Dreams do come true

I had wanted to cruise the Greek Islands ever since I was a teenager, and last year that dream came true!

Cutting it fine, flying in from Australia into Athens, Greece, on the afternoon of boarding, we had booked a private transfer to save stress (but with 2 nights docked at Piraeus port we figured we would be ok, despite the agent’s warnings). And it all turned out totally hassle-free.

A smaller ship than our previous 2 cruises, the Pullmantur “Horizon” looked a little tired, but was perfectly adequate. Daily gym visits kept the kilos at bay – especially with the integrated drinks package. The energy of the nightly theatre performances, and the quality of live bar music, outshone our (limited) experience of on-ship entertainment. It was certainly an international experience – sailing the Greek Islands on a Spanish-speaking ship!

For our day in Athens, we pre-purchased an Athens Mini Pass for both the “get on, get off” tourist bus, and entry to the new Acropolis Museum, dedicated to archaeological finds from the Sacred Rock and foothills. (Travel tips: the bus stop was to the left of the port, across the road next to the kiosk, and the pass voucher had to be converted to a ticket at the Acropolis stop.)

A highlight was sitting on the large terrace behind the Acropolis museum eating Baklava against the backdrop of the Acropolis and Parthenon above. And it was fun to try find the same restaurant in Plaka where we had dined 9 years earlier – epic fail though: it was all Greek to us! Back at the Acropolis stop at the end of the day, we took a random walk while waiting for the next bus – up and around in adjacent parkland – and stumbled upon a fabulous view of Acropolis Hill. A fitting farewell.

Then the cruise itself – first stop: Santorini: the “goddess of the Aegean Sea”, where small tenders transferred us towards the surprising 300m high Caldera cliffs; the whitewashed houses of Fira (aka Thira) looking like snow on a mountaintop.

By the time we reached land, the queues for the cable-car were enormous and we had an appointment to collect a motor scooter for the day, so we skipped the line, hustled past the donkeys, and zig-zagged our way uphill on foot, drinking in the stunning views of the bay when we needed to take a break.

Then scooted off (literally) north, to the quieter town of Oia (pronounced ee-ya), for even more spectacular views (where the most famous blue-domed churches are).

By taking an inland route to circle back to Fira, we discovered a completely different view of the island, and still had time to explore Fira before it was time to take the easy way back down to sea-level by cable-car.

Next stop: Marmaris, a tourist port city on the Mediterranean cost of southwest Turkey. It was exciting to touch foot in a new country on this 7 night cruise.

And Marmaris was marvellous! An amazing marina, beautiful sandy beach with paved promenade, cute winding alleys, whitewashed houses, a castle and museum, and an undercover Grand Bazaar (if we had understood the incredible exchange rate we might have done some serious shopping – perhaps it’s best we didn’t!)

After all that excitement, a welcome day at sea, to simply kick back and enjoy the cruise experience…

…before the next round of island adventures!

Seize the day

Last year we fulfilled a number of bucket list wishes: sky diving with my son, cruising the Greek Islands, scuba diving in Crete, and taking a hot air balloon ride over the Loire Valley in France!

All totally amazing experiences.

At the time I thought that it was a bit excessive to fit all that into one year (despite a milestone birthday and wedding anniversary to celebrate), but now, with COVID-19 causing total disruption to our plans for 2020, it’s great to look back on what we achieved in 2019.

And here are some photos preserved in my photobook:

Cruising the Greek Islands

Heading to a secluded cove on Crete for our scuba diving

Sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Loire Valley

The moral of the story is to do everything you desire, as soon as you get the opportunity, because you never know whether you will have the chance again.

Carpe diem – seize the day.

Losing ourselves in Venice

Each morning at Antica Locanda Sturion hotel in Venice, in 2018, we enjoyed breakfast by the window in the dining room with a view of the Grand Canal (including the Rialto Bridge, if I popped my head out the window!) It pays to be early birds.

Staying near the Rialto Bridge was a clever move, making it easy to find our way back when we were inevitably lost (again!) as signage abounds for both San Marco and Rialto. I think we must’ve walked every street and alleyway between those two landmarks by the end of our 3-day stay.

Venice was everything I had always imagined, and I could hardly stop smiling – fabulous architecture, adorable little bridges spanning countless canals, pretty alleyways sometimes opening up into the surprise of a spacious plaza (aka campi). It certainly got busier as the day went on, and we chose to lay low once the church bells rang noon, avoiding the peak of the cruise crowds, and recharging ourselves for our second shift of sightseeing.

