and I would certainly never suggest David go on one.

Minor incident at Tradewinds and I wake to see pictures of the soffit having collapsed in the garage and what I thought was shattered glass, but turns out to be hail, covering the back deck. Luckily the guests staying are super nice and even though the collapsed soffit scratched their car, they are totally cool about it. My superman Mel comes to the rescue and goes around and cleans it up and claims he will have it fixed by Monday afternoon when new guests check in.

So I learnt my lesson and booked tickets yesterday. We are going up at midday and back down at 2.30pm. I have packed a picnic and a blanket and we are out the door by 10.30. It’s about a 70 minute drive away.

The drive is very pleasant. Of course there are views virtually the whole way. We arrive a bit after 11.30 and after waiting for someone to leave we grab what we think is the last car park.

To our amazement the website neglected to inform us there is about 1km trek uphill to get to the Gelmerbahn. Honestly....would it kill them to give a little more information? Not that we wouldn’t have done it but we would have known about it. I know I keep on about it but David’s ankle is totally screwed...he basically needs a new one. I don’t know how or why he doesn’t complain more....unlike me. Between his ankle and my stupid chest right now, we make quite the pair. But we do it...and of course when we get to the top David has to speak to someone about their lack of customer information. I mean, what if you rocked up on crutches, or with a toddler, or someone in a wheelchair. Nothing on the website about the climb to get to the funicular.

We arrive with about 15 mins to spare. We can see the track going up and steep is quite the understatement. David seems a little nervous, but we’ve come this far...we are not backing out now.

We get a seat in the very top row. I would have liked to sit in the front but David is not keen. You go up backwards so you don’t really see where you are going...fine by David. It’s really not scary. My stomach did a flip when we were basically hanging vertical but once you’re over that bit it’s a gentle 10 minute ride to the top.

Alighting from the funicular and I’m thinking....oh no, it’s going to be another hike up to get to the lake. But thankfully I’m wrong and within a very flat 100m the lake is in view. Spectacular!! The colour is just amazing. It’s actually not a natural lake but a dam that was built over 100 years ago. They have some pictures and thankfully a history written in English, explaining how it was built and the fact that they just concreted the scaffolding right into the dam walls. I FaceTime Lily and Jac wanting to share this spectacular landscape. Tried to call Shell but it wouldn’t connect...weird. Jacqui is in Vietnam and she shows me the view of Ho Chi Minh City out her window and the 2 views couldn’t be more different. Jacqui and Brooke are having an amazing time and it’s good to see their beautiful smiling faces.

We have our picnic lunch by the lake the sun is shining, the sky is as blue as blue can be and it’s actually warm enough to have a short sleeve on. I can’t resist and I have to feel the water so I take off my shoes and clamber down the the rocks to the waters edge....cold but not as cold as I thought it would be. Getting back up is actually easier than getting down.

David is lying in the sun and so I decide to walk across the dam wall to the other side of the lake. Going across the wall and looking down the other side there are numerous names and messages spelled out in rocks...actually adds to the whole place. One particular message stands out the most and says “sunset lover” and reminds me of Michelle who may be slightly obsessed with taking sunset photos.

It’s probably about a 2 kilometre walk, across the wall and down to the little hut we could see opposite and back. It’s deceptive but it takes me a good half hour to get there and back. David wakes up halfway through and messages me “where are you?” Amazing that they have such good reception up here. I have to say the mobile phone reception and internet signal has been amazing here in Switzerland, considering the mountains. Our mobile phone reception cuts out going over the hill at Clothiers Creek....and don’t get me started on our NBN 🙄🙄🙄

At 2pm we start to make our way back to the funicular. I was hoping to get a seat in the front going down but that means queuing up.....not worth it. The only difference is that you don’t get any other heads in your video so I will just have to deal with the heads.

Exactly on time the funicular takes us back to the bottom. It may be a little scarier going down, cause you can see where you are going....looks to be straight over the edge, but nothing us seasoned funicular riders can’t handle.

On the way home I suddenly realise I haven’t received an email with a receipt from my hospital visit. Rather than call them and risk getting someone with not great English, we decide to drive there and see someone in person. \240The lady on the desk has very good English and asks us to wait whilst someone brings it down. 10 minutes later it arrives but not just a receipt....another bill!! They want me to pay another 91CF for services I received. Unfreakinbelievable! I go through the bill, which has about 30 charges on it, ranging from charging us for sitting in the waiting room to charging for the doctor visit in 5 minute increments. The last entry says “medical report” and has 72CF beside it. I query this charge saying I have received no medical report and I didn’t ask for a medical report. She looks at me blankly and then makes a phone call. Another 10 minutes later and a lady rocks up with my “medical report” completely in German and tells me I will need this to claim on my insurance. Yep ok...well I guess that’s why you take out medical insurance when you travel. This bill is slightly more than the cost of the policy so I guess I’m kind of in front...provided they approve my claim when I get home.