And how many photos of canals is enough? Just one more… especially with a gondola in sight. And the weather? Suberb!

San Marco’s plaza was spectacular with the ornate St Mark’s Basilica at the far side, next to the Doge’s Palace with its distinctive geometric patterns of pink marble, the blue-faced astronomical clock on the other… all dwarfed by St Mark’s bell tower (or Campanile) – the tallest structure on the island. It’s almost too much to take in.

A moonlit dinner by the Rialto Bridge is a special memory – the Rialto being the oldest bridge crossing the Grand Canal, and rated one of the prettiest in the world, with good reason. We got our money’s worth at Caffe Saraceno (where 2 courses is a minimum to sit next to the canal), relaxing there for hours till well after dark. Short-tempered tourist-fatigued wait-staff could not dampen the romance, with gondolas floating past and gliding under the beautiful white stone, arched bridge, as night fell and the city quietened.

Bright and early the next day, we walked north to Fondamente Nove, to find pontoon B (or F.te Nove B), buying an all-day pass and catch the waterbus to Burano, but deciding to hop off at Murano first (seeing it stopped there anyway) for a quick look at where that famous glassware comes from. We stumbled upon the stunning star-like blue sculpture called Comet Glass Star, and witnessed glass blowing through a factory doorway.

Then onto the main attraction: the fishing village of Burano, where canal after canal was lined with brightly painted houses (said to aid fisherman find their homes in the fog). Despite crowds pouring in, we found a nice quiet spot for lunch at Osteria Al Fureghin before stolling by the market stalls admiring local lacework.

Hopping on a much larger ferry on the return journey, which looped back to Venice via Treporti and Lido, we could have done even more island-hopping. But instead, sat back and enjoyed the ride, getting off at San Marco and passing the Bridge of Sighs (cringing at it’s macabre history of those sighing as they crossed it to their executions – or is that just a myth?)

After finding a cute little courtyard pizza restaurant, Trattoria da Gigi, we finished off the evening with a cruise up and down the Grand Canal (milking our all day ticket for all it was worth).

The 68 stairs back up to our room on the third floor of our hotel was a little daunting after such a big day out.

Venice is certainly a place to pack light – and remember to wear your walking shoes – and all the better to be easily accessible by the airport water bus. For us, that meant departing from Rialto A by the Alilaguna Airport ferry – or should I say speed boat – for the hour ride. It was certainly novel to arrive at the airport by water!

Soon we were flying back over the alps, and after driving from Geneva airport (badly timed, right on peak hour – we hadn’t been too picky when we snapped up cheap flights) we made it home to central France by midnight.

What an adventure-packed 2 weeks we had! Driving 2,500 kms with 2 flights, and 3 countries: France, Switzerland, and Italy…

Ah, those were the days. Let’s hope we can travel like that again soon, when the world recovers from this current corona blight.

From a celebration of love to the city of love

Friends from Lyon invited us to their wedding in Grenoble, France, in 2018 – and what a celebration it was, in a truly idyllic location!

What better to follow then, than a short drive to Geneva airport for a flight across to the city of love: Venice, Italy.

Accompanied by views of silhouetted mountaintops peaking above the clouds, set against a striking orange sunset, even the flight was romantic.

A decidedly unromantic but totally efficient 20 minute bus ride on the ATVO Venezia Express from Marco Polo airport took us across the causeway to the island city of Venice.

Arriving after dark, and having difficulty finding our bearings, we put our trust in Google Maps to wend our way on foot, through hundreds of deserted alleys to find our hotel – the old-Italian style Antica Locanda Sturion, tucked up around a corner off the Grand Canal, just near the iconic Rialto Bridge.

The following days were a dream come true – including ferrying across to Murano and Burano – and I will tell you all about it; content for the moment just to share the few select photos chosen for my photobook.

Venice – the city of love

Venice had always been way up there on my bucket list, and it certainly did not disappoint!

Lazing around Leysin

Breakfasts on the balcony, simple suppers, and stunning sunsets – our week in Leysin in June 2018 was a perfect launching point for our daily explorations of the mountains and magic that is Switzerland, where, yes, the cows really do wear bells!

And we paused awhile, enjoying just where we were…

Elevated at around 1,200m with fabulous views across the Rhône Valley, this quiet alpine town in the Vaud Alps has a mostly French-speaking population of around 3,000. Its pure dry air and abundant sunshine lead it to become famous for the successful treatment of Tuberculosis the late 1800’s and beyond, thanks to the work of Dr Auguste Rollier. Some of his original 37 sanatoriums can still be seen around town, including Chalet de l’Entraide where “The Sun Doctor” as he was dubbed, first developed his holistic heliotherapy-based treatment of TB. A number of larger sanatoriums – including what was the Grand Hotel – were later converted to international schools, which attract students from all over the world to this lovely location.

Plenty of fresh air, flowers and free-running drinking fountains.

And for us, an uphill hike on this summer’s day, just for the fun of it. Leysin certainly possesses all of the ingredients for good health and well-being!

Suitably re-charged, we readied ourselves to return to France for a wedding just across the border in Grenoble – the very thing which lead us to booking this unforgettable trip to Switzerland in the first place. And afterwards – “while we were in the area” – across to Venice! Double-bonus. (Sometimes I have to pinch myself).

It’s such a mood-booster to share and re-live these happy memories – particularly in the tough times we now find ourselves in.

Matterhorn is truly memorable

After 2 big days out “mountaineering” in Switzerland in 2018, we had originally planned a low-key rest day in Leysin – but the day dawned so bright and clear we just couldn’t stay put… so off we headed to see the well-known Matterhorn from Gornergrat.

A scenic 2 hour drive took us to the village of Täsch from where we caught the shuttle train to the car-free-zone of Zermatt, about 6km away.

The mountain village of Zermatt is pretty, compact and tranquil, with only electric vehicles and horse-drawn carriages for transport.

Centuries-old wooden houses, barns, and stores (built on rodent-proof stilts) in the “Hinterdorf” area, are a fascinating glimpse of times-gone-by, and we were excited to catch our first sight of the Matterhorn against a cloudless blue sky as we walked around, exploring.

Then we caught the historic Gornergrat Bahn (tourist train) for fabulous views of that distinctive pyramid-shaped mountain on the way up, up, up to Gornergrat-360 at 3089m. (Travel tip: sit on the right side of the carriage for the best photos!)

Once at the summit, we were treated to a spectacular snowy mountain panorama of a staggering 29 peaks towering 4000m or more above sea level – all set against a perfectly blue sky with only a few clouds quietly gathering. It was truly breathtaking.

Grabbing a light self-serve lunch on the balcony, the Matterhorn stood proudly in front of us, straddling the border of Switzerland and Italy. But like a cheeky little brother standing on tippy-toes, at “just” 4478m, Matt is not actually the highest peak; that title goes to his sister, Monte Rosa – a mountain massif named for her glaciers – and her highest peak, Dufourspitzem at 4634m, is the highest in Switzerland, and the second highest in the European Alps (after Mont Blanc).

With our train ticket allowing for stopping off at other stations, on our return journey we hopped off at Rotenboden (2815m) for some more photo opportunities at this rocky plateau, before resuming our journey to our destination: Rifflealp (2211m), where our real adventure began.

From Rifflelalp station we were meant to take an easy 1hr 20min hike back down to Zermatt, but with a couple of tracks blocked we began heading further uphill. Hmm. But on assurance from a couple of passing hikers to follow the signs to Findeln, we continued on our way. (Travel tip: yellow arrows are for walkers and the white/red/white arrows are for serious hikers).

The scenery was amazing, wild azaleas were in bloom, the sound of a rushing mountain streams afforded us the opportunity to refill water bottles, and we settled into a rhythm to enjoy the experience of it all.

Then all of a sudden, lo and behold, there was the Matterhorn again! A truly glorious sight from the settlement of Findlerhof, where we discovered Franz and Heidi’s restaurant – appearing like an oasis in the desert – and a perfect refueling post for us, already having hiked our planned 1hr 20min, yet still more than an hour from Zermatt. But the view from their balcony: priceless. What a fabulous find and a real highlight of our trip.

Matterhorn from Franz and Heidi at The Findlerhof, Findeln

With pretty much a downhill climb from there, we returned to Zermatt, where an American band was setting up in front of the church. So we settled ourselves down at Wilde Hilde’s for a drink, listening to the music and reflecting on this awesome day.

Certainly a day we will never forget.

Cham is fabulous – and that’s no sham

Setting off on a 90 minute drive from our base in Leysin, Switzerland in 2018, we drove towards the snow-capped mountains of the French Alps, crossing the border back into France and through the town of Argentière (the name reminiscent of our own town Argenton-sur-Creuse)… and just when I thought our trip couldn’t get any better: ah, Chamonix!