We stop to get some carrots to feed the donkeys on our way home. Seriously David is so in love with these creatures. He is actually talking about getting a pair when we get home. I say “no problem provided you put up the fences and build the barn for them to sleep in at night.” We shall see....

On the way home we see an upturned truck on the road. It’s the first accident we’ve seen and believe me we have driven some scary roads. Not just here but in every country. They make our strict road rules and speed limits seem like total overkill.

Our last dinner in our Swiss Chalet is low key...a simple pasta and sauce. I’m actually really tired and so I pass on a movie and hop into bed to catch up on emails, FB and my blog. Tomorrow we say farewell to beautiful Switzerland and head back down to Italy. We have booked a house on Lake Como for our final 2 nights and it actually looks like a museum, with frescoes on the ceilings and marble statues in the foyer. It has great reviews and is hopefully the perfect place to finish this trip.

Home in 5 days!!! I’m so ready ✈️✈️✈️

Day 29

Our time in Switzerland has some to an end. It has been a wonderful 6 days, hospital trip notwithstanding. We have seen a lot, rested a lot, driven a lot, and walked a lot. The mountains are majestic, the scenery mind blowing, and the sounds and smells are truly memorable. The people and the food on the other hand....not so memorable. Our waitress the other night, Johanna, explained it in simple terms regarding the Swiss people....they think they are the royalty of Europe and thus, kind of look down on the rest of us mere mortals. It’s a shame because they have such a beautiful country it would only enhance the experience if they were more willing to open up and share it. My comment regarding the food may be a little unfair. We didn’t eat out a whole lot here....really only one lunch and one dinner. Our meal at Panorama, whilst delicious, is not even in my top 10 for this trip. Part of a great restaurant experience is feeling you have received good value for the money you have spent, whether you’ve spent $20 or $200. Panorama just didn’t represent bang for our buck.

Lucks a fortune you know. We have had some truly great weather whilst we’ve been here. 3 days of clear blue skies to see the scenery in all its glory. Apparently you can come at any time of year and be fogged in for days at a time. And would you believe on the day we are leaving that is what we get. Cloud cover so low, Mt Niesen is almost invisible.

It’s about a 4 hour drive back down to Lake Como and we are in the car by 9am. Of course we have to make the obligatory stop to farewell our donkey friends and give them a final treat. I’m embarrassed to say they have been a real highlight of our time here...kind of representing the simple pleasures in life.

About 30 minutes into the trip I realise that we are not going back the way we came, which was along the lake shoreline and through the many tunnels. Google has decided to take us up a mountain, and when I say up, I mean right to the very top and then down the other side. As I said the weather today is overcast, but as we climb higher we are driving in the clouds, we literally can’t see more than a few metres in front of us, and by the time we reach the top of the mountain we are in bright blue sky and looking down on the clouds. I’m not describing this very well, but we find a place to pull over and I take some pictures and we are looking down into the valley but all we see are a layer of fluffy clouds. It’s freezing up here, the car says it’s 7 degrees but it has been so worth it. I’m not sure why google brought us this way...I’m guessing because of a traffic jam in a tunnel, but I’m so thankful.

Going down the mountain we get stuck behind a farmer moving his sheep from one paddock to the next....straight down the middle of the road. I would say...only in Switzerland, but we did experience this once in New Zealand as well. It’s funny.....if this happened at home in my normal everyday life I would be annoyed, but here it just adds to the experience. We hit a minor traffic jam at the Gotthard tunnel, but once through it is plain sailing all the way back to Italy.

Our house is in a village called Argegno on the shores of Lake Como. I message our host Mara to say we will be there by 1.30 and thankfully the house is ready for us when we arrive. We are greeted by Emma, Mara’s mother in law, who has no English but it’s not a problem. She proudly shows us into the ground floor apartment and holy cow...I feel like I’m in Vatican City. Walking into the foyer there is a giant marble statue in the centre, on the marble floor. The walls and ceilings are covered in giant frescos and there is a (delightfully hideous) murano glass chandelier hanging in the living room with matching ones on the side walls. It really is quite something....all painted by Emma’s late husband. She shows us around with a sense of pride that is quite touching and then leaves us to settle in. Oh by the way, if I was born Italian my name would be Joanna....it has such a nicer ring to it than Joanne, especially the way Emma says it....with a soft J....Joarna. I love it!!