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (or “Cham” to her friends), sitting at 1036m, is a gorgeous French town nestled at the foot of Mont Blanc, where we just had to stop to enjoy a hot chocolate and croissant, before heading off to Le Brévent Télécabine, to take the fun gondola ride up to Planpraz. No decent photos can be taken of the magnificent mountain views through the scratched-up windows of the cable car – no doubt made by carting all that ski equipment back and forth. Did you know that the first ever Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix in 1924?

Back on terra firma on Planpraz, we had amazingly clear 360 degree views of the spectacular scenery, including the star of the show (at 4809m), the highest peak in the French Alps: Mont Blanc – reminding me of a phrase in one of my French lessons: Le Mont Blanc est la plus haute montangne de France – and in fact, the second-highest mountain in Europe.

After our short hike up to the plateau, 2000m above sea level, we sat on the cafe terrace, enjoying a light lunch, with that million-dollar-view spread out in front of us – bright red chairs and umbrellas popping against the stark white of the snow-clad alps set against a crystal clear blue sky.

Suitably re-fueled, we resumed our wanderings around this green and gravelled mountaintop viewing area, taking photos in every direction: the brilliant white dome of Mont Blanc contrasting the dark craggy outline of the pointy aiguilles.

Eventually coaxing Tony away from his dream of paragliding down the mountain, we traveled back down to Chamonix by gondola, and made our way across town, to take the funicular railway from Gare du Montenvers (tucked behind the regular SNCF train station).

The bright red train takes you to the Mont Blanc glacier – the longest in France – Mer de Glace, or Sea of Ice. First, ascending in the train to Le Montenvers at 1913m, then plunging almost straight down in a cable car, followed by a huge walk down, down, and even further down 420 steep steps to meet this ice floe snaking literally kilometres – passing signs indicating where the glacier used to reach, now melting at a disturbing rate. (200 years ago you could walk across it from one mountainside to the other.)

Then our foray into the fascinating man-made ice cave, Grotte de Glace, carved into the glacier’s side – complete with ice sculptures – which need to be recreated annually, as the glacier is constantly, but imperceptibly, moving. (Tourism both increasing appreciation for this force of nature while contributing to its demise.) This glistening grotto was too chilly and drippy to remain in for long, but we quickly thawed out on the long climb back up under the heat of the the sun. Phew!

We certainly appreciated the cable car hoisting us the rest of the way, and the quaint red train taking us through forests, over bridges, and past breathtaking views, back to beautiful Chamonix.

After yet more patisserie treats to prepare us for the drive back to Leysin, we had to figure out how to get our car out… we had wondered why it had been so easy to find a car park on arrival, and now we knew: we were hemmed in by bollards that had literally risen from the streets, blocking off the area. Luckily a local resident, returning home, kindly directed us to line the car up so that the bollards magically receded – not that we really would have minded being trapped in this idyllic mountainside town!

What a truly fabulous day out.

It’s a cinch… Schynige Platte, that is

Holidaying strategically in Leysin, Switzerland, in June 2018, we were perfectly positioned to travel to our handpicked locations in the spectacular alps which cover over half the country’s total area.

Even the drive down from Leysin each day was amazing – complete with views of a castle amongst the vineyards – Château d’Aigle – now used as a wine museum. Setting off bright and early, we had no time for wine tours: we had a date with Jungfrau in the Bernese Alps.

We enjoyed the scenic 2 hour drive, and when our GPS lead us to the Wilderswil tourist information centre, we asked for directions to the station (now being in the German speaking area of Switzerland, slightly relieved to get information in English) and bought our tickets for the historic Schynige Platte Railway (also sold at the station).

The quaint old cog train, with its slatted wooden seats, took us on a stunning 7 kilometre ride, chugging up the mountain for near on 50 minutes, through meadows and forests, with glimpses of Lake Brienz and Lake Thun at Interlaken, sparkling like precious jewels below. We continued up through the clouds to our destination: Schynige Platte, a plateau which sits 1967m above sea level, where we were greeted in true Swiss style by alphorn players, and truly magnificent views.

Although clouds mostly masked the Bernese mountaintops, the 4158m high peak of Jungfrau was visible (though her less distinctive neighbours, the Eiger and Mönch, remained hidden), as we set off on an easy 1 hour return hike to Daube lookout (Aussichtspunkt Daube) for panoramic views of the twin lakes below.

It was a feast for the eyes, with the blue and yellow wildflowers, the rugged rocky outcrops, the sky a brilliant blue with puffy white clouds snuggling against snowy mountains; the grass so green, the vivid turquoise and azure of the lakes below… just heavenly (and surprisingly warm to add to this pleasure of the senses).

We certainly worked up an appetite, and I enjoyed my flavoursome goulash soup and our shared meat platter in the Panorama Restaurant back at Schynige Platte; while having fun identifying the mountains, as named on the keepsake paper placemats.

Then we bid adieu to Jungfrau from Schynige Platte station, and settled in for the scenic ride back down to the valley.

It was only a 10 minute detour by car to Lauterbrunnen to see Staubbach Falls (plunging a mighty 297m, it’s one of the highest waterfalls in Switzerland); surprised to see it literally gushing out of the rock face above the town! We braved the long staircase (and tunnel, and more stairs) to climb up to the viewing point next to the falls, where the misty spray of the waterfall danced in front of us.

By then it had already been a big day, but I really wanted a closer look at the lakes; however they proved difficult to access, with the bulk of the water’s edge being private land. By accident, we ended up at Burgseeli, a small warm swimming lake, then found ourselves driving the wrong way in a one way residential street! A little stressed by now, we arrived at Bönigen where a small canal lead us to the banks of the calming Lake Brienz – signposted as “Brienzersee” (who knew?). Tiny glacier particles in its pure waters give this lake its delightfully distinctive dark turquoise colour. Having regained our equilibrium, we set off again, skirting the banks of the bluer Lake Thun in the direction of Bern, toying with the idea of stopping off there for dinner, but sensibly deciding against it – after all, there’s only so much you can pack into one day.

And what an awesome day it was!

Switzerland took my breath away

We were totally blown away by the magnificence of Switzerland’s scenery on our day excursions to amazing mountain ranges in every direction from our base in Leysin in 2018.

The photos below (chosen for my photobook) are a taste of what we saw, and I look forward to re-living the joy of those days over my following posts.

Schynige Platte

Post: https://aussiesinfrance.wordpress.com/2020/08/06/its-a-cinch-schynige-platte-that-is/

Staubbach Falls

Post: https://aussiesinfrance.wordpress.com/2020/08/06/its-a-cinch-schynige-platte-that-is/

Chamonix-Mont Blanc

Post: https://aussiesinfrance.wordpress.com/2020/08/15/cham-is-fabulous-and-thats-no-sham/

Zermatt

Post: https://aussiesinfrance.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/matterhorn-is-truly-memorable//

We fell in love with Switzerland. Let me share that love around.

Montreux: a musical mecca

Only a 40 minute drive from our holiday base in Leysin, Switzerland, lay the attractive town of Montreaux gracing the shores of Lake Geneva – and Tony was keen to visit…

Montreux

What I was totally unaware of, was that a fire at the Montreux casino was immortalised in of one of Tony’s favourite songs: Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” – so of course he knew all about it and was keen to go on a musical pilgrimage.

“We all came out to Montreux, On the Lake Geneva shoreline” so the song goes, and you can just picture the smoke from that fire (started by “some stupid with a flare gun” at the Frank Zappa concert in 1971) billowing out onto the lake.

No smoke on this water

Smoke on the Water! I must have heard that song a thousand times, and never realised the connection.

First port of call then, was the casino itself, fully rebuilt after the fire, but sporting musical memorabilia relating to that fateful night, along with tributes to many of the singers and musicians connected to Montreaux in some way.

Montreux Casino

Next, we sought out The Grand Hotel – where Deep Purple finally recorded an album after their original plan for recording at the casino complex literally went up in smoke.

The Grand certainly looked bright and beautiful: French architecture at it’s finest, festooned with incongruous yellow awnings.

The Grand Hotel Montreaux

But after checking out the prices on the menu board, we had lunch at Le Metropole on the waterfront instead. Still not cheap, but I did enjoy my traditional Swiss Saucisson Vaudois (steamed sausage and cabbage, with potatoes and green salad leaves.) I always like to try local dishes when travelling – and lunch with a view? Perfect.

Le Metropole

We had a lovely time in Montreux, this brilliant day, walking along the promenade enjoying the views, past market stalls, and unable to resist a Movenpick icecream.

Flowers and sculptures added interest – just in case the lake and mountains weren’t enough!

(This one made it into my photobook)

The Freddie Mercury statue is a significant (and very popular) sight. Freddie (from rock band Queen) came to Montreux for the Jazz Festival in 1978, bought a recording studio and ended up settling down there.

In 2018, we missed out on the July Jazz Festival by just one week, and while we are unlikely to move there, would certainly love to visit this music-centered mecca again one day.

I think they’re playing my song.