The house is situated directly across the road from the lake. Apart from the fact there really is no view because of a privacy hedge, we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect spot. There is a lakeside bar/restaurant directly across the road and this is where we head for lunch. It’s about 26 degrees and I’ve changed into a sundress....finally taking off my warm clothes feels amazing. We have a delicious meal, pasta with prawns and pesto for me, looked after by the delightful David who takes pride in telling us he has visited Australia and it’s so obvious we are back in Italy. Apart from the food, it’s the people!! They are happy and smiling and thankful for your business and so willing to engage.

After lunch a trip to the supermarket is called for...just a few basics like milk and coffee. We don’t plan on cooking at all but I must have my essentials. A rest for about an hour and before we know it, it’s dinner time.

We walk into the village, over 3 bridges and down some steps. It’s quite chilly now and we see a restaurant with a lovely outdoor area that also has a heater. I head straight for it and we have one of the meals of the trip. The waiters are divine...engaging, informative and fun. We share an entree of a trio of salmon, smoked, a mousse and caviar....delicious. Then we share a whole fish...like a flounder or plaice but the Italian version....amazing, with a side of potatoes and tomatoes in olive oil and basil. We finish off with Eddy’s recommendation of tirimisu but with orange instead of coffee....hands down the best dessert of the trip!!

A lovely stroll home and even though this was technically a “travelling” day it had been fantastic. To top it off, about 10pm I hear what I think are fireworks and sure enough, by standing on a chair and on my tiptoes I can see a fireworks display further down on the lake, right beneath a 3/4 orange moon. A perfect way to finish a perfect day.

Arriverderci...

Day 30

Our last real day of the holiday. I’m so ready to go home....I’m dreading the long haul flights, but it’s just something you have to deal with when you are lucky enough to be born and live in Australia.

We wake to a cloudy day....not raining but very overcast. As always, when we are near the end the motivation to get out and explore diminishes slightly, and I’m secretly relieved the weather is as it is.

Yesterday David booked a boat for 2 hours to take out on Lake Como. It’s not booked until 1.30 so I spend the morning chilling and catching up on Airbnb dramas with Lily. David goes about packing a picnic lunch. About 1pm we walk about 200m down the road to the marina....seriously it’s that close. I thought David had just booked a sort of tinny/runabout, but it turns out to be a speedboat with a 40hp outboard motor. This was booked just showing an Aussie drivers licence. You so cannot do that back home.

Instructions given and we are off. Amazingly the sun comes out about 5 minutes into our trip! The company provides a map numbering 50 famous villas all along the shoreline of Lake Como and the one I most want to see is Villa d’Este. David stayed here once, pre me, and he promised me we would stay there one day. Well that hasn’t happened...but today I see it from the water. It’s not at all what I was expecting. I mean it looks very grand and the grounds and gardens are stunning. But it has a pontoon with about a million deck chairs on it....all lined up side by side. . Not very exclusive looking, in my humble opinion. We slowly motor our way back and come across a complete family of swans, mum, dad and 7 signets. They see us coming a mile off and swim straight up to our boat. Of course we have to feed them, so half our picnic goes to the swan family.

It’s a lovely couple of hours checking out all the amazing villas on the shore line....including George Clooneys. The book gives the history on them and states that “Hollywood has come to Como” and how George hosts lavish parties with the who’s who of the world.

We arrive back at 3.30pm. Nothing planned until dinner so we go back to Villa Emma and pack. It really is a very comfortable apartment to stay in...despite it feeling like a museum. The beds are soft by Italian standards...meaning they don’t feel like your sleeping on concrete. I’m not sure why the Italians have not yet discovered cushion top mattresses...but they need to. I feel like it’s kind of a Catholic thing....doing penance and sleeping like nuns or priests. Maybe not, but why else would the beds be so hard??

Dinner is a quiet affair back across the road at the Lido Argegno. David is there again and we have a lovely meal of soup, focaccia and seafood.

Home to sleep for our final night in Italy. It’s an easy 50 minute drive to Milan airport tomorrow for our flight to Paris and then home. Ciao!

We are up early to drive to Milan Malpensa airport. We have had a lovely 2 nights on Lake Como and it feels like the perfect way to end our trip. Plus....it’s raining! That means it’s definitely time to go home